In this post-pandemic world, raising a resilient, active and engaged elementary schooler can be a little tough. The helpful paragraphs and short, easy-to-understand suggestions are reassuring and giving the reader guidelines to follow.

This was not my favorite book because I’m not really interested in planets.

I like how she used old things to make something new

I wouldn’t recommend reading this one. I only liked the detectives character in this but I didn’t enjoy reading from all the different points of view.

I love how Jeanne Birdsall makes very exciting twists and I also love how she makes the characters grow up it not all at once. She is an amazing author and I think everyone should red her first novel the Penderwick

An amazing psychological thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat and leaves you wanting to unearth more answers to the burning questions that pop up. I audibly gasped as secrets were unfolding with every twist and turn. And like the characters in the book, I felt a sense of closure as I turned the last page. Lucy Foley is a mastermind, and this might be her best one yet!

I read Bill’s book about the Appalachian Trail and found it hilarious, so I decided to read this book. It wasn’t as funny as A Walk in the Woods, but it was amusing. It was really about the history and geography of Australia. Very interesting.

I chose this book as part of the 2024 reading challenge for July, a book by an author born outside the Unites States, and it was also in the "New Fiction" area which I always peruse. This was an excellent read by the author who lives in Japan and who had this work translated. The chapters of the book were tales of life stories with life lessons and interconnections told in a very interesting, unique, and moving way. Every tale had a central figure, Mrs. Komachi. She was the local community center librarian with a penchant for felting and selecting just the right book for her patrons. Mrs. Komachi's felting materials were kept in a Honeydome cookie tin which was central to the book. I could continue to write more about how I liked this book, but suffice to say, it really made me think and reflect, and I will be looking for more books by this author if translated!

Heartbreaking, heartwarming, funny, sad, charming, poignant—this book hits many emotions. Fredrik Backman knows people, and his characters are multi-dimensional, complex, and charming. The book is a story within a story, as the retelling of one remarkable summer for four teenage friends is shared during a train ride. Chance encounters, special connections, and the power of good friendship, especially during teenage years. Highly recommend.

I liked the plot of it but it had very technical writing about how volcanos worked and so I didn’t understand a lot of what was happening. I enjoyed it but found it to be a dense read.