Dec 30, 2019

2020 TBR (to be read)

2020 is almost here and today I am sharing 24 of my TBR books. I'm so excited to be sharing this list with you and I'm excited that this is a collaboration post with Roxanne over at Homework and Horseplay. After you are done reading my list go over and check out Roxanne's.



My 2020 TBR

I am going to link the books for you below so you can easily find them on the Good Reads website. I will also do my best to give a short description of each book. Without further delay, here is my 2020 TBR list.

1. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

 This book is a little hard to explain in just a few short sentences but basically, the main character comes across a strange book that's about him and it leads him on an adventure. The author of this book also wrote The Night Circus. I absolutely loved that book so I have high hopes for this one. You can read more about this book here.
*Update* I received this book as a Christmas gift and I could not wait to start it. I am over halfway through the book and it is incredible and has the potential to be my favorite book. I will keep you updated on that.

2. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Hulu series is based on this book. I love the series and I am excited to read this book. The book is about Offred who is a handmaid and she lives with a commander and his wife. Her job is to get pregnant by the commander and deliver a baby for them. Her worth is found only by her ability to get pregnant and have a healthy baby. Read more about the book here.

3.  The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

This book is a sequel to the Handmaid's Tale. I don't want to say too much about this and accidentally give something away. You can read more about this book here on Good Reads.

4. Campaign Widows by Aimee Agresti

What better book to read when going into another election year. This book follows a few different women who become friends while their husbands are on the campaign trail. It sounds like such a great distraction while everyone on social media argues with strangers about who will make a better President. haha. Check out the book here for more information.

5. Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

Jules takes a new job as an apartment sitter for rich and famous people who live in a very well known building. Another apartment sitter tells Jules some history about the building that Jules passes off as just a ghost story. One day the girl goes missing and Jules tries to find out what happened to her new friend. This book is a thriller and so many others have raved about it. You can see some reviews here if you'd like.

6. American Royals by Katharine McGee

In this book, America has a royal family and the princess is in love with someone who is off-limits. This book seems like another great one to read for a healthy distraction during an election year, haha. See more about it here.

7. P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

I love the movie so why not read the book. Holly's husband passes away and she is lost without him and has a hard time picking up the pieces. To her surprise, her husband has written her letters and over time with the help of the letters, she is able to find herself. Find out more here.

8. The Young Wives Club by Julie Pennell

This book follows 4 women and the relationships that they thought would be perfect. The synopsis of this book reminds me a little of The Desperate Housewives. I am unashamed to admit that I love that show. Read more about the book here.

9. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

This book comes highly recommended from lots of different blogs I have been reading. I'm not even going to give a brief description of this because I want you to go read the full synopsis of it here.



10. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around. That alone grabbed my attention and I added it to my TBR list. You can read the entire description on Good Reads.

11. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

Set during the gold rush, Angel is a prostitute and meets a man named Michael who listens to God's calling and marries Angel. Angel feels unworthy of love and ends up running back to her old life. This book is based on the book of Hosea of the Bible. See more on this book by clicking here

12.  The Solace of Water by Elizabeth Byler Younts

This story takes place in the 1950s and follows the story of an unlikely friendship between an African American woman who lost her son and a white Amish woman who holds secrets of her own. So many people have said this book was a great emotional read and I can't wait to dive into it. You can find out more here.

13. One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Emma and Jesse are high school sweethearts who get married and live a wonderful first year of marriage together. Jesse ends up dying and Emma is heartbroken so she moves back to her home town. Years later she falls in love with a new man and they get engaged. She is ready for her second chance at love but then Jesse is found, alive. The synopsis of this book gives me goosebumps. You can find the book here.

14. The Secrets of Paper and Ink by Lindsay Harrel

The cover of this book caught my eye and the synopsis caught my heart. You would need to read the synopsis yourself to appreciate what this book is about. Go check it out here.

15. A Constellation of Roses by Miranda Asebedo

Trix comes from a hard life and she steals to make it on her own till she gets caught. Trix is given the choice to do jail time or to live with her long lost family. She chooses her long lost family and while there she notices that they each have certain gifts. This book sounds magical and heartwarming. You have to see the book cover as well, view it here.

16. Bird Box by Josh Malerman

If you haven't watched this movie don't do it. Read this book first. I have read lots of reviews saying the book was so much better than the movie and that's funny because the movie was great. Bird Box is about something horrible running around and if you look at it you end up killing yourself. You can read more here if you'd like.

17. Malorie by Josh Malerman

This is the sequel to Bird Box. That's all I want to say but if you want to know more you can check it out here.

20.  Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

This book doesn't come out till March but it is one that I am extremely excited about. This book is about a mother and daughter. The mother has the daughter believing she is sick to get money and sympathy from people. Eventually, she gets caught and ends up going to jail but when she gets out she asks her daughter if she can move in with her. This reminded me of the Hulu series called The Act and the cover of this book is stunning. I can't wait to get my hands on this book! See the cover here.

21. A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

This is a Beauty and The Beast retelling and it sounds like a good one. In this book, the female character has cerebral palsy. I think it's wonderful that books are including more characters with illnesses and disabilities. See more here.

22. The Institute by Stephen King

This will be my first Stephen King book I will read. I am so excited because I have heard lots of things about his book. This book is about a boy who is kidnapped and his parents are murdered. This boy is brought to an institute where other kids are also there and they have special talents. The people running The Institute are not kind. This book has gotten lots of great reviews so I can't wait to read it for myself. See more on the book here.

23. Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin

This story follows a witch and a witch hunter who is forced into marriage. I keep hearing great things about this book, you can read more about it here.

24. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

When I was picking out books to read for 2020 I knew I had to add this to my list. This book follows Jay Gatsby and his new love during the 1920s. This book is a classic and a perfect read for 2020! You can find out more here.


There you have it, 24 books that I have on my TBR list. I hope you found some good books here to add to your list. Don't forget to check out Roxanne's TBR list.
Have a happy new year!


Dec 17, 2019

5 Christmas Books You Should Read

I have made it a mission of mine to read Christmas themed books through December. I technically started in November after Thanksgiving because, for me, that is Christmas time. I have truly enjoyed getting back into books and the Christmas season has been the perfect time to do this. Okay, let's get into the books.



1. One Day in December by Josie Silver

This book mainly takes place in London. The main character sees a guy at a bus stop while she is on a bus. They lock eyes and she instantly feels sparks. She waves for him to get on the bus but before he can the bus pulls away. She tells her flatmate who is also her best friend about this guy. Over the next year, she tries to find him but doesn't have any luck. During a party, her best friend introduces our main character to her new boyfriend who happens to be the guy from the bus stop. The book covers a 10yr span and it's so good! I adore how this book ended. 
Warning: This book does use cuss words and has some sex scenes but doesn't get over descriptive. All in all, I enjoyed this book and I easily skipped over the sexual parts and it didn't take away from the book.

2. The Christmas Shoes by Donna VanLiere

This book is about a man who works too much and a little boy who's mother has terminal cancer. The paths of these two unlikely people cross in such a wonderful and Christmas spirited way. I don't want to say much more than that because I really think you should read this book. I cried so much but it also reminded me what matters most, especially during the Christmas season. I will probably read this book every December because I loved it that much.

3. The Christmas Town by Donna VanLiere

The main character in this book had a hard upbringing. Her father left when she was young and her mother has been in and out of jail leaving the girl to be tossed around to different foster homes. This Christmas all she wants is a family so she goes on Craigslist looking for one. She also comes across a neighboring town and meets some wonderful people in it. This is such a heartwarming story and I fell in love with many of the characters.

 4. The 13th Day of Christmas by Jason F. Wright

This book has a unique friendship between a little girl and an elderly woman. The little girl's family has lost everything and has to move into a trailer home. The little girl makes friends with one of the neighbors who is an elderly widow. There is something special about December 26th and it's not revealed till the end. I borrowed this book from the library but I loved it so much that I am going to buy it next year. It's such an amazing read and has forever changed December 26th for me.

5. Chicken Soup for the Soul Christmas Treasury: Holiday Stories to Warm the Heart by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Matthew E. Adams

In this book we have lots of Christmas stories shared from all over that are all so heartwarming and sure to put anyone in the Christmas spirit. I kept this book on my nightstand and read it throughout the month.


Thanks so much for joining me here and I hope you can read at least one of these books! If you have other book suggestions I would love to hear them.




Dec 4, 2019

Medical Investigation 101 | High School Curriculum Review

If you are homeschooling a high schooler then I think you can agree with me that finding a curriculum can be challenging. It seems like many companies don't have anything to offer above 8th grade. I also don't think there are many reviews for high school materials. I'd like to offer more of that here on my blog and today I am doing just that. Let's get into it!

Medical Investigation 101

Medical Investigation 101 is an interesting curriculum that takes the student along in how doctors analyze medical mystories. This set comes with three books, a textbook, a workbook, and the teachers guide. Medical Investigation 101 will take the student along using realistic cases in how a doctor will break things down in order to find what is going on. The student will have to use the patient's complaint, symptoms, and their medical chart. If your high schooler enjoys an interactive curriculum, they will enjoy this.

My Thoughts

When I got this in the mail my 10th grader was very excited to begin using it. She cracked it open and took off with using it. I never had to remind her to do her work as she would always grab this curriculum first thing in the morning. She enjoyed everything about it, especially getting to learn more about practical things like CPR.



















You can find Medical Investigation 101 here. This set is also part of the full 11th-grade curriculum bundle and you can find that here. My daughter was so sad when she finished this because she enjoyed it so much. She learned a lot of new things and believes other students her age would also enjoy this curriculum.