Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Top Ten Tuesday: You Can Quote Me

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is...

You Can Quote Me!

When I was preparing for this week's topic, I scrolled through my many, many, MANY quotes saved on GoodReads, and I was overwhelmed by the number of amazing quotes I had saved. I seem to be especially fond of John Green, and I do feel he can turn a phrase and plant some nuggets of wisdom in all his books, but I am not going to do a list of John Green quotes. It was hard to pick just ten, but these really spoke to me.

Monday, April 29, 2019

#AmReading YA - All Abroad!


In this installment of #AmReading, I am delighted to share two books set outside the US - one set in London, the other in Doha. 

Friday, April 26, 2019

Discussion: Take a Chance on Me


This Week’s Topic: Take a Chance on Me

A few weeks ago, the Top Ten Tuesday topic had us talking about why we pick up a book, and I listed my number one reason as the author. Yes, I am always eager to read books by authors who have delighted me, time and time again, but I am also really willing to take a chance on a new author.

Thursday, April 25, 2019

Blog Tour: We Were Beautiful

We Were Beautiful
Heather Helper
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Blink
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
It's been a year since fifteen-year-old Mia Hopkins was in the car crash that killed her older sister and left her terribly scarred. The doctors tell her she was lucky to survive. Her therapist says it will take time to heal. The police reports claim there were trace amounts of alcohol in her bloodstream. But no matter how much she tries to reconstruct the events of that fateful night, Mia's memory is spotty at best. She's left with accusations, rumors, and guilt so powerful it could consume her.

As the rest of Mia's family struggles with their own grief, Mia is sent to New York City to spend the summer with a grandmother she's never met. All Mia wants to do is hide from the world, but instead she's stuck with a summer job in the bustling kitchens of the cafe down the street. There she meets Fig--blue-haired, friendly, and vivacious--who takes Mia under her wing. As Mia gets to know Fig and her friends--including Cooper, the artistic boy who is always on Mia's mind--she realizes that she's not the only one with a painful past.

Over the summer, Mia begins to learn that redemption isn't as impossible as she once thought, but her scars inside run deep and aren't nearly so simple to heal ... especially when Mia finally pieces together her memories of the night Rachel died.

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Can't Wait Wednesday!


Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I can't wait for 

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Top Ten Tuesday: My Humble Beginnings

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is...

My first reviews!

I started pleasure reading again back in 2013. I was mostly reading my daughter's books, and only leaving ratings on Goodreads. Then, the kid gave me a talking to about leaving my thoughts, and I started doing so. I mean, these thoughts were like a sentence. I found one early review that was just two words. I have come a long way since then. I joined WLABB at my daughter's request back in 2017, but I feel like I started reviewing my books a little more seriously after my first BEA/BookCon back in 2015. Because, I was not consistent until I joined the blog, I decided to share my first ten reviews from WLABB.

Friday, April 19, 2019

Tell Me Something Tuesday: Got Books?

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings where we discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging.

This Week’s Topic: 
Where do you get your review books from?


Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Can't-Wait Wednesday


Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I can't wait for
 

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Top Ten Tuesday - Rainy Day Reads

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is...

Rainy Day Reads!


I am not a fan of weather, when I have somewhere to be, but I love to listen to the rain as I hide out inside. I have seen many different things people look for in a rainy day read. Some people are looking for a BIG book to pass the time, a mystery, or a book with a dark mood to match the weather. Me, I prefer to counteract the weather with a lighthearted book, that will bring some sunshine into my heart, while I wait for the storm to pass. These are some lighter reads, which left me with a smile on my face and a spring in my step.

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Top Ten Tuesday: Life in a Small Town

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is...

Life in a Small Town!


Yep! I am going off topic again, but I was thinking about this a lot lately. Last week, when we were all talking about things that make us pick up a book, I saw a few people mention small town settings. Then, I smiled, and thought, "me too". I lived in Brooklyn, NY until I was 13 (and a half), but spent the rest of my teen years in a one square mile town near Rutgers University. It was a bit of a culture shock at the time, but when I look back at that small town, I do so with some fondness for the distinguishing things about small towns. Below is a list of some YA books set in small towns, that I read and loved, and since I haven't done this topic before, I am going back as far as I want.

Monday, April 8, 2019

Friday, April 5, 2019

Discussion: They Killed the Dog....AGAIN!


This Week’s Topic: They Killed the Dog...AGAIN!

So, earlier this week, this happened:
I was so upset, and it had me wondering - why can't they let the dog live?

Thursday, April 4, 2019

Blog Tour: In the Neighborhood of True - Susan Kaplan Carlton


In the Neighborhood of True
Susan Kaplan Carlton
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
A powerful story of love, identity, and the price of fitting in or speaking out.

After her father’s death, Ruth Robb and her family transplant themselves in the summer of 1958 from New York City to Atlanta—the land of debutantes, sweet tea, and the Ku Klux Klan. In her new hometown, Ruth quickly figures out she can be Jewish or she can be popular, but she can’t be both. Eager to fit in with the blond girls in the “pastel posse,” Ruth decides to hide her religion. Before she knows it, she is falling for the handsome and charming Davis and sipping Cokes with him and his friends at the all-white, all-Christian Club.

Does it matter that Ruth’s mother makes her attend services at the local synagogue every week? Not as long as nobody outside her family knows the truth. At temple Ruth meets Max, who is serious and intense about the fight for social justice, and now she is caught between two worlds, two religions, and two boys. But when a violent hate crime brings the different parts of Ruth’s life into sharp conflict, she will have to choose between all she’s come to love about her new life and standing up for what she believes.

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Can't Wait Wednesday: Hope and Other Punchlines & Other Words for Home


Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I can't wait for:

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Top Ten Tuesday: I Choose You!

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's topic is...

I Choose You!

I am constantly lamenting, too many books, too little time, and because of that I am forced to carefully pick and choose each book I read. This week, I was challenged to put into words what makes me choose a book. I don't think I every really verbalized it before, but here we go.