Summer Library Challenge - Wrap Up

Best of the Summer Library Challenge - week of July 28

This is the last week of the challenge. There was a really thoughtful survey to complete at the host blog. I enjoyed this challenge. It might not seem like it from looking at my blog posts...but I did! I always read each week's challenge and thought about it throughout the week. I wasn't so good at getting a blog post done each week however. 

Let's take a look back:

Goals

1. Read a library recommendation from each genre they list On the Shelves on the webpage.
2. Attend three of the summer events that tie in to this summer's program.
3. Visit each library at least once to check books out.
4. Visit the library every week.
5. Complete each challenge posted.

Well.

I thought I was doing much better than that. I have read several books from the On the Shelves feature. I haven't read  Non-Fiction though so I can't cross it off.

And we have only attended two events thus far. My husband's car was in the shop for repairs for much of the summer (we just got it back last week) so it has made running all over pretty difficult.

We have only visited 3 of the 5 branches in town.

And I managed most of the challenges - Late. The Scavenger Hunt was one I was looking forward to but I never remembered to take the list before I went to the library.

Library Survey

Library Social

Library Read-a-thon

Library: Reviewing Books

Library Storytime

Library Collage

Library Discovery

Be sure to visit The Book Monsters Library Challenge Page for all the wrap up details and check out other participants blogs.

Summer Library Challenge - Library Discovery

Library Discovery Challenge - week of June 23.
This challenge is all about discovering something new about your library.

I didn't really complete this challenge during the week it was first live. One thing I did learn about my library this summer was that they have quite a few magazines that are offered digitally and can be read from home. There are some great ones in the list. I was hoping for some craft type magazines but there weren't any. 

Summer Library Challenge - Library Collage

Library Collage - week of July 14

There are 5 branches in our local library system. This is the branch closest to our house that we visit the most often.

Source: http://activerain.trulia.com/blogsview/642709/amarillo-library-is-getting-a-makeover

Here is a shot that shows the gorgeous beams inside:

Source: http://www.team-psc.com/p1_pscwd.html

 Somebody took this photo at nighttime:

Source: http://www.visitamarillotx.com/visitors.cfm?p=Attractions&SD_ID=76

I also visit this branch fairly frequently. In my opinion, the very best children's librarian works at this branch. She is an older lady who greets everyone with a warm smile. She remembers people really well and leads an awesome kids' music and storytime each week. My son and I loved going there when he was little!


Source: www.amarillolibrary.org


This is the Mary Bivins home. She left it to the city and it was used as the library from 1955 - 1976. There is a LARGE part of me that wishes this was still a library for our city. Can you imagine this being your library??


Source: http://www.texasescapes.com/TOWNS/Amarillo/Bivins-Home-Amarillo-Texas.htm

Summer Library Challenge - Library Storytime

Library Storytime - share a library story

My mom was really great about taking up to the library during the summer when I was growing up. I don't know if it was as big a deal to my siblings; it was my anticipated event of the day! We went every two weeks when books were due. Because we were only going to come once every two weeks, I made sure to have plenty of reading material available. As long as I could carry it, my mom was okay with it!

Sometime after I was in college, they closed the branch nearest our house and built a new building for it. It was a little further away and is the library that is closest to where my family lives now. We end up there at least once a week. It is a really nice building -- but it feels different. Don't get me wrong, I still love it but as a child, there were my favorite books that I wanted to read every summer and I knew just where they were. I'm not sure if the new organization system is "new" or not, but it did take me a looong time to figure out where my favorites were.

I do wish that our library would put in some more comfortable chairs for sitting and reading. They don't really invite one to sit and stay awhile. 

The Mermaid and the Shoe by K. G. Campbell, A Review ★★★★

Amazon          Goodreads          Barnes and Noble
Book Depository

Book Description

Each of King Neptune's 50 mermaid daughters boasts a special talent, except for little Minnow, who seems to be good only?at asking questions. When she finds a strange object, Minnow follows her questions to a wondrous place and finds answers, including the answer to the most important question of all: Who am I? A gorgeously illustrated story about finding one's purpose.

Review

I received an eARC copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Here is my honest review.

At first glance, I wasn't sure if I would like this book. The illustrations are a little dark, but that is a truer portrayal of the depths of the sea. They are also very soft and calming. Campbell captured the gentle motion of the water very well. 

In reading the first few pages, it appears that this book is a re-telling of The Little Mermaid (think Disney classic here). As I read further, it became it's own story. Minnow doesn't appear to have any exceptional talents but she proves to be full of questions and quite daring and observant. 

I ended up really enjoying this story. For preschool children, it would be wonderful to pair with objects that might not be familiar to them and ask if they know what it is and how it is used. 

I gave this book: ★★★★

★ = I did not like it     ★★ = It was okay     ★★★ = I liked it    

★★★★ = I really liked it     ★★★★★ = I loved it

Catwoman's Nine Lives by Matthew K. Manning, A Review ★★★★

Amazon          Goodreads          Barnes and Noble
          Book Depository

Book Description

After stealing a prized necklace, Catwoman manages to escape Batman s pursuit only to find the Penguin waiting for her in her apartment.The Penguin asks her to kidnap the Ventriloquist s prized puppet, Scarface, so he can hold it hostage so the Ventriloquist's gang will stop stealing the Penguin's profits.Catwoman flawlessly pulls off the caper only to discover that the Ventriloquist has decided to wage war on the Penguin's forces in retaliation--and neither ultra-violent villain is willing to back down! Not wanting blood on her hands, Catwoman decides to team-up with Batman to set things right--but even with the Dark Knight's assistance, the odds are severely stacked against them.

Review

I received an eARC copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Here is my honest review.

When I requested this book, I was expecting a comic so I was pleasantly surprised to see that it is a book with comic panels interspersed throughout. 

Not being a Batman expert, I thought the story was well-written and portrayed the characters how I am familiar with them. I thought the panels of artwork were very well done. The writing is engaging and would be great for an advanced reader. As an educator, I appreciate the rich vocabulary used as well as the detailed descriptions and complex sentence structure. Netgalley noted that the book contained "visual discussion questions, and writing prompts to enhance visual literacy and improve critical reading skills." The questions are well-written and provide a great jumping off point that any parent or teacher could extend even further. 

I enjoyed this book and would look for more books like it to share with my son and other young readers. I believe that children should always be able to just read something they enjoy; with this book, they will also increase their literacy skills through great writing and vocabulary.

I gave this book: ★★★★

★ = I did not like it     ★★ = It was okay     ★★★ = I liked it    

★★★★ = I really liked it     ★★★★★ = I loved it

Sealed with a Kiss by Tronstad, Daley, Tang and Williams, A Review ★★★★

Amazon          Goodreads          Barnes and Noble

Book Description

Publication Date: July 29, 2014

A new anthology from some of your favorite inspirational authors--no reprints here!

Enjoy this collection of love stories with a theme of LOVE LETTERS. The Sealed with a Kiss collection includes: 

From USA TODAY and Publisher's Weekly Bestselling Author Janet Tronstad comes a new historical romance Mail Order Sunshine Bride. When mail-order bride, Eleanor O’Reilly, arrives in the Montana Territory the only one on the railway platform to greet her is a dangerous-looking man who claims to be the sheriff. Where is her intended husband? Janet Tronstad delights readers with another of her popular mail-order bride stories.

From Amazon Bestselling Author Margaret Daley comes a new romantic suspense Deadly Intent
Texas Ranger Sarah Osborn is sent to investigate the kidnapping of a prize stallion from the Shamrock Ranch, owned by Ian O’Leary, an ex-FBI agent and Sarah’s high school sweetheart. Someone from Ian’s past has a grudge against him and intends to make him suffer. Can Sarah help Ian find who wants him dead?

From award-winning author Camy Tang comes a new romantic suspense Unshakeable Pursuit 
A mysterious young woman warns Dr. Geoffrey Whelan and nurse Maylin Kinley that they are in mortal danger, and then two Asian hit men attack them at the children’s clinic where they work. Geoffrey and Maylin run for their lives, determined to figure out who is after them and why. When they discover the threat is connected to a young teenager whose life they saved, they must race to stop the person who wants them dead—before everyone they care about is caught in the crossfire.

From fan favorite Lacy Williams comes a new contemporary romance With Love, Cowboy
When the love of his life is injured in combat, Ryan Michaels promises himself he won't let any more time go by without declaring his love. Veteran Ashley Reynolds returns home a changed woman, but is she ready to see the truth about the cowboy she left behind?

Review

I received an eARC copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Here is my honest review.

This anthology includes four very sweet, short-story romances. I have found that anthologies like this can be great or just so-so. This collection is well-done! 

Each romance is pretty predictable but that isn't necessarily a bad thing; the guaranteed happy ending is why I love romances so much. What I really liked about each story in this collection is the strong female character. They (with the exception of Ashley in With Love, Cowboy) were in tune with their feelings and knew exactly what they wanted from life and went for it. No dithering on their part. Ashley was also a strong character although her story did take more for her to realize what she was wanting. I won't go into specifics because I don't want to spoil anything. 

A "sweet" romance.

I gave this book: ★★★★

★ = I did not like it     ★★ = It was okay     ★★★ = I liked it    

★★★★ = I really liked it     ★★★★★ = I loved it

Hideaway Cove by Anna Sullivan, A Review ★★★★

Amazon          Goodreads          Barnes and Noble
Books-A-Million          Book Depository

Book Description

Publication Date: July 29, 2014

Jessi Randal walked away from her last relationship with a baby and a broken heart. Now, years later, the last thing this single mom wants is to give Windfall Island—and all its nosy residents—anything more to gossip about. But the moment she lays eyes on the tall, sexy stranger with the slow Southern drawl, she knows she's in delicious trouble . . . 

Holden Abbot is on the island to find the missing heir to the Stanhope family fortune. It's his job to charm as many secrets out of the town as possible. And if he can charm Jessi into his bed, even better. When all evidence points to her as the heir, a dangerous enemy sets his sights on Jessi and her son. Now Holden will have to risk everything to protect the family he's come to love. 

Review

I received an eARC copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Here is my honest review.

This is Book #2 in the Windfall Island series. I have not read the first book and do think that this book could be read without reading the first. There is a nice prologue provided that provides needed information. This book is also a romance wrapped around a mystery and it was the mystery element that really captured my attention. It was slow getting into the book at the beginning but as I continued to read and more clues to the mystery were revealed I found myself wanting to continue reading. 

I can't say that I feel a need to go back and read the first book and I'm pretty sure I can see where some of the story will end up in the third book (it's pretty predictable at this point). That being said, I do have the third book on my radar as I am interested in seeing how Sullivan gets us to the solved mystery.

My four star rating is due to the mystery element and how much that pulled me in. Without that, this would be a three star rating -- which still means I enjoyed it. 

I gave this book: ★★★★

★ = I did not like it     ★★ = It was okay     ★★★ = I liked it    

★★★★ = I really liked it     ★★★★★ = I loved

Friday Book Memes, featuring A Paris Apartment

I have had The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness on hold request at the library for the last few weeks. They called yesterday that it was ready so I of course had to dash over and pick it up. I haven't started it yet because there are things I need to get done in a timely manner and I know that I'll be immersed in the story and won't want to put it down. So I'm holding off for a few days. I did browse a few shelves and picked up a few other books to add to the stack. I spied one of the books on my reading list that fits perfectly with the Paris in July event hosted this month by A Wandering Life. Anything Paris related goes and there have been some really wonderful posts this month. 

 I began reading  A Paris Apartment by Michelle Gable last night and that is where today's selections come from.

I'm about a fourth of the way into the book and it is very good so far. I admit that I added this to my TBR list based solely on the title and cover (recurring theme around here).  I told myself that I would read a chapter or two this morning over breakfast and a cup of tea. But then I finished breakfast and kept reading, beginning a new chapter without realizing that I had meant to stop. Does this ever happen to you?

Hosted by Gilion @ Rose City Reader

Chapitre I

(yes, it actually uses the French....*sigh*)

She only wanted to get out of town. 

Hosted by Freda @ Freda's Voice.

p.56

Despite its lack of decorative charm, April loved the place upon sight. She loved the location, its original thick-plank wood floors and how one side of the living room was more windows than wall. April imagined herself leaning against the panes at night, a glass of wine in hand, the city twinkling before her. The apartment did not show all it had to offer, but it still showed Paris. 

The cover shows some wide-planked floors that have been whitewashed; paired with that paragraph above.....I'm thinking that I could fall in love with floors like that in my house. I've always been a carpet girl, but my kitchen floor is one of those things I work really hard to ignore. These floors call me to me!

Thanks for stopping by!

A February Bride by Betsy St. Amant, A Review ★★★★

Amazon          Goodreads          Barnes and Noble
Books-A-Million          Lifeway          Christian Book          Book Depository

Book Description

Happily ever after guaranteed. Allie left the love of her life at the altar—to save him from a lifetime of heartbreak. When a Valentine’s Day wedding brings them back together, she struggles against her family’s destructive history. Can Allie ever realize that a marriage is so much more than a wedding dress? History repeats itself when Allie Andrews escapes the church on her wedding day—in the same dress passed down for generations and worn by all the women in her family—women with a long history of failed marriages. Allie loves Marcus, but fears she’s destined to repeat her family’s mistakes. She can’t bear to hurt Marcus worse. Marcus Hall never stopped loving Allie and can only think of one reason she left him at the altar—him. When the two are thrown together for his sister’s Valentine’s Day wedding, he discovers the truth and realizes their story might be far from over. Can Allie shuck expectation and discover who she is as a bride and in the Bride of Christ? And if she ever walks down the aisle, what dress will she wear?

Review

I received an eARC copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Here is my honest review.

I rated this book after I finished reading it and now have come back to write a review for it. And I'm a little surprised I gave it four stars - it seems like a 3 star book for me as I reflect on it. 

In hindsight, I'm annoyed by Allie's insecurity and Marcus' refusal to fight for her throughout the story. There is also back-story to Allie's emotional distress and St Amant did not fully develop it; if she had, then Allie might have been a much more likeable character from the beginning. Because in all honesty, I didn't care for her much and thought Marcus should move on. 

However, I re-read the beginning and the ending; ah, the ending completely saved this book! Both Allie and Marcus decide to speak up for what they are feeling in their heart. This type of ending is so much nicer than just one of the characters deciding to take a chance. LOVED the ending.

I gave this book: ★★★★

★ = I did not like it     ★★ = It was okay     ★★★ = I liked it    

★★★★ = I really liked it     ★★★★★ = I loved it

Only with You by Lauren Layne, A Review ★★★★★

Amazon          Goodreads          Barnes and Noble
Books-A-Million          Book Depository

Release Date: July 29, 2014

Book Description

Cocktail waitress Sophie Dalton doesn't exactly have a life plan. She's perfectly happy being everyones favorite party girl. But when a Las Vegas bachelorette party goes awry and an uptight businessman mistakes Sophie for a prostitute . . . well, Sophie wonders if it's time to reevaluate her priorities. Swearing off her thigh-high boots for good, Sophie slinks back home with damaged pride-and a jackpot of a hangover.

Yet what happens in Vegas doesn't always stay there. On a trip to Seattle to open a new office, Grayson Wyatt meets his latest employee-who turns out to be the same woman he recently called a hooker. Wealthy and gorgeous, Gray is a man used to getting what he wants. And it doesn't take long to figure out that smart, sassy, sexy Sophie is everything he's been looking for. As their late nights at the office turn into hot morning-afters, they realize their Vegas misunderstanding may lead to the real thing . . .

Review

I received an eARC copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Here is my honest review.

I read quite a bit of romance and enjoy most of them (they are usually 4 stars) but this book earned 5 stars from me. It is excellent!

There's an inspirational saying associated with Cinderella: one pair of shoes can change your life (or something like that. The book opens with Sophie deciding which pair of shoes to wear out for a night in Vegas. Upon meeting a handsome man in an elevator, it seemed that events would be pretty predictable for the rest of the story. Well.....

....only the happily ever after part. 

Layne did a great job developing Sophie and Gray and their story unfolded at a great pace. Sophie's snappy dialogue brought grins and Gray was so awkwardly reserved that you couldn't help but like him. Definitely a step away from the typical leading man who is suave and distant. 

Again, great story - I received a copy from NetGalley but consider this a book worth owning in my permanent collection. I can't wait to read Max and Brynn's story in the second book as well as checking out other works by Layne.

I gave this book: ★★★★★

★ = I did not like it     ★★ = It was okay     ★★★ = I liked it    

★★★★ = I really liked it     ★★★★★ = I loved it

Want to Know More

Author: Lauren Layne

For more thoughts from Lauren Layne on Only with You, visit her blog post here - it's worth the click over!

Death of a Mad Hatter by Jenn McKinlay, A Review ★★★★

Amazon          Goodreads          Barnes and Noble
Books-A-Million          Book Depository

Book Description

Scarlett Parker and her British cousin, Vivian Tremont, are hard at work at Mim’s Whims—their ladies’ hat shop on London’s chic Portobello Road—to create hats for an Alice in Wonderland themed afternoon tea, a fund-raiser for a local children’s hospital. It seems like a wonderfully whimsical way to pass the hat, and Scarlett and Viv are delighted to outfit the Grisby family, the hosts who are hoping to raise enough money to name a new hospital wing after their patriarch.

Unfortunately, the Grisby heir will not live to see it—he’s been poisoned. When traces of the poison are found on the hat Scarlett and Viv made for him, the police become curiouser and curiouser about their involvement. Now the ladies need to don their thinking caps and find the tea party crasher who’s mad enough to kill at the drop of a hat…

Review

I borrowed this book from my local library.  Here is my honest review.

Super cute! I remember picking up the first book in the series, Cloche and Dagger based on the title and really enjoyed it. I am fascinated by the British custom of hats. It's so vintage, refined, chic, classic...

 McKinlay has created an endearing cast of characters for this series that kept me reading and looking forward to the second book. Scarlet is not afraid to speak her mind and be who she is - really admire that! Harrison is charming (except when he's bossy) and seeing the relationship develop just a tad bit more in this book was the perfect amount of satisfying. 

I gave this book: ★★★★

★ = I did not like it     ★★ = It was okay     ★★★ = I liked it    

★★★★ = I really liked it     ★★★★★ = I loved it