Bedside Companion for Book Lovers

I read this every morning after putting on my face. Some of these quotations and excerpts were great, some were meh, and some were.... lacking. I was hoping there would be a good mix of modern and classic authors sampled, but alas it was about 80% from authors in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. The book is heavy and bulky so this would be hard to read in bed. Again this was ok, but this isn't one I will re-read in the future. 

Song of a Blackbird

Absolutely heartbreaking and inspiring this graphic novel is a powerful reminder of the cost (and rewards) of resistance as told by two narratives on in 1943 and one in 2011. In 1943 Emma Bergsma is seeing firsthand the horrors of the Nazi occupation in Amsterdam. When she sees Jewish families being forcibly loaded onto trains she decides to join the Dutch resistance. In 2011, Annick has discovered that her grandmother needs a bone marrow match to live and her siblings aren't a match. It turns out they aren't blood related to her at all. Annick is determined to find her Oma's real family to see if any of them are a match. All she has to go on are a couple of art prints and some of he oma's shaky memories of the war. Absolutely stunning storytelling, the graphic novel format really helped bring the story to life and the afterward with the real photographs and history is captivating! 

The Little Wartime Library

I absolutely adored this book. Every time I think there can't possibly be another WWII book featuring something I didn't know, I am quickly humbled. The Little Wartime Library is a fictionalized account of Britain's only underground library during the war. A shelter and library (and many other things including a theater!) were put underground in an uncompleted railway tunnel. Told with dual narration, the story centers on Clara, the "head" librarian after her mentor and boss was killed when the aboveground librarian was killed and Ruby her best friend and library assistant. Both women have their fair share of trauma. Clara lost her husband at Dunkirk and has thrown herself into the library; Ruby's sister was tragically killed with over 100 others when people stampeded down the stairs and deals with an abusive stepfather. The two women prove that a library is more than just books, it's a community. Fantastic, heartbreaking, and inspiring. A wonderful novel!

A Book for Christmas

Enchanting and captivating, I adored this collection of winter themed stories and folktales. At only 100 pages, this is a super quick read so I think I may have to read it every Christmas (or winter). From saints to thieves, to the fear of not getting a book at Christmastime, this little collection has something to delight every reader! 

Good Spirits

I ADORED THIS BOOK! BK Borison has lived up to the hype. Obsessed is an understatement. Good Spirits follows Harriet, a young woman who loves her cozy existence working in an antiques shop. She loves the holidays and is a genuinely good person. When she is suddenly visited by the ghost of Christmas past she is so confused. What has she done wrong. Her ghost, Nolan is also confused, every memory they visit makes him like Harriet even more. The two find themselves drawn together and soon the attraction is palpable. Of course with her luck she would fall in love with a ghost. Steamy, witty, and wonderful. I can't wait for the next book in the series! 

The Wager

I love a good nonfiction read and this historical telling of the Wager was captivating and horrifying. It got a little slow at times, but maybe I just haven't read enough seafaring books. As the subtitle summarizes, the Wager's voyage was beset with one calamity after another: typhus, scurvy, violent weather, wrecks, starvation, death, mutiny, and murder. Pretty much everything that could go wrong, went wrong. There were very few survivors left, but the ones that survived the horrors all seemed to have conflicting stories. Was there really a mutiny? Was the captain at fault? After reading this recounting I can tell you that I would last about 1 second on one of these 17th century British warships. Absolutely not. Hard pass. Don't read this before you go on a cruise to the Cape of South America. 

Sweet Silver Bells

I want to start off with the positives. This book was a very quick read and the cover art drew me right in. The earth magic was cool and I thought the book did an alright job addressing what grief looked like.... A quick and dirty summary is a young woman (Olivia) who possessed earth magic was embarrassed at a Christmas Eve Ball hosted by her family. She was taunted for being a witch and exposed. She decided to run into the woods and escape her family and tormentors. Her father followed and she wanted him to stop so she used her magic to create a dense foliage barrier in the woods and accidentally killed her father in the process. She then entombed herself in a tree and has "lived" there ever since. Cut to the modern day. We have a 40 year old teacher just going about life. He is a widower and doesn't have much going for him. While on a field trip to a beautiful old estate (not only was it where he and his wife had a wedding, it was the estate the "witch's" family owned) he stumbles into the woods and encounters the beautiful "tree siren" as he likes to call her. He becomes enamored with her and convinces her to leave the woods. He greatly underestimates her power though and a trail of destruction follows. He can't help himself though, he hasn't felt this alive since his wife was alive and he'll do anything to stay with this beauty. This book.... could have used a lot more substance, a lot more editing, and just a lot... more. Hunter seemed very two dimensional. He contained so much grief but then it just went out the window whenever he is around Olivia. He knows how dangerous she is yet he continually puts his friends and family in danger by exposing them to her and he just makes excuses for everything. Also, there is an alarming lack of sex (the cover looked so spicy, I was let down!). This was definitely gothic but the comparisons to Nightmare Before Christmas were an extreme stretch. 

Duma Key

The narration of this audiobook was top tier. TOP TIER. I will listen to anything John Slattery performs, I am now a mega fan. He truly brought the characters to life, especially Wireman. I love Stephen King, I've probably read 40 to 50% of everything he's ever written. This one however is not one of my top reads. Don't get me wrong, i loved the characters, I loved the writing, I just had a hard time with the plot. A man gets crushed nearly to death, loses his arm, his wife, and the life he had worked so hard to build. He decides to try for a new life and moves to Duma Key and starts painting for fun. Well, the paintings are more than just good; they are GREAT. But there is something sinister about the paintings. Sometimes he feels an itch to paint and he doesn't know what's overcoming him. It's up to his new found friends Wireman and Jack Cantore to dig a little deeper and find the horror lurking beneath the paintbrush. The horror in this book does not start until you are over 70% of the way in. And even then, this horror didn't really grab me. A good King book, but not my favorite. 

The Dogs of Venice

Big fan pf Steven Rowley and his writing so I was super excited to check out this novella. It was short, sweet, and emotional. Paul and his husband have been planning a Venetian Christmas getaway for months. The only problem is Paul's husband has just decided that the marriage is over. Distraught, Paul decides to still go to Venice to try and soothe his broken heart. While there he discovers the stray dogs of Venice and is besotted with their carefree existence. Maybe there is something to it? A short and sweet novella. 

Mate

STEAMY! I loved it! I almost might like it more than the first one! This had all the tropes I like, plenty of steam and fun quirky characters. Werewolves, mates, unrequited feelings, a poor hybrid girl stuck in the middle, who coincidently just might be going through heat. What could possibly go wrong. It turns out, a lot. Love, love, love it!

The Score

Not going to lie, this series is legit good. I am continually surprised how much I enjoy the characters and the plots. The spice level doesn't hurt either! The Score is the third in the series although you can easily read this as a standalone. It follows Allie as she navigates her senior year and what she wants her future to look like. She and her boyfriend of three years have just broken up because he expected her to drop her dreams so she could help him pursue his (rude). But now she must decide between Hollywood and Broadway. To further complicate matters she has a passionate steamy night with campus' biggest player. He's a big hockey star, loaded, and handsome. The problem is Allie doesn't do casual, and Dean doesn't do relationships. What could go wrong?! Cute, sexy, and fun. 

Devotions from the Front Porch

I really enjoyed this devotional. Each day there was a Bible verse, a real life reflection (most of which were very relatable!), a beautiful photo, and a prayer. They were succinct but packed a punch. It was an energizing way to start each morning. This is definitely a devotional I will save and re-read again in the future because I enjoyed it so much. 

Lore Olympus v. 9

I don't know if the series is dragging on too long, but I am slowly caring less and less. Not only that, I forgot to reread book 8 before this and man I definitely had to look up what happened in that book because I forgot a lot and it made it harder to read this one. My favorite part of this series is the illustrations, they are top notch and so vibrant. I feel like we are getting closer to the end so I plan on sticking around to see it completed, I'm just losing a little steam.