Review: Middle of the Night

Middle of the Night by Riley Sager
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I finished reading this book on Sunday, August 17, 2025 at 7:16 p.m.

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Cute Libby Image!

Cute book image I found on Libby!

Book Crossing Wild Release!

https://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/17638180

Review: Reading Buddies

Reading Buddies by Penny Pentley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I finished reading this book on Friday, August 15, 2025 at 2:20 p.m.

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📙 Reading Buddies by Penny Pentley

I probably got this Ebook for free in an email. I downloaded it onto my phone and have been wanting to read it. I bought the Eaudiobook on Audible for a dollar less with Mom’s Amazon Prime account. It’s a short Chick Lit read, which is my favorite. I really need some Chick Lit in my life. 😄

My Eaudiobook

My Ebook

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“My boyfriend, Charlie, is putting the finishing touches on our coffees. One sugar and cream for him, two teaspoons of Ovaltine and a splash of milk for me. Don’t judge me. It has vitamins” (Chapter 1).

I tried the Ovaltine in coffee. I did not like it at all. I’ll take my Ovaltine in oatmilk instead!

“Then we come to a tall gentleman in jeans and an unbuttoned shirt over a graphic tee” (Chapter 1).

I’ve always loved this outfit.

* This story reminds me of that show that Sam Reid was in called “The Hunting”. That’s what I’m picturing as I read this!

* I liked the book. I didn’t like that they read Twilight. I did like that they read together. That’s what made me want to read this book in the first place. I kind of didn’t like how the author narrated Amanda’s voice. This was a nice, short read to add to my list!

My July 2025 Reads

📘 MY OCCASIONAL READ:

✅ 🏆 The Shadowhunter's Codex by Cassandra Clare, Joshua Lewis (Compiler)

👭 Sister Summer Book Club Pick:

✅ [☀️PHOENIX LIBRARY☀️]:🕰 Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

📕 Cousin Book Club:

✅ 💗 Before We Were Strangers by Renee Carlino

I Colored My World! XD

This is a bookmark I colored in. I got it from the Heroes Regional Park Glendale library branch.

This is one side that I colored. I will upload the other side when Summer is over.

My Current Bookshelf!

The Bailey Books Grown-Up Summer Reading Challenge!

Remember how exciting summer reading challenges were when we were kids? Stickers! Prizes! Bragging rights at the library! Well guess what… it’s our turn now. 😎

Introducing the Bailey Books Grown-Up Summer Reading Challenge! A just-for-fun, totally low-pressure way to bring some bookish fun to your summer.

Each week from June 15 to August 23, we’ll post a fun challenge for our Bailey Book family to complete. Once you complete it, post about it using #BaileyBooksSummerChallenge, and tag us on Facebook, Instagram or Tiktok and boom! You’re entered into our grand prize draw at the end of summer.

What’s in the prize? A gift certificate, a Bailey Books candle, a magical book nook, and a bunch of other cozy goodies.

Regain that weird sense of accomplishment you felt completing an arbitrary, no stakes challenge posed to you by a bookish person in your life.
Are you in? Starts June 15!

Color Our World Posters!

I taped these across my room to remind me that the Summer Reading Game was going on! =D

MLCC [Maricopa Library and Cultural Center (AZ)] Summer 2025: CSLP Color Our World (Adults) Beanstack Final Stats

We Did It!

Thank you for logging your minutes to help Maricopa County Reads reach 103,000,000 minutes read!

Immerse yourself in Summer Reads | Cozy Books Corner BOX LET’S READ TOGETHER! Summer Reading Challenge!

https://www.instagram.com/p/DLIHmvehs2x/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

@booksarecozy (June 20) Wanted to tell y'all about our FREE Summer Reading Challenge! Read 2 books each month this summer & we'll send you a prize pack (will contain things like a bookmark, sticker, maybe a little treat - it will be a surprise!) I missed the Summer reading challenges we had as a kid and wanted to have one for adults who love to read! How many books do you want to read this summer? Sign up here: https://shop.cozybookscorner.com/pages/summer-reading-challenge-2025

From the email they sent me

From their Facebook page

The following are things that I want to save from their email to me:

there was always something encouraging us to read! I loved filling out the sheets, or covering all the spots with stickers for each book I’d read.

I decided that my company Cozy Books Corner would sponsor a fun, nostalgic, easy SUMMER READING CHALLENGE! And I’m so glad that you decided to join us!

1. READ! And have fun doing it! Know that you are doing something wonderful for yourself that feeds your soul and enjoy that time. You deserve it!

Here is also a snippet from their Facebook page "About" section:

Let’s Read Together: Summer Reading Challenge ☀️
Hosted by Cozy Books Corner
Welcome to the coziest corner of the internet for book lovers who want to read, relax, and relive the magic of summer reading challenges, nostalgia included! 🏖️📖
This free reading challenge runs from June 10 – September 2 or 5 and is open to all readers, whether you're brand new or already part of the Cozy Books Corner family.
✔️ Read 6 books of your choice
✔️ Track your progress with our printable challenge tracker
✔️ Earn a fun prize pack just for finishing
✔️ Join the group for weekly check-ins, reading inspo, cozy vibes & a wrap-up party with big prizes on August 28th!
🎉 Bonus epoints if you share the challenge and invite your bookish friends!
📬 Sign-up required to get your tracker and prizes
If you love reading with friends, summer nostalgia, and book-fueled joy—you're in the right place. 💛
#LetsReadTogether #cozysummerreads #CozyBooksCorner

We're counting all books read between June 1st and August 31st!

Some cute pics. from their FB page.

@BooksAreCozy's “LET’S READ TOGETHER” SUMMER READING CHALLENGE! 📚☀️

Just Read Summertime!

Take a vacation by losing yourself in a summer read! I found this cute picture on the Phoenix Public Library website.

I unlocked the Adventure avatar bundle!

07/13/2025 Choose your favorite look and get your avatar ready for adventure. Show off the new look on social media with #maricopacountyreads

Review: Wrong Place Wrong Time

Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I finished reading this book on Tuesday, July 1, 2025 around 3:20 p.m. Our last reading session was 25 minutes.

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🕰 Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

Ale found this book in her Apple Books app on her iPad after we decided to not finish “Summer in the City” by Alex Aster. She loved that it took place over and over again on Halloween day. I’m just glad that she wants to read it and seems excited about it. I think that it’ll be interesting to see how this story will work out.

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“The thought arrives, fully formed, right then. What if the weapon is in that bag? What if the crime is going to happen? What if it wasn’t a dream, but a premonition?” (44, chapter 4).

This is a connection to the final destination movies because the characters in those movies also have premonitions. Ale and I watched the sixth movie in the theatres today! That’s a crazy coincidence! 😱

Overall, I would say that this was an enjoyable read and it really kept us guessing. Almost after each chapter Gillian gave us something to wonder about or a cliffhanger.

Review: The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I finished reading this book on Thursday, June 26, 2025 at 6:36 p.m.

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🤓 The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

I went to the El Mirage library in El Mirage, Arizona to drop off the last book I read, which was “The McCullagh Inn in Maine” and I was browsing the shelves for a thin book that I might want to read and pick for my Summer Reading Game book pick. I looked all over and this one was an “I guess” pick. I’ve seen this book cover in articles when I was searching for books that are about book clubs. I think that I will like this book because it is about books and it’s also considered Chick-Lit on Goodreads.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I loved all of the bookish things about it and the romance added a little cherry on top! ;)

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“Her anxiety had gotten better in the last several years, once she’d started to use a planner and keep a schedule and basically try to control every aspect of her life, but it was always curled up at the base of her spine like a sleeping cat. Any step off the normal path, any deviation from standard, and it started lashing its tail” (101).

I use a planner too, Nina Hill!

“At last, the last remnants of Nina’s anxiety peeled away revealing a cold center of anger. This wasn’t necessarily a good thing. Sometimes when her social anxiety got pushed too far a strange confident madness would take over her mouth, which had led to some very unfortunate outcomes” (136).

I’ve experienced that too, Nina!

“...and bravely tell them you’re not brave at all” (299).

READERS GUIDE

Questions for Discussion

1. At the outset of the novel Nina appears very happy, although she really prefers to be alone. How does that change by the end of the novel? What role does solitude play in your life?

Nina’s preference to be alone changes by the end of the novel when she wants to be with Tom and he understands how her anxiety gets. Solitude plays a huge role in my life.

2. Nina loves books and is a self-proclaimed introvert. What does she find so appealing about reading? Do you think both extroverts and introverts can be passionate about reading books? How do you think the experience is similar and different for both personality types? Why do you enjoy reading?

Nina finds lots of things appealing about reading: adventure in your head, alone time, and cozy vibes. I think that both extroverts and introverts can be passionate about reading books. There is no discrimination there! I think the experience is similar and different for both personality types because for introverts we prefer to read alone, but extroverts might want to have a reading buddy. I enjoy reading because it takes me to a different reality where I can be put into the shoes of another character.

3. Pages from Nina's planner were included in the book. Do you feel that added to the narrative? How did Nina's planner pages reflect her state of mind? Do you find planning and organizing helps you feel more in control?

I do feel like the pages from Nina’s planner added to the narrative. They reflected her state of mind because it was a plan for the day before it started and it’s filled with what she wants to happen. I find planning and organizing helps me feel more in control.

4. Nina's mind is constantly moving, filling with ideas, facts, and information. How does this help and hinder Nina? What do you think are the pros and cons of having such an active brain?

Nina’s constantly moving mind helps and hinder her because it helps her with the trivia game and it means it’s hard to have a silent mind. I think the pros of having such an active brain is that you are very knowledgeable. I think the cons of having such an active brain is that you have a hard time quieting your mind when you need it to be so.

5. Nina has found a group of friends who share her love of books, trivia, and popular culture. At the opening of the novel these people are her chosen family. What interests are you passionate about? Do you have a chosen family of like-minded people, or are your friends drawn from a wider pool?

I am passionate about books, blogging, and video editing. I do not have a chosen family of like-minded people.

6. Nina was raised by her nanny, Louise, a woman who wasn't her biological parent, but who loved and cared for her deeply. Does Nina consider Lou family? What part do you think biology plays in the formation of family?

Nina does consider Lou family. I think biology plays a semi-important part in the formation of family.

7. After discovering her father, Nina realizes his personality resembles hers in many ways, something she feels conflicted about. What traits does Nina share with her father? What does she like about sharing certain personality characteristics with him? What does she find difficult about it? What attributes or flaws do you share with your parents, and how does that make you feel about yourself and about them?

Nina shares the anxiety trait with her father. She likes that she can share a certain personality characteristic with him and have a connection in that way. She finds it difficult to deal with her anxiety. I share the attribute of not liking crowded areas with my parents. I share the flaw of my physical features with my parents. This makes me feel disgusted with myself. This makes me feel that my parents are kind of selfish.

8. Do you think Nina will be permanently changed by discovering her family, or will she remain essentially the same?

I think that Nina will be permanently changed by discovering her family because she can’t just ignore all of these new people in her life.

9. Nina struggles badly with anxiety, which is often quite debilitating. What are her coping mechanisms? Do you think they are healthy ways to deal with her stress? How do you handle anxieties and fears in your own life?

Nina’s coping mechanisms are being alone to recharge and breathing exercises. I think they are healthy ways to deal with her stress. I handle anxieties and fears in my own life by breathing and being mindful.

10. For Nina, a bookstore or library represents sanctuary. Why do you think that is? Do you feel similarly? What are some of your favorite bookstores and libraries? What are other happy places in your life?

I think that a bookstore or library represents sanctuary for Nina because they are cozy places. I do feel similarly. Some of my favorite bookstores are Changing Hands and Barnes & Noble. Some of my favorite libraries are the Yucca Phoenix library branch, Desert Sage Phoenix library branch, Burton Barr Phoenix library branch, Heroes Regional Park Glendale library branch, Main Glendale library branch, and the Fairway Maricopa County Library District branch.

11. Tom is not a bookish person, but his character complements Nina's. Why do you think Nina and Tom work so well together as a couple? How do they complement one another? In what ways have your relationships succeeded or failed because of how well you "fit" together?

I think that Nina and Tom work so well together as a couple because they understand each other and communicate. They complement one another in that Nina loves to read and Tom makes bookcases. My relationships have failed because of how we did not “fit” together. We did not have the same interests.

12. Nina works in an independent bookstore and seems to enjoy the physical-paper version of books. Do you prefer to read physical books or ebooks? Is your enjoyment of books affected by whether or not you read them on paper? In the street battle over books that happens toward the end of the novel, which side would you be on?

I prefer to read physical books. My enjoyment of books is affected by whether or not I read them on paper. In the street battle over books that happens toward the end of the novel, I would definitely be on the bookstore side.

13. Los Angeles is a major city, but Larchmont is clearly a very defined neighborhood, with a small-town atmosphere. Are you surprised by that aspect of Los Angeles, and does it conflict with the way the city is normally portrayed in popular culture?

I am surprised by that aspect of Los Angeles. It does conflict with the way the city is normally portrayed in popular culture.

14. In addition to her deep love of books, Nina also loves all forms of popular culture, including movies and TV shows. Do you think that is common, or do most people prefer one over the other? Which do you prefer?

I think that loving all forms of popular culture, including movies and TV shows is common. I prefer all forms of entertainment, be that books, movies, TV shows, internet content, or music.

My June 2025 Reads

📖 MY PERSONAL READS:

✅ 🏠 Blackwood Farm by Anne Rice

👩‍👧‍👧 The Mother Daughters Audiobook Club:

✅ [🌞GLENDALE LIBRARY🌞 ⬅️MAX Lending, the Countywide Book-Sharing Service!➡️]: 🪑 Confessions by Kanae Minato

🔆 THE SUMMER READING GAME BOOK PICKS:

✅ [🌵Maricopa County Library District (MCLD)🌵]: ⛵ The McCullagh Inn in Maine by Jen McLaughlin

✅ [🌵Maricopa County Library District (MCLD)🌵]: 🤓 The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

✅ [🌞GLENDALE LIBRARY🌞]: 🔪 The Chef (Caleb Rooney #1) by James Patterson (Goodreads Author), Max DiLallo