Weekend Update #45

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @The Caffeinated Book Reviewer It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. Here is what I have been up to this last week.

What I have been watching

 

 

I have been really enjoying this series on Cinemax.  The series is through book 2 so far.  Even though Cormoran Strike isn’t how I imagined him from the books, I am loving the tv version of his character.

FUN YOUTUBE VIDEOS

If you didn’t get a chance last week, check out my daughter’s YouTube channel.

My daughter and her friend make these funny videos for their YouTube channel.  They are called the Rootin’ Tootin’ Scootins.  PLEASE watch and share to help boost their stats.  I promise it will put a smile on your face.  There are 5 videos. CLICK HERE TO WATCH!!!

CURRENTLY READING

Book Blurb

Alaska, 1974.
Unpredictable. Unforgiving. Untamed.
For a family in crisis, the ultimate test of survival.

Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam war a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: he will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier.

Saturday Situation is put on by Pure Imagination. It is were we review our latest reads. Be sure to check out theirs as well.

There were two main focuses of this book. One is Lily’s fear that she will eventually show signs of having schizophrenia like her mother and other relatives in her family tree.  The second focus is the plight of a baby elephant, Swifty, whose mother rejected her.  Swifty and Lily’s lives become intertwined when Lily decides to help Swifty.  There were some short, disturbing scenes of elephant abuse and readers are forced to learn the positive and negative sides of zoos and circuses.  I did like Lily’s character growth through out the book.  She went from a self-absorbed teen focused on her future to a teen risking her future to help out a helpless baby elephant.

If you want a quick, heartfelt read for the summer, then grab this book.  It is a wonderful coming of age story that follows the main character, Willa, at age 11, 21, 41, and 61.  Willa’s life at these ages encounters a life changing moment. I was so interested in where her life was headed especially at 61. A great story about how you can be needed at any age and what it means to be apart of a family even if you are not related to them.

Stacking the Shelves is put on by Tynga at Tynga’s Reviews. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves. Here are the books I have added to my TBR list this week.

I received this from NetGalley.

Book Blurb

How do you stop a murder that’s already happened?The Hardcastle family is hosting a masquerade at their home, and their daughter Evelyn Hardcastle will die. She will die everyday until Aiden Bishop is able identify her killer and break the cycle.But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up each day in a different  body as one of the guests. Aiden’s only escape is to solve Evelyn Hardcastle’s murder and conquer the shadows of an enemy he struggles to even comprehend. But nothing and no one are quite what they seem.

I received these two from First to Read.

Book Blurb

Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He’s about to take his first-ever trip to Iran, and it’s pretty overwhelming–especially when he’s also dealing with clinical depression, a disapproving dad, and a chronically anemic social life. In Iran, he gets to know his ailing but still formidable grandfather, his loving grandmother, and the rest of his mom’s family for the first time. And he meets Sohrab, the boy next door who changes everything.

Book Blurb

It all starts when six kids have to meet for a weekly chat—by themselves, with no adults to listen in. There, in the room they soon dub the ARTT Room (short for “A Room to Talk”), they discover it’s safe to talk about what’s bothering them—everything from Esteban’s father’s deportation and Haley’s father’s incarceration to Amari’s fears of racial profiling and Ashton’s adjustment to his changing family fortunes. When the six are together, they can express the feelings and fears they have to hide from the rest of the world. And together, they can grow braver and more ready for the rest of their lives.

The Book Blogger Hop is put on by The Coffee Addicted Writer . There is a weekly prompt featuring a book related question.

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION IS SUBMITTED BY Elizabeth @ Silver’s Reviews.

This weeks prompt is…

Do you have an Instagram account? If so, do you only follow book folks?

My answer…

Yes! I have an Instagram account.  I don’t only follow book folks.  I also follow several dog folks.  However, most of my posts are book related. Here is my Instagram Link.

 

Can’t Wait Wednesday!

Can’t Wait Wednesday, is hosted by Wishful Endings  to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. 

From the internationally bestselling author of The Bone Season, a trailblazing epic fantasy about a world on the brink of war with dragons—and the women who must lead the fight to save it.

A world divided.
A queendom without an heir.
An ancient enemy awakens.

The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction—but assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tané has trained all her life to be a dragonrider, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.

Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.

This book publishes February 2019.

Tell Me (Top Ten) Tuesday

Tell Me Tuesday is a weekly blog feature put on by La La in the Library.  It is where we discuss what we have been, currently are, and will be reading.  What are you reading? Tell me.

WHAT I READ LAST

Check out the review of these books HERE!!!

CURRENTLY READING

Enjoying this book so far.

WHAT I AM READING NEXT

Book Blurb

Willa Drake can count on one hand the defining moments of her life: when she was eleven and her mother disappeared, being proposed to at twenty-one, the accident that would make her a widow at forty-one. At each of these moments, Willa ended up on a path laid out for her by others.
So when she receives a phone call telling her that her son’s ex-girlfriend has been shot and needs her help, she drops everything and flies across the country. The spur-of-the-moment decision to look after this woman – and her nine-year-old daughter, and her dog – will lead Willa into uncharted territory. Surrounded by new and surprising neighbours, she is plunged into the rituals that make a community and takes pleasure in the most unexpected things.

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

THIS WEEK’S TOP TEN TUESDAY TOPIC IS…

 Series I’ve Given Up On/Don’t Plan to Finish (Submitted by A Book and a Cup).

I absolutely LOVED the first couple books but then they started to adding to the rules of the magic and I hate that.  Don’t change the rules to make it more convenient for the plot to advance. Huge pet peeve of mine.

These are from the same author as above and again I loved the first two books but by the third, I had forgotten what happened so the third one didn’t make any sense.

I am not sure if I am going to continue with the fourth book in this series.  I have decided yet.  There will be a fifth and sixth book too.

Samantha Shannon is a fabulous writer but it takes her forever between books so again, I forget what happens between books.  I think she has a stand alone coming out soon which I am excited for.

I haven’t decided if I am going to continue with this series either.

This is one of my favorite series but the author died after book 3 and another author picked up the series so I am not sure if they will be as good.  Anyone else, read book 4 and 5? Are they as good as books 1,2, and 3?

I love a great book series but I HATE waiting for the next one because as I mentioned before, I forget what has happened in the previous books.  So, I now try to wait until the last book in the series is out before I start the series.

It’s Monday! What are YOU Reading?

IT’S MONDAY! WHAT ARE YOU READING? IS A PLACE TO MEET UP AND SHARE WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN, ARE, AND ABOUT TO BE READING OVER THE WEEK. IT IS HOSTED BY KATHRYN AT THE BOOK DATE.

WHAT I READ LAST

Check out the review of these books HERE!!!

CURRENTLY READING

Enjoying this book so far.

WHAT I AM READING NEXT

Book Blurb

Willa Drake can count on one hand the defining moments of her life: when she was eleven and her mother disappeared, being proposed to at twenty-one, the accident that would make her a widow at forty-one. At each of these moments, Willa ended up on a path laid out for her by others.
So when she receives a phone call telling her that her son’s ex-girlfriend has been shot and needs her help, she drops everything and flies across the country. The spur-of-the-moment decision to look after this woman – and her nine-year-old daughter, and her dog – will lead Willa into uncharted territory. Surrounded by new and surprising neighbours, she is plunged into the rituals that make a community and takes pleasure in the most unexpected things.

Weekend Update #44

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @The Caffeinated Book Reviewer It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. Here is what I have been up to this last week.

WHAT I WATCHED

My family and I went to Incredibles 2 this week. We all agreed it was very good.  My kids were 5 and 2 when the first Incredibles came out so I was afraid they wouldn’t like the new movie but Pixar did a great job of making the movie for all ages.

FUN YOUTUBE VIDEOS

My daughter and her friend make these funny videos for their YouTube channel.  They are called the Rootin’ Tootin’ Scootins.  PLEASE watch and share to help boost their stats.  I promise it will put a smile on your face.  CLICK HERE TO WATCH!!!

CURRENTLY READING

Saturday Situation is put on by Pure Imagination. It is were we review our latest reads. Be sure to check out theirs as well.

I really, really enjoyed this book! It was hilarious, insightful, truthful, and inspiring.  The author, his wife, and two teenagers dropped everything (not an easy task) and volunteered around the world for 6 months.  They worked in an animal sanctuary in Costa Rica, an orphanage in India, a village school in Thailand, and a farm in New Zealand.  As fascinating as it was to read about their experiences in these places, I was more intrigued about the actual places they volunteered at. The people that started these volunteering organizations have such amazing stories too.  I was interested in this book because my family and I have been to Thailand three times and have also done some volunteer and missionary work.  I could totally relate to some of the author’s experiences with navigating through a country with such a different culture.  I highly recommend this book if you like traveling, serving others, or are curious about volunteering around the world.

Here are some photos of my family and I in a village in Thailand about 5 years ago.  We helped the villagers with some building projects. A big highlight was that I cooked them pancakes, which they never had before.  My kids played soccer with the village children and couldn’t believe my daughter knew how because girls only play volleyball in Thailand. Most of the children in the village had never seen a white person before and were afraid of us at first.

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This was an enjoyable mystery.  There were lots of twists and turns that kept me turning pages late into the night.  As with most mystery thrillers, I can’t say too much without giving away the ending.  The story is unraveled through flashbacks from fifteen years ago when Emma was at Camp Nightingale and her three bunk mates disappear, and present day when Emma goes back to Camp Nightingale as a camp counselor to look for clues as to what happened to her roommates.  She discovers that one of her bunk mates, Vivian, had discovered a deep, dark secret about the camp so Emma decides to try and find out what it was in hope to find out what happened to the girls.  There were many layers to this story, that kept me guessing until the end.

Stacking the Shelves is put on by Tynga at Tynga’s Reviews. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves. Here are the books I have added to my TBR list this week.

I won this book and bag from Kimberly @caffeinatedbookreviewer!

Book Blurb

A novel of suspense that explores the complexities of marriage and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love.

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I received this from NetGalley.

Book Blurb

When Sean Mallen finally landed his dream job, it fell on him like a ton of bricks.
Not unlike the plaster in his crappy, overpriced London flat.
The veteran journalist was ecstatic when he unexpectedly got the chance he’d
always craved: to be a London-based foreign correspondent. It meant living in a
great city and covering great events, starting with the Royal Wedding of William
and Kate. Except: his tearful wife and six-year-old daughter hated the idea of
uprooting their lives and moving to another country.
Falling for London is the hilarious and touching story of how he convinced
them to go, how they learned to live in and love that wondrous but challenging
city, and how his dream came true in ways he could have never expected.

*************************************************************************************

I received this from First to Read.

Book Blurb

When Teagan’s father abruptly abandons his family and his farm, Teagan finds herself wading through the wreckage of what was once an idyllic life, searching for something–or someone–to hold on to. What she finds is Ian, short for Obsidian: the magnificent but dangerously headstrong horse her father left behind. But even as she grows close to Ian, patiently training him, trying to overcome her fear of him, Teagan is learning that life and love are fragile. With an unflinching eye and remarkable restraint, Talley English tells a piercing story about how families hold together and fall apart; about loss and grief; about friendship; about the blunt cruelty of chance; and, finally, about forgiveness.

The Book Blogger Hop is put on by The Coffee Addicted Writer . There is a weekly prompt featuring a book related question.

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION IS SUBMITTED BY Danielle @ PoetryBooksYA

This weeks prompt is…

For all of you worker bees out there! How do you balance having a day job/career and managing your blog at night? Is it hard or easy to do, and what do people in your work life think of your blogs?

My answer…

I usually do my blogging and reading at night while watching tv.  Also, planning ahead helps.  If I happen to have some free time, I do a blog post and schedule it to post later. As for my coworkers, not many of them know I have a blog.

Can’t Wait Wednesday!

Can’t Wait Wednesday, is hosted by Wishful Endings  to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. 

Book Blurb

When sixteen-year-old Sylvie’s brother takes over management of their family’s vast estates, Sylvie feels powerless to stop his abuse of the local commoners. Her dearest friend asks her to run away to the woods with him, and soon a host of other villagers join them. Together, they form their own community and fight to right the wrongs perpetrated by the king and his noblemen. Perfect for fans of fairy tale retellings or anyone who loves a strong female lead, this gorgeously written take on the Robin Hood tale goes beyond the original’s focus on economic justice to explore love, gender, the healing power of nature, and what it means to be a family.

I like the premise of a Robin Hood retelling with the main character as a girl.  This publishes August 7, 2018.

Tell Me (Top Ten) Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

THIS WEEK’S TOP TEN TUESDAY TOPIC IS…

Books to Read By the Pool/At the Beach

(most of the books I picked take place outside, near a beach, or during the summer)

This book takes place on an island and the main character lives in a house boat. I would love to do that for a summer.

I just love this book, so I picked it ha!

This story has a lot of scenes in Central Park in NYC.

Another book on an island.

This love story occurs on the beach.

Ice Cream! Enough said.

Another beach story.

The races take place on beaches and I think of summer when riding horses is involved.

The title and cover says it all.

This book’s setting is the French Country side in a castle during the summer.   Take me there now!

 

Tell Me Tuesday is a weekly blog feature put on by La La in the Library.  It is where we discuss what we have been, currently are, and will be reading.  What are you reading? Tell me.

WHAT I READ LAST

Reviews of these books are HERE.

CURRENTLY READING

LOVING this book!!!! It is insightful and hilarious.  I have laughed so hard out loud so many times that my family is starting to get annoyed with me.

WHAT I AM READING NEXT

Book Blurb

Two Truths and a Lie. The girls played it all the time in their tiny cabin at Camp Nightingale. Vivian, Natalie, Allison, and first-time camper Emma Davis, the youngest of the group. The games ended when Emma sleepily watched the others sneak out of the cabin in the dead of night. The last she–or anyone–saw of them was Vivian closing the cabin door behind her, hushing Emma with a finger pressed to her lips.

It’s Monday! What are YOU Reading?

IT’S MONDAY! WHAT ARE YOU READING? IS A PLACE TO MEET UP AND SHARE WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN, ARE, AND ABOUT TO BE READING OVER THE WEEK. IT IS HOSTED BY KATHRYN AT THE BOOK DATE.

WHAT I READ LAST

Reviews of these books are HERE.

CURRENTLY READING

LOVING this book!!!! It is insightful and hilarious.  I have laughed so hard out loud so many times that my family is starting to get annoyed with me.

WHAT I AM READING NEXT

Book Blurb

Two Truths and a Lie. The girls played it all the time in their tiny cabin at Camp Nightingale. Vivian, Natalie, Allison, and first-time camper Emma Davis, the youngest of the group. The games ended when Emma sleepily watched the others sneak out of the cabin in the dead of night. The last she–or anyone–saw of them was Vivian closing the cabin door behind her, hushing Emma with a finger pressed to her lips.

Weekend Update #43

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @The Caffeinated Book Reviewer It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. Here is what I have been up to this last week.

WHAT I WATCHED

I enjoyed this addition to the Oceans movies.  Maybe not quite up to par as the other movies but it still surprised me with their twist ending.

CURRENTLY READING

Saturday Situation is put on by Pure Imagination. It is were we review our latest reads. Be sure to check out theirs as well.

Being a HUGE Laura Ingalls Wilder fan, I was fascinated by this book.  There was lots of information I didn’t know about Laura and her family included in the book.  I didn’t know much about her parents’ lives before they married so that was interesting to read.   Also, there were lots of historical facts related to different parts of Laura and her family’s lives.  For example, wars with the Indians, droughts, and grasshopper swarms were problems for the Ingalls family and other pioneers.  The author did a great job of showing newspaper articles and citing references to these problems from other pioneer diaries.  My only complaint is that the author would talk about different photos of the family or other pioneers that she saw during her research but they weren’t included in the book.  There are other photos included but most of them I had seen before.  I highly recommend this book for any Laura Ingalls Wilder fan.

This was a fast YA read about a teenage girl, Hallie, and an elderly lady, Susan, who swap bodies after getting in a car accident.  I liked the premise of  the story which is what can senior citizens teach teenagers and vice versa.  However, I don’t think it was executed very well.  Both characters were so stereotypical that it made the story seem too simplistic and predictable.  There were some great moments between Hallie and Susan and their friends though and some funny parts when they are both dealing with technology and boys.

This was such an eye opening book! It seems unbelievable that an innocent man can be sentenced to death row and be stuck in prison for 30 years.  Anthony Ray Hinton was innocent but too poor to pay for a good lawyer to help him get the evidence he needed to set him free.  The most amazing part about this book is Hinton’s positive attitude through out this ordeal.  He watched over 50 prisoners walk to the electric chair and had to deal with the smell and grief afterwards.  Many of the prisoners on death row looked to Hinton for advice and friendship so he suffered the loss of every one executed.  One of Hinton’s accomplishments in prison was starting a book club and one of the books they read was To Kill A Mockingbird, a book about a black man wrongly accused of a crime.  This book gave hope to Hinton that one day a lawyer who believed in him would set him free.  I highly recommend this powerful book about a man who never gave up and the family and friends that never gave up on him.

Stacking the Shelves is put on by Tynga at Tynga’s Reviews. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves. Here are the books I have added to my TBR list this week.

I GRABBED THESE AT MY LOCAL LIBRARY.

Book Blurb

Alaska, 1974.
Unpredictable. Unforgiving. Untamed.
For a family in crisis, the ultimate test of survival.

Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam war a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: he will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier.

Harry Potter audiobook.

I received this from NetGalley

Book Blurb

Paris, 1889: The world is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. In this city, no one keeps tabs on secrets better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier, Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. But when the all-powerful society, the Order of Babel, seeks him out for help, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance. To find the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin will need help from a band of experts:

An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian who can’t yet go home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in all but blood, who might care too much.

Together, they’ll have to use their wits and knowledge to hunt the artifact through the dark and glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the world, but only if they can stay alive.

The Book Blogger Hop is put on by The Coffee Addicted Writer . There is a weekly prompt featuring a book related question.

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION IS SUBMITTED BY Maria @ Silver’s Reviews.

This weeks prompt is…

You have just won a $100.00 Visa gift card. Will you spend the entire amount on a rare collector’s edition you have always wanted, or buy several newly-published books? Explain your choice.

My answer…

I would spend it on a rare collector’s edition or autographed book.  Most likely a book by J.K. Rowling.  I would LOVE an autographed copy of any Rowling book.

Can’t Wait Wednesday

Can’t Wait Wednesday, is hosted by Wishful Endings  to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. 

Book Blurb

Set in a darkly glamorous world The Gilded Wolves is full of mystery, decadence and dangerous but thrilling adventure.

Paris, 1889: The world is on the cusp of industry and power, and the Exposition Universelle has breathed new life into the streets and dredged up ancient secrets. In this city, no one keeps tabs on secrets better than treasure-hunter and wealthy hotelier, Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. But when the all-powerful society, the Order of Babel, seeks him out for help, Séverin is offered a treasure that he never imagined: his true inheritance. To find the ancient artifact the Order seeks, Séverin will need help from a band of experts:

An engineer with a debt to pay. A historian who can’t yet go home. A dancer with a sinister past. And a brother in all but blood, who might care too much.

Together, they’ll have to use their wits and knowledge to hunt the artifact through the dark and glittering heart of Paris. What they find might change the world, but only if they can stay alive.

This book publishes January, 2019.