Hot Dog b y Doug Salati

Hot Dog by Doug Salati
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Many thanks to Mary Alice my book loving librarian friend! This Caldecott Medal winner is perfect for young children through Adults. A little dachshund like dog living in the city is walking on a steaming hot day and all the city noise, clamor, crowds STOP this pup from moving anywhere anymore. Thankfully his astute senior owner knows the perfect place & using all forms of transportation they head toward a beautiful sea and spend a joyful day finding stones & shells by the sea!!! Each page and Illustration by Doug Salati was truly gorgeous, evocative, and best of all celebratory. I loved the city scape and the sea shore adventure, highly recommended!!!

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When Sea Becomes Sky by Gillian McDunn

When Sea Becomes Sky by Gillian McDunn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved McDunn's book about the special bond between a brother and sister. Bex and Davey love exploring the salt marsh every summer; when they find a hand of a sculpture sticking out of the water mystery abounds as this duo deal with the drought, the purchase of their beloved marsh, and how each strengthens the other. I loved each and every word in this middle grade stunner. Characters were real, the setting--gorgeous even though there is a drought and the plot so strong, magical, beautiful and sad. A must read for all!

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Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Narrated by: Miranda Raison with a great question and answer by Bonnie Garmus and Pandora Sykes, this was a great book about societal expectations of women in the 50s and 60s and how Elizabeth Zott with her "different" personality represents ALL women of that time that had hopes and dreams and the low expectations of society stopped them from achieving anything but headaches, gossip, unwanted negative attention, and lies. This story help me captive, there were a few pronunciation errors but that did not stop me from being totally enthralled by Elizabeth's world and her life with Calvin Evans and their time together resulting in a dog, a daughter, and much grief. I loved Harriet Sloane and really detested many of the Hastings employees with their evil, mean-spirited gossip which continued to follow Elizabeth Zott with her jobs and her life. But a satisfying resolution and the author chat at the end were really welcome. A must read!

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The Honeymoon Cottage (Cemetery, Indiana, #1) by Lori Foster

The Honeymoon Cottage by Lori Foster
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love Lori Foster books and this book was a great read- the town of Cemetery, Yardley's friends and family and her wedding planner business sucked me right in. I loved the progression of the story, Yardley is a heartfelt character who really does not know how much she is loved by everyone. Enter Travis and his sister as clients for her services. Immediately both Travis and Yardley are attracted to each other, but each have a rule that they do not date clients, and add the town drama, best friend Mimi's insecurities after having a baby, and a rescued dog; I loved turning every page. I am glad this is going to be a series because I fell in love with Cemetery, the food and house architecture, and the goodness/down to earth chraracters---I want to know more, more, more!!! Highly recommended!

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Park Avenue Player by Penelope War and Vi Keeland

Park Avenue Player by Penelope Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really liked the plot of this book! Elodie, Hollis, Hailey and Bree were strong characters, Elodie and Hailey were great together and funny too! The games between Hollis and Elodie added humor and suspense while the burn ratcheted up between these two people who had been burned and really did not trust anymore. An enjoyable read!

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Born Behind Bars by Padma Venkatraman

Born Behind Bars by Padma Venkatraman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I LOVED this book, Kabir's story of courage and optimism as he leaves jail where he was born and knows nothing about life outside the jail in India. But due to the love of his teacher, his Amma, and others in the jail, Kabir is released into the cold, cruel world. Once Kabir meets Rani, a street child who lives in a tree and her parrot, Jay; they set off on a quest to find family. I loved Kabir, Rani, and their adventures, I could not stop turning the pages. A must read!

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Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad

Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted by Suleika Jaouad
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks so much to Tara Smith, MaryAlice BD, and Pat Graham for your high recommendations that pushed me to read it immediately! Flawlessly narrated by the author, Suleika Jaouad's story had me captivated from page 1! As a 22 year old she contracts a form of leukemia 60 year olds deal with. Over a four year period, Suleika will share her treatments, her relationships, her friendships and her blog that the NYT picks up as a way of helping others, helping herself and coming to terms with what her life will be after cancer. This is a must read, I will think of Suleika and what she has accomplished whenever I want to feel sorry for myself---this book is a testament to the beauty of life even during cancer. She gave me meaning, hope, and beauty with her emotional truth and her triumphs as she learns how to drive and visits some of the people who wrote to her after reading her column, Life Interrupted.

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