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Book Reviews
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The Searcher
by Tana French
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First loved it when I started the book , then was unsure, then ended really enjoying the journey. Definitely not as predictable as it thought it would be.

Mile High
by Liz Tomforde
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A fiery flight attendant clashes with the NHL’s resident “bad boy” hockey player on their team’s private plane, sparking an undeniable attraction despite their professional boundaries and personal baggage. As a Chicago native, born and raised in the suburbs and having spent a decade living in the city post-college, it will always be my home and one of my favorite places. Chicago is synonymous with sports. So many of my cherished memories are tied to its teams: celebrating three Blackhawks Stanley Cup wins, witnessing Michael Jordan and the Bulls dominate with six championships, and both the White Sox and Cubs clinching World Series titles. I’ve also lost count of the games I’ve attended with friends and family over the years. Given this deep connection, I was so excited to dive into this Chicago sports romance book series. I went into Mile High with high hopes, especially since I’m heading back to Chicago next week (wrote this before) and was eager for some nostalgic vibes. Unfortunately, it simply fell flat. The characters felt largely one-dimensional. Stevie, the FMC, frequently mentioned her weight and body insecurities, but little else truly defined her. Zander, the MMC, came across as primarily interested in material possessions and money, bringing them up entirely too often. With such limited character depth, their instalove connection just didn’t feel genuine, leaving me largely uninvested in their love story, which spanned a lengthy 17 hours on audiobook. It could have been done in 8! The Windy City series includes 5 interconnected standalone books. I’d recommend experiencing Mile High as a physical read. My personal experience with the audiobook fell flat due to the narration, which, unfortunately, lacked the enthusiasm and personality I usually enjoy, especially right after finishing a book with a highly animated narrator. Even for a duet narration, it just didn’t engage me. Despite my lukewarm experience with this one, many readers whose book tastes align with mine absolutely rave about this series. Because of that, I’m definitely giving the next book a chance before I decide whether to dive into the rest of the series or not. Rating: ??????

Spent
by Alison Bechdel
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Spent is a brilliant and funny graphic novel. Alison and her wife have purchased a goat farm in Vermont. At the same time, her wife becomes an internet celebrity, Alison is trying work on her next book but keeps getting distracted. Friends who live in a nearby coop are experimenting with polyamory. Climate change, and current political movements underscore the whole story.

Bear And Bird: The Cave And Other Stories
by Jarvis
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We love this series! The illustrations are lovely and cute. Bird and bear are such great friends.

Yokai Cats Vol. 3
by PANDANIA
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I like it because it has a lot of details and it is also funny

10% Happier
by Dan Harris
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Boo had great tips, really liked the co author. Dan Harris is ..interested but seems genuine.

J Vs. K
by Kwame Alexander
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This illustrated chapter book was such a delight! In this meta collab between two powerhouses, fifth graders J and K go from rivals butting heads to friends who work together to win the annual writing contest. This book is insanely clever, fun for readers of all ages, and memorable. Some moments have just the right amount of cringe- other moments are surprisingly tender and kind. I loved the dialogue, the vocab infusion, the art, and the humility of it all. This is just the book I wanted to read with my elementary daughter!

The Bootlace Magician
by Cassie Beasley
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This heartfelt story that is a squeal to Circus Mirandus is about a boy named Micah coming to live in a magical circus. In the circus Micah can tie magical knots in which hold memories and strong connections. As the story goes on Micah’s power grows and soon he does not know if he can control it or not. Then all of a sudden his grandmother Victoria the bird women comes to the Circus after betraying them many years ago and it’s Micah who’s the center of the circus’s power to destroy Victoria.-written by Mackenzie

Summary Of The Covenant Of Water (oprah's Book Club) By Abraham Verghese
by GP SUMMARY
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A beautiful read. This is one to be read slowly and savored as the writing and story telling are elegant.

Forget Me Not
by Miralee Ferrell
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2.5 stars. I listened to this audiobook in one sitting as it’s quite a quick read, clocking in at 4 hours. I picked this up because I was looking for books that would satisfy a “two books with the same titles” bingo square, and there’s at least three other Forget Me Nots that I have/will read. As an Oregonian, I was intrigued by the historical romance set in Baker City. I don’t often read Christian fiction, but it’s also nice to mix it up. In this second chance romance, Julia and preacher Seth rekindle their former flame after seven years apart. This book’s first turn-off was how Julia went from not recognizing this apparent love of her life to instantly feeling infatuated as if no time or intervening events had passed. I really struggled with the Chinese immigrant representation. It felt so stereotypical with too much emphasis on the white savior. Maybe the stilted broken English speech on the audiobook exaggerated the effect, but I felt there was a missed opportunity to humanized these underrepresented characters. I appreciate what the author is trying to do (as evidenced in the author’s notes), but I think she misses the mark in execution. Maybe this book would be better as a full-length novel in which their story gets fleshed out a bit more. I almost rounded this book up on the rating because I think the intentions are good, but as it currently stands, I would recommend skipping this.
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