Giveaway An Earl, the Girl, and a Toddler

Here is another ARC that needs a home. This is the second book in the Rogues & Remarkabale Women series and written by bestselling author Vanessa Riley. For those who enjoy Regency era historical romances.

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Giveaway Anchored Hearts

I am still cleaning off my desk and bookcase, so here is another ARC that needs a home. This is the second book in the Keys to Love series and written by bestselling author Priscilla Oliveras.

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Summer Reading 2021 The Castle School (for Troubled Girls)

 

I admit that this book took me by surprise. I began reading it expecting that it might be a tale of dark academia. After all, a castle deep in the woods, far from the nearest town, with only 12 girls as pupils. What would anyone think - creepy thriller, gothic haunting, psychological experiment? It seems that I was not the only one to have such suspicions because the latest pupil to be sent by her family to the Castle School is sure that the doctor is carrying out some sort of bizarre experiment on the residents. And things only become more strange when she and her roommate discover an identical castle with 12 male pupils nearby. Doesn't it sound like the set up for some sort of modern retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" or something similar? But just as the protoganist Moira notices, things don't add up. If the good doctor is playing mind games, then why doesn't he notice when the girls sneak out to visit the boys? (And why doesn't the boys' therapist notice when the girls visit?) If something sinister is planned, then why are pupils allowed phone and Internet privileges? Maybe this place isn't what it first appears to be. But what is it? And what is this book really about?

I honestly can't tell you more without giving away too many spoilers. But if you enjoy YA novels that make you think, make you look at your own relationships and regrets, and keep you guessing - then you should give The Castle School a try.

Thank you to the lovely folks at Sourcebooks for sending me a review copy of the book!

Giveaway Duchess If You Dare

I am cleaning off my desk and the nearby bookcase as a new school year approaches. There are some wonderful ARCs that need new homes. If you need a new "beach read" for the remainder of the summer, you may wish to enter the giveaway for this first in the series of The Maidens of Mayhem.

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Giveaway Larger than Life: Lyndon B. Johnson and the Right to Vote

This is an enhanced ARC that includes a Discussion/Classroom Guide. The book would make a good addition to biography collections or to use in a unit on Civil Rights. 

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Giveaway The Black Friend on Being a Better White Person

I am cleaning off my desk and the nearby bookcase as a new school year approaches. There are some wonderful ARCs that need new homes. If you prefer to read an ARC before you commit to purchasing a copy for your library or classroom, then stay tuned over the next couple of weeks as I work my way through the stack. 

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Summer Reading 2021 Deadly Business

I've enjoyed the Tracker series by Anita Dickason, so I wondered whether I would like a story without those familiar characters just as much. I need not have worried. These characters are just as interesting and entertaining. U.S. Deputy Marshal Piper McKay is tough and smart; she doesn't let her gender or attractive appearance stand in the way of doing her job or taking care of her family. A Special Ranger is caught up in the investigation as Piper tries to find out what happened to put her grandmother in the hospital with her skull fractured. Local law enforcement officers are chauvinistic, insular, and either incompetent, lazy, or in the pay of the villains. Financial shenanigans, shady contracts, cattle rustling, and murder attempts all keep the investigation running in several directions at once. There is also a physical attraction between Piper and one of the cowboys who works for the cattle auction - but can she be sure he isn't part of what is going on? 

For those readers like me who have not heard of Special Rangers before, there is information about them in the back matter, along with more details about the U.S. Marshal Service, and about the use of DNA by the cattle industry. I also appreciate Anita's way of portraying law enforcement based on her own years of experience as an officer. 

I recommend this to readers of action thrillers with an investigative element. 

Summer Reading 2021 Sydney & Taylor Take a Flying Leap

Remember the Elephant and Piggie story where Piggie decides she will fly and Gerald calmly tells her that pigs do not fly? If you enjoyed that picture book, then wait until you read Sydney's and Taylor's new adventure. Taylor wants to become a flying hedgehog and "finally see the Whole Wide World." When he announces this Big Idea, Sydney laughs "so hard he accidentally squirted some musk" (which is a hazard when your best friend is a skunk). Despite this lack of support from Sydney, Taylor  plans to make, find, or borrow some wings. The results are as funny as you would suppose. Going up in a blanket carried by birds, falling from the sky and flattening poor Sydney, even approaching large animals like deer for advice (a very hard thing for a small hedgehog), Taylor tries everything he can think of. Despite all the crashes, he says that what hurts the most is his heart because Sydney has "always helped me with my Big Ideas. Even when they were silly." That changes things for his best friend and he comes up with his own idea of how to make Taylor's idea happen. The illustrations show the range of emotions on the characters' faces - excitement, disbelief, anxiety, frustration, and finally - well earned contentment. The Sydney and Taylor books have so many elements that make them great reads; friendship, pursuing big ideas and dreams, problem-solving, and humor. As a child I loved the Frog and Toad books, and these two friends have many similarities to those classics. If you haven't tried them yet, you need to do so. Due for release on August 3.

Summer Reading 2021 The Last Chance Library

I have to say that this book started out a bit slow for me. Part of it was the pacing as the momentum in the community to save the library grew, but part was how unsympathetic the protagonist seemed to me. June's personality was so timid that I had a hard time caring what happened to her and sometimes even wanted to grab her and shake her for being so meek and shy. But once she decided to make an effort, then things picked up speed and became more interesting. The shutdown and/or consolidation of branch libraries is all too common in real life, but there are additional factors that make this particular closure entertaining to read about. The patrons are such a variety of characters - retirees needing computer help, youngsters who are voracious readers or looking for a quiet study space, the knitting club, the children's story hour attendees, etc. - that there are plenty of commonalities to form connections with readers. There are also various subplots of possible romance, underhanded business dealings, grief, and pressure to participate in a former friend's wedding events, just to mention a few. Readers who find the drive to save the library a bit slow to take action will have these other storylines to keep them occupied while they wait. In the end, the story is not just about the library itself getting a second chance, but also many of the patrons and workers within it. If you enjoy realistic fiction about small communities and joining a good cause, then you should "check out" The Last Chance Library.

Giveaway The Stonewall Riots: Coming Out in the Streets

I am cleaning off my desk and the nearby bookcase as a new school year approaches. There are some wonderful ARCs that need new homes. If you prefer to read an ARC before you commit to purchasing a copy for your library or classroom, then stay tuned over the next couple of weeks as I work my way through the stack. 

This look back at the Stonewall Riots takes the unique approach of telling the story through 50 different objects and their connection to the riots.

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Giveaway We Had to Be Brave

I am cleaning off my desk and the nearby bookcase as a new school year approaches. There are some wonderful ARCs that need new homes. If you prefer to read an ARC before you commit to purchasing a copy for your library or classroom, then stay tuned over the next couple of weeks as I work my way through the stack. 

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