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My hubby and I have been having fun with pizza for the last month! Every Friday I’ve been using Deb Perlman’s pizza dough recipe for our creations. We use whatever toppings we’d like or whatever we have on hand. Although we haven’t quite mastered the round shape, they’ve been pretty dang tasty! I love @smittenkitchen! Deb has some fantastic recipes in this book, and her website is pretty sweet too! 🍕 QOTD: What’re your favorite pizza toppings? Have you ever made pizza? 🍕 #careylovestobook #thesmittenkitchen #pizza #cookbook #bookstagram #bookshelf #pizzamaking #ilovetocook

Happy Saturday, all! Since starting our #bahamasawarenesschallenge I see their flag everywhere! I only received a few stares at the gym this morning as I set up my perfectly colored weights and sat on a ball. The real looks came when My hubby stood on a chair above me to take this shot! I’m totally in awe of the outpouring of love y’all have extended toward this challenge and the Bahamas. Your stacks have been incredible! Bookstagrammers are some of the most creative people I know! 🇧🇸 Important updates: Can you believe there are 117 posts using our hashtag? 🇧🇸 @darlareads has generously offered to match our total, so that means to date, we’ve raised $234! 🇧🇸 Darla has also suggested that you may want to give $1 for each book in your stack or simply make a donation. You could give to any charity that’s supporting hurricane relief. 🇧🇸 Keep stacking your books and share, share, SHARE! Our Bahamian neighbors will need help for a long time! 🇧🇸 🇧🇸 QOTD: how much money do you think we’ll raise? Keep in mind our challenge will run through 9/30/19! 🇧🇸 #bahamasawarenesschallenge #careylovestobook #hurricanedorian #hurricanereflief #bookstacks #bookswineandmetime #internationalreliefteams #bookchallenge #bookstagrammersunite #bookstagrammademedoit.

Good morning, Bookstafam. I’m truly overwhelmed with the relief funds we’ve already raised with our #bookstagramawareness challenge, and it’s only the third day! This post is rather long, but please read through until the end. 🇧🇸 Yesterday was the 2nd anniversary of Hurricane Irma. Irma made landfall near our town in SW Florida, and there was damage to many homes, buildings, and businesses. We were under a mandatory evacuation and moved inland to family that lives east of us. When it was safe for us to return home, we drove through at least 12” of water on our street. Part of our roof was damaged, we were without power, and had water 10 feet from our then falling screen enclosure on the back of the house. 🇧🇸 Even through all that, it was NOTHING compared to the devastation of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas! Our home is built strong, we had family to evacuate to, we had cans of gas and a generator when we got home to keep our food in our refrigerator from spoiling. We had plenty of water! 🇧🇸 About 17% of all Bahamians are now homeless. That's 70,000 people who have lost almost everything. Dorian destroyed neighborhoods and ripped houses off foundations. Some have nowhere to live and not all food is safe due to some markets having no generators to keep food fresh. I could say much more about their needs, but the bottom line is, they need help! 🇧🇸 A few of you have asked what the challenge rules are and how long it will run. The rules are simple. Post your teal, yellow, and black book stack picture, and make sure you include the hashtag #bahamasawarenesschallenge and tag me. By tagging me you’ll help make it easier for me to share your post in my stories. Limit of one challenge stack per bookstagrammer. 🇧🇸 I used Charity Navigator, an organization that researches charities to learn how much of the funds they raise actually go to the needs of the area and people to which you’re donating. International Relief Teams receives 4 out of 4 stars from Charity Navigator. (Important message continued in comments! (I told you this was lengthy!)

Who’s ready for another stack challenge? This one is near and dear to my heart. Many of us were either threatened, or were in the path of Hurricane Dorian. The Bahamas were hit the hardest. The #bahamasawarenesschallenge will feature bookstacks with the colors of their flag: aquamarine blue (water), yellow (beaches) , and black (strength and will power of the people). Some of these color spines are hard to find, but don’t worry if they’re not exact. Use the hashtag, tag me, and I will donate $1 for each post to International Relief Teams and designate the money for Hurricane Dorian Relief. I’ll also share your post in my stories. 🇧🇸 🇧🇸 #bahamasawarenesschallenge #internationalreliefteams #bahamas #abacos #hurricanedorian #bookstacks #bookstackchallenge #hurricanerelief #careylovestobook

We’re a house divided when it comes to football! My husband has a degree from UF, and my son’s degree is from FSU. Since, Will graduated and moved away, I only have a Florida gator stack with gator paraphenalia! (Sorry @chillwithwill) I’m not a big sports fan, but I simply had to participate in the #schoolspiritstack challenge! I wish y’all could have seen my hubby participating in the staging of this photo! He’s so proud of his team! Oh, and make sure you slide to the second picture! 🐊 🍊 QOTD: Will you be watching college football today? Who’s your team? 🍊 🐊 #careylovestobook #schoolspiritstack #bookstacksaturday #bookstagram #floridagators #bookstagrammademedoit #florida #bookchallenge #universityofflorida #yearofclo #bookwineandmetime

**BOOK REVIEW** I’ve always loved Elin Hilderbrand, so much so that my daughter and I visited Nantucket one summer so we could see and experience the town, the beach, restaurants, etc. As a teacher, I always looked forward to Elin’s annual book being in stores. Her books provided a much needed summertime escape from the classroom! ☀️ Elin’s first historical novel is a success. We still have Nantucket and all that goes with it, but so much more. We’re treated to astronauts and the Apollo 11 moon landing, Woodstock, Senator Ted Kennedy driving off the dike bridge at Chappaquiddick which led to Mary Jo Kopechne’s death, the Vietnam War, bell bottoms, hippies, peace signs, civil protests, big box televisions, no cell phones… the list goes on! As a 50 something woman, I felt as though I was transported back to my childhood. ☀️ In Summer of 69, we meet the dysfunctional Levin family, mother Kate, and her 3 daughters, Blaire, Kirby, and Jesse, and her favorite, a son, nicknamed Tiger. These characters are fleshed out so skillfully that I felt as thought I knew them. Tiger’s draft number is drawn, he goes to war, and the rest of the book we’re anxiously wondering if he will return alive. ☀️ I loved learning in the afterword that Elin has a twin brother, and they were born in 1969. This added to the delight of the story, since the character Blair had twins in 1969, a boy and a girl. Hands down, this is a 5 star read! ☀️ #careylovestobook #bookreview #summerof69 #elinhilderbrand #bookwineandmetime #bookstagram #books #summerreads #tbr #lacroix #audiobooks #audible

Since July & August were big travel months for us, it was a light reading month for me. I keep telling myself, I’m holding no guilt! The Mediterranean won out! ✈️ The books I did get to were oh so fun! Perfect vacation reads! ✈️ QOTD: Do you ever struggle with reading guilt? ✈️ #careylovestobook #readingwrapup #augustwrapup2019 #bookstagram #bookwineandmetime #yearofclo #theunhoneymooners #askagainyes #summerinsantorini #mrseverything #summerof69 #books #booksbooksbooks #summerreads #buddyread

We have Hurricane Dorian out in the Atlantic heading for Florida. Right now I’m grateful we live on the west coast. I’m anxious for Floridians on the east coast/side. I HATE hurricanes! Thank you to all our friends who are calling and messaging with well wishes. I think we’ll be fine...I’m hoping for only wind and heavy rain. This weekend we’ll be hibernating while watching the weather reports or maybe a movie or two! I’ll be diving in deeper to my current buddyread too! 💨 QOTD: what are your plans for the weekend? Do you have any friends or family in Florida? 💨 #careylovesrobook #sayyoustillloveme #bookstagram #bookwineandmetime #currentlyreading #hurricanedorian #hurricanewatch #weekendvibes #buddyread

Happiness is another CLo book! The Unhoneymooners was what I needed as summer comes to a close. 🌺 Ami and Dane get food poisoning at their wedding. It’s too bad, because they had a free paradise honeymoon in Hawaii scheduled. Just when they thought all will be wasted, they come up with a plan. Ami’s twin sister Olive and Dane’s older brother Ethan pretend they’re a happy couple and go in their stead. It’s hilarious because Ami and Ethan have a playful history of eruptive behavior. 🌺 I loved unlucky Olive and hot as hell Josh. Their wild relationship was entertaining. I found myself laughing out loud! 🌺 If you’ve not read this one yet, save this post, read the book, and when you’re done, come back here and tell me what you thought about their paintball adventure! If you’ve already read it, what’d you think? 🌺 #careylovestobook #yearofCLo #theunhoneymooners #summer #read #bookstagram #bookish #hibiscus #bookwineandmetime

@darlareads is still hosting her #mybookmytown challenge! How to Walk Away is next up on my TBR stack. . This photo is of the Edison, Ford, and Firestone bronze sculpture in downtown Fort Myers and is very near the Thomas Edison & Henry Ford winter homes. . My hubby deserves a bodyguard prize for accompanying me on this photo shoot. We shared the scene with a cast of interesting characters. I snapped some photos and asked him “What do you think?” And he said, “I think it’s time to leave.“ He had seen one of the “onlookers” coming toward us to get involved and we were halfway to the car when the guy asked... “you taking a picture of a book?!?!” . The LENGTHS we go to for #Bookstagram!! . Do you have a partner who accompanies you on crazy photo shoots? Do you have a funny stories? . #careylovestobook #bookstagrammer #howtowalkaway #fortmyers #fortmyersflorida #florida #thomasedison #henryford #harveyfirestone #bookchallenge2019 #bookchallenge #bookwineandmetime

***GIVEAWAY CLOSED*** It’s FRIYAY, and time for a GIVEAWAY! Can you believe I won TWO giveaways recently?!?! The sun was shining down on me when I entered @laurayaminreads and @rcbooksandfood giveaways! Soooo…sharing is caring! Y’all already know about this book! It’s been all over bookstagram! . ☀️ WHAT YOU DO: . Like this post. . Follow me and stick around…I’m fun! .Tag a friend in the comments below, (can be done unlimited times). . ☀️ RULES/EXTRAS . U.S. friends only. . 18+ only . Share in stories, once per 24 hours . GIVEAWAY ends 8/27 at 11:59 PM . ☀️ #careylovestoread #therightswipe #bookgiveaway #bookstagram #bookishgiveaway #whattoreadnext #summerreads #bookstagramgiveaway #alisharai

**BOOK REVIEW** . . I had major FOMO for “Ask Again, Yes,” and I’m glad I did! This is a drama about two families. The Gleesons and the Stanhopes are neighbors. Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope both work for the NYPD. They work together on the job, but it’s a different story at home. Anne Stanhope suffers with mental illness, which makes it impossible for the adults to be neighborly; however, their children, Peter Stanhope and Kate Gleeson are best friends whose friendship evolves into much more. . . A horrifying incident occurs that frames the rest of the story. Alcoholism, mental illness, love, commitment, and forgiveness are all woven into the novel. I felt like I knew the characters, that’s how great Keane’s character development is. I’m still pondering this one, asking myself questions, how much alcohol is too much? Would I be able to forgive? Would I stay committed? Ultimately, if I was asked again, would I say yes? . . #careylovestobook #bookreview #AskAgainYes #books #book #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookofthemonth #booklove #reader #booknerd #bookish #marybethkeane #askagainyeswearestillreading

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