Saturday, October 05, 2019

Weekly Mewsings: Ghostly Reads and October's TBR List Poll

I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted by Kim of Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb Nance of Readerbuzz where participants discuss what they are reading and other bookish topics. I am also linking to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Team Tynga's Reviews and Marlene of Reading Reality a meme in which participants share what new books came their way recently. I am linking up to Nicole of Feed Your Addiction's Monthly Wrap-Up Post, where any book bloggers who write monthly wrap-up posts can link up and visit other bloggers to see what they have been reading.  


New to My Shelves: 

I finally got around to spending a gift card to my favorite local independent bookstore my husband and daughter gave me for Mother's Day and picked up four new books (admittedly, two were my daughter's picks):


The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
Murder on Millionaires' Row by Erin Lindsey



Flurries of Fun (Frozen Adventures)
Book Uncle and Me by Uma Krishnaswami, Priya Kuriyan


A friend hosted an online Usborne Books for Kids party this past week and I picked three books to add to our family book collection:


Usborne Illustrated Stories from Shakespeare
Usborne Illustrated Ballet Stories, illustrated by Yvonne Gilbert Nanos


Secrets of the Seashore: A Shine-A-Light Book by Carron Brown & Alyssa Nassner


What I Am Reading:  October has started off as the month for ghosts. I recently finished reading Rose Pressey's Murder Can Mess Up Your Masterpiece, which was a great way to start of October--a ghostly cozy mystery set at a craft fair. And Mouse and I are currently reading Ivy + Bean and the Ghost That Had to Go by Annie Barros and Sophie Blackall.

Off the Blog: I have been feeling under the weather recently. Nothing a little pain medication and antibiotics can't fix. Other than that, we have been on the go quite a bit between work, dance, Girl Scouts, and school. Mouse and I have resumed our usual visits to the public library, which was long overdue. Rehearsals for the Nutcracker ballet have been kicked up a notch, and my husband was talked into taking the stage again. This time there will be some actual dancing, which he's not too sure about, but I am sure both he and my daughter will do great.


Here is what I finished reading in September:
  • After the Flood by Kassandra Montag
  • Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires 
  • The Journey by Francesca Sanna 
  • The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories by Dr. Seuss
  • The Taken (Celestial Blues, #1) by Vicki Pettersson
  • Well Met by Jen DeLuca
  • Ivy + Bean (#1) by Annie Barrows & Sophie Blackall
  • The Girl in Red by Christina Henry
  • Goldilicious by Victoria Kann
  • Merry Christmas, Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola
  • The Ten Thousand Doors by Alix E. Harrow

This Past September In Reading Mews:

Tell me what you have been up to! What are you reading, listening to and watching? How was your September? Do you have anything planned for this month?



Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from Coffee Addicted Writer poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday). They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs.

You've dropped your favorite book while being chased by a herd of zombies. Would you go back to retrieve it?

Only if they are far enough away, and I knew I could get away with the delay. Even a favorite book isn't worth my life.


Would you stop and pick up the book under the same circumstances? 


Everyone has a favorite and then we also have something we dislike. Like a coin, there are two sides to every question. Each week, Carrie at The Butterfly Reads and Laura from Blue Eye Books ask participants to list what they like and don't like about that week's topic.


This week's topic is Best/Worst Read of September


It was another good month for me reading wise, and there were no books that really were the worst. My favorite by far, however, was The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow.

EVERY STORY OPENS A DOOR
In a sprawling mansion filled with exotic treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place.
But her quiet existence is shattered when she stumbles across a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. As each page reveals more impossible truths about the world, January discovers a story that might just be the key to unlocking the secrets of her past. [Goodreads Summary]


If I had to pick a least favorite, I suppose it would be Dr. Seuss's The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories. My daughter and I enjoyed all the stories, but none really stood out for us.

What’s better than a lost treasure? Seven lost treasures! These rarely seen Dr. Seuss stories were published in magazines in the early 1950s and are finally available in book form. They include “The Bippolo Seed” (in which a scheming feline leads a duck toward a bad decision), “The Rabbit, the Bear, and the Zinniga-Zanniga” (about a rabbit who is saved from a bear by a single eyelash), “Gustav, the Goldfish” (an early rhymed version of the Beginner Book A Fish Out of Water), “Tadd and Todd” (about a twin who is striving to be an individual), “Steak for Supper” (in which fantastic creatures follow a boy home in anticipation of a steak dinner), “The Strange Shirt Spot” (the inspiration for the bathtub-ring scene in The Cat in the Hat Comes Back), and “The Great Henry McBride” (about a boy whose far-flung career fantasies are bested only by those of Dr. Seuss himself). An introduction by Seuss scholar Charles D. Cohen traces the history of the stories, which demonstrate an intentional move toward the writing style we now associate with Dr. Seuss. Cohen also explores the themes that recur in well-known Seuss stories (like the importance of the imagination or the perils of greed). With a color palette enhanced beyond the limitations of the original magazines, this is a collection that no Seuss fan (whether scholar or second grader) will want to miss. [Goodreads Summary]

Have you read either of these books? What did you think? What was your favorite and least favorite reads this past month? 


Thank you for helping me decide what book from my TBR collection I should read next:

My TBR List is a meme hosted by the awesome Michelle at Because Reading. It’s a fun way to choose a book from your TBR pile to read. The 1st Sunday of every month, I will list 3 books I am considering reading and take a poll as to which you think I should read. I will read the winner that month, and my review will follow (unfortunately, not likely in the same month, but eventually--that's all I can promise). 




Halloween is the perfect time for the supernatural, including ghosts. Since I am in the mood for something on the lighter side, I thought one of these cozy mysteries would make the perfect October read. Which one do you think I should read this month?



Mrs. Morris and the Ghost (A Salem B&B Mystery #1) by Traci Wilton
Charlene Morris knew Salem, Massachusetts had a spooky reputation. But when she decided to open her B&B there, she expected guests--not ghosts...

A grieving young widow, Charlene needed a new start--so she bought a historic mansion, sight unseen, and drove from Chicago to New England to start turning it into a bed-and-breakfast. On her first night in the house, she awakens to find a handsome man with startling blue eyes in her bedroom. Terror turns to utter disbelief when he politely introduces himself as Jack Strathmore--and explains that he used to live here--when he was alive. He firmly believes that someone pushed him down the stairs three years ago, and he won't be able to leave until someone figures out who. If Charlene wants to get her business up and running in time for the Halloween tourist rush, and get this haunting houseguest out of the way, she'll have to investigate. Though truth be told, this ghost is starting to grow on her . . .  [Goodreads Summary]

The Summoning (Krewe of Hunters #27) by Heather Graham
A CALL FROM BEYOND…

When Kristi Stewart inherits a property in the old part of Savannah, she knows it comes with stories of hauntings. But she doesn’t believe in ghosts, even while she runs seances for the guests of McLane House Bed-and-Breakfast. Until the inexplicable midnight appearance of one of her infamous ancestors. Terrified, she flees into the night—and right into the arms of Dallas Wicker.

Dallas is trying to uncover the truth about a colleague who died under suspicious circumstances. As strange happenings continue to plague Kristi’s home, it is soon clear that there’s a very living threat in the neighborhood—several people have disappeared without a trace. Dallas can’t find any connection between the victims, but someone wanted them gone, and it might be linked to the history of McLane House. And that means Kristi should be very afraid. [Goodreads Summary]

Death Overdue (The Haunted Library Mysteries #1) by Allison Brook
Carrie Singleton is just about done with Clover Ridge, Connecticut until she's offered a job as the head of programs and events at the spooky local library, complete with its own librarian ghost. Her first major event is a program presented by a retired homicide detective, Al Buckley, who claims he knows who murdered Laura Foster, a much-loved part-time library aide who was bludgeoned to death fifteen years earlier. As he invites members of the audience to share stories about Laura, he suddenly keels over and dies.

The medical examiner reveals that poison is what did him in and Carrie feels responsible for having surged forward with the program despite pushback from her director. Driven by guilt, Carrie's determined to discover who murdered the detective, convinced it's the same man who killed Laura all those years ago. Luckily for Carrie, she has a friendly, knowledgeable ghost by her side. But as she questions the shadows surrounding Laura's case, disturbing secrets come to light and with each step Carrie takes, she gets closer to ending up like Al.

Now it's due or die for Carrie in Death Overdue, the delightful first in a new cozy series by Allison Brook. [Goodreads Summary]



Thank you for voting! I hope you all have a wonderful week! Happy Reading!


© 2019, Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

70 comments:

  1. Your new books look great. Hope you will enjoy them. They remind me that I too have some book money left *smile* Have a great weekend.

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    1. Vi - Thank you! I hope I will too. You'd think I would run out and spend my gift cards right away, but I have a tendency to savor them awhile. :-) I hope you have a great weekend too!

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  2. Hope you feel better! And I'm glad to hear that Ten Thousand Doors was good- I've been looking forward to it!

    I voted for Death Overdue- it looks fun. :)

    Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

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    1. Greg - Thank you! I hope you are too. I highly recommend Ten Thousand Doors of January.

      Thank you for voting! I really like the cover of Death Overdue. It's so Halloween-y.

      I hope you have a great weekend too.

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  3. The Illustrated Stories from Shakespeare looks really cool!

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    1. Ali - I thought it would be a nice way to introduce my daughter to Shakespeare. :-) Thank you for visiting!

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  4. The Ten Thousand Doors of January sounds amazing! Everyone keeps raving about it! I really need to check it out!

    Thanks for linking up and have a wonderful rest of your weekend!

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    1. Carrie - I hope you like it if you read it. I hope you have a great weekend too!

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  5. I had to vote for The Summoning because of that cool cover! Hope you have a great weekend. :)

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    1. Lark - Thank you for voting! I do love the Krewe Hunter books and am sure The Summoning will be good too. :-) I hope you have a great weekend too!

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  6. I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed The Ten Thousand Doors of January. I've been curious about it. I voted for Death Overdue. It sounds like a fun cozy. Hope you have an awesome weekend! :)

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    1. Ashley - I hope you will give it a try--and if you do, I hope you enjoy it! Thank you for voting. I've been wanting to try Brook's series for awhile now so thought it would be a good one for the poll. I hope you have a great weekend too.

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  7. Bummer that you haven't been feeling well, I hope it gets better soon. How great that you've been able to get back to the library with Mouse. I always enjoy getting back to the library.

    I'm so with you - I would not go back for my favorite book unless I KNEW it had plenty of time. Not worth my life!

    Oh and I voted for Death Overdue, it sounds like a cozy I would enjoy. Have a great week :)

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    1. Berls - Thank you. I feel a little more like myself today, which is promising. We enjoy our library visits. :-) It also means a visit to the park, which Mouse will never pass up.

      Yes, I love books, but not enough to risk my life.

      Thank you for voting! That one does sound good. I hope you have a great week too!

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  8. Sorry you've been under the weather.

    Your husband is such a good sport!

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    1. Kathy - Thank you. He really is. :-) Thank you for visiting!

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  9. I've heard some really great things about The Poet X. I hope you enjoy it! Sorry you haven't been feeling well. I hope you feel better soon!

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    1. Tracy - I have too and am excited to read it. Thank you for the well wishes!

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  10. Book Uncle and Me sounds really interesting - I hope you'd do a review (mini or otherwise) if you and Mouse read it together.

    All three of your books sound perfect for October; it was hard to decide but I voted for Mrs Morris and the Ghost

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    1. Eustacia - I will let you know what we think of Book Uncle and Me. I am looking forward to reading that one as well.

      Thank you for voting! I love the sound of Mrs. Morris and the Ghost. :-)

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  11. You had a great September! I am checking out those titles. Enjoy your adventures with Mouse...and your new books.

    Thanks for visiting my blog.

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    1. Laurel-Rain - It was a good month for books. :-) I hope you have a great week!

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  12. Thanks for your thumbs up for The Ten Thousand Doors of January. I checked it out earlier last month, but ran out of time to read it. Now you have motivated me again.

    And I've always planned to read Poet X. Maybe after the Cybils....

    I hope the antibiotics and pain medicine put you back on your feet. Good luck to your husband. I bet he will love learning to dance.

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    1. Deb - I hope you like The Ten Thousand Doors of January if you read it. I imagine there will be some who don't like it, but I definitely fall into the love camp. I could not resist Poet X when I saw in at the store. I hope to read it soon.

      Thank you for the well wishes. I am feeling better, although the antibiotics are causing their own havoc.

      My husband found out Saturday which role he will be playing. He was kind of hoping, but at the same time dreading it. LOL My daughter is so excited. This time they'll actually be on stage together.

      Thank you for visiting!

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  13. Hope you'll be feeling more yourself soon. I hate being sick or even slightly sick. So, with your voting, I had to vote for the haunted library book. I own that book. Have I read it? No, I have not. Maybe soon?? Ha!

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    1. Kay - Thank you. I'm feeling better. Now just need to shake this cough. Thank you too for voting! I hope you get a chance to read Death Overdue soon-ish. :-)

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  14. I love the look of your new reads - The Poet in particular caught my eye... Oh my goodness - your husband will appear in The Nutcracker?? That's going above and beyond the call of duty in the fathering stakes:)). No wonder he's a tad concerned. I hope you soon feel better without the pain meds and antibiotics and have a great week, Wendy:)

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    1. Sarah - Thank you! I am really excited about Poet X.

      My daughter's dance studio knows how to put its parents to work. :-) He found out Saturday he will be playing Drosselmeier. Mouse is so excited. She gets to dance on stage with her dad.

      Thank you for the well wishes! I hope you have a great week too.

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  15. I hope you feel better soon! The Nutcracker sounds awesome! I hope they will have a wonderful time!
    I read Well Met this month as well, really enjoyed the fair aspects. Really want to read more Christina Henry, did you enjoy The Girl in Red?

    Have a wonderful week!

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    1. Lynn - Thank you for the well wishes! I did enjoy The Girl in Red. I look forward to trying Henry's other work. I hope you have a great week too!

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  16. I'm so sorry to hear you've been feeling under the weather. I hope you feel better soon! I've heard great things about The Ten Thousand Doors of January so I'm glad to hear it was a winner for you too. I voted for Death Overdue in your poll, mainly because the cover is just so cute and I've been in the mood for cozy mysteries, lol.

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    1. Suzanne - Thank you for the well wishes and for voting! I love that cover too. :-)

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  17. As a library assistant at a local library, I'm glad you and Mouse are resuming your visits to the library. :) I'm not much for audiobooks, but I loved The Poet X as read by the author. It was brilliant.

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    1. Bryan - We have a favorite librarian who we always hope is on duty when we visit the library. She never minds talking with Mouse and answering her many questions. :-) I am glad you enjoyed The Poet X. I imagine it would be quite good to hear the actual author read her own work in a instance like that.

      Thank you for visiting, Bryan!

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  18. Great new book pics, enjoy your new reads and cute little pumpkin!
    I hope you feel better. Cold season is here :( It's so cold here this weekend I can't believe how fast that happened.
    Murder Can Mess Up Your Masterpiece sounds interesting. Enjoy your ghostly reads, Death Overdue sounds fun!

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    1. Naida - Thank you for the well wishes. Share some of your cool weather with me, please. :-) I hope you have a great week.

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  19. I voted for Death Overdue, can’t go past a haunted library!
    The Ten Thousand Doors is on my wishlist.

    Have a great reading week


    Wishing you a great reading week

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    1. Shellyrae - Thank you for voting! I hope you have a great week too!

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  20. I voted for The Summoning because it sounded the most ominous. Hope whatever book wins is a great read for you. Happy Reading!

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  21. I hope you feel better soon, Wendy.

    The Ten Thousand Doors of January sounds good and I look forward to your thoughts on it.

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  22. Enjoy your books! And I hope you feel better soon.
    I love that they talked your husband into being on-stage again. I'm sure he and your daughter will have a great time

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    1. Carol - Thank you for the well wishes. They didn't have to twist his arm too much to get him back on stage. He really enjoyed it this summer. :-)

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  23. I am sorry to hear that you haven't been feeling well!

    I love Usborne books! I used to be a consultant but I realized I was not cut out for sales. I did buy quite a bit though. Lol.

    I really want to read Ten Thousand Doors, and Death Overdue looks really good! (guess which one I voted for..lol)

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    1. Thank you! I am feeling much better now. Just tired. But that seems to be a relatively normal state for me. LOL Usborne has a lot to choose from! It was fun checking out all they have.

      I hope you do get a chance to read Ten Thousand Doors if you haven't already. I loved it. Death Overdue was good too!

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  24. I hope you are feeling better!

    I love the Allison Brook series. I still need to read her last one, but the first two were great.

    Have a great week!

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    1. Yvonne - Thank you! I really enjoyed the Allison Brook books too.

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  25. I am glad you were able to use your gift card. It looks like you added some great books. I am sorry that you have been sick. That's hard with all the running you seem to do. How fun that your husband is signed up for another round on the stage! I hope you have a great week!

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    1. Carole - Probably too many new books! Haha. Thank you for the well wishes. I hope you have a great week too!

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  26. September was a blur for me. October is kind of the same way so far. I want to savor this time of the year because it really is my favorite but I am not a witch and cannot stop time. LOL. Unfortunately.

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    1. Ti - This time of year always seems to go by so fast. I can't believe it's November already. It's my favorite time of year too. If only we could stop time . . .

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  27. hope you enjoy all the new goodies. i look forward to seeing what your next read will be
    sherry @ fundinmental

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  28. How nice of you to spend some of your Mother's Day gift card on books for your daughter. Hope you both love your books! And I hope you're feeling better!!

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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    1. Nicole - It was only because I didn't realize the gift card was for so much. LOL

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  29. It sure sounds like you are keeping busy! I’ve read and enjoyed Murder on Millionaire’s Row! I’ve actually got the second book in that series here just waiting to be read. Have a great week!!!

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    1. Samantha - It's nonstop around here. I'm sure it is for you too! I am looking forward to Thanksgiving week. I may get a break then. I hope you have a great week too!

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  30. I say read all of them! That Allison Brook series is a favorite and Heather Graham is always good but I voted for Mrs. Morris and the Ghost because I know nothing about that one and it sounds like a great read! Enjoy your new books! I read Murder on Millionaire's Row and enjoyed it. Have a great week!

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    1. Katherine - I didn't manage to read them all, but there's still hope yet. :-)

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  31. I really need to read The Poet X. And The Thousand Doors of January sounds good as well. Looks like a great month ahead hopefully!
    Check out my September Wrap-Up

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  32. I enjoy doing activities as a family too, especially theater, band, and library events. I keep telling myself to read The Poet X, but just haven't checked it out yet. I enjoy novels in verse and read All of Me by Chris Baron recently--so good and needed for kids and their adults.

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    1. Danielle - When I signed her up for dance I had no idea what we were in for. It really has become a family affair, and we are enjoying it. I will have to look for All of Me. Thank you for the recommendation!

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  33. You have got one busy schedule with all that's going on! I bet mouse is so excited that her dad is going to be joining her in the production again. That is just too cool. You added some interesting books to your shelf. Would love to hear more about The Poet X!

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    1. Iliana - Mouse is very excited about her dad being in The Nutcracker. She's trying to talk me into being on stage too, but I much prefer to work backstage. :-)

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  34. Wendy, I saw a "Frozen" book and thought you and Mouse would get a little kick out of knowing one of my friends wrote one of the Frozen II books out now :D SO proud of her! https://twitter.com/WriterSideUp/status/1187474510833840128

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    1. Donna Marie - That's so cool about your friend writing one of the Frozen II books! Mouse loves those types of books.

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