Concert Katie

Emery Brooks grandmother had always told her that she should not settle for anything less than a love story handwritten for her by God. While everyone around her is starting to get “boy crazy”, Emery doesn’t seem interested. She knows that she will meet him when the time is right. She believed that her grandparents had the greatest love story and she wanted something just like theirs. When Sawyer Alston comes to town, she wants absolutely nothing to do with him. When she finds some of her grandmother’s journals from when she was about Emery’s age now, she realized that initially her grandmother wanted absolutely nothing to do with her grandfather and maybe the dreams she has been having about Sawyer aren’t that far off. But by the time she realizes that she may have feelings for him, despite him not believing in love, he is already dating a girl at school that Emery is not a fan of. But when Sawyer needs help and a lighthouse in his life, Emery is there for him and they become friends first and try to build a foundation before moving on to anything more.

I was hoping for a nice love story for an end of summer read. That was not what I ended up with! But I did enjoy the book just the same. I liked how there were the parallels between Grandma Adeline and Emery – even though Grandma had passed away, she was still a big part of the story through her journals and Emery’s memories of her. Fair warning – I won’t say what happens but a couple chapters from the end I ended up getting so frustrated I threw the kindle across the bed and had to wait a bit before finishing things out. I really felt a bond with these characters – maybe because Emery reminded me a bit of myself and the jerks at school of all the jerks I had to deal with growing up.

This book is the first in a series by Allyson Kennedy and I will be looking forward to continuing on with Emory in her journey!

I received a free e-copy of this book to read from Reedsy Discovery!

About the Book

A combination hopeless romantic and old soul trapped in a teenager’s body, closet musician Emery Brooks wonders if she’ll ever find a love as timeless as her grandparents’. Fear of judgment and social alienation due to her older brother’s past mistakes render her incapable of writing a love song. Still, Emery holds fast to the ideals her Grandma Adeline instilled in her from a young age, vowing to allow God to handwrite her love story, to never settle for anything less.

That is, until love cynic Sawyer Alston enters her world. Broken by the wrath of his parents’ failed marriage, Sawyer has been uprooted from everything he’s ever known and now sees love as a void of empty promises. When Emery and Sawyer meet due to their mothers’ rekindled friendship, Emery soon realizes she’s in over her head.

For, despite her resistance, her first crush, her first glimpse at love, involves a boy who doesn’t believe in love at all.

Do You Feel Like I Do is a memoir by Peter Frampton.  I had grown up listening to Peter’s music as my Dad was a fan, so I was interested in learning more about him. The book starts talking about a plane crash with all his equipment on board.  The story comes back a few more times in the book with them trying to figure out how to leave the country and if any of the instruments or equipment could have been salvaged.  It was a neat approach to rather than tell this story chronologically when it happened in relation to the rest of the book – start by grabbing you with this mystery and then intertwine it in to the rest of the story.  I didn’t know too much about Peter so it was nice to find out more about him and his experiences in the music industry from his own perspective.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

A revelatory memoir by rock icon and legendary guitarist Peter Frampton.
Do You Feel Like I Do? is the incredible story of Peter Frampton’s positively resilient life and career told in his own words for the first time. His groundbreaking album Frampton Comes Alive! spawned three top-20 singles and sold 8 million copies the year it was released (over 17 million to date) and was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame in January. Frampton was on a path to stardom from an early age. By 22, he was touring incessantly and making use of the talk box which would become his signature guitar effect. “I started playing music so young that I sometimes feel I’ve lived more than one lifetime already,” says Frampton.

The artist shares fascinating stories of his collaborative work and tours with the likes of George Harrison and David Bowie, among others, and reveals both the blessing and curse of Frampton Comes Alive!. And he opens up about becoming the heartthrob and cover boy he never wanted to be, his overcoming substance abuse, and how he’s continued to play at the top of his game despite an inflammatory muscle disease.

Peppered throughout his narrative is the story of his favorite guitar, which he thought he’d lost in a plane crash in 1980. But in 2011, it mysteriously showed up again – saved from the wreckage. Frampton will tell of that unlikely reunion here in full for the first time, and it is emblematic of his life and career as a legendary artist.

“This is my journey,” Frampton says of the book. “All I ever wanted to do was play guitar and it’s taken me many different places – physically and mentally. I’ve been to the moon and back without a rocket, but also to the depths of despair. You never stop paying your dues. Failure has been my greatest inspiration. I brush myself off and then I want to ‘do it again.’ Do You Feel Like I Do?”

A limerick is defined as a humorous, frequently rude, verse of three long and two short lines rhyming aabba. You may have heard, ‘There once was a man from Nantucket…’ Well, Lesli Johnson tries her hand at these funny little verses and hits the ball outta the park. It seemed like a lot were about falling down, or maybe that is just the ones that I related to the most. If you’re looking for something humorous and will give you a big laugh or maybe just a chuckle and is a quick read, I can’t recommend anything more than Lots Limericks. It’s very short, a very quick read and very entertaining. Each limerick is also written in a different font within the book which adds another layer of “whimsy”. Limericks are in alphabetical order, so go in order or use the Table of Contents to pick one that’s title seems to match your mood. You can’t go wrong, no matter how you choose!

I love that this is such a quick read, but if you’re looking for a quick pick me up each morning (or evening!) you can easily just read one a day until you finish the book! It’ll keep you entertained for a couple of months that way!

I received an e-copy of this book to review through Reedsy Discovery!

About the Book

Limericks are lotsa fun and this book is full of limericks to make you smile and/or laugh out loud. They have a rhythm to them which adds to their charm. The book covers a wide variety of themes. Some of the titles are: Blub-Blub Fiddlin’ Helping Her Up I guarantee you, it is hard not to smile. Happy reading!

Good Mourning is from TLC’s Long Island Medium, Theresa Caputo.  If you’ve watched her show at all, you know that she can talk to Spirit who tells her things about the other side.  Spirit told her that a lot of people can’t deal with the loss of a loved one because there are so many other loses in their lives that they don’t know how to deal with, so Theresa put this book together with ways to mourn other daily loses – these can include a relationship, a friendship, being an empty nester, your job, etc.  Each chapter focuses on a different daily loss with some personal anecdotes and information from Theresa and then the end of the chapter has a “Good Mourning” recap with the recap to how you can help move through the loss.  While all of these losses may not affect me right now, chances are they will at some point so I appreciated Theresa’s wisdom.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

Theresa Caputo, TLC’s Long Island Medium and the three-time New York Times bestselling author, teaches us how to ritualize and recover from the daily losses in our lives.

Life on earth comes with losses that often go unrecognized, unacknowledged, and un-mourned. This invisible pain causes deeper emotional damage— devastation that Theresa Caputo has witnessed in many of her clients. Though they are suffering, they rarely understand where the anguish is coming from—or how to deal with it.

Theresa’s clients often confuse their emotional distress with depression or anxiety. But it’s more than that. It’s grief, deep and profound, and it consumes the soul. The only relief, according to Theresa’s special gift she calls Spirit, is to pay more attention to how we experience, ritualize, and recover from the hurt in our lives.

Once we name these feelings of grief, recognize the losses for what they are, and create mourning rituals around them, we can move through the pain and begin to heal. It isn’t just a good idea to mourn these types of upsets; it’s essential, so that we can then enjoy a fresh beginning.

In Good Mourning, Theresa opens up more than ever before, and with the help of Spirit, helps us manage daily losses to ultimately lead more fulfilling and joyful lives.

Amelia is a mouse and an Inventor! The story, told in rhythmic rhyme, starts out with some of the more interesting inventions that Amelia has created, though I am not sure how useful they all are. One day, her neighbor, Winston the rat comes by and tells her that he is having trouble using his cane properly because it gets stuck in holes and on roots and is making difficult for him to use it. He wants to know if Amelia can make something that will be more useful for him. Amelia puts on her thinking cap and has a few out of this world attempts – she tries to make it a rocket, she tries to make it bouncy and finally she decides to make it a sword! When Winston comes back he isn’t sure the sword will work – but Amelia tries one more time and is able to come up with something that Winston is really happy with!

I thought this book was absolutely adorable and as someone who uses a cane, I got a kick out of her ideas – friends and I often tease about making my cane a sword! (But now I see how impractical it is thanks to Winston and Amelia!) I also absolutely loved the moral of the story – you don’t have failures – you just learn from them and make things better and better! Definitely a great thing for kids (of all ages!) to learn and I always love when books have fun rhymes to them. It almost makes me want to sing them instead of read them!

I received a free e-copy of this book to review from Reedsy Discovery!

About the Book

Told in rhythmic rhyme, Amelia the Mouse: Inventor Extraordinaire is the story of an overzealous inventor mouse who never gives up. Always willing to help a friend, Amelia never loses her enthusiasm as she creatively embarks on her inventing journey. If only we could all be so passionate! This story reminds readers young and old that success happens where passion and determination meet. It encourages readers to try and fail, and that each failure is an opportunity to learn. Even when it means inventing a rocket cane for your friend Winston . . .

Crackin’ a Smile is a book made up of many limericks and poems. They are “for kids of all ages” and are ordered in the book alphabetically. With a title like “Crackin’ a Smile” you would expect that these will be fun and silly and will make you smile or maybe even laugh. Despite these poems and limericks being rather short and quickly read, Lelsi Johnson writes them in such a way that you can absolutely picture them as you are reading. A lot of them also have a bit of a surprise punch line which is what makes them so fun to read. (Crackles and Pops especially I was not expecting and had a great smile on my face when I reached the end.)

There are 41 limericks and poems in this book – you can easily read through them all in a rainy afternoon if you need a pick me up, or save one for each day and read it when you wake up to start your day off on a happy note or before bed to ensure some sweet dreams!

I received a free e-copy of this book as a part of Reedsy Discovery!

About the Book

Crackin’ a Smile is made up of mostly limericks intermingled with rhymed poems. The poems in “Crackin’ a Smile” are dedicated to people, everywhere, who have trouble crackin’ a smile. It affords an opportunity to lighten things up and bring laughter to the soul. Of course the smilers are welcome to take part and laugh at these silly poems, as well. Some of the titles are: Crackles and Pops HaRumph!! The Frog Prince I guarantee you, it is hard not to smile. Happy reading!

Real Talk about Sex and Consent is geared towards teens and written more on “their level” but honestly I think this book should be read by everyone. (Although if it is taught to us all as teens, maybe it would sink in by the time we are adults.)  It explains everything you need to know about how to navigate having sex with a partner, what is consent, when to clarify consent and I think just all around covered everything as well as some easy ways to remember things.  There’s also stories that you can relate to or to get you to think.  Consent is sexy.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

You deserve clear, accurate information about sexual consent! Let this honest and empowering book be your go-to guide.

Let’s get real: Sex is complicated. Like, really complicated. And as a teen, you need trusted resources to help you navigate sexual issues without shame, guilt, or judgment. But if you’re like many teens, you may not have someone in your life that you can talk to openly about complicated sexual situations, and what consent really means—and this information is crucial for your health, safety, and happiness.

Real Talk About Sex and Consent is a comprehensive guide with essential information about setting boundaries, coercion, reciprocity, and communication. You’ll also find hard facts about sex and trauma, the effects of pornography and cultural expectations, and much more. With this book, you’ll learn how to make sexual decisions that honor your sense of values and cultivate rewarding and emotionally supportive relationships throughout your life.

This book goes past simple definitions of sex and consent and explores the hidden pressures, misrepresented expectations, and realities of sex—and what to do about it all.

It’s time to get informed and take control of your sexual self. This book will give you the tools you need to make decisions that are right for you.

When the author’s young daughter started asking questions about Trump becoming President, she wasn’t sure how to explain things to her. That is how “Don’t Be Like Trump” came to be. This book tells all the ways Trump is a horrible person – but in a way that can easily be explained to school age children. In addition to talking just about Trump, there is a lot of American History included in this book as well – like about how the electoral college was set up and why the founding fathers wanted it in place. As an adult who often slacked off in history classes growing up, I do tend to like the books geared towards children because it explains things in a simple enough manner and usually also a FUN manner that helps me actually learn and retain information even if I am not the intended audience. However, with this book, I think adults and children alike will enjoy it (provided they agree with the topic. If not, you might not enjoy it quite so much).

Throughout the book there are also some puzzles and quizzes – and even a list from A-Z of ways to NOT be like Trump – Don’t: Attack the Free Press, Kill wildlife, Reject Science, Zone out in intelligence briefings, etc! I also really enjoyed the “color by number” of Trump’s face – but to make it just a bit more educational, each number was associated with a trivia question – the number of Pets Trump had was one color, number of wives was another color, etc. So in addition to having some fun coloring you are also learning some “fun facts” about the President.

While going into this book I knew how awful Trump was, I enjoyed reading it and actually did learn some things about American History and how it works in the process, so I consider that a win. (And I did really great on the quizzes!)

I received a free e-copy of this book as part of Reedsy Discovery!

About the Book

Don’t Be Like Trump explains to kids aged 8-14 what infuriates and worries adults about President Donald Trump. Unlike the traditional juvenile biographies, Don’t Be Like Trump explains what’s wrong with Trump’s treatment of women, minorities, dictators, the environment, and the Constitution. Don’t Be Like Trump explains Trump’s policies in the broad sweep of U.S. history, how voting started small but keeps growing wider. The authors, two journalists and parents, explain Trump’s worrying deference and similarities to world dictators. Larger life lessons come through in DON’T BE LIKE TRUMP such as the perils of offering simple solutions to complex problems and ignoring imminent danger. DON’T BE LIKE TRUMP shares important context about everything from the history of voting to border walls that complements other civics and history education. Trump’s more disturbing personal behavior is framed in DON’T BE LIKE TRUMP in language that kids can understand—and that parents can feel good about them reading. 12 activities in DON’T BE LIKE TRUMP help kids learn vocabulary words, debunk disinformation, make fun of the president as is their Constitutional right, and more via crossword and word search puzzles, drawing and impersonation tips, and other games