In between swimming lessons is the perfect time to start a new book by a favorite author. 🙂

I‘ve been in a reading slump lately. Let‘s see if this book, which is one of my favorite genres, can pull me out of it. 🙂

I‘m not a big fan of historical fiction, partially because it usually holds a lot of trauma. Although this is certainly true of this book there was also a lot of hope. I loved the main character - her growth over the course of the book. Shearer writes Rachel‘s story with great emotional depth. It‘s a book that I might want to come back to (after I have recovered).

New book to read with my goddaughter.

Beyond amazing! Hilarious! Fun! Highly recommend!

This book was EVERYTHING. Porter takes us from early years, to present day with moments of reflection in between. It entices the reader to savor and devour simultaneously. Highly recommend!

First book of 2023. It‘s going to be slow going this morning as I left my glasses home. 🙄 🤣 Oh well; I intend to make the best of the time I do have. 🙂

It didn‘t hit the same way it did in P4. I think I can understand a bit better why I enjoyed this book as a child. It‘s written by a school counselor and that‘s my current profession.

It was okay. I had heard so many good things but it took forever to be interesting. There were a few twists that I wasn‘t expecting but it wasn‘t as exciting as I had hoped.

The first book was better. The beginning was kind of slow but once it started going it was so good. I hope there is a third book.

Wasn‘t in the mood for anything except this children‘s book. I thought I would try this series (and this author). 🙂

I found a book I read in P4 at one of my schools. I am going to read it. Reminiscing through reading

Perfect place to sit and read in solitude.

Overall I liked this book. At times her story is overwhelmingly heartbreaking and at times it is resoundingly joyful. Some portions of this felt too heavily edited and you couldn‘t hear her voice so clearly; but then it came through - especially in the later chapters.

I loved this book! I loved Ari‘s growth throughout the book. This book is a unique take on modern versus traditional marriage and family dynamics.

I LOVED this book. Ray and Orion‘s story is filled with all of the angst and emotion that is typical of youth. Rowe told such an amazing story. It broke my heart and put I all back together again! I loved the concept of the found poetry. It was so beautiful! I can‘t wait to read her next book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It‘s a great day to sit in the shade of this Poinciana tree and read this book. 🙂

Honestly, I wasn‘t certain that I was emotionally ready to read this. I was looking for something light. This was not that book but I am so glad that I read it. It was everything I needed to read. I like to read International books to see the world from another perspective. This book will give you that and more. It is not an easy read but definitely a worthwhile read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

New book. Same beach. 🙂

This woman has lived an extraordinary life. I loved her story on HONY. The book added a few more details. Her trademark humor will have you completely engrossed in her story. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

AMAZING! I‘m trying to figure out how it only has a 75% rating. This book was epic. I guess it‘s not everyone‘s cup of tea and it is an emotionally tough read. There is a lot of violence and it involves human trafficking. That being said, it is incredibly well written and so hard to put down. Okay not hard to put down because I did have to break up some of it. It sucks you right in and compels you to k ow what happens next! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really loved this book. It made me laugh. It made me cry. The characters jump off the page and they all have a measure of depth (which is not easy to do with SO MANY of them). In some ways I did relate to the main character so that made her story believable. In some ways she was a bit out there which made the book funny. Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🙂

I really wanted to love this book. The story overall was good. There were some good ideas there but the structure threw me for a loop. There were a few small mistakes between the wives (ie the 2nd wife‘s name during the 1st wife‘s journal) and the language structure bothered me. It wasn‘t a bad book but it wasn‘t my favorite. It reminded me a bit of Dorothy Koomson‘s The Woman He Loved Before but I definitely liked Koomson‘s more.

Jumping from one century to another. I intend to go back to my Summer with Zora Neale Hurston but I ordered this book a while ago and it finally came so I‘m going with this next. 🙂

One thing about this book; I get something different from it every time I read it. I think this might be my 3rd time reading it (maybe 4th) but I always enjoy it. One of the things that stood out to me this time was Janie‘s speech about her grandmother and the pedestal she wanted Janie to sit on. It was such a powerful speech on how and why we do what we do for those we love. Sometimes that love crushes those we love. Is that really love?

That children‘s book was all over the place so I am taking a break from it to follow my original plan. For my birthday/end of school gift from school (I‘m moving schools) I got a book gift certificate that I used to purchase a collection of Hurston‘s writings. I also got her book of essays as a birthday gift from my principal. My friend wanted to do a buddy read of this book so let‘s get started.

One of the things I aim to do this summer is read my shelf - especially my children‘s books. My students are always allowed to read the books on my shelf but I haven‘t read a lot of the books I have available so i am going to try to read through a bunch of them. I hope to read at least 7 of those books this summer. This one is the first. The cover is so cute! 🙂

A book from my goddaughter and my 2 person book club. 🙂 I liked it. Fantasy is not my jam but Jada loves it. She really enjoyed it a lot and wanted to read the sequel which we will likely do later in the summer. I liked it. I would give it a solid 3.5/5 stars. I am curious enough to want to read the second one though. 🙂

Time to see if it lives up to the hype.

A quick read. It was very good. I gave it 4⭐️. I had to take away a start for making me cry. Other than that it was perfect. Yoon has a way of storytelling that captures you right away and keeps you invested. The character development is always spectacular. I can‘t wait to read her next book.

One thing about Nicola Yoon; she is going to suck you in right away. She is the author equivalent of a black hole because as soon as you start reading, everything else ceases to exist.

I agree with Ray. 🙂

Ahead of the Lifetime movies I decided to finish this series. So far it‘s my least favorite. The best thing about this book was the ending - truly. I‘m not being facetious. There was a slight twist that I wasn‘t suspecting. I expected something but not that. The main character was either a ditz or the author got some factual things wrong which is a HUGE con for me. I gave it 2 🌟on GR.

Getting my hair done and reading. 🙂

My #blitsybookswap partner was the absolute BEST! Thanks so much @Chelleo . Everything was so amazing. I can‘t wait sit to dive into these books while sipping a nice cup of tea. My absolute favorite is the bag. So CUTE! It was worth the wait. 😉🙂 Count me in for next year! 🙂

I haven‘t been keeping up here. This is my current read. It‘s been okay starting to pick up now. 🙂

I am later than I wanted to be but it is sent express. Hoping it gets to you safely and you love it! #blitsyswap #bhmswap #bookmail

A very good read. I wouldn‘t say a thriller but pretty intriguing. I kept reading to try to figure out everything in terms of the direction the story was going. I was not shocked by the ending but it did come full circle and I appreciate that.

Who brings a book to the book date? Néa brings a book to the book date. ??‍♀️? And we match. ????

This book 📕 is BEAUTIFUL! I can‘t wait to dive in. 🙂 This is not part of our official book club but both my goddaughter and I are reading it. 🙂

Y‘all I did It to myself but I have no regrets! I should have been getting ready for tomorrow but I HAD to finish this book. It was amazing. I loved the fantasy world.
I loved the characters. Everyone was so multi-dimensional, and anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE that because it moves us away from classic boring tropes. The best thing is that book 2 is already on it‘s way to me and I can‘t wait to read it!

Godma‘s pick up next. This is our 3rd book. It‘s supposed to be suspense so it‘s more my speed than Jada‘s. I feel like the best way to start a book is with dessert. 😉🤣

It wasn‘t awful but it wasn‘t spectacular. It was just okay for me.
Pros - Interesting characters. Felt well researched. A few twists and turns; enough to make you want to keep reading.
Cons - Resolution was unfulfilling. Slang was thrown in at random places. Historical story was okay but present day story was one level.
I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️.

This book was chosen by my goddaughter for our 2 person book club. I wasn‘t certain how it would go honestly but it turned out really good. I did enjoy it and I certainly see why it is so well-loved. During our discussion Jada and I both talked about how we like the 3rd person narrator and compared it to Narnia. She didn‘t know that Tolkien and Lewis were friends. We loved it and we recommend it to you as well. 🙂

My goddaughter and I have started a book club of 2. I chose the last book - Daughters of Nri. This is her choice. I now have to put all reading aside to read this with her. I have started it once before but got distracted by Walter Mosley. I am going to stay focused this time. 😉🙂

A ferry ride and a new book. 🙂 I don‘t typically read historical fiction but this has gotten rave reviews so li‘m going to give it a try..

I am on a reading roll. This was very differently from anything I have read. It was reminiscent of some other novels but also unique. Told from different voices and perspectives, it is a story of life and of healing. It was so interesting. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A novel told in verse. It was beautiful. A depth of emotion that is common in Acevedo‘s writing; especially in this particular style. I loved it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am uncertain. It was well-written and a good story overall. I am not a big fantasy person. This one was okay once I got my mind around the ‘world‘. Also it was a bit twisty, which I appreciate as I love mysteries and thrillers. I don‘t know though. Overall it was okay considering it is not my usual genre. A definite women‘s empowerment story. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overall, really good book. It was super funny and also very sad. My only real challenge was the structure of it. Sometimes there was no clear delineation between stories so it could get confusing. Overall a good book about a really triggering topic.