Choosing a theme to read for yourself and your kids.
Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano is a new book and the Read with Jenna pick for January. I loved this book! I was hesitant to read it at first because my husband is a pilot and the story is about a plane crash. I am very glad that I gave the book a chance because it is such a beautiful story. Have you read this one yet?
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My book club decided to read a mystery or thriller for January. I compiled a list of choices (see below) and The Silent Patient won. I reread it this week and I had trouble wanting to read since I already knows what happens. Well I surprised myself at the ending because turns out that I did not remember the exact ending. This still is one of my favorite thrillers. If you had to recommend a thriller for a book club, what would you suggest?
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The Sisters Of Summit Avenue by Lynn Cullen is a historical fiction book set in the 1930’s in Indiana. The story referenced our local zoo in Cincinnati which was fun. I was really enjoying this story until towards the end when somethings came together too nicely. It put a damper on what I would otherwise say was a very good story. I especially enjoyed one of the characters working as a Betty Crocker.
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One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus is one that I read because of bookstagram recommendations. This YA book does have a good mystery to it, but the sensitive topics covered in this book overshadowed my overall rating of this book. I don’t want to give away spoilers since it is a mystery. My kids don’t always pay attention to what I am reading, but this cover attracted them all and they kept asking me, who is lying?
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Twice In A Blue Moon by Christina Lauren is a new romance that I got at their author event a few months ago. This story starts as the main character is eighteen and then resumes the story about fourteen years later. It has romance, Hollywood actors, drama, and everything in between.
Some of their other books that I have read:
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Raising the Challenging Child: How to Minimize Meltdowns, Reduce Conflict, and Increase Cooperation by Karen Doyle Buckwalter, Debbie Reed, and Wendy Lyons Sunshine is a new book for parents and caregivers. I thought the title of this book was misleading by using the word challenging. The book applies to all children and how best to handle parenting situations. This book offered very practical parenting advice from their years of experience working at Chaddock. The chapters were short and packed with practical advice to use as a parent. This book will make a great resource to return to over the years as I continue my parenting journey.
Thanks to Revell Books for this review copy.
About the Authors:
Karen Doyle Buckwalter, MSW, LCSW, is director of program strategy at Chaddock in Quincy, Illinois. She serves on the board of directors’ advisory board of the Theraplay® Institute in Chicago and has trained and consulted at family behavioral health organizations and youth foster care centers in the US, the UK, Australia, Denmark, and beyond. In addition to her degrees, Karen completed a two-year marriage and family therapy training program and 500-plus hours in diverse modalities including Theraplay®, Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI), and other attachment, trauma, and developmental approaches.
Debbie Reed is president and CEO of Chaddock. Currently engaged in doctoral studies, she has also played a leadership role in child- and family-serving organizations at the state and national levels, including the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services’ Child Welfare Advisory Committee, the CEO council of the internationally recognized Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, and the national board of the United Methodist Association of Health and Welfare Ministries. In addition, she trains and consults with organizations on topics related to nonprofit leadership.
Wendy Lyons Sunshine is an award-winning writer and coauthor of The Connected Child, with over a quarter million copies sold. She is an editorial consultant for leading nonprofits and has written for media outlets including Health, AARP magazine, Scientific American, American Way, and the New York Times.
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Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid is a new book by a debut author. It was picked as the Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick for January. This book centers around issues of race as a babysitter is accused of kidnapping the child she is caring for. I did enjoy how the author tied all of the characters together with their shared histories and in the present. Thanks to Putnam Books and The Girlfriend for this ARC.
If you enjoyed this book, then I would recommend:
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The Wives by Tarryn Fisher is a new thriller and when I saw my library copy was available, I sent my husband right away to pick it up for me. I have been recovering from surgery and couldn’t wait to read this book. I read it in a day. It was very fast paced and was an excellent thriller because it was unpredictable to the very end. This was a runner up for my IRL book club and I wish it had been picked because I want to discuss it so badly. I don’t want to give the storyline away so I will just leave it that it is a great thriller. Also, enjoying my new travel coffee mug that I received for Christmas.
If you enjoyed this, then I would recommend:
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Christmas At Rosie Hopkins’ Sweet Shop by Jenny Colgan was a book that I won from a Goodreads giveaway. I had not read the previous book in the series and was able to follow the story and the characters. The story is set in England and has romance and family drama. It was festive to read around Christmas.
Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory is the fourth book in this series and I would recommend reading them in order so you know the characters better. Each book features some of the same characters and they are all romance books. This new one takes place in London over the holidays and involves the royal family. This book is fun and shows a romance between a couple in their fifties. I went to an author event to hear Jasmine Guillory speak and she was delightful and made me enjoy her books even more. I gifted this adorable Out Of Print mug for my book club gift exchange.
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Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory is the fourth book in this series and I would recommend reading them in order so you know the characters better. Each book features some of the same characters and they are all romance books. This new one takes place in London over the holidays and involves the royal family. This book is fun and shows a romance between a couple in their fifties. I went to an author event to hear Jasmine Guillory speak and she was delightful and made me enjoy her books even more. I gifted these socks for our book club gift exchange and bought them at Half Price Books.
Other books in this series:
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