Some Favorite Books This Week!
I’ve been having a tough time keeping up with both the reading AND posting here. While I get it all sorted out, I thought I could at least post the reviews here to Amazon, so you can read them there!
By the way, the first book on the top line above is my own book, published in April to help restaurants through the pandemic. Know any restaurateurs, restaurant managers, or head chefs? Let them know about the book! It could save their business!
Note: I am listing reviews as I do them each day. Sometimes, Amazon takes days or even a week or more to approve these reviews, so you will see a lag between when I list reviews and when a link is available. The longest I had to wait was 3.5 weeks!
Note about Goodreads and BookBub Reviews Linked Below
Sometimes, you’ll see me link to my review at Goodreads or BookBub. That’s usually because I’m having some sort of issue with Amazon: they’re taking waaaaay too long to post the review or they’ve rejected the review because they say it isn’t up to “community standards.” They are never specific… and just ask me to review the community standards page. I wish they would be specific… so I can avoid whatever it is they don’t like. Most “rejected” reviews are rather tame; some are even 5 stars. I’ve noted that some words seem to trigger it, like boring or transitioning. Hey, sometimes things just ARE boring, and it is much more succinct to say that than “visually unappealing” when talking backgrounds in children’s activity books! Others completely leave me scratching my head about what might be “wrong” with the review.
Hope that life becomes a little more sane so I can post my full reviews here soon!
Fiction
Historical Romance
- An Inconvenient Engagement by Allyson Jeleyne
- Pont Neuf by Max Byrd
- Amethyst by Krystal M. Anderson
Contemporary Romance
- Deserving Darcy by Kiara Cawood
- Gelato Surprise by Sadira Stone
- A Case of Longing by Lily Baines
- Love, Art, and Other Obstacles by Sadira Stone
- Runaway Love Story by Sadira Stone
- Forever Hearts by Elle Linder
Mysteries, Suspense, and Thrillers
- Bloodmages and Blackmail (Book #10) by Lily Webb
- Magic and Mystery Bundle Books 7-9 by Lily Webb
Speculative Fiction
- Prado’s Choice by J. R. Pace
- Upon Us by Blakely Chorpenning
- The Witch-Hunter Trilogy by K. S. Marsden
- Poisoned Fate by Laura Greenwood
- Disgraced Lords of the Immortal by various authors (only Lord of War by Jen Katemi reviewed—didn’t like the mashup of Hebraic and Celtic mythos)
Chick Lit / Women’s Literature
- You Oughta Know by Sue Phillips
- The Cliffside Inn by Jessie Newton
- The Switch by Beth O’Leary (audiobook; amazing narrators and great British chick lit story)
Children’s Fiction
- Francesco Tirelli’s Ice Cream Shop (a fictionalized account of a real Italian who helped save Jews in WWII in Hungary)
- A Quiet Girl by Peter Carnavas
- Sunny the Bunny by Jace Higgins and Paige Bekish
- Bear by Ben Queen (a sweet graphic novel of a service dog that is having new trouble with his vision… surprisingly touching!)
- This Book is Alive! by Justine Avery
- Where Do Dinosaurs Go on Vacation by Kim Ann
- Enchanted Trees — The Complete Series by Katherine Towers
- Daddy, I’m Here by Mike Leinwand
Nonfiction
General
- Oh My Ghost! Halloween Word Search Puzzle Book by Jenna Kims
- She Votes by Bridget Quinn
- Down the Line by Pam Ayres (humor)
- 100 Things to Do in a Forest by Jennifer Davis
- 50 Halloween Word Search Puzzles for Adults by Smiling Family Publications
- The Homeschool Teachers Planner by Romney Nelson
- The Guitar Fretboard by Guitar Nation
- Around the World in 80 Trees by Jonathan Drori
- 1000 Word Search Puzzle Book for Adults by TayPuzzle Books
- Russian Conversation Made Natural by Language Guru
- Spanish Conversation Made Natural by Language Guru
- It’s Time for Wine by Ellen Blair
Health, Wellness, & Medicine
- Use It or Lose It by Milo Kemp
- The Healthiest Meal Prep Guide on Earth by Dexter Mason
- Healing the Gut Microbiome and Toxic Brain by Pureture HHP
- Fasting by Zilker Press
- Weight Loss Psychology by Zilker Press
Gardening
- Big Yields, Little Pots by Rosefiend Cordell
- Houseplants 101 by Peter Shepperd
- Introduction to Raised Bed Gardening by Peter Shepperd
Self-Help & Spiritual
- A History of Magic, Witchcraft, and the Occult by DK
- Healing Mantras by Verda Harper (very different–not light-n-fluffy new age… rather a deep dive into Sanskrit mantras and Vedic sacred texts… fascinating!)
- Quick Blueprints: How to Manage Stress by Benjamin Moore
- Quick Blueprints: How to Improve Memory by Benajamin Moore
Business, Money, & Investing
- Real Estate Investing Online for Beginners by Edward Day
- Raising Capital for Real Estate by Edward Day
- Domain Name Flipping by Gregory McGuire
- Flipping Houses with No Money Down by Gregory Day
- The Non-Obvious Guide to Small-Business Marketing by Rohit Bhargava
- Getting that First Job or Internship in Finance by Wayne Walker
Cookbooks
- Women in the Kitchen by Anne Willan (a look at the history of domestic cooking by looking at cooks… with recipes… including updated ones)
- Good for You by Akhtar Nawab (an eclectic mix of foods the author considers healthy)
- Tagines 101 by Tifa Adray
- Exquisite Crockpot Keto by Kent Thacker
- The Kosmic Kitchen Cookbook by Sarah Kate Benjamin and Summer (herbal healing grounded in Eastern practices with a lot of simple and complex recipes meant to be yummy and healing)
Children’s Nonfiction (including activity books)
- When Plants Attack by Rebecca E. Hirsch (audiobook)
- Nature’s Ninja by Rebecca L. Johnson
- Don’t Let Your Participle Dangle by Vanita Oelschlager
- Chibi Boy Power Kawaii Coloring Book for Kids by Rainbow Snow Press
- Chibi Girl Power Kawaii Coloring Book for Kids by Rainbow Snow Press
- Would You Rather: Super Funny Edition by Virgil K. Cox
- Number Tracing Book for Preschoolers and Kids Ages 3-5 by Mum Teacher
- Kindergarten Math Workbook for Kids Ages 5-6 by Activity Learning
- I Feel Sad by DK
- Would You Rather Game Book for Kids Ages 6-12 by Hayden Fox
- The Laura Ingalls Wilder Companion by Annette Whipple
- Wait, Rest, Pause by Marcie Flinchum Atkins (audiobook–poor narration)
- Addition & Subtraction Color by Numbers by Wizo Learning
- Step by Step Drawing Forest Animals by Little Pencil
- Hilarious Jokes for 7-Year-Old Kids by Hayden Fox
- Grace, Not Perfection for Young Readers by Emily Ley
- Ocean Atlas by Tom Jackson
- Word Search for Kids ages 6-8 Challenge by Activity Josh
- Learn to Write Sight Words Workbook by Funhouse Press
- Good Vibes Coloring Books for Teens by Happy Harper
- Would You Rather Game Book — Road Trip Edition by Hayden Fox
- Ocean Animals Coloring & Activity Book for Kids by Dreamland Publishing
- Would You Rather Superheroes & Superpowers Edition by Wiffan