Books
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Anxious Much?
If you know me well, you know I am a nervous talker. I’ve always been a bit of an anxious person. I was an anxious child, a perfectionist – I was more than the usual nervous about saying the wrong thing, putting my foot in my mouth…embarrassing myself… Yikes. I think that is why I so greatly enjoy writing. Two words: Self. Editing. I remember shortly after graduating from college being in that place of unemployment where I needed to bring in my resume to various companies. Pressure was on to find a job – I’d been working retail part-time since graduating – and I spent one afternoon driving past…
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What I’m Reading Wednesday: Books for A Cold Day
Brrrr! Fall is slipping away quickly here in Chicagoland and winter is tiptoeing in! I don’t know about you, but when the weather starts to turn, all I REALLY want to do is curl up in my favorite chair under a cozy blanket with a hot cup of tea and a good book! Lucky for you, I’ve got three really great mysteries that are recent releases – no waiting! So let’s get started: it’s time for What I’m Reading Wednesday and the “Books for a Cold Day” edition. There is something about Tana French’s style of writing that is instantly identifiable. Her books have a very distinctive feel –…
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What I’m Reading Wednesday: “A” is for the Alchemist
Happy Wednesday to you! If you have children, you are likely deep in the throes of back-to-school chaos. Mine kids are madly trying to finish up the math workbooks assigned for summer work and looking over their reading logs to make sure they have accounted for every day of reading – the latter being much easier to keep up with as my kids love to read. Both of my kids are big fans of serial books and I am excited to introduce them to a new series created by James Larson – The Winnie and Winslow Adventure Series. The first book in this series, recently released, is “A” is…
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What I’m Reading Wednesday: Never Google Heartbreak
It’s time for What I’m Reading Wednesday! Yay! Are you looking for a light beach read? If you are a fan of British authors Sophie Kinsella and Helen Fielding, check out Never Google Heartbreak by Emma Garcia. I think we’ve all been there (or had a friend that has been there) – dumped and going through all the stages of loss: grief, denial, (including bad fashion choices and the inevitable badly timed haircut). This is the story of Vivienne Summers who leaves her boyfriend (fully expecting him to chase after her, of course) after he has postponed their wedding – for the third time. When he doesn’t, she loses herself in grief and…
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What I’m Reading Wednesday: The Summer Middle-Schooler Edition
Both of my kids are avid readers, and while for my eight-year-old any book involving princesses, fairies, or animals having an adventure, she’s in. My ten-year-old is a tougher nut to crack. Historically he hasn’t been a fan of science fiction/fantasy, so no amount of reasoning could get him to try the Harry Potter series or any of the other YA fiction in that genre that I love, although I have seen some Rick Riordan find their way to his shelves. He’s a big fan of sports fiction, with books by both Tim Green and Mike Lupica filling his shelves, and he does like fiction that’s either compelling (like Michael Morpugo’s War…
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What I’m Reading Wednesday: Vanished
Are you a mystery fan??? Well, this week’s pick is an excellent, stay up late ’til ya’ finish romantic thriller: Vanished by Kendra Elliot. Fans of Carla Neggers, Lisa Jackson, Nora Roberts and/or Karen Robards will love this book as Elliot successfully meshes an intense mystery/thriller with a blooming romance. Initially, the story is about an eleven year old girl abducted on her way to school, but it proves to be much more complicated than that. The cast of characters is a complexly intertwined bunch. The missing girl turns out to be the stepdaughter of Mason Callahan’s ex-wife. (Got that?) On the surface, he, his ex-wife, her new husband and HIS ex-wife seem to…
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What I’m Reading Wednesday: The House We Grew Up In
This week’s pick is a family drama by British author Lisa Jewell, titled The House We Grew Up In. A compelling, complex family drama that was so very different from the book description (you might wonder if I’m just rubbish at reading the description, but no), I was quickly drawn into both the story and the family members. The happy scene depicted in the opening pages proved to be a stark contrast to the later lives of the inhabitants of the Bird House. When tragedy strikes on an Easter Sunday, the family falls apart, but while the blame for this is put on the tragedy, it turns out to…
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What I’m Reading Wednesday: Close to the Broken Hearted
We’ve had some really lovely early summer weather, perfect for curling up on the screened porch with a glass of ice tea and a good book. This week’s recommendation is the soon-to-be-released novel Close to the Broken Hearted by Michael Hiebert. I really loved Close to the Broken Hearted. Michael Hiebert’s second book did not disappoint. Twenty-two year old Sylvie was deeply traumatized as a child when she saw her baby brother shot to death in her father’s arms. The man who killed him, Preacher Eli, was sent to jail for the crime…but he has just been released. She is now a single mother with a three-month old yet-unnamed baby girl,…
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What I’m Reading Wednesday: Denise Grover Swank
I haven’t done a book review in a while, despite the fact that I’ve been binge reading for the past month Binge reading to the point where I’m writing a lot of posts in my head, but don’t get to put them on paper/in my laptop because my nose is stuck in a book. The dangerous thing about Kindles is that you can download the next book in a series you’ve discovered without leaving the sofa, thanks to Amazon and our local library which has amped up its e-book program. My reading tastes are pretty varied – mysteries, crime novels, chick lit, supernatural. I like a book with clever characters,…
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Sing Along With Disney’s Frozen
My family absolutely fell in LOVE with Disney’s animated feature Frozen, and when I received news that they would be releasing a sing-along version nationwide on Friday, January 31, Miss M and I were thrilled. THRILLED. Today I was sent a link to a sing-along version of “Let It Go”, one of our favorites. I played it for Miss M as she was getting ready for an after-school snack. She sang loudly and with much GUSTO and with no particular affinity to note or key. And loudly. Did I mention she sang loudly? I appreciated her enthusiasm, I really did. I may have to consider going to a later, less…
