Sunday Post - 07/07/24

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ The Caffeinated Book Reviewer ~this meme was inspired in part by ~ In My Mailbox~ It's a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

Monday and Tuesday were mostly normal days. Tuesday I did have grocery pick up and we swam after lunch instead of before. Wednesday, we swam before lunch and then Husband's sister and family came to town and the kids went over to his mom's to visit with them. Thursday morning we went to my parent's house for a little over an hour. My aunt and uncle had come for a day visit from Mobile, and I don't get to see them very often anymore. Half of their kids live out of state so they're traveling regularly to visit with them and their grandbabies. We also have less family in Mobile so we rarely travel there these days as well. Then we came home and changed clothes and grabbed some things for lunch. We had lunch with Husband's family and went swimming at his mom's house after lunch. We came home and let Little Boy nap. Then we went back to his mom's for dinner and to shoot fireworks. If you're an old subscriber then you'll know that Husband's dad passed away on July 4th of 2015, so we always celebrate the holiday together while remembering him together. His sister and family were still here Friday so we went back over after breakfast and swam again and had lunch. The kids got back in the pool after lunch and then we came home for nap again. Saturday was much more low key. The kids did swim a little while but not long. They actually played really well together most of the day. I worked on prepping for our upcoming school year. I made my last order for curriculum. We will go pick up a few school supplies in a few weeks. But thankfully, since we homeschool we don't have to buy entirely new supplies each year.

THE PAST WEEK

Monday: June 2024 EOM Wrap Up
Friday: Homeschool Friday - Tiny Goes to the Library
Saturday: Review of On the Bright Side by Anna Sortino (4 Stars)

UPCOMING THIS WEEK:

Monday: Review of Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan
Tuesday: Top Ten Tuesday?
Wednesday: Can't Wait for Wednesday?
Friday: Homeschool Friday - I Survived The Chicago Fire, 1871

Don’t forget to link up for the 2024 Series Enders Reading Challenge! You have until December 15th, 2024 to sign up. Each month there will be a giveaway for those participating with an end of the year giveaway too! Click on the picture below or the link above to find out more!

NEW BOOKS:

Serpent Sea (The Spice Road Trilogy, # 2)

By: Maiya Ibrahim

Expected Publication: September 17, 2024 by Delacorte Press

512 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--As a Shield Immani is sworn to protect her land from the monsters across the city but as the Harrowlanders begin preparing supplies, horses and their greatest weapon—spice magic—she knows it is only a matter of time before the invasion begins…and it will be a losing battle. But Immani also knows that the only true way to fight magic is with monsters. If she can restore Qayn’s stolen powers, together they can summon an army to save Sahir. Forming an alliance with a former King turned monster might seem like the riskiest thing she can do but things are made even more dangerous by the fact that his magic is in the form of three jewels that once were encrusted in his crown but are now hidden beyond the dessert.

A forbidden quest to find the jewels might be the only way to combat the Harrowlanders but as Immani journeys across the sea, she will discover serpentines and other scaled creatures warriors have only heard about in myths…and that can strike at any moment. One wrong move could cost her life—and everyone she loves. But Immani may find there is more than meets the eye crossing the serpent sea…and betrayal cuts deeper than any dagger.

A Game of Hearts (The Cartwells, # 1)

By: Joanna Barker

Publication: October 6, 2022 by Rose Petal Press

321 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Clean Romance, Regency

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--If you can't join them, beat them.

Marigold Cartwell has only one to defeat her long-time rival on the archery field. She knows she can outshoot irritating, cynical Tristan Gates, but the local bowmen’s society—the one he belongs to—refuses to allow women to compete. Spurred on by their rejection, Marigold decides to start a new society. Naturally, it has only one no men.

Tristan Gates is used to Marigold Cartwell always getting her way, so he is far from surprised when she forms her own society. He knows how relentless she can be, something he learned firsthand facing her at the targets. But Tristan has enough worries of his own, what with his bachelor uncle falling in love with a fortune hunter. He has no time to entertain Marigold’s ambitions.

However, after a visit to the seashore ends in disaster—and scandal—Marigold and Tristan soon realize how little they know about each other. The strained tension between them quickly turns to simmering attraction, but an important archery competition looms ahead. Lines are drawn all around them, with Marigold and Tristan on opposite sides, and neither can afford to lose. Yet winning might be the very thing to tear them apart.

To Charm a Lady (The Cartwells, # 2)

By: Joanna Barker

Publication: June 6, 2024 by Rose Petal Press

294 pages

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Clean Romance, Regency

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Cora Atherton wants nothing more than to finally fall in love—real love, not the unrequited sort. When she is invited to attend a house party without her disapproving, overbearing mother, Cora leaps at the chance, desperate to make a match of her own. That is, until she finds that Oliver Cartwell is also attending the party. Oliver, the boy she has loved since she was a girl and the man she is determined to forget.

A house party in the country is just what Oliver needs to distract himself from the shadows of his past. When he discovers that Cora, his sister’s best friend, is in need of a little matchmaking, he resolves to help her in her search for a husband. He quickly learns that no man is good enough for her, least of all himself. Why, then, does he find himself fighting his attraction to gentle, beautiful Cora at every step?

As the two draw closer together, Cora is forced to confront the feelings that have tortured her for years. With her future on the line and a deadline fast approaching, can she trust that flirtatious Oliver has changed for the better—or will he leave her heart in pieces once again?

Kingdom Cold (Kingdom Cold, # 1)

By: Brittni Chenelle

Publication: January 25, 2021 by Brittni Chenelle

276 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Source: YouTube Audiobooks

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Attempted murder , that's how sixteen-year-old Princess Charlotte's engagement starts.

It seems like the only thing she has in common with Prince Young of Vires is their mutual discontent.

When her kingdom's attacked, Charlotte's parents renegotiate her hand in marriage to a handsome stranger with a sinister plan. With the people Charlotte loves dying around her, and her kingdom's future at stake, the only person she can turn to is the prince she betrayed. But, should she save her kingdom or her heart? One must fall. Diverse Fantasy, YA Fantasy Romance, Enemies-To-Lovers, Multi-POV

BRITTNI CHENELLE is a USA Today Bestselling Author who specializes in angsty multicultural fantasy romances. She loves the enemies-to-lovers trope and her favorite genres to read and write are Young Adult Fantasy Romance, New Adult Urban Fantasy, Fairytale Retellings , Steamy Paranormal Romance, and African American Paranormal Romance with plenty of Black Girl Magic. She's very passionate about equal representation and makes a point to include characters from different backgrounds and cultures in her fantasy stories.

Nymph Totem

By: Britti Chenelle

Expected Publication: March 26, 2024 by Brittni Chenelle

282 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--They should've known when they damned me... Hell makes monsters of us all.

Nova has lived all her life in The Garden, an island that floats above Earth, undetected. Her secret friendship with the Prince changed to something more and all that stands in the way of the life she’s been dreaming of is her Totem Ceremony–an age-old rite that assigns one of four elements she'll spend her life protecting.

When Nova's ceremony goes horribly wrong, she's placed in a fifth Totem located in the Underworld. Humiliated and cast out, her only hope is to convince her true love’s arrogant, moody brother that there’s been some kind of terrible mistake. But the longer she spends in the darkness battling the salacious urges brought on by the Underworld’s ruler, the closer she comes to unleashing her true nature and making the world that betrayed her burn.

The Monstrous Kind

By: Lydia Gregovic

Expected Publication: September 3, 2024 by Delacorte Press

400 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Gothic

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--An atmospheric, haunting, romantasy inspired by Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, set in a Regency England about two sisters fighting to hold on to their manor while deadly monsters prowl along its perimeters—perfect for fans of House of Salt and Sorrows and Anatomy: A Love Story.

Merrick Darling’s life as daughter of the Manor Lord of Sussex is better than most. Unlike the commoners, she is immune to the toxic fog that encroached on England generations earlier. She will never become a Phantom—one of the monstrous creatures that stalk her province’s borders—and as long as the fires burn to hold them back, her safety is ensured. She wants for nothing, yet she will never inherit her family’s Manor. She must marry smartly or live at the kindness of her elder sister, Essie.

Everything is turned on its head, though, when Merrick’s father dies suddenly. Torn from her New London society life of ball gowns and parties, Merrick must travel back to her childhood home, the Darling estate of Norland House, and what she finds there is bewildering. Once strong and capable, Essie is withdrawn and frightened—and with good cause. A recent string of attacks along the province’s borders has turned their formerly bucolic countryside into a terrifying and unpredictable landscape. The fog is closing in and the fires aren’t holding, which makes Merrick and Essie vulnerable in more ways than one. Because the Phantoms are far from the only monsters in Merrick’s world, and the other eleven Manor Lords are always watching for weakness.

Revealing her and her sister’s current state to the rest of the Manors is out of the question, but when Essie goes missing, it’s clear that Merrick needs help. Only, who can she trust when everyone seems to be scheming, and when all she holds true feels like it’s slipping right out of her grasp?

That's it for my shelves and recaps of my past and upcoming week. What did you add to your shelves this week? Any bookish news you want to talk about? Let me know!

On the Bright Side - Review

On the Bright Side

By: Anna Sortino

Publication: July 2, 2024 by Putnum

319 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Disability

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--A hopeful novel about love, disability, and the inevitability of change by the author of Give Me a Sign.

Ellie’s Deaf boarding school just shut down, forcing her to leave the place she considered home and return to her hearing family. Back in a mainstream school, Ellie quickly becomes the subject of hateful rumors. That’s when her guidance counselor pairs her with Jackson, a student who’s supposed to help her adjust. Can the boy who tries to say the right things, and gets it all wrong, be the lifeline Ellie needs?

Jackson has been avoiding his teammates ever since some numbness in his legs cost them an important soccer match. With his senior year off to a lonely start, he’s intrigued when he’s asked to help the new girl, initially thinking it will be a commendable move on his part. Little does he know Ellie will soon be the person he wants most by his side when the strange symptoms he’s experiencing amount to a life-changing diagnosis.

Exploring what it means to build community, Anna Sortino pens a story about the fear of the unknown and the beauty of the unexpected, all wrapped up in a poignant romance that will break your heart and put it back together again.

I didn't love Anna Sortino's Give Me a Sign. I took issue with her characters' general mindset. The evidence that Anna Sortino might suffer from the same mindset is that the characters in that book all generally agreed on the same things. So I wasn't sure if I wanted to pick up On the Bright Side. But I decided to give this one a try, and I'm glad that I did.

Ellie used to go to a deaf boarding school. But lack of funding has the school shutting down, and Ellie has to return to her hearing family and school. I finished this book two months before sitting down to write my review, and I know that I'm forgetting the intricacies of the relationship dynamic between Ellie and her family. I felt like fault lay on both sides. Ellie's parents didn't seem to put themselves in her shoes, and they didn't make the necessary adjustments to help her feel like part of the family. Ellie feels inferior to her sister, at least, she views her parents as seeing her as inferior. Mostly, it seemed that communication was needed between them that had nothing to do with hearing or the language that was being used. I felt bad for Ellie, but I also felt bad for her family.

Jackson has been hiding some numbness in his legs because he wasn't sure what was happening. His dad is hard-core physical and always pushes him to go harder. Jackson probably could have talked to his parents, but he chose not to, fearing their response. Jackson has a fall during a critical soccer game, and his teammates give him a hard time over. And then Jackson's symptoms get more and more concerning. He eventually gets to the point where he can't hide what he's going through from his family any longer. And he finally receives a diagnosis. I felt bad for Jackson because the doctors were giving him the runaround. I, too, have felt like doctors were blowing off my concerns in different areas as no big deal when their explanations didn't seem to make sense. It's hard to push back against the ones who are supposed to know more about the human body than the average person. But I've learned through various family members and my own experiences that we have to advocate for ourselves, and if we're not happy with the response from the doctor, we need to get a second opinion. We only have one body to take the best care of we possibly can. Jackson, being a minor, wasn't sure about what the doctors were telling him, but he didn't know enough to push back. His character's particular struggle was more emotional when learning that Anna Sortino went through a very similar experience and received the same diagnosis as Jackson. 

I liked Ellie and Jackson's relationship. Ellie was a little harsh with him initially because she wasn't sure he was genuine. I like how Jackson was open to learning to sign to better communicate with Ellie. I didn't feel Ellie was as judgemental or pushy about forcing him to do so as the characters Anna Sortino wrote in Give Me a Sign. These two used text and other methods to communicate. Jackson was willing to learn, but Ellie allowed him to learn organically and didn't expect him to pick up an entire language within a ridiculous period, especially given the physical challenges he was dealing with. 

I was happy that Ellie found a family in her friends and a community that would support her. They helped her have a productive and needed conversation with her parents, which helped rebuild some of the damage their toxic relationship patterns were causing. But I also felt like Ellie was harsh with her family here. It's hard to say without being in the situation myself. Ellie does say there was a lack of effort on both parts but that she wasn't inclined to change it. Well, you can't expect someone else to do something you're not willing to do yourself. If you want your parents or anyone, to make an effort for you, you have to be willing to make an effort for them.

Overall, I enjoyed On the Bright Side more than Anna Sortino's previous book, Give Me a Sign. Ellie was still a little bit of a struggle for me. She still had a victim mindset in a lot of ways, and her relationship with her parents was just as much her fault as her parents. They certainly shouldn't be let off the hook. Jackson was the redeeming factor. He had his physical life-altering events going on, which I think allowed Ellie not to push him unrealistically on learning sign language. He was the bright side for me in this book. On the Bright Side gets 4 Stars. Have you read On the Bright Side? What did you think? Let me know!

Homeschool Friday - Tiny Goes to the Library

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review for each.

Tiny Goes to the Library

By: Cari Meister

Publication: July 1, 2000 by Penguin Young Readers

32 pages

Genre: Children's, First Readers

Source: Personal Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Tiny likes to go places with his best friend. But when they go to the library, Tiny has to wait outside. Soon it's time to bring the books home. Tiny is a very big help! Not since Clifford has a big dog been so appealing!

As I've discussed, my son, who is 6 years old, is a reluctant reader. He doesn't love it. He melts down over how long books are. Yet he's doing a great job at actually reading.

Tiny Goes to the Library wasn't a book that he was excited about reading. They can't all be books that we're excited about, right? At least at this stage the books are all short and easy to read. He's doing really well. I didn't notice as much repetition in phonetic sounds or specific words in this book as I have with some other early readers. He did get to read "Tiny" and "library" over and over. So those were two words that he gained some familiarity with.

In the end, I think Tiny Goes to the Library gets 3 Stars. It wasn't bad, but I wasn't blown away by the story or the vocabulary building/phonetic skills. This was just an okay addition to our early reader library. Have you read Tiny Goes to the Library? What did you think? Let me know!

June 2024 EOM Wrap Up

I read 4 books (not including children's books). *These qualify for the 2024 Series Enders Reading Challenge.
The Lady Glass by Anneka R Walker
Romancing Mr. Bridgerton (The Bridgertons, # 4) by Julia Quinn
The Wild Robot (The Wild Robot, # 1) by Peter Brown
A Game of Hearts (The Cartwells, # 1) by Joanna Barker

I have reviewed 4 books (not including mini reviews of children's books). *These qualify for the 2024 Series Enders Reading Challenge.
To Love the Brooding Baron (Games in a Ballroom, # 2) by Jentry Flint
Trial of the Sun Queen (Artefacts of Ouranos, # 1) by Nisha J Tuli
Highcliffe House by Megan Walker
Going Rogue (Stephanie Plum, # 29) by Janet Evanovich

Other Posts:
Sunday Post - 06/02/24
Sunday Post - 06/16/24
Sunday Post - 06/23/24
Sunday Post - 06/30/24
Top Ten Summer 2024 TBR List
Can't Wait for Lady Anna's Favor by Karen Tuft
Can't Wait for No Match for Love by Karen Thornell
Can't Wait for A Dawn of Gods and Fury (Fate & Flame, # 4) by KA Tucker
2024 Series Enders Reading Challenge - June Wrap Up
Homeschool Friday - I Can Help
Homeschool Friday - No Kisses, Please!
Homeschool Friday - Oops! I Made a Mistake
Homeschool Friday - Pup and Hound

Goals:
I'm a few days ahead on my Bible-in-a-year plan.
I've read 42 out of 52 books (not including children's books).
I've read 2 out of 5-10 series enders.