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I know, I know... I’m late to the game! Today I grabbed this one off my #20backlistin2020 shelf. I’m reading this before the long awaited You are Not Alone makes its way to me! Have you read An Anonymous Girl? Anything I need to know before I start it? #careylovestobook #bookstagram #booknerd #bookblogger #igbooks #bookwineandmetime #madreadersclub #readwhatyouown #20backlistin2020 #unreadbotmchallenge #ananonymousgirl #greerhendricks #sarahpekkanen #botm #bookobsessed #thriller

Hillbilly Elegy is written by JD Vance, a former marine and Yale Law School graduate who grew up in Middletown, OH. He overcame all odds and made something of himself. He was raised in a poor family by a mom who was an alcoholic and drug addict and a grandmother (man-maw) who taught him how to curse, fight, and not take any abuse from anyone outside the family. All of this was while he was subject to abuse, alcoholism, poverty, neglect, and trauma. The book was touted as being an exposé of the decline and culture of white working-class Americans, and that was interesting and important; however, there was other information that enlightened me more. I was not familiar with the term ACE, short for (Adverse Childhood Experiences). Here’s a partial list of ACE’s: Were you yelled at by a parent? Did you experience any physical, emotional, or sexual abuse? Did you feel loved? Was anyone in your home an alcoholic or drug addict? There are a total of 10 questions like these. The higher your ACE score, the more difficult it is to function in life, and in adulthood you’re more likely to develop a variety of issues from headaches, depression, to heart disease. There’s a quiz you can take to determine your ACE score. As a teacher who taught in low-income schools, I found this section of the book fascinating as many of my students would have had high ACE scores. It was enlightening taking the quiz myself. JD Vance is to be commended for his success and life’s work as a lawyer, writer, and family man. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Vance himself. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy memoirs or want to know more about the social and class decline of this area of our population. Favorite quote: “We don’t study as children, and we don’t make our kids study when we’re parents. Our kids perform poorly in school. We might get angry with them, but we never give them the tools—like peace and quiet at home—to succeed.” Have you heard about ACE’s? Do you read memoirs? What are you reading today? #careylovestobook #bookstagram #booknerd #bookblogger #igbooks #bookwineandmetime #madreadersclub #booksilove #doitforthegram #bookphotography #hillbillyelegy #jdvance

Happy #mugmonday! Can y’all believe we’re more than halfway through February? I’m planning my week while #coffeeandcurrentlyreading with my Bujo. This is going to be a busy one! Lots to do! The ginormous glazed donut was a surprise from my husband this morning that we shared! It was totally delish! I’m reading Don’t Put the Boats Away. What are you reading? What’s your week look like? #careylovestobook #bookstagram #booknerd #bookworm #bookblogger #bookwineandmetime #madreadersclub #doitforthegram #bookaesthetic #bookishlove #bookishgirl #bookalicious #glazeddonut #mondaymorning #bujolove #bujocommunity #bujoforbooklovers #weeklyplanner #coffeeandcurrentlyreading

Happy Weekend, Bookstagram! Today I’m featuring The Confetti Pact, by Michele Gorman. When rising social media star, Nelly, is left in the lurch with not just a wedding but also the country’s biggest magazine feature on the line, she has no choice but to substitute one groom for another. Luckily, Rafael Moreno Cortes needs a visa, so they make a deal: act the perfect couple for as long as it takes to get them both what they want. The catch? Absolutely nobody can know the truth. With the magazine following their every move, Nelly’s ex re-emerges with a change of heart just as her pretend feelings for Rafael start to be anything but pretend. What could possibly go wrong? Sounds fun, right? If you’d like to read this one, you’re in luck, it’s now on Kindle Unlimited! Thank you, Michele for my gifted copy! Are you as ecstatic for a Saturday as much I am? I’ve been battling a nasty cold, and can’t wait to kick back for some R & R! What do you have planned for the weekend? #careylovestobook #bookstagram #booknerd #bookworm #bookblogger #bookwineandmetime #madreadersclub #booksilove #doitforthegram #bookaesthetic #bookishlove #bookishgirl #bookalicious #bookfeature #theconfettipact #michelegorman #buddyread

Happy Valentines Day, Bookstafam!Today we send ❤️’s to our friends, family, and loved ones. It’s also a perfect day to focus on our heart health! February is National Heart Health Month, and the American Heart Association has created the Go Red for Women initiative to help raise awareness of the risks of heart disease in women. According to goredforwomen.org one in three women die each year from heart disease, more than all cancers combined. My friend @myworldtoread has suffered with atrial fibrillation, takes medication for it, and she’s only in her 30’s. Because heart disease has touched her life so closely, she’s hosting the #goredforwomenstack challenge to support research and fight against women’s heart disease. Dana has pledged to donate $1 for every red book stack (up to $500)! Let’s get behind her, and start stacking our red books! Make sure you tag your post #goredforwomenstack and @myworldtoread so that she can easily see your stack when she makes her donation on February 29. Here’s a few guidelines of what you can do to keep your heart healthy: ❤️ Get blood pressure/cholesterol checked regularly. ❤️Exercise and eat healthy. ❤️Realize your heart risk (heart disease kills one in three women). ❤️Educate your family, and teach your kids about staying active. ❤️Don’t be silent, share with others! Thank you, Dana, for your generosity! Bookstagram is one of the most giving communities I know! I’m so proud to be your friend! #careylovestobook #bookstagram #booknerd #bookworm #bookblogger #bookwineandmetime #madreadersclub #booksilove #challengesthatgiveback #gored #redbookstack #bookishlove #bookishgirl #bookalicious #goredforwomen #womenshearthealthmonth #giveback

“When life gives you lemons make lemon verbena tembleque. Serves your heart when you are missing someone you love.” Last week, I listened to the audiobook With the Fire on High, written and read by Elizabeth Acevedo. This YA novel was mouth-watering in every way! Emoni Santiago made some poor choices in high school and became pregnant in her freshman year. Her abuela helps care for her daughter, but life is still rough for Emoni. The one place she can find solace is in the kitchen. She certainly doesn’t need recipes, since she has the gift of picturing ingredients, and how they taste. She can instantly blend them to create delicious food. She dreams of being a chef after her graduation, but doesn’t see how she can quite accomplish this with all the responsibilities she has. Emoni was born with the gift of creating delicious food in her kitchen. She was meant to be a chef. Have you met people who were born with gifts and talents that led them to their special career path? My son had the gift of making movies in our backyard. I can still remember him setting up our old video camera, attaching string to his jurassic park figures, and pulling them through our ferns while taping! Today he works in the film industry! NUGGET GAINED: Do everything you can to fulfill your life’s dreams. Do you know anyone like Emoni and my son? Can you fill in the blanks? _____ was born to _____. #careylovestobook #bookstagram #booknerd #bookblogger #bookwineandmetime #madreadersclub #booksilove #bookphotography #booklover #bookishlove #bookishgirl #audiobooks #bookalicious #yareads #alwaysreading #gifts #chefschool #withthefireonhigh

Happy #mugmonday! I’m grateful for a restful weekend. There was time to rest, read, get outside a bit, and even do a bit of fun shopping with my hubby! I’m halfway through Dear Edward, and loving him! I have a busy week ahead, but first avocado toast and TEA! How was your weekend? Any big plans for the week? What are you reading today? #careylovestobook #bookstagram #booknerd #bookblogger #igbooks #bookwineandmetime #madreadersclub #booksilove #bookphotography #booktography #bookaesthetic #bookishlove #bookishgirl #bookalicious #teaandcurrentlyreading #currentlyreading #butfirsttea #dearedward

February 29th is Rare Disease Awareness Day. This is important to @featherboundbooks since her son has a rare syndrome called Pitt Hopkins Syndrome. Did you know that one in 20 adults will have a rare disease sometime in their lives? Kera Marie is hosting a fun and awareness building challenge. If you’d like to participate, create your zebra stack and use #rarediseasezebrastack and tag @featherboundbooks. For more info checkout raredisease.org Do you know anyone with a rare disease? How’s your Sunday shaping up? What are you reading? #careylovestobook #booksmakemehappy #bookstagram #bookish #madreadersclub #bookwineandmetime #stackchallenge #awarenesschallenge #raredisease #rarediseaseday #zebrastack #zebrastrong

Happy Saturday morning! I thought it would never get here! It’s a sunny 52 degrees here in my corner of the world. Downright cold for this Florida girl! I’m all snuggled in with coffee and Edward. I’ll be binge reading him today to get ready for a buddy read tomorrow. I’m 100 pages in, and the mom in me wants to find Edward and comfort him. What’s it like in your corner of the world? Any special plans or reads today? Do you know Edward? #careylovestobook #bookstagram #booknerd #bookblogger #igbooks #bookwineandmetime #madreadersclub #saturdaymorning #currentlyreading #buddyread #dearedward #annnapolitano

❤️GIVEAWAY❤️ “On Valentine’s day we think of those who make our life worthwhile, those gracious, friendly people who we think of with a smile.” – Anonymous I’m grateful for all the friendly people I’ve met on bookstagram. Y’all make my heart happy! To say thank you... One lucky valentine will win a $30 Amazon Gift card! Here’s what you do: • Must be following me- let’s be friends forever! • Like and save this post. • Tag one bookish friend in comments (unlimited times.) Extra entries: • Share to your stories and tag me. Can be done every 24 hours. Giveaway will end on 2/14. Winner will be shared in my stories on 2/15. #careylovestobook #bookstagram #booknerd #bookblogger #igbooks #bookwineandmetime #giveaway #bookgiveaway #bookgiveaways #winner #valentinegiveaway #valentinesdaygiveaway

I wandered into Barnes & Noble, and this beauty grabbed my attention! I’m in love with the cover! The story sounds pretty good too. Mini-synopsis in comments. It’s been a long week. I’m tired, and so grateful that tomorrow is Friday. I’ve been away from Bookstagram, and I miss y’all! Do you judge a book by its cover? Have you had a long week too? #careylovestobook #bookstagram #booknerd #bookblogger #igbooks #bookwineandmetime #madreadersclub #booktography #bookaesthetic #bookishlove #bookishgirl #bookalicious #theendoftheocean #majalunde

{ Thank you @tlcbooktours, @jessmontgomeryauthor, and @minotaurbooks for the gifted book. } Give me a story with women characters who are independent, strong and determined, and I’m all in! The Hollows provides this and so much more. It’s the second book in the Kinship Series by Jess Montgomery, but can easily be read as a standalone. In 1926 Sheriff Lily Ross is called to the scene when an elderly woman is found dead along the railroad track in the Moonvale Tunnel. Who is she? Did she die by suicide or was she murdered? Who is the mysterious ghost-like woman people are seeing near the tunnel? Lily is tasked with finding the answers. She enlists her friends Hildy and Marvena to help her solve the mystery. The story is told from alternating points of view between Lily and Hildy. I loved Lily and her resolve to prove herself worthy of fulfilling the previous sheriff’s position, who happened to be her husband who was murdered in the previous book. I enjoyed the author using language consistent with the time period. As Lily solves the case, tough issues are woven into the story, i.e., sexism, racism, the Underground railroad, WKKK (Women’s KKK— I didn’t know this existed!) and prohibition. The book was thoroughly researched. I don’t read many historical mysteries, and since I enjoyed this one, I’m looking forward to seeing what Jess Montgomery has in store for us in Kinship Series #3! Do you enjoy sassy women characters as much as I do? How about historical fiction? NUGGET GAINED: Women can do every job men do! #careylovestobook #bookstagram #bookreview #booktour #partner #bookwineandmetime #madreadersclub #tlcbooktours #thehollows #jessmontgomery #thekinshipseries #historicalmystery #mystery #minotaurbooks #suspense #bujohabittracker #readers #booknerdigan #bookseries #amreading

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