This is my monthly roundup of books that were added to my shelves in the last month. I also share an update with you on other things going on in my life.

Family and Life Update

Porch season has finally arrived! I spend nearly every spare moment out here in the summer and it just makes me so happy!

We watched Reagan perform their show choir show for the last time. Patrick was even home to watch!

My mom had a doctor appointment near the nursing home where her aunt lives. So, we stopped by for a quick visit. My mom is 82 (on the right) and my great-aunt is 95. We had such a fun, joy-filled visit.

Reagan finished her sophomore year of high school!

Our boys are fully into their summer routines and summer is officially upon us with last Friday being the last day of school for Reagan. I have just returned from a trip to Northern Minnesota for a family graduation and I’m ready to glide into the summer, slow-paced schedule! Have you seen my post about summer reading? Check it out, HERE.

Be sure to check out all the books below! Let me know which ones you are interested in reading or hearing more about!

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Be sure to follow me on Instagram, HERE to see snippets of what I’m reading or what’s going on in my daily life.

If you have missed any of my recent book reviews, you can see all of them by clicking, HERE.  Or you can stay up to date with my monthly Quick Lit Roundup.

If you choose to make a purchase through any of the links I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase.

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BREATH

The New Science of a Lost Art

By: James Nest

Published: May 26, 2020

Publisher: Riverhead Books

Non-Fiction

Format: Hardcover purchase

I heard Laura Tremaine talk about this book on her podcast, “10 Things to Tell You” and I knew I had to read it.

No matter what you eat, how much you exercise, how skinny or young or wise you are, none of it matters if you’re not breathing properly.

There is nothing more essential to our health and well-being than breathing: take air in, let it out, repeat twenty-five thousand times a day. Yet, as a species, humans have lost the ability to breathe correctly, with grave consequences.

Journalist James Nestor travels the world to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. The answers aren’t found in pulmonology labs, as we might expect, but in the muddy digs of ancient burial sites, secret Soviet facilities, New Jersey choir schools, and the smoggy streets of Sao Paulo. Nestor tracks down men and women exploring the hidden science behind ancient breathing practices like Pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya, and Tummo and teams up with pulmonary tinkerers to scientifically test long-held beliefs about how we breathe.

Modern research is showing us that making even slight adjustments to the way we inhale and exhale can jump-start athletic performance; rejuvenate internal organs; halt snoring, asthma, and autoimmune disease; and even straighten scoliotic spines. None of this should be possible, and yet it is.

Drawing on thousands of years of medical texts and recent cutting-edge studies in pulmonology, psychology, biochemistry, and human physiology, Breath turns the conventional wisdom of what we thought we knew about our most basic biological function on its head. You will never breathe the same again.

GRAVE RESERVATIONS

By: Cherie Priest

Published: October 26, 2021

Publisher: Atria Books

Fiction

Format: Paperback

This one intrigued me. Not my usual read, but I’m very interested in it.

Meet Leda Foley: devoted friend, struggling travel agent, and inconsistent psychic. When Leda, sole proprietor of Foley’s Flights of Fancy, impulsively re-books Seattle PD detective Grady Merritt’s flight, her life changes in ways she couldn’t have predicted.

After watching his original plane blow up from the safety of the airport, Grady realizes that Leda’s special abilities could help him with a cold case he just can’t crack.

Despite her scattershot premonitions, she agrees for a secret reason: her fiancé’s murder remains unsolved. Leda’s psychic abilities couldn’t help the case several years before, but she’s been honing her skills and drawing a crowd at her favorite bar’s open-mic nights, where she performs Klairvoyant Karaoke—singing whatever song comes to mind when she holds people’s personal effects. Now joined by a rag-tag group of bar patrons and pals alike, Leda and Grady set out to catch a killer—and learn how the two cases that haunt them have more in common than they ever suspected.

THE TITANIC SISTERS

By: Patricia Falvey

Published: January 26, 2021

Publisher: Kensington

Historical Fiction

Format: Paperback purchase

I read Patricia Falvey’s THE YELLOW HOUSE years ago and loved it. When I saw she had a book out about the Titanic, I had to get it.

Sisters Nora and Delia have been given the chance of a lifetime – to escape their poor Irish farm and travel on the Titanic to a new life in America. Delia is to become a treasured governess for a rich family, while Nora has only a lowly maid’s position.

But when disaster strikes and Delia dies, a small misunderstanding leads to Nora taking Delia’s place as governess. As Nora grows closer to her charge, and the girl’s father, will she be able to reveal the truth to find a chance at happiness? And what will happen when she finds out that Delia is actually alive, and coming to take what is rightfully hers…?

ONE TWO THREE

By: Laurie Frankel

Published: June 8, 2021

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co

Fiction

Format: Paperback win from Goodreads

I loved Laurie Frankel’s book THIS IS HOW IT ALWAYS IS, so I was thrilled to find out I won this through a Goodreads giveaway. I started reading on the airplane this week and I am loving it!

In a town where nothing ever changes, suddenly everything does…

Everyone knows everyone in the tiny town of Bourne, but the Mitchell triplets are especially beloved. Mirabel is the smartest person anyone knows, and no one doubts it just because she can’t speak. Monday is the town’s purveyor of books now that the library’s closed―tell her the book you think you want, and she’ll pull the one you actually do from the microwave or her sock drawer. Mab’s job is hardest of all: get good grades, get into college, get out of Bourne.

For a few weeks seventeen years ago, Bourne was national news when its water turned green. The girls have come of age watching their mother’s endless fight for justice. But just when it seems life might go on the same forever, the first moving truck anyone’s seen in years pulls up and unloads new residents and old secrets. Soon, the Mitchell sisters are taking on a system stacked against them and uncovering mysteries buried longer than they’ve been alive. Because it’s hard to let go of the past when the past won’t let go of you.

Three unforgettable narrators join together here to tell a spellbinding story with wit, wonder, and deep affection. As she did in This Is How It Always Is, Laurie Frankel has written a laugh-out-loud-on-one-page-grab-a-tissue-the-next novel, as only she can, about how expanding our notions of normal makes the world a better place for everyone and how when days are darkest, it’s our daughters who will save us all.

DOVETAILS IN TALL GRASS

By: Samantha Specks

Published: August 24, 2021

Publisher: SparkPress

Historical Fiction

Format: Paperback

I am deeply interested in this one.

As war overtakes the frontier, Emma’s family farmstead is attacked by Dakota-Sioux warriors; on that same prairie, Oenikika desperately tries to hold on to her calling as a healer and follow the orders of her father, Chief Little Crow. When the war is over and revenge-fueled war trials begin, each young woman is faced with an impossible choice. In a swiftly changing world, both Emma and Oenikika must look deep within and fight for the truth of their convictions—even as horror and injustice unfolds all around them.

Inspired by the true story of the thirty-eight Dakota-Sioux men hanged in Minnesota in 1862—the largest mass execution in US history—Dovetails in Tall Grass is a powerful tale of two young women connected by the fate of one man. 

WHAT A HAPPY FAMILY

By: Saumya Dave

Published: June 22, 2021

Publisher: Berkley

Fiction

Format: eBook

I love a good family story, especially one that has a different background from mine. This author also wrote WELL-BEHAVED INDIAN WOMEN, which is on my list.

From the outside, the Joshi family is the quintessential Indian-American family. Decades ago, Bina and Deepak immigrated to America, where she became a pillar of their local Indian community and he, a successful psychiatrist. Their eldest daughter, Suhani, is following the footsteps of her father’s career and happily married. Natasha, their middle daughter, is about to become engaged to the son of longtime family friends. And Anuj, their son—well he’s a son, and what could be better than that?

But a family scandal shows that nothing is as it seems. Bina’s oldest friendship starts to unravel and she finds herself as an outsider in the community she helped build. Suhani discovers that her perfect marriage isn’t as solid as she thought. Natasha faces a series of rejections that send her into a downward spiral.

As they encounter public humiliation, gossiping aunties, and self-doubt, the Joshi family must rely on each other like never before. But sometimes, family has to fall apart in order to come back stronger than before.

THE LAST CHANCE LIBRARY

By: Freya Sampson

Published: August 31, 2021

Publisher: Berkley

Fiction

Format: eBook

People who work to keep their library open is my kind of story!

Lonely librarian June Jones has never left the sleepy English village where she grew up. Shy and reclusive, the thirty-year-old would rather spend her time buried in books than venture out into the world. But when her library is threatened with closure, June is forced to emerge from behind the shelves to save the heart of her community and the place that holds the dearest memories of her mother.

Joining a band of eccentric yet dedicated locals in a campaign to keep the library, June opens herself up to other people for the first time since her mother died. It just so happens that her old school friend Alex Chen is back in town and willing to lend a helping hand. The kindhearted lawyer’s feelings for her are obvious to everyone but June, who won’t believe that anyone could ever care for her in that way.

To save the place and the books that mean so much to her, June must finally make some changes to her life. For once, she’s determined not to go down without a fight. And maybe, in fighting for her cherished library, June can save herself, too.

HOW TO KILL YOUR BEST FRIEND

By: Lexie Elliott

Published: August 17, 2021

Publisher: Berkley

Fiction

Format: eBook

I loved Elliott’s THE FRENCH GIRL, so I’m thrilled to check out her newest thriller!

Georgie, Lissa, and Bronwyn have been inseparable since dominating their college swim team; swimming has always been an escape from their own problems, but now their shared passion has turned deadly. How can it be true that Lissa, the strongest swimmer they know, drowned? Granted, there is something strange about Kanu Cove, where Lissa was last seen, swimming off the coast of the fabulous island resort she owned with her husband.

Lissa’s closest friends gather at the resort to honor her life, but Georgie and Bron can’t seem to stop looking over their shoulders. Danger lurks beneath the surface of the crystal-clear water, and even their luxurious private villas can’t help them feel safe. As the weather turns ominous, trapping the funeral guests together on the island, nobody knows who they can trust. Lissa’s death was only the beginning….

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ALL PEOPLE ARE BEAUTIFUL

By: Vincent Kelly

Illustrated by: Cha Consul

Published: April 2, 2021

Publisher: Greater You Books

Non-Fiction

Format: Paperback Picture Book

Vincent Kelly’s book, THE AWESOME THINGS I LOVE is such a great children’s book so I had to check out his newest one too.

An important book for early readers that highlights the beauty of our differences. All people are beautiful. All cultures are beautiful. All languages are beautiful. Celebrating our differences is beautiful. What better way to talk about diversity and acceptance than with bright colors, fun artwork, and interactive ways children can enjoy while they read. Enjoy learning a few new words in different languages and even use your creativity in some of the in-book activities! 

KYLE’S LITTLE SISTER

By: BonHyung Jeong

Published: June 22, 2021

Publisher: JY

Fiction/Graphic Novel

Format: Paperback

Graphic novels are so popular among young readers and I’ve been trying to read more of them just so I can have conversations with kids at school about the books they are reading. This one about a sister in a popular brother’s shadow sounds so good. It’s the author’s debut and just skimming it, I can’t wait to read it.

My name is Grace, not “Kyle’s little sister!”

Having a good-looking, friendly, outgoing older brother sucks—especially when you’re the total opposite, someone who likes staying home and playing video games. Your parents like him better (even if they deny it!), and everyone calls you “Kyle’s little sister” while looking disappointed that you’re not more like him. I was really hoping I’d get to go to a different middle school, but no such luck. At least I have my friends…until he finds a way to ruin that, too…! Argh! What do I have to do to get out of his shadow?!

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS ALMANAC 2022

Published: May 4, 2021

Publisher: National Geographic Kids

Non-Fiction

Format: Paperback

I loved almanacs as a kid and still do now. I’ve read these since 2018 and always learn something new.

Kids can have fun keeping up with our quickly changing world with the New York Times best-selling almanac, packed with incredible photos, tons of fun facts, adventures with National Geographic Explorers, crafts, activities, and fascinating features about animals, science, nature, technology, conservation, and more. The 2022 edition features a new Kids vs. Plastic chapter, packed with ideas on how you can reduce your plastic waste. There’s a whole chapter full of fun and games, including activities, jokes, and comics. Practical reference material, including fast facts and maps of every country, is fully updated.

101 LIFE HACKS

Genius Ways to Simplify Your World

By: Aubre Andrus

Published: April 20, 2021

Publisher: National Geographic Kids

Non-Fiction

Format: Paperback

I love life hacks. I watch life hack videos all the time. I can’t wait to learn something from this book. Andrus also wrote FETCH, a dog training guide for kids.

Upcycle, recycle, and/or repurpose your stuff and engineer your way out of all kinds of sticky situations–all while learning about science and sustainability as you do it! Make cool lantern lights for your room, discover a tried-and-true brain freeze cure, learn how to boost your memory power, and more. In this easy-to-follow guide, kids get tips and tricks for upcycling and reusing old stuff, as well as hands-on activities, fun facts, and insights from professional-grade life hackers who use their problem-solving skills to change the world.
By the end, you’ll be able to hack your way through all kinds of problems, from a messy backpack to stage fright, a drippy ice pop to smelly shoes!

MORE SURPRISING STORIES BEHIND EVERYDAY STUFF

By: Stephanie Warren Drimmer

Published: April 6, 2021

Publisher: National Geographic Kids

Non-Fiction

Format: Paperback

The first SURPRISING STORIES BEHIND EVERYDAY STUFF was fun and fascinating. A perfect book for summer reading.

Ever wonder how haunted houses got their spooky rep; where cheese originally came from; and when and where people decided hitting a tiny ball with a long stick (ahem, golf?) was their idea of fun? Prepare to be amazed by the surprising backstories behind the things you use or do every day! From familiar foods and common clothing items to bizarre beauty regimens and quirky products, this book covers all your burning questions: Who thought of that? Where did that come from? Why is that a thing?

This riveting little treasure is jam-packed with awesome facts, fun stories, and colorful visuals. Once you know all this cool stuff about the origins of everyday stuff, you can “wow” your friends and family.

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Which one (or two or three) of these books will you be adding to your list?

To see all the posts featuring new books on my shelves, click HERE.

So many books, so little time!