Sunday Book Share #177 Happy Independence Day!

 I'm participating in The Sunday Post, hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer; Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews; and Bought Borrowed and Bagged, hosted by TalkSupe. It's a chance to share the print and digital books we've received and posts and events on the blog.

  

It's a holiday weekend here in the US; we're celebrating our Independence Day. Some years I go watch fireworks but this year I'll probably stay home, maybe watch some on TV. Some neighbors and I will grill out in the condo's common area outside and enjoy the weather. It was hot and humid at the beginning of the week but it's drier now and more pleasant. We've been doing water play on the playground at school and the kids love it. They're utterly drenched when we head inside. :) I got a sunburn on my arms from driving around with my car's sunroof open. I guess I need to put sunscreen on when I drive, lol.

Interview & Giveaway: Jonathan Unleashed by Meg Rosoff

Author Meg Rosoff, an owner of two dogs herself, was recently awarded the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, and film rights for JONATHAN UNLEASHED have been optioned by Qwerty Films, with Michael Kuhn as producer (Being John Malkovich, The Duchess, Florence Foster Jenkins) with Rosoff writing the screenplay. Today I have a Q & A with the author and a print copy to give away. Make yourself comfy and enjoy!

Bea Reviews Sweet Little Lies by Jill Shalvis

Series: Heartbreaker Bay #1
Publisher: Avon
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: June 28, 2016
Challenges: NetGalley & Edelweiss Reading Challenge
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | iTunes | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Choose the one guy you can’t have . . .

As captain of a San Francisco Bay tour boat, Pru can handle rough seas—the hard part is life on dry land. Pru loves her new apartment and her neighbors; problem is, she’s in danger of stumbling into love with Mr. Right for Anybody But Her.

Fall for him—hard . . .

Pub owner Finn O’Riley is six-foot-plus of hard-working hottie who always makes time for his friends. When Pru becomes one of them, she discovers how amazing it feels to be on the receiving end of that deep green gaze. But when a freak accident involving darts (don’t ask) leads to shirtless first aid, things rush way past the friend zone. Fast.

And then tell him the truth.

Pru only wants Finn to be happy; it’s what she wishes for at the historic fountain that’s supposed to grant her heart’s desire. But wanting him for herself is a different story—because Pru’s been keeping a secret that could change everything. . . .

Bea Reviews The Myth of the Spoiled Child by Alfie Kohn

Publisher: Beacon Press
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: March 8, 2016
Challenges: NetGalley & Edelweiss Reading Challenge
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* (different edition)  | iTunes* (different edition) | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Somehow, deeply conservative assumptions about how children behave and how parents raise them have become the conventional wisdom in our society. It’s widely assumed that parents are both permissive and overprotective, unable to set limits and afraid to let their kids fail. We’re told that young people receive trophies, praise, and A’s too easily, and suffer from inflated self esteem and insufficient self-discipline. However, complaints about pushover parents and entitled kids are actually decades old and driven, it turns out, by ideology more than evidence.

With the same lively, contrarian style of Alfie Kohn’s bestselling books about rewards, competition, and traditional education, The Myth of the Spoiled Child systematically debunks the story that we hear with numbing regularity. Kohn uses humor, logic, and his familiarity with a vast range of social science data to challenge media-stoked fears of spoiling our children. He reveals that the major threat to healthy child development isn’t parents who are too indulgent but those who are too controlling.

Small Town Romance Sale - 60 Books, $30!!

If you're a lover of small town romance or are looking for the perfect place to start, you do not want to miss this sale! 30 authors have come together with an incredible sale. Find out more about the books and get your hands on them here!

Bookish Things I'm Wondering About

I was on Facebook earlier and several posts got me thinking, wondering really, and I decided I didn't want to be alone in my musings. Maybe you all will be able to offer enlightenment. If not, I'll happily accept coffee and chocolate in place of enlightenment. :P

The first was a comment that an author casually threw out in a FB group. She stated, as if it were obvious to anyone with half a brain, that putting the table of contents at the back of ebooks is aesthetically pleasing. I must have half a brain or less because I don't get that. At all. First of all, I utterly fail to see what is aesthetically pleasing about putting it in the back. I just don't see it.

Sunday Book Share #176

 I'm participating in The Sunday Post, hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer; Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews; and Bought Borrowed and Bagged, hosted by TalkSupe. It's a chance to share the print and digital books we've received and posts and events on the blog.

Wow, it's been six months since my last Sunday Post. Life has been kicking my butt with work keeping me busy, and with health, family, financial, and car troubles. Things are still not calm but they're calmer. Additionally, with my work schedule, I just couldn't maintain the blogging schedule that I had. Blogging wasn't fun anymore, but a chore. So, I cut way back, took an extended break. Jax, Steph, and I have all had a lot going on and the blog took a backseat to real life.

Calling All Readers and Authors: Help A School, Donate Books!

 

This article about a school library has been all over my Facebook feed this week and I decided to share on here for those of you who may not have seen it.

There's a school in Nevada that hasn't had a working library for about a decade; they haven't had any new books for eight years. None. Not one. I have a hard time fathoming that. I was fortunate with my school libraries and am fortunate now with my local libraries. They had/have budget issues but there are always new materials. Now, this school's library is being restarted and they need books, movies, and music. From the article -

We need racially diverse books. We need graphic novels. We need women’s studies. We need science. We need series. We need film. We need comics. We need music. We need biographies of important people. Looking for Young Adult. Classics. We want zines! Contemporary. Poetry. Everything that would make a difference in a young person’s life. Writers send us YOUR BOOK.

They have an Amazon wish list, or you can send them something that you think will spark a teen's mind, have relevance to them. It can be brand new or a gently loved item from your own collection. Please, nothing in poor shape. Don't send them your trash.

I've gone through my collection of unsolicited YA review books and will be shipping them out, probably on Monday. Want to save some money on shipping and you're in the US? Check out the postal service's media mail option. It's how I send books. It can take several weeks to ship but it can be significantly cheaper than shipping first class.

Also, I love that the students have a say in the new library and are an active part of designing the space. How awesome is that? Their input is wanted and solicited and they'll be more invested in using and taking care of the space. Just wonderful. <3

ETA: All the information you need about the school and donating can be found in the original article, here.

A final word from the article -

So here’s what I’m asking. Will you donate a book? A real book. Something literary or fun—something that speaks to your truth, their truths. Something that teaches them something about the world. Makes them feel less alone?

I’m not asking for money. I’m asking for you to send a new book or film or cd to us to help us build a library we can be proud of. Just one book.