Monthly Archives: May 2019

Review: Red, White & Royal Blue

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Red, White & Royal Blue
by Casey McQuiston
5 stars

Alex and Henry have a tense and antagonistic relationship.  Which causes trouble because Alex is the First Son of the US and Henry is the Prince of England.  When their issues come to a head at a royal wedding (including the destruction of a $17,000 wedding cake), the 2 must paste on diplomatic smiles and fake a friendship for the sake of American/British international relations.  The fake friendship gradually becomes real as they open up to each other about the pressures of living in the public eye and that friendship turns into something more.

This book was originally marked as Young Adult, but it definitely falls into the Adult/New Adult categories (the characters are 20 and 22 when the book begins).  This is probably my favorite book of the year (yes, I know it’s early).  It had me bouncing between giggles and swoons, and sometimes both at once.  It was smart, diverse, and inclusive in all the best ways.  And there were multiple references to Alexander Hamilton, Harry Potter, and others!

 

Read-alikes

The Royal We by Heather Cox

Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal

Royals by Rachel Hawkins

 

Review: Girl, Wash Your Face

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Girl, Wash Your Face
by Rachel Hollis
4 stars

New York Times bestselling author and founder of a multimillion-dollar media company, Rachel Hollis pours her heart out to inspire moms to never settle and to create goals in this light Christian read. Go-Girl-chase your dreams. She is straight-talking and often humorous with her mommy/wife stories. Every chapter is named “The Lie; there are 20 of them. Like The Lie: I am defined by my weight and The Lie: I don’t know how to be a mom. At the end of each “Lie” chapter, she offers a list of things that helped her.

I could easily relate to her struggles which felt real and tangible. Hollis takes you through her life struggles from grade school, dating, her brother’s suicide, marriage, kids, adoption struggles and her media company that she built from the ground up. Rachel’s message and goals are for any women who needs to overcome the feeling she is not doing a good job handling everyday life. I did check out her website called, “TheChicSite.com”

I enjoyed listening to the author narrating her book on audio and I chose this book because of the title. I felt like I was sitting with her in home. While I give this book 4 stars, the author writes about her life and she under age 40. Kudos to the author for putting herself out there. No judgement please!

 

Read-alikes

Braving the wilderness by Brene Brown

The happiness project by by Gretchen Craft Rubin

There are no grown-ups by Pamela Druckerman

 

Review: The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs

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The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs
by Steve Brusatte
5 stars

Before my review, I have a quick disclaimer: I am mildly obsessed with dinosaurs. Jurassic Park was my favorite movie when I was a child. When I heard that my college had a basic geology course covering Dinosaurs and their evolution, I waited eagerly each semester for it to be offered. When it finally was, I sat front and center every day and consumed every required and suggested reading. After I met a paleontologist I joked to my friends that we were going to get married, if only for him to spin me tales of geology every day.

Reading Stephen Brusatte’s book was nothing short of wonderful, though again, I am a biased source. Brusatte does a wonderful job of introducing you to the world of the dinosaurs, as well as the evolution that produced them. I loved hearing about his work with specific scientists, especially his time in China. He also worked the menial art of spreadsheets, identifying differences and similarities between fossils. It may sound boring to anyone else but me, but tracking those differences and similarities is key to tracking relationships between species.

Brusatte also has turns where he talks about his own journey into paleontology, and at points the book is as much about him and his studies as it is the dinosaurs he covers. I felt his excitement as he recounted moments where he met and worked with distinguished paleontologists. He also mentioned a museum in Rockford, Illinois that he loves to go to (a museum that I will have to make a trip to after reading this book). While these turns towards autobiography were fun, they also added to the story and developed it into something more than just an informational book. Brusatte’s passion for the subject shines throughout the book. If you give it a chance, I hope you love it as much as I did.

 

Read-alikes

Rise of the Necrofauna: A Provocative Look at the Science, Ethics, and Risks of De-Extinction by Brit Wray

T. Rex and the Crater of Doom by Walter Álvarez

Articulating Dinosaurs: A Political Anthropology by Brian Noble

 

Review: Two Weeks

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Two Weeks
by Karen Kingsbury
5 stars

Karen Kingsbury is one of my favorite authors.  I can always count on her to deliver a realistic story packed with emotion.  Two Weeks is a continuation of the Baxter Family.  The story focuses on Cole Blake, son of Ashley Baxter Blake, who is months away from going to college for a career in medicine.  He meets a mysterious new girl, who captures his attention like no other girl before.  The girl is Elise, sent to live with her aunt and uncle, set on changing her life and making better choices.  Soon Elise discovers she is pregnant, the baby’s father being the bad boy she left to escape from.  Cole is determined to support Elise, even if that means sacrificing college and marrying her.  Karen does such a wonderful job letting the readers into the mind of Elise and the choices she is forced to make.    I love that Karen also chose to have a point of view from a couple (Lucy and Aaron) struggling with infertility.  Each chapter is heartbreaking from each Elise and Lucy’s point of view.

As Elise’s due date comes closer, she has two weeks to change her mind about adoption.   Will she choose to keep the baby or will she choose adoption?  I highly recommend this book and the rest of the Baxter series!

Read-alikes

A Month of Summer by Lisa Wingate

Dining With Joy by Rachel Hauck

Who I Am With You by Robin Lee Hatcher

Your Next Favorite Book | Subscription Box

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Have you heard of OwlCrate?  Or Fab Fit Fun?  Or Loot Crate?  Not familiar?  A subscription box is a paid packaged experience – a monthly delivery of cool stuff in a box.  And we’re super excited to announce our very own GPL subscription box…but it’s FREE!

Here at GPL, we’re always looking for fun ways to connect readers with our collection of books.  Thus was born the idea of a book “subscription” box, a personalized connection between YOU the reader and US, your friendly neighborhood librarians.  We want to help you find “YOUR NEXT FAVORITE BOOK”, and we know it’s in the library’s collection!

So how will this subscription box thing work?

First – Fill out the registration form located here.
When you register, you’re eligible for a 2 month subscription.  We have enough boxes for 10 adult and 10 teen readers at a time.  Not one of the first 10 to sign up?  No worries!  We’ll add you to the waiting list and let you know when it’s your turn.

Second – Complete the “What’s your reading style?” quiz we’ll send you in a welcome email.
We want to get to know you a little better!  We’ll hand-pick a title from our collection for you to read based on your reading tastes.

Third – Pick up your box!
On the 1st Monday of the month, your box will be available for pick-up at the 2nd floor Help Desk.

Now for the fun …you won’t know what we’ve picked out for you!  When you get home, you’ll get the awesomely exciting experience of opening the box to see.  Along with the book, you’ll also receive 2-3 FREE goodies to keep.

Okay, that sounds easy and all, but what’s inside the box?

Every box will include :

  • A specially selected book from our collection chosen according to your personal reading style
  • 2-3 fun bits of swag you get to keep (ex. candy, buttons, bookmarks, fun socks, keychains, etc.)
  • A “What did you think?” card to let us know how we’re doing on selecting titles just for YOU
  • And an activity to make your reading experience interactive (maybe a photo challenge, recipe, or craft idea!)

And just to make the box even more FUN…

If you return the book, Review & Evaluation card, and the box by the 4th Monday of the month (don’t forget, you get to keep the swag!), you’ll receive a FREE book at the end of your subscription.

At the end of your 2 months, you can participate again by filling out the register form!

Sign up today!