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You Always Feel Better When…: Five-Minute Reset Exercises to Change the Day by M.H. Clark My rating: 4 of 5 stars this small but mighty book has lot of small exercises and ways to resent when you're needing or wanting to take a moment to shift the way your day is going. Almost all of them are super easy and doable and really do shift your day when you take the moment to do them. with gratitude to Compendium and edelweiss for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews

Creative Wanderlust: Unlock Your Artistic Potential Through Mixed-Media Art Journaling Techniques by Kasia Avery My rating: 4 of 5 stars Even though I've never taken the Wanderlust course, I've loved Kasia's work and I love all the art in this book. The projects are inspiring, broken down simply and totally accessible. Kasia's voice in the book is that of an encouraging teacher that inspires you to sit down and create alongside her. with gratitude to Quarry Books and edelweiss for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews

Art for Self-Care: Create Powerful, Healing Art by Listening to Your Inner Voice by Jessica Swift My rating: 4 of 5 stars I had read Jessica Swift's story before but I didn't remember it until I saw it again it this book. What a terrible tragedy she's had to survive and what a wonderfully inspiring book this is. This is not a step by step book. It won't teach you how to draw or paint. Instead if will teach you how to go within and access that part of you that can then create beautiful, amazing, meaningful art. The book is also full of Jessica's inspiring, colorful and beautiful art. It will make your fingers itch to create as you read it. with gratitude to Quarry Books and edelweiss for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews

The Art of the Line in Drawing: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Simple, Expressive Drawings by Frédéric Forest My rating: 4 of 5 stars Here's another really unusual book if you're working on sketching like I am. Unlike many books that focus on how to get every line right and how to create clear and well done sketches, this book focuses on how to create drawings that invoke meaning and a story with the most minimalist lines possible. It's a super interesting way to approach sketching and I really loved the authors multiple interpretations of the same scene. He's clearly an amazing artist and at the same time he was able to make this book really accessible and feel doable for a beginner like me. Super interesting. with gratitude to Quarry Books and edelweiss for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews

A Beginner's Guide to Sketching Buildings & Landscapes: Perspective and Proportions for Drawing Architecture, Gardens and More! by Masao Yamada My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is a different and interesting book on how to structure your sketches for a scene with buildings and landscape. It focuses less on how to draw the bits of a building but more around how to make decisions around where to frame the elements of the scene, how to get the proportions and perspective right and then how to break down the structures of the drawing to get the scene to match what you're looking at. It's unlike any other book I've read on this topic and I think for that reason alone, it's a valuable addition to your library of art/sketching books. with gratitude to Tuttle Publishing and edelweiss for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews

Wellness by Nathan Hill My rating: 5 of 5 stars Nathan Hill's "The Nix" was my favorite novel of 2016. I laughed so hard and I loved every moment I spent with that novel. Even so, I was worried about requesting "Wellness" since it's more than 600 pages and what if I didn't like it? After a lot of hemming and hawing I requested it any way and slowly started reading it, hoping it wouldn't be too hard to get through. I spent the next three days of my vacation wanting to do nothing but read this book. I fell in love with the characters. I laughed, I cried, I was touched, I was mad. I loved following every single meandering thread of story Hill took me down and I exclaimed with joy when he brought it all back and tied it with an awesome knot. This book singlehandedly made my vacation ten times better than it already was. I came home feeling full of joy and could not stop talking about the book to everyone I saw. I am a...

The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger My rating: 5 of 5 stars William Kent Krueger's "This Tender Land" was my favorite novel of 2019. I then read "Ordinary Grace" and loved it as well. So I was extremely excited to read "The River We Remember" and worried it would disappoint me. I needn't have. Krueger's stories have the perfect balance of rich atmosphere, layered and flawed characters that you can't help but love, beautiful and funny dialogue and they are just heartbreaking and tender all at once. And this one is no exception. On its surface it's a book about murder and solving the mystery behind it. But, of course, it's about so much more. It's about family and love and a small town, and rights, and repressing others, and immigration and assimilation, about hatred and bigotry. It's about coming together to save each other. It's stunning and it will stay with me for a long ti...

Speech Team by Tim Murphy My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the story of four friends who decide to take a road trip to confront their old Speech Team coach years later after another one of their friends commits suicide and they all realize that the words the coach used with them has broken each of them in different ways and has stayed with them all these years. So they decide to confront him. Each of the characters is multi-layered and richly designed. The story is heart warming and at the same time honest to itself and to how the world is. It makes you mad, sad, warm, happy, joyful, thoughtful and it renews your faith in humanity and our ability to take care of ourselves and each other. Reminds you that there's hope for all of us. with gratitude to PENGUIN GROUP Viking, Viking and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

Learn to Draw in 5 Weeks: A Beginner's Workbook for All Ages by Kritzelpixel My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book starts out very simple with introductory exercises to warm up and loosen your hands with doodling and mark making and then it expands from there all the way to multiple different perspective exercises. Some are really easy and some are really sophisticated. It's not "fun" but it's serious and a great look at not just drawing techniques but how to get into the right mindset and how to hold the pen and move your arms etc. A very different and interesting guide. I've been really enjoying working my way through it. with gratitude to Zeitgeist and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews

Watch Us Shine by Marisa de los Santos My rating: 5 of 5 stars los Santos never disappoints. Her stories are always full of heart and soul and memorable characters and this one is no exception. I loved loved loved it. View all my reviews

Beverly Bonnefinche Is Dead by Kristen Seeley My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the story of how Beverly's story starts changing when Henry comes into her life. At its heart it's a simple story but it's full of pain, sadness and loss. It is also about love, resilience and how one person and their dedication to you and their believing in you can change the trajectory and story of your life. It's a beautiful story that's full of heart. It's also very tough to read with a lot of trigger warnings. Please read them before you pickup this book. I am glad I read it. with gratitude to Rising Action Publishing Co and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

The Marriage Act by John Marrs My rating: 3 of 5 stars Meh even though I was super excited to read it and the premise seemed interesting, I could never get into this book. I do like how Marrs links to his other other books inside his stories and his books are fast paced, but at this point they sort of feel gimmick-y to me. View all my reviews

A Love Letter to Whiskey by Kandi Steiner My rating: 3 of 5 stars this was a fast read of a whirlwind romance that takes place over many many years. It seems to have a huge following. I read it and loved it and already forgot it. View all my reviews

Drowning by T.J. Newman My rating: 3 of 5 stars 3.5 stars This was interesting but for some reason not as captivating to me as it seems to have been to everyone else. View all my reviews

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood My rating: 4 of 5 stars I find Ali's novels to be eminently readable. I enjoy them and like falling into her worlds. They are my little happy place. View all my reviews

Pageboy by Elliot Page My rating: 3 of 5 stars 3.5 stars. I am so glad this story exists. I am thankful to Page for telling his story. We need more stories told, we need more leaders in this space. At the same time, I thought this particular book was not as well paced and structured as it could have been. It wasn't clear what deep story it wanted to tell. I still really enjoyed reading it and I really hope it paves the way for many many other stories. View all my reviews

My Murder by Katie Williams My rating: 3 of 5 stars 3.5 stars. This is a well written story that has the most interesting premise. I think the blurb doesn't do this book justice as the mystery at its heart doesn't really unfold until way too late in the story and it's not really a mystery story. I think this would be much better marketed as a speculative literary story. I thought the ending was also rushed and not clear. But I still enjoyed the writing and it's unlike many other books I've read. View all my reviews

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer My rating: 4 of 5 stars What a gem of a novel. If you're looking for something uplifting and joyful and sweet, this is the book for you. View all my reviews

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren My rating: 5 of 5 stars perfect when you need a light and happy read. It never lets me down. View all my reviews

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang My rating: 3 of 5 stars 3.5 stars. not sure i can write anything about this one that hasn't already been said. I have several writer friends so I knew many of the stories. So many of the tropes are all in here. Cancel culture, own voices, twitter, and more. View all my reviews

Throwback by Maurene Goo My rating: 4 of 5 stars Cute and sweet and a fast read. Made me really glad my kiddos are living in this century and surrounded by open minded peers. Great YA book. View all my reviews

Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane My rating: 5 of 5 stars I love Lehane's writing. It's real, it's gritty, it's atmospheric. The characters are deeply memorable. The mystery is real, disturbing and sad. I loved this one. View all my reviews

The Guilty Husband by Stephanie DeCarolis My rating: 3 of 5 stars Eh it was good when I read it but a month later I already forgot about it. View all my reviews

Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb My rating: 4 of 5 stars I loved Slocumb's previous novel and I loved this one too. I love the juxtaposition of music, racism, mystery and historical fiction all at once. He's such an excellent writer. View all my reviews

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was an excellent story that was too long. Maybe Kingsolver and I are just never meant to be. But It was too long. View all my reviews

Homebodies by Tembe Denton-Hurst My rating: 4 of 5 stars Really really enjoyed this story about a woman who moves back home after being laid off and is trying to come back home to herself. Several interesting themes are covered in this story but at the root of it is how we find our way back. View all my reviews

The Passengers by John Marrs My rating: 3 of 5 stars 3.5 stars. Fast paced mystery with some interesting twists. A bit more lecture-y than I would have liked and likely a tiny bit too long. but it was good to read when i am stuck. View all my reviews

The Last Ranger: A novel by Peter Heller My rating: 5 of 5 stars I love Peter Heller's books. I haven't read a book by him that I didn't love and The Last Ranger was no exception. His characters are always wonderful, memorable people. And I especially loved every single one in this story. His settings are vivid, lush and transformative. Yellowstone is a wonderful place to set a novel and even though I knew about the story around reintroducing wolves into the park, I loved loved loved reading about it. My favorite character was the wolf specialist and she will stay with me a long, long time. These literary novels with a bit of a mystery and incredible character and setting are his specialty and why I keep looking forward to a new Heller book every single time. with gratitude to netgalley and Knopf for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the story of two best friends while in college. An affair, a boyfriend who is hard to nail down, an infatuation, books and more books. I loved all of the characters in this story. Even though they are all flawed, I loved their incomplete selves. I loved their friendship. I had so much empathy for them and kept rooting for them again and again. with gratitude to netgalley and Knopf for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review View all my reviews

I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home by Lorrie Moore My rating: 4 of 5 stars I was so excited to get my hands on a Lorrie Moore book. There's no one who writes as beautifully as Moore can and this book is no exception. The story for this one is hard to explain and if you like a clean, simple story, this book is likely not for you. This involves a teacher who loves conspiracy theories, a cross country trip, a clown, some ghost, hospice death, and so much more that doesn't seem like they could come together to hold a story. But underneath it all, it's about grief and humanity and love. And Lorrie Moore never disappoints with her writing. with gratitude to netgalley and Knopf for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews

The Celebrants by Steven Rowley My rating: 4 of 5 stars Rowley never disappoints. His stories are the perfect combination of heart and love, sorrow and humor and this one is no exception. Old friends who come together and support each other. Lives that take unexpected turns. The beauty and the sorrow of the ordinary parts of life. You will not regret reading this one. with gratitude to netgalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for an early copy in exchange for an honest review. View all my reviews