Rainy Days With Amanda

 Hey Ya'll! I'm back with another book talk. Now is about the time I talk about how I found this book and well, you know those little cozy mystery books that have a little cat or dog or some kind of animal and the title are something along the lines of, "cat bakery murder" or "what the dog saw at the book store." Well I was looking for one of those books at my local library. I find that I like reading those cozy mysteries, but I don't necessarily want to accumulate/add them to my home library, so when I found out that my local library had a whole dedicated section to these types of books, I thought it was perfect! So I was browsing through the books, when the title popped out at me. The title, along with it's interesting synopsis, and  Good Reads reviews, it seemed like a decent cozy read. So here are my thoughts on Death By Bubble Tea by Jennifer J. Chow . About the Author Jennifer J. Chow writes cozies filled with hope and heritage. She is the Ag

  THE THIRD DAWN: FROM BETHLEHEM TO GOLGOTHA by Thomas J. Nichols Inspirational Religious Fiction / Historical Fiction Publisher: Nicholson Books Page Count: 212 pages Publication Date: September 14, 2023 Updated version with new dialogue and more detailed descriptions Scroll down for a giveaway! Nichols turns his award-winning writing career to the greatest mystery of all time in The Third Dawn: From Bethlehem to Golgotha. Accompanied by His lifelong friend, Nur, the young Jesus ventures throughout the towns and villages of Israel, Palestine, and across the sea to the port city of Ephesus. With Nur always at His side, Jesus experiences the joys and hardships of humanity—Jews and gentiles, rich and poor, believers and nonbelievers, freemen and slaves. Nichols’s gifted storytelling brings forth this unique perspective on the life of the Messiah, providing a rare insight into His personal joys and suffering. The reader will experience the emotions of His power and authority when, on a m

    COURTING MISS EMMA The Hangman’s Daughters, Book 2 by Linda Broday Western / Clean & Wholesome / Sweet Romance / Historical Fiction Publisher: Severn House Date of Publication: November 7, 2023 Number of Pages: 203 pages  Scroll down for Giveaway! Texas, 1868. Emma Taggart has finally found a place to belong – setting up Heaven's Door orphanage with her sister Maura was a new beginning for her – and one she will do anything to protect. When guarded ex-army man Stone Landry buys the neighboring land and moves in - camels and all - Emma's world changes forever. He is an infuriating man who instantly gets under her skin - in ways she never dreamed possible, and despite herself, Emma starts to wonder if, just maybe, he is man enough to take on a Hangman's daughter . . . But their newfound connection is quickly tested by violent night raids, kidnappings, and underhand tricks by powerful rancher Zeke Parker, who is intent on running them out of town and taking the land h

 He ya'll! We're back again with another book from the Stephanie Plum series. I actually read this one a tiny bit out of order. I was supposed to be reading the St.Patrick's Day "in-between" book, but I wanted to save it for closer to St.Patrick's day, but I had an itch to read some Stephanie Plum, so I went rouge and went on to the next book. But don't worry, I'll get back to St.Patrick's book when it's closer to February/March. Anyways, let's talk about this book. About the Author Janet Evanovich has been and still is a #1 New York Times best seller for multiple books she has put out over the years. Her first installment of the Stephanie Plum series is called One for the Money , which was released in 1994 (the year before I was born), and is still going with Dirty Thirty, the 34th book in the series. Fearless Fourteen is the 17th book in the Stephanie Plum series (inlcuding the Holiday specials) which came out in June 2008.  If you ha

 Hey Ya'll! I'm back with a new book review. So ironically, one of my favorite YouTubers, Abroad in Japan , put out his first book at the beginning of August. It was only fitting that I start this book during my trip to Japan ( read about that here ). I had been hearing about this book from Chris on his podcast for what seemed like a year now, so having it in my hands, I felt super proud of someone that I have never met in person but who's voice I would recognize from a mile away.  About the Author Chris Broad is a British filmmaker and founder of the Abroad in Japan YouTube channel, one of the largest foreign YouTube channels in Japan with over 2.5 million subscribers and 400 million views. Over ten years and two hundred videos, Chris has visited all of Japan's forty-seven prefectures, focusing Abroad in Japan on travel, food and culture. He has also covered contemporary issues through documentaries on the Fukushima nuclear disaster and the Tohoku earthquake and

 Five years ago, my husband and I celebrated our honeymoon by taking our first international trip to Japan. Five years later, it's still the magical place that leaves me yearning for more. Last time we went to Japan, we mainly stayed in Tokyo, besides a day trip to Lake Kawaguchiko to see the world-renowned Mount Fuji. This time, we started our trip in Osaka, then Kyoto, then Lake Kawaguchiko, climbed Mount Fuji, and ended the trip in Tokyo. Here's how it all went.  The trip started when I just so happened to wake up at 4am on Thursday, 4 hours before our flight I received a text saying that our plane was delayed due to a technical issue and we would be put on a whole different flight path. Our 17 hour travel day quickly and horribly turned into a 26 hour travel day. If hell is a place, it's a 26 hour day with a never ending flight while you're still battling a sinus infection and you only sleep for one hour tops. Needless to say, our arrival travel day was brutal, but

  THE KILLER ENIGMA Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles Book 16 by BREAKFIELD & BURKEY NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER ! Cozy Mystery / Suspense / Cozy Mystery Series Publisher: ICABOD Press Coming August 19, 2023 Enough is Enough – JJ rumbled when the paparazzi invaded dinner. JJ and Jo realize privacy doesn’t exist for them. They return to Magnolia Bluff to check on their friends and recapture the small-town anonymity. In Magnolia Bluff, no one suspects their fame. They discount the status of urban legends in favor of acceptance and a quiet, peaceful life. After all, a supermodel needs time and space to recharge between jobs. A geek wants time to adore his wife. Does Magnolia Bluff hold the answers to their prayers? Will their desires get clouded by a hidden secret? Past, present, and future collide in a perfect storm no one expected. JJ and Jo take action to uncover the truth. Chief Tommy Jager likes them but feels they’re a lightning rod for trouble and disruption. Who will live or d

MUMENTOUS: Original Photos and Mostly-True Stories about Football, Glue Guns, Moms, and a Supersized High School Tradition That Was Born Deep in the Heart of Texas by Amy J. Schultz Nonfiction / Photo-Driven Memoir / Women’s History / Pop Culture / Texana Publisher: Atmosphere Press Page Count: 178 pages Publication Date: April 25, 2023 Scroll down for a giveaway! The closest you'll ever get to seeing someone actually wear their heart on their sleeve is in Texas, every fall, at the local high school homecoming game. They're called homecoming mums. They are as bodacious as football, as irresistible as a juicy rumor, and as deep as a momma's love. Over a hundred years ago when the custom began, mum was short for chrysanthemum, a typical corsage that boys gave to girls before taking them to the big football game. But through the decades, mum went from a simple abbreviation to a complicated shorthand for an eye-popping tradition that's as ingrained in the culture as it is c