The Mall by Megan McCafferty- Book Tour

Hey hi everyone!

I hope everyone's summer has been going really well even though we're still under quarantine and as we're learning how to navigate it... 

Several months ago, we were asked by the wonderful people at Wednesday Books if we wanted to review The Mall by Megan McCafferty.  I haven't read anything by Megan McCafferty before but I have wanted to read her Jessica Darling series. So maybe let's say that that counts for something? 

You're not here to read about me rambling about that series, you are here to read about The Mall!

The Mall was released last week on July 22nd, which means that if you find yourself interested in reading this book you are able to snag yourself a copy by clicking here.

The Mall takes us to 1991 to a mall in South Jersey! But it's probably technically Central Jersey.  Cassie Worthy had finished up her senior year of high school.  She's going to be going to college in NYC in the fall.  She has her first job lined up at the Parkway City Mall at American's Best Cookie with her boyfriend, Troy.  Cassie is going to be living up her last summer before college. 

That is... until she gets mono and her summer gets turned upside down. 

She can't work with Troy anymore. Heck, she can't even be seen near America's Best Cookie and she certainly can't tell her parents what happened.  

Over the very short course of the summer of 1991, we get to see how Cassie navigates her newly single summer, while she makes an unexpected friend in Drea along the way. 

McCafferty writes the story in such a way that leaves you as the reader, laughing out loud at the antics that happen between Cassie and everyone that she encounters.  You can feel her frustrations with her situation, the heartache and wishes she has towards her parents and everything in between.  

I had no problem finishing this book in one day. It was so worth the read!  Definitely 5 coffee beans out of 5. I hope that you all like it to (: 

Let me know what you think by rather commenting down below OR following me and tweeting me on Twitter @blondewithabook !

See you guys soon with many more reviews now that classes are done for the next 6 weeks!

- Jillian

2019 Summer Reading Library Book Haul

Summer is here! In the library world, summer means summer reading and summer reading is here.

Courtesy of CSLP

Every year, CLSP (collaborative summer reading program), a system of "grassroot consortium of states" who, together, set up a summer reading program that provides summer reading materials to adults, young adults and children.  According to the ALA, summer reading started back in 1890s as a way to encourage students on summer break from school to read.  If you're looking for more information, you can click here.

The CLSP Summer Reading Theme for this year is "A Universe of Stories"

Jessica and I happily work in libraries and educating individuals on the benefits and services that are offered at the library make us somewhat passionate about summer reading. (Oddly enough, library card sign up month is in September- AFTER Summer Reading occurs...)

We encourage everyone out there to go to your local library and get a library card.  Not only can you check out books but your library has services that allow you to borrow e-books plus audiobooks and magazines! 

In honor of Summer Reading, this post will be a library book haul - all of the books that I have picked up from my library within the last week! 

- Nothing Left to Burn by Heather Ezell (you can find the review for that book here)

- Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines (review for this book is here)

- Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey (you can find that review here)

-The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey

- D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis and Helped Win World War II by Sarah  Rose

- La Passione: How Italy Seduced the World by Dianne Hales

This library book haul has a balance of adult fiction (including mystery and romance), YA fiction and non-fiction!  Not to toot my horn here, but I think I did a pretty good job. 

Fix Her Up seems like it will be a cute rom-com story.  La Passione will hopefully indulge my new found desire to one day travel to Italy.  Until Friday Night was picked because I needed a good YA book to read.  I picked Nothing Left to Burn because of the cover art and because being a volunteer EMT myself, I found it intriguing to read a story featuring a volunteer firefighter. D-Day Girls was added to be TBR pile because MB and I will be touring Fort Miles in August and I wanted to learn a little more about WWII and D-Day. Lastly, The Widows of Malabar Hill was checked out because it was a recommendation on my Tailored Books Recommendation list! (But *shhhh*, don't tell Jessica that I subscribed out of curiosity....)

I hope this inspires at least one person who reads this post to go out to the library and see what's going on! Go complete the summer reading challenge at your library.

See you guys soon!

~ Jillian