Review: "Mallory Hates Boys (And Gym): The Baby-Sitters Club #59"

Mallory Hates Boys (And Gym): The Baby-Sitters Club #59 by Ann M Martin
3 out of 5 stars

Okay, honestly I'm kind of with Mallory on this one. Gym in middle/high school sucked. Gym in elementary was only moderately better, unless you had a sadistic gym teacher that made you beat her to the jungle gym or you had to run laps. Oh and she didn't hold back either. She didn't care if you were in 1st or 5th grade, she'd still give it her all! Wow, I might still be a little bitter. Moving on!

The book starts out with Mallory putting her new vocabulary word, "pandemonium", to the test when she arrives home. The Pike clan is in full crazy mode and Mal is anxious about her study date with the wonderful Australian, Ben Hobart. Liking a guy is so weird. There's just no way to explain why suddenly you're so crazy about someone. Unfortunately, her brothers & sisters pretty much ruin the date so they head over to Ben's house, where she raves about how good and polite his 3 brothers are. Then she's almost late to a BSC meeting and we get a Claudia outfit along with a special What Dawn Was Wearing.

Claudia was wearing a pair of soft, balloony, purple pants; a neon green long-sleeve leotard top; a wide, red braided belt; and a pair of soft, red ballet shoes. Her hair was swept into a French braid with wispy tendrils hanging loose. From one ear dangled a long earring made up of small papier-mache tropical fruit. In the other ear, where she had two holes, Claudia wore two small papier-mache hoops. (This earring set is her own creation.)

2 things: I had purple pants exactly like that in 5th grade. We called them (MC) Hammer pants and I wore them with a white tshirt tucked in and black patent leather shoes with big silk laces. I was dibbly fresh and wore this outfit at our talent show, where my friend and I danced to Tevin Campbell's Round & Round. (I just listened to again, so good still lol.)
And also, it would have been nice to have some continuity from the previous book and have her wear her cat & dog earrings.

Today [Dawn] was wearing black stirrup pants, a long, fleecy red-and-pink rose-print top and black high-top sneakers. She has two holes pierced in each ear. In those she wore four matching sparkly rose earrings. (Seems more like a Stacey outfit than Dawn, but whatevs.)

Logan is at the meeting, because he & Mary Anne were studying together, and there's a big point of his mom calling for a sitter because Logan doesn't want to be asked all the time. Just like Mallory. I was never given a choice to baby-sit my sister or not. And I definitely didn't get paid for it. After the meeting, Jessi & Mallory are walking home and Jessi reminds her that they are starting the volleyball unit in gym on Monday and they'll be co-mingled with the boys. Mal immediately freaks out. I was expected to appear in front of a bunch of boys in my gross, disgusting gym suit (which is really just a tshirt & shirts) and demonstrate that I was probably the most klutzy, uncoordinated girl in the sixth grade. And she pretty much does that for the rest of the book.

On Monday, she decides to wear a one-piece denim jumpsuit that she'd gotten for her last birthday and never worn. Not because I hate it or anything. It's just not me. It's a little too high-style or something. I'm sorry. Isn't that exactly what she's been begging for for the last 59 books?? I decided to do a special for this outfit: what Mallory thinks she looks like and what she probably looks like. Always fun. :)

Every book that has even the slightest hint of physical activity makes Mallory panic and immediately come up with plans to get out of it. In this one, she begs her parents to let her stay home, pretends to faint in the locker room (no one is around), WALKS OFF THE COURT after getting hit with a ball (I don't blame her for that one), gets detention on purpose for a week when she sits out each day (and hides the papers from her parents. Trust me, that never works for long.) It's all a bit ridiculous.

The side plot is that all the boys they baby-sit for are suddenly little monsters. Just the boys, not the girls. Mallory comes up with this long convoluted theory that makes no sense; something about if they were raised in Stoneybrook and went to gym class there, they were super aggressive animals. Meaning, Logan and the Hobart boys are excluded. This doesn't pan out though, when Mal and Ben agree to switch brothers for the evening and the Hobarts turn into little hellions while Nicky & the triplets are perfect angels. She can't believe it. But what do you expect when they go to a house like the Pikes where there are basically no rules?

Back in gym class, Mal keeps walking off and the gym teacher finally sits down and talks to her. She asks her to just try and she'd get the boys to back off on their attack. Also, she makes Mal wash all the pinnies one afternoon gross. Mallory agrees to try, her parents find out about the detentions (and don't punish her whaaattt??!), and finally the volleyball unit is over. Next up? Archery! Is anyone surprised at all that Mallory is good at it? So good that her teacher tells her to try out for the archery team and she makes it. I wonder if that will come up again in later books. And her brothers make her a congrats cake, ruining her "boys suck" theory. The end. And hey, I've got another Super Special already after this one! Woo!!

Book Haul

I'm pretty excited about the books and comics I got last weekend, so I decided to do a mini haul post to share them. And I want you to share with me what your last book purchase/haul was! So comment below. :)

Girl Online: Going Solo is the last book in YouTuber Zoe Sugg's series. I enjoyed the first 2, they're light fluffy fun, so I'm happy to read the last one. I'll be reviewing the whole series when I finish this one and will probably end up giving them all to my sister, since she's actually the one who loves Sugg's videos and got the first book lol. 

After reviewing the 2nd Princess Jellyfish omnibus and having read the 3rd this May, I really needed the next volume. And purely aesthetic, the books are so pretty!! They're lovely pastel sherbety colors and will look amazing on my bookshelf when I get them all eventually.

Do you like my lawn gnomes? They're named Gary, Garry, and Steve. :D I only went to the comic book store to pick up my pull list, but I can always guarantee I'll come out with 3 or 4 extra. This time was no exception.

On my pull list were Motor Girl & Shade: The Changing Girl. I've already talked about these here but I highly recommend them both! And Motor Girl is a short one, only 10 issues, if you don't want to get too invested in a long series.

Then I saw this new Jem & The Holograms Annual and had to pick it up. I am just really loving this reboot so much. (Review of 1st 2 volumes here.) This annual is apparently a fanfic type story which sounds really fun. Can't wait to read it.

Brian K Vaughan's Runaways was the first comic series I ever read, as a teenager way back in the 90s. When I found out that one of my very favorite authors, Rainbow Rowell, was going to do a reboot/sequel of it this year, I was beyond excited. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to reread the original series first or not (I only have volume 1 right now) but I know I will love this new take.

And last but not least, we have the newest Baby-Sitters Club graphic novel, Dawn & The Impossible Three. I really loved Raina Telgemeier's take on the first 4 so I'm interested to see what a new artist will do with the upcoming books. The only thing I'm not sure about, is that they seem to be combining Dawn and Mallory's first books, which is a little odd. And they've still skipped Claudia & The Phantom Phone Calls!! But we'll see how it is. And I am still hoping/wishing/begging for them to do the first Super Special! How amazing would that be??

Review: "Love & Gelato"

Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
3 out of 5 stars

Love & Gelato was sweet but lacked substance and left you wanting something solid afterwards. How's that for a metaphor? ;) Okay, but really...this was a decent book, I wanted a bit more out of it, and desperately wanted gelato in Italy while reading it. So prepare accordingly. Trust me!

The book centers on 16 year old Lina, who has just lost her mom to cancer a few months prior. Her mom's last wish was for Lina to go to Italy and get to know her father, the amazingly sweet and tall Howard. She's not too thrilled about it, especially when she finds out he lives and works in a graveyard. Of course, the cute boy down the road makes it all better right? Right.

The love story is light and fluffy, but I didn't really care about it too much. Honestly, Anna & The French Kiss is a far superior "American in a foreign country" love story. Lina's relationship with Howard and her journey thru her mom's old journal are the real interesting parts. And of course, the touristy and eating bits. Those were drool-worthy descriptions.

It was like walking through a scene from an Italian movie. The street was lined with clothing stores and little coffee shops and restaurants, and people kept calling to one another from windows and cars. Halfway down the street a horn beeped politely and everyone cleared out of the street to make way for an entire family crowded onto a scooter. There was even a string of laundry hanging between two buildings, a billowy red housedress flapping right in the middle of it. Any second now a director was going to jump out and yell, Cut!

“So... Italian gelato. Take the deliciousness of a regular ice-cream cone, 

times it by a million, then sprinkle it with crushed-up unicorn horns.”

Review: "Stacey's Choice: The Baby-Sitters Club #58"

Stacey's Choice: The Baby-Sitters Club #58 by Ann M Martin
2 out of 5 stars

This is such a classic BSC cover. Their outfits are a little understated for their personalities, but it's still quintessential BSC. And that is the best thing I'll say about this book, unfortunately. I've hit a string of duds lately. But they're also not as well-known to me, which is kind of nice.

The story opens with Stacey and Mallory walking home from school and enjoying the crisp autumn air. I am so ready for fall and Halloween, it is not even funny! I've been stockpiling Halloween decorations for my new apartment for weeks now. It's going to be awesome. :) And now I'm trying to remember if there are any BSC Halloween books? Why can't I think of any? Anyway, the girls are walking home, Stacey loves math, Mallory has a lot of siblings, etc. Stacey gets home and her mom is there and looks really tired and worn down. She went on two job interviews and goes to take a nap. I always remember her mom working at Bellair's but she doesn't get that job til the end of this book. So I obviously read plenty of books after this one.

Stacey's "Old Dad" calls her and tells her he got a huge promotion at work, with a raise, and they're having a big dinner for him. He wants Stacey to come to the city for the weekend and be his date and even tells her to buy a new outfit. Which is as good a time as any to do What Stacey Wore to the dinner.

"Zingy's! That's all punk stuff!" (Mary Anne)
"I like to think of myself as the Sherlock Holmes of fashion," [Stacey said] "I'll put together the perfect outfit at Zingy's. Trust me. It'll be perfect for me and my dad."
By the time I left I was carrying a shopping bag in which were folded a hot pink (fake) silk jacket which fell to my knees, new black leggings, pink-and-black socks, and a black body suit. I planned to wear the outfit with black flats, and to dress it up with some jewelry and maybe a couple of barrettes in my hair.

The girls go shopping at the mall for Stacey's outfit and hit the new restaurant, The Rosebud Cafe. (Another thing I remember being there forever.) This is another classic BSC moment, the girls at the mall. It brought back memories of the hundreds of times I went to the mall with friends and my sister. Mall rats of the 90s unite!! :D

Okay, so let's get to the main story-line finally. "Stacey's choice" Stacey is at school when she gets called to the office over the loud speaker (tre embarrassing). The secretary tells her that her mom collapsed during an interview and that Mrs Pike is on her way to take Stacey to the hospital to see her mom. She's frantic, of course, and thinks the worst. But Mrs McGill just has pneumonia. Which okay, is pretty bad, but I feel like Stacey went waaay overboard. She stays home from school, sets up a schedule of adult sitters when she does have to go back to school, and decides to cancel her trip to NYC. Which of course pisses her dad off. And Stacey says some ugly stuff: "Maybe if you weren't a workaholic, there'd be something more in your life. But you're married to your job." ooh, harsh!!

In baby-sitting news, all the neighborhood kids are obsessed with ordering free/cheap crap from magazines. Like a stamp licker, bust developer, moondust, you know...crap. It's all fun at first, especially when they start getting the stuff in the mail. Who doesn't love fun mail?? But then they run out of money and they finally realize they don't need all this junk or it doesn't work or they're not that special with their moondust. And hey, they really want a yo-yo, the cool new fad. So they gather all their junk together and come up with a travelling road show, with skits and dances, to pawn their useless crap on other people. No one wants it of course, but they do pay for the performances. (The Pike triplets rap. I see a Vanilla Ice-esque career in their future.) In the end, the kids make back their money and get their yo-yos and everyone's happy.

Back with Stacey, she finally decides to go to NYC for the dinner on Friday night and come straight back home Saturday morning. Good compromise, right? Well, the train is late, there's traffic, Stacey has to iron her outfit, and they get to the dinner about 15 minutes late. Stacey gets up multiple times during the dinner to check on her mom and then wants to leave at like 10:00, before the fun even starts. Her dad is naturally annoyed, but Stacey doesn't care. There's a weird part at the train station where Stacey questions what happens to the homeless people when they die and no one ever hears about it. Morbid much? Stacey gives a guy five bucks and her dad tells her she "can't take care of everybody"; she replies "but I can try". Wow, subtle Stace.

A week or two go by, Stacey's mom is all better, Stacey hasn't talked to her dad, and Claudia buys the kids' wrinkle-away lol. (Trust me, it's never too early to start preventative measures!) Stacey realizes she shouldn't have had to choose between her parents and makes up with her dad. The end. Oh! There's baby pictures in the back of this one, I guess they started doing that now. Kind of fun.

Review: "The Ghost Bird/Academy" series books 1-10

The Ghost Bird series by CL Stone
4 stars average!!

A review in picture/collage form. I can't say a whole lot about this series without spoiling it majorly. I've read the first book 6 times in 3 years. That should tell you something, right? Sang Sorenson is a quiet, mysterious girl with a troubled family life. She doesn't know how to interact with people but is desperate for friendship. She gets that and more when she meets Kota Lee and his group of friends. But this group has their own secrets and it could cause even more trouble for Sang. Is it worth it? (click any of the pics to make bigger)

TILT: Book Posters #15

Bookish artwork is one of my favorite things. I get so inspired by some of them and others I want to buy and hang on my wall so I can look at every day. I've got several prints already that I need to hang up soon and share with you all, but I want more! (I feel like Veruca Salt when I say that.) So today's Things I Love Thursday is going to feed that want. :) Do you have a favorite bookish print/poster/art piece? I'd love to see it!

(if you do not want your art shared, please contact me & I will take it down!)

Unfortunately, I could not find sources for these first 3 prints, which is super annoying. If you know any of these sources, please please share so I can link back to them!

1. I am so looking forward to Friday so I can cuddle up with my boyfriend and his doggies and relax with a good book...and probably some Doctor Who. :) It's been a long week already and I'm ready for the weekend!

2. I'm missing my book kitty, Binky, lately. We had to put him to sleep in February...he was almost 18 years old! This is the last pic I took of him I think, crying to get him out of that chair lol.

3. I wonder if this is actually a fabric print? That would make such a cute dress, especially for librarians!

4. This print by Igor Morski is magical, letting books carry you away to far-off lands.

Review: "Dawn Saves the Planet: The Baby-Sitters Club #57"

Dawn Saves the Planet: The Baby-Sitters Club #57 by Ann M Martin

2 out of 5 stars

For the love of Ben Brewer's ghost, this book is boring! I'm really starting to dislike Dawn's books. Look how snooty she looks on the cover. That just tells you everything right there. But I guess we should go a bit further than that or there wouldn't be any point to these reviews would there?

Okay, it starts out with Dawn in science class and her teacher asking them if they think kids can save the planet. Of course, Dawn says yes and then we get a huge lecture (one of many) on all the ways we're killing the planet. They get an assignment to come up with a project that will help save the planet and Dawn's little blonde Cali brain gets awhirling.

"Guess what?" "I'm going to save the planet."

Claudia just blinked her dark eyes at me and said, "It's about time."

[Kristy] "I was going to save it but I have a big softball game this afternoon."

We don't even have any Claudia outfits in this book but luckily Stacey steps up her A-game. Today she was wearing floral leggings, a pink shirt with big sleeves, and a long vest covered in antique pins. A black fedora with a red cloth rose was perched on top of her shoulder length hair. (I had to add those shoes, those were quintessential 90s girl shoes lol.)

(click thru for links)

Dawn is baby-sitting for the Barrett kids (Marnie doesn't even make her "ham face" jeez) when she gets the idea for her project: teach an after-school ecology class to the kids they baby-sit for. Because you know, everything revolves around these kids. That generation is going to be the most spoiled, entitled citizens of Stoneybrook ever. She asks Stacey to help, since she has the same teacher, and they get the okay from their teacher. The girls hug in the hallway at school when they get the news and Brent Jensen and Todd Long nudge each other, smirking. Are they thinking what I think they're thinking? For shame, ghost writers, for shame.

The girls decide to do six weeks of lessons, each focusing on a different aspect like air pollution, recycling, etc...and have a Green Fair at the end. Because it's not a real project/idea unless it ends in a festival held in someone's backyard. The girls are so excited they immediately start calling kids to get them signed up. Luckily, they start with Kristy and David Michael because she quickly kills their mood by pointing out they haven't worked out any of the logistics. She's such a bummer all the time.

So they get 13 kids signed up and start their classes with making everyone put on KIDS CARE badges. So people can identify them in public and stuff. They get a little sidetracked when they say pollution is invisible, like ghosts, and that sets off a rumble with the smaller kids like Andrew. He looked over his shoulder and muttered, "I don't like ghosts." The kids are all gung-ho about their special projects and everything is going great.

Until Dawn starts to get a little bossy and Miss-Know-It-All. She gets to the next BSC meeting early and sees Claudia making dough earrings (not cookies) shaped like dogs and cats that she can paint. But then Claud pulls out some candy and Dawn freaks out on her because it's over-packaged, all individually wrapped. "I'm making art," Claudia replied, "and Dawn's giving me a lecture about garbage."

She just keeps getting worse from there and there's really no point repeating it all. So here's some random stuff to keep it going:

-The Ohdner kids have the measles. But it's okay, because we've never heard of them.

-Jessi is taking a special ballet class with Frederick Duvall (foreshadowing?).

-Dawn wants to turn the middle school into a recycling center for the town. She berates Mary Anne in front of everyone for only writing on the front of her paper.

-The Pike kids go overboard as usual and turn into the Green Meanies and make their parents and siblings take ecology lessons.

-Shawna Riverson's locker is a pigsty, with month old hamburger wrappers. Gross.

-Woody Jefferson (who are all these new boys??) and Trever Sandbourne bring brie cheese, pate, and a bottle of sparkling cider to lunch and enjoy a picnic with tablecloth, silverware, and wine glasses.

Dawn takes her recycling idea to Mr Kingbridge, the vice-principal. Do we know who the principal is? Mr Kingbridge is always mentioned as the head honcho. He likes the idea, of course, but wants to make sure there is enough student interest so he puts it to a vote. Dawn starts campaigning but pushes way too hard and even makes Mary Anne stalk off in a huff. The recycling project gets a huge vote yes from students, but they vote the science teacher as the project leader instead of Dawn and she's super upset about it. Then she overhears that cow Cokie Mason talking to her sidekick Grace Blume and they call her obnoxious and that just pushes her over the edge. She basically decides she wants nothing else to do with it now, because she's a big baby, not laid-back and chill at all.

The recycling center opens with a big hoopla, Dawn gets no credit at all for it, and whines about it a lot. She pushes people away even more with the kids' Green Fair, assuming all the other BSCers will help out when they already have plans. Stacey finally blows up at Dawn, telling her what a recycling cow she's been, and Dawn's like "oh". She realizes that they were all right, she was being a cow (except she doesn't eat meat, so she was being...tofu?) She calms down, the kids' fair goes off great, Stacey & Dawn turn in a 30 PAGE REPORT for their class (printed twice and you know that crap wasn't double-sided), her teacher asks her to co-chair the recycling program if she can tone down the obnoxiousness, and it's all good. And when you work together, you can do almost anything. Even save a planet.

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Best Reads of 2017 So Far!

It's a freebie week over on The Broke & The Bookish for Top Ten Tuesday so I decided to make it easy on myself and do my 10 best reads for 2017 so far. I've read 85 books this year, which has me well on target for my Goodreads challenge of 100 books. (I'll probably cap out at around 150 actually, with the BSC books.) I won't include rereads in this list, so that means I've only got one 5 star book for this year. But lots and lots of 4 stars.

1. Some Kind of Perfect by Krista & Becca Ritchie --this was the last book in the Calloway/Addicted dual series and it was, like the title, absolutely perfect. I'll be reviewing this whole series soon, but I'll just say it is destined to be a favorite series for me.

2. Paper Girls vol 1 & 2 by Brian K Vaughan --I always love his comics, so it's no surprise that I loved this new series as well. Set in the 80s, it's got lots of fun nostalgia along with the suspense and intrigue.

3. Princess Jellyfish vol 3 by Akiko Higashimura --I just spoke about my love for this series yesterday and volume 3 did not disappoint.

4. Leave Me by Gayle Forman --ever want to run away from your life? Of course you do. We all do. This book explores what happens when a mom does exactly that and what the consequences are.

5. Three Days to Never by Tim Powers --my boyfriend bought me this book as it is one of his favorites and then waited anxiously to see what I thought of it. Luckily, I loved it. It's a good mixture of science fiction, actual science, fantasy, and time-travel.

6. I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak --I started reading this several years ago, after I loved The Book Thief so much, but then never got into it for some reason. My dad read it this year and told me I needed to read it, so I borrowed his copy and devoured it. The ending will leave you all twisted inside but it's worth it! Maybe everyone can live beyond what they're capable of.

7. Snotgirl vol 1 by Bryan Lee O'Malley --this is one of those ones that my sister picked out for me, based solely on the cover, and I ended up really enjoying. I'll review it soon, but the premise seems ridiculous at first: a fashion blogger with striking green hair has allergies. Seriously, that's it. But I promise it's more than that!

8. A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody --I just reviewed this book last week but I really enjoyed it! It's a great, light read and definitely recommend it.

9. Motor Girl by Terry Moore --I've made clear my love for Terry Moore's graphic novels before, so it's a given that I'll enjoy his new series too. I'm actually excited to read this as all one volume, instead of the single issues, I think it'll be even better and more cohesive that way.

10.Texas Homecoming by Maggie Shayne --if you're looking for a good old-fashioned romance series, Shayne's Texas & Oklahoma Brands (2 different series, but cross over a bit) are the way to go. Cowboys, bad guys, women that need rescuing, cute babies, it's all there.

Review: "Princess Jellyfish vol 2"

Princess Jellyfish vol 2 by Akiko Higashimura

3.5 out of 5 stars

I purchased the first volume of this manga for my younger sister last year and while I'm not sure if she's even read it yet, I have become a big fan. There's something whimsical and sweet about Tsukimi and her clan of Amars. This review will have spoilers for vol 1, so I would definitely stop here and go read my review for it first if you are interested in reading it. And if you're completely new to manga and anime, go check out my beginner's guide that I wrote with the help of my siblings!

This volume picks up where the last ended, with Kuranosuke trying to convince the girls to buy their apartment building so it doesn't get turned into some swanky hotel or parking garage or something. Of course, the girls have no money (you know, since they don't have jobs) so they have to start thinking outside the box. Kuranosuke gets them a spot at a local flea market and tries to sell some old tea sets they found in the attic, but it's actually Tsukimi's little jellyfish plushies that start selling. That gets the ideas flowing and soon they are making jellyfish-inspired dresses. Love.

In romance news, the love triangle (more like a love square?) is still going strong. Kuranosuke doesn't understand how or why he's having these feelings for plain "before" Tsukimi, Tsukimi is still infatuated with K's brother, who is having his own issues after being blackmailed by that suit-wearing temptress. Things get crazy and confusing for awhile and not totally resolved (obviously, or the story would be over).

This volume isn't quite as good as the first but I still enjoyed it. I loved seeing Tsukimi "awaken" and use her passion to help her roommates. And as always, the artwork is exquisite, in particular the color pages. It's also hard to say a lot about the story itself without spoiling a bunch of stuff. So just take my word for it and go read it! :D 

Special: Baby-Sitters Club All Grown Up: Logan Bruno!

Oh Logan...you won our heart with your slow Kentucky drawl and Cam Geary good looks. And then you ripped it out and stomped on it when you decided to quit baby-sitting for good and took up with those bad boys, the Badd Boyz. (Seriously, what kind of gang name is that? They may as well be the Get Along Gang.)

Logan cleaned up his act for awhile after the record store incident but the allure of testosterone and matching leather jackets was too strong. After several years and one too many tacky gold chain necklaces, Mary Anne finally dumped Logan for good and that just sent him over the edge. He began skipping school regularly and shoplifting his way through the mall. After losing his job at the Rosebud Cafe (he kept comping the cute chicks), his dad decided a summer back in wholesome Louisville with his cousin Lewis would do Logan some good. It did, for a short time, but once he came back to Stoneybrook, he fell right back into his old ways.

His senior year of high school, he picked up a new & pricey habit...recreational drugs. Yep, Logan really was a bad boy now. And after a drug pickup gone wrong, he paid the ultimate price. Mary Anne attended his funeral but, for once, didn't shed a single tear. The Logan Bruno she had loved was long gone and all she felt was pity and sadness for his family.

(links)

This may be a controversial All Grown Up lol, so tell me what you think!

TILT: Bookshelves

Ever since I moved (okay, before I moved. Always.), I've been obsessed with getting new bookshelves. So of course, that's what I'm focusing on for Things I Love Thursday today!! (Click any of the pics to make bigger!)

(if you do not want your picture shared, please let me know & I will take it down!)

A truly lovely rainbow reading nook from Oh-thebookfeels

This gorgeous green shelf didn't have a source but I love all the different sized shelves and crannies! This is probably a dream shelf for me. And I would definitely need the step stool lol.

Has anyone else been completely obsessed with getting a library cart ever since that Book Riot article? No? Just me? Well fine then. ;) KylieMInteriors shows off different ways to use the Ikea cart and I really love this sunshine yellow one from Amazon (comes in lots of colors). My sister suggested I could use it for my to-read books and I love that idea! Now, I just need some money. Hmm...

Okay, it's totally impractical but how cool is this bathroom/library? And I seriously considered purchasing this bookshelf shower curtain on Amazon when I moved, but I decided against it. One of you should buy it so I can live thru you! lol...

What are you loving on this fabulous September Thursday? Share below!

Review: "Baby-Sitters at Shadow Lake: The Baby-Sitters Club Super Special #8"

Baby-Sitters at Shadow Lake: The Baby-Sitters Club Super Special #8 by Ann M Martin

3 out of 5 stars

It’s time for another Super Special, wahoo!! And I read this way back in November, so I don’t remember any of it haha. Okay this is another one where mega-millionaire Watson Brewer pays for the entire BSC to go on vacation. You know, I question his motives sometimes. At least this time it’s mostly free…his aunt is selling her lake home and wants to see if Watson wants it instead. Kristy talks him into going for a few weeks and of course, bringing along her friends to “baby-sit”.

The cabin on Shadow Lake is “…like a house. I mean, it’s large. …it must be able to sleep twenty-five people.” Yeah, we’re in

McMansion cabins here y’all. Where does Watson get his money? I know he’s some big-shot lawyer or something (I’m just guessing on that, because all the Stoneybrook dads are lawyers.) But his family is rich too. Maybe they’re oil tycoons. No, that’s in the South. Tea? Slaves? Probably. Okay, anyway! Watson agrees to the vacation and Kristy decides to write a stupid travel journal to show him what an amazing time they have. I wonder if he requires these essays on just weekend trips too?

Karen brings along her 2 BFF’s, Hannie and Nancy. David Michael brings Nicky Pike and Linny Papadakis. Kristy brings every single person in the Baby-Sitters Club. Okay, not Logan and Shannon but no one cares about them anyway. So at the last meeting before vacation, we get a What Claudia is Wearing plus Stacey, summer edition.

Claud was wearing a pink tank top over a white tank top and a pair of neon pink-and-black bicycle shorts. Also, she was wearing three pairs of flop socks arranged so that her ankles looked like multicolored ice cream cones. Her sneakers were Day-Glo yellow.

Stacey was wearing a simple (for her) outfit – black leggings, a long black T-shirt with a brilliant starfish swooping across the front, black flop socks, and high-tops. “Doesn’t black absorb heat?” I asked Stacey. Isn’t that why people wear a lot of white in the summertime? Because it reflects the sunlight or something? You must be boiling.”

“Yeah, but I look good,” she replied, and everyone laughed.

(go here for links)

Alright. It’s vacation day and they’re having to travel in a convoy of 3 cars because Kristy was so selfish and brought so many people. (Does she know how much food costs? I don’t think so.) Oh and they brought Boo Boo and Shannon the dog along too. Who brings a cranky old cat on vacation, to a lake house? Dawn is riding with Stacey, Watson, and the Three Musketeers. She’s totally intrigued by the lake and how it got its name and she just knows there’s a mystery somewhere and she’s determined to find it.

When they get to the house, they split girls and boys into the two dormitory style rooms. Even though there are way more girls than boys. Andrew is upset because it’s not a real log cabin. Jessi is designated as the one to find a boy on this vacation. Because he’s black. And Jessi is black. That’s how it works in BSCLand. Stacey has to deal with Sam the flirt and at first is annoyed by his “Dahling, you look ravishing” act but it starts to grow on her. I don’t remember them actually dating, but I guess they do. Kind of creepy.

Mary Anne gets the baby-sitting scare of the trip when the 3 younger girls go off on their own in the woods. But they just found an old semi-built cabin that they wanted to turn into a clubhouse. The 3 boys are jealous and want to build their own and even bet the girls that they can do better. Of course, they don’t. The boys don’t get along all together, and they don’t really know what they’re doing building the clubhouse, so of course it turns into a huge mess.

Mallory’s entire story-line consists of her getting eaten by lots and lots of bugs. Seriously, that’s all she gets. Claudia decorates the family boat as the Loch Ness monster and enters it in a contest against all the big fancy boats. She wins a prize for “Most Spirit”…you know, the pity prize.

Dawn finally finds her mystery: an entire family disappeared from their home one night, off the island in the middle of the lake, and no one knows how or why. And of course, Dawn decides the BSC should go spend the night on that island. By themselves. But then when the time comes, she freaks out and changes her mind. Kind of unusual for her, to get scared. She didn’t freak out when she was hearing noises inside her bedroom walls. She does end up going with the other girls of course and having fun, in between getting scared silly. She also finds an old locket in the rubble of the burned down house that belonged to the young girl who disappeared there. The ghost is communicating with her or something.

In other news, Kristy body shames her mother for wearing a bikini and ruminates on whether she’d ever wear one: I, for one, do not wear bikinis. I do not think anyone should, really, especially if they are past thirty. But, in all honesty, my mom looked pretty good – for an over-thirty mother. Maybe I will wear a bikini one day, but only after I actually have a chest. When you’re as flat as I am, there is no sense in wearing a skimpy little top. Why should I, when I don’t even need a bra yet? At the rate I’m growing, though, I probably won’t have a chest until I’m, like, twenty-eight, and then there’ll just be a measly two-year window of time in which to find and wear a bikini.

The book ends with a dance at the local lodge. Stacey and Sam slow dance together and it’s totally dreamy, Jessi thinks her boy is going to “profess his love for her” (spoiler: he doesn’t), and everyone has lots of fun. They return home to Stoneybrook the next day, Kristy forces everyone to spell check their essays before they turn them in to her, Watson agrees to keep the cabin, and all is well or whatever. Hey, you know what this means? Next up is another Baby-Sitters Club: All Grown Up edition! And boy, will you be shocked at what happens to this person. 😉

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books I Had a Hard Time With

I'm happy to get back into The Broke & The Bookish' TTT and this week's topic should be pretty easy...or hard? Hmm...

1. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami -this book was so incredibly intriguing and definitely kept my interest but at times it was also very confusing. But my biggest problem with it? This book is huge and heavy! If you decide to buy it, go for the 3 volume set instead of the single. It'll save your wrists lol.

2. House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski -when this book came out in 2000, I felt so smart and sophisticated reading it. A year later, when I still hadn't finished it, I felt like the village idiot. I struggled off and on with it for another year or two, until I finally admitted defeat and realized I wasn't the only one who couldn't finish this confusing mystical tome.

3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak -difficult in a different way, due to its subject matter. A book about books and words and the power they can wield. (Review)

4. In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck -the only Steinbeck book I didn't immediately get sucked into and actually didn't finish. I started it this summer and maybe just wasn't in the mood for serious what with all the moving stress so I decided to set it aside and maybe pick it up again later.

5. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood -from my review: "I can't really say I enjoyed reading it, but I'm glad I did. This book depressed the heck out of me. There are no positive aspects to it, at all." I haven't watched the Netflix series yet and after hearing friends talk about it, don't know if I ever will. (Review)

6. Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz -this is one that I absolutely loved the first time I read it as a young adult but when I tried to reread it last year could just not get into it. It seems I've outgrown Koontz books, alas.

7. 1984 by George Orwell -like The Handmaid's Tale, this is a difficult theme, especially with what's going on in the real world now around us. (Review)

8. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee -the standards were just too high for this one. I liked parts of it and even had a list of favorite quotes, but when it was time to write a review for it, I couldn't do it. Some authors are only meant to have one book and I think Harper Lee might be one.

9. The Cursed Child by JK Rowling -nothing would have been good enough for us rabid Harry Potter fans and unfortunately Rowling's story about young Albus Potter fell short. After reading it, I just felt like it was a fanfic story that I had already read. Speaking of fanfic, After the End by The Sugar Quill, is a truly outstanding story of the trio after the end (duh) of the war and features many of our favorite characters that JKR had previously killed off. Highly recommend.

10.American Gods by Neil Gaiman -another that I reread recently from my youth, because I had heard about the new show. Which I still haven't watched but heard is excellent. This book will hold your interest but it's a dense, detail heavy story. And you will want to research more about ancient gods and folklore.

Book Haul: 2017

Do y'all like book haul posts? It doesn't seem like bragging, does it? I always enjoy seeing other people's hauls, it gives me new books to look for and I just like seeing the pictures. So since I haven't done any posts all year, I've got quite a few hauls to share. Although not nearly as many as you would think. It's been a pretty quiet year, book-wise, for me. Mostly due to lack of money lol. So let's get to the pics and if you have any questions on a specific book, please ask!!

I've been really into collecting the classic books lately and getting multiple editions. They're just so pretty!!

I know I've gotten way more graphic novels than this, but I haven't been keeping up with my haul pics that well either. :( I have been getting the monthly single issues of Terry Moore's Motor Girl and Cecil Castellucci's Shade, the Changing Girl and definitely recommend both of those!

On my Kindle (actually my phone app, I hardly use my Kindle anymore), I binge purchased and read twin sisters Krista & Becca Ritchie's Calloway Sisters/Addicted series this spring. I won't say much here, because I do plan on reviewing it later in the month, but I will say it is definitely worth it!

My first haul pic at my new apartment! :) I've got some interesting backgrounds to work with, so excited to use them in future pictures. And that's my hauls for the year so far! See anything you like or have read? Want to share your most recent haul pic? Comment below!