Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks

 About This Book

Summary
📌Stand-Alone: 
📌Release Date: 2002
📌Format: Paperback/Mass Market Paperback & Audiobook 
📌Setting: Rodanthe, NC
📌Page Count: 222 (book itself, there's a snippet from his "next" book in back)
📌Genre(s): Romance, Fiction 
📌Date(s) Read: 6/9-6/10/21
📌Rating:   Book:  4/5   Audio:  5/5  Narrator(s): JoBeth Williams

Reread.

Some parts fit my life. Putting yourself so much into your children, bills, working, basically, everything but YOU. In time, you forget who you are. Or, who you thought you were, may not actually be who you are/were. 

It has been over a decade I think since I read this book the first time so naturally, a lot I didn't remember, just a thing or two. Now, rereading it, as a 46 year old woman with adult children (18 & 24), I think I get it a lot. I am really enjoying it a lot more than I remember. Before, I remember getting bored a few times but with it being the only book I had at the time, I just finished it but at the same time, I do remember liking it quite a bit and the characters.

It was a bit unrealistic in one area. Over time, I can understand things developing but some things went a little too quickly. Beyond that, I really did enjoy the book and the characters. The message that was trying to be gently delivered. 

For Batter or Worse (Cupcake Bakery Mystery #13) by Jenn McKinlay

 About This Book

Summary
📌Series: # 13
📌Release Date: May 4, 2021
📌Format: Mass Market Paperback
📌Setting: Scottsdale, AZ (United States)
📌Page Count: 288
📌Genre(s): Cozy Mystery, Romance
📌Date(s) Read: 6/8-6/9/21
📌Rating:   Book:  5/5   Audio:  5/5  Narrator(s): Susan Boyce

Another favorite from my favorite series. I went through this really quick. Only reason I stopped last night was because I got sleepy, otherwise, I would have finished it in "one sitting". 

I won't say a lot about this book because even though the summary says quite a bit, I still don't want to give spoilers, but this book was fun! Funny as always. I was reading a romance of hers but had to take a break because I got bored. Not because it was bad, just not, well, this! If you love cozy mysteries and haven't tried hers, please start it and hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I do. The first book in the series is Sprinkle With Murder. For me to make it 13 books in, I really enjoy it! I always try to tell people not to go into a book or series with your hopes too high and I will say it with this one too even with it being my personal favorite. I just hope that you like it enough to continue on. 

If you have already started the series, love/like it, and haven't gotten to this one yet, I hope that you get to it soon and love it too. :-)

This is the series that I intend on keeping every book that comes out in order to reread if I ever choose to go through them again and/or hand down to my sons so they can say "this was one of my mom's top favorite series". As of now, in my top 5 favorites. Not sure what the other 4 are at the moment. lol

The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman

 About This Book

Summary
📌Stand-Alone: 
📌Release Date: April 21, 2020 (first published: September 26, 2018 (?)
📌Format: e-book & audiobook
📌Setting: New York & Italy
📌Page Count: 400
📌Genre(s): romance, [Adult] fiction, contemporary, historical fiction
📌Date(s) Read: 6/4/21-6/8/21
📌Rating:   Book:  4.75/5   Audio: 5 /5  Narrator(s): Carlotta Brentan, Kathleen Garrett, Lori Nelson Spielman

I went into the book hoping I would like it but not expecting to. I really enjoyed this book a lot more than expected (evidently). I really just don't know what to say about this story. It just kept me engaged, wanting to know what happened next. It was beautifully written. 

This was a buddy read for June and I am so glad that it was. Otherwise, I may not have known about it, if I had, not sure if I had gotten to it anytime soon even if I did have some level of interest. Not sure if I would have finished it either but at the same time, I think I may have wanted to know what happened eventually. This buddy read helped me to get it done as well as the readathons that I was doing. They fit a few prompts perfectly. 

My personal opinion, go into this book knowing as little as possible. It's better that way. There is some language in it but beyond that, it is a really sweet story. I won't say much about the story beyond saying I really did enjoy it because I don't want to give away anything that happened. Not quite sure if this will become a favorite as I think more about it down the road but I really did enjoy this book! 

Happily Ever After & Everything in Between by Debbie Tung

 About This Book

Summary
📌Series/Stand-Alone: (Can be read as a stand alone but says it's a part of a series too)
📌Release Date: June 2, 2020
📌Format: ebook
📌Setting: Not Sure
📌Page Count: 160
📌Genre(s): Nonfiction, humor, adult, romance, autobiography/memoir, graphic novel
📌Date(s) Read: 6/4-6/5/21
📌Rating:   Book:  5/5 

I did read this book in a short period of time but I started it after 11 PM I believe and it just went over into after midnight. 

As normal with the other books I have read by her, quite a bit of laughter and me showing some parts to my sons that I thought was really funny. This was a sweet little graphic novel by someone who has become a favorite graphic novel author. I don't read many graphic novels but she is one who has become an auto read author for me. So, hopefully I will be able to keep up with when she comes out with a new one. I have one more book to read by her, no, wait, two I think. But I do have one that I have on my TBR list at my library. Going to be getting to it quickly hopefully. 

I do suggest this book even if you don't like graphic novels. It's just that much fun, even in her book where she speaks about her anxiety. 

Not really a lot to say about this fun little book full of laughter! 

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

 About This Book

Summary
📌Stand-Alone: 
📌Release Date: June 1, 1970 (first published)
📌Format: Hardcover & Audiobook
📌Setting: Georgia (I think. Didn't pay attention to that part of it really)
📌Page Count: 216
📌Genre(s): classic, fiction, historical fiction, African American
📌Date(s) Read: 5/31-6/4/21
📌Rating:   Book:  4.75/5   Audio: 4.75 /5  Narrator(s): Toni Morrison

I'm not sure what I can possibly say about this book beyond it was very hard to take. The reality of how things can be in this crazy world. The things you wished didn't happen but do. The ways so many of us treat each other and many of us wish we didn't. A story of hurt, pain, tragedy, not knowing how to properly love others, or yourself. A book of confusion sometimes for me, mostly because I think I tuned out sometimes and that made me get a bit lost. A beautifully written but sad story. A sad story of a sweet little girl who was always told she was ugly. Mistreated by many. Loved by few but not knowing how to properly show it as I said earlier. There are so many emotions that can be placed on this book I'm sure, many I am not even sure how to put down here. 

Not sure how to even feel right now beyond what I already said. I'm just, I don't know, broken for this sweet little girl and all of the hurt she had to deal with. What the parents and family went through themselves. Helped you to some what understand why things are the way they are but still not fully, really getting it. 

At least, not for me. 

I get a lot of the hurt and pain, the dysfunction. We all deal with some level of dysfunction in life I guess. I had to deal with my own throughout childhood, teen years and into adulthood. I do my best to keep my mental health in tact as best I can, which I why I am very careful about the books I read and now, the shows I watch. I limit the shows I watch even more than before now. 

It will probably be a while before I read another Morrison book because I can see she is one who knows how to write to just break your heart. I watched Beloved when I was younger and that one scared the mess out of me and broke my heart all at once. Not sure I will make another attempt to read that book. Now that I know what to expect, I can go into her books expecting trauma and tragedy of some sort. I will stop here and just say that, if you haven't read her books but want to, be prepared and have some things that will make you laugh along the way and lighten up the mood. For me, that will be some romance books, comedy of some kind and maybe an episode or so of Gilmore Girls or Family Reunion (both on Netflix. Yes, I have Netflix still)

(Don't let the O.B.C. sticker stop you from reading it if she is an issue for you. Look past that and read it anyway if you have an interest in this book)