Just in time for Halloween…Ben Hatke‘s latest graphic gem is full of spooky adventures where young Milo learns to face his fears and help others. Short on words but full of art this book is highly recommended for anyone who‘s ever been afraid of what might be lurking in the basement! The artistic changing jewel tones are also a unique touch.

Fun, enjoyable read! I was very interested in this one because it‘s the first new book by Wrede in years. More unique magic, world building and great characters. The ending wraps up a little conveniently, but all in all an excellent book centered on a 14 year old girl. Patricia has still got it!

Definitely “Legally Blonde” meets “Bourne Identity!” A silly, quick read full of fluff and a dash of romance. Enjoyable enough for what it is, but it‘s a low pick for me.

Snatching a few minutes to read over dinner. Treating myself to homemade mac and cheese and a glass of wine tonight. Thank goodness it‘s the weekend.

This was one of those rare cases where I struggled to read a physical copy but enjoyed it in audiobook. Trying to keep track of all the characters was easier with different voices. A fun mystery with cute baking accents. Definitely a slow burner with a slightly open ending. Mostly I enjoyed it while driving. I think the cover is my favorite part of this book. ☺️

Finished this ridiculous, light and entertaining mystery over lunch. Here‘s hoping the chocolate pudding works some magic and improves my Monday.

Picked this up randomly to see if it would be good for one of my book discussion groups and was pleasantly surprised. Although I struggled to identify with Madeline, the love story was really sweet and of course the ending was tragic. I think it‘s a good depiction of how one can become closed off emotionally after a traumatic experience. While historical fiction is still not my thing but I enjoyed this one.

Finally got around to reading my first real graphic novel! I‘ve been meaning to read some, but felt I may have missed my window since they weren‘t available when I was a kid. I chose this one because my nieces and nephews love it. Very fun! Great character development and superb illustrations. I‘ll be reading more of Zita‘s adventures!

I enjoyed this one almost as much as “Book Lovers.” Plenty of the usual playful banter which is fast becoming a Emily Henry trademark. Some insightful thoughts on writing and what motivates authors, but felt the family relationships could have been developed a little more. Overall, a funny romance and great summer read! ☀️

I‘ve been falling behind on my reviews lately. Partly due to the holiday but mostly because I‘ve been cleaning up the library basement. This was an excellent children‘s book that gives maps a chance to shine! Two kids set out to draw a map and end up discovering all the fun places within their community. Extra map facts are tastefully included at the end.

Simply delightful! A children‘s tale full of delightful characters and an adventurous quest. The author skillfully interweaves stories within stories which all come together to shape the narrative. The simplicity of the children in this story is what makes it powerful.

Wrapped this one up over lunch. It‘s a delightful tale about family, love and life choices. Descriptions of Tuscany and Italian food were spot on and I loved Fiona‘s character. All the different POVs were done skillfully and it wasn‘t too hard to follow along. A nice easy summer read!

This was truly an honest and humorous memoir! My grandmother was a Wyoming ranch wife and could relate with Kacee‘s experiences. My favorite was the story of how she got all dressed up for her first Valentine‘s Day date and no one in the local bar recognized her as they were so used to seeing her in ranch clothes!

Finally getting around to reading this one!
I‘m loving it already 😍

Starting my weekend with some low key reading with breakfast! I love fresh sunny mornings!

A decent sequel, again with few surprises, but character development was excellent! I loved getting to know Owein the dog a little more and enjoyed seeing how Merritt and Hulda‘s relationship deepened. The magical elements were also very good and more seamless in this one.

Finally read this one which has been on my TBR list for several years. I inherited a book discussion group with my new job so that helps with the motivation. 😅 Even though I read it pretty fast I thought it was very good and quite accurate with regards to libraries.

Lovely picture book which incorporates the importance of honesty without being too heavy handed! Wonderful illustrations with great colors. Chloe is such a fun character with a strong personality! 🥰

I thought this one was a little too wordy for your average picture book, but the story is heartfelt and beautiful. I appreciated Polacoo‘s willingness to speak about the challenges she faced while learning to read. A lovely testament to the fact that librarians can be influential figures even for those people who struggle with reading.

This was definitely your screwball dark comedy. Definitely not my usual thing but there were some lol moments. I struggled to keep track of characters at first and then gave up and enjoyed the flow. My advice to future readers, don‘t try too hard to understand what‘s going on, just enjoy the chaos and loss of control.

Another gem from Kevin Henkes! Full of soft, gentle, illustrations done from a child‘s perspective, Henkes helps young readers understand the size and breadth of our world and how to engage with it.

1. A librarian, I loved stamping books and one of the local librarians gave me their old due date stamps and papers when they got rid of them. I used these to make my own library at home.

2. I am a librarian and I love it even though things have changed and it isn‘t quite what my child-self thought it would be.

3. Soundtrack music from movies.

#wondrouswednesday

Thanks for the tag @Eggs

A unique and fun read! I did catch one slip up, where the author mentions a faux rose bush (I don‘t think they had those in the 1840s 😅) Other than that, I enjoyed all the characters and absolutely loved the setting. The magic was clever, even if the end and the villain were fairly predictable. If you like fantasy or romance novels give it a go. Also it took me 3/4 of the way thru before I noticed the woman‘s dress on the cover. Anybody else?

I didn‘t want this book to end!! Journey alongside the author, Melanie, as she travels the world meeting with those who make things. A delightful book with gorgeous photos that celebrates the joy and meaning of making things by hand. Melanie interviews a truly diverse range of makers featuring knitters, weavers, dyers, potters, cobblers, basket weavers, welders, etc.
Recommended for anyone interested in making, creativity, craftsmanship or art.

1. Elizabeth Bennet- for her intelligence and humor.
2. Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan- for her strength, courage and “badassness”
3. Sabriel - for her kindness, belief in others and perseverance.

#WondrousWednesday @Eggs

Loved the fantastic narrator for this audiobook! While the story was well contextualized, I found it rather infuriating. It‘s super obvious about half way through who the villain is, but the main character keeps blundering around being sad as 2 more of his family members get picked off. Sorry, but for a man who is supposed to be a former CIA agent and a current PI I‘m disappointed. The ending is nice enough but by then I just wanted it to end.

Well, I only made it 110 pages in and decided to bail. It just never took and it‘s time to return it to the lending library. Not for me at all, so I‘m going to read “The Dragon‘s Promise” during lunch break instead.

Such an enjoyable read! I really like how the author blended legends and fairy tales in this book. Very elegant and decently paced, complete with a few fun twists. Pleasantly surprised by this one!

We‘re experiencing another bad winter storm with howling wind and temperatures around -30 degrees 🥶 Since I couldn‘t make it into work today I‘m spending the day catching up on work email and stealing moments to read this fantastic book. It‘s too big to carry to work so I‘ve had to leave it at home. The inspiration and inclusivity in this book is so amazing!

I found this one quite enjoyable and heartfelt. The author does an excellent job confronting the stigma and common reactions to mental illnesses. I appreciated her ability to balance out all the ordinary teen drama + mental illness drama with humorous characters, dialogue and situations. Well done!

Enjoying my day off by reading and drinking coffee out of my new Christmas present. I‘m avoiding the moment when I have to start being productive and catch up on housework.

Full of twists and turns, this one had lots of action. Burning and exploding boats, experimental microchips, cop conspiracies and a killer thug armed with a meat cleaver! My second read from this series featuring Brock and Kolla. I‘ll be reading more if I can get my hands on some.

Finally getting started on a holiday read! Snagged this off the shelving cart the other day. It‘s supposed to be -25 degrees by tomorrow night with -40 wind chill, so I‘m planning my warmest work outfit and thinking warm thoughts.

Lovely photos and interesting examples of homes with filled with salvaged items. Mostly European examples, the coolest one was an old upside down boat converted into a little summer house. I quickly realized I don‘t need a book to tell me how to forage. Apparently I‘ve been doing that for years 😅

Honestly, I struggled to get through the second half of this. I heartily agree with her philosophy regarding the importance of having relationships with nature. Yet, I was often left with the impression that only Native Americans currently have relationships with nature. Felt a little insulting. My favorite section was the one on basket making. Overall, I think this book was longer than necessary and repetitive. I liked her book on moss better.

While discharging books, a library volunteer found a cute flamingo card inside with a donation and thank you message. Made my day at work. 😍 We have some really delightful patrons!

#library #librarybookfinds

To be honest this one wasn‘t super exciting and a little hard to follow sometimes. However, I really enjoyed the audio version. The day-to-day narrative was much more interesting when read by someone with an accent and I found it so soothing it made for great bedtime listening. Yay for Libby‘s night timer!

Enjoying my first cappuccino in years along with some poetry at a local coffee shop. Took a sick day today for chiropractor and dentist appointments. Wanted to do at least something fun today.

A nice second-hand copy of this book was waiting on my doorstep for me when I got home tonight. It came complete with a clipping of the NY Times Book Review from 2007 all about the new edition! 😄 I decided to buy my own copy because the interlibrary loan had to be returned when I was only a quarter of the way through.

#bookmail

1. I‘m always reading 3 or more books at the same time. Sometimes it gets a little out of hand but I like to have something nonfiction, something light and fun and something which makes me think or slow down like poetry.

2. Tagged my favorite. I made great memories while reading it and it‘s different from many letter books because it provides both sides of a conversation. Most recent bail was “A Place In the World”

#wondrouswednesday

Hilarious and fun! Normally I share details about what I‘m reading with family, but I kept this one quiet. It will make an excellent Christmas present for someone in my family. (Yes, I‘m that person 😅thinking about gifts already). We always make gingerbread cookies at our house at Christmas time so this will be perfect.

Beth O‘Leary has been keeping me company today while cooking, baking bread and doing housework. I also finished my puzzle today! Doing all the little bees was the hardest part.
#audiopuzzling

Super cute book about how to party as an introvert. Snail slowly learns to value his own ideas of fun and yet soon discovers that even the best parties are better when you‘re not all alone.

Felt lazy tonight and had time to kill before meeting a friend. So I grabbed fast food and finished reading this fun mystery on a bridge. Trying to soak in as much daylight as I can these days.

1. Current reads…
I‘m reading way too many books at the same time lately, but I am enjoying the tagged one today.

2. Last caffeinated beverage you drank... Coffee this morning.

3. Any fun fall plans…
Went to an apple picking party at my brother‘s house today! Enjoyed lots of fresh apple juice 🍁🍎

#Weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Finished this today over lunch. What an entertaining treasure! Thank goodness these letters were rescued after sitting forgotten in a bank vault for 30 years. The back and forth of these letters represents a delightful dialogue between two literary figures who loved nature, writing and the state of Maine. Highly recommended to anyone who loves correspondence and are fans of Edmund Ware Smith or E. B. White.

Spent my last full day on vacation hiking on a gorgeous island and trying to snatch a few minutes to read. Afraid I couldn‘t focus much with views like this…

Bought this pretty looking book from a cute roadside store named “Leaf and Anna.” Another collection of essays musing on life and nature. Seem to be really attracted to those lately. Influence of Maine perhaps 🤔

#bookhaul
#vacation

Spending my first night in the vacation cabin curled up with this entertaining collection of letters! I didn‘t have any gin, so bourbon will have to do.

#vacation #vacationreads

Preparing for my upcoming trip to Maine by reading these letters! I‘m so ready for a vacation…