Review: Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting

Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting
Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a sweet, tender book about unexpected friendship and how strangers can save your life. I loved each of the characters and how they rallied for each other. If you want something light and sweet and uplifting, this will be one you like.

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Review: Heartstopper: Volume Four

Heartstopper: Volume Four
Heartstopper: Volume Four by Alice Oseman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love this series. This one was much more about the eating disorder and getting help than the others have been and it’s still so sweet and uplifting and tender.

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Review: Delphine Jones Takes a Chance

Delphine Jones Takes a Chance
Delphine Jones Takes a Chance by Beth Morrey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

I liked this character-based story about a single mom who slowly starts putting her life back together. It’s a slow but sweet book.

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Review: A Quiet Life

A Quiet Life
A Quiet Life by Ethan Joella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“She brought all this texture into their lives, and he never needed to be creative or experiment with new personas. He was like an evergreen next to a tree that transformed itself brilliantly every season—he looked good because she was near him.”

Ethan Joella is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. The characters he creates are so layered and real and deeply human that it’s not possible to not fall in love with them.

This is the story of three people: Chuck, Ella, and Kirsten, each of whom is struggling with a loss. One lost his wife, the other her father, and the third her daughter. They are all suffering and learning how to build their life forward within this grief. As their lives overlap and interweave in unexpected ways, they help rescue each other in ways that only strangers can.

This book is full of heart and it will stay with you long after you finish it. I cannot recommend it enough.

with gratitude to netgalley and Scribner for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Find Your Calm: A Workbook to Manage Anxiety

Find Your Calm: A Workbook to Manage Anxiety
Find Your Calm: A Workbook to Manage Anxiety by Jaime Zuckerman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book has specific and helpful exercises to work with your anxiety. It has different parts focusing on different areas like being with your body or sitting with the hard things. I have found some of the exercises to be tremendously helpful and others to be not as significant but that’s what’s so great about the book: you can use the items that are helpful to you and you do not need to read it sequentially for it to be beneficial. If you suffer from bouts of anxiety, I am confident you will find some of these exercises to be beneficial.

with gratitude to edelweiss and Wellfleet Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Urban Sketching Handbook Spotlight on Nature: Tips and Techniques for Drawing and Painting Nature on Location

The Urban Sketching Handbook Spotlight on Nature: Tips and Techniques for Drawing and Painting Nature on Location
The Urban Sketching Handbook Spotlight on Nature: Tips and Techniques for Drawing and Painting Nature on Location by Virginia Hein
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love the Urban Sketching books and this one is no exception. This particular one focuses on drawing nature. It has different sections focusing on incorporating nature into your sketches, teaching you how to draw specific elements of nature and then lots of inspiration and examples. It has a lot of technical examples and walkthroughs for drawing different trees, etc. As someone who really enjoys drawing nature, I’ve loved having both the inspiration and the technical instruction in this book.

with gratitude to netgalley and Quarry Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Review: The Wilderwomen

The Wilderwomen
The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Because I hate my hair.” Like most teenage girls, she meant herself, but hair is easier to change.

I read and loved Ruth Emmie Lang’s previous novel so I was really excited to read this one and it did not disappoint. This is the story of two sisters, Zadie and Finn, who go in search of their mother, Nora, who went missing five years ago. Finn is about to go to college, and has decided that she needs to go searching for her mother before she can make a final decision around her adoption and convinces Zadie to take this unplanned trip across the country.

Finn and Zadie both have abilities that make them a bit unusual. Finn can see/feel bits of people’s discarded memories and Zadie can sense things that haven’t happened yet. The magical realism in this book was wonderful and created some lovely characters and texture and depth that I really enjoyed.

I loved the sibling relationship, especially Zadie who was so layered and real and struggling. This beautiful book is about what it means to belong, about family, sisterhood, determination, and friendship.

Lang’s writing is lyrical and beautiful. This book was a joy to read.

with gratitude to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Daily Joys – 167

Daily Joys – 167

 

Grateful for books. They keep me sane.

Daily Joys – 166

Daily Joys – 166

 

Still enjoying the quiet days. So grateful.

Daily Joys – 165

Daily Joys – 165

Really enjoying the quiet quiet days.

Review: In My Dreams I Hold a Knife

In My Dreams I Hold a Knife
In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3,5 stars. Interesting but also a bit predictable. Ok mystery.

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Review: The Cartographers

The Cartographers
The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Interesting and engrossing read.

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