Read-a-thon Wrap Ups

I will start with the wrap up for the 24 hour-readathon - since the books I read during it also counted for the Spring into Horror Read-a-thon.  When I went up to bed last night, after my 2 hour cat nap, I ended up reading for about another hour - which took me almost to hour 21.  I think that is the latest that I have read.  I finished up at about 570 pages for the day and read The Last Telegram by Liz Trenow and 1/2 of Love Water Memory by Jennie Shortridge.

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?    I would say hour 16 as that was when I fell asleep!
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? Chosen Ones and Naturals by Tiffany Truitt
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Nope - it is always well run with lots of high energy!
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? The form to list the books read - posts were timely every hour - mini challenges were a lot of fun!
5. How many books did you read? 1 and 1/2
6. What were the names of the books you read? The Last Telegram by Liz Trenow and Love Water Memory by Jennie Shortridge
7. Which book did you enjoy most? The Last Telegram
8. Which did you enjoy least? Love Water Memory
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?  No - they did great!
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?  I will definitely participate again, but until my kids are more self sufficient, will only participate as a reader.

Okay - now for my wrap up of the Spring into Horror Readathon which started last Monday.  

I read 4 books and parts of 3 others.  

1. When Summer Comes by Brenda Novak

2. Naturals by Tiffany Truitt (this is my one 'horror'/dystopian book)

3. The Last Telegram by Liz Trenow

4. Love Water Memory by Jennie Shortridge

Parts of

1. The Spark by Kristin Barnett

2. (started) Wind Chime Point by Sherryl Woods

3. (finished) From the Kitchen of Half Truth by Maria Goodin

Total pages - about 1750 for the week. 

Hour 18 - I've been sleeping. . .

This will be my last post of the night.  I started Love Water Memory by Jennie Shortridge and after 74 pages needed to close my eyes for awhile.  I only wanted a little catnap - asked my daughter to wake me after about 20 minutes - but 2 hours later I finally shook myself awake!  So I am headed up to bed, but I am taking my book with me!  Will let you know in the morning how long I actually lasted.

Good night and Happy Reading with y'all!

Hour 14 - and I finally finished a book!

Yes folks - you heard it hear first - I finally finished a book!  My quick dinner out with my husband turned into a trip to the mall to drop my son off with daughter two.  But daughter two had to return a dress TODAY, so I had to find said dress and meet her at the mall and wait while she found something to exchange it for - then my husband and I left, only to return within 10 minutes because daughter one had daughter two's debit card and she had no cash.  Then we finally made it to dinner.  So, this all leads to me finally finishing one book!   The Last Telegram by Liz Trenow - Great book BTW.

Happy Reading!

Hour 10 - Time for dinner

Well, hour 10 and still reading my first book. . .  A little disappointed by that but I have had some interruptions today that I was and wasn't expecting.  Like my husband inviting me out to dinner since daughter two is taking son to a movie when she gets off work - woo hoo!  So, we are off to dinner and then I hope to tuck in for a nice evening of reading.

I think I have read about another 80 pages since the last post.

Happy Reading!

Hour 8 - 1/3 of the way there!

Eight hours in and I have finally read about 80 pages since the last post!  My son is ensconced in his favorite chair watching funny videos - this all started with me showing him the Pocoyo - Gangnam Stye video from hour 5. . .   Thank you Youtube!  Of course, Battleship is on TV right now and I think he has it memorized line for line.   Dad is asleep in the other chair - Daughter one has finally rolled out of bed, but actually REMEMBERED it was readathon day for me, so after an initial hello told me she would leave me alone to read - Daughter two is still at work. 

Thought it was time for a break so thought I would give the Book Puzzle a shot  - Can you figure out the book from the pictures below?

Happy Reading!

Hour 7 - I think. . .

I thought if I was going to do the book poetry from the 2nd hour (I think) that I had better get to it!  Here is my poetry:

How is the reading going everyone?  Still haven't done much reading - took my daughter to work, made my son lunch. . ..  Next year I am leaving the house for the day!  It is amazing how much they can do by themselves when I am not here  - lol. 


Happy reading!

Hour 5 - Time to get to some serious reading!

Okay - finally back from the soccer game!   We won 2-1 so that is a good start to the season.  I had to stay and play with my son a little bit at the park after the game as it is finally a beautiful day outside!

I did get to read about 25 more pages while he played - but the weather and the little kids were sooo distracting!

There are some more cool challenges going on over at Dewey's Readathon blog, one of them being a self portrait - so here ya go!

Happy Reading

Hour 2 - Slow start. . .

Well, it has been an inauspicious start this morning - I have read only 20 pages in the last 40 minutes - but I have fed my son and gotten him ready for his first soccer game of the season.  The next few hours are going to be just as slow reading wise as we will be leaving for the game soon.  I will be back probably sometime in hour 4 or 5 for an update and then should have fewer interruptions!  There is a Book Spine Poetry starting this hour - I always have fun with the book spine challenges, so hopefully when I get back I will be able to contribute something.

Happy reading!

Hour 1 - Rise and Shine!

There is a really cute video over at the Readathon blog this hour - even if you are not participating, you should go check it out!


Introductory Questionairre


1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
Illinois
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
Popcorn!
4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
Mom of 3 - 20, 18, and 8. Grandma of 1 - 18mos.  Hope to read with 8 year old a little today as well.  Work at a library in a K-2 school.  Want to go back to school for an MLS degree.  Love to do crafts as well as read.
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?
I am not sure how many readathons I have done - going to try to just enjoy myself today!


I am starting out reading The Last Telegram by Liz Trenow.

Naturals by Tiffany Truitt (Book Review and Giveaway)

Blog Tour for Naturals!  April 1 - May 3

Title: Naturals (Lost Souls, #2)

Author: Tiffany Truitt

Publisher: Entangled Teen

About the Book:Ripped away from those she loves most, Tess is heartbroken as her small band of travelers reaches the Isolationist camp in the mysterious and barren Middlelands. Desperate to be reunited with James, the forbidden chosen one who stole her heart, she wants nothing to do with the rough Isolationists, who are without allegiance in the war between the Westerners and Easterners. But having their protection, especially for someone as powerful as Tess, may come at a cost.

When James returns, Tess’s world once again feels complete—until she discovers her sister, Louisa, has taken up her old post at Templeton, the dangerous chosen ones training center and the site of Tess’s loss of innocence. Tess will do anything to protect her loved ones—but will the price be more than she can give?

This second book in Tiffany Truitt’s dystopian series is a thought-provoking, thrilling story that asks who the true enemy really is—the chosen ones who are different, or the naturals…who are just like us.

Purchase Links

~Amazon~     ~Barnes and Noble~     ~Book Depository~

My thoughts: This is the second book in the Lost Souls series and while she does give you a lot of information to fill in some of the blanks if you haven't read the first book, I am really glad that I had.  (Check out my review of Chosen Ones.)  There may be some spoilers from Chosen Ones in my review below.

Naturals picks up where Chosen Ones left off - Tess has finally escaped Templeton, with her childhood friend Henry and brother-in-law Robert, but she has left behind the two people she loves most - her younger sister Louisa and James, the chosen one that awoke in her all the feelings that the Council had tried to snuff out.

Tess is on the run because it has been discovered that she is actually fertile and would be able to live if she were to get pregnant.  In the wasteland that has become the U.S. after the wars, women have lost the ability to bear children.  Her own sister, Emma, died in childbirth, and so she has seen in first hand. The Council would like nothing more than for the 'natural' human race to die out.  They have no need for them since they have started creating the perfect 'chosen ones.'  Both races have been taught to hate the other one, but somehow James and Tess got past those early lessons.

Now Tess is in the midlands at an Isolationist community, and is finding that prejudices run deep both ways.  That even in this 'free' community, there are still those in power who want to take away the rights of some.  She does discover though that there is another one like her, able to have kids, living in the community.  That is pretty much the only thing they have in common though.  Sharon has had 8 children, though only 5 have lived.  Tess is pretty sure that she doesn't want to become another Sharon.  She can't imagine having sex with any man who wants to try to have a child.  Tess is pretty standoffish with her and doesn't understand why Sharon keeps going out of her way to help her.  

Then there is Lockwood.  Tess is partnered up with him to learn what her job in the community is going to be - milking cows and taking care of other livestock.  Lockwood turns out to be a really good friend to Tess, proving that men and women can just be friends.  Tess's friendship with Henry is more complicated than that.  She doesn't think she will ever see James again, and having Henry close is reminding her of all the feelings that she had for James and awakening desires that she is not sure she wants.  

I loved this book and flew through it in a day.  I can't wait for the third book as this one leaves you hanging on wanting more!

~I received a complimentary ecopy of Naturals from Entangled Teen in exchange for my unbiased review.~

About the author: Tiffany Truitt was born in Peoria, Illinois. A self-proclaimed Navy brat, Tiffany spent most of her childhood living in Virginia, but don’t call her a Southerner. She also spent a few years living in Cuba. Since her time on the island of  one McDonalds and Banana Rats (don’t ask), she has been obsessed with traveling. Tiffany recently added China to her list of travels (hello inspiration for a new book).

Besides traveling, Tiffany has always been an avid reader. Tiffany spent most of her high school and college career as a literary snob. She refused to read anything considered “low brow” or outside the “classics.”

Tiffany began teaching middle school in 2006. Her students introduced her to the wide, wonderful world of Young Adult literature. Today, Tiffany embraces popular Young Adult literature and uses it in her classroom. Tiffany is proud to call herself an educator and Young Adult author. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It's Almost Here!

Who else is doing the readathon??

Even though I have known about it for months, Dewey's read-a-thon seems to have crept up on me this time around!  There has just been so much going on the last couple of weeks.  I am going to partake as much as I can on Saturday - but the morning is going to have some interruptions, including watching my son play his first soccer game of the year (Can't wait!).  This should have been his third game, but the first one was cancelled due to rain, the second one was cancelled due to flooding! and this game is actually being played at an alternate field because his is still under water.  Gotta love the Des Plaines river in the springtime.

If you haven't signed up yet though, it is not too late!  Just head over to the read-a-thon blog and take the plunge!

Some of the books I may or may not read on Saturday are (I want to give myself a big variety to choose from):

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa
The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa
Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire
Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire
NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
Wind Chime Point by Sherryl Woods
Love Water Memory by Jennie Shortridge
Navigating Early by Claire Vanderpool
There Was an Old Woman by Hallie Ephron
Three Graves Full by Jamie Mason
Out of Nowhere by Maria Padian


Some of the snacks I will probably be eating:
Popcorn, peanuts, raisins, lots of water, coffee, apples, smoothies

Not sure what the meals will consists of - guess that depends on how much patience my husband has with me reading all day. . .  but he will probably just ask me how that is different from any other day - lol!

Cover Reveal: Blue Lines by Toni Aleo

Blue Lines - Cover
Reveal

Toni Aleo

Contemporary Sports Romance

Title: Empty Net (Assassins #4)

Date to be Published: August 13,
2013

Add to Goodreads

Synopsis: 

Opposites do more than just attract in Toni Aleo’s latest Nashville Assassins novel about a very bad boy and the good girl he can’t resist.

The instant Piper Allen sees Erik Titov, she wants him—wants his rock-hard
body, sure, but the strength and mystery that lies behind that superstar hockey jock demeanor, too.

So when he sidles up to her at a bar and slinks his arm around her waist, she’s lost. What follows is the wildest night of her life . . . followed by inevitable heartbreak the next morning. And then, a few weeks later, a very big surprise: two blue lines on a pregnancy test.

Only a check to the head could make Erik fall for a nice girl like Piper. But since their crazy-sexy night together, he’s been trying to forget about her alluring body by falling into bed with every woman in Nashville, and it’s not working. So when Piper shows up at his house with a baby-bomb to drop, it doesn’t take much for Erik to suggest the nuclear option: marriage. While it’s supposed to be all for show, the second they say “I do,” the ice between them starts to melt into sizzling steam.

About the Author:

My name is Toni Aleo!
I am a wife, mother, and hopeless romantic.
I have been told I have anger issues, but I think it's cause of my intense love for hockey!
I am the biggest Shea Weber fan ever, and can be found during hockey season with my nose pressed against the Bridgestone Arena's glass, watching my Nashville Predators play!
When my nose isn't pressed against the glass, I enjoy going to my
husband and son's hockey games, my daughters dance competition, hanging with my best friends, taking pictures, and reading the latest romance novel. I love things that sparkle, I love the color pink, and did I mention I love hockey?

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Get the first 3 books in the
series:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble

When Summer Comes by Brenda Novak (Book Review)

Virtual Book Tour of When Summer Comes by Brenda Novak runs from April 15 to May 15 and is hosted by Reading Addiction Blog Tours.

April 15- Reading Addiction Blog Tours - Meet and Greet

April 15- My Cozie Corner- Review

April 16- Total Book Geek - Review

April 18- My Reading Addiction - Review

April 19- Love in a Book - Review

April 21- Bean Counting Mommy - Review

April 22- What's Beyond Forks - Review

April 23- Books and Needlepoint - Review

April 24- Urban Girl Reader - Review

April 25- Author Ever Leigh - Review

April 26- Kaisy Daisy Blog - Review

April 29- Snifferwalker Books - Review

April 30 - Debbie Jean - Review

May 1 - Andi's Book Reviews - Review

May 2 - Queen of All she Reads - Review

May 2 -The Canon - Review

May 3 - The Boyfriend Bookmark - Review

May 6 - The Adventures Within - Review

May 7 - My Bookmark Blog - Review

May 8 - The Muse Unleashed - Review

May 9 - Melina's Book Blog - Review

May 13 - Bunny's Reviews- Review

May 14 - Beth Art From the Heart - Review

May 15 - RABT Reviews - Review

Title: When Summer Comes

Author: Brenda Novak

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA

About the Book: One day, Callie Vanetta receives devastating news . . .

She needs a liver transplant. But her doctors warn that, in her case, the chances of finding a compatible donor aren’t good. Determined to spend whatever time she has left on her own terms, she keeps the diagnosis to herself and moves out to her late grandparents’ farm. She’s always wanted to live there. But the farm hasn’t been worked in years and she begins to fear it’s too much, she’ll have to return to town.

One night, a stranger comes knocking at her door…

He’s an attractive and mysterious drifter by the name of Levi McCloud who offers to trade work for a few nights’ shelter. Callie figures she doesn’t have anything to lose. He needs a place to stay until he can fix his motorcycle; she needs an extra pair of hands. The arrangement seems ideal until what was supposed to be temporary starts to look more and more permanent. Then she realizes she does have something to lose — her heart. And, although he doesn’t yet know it, Levi stands to lose even more. 

Purchase Links:

~Amazon~

Kindle version price has been lowered to $1.99 for the month of April!

My thoughts: Even though this is the third book in the Whiskey Creek series, it read very well as a stand alone.  Some of the things mentioned makes me wonder who the first books were about and makes me want to go and pick them up!  I really liked Callie and admired her courage in trying to face this alone and spare her friends, even though in a small town I don't think she would have been able to hide her condition for as long as she did.  She had a great group of friends willing to confront her when they felt like she had been avoiding them for too long.  

And then you have Levi - talk about a knight in shining armor.  Though he shows up on her doorstep in the middle of the night, bleeding because he has been attacked by dogs, I would say he ends up being just what she needs.  In as much as Callie is hiding a secret from him, he is also hiding one from her.  And you know how sometimes the longer you wait to reveal something, the bigger it starts to become, and the harder it is to come clean.  I think this is what was happening between them.  They let too much conspire between the two of them and then didn't know how to approach the secrets between them.  

Not everyone in town is willing to accept Levi as being anything but a vagrant and a drifter - and in their minds that means trouble.  They try to force him to leave, but he is unwilling to go back on his word to Callie, and despite what it might cost him, he chooses to stay.  Those who do take the time to get to know him are willing to give him a chance, if anything because they can see how much he has started to mean to Callie.  

This would be a great one to add to your summer reading list!

~I received a complimentary ecopy of When Summer Comes from Reading Addiction BlogTours in exchange for my unbiased review.~

Please enjoy this excerpt from When Summer Comes: 

Panic turned Callie’s knees to water as she felt the raw power of Levi’s quick, sure movements. She opened her mouth to scream but couldn’t draw in enough air.
For the first time, she was afraid of him. Really afraid. In that moment, she knew without a doubt that he could do anything he wanted to her, and that, despite her diagnosis, she still cared.
The fear didn’t last, however. As soon as he realized it was her, he eased his hold enough to turn her in his arms. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I hope...I hope I didn’t hurt you. I didn’t know...”
His words fell off, but she understood. He hadn’t known it was her. She should’ve announced herself. She would have, except that she’d been waiting to get close enough to touch his arm, in case he was sleeping. “It’s okay,” she said. “I...I shouldn’t have surprised you.”
“What are you doing out here?”
He released her but she couldn’t let go of him. She was still trying to overcome the effects of receiving such a fright, worried that she might crumble to the ground. “I-I wanted to see if you’d come inside.”
“Why?”
His deep voice rumbled in her ear, but he must have felt her shaking because his hands no longer hung at his sides. They were sliding up her back. She could feel the warmth his splayed fingers provided as he drew her into a solid embrace that reassured her but did nothing to slow her galloping heart.
Instinctively, she turned her cheek against the soft cotton of his T-shirt. Don’t read anything into this. He’s just being kind. Such contact was normal, given her reaction. But she couldn’t deny that the chemistry between them had suddenly changed. She liked the feel of his firm chest, the security she felt in the circle of his arms, but there was also a sexual element—probably because he wasn’t completely dressed. She’d already felt the band of his briefs, the crisp hair on his legs as he brushed up against her.
She swallowed hard as his hands settled between her shoulder blades. “I couldn’t sleep.”
“Why not?”
“I was...I was worried that maybe Denny and his fool of a friend would come back and cause trouble.”
“They might. But they’re the kind of trouble I can handle.”

About the author: New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Brenda Novak is the author of more than forty-five books. A three-time Rita nominee, she has won many awards, including the National Reader’s Choice, the Bookseller’s Best, the Book Buyer’s Best, the Daphne, and the Holt Medallion. She also runs an annual on-line auction for diabetes research every May at www.brendanovak.com (her youngest son has this disease). To date, she’s raised over $1.6 million. Come meet the long-time friends who have made Whiskey Creek the “Heart of Gold Country” with WHEN WE TOUCH, WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES, WHEN SNOW FALLS and WHEN SUMMER COMES.

When Summer Comes

Publisher/Publication Date:  Harlequin MIRA, Jan 2013

ISBN: 978-0778314233.

400 pages

Spring Into Horror Read-a-thon - Starts Today!

The Spring into Horror Read-a-Thon starts today and runs through Sunday!  Don't let the title 'scare' you though - you only have to read one horror - and that is loosely translated into horror, paranormal, thriller, mystery, etc.   I am hoping to read The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa and NOS4A2 by Joe Hill.  I may not get to them until Saturday during the 24-hour Dewey Read-a-thon though!  You should sign up - It's not too late!  Go to Seasons of Reading to sign up!

From the Kitchen of Half Truth by Maria Goodin (Book Review)

Title: From the Kitchen of Half Truth
Author: Maria Goodin
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

About the Book: If your mother can't seem to tell the truth. . . how true is your life?

Scientist Meg May can't remember her childhood, but that's just fine, because her cooking-obsessed, head-in-the-clouds mother has told her everything:  Meg's father was a French chef who died in a tragic pastry accident; her mom dipped a younger Meg's toes in coffee because they were so sweet.  Meg used to love these stories, but as she spends one last elegiac summer with her dying mother, savoring the fleeting days and absorbing cooking lessons, she longs to know the truth.  However, her mother is in denial about their past, as well as about her health, and Meg may not have the chance to discover who they are in time.

A delicious debut, full of quirky humor and depth of feeling, From the Kitchen of Half Truth explores the lies we tell ourselves in order to create the life we want.

Purchase Links

~Amazon~     ~Barnes and Noble~     ~Sourcebooks~     ~IndieBound~

My thoughts: I enjoyed reading this book very much.  It was like curling up under a blanket on a rainy day.  When I had to put it down, I couldn't wait to start reading it again and the words just flowed beautifully.  

The stories that Meg's mother, Valerie, tells her about her childhood all reflect cooking or food in some way.  This makes sense as Valerie's passion is cooking.  She has filled Meg's head with wonderful stories and created this fantastical world where the scar on her head is from a bite from a crabcake; that they once had a spaghetti plant growing in their windowbox; that one summer the runner beans that they had picked all got up and ran away.  It is that last story about the runner beans that makes Meg realize at the age of 8, that maybe everything her mother tells her isn't the truth.  She decides that she is done with make believe and from there on out everything has to have it's basis in fact. Unfortunately, she has already been labeled as a 'liar' and kind of nutty for believing these stories and so her life growing up is a lonely one.  

When she is 21 she goes back to spend the summer with her mother as her mother is dying.  She is still full of spirit though and greets each day as if nothing is wrong.  Meg tries to get her mother to tell her about her childhood, as well as face the fact that she is dying, but her mother continues to spin her fanciful tales and avoids the truth.  The gardener that Valerie has hired, Ewan, is very taken with Valerie and shares his own tales with her.  Try as she might, Meg just doesn't have the same connection to her mother that Ewan does - or maybe we should say the same acceptance that Ewan does.  She continues to dig for anything that might tell her something about her childhood.  

I will say it again, I really enjoyed reading this book and was sorry to see it end.  It had lots of little bits of wisdom tucked into the quirky tales - some of which were quite humorous.  I loved the relationship that Meg had with her mother, even if she wasn't quite as satisfied with it as she felt she should be.  Even though she wanted answers to her questions, she also wanted to protect her mother as anything to do with her past seemed to upset her.  

I think this would be a good book for a reading club- lots of stuff to discuss about relationships - those between mother and daughter; best friends; spouses or potential spouses.  There is also the big question that they raise in the synopsis - what kind of tales will we spin to give us the lives that we want?

~I received a complimentary copy of From the Kitchen of Half Truth from Sourcebooks in exchange for my unbiased review.~

Check out some other reviews:

FROM THE KITCHEN OF HALF TRUTH – BLOG TOUR

April 1 – Luxury Reading

April 2 – Laura’s Reviews

April 4 – A Bookish Affair

April 5 – Mrs. Condit Reads Books

April 6 – Adventures of an Intrepid Reader

April 8 – Cocktails and Books

April 9 – Library of Clean Reads

April 10  - Broken Teepee

April 11 – Dew on the Kudzu

April 12 – Raging Bibliomania

April 15 - Daystarz

April 16 – Chick Lit Plus

April 17 – Peeking Between the Pages

April 22 – Books and Needlepoint

April 23 – Write Meg

April 26 – Bookmagnet

About the author:  Maria Goodin is the author of From the Kitchen of Half Truth. She trained to be a teacher and therapist before working as a counselor. Based on her award-winning short story, From the Kitchen of Half Truth was inspired by her interest in psychological defenses. Maria lives in Hertfordshire, England with her husband, son and cat. This is her first novel.

From the Kitchen of Half Truth
Publisher/Publication Date: Sourcebooks Landmark, April 1, 2013
ISBN:  978-1-4022-7948-5
339 pages

It's Monday! What are you reading? (April 22, 2013)

What are you reading on Mondays is hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey - You can hook up with the Mr. Linky there with your own post - but be sure and let me know what you are reading too! 

Bathroom Book:

(I am loving this book!)

The Spark: A Mother's Story of Nurturing Genius

by Kristine Barnett

The extraordinary memoir of a mother's love, commitment, and nurturing, which allowed her son, originally diagnosed with autism, to flourish into a universally recognized genius-and how any parent can help their child find their spark.

Today, at thirteen, Jacob is working on extending Einstein's theory of relativity, and is a paid researcher in quantum physics. Yet at three, after an autism diagnosis, Jacob was assigned to life-skills classes, his parents told to adjust their expectations. The goalpost was to be tying his own shoes at sixteen. Kristine's belief in the power of hope and the dazzling possibilities that can occur when we keep our minds open and learn to fuel a child's true potential changed everything.

Physical Book:

The Last Telegram

by Liz Trenow

Decades ago, as Nazi planes dominated the British sky, eighteen-year-old Lily Verner made a terrible mistake. She’s tried for decades to forget, but now an unexpected event pulls her back to the 1940s British countryside. She finds herself remembering the brilliant, lustrous colors of the silk she helped to weave at her family’s mill, the relentless pressure of the worsening war, and the kind of heartbreaking loss that stops time. 

In this evocative novel of love and consequences, Lily finally confronts the disastrous decision that has haunted her all these years.

E-book:

When Summer Comes

by Brenda Novak

Welcome to Whiskey Creek— Heart of the Gold Country!One day, Callie Vanetta receives devastating news…

She needs a liver transplant. But her doctors warn that, in her case, the chances of finding a compatible donor aren't good.

Determined to spend whatever time she has left on her own terms, she keeps the diagnosis to herself and moves out to her late grandparents' farm. She's always wanted to live there. But the farm hasn't been worked in years and she begins to fear she can't manage it, that she'll have to return to town.

One night, a stranger comes knocking at her door…

He's an attractive and mysterious drifter by the name of Levi McCloud, and he offers to trade work for a few nights' shelter. Callie figures she doesn't have anything to lose. He needs a place to stay until he can fix his motorcycle; she needs an extra pair of hands. The arrangement seems ideal until what was supposed to be temporary starts to look more and more permanent. Then she realizes she does have something to lose—her heart. And, although he doesn't yet know it, Levi stands to lose even more.

Waiting for Reviews:

Dear Cassie
by Lisa Burstein

Evidence of Life
by Barbara taylor Sissel

Blood Money
By Doug Richardson

From the Kitchen of Half
Truth
by Maria Goodin