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2026 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

My Progress:


27 / 30 books. 90% done!

2026 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

2026 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

My Progress:


39 / 50 books. 78% done!

2026 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama
- Alaska (1)
- Arizona
- Arkansas (1)
- California (7)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut (1)
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii (1)
- Idaho (1)
- Illinois (2)
- Indiana (1)
- Iowa (1)
- Kansas
- Kentucky (1)
- Louisiana (2)
- Maine (4)
- Maryland (1)
- Massachusetts (2)
- Michigan (2)
- Minnesota (2)
- Mississippi (1)
- Missouri
- Montana (1)
- Nebraska (1)
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey (1)
- New Mexico
- New York (4)
- North Carolina (2)
- North Dakota
- Ohio (3)
- Oklahoma
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania (1)
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina
- South Dakota (1)
- Tennessee
- Texas (3)
- Utah (1)
- Vermont (1)
- Virginia (1)
- Washington (1)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin (2)
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*

International:

- Australia (6)
- Austria (1)
- Canada (2)
- England (21)
- Fiji (1)
- France (1)
- Ireland (2)
- Italy (1)
- Mexico (1)
- New Zealand (1)
- Norway (1)
- Scotland (1)
- The Bahamas (1)
- Vatican City (1)

My Progress:


34 / 51 states. 67% done!

2026 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

My Progress:


24 / 25 books. 96% done!

2026 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

My Progress:


29 / 50 books. 58% done!

Booklist Queen's 2026 Reading Challenge

My Progress:


38 / 52 books. 73% done!

2026 52 Club Reading Challenge

My Progress:


34 / 52 books. 65% done!

2026 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

My Progress:


22 / 40 books. 55% done!

2026 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge

My Progress:


24 / 51 books. 47% done!

2026 Medical Examiner Mystery Reading Challenge

2026 Mount TBR Reading Challenge

My Progress


19 / 25 books. 76% done!

2026 Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge

My Progress


44 / 52 books. 85% done!

Shelf Reflection Candy Reading Challenge for Kids (and Adults)

My Progress:


54 / 65 books. 83% done!

2026 Countdown Reading Challenge

My Progress:


55 / 55 books. 100% done!

2026 Series Reading Challenge


23 / 36 books. 64% done!

Dragon Rambles' Law of Fives Bingo

Dragon Rambles' Law of Fives Bingo

My Progress:


70 / 125 books. 56% done!

2026 Southern Literary Reading Challenge

My Progress:


9 / 9 books. 100% done!

2026 Reading Challenge (by Linz the Bookworm)

My Progress:


36 / 60 books. 60% done!

2026 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge

2026 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge

My Progress:


10 / 40 books. 25% done!

European Reading Challenge 2026

My Progress:


7 / 50 books. 14% done!

2017 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge (retired challenge - doing old boards for fun)

My Progress:


67 / 125 books. 54% done!

2026 Reading Challenge Addict Reading Challenge

My Progress:


4 / 5 challenges. 80% done!

The 100 Most Common Last Names in the U.S. Reading Challenge

My Progress:


98 / 100 names. 98% done!

The Life Skills Reading Challenge

My Progress:


76 / 80 skills. 95% done!
Friday, June 02, 2017

Book Spotlight: Winds of Change by Jean Holbrook Mathews (With a Giveaway!)

May has been a cray-cray month in my household and I am—once again (always?)—behind on everything there is to be behind on.  Unfortunately, that means I just did not get around to reading Winds of Change, an LDS historical novel by Jean Holbrook Mathews, that I was supposed to review today.  Since I've only read a few chapters of the book, I'm not going to do a review of this one, just a quick spotlight.  If it sounds like a book you'd be interested in reading, don't forget to use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter a giveaway for a copy of the book and a $25 Amazon gift card.

Here goes with the novel's official plot summary:

http://www.blogginboutbooks.com/p/lds-authors.htmlThe year is 1854, and change is in the air throughout India.  Within the walls of her grand home in Calcutta, Sarah McCune anxiously awaits the future.  After eighteen months at war, her husband, a sergeant in the Bengal Army of the East India Company, has made an extraordinary proposal: leave all the comforts of their life in Asia for an unknown future in America.  As recent converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sarah and her husband are drawn to the promise of Zion.  So, despite their fears regarding the dangerous voyage before them, they and their four children embark on a journey of faith that will test the limits of their conviction and define generations to come.  This breathtaking saga, based on the historical journals of one Latter-day Saint family, invites readers to experience the sacrifices and perils of these early pioneers as they faithfully seek a land of promise
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com/p/arizona-authors.html
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If you'd like to read more reviews of Winds of Change, follow along the book's blog tour:


If you'd like to enter to win your own copy of the book as well as an Amazon gift card, enter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thursday, June 01, 2017

Bright, Hopeful Lemons A Sweet MG Debut

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

As if watching her mom waste away from the effects of cancer wasn't awful enough, 10-year-old Lemonade "Lem" Witt is now being forced to leave the only home she's ever known.  She's already lost her mother, does she really have to give up San Francisco, with all its beauty, bustle, and memories?  Apparently so.  Lem's being sent to live with her maternal grandfather—a man she's never met—way up in northern California.  Good thing she's not planning to stay in tiny, leafy Willow Creek.  The minute another guardian is found for her, Lem will be heading right back to the City by the Bay.

When Lem meets Tobin Sky, her grandfather's 10-year-old neighbor, she's even more convinced that she's landed on an alien planet.  Obsessed with Bigfoot, the boy can talk of little else.  When Tobin "hires" her to be his assistant at Bigfoot Detectives Inc, Lem reluctantly goes along with it.  After all, Podunkville offers very little in the way of scintillating entertainment.  As the duo traipses all over town in an attempt to catch the elusive creature on film, they form a bond that will change both of them.  Together, they learn some very important lessons about loss, love, family, and the life-altering power of a Twinkie offered in friendship.

Lemons, a debut novel by child and family therapist Melissa Savage, is a bright, enjoyable book that explores the idea of turning the sour experiences of life into something sweet.  All of the main characters have suffered in some way or another and every one of them must find a way to cope.  As Lem learns how to deal with her own grief, she helps others face their own demons.  This makes her a very empathetic heroine.  She's also funny, brave, and loyal, which means she's the perfect narrator for this engaging story.  The tale deals with tough subjects, yes, but its overall tone is hopeful and uplifting.  Its a fun adventure that will appeal to anyone looking for a sunny summer read about turning lemons into lemonade.  

(Readalikes: Um, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for brief, mild violence and some mildly scary images


To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of Lemons from the generous folks at Crown Books for Young Readers.  Thank you!

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Want more opinions on Lemons?  Check out the books other tour stops below:

May 2:  Bookhounds YA
May 10: Word Spelunking
May 13: Cafinated Reads
May 20: The Owl
May 23: Awesome Book Nut 
June 1: Xpresso Reads
Tuesday, May 30, 2017

TTT: The Rest of 2017 Is Looking Intriguing Indeed

It's Tuesday again, which means it's time for another round of my favorite weekly meme on the Internet.  If you haven't participated in this bookish fun before, what are you waiting for?  Click on over to The Broke and the Bookish to see what all the buzz is about, make your own list, and hop all over the book blogosphere to find new blogs and get lots of great reading recommendations.  It's a good time, I promise!

This week's prompt is: Top Ten Most Anticipated Reads for the Rest of 2017.  It feels like I just did this topic since I used the "Cover Freebie" topic from a few weeks ago to talk about Top Ten Books I'm Excited to Read When They Come Out in Fall/Winter 2017.  Good thing there are so many awesome books still coming in 2017!  Here are ten that I'm looking forward to that I haven't highlighted yet this year:

Top Ten (oops—make that Eleven) Most Anticipated Reads for the Rest of 2017: 


 1. York by Laura Ruby—I'm in the middle of this MG steampunk adventure by the author of Bone Gap (one of my favorite books of 2014) and it's tons of fun.  It's about three kids who are trying to solve a 150+-year-old, world-famous cipher in order to save the home they love in an alternative NYC.  Available now.

 
 2.  Wishtree by Katherine Applegate—I adored both The One & Only Ivan and Crenshaw, so I can't wait to see what Applegate will do with her newest.  Told from the perspective of a tree that functions as the wishing well for a small town, the story should be interesting!  Coming September 26, 2017.

2.  The Agony of Bun O'Keefe by Heather T. Smith—Bun is the daughter of a hoarder.  When her mother tells her to leave, she does.  On the streets of Newfoundland, she meets a quirky cast of characters who become her makeshift family.  Sounds intriguing to me.  Coming September 5, 2017.


3.  Forest Dark by Nicole Krauss—This adult novel about a young novelist and an older lawyer, both searching for themselves, who end up in the same Israeli desert sounds engrossing.  The title makes the book sound like a horror novel, or at least a thriller, so I'll be interested to see how it comes into play in the story.  Coming September 12, 2017.


4.  My Brigadista Year by Katherine Paterson—This historical novel features a young Cuban teen who volunteers with Castro's national literary campaign.  As she travels the countryside teaching people to read, she learns important lessons about her country and herself.  Coming October 10, 2017.


 5.  Landscape With Invisible Hand by M.T. Anderson—I enjoyed Feed, Anderson's YA novel about the dangers of technology addiction.  His newest sounds similarly exciting and thought-provoking.  Coming September 12, 2017.


 6.  Slider by Pete Hautman—I don't think I've ever read a novel about competitive eating, so this MG sounds especially tantalizing.  Coming September 12, 2017.


 7.  The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott—This historical novel about an Irish immigrant's dramatic suicide and the way that it impacts his widow and unborn child sounds depressing but compelling.  Coming September 19, 2017.


 8.  Invictus by Ryan Graudin—I loved Graudin's The Walled City, although I haven't been as impressed with her subsequent books.  Still, I'm excited to check out the author's newest.  It's a time-traveling adventure that sounds fun.  The reviews seem a bit so-so, but I still want to see what Invictus is all about.  Coming September 26, 2017.


 9.  Red Dirt by Anna Jarzab—This gritty mystery set in small-town Oklahoma looks intriguing.  Coming August 29, 2017.


 10.  Auma's Long Run by Eucabeth Odhiambo—In this MG novel, a 13-year-old Kenyan girl in the 1980s must decide whether to keep pursuing her dream of becoming a track star as her village is invaded by AIDS.  Sounds sad, but inspiring.  Coming September 1, 2017.

So, what's on your list today?  What are your most anticipated reads for the rest of the year?  Do we have any in common?  Leave me a comment and I'll happily return the favor.

Happy Top Ten Tuesday!

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Life Story of "Salty" General Authority Entertaining, Uplifting (With a Giveaway!)

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Although he served as a General Authority in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for 46 years, devotion to the Lord is not the trait for which J. Golden Kimball is best known.  In a church that preaches purity in all things—including speech—he was infamous for his "salty" language.  Wielding sharp observational skills, a quick wit, and a penchant for profanity, Kimball remains one of the most colorful men in LDS history.  Stories about the apostle are the stuff of  Mormon legend, but who was the man behind the myth?

http://www.blogginboutbooks.com/p/lds-authors.htmlIn her new book, J. Golden Kimball: The Remarkable Man Behind the Colorful Stories, Kathryn Jenkins Gordon seeks to answer that very question.  She traces Kimball's life from his birth in 1853 (he was one of 65 children born to his polygamist father, Heber C. Kimball), to his early career as a mule driver and rancher, to his remarkable "career" as a leader in the LDS Church, to his death in 1938.  Gordon's account is peppered with lively anecdotes that show Kimball in all his dichotomous glory.  Although he was often criticized for using speech unbecoming of a man of God, his devotion to the Lord and to the Church is undeniable.  Sacrificing everything in the name of the Father, he was a man not unacquainted with poverty, disappointment, and grief.  Yet, he always bore a strong testimony of the Gospel's truth.  

Although I loved learning the details of J. Golden Kimball's life, my favorite part of this book is the anecdotes sprinkled in the margins.  Highlighted are funny, "salty" things he said both person-to-person and over the pulpit.  I read the majority of them out loud to my husband and we had some great laughs together.  Gordon's voice is light and engaging, which made the text even more entertaining.  I knew I would find this biography interesting; I just didn't realize how truly delightful the read would be.  Both humorous and poignant, this is an excellent, very readable account of the life of a truly one-of-a-kind individual.  I highly recommend it if you're looking for a quick, enjoyable read that still manages to be uplifting and inspirational.  

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for mild language (no F-bombs) and brief rude humor

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of J. Golden Kimball: The Remarkable Man Behind the Colorful Stories from the generous folks at Covenant.  Thank you!

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Want more opinions of this book?  Follow along on its blog tour:


*May 24th: http://mybookaday.blogspot.com/http://ldswritermom.blogspot.com/http://lisaisabookworm.blogspot.com/http://rockinbookreviews.com/
*May 26thhttp://booksaresanity.blogspot.com/http://thethingsilovemost.com/http://whynotbecauseisaidso.blogspot.com/http://literarytimeout.blogspot.com/

Would you like a chance to win your own copy of J. Golden Kimball: The Remarkable Man Behind the Colorful Stories and a $25 Amazon gift card?  Enter the giveaway below:

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