Saturday, September 30, 2017

Banned Books Week

For the final day of Banned Books Week I'm going with a true favorite - The Great Gatsby.

I think this is honestly one of the most beautifully written books, ever. It's a book of perfectly crafted lines, beautifully set characters and locations, and concepts that will live in your head long after the story is done.

Friday, September 29, 2017

Banned Books Week

Today's featured book for Banned Book Week is one of my most recent reads - The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

I read this a few weeks ago and loved it. This is still running around in my head, with random thoughts and themes popping up. While this book is a total slow burner it is phenomenal at hitting you in all the feels at just the right time.

Read the book and then watch the series on Hulu. While it's a painful watch at times it's completely worth it.

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Banned Books Week

Today's featured book for Banned Books Week is Looking for Alaska by John Green.

While Alaska was not my first Green book (that would be TFioS) this one really got into my head and stayed there. Green kept me guessing and wanting to know not just what would happen next but why everything was happening.


Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Banned Books Week

Welcome to day 3 of my Banned Books Week feature. Today's book is one that I truly love and that really opened my eyes when I read it.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker is, in my opinion, a work of genius. Read the book, let it really get in your brain, and then watch the movie. You won't be disappointed.

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Banned Books Week

Welcome back to my series of challenged or banned books that I really love. See day 1 here.

Today's book is To Kill a Mockingbird. This book, in my opinion, is a true classic, and something everyone should read at least once. Seriously, read this if you haven't already.

Monday, September 25, 2017

Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week is a week celebrating our ability to read any book we want; even (maybe especially) books that some people may not want us to read.

To celebrate Banned Books Week I'll be posting six of my favorite frequently challenged or banned books, one each day for the rest of this week. I hope you feel inclined to pick these up, if you haven't read them already! Feel free to share your favorite banned or challenged books too. I'm always looking for the next great read!




Today's book is actually a series - The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling.

I love these books. The imagery, the concept of building your own family and finding your own strengths, the wonderful, magical world that Rowling built. It's all amazing and I'm sadden that anyone would object to these amazing books.



Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Top Ten Tuesday: (Not) Ten Books I Put Down

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and the Bookish!



This week's theme focuses on books you've struggled with or have recently put down. I used to force myself to finish any book I started but this year I realized life is too short for that so one of my 2017 reading goals was to allow myself to put something down if I'm not loving it.

So, here are the three books I've marked as did-not-finish on Goodreads this year.

 1. I typically like McHale but I just couldn't handle the sarcasm in this one.


2. I'm still pretty new to graphic novels and comic books and sometimes I just can't get into it.


3. Something about this just bugged me. I think it was possibly the writer's assumption that she could just waltz into the world of wine and learn all of the little secrets so easily.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/511tttldasL._SX330_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg



Source 1, Source 2, Source 3

Friday, September 1, 2017

Book Review - Maybe I Do

From Goodreads: She doesn’t believe in fairy tales. He is married to his job. Maybe whiskey is the secret ingredient that will bring them together–and give true love a shot.

Wedding photographer Charlotte Linley loves her work –even though she hates weddings. Sure, she still holds a grudge after being left at the altar by her high-school sweetheart. But today Charlotte is just happy to have complete control over her career, which is flourishing. Especially since she joined forces with one of the three gorgeous owners of The Stag, a boutique distillery that has become Kansas City’s hottest wedding venue.

Dean Troyer, bitter after the end of his own marriage, knows that Charlotte is the real deal–beautiful, talented, and successful. He may flirt with her every time she comes to The Stag, but Dean is determined to keep his professional distance…particularly now that she’s helping him with his own sister’s wedding. The only problem? The more time Dean spends with Charlotte, the deeper their connection grows. Is this a rom-com cliche’ or could it be that these two jaded souls in the wedding business have finally found their real-life happily ever after?





My Thoughts: Welcome to the blog tour for Nicole McLaughlin's new book Maybe I Do

I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy of this and was so excited to read this. The concept of a wedding photographer and a brewery owner sounded fun and like classic McLaughlin. Add in the fact that McLaughlin *is*a wedding photographer and I knew this was going to be good. It did not disappoint! 


This was very reminiscent of McLaughlin's earlier Hearts and Crafts series and her new Man Enough series: great, strong female lead, a fantastic male main character who had a great story and was more than just brain candy, fun side characters, and a great underlying story line in addition to the love story. I could not put this down, I had to know what happened with Charlotte and Dean and their friends and family. Everything about this was so good. I can't wait for the next book in the Whiskey and Weddings series; I have no doubt it will be great.

There's no maybe here, I do recommend you pick this up today! Want to read it right.this.minute? (The answer is yes, do you!) - get it on Kindle or Nook today. (I don't get anything if you use these links, I just find it handy when I'm reading blogs)





One more thing - I totally recommend following McLaughlin online. She often does giveaways for her books, she shares fun insights into her daily life, and she gives great tips on other books by authors similar to herself. Find her on her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (I love her Instagram feed the most).


Review copy provided by the publisher St. Martin's Press and Netgalley. Images provided by St. Martin's Press. All opinions are my own.

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