Books for the Season of Autumn

Since Jennifer’s last blog post of recommendations of books for babysitting did so well Jennifer has decided to do one for the fall season. So here is her suggestions for some fall books. We hope you enjoy this and get some ideas to read this fall.

Summer has finally decided to bow out and autumn has blown in with its chilly winds.  The leaves are showing off their multicolour coats and cinnamon and pumpkin spices linger in the air.

Living in Canada, we celebrate Thanksgiving during the month of October.  Therefore, many of our autumn traditions are combined with those of Thanksgiving.   For example, every year, the whole family meets up at our favourite apple orchard.  We hitch a hay ride through the orchard and then pick and eat apples to our hearts’ content.  Apple donuts and apple fritters are consumed on our way to the car.  A quick stop at the farmer’s house where we choose pumpkins that will soon become jack o’ lanterns.  Seasoned veggies are purchased at great prices and with cars full, and bellies content, we all head over to my parent’s home where Thanksgiving dinner will be devoured in the hours to come.  I wouldn’t change this for the world.

Despite the ages of my children, 14 and 11, this time of the year gathers us together to reminisce in childhood picture books and stories of thanks.  I would like to take this opportunity to share with you a few of the books we read year after year and has become a part of our autumn tradition.

 

 “The Falling Leaves” by Steve Metzger and illustrated by Jill Dubin is an all-time favourite.  My kids still cheer for Yellow Hickory.  Your kids will too.  Thanks to the wind, nothing is as the other leaves had anticipated.

Leaves

“Leaves” by David Ezra Stein beautifully illustrates the changing seasons through the perspective of a little bear.

Thanks for Thanksgiving

“Thanks for Thanksgiving” by Heather Patterson and Mary Jane Gerber is a beautifully illustrated book about a family’s Thanksgiving traditions.  It is similar to that of our own which is most likely why it is a favourite.

Thanksgiving Day in Canada

As my children got older and understood more, I added “Thanksgiving Day in Canada” by Krys Val Lewicki and illustrated by Ana Auml to our autumn selection of books.  Narrated by grandparents, this book is informative and historical surrounding the customs of Thanksgiving. I would read this one to children in grades three and up.

In a couple of weeks, these books will be read, if they haven’t already.  I am grateful that my children still appease me in this tradition, for I know, as they grow, traditions will need to change and grow, too.  Happy Thanksgiving. –

What are some of your favorite fall books?

Book Blitz/ Because You’re The Love of My Life

Because You’re the Love of My Life
Sarah Kleck
Publication date: September 25th 2018
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

How do you recognize the love of your life? Do you have butterflies in your stomach? Do you see showers of sparks and fireworks as soon as he steps into the room? Or, is your big love composed of something quieter?

Annie longs for nothing more in her life than someone to love her with his whole heart. With Holden, this wish seems fulfilled, and the two build their own world. But how much pain can happiness bear? When something utterly shocking happens, Annie’s life becomes unstable, and nothing is as it once was. Then, she unexpectedly bumps into her teenage love Seth, and her life is completely thrown off balance—especially when fate intends its own tragic story.

From the Editor:
Because You’re the Love of My Life is a story of love, heartbreak, and more love—romantic and otherwise. As a senior in high school, our protagonist, Annie, takes charge of her life, and she bravely separates herself from a difficult mother and home life, and from recent heartbreak. She moves across the country—without financial or familial support—to attend college at Harvard. “I felt at home in Boston in a way I never had . . . This was right for me,” Annie says.
And, it is true: she blossoms personally, academically, and, then, professionally. Though she fumbles at times in ways that seem utterly human and familiar, she forges friendships, commits to a relationship, and navigates through profound tragedy.
Annie narrates from a point well past when the events of the novel took place and with the perspective gained from that time. Yet, Sarah Kleck renders Annie’s narration so vividly that it seems as if these memories are unfolding in present time. Sarah Kleck’s devotion to Annie’s story shines through sharply written dialogue, authentic detail of culture and place, and a cast of richly rendered characters—among them Grace, Annie’s sassy best friend, and the various loves of Annie’s life.
Because You’re the Love of My Life made me wish I could accompany Annie beyond these pages, and it left me hungry for Sarah Kleck’s next novel.
– Rebecca Friedman, Editor

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

“Good evening, what can I do for you?” The pharmacist greeted me at the counter.

“I . . . um . . . need a laxative,” I said embarrassed. I would’ve preferred to pick one on my own, but I didn’t have a clue which was best, so I went straight to the pharmacist.

“How long have you been constipated?” she asked, unfazed.

“About three days.”

She nodded. “Are you drinking enough fluids? Do you exercise and eat a healthy diet?”

“Yes,” my voice was becoming stiff, “normally my digestion works just fine.” Couldn’t she just go and get the stuff? I didn’t feel like discussing my bowel movements with her. This was downright humiliating.

“Well, for acute constipation, the drugs for that should only be taken over a short—”

“Just give me something that’ll help me go to the bathroom by tomorrow morning.”

“Fine,” the pharmacist answered and went off to get my laxative. At that moment, I heard a strange clicking sound. I turned around. It was Holden, on crutches, and he had a big white cast on his left leg.

“Hi,” he said with a big smile. At least he seemed happy to see me.

“Hi,” I forced a smile. “How’s your leg? It looked pretty bad during the game last Saturday.”

“Clean break,” he said, gesturing toward his leg. “The good news is,” he continued with a sly grin while pulling a crumpled-up prescription from his jeans pocket, “my doctor prescribed the works for my pain.”

Just then the pharmacist returned with a box of Dulcolax in her hand.

“Have you used this before?”

Oh no . . .

“Yes,” I answered quickly, hoping she’d shut her damn trap and let me pay before Holden saw what I was buying. My wish was not granted.

“Just take one tablet this evening. That’ll soften your stool overnight. After six to eight hours, the constipation will have loosened up.”

Oh God! Take me now!

While I blushed beet red, I could see Holden looking at me from the corner of my eye—with the broadest grin you could imagine.

I’m gonna die!

“If this is a particularly bad case of constipation,” the pharmacist continued mercilessly, “you can take two tablets. Don’t take more or you’ll have diarrhea.”

What the fuck was wrong with this woman? She wasn’t a doctor, and this wasn’t a goddamn doctor’s appointment!

She packed the little box into a small plastic bag. I dared to hope it was finally over—but, no, she started right up again. “Your intestines will void completely after intake, so don’t expect another bowel movement for two to three days.”

What have I done to deserve this?

Since I couldn’t think of anything to say in the face of this humiliation—especially in front of him—I just nodded silently while my ears were burning.

The pharmacist rang me up and handed me the bag with a cheery “Have a good evening.” Then she turned to Holden. “What can I do for you?”

I didn’t dare look at him. I mumbled a goodbye, squeezed by him as quickly as I could, and headed for the door.

“Bye, we’ll get together sometime,” he replied, while clearly trying to suppress a grin. “Oh, Annie,” he called after me before I could complete my escape from this hell.

I stopped on the spot but didn’t turn around. “Yes?” my voice was trembling with shame. I shut my eyes.

“Good luck!”

Author Bio:

Sarah Kleck was born in 1984 in Southern Germany. She studied education, psychology, and sociology at the University of Augsburg. Today, she lives with her husband and their daughters in Germany near Lake Constance.

Sarah caught the imagination of 120,000 readers worldwide with her first novel “The Concealed” and its sequel “The Revealed”. After this successful fantasy series for young adults, she is now entering new territory with “Because You’re the Love of My Life”. Already a bestseller in Germany, this novel is now being published in English.

Facebook / Goodreads

 

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Review/ Apollo is Mine

Review/ Apollo is MineApollo is Mine (Harem of the Gods #1) by Mila Young
on September 18, 2018
Goodreads

I'm a warrior. Cursed to fight monsters. Sworn to act as Zeus' sword to protect mankind.
But I'd give it all up for one last kiss with the god who stole my heart...Apollo.I never wanted to carry my family's legacy. But blood ties cannot be broken, and I'll keep the promise I made my father on his dying bed. Legendary monsters hunt in city streets of Chicago, and my job was to take down the worst.I've trained with Heracles.Been blessed with super human powers.What I've never done is fallen in love--until Apollo crossed my path. But he isn't the only god to catch my attention. Hades is here too, and with him comes a darkness that leaves behind a trail of human bodies. Heracles and my gut instinct urges me to destroy this creature, but each step brings me closer to the truth...Darkness cannot win...or the Earth will tumble into chaos and I'll lose the god I've come to love...Apollo is mine.
Apollo is Mine is book 1 in the Harem of the Gods reverse harem series.
Content Warning: Steamy love scenes, dominating alphas who protect their female, and plenty of sexy Greek gods who will leave you breathless.
HAREM OF THE GODS series#1 Apollos is Mine#2 Poseidon is Mine#3 Coming soon#4 Coming soon

Before beginning my review I have to quickly thank Rockstar Book Tour for allowing me to be a part of this blog tour and for sending me a copy of the book to read for my review today.

Apollo is Mine  is the first book in the Reverse Harem series. The second book Poseidon is Mine is scheduled to be released November 13th, 2018. I am curious to see where this will go.

Poseidon Is Mine: Paranormal Romance Reverse Harem (Gods and Monsters Book 2) by [Young, Mila]

Mila Young is a new to me author and I was excited to try something new and different and this was truly different for me to read and it was nice to step outside my comfort zone on this one. I was instantly hooked when I started to read and managed to read this within a few sittings. I am sure I would have finished it sooner had it not been on my iPad.

The main character Elyse is the very last Lowe family member selected by Zeus to fight the monsters. Zeus has given Elyse the power to see the mythical Gods, Apollo & Hades to name a few and the mystical creatures like centaurs that humans can’t see and don’t realize that are still around. She also has a few other spell abilities such as three extra lives, strength, speed and endurance. She is training to perfect her skills because she is so unsure of herself considering that she is the last in the Lowe line who embraces their skill. Everyone in her family wanted to fight the fight to protect the humans.

Elyse realizes she needs to step up her game and give it her all if she wants to protect the humans because she feels as though she is not prepared for the fight of her life and wants to be there to tell the tale in the end. She knows she needs to be faster, stronger and fierce in this battle. Hercules is training her and he knows what is expected of her with some encouragement he knows she will get there.

Like in any book it can’t be all work and no play and that is where Apollo and Hades come into play. Things instantly become hot and steamy between them. Both Hades and Apollo are so different but yet so similar in many ways. I have to say that I loved both Hades (the bad boy) and Apollo. I am looking forward to seeing where this will go in the future.

Will Elyse be able to fight the good fight and carry on the Lowe name or will it all end like everyone before her?

I am definitely curious to check out Mila’s other books. Have you read anything from Mila? If so, what would you recommend?

 

Blog Tour/ Apollo is Mine

About The Book:
Title: APOLLO IS MINE (Harem of The Gods Book 1)
Author: Mila Young
Pub. Date: September 18, 2018
Publisher: Mila Young
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 200
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon

I’m a warrior. Cursed to fight monsters. Sworn to act as Zeus’ sword to protect mankind.

But I’d give it all up for one last kiss with the god who stole my heart…Apollo.

I never wanted to carry my family’s legacy. But blood ties cannot be broken, and I’ll keep the promise I made my father on his dying bed. Legendary monsters hunt in city streets of Chicago, and my job was to take down the worst.

I’ve trained with Heracles.

Been blessed with super human powers.

What I’ve never done is fallen in love—until Apollo crossed my path. But he isn’t the only god to catch my attention. Hades is here too, and with him comes a darkness that leaves behind a trail of human bodies. Heracles and my gut instinct urges me to destroy this creature, but each step brings me closer to the truth…

Darkness cannot win…or the Earth will tumble into chaos and I’ll lose the god I’ve come to love…Apollo is mine.

Apollo is Mine is book 1 in the Harem of the Gods reverse harem series.

Content Warning: Steamy love scenes, dominating alphas who protect their female, and plenty of sexy Greek gods who will leave you breathless.

About Mila:
Bestselling Author, Mila Young tackles everything with the zeal and bravado of the fairytale heroes she grew up reading about. She slays monsters, real and imaginary, like there’s no tomorrow.

By day she rocks a keyboard as a marketing extraordinaire. At night she battles with her might pen-sword, creating fairytale retellings, and sexy ever after tales. In her spare time, she loves pretending she’s a mighty warrior, walks on the beach with her dogs, cuddling up with her cats, and devouring every fantasy tale she can get her pinkies on.

 

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Website | Twitter | Facebook | Facebook Group

Giveaway Details:
1 Winner will receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card, International.

Rafflecopter Code:
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Tour Schedule:

Week One:

9/17/2018- BookHounds– Interview

9/17/2018- Two Chicks on Books– Excerpt

9/18/2018- Reese’s Reviews– Review

9/18/2018- Parajunkee– Excerpt

9/19/2018- Book Sniffers Anonymous– Excerpt

9/19/2018- Books a Plenty Book Reviews Review

9/20/2018- bookishbibliophile– Review

9/20/2018- To Be Read– Review

9/21/2018- Smada’s Book Smack Excerpt

9/21/2018- That Artsy Reader Girl– Interview

Week Two:

9/24/2018- Lisa Loves Literature– Excerpt

9/24/2018- Jaime’s World– Excerpt

9/25/2018- Cindy’s Love of Books– Review

9/25/2018- Abellafairytale– Review

9/26/2018- Firstbooklove– Review

9/26/2018- Twirling Book Princess– Excerpt

9/27/2018- Finding Magic In Books– Interview

9/27/2018- Writer of Wrongs– Excerpt

9/28/2018- A Crave For Books– Review

9/28/2018- Adventures Thru Wonderland– Review

 

Sundays In Bed With

This is being hosted by two of the sweetest people I have the privilege of knowing in real life, Kate and Kim. Sadly we don’t talk like we use to because you know real life happens but there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of them both.

Good Morning Everyone. Hope everyone had a good week this past week. It was a busy weekend (hockey evaluations) plsu the normal weekend chores (ie groceries etc) so sadly I am not curled up in bed reading although I wish I was.

Anyways on to the books. This upcoming week my reading is all  for blog tours  and my reviews will be posted this week with the exception to A Heart In a Body in The World which will be Oct 1st.

Currently Reading:

All The Things That Could Go WrongApollo Is Mine (Harem of the Gods Book 1)

Once again I am reading two books at once and that is because Apollo is Mine is a ebook and All The Things That Could go Wrong is a physical book.

Up next will be:

The Forgotten Royal: A Reverse Harem Urban Fantasy (Annabelle's Harem Book 1)The Forsaken Royal: A Reverse Harem Urban Fantasy (Annabelle's Harem Book 2)The Fearless Royal: A Reverse Harem Urban Fantasy (Annabelle's Harem Book 3)

A Heart in a Body in the World

Read this past week:

Hooked On A PhoenixMore Than A Phoenix

September 2018 Books Unhauling

I had so much success in 2015 unhauling books that I thought I decided to  continue this year after year and going into 2018 I will be doing the same thing again although the only thing I plan on doing differently is doing this 2x a year instead of monthly. I think I do this out of curiosity  for myself to see if I am giving more away then I am bringing in.

  1. The Chaos by Nalo Hopkinson
  2. Swear by Nina Malkin
  3. Ditched a love Story by Robin Mellom
  4. Nothing Special by Geoff Herbach
  5. My Life in Black & White by Natasha Friend
  6. Hunted by Cheryl Rainfield
  7. Various Positions by Martha Schabas
  8. Unscripted by Lainey McBride
  9. Unfamous by Lainey McBride
  10. The encyclopedia of Me by Karen Rivers
  11. Real Mermaids don’t hold their breath by Helene Boudreau
  12. One of the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
  13. The Vampire Stalker by Allison Van Diepen
  14. The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington
  15. Lovetorn by Kavita Daswasni
  16. The Boy on Cinnamon Street by Phoebe Stone
  17. The Summer Before Boys by Nora Raleigh Baskin
  18. Everyday Angel New Beginnings by Victoria Schwab
  19. Everyday Angel Second Chances by Victoria Schwab
  20. Take a bow by Elizabeth Eulberg
  21. Spirit Animals Wild Born
  22. Spirit Animals Hunted
  23. Spirit Animals Blood Ties
  24. Spirit Animals Against the Tide
  25. Spirit Animals Rise and Fall
  26. Infinity Ring A Mutiny in Time
  27. Infinity Ring Divide and Conquer
  28. Infinity Ring The Trap Door
  29. Infinity Ring Curse of the ancients
  30. Infinity Ring Behind Enemy Lines
  31. Infinity Ring the Iron Empire
  32. The 39 Clues Unstoppable Nowhere to Run
  33. The 39 Clues Unstoppable Breakaway
  34. The Pretend Wife by Bridget Asher
  35. Someone Else’s Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson
  36. The book of Somebody by Dianne Dixon
  37. Stranded by Jeff Probst
  38. Stranded 2 Trial by Fire by Jeff Probst
  39. Stranded 3 Survivors by Jeff Probst
  40. The Accidental Adventure We are not eaten by Yaks by Alexander London
  41. The Accidental Adventure We done with Cannibals by Alexander London
  42. The Accidental Adventure We Give A Squid a Wedgie by Alexander London
  43. Stranded Shadow Island by Jeff Probst

 

Total books released this month: 43

Total books released in 2018: 192

Total books released in 2017: 156

Total books released in 2016: 124

Total books released in 2015: 211