Tuesday, June 27, 2017

WWW June 28, 2027


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It's time for the weekly meme, WWW Wednesday hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.
All you need to do is answer the following questions:
  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?
So let's get onto it!

What are you currently reading?  I'm reading an ARC, Reading With Patrick: A Teacher, A Student and A Life-Changing Friendship by Michelle Kuo

What did you recently finish reading? I have had a really good reading week,thanks to audiobooks, although nothing this past week has been rated higher than 3 stars.  I listened to three audiobooks: All The Summer Girls by Meg Donohue (2 stars), Tearing Down The Gates: Confronting The Class Divide in American Education by Peter Sacks (1 star), and By Starlight by Dorothy Garlock (3 stars) and I read an ARC, Spring/Summer 2017 St. Martin's First Sampler (2 stars).  I also DNF'ed What We Find by Robyn Carr.  It just wasn't doing anything for me and I thought why force my self to read more. I also tried a couple audiobooks and they did not keep my interest.

What do you think you’ll read next? I will listen next to Then Everything Changed : Stunning Alternate Histories of American Politics by Jeff Greenfield; could either be very interesting or so boring that I DNF it.

What about you?  Have you read any of these or do you plan to? What are you reading?

Sunday, June 25, 2017

A Stardance Summer Blog Tour - Review & Excerpt






Return to the beloved small town of Eternity Springs in the newest installment of Emily March’s New York Times bestselling series with A Stardance Summer.

Sometimes the end of one road
Brick Callahan enjoys every minute of chaos at his campground, Stardance Ranch, especially after the Tornado Alleycats arrive for an extended summer stay. The members of the all-female glamorous camping club are primarily seniors—active and adventurous, friendly and fun. But when he discovers Liliana Howe frolicking with the glamping grannies in a late night skinny-dipping session, he fears he's in for a summer of trouble. Because his best friend's kid sister has grown up to be drop-dead gorgeous.
. . .is the start of another

Betrayed by those she trusted, Lili decides she's put her career first for too long. She sells her practical sedan, buys a travel trailer, and heads to Eternity Springs for a summer of rest, relaxation, and reassessment as the newest member of the Alleycats. The last person she expects to find running an RV resort is her high school crush. Their undeniable mutual attraction is a reminder that life is full of surprises. But when the past comes calling, will their summer romance stand the test of time?


My Review

Another winner by Emily March in her Eternity Springs series.  I was a latecomer to the series, starting with the 7th book and trying to catch up on those first 6 ones that I missed.  Because there are 4 books that I have not yet read, I was confused at first with all the names and where they fit into the series, but for the most part I figured it out before long and enjoyed the series.  The synopsis on Goodreads is a bit misleading, since it says Brick's ex-girlfriend shows up unexpectedly, which never happens.  There are several storylines in this book and all of them are enjoyable.  I look forward to the next book in the series.





Author Bio:


Emily March is the New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty novels, including the critically acclaimed Eternity Springs series. Publishers Weekly calls March a "master of delightful banter," and her heartwarming, emotionally charged stories have been named to Best of the Year lists by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Romance Writers of America. A graduate of Texas A&M University, Emily is an avid fan of Aggie sports and her recipe for jalapeƱo relish has made her a tailgating legend.

Social Links:



Twitter @emilymarchbooks

Chapter1 Excerpt


Chapter One

Twenty years later

I won’t cry. I absolutely, positively will not cry.

Liliana Howe silently repeated the mantra as she rang the doorbell of her parents’ home in Norman, Oklahoma. She still had a key to the house, but her arms were full with two large white paper bags of her father’s favorite Tex-Mex from the taqueria over by Oklahoma University.

Brian and Stephanie Howe met at home for lunch every day, but it was rare for Lili to join them. She usually worked through lunch. But then, today was not a usual day, was it?

Her father answered the door. His gray eyes rounded in surprise. “Lili? Did we forget a lunch date?”

“No, Dad. I was in the neighborhood. Thought I’d surprise you with lunch from Miguelito’s.”

 “Well, that’s nice.” He opened the screen door. “Come on in. Let me help you with those bags.”

He led her through the house back toward the kitchen. “That smells wonderful. This is a real treat, Liliana. Your mother doesn’t let me have Mexican too often.”

“It’s been too long since I’ve seen you guys.”

They walked into the kitchen to find her mother seated at the table staring intently at her computer. Typical Stephanie Howe. Always working. Without looking up, she said, “Stevenson has the best rating, but—”

“Look who’s here, honey,” Lili’s father interrupted.

Stephanie Howe finally glanced up, her thoughts obviously somewhere else, because she gazed at Lili as if she didn’t recognize her. Lili waved her fingers. “Surprise.”

“Oh.” Stephanie gave her head a little shake. “Lili. Hello. Did we forget a lunch date?”

Inwardly, Lili sighed. “No. I was in the mood for Mexican and I thought of Dad.”

“It’s not good for his cholesterol.”

“No, but once in a blue moon won’t hurt him. Dr. Derek told me that himself.”

She unloaded the bags, setting tacos, cheese enchiladas, refried beans, guacamole, and tortilla chips in the center of the table. Her mother brought plates and silverware from the cabinet. “Nevertheless, it’s nice to see you. It’s been too long. How are you, Lili? Have you recovered from tax season?”

“It’s definitely behind me,” she replied with a wry twist of her lips.

They all filled their plates. Not anxious to spill her own beans, Lili took an extra spoonful of refried and asked, “So, what do you hear from Derek?”

Her parents spent quite a bit of time talking about their renowned heart surgeon son. Nerves caused Lili to make a pig of herself on chips and guacamole, and she didn’t miss her mother’s judgmental frown.

Finally, after extolling Derek’s most recent peer recognition award, her father asked Lili what was new with her work and the moment was at hand.

She sipped her water, wished it were a beer, and summarized the sequence of events that had led her to this crisis point. Then she waited for them to react.

And she waited.

And waited.

Her parents shared one of those long, hard-to-read looks that made Lili’s stomach do a bit of a sick flip. Her father cleared his throat. “It’s an incredible tale.”

Her mother nodded. “Unbelievable.”

Lili sucked salt off her bottom lip. She hadn’t expected them to jump to their feet and vow to make the villains pay, but she’d thought they’d be angry on her behalf. Not . . . reserved.

Deep within her, despair kindled to life. They were her parents. She was counting on them. Nevertheless, she pressed ahead, calmly and logically laying out the approach she wanted to take and the assistance she needed from her mother and father.

Again, her parents shared one of those inscrutable looks. Lili’s heart began to pound. “I don’t know, Liliana,” her father said, rubbing the back of his neck. “It would be hard to fight them. They’re powerful people. I hate to say it because it’s not the way this country was supposed to work, but if a Normal Joe tries to go up against powerful people, most often he loses.

“I don’t want to see you get involved with making a charge against the police. That could turn nasty real fast. This cop . . . you said you think your bosses might have threatened him, too? He might be in an even tougher position than you.”

“But he lied, Dad! He falsified records.”

“But you have no proof of that, do you?”

“Just my word.” Isn’t that enough, Dad? At least for you?

“Maybe you should let things lie for a while. Give it some time. See how things work out. I think it’s simply too soon to call the governor and ask for a personal favor.”

That, Lili knew, was a no. A no and a verbal punch to the gut. After her father’s heroic efforts during Central Oklahoma’s most recent tornado outbreak, hadn’t the governor given Brian Howe her direct phone number and instructions to call if he ever needed help with anything? Lili could think of only one reason why he denied her request, and it made her want to toss her guaco.

“Maybe later on when everything settles down we can look at the situation again.”

He didn’t believe her. He didn’t believe in her. Neither did her mother. Lili’s heart twisted. She knew her parents. They wouldn’t come right out and say it, but she saw the significant looks they’d exchanged. Noticed the way they wouldn’t meet her eyes.

They believed she’d been driving drunk last night and the DUI was legit. They did not believe that she’d been set up.

They thought she’d lied.

Lied!

Hurt like nothing she’d ever known washed through her. Lili had never been a liar. Even as a child she’d been frightfully honest. Hadn’t that been her way of attempting to gain favor with her parents? Her brilliant older brother spun stories that had fooled her equally brilliant parents, but eagle-eyed little sister often knew the truth. And tattled. But always with the truth.

Always.

Yet now, they doubted her? They believed her so irresponsible that she would climb behind the wheel of a car after she’d been drinking, thus risking her life, the lives of others, and her license to practice her profession?

Good grief, did they think she’d embezzled money from senior citizens, too?

Lili swallowed hard. Inside, her heart was bleeding. I will not cry. I will not cry. She couldn’t believe this. What was she going to do now?

The only thing she was certain of was that she needed to leave. Immediately. Before she lost her enchiladas all over her mother’s Italian tile.

But Lili couldn’t make herself stand up. Her knees were too weak.

“I think your father is right.” Stephanie Howe reached over and patted Lili’s hand. “You know, dear, maybe this is for the best. You haven’t been happy in your work for some time now.”

“You never liked accounting,” her father added helpfully. “Perhaps it’s best that you look on this event as an opportunity.”

An opportunity? For what? Prison? Hysterical laughter bubbled up inside her, but Lili swallowed it down.

Lili’s mother rose from the table and removed a glass pitcher of iced tea from the refrigerator. She topped off her husband’s glass and changed the subject.

Lili didn’t really care about the plans for their next-door neighbor’s upcoming retirement party. Nor did she give a fig about OU football recruiting rumors. She spent the rest of the meal in a distracted fog.

Finally, having cleaned his plate—twice—Brian Howe set down his fork, wiped his mouth with a napkin, then checked his watch. “I’ve gotta run. I have a one o’clock conference call.”

Standing, he leaned over and pressed a kiss against Lili’s hair. “It was nice to see you, sweetheart. Don’t be such a stranger.”

Minutes later, he walked out the door and Stephanie was preparing to follow. “I hate to rush you, Lili, but I have office hours before my two o’clock lecture.”

Stephanie Howe taught advanced mathematics at OU. “That’s okay, Mom. Why don’t you go on? I’ll stay and load the dishwasher.”

“Thank you. You’ll lock up when you’re done?”

“I will.”

Her mother ducked into the master bedroom and returned a few moments later with her hair and teeth brushed and wearing new lipstick. On the way out the door, she paused. “Lili, things happen for a reason, and often, we don’t know what that reason is. Sometimes you simply need to give it a little time.”

She gave a little finger wave, then exited the house. Lili stood in the center of her parents’ kitchen, her arms hanging limply at her sides. She heard her mother’s car start, then back out of the driveway. Lili was alone. Alone and . . . lost.

Her parents didn’t believe her. Why not? What had she ever done to earn this lack of faith?

 Nothing. She might not have been the smartest Howe sibling, but she’d made it a point to be the one who never screwed up. Derek the Favorite couldn’t say that. The time her brother had come within a phone call of getting an MIP, he’d deserved one. He and his trouble-magnet best friend had celebrated the no-hitter Mark had thrown in the regionals of the state baseball tournament by buying a fifth of bourbon with fake IDs and drinking themselves silly in a public park. Neither had gone near a car, but still.

Derek’s good luck was that their father’s administrative assistant’s husband was the chief of police. Dad had called the chief on Derek’s behalf and worked out a deal. Derek would pay the required fine and do the required community service, but it wouldn’t go on his record. Gotta protect the college applications, you know.

He’d called for Derek.

He won’t go near the phone for me.

Pressure filled Lili’s chest. It reminded her of that achy feeling she got when reading a novel where the protagonist discovers that her loved one has betrayed her. At that point in a book, Lili invariably skipped ahead to read the ending. Lili needed happy endings.

Satisfying endings didn’t work for her. She wanted happy-ever-after.

Once she knew the book was a safe read, the emotional grief she experienced eased. Then she invariably read the rest of the book backward. She was weird that way.

She’d never expected to be the wronged character in a real-life novel. Not with her parents cast as the betrayers, anyway. She wished she could skip to the end of this story. Maybe then she’d discover that her parents had believed her and believed in her all along and they had a really good reason for doing what they’d just done.

Yeah. Right. And I’ll win the next season of Who’s Got Talent because of my spreadsheet expertise.

Ordinarily, pity parties were not Liliana’s style. Today as she picked up her father’s plate from the table, she had a star-studded gala going on.

Mom and Dad didn’t believe her.

She took two steps toward the sink, then abruptly stopped. She dropped the plate.

Actually, she threw the plate. With both hands. Hard.

It smashed against the floor, shattering into dozens of pieces. Next she threw his glass and her mother’s plate and her own plate and glass. And Liliana realized she was panting as if she’d run five miles. Tears pooled in her eyes, but she blinked them away.

Then, because she was Liliana, she got a broom and dustpan and cleaned up her mess. About the time her mother would be pulling into the faculty parking lot at OU, Lili exited the house and locked the door behind her. Then she removed her parents’ house key from her key ring and dropped it through the mail slot in their front door.

As she walked down the sidewalk toward the slate-gray sedan she’d parked at the curb, the soon-to-be-retired neighbor drove into his driveway. They exchanged waves and Lili extended a trembling hand toward her car door.

“I absolutely, positively won’t cry.”

Maintaining her composure, she slid into the driver’s seat and calmly buckled the safety belt. She started her engine, shifted into drive, and slowly pulled away from her childhood home. She wouldn’t cry. She wouldn’t curse. She wouldn’t break any more dishes or squeal her tires in a fit of temper.

Lili wasn’t reckless. She didn’t act rashly and seldom lost control of her temper or emotions. She was logical and deliberate and controlled.

And honest. Totally honest.

Just the way a good accountant should be.

The faintest of sobs escaped her at the thought.

She’d broken her mother’s Fiesta. And yes, she had goosed the gas on her practical sedan, though not enough to squeal the tires. She wasn’t certain that her engine even had enough power to do it.

Her landlady’s voice echoed through her mind. I think this car’s get-up-and-go got up and went before it ever left the showroom floor.

“I bought it used,” Lili had defended.

Patsy Schaffer clicked her tongue and shook her head. “Oh, honey. Of course you did.”

Buying this car had been a good decision, Lili told herself now. A practical purchase. Cars lost value the moment they were driven off the lot. The last thing she needed was a big car payment.

Especially since as of today, she didn’t have a job.

She sucked in a shuddering breath. What am I going to do?

“Fight.” That’s what she needed to do. That’s what she’d come to her parents’ house to do. To gather her resources. To prepare for war. This injustice could not be allowed to stand!

So fine. She’d go into battle by herself. Work from the bottom up instead of the top down. She could do it. She was a grown-up. She didn’t need her parents to fight her battles. She was accustomed to doing things alone, wasn’t she?

She’d go back to the office. Today. Now. What could it hurt? They couldn’t fire her again. She’d demand to speak to Fred Ormsby, the other founding partner. She’d outline her case and demand that the situation be investigated by an independent party. Then she’d go to the police and do the same thing with them.

She could do this. She was strong.

She was scared.

By the time she pulled onto I-35 headed north to her office building in downtown Oklahoma City, she’d lost the battle to hold back tears. Soon she’d soaked four tissues and was on to drowning her fifth.

Then, just as she signaled her intention to take the upcoming exit, a motorcycle screamed by, passing on the right. Only by the grace of God did she avoid hitting him.

In that instant, the blaze of Lili’s temper evaporated her fears. If she’d had another dinner plate, she’d have thrown it at the fool. She was furious that the rider had endangered himself by riding recklessly without a helmet. She was incensed at her former friend and mentor in the firm and at his criminal connections in the police department who were able to create false DUI charges out of nothing.

 And her parents . . . Lili swallowed hard. Her parents. For them, she had no words.

Downtown, she found a parking spot two blocks from her building, so she took it. She grabbed a fresh tissue, flipped down the visor mirror, and wiped away mascara tracks. She blew her nose, put on fresh lipstick, and pinched some color into her wan cheeks.

Drawing two calming, bracing breaths, she stepped outside and prepared to go to war.

Lili marched up the street. You can do this. You can do this. Right is on your side. Justice will prevail.

She was halfway to her building’s front door when the problem occurred to her. They’d taken away her credentials. She wouldn’t be allowed upstairs.

They’d taken her credentials. They’d taken her reputation. They’d taken her license. A great yawning sense of despair opened up inside her. I’m powerless.

The door to her building opened and her former mentor and the firm’s other founding partner stepped outside. Okay. Okay. Her luck was turning. Here was an opportunity. Approaching them on a public street wouldn’t be her first choice, but the fact that they’d come out of the building right at this particular moment was a sign, was it not?

She took one more step forward, then stopped abruptly. A third person had joined them. A third person smiled and laughed and flirted up at the two men old enough to be her father.

Tiffany Lambeau.

Lili’s nemesis.

When Tiffany had followed Mark Christopher to the University of Hawaii, Lili had hoped Norman, Oklahoma, had seen the last of her. Instead, Tiffany had come home with an MBA and a “broken” heart quickly healed by a prominent banker. Now Tiffany was on the prowl again, and she’d started working at the firm late last year as a consultant. She knew everyone of consequence in town— maybe the entire state—and she’d quickly weaseled her way into visiting the corner offices. Often.

Lili watched the trio turn the other direction and stroll up the sidewalk, arm in arm, and she had no doubt that she was looking at Ormsby, Harbaugh, and Stole’s newest partner.

The guacamole in Lili’s stomach made a threatening rumble. “Oh yes,” she murmured. “Talk about a sign.”

She could possibly face the powers that be at the firm. She might even be able to hold her own while presenting her case to the cops. But Tiffany Lambeau? Forget about it.

Some parts of high school a girl simply couldn’t leave behind.

Lili pivoted and returned to her car. She thumbed the lock, opened the door, slid inside, and calmly fastened her seat belt. She sat with her hands on the wheel for a full five minutes, the events of the day running through her mind like a bad movie. How many times today had she asked herself, What am I going to do?

Now, finally, at—she glanced at the clock on her dash— 2:27 p.m., she knew the answer. “That’s it. I’m done. I quit.”

Lili switched on her ignition, shifted her car into drive, and spoke her life-changing decision aloud. “I’m going to join the Tornado Alleycats.”

Copyright © 2017 by Emily March and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Press.



Buy Links:




Friday, June 23, 2017

Book Blogger Hop/Book Beginnings/The Friday 56 - 6/23/2017






The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Ramblings of A Coffee-Addicted Writer, Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice and Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader. The idea is to share a sentence or so from the first page and the 56th page of the book you are currently reading!  Also, I will now also include a brief synopsis.


This week's Book Blogger Hop's question.If you are at a really good point in a book and the phone rings or the door bell rings, do you stop reading or let the phone or door bell go unanswered?

Usually if the house phone rings, it's a telemarketer,  so I usually  ignore it anyhow
Doorbell seldom too unless some one is selling something.

What We Find (Sullivan's Crossing, #1)




A Brief Synopsis:  Join Robyn Carr, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Virgin River and Thunder Point series, as she explores the healing powers of rural Colorado in a brand-new story of fresh starts, budding relationships and one woman’s journey to finding the happiness she’s long been missing

Between the urban bustle of Denver and the high-stress environment of a career in neurosurgery, Maggie Sullivan has hit a wall. When an emergency, high-risk procedure results in the death of a teenager, Maggie finds herself in the middle of a malpractice lawsuit—and experiencing levels of anxiety she’s never faced before. It’s in this desperate moment that Maggie’s boyfriend decides he can’t handle her emotional baggage, and she’s left alone, exhausted and unsure of what her future holds. One thing is certain, though: she needs to slow down before she burns out completely, and the best place she can think to do that is Sullivan’s Crossing.

Named for Maggie’s great-grandfather, the land and charming general store at the crossroads of the Colorado and the Continental Divide trails have been passed down through the generations and now belong to Maggie’s estranged father, Sully. Though raised by her mother and stepfather after her parents divorced, Maggie has always adored Sully—despite his hands-off approach to fatherhood. When she shows up unannounced in Sullivan’s Crossing, he welcomes her with opens arms, and she relishes the opportunity to rebuild their relationship.

But when Sully has a sudden heart attack, Maggie’s world is rocked once again. Consumed with his care, she’s relieved to find that Cal Jones, a quiet and serious-looking camper, has been taking over many of Sully’s responsibilities as he recuperates. Still, Maggie is suspicious of this mysterious man’s eagerness to help—until she finds out the true reason for his deliberate isolation.

Though Cal and Maggie each struggle with loss and loneliness, the time they spend together gives Maggie hope for something brighter just on the horizon…if only they can learn to find peace and healing—and perhaps love—with each other.
 


Beginning of the Book

Maggie Sullivan  sought refuge in the stairwell between  the seventh and eighth floors at the west end of three hospital, the steps  least traveled by  interns and residents racing from floor to floor,  from emergency to emergency.

Page 56

Maggie  got up, turned  and started walking to the store,  " I don't appreciate your attitude, " she said.

What do you think?  I'm very early into the book, but I loved  Robyn Carr's Virgin River series, and I'm hoping to love this new series as well.

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

WWW Wednesday June 21, 2017


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It's time for the weekly meme, WWW Wednesday hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.
All you need to do is answer the following questions:
  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?
So let's get onto it!

What are you currently reading?  I'm just started reading  What We Find by Robyn Carr. I just loved her Virgin River series and am looking forward to this new series, Sullivan's Crossing.  I have about an hour left in All The Summer Girls by Meg Donohue

What did you recently finish reading?  I just finished reading an ARC of A Stardance Summer; I'll be participating in the blog tour on June 25th. I have listened to several audiobooks since last week; I finished My Happy Days in Hollywood by Garry Marshall (3 stars), The Red Umbrella by Cristina Diaz Gonzalez (4.5 stars), and The Cherry Cola Book Club (1.75 stars)

What do you think you’ll read next? I will listen nest to either Tearing Down The Gates by Peter Sacks or By Starlight by Dorothy Garlock.  I literally am just a few pages into my current book, so I'm not even thinking about what I'll be reading next.  

What about you?  Have you read any of these or do you plan to? What are you reading?

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Book Beginnings/ The Friday 56 6/16/2017


Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice and Book Beginnings is hosted by Rose City Reader. The idea is to share a sentence or so from the first page and the 56th page of the book you are currently reading!  Also, I will now also include a brief synopsis.

A Stardance Summer (Eternity Springs, #13)


A Brief Synopsis:  Lili Howe took a leap of faith when she decided to join the Tornado Alleycats, her elderly landlady’s all-female glamour-camping club. Lili’s always given everything to her career, putting herself on track to become her CPA firm’s youngest partner. But now that Lili’s carefully planned future is shattered, she’s willing to let summer work its magic on her―at all costs.

There’s never a dull moment at Stardance Ranch, the Colorado resort Brick Callahan built from the ground up. Still, a late night skinny-dipping session involving a bunch of “glamping” grannies. . .with his best friend’s kid sister Lili among them? He couldn’t have made up such story if he tried. The undeniable mutual attraction between Brick and gorgeous, spirited Lili is a reminder that life is full of surprises. But when Brick’s ex-girlfriend suddenly shows up, he’s faced with a desperate choice: Do right by a woman he once loved or take a chance on Lili. . .and do everything he can to win her heart?

Beginning of the Book

Prologue On a Wednesday afternoon in october at the tennis center, nine-year old Liliana Howe batted a tennis ball at a backboard and fumed Boys are such jerks!

Chapter One I won't cry. I absolutely positively won't cry.

Page 56

Patsy reached for Fresh Bakery's front door.  "Hmm . . .  maybe before we head back to  camp, I'll stop by the drugstore and buy some hair dye to touch up my roots."


Tuesday, June 13, 2017

WWW Wednesday June 14, 2017

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It's time for the weekly meme, WWW Wednesday hosted by Sam
@Taking on a World of Words.

All you need to do is answer the following questions:
  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?
So let's get onto it!

What are you currently reading?  I'm am reading A Stardance Summer by Emily March. I am currently between audiobooks.. 

What did you recently finish reading?  I finally finished The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore.  I finished listening to Pretending to Dance by Diane Chamberlain, Sisterland by Curtiss Sittenfeld, and If I Run by Terri Blackstock.

What do you think you’ll read next? I'm not positive on exactly which book, I will read; maybe an e-ARC, Abducted Innocence by Sandra Bolton.  Next, I will listen to either, All The Summer Girls by Meg Donohue or My Happy Days in Hollywood by Garry Marshall.

What about you?  Have you read any of these or do you plan to? What are you reading?

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

May Wrap-Up

Quantity-wise this was a good month with 12 books read or listened to.  There were also 4 books that I DNF'd for various reasons.

Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance

An interesting book about the Olympic gymnast, Simone Biles. Nothing amazing about it, but it was enjoyable. I try to read or listen to 1 book about an Olympic gymnast each year or really it has just worked out to be 1 each year, so now it is kind of a tradition after 3 or 4 years of doing so. The only thing that bugged me was the narrator mispronounced "Nadia Comaneci", other than that I thought she did a good job with using a different voice for many of the characters in the book.

3 stars

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

I listened to this book on audio. Very riveting. It totally kept my attention and books on war are not my favorites, especially not non0fiction. But this was so interesting; how he endured those 3 or 3 years as a POW is nothing more than amazing. The last part of the book was less interesting, but as a whole it was a very compelling book.

4 stars


This Is What a Librarian Looks Like: A Celebration of Libraries, Communities, and Access to Information


I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. The idea behind this book is great, but the format of it as an e-book has a lot to be desired. This would be much better as a physical coffee table book. It was awful in regards to formatting on my actual Kindle e-reader, but somewhat better on my phone app and I'm guessing even better on a Kindle Fire. The author spoke with hundreds of librarians and Library Science students, as well as some authors and printed excerpts, quotes and essays. The print fluctuated from crisp and clear print to very light, hard-to-read fonts on a semi-dark background. Some of the essays were interesting, especially when authors or librarians talked about childhood memories of the library and how it shaped their lives. Also, most of the quotes, excepts, and essays were accompanied by photos, but it was often difficult to sometimes determine who was being matched up with whom. At times, the only way, it was decipherable were in the cases where you could determine which name and photo went together based on their gender or ethnicity. Overall, I did like the book, but reading it in a physical format would have worked better and hopefully in the final published version, photographs will be clearly labeled.

3 stars

The Lions of Little Rock

I listened to this on audio; this is based on the story of the year following the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.  The school district closed to all students rather than allow the integration to take place.  I was not aware of this although I had read a book ,  [book:Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County: A Family, a Virginia Town, a Civil Rights Battle|23131084] which was about a similar event that occurred in Virginia.  Although this was for middle grade children or young adults, I found this interesting and well-written.

3.5 stars

Falling Hard (A Nugget Romance)


I received this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley. I just loved this book. This is a great series by a great author. It was so wonderful to be back in Nugget, California. Reading this book just felt like getting into a nice snuggly pair of pajamas. It felt great to be back in Nugget, catch up with some of the old characters and meet some new ones. Stacy Finz is starting a new series coming this summer and I look forward to it. Since the new series takes place in a nearby town to Nugget, hopefully we will run into one of these characters occasionally. If you liked Robyn Carr's Virgin River series, you will also like the Nugget series by Stacy Finz.

4 stars

This Land Is Our Land: A History of American Immigration

I very much enjoyed this book. It is marketed as middle grade, but I feel this is appropriate for both high school and adult readers as well. The views on immigrants actually has changed very little in some ways; new immigrants were always discriminated against for one reason or the other. Over history, there was always the sentiment that the newest group of immigrants, regardless of their ethnicity, race, language, or religion would never be able to assimilate into the American way of life. This book covers the years from when the United States first was settled by Europeans to modern times up through the 2015 or 2016. This book is very informative and reading it should be required during high school.

5 stars


Teenage Diaries by Radio Diaries

I got this audiobook through the AudioSync teen summer program. It was interesting, but since there is not an actual print or e-book available, I actually find this should be classified as a podcast and not an audiobook. It was very short, only about 2 hours. This man (forget his name) gave recorders to a bunch of teens back in 1999 to document their life for a program on NPR radio, I believe; 16 years later, he has 5 of them do it again with where they are now. Rather interesting, but I can't make myself give it more than 2 stars (ok). Reminds me of an audio version of the MTV show in the 90s or early 2000s, Real Life.

2 stars

One Perfect Lie

Although I got into the story right away, I found later on in the book things seemed to be unclear or just not consistent. I did listen to this book on audio and had to replay parts thinking I missed something, but I don't think I had; it just wasn't there in the first place. I keep going back and forth about whether to give this 2 or 3 stars. This is my 2nd book by her and I know she has a large following, I just am not that impressed. I don't think I have totally given up on her boks, but I will probably only read the one that I believe I had bought sometime back and read it and then determine if I read anymore by her or not.

2.5 stars

Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the Selma Voting Rights March

This was a very good book. I listened to it within an hour and I wish this would have been longer. It is for the middle grades and should be required reading for everyone in junior high school.

4 stars

American Pickers Guide to Picking

I did enjoy this book, so don't be fooled by a rating of a 3 a 3 is actually a good book, just not something I consider a very good read that you need to read or that is amazing and that I truly loved and would recommend to the world. But it was solidly enjoyable book that I'm glad to have read. Although there were quite a few stories from the show, I would have enjoyed even more and plan to check out there website and watch as many of the shows as I missed. Since I only watched a couple seasons before we got rid of cable and there are 17 seasons, I have a lot to watch. If you are or have been a fan of this show, you probably will want to read this.

3.5 stars

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Believe it or not, I never read this book when I was a child or young adult. It was a pleasant enough book to listen to, but nothing earth-shattering. I may or may not listen to more in the series.

2 stars

I think my favorite audiobook was Unbroken and my favorite that I read was Falling Hard

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

WWW Wednesdays 6/7/2017

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It's time for the weekly meme, WWW Wednesday hosted by Sam
@Taking on a World of Words.

All you need to do is answer the following questions:
  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?
So let's get onto it!

What are you currently reading?  I'm still reading The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore. i think I'll finish this on Wednesday.  I also started listening to Pretending to Dance by Diane Chamberlain

What did you recently finish reading?  Since last week, I listened to Uprooted: The Japanese-American Experience during World War II by Albert Marrin, Second-Chance Summer by Jill Landis, and How Dare The Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child by Sandra Uwiringiyimani.

What do you think you’ll read next? I'll read A Stardance Summer by Emily March next, since I'll be participating in a blog tour of this book which is being released this month. I;ll listen next to either Sisterland by Curtiss Sittenfeld or Dog Years by Mark Doty.

What about you?  Have you read any of these or do you plan to? What are you reading?