A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi: Book Review

A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi Book Cover

4.5 Stars. Shirin is so relatable, despite our obvious differences. Who wouldn’t be angry and withdrawn after all she’s experienced, especially when she was born in the US and speaks better English and gets better grades than most of the people who give her a hard time? “I’m tired as hell, Mr. Jordan. I’ve been trying to educate […]

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Ten Books I Gave Away

Ten Books I've Given Away

Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl invited us to share a “spring cleaning freebie” this week. She explains, “For example, books you’re planning to get rid of for whatever reason, books you’d like to clean off your TBR by either reading them or deciding you’re not interested, books that feel fresh and clean to you […]

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Weekly Update for March 7, 2021

Welcome to my weekly update for March 7, 2021! I disappeared for a few weeks while my husband was off of work but I should be back to my regular schedule now. I need to start building a bigger cushion of pre-scheduled posts! Scheduling one week ahead usually feels like an accomplishment to me. Lesson […]

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Weekly Update for February 21, 2021

Welcome to my weekly update for February 21, 2021! We’re still in Tucson at the moment. For Valentine’s Day, we went to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, which is more like a zoo. We were excited to finally see a javelina! The gray wolves were beautiful. Posted: Nothing. My husband has taken some time off between […]

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Weekly Update for February 14, 2021

Welcome to my weekly update for February 14, 2021! Happy Valentine’s Day! I’ve had another busy week so there hasn’t been much going on in my little corner of the blogosphere. We left Joshua Tree National Park and headed to Saguaro National Park, staying as socially distanced as we can by traveling and staying in […]

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Wires and Nerve by Marissa Meyer: Book Review

4 Stars. It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of The Lunar Chronicles (especially on audio), so when I stumbled on these books at the library, I had to bring them home. Iko has always been sort of the comic relief of the series for me. Even if she isn’t truly being funny, she still generally provides lighter moments when the story […]

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Top Ten Romantic Books

Ten Romantic Books

Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl invited us to share a Valentine’s Day/Love Freebie this week. I’m not a big romance reader but I do pick up the genre occasionally. I also don’t object if books in other genres have a strong romance angle. So here are my top ten romantic books. (Links go to […]

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Weekly Update for February 7, 2021

Welcome to my weekly update for February 7, 2021! The governor lifted Southern California’s stay-at-home orders so my husband and I took the opportunity to drive our RV up to Joshua Tree National Park for a long weekend. We’ve had beautiful weather while we’ve been here. It’s so nice to get out and hike again! […]

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The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick: Book Review

The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick Book Cover

4 Stars. I read and loved Ms. Patrick’s first book, The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper, during my blogging break. I was excited to listen to another one of her books. I really enjoyed The Library of Lost and Found as well, and for a lot of the same reasons. Martha Storm is so lonely but she’s so kind and has so much to give […]

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End of Watch by Stephen King: Book Review

End of Watch by Stephen King Book Cover

4 Stars. I haven’t reviewed the earlier books in this trilogy so this will act as more of a series review. I’ve done my best to avoid any spoilers but there may be some small ones. I wouldn’t classify these books as horror simply because that implies a level of the supernatural and/or gore that this series doesn’t achieve. But […]

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