Category: books

• End of Year Book Survey IV

  Posted at 6:15 am by Laura, on December 31, 2017

  

  This is the third year I’m participating in Jamie’s (@ The Perpetual Page-Turner) End of Year Book Survey. In 2015 I shared my bookish life in Hermione gifs, 2016 in Pevensie gifs, and this year I’ll share it through Gilmore Girls gifs! I’m looking forward to reading your 2017 book survey too.

  Note: This includes all books read in 2017 – they do not have to be published in 2017.

  

  

  Number of Books You Read: 57
  Number of Re-reads: 0
  Genre You Read the Most From: contemporary

  

  1. Best Book You Read in 2017

  I can’t stop thinking about The Alice Network. That was one of two 5-star books I read this year (the other was Outrun the Moon), but for some reason The Alice Network really stuck out for me. It’s not your usual historical fiction, let alone your usual parallel narrative, WWI/WWII historical fiction.

  2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

  Caraval was a book I was very excited to read, and I was thrilled to have received a galley of it, too. But it started to crash and burn within a couple pages, and it just…continued to dig a deeper hole. I was very disappointed. I gave it 3 stars on Goodreads but in hindsight my thoughts and feelings about the book could really bring it down a star or two…

  3. Most Surprising (in a good way or bad way) Book You Read in 2017?

  What to Say Next tops this list. Unlike most of Buxbaum’s readers, I didn’t care for Tell Me Three Things one bit, but I was pulled into What to Say Next within a few sentences. Then she had me bawling my eyes out. So in a VERY good way, Buxbaum surprised me!

  

  

  

  4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (and they did) in 2017?

  I push my client’s books, obviously, and I’ve been so excited to see how well my friends and fellow bloggers love Jared Reck’s A Short History of the Girl Next Door. Outside of agent life, I’d say the book I pushed the most was The Bear and the Nightingale at the library. You can get just about anyone to read wintry Russian historicals with a dash of magic and folklore. It’s appealing across many ages!

  5. Best Series You Started in 2017? Best Sequel of 2017? Best Series Ender of 2017?

  Started: Troubled Waters by Sharon Shinn (Elementals 1)
  Sequel: Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier (Sevenwaters 2)
  Ender: The Dire King by William Ritter (Jackaby 4)

  6. Favorite New Author You Discovered in 2017?

  Beatriz Williams! I don’t know why it took me so long to read The Secret Life of Violet Grant, but I’m glad I did and now I want to read more by Williams!

  7. Best Book from a Genre You Don’t Typically Read/was Out of Your Comfort Zone?

  I have a very hard time with nonfiction, but I thought Stiff by Mary Roach was interesting, informative, and hilarious.

  

  8. Most Action-packed/Thrilling/Unputdownable Book of the Year?

  It’s not action-packed or thrilling, but I could not put down The Map That Leads to You. It’s one of those books that’s entirely engrossing for those who have the itch to travel, the constant wanderlust, the need to find a home in a whole new place entirely our own.

  9. Book You Read in 2017 That You are Most Likely to Re-Read Next Year?

  I’m not sure how likely it is I’ll re-read something in the first place (LOL I thought last year I’d reread a Kinsella book and, as you can see from the top ^, I have not re-read a single book this year!), BUT I really enjoyed When Dimple Met Rishi and can see myself rereading that next summer.

  10. Favorite Cover of a Book You Read in 2017?

  OH GOSH, I love so many covers! I’d say Like a River Glorious probably takes the cake here. The covers for this historical fantasy are so captivating.

  11. Most Memorable Character of 2017?

  Eve Gardiner in The Alice Network. I can’t stop thinking about her story, and how her story is so similar to so many women from WWI.

  

  

  

  

  12. Most Beautifully Written Book Read in 2017?

  Hunted or The Silver Gate because both were so beautifully written in two completely different ways. Hunted is a Russian-esque fairytale retelling and twist of “Beauty and the Beast,” which I found lyrical and engrossing; The Silver Gate is about sibling dynamics, mental health, and the power of fairytales in everyday life, set in medieval-Celtic culture. Both made me catch my breath.

  13. Most Thought-Provoking/Life-Changing Book of 2017?

  The most thought-provoking was probably The Miniaturist, especially after my book club held their discussion on it. I thought I had it all figured out, but then a book club member suggested a Fight Club plot that blew my mind. It’s probably too far-fetched, but it made me enjoy the novel even more for it!

  14. Book You Can’t Believe You Waited UNTIL 2017 to Finally Read?

  The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. So many friends and colleagues said I’d adore this book about books to pieces — but honestly, they didn’t recommend it the way that would’ve made me pick up this book in the first place: it’s a gothic book. Yes, I love books about books, but some of those just turn out to be surface-level stuff, a setting rather than a passion. This book, though, was awesome.

  15. Favorite Passage/Quote From a Book You Read in 2017?

  A book is a companion, though. You can read it in a special place, like on a train to Amsterdam, then you carry it home and you chuck it on a shelf, and then years later you remember that feeling you had on the train when you were young. It’s like a little island in time. —The Map That Leads to You by JP Monninger

  16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read in 2017?

  Shortest: The Case of the Counterfeit Criminals by Jordan Stratford
  Longest: Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier

  17. Book That Shocked You the Most

  Three Dark Crowns, because nothing really happens till the last line and I couldn’t believe I wasted all that time on a book in which nothing happens. I hear the rest of the books really build up, but I’m not going to bother. It’s not for me.

  18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)

  Dimple and Rishi!

  

  19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship of the Year

  Mercy and her hate-to-friendship with Elodie in Outrun the Moon. Those two navigated some deep racial and class issues so well during this shocking moment in San Francisco history. I can only hope their friendship continued on after the book’s end. (Yes, they’re real! I firmly believe it!)

  20. Favorite Book You Read in 2017 from an Author You’ve Read Previously

  Always and Forever, Lara Jean, of course! It was so nice to see this trilogy come to an end the way it did. I loved Lara Jean’s growth and development across all of the books.

  21. Best Book You Read in 2017 That You Read Based SOLELY on a Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure

  The Map That Leads to You, thanks to Alyssa! I couldn’t stop fawning over her instagram pictures of it, and once I got my hands on the book I fell in love immediately.

  22. Newest Fictional Crush from a Book You Read in 2017?

  Um, there are no memorable men this year, so my fictional crush goes to a woman I greatly admired: Eve Gardiner in The Alice Network.

  23. Best 2017 Debut You Read?

  When Dimple Met Rishi is definitely a favorite debut from this year. It’s so fun!

  24. Best World-building/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?

  Hunted made me shiver with all of its excellent wintry descriptions and magical light. I especially enjoyed the formatting for the book, with the beast’s perspective on wintry paper, as if it were written in blood on snow. Design can really play into the story!

  25. Book that Put a Smile on Your Face/was the Most FUN to Read?

  You and Me, Always was cheesy in the best way and I couldn’t stop smiling as I was reading it. I definitely needed that kind of book in that moment of the year.

  26. Book That Made You Cry or Nearly Cry in 2017?

  The Light Between Oceans was too heart-wrenching for words. I could easily see why both women acted the way they did, and then I was torn just like the husband, and then I put myself in the child’s shoes, and…guys, this is a rollercoaster of a book.

  

  

  

  27. Hidden Gem of The Year?

  The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City, is such a great story for Charlotte’s Web fans and general contemporary fiction. It hasn’t gotten enough love and attention, and it deserves so much more!

  28. Book that Crushed Your Soul?

  I keep talking about The Alice Network, so I’ll change it to The Secret Life of Violet Grant. That was also covering a very crushing topic of female history.

  29. Most Unique Book You Read in 2017?

   Paper Menagerie, which is a collection of science fiction short stories. I wouldn’t have picked this up otherwise, but I was impressed. It was definitely the most unique book I read in 2017.

  30. Book that Made You the Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

  Oh, a ton. A TON. I was probably most angry with (and deeply disliked) The Woman in Cabin 10.

  

  

  1. New Favorite Book Blog You Discovered in 2017? 

  Unfortunately, I wasn’t a very good blogger overall this year, and didn’t read any new ones.

  2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2017?

  The Map That Leads to You, because it was entirely quotes. I hadn’t done that before, and I really wanted to review the book, but it was so hard to sum up the novel without the moving passages. I let the book review itself, haha.

  3. Best Discussion/Non-review Post You had on Your Blog?

  One was an agent announcement (Clarissa’s novel Impossible Saints, in fact!), and another was one of my If We Were Having Coffee posts.

  

  

  4. Best Event that You Participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

  I was at Book Expo for lots of editorial meetings, and then went to ALA to meet my author Jared Reck and watch him sign galleys of A Short History of the Girl Next Door. Random House treated us to a very nice dinner with David Barkley, Nic Stone, and E Lockhart, too — it was a fun night.

  5. Best Moment of Bookish/Blogging Life in 2017?

  Oh, so many things, but my clients’ work definitely tops the list. I love seeing friends add my clients’ books to their TBRs and enjoying their reading experience. I’m bursting at the seams with two big deal announcements, but that will need to wait till January or so before it goes public.

  7. Most Popular Post This Year on Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

  The most popular post this year was my review of Jenny Han’s Always and Forever, Lara Jean.

  8. Post You Wished Got a Little More Love?

  I wasn’t a terribly good blogger this year, so I didn’t have any posts in particular I wish got more attention or love, comments or discussion. I’m pleased people even find this at all!

  

  9. Best Bookish Discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

  This is so lame, but I’m saying it anyway: how much money I saved by reading books from my library. I didn’t have the best reading year, and I saved so much by checking out books from the library instead of purchasing. If I loved what I read, of course I ran to the bookstore and purchased my own copy!

  10.  Did You Complete Any Reading Challenges or Goals that You had Set for Yourself at the Beginning of This Year?

  I read a lot of fantasy, but I didn’t consider it part of my Marillier / Gabaldon challenge for Flights of Fantasy — I’ll change that for next year. I wanted to read more library books (which I did) and hold back on blind purchases (which I did). I didn’t read any classics or reread any books, but I did read a decent amount off my own TBR shelves. Win some, lose some, but in the end I’m quite pleased!

  

  1. One Book You Didn’t Get To in 2017 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2018?

  The City of Brass and The Passion of Dolssa top my list for 2017, and they’re on my January TBR. I gotta get started on them!

  2. Book You Are Most Anticipating for 2018 (non-debut)?

  From Twinkle, With Love is definitely up there! Sandhya Menon has easily become an auto-buy author for me. Oh, and Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik!

  3. 2018 Debut You are Most Anticipating?

  Hmmm…perhaps Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young. It sounds exciting.

  

  

  

  

  4. Series Ending/A Sequel You are Most Anticipating in 2018?

  The next Queens of Renthia book, The Queen of Sorrow by Sarah Beth Durst, hands down.

  5. One Thing You Hope to Accomplish or Do in Your Reading/Blogging Life in 2018?

  Commenting more, engaging more, and announcing more deals! (More, more, more.)

  6. A 2018 Release You’ve Already Read & Recommend To Everyone:

  Impossible Saints by Clarissa Harwood. I’ve already mailed a couple copies to friends and they’ve come back to me with positive responses, so…fingers crossed!

  

  Posted in books, Update Post | 5 Comments | Tagged books, End of Year Book Survey, personal

• Christmas Eve Book Tag

  Posted at 5:35 am by Laura, on December 24, 2017

  It’s the day before Christmas! I hope you’re having a great holiday season. It’s been a busy few months lately, but I just had to do this Christmas Eve tag from Sam’s vlog. Enjoy!

  Christmas Eve Book Tag

  CHRISTMAS EVE MORNING || What is a book you wake up excited to read? (Anticipating reading, read in the past and love, etc)

  Anticipate reading: The City of Brass by SA Chakraborty
  Read in the past and love: Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier (ha! Made it into another tag!)
  .

  CHRISTMAS EVE BREAKFAST || What is your favorite treat/food during the holidays?

  Gosh, it depends on the time of day! In the mornings I love a good breakfast casserole — eggs, cheese, sausage, onions, peppers — and I’m a sucker for mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie for lunch and dinner. It’s also not the holidays without ham, but the other foods are must-haves during the holidays. I also love peppermint ice cream and french vanilla hot cocoa with marshmallows.

  Clearly I love holiday food.

  FAMILY TIME || What is a book that fills you with happiness and love and the warm fuzzies in general?

  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Hands down.

  

  CHRISTMAS CAROLS || What are your favorite Christmas carols/songs, or holiday songs?

  For Christmas carols, I tend to go a bit more traditional. I love “O Come Emmanuel,” “Wexford Carol,” and “I Wonder as I Wander.” Christmas songs I tend to think of pop tunes, and sung by specific singers. In that case it would be “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” (She & Him), “All I Want For Christmas is You” (Mariah Carey), and “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” (Harry Connick, Jr).

  ANTICIPATION || What book release are you very much anticipating?

  For one I have read, it would be Clarissa Harwood’s Impossible Saints (January 2!). For ones I’m looking forward to reading, it would be Rachel Hartman’s Tess of the Road, Jessica Leake’s Beyond a Darkened Shore, and Adrienne Young’s Sky in the Deep.

  SLEIGH BELLS ON THE ROOF || You hear Santa on the roof and you’re very excited for the goodies! What book kept you up late at night?

  Gosh, the last book that comes to mind that kept me up for ages was Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. That was a couple years ago. There are books that’ve stuck with me too (likely due to connection in that moment of my life) and kept me awake and wondering, like A Window Opens by Elisabeth Egan.

  CHRISTMAS MORNING || What book or item has been on your wishlist that you’re anticipating, perhaps receiving, this Christmas?

  There’s an item that’s forever and always on my wishlist and probably will be till I die, so I don’t expect it! It’s the 1940s edition of Jane Eyre with Fritz Eichenberg’s etchings. I can find it on Amazon and Etsy, but that’s just too easy. I want to discover it, you know? I’m also eagerly anticipating Juliet Marillier’s Den of Wolves, though, and that seems far more reasonable to receive this Christmas!

  

  I tag anyone and everyone who wants to participate in this fun Christmas + bookish tag!

  Posted in book tag, books | 2 Comments | Tagged book tag, books

• Book Review: “The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living” by Louise Miller

  Posted at 6:45 am by Laura, on December 11, 2017

  The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller

  Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
  Published: August 2016
  Genre: contemporary, women’s fiction
  ISBN: 9781101981207
  Rating: ★★★★

  When Olivia Rawlings—baker extraordinaire for an exclusive Boston dinner club—sets not just her flambéed dessert but the entire building alight, she takes a much-needed weekend break in the idyllic leafy town of Guthrie, Vermont. A weekend soon turns into something more permanent when Margaret Hurley, the cantankerous, sweater-set-wearing owner of the Sugar Maple Inn, needs to recruit a new baker who can help her reclaim the inn’s blue ribbon status at the annual county fair apple pie contest. On paper, at least, Livvy seems to be just who she was looking for.

  Along with Salty, her gigantic, uberenthusuastic dog with almost too much personality, Livvy, as the Sugar Maple’s new baker, brings her mouthwatering desserts to the residents of Guthrie and her best friend, Hannah. And when Olivia meets Martin McCracken, the Guthrie native who has returned from New York to nurse his ailing father, Livvy comes to understand that she may not be as alone in this world as she once thought. With the joys of a warm, fragrant kitchen, the sound of banjos and fiddles being tuned in a barn, and the crisp scent of the orchard just outside the front door, Olivia Rawlings may finally find that the life you want may not be the one you expected—it could be even better.

  Livvy is an excellent pastry chef. Her whole life is about her work as a baker. But when she sends her Boston dinner club (and, in many ways, her affair) alight, she flees to Vermont to get a breather and be with her best friend Hannah. Word gets out a baker is in town, and soon enough she’s hired as the new baker for Sugar Maple Inn. She not only needs to do the daily tasks of creating masterful baked goods solo, she also is perfecting her apple pie recipe so Sugar Maple can get the blue ribbons once more. Livvy begins to settle into the small town, participating in a contradance band and spending time with the McCracken family. After all this time in the big city, is Guthrie her true home?

  I could feel Livvy’s tension in Boston subside and fade away when she settled into Guthrie. She began to loosen up and settle in, enjoying the small town life she used to make fun of. The soothing routine baking needs for the inn — rolls, pastries, bread, cakes and cookies — followed by the high adrenaline of weddings and festivals really created a warm, homey atmosphere. I especially enjoyed the holiday family gathering scenes with the McCrackens, and the times when Livvy participated in the band for contradances. She slowed down, breathed more easily, and took a break. Her true colors came out.

  Comfort reading at its best! It’s a slow, relaxing read — just what I needed. It served as a reminder that we are here to enjoy life, not drown in the chaos and stress. The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living is the perfect book to read over the winter holidays, curled up under a blanket, hot beverage in hand, and a pastry (or two…) on a plate nearby.

  (Plus, look at the awesome paperback cover. That’s what caught my attention!)

  This qualifies as book 15 of 5 library books in 2017.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017 | 4 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, review

• Mini Reviews

  Posted at 5:25 am by Laura, on December 6, 2017

  Life has been crazy hectic, leaving very little time for me to sit down and write full reviews for the books I’ve read lately. I didn’t want to not review them, though, so here are my two cents on a variety of books!

  ~

  Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

  Publisher: Penguin
  Published: 2001
  Genre: gothic, historical fiction
  Rating: ★★★★.5
  Summary: Barcelona, 1945. Daniel’s widowed father, an antiquarian book dealer, initiates 11-year-old Daniel into the secret of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a library tended by Barcelona’s guild of rare-book dealers as a repository for books forgotten by the world, waiting for someone who will care about them again. Daniel’s father coaxes him to choose a volume from the spiraling labyrinth of shelves, one that, it is said, will have a special meaning for him. And Daniel so loves the novel he selects, The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax, that he sets out to find the rest of Carax’s work. To his shock, he discovers that someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book this author has written. In fact, he may have the last one in existence. Before Daniel knows it his seemingly innocent quest has opened a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets, an epic story of murder, magic, madness and doomed love. And before long he realizes that if he doesn’t find out the truth about Julian Carax, he and those closest to him will suffer horribly.

  Mini Review: What a thrilling, engrossing, captivating book. This is gothic fiction. Mystery, romance, suspense, murder, literary passions, mistaken identity, ghosts (real or otherwise), haunted homes, ancient cities, a web of secrecy. I savored every word. There were moments of greatness here, with scenes that captivated me, I could not tear away. There were other moments that could’ve had more to it — more character development or more depth — to make it absolutely perfect. But perhaps that’s what happens when a work is translated: not all of the brilliance of the original shines through. I know this is brilliant. This translator did an excellent job conveying Zafón’s story. If you haven’t read this book yet, drop everything and do so now.

  London Belongs to Us by Sarra Manning

  Publisher: Hot Key Books
  Published: June 2016
  Genre: young adult, contemporary
  Rating: ★★★
  Summary: Sunny’s always been a little bit of a pushover. But when she’s sent a picture of her boyfriend kissing another girl, she knows she’s got to act. What follows is a mad, twelve-hour dash around London – starting at 8pm in Crystal Palace (so far away from civilisation you can’t even get the Tube there) then sweeping through Camden, Shoreditch, Soho, Kensington, Notting Hill . . . and ending up at 8am in Alexandra Palace. Along the way Sunny meets a whole host of characters she never dreamed she’d have anything in common with. But as this love-letter to London shows, a city is only a sum of its parts, and really it’s the people living there who make up its life and soul. 

  Mini Review: The city of my heart! It was a fun romp of a story, racing all over the city over 12 hours. Sunny is sweet and naive, and she has her share of boyfriend troubles (in my opinion, she should’ve been angrier earlier, but that would ruin the fun of this ode to London), but I loved the way others worked with her, strangers and friends alike, to help her find the boy who wronged her. So many great neighborhoods and snippets of history, fantastic locations with interesting trivia, and all the colorful people. I laughed out loud at many points in this book, even took pictures of quotes and passages I found hilarious, poignant, and so very true to life. If you’re looking for a good, quick, light contemporary YA, this is the book for you!

   

  

  

  Blue Heron Series: The Best Man & The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins

  Publisher: Harlequin HQN
  Published: February 2013, October 2013
  Genre: contemporary, romance
  Rating: ★★★.75 and ★★★
  Summary: (1) Faith Holland left her hometown after being jilted at the altar. Now a little older and wiser, she’s ready to return to the Blue Heron Winery, her family’s vineyard, to confront the ghosts of her past, and maybe enjoy a glass of red. After all, there’s some great scenery there….Like Levi Cooper, the local police chief – and best friend of her former fiancé. There’s a lot about Levi that Faith never noticed, and it’s not just those deep green eyes. The only catch is she’s having a hard time forgetting that he helped ruin her wedding all those years ago. If she can find a minute amidst all her family drama to stop and smell the rosé, she just might find a reason to stay at Blue Heron, and finish that walk down the aisle.

  (2) Honor Holland has just been unceremoniously rejected by her lifelong crush. And now—a mere three weeks later—Mr. Perfect is engaged to her best friend. But resilient, reliable Honor is going to pick herself up, dust herself off and get back out there… or she would if dating in Manningsport, New York, population 715, wasn’t easier said than done. Charming, handsome British professor Tom Barlow just wants to do right by his unofficial stepson, Charlie, but his visa is about to expire. Now Tom must either get a green card or leave the States—and leave Charlie behind. In a moment of impulsiveness, Honor agrees to help Tom with a marriage of convenience. But juggling a fiancé, hiding out from her former best friend and managing her job at the family vineyard isn’t easy. And as sparks start to fly between Honor and Tom, they might discover that their pretend relationship is far too perfect to be anything but true love….

  Mini Review for The Best Man: The characters felt authentic, even in the cheesy and comical bits, and there was a surprising amount of depth in the development and plot. The small town feel was so cute and quirky, and the novel was a great balance of comedy and romance. There was only one scene in particular that rubbed me the wrong way (you’ll know it when you read it), but overall this was an enjoyable read. Romance isn’t normally my go-to, but I wanted something good and light to read during the chaos. Higgins delivered, and I promise you: even though there were some romance cliches and tropes, I was still left guessing to the end how the pieces would come together.

  Mini Review for The Perfect Match: Honor and Tom are two desperate souls (heavy emphasis on desperate, because that described Honor and her talking eggs (I kid you not) to a T) for two very different reasons, but they matched each other well. It was nice to be back in this small town atmosphere, even closer to the winery than the first book. I wasn’t a huge fan of Tom as a love interest, and Honor sometimes made me want to throttle her, but when the two were together they complimented one another. Together, I could root for them. I fully plan to continue the Blue Heron series!

  ~

  Hopefully writing up another full review soon before the holidays hit! Keep reading, friends!

  .

  This qualifies as books 13 and 14 of 5 library books in 2017.

  This qualifies as book 14 of 12 in the Rock My TBR challenge.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017, Rock My TBR | 7 Comments | Tagged books, genre: contemporary, genre: gothic, genre: historical fiction, genre: romance, mini review, review

• Book Review: “The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City” by Jodi Kendall

  Posted at 6:25 am by Laura, on November 15, 2017

  The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City by Jodi Kendall

  Publisher: HarperCollins Childrens
  Published: October 2017
  Genre: middle grade, contemporary
  ISBN: 9780062484536
  Rating: ★★★★

  Josie Shilling’s family is too big, their cramped city house is too small, and she feels like no one’s ever on her side. Then, on Thanksgiving Day, her older brother, Tom, brings home a pink, squirmy bundle wrapped in an old football jersey—a piglet he rescued from a nearby farm. Her name is Hamlet.

  The minute Josie holds Hamlet, she feels an instant connection. But there’s no room for Hamlet in the crowded Shilling household. And whoever heard of keeping a pig in the city? So it’s up to Josie to find her a forever home.

  Josie’s brother brings home a runt piglet at Thanksgiving. This would’ve been okay if her family wasn’t so large, cramped in a fairly small townhouse in a big city with very little yard space and money to stretch. Josie doesn’t want her family to send the piglet back to the farm, and promises to find a home for little Hamlet before New Year’s Day. She wants to keep Hamlet, and does her very best to juggle all her usual responsibilities with chores, homework, and gymnastics practice. But as New Year’s Day draws near, and Hamlet grows larger, and the family faces big changes, Josie begins to wonder if she’ll ever find a nice home for Hamlet.

  This modern-day homage to Charlotte’s Web is absolutely perfect. It can stand completely on it’s own, or be read alongside the classic. The heart of the story is about love, family, sacrifice, and friendship. It rings true to any reader — a middle grade reader juggling school and extracurricular activities, the middle child who just wants to be noticed and appreciated, the teenager who wants to do right for all parties involved, and the adult continuing to experience all these things and recalling the big responsibilities, wishes, and dreams from childhood. It’s great for the whole family, especially during the holiday season.

  Kendall portrayed the big family lifestyle in a cramped home in the city so well. At times it felt claustrophobic, and others it felt warm and cozy. The family has their ups and downs, bickers and mishaps mixed with support and love. Nothing is picture perfect, but it takes little moments for Josie to realize her family does see her and her accomplishments, that she’s not lost in the noise. She has her insecurities and dreams, and it’s so neat seeing how they grow and change during her gymnastics season and taking care of little Hamlet.

  A heartwarming middle grade perfect for the whole family this holiday season.

  Thank you, HC Children’s editorial, for providing this ARC.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017 | 1 Comment | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: contemporary, genre: middle grade, review

• Book Review: “The Paris Architect” by Charles Belfoure

  Posted at 6:20 am by Laura, on November 6, 2017

  The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure

  Publisher: Sourcebooks
  Published: October 2013
  Genre: historical fiction
  ISBN: 9781402294150
  Rating: ★★★★

  In 1942 Paris, gifted architect Lucien Bernard accepts a commission that will bring him a great deal of money and maybe get him killed. But if he’s clever enough, he’ll avoid any trouble. All he has to do is design a secret hiding place for a wealthy Jewish man, a space so invisible that even the most determined German officer won’t find it. He sorely needs the money, and outwitting the Nazis who have occupied his beloved city is a challenge he can’t resist.

  But when one of his hiding spaces fails horribly, and the problem of where to hide a Jew becomes terribly personal, Lucien can no longer ignore what’s at stake. The Paris Architect asks us to consider what we owe each other, and just how far we’ll go to make things right.

  Architect Lucien Bernard is trying to make ends meet and stay under the radar when he receives a huge commission to design a small, clever hiding space for a Jewish man. Not wanting anything to do with the Resistance but desperately needing the money, Lucien’s ego sweeps him up and he agrees to play the game against the Nazis. But the Nazis know of his architectural talent and pay for him to design manufacturing buildings for ammunition. As the number of clever hiding spaces grow, the factories built, and hiding spaces discovered, Lucien is torn between collaboration and resistance, between prestige and humanity.

  What a morally conflicting and ambiguous, unique, and haunting novel. This was unlike any other WWII novel I’ve read.

  Though the writing was distanced, it was the concept that floored me. We see WWII and the Nazi/Jewish conflict at a distance. Of course what the Nazis did was wrong and the most awful thing ever. Ever. I’m not arguing that. But Belfoure places us in the time: the French population (perhaps most of Europe?) genuinely did not like Jewish people — nothing like the Nazis felt, but it’s true nonetheless. Paris was easy for the Nazis to occupy because the French wanted nothing to do with the Nazis but they also wanted nothing to do with the Jews. Behave, stay low, neither resist nor collaborate, and perhaps one would survive. That was the mentality. Lucien’s character shows that in spades — but he’s still young and he wants his name to be known for his designs. All the income was helpful too. It’s not until the French see him as a collaborator, and the Nazis see him as a member of the Resistance, that it hits him completely: he cannot play both sides. He either saves human lives, or he destroys his country. Humanity wins, but at a cost — and his solution is very clever.

  I was impressed with the architectural designs, too. These aren’t hidden rooms behind library doors, another hidey-hole in the basement, or another wall in an attic. Lucien’s designs blend in so well with the architecture of the existing building and room that it takes really unique circumstances for the Nazis to discover them one by one. Oh, how my heart pound. The anxious intensity, the drawn out scenes when the Nazis were on the other side of the Jews’ hiding spot…I couldn’t breathe.

  If you’re looking for a new author to try or a unique WWII historical novel, definitely pick up Charles Belfoure’s The Paris Architect. It’ll haunt you for weeks after finishing.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, genre: adult fiction, genre: historical fiction, review

• Flipping Through the Pages: Summer Rewind 2017

  Posted at 5:05 am by Laura, on October 1, 2017

  

  Instead of participating in the Monthly Rewind meme, every three months I’ll update the world on my life from the previous season. Enjoy the Seasonal Rewind!

  Through the Lens

  

  

  

  The last few months have been dedicated to travel, wishing for cool weather, and reading. Lots of reading. Lots of reading manuscripts, that is. As you may have noticed, I didn’t post very many reviews. While I did read books for fun, many of them were kinda meh and I don’t want to put poor reviews online. Thankfully I found lots of enjoyment in reading clients’ revisions, new projects, and potential clients’ manuscript submissions over the summer. The highlight of the last few months was Jared Reck‘s A Short History of the Girl Next Door release!

  Life Highlights

  The Beau and I traveled to Iowa for his high school reunion, and I was genuinely surprised how much I loved Des Moines. His friends and family made me feel so at home there. Even the people I briefly interacted with at the reunion itself were very kind. Ah, Midwesterners! (PS I went to Raygun and I promise you, it’s just as awesome as their website. My Christmas wishlist expanded tenfold.)

  Every summer in July my family would travel to Cincinnati to celebrate Grandpa’s birthday, July 4, and just being together. We worried that since his passing, this tradition would fall apart. Thankfully it did not! We were able to gather for a family BBQ in August, and all the dogs tumbled and ran around in the backyard with the cousins. The Beau joined us too, and he went off with the boys to race around the neighborhood in a newly acquired go-kart. Haha!!

  One of my dear friends and old college roommate Lauren got married in September! Her wedding was an event we were all looking forward to in the friend group, as there were many joys and concerns going on in our lives this year. Being reunited with one another from near and far was so rejuvenating! We danced all night, and Amanda’s toddler Hazel was the best dancer in the house.

  Tunes on Repeat

  I think this section will be removed starting in 2018 recaps, because I’m at least a year behind on music. However, if you want something new and different and more on the classical lines, check out this guy! He sings Schubert arrangements with guitar (instead of piano, violin, or organ). Doesn’t his voice just make you melt?

  Bookmarked in the Community

  1. What I’ve Read @ Pretty Books — Stacey gives a great review for When Dimple Met Rishi and it made me all warm and fuzzy inside, haha. So I thought I’d share!
  2. Fangirl Friday with Laura @ What Sarah Read — Sarah hosts this fantastic feature for other bloggers to participate in on Fridays called Fangirl Friday. Bloggers can fangirl about anything and everything in a theme of their choosing. It’s a cool way to build community and break out of the standard bookish posts. I had a post in July entirely dedicated to British TV and movies (primarily BBC and ITV), and swooned over North & South and Belle!
  3. Meet Riley Josephine @ Perpetual Page-Turner — Jamie gave birth to a beautiful girl! Come for the cute baby photos, stay for the pregnancy and birth real talk. Jamie opened up about her experience, and her honesty is refreshing. Love you, Jamie!
  4. Back to School: History of Fictional Worlds Syllabus @ The Bookish Beagle — Morgan has worked on this epic post for ages, and I’m so glad it’s finally public! It may not look like a lot of text, but check out this concept: what if we could study the history of fictional worlds? You could major in Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings! Or any other fandom you’re a part of! It’s so cool seeing the classes she came up with. I wish this were real!
  5. Three Ways I Tackled My TBR This Summer @ So Obsessed With — Hannah’s methodical posts are probably some of my favorites. She’s shared her reading trends with stats, she’s worked on the Picky Pledge to be more selective about what she reads, and she’s shared a process to determine whether or not she should buy a book. In this post, she shares her step-by-step process for weeding through her TBR (to read or to sell/donate). I’ll have to try this!

  Popular Posts on Scribbles

  1. Book Review: What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum (ARC) — I’m still reeling from this novel. I want to put it in so many people’s hands.
  2. The Intimidating TBR Tag — Not surprised this was a popular post. I think it’s pretty universal for many people! Have you done this tag yet? Which question was most difficult for you to answer?
  3. Book Review: The Dire King by William Ritter — The last book in the Jackaby series, and boy was it a winner! Great on its own, great as a series ender, and it kinda leaves things a little bit open for a spin-off (though I’m fine with it not doing that too!). Have you read the series yet? If not, I highly recommend it!

  Cherished Reads

  

  

  

  

  The Map That Leads to You by JP Monninger ★★★★.5

  The Dire King by William Ritter ★★★★.5

  The Paris Architect  by Charles Belfoure ★★★★ (review to come!)

  The Royal Nanny by Karen Harper ★★★★

  Cherished Quotes

  A book is a companion, though. You can read it in a special place,
  like on a train to Amsterdam, then you carry it home and you
  chuck it on a shelf, and then years later you remember
  that feeling you had on the train when you were young.
  It’s like a little island in time.
  — The Map that Leads to You by JP Monninger

  “But didn’t the Jews kill Christ, Father?”
  “That’s debatable, my son. But even if they did,
  I would still help them.”
  — The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure

  Progress Update on Reading Challenges

  Required Library Books: 15 / 22

  The Light Between Oceans || The Husband’s Secret || W is for Wasted
  The Miniaturist || The Astronaut Wives Club || The Burning Room
  Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet || The President’s Shadow
  Orphan Train || Still Life || The Paper Menagerie
  Stiff || Damaged || Dreaming of the Bones || The Paris Architect

  Fun Library Books: 13 / 5 // Complete!

  Heart’s Blood || The Bear and the Nightingale || The Silver Gate
  Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies || A Window Opens
  Alex, Approximately || The Baker’s Secret || Troubled Waters
  Once and For All || Saints and Misfits || The Scribe of Siena
  The Royal Nanny || The Best Man

  Flights of Fantasy / Marillier & Gabaldon Challenge: 2 / 9

  Heart’s Blood || Son of the Shadows

  Classics & ReRead: 0 / 2

  Rock My TBR: 13 / 12 // Complete!

  Caraval || You and Me, Always || The Miniaturist
  Son of the Shadows || The Sun is Also a Star || Outrun the Moon
  The Secret Life of Violet Grant || This Adventure Ends || The Alice Network 
  Like a River Glorious || The Map That Leads to You
  The Case of the Counterfeit Criminals || A Cold Legacy

  Impulse Buys: 5 / 5

  You and Me, Always || Flight of Dreams || Wait for Me
  The Hate U Give || The Map That Leads to You

  Overall Challenge: 46 / 50

  Random Obsessions

  On TV: WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO WATCH THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF?!?!?!

  

  It’s such a great competition show — it doesn’t even really feel like a competition. These bakers are just trying to improve for themselves and for the judges, not necessarily take one another out. They’re helping each other on numerous occasions, actually, and it’s so heartwarming! Guess that’s the biggest difference in British and American television.

  

  This show also makes me wish I were a baker. Yeah, yeah, I hear you, anyone can bake — but I literally cannot. I can make boiling water catch on fire. So instead I’ll eat another’s baked goods and dream of butter sticks and dough and pastry as I watch this show. I never thought something so nice and relatively calming could make for such an intense, emotional show, too! I NEED MORE. But only ones with Sue and Mel and Paul and Mary! No one else! Just them!

  

  On Film: Gifted. I wanted to see so many movies this summer and didn’t get a chance to, so I Redboxed Gifted and just…lost it. What a fantastic movie. So many tears. It’s about a young girl who’s a math genius, raised by her uncle (Chris Evans) who was given custody of her after her mother (his sister) committed suicide. It’s about brilliant minds and parental upbringing, about the importance of family and social relationships, and breaking records.

  In the Shopping Bag: Target and ModCloth, once again, burned a hole in my wallet. I’ve gained weight in the last year (yay (I’m finally in the healthy weight category for my height and age, which has never happened before) and boo — it was the right amount but just too fast), which meant cleaning out pretty much my entire wardrobe and buying replacements.

  Miscellaneous: The Beau and I are moving into our apartment in a couple days! So most of my time and energy the next two weeks will be preparing for that and nesting. It means I’ve been making lots of insurance and utility phone calls…

  Looking Towards the Future

  As I stated previously, in October I’m moving into an apartment (yay! And for real this time!), and then the whirlwind of holidays and holiday prep begin. I’m always looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas — any time to be with my family and friends — and this year the choir is singing Bach’s Magnificat, so it’s bound to be an excellent music season too.

  What have you been up to this season / this month? Any new obsessions or good reads or great music? Share some of your favorites here, and let me know if I should check out any great blog posts! 

   

  Posted in books, This Season's Rewind | 4 Comments | Tagged books, personal, recap, rewind, this season's rewind

• Book Review: “The Dire King” by William Ritter

  Posted at 5:45 am by Laura, on September 21, 2017

  The Dire King by William Ritter

  Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers
  Published: August 2017
  Genre: young adult, fantasy, historical fiction, gothic
  ISBN: 9781616206703
  Rating: ★★★★.5

  The fate of the world is in the hands of detective of the supernatural R. F. Jackaby and his intrepid assistant, Abigail Rook. An evil king is turning ancient tensions into modern strife, using a blend of magic and technology to push Earth and the Otherworld into a mortal competition. Jackaby and Abigail are caught in the middle as they continue to solve the daily mysteries of New Fiddleham, New England — like who’s created the rend between the worlds, how to close it, and why zombies are appearing around. At the same time, the romance between Abigail and the shape-shifting police detective Charlie Cane deepens, and Jackaby’s resistance to his feelings for 926 Augur Lane’s ghostly lady, Jenny, begins to give way. Before the four can think about their own futures, they will have to defeat an evil that wants to destroy the future altogether.

  A king in another realm is blending ancient magic with modern electricity, tearing down the veil between Earth and the Otherworld, wrecking havoc in its wake. Jackaby and Abigail are caught in the middle, barely recovering from the recent attack in their home on Augur Lane. But if they don’t act soon, and listen the last words of warning from New Fiddleham’s parish priest, the world as they know it may collapse into chaos.

  Please read reviews (and the books, of course) for the previous titles before continuing, as this may contain spoilers: Jackaby, Beastly Bones, Ghostly Echoes

  My initial thoughts when finishing this book were “OMGGGGG THAT WAS AWESOME AND UNEXPECTED BUT TOTALLY FITTING AND AHHHH.” Let’s shoot for some coherency now.

  What started off as ridiculous good fun in Jackaby developed into something so much more — more than mystery and mayhem and mythology and cultural lore — what it also means to find love and hope in the midst of chaos and destruction. Abigail and Jackaby make one heck of a duo when it comes to solving crimes in New Fiddleham, with the assistance of ghost Jenny and cop/werewolf Charlie. But by this book, it’s more than a couple petty supernatural crimes — it’s a full-blown war with the Moriarty character, mending the veil between the mortal world and the world these creatures come from.

  This series is full of mystery and adventure, a proper blend of Doctor Who and Sherlock, with wacky scenarios, intense circumstances, and heart-pounding plot. The romantic plots made me smile — they’re so sweet and seemingly innocent, oh-so-perfectly restrained because, you know, saving the world and all — and the ending was both surprising and fitting. In many ways it leaves the series open for a spin-off, but I would be happy ending the adventures of 926 Augur Lane right here!

  If you haven’t already, I highly suggest reading Ritter’s Jackaby series. It’s humorous, genre-bending, adventurous, and remarkable!

  (Oh, and never look at the frog. And don’t trust anything in Chapter Thirteen.)

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: fantasy, genre: gothic, genre: historical fiction, genre: young adult, review

• Mini Reviews

  Posted at 3:30 am by Laura, on September 18, 2017

  The Case of the Counterfeit Criminals by Jordan Stratford

  Publisher: Knopf BFYR
  Published: January 2017
  Genre: middle grade, mystery, historical fiction
  Rating: ★★★.5
  Summary: The Wollestonecraft Girls embark on their most important case yet–the famed dinosaur fossil hunter Mary Anning is being blackmailed. Her precious dog has been snatched and the kidnappers are demanding that Miss Anning authenticate some fake dinosaur bones up for auction at the British Museum in order to get him back. Ada and Mary have just three days to track down the fossil fakers, find the dog, and save the integrity of science! The game is truly afoot in this quirky caper involving blood-sucking leeches, an asthmatic pug, smoke bombs, secret elevators, diabolical disguises, and wicked word-play.

  Mini Review: I love middle grade detective fiction, and the Wollstonecraft Detective Agency series is no exception! Featuring Mary Shelley and Ada Byron as little girls (anachronistically), with partner in crime Charles Dickens, they solve what appear to be little instances of crime (stolen dog) but are actually major connections to criminal rings (there’s a clever Moriarty character cropping up!). The books were originally inspired by the novels of Charles Dickens’s protege, Wilkie Collins. Now they are taking on a life of their own and it’s so thrilling to watch! I highly recommend this series for little history nerds, fierce feminists, readers with quick wit and sense of humor, and little detectives in the making. See reviews for The Case of the Missing Moonstone and The Case of the Girl in Grey.

  .

  This qualifies as book 12 of 12 in the Rock My TBR challenge.

  .

  .

  A Cold Legacy by Megan Shepherd

  Publisher: Balzer + Bray
  Published: January 2015
  Genre: young adult, gothic, science fiction
  Rating: ★★★
  Summary: After killing the men who tried to steal her father’s research, Juliet—along with Montgomery, Lucy, Balthazar, and a deathly ill Edward—has escaped to a remote estate on the Scottish moors. Owned by the enigmatic Elizabeth von Stein, the mansion is full of mysteries and unexplained oddities: dead bodies in the basement, secret passages, and fortune-tellers who seem to know Juliet’s secrets. Though it appears to be a safe haven, Juliet fears new dangers may be present within the manor’s own walls. Then Juliet uncovers the truth about the manor’s long history of scientific experimentation—and her own intended role in it—forcing her to determine where the line falls between right and wrong, life and death, magic and science, and promises and secrets. And she must decide if she’ll follow her father’s dark footsteps or her mother’s tragic ones, or whether she’ll make her own.

  Mini Review: This book gave me graduate thesis flashbacks. I spent a whole year immersed in gothic literature (classic and YA) with a fine tooth comb, loving every second of my nightmares that followed. A COLD LEGACY continues the “twist on classic gothic novels” trend Shepherd began with The Madman’s Daughter by following the Frankenstein narrative. The other two books worked as parallels to the inspired classics, but this time the characters meet Dr Frankenstein’s descendants and friends, who want to continue the “cold legacy” of his experimentation. Scottish moors, creepy children, reanimated corpses, oh my! I appreciated the parallels to the original narrative, and found all the high drama twists and turns appropriate to gothic fiction. Juliet’s internal battle and her devotion to two boys continued (and I was so over it in Her Dark Curiosity), but the final chapters left the reader with a solid ending and hope for the remaining characters.

  .

  This qualifies as book 13 of 12 in the Rock My TBR challenge.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017, Rock My TBR | 1 Comment | Tagged books, genre: gothic, genre: historical fiction, genre: middle grade, genre: mystery, genre: sci-fi, genre: young adult, mini review, review, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “The Royal Nanny” by Karen Harper

  Posted at 6:20 am by Laura, on September 6, 2017

  The Royal Nanny by Karen Harper

  Publisher: William Morrow
  Published: June 2016
  Genre: adult fiction, historical fiction
  ISBN: 9780062420633
  Rating: ★★★★

  April, 1897: A young nanny arrives at Sandringham, ancestral estate of the Duke and Duchess of York. She is excited, exhausted—and about to meet royalty….

  So begins the unforgettable story of Charlotte Bill, who would care for a generation of royals as their parents never could. Neither Charlotte—LaLa, as her charges dub her—nor anyone else can predict that eldest sons David and Bertie will each one day be king. LaLa knows only that these children, and the four who swiftly follow, need her steadfast loyalty and unconditional affection.

  But the greatest impact on Charlotte’s life is made by a mere bud on the family tree: a misunderstood soul who will one day be known as the Lost Prince. Young Prince John needs all of Lala’s love—the kind of love his parents won’t…or can’t…show him.

  Charlotte “Lala” Bill arrives at Sandringham eager to begin as an assistant to the royals’ head nurse. But when she witnesses the young boys’ abuse at the hands of this nurse, she takes matters into her own hands, and forever shapes the landscape of royal nurses and nannies. As she raises each of the children, wondering what she’ll do when the youngest will age out of the nursery and enter the schoolroom, one last royal is born: Prince Johnny, a misunderstood soul and young boy with epilepsy. He’s hidden from view of the public, and the family rarely witnesses his epileptic attacks, but it’s Lala’s steadfast love and determined devotion that unites the family during a tumultuous time in history.

  This novel really pulled at my heartstrings. Watching David and Bertie grow up and experience the reign of three different monarchs (great-grandmother Queen Victoria, grandfather Edward VII, father George V) as well as the other children’s interactions with their royal cousins (specifically the Romanovs), witnessing all the changes in history at the turn of the century (electricity, cars, planes, WWI), was fascinating in and of itself.

  Some of the dialogue felt a little forced, but it was to give the reader a sense of the passage of time with regard to meaningful events. And, admittedly, I was more curious about David and Bertie, the two kings pre-WWII and all the drama surrounding abdicating the throne. However, Harper wrote a very engaging narrative that made me care more than I ever thought I would about little John, the lost prince. His story is the epitome of the sad, bleak reality of royal children prior to his birth. Royals were presented to their parents for a few minutes each day! Lala changed that. Lala gave these children the love and attention they deserved, especially since their parents could not or would not. And she made a taboo illness a discussable topic, embracing and facing adversity head on instead of brushing it under the rug.

  The writing is intimate, revealing the hidden history behind the events of WWI and the deep family connections within. Toss in the upstairs-downstairs point of view of the royal nanny who shaped the kind of nannies royalty seek today, and you’re in for a treat. Fans of King’s Speech and Downton Abbey, royal history buffs, and anyone who loves reading books with family dynamic focus would thoroughly enjoy this novel.

  This qualifies as book 12 of 5 library books in 2017.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017 | 1 Comment | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: historical fiction, review

• 

• Hello, I’m Laura!

  I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to travel, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm always down for chips-and-queso nights. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!

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