Happy Happy Happy Book Day!
I’m going to throw in a shameless plug for my new book/travel instagram 🙂 If you’d like to follow along, I will be posting at To Read & To Roam (linked here!).
FINALLY linking up with the fabulous Jana & Steph today for Show Us Your Books!
I skipped the last few months because I’ve been a lazy reader & a lazy blogger.
Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
★★★/5; Mystery 
I was bored with the beginning of this book and was feeling a solid two stars… then it got better and by the end I was at four stars. So we landed at three. It’s a slow start; I guess most series starters are… but I was so close to quitting. I’ve been meaning to start this series for a while & I was determined to get through the first book. By the end I was glad I did!
Georgie is an adult woman with no clear path. Her family can’t afford to support her as a spinster but she’s horrified at the idea of marrying a distant royal relative, just to appease the Queen. She she takes it upon herself to move to London and winds up in the middle of a murder case. It was quite dull at first, but I guess Bowen was laying the groundwork. By the end I liked Georgie- but I don’t think this series is for me.
Read it? Maybe? But probably not.
A Danger Engagement by Ashley Weaver
★★★★/5; Mystery 
Apparently I’m on a mystery kick right now.
I’m a big fan of Weaver’s Amory. I love her improving relationship with Milo, I love her spunk and determination and courage, & I love the flow of these mysteries. This is the sixth in the series and I’ve read them all, so obviously I’m a fan. This one was set in NYC in the 1930s with a sprinkle of mobsters and prohibition. I always judge mysteries on whether or not I solve it before the m/c (which I did, but just barely) and if the author gave me enough info to have done so without giving it all away. I don’t need to solve it, but I need to the clues to have been presented. Does that makes sense? I feel like that’s the true sign of a star mystery writer.
Read it? Yes, but start at the beginning of the series.
A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer
★★★★★/5; Fantasy 
I was afraid I wouldn’t like this one. The first in the series was awesome & I thought this one would lack. I wasn’t sucked in from the start, which made me worry even more. But before I hit page 50 I was hooked. I think many readers had beef with the changing personalities of Rhen & Harper, but this story focused on Grey & Lia Mara… so it seems natural and right that those two characters would view R&H differently than R&H view themselves… ya know? Also. I still love Grey. And Lia Mara, too. (She is the daughter of the enemy queen, fyi.)
I know a fantasy story (or any story) is good when I think about it outside of reading. And I imagine it like a tv show or movie that I can’t wait to get back to- then I have to remind myself that it’s a book, not a visual medium.
Once again, the ending has me going, “Ehhh….” but I felt that way after book #1 so I’m going to give the author and series the benefit of the doubt when moving on to book #3 (in freaking Jan. 2021 WHYYY).
Read it? Start at the beginning of the series.
M’s Favorite Reads
Truthfully, M is more into eating books than reading books… but we’ve gotten through a few without her nomming on the pages…
Bloom by Deborah Diesen, Mary Lundquist (illustrator)
M’s sweet and kind aunt sent her this beautiful book about plants & growing! (This is the same author who pens The Pout-Pout Fish books.)
Take Heart, My Child by Ainsley Earhardt, Kathryn Cristaldi, Jaime Kim (illustrator)
This book is a soft rhyming lullaby that is easy to read to M when we’re winding down. We have the board book and normal book, I think.
*Want to hear something fun? Ainsley & Katheryn were both on the name shortlist before we picked one for M.
Another challenge from Erin has begun. Here are my picks:
| 10 p | Starts with “S”: Salt to the Sea (Sepetys)
And there we have it. A new book update 😉 What have you been reading?
Life as Louise 
I often like when a second book in a series is told from a different viewpoint and I see new sides of the old characters because I don’t think any of us truly see ourselves for what we are fully.
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I agree. Getting other characters’ thoughts and opinions in a series really adds to the overall story!
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Love that you’ve been including M’s books on here, too!
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Thanks, Lindsay!
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I’m glad you enjoyed MOST of the books you read. I’m a big mystery/thriller fan, but I feel like I’m really gravitating toward those lately. They really just take you away from things! It’s great.
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
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I don’t read a ton of thrillers but I do love mysteries! Especially historic ones 🙂 I love the Amory Ames series!!
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I always love seeing kid books out there, especially since I keep lists of what to buy little people!
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She’s slowly starting to understand that we read books, we don’t eat them. We’ll have to stick to cloth and board books for a while, though. She puts everything in her mouth. Ha.
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I haven’t been reading as much lately either. Our library was closed and I don’t really buy books unless it’s textbook so I feel so behind. I like mysteries and A Dangerous Engagement sounds like a great pick!
Maureen | http://www.littlemisscasual.com
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Our library closed for physical books but I could borrow them on my Kindle. That’s mostly what I did, but since I wasn’t reading a ton… it didn’t much matter. Lol. Happy to be back on the horse now!
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I love that you include M’s books. Adorable!
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Thank you 🙂 Hopefully there will be more as her interest grows!
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aw, yay for new instagram! following on the bookish instagram i made, though i’m not super active on it yet. i need to get back to that ashley weaver series! i felt the exact same way about the second curse book. i am DYING for the third.
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Thank you!! I’m pretty sure I followed yours back 🙂 I love the Amory Ames books. And A Heart So Fierce…. man, I was SO happy that it lived up to the first (and was even better! haha).
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Take Heart My Child sounds so cute. I have done a few posts with books Zoe enjoyed over the years, but I really should make more of an effort to include them on each of my posts for consistency. Especially since we are in a huge book phase again.
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It’s a really adorable book. I think M likes how sing-songy it is.
Definitely share Zoe’s picks! We’re always looking for more!
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I need to try some more mysteries – thats one genre I dont really pick up a lot
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I love mysteries. Not so much thrillers, but a good mystery is fantastic!
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I love your kids’ book review reviews so I know what to buy for my niece!
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Thank you! I hope we get out of the book eating phase soon… lol.
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I love that you share M’s favorite reads!
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Thank you! I try to include 4 typically but she’s too busy trying to eat everything and crawl to read right now. Lol
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I loved a Heart so Fierce and Broken and dare I say – maybe even more than Curse. The change-up in Rhen bothered me to a point but since the notable change was noted versus ignored for conveniences sake – it didn’t bother me as much.
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Agree agree agree! I don’t think I *loved* Rhen in the first one. I always leaned toward Grey. But especially right now. I wish Rhen would just TALK to people. Sheesh! I hate what’s going on with him at the end of the book but…. Kemmerer hasn’t steered me wrong yet so I’ll trust her! Ha!
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I definitely plan on reading the third book in the Cursebreakers series but yeah… what was that ending to a Heart So Fierce and Broken? Like whyyyy?
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AGREED>>> Sigh. In Kemmerer we trust, though, I guess. She hasn’t messed up yet. Haha. I’ll cross my fingers that book #3 is fantastic, too.
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The Brigid Kemmerer series sounds interesting. I do love the style of those mystery covers. Thanks for sharing and enjoy your month!
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It’s a really engaging and interesting series! Lots of action, character development, and diversity!
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I love your new instagram!! I have been thinking a lot about what I want my blog / Instagram to be. Do I want to dive in and focus on stay at home mom stuff? Just Books? Just Military spouse life? Travel (whenever we can travel again? Everything? I’m having a blogger midlife crisis.
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I’m right there with you… I’m not sure what direction(s) I want to go in on the blog/my social media presence. It’s a ton of things jumbled in in my brain right now. We’ll see where this IG thing goes 😉
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