I’m joinin’ in with Kimberly of Caffeinated Reviewer on Sundays to talk about anything new, to share what books have been read &/or have come in, and a heads up on what’s coming up next.
And of course I will also link up with It’s Monday! What are you reading? hosted by Kathryn of The Book Date later on today. Kathryn took over this weekly, Monday meme from Shelia of Book Journey who had taken it over from J Kayne Book Blog. This meme is not just about adult books either. If you read picture and chapter books, juvenile fiction, or even YA, they count as well. Jen Vincent of Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee of Unleashing Readers give this Monday, book post link up a kid-focus.
The Dillio
Well two things happened earlier this week:
- Jellybean turned 11 Monday; you can read about that here. I can’t believe she is a tween now.
- We are finally out for summer *insert cheers and a confetti cannon*. This week was a half week with three, early dismissals. The fifth grader finished off with straight A’s while her eighth grade, teen-aged sister had all A’s and one, high B. We’re proud of both of course. My oldest had no graduation as that was done away with at her junior high and instead, they had an on-school-grounds picnic of free food and games.
A Happy Papa’s Day to American fathers out there. If you observe this holiday, how’re you celebrating? “No drama,” is what my husband wanted. Saturday I made breakfast of breakfast sausages, turkey bacon, and overeasy eggs. Then we went to a local bike store where we checked out new bikes. Bikes were ordered for the teen and me. For the 11-year-old, her dad and I thought to have her use her sister’s until she grows a bit more but now the husband wants to relook at the bike she had tried out when our bikes come in. Later on in the day I joined the Tri-City Knitting group at a Starbucks; I haven’t met up with them since last year’s fall due to schedule conflicts. Today I’m making crunchy waffles and leaving my man to relax in peace in his office.
“When she was reading she wasn’t the quiet Sullivan twin, she wasn’t the one no one ever noticed. She became a princess in a castle. Or a clown juggling under the circus big top. She explored jungles on elephants’ backs and took trips to Mars on spaceships. Reading took her anywhere she wanted to go. And Sophie found that she wanted to go absolutely everywhere.”
― Bella Andre, I Only Have Eyes for You
I finished one, Kindle book this week. It actually is a Goodreads giveaway I had won. I had started the story in March and stopped, but then got back to it when I started working out on the elliptical.
I was a bit speculative about Map of Shadows when I first started it because the beginning premise reminded me of Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code where a grandfather is murdered (not a spoiler) and his granddaughter learns about the secret and magical legacy of this side of her family. However, once I got into the book I was immersed into a secret society that’s set up of Blood Cartographers who draw the maps of the world and keep the yin, society as we know it, and the yang, the Borderlands of decay, destruction, and death balanced.
I found the idea of maps in a fantasy world appealing because exploring other cities and knowing where we are and how to get there are important today. There was such a stark contrast in worlds that I have mixed feelings about it. I liked the animals that were wildly about but it also felt stereotypical for the Borderlands to be dark and a mess. The main character, Sienna, was immediately immersed into the mission which felt rushed as there was little character development. However, the quest was a good adventure full of action and danger, giving me a solid glimpse into how abilities and powers worked. I would definitely give the second installment a try and see from there. Three stars.
On Deck
- Death Threads (A Southern Sewing Circle #2) by Elizabeth Lynn Casey
- The Graveyard’s a Fine and Private Place (Flavia de Luce #3) by Alan Bradley
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter #4) by J.K. Rowling
- The Heart Forger (The Bone Witch #2) by Rin Chupeco
- Traitor to the Throne (Rebel of the Sands #2) by Alwyn Hamilton
- Wild Magic (Immortals #1) by Tamora Pierce
In the Dugout
- Guaranteed to Bleed (The Country Club Murders #2) by Julie Mulhern
What’s your favorite breakfast to eat? What book right now are you enjoying the most out of your stack? Have a good Sunday. Happy reading to you and TTYS.
When I couldn’t ‘find’ the library ebook, which it said, I downloaded…. -sigh- I discovered another book, which I had in Kindle, and forgot a\bout. And I love it. Lose some, gain some! ,-)
Read that, the the Mets finally won a game last night! Win! Win!
I forget the book name but I’ll do a post about it, eventually.
LikeLike
We didn’t do much for Father’s Day. We usually don’t do much but I normally make the Tornado make a card or we make something we know J will like but this week got a big out of control. Sounds like you had a good week and I like the picnic thing way better than a graduation. Sounds like way more fun. My favorite breakfast is one at a diner nearby which is a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on a brioche roll and a chipotle aioli. It’s my favorite thing! Have a great week!
LikeLike
happy father’s day to your mr!! I am reading The Beautiful Mystery and An Inquiry into Love and Death. Both are good and entertaining me.
LikeLike
Enjoy your summer fun!!
LikeLike
Thank you. I have places around the bay area to check out listed mentally in my noggin.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Happy birthday, Jellybean! I hope you’re enjoying the summer. Have a great week!
LikeLike
Happy Father’s Day to your family and hope you guys had a great day! Biking sounds fun! And happy b-day to your daughter. Hope you like the Julie Mulhern book- I really enjoy that series. 🙂
LikeLike
You celebrated Father’s Day beautifully…and soon you can all ride bikes together! Plus you have tons of great books to read! Waffles are a fave here but I have to be in the mood to make the. Plus I need a new waffle maker! But I love just simple eggs and toast! I love toast!
LikeLike
The recipe I used was watery but the waffles came out light and fluffy.
LikeLike
Well…that’s good…the recipe I use uses buttermilk and the waffles are always amazing!
LikeLike
I have Guaranteed to Bleed on my TBR list.
I am still reading the book I was in April.. not that it’s not interesting..
I make banana walnut stuffed french toast every Sunday.. I made it one Father’s day and now it has become a weekly tradition.
https://henatayeb.blogspot.com
LikeLike
Your weekend sounded great! And I adored the father’s day card that was carefully home crafted for your hubby. Learning so young I can’t wait to see the creations later on!
I’m ridiculously excited for you to read Traitor and I need to know what you think! Also I see Wild Magic there!!!!!!!!!! Eeeeeeppp! It’s one of my most favourite and I think your tween should read it too. It’s so suitable and amazing and also empowering for girls. It was such a formative book/series/world for me. I hope you love it but I do understand that it might come across differently as an adult reading it for the first time. Pleeease keep me posted! You can IM me on Instagram even! I am that excited for you to read these. Ha ha. **laying off of the crazy now**.
Hope you’re having a great week Stef!
LikeLike
June 21, 2018
Happy Midsummer’s Eve…!!!
LikeLike
Sounds like you are enjoying the summer and yay to good grades! Happy birthday to her as well 😉
The crunchy waffles sound yummy, I like a nice toasted bagel with egg and cheese for breakfast best, with orange juice to drink.
Have a great week! I’m not on blog land too much during the summer but I will be on here and there, especially with review posts.
LikeLike
Yay for birthdays and school being out for summer!!
We celebrated Father’s Day with a family bike ride. Unfortunately, we had drama as I super crashed my bike! I am ok, just some ugly bruises and cuts. As for breakfast, I love feta cheese omlettes! Or crepes!!
LikeLike