Top 10 Tuesday: Where I LOVE to buy books

 My Top 10 Places to Acquire Books

(Post inspired by / created by The Broke and Bookish Blog)

Disclaimer: This post began as a way to talk about where I get my books and turned into a post about my favorite book stores I've ever visited (which are also favorite places to buy books).

1. The Library & library book sales!

 This is a no-brainer because books are free to borrow and library book sales are SO CHEAP. You can always find a hidden treasure - and used books just feel so good, with the pages worn from turning and use.

The Strand

2. The Strand in NYC

 This is my favorite bookstore to get lost in - floors of books - and the recommendations are always fantastic. A must-see if you're traveling to NYC.

3. Half Price Books in Madison, Wisconsin

This bookstore is what it says, used (and sometimes new) books, deeply discounted. I've found a lot of favorites here, and I love to buy gently used copies of books for my classroom as I browse these shelves.

A Room of One's Own

4. A Room of One's Own in Madison, Wisconsin

This is a queer-owned bookstore on the east side of Madison, and is one of my favorite local places to shop. I love the book seller's recommendations and the selection of authors, including many local artists. It's my favorite place to go for new books that I will know I love, and they have a great selection of poetry and YA novels.

5. Mind Chimes Bookshop in Three Lakes, Wisconsin

I didn't expect to find this little haven in the middle of the north woods in Wisconsin, but it's there and I'm a forever customer. Their selection of new and used books are very tailored to my reading tastes and this is such a special place that I hope lives on so I can continue going every vacation.

Leopold's Bookstore 

6. Leopold's Bookstore in Madison, Wisconsin

A bookstore and café/bar in one, this is one of the most aesthetic places I've every hung out. The vibes are immaculate and it's a great place to spend an afternoon sipping a delicious latte and getting lost in a book. Their selection is limited, but they pick great books and rotate in new ones all the time.

7. Auntie's Bookstore in Spokane, Washington

This is a cute bookstore in downtown Spokane that I stumbled upon while there on a trip. I loved the recommendations and their collection of poetry - some of the books were signed, and the staff was great at pointing me toward books I would love.

8. Barnes and Noble

This is an oldie but a goodie, and if I have to go corporate to find a good book, I want to use this one over Amazon. I still go here when I want to browse with a great selection. I also love to go here for gifts and other bookish things. 

9. Airport Book Stores

I don't know about you, but travel makes me want to read. Nothing is better than being on an adventure and buying a book to take with you - I take vacation books very seriously, but often need more than one, so sometimes I hold off on buying a book until I'm at a place, and then I get it as a memento of that trip.

Auntie's Bookstore in Spokane, WA

10. Gift Shops in Cool Places

See above -- anytime I'm on a trip, I'm looking for the cutest bookstores to make my trip complete. The ones in small towns, the mom and pop shops, the hole-in-the-wall adventures where you can pick up a book and treat yourself. Love it.

Currently Reading: The Canyon's Edge by Dusti Bowling

 Currently Reading...

The Canyon's Edge by Dusti Bowling

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: September 8, 2020

Summary from Goodreads: A novel in verse about a young girl's struggle for survival after a climbing trip with her father goes terribly wrong.

One year after a random shooting changed their family forever, Nora and her father are exploring a slot canyon deep in the Arizona desert, hoping it will help them find peace. Nora longs for things to go back to normal, like they were when her mother was still alive, while her father keeps them isolated in fear of other people. But when they reach the bottom of the canyon, the unthinkable happens: A flash flood rips across their path, sweeping away Nora's father and all of their supplies.

Suddenly, Nora finds herself lost and alone in the desert, facing dehydration, venomous scorpions, deadly snakes, and, worst of all, the Beast who has terrorized her dreams for the past year. If Nora is going to save herself and her father, she must conquer her fears, defeat the Beast, and find the courage to live her new life.

........................................................................................................................................................................................

Why I'm Reading it:

I chose this book because it was recommended to me by a friend who knows I love books in verse. We are both avid readers and thought that this book was unique because it's an adventure story in verse, and I haven't read any of those!

So far, I really like the mystery. You know the main character has been through it, and she's lost her mom, but you don't know how or why. She's dealing with a lot of emotions and struggling to stay present, but she references a lot of monsters and aggressors who are tormenting her in her dreams. At the very beginning of the story, something intense happens and she's left to fend for herself and fight for her own survival. I'm excited to see how she copes and makes it through...at least I hope she will...

Book Trailer by Guadalupe

 

Book Trailer for "The Moon and I" by Guadalupe S.O.

Waiting on Wednesday...Tessa Bailey and Bridgerton!

 Waiting on Wednesday posts are meant for books that you're looking forward to reading (or Bookish things you're looking forward to), so this post will include a couple of my favorites.

First, I'm waiting on the next Tessa Bailey book, The Au Pair Affair, out on July, 16, 2024.

I LOVE Tessa's books and will usually pre-order them because she's so consistent and good, and I love her characters and their witty banter. This is book two in a series called the "Big Shots" series, which is Tessa's first entry into the genre of sports romance. 

Here's a summary from Goodreads:

 #1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey returns with an all-new sports rom-com about a burly, surly, single dad who falls head-over-hockey-stick for his quirky live-in nanny...

Tallulah is smart, vivacious, and studying to be a marine biologist. She’s also twenty-six and broke. So when Burgess, a battle-scarred hockey veteran and newly single dad, offers her a job as his live-in nanny, she jumps at the opportunity to get paid while living in a super fancy neighborhood and being around Lissa, his cool but introverted tween.

Her tween charge isn’t the only one who could use some help fitting in, though. According to…well, everyone except Burgess, he needs to get back on the dating scene, and adventurous Tallulah is just the girl to show him how. But as boundaries are slowly crossed and Burgess finds himself pulled between his daughter, who wants her parents back together, and his insane chemistry with Tallulah, a huge rift is formed, and Tallulah does the “right” thing—breaks her own heart and walks away.

Though Burgess knows it’s for the best—he’s too jaded, with too much baggage—a chance meeting, and a new push from his daughter, forces him to put everything on the line and fight to prove he learned his lessons well and is worthy of a happily ever after with Tallulah (Goodreads).  

I really liked the first book in this series, Fangirl Down, which was about a down-on-his-luck golfer and the fangirl turned caddy that helps him turn his game around.  It was a true grumpy-sunshine romance that Tessa Bailey does so well, and it delivered with the banter and characterization of the couple as they bicker their way into falling in love. I adore books that are dual perspective and where the guy falls for the girl early on and we get to see how his "grumpy" turns off, only for her, as she brings out a different side to him that no one has seen before. We also meet the characters in The Au Pair Affair in this first book, and I already love them, so the next book can't come out soon enough! 

Here's a quick Goodreads Summary of Fangirl Down: 

#1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey launches a super sexy sports romance series with a rom-com about a bad boy professional athlete who falls for his biggest fan...

Wells Whitaker was once golf’s hottest rising star, but lately, all he has to show for his “promising” career is a killer hangover, a collection of broken clubs, and one remaining supporter. No matter how bad he plays, the beautiful, sunny redhead is always on the sidelines. He curses, she cheers. He scowls, she smiles. But when Wells quits in a blaze of glory and his fangirl finally goes home, he knows he made the greatest mistake of his life.

Josephine Doyle believed in the gorgeous, grumpy golfer, even when he didn’t believe in himself. Yet after he throws in the towel, she begins to wonder if her faith was misplaced. Then a determined Wells shows up at her door with a wild proposal: be his new caddy, help him turn his game around, and split the prize money. And considering Josephine’s professional and personal life is in shambles, she could really use the cash…

As they travel together, spending days on the green and nights in neighboring hotel rooms, sparks fly. Before long, they’re inseparable, Wells starts winning again, and Josephine is surprised to find a sweet, thoughtful guy underneath his gruff, growly exterior. This hot man wants to brush her hair, feed her snacks, and take bubble baths together? Is this real life? But Wells is technically her boss and an athlete falling for his fangirl would be ridiculous… right? (Goodreads).

I would recommend both of these books (even the one I haven't read yet) and anything else by Tessa Bailey!

In other Romance Waiting on Wednesday news...

I am also looking forward to the next season of Bridgerton on Netflix, which is released (Part 1) on May 16th, 2024. The Bridgerton series of books is one of the first that really got me hooked in the Romance genre when I was in high school, and I have read every book by Julia Quinn, including all of the Bridgerton books, multiple times. 

   

The first two books have been made into seasons for the series, and I'm eagerly anticipating the third season, starring Penelope and Colin, the heroine and hero of book #4, Romancing Mr. Bridgerton. This is my second favorite book in the series because it was the first time I could see myself in a romance character when I was younger. In a sea of skinny and beautiful girls, there's Penelope who's a little curvier, a lot wittier, and still so deserving of love. This book is a friends to lovers romance, and I'm so excited to see it on screen after the first two seasons of establishing their friendship on the show. The actress who plays Penelope, Nicola Coughlan, is one of my favorite actresses, and I'm excited for her to finally be the main character!

Happy reading and watching!

- C

Currently Reading...

 Little Fires Everywhere

by Celeste Ng

Penguin Books, 2017

Summary from Goodreads: Everyone in Shaker Heights was talking about it that summer: how Isabelle, the last of the Richardson children, had finally gone around the bend and burned the house down.

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is meticulously planned - from the layout of the winding roads, to the colours of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.

Enter Mia Warren - an enigmatic artist and single mother- who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenage daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than just tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past, and a disregard for the rules that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

When old family friends attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town - and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at an unexpected and devastating cost . . . (Goodreads).

I picked this book because it was on the NYT Bestseller list for awhile and Barack Obama added it to his recommendations list that he publishes every year. I really like mystery, so I thought it might be fun to read and then watch the television series that was created based on the book. Now that I'm a little ways into the book, I am enjoying the different characters and learning each of their stories through flashbacks. It's interesting that once I'm feeling a little put out with a character or not understanding why they're doing what they're doing, the story will switch perspectives and give me a little more backstory to help me understand them, and I usually end up liking them more as a result. The most interesting part of this book is the beginning - the story starts at the end, with the fires, and then the entire book is written with you, the reader, trying to understand who is really at fault and why they started the fire in the house that most of the book is set in. I feel like I'm on their side, but I'm excited to find out if I keep that perspective as more and more is revealed. I'll let you know...

Happy Reading!

- C

Genreflecting & Read-Alikes: True Biz by Sara Novic

 

True Biz by Sara Novic

TRUE BIZ (adj./exclamation; American Sign Language): really, seriously, definitely, real-talk (Goodreads).

True Biz is a fiction book that bridges both adult fiction and YA realistic fiction. The point of view switches between different characters as you read, giving you a taste of both adults and teenagers, all attending or teaching at a school for the deaf. They are all connected to the deaf world in some way, either they are deaf themselves, or they grew up in a family that spoke ASL because one or more people are deaf. It's a book that dips into niche genres such as disability, romance, LGBTQ, and Coming of Age. For a hearing person like me, it opens up a whole new world I had little exposure to, conversations in the story are written in dialogue when spoken, italics when in ASL, and there's a lot of nonverbal and facial communication that is explained through vivid description. There are even breaks between chapters where the author helps non-ASL speakers visualize ASL and we learn some signs for common expressions. Between the students, there's drama and romance, breakups and lingering feelings, same-sex relationships and straight relationships. It feels like a normal high school, with the same drama and cliques, the same lessons to learn, but an added layer of depth as characters new to ASL and an all-deaf school try to gain their bearing. It's so interesting, and I'm learning a lot!

Here are some other books similar to True Biz - Check them out!

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

In this exhilarating novel by the best-selling author of The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry two friends--often in love, but never lovers--come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality (Goodreads).

Remarkable Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

For fans of A Man Called Ove, a charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope, tracing a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus (Goodreads).

Counterfeit by Kristin Chen

For fans of Hustlers and How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, the story of two Asian American women who band together to grow a counterfeit handbag scheme into a global enterprise--an incisive and glittering blend of fashion, crime, and friendship from the author of Bury What We Cannot Take and Soy Sauce for Beginners (Goodreads).

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng

A novel about a mother’s unbreakable love in a world consumed by fear (Goodreads).

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results.

Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant, and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist (Goodreads).

Happy Reading!

- C

Top Ten Tuesday

 My Top 10 Favorite Children's Books of All Time

1. Stellaluna by Janelle Cannon

I loved this book growing up; it was a comforting story about the love of family and finding your way home to your mother's arms. When my mom read it to me, I always just wanted to be wrapped up in her arms, safe and sound.

Summary from Goodreads: Stellaluna is the tender story of a lost young bat who finally finds her way safely home to her mother and friends. This award-winning book by Janell Cannon has sold over 500,000 copies and was on the bestseller list for more than two years.

2. Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran

This book reminds me of playing outside when I was little. I always loved playing house more than anything, especially after a snowstorm. I would build a fort, make "food," and boss my little brother around as we made up our own world. My friends and I had a whole village made up down by Cherokee Park on the lake. Roxaboxen is all about that imagination and play, and it makes me so nostalgic today.

Summary from Goodreads: Marian called it Roxaboxen. There across the road, it looked like any rocky hill—nothing but sand and rocks, and some old wooden boxes. But it was a special place. And all children needed to go there was a long stick and a soaring imagination.

“A celebration of the transforming magic of the imagination. An original.” —ALA Booklist

3. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszca

I loved this take from the wolf's POV. It made for an interesting story and let you see his perspective in how silly the pigs could be. I loved the narrator's voice that brought out the character of the wolf.

Summary from Goodreads: You thought you knew the story of the “The Three Little Pigs”… You thought wrong. In this hysterical and clever fracture fairy tale picture book that twists point of view and perspective, young readers will finally hear the other side of the story of “The Three Little Pigs.”

4. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

I loved the adventure in this book. Still can't get over Max having to skip dinner, but oh well.

Goodreads Summary: Max, a wild and naughty boy, is sent to bed without his supper by his exhausted mother. In his room, he imagines sailing far away to a land of Wild Things. Instead of eating him, the Wild Things make Max their king.

5. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

This was my OG going to bed book. As an adult, I can't get over the art and the use of color in the illustrations. 

Goodreads Summary: In a great green room, tucked away in bed, is a little bunny. "Goodnight room, goodnight moon." And to all the familiar things in the softly lit room -- to the picture of the three little bears sitting on chairs, to the clocks and his socks, to the mittens and the kittens, to everything one by one -- the little bunny says goodnight. In this classic of children's literature, beloved by generations of readers and listeners, the quiet poetry of the words and the gentle, lulling illustrations combine to make a perfect book for the end of the day.

6. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

I loved this book as a kid because it made hard days easier. Taught you that other kids also woke up on the "wrong side of the bed" and that it was okay to be a little grumpy.

Goodreads Summary: Alexander knew it was going to be a terrible day when he woke up with gum in this hair.

And it got worse...

His best friend deserted him. There was no dessert in his lunch bag. And, on top of all that, there were lima beans for dinner and kissing on TV!

7. Everyone Poops by Taro Gomi

Didn't every little kid obsess a little about poop and what animal poop looked like? Just me?  The illustrations in this one are simple but also artistic at the same time!

Goodreads Summary: Since we all eat, we all must poop. All of us! Everyone!

This wonderful, modern-day toddler classic presents information that children both want and need in a refreshingly honest, informative, and age-appropriate way.

8. Strega Nona by Tomie DePaola

She's crafty, and I love her. All the spaghetti! I think I liked this one because I loved spaghetti and a little petty behavior. 

Goodreads Summary: When Strega Nona leaves him alone with her magic pasta pot, Big Anthony is determined to show the townspeople how it works.

9. The Classic Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

A classic with a naughty rabbit. I loved the illustrations and the whole tale this built. Reminds me of the Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, which was a favorite show then.

 Goodreads Summary: "Now, my dears," said old Mrs Rabbit one morning, "you may go into the fields or down the lane, but don't go into Mr. McGregor's garden."

Follow the story of naughty Peter Rabbit as he squeezes—predictably—under the gate into Mr. McGregor's garden and finds himself in all kinds of trouble! But how does Peter Rabbit get himself out of this tricky situation? Beatrix Potter's story about one mischievous but ultimately endearing little creature will tell us, accompanied by beautiful illustrations and timeless verses which have transcended generations.

'The Tale of Peter Rabbit', first published in 1902, is still today one of Beatrix Potter's most popular and well-loved tales. 

10. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff

This book is so funny, and I loved the entire series here. A giggle to be had, for sure. And one that you can still reference and allude to.

Goodreads Summary: "If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk..."

If a hungry little traveler shows up at your house, you might want to give him a cookie. If you give him a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk. He'll want to look in a mirror to make sure he doesn't have a milk mustache, and then he'll ask for a pair of scissors to give himself a trim...

The consequences of giving a cookie to this energetic mouse run the young host ragged, but readers of all ages will come away smiling at the antics that tumble like dominoes through the pages of this delightful picture book.