July EstellaGram :: Week One

I stumbled across this idea a while back and decided to try it for the entire month of July. It's one of those photo-a-day thingies. You probably don't know or don't remember, but I tried something similar last December. Unfortunately, because of my trip home for Christmas I was unable to finish the whole month. Here's hoping I can make it happen in July! (Considering I'm almost 5 days behind already, who knows. But better late than never, right?)

Anyway, I've tweeted my pictures, but I haven't shared them with y'all. And I know you're just dying to see what bookish things I've taken photos of, isn't that right? Well, anyway. I'm sharing them. So here they are! :D

Day 1 : Cover

 Beauty by Robin McKinley
{I really need to get my review written.}

Day 2 : Chapter 1

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
{Love that first sentence!}

Day 3 : Last Line

Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster
{Favoritest book ever!}

Day 4 : Acknowledgements

There You'll Find Me by Jenny B Jones
{This makes me giggle.}

Day 5 : Burn

 

{Excellent story! Highly recommend. An oldie but goodie.}

Day 6 : TBR

{Two down, one to go.}

Day 7 : Reading Room

{My bookshelves are full! I hardly have any room left.}

Children's Stories I Loved

Children are made readers in the laps of their parents. 

~ Emilie Buchwald

No doubt we've all seen this quote somewhere. If you're on Pinterest at all, I'm positive you have! :) I do think that it's a true statement. Oh there might be some exceptions to that rule, but for the most part if you read to a child, they'll probably continue enjoying it as they grow.

I know it was sure true of me! I can remember this orange couch (that ugly orange color from the 70s) that was just big enough for my mother to sit in the middle with me on one side and my brother on the other. I believe we'd get to choose books some evenings and other times mom chose for us. Either way, come bedtime, down we'd plop and mom would read. I loved those moments. Such great memories we made! I'm incredibly thankful to my mother for taking that time with us when we were young.

I love when I go visit one of my brothers, or to a friend's home, and listen to them reading to their children. Or when I go to my cousin's house and his children beg me to sit and read to them! Such precious moments together. I can also remember a few years back when my oldest niece was finally big enough to read by herself. That Christmas when the whole family was together, I peeped in on the kids in another room and there they were. All seven of them gathered around as my niece read to them. It was such a sweet picture!

Telling stories to children and watching their eyes light up, listening as they talk about what you're reading, hearing them later imagine themselves into the story. Firing up their imaginations!

And as they get older, then they graduate to bigger books and longer stories and yeah. I could drone on and on about how awesome it is to see children reading. To watch them grow up loving to read. (I happen to have a nephew who loves reading almost as much as I. Nooo, of course he isn't my favorite. Aunts don't have favorites. But I do admit that I love that about him! ;)

Children and stories simply make a great combination! So I thought I'd list a few of my favorite books as a child. At least the ones I can remember. :)





So there you have it. Just a small look at some of my favorites. I'm sure if I took the time, I could make a very long list! But I won't do that to you. :) What were some of your favorite books as a child?

Review: Barefoot Summer by Denise Hunter

Goodreads :: Amazon

Madison’s heart has been closed for years. But one summer can change everything.

In the years since her twin brother’s drowning, Madison McKinley has struggled to put it behind her. Despite the support of her close-knit family and her gratifying job as a veterinarian in their riverside town, the loss still haunts her.

To find closure, Madison sets out to fulfill her brother’s dream of winning the town’s annual regatta. But first she has to learn to sail, and fast.

Beckett O’Reilly knows Madison is out of his league, but someone neglected to tell his heart. Now she needs his help—and he’ll give it, because he owes her far more than she’ll ever know.

Madison will do anything—even work with the infamous Beckett O’Reilly—to reach her goal. And as much as she’d like to deny it, the chemistry between them is electrifying. As summer wanes, her feelings for him grow and a fledgling faith takes root in her heart.

But Beckett harbors a secret that will test the limits of their new love. Can their romance survive summer’s challenges? And will achieving her brother’s dream give Madison the peace she desperately seeks?

Oh my! Where do I begin? This little book swept me up and swirled me away in happiness! I am so pleased to have another Denise Hunter book that I love as much as Mending Places. It's no wonder I loved it, since both books have similar themes of forgiveness and a heart-meltingly sweet romance. For some reason, I haven't been able to connect to many of Ms. Hunter's books recently. I figured it must be that my tastes had changed or something. But I'm very happy that's not true! So beware, there will most likely be much gushing ahead! :D

The hero-Beckett O'Reilly. What can I say about what an amazing man he is? He is the epitome of the nice guy. I loved the way he couldn't keep his eyes off of Madison. I loved the way he treated his sister. My heart broke for what he had to endure growing up and what his father was like. I could understand that he felt inadequate, but I wanted to shake him a few times to make him wake up to how awesome he truly was! And Madison, she was so much stronger than she gave herself credit for. She felt so unnoticable, if only she knew how "someone" had been noticing her for a whole lot longer than she realized! She's fearful of so many things, but with some tlc she'd be well on her way to truly living life. Because right now, she's just treading water and since she can't swim...well.

When these two are together, things sparkle and shine! They are simply good for each other. They encourage and support and are so gentle and careful. The care they show one another, even before any romance comes into the picture, is wonderful. Because that's what they both need so desperately. Someone to care about them and tell them that they really matter. Oh my heart. It couldn't resist these two at all! The cute push and pull between them. The undeniable attraction. The sweetness of how gentle and kind they are. I love characters who are simply good people. The rebels and bad boys are quite popular, but give me a nice guy any day! And when he falls for the nice girl who is so deserving of him (even if he doesn't think so), I am a very happy reader! :)

It's not all sunny and happy though. Madison and Beckett both have things to work through and these things aren't pleasant. It takes time and forgiveness and understanding. I appreciated the way Ms. Hunter melded the characters crises in with the romance, yet kept things hopeful and sweet. So what I'm saying is, go read this one right now! I fell in love with these characters, with their story, and with the loveliness of Ms. Hunter's writing. I have re-read my favorite scenes several times since finishing the story just a mere day ago! If you enjoy sweet contemporary romances, I don't think you'll be disappointed. I just have one question, when is book two going to get here?!

She hated the anxiety that wormed through her, tweaking her nerves. She wanted to stand up, return to dry ground, but he was going to make her do more.
"Doing great, Madison. Good job."
Next he was going to pat her on the head. "I'm not a dog."
"The water is your friend." She heard the smile in his voice and shoved her hand out, pushing a spray of water at his face.
The force of it pushed her backward, and she was falling. She clutched at air, at water, and found no hold.
He reached for her. She grabbed onto him, steadying herself.
her heart beat against her ribs mercilessly. She opened her mouth to take in oxygen and glared at him.
Water dripped from his nose, his chin. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Don't bit the hand that feeds you, darlin'."

Review: Catch A Falling Star by Beth K Vogt

Goodreads :: Amazon

What does a girl do when life doesn’t go according to her plan? At thirty-six, Kendall Haynes has seen some of her dreams come true. She’s a family physician helping kids with severe allergies and asthma achieve more fulfilling lives—a childhood struggle she knows all too well. But are Kendall’s dreams of having it all—a career, a husband, children—nothing more than a childhood fantasy? God says He knows the plans He has for her—why can’t Kendall figure them out and be content with her life?

Griffin Walker prefers flying solo—both as an Air Force pilot and in his personal life. But a wrong choice and health problems pulled him out of the cockpit. His attempts to get out of “flying a desk” are complicated by his parents’ death—making Griffin the reluctant guardian of his sixteen-year-old brother, Ian. How did his life get so off course? Can he get his life back on track…or has there been a divine plan all along?

I was recommended this book and told that the romance was sweet and swoon-worthy. They weren't kidding! Griffin and Kendall are cute, but oh-so-very stubborn. Goodness are they ever stubborn! Both have a determined streak a mile wide. Determined that things will be fine, determined not to acknowledge their attraction, determined not to fall in love, determined not to let things get in their way. Except things aren't fine, they are attracted, they do fall in love, and jeeps and dogs and brothers do get in their way! Life isn't going the way they imagined for either one of them. 

Their relationship is slow going. They both try to deny, deny, deny that anything is happening between them. And even once they can't deny anymore, they still refuse to make things easy on themselves. Silly characters! ;) This means we gets lots of nicely charged moments when it becomes awfully hard not to make googly-eyes at one another. And while they're in denial, we have outside forces keeping everyone on their toes. Like Griffin's little brother Ian, and Kendall's huge dog Sully (I loved how he got his name!), and a certain other character who's not worthy to be named. I liked that they had their love of Jeeps in common even though I didn't understand anything they were talking about in regards to engines and parts. ;) The chemistry between the two is pretty palpable during several scenes. Especially the ending which totally made me melt in a puddle of goo! *sigh*

The story has enough tension and mystery to keep you on your toes wondering exactly what's going to happen. It balanced well with the inching forward of the main relationship and ultimately is a lot of fun! I do have a couple of small quibbles however. There were a few instances of noticeable tension between some characters that was never explained. Kendall's relationship with her family was definitely strained but I was never certain why. I would have liked a little more time spent on that plotline, it may have given us a better understanding of Kendall herself maybe. And also there was a small plot dealing with one of Kendall's employees that felt sort of pushed in. It didn't really add a whole lot to the bigger story and indeed it confused me at first. I couldn't figure out whose point of view I was reading and where it was taking me. These were minor frustrations though and did not spoil the overall delightfulness of the story for me! 

A chaotic (and somewhat amusing) meet cute, an adorable couple, fun characters, and a storyline that I couldn't always predict combines to make for a great read! I definitely recommend this book for when you need a feel good story with a happy (and swoon-worthy) ending. In fact, I'd read it for that ending alone! :D

He wasn't surprised to hear her give a knowing chuckle. Since she was a Jeep girl, she understood how temperamental the things were.
"So what's the problem now?" She shifted, coming a bit closer. What perfume was she wearing? And why didn't she smell like a hospital or something....medicinal?
"Started hearing a clicking noise up front-driver's side."
"Hhhhm. Wheel bearing? Maybe the brake caliper?"
Whoa. A woman who talked mechanics. Not that it was cute. Or appealing. It was just different.
"Could be the universal joint."
He knew Jeeps too.