Rainy Days With Amanda

 I’m back with another Stephani Plum novel. If you’re new here, I’ve been a Janet Evanovich fan ever since she was, seemingly randomly, on my sophomore summer reading list and I picked up Visions of Sugar Plums at Half Price Bookstore. I’m 30 now and I still find enjoyment reading the whacky adventures of Stephanie Plum and Plum Spooky was no exception. About the Author Janet Evanovich  began her career writing short contemporary romance novels  under the pen name  Steffie Hall,   but gained fame authoring a series of contemporary mysteries featuring Stephani Plum , a former lingerie buyer from Trenton, New Jersey , who becomes a bounty  to make ends meet after losing her job.  About the Book Wulf Grimoire is an opportunist who can kill without remorse and disappear like smoke. He’s chosen Martin Munch, boy genius, as his new business partner, and he’s chosen the Barrens as his new playground.  Wulf  is looking for world domina...

 Happy St. Patrick's Day Ya'll! I was waiting to read this Stephanie Plum book to be closer to St. Patrick's Day to get into the St. Patrick mood. I really enjoy reading the between-the-numbers books from this series because they feel a little different from our non-holiday-esque books. I'll talk more about this later in the blog. Anyways, let's talk Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich. About the Author Janet Evanovich has been and still is a #1 New York Times bestseller 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 (including the Holiday specials) which came out in June 2008.  If you haven't heard of the Stephanie Plum series, it is basically about a young, bounty hunter from New Je...

 I've been wanting to read Mexican Gothic for whwat seems like a couple of years now. This year, I put it on my Christmas list and was pleasantly surprised when my mother-in-laws gift was just what I wanted! I also decided to start it right away because I've been in a more Victorian/older literature mood and Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia was able to scratch that itch! About the Author Mexican by birth, Canadian by inclination. Cachanilla and Canuck, originally from Baja California, she now resides in Vancouver. She has an MA in Science and Technology Studies from the University of British Columbia. Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of a number of critically acclaimed novels, including  Gods of Jade and Shadow  (Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic, Ignyte Award),  Mexican Gothic  (Locus Award, British Fantasy Award, Pacific Northwest Book Award, Aurora Award, Goodreads Award), and Velvet Was the Night (fi...

 Hey Everyone and Happy New Year! I'm back with another book that caught my attention at Barnes & Nobles and they were having a sale, so I thought, why not? What I ended up picking up was a story about going through the motions of establishing generational wealth and just establishing yourself in a new country and how each generation keeps walking up the ladder. Where does the ladder end? No clue. Here are my thoughts on A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. About the Author Born in Brooklyn, New York to German immigrants, she grew up poor in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. These experiences served as the framework to her first novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943). After marrying George H. E. Smith, she moved with him to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he pursued a law degree at the University of Michigan. At this time, she gave birth to two girls and waited until they were in school so she could complete her higher education. Although Smith had not finished high school, the un...

    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...

Hello everyone! It has been super sunny here in south Texas, hoping for a rainy day soon. If there was ever a time that I wish I had a pool in the backyard, it would be today as it is 100 degrees. But alas, I thought it would be so convenient having a community pool. Silly me for not predicting a pandemic sooner. ANYWAYS, I have been inside more and I have been reading more. The book I am reviewing today, Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty , I actually started at the beginning of the year. But then I had other reading obligations and other things got in the way and I put this away for a bit. But I was able to pick it up again a couple of weeks ago, so here's my review! Liane Moriarty is an Australian author. Liane has written 10 books, which includes 3 children's books. She is best known for her novel, Big Little Lies , which was adapted into an HBO limited series, which went on to win multiple Emmy's. Nine Perfect Strangers is the newest book in Liane's co...

Hello everyone! So I re-read this book for the Christmas season. This was actually my first Stephanie Plum novel that I ever read. I think I was in the 10th grade when I read this and I have been read Janet Evanovich books ever since. If you are new to my blog, then you may not know that I am a big Janet Evanovich fan. Love, love, LOVE the Stephanie Plum series, it's got to be one of my favorites. I've been slowing down on reading more of the series, so that I can write reviews on other books, but glad I went back to read this Christmas classic. Here is my review. SPOILER ALERT! A Little Bit of Background Janet Evanovich  is a New York Times Best Selling author for plenty of her works. Her Stephanie Plum series started back in 1994. This book came out in 2002 and follows directly after the 7th book and is the series first holiday special. (Kinda cool how books have their own holiday specials like shows) As for Stephanie, she is on another roundabout chase to find a t...

GRATITUDE: THE ART OF BEING THANKFUL by Vickie Phelps Genre: Non-Fiction / Inspirational / Devotional Publisher: Inspire Books Date of Publication: July 11, 2017 Number of Pages: 92, 4.5″ x 6″ Scroll down for Giveaway!  Synopsis This ninety-two-page gift book is a compilation of devotions, poems, prayers, and lists of things to be grateful for. The difference between having what you want and having what you need is a principle some people never grasp. In the reading of this book, you may realize you have much more to be grateful for than you were aware of. Use this little book as a daily devotional or pick it up at random times to remind yourself that you are a blessed individual.   PRAISE FOR GRATITUDE: THE ART OF BEING THANKFUL:   "This little gem of a book arrived before we left on vacation, so I took it along. It became our shared devotional and 'thought for the day' ...

Sorry about taking forever to do another review. I participated in my first NaNoWriMo , which was a very challenging expereince but I did it! And I plan on publishing my book in February so stayed tuned! Anyways, the book I'm about to review is another gem I found at the Dollar Tree. It might actually be my favorite book that I've gotten from there so far. It's been a while, so lets get on to my  review of The Heart of the Night by Judith Lennox! (SPOILER ALERT!) A Little Bit of Background Let's talk about the author a bit. So Judith Lennox is a German native romance novelist who has been writing for the past 30 something years now. Her sixth book, The Winter House , was her breakthrough novel for both in Germany and around the world. Three of her novels have been shortlisted for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award.  Judith published The Heart of the Night in 2009. As a short overview of the book, it basically follows the lives of five unforgetable, individ...

Hello everyone! Yes, I have finally gotten around to doing a new book review! I wanted to ask you all a question first, do you think I should switch to wordpress or even Wix? I've been thinking of doing this for a while now, but I can't make up my mind. I'm fine with a really simple blog, but sometimes I don't feel like I can be as creative with my blog. I also don't want to lose all my content. Let me know your thoughts or suggestions! Anyways, onto the review! (SPOILER ALERT) A Little Bit of Background Charlaine Harris  is a New York Times bestselling author who has been wriitng for the the past 30 years. She published her firstbookin 1981 entitled Sweet and Deadly . She published  Dead until Dark   in may of 2001,which started the Sookie Steakhouse series that spanned from 2001 to 2013. The book went on that year to receive the Anthony Award for Best Paperback Mystery. The series was then picked up by HBO and transformed the Sookie Steakhouse series into ...