I don’t know where July went! But I suppose I have the books to prove it happened… 😉

Roseanna’s Reads

With the Kids/On Audio

The Library of Lost Things by Laura Taylor Namey
Xoe went with me to a writers conference last week, which involved a 5-hour drive in each direction. We decided to pass the time with an audiobook so went hunting for a YA to enjoy together. We settled on this one largely because its run time fit our drive time, and it was SO GOOD! There was some minor language, but it detract from the otherwise-clean story for us, and we so enjoyed this beautifully-written, sweet romance story about a girl who loses herself in literature to escape from real life, in which her mother is a hoarder…and the boy who inspires her to truly live. Now we both want to read Peter Pan, which is quoted often in the book!

For the Edit

Miranda and the Miner by Melody Carlson
Melody’s Westward to Home series continues with this second book, and it’s just as fun as the first! I wasn’t sure if it would shift its focus entirely to the title character or what, but I’ve enjoyed having a continued look into the life of the heroine from book 1 as well following her stepsister on her own adventure. Melody Carlson fans, or anyone who loves western romances, will love this series!

For Fun

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
Yes, I’m still working my way through the HP series. =) Almost finished, too! Book 6 was certainly enthralling…and horrifying…and thrilling…and I expect I’ll be picking up book 7 very soon so I can see how this whole adventure resolves! I definitely didn’t see some of the twists in this one coming!

For Book Club

On the Cliffs of Foxglove Manor by Jaime Jo Wright
We can just assume that if it’s by Jaime, it’s good, right? Yep. This one was no exception. One of her signature time-slips, this one had a hunt for Confederate gold, a creepy old mansion, an autistic-savant brother, and a heroine with a fascinating (and terrifying) past that no one would believe. I loved both story lines and, of course, how they wove together so brilliantly! Once again, Jaime Jo Wright has written a winner!

For Fun

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
We’ve been watching the Netflix series and enjoying it, but I felt like I didn’t fully grasp the world from the show (and had heard good things about the books) so bought the trilogy. I dove into the first book and devoured it in just a few sittings. So good, and it definitely gave me a better understanding of the GrishaVerse! Though I have to say, I found the Darkling more compelling in the show, when we could see more of him than the book’s first-person POV allowed. Just goes to show how each medium can shine. =)

For Fun

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Yep, read the second book in the Shadow and Bone trilogy too! Just as good as the first, and since Season 2 of the show isn’t out yet, it was all new storyline for me, which was fun. There were some twists I really hadn’t expected there at the end! I finished it while I was away at Montrose Christian Writers Conference and hadn’t brought book 3 with me, otherwise I would have immediately picked the final book up to see where Alina went next!

Rachel’s Reads

Well, my plan to knock off a bunch of books from my TBR this summer fell by the wayside. So today I’m going to share some favortie reads of the year, so far, from myself, Carrie from Reading is my SuperPower, and Beth from Faithfully Bookish.

From Carrie

The Woman With the Blue Star by Pam Jenoff

1942. Sadie Gault is eighteen and living with her parents in the Kraków Ghetto during World War II. When the Nazis liquidate the ghetto, Sadie and her pregnant mother are forced to seek refuge in the perilous tunnels beneath the city. One day Sadie looks up through a grate and sees a girl about her own age buying flowers.

From Rachel

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.” January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb. . . .

From Beth

Gentleman Jim by Mimi Matthews

She Couldn’t Forget…
Wealthy squire’s daughter Margaret Honeywell was always meant to marry her neighbor, Frederick Burton-Smythe, but it’s bastard-born Nicholas Seaton who has her heart. Raised alongside her on her father’s estate, Nicholas is the rumored son of notorious highwayman Gentleman Jim. When Fred frames him for theft, Nicholas escapes into the night, vowing to find his legendary sire. But Nicholas never returns. A decade later, he’s long been presumed dead.

From Beth

The Indebted Earl by Erica Vetsch

Can Captain Wyvern keep his new marriage of convenience all business–or will it turn into something more?
Captain Charles Wyvern owes a great debt to the man who saved his life–especially since Major Richardson lost his own life in the process. The best way to honor that hero’s dying wish is for Wyvern to escort the man’s grieving fiancée and mother safely to a new cottage home by the sea. But along the way, he learns of another obligation that has fallen on his shoulders: his uncle has died and the captain is now the Earl of Rothwell.

From Carrie

Someone Found by Teresa Tysinger

Life’s detours can be the most important steps we’re meant to make.

Injured and stranded, hiker Quinn McAlister is stuck recovering in Laurel Cove, North Carolina. The quiet mountain town and its polite residents are a far cry from the stifling home and painful disappointments back in Maine. When her handsome rescuer offers her a place to stay, she’s faced with coming to terms with her past and putting faith, for once, in a hopeful future.

 

From Rachel

Beauty Among the Ruins by J’nell Ciesielski

American socialite Lily Durham is known for enjoying one moment to the next, with little regard for the consequences of her actions. But just as she is banished overseas to England as a “cure” for her frivolous ways, the Great War breaks out and wreaks havoc. She joins her cousin in nursing the wounded at a convalescent home deep in the wilds of Scotland at a crumbling castle where its laird is less than welcoming.

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