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Books I Read in October
Yes, it’s November 6 already and here I am putting out an October list. I have an excuse though – on October 31, Covid finally caught up with me. (So help me, I do not want to hear one more word of “Covid is still around?” because yes, dearies, it so is, and my doctor says this current strain is about as nasty as the old one. Believe me when I say I regret delaying getting the booster, because I would have loved for this to be an easier week.) While I’m STILL testing positive, I’m feeling much better except for the cough (and I already have a chronic cough,…
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Book Review: Answers in the Pages by David Levithan
I have to give a great big thank you to one of my teen’s former middle school language arts teachers for recommending Answers in the Pages by author David Levithan. It’s lovely, timely, and important. There are so many wonderful lines in this book that it was difficult to narrow down which to share, but this one hit me hard enough that I wrote it on a sticky note: “While the meaning of a book may be informed by the author’s intentions, it isn’t defined by them. Meaning comes from the combination of what the author puts in, and what the reader takes out.” As a writer, I can only…
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Book Review: Burn our Bodies Down by Rory Power
I was so blown away by Rory Power’s debut book Wilder Girls that I jumped at the chance to read an advance copy of her second novel, Burn Our Bodies Down. While they both have VERY different feels, the author’s skill at world building and creating atmosphere is evident in both – and like her first novel, this one left me a little speechless and off-kilter. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of the book; all opinions are entirely my own. This post contain some affiliate links that may earn me a commission if you purchase through them. Synopsis My Thoughts on BURN OUR BODIES DOWN…
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Book Review: The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead
Warm-hearted and relatable, Rebecca Stead’s middle-grade novel The List of Things That Will Not Change is simply wonderful. Read on to learn more about this lovely book. I received an advance copy of the book from Random House Children’s Books via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. The Book My Take Straight up – I absolutely adored this book. The writing is warm and funny, and the characters are relatable and REAL. The voice of this book is spot on for middle-grade readers, and the author tackles some tough subjects head on. She really understands anxiety and guilt…
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Book Review: House of Salt and Sorrows
If you are looking for an imaginative, eerie young adult fantasy for your teen, tween, (or yourself), I’ll highly recommend Erin Craig’s House of Salt and Sorrows. My thirteen-year-old and I both read this at the same time on vacation and it kept us glued to our e-readers! Thanks to NetGalley for providing me said e-ARC for review purposes. This post contains affiliate links that may earn me a commission if you purchase through them House of Salt and Sorrows is a gorgeous retelling of the fairy tale of the Twelve Dancing Sisters. It has a haunting gothic feel. I am a sucker for WELL DONE retellings, and this is…
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Thursday Things
With spring break behind me, I’ve got a lot of things rattling in my head. Most of it isn’t enough for a full post, but are loosely related. Thursday Things is a bit of a brain dump – a bit of what I’m excited about, a bit of what has me frustrated, and it all took place during spring break. Oh, and there are affiliate links in this post. I talk about those, too. Kind of. Shh. • • • In Which I Get On My Soapbox and Rant About Coaches and Vacations Last week was spring break for our school district. We didn’t go anywhere because we are rule…
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Stuck Inside? 5 Great Middle Grade Snow Day Reads
The Polar Vortex is back, the weather is keeping everyone inside, and it’s possible you are being subjected to another day of “Mom/Dad, I’m bored!” The weekend ahead looms, cold and dreary for much of the US. If this sounds familiar, I have just the thing to keep your kiddos occupied – check out my list (Part 1) of some entertaining middle grade books – perfect for a snow day. (This roundup of some of my favorite books from 2018 contains affiliate links.) These books all share a general theme of overcoming obstacles of one sort or another. A few of them are laugh out loud funny while tackling topics…
