11/1/19

Happy first day of November, friends!

We had a great time last night at my local library. The first one hundred trick-or-treaters received a full size candy bar. There were princesses downstairs for the kids to get candy from and take photos with. Upstairs I passed out candy and business cards.

It was a lot of fun and I was so glad to be a part of it. It was nice, too, that the kids had a warm place to go last night. It snowed here. And when I say it snowed, I mean for hours. Hello, fall? Where did you go?

Cue awkward bathroom selfie. It was late, so it was either my bathroom or the library's.

Library for the win!

Just a girl hanging out with her child at the library. I don't know which of my friends keeps putting my baby on the Staff Picks, but, bless you.

On my playlist

Free by Riley Clemmons

Not Today by Hillsong UNITED

Dead Man Walking by Jeremy Camp

Anxious by Sarah Reeves

Graveyard by Halsey (PG song)

Book releases I'm excited for

Amish Werewolves from Space by Kerry Nietz (Oct. 31)

Coral by Sara Ella (Nov. 12)

The Sky Weaver by Kristen Ciccarelli (Nov. 12)

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black (Nov. 19)

My October Reads

*Sherwood by Meagan Spooner

This is a retelling of Robin Hood in which Marion is Hood. The story begins with Robin's death and an unwanted offer of marriage from Sir Guy Gisbourne, who works for the Sheriff of Nottingham and has his sights set on Locksley lands. The story takes you through Marion's various stages of grief and her effort to right wrongs, all the while facing Gisbourne as both Robin Hood and as the headstrong, far from traditional Lady Marion.

I enjoyed Hunted and have always been a huge fan of the 1991 movie version of Robin Hood, so this book was an easy pick for me. I found that the more I read the more I fell in love with this story. There's a lot of depth to this book. And I won't lie, I had (Everything I Do) I Do It For You by Bryan Adams on repeat for two days.

*Romanov by Nadine Brandes

This is a Historical Fantasy about the imprisonment and execution of the Romanov family. For a long time there was speculation that Anastasia lived and escaped. Women even came forward claiming to be her. Curious how Nadine would handle this, I googled the date of the execution and waited anxiously as the chapter dates neared that time. But oh my stars, you guys, I was not prepared! The execution scene came and gasp!

I won't give away any spoilers, but I will say from that moment on out, hold on to your hat. Nadine floors it from there to the book's beautiful end. I'm excited to see what she writes next!

*Unblemished by Sara Ella

This was a re-read for me. I've wanted to read this lovely trilogy again for a while now. Between my TBR skipping ahead to November books, and Coral's release on the twelfth, it seemed like a good time to revisit the Reflections.

Eliyana Ember is a teen living with her mom in their brownstone in New York. She's shy and reserved, mostly due to the large birthmark on the side of her face. The only friends she has are the college guy next door who shares her love for music and her gorgeous but condescending friend Quinn.

After the sudden death of her mother--and sudden discovery that she is, in fact, alive!--her life becomes something she never imagined.

Enter the world of the Reflections, where kisses can bond souls, girls can turn into griffins, and a once hideous birthmark might save them all from the darkness of the Void.

Blessings,

--J  💙