I Bought a Book!

Throughout this quarantine, I have been reading my way though a huge stack of library books that I had checked out before the Illinois shelter in place began, books on my bookshelf that I hadn’t yet read, and books borrowed from my dear friends. If you have been following me for any length of time, you know that I am completely obsessed with my local library.  I absolutely love checking out library books and VERY rarely purchase books on my own.  However, with our local library currently being closed and with no plans of reopening any time soon (insert sobbing emoji here)…I finally bought myself a brand new, beautiful book!

On Monday, I posted the following on Facebook:

That post received SO MANY great responses and some AMAZING book suggestions!  I just love the Book Coffee Happy reader community so very much. 🙂  Some of your  suggestions were books that I’ve read (and LOVED) and others were new to me titles.  I read every single one of your comments and looked up the synopsis of every single book mentioned.  I’m VERY happy to report that my To Read list has grown thanks to that post!  Some of the books mentioned by you guys sound AMAZING.  I love, love, love book discussions.  Thank you so much to those of you who commented!  If you haven’t read that post or it’s amazing comments, you can follow my Facebook page HERE.

I gave my decision as to which book I was going to buy lots of thought.  Being the president of my daughter’s school’s PTO has been hard work…and receiving this gift card as a thank you touched my heart.  I needed to spend it wisely!  Although a few of those Facebook post suggestions reaaaaaaally got me thinking…I ultimately decided on a book that wasn’t even mentioned by any of you in that post.

I Bought A Book!

The book that I bought is a book I have been dying to read for MONTHS AND MONTHS…even before it’s release.  I’ve been on my library’s wait list forever (before the book was even released) and my name isn’t even coming close to the top (especially now, lol).  Every time I would walk into the library, I would desperately check the new release shelf in hopes of it randomly being there but it never was.  The good news is that if you are on the wait list at my local library…your name just got moved up 1 spot 🙂

I initially thought of buying this book but then decided to see if any of your suggestions would sway me into thinking that maybe I should spend my gift card on a different title instead.

So after much thought (the minimalist in me does NOT take purchases like this lightly), I ultimately went on Amazon and thanks to Prime…it arrived on my doorstep this afternoon.

Here are some clues about this book:

  • It was published in February 2020…a brand new release!
  • It’s listed genres include: mystery, thriller, horror, fiction, and suspense.
  • This is the 7th book written by this author but the first one I’ve ever read.
  • The reviews on this book are INSANE….like….everyone loves it.  I searched and searched and couldn’t find a negative review!  People are LOVING this book which clearly explains why I couldn’t get my hands on a library copy.

Any guesses???

As a fun follow up to yesterday’s post where I was burning a Christmas scented candle, here is the candle currently burning next to me as I type.  Quarantine life has taught me not to wait for the correct time to burn the seasonal candles….there are no seasons in quarantine!  Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Off to rip open this Amazon box and wipe down my brand new book with these disinfecting wipes so I can start reading ASAP!

What book do you think I bought???  I’d love to hear your guesses in the comments below 🙂

Xo,

Jenny

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

 

A Book I Gave Up On, A Book I’m Reading, Presents for a Book Lover, and my Daughter Turns 8!

2020 is not off to a great start for this book lover.  I have already given up on a book that I had started and didn’t feel the need to finish and I am now currently reading a book that I’m not 100 percent into.  UGH.  The bright spot is that I have recently received some AWESOME bookish gifts!

If you follow me on Instagram you know that I have officially given up on this book.

I didn’t hate it!  I just didn’t love it.  I was never excited to pick it up to read and for me, that’s always a sure sign that I need to move on.  Book bloggers everywhere are loving this book…unfortunately I’m not one them.  I truly think that given some time it could have redeemed itself but I just didn’t feel like sticking around to find out.

Moving on…

I’m currently reading this one and I’m not sure how I feel about it yet. I can definitely tell that unfortunately I think many parts have gotten lost in translation (it is originally published in French) but (as of today) I’m still sticking with it!

Special shoutout to my dear friend, Kristy!  Look at this amazing shirt and tote bag that she bought for me:

Obsessed!

I was finally able to see her beautiful Little Free Library for the first time a few nights ago.  There is a man in her community who makes them for anyone who would like one!  Not “official” Little Free Libraries but every bit as special.  I found this little gem for my daughter waiting in there:

Speaking of my daughter, she was SO excited when she came home from school a few days ago to give me this bookmark that she chose just for me from her school library:

Love her.

Tomorrow she will turn EIGHT. How is that even possible?! Wasn’t I just blogging about her turning 7?

Happiest of birthdays to my gorgeous, smart, kind, caring, sweet and special little girl. I love you and I love being your mom so much!  **Maybe one day I will show her beautiful face and say her beautiful name on here…**

This weekend shall include a unicorn themed birthday party, balloons, cake, delicious food, presents, and lots and lots of smiles.  Perfection!

Be sure to check the blog on Monday!  I’m hosting a giveaway for one of the best books that I read in 2019 and I can’t wait to share it with you!

Xo,

Jenny

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The 12 Best Books I Read in 2019

I read A LOT of books in 2019.  I haven’t counted them but I can assure you…I read A LOT.  I read many wonderful books, many not so wonderful books and even started reading a few that I never bothered to finish because they didn’t hook me. Here (in no particular order) are my 12 absolute favorite adult fiction (and 1 young adult fiction) books that I read (and LOVED) in 2019. Click on the book cover to purchase the book through my affiliate link (when you purchase through this link, I receive a small commission…xo). Click on my review to read each book’s synopsis as well as my personal thoughts.

What If It’s Us {Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera}

Read my review HERE

The Other Woman {Sandie Jones}

Read my review HERE

Somebody’s Daughter {Rochelle B. Weinstein}

Read my review HERE

A Spark of Light {Jodi Picoult}

Read my review HERE

The Unbreakables {Lisa Barr}

Read my review HERE

Convenience Store Woman {Sayaka Murata}

Read my review HERE

The Most Fun We Ever Had {Claire Lombardo}

Read my review HERE

The Bride Test {Helen Hoang}

Read my review HERE

A Simple Favor {Darcey Bell}

Read my review HERE

The Turn of the Key {Ruth Ware}

Read my review HERE

The Mother in Law {Sally Hepworth}

Read my review HERE

This is Not How It Ends {Rochelle B. Weinstein}

This book isn’t being released until 1/1/20.  I was fortunate enough to receive an Advance Readers Copy and I finished reading just a few days ago.  I. LOVED. IT.  Full blog review coming soon…

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

My Superhero Mind Giveaway Winners:

Congratulations to the following lucky readers 🙂  Please email me your mailing address (bookcoffeehappy@gmail.com) within 48 hours to receive your autographed copy!  If I don’t hear from you in 48 hours, I will pick a new winner.  A big thanks to everyone who entered!  I have some fantastic giveaways already lined up for 2020, I can’t wait to share them with you…

Tracy (I would love this book to read to my own children AND all to read to in ALL the classrooms I work in! As an instructional coach, I am in so many classes and I think this book would be great for all students!
I love your blog Jenny! Thanks for sharing your love of reading with so many! Happy Holidays to you and your family!)

Becca (My 4 year old niece and my 2 year old nephew would absolutely love this book. One of the best and most meaningful things I do with them is read to them and share my love of books. This would be a great addition to the collection of books they have.)

Jess E (I’d love to have this book for my 2 year old boy/girl twins! It sounds like a great book that will be able to grow with them, teach positive lessons, and to show any and all of their dreams are supported!)

Melissa (At 2 1/2 years old, Addie would LOVE this book. She loves to read and right now she is obsessed with Spiderman so a super hero book would be great. She is a very independent, sassy and strong little girl!)

Kelley (I wish to share this book with my best friends grand daughter Carleigh! I think she would love it. Thank you)

What was your favorite book that you read in 2019? Please share in the comments below!

Xo,

Jenny

This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support!  Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:

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I Can’t Put This Book Down!

A book I literally can’t put down, holiday lights, a special reunion, a lovely new book in the mail, and a chance to theme out my daughter and I???  I’d call that a wonderful week!

My kids and I were driving around looking at holiday lights a few nights ago and we stumbled upon this house.  How beautiful is this?!

I had such a special thing happen earlier this week.  When I was in kindergarten, I was an advanced reader (no surprise there) and was pulled each day from my classroom to go into another classroom for advanced reading instruction. I loved my beautiful reading teacher so much and looked forward to spending time with her and her lessons each day!

Earlier this week, when I arrived to lead my storytime at a local children’s play cafe, my beautiful teacher was there with her granddaughter! We recognized each other immediately 🙂 I couldn’t believe that I was given the opportunity to read to my very own reading teacher and to be able to thank her for all she has done for me.  I was so excited to tell her how my love of reading had lead me to teaching elementary school for 14 years, currently writing a book blog and to now being paid to read to kids twice a week!

After storytime was over, her we had such a lovely talk.  We caught each other up on the past 35ish years (!) and compared our current “to read” lists.   We gave each other book recommendations and lots of hugs!  So special.

Speaking of book recommendations, I  CAN’T.  PUT.  THIS.  ONE.  DOWN.  I’m halfway through and am loving it so much.  I have no idea how this one is going to end!  Aaaaaand after I just wrote that sentence I realized the title of the book that I am discussing, lol.  I can’t remember the last book I read where I was this invested.  Maybe this adorable book?

I’m truly loving this one so far and I can’t wait to write a full review once I’m through.  (I’m so fortunate to be reading an advance readers copy…It officially releases January 1st).

I received this children’s book in the mail yesterday and it looks great! Full blog review and giveaway coming soon!

The library called last night…the book I’ve had on hold for weeks is waiting for me to pick up! Happy holidays indeed 🙂

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend…Happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate! My daughter and I will be wearing these to her class party today 🙂

What are your plans for this weekend?  I hope whatever you are doing includes family, friends, love, and BOOKS!

Xo,

Jenny

This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support!  Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:

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5 Books to Read for Your Book Club

Last week a friend of mine told me that she recently joined her first book club and said she would be coming to me for book recommendations when it’s her time to choose the selection.  When I first started blogging, I wrote about the reasons why book clubs don’t necessarily appeal to me but I DO know that many of you love them!  If I were to ever join a book club, the following are a handful of books I would choose to share as each of these books could lead to such interesting discussions!

Click the images below to order the books through my Amazon affiliate link.  When you order through this link, I receive a tiny commission. Thank you for your support, Xo

Young Jane Young {Gabrielle Zevin}

This book is such an easy and interesting read and could lead to fascinating discussions. I loved this book and I’m not sure why it isn’t more popular?

Synopsis:

Young Jane Young‘s heroine is Aviva Grossman, an ambitious Congressional intern in Florida who makes the life-changing mistake of having an affair with her boss‑‑who is beloved, admired, successful, and very married‑‑and blogging about it. When the affair comes to light, the Congressman doesn’t take the fall, but Aviva does, and her life is over before it hardly begins. She becomes a late‑night talk show punchline; she is slut‑shamed, labeled as fat and ugly, and considered a blight on politics in general.

How does one go on after this? In Aviva’s case, she sees no way out but to change her name and move to a remote town in Maine. She tries to start over as a wedding planner, to be smarter about her life, and to raise her daughter to be strong and confident. But when, at the urging of others, she decides to run for public office herself, that long‑ago mistake trails her via the Internet like a scarlet A. For in our age, Google guarantees that the past is never, ever, truly past, that everything you’ve done will live on for everyone to know about for all eternity. And it’s only a matter of time until Aviva/Jane’s daughter, Ruby, finds out who her mother was, and is, and must decide whether she can still respect her.

Read my review of Young Jane Young  HERE.

Somebody’s Daughter {Rochelle B. Weinstein}

Everybody should read this book, especially f you are parenting teenagers or soon to be teenagers.  So much to discuss with this one.

Synopsis:

Emma and Bobby Ross enjoy a charmed life on the shores of Miami Beach. They are a model family with a successful business, an uncomplicated marriage, and two blessedly typical twin daughters, Zoe and Lily. They are established members of a tight-knit community.

Then, on the night of the girls’ fifteenth birthday party, they learn of Zoe’s heartbreaking mistake—a private and humiliating indiscretion that goes viral and thrusts her and her family into the center of a shocking public scandal.

As the family’s core is shattered by disgrace, judgment, and retribution, the fallout takes its toll. But for Emma, the shame runs deeper. Her daughter’s reckless behavior has stirred memories of her own secrets that could break a marriage, a family, and friendships forever.

Read my review of Somebody’s Daughter HERE.

The Most Fun We Ever Had {Claire Lombardo}

The ONLY aspect of this book which might scare people off is it’s length.  It’s LONG!  If this is something that might not thrill the members of your book club, you might want to skip this one (although it PAINS me to say that because I truly think this is my favorite book of all time.  It’s amazing.  If your book club doesn’t want to read it…read it on your own time.  Trust me.)

Synopsis:

When Marilyn Connolly and David Sorenson fall in love in the 1970s, they are blithely ignorant of all that’s to come. By 2016, their four radically different daughters are each in a state of unrest: Wendy, widowed young, soothes herself with booze and younger men; Violet, a litigator-turned-stay-at-home-mom, battles anxiety and self-doubt when the darkest part of her past resurfaces; Liza, a neurotic and newly tenured professor, finds herself pregnant with a baby she’s not sure she wants by a man she’s not sure she loves; and Grace, the dawdling youngest daughter, begins living a lie that no one in her family even suspects. Above it all, the daughters share the lingering fear that they will never find a love quite like their parents’.

As the novel moves through the tumultuous year following the arrival of Jonah Bendt–given up by one of the daughters in a closed adoption fifteen years before–we are shown the rich and varied tapestry of the Sorensons’ past: years marred by adolescence, infidelity, and resentment, but also the transcendent moments of joy that make everything else worthwhile.

Read my review of The Most Fun We Ever Had HERE.

Becoming {Michelle Obama}

Although I personally didn’t love this book, I do think Michelle Obama has led an interesting life full of interesting decisions.

Synopsis:

In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America—the first African American to serve in that role—she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare.

Watch my VLOG of me sharing my review of Becoming HERE.

The Unbreakables {Lisa Barr}

Oh this book has so many aspects that a book club could spend hours discussing!  Loved this book!

Synopsis:

The worst birthday ever might just be the gift of a lifetime…

It’s Sophie Bloom’s forty-second birthday, and she’s ready for a night of celebration with Gabe, her longtime, devoted husband, and her two besties and their spouses. Dinner is served with a side of delicious gossip, including which North Grove residents were caught with their pants down on Ashley Madison after the secret on-line dating site for married and committed couples was hacked. Thirty-two million cheaters worldwide have been exposed…including Sophie’s “perfect” husband. To add insult to injury, she learns Gabe is the top cheater in their town.

Humiliated and directionless, Sophie jumps into the unknown and flees to France to meet up with her teenage daughter who is studying abroad and nursing her own heartbreak. After a brief visit to Paris, Sophie heads out to the artist enclave of Saint-Paul-de-Vence. There, for the first time in a long time, Sophie acknowledges her own desires—not her husband’s, not her daughter’s—and rediscovers her essence with painful honesty and humor, reawakening both her sensuality and ambitions as a sculptor.

As she sheds her past and travels the obstacle-filled off beaten path, Sophie Bloom is determined to blossom. Allowing her true self to emerge in the postcard beauty of Provence, Sophie must decide what is broken forever…and what it means to be truly unbreakable.

Read my review of The Unbreakables HERE.

Have you read any of these books?  What other books would you recommend for a book club?  I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Xo,

Jenny

This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support!  Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:

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New Family Heirloom, What I’m Reading, and My Porch Goose

I received the most lovely text from my wonderful cousin, Shari!  The very day that I posted this post mentioning that I was so happy to receive the 1st in the Little House series for my daughter, she texted me that she has the entire series and wanted to give them to me!  How amazing is that?!?  I just love my family so much.  She asked that I keep them in the family and pass them along to my other cousins when my daughter finishes reading them.  Jamie, these are coming to you next and you can then pass them along to Catherine!  Our new family heirloom 🙂

Would any of my local readers like to have this copy?  Just let me know, I’ll put it on my front porch for you. 🙂  If not, I’ll toss this little gem into a Little Free Library!

I find it creepy how the baby was partially edited out in the different covers.  Why not just edit the whole body out?  So weird, lol. 

My porch goose is all ready for winter.  Love.

I will finish reading this book today!  Full blog review coming soon!

So excited to start reading this one next!  It looks amazing.

I’m a huge fan of Rochelle Weinstein both as an author and as a person.  If you haven’t read Somebody’s Daughter yet, I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend it.

Happy Friday!  What are you up to this weekend?  Ours will be busy and fun.  My kids have 4 (!) birthday parties, my son has a basketball class, and my husband and I are going to a fancy downtown dinner with his colleagues.  I hope you have a nice weekend!

Xo,

Jenny

Did you read this book?  What did you think?  I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Click the image below to order the book through my Amazon affiliate links.  When you order through these links, I receive a tiny commission. Thank you for your support, Xo

This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support!  Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:

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Books, Books, Books!

As the delicious smell of Twisted Peppermint fills my living room, I have so many book related updates to blog about and share with you!

Last October, I was invited to attend a Midwest Writers Association meeting.  The discussion topic was “expressing your passion” and how a writer discovers and applies that passion into his/her writing.  It was such a wonderful experience (You can read about that night here). A few weeks ago, I was once again invited to attend one of their meetings as the topic of this particular meeting was blogging and using blogs to promote yourself.  I felt so honored to be included and I loved being able to share some of the knowledge that I’ve gained through writing my blog. 

The meeting was held at a local independent bookstore.  Oh how I just love local independent bookstores!

We met in their beautiful event room and I loved spending the morning in the company of such wonderful authors, bloggers, and writers.  Thank you so much for including me, Midwest Writers Association!  You can read more about this lovely group of people here.

Do you remember a few months ago when I happily took a few books from our local library book stand at one of our community buildings?  My kids and I were there dropping something off last week and of course we spent a long time looking through the current selection.

Unfortunately none of the adult books called to me so I didn’t take any for myself.  My kids, however, got some great books!

I told my kids that they were each allowed to choose 1 item.  My son chose a frog book and my daughter chose a brand new (factory sealed!) math bingo game.  I was DELIGHTED to find the first book in the Little House series for my daughter!  Oh how I LOVED this series, I can’t wait for her to read them.  I also grabbed The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby for her since it is written by the same author as her current book series obsession: Dogman!

If you follow me onInstagram, you saw that I found this classic at a Little Free Library a few days ago! I happily added this along with the Little House book to the box of classic books I’m collecting for when my daughter is a bit older.  Love.

Present for my Niece’s 10th Birthday:

She loved them. 🙂

As for me, I’m currently reading this book:

The release date isn’t until January and I feel extraordinarily lucky that I was able to receive an Advance Reader’s Copy.  I absolutely love Mary Kubica.  While you are waiting for The Other Mrs. to be released, I strongly recommend reading this one.   SO, SO GOOD. 

Check out these 2 gorgeous childrens books that have recently been sent to me. I can’t wait to read these with my kids! Full blog reviews (and giveaways!) coming to the blog soon!

And lastly, my daughter was in a play last week (she was awesome and I cried) and here are the flowers I bought for her.  They are full of glitter because she’s 7 and there’s not much cooler to a 7 year old than a bouquet of all glitter flowers.  #momwin

What are you (or your children) currently reading?  Please share in the comments below!

Xo,

Jenny

This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support!  Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:

*Please share this page with your book and blog loving friends!*

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