Mary Poppins Opens the Door by P.L. Travers | Audiobook Review

Today I'm over at Tynga's Reviews, talking about this excellent book full of magic.  Click on the cover image above to find out more!

*I checked out my copy of Mary Poppins Opens the Door from my local library.

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  For more information, or to join the fun yourself, check out their blog!

Top Ten Things I've Wanted to Learn More About After Reading About Them in Books

1. Shepherding!  Ohmygoodness how badly do I want some sheep in my life?  I've read a number of books about them, including A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller and Adventures in Yarn Farming by Barbara Parry.

2. Antique book collecting.  I first read about it in Used and Rare by Lawrence Goldstone and continued to read more about it in The Bookman's Tale by Charlie Lovett.

3. Honeybees.  I read about them in Fruitless Fall by Rowan Jacobsen and in Scouting the Divine by Margaret Feinberg.

4. Weird really old photographs.  I encountered the photos in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and Hollow City by Ransom Riggs and had to do more research into them!

5. Parkour.  I read about it in What We Saw at Night and What We Lost in the Dark by Jacquelyn Mitchard.

6. The back storage stacks at the New York Public Library.  I first read about their rare/special collections in Bibliocraft by Jessica Pigza.

7. Book censorship.  I read about it in The Zhivago Affair by Peter Finn.

8. Robert Louis Stevenson.  I read Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan and learned so many interesting things about him- I wanted to know even more after that!

9. 1920s NYC.  It's the setting for The Diviners and Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray, and I love the parties and the slang!

10. WWII internment camps.  I first read about them in Dear Miss Breed by Joanne F. Oppenheim.

And you?  What cool new things have you been introduced to through books?  Leave a link and I'll pop over to visit!

PopSugar Reading Challenge Update

This week I read #scandal by Sarah Ockler, which is a book recommended by someone I just met.  It was one of three books I had to choose from for a class assignment, and I'd never had this particular professor before, so I'd just met them when it was assigned!

Previously, I've read:
Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson, which is a book based on a fairy tale.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, which is a YA bestseller.

Journal of Major George Washington, 1754 by George Washington, which is a book translated to English.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, which is a book set in Europe.

The Fireflies Book by Brett Ortler, which is a book that's under 150 pages.

Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith, which is a New York Times bestseller.

Prohibition Bakery by Leslie Feinberg with Brooke Siem, which is a book I can finish in a day.

Situation Momedy: A First-Time Mom's Guide to Laughing Your Way Through Pregnancy & Year One by Jenna Von Oy, which is a book written by a celebrity.

Meridian by Josin L. McQuein, which is a science-fiction novel.

On Becoming Babywise by Gary Ezzo with Robert Bucknam, which is a book recommended by a family member.

The Harlem Hellfighters by Max Brooks, which is a graphic novel.

The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins, which is a book with a protagonist who has my occupation.

Circa Now by Amber McRee Turner, which is a book that takes place during Summer.

What We Lost in the Dark by Jacquelyn Mitchard, which is a murder mystery.

Near Enemy by Adam Sternbergh, which is a dystopian novel.

The Forever Girl by Alexander McCall Smith, which is a book with a blue cover.

The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan, which is a book from the library.

I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had by Tony Danza, which is an autobiography.

The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party by Alexander McCall Smith, which is a book about a culture I'm unfamiliar with.

Mama Tried by Emily Flake, which is a satirical book.

The Young Elites by Marie Lu, which is a book that takes place on an island.

Wild Ones by Jon Mooallem, which is a book that's guaranteed to bring me joy.

#scandal by Sarah Ockler | Book Review | Continued & Finished

Here we are at the end of #scandal Week!  If you're not sick of it yet, click on the image above for a final look at it, including book quotes.

*I checked out my copy of #scandal from my local library.

#scandal by Sarah Ockler | Book Review | Continued

#scandal Week continues!  Click on the image above for more book review!  (Spread over so many days as mandated by professor...)

*I checked out my copy of #scandal from my local library.

What Would They Read Wednesday | #scandal

Today I'm giving book recommendations to fictional people.  No, I'm not #crazy- I'm just having #fun!  Click on the image above to find out what I'd recommend to Lucy and the gang!

(Also, happy birthday to my dad!  To him I'd recommend Trans-Siberian Express by Warren Adler.  The whole book is set on a train, and we really like trains in our family.)

Top Ten Tuesday

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is #scandal themed!  Click on the image above to read more.

(Also:  a very happy birthday to my not-#scandal-ous mom!)

#scandal Week | Monday

Happy Monday!  So... for grad school, I had a project assigned where I had to read #scandal by Sarah Ockler, and write five blog posts on it.  I don't like doing work for no reason, so I'm totally going to let y'all read those blog posts!  Of course, my prof mandated that we use the Wix platform for these posts, so you'll need to click on the cover image above to read the post.  I also had to "live-tweet" about the book as I read it, which ended up being a lot more fun than I thought it would be!

*I checked out my copy of #scandal from my local library.

Stacking the Shelves

Today I'm over at Tynga's Reviews, stacking the shelves!  Click on the image above to learn more, and to join in the fun yourself!

Moonhead and the Music Machine by Andrew Rae | Book Review

Today I'm over at Tynga's Reviews, reviewing the graphic novel Moonhead and the Music Machine.  Click on the image above to find out more!

*I received my copy of Moonhead and the Music Machine from the publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review.  Thank you!

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  For more information, or to join the fun yourself, check out their blog!

Top Ten Books I Enjoyed That Have Under 2000 Ratings on Goodreads.com

(Goodreads.com is a website where you can track the books that you read and give them reviews and ratings.  These are all books that less than 2000 people have marked as "read" on that website- aka, underrated books!)

1. What's Your Worldview?  An Interactive Approach to Life's Big Questions by James N. Anderson.  A Choose-Your-Own-Adventure theological book!  That doesn't sound quite right, does it?  But it totally works in this book!  Short and sweet and packed with info and insight.  I highly recommend!  (300 ratings on Goodreads.)

2. The Journal of Major George Washington, 1754 by George Washington.  This one got five stars from me because I love love love our first President- might only get four stars from "normal" people.  This is his journal from May, June, and July of 1754.  (40 ratings on Goodreads.)

3. I Ruff You by Sandra Magsamen.  This one is a board book... but I've been reading a LOT more of these than YA/adult books lately!  And this one is awesome:  it's got a pair of soft ears sticking out the top of the book that baby can touch and grab.  Big thanks to my cousin for giving this book to my little!  (42 ratings on Goodreads.)

4. Situation Momedy: A First-Time Mom's Guide to Laughing Your Way Through Pregnancy and Year One by Jenna Von Oy.  Unlike a lot of celebrity memoirs, this one was very down-to-earth and relatable and believable.  And the subtitle held true: I did laugh my way through this book during my second trimester!  (23 ratings on Goodreads.)

5. What We Saw at Night and What We Lost in the Dark by Jacquelyn Mitchard.  This was a fantastic YA duology!  The main characters have XP (xeroderma pigmentosa) and can't be in sunlight, so they live at night.  They do cool extreme sports, like parkour and free diving, and solve a murder mystery in their town.  I'd describe them as YA thrillers.  Neither one has 2,000 ratings!  (What We Saw at Night has 857 ratings and What We Lost in the Dark has 227 ratings.)

6. Near Enemy by Adam Sternbergh.  I loved this duology!  (The first book is Shovel Ready, but it has over 3,000 ratings on Goodreads.)  It's a noir, snarky, post-apocalyptic adult book.  Laughed right through it!  (633 ratings on Goodreads.)

7. Wild Ones: A Sometimes Dismaying, Weirdly Reassuring Story About Looking at People Looking at Animals in North America by Jon Mooallem.  The author takes a close look at three animals on the brink of extinction and what is being done to save them.  It is surprisingly (and refreshingly!) unbiased- the author never divulges a strong taste or distaste for conservation efforts.  And the reader gets lots of fun facts about polar bears, geese, and butterflies!  (1,455 ratings on Goodreads.)

8. Only What's Necessary:  Charles M. Schulz and the Art of Peanuts by Chip Kidd.  Great book about the development of the Peanuts comic strip, including some artwork that is not widely available.  Lots of comic strips, of course, plus history!  (80 ratings on Goodreads.)

9. The Harlem Hellfighters by Max Brooks.  A graphic novel history of the first all-black Army regiment to fight in WWI.  Excellently engaging!  (1,431 ratings on Goodreads.)

10. Please Don't Bite the Baby (and Please Don't Chase the Dogs): Keeping Our Kids and Our Dogs Safe and Happy Together by Lisa Edwards.  This was a super informative and reassuring book.  Read it during my second trimester, and it alleviated many of my concerns about bringing home a baby to a house already occupied by a boxer.  Lots of useful training tips (that I successfully followed) for before bringing the baby home.  (Everyone lives together happily in my house!  Yay!)  (13 ratings on Goodreads.)

Turns out I read a lot of underrated books!  These are only the ten eleven most recent ones that I've read!  And you?  What underrated gems do you enjoy?  Leave your link below and I'll definitely visit!  I love seeing what others are reading.