The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by Shauna Robinson

 "Cover the bookstore while I'm out." Her voice became more animated. "From August to December. You could stay with me, get away from your parents, and work at the store. You could use the time to figure out what you want to do next."

 Maggie Banks is at loose ends. So when her friend, Rochelle, needs someone to work at her bookstore while she's out on maternity leave, Maggie heads to Bell River, a small town near Washington D.C. Maggie's not much of a reader; she especially doesn't like reading classic novels, which is all that the Bell Society will allow Cobblestone Books to sell.

But Maggie's never been one to follow the rules. She begins sneak-selling more modern books...first romances, then mysteries. Then, to bring in more revenue, she starts hosting literay mashup events. And she's having a lot of fun. But if the Bell Society finds out, Rochelle might lose the bookstore. 

What I loved about this novel:

• Maggie learning to love books and reading...even a few of the classics.
• The banter between Maggie and Malcolm, the Bell Society's 'spy', and their slowburn friendship. (Their 'dates' are very entertaining.)
• The clever mashup events Maggie hosts with local authors who turn Moby Dick into a romance and The Great Gatsby into science fiction.
• Maggie's exuberance and ability to connect with so many people in town.
• The humor and the happy ending. 

This is a very charming bookish book...perfect for Susan's Bookish Books Reading Challenge.

Happy Reading!

Haiku reviews...

 

The Measure by Nikki Erlick

Want to know if your life

will be long or short? Just open

your box and find out.

Fiction .... 349 pages .... 4/5 stars.

(Erlick skillfully weaves together the lives of all her different characters as they struggle to deal with the knowledge they now have about the remaining length of their lives. Compelling read.)

A Guide to Being Just Friends by Sophie Sullivan

Hailey's work-focused.

Wes is fed up with dating.

They can just be friends...Right?

Contemporary romance .... 324 pages .... 4/5 stars.

(Very cute rom-com.)

The Hope of Azure Springs by Rachel Fordham

She's orphaned, alone,

and in danger. As sheriff, 

he vows to protect her. 

Historical romance .... 323 pages .... 5/5 stars.

(There's no instalove for Em and Caleb, just gradual trust and friendship over time. I loved this Cinderella story.)

Happy Reading!

Murder at Haven's Rock by Kelley Armstrong

 

"Haven's Rock. The town may be new, but its roots go down into the permafrost. Even the name is significant. Rock for Rockton, the town where I went to work as a detective four years ago and met a hard-assed sheriff and fell in love--with him and the town and the Yukon itself. Rock for stability, too, a bedrock foundation, the thing we lacked in Rockton.

"And Haven? Well, that's the most important part. Haven's Rock is a sanctuary for those in need. It's a place to hide when the law isn't enough to protect you from persecution for your beliefs or lifestyle, or from a stalker or abusive partner. Rockton was supposed to be that, and it was for some, but for the owners, it was a purely financial investment. This will be different. This time, we're in charge."

This is the first book in a new series; it's also a continuation of Casey Butler's and Eric Dalton's story from Armstrong's Rockton series. And I was so happy and excited to read it because I love Casey and Eric! (Their Newfoundland dog, Storm, is pretty great, too.) They're setting up their new, very secret town, deep in the Yukon wilderness when they're called in to find two missing persons. Their search quickly turns into a murder investigation. And life at Haven's Rock starts to feel eerily similar to the one they left behind in Rockton.

Armstrong has written another engrossing and entertaining mystery. I loved every page of it. (That Yukon setting is a favorite, too.) Wherever Casey and Eric go, I'm happy to follow. This is a definite 5-star read! And I'm excited to find out what happens next in Haven's Rock. (So I hope Kelley Armstrong writes fast.)

Happy Reading!

 

Top Ten Tuesday

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

This week's theme is a TTT Rewind, which means you can revisit any past theme you want. But I tweaked it. Instead of choosing a past Top Ten Tuesday, I'm highlighting 

Ten Past Reviews that Didn't Get the Love They Deserved the First Time. 

I hope you check them out. 

Revel by Maurissa Guibord

The Word Exchange by Alena Graedon

The Taliban Cricket Club by Timeri N. Murari

Monster by Dave Zeltserman

Devil's Wake by Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due

The Europeans by Henry James

Some Tame Gazelle by Barbara Pym

Silence Once Begun by Jesse Ball

 Belle Epoque by Elizabeth Ross

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Bonus post: 

The Girls From Planet 5 by Richard Wilson

Happy Reading!

By the Book by Jasmine Guillory

 

I've always loved retellings of Beauty and the Beast, and By the Book is a captivating take on a favorite trope. It has humor, romance, and two very appealing characters. 

Isabelle Marlowe is an over-worked, under-appreciated assistant at Tale as Old as Time, a publishing company in New York; but she has dreams of becoming an editor and maybe even a published author someday.

Beau Towers is the son of two celebrities and a former teen hearthrob known for his bad behavior; he's supposed to be writing a tell-all memoir, only for the past year he's pretty much become a recluse. 

Isabelle's boss is sure Beau is never going to finish his memoir; Isabelle has her doubts, too, but she impulsively volunteers to go to Santa Barbara to talk to him in person. And at first, Beau is brusque and rude....but mostly he doesn't have a clue where or how to begin writing his book. Luckily, Isabelle is persistent and refuses to give up. She convinces him to let her help and as Beau starts to write his story, a friendship develops between them that slowly grows into something more. 

My thoughts: I liked how Isabelle's and Beau's relationship developed and deepened so naturally over the course of the novel. Their misunderstandings and angry accusations were resolved with apologies and honest, heartfelt conversations, which I also appreciated. And I thoroughly enjoyed their witty banter, Isabelle's surfing lessons from Beau, and their shared love of snacks. I also loved all their bookish interactions as Beau struggles with his writing and Isabelle helps him work on his book. And their closed-door romance? Very sweet and swoony. I'd definitely give this one 4 stars. 

Happy Reading!

P.S. This is also another good one for Susan's Bookish Books Reading Challenge.

March's Bookish Art...

 

Henri Lebasque -- Woman Reading

"Never put off till tomorrow the book you can read today."

--Holbrook Jackson

The Bookworm Tag

 

Rules:

Answer the questions

Make new questions

Tag people

I was tagged by Kami at Kami's Library Thoughts.

1. What was the last book you read?

Eclipse the Moon by Jessie Mihalik.

2. Did you like it?

I loved it! It's space opera at its best with engaging characters, lots of action and a fun and steamy romance. 

3. Who is your favorite author?

This is tricky because there are SO many authors that I love. If I had to pick just one....Jane Austen? Or maybe Katie Ruggle. Or Barbara Michaels! Nope. I can't do it. I don't have just one favorite author. I have many. 

4. What book do you wish had a sequel? 

I wish there was a sequel to Patricia A. McKillip's Riddle-Master trilogy! It's one of my all-time favorite series, and I'd love to know the rest of Morgan's and Raederle's story. 

5. What is your favorite movie adaptation?

I love the adaptation they did of Anne of Green Gables with Megan Follows & Colleen Dewhurst.

6. What is your favorite place to read?

I like to curl up in the corner of my couch because it's by a window and I love sitting in the sunshine, plus it's very comfy. Reading on a beach in Maui is really good, too! 

7. What book do you wish was required reading in school?

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park. Salva Dut's story is so amazing, and he's such an inspirational character. Everyone should read this book. 

8. What is your quirkiest reading habit?

I don't know that I have one...maybe that I don't lend out my books to ANYONE except for a few family members who I know will take good care of my books, and who will return them.

9. What do you use as a bookmark?

Anything I can find...movie ticket stub, receipts, playing cards, scrap of paper.

10. Besides reading, what other hobbies do you have?

Writing. Birdwatching. And I just started taking some jewelry-making classes which have been a lot of fun. 

If you want to play along, consider yourself tagged! Here are my ten questions for you:

1. Who taught you to read?

2. What's your favorite childhood book?

3. If you could switch places with any fictional character, who would you choose?

4. If you could meet a favorite author, alive or dead, who would it be?

5. What are you reading right now?

6. What's your go-to genre?

7. What premises or plots do you find irresistible?

8. What's your least favorite trope?

9. What's the last book you DNFed?

10. Are you addicted to Wordle? (Or to any online game?)