Read-Alouds
The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys & Steve Sheinkin: Brave Writer put this book on my radar, and I'm so thankful we came across it! We all loved this one so, so much. This book is in the historical fiction genre focusing on codebreakers in the WWII era. We read another book by Steve Sheinkin that we really loved (Bomb), so we are officially fans of this author!! We started reading this book in Alaska & then finished it on our drive to Texas, so I think we'll always remember this one.
Sweet Home Alaska by Carol Estby Dagg: This was a re-read for us. We read this book for the first in May 2022 when my sister gifted us a copy after we received our orders from TX to AK. It is such a sweet, soul-filling story with lots of references to Laura Ingalls Wilder books that our family really enjoyed. We loved it so much, we decided to read it again as we moved back to TX. We had a whole new appreciation for all of the local Alaskan references & locations the author mentions in the book that we could appreciate all the more after living in Alaska for three years.
Audiobooks
All three of these audiobooks were listened to en route from Alaska to Texas!
Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston: If you're looking for a good fantasy middle grade series, look no further! Hadley had already read this book, but it was the first time Brady & I were introduced to this series. We all enjoyed listening to this.
Amari and the Great Game by B.B. Alston: This is the second book in the Amari series. I think there is a third one that was published in 2024, and two more books are slated to release in the future.
The Day the World Came to Town by Jim DeFede: This was a five-star book for me! Hadley and I listened to this book in the car together during our PCS, and I can still vividly remember driving through the Capitol Reef National Park on the most gorgeous day with stunning views surrounding us and listening to this phenomenal book. As we were driving through the park that day, I kept telling Hadley over and over: "This is the best day!" If you're not familiar with this book, it's about September 11th and the 38 planes bound for the U.S. that were forced to land at Gander International Airport in Canada when American airspace was closed. I loved this book so, so much, and it was really special to share the experience of listening to it with Hadley.
My Reads
The Love Haters by Katherine Center: This wasn't my favorite Katherine Center book, but I love everything she writes! So I would still absolutely recommend this one. :)
Silver Elite by Dani Francis: I got this book from my Book of the Month box after hearing a bookstagram account recommend it. This is a fantasy/dystopia book, which typically isn't my fave genre to be fair. This one was just eh for me.
Here be Dragons by Melanie Shankle: This is a memoir, and I have a love/hate relationship with memoirs. ;) I wouldn't recommend this one.
The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren: After reading Tangled Up in You by this author this summer during our PCS, I randomly saw this book in the San Antonio library and picked it up. I'm so glad I did! I really enjoyed it and am eager to read more by this author in the future.
