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Shout out to my niece for texting me this morning, "Happy National Book Lovers Day to my favorite book lover"!! I even wore my "It's Always OK to Buy More Books" socks from New Joy Book Booktique (Brookfield, IL)! It was a great day visiting The Pile Bookstore (Berwyn, IL), Mission Curiosity (Oak Park, IL), Half Price Books (Countryside, IL), and Little Free Libraries throughout the neighborhoods! (Yes, I have a stack of books in my trunk to give a book after taking a book from LFLs.) I hope everyone is supporting local, enjoying good books, and if you're a teacher, looking forward to a great school year! Genre Favs Summer Check-in. In this video, I rated all books 4 stars or higher, so all are highly recommended. In this video: Mystery: Not Quite Dead Yet (H. Jackson), We Are All Guilty Here (K. Slaughter), All the Colors of the Dark (C. Whitaker) Romance: Funny Story and Book Lovers (E. Henry), The Paradise Problem (C. Lauren) Historical Fiction (International): Pachinko (M J Lee), All the Glimmering Stars (M. Sullivan), The Covenant of Water (A. Verghese) Historical Fiction (Sports): Sooley (J. Grisham), Carrie Soto is Back (T J Reid) Historical Fiction (United States): The Great Alone (K Hannah), This Tender Land (W K Krueger) Contemporary Fiction New Release: The Burning Side (S. Damoff), Whistler (A Patchett) Science Fiction: 11/22/63 (S. King), Project Hail Mary (A. Weir) Books that are 450+ pages can be intimidating, but if you can spare the time, they are well worth the read! When we spend so much time with the characters and story line, we get invested (at least that's my experience!). This summer I've delved into some thick books and plan to keep picking them up as the months tick by in 2026. Mentioned in the video: The Woman They Could Not Silence (K. Moore), All the Glimmering Stars (M. Sullivan), This Tender Land (W. Kent Krueger), All the Colors of the Dark (C. Whitaker), 11/22/63 (S. King), Project Hail Mary (A. Weir), The Covenant of Water (A. Verghese), Pachinko (M. Jin Lee), The Reformatory (T. Due), The Warmth of Other Suns (I. Wilkerson), Four Hundred Souls (ed. I. Kendi and K. Blain), The Calamity Club (K. Stockett). Juneteenth! Such an important day our country's history! How are you celebrating? Do you have any good book recommendations? Two reads I plan to delve into today are Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo" by Zora Neale Hurston (I'm thinking about a reread of Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God!) and Sula by Toni Morrison (a reread of Beloved would be a great idea, too!).  I've got two videos for audio month! These are book recommendations that I rated highly as standalone reads, but all titles have been enhanced by their audio narrations. Part 1 includes: Once We Were Brothers (R. H. Balson), The Book Thief (M. Zusak), The Girl with the Louding Voice (A. Dare), Theo of Golden (A. Levi), This Story Might Save Your Life (T. Crum), Giovanni's Room (J. Baldwin), The Paradise Problem (C. Lauren), Book Lovers (E. Henry) Part 2 includes: Know My Name (C. Miller), Mad Mabel (S. Hepworth), The One (J. Marrs), Razorblade Tears (S. A. Cosby), My Husband's Wife (A. Feeney), Atmosphere (T. Jenkins Reid), The Bright Years (S.Damoff), The Burning Side (S. Damoff) What audiobooks do you recommend?? Asian American Pacific Island month brought 7 aMAYzing authors into my reading life. In this video, I talk about: - Homeseeking, Carissa Chen 4 stars (Historical Fiction - China, Taiwan, Hong Kong) - The Island of Sea Women, Lisa See 4.25 stars (Historical Fiction, Jeju Island - South Korea) - The Lion Women of Tehran, Marjan Kamali 5 stars (Historical Fiction - Tehran, Iran) - Flashlight, Susan Choi 4.25 stars (Literary Fiction - Japan, North & South Korea, US) - Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro 4 stars (Science Fiction) - Our Missing Hearts, Celeste Ng 5 stars (Dystopian) - The Book of Longings, Sue Monk Kidd 4.75 stars (Historical Fiction - Ancient Asia, Biblical times) ** not an Asian American author, but this book met a reading challenge for ancient times, and I happened to get the audio app on time to include this month with a stretch of "Asian" connection) Of course my greatest gifts are my sons, but everyone knows that a book on Mother's Day is a thoughtful gesture! Since I won't be seeing my blessings until Sunday evening, I plan on spending much of the day doing my favorite pastime, READING! Here are a few suggestions if you need a Mother's Day book recommendation: When Walls Talk (a novella) and Lines (Chicago historical fiction) by Geralyn Hesslau Magrady, Twice (romance/magical realism by Mitch Albom), Remarkably Bright Creatures (contemporary/magical realism Shelby Van Pelt), What the Wind Knows (historical fiction, Ireland 1921 by Amy Harmon), Winter Garden (historical fiction, 1940s Russia and 2000 Alaska by Kristin Hannah), Water for Elephants (historical fiction/romance 1932 by Sara Gruen), The Book of Lost Hours (fantasy/historical fiction/time travel by Hayley Gelfuso), Tom Lake (literary fiction by Ann Patchett), This Book Made Me Think of You (romance/book about books by Lily Page), Hello, Beautiful (historical fiction/romance/mental health by Ann Napolitano), Heartwood (mystery/motherhood)... and for mom, Beverly Lewis :) Happy Mother's Day! After giving up on the April tearjerker theme (see my first April video with all those novels!), I decided to pull books off my shelf from various genres. Very successful, and a last book that unknowingly enlightened my first read of May! https://www.instagram.com/get.rec_d/ The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (Fantasy) - 4 stars The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton (Dystopian) - 4.25 stars Know My Name by Chanel Miller (Memoir) - (I don't rate memoirs, but Chanel's story is a "must" read!) Shelved by Lisa Avelleyra (Mystery) - 4 stars We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker - 4.25 stars Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite (Magic Realsim/Romance) - 5 stars! Highs and lows with my tearjerker theme for April! I've got more reading in store, but I think I'll take a break from the sobbing goal. I'm drained! What was I thinking? :) Here's a recommendation video with the books I've read thus far, with highest praise and tear volume awards going to Me Before You (Jojo Moyes), This Book Made Me Think of You (Libbby Page), and Pack Up the Moon (Kristan Higgins). What are your favorite books for a cathartic cry? https://www.instagram.com/get.rec_d/ Women's History Month... all books written by female authors. What a wonderful month of reading! Atmosphere (contemporary fiction) 5⭐️, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (fantasy) 4⭐️, The Bright Years (realistic fiction) 5⭐️, The Girl with the Louding Voice (historical fiction Nigeria) 5⭐️, What the Wind Knows (historical fiction Ireland) 5⭐️, The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna (historical fiction Italy and US) 4⭐️, Good People (contemporary fiction/mystery) 5⭐️, My Husband’s Wife (mystery/thriller) 5⭐️, We Don’t Talk About Carol (mystery, historical fiction) 4⭐️, The Names (contemporary fiction) 4⭐️, Remarkably Bright Creatures (magical realism) 5⭐️, Hello, Beautiful (literary/historical fiction) 5⭐️. How to Read a Book (contemporary fiction) 3⭐️ Nonfiction Reads of March: Good Woman: A Reckoning (essays) by Savala Nolan and Just Kids (memoir) by Patti Smith https://www.instagram.com/get.rec_d/ What a month of great books written by Black authors in honor of Black History month! Included in this video wrap up: Between Friends and Lovers by Shirlene Obuobi; A Few Days Full of Trouble by Reverend Wheeler Parker Jr. and Christopher Benson; Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates; The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett; Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson; Maame by Jessica George; "Recitatif" by Toni Morrison; Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin; Kindred by Octavia E. Butler; The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead; James by Percival Everett. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Good Dirt, James, Kindred! What did you read this month? Taking a deep dive into black authors! Some classic names, some debut authors, some "new to me"... historical fiction, literary fiction, memoir... so many books so little time! In this video I talk about seven books that I read, rated and reviewed. Included: Theo of Golden, My Friends, Heart the Lover, Twice, The Book of Lost Hours, The God of the Woods, and Monday's Not Coming. If interested in reading my full reviews, please follow me on Goodreads! Support local authors, and support local EVERYTHING! I am thoroughly enjoying this reading marathon I'm on! My initial goal for 2026 was 52 books, one book per week. However, with the advent of audio books (in combination WITH the physical book... baby steps), I find that I'm reading more often. That, along with the fact that I gave up the Speech team moderator/coach position at my school, has allowed me more opportunities for this wonderful pastime. I'm researching the books first, so the number of DNFs is near zero. I'm keeping track of my books in a reading journal, rating and writing reviews, joining online book clubs, and reflecting on this experience after each conclusion. I've always loved books, but lately I find myself addicted to all things book-related. I guess there's worse things to be addicted to, right? |
