Reviews, Etc.

BOOK NEWS: August 17, 2021

BOOK NEWS: August 17, 2021

Posted on by Jaymie

Let’s check out some of the new releases out this week!

Books for Kids

Poultrygeist -The title makes me cackle. Find out what happens to that poor chicken who tries to cross the road.
Pug & Pig and Friends – When the cat who has been tormenting him gets stuck in a tree in a storm, will Pug choose to help?
School of Rock – A picture book version of the movie.
Unraveled – When Cole’s favorite blanket becomes unraveled, Mom saves the day.
Gizmos, Gadgets, and Guitars: The story of Leo Fender – A picture book biography.
Pigskins to Painbrushes: The Story of Football-Playing Artist Earnie Barnes – A picture book biography.
Aven Green Baking Machine – Book 2 in the chapter book series starring the protagonist from Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus.

 

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

Klawde: Revenge of the Kitten Queen – Book 6 in the Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat series. (Book 1 – ♥♥♥♥♥) Klawde is looking for allies in his quest to rule the universe while Raj is dealing with his own troubles at school.
The Lost Things Club – From the author of the exceptional Captain Superlative. Leah’s summer with her aunt and uncle is different this year because her cousin TJ is different. Ever since a shooting at his school, TJ has stopped talking. But Leah is determined to connect with her cousin and draw him back out again. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
Ashfall Legacy – From the author of I Am Number Four. Syd discovers a device that proves his long-missing, presumed-dead father is still alive. But in his search, Syd discovers something that could destroy his father’s home planet, Denza, as well as Earth – and maybe even the whole universe.
The Endless Skies – A young woman on the verge of becoming the warrior she has always dreamed of being – a protector of winged lion shapeshifters – discovers her friends on a rescue mission are in even more danger than they realize. And she must decide if she is going to stay and become a warrior or leave and try to save her friends.
How We Fall Apart – A group of prep school friends are suspected of murder when a girl who knew all their secrets is killed. Now someone who knows those secrets is incriminating them through the school’s social media app
Redemptor – Book 2 in the Raybearer duology. Tarisai has ascended the throne, but her rule is shaky as assassins try to kill her, her friends grow distant, and a quest to the Underworld awaits her.

 

Books for Adults

Battle Royal (Trade Paperback) – While Sylvie is getting invited to be a judge on the baking show she lost, that means judging with the grouchy chef who ensured her loss. If that wasn’t enough, they are also both drawn into a competition to bake a wedding cake for a princess. This sounds fun!
The Dating Playbook (Trade Paperback) – From the author of The Boyfriend Project. Taylor agrees to help Jamar train to get back into the NFL, but they have to keep it a secret, so they decide to fake date. I love that this is something of a companion book to The Boyfriend Project. And I love fake dating stories. This is on my review list
The Exiled Fleet (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in The Divide series after The Last Watch. Adequin and her soldiers that no one wanted may be the galaxy’s only chance of survival. I have both of these books on my wish list.
Husband Auditions (Trade Paperback) – Feeling like the last single person around, Meri decides to try the recommendations in a 1950s article about finding a husband. And she agrees to let her friend Kai film her efforts as he tries to catch a break in his career. And Meri Me quickly goes viral. But Kai starts to wonder if he wants Meri to find love with anyone but him.
Star Trek Picard: Rogue Elements (Hardcover) – The third book in the Star Trek Picard book line after The Last Best Hope and The Dark Veil provides backstory to one of my favorite characters, Rios. We have already pre-ordered this one. I am behind on my Star Trek reading, but my husband has enjoyed the first two books.
40 Days on Being a Five AND 40 Days on Being a Six (Hardcover devotional) – The latest releases in the Enneagram devotional line from Suzanne Stabile and friends. I *loved* the version for my number and highly recommend these.
Sweet Jesus, Is It June Yet?: 10 Ways the Gospels Can Help You Combat Teacher Burnout and Rediscover a Passion for Teaching (August 20, Trade Paperback) – A Gospel-centered resource to help teachers battle burnout.

REVIEW: I Survived the Attacks of September 11, 2001 (Graphic Novel) by Lauren Tarshis

REVIEW: I Survived the Attacks of September 11, 2001 (Graphic Novel) by Lauren Tarshis

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Edelweiss and Scholastic Graphix in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Lucas is a football player. But after a significant concussion – his third in 2 years – his parents decide he shouldn’t  play any more for his own safety. But Lucas decides to appeal to his “Uncle” Benny. Benny is Lucas’s dad’s best friend at the firehouse. Benny stepped up and helped Lucas’s family when his dad was hurt in a fire. He got Lucas into football in the first place. So Lucas cuts school on the morning of September 11, 2001 to talk to Benny.

While Lucas and Benny are near the firehouse, talking, the first plane hits the World Trade Center. As the firefighters head to the site and Lucas watches the news at the firehouse, the second plane hits. Lucas is alone at the station. He can’t get a call out to either of his parents. What should Lucas do next?

Review

This is excellent! The story is full, giving context to Lucas being in the city on a school day as well as giving football book-ends to the more serious pieces of the story. The basics of 9/11 are covered honestly, straightforwardly, with details that are appropriate for young readers.

The author includes her 9/11 story, told in comic panels at the end of the book. Other information about 9/11 and the aftermath is included in the backmatter. The artwork is stellar! Easy to follow, conveying the details of the scenes well.

September 11th, 2001, changed everything. And kids today were born into that changed world. They have questions about what happened that day. With the 20th anniversary coming up, this will be a great resource to answer some of their questions. I highly recommend this one for graphic novel fans, fans of the I Survived series, and kids curious to know more about this significant historical event.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!

REVIEW: Dog Eat Dog by David Rosenfelt

REVIEW: Dog Eat Dog by David Rosenfelt

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

While out walking their dogs, Andy and Laurie see a man yelling at and kicking his pug. As they move toward the scene, another man comes up and punches the abuser until he is down. When the police arrive, the hero and the abuser get arrested.

The dog’s hero is Matt Jantzen. And Matt is wanted for a double murder in Maine. Andy wants to help the guy, but he can’t find a Maine lawyer willing to take on the case. So Andy, Laurie, and the rest of their investigative team head to the land of lobster rolls for the trial.

Review

This is a great mystery in this fantastic series. I love the humor and snark in this series. The mystery in this one keeps you guessing all the way to the end. I loved the change of setting for this. It introduced a few new characters in addition to Andy’s usual team, including a new dog, which is always fun.

Mystery lovers, dog lovers, and readers who enjoy courtroom dramas should not miss this series. The court case starts a little later than usual in this book which made for another nice change of pace. I enjoyed the ways Rosenfelt changed things up for this novel.

I find this to be a series you can start in the middle without much issue. My first Andy Carpenter book was The Twelve Dogs of Christmas (♥♥♥♥♥), which is the 15th book in the series. (This is #23.) I loved the book, but I was intrigued by the team and had to go back to the beginning to see how it all came together. I think newcomers could easily start with this book and then go back and pick up some of the earlier titles as well as checking out the spin-off series, The K-Team. Some of my Andy Carpenter favorites are The Twelve Dogs of Christmas as well as  Bury the Lead (♥♥♥♥♥), and Play Dead (♥♥♥♥♥). The second K-Team book, Animal Instinct, is also terrific. Check them out! Book 24 in the Andy Carpenter series, Best in Snow, will be out this October, and I’ll be reviewing it then.  (Language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might-re-read

BOOK NEWS: August 10, 2021

BOOK NEWS: August 10, 2021

Posted on by Jaymie

Here are some of the new books releasing this week!

Books for Kids

Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum: I Am Mary Shelley – The latest leveled reader from the Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum series.
Pizza and Taco: Super-Awesome Comic – Pizza and Taco create their own comic.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

Elfie Unperfect – From the author of the AMAZING Annie’s Life in Lists. Elfie thinks she has found the perfect school where she will finally fit in, but she gets expelled on the first day and has to make the best of 5th grade at her old school. I have already pre-ordered this one.
Hope Springs – While Jubilee and her grandmother rarely stay anywhere for long, their stay in Hope Springs just might be different as Jubilee makes some real friends and finds a cause worth fighting for. This is on my wish list for this week.
The Renegade Reporters – Three girls who are kicked off their school news crew decide to start their own when they stumble on a huge story. This is on my list, too!
World Champions: A Max Einstein Adventure (Older Middle Grade) – Book 4 in the Max Einstein series. A powerful group tries to stop Max and her friends from their work to save the world.
Heartless Heirs – A sequel to Twin Daggers from the folks at Blink YA. This is a sci-fi/fantasy/romance/royalty/sisters story that I cannot wait to read! I have book 1 on my wish list.
How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe – Traveling and working in influencer circles leaves Moon feeling like a wallflower, but a love-to-hate-him relationship might change how she views herself.

Books for Adults

Death & Sensibility (Hardcover) – Book 2 in the Jane Austen Society Mystery series after Pride, Prejudice and Poison. When the featured speaker at a Jane Austen conference dies, Erin finds it suspicious and starts asking questions.
Dust to Dust (Hardcover) – Book 2 in the Ivy Nichols Mystery series after Murder at Hotel 1911. Ivy wants to prove the hotel manager, Mr. Figg, innocent when he is accused of murder. I am eager to check out this series!
Miss Lattimore’s Letter (Trade Paperback) – An unexpected matchmaker finds her own romantic situation challenging when her ex and her client both seem to be interested in her.  This one is on my review list.
One for the Hooks (Hardcover) – Book 14 in the Crochet Mystery series. Molly and her crochet pals are investigating when someone dies  because a drone dropped seafood shells on someone with a severe allergy. It looks like the series might have been given a new cover designer recently, and I love the change. This cover would get me to pick this book up even though I don’t crochet and I haven’t read the first 13 books.
Scone of Contention (Hardcover) – Book 13 in the Key West Food Critic Mystery series. Hayley is sleuthing in Scotland when her honeymoon trip becomes a family outing and her new sister-in-law and her friends seem to be tied to a recent death.
She Wouldn’t Change a Thing (Hardcover) – A wife and mother finds herself with a second chance at life when she wakes up as her 17-year-old self. But can she change a tragedy she knows is coming while not losing any of the life she loves in the future?
Still Life and Death (Trade Paperback) – Book 3 in the Shepherd Sisters Mystery series after Out of the Picture (♥♥♥♥½) and Behind the Frame (♥♥♥♥). Savanna’s uncle takes a job at the flower shop where she is teaching an art class, but he stumbles across a murder that sets the Shepherd sisters sleuthing again. Looking forward to this one!
Wait for It (Trade Paperback) – A new stand alone romance from the always delightful Jenn McKinlay. A young woman desperate for a fresh start rents a guest house from a “crabby old man” who turns out to be a good-looking guy her own age who is working through his own pain. This is on my review list.
Baptized in Tear Gas: From White Moderate to Abolitionist (Trade Paperback) – A self-described former “white moderate” who cared about social justice but not as much as keeping the “peace” shares her story of revelation and transformation.
The Secrets of Lego House (Hardcover) – A coffee-table book for Lego fans about the home of Lego.

REVIEW: Whatever Happens (Julie and the Phantoms) by Candace Buford

REVIEW: Whatever Happens (Julie and the Phantoms) by Candace Buford

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Edelweiss and Scholastic in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Includes SPOILERS for the Netflix show Julie and the Phantoms.

[At the end of season one of Julie and the Phantoms, the band has finished playing at the Orpheum, but the guys don’t “cross over.” Their unfinished business, whatever it is, isn’t done. Julie finds them in the studio, still suffering from Caleb’s power over them. But something happens that releases them from Caleb; their club stamps disappear. And for the first time, Julie can touch them even though they are ghosts.]

While Alex and Reggie leave to find Willie and see what they can figure out about their more solid ghostly state, Luke and Julie reminisce about their show at the Orpheum and talk about their most cherished days from the past. For Luke, it’s the day Sunset Curve was preparing to play the Orpheum the first time in 1995. For Julie, it’s a day she spent with her mom in 2019, before they knew her mom was sick.

Review

This is so clever! It fills in fun backstory for the characters without getting in the way of any potential season 2 stories for the show. Fans will get to read about songwriting moments for Luke, Julie, and Rose as well as some family interactions for Alex, Flynn, and Julie. Readers get a glimpse at Bobby and his place in the band and find out a little more about Reggie’s family.

As old as I am, I am probably way too attached to a show for kids and teens, but I absolutely *adore* these characters. I have my fingers crossed that Netflix will shoot at least one more season of the show. But while we all wait, fans will love getting to spend time with these characters in some new stories which fit perfectly into the show and reveal a little more depth to each of the teens. This book made me love my favorite characters all the more.

If I was rating this on my enjoyment alone, I would give this 4.5 stars. I loved it. I would re-read this. The author does almost too good of a job conveying the chemistry between Luke and Julie (this is a middle grade story, after all), and I am thrilled to add some backstory to my head canon about these characters. A lot of that character depth comes from the characters getting to tell their own parts of the stories. Each of the 6 teens has at least one point-of-view chapter. But that is also where the wrinkle comes in for me. The set up is that Luke and Julie are alone, telling these stories to one another. There’s no place in that set up for the other 4 characters to chime in with their perspective on group events, much less sharing about things that happened away from Luke or Julie. That structural wrinkle would drop my book rating to probably a 3.5 – the story is otherwise solid. I’m going to give it an average rating of 4 here, but in my head, the content is definitely rated higher than that.

Readers will want to have at least a passing knowledge of the events in the show and the characters in order to enjoy this. Fans craving new content for these characters should snap this up. (LGBTQ+, TW: coming out stories/parental disapproval)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read (but you know I totally will with this one!)

REVIEW: Capture the Crown by Jennifer Estep

REVIEW: Capture the Crown by Jennifer Estep

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Princess Gemma works at keeping her pampered princess persona and reputation in place. It disarms people, and they tell her things – things that help her work as a spy.

Her latest mission has her posing as a miner as she tracks missing stockpiles of tearstone. But her mission puts her directly in the path of her nemesis, Prince Leonidas Morricone of Morta. HIs family was behind the Seven Spires Massacre (Kill the Queen), an event that still haunts Gemma, 16 years later.

When someone tries to kill Leonidas, Gemma reluctantly saves him. When her life is in danger, he returns the favor. It makes sense for them to team up against the actual villain. And once they’ve thwarted *his* plan, the two royals can go back to hating each other.

Review

I loved this! I wanted to pick it back up and start over as soon as I finished it. And I would have if I didn’t have so many other stories vying for my attention. I’m so happy this is the first review to post after the completion of my blog sabbatical.

This is NOT a fourth book in the Crown of Shards series – after Kill the Queen (♥♥♥♥♥), Protect the Prince (♥♥♥♥½), and Crush the King – but a spin off. Gemma is a child in those books, but now she is an adult, ready for her own adventure – and romance. There are references to the events of the Shards series, but this kick off to the Gargoyle Queen series is all about Gemma, and I adored it!

I am enjoying the magic system in this world as much as the heat and tension between Gemma and Leo. I’m trying to puzzle out what Leo’s family is up to – and especially what the story is with his sister. The teaser for book 2 – Tear Down the Throne – gave me no answers, and only made me whine all the more about the long wait until it releases.

Crown of Shards fans should run right out and pick this one up. I don’t know that you have to have read that series to dive into this one, but I think it helps. Besides, it’s an outstanding series that fantasy fans should not miss. I re-read the original series after finishing this, and it was so helpful for filling in little story gaps I had forgotten. Now that my autographed copy of Capture the Queen has arrived, I am ready to read it again! Don’t miss this one. (Language, violence)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ = I loved it! Would re-read.

BOOK NEWS: August 3, 2021

BOOK NEWS: August 3, 2021

Posted on by Jaymie

Happy August! There are so many books releasing this month to get excited about. Let’s take a look at some of this week’s new releases!

Books for Kids

Squasherella – A fall twist on Cinderella.
The Secret Life of Viruses – A picture book about the science of viruses.
Agent Moose: Moose on a Mission – Book 2 in the Agent Moose graphic novel chapter book series. Agent Moose, Granny Moose, and Owlfred are working a new case when the circus comes to the forest.
J.D. and the Family Business – A brother and sister with a flair for working with hair team up to grow their businesses. This looks awesome!
Super Turbo Protects the World (Graphic Novel) – A graphic novel version of book 4 in the Super Turbo series.
Total Mayhem: Monday Into the Cave of Thieves AND Tuesday The Curse of the Blue Spots – The first two books in the Total Mayhem chapter book series starring a kid named Dash Candoo.
Unicorn Diaries: Bo and the Merbaby – Book 5 in the delightful Unicorn Diaries series. Bo wants to help a merbaby who can’t swim on her own yet.

Books for Older Kids/Teens/Young Adults

Black Boy Joy – A collection of 17 stories celebrating Black boys.
Boots – Book 3 in the League of Secret Heroes series. This is a fun historical fantasy mashup with a trio of teen superheroes helping fight World War II. The Infinity Trinity take on the Metallic Falcon when he captures Mae’s aunts.
I Survived the Attacks of September 11, 2021 (Graphic Novel) – A graphic novel adaptation of the I Survived novel about 9/11. This is a perfect release for the 20th anniversary of an event that impacted the world today’s kids live in, but happened long before they were born. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
Julie and the Phantoms: Whatever Happens – A book that takes place immediately after the end of season one of Julie and the Phantoms, but which reveals stories from before the boys became ghosts and before Julie’s mom died. I’ll be reviewing this one soon.
Just Be Cool, Jenna Sakai – After a break-up, Jenna swears off boys. But her ex is competing with her for a major scholarship and another boy keeps stealing her favorite diner booth where she goes to hide every day.
Paola Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares – Book 2 in this series from Rick Riordan’s imprint. Paola is having nightmares again, but with her relationships in flux, there’s really no one she can tell. But her mysterious and absent father is at the center of the nightmares – and he just might be the solution she needs to help her ailing grandmother.
Stowaway – The latest middle grade story from the fabulous John David Anderson. This is the first book in a planned sci-fi duology. Leo and his brother have been stranded in space when the galactic battle over a rare but important resource discovered on Earth heats up and their scientist father is kidnapped. This one is on my review list.
Wish Upon a Stray – Looking for friends in her new American home, Maria gets attached to a stray who turns out to belong to her neighbor. In exchange for more time with the dog, she agrees to sing in her neighbor’s band.
Dangerous Play – When Zoe is assaulted at a party, she and her field hockey teammates decide to do whatever they have to in order to ensure no girl ever feels unsafe again.
The Dead and the Dark (LGBTQ+) – Two girls team up to find out what has been happening to the teens in the town of Snakebite, but neither are ready for what they discover.
The Fatal Error – First book in the Holding the Fort series. A secret military project decides it doesn’t want to be kept a secret any more. And a group of teens wakes up to find everyone else in their town has gone missing. I have this one on my wish list.
Suns Will Rise – Book 3 in the System Divine series described as “Les Misérables meets The Lunar Chronicles.” I’m not sure I can do the description to this justice since I haven’t read the first two books. But book one, Sky Without Stars, is on my list.

 

Books for Adults

An Amish Schoolroom (Trade Paperback) – A collection of three stories about Amish school teachers.
The Chocolate Raccoon Rigmarole (Hardcover) – Book 18 in the Chocoholic Mystery series. Lee starts looking into a series of robberies where only sweets are taken when her friend’s boyfriend becomes a suspect.
The Dating Dare (Trade Paperback) – Sequel to the fun novel, A Sweet Mess. While their secret dates always end in some romcom-level disaster, their chance meetings are always something special. And that’s a problem because Tara doesn’t want anything serious, and Seth is going to be leaving the country soon for a job. This one is on my review list.
Death in Castle Dark (Mass Market Paperback) – First in a new A Dinner and a Murder Mystery series which I have heard is written by Julia Buckley. An actress cast in a murder mystery troupe finds a real mystery when one of the other actors is killed during a performance. This is also on my review list.
Delia Suits Up (Trade Paperback) – A woman convinced her job woes would be gone if only she was a man finds herself magically transformed.
Hostile Intent (Trade Paperback) – Book 4 in the Danger Never Sleeps series. A military officer requests an early discharge to spend time with her dying mother, but she’s attacked. Now the special agent of the FBI who saved her says she may have the answers to a series of unsolved murders. And they need to work together to find the killer before the killer strikes again.
If the Shoe Fits (Hardcover) – From the author of Dumplin’. Cindy, a shoe-loving fashion designer who can’t find work in her field, finds herself thrown into a reality tv show when a guest cancels and the show-runner (Cindy’s step-mother) needs a fill-in. As the first plus-sized woman to appear on the show, Cindy finds herself getting a lot of attention, but she’s not sure she can trust any of it – the fans, her fellow contestants, or the things she is feeling for the star of the show. This is also on my review list.
Murder Most Fowl (Hardcover) – Book 29 in the always delightful Meg Langslow Mystery series. While Meg’s husband is directing a production of Macbeth, and a group of reenactors are exploring the life of the real Macbeth, a murderer strikes. (Book 30, The Twelve Jays of Christmas, will release in October.) This one is on my review list.
So We Meet Again (Trade Paperback) – When Jessie heads home to lick her wounds after being laid off, she runs into her childhood nemesis who, surprisingly, offers to help her relaunch her YouTube cooking channel. I have adored the last couple books I have ready by Suzanne Park, so I am eager to dig into this one, which is on my review list.
To Write a Wrong (Trade Paperback) – Book 2 in the Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency series after the wonderful To Steal a Heart. When a mystery writer finds himself the target of murder attempts, he enlists the help of the Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency. And Daphne, a mystery writer herself, is assigned to help. I am so excited about this one!
The Walnut Creek Wish (Trade Paperback) – First in the Creektown Discoveries series. A couple in a strained marriage move to Walnut Creek and find unexpected help at an antique store.
3 Big Questions that Change Every Teenager (Hardcover) – Based on research from the Fuller Youth Institute. Contains information to help pastors, parents, youth leaders, and mentors shepherd teens through their three big questions: Who am I? Where do I fit? and What difference can I make? This sounds amazing!
The Daily Bible Project (Three-Year Journal) – A multi-year journal with a Bible reading prompt (roughly three chapters a day) with room for notes. Will take the reader through the Bible in a year, three times. No text, just the reference so any translation can be used. I am eager to see this one in person.
Holy Hot Mess: Finding God in the Details of This Weird and Wonderful Life (Hardcover) – No matter how “messy” life feels, you can trust you are being transformed into Christ’s likeness.
A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church, Year A AND Year W (Trade Paperback) – A lectionary focused on the stories of women in the Bible.

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Summer/Sabbatical Wrap Up

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Summer/Sabbatical Wrap Up

Posted on by Jaymie

If reading was a numbers game, this summer would be a fail.

For the last six or seven years, I have maintained a reading pace of a book a day or more. I have blown through the family reading challenge most years (although not in 2018). And I have long lists of great summer reads.

Not this year.

I read 11 books in June. I’m on pace to hit that or maybe do one or two better in July. Twenty-two books in 60-some days is way off my usual pace.

And it’s going to be okay. It has to be because that is my reality. And really, no one cares other than me.

So I will celebrate the great books I read and look forward to even more great reads as 2021 continues. Here’s the wrap up for summer 2021. (You can read back through my summer plan here – and then laugh at how naïve I was!)

Family Reading Challenge

None of us finished. Not one. I read 1 of my five (a re-read from my favorite series). My husband has finished 3. The teen has read nothing.

BUT…. We have decide to extend our deadline into mid-August. My husband is committed to finishing all five of his books, and the teen says he is going to read at least one by the new deadline. I’m not sure what I will do. I am enjoying my ARC reading since I shifted some things around, so we’ll see.

 

ARCs

In my start-of-summer post, I posted 23 book covers of some of the ARCs I need to be reading. Of course, this was before my July sabbatical (more on that in a minute). Of those pictured, I read 10 and DNF’d another (Did Not Finish). I’m on pace to finish at least 17 ARCs (well, two were DNFs) during these two summer months by the time this posts. Not bad. Not amazing, but not bad.

 

Sabbatical

One thing that was NOT on my radar when I posted my summer reading plan 8 weeks ago was my July Sabbatical. You can read about it here.

This is one of the best decisions I could have made for myself and my mental health. I relished the freedom to read – or re-read – or not read. And I might even be tempted to do it again. I needed this break desperately. And it gave me some time to consider the future.

This blog is very important to me. I’ve poured a LOT of time and a lot of myself into it. But I’m changing things up to make it more sustainable with my new responsibilities.

  • I am keeping Book News on Mondays. Doing book research on new releases is one of my favorite activities. I refuse to give it up. I might include fewer books going forward, but this was one of the driving factors I had for creating The Neverending TBR in the first place. So it stays.
  • I am keeping reviews for adult books on Wednesdays. This is not changing. For the last couple years, I have often posted *two* adult reviews a week because I have had such a surplus. But I am committing to myself that I am only going to post one a week for awhile. This means I have to fight against the feeling of being “behind.” And reviews won’t always post near their release date any more. And until I get “caught up,” I have to be okay with that.
  • I am moving my reviews of books for kids and books for teens/young adults to Fridays. Some weeks the review will be for a middle grade book and other weeks it will be a YA graphic novel and another week it will be a picture book. But one review a week, like the adult reviews, just to help me maintain my peace.

So, that’s the scoop. Generally 3 posts a week, two reviews and Book News. I don’t know if I’ll keep doing Saturday Smorgasbord. We’ll have to see what evolves over time. But this pace feels far more manageable than 3 to 6 reviews a week like I have been doing for the last few years.

I think the highlight to my summer reading has to be the re-reading I have enjoyed. There are few things as soothing as reading a favorite book – it’s like hanging out with an old friend.

 

So, what did you read this summer?

SABBATICAL: Books about Books

SABBATICAL: Books about Books

Posted on by Jaymie

Before my sabbatical,  I would spend one Saturday a month on a list post or some other deep dive into a topic. You can find all of these posts together under the category of Saturday Smorgasbord. I anticipate this being my final Sabbatical post, depending on how things have gone over the last month.

Today, I want to highlight the post about some books about books. This is a post from 2017. While a lot of the books included were ones I had read, not all of them were.

If I were to do that post today, I would have to add some of the great books that have released since then – books about book banning, cozy mysteries about book sellers and authors and librarians, as well as books about bookish spaces. Some favorites would be:

For Kids:

Judy Moody, Book Quiz, Whiz
Property of the Rebel Librarian
Ban This Book
Help Wanted. Must Love Books
Madeline Finn and the Shelter Dog

 

For Teens:

Recommended For You
Copycat
The Bookish Boyfriends series
What I Like About You

 

For Adults:

Bait and Witch
How to Raise a Reader
The Magical Bookshop Mystery series
The Good Ones
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It
The Bromance Bookclub Series
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

 

Check out the original post here: Saturday Smorgasbord: Books about Books

SABBATICAL: Favorite Illustrators

SABBATICAL: Favorite Illustrators

Posted on by Jaymie

Before my sabbatical,  I would spend one Saturday a month on a list post or some other deep dive into a topic. You can find all of these posts together under the category of Saturday Smorgasbord. This week, to wrap up my month off, I am going to revisit three of my favorite posts.

Today, I want to highlight the post about some of my favorite illustrators. While I don’t teach kids any more, I still love a good picture book!

This list was originally posted in 2016. If you asked me today to list some favorites without looking at that list, I would definitely highlight Dan Santat, Ashley Spires, and Mo Willems, the first three names on the original post. These folks remain favorites. I can pick their art style out from across the bookstore. I love that all of them are also authors.

I’d also include Jarrett Krosoczka who really should have been on that original list. I love his art, his stories, and he’s an awesome human being, too. Another great human being who is also a great author and illustrator is Jarrett Lerner. Today’s list would include both of those gentlemen.

You can check out the original post here: Saturday Smorgasbord: Top 10 Favorite Illustrators