Book Post #8 of 2024

Here's a quick look at what I've been reading recently....

Read-Alouds
Ferris by Kate DiCamillo: Shelby and I randomly saw this new release at Barnes & Noble when we were there for her annual birthday trip, and then I picked up a copy at our library. We love Kate DiCamillo!

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate: I read this long ago to the girls--Brady was either really little or not even born yet. So when this title popped up in Brady's homeschool curriculum, I was thrilled for a chance to experience it again with him! We both loved it & enjoyed watching the movie together afterwards. When we were watching the movie, I couldn't remember why we had never gone to see the movie when it was in theaters. After doing a quick google search, I realized this movie was originally set to release in theaters during COVID, but with all the theaters shut down..they pivoted to a streaming release with Disney Plus, which we didn't have at the time. Crazy to think how different life was then! 

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson: This was a re-read for us before we saw the new movie that just came out! We love the book & the movie so, so much!

Heartwood Hotel: The Greatest Gift by Kallie George: This was another book that Brady & I read together for homeschool. This book is actually part of a four-book series. We read the first book in the series when we were living in Helotes, but Brady had no memory of it. So it was fun to read this one together...and the perfect time of year for it!

My Reads
The Last Love Note by Emma Grey: I saw this book recommended a few times a while back, but our library never had a copy. I just recently got my hands on it & couldn't have loved it more!!! After I finished it, I immediately looked up the author to see what else I could read by her. She only had one other book that at the time hadn't been released, so I preordered it for myself...which is something I almost never do, so that should tell you how much I loved this book!

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins: This one was just okay for me. This book is a bit of a thriller, which isn't typically my favorite genre.

The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin: This was another five star read for me! I absolutely loved it! This book is a memoir, which can sometimes be hit or miss for me..but I couldn't get enough of this one! 

I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon: I have read a couple other historical fiction novels by Ariel Lawhorn (The Frozen River & Code Name Helene), so I was eager to read this one. I felt like it was a bit hard to follow for me (especially at the beginning), but I liked it!

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey: This book is set in the 1920s in Alaska, and I feel like the setting of this book is almost one of the main characters...so I really enjoyed that aspect of it. But I think if I didn't live in Alaska, I might not have appreciated the book as much. As I read this book, I was simultaneously reading aloud Farmer Boy with our kids, and I feel like there are a lot of commonalities between the two books. So that was an added bonus!