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Emily C Gardner

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The Wondering Years by Knox McCoy
25 Bunny Books perfect for Spring
17 Wintery Children’s Books
A Bible Literacy Book Flight
An Epistolary Book Flight

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If only packing was as fun as picking books to take on vacation... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I’m finishing up Evvie Drake Starts Over and hope to make good work of these four during our last hoorah of Summer before my sweet little man starts Kindergarten. (It’s fine, I’m fine, we’re all fine 😱). Thanks to the tagged publishers for a couple of these! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ How are you all ending the Summer?

Tru & Nelle is a fictionalized rendering of the non-fiction friendship between Truman Capote and Harper Lee. As a To Kill A Mockingbird devotee, I was a little ashamed that I didn’t know they had been friends before encountering this book. A biography of Lee is now one of my next reads... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Capote and Lee are some of the most celebrated American authors of the twentieth century and I love that a book like this exists - exposing young readers to the real lives of writers they will encounter in school and beyond. (Sometimes I forget that authors are real people with real lives outside of their books.) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Tru & Nelle is a sweet story with a little mystery, a little heartbreak and a little peak into 1930s life in the South. The authors note added a half star to this one for me: 3.5 ⭐️

Bookmail that comes with a crown? Yes, please. It also came with an inflatable sword, which lived a short life. Thanks @jkscommunications for this gifted book. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I don’t indulge in this affinity very often, but I love all the legends about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. (If this is you too, don’t miss Mary Stewart’s Merlin Trilogy.) I know the medieval period wasn’t all princesses and Camelot, but it’s fun to read about... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Which is why I’m excited about this YA historical fiction novel (by the co-creator of the TV show 24) set in medieval times. The Sword And The Dagger chronicles an epic journey to uncover a murder plot, set against the backdrop of the Crusades in the Middle East. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ “What kind of an ass sends a lock of his own hair as a gift?” How’s that for an opening line? 😏

Book stacks, book stacks - everywhere. We did some rearranging again so these books are homeless until we can build a few new shelves (pretty sure I’ve convinced Tim to do that this evening 🎉). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I’d really love to know how you arrange your shelves. Last week, I switched our main shelves from color to genre/author and I feel real good about it.

Hey, it’s me coming to you from the cover of a book... I always struggle to photograph library books, but this reminded me of a question I try to ask myself while reading: How do I see myself reflected in this book? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ For books like The Nickel Boys, where racism and abuse are prevalent, that’s a hard question to ask. I believe that all people are created equal but that doesn’t make some of my southern white heritage less cringeworthy. Books like this leave me horrified and dumbfounded but also make me reflect on the ways I’m passively prejudice about any number of things in my day to day life. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The Nickel Boys isn’t an easy book to read. But it’s a GOOD book to read. And Colson Whitehead did an amazing job crafting this novel (based on a real reform school in Florida). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Grateful to @anniebjones05 for putting this book on my radar. Solidly one of my favorites of the year.

This is more fruit than I normally have in the morning so this pie for breakfast is a morning win, right? Blueberry pie courtesy of my amazing mom. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Quickly coming to the end of my first Colson Whitehead novel. Beautifully written and just HARD. Anyone else reading The Nickel Boys?

My recent library haul had an unintentional theme - the sweetest covers and stories about favorite authors. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Ordinary Extraordinary Jane Austen is a simplification of Jane Austen’s life in picture book form. The illustrations are just the best. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I discovered Tru & Nelle by browsing Stephanie’s @because.my.mother.read awesome Goodreads Shelf of books about books/authors. G. Neri bases this middle grade novel on the childhood friendship of Truman Capote and Harper Lee. Starting this when I finish The Nickel Boys...

This weekend was a book sale I look forward to all year. We went on Friday and this was our haul. See any good ones? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ My husband agreed to go back (after he preaches at all three of our church services - that is love...) to the bag sale this afternoon. 🎉

In the first couple pages of Relish, @lucyknisley explains that her “most vivid memories consistently jog [her] brain with the recollection of how things tasted.” Isn’t that often the case for all of us? Whether it’s a taste, smell, color or texture, our senses intensify the many little vignettes that make up our memories. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I’ve always been a fan of foodie memoirs, but the addition of colorful drawings adds a extra layer of enjoyment. By showing, not just telling, the stories in this book, Knisley gives the reader an extra sense to experience her memories of life in the kitchen. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ If you enjoyed Save Me The Plums by Ruth Reichl or of coming of age meets cookbook sounds intriguing to you, make sure to give Relish a try. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ If you’re a foodie memoir reader, I always looking for recommendations...

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