Blog Tour & Review: The Reluctant Bachelorette by Rachael Anderson

Title: The Reluctant Bachelorette
Author: Rachael Anderson
Publisher: HEA Publishing (September 2012)

Source: Received from author via I Am A Reader, Not A Writer Book Blasts & Blog Tours

Buy ebook: here

Buy paperback: here  

About the Book:

Unknowingly cast as the bachelorette for her town’s charity event, Taycee Emerson wants out. Especially when she discovers her old teenage crush, Luke Carney, is one of the bachelors and it's up to the viewers--not her--to decide which bachelors stay or go.

Coerced into participating, Taycee does what any self-preserving girl would do. She launches a subtle attack on Luke’s good name with the hope of getting him voted off the show. Unfortunately, Luke's an eye-for-an-eye kind of guy, and when he discovers what she's up to, it means revenge.

But when their pranks go south, will they screw up any chance they have at a future together, or will they be able to forgive and forget and prove that love really does conquer all?

Review:
What a fun read! This was the perfect chick-lit, clean romance read. I used to like watching the show "The Bachelor/Bachelorette." I actually watched the first few seasons. It was such an intriguing idea that you could find love on reality TV show. Nowadays, with all the breakups and messy relationships, it's lost a lot of its flair, but I love that this book used this show as a premise for a sweet love story.

I loved the characters, especially Taycee. She was the perfect girl-next-door character and I just loved the budding relationship between her and Luke. It was so sweet and playful. Almost reminiscent of young first love. Plus, the dialogue was so witty! I love it when the dialogue isn't just filler, but actual substance. Lastly, all the other characters each had their own personalities which added variety and flair to the story. Fun all around!

This was a quick, fun, humorous, entertaining read. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for some light and clean romance. I look forward to reading more of Anderson's books in the future. (I've had Minor Adjustments on my to-read list for what seems like forever!)

Rating:

4 out of 5 stars

About the Author: Rachel Renee Anderson

Rachael Anderson is the author of four contemporary romances: Divinely Designed, Luck of the Draw, Minor Adjustments, and The Reluctant Bachelorette. She's the mother of four, can't sing, doesn't dance, and despises tragedies. But she recently figured out how yeast works and can now make homemade bread, which she is really good at eating. 

FB fan page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rachael-Anderson/174521852685105
Website:
http://rachaelreneeanderson.blogspot.com/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/rachaelreneeand
Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3229576.Rachael_Renee_Anderson
Amazon author page:
http://www.amazon.com/Rachael-Renee-Anderson/e/B003357K70/

Check out more posts on the blog tour: http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/p/blog-tour.html

Princess books at Lowes

Who knew you could read princess books while sitting in a pink chair at Lowes? ;)

Follow me on instagram (@jasminemarie)

Our next read aloud!

Lily's catching up on some recommended 5th grade Common Core literature. :) 

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin is our next read aloud! I've never read it before so I'm excited! :)

Follow me on instagram (@jasminemarie)

MMGM: Babymouse #1 Queen of the World by Jennifer Holm

Title: Babymouse Queen of the World! (Babymouse #1)
Authors: Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm
Publisher: Random House Children's Books (Dec. 2005)

Source: Bought from Scholastic Book Clubs

Summary from Goodreads:
It’s the same thing every day for Babymouse. Where is the glamour? The excitement? The adventure? Nothing ever changes, until . . . Babymouse hears about Felicia Furrypaws’s exclusive slumber party. Will Babymouse get invited? Will her best friend, Wilson, forgive her if she misses their monster movie marathon? Find out in Babymouse: Queen of the World, a graphic novel with attitude!

Review:
Like I mentioned in a previous post, I'm adding more graphic novels to my classroom library so I thought I'd do some reading to check out what all the fuss is about regarding Babymouse. After reading it, it looks like I've been missing out!

What a cute graphic novel! I love all the pink and it really fits Babymouse because she's a girly girl all the way through. The graphics are eye-catching and easy to read, even though it doesn't have a lot of words on each page. Babymouse is a fun character because of her wild imagination. This first book follows Babymouse on the quest to get invited to a popular girl's sleepover. She will do ANYTHING to go!

My only complaint is that it might be confusing for some readers to keep up with what's reality in the story and what's going on in her head as a daydream or what she's imagining. She goes in and out of her imagination so frequently that I could see a reader losing track of what's going on in the story. Also, it's target audience is definitely young, preteen girls. I'm not sure I know many boys who'd pick up a pink book about a mouse and read it in front of his friends. More power to the ones who would though!

Looking forward to adding this series to my library!

Rating:

4 out of 5 stars

About the Author: Jennifer L. Holm

Jennifer L. Holm is a NEW YORK TIMES bestselling children's author and the recipient of three Newbery Honors for her novels OUR ONLY MAY AMELIA, PENNY FROM HEAVEN, and TURTLE IN PARADISE. Jennifer collaborates with her brother, Matthew Holm, on two graphic novel series -- the popular Babymouse series and the bestselling Squish series. She is also the author of several other highly praised books, including the Boston Jane trilogy and MIDDLE SCHOOL IS WORSE THAN MEATLOAF. She lives in California with her husband and two children.

Author's website: http://www.jenniferholm.com/

If you would like to find out more about Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday, you can check out Shannon Messenger's blog here.

I heart Powells!

What I love about buying books from Powells is that even though it's a "used" book, it's still beautiful like a brand new one. That and supporting indie bookstores!!!

Follow me on instagram (@jasminemarie)

Longing for autumn...

I could do without the snowy winters, but I wouldn't mind having a real fall. 

Who's with me?


Follow me on instagram (@jasminemarie)

Banned Books Week 2012

It's Banned Books Week again and I am definitely celebrating the right to read.

From the ALA website:
For the second year in a row, the American Library Association along with the cosponsors of Banned Books Week is hosting the Banned Books Virtual Read-Out. Check out the special Banned Books Virtual Read-Out channel on YouTube to view the videos.

Get informed here! 

MMGM: Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett J Krosoczka

Title: Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute (Lunch Lady #1)
Author/Illustrator: Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (July 2009)

Source: Bought from bookstore

Summary from Goodreads:
Serving justice . . . and lunch!

Hector, Terrence, and Dee have always wondered about their school lunch lady. What does she do when she isn’t dishing out the daily special? Where does she live? Does she have a lot of cats at home? Little do they know, Lunch Lady doesn’t just serve sloppy joes—she serves justice! Whatever danger lies ahead, it’s no match for LUNCH LADY!

Review:
I've been wanting to read the Lunch Lady series for awhile now. Just love the idea of a lunch lady with superhero-like powers. Unfortunately, lunch ladies are positioned so low on the totem pole of a school family in a child's eyes because they are usually the person they blame for the "awful" cafeteria meals. The great thing about this series is that the lunch lady is far from a normal, boring person... she's a bad ass!

I love the graphics in this book. It uses minimal colors, but that doesn't mean it's not full of details. It's drawn very well and is easy to read. Some graphic novels are hard to follow and are not as intuitive as others. Lunch Lady is a quick and fun read.

The best thing about the lunch lady character, in my opinion, are her gadgets. Every super hero needs a sidekick who invents super cool gadgets, right? My favorite is her spatula which turns into a mini-helicopter. So cool! Her milk-cam, spork phone and fish stick nunchucks are just a few of her other tools. A lunch lady who fights bad guys?! What more do you need?

I highly recommend Lunch Lady to anyone looking for a good graphic novel for MG readers. Highly entertaining and full of action, even for adults! 

Rating:

5 out of 5 stars

About the Author: Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Jarrett J. Krosoczka has been passionate about storytelling through words and pictures since he was a kid.  He began his professional career by illustrating educational readers for a national publisher while still an undergraduate at Rhode Island School of Design. Then, just six months after graduation, Jarrett received his first contract for a trade book that he authored. Knopf Books for Young Readers published Good Night, Monkey Boy on June 12, 2001 and Jarrett hasn’t stopped or slowed down since. He currently has  authored and illustrated eighteen published books—ten picture books and eight graphic novels. His Lunch Lady series has twice won a Children's Choice Book Award, in the Third to Fourth Grade Book of the Year category, and was nominated for a Will Eisner Comic Industry Award. In the summer of 2013, Jarrett will have his chapter book debut with the publication of Platypus Police Squad: The Frog Who Croaked. His Punk Farm and Lunch Lady series are both currently in development as feature films. While Jarrett awaits seeing his work adapted for the silver screen, he can be heard on The Book Report with JJK, his new radio segment on Sirius XM's Kids Place Live. Jarrett is happily living out his childhood dream in Northampton, Massachusetts, where he resides with his wife and daughters and their pug, Ralph Macchio.

Author's website: http://www.studiojjk.com/index.html

If you would like to find out more about Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday, you can check out Shannon Messenger's blog here.