Jen's Blog

I love garden season!  I have always had a little garden or at the very least flowers but last year I graduated myself into a big garden!  I rented a plot at a nearby community garden and while I was nervous about how much work it was I decided to give it a try. Community Garden Plot It turns out I loved the community garden.  It was a lot of work, but it quickly became my happy place.  I would go in the evenings after work and dinner with my boys and listen to audiobooks and garden away.   I remembered all winter how much I loved it, but it wasn't until this last week when I spent several days planting that I remembered just how much. Backyard Lettuce Garden!   This year I planted two gardens, the big one at the community garden and a small one in my backyard.  Most of the vegetables will go into the big garden, but I planted lettuce and herbs and some small plants in my backyard so I could go out and get a salad for dinner without having to drive.  This last year I ha

Sarah Morgan is a new author to me even though she has written many books!  I have quickly come to love her stories and found Sleepless in Manhattan to be no exception.  Paige is living the life she has dreamed about with two of her best friends and her brother in Manhattan.  When she loses her job she needs to learn how to take risks in order to fulfill her dream of having her own business.  When it comes to her brother’s best friend, the very sexy Jake, she learns she has to take another risk.  Jake distrusts love and he never spends more than a night or two with a woman.  However there has always been something about Paige that he cannot forget and he has always protected her.  Unfortunately despite the sparks that fly between the two of them he is adamant about protecting her from himself most of all.  Jake needs to learn to take a risk when it comes to love if he wants to keep Paige in his life.  This is a very steamy and satisfying book and the chemistry between Jake

Many thanks to the editors for the advanced copy!  Marrying Winterborne gives the reader all of the delights of a historical romance, but in a new and refreshing story line.  Rhys Winterborne and Lady Helen Ravenel are newly engaged at the beginning of the book, although the engagement itself does not go off without its own drama.  Rhys and Helen have to negotiate the act of getting to know one another and far more importantly get over their personal fears and learn to trust each other.  Lady Helen starts out very shy but as her relationship with Rhys grows she becomes more and more outspoken.  Rhys has always guarded his reputation no matter the consequences.  When shocking secrets come to light he has to choose between happier ever after or his reputation.  I loved this book and the couple together was wonderful and perfect, they were truly made for each other.  Lisa Kleypas tells a wonderful story and I am always left satisfied with the ending, Marrying Winterborne d

Is there anything more exciting than a new book by your favorite author?  Not for me!  To make it even better I love a good summer read, they are light and perfect for the season. Here is a list of June books I am anxiously awaiting.  The genres cover women's fiction, romance, chick lit, literary fiction and mystery.  It's not a complete list of all books set to be out in June, it's my June to read list! Check my blog often for reviews as I read them! June 7th  Rich and Pretty by Rumaan Alam Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet by H.P. Wood Forever Beach by Shelley Noble The Wedding Sisters by Jamie Brenner June 14th Here's to Us by Elin Hilderbrand Bay of Sighs by Nora Robers June 21st  Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler The Pursuit by Janet Evanovich Riverbend Road by RaeAnne Thayne June 28th First Comes Love by Emily Giffin Sweet as Honey by Jennifer Beckstrand Sweet Little Lies by Jill Shalvis Onc

I have been looking forward to this book since I discovered Amy Reichert's first book, The Coincidence of Coconut Pie.  If you haven't read that one yet I would suggest doing so right away.  On a personal note it's a lot of fun to read books set in my home state of Wisconsin.    I loved this book just as much...although the tone of it was much different than the first.  The writing was smooth and the story flowed along nicely. I found myself wiping a tear away a few times.  Chris and MJ have been married for 20 years and their marriage has gone a little stale, raising a family takes a lot of energy.  MJ finds herself in a spot where she has to make the biggest gamble of all...go all in or lose everything she has worked so hard for.  The fact that MJ decides to fight for her marriage is refreshing and sets this book apart from so many similar stories  it's well done and I highly recommend it!   Rated 5/5 stars on GoodReads. 

Two years after I had set out to run the half marathon I finally succeeded!  I originally had planned to run the race in 2014, but my Dad got sick and when he passed away I stopped training.  It took me awhile to get back into the swing of running, but this year when my husband announced he was going to give it a go I decided I would try again! I am not going to lie, it was maybe one of the hardest things I have ever done!  I feel like I could have trained more and I wasn't totally prepared but my goal going into the race was simply to finish.  I am happy to say that I did finish...it took me 3 hours and 28 minutes.  Two minutes short of the time goal I gave myself! My second goal was to run at least half of the marathon and I succeeded in that goal as well!  I ran to mile seven without walking.   Miles 7 and 8 I ran more than I walked, but my mile 9 my legs were starting to cramp up a little.  I mostly walked that last few miles, although I would run for a minute here or there

There are some books that grab you on the first page and don't let go of you. Books like this you read as fast as possible to find out what happens, and then mourn the loss of reading it when you turn the last page. This is true of this book. Nora Roberts tells the story of Naomi in such a way that you fall in love with her and root for her the entire book. When she meets Xander you root for both of them together. Naomi's family background is tragic and fascinating and you can't help but love her brothers and uncles. This is a must read!!!  Nora Roberts has long been one of my favorite authors, and this book reminded me why.   I rated it 5/5 stars on Goodreads.  

On the first anniversary of his wife’s death Arthur Pepper has just started to get over her death. When he decides to clean out her closed he finds a charm bracelet that he has never seen before. Suddenly he wonders what he might not know about Miriam. Arthur embarks on a journey that takes him to places he has never dreamed of going before as he researches the charms. He starts to develop new relationships and renews old relationships with his family all while learning a little bit about himself as well. The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is a delightful and whimsical story that is a lot of fun to read.  I rated it 4/5 on Goodreads, highly recommended!  

Britt-Marie Was Here is a quirky novel about an ordinary woman who likes her life to have order. The author produces a great setting, a town called Borg, which is in the middle of nowhere and needs some excitement. In the town of Borg are some delightful characters that shake up Britt-Marie’s orderly life. In the end Britt-Marie ends up learning more about herself and her life, and deciding what it is that will be best for herself.  I found it to be dry at times, but it would defiantly appeal to anyone who has a dry sense of humor.  This is certainly a book worth reading.   I gave it 3/5 on Goodreads...

Catching up with the Fool’s Gold family is one of my favorite things to do and I look forward to each new book. I was excited to be able to read an advanced copy from the publisher! Best of My Love features Shelby and Aidan, and I knew after the first few pages it would become one of my favorite Fool’s Gold stories. Shelby and Aidan both decide that they need to make some big changes in their lives and overcome their fear of commitment. The best way to do that? Become friends instead of dating, no kissing, no sex, no relationship. However their chemistry is undeniable and they discover that love and friendship are not exclusive of one another other. Aidan is a great character; he is funny and very likable. He fits right in on Shelby’s girl dates and becomes one of the group quickly. His best moments may be when he is picking out a new dog for himself. Shelby is adorable and knows what she wants, she gamely tries her best on Aidan’s guy dates and they quickly become insepara

I am excited to finally have a chance to have more time to read! Although life is still very busy with work, the kids and their activities and now that it's summer some gardening I have started to revisit my love of reading! I recently got a chance to go the Public Library Conference in Denver and was excited to receive some advanced readers copies from some of my favorite authors! Combined with the fact I want to start submitting my picks to a website called LibraryReads and I recommend books to patrons at the library all of the time I can't wait to read my way through the pile! Stay tuned for some book reviews here and at the library! I will be submitting reviews on this blog, my Goodreads page, and sometimes in my library blog posts!  I can't wait to share some of my favorite books with you!