Mama Bear Reviews

I have reviewed a few cookbooks. I always love to look through the pictures and try new recipes. I received a copy of POK POK The Drinking Food of Thailand by Andy Ricker and JJ Goode today. This is a gorgeous hardbound book full of foods that are typically enjoyed while drinking in Thailand. These recipes are more appetizers or snacks than actual meals. What I love about this book is that I feel that you get a real feel for Thailand while reading this cookbook. The photographs are not posed and feel very authentic. I love that you can look at the images and actually image what it would be like to visit Thailand. The recipes are divided into the sections of sections such as snacks, fried foods, salads and stir-fries. Throughout the recipes and images are stories about the food. These are wonderful because you can get a true sense of where this food would be eaten or how it would be prepared. This is a fun cookbook for anyone that has a bit of wanderlust or wants to try out some new c

Holding the Fort by Regina Jennings is fun new historical fiction novel. This story centers around Louisa Bell who is a dance hall singer. Once Louisa is replaced by a younger singer, she is faced with having to find a new job. She heads to Fort Reno where her brother is stationed to look for employment. Along the way she meets a woman that is set to be the governess for the children of Major Daniel Adams. The only problem is that the governess will not be able to fulfill her duties and sends Louisa along with a crate of books to the fort. There is a misunderstanding that makes Louisa the new governess. This mistake however ends up working out the best for everyone involved. This is the first time that I have read a book set in this time period, 1885, in America. The book is actually set in Kansas and includes quite a bit of history. This history adds to the story rather than detracts. The author created characters that are funny and authentic. This was a very enjoyable story and I l

Chasing Christmas Eve by Jill Shalvis is the fourth book in her Heartbreaker Bay series. I think this was my favorite book in the series but I have loved them all so far. Chasing Christmas Eve finally gives Spence a love story! He falls for Colbie who is an author that has escaped her hectic home life for a little last minute vacation. She has been busy doing everything for her family and finds herself needing to get away. She ends up in San Francisco where she has a very funny first encounter with the hero Spence. I loved the growth of Colbie throughout the story as well as that of Spence. These two really seem perfect for each other. I also love that all of the previous characters in this series have a part. This includes Eddie and I loved his connection with Spence. The second book in this series, The Trouble with Mistletoe, was made into a movie. I had reviewed that book previously here . The movie is available only on Passionflix . This is a new subscription service like

The Last Girl: My Story of Captivity, and My Fight Against the Islamic State by Nadia Murad is the true story of Nadia and the capture of her and her family by Islamic terrorists. This story was heartbreaking. There were times when I had to close the book and set it aside for a while but I also felt that the story flowed quickly and was beautifully written. Nadia has faced so much tragedy in her life. Her life was once idyllic in her small village of Kocho. That all changed when her village was taken over and everyone was forced to leave. The story of Nadia's days in the Isis slave trade are very difficult to read. Her story, along with those of her friends and family are very harrowing. Nadia was able to escape and has been able to share her story to try and bring about change. She is such an inspiration. I think everyone should read this book. It is difficult to get through but everyone should know Nadia's story and know about what the people of Iraq are going through.

Out of the Ordinary by Jen Turano is a lovely religious historical fiction novel. This is the second book in the Apart from the Crowd series. I did not read the first book but feel that this books stands well on its own. Many of the characters in Out of the Ordinary were introduced in the first book but I felt as though I could easily catch up with the different characters and the adventures that they had already embarked upon. This book focuses on Gertrude who is a paid companion for Mrs. Davenport. Mrs. Davenport has a bad habit of taking things that Gertrude is asked to discreetly replace. Her love interest, Harrison Sinclair, is an unusual character that shows an interest in Gertrude right from the beginning. The characters in this story are interesting and quirky. They all mesh well together and create a very interesting journey. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from Jen Turano. I think this book would be good for anyone that enjoys historical roman

It is probably no secret that young adult fantasy is one of my favorite genres. I just finished reading Nyxia by Scott Reintgen and it is the start of a wonderful new series. Before receiving this book, I saw a few reviews that compared this story to the Hunger Games but in space. I think that is a pretty accurate description. The story is told from the perspective of Emmett who is a teenager from Detroit. He is recruited for a mission to travel along with 9 other teenagers to the planet Eden. There are a lot of secrets surrounding why these kids were chosen and just what exactly they will be doing when they get to Eden. The crew is put through daily competitions as they are told only 8 will be making it to Eden. The competition causes some rivalry but still friendships are formed and secrets are uncovered. I thought this was a wonderful start to a series and look forward to reading the next book. This story left off right where I would have expected and I can't wait to pick

Noelle by Greg Kincaid is the perfect novel to get you in the holiday spirit. Especially if you are anything like me and love Christmas movies. I love all of the sappy, sweet holiday movies about people finding themselves and their true loves. Noelle is the fourth book about the McCray family, but it is the first one that I have read. I think this book does just fine on its own but I will be going back to read the first three as I loved this one so much! This book covers the time leading up to Christmas in the small town of Crossing Trail. A new animal shelter has opened bringing home one of the McCray boys. The story also covers the eldest of the McCray family and challenges that they are going through over the holidays as well as the trials of a young family going through divorce. Through it all, animals play a role especially Noelle. She is a sweet dog with a lot of heart but just can't seem to be trained. This is such a sweet story. I found myself crying multiple times not

I received a great diet book this week. The Keto Reset Diet: Rebook Your Metabolism in 21 Days And Burn Fat Forever by Mark Sisson With Brad Kearns. I have experimented with a few different diets this year. I started with low carb and toyed with keto and have ended up with a bit of a mixed diet. I have however thought of going back to keto and this book is a great resource. It is full of information that you would have to search all over the internet for. Seriously, this has everything that you need to start out on your keto adventure. It answers basically any question you could think of about this lifestyle as well as including a lot of yummy sounding recipes. If you are curious about this diet or nervous about how to jump in, this book would be a great resource. This book includes a meal plan for the first 21 days so you can really kick start your journey. I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

I just finished reading A Plain Leaving by Leslie Gould. I had previously only read a couple of books set in and around the Amish community so did not really know what to expect from this book. I really enjoyed this story. I read the majority of it in two sittings because I could not put it down. Jessica left the Amish community three years ago but has received news of a death in the family that brings her back to her farm. While there, she confronts all of the people that led her to leave as well as the ones that have supported her along the way. Jessica learns about what she really wants out of life through the time spent with her family on the farm. Jessica's aunt also provides a story about an ancestor that was going through similar issues. Through the story of the past and the time spent in the present, Jessica works to figure out if she will stay with her family or go back to the life she has made for herself over the last 3 years. This story moved at a quick pace and had

I received a gorgeous book about the night sky. What We See In The Stars by Kelsey Oseid is a beautiful illustrated book about our solar system. This book is touted as being for all ages and I think this is so true. I loved this book and so did my elementary aged boys. I sat down with my boys today and we explored all of the different constellations. Every constellation has its own artwork and a description. There are also pages of some of the lesser known constellations. I did not previously know that there is a giraffe or unicorn constellation. There is also information about all of the planets, the cycles of the moon and much more information about space. My kids love this book and I picked up quite a few facts that I did not previously know. The cover of this book is so pretty that I think it would make a great coffee table book even if it is a bit smaller than most. This would be a great addition to the book collection of anyone, young or old, that would like to know more ab

I received a really fun craft book this week titled, " A Well-Crafted Home ," by Janet Crowther . This is a very modern craft book full of 60 wonderful ideas to create for your home. One of the things that I really enjoy about this book is that there is a good variety of crafts for all skill levels. While I will admit that some of these seem quite challenging, there are still many that I think would be much easier to attempt. I like the idea of being able to make something myself to update my home. There are some really cute ideas in this book that I look forward to making such as the wooden herb planter which is so cute and rustic and the soft planter cover which is a fun way to modernize a potted plant. This book has some cute ideas for anyone from the novice to experienced crafter that is looking for some updates to their home. I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review

I finished Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas today. This is book six in the Throne of Glass series. It had been a year since I had read Empire of Storms which is book five, so it took me a little bit to get acclimated with the characters again. This is however, Sarah J. Maas, so it did not take long for me to be totally addicted to the story. Tower of Dawn is unique in that the only two characters that we know in this book are Chaol and Nesryn. This story picks up where Empire of Storms ends or just a few months later at least. Chaol had been injured in the previous book and is now confined to a wheelchair. Nesryn and Chaol travel to Antica to not only to gain support in the war but also to find someone to heal Chaol's legs. This book was maybe not as action packed as the previous couple in the series but I do believe that it was necessary to move things along. We learn much more about both Chaol and Nesryn and both of the characters are able to find themselves in the process of

I just finished The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin. This is a self help book that takes a new approach to the topic of the personality test. According to Rubin, there are four basic areas in which people fit. These are upholder, obliger, rebel and questioner. The author provides a test in the book as well as access to a website for individuals to discover their own personal personality type. The book is broken into sections so that after one has discovered their personality type, they can learn how to best thrive with this information. There is also information on how to deal with other people within a personality type. I took the test and found that I am an obliger. I found myself agreeing to most of the information in the section that describes obligers. I also found some useful tips as to how I as an obliger can be more productive. Overall, I found this book really interesting. If you are looking for a way to stay motivated and want to better understand your own actions or

I received a wonderful photography book today. Understanding Color in Photography by Bryan Peterson and Susana Heide Schellenberg is not only full of beautiful photography but great tips as well. I think I may have mentioned before that photography is one of my hobbies. This means that I have read many books on the subject. I found this one to offer fresh and unique ideas. One of the things that I really appreciate about the authors is that they emphasize trying to get things right in camera versus trying to correct with editing software. I think this stance is something that really sets this book apart from others on the subject. The authors offer up unique ideas that everyone can try regardless of skill with a camera. There is one photograph of a women surrounded by wonderful blurry colors that were created by using a window box of flowers. I cannot wait to try out this idea and will be on the lookout for flower boxes until I do. I recommend this book if you have an interest in

I love cooking with my slow cooker! I feel so productive when I can put all the ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning and know that supper will be waiting. Martha Stewart just released a new cook book full of wonderful slow cooker recipes titled Martha Stewart's Slow Cooker . Not only is this book full of yummy recipes and beautiful photographs but they are up to the quality of Martha Stewart. Usually when I cook things in the slow cooker, the meal comes out looking a bit like mush. The photographs in this book show images that will look as though the cook slaved over the meal for hours. Another thing that I appreciate about this book is that there is a vegetarian section. I cannot wait to try Martha Stewart's spin on macaroni and cheese in the slow cooker! I was really impressed with this book and it lives up the Martha Stewart name. I look forward to testing out many of the recipes this fall. I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review

I tend to avoid thrillers because I always seem to be annoyed by the outcome. I was very pleasantly surprised with how much I loved Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker. This is a book that I was lucky enough to win in a Goodreads giveaway. As I have said before, I really love these giveaways because I end up reading books outside of my normal comfort zone. Three years ago Cass and Emma disappear from their home. The clues seem to show that the girls were not together yet they both vanished on the same night. Now three years in the future, Cass returns to her home and slowly relates her story of what happened on that night and over the time that she has been gone. She urgently shares this information so that the detectives can find her sister. I love the way that this story played out. There is something slightly off with Cass and that becomes more apparent as the story goes on. I found myself unable to put this book down because I wanted to know what happened to Emma and what parts

I have reviewed quite a few art books over the last few months and always feel so inspired by the different techniques and styles. This week I received a copy of Foundations of Drawing: A Practical Guide to Art History, Tools, Techniques, and Styles by Al Gury . This is a really beautiful collection of art, history, and tips for drawing. The book begins with an art history lesson which is very insightful. It is neat to see the changing styles over time. The next section covers the different tools that artists use. I like this section because it explains different materials such as charcoal and how they would be used. The third section is probably the most in depth covering the topic of drawing skills. This is where the author dives into providing information for the reader to know how to go about drawing. There is a lot of interesting information in this section such as measuring and types of lines. The last two sections are also very informative covering the topics of drawing ae

Today I am reviewing The Two of Us by Victoria Bylin. This is a brand new book that actually comes out tomorrow. I feel that this book would fit in the category of Christian fiction or Christian romance. With that said, this is a bit of a different genre for me but I was pleasantly surprised. The story centers around the stories of Mia and Jake. The two of them meet unexpectedly in Las Vegas only to find that they are both there for the same wedding. They work together in the best interest of the bride and the groom and try to help them set up their life together. In the process, Mia is trying to decide what her true calling in life is and Jake is trying to figure out his next step in life after an explosion knocked him out of the police force. Mia and Jake form a slow building relationship amongst themselves and the rest of their families. The character that is Mia was a bit wishy washy at times and honestly I really wanted to scream at her to make a decision. I however really lo

I have reviewed a few different art books on my blog and am always fascinated with the different techniques of the artists. I was lucky to receive a copy of Colored Pencil Painting Portraits by Alyona Nickelsen. This book if full of great tips on using colored pencils to create realistic portraits. I was actually really surprised about how detailed the author is and how much information is included in this book. Something that I really like and that helps colored pencils to be less intimidating is the step by step process that the author displays in this book. She will take an image and show it in the various stages of having more detail added. This really helps to know what should be done first and how the image comes to be a finished product. This is especially helpful for people such as myself that do not have much knowledge with colored pencils. I think this book is a great introduction for those wanting to dive into the world of colored pencil art. The book is full of beautif

I love cookbooks! There is something that is just so wonderful about reading pages and pages of yummy inspiration. I received a copy of The New American Heart Association Cookbook . This is the 9th edition and it was just released last month. The cookbook has a helpful section in the beginning dedicated to healthy eating. There are a lot of great tips as to the foods that we should be incorporating more of in our diets and those that we should be avoiding. After this section the book is separated into the normal cookbook sections by dish. With my personal diet it can be difficult to find a cookbook that has recipes that I would actually be able to eat. My favorite part about this book is that not only are all of the recipes healthy, but there is a huge section devoted to vegetarian dishes. This can be rare to find with most cookbooks but this is full of wonderful options. The only downside of this book that I found is that there are no pictures of recipes other than those on the cove

I received a copy of A Name Unknown by Roseanna M. White from Bethany House Publishers. This was my first time reading within the genre of historical Christian fiction and I really enjoyed this book! Rosemary is hired on by the secret Mr. V to find out whether or not Peter Holstein may be a traitor to London. Rosemary with the help of Mr. V, poses as a librarian to gain entrance into Mr. Holstein's home. She finds herself searching through mountains of books and correspondence as she forms a friendship with Mr. Holstein. Many parts of Peter Holstein remain a mystery, such as what it is he does at the typewriter all day, but Rosemary must find out the truth about him to support her family. I really enjoyed the friendship that formed between Peter and Rosemary. I also loved that Rosemary, a girl that has struggled just to survive her whole life, was able to find out who she really was and question if she was on the right path. The historical component of this story was interestin

I have been on a bit of a historical romance kick. Ok, more like a Lisa Kleypas kick. In the past week I have read 8 of her books. This all started because I saw Devil in Spring  on the shelf of new reads at the library. This book was actually released in February, so I am a bit behind. Reading this book, I remembered how much I love the stories and characters that Kleypas creates. I first fell in love with her writing with the Friday Harbor series which actually aren't historical. Most of her other books however are historical romance so she helped me dive right in to this genre. Devil in Spring is the third book in the Ravenels series. I started with this one and went back and read one and two. I think they can easily be read out of order but I did have a strong temptation to re-read the third book after I had a better understanding of all of the characters. One thing that I really loved with this series were the forward thinking characters for the time period. The third story

I have only been reading historical romance novels for the past couple of years. I am not sure why it took so long for me to get into this genre but it is one that I go to often. Julia Quinn is one of my favorites for this genre. Her latest book, The Girl With the Make-Believe Husband was another hit. The story was reminiscent of the Sandra Bullock movie, While You Were Sleeping. Except in this story, the main characters have built up a bit of a relationship over time through letters. Edward wakes up after being out for some time due to a war injury to be told that he is married to his best friends sister Cecilia. Cecilia has however only claimed to be his wife so that she could help nurse him back to health when she was told that only family was allowed to visit. I loved the continuation of the Rokesbys series and I can't wait until the next one comes out to read all about Andrew!

Fantasy is one of my favorite genres, so I jumped at the chance to read The Midnight Queen . This is the first book in the Noctis Magicae trilogy by Sylvia Izzo Hunter . The story centers around a student at Merlin College named Gray that is sent on a mission by his professor that goes horribly wrong. Gray is forced to go home with his mentor for the summer to his house where he resides with his three daughters. Even though women are not allowed to study magic, the professor's middle child Sophie has been practicing. Together Sophie and Gray unravel a mystery surrounding Sophie's family and a horrible plot against the king. I really wanted to enjoy this book. The premise was really promising and the characters or a few of them at least were pretty interesting. I loved the humor that was added by the youngest sister Joanna and the mystery that surrounded Mrs. Wallis. I also enjoyed that there was a bit of love story included with all of the magic. I also really enjoyed the tim

I just finished Mr. Right-Swipe by Ricki Schultz. This was another book that I was lucky to receive from a giveaway on Goodreads . I love the giveaways on Goodreads because I often find books that I would not have tried otherwise. This is great because I am always discovering new authors and trying out genres that might be out of my comfort zone. Mr. Right-Swipe is about a divorced woman in her thirties who is forced by her friends to try and find a love match using a dating app. She has many hilarious dates and misadventures throughout the novel. She also faces challenges in the relationships of her two best friends who are both at different states of coupledom. This is a fun quick read. The synopsis on the back of the book says that it is for fans of the movies Bridesmaids and Trainwreck. I think this book really fits in well with that description. If you are looking for a fun, goofy, light hearted read then you will want to give Mr. Right-Swipe a try.

I consider myself a pretty creative person. I love photography and am always in the middle of some sort of project. I however have not spent much time on drawing and painting in the last few years. I do really have a love for both and Manga Art: Inspirations and Techniques From an Expert Illustrator by Mark Crilley helped me to remember that fact. This book is packed full of beautiful images. Beside each of the images is a paragraph about why the author has created the image and what medium was used in its creation. Some of the pages also have a little box with a heading that says "your turn" and gives a creative suggestion for the reader to create their own art. Both of my boys, who each have a love for anime, loved this book. They spent the afternoon looking through the pictures and reading about different techniques. They both pulled out paper and started to try their own sketches. I felt inspired by this book as well and can't wait to try some of the techniques.

I received a notice from Goodreads that I had won an advanced copy of The Reluctant Queen by Sarah Beth Durst. This book is the second in the Queens of Renthia series. The synopsis sounded really interesting so I dove right into the first book, The Queen of Blood. I love the world that Sarah Beth Durst has created. I also love that these stories read like young adult novels even though they are categorized as adult fantasy. In the world of Renthia, there are spirits that control the land and have a lust for killing humans. This is why a queen is needed to keep the spirits in line. The queen has the power to stop all of the spirits in her land from harming anyone and being able to put them to use doing things such as creating new houses and libraries. The first book, The Queen of Blood, primarily follows Daleina first as a child and through her challenges to become an heir to the queen. Daleina struggles with her power throughout the story and only really begins to hone that power

I love travel shows. I especially love when the host visits different restaurants and talks about the amazing food that a place has to offer. I received an amazing book that does just that. Road Food by Jane & Michael Stern lists restaurants from all across the United States. The book is broken up in sections by the different areas of the country and the states that are within those regions. Within the state listings the restaurants are listed with basic information such as which meals they serve and how expensive the meal may be. The authors have also listed which restaurants are loved by the locals and stay open late. With each restaurant listing is a little information about the history of the restaurant and the food that they are known for making. I was very excited to find a restaurant listed from a small town near where I grew up. That however was the only restaurant that I have visited out of the entire book so I am excited to use this as a guide for future trips. If y

I just finished reading White Fur by Jardine Libaire. I honestly started reading this book without reading the synopsis on the back and first thought that this story was going to be a thriller. I was so wrong! This book was a wonderful love story. White Fur is set in the 1980's. I always love books from this time period because I feel that characters stand a better chance of really getting to know each other without the complication that is technology. Elise and Jamey come from very different walks of life. They are both fascinated with each other from the beginning and have to decide how devoted they are to each other and what they are willing to give up. To me, this felt like a very real love story. This was not sugar coated. There are real fears, challenges and a wide range of emotions. White Fur just came out this week so this is the perfect time to go out and pick up a copy! I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I received a Harry Potter mug from my husband for my birthday last month. I have been using it everyday and it has become one of my favorite products. The mug is from Stylish Sloth Designs on Etsy. This store is seriously cute! They have shirts, sweatshirts, mugs and more with a variety of designs mostly from Disney movies. This mug is the 15 oz. size which I highly recommend because we all need a giant serving of coffee to survive the day. Here is the link to this mug and don't forget to check out the rest of the store for a lot of wonderful products!

I just finished the perfect book to get you amped up for summer travels or to be able to travel around the world without leaving your home. The New York Times: Footsteps From Ferrante's Naples to Hammett's San Francisco, Literary Pilgrimages Around the World. This book is a collection of stories that were printed in the travel section of The New York Times. All of the authors do a wonderful job of describing their surroundings and comparing them to how they might have been seen by those that had famously ventured there in the past or had used these places for inspiration. The book is broken down into three sections: The United States, Europe and Beyond. I really enjoyed the stories in this collection. Even though they are all by different authors, I felt that they flowed very well together. I also like that they do not have to be read together. A person could pick up the book and scroll through the index to decide which destination they would like to read about. I receive

The book that I just finished, I had actually picked up a couple of months ago and struggled to get into. I however picked it up yesterday and couldn't put it down. The book is Songs about a Girl by Chris Russell . This story is about a girl named Charlie who has an interest in photography and is contacted by a member of a boy band to take pictures backstage of the band. Charlie is reluctant because she does not believe she is good enough and does not have the same obsession towards the band as that of her best friend. She does however give it a chance and finds herself enjoying the band and getting closer to the members. She also finds out that she might have a bit more of a connection with one of the members than either of them truly know. This is the first book in a trilogy and it of course ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. However, we do not have to suffer long because the next story, Songs About Us, comes out on July 13th according to Goodreads . And a twitter account was c

I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of Love the Wine You're With by Kim Gruenenfelder from St. Martin's Press. This book releases next month on June 13th. This is great timing because this is a perfect book to pick up for a light read on vacation. This story is about three friends that are all struggling with various aspects of their lives. They are all having problems with their careers and love lives. The women visit a wine bar one night and make the decision to open one themselves. They all jump right in to this new venture and in the process all find out a bit about themselves and what they want out of life. The book skips between the view point of the three women and I really enjoyed the author's writing style. This was a fun, light read and I hope you enjoy it. You can find out more about the book and the author here .

When I am unsure of what to grab off my reading pile, I tend to go for a historical romance. I was so excited to receive a copy of The Bad Luck Bride by Janna MacGregor from St. Martin's Press. This is the first book in a new series called The Cavensham Heiresses. Lady Claire along with the rest of the ton, believe that she has a curse on her that is preventing her from becoming married. Alexander is determined to settle a vendetta for his sisters death. Part of his plan includes marrying Claire. The couple go through quite a few misunderstandings. They definitely have a lot of communication issues and a few too many secrets. Both of them have some demons that are haunting them, but together they are able to work past these issues and come together. I really enjoyed the characters in this story and like how it was set up for the next story in the series. You can find out more about this here .

I have always loved cookbooks! Seriously, I love to thumb through cookbooks even if I have no intention of cooking. There is something soothing to me about combing through the different recipes. I received an absolutely gorgeous cookbook titled, "The Book of Greens: A Cook' Compendium," by Jenn Louis with Kathleen Squires. The photography in this book is gorgeous. As the title suggests this is a cookbook about all different types of greens. They are very conveniently organized in alphabetical order and with beautiful pictures of the different greens. This is great because honestly, I had not heard of some of these greens before. Celtuce? Thanks to this book I not only know what it looks like but know how to choose it, how to clean it, how it should be stored and some of the different methods to use it in cooking as well as some recipe ideas. Not only are the pictures drool worthy, but the recipes sounds amazing as well. One that I need to try soon is the lettuce an

I was so excited for A Court of Wings and Ruin  by Sarah J. Maas to release this past week. I have loved this whole series and this book was a spectacular ending to the trilogy. Though this was the end of the trilogy, this is not the end of our time in this world as the author has more books planned for this realm. Yay!! This book starts a few weeks after the end of the second book. Feyre is now High Lady of the night court but is back in the spring court planning her revenge against Tamlin for what he has done to her and her family. I love how strong Feyre is in this book. She still faces a lot of demons but recognizes her power and uses that to her advantage to plot and scheme to save her land and people. As always, there are a lot of twists and turns in this book. The ending brought a lot of things together but also left a lot open that I hope will be covered in future books. I recommend all of the books by Sarah J. Maas . She does a wonderful job of developing stories and creat

Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith is a fun young adult read. The story is about three best friends. Alice decides to buy a lottery ticket for Teddy on his 18th birthday. It turns out that she picked the lucky numbers and Teddy is now the winner of millions of dollars. This story is really about the friendship between these friends and how big life changes can really test relationships. Teddy and Alice have both had struggles in their lives and they both have stuff that they need to overcome. I really enjoyed this book. I love the concept of random acts of kindness and how it came to be a part of this story. I also really enjoyed the relationships between the friends and thought it captured the feelings of being a teenager very well. You can find out more about the author and the book here and here . I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

I want to talk about a book I finished recently titled Surviving Death: A Journalist Investigates Evidence For An Afterlife by Leslie Kean. This book was not a topic that I would have normally chose to read about but there was some really interesting information. I did not have much knowledge on this topic prior to reading this book and I found it to be very enlightening. The author researches different encounters in which people have had experiences with the afterlife. The parts that I found the most interesting were about children that were able to describe past life experiences. I know that I would be very freaked out to be the parent of one of those children. The information that these little kids know about the life of someone that lived long before they were born is crazy. This book left me thinking about the afterlife and how connected we may still be to those that have passed on. More information about the author or the book can be found here and here . I received thi

I just finished The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer . This series has been on my to be read pile and the cute print that I received in my March Bookish Box gave me the inspiration that I needed to finally read this series. The print is the "Oh My Stars" saying pictured below in the middle of the books. I have to admit that these books took me a long time to get through. I really loved how they are a futuristic take on fairy tales such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White and Rapunzel. With the main character being a cyborg named Cinder who finds out that she is really someone else and has a very important mission to fulfill. Her sidekick Iko is an android and one of my favorite characters. Part of the fun of these books is how Iko keeps getting destroyed and coming back in new forms. I also loved that the stories built on each other with each book adding new characters and growing the story. I think part of the slowness in reading these was that eve

I got this cute tote bag in the picture with my March Bookish Box . That box had a theme of sidekicks and the quote on the bag was from Marlee Tames who is one of the girls that is part of the selection and becomes best friends with the main character. This series was a bit of a cross between The Bachelor and The Hunger Games. Only more like the Bachelor. Not nearly as much killing as The Hunger Games but the futuristic world is somewhat the same. This story is set in a futuristic world. This world is ruled by a king and queen and there is a caste system. Those with a lower number have the most money and best jobs while those with a higher number are barely scraping by. America's family is a 5. They are artists and musicians. When the royal family hosts a selection inviting all of the girls in the country to participate, America is encouraged by her boyfriend and mother to participate. Her name is selected and she is thrown into a contest with other girls from around the count

I finished reading Eleanor by Jason Gurley last night. I have been finding myself thinking about it all day. Honestly, when I closed the book after reading the final page I wasn't really sure what my thoughts were. I kind of still feel that way. I'm not saying that this was a bad book because it wasn't. Not at all. I enjoyed the story, it truly is well crafted. I also enjoyed the characters and how the novel ties the whole family together. The fantasy element of the book was so trippy though that I am sure I will still be thinking about this one for weeks. Eleanor is a story that crosses generations within the same family. It starts off with the story of Eleanor who is the grandmother of the main character. We then get a bit of the story about the mother, Agnes and then the story of Eleanor as a teenager. Eleanor has had very difficult life as has the rest of her family. One day she walks through a doorway and finds herself somewhere unfamiliar. She also finds that wh

I received my March Bookish Box . This is always exciting for me because they have such awesome products every month. This month the theme was sidekicks. Here is a picture of all of my awesome loot: My favorite items out of the box are the Sherlock socks which I am actually wearing right now and the Java Jones candle. The socks are from Out of Print  and they are so comfy. While I love the socks, it would have been great to have something Watson themed to go with the theme of the box. The candle is from Cherry Pit Crafts  and smells amazing. This is based on Simon from the Mortal Instruments Series. I received some butterbeer bath salts from Cherry Pit Crafts last year and they smell amazing as well. They have a lot of really neat products that I am definitely putting on a wish list. The tote bag in the upper right of the picture is a quote from Marlee Tames of the Selection series. This box inspired me to read the series and I devoured it in a few days. I will share my review so

I follow all of my favorite author's on Facebook and just saw a post by Lynda Cohen Loigman  that The Two-Family House will be releasing in paperback format on March 21st and I wanted to share this with everyone because it is a wonderful story. The Two-Family House takes place starting in the 1940's in Brooklyn. The story revolves around the lives of two families that share a split house. The men are brother's and their wives become good friends while living in such close quarters and raising their families together. The dynamic of these relationships all change during a snowstorm when the women make a slightly crazy decision that changes their lives forever. The story shows how the lives of these women and their families are affected by that decision. This story has stuck with me since I read it over a year ago. I hope you will check it out and let me know what you think. You can find out more about the author here .

Ok, so my last book was chosen as an error on my part. However, I am really glad that I mistakenly pushed it ahead on my reading list. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon is an amazing story. I thought that this was one of the inspirations for the Bookish Box that I will be receiving this week but it is actually part of next month's box that has a topic of diversity. I have to agree that this is a great pick for that topic. You can find out more about that Bookish Box here . This month's Bookish Box theme is actually sidekicks and I will post my unboxing later this week. The Sun is Also a Star was a beautiful story about fate. It also tackled the topic of diversity and immigration. Charlie and Natasha meet on the day that her and her family are being forced out of the country because they are undocumented. It seems that fate has meant for Charlie and Natasha to find each other this day and change each other's lives as well as those of some of the people they meet. The

I want to share a book that I just finished reading. The Power of Meaning: Crafting a Life that Matters by Emily Esfahani Smith. Honestly, when I received this book I wasn't sure that I would like it. I was however hooked after just a couple of pages. This isn't a self-help book that is trying to beat a message into the readers brain. It is instead filled with stories of the author's travels and observations as well as studies and historical information. For the most part, this book is separated in sections by what the author calls the four pillars of meaning. These pillars are belonging, purpose, storytelling and transcendence. Each of these pillars has its own chapter with stories of individual's and how they fulfilled these areas in their own way. For example, the section on purpose has a story about a zoo keeper that spends 80% of her day cleaning up after animals. The zoo keeper has however found her purpose in working with animals and believes that part of takin

I loved the duology that is made up of Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. You can find a synopsis of these books and where to purchase them here . I had previously read the Grisha trilogy and love that these two stories stay in the same world. A few of the characters even make an appearance in the Crooked Kingdom. The pace that the author achieves in the second half of the Grisha trilogy carries on through both of these books. I also loved that the viewpoints change between multiple members of the main crew. Oh, and check out the beautiful coloring on the edges of the pages. The story starts with Kaz and a few of his closest confidants and members of his gang going on an adventure to break into the ice court and retrieve a person that has been taken hostage. It is an impossible task but his group is up for anything. Through both books, the plot and deceptions grow bigger and more complicated. The character development is also really great for all of the friends. I