Monthly Wrap-Up for September 2016

September is my favorite month– it’s also my birthday month– and I had the opportunity to review some excellent books. I also received my first OwlCrate shipment, which was incredible! My husband ordered me a six month subscription for my birthday. Here’s what my first box looked like:

I also received one of my new favorite things ever as a gift from a super awesome friend. It’s a stamp that embosses a book page with my blog name. So from now on, if you enter a giveaway that I’m hosting (not ones hosted as part of a blog tour) and you win, your book will have this fancy stamp inside! Exciting. And so thoughtful and clever! I never would have thought even to look for something like this. Here’s a picture of the stamp and what the embossing looks like:

In addition to all the birthday fun, I also received some great books. Some will probably be featured in my next giveaway!

September was also a big month for blog tours. I participated in a whopping SIX blog tours. Here’s a quick recap:

• Tom Crosshill posted a list of top ten things which inspired his fantastic novel The Cat King of Havana via Irish Banana Blog Tours. See the list.
• Dusty Crabtree posted a list of her top ten favorite book quotes from her novel Shadow Eyes. Read the quotes.
• Cat Clarke joined me for an interview about her book The Lost and the Found via Irish Banana Blog Tours. Check out the interview.
• I posted my review of Swan Riders by Erin Bow as part of an Irish Banana Blog Tour. See it here.
• I posted my review of The Last Messenger of Zitol as a part of a blog tour organized by author Chelsea Dyreng. Find it here.
• My review of The Second Season was yesterday’s stop on a blog tour organized by author Heather Chapman. My review is here.

I also had the pleasure of interviewing author Monica Lee Kennedy about her trilogy of books that begin with The Land’s Whisper in which the land is sentient and different countries have different personalities. Congrats again to Theresa, our giveaway winner! Find out more here.

Last but of course not least, here’s the recap of my reviews this month. If you’re looking for a great family read, I recommend The One and Only Ivan. My favorite book is probably This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills, but The Cat King of Havana is a very close second. Both were excellent, though both contain some mature content. See my review for details.

	The Cat King of Havana by Tom Crosshill Review | Amazon | Goodreads Rick Gutierrez, known as the founder of a highly successful cat video site, is out to craft a new identity for himself. He falls for a gorgeous salsa dancer, convinces her to visit Cuba with him, and hopes for the romance to blossom. This was such a great story and I loved the Cuban setting.
	For This Life Only by Stacey Kade Review | Amazon | Goodreads After surviving a car accident that killed his brother, Jacob reevaluates everything once believed, including everything he believed about his twin brother. This was a really emotional read for me. I liked that it explored a church family and asked some hard questions about faith and doubt.
	Freedom’s Just Another Word by Caroline Stellings Review | Amazon | Goodreads Caroline Stellings is one of my favorite authors, and I loved this story. She had me at Janis Joplin and a young blues singer. I could not wait to read the book, and I was not disappointed. I love the way it pulled a lot of different layers and ideas together, and the way things worked out in a completely different way than the protagonist expected. So much like life.
	Pax by Sara Pennypacker Review | Amazon | Goodreads I’d been meaning to read this book for a long time, and I’m so glad I finally had the chance. It reminded me of John Boyne’s Stay Where You Are and then Leave plus Disney’s Fox and the Hound.
	George by Alex Gino Review | Amazon | Goodreads This is a book about a transgender girl who finds the courage to talk to her family and friends. I felt like it was important to review this book that so tenderly reaches into these issues.
	Wrecked by Maria Padian Review | Amazon | Goodreads A girl is raped at a college party. The story follows her roommate and the boy’s roommate as they try to piece together what really happened that night. It’s dark and mature, but I liked that Padian dove into the question of consent and forced us to sift through the things people say, well-meaning or otherwise, in the wake of a situation like this.
	Every Falling Star by Sungju Lee and Susan McGovern Review | Amazon | Goodreads An incredibly moving story about a boy who grows up in North Korea and eventually escapes. This is the first young adult memoir about someone from North Korea, and definitely worth adding to a history or current events curriculum.
	Swan Riders by Erin Bow Review | Amazon | Goodreads After reading the first book in this series, The Scorpion Rules, I knew I had to read this one. Greta has become AI in order to save her friends and possibly her world. But a new threat rises against the AI, and even Greta’s new abilities may not be enough to stop it. If you like complex political sci-fi, this is probably right up your alley.
	The Doorway and the Deep by K. E. Ormsbee Review | Amazon | Goodreads I loved the fun cast of characters in this story. Lottie and her friends just want to return Eliot to the human world, but an evil king bars their way and threatens Lottie’s life. They must outsmart his most deadly assassins in order to stop him from destroying the land of Limn.
	This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills Review | Amazon | Goodreads I really enjoyed First & Then by Mills, so when I saw this one available to review, I had to jump on it. This Adventure Ends is all the things I loved about First & Then— the quick banter, absurd situations, angsty romance– only MORE.
	30 Days of Goodness, Love and Grace by Faithgirlz Review | Amazon | Goodreads This was a tough read for me. I’d hoped to complete this study with my eleven year-old daughter, but found the content to be better suited for older girls since much of it focuses on marriage and dating. So instead, we’re exploring some other options for study.
	Irena’s Children by Tilar J. Mazzeo Review | Amazon | Goodreads Irena’s Children follows events during World War II in Warsaw as a young woman and her associates fought to rescue 2,500 children from Jewish ghettos and death. An incredible story about bravery and courage.
	The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate Review | Amazon | Goodreads My family and I listened to this story on the way home from vacation, and it was a hit with all of us. While some parts moved slowly, the characters were interesting, and I loved learning that Ivan was in fact based on the story of a real gorilla.
	The Second Season by Heather Chapman Review | Amazon | Goodreads This was a bit off my usual path, but I find that I usually like historical fiction, so I was excited to read this one. It reminded me of the types of romances I used to read in seventh grade or so, which was pleasantly nostalgic.

Have you read any of these books?

If you’ve read these titles, what did you think of them? Which ones on this list look most interesting to you?

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