I love Kevin Hart. From what I know about him, I feel this will be a very interesting, very funny, very inspirational book. And the cover is amazingly adorable.
Genre: Young Adult Fiction | (To Be) Published: October 10, 2017 | Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers
I know this one isn’t out for another two months but I’m very interested in reading it. The title, synopsis, and author are what make me want to read this. I have a feeling it’s going to be a great read.
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
Image via Goodreads | Ed Published March 29, 2005 by Penguin Books
Genre: Biography | (First) Published: April 26, 2004
You know I love the Hamilton musical. Biographies are definitely not a genre I like to read – even though I love history. But I’m too curious about this book. I loved the musical so much and the story is just so fascinating that I want to read the inspiration behind it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for providing me with an e-ARC to read and review.
Save the date! Mustaches for Maddie is set to be released October 3, 2017.
Image via NetGalley | Published by Shadow Mountain Publishing
Genre: Middle Grade Rating: 5/5 Recommend to Others?: Yes
Maddie is a normal twelve-year-old girl. Well, except for the fake mustaches she carries in her pocket. She likes to make people laugh and slapping on a mustache, especially a fuzzy pink or neon green one, always gets a smile. Maddie hopes that the class queen, Cassie, will find her mustaches as funny as she does and want to play with her at recess. She’s been self-conscious lately because her right arm only feels normal when it’s curled against her chest and she’s constantly tripping over her feet. But that’s probably just part of growing up and not something weird, right?
When Maddie’s arm continues to bother her, her parents take her to a doctor who gives them a shocking diagnosis: the cause of the abnormal behavior of her limbs is a brain tumor and she must have surgery to remove it. She’s understandably afraid as he describes the procedure, but knows she must find a way to be brave and must face her fears–all of them–at the hospital, at home and at school.
She will need all of her courage not only to face her illness, but also to face Cassie at school. Both Cassie and Maddie are auditioning for the same role in the school play, but when Cassie accuses Maddie of lying about her tumor in order to get attention, Cassie’s bossiness turns into bullying.
And as Maddie’s surgery approaches, she begins to worry more and more about the outcome. What if something goes wrong? What if the doctors don’t get all the tumor out of her brain? What will happen to her family? What will happen to her?
It will take all of Maddie’s vibrant imagination, a lot of kindness-both given and received-and of course, the perfect mustache to overcome the tough stuff ahead of her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My Review: Mustaches for Maddie is everything: charming, imaginative, funny, beautiful, heartwarming. Based on a true story about the authors’ daughter, Maddie, this novel will give you strength in your darkest times and prove that mustaches make everything better and funnier.
I loved this novel from the start. Maddie is innocent, bright, kind, and has a wild imagination. She wants to be friends with everyone and make people happy, even the most popular girl in her grade who’s not exactly the friendliest. When it’s discovered that Maddie has a brain tumor, she struggles to find strength to overcome this scary monster. It may take more than mustaches to pull through.
Maddie’s voice is clear, distinct, and her personality shines through every line. Her active imagination colors every word and phrase, making the reading experience extremely enjoyable. Her perspective on life made me think about my own, especially when I was her age. I felt included in her world. Maddie is a sweet, admirable individual who anyone would feel lucky to have as a friend.
This story is the perfect middle grade novel that should be included in school curriculum. Not to over-analyze but to teach kids how we should treat each other and to understand that everyone has struggles we may be too afraid to face on our own. And, of course, that mustaches are awesome. I like that there are discussion questions included at the end to help extend and guide the important discussions this novel brings up.
Mustaches for Maddie gets a golden mustache from me. Loved it and need to add this to my bookshelf. One of the best books of 2017 so far, one of my favorite books of 2017 and of all time, and my favorite middle grade novel. This novel is a must-read.
Thank you to Pooja @ lifesfinewhine for nominating me! She’s a wonderful person with a wonderful blog that I highly recommend you checking out. If you’d like to read her responses, click here.
Rules:
Thank the person who nominated you and add a link to their blog
Answer the ten questions asked on this post (there was only eight?)
Nominate at least five people to do it also
Let your nominees know you nominated them
QUESTIONS:
Describe your perfect reading spot.
That’s a tough one! As long as it’s quiet and comfy any spot will do.
Tell us Three book confessions
I’ll do you one better! Here are links to posts where I talk about Popular Books I’ve Never Read – Part 1 | Part 2
When was the last time you cried during a book?
Never. Although, I nearly cried while reading Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marillier (Sevenwaters, book 3). So many feels in that book.
How many books are on your bedside table?
3 beside me. 16 behind me.
What’s your favourite snack to eat while you’re reading?
I don’t eat while reading. Too risky lol.
Name Three books you would recommend to Everyone
Any book by Tamora Pierce, John Flanagan or Lynn Kurland!
Show us a picture of your favourite bookcase on a bookshelf
Not sure if I understand what this question is asking. But I currently don’t have books on any shelves. Summer cleaning.
Describe how much books mean to you in just three words
Books are life.
I really liked this test and enjoyed answering the questions. If you’d like to take this test, feel free to do so. As always, happy reading!
I’ve been blogging on The Bookshelf Corner for more than a year and a half now, but I’ve been learning about blogging and how to blog for the past few years. Today I thought I’d share what I’ve learned about blogging so far.
Royalty Free Image from pixabay.com
*the first two are reposted advice I gave for a previous award
1.Don’t feel obligated to post every day. Post as little or as often as you’re able to and not because you feel you have to. This is something that can make blogging feel stressful and not as fun as it can be. We all have other obligations that will take precedence over blogging, such as work or school. Sometimes life happens – you’re sick, on vacation, have a family emergency, or had a bad day – and you just don’t feel like posting. And that’s okay! People will understand. We’ve all been there. Set a posting schedule that works best for your situation.
2.Find your blog’s niche. It can be one specific thing or multiple things. My passions are books and writing, so my blog’s niche centers around things related to those areas. A blog that has a focus – a niche – is easier to understand than one that’s all over the place.
3.Posts can be any length. Write as little or as much as you want/need for each post.
4.It’s helpful to break up long posts/paragraphs with a graphic/media. This is a visual thing. Too much text can look clunky or get too long-winded (so to speak) to keep the reader’s attention – whether the reader is interested in what you’re writing or not. Sometimes a long paragraph is necessary to fully get your point across and that’s okay. Sometimes you’ll have a long post because there’s so much to talk about and that’s okay too. You don’t always need a graphic or media in a post.
5.Tags and Categories are always helpful for you and the reader.
6.(On WordPress) Remove the Meta from your blog. Honestly, don’t know what it’s for and it doesn’t seem to be useful. Also, I was once told to get rid of it so no one could log into my blog (you never know).
7.Titles should pique the reader’s interest and indicate what to expect.
8.Using a calendar (of any kind) is a great way to keep track of posts and when you plan to post. I am someone who needs a calendar, planner, sticky notes whatever to function and be organized. It’s good to see what you visually have planned.
9.Use your own words. Cite appropriately (if applicable). Your post. Your words. Your voice.
10.Use royalty free images and/or link back to the original source.
11. Learn basic HTML code. This is useful information for any blogger to know because every blogging site has plans that offer different levels of coding you can do.
12.Interact with others by Following/Commenting on other’s blogs and posts. Blogging offers access to a wonderful community of those who share the same passions as you.
13.Link to other social media sites you’re active on.
14.Links should open to a new tab so that readers can easily get back to your blog.
15. Menu/Sidebars are key to a user friendly interface. Help your reader out by making sure they can easily navigate throughout your blog.
16.Be you. Have fun with it.
I hope you enjoyed today’s post! Again, this is just what I’ve learned during my blogging experience, which doesn’t mean you can’t do what works best for you.
What have you learned from blogging so far? What blogging tips would you add to this list? Let me know in the comment section below.
It still kind of feels like it’s June but, no, it’s legit August 3, 2017 – which is just mind-blowing. We have 5 whole months left of 2017 and there’s still so much to accomplish! There’s not a whole lot happening this month but I will be engaged in try-hard mode to get stuff done. I’m really behind in a lot of things.
Here’s what’s happening this month:
The Blog
I will be posting Tues/Thurs/Sat for the next two weeks, then every day from the 19th to 26th. Afterwards, I will be taking a personal no-obligations vacation until September 1st.
The Bookshelf Corner was nominated for three awards this month – very exciting! Thank you, thank you to Laura @ thebookcorps and Mischenko @ ReadRantRock&Roll for nominating me. That was very kind of you. In case you missed those posts, you can check out the awards I was nominated by Mischenko here and by Laura here.
The blog also reached a huge milestone of publishing its 200th postand did its first interview with new author Hannah Bucchin, whose debut novel, Paintbrush, was released last month!
The TBR List + Novel Updates
I have made no progress with either which is really disappointing. Work has been tough, that is, I’m more often than not very tired afterwards. I am going to do my best (try-hard mode!) to make substantial progress by next month.
Once I finish my summer reading, I have an exciting Fall TBR list (sneak peek) planned that I can’t wait to get started on.
Book Recommendation of the Month
The More I See You by Lynn Kurland
(de Piaget, book 7)
Published by Berkley Publishing, October 1, 1999
