Light Hearted Read

 Happy Sunday my bookish friends,

This week has been long and tough but I have managed to get through it. Not saying that I didn't have a few meltdowns along the week. Reading gives me the mental escape that I need when life is rough. Picking the right book for this mental health day is key to helping anyone get through the hour, day, or week.  When I am really suffering from high anxiety I need something that is light-hearted and just a fun read. On these days I definitely stay clear of anything that could be considered a heavy read with content that could send my anxiety into high gear.

I stumbled upon a book that is definitely typically a Christmas book that would be read during the holidays but I have never heard of the author and the title pulled at my heartstrings because I have a love for witches that is almost over the top. 

Sleigh Bells by Bella Falls was a wonderful, magical light read that I needed in my life when things are so heavy. Her characters are whimsical and are brought to life. I have so many favorite characters within this book that makes it hard to decide on just one but the Squirrel Nutty is in the top three. Bella Falls brings paranormal and shape-shifting wrapped in a nice package. If you need something that is light and just simply bliss I highly recommend this.

Synopsis from Good Reads:

Have yourself a very Merry Witchmas in Holiday Haven, where the magic and mystery of Christmas is a snow joke!


Aurora Hart hates everything Christmas, but how could she turn down the opportunity to serve one year of probation in Holiday Haven versus a full sentence for her crimes? Saddled with a talking squirrel roommate, Aurora is doing her best to keep a low profile as she bides her time. Everything is going fine…until Santa’s sleigh gets stolen.

Now, all eyes are on her and the other town Humbugs, and it’s up to Aurora to keep her behind from ending up back in jail. With the help of a very important person from the North Pole, she finds herself hot on the trail of the real culprit. But it will take her having to do something she’s never done before—accepting new friends and their assistance. Only then will Aurora be able to turn not only her own life around but also Christmas for the entire world!

Will Aurora be able to solve the mystery of who stole Santa’s sleigh in time? Or will the culprit get the final sleigh?

Have a wonderful week,

Armarius

Winter, Tea, &Books

  Good morning, my bookish friends.

Woke up this morning to find that part of my wish was granted, school is on a two-hour delay. That means I get to stay in my pj's a little longer, sip hot tea, and decide what I am going to read for February. On several of the social media sites that I belong to everyone seems to have a book in mind for this month. With this in mind, I would like to focus on Black authors. If you have any suggestions on what authors to check out please comment. This morning I plan on researching several authors for my February TBR pile. This pile keeps growing and if I had one wish or desire reading and discovering new authors could be my full-time job. Working in the school system can be draining mentally and physically. I keep telling myself that I am doing good work there but my heart is elsewhere in my career. February is also known as the month of romance. Keeping this in mind I will also be looking for a romantic author to review that of course is not well known to many of us.

Have a great day, stay warm, and read

Armarius

Bring the tissues for this book!

Good evening my bookish friends,

I was recommended a book by someone on Facebook reading but they failed to inform me that I would need a box of tissues to along with it. The book, A Day Like This, by Kelley McNeil, was a page-turner. As I was reading this I could just feel the main character's Annie turmoil of not knowing what is real and what is not. This book had me guessing the ending with each page that I turned. The research that McNeil must have done for brain injuries and false memories must have taken a while but giving her story credibility and bringing it to life. I do not want to spoil the ending for anyone but it will not leave you for wanting. I give this read 5 stars out of 5 stars. 

Here is the Goodreads synopsis in case you missed it before;

Annie Beyers has everything—a beautiful house, a loving husband, and an adorable daughter. It’s a day like any other when she takes Hannah to the pediatrician…until she wakes hours later from a car accident. When she asks for her daughter, confused doctors tell Annie that Hannah never existed. In fact, nothing after waking from the crash is the same as Annie remembers. Five happy years of her life apparently never happened.

Annie’s marriage is coming to an end. Now a successful artist living in Manhattan, she’s no longer home in their beloved upstate farmhouse. Her long-estranged sister is more like a best friend, and her recently deceased dog is alive and well. With each passing day, Annie’s remembered past and unfamiliar present begin to blur. Haunted by visions of Hannah, and with knowledge of things she can’t explain, Annie wonders…is everyone lying to her?

The search for answers leads Annie down an illuminating path far from home, to reconcile the memories with reality and to discover the truth about the life she’s living.

To: my readers, what book should I read next? Please comment below with your suggestions with title and author.

Happy reading,

Armarius

Book mistakes

 Good evening, my bookish friends.

Have you ever started reading a book just to realize that it is book 6 out of the series? Well, I did just that. Before Christmas, I started a series by Karen White called the "Tradd Street Series". I just finished up book 6 in the series called, "The Christmas Spirits on Tradd Street". I may have liked this book better than what I did if I would have started with book 1 first instead of book 6. However, with that being said there were some things that I really liked about this book and there were some things that I really hated about this book.

First, let me give you the synopsis of the book:

Melanie Trenholm should be anticipating Christmas with nothing but joy--after all, it's only the second Christmas she and her husband, Jack, will celebrate with their twin babies. But the ongoing excavation of the centuries-old cistern in the garden of her historic Tradd Street home has been a huge millstone, both financially and aesthetically. Local students are thrilled by the possibility of unearthing more Colonial-era artifacts at the cistern, but Melanie is concerned by the ghosts connected to the cistern that have suddenly invaded her life and her house--and at least one of them is definitely not filled with holiday cheer...

Let's start with what I liked about this book. The plot about Melanie and the women of her family having psychic abilities is a change of pace from what I have a habit of reading. Since I am a history buff I love how she has intertwined the historical architecture and the Revolutionary War into this great mystery that Melanie has found herself in. The conflict between her husband and herself has me demanding answers to where I have requested the series from my local library.

What I did not like; I did not like how insecure Melanie seemed to be and how often she made mention of how sexy she thought her husband to be. There were times that I felt like returning this book back to the library but I wanted to give it a fair chance so I stuck with it. Now I fully understand that I had started this series in the middle without realizing that and I may have understood where her insecurities come from especially when it concerns her half-sister that has just come into her life and that is the nanny for her twin babies.

So I am giving this a 4 out of 5 stars.

Happy reading,

Armarius

Book Review of River by Ryen Lesli

 Good Saturday morning, my bookish friends.  This has been a stressful week at the school that I work at with the rise of illnesses and absences. My anxiety was on a crushing point that my chest felt as if it was crushing in. But do not fear because I am feeling much better this morning after the great care and patience of my husband.

I was reviewing some of the great books that I have read in the past two years. One popped up that I thought was my full duty to share this amazing read to you for that if I should not keep this wonderful author to myself. 

River (The Beginning of the End Book 1) by Ryen Lesli.  I have read the two books from this series and devoured both of them in a matter of a couple days which is amazing for me with my busy schedule. Her character development is amazing. This hidden gem of an author has left me wanting to know more about River and what is to happen in her world. I still need answers to what happens next and looking forward to the next in this series. You can find this amazing book on Amazon. Please do not judge that you can find it on Amazon because I hear such negativity from people on this daily but I am a seeker of authors and books that may be overlooked due to prejudices of places that it may have been published or genre. I highly recommend this book to everyone that wants a new adventure. 

This is the synopsis from GoodReads: 

Does she have a secret life? One even she doesn’t know about?

Ever since seventeen-year-old River can remember, she’s always had the real sense that she is in the wrong place. Because of this, she battles a constant restlessness that consumes her. Running is the only thing that helps.

Another reason she knows she’s wrong?

She can see the light around a person. Everyone gives off energy and somehow, River can see a bit of it. She knows when someone’s good or bad. She just doesn’t know what a blurry light means, as the light around the creepy new kid, Wicked.

Upon seeing him, something inside her breaks open; a crack along some forgotten wall that frees a painful wave of raw emotion and faint visions and an emerald-eyed boy that River doesn’t remember but knows she should.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Armarius

MY TBR is growing rapidly

 Good afternoon, bookish readers

    Yesterday I was going over my TBR pile and realized that it is growing faster than I can read. Does anyone else out there feel as if they will never finish their pile? I wished that my wallet would grow as fast as my TBR pile. My goal for this pile is to get through it this year along with the books that I have planned for this reading blog. 

    Some days I feel alone in my love affair with books. I walk into a book store or library feel as if I am coming home. There are days that I feel like a failure as a woman because I do not like to go shopping and wondering around aisle upon aisle of things to buy that I don't need. Give me a book store and my mood lightens up with the possibilities of traveling to different worlds and eras. Reading is what keeps me sane and the anxiety attacks at bay. 

    I have started "A Day Like This" by Kelley McNeil and so far have found myself drawn into the story. When a story can pull me in from the first few chapters it shows great promise. Often when I read there have been many times that the story is slow that I give up by the first five chapters. If someone would ask if I would recommend this by what I have read my answer would be yes but this could change since this affair with this book has just started. Like with any affair it could burn quickly out just as it had just started. 

With these rambling's thoughts, I bid you a good day.

Armarius

Good Morning Book Lovers

 Good morning, my bookish friends.

    I finished the House of Dolls in one sitting. The illustrations as I mentioned in my earlier blog are beautifully well done. This is a short story about "In a little house from another time, with lace curtains in every window and paintings hung in gold doily frames, Wildflower, Rockstar, and Miss Selene live a warm and cozy life. They wear fancy dresses, bake play-dough cakes, and spend their days enjoying one another's company.

For the three dolls, life is small but good.

But life is not good for Madison Blackberry, the owner of the dollhouse. Her grandmother pays more attention to the dolls than to her. The dolls have one another, but she is lonely in her big, empty apartment.

Then one day, as things always do—even for dolls—everything changes.

This beautiful story from the acclaimed team of Francesca Lia Block, author of such novels as Weetzie Bat, and Barbara McClintock, author and illustrator of many picture books, including Adèle & Simon, brings to life the power of love, family, and friendship."

If you want a lovely short story to read I highly recommend this author and story.

The next book that I found at the library, Girls Who Looked Under Rocks, The Lives of Six Pioneering Naturalists by Jeannine Atkins, and Illustrated by Paula Conner. This is another book that the illustrations just blew me away. 

Synopsis:

 

Six female naturalists were pioneers in their field looking at things a different way, perhaps, because they were not immediately accepted into mainstream, male-dominated science. This book talks about their personal histories and how they shaped their studies of nature. The women profiled are Maria Sibylla Merian, Anna Botsford Comstock, Frances Hamerstrom, Rachel Carson, Miriam Rothschild, and Jane Goodall.

I would recommend this to anyone that has a child that is interested in science.

Have a great bookish day,

Armarius

Library Book Haul

 Hello, my bookish friends,

    After work today I stopped at my public library to pick up a copy of "A Day Like This".  While there I came across several other recommendations that other fellow book lovers have given me the past week. Books at first glance I typically would have just bypassed them because they are small and appears to be geared towards children. 

The first book "the House of Dolls" by Francesca Lia Block and illustrated by Barbara McClintock. The illustrations just blew me away. Just for this one reason, I would highly recommend this book. I plan on reading this tomorrow evening when it is less hectic and I am back to a normal routine. 

I will share my thoughts on this work of literature. I just love it when others share their treasured books with me. These are the best gifts in my opinion. This is a very short blog post tonight but it has been a very long day and I want to cuddle up with another book that I would like to finish this evening. So with that, I will bid you all a good night. 

Armarius

A Day Like This A Novel

 Good Evening, my bookish friends

    Today has been a weird and crazy day for me. I went back to work today at an elementary school from a long two-week break. Trust me when I say that break just was not long enough but I sure did my kindergarten class, they are so sweet. I forgot half of my supplies and grabbed the wrong laptop from home to take to work. Oh! I highly recommend that if you wear glasses to make sure that you wear them when brushing one's teeth. LOL, I almost put Icy Hot on my toothbrush this morning. That would have been a horrible mistake to make. So with all the book recommendations that I received and with how crazy today has been, I have decided my next book read will be "A Day Like This" written by Kelley McNeil. 

This is a little about Kelley McNeil that was found on Goodreads:

Kelley McNeil is the author of the 2021 novel, A Day Like This. She worked in the entertainment industry, promoting concert tours and theatrical events prior to turning her full attention to writing. A native of Pittsburgh, she spent a number of years living in the Catskills region of New York. These days you can find her in South Florida with her family most of the time. A Day Like This is her debut novel. Follow her on Instagram at @kelleylmcneil or visit www.kelleymcneil.com.

Synopsis of "A Day Like This"

Annie Beyers has everything—a beautiful house, a loving husband, and an adorable daughter. It’s a day like any other when she takes Hannah to the pediatrician…until she wakes hours later from a car accident. When she asks for her daughter, confused doctors tell Annie that Hannah never existed. In fact, nothing after waking from the crash is the same as Annie remembers. Five happy years of her life apparently never happened.

Annie’s marriage is coming to an end. Now a successful artist living in Manhattan, she’s no longer home in their beloved upstate farmhouse. Her long-estranged sister is more like a best friend, and her recently deceased dog is alive and well. With each passing day, Annie’s remembered past and unfamiliar present begin to blur. Haunted by visions of Hannah, and with knowledge of things she can’t explain, Annie wonders…is everyone lying to her?

The search for answers leads Annie down an illuminating path far from home, to reconcile the memories with reality and to discover the truth about the life she’s living.

So with that, I bid each one of you a good night.

Armarius

 

The Book Charmer Part Two

 Happy New Year,

    I am hopefully that this year brings great fortune to everyone and that we all discover new authors and favorite books. Yesterday I discovered and greatly sadden that Betty White passed away. She has always been an icon but she discovered new popularity these past few years with her quirky personality and love of animals. She will be missed by so many. 

Possible Spoiler Alert:

    On this rainy New Year day I finished the Book Charmer. This book just floored me. I was not expecting to like this as much as I did. The characters personalities come out on the pages and develop as you read.  Karen Hawkins if you happen to be reading this, I read a lot and scarcely find a book that makes me laugh, relate to one or more characters on things that might say or do, and just made me want to continue to read to find out what happened next. I applaud you because you hit eveyerything that I had mention on the head. Also I absolutely loved that the cat's name is Killer. This made me giggle really for no other reason but that I have a cat and can relate to this name. 

Some of my favorite quotes from the book:

This quote can be found on page 123 and is so true about life. " Grace's eyes burned. Truth was a funny thing. On it's surface, it was all good, a measure of person's character. But under certain circumstances, truth was a burden you spared someone else. 

This quote can be found on page 155. This scene happens when Sarah basically forces Grace to carpool by catching her as she was attempting to leave for work. " The smell of vanilla and cinnamon filled the car, mingling with that of coffee." "She sipped the coffee. It poured over her tongue and warmed her from head to toe." I just love this description of the love of coffee. This is how I feel every time that I drink coffee or tea. 

This quote can be found on page 143 and happens around Mama G's funeral (which Karen you made me cry during this part of the book). "Love can't cure a broken heart, but it can hold the two sides together while they heal." This is so accurate as I think of the people that I have lost and having my husband with me to morn them helps to heal. 

I can not wait to read the next book in this series. With fully understanding that this book may not be everyone's cup of tea I highly recommend giving it a try this may just surprise you.

I give this book 5 stars out of 5 stars.

Looking at several possibilities for my next book that I will read and review. If you have a suggestion please leave a comment.

"I knew who I was this morning, but I have changed a few times since then"- Alice in Wonderland

Have a cup of something hot to drink, comfy chair, and a good book. I bid you a good day.

Armarius