Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday #84: Books I NEED to Read This Year

Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Their blog can be found here.


June 28th: FREEBIE WEEK -- topic of your choice or go back and do one you missed!

Sunday, June 26, 2016

Prancing Dancing Lily by Marsha Diane Arnold & Illustrated by John Manders

My Bookish Itinerary Cutie Pie's Shelf Children's Book Reviews


Title: Prancing Dancing Lily

Author: Marsha Diane Arnold
Illustrator: John Manders
Length: 32 pages
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers
Classification: Children's Book
Release Date: March 30, 2004
Source: Library Book
The cows in Lily's herd are always dignified as they walk from the barn to the pasture.  But Lily would much rather prance and dance!  One day Lily decides to leave the farm and venture out on her own.
All over the world-from New York City to Spain to Senegal-Lily learns new dances and makes wonderful friends.  But none of the dances are quite right for a cow, and soon Lily starts to miss home.  Will she ever find a place where she fits in?
Spirited, funny, and utterly uplifting, Prancing, Dancing Lily is sure to delight anyone who has ever felt different from the herd.

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Waiting on Wednesday #42: Stalking Jack the Ripper


"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

2016 Virtual Adult Summer Reading Program Sign-Up Post


2016 Virtual Adult Summer Reading Program!

Hosted by:
&

Here is how it works.
Between now (the first day of Summer) June 20th thru September 5th 2016, we encourage you to read as many books as you can. These can be books you have been meaning to read, or you can now select one of the lists that we created below based on your interest. The most important thing in all of it is to have fun reading!
We have picked the theme “Get Hooked On Books” for Summer 2016. To that end, the levels that you will be reading are based off that theme. Your level will be calculated at the end of the summer and based off that you will be eligible to win awesome prizes! In order to win the prizes at the end of summer, you must sign up using the linky below and provide us with your status during our monthly posts in July, August, and September.
Guppy Read 1 to 5 books
Minnow Read 6 to 10 books
Fishing Jig Read 11 to 16 books
Spin Bait Read 17 to 24 books
Book Worm (ha get it!) Read 25 or more books

You can sign up on Read. Sleep. Repeat or He Said Books Or Me

I am so excited to participate in this Summer Reading Program. Last summer, I didn't read very much at all. I had the biggest reading slump. I think I ended up reading maybe 5 books the entire summer. So I am hoping this will help motivate me to read a bit more this summer.

I have decided to aim high and my goal is 25 books. I have decided to do a mix book list for my summer reading.

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday #83: Favorite 2016 Releases I've Read So Far


Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Their blog can be found here.


June 21st: Top Ten Favorite 2016 Releases So Far This Year 

Sunday, June 19, 2016

The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt & Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

My Bookish Itinerary Cutie Pie's Shelf Children's Book Reviews


Title: The Day the Crayons Came Home

Author: Drew Daywalt
Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers
Length: 36 pages
Publisher: Philomel Books
Classification: Children's Book
Release Date: August 18, 2015
Source: Library Book
The companion to the #1 blockbuster bestseller, The Day the Crayons Quit!
I'm not sure what it is about this kid Duncan, but his crayons sure are a colorful bunch of characters! Having soothed the hurt feelings of one group who threatened to quit, Duncan now faces a whole new group of crayons asking to be rescued. From Maroon Crayon, who was lost beneath the sofa cushions and then broken in two after Dad sat on him; to poor Turquoise, whose head is now stuck to one of Duncan's stinky socks after they both ended up in the dryer together; to Pea Green, who knows darn well that no kid likes peas and who ran away—each and every crayon has a woeful tale to tell and a plea to be brought home to the crayon box.

Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers have combined to create a companion book every bit as funny and kid-friendly as the #1 bestselling The Day the Crayons Quit.



Saturday, June 18, 2016

My Bookish Verdict #1: Read in January 2016

My Bookish Itinerary

Sometimes I feel like I don't have enough words to write a review (or mini-review) for books. Which is why I have decided to share my thoughts on multiple books I've read during the month here. My Bookish Verdict will be really short reviews/thoughts about the books and my verdict on whether you should Buy it ASAP, Buy it, Buy it on sale, Borrow, or Skip it.

Thursday, June 16, 2016

The King Slayer by Virginia Boecker

Title: The King Slayer
(The Witch Hunter #2) 
Author: Virginia Boecker
Length: 368 pages
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Classification: Young Adult, Fantasy
Release Date: June 14, 2016
Source: e-galley via NetGalley (Thank you, Little Brown!)
An action-packed and suspenseful sequel to The Witch Hunter, perfect for fans of Graceling and the Grisha Trilogy.
"I think, in time, you'll either be my greatest mistake or my greatest victory."
Former witch hunter Elizabeth Grey is hiding within the magically protected village of Harrow, evading the price put on her head by Lord Blackwell, the usurper king of Anglia. Their last encounter left Blackwell ruined, but his thirst for power grows stronger every day. He's readying for a war against those who would resist his rule--namely Elizabeth and the witches and wizards she now calls her allies.
Having lost her stigma, a magical source of protection and healing, Elizabeth's strength is tested both physically and emotionally. War always means sacrifice, and as the lines between good and evil blur once more, Elizabeth must decide just how far she'll go to save those she loves.

GoodReads || Amazon || Barnes & Noble || Books-a-Million || Book Depository

***I received an e-galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Waiting on Wednesday #41: A Torch Against the Night


"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday #82: Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of 2016

Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Their blog can be found here.


June 14th: Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases For The Second Half Of The Year (since we did a topic about the releases we were excited about for the first half of 2016 back in the beginning of the year) Feel free to tweak it how you want to -- like most anticipated fantasy for the second half of 2016 or debut authors. Whatever you want!

Sunday, June 12, 2016

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt & Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers


My Bookish Itinerary Cutie Pie's Shelf Children's Book Reviews


Title: The Day the Crayons Quit

Author: Drew Daywalt
Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers
Length: 36 pages
Publisher: Philomel Books
Classification: Children's Book
Release Date: June 27, 2013
Source: Library Book
Poor Duncan just wants to color. But when he opens his box of crayons, he finds only letters, all saying the same thing: We quit!
Beige is tired of playing second fiddle to Brown. Blue needs a break from coloring all that water, while Pink just wants to be used. Green has no complaints, but Orange and Yellow are no longer speaking to each other. 
What is Duncan to do? Debut author Drew Daywalt and New York Times bestseller Oliver Jeffers create a colorful solution in this playful, imaginative story that will have children laughing and playing with their crayons in a whole new way.


Thursday, June 9, 2016

The Art of Not Breathing by Sarah Alexander

My Bookish Itinerary E-galley Book Review


Title: The Art of Not Breathing

Author: Sarah Alexander
Length: 288 pages
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Classification: Young Adult, Contemporary
Release Date: April 26, 2016
Source: e-galley via NetGalley (Thank you, HMH!)
Since her twin brother, Eddie, drowned five years ago, sixteen-year-old Elsie Main has tried to remember what really happened that fateful day on the beach. One minute Eddie was there, and the next he was gone. Seventeen-year-old Tay McKenzie is a cute and mysterious boy that Elsie meets in her favorite boathouse hangout. When Tay introduces Elsie to the world of freediving, she vows to find the answers she seeks at the bottom of the sea.

GoodReads || Amazon || Barnes & Noble || Books-a-Million || Book Depository

***I received an e-galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Waiting on Wednesday #40: Vicarious


"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday #81: Reasons I LOVE the Library!


Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Their blog can be found here.


June 7th: Ten Reasons I Love the Library!
(could be a certain book, character, author, your indie bookstore, a fandom, a tv show, reading, a hobby, a genre. Honestly anything you want to gush about.)

Bookish Bingo Spring 2016 Wrap-Up

Bookish Bingo: Spring 2016 (March/April/May)

Monday, June 6, 2016

May 2016 Highlights



May started off a bit slowly for me. I had a HUGE BOOKISH HANGOVER from reading The Raven King (The Raven Cycle #4) by Maggie Stiefvater at the end of April. So I didn't feel like reading much. But then my pre-order of A Court of Mist and Fury arrived and I couldn't wait to read it! Which helped with my TRK feels. But then I had an even bigger bookish hangover! I had a hard finding motivation to read, so it felt like I didn't read a lot. I still ended up reading 11 books in May, which I am pretty happy about! 

Sunday, June 5, 2016

When Spring Comes by Kevin Henkes & Illustrated by Laura Dronzek

My Bookish Itinerary Cutie Pie's Shelf Children's Book Reviews
Title: When Spring Comes
Author: Kevin Henkes
Illustrator: Laura Dronzek
Length: 40 pages
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Classification: Children's Book
Release Date: February 9, 2016
Source: Library Book
The award-winning, bestselling husband-and-wife team of Kevin Henkes and Laura Dronzek collaborate for the first time since their acclaimed picture book Birds. Before spring comes, the trees are dark sticks, the grass is brown, and the ground is covered in snow. But if you wait, leaves unfurl and flowers blossom, the grass turns green, and the mounds of snow shrink and shrink. Spring brings baby birds, sprouting seeds, rain and mud, and puddles. You can feel it and smell it and hear it—and you can read it!
Kevin Henkes uses striking imagery, repetition, and alliteration to introduce basic concepts of language and the changing of the seasons. And Laura Dronzek’s gorgeous, lush paintings show the transformation from quiet, cold winter to the joyful newborn spring. Watch the world transform when spring comes!

Wednesday, June 1, 2016