May Wrap Up

10!!!!!

That is the amount of books I read during the MONTH of May!!! Don’t ask me how that happened, but I’ll take it! Here are my stats…

4: Ebooks

6: Physical Books

3,395 pages

I have fallen behind, so behind, on all my reviews of what I’ve read so expect my blog to be jammin’ with some content this month! Thankfully I have the time off where I can play catch up!! Here’s a collage of what I read…

What did you read in May? Have you read any of these or are any on your TBR??? Drop me a line and let me know!

Book Review: The Mother-In-Law @SallyHepworth @MacMillanUSA @StMartinsPress #TheMotherInLaw #Netgalley

Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillian USA for my advance copy of this book. I am so terribly sorry my reviewed has been delayed, but I’m here with it now!

I just want to note that my husband was reading a magazine where The Mother-In-Law is featured as a book to read this summer…he made sure to let me know about this book because I had to go out and get it to read it…I let him know I already read it and he was right, I did love it!

Lucy meets Ollie, falls in love, and hopes to gain a mother since her own mother died when she was young. Lucy gets everything except a mother…from the get go Diana, Ollie’s mother, does not like Lucy and makes no qualms about it.

They have a strained relationship. When Lucy births her first child, Diana puts priority in helping a refugee instead of being there for her family…so you get the idea of the type of person Diana is. Yes, I loved hating her as I read this book.

A weird thing happens though…toward the end of the book I absolutely love and respect the relationship that Diana and Lucy have. Is it a good one? No. It is one that is oddly filled with trust and some respect. Yes.

Overall this story tells a tale of a mother who has all the means in the world, but refuses to help her own children. She has a charity where she works with refugees from other countries and that is where her passion and assistance lay. This starts to cause a rut between her and her children and well…you just need to read it.

The ending. Thank you, thank you, thank you for creating an ending where we see a little into the future with what happens with everyone. I will tell you, you may think you know who killed who (yes, someone dies), but you will not have pegged who did it. Or why they did it.

This is a wonderful 4 star read. It’s a page turning mystery that you won’t be able to put down until you know who did it. Plus, the strained relationship is a train wreck you can’t help but keep watching. Pick this book up, you’ll be glad you did!

Title: The Mother-In-Law

Author: Sally Hepworth

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Release Date: April 23, 2019

Find it here on Goodreads and Amazon

First Line Fridays: May 24th

As always First Line Friday comes courtesy of Hoarding Books Blog. I discovered this magic thanks to Crystal at Must Love Reviews. Let’s get right into the beginning of this one shall we?

I have a meanness inside me, real as an organ. Slit me at my belly and it might slide out, meaty and dark, drop on the floor so you could stomp on it.

To say this is a dark read would be an understatement…any guesses as to what book I’m reading??? This is a book lent to me by one of my co-workers…and it is quite the gripping read!

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn!

What are you reading this week? Drop your link in the comments and I’ll make sure to visit your FLF blog post as well!

Thursday Quotables: May 30th #bookquotes

Welcome to Thursday Quotables. Books Kat Likes has joined in on the weekly fun and came up with this great description of what this is…

This feature is the place to highlight a great quote, line, or passage discovered during your reading each week. Whether it’s something funny, startling, gut-wrenching, or just really beautifully written, Thursday Quotables is where my favorite lines will be, and you’re invited to join in! Created by Lisa, over at Bookshelf Fantasies.

You should join in too! Leave the link to your Thursday Quotable post below and I will make sure to check it out!!

This week I have chosen a quote from the book I’m currently reading…

Never let them see you sweat, dear, or they’ll think they have the power. I’ve heard that for as long as I can remember. And honestly, it does come in handy sometimes, in business.

I really liked that quote, it reminds me to always keep my composure and act like everything is a ok. What quote has stuck out to you this week??

Back At The Library #hendersonlibraries #friendsofthelibrary #bibliophile

Well, today was the day…I walked back in to my local library, paid my embarrassingly high fine, and walked out WITHOUT a book for myself! The restraint is REAL today guys!

Because my fine was so high I opted to get this special edition tote bag because, well, I stayed up way too late last night finishing up Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. This bag is totally appropriate. Plus, I ended up checking out 9 books (5 for my daughter and 4 for my son). Do you think I was going to lug those books around in my arms? Psh! Now, they have a place to stay when they’re at home so we don’t lose any…

I bet you’re wondering how I walked out with no book in my possession…well, wait until you see the stack of books I own that I want to get through this summer. The real reason I finally went down was to start my OverDrive account! I already have 4 books on hold once I got home with tips from my local librarian. Do you use any ebook service through your local library?? Tell me all about it, I’m all ears! I cannot wait until my first hold comes out and I can really test this out!

Sunday Funday! Bestselling Books The Year You Were Born!

It’s Sunday. Time to relax and take a break from reading by doing something reading related, haha. I recently came across this website on Facebook and I thought this was the COOLEST thing ever!

There’s an article that Mental Floss did recently called What Was the Bestselling Book the Year You Were Born? Wordery’s Online Tool Tells You and they tell you exactly that!

Simply click on the link above (it will open in a new window) and type in your age! Then it will tell you what the bestselling book was that year! I was born in 1984 and my book is…

The Aquitaine Progression by Robert Ludlum. Here’s the synopsis…

It begins in Geneva. There, American lawyer Joel Converse meets a man he hasn’t seen in twenty years, a covert operative who dies violently at his feet, whispering words that hand Converse a staggering legacy of death: ‘The generals…they’re back…Aquitaine!’

Suddenly Converse is running for his life, alone with the world’s most shattering secret. Pursued by anonymous executioners to the darkest corners of Europe, he is forced to play a game of survival by blood rules he thought he’d long left behind. And only Converse, and the woman he once loved and lost, can wrest the world from the iron grasp of Aquitaine…

I love thrillers and this spent 12 weeks as a New York Times Bestseller. I plan on reading this book sometime in the near future, I just think it would be a cool thing to do! What book was the bestseller the year you were born??

Versatile Blogger Award!

I was tagged for the Versatile Blogger Award and I was shocked and excited when this happened!! Thank you to The Literary Elephant for the nomination!! I am still in shock! Go follow her now and check out HER seven facts…she has a CRAZY nail polish collection! Here goes nothing…

Award Rules:

Thank the person who nominated you
Link to the blog of the person who nominated you
Share 7 facts about yourself
Nominate 15 more bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award

Seven Facts About Me:

The first place I drove alone when I got my driver’s licence at 16 was to McDonald’s…a whopping 1 mile away from my house. Mom was a nervous wreck!
When I was in high school I would sing the National Anthem before local car races at 3 different racetracks, one time even included before a Monster Jam event!
I have 2 Master’s Degrees…one in Special Education and one in Educational Administration.
I post about books AND food on my Instagram account. I love to eat! If you ask me if I want to go out to eat at a restaurant I have ever been to before I am there before you finish asking the question! I love it!
I never re-read books. I can’t do it. I already know what happened and it takes all the enjoyment out of it for me. Now I have read a book twice thinking it sounded similar only to realize at the end I had read it YEARS ago, haha.
I love to sew. I make quilts and I have started to dabble into making my own clothes. Currently my best friend has taken over my sewing room (yes, I have my own dedicated sewing room) as she waits for her new house to be built so I’m taking a little time off from sewing for right now!
We just bought our first travel trailer and are so excited to travel around the USA with our kids! Right now we’re sticking to places close by Southern Nevada, Southern Utah, Southern California, Arizona so if you know of any awesome campgrounds or places to visit I’m all ears!

My Nominations (if you aren’t following them, go check them out, they’re AWESOME…please note, at first I was checking everyone to see if there was a previous nomination and I was only nominating those that have not been, then I stopped…because these are my FAVORITES that I follow and regardless if they’ve already been nominated, check them out!):

Kristin @ Kristin Kraves Books

Jill @ Jill’s Book Blog

Shalini @ Book Reviews By Shalini

Ms. Victorious @ Victorious Pages

Confessions Of A YA Reader

Love Books Group

Wishful Books Reviews

KayCKay Book Reviews

Bree @ In Love & Words

Novel Gossip

Flowers In The Brain

Melanie @ TBR & Beyond

Inge @ The Belgian Reviewer

Lucy @ A Novel Purpose

Denise @ Bookworm At The Gym

My nominees, please DO NOT feel obligated to participate, especially if you have in the past. I am simply letting the wonderful people out there reading know about how wonderful you are! I hope I tagged you how I was supposed to and if not, someone teach me the right way! If you know someone on this list, make sure you let them know they’re here!!

If I haven’t tagged you on here and you’re interested, consider yourself tagged!!!! Have fun, let’s learn about each other!

Book Review: Tell Me Goodnight

(*Disclaimer: I did receive a free advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you Kelsey for the copy!)

Here’s the synopsis of Tell Me Goodnight which is out TODAY here. A widowed father and his 3 young daughters find a way to make it through life…with the help of a newly hired babysitter who comes into their lives at the right time. You can read more about the summary of the book on Amazon or Goodreads, usually I would give more detail, however, I am here to tell you what this book is truly, sincerely about.

Every line in this book is damn near quotable. Every. Line. The magic felt in this book was unreal and tears sprang to my eyes numerous times throughout this novel. This book deals heavily with loss and grief, but we also see a hurting man go through the healing process. Sometimes we find friends in unlikely places and situations and this certainly rings true for Jon. Sometimes we need that friend to kick our butt into gear and get us out of a funk and that is exactly what happens. I have never cheered more for a couple than I have while reading this book…

This sweet quote above is spoken by Jon (the widowed father) to his girls every night before they go to bed. We eventually find out where it came from and the reason why it is said, is so sweet. Maybe even as sweet as the love that slowly blooms in this read (Kelsey SLAYS the slow burn in this one).

When we think all hope is lost and a dream is about to given up, magic happens. Sometimes we can’t see the forest through the trees and that’s what happened to Jon. Characters from past novels of Kelsey are seen in this book, but don’t worry. If you haven’t read Daisies & Devin or The Life We Wanted you won’t miss anything. If you have, you will be SO PLEASED with the cameo appearances!

I have never written a review that lacks in a summary, but this book was just so moving. I hope I have done this book justice and I have let you know just how freaking amazing it is. It was a very emotional and healing read. Words cannot express the flow of words that traveled on paper like a beating heart looking for its soulmate. If you are a fan of romances this is a must read. If you are struggling with grief and heartache, pick up this book. Let the words speak to you, because they will. Yes, there is a happy ending and I understand there is one because it’s a work of fiction, but that doesn’t mean that the words within this book cannot help heal you as well.

5 stars. This book blew away all my expectations. If you have read it, let’s chat. If you haven’t, get it STAT.

Thursday Quotables: May 23rd

I have just been thinking how I want to make note of more quotes when I read. I can highlight when I read on my Kindle and I want to use that feature more. I think I may want to invest in a reading journal as well where I can write down quotes that speak to me. I have read a few books lately where I want to savor them and having some quotes from them would do me some good.

I came across a meme for Thursday called Thursday Quotables. Books Kat Likes has joined in on the weekly fun and came up with this great description of what this is…

This feature is the place to highlight a great quote, line, or passage discovered during your reading each week. Whether it’s something funny, startling, gut-wrenching, or just really beautifully written, Thursday Quotables is where my favorite lines will be, and you’re invited to join in! Created by Lisa, over at Bookshelf Fantasies.

You should join in too! Let’s all share quotes together! For my first quote I have chosen a quote from the book The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister.

People lie, Emmeline, but smells never do, my father had told me.

Ok, ok, ok…one more from the same novel…

Smells don’t care what the mind or heart wants, however. Scents will find their way around the darkness of closed eyes, slipping past barricades of thought. The body is their accomplice. We can live without food for weeks, and water for days, but try not to breathe and the lungs mutiny.

What is a quote from a book that has stood out to you?? Let me know in the comments, I can’t wait to collect more quotes!

Book Review: Saving Meghan

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the advance copy of Saving Meghan. I told you guys in my last post I am behind, behind, behind on writing and posting reviews! I did actually read this BEFORE it’s release date and have spread it around to a few people at work. The consensus? Read this book!!

This story is told from 2 perspectives; the mother, Becky, and the daughter, Meghan. Meghan is sick, but no doctor can figure out what is wrong with her. Becky is convinced there is some underlying disease and no doctor can find it. Her husband starts to get fed up and thinks she may be making everything up.

Meghan gets sick, but only for quick periods of time. Anytime vitals are run on her after an episode (fainting, blacking out, etc) they come out fine. The doctors start to suspect it may be a case of Munchausen syndrome by proxy and given Becky’s history with her mother, it may very well be the case.

Becky’s mother worked the system and faked illness in order to get money. She taught Becky how to lie and what to do as a child so she could catch a free ride. Maybe everyone is right and the mother is just making Meghan think she is sick…

A doctor listens to Becky and thinks that Meghan may actually have a serious rare illness. It happens to be the same serious rare illness his son died of and the hospital feels he over diagnoses. The testing to verify the illness is also difficult. Essentially, no one can determine for certain if she has this crippling, life-threatening disease.

The tale keeps weaving and eventually Becky and her husband lose custody of Meghan. Their relationship is tested as they try to get custody of her back. The doctor that gave Meghan a diagnosis is fired from the hospital, but decides to help Becky out and win custody back! He really feels he is right with his diagnosis.

Things get ugly. You will question everyone involved in this case. Ok, I am stopping here. This book gets JUICY and has a twist where your jaw will drop. Who saw it coming? I didn’t! It was a superbly told tale that will leave you not quite sure who to believe. I doubted myself so much as I read this book, flip flopping between what I thought was happening. For what it’s worth, I was way, way, WAY off with what was happening.

Originally I gave this a 4 star read, however, upon reflecting on this book, I feel it’s more of a 5 star in my eyes. I doubted everyone at one point or another in this book and I wasn’t really sure what was going on. I never liked, or was on one’s side long enough, because the author kept the pace that fast. Truly this is a wonderful book if you are a fan of thrillers! Have you read this one? What do you think??

Title: Saving Meghan

Author: D.J. Palmer

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Release Date: April 9, 2019

Find it here on Goodreads and Amazon