Rainy Days With Amanda

    JUST A HAT By SHANAH KHUBIAR Young Adult / Coming of Age / Jewish Fiction / Small-Town Texas / 1970s Publisher: Blackstone Publishing Page Count: 254 Publication Date: July 18, 2023 Scroll down for giveaway! Action-packed, humorous, and bittersweet, this 1970s-era coming-of-age novel is more relevant than ever--exploring how a second-generation immigrant kid in a new hometown must navigate bullying, unexpected friendships, and the struggle of keeping both feet firmly planted in two very different cultures. It's 1979, and thirteen-year-old Joseph Nissan can't help but notice that small-town Texas has something in common with Revolution-era Iran: an absence of fellow Jews. And in such a small town it seems obvious that a brown kid like him was bound to make friends with Latinos--which is a plus, since his new buds, the Ybarra twins, have his back. But when the Iran hostage crisis, two neighborhood bullies, and the local reverend's beautiful daughter put him in all sorts

    MAGICAL ELEMENTS OF THE PERIODIC TABLE PRESENTED ALPHABETICALLY BY THE ELEMENTAL DRAGONS Magical Elements of the Periodic Table, Book 2 By Sybrina Durant Children’s Picture Book / STEM / Chemistry Publisher: Sybrina Publishing Page Count: 44 Publication Date: March 9, 2024 Scroll down for a giveaway! In this unique alphabet book, members of the Elemental Dragon Clan present 26 Magical Elements of the Periodic Table in alphabetical order. Each member of the clan has an element tipped tail. They also have magical powers based on the properties of their metals. There are no more perfect groups than unicorns and dragons to familiarize yourself with elements from the Periodic Table. Their theme is: "No Metal -- No Magic. . .and No Technology." In this book, Antz starts out the book by introducing the very necessary metal, Antimony on his element page. Zora rounds out the alphabet by presenting scientific facts and other fun information about the metal, Zirconium, on her eleme

    FROWNS AND GOWNS The Mischief Series, Book 5 By AMANDA M. THRASHER Children’s Chapter Book / Fantasy / Fairies Publisher: Progressive Rising Phoenix Press Page Count: 236 Publication Date: September 12, 2023 Embark on a Magical Adventure with Lilly, Boris, and Jack! Get ready to join Lilly, Boris, and Jack on an unforgettable journey filled with excitement, laughter, and a touch of mayhem. Brace yourself for a whirlwind of mishaps as these three fairies plan a magnificent magical ball, only to encounter an unforeseen disaster! Experience the magic of friendship with Lilly, the quick-witted and resourceful fairy, Boris, the mischievous fairy with a heart of gold, and Jack, the troublemaker with a curious, adventurous spirit on their latest adventure. Throughout, Lilly, Boris, and Jack teach the true meaning of friendship and teamwork. Together with their friends, they'll overcome challenges, learn valuable lessons, and create memories that will last a lifetime. Don't miss o

  THE DESK FROM HOBOKEN A Genealogy Mystery, #1 by ML Condike Mystery / Women Sleuths / Forensic Genealogy Publisher: Harbor Lane Books, LLC Date of Publication: March 5, 2024 Number of Pages: 446 pages  Scroll down for Giveaway! After a personal loss, forensic genealogist RaeJean Hunter accepts what she believes is a straightforward case to ease back into the game: a student at Connecticut College has found human remains on the school campus. The College hires RaeJean to confirm their tentative identification that it’s a woman named Mary Rogers, whose cause of death has never been determined. Unfortunately, it becomes downright dangerous. Someone thwarts her investigation of the same case that inspired Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Mystery of Marie Rog ê t.” Still, she meets relatives, some helpful and others not, amid escalating threats. Using her skills, including DNA analysis, historical records research, genealogy mapping, and guidance from a mystical antique desk, she follows every

 Happy St. Patrick's Day Ya'll! I was waiting to read this Stephanie Plum book to be closer to St. Patrick's Day to get into the St. Patrick mood. I really enjoy reading the between-the-numbers books from this series because they feel a little different from our non-holiday-esque books. I'll talk more about this later in the blog. Anyways, let's talk Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich. About the Author Janet Evanovich has been and still is a #1 New York Times bestseller for multiple books she has put out over the years. Her first installment of the Stephanie Plum series is called  One for the Money , which was released in 1994 (the year before I was born), and is still going with  Dirty Thirty,  the 34th book in the series.  Fearless Fourteen  is the 17th book in the Stephanie Plum series (including the Holiday specials) which came out in June 2008.  If you haven't heard of the Stephanie Plum series, it is basically about a young, bounty hunter from New Jersey who j

 I've been wanting to read Mexican Gothic for whwat seems like a couple of years now. This year, I put it on my Christmas list and was pleasantly surprised when my mother-in-laws gift was just what I wanted! I also decided to start it right away because I've been in a more Victorian/older literature mood and Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia was able to scratch that itch! About the Author Mexican by birth, Canadian by inclination. Cachanilla and Canuck, originally from Baja California, she now resides in Vancouver. She has an MA in Science and Technology Studies from the University of British Columbia. Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of a number of critically acclaimed novels, including  Gods of Jade and Shadow  (Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic, Ignyte Award),  Mexican Gothic  (Locus Award, British Fantasy Award, Pacific Northwest Book Award, Aurora Award, Goodreads Award), and Velvet Was the Night (finalist for the Los Angeles