RECOMMENDED: My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick is $2.99 right now at BN and AMZ. Fingers crossed the Kobo fairy catches up! This book was nominated for a RITA® in 2013, and both our RITA® reader challenge reviewers really liked it.
Rachel wrote: I give this book an A-. I loved the sweetness of the story. I adored Jase’s gentleness and Jase and Sam’s love brought back so many memories for me. I would have loved a little longer epilogue and/or a bit more after the conflict was resolved. Otherwise, this book was such a sweet, sweet escape for me.
AnimeGirl wrote: In general, I’m a person who deeply mistrust HYPE.
9 out of 10 times I just don’t get it and often I don’t even think the hyped-about book was all that good.
But I’m happy to say that My Life Next Door is that one book where the hype is totally granted. I loved the book from start to finish; I couldn’t put it down even though I had a ton of work to do. I just had to keep reading and I’m going to break down why in 4 parts.
A gorgeous debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another
“One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.”
The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?
A dreamy summer read, full of characters who stay with you long after the story is over.
A Series of Unfortunate Events Books 1-3 WITH BONUS MATERIAL WOO! is $2.99 right now at Amazon. In my world, February is Read-a-Thon month, and I love the discounted collections of young reader books. They make for a great library for my kids – and you're never too young to learn to appreciate the joy of Bonus Materials, right? Right!
Lemony Snicket’s unhappy tale of the unlucky Baudelaire siblings begins with The Bad Beginning. In this short bothersome book alone, the three orphans encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast.
Should you not mind deadly serpents, slippery salamanders, lumpy beds, large brass reading lamps, long knives, and terrible odors, then proceed with caution to the second book in the miserable series, The Reptile Room.
Readers unbothered by inclement weather, hungry leeches, and cold cucumber soup will want to continue with the third installment, The Wide Window. Others will not.
If you’ve got the stomach to wade through the first three tragic tales in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, then this troubling collection might be the one for you. Several loathsome extras, including a compilation of unsettling quotations and a very disturbing portrait, await those who successfully complete the wretched journey. You’ve been warned!
The Maverick & The Manhattanite by Leanne Banks is a Kindle Daily Deal today, which hasn't been pricematched as I write this. My fingers are crossed for price matching, though, because the price is .99c! Nice. This is a Harlequin Special Edition with a city girl heading to Montana to help after a devastating flood, though she doesn't seem condescending about the cowboys and Montana-nites – she's got a secret cowboy fascination according to the cover copy. Have you read this one?
Rust Creek Ramblings
Ever since volunteer coordinator Lissa Roarke rolled into town with her fancy luggage and metropolitan attitude, Sheriff Gage Christensen has been fit to be tied. Everything about Lissa seems to rub Gage the wrong way. She talks too fast, she's too bossy, she's just too…darned…irritating. And readers, you know what that means.
It's only a matter of time before these two squawking opposites find their way—together!
But there's a rough road ahead for Rust Creek's sexy sheriff and his do-gooder girl. Can Big Sky and Big Apple make it past the first frost? Just how much will a city girl sacrifice for the strong arms of the law?
The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh is $2.99 at AMZ and BN right now as a Kindle Daily Deal. I'm including this book because I've seen several writers mention online how beneficial they've found meditation, and there's no shortage of articles discussing the benefits of daily practice.
This book has a 4+ star on GR, with many readers in many languages praising the simplicity and accessibility of the language and explanations. If you've been thinking of trying meditation, this book may give you a few methods to start.
In this beautiful and lucid guide, Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh offers gentle anecdotes and practical exercise as a means of learning the skills of mindfulness–being awake and fully aware.
From washing the dishes to answering the phone to peeling an orange, he reminds us that each moment holds within it an opportunity to work toward greater self-understanding and peacefulness.
Thich Nhat Hanh was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King Jr. I have several other books by him and really recommend his work.