I Bought 2 Books!

I bought 2 books!

Last Saturday, my family was at a massive barbecue competition. There were tons of competitors, each with their huge equipment. My husband is actually a certified barbecue judge and when he’s not judging, he’s competing! It’s his most favorite hobby and our patio is always overflowing with smokers, grills, etc. We have entire pieces of furniture and sheds devoted solely to his grilling supplies.

But we weren’t there on Saturday to support my husband. He wasn’t judging and he wasn’t competing. We were there to support my 9 year old DAUGHTER! There was a kids BBQ competition happening right next to the adult BBQ competition and my daughter entered. It was awesome! She NAILED IT! She worked SO HARD with absolutely zero help from us (and by us I obviously mean my husband…I have no clue how to grill). My husband, my son, and I sat on a bench and watched as my daughter made DELICIOUS looking burgers from scratch, plated them, and turned them in. She used secret ingredients, fancy methods, and was so proud of herself.

Once her burgers were officially turned into the judges, we had to wait for 2 hours until the winners were announced. We hung around the competition for a bit while we waited and then my husband had a GENIUS idea.

As it turned out, the competition was just a few miles away from the GLORIOUS Half Price Books Outlet that we stumbled upon when returning from our beautiful Galena getaway (you can read about our vacation HERE and about the amazing Half Price Books Outlet that we found HERE). My husband asked if I would like for us to drive there while we awaited the competition results.

Ummmm do I even need to answer that?! GET. IN. THE. CAR.

We jumped in the car and headed straight to the MECCA. We did some quick math and realized that I would have approximately 20ish minutes to be in there before we needed to head back to hear the competition results. Would I have preferred 3 hours? Hell yes. Was I prepared to take advantage of the 20 minutes that I had? Also hell yes.

The last time I was here I purchased what turned out to be the very best book I have ever read so my expectations from now on when making purchases here will remain HIGH, lol.

We pulled up, I threw on my mask, and I quite literally JUMPED out of the car.

There was no time for selfies but I did manage to snap a few pictures while inside!

I have now been to this amazing place 2 times and each time I was super limited on time with my family waiting in the car, ugh. I MUST get back there alone one day when I have lots of time to browse the shelves! It’s so incredibly AWESOME there.

20 minutes to run in, browse, AND pay? I got this. My husband and daughter might win barbecue competitions but if there was an award for shopping, Mama would be the CHAMPION.

I Bought 2 Books

While browsing (and by browsing I mean frantically scanning each shelf as my 20 minutes quickly ticked by) throughout the young adult section, this book caught my eye. Have any of you read it? After reading Starfish (oh Starfish is so amazing, synopsis and my review HERE), I’m curious as to how this one will compare with a similar topic.

Goodreads Synopsis of 45 Pounds:

Here are the numbers of Ann Galardi’s life:

She is 16.
And a size 17.
Her perfect mother is a size 6.
Her Aunt Jackie is getting married in 10 weeks, and wants Ann to be her bridesmaid.
So Ann makes up her mind: Time to lose 45 pounds (more or less) in 2 1/2 months.

Welcome to the world of infomercial diet plans, wedding dance lessons, embarrassing run-ins with the cutest guy Ann’s ever seen—-and some surprises about her NOT-so-perfect mother.

And there’s one more thing. It’s all about feeling comfortable in your own skin-—no matter how you add it up! 

A quick glance at my Fitbit told me that I literally had 3 minutes. 3 minutes! Only 1 choice on what to do! I clearly BOLTED to the clearance section. The first book that caught my eye was a hardcover copy one of my favorite books of all time for A DOLLAR. A DOLLAR??? Someone is going to hit the JACKPOT finding this beautiful $1 gem on that shelf. (You can read why this book is so special to me HERE).

And then I noticed this book. For some reason I haven’t read it although it’s been on my list to read for YEARS. Why have I not read this book yet? Have any of you read it? I’m sure many of you have, lol. I definitely grabbed this one for $1.00! I have very high hopes for this book since I LOVED Liv Constintine’s The Wife Stalker (synopsis and my review HERE).

Goodreads Synopsis of The Last Mrs. Parrish:

Amber Patterson is fed up. She’s tired of being a nobody: a plain, invisible woman who blends into the background. She deserves more—a life of money and power like the one blond-haired, blue-eyed goddess Daphne Parrish takes for granted.

To everyone in the exclusive town of Bishops Harbor, Connecticut, Daphne—a socialite and philanthropist—and her real-estate mogul husband, Jackson, are a couple straight out of a fairy tale.

Amber’s envy could eat her alive . . . if she didn’t have a plan. Amber uses Daphne’s compassion and caring to insinuate herself into the family’s life—the first step in a meticulous scheme to undermine her. Before long, Amber is Daphne’s closest confidante, traveling to Europe with the Parrishes and their lovely young daughters, and growing closer to Jackson. But a skeleton from her past may undermine everything that Amber has worked towards, and if it is discovered, her well-laid plan may fall to pieces. 

With shocking turns and dark secrets that will keep you guessing until the very end, The Last Mrs. Parrish is a fresh, juicy, and utterly addictive thriller from a diabolically imaginative talent. 

Once I purchased my books, I literally RAN back to my waiting family in the car, jumped in, and we headed back to the competition to hear the results.

2ND PLACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, so proud of her!!!!!!!!!!!! SHE DID IT!!!!!!

I hope you are having a good day! I’ll be back on Friday with a review of an AMAZING book that I recently read and LOVED!

Have you read any of these books? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Xo,

Jenny

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The ultimate list of my top book suggestions can be found HERE

The 12 best books I read in 2020 can be found HERE