tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33775892024-03-24T17:00:41.695-04:00Sweetly B Squared"There are two things I always wanted to believe in but didn't dare. One is that there was one man, somewhere, who was made just for me. The other is that I just might deserve him."Beckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10889115870602877427noreply@blogger.comBlogger3884125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377589.post-73949085908852456422024-03-18T15:11:00.012-04:002024-03-24T16:59:47.976-04:00We Are All So Good at Smiling - Book ReviewWe Are All So Good at Smiling by Amber McBridePublication: January 10, 2023Pages: 304 pagesRating: 4.5 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆☆Sweet Spark: Whimsy and Faerry are two phenomenal characters who could never be as beautiful as they are, if they could see their own beauty.I bought and read this book at the recommendation of a woman in my book club, and I'm so glad I did. :)Whimsy first remembers seeing Beckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12806368588509578414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377589.post-26457457259154931342024-02-25T18:19:00.002-05:002024-02-25T18:19:29.103-05:00Sunday Salon/Sunday Post - Feb 25, 2024 Back to Elections editionYes, indeed. My 'back to elections' edition! I'm joining a lil late today with Readerbuzz and Caffeinated Reviewer, and optimistically hoping to get/keep my week under control while I work another election as an election inspector. I used to work a lot of elections, but got away from it once I was working full time. Election pay around me averages $15/hour or so, but that's for a 12+ hour Beckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12806368588509578414noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377589.post-83956756279141073902024-02-04T16:03:00.001-05:002024-02-04T16:03:42.647-05:00The Mossheart's Promise - Book ReviewThe Mossheart's Promise by Rebecca MixPublication: October 1, 2023Pages: 432 pagesRating: 5 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆☆☆Sweet Spark: I even loved the cover, and how much it went along with the story.I actually got my autographed copy of this book months ago, on the release date at a local bookstore event. The holidays left me feeling run over by a truck, but I finally had a chance to read this gem.I Beckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12806368588509578414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377589.post-23745856996954550302024-01-24T18:02:00.001-05:002024-01-24T18:02:09.346-05:00Wednesday Hodgepodge - Jan 24, 2024Do you have a word for the year (WOTY)? If so, and you'd like to share, please share. How do you decide on a word? If you don't have a word are you still on the hunt for one for 2024? I don't think I do. I keep tripping over references to connections and magic. I like both of those, but having a WOTY isn't really a goal for me.January 23rd is National Pie Day...will you celebrate? Do you Beckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12806368588509578414noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377589.post-34698518970444116872024-01-14T17:45:00.001-05:002024-01-14T17:45:15.989-05:00Welcome to 2024Well, it would appear that the tone from my 2022 Goals continued. I said I almost didn't do the list that year, and heck if I didn't just skip it for 2023. Working at least 40 hours/week and commuting to do it, then always rushing home to try and take care of the needs of my family has pretty much squeezed much thought of my own life right..on...out.So here we are. I started on a book from a few Beckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12806368588509578414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377589.post-43286823115665917042023-12-12T17:43:00.003-05:002024-02-04T16:03:57.933-05:00Dirty Laundry - Book ReviewDirty Laundry by Disha BosePublication: April 4, 2023Pages: 304 pagesRating: 4 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆☆Sweet Spark: Who could hate the queen bee most of all? Ciara has plenty of haters - those she's excluded, those whose husbands she's slept with, or maybe even someone closer to her.Ciara is a social media influencer with plenty of followers, who are always at the ready to tell her how great she is. Beckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12806368588509578414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377589.post-62770895262981616502023-12-04T16:44:00.000-05:002023-12-04T16:44:09.494-05:00You Could Make This Place Beautiful - Book ReviewYou Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir by Maggie SmithPublication: April 11, 2023Pages: 320 pagesRating: 5 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆☆☆Sweet Spark: Sure, I could make any place beautiful, but why is is always my responsibility? Maggie Smith takes an honest look at her marriage after it has ended.I really, really enjoyed this book. While the author is already a very successful poet, this is the Beckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12806368588509578414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377589.post-34537041946837421932023-11-06T16:46:00.001-05:002023-11-13T17:12:32.941-05:00An Elderly Lady is Up To No Good - Book ReviewAn Elderly Lady is Up To No Good by Helene Tursten Publication: January 1, 2013Pages: 178 pagesRating: 5 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆☆☆Sweet Spark: I'm pretty sure enjoying this book as much as I did may put me on some watch list somewhere - but oh, well!While I will always admit to loving a lil vigilante justice, 88-year-old Maud takes it to the next level. Who could possibly suspect a little old Beckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12806368588509578414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377589.post-57898939649388380642023-09-28T16:01:00.032-04:002023-10-13T16:13:01.681-04:00The Key to My Heart - Book ReviewThe Key to My Heart by Lia LouisPublication: December 6, 2022Pages: 352 pagesRating: 4 out of 5 stars ✰✰✰✰Sweet Spark: Natalie was such an inspirational character. Despite unexpected widowhood while her friends were still getting married and having babies, she's determined to keep on keeping on.
Natalie isn’t really worried about her life since her husband Russ died. She just goes on existing. Beckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12806368588509578414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377589.post-44180403713738378802023-08-21T18:04:00.001-04:002023-09-06T18:21:08.362-04:00The Keeper of Hidden Books - Book ReviewThe Keeper of Hidden Books by Madeline MartinPublication: August 1, 2023Pages: 416 pagesRating: 4 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆☆Sweet Spark: Librarians truly save the world over and over.I have to admit, I broke my personal ban on WWII books to read this one. And I might not regret it. Of course it was the books that drew me in, and they always do.In Warsaw, Poland, the Germans surely can never take such anBeckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12806368588509578414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377589.post-72840980059270930252023-08-13T17:20:00.004-04:002023-08-13T17:20:59.163-04:00It's Not a Cult - Book ReviewIt's Not a Cult by Lauren DenhofPublication: August 22, 2023Pages: 336 pagesRating: 4 out of 5 starsSweet Spark: Glinda was such an engaging and quirky character, and her family kind of put 'fun' into dysfunctional!Glinda knows she's selling herself short at her job as a wench at the local renaissance festival. But she's not one to blame anyone else for her problems, so she just keeps on keeping Beckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12806368588509578414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377589.post-46984572245446495392023-07-02T14:40:00.003-04:002023-07-02T14:40:26.924-04:00The Shadow Cabinet - Book ReviewThe Shadow Cabinet (Her Majesty's Royal Coven #2) by Juno DawsonPublication: June 20, 2023Pages: 528 pagesRating: 5 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆☆☆Sweet Spark: The characters' development in this series is full of surprises!After the great cliffhanger ending of the first book in the Her Majesty's Royal Coven (HRMC) trilogy (called Her Majesty's Royal Coven), I was super excited to see how it would all Beckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12806368588509578414noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377589.post-45225550223457596242023-06-11T11:08:00.004-04:002023-06-11T11:08:25.609-04:00The Circus Train - Book ReviewThe Circus Train by Amita ParikhPublication Date: January 12, 2022Pages: 352 pagesRating: 4 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆☆Sweet Spark: Lena, Theo, and Alexandre were definitely soulmates - if not for the events in the story, surely something else would have led them to each other.The difference in the characters from the beginning of the book to the end was amazing. Life on the circus train was practically Beckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12806368588509578414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377589.post-9403127639916708022023-04-11T18:40:00.004-04:002023-04-11T18:40:52.541-04:00The Keeper of Enchanted Rooms - Book ReviewThe Keeper of Enchanted Rooms (Whimbrel House #1) by Charlie N. HolmbergPublication date: November 1, 2022Pages: 347 pagesRating: 4 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆☆Sweet Spark: This historical fantasy brought the best of several genres into one book.Hulda Larkin is just here to do a job. She has dealt with plenty of homes with enchanted rooms before, and whether or not Merritt Fernsby believes in the Beckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12806368588509578414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377589.post-68454157929862117622023-04-09T09:05:00.003-04:002023-04-09T09:05:00.293-04:00This Isn't Going to End Well - Book ReviewThis Isn't Going to End Well: The True Story of a Man I Thought I Knew by Daniel WallacePublication Date: April 11, 2023Pages: 272 pagesRating: 4 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆☆Sweet Spark: Learning about William Nealy's life made me want to live more like him.This book had a full range of emotions. We could feel the admiration that the author had for Nealy as a child and teen, the frustration and sadness Beckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12806368588509578414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377589.post-9032537399842466212023-03-11T04:51:00.001-05:002023-03-11T04:51:00.260-05:00Johanna Porter is Not Sorry - Book ReviewJohanna Porter is Not Sorry by Sara ReadPublication date: March 7, 2023Pages: 320 pagesRating: 4 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆☆Sweet Spark: Johanna Porter has been trying hard not to be too much anymore. But that time may be over.I love Johanna Porter. She's been stuck in the mom lane for a long time, but an invite to an art installation reminds her of who she used to be, and why she changed so much.LuckilyBeckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12806368588509578414noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377589.post-1794674538851579482023-02-15T18:46:00.005-05:002023-02-15T18:46:35.529-05:00Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club - Book ReviewSophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club by Roselle LimPublication date: August 16, 2022Pages: 336 pagesRating: 4 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆☆Sweet Spark: The power of friendship is so amazing!I found myself engaged with Sophie Go from the beginning. She was a plucky new matchmaker who truly wanted to help those around her make their intended love connections. Against the wishes of her overbearing mother and fatherBeckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12806368588509578414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377589.post-53331004072421422042023-02-13T05:55:00.001-05:002023-02-15T17:47:37.725-05:00Swim Team - Book ReviewSwim Team by Johnnie ChristmasPublication date: May 17, 2022Pages: 256 pageRating: 4 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆☆Sweet Spark: Some enlightening history for Bree, along with useful life lessons.This was another read for my son's fifth-grade Battle of the Books, and I'm so glad it was! It's a graphic novel that tells the story of Bree, who moves with her father to a school where swimming is suddenly a Beckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12806368588509578414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377589.post-65224124332134823962023-02-02T07:09:00.000-05:002023-02-02T19:33:31.642-05:00Vampire Weekend - Book ReviewVampire Weekend by Mike ChenPublication date: January 31, 2023Pages: 384 pagesRating: 4 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆☆Sweet Spark: I really enjoyed this candid contemporary vampire experience.Louise is used to being alone. As a vampire, she isn't allowed to share her story, which necessitates keeping people at a distance. For a while she made some great memories with her Aunt (whose house she then inheritedBeckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12806368588509578414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377589.post-48167111101446325332023-01-29T16:32:00.000-05:002023-01-29T16:32:20.452-05:00From the Desk of Zoe Washington - Book ReviewFrom the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae MarksPublication date: January 14, 2020Pages: 291 pagesRating: 4 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆☆Sweet Spark: Zoe is a charming and precocious 12-year-old, with her share of kid problems and adult problems.On her twelfth birthday, Zoe receives an interesting letter in the mail. It's from her biological dad, who has been in prison her whole life. Her mom never even Beckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12806368588509578414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377589.post-9175216183214251532023-01-25T17:09:00.006-05:002023-01-29T16:32:33.414-05:00The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary - Book ReviewThe Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary by Laura ShovanPublication: April 2, 2016Pages: 272 pagesRating: 4 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆☆Sweet Spark: What will happen to Emerson Elementary, and can 18 fifth graders change it?I have to admit, this poetry-collection style is not what I usually pick to read, but this was part of our school district's fifth-grade battle of the books, and I really want to Beckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12806368588509578414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377589.post-80229246972550186982023-01-22T16:25:00.001-05:002023-01-22T16:25:45.837-05:00The Bandit Queens - Book ReviewThe Bandit Queens by Parini ShroffPublication: January 3, 2023Pages: 342 pagesRating: 4 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆☆Sweet Spark: A reputation, true or not, can be a blessing or a curse....or both.So fun, but in a setting I don't usually read - I enjoyed it!Geeta has been assumed a widow for a while, so her name is 'mixed with dirt.' She has removed her nose ring, and the children all run from her, Beckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12806368588509578414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377589.post-36692498603580169532023-01-07T12:53:00.000-05:002023-01-07T12:53:01.739-05:00Room and Board - Book ReviewRoom and Board by Miriam ParkerPublication: August 16, 2022Pages: 304 pagesRating: 3 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆Sweet Spark: Sometimes a second chance is just the thing someone needs.Gillian Brodie didn't have the easiest childhood - it was just her and her mom, until she attended a fancy boarding school on scholarship for high school. Then it was just her. While it wasn't without struggles, she madeBeckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12806368588509578414noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377589.post-65337322327253420142023-01-01T18:25:00.002-05:002023-01-01T18:25:13.288-05:00Sunday Post/Sunday Salon - 2023 New Year EditionHappy New Year!I feel like I should have something to say, so I'm chiming in with Caffeinated Reviewer's Sunday Post and Readerbuzz's Sunday Salon (and hoping this will help me remember that it is, indeed, Sunday). This Week in BooksFinished:Upgrade by Blake CrouchCode Girls by Liza MundyLuminary: A Magical Guide to Self-Care by Kate ScelsaMoonrise Over New Jessup by Jamila MinnicksStarting:Beckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12806368588509578414noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377589.post-40254394086881864332022-12-31T16:24:00.004-05:002022-12-31T16:24:40.972-05:00Code Girls - Book ReviewCode Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II by Liza MundyPublication: October 10, 2017Pages: 448 pagesRating: 4 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆☆Sweet Spark: Truly inspirational - these are the women I hope I would have been smart enough to join forces with if I'd been around during this time.The women who helped so much in World War II were 'accepted' to help because they Beckihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12806368588509578414noreply@blogger.com0