Category Archives: Lists

Monthly Wrap-Up: July 2016

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july2016_2July 2016

Summertime flies. In our county, we’re just two weeks away from school starting up again. Already, back-to-school gear is everywhere in stores. It’s hard to believe that the summer is almost over. I feel like only a few weeks ago school was ending. But alas.

This past month, I posted a couple of lists– one about underrated books and one about books that made me dream about new hobbies. In fact, one of my reviews (Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet) came from another blogger’s list of underrated books.

As far as reviews, it was a busy month! Here’s a quick note on each book I reviewed.

Paper Wishes by Lois Sepahban

Review | Amazon | Continue reading →

Top Ten Underrated Books

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s theme lists underrated books, or books with fewer than two thousand ratings on Goodreads. I’ve talked about a lot of these books before. Some are indie or small press novels. Others remain largely undiscovered for reasons I can’t quite figure. All are books I would happily pick up and read all over again.

Top Ten Underrated BooksTop Ten Underrated Books

Glass Girl by Laura Anderson Kurke

You know when you find one of those books where the writing itself is as beautiful as the story? Glass Girl is like that to me. Big emotions, great characters, and a totally swoon-worthy romance. … Continue reading →

Top Ten Middle Grade Reads

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TTT

Top Ten Middle Grade Reads (2015-2016)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Today, my spin on the topic is this: middle grade reads. As the parent of an enthusiastic middle grade reader, I’m always looking for books that will spark conversations, explore interesting ideas, or generate all those deep emotions as only a well-written book can. Here are the best of the middle grade books I’ve read in the last couple of years.

The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin

The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin

Review | Amazon | Goodreads

I loved the way the author used information … Continue reading →

Upcoming Reviews: June 2016

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upcomingreviews

June 2016

It’s summer time again, and here in FL, kids are already out of school. (We’ll be crying the second week of August when we have to go back and all you northerners have weeks left of summer fun.) We’ve got lots of things planned, including the obligatory beach days, and hopefully a bit of butterfly gardening. Plus, of course, lots of reading time.

Here’s a list of books you can expect to see reviewed on The Story Sanctuary over the next several weeks. Some of these have been on my list for quite some time, and I’m excited to have a chance to finally read them. I’ve been trying to work in more of the Christian … Continue reading →

May 2016 Upcoming Reviews

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The Star-Touched Queen Roshani Choksi

The Star-Touched Queen Roshani Choksi

Amazon | Goodreads

This novel boasts a rich fantasy world with amazing characters and breathtaking romance. I. Loved. It. It Ain't So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas

It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas

Amazon | Goodreads

From the author of Funny in Farsi comes a 1970s novel about an Iranian girl struggling to find her place in a small American town while anti-Iran sentiments run high. I Woke Up Dead at the Mall by Judy Sheehan

I Woke Up Dead at the Mall by Judy Sheehan

 Amazon | Goodreads

A quirky, fun read about a girl who discovers she’s been … Continue reading →

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Blogs to Follow

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TTTTop Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s theme is a fantastic one: the best blogs to follow. I tend to follow several different kinds of blogs. I like finding other blogs that review clean books or which list content information. I think in part it makes me feel validated, and it’s always interesting to see the ways other sites break down the content information. I also like to follow what I’ll call a specialty blog, one that steers readers toward specific types of books– books about characters with disabilities, books by minority authors, etc. Then there are the good old trusty review sites where I find myself reading the reviews of books … Continue reading →