This is my monthly roundup of books that I added to my shelves in September 2024. Some of the books came directly from authors or publishers, others were a purchase or a gift. You’ll find books from all kinds of genres including adult and children’s books. I’ll even share a few updates from our family’s life in the last month as well.

Family and Life Update

My mom wanted to tour the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home, Cedar Rock, which is just about 45 minutes from my home. What a fascinating tour of the home that has been preserved and looks just like the owners are still living there. Tours are only allowed during the late spring to early fall, so add this to your list for next year! For more details, check out the website, HERE.

My mom and I had such a fun day touring this beautiful home and this peaceful area of Iowa.

Our close friends got married on their farm, up on the hill behind their house. So, a hayrack ride to the ceremony was needed. It was such a beautiful day for a wedding.

My mom and I went on another adventure to visit her sister in Northern Minnesota. On the drive, we stopped by this billboard for Walker General Store near Hackensack, Minnesota. My mom is the oldest/tallest in the photo. The original photograph in the billboard was taken in 1949/1950 with 3 of her four sisters. Mom had to reenact the pose!

One of the things we did during our visit was walk through the Big Bog State Recreation Area in Waskish, Minnesota. What an amazing hike. Underneath all this grass is a wet, squishy bog. It was so beautiful and peaceful. There were so many mushrooms and interesting plants that I’d never seen before. I highly recommend going if you are in the area.

This pond at the entrance to the park was so lovely.

Our third wedding in a month was for a high school classmate of Bennett’s. What a fun evening celebrating them!

Now on to the books! 

I finished 9 books in September. Three of them were middle-grade fiction and nonfiction for review. Five of them were fiction, one nonfiction, and three of them were audiobooks. 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.

Clicking the photos of each book will take you to a link to purchase. If you choose to purchase through any of the links, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase.

Adult Fiction and Non-Fiction

HOW TO SHARE AN EGG
A True Story of Hunger, Love, and Plenty
By: Bonny Reichert
Published: January 21, 2025
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Non-Fiction/Memoir
Format: eBook for Review

Everything about this memoir interests me. I can’t wait to read it and share it with you.

When you’re raised by someone who once survived on potato peels and coffee grounds, you develop a pretty healthy respect for food.Bonny Reichert avoided everything to do with the Holocaust until she found herself, in midlife, suddenly typing those words into an article she was writing. The journalist had grown up hearing stories about her father’s near-starvation and ultimate survival in Auschwitz-Birkenau, but she never imagined she would be able to face this epic legacy head on. Then a chance encounter with a perfect bowl of borscht in Warsaw set Bonny on a journey to unearth her culinary lineage, and she began to dig for the roots of her food obsession, dish by dish. Tracing the defining moments of her life, from her colorful childhood in the restaurant business to the crumbling of her first marriage and the intensity of young motherhood, her decision to become a chef and that life-altering visit to Poland, the author recounts a tale of scarcity and plenty, stepping into the kitchen to connect her past to her future. Whether it’s the flaky potato knishes and molasses porridge bread she learned to bake at her Baba Sarah’s elbow, the creamy vichyssoise she taught herself to cook in her tiny student apartment, or the brown butter eggs her father, now 93, still scrambles for her whenever she needs comfort, cuisine is both an anchor and an identity; a source of joy and a signifier of survival.How to Share an Egg is a journey of deep flavors and surprising contrasts. By turns sweet, salty, sour, and bitter, this is one woman’s search to find her voice as a writer, chef, mother and daughter. Do the tiny dramas of her own life matter in comparison to everything her father has seen and done? This moving exploration of heritage, inheritance, and self-discovery sets out to find the answer.

THE LOVE ELIXER OF AUGUSTA STERN
By: Lynda Cohen Loigman
Published: October 8, 2024
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Historical Fiction
Format: Hardcover purchase

This was my Book of the Month choice. I shared Lynda’s book, THE TWO FAMILY HOUSE back in 2017 and loved it. I was excited to see she had another new novel.

On the cusp of turning eighty, newly retired pharmacist Augusta Stern is adrift. When she relocates to Rallentando Springs—an active senior community in southern Florida—she unexpectedly crosses paths with Irving Rivkin, the delivery boy from her father’s old pharmacy—and the man who broke her heart sixty years earlier.

As a teenager growing up in 1920’s Brooklyn, Augusta’s role model was her father, Solomon Stern, the trusted owner of the local pharmacy and the neighborhood expert on every ailment. But when Augusta’s mother dies and Great Aunt Esther moves in, Augusta can’t help but be drawn to Esther’s curious methods. As a healer herself, Esther offers Solomon’s customers her own advice—unconventional remedies ranging from homemade chicken soup to a mysterious array of powders and potions.

As Augusta prepares for pharmacy college, she is torn between loyalty to her father and fascination with her great aunt, all while navigating a budding but complicated relationship with Irving. Desperate for clarity, she impulsively uses Esther’s most potent elixir with disastrous consequences. Disillusioned and alone, Augusta vows to reject Esther’s enchantments forever.

Sixty years later, confronted with Irving, Augusta is still haunted by the mistakes of her past. What happened all those years ago and how did her plan go so spectacularly wrong? Did Irving ever truly love her or was he simply playing a part? And can Augusta reclaim the magic of her youth before it’s too late?

THE SMALL AND THE MIGHTY
Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement
By: Sharon McMahon
Published: September 24, 2024
Publisher: Thesis
Non-Fiction
Format: Hardcover purchase

Of course, I’m a huge fan of Sharon of the popular Instagram account SharonSaysSo and everyone’s favorite Government teacher. I preordered her book immediately and am so excited to read it.

America’s favorite government teacher offers thrilling, heartfelt stories of ordinary American heroes. Most pundits and historians sell a dangerously naïve version of the American story—either praising its most consequential figures uncritically or criticizing them unfairly. Sharon McMahon believes the truth is more human. In her debut book The Small and the Mighty, she tells the inpiring stories of twelve Americans–regular people with human foibles–whose extraordinary heroism in the face of mounting trials created the character of our country. With the same clarity and candor that’s earned her millions of fans, McMahon follows the daughter of formerly enslaved parents who sparked a reformation in Black education, a Japanese immigrant who nearly died in combat and became a consequential Senator, and even the electrician who saved her husband’s life. Her unforgettable prose and meticulous research tell the story of America from the perspective of the unsung heroes whose devotion to their country will restore your faith in the American dream.The portraits of our nation’s most improbable champions, innovators, and rebels in this book celebrate the United States and reveal our common humanity. The Small and the Mighty is the encouragement we all need in an age of doomscrolling and division.

THE GROWING SEASON
How I Built a New Life-and Saved an American Farm
By: Sarah Frey
Published: August 25, 2020
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Non-Fiction
Format: Hardcover

I found this in a Little Free Library and snagged it. I’ve had this on my reading list and a good friend also told me she enjoyed it.

The youngest of her parents’ combined twenty-one children, Sarah Frey grew up on a struggling farm in southern Illinois, often having to grow, catch, or hunt her own dinner alongside her brothers. She spent much of her early childhood dreaming of running away to the big city–or really anywhere with central heating. At fifteen, she moved out of her family home and started her own fresh produce delivery business with nothing more than an old pickup truck.

Two years later, when the family farm faced inevitable foreclosure, Frey gave up on her dreams of escape, took over the farm, and created her own produce company. Refusing to play by traditional rules, at seventeen she began talking her way into suit-filled boardrooms, making deals with the nation’s largest retailers. Her early negotiations became so legendary that Harvard Business School published some of her deals as case studies, which have turned out to be favorites among its students.

Today, her family-operated company, Frey Farms, has become one of America’s largest fresh produce growers and shippers, with farmland spread across seven states. Thanks to the millions of melons and pumpkins she sells annually, Frey has been dubbed “America’s Pumpkin Queen” by the national press.

The Growing Season tells the inspiring story of how a scrappy rural childhood gave Frey the grit and resiliency to take risks that paid off in unexpected ways. Rather than leaving her community, she found adventure and opportunity in one of the most forgotten parts of our country. With fearlessness and creativity, she literally dug her destiny out of the dirt.

Children’s Fiction and Non-Fiction

KID QUEST
The Game Where Kids Find Out What Grown-Ups Were Like As Kids
Published: October 29, 2024
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Format: Card Game

This looks like such a great family activity. It would be perfect for dinnertime, road trips, or family game nights! Traveling for the upcoming holidays? Add this one to your list!

The adults kids love were kids once—what were they like? With KidQuest, kids take charge and ask adults questions to find out.

With 100 cards in eight categories (Home, School, Friends, Work, Personality, Inner Life, Big Life, and Humor), kids ask adults thoughtful as well as “just for fun” questions about what it was like to be a kid. The result? More connected relationships and lots of laughs!

Perfect for game night, car rides, bedtime, or mealtime—anytime, really! A bonus game component lets kids give points to an adult’s responses, and a “Celebration” card lets kids ask anything they want! Let the kid questing begin!

INVISIBLE THINGS FEELINGS FLASH CARDS
By: Andy J. Pizza and Sophie Miller
Published: October 1, 2024
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Format: Flash Cards

I previously shared the book, INVISIBLE THINGS with you last summer. It was so good, that I passed my copy on to our elementary guidance counselor.

What Invisible Things will you discover today? These stylish feelings flash cards introduce 19 different personified emotions—plus 1 blank make-your-own card to personalize. Each durable card features a wacky illustration of an Invisible Thing on one side and a fun description on the reverse.

From Feelings Charades to picking an Invisible Thing of the Week, there are so many ways to use these cards! 

GET THE GIGGLES
An Invisible Things Book
By: Andy J. Pizza and Sophie Miller
Published: October 1, 2024
Publisher: Chronicle Kids
Fiction
Format: Board Book

A new board book series to go along with the INVISIBLE THINGS book and flashcards including GET THE GIGGLES and FEEL CALM.

Bring on the giggles with this wonderfully wacky board book from the creators of the New York Times bestseller​ Invisible Things. When you feel fed up, how do you lift your mood? Laugh out loud as you turn the pages to see how funny pretend laughter can be! With this book in hand, take a moment to be silly, boost your mood, and experience joy and connection through laughter.Invisible Things introduced the wonderful concept of exploring the invisible things that make up the human experience, encouraging us to look past the visible and connect with the things that are not seen. This inviting board book brings the idea into an interactive format, offering kids a fun and engaging way to learn about their emotions

FEEL CALM
An Invisible Things Book
By: Andy J. Pizza and Sophie Miller
Published: October 1, 2024
Publisher: Chronicle Kids
Fiction
Format: Board Book

From the creators of the New York Times bestseller​ Invisible Things, this hands-on board book leads toddlers on a whimsical and reassuring journey from chaos to calm. When you feel wound up, how do you get the knots out? Follow along to unwind the tangled mess of ups, downs, and loop the loops and find the way back to calm. With this book in hand, take a moment to pause, take a deep breath, and practice mindfulness and grounding techniques perfectly suited for young readers.Invisible Things introduced the wonderful concept of exploring the invisible things that make up the human experience, encouraging us to look past the visible and connect with the things that are not seen. This inviting board book brings the idea into an interactive format, offering kids a great way to explore and take charge of their emotions.

MY HAIR IS LIKE YOURS
By: St. Clair Detrick-Jules
Illustrated by: Tabitha Brown
Published: October 8, 2024
Publisher: Chronicle Kids
Fiction
Format: Board Book

Babies love looking at other babies and especially seeing babies that look like them. A mirror at the end is a fun surprise. They also collaborated on MY HAIR IS LIKE THE SUN.

Cornrows, curls, fros, and swirls!  How do you wear your hair? Featuring photographs of real kids whose hairstyles match those of family and friends, little ones will love seeing themselves mirrored in these pages and in the world around them. Beautifully photographed by St. Clair Detrick-Jules and with vibrant illustrations by Tabitha Brown, this timeless children’s book celebrates community and joyful self-expression.

DOG’S FIRST CHRISTMAS
Dog and Cat First series #3
By: Natalie Nelson
Published: October 1, 2024
Publisher: Quirk Books
Fiction
Format: Board Book

What a cute book for a baby’s first Christmas!

See these branches? They’re not for tugging.
See this ball? It’s not for fetching.

It’s the holiday season, and Dog smells a change in the air. With his new friend Baby by his side, Dog investigates the many strange occurrences in their home—like a tree in the living room, fragile balls that are not for fetching, and friends new and old—as he gets into the Christmas spirit with his family.

This next book in the beloved Dog and Cat’s First series will inspire canines and humans alike to cuddle up and celebrate the season together.

CHRISTMAS CHEER IS EVERYWHERE
By: Wednesday Kirwan
Published: October 8, 2024
Publisher: Chronicle Kids
Fiction
Format: Interactive Board Book

Similar to the Valentine’s book HEARTS ARE EVERYWHERE, this Christmas story is also a fun, interactive game for little ones.

Christmas cheer is everywhere! First, turn the wheel to hide the treat, then lift the flaps to find it in this holiday-themed activity book for curious kids.

An interactive wheel hides Christmas surprises amid a variety of spirited scenes, from the delightfully snowy outdoors to stockings hung by a toasty fire and much more. After the treat is hidden, it’s time to guess where it is. Lift the flap for the reveal in this Christmas board book, then play again and again for heaps of holiday fun.

HELLO HELLO OPPOSITES
By: Brendan Wenzel
Published: October 22, 2024
Publisher: Chronicle Kids
Fiction
Format: Board Book

I previously shared Wenzel’s books, HELLO HELLO COLORS and HELLO HELLO SHAPES. They are excellent books and I can’t wait to share this one with you!

Say HELLO to learning fun!

Little ones will learn about opposites with the help of a heavy walrus and light butterfly, a tough rhino and gentle fawn, a loud tiger and quiet salamander, and many more delightfully different pairs!

A parade of wild animals walks, swims, and flies across the sturdy pages of this colorful book. Read the playful text. Find the opposites. Marvel at the incredible array of animals—big and small—that populate our planet. A key at the end of the book identifies each animal for those who want to learn even more.

DOT! SCRIBBLE! GO!
By: Hervé Tullet
Published: October 8, 2024
Publisher: Chronicle Kids
Interactive Board Book

This book encourages kids to use their creative imagination and have fun while reading. It’s like a board book on the outside but the pages inside are a bit thicker than a regular children’s book.

From Hervé Tullet, author of the New York Times bestseller Press Here, a picture book to unleash children’s Using only a finger and a great deal of imagination, Hervé empowers readers to create a simple flower . . . an entire garden . . . and even whole new worlds!Once again, Hervé Tullet brilliantly and successfully coaxes children to recognize and celebrate their innate artistic talent. He convinces each reader that their hand is magic and capable of transforming a few simple lines, squiggles, dots, and shapes into . . . well, pretty much anything they can imagine! A new Hervé picture book is always a cause for celebration. This is his first in seven years and a companion to Press Here, Mix It Up!, and Let’s Play! with all the hallmark whimsy and imagination that will delight his many fans. Whether enjoyed in a family living room, a kindergarten reading nook, or a preschool art class, there’s something here to enchant every reader.

MUSEUM IN A BOOK
An Ideal Exhibition-Explore, Play, Create
By: Hervé Tullet
Published: October 8 2024
Publisher: Chronicle Kids
Interactive Activity Book

Another awesome book by Hervé Tullet.

At once an endlessly playful tabletop exhibition and a hands-on guide to enable one and all to create their very own art, this book is a physical kaleidoscope of the imagination. Using only his favorite tools—four bold colors, a brush, sheets of paper, and a pair of scissors—and applying a few straightforward principles and directions from his revolutionary art-making project, The Ideal Exhibition, Hervé provides simple instructions to create art that can be used to fill a huge space . . . or squeezed into a matchbox. But the best expression of Hervé’s prodigious creativity is this book itself: An interactive marvel that readers will arrange and rearrange in a dazzling display of shapes, colors, and patterns.

GOLDEN GATE
Building the Mighty Bridge
By: Elizabeth Partridge
Illustrated by: Ellen Heck
Published: October 8, 2024
Publisher: Chronicle Kids
Non-Fiction
Format: Hardcover Picture Book

I love it when a children’s story helps kids learn about something fascinating or important in history. Building this bridge had to have been quite a task in the 1930s.

The Golden Gate Bridge, beloved landmark and symbol of San Francisco, finally gets a gorgeous picture book that tells the thrilling story of how it was built! Written by National Book Award finalist and Sibert Medal winner Elizabeth Partridge.

Across a treacherous strait where deep ocean waters rip back and forth with the tides, and during the depths of the Great Depression, daring teams of engineers and builders set out to make something many thought impossible.

Begun in 1933 and officially opened on May 27, 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge and its awe-inspiring and groundbreaking construction are truly a testament to the power of hope and perseverance. Told from the point of view of the lighthouse keeper’s kids, who watch in fascination as the trucks and crews arrive and steel towers coated in heavy red paint begin to rise above the tempestuous water, Golden Gate shares a thrilling visual perspective on each stage of the breathtaking project.

Young readers can look and learn as each turn of the page reveals dazzling, color-soaked artwork paired with text that blends factual details into the narrators’ keen observations. By the final spread, where fireworks explode in celebration over the mighty bridge, the tale is complete—not only of an astonishing feat of engineering but of the potential of human ingenuity to defy the odds and make the impossible possible.

THIS IS MY BRAIN!
A Book on Neurodiversity
By: Elise Gravel
Published: October 29, 2024
Publisher: Chronicle Kids
Non-Fiction
Format: Hardcover Picture Book

I love that this book explains in a fun way how our brains work and how unique we all are.

A seriously funny book all about our brains! Award-winning author-illustrator Elise Gravel celebrates the many wonderful ways humans think in a comic-style nonfiction book for curious kids.

Though all our brains look the same, every brain works differently. This Is My Brain! shows readers that understanding how different brains feel and learn can help us connect with others . . . and keep our own brains happy! Through humorous, engaging text and brightly colored art, readers are introduced to the fundamentals of how our brains work, how our unique neurology influences how we think and act, and how the world is a better place when we understand each other’s brains and use them collectively.

FAST CHEETAH SLOW TORTOISE
Poems of Animal Opposites
By: Bette Westera
Illustrated by: Mies van Hout
Translated by: David Colmer
Published: September 17, 2024
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Poetry
Format: Hardcover Picture Book

Animals, antonyms, and poetry combine in this one.

How do you contrast creatures as different as cheetahs and tortoises, or as similar as butterflies and moths? In this lively book of poetry, antonym pairs introduce thirty-two members of the animal kingdom. Each spread presents the voices of two unique creatures: are you more like an obedient sheep or a rebellious goat? What about a tidy pig or a messy warthog? A bossy gorilla or a meek monkey? 

With bold, vibrant art and amusing free verse, this collection is a memorable way to explore vocabulary, opposites, and animal traits with young readers. Every flip of the page brings a new set of faces—and another chance to laugh.

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WINTER
By: Cristina Sitja Rubio
Translated by: Vineet Lal
Published: October 15, 2024
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Fiction
Format: Hardcover Picture Book

I’m not looking forward to winter but books like this will make it more enjoyable. This one is gorgeous.

A cozy tale about a restless sleeper, his hibernating friends, and how he creates his best winter yet.

When snow begins to blanket the trees, naptime is here for the animals of the forest—everyone, it seems, except for Badger! He doesn’t feel like sleeping, and he’s got some big plans for the cold months ahead. But Mr. Bear has posted a “DO NOT DISTURB” sign. Marmot won’t answer the door. Even the nighthawk is sound asleep. Badger draws, knits, and reads for hours, but he doesn’t want to spend all this time alone. Can he find anyone to join his winter fun?

Featuring a delightful, crayon-illustrated cast of animals, The Most Beautiful Winter encourages children to make the most of the coldest time of year. An excellent pick for hibernation lessons, snuggly bedtimes, and winter parties, this amusing story will charm readers all season long.

COUNTING WINTER
By: Nancy White Carlstrom
Illustrated by: Claudia McGehee
Published: September 24, 2024
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Fiction
Format: Hardcover Picture Book

This beautiful winter story will also help your child learn to count.

One red fox walks across the white snow—quietly stalking winter. Two ravens croak and gurgle—raucously talking winter. Three snowshoe hares hop on big paws—silently tracking winter. Four red squirrels feast at their midden full of cones—hungrily cracking winter. Wherever you look, another creature is making its mark on the snow-covered season.

Inspired by the author’s years in Alaska, this lyrical book celebrates the rhythms of the tundra and its inhabitants. Poetic lines and stunning scratchboard art create the perfect read for chilly days—whether winter is just beginning or just starting to melt into spring.

NOT FAR FROM HERE
By: Nydia Armendia-Sánchez
Illustrated by: Devon Holzwarth
Published: October 1, 2024
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Fiction
Format: Hardcover Picture Book

I’ve shared my thoughts on this one for Hispanic Heritage Month. See my post, HERE.

NO MORE SEÑORA MIMÍ
By: Meg Medina
Published: Brittany Cicchese
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Fiction
Format: Hardcover Picture Book

I have already shared about this book as part of my Hispanic Heritage Month series. You can see my review, HERE.

STELLA & MARIGOLD
By: Annie Barrows
Illustrated by: Sophie Blackall
Published: October 1, 2024
Publisher: Chronicle Kids
Middle-Grade Fiction
Format: Hardcover Illustrated Chapter Book

From the creators of the much-loved IVY & BEAN series. Kids will LOVE this one! I’ve previously shared adult fiction and a children’s picture book by Barrows, HERE.

Stella, who’s seven, is kind, a good storyteller, and ponders big questions like, what do animals think of people? Marigold, at four, tells imaginative stories (her mother calls them “fibs”) and likes to wear her favorite Halloween costume year-round. Stella and Marigold do all the regular things—like going to school, playing, getting sick sometimes, and visiting the zoo—but even the most regular things have a secret side.Sure to delight fans of Ivy and Bean, these adventure tales—animated with full-color illustrations of the sisters’ encounters with magical bathrooms, snow monkeys, dream lions, howling wolves, a lost Vice President, and much more—are filled with vibrant characters, creative storytelling, and a whole lot of laughs.

HANGING WITH VAMPIRES
A Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural #1
By: Insha Fitzpatrick
Illustrated by: Lilla Bölecz
Published: March 28 2023
Publisher: Quirk Books
Middle-Grade Non-Fiction
Format: Paperback Illustrated Chapter Books

This is the first in a 3 book series that is hauntingly fun for your middle-grade reader! Check out the whole series below.

Hanging with Vampires is the first book in the Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural series, a hilarious and haunting exploration of how myths and legends shape our lives. Sink your fangs into vampire lore and literature with enchanting illustrations and fun activities, like making garlic bread. It’s a spooky world out there–grab your guide, and let’s go!

CHILLING WITH GHOSTS
A Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural #2
By: Insha Fitzpatrick
Illustrated by: Lilla Bölecz
Published: August 15, 2023
Publisher: Quirk Books
Middle-Grade Non-Fiction
Format: Paperback Illustrated Chapter Books

Chilling with Ghosts is the second book in the Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural series, a hilarious and haunting exploration of how myths and legends shape our lives. Get to know ghost lore with enchanting illustrations and hands-on activities, like brewing homemade ectoslime. It’s a spooky world out there—grab your guide, and let’s go!

SIGHTSEEING WITH ALIENS
A Totally Factual Field Guide to the Supernatural #3
By: Insha Fitzpatrick
Illustrated by: Lilla Bölecz
Published: August 13, 2024
Publisher: Quirk Books
Middle-Grade Non-Fiction
Format: Paperback Illustrated Chapter Books

Are aliens out there? What’s the deal with Area 51? Can outer space support human life? Blast off to space with Sightseeing with Aliens. Engaging, offbeat, and educational, Sightseeing with Aliens is an illustrated exploration of the unknown and how it can shape our lives. The whole galaxy is out there—grab your guide, and let’s go!

Which books are you adding to your reading list?

Click HERE to see all the posts featuring new books on my shelves.

So many books, so little time!