Lindsey's bookshelf: 2023-ng-reading-challenge en-US Wed, 30 Apr 2025 18:24:45 -0700 60 Lindsey's bookshelf: 2023-ng-reading-challenge 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg The Children's Blizzard 53425138
The morning of January 12, 1888, was unusually mild, following a long cold spell, warm enough for the homesteaders of the Dakota territory to venture out again, and for their children to return to school without their heavy coats--leaving them unprepared when disaster struck. At just the hour when most prairie schools were letting out for the day, a terrifying, fast-moving blizzard struck without warning. Schoolteachers as young as sixteen were suddenly faced with life and death decisions: keep the children inside, to risk freezing to death when fuel ran out, or send them home, praying they wouldn't get lost in the storm?

Based on actual oral histories of survivors, the novel follows the stories of Raina and Gerda Olsen, two sisters, both schoolteachers--one who becomes a hero of the storm, and one who finds herself ostracized in the aftermath. It's also the story of Anette Pedersen, a servant girl whose miraculous survival serves as a turning point in her life and touches the heart of Gavin Woodson, a newspaperman seeking redemption. It is Woodson and others like him who wrote the embellished news stories that lured immigrants across the sea to settle a pitiless land. Boosters needed immigrants to settle territories into states, and they didn't care what lies they told them to get them there--or whose land it originally was.

At its heart, this is a story of courage, of children forced to grow up too soon, tied to the land because of their parents' choices. It is a story of love taking root in the hard prairie ground, and of families being torn asunder by a ferocious storm that is little remembered today--because so many of its victims were immigrants to this country.]]> 355 Melanie Benjamin 0399182284 Lindsey 0 3.91 2021 The Children's Blizzard
author: Melanie Benjamin
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/30
shelves: 2021-ng-reading-challenge, books-i-own, other-book-club-books, 2023-ng-reading-challenge, to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[I Funny: A Middle School Story (I Funny, 1)]]> 23264413


Jamie Grimm is a middle schooler on a he wants to become the world's greatest standup comedian--even if he doesn't have a lot to laugh about these days. He's new in town and stuck living with his aunt, uncle, and their evil son Stevie, a bully who doesn't let Jamie's wheelchair stop him from messing with Jamie as much as possible. But Jamie doesn't let his situation get him down. When his Uncle Frankie mentions a contest called The Planet's Funniest Kid Comic, Jamie knows he has to enter. But are the judges only rewarding him out of pity because of his wheelchair, like Stevie suggests? Will Jamie ever share the secret of his troubled past instead of hiding behind his comedy act?

Following the bestselling success of the hilarious Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life , James Patterson continues to dish out the funnies in another highly-illustrated, heartfelt middle school story. (Includes more than 175 black-and-white illustrations.)]]> 320 James Patterson 031620692X Lindsey 5
"I know one thing for sure: I won't give up. Hope will keep whispering in my ear, telling me to get up and try one more time.
And I will."]]> 4.14 2012 I Funny: A Middle School Story (I Funny, 1)
author: James Patterson
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2023/03/28
date added: 2024/11/15
shelves: books-i-own, jack-s-chapter-books, 2023-ng-reading-challenge, james-patterson
review:
I have to say I'm really impressed with James Patterson on this one. The book held my son's interest from beginning to end, it's actually funny (like the title says) and there's a good lesson for younger kids.

"I know one thing for sure: I won't give up. Hope will keep whispering in my ear, telling me to get up and try one more time.
And I will."
]]> <![CDATA[I Even Funnier: A Middle School Story (I Funny, 2)]]> 34849638 New York Times bestseller I Funny, middle schooler Jamie Grimm has big dreams of being the best stand-up comic in the world--and he won't let the fact that he's wheelchair-bound stand in his way. After winning the New York state finals in the Planet's Funniest Kid Comic Contest, Jamie's off to Boston to compete in the national semi-finals. But when one of his best buddies runs into trouble at school and a sudden family health scare rears its head, Jamie has to put his comedic ambitions on hold and stand by the people he cares about. Can Jamie pass up the big competition for the sake of his friends and family? (Includes more than 175 black-and-white illustrations.)

]]> 368 James Patterson 0316206954 Lindsey 4 4.39 2013 I Even Funnier: A Middle School Story (I Funny, 2)
author: James Patterson
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/07
date added: 2024/11/15
shelves: books-i-own, jack-s-chapter-books, 2023-ng-reading-challenge, james-patterson
review:

]]> <![CDATA[I Totally Funniest: A Middle School Story (I Funny, #3)]]> 22208289
Ěý

Jamie Grimm is back and better than ever. After scoring big on national TV in the semifinals contest, everyone back home is jumping on the Jamie Grimm bandwagon, and all the attention might be going to his head. Not only are his friendships starting to suffer, but the pressure of coming up with his best material ever for the ultimate standup act to snag the final win in Hollywood is pushing Jamie to the brink. Suddenly, life isn't looking very funny anymore. Can Jamie take the grand prize without pushing away his fans, friends and family?]]> 336 James Patterson 0316405930 Lindsey 5 4.29 2015 I Totally Funniest: A Middle School Story (I Funny, #3)
author: James Patterson
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/09
date added: 2024/11/15
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, books-i-own, jack-s-chapter-books, james-patterson
review:
My son and I loved this book. The first in the series is still our favorite, but this one is super close. A great lesson that sometimes laughter is the best medicine!
]]> <![CDATA[The Nerdiest, Wimpiest, Dorkiest I Funny Ever (I Funny, #6)]]> 41962987 Everybody’s favourite kid comic, Jamie Grimm, is out to conquer the world � with laughter, of course!

Comedian Jamie Grimm can’t help feeling like he’s reached the top � he has his own smash hit TV show and he’s won a national funny-kid competition. But now he’s taking his fame and fortune to international levels by competing in the upcoming world kid comic contest! Will Jamie prove that he’s the funniest kid on earth � or does he stand (or sit!) to lose his crown?]]> 336 James Patterson Lindsey 5 4.54 2018 The Nerdiest, Wimpiest, Dorkiest I Funny Ever (I Funny, #6)
author: James Patterson
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.54
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/01
date added: 2024/11/15
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, books-i-own, jack-s-chapter-books, james-patterson
review:
A great end to the series. Love Jamie Grimm!!
]]> My Mother's Choice 53939826
I watch them at the school gates, all the mothers with their daughters. I see the hugs and all those thoughtful little adjustments to scarves and ponytails. How their love seems to overflow, they have so much of it to give.

And then I walk home to my aunt’s cold house, where there are a hundred rules for me to follow and only a single photograph of my mother to look at.

She is never spoken about in this house. They tell me that it will be easier if I don’t think about her.

It is strange though, isn’t it? That I know nothing about my own mother?

But they don’t know about the diary I’ve found up in the loft. Maybe they even forgot it was there. It doesn’t matter anymore if they won’t tell me anything. Because within these pages is what I’ve waited fourteen years to find out. And maybe some things I wish I could forget.

All I wanted was to bring our family closer together, but could what I find tear us apart instead?

A heartbreaking and powerful novel about family secrets and how we live with decisions we never thought we would have to make. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Kate Hewitt and Amanda Prowse.]]> 260 Ali Mercer 1838886915 Lindsey 4
"All of us seemed to be trapped - trapped by missing her, by having lost her. By the huge hole she'd left in our lives when she disappeared"

Everyone seems to be frozen in place and all Dani wants is to know who her mom was, what she was like, even how she died. Yet her dad and aunt refuse to talk about her.

"The dead always want to tell us something, maybe something we would much prefer not to know. But they can't. They can't speak. It's only in a ghost story that we can find out what they're trying to say."

Dani finds her mother's diary and this is where the 'ghost story' begins. The story unfolds by alternating between current time with Dani and her mother's diary. And the journey that unravels leads to family secrets, lies, deceit, guilt, forgiveness, closure, love and a crazy emotional roller-coaster with many twists and turns and a splash of mystery.

This is a book I recommend and will definitely be checking out other books by this author.

My thanks to Ali Mercer, Bookouture and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Merged review:

Wow, so here I am reading this family drama when I get hit by a massive emotional bombshell! (Que the tissues!!) First, imagine being a 14 yr old girl who lost her mother at 4 yrs old and can't get anyone to tell her about her mom, this huge gaping hole in her heart.

"All of us seemed to be trapped - trapped by missing her, by having lost her. By the huge hole she'd left in our lives when she disappeared"

Everyone seems to be frozen in place and all Dani wants is to know who her mom was, what she was like, even how she died. Yet her dad and aunt refuse to talk about her.

"The dead always want to tell us something, maybe something we would much prefer not to know. But they can't. They can't speak. It's only in a ghost story that we can find out what they're trying to say."

Dani finds her mother's diary and this is where the 'ghost story' begins. The story unfolds by alternating between current time with Dani and her mother's diary. And the journey that unravels leads to family secrets, lies, deceit, guilt, forgiveness, closure, love and a crazy emotional roller-coaster with many twists and turns and a splash of mystery.

This is a book I recommend and will definitely be checking out other books by this author.

My thanks to Ali Mercer, Bookouture and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]]> 4.05 2020 My Mother's Choice
author: Ali Mercer
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/12
date added: 2024/09/22
shelves: netgalley-2020, netgalley-2021, netgalley-2022, netgalley-2023, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:
Wow, so here I am reading this family drama when I get hit by a massive emotional bombshell! (Que the tissues!!) First, imagine being a 14 yr old girl who lost her mother at 4 yrs old and can't get anyone to tell her about her mom, this huge gaping hole in her heart.

"All of us seemed to be trapped - trapped by missing her, by having lost her. By the huge hole she'd left in our lives when she disappeared"

Everyone seems to be frozen in place and all Dani wants is to know who her mom was, what she was like, even how she died. Yet her dad and aunt refuse to talk about her.

"The dead always want to tell us something, maybe something we would much prefer not to know. But they can't. They can't speak. It's only in a ghost story that we can find out what they're trying to say."

Dani finds her mother's diary and this is where the 'ghost story' begins. The story unfolds by alternating between current time with Dani and her mother's diary. And the journey that unravels leads to family secrets, lies, deceit, guilt, forgiveness, closure, love and a crazy emotional roller-coaster with many twists and turns and a splash of mystery.

This is a book I recommend and will definitely be checking out other books by this author.

My thanks to Ali Mercer, Bookouture and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Merged review:

Wow, so here I am reading this family drama when I get hit by a massive emotional bombshell! (Que the tissues!!) First, imagine being a 14 yr old girl who lost her mother at 4 yrs old and can't get anyone to tell her about her mom, this huge gaping hole in her heart.

"All of us seemed to be trapped - trapped by missing her, by having lost her. By the huge hole she'd left in our lives when she disappeared"

Everyone seems to be frozen in place and all Dani wants is to know who her mom was, what she was like, even how she died. Yet her dad and aunt refuse to talk about her.

"The dead always want to tell us something, maybe something we would much prefer not to know. But they can't. They can't speak. It's only in a ghost story that we can find out what they're trying to say."

Dani finds her mother's diary and this is where the 'ghost story' begins. The story unfolds by alternating between current time with Dani and her mother's diary. And the journey that unravels leads to family secrets, lies, deceit, guilt, forgiveness, closure, love and a crazy emotional roller-coaster with many twists and turns and a splash of mystery.

This is a book I recommend and will definitely be checking out other books by this author.

My thanks to Ali Mercer, Bookouture and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
]]> The Book of Presidents 18341006 128 Orville V. Webster Lindsey 3 3.62 1991 The Book of Presidents
author: Orville V. Webster
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.62
book published: 1991
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/06
date added: 2024/08/06
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, books-i-own, jack-s-chapter-books, 2024-ng-reading-challenge
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Treasure Hunters (Treasure Hunters, #1)]]> 17269359 New York Times bestselling author of Middle School, the Worst Years of My Life and I Funny comes a brilliantly original new adventure series, jam-packed with action, humor, and heart!

The Kidd siblings have grown up diving down to shipwrecks and traveling the world, helping their famous parents recover everything from swords to gold doubloons from the bottom of the ocean. But after their parents disappear n the job, the kids are suddenly thrust into the biggest treasure hunt of their lives. They'll have to work together to defeat dangerous pirates and dodge the hot pursuit of an evil treasure hunting rival, all while following cryptic clues to unravel the mystery of what really happened to their parents--and find out if they're still alive.
]]> 452 James Patterson 031620756X Lindsey 5 4.14 2013 Treasure Hunters (Treasure Hunters, #1)
author: James Patterson
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/05
date added: 2024/07/05
shelves: james-patterson, books-i-own, jack-s-chapter-books, 2023-ng-reading-challenge, 2024-ng-reading-challenge, 2024-popsugar-reading-challenge
review:

]]> <![CDATA[What Were the Roaring Twenties? (What Was?)]]> 38398209
It was the bees' knees, the cat's meow. If you're not familiar with 1920s slang, all the more reason to read this fascinating look at that wild, exciting decade. It began on the heels of one tragedy--the flu pandemic of 1918--and ended with the start of the Great Depression. But in between there were plenty of good times--the Model T cars that Henry Ford made were cheap enough for the masses, the new sound of jazz heated up speakeasies and nightclubs during the time of Prohibition. Women, recently given the right to vote, cut their long hair into bobs, wore short skirts and makeup, and danced the Charleston (sometimes in marathons that lasted days). Michele Mortlock hits all the highlights of this heady age that still feels modern even a hundred years later.]]> 112 Michele Mortlock 1524786381 Lindsey 3 4.15 What Were the Roaring Twenties? (What Was?)
author: Michele Mortlock
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.15
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/19
date added: 2024/03/19
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, books-i-own, jack-s-chapter-books, 2024-ng-reading-challenge
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Get Me out of Here! (Middle School #2)]]> 17333274

After sixth grade, the very worst year of his life, Rafe Khatchadorian thinks he has it made in seventh grade. He's been accepted to art school in the big city and imagines a math-and-history-free fun zone. Wrong! It's more competitive than Rafe ever expected, and to score big in class, he needs to find a way to turn his boring life into the inspiration for a work of art. His method? Get a Life! Anything he's never done before, he's going to do it, from learning to play poker to going to a modern art museum. But when his newest mission uncovers secrets about the family Rafe's never known, he has to decide if he's ready to have his world turned upside down.]]> 288 James Patterson 0316206695 Lindsey 4 4.30 2012 Get Me out of Here! (Middle School #2)
author: James Patterson
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/06
date added: 2024/01/06
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, books-i-own, jack-s-chapter-books, james-patterson, 2024-ng-reading-challenge
review:

]]> <![CDATA[My Weirdtastic School #3: Professor Pitt Is a Nitwit!]]> 83814858 112 Dan Gutman 0063207028 Lindsey 4 4.02 My Weirdtastic School #3: Professor Pitt Is a Nitwit!
author: Dan Gutman
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.02
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/29
date added: 2023/12/29
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, books-i-own, childrens-books, jack-s-chapter-books
review:

]]> Before We Were Innocent 61407616 A summer in Greece for three best friends ends in the unthinkable when only two return home in this new novel from Ella Berman. . . .

Ten years ago, after a sun-soaked summer spent in Greece, best friends Bess and Joni were cleared of having any involvement in their friend Evangeline’s death. But that didn’t stop the media from ripping apart their teenage lives like vultures.

While the girls were never convicted, Joni, ever the opportunist, capitalized on her newfound infamy to become a motivational speaker. Bess, on the other hand, resolved to make her life as small and controlled as possible so she wouldn’t risk losing everything all over again. And it almost worked. . . .

Except now Joni is tangled up in a crime eerily similar to that one fateful night in Greece. And when she asks Bess to come back to LA to support her, Bess has a decision to make.

Is it finally time to face up to what happened that night, exposing herself as the young woman she once was and maybe still is? And what happens if she doesn’t like what she finds?]]> 384 Ella Berman 0593099540 Lindsey 4 3.36 2023 Before We Were Innocent
author: Ella Berman
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/26
date added: 2023/12/26
shelves: rw-bookclub, 2023-ng-reading-challenge, 2023-popsugar-reading-challenge
review:
I'm in between a 3 and 4 star rating. I liked this book, I liked most of the characters, I liked the story. I'm a little confused about the ending...
]]> The Last House Guest 44675807
“Once again, Megan Miranda has crafted the perfect summer thriller.� —Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Time I Lied

The summer after a wealthy young summer guest dies under suspicious circumstances, her best friend lives under a cloud of grief and suspicion in this “clever, stylish mystery that will seize readers like a riptide� ( Publishers Weekly , starred review) featuring “dizzying plot twists and multiple surprise endings� ( The New York Times Book Review).

Littleport, Maine, has always felt like two separate towns: an ideal vacation enclave for the wealthy, whose summer homes line the coastline; and a simple harbor community for the year-round residents whose livelihoods rely on service to the visitors.

Typically, fierce friendships never develop between a local and a summer girl—but that’s just what happens with visitor Sadie Loman and Littleport resident Avery Greer. Each summer for almost a decade, the girls are inseparable—until Sadie is found dead. While the police rule the death a suicide, Avery can’t help but feel there are those in the community, including a local detective and Sadie’s brother, Parker, who blame her. Someone knows more than they’re saying, and Avery is intent on clearing her name, before the facts get twisted against her.

Another thrilling novel from the bestselling author of All the Missing Girls and The Perfect Stranger , Megan Miranda’s The Last House Guest is a smart, twisty read with a strong female protagonist determined to make her own way in the world.

“A riveting read…from master of suspense, Megan Miranda,� (Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Girl ) The Last House Guest is a smart, twisty read that brilliantly explores the elusive nature of memory and the complexities of female friendships.]]> 368 Megan Miranda 1501165380 Lindsey 4 3.73 2019 The Last House Guest
author: Megan Miranda
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/05
date added: 2023/12/05
shelves: rw-bookclub, books-i-own, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:
I'm in between a 3 and 4 star rating. I have to say Avery's obsession with Sadie was really creepy. But who killed Sadie, or was she even killed at all? This mystery took lots of twists and turns to make it entertaining and keep me guessing. I never guessed thst ending! I love it when an author totally surprises me. This was my first Megan Miranda book and I look forward to reading more.
]]> <![CDATA[The Worst Years of My Life (Middle School #1)]]> 9798177 NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE!

In his acclaimed and #1 bestselling middle-grade comic debut, Children's Choice Award Author of the Year James Patterson has never been more hilarious--or heartwarming.

Rafe Khatchadorian has enough problems at home without throwing his first year of middle school into the mix. Luckily, he's got an ace plan for the best year ever, if only he can pull it off: With his best friend Leonardo the Silent awarding him points, Rafe tries to break every rule in his school's oppressive Code of Conduct. Chewing gum in class--5,000 points! Running in the hallway--10,000 points! Pulling the fire alarm--50,000 points! But when Rafe's game starts to catch up with him, he'll have to decide if winning is all that matters, or if he's finally ready to face the rules, bullies, and truths he's been avoiding.

James Patterson's debut middle-grade novel addresses some of middle schoolers' biggest issues: bullies, first crushes, and finding out what makes each of us special, all with a hilarious main character and fantastic in-text illustrations that are sure to have young readers begging for more!

]]> 288 James Patterson 0316101877 Lindsey 4 4.03 2011 The Worst Years of My Life (Middle School #1)
author: James Patterson
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/29
date added: 2023/11/29
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, jack-s-chapter-books, james-patterson
review:

]]> Shack Revisited 13529101 New York Times bestseller, The Shack--the story of a man lifted from the depths of despair through his life-altering encounter with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Now C. Baxter Kruger's THE SHACK REVISITED guides readers into a deeper understanding of these three persons to help readers have a more profound connection with the core message of The Shack--that God is love.

An early fan of The Shack and a close friend to its author, Kruger shows why the novel has been enthusiastically embraced by so many Christians worldwide. In the words of William P. Young from the foreword to THE SHACK REVISITED, "Baxter Kruger will stun readers with his unique cross of intellectual brilliance and creative genius as he takes them deeper into the wonder, worship, and possibility that is the world of The Shack."]]> 288 C. Baxter Kruger 1455516805 Lindsey 4 4.10 2010 Shack Revisited
author: C. Baxter Kruger
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/26
date added: 2023/11/26
shelves: religious, autumn-2017-challenge, winter-challenge-2017, books-i-own, 2019-ng-reading-challenge, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:
If you loved The Shack then please pick up this book. It's an excellent deep theological dive into the scripture that makes The Shack so powerful.
]]> You're Invited 60097417 What could be worse than your ex-boyfriend marrying your childhood best friend? Getting accused of her murder�

From the author of My Sweet Girl comes a dangerously addictive new thriller about a lavish Sri Lankan wedding celebration that not everyone will survive.

When Amaya is invited to Kaavi’s over-the-top wedding in Sri Lanka, she is surprised and a little hurt to hear from her former best friend after so many years of radio silence. But when Amaya learns that the groom is her very own ex-boyfriend, she is consumed by a single thought: She must stop the wedding from happening, no matter the cost.

But as the weeklong wedding celebrations begin and rumors about Amaya’s past begin to swirl, she can’t help but feel like she also has a target on her back. When Kaavi goes missing and is presumed dead, all evidence points to Amaya.

However, nothing is as it seems as Jayatissa expertly unravels that each wedding guest has their own dark secret and agenda, and Amaya may not be the only one with a plan to keep the bride from getting her happily ever after…]]> 384 Amanda Jayatissa 0593335120 Lindsey 0 3.50 2022 You're Invited
author: Amanda Jayatissa
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/11/19
shelves: books-i-own, botm, 2023-ng-reading-challenge, currently-reading
review:

]]> Maybe Next Time 201728256 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

One Day meets Groundhog Day, in this heartwarming and emotionally poignant novel about a stressed woman who must relive the same day over and over, keeping her family and work life from imploding as she attempts to spare her husband from an unfortunate fate.

It is an ordinary Monday and harried London literary agent Emma is flying out of the door as usual. Preoccupied with work and her ever growing to-do list, she fails to notice her lovely husband Dan seems bereft, her son can barely meet her eye, and her daughter won’t go near her. Even the dog seems sad.

She is far too busy, buried deep in her phone; social media alerts pinging; clients messaging with “emergencies�; keeping track of a dozen WhatsApp groups about the kids� sports, school, playdates, all of it. Her whole day is frantic—what else is new—and as she rushes back through the door for dinner, Dan is still upset. They fight, and he walks out, desolate, dragging their poor dog around the block. Just as she realizes it is their anniversary and she has forgotten, again, she hears the screech of brakes.

Dan is dead.

The next day Emma wakes up� and Dan is alive. And it’s Monday again.

And again.

And again.

Emma tries desperately to change the course of fate by doing different things each time she wakes up: leaving WhatsApp, telling her boss where to get off, writing to Dan, listening to her kids, reaching out to forgotten friends, getting drunk and buying out Prada. But will Emma have the chance to find herself again, remember what she likes about her job, reconnect with her children, love her husband? Will this be enough to change the fate they seem destined for?

A moving “What if� story of what it is to be a woman in the modern world—never feeling we’re getting it quite right—about learning to slow down and appreciate life that is sure to resonate with women’s fiction fans.]]> 384 Cesca Major 0063239922 Lindsey 3 3.78 2023 Maybe Next Time
author: Cesca Major
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/11/19
date added: 2023/11/19
shelves: rw-bookclub, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:
I'm really between a 3 and 4 star rating here. The ground hog day aspect of this book went on a little too long for my liking. Having said that, I still enjoyed the story. It's a cute, funny at times and emotional story all in one. That ending is what make me want to give it 4 stars. Have tissues ready for the ending.
]]> <![CDATA[MoneyWise Mabel's Bursting Bank]]> 143383388
When Mabel pulls her piggy bank out from under the bed, it’s stuffed. She can’t fit one more coin inside–Piggy is bursting!

What should Mabel do with all that money? Buy candy? Toys? Games!? Mabel’s so excited that her bed becomes a trampoline and she wants to spend it all. But then her mother explains that money doesn’t have to burn a hole in your pocket—a lesson that sends Mabel on a journey to learn what it means to become “moneywise.� Follow her as she takes her first steps to independence by opening a bank account!

Teach your school-aged kids fundamentals about money management with this approachable, fun, and charming debut from Kalee Boisvert, full of colorful illustrations and easy-to-understand concepts.]]> 32 Kalee Boisvert 1684632285 Lindsey 3
While the lesson is good, the illustrations are great, the overall story fell a little flat. I'm not sure it will hold a child's attention completely. But over it's a cute children's book.

My thanks to Kalee Boisvert, SparkPress and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]]> 4.42 MoneyWise Mabel's Bursting Bank
author: Kalee Boisvert
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.42
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2023/11/19
date added: 2023/11/19
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, childrens-books
review:
I had to read this children's book because my niece is named Mabel and I love books with her name. So the premise of this book is about teaching younger kids how to save their money and start to be financially responsible. I think this is a lesson that is important to start at a young age. Too many kids these days want to spend their cash before it burns a hole in their pocket. Teaching kids how to save will grow into smart spending habits as adults.

While the lesson is good, the illustrations are great, the overall story fell a little flat. I'm not sure it will hold a child's attention completely. But over it's a cute children's book.

My thanks to Kalee Boisvert, SparkPress and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
]]> The House Across the Lake 59149026
Casey Fletcher, a recently widowed actress trying to escape a streak of bad press, has retreated to her family's lake house in Vermont. Armed with a pair of binoculars and several bottles of liquor, she passes the time watching Tom and Katherine Royce, the glamorous couple living in the house across the lake.

Everything about the Royces seems perfect. Their marriage. Their house. The bucolic lake it sits beside. But when Katherine suddenly vanishes, Casey becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to her. In the process, she discovers the darker truths lurking just beneath the surface of the Royces' picture-perfect marriage. Truths no suspicious voyeur could begin to imagine--even with a few drinks under her belt.

Like Casey, you'll think you know where this story is headed.

Think again.

Because once you open the door to obsession, you never know what you might find on the other side.]]> 349 Riley Sager 0593183193 Lindsey 3 3.62 2022 The House Across the Lake
author: Riley Sager
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/11/08
date added: 2023/11/08
shelves: books-i-own, botm, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:
Ok, this was a weird book. Normally I love and devour Riley Sager's books. This one took me a long time to get into the storyline. So many times I wanted to scream, "Casey if you would put down the booze then we could both figure this out!" Having said that, there are some super wicked twists that had me guessing wrong at every turn. So that made things interesting. Is this a book I would recommend? Yes, probably. But I would say to start eith other books by Riley Sager first. Love the author, this wasn't one of my favorites. Still an entertaining story and will still read anything Sager writes.
]]> <![CDATA[23 1/2 Lies (Women’s Murder Club, #23.5)]]> 75593800 Enjoy three heart-racing thrillers from the New York Times bestselling master of suspense.

23 1/2 LIES ĚýLindsay Boxer's estranged father is gunned down execution-style, and her investigation uncovers life-altering truths. (with Maxine Paetro)

FALLEN RANGERĚý To Rory Yates, being a Texas Ranger means absolute loyalty to the badge. But he’s put through the ultimate test when an armored car robbery suspect might be an ex-Ranger gone rogue.Ěý(with Andrew Bourelle)

WATCH YOUR BACK When a starving artist is paid to expose his client's cheating wife, can he paint the picture that will save his own life? (with Loren D. Estleman)

Ěý]]> 448 James Patterson 1538752727 Lindsey 4 3.51 2023 23 1/2 Lies (Women’s Murder Club, #23.5)
author: James Patterson
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/29
date added: 2023/10/29
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, james-patterson
review:

]]> <![CDATA[I Survived the Joplin Tornado, 2011 (I Survived, #12)]]> 24612545 112 Lauren Tarshis 0545852323 Lindsey 3 4.18 2015 I Survived the Joplin Tornado, 2011 (I Survived, #12)
author: Lauren Tarshis
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2023/10/29
date added: 2023/10/29
shelves: books-i-own, jack-s-chapter-books, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:

]]> Toby's Story: A Puppy Tale 41555953
Toby is a beagle who doesn’t seem to have a purpose. While all of his littermates are adopted right away, Toby is left behind because he's not as energetic as they are. But because he is so quiet, he is adopted by a girl named Mona and her mother, who works at a nursing home. As Toby comforts the residents of the home, he discovers that his purpose may be the most important of all!

Toby’s Story is another uplifting tale of the bond that exists between humans and their cherished animal companions. Young fans of Ellie’s Story , Bailey’s Story , Molly’s Story , and Max’s Story will welcome this new addition to the bestselling series. Includes heartwarming illustrations by Richard Cowdrey and a reading and discussion guide at the end of the book.


More Tales from Bruce Cameron!

FROM
THE PUPPY TALES
Ellie's Story / Bailey's Story / Molly's Story / Max's Story / Lily's Story / Shelby's Story / Toby's Story / Bella's Story / Cooper's Story / Lacey's Story

THE LILY TO THE RESCUE
Lily to the Rescue / Lily to the Two Little Piggies / Lily to the The Not-So-Stinky Skunk / Lily to the Dog Dog Goose / Lily to the Lost Little Leopard / Lily to the The Misfit Donkey / Lily to the Foxes in a Fix / Lily to the The Three Bears

FROM
THE DOG'S PURPOSE
A Dog's Purpose / A Dog's Journey / A Dog's Promise

THE DOG'S WAY HOME
A Dog's Way Home / A Dog's Courage

OTHER TITLES FROM
Love, Diary of a Good Dog
A Dog's Perfect Christmas
The Dogs of Christmas
The Dog Master
Emory's Gift

THE RUDDY MCCAN
The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man / Repo Madness / The Midnight Dog of the Repo Man]]> 192 W. Bruce Cameron 0765394987 Lindsey 0 4.33 Toby's Story: A Puppy Tale
author: W. Bruce Cameron
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/27
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, books-i-own, jack-s-chapter-books, to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Judge's List (The Whistler, #2)]]> 57865158
Then she meets a mysterious woman who is so frightened she uses a number of aliases. Jeri Crosby’s father was murdered twenty years earlier in a case that remains unsolved and that has grown stone cold. But Jeri has a suspect whom she has become obsessed with and has stalked for two decades. Along the way, she has discovered other victims.

The man Jeri holds responsible for all these deaths is brilliant, patient, and always one step ahead of law enforcement. He is the most cunning of all serial killers. He knows forensics, police procedure, and most important: he knows the law.

He is a judge, in Florida—under Lacy’s jurisdiction.

But the man keeps a record of all his victims and targets, people unlucky enough to have crossed his path and wronged him in some way. Lacy must work to take him down, while somehow keeping her name off his list.]]> 357 John Grisham 0385546025 Lindsey 3 3.95 2021 The Judge's List (The Whistler, #2)
author: John Grisham
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2023/10/27
date added: 2023/10/27
shelves: books-i-own, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:
I love John Grisham. This one didn't keep me hook, line and sinker like most of his books do. He is a master at legal thrillers. And this story was a good one, it just didn't keep my attention as strongly as I would have liked.
]]> <![CDATA[Dog Diaries: Big Top Bonanza (Dog Diaries, 7)]]> 61918561 Junior, the first DOG AUTHOR to top theĚýNew York Times bestseller list, goes to the circus!

Imagine my WAG-NIFICENT excitement when I found out the circus was coming to town! I’d do anything to join those muscly mastiffs, tumbling toy poodles, and clowning corgis. Read my latest diary to discover:Ěý
How my pack-pals and I caused carnival chaos!
The way I reunited with the most-wanted escapee from pooch prison.
My show-stealing PAW-formance.
It’s going to be a RE-BARK-ABLE show! With my whole pooch pack alongside me—and, of course, my favorite pet human, RUFF!—what could possibly go wrong?
Ěý]]> 192 James Patterson 0316411027 Lindsey 4 4.09 Dog Diaries: Big Top Bonanza (Dog Diaries, 7)
author: James Patterson
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.09
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/23
date added: 2023/10/23
shelves: books-i-own, jack-s-chapter-books, james-patterson, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:

]]> Starling House 65213595 A grim and gothic new tale from author Alix E. Harrow about a small town haunted by secrets that can't stay buried and the sinister house that sits at the crossroads of it all.

Eden, Kentucky, is just another dying, bad-luck town, known only for the legend of E. Starling, the reclusive nineteenth-century author and illustrator who wrote The Underland--and disappeared. Before she vanished, Starling House appeared. But everyone agrees that it’s best to let the uncanny house―and its last lonely heir, Arthur Starling―go to rot.

Opal knows better than to mess with haunted houses or brooding men, but an unexpected job offer might be a chance to get her brother out of Eden. Too quickly, though, Starling House starts to feel dangerously like something she’s never had: a home.

As sinister forces converge on Starling House, Opal and Arthur are going to have to make a dire choice to dig up the buried secrets of the past and confront their own fears, or let Eden be taken over by literal nightmares.

If Opal wants a home, she’ll have to fight for it.]]> 320 Alix E. Harrow 1250799058 Lindsey 2 3.77 2023 Starling House
author: Alix E. Harrow
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2023/10/20
date added: 2023/10/20
shelves: books-i-own, botm, rw-bookclub, 2023-ng-reading-challenge, 2023-popsugar-reading-challenge
review:
Ugh!!!! This is just a weird book. And for the record I have read and enjoyed books in the fantasy genre. This author's writing wasn't for me. I kept reading because I wanted to finally know what in the world was going on in that Starling House. I'm sure I'm in the minority here, but I just didn't care for this book.
]]> <![CDATA[Dinosaur Disaster! (Dog Diaries: A Middle School Story, #6)]]> 54438994
I have something very IM-PAW-TANT to tell you...

I was with my mutt mates in the dog park when we saw something MONSTROUS through the trees...I recognized it straight away. It was a huge DINO-ROAR !

Now, I know what you're thinking - dino-roars don't exist anymore, right? WRONG . I spotted one in the flesh, well in the bone ...And it smelt tail-waggingly tasty!

I followed its sniff-a-licious scent to the BIGGEST building I've ever seen, and the smells coming from inside were the most dusty, moldy, oldy, dirt-lectable whiffs I've ever wrapped my snout around.

I don't know what the humongous building is, but what I do know is that I just HAVE to get inside. It will be the greatest challenge my pooch pack have ever faced!]]> 208 Steven Butler 1529120284 Lindsey 4 3.94 Dinosaur Disaster! (Dog Diaries: A Middle School Story, #6)
author: Steven Butler
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.94
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/16
date added: 2023/10/16
shelves: books-i-own, jack-s-chapter-books, james-patterson, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ruffing It (Dog Diaries: A Middle School Story, #5)]]> 54816543
Junior is so excited—his human family is going on vacation and this time they're taking him with them. And they're going to the most magical place in the world—THE WOODS! All the sticks you could possible want! Endless raccoons to chase! A lake to doggy-paddle in! It's a canine paradise!

But all of Junior's best plans are ruined when Iona Stricker—the most miserable, cruel, and obedience-obsessed human you could ever meet—shows up and puts an end to his fun. That is, until a fugitive from the local animal shelter sneaks into camp and everything changes.

This vacation might turn out to be fun after all!]]> 208 James Patterson 0316500216 Lindsey 4 4.20 2020 Ruffing It (Dog Diaries: A Middle School Story, #5)
author: James Patterson
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/11
date added: 2023/10/11
shelves: jack-s-chapter-books, james-patterson, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Girl, Forgotten (Andrea Oliver, #2)]]> 59445976
Who killed Emily Vaughn?

Prom Night. Longbill Beach, 1982. Emily Vaughn dresses carefully for what's supposed to be the highlight of any high school career. But Emily has a secret. And by the end of the night, because of that secret, she will be dead.

Nearly forty years later, Andrea Oliver, newly qualified as a US Marshal, receives her first assignment: to go to Longbill Beach to protect a judge receiving death threats. But Andrea's real focus isn't the judge � it's Emily Vaughn. Ever since she first heard Emily's name a year ago, she's been haunted by her brutal death. Nobody was ever convicted � her friends closed ranks, her family shut themselves off in their grief, the town moved on � so the killer is still out there. But now Andrea has a chance to find out what really happened…]]> 400 Karin Slaughter 0062858114 Lindsey 4 3.99 2022 Girl, Forgotten (Andrea Oliver, #2)
author: Karin Slaughter
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/10
date added: 2023/10/10
shelves: books-i-own, botm, 2023-ng-reading-challenge, 2023-popsugar-reading-challenge
review:
Another solid book by Karin Slaughter. I will say I liked the first book in this series a little better, having said that, this was a great storyline that was captivating and kept me guessing until the end. And was that ending a hint of books to come?? I sure hope so!
]]> <![CDATA[Curse of the Mystery Mutt (Dog Diaries: A Middle School Story, #4)]]> 52038931 There's a mystery mischief-maker on the loose in Hills Village! Can Junior solve the mystery before disaster strikes?


Junior is loving his life with the Khatchadorian family. But his idyllic life soon turns to terror when a mysterious individual begins to make trouble in the neighborhood. It starts with a mysterious howling in the night. And when Junior's pooch-pals realize their favorite toys are missing, things get serious.


Junior thinks he knows what is happening. He's heard of a mysterious creature called the Howly Wiener that visits town once a year and fills the stree with monsters. With only a few days until the Night of the Howly Wiener, can Junior come up with a plan to protect himself and his pooch pals and stop the mischief for good?]]> 192 James Patterson 0316430072 Lindsey 4 4.26 2019 Curse of the Mystery Mutt (Dog Diaries: A Middle School Story, #4)
author: James Patterson
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/06
date added: 2023/10/06
shelves: books-i-own, jack-s-chapter-books, james-patterson, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:

]]> The Last Exchange 123261975 “Here’s the catch—even if I make it out of here alive, I need a reason to breathe again.�

When MacThomas Pockets finished his last tour as part of the Scottish Special Forces, he was hired to consult for a film director to finesse some scenes that weren’t working. In a twist he never saw coming, he ended up moving to L.A. to work as the bodyguard for movie star Maybe Joe Sue.

It didn’t take long for Pockets to realize there were two Joe Sues: The Joe Sue the public saw with her perfect life and her Hollywood husband. And the private Joe Sue: the one with the traumatic youth that no amount of pills could cover up, who desperately wanted a child of her own.

Even after their paths diverged, he continued to track Joe Sue’s life. Only a few would notice when the bottom fell out. But he did. And that’s when he stepped in.

The latest novel from New York Times bestselling author Charles Martin travels from Hollywood to rural Montana as one man answers the question: How far would you go—really—to save someone you love?]]> 356 Charles Martin 0785255974 Lindsey 5
Everytime I read his books, I am in awe at how he can take tough, heart wrenching topics and write about them with the most delicate of hands. In addition to that, he comes up with simply the best stories that are not your run of the mill fiction or mystery.

"Scars are just the body's response to things that shouldn't be there. A reminder of the pain."

As with most of his novels, this one is a story within a story. You have Maybe Joe Sue (which let's be honest here - who would ever name their child that!), who is a broken woman with the biggest heart on the planet, but her ife is one big roller coaster ride. And all she wants is to have a baby and be loved. You have Pockets (which let's be honest here is just the coolest name ever!), who is her bodyguard, confidant, safe keeper and moral compass. I think we all could use a Pockets in our lives.

"We are all a mess. And no amount of money, and no amount of drugs, changes that. When you're broken, life is finding beauty in the mess. And then holding in for dear life."

The Last Exchange is about how their lives intersect and to what lengths one will go to for love. It's a story of friendship, commitment, love, forgiveness, intelligence, lots of heart and fight, and survival. Martin's writing is inspirational, beautiful, exciting, emotional and has some surprising mystery and twists built in.

Overall this is a hard to put down page turner, that is one awesome story with incredible characters that have multiple layers to them. And with all of his books, I feel like I've walked away learning something deeper about myself.

"A life laid down is better than one picked up.

Charles Martin is hands down my favorite author. But I promise you that did not influence this review. His book is just that good!

My thanks to Charles Martin, Thomas Nelson Fiction and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]]> 4.23 The Last Exchange
author: Charles Martin
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.23
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/01
date added: 2023/10/01
shelves: religious, netgalley-2023, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:
I want to start this review off by saying if you haven't had the pleasure of reading one of Charles Martin's books, please pick one up now!!!!

Everytime I read his books, I am in awe at how he can take tough, heart wrenching topics and write about them with the most delicate of hands. In addition to that, he comes up with simply the best stories that are not your run of the mill fiction or mystery.

"Scars are just the body's response to things that shouldn't be there. A reminder of the pain."

As with most of his novels, this one is a story within a story. You have Maybe Joe Sue (which let's be honest here - who would ever name their child that!), who is a broken woman with the biggest heart on the planet, but her ife is one big roller coaster ride. And all she wants is to have a baby and be loved. You have Pockets (which let's be honest here is just the coolest name ever!), who is her bodyguard, confidant, safe keeper and moral compass. I think we all could use a Pockets in our lives.

"We are all a mess. And no amount of money, and no amount of drugs, changes that. When you're broken, life is finding beauty in the mess. And then holding in for dear life."

The Last Exchange is about how their lives intersect and to what lengths one will go to for love. It's a story of friendship, commitment, love, forgiveness, intelligence, lots of heart and fight, and survival. Martin's writing is inspirational, beautiful, exciting, emotional and has some surprising mystery and twists built in.

Overall this is a hard to put down page turner, that is one awesome story with incredible characters that have multiple layers to them. And with all of his books, I feel like I've walked away learning something deeper about myself.

"A life laid down is better than one picked up.

Charles Martin is hands down my favorite author. But I promise you that did not influence this review. His book is just that good!

My thanks to Charles Martin, Thomas Nelson Fiction and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
]]> <![CDATA[Happy Howlidays (Dog Diaries: A Middle School Story, #2)]]> 43885024 Dog Diaries is the first book written by a dog AND a #1 New York Times bestseller! When mischievous mutt, Junior, causes a Turkey Day disaster, getting out of the doghouse will take a Christmas miracle!

Are you ready for a festive adventure? Join me, Junior on the most PAWSOME, most BARKTASTIC journey through the HOWLIDAY SEASON. You'll read all about:

FANGSGIVING, CRITTER-MESS and the mysterious SAINT LICK.
Why strange humans called CAROL come and howl at the front door.
And why SHINY TREES suddenly sprout inside your kennel!

This will be the best holiday EVER! As long as the Mom-Lady doesn't find out what I did to the Fangsgiving turkey. You can keep a SECRET, right?

This hilarious, illustrated MIDDLE SCHOOL spin-off about a dog and his boy is perfect for younger readers!]]> 240 James Patterson 0316456187 Lindsey 4 4.20 2019 Happy Howlidays (Dog Diaries: A Middle School Story, #2)
author: James Patterson
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/28
date added: 2023/09/28
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, books-i-own, jack-s-chapter-books, james-patterson
review:

]]> Mother-Daughter Murder Night 65646968
A lighthearted whodunnit about a grandmother-mother-daughter trio of amateur sleuths. Gilmore Girls , but with murder.

High-poweredĚýbusinesswomanĚýLana RubiconĚýhas a lot to beĚýproud her keen intelligence, impeccable taste, and theĚýL.A. real estate empire she’s built.ĚýBut when she finds herself trapped 300 milesĚýnorth of the city,ĚýconvalescingĚýin aĚýsleepy Ěý coastal town with her adult daughterĚýBethĚýand teenage granddaughter Jack, Lana is stuckĚýcounting otters instead of square footage—and hoping that boredom won’t kill her before the cancer does.Ěý

Then Jack—tiny in stature but fiercely independent—happens upon a dead body while kayaking. SheĚýquicklyĚýbecomes a suspect inĚýtheĚýhomicide investigation, and the Rubicon women are thrown into chaos. BethĚýthinks Lana should focus on recovery, but Lana hasĚýa better idea. She’ll pull on her wig,Ěýfind the true murderer, protect her family, and prove she still has power. With Jack andĚýBeth’sĚýhelp, Lana uncovers a web of lies, family vendettas, and land disputes lurking beneath theĚýsurfaceĚýof a community populated by folksy conservationists and wealthy ranchers. But asĚýtheir amateur snooping advances into ever-more dangerous territory,ĚýtheĚýheadstrong Rubicon womenĚýmust learn to do the one thing they’ve always depend on each other.]]> 357 Nina Simon 0063315041 Lindsey 3 3.52 2023 Mother-Daughter Murder Night
author: Nina Simon
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/09/20
date added: 2023/09/20
shelves: rw-bookclub, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dog Diaries (Dog Diaries: A Middle School Story, #1)]]> 39857676 When rule-breaking Rafe has to train his mischievous mutt at obedience school, things are about to get really ruff in this Middle School book for kids and animal lovers everywhere!


Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! I've been waiting for ages to tell my story, and now it's finally happening! Being Rafe's dog isn't always easy, but it is always EXCITING! I've got so much to tell you about:

How I protect the yard from birds, raccoons, squirrels, raccoons, mail carriers . . . and did I mention RACCOONS?
Sniffing pooch posteriors for the latest canine news.
And the terrifying monster hiding in the hall closet: the vacuum cleaner!



These were all the most paw-some parts of my doggie life -- until the evil Mrs. Stricker threatened to send me back to the pound if I didn't learn to behave. Now Rafe and I have to go to obedience school and win the trophy for Best Trained Dog . . . or else!]]> 208 James Patterson 0316487481 Lindsey 5 4.08 2018 Dog Diaries (Dog Diaries: A Middle School Story, #1)
author: James Patterson
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/19
date added: 2023/09/19
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, books-i-own, jack-s-chapter-books, james-patterson
review:

]]> The River We Remember 101160844 In 1958, a small Minnesota town is rocked by the murder of its most powerful citizen, pouring fresh fuel on old grievances in this dazzling standalone novel.

On Memorial Day, as the people of Jewel, Minnesota gather to remember and honor the sacrifice of so many sons in the wars of the past, the half-clothed body of wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn is found floating in the Alabaster River, dead from a shotgun blast. Investigation of the murder falls to Sheriff Brody Dern, a highly decorated war hero who still carries the physical and emotional scars from his military service. Even before Dern has the results of the autopsy, vicious rumors begin to circulate that the killer must be Noah Bluestone, a Native American WWII veteran who has recently returned to Jewel with a Japanese wife. As suspicions and accusations mount and the town teeters on the edge of more violence, Dern struggles not only to find the truth of Quinn’s murder but also put to rest the demons from his own past.

Caught up in the torrent of anger that sweeps through Jewel are a war widow and her adolescent son, the intrepid publisher of the local newspaper, an aging deputy, and a crusading female lawyer, all of whom struggle with their own tragic histories and harbor secrets that Quinn’s death threatens to expose.

Both a complex, spellbinding mystery and a masterful portrait of midcentury American life, The River We Remember is an unflinching look at the wounds left by the wars we fight abroad and at home, a moving exploration of the ways in which we seek to heal, and a testament to the enduring power of the stories we tell about the places we call home.]]> 432 William Kent Krueger 198217921X Lindsey 5 4.18 2023 The River We Remember
author: William Kent Krueger
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/18
date added: 2023/09/18
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, books-i-own, botm
review:
Wow.... just wow. Another amazing book.
]]> <![CDATA[After That Night (Will Trent, #11)]]> 63833664 After that night, nothing was ever the same again

Fifteen years ago, Sara Linton's life changed forever when a celebratory night out ended in a violent attack that tore her world apart. Since then, Sara has remade her life. A successful doctor, engaged to a man she loves, she has finally managed to leave the past behind her.

Until one evening, on call in the ER, everything changes. Sara battles to save a broken young woman who's been brutally attacked. But as the investigation progresses, led by GBI Special Agent Will Trent, it becomes clear that Dani Cooper's assault is uncannily linked to Sara's.

And it seems the past isn't going to stay buried forever.]]> 432 Karin Slaughter 0063157780 Lindsey 5 4.15 2023 After That Night (Will Trent, #11)
author: Karin Slaughter
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/10
date added: 2023/09/10
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, karin-slaughter
review:
I may be slightly biased here because I absolutely love the Will Trent series, but holy cow this is one awesome book!!!! Karin Slaughter you absolutely knocked it out of the park with this book!!!! This story really answers some questions about Sara's back story. The masterful way Slaughter weaves the past and present together to make this insane case that's like nothing you've ever seen on Criminal Minds is simply amazing! Curl up, grab some coffee because once you start this book you won't be able to put it down!
]]> <![CDATA[The Angriest Monster on Mill Street (Monsters on Mill Street)]]> 198553737 32 Sarah Sparks Lindsey 5
“But now when he’s mad, Albie knows how to cope.�

I really recommend these books to teachers and guidance counselors at schools. Great stories with great lessons in a way that kids will be able to relate to.

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]]> 5.00 The Angriest Monster on Mill Street (Monsters on Mill Street)
author: Sarah Sparks
name: Lindsey
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/09
date added: 2023/09/09
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, childrens-books, netgalley-2023
review:
The Angriest Monster on Mill Street is another great book in the mill street series. The author has done an incredible job of picking out behaviors that many children struggle with these days and write a story to help explain these behaviors and how to deal with them. I think that’s a huge issue with young kids these days - they have all these emotions but have not been taught what they mean or how how to manage them. So meet Albie - he is a monster that has a horrible temper and gets so angry that utter chaos erupts around him. Albie has to learn to not only control his tantrums but also fix the mess they cause. What I found interesting in this book is that it can show a child how big their tantrums can turn or be perceived when I often think they don’t realize how their anger comes across. (At least this is my experience some as a mother). As with the other books, the illustrations are bright, colorful and will definitely capture the attention of a child. The cute rhyming prose will help keep a child engaged and teaches some valuable lessons on anger management in a cute, entertaining way.

“But now when he’s mad, Albie knows how to cope.�

I really recommend these books to teachers and guidance counselors at schools. Great stories with great lessons in a way that kids will be able to relate to.

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
]]> <![CDATA[The Bounciest Monster on Mill Street (Monsters on Mill Street)]]> 198391091
With lively illustrations and playful rhymes, each book in the Monsters on Mill Street series follows an energetic and lovable monster on an adventure filled with chaos and unexpected challenges. Every child will recognize a piece of themselves in Becks and the colorful cast of characters on Mill Street.

But wait, there's more! Because the Monsters on Mill Street series is specifically designed to assist children in developing executive functioning and social-emotional learning (SEL) skills, it's a treasure trove for parents, grandparents, and educators who are looking to inspire young readers and empower them to overcome life's challenges.

Your child will enjoy these books so much, they won't even realize they're learning!

Looking for the perfect gift for your child or grandchild? Surprise them with the gift of imagination, creativity, and valuable life lessons wrapped in the form of these beautifully illustrated books. These are stories you child will want to read again and again. Monsters on Mill Street books make wonderful presents for birthdays, holidays, or any special occasion.]]> 32 Sarah Sparks Lindsey 4
Anyone with young children, check out these books!!

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ]]> 4.50 The Bounciest Monster on Mill Street (Monsters on Mill Street)
author: Sarah Sparks
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/09
date added: 2023/09/09
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, childrens-books, netgalley-2023
review:
Another good book in the monsters on mill street series. Meet Becks, who has an endless supply of energy, fidgets, twists, can’t sit still and bounces all over the place. Sounds like most young kids these days! Becks has to learn to slow down, calm down and figure out ways to constructively use all of that energy without getting hurt or causing trouble. A lesson that many kids need. As with the other books in this series, the Illustrations are bright, funny and spot on for catching a kids attention. The rhyming nature of the story will keep a child engaged and help them relate to the story’s message in an entertaining way. I have thoroughly enjoyed these books and highly recommend them for schools.

Anyone with young children, check out these books!!

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
]]> <![CDATA[Balto of the Blue Dawn (Merlin Missions, #26)]]> 34913658
The magic tree house has returned and it’s taking Jack and Annie back in time to Alaska, 1925. There they meet Balto, a jet-black Siberian husky destined to save victims of the diphtheria epidemic. But the trail isn’t easy, and Balto is going to need Jack and Annie’s help!

Formerly numbered as Magic Tree House #54, the title of this book is now Magic Tree House Merlin Mission #26: Balto of the Blue Dawn .

Did you know that there’s a Magic Tree House book for every kid?

Magic Tree Adventures with Jack and Annie, perfect for readers who are just beginning chapter books
Merlin More challenging adventures for the experienced reader
Super A longer and more dangerous adventure
Fact Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House adventures]]> 144 Mary Pope Osborne 0553510886 Lindsey 4 4.18 2016 Balto of the Blue Dawn (Merlin Missions, #26)
author: Mary Pope Osborne
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/07
date added: 2023/09/07
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, childrens-books, jack-s-chapter-books
review:

]]> Jacky Ha-Ha (Jacky Ha-Ha, #1) 25861096
With her irresistible urge to tell a joke in every situation—even when she really, really shouldn't—twelve-year-old Jacky Ha-Ha loves to make people laugh. And cracking wise helps distract her from thinking about not-so-funny things in her life, like her mom serving in a dangerous, faraway war, and a dad who's hardly ever home.

But no matter how much fun Jacky has, she can't seem to escape her worries. So one starlit night, she makes a promise to keep her family together...even if she has to give up the one thing that makes her happy. But can she stop being Jacky Ha-Ha, if that's who she really is?

Don't miss Jacky Ha-Ha's other hilarious Ěý Jacky My Life is a JokeĚý and ĚýJacky Ha-Ha Gets the Last Laugh !Ěý Ěý]]> 384 James Patterson 0316262498 Lindsey 3 4.24 2016 Jacky Ha-Ha (Jacky Ha-Ha, #1)
author: James Patterson
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2023/09/05
date added: 2023/09/05
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, jack-s-chapter-books, james-patterson
review:
My son and I read this one to prepare for a crossover bok in one of James Patterson's series. We had a hard time getting into this book.
]]> Asha and the Toymaker (-) 102834139 A heartwarming story about the value of art, set in the evocative Blue City of India.

Asha’s papa makes and sells wooden toys to pay for her to go to school. But Papa struggles to find buyers. And this makes him worry. He worries Asha’s life will also be a struggle unless she focuses on her schoolwork, which he never had the chance to do. Can Asha’s art help Papa? Will he let her try?

Author and illustrator Sakshi Mangal drew inspiration from her childhood in India for this sweet picture book. It celebrates the life-changing power of art in the real world, and offers children an opportunity to explore the concept of color and the influence of the visual arts in their everyday lives. Asha’s touching generosity and resourcefulness also show how even a very young child can make a difference and provide a wonderful character education lesson on initiative. Mangal’s colorful art depicts the Indian city of Jodhpur, known as the Blue City for its many buildings painted a distinctive shade of blue.]]> 40 Sakshi Mangal 1525306669 Lindsey 2
Let me start off with the positives - I love books that help teach us about other cultures and ethnicities. I liked that it showed a side of life that many American kids don't have to struggle with - whether or not you're going to get an education. In this story, Asha's father sells toys so he can give her an education and better life than he had. Being married into an Indian family, I was especially excited to read this one. I think the illustrations are beautiful and bright. And I liked the overall theme of the book - "A timeless tale of the power of art and being brave enough to share your gifts" (as written by the author).

Here is my big problem with this story - there is a scene where Asha directly ignores her Papa's directions and instructions. Instead of doing what he asked of her, which was to study and do her homework, she decides to paint all of his toys after he told her not to. While in the end everything works out for the best, I feel this is sending the wrong message to young children - you can defy your parents and do whatever you want. I believe there were other ways this ending could have been written to still show the author's overall message without damaging the basic rules of parenting.

I purposely did not read this book with my son, which is a shame because he is half Indian and I love for him to read books about his culture. I chose not to because of my reasons above on the wrong message it sends.

With the right editing, the bones are there for this to have been a great book with a great message for kids. But it missed the mark.

My thanks to Sakshi Mangal, Kids Can Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]]> 3.94 Asha and the Toymaker (-)
author: Sakshi Mangal
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.94
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2023/09/04
date added: 2023/09/04
shelves: netgalley-2023, childrens-books, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:
I have mixed emotions about this children's book. My rating is 2.5 stars.

Let me start off with the positives - I love books that help teach us about other cultures and ethnicities. I liked that it showed a side of life that many American kids don't have to struggle with - whether or not you're going to get an education. In this story, Asha's father sells toys so he can give her an education and better life than he had. Being married into an Indian family, I was especially excited to read this one. I think the illustrations are beautiful and bright. And I liked the overall theme of the book - "A timeless tale of the power of art and being brave enough to share your gifts" (as written by the author).

Here is my big problem with this story - there is a scene where Asha directly ignores her Papa's directions and instructions. Instead of doing what he asked of her, which was to study and do her homework, she decides to paint all of his toys after he told her not to. While in the end everything works out for the best, I feel this is sending the wrong message to young children - you can defy your parents and do whatever you want. I believe there were other ways this ending could have been written to still show the author's overall message without damaging the basic rules of parenting.

I purposely did not read this book with my son, which is a shame because he is half Indian and I love for him to read books about his culture. I chose not to because of my reasons above on the wrong message it sends.

With the right editing, the bones are there for this to have been a great book with a great message for kids. But it missed the mark.

My thanks to Sakshi Mangal, Kids Can Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
]]> Someday, Maybe 59952176 A stunning and witty debut novel about a young woman’s emotional journey through unimaginable loss, pulled along by her tight-knit Nigerian family, a posse of new friends, and the love and laughter she shared with her husband. Onyi Nwabineli is a fresh new voice for fans of Yaa Gyasi, Queenie and I May Destroy You.

Here are three things you should know about my husband:
1. He was the great love of my life despite his penchant for going incommunicado.
2. He was, as far as I and everyone else could tell, perfectly happy. Which is significant because�
3. On New Year’s Eve, he committed suicide.

And here is one thing you should know about me:
1. I found him.

Bonus fact: No. I am not okay.]]> 342 Onyi Nwabineli 1525899805 Lindsey 2 3.88 2022 Someday, Maybe
author: Onyi Nwabineli
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2022
rating: 2
read at: 2023/09/03
date added: 2023/09/03
shelves: books-i-own, botm, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:
This book was not exactly what I expected. I feel bad rating it so low because it's about grief, suicide and trying to live again after your husband commits suicide. I feel like I kept reading the same thing over and over and over again throughout 300+ pages. I got very frustrated with Eve, and I feel horrible feeling that way because she's the widow. This is a really sad book. This is not one to read for anyone who has recently lost a loved one, and definitely not for anyone who has dealt with suicide. This book wasn't for me.
]]> Chasing Fireflies 241388 They have one summer to find what was lost long ago.

"Never settle for less than the truth," she told him.

But when you don't even know your real name, the truth gets a little complicated. It can nestle so close to home it's hard to see. It can even flourish inside a lie. And as Chase Walker discovered, learning the truth about who you are can be as elusive--and as magical--as chasing fireflies on a summer night.

A haunting story about fishing, baseball, home cooking, and other matters of life and death...from the author of The Dead Don't Dance and When Crickets Cry.

]]> 342 Charles Martin 1595540563 Lindsey 5
"Love does that. It names the nameless and gives voice to the voiceless."

I truly cannot do justice with a review on any of Charles Martin's books. He is my favorite author, ever! Pick up one of his books and read them. You won't be disappointed. ]]> 4.27 2007 Chasing Fireflies
author: Charles Martin
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/01
date added: 2023/09/01
shelves: religious, books-i-own, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:
Oh Charles Martin, you've done it again! Your writing totally breaks my heart and then heals it by the end. I am forever in awe of how you put such powerful life lessons and God's voice in your stories. This is an incredible story about fathers and sons - their love, sacrifice and relationships. And on top of this is a really great mystery.

"Love does that. It names the nameless and gives voice to the voiceless."

I truly cannot do justice with a review on any of Charles Martin's books. He is my favorite author, ever! Pick up one of his books and read them. You won't be disappointed.
]]> <![CDATA[Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World]]> 32951877 When it comes to anxiety, depression, and stress-related illnesses, America is the frontrunner. Max Lucado, provides a roadmap for battling with and healing from anxiety.

Does the uncertainty and chaos of life keep you up at night? Is irrational worry your constant companion? Could you use some calm? If the answer is yes, you are not alone. According to one research program, anxiety-related issues are the number one mental health problem among women and are second only to alcohol and drug abuse among men. Stress-related ailments cost the nation $300 billion every year in medical bills and lost productivity. And use of sedative drugs like Xanax and Valium have skyrocketed in the last 15 years. Even students are feeling it. One psychologist reports that the average high school kid today has the same level of anxiety as the average psychiatric patient in the early 1950s. Chances are, you or someone you know seriously struggles with anxiety.

Max writes, "The news about our anxiety is enough to make us anxious.� He knows what it feels like to be overcome by the worries and fear of life, which is why he is dedicated to helping millions of readers take back control of their minds and, as a result, their lives.

Anxious for Nothing invites readers to delve into Philippians 4:6-7. After all, it is the most highlighted passage of any book on the planet, according to Amazon:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

]]> 240 Max Lucado 0718096126 Lindsey 4 4.14 2017 Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World
author: Max Lucado
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/30
date added: 2023/08/30
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, religious
review:

]]> What a Dog Knows 54860415 From New York Times bestselling author Susan Wilson comes What a Dog Knows, another heartwarming novel about humans and the dogs that change our lives.

Ruby Heartwood has always lived a life on the move. As a traveling psychic, she makes her living working at carnivals and festivals and circuses around New England. It's a life Ruby has made peace with--settling in one place has never been for her. She needs no one, and no one needs her.

Until one night, when she is camped by the side of the road in her trusty Volkswagon Westie van, a fierce thunder and lightning storm erupts. In the middle of the downpour, she hears a distinct voice telling her to let me in. In jumps a little black and white dog, and to Ruby's astonishment, she can hear the dog's thoughts. Has she been struck by lightning? Did the storm do this? Is she losing her mind?

It turns out, Ruby can hear many dogs' thoughts. She decides to set up semi-permanent residency in the town of Harmony Farms, until she can sort out what is going on, and who the little dog, Hitch, belongs to. But some people in Harmony Farms don't want her there. And it seems that events keep preventing Ruby from leaving. What secrets is this town keeping? Why was she meant to find this dog? And what has Ruby really been running from, all these years?]]> 368 Susan Wilson 1250077265 Lindsey 4
Can you imagine how awesome it would be to have the ability to talk to your dog? That's one of Ruby's gifts as a psychic, fortune teller. This is a delightful story that has a little mystery and humor while bringing in themes of faith, family, hope and self discovery. The beginning is a tad slow but overall it's a sweet, uplifting read. This is definitely a book you should give a try.

My thanks to Susan Wilson, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ]]> 4.05 2021 What a Dog Knows
author: Susan Wilson
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/30
date added: 2023/08/30
shelves: netgalley-2021, netgalley-2022, netgalley-2023, 2023-ng-reading-challenge, macland-ladies-bookclub, 2023-popsugar-reading-challenge
review:
If you are a dog lover, or just love books with dogs as a main character, then I encourage you to check out this book and others by Susan Wlson.

Can you imagine how awesome it would be to have the ability to talk to your dog? That's one of Ruby's gifts as a psychic, fortune teller. This is a delightful story that has a little mystery and humor while bringing in themes of faith, family, hope and self discovery. The beginning is a tad slow but overall it's a sweet, uplifting read. This is definitely a book you should give a try.

My thanks to Susan Wilson, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
]]> Send for Me 53481714 An achingly beautiful work of historical fiction that moves between Germany on the eve of World War II and present day Wisconsin, unspooling a thread of love, longing, and the ceaseless push and pull of family

Annelise is a dreamer: imagining her future while working at her parents' popular bakery in Feldenheim, Germany, anticipating all the delicious possibilities yet to come. There are rumors that anti-Jewish sentiment is on the rise, but Annelise and her parents can't quite believe that it will affect them; they're hardly religious at all. But as Annelise falls in love, marries, and gives birth to her daughter, the dangers grow closer: a brick thrown through her window; a childhood friend who cuts ties with her; customers refusing to patronize the bakery. Luckily Annelise and her husband are given the chance to leave for America, but they must go without her parents, whose future and safety are uncertain.

Two generations later, in a small Midwestern city, Annelise's granddaughter, Clare, is a young woman newly in love. But when she stumbles upon a trove of her grandmother's letters from Germany, she sees the history of her family's sacrifices in a new light, and suddenly she's faced with an impossible choice: the past, or her future. A novel of dazzling emotional richness, Send for Me is a major departure for this acclaimed author, an epic and intimate exploration of mothers and daughters, duty and obligation, hope and forgiveness.]]> 272 Lauren Fox Lindsey 3
This story itself is beautiful and heartbreaking. The author presents the story in a slightly different style than most WWII books about the Holocaust. The structure of this book gets rather confusing at times. It's not simply a dual timeline - the story jumps all over the place. Honestly there are a few characters introduced that I don't feel offers anything to thr story other than muddy the waters. And then all of a sudden the story ends without any clear resolutions for some of the key characters.

I feel maybe part of me had higher expectations because I was so moved by the display in my library. I also wish the author's note at the end had been placed in the beginning. It would have set a very different tone for the book, possibly made parts less confusing.

Overall it is a beautiful story. There's just a few parts that didn't match my expectations going into this book. ]]> 3.37 2021 Send for Me
author: Lauren Fox
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.37
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2023/08/22
date added: 2023/08/22
shelves: read-with-jenna, books-i-own, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:
My library put up an incredible display on the Holocaust. I got the opportunity to take my son through the display and talk about what the Holocaust was, how and why it happened but also why it's so important to learn about this event in history and never forget all of those families lost, murdered, destroyed. After seeing that display and having conversations with my son (who hasn't learned about this yet in his history class), I was inspired to read a book that touched on this subject.

This story itself is beautiful and heartbreaking. The author presents the story in a slightly different style than most WWII books about the Holocaust. The structure of this book gets rather confusing at times. It's not simply a dual timeline - the story jumps all over the place. Honestly there are a few characters introduced that I don't feel offers anything to thr story other than muddy the waters. And then all of a sudden the story ends without any clear resolutions for some of the key characters.

I feel maybe part of me had higher expectations because I was so moved by the display in my library. I also wish the author's note at the end had been placed in the beginning. It would have set a very different tone for the book, possibly made parts less confusing.

Overall it is a beautiful story. There's just a few parts that didn't match my expectations going into this book.
]]> I Funny: School of Laughs 34847028
Even though he has a national contest trophy and a TV show under his belt, Jamie Grimm isn't one to sit back and relax. When his school has a major funding crisis, Jamie hits on a bright idea to save the day � a comedy class for the other students. Little does he know that making jokes and teaching jokes are two very different things... and he's only good at one of them.

With the fate of his school's library on his shoulders, Jamie has to dig deep to see if he has what it takes to succeed at his most difficult challenge yet.]]> 320 James Patterson 1784754021 Lindsey 4 "Be kind because everyone you meet could be fighting a hard battle you know nothing about.
So I say... keep 'em laughing."

Couldn't have said it better James Patterson! I love this series and the message in them. Oh, and my son has loved them and we have laughed hysterically.]]> 3.75 I Funny: School of Laughs
author: James Patterson
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.75
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/20
date added: 2023/08/20
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, books-i-own, jack-s-chapter-books, james-patterson
review:
"Be kind because everyone you meet could be fighting a hard battle you know nothing about.
So I say... keep 'em laughing."

Couldn't have said it better James Patterson! I love this series and the message in them. Oh, and my son has loved them and we have laughed hysterically.
]]> <![CDATA[The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind]]> 22504703 TheĚýNew York TimesĚýbestselling memoir of the heroic young inventor who brought electricity to his Malawian village is now perfect for young readers

When a terrible drought struck William Kamkwamba's tiny village in Malawi, his family lost all of the season's crops, leaving them with nothing to eat and nothing to sell. William began to explore science books in his village library, looking for a solution. There, he came up with the idea that would change his family's life forever: he could build a windmill. Made out of scrap metal and old bicycle parts, William's windmill brought electricity to his home and helped his family pump the water they needed to farm the land.

Retold for a younger audience, this exciting memoir shows how, even in a desperate situation, one boy's brilliant idea can light up the world. Complete with photographs, illustrations, and an epilogue that will bring readers up to date on William's story, this is the perfect edition to read and share with the whole family.]]> 304 William Kamkwamba 0803740808 Lindsey 4 4.20 2009 The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
author: William Kamkwamba
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/20
date added: 2023/08/20
shelves: 2022-ng-reading-challenge, books-i-own, jack-s-chapter-books, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:

]]> One Day in December 38255337 Two people. Ten chances. One unforgettable love story.

Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn't exist anywhere but the movies. But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there's a moment of pure magic... and then her bus drives away.

Certain they're fated to find each other again, Laurie spends a year scanning every bus stop and cafe in London for him. But she doesn't find him, not when it matters anyway. Instead they "reunite" at a Christmas party, when her best friend Sarah giddily introduces her new boyfriend to Laurie. It's Jack, the man from the bus. It would be.

What follows for Laurie, Sarah and Jack is ten years of friendship, heartbreak, missed opportunities, roads not taken, and destinies reconsidered. One Day in December is a joyous, heartwarming and immensely moving love story to escape into and a reminder that fate takes inexplicable turns along the route to happiness.

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780525574682.]]> 393 Josie Silver Lindsey 4 3.80 2018 One Day in December
author: Josie Silver
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/16
date added: 2023/08/16
shelves: rw-bookclub, books-i-own, 2023-ng-reading-challenge, 2023-popsugar-reading-challenge
review:
I'm a sucker for a good love story. And this is a good love story! Definitely feeling some CoHo vibes with this one. Charming story that will tug at your heart strings one minute and make you laugh out loud the next.
]]> The Lies I Tell 59412817
Two women. Many aliases.

Meg Williams. Maggie Littleton. Melody Wilde. Different names for the same person, depending on the town, depending on the job. She's a con artist who erases herself to become whoever you need her to be―a college student. A life coach. A real estate agent. Nothing about her is real. She slides alongside you and tells you exactly what you need to hear, and by the time she's done, you've likely lost everything.

Kat Roberts has been waiting ten years for the woman who upended her life to return. And now that she has, Kat is determined to be the one to expose her. But as the two women grow closer, Kat's long-held assumptions begin to crumble, leaving Kat to wonder who Meg's true target is.

The Lies I Tell is a twisted domestic thriller that dives deep into the psyches and motivations of two women and their unwavering quest to seek justice for the past and rewrite the future.]]> 302 Julie Clark 1728247594 Lindsey 5 4.05 2022 The Lies I Tell
author: Julie Clark
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/08/10
date added: 2023/08/10
shelves: books-i-own, botm, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:
This is a crazy good and twisty book! It grabbed me from page one and couldn't put it down!! That ending was awesome!!!
]]> <![CDATA[Shadow of the Shark (Magic Tree House, #53)]]> 23743742 It's a dream vacation for Jack and Annie--or is it?
When Teddy, a young sorcerer, offers to send Jack and Annie on a dream vacation, they can't wait to go. The brother-and-sister pair wish for a trip to a beach paradise, and the magic tree house whisks them off to the coast of Mexico. Everything starts out perfectly as they raft around a coral reef. But then a hungry shark attacks! And their dream vacation turns into a nightmare!
Have more fun with Jack and Annie on the Magic Tree House(R) website at MagicTreeHouse.com.]]> 144 Mary Pope Osborne 0553510827 Lindsey 3 3.83 2015 Shadow of the Shark (Magic Tree House, #53)
author: Mary Pope Osborne
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2023/08/07
date added: 2023/08/07
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, childrens-books, jack-s-chapter-books
review:

]]> Imperfect Justice 40590435 400 Cara C. Putman 0785224637 Lindsey 4 4.33 2017 Imperfect Justice
author: Cara C. Putman
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/06
date added: 2023/08/06
shelves: religious, books-i-own, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:
I really enjoy Cara Putman's writing. She puts all my favorite genres into one book. And the stories are good. I read this series a little backwards, started with #3 then went back and read #1 & #2. I do hope she continues this series. It gets better as it goes.
]]> <![CDATA[All That Is Mine I Carry With Me]]> 61058004 A mother vanished. A father presumed guilty. There is no proof. There are no witnesses. For the children, there is only doubt. From the New York Times bestselling author of Defending Jacob. . . .

One afternoon in November 1975, ten-year-old Miranda Larkin comes home from school to find her house eerily quiet. Her mother is missing. Nothing else is out of place. There is no sign of struggle. Her mom's pocketbook remains in the front hall, in its usual spot.

So begins a mystery that will span a lifetime. What happened to Jane Larkin?

Investigators suspect Jane's husband. A criminal defense attorney, Dan Larkin would surely be an expert in outfoxing the police.

But no evidence is found linking him to a crime, and the case fades from the public's memory, a simmering, unresolved riddle. Jane's three children--Alex, Jeff, and Miranda--are left to be raised by the man who may have murdered their mother.

Two decades later, the remains of Jane Larkin are found. The investigation is awakened. The children, now grown, are forced to choose sides. With their father or against him? Guilty or innocent? And what happens if they are wrong?

A tale about family--family secrets and vengeance, but also family love--All That Is Mine I Carry With Me masterfully grapples with a primal question: When does loyalty reach its limit?]]> 320 William Landay 0345531841 Lindsey 4
I needed a day or two to think about this book and that ending. First let me say I was over the moon excited to read this book. Defending Jacob is a knockout book that is one of my favorites. The layers Landay builds in that book leading up to an ending I still to this day can't get out of my head was just brilliant. I say that to set the stage for my expectations for this book.

Is All That I Carry With Me good? Yes. Does it meet the high bar set by Defending Jacob? Not completely...

Landay writes a compelling story that makes you really think about where your loyalties would lie if you were one of the characters in this book. Do you seek justice for your mom who has disappeared or do you stand by your father who is accused of her murder? I thought he did an exceptional job letting you feel all the emotions these three kids go through - from fear, confusion, anger, depression, guilt, sadness, frustration. How each of them look elsewhere for the love they missed from their mother taken too early in their lives. How the community treated them differently because of what their father was accused of. It's the classic police frustration - all signs point to the husband yet there isn't the evidence to back it up. So what happened to Jane and did her husband have anything to do with it? Alot of those layers I craved were there in this book.

Here is where things fell slightly short for me - the structure. It jumps between multiple POVs that got a litle messy at times. For a second it appears Landay tells you who the killer is in the middle of the book, but as you get deeper you realize this is Miranda writing her own story. The ending did not pack the punch I had hoped for. And speaking of that ending, it still left me with several questions. In a way I felt that ending was just a little too convenient versus the huge wow factor I had expected.

Having said all of that, I know it's not fair to compare this book to Defending Jacob. I wasn't looking for that storyline all over again, just the magical suspense he created in that book. Had this been the first book of Landay's I had ever read, I would still have rated it 4 stars. It's a good book and one I would recommend. And I will be just as excited to read any future books he writes.

My thanks to William Landay, Random House Publishing - Ballantine and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]]> 3.75 2023 All That Is Mine I Carry With Me
author: William Landay
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/30
date added: 2023/08/02
shelves: netgalley-2023, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:
3.5 stars, rounded up.

I needed a day or two to think about this book and that ending. First let me say I was over the moon excited to read this book. Defending Jacob is a knockout book that is one of my favorites. The layers Landay builds in that book leading up to an ending I still to this day can't get out of my head was just brilliant. I say that to set the stage for my expectations for this book.

Is All That I Carry With Me good? Yes. Does it meet the high bar set by Defending Jacob? Not completely...

Landay writes a compelling story that makes you really think about where your loyalties would lie if you were one of the characters in this book. Do you seek justice for your mom who has disappeared or do you stand by your father who is accused of her murder? I thought he did an exceptional job letting you feel all the emotions these three kids go through - from fear, confusion, anger, depression, guilt, sadness, frustration. How each of them look elsewhere for the love they missed from their mother taken too early in their lives. How the community treated them differently because of what their father was accused of. It's the classic police frustration - all signs point to the husband yet there isn't the evidence to back it up. So what happened to Jane and did her husband have anything to do with it? Alot of those layers I craved were there in this book.

Here is where things fell slightly short for me - the structure. It jumps between multiple POVs that got a litle messy at times. For a second it appears Landay tells you who the killer is in the middle of the book, but as you get deeper you realize this is Miranda writing her own story. The ending did not pack the punch I had hoped for. And speaking of that ending, it still left me with several questions. In a way I felt that ending was just a little too convenient versus the huge wow factor I had expected.

Having said all of that, I know it's not fair to compare this book to Defending Jacob. I wasn't looking for that storyline all over again, just the magical suspense he created in that book. Had this been the first book of Landay's I had ever read, I would still have rated it 4 stars. It's a good book and one I would recommend. And I will be just as excited to read any future books he writes.

My thanks to William Landay, Random House Publishing - Ballantine and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
]]> 28 Summers 52588078
When Mallory Blessing's son, Link, receives deathbed instructions from his mother to call a number on a slip of paper in her desk drawer, he's not sure what to expect. But he certainly does not expect Jake McCloud to answer. It's the late spring of 2020 and Jake's wife, Ursula DeGournsey, is the frontrunner in the upcoming Presidential election.

There must be a mistake, Link thinks. How do Mallory and Jake know each other?

Flash back to the sweet summer of 1993: Mallory has just inherited a beachfront cottage on Nantucket from her aunt, and she agrees to host her brother's bachelor party. Cooper's friend from college, Jake McCloud, attends, and Jake and Mallory form a bond that will persevere -- through marriage, children, and Ursula's stratospheric political rise -- until Mallory learns she's dying.

Based on the classic film Same Time Next Year (which Mallory and Jake watch every summer), 28 Summers explores the agony and romance of a one-weekend-per-year affair and the dramatic ways this relationship complicates and enriches their lives, and the lives of the people they love.]]> 432 Elin Hilderbrand 0316420042 Lindsey 5 4.12 2020 28 Summers
author: Elin Hilderbrand
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/23
date added: 2023/07/23
shelves: to-read-not-on-a-shelf, books-i-own, 2023-ng-reading-challenge, 2023-popsugar-reading-challenge
review:
Hands down I think this was EH best book. I just loved how she structured it - reminiscing through thr years of relevant events. And the love story between Jake and Mallory was magical. I could not put this book down. My heart will hurt for a while from that ending.
]]> <![CDATA[Rhinos at Recess (Magic Tree House #37)]]> 61356568
Jack and Annie are on the playground at recess when they feel the magic tree house calling them. They sneak away and are whisked off on an adventure in South Africa, where a majestic rhino needs saving! There are a swooping helicopter, strict park rangers, and--most terrifying of all--poachers. How do you hide one of the largest land mammals in the flat terrain of the African savanna? Jack and Annie are going to need a little bit of magic for this mission!

Did you know that there's a Magic Tree House book for every kid?
Magic Tree Perfect for readers who are just beginning chapter books
Merlin More challenging adventures for the experienced reader
Fact Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House adventures

If you're looking for Merlin Mission #37: Dragon of the Red Dawn , it was renumbered as Merlin Mission #9 when the series was rebranded in 2017.]]> 96 Mary Pope Osborne 0593488504 Lindsey 3 4.05 2023 Rhinos at Recess (Magic Tree House #37)
author: Mary Pope Osborne
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/07/21
date added: 2023/07/21
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, childrens-books, jack-s-chapter-books
review:

]]> Take It Back 50403511
One victim.
Four accused.
Who is telling the truth?

Zara Kaleel, one of London's brightest legal minds, shattered the expectations placed on her by her family and forged a brilliant legal career. But her decisions came at a high cost, and now, battling her own demons, she has exchanged her high profile career for a job at a sexual assault center, helping victims who need her the most. Victims like Jodie Wolfe.

When Jodie, a sixteen-year-old girl with facial deformities, accuses four boys in her class of an unthinkable crime, the community is torn apart. After all, these four teenage defendants are from hard-working immigrant families and they all have proven alibis. Even Jodie's best friend doesn't believe her.

But Zara does―and she is determined to fight for Jodie―to find the truth in the face of public outcry. And as issues of sex, race and social justice collide, the most explosive criminal trial of the year builds to a shocking conclusion.]]> 304 Kia Abdullah 1250273013 Lindsey 5
First, we have an amazing court room drama that is a he said/she said battle to the end. It was extremely interesting reading about England's justice system and how they proceed versus how the US does things. The author lays this case out from every possible angle. Is Jodie telling the truth? Did these boys do this horrific crime? If Jodie is lying, why would she? At one point I felt like I was watching a tennis match with my head going back and forth between sides. The author does THAT good of a job keeping you guessing until the end.

Second, she dives head first into some dangerous waters with race, religion, gender, rape, disability, drugs, assault. How does religion shape who we are and how we view others? The author makes several thought provoking points and situations that may challenge your ideology. I felt it was masterful how she navigates this rough and touchy terrain.

That ending!!! Wow, wow, wow!! Talk about a plot twist I never saw coming. Battle lines are drawn and lives are forever changed. The author will push you out of your comfort zone in this book, and that's really a compliment. It's brilliant! A surprising read that grabbed me from the beginning and had me spinning at the end!

My thanks to Kia Abdullah, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]]> 4.02 2019 Take It Back
author: Kia Abdullah
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/19
date added: 2023/07/19
shelves: netgalley-2020, netgalley-2021, netgalley-2022, netgalley-2023, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:
Holy legal thrillers Batman! Wow, what did I just read and that ending???? Talk about a case I would not want to be on the jury for. Wow. Not too many times does a book render me almost speechless and in shock. And I mean this in the most positive way. So let's dissect this here....

First, we have an amazing court room drama that is a he said/she said battle to the end. It was extremely interesting reading about England's justice system and how they proceed versus how the US does things. The author lays this case out from every possible angle. Is Jodie telling the truth? Did these boys do this horrific crime? If Jodie is lying, why would she? At one point I felt like I was watching a tennis match with my head going back and forth between sides. The author does THAT good of a job keeping you guessing until the end.

Second, she dives head first into some dangerous waters with race, religion, gender, rape, disability, drugs, assault. How does religion shape who we are and how we view others? The author makes several thought provoking points and situations that may challenge your ideology. I felt it was masterful how she navigates this rough and touchy terrain.

That ending!!! Wow, wow, wow!! Talk about a plot twist I never saw coming. Battle lines are drawn and lives are forever changed. The author will push you out of your comfort zone in this book, and that's really a compliment. It's brilliant! A surprising read that grabbed me from the beginning and had me spinning at the end!

My thanks to Kia Abdullah, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
]]> To Kill a Mockingbird 2657 "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

A lawyer's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic novel - a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with exuberant humour the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s. The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man's struggle for justice. But the weight of history will only tolerate so much.

"To Kill A Mockingbird" became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film.]]> 323 Harper Lee 0060935464 Lindsey 5 4.25 1960 To Kill a Mockingbird
author: Harper Lee
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1960
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/15
date added: 2023/07/15
shelves: rory-gilmore-book-list-edited, 2023-ng-reading-challenge, 2023-popsugar-reading-challenge
review:
No matter how many times I read this book, it’s still a classic and one of the best books written.
]]> <![CDATA[The Last Party (DC Morgan, #1)]]> 60305071 At midnight, one of them is dead.
By morning, all of them are suspects.

It's a party to end all parties, but not everyone is here to celebrate.

On New Year’s Eve, Rhys Lloyd has a house full of guests. His vacation homes on Mirror Lake are a success, and he’s generously invited the village to drink champagne with their wealthy new neighbors.

But by midnight, Rhys will be floating dead in the freezing waters of the lake.

On New Year’s Day, Ffion Morgan has a village full of suspects. The tiny community is her home, so the suspects are her neighbors, friends and family—and Ffion has her own secrets to protect.

With a lie uncovered at every turn, soon the question isn’t who wanted Rhys dead…but who finally killed him.

In a village with this many secrets, murder is just the beginning. ]]> 432 Clare Mackintosh 172825096X Lindsey 3 3.70 2022 The Last Party (DC Morgan, #1)
author: Clare Mackintosh
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/07/13
date added: 2023/07/13
shelves: books-i-own, botm, 2023-ng-reading-challenge, 2023-popsugar-reading-challenge
review:
This book was just okay for me. I loved all the layers the author added to the story. It felt like a game of Clue - it was Ms. Watson in the library with the candlestick! I honestly didn't know until the end who killed Rhys Lloyd. Having said that, that was also part of the problem. With all the layers the story jumps back and forth in time and at some points gets confusing on if you're reading present day or past. While it was just okay for me, it's still an interesting story. And I do like Clare Mackintosh so I'll definitely still read more of her books.
]]> The Homewreckers 58725023 Summer begins with Mary Kay Andrews, in this delightful summer read about flipping houses, and finding true love.

Hattie Kavanaugh went to work helping clean up restored homes for Kavanaugh & Son Restorations at 18; married the boss’s son at 20; and was only 25 when her husband, Hank, was killed in a motorcycle accident.

Broken hearted, but determined to continue the business of their dreams, she takes the life insurance money, buys a small house in a gentrifying neighborhood, flips it, then puts the money into her next project. But that house is a disaster and a money-loser, which rocks her confidence for years to come. Then, Hattie gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: star in a beach house renovation reality show called The Homewreckers, cast against a male lead who may be a love interest, or may be the ultimate antagonist. It's a question of who will flip, and who will flop, and will Hattie ever get her happily-ever-after.

Filled with Mary Kay Andrews's trademark wit, warmth, junking trips, and house porn, The Homewreckers is a summer beach delight.]]> 464 Mary Kay Andrews 1250278368 Lindsey 5
This is a great read you won't want to miss!!

My thanks to Mary Kay Andrews, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]]> 3.73 2022 The Homewreckers
author: Mary Kay Andrews
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/08
date added: 2023/07/08
shelves: netgalley-2022, netgalley-2023, macland-ladies-bookclub, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:
I am a huge MKA fan and boy this book does not disappoint. Being a Georgia girl, I loved the setting in Savannah. I know all the streets and really felt like I was a part of The Homewreckers show! Now any good Southern cook will tell you we don't measure ingredients or follow recipes. We cook from the heart. And that's just what MKA did with this book. You have a little romance, a chunk of mystery, a dash of forgiveness, a sprinkle of life after loss and what comes out is a beautiful beach read that you'll devour!! I loved the story, the character dynamics, the romantic tension and the mystery. Every old house has a story to tell and this one on Tybee Island has one heck of a story hidden in it's walls.

This is a great read you won't want to miss!!

My thanks to Mary Kay Andrews, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
]]> <![CDATA[When I Go to Church, I Belong: Finding My Place in God's Family as a Child with Special Needs]]> 123606562 32 Elrena Evans 1514006677 Lindsey 5
The author wrote at the end "Relationships grow not from the absence of difference but from the presence of what is shared. And it's okay to start small. Maybe just begin with just a smile - a smile that says When you come ti church, you belong." I believe she accomplished this in her story.

I read this book with my son who also enjoyed the message. It's beautiful and inspiring. I would recommend this book to all churches and children's ministries.

My thanks to the author, IVP Kids and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
]]> 4.46 When I Go to Church, I Belong: Finding My Place in God's Family as a Child with Special Needs
author: Elrena Evans
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.46
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/02
date added: 2023/07/02
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, netgalley-2023, religious
review:
Church is the one place we should all belong. As an adult with disabilities, I appreciate a book focused on how children with disabilities can belong and fit in. I love the message in this book - through the words and illustrations. It's a beautiful book that is a starting point for discussions about disabilities with families, children and churches on how we can do better to help people with disabilities feel loved, comfortable and welcome.

The author wrote at the end "Relationships grow not from the absence of difference but from the presence of what is shared. And it's okay to start small. Maybe just begin with just a smile - a smile that says When you come ti church, you belong." I believe she accomplished this in her story.

I read this book with my son who also enjoyed the message. It's beautiful and inspiring. I would recommend this book to all churches and children's ministries.

My thanks to the author, IVP Kids and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

]]> <![CDATA[My Weirdtastic School #2: Uncle Fred Is a Knucklehead!]]> 62645196 112 Dan Gutman 006320696X Lindsey 4 4.16 My Weirdtastic School #2: Uncle Fred Is a Knucklehead!
author: Dan Gutman
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.16
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/07/02
date added: 2023/07/02
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, books-i-own, jack-s-chapter-books
review:

]]> Houdini and Me 54081433
Eleven-year-old Harry Mancini is NOT Harry Houdini--the famous escape artist who died in 1926. But Harry DOES live in Houdini's old New York City home, and he definitely knows everything there is to know about Houdini's life. What is he supposed to do, then, when someone starts texting him claiming that they're Houdini, communicating from beyond the grave? Respond, of course.

It's hard for Harry to believe that Houdini is really contacting him, but this Houdini texts the secrets to all of the escape tricks the dead Houdini used to do. What's more, Houdini's offering Harry a chance to go back in time and experience it for himself. Should Harry ignore what must be a hoax? Or should he give it a try and take Houdini up on this death-defying offer?

Dan Gutman is the award-winning author of series including My Weird School, The Genius Files, and the baseball card series, including Honus & Me. He uses his writing powers for good once again in this exciting new middle grade novel.

Named a New York State Great Read by the Empire State Center for the Book!]]> 224 Dan Gutman 0823445151 Lindsey 4 3.57 2021 Houdini and Me
author: Dan Gutman
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/30
date added: 2023/06/30
shelves: books-i-own, jack-s-chapter-books, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:

]]> The Magnolia Palace 57099323 The Lions of Fifth Avenue, returns with a tantalizing novel about the secrets, betrayal, and murder within one of New York City’s most impressive Gilded Age mansions.

Eight months since losing her mother in the Spanish flu outbreak of 1919, twenty-one-year-old Lillian Carter’s life has completely fallen apart. For the past six years, under the moniker Angelica, Lillian was one of the most sought-after artists� models in New York City, with statues based on her figure gracing landmarks from the Plaza Hotel to the Brooklyn Bridge. But with her mother gone, a grieving Lillian is rudderless and desperate—the work has dried up and a looming scandal has left her entirely without a safe haven. So when she stumbles upon an employment opportunity at the Frick mansion—a building that, ironically, bears her own visage—Lillian jumps at the chance. But the longer she works as a private secretary to the imperious and demanding Helen Frick, the daughter and heiress of industrialist and art patron Henry Clay Frick, the more deeply her life gets intertwined with that of the family—pulling her into a tangled web of romantic trysts, stolen jewels, and family drama that runs so deep, the stakes just may be life or death.

Nearly fifty years later, mod English model Veronica Weber has her own chance to make her career—and with it, earn the money she needs to support her family back home—within the walls of the former Frick residence, now converted into one of New York City’s most impressive museums. But when she—along with a charming intern/budding art curator named Joshua—is dismissed from theĚýVogueĚýshoot taking place at the Frick Collection, she chances upon a series of hidden messages in the museum: messages that will lead her and Joshua on a hunt that could not only solve Veronica’s financial woes, but could finally reveal the truth behind a decades-old murder in the infamous Frick family.]]> 340 Fiona Davis 0593184017 Lindsey 3 3.82 2022 The Magnolia Palace
author: Fiona Davis
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/06/29
date added: 2023/06/29
shelves: books-i-own, botm, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Turkey's Sandtastic Beach Day (Turkey Trouble, #7)]]> 62823217 40 Wendi Silvano 1662508352 Lindsey 5 3.87 Turkey's Sandtastic Beach Day (Turkey Trouble, #7)
author: Wendi Silvano
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.87
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/28
date added: 2023/06/28
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, books-i-own, childrens-books
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Turkey Goes to School (Turkey Trouble #5)]]> 56184379 40 Wendi Silvano 1542023645 Lindsey 5 3.92 Turkey Goes to School (Turkey Trouble #5)
author: Wendi Silvano
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.92
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/28
date added: 2023/06/28
shelves: books-i-own, childrens-books, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Collected Regrets of Clover]]> 61214136
From the day she watched her kindergarten teacher drop dead during a dramatic telling of Peter Rabbit , Clover Brooks has felt a stronger connection with the dying than she has with the living. After the beloved grandfather who raised her dies alone while she is traveling, Clover becomes a death doula in New York City, dedicating her life to ushering people peacefully through their end-of-life process.

Clover spends so much time with the dying that she has no life of her own, until the final wishes of a feisty old woman send Clover on a road trip to uncover a forgotten love story—and perhaps, her own happy ending. As she finds herself struggling to navigate the uncharted roads of romance and friendship, Clover is forced to examine what she really wants, and whether she’ll have the courage to go after it.

Probing, clever, and hopeful, The Collected Regrets of Clover is perfect for readers of The Midnight Library and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine as it turns the normally taboo subject of death into a reason to celebrate life.]]> 320 Mikki Brammer 1250284392 Lindsey 5 4.14 2023 The Collected Regrets of Clover
author: Mikki Brammer
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/22
date added: 2023/06/23
shelves: books-i-own, botm, 2023-ng-reading-challenge, 2023-popsugar-reading-challenge
review:
After staying up all night crying, I think I can try to put some thoughts together on this book. This was a beautifully heart breaking book. My heart swelled with love for so many of the characters and broke at the same time over the life lessons and regrets. This is the first time I've heard or read about a death doula. And while the premise of the book intrigued me, I was worried it would be too heavy. It wasn't. I fell in love with Clover's character and found it fascinating learning about what a death doula does. Claudia, Leo, Clover's grandfather, Hugo all had so many incredible words of advice that I will definitely keep with me. This book pulled out so many emotions. I am so impressed this was the author’s debut novel. It has been a minute since a book has stirred this kind of response from me - and I mean that in a positive way. There were so many beautiful parts of this book. This book with stay with me a long time. I definitely recommend it. But have a box of kleenex handy.
]]> <![CDATA[Soccer on Sunday (Magic Tree House, #52)]]> 18404354
Did you know that there’s a Magic Tree House book for every kid?

Magic Tree Adventures with Jack and Annie, perfect for readers who are just beginning chapter books
Merlin More challenging adventures for the experienced reader
Super A longer and more dangerous adventure
Fact Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House adventures

Have more fun with Jack and Annie at MagicTreeHouse.com!]]> 128 Mary Pope Osborne 0307980537 Lindsey 3 4.12 2014 Soccer on Sunday (Magic Tree House, #52)
author: Mary Pope Osborne
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2023/06/19
date added: 2023/06/19
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, jack-s-chapter-books
review:

]]> The Silent Patient 40097951
Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him....

The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a woman’s act of violence against her husband—and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive.]]> 336 Alex Michaelides 1250301696 Lindsey 4 4.17 2019 The Silent Patient
author: Alex Michaelides
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/18
date added: 2023/06/18
shelves: to-read-not-on-a-shelf, books-i-own, botm, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:
Holy freaking plot twist Batman!! I did NOT see that ending coming. I had read alot of raving reviews for this book and had super high hopes going into it. First, let me say I am incredibly impressed that this was a debut novel. Having said that, I was in between a 3 and 4 star rating, with it being mostly 3 stars for the majority of the book. The treatment at The Grove really bothered me, and I found parts of Alicia's story boring. Then the big plot twist hits that I did not see coming from 50 miles away and holy moly we have a story, a book and a hook! And that pushed my rating up to 4 stars.
]]> Cassandra in Reverse 61987507 A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK
“A Time-Twisting Delight� —Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club June �23 Pick)

If you had the power to change the past…where would you start?
Cassandra Penelope Dankworth is a creature of habit. She likes what she likes (museums, jumpsuits, her boyfriend, Will) and strongly dislikes what she doesn't (mess, change, her boss drinking out of her mug). Her life runs in a pleasing, predictable order…until now.
� She's just been dumped.
� She's just been fired.
� Her local café has run out of banana muffins.

Then, something truly unexpected happens: Cassie discovers she can go back and change the past. One small rewind at a time, Cassie attempts to fix the life she accidentally obliterated, but soon she'll discover she's trying to fix all the wrong things.

“A great read-alike for The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion, Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore, and The Boys by Katie Hafner.� �Booklist (STARRED)]]> 362 Holly Smale Lindsey 4 3.51 2023 Cassandra in Reverse
author: Holly Smale
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/16
date added: 2023/06/16
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, 2023-popsugar-reading-challenge, rw-bookclub
review:
I really like it when a book totally surprises me. This is not a book I would normally pick up and this is not a genre I normally read. But I'm glad I did. It's a great story and by the end of the book I fell in love with quirky Cassandra.
]]> <![CDATA[High Time for Heroes (Magic Tree House, #51)]]> 17797250
The Magic Tree House books, with their fiction and nonfiction titles, are perfect for parents and teachers just starting to get into the "Core Curriculum." With a blend of magic, adventure, history, science, danger, and cuteness, the topics range from kid pleasers (pirates, the Titanic, pandas) to curriculum perfect (rain forest, American Revolution, Abraham Lincoln) to seasonal shoe-ins (Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving). There is truly something for everyone here.]]> 128 Mary Pope Osborne Lindsey 4 4.06 2014 High Time for Heroes (Magic Tree House, #51)
author: Mary Pope Osborne
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/12
date added: 2023/06/12
shelves: jack-s-chapter-books, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The 23rd Midnight (Women's Murder Club, #23)]]> 62315603 Ěý
Reporter Cindy Thomas wrote a book that put him on the bestseller list.
Ěý
An obsessed maniac has turned Burke’s true-crime story into a playbook. And is embellishing it with gruesome touches all his own.Ěý
Ěý
Now Lindsay’s tracking an elusive suspect, and the entire Murder Club is facing destruction.]]> 352 James Patterson 0316402788 Lindsey 4 4.14 2023 The 23rd Midnight (Women's Murder Club, #23)
author: James Patterson
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/09
date added: 2023/06/09
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, james-patterson
review:
I do love this series. My only complaint is that it's a little repetitive for those who have read the entire series. I don't need explanations on who everyone is and how they fit into Boxer's life.
]]> <![CDATA[Hurry Up, Houdini! (Magic Tree House, #50)]]> 16113590
Did you know that there’s a Magic Tree House book for every kid?

Magic Tree Adventures with Jack and Annie, perfect for readers who are just beginning chapter books
Merlin More challenging adventures for the experienced reader
Super A longer and more dangerous adventure
Fact Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House adventures

Have more fun with Jack and Annie at MagicTreeHouse.com!]]> 128 Mary Pope Osborne 0307980464 Lindsey 4 4.14 2013 Hurry Up, Houdini! (Magic Tree House, #50)
author: Mary Pope Osborne
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2023/05/31
date added: 2023/05/31
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, childrens-books, jack-s-chapter-books
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?]]> 61796683 REESE'S BOOK CLUB MAY 2023 PICK

BOOK OF THE MONTH MAY 2023 PICK

A multigenerational saga that traverses the glamour of old Hollywood and the seductive draw of modern-day showbiz

When Kitty Karr Tate, a White icon of the silver screen, dies and bequeaths her multimillion-dollar estate to the St. John sisters, three young, wealthy Black women, it prompts questions. Lots of questions.

A celebrity in her own right, Elise St. John would rather focus on sorting out Kitty’s affairs than deal with the press. But what she discovers in one of Kitty’s journals rocks her world harder than any other brewing scandal could—and between a cheating fiancé and the fallout from a controversial social media post, there are plenty.

The truth behind Kitty's ascent to stardom from her beginnings in the segregated South threatens to expose a web of unexpected family ties, debts owed, and debatable crimes that could, with one pull, unravel the all-American fabric of the St. John sisters and those closest to them.

As Elise digs deeper into Kitty's past, she must also turn the lens upon herself, confronting the gifts and burdens of her own choices and the power that the secrets of the dead hold over the living. Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? is a sprawling page-turner set against the backdrop of the Hollywood machine, an insightful and nuanced look at the inheritances of family, race, and gender—and the choices some women make to break free of them.]]> 416 Crystal Smith Paul 1250815304 Lindsey 2
Besides the overdone storyline, there were a few other aspects that didn't work out for me. First, there were too many POVs, making it confusing at times. It would often get jumbled and I had to re-read certain chapters to make sense of it all. This is a slow burn book, so it took awhile to get into the story. The book was too long and I struggled with the execution. The writing itself left alot to be desired. I really could not relate to the St. John sisters. You are already millionaires, who just inherited more millions and they were unhappy, ungrateful and overall seemed miserable in their lives.

While the storyline is one that's been overdone, it was still an interesting and intense story. The decisions that Kitty and her mom had to make, the historical aspects of this book, were thought provoking and heart breaking. The book does deliver on an interesting twist of who Kitty Karr was and why she left her inheritance to the St. John sisters, even if some of it was predictable.

My thanks to Crystal Smith Paul, Henry Holt & Co. and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]]> 3.70 2023 Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?
author: Crystal Smith Paul
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2023/05/24
date added: 2023/05/24
shelves: netgalley-2023, rw-bookclub, 2023-ng-reading-challenge, 2023-popsugar-reading-challenge
review:
I'm giving this 2.5 stars. I struggled with this book. Let me start off by saying that themes of race, passing, Jim Crow laws/era and being black in America, whether it's now or in the past are all very relevant topics and a part of history. Having said that, this storyline of black women trying to or having to pass as white has been way overdone in the past year or two. If I hadn't recently read multiple books on this subject, I may have enjoyed this one a lot more.

Besides the overdone storyline, there were a few other aspects that didn't work out for me. First, there were too many POVs, making it confusing at times. It would often get jumbled and I had to re-read certain chapters to make sense of it all. This is a slow burn book, so it took awhile to get into the story. The book was too long and I struggled with the execution. The writing itself left alot to be desired. I really could not relate to the St. John sisters. You are already millionaires, who just inherited more millions and they were unhappy, ungrateful and overall seemed miserable in their lives.

While the storyline is one that's been overdone, it was still an interesting and intense story. The decisions that Kitty and her mom had to make, the historical aspects of this book, were thought provoking and heart breaking. The book does deliver on an interesting twist of who Kitty Karr was and why she left her inheritance to the St. John sisters, even if some of it was predictable.

My thanks to Crystal Smith Paul, Henry Holt & Co. and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
]]> <![CDATA[God, Right Here: Meeting God in the Changing Seasons]]> 63375910 God, right there.
God's handiwork is everywhere. Yellow daffodils, flying seagulls, bright orange pumpkins, and swirling snowflakes―God's handiwork can be found all throughout nature, and every season is full of beauty and wonder. Everywhere we look, no matter the time of year, the wonders of creation remind us that God is always with us, always right here. Written by Kara Lawler and beautifully illustrated by Jennie Poh, this celebration of God's creation and the changing seasons can be enjoyed by children and the adults who read with them. Also included is a note from the author to encourage further conversation about the content. Discover IVP Kids and share with children the things that matter to God!]]> 32 Kara Lawler 1514006596 Lindsey 4 "God's handiwork is everywhere."

What a precious story to teach children about all the wonders of God's glory through nature's seasons.

"The sun rises and sets...And in these quiet moments, we know God is still at work. God ever near."

It's never to young to teach children about the love of God and how you can see His handiwork in everything from the sun rising to the changing seasons to the flowers that bloom.

The illustrations are adorable. It warmed my heart to see a child in a wheelchair amongst the kids in the book. Often times disability isn't represented.

I read this book with my son, who enjoyed it as well. A darling story with a great message.

My thanks to Kara Lawler, InterVarsity Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ]]> 4.49 God, Right Here: Meeting God in the Changing Seasons
author: Kara Lawler
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.49
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/05/23
date added: 2023/05/23
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, netgalley-2023, religious, childrens-books
review:
"God's handiwork is everywhere."

What a precious story to teach children about all the wonders of God's glory through nature's seasons.

"The sun rises and sets...And in these quiet moments, we know God is still at work. God ever near."

It's never to young to teach children about the love of God and how you can see His handiwork in everything from the sun rising to the changing seasons to the flowers that bloom.

The illustrations are adorable. It warmed my heart to see a child in a wheelchair amongst the kids in the book. Often times disability isn't represented.

I read this book with my son, who enjoyed it as well. A darling story with a great message.

My thanks to Kara Lawler, InterVarsity Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
]]> <![CDATA[Finding Chika: A Little Girl, an Earthquake, and the Making of a Family]]> 44081128 Bestselling author Mitch Albom returns to nonfiction for the first time in more than a decade in this poignant memoir that celebrates Chika, a young Haitian orphan whose short life would forever change his heart.

Chika Jeune was born three days before the devastating earthquake that decimated Haiti in 2010. She spent her infancy in a landscape of extreme poverty, and when her mother died giving birth to a baby brother, Chika was brought to The Have Faith Haiti Orphanage that Albom operates in Port Au Prince.

With no children of their own, the forty-plus children who live, play, and go to school at the orphanage have become family to Mitch and his wife, Janine. Chika’s arrival makes a quick impression. Brave and self-assured, even as a three-year-old, she delights the other kids and teachers. But at age five, Chika is suddenly diagnosed with something a doctor there says, “No one in Haiti can help you with.�

Mitch and Janine bring Chika to Detroit, hopeful that American medical care can soon return her to her homeland. Instead, Chika becomes a permanent part of their household, and their lives, as they embark on a two-year, around-the-world journey to find a cure. As Chika’s boundless optimism and humor teach Mitch the joys of caring for a child, he learns that a relationship built on love, no matter what blows it takes, can never be lost.

Told in hindsight, and through illuminating conversations with Chika herself, this is Albom at his most poignant and vulnerable. Finding Chika is a celebration of a girl, her adoptive guardians, and the incredible bond they formed—a devastatingly beautiful portrait of what it means to be a family, regardless of how it is made.]]> 256 Mitch Albom 0062952390 Lindsey 4 4.52 2019 Finding Chika: A Little Girl, an Earthquake, and the Making of a Family
author: Mitch Albom
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/05/22
date added: 2023/05/22
shelves: other-book-club-books, books-i-own, 2022-ng-reading-challenge, religious, 2023-ng-reading-challenge, 2023-popsugar-reading-challenge
review:
I have yet to read a book by Mitch Albom that doesn't pll at my heartstrings and just break me. What a beautiful story of love, faith, determination and never giving up. And an incredible example of how a child can change your life for the better. Grab a box of tissue and read this book!
]]> <![CDATA[License to Thrill (The Genius Files, #5)]]> 25816747 The wackiest road trip in history has reached its final destination. . . .

But Coke and Pepsi McDonald aren't in the clear just yet! Before they reach the finish line, the twins will be

Abducted by aliens,
Trapped with a venomous snake,
Pushed through a deadly turbine, and
Thrown into a volcano.
Craziest of all, their parents might finally believe them!

Will the twins make it back home to California in one piece, or will they fall off the top of the Golden Gate Bridge? It's all coming to an end with this fifth book in the Genius Files series. You'll have to read it to believe it!]]> 272 Dan Gutman 0062236334 Lindsey 4 4.53 2015 License to Thrill (The Genius Files, #5)
author: Dan Gutman
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.53
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2023/05/21
date added: 2023/05/21
shelves: books-i-own, jack-s-chapter-books, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:
Loved the ending to this series. My son is already rereading them.
]]> What Lies in the Woods 60784373
For decades afterward, the friends have kept a secret worth killing for. But now Olivia wants to tell, and Naomi sets out to find out what really happened in the woods―no matter how dangerous the truth turns out to be.]]> 336 Kate Alice Marshall 1250859883 Lindsey 4 3.93 2023 What Lies in the Woods
author: Kate Alice Marshall
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/05/20
date added: 2023/05/20
shelves: botm, books-i-own, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:

]]> <![CDATA[From Texas with Love (The Genius Files, #4)]]> 18053082 288 Dan Gutman 0062285629 Lindsey 5 4.30 2014 From Texas with Love (The Genius Files, #4)
author: Dan Gutman
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2023/05/12
date added: 2023/05/12
shelves: books-i-own, jack-s-chapter-books, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:
My favorite villian makes another appearance in this book, we're waiting to see if my son's favorite villian is coming back or gone for good. Gret series!
]]> The It Girl 59345249
Vivacious, bright, occasionally vicious, and the ultimate It girl, she quickly pulled Hannah into her dazzling orbit. Together, they developed a group of devoted and inseparable friends—Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily—during their first term. By the end of the second, April was dead.

Now, a decade later, Hannah and Will are expecting their first child, and the man convicted of killing April, former Oxford porter John Neville, has died in prison. Relieved to have finally put the past behind her, Hannah’s world is rocked when a young journalist comes knocking and presents new evidence that Neville may have been innocent. As Hannah reconnects with old friends and delves deeper into the mystery of April’s death, she realizes that the friends she thought she knew all have something to hide� including a murder.

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of One by One returns with an unputdownable mystery following a woman on the search for answers a decade after her friend’s murder.

]]> 423 Ruth Ware 1982155264 Lindsey 4 3.81 2022 The It Girl
author: Ruth Ware
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/05/09
date added: 2023/05/09
shelves: books-i-own, botm, 2023-ng-reading-challenge, 2023-popsugar-reading-challenge
review:
I'm a big Ruth Ware fan. This was another good one. It starts off a tad slow but then quickly picks up steam. As a reader I absolutely love it when I'm totally surprised at the end, which I was.
]]> The Circus Train 60621163 Water for Elephants meets The Night Circus in this World War II debut about a magnificent travelling circus, a star-crossed romance, and one girl's coming-of-age during the darkest of times.

"A powerful reminder that to live is not just to survive, but to be seen and known for ourselves." --Pam Jenoff, author of The Orphan's Tale

When all is lost, how do you find the courage to keep moving forward?

1938. Lena Papadopoulos has never quite found her place within the circus, even as the daughter of the extraordinary headlining illusionist, Theo. Brilliant and curious, Lena yearns for the real-world magic of science and medicine, despite the limitations of her wheelchair. Then her unconventional life takes an exciting turn when she rescues Alexandre, an orphan with his own secrets and a mysterious past.

As World War II escalates around them over the years, their friendship blossoms into something deeper while Alexandre trains as the illusionist's apprentice. But when Theo and Alexandre are arrested and contracted to perform in a model town for Jews set up by the Nazis, Lena is separated from everything she knows. Forced to make her own way, Lena must confront her doubts and dare to believe in the impossible--herself.]]> 416 Amita Parikh 0593539982 Lindsey 4 4.04 2022 The Circus Train
author: Amita Parikh
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/08
date added: 2023/04/30
shelves: books-i-own, botm, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:
What an incredibly beautiful and heart warming story. I'm very impressed this is the author's debut novel. I really enjoyed this book. Definitely recommend!
]]> <![CDATA[You Only Die Twice (The Genius Files, #3)]]> 15818083
Just when they thought they were safe, the twins will be

chased
by an evil Elvis impersonator,

trapped
in a pool of flesh-eating soda pop, nearly

pulverized
in a giant shredder, and

crushed
in a turbo-charged carnival ride.

worst of all,
no one believes them!

Will they make it out alive? Will they ever find out who’s really after them? All bets are off in this explosive third book in the Genius Files series!]]> 304 Dan Gutman 0061827703 Lindsey 4 4.28 2013 You Only Die Twice (The Genius Files, #3)
author: Dan Gutman
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/30
date added: 2023/04/30
shelves: books-i-own, jack-s-chapter-books, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:
Well, neither Jack nor I saw that twist at the end!!! Way to go Dan Gutman!!
]]> The Personal Librarian 55333938 This is a previously-published edition of ISBN 9780593101537.

The remarkable, little-known story of Belle da Costa Greene, J. P. Morgan's personal librarian—who became one of the most powerful women in New York despite the dangerous secret she kept in order to make her dreams come true, from New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict and acclaimed author Victoria Christopher Murray.

In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books, and artwork for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture on the New York society scene and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world, known for her impeccable taste and shrewd negotiating for critical works as she helps build a world-class collection.

But Belle has a secret, one she must protect at all costs. She was born not Belle da Costa Greene but Belle Marion Greener. She is the daughter of Richard Greener, the first Black graduate of Harvard and a well-known advocate for equality. Belle's complexion isn't dark because of her alleged Portuguese heritage that lets her pass as white—her complexion is dark because she is African American.

The Personal Librarian tells the story of an extraordinary woman, famous for her intellect, style, and wit, and shares the lengths to which she must go—for the protection of her family and her legacy—to preserve her carefully crafted white identity in the racist world in which she lives.]]> 341 Marie Benedict Lindsey 3 3.98 2021 The Personal Librarian
author: Marie Benedict
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2023/04/30
date added: 2023/04/30
shelves: macland-ladies-bookclub, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:

]]> Regretting You 46117419
Morgan is determined to prevent her daughter from making the same mistakes she did. By getting pregnant and married way too young, Morgan put her own dreams on hold. Clara doesn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Her predictable mother doesn’t have a spontaneous bone in her body.

With warring personalities and conflicting goals, Morgan and Clara find it increasingly difficult to coexist. The only person who can bring peace to the household is Chris—Morgan’s husband, Clara’s father, and the family anchor. But that peace is shattered when Chris is involved in a tragic and questionable accident. The heartbreaking and long-lasting consequences will reach far beyond just Morgan and Clara.

While struggling to rebuild everything that crashed around them, Morgan finds comfort in the last person she expects to, and Clara turns to the one boy she’s been forbidden to see. With each passing day, new secrets, resentment, and misunderstandings make mother and daughter fall further apart. So far apart, it might be impossible for them to ever fall back together.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Ends with Us comes a poignant novel about family, first love, grief, and betrayal that will touch the hearts of both mothers and daughters.]]> 356 Colleen Hoover 1542016428 Lindsey 4
This wasn't my favorite CoHo book, but I still really enjoyed it and will read anything she writes!!]]> 4.17 2019 Regretting You
author: Colleen Hoover
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/25
date added: 2023/04/25
shelves: to-read-not-on-a-shelf, books-i-own, 2023-ng-reading-challenge, 2023-popsugar-reading-challenge
review:
True to Colleen Hoover's form, this book will take you on an emotional rollercoaster ride. One minute you're smiling and laughing, the next crying and wanting to strangle some of the characters. All in between you're soul searching to figure ot how to emotionally feel about everything - just like the characters in the book are.

This wasn't my favorite CoHo book, but I still really enjoyed it and will read anything she writes!!
]]> Snowmen at Halloween 43152987
Have you ever built a snowman and discovered the next day that his grin has gotten a little crooked, or his tree-branch arms have moved? And you've wondered . . . what do snowmen do when we're not watching?

After an early snowfall, a few kids build some snowmen before going trick-or-treating. And when the kids go off to bed, the snowmen have their own Halloween festival! There's candy and apple-bobbing and costume contests and all sorts of autumn activities. When the kids wake up the next morning, the snowmen are gone... but they've left a very special message behind.]]> 32 Caralyn Buehner 0525554688 Lindsey 3 3.97 2019 Snowmen at Halloween
author: Caralyn Buehner
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2023/04/21
date added: 2023/04/21
shelves: books-i-own, childrens-books, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Stallion by Starlight (Magic Tree House, #49)]]> 15798080 Titanic, pandas) to curriculum perfect (rain forest, American Revolution, Abraham Lincoln) to seasonal shoe-ins (Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving). Magic Tree House #49 features Jack and Annie heading back to ancient Greece and an adventure with Alexander the Great when he was a child and his famous stallion: Bucephalus.]]> 120 Mary Pope Osborne 0307980405 Lindsey 3 4.18 2013 Stallion by Starlight (Magic Tree House, #49)
author: Mary Pope Osborne
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2023/04/19
date added: 2023/04/19
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, childrens-books
review:

]]> Hello Stranger 61884987 Love isn’t blind, it’s just a little blurry.

Sadie Montgomery never saw what was coming . . . Literally! One minute she’s celebrating the biggest achievement of her life—placing as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition—the next, she’s lying in a hospital bed diagnosed with a “probably temporary� condition known as face blindness. She can see, but every face she looks at is now a jumbled puzzle of disconnected features. Imagine trying to read a book upside down and in another language. This is Sadie’s new reality with every face she sees.

But, as she struggles to cope, hang on to her artistic dream, work through major family issues, and take care of her beloved dog, Peanut, she falls into—love? Lust? A temporary obsession to distract from the real problems in her life?—with not one man but two very different ones. The timing couldn’t be worse.

If only her life were a little more in focus, Sadie might be able to find her way. But perceiving anything clearly right now seems impossible. Even though there are things we can only find when we aren’t looking. And there are people who show up when we least expect them. And there are always, always other ways of seeing.]]> 323 Katherine Center 1250283787 Lindsey 3
This is a quick, easy read. And it has all the rom-com elements you would expect from Center. I enjoyed learning as much as I did about face blindness. This is not a storyline that's been hammered to death, so that was a refreshingly new plot. Several of the characters are extremely likeable (though that is not a requirement for a stronger rating - I wanted to throw Parker off the roof because of how badly I disliked her ]]> 3.92 2023 Hello Stranger
author: Katherine Center
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/04/18
date added: 2023/04/18
shelves: netgalley-2022, netgalley-2023, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:
I feel like I'm in the minority here with my review of 3 stars. First, let me say I love Katherine Center and her books are normally strong 5 star rating for me. This one fell a little short for me and I really wanted to love this book. Why? Because it's Katherine Center!!

This is a quick, easy read. And it has all the rom-com elements you would expect from Center. I enjoyed learning as much as I did about face blindness. This is not a storyline that's been hammered to death, so that was a refreshingly new plot. Several of the characters are extremely likeable (though that is not a requirement for a stronger rating - I wanted to throw Parker off the roof because of how badly I disliked her
]]> <![CDATA[A Perfect Time for Pandas (Magic Tree House, #48)]]> 13147048
Did you know that there’s a Magic Tree House book for every kid?

Magic Tree Adventures with Jack and Annie, perfect for readers who are just beginning chapter books
Merlin More challenging adventures for the experienced reader
Super A longer and more dangerous adventure
Fact Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House adventures

Have more fun with Jack and Annie at MagicTreeHouse.com!]]> 120 Mary Pope Osborne 0375868267 Lindsey 4 4.12 2012 A Perfect Time for Pandas (Magic Tree House, #48)
author: Mary Pope Osborne
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/16
date added: 2023/04/16
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, jack-s-chapter-books
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Beyond Justice (Hidden Justice, #1)]]> 30649410 Hayden McCarthy is on track to become the youngest partner in her prestigious D.C. law firm . . . if the case she's just been handed doesn't destroy her first.


Hayden McCarthy knows firsthand the pain when justice is not served. It's why she became an attorney and why she's so driven in her career. When she's handed a wrongful death case against the government, she isn't sure if it's the lucky break she needs to secure a partnership—or an attempt to make sure she never gets there. She keeps the case alive through sheer determination and more than a little creativity, but then she's fired by a partner with a vendetta.


Further complicating matters, Hayden keeps finding herself completely distracted by Andrew, her roommate's cousin. But his father is a Congressman and she's currently taking on the government. Could the timing be any worse?


The longer she keeps the case active, the higher the stakes become. Unknown enemies seem determined to see either the case—or her—die. Should she fight alone for the dead young man by launching her own unfinanced firm, or abandon the case in order to save her own life?

]]> 352 Cara C. Putman 0718083474 Lindsey 4 4.02 2017 Beyond Justice (Hidden Justice, #1)
author: Cara C. Putman
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/15
date added: 2023/04/15
shelves: religious, books-i-own, 2023-ng-reading-challenge, 2023-popsugar-reading-challenge
review:
I was first introduced to Cara Putman when I had the opportunity to read the third book in this series, Delayed Justice. I fell in love with it and her writing. So I went back and ordered the first two books in the series. Beyond Justice is the first book. While I love that this book combines two of my favorite genres - legal thriller/mystery and Christian, this book wasn't quite as strong as the third book. Having said that, I still enjoyed this story and its message. I would definitely recommend this series and this author. She's a good one! I'm intrigued to read the second book and have ordered some of her other books.
]]> <![CDATA[Never Say Genius (The Genius Files #2)]]> 15818100 Today is Coke and Pepsi McDonald's thirteenth birthday. Someone's out to make sure they never make it to thirteen and a half.

Racing across America,
the twins will nearly be
BOILED ALIVE
in a huge basket of french fries,
FROZEN TO DEATH
by soft-serve ice cream,
STAMPEDED
in a wild stadium riot,
KIDNAPPED
from a high-speed
roller coaster, and
WORST OF ALL
their parents think
they're totally joking!

Will they survive? Will they defeat Archie Clone? Will they be dropped out of a helicopter onto the tip of the Washington Monument? Will they ever say "genius"?]]> 304 Dan Gutman 006182769X Lindsey 5 Fantastic series!!! 4.16 2012 Never Say Genius (The Genius Files #2)
author: Dan Gutman
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2023/04/13
date added: 2023/04/13
shelves: books-i-own, jack-s-chapter-books, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:
Fantastic series!!!
]]> <![CDATA[Turkey's Valentine Surprise (Turkey Trouble, #6)]]> 60444348 40 Wendi Silvano 1542023661 Lindsey 5 4.03 Turkey's Valentine Surprise (Turkey Trouble, #6)
author: Wendi Silvano
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.03
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/04/13
date added: 2023/04/13
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, 2023-popsugar-reading-challenge, books-i-own, childrens-books
review:
Love these Turkey books. They always make me laugh!
]]> The Villa 60784641 From New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins comes a deliciously wicked gothic suspense, set at an Italian villa with a dark history, for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.

As kids, Emily and Chess were inseparable. But by their 30s, their bond has been strained by the demands of their adult lives. So when Chess suggests a girls trip to Italy, Emily jumps at the chance to reconnect with her best friend.

Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato, and rented for the summer by a notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. In an attempt to reignite his creative spark, Noel invites up-and-coming musician, Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce’s girlfriend, Mari, and her stepsister, Lara. But he also sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Mari writing one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Lara composing a platinum album––and ends in Pierce’s brutal murder.

As Emily digs into the villa’s complicated history, she begins to think there might be more to the story of that fateful summer in 1974. That perhaps Pierce’s murder wasn’t just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong, but that something more sinister might have occurred––and that there might be clues hidden in the now-iconic works that Mari and Lara left behind.

Yet the closer that Emily gets to the truth, the more tension she feels developing between her and Chess. As secrets from the past come to light, equally dangerous betrayals from the present also emerge––and it begins to look like the villa will claim another victim before the summer ends.]]> 279 Rachel Hawkins 125028001X Lindsey 4
"Houses remember..."

What an awesome opening line!! Talk about drawing your attention from the get-go! While it starts off with a boom, it drags a little slowly in the beginning but then picks back up steam and rolls around a twist or two I didn't see coming, and possibly a twist to throw the reader totally off course, not to be fully trusted. Intrigued yet?

I feel this book is more a mystery than a thriller, personally. This whole book was about a story within a story within a story, all hidden within each other yet in plain site. Mari hides parts and pieces of what actually happened at that Villa in her book, leaving Emily and readers to decode the meaning and figure out what the real story was. I feel the author did the same thing with Chess and Emily, only now we as readers have to figure out what the real story is with those final twists in the end. Who do you believe? Who do you trust? Who was writing just a book or trying to hide the real story in plain site? You'll have to read to figure it out for yourself.

My thanks to Rachel Hawkins, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ]]> 3.59 2023 The Villa
author: Rachel Hawkins
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/12
date added: 2023/04/12
shelves: netgalley-2022, netgalley-2023, 2023-ng-reading-challenge, 2023-popsugar-reading-challenge
review:
I'm giving this a 3.5 star rating but rounding up for several reasons I'll explain below...

"Houses remember..."

What an awesome opening line!! Talk about drawing your attention from the get-go! While it starts off with a boom, it drags a little slowly in the beginning but then picks back up steam and rolls around a twist or two I didn't see coming, and possibly a twist to throw the reader totally off course, not to be fully trusted. Intrigued yet?

I feel this book is more a mystery than a thriller, personally. This whole book was about a story within a story within a story, all hidden within each other yet in plain site. Mari hides parts and pieces of what actually happened at that Villa in her book, leaving Emily and readers to decode the meaning and figure out what the real story was. I feel the author did the same thing with Chess and Emily, only now we as readers have to figure out what the real story is with those final twists in the end. Who do you believe? Who do you trust? Who was writing just a book or trying to hide the real story in plain site? You'll have to read to figure it out for yourself.

My thanks to Rachel Hawkins, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
]]> Romantic Comedy 62628727 A comedy writer thinks she’s sworn off love, until a dreamily handsome pop star flips the script on all her assumptions. Romantic Comedy is a hilarious, observant and deeply tender novel from New York Times–bestselling author Curtis Sittenfeld.

Sally Milz is a sketch writer for "The Night Owls," the late-night live comedy show that airs each Saturday. With a couple of heartbreaks under her belt, she’s long abandoned the search for love, settling instead for the occasional hook-up, career success, and a close relationship with her stepfather to round out a satisfying life.

But when Sally’s friend and fellow writer Danny Horst begins dating Annabel, a glamorous actor who guest-hosted the show, he joins the not-so-exclusive group of talented but average-looking and even dorky men at the show—and in society at large—who’ve gotten romantically involved with incredibly beautiful and accomplished women. Sally channels her annoyance into a sketch called the "Danny Horst Rule," poking fun at this phenomenon while underscoring how unlikely it is that the reverse would ever happen for a woman.

Enter Noah Brewster, a pop music sensation with a reputation for dating models, who signed on as both host and musical guest for this week’s show. Dazzled by his charms, Sally hits it off with Noah instantly, and as they collaborate on one sketch after another, she begins to wonder whether there might actually be sparks flying. But this isn’t a romantic comedy; it’s real life. And in real life, someone like him would never date someone like her...right?

With her keen observations and trademark ability to bring complex women to life on the page, Sittenfeld explores the neurosis-inducing and heart-fluttering wonder of love, while slyly dissecting the social rituals of romance and gender relations in the modern age.]]> 309 Curtis Sittenfeld 0399590943 Lindsey 5 3.60 2023 Romantic Comedy
author: Curtis Sittenfeld
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/04/05
date added: 2023/04/05
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, 2023-popsugar-reading-challenge, books-i-own, botm, rw-bookclub
review:
Ok I just loved this book. Super fast read, extremely witty, funny, at times hilarious and just the right amount of romance! A definite must read!
]]> <![CDATA[Counted with the Stars (Out From Egypt, #1)]]> 25822042
Choosing to flee with the Hebrews, Kiya finds herself reliant on a strange God and drawn to a man who despises her people. With everything she's ever known swept away and now facing the trials of the desert, will she turn back toward Egypt or surrender her life and her future to Yahweh?]]> 345 Connilyn Cossette 0764214373 Lindsey 5 "But sometimes it seems to me like Yaweh chooses to work through the most unlikely of people."

Or work through the most unlikely books! This book was picked by my book club and at first I wasn't all that crazy to read it. The cover is absolutely stunning, but besides that I probably never would have picked this up to read. And it wold have been my loss! This book captured my heart! I absolutely loved it. I'm really impressed this was the author's debut novel. What talented writing! And a genius storyline. She brings to life the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt. There really isn't a bad thing or criticism to say about this book. I'm excited to read the rest in the series.

"There is always hope. As long as we have breath in our bodies, there is hope."]]> 4.33 2016 Counted with the Stars (Out From Egypt, #1)
author: Connilyn Cossette
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2023/03/31
date added: 2023/04/04
shelves: books-i-own, kindle, macland-ladies-bookclub, religious, 2023-ng-reading-challenge, 2023-popsugar-reading-challenge
review:
"But sometimes it seems to me like Yaweh chooses to work through the most unlikely of people."

Or work through the most unlikely books! This book was picked by my book club and at first I wasn't all that crazy to read it. The cover is absolutely stunning, but besides that I probably never would have picked this up to read. And it wold have been my loss! This book captured my heart! I absolutely loved it. I'm really impressed this was the author's debut novel. What talented writing! And a genius storyline. She brings to life the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt. There really isn't a bad thing or criticism to say about this book. I'm excited to read the rest in the series.

"There is always hope. As long as we have breath in our bodies, there is hope."
]]> The Soulmate 60784540
Picture a lovely cottage on a cliff, with sloping lawns, walking paths, and beautiful flowers. It’s Gabe and Pippa Gerard’s dream home in a sleepy coastal town. But their perfect house hides something sinister. The tall cliffs have become a popular spot for people to end their lives. Over the past several months, Gabe comes to their rescue, literally talking them off the ledge.

Until one day, he doesn’t. When Pippa discovers Gabe knew the victim, the questions spiral. . . .Did the victim jump? Was she pushed? And would Gabe, the love of Pippa’s life, her soulmate . . . lie? As the perfect façade of their marriage begins to crack, the deepest and darkest secrets begin to unravel. Because sometimes, the most convincing lies are the ones we tell ourselves.]]> 327 Sally Hepworth 1250229707 Lindsey 3
This one fell a little flat for me.

Here are the positives from the book - it reads super fast. Hepworth is the queen of twisty novels and there are definitely alot of twists in this one. A few I didn't see coming, which is always a nice surprise as a reader.

This is what I wasn't crazy about with the book - she organizes it by "Before" and "After" from Amanda and Pippa's POV. This back and forth got a little repetitive and cumbersome. It didn't flow as smoothly as it could have. I struggled with Pippa's character - so many red flags with Gabe she ignored and who moves their preschool kids into a house with a cliff that people jump off (not for fun)?? A few aspects of the book were a little unbelievable.

Overall it's not a bad book, just not one of Hepworth's best, in my opinion. Having said that, I still love her writing and will eagerly read her next book.

My thanks to Sally Hepworth, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.]]> 3.78 2022 The Soulmate
author: Sally Hepworth
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/04/03
date added: 2023/04/03
shelves: netgalley-2022, netgalley-2023, 2023-ng-reading-challenge, 2023-popsugar-reading-challenge
review:
Can someone really be your soulmate if there isn't any trust between you? I was excited about this book - first it's Sally Hepworth and I love her books and secondly, the storyline intrigued me.

This one fell a little flat for me.

Here are the positives from the book - it reads super fast. Hepworth is the queen of twisty novels and there are definitely alot of twists in this one. A few I didn't see coming, which is always a nice surprise as a reader.

This is what I wasn't crazy about with the book - she organizes it by "Before" and "After" from Amanda and Pippa's POV. This back and forth got a little repetitive and cumbersome. It didn't flow as smoothly as it could have. I struggled with Pippa's character - so many red flags with Gabe she ignored and who moves their preschool kids into a house with a cliff that people jump off (not for fun)?? A few aspects of the book were a little unbelievable.

Overall it's not a bad book, just not one of Hepworth's best, in my opinion. Having said that, I still love her writing and will eagerly read her next book.

My thanks to Sally Hepworth, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
]]> The Stationery Shop 44061900
Then Mr. Fakhri, with a keen instinct for a budding romance, introduces Roya to his other favorite customer—handsome Bahman, who has a burning passion for justice and a love for Rumi’s poetry—and she loses her heart at once. Their romance blossoms, and the little stationery shop remains their favorite place in all of Tehran.

A few short months later, on the eve of their marriage, Roya agrees to meet Bahman at the town square when violence erupts—a result of the coup d’etat that forever changes their country’s future. In the chaos, Bahman never shows. For weeks, Roya tries desperately to contact him, but her efforts are fruitless. With a sorrowful heart, she moves on—to college in California, to another man, to a life in New England—until, more than sixty years later, an accident of fate leads her back to Bahman and offers her a chance to ask him the questions that have haunted her for more than half a century: Why did you leave? Where did you go? How is it that you were able to forget me?

A poignant, heartfelt new novel by the award-nominated author of Together Tea—extolled by the Wall Street Journal as a “moving tale of lost love� and by Shelf Awareness as “a powerful, heartbreaking story”—explores loss, reconciliation, and the quirks of fate.]]> 312 Marjan Kamali 1982107499 Lindsey 4 4.25 2019 The Stationery Shop
author: Marjan Kamali
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/27
date added: 2023/03/28
shelves: to-read-not-on-a-shelf, books-i-own, giveaways, 2023-ng-reading-challenge, 2023-popsugar-reading-challenge
review:
Wow, what an incredibly beautiful and heartbreaking book all in one. I feel like Celine Dion is singing "My heart will go on..." in the background. Though my heart will take awhile to recover from this story. It's slow at times, and a little jumbled from an organizational standpoint but stick with it. It's worth it in the end.
]]> The Rooster Bar 34201164 But maybe there's a way out. Maybe there’s a way to escape their crushing debt, expose the bank and the scam, and make a few bucks in the process. But to do so, they would first have to quit school. And leaving law school a few short months before graduation would be completely crazy, right? Well, yes and no . . .
Pull up a stool, grab a cold one, and get ready to spend some time at The Rooster Bar.]]> 352 John Grisham 0385541171 Lindsey 3 3.54 2017 The Rooster Bar
author: John Grisham
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2023/03/24
date added: 2023/03/24
shelves: john-grisham, books-i-own, e-books, 2023-ng-reading-challenge, 2023-popsugar-reading-challenge
review:

]]> Meant to Be 58935768
No one ever expected anything of Cate, on the other hand. She, too, grew up in a single-parent household—just her and her mom scraping by in their small apartment. As a teenager, though, Cate is discovered for her looks. Modeling may be her only ticket out of the cycle of disappointment that her mother has always inhabited. Before too long, her face is everywhere, though she is always aware that she’d be a pariah in her social circles if anyone knew her true story.

When Joe and Cate’s paths cross, their connection is instant. What remains to be seen is whether their relationship will survive the glare of the spotlight that follows Joe everywhere. And just as they find themselves in the make-or-break moment, the tragedy that seems to run in Joe’s family right alongside all that privilege will repeat itself.

In a beautifully written novel that recaptures a gilded moment in American history, Emily Giffin tells a story of a love that may or may not have the power to transcend circumstances that seem arrayed against it... and the difficulty of finding your way to the place you belong.]]> 368 Emily Giffin 0425286649 Lindsey 4
I loved the re-imagining of this beautiful story. And I love how Gffin ends the story. Definitely a must read! I'm looking forward to her next book.

My thanks to Emily Giffin, Ballantine Books and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review]]> 3.87 2022 Meant to Be
author: Emily Giffin
name: Lindsey
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/17
date added: 2023/03/18
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, netgalley-2023
review:
Emily Giffin is one of my go-to authors for a light, breezy, beachy type read. And this book does not disappoint. I loved the build up between Joe and Cate. The book is based loosely on the love story of JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. I knew I wanted to read it immediately. I feel like we get a tiny glimpse behind the curtain of what could have been their love story.

I loved the re-imagining of this beautiful story. And I love how Gffin ends the story. Definitely a must read! I'm looking forward to her next book.

My thanks to Emily Giffin, Ballantine Books and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
]]> <![CDATA[Abe Lincoln At Last! (Magic Tree House, #47)]]> 11426907
Did you know that there’s a Magic Tree House book for every kid?

Magic Tree Adventures with Jack and Annie, perfect for readers who are just beginning chapter books
Merlin More challenging adventures for the experienced reader
Super A longer and more dangerous adventure
Fact Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House adventures

Have more fun with Jack and Annie at MagicTreeHouse.com!]]> 128 Mary Pope Osborne 0375868259 Lindsey 4 4.13 2011 Abe Lincoln At Last! (Magic Tree House, #47)
author: Mary Pope Osborne
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/16
date added: 2023/03/16
shelves: 2023-ng-reading-challenge, jack-s-chapter-books
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mission Unstoppable (The Genius Files, #1)]]> 8514027
With the real-kid humor that has earned Dan Gutman millions of fans around the world, and featuring weird-but-true American tourist destinations, The Genius Files is a one-of-a-kind mix of geography and fun. As Coke and Pepsi dodge nefarious villains from the Pez museum in California all the way to the Infinity Room in Wisconsin, black-and-white photographs and maps put young readers right into the action. And don't miss the next leg of the journey in The Genius Files: Never Say Genius!

Supports the Common Core State Standards]]> 304 Dan Gutman 0061827649 Lindsey 4 4.09 2011 Mission Unstoppable (The Genius Files, #1)
author: Dan Gutman
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/12
date added: 2023/03/12
shelves: books-i-own, jack-s-chapter-books, 2023-ng-reading-challenge
review:
Love another Dan Gutman series to get my son excited about!
]]> Then She Was Gone 35297426 She was fifteen, her mother's golden girl. She had her whole life ahead of her. And then, in the blink of an eye, Ellie was gone.

NOW
It’s been ten years since Ellie disappeared, but Laurel has never given up hope of finding her daughter.

And then one day a charming and charismatic stranger called Floyd walks into a café and sweeps Laurel off her feet.

Before too long she’s staying the night at this house and being introduced to his nine year old daughter.

Poppy is precocious and pretty - and meeting her completely takes Laurel's breath away.

Because Poppy is the spitting image of Ellie when she was that age. And now all those unanswered questions that have haunted Laurel come flooding back.

What happened to Ellie? Where did she go?

Who still has secrets to hide?]]> 359 Lisa Jewell 1501154648 Lindsey 4 4.02 2017 Then She Was Gone
author: Lisa Jewell
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2023/03/12
date added: 2023/03/12
shelves: books-i-own, 2023-ng-reading-challenge, 2023-popsugar-reading-challenge
review:
What a bizarre, crazy, twisty book that will keep you up late reading just to find out what happens! And why has it taken me so long to read a Lisa Jewell book? Definitely recommend!
]]> Book Lovers 58690308 One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn't see coming....

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.

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.

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.]]> 377 Emily Henry 0593334833 Lindsey 5
"Sometimes, even when you start with the last page and you think you know everything, a book finds a way to surprise you."

Don't read the last page first! Let this book surprise you! ]]> 4.09 2022 Book Lovers
author: Emily Henry
name: Lindsey
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/03/10
date added: 2023/03/10
shelves: books-i-own, 2023-ng-reading-challenge, 2023-popsugar-reading-challenge
review:
I loved this book. I think Nora is my favorite character ever written! Book lovers everywhere should read this book. Emily Henry is fast becoming a go-to author for me. This book had all the feels - its funny, there's some drama, some love, thr main characters rock and roll!

"Sometimes, even when you start with the last page and you think you know everything, a book finds a way to surprise you."

Don't read the last page first! Let this book surprise you!
]]>