Five Book Reading Wrap-up
(There is an Amazon link to each book. If you are interested in a bit more information, just click on the link. I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you click on the link and buy anything at all, I get a percent of the sale at no cost to you...thanks:-)*********************************************************************************Book 1
"Wish"by Barbara O'Connor
"Wish"
Genre: Children's Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Fiction,
Good Reads Rating-4.31/5My Rating is 5/5
(click photo below to go to Amazon)
Overview I found on Amazon.A touching, New York Times–bestselling story about a girl and her dog, perfect for young animal lovers.
Eleven-year-old Charlie Reese has been making the same secret wish every day since fourth grade. She even has a list of all the ways there are to make the wish, such as cutting off the pointed end of a slice of pie and wishing on it as she takes the last bite. But when she is sent to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina to live with family she barely knows, it seems unlikely that her wish will ever come true. That is until she meets
Wishbone, a skinny stray dog who captures her heart, and Howard, a neighbor boy who proves surprising in lots of ways. Suddenly Charlie is in serious danger of discovering that what she thought she wanted may not be what she needs at all.
Quote“You can't judge people for the mistakes they make. You judge them for how they fix those mistakes.”
― Wish
My Thoughts Before I Read the BookThe cover is what drew me in. A sweet little girl and a cute stray dog. That is all it took, and I was invested.
My Thoughts After I Read the BookWhat an adorable book. A young girl travels to live with an aunt and uncle because her parents cannot care for her. Her dad (Scrappy) is in jail, and her mother, who sleeps nearly all day and has no desire to care for a child. In this story, you will meet Charlemagne, who goes by Charlie, as she travels to her relative's house in the NC mountains. Her relatives Aunt Bertha and Uncle Gus, are caring and the perfect role model for a searching girl. Her mountain family cares deeply for one another and Charlie.Charlie is in pain because she feels unwanted by her parents, and she decides if she makes "wishes" every chance she gets and at every opportunity that comes her way that her wish will eventually come true. She meets so many people on her journey. Charlie's friend Howard, with the "up and down" walk, helps her quell her anger, her aunt and uncle that show her the love she has never known, and of course, the stray dog that comes into her life and gives her joy and purpose. What a sweet book!According to Charlie, there are specific times you can make a wish; here are just a few. If you see three birds on a wire, if the clock shows 11:11, this is the perfect time to make a wish, and if you cut the tip off a piece of pie and save it for your last bite, you can make a wish.My Final ThoughtI loved this book. Even when she was down and felt and that her wish would never come true, she would find hope in her new circumstances. Book TrailerThe book trailer below gives you an overview that is just right regarding this book.
MovieI could not find a movie. If they made one, I would be first in line to watch it.
*********************************************************************************Book 2"The Passengers"by John MarrsGenre-Thriller, Science Fiction, Fiction, Mystery4.09 stars on Goodreads out of 5 starsI would give this book 3.5/5
Amazon Link below...
Overview From Good ReadsYou're riding in your self-driving car when suddenly the doors lock, the route changes and you have lost all control. Then, a mysterious voice tells you, "You are going to die."
Just as self-driving cars become the trusted, safer norm, eight people find themselves in this terrifying situation, including a faded TV star, a pregnant young woman, an abused wife fleeing her husband, an illegal immigrant, a husband and wife, and a suicidal man.
From cameras hidden in their cars, their panic is broadcast to millions of people around the world. But the public will show their true colors when they are asked, "Which of these people should we save?...And who should we kill first?"
Quote I don't have a particular quote.
My Thoughts Before Reading the BookI thought the premise was a good one. Here you have people in self-driving cars all headed to the same location told through the car speakers they are going to die. I was curious how and why they came to find themselves in this situation, what diabolical mind would put this together, and of course, I wondered who would die.
My Thoughts After Reading the Book
I listened to this book on audible. The narrator was good, and the book was OK. I never lost interest in the content of the book, but on many occasions, I found my mind wondering. You follow the people trapped in the cars as they realize the dilemma in which they find themselves. The reaction of each passenger was interesting. Their fear and confusion were all televised for the world to see, and people were actually placing bids on who should live or die on social media. Overall it was a good book, just not one of my favorites.
Is there a Movie or Book Trailer?I was not able to find a book trailer or any info on a movie. I think it would make a good movie.********************************************************************************Book 3"The Christmas Doll"Elvira WoodruffGenre- Holidays, Christmas, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade4.23 stars on Goodreads out of 5 stars
I gave this book a 4.75/5
Amazon Link Below....
Book overview as found on GoodReadsIn a heartwarming novel that is destined to become a Christmas classic, acclaimed author Elvira Woodruff tells the story of two orphaned sisters whose lives are forever changed by a magical doll.Lucy and Glory are orphaned sisters with no real place to call home. Only their memories of a beautiful doll named Morning Glory brighten their bleak lives. When a deadly fever sweeps through the workhouse where the girls live, Lucy and Glory flee to the mean streets of London.One day the girls find an old battered doll that Glory senses is their beloved Morning Glory. But Morning Glory is no ordinary doll--the girls learn that she has magical powers that will change their lives in amazing ways. With the help of the doll, the sisters discover the true meaning of the Christmas spirit.
My Thoughts Before I Read the Book
I was looking for a Christmas themed book for the holiday, and I came across The Christmas Doll. This book received excellent reviews, so I thought I would listen to it on Audible.
My Thoughts After Reading the Book
I loved it! The story begins with two orphaned sisters in a workhouse in London in the late 19th century. Not only do the girls have to endure the dire conditions of the workhouse, but they are also dealing with a highly contagious disease that is killing kids in the home. The youngest of the sisters, Glory, becomes ill and is taken to the infirmary, and because of this, the older sister Lucy is convinced she will never see her sister again. At this desperate time for the sisters, Lucy decides to rescue her sister and escape the Work House.
The question is, do they escape and find themselves on the streets of London? Do the girls make friends along the way? Are there dolls involved in the story, and do the dolls bring hope? Do they meet an amazing lady that may or may not help them? I can't tell you, or it would be a spoiler. I will only say that I loved it and I would recommend it.
After listening to the book on Audible, I decided to buy the book on Amazon to put in my library. I was going to get the hardbound copy, but it was selling for $107.00. I decided to get the paperback for $10.95.
Book TrailerI could not find a book trailer for this book.MovieI could not find any information on a movie related to this book.*******************************************************************************Book 4"A Kind of Paradise"
by Amy Rebecca TanGenre- Middle Grade, Fiction4.22 stars on GoodReads out of 5 stars.
I gave this one 4/5 stars.
Amazon Link Below.... 
Quote from Good Reads,Jamie Bunn made a mistake at the end of the school year. A big one. And every kid in her middle school knows all about it. Now she has to spend her summer vacation volunteering at the local library—as punishment. It may be boring, but at least she’ll be able to hide from mean girl Trina, who’s always had it out for her, and beautiful Trey, the boy at the root of her big mistake.
Or so she thinks.
Not only does her job bring her face-to-face with both her mortal enemy and her ultimate crush, but Jamie also encounters a territorial patron, an elderly movie fanatic, a super-tall painter who loves to bake, and a homeless dog. Over the course of the summer, as Jamie gets to know the library and the people in it, she finds—and gives—help where she least expects it.
And she just might find herself along the way.
My Thoughts Before I Read the Book
I am always on the lookout for a good middle-grade book, and this one looked like a good one, so I decided to check it out.
My Thoughts After Reading the Book
Our main character Jamie has done something she knew was wrong, and now she is suffering the consequences of her actions. She did this misdeed in school, and everyone knows about it, and so she is embarrassed. Her punishment is that she has to spend her summer working as a local public library volunteer. I loved the main character and all the interesting people she met in the library. Jamie's library experience is where she finds herself. Excellent middle-grade book.
Is there a movie?
I could not find a book trailer or any info on a movie related to this book.
*******************************************************************************Book 5 "Anxious People"by Fredrik BackmanGenre-Fiction, Mystery, Humor, 4.32 stars on Good Reads out of 5 stars
I give this book 4.5/5
Link to Amazon Below..... 
Quote from the Book JacketA poignant, charming novel about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined
Looking at real estate isn't usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can't fix up their own marriage. There's a wealthy banker who has been too busy making money to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can't seem to agree on anything, from where they want to live to how they met in the first place. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment's only bathroom, and you've got the worst group of hostages in the world.Humorous, compassionate, and wise, Anxious People is an ingeniously constructed story about the enduring power of friendship, forgiveness, and hope—the things that save us, even in the most anxious of times.Quote“Some of us never manage to get the chaos under control, so our lives simply carry on, the world spinning through space at two million miles an hour while we bounce about on its surface like so many lost socks.”
―
Eleven-year-old Charlie Reese has been making the same secret wish every day since fourth grade. She even has a list of all the ways there are to make the wish, such as cutting off the pointed end of a slice of pie and wishing on it as she takes the last bite. But when she is sent to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina to live with family she barely knows, it seems unlikely that her wish will ever come true. That is until she meets
Wishbone, a skinny stray dog who captures her heart, and Howard, a neighbor boy who proves surprising in lots of ways. Suddenly Charlie is in serious danger of discovering that what she thought she wanted may not be what she needs at all.
― Wish
Just as self-driving cars become the trusted, safer norm, eight people find themselves in this terrifying situation, including a faded TV star, a pregnant young woman, an abused wife fleeing her husband, an illegal immigrant, a husband and wife, and a suicidal man.
From cameras hidden in their cars, their panic is broadcast to millions of people around the world. But the public will show their true colors when they are asked, "Which of these people should we save?...And who should we kill first?"
I thought the premise was a good one. Here you have people in self-driving cars all headed to the same location told through the car speakers they are going to die. I was curious how and why they came to find themselves in this situation, what diabolical mind would put this together, and of course, I wondered who would die.
My Thoughts After Reading the Book
I listened to this book on audible. The narrator was good, and the book was OK. I never lost interest in the content of the book, but on many occasions, I found my mind wondering. You follow the people trapped in the cars as they realize the dilemma in which they find themselves. The reaction of each passenger was interesting. Their fear and confusion were all televised for the world to see, and people were actually placing bids on who should live or die on social media. Overall it was a good book, just not one of my favorites.
I gave this book a 4.75/5
My Thoughts Before I Read the Book
I was looking for a Christmas themed book for the holiday, and I came across The Christmas Doll. This book received excellent reviews, so I thought I would listen to it on Audible.
My Thoughts After Reading the Book
I loved it! The story begins with two orphaned sisters in a workhouse in London in the late 19th century. Not only do the girls have to endure the dire conditions of the workhouse, but they are also dealing with a highly contagious disease that is killing kids in the home. The youngest of the sisters, Glory, becomes ill and is taken to the infirmary, and because of this, the older sister Lucy is convinced she will never see her sister again. At this desperate time for the sisters, Lucy decides to rescue her sister and escape the Work House.
The question is, do they escape and find themselves on the streets of London? Do the girls make friends along the way? Are there dolls involved in the story, and do the dolls bring hope? Do they meet an amazing lady that may or may not help them? I can't tell you, or it would be a spoiler. I will only say that I loved it and I would recommend it.
After listening to the book on Audible, I decided to buy the book on Amazon to put in my library. I was going to get the hardbound copy, but it was selling for $107.00. I decided to get the paperback for $10.95.
I gave this one 4/5 stars.
Or so she thinks.
Not only does her job bring her face-to-face with both her mortal enemy and her ultimate crush, but Jamie also encounters a territorial patron, an elderly movie fanatic, a super-tall painter who loves to bake, and a homeless dog. Over the course of the summer, as Jamie gets to know the library and the people in it, she finds—and gives—help where she least expects it.
And she just might find herself along the way.
My Thoughts Before I Read the Book
I am always on the lookout for a good middle-grade book, and this one looked like a good one, so I decided to check it out.
My Thoughts After Reading the Book
Our main character Jamie has done something she knew was wrong, and now she is suffering the consequences of her actions. She did this misdeed in school, and everyone knows about it, and so she is embarrassed. Her punishment is that she has to spend her summer working as a local public library volunteer. I loved the main character and all the interesting people she met in the library. Jamie's library experience is where she finds herself. Excellent middle-grade book.
Is there a movie?
I could not find a book trailer or any info on a movie related to this book.
I give this book 4.5/5
Looking at real estate isn't usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can't fix up their own marriage. There's a wealthy banker who has been too busy making money to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can't seem to agree on anything, from where they want to live to how they met in the first place. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment's only bathroom, and you've got the worst group of hostages in the world.
―
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