I can’t even believe that December is gone. Just like that, it’s 2017 and like most of you, I am wondering where the last few weeks have gone. It was a crazy busy month with concerts and basketball games and then finally Christmas celebrations.
I still had some books show up in my mailbox and of course, received some as gifts. I was hoping for more down time over break to catch up on reading but ended up being quite busy. I did finish a couple books and will be reviewing them soon.
When Noa discovers a boxcar containing dozens of Jewish infants, unknown children ripped from their parents and headed for a concentration camp, she is reminded of the baby that was taken from her. In a moment that will change the course of her life, she steals one of the babies and flees into the snowy night, where she is rescued by a German circus.
The circus owner offers to teach Noa the flying trapeze act so she can blend in undetected, spurning the resentment of the lead aerialist, Astrid. At first rivals, Noa and Astrid soon forge a powerful bond. But as the facade that protects them proves increasingly tenuous, Noa and Astrid must decide whether their unlikely friendship is enough to save one another—or if the secrets that burn between them will destroy everything.
For childhood friends Jisun and Namin, the stakes couldn’t t be more different. Jisun, the daughter of a powerful business mogul, grew up on a mountainside estate with lush gardens and a dedicated chauffeur. Namin s parents run a tented food cart from dawn to curfew; her sister works in a shoe factory. Now Jisun wants as little to do with her father’s world as possible, abandoning her schoolwork in favor of the underground activist movement, while Namin studies tirelessly in the service of one goal: to launch herself and her family out of poverty.
A new one from Carole P Roman. Whatever she creates is always amazing and I’m sure this one will be too.
CAPTAIN NO BEARD AND THE CREW OF THE FLYING DRAGON
Coloring and Activity Book
This is a paper activity book featuring pages from each of Roman’s Captain No Beard books. I have reviewed several of them HERE and I’m a fan of every single one.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS ANIMALS STORIES
I have been eyeing this book for awhile and used an amazon book deal to purchase it.
I purchased this as an Audible deal. I have never read Anne of Green Gables……GASP!……I know. Since I love Rachel McAdams, I thought this might be a perfect way to “read” it for the first time.
I heard about this from the podcast What Should I Read Next and then I’ve seen it on a lot of Best Books of 2016 lists. It’s a collection of stories and will make for easy once-in-a-while reading.
As both a tomboy and a late bloomer, comedian Jessi Klein grew up feeling more like an outsider than a participant in the rites of modern femininity.
In YOU’LL GROW OUT OF IT, Klein offers – through an incisive collection of real-life stories – a relentlessly funny yet poignant take on a variety of topics she has experienced along her strange journey to womanhood and beyond. These include her “transformation from Pippi Longstocking-esque tomboy to are-you-a-lesbian-or-what tom man,” attempting to find watchable porn, and identifying the difference between being called “ma’am” and “miss” (“Miss” sounds like you weigh ninety-nine pounds).
Raw, relatable, and consistently hilarious, YOU’LL GROW OUT OF IT is a one-of-a-kind book by a singular and irresistible comic voice.
This has been on my list to read ever since it came out. It was a Kindle Deal, so I snagged it.
On the faded Island Books sign hanging over the porch of the Victorian cottage is the motto “No Man Is an Island; Every Book Is a World.” A. J. Fikry, the irascible owner, is about to discover just what that truly means.
A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island—from Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who’s always felt kindly toward Fikry; from Ismay, his sister-in-law who is hell-bent on saving him from his dreary self; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who keeps on taking the ferry over to Alice Island, refusing to be deterred by A.J.’s bad attitude. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, A.J. can only see them as a sign of a world that is changing too rapidly.
And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore. It’s a small package, but large in weight. It’s that unexpected arrival that gives A. J. Fikry the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew. It doesn’t take long for the locals to notice the change overcoming A.J.; or for that determined sales rep, Amelia, to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light; or for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.’s world; or for everything to twist again into a version of his life that he didn’t see coming. As surprising as it is moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love.
I’ve been wanting to read this collection of historical fiction stories since it came out. It reminds me of GRAND CENTRAL ORIGINAL STORIES OF POST WAR LOVE AND REUNION which was one of my favorite books of 2014. It was a Kindle Deal so I didn’t hesitate to grab it.
November 11, 1918. After four long, dark years of fighting, the Great War ends at last, and the world is forever changed. For soldiers, loved ones, and survivors, the years ahead stretch with new promise, even as their hearts are marked by all those who have been lost.
As families come back together, lovers reunite, and strangers take solace in each other, everyone has a story to tell.
In this moving, unforgettable collection, nine top historical fiction authors share stories of love, strength, and renewal as hope takes root in a fall of poppies.
Comedians Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld never thought anyone would watch their silly little sitcom about a New York comedian sitting around talking to his friends. NBC executives didn’t think anyone would watch either, but they bought it anyway, hiding it away in the TV dead zone of summer. But against all odds, viewers began to watch, first a few and then many, until nine years later nearly forty million Americans were tuning in weekly.
In Seinfeldia, acclaimed TV historian and entertainment writer Jennifer Keishin Armstrong celebrates the creators and fans of this American television phenomenon, bringing readers behind-the-scenes of the show while it was on the air and into the world of devotees for whom it never stopped being relevant, a world where the Soup Nazi still spends his days saying “No soup for you!”, Joe Davola gets questioned every day about his sanity, Kenny Kramer makes his living giving tours of New York sights from the show, and fans dress up in Jerry’s famous puffy shirt, dance like Elaine, and imagine plotlines for Seinfeld if it were still on TV.
I purchased this for my daughter for her birthday after hearing about it on the WHAT SHOULD I READ NEXT podcast. We are going to NYC this summer, so I thought she might like this story.
I purchased this for my daughter after hearing about it on the WHAT SHOULD I READ NEXT podcast. She loves ghost stories and since it was raved about on the podcast, I decided to get it for her.
When Jessica sits next to Francis on a bench during recess, he’s surprised to learn that she isn’t actually alive–she’s a ghost. And she’s surprised, too, because Francis is the first person who has been able to see her since she died.
Before long, Francis and Jessica are best friends, enjoying life more than they ever have. When they meet two more friends who can also see Jessica, the question arises: What is it that they have in common? And does it have something to do with Jessica being a ghost?
Anya could really use a friend. But her new BFF isn’t kidding about the “Forever” part.
Of all the things Anya expected to find at the bottom of an old well, a new friend was not one of them. Especially not a new friend who’s been dead for a century.
Falling down a well is bad enough, but Anya’s normal life might actually be worse. She’s embarrassed by her family, self-conscious about her body, and she’s pretty much given up on fitting in at school. A new friend—even a ghost—is just what she needs.
Or so she thinks.
I received this as a gift from my BFF Tammy. It’s a lovely book and a perfect gift for me!
In Footnotes from the World’s Greatest Bookstores, beloved New Yorker cartoonist Bob Eckstein has gathered the greatest untold stories from a seventy-five of the world s most renowned bookstores (both past and present) and paired them with evocative color illustrations of each shop. Here is a portrait of our lifelong love affair with bookstores that is at once heartfelt, bittersweet, and filled with good cheer.
THE CARE AND FEEDING OF AN INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE
Another gift from Tammy. She lives near Ann Patchett’s Parnassus Books and can go there whenever she wants which makes me so jealous.
THE BERTRAND STORES
An Introduction to the Artifacts from the 1865 wreck of the Steamboat Bertrand
My mom visited this museum in October and thought our family would like it as well. She gifted us this book at Christmas.
The remains of a sunken riverboat are valuable for the interpretation fo an earlier way of life because of the accidental nature of their loss, their undisturbed preservation, and their intrinsic interest. Catastrophes arising from volcanic eruptions, storms at sea, and turbulent rivers often result in instant preservation of significant archeological evidence. The Bertrand is an excellent example of this kind of preservation.
Experience an intimate connection to your heavenly Father with the Daily Wisdom for Women devotional collection. Featuring a powerful devotional reading and prayer for every day of 2017, this beautiful volume provides inspiration and encouragement for your soul. Enhance your spiritual journey with the refreshing readings—and come to know just how deeply and tenderly God loves you.
DAILY GUIDEPOSTS 2017
A Spirit-Lifting Devotional
Daily Guideposts 2017 centers on the theme “In God’s Hands” from Isaiah 41:10, and is filled with brand-new devotions from 49 writers. Each day readers will enjoy a Scripture verse, a true first-person story told in an informal, conversational style, which shares the ways God speaks to us in the ordinary events of life, and a brief prayer, to help focus the reader to apply the day’s message. For those who wish for more scriptural depth, “Digging Deeper” provides additional Bible references that relate to the day’s reading.
150 Delicious and Totally Compliant Recipes to Help You Succeed with the Whole30 and Beyond
The groundbreaking Whole30 program has helped countless people transform their lives by bringing them better sleep, more energy, fewer cravings, weight loss, and new healthy habits that last a lifetime. In this cookbook, best-selling author and Whole30 co-creator, Melissa Hartwig delivers over 150 all-new recipes to help readers prepare delicious, healthy meals during their Whole30 and beyond.
More than 150 recipes for main dishes, sides, dressings, and sauces
Tips to simplify, plan, and prepare meals to save time and money
Variations to turn one easy dish into two or three meals
Whether you’ve done the Whole30 once or five times—or just want to make a variety of satisfying, nourishing meals—this book will inspire you to change your life in 30 days with the Whole30 program.
Posted Under Book Review, Children's books, Christian, fiction, New on the Stack, non-fiction