Monthly Re-Cap: December 2018

Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people! 

Happy New Years Eve! 
Let's be honest, for the past month I have been slacking off on the blog, and I am sorry, but I have been working on school stuff and the holidays are always busy but SO MUCH FUN... and I have actually been taking some time to relax... which mostly means playing video games in my spare time because thinking hurts (lol) or watching too much TV.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday. For Christmas, I got a TV from my momma, I got a beautiful canning pot from the hubs for this summer when I start to pickle ALL the things again, I also got some binoculars for bird watching, and  I got an embosser that says "From the library of Stephanie Turner" I need to take out ALL my books and stamp them now. 

We also got some gift cards/ cash and we have been doing some home projects. We are almost done building the shed in the backyard, and we replaced a toilet that has been broken and running FOREVER.

What did you get? Any bookish goodies?!

How was your December otherwise?

~~Books I Read in December ~~
                
      



How did I do on my December TBR? 
I finished 0 / 2 books. FAILED SO BAD! I read nothing that I was 'supposed' to.

~~Links to Some Reviews~~
Rosa Parks by Hourly History (Non-Fiction)-4 stars
A Year of Positive Thinking by Cyndie Spiegel (Adult) - 5 stars 
The Math Kids by David Cole (MG) - 3.5 stars
Misfits by Jen Calonita (MG) - 4 stars
The Circus Thief by Alane Adams (Youth) - 4 stars
Whitehaven Beach by Cathy Maisano (MG) - 3 stars
Let's Get Reads for Bed by M. Smith (Youth) - 3 stars

~~ From last month's read pile~~
Book Love by Debbie Tung (GN) - 5 stars
 
~~Coming Soon~~ 
Muddy: The Raccoon Who Stole Dishes by Griffin Ondaatje (Youth) 
Quinn's Promise Rock by Christie Thomas (Youth)

Merry Christmas 2018

🎄🎄🎄🎄Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!🎄🎄🎄🎄
From Steph (aka Gorelenore) at Cover2CoverBlog 

Hope that your holiday is filled with love and happiness (and BOOKS!)!!

Early Reader Review: Book Love by Debbie Tung

Source: From Netgalley and Andrews McMeel in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

Book Love by Debbie Tung
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publication Date:  January 1, 2019

 

Format:  Ebook

Rating:


 




Goodreads Synopsis: 

Bookworms rejoice! These charming comics capture exactly what it feels like to be head-over-heels for hardcovers.

Book Love is a gift book of comics tailor-made for tea-sipping, spine-sniffing, book-hoarding bibliophiles. Debbie Tung’s comics are humorous and instantly recognizable—making readers laugh while precisely conveying the thoughts and habits of book nerds. Book Love is the ideal gift to let a book lover know they’re understood and appreciated.

Review: 
This is my life in pictures.  I squee-ed when I saw this book and the title, I really loved reading Quiet Girl In a Noisy World and knew that this title would be just as fun as the last. Book Love is all about being a lover of books and reading and all the quirky things we tend to do. The whole things is in a graphic novel format with loads of illustration. The artist/author does such a good job describing book lovers and loves in these illustrations and had me laughing out load and saying 'yup' a lot as I agreed with the weird things I also do (smelling books, having to go into every bookstore, always needing more books, having issues loaning books out, etc.)

Everything about this was what I needed and wanted. The comic strips are so relatable and down to earth even if a bit odd... we all have our quirks. If you are a book lover or know one, this is a great book/ gift!! I highly suggest it and adore it.

Building the Book Pile #285

Welcome to Building the Book Pile!  A Weekly meme inspired by Stacking the Shelves

Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people! 

Happy Holidays everyone. We are officially on winter break from work and I am so happy about that. I have started my new job and am enjoying it but when we get back it is immediately running around again. 

This weekend I did some homework and assignments and started preparing for after the break. I bought myself a new home computer because my work one was returned and I have a new work one but it runs differently and this way I have one for school (and games) at home. I made some gingerbread cookies and we attended an ugly sweater brunch. We plan to spend the holidays visiting my family and then doing some home projects. I will probably do more homework and prep for the following week.

I have gotten little to no reading done, I have been too tired and busy for it, and when I try I fall asleep... I need to get some in during the break and hope to.

If you enjoy the blog and want to share some love and caffeine, you can buy me a coffee (almost Peppermint Cocoa time now...) via Ko-fi

Share about your week with me in the comments below!

 

  Giveaways  on Cover2CoverBlog! 

Giveaway Here

Coming up on the Blog

Early Reader Review: Book Love by Debbie Tung (GN)
Recent Reads: You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero (Adult)
Early Reader Review: Julius Zebra Entangled with the Egyptians by Gary Northfield (MG)

No Books Received this Week 

Maybe some as gifts? We will see...  

Have you missed anything lately?

Week of December 17- December 23

Recent Reads:Let's Get Ready for Bed by M. Smith (Youth) - 3 stars

Comment and leave me a link to your Round-up/ STS/ Weekly...anything, post and I will happily stop by and say hello!

Happy Reading!

Recent Reads: Let's Get Ready for Bed by M. Smith

Source: From BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

Let's Get Ready for Bed by M. Smith and M. Nawrocki
Series:  Nurturing Steps
Publisher:  Zonderkidz
Publication Date:  November 6, 2018

 

Format: Hardback

Rating:







Goodreads Synopsis: 
From Grammy Award-winning artist Michael W Smith and the co-creator of Veggietales Mike Nawrocki comes Let's Get Ready for Bed, the second in a series of bedtime books in the Nurturing Steps line. This sweet and sleepy picture book will lull your little one to sleep with their favorite stuffed animal characters the Nighty Nights.

As an added bonus, this book includes a link that allows readers to listen to Michael W. Smith singing the lullaby from the story.

Founded by Michael W Smith, Nurturing Steps is an infant and toddler series of children’s music and books with a simple mission to enliven a child’s journey with hope and faith through music and storytelling.
This picture book features a cover that shines with foil.

Review: 
Let's Get Ready for Bed is about Puppy's routine before going to sleep. His friends watch as he prepares for nighttime with a bath, brushing his teeth, praying, and there is even a song. It was a cute book, if you are not religious, there is a few pages of praying so it might not be the best book to add to your child's collection, unless you are ok with that. It is a great book to show an evening routine for kids and that could help a parent get children to bed. 

The characters are cute little animals and the songs are a great addition to the books. This is a series with a few other books and songs as well, so if you are interested in this one there are a few others to choose from as well. Overall this was a cute story and I liked the illustrations throughout, the are similar to the last book in the series and I love the consistency.

Building the Book Pile #284

Welcome to Building the Book Pile!  A Weekly meme inspired by Stacking the Shelves

Hello Readers, Bloggers, and Awesome people! 

 Finally got to some reading and reviews this past week, so yay. 

It was a long week, but a fun one. I have 3 lunches out at work, 2 holiday and 1 as my 'going-away' lunch, but I had to say goodbye to all my wonderful co-workers. I won't be far on campus from them, but I won't see them day-to-day so it is going to be weird.

I am super excited to finally start my new job on Monday but also starting to get nervous, and Monday I start my next class too so I am gonna be busy busy learning a bunch of new things.

If you enjoy the blog and want to share some love and caffeine, you can buy me a coffee (almost Peppermint Cocoa time now...) via Ko-fi

Share about your week with me in the comments below!

 

  Giveaways  on Cover2CoverBlog! 

Coming up on the Blog

Recent Reads:Let's Get Ready for Bed by M. Smith (Youth)

Early Reader Review: Julius Zebra Entangled with the Egyptians by Gary Northfield (MG)

Books Received this Week 

 

Thomas Wildus and the Book or Sorrows by J.M. Bergen from the publisher in exchange for review.

Have you missed anything lately?

Week of December 10- December 16
Early Reader Reviews: A Year of Positive Thinking by Cyndie Spiegel (Adult)- 5 stars
Early Reader Review:  The Math Kids: The Prime-Time Burglars by David Cole (MG)- 3.5 stars
Recent Reads: Misfits (Royal Academy Rebels #1) by Jen Calonita (MG) - 4 stars
 Blog Tour: The Circus Thief by Alane Adams (Youth) - 4 stars
Recent Reads: The Paradise Beach Mysteries - Whitehaven Beach by Cathy Maisano (MG) - 3 stars

Comment and leave me a link to your Round-up/ STS/ Weekly...anything, post and I will happily stop by and say hello!

Happy Reading!

Recent Reads: Whitehaven Beach by Cathy Maisano

Source: From the Author in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

Whitehaven Beach by Cathy Maisano
Series: The Paradise Beach Mysteries
Publisher: Cathy Maisano
Publication Date:  May 26, 2016

 

Format: Ebook


Rating:


 



Goodreads Synopsis: 

Megan and Marcus can’t wait for the summer holidays to begin at Bexhill-on-Sea, where their own incredible beach hut, Parry, doubles as a high-powered rocket ship. Before long, they are heading for Australia on a thrilling mission. As secret agents, they must confront a dangerous gang to try and save a beautiful beach from certain environmental ruin. When they spot a massive crocodile mysteriously devouring all the famous white soft sand on Whitehaven Beach, things start to go seriously wrong. Marcus sees Megan being swallowed by the reptile and does not hesitate to plan a daring rescue operation. Skilfully, he helps her to escape, but as they are planning how to recover the stolen sand, the thieves return and the two young agents find themselves in great danger. Will Whitehaven Beach be lost forever?

Secret agents everywhere are invited to step inside the amazing Bexhill-On-Sea beach hut of The Paradise Beach Mysteries and join Marcus and Megan Morgan, as they travel at the speed of light to far-away top-rated world beaches, in a quest to save them from environmental ruin.

Review: 
I have had this book on my Kindle for a little while and I am trying to get better about reading at least one very so often to push through them all, I feel so bad, as I have agreed to review them and have fallen off the scheduled quite a few times this year... anywho...

Whitehaven Beach is a middle grade genre book about a brother and sister that are spies and mystery solvers for the Environmental Protection agency. In this installment they are off to Whitehaven Beach to foil the plans of someone stealing the very precious sand and threatening to ruin the island by doing so.

The story was more like a novella, being only about 100 pages and the plot wrapped itself up nicely in the end. I liked the idea of some kids being tasked with saving the planet one mystery at a time but there were a few moments that brought in other adventures they had been on, however it seems like this is the first book in the series (I may be wrong). I had fun reading the book and it flew by. I think if you are a younger reader looking for an over the top spy adventure this would be a fun read.

Blog Tour: Review and Giveaway! The Circus Thief by Alane Adams

About the Book

The circus is in town, and Georgie has his heart set on going. When Papa agrees to take him and his friend Harley, the boys marvel at the amazing elephants and clowns. But the best act of all is the amazing Roxie, a trained horse who can do all sorts of tricks. When Georgie is invited to ride on her back, he discovers it’s her last show―Roxie is going to be sent to the work farm! When Roxie bolts with Georgie on her back, Papa must come to his rescue.

The Circus Thief is a heartwarming tale of boyhood set in 1920s Pennsylvania for children ages 4–8.  

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY

The Circus Thief was a wonderfully illustrated book about the 1920's. A boy is looking to go to the circus after having completed all of his chores. The book is only 32 pages, all of which have beautiful renderings of the time period and the circus. I think this will be a good book for the age group it is geared toward, 4-8, and will raise some discussion about what life was like back then. For example, the young boy ask for $1, which now may not seem like much, but back then was a good deal of money.

I would have rated the book higher but it was a bit confusing in the end and maybe it lends to the overall discussion; for example, Papa stressed about giving him $1 but was ok with buying them a horse? The story also seemed to end abruptly and I think there could have been a few more pages. 

Overall this will be a great book for many good discussions about the time period and I think both parents and children will really love the illustrations.




Praise for THE CIRCUS THIEF

“The circus is bursting with amazing sights and sounds, from clowns and elephants to a lady with a beard, in The Circus Thief, a delightfully nostalgic tale of compassion, kindness, and generosity.” ―Foreword Clarion Reviews

“Bright, brave characters star in this exhilarating tale of magic and mystical creatures.” ―Kirkus Reviews

About the Author
Alane Adams is a children’s author, professor, and literacy advocate. She is the author of the Legends of Orkney fantasy mythology series for tweens; she also writes Early American picture books for young children. Adams lives in Southern California.  

PHOTO CONTENT FROM ALANE ADAMS

Find the Author

WEBSITE/ TWITTER/ GOODREADS/ FACEBOOK/ INSTAGRAM

Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 13+ to Enter

1 Winner will receive an Exclusive THE CIRCUS THIEF by Alane Adams Gift Box.

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Recent Reads: Misfits by Jen Calonita

Source: From the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review. 

Misfits by Jen Calonita

Series: Royal Academy Rebels #1
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Publication Date:  October 2, 2018

 

Format:  Paperback ARC

Rating:


 



Goodreads Synopsis: 

A brand new series from Jen Calonita, set in the world of Fairy Tale Reform School! Not everyone born royal is meant to rule…

In the magical fairytale kingdom of Enchantasia, becoming a legendary Prince or Princess doesn't happen overnight. Enter Royal Academy, the training ground for the fairytale leaders of tomorrow!

But reluctant-future-princess and new-student Devin has some reservations about RA, especially when it comes to the Headmistress. Olivina seems obsessed with preparing students for possible villain attacks. But when Devin asks when they're going to learn how to actually rule a kingdom, Olivina becomes enraged. Something isn't right with this lady, and what Devin discovers could change the fairytale world forever… 

Review: 
I really enjoyed the Fairy Tale Reform School series. All the re-tellings were wonderfully done and I loved how the author adapted them so well throughout the series. In this new series, Royal Academy Rebels, the same world is used but instead of playing with the Reform School characters we are at the Royal Academy now with a misfit princess. 

Devin is a princess but she really doesn't want that job, she wants to help animals. So when she gets her letter to attend the Royal Academy, she is very upset about her life-path. At the school she wants to be herself, but that is so far from 'princess-worthy' and she keeps getting into trouble. She is a strong girl and she knows what is right and wrong and tries to get others to understand that ladies and princesses don't just have to stand by and wait for princes to save them all.

The world that Jen continued to produce for this book was just as fun as the last series, and it is like a back-stage pass into what else goes on in the kingdoms by letting the readers experience the royalty as opposed to the villains and reform school kids. 

If you have not read the Reform School series, I highly recommend it. I think you could probably get away with reading this one without them but it would help with some things. The world is so vast that it would put more into context for you having read them before this one. 

If you have read them and enjoyed them, I think you will enjoy this new book as well. Devin and Gilly has some of the same qualities and I think it will be fun growing with Devin as it was with Gilly.

Early Reader Review: The Math Kids The Prime-Time Buglars by David Cole

Source: From Netgalley and Common Deer Press in exchange for an honest review. This in no way alters my opinion or review.

The Math Kids: The Prime-Time Buglars by David Cole
Series:The Math Kids
Publisher: Common Deer Press
Publication Date:  December 3, 2018

 

Format:  Ebook

Rating:


 




Goodreads Synopsis: 

Jordan and Justin are best friends and the only two kids in their class’s advanced math group. So it isn’t until Stephanie Lewis marches into their classroom that they meet someone who’s as good with numbers as they are. Their shared interest in math quickly draws them together, and the three soon form The Math Kids.

Unfortunately, life as math club kids isn’t always easy. In addition to extra homework, the three friends have two new problems. First, a string of mysterious burglaries has the whole neighbourhood on edge, including their parents. Then, they manage to earn unwanted attention from Robbie, the class bully. Luckily, Jordan, Justin, and Stephanie soon learn that their new club may give them the skills they need to solve both problems.

Review: 
The Math Kids is a book about a group of friends that form a Math Club and use it to solve complicated problems. The book is fairly short, at about 120 pages, so it is great for a middle grade reader, but it is also engaging. The book takes the problems that The Math Kids are trying to solve and opens it up for the reader to try to solve them first. My review/ebook copy had the images, solutions and explanations in the back of the book, the finalized copy might have these closer to the chapters they fall in, but either way I found it to be a great addition. 

There are three characters that you follow, none are really fleshed out but they are all very different so I think that a variety of readers will enjoy the characters and the book, especially if they have a love of math. 

The book was interesting and fun, I think it will be a great way to get non-math lovers into math, and show all the uses for it. They helped a sister with a seating problem, helped solve a crime, and got a pizza party for the class all using math. This will be a fun series I think.

Early Reader Review: A Year of Positive Thinking by Cyndie Spiegel

Source: From the Publisher and Callisto Publishers Club in exchange for an honest review, this in no way alters my opinion or review.

 

A Year of Positive Thinking: Daily Inspiration, Wisdom, and Courage by Cyndie Spiegel
Publisher: Althea Press
Publication Date:  December 11, 2018

 

Format: Paperback

Rating:


 



Goodreads Synopsis: 

Transform your life with daily inspiration, affirmations, and meditations from A Year of Positive Thinking.

Yes, you can change your life by changing your thoughts. In A Year of Positive Thinking, you’ll transform your mindset and motivate positive life changes one thought, one day, and one year at a time.
From day one, this book teaches you the power of positive thinking through quick and digestible affirmations based in positive psychology, neuroscience, and personal development. Spanning one full year, from January to December, these daily meditations guide you towards visualizing and living your best life.

A Year of Positive Thinking includes:
365 days of positive thinking with exercises, mantras, and reflections for self-respect, kindness, and love. A flexible structure around the calendar year (January-December) that can be started any time, any day, and any moment that you’re ready. Inspiration for personal development that draws on positive psychology, neuroscience, and other secular schools of thought for motivating positive thinking. Choose to see the good over the bad. Choose optimism over pessimism. Choose positive over negative thinking with A Year of Positive Thinking.

Review: 
I really liked this book. It is simple and to the point. You can pick it up whenever and flip to a date to read it's words of wisdom and positivity. I received this book at the end of November and have been popping into it for the past few weeks, I have also bee going back to previous months and reading some of the days.

It is set up  so that you really can grab it where-ever/ whenever. The positive thoughts are arranged by date but by the time you get to the following month you may need to re-read some of the wonderful things the author has included. 

The book is small, it is square and only about 7 in x 7 in. The pages are very colorful and the dates take up to a page to get their inspiration across. I really have been enjoying this book and will continue to read through it. I think it would also be great as a gift to friends or family.