Dan Gemeinhart has done it again! A beautiful book is…
IMWAYR July 10-16
Time to reflect and share the books I read last week and what I hope to read this week. Make sure to visit the IMWAYR hosts Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts to find other blogs to follow that use this weekly wrap up.
My reading was pretty all over the place this week. I started reading Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor for the Book of the Month Ketchupathon but then realized that Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez was due to the library and it had hold on it, so it would be awhile to get it again. So, I switched to that and read it in 24 hours, it was so good. Then, my daughter told me HAD to read Momo Arishima by Misa Sugiura so I moved on to that book. I should be moving back to Age of Vice, however two books that I really want to read are due back at the library TODAY…so I may have to dive into those.
But you know what, I enjoyed everything I read! It’s okay to be a little all over the place and forget a plan that you made. Because in the end, reading is for fun.
Alright, time to share my thoughts on what I finished and the books I hope to finish this week.
Books I Read
Middle Grade
Both of these middle grade books were amazing and such quick reads. I’ll be honest, I haven’t read the first The Vanquishers book and now I am going to have to so I can see what led up to this book. But, it really wasn’t too hard to get into and understand everything happening. Kalynn Bayron is a must read author for me (you’ll see I am reading Dear Henry by her as well) and I can’t get enough of her books.
I chose If You Read This because it was sad…and it definitely held up. My heart was broken the whole book, probably because I am a mom and this was about a girl whose mom had recently passed away. But, it had enough humor and heart that it wasn’t too sad.
>p>
If You Read This by Kereen GettenMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
My heart hurt so much during this book! It’s a book of grief but also of magic and family. The setting in this book is absolutely gorgeous. There were also some humorous parts to offset the sadness.
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Some of my favorite quotes:
I inhale deeply as the sea wafts around us, and it’s as if everything disappears.
I wish I could tell them that ever since Mama died, I feel forgotten.
If You Read This by Karen Getten *note these are from the arc and could change in the final book*
The Vanquishers: Secret of the Reaping by Kalynn Bayron
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a great vampire story! Can’t wait for the third book.
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We have to remember what happened before so that we can make sure it doesn’t ever happen again. We have to be honest about the stories we tell ourselves.
The Secret of the Reaping by Kalynn Bayron *note these are from the arc and could change in the final book*
Adult
I am definitely in the romance era for adult reads…I can’t get enough of cute romance! These two books were definitely that too-they had me giggling and turning pages so quickly to find out how it would all end. I will say Part of Your World was a little heavier with the subject matter, but in all, great light-hearted romance reads.
Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A wonderful romance that had me giggling so hard! I also loved the subplots and how it all turned out!
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If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I could not put this book down! It was such a fun story. The ending was a bit rushed, but still really good.
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Option Pile
I do hope to finish Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor as well as the middle grade my daughter recommended, Momo Arishima. I also know I will finish Dear Henry by Kalynn Bayron because last night I read 30% of the book!
Reading Challenges
I am still where I was last week on the 30 in 3 reading challenge…I really need to step things up!
If You Read This looks so good. I am not sure why I always read books about grief. They just draw so many emotions out of me. It all started with Lurlene McDaniel! Am I aging myself?
I laughed when I read that the book was called Part of Your World. That’s what my four-year-old calls The Little Mermaid. Thanks for these great recommendations. Your post made me want to travel to the library today!
I did my job today-head to the library! I also like sad books…so I completely understand!
Also, I kept singing that song every time I looked at the title of that book! haha.
It looks like you’ve fit in tons of great reading this week, Alexis! I’m not sure if I had seen If You Read This before, but I remember tons of praise for Getten’s previous book, When Life Gives You Mangos. And If the Shoe Fits caught my eye, since I’m a pretty solid fan of Julie Murphy’s YA novels (I think I’ve read 4!). And I agree that it’s better to let your reading plan be flexible and just have fun with it—I’m glad you pulled that off despite the looming library deadlines! Thanks so much for the wonderful post, and have a great week!
You should definitely read If The Shoe Fits! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great week too.
I listened to Part of Your World n audio. I should check out some other books by the author. I think she just had a new one published or it’s coming out soon.
I didn’t realize there was a sequel to The Vanquishers. That might actually help sell the first book.
Yes! And it was so good. There will also be another the way it ended.