tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56054767485896067242024-03-18T23:55:23.737-04:00Cover2CoverBlogStephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928705465936642139noreply@blogger.comBlogger2730125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5605476748589606724.post-25246524107982467202024-03-12T09:00:00.001-04:002024-03-12T09:00:00.137-04:00Early Reader Review: The Dress in the Window by Robert Tregoning <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large; text-align: left;">Source: From Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></b></div>
<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ebKRrs7K7ulAGqQGFiHiJs5LOf59lmX-RWecpQEmBzv9rr7QhaVyg8n3ojz_ac44hX1mdNszvLsCkEguqSpUtAuZ__RTi-KKVoS0FbhDoIp5mL4woT3kDPSgAUa42gdTU1KHCybpN6XNQreVKS4Ti_aUq9amJ9wHmOCy-D7cRxJQisjDtWgAS-B3o7M/s1400/197220251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1199" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ebKRrs7K7ulAGqQGFiHiJs5LOf59lmX-RWecpQEmBzv9rr7QhaVyg8n3ojz_ac44hX1mdNszvLsCkEguqSpUtAuZ__RTi-KKVoS0FbhDoIp5mL4woT3kDPSgAUa42gdTU1KHCybpN6XNQreVKS4Ti_aUq9amJ9wHmOCy-D7cRxJQisjDtWgAS-B3o7M/w343-h400/197220251.jpg" width="343" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><b>The Dress in the Window by </b></span><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><b>Robert Tregoning and Illustrated by</b></span><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"> </b><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">Pippa Curnick</b></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher:Flyaway Books<br />
Publication Date: March 19, 2024</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/197220251-the-dress-in-the-window" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405327-pop-manga-coloring-book?from_search=true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt48fc5hd9Ldk-IOlCvECKW5BucBBo8mFIzF4bGWd3b8srYSu00-kj5KEVAp_UObKqHOKZnD8KXk3ot3NSW_m_gPwhf04mupN3pKZ7-NMU612-28MP4M3Wk98_z_mxltgEvXYfsVEVk9o/s1600/Goodreads.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CRCVTVNG/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/Pop-Manga-Coloring-Book-Beautiful/dp/0399578471?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0399578471&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=x_gr_w_bb&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-K0lgiuiwPlJn6B0yJ07H1dEaQGNH40WZn8yW7_PEaRnT66e14x4HShu5tD4qc_62dT_ytuwyKfJdOfZKSfewWv8mqMqjAv8FmPDmwOhQeYSdax5g6s72H0AzjXG0_ASBYdGWZvxuoh8/s1600/Amazon.jpg" /></a>
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Format: Ebook<br /></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg65jM4PH-Do3B-QjQruJI-CrjNmq9QgMxQxNcqleTdqB0wjdPQc2BDy-vy4H7Cizb_q2RBeuDScM1sCko7-FVgdgePB8fJB4iZ1jYoG8jPtR7rRmhhiwO2xUXkvDq1cYR0hAcFzygpiEztuRdntlHj9gWaDMaG7FCvsqpBeyXJbPLlKsTuSkhA7xzx9wE/s252/black5.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="252" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg65jM4PH-Do3B-QjQruJI-CrjNmq9QgMxQxNcqleTdqB0wjdPQc2BDy-vy4H7Cizb_q2RBeuDScM1sCko7-FVgdgePB8fJB4iZ1jYoG8jPtR7rRmhhiwO2xUXkvDq1cYR0hAcFzygpiEztuRdntlHj9gWaDMaG7FCvsqpBeyXJbPLlKsTuSkhA7xzx9wE/s1600/black5.PNG" width="252" /></a><br />
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<b>Goodreads Synopsis: </b></span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><blockquote>A young boy longs for a dress that he sees in a shop window and rejoices when his mother gifts it to him for his birthday. That dress! It shimmers, so radiant and red. As the boy stares at it, full of wonder, he has just one to put on that dress and to swirl and to swish. He’ll do anything to earn enough to buy it from the secondhand shop, but he’ll have to hurry. There’s just one red dress in the window! This playful and imaginative story of self-expression brims with the infectious joy that comes when a child’s individuality is met with wholehearted support and love.</blockquote></span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Review: </b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is a lovely children's book about acceptance and longing. A young boy sees a dress in the thrift store window and cannot wait to buy it for himself. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The text is rhyming and flows well, at times it feels flowy like the dress. The boy daydreams about what the dress has done before making it to the thrift store and then does his very best to help the whole neighborhood with chores to have enough money to buy it. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What I loved about this book, was that there was no questioning why he wanted a dress, it was just another great thing he could buy. Zero judgement from mom or the neighbors. There was so much love and acceptance and it was absolutely wonderful. I loved it so much. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The illustrations were beautiful and whimsical at times. The boy was surrounded by supportive, loving people. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">[All that said, the endpages (?) have an illustration of things being dropped off at teh thrift and one likely says "stuff to donate" but it looks SO CLOSE to "sh*t to donate" and that is immediately what I thought it said. So if you are a parent and concerned with this, be aware]</span></span></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928705465936642139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5605476748589606724.post-21005096341166778132024-03-10T09:00:00.048-04:002024-03-10T21:27:20.403-04:00Building the Book Pile #444<div class="separator"><center><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="1067" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeaej1lcH_n6QvDi93W6Knig2UpL6WtaB2BVrh0pafiHegise9DWmQfQ7EngcbMG3CI0vaBQ7Vmq1IG7DabI2Z3igp2tMUs5uACE1jKaNfODzF1kctG8XWAhNwxJc71zC2FHonJ-WAlYI/w640-h376/BTBP+New+Header+Image.JPG" width="640" /></center></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Welcome to Building the Book Pile!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people! </b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Hello hello book friends.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">This morning, after a week of beautiful weather in the low 50s, we woke up to a fresh new 4 inches of snow. (rude)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I am hoping to get my greenhouse set up indoors today anyway, becuase we are within the 8-10 week threshold of Mother's Day. That is the 'safe date' for plants ⚘ in the ground in my gardening zone. I am excited to ge things started and had held back to the appropriate timing this year. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In other homestead news, I ordered some new chicks 😍. We have 7 chickens, they are doing great but we are expanding their run and adding in 6 more this year. When all is said and done we will have 7 black Australorp</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">s </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">🐔</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">, 2 Barnvelders</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">🐤</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">, 2 Silver Laced Wyandottes</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">🐤</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">, and 2 Speckled Sussex. 🐤</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">In reading news, I am reading slowly but trying to take time daily to really stay on top of the evergrowing (self-inflicted) TBR pile.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Coming up on the Blog</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Early Reader Review: The Dress in the Window by Robert Tregoning (Youth)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Recent Reads: Lovely Wicked Things by Trisha Wolfe (Adult)</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">Books Received Recently...</span></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="324" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJl4MNc2U5nLCYtoFs-J0cj2n1ZvBg_FURmfOWi6fAvkPQZ46mhAxvvbUdJP4Z08heW4OuENfuXJvC4ieBQ_lO5iUyF-cBZYVegn6XJxwE3xpSecX3UYYZYnKQjwJXmINul0ztP_xI5ciSUf9UjJGqTjOS_mAlyQ8f6nNAz20OSkHYQvMyce7g3Vamc6o/s320/196864520.jpg" width="207" /> <img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="263" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwO02doHI05N8ovxN7YSYDir4WRqG18PtCpRudFrOuL7mgSHYT9hXvQ0OTe627MX9wGsHaseoSmwMNvuMu0H5B1f7ZPMRZo91iZQPcL_8i_BvmJsWYrKMn_SyC1Thw6q_6Oewk3cRxsB_6r-CgH82xu_pk0thdXtMcm7fSshBGwYs0BZLFJZqu21x2dOY/s320/60784591.jpg" width="210" /> <img border="0" data-original-height="1359" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9kH-uCT5AEgK0bx-xCRdRXT2uRIZrtmaRamvXwS4yW82NVeZ22OPu2ZvmiqCOSRf5ogI5dhYMdNE0ODFJxOWAVrQ-sheZYJDwT5BHp22lMgAd3PQho3t_Z2rko5zbT-ha9RMOol4YzuJP5oE4Ygi1DEL6dkZhCi7Q1KyHC8p2I_kZBNGraIBjIRMbPRU/s320/59406549.jpg" width="212" /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Bookstore haul</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784591-a-mystery-of-mysteries?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=WHlnmW1c3V&rank=1" target="_blank">A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe by Mark Dawidziak</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196864520-butcher-blackbird?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_18" target="_blank">Buther & Blackbird by Brynne Wraver</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59406549-a-tempest-of-tea?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_16" target="_blank">A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div></span></div><div><div style="font-weight: 400; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Have you missed anything lately?</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://cover2coverblog.blogspot.com/2024/03/early-reader-review-boyfriend-wish-by.html" target="_blank">Early Reader Review: The Boyfriend Wish by Swati Teerdhala (YA) - 4 stars</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://cover2coverblog.blogspot.com/2024/03/monthly-re-cap-tbr-febmarch.html" target="_blank">Monthly Re-Cap & TBR (Feb/March)</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://cover2coverblog.blogspot.com/2024/03/early-reader-review-empire-of-damned-by.html" target="_blank">Early Reader Review: Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff (Adult) - 5 stars</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://cover2coverblog.blogspot.com/2024/03/early-reader-review-someday-daughter-by.html" target="_blank"><br /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://cover2coverblog.blogspot.com/2024/03/early-reader-review-someday-daughter-by.html" target="_blank">Early Reader Review: The Someday Daughter by Ellen O'Clover (YA) - 4 stars</a></span></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Donating Caffeine is greatly appreciated ... Donate on </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/gorelenore" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Ko-fi</a></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What have you been reading? Leave a comment for me.</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Happy Reading!</span></b></span></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928705465936642139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5605476748589606724.post-61244541304688373492024-03-08T08:00:00.056-05:002024-03-08T08:00:00.146-05:00Early Reader Review: The Someday Daughter by Ellen O'Clover<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Source: </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: medium;">From the Publisher for review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPFC-ar7Y1wQNEm1ZyuBwBxWgyUM56LkqVyMeXSytkBDuTMd3PWE5TZH4lwAH8uqkFfNC38W0V9z6gqOSEnwv9DqU6Vyoy3Cjs_92Cvd6v5PM7CwtbERNA_RO2-GbN1_w-KheQ9_09GcQVTttywQXYDykIlOV9LDC5gtFzNmwl9bh8kfGAMDKL-ViAt14/s1000/158649467.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="662" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPFC-ar7Y1wQNEm1ZyuBwBxWgyUM56LkqVyMeXSytkBDuTMd3PWE5TZH4lwAH8uqkFfNC38W0V9z6gqOSEnwv9DqU6Vyoy3Cjs_92Cvd6v5PM7CwtbERNA_RO2-GbN1_w-KheQ9_09GcQVTttywQXYDykIlOV9LDC5gtFzNmwl9bh8kfGAMDKL-ViAt14/w265-h400/158649467.jpg" width="265" /></a></div></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>The Someday Daughter by Ellen O'Clover</b></span></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: HarperTeen<br />
Publication Date: February 20, 2024 <br /></span></span>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/158649467-the-someday-daughter" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405327-pop-manga-coloring-book?from_search=true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt48fc5hd9Ldk-IOlCvECKW5BucBBo8mFIzF4bGWd3b8srYSu00-kj5KEVAp_UObKqHOKZnD8KXk3ot3NSW_m_gPwhf04mupN3pKZ7-NMU612-28MP4M3Wk98_z_mxltgEvXYfsVEVk9o/s1600/Goodreads.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C61YS43P/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/Pop-Manga-Coloring-Book-Beautiful/dp/0399578471?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0399578471&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=x_gr_w_bb&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-K0lgiuiwPlJn6B0yJ07H1dEaQGNH40WZn8yW7_PEaRnT66e14x4HShu5tD4qc_62dT_ytuwyKfJdOfZKSfewWv8mqMqjAv8FmPDmwOhQeYSdax5g6s72H0AzjXG0_ASBYdGWZvxuoh8/s1600/Amazon.jpg" /></a>
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Format: Hardback</span></span><div><br style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;" />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWNN_XZJIHiz8DrAWumWbP3ssl1JzRqFizOyu5Mp81zrArFloDra5oltmrrb3VCCGHJoJzfov994IUavLgnQoCNA9KnCSIT9Kvmf3ksBcOMIswedOEti5t2Du-17zgykgRd7NOa15t3DGKYsPqdNFQyR7oQHMBASScBwUrOeUmriRQ7KDH7e3j_0cTnA/s252/black4.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="252" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWNN_XZJIHiz8DrAWumWbP3ssl1JzRqFizOyu5Mp81zrArFloDra5oltmrrb3VCCGHJoJzfov994IUavLgnQoCNA9KnCSIT9Kvmf3ksBcOMIswedOEti5t2Du-17zgykgRd7NOa15t3DGKYsPqdNFQyR7oQHMBASScBwUrOeUmriRQ7KDH7e3j_0cTnA/s1600/black4.PNG" width="252" /></a></div><div><br />
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<b>Goodreads Synopsis: </b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span></div><blockquote><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">From the critically acclaimed author of Seven Percent of Ro Devereux comes another nuanced, heartrending, and ultimately healing novel, about a rising college freshman forced to spend a </span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: medium;">summer with the self-help superstar mother she’s never felt truly connected to.</span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Years before Audrey St. Vrain was born, her mother, Camilla, shot to fame with Letters to My Someday Daughter, a self-help book encouraging women to treat themselves with the same love and care they’d treat their own daughters. While the world considers Audrey lucky to have Camilla for a mother, the truth is that Audrey knows a different side of being the someday daughter. Shipped off to boarding school when she was eleven, she feels more like a promotional tool than a member of Camilla’s family.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Audrey is determined to create her own identity aside from being Camilla’s daughter, and she’s looking forward to a prestigious summer premed program with her boyfriend before heading to college and finally breaking free from her mother’s world. But when Camilla asks Audrey to go on tour with her to promote the book’s anniversary, Audrey can’t help but think that this is the last, best chance to figure out how they fit into each other’s lives—not as the someday daughter and someday mother, but as themselves, just as they are.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">What Audrey doesn’t know is that spending the summer with Camilla and her tour staff—including the disarmingly honest, distressingly cute video intern, Silas—will upset everything she’s so carefully planned for her life.</span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Review: </b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Somehow this author knows how to just rip out my heart and stomp on it... this book was emotionally intense. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">The Someday Daughter is about teenage girl named Audrey, who has been living her life trying to live up to her mother's expectations... and really trying to get her to see her. Her mother, is a famous author and wellness speaker, gaining her fandom from her book "Letters to My Someday Daughter". This summer she asked Audrey to do the 25 year anniversary tour with her. She is hoping to build more of a relationship with her daughter, but it seems a little late. Audrey has hope that this will be a worthwhile trip, especially because she is giving up SO much to be there.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Audrey hates it here... she is trying to find love from her standoff-ish mother and cannot find it. She has lost her place in a prestigious summer med program for her pre-college month and things are just not going as she planned. Her world is crumbling around her, and she doesn't know how to handle anything. I wanted so strongly to shake her mother and hold Audrey. The mother/daughter relationship is so strange and everyone experiences it differently but I think everyone will feel for both these characters strongly... in a lot of ways. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Audrey was frightfully real and vulnerable. She is an overachiever who cannot take rejection, doesn't have good coping or stress mechanisms and just needs a caring mother to help her along. Camilla, her mother, is distant, mostly detached, and a perfectionist in other ways, and has a hard time connecting with her duaghter. There were a number of other characters that added to the complexity of their relationship as well, some interns, a boyfiend, dad, and Audrey's mentor Dr. Stone. There was also a twist that I wish I didn't see coming, but did. It was an interesting one, but I am not sure if helped with the overall growth of the primary characters.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">I really liked the focus this book took on that relationship but also about growing up and learning about yourself and how you mold and change as you grow. I wish there was more closure in the end and more healing shown but overall this was a great read.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">While the book was an emotional roller-coaster, I enjoyed it so much. I recommend to anyone looking for books about moms and teenage daugthers... just know that you might cry, scream, and fling the book a few times along the way.</span></div></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928705465936642139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5605476748589606724.post-86759672559011013012024-03-07T08:00:00.063-05:002024-03-07T08:00:00.261-05:00Early Reader Review: Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: medium; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Source: From the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.</b></span></span><b style="text-align: left;"><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeFw7Zhz0QJBG6R6GPMc8GJMcQ3CghtNsoMM0ZOVEL0kjrY0XypgUDj_rS4WuYIQlNhfkwEk9sZBYowPj_h6LrwfJOi9crySb3JajISM_pgaKqZYwC7vF2G3h1zirZp9AF-0KIZgUa6DeFC9vO_H1I7AtF0wQh2gKaOxpOHLfwGbA0kgZN01NxWVwol78/s2560/126918599.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1707" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeFw7Zhz0QJBG6R6GPMc8GJMcQ3CghtNsoMM0ZOVEL0kjrY0XypgUDj_rS4WuYIQlNhfkwEk9sZBYowPj_h6LrwfJOi9crySb3JajISM_pgaKqZYwC7vF2G3h1zirZp9AF-0KIZgUa6DeFC9vO_H1I7AtF0wQh2gKaOxpOHLfwGbA0kgZN01NxWVwol78/w266-h400/126918599.jpg" width="266" /></a></div></div></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff</b></span></span><div><div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Series: Empire of the Vampire #2</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: St. Martin's Press<br />
Publication Date: March 12, 2024</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405327-pop-manga-coloring-book?from_search=true"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405327-pop-manga-coloring-book?from_search=true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt48fc5hd9Ldk-IOlCvECKW5BucBBo8mFIzF4bGWd3b8srYSu00-kj5KEVAp_UObKqHOKZnD8KXk3ot3NSW_m_gPwhf04mupN3pKZ7-NMU612-28MP4M3Wk98_z_mxltgEvXYfsVEVk9o/s1600/Goodreads.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pop-Manga-Coloring-Book-Beautiful/dp/0399578471?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0399578471&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=x_gr_w_bb&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/Pop-Manga-Coloring-Book-Beautiful/dp/0399578471?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0399578471&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=x_gr_w_bb&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-K0lgiuiwPlJn6B0yJ07H1dEaQGNH40WZn8yW7_PEaRnT66e14x4HShu5tD4qc_62dT_ytuwyKfJdOfZKSfewWv8mqMqjAv8FmPDmwOhQeYSdax5g6s72H0AzjXG0_ASBYdGWZvxuoh8/s1600/Amazon.jpg" /></a>
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Format: Paperback ARC<br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Rating:</b></span></span> </span></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw1WY-lj5mbd6bbXrZmdalG-VhxX1M8PJ5cuk4PWTniPt_GSi-MgPb-nTUr_Upte1_P_Sfoz1Qk_xkw__thjKgQOm-BoJKsxQUbyJGU06-4ISXYEzEWJGmLp79a0jsKZaT8WSKxKpCGyqD49XxdpVpuMxCPSTnWPs6uFdLnyvAzyAi6doazVdAUfzVfB8/s252/black5.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="252" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw1WY-lj5mbd6bbXrZmdalG-VhxX1M8PJ5cuk4PWTniPt_GSi-MgPb-nTUr_Upte1_P_Sfoz1Qk_xkw__thjKgQOm-BoJKsxQUbyJGU06-4ISXYEzEWJGmLp79a0jsKZaT8WSKxKpCGyqD49XxdpVpuMxCPSTnWPs6uFdLnyvAzyAi6doazVdAUfzVfB8/s1600/black5.PNG" width="252" /></a><br />
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<b>Goodreads Synopsis: </b></span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Gabriel de León has saved the Holy Grail from death, but his chance to end the endless night is lost.</span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">After turning his back on his silversaint brothers once and for all, Gabriel and the Grail set out to learn the truth of how Daysdeath might finally be undone.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">But the last silversaint faces peril, within and without. Pursued by children of the Forever King, drawn into wars and webs centuries in the weaving, and ravaged by his own rising bloodlust, Gabriel may not survive to see the truth of the Grail revealed.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">A truth that may be too awful for any to imagine.</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>If you haven't read Book 1: Empire of the Vampire </b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>STOP go read that review/ book!</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://cover2coverblog.blogspot.com/2022/01/recent-reads-empire-of-vampire-by-jay.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3800" data-original-width="2500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZNVxYzQJiG5ZxJmSdP1s5cHuvqyvHvcLnxEfTg25Uc-uQFTODqbQqYrmrGjtzuylf0gU-gl3BJ5mByrwT3AObFEa11SnC2r9o8FpbYbwX50Wod-nIJnXTRwf1PvGCqiwVxY_Pbnrwr6Bse9eISvfHaZZBmCQZtnMooIj2rHsl9p_G5AqgMYFOAEsqRQE/s320/56269205.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b></span></span></div>Book 2 Review: </b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>This isn't going to be a short review- sorry.</b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024 and I am THRILLED.... beyond thrilled that it was offered to me for review. Sadly now I have to wait LONGER for the next book... but this book was crafted wonderfully.<b> </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">When we left off Gabe was saving the Grail from a sacrificial death this book jumps right back into Gabe's tale as being told to his vampire captor. I am going to try to be as spoiler free as possible, but still proceed with caution. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Every chapter of this book was a cliffhanger ending even as Gabe is telling his tale, but moreso when we are given alternative point of view for the tale/history being written. It was all the harder to hold on an wait for the chapters to revert back to the original storyteller... but then back and forth it will give the reader whiplash! And it did. In such a good way. While this book is a tome at over 700 pages the author does a great job pushing the plot forward in this way and with the suspenseful moments chapter after chapter. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Let's talk about the overall layout for a second, then jusp back into plot. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">I really appreciated that there was a refresher of the characters at the beginning of the book and that there were a bunch of maps, my review copy had 2, but it looks like there might be a 3rd in the finished copy. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">I love the illustrations! I know that as readers we want to be able to imagine the characters in our own ways, but the art is beautiful and even if those characters don't fit the ones in my head, they are gorgeous. The review copy only had images to about page 120 though, so I will certainly be grabbing a finished copy to pour over the rest of them. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Anyway, back to it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">I adore the world that Kristoff has created. It is fantasy, dark, devoid of so much, but these characters will fight til the end for each other. Family bond being so important to them... and family is whatever you will make of it. The groups of characters along with this world are deeply thought out in relation to their locations and significance within the overall story - so well. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">I appreciated the history lessons thrown into the tale - they were a break but also background builders. </span><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">I also love that it is told from this historian context - a tale being told. The break from the main plot, stepping out, is so helpful at time to process everything and what is happening... and what could be happening. If you are like me, you try to figure out the twists. You can catch some here... but some are such a slap in the face. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Some things to note before reading: Gabe is still an ass a lot of the time, but does show his heart/soul and will mercilessly fight for his people and cause. I felt like every character was important to the plot/ story/epicness of this tale/ adventure... and there were a lot of them. More were added along the way and more will be added, so if you aren't into 100 characters... this might not be the book for you. If you can follow - more power to you! It is worth it. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">I gasped FAR too many times to count while reading and was always excited to pick this book up. I was excited and pissed off and in the end... I was shocked and gleeful about how the next book will stack up. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">While a daunting tome of a book, this is SO worth the read. If you like vampires and epics, and too many characters to keep track of, and beautiful art - this series! You need to read this series. </span></div></div></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">I am still sitting here reeling over the ending and craving what will happen next! I cannot wait. </span></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928705465936642139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5605476748589606724.post-48664931640903599132024-03-06T09:00:00.033-05:002024-03-06T09:00:00.453-05:00Monthly Re-Cap & TBR (Feb/March)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglrmG-jUV2ccafCKxvB6MGbuhXnsAncMZ9tW3REfitdnzCpWIWApLkbSRCQrMp78BqrSCTPh_jqFdVGEaLpOui_gE-kGma1liPmWmN3puPvnsgbfWh1xxWpDMk0GkVSX46bTF8_i-PzB4/s1064/New+Monthly+Re-Cap+Header.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="1064" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglrmG-jUV2ccafCKxvB6MGbuhXnsAncMZ9tW3REfitdnzCpWIWApLkbSRCQrMp78BqrSCTPh_jqFdVGEaLpOui_gE-kGma1liPmWmN3puPvnsgbfWh1xxWpDMk0GkVSX46bTF8_i-PzB4/w640-h250/New+Monthly+Re-Cap+Header.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> <b>Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people! </b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><b>Here is the progress from February</b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I had to pivot in February to accommodate some review copies that arrived. I am about half way thorugh Iron Flame - trying to savor it!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NHz71rYq7yB0o18heMbiStDM276IlDXsJYIDynLEr-uO8cROarQ2aQUAN-66m7Trnimebx6kQ0K8ZVjsff__F-YafqVMabvALkXMKZh8nMYqVpOl68h9d0R8ehH5w2M_UlipHwcOHaGtt48LXFSIqJT60XtZgHu6z2Zh8S5N1TflRmtwljbokI8JDX4/s801/Feb%20done.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="783" data-original-width="801" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8NHz71rYq7yB0o18heMbiStDM276IlDXsJYIDynLEr-uO8cROarQ2aQUAN-66m7Trnimebx6kQ0K8ZVjsff__F-YafqVMabvALkXMKZh8nMYqVpOl68h9d0R8ehH5w2M_UlipHwcOHaGtt48LXFSIqJT60XtZgHu6z2Zh8S5N1TflRmtwljbokI8JDX4/w400-h391/Feb%20done.png" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>~~Books I Read in February 2024</b><b>~~</b></span></span> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="938" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHT1r_112TjhYVpa6csuJvCXoIOOcHkj7sKH-80zGDPHwLr8gw6B8SlKqLKDvDPDEzK1mplT2wLew0AGaCbmk56GQSczatiDPFg4O4I85WUK0EVQcSoBld_nqBUy_KaeQ1yMZIwfzhSKKC2Fa5K99DCBF2Y8Spy3YT3Z7IlNvbjfFut0qixvtIqKJ_wXs/s320/204475019.jpg" width="200" /> <img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="350" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgggJVsSOrKAUH3XhD9fLqV_nPWxuXfcvBNRetZO8mvHh9j6ZPzQK-GSlwJz0G_98tmO7nJfow4YF7NMetAq_2t_tqPCkD9XeCZQzQlXmfNS6lWWp1EBhQOVHsSQyMxRy6RmgEwcLEu972FcjCDeC5B4jB86RHSY5ByFgCtuvPdGu88U8-CdY2wRTIv7o8/s320/156010158.jpg" width="212" /> <img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="1410" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUabUt8MTiRStvi6qDN2xF_rrRAj3lEJGkoweW2ScMIM2CnGu7IRpPckGfJPrlJR3vBRDnMc2IARaSPkvPbUgsthiVWD143fyu24VAq83_wTMB95zIaSixlP7jenYU6Wz_ChF2WqRuTd5n08ifL17HkDzwX6NtLKNZd2_ZMLjmM3s5Nh32tN_fZ09hR4/s320/151128268.jpg" width="201" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2294" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZTNHY5BSLHgdRTULDvRG9aXTpM9WpML55A8ajB_YLG0vnyr-vckZIMlDi5zmhwB21ZlXkAPVkfGu7abau8ZJfKWg_pv72PBiYMJnpRR1_aQmTuj7CRc-TWP9ik8HdZTrbSdl5ElLNZc1lzfUYPH6wNbovJlkq1s43LoPYqXATX-wQcO7nY9TU-kqg91o/s320/123200829.jpg" width="209" /> <img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="1410" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTp4_H7hC7LIq-NMAoOm1oTnLmQmekDIIf32G4TCwSCqvpaTBrlL0KZHA4bOEWXCad4LMZAuaz7s1mvS-ah3ik4jOwe8dd2HQdKp7WOlCzURcFNu1PNE1udNk-LPnM7923xJbJ9c5yq7Ev_EfmQ75VX6lrEGDjJuNYmLpXbPAr7XwoplvxS1Hogko2eeI/s320/61115428.jpg" width="201" /> <img border="0" data-original-height="1786" data-original-width="1184" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-K3CCOEyeydupUQvT_NbvyzEpyhlgy7_QsjTZ_wgXFLoVDTcVd3xgshu-476U4Dq3H4Bj0PkoLuTemrhvtNrAfCa53y4qYLErWoFKxbJBpplQWHeSU79eANlei4ZJrfgn_PJ7xATpWMW02CLM4YliQx6hk1nSWEEfqBIxCmxKboY5PGzYJPB-icGIjeI/s320/49839269.jpg" width="212" /></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="1233" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBVBzYAA7X0oK5jDRb4xF1BrpPy9inGMcJc5972z0WeEQeb8a4GI3POWEHY_GViCBbmu7TkjMeNXUkowuDrz12ybwun31Y6e7_OxyzJ-bLn-tiPBCscTS4_vxWKSrSZFOAmunShEiSLYY/w640-h282/TBR+Pile+Banner.JPG" style="color: #20124d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;" width="640" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRdFAmfwgqd9m-AGNiKbLeWRdoukpqWr7TMtHZ4TLjuIWOj7wB5D_8af3YwCbFMlsVD3EaDZjYomxqCm-PfogUj2PR5yrNlztNb0c2B7_74scGfBKuPaWc75vbrcNLJml-0bM6HVGRdsU/s438/Goals.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="238" data-original-width="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRdFAmfwgqd9m-AGNiKbLeWRdoukpqWr7TMtHZ4TLjuIWOj7wB5D_8af3YwCbFMlsVD3EaDZjYomxqCm-PfogUj2PR5yrNlztNb0c2B7_74scGfBKuPaWc75vbrcNLJml-0bM6HVGRdsU/s320/Goals.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: x-large;"> TBR for March</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr0BRs0v4CTWCGM-_39UcNYTgZ1k9TX5FHHyk1cjo5svkm72gpi80SCCjdaw2A1LCKDCJciKOrhMIK1LqvDg1-6Dd31obsf5XzZQmaS23fFY5EDZefdJ76-b0WWzAqlQkt_sGEaWQIPa5vm4nVEMIG4jyzmmGsFThQfQ-x_e9a-J2yD1yZNk8z1RjyZ9E/s929/march%20TBR.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="926" data-original-width="929" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr0BRs0v4CTWCGM-_39UcNYTgZ1k9TX5FHHyk1cjo5svkm72gpi80SCCjdaw2A1LCKDCJciKOrhMIK1LqvDg1-6Dd31obsf5XzZQmaS23fFY5EDZefdJ76-b0WWzAqlQkt_sGEaWQIPa5vm4nVEMIG4jyzmmGsFThQfQ-x_e9a-J2yD1yZNk8z1RjyZ9E/w400-h399/march%20TBR.png" width="400" /></a></div></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Meahrer</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Bride by Ali Hazelwood</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Sunday Money by Maggie Hill (review copy)</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Throne of Glass by Sarah J Mass - reread, husband is starting the series with me</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">The Someday Daughter by Ellen O'Clover (review copy)</span></li><li><span style="font-size: medium;">Finish - Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros</span></li></ul></div></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b>How was your February reading? </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b>Feel free to share it in the comments below! I would love to know what you are reading!</b></span><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large; text-align: left;"> </b></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928705465936642139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5605476748589606724.post-79343234531324983362024-03-05T08:00:00.023-05:002024-03-05T08:00:00.147-05:00Early Reader Review: The Boyfriend Wish by Swati Teerdhala<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large; text-align: left;">Source: From Publisher for review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></b></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY_eACn3gfkl_ObVY0mWQ3A_SAnWmyWgH8dyit9HA3k0ATWlAsr0gi4lRc8tupzky1v8Zuu_FzZqfbg6bYa9jhNu3u2BMXv5PcZIgs80HOprFIvbpzQitP7hseXhyphenhyphenFvuar9LWyKW28B68GQM2RpHgN6ACKNCe-trDvXyuV0C1lYZu-RWxTAGoajhQpSyg/s529/156010158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="350" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY_eACn3gfkl_ObVY0mWQ3A_SAnWmyWgH8dyit9HA3k0ATWlAsr0gi4lRc8tupzky1v8Zuu_FzZqfbg6bYa9jhNu3u2BMXv5PcZIgs80HOprFIvbpzQitP7hseXhyphenhyphenFvuar9LWyKW28B68GQM2RpHgN6ACKNCe-trDvXyuV0C1lYZu-RWxTAGoajhQpSyg/w265-h400/156010158.jpg" width="265" /></a></div></div>The Boyfriend Wish by Swati Teerdhala</b></span></span><div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books<br />
Publication Date: February 13, 2024 </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156010158-the-boyfriend-wish" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405327-pop-manga-coloring-book?from_search=true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt48fc5hd9Ldk-IOlCvECKW5BucBBo8mFIzF4bGWd3b8srYSu00-kj5KEVAp_UObKqHOKZnD8KXk3ot3NSW_m_gPwhf04mupN3pKZ7-NMU612-28MP4M3Wk98_z_mxltgEvXYfsVEVk9o/s1600/Goodreads.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C595Z8LC/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/Pop-Manga-Coloring-Book-Beautiful/dp/0399578471?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0399578471&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=x_gr_w_bb&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-K0lgiuiwPlJn6B0yJ07H1dEaQGNH40WZn8yW7_PEaRnT66e14x4HShu5tD4qc_62dT_ytuwyKfJdOfZKSfewWv8mqMqjAv8FmPDmwOhQeYSdax5g6s72H0AzjXG0_ASBYdGWZvxuoh8/s1600/Amazon.jpg" /></a>
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Format: Hardback</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEichURohGRLQqRgUqrxaEc5P-grTZ0yOkCXOzLnIo-aderkL9rhpsAhHX91DmELOXaQt1xkkqdEEv1iozRM4JQgbU2kG3WDkc_J2UlolgHN9tEqmW3x-sZgO4GCaemudguwoP7xuSd29qQW4ezCqouqJb_Yitte2EBmVDVllim09iJL6Pee5OSjAjniinE/s252/black4.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="252" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEichURohGRLQqRgUqrxaEc5P-grTZ0yOkCXOzLnIo-aderkL9rhpsAhHX91DmELOXaQt1xkkqdEEv1iozRM4JQgbU2kG3WDkc_J2UlolgHN9tEqmW3x-sZgO4GCaemudguwoP7xuSd29qQW4ezCqouqJb_Yitte2EBmVDVllim09iJL6Pee5OSjAjniinE/s1600/black4.PNG" width="252" /></a><br />
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<b>Goodreads Synopsis: </b></span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">A charming romantic comedy about a South Indian American teen girl who makes a wish upon a flower for her perfect boyfriend…and then a new boy moves in right next door. With love triangles, prank wars, and a sizzling sweet romance—this is perfect for fans of Sandhya Menon and Jenny Han.</span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Deepa’s a hopeless romantic. And even though Deepa’s checklist for the perfect boyfriend is a mile long, her mom and dad’s fairy-tale love story makes her feel like romantic success ought to be a family trait. It’s why when her grandmother gives her a jasmine flower with the promise that it will fulfill her heart’s greatest desire, and then a new boy moves in across the street, Deepa knows—he must be her wish come true.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Rohit checks off every box on Deepa’s timelessly handsome, a thoughtful listener, and a romantic who knows his flowers. Deepa’s next-door neighbor (and constant tormentor) Vik also surprisingly approves, though she knows it shouldn’t be a mark against Rohit.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Is it luck or is it magic? Deepa doesn’t want to take chances, so when her grandmother warns her that the wish is only permanent if she seals it with a kiss, she knows she needs to move quickly. Rohit is the right boy in every way, so then why does Deepa not feel like he might not be the right choice?</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Review: </b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Deepa is a high schooler looking to have the perfect high school experience and to do that he has plans and lists and eveything has a time and a place. This year her goal is to get the perfect high school boyfriend and like her parents, fall in love and have her happily ever after. Sadly her first attempt at asking her crush to the dance does not go as planned. Back home, bummed out, her grandmother tells her to make a wish on the last jasmine flower, and so the perfect boyfriend is the plan. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Deepa is so planned out and a perfectionist in many ways, and so her boyfriend should be too right? What I liked about this YA book is that it does a good job really helping the reader understand that perfect isn't always what you think it will be. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">I really liked a number of things in this book, first it was great to see Indian characters and a whole community. The family relationships were so wonderful and the siblings were teh funniest part of this book, you will love them. The prank war made me a little anxious but it was fun too. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Deepa as a character was determined, stubborn, and had far too many rules for herself and her life, but I liked that she was still part of this fun prank war thing.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Vik was your characteristic annoying guy that you have ben friends with forever and you cant see passed his annoying qualities to see his heart of gold... classic frenemies to romance set up.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Rohit, the perfect boyfriend material, was so boring. I know that this was set up for a reason, but the character felt SO FLAT that I wasn't ever rooting for him. He was bland and I was frustrated. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Overall this was a quick read, and it was laugh out loud funny at times, but really this was a great YA rom-com that will be light and fun for most readers. </span></div></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928705465936642139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5605476748589606724.post-41269725272057145312024-03-04T08:00:00.003-05:002024-03-05T09:13:49.918-05:00Building the Book Pile #443<div class="separator"><center><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="1067" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeaej1lcH_n6QvDi93W6Knig2UpL6WtaB2BVrh0pafiHegise9DWmQfQ7EngcbMG3CI0vaBQ7Vmq1IG7DabI2Z3igp2tMUs5uACE1jKaNfODzF1kctG8XWAhNwxJc71zC2FHonJ-WAlYI/w640-h376/BTBP+New+Header+Image.JPG" width="640" /></center></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Welcome to Building the Book Pile!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people! </b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Hi there friends. How is it March?! And how did the weekend jus fly right by us?!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I hope you week last week was wonderful and that this one brings you joy :) </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">It is starting to get warmer here and I am ALLL for it! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Starting to think about putting up the greenhouse and starting seeds for the veggie garden. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">What have you been up to? Any good Books lately?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Coming up on the Blog</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Early Reader Review: The Boyfriend Wish by Swati Teerdhala (YA)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Monthly Re-Cap & TBR (Feb/March)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Early Reader Review: Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristoff (Adult)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Early Reader Review: The Someday Daughter by Ellen O'Clover (YA)</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">Books Received Recently...</span></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1199" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7bZfu065Zhy6UAR9lKHHRkiHPAbZxzZtGoDTEm9_cBYKGCFrUlm6iulJDOg_wxorEoflFi3LWInZdwDFi3QhNUYyjJ8r5uDi3L1ZQM-iN1h0NUa3hdCDM9_KrIf1CdJDBoUCd0Z2KM55ZU7o7VBdMPtADdBcHFQ-ePiKraxUWl9gFGjzt3-UaZoPGsg/s320/197220251.jpg" width="274" /> <img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1082" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR2MQ8peSpxLu7l3aY9HXmt62t4X7gFE7_Mgz65WacyoZXyOtgqQg9pKrNftUIiAWAn432XHxOwbmGdJCeSjtKAEK9QoUiDVb2_dFyBEXnl68XPm9peowJj6J2OraDguWfUyRtOpxXVINfDXR6KzYPeKt55J7OyMf7sdK3MoOYFrTCivC_iFR3S-EKb0k/s320/197220255.jpg" width="247" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/197220251-the-dress-in-the-window?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=iF0mAostxV&rank=1" target="_blank">The Dress in the Window by Robert Tregoning and Pippa Curnick</a> - From Netgalley and the Publisher for review.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/197220255-saving-delicia?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_25" target="_blank">Saving Delicia: A Story about Small Seeds and Big Dreams by Laura Gehl and Patricia Metola</a> - From Netgalley and the Publisher for review</span></div></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /></div></div></span></div></div></div></div><div><div style="font-weight: 400; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Have you missed anything lately?</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://cover2coverblog.blogspot.com/2024/02/recent-reads-kawaii-cafe-bubble-tea.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Recent Reads: </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Kawaii Café Bubble Tea: </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Classic, Fun, and Refreshing Boba Drinks to Make at Home </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">by Stacey Kwong; Beyah del Mundo (Cookbook) - 4 stars</span></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://cover2coverblog.blogspot.com/2024/03/recent-reads-new-witch-on-block-by.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Recent Reads: New Witch on the Block by </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Louisa West (Adult) - 2 stars</span></a></span></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Donating Caffeine is greatly appreciated ... Donate on </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/gorelenore" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Ko-fi</a></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What have you been reading? Leave a comment for me.</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Happy Reading!</span></b></span></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928705465936642139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5605476748589606724.post-22130012513020691222024-03-01T09:00:00.030-05:002024-03-01T09:00:00.133-05:00Recent Reads: New Witch on the Block by Louisa West<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4dBtVGD-YcjQxJ5A6MiExUis0ElUSpk4p2P9kLIivrejHSu-KRK0UVLWfk3VL6KCytE9XzSzhMtu-3miN6oU3cxcM0YP6D_YYD8hZczWdxxjVG34ZYnuWv8yyy8btiiouI1fOH-DOv3dsXivVQFHjVgam2lYeL48Q0ivEpEgJQFSpYD5DJeJqE16M17A/s1500/204475019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="938" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4dBtVGD-YcjQxJ5A6MiExUis0ElUSpk4p2P9kLIivrejHSu-KRK0UVLWfk3VL6KCytE9XzSzhMtu-3miN6oU3cxcM0YP6D_YYD8hZczWdxxjVG34ZYnuWv8yyy8btiiouI1fOH-DOv3dsXivVQFHjVgam2lYeL48Q0ivEpEgJQFSpYD5DJeJqE16M17A/s320/204475019.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
</div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><b>New Witch on the Block by Louisa West </b></span> <div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Series: Midlife in Mosswood #1</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: Kindle Edition<br />
Publication Date: June 30, 2020<br /></span></span>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/204475019-new-witch-on-the-block" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405327-pop-manga-coloring-book?from_search=true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt48fc5hd9Ldk-IOlCvECKW5BucBBo8mFIzF4bGWd3b8srYSu00-kj5KEVAp_UObKqHOKZnD8KXk3ot3NSW_m_gPwhf04mupN3pKZ7-NMU612-28MP4M3Wk98_z_mxltgEvXYfsVEVk9o/s1600/Goodreads.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B087KYLF3N/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/Pop-Manga-Coloring-Book-Beautiful/dp/0399578471?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0399578471&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=x_gr_w_bb&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-K0lgiuiwPlJn6B0yJ07H1dEaQGNH40WZn8yW7_PEaRnT66e14x4HShu5tD4qc_62dT_ytuwyKfJdOfZKSfewWv8mqMqjAv8FmPDmwOhQeYSdax5g6s72H0AzjXG0_ASBYdGWZvxuoh8/s1600/Amazon.jpg" /></a>
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Format: Ebook<br />Source: KU/ Freebie</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsB4Ec6p7h556Z-cwH24rkn_Qo58kqZp0ox_1exxnZWh7dsXvlhbfWjHQolop7I_a27SvVw4elEapK1hOFBzA5l4luHHrupIGs6Bam7LiErSTr9D7Za3OgmYTElJW4YlE40MQmsQPNzOzpDOnGG2Y2gH22bFZ8CkW5okbZ25LjSmkYhKk1zENS0GQZNEQ/s252/black2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="252" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsB4Ec6p7h556Z-cwH24rkn_Qo58kqZp0ox_1exxnZWh7dsXvlhbfWjHQolop7I_a27SvVw4elEapK1hOFBzA5l4luHHrupIGs6Bam7LiErSTr9D7Za3OgmYTElJW4YlE40MQmsQPNzOzpDOnGG2Y2gH22bFZ8CkW5okbZ25LjSmkYhKk1zENS0GQZNEQ/s1600/black2.PNG" width="252" /></a><br />
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<b>Goodreads Synopsis: </b></span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">She thought she was running away from her past, not catching up with it.</span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Rosemary Bell just wants to live a quiet, happy life and raise her daughter as far away from her toxic ex-husband as she can get. But when they move into a decrepit cottage in the woods of Mosswood, Georgia, Rosie realises her life will never be simple.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">A gang of meddling neighborhood do-gooders want to run her out of town. The vicious laundromat machines keep eating her spare change. Not to mention her buff Irish stalker who insists that he’s a Witch King and that it’s her royal destiny to be his Queen.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">And to top it all off, strange things keep happening around Rosie when she least expects it...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">She could deal with it all, but her ex won’t rest until he tracks her down. When her ability to protect her daughter is threatened, Rosie shows them all that nobody messes with the new witch on the block.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Practical Magic meets Bridget Jones’ Diary in this fun, heart-warming short novel about starting over, putting family first, and finding love when you least expect it.</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Review: </b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Sadly, I did not jive with this read. I wanted to DNF it but pushed through to see if it improved. I normally love a withcy themed book regardless of the plot and characters but this one just didn't hit right on a few levels for me. It was a freebie on Kindle Unlimited and I think I was actaully able to 'buy it' for free on a Stuff your Kindle day. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Plot overview - Rosemary is running from her abusive biker husband to live with her daughter in a new small town. This is the first book in a series. Rosemary finds out she is a witch from a weird guy living in the woods in a trailer and that she is his queen... it was very red-flag. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">I found the ploy messy overall. It wasn't great explanations, there was really no basis for witches and powers and that aspect was never fleshed out really. Otherwise the world was very normal and the drama experienced was very 'normal small town'. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">It seemed as if the author wanted a cozy- witch origin story but then was like 'oh I need drama and she is running from a bad guy'... </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">She lost me pretty quickly when Rosemary took a cab to her location - I was a bit confused. I know that even getting away is a feat for women in abusive situations but she was so scared of being found and it seemed unlikely that a cabride distance would be enough space to keep him away...</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">There were a lot of plot holes like this. Characters were also a bit one-dimensional and the world build was non-existant. For was was dubbed as a Practical Magic alternative there was not enought magic build up at all. </span><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">All that to say, I wasn't really into it. It was just OK, nothing great/ unique.</span></div></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928705465936642139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5605476748589606724.post-36969129159486018912024-02-28T09:00:00.003-05:002024-02-28T09:00:00.136-05:00Recent Reads: Kawaii Cafe Bubble Tea: Classic, Fun, and Refreshing Boba Drinks to Make at Home by Stacey Kwong and Beyah del Mundo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large; text-align: left;">Source: From Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjToWo4nR36qVhLocyok27T0mZ8r1MEiyMZ3AaWe7o6n7nLRW64y0Y7ofzHnRJ_4WVr6hUPhZJoHYhG3Ig-5zYFPgiyxAFjXpaZ9mMz-94O53pnS3o5F-ZEKaQ8SANB2ys_I32syaC1msrP8uxugaJiBxWEIetr-42YL_jmrH8-60Z657drfmL7TqzRBI/s2525/176715373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2525" data-original-width="2046" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjToWo4nR36qVhLocyok27T0mZ8r1MEiyMZ3AaWe7o6n7nLRW64y0Y7ofzHnRJ_4WVr6hUPhZJoHYhG3Ig-5zYFPgiyxAFjXpaZ9mMz-94O53pnS3o5F-ZEKaQ8SANB2ys_I32syaC1msrP8uxugaJiBxWEIetr-42YL_jmrH8-60Z657drfmL7TqzRBI/s320/176715373.jpg" width="259" /></a></div></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Kawaii Cafe Bubble Tea: </b></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><b>Classic, Fun, and Refreshing Boba Drinks to Make at Home by Stacey Kwong and </b></span><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">Beyah del Mundo</b><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: Rock Point<br />
Publication Date: January 9, 2024</span></span>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/176715373-kawaii-caf-bubble-tea" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405327-pop-manga-coloring-book?from_search=true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt48fc5hd9Ldk-IOlCvECKW5BucBBo8mFIzF4bGWd3b8srYSu00-kj5KEVAp_UObKqHOKZnD8KXk3ot3NSW_m_gPwhf04mupN3pKZ7-NMU612-28MP4M3Wk98_z_mxltgEvXYfsVEVk9o/s1600/Goodreads.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C8QMNSHQ/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/Pop-Manga-Coloring-Book-Beautiful/dp/0399578471?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0399578471&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=x_gr_w_bb&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-K0lgiuiwPlJn6B0yJ07H1dEaQGNH40WZn8yW7_PEaRnT66e14x4HShu5tD4qc_62dT_ytuwyKfJdOfZKSfewWv8mqMqjAv8FmPDmwOhQeYSdax5g6s72H0AzjXG0_ASBYdGWZvxuoh8/s1600/Amazon.jpg" /></a>
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Format: Ebook<br /></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Rating:</b></span></span> </span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuWveGpqNsweb-JENixybSCU0F-lWa7i7S6j0chsPPoC5Vkvyj29BpgUYLhPFNz05eMZoZnn8r4_06UQtA_Lv9fgb3S71pB3UhwIXoEqWkRn8cQ4APj4phN_Bmlp6HRXk32zrYahyByjtGxOcKai_XpO91PHSAVURZnVA7GDlwjbwzo1EVF3ccEyDOSus/s252/black4.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="252" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuWveGpqNsweb-JENixybSCU0F-lWa7i7S6j0chsPPoC5Vkvyj29BpgUYLhPFNz05eMZoZnn8r4_06UQtA_Lv9fgb3S71pB3UhwIXoEqWkRn8cQ4APj4phN_Bmlp6HRXk32zrYahyByjtGxOcKai_XpO91PHSAVURZnVA7GDlwjbwzo1EVF3ccEyDOSus/s1600/black4.PNG" width="252" /></a><br />
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<b>Goodreads Synopsis: </b></span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Satisfy your bubble tea cravings at home (and affordably)! Kawaii Café Bubble Tea includes over 60 easy-to-follow recipes, beautifully illustrated in a fun anime style.</span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">No matter if you call it boba or bubble tea , this addictive drink that originated in Taiwan in the 1980s has taken the world by storm, with shops popping up on every corner and lines out all their doors.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Kawaii Café Bubble Tea covers all the basics, from brewing tea and making your own tapioca balls (aka boba) to handcrafting sweeteners, syrups, toppings, and more with all-natural ingredients and no corn syrup. Each recipe includes exciting anime-style illustrations and instructions for customizing to your preferred level of sweetness.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Learn how to make:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Milk Teas (lactose-free Thai, black milk, and green milk teas)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Fruit Teas (strawberry, mango, watermelon, kiwi, pineapple, pomelo, and cucumber teas)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Specialty Drinks (with special ingredients including coconut milk, almond butter, taro root, and ice cream)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Recipes include:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Pomelo Slushie (green or black tea with Pomelo Jam and Simple Syrup)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Lady Bug (black tea with Strawberry Syrup and Watermelon Syrup)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Area 51 (green tea with Cucumber Syrup and Kiwi Syrup)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Mint Tea Lemon Mojito (mint tea with Lemon Syrup, Simple Syrup, and mint leaves)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Pink Panda (milk, Strawberry Syrup, and cookies-and-cream ice cream)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">With yummy recipes, down-to-earth writing, and a delightful design, Kawaii Café Bubble Tea is the ultimate guide to this global phenomenon.</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Review: </b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Such cute aka. kawaii cover art - I was immediately sold and wanted to read all about bubble tea. This is a bubble tea....cook book of sorts. It is so much more than just a bunch of recipes though and it was far more intense than expected. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">'Reading' a cookbook for review is weird - and I haven't made any of the recipes so I cannot to that point. Overall, the book had a lot of seemingly great recipes and a lot of helpful information to share. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">The authors talk about boba, syrups, bases, james, homemade thai tea, and a pink drink variation called a Piglet. The illustration from the cover and its adorable nature continues throughout - watercolor style with detail of the drinks and components.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">The notes they include are so thoughtful in the process of bubble tea making and helpful. They also note that pre-made is not the end of the world, which as a non-Bubble tea maker normally, that was a nice touch. Readers could be really intimidated by this cookbook, but they do a good job trying to keep it a little light and giving you a wealth of information. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">So fun, such a happy read and viewing experience. </span></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928705465936642139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5605476748589606724.post-50670271404636729612024-02-26T09:00:00.002-05:002024-02-27T13:50:45.944-05:00Building the Book Pile #442<div class="separator"><center><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="1067" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeaej1lcH_n6QvDi93W6Knig2UpL6WtaB2BVrh0pafiHegise9DWmQfQ7EngcbMG3CI0vaBQ7Vmq1IG7DabI2Z3igp2tMUs5uACE1jKaNfODzF1kctG8XWAhNwxJc71zC2FHonJ-WAlYI/w640-h376/BTBP+New+Header+Image.JPG" width="640" /></center></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Welcome to Building the Book Pile!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people! </b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">A bit of a late book pile.. happy MONDAY!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Another week into 2024... I spent it reading Empire of the Damned and finished it. SO GOOD. Review coming soon.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I picked up World of Warcraft again and have been playing Dragon Isles a bit. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I was a little sick at the beginning of the week, the weather has been crazy here - 30/50/20/45... the fluxuations have been very annoying. Otherwise it was a normal week, work home repeat.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M9JyhXDC6Yg/UHxthVGZJPI/AAAAAAAAA2c/xh0rZQ_zmIA/s1600/Divider2.bmp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="13" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M9JyhXDC6Yg/UHxthVGZJPI/AAAAAAAAA2c/xh0rZQ_zmIA/s1600/Divider2.bmp" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Coming up on the Blog</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Recent Reads: </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Kawaii Café Bubble Tea: </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Classic, Fun, and Refreshing Boba Drinks to Make at Home </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">by Stacey Kwong; Beyah del Mundo (Cookbook)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Recent Reads: New Witch on the Block by </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Louisa West (Adult)</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">Books Received Recently...</span></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9_GtawH2IyPGrVx88OMvrZUoXmYsvN8xkvGC5wStPhGgUHJamnvNHp76NwXw4B5Dgq3AcuSKTU0d9uFjgQpo-zB2VFeDPciLyMtD1JVjS6EZBI4w9vzSN-fQhwN-xUD6U7Cha4pHkZJxJ0t8WuQ2kTUB4x0Nj2-rChks1f02fHh1cbMErJh3QS1ayN8/s445/198688539.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="295" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9_GtawH2IyPGrVx88OMvrZUoXmYsvN8xkvGC5wStPhGgUHJamnvNHp76NwXw4B5Dgq3AcuSKTU0d9uFjgQpo-zB2VFeDPciLyMtD1JVjS6EZBI4w9vzSN-fQhwN-xUD6U7Cha4pHkZJxJ0t8WuQ2kTUB4x0Nj2-rChks1f02fHh1cbMErJh3QS1ayN8/s320/198688539.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/198688539-wild-about-you?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=69bvXaapf5&rank=1" target="_blank">Wild About You by Kaitlyn Hill</a> - from Netgalley and the publisher for review.</span></div></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /></div></div></span></div></div></div></div><div><div style="font-weight: 400; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Have you missed anything lately?</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://cover2coverblog.blogspot.com/2024/02/recent-reads-book-lovers-by-emily-henry.html" target="_blank">Recent Reads: Book Lovers by Emily Henry (Adult) -5 stars</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://cover2coverblog.blogspot.com/2024/02/recent-reads-not-happy-campers-by-ash.html" target="_blank">Recent Reads: Not Happy Campers by Ash Keller (Adult) -3 stars</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://cover2coverblog.blogspot.com/2024/02/early-reader-review-avocado-magic-by.html" target="_blank">Early Reader Review: Avocado Magic by Taltal Levi (Youth) -4 stars</a></span></div></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Donating Caffeine is greatly appreciated ... Donate on </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/gorelenore" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Ko-fi</a></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What have you been reading? Leave a comment for me.</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Happy Reading!</span></b></span></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928705465936642139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5605476748589606724.post-66807761946423837192024-02-23T08:00:00.021-05:002024-02-23T08:00:00.189-05:00Early Reader Review: Avocado Magic by Taltal Levi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large; text-align: left;">Source: From the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDDHWXlnwEX2syoYVEO3C9FFiAWAjZoIn3B_w2QE33k5zmeCX7gMTXbqz3A0qmW02004CirE3WIux3QPGLvtahoYQNP4nFvYoDYGm2f5URjeobTgBk502ylueZU_E49iLzxPbn4f77mLghXycvJjgPxkR1XHI5GmsaJ-LbaZwkregtXvHZ3-faul_zzCU/s1676/176442451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1676" data-original-width="1400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDDHWXlnwEX2syoYVEO3C9FFiAWAjZoIn3B_w2QE33k5zmeCX7gMTXbqz3A0qmW02004CirE3WIux3QPGLvtahoYQNP4nFvYoDYGm2f5URjeobTgBk502ylueZU_E49iLzxPbn4f77mLghXycvJjgPxkR1XHI5GmsaJ-LbaZwkregtXvHZ3-faul_zzCU/s320/176442451.jpg" width="267" /></a></div></div>
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><b>Avocado Magic by Taltal Levi </b></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: NorthSouth Books<br />
Publication Date: March 5, 2024</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/176442451-avocado-magic" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405327-pop-manga-coloring-book?from_search=true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt48fc5hd9Ldk-IOlCvECKW5BucBBo8mFIzF4bGWd3b8srYSu00-kj5KEVAp_UObKqHOKZnD8KXk3ot3NSW_m_gPwhf04mupN3pKZ7-NMU612-28MP4M3Wk98_z_mxltgEvXYfsVEVk9o/s1600/Goodreads.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0735844984/ref=x_gr_bb_amazon?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_bb_amazon-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0735844984&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/Pop-Manga-Coloring-Book-Beautiful/dp/0399578471?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0399578471&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=x_gr_w_bb&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-K0lgiuiwPlJn6B0yJ07H1dEaQGNH40WZn8yW7_PEaRnT66e14x4HShu5tD4qc_62dT_ytuwyKfJdOfZKSfewWv8mqMqjAv8FmPDmwOhQeYSdax5g6s72H0AzjXG0_ASBYdGWZvxuoh8/s1600/Amazon.jpg" /></a>
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Format: Ebook<br /></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkRPKZ32vXlz6zgclejM7cKJhij9LWHzPcpekEYSOp6Ls1-vbcqX49jExhKy_ljBJM0xgMYHLkm3w8kkuZlxKm2Yb1HJrUFEtWcUadVxyMYWmcVpuW_H-IGXI0MvFVevR8Tgjz66icoMX8B05K8pSnLBLwORpvt7D5bK0oE1V3mZPlSGqxr6CfA68gwKA/s252/black4.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="252" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkRPKZ32vXlz6zgclejM7cKJhij9LWHzPcpekEYSOp6Ls1-vbcqX49jExhKy_ljBJM0xgMYHLkm3w8kkuZlxKm2Yb1HJrUFEtWcUadVxyMYWmcVpuW_H-IGXI0MvFVevR8Tgjz66icoMX8B05K8pSnLBLwORpvt7D5bK0oE1V3mZPlSGqxr6CfA68gwKA/s1600/black4.PNG" width="252" /></a><br />
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<b>Goodreads Synopsis: </b></span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Avocado seeds and slow growing! A young girl’s impatience turns to wonder as she and her avocado tree gradually change and grow in this story inspired by Israeli artist Taltal Levi’s childhood.</span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Ellie is sulking—she celebrated her birthday yesterday under the old avocado tree. But she’s not even a little bit taller today! Dad tells Ellie a secret. She is like the pit of an avocado, he explains, small and full of magic. Together they put an avocado seed in a glass of water by the window and watch as both Ellie and her avocado plant grow, take root, and eventually bring new life.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">In Taltal Levi’s native country Israel, avocados are ubiquitous and plucked straight from the tree. In her third book, Taltal Levi uses warm, earthy colors to tell a personal yet universal story about the magic of growth.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Includes instructions for growing your own avocado tree!</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Review: </b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">A girl named Ellie is upset about not growing fast enough so her dad has her learn about patience through the growth of an avocado seed. They patiently water it and watch it grow - very slowly. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">This was a cute story and picture book, focusing on growing up, patience, and that sometimes things just take time. I liked how it all came together, with teh age progression of Ellie and her avocado seed/plant/ tree. The book was vibrant and fun. Illustraions were flowing and really pretty.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">I think that as she ages with the avocado and grows up, some nuance might be lost on some younger readers that she has a lovely tree for her kids... and that she has fully grown up. Maybe not though. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">The book also included avocado seed instructions and care. <br /></span><br /></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928705465936642139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5605476748589606724.post-64797943930843777402024-02-21T09:00:00.018-05:002024-02-21T09:00:00.131-05:00Recent Reads: Not Happy Campers by Ash Keller<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmvy8yrMj0CXuZYZbFSOuz6BdJuLzNOA5_CugGFaGNzvAvjTWg5Pi6ejM0Bqo7KC4UAltKuFU7DcJCD9i4vE2H9A1iPNcI7FPjT0zITbsPkyB2dxQ6wHts7NueFft53RCUMdT7ay5r9Iq0v9iyQlhzyFQU5_gisxQrERvFCUj3AsUbKlDBRFAD9iYmlsc/s2700/58850728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmvy8yrMj0CXuZYZbFSOuz6BdJuLzNOA5_CugGFaGNzvAvjTWg5Pi6ejM0Bqo7KC4UAltKuFU7DcJCD9i4vE2H9A1iPNcI7FPjT0zITbsPkyB2dxQ6wHts7NueFft53RCUMdT7ay5r9Iq0v9iyQlhzyFQU5_gisxQrERvFCUj3AsUbKlDBRFAD9iYmlsc/w266-h400/58850728.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><b>Not Happy Campers by </b></span><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">Ash Keller </b></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Series: Road Trip to Love #1</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: Cat Belly Press<br />
Publication Date: </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">January 23, 2021 </span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58850728-not-happy-campers" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405327-pop-manga-coloring-book?from_search=true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt48fc5hd9Ldk-IOlCvECKW5BucBBo8mFIzF4bGWd3b8srYSu00-kj5KEVAp_UObKqHOKZnD8KXk3ot3NSW_m_gPwhf04mupN3pKZ7-NMU612-28MP4M3Wk98_z_mxltgEvXYfsVEVk9o/s1600/Goodreads.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09DJNN8GP/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/Pop-Manga-Coloring-Book-Beautiful/dp/0399578471?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0399578471&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=x_gr_w_bb&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-K0lgiuiwPlJn6B0yJ07H1dEaQGNH40WZn8yW7_PEaRnT66e14x4HShu5tD4qc_62dT_ytuwyKfJdOfZKSfewWv8mqMqjAv8FmPDmwOhQeYSdax5g6s72H0AzjXG0_ASBYdGWZvxuoh8/s1600/Amazon.jpg" /></a>
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Format: Ebook<br />Source: Freebie on Kindle, Stuff your Kindle Day, Also available on Kindle Unlimited.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8L6J3C76S4U1OlU_MvDbfMhA2ikF3gdM_2DT_o_LAeWGrN4t5idRVKB5tKBbiPeXU1v28BR4FghTbzR6hrZfuoBENP15S67OetvtyfESKWZZqTLF7O1q9C267ASikCXSLHUmqHlwKE_j0DijXJcZ_QsSdkyTpXFhoyn6M3M08u3TtiPaFPwbFxDNDHaY/s252/black3.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="252" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8L6J3C76S4U1OlU_MvDbfMhA2ikF3gdM_2DT_o_LAeWGrN4t5idRVKB5tKBbiPeXU1v28BR4FghTbzR6hrZfuoBENP15S67OetvtyfESKWZZqTLF7O1q9C267ASikCXSLHUmqHlwKE_j0DijXJcZ_QsSdkyTpXFhoyn6M3M08u3TtiPaFPwbFxDNDHaY/s1600/black3.PNG" width="252" /></a><br />
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<b>Goodreads Synopsis: </b></span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">The only thing worse than being stuck in an RV with your enemy? Having to pretend you're madly in love.</span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Lance Blakeman is an up-and-coming literary agent with a chance to represent the biggest horror writer since Stephen King. Unfortunately, the client doesn't want to work with a bachelor. Lance needs a fiancée—fast.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Lainey Fredrickson is a struggling artist making ends meet by waitressing at a local diner. Or, she had been, until pretty boy Lance got her fired for accidentally spilling a beer on him. The way he carried on, you'd think she had deliberately doused him with radioactive waste. Now, she has exactly $4.23 to her name—not enough for an iced latte, let alone rent.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">When Lance offers Lainey cash to pose as his fiancée, she can't afford to say no, even if it means spending a week in a cramped RV with him. But can they fool the client without fooling themselves? There's a fine line between love and hate. And with kisses this sweet, the line is bound to get blurred.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Not Happy Campers is a laugh-out-loud funny, clean romantic comedy with sizzling chemistry, witty banter, and spine-tingling kisses. If you love a good enemies to lovers or fake relationship story that ends with happy ever after, this book is for you!</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Review: </b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">This cover is adorable and fully pulled me in. Overall it was a fun quick read... but the best part for me was the Corgi. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Lainey is down on her luck because of a man named Lance. He got her fired from her last job and now she has found herslef in a situation where he will pay her to pretend to be his fiance for a week. Lance is trying to win over an author, to become his agent, and he prefers an agent that has a partner. So for Lance, this was a great ploy. Lainey needs the money, Lance needs a fiance... and now they are stuck in a camper.. with Lainey's corgi too. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">1) Loooooved the dog! throughout this story he was the best part and had characters show more emotion. sadly there was more emotion around the dog than each other. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">2) I appreciated that she was an artist. Lots of books have authors, agents but illusrators are a bit more rare. I actually read a lot of 'book agent' books in January.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">3) The banter was fun but not perfect.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">4) Felt like it was too-stuffy a start but loosened up as it went, sadly at less tha 200 pages there wasn't much room for them to really get into things and fall fully (at least that is how it felt to me). </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Overall, cute, and I got it for free :)</span></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928705465936642139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5605476748589606724.post-15695934958297640132024-02-19T09:00:00.024-05:002024-02-19T09:00:00.129-05:00Recent Reads: Book Lovers by Emily Henry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-qPqE51iYSaagYn12PoINNMsuQFGBraRVAw3YCICk5Gz1FdOAFfF_E_ECfp8JucBbk5Gz6xQG9SPoLCc5q2XfKo0Mk-muR8Hg28XuzAE2D_KYohi2hRSPGze1zoKpQ9twr-N1wVC9rlTyhcG7hHDKMZd5hoLtoUDIVxIIafhA8t_Njq8e7i9v0LJgg8Y/s700/58690308.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="464" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-qPqE51iYSaagYn12PoINNMsuQFGBraRVAw3YCICk5Gz1FdOAFfF_E_ECfp8JucBbk5Gz6xQG9SPoLCc5q2XfKo0Mk-muR8Hg28XuzAE2D_KYohi2hRSPGze1zoKpQ9twr-N1wVC9rlTyhcG7hHDKMZd5hoLtoUDIVxIIafhA8t_Njq8e7i9v0LJgg8Y/w265-h400/58690308.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
</div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Book Lovers by Emily Henry </b></span></span> <div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: Berkley<br />
Publication Date: May 3, 2022</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58690308-book-lovers" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405327-pop-manga-coloring-book?from_search=true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt48fc5hd9Ldk-IOlCvECKW5BucBBo8mFIzF4bGWd3b8srYSu00-kj5KEVAp_UObKqHOKZnD8KXk3ot3NSW_m_gPwhf04mupN3pKZ7-NMU612-28MP4M3Wk98_z_mxltgEvXYfsVEVk9o/s1600/Goodreads.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09BTQ9HW6/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/Pop-Manga-Coloring-Book-Beautiful/dp/0399578471?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0399578471&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=x_gr_w_bb&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-K0lgiuiwPlJn6B0yJ07H1dEaQGNH40WZn8yW7_PEaRnT66e14x4HShu5tD4qc_62dT_ytuwyKfJdOfZKSfewWv8mqMqjAv8FmPDmwOhQeYSdax5g6s72H0AzjXG0_ASBYdGWZvxuoh8/s1600/Amazon.jpg" /></a>
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Format: Paperback<br />Source: Bought/own</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnUTBCpJYzfYF21UP4O0dryxN2KFf4QiEkCkVvYeK_bjiHaqcZACX7MOyr4J_ABRNBQ-jDqwY6lSf_IvAQv-xRKn9FCX40I7aseuArc0PM6_reTKWCWwA3LIjme9i932QUjHqQRY3Dy1IHa2nm-A3n6sS5INGtdK84M61J5W77BWi5ISOulzF22gwaAA/s252/black5.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="252" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnUTBCpJYzfYF21UP4O0dryxN2KFf4QiEkCkVvYeK_bjiHaqcZACX7MOyr4J_ABRNBQ-jDqwY6lSf_IvAQv-xRKn9FCX40I7aseuArc0PM6_reTKWCWwA3LIjme9i932QUjHqQRY3Dy1IHa2nm-A3n6sS5INGtdK84M61J5W77BWi5ISOulzF22gwaAA/s1600/black5.PNG" width="252" /></a><br />
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<b>Goodreads Synopsis: </b></span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn't see coming....</span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Nora Stephens’ life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away—with visions of a small-town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Review: </b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">I enjoy Emily Henry books, they are cute rom-coms with miscommunication or witholding of truths and they work well.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Nora is emmersed in her work as a book agent and so her love life never turns out to be her happily ever after. Charlie is an editor, who many think is harsh and Nora doesn't particularlu like him all that much because he turned down one of her books. They are brought together in the small town of Sunshine Falls, where Nora was dragged by her sister. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">I enjoyed the enemies to lovers trope used in this rom-com. Both Nora and Charlie are adorable together and apart. Libby (the sister) is sneaky but I also adored the sisterly bond that they share throughout the book. There was a lot of miscommunication in this one or witholding of truths from one another and all aroun dit worked well. I was rooting for everyone, even thought we 'hated' Charlie. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">This was just an absolutely perfect rom-com to lighten the to be read pile and I really enjoyed it. It had me laughing and crying and I couldn't put it down.</span></div></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928705465936642139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5605476748589606724.post-9491988931028797452024-02-18T09:00:00.043-05:002024-02-18T09:00:00.240-05:00Building the Book Pile #441<div class="separator"><center><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="1067" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeaej1lcH_n6QvDi93W6Knig2UpL6WtaB2BVrh0pafiHegise9DWmQfQ7EngcbMG3CI0vaBQ7Vmq1IG7DabI2Z3igp2tMUs5uACE1jKaNfODzF1kctG8XWAhNwxJc71zC2FHonJ-WAlYI/w640-h376/BTBP+New+Header+Image.JPG" width="640" /></center></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Welcome to Building the Book Pile!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people! </b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">It has been a fun week... for reading. I picked up my arc of Empire of the Damned and I am about 350 pages in. The story has all the twist and turns I like and vampires...</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">This week I also binged Hazbin Hotel on Prime - loved it, but now I have to wait approximately a billion years for season 2 😞</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">On my switch I have ben alternating between A Little to the Left and Cozy Grove. Enjoying both. I really love A Little to the Left - so simple yet so satisfying.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">What have you been getting up to?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Coming up on the Blog</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Recent Reads: Book Lovers by Emily Henry (Adult)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Recent Reads: Not Happy Campers by Ash Keller (Adult)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Early Reader Review: Avocado Magic by Taltal Levi (Youth)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">Books Received Recently...</span></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4WTyKKlb_eu9Wgn8sQcqenfm40_Oi8Wv6KcMMMt34w5jBr6Y8RqEAAjI5Ge8L6zh9ddsybu5BJdgpkV73UEfoUfSeGlN4Ca6mp70Af1MLSlrWlnj10kgDiRQATAM6IVNcvn7KCKi1Cl64ueeuJOHhgX1pGXRzoDAyqBKgAvSbSUxZPRNXtByRV2aZHEI/s500/181344829.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4WTyKKlb_eu9Wgn8sQcqenfm40_Oi8Wv6KcMMMt34w5jBr6Y8RqEAAjI5Ge8L6zh9ddsybu5BJdgpkV73UEfoUfSeGlN4Ca6mp70Af1MLSlrWlnj10kgDiRQATAM6IVNcvn7KCKi1Cl64ueeuJOHhgX1pGXRzoDAyqBKgAvSbSUxZPRNXtByRV2aZHEI/w266-h400/181344829.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181344829-bride?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_9" target="_blank">Bride by Ali Hazelwood -</a></span><span style="font-size: medium;"> Bought</span></div></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><br /></div></div></div></span></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /></div></div></span></div></div></div></div><div><div style="font-weight: 400; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Have you missed anything lately?</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://cover2coverblog.blogspot.com/2024/02/recent-reads-thursday-murder-club-by.html" target="_blank">Recent Reads: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (Adult) -4 stars</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://cover2coverblog.blogspot.com/2024/02/recent-reads-hating-game-by-sally-thorne.html" target="_blank">Recent Reads: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne (Adult) -5 stars</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://cover2coverblog.blogspot.com/2024/02/early-reader-review-country-bird-by.html" target="_blank">Early Reader Review: Country Bird by Angela Harrison Vinet (Non-Fiction) -3 stars</a></span></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Donating Caffeine is greatly appreciated ... Donate on </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/gorelenore" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Ko-fi</a></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What have you been reading? Leave a comment for me.</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Happy Reading!</span></b></span></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928705465936642139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5605476748589606724.post-56839006821829626542024-02-15T09:00:00.001-05:002024-02-15T09:00:00.140-05:00Early Reader Review: Country Bird by Angela Harrison Vinet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large; text-align: left;">Source: From Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUttAgR3VcbnYYNt_AeTKeyPyAOGSSYtUVQdugW1RD76uDPYYgflJRBZLDURJfpylPZ8_xULw0QeOQ5c2366rn7hYIjLFA9W7BvuTO35BkdpHedzqOpjtvq1Z9Kxop4CGwCODJWNvDUThzLEfvCkpJsIMy6oKFpWt7jrYQdhT7kSg1WAe3JXe7lbuhBYE/s2190/176716942.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2190" data-original-width="1560" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUttAgR3VcbnYYNt_AeTKeyPyAOGSSYtUVQdugW1RD76uDPYYgflJRBZLDURJfpylPZ8_xULw0QeOQ5c2366rn7hYIjLFA9W7BvuTO35BkdpHedzqOpjtvq1Z9Kxop4CGwCODJWNvDUThzLEfvCkpJsIMy6oKFpWt7jrYQdhT7kSg1WAe3JXe7lbuhBYE/s320/176716942.jpg" width="228" /></a></div></div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Country Bird by Angela Harrison Vinet</b></span></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: Epic Ink<br />
Publication Date: February 20, 2024</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/176716942-country-bird" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405327-pop-manga-coloring-book?from_search=true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt48fc5hd9Ldk-IOlCvECKW5BucBBo8mFIzF4bGWd3b8srYSu00-kj5KEVAp_UObKqHOKZnD8KXk3ot3NSW_m_gPwhf04mupN3pKZ7-NMU612-28MP4M3Wk98_z_mxltgEvXYfsVEVk9o/s1600/Goodreads.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CBVMYP7B/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/Pop-Manga-Coloring-Book-Beautiful/dp/0399578471?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0399578471&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=x_gr_w_bb&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-K0lgiuiwPlJn6B0yJ07H1dEaQGNH40WZn8yW7_PEaRnT66e14x4HShu5tD4qc_62dT_ytuwyKfJdOfZKSfewWv8mqMqjAv8FmPDmwOhQeYSdax5g6s72H0AzjXG0_ASBYdGWZvxuoh8/s1600/Amazon.jpg" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYV5HWH6dvf5xZXQCSk3UcaI-ZNLlX4J580s8rTuopfUecI1ipzFyon40GiXyxBxUMEvcWGLCV4F3xvdBH6PbsbZouA8_0_Xfy-tX7Wlc8Ou9YF87DmvKzRMXZHOtsJ7kTey5u2EZiOiVb260SYQNrIhZl5-bgqv3NfDeQRcHJanoOY5EH-4AdGTYx9kM/s252/black3.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="252" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYV5HWH6dvf5xZXQCSk3UcaI-ZNLlX4J580s8rTuopfUecI1ipzFyon40GiXyxBxUMEvcWGLCV4F3xvdBH6PbsbZouA8_0_Xfy-tX7Wlc8Ou9YF87DmvKzRMXZHOtsJ7kTey5u2EZiOiVb260SYQNrIhZl5-bgqv3NfDeQRcHJanoOY5EH-4AdGTYx9kM/s1600/black3.PNG" width="252" /></a><br />
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<b>Goodreads Synopsis: </b></span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Get an informed yet cheeky perspective on the fascinating language of birds in rural areas with this witty twist on a traditional field guide.</span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">City Bird gives birdwatching new meaning by pairing scientific insight on the sounds and songs unique to birds inhabiting rural areas of North America with a light-hearted narrative that reflects the personality and characteristics associated with country life.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">As you explore, discover fun facts and jot down your thoughts and observations in the note-taking section for each bird . Vibrant illustrations help you identify the birds you see.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Learn about birding in a whole new, whimsical way. Give birding a go, learn, and listen to the beautiful sound of birds!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">The Birds illustrated collection delivers a playful yet informative insight on the sounds and songs unique to birds inhabiting different geographical regions. From rural farmlands to bustling city streets or the salty air of the shore, each book features beautiful portraits and a lighthearted narrative that reflects the personality and characteristics of birds native to each location. Also available from this City Bird . </span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Review: </b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Such an interesting take on a bird book. This book showcases birds (I didn't count, but I think it is around 50 or so) thought to be "country" birds, from across the U.S. Each bird has an illustration, a quirky southern saying or description, and then the actual description. If you want to learn how to differentiate them from other birds or spot them, this is probably not the best book option - but if you are looking for a creative description this was cute. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">The writing style can be very off-putting and slightly cringey at times but it was creative so I have to give the author credit for that. Each bird had a saying associated with them, akin to "bless her heart" or "a bit much" that have other meanings than stated. There is even a section for defining these at the end of the book. This was entertianing, but could also be too much for those actually looking for information about birds. At times it was even a little frustrating.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">I liked learning about the birds, some descriptions were really good along those lines, some were more for enterainment than teaching though. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Since I was reading an early, ebook copy, some of the illustrations didn't live up to expectation and were a bit pixelated but I think that in the final copy they will be better - so try to take a look before buying. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Overall, this was quirky and cute, but more entertainment than educational. </span></div></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928705465936642139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5605476748589606724.post-7125648307002864502024-02-13T09:00:00.025-05:002024-02-13T09:00:00.355-05:00Recent Reads: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxo3hJPSHDeto7odgkSHBwd3nfrXg9ufefTGp_zF298i7q-nXCU70O8VbfKffLLdskZfr2BBrx7msvpK-Cawa58KDEbgrWT7gj7RMp-cptmtsvYrH5o9vlhfAzLR0Xtg_4GfZW9huHE8m2opJL7ReD5ELRe71IFLM_6ZpgGollErpNA-v0MArHcumVAr4/s475/27213238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxo3hJPSHDeto7odgkSHBwd3nfrXg9ufefTGp_zF298i7q-nXCU70O8VbfKffLLdskZfr2BBrx7msvpK-Cawa58KDEbgrWT7gj7RMp-cptmtsvYrH5o9vlhfAzLR0Xtg_4GfZW9huHE8m2opJL7ReD5ELRe71IFLM_6ZpgGollErpNA-v0MArHcumVAr4/w265-h400/27213238.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>The Hating Game by Sally Thorne</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks<br />
Publication Date: August 9, 2016</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27213238-the-hating-game" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405327-pop-manga-coloring-book?from_search=true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt48fc5hd9Ldk-IOlCvECKW5BucBBo8mFIzF4bGWd3b8srYSu00-kj5KEVAp_UObKqHOKZnD8KXk3ot3NSW_m_gPwhf04mupN3pKZ7-NMU612-28MP4M3Wk98_z_mxltgEvXYfsVEVk9o/s1600/Goodreads.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01825C598/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/Pop-Manga-Coloring-Book-Beautiful/dp/0399578471?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0399578471&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=x_gr_w_bb&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-K0lgiuiwPlJn6B0yJ07H1dEaQGNH40WZn8yW7_PEaRnT66e14x4HShu5tD4qc_62dT_ytuwyKfJdOfZKSfewWv8mqMqjAv8FmPDmwOhQeYSdax5g6s72H0AzjXG0_ASBYdGWZvxuoh8/s1600/Amazon.jpg" /></a>
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Format: Paperback<br />Source: Bought/Own</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Rating:</b></span></span> </span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFGeoGCD9a8WAyIOZqKPUBPoJREu0RnPwQXSuU3U_GBiJ6RIbOnOK-72qQJf9Vut5kbG5psMxvwi_ZhGR_UDqEr6d9gOX8LcrSWxNAU0X9Ps2KltjGoa8bOIcr17XhtZBEqWvOFRxul-4Y2SGVf6hZX86_q3RJxTA7LT3JLIqPKmh7JO6ysjninrPGE8/s252/black5.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="252" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFGeoGCD9a8WAyIOZqKPUBPoJREu0RnPwQXSuU3U_GBiJ6RIbOnOK-72qQJf9Vut5kbG5psMxvwi_ZhGR_UDqEr6d9gOX8LcrSWxNAU0X9Ps2KltjGoa8bOIcr17XhtZBEqWvOFRxul-4Y2SGVf6hZX86_q3RJxTA7LT3JLIqPKmh7JO6ysjninrPGE8/s1600/black5.PNG" width="252" /></a><br />
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<b>Goodreads Synopsis: </b></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Nemesis (n.)</span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">2) A person’s undoing;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">3) Joshua Templeman.</span> </div></blockquote><blockquote><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job…But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached its boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And m</span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">a</span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">ybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.</span></div></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Review: </b></span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Another grab from the TBR Shelf.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">This is rivals to lovers perfection. The banter was swoonworthy and it was a page-turner at its finest. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Lucy Hutton and Josh Templeton are two complete opposties. Lucy is bright and energetic to Josh's boring and blah. Lucy has to work with Josh but she does not enjoy it. Everyday since the acquisition that put them in the same office, they have been at war. It all started on that first day, Lucy smiled at him and he coudln't be bothered to return the favor and since then he has been a smug a$$. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Told from Lucy's POV. The beginning of the book recount their meeting, how it has been going and how they interact... or don't. The realy climax of the book is when Lucy starts to gain the interest of a guy at work and Josh starts to lose his cool around her. Additionally, there is now a promotion available and one of them will get it... the war continues.<b> </b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">I liked Lucy's go-get-em attitude and was glad that she had support of her boss in this whole situation. I loved the banter and miscommunication aspects of the relationship between Lucy and Josh. Lucy was so oblivious and I love that it was written this way. Their interaction was cute an</span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">d dreamy and Josh is so much more caring than he lets on. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Overall, Adorable.</span><br /></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928705465936642139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5605476748589606724.post-46092125089954648672024-02-12T09:00:00.012-05:002024-02-12T09:00:00.382-05:00Recent Reads: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwZUyDleaE6-6f60gbMrnxVW2jG0OB57xC-Zj2EEvNOkGprOou_qsE4eaxM9Kz7RP-5owiYKnux8wBkUatE0piWk21L_bKE6SltXl_uAX4rOqSK32uAC0MRXK_YvbbYl1orDdcOuK_j9zQJjlVfNXbOV3_vy788cxzMFShIGmC2ESc1eM7bMnbfssz9s/s346/46000520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="225" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwZUyDleaE6-6f60gbMrnxVW2jG0OB57xC-Zj2EEvNOkGprOou_qsE4eaxM9Kz7RP-5owiYKnux8wBkUatE0piWk21L_bKE6SltXl_uAX4rOqSK32uAC0MRXK_YvbbYl1orDdcOuK_j9zQJjlVfNXbOV3_vy788cxzMFShIGmC2ESc1eM7bMnbfssz9s/w260-h400/46000520.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><b>The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman</b></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Series: Thursday Murder Club #1</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: Penguin<br />
Publication Date: September 3, 2020</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46000520-the-thursday-murder-club" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405327-pop-manga-coloring-book?from_search=true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt48fc5hd9Ldk-IOlCvECKW5BucBBo8mFIzF4bGWd3b8srYSu00-kj5KEVAp_UObKqHOKZnD8KXk3ot3NSW_m_gPwhf04mupN3pKZ7-NMU612-28MP4M3Wk98_z_mxltgEvXYfsVEVk9o/s1600/Goodreads.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084M663VB/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/Pop-Manga-Coloring-Book-Beautiful/dp/0399578471?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0399578471&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=x_gr_w_bb&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-K0lgiuiwPlJn6B0yJ07H1dEaQGNH40WZn8yW7_PEaRnT66e14x4HShu5tD4qc_62dT_ytuwyKfJdOfZKSfewWv8mqMqjAv8FmPDmwOhQeYSdax5g6s72H0AzjXG0_ASBYdGWZvxuoh8/s1600/Amazon.jpg" /></a>
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Format: Paperback<br />Source: Bought/Own</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Rating:</b></span></span> </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Zg0zbz2kz7xzujKj0FrGrN8FKxiPNRajSiXXI7gaZtJFSG7Yka7EhfyYQLlwKgsslIzlcQddDURqCl5nYqbYRSxFUG_cv5h3BOZ2UYR85Qp5lKMTdzNPh0TNl2k1zWeCuBJhVCqEDUzJKB1McfiR3oKfQWc8gAFRajpvNTCexnKSyYt_Gcq_A9Ft9Ek/s252/black4.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="252" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Zg0zbz2kz7xzujKj0FrGrN8FKxiPNRajSiXXI7gaZtJFSG7Yka7EhfyYQLlwKgsslIzlcQddDURqCl5nYqbYRSxFUG_cv5h3BOZ2UYR85Qp5lKMTdzNPh0TNl2k1zWeCuBJhVCqEDUzJKB1McfiR3oKfQWc8gAFRajpvNTCexnKSyYt_Gcq_A9Ft9Ek/s1600/black4.PNG" width="252" /></a><br />
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<b>Goodreads Synopsis: </b></span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders.</span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it's too late?</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Review: </b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Another on from the shelf of TBRs.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Thursday Murder Club is a group of retirees spening time solving cold cases that belong to another member (but who is no longer able to solve crimes with them, she is now in the hospice type area). </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibraham, and Ron all live at Fairhaven, a cure retirement ciommunity and they 'solve' crimes. Now an actual murder occurs - the owner of the facility was found dead in his home. Together they are going to solve it. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Elizabeth is pushy and determined. Joyce is the newest member and a former nurse. She is quiet but we also get her POV from journal entries - the only one we get first person from. Ibraham is also quiet, a former therapist. Ron is loud-mouthed and a former union lead. Together they are a force to be reckoned with.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">They work well together but also play off each other knowing the respective strengths each provide to a situation. It was a cozy, sweet, unlikely quad of friends. The mystery part of the stroy was good but I really liked the characters more. Their attempts to sleuth it all out were humorous and creative. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It took longer to read beacuse I was trying to piece it all together before the end. I thought I had it, but then it all kinda fell apart. Overall, I loved that the book focuse on a group of older main characters - they used their life experiences to play their own little game but also showed that it is never too late to be helpful. </span></span></div></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">At some point, I will pick up the next one.</span></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928705465936642139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5605476748589606724.post-76476593082567334162024-02-10T09:55:00.002-05:002024-02-10T09:55:44.210-05:00Building the Book Pile #440<div class="separator"><center><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="1067" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeaej1lcH_n6QvDi93W6Knig2UpL6WtaB2BVrh0pafiHegise9DWmQfQ7EngcbMG3CI0vaBQ7Vmq1IG7DabI2Z3igp2tMUs5uACE1jKaNfODzF1kctG8XWAhNwxJc71zC2FHonJ-WAlYI/w640-h376/BTBP+New+Header+Image.JPG" width="640" /></center></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Welcome to Building the Book Pile!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people! </b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Another week into 2024. I am not behind yet on my GR challenge but it feels like it... my attention gotten taken for a bit there with Little To The Left, a Switch game, very satisfying... to organize things. My husband laughs but it was a comforting game with a few good brain-teasers. I have the DLC now... so I will try to listen to a book while playing.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Coming up on the Blog</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Recent Reads: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (Adult) </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Recent Reads: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne (Adult)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Early Reader Review: Country Bird by Angela Harrison Vinet (Non-Fiction)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">Books Received Recently...</span></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmI9jbRRseYbCl75DeirSRrckwoYQR0Jy8sjuvSAQZ2bz4lRMz04_bLM3hRzqAwD8Rn9-heA-JisrZULcqRHXarj0rdGCJTt9tqII6wJuRMENnE3gC5mzko94bFfYbhGgR6MSPT25Jtntq0FUVw_8mlBIQf__RTTEjPDhvOGgR5zHoskkZru1-ipVVF1Y/s2549/127305713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2549" data-original-width="1650" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmI9jbRRseYbCl75DeirSRrckwoYQR0Jy8sjuvSAQZ2bz4lRMz04_bLM3hRzqAwD8Rn9-heA-JisrZULcqRHXarj0rdGCJTt9tqII6wJuRMENnE3gC5mzko94bFfYbhGgR6MSPT25Jtntq0FUVw_8mlBIQf__RTTEjPDhvOGgR5zHoskkZru1-ipVVF1Y/s320/127305713.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br /></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/127305713-heartless-hunter?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=IAuqZkE5nc&rank=1" target="_blank">Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli</a> - BOTM</span></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><br /></div></div></div></span></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /></div></div></span></div></div></div></div><div><div style="font-weight: 400; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Have you missed anything lately?</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://cover2coverblog.blogspot.com/2024/02/recent-reads-hark-homicide-cozy-mystery.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Recent Reads: </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Hark! A Homicide: A Cozy Mystery Christmas Novella by </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Tricia L. Sanders (Adult) -3 stars</span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://cover2coverblog.blogspot.com/2024/02/recent-reads-bound-by-knighthood-by.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Recent Reads: </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bound by Knighthood by </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Nicki Chapelway (Adult) -3 stars</span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://cover2coverblog.blogspot.com/2024/02/early-reader-review-freshman-year-by.html" target="_blank">Early Reader Review: Freshman Year by Sarah Mai (YA, GN)-3 stars</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://cover2coverblog.blogspot.com/2024/02/recent-reads-unhoneymooners-by.html" target="_blank">Recent Reads: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren (Adult) -4 stars</a></span></span></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Donating Caffeine is greatly appreciated ... Donate on </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/gorelenore" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Ko-fi</a></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What have you been reading? Leave a comment for me.</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Happy Reading!</span></b></span></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928705465936642139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5605476748589606724.post-233310662469922992024-02-09T09:00:00.027-05:002024-02-09T09:00:00.345-05:00Recent Reads: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnjEBt7g09cwcpfQCRm0q7MDW2w6zDlnaKzaiy0m9icCCzSBdGWytXg1OWRPlBiNcQuv4jMGLDPW1GoyPwSz8AOsuBITZuNJFgNkfdfxub9J8xNLGHXukLXK8rCkxl5ACrdYTyO55LnTmSdesxPukyHFqGYAKNql4swQy0c1GAUGBoAQVmeMUnMknrXaw/s2006/42201431.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2006" data-original-width="1292" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnjEBt7g09cwcpfQCRm0q7MDW2w6zDlnaKzaiy0m9icCCzSBdGWytXg1OWRPlBiNcQuv4jMGLDPW1GoyPwSz8AOsuBITZuNJFgNkfdfxub9J8xNLGHXukLXK8rCkxl5ACrdYTyO55LnTmSdesxPukyHFqGYAKNql4swQy0c1GAUGBoAQVmeMUnMknrXaw/w258-h400/42201431.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
</div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><b>The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren</b></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Series: Unhoneymooners #1</span></span><br />
<span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: Gallery Books<br />
Publication Date: </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">May 14, 2019 </span><br /></span>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42201431-the-unhoneymooners" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405327-pop-manga-coloring-book?from_search=true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt48fc5hd9Ldk-IOlCvECKW5BucBBo8mFIzF4bGWd3b8srYSu00-kj5KEVAp_UObKqHOKZnD8KXk3ot3NSW_m_gPwhf04mupN3pKZ7-NMU612-28MP4M3Wk98_z_mxltgEvXYfsVEVk9o/s1600/Goodreads.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MGS7HF1/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/Pop-Manga-Coloring-Book-Beautiful/dp/0399578471?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0399578471&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=x_gr_w_bb&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-K0lgiuiwPlJn6B0yJ07H1dEaQGNH40WZn8yW7_PEaRnT66e14x4HShu5tD4qc_62dT_ytuwyKfJdOfZKSfewWv8mqMqjAv8FmPDmwOhQeYSdax5g6s72H0AzjXG0_ASBYdGWZvxuoh8/s1600/Amazon.jpg" /></a>
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Format: Paperback<br />Source: Bought/Own</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Rating:</b></span></span> </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHaAQA-08QD3XSyEShF6TiYug4RI___6d3j76d_eQ-eDSLh6JJhFqb2oEla3IMVGKIhmEK67TKG7iAto2-m4XiraNdtwcFE-IhXgkSCD0hl-zW57gY51FYQOeskux1Yk2w48vLedw0d_3-0eZNlwg6z5-kkDyLZIgE7yrw6sdgR-_2v0VELI4f8zUAgQ/s252/black4.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="252" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHaAQA-08QD3XSyEShF6TiYug4RI___6d3j76d_eQ-eDSLh6JJhFqb2oEla3IMVGKIhmEK67TKG7iAto2-m4XiraNdtwcFE-IhXgkSCD0hl-zW57gY51FYQOeskux1Yk2w48vLedw0d_3-0eZNlwg6z5-kkDyLZIgE7yrw6sdgR-_2v0VELI4f8zUAgQ/s1600/black4.PNG" width="252" /></a><br />
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<b>Goodreads Synopsis: </b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Olive is always unlucky: in her career, in love, in…well, everything. Her identical twin sister Ami, on the other hand, is probably the luckiest person in the world. Her meet-cute with her fiancé is something out of a romantic comedy (gag) and she’s managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a series of Internet contests (double gag). Worst of all, she’s forcing Olive to spend the day with her sworn enemy, Ethan, who just happens to be the best man.</span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Olive braces herself to get through 24 hours of wedding hell before she can return to her comfortable, unlucky life. But when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning from eating bad shellfish, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. And now there’s an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii up for grabs.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Putting their mutual hatred aside for the sake of a free vacation, Olive and Ethan head for paradise, determined to avoid each other at all costs. But when Olive runs into her future boss, the little white lie she tells him is suddenly at risk to become a whole lot bigger. She and Ethan now have to pretend to be loving newlyweds, and her luck seems worse than ever. But the weird thing is that she doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, she feels kind of... lucky.</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Review: </b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Olive and Ethan are sent on a honeymoon, but they are not married and they actually really don't like each other either. But Olive's very lucky sister wins everything and won a Hawaiian honeymoon. Sadly the entire wedding gets severe food poisoning and the last two standing are Olive and Ethan due to food preference issues that spared them the seafood buffet. This certianly unlocked a new nightmare for me (ew). While on the trip, they have to pretend to be married to accept it, and realize that there are others at the same resort that result them in playing pretend more than they anticipated. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I enjoyed the book. It was well paced and Olive and Ethan were funny, I really enjoyed their banter. It was well done. The chatacters were wonderful really, especially together. Alone they were both a bit self-decricating, but together they played off each other well. The snark was strong and the humor was well placed. I enjoyed the progression, realizations, and relationship growth between them. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This book has been out for a while, and it has been sitting on my shelf for probably just as long. I didn't realize at the time that this was eventually going to be a series, although I am not sure book 2 is out yet.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Overall, this was a fun romance. It was full of wit and snark and wonderful banter.</span></span></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928705465936642139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5605476748589606724.post-44485807209996324752024-02-08T08:00:00.021-05:002024-02-08T08:00:00.253-05:00Early Reader Review: Freshman Year by Sarah Mai<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large; text-align: left;">Source: From Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review. </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kOG6E9ANnWFfqyeUvkDUiZCtYsWJl2ttheCKuriXNemaJuadqt0a8qErNpuSVWL2mNkfc_BVAYvP2PbgWdbxqB33speqYVP91Tu7hmwQAVroPMir7Kjw3cEOdlw8bFIrWJ3puU99xakTfh5akl65DIJsTFgN5KO9G9lUPA38XlvqBF0_ZTyAZMPs5Xw/s2560/173494693.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1706" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kOG6E9ANnWFfqyeUvkDUiZCtYsWJl2ttheCKuriXNemaJuadqt0a8qErNpuSVWL2mNkfc_BVAYvP2PbgWdbxqB33speqYVP91Tu7hmwQAVroPMir7Kjw3cEOdlw8bFIrWJ3puU99xakTfh5akl65DIJsTFgN5KO9G9lUPA38XlvqBF0_ZTyAZMPs5Xw/w266-h400/173494693.jpg" width="266" /></a></div></div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><b>Freshman Year by Sarah Mai </b></span>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books<br />
Publication Date: February 13, 2024</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/173494693-freshman-year" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405327-pop-manga-coloring-book?from_search=true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt48fc5hd9Ldk-IOlCvECKW5BucBBo8mFIzF4bGWd3b8srYSu00-kj5KEVAp_UObKqHOKZnD8KXk3ot3NSW_m_gPwhf04mupN3pKZ7-NMU612-28MP4M3Wk98_z_mxltgEvXYfsVEVk9o/s1600/Goodreads.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C8HKSZ91/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/Pop-Manga-Coloring-Book-Beautiful/dp/0399578471?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0399578471&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=x_gr_w_bb&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-K0lgiuiwPlJn6B0yJ07H1dEaQGNH40WZn8yW7_PEaRnT66e14x4HShu5tD4qc_62dT_ytuwyKfJdOfZKSfewWv8mqMqjAv8FmPDmwOhQeYSdax5g6s72H0AzjXG0_ASBYdGWZvxuoh8/s1600/Amazon.jpg" /></a>
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Format: Ebook<br /></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4hFK9_8ijZ7LcPuZGwmLG1t-W2K_q8GCEUxYgXcYLulGLqHgjxNe2BK_KuzGJre0vv3RvNVxjPLK0FL_XaMFPmlq4t6Sqlh48PhFrVDCEKM-eVQ8-zYq33lYF6HmEnBOa4PLdIfvqePHphkzKMBH_Ky-FEEkO4DyVW4ZDM3zscm24ERHmZJ8Dv7EICcY/s252/black3.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="252" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4hFK9_8ijZ7LcPuZGwmLG1t-W2K_q8GCEUxYgXcYLulGLqHgjxNe2BK_KuzGJre0vv3RvNVxjPLK0FL_XaMFPmlq4t6Sqlh48PhFrVDCEKM-eVQ8-zYq33lYF6HmEnBOa4PLdIfvqePHphkzKMBH_Ky-FEEkO4DyVW4ZDM3zscm24ERHmZJ8Dv7EICcY/s1600/black3.PNG" width="252" /></a><br />
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<b>Goodreads Synopsis: </b></span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><blockquote>A stylish graphic novel about the unique angst, humor, and self-doubt universal to the experience of going away to college—from a promising debut talent—for fans of Heartstopper.Everyone gets a fresh start. Who do you want to be? Sarah is leaving suburban Wisconsin for her freshman year in Minnesota. She has high hopes for the impress her professors, meet interesting new people, stay close to her best friends and boyfriend back home, flourish as an artist, and shed her lingering high school anxieties. What seems manageable at first quickly unravels into a Sarah’s high-achieving roommate puts her to shame, her summer love dissolves, and she is quickly overwhelmed by the freedom, the isolation, and all the possibilities that await in this new environment. Based on the author’s personal college journal and comics, Freshman Year navigates the inner workings of an 18-year-old girl in witty, honest, and heartfelt detail. Whether you’re anxiously looking forward or nostalgically looking back, this is the perfect read for anyone who loves realistic graphic novels about the laughable growing pains of almost-adulthood, like Check, Please! and Bloom. </blockquote></span>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Review: </b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">This is a graphic novel about being a freshman in college, undecided, a new adult, and lots of self-doubt, angst, and a new-me attitude. In the case of the main character that means being vegetarian and artsy. That part hit close to home and I have to laugh out loud a bit. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">The main character is Sarah and the novel follows her interactions with her friends from high school and in college - sadly for me, the art made them all look really similar and that made it hard to differentiate. I didn't love Sarah, she was kind of meh, but her issues and troubles were realistic and not too over the top, so they fit the time of her life and struggles that I also remember having in college. She deals with friends, lonliness, fitting in, regular long-distance boyfirend issues etc. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">The pacing overall was ok, it was a bit slot really. There was also no color in my Advanced copy - I am not sure if there will be in the final but it made it hard to tell some people apart. I found it a bit strange that the characters were pretty expressionless - sad and happy often just looked blank and while I understand new-adult angst, this made it hard to feel what the characters were feeling and made the text read as monotone. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Overall it was an ok read. It wasn't the greated graphic novel, but it was very to the point and really felt realistic in its capture of the Freshman year experience.<br /></span><br /></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928705465936642139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5605476748589606724.post-71348884848743424492024-02-06T09:00:00.001-05:002024-02-06T09:00:00.142-05:00Recent Reads: Bound by Knighthood by Nicki Chapelway <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjsxbw_dOS_SzAp9umh6iJTz0jMq_rcN5RRSdkdzlKq9G0WfrMFI6_mbO9tE_6K8H13oi7aLRMdsihLxjoK1Ea3KmRCGhHYJV7iiNoSxTtJgk2zLE_eCKhSAkCXvyDOWv3QJxab-8HpsXgGqU9kVtxH8TFMbftbFk1OXl0r3BEV1U79Y2enYl0lTiKPs/s500/145626928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjsxbw_dOS_SzAp9umh6iJTz0jMq_rcN5RRSdkdzlKq9G0WfrMFI6_mbO9tE_6K8H13oi7aLRMdsihLxjoK1Ea3KmRCGhHYJV7iiNoSxTtJgk2zLE_eCKhSAkCXvyDOWv3QJxab-8HpsXgGqU9kVtxH8TFMbftbFk1OXl0r3BEV1U79Y2enYl0lTiKPs/w266-h400/145626928.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><b>Bound by Knighthood by Nicki Chapelway </b></span> <div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Series: Starry Kingdoms of the Fae Collection</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: Dragonflight Press<br />
Publication Date: July 21, 2023 </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145626928-bound-by-knighthood" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405327-pop-manga-coloring-book?from_search=true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt48fc5hd9Ldk-IOlCvECKW5BucBBo8mFIzF4bGWd3b8srYSu00-kj5KEVAp_UObKqHOKZnD8KXk3ot3NSW_m_gPwhf04mupN3pKZ7-NMU612-28MP4M3Wk98_z_mxltgEvXYfsVEVk9o/s1600/Goodreads.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C3ZK5HHM/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/Pop-Manga-Coloring-Book-Beautiful/dp/0399578471?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0399578471&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=x_gr_w_bb&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-K0lgiuiwPlJn6B0yJ07H1dEaQGNH40WZn8yW7_PEaRnT66e14x4HShu5tD4qc_62dT_ytuwyKfJdOfZKSfewWv8mqMqjAv8FmPDmwOhQeYSdax5g6s72H0AzjXG0_ASBYdGWZvxuoh8/s1600/Amazon.jpg" /></a>
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Format: Ebook<br />Source: Kindle Unlimited</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Rating:</b></span></span> </span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50fx-oxFok3ZfeBjdyVU4JcbeXFvZ5srm989AKHO_uh8f-OevPwOgAyzwQcwI_O_NXTzqdu8OwrBQRTCFF00i3Fk-wxhhnx5qA95YwXf6vHlpeg8eY8xJ0WU1jnwV56Vd9LT8lrboDBjBhVFE5tsAgNgcNzoTygSoDnV8sqZ3KAgreonUTy6RmnLQk-0/s252/black3.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="252" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50fx-oxFok3ZfeBjdyVU4JcbeXFvZ5srm989AKHO_uh8f-OevPwOgAyzwQcwI_O_NXTzqdu8OwrBQRTCFF00i3Fk-wxhhnx5qA95YwXf6vHlpeg8eY8xJ0WU1jnwV56Vd9LT8lrboDBjBhVFE5tsAgNgcNzoTygSoDnV8sqZ3KAgreonUTy6RmnLQk-0/s1600/black3.PNG" width="252" /></a><br />
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<b>Goodreads Synopsis: </b></span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">An academy in the sky,<br /></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Two rival knights-to-be,</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">And the cursed princess who could destroy them all.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Willow is a fae born with a weak and muddled magic. In a world where magic can be bought…for the right price, she attends the Academy of the Gilded Knights. Her to swear her service to a high fae in return for powerful magic.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">There is only one person standing in the way of her success, Byron Coalbiter, her childhood rival.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">A blacksmith’s son born with a magic far more powerful than her own, Byron has always lived a seemingly charmed life. But apparently that isn’t enough, because now he’s looking to steal Willow’s knighthood.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">However, there is something sinister taking place at the academy, and the princess they both rescued might be far more than a damsel in distress. She could very well be their undoing.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">If Willow and Byron want to save their precious academy then they are going to have to put aside their rivalry, move past the strange attraction that they feel toward each other, and learn to work together before they both lose their dreams.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Because a dark magic threatens the academy and Willow and Byron might be the only ones capable of keeping the school from crumbling…right out of the sky.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Bound by Knighthood is the 8th book in the Starry Kingdoms of the Fae Collection. These books are all standalones written by your favorite fantasy authors and are the perfect read for your summer vacation. Prepare to be swept away into magical worlds with tropes you obsess over and swoon-worthy romance.</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Review: </b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Set in the same world as Bound by Honey, this installment follows another group and an overall different plotline, but the high-fae still play an important role.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">In this story we learn about low-fae that have limited magic and how some take action to gain more power. Willow, our main character is on her way to the knight academy. There she will earn a spot, hopefully, to be a knight for a high-fae that will share thie power. The only wrench in her plan is her rival Byron going too.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Willow was so stubborn and oblivious, that it was very cute. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Byron swooned throughout the story and I felt for him, he was trying so hard to get Willow's attention. I liked them together, it became a cozy romance with fantasy elements, which I was digging. I alsoliked that you can read these books in any order, I think this one is actually #8 or something like that but since they all read as stand-alones readers are good to go. The only piece that was overlapped was that in Bound in Honey we were just getting to know about the dragons and in this story they seem more established. There might also be some politics that I missed along the way too but the author did a good job keeping things prettty simple. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Overall, this was cute. I liked the cahracters but didn't fully fall for them like I did with Bound in Honey. They were still great to follow though and I will certainly continue to pick these short reads up.</span></div></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928705465936642139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5605476748589606724.post-39509009908325938712024-02-05T09:00:00.001-05:002024-02-05T09:00:00.461-05:00Recent Reads: Hark! A Homicide: A Cozy Mystery Christmas Novella by Tricia L. Sanders<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDOuMUvVdrolq2JH0PV425vRgIuSHkvzyWtBHvFVVKwywkFh-tZ66nCbODc8ZNayAG3Bc32ZG1UNtljDpFFXcQ8QuEdZj7nV9G-38C7ARRtem8Lsn06zlk2VI5s8V51gMzMkk1OByc5MMdvwJnRt3nIaRCFpdlsSJ2nQ3FrfyQBSxsE5lnWz00cLX_rw/s2250/56333039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2250" data-original-width="1410" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDOuMUvVdrolq2JH0PV425vRgIuSHkvzyWtBHvFVVKwywkFh-tZ66nCbODc8ZNayAG3Bc32ZG1UNtljDpFFXcQ8QuEdZj7nV9G-38C7ARRtem8Lsn06zlk2VI5s8V51gMzMkk1OByc5MMdvwJnRt3nIaRCFpdlsSJ2nQ3FrfyQBSxsE5lnWz00cLX_rw/w251-h400/56333039.jpg" width="251" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><b>Hark! A Homicide: A Cozy Mystery Christmas Novella by Tricia L. Sanders</b></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: Kindle<br />
Publication Date: December 17, 2020</span></span>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56333039-hark-a-homicide" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405327-pop-manga-coloring-book?from_search=true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt48fc5hd9Ldk-IOlCvECKW5BucBBo8mFIzF4bGWd3b8srYSu00-kj5KEVAp_UObKqHOKZnD8KXk3ot3NSW_m_gPwhf04mupN3pKZ7-NMU612-28MP4M3Wk98_z_mxltgEvXYfsVEVk9o/s1600/Goodreads.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08QZY2TK5/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/Pop-Manga-Coloring-Book-Beautiful/dp/0399578471?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0399578471&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=x_gr_w_bb&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-K0lgiuiwPlJn6B0yJ07H1dEaQGNH40WZn8yW7_PEaRnT66e14x4HShu5tD4qc_62dT_ytuwyKfJdOfZKSfewWv8mqMqjAv8FmPDmwOhQeYSdax5g6s72H0AzjXG0_ASBYdGWZvxuoh8/s1600/Amazon.jpg" /></a>
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Format: Ebook<br />Source: Kindle Unlimited</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wtOHNJHSTZS-UGdEsT9KQqdbbJapW5XdSFKw_vEQve6RmP6VkiWVBvHo-tTG5sGgg9UfCOs_j71a-ZLqietKXyTWWogQpZhY990CryzQUGQzW5mID3AhwV_SGzFm0S74rAAWl9z6h9YQ7DZpZ21fuWRz2y7SFIgTgGFKjOIW_sR64ARiW6HaRjIrWiQ/s252/black3.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="252" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wtOHNJHSTZS-UGdEsT9KQqdbbJapW5XdSFKw_vEQve6RmP6VkiWVBvHo-tTG5sGgg9UfCOs_j71a-ZLqietKXyTWWogQpZhY990CryzQUGQzW5mID3AhwV_SGzFm0S74rAAWl9z6h9YQ7DZpZ21fuWRz2y7SFIgTgGFKjOIW_sR64ARiW6HaRjIrWiQ/s1600/black3.PNG" width="252" /></a><br />
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<b>Goodreads Synopsis: </b></span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><blockquote>When a dead elf threatens to spoil Pine Grove’s Christmas, being on Santa’s naughty list is the least of Mattie’s worries. Mattie Modesky and her best friend are planning the 25th annual Christmas toy drive and charity dinner. Days away from the celebration, Mattie discovers a dead body—an elf—in the toy donation box. The elf is really a small-time hoodlum, and the killer is Santa Claus. Not the real Santa, obviously. Mattie’s husband, Mo, the chief of police, sustains a shoulder injury in a scuffle with the fake Santa. Now he’s out of commission, and the toys have been confiscated as evidence. Mo suspects Mattie’s stepfather, Lazy Lou, and it’s up to her to prove Lou’s innocence, figure out why the town councilwoman is railroading Mo into retirement, and solve the caper so she can get the celebration back on track.</blockquote></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Review:</b></span></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This was a holiday themed novella from Kindle Unlimited. I picked it up to continue with my Goodreads reading goal that I was SO CLOSE to hitting. I was looking for something light and cozy. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Mo and Mattie are older. Mo is the police chief but should be retiring soon. Mattie doesn't want to push him, but there is a new woman in town that thinks he is incapable and should give up the role. Before Christmas a murder occurs and in the process Mo gets hurt. Mo is stubborn, but now bed-ridden for a bit while the others on the force try to solve the crime. To try to alleviate some of Mo's complaining Mattie tries to help and insert herself to find out more for him. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This was a good, short, cozy, mystery - I liked the small town. It brings everyone together and presents some interesting dynamics for the townspeople. The overall story was simple and a bit easy to deduce but overall it was a great read. I would like to read more from this author.</span></span></div></div></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928705465936642139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5605476748589606724.post-20371121799384336722024-02-04T09:00:00.039-05:002024-02-04T11:27:28.528-05:00Building the Book Pile #439<div class="separator"><center><img border="0" data-original-height="626" data-original-width="1067" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeaej1lcH_n6QvDi93W6Knig2UpL6WtaB2BVrh0pafiHegise9DWmQfQ7EngcbMG3CI0vaBQ7Vmq1IG7DabI2Z3igp2tMUs5uACE1jKaNfODzF1kctG8XWAhNwxJc71zC2FHonJ-WAlYI/w640-h376/BTBP+New+Header+Image.JPG" width="640" /></center></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Welcome to Building the Book Pile!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people! </b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Sunday Funday! At least I am trying to make it a fun day... because tomorrow I am headed to Jury Duty... womp womp. Wish me luck. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I got a few more books in this week, which felt real good. I am now ahead of my goal by a few. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Coming up on the Blog</b></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Recent Reads: </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Hark! A Homicide: A Cozy Mystery Christmas Novella by </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Tricia L. Sanders (Adult)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Recent Reads: </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bound by Knighthood by </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Nicki Chapelway (Adult)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Early Reader Review: Freshman Year by Sarah Mai (YA, GN)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Recent Reads: The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren (Adult)</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">Books Received Recently...</span></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="662" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAuk3eLoIUpCVf8YLUpryh57zzFgHuR22yM8yVOV2HjCOPJxeSCZKclDtulDQI2iM0NEQGHs8KUBSg1xX4dny0wDQ9bk-m_mCVytrj0vfQJpaf9QEkP9ZE3noHxIuobG7kiDv3byZAOtHXYNekfvf7H96MQ1zlMZ3Fj7q5ODN_mXFwS5mU04N01-B6N8/s320/158649467.jpg" width="212" /> <img border="0" data-original-height="2475" data-original-width="1650" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kfDl_0u4D8w1CM845OFVF5ZR-4PFM4p0JA8Wh3kUXRjTzpRd05aNR_sv9n7b97cuk8uh9C7aFWefFRaZsYBHvzuslD2Jxa2bG0VbxIZR6rB6Ex2I_vTSoquZSDHrCdF0oTJ8NMWhrgEl_6x6oDovSi4P06ctxQc3YS3tSsxO6nP06gLHTDF_8jkaqBY/s320/44243219.jpg" width="213" /> </div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/158649467-the-someday-daughter" target="_blank">The Someday Daughter by Ellen O'Clover </a>- from Publisher for review</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44243219-the-waltham-murders" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The Waltham Murders: One Woman’s Pursuit to Expose the Truth Behind a Murder and a National Tragedy by </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Susan Clare Zalkind</span></a><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> - Amazon First Reads program</span></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><br /></div></div></div></span></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /></div></div></span></div></div></div></div><div><div style="font-weight: 400; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Have you missed anything lately?</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://cover2coverblog.blogspot.com/2024/01/2023-reading-wrap-up.html" target="_blank">2023 Wrap Up</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://cover2coverblog.blogspot.com/2024/01/recent-reads-last-line-by-stephen-ronson.html" target="_blank">Recent Reads: The Last Line by Stephen Ronson (Adult) - 4 stars</a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://cover2coverblog.blogspot.com/2024/02/recent-reads-christmas-letters-by-jenny.html"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Recent Reads: </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Christmas Letters by </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Jenny Proctor (Adult) -4 stars</span></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://cover2coverblog.blogspot.com/2024/01/monthly-re-cap-jan-2024.html" target="_blank">Monthly Re-Cap and TBR Pile</a></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://cover2coverblog.blogspot.com/2024/02/recent-reads-spookily-yours-by-jennifer.html" target="_blank"><br /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://cover2coverblog.blogspot.com/2024/02/recent-reads-spookily-yours-by-jennifer.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Recent Reads: </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Spookily Yours by </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Jennifer Chipman (Adult) - 5 stars</span></a></span></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Donating Caffeine is greatly appreciated ... Donate on </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/gorelenore" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">Ko-fi</a></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What have you been reading? Leave a comment for me.</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Happy Reading!</span></b></span></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928705465936642139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5605476748589606724.post-21628359503542180392024-02-02T09:00:00.023-05:002024-02-02T09:00:00.144-05:00Recent Reads: Spookily Yours by Jennifer Chipman <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1pAl-crP1ZxMSalpjF5C1Ou86F0UwWca4XH5Y62MgWlD-2TcLeMlBBJXanNb9DtNSffzq4VR-bh5DD4VYREOcb1ns-ZMiWlLbHJ0_Z6KdAuL5Ftc_x7vHizQpAOUc3tTj1rpQ2ltP-QgD3RrZIhyphenhyphen6iEemXC8wVF9od8gqOqe7X8d2rdWhhUYbEAyt5Ds/s2560/198824732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1643" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1pAl-crP1ZxMSalpjF5C1Ou86F0UwWca4XH5Y62MgWlD-2TcLeMlBBJXanNb9DtNSffzq4VR-bh5DD4VYREOcb1ns-ZMiWlLbHJ0_Z6KdAuL5Ftc_x7vHizQpAOUc3tTj1rpQ2ltP-QgD3RrZIhyphenhyphen6iEemXC8wVF9od8gqOqe7X8d2rdWhhUYbEAyt5Ds/w256-h400/198824732.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
</div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><b>Spookily Yours by Jennifer Chipman </b></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Series: Witches of Pleasant Grove #1</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: Kindle<br />
Publication Date: October 13, 2023</span></span>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/198824732-spookily-yours" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405327-pop-manga-coloring-book?from_search=true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt48fc5hd9Ldk-IOlCvECKW5BucBBo8mFIzF4bGWd3b8srYSu00-kj5KEVAp_UObKqHOKZnD8KXk3ot3NSW_m_gPwhf04mupN3pKZ7-NMU612-28MP4M3Wk98_z_mxltgEvXYfsVEVk9o/s1600/Goodreads.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CHNT99HT/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/Pop-Manga-Coloring-Book-Beautiful/dp/0399578471?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0399578471&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=x_gr_w_bb&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-K0lgiuiwPlJn6B0yJ07H1dEaQGNH40WZn8yW7_PEaRnT66e14x4HShu5tD4qc_62dT_ytuwyKfJdOfZKSfewWv8mqMqjAv8FmPDmwOhQeYSdax5g6s72H0AzjXG0_ASBYdGWZvxuoh8/s1600/Amazon.jpg" /></a>
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Format: Ebook<br />Source: Kindle Unlimited</span></span><br />
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<b>Goodreads Synopsis: </b></span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">My cat is a demon.</span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">No, that's not a joke. An actual, real life demon. And he needs my help to break a curse.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">But what happens when that turns into more?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">It can never be forever, and yet... I'm falling in love with him anyway.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Spookily Yours is a spicy, open-door Halloween themed novel, featuring a witch and the demon who falls in love with her. This book is a complete standalone with a HEA guaranteed.</span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Review: </b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Willow is a mid-twenties witch living in a small town. Her parents died and she and her sister Luna have been together ever since - living together until very recently, and running a cafe/bakery in town. </span></div></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">But Willow is lost, her sister keeps telling her to DO seomthing. So she gets a cat from teh shelter to replace her lost familiar. However the cat is actually a demon stuck in cat form. She agrees to help him break teh curse and then falls for him. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">The book is told in alternating POV - Willow and Damien (the cat) and overall the story was pretty short but sweet. The spice level was good and not too over teh top. I felt like there were some loose ends though - like who cursed him and why? And how did Damien's brother know about Luna but he didn't know about Willow? I also didn't like that Luna could just disappear from town and no one notices? that seems suspect. I am excited for book 2 though, because I believe it is the Luna/ Zain story so that might tie some things up.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">All that said, I liked this book a lot. Willow and Damien were great and since it is a novella length I knew there would be some plot holes so they didn't bother me horribly. I love a witchy vibe and anything fall/Halloween themed makes me happy. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">I also ADORE this cover art!</span></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928705465936642139noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5605476748589606724.post-67494580036049192602024-02-01T09:00:00.031-05:002024-02-01T09:00:00.148-05:00Recent Reads: The Christmas Letters by Jenny Proctor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVR3IbUXvZUYQW-wDZyqE8Hc8G6zcby31P21xLMsOmPMoNghoOG-HO1wcBC1_6jiO5jjMZ2jbYmvcJvfsEhdYRPb1AEunXB5tiEZQBc_ez0AoDNPVofQhA-JhNQ1KvWqkFWhvpGQjW1SDf2rNMhiZeO3R6y3kxlDrgBJYTp0c87oObzg1tRzLILiClxOE/s500/202944855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVR3IbUXvZUYQW-wDZyqE8Hc8G6zcby31P21xLMsOmPMoNghoOG-HO1wcBC1_6jiO5jjMZ2jbYmvcJvfsEhdYRPb1AEunXB5tiEZQBc_ez0AoDNPVofQhA-JhNQ1KvWqkFWhvpGQjW1SDf2rNMhiZeO3R6y3kxlDrgBJYTp0c87oObzg1tRzLILiClxOE/w266-h400/202944855.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>The Christmas Letters by Jenny Proctor</b></span></span><div>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Publisher: JPC Publishing<br />
Publication Date: November 28, 2023 </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/202944855-the-christmas-letters" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27405327-pop-manga-coloring-book?from_search=true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt48fc5hd9Ldk-IOlCvECKW5BucBBo8mFIzF4bGWd3b8srYSu00-kj5KEVAp_UObKqHOKZnD8KXk3ot3NSW_m_gPwhf04mupN3pKZ7-NMU612-28MP4M3Wk98_z_mxltgEvXYfsVEVk9o/s1600/Goodreads.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CP73FGGY/ref=x_gr_bb_kindle?caller=Goodreads&tag=x_gr_bb_kindle-20" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/Pop-Manga-Coloring-Book-Beautiful/dp/0399578471?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0399578471&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=x_gr_w_bb&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-K0lgiuiwPlJn6B0yJ07H1dEaQGNH40WZn8yW7_PEaRnT66e14x4HShu5tD4qc_62dT_ytuwyKfJdOfZKSfewWv8mqMqjAv8FmPDmwOhQeYSdax5g6s72H0AzjXG0_ASBYdGWZvxuoh8/s1600/Amazon.jpg" /></a>
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Format: Ebook<br />Source: Kindle Unlimited</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3mq_UBkMclsiJ3dWFg7s4OHt_wPZwh2zWHyg4xtSWE5XNTqSjt4bBoljvWy3LBxgZF_17VhpWYoTP3hzfoxD5oGYyMiwUQ6auszpl8SDF7KrW99EZqkDWOngGy6vEMdqy2XWqtvk0xIsDJ6ocbhKu1qfzBCMA0OD66aCss97DSJwzYwHtARj7tByP-Hs/s252/black4.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="252" height="75" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3mq_UBkMclsiJ3dWFg7s4OHt_wPZwh2zWHyg4xtSWE5XNTqSjt4bBoljvWy3LBxgZF_17VhpWYoTP3hzfoxD5oGYyMiwUQ6auszpl8SDF7KrW99EZqkDWOngGy6vEMdqy2XWqtvk0xIsDJ6ocbhKu1qfzBCMA0OD66aCss97DSJwzYwHtARj7tByP-Hs/s1600/black4.PNG" width="252" /></a></div><div><br />
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<b>Goodreads Synopsis: </b></span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Can an old letter spark a new flame?</span><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">When Tess Ravenel gets herself stuck inside a bathroom stall in one of Charleston’s most historic buildings, she isn’t exactly thinking about her dating life. But then the paramedic who comes to her rescue has a voice that sounds like butter and enough charm to make her forget she’s seconds from having a panic attack.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">If only he were interested.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Andrew McKay has a mysterious Christmas pen pal, a woman who replied to a newly found letter he sent to Santa back when he was a kid. After weeks of correspondence, it’s clear she’s funny, smart, interesting...and an awful lot like Tess Ravanel—the woman he’s already blown off twice for good reason.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Tess and Andrew couldn’t be more different, but when their worlds collide, fate (and a little Christmas magic) set them on a crash course for love.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><i>The Christmas Letters is a closed door sweet holiday romance with lots of chemistry but no spice. This book was first published in 2019 but has been heavily revised and updated.</i></span></div></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Review: </b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Tess is not having a good day - she agreed to volunteer with a Woman's Social Society so that her wealthy parents will support her while she goes back to school. Now back in Charleston to make this happen, she has to deal with her ex-fiance and his family... and to make matters worse, she find herself locked in a bathroom of a coffee shop. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">Andrew McKay is a medic called to help Tess out of the bathroom, there is a spark but after he learns she is a society girl, he falls back. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">As part of her volunteer work she is tasked with replying to christmas letters and finds a really old one in the box from a boy asking for his parents back - while the letter is really old Tess replies to it. Christmas magic then brings Andrew and Tess together. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">I liked this contemporary romance, it was clean and holiday themed with a HEA. It was pretty short - less than 200 pages. I liked Tess and Drew and LOVED Drew's grandmother, she was hilarious and perfect. The whole book was so swoonworthy and cutesy. It was You've got Mail - esq and even made that reference.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif; font-size: medium;">I will look for more by this author, it was super cute and very enjoyable.</span></div></div>Stephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12928705465936642139noreply@blogger.com0