Author: Claudia Mills
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux ( BYR )
Pages: 128
Genre: Junior Fiction
Source: Claudia Mills
Goodreads: Kelsey Kline is the best reader in the third grade–well, maybe tied for best with know-it-all Simon Ellis. When the principal Mr. Boone announces a school-wide reading contest, complete with a pizza party for the winning class and a special certificate for the top readers in each grade, she knows she’s just the person to lead Mrs. Molina’s third graders to victory. But how can they win when her classmate Cody Harmon doesn’t want to read anything, and even Kelsey’s best friends Annika and Izzy don’t live up to her expectations? And could Simon possibly be reading all of those books that he claims he is, or is he lying to steal Kelsey’s rightful spot at the top?
Ope’s Opinion: What a wonderful book! I like how each friend has a strength to help them figure out if Simon is cheating. I love the way Kelsey loves to read through every other activity.
The reading contest reminded me of when my daughters used to do the library reading program during the summers. They would want to read more then their friends and get all the prizes the library had for each mile stone. Anything that encourages children to read is wonderful in my world!
I also liked that one child ( Cody ) struggled with reading and Kelsey helped him out.
I am looking forward to Annika Riz, Math Whiz and Izzy Barr, Running Star! Keep writing.
Rating: Four Chairs – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.
Author: Claudia Mills
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux ( BYR )
Pages: 240
Genre: Middle Grade
Source: Claudia Mills
Goodreads: Seventh-grader Sierra Shepard has always been the perfect student, so when she sees that she accidentally brought her mother’s lunch bag to school, including a paring knife, she immediately turns in the knife at the school office. Much to her surprise, her beloved principal places her in in-school suspension and sets a hearing for her expulsion, citing the school’s ironclad no weapons policy. While there, Sierra spends time with Luke, a boy who’s known as a troublemaker, and discovers that he’s not the person she assumed he would be–and that the lines between good and bad aren’t as clear as she once thought. Claudia Mills brings another compelling school story to life with Zero Tolerance.
Ope’s Opinion: First I would like to you to know what an awesome person Claudia Mills is. I sent her a request to read this book and she was generous enough to send me two of her books! I am beginning to read books for my granddaughter and Claudia was very open to my idea.
This book was very well written. It is definitely from a seventh grade girls perspective. It was a very fast, enjoyable book. I thought the length of the chapters was perfect for a middle grade reader.
The characters were interesting and relatable. I think a sequel to know where Sierra is now would be fun! I am planning on putting this on Emma’s shelf until she is ready for me to read to it to her or for her to read herself.
As an adult this book kept my attention and made me want to read right to last page.
Rating: Four Chairs – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.
In my reading room, I have started a shelf for my granddaughter Emma. I am starting to read books ahead of time for her. I want her to come to my house and know books are loved here.
This is my book shelf.
This is Emma’s shelf.
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Pages: 352
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: Edelweiss
Goodreads: “Have you ever heard of supernovas? They shine brighter than anything else in the sky and then fade out really quickly, a short burst of extraordinary energy. I like to think you and Ben were like that . . . in that short time, you had more passion than some people have in a lifetime.”
Elsie Porter is an average twentysomething and yet what happens to her is anything but ordinary. On a rainy New Year’s Day, she heads out to pick up a pizza for one. She isn’t expecting to see anyone else in the shop, much less the adorable and charming Ben Ross. Their chemistry is instant and electric. Ben cannot even wait twenty-four hours before asking to see her again. Within weeks, the two are head over heels in love. By May, they’ve eloped.
Only nine days later, Ben is out riding his bike when he is hit by a truck and killed on impact. Elsie hears the sirens outside her apartment, but by the time she gets downstairs, he has already been whisked off to the emergency room. At the hospital, she must face Susan, the mother-in-law she has never met—and who doesn’t even know Elsie exists.
Interweaving Elsie and Ben’s charmed romance with Elsie and Susan’s healing process, Forever, Interrupted will remind you that there’s more than one way to find a happy ending.
Author: Stephanie Evanovich
Publisher: William Morrow
Pages: 336
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: Tracy Diamond ( Harper Collins )
Goodreads: They say that big girls don’t cry. But when the chips are down and the dip is gone, what can you do? Pull up your BIG GIRL PANTIES and change your life.
Holly Brennan didn’t expect to be a widow at thirty-two. She also didn’t expect to be so big. Through her husband Bruce’s diagnosis and death, food was the one thing she could always count on. Now, those extra pounds make flying coach more than a little mortifying-especially since she’s sitting next to Adonis himself, aka Logan Montgomery, a personal trainer to the country’s most famous pro athletes.
Though Holly doesn’t make the grade on his first-impression meter, Logan finds himself intrigued by her sharp wit and keen insight-a welcome change from the beautiful bubble-headed dolls he usually dates-and impulsively offers to get her back in shape. Ready to make at least one positive change in her life, Holly agrees.
To Logan’s (and her own) surprise, Holly turns out to be a natural in the gym. Throwing herself into exercise, the red head with the blazing wit and welcoming smile slims down into a bonafide looker with killer curves-and a new kind of hunger. Soon, the easy intimacy and playful banter of their training sessions lead Logan and Holly into the bedroom where they share their most intense and steamy workouts yet.
But can a man whose whole life depends on looks commit himself to a woman who doesn’t fit his image? Now that Holly’s turning other men’s heads, does she even need Logan anymore? Are they a couple built to last . . . or is this sizzling affair going to burn out fast?
Our Annual Library Sale!!!
Each year, Kristi of Kritters Ramblings , Jennifer of The Underestimated Mom and I go the Loudoun County Library Sale. It is an awesome girls day out together. Since we are all book lovers, the event makes us all giddy! We have different genres we are interested in, so we help each other search for the best books in each section.
We start off bringing bags to carry our treasures home in.
Tell me what you are reading on the fourth of July??
It is so wonderful that we have the freedom to read whatever we would like. What is your favorite genre? Do you read outside your usual genres very often?
My favorite genre is chick lit or women’s fiction. That is all I used to read until my daughter Kristin of Kritters Ramblings introduced me to some new ( new to me ) authors that I really enjoy now.
My daughter Jennifer of The Underestimated Mom is into crafting books, home improvement and decorating books.
While you are watching the fireworks, remember how nice it is to have the choice of reading your favorite author or trying something new!
Have a great 4th!!
Hope this is your view some time this weekend!
Author: Dee DeTarsio
Publisher: Dee DeTasio
Pages: 306
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: BookSparks
Amazon: All My Restless Life to Live Life is a soap opera, especially for Elle Miller, who writes for one. (Ellen dropped the “n” in her name in hopes of finding a better ending for herself.) When her laptop crashes, she borrows her recently deceased dad’s computer and gets way more than she bargained for.
Elle unravels mysterious communications from his computer, while her mom decides to give Internet dating a try. As Elle tries to save her career at I’d Rather Be Loved with a storyline featuring a trip through Atlantis, she takes a trip to the Emmys, and finds herself in the middle of a romance between a real doctor and a hunk who just plays one on TV. Friends, family, and clues from “the other side” all help Elle figure out the difference between living the good life and living a good life.
Fans of Marian Keyes and Jennifer Weiner will delight in Dee DeTarsio’s sparkling prose and lively dialogue as she takes readers into the heart of women’s lives. Filled with friendship, love, loss, betrayal, and challenges that force her characters to find their place in the universe, Dee’s novels give us that hopefully-ever-after we’re searching for.
Ope's Opinions 