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mamawray
Starless Sea | Erin Morgenstern
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I have never read a more unique story. In a strange way it was like reading a french braid - staring with a few stories, picking up new stories and details along the way, just as new strands combine with others to create a more cohesive story. I enjoyed journeying through the Harbors of the Starless Sea and look forward to future adventures.

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mamawray
Pickpick

A wonderful completion to the Fire Eyes journey! I loved how she wrapped up all three couples from each of the books ... I really dislike loose ends! And Lady Ella is such a wonderful character. I learned quite a bit from her.

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mamawray
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Another fun read!

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mamawray
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It's been ages since I read this genre. Full of mystery, action, suspense, romance, and a strong female lead with strong faith woven throughout, it was such a great read! I couldn't put it down!

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mamawray
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Absolutely loved this book! It opened my eyes to the uniqueness of my children and why they sometimes act the way they do. It has helped me interact with them more positively and teach them more effectively! Can't recommend this book enough!

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mamawray
The Burning Maze | Rick Riordan
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This book felt more serious than any of his others. More loss and sadness. The story was still great, but I was a bit caught off guard.

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mamawray
Murderous Relation | Deanna Raybourn
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Another great adventure! I did feel like there was less back and forth banter with Stoker and Veronica which was disappointing. That being said, it was still a fun read. Hoping there will be another, but if not I felt the ending did well to wrap up some things.

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mamawray
Pickpick

What a fascinating idea! It was a slow start for me and I questioned where it was going, but when it finally took off ... woah! And I felt the ending was just perfect. Really enjoyed it.

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mamawray
Pickpick

I really enjoyed her perspectives in a lot of areas. I'm the kind of person that sometimes needs to be told it's ok to take up space, say no, and set boundaries. This book was so much of that! I felt so encouraged and excited for the possibilities!

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mamawray
The Hammer of Thor | Rick Riordan
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I have always loved the stories of gods and goddesses, but Riordan is incredibly at making these ancient stories flow effortlessly into modern life! Not only did he pull it off again, but also incorporated some other really neat yet tricky elements to this story. I love how he handled everything! Such a fun book!

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mamawray
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I love how well Riordan weaves ancient mythology into modern day! And his characters are hilarious. It was fun to watch Apollo grow and learn throughout the book. I loved that he had made changes by the end, but still had some of his old thinking. Felt more relatable. Overall another fun Riordan book!

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mamawray
The Sword of Summer | Rick Riordan
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I love how effortlessly Rick Riordan weaves together these mythological worlds and legends into modern day. Such a fun read!

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mamawray
Body of Evidence | Patricia Cornwell
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I enjoyed the suspense and mystery while appreciating fewer gruesome scenes than her first book. Overall it was fun to figure out all the pieces along the way.

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mamawray
Postmortem | Patricia Cornwell
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I loved the mystery, discovering the clues, and making guesses, but the actual crimes were incredibly gruesome. Overall, I did enjoy this and look forward to checking out the next Scarpetta book!

phantomx I'm glad you enjoyed it. I liked the story a lot too. Sadly, I haven't continued this series, and its been quite awhile since I've read the first book. Let me know what you think about the second book. 4y
mamawray Will do! My library offered Scarpetta "Volume 1" so the first and second books were bound together. Built in motivation to read the second one! 4y
2 likes2 comments
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mamawray
The Case for Jamie | Brittany Cavallaro
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The book started off rough for me. Part of what I love about this series is the back and forth between Watson and Holmes. Having them apart for so long was disappointing, but the ending made up for it! I'm looking forward to seeing what trouble they get into next!

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mamawray
Pickpick

As a mom of 3 ages 4 and under, I really needed these reminders! The book does an incredible job of drawing our attention to the fact that no one is perfect. It pointed out we compare our insides to someone else's outsides. And how we ignore our strengths and instead focus on our weaknesses, not allowing any grace. I recommend this for any stressed, tired mamas ... or women in general. There's truth and encouragement for us all in here!

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mamawray

If we internally expect perfection, we will constantly be dissatisfied, disappointed, and discouraged. We need the courage to be honest with ourselves that perfection is impossible.

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mamawray
Mehso-so

The idea for this book sounded interesting, but it was hard to get into. The first 1/3 of the book felt like a forced introduction to the characters. Clearly there were features the author wanted us to know, but they were explained simply by repeating them.

The last maybe 50 pages made up for the slowness of the beginning. The writing paired with certain themes make it less likely I will read the next in the series.

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mamawray
A Dangerous Collaboration | Deanna Raybourn
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With every book I fall a little more in love with these characters! This is my favorite so far although I can't wait to read the next in line. And I'm loving the developments between Stocker and Veronica!

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mamawray
Calm My Anxious Heart | Linda Dillow
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As a worrier, this book was a really helpful read. The author served as a missionary in Eastern Europe for many years and I loved hearing her stories from that time. It helped put some things into better perspective.

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mamawray
Calm My Anxious Heart | Linda Dillow
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Practicing thankfulness can be so hard. This section was really convicting and gave me a good place to start in kicking off 2020 right!

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mamawray
The The Last of August | Brittany Cavallaro
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Another thrilling chase, but I must say I didnt enjoy it near as much as the first book. The ending seemed so rushed and abrupt. Not what I was hoping. Interested in seeing how the 3rd book goes!

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mamawray
The Night Circus | Erin Morgenstern
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This was such an interesting read and ingeniously written! The story weaves around just like the whole plot feels. It's hard to describe how perfectly every piece fit together. It was a neat concept and although the ending wasn't exactly what I hoped, it was perfect for the book.

CoffeeNBooks I read this recently- great book! 4y
cjk One of my favorites! Her new book is fantastic as well. 4y
mamawray Ooo! I'll have to check that out, @cjk ! 4y
14 likes3 comments
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mamawray
Pickpick

While heartwrenching at times, this book follows the life of Irena Sendler, a Polish woman who, along with her network of friends, rescued roughly 2,500 Jewish children from the Jewish Ghetto in Warsaw. It was incredible to read of the brutalities these people faced, but also encouraging to read of the many people who worked to rescue so many. The stories are simply unbelievable. Their courage was incredible. And their stories warrant being heard.

2 likes1 stack add
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mamawray
Treacherous Curse | Deanna Raybourn
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I love this series! Veronica and Stoker's relationship is so fun and I love how it grows and develops as we go. Looking forward to picking up the next one!

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mamawray
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We read this as a family read aloud. I wasn't sure how our 4 and 2 year olds would enjoy it, but they loved it! We started each reading by recapping what we read the night before and then summarized the chapters at the end to help them follow. Our 4 year old especially loved the idea of the White Witch and Aslan! Plus Father Christmas shows up in one chapter. Oh and talking animals? Yep. Big hit!

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mamawray
A Study in Charlotte | Brittany Cavallaro
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This was a really neat read! Cavallari did a great job of recreating that Watson and Holmes relationship in a new, unique way. It's clear that these characters are descendants of the famous Sherlock and Watson (therefore sharing characteristics), but also their own people (younger and in a different time period).

I'm looking forward to picking up the next in the series!

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mamawray
The Hiding Place | Corrie ten Boom, Elizabeth Sherrill, John Sherrill
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This book details the incredible efforts of the ten Boom family in hiding Jews in Holland during WWII. I am astounded at the courage and faith this family exhibited. Although the content could be hard to read at times, God's love and grace shown through it all. It has brought new perspective and has encouraged me greatly in my own walk with the Lord.

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mamawray
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This book was incredible. As a type A, driven, people-pleaser, this put words to situations and feelings I've encountered, but never knew how to put into words. It started a little slow, but the second half of my copy is book-eared all over to mark sections that were particularly meaningful to me. I would definitely recommend this one!

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mamawray
A Perilous Undertaking | Deanna Raybourn
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I absolutely love these books! Veronica and Stoker have such an incredible chemistry that is touching in moments and laugh out loud in others! Quickly becoming one of my favorites!

As a caution, Veronica, the main character, is very in touch with her sexuality which comes up often throughout the book. There are not explicit acts described, but much of the book revolves around this topic. Just to know as you decide whether it's the book for you!

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mamawray
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Absolutely incredible. So well researched and full of a history I had never been taught. I would recommend this book to anyone. It's a tough read as you learn about the history of convict leasing and other brutalities, but one which is important that we not hide from. I strongly encourage you to pick it up!

2 likes1 stack add
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mamawray
Mehso-so

This was a tough book to review because while it was funny and entertaining, it wasn't anything like what I expected. It gives the idea that it will focus on perseverance in the small things, but ended up being a collection of memoirs with the occasional discussion of God working in the little moments. Don't get me wrong, it was very funny, just not what I imagined based on the description.

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mamawray
Sunset of the Sabertooth | Mary Pope Osborne
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My kids love the adventures of Jack and Annie. And I love all the teaching moments it offers. This installment is just another fun adventure!

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mamawray
Afternoon on the Amazon | Mary Pope Osborne
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My kids are loving Jack and Annie's adventures. While we enjoyed this one as well, there were several parts that could be scary for some kids (snakes, crocodiles, vampire bats, etc), but they did a good job at the end pointing out that these animals aren't mean, they're just doing what they need to do to live. My kids love learning about animals so it led to a lot of fun questions we could incorporate into school!

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mamawray
Outlander | Diana Gabaldon
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This book took me a long time to go through and covered a LOT of plot, but it was so good! It's a wonderful historical fiction. There are a lot of "intimate" moments between characters and some fairly graphic violence so if that turns you away it may not be for you (just so you're not caught off guard).

Overall, it was a fun book to read ... despite feeling like I just finished 3 books worth of storyline!

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mamawray
Outlander | Diana Gabaldon
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Not gonna lie, I'm super excited to read this as I've heard great things, but also a little intimidated by its sheer enormity! 😁😯

audraelizabeth I have found that once I get into the story I fly through them. 5y
mamawray Very true! I'm loving it so far! 5y
13 likes2 comments
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mamawray
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This book was like reading a Hallmark movie! After reading a few reviews about it being a little slow I almost put it back on the shelf (I typically prefer adventure/mystery), but I'm so glad I determined to read it! I loved seeing the transformation of the 3 main character as they each navigated their way through a tough, life-changing season. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey!

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mamawray
Pirates Past Noon | Mary Pope Osborne
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After reading this my daughter wants to play pirates all the time! It can be a bit intense and suspenseful for little ones, but they loved the adventure!

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mamawray
Curious Beginning | Deanna Raybourn
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I absolutely LOVED everything about this book! The characters were fascinating, the mystery, the history, it was all splendid! On my way to find more by Deanna Raybourn.....😊

8 likes1 stack add
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mamawray
Pickpick

My first ever audiobook and I loved it! Read by the actor who plays Newt Scamander, it was a fun depiction of all the magical creatures, both those used in the Harry Potter series and some that are not. I'm not sure if the paper book would be quite as much fun though.

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mamawray
Pickpick

It took me a long time to read (new baby), but I got a lot out of this book. It was a great reminder for me to look to God to be all that I need instead of striving to do it all on my own.

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mamawray
Mummies in the Morning | Mary Pope Osborne
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Mehso-so

It was another fun adventure with Jack and Annie, but contains ghosts, mummies, and other somewhat scary scenes for littles ones (my kids are 4 and 2). They still really enjoyed it, but I questioned whether to just skip this book. We read this during breakfast and they seemed ok. Just surprised at the somewhat spooky themes.

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mamawray
Knight at Dawn | Mary Pope Osborne
Mehso-so

I still really love this series, but am thankful I was doing this as a read aloud for my little ones. There were a couple times with name calling that I was surprised about. Since I was reading, I could just skip over it. Otherwise we really enjoyed the Knight and castle!

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mamawray
Pickpick

I loved the format. Quick, relatable devotions followed by thought provoking questions. Great practical advice woven throughout along with the questions to help you personalize and focus on application.

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mamawray
Midwinter Blood | Marcus Sedgwick
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Mehso-so

This was my attempt at trying a different genre than normal and while it wasnt awful, it also wasn't a favorite. The book contains 7 stories that flow together with little details here and there. I always felt like I was starting a story but that it finished before the end. But my desire to see how these stories flowed together and to see how the story began, drove me forward in reading. It was entertaining but not one a would leap to recommend.

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mamawray
Dinosaurs Before Dark | Mary Pope Osborne
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This was a great introduction to chapter books for my 4 and 2 year olds...and it didn't hurt that it had dinosaurs in it! Simple plot line and easy sentences for them to follow with just a few fun pictures. We really enjoyed it and look forward to reading book 2 next week!

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mamawray
Vacation Under the Volcano | Mary Pope Osborne
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My 4 and 2 year olds really enjoyed this book! And mommy loved that there were snippets of facts woven throughout. Made us all want to learn more about volcanoes!