Take ten: books that mesh well with school starting

Here is a list of books that we are enjoying with school starting up. My oldest is starting kindergarten this year, so we are having fun with some of the books I enjoyed as a kid and some new ones.;) As usual, if you are interested in learning more about the book, click the image to go to Amazon. This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for helping to support my book hobby.;)


1. The Magic School Bus series

I have been reminded how much I enjoyed these books as a kid by reading them to my own children!

2. The Truth about my Unbelievable School


3. The Kissing Hand

This is such a sweet book to prepare kids for being away from their parents at school.

4. Take Away the A

Not really a book about school, but I love how it shows kids how easy it is to change words and how much fun it can be!

5. At the Same Moment Around the World

This is another fun, educational book that shows one moment around the world. It's a great book for teaching about time.

6. Dear Dragon

Remember school pen pals? This is a super cute book about school pen pals.;)

7. We're All Wonders

I love reading this one to my kids!

8. Be A Star, Wonder Woman

My daughter loves Wonder Woman (no, we have not let her see the recent movie!), so she adores this book!

9. Alpha Oops

This is a fun one!

10. E-mergency

This is one of those fun books that is written every bit as much for adults as it is kids, since it has so many fun play on words! I highly recommend this one for all ages.;)
What books are on your list? I thought about including books that I enjoy, like Harry Potter (and the most awesome school ever), but this wound up being challenging and fun to stick with kids books! I hope you enjoy the list as much as I have with putting it together!

Fit to be Tied

The Bucklin family loves each other too much to stay away. . . but not enough to behave

Being rich is fine, but when wealth comes from striking oil, it's a slippery mess for a family who doesn't know what to do with it. The Bucklin cousins are all together again, and this family reunion is shaping up to be another disaster.

Coralee falls for the police officer who pulls her over. Sally has finally found a guy, but now she's not sure a relationship is even worth the bother. No matter how hard Brett tries to avoid trouble, he somehow stumbles right back into the thick of it. And Marybeth and Bucky continue to fumble and bumble as they learn how to handle being rich.

The Bucklin family is known for drama--and Bucklin family drama knows no bounds.

My thoughts: While I enjoyed the first book in this series, I thought that this one was even more fun, since it continued the stories of a lot of the characters from the first book! A few of the main characters took a back seat in this one, but that left room for a few others to step up with their stories, which was so much fun. I really liked that Sally still had her point of view, since I can relate to her and how close she is to her sister. This is such a fun series about a large family working out their differences and dealing with their unique struggles and victories. I highly recommend it!
I received this story from Gilead publishing. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.


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Mourning Dove

Welcome to the blog tour & giveaway for Mourning Dove by
Claire Fullerton, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Mourning Dove
 

Author: Claire Fullerton

Publisher: Firefly Southern Fiction
 

Release Date: June 29, 2018
 

Genre: Southern Fiction, Family Life
 



"An accurate and heart-wrenching picture of the sensibilities of the Am
erican South." Kirkus Book
Reviews







The heart has a home when it has an ally.



If Millie Crossan doesn't know anything else, she knows this one truth simply
because her brother Finley
grew up beside her. Charismatic Finley, eighteen months her senior, becomes Millie's guide when their
mother Posey leaves their father and moves her children from Minnesota to Memph
is shortly after
Millie's tenth birthday.



Memphis is a world foreign to Millie and Finley. This is the 1970s
Memphis, the genteel world of their
mother's upbringing and vastly different from anything they've ever known. Here they are the outsiders.
Here, they only have each other. And here, as the years fold over themselves,
they mature in a
manicured Southern culture where they learn firsthand that much of what glitters isn't gold. Nuance,
tradition, and Southern eccentrics flavor Millie and Finley's world as they
find their way to belonging.



But what hidden variables take their shared history to leave both brother and sister at
such disparate
ends?



 PURCHASE: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

---

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

My thoughts: This book is an interesting taste of the South in the 1970's, where old and new ideas clash, old money and ways meet with the 1970's way of thinking that turned the things on it's head. It's unique to read the story through Millie's eyes, and has a memoir feel to it. While the characters have a lot of depth to them, some of them where hard for me to really like. The story jumps around a bit, but is well written and unique.
I received this book from Just Read Tours. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.

Claire Fullerton grew up in Memphis, TN and now lives in Malibu
, CA. She is the author of
contemporary fiction,
͞
Dancing to an Irish Reel,
͟
set in Connemara, Ireland, where she once lived.
Dancing to an Irish Reel is a finalist in the 2016 Kindle Book Review A
wards, and a 2016 Readers
’
Favorite. Claire is the author of
͞
A Portal in Time,
͟
a paranormal mystery that unfolds in two time
periods, set on California’s hauntingly beautiful Monterey Peninsula, in a village called Carmel-
by
-the-
Sea. Both of those novels are published by Vinspire Publishing. Her third novel, Mourning Dove, is a
Southern family saga, published in June 2018 by Firefly Southern Fiction.
She is one of four contributors
to the book, A Southern Season, with her novella, Through an Autumn
Window, to be published in
November 2018 by Firefly Southern Fiction.
 



CONNECT WITH CLAIRE: website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

---

TOUR GIVEAWAY

Claire Fullerton is giving away:

• 1 audiobook of Mourning Dove (US only)

Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midn
ight August 21, 2018 and
last through 11:59pm August 28, 2018. US only. Winners will
be notified within a week of close of the
giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.
Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Follow along with the tour at JustRead for a full list of stops!

Out of North Korea Review and Giveaway

Can even God save him now?

An atheist journalist. A North Korean prison camp. An enlightening novel you won't soon forget.

"My favorite Christian fiction book of all time ... and I’ve read many." ~ L.D.


***

A single photograph could cost his life ...

Ian McAllister has searched the world over, hunting for that all-elusive perfect photograph.

He finds it on a tourist trip to North Korea when he stumbles upon a young street kid foraging for roots.

Unaware that this single act will cost his freedom, Ian takes the shot.

Now he must pay the penalty.

***

A true-to-life novel about an American imprisoned behind North Korea's closed borders.

A gripping tale of courage, faith, and hope from award-winning Christian novelist Alana Terry.

Read it today.

My thoughts: This is book is excellent! Well written and a realistic portrayal of what it could be like to be accused of being a spy in a foreign country. I thought that Alana did a wonderful job of writing about hard topics and breathing life into the story. This book is thought provoking and very interesting. It was hard to put down! I highly recommend it.
I received this book from Celebrate Lit. This is my honest review and is no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.

Purchase a copy:

This post contains affiliate links.

About the Author:
Alana is a pastor’s wife, homeschooling mom, self-diagnosed chicken lady, and Christian suspense author. Her novels have won awards from Women of Faith, Book Club Network, Grace Awards, Readers’ Favorite, and more. Alana’s passion for social justice, human rights, and religious freedom shines through her writing, and her books are known for raising tough questions without preaching. She and her family live in rural Alaska where the northern lights in the winter and midnight sun in the summer make hauling water, surviving the annual mosquito apocalypse, and cleaning goat stalls in negative forty degrees worth every second.

Guest Post from the Author:
Have you seen in the news that the leaders of North and South Korea have both publicly stated their willingness to promote peace on the Korean peninsula? It was certainly a historic moment, and this part of the world has earned its place in global headlines.

My interest in North Korea, however, goes back over a decade, when as a young mother I received a prayer burden for the people of North Korea. Fast-forward to five years ago when my debut novel was released. The Beloved Daughter follows the life of a young girl who is sent to prison camp because of her father’s Christian faith. In addition to winning several awards, The Beloved Daughter gave an expression to my prayer burden to see North Korea free to worship the one true God.

Out of North Korea is unique among my other titles because it’s the first story that focuses on an American in North Korea. Ian McAllister is captured and held in a Pyongyang prison because of a photograph he took of a young homeless boy. I hope the message leaves you as inspired and encouraged as I was when I was writing it.

Blog stops.

Giveaway:
Enter to win a $30 gift card to Amazon here!

Journey to Jericho review and giveaway!

In this fourth installment of The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls, Peter and Mary find themselves in the middle of the battle of Jericho.
The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls series follows siblings Peter and Mary and their dog, Hank, as they discover ancient scrolls that transport them back to key moments in biblical history. In this fourth adventure, the time-traveling trio journeys to an ancient desert and finds the Israelites preparing to enter the Promised Land. With limited time to solve the secret of the scroll, Peter and Mary join Israelite spies on a reconnaissance mission to Jericho; sneak Rahab to safety; and ultimately face the scheming man in black as the walls of the city begin to crumble. Fans of the series will love this whirlwind adventure that brings the Bible to life. Ages 6-9 years.

My thoughts: We love this series! It is such a fun way to bring different events from the Bible to life for kids. I love that the books are so engaging, told from the point of view of a 9 and 10 year old sibling duo. We enjoyed journeying with Peter and Mary to the camp of the Israelites, just outside of the city Jericho, as they prepared for marching around the city. It's fun how the two children not only take part in the events, but also have to solve the mystery of what is written on the scrolls before they can go home. I highly recommend this series!
I received this book from Worthy publisher. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a copy of the book from the publishers.

Giveaway:
The publisher is graciously offering a copy of Journey to Jericho to one of my lucky readers! Just leave a comment on this post with your favorite book to read to your children (or to the kids in your life) and a way for me to contact you if you win. I will draw the winner in a week!


This post contains affiliate links.

Pumpkin Spice cookbook

If you rush to Starbucks at the first hint of cool weather . . . If Pumpkin Spice Latte is your fall drink of choice . . . If you need a way to recover from a busy summer and take a breath before a busy holiday season, this book is for you. Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice Coloring Book includes gorgeous illustrations featuring your favorite images of autumn. This one-of-a-kind adult coloring book has classic fall quotes, fun sayings, and Bible verses featured alongside detailed coloring pages.
Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice Coloring Book offers hours of enjoyment and reflection and makes the perfect gift for anyone who loves fall.
So settle in by a crackling fire for an evening of relaxation, rest, and pumpkin spice!

My thoughts: Okay, so I will fully admit to being one of those people who embraces pumpkin everything in the Fall (I may have already started making pumpkin bread this year.... lol), so I was thrilled to receive this Fall themed coloring book! I love the Fall and pumpkin inspired coloring pages, the lovely quotes, and just how it works so well for the upcoming season. The only downside to the book is that there are coloring pages on each side of the page, and the paper isn't terribly thick, so it isn't ideal for coloring with markers. That said, it's a gorgeous coloring book and I look forward to using it more as we go into Fall!
I received this book from Book look Bloggers. This is my honest review and is in no way influenced by receiving a complimentary copy.


This post contains affiliate links.

Top Ten books to get you out of a reading slump

Here are some books that have helped me get out of a reading slump, or ones that would get me out of one.;) Some of them may just be favorites that would make my day. lol. As usual, just click the image to go to the Amazon page to learn more about the book. This post does contain affiliate links. Thanks for supporting my hobby!;)

1. Murder at the Flamingo

This one helped me out of a recent reading slump, with it's delightfully unique characters and fun scene.

2. The House on Foster Hill

I'm sure you can kind of tell, this one is a bit creepy, but so hard to put down! It has some incredible twists that really got me thinking.

3. The Reckoning of Gossamer Pond

Another one that is hard to put down, I really loved that this one was based on a true story and that there were some unique twists for the main characters. I highly recommend it!

4. Shadow Sister

This one is sad, thought provoking, and hard to put down, with it's sense of mystery.

5. The Bradford Sisters Romance


Is it weird that I related a lot to both sisters? I can't wait to read the 3rd book!

6. Then There Was You

Not only is the cover cute, but the story is wonderful too.;)

7. The Story Peddler

Loved this one so much!

8. Basically any Sandra Boynton

We adore her books at this house! They are bound to drive away any funk. lol. If there are kids in your life, then they need her books!

9. Blue Justice Series


This is another incredible series! I can't recommend it enough, since it a masterfully written mystery series about a family involved in law enforcement.

10. Close to You

Another great love story!

Bonus!
Fawkes

I can't talk about this one enough, since it is such a fun combination of magic and history!

I wound up with sticking to more recently read books that have helped me out of reading funks, but I could of included classics like Harry Potter, the Chronicles of Narnia, and the Hunger Games.
What books are on your lists this week? Have you read many on my list?