I'm a little late posting this but here it is. It took me a while to get going this month but once I did I
read 16 books. I enjoyed my selections
this month. I loved the variety of the genres. My top three books were: Long Bright River,
What You Wish For, and All the Devils Are Here. So which one was my favorite, I have thought
about it for several days……. and I decided on What You Wish For. I picked this book mainly because
I loved the narration of the audiobook. It was outstanding. I have already recommended the book
to several of my friends.
Fiction NonFiction
🎧All The Devils Are Here ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 📱Nature Play Workshop For Families ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎧The Garden of Small Beginnings ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎧Happy People Read Books and Drink Coffee ⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎧Long Bright River ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎧Olive Kitteridge ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎧Outlander ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎧The Secrets We Kept ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📱A Sunset in Sydney ⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎧What You Wish For ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Middle Grade
🎧Al Capone Does My Shirts ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎧Beyond the Bright Sea ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎧Bud Not Buddy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎧Gone Crazy in Alabama ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖The Little Prince ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🎧The One and Only Bob ⭐️⭐️⭐
Book 93
Al Capone Does My Shirts
By: Gennifer Choldenko
Genre: Historical Fiction/Middle Grade
Al Capone Does My Shirts is a Middle Grade book I read for school. It is set in 1935,
Moose and his family move to Alcatraz Island because his dad got two jobs there, an
electrician and a guard. However, a lot of the book deals with Moose and his older sister
Natalie. Natalie is different from all the other kids and Moose needs to watch her after school
everyday. (Natalie has Autism however, in 1935 it was not yet considered a medical condition
and little was known and available to help the children and their families.) As Moose works
through his feelings about Natalie he is also dealing with being the new kid at school and his
relationship with his mother. What I liked about the story is that it has some historical facts about
what life might have been like for the families that lived alongside the prison. That is something
I never thought about. Plus what it might have been life for families dealing with children with
special needs before help and information was available.
Book 94
Outlander
By: Diana Gabaldon
Genre: Historical/Fantasy
I did it. I FINALLY finished the book Outlander. This is one massive love story. If you have not
read this book it is the love story of Jamie and Claire set in 1743 in Scotland during war between
the clans and the British. The problem is before Claire time travels through the rock it was 1945
right after WWII where she served as a British nurse. She was on her second honeymoon with
her husband, Frank.
On the other side of the rock it is 1743 and Claire does not know anyone and does not know who
to trust her secret too. She has no idea what happened. She is in a whole different world with
different rules, language and expectations. This book has a lot of TW: rape, abuse, torture,
violence and sex. This book is not for the faint of heart.
Once again I am giving a book from The Great PBS read list ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. I went into this book
thinking there was no way I could enjoy a fantasy book and what could the author write about in
627 pages to keep me interested. However the author did just that, once I gave the book my full
attention I was hooked into the adventure and the romance.
Book 95
The One and Only Bob
By: Katherine Applegate
Genre: Fantasy/Middle Grade
After reading The One and Only Ivan (5⭐️) I was super excited to see a sequel to it. The One
and Only Bob which is told from the dog’s point of view focuses on Bob. Bob was once a scrappy
little dog that lived on his own. He has now become a pet. Julia is his owner. Julia’s father works
at the zoo where Bob’s two best friends live, Ivan and Ruby. This book tells the story of Bob as he
searches for his sister and her son the night when a hurricane destroys much of the zoo and the
surrounding city. Bob, Ivan and Ruby, are reunited as a team to search for Bob’s sister and her son.
The story continues with the themes of friendship and family.
I listened to the audio version of the book and Danny DeVito does a great job bringing the story to life.
It is a quick and fun story and you and your kids will enjoy it.
Book 96
The Secrets We Kept
By: Lara Prescott
Genre: Historical Fiction
My friend picked The Secrets We Kept for our book club this month. It was an interesting historical
fiction book centered around the publishing of the famous book Doctor Zhivago written by Boris
Pasternak in Russia during the Cold War. There are so many stories going in this book at the beginning
it was hard to keep track. There is the story of Pasternak (the author of Doctor Zhivago) and his mistress,
Olga, which is quite a fascinating story. Then there is the CIA, where there are several different stories
going on including a love triangle. This part of the story is told from many different women who work in
the office.
However, my main take away from this book was that well educated women could not get a job unless
it involved typing after WWII even in the spy business. Men thought women only capable of basic
thinking skills. The history around smuggling the book Doctor Zhivago was interesting as well. I remember
my dad reading that book and even going to see the movie. I’m pretty sure my sister and my brother and
I fell asleep during the movie. We were very young. I may have to look this book and movie up to see
what it was about.
Book 97
Nature Play Workshop For Families
By: Monica Wiedel-Lubinski & Karen Madigan
Genre: Nonfiction
Happy Publish Day!!!🎉🎉
Thank you to @Netgalley and Quatro Publishing/Quarry @quartokids for letting me preview
this amazing book Nature Play Workshop For Families by Monica Wiedel-Lubinski & Karen Madigan.
The timing of this book is perfect. If you are like me I am looking for ideas to do with the children that
can be done at a safe distance. This book is filled with wonderful ideas and activities that can be done
in your yard or at the park/nature trail. No special supplies are needed, you can use what is around you.
What I loved about the book is the easy to follow layout. Each activity has simple directions along with
beautiful photos. All the activities are divided by seasons which makes it easy to plan outings and activities.
The last two chapters are activities you can do anytime. I set up an easy to do scavenger hunt
that we did in our own backyard. I only had to print out a page from the back of the book. We grabbed
our magnifying glass and headed out to the garden.
Book 98
Long Bright River
By: Liz Moore
Genre: Fiction
Long Bright River is the buddyread this month for #ReadersAcrossOceans. Once again, this is not a book
I would have picked for myself, but I am sure glad I read this book. The book is about two sisters who are
raised by their grandmother in a Philadelphia area that struggles with a drug problem. As they grow up they
go in different directions, Kacey becomes a drug addict and begins to live on the street. Mickey joins the
Philadelphia police department and works in her old neighborhood. When Kacey is missing, Mickey starts
to take risks to find her that get her in trouble at work. This is a great story and I was wrong in guessing who
the murderer was, so much for my NCIS training. This was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star read for me.
Book 99
The Garden of Small Beginnings
By: Abbi Waxman
Genre: Fiction
Thanks to everyone who voted last week for my #unreadshelf challenge book for July. The Garden of
Small Beginnings won by a landslide. I needed a light and easy story after my last read and this book
was perfect. It was a blend of romance and gardening mixed together.
What I loved about the book was the gardening tips at the beginning of each chapter. I also like the
character Lillian. She seemed so real and her feelings about death and life seemed so genuine. She
is now a single working mom and dealing with life day to day. Although Lillian is working on moving,
this book is upbeat and adorable. I give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars.
I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a nice happy read.
Book 100
Happy People Read Books and Drink Coffee
By: Agnes Martin-Lugand
Genre: Fiction
It is weird to pick two books back to back that deal with the loss of a husband. I would not have guessed
that is what this book was about based on the title. Happy People Read Books and Drink Coffee is about
Diane who is dealing with the loss of her husband and child. She leaves her life in Paris to go to a small
village in Ireland. There she drinks a lot and begins to fall in love. However, she does discover that she
does need to put her life in order before she can really enter a new relationship.
Unfortunately I’ve had this book so long I don’t remember why I bought it. If I had to guess I would have
to say the cover and the title drew me in. However, they are misleading. I was expecting a more upbeat
story. The story really focuses on the day to day struggles Diane is facing as she deals with her grieve.
I would give this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars.
Book 101
Bud, Not Buddy
By: Christopher Paul Curtis
Genre: Historical Fiction/Middle Grade
Bud, Not Buddy is an adorable middle grade book about an orphan boy who goes looking for his father.
He learns some lessons along the way. What I like about the book is that it gives you a bit of insight of
what life was like for little boys of color who were put in orphanages during the depression. By age six
Bud knew he had to start Bud Caldwell’s Rules and Things for a Funner Life and How to Make a Better
Liar Out of Yourself, to help him with life decisions. Great book for kids.
Book 102
Olive Kitteridge
By: Elizabeth Strout
Genre: Fiction
Pulitzer Prize Winner
Olive! Olive! Olive! What is there to say about the character Olive Kitteridge, she reminded me of my aunt.
You never knew what she was going to say or what her mood was going to be.
Olive Kitteridge is a collection of short stories, some of the stories are about Olive and some of the stories
about the people around her. Olive has always spoken her mind and given her opinions about everything
and not always in a gentle way. As life goes on and she grows older she begins to see how her outbursts
have affected her family and friends.
I read this story for two reasons: 1. It was on my #backlist20in20 challenge, and 2. It is one book of three
books by the same author that I am reading for the #mmdchallenge.
Book 104
Beyond the Bright Sea
By: Lauren Wolk
Genre: Historical Fiction/Middle Grade
I can tell it’s the end of the month because I feel like I’m trying to squeeze in all my challenge and buddy
reads. Beyond the Bright Sea is a book I read with @lollipopsandlyrics. It is a Middle Grade book and it
was just beautiful. It is the story of Crow who has known all her life that she was found by Osh floating in
the sea. Osh and his friend Miss Maggie raise Crow, however now Crow is at an age where she is asking
a lot of questions about the past. This is a beautiful story about finding out who you are and what is really
important in life. I highly recommend reading this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ book.
Book 103
A Sunset in Sydney
By: Sandy Barker
Genre: Romance
Thank you to @Netgalley and @onemorechapterhc for providing me with the ebook of A Sunset in Sydney
by @sandybarkerauthor.
This is a cute romance story about Sarah who goes on a cruise in Greece to get over her break up with
her boyfriend. When the cruise is over she finds herself torn between two guys, a younger American and
an older British millionaire. Both guys have a lot of positive qualities going for them and Sarah needs to
decide who she really loves.
What I liked about this book was the traveling that Sarah did. Right now I am pretty much doing the same
thing every day, biking, gardening, babysitting, cooking and cleaning. In the story, Sarah travelled to
Greece, London, Hawaii, New Zealand and she lived in Sydney. That’s a pretty exciting life.
Book 105
Gone Crazy in Alabama
By: Rita Williams-Garcia
Genre: Historical Fiction/Middle Grade
I love finding books that I would normally not have picked for myself but absolutely love. I read Gone
Crazy in Alabama because it is on the Battle of the Books list. It is such a good historical fiction story
for children and adults. Gone Crazy in Alabama is about three sisters who do not always see eye to eye.
There is lots of family drama and the girls learn a lot about their own family history. However, the reader
will learn more about what it was like for this African-American family in the 1960s living in the South.
This book is perfect for so many discussion topics.
Book 106
What You Wish For
By: Katherine Center
Genre: Fiction
I want to thank @NetGalley and @macmillian.audio for the audiobook What You Wish For in exchange
for my honest review.
Now I want to say how much I absolutely LOVED this book. From the moment I started listening to this
book I was hooked. I was so engaged in the story. There was so much that I loved about the book.
❤️First of all the main character, Samantha Casey, who works as a school librarian. She is passionate
about reading and kids. She loves the school she works at and she is involved in a lot of the projects at
the school. ❤️Second, I liked that the main character was dealing with Epilepsy. An illness that is close
to my heart. ❤️The school in the book sounded like an amazing school, it even had a butterfly garden.
The teachers at the school were very dedicated. ❤️A whale was saved. ❤️There was a romance.
❤️The narration in the audiobook was outstanding.
As you can tell, for me, this is a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star book. I highly recommend this book. I will definitely
look for some more books to read by Katherine Center.
Book 107
All The Devils Are Here
By: Louise Penny
Genre: Mystery
First of all, I want to thank @NetGalley and @macmillian.audio for the audiobook All The Devils Are Here
@ louisepennyauthor in exchange for my honest review.
Well to be really honest, I’m obsessed with the Louise Penny Mystery series so when I saw the audiobook
on the Macmillan feed on NetGalley, I dropped everything and started listening to it right away. Well to be
really honest first I started screaming and jumping up and down when I was automatically approved for
the audiobook and my husband thought I won the lottery.
The setting for this book is Paris🗼, my favorite place in the world. The whole Gamache family is
involved in solving the mystery around Armand’s godfather’s hit and run. I loved being in Paris with
the Gamache family as they went to hidden gardens, cafes and shopped at the little French shops.
Armand has a lot to work through to solve this mystery mainly why is Daniel so upset with him. I enjoy
Louise Penny’s writing. The story is not filled with a lot of violence, there are a lot of lies, deceit and
misinformation and Armand has to decide who and what to believe. I have to be honest I did not figure
this one out. I loved the story and gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars.
Book 108
The Little Prince
By: Antoine De Saint -Exupery
Genre: Classic Children’s Literature
It is July 31, a Friday night and I am determined to finish my last book of the month. It is for one of
my book challenges #thegreatreadpbs. I have put off The Little Prince all month and I will finish it
tonight.
It is a short classic book with a meaningful message:
“You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. “ and
“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
This book packs a bit of a punch and makes you reflect on life and appreciate the beauty around you.
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