Sunday, January 31, 2016

Spring Programs: Food


It sure feels like Spring now in New England, but I'm sure that will change soon. It's nice to imagine that we might just sail through winter without huge snowstorms and move right into Spring.  Or maybe it's just fun to imagine Spring programs. So I thought I'd attempt to help and toss out a few ideas for fall - all from pinterest
Also, take a look at last year's Valentine Programs or Mint programs for St. Patrick's Day ideas. Plus last year's Spring Flower program ideas.
This year's Butterfly ideas or Garden programs or Flowers
sugar cookie/fruit tacos!:
Fruit Tacos
nutter butter sandal cookies -- someone needs to make these for me (ha):
Flip Flip Sandal Cookies 
Fun, easy and delicious! Dip into the holidays one cookie at a time! This recipe is the perfect activity for your kids to join in. Easily make them with Pillsbury sugar cookie dough – simply roll it out into a rectangle, cut with a pizza slicer, bake and dip into frosting with a candy coating.:
Dip with Spring Colors

Saturday, January 30, 2016

Review: See How They Run

* Book 2 in Embassy Row *
Grace's brother came to Embassy Row for a visiting, bringing along a school friend. Things get out of hand that night at a party when Spence kisses Grace.

Her brother's best friend and a boy Grace has grown close to, Alexei takes offense. Spence and Alexei get into a fight. Grace and Jamie break up the fight and head home. The next morning, Grace meets Alexei.

They come across a scene in the street, where a man washed up dead onto the shore. When they identify the body as Spence, Alexei becomes the main suspect.

Grace is sure he had nothing to do with it and vows to protect him. But there are bigger secrets here on Embassy Row - secrets someone wants to keep buried.
My Thoughts: I Loved this book - I tore through it, loving the twists and turns. I loved meeting Jamie and understanding more about his relationship with Grace. I felt bad about Spence, but I felt worse about Alexei and the treatment from his father. 

I liked learning more about the island's history and the caves. There was a National Treasure moment in there, which I loved. 

I love how Grace can count on her friends, even if they think she's making a terrible decision. She always has their support. 

I can't wait for the next book to see how this turns out! This is what the puppy and I thought of that cliff hanger ending - and we NEED the next book ASAP!

A photo posted by Jennifer Rummel (@yabooknerdlibrarian) on

Cover Thoughts: Love the city in the background
Source: My Library

Final Thoughts: Run and grab this book, it's amazingly good. 

Friday, January 29, 2016

About Me: Sports


One of my resolutions this year (and to be honest almost every year) is to talk more about myself on the blog. Me in a nutshell: I'm a Librarian. I'm a blogger. I'm a reader. Here's a little bit about me outside the bookish world.

I've been sporty as long as I can remember. Everyone in my family is sporty. And my family was very supportive to sports - coming to watch the games/events or picking me up from practice or dropping me off at those dreaded 5 am practices (thankfully we didn't have many of those).

I've tried my hand at lots of sports - some just for fun, but others on a team.

In elementary school, I played midget league. Finally 5th grade came and after school sports became reality. I played soccer, but mostly I lived for the basketball days.

Me in Midget League - my grandfather is to the right of me.
In the spring in middle school, I played softball and summer softball. In the summer league, during all the years, I think I played every position except for shortstop. For most of the years, I was on the team with my sister. When we both stopped playing, we used to organize pick up games in high school with our friends. I don't play softball much anymore, but I'm not opposed to a game of catch or a trip to the batting cages.
Last year at the cages
I'm 5' 8" now, which meant I was one of the tallest girls in the class (and that was hard for some reasons, but not for basketball.) I loved it when winter rolled around. I played in elementary school, middle school, and through 2 years on the JV team in high school. I wasn't the best scorer, but I added a few points to the score. I wasn't good enough to make the Varsity team and I wasn't going to play for the Varsity coach, so I stalled out after my sophomore year.

And afterwards I lost heart for the other sports. By my junior year in high school, I wasn't interested anymore.

But I was still sporty. When my husband and I moved into our second apartment, there was a sports field nearby. We played basketball, tennis, and threw a Frisbee in the fields. We'd take our cute puppy on long hikes.



I've been kayaking and snow shoeing


Just last year, I learned to do a crossover!


But we also watch sports. Chris got me into the Celtics and now I too bleed green. I miss Paul and KG something fierce. I'm glad to see that Rondo's back on track. The rebuilding years are hard, but the young guys try hard. 

We've been to a few games, some preseason like this one where we got great seats thanks to spotting an upgrade on twitter.


Usually these are our seats:

And the boys I've watched the most games with:

I'm a New England girl, so I cheer for the home teams, even though I may not follow the sport too closely. 

And our course I like sporty books too! 

Are you sporty? What sports are your favorites?


Thursday, January 28, 2016

Adult Review: My Kind of Wonderful

* Book 2 in the Cedar Ridge series *
Hudson Kincaid's felt a hole in his life ever since the argument where his twin took off and never looked back. Since then, he's tried to shoulder everything. He's been so good at taking care other people that he's neglected his own happiness.

Bailey's excited to test out her new wings and try things she never thought she'd try. When Hudson's mother hires her to create a mural, she can't say no. Even if Hudson himself isn't on board with the idea.

The two of them butt heads from the beginning, but could those sparks be the start of something real?
My Thoughts: I really loved this book. I love the Kincaid family for how they came together, for their banter, and for their loyalty towards each other. I love how hard they work at turning the ski resort around. 

I loved Bailey outlook on life and how she wanted to try new things. I loved watching her interact with the Kincaid family. 

I loved the banter between Bailey and Hudson. 

I loved the moments on the mountain - watching the world.

Lots of humor, family drama, and that perfect ending scene as expected in a Jill Shalvis book. I can't wait to read the next book: Jacob's story!

Cover Thought: Cute
Source: My Library
Final Thoughts: Another winner for Jill Shalvis. Don't miss it!

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Adult Review: Redemption Bay

 * Haven Point Book 2*
McKenzie Shaw loves her town, she's desperately trying to make the economy. Especially after Ben Kilpatrick left years ago and destroyed the once booming town.

Now he's back. And living next door to her.

McKenzie vows to be polite (after she yells at him for his past crimes) and then she learns that he's in a position to make the town soar to new heights. Sworn to secrecy, she has the town hopping to show him a welcoming community.

The more time she spends with him, the more she understands about his past and his reasons for escaping town the first time. Can she change his mind against the town without falling into her old crush. 
My Thoughts: I loved the first book in this series and of course gravitated towards this one. After a brief disappointment (I thought this was another Christmas story because of the lights on the boats), I fell quickly for this read.

I loved learning more about the town and it's history. I liked seeing characters from the previous books. I loved learning more about Ben (especially after so many comments in the first book, I wondered how he was going to become a likable character -but he really is!)

I love that McKenzie is the town mayor. I admire her patience with everyone giving her comments. I loved watching her in action from pulling together the festivals to dealing with the crisis. 

I loved the two dogs that formed an attachment. 

Haven Point sounds like a magical place: filled with great people, a sense of community, good friends, and of course romance. I just wonder how their library is :)

I can't  wait to read more in this series.

Cover Thoughts: A little misleading, but gorgeous!
Source: BEA 2015 - signed copy!
Final Thoughts: Read this series for the small town charm, the friendships, and of course the romance. 

On My Hold List (110)

My Librarian friend Jess from I Read to Relax came up with a great idea.  It's to highlight the books on hold at the library. I usually have 20-40 items checked out at the library and another 20 items on hold. 


Middle Grade Reads:

To Catch a Cheat (The Great Greene Heist, #2)
To Catch a Cheat: Loved the Great Greene Heist - so looking forward to another adventure

Neverseen (Keeper of the Lost Cities, #4)
Neverseen: Love this series and can't wait to see what happens next!

Eden's Wish (Eden of the Lamp, #1)
Eden's Wish: First in a series about a genie who wishes for freedom.

Pilfer Academy: A School So Bad It's Criminal
Pilfer Academy: Boarding School for Thieves!

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday: Books to read in a day

This week's topic is a Freebie week - I had a hard time struggling to come up with a topic. But then I looked at the past posts and it hit me. Top Ten Books To Read In A Day. Now I read fast, but they were the last books I couldn't put down. I devoured them in one sitting. 



You Were HereTell Me Three ThingsThis Is Where It EndsSee How They Run (Embassy Row, #2)All Dressed in White (Under Suspicion, #2)
Foreign Éclairs (A White House Chef Mystery #9)All In (The Naturals, #3)Tricky Twenty-Two (Stephanie Plum, #22)VIP: I'm With the BandHello?

Monday, January 25, 2016

Mini Review: Great Moments in Chocolate History

Timeline of Chocolate History starting in the early 1500s through 2014 and thoughts about the future of chocolate. 
The Good:
Full of fascinating facts including famous chocolate lovers, technology changes everything, modern chocolate, and chocolate in the kitchens
Fantastic pictures that will make your mouth water
Recipes that I can't wait to test

The Bad:
A good book is always too short.

Cover Thoughts: Looks fun and inviting
Source: Birthday Gift '

Also I dare you to read this book without eating a lick of chocolate (I couldn't do it - check out the chocolate that I ate) What's your favorite type of chocolate?
Final Thoughts: Perfect book for your favorite Chocolate Lover

Books and Treats (5)

A new blog idea inspired by Andi @ http://andiabcs.com/2014/08/01/pub-date-1/ with the Pub Date where a few bloggers share book and beer pair ups.  Andi states that the idea is the brain child of Brittany at The Book Addict’s Guide.

Great Moments in Chocolate History: With 20 Classic Recipes From Around the World

My mouth watered while reading this one and I gave into my cravings with these:

They were amazing and they're my new addiction! 

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Spring Programs: Flowers


It sure feels like Spring now in New England, but I'm sure that will change soon. It's nice to imagine that we might just sail through winter without huge snowstorms and move right into Spring.  Or maybe it's just fun to imagine Spring programs. So I thought I'd attempt to help and toss out a few ideas for fall - all from pinterest
Also, take a look at last year's Valentine Programs or Mint programs for St. Patrick's Day ideas. Plus last year's Spring Flower program ideas.
This year's Butterfly ideas and Garden programs


Easy Paper Hyacinth Flowers! Three materials needed for this fun Spring craft project: construction paper, scissors, and glue! We recommend our Sunworks Groundwood Construction Paper (PE1253) - it folds, scores, and curls just like more expensive brands!:
Paper Hyacinth 
20 Easy Duct Tape Flowers | 101 Duct Tape Crafts:
Duct Tape Flowers
DIY Paper Circle Flower:
More paper flowers
A great way to celebrate spring! This rustic twig frame is a great afternoon crafts project for the kids and is really cheap.  They are twigs, people! It's time for some spring in our homes... http://www.ehow.com/info_12340437_diy-rustic-twig-frame.html?utm_source=pinterest.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=inline&utm_campaign=fanpage:
Twig Frame with Flowers

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Series Love: Mediator


I'm so super excited to read the upcoming book (adult) in the series, 
Remembrance (The Mediator, #7)

that I decided to re-read the YA series again.


And boy did I love them just as much the second time around. I love Meg Cabot's writing. She always makes me laugh and sigh with happiness at the end of the book.

Here are some reasons why I loved this series:

Paranormal Romance
Ghosts
Star Wars jokes 
Lifetime movie mentions
Gina
Father D
Father D playing video games
Step-brothers (especially David)
Andy
Jesse
Suze: for her snark, her witty comebacks, and the fact that she kicks major butt while she worries about not having a boyfriend or that the boy likes has been dead for over 100 years. Sure she sometimes makes terrible choices, but her heart is in the right place. 



I'm super excited for February 2nd when the book comes out!