Welcome Back! School Has Resumed!

 Well, my wish for a few more weeks of summer break did not magically come true, so here it is--time to go back to school! We have a bunch of new teachers at my school this year, but I am paired with two teachers who have lots of experience. This is great because it will be my first year in a kindergarten classroom. 

I saw the funniest book online. If you are wondering what sorts of books little boys like, this is it.

Perfect for the Halloween season!

I bought a couple of shirts to wear this school year. The first one I'll wear throughout December, and the second is a reminder to myself as well. I got them via a website called Teachergram. 

What I'm reading with my ears right now...

I borrowed this from my public library via hoopla!

A Fun Contemporary Romance! And A Group I Joined To Lurk

If you are looking for a steamy contemporary romance with the secret rich guy trope and a scrappy heroine with plenty of baked goods talk. Check out this book. Audrey Lynden has a very distict writers voice. I found it engaging! One small detail from the book that I loved was that the main male character's secret nickname was Mr. Juicy Fruit.

Lemon Tart is available on Amazon and you can find all of her books on her website:

https://audreylynden.com

This is a group on Facebook where, as the name suggests, people post things that happen and how they don't care. As far as I can tell so far, it's women who are posting. It's interesting to see people freeing themselves from their own and other's expectations.

 

The Sunday Post- Happy Birthday to Me!

   

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. you can write about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme.

Today is my birthday, and I plan to do whatever I want today. My husband has been mis-aging me for a couple of months now, this is probably because he knows I find it annoying. Why age myself up? Can't I savor each day of the year? 

Yesterday, I was a featured author at my local romance bookstore, Love's Sweet Arrow. It was super fun! I met readers, some people bought my books, and there was free ice cream! You can't beat that!  

This week it's back to school. It looks like this year I'll be working in kindergarten classrooms. So wish me luck! I'm already missing my favorite preK kids. We have a couple of institute days before the kids come back. Tuesday night I'm going to have to turn back on my morning alarms. Sigh, I'll miss you summer!

TV-wise, we have been watching King of War starring Jason Mamoa on Apple and Smoke starring Journee Smollet and Taron Egerton. I've been watching the Kdrama Resident Playbook which I have been really enjoying. I like medical dramas.

What have you been reading and/or watching? 

In books I finished:

This Guy is an Auto Buy for Me!

 Well, more like an auto-borrow from my library. The Kindle version is almost ten bucks. I only buy Kindle books if they are under five dollars. I love my public library!  I read the book in a couple days, stayed up way too late to finish it, but Charlie Donlea is so good with the ticking time clock on his thrillers. This one is no exception. The story is not finished at the end of the book, and I am waiting impatiently for what happens next.

One thing I liked about this book is that a character has Bell's Palsy, she is the love interest of the main character. I liked the way she is portrayed and how the condition doesn't diminsh her in any way.

If you like Thrillers, give Charlie Donlea a read. I think you'll enjoy them.

And in author news, I'm working diligently on my work in progress, and I feel like it is going pretty well. When I write my rough drafts, I usually get to a point where I think every word I write is terrible and I should quit, but that usually happens when I'm about two-thirds done. So I've got that to look forward to! Haha!

Recent Read: Romantic Suspense Flaming Retribution and the Weather here is Flaming Hot!

So let's see what you need to know if you like Romantic Suspense. This book has a little swearing. It's closed door. Almost all of the book, they are catching feelings but not acting on them, so a very slow burn. The MFC has a cat. The MMC is a stripper and a fireman. The main male character is named Skye and the female main character is named Kendall. And in my brain, I kept swapping their genders when I started reading. The Skyes I know are all women, and I know a few guys who are Kendall. So, that's how that happened. If this sounds like a book you'd like to check out, it is available as a ebook on Amazon, and maybe other places. Here is the Amazon link: https://a.co/d/fNrOyp5

 

Recently in addition to very hot weather and high humidity, we got a bunch of rain. This is a patch of mushrooms I saw in a neighbor's yard when I was out for a run.

Oh No The End Is Near--Back to School Is Coming!

 

August is here and that means--nope I don't want to say it. I'll save it for at least another week.

So here are a couple of very different books I enjoyed recently via my Kindle Unlimited subscription. Cat Dish Gin is a slice of life book by Heather Curlee Novak. It reminded me of when I was a kid and took my mom's Erma Bombeck books and read them. Heather's book was so enjoyable that I didn't want it to end!

Here is more info on the book:

Cat Dish Gin – Life’s Chaos, Served with a Twist of Humor

Ever had a moment so ridiculous it made you wonder if Jesus Himself might take a sip of gin straight from a cat dish? Welcome to Cat Dish Gin—a sharp, witty, and wildly relatable collection of NPR essays that turn the everyday mess of marriage, motherhood, work, and aging into laugh-out-loud, life-affirming moments.

From mastering the art of parenting while losing your sanity to finding joy in life’s smallest (and strangest) victories, these bite-sized essays are perfect for women who need a reminder that imperfection is its own kind of magic.

💡 For fans of Anne Lamott, Gretchen Rubin, and Dorothy Parker.
📖 Short, bingeable, and best enjoyed out loud.
🎁 The perfect gift for moms, grandmas, and wild women everywhere.

Read Cat Dish Gin now and laugh your way to a more joyful life!: https://a.co/d/5JbCL0V

And then for something completely different, I read a romance about the tooth fairy falling in love with a human. I'm not sure if Lord Pearl by Rowen Burrows is considered a paranormal romance or romantasy. It's all about the gods and goddesses and all sorts of magic beings like the tooth fairy and the sandman. 

Here is the link to check it out- https://a.co/d/3phKAkU

Belief can be a powerful thing. Belief can be the difference between life and death.

One moment, one decision, can change the course of your life.
For Lillian Tooth, one decision left her cursed to be the Tooth Fairy.
For Grayson Simmons, one moment introduced him to the Tooth Fairy and the world of magic.

Lillian is legendary, but that doesn’t mean she is brave. Grayson is her best friend, and she has fallen for him.
Her curse leaves her afraid of rejection.

Grayson is honoured to be part of Lillian’s world. She is his best friend. Of course, he has thought about more, but he is human.
He is not worthy.

When a harmless game reveals their true feelings, they have choices to make and fears to face.
Choices and fears that can change the course of not just their lives, but magic…

Oh Shoot It's My Birthday Month. #TheSundayPost

  

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. you can write about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme.

I would say it seems like school just let out at the beginning of June. But honestly, it's been a long summer. And a hot one. I am imagining that we will have hot weather into October. We finished our third raised garden bed finally, and I think I'm going to go ahead and try planting some herbs and see how it goes. If they get to be around six inches high, I can transplant them and bring them inside for winter. And if they don't come up, I can get some mums in containers the second half of September and have some nice color by our walkway. 

It's my birthday month, so wouldn't it be nice if I didn't have to cook all month? Maybe I should ask for a no-cooking month for my birthday?

Streamingwise, we watched High Town on Netflix it's a good show. I like the main character Jackie, she is very compelling. The actress that plays her is Monica Raymund. How about you? What are you watching or reading? 

Talking Christmas in July Before it's August!

 It's the last day of July, and here I am with a Christmas in July reading recommendation. But let's face it, before we know it, the holiday season will be here. Now is as good a time as any to pick up a cozy sweet Christmas novella by Stephanie J. Scott.

OMG Christmas Tree gives you all the small town Christmas vibes and features a 'big city girl' and a 'small town guy' you may think you know exactly how it's going to end--but then again, maybe you don't.

This is a massively merry little book. If you like the Christmas time of year, do yourself a favor and pick this up--save it for a rainy day comfort read!

And speaking of Christmas, recently I was sorting old paperwork and photos that were my mother-in-laws and I came across this postcard that was sent in 1910! 

Happy Release Day To Your Mr. Brightside!

You would think since it is release day, the hard work is done! But honestly this is actually when the hard work really begins! Ugh! Marketing!

I hope people enjoy the story of Brandee and Luc finding love. If you have Kindle Unlimited you can read Your Mr. Brightside as part of your subscription. And as I'm sure you already know, reviews are super important for indie authors. I appreciate it so much when readers take the time to rate or also rate and review!

Want to know more about Your Mr. Brightside? Here you go:

Love is the last thing on her mind. A curvy girl is the last thing on his. One fateful night will change everything.

Brandee doesn’t have time to date. Between two jobs and raising her son, life is all about survival. When a rare night off lands her in a handsome man’s arms, everything changes. But he’s too young, too carefree, and so not ready for her messy life.

Luc’s life was perfectly planned. Then he meets a stunning, curvy woman and wants nothing more than to see her again. When they run into each other months after their steamy night together, Luc is determined to show Brandee why she should take a chance on him.

Just when Brandee is ready for a relationship with Luc, surprising developments change everything. How can she drag Luc into her mess? He’s ready for a lifetime with Brandee, but if she won’t take down the walls keeping him out, how long does Luc hang on?

Will Brandee stop assuming the worst and look on the bright side?

If you love steamy small-town romance with a sunshine guy who falls first, a single mom, and an age-gap where she is older, Your Mr. Brightside will tick all your boxes!

https://a.co/d/fXMiqul

An Excellent Mystery - Play The Fool

 

Since I'm out of school on break, I'm trying to go for runs outside my neighborhood. This week I ran at one of our forest preserves. It was a hot one, but every day is a hot one this summer. After my run, I thought, what the heck, let's finish this book. "Play The Fool" by Lina Chern is about a woman who is stuck. She works at a store in the Mall and has one friend. Then that friend is killed. Our main character is obsessed with finding the killer and makes some questionable decisions on the way. It's sort of a cozy in that an amateur sleuth is trying to solve a murder, there is a romance subplot, and our main character has a quirky skill (she's a tarot card reader). It's also not a cozy. It's a great read. I highly recommend adding it to your TBR.