YA and Vacay...Yes, I still read young adult literature

      If you are reading this and don't know me personally, I was a high school librarian for many years. I retired from education in 2020 after 29 years of working in the school system. I was a librarian for 23 of those 29 years. I started in the elementary library and ended up in the high school library. I grew to love young adult literature. Now that I am retired, I miss having access to the YA library. Now, I work at our public library part time and I do acquisitions for adult books and materials and young adult books and materials, so I can keep up with the new titles. For the month of September I decided to concentrate on some of the Kentucky Bluegrass Award nominees. These are YA books that are voted on by actual students who read the books. I am working with our public library to promote the KY Bluegrass Awards this year. You will be surprised how many young adult novels appeal to adults.  I had a few good YA books when I was young, but many of the books I read as a YA were not as relatable as the YA books are today. So, let's get to the books.

     Let's start with What I Carry by Jennifer Longo which is one of the KBA nominees. There are always those books that really stand out or mean something to you. This book was one of those. Muir never knew who her parents were. She is growing up in the foster care system. This book is about her last year in the system before she ages out. She is worried about what is going to happen to her since she never got adopted. She spends her senior year of high school on an island off of Seattle and stays with Francis. Francis has had many foster children and she decides that Muir will be the last one before she retires. How their relationship develops is just heart warming. Muir also makes new friends and worries about what she wants to do after graduation. This is not your typical story of a girl in foster care that gets molested, abused, etc. It is a great story about how a girl has overcome not having a permanent family for 18 years. The relationships she develops and the character of this girl is so heart warming. It is a book that restores your faith in our youth. I gave it five stars and very few books warrant five stars from me. 

 

      Another book that is on the nominee master list for the Kentucky Bluegrass Awards for grades 9-12 is Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson. This is the story of a high school girl who has a dream of being a singer and meets a popular music star that she develops a crush on. However, the relationship turns abusive and she is caught up in a world of fame, but it comes at a cost. This story is well told and it allows you to  see how easy it is for young people to get swept away into a world that is not what it seems. 

     Kiss Me in New York by Catherine Rider was a young adult book that I read as an ebook. This story is about a British young lady who was in New York as a foreign exchange student at a high school. She is at the air port flying home for the Christmas holidays and her flight is delayed due to weather. While in the airport, she meets a guy who is dumped by his long distance girl friend. He came to the air port to surprise her as she came home for the holidays, but she breaks it off with him and is meeting someone else at the airport. Charlotte has just been dumped herself, so she knows what Charlie is going through. Since her flight is delayed until the next day, they decide to explore the city as they work through the steps of a book, How to Get Over a Break Up. This is a cute story about finding someone who gets you at unexpected times. 

     I was able to find, through interlibrary loan, a book I read when I was in sixth or seventh grade. It was the typical young adult book of the times in my library at Irvington Elementary. I could not believe I was able to find it. Jenny Kimura by Betty Cavanna was about a young girl whose mother is Japanese and her father is American. She lives in Japan, but is going to visit the grandmother she has never met before in the United States for the summer during her sophomore year. This book was written in the sixties and it was very interesting how it dealt with prejudice against the Japanese. It was interesting to see the differences in the cultures as far as what Jenny would be allowed to do with kids her own age, especially a boy, without adult supervision in the U. S. vs. Japan. It was just kind of fun to read something that I hadn't read in over 40 years. 

 image from Amazon.com

     I did read two other books during September that were not young adult novels. One of my audio books was The Restaurant  by Pamela M. Kelley.  Three sisters inherit a Nantucket restaurant from their grandmother with the stipulation that they each work at the restaurant at least one year before they decide what to do with it. Each sister has their own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to working at a restaurant, plus they have their own issues going on in their lives. They want to  make it work so that they can decide what to do with the restaurant. Do they really want to sell it, or could they make a go at owning it? It was a cute read with a hint of romance. 

image from barnesandnoble.com

        The last book I wish to share is Mrs. March by Virginia Feito. I took this book to read on the ship when we took our retirement cruise. I read that it was an interesting read on social media so I thought I would give it a try. Mrs. March is the wife of an author, George March. Everyone is talking about her husband's latest novel. Someone commented that the main character, a woman of questionable character, must be based off of Mrs. March. Thus begins the spiral that causes Mrs. March to try to figure out if George modeled the main character after her. Which leads to her thinking her husband is responsible for a murder. How does she go down this rabbit hole? Mrs. March definitely has some anxiety issues. I could see this book being a Hitchcock movie. This is a very interesting story with a twist. 

     My husband and I decided to take a cruise for our retirement when we retired last year. However, when Covid hit, we had to post pone our trip. Mid September we drove down to Port Canaveral and got on the Allure of the Seas with Royal Caribbean and experienced our first cruise. It was wonderful!! We had 7 days to explore the boat and the ports we stopped at along the way. Since we had to postpone our cruise, the travel agent at Priceline helped us upgrade to a room with a balcony at no extra cost. I highly recommend the room with a balcony. The view is breath taking. 

     The ship was beautiful and the crew was so very friendly and helpful. I have never been waited on so much. They take very good care of everyone on the boat. My goal was to see the deep blue water and how clear it is. Our first port was Cozumel. We did not do an excursion, we just took a cab to a local resort and enjoyed the beach, pool and some wonderful authentic Mexican food. There was hardly anyone there. It was almost like we had the resort to ourselves. 

Our next port was Costa Maya, Mexico. At this port we took an excursion to the Mayan ruins. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and passionate about the ruins. He made the tour very educational and fun. 

    The days at sea were amazing as well. The ship's capacity is about 6,000 and we only had 2,200 passengers. So, it was not crowded, the restaurants were readily available, as well as the shows. It was a great time to explore the boat and to check out the pools and hot tubs. There were so many on board, it was like we had our own hot tub at times. How cool is that. The shows were wonderful and the music and musicians on board were top notch. It was nice to just sit, enjoy a drink and listen to a quintet or piano or even jazz. There were many choices for all kinds of taste onboard. 

    When we got off the boat in the Bahamas, we were not able to get off of the van and explore during the excursion much due to Covid. It was very limited to where we could explore. This was probably the most disappointing part of the trip, but it was still neat to see the sights, even from a van. 

(Sidney Poitier bridge)

                                                (of course the library)

                              

                                                    (hand rolled cigars)

(Margaritaville)

(Atlantis)

     Our last port was Coco Cay, which is owned by Royal Caribbean. It is a private island that has lots of beaches and water rides, a zip line, and all kinds of fun slides and activities for kids. Our favorite part was the huge pool that was mostly for adults that had a swim up bar. It was no deeper than 4 1/2 feet and it was very relaxing. There were also beaches with clear water and sand that was amazing! I just can't get over how blue the water is and so clean. 

     A cruise was the perfect way to celebrate our retirement. We both enjoyed the experience and I think I would do it again. On the boat we met people who were regular cruisers. They cruise yearly, monthly, and some even cruise two or three weeks at a time on the same boat. I don't think I want to be a monthly cruiser, but I could definitely do it at least once a year or so. The warm water and sunshine were just what I needed leading into this dark, cooler, fall weather when we returned to Kentucky. I miss the beach already.  

Thanks for stopping by my blog. Make sure you come back for my review of October reads. 

Nooooo...Summer please don't go!!

      As summer is gradually coming to an end, I am trying to hold on to it, kicking and screaming like a little kid not wanting to let go of their favorite blankie. Summertime is my favorite time. I love the warm weather, the nights filled with the songs of crickets and frogs, and this year cicadas. I love the sound of kids playing outside until almost ten o'clock at night running and screaming and chasing each other. Those are sounds of my childhood. I loved sitting outside on the picnic table we used to have and look up at the stars at night. My best friend and I would go to the local park at the time, Otter Creek, and take the walking trails, attempt to hit tennis balls back and forth to each other, and check out the guys at the swimming pool. I really miss those days at times. As I was deciding on a theme to follow for reading in August, it just all fell apart. I had two books come in through interlibrary loan that I was waiting for, I discovered a book that a colleague was talking about at work that she found to purchase for the children's program and then well, I just started reading a little bit of everything. So, there is no theme this month. I am just going to share random books I read for the month of August.

     The first book I want to share with you is Five Chimneys: A Woman Survivor's True Story of  Auschwitz by Olga Lengyel. I discovered it while looking for a book for a patron on interlibrary loan. I am curious about anything written about World War II and this book was a survivor's story. It wasn't beautifully written, but it was her experience and her voice. It is probably the most horrendous account of the concentration camps I have ever read. It was not one that was easy to read. I could only read a few chapters a day. The fact that human beings can be that cruel and evil towards other human beings, that they do not even know, just is unfathomable to me. I don't see how anyone can believe that the extermination of Jews was made up. The stories she told were not things people make up. There was so much evil going on in those camps, I do not know how some of them kept their faith or kept the will to keep on going. This book was very eye opening if you are interested in this topic. 

     Since I am wrestling with summer and I don't want to let it go, the next book is a beach read. I listened to the audiobook, A Killer Cupcake, a Beachfront Bakery novel by Fiona Grace. This is a cozy mystery with a beachy, bakery theme which is right up my alley. Allison Sweet, yes her last name is sweet and she bakes sweets, decides to open a dessert shop on the board walk in the small beach town of Venice. A murder happens right after she moves in and of course, she gets accused since she was the last to speak to the murder victim. Cozy mysteries are perfect for just escaping and not having to concentrate too hard when you read. They are kind of a great pallet cleanser after a heavy read. I still prefer Joanne Fluke for pastry cozy mysteries, but I thought I would give this newer author a try. 

     Over the last 5 years or so, I have had an inner conflict with my beliefs and organized religion, specifically the Southern Baptist church. I was raised in the church from the time I was in the nursery until this past year. I had times I stepped away from the church, but I always returned. Right now, I am still struggling with some things and I haven't lost my faith, but I am very disappointed in some churches right now. With that being said, I saw this book recommended on Twitter by a former pastor whom I greatly respect. I was able to find it on interlibrary loan, so I thought I would check it out. Another Gospel?: a Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity by Alisa Childers was good for me right now. I have not had to deal with progressive Christians, but during her turmoil in dealing with her situation at a church, it made her dig and do research to support why she believes what she believes. Any time you have those conflicts with your spirituality or what you believe, I highly recommend researching and finding truth to support your beliefs. My struggle with the church is still a work in progress, but my faith is strong. I am a very blessed person and I love God and I try to love my fellow human beings daily, as the Bible instructs us to. We are to love all, not judge others. Enough on that. I highly recommend this book if you are struggling with your faith. 

     The other day at work, a co-worker started talking about a cute children's book she ordered for a program at the public library and it was about a middle school girl who was a rebel reader and opened her own little library of banned books. It sounded so cute. We had it at the library so I decided to give it a read. Twelve year old June likes to read and she bonds with her school librarian. When her parents see a book she is reading is a scary book, they want to remove the book from the school library. Then, June's parents, along with other PTO members, decide to go through the school library and remove any books they find objectionable. I didn't realize this children's book was about censorship. They wanted to get rid of the librarian. How dare she recommend books to students that might interest them because the characters are going through some of the same struggles the students are going through. This is  a little disturbing to me how easily the parents were able to get rid of the books from the school library. And, of course since the books were being removed, that made the middle school students want to read them all the more. Property of the Rebel Librarian by Allison Varnes is a great book to read with younger kids and have a discussion about censorship. It also got me to thinking about what other children's books did I miss out on because they weren't around when I was a kid.  So, I had to check out James and the Giant Peach  by Roald Dahl, since we are celebrating Mr. Dahl's birthday at the library and Coraline by Neil Gaiman. I was familiar with these books being a former school librarian, but I had never read them until now. The story of James was ok. Dahl is not my favorite author, but I do love the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie. Coraline  by Neil Gaiman is the gateway to adult horror. It is very creative and I understand why children love this book if they love being scared. I never was one to like scary books when I was young, I was more of the romance and nature person. I enjoyed experiencing both of these juvenile books and I have decided to read at least one a month from now on. I have always felt it was important to let kids know it is okay to read ALL kinds of books on all levels. I love picture books too. Not everyone wants to read high level, literary fiction, all of the time, just because you are capable of comprehending it. We all like a little light fun, childish, easy reading as well. 

                    

     This next read was an audio book that just piqued my attention because of the title, God Spare the Girls by Kelsey McKinney.  I had just finished Alisa Childers' book and I had the church on my mind. Why not read a book about a preacher's daughters? The book is about a couple of girls whose father is a charismatic preacher of a North Texas evangelical church. I think the fact that the setting was in Texas, after all that has been in the news lately, was appealing as well. The sisters are fairly close and they are planning the oldest sister's wedding. The youngest daughter is kind of a rebel, but the oldest daughter helps her father write his Sunday sermons. Something happens that causes their father to tumble from his pedestal and the daughters have to decide how they are going to handle the situation. It is an engaging coming-of-age story that will make you stop and think about how things are not always as them appear to be. 

     The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green was my book club book for the month. I have read all of John Green's young adult fiction and I have even read his brother's book. I enjoy his Crash Course videos on YouTube that he does with his brother, Hank. This is a collection of essays he writes about things he reviews in our world today, it is also based on a podcast he does with his brother Hank. He bases it on the five star system and rates various popular world topics from Canadian Geese to hot dog eating contests to my favorite, a whisper. Green just has a way with words. He can take an ordinary review of something and turn it into something memorable or relatable. It is a great read that you can just pick up any time and enjoy a review or two. I give this one 4 out of 5 stars. It is worth the read. ☆☆☆☆

          This next book, If the Shoe Fits  by Julie Murphy is by an author I first discovered reading her young adult novels. She is the author of the Dumplin'  series. I really enjoy her books. Her main character is usually a plus sized female, with which I can relate. This is a cute story about a girl who has just graduated from designer school, shoes are her forte'. Her mother died when she was young and her father raised her. Then, he remarried when she was young and her father died in high school. All she has left is her step mother and her step sisters. She finds herself on a "The Bachelor" type reality show. I loved that she had a plus sized character on a show that usually emphasizes thin model types. She wrote a romance that includes people like me as the main character. Yes, I recommend it. 

     The final book I want to talk about is the second book in a series I discovered a couple of years ago. It is The Secret Keeper of Jaipur by Alka Joshi. It is part of The Henna Artist series. I really enjoy these books. Both times I have listened to them on audio books. It helps with the pronunciation of the foreign names and places. I love hearing the Indian accent and learning about the culture. Not only is the story engaging, but she writes beautifully as well. This is a good read but I also recommend you listen to at least one of them on audio book. 

     As we tumble into fall, my husband and I are finally going on our retirement cruise we planned a year ago. Thanks to Covid, we had to delay it a year. We are first time cruisers and we are excited and a little anxious as we venture into the unknown. I will share some photos next month from our trip. I think I will venture into young adult books for the month of September. We are working on promoting the Kentucky Bluegrass Awards at the library so I will be reading some of the nominated books. I may include other award winning books as well. As always, thanks for stopping by and taking time to read my blog. Enjoy these last few days of SUMMER!!!! 🌞

 

  

     

My First Year With Intermittent Fasting

 August 1, 2020 I started my journey on the intermittent fasting lifestyle. That is exactly what intermittent fasting is, a change in lifestyle and way of thinking. It is not a diet. There are a numerous amount of benefits from intermittent fasting. I did my research before I decided to try this new way of eating. One of the best books to explain what IF is and how it works is Fast, Feast, Repeat: The Comprehensive Guide to Delay , Don't Deny Intermittent Fasting by Gin Stephens. She is a teacher that got her masters in science and she has lived the IF lifestyle for several years now. She knows how to explain the science behind IF and how it helps your body. I liked that she wrote about her own experience. She wasn't a doctor that wrote about the science but never had to deal with weight loss or changing their eating habits. It was a little scary at first, but once I got through the first 4 weeks, it has become second nature to me. 

As I reflected back on the past year, I noticed changes that my body was going through. The first month was the toughest as you build up to doing a 20/4 fast which is fasting for 20 hours and eating within a 4 hour window. The first month I lost 6.6 lbs. and 7 1/4 inches off of my body. I kept a journal and did body measurements about once a month or every other month. I measured my waist, chest, hips, each thigh and each bicep (batwing).  Once you get into the IF way of eating, you will find a way that works for you. I usually do a 16/8 day, which is 16 hours of fasting and an 8 hour eating window.  Occasionally I will do a 20/4 day, or a one meal a day as they call it. Other days I may do 18/6. Once in a while I will just have a day where I do not mark my time to eat at all. By the next day I am ready to get back on task because I can feel it in my body. I just feel better when I am on a fasting day. 

After a year of following IF, I have lost only a total of 14 pounds, on a good day. The scales are not always my friend. As of today, I have lost only 9 pounds, which is not very much for a year. However, I have lost a total of 12 inches over my body, which includes 2 1/2 inches off of my waist and 1 inch around my chest. I am down one jeans size and 1 bra size. I also no longer have to take blood pressure medicine. I count these as bigger wins than the pounds on the scales. 

Starting in July, I have been trying to get back into walking again. Thanks to my sis, my walking accountability buddy, I walked my first 5K in over 7 years last Sunday morning. I try to walk every day, even if it is just down to my cul-de-sac  and back. I am trying to do yoga two mornings a week at the public library and I just started doing a few upper body hand weight exercises here at the house. I feel like getting active will improve my body composition even more. I also plan on working on healthier food choices in my eating windows. If I lost this much just eating semi-healthy imagine what I can do if I really work on healthy choices. 

Whatever your goals are for eating healthy and getting your body healthy, I wish you much luck and stamina in finding what works for you. The same techniques do not work for every body type. 

Thanks for stopping by and reading. May you be happy and healthy!

August 1, 2020

April 2021

August 2, 2021

I Like Big Books and I Can Not Lie

      Being a librarian, I am naturally drawn to books about librarians, books shops, or libraries, so why not devote a month of reading to these topics. I have always seen the importance of books and reading. I am a life long learner and I love learning new things so I naturally enjoy reading. Most of these books that I read for the month of July stressed the importance of books in society.  Books not only educate and entertain, they also bring people together, broaden your knowledge of different people and cultures and help to develop empathy for others. 

   The Midnight Library by Matt Haig was not your typical book about a library. This story starts with a girl, Nora, who is very down and she decides to take her life but instead of dying she goes to this special library at the stroke of midnight. This library contains books of all of the lives she could have lived if she had made different choices in life. When Nora was in high school, she used to go to the library when she felt down, alone, or had a difficult day coping in high school. The librarian was a friend to her. So, when Nora takes her life, her comfort place is in the form of a library. The many scenarios of what her life would have been like if she had made different choices are books in this library that she can choose and see what life would be like for her if only she had.... This is a very interesting concept to write about and to make the librarian, kind of a guardian angel is perfect. I found that many days during my job as a high school librarian I was the local "bartender" that students would come and talk to me about things or just hang out in the library when they were having a really bad day. I bonded with many students this way. I was so glad they felt they could come and talk to me when they felt like no one was listening to them or anxious. That is one aspect of my job that I do miss. I really didn't fit in anywhere when I was in high school, I had acquaintances in many groups but I never really fit in to any one group. I connected with this book as I was reading it. It is one that really makes you stop and think about the choices we make in life. 

     The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan is not your typical story about a quaint bookshop by the seashore run by a quiet little lady who was looking for love and met a tall handsome stranger in her shop one day.  This story is set in the Scottish Highlands in an old mansion on the shores of Loch Ness. It reminds me a little bit of The Sound of Music meets Jane Eyre. Instead of a nun, the nanny is a single mum, Zoe, with a son, Hari, who will not talk. Hari's father bounces in and out of their lives. Zoe needs a fresh start, and a job, so she leaves London and answers the add for the position of nanny to 3 intelligent, yet difficult children. She also fills in for the local book seller that drives around and sells books to the locals while the owner goes on maternity leave. As Zoe leaves London with her son looking for a fresh new start, will she find her place among the locals in the Highlands? This was a charming story that I was not expecting, based on the title. Her connection with the children is very Julie Andrewsish. You will definitely keep reading to see how it ends.    

                                    

     The next book is more about a group of people that meet in a library rather than about the library itself.  The Fifth Avenue Story Society by Rachel Hauck was an audiobook on Libby. If  you haven't used Libby which is a service provided by our local Meade County Public Library, you really should. It has lots of great ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, music, and movies you can download for free with your public library card.  Five New York strangers get an invitation to the Fifth Avenue Story Society which meets in a local library. It is more of a historical library where they meet but no one knows who sent the invitations. So, the group of five decide to keep meeting and become friends. They all have lots of drama going on in their lives and as they come together weekly, they try to help each other with their problems. It was a unique idea for a story and one of the characters is writing his doctoral thesis about an author and the authenticity of his authorship of a book. So, libraries and books are mentioned in this one, but the story is more about people and having friends to support you when you are going through difficult times. Not my favorite read this month, but a quaint little story. 

The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd was not one of my monthly thematic books, it was my book club book, but it does mention the library in Alexandria, so it could technically fit into this month's library theme. 😁 This was a beautifully written book about the fictional story of Jesus's wife, Ana. This story is Ana's story, but the idea that she met and married Jesus was part of her story. She was a very educated woman during her time, which wasn't the norm. She was raised in a wealthy family in Sepphoris with ties to the ruler of Galilee. She is rebellious and does not wish to marry but is arranged to marry a widower who is forty plus years older than her; she is only fourteen. She enjoys writing the stories of the women during that time which tend to be forgotten or not considered important. With the help of her rebellious aunt, Yaltha, she searches for a way to fulfill her longing to record history of strong women during the time of Jesus in Nazareth. I am a big fan of Sue Monk Kidd and I really enjoy her beautiful writing. She can tell an engaging story that is meticulously researched. The description of the library in Alexandria is amazing and the depths that Ana goes to in order to keep her stories alive is truly remarkable. This one is definitely worth a read. 

The Library at the Edge of the World by Felicity Hayes-McCoy was another surprise. This book's setting was in Ireland. A woman who found out her husband was having an affair with his assistant takes her daughter and leaves London to go back home to Ireland. She hopes to have a fresh start in her hometown. She gets the job at the local library and tries to rebuild her life. While at the library, she gets involved in a few of the local politics and decides to rebuild her great-aunt's cottage which is in need of a lot of work. Hanna renews friendships in the hometown she grew up in as she drives the mobile library van between the small villages up the west coast of Ireland. This story explains how the citizens appreciate the local library and what it offers the small villages. The locals fight for the library when it is threatened to be shut down. This was another engaging book that has a small hint of romance, but is mostly about community and supporting each other. 

The Librarian of Saint-Malo by Mario Escobar is a historical fiction about a young girl who just got married in France as the German's started invading during World War II. She was barely married and the bombs started on her wedding night. Her husband had to go to war and was taken prisoner. She works at the library and tries to save the books from being destroyed by the Nazis. This story is told through letters a librarian smuggles to an author explaining about her fight to save the works at the library during the war. Her value of the written word motivates her to risk even her life to save rare books that would be lost to the world forever. This is a great account of the fearless women and men who fought to protect books and the written word from being destroyed by the Nazis during the war. I really enjoy historical fiction and this book which supports libraries and recalled historically what librarians in France had to go through fits two of my favorite categories when it comes to reading. 

 This was also an audiobook that I listened to on Libby which was a great help in pronouncing all of the French names and places. 

     The book I just finished reading was my favorite this month. The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict was the extraordinary story of a young woman, Belle, who was the personal librarian to J. P. Morgan during the early 1900's. Belle had a secret, she was really a light skinned colored person, but she lived the life of a white woman. Her mother raised her and her siblings as white since their skin tone allowed them to get away with it. Her father was a civil rights activists and disagreed with his wife. He felt she was turning her back, and teaching their children to turn their backs, on who they really were. However, she wanted her children to be successful and not be drug through racial issues that were going on at the time, some of which are still going on today. This story was engaging, it had romance and suspense as far as wondering if Belle would get caught. There was a lot of historical research done which appeased the historical fiction fan in me. This is one I finished reading in a matter of a few days. This one got five stars from me and I don't give out five stars very often. This one is very much worth checking out. 

     Thank you for taking time to read through my blog. I hope you find some good new reads. Also, thank you for supporting your local public library and the school libraries. A society is only as strong as it's libraries and the public's access to  various works. 

Be Who You Are and Love Who You Love

      

     Since June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, I chose a variety of books with lgbtq characters or themes. There are more and more authors writing for this community and I am so glad. Everyone needs to be able to find a book to read that allows you to put yourself in the character's place so that you can escape for a few minutes a day in a story. People read for many different reasons, but one of the reasons I enjoy reading is that it allows me to step into another person's shoes for just a little bit. It gives me the opportunity to view the world through the eyes of a character that has a totally different personality, nationality, sexual identity, or even in a different time period. This is why reading helps children develop compassion and empathy for their peers. I really haven't met an avid reader that reads a variety of genres that is not compassionate for others.  

Let's start with one of my favorite young adult authors, Julie Murphy. I first read her novel, Dumplin'  a few years ago. Being an overweight person myself, I could so relate to Willow Dean. I totally understood what she was going through at school and how she felt about her body. Pumpkin is another one of her books that includes Willow Dean and some of her friends. Pumpkin, or Waylon, is an openly gay student in a West Texas small town. His twin sister, Clementine is also one of his best friends. Waylon is not sure what he is going to do after graduation, he really doesn't have a plan. He finds out that his sister does, and it doesn't include him. Waylon's favorite on TV is Fiercest of Them All, a drag show competition. Could Waylon have a future in drag? The book also addresses the issue of prom and how lgbtq+ students deal with the prom "norms", especially in a small southern town. You will finish this book cheering for Pumpkin and his friends. 

                                               

     Grace is not the type of woman who goes to Las Vegas and celebrates, gets drunk and wakes up married to a woman, who she doesn't even know her name. She just completed her PhD in astronomy and always has her life organized and follows a plan. How did this happen? Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers was a little slow and superficial at first, I thought, then as I got into it, it touched on mental wellness and taking care of yourself. It also addresses the problems Grace has getting a job as a biracial, bisexual woman at a research facility or university. She is a very strong person and was an advocate for lgbtq students while in college. When her life long dream is not as fulfilling as she hoped it would be, it forces her to look at what really makes her happy and why were her goals so important to her, or were they more important to someone else in her life? There is a cast of very interesting characters and I realize that many times those in the lgbtq+ community often stick together because they do not always get family support and they want to be with people who understand what they are going through. 

     Being a part of the "First Family" is not always easy. We often hear how the pressure of being in the public eye is difficult for the children of U.S. Presidents. Add to that being biracial and bisexual and the pressure is even more difficult. Alex and the Prince of England didn't get along. Alex thought he was stuck up and boring. Does Prince Henry feel the same way? This is a cute romance from the viewpoint of the son of a female U.S. President. I listened to this audiobook and really enjoyed the characters. It is a love story from a bisexual male's viewpoint and it is very well done. Make sure you check out, Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. 

     The Sky Blues by Robbie Couch is a young adult novel whose main character is an openly gay male, Sky, who navigates his life in a small town and a small high school. He deals with bullying and harassment, even though he tries to fit in the best he can. He lives with his best friend because his mother threw him out of the house after he came out to her. As their senior year draws to a close, Sky plans to throw caution to the wind and ask his big crush, Ali, a middle eastern brainiac ,to the prom. An email hack causes Sky to reconsider. Will he even go to his senior prom? This book addresses being yourself, standing up to bullies and supporting your friends. I caught myself cheering for Sky towards the end of the book. Young adult students are very brave, especially when they have to deal with bullying and how others treat them, on their own, without their family's support many times. Again, they rely on the kindness of friends. It is very important that we support young people who are dealing with bullying after coming out, even by family members. 

     The last book I wish to talk about tells the story of a movie star from the 1950's & 60's who had seven husbands. She is aging and all of her husbands are dead, so she decides to have a young writer for a local magazine write her "Tell All" biography. Why does she choose Monique to write her story? This book made me stop and think about many people in Hollywood during this time period who may have been in the same boat. They had to do things they didn't want to do to make it in the movie industry. The twist at the end when you find out why she chose Monique to write her book is a surprise. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid will have you loving, then hating the main character, Evelyn. This is definitely a page turner that will keep you up late at night reading just one more chapter. I don't want to give too much more away, so you will just have to read it to see how it fits this month's category. 

     Since we finished renovating our kitchen, I have been trying to get back into my sour dough starter and making items with the starter. I had a friend at work give me some of her starter that was good and bubbly. I started by making some homemade English muffins. They turned out nice and fluffy. They are delicious toasted with butter and jam. 

Then I got to thinking that it seemed like such a waste to toss dough starter after it is fed. So, I thought why not keep using the starter if it continues to be bubbly. So I next made some homemade cinnamon rolls. I forgot to get a good photo of the rolls, but they turned out well. 

Then, I surfed Pinterest and decided to try some sourdough pizza crust. I made two pizzas and they turned out nice and crispy. We like the homemade pizza because we can control the toppings and it is not as greasy as delivery. 

I used a pizza pan and a stone. I prefer the stone. It makes the crust crispy. My favorite way to make the pizza sauce is to use roasted red peppers. I buy a jar, drain them and blend them in the food processor. They make a mild sauce which is less acidic than the tomato sauce. 

Thank you for stopping by and reading my blog. Make sure you stop by next month to see what my book topic will be. Remember to always be true to yourself.