Review: Big Blue Sky by Hildie McQueen

Goodreads Blurb

Left to raise his infant son alone, a hardened Hank Cole is determined to make the best of it while prospering his ranch, but when a beautiful woman literally lands on his doorstep, he is helpless against the attraction between them.

Elizabeth Dawson is too outspoken for gentle society, but she may be the perfect match for a tough Montana cowboy.

A story of two very different people who belong together, proof that sometimes fate can have a sense of humor when it comes to love.

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

What a small book with deep emotions. I was heartbroken with what Hank had to go through because of a woman. He deserved more for being a gentleman who is loving and affectionate. Then I got to the chapter on Elizabeth and was in tears, too, have to go through such devastation and lost. Losing someone right in front of you without being able to help them is beyond words. As I kept on reading, I found out that she is the niece of Betty who babysits Hanks Child. She is very tricky but knew that they would be perfect for each other. I was in utter shock to find out who the man that Elizabeth dreamed about. What a coincidence or should I say premonition. This book was full of sadness and despair at the beginning but ended with a happily ever after. They both deserved themselves.

Review: Princess in the Spotlight (Princess Diaries #2) by Meg Cabot

Goodreads Blurb

No one ever said being a princess was easy.

Just when Mia thought she had the whole princess thing under control, things get out of hand, fast. First, there’s an unexpected announcement from her mother. Then Grandmère arranges a national primetime interview for the brand-new crown princess of Genovia. On top of that, intriguing, exasperating letters from a secret admirer begin to arrive.

Before she even has the chance to wonder who those letters are from, Mia is swept up in a whirlwind of royal intrigue the likes of which haven’t been seen since volume I of The Princess Diaries.

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

I just love this series with Mia. Her grandmother just cracks me up. It’s her way or the highway. I felt so bad for Mia finding out about her mom’s pregnancy; she was not expecting that. When she had the interview, I was cracking up with her comments. I can’t believe she threw everyone under the bus without even realizing it. I was a little upset with Mia’s mom for making a decision that didn’t include her in such an important event and moment. I was glad that her grandmother hopefully learned a lesson for not messing around with people’s personal decisions. Can’t wait to see what happens next.

Author Biography

Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse — at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunked freshman Algebra twice, then decided to cut her own bangs. After six years as an undergrad at Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City (in the middle of a sanitation worker strike) to pursue a career as an illustrator, at which she failed miserably, forcing her to turn to her favorite hobby–writing novels–for emotional succor. She worked various jobs to pay the rent, including a decade-long stint as the assistant manager of a 700 bed freshmen dormitory at NYU, a position she still occasionally misses.

She is now the author of nearly fifty books for both adults and teens, selling fifteen million copies worldwide, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, most notably The Princess Diaries series, which is currently being published in over 38 countries, and was made into two hit movies by Disney. In addition, Meg wrote the Mediator and 1-800-Where-R-You? series (on which the television series, Missing, was based), two All-American Girl books, Teen Idol, Avalon High, How to Be Popular, Pants on Fire, Jinx, a series of novels written entirely in email format (Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl, and Every Boy’s Got One), a mystery series (Size 12 Is Not Fat/ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either/Big Boned), and a chick-lit series called Queen of Babble.

Meg is now writing a new children’s series called Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls. Her new paranormal series, Abandon, debuts in Summer of 2011.

Meg currently divides her time between Key West, Indiana, and New York City with a primary cat (one-eyed Henrietta), various back-up cats, and her husband, who doesn’t know he married a fire horse. Please don’t tell him.

Review: Confessions of a Queen B by Crista McHugh

Goodreads Blurb

Alexis Wyndham is the other type of Queen B—the Queen Bitch.

After years of being the subject of ridicule, she revels in her ability to make the in-crowd cower via the exposés on her blog, The Eastline Spy. Now that she’s carved out her place in the high school hierarchy, she uses her position to help the unpopular kids walking the hallways.

Saving a freshman from bullies? Check.
Swapping insults with the head cheerleader? Check.
Falling for the star quarterback? So not a part of her plan.

But when Brett offers to help her solve the mystery of who’s posting X-rated videos from the girls’ locker room, she’ll have to swallow her pride and learn to see past the high school stereotypes she’s never questioned—until now.

My Review: Rated 3 out of 5 stars

Many people were bragging over this book, and, unfortunately, it didn’t live up to its standards. Alexis pretty much annoyed me with her bitchyness. She was just as bad as the popular girl named Summer. Standards and popularity over friends and love.

Author Biography

Crista McHugh is a NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY BESTSELLING author of fantasy and romance with heroines who are smart, sexy, and anything but ordinary.

She also writes fantasy with less kissing and a lot more action as C. A. McHugh.

She currently lives in the Tesla-filled suburbs of Seattle with her husband and two children, maintaining her alter ego of mild-mannered physician on the weekends.

Review: Arthur’s Thanksgiving by Marc Brown

Goodreads Blurb

Celebrate Thanksgiving with Arthur! When Arthur is picked to direct his school’s Thanksgiving play, all his friends beg him for the lead role. But not everyone can be the star, and someone has to be the turkey! Can Arthur find the perfect lead, the perfect turkey, and save the day?

My Review: Rated 5 out 5 stars

It’s such a perfect book to read to the kids during Thanksgiving. The illustrations are just perfect. Loved the turnout at the end of the book.

Author Biography

Marc Tolon Brown is perhaps best known for his series of children’s books about Arthur the aardvark, which was turned into an animated television show on PBS. Brown is a three-time Emmy Award winner, for his role on the television show inspired by his books.

He lives on Martha’s Vineyard and in New York City with his wife, Laurie Krasny Brown. He has three children, sons Tolon and Tucker, and daughter Eliza. The names of his two sons have been hidden in all of the Arthur books except for one: Arthur’s Tooth.

I met Lisa Gardner at Paramus Barnes & Noble

I had a great evening meeting suspense author Lisa Gardner. She talked about how her career as an author began and a little glimpse of her research for her new book, Kiss Her Goodbye. Check out her new book.

Goodreads Blurb

A young mother haunted by war, determined to make a fresh start. But sometimes, the sins of the past aren’t so easy to escape.

Recent Afghan refugee Sabera Ahmadi was last seen exiting her place of work three weeks ago. The local police have yet to open a case, while her older, domineering husband seems unconcerned. Sabera’s closest friend, however, is convinced Sabera would never willingly leave her three‑year old daughter. At her insistence, missing persons expert Frankie Elkin agrees to take up the search through the broiling streets of Tucson. Just in time for a video of the young mother to surface—showing her walking away from the scene of a brutal double murder.

Frankie quickly realizes there’s much more to the Ahmadi family than meets the eye. The father Isaad is a brilliant mathematician, Sabera a gifted linguist, and their little girl Zahra—she has an uncanny ability to remember anything she sees. Which given everything that has happened during the girl’s short life, may be a terrible curse. When Isaad also disappears under mysterious circumstances and an attempt is made on Zahra’s life, Frankie realizes she must quickly crack the code of this family’s horrific past.

Someone is coming for the Ahmadis. And violence is clearly an option. When everything is on the line, how far would you go to protect the ones you love?

Frankie is about to find out.

Review: Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng

Goodreads Blurb

Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving but broken father, a former linguist who now shelves books in a university library. Bird knows to not ask too many questions, stand out too much, or stray too far. For a decade, their lives have been governed by laws written to preserve “American culture” in the wake of years of economic instability and violence. To keep the peace and restore prosperity, the authorities are now allowed to relocate children of dissidents, especially those of Asian origin, and libraries have been forced to remove books seen as unpatriotic—including the work of Bird’s mother, Margaret, a Chinese American poet who left the family when he was nine years old.

Bird has grown up disavowing his mother and her poems; he doesn’t know her work or what happened to her, and he knows he shouldn’t wonder. But when he receives a mysterious letter containing only a cryptic drawing, he is pulled into a quest to find her. His journey will take him back to the many folktales she poured into his head as a child, through the ranks of an underground network of librarians, into the lives of the children who have been taken, and finally to New York City, where a new act of defiance may be the beginning of much-needed change.

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

This is an unforgettable story about a woman’s courage as she fights to give voice to the silenced. Imagine having to abandon your family, not for a crime, but because of your heritage and the innocent poems that others twisted out of context. Fighting your way to freedom while holding on to the hope that your words and those of the families whose children were taken away get a chance to share their story. Margaret, a Chinese American poet and mother to Bird Gardner, watches her world shatter in an instant. She always followed all of society’s rules, yet her identity marks her as a target. Through heartbreak and hope, Margaret and her son unite, and she is determined to reclaim the truth. Their bravery lights a path through the darkness of prejudice and the pain endured by the Asian community. This story will pull at your heartstrings and open your eyes to the racism and oppression the Asian community and others have gone through in the United States. I loved that the librarians played a role in helping collect information about all the children who were taken and that Asian folktales helped Bird in his travels to locate his mother.

Author Biography

Celeste Ng is the author of three novels, Everything I Never Told You, Little Fires Everywhere, and Our Missing Hearts.

Her first novel, Everything I Never Told You (2014), was a New York Times bestseller, a
New York Times Notable Book of 2014, Amazon’s #1 Best Book of 2014, and named a best book of the year by over a dozen publications. Everything I Never Told You was also the winner of the Massachusetts Book Award, the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, and the ALA’s Alex Award. It has been translated into over thirty languages and is being adapted for the screen.

Her second novel, Little Fires Everywhere (2017) was a #1 New York Times bestseller, a #1 Indie Next bestseller, and Amazon’s Best Fiction Book of 2017. It was named a best book of the year by over 25 publications, the winner of the Ohioana Award and the Goodreads Readers Choice Award 2017 in Fiction, and spent over a year on the New York Times bestseller list.
Little Fires Everywhere has been published abroad in more than 30 languages and has been adapted as a limited series on Hulu, starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington.

Her third novel, Our Missing Hearts, will be published on October 4, 2022.

Celeste grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Shaker Heights, Ohio. She graduated from Harvard University and earned an MFA from the University of Michigan (now the Helen Zell Writers’ Program at the University of Michigan). Her fiction and essays have appeared in the
New York Times, The Guardian, and many other publications, and she is a recipient of the Pushcart Prize, a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and a Guggenheim Fellowship, among other honors.

Review: Checkered Thief by Tonya Kappes

Goodreads Blurb

Brassy, sassy southern babe Laurel London is back!

Once again, the entire Laurel London crew is in action, including Trixie Turner, and trying to figure out who is the mastermind behind the Glitz and Glam casino heist.

The heist king blackmails Laurel into believing Laurel’s long time best friend, Derek Smitherman, will be on the other end of the vigilante gun if she doesn’t help in stealing the money using her history of petty crime.

Cursed with a disastrous new task of putting her amateur sleuth skills to work and an increasing sense that it’s really time to get a new job, Laurel spirals and tumbles through CHECKERED THIEF with all the wisecracks and pace her fans have come to expect.

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Another amazing book written by Tonya. This book really was a great ending to a good series. I enjoyed this book to the very end. I am a little sad I don’t get to read any more books about Laurel, but I enjoy this book the most. Love the whole casino heist in small town Walnut Grove, Kentucky. Tonya knows how to write a book with laughs, love, and family support. As I read, I got the feeling that I am in Kentucky in a small town where everyone knows me hanging out with the characters. Truly will miss Laurel, who does her detective work even though she is getting herself in danger.

Author Biography

Beloved cozy mystery author Tonya Kappes is bringing her charming world to the screen!

The Hallmark Channel is thrilled to announce a television series in development based on Tonya’s wildly popular 40-book series, A Camper & Criminals Mystery.

A celebrated Amazon All-Star and USA Today bestselling author, Tonya has written over 180 southern cozy mysteries filled with heart, humor, and unforgettable small-town characters. Her novels, known for their southern charm and rich emotional storytelling, have been praised by readers and critics alike, earning her a coveted spot as a Woman’s World Book Club Pick six times.

Writing full-time from her camper, Tonya crafts worlds where mystery, friendship, and a little mischief collide — and now, her stories will come to life for cozy mystery lovers everywhere.

Currently Reading: Songs for Other People’s Weddings: A Novel by David Levithan

Goodreads Blurb

J is an accidental wedding singer. Unlike most wedding singers, he writes an original song for every couple—his way of finding out about the small, strange things that brought them together and the hopeful, vulnerable feelings they’re experiencing.

J’s own love life is in a state of flux. His girlfriend is off to New York for work, and as her life grows bigger and busier without him in it, he finds it harder to stick to a happy tune. He doesn’t know whether to encourage the soon-to-be-wed couples or warn them.

When complications hit and love is tested, is there any way to sing through all the noise?

Combining David Levithan’s deeply observant storytelling and Jens Lekman’s inventive and touching original songs, Songs for Other People’s Weddings is a tender, honest novel that tracks love through all its chord changes, never forgetting that the best songs contain the bitter and the sweet, the despair of losing it all and the euphoria of being found.

Author Biography

David Levithan (born 1972) is an American children’s book editor and award-winning author. He published his first YA book, Boy Meets Boy, in 2003. Levithan is also the founding editor of PUSH, a Young Adult imprint of Scholastic Press.

Review coming soon.

Review: The Letter Carrier by Francesca Giannone

Goodreads Blurb

Salento, Italy, June 1934: A coach stops in the main square of Lizzanello, a tight-knit village where everyone knows each other. A couple gets off: The man, Carlo, a child of the South, is happy to be back home after a long time away; the woman, Anna—his wife—is a stranger from the North. Carlo’s brother is there to meet them, and he and everyone else can’t help but notice that Anna is as beautiful as a Greek statue.

But Anna is not like the other wives. She doesn’t gossip or attend church. She reads books no one else has ever heard of. She even wears pants, just like a man, and thinks a woman should have rights just like a man.

There aren’t many options for a woman with Anna’s sensibilities, so when she learns that the post office is hiring, she leaps at the opportunity. A female letter carrier? It is unthinkable. But Anna soon becomes the invisible thread connecting the town as she delivers letters between clandestine lovers, families waiting to hear news of loved ones away at war, even helping those who can’t read.

But for some in Lizzanello, letters come too little and too late. The seamstress, who was Carlo’s first love, can’t help but look at Anna as having taken her rightful place. Carlo’s niece has put herself in a loveless marriage after an impetuous act of jealousy. And Carlo and his brother find themselves trying to cover up a recently unearthed surprise that could shatter all of their lives.

The Letter Carrier taps into the universal feeling of connection—and what happens when that connection perhaps comes at the wrong time.

My Review: Rated 3 out of 5 stars

A love triangle with consequences. A story about a family with hidden secrets that will cause heartache in the wake of the truth. As much as you try to keep a secret, sometimes those secrets will come and haunt you.

I loved that the main character, Anna, was a strong-willed woman ahead of her time. She wasn’t afraid of pushing boundaries and didn’t let her husband dictate her life. She didn’t care if someone was not happy with the decisions she made or how outspoken she was. She was intelligent and a giver of hope. She brought change to this small town in Italy. She eagerly took the opportunity to apply for a job typically held by men. Despite many people opposing her decision, she overcame all the negativities. Anna was the key to holding her family and the small town together in peace.

Anna’s husband, Carlo, was outgoing and a dreamer, but his romance with Carmela clouded his judgment. When he discovered the secret that Carmela was keeping, he chose to keep it to himself, hoping to carry on with his life without his family finding out. However, Carlo didn’t anticipate that a forbidden romance would develop between Carmela’s son and Carlo’s niece. His arrogance caused the heartbreak of two people he cared for. I was disappointed that Anna never discovered Carlo’s indiscretion and the secrets he kept.

Antonio is Carlo’s older brother. He protected his brother, even after knowing about the secret Carlo and Carmela held. He had many opportunities to tell the truth, especially after learning about the relationship between his daughter, Lorenza, and Daniele. My heart broke with how Antonio and Anna’s friendship ended. They bonded over books and were supportive of each other. Antonio was in love with Anna, and he did everything he could to stop himself from making the wrong decision. I would have hoped that he would have told Anna the secret when everything fell apart with Lorenza.

This story reminds readers to be honest when a parent has an indiscretion, and a child is born. You never know if someone in your family might fall in love with a relative.

Currently Reading: Our Missing Hearts by Celeste NG

Goodreads Blurb

Bird has grown up disavowing his mother and her poems; he doesn’t know her work or what happened to her, and he knows he shouldn’t wonder. But when he receives a mysterious letter containing only a cryptic drawing, he is pulled into a quest to find her. His journey will take him back to the many folktales she poured into his head as a child, through the ranks of an underground network of librarians, into the lives of the children who have been taken, and finally to New York City, where a new act of defiance may be the beginning of much-needed change.

Author Biography

Review coming soon.