Saturday, October 4, 2025

Board Books: Halloween


Just a few board books:

This is a cute board book that is reminiscent of This Little Piggy. 

The illustrations are adorable, and the ending is sweet. This Little Monster is a fun board book to share.

* Book sent for review

What surprises are in this haunted house? 

This is a fun rhyming book that's sure to be a hit. 

* Book sent for review
** This book has slides

Not a real Halloween book, but it's about a ghost finding their voice. And of course, friendship. 

Cat and Baby have their first Halloween together. The color palette of this board book is charming - filled with the colors or fall as they enjoy all the Halloween events.

Friday, October 3, 2025

Blog-oversary: 17 years


Today the blog turns 17.
Where does the time go?



The anniversary for 17 years is furniture. 
                     So maybe it's time to clean up my bookcases and give you a tour of them. 

Before

After
YA Books

Before

After
Fantasy/Sci-fi Books

Before

After

Close-up:
Romance shelf: regency and modern
Cozy mysteries
Jane Austen
Mostly Louisa May Alcott
Meg Cabot
Middle Grade

Close Up:
Fantasy books

It was nice to go through these books. I donated several books to my library.
I like how organized they all are; I'm happy I did this project.

It was also really nice to go through the books. Several of them are signed and seeing them brought me down memory lane. I have been so fortunate to meet so many amazing authors. There are a few books where my blurbs have been used, or I'm in the acknowledgements. 

I can't wait to see what the future holds book-wise and blog-wise! 

Thursday, October 2, 2025

Review: Miranda in Retrograde

 
Miranda is rejected from tenure track and forced to take a year sabbatical. As she's no longer teaching, she also loses her housing. Luckily her aunt (one of her best friends) is heading to Florida and offers Miranda her cottage. Miranda happily accepts and the only catch is that she has to water her aunt's flowers on the rooftop garden.

On the rooftop, Miranda meets Archer, a grumpy artist. At first, they bicker about the roof and spending time on it, but soon enough they become friendly and then friends. 

Miranda goes from a well-known scientist to studying astrology. She has always looked down on astrology but now she's looking at her horoscope to guide her life choices while she takes this year to find herself.

My Thoughts: I loved this book; I find astrology fascinating. Although I confess, I don't know too much about it, but I'm happy to learn more. I loved the banter between Archer and Miranda. I love how Miranda tried out new things when her life upended. I would have liked more of the friendship moments with her best friend. Another winner from Lauren Layne.

Cover Thoughts: Charming
Source: My Library
Why I read this book: I have read several of the author's previous books and loved them.
Library Recommendation: Highly recommended for your public library's romance collection
Perfect for: Readers of Hallmark movies and rom coms. 

Wednesday, October 1, 2025

Picture Book Review: Halloween Books


Here a few Halloween books that came late to the library last year:

When one little girl's Halloween plans are forced to change, she investigates what everyone else is doing before making her final plans.

I love how Janelle investigated everyone's plans and then created a plan for herself.  It was fun to see everyone's Halloween traditions. I loved how everything turned out. 


It's the time of year when the wall between our world and the spirit world is at it's thinnest. Sam and his friends celebrate Samhain.

It's an interested look at a not-well known (to me) holiday. I liked the end note that talks about Samhain and it's connection to Halloween. There are also some spells at the back of the book. 

Finn, a ghost, is scared to go out on Halloween and then misses his favorite candy. He's so sad that he decides that next Halloween he will join his family. He works hard all year to face his fears. He starts small and works up to bigger moments. Will he be able to go out?

This was a great book about all the scary things in the world and about facing your fears. There are setbacks and hard moments. But everyone has those. This book can be great for discussion about fears and how to work with them.

It's almost Halloween and there's so much to do to get ready for the big day!

What are your favorite Halloween traditions? This book covers them all with bright illustrations that readers will want to pour over. 
 
This board book will get readers ready for Halloween.

This super cute book has soft charming illustrations and a fun cast of characters.

As nature starts to change and fall arrives, it's time to start prepping for Halloween. There's so much to do!

This was a charming Halloween story about all the built-up excitement about waiting for the day to arrive. The art is unique and fun to pour over. 


** this book is much older, but it's new to me.

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

Top Ten Tuesday: Fall Vibes

 This week's topic is books with fall vibes. These cover scream PSL.


Want to read:





Read Previously:







Are you a PSL person? I am not, but I do love the fall!

Monday, September 29, 2025

Middle Grade Review: Blood in the Water


Kaylani's having a hard year. Her father's is in prison. Her friends have dropped her. Now it's summer. She's been invited to Martha's Vineyard for the summer with family friends. She's never been there before and she's not sure she really wants to go. But she goes for her father.

Oak Bluffs is nice; there are a lot of wealthy Black people with summer homes. Kaylani's staying with the Watsons and their two granddaughters. She's sharing a room with London. London is not thrilled with the idea, but she does show her guest around. 

The two girls run into London's older sister Cassie sneaking out to a party. They beg to go. The party gets busted up by the cops. Kaylani and London end up separated from Cassie on the way home. 

The next day, they learn about the death of a boy at the party. His death was made to look like an accident, but someone killed him. 
My Thoughts: I almost didn't read this one because it's described as a horror novel. And it's not. It's a thriller. I'm so glad that I read it because I tore through this book. I loved it. I loved that it was summer on Martha's Vineyard. I wanted to give Kaylani a hug for all the struggles. She was brave and strong; I admired her. I didn't like London or Cassie; they were jerks. But I did like Miles. I loved the cameo from the library. 

Cover Thoughts: So good!
Source: My Library
Library Recommendation: Highly recommended thriller for your middle grade school and public library collection.