19 Best Book Deals for 9/8/20: All the Bright Places, Next Year in Havana, Trail of Lightning, and more

As of this posting, all of these deals are active, but I don’t know for how long!

Less than $2

The Glamourist by Luanne G. Smith

The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan

The Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell

Tidelands by Philippa Gregory

Frankly in Love by David Yoon

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

The Liar’s Daughter by Megan Cooley Peterson

Here to Stay by Sara Farizan

180 Seconds by Jessica Park

Less than $3

Crown of Coral and Pearl by Mara Rutherford

East by Edith Pattou

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell

The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

First Comes Love by Emily Giffin

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38 Best Book Deals for 5/20/20: Big Little Lies, The Library Book, The Proposal and more

As of this posting, all of these deals are active, but I don’t know for how long!

Less than $1

The Seventh Sun by Lani Forbes

The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride #1) by James Patterson

Less than $2

A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

No Judgments by Meg Cabot

A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

The Beholder by Anna Bright

The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala

Watch Us Rise by Renee Watson & Ellen Hagan

The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials #1) by Philip Pullman

Final Girls by Riley Sager

The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

How To Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Less than $3

Rebel by Marie Lu

The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo

Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

A History of Glitter and Blood by Hannah Moskowitz

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See

Bloodleaf by Crystal Smith

The Shape of Water by Guillermo del Toro & Daniel Kraus

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez

The Brightsiders by Jen Wilde

Florida by Lauren Groff

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

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27 Best Book Deals for 5/5/20: A Monster Calls, The Royal We, Meet Cute, and more

As of this posting, all of these deals are active, but I don’t know for how long!

Less than $1

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness & Siobhan Dowd

Less than $2

Killing Eve: No Tomorrow by Luke Jennings

Room by Emma Donoghue

The Beholder by Anna Bright

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E Smith

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Less than $3

The Royal We by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan

The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer

The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

Meet Cute by Helena Hunting

The 100 by Kass Morgan

The Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

Bloodleaf by Crystal Smith

The Way You Make Me Feel by Maureen Goo

Gym Candy by Carl Deuker

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L Sanchez

Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak

A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

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Provo Library’s Best Books of 2018 | YA Non-Fiction, Fiction, & Graphic Novels

Every year my local library puts on a “Best Books of…” event and I love it! A lot of the books I’ve already heard of, but I always come away with new books on my TBR! Even though I do work here, I wasn’t part of putting on the event or choosing the books–I was able to just attend as a patron, so that was super fun as well. I made my book club come with me too, so hopefully some of these books will make it into our discussions! Here’s a link for anyone who missed my post on the Adult non-fiction and fiction list.

Bolded books are ones that are on my TBR. Italics are ones I’ve read.

Non-Fiction

• The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean
• Capsized!: The Forgotten Story of the SS Eastland Disaster by Patricia Sutton
• Boots on the Ground: America’s War in Vietnam by Elizabeth Partridge
• The Faithful Spy by John Hendrix
• Endurance: My Year in Space and How I Got There by Scott Kelly
• House of Dreams: The Life of L.M. Montgomery by Liz Rosenberg
• The Pride Guide by Jo Langford
• Mary’s Monster by Lita Judge
• We Are Not Yet Equal by Carol Anderson
• Just Mercy: A True Story of the Fight for Justice by Bryan Stevenson
• Blacklisted!: Hollywood, the Cold War, and the First Amendment by Larry Dane Brimmer

Fiction

• The Lying Woods by Ashley Elston
• A Lite Too Bright by Samuel Miller
• The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James
• Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman
• A Touch of Gold by Annie Sullivan
• The Traitor’s Game by Jennifer Nielsen
• The Iron Flower by Laurie Forest
• Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
• Pride by Ibi Zoboi
• My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows
• Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi
• The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton
• Meet Cute by Various Authors
• Sea Witch by Sarah Henning
• Sadie by Courtney Summers
• Dry by Neal Shusterman
• The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
• What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera
• Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich
• Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
• The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
• Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough
• Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
• The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan
• The Prophet Calls by Melanie Sumrow
• What the Night Sings by Vesper Stamper
• The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza by Shaun David Hutchinson
• The Place Between Breaths by An Na
• And the Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness
• The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

Comics & Graphic Novels

• Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
• Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation by Anne Frank
• Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
• The Prince & the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
• Sheets by Brenna Thummler
• Illegal by Eoin Colfer
• The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees by Don Brown
• Luisa Now and Then by Carole Maurel
• Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Penelope Bagieu

Have you read any of these? What young adult books would you add to the list?

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Provo Library’s Best Books of 2018 | Adult Non-Fiction & Fiction

Every year my local library puts on a “Best Books of…” event and I love it! A lot of the books I’ve already heard of, but I always come away with new books on my TBR! Even though I do work here, I wasn’t part of putting on the event or choosing the books–I was able to just attend as a patron, so that was super fun as well. I made my book club come with me too, so hopefully some of these books will make it into our discussions! Keep an eye out for the Young Adult list–I’ll be posting that in a few days as well.

Bolded books are ones that are on my TBR. Italics are ones I’ve read.

• My Girls by Todd Fisher
• The Good Neighbor by Maxwell King
• When Women Ruled the World by Kara Cooney
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Jane Sherron De Hart
• Founding Martyr by Christian Di Spigna
• Circe by Madeline Miller
• Rising Out of Hatred by Eli Saslow
• Doing Harm by Maya Dusenbery
• Decluttering at the Speed of Life by Dana K White
• Educated by Tara Westover
• The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre
• Reader, Come Home by Maryanne Wolf
• Year of Less by Cait Flanders
• How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan
• Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
• Carnegie’s Maid by Marie Benedict
• The Gown by Jennifer Robson
• Next Year in Havana by Chenel Cleeton
• Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver
• All the Ever Afters by Danielle Teller
• Bearskin by James A McLaughlin
• The Enchanted Hour by Meghan Cox Gurdon
• Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
• Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly
• The New Iberia Blues by James Lee Burke
• Past Tense by Lee Child
• The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
• How to Stop Time by Matt Haig
• The Map of Salt and Stars by Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar
• Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
• Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
• Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak
• The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
• Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
• The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks
• The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn
• The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
• The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner
• French Exit by Patrick deWitt
• The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
• All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin
• The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
• Virgil Wander by Leif Enger
• I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon
• Women of the Blue and Gray by Marianne Monson
• Them by Ben Sasse
• Becoming by Michelle Obama
• Off the Clock by Laura Vanderkam
• Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
• Make Something Good Today by Ben & Erin Napier

Have you read any of these? What adult books would you add to the list?

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Let’s just say it’s been a while since I’ve read some of these books [Mini-Reviews]

There are so many books that I read last year that I still haven’t gotten around to reviewing. Hopefully, this post can make a (small) dent in that list.

The Conspiracy of Us and Map of Fates by Maggie Hall

I really thought I was going to like these books because it seemed like it was going to be one massive treasure hunt. Instead, we’re gifted with insta-love and a completely unnecessary love triangle. I also don’t really understand why there’s this slight magical element? I mean, one of the characters is literally fireproof and I don’t know how that can be explained without magic. The main character is so naive and very annoying. I never understand why protagonists have such a hard time being left behind on “missions” when they have no training and would clearly only get in the way. I, personally, would be happy to sit on my behind in the hotel room and let people with ACTUAL TRAINING take care of the dangerous stuff. I honestly don’t know why I even bothered with the second book, but I am definitely NOT going to be reading the third one. 3/5

Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen

I wasn’t super impressed by this book. I thought it actually started off pretty strong, but it didn’t maintain that excitement through to the end. While I felt like it had a different tone from most books, that didn’t really make things any more interesting. The plot was fine, but not super engaging and I had a hard time figuring out what the end goal was supposed to be. Our main character is going through a bunch of stuff, but for what? I also didn’t find myself connecting to any of the characters. The main character was…fine. Kind of bland–you really don’t get to know her that well. The author also chose to include some pretty messed up characters, but I didn’t really feel like they added to the story. 3/5

The Archived by Victoria Schwab

This book had been on my TBR forever because I really liked the Monsters of Verity duology. Also, I love any kind of twist on the “library” so if you know any good alternate library books, let me know in the comments! To get into my review, I felt like the world was pretty complex and didn’t really get explained very well at the beginning, which just left me feeling confused. I was also very confused for the first three chapters because I didn’t realize that Da and Dad were not both Mackenzie’s father. I liked Mackenzie as a main character, but she made some really questionable decisions. I never really understood her resistance for sharing information with the librarians, but especially Roland. He seemed to obviously be on her side and some things could have been prevented if she had been more transparent. I thought Wesley was a bit much as a character, but I did like watching his relationship with Mackenzie develop. Owen, on the other hand…that relationship seemed to come out of nowhere. In the end, there was a twist that I did NOT see coming and I’m just left with so many questions. Like, what is up with Ms. Angelli? Such a mystery. 4/5

ebook | Paperback

The Christmasaurus by Tom Fletcher

This is such a fun middle grade Christmas book. The language was pretty silly throughout, so I would definitely recommend for younger middle grade readers, but I think that age will find the silly language really enjoyable. This book has wheelchair representation which I don’t think I’ve seen in any other books–let alone middle grade. I’m no expert, but it felt like it was portrayed accurately and definitely felt super respectful. I also thought that the characters developed in a realistic way. Even though Brenda is horrible, I felt like I understood her and that’s not always the case with antagonists. I loved all of the illustrations throughout and the Christmas feels were SO STRONG. There’s a twist at the end that I didn’t see coming (am I just oblivious???) which was such a fun surprise. I recommend getting the version of the book that comes with the soundtrack–not necessary, but a really fun and festive bonus. 4/5

ebook | Hardcover | Musical Edition

Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake

Okay, I’m hoping to get through this review without any spoilers, but it’s book three in the series, so I’m really sorry if I reveal anything from the first two books–unintentional. After the second book I wasn’t sure how invested I would be in the rest of the story–I didn’t really see where Blake could take it from there. However, the third book got me reinvested real quick. I found myself liking this book much more than the second one and the different POVs continued to be a nice change of pace. I enjoyed each POV equally. There continue to be many, many questions and I need the next book asap. The ending took me by surprise and I’m still not sure exactly what’s going on or what’s going to happen. There’s some interesting things going on on the island and I guess we’ll just have to see what happens next. 4/5

ebook | Hardcover

My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows, & Brodi Ashton

I love this series! The tone is fun and light and easy to enjoy. Once again, I thought the rotating perspective worked well, but Jane’s sections were probably my least favorite. I do wish that I’d read Jane Eyre first, though, because there are certain plot points that were so strange and I don’t know if they were extra or if they’re part of the original text. This is partly why one of my 2019 reading goals is to read Jane Eyre. I also liked that this is somewhat of a “Jane Eyre origin story”. The plot itself was good, but not completely thought out or explained. Why do the talismans work on ghosts? What really determines if a ghost moves on or not? Is a special “moving on” room really necessary? I also felt like red rooms were mentioned several times and I don’t really know why. Despite all that, the tone of the book is so enjoyable that I happily overlooked the times when things weren’t fully explained and I’m excited to continue on with this series. 4/5

ebook | Hardcover

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My Top 6 Reads from 2018

I was looking back through my Goodreads for this post and I was so surprised to see the books that I’d read at the beginning of 2018–it’s just felt like so long since I read those books. Does that happen to anyone else? By December, I’ve completely forgotten what I’d read in January. But anyway, here are my six favorite reads from 2018.

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
Reread: 1/20

I love this book. It delivers such a powerful message in a really understated way. It makes me think about all the choices we make every day and the people that we pass on the street. We never know someone else’s story or how a small kindness from us may impact their lives. In the end, this book just makes me want to be a better person.

My Review | Hardcover | ebook

Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett
Read: 2/5

This was such a cute contemporary romance! Was the plot predictable? Extremely. And yet…that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of it. I loved the summery, beachiness vibe that was coming off it. Even though it wasn’t summer when I read it, I almost felt like I was at the beach on a nice summer day. If her other books are as good as this one, she’ll definitely be a new auto-buy author for me.

My Review | Hardcover | ebook

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
Read: 3/3

I haven’t read a TON of magical realism, but this book makes me want to read more. The magic in it was so subtle and it was so beautifully written. The characters are sympathetic and the “twist” towards the end really took me by surprise. It’s an interesting story with interesting characters. I would definitely recommend this book.

My Review | Hardcover | ebook

Now, I know what you might be thinking, “What? No good reads between March and October? That’s seven whole months!” Well, what happened was…I had a baby. I had a baby at the beginning of April and then I wasn’t really reading very much (I was bingeing Parks and Rec and playing Zelda instead). But then I did start reading again and this is where the rest of this post picks up.

Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor
Read:  10/18

Muse of Nightmares was almost everything that I hoped it would be. Still wildly imaginative with amazing writing. It also brought in another element that created another dimension to the story. Without giving away any spoilers, this was a good follow-up to Strange the Dreamer, even if there were some choices that I didn’t quite agree with. I also liked how Taylor subtly tied this book in with her other series. (And the hardcover is only $10 right now which is cheaper than both the paperback AND the ebook! Click link below.)

Hardcover | ebook

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Read: 11/20

So, apparently, I’ve been sleeping on Neil Gaiman this whole time. Like, I’d read a couple of his books, but after reading this now I need to read EVERYTHING. My friend picked this for book club and I wasn’t really expecting much, but WOW. Easily my favorite read of 2018. Gaiman is funny and insightful and obviously a very, very talented writer. Please. Just read this book.

My Review | Hardcover | ebook

The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson
Read: 12/19

I legitimately never thought that I would like a non-fiction book like I like this one. It’s FASCINATING. I obviously love all things heist and the fact that this is an actual heist makes it that much more exciting. Johnson does such a good job of making every aspect of this book interesting–not just the crime part. The history of Wallace as well as all the information on Victorian salmon fly-tying is so easy to read and digest. Do yourself a favor and pick this up.

My Review | Hardcover | ebook

12 Best Book Deals for 1/4/19: Bird Box, Bridge of Clay, My Plain Jane, and more

I get emails all the time listing book deals and I finally realized that I should be sharing these! Here’s a list of some crazy deals that I found today (they’re all Kindle downloads from Amazon). Now, I’m not sure how long these books will be at this price, but hopefully they’ll be this way for a few days!

$1.99

Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak – My husband bought this book the day it came out because he was so excited (and he doesn’t get very excited about books). We love Markus Zusak who is also the author of The Book Thief.

My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows – I just finished reading this one a couple of weeks ago and I loved it! It’s in the same vein as the first book (My Lady Jane) and I thought it was SO FUN. Granted, I haven’t actually read Jane Eyre, but from that perspective it was still really fun!

The Jewel (Jewel Series Book 1) by Amy Ewing – I read this one a while ago and it’s your basic dystopian series, but I think I remember finding it pretty enjoyable.

Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson – I haven’t read this one yet, but it’s got great reviews on Goodreads.

Jackaby by William Ritter – I really like this series! It’s kind of Doctor Who-ish meets Sherlock Holmes. Here’s a link to my review from a couple of years ago.

Firefight (The Reckoners Book 2) and Calamity (The Reckoners Book 3) by Brandon Sanderson – This is a series that I need to finish! I really enjoyed the first two books and the third has been sitting on my shelf for ages. Here’s a link to my review of Firefight.

The Crown’s Game by Evelyn Skye – I haven’t read this one yet either, but I’ve heard really good things.

Sabriel (Old Kingdom Book 1) by Garth Nix – This is a series that I know I need to start–it’s been on my list forever. Maybe this will be the year!

$2.99

Bird Box: A Novel by Josh Malerman – I read this book during library school for a horror assignment and now it’s a Netflix movie with Sandra Bullock! I’m not usually a big horror person, but I was still able to read this book. I personally think that this story is better told as a book than a movie. In the book, when the characters can’t see anything, neither can the reader and that really helps build suspense–I’m not sure how well that translates to the screen. Here’s a link to my annotation for school.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis – Classic, just so classic. Def worth having in your collection imo.

The Diviners by Libba Bray – First, I’m just going to say that this book is a commitment. It’s LONG and it’s a series where you really should read more than just the first book. That being said, it’s super atmospheric and the time period oozes off the page. Here’s a link to my review.

The Invisible Library (The Invisible Library Novel Book 1) by Genevieve Cogman – I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this book for review before it was published in the US and I was blown away! I didn’t really know what to expect when I got it, but it’s SO GOOD and there are like five books in the series, so if you like it, you can BINGE. Here’s a link to my review.

So there you go, enjoy! Let me know if you decide to get any of these/what you’ve already read/which ones of these you’ve enjoyed!

Top Ten Tuesday: Mood Reading

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week there is a new topic and this week’s topic is: Ten Books To Read If You Are In The Mood For X

I think the point of this is to give ten books for one mood, but I’m going to give one book rec for ten different moods.

If you are in the mood for

A Summer Road Trip then you should read Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Cupcakes then you should read Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler

A Fairy Tale then you should read Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Ghosts then you should read In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters

A Reality Show then you should read Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

Baseball then you should read The Comeback Season by Jennifer E Smith

A Trip to Italy then you should read Instructions for a Broken Heart by Kim Culbertson

Reminiscing About Your Freshman Year of College then you should read Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Video Games then you should read Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

A Magic Show then you should read The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

HW Assignment: Secret Shopper

This week’s assignment was to visit a library where the librarians do not know us and “test” them on their Reader’s Advisory skills. Here’s a summary of my report:

I went to the library hoping to get a good recommendation for an Adult fiction book that read similar to a YA book. The librarian on duty asked me what authors I enjoyed reading and I told her that I liked Sarah Dessen and, more recently, Morgan Matson. She said, “Okay, let’s see what we can find” and proceeded to start typing on her computer. After a couple of minutes of that, she turned to the other librarian at the desk and asked what she thought some good authors would be that were similar to Sarah Dessen in Adult fiction. The other librarian came up with a few authors and explained about their style while the librarian that I had first approached jotted down the names for me.

I liked that the first librarian I approached was very welcoming and helped made me feel comfortable in asking for a book recommendation. I also liked that she referred me to a librarian who seemed to know a little more about the genre I was interested in. It made me feel more confident that I would get a good recommendation.

The second librarian made an assumption about what I liked about Sarah Dessen’s books. And while I did like the aspect that the librarian referenced and based her recommendations off of, there are more elements of Dessen’s books and writing that I enjoy beyond that. I would have piped up and said something, but the librarian really didn’t give me an opportunity to. She gave a few author suggestions, but didn’t check to see if I’d already read anything by them.

In the end, it was recommended that I look into Jodi Picoult, Kristin Hannah (specifically “Firefly Lane”), Alan Bradley, and Anna Quindlen. Honestly, none of the Picoult or Quindlen books stood out to me as interesting—they all seemed to deal with women who were significantly older than me and in a completely different stage of life. I don’t really find reading about middle-aged women with teenaged children that appealing. I did like the sound of both “Firefly Lane” and Alan Bradley’s mystery series however.

I think I was expecting to be asked more questions about my reading preferences than I actually was. If I were in need of another book recommendation, I would probably give them another shot. It seemed like both librarians had at least some training and knowledge of Reader’s Advisory Services.

Overall, the experience was pretty good. I am legitimately excited to read both “Firefly Lane” and the Alan Bradley mystery book (I actually plan to use it for this class) but I’ll probably end up returning the Picoult and Quindlen unread.