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Two Middle Grade Books for Summer Reading
My 10-year old is an avid reader, and her reading pile is ALMOST as tall as mine. We both have a problem walking away from a tempting book (and what a good problem to have), particularly as we are both making sure we are set for summer reading. Of all the books we’ve both read lately, two stand out as superb choices for your kids: The Real Boy by Anna Ursu, and The Girl Who Could Not Dream by Sarah Beth Durst. Both are excellent options for your kiddo to pick up over the summer because they are fun and engaging. I picked up The Real Boy at the encouragement of our…
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Weekend Read: Girls’ Weekend
/ I picked up the e-galley of Cara Sue Achterberg’s “Girls’ Weekend” because the blurb intrigued me. Had I known I’d still be sitting in my favorite chair at 2am, racing to the finish, I probably would have put on my pajamas before I started. (Sometime before lunch…) Yeppers, it was that good. It was compelling, touching, and a bit soul-searching. Oh, and it was fun, too. Have you ever been on holiday and thought “what if I just don’t go home? I wish I could stay here and hide from the rest of the world…”? Well, Girls’ Weekend is the story of friends Charlotte, Dani and Meg. Frustrated and in need of a…
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The Feathered Bone – What I’m Reading Wednesday
It’s Wednesday, and it’s BAAAAACCCKKK! Yes – it’s What I’m Reading Wednesday, and BOY do I have a doozy for you to kick off the year. (Never mind that January is almost over. There’s been too much reading and not enough writing, y’all). This week I want to tell you about Julie Cantrell’s latest book (just released yesterday), titled The Feathered Bone. This one had me glued to my comfy chair until the wee hours of the morning, and she done near ripped my heart out with this tale. Read in one marathon sitting, my first response was: damn, y’all. This was hard. HARD. And beautiful. Cantrell manages to wind the themes…
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Christmas Novellas and Short Stories
For those of you who tell me “Oh, I’m too busy to read right now”, I say “Bah humbug!” Just for you I have three novellas and a book of six short stories, perfect for reading here and there in between Thanksgiving turkeys, Christmas shopping and office parties (or driving to team practices, tournaments over the holidays, and the like), all which will put you in the Christmas spirit! So much more fun than planning on how to avoid Aunt Mildred’s cheek-pinching fingers and critical relatives reviews of your holiday stuffing recipe! My first pick, Operation White Christmas (An Escape to the Country Novella) by Nicki Edwards, is a romantic and sweet little read, and…
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What I’m Reading Wednesday: Two Powerful Tales
Oh, you guys. Remember how I promised you that I have weeks and weeks of What I’m Reading Wednesday reviews of awesome, soon to be released books? I still do. (Along with a few just released, because it’s summer and my kids think that mom on the computer is the perfect time to pick a fight/ask her questions/spill something on the rug/<insert your favorite distraction here>.) As I mentioned previously, I read ALL the books on my summer vacation that had “hold ’til publication” requests forthe reviews (and the books I could review were unread). What can I say – sometimes, a book description hits your mood or something clicks and you just…
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What I’m Reading Wednesday: The Coincidence of Coconut Cake #WIRW
Are you hungry? I’m really excited about this week’s pick for What I’m Reading Wednesday – The Coincidence of Coconut Cake by Amy Reichert. It’s been frequently described as “You’ve Got Mail” meets “How to Eat a Cupcake”, and I would have to agree. The Coincidence of Coconut Cake is light, fun read about a restaurant owner brought down by a food critic’s untimely visit to her restaurant and subsequent scathing review. Set in Milwaukee, chef and restaurant owner Lou makes an awful discovery on her fiance’s birthday, resulting in a tumultuous night in the kitchen. Al is a British food writer biding his time in Milwaukee by writing scathing reviews of…
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What I’m Reading Wednesday: The Truth According to Us
It’s been a busy week and Wednesday just snuck up on me! How could it do that? I have a book to share with you this week that I just fell in love with! So let’s waste no more time, because I want to share my What I’m Reading Wednesday pick, Annie Barrows’ The Truth According to Us. Annie Barrows co-wrote The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and she is the author of the Ivy and Bean children’s book series. If you were a fan of the former, well, this book has a different feel. The Truth According To Us is historical fiction set in the summer of 1938. Layla…
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What I’m Reading Wednesday – Order of Seven
While I look forward to the end of homework and packed lunches and crazy schedules, summer vacation also means the end of order as I know it. Soon, my quiet time to read and write will go hand in hand with the kidlings’ time spent with the Disney Channel or the X-Box. With that in mind, I’ve been doing even more reading than writing because I have so many great books stacked on the side table and lined up on my Kindle. One book read in record time is this week’s pick for What I’m Reading Wednesday: ORDER OF SEVEN by Beth Teliho. Reading the blurb on the back of the book, my…
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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: The Girl With All The Gifts
I’ve been on a bit of “dystopian fiction” bender lately. I promise that I’m going to be changing gears next week, but before I do, I’m ending with a big BANG. This week’s pick is the just-published The Girl With All The Gifts. Let me start by saying that I was totally mistaken about what this book was all about. You might even say that I was tricked. I was led to believe that Melanie, the bright young girl that gets strapped in a wheelchair every morning (guns pointed at her all the while) in order to be wheeled off to class had some sort of dangerous but desired supernatural…
