Book Reviews: A Betting Woman & Sisters of the Resistance

I am so behind on my Once Upon a Book Club boxes, it's straight embarrassing. I'm trying hard to get through them though. This is easily my favorite book subscription box, it's interactive and fun, and the books have mostly been pretty good. I do think that I'm going to take a few months off from my subscription though, only because I need to save money and we are reprioritizing things in our budget. As soon as things are back on track though? I'm all in! 

Let's talk about a couple I've finished up lately though. 

A Betting Woman - Jenni L. Walsh

Born Simone Jules, reinvented as Eleanor Dumont, and largely remembered as Madame Moustache, A Betting Woman is a historical novel inspired by the tumultuous life, times, and loves of America’s first professional croupier of modern-day blackjack, bringing to life an intrepid and entrepreneurial real-life woman who lived on her own terms.

When her whole family dies in a fire, young Simone flees her grief and travels west to reinvent herself in burgeoning San Francisco. Down to her last dollar and facing some unsavory options, Simone quick-wits her way to a gambling table where she begins to deal vingt-et-un—modern-day blackjack. Word travels fast among of this French-speaking, card-playing novelty, and she begins to build a new life for herself.

Self-sufficient Simone doesn’t count on falling for an artist— not to mention a man of a different skin color—who society, and the law, says she can’t have. When he is murdered, Simone is devastated and sets off to find closure for his death.

Finding her way to a new boomtown, she adopts a new name, Eleanor Dumont, and opens her very own gambling emporium. "Dumont's Place" is a great success, drawing mountain men and fortune seekers from far and wide.
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But the boom and bust of the gold rush stops for no one, nor do the challenges of a man’s world. Eleanor must continue to fight—for her livelihood, for her self-worth, and most of all, for her legacy.

When this first came, I didn't realize it was inspired by a real person, which just made this a little bit cooler. Just the idea of such an independently fierce and self sufficient woman in the America West is pretty wild, so when I went into this one I was pretty excited about it. 

In the end, this book was meh for me. It wasn't awful but it's one I'm going to forget about. Honestly, there are parts of it I already have and that really stinks. The writing was just alright, the characters weren't totally likeable, either. I really wanted to like Simone/Eleanor but she ended up being kind of a strange character for me. She kind of obsesses over a piece of art (which is one of the gifts in the box and it was... lame, so I'm not sure that I really understood the draw of it?), and a guy she was barely with. Someone is made to dress like a boy, and Simone/Eleanor is actually kind of anti-woman in a really weird way? I feel like there was a lot of promise to this and none of the plot strings came together the way that they should have/could have. 

The gifts in the box were pretty predictable, a deck of cards and an interesting game I've never played but I figure we'll give it a try, it is a book about gambling, after all. We also got a pretty umbrella, and then a weird sketch that I think my six year old could do a better job with. I understand why this would have been included and it did fit with the story, but I guess the practical part of me would rather have something I could use. This makes me sound like such a mom, doesn't it? 

Sisters of the Resistance - Christine Wells

France, 1944: The Nazis still occupy Paris, and twenty-five-year-old Gabby Foucher hates these enemies, though, as the concierge of ten rue Royale, she makes it a point to avoid trouble, unlike her sister Yvette. Until she, like her sister, is recruited into the Resistance by Catherine Dior—sister of the fashion designer, Christian Dior.

Gabby and Yvette are both swept into the world of spies, fugitives, and Resistance workers, and it doesn't take long for the sisters to realize that their lives are in danger.

Gabby discovers an elderly tenant is hiding a wounded British fugitive, and Yvette becomes a messenger for the Resistance. But as Gabby begins to fall in love with her patient and Yvette’s impulsiveness lead her into intrigue at an ever-higher level, both women will discover that their hearts and even their souls hang in the balance as well.

Well, this one was slightly better. I'm normally not a fan of historical fiction because it doesn't usually hold my attention. Also, can we just stop making books based off of WWII? There are SO MANY of them and they really all have similar story lines and how many do we really need? Also, I don't know why it references Catherine Dior because it doesn't really have anything to do with Catherine Dior, it's just kind of in the background, but not really? 

I will say, if you like historical fiction based in/around WWII, you really will like this one. It features everything and, of course, ends in romance for the sisters, which we all knew would happen. I preferred Yvette because Gabby almost seems like a character the author just added in to beef up the story because she's just... there. You don't really get invested in her, she's not into all of it like Yvette is, and she's just an afterthought who pops up here and there. The sisters have some drama between them, which feels like it's made up for the sake of having some more conflict in the book, because in the end they have each other's backs so it's not really anything worth having in the book to begin with. 

Overall, the book was alright. It wasn't terrible, I finished the book (though it took me a couple of weeks, to be honest) and it was interesting. Is it one that I'm going to put near the top of a recommended list of WWII books? Probably not. 

The gifts in this box were mostly fashion/jewelry based, of course. I ended up giving them to Penelope and Lucy for their dress up box because I'm not sure what the heck I'd do with them. 

Book Review: 1000 Perfect Weekends

Raise both hands if you are in need of a vacation. Seriously, all of us probably have our hands up. Most of us can't afford a week long vacation doing anything, so that makes us feel like there isn't a solution.  

National Geographic has our back, folks- they've given us 1000 perfect weekend trips so we really just need to start planning. 

1000 Perfect Weekends National Geographic

Packed with innovative ideas and inspiring photographs, this gift-worthy treasury features 1,000 dream weekend escapes from sunny beach retreats to lush mountain idylls, exotic city sojourns, and wild adventures around the world.

Whether you're looking for a way to unplug from the busy work week, take the family on a quick getaway, or add to a vacation itinerary, this practical and inspiring book provides the perfect way to plan your next quick escape. Whatever your pleasure, 1,000 Perfect Weekends has a unique itinerary built to excite you, illustrated with dramatic National Geographic photographs. Divided by theme and interest--including nature parks, country weekends, mountain retreats, enabled travel, romantic getaways, traveling with pets, and more--this fun-packed guide offers an adventure you can experience in 36 to 72 hours. Highlighting the best short escapes from hubs across the globe, these trips cover more than 40 countries around the world with escapes like:

• Two days sailing off the coast of the Bahamas
• Camping with wild horses on Assateague Island in Maryland
• Driving through Italy's "Chocolate Valley"--a mouth watering experience
• Skating the world's largest ice rink at Ottawa's winter festival
• Swinging over the edge of the world in Ecuador
• A family-friendly getaway to the best theme parks in the country
• An R&R weekend at a renowned spa in California's Napa Valley

You'll also find more than 50 snackable top-10 lists--from the best places to go antiquing to the most relaxing spas to the top museums in the world--to add to your bucket list, along with first-person accounts from travelers who have scouted out each location.

The best place to start is by telling you that I am obsessed with all of National Geographic's travel books. I have read so many of them, I own a ton of them, they are all full of post it notes and tabs because I want to quickly find things. I reference all of them when I'm planning any kind of trip, these books are amazing. 

This book wastes no time and wants to get you into vacation planning mode immediately. Organized by type of trip (beach escapes, mountain retreats, family friendly, road trip, camping, food & wine, pet friendly, wildlife adventures, adrenaline rushers, ultimate retreats, and many more), this is everything you need to be booking your trip in no time. Each section features international destinations but also things within the continental United States, depending on how adventurous you want to get. Top Ten lists are throughout the book so if you can't decide on a location, maybe something on one of these lists will guide you towards where you want to go. 

Maybe you know where you're going, you just aren't sure what the plan once you get there is- use the index to search your destination. If it's listed in the book, it'll tell you all of the places it's featured in this book and then you can decide the type of trip. For instance, I know that we're going to go to Florida soon but I really don't want to do all of the normal touristy things (looking at you, Disney)- I did a quick index search and I had no idea Sarasota had so much to do, so we are looking into that since its close to where we were going to be anyways. 

I have so many trips marked off in this book already- I am determined to go on an anniversary trip with my husband one of these years.... maybe this is the year. Thank you to TLC Book Tours and National Geographic for having me on this tour! 

This post contains affiliate links. 

Book Reviews: Night Night Angel, and Slothy Claus

I am so grateful we are staring down the end of the week because honestly I'm not sure if I could handle any more week, you know what I mean? Friday is going to be an insanely busy day and, once again, I failed to really look at my calendar before agreeing to things.  It's OK though, I'm basically helping people all day long so I can't hate that, I just need to really take time to listen to my body and take a damn break when I need to. Which, ugh- that's a whole other post... maybe for next week. 

Anyways! I have two children's books for you today and if you know anything about me, you know that Christmas is my absolute favorite EVER. I'm already itching to wrap things, but I'm really trying to hold out a little longer. On Monday I'm putting my office Christmas tree though, that's all there is to it. 

Night Night Angel & Slothy Claus

First, let's talk about these covers because I love them so much. As soon as I heard the title Slothy Claus, I was completely in because sloths are the absolute best and I just really want to hug one. Will it claw my face? Probably. Would I still give it a good try? Absolutely. I can't remember if I mentioned that Penelope is an amazing little artist at age six, and her favorite thing is to recreate covers of books, so I included her version of a Slothy Claus cover. Night Night, Angel has an equally adorable cover because illustrated animals are the sweetest things ever. Again, it makes me think I can go hug animals in the wild, but Matt assures me I absolutely cannot do that because he ruins all of my fun. 

Slothy Claus- Jodie Shepherd

What will children do when a sluggish Slothy Claus doesn't make it to their home in time for Christmas morning? This charming story helps kids learn that Christmas is about more than just presents under the tree.

Slothy Claus has lots of presents for good boys and girls this year, but how is this notoriously lethargic animal supposed to travel all around the world in just one night? You guessed it! Slothy takes his sweet time, and when kids wake up to empty stockings and bare trees, it feels like Christmas is ruined! How will they ever find happiness without their chocolates and toys?

I'm going to start by telling you that not only did I love this story, but so did Penelope and Lucy! The story features Slothy Claus, who is like Santa but for animals. He's packing his sleigh but is slower than molasses, which only lets down the animals wishing for Slothy Claus to bring them goodies. Of course, everyone is disappointed when Slothy Claus doesn't come, but they soon learn that Christmas about gifts but instead, of being together. Eventually though, Slothy Claus does make it.... just not on Christmas. 

Lucy thought this was funny and Penelope looked slightly concerned when I told her this year Santa is taking a break and Slothy Claus is actually going to take over. These girls 100% believe in Santa and everything about it so their first thought was who do they write their wish list to? HA! Of course I told them it was just a story but we had fun talking about the what if's together. Loved this one!

Night Night, Angel - Amy Parker

'Tis the season for joy! Celebrate the family fun and season's blessings of Christmas with a young arctic fox as your family remembers that Jesus is the best gift of all. Amy Parker's delightful rhymes and Virginia Allyn's sweet illustrations make Night Night, Angel the perfect read-aloud for toddlers and preschoolers enjoying the Christmas season.

Little fox loves all the excitement that Christmas brings to the forest: making creative presents, placing the star on the tree, and making sure she is spotlight-ready for the big Christmas play. But soon she realizes that the perfect gift has already been given through the baby who arrived on the first Christmas night!

Honestly, who doesn't love a good board book? These are perfect for Lucy because sometimes she has a hard time turning pages even still, her little fingers just can't quite do it some days. Again, this isn't very long and is a great one for beginning readers to practice on- it's full of sight words! 

In here we have all of the animals getting ready for Christmas by doing various tasks that we all enjoy doing as we prepare, baking, making a snowman, making gifts for others, decorating a tree, etc. I should include that in this book it does have a Christ centered approach so if that isn't your thing, know that going in. Our family is particularly religious but we still enjoyed this book quite a bit. 

The girls thought it was hilarious because there is a part that mentions that hanging lights is Daddy's favorite part, and in our family... Daddy strongly dislikes hanging lights! Every year it becomes a thing and it'll likely become a favorite childhood memory of theirs for sure. 

It's a gentle story that is sure to make your little one sleepy, and you, too. 

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for having me on this tour! It's never too early to shop for the holidays, and I am a big advocate for including books with any gift for children, and these would both make excellent picks!

This post contains affiliate links. 

Fall traditions: Burch Barn and Boo at the Zoo

Every fall we have two things we like to do, go to Burch Barn in Spooner, Wisconsin and then Boo at the Zoo. We have done Boo at the Zoo every year since Olivia was just a month old.  

I honestly wasn't sure if we would make it to Burch Barn this year but we went a week or two ago and we lucked out because it was warmer there than it was where we live. It ended up being a really nice day. The kids had a good time, but I think maybe the older two are less excited to do stuff like this anymore. 

Matt and I are generally always exhausted and I know I'm having a hard time keeping up with the kids anymore. I feel like it takes so much more effort to do things lately, and motivation is non-existent. I'm not even sure if this is a mental health thing or just life in general. It all kind of runs together lately, I guess. 

I did manage to get one good photo of all of the kids. Lucy is of course hamming it up as usual. It was kind of funny though, Penelope and Lucy were so bummed they couldn't milk the pretend cows. There was a line of kids and people just not taking turns and I wasn't going to stand there for an hour and wait. Of all the things to get upset about, the pretend cow milking station was it. 

I'll share better pictures after Halloween of their costumes, but this year Penelope is Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas (she loves that movie so much) and Lucy is a giraffe. Her costumes always crack me up and this year her head keeps sliding down her eyes because her actual head is smaller than normal, I guess. It's hilarious because she randomly says, "I can't see" and just keeps walking in the hopes one of us will fix it while she continues on. These two are such a fun duo, you can't help but laugh when you're with them. 

We've still got Scarium at the Aquarium to go to and then it's basically Christmas. Well, that's not totally true. As of right now our plan is to go to Florida around Thanksgiving to see family again and assuming nothing crazy happens before then, we're banking on that. I haven't gotten dates figured out or anything because we'll be driving so it'll be a much different trip than last year. It would be so nice to see my parents though, I really miss them. 

Life just keeps happening in October.

I keep saying it feels like October just started but honestly, we're in the last week and I'm so overwhelmed with life. To think by the end of the week we only have two months left of 2021 is just crazy to me. So much has happened this year and I'm trying to close out 2021 on a happy note, so we're made some changes to how our family functions and how we are going to do things going forward. More on that later. 

I started the month out by getting my hair cut and colored. I was sick of hating my hair and I had money from my birthday in March so I figured, fuck it, I'm getting my hair done. Somehow though, it doesn't seem as dark as when I first got it but that's alright. I'm just happy it's not a weird golden orange anymore. 

Olivia is learning to drive and she can test for her license right before Christmas. Matt has been taking her because my anxiety has been so bad lately but also my own vision hasn't been great so I wouldn't be a good teacher for her. We let her drive out to her grandparents' with Matt so I followed behind with the other kids, it's such a weird experience to follow your kid in a car they are in control of. 

We've spent a few Friday nights freezing our asses off in the stands to watch Olivia play in the band. They did really great and I'm glad she is enjoying it. I think Jackson is looking forward to being out there next year. 

Penelope and Lucy have been super involved with recent book reviews but I even got a quick picture of Jackson and Penelope sitting nicely together without bickering. 

I'm trying to not share much about the kids in general on here anymore but I can't resist showing you Olivia before her first Fall Ball. They didn't get to do any high school dances last year so this was just extra fun. She went with a group of friends and they all seemed to have a fun time. She's such a beautiful young woman. 

I can't even remember if I mentioned it or not but Matt and the kids built me a Little Free Library for Mother's Day this year. Over the summer he put that up for me and we've kept our library stocked with mostly all new releases (if you live near to me sometimes I put some review books in there!) and every once in awhile I get a real doozy that makes me laugh. Last week this one showed up and I had to take a picture of it. 

Both Lucy and Penelope went to their first dental cleaning a week or two ago and apparently between the both of them there are seven wiggly teeth on their way out. Penelope wasted no time just yanking one right out like the first two she lost. She got her $1 from the Tooth Fairy and she's eagerly working on losing more teeth because she really likes money. Don't we all, girl. 

Oh yes, I got my first Christmas gift wrapped with help from Jackson and George. George was more about ribbon control and supervision, though. I've already started ordering things and getting myself organized. I am SO on the ball this year though, I've been saving cash for the better part of five months (next year I'm doing Christmas saving challenges so it'll be even better) and I'm chasing deals to keep costs down low. So far I've only spent $350ish and I am mostly done with the kids, so I can't be mad at that. The rest I have money for, I'm just waiting for the best price before I commit. What am I getting Matt? I have no idea. Literally not one idea. Well, I had one idea, which is what I wrapped but other than that..... I've got nothing. 

So that's how most of October has gone. My office Christmas tree is going to go up on Monday. I might hold out a little longer for our big tree, I'm not that ready yet. 

Book Review: Photo Ark Wonders

I am so incredibly behind in life, so expect a ridiculous life catch up over the course of this week. Between being a mom, going on a friend date, going on a husband date, trying get ahead on Christmas shopping, revamping finances, doing PTO stuff for school, and just every other thing I've got going on? I am so overwhelemed. I no longer multi-task well anymore, so then I start panicking, which makes me forget even more, and then things like today happen where I literally burst into tears for no reason and scream into a pillow.  

So things are going well. 

Photo Ark Wonders - National Geographic

A glorious new volume of Sartore’s signature animal portraits, this time highlighting the fascinating shapes, patterns, and expressions of animals both familiar and little known.

Joel Sartore, on a mission to photograph all the animal species in human care, now delights us with more photographs, this time selected to represent the amazing diversity of the world’s animals.

The book’s four chapters -- Pattern, Shape, Extra, and Personality -- invite us to revel in these photographs, many cleverly paired into amusing and often surprising comparisons, like the catfish and the mouse with the same stripes down their backs, the tarantula and the poison dart frog both cobalt blue, or the tiny lizard and the weighty ox both sporting pointed horns.

Each photograph gets its own page or two-page spread.

Scientifically accurate captions highlight distinctive features.

Throughout, Sartore recalls telling moments from his photographic adventures.

With all new image selections, this book expands the best-selling Photo Ark series, sure to be a hit with those who already treasure National Geographic Photo Ark, Birds of the Photo Ark, and Photo Ark Vanishing.

Animal lovers young and old will get lost in the pages of this book, delighted by the spectacular diversity among these creatures and the wit of the photographer chronicling them.

If you have never picked up a National Geographic book by Joel Sartore, you are behind the eight ball, my friend. The photos he presents are so incredibly stunning that they don't even look real. Penelope and Lucy spent so much time over the last few weeks paging through this book with me just talking about animals and things we thought were interested. It is incredible to see some of the intricate detailing on the bodies of various creatures, it's hard to believe these are things out in the wild. 

One of our favorite things to do is go to zoos and aquariums as a family, and we like to see animals and creatures we wouldn't otherwise see in our environment. While that's an incredible thing to do, you still don't always get the intense close up to really pick out the vivid details that make this animal stand apart from others. Things like a Cobalt Blue Tarantula or a Dyeing Poison Frog aren't something we've ever seen and likely never would on our own, but on pages 206 and 207 we see the beautiful coloring of both but also characteristics of each that kids wouldn't know about. The photos are so amazing, we could see what look like teeth on the tarantula and the distinct hairs that make it look fuzzy from afar. Lucy really liked looking at any kind of bird because she doesn't understand why some birds have spots and others don't, or why birds don't have the same kind of feet. Penelope is all about bugs and lizards and wants to know why some lizards look bumpy but don't feel bumpy. We also spent a lot of time looking at the various mice on pages 340 and 341 and comparing them, how are they the same or different? Which one was the cutest? 

The book is broken up into four distinct chapters: Shape, Pattern, Extra, and Attitude, which are all ways to classify the animals. Penelope really liked the bonus chapter on how the photos are made (she wants to know how you get a monkey to stay still). 

If you are looking for some unique holiday gifts this year, I highly suggest anything Joel Sartore does- any animal lover is going to pour over these books for endless hours. Everytime you go through them you learn something new, and it inspires you to step up and do more for this planet. Having these up close and intimate photos of Earth's creatures is not only awe-inspiring, but it invokes this urgency to save them. 

I am so grateful to be on this tour for TLC Book Tours, National Geographic books are some of my absolute favorite. I always feel like an excited kid in the school library going page by page. 

This post contains affiliate links. 

Book Review: You Are Revolutionary (children's literature)

How is it even Wednesday already?! I am so grossly behind in all of the things I need to do this week that I really have no time for it to be Wednesday so yeah..... I'm gonna need to talk to management. 

I've had a couple of good doctor appointments recently, not good in the "they've solved the mystery!" but good in the "Sara, you absolutely aren't crazy" kind of way. Frankly, I think we all need to hear that from time to time. I do have a couple of book reviews for you this week and I'll talk about some other things happening around these parts.  

Up first though, a really great children's literature offering that you might want to add to your holiday shopping lists. 

You Are Revolutionary - Cindy Wang Brandt

You have what it takes to change the world!

This is the empowering message parenting author and podcaster Cindy Wang Brandt wants every child to hear and embrace. In this inspiring picture book she speaks to every child who sees injustice in the world, revealing that they already have inside themselves everything they need to make big, transformative change in the world--just as they are. Every kid is a revolutionary! You don't need to wait until you grow up. You don't even need any special skills. Kids who are loud, kids who are quiet, kids who make art, kids who are good at math, kids with lots of energy, kids who are good listeners--all kids have what it takes to make a difference.

You know I'm a sucker for a great children's book and this one is not only great, but it is incredibly timely and especially inspiring for kids who maybe feel stuck in the world. 

The story follows a little girl who notices things in her community that highlight that things aren't fair for all. In particular, she notices a homeless family, but at the same time, there are people protesting against homeless people being able to set their tents up in this particular area. To a child, the logical question is... where should they be? To adults, many consider them unpleasant to look at so they don't care where they go... just don't be here. The little girl wonders what she can do to help and the story talks about no matter your talent, whether it's your ability to write, tell jokes, do math, or more, you have something that you can do to help the cause. Not only that, but that you should help the cause, in fact, we all should. 

It makes me think of Greta Thunberg, how though she is a child, she is making a huge impact among world leaders talking and educating people about climate change. Many adults mock her and say she's just a child, but as this book shows us, sometimes children are the ones we should look to. They come to things with fresh eyes and sometimes the simpliest solution is the best one. I think this is an incredibly encouraging book for children, particularly those who maybe don't feel the like because they aren't the smartest in their class they don't have as much to offer, this book shows them that we all have something to offer, it's up to us to shows people what that is. 

I highly recommend this book, the story is just lovely. The words are easy to read, even for beginning readers, it would make a great classroom or group read-aloud. I also have to mention Lynnor Bontiagao's illustrations, which are so bright and colorful, they really set the tone for the story and are really lovely. 

Thank you to PR by the Book and author Cindy Wang Brandt for having me on this tour and sending me a copy for review. I'll include the purchase links below and as always, these are affiliate links so when you purchase I make a small amount through no added cost to you.