Category: Conversations with Kav

Did you know that the phrase ‘dog days of summer’ refers to the hottest and most humid period of the season? Which kind of describes the weather since May actually. Oy. I wish I had a pool I could cool off in like this doggo. 🙂 Fun Fact: the term goes way back to Ancient Greece and Rome who thought the rising of Sirius, the Dog Star added to the intensity of the sun’s heat.

Anyway, in celebration of these lazy, hazy dog days of summer, I thought it would be fun to chat about dogs (and pets in general) in our fiction. Oh – and I also have a couple of random ‘gardening in extreme heat questions’ for all you Southern Gardners so read to the end.

So – dogs (and pets) in fiction. Are you a fan? A dog lover in general? I wish we had the ability to share photos in the comments, I’d love to see your fur babies! This is my grandpuppy, Tobey. I’m the go to dog sitter when needs arise. He’s a wonderful cuddlebug but he’s also stubborn. Doesn’t like to retrace his steps on a walk – in other words always wants to head away from home into infinity. lol So I rigged up a basket on my rollator (walker) and when he balks at turning around I scoop him up and give him a ride for a bit. We get lots of snickers around the neighbourhood. And now the poor little guy has a heart murmur and asthma so riding in the basket has become more of a necessity.

Do you have a favourite fictional dog hero/heroine? Or author who knows how to write ‘dog’? A pet peeve of mine is when a dog or other pet is included in a story but barely referenced other than to say ‘let the dog out’ or ‘fed the cat’ — I mean, why bother adding an animal into the story at all if you aren’t going to develop its character and the relationship between hero or heroine and pet.

I can think of a ton of fictional canine examples but I will restrain myself and just share this one. Clyde from Sandpiper Cove (Hope Harbor #3). This is what I said about Clyde and his human in my review: “You can tell a lot about a hero by the way he treats a dog. And Clyde will tell you that Adam is a keeper. Some of my favourite scenes are between this life-battered pair. A man who has had a rough start in life and the abused dog he rescued. Both are wary of getting too close to people, finding comfort and safety in their solitude.”

Extreme Heat Gardening Questions:

I know there are a few avid gardeners in the crowd so I am making an urgent appeal. Our growing season is so out of whack that some plants flowered early, others sped through their flowering period and others seem frozen in time. Not dying off but not blooming either. So I have questions – especially for gardeners who work with these conditions all the time.

1. My tomato plants are looking hale and hardy — I’ve been good about watering them regularly and I even have lots of green tomatoes…only they have been green for weeks. Not rotting but not ripening either. I read that they will kind of go dormant in extreme heat but will go back to their normal growth cycle once there’s relief from the heat. But it’s been…wow, over three weeks for some of my plants. Is there anything I can do to help ripen the tomatoes? Or is it just a waiting game? Which really doesn’t make sense since a lot of our off season tomatoes come from Mexico which is super hot, so why would they ripen there and not here? Help!
2. For my flowers that bloomed early. If I cut them back will they bloom again? (Shasta daisies, asters, flax, wild geraniums, bee balm…perennials.) I’ve already dead-headed the daisies and one kind of bee balm and did a get a second flowering but I’m wondering since the weather is so warm, will I get new growth if I cut it all back?
3. I have a really pretty purply-pink aster that literally turned gray over night after a thunderstorm and days of severe heat. It’s like all the pigment got zapped out of the petals! Happened to my daisies too. One day they were pretty white petals with bright yellow centres, the next day the petals were gray and the centres were black!!!! I feel like I’m growing. a Munster Family garden. How do Southern gardeners stop the weather from messing with their colour palette?!

Giveaway Opportunity:

Come chat in the comments and I will add your name into a draw for a $10 Baker Book House gift card (Amazon for Canadian readers.)

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August 2, 2025.

My Technologically stunted brain has a really hard time comprehending all the AI chatter around books and publishing making it’s way around social media. I feel like I’m always joining in the middle of a conversation and I can never catch up. So…I thought, who better to turn to then all you clever Best Readers?

I know a lot of you follow authors on FB and through newsletters and I’m thinking you’re getting a more complete picture of the issues around AI and books so here we are! I’m going to share the little bit I know and you can fill in the blanks for me, okay? Here we go! 🙂

AI and Plagiarism

I stumbled upon a huge controversy online about a general market indie author who was accused of using AI to plagiarize another author’s work. From what I can grasp, she used some kind of AI platform that actually took an original story from another author and tweaked it to be just different enough for the plagiarizing author to pass it off as her own. I can’t grasp how this could even be possible! It must be so scary for authors because it seems like it would be impossible to protect their copyright. I mean, it would be so random to even discover that your work has been stolen.

The other angle I read about is where an author can use AI to beef up their own story by requesting the AI to make it more like another author’s writing style! Whaatttt???? How is that even possible? That seems so futuristic!

AI Authored Novels?!

This one really blew my mind. There are actually books being ‘written’ by AI. From what I can understand, a human feeds in a few general plot points like a rough outline and the computer does the rest. I became aware of this when I began reading weird (to me) messages on Instagram from authors reassuring followers that they actually write their own stories – no AI authorship involved! I have a really hard time wrapping my mind around this concept!

AI in audio books

This one really irks me because I got roped into buying a book that was actually narrated by AI. I know some of you use a text to speech app to iisten to kindle books and I can see how that might be beneficial though I’ll admit to being a bit of an audio snob and really love talented voice performers. 🙂

It’s one thing, though, to go into a listening experience knowing you’re listening to an AI production, but to actually pay the same amount you would for real live narrated book is truly irksome.

AI Generated Book Covers

It just occurred to me that maybe that’s why the faceless and cartoony covers have become so prevalent. They must be AI generated, right? And likely a huge financial savings in book productions. But I hate the idea of computers taking over the artistic design of talented artists and photographers.

AI Search Help(Not!)

This one really irritates me. You know, when you go to search an online store and AI keeps ‘helpfully’ correcting your ‘typos’ so you never get the result you want? Soooo annoying.

Example: Northargyle Abbie by Janelle Leonard. No matter how many times I type that title on Amazon, it corrects my ‘mistakes’ the second I click ‘search.’ Northargyle Abbie automatically becomes North Argyle Abbey and, of course, I don’t get any results. Gah! That happens a lot with quirky titles, like the puny-y ones unique to cozies too. So frustrating!

Well, that about sums up all I know about AI Controversies and the book industry. Do you have any deeper insights? Heard more online chatter about this topic and how ti is affecting authors? I’d love it if you would share in the comments.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

Contribute to the conversation in a comment and you will be entered in a draw for a $10 Baker Book House gift card. (or Canadians will receive an Amazon.ca gift card)

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 19 2025.

I got to thinking that in all the Reader Choice Week flurry we don’t spend a lot of time looking at indie books. A few were mentioned last week, most by hybrid authors like Laura Frantz and Jody Hedlund, but I knew there must be more out there so I went on the hunt and came up with a few that caught my fancy. I’ve shared them below and I thought it would fun if today’s conversation could be about Indie Summer Releases – books releasing in July or August. Mention as many as you like, but highlight one that you would like to win in the giveaway. If your name is drawn, that will be the book you will receive.

The Start of my Indie Summer Reading List

Riding By Faith (Iron Grace Brotherhood #1) by Susan Lyda – motorcycle club of redeemed men who have a ministry to help people. Strong found family vibes. Sounds really different. Has anyone read this author before? Release Date: July 4

It’s been an age since I’ve read anything by Myra Johnson so this one caught my eye. A rancher and a widow with a young son, looks like the meet-cute is a rescue situation which always draws me in and leaves me in a puddle of swoons! Some complicated family dynamics too. Release Date: July 7

Jo Grafford’s name has come up a number of times in Bingo entries (looking at you, Tracey!) so this one caught my eye. Plus, the tagline says: “A cowboy allows a friend to arm-twist him into serving as a bodyguard to a princess in hiding.” Count me intrigued!

I have heard of Amy R. Anguish but I have never read any of her books…yet. This one is a Cinderella retelling, first in a new series and it has some clever twists. The heroine is an aspiring artist, her stepsister steals one of her drawings and passes it off as her own. The ball is replaced by a contest at an art gallery and the hero is the owner of the gallery and his last name is Prince. Right now it’s only listed as ebook but I’m hoping it will release in paperback as well. Release Date: July 22

The summer is the perfect time for a rom/com and this one looks fun. I’ve read Nicole Lam’s Love Inspired novel but haven’t tried any of her indie books. This one is a best friends to more trope which I love. The heroine makes a perfect boyfriend list and then sets about looking for The One while her best friend eggs her on with a dare. If she doesn’t find the guy in two month, she has to be his date to his sister’s wedding. Release Date: August 8

I got really excited when I found this one because I’ve read the first two books in this series and somehow lost track of it. And it’s set In Prince Edward Island! This one features a fake dating trope which is always fun. Can’t wait to see what the author does with it. Release Date: August 25

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

Your turn! Are you anticipating an Indie Releases in July or August – Christian Fiction or Closed Door only please! Share some titles in a comment and indicate which one you would like to win if your name is drawn.

Giveaway Options: Canada and US: Paperback or ebook, International: ebook with a US Amazon kindle account.

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 12 2005

Here’s a fun little Q&A tag that Stephanie shared in a comment this week and challenged me to give it a go. So here w are. You can read her answers here: https://stephaniesninthsuitcase.com/2025/06/15/chasing-sunbeams-summer-blog-tag/

And compare them to mine here:

What’s a book you read with a summer vibe?

I can’t say for certain if this one is set in summer but this book has been on my mind and is definitely going to make it into my reread pile this summer: A Shore Thing by Julie Carobini. I mean it has a dog called Moondoggy! An endangered piece of shoreline with the hero and heroine on opposite sides of a development project. So angst riddled, but funny too. My first Julie Carobini!

If you could travel anywhere this summer, where would you go?

Ireland!!!! Irish born, Canadian reared but there’s a huge chunk of my heart that sill belongs to the ‘ol’ sod’ and I would head there in a heartbeat. A cottage by the sea would be nice, especially since they have had some unseasonably hot weather the last few years. But close to a village with a bookshop and a library and a quaint stone church and I’d be all set for the summer!

What poem or quote reminds of you the summer?

Okay, so I might have gardening on the brain and for me, gardening is summer! I just happen to collect gardening quotes in a little gardening journal and here are a few favourites:

“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.” – Alfred Austin

“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” – Audrey Hepburn

“Gardening is an instrument of grace.” – May Sarton

“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero

Describe your favourite summer memory.

The summer I was nine and discovered Edward Eager’s magic books at the library. I read them all multiple times over the summer. Half-Magic, Magic by the Lake, Knight’s Castle, Seven-Day Magic, Magic or Not? The Well-Wishers. They opened up a whole new genre for me and led me to E. Nesbit (Five Children and It is still my favourite!) and Narnia, of course. What a magical summer! Up until then I’d mainly read realistic fiction and the occasional sci-fi.

Your ideal summer if filled with ______, _______ & _________.

Books, Gardening, and Merry Dairy Vegan Ice Cream! 🙂

What is your favourite summer food?

Strawberry rhubarb pie! Ohh and peach pie! And cherry tomatoes right off the vine. Peas and yellow beans.Fresh salads every day. Fresh locally grown fruit. Watermelon!!! And the aforementioned Merry Dairy Vegan Ice Cream.

Favourite summer activities?

Why reading, of course. (Is anyone surprised?) And gardening (bet you didn’t see that one coming!) Going to local fresh food markets. The Highland games! Walks along the canal. Summer theatre in the park.

What is a song that reminds you of summer?

Um….I’m too busy reading to listen to music. The only thing that comes to mind is Eensy Weensy Spider — bwahahaha!

What are you must excited for this summer?

Ummm….Summer Book Bingo, of course! 🙂 (shameless plug) And loading up my wishlist with all the summer releases I’m going to find during Reader’s Choice Week. Eeeeeeppppppp!!!!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

Well, that was fun! Now it’s your turn – answer one of the questions (or more) in a comment to be entered in a giveaway – $10 Baker Book House gift card for US readers or $10 Amazon gift card for Canadian readers. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday June 28 2025.

I need you all to hold me accountable for one of my reading goals this year. I’ve been woefully negligent with goal #4 – Read to Zero Authors (play catch up with specific author’s backlists.) I’ve had great success with this goal in the past but for some reason I’ve been dragging my heels this year. I’ve only read a grand total of two books for this goal. Sigh. I need to make a major comeback with Goal #4 if I hope to make any kind of headway before the end of the year. So this is me publicly committing to focusing on three authors’ backlists for the next quarter. (Can you believe we’re half way through the year already?!)

My Read to Zero Authors

Sarah M. Eden – I’m officially overwhelmed and this right here might be what mired my progress overall because I actually thought I was doing a well with Sarah’s backlist…until I counted up the books I haven’t read yet. That would be 48!!!!! Where did they all come from? Obviously I won’t be able to complete her backlist this year so I’m going to strategically focus on a couple of series and some of her novella collections. So expect to see her books featured on the blog in the near future, specifically:

From the Lancaster Family series:

• Romancing Daphne
• Loving Lieutenant Lancaster
• Charming Artemis

From the Huntresses series:

• The Best-Kept Secrets

Novella Collections:

I had no idea this author is featured in so many novella collections! I’ve decided to focus on the seasonally themed ones and my goal is to read at least one collection per season.

Hannah Linden: Thankfully Hannah doesn’t have a huge backlist so reading her down to zero is entirely possible this year! Woohoo!

• Garden of the Midnights
• The Girl From the Hidden Forest
• Never Forgotten
• The Red Cottage (releasing November 2025)

Irene Hannon: I have read all Irene’s books except her Encore editions – early Love Inspired works revised and rereleased. The list is long but they are shorter books so I think it’s doable. I’d love to be able to say I’ve read every single book she’s written! (These books were originally published between 1997 – 2009)

• The Hero Next Door
• From This Day Forward
• A Dream to Share
• Where Love Abides
• Crossroads
• All Our Tomorrows
• Gift From the Heart
• The Unexpected Gift
• The Way Home
• Seasons of the Heart
• A Place to Call home
• A Time to Love
• Till There Was You
• Apprentice Father

So that’s me being accountable publicly. 🙂 Feel free to nag me if you don’t find these authors’ books cropping up in reviews frequently.

How about you? Any fave authors you are working on reading to zero? if so, share the author and a specific title on your backlist wishlist and I’ll enter you in the giveaway.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

Here’s an opportunity to win a specific title you’ve been pining for. Please stick to Christian Fiction and Closed Door Romances.

Paperback or ebook for US and Canada. Ebook for International readers with a US Kindle account.

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday June 21 2025.

I haven’t always been a seasonal reader, but the last couple of years I’ve found I crave books that fit the season I’m living in. Not all the time, but I like to pick at least some books that match the seasonal vibe and standard holidays I’m enjoying. Of course, I have particular themes for every season, because I’m book nerdy like that (aren’t we all?). Here’s my Summer Bookish Craves List:

• Contemporary summer rom/coms!
• lighthouses!
• seaside settings (especially in Historical romances for some strange reason)
• animal rescues (?!)
• thrillerish (mild) suspense (which is out of character for me the rest of the year)
• holiday romances (especially travel abroad or shipboard romance)
• wilderness survival adventure/ suspense
• gardening
• renos and upcycling
• pun-y titles and bright cover art

Okay, I admit, that’s a weirdly eclectic list and not everything is specific to the summer season, but this is where my mood reading takes me in the summer! How about you? What kind of book draws you in during the summer months?

Looking for a specific kind of summer series recommendations. Can you help?

Last year I discovered a delightful multi-authored closed door romantic comedy series that was so much fun! The Falling for Summer series was set on an island off the Florida coast and featured seven heroes and seven heroines all finding their happily every afters by the end of the summer. It was really clever the way the stories overlapped each other and yet could all be read as standalones. I actually read them out of order without any problem. It was fun to keep going back to the same setting and lovable (and not so lovable) secondary characters all summer long. These were all independently published.

So, now I’m wondering it that’s a ‘thing’ each summer? Does anyone know of a similar kind of series with a summer setting that’s either Christian Fiction or Closed Door? Independent or traditionally published. I think it would be fun to dive into another summery series. Do let me know if you have any suggestions.

Books with a Summer setting suggestions for the Best Reads Summer Book Bingo!

I thought it would be fun and helpful to gather some suggestions for the trickier Bingo prompts so it seems appropriate to start with this one. Usually it’s hard to determine the seasonal setting just from the cover or title ( exceptions being: The Summer of Yes by Courtney Walsh and The Summer of You and Me by Denise Hunter.) It seems like lately every book I’ve picked up has been set in the winter! So, let’s help each out by sharing Christian Fiction or Closed Door Romances that are set in the summer time. I really had to think hard to come up with any that didn’t have ‘summer’ in the title as a major clue! Here they are:

• A Novel Proposal by Denise Hunter
• A Match in the Making by Jen Turano
• Beyond the Tides by Liz Johnson
• Seaside Proposal by Narelle Atkins (Australian summer, which is a fun twist)

Okay, let’s get the conversations going. Add your thoughts in a comment to be entered in a draw for a $10.00 Baker Book House (US) gift card or an Amazon gift card (Canada.)

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday June 14 2025

Eeeepppp! This might be the fault of the recent bout of hot, summery weather and me sweltering in the garden, but I had this brain wave (or it could have been heatstroke) when I thought, ‘wouldn’t it be fun to create the first ever Best Reads Readathon?’ One with a summer theme…like, oh, light bulb moment, a Best Reads Summer Book Bingo event! So here we are with an official Bingo card and everything (three cheers for me getting more proficient on Canva.) And, of course, there has to be a prize!

US winner will receive a $25 Baker Book House e gift card. Canada winners will have a choice between a $25 Amazon or Indigo gift card. Stay tuned for details on how the giveaway will work, but first, drumroll please…

How to Play (and how to have a chance to win!)

• Bingo runs from June 1 (today!) to August 31 2025
• Read a book that fits a prompt (or prompts) to fill in a square (or squares)
• So yes, that means, one book could fit multiple prompts. Example: if you read a historical book featuring a summer house party with a croquet scene that involved a romance written by a new-to-you author you could mark off 4 squares (summer setting, includes a summer sport, historical romance, new-to-you author)
• 12 chances at a Bingo – 5 rows across, 5 rows down, 2 diagonal rows
• Your name will be entered into a draw every time you get a Bingo (so the potential for 12 times)
• Bonus round: Fill your entire card to have your name entered 5 more times
• Once you’ve achieved a Bingo, submit the prompts and corresponding books to me at kavluvstoread@yahoo.ca. using BINGO in the subject field
• Technically, you have until midnight EST August 31 to submit all your entries, but it would be easier on me to have them trickling in throughout the summer.
• Winner will be announced on Saturday September 6 2025

More About the Prompts:

• Summer Setting: a book set in June, July or August (or, if it’s set in Australia or New Zealand, November, December or January.)
• Water on the cover: a body of water like a lake or ocean or you could get creative – glass of water, drop from a faucet etc.
• Beach Read: the kind of read you want to take on holiday with you
• Yellow on Cover: doesn’t have to be the whole cover, but enough of a splash to be noticable
• Travel is part of the plot: up to your descetion, but the travel should play an important role in the plot. So, a holiday romance might involve a trip to a cottage in Maine or a mystery might involve traveling from town to town to follow clues
• A flower in the title or on the cover: Can be literally the word flower or any specific flower in the title or, obviously, any kind of flower in the cover art.
• Holiday romance: a romance that takes place during a summer vacation
• Short Story or novella: self-explanatory
• Includes a summer sport: I’m thinking of sports like swimming, skate boarding, baseball, horseshoes 🙂 frisbee etc
• Part of a series: any book in a series
• Contemporary Romance: self-explanatory
• Garden/Farm Theme: story where gardening, specific garden setting or farming plays an important part in the story
• Summer Release: book released in June, July or August, any year
• Historical Romance: self-explanatory
• Mention of a refreshing beverage: thirst quenching lemonade on the porch, guzzling down a cool glass of water after working on a hot day, Southern sweet tea, iced cola, frosty milkshake (I’m getting thirsty!) etc.
• Christian Fiction: self-explanatory
• Indie authored: self-explanatory
• Family centred story: where family plays an important role in the story. Could be a single mom or dad. Could involve an extended family working together. The relationship between a grandparent and child. A multi-generational story. etc.
• Animal Secondary Character: Any kind of significant critter sidekick.
• Comfort Read: this will be different for everyone. For me it’s a reread or a cozy mystery
• New-to-you author: self explanatory
• Suspense/Mystery: a book with a significant suspense/mystery plot.
• Friend Recommendation: a book recommended by a ‘real life’ or online friend. 🙂
• On TBR / Wishlist since last summer: this is the book that’s gotten away for nearly a year. Now is the time to chase it down and finally read it!
• Outside of Comfort Zone: could be a genre or a trope. Something you usually avoid. For me it would be love triangles, secret babies or sci-fi.

Phew! I think that’s everything. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments. And let the summer reading begin!

I love me a good found family series. The concept of random eclectic people coming together and bonding in a significant, ‘we’re family now’ kind of way is so appealing. Love the group dynamics, the inevitable teasing and banter as well as the more serious heart-to-heart chats that can be life changing. And I love getting to see that with every book in the series no matter who is starring as hero or heroine in the current story. It’s like a special kind of homecoming with every book. Found family series just make me all kinds of happy.

Only…lately, I keep finding family series. Siblings, cousins, all brothers, all sisters etc. And I love those too but lately I’m crazy craving a good, solid ‘found family’ series so I’m looking for suggestions. Bonus points if it’s an indie series. 🙂

I’m going to share one found family series per genre that I have loved and highly recommend. And I’d love for you to share any found family series suggestions you think I might enjoy. (Must be Christian Fiction or Closed Door.) Share your thoughts in a comment and I’ll enter you in a draw for a bookish gift card – details at the end of this post.

FOUND FAMILY SERIES FAVES

The Dread Penny Society series by Sarah M. Eden includes 5 books starring members of The Dread Penny Society in Victorian London. They are a group of Penny Dreadful authors who represent a wonderful cross section of society and work ‘undercover’ to rescue London’s downtrodden. Witty and mysterious with nefarious arch villains and toe-curling romance in every book.

Sarah Monzon’s Sewing in SoCal series features five women of diverse backgrounds who have formed a very special sisterhood. Love all the girl-bonding moments, the teasing, the laughter…even the sniping. I especially appreciate their shared faith which keeps them grounded…more or less. 🙂 Distinctive personalities add intriguing variety and I love the way we get a healthy dose of SoCal sisterhood interaction in each book.

Natalie Walters knows how to create memorable team dynamics and her SNAP Agency series is one of her finest. They are a a diverse and eclectic band of talented professionals who know how to work hard and have formed a deep bond which spills over into teasing banter and pointed heart-to-hearts. They’ve created a unique found family that will hold up under any kind of pressure. and I loved every single group scene! Three books and one prequel.

Shelley Shepard Gray’s Walnut Creek series centers around friends who vow to stick together after the tragic suicide of one of their group. Each book gives some quality page time to all the friends, while focusing on one hero and one heroine’s love story. And Gray doesn’t shy away from hard topics as she explores ways forgiveness and friendship can transform lives. Six books in the series and one prequel novella.

Giveaway Opportunity:

Share your thoughts in a comment to be entered in a draw to win a $10 gift card from Baker Book House OR for Canadian readers – a card of equal value from Cdn Amazon or Indigo.

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday May 31 2025.

Time for a quick fun Off the Top of Your Head Book Tag (courtesy of Chauntona Havig’s recent Booktube post.) Seriously, you can’t think too hard. The first book that comes into your mind is the correct answer. No agonizing over choosing just the right book for every question. Literally, the first book that comes to mind is the one to go with.

1. What was your favourite picture book as a child? elephant
2. What book series did you love as a child? Trixie
3. What was the worst book you’ve tried to read? GWTW
4. What is your favourite reading or book memory? library
5. What is a book you loved as a movie? little women Anne of green gables
6. What is a book you wish they’d make into a movie?
7. Who is a book character you would like as a friend? meg langslow
8. Where is a place you’d like to visit because of a book you read? pei
9. What is a non-fiction book you would recommend?
10. If you could hang out with an author for a day who would it be and why?
11. What is the last book you gave to someone as a gift?

Favourite Picture Book

An number of books came to mind, one on top of the other until my head was a jumble of happy bookish memories but I stuck with Curious George because he has a whole series and we always checked at least one George book out of the library every week, even though my dad begged me to pick something else for a change. 🙂

Fave Childhood Series

Hands down Trixie was my go-to girl sleuth growing up. I read Nancy, of course, by Trixie and her friends held my heart as evidenced by the fact that I sill have all my Trixie Belden books and none of my Nancy Drews.

Worst Book (for me)

Yikes! Sorry to all you GWTW fans but…just no. A much too long saga with an unlikeable heroine. Rhett should have walked away long before he did!

Favourite Reading Memory

Eeeepppp!!! That’s the library from my childhood! Weston Public Library and it still looks the same. I was so afraid it had been torn down and replaced with a modern monstrosity but…eeeepppp…it’s still standing! Picture book perfect, I’d say. I spent hours in this library. Children’s section in the basement and fantastic window seats under those big arch windows upstairs where a girl could curl up and read to her heart’s content. I can actually still conjure up the smell…books, paper, floor polish (hardwood floors throughout) and something else unique to that building (probably mould but that isn’t poetic! Bwahahaha!)

Movie adaptation

The Megan Follows version. As a rule, I am usually disappointed by movie adaptations of favourite books but I thought this mini-series did L. M. Montgomery justice. Not the sequel though — gah, that one drove me crazy because they totally rewrote the books (it was supposed to be a mash up of the rest of the books) but it was dreadful!!!!! But the original was wonderful!

Would Love to See as a Movie

This story would make the perfect holiday movie — has all the feels and oodles of hope and the true meaning of the season. Hallmark Movie perfection only better!

Book Character for Friend

Meg Langslow from the Meg Langslow cozy mystery series. She’s interesting and funny and comes with a posse of quirky relatives and friends. I want to part of that! Plus living in Caerphilly would be a bonus!

Bookish Place to Visit

Prince Edward Island! It’s all Anne’s fault!

Non-Fiction Recommendation

As you know, I’m not a huge non-fiction reader but it’s gardening season and I picked up this gem at the library. Love the layout – so easy to use – and each herb comes with recipes along with all the practical growing info, including container gardening.

Shadowing an Author for a day

Irene Hannon! Because….Irene Hannon!!!!!!!!

Last book I gave as a gift

I gave this to a friend who cares for her three rambunctious grandsons. I knew it would be a hit but she’s kinda miffed because she has to read it over and over and over again now. 🙂 One of my favourite readalouds back when I was a school librarian. I never got tired of reading it. Quirky and fun. Definitely not to be taken seriously.

Giveaway Opportunity:

Now it’s your turn. Share an answer to one (or more) of the Off the Top of Your Head Book Tag questions in a comment below and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a $10 Baker Book House gift card.

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday May 24 2025.

Today seems like the perfect time to talk about our favourite fictional mothers. And I thought we could share childhood faves as well as mothers in our fictional reads.

Favourite Mothers in Children’s Books.

True story: I was raised in a very dysfunctional family. We were struggling immigrants and my mother suffered with what I know now to be an undiagnosed mental illness. So, not a lot of mothering going on in my house but I took solace in the storybook families I read about. In fact, books were my only experience with what a functional family actually looked like. I like to say I was raised by books and am so grateful to my public library’s extensive children’s collection that kept me immersed in imaginary worlds when my own was difficult to bear.

So, I have lots of favourite fictional mothers who played a part in raising me. I’ll try to corral my thoughts to just a few….

Mama from the All-of-a-Kind Family series by Sydney Taylor. These are sweet, simple family stories featuring five sisters at the turn of the century (early 1900s) in New York’s lower East Side. Mama is their anchor – especially when it comes to sharing their Jewish traditions and holidays. Interesting side note: These books were the first to depict traditional American Jewish life in children’s literature. A classic from the 1950s, the books have been reprinted multiple times over the decades but I love the original hardback illustrated copies that I managed to find at library sales over the years.

Mother from The Austin Family Chronicles by Madeleine L’Engle – 5 books starting with Meet the Austins starring Vicky Austin and her siblings. These are gritty, pre-teen/teenage angst kind of stories but with plenty of structured family life to fall back on. First published in the 1960s and reprinted countless times since then, parts can seem outdated (child discipline for one) but there’s something so comforting about this solid family working together to get through the tough stuff. I felt so terribly grown up reading these books! 🙂

Favourite Mothers in my Current Fiction

One author immediately springs to mind: Ruth Logan Herne. She writes kids and families with such truth and grace and humour. Her single mom heroines are independent and capable — no shrinking violets waiting to be rescued! And the way she writes the parenting aspects are spot on. No wonder since she has plenty of lived experience as a mother and grandmother. I always know I’m in for an emotionally satisfying read when I reach for one of her books.

Althea’s grandmother in Sweet Tea by Piper Huguley. Miss Ada steals every scene she’s in. I love that woman! Everyone needs a Miss Ada in their life, bossing them around and telling them what’s what and reminding them of where they come from and who God made them to be. I listened to the audio book but I need to get a print copy so I can underline a variety of Ada-ism to have on hand when I need a boost…or a shove!

Aleida in Embers in the London Sky by Sarah Sundin. This was a colossal ugly cry read for me as it showcases the depths of a mother’s love as Aleida desperately searches for her missing son. It’s heart wrenching and hopeful and everything in between. Definitely a book hangover kind of read…and my favourite Sarah Sundin to date.

Okay, now it’s your turn. What comes to mind when you think of fictional mothers — both from your childhood reads and your ‘grown-up’ ones? Share in a comment below to be entered to win a $10 Baker Book House gift card.

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday May 17 2025