Livinglovingandexploring!

I saw this type of post on a friends’ blog and told her I was stealing the idea! She agreed, so this is perfectly acceptable! (If you’d care to take a gander at HER reading list, her site is https://hazelnutmusings.co.uk/2020/01/14/2020-book-collection/ and it’s awesome – you should check it out if you time.) This post will be continuously updated throughout the year with each new book I read. I’ll give a short thought on it and link to the authors site and then if you’re interested, you can check it out. Let me know if there’s anything else I should include!

A bit of background on me – I thoroughly enjoy reading. Always have and always will. Since I started travel writing and taking time with working on my blog late last year, I’ve made a ton of contacts at different PR firms who occasionally reach out to me to see if I’d like to receive a book in return for a review and sharing on my social media pages. Well, anyone who knows me, knows I can’t turn down a book. Especially if it’s free. So, I’ve been reading a lot more as I don’t want to receive the book and then NOT keep up my end of the bargain. Some of them take me longer to read than others; but I always finish them and then start thinking of how I want to word my review. I’m actually starting on a new track with this starting soon, and will actually be interviewing the authors in respect to their works and trying to dig a bit deeper behind the stories. So I’m excited for that! I haven’t done too many interviews in my life lol! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

I have a GIGANTIC Goodreads list; so if you’re ever curious as to what types of books I like, that’s a good place to start! I’ll be breaking this down into what I’m currently reading (I always have more than one book going at a time!) and what I have already finished reading.

Currently Reading:

• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer – Mark Twain – Some of the dialect in this book shock me (but it was written in a different time) and it’s Tom Sawyer, so it’s super fun right now!
• Mein Kampf – Adolf Hitler – I’m an avid WWII learner. I like to get my hands on anything remotely involving this war. This book is no exception. The man is psycho. But he was a very well-promoted psycho who assisted in murdering millions. Very odd to read.

Finished Reading: Kids books:

• Everybody Loves Grace (Books 1 – 3) – Katy McQuaid – https://www.everybodylovesgrace.com/about-us/. A wonderful series of books, that everyone, young and old are sure to love! I’m currently working on doing an interview with Ms. McQuaid, and will post a full review at that time!
• Iceland: The Puffin Explorers Series (Books 1 – 3) – RA Anderson – https://ra-anderson.com/books/ – adorable series. Check out my review here.
• Livi & Grace – Jennifer Lynch – https://www.jenniferlynchbooks.com/ – fantastic book to show the differences in every child! Here’s my review.
• Ted the Friendly Frog series (Books 1 – 3) – Scott McCall – https://scottmccallbooks.com/. Great series celebrating different challenges or things your kids might face! Super cute! Click here for my review.
• The Kingdom of Glee – Nicholas Tana – https://newclassicsbooks.com/ – super cute story that shows that money is NOT everything; but happiness and kindness are! Click here for my review.
• Pop-Pop Airplane, How Do You Fly? – Dan Pegram https://www.danpegram.com/ – OK, if you haven’t seen my review yet on this book, go and check it out here. Mr. Pegram has a great children’s book that’s fun and informative and great for inquiring minds!
• Stress Stinks – Bryan Smith – https://www.boystownpress.org/stress-stinks/ – a great way to show kids how stress can affect everything and ways to cope and work with that stress!
  Click here for my review.
• Think Big (Book 3 of the Live Big Trilogy)- Kat Kronenberg – https://katkronenberg.com/books/ – adorable book that shows kids that anything is possible if you just believe (think BIG!). Click here for my review.
• Crab Lake series (books 1 & 2) – David Mulford – https://www.davidmulfordbooks.com/meet.php. This series brings children and animals all together for incredible tales in Wisconsin. The animals can talk and they make friends with Jeannie, the main character in the books. I’m getting ready to post my full review and interview pretty soon! Keep your eyes peeled!
• 1, 2, 3, Who’s Cleaning the Sea? – Janina Rossiter – https://www.janinarossiter.com/ – great book for little ones that helps them with their numbers, as well as important info about keeping our oceans clean! Click here for my review.

Finished Reading: Adult Books:

• The Long Haul: A Trucker’s Tales of Life on the Road – Finn Murphy. I just finished this book; and it’s actually pretty amazing! I learned a lot of things I didn’t know about truckers and how they make it out on the road for the long haul! Currently waiting on Mr. Murphy to answer my interview questions, and then I’ll be posting a full review!
• The Treasure Tree – Bruce & Vernae Ewing (father/daughter team!) – https://thetreasuretreebook.com/about-us. This book is wonderful. Filled with light, love, and the truth about good, hard work. It’s definitely a book everyone should read at least once. From what I gather, this was the first book in what will be a series! Can’t wait for the rest! Waiting on my interview to be done before posting a full review!
• The Dog Lady of Mexico – Alison Sawyer Current – http://islaanimals.org/ – Such a wonderful book! You get to hear about how animals are treated in another country and what this fabulous lady is doing to change that and help the animals! Click here for my review.
• Free and Fearless: The Amazing Impact of One Precious Life – Phil Moser – https://freeandfearlessbook.com/. An incredible story of happiness, sadness and all of the other emotions in-between. Mr. Moser’s daughter, Brittany, was amazing and will be missed. The full review and interview will be up on my blog soon!
• Lean On: The Five Pillars – Andreas Wilderer – https://globularity.com/ – A fantastic read! Definitely made me question things I was doing in my relationship. Also great information on helping kids too! Click here for my review.
• Grabbing Lightning – Donald & Paige Marrs – https://theloveconversation.com/books/ – Fascinating to read about love and triumph after years of being at a loss. Quite personal and profound! Click here for my review.
• The Darkest Corners – Kara Thomas – https://kara-thomas.com/the-darkest-corners/ – Fantastic book – I couldn’t put it down. Kept me guessing with every page!
• The Girl in the Red Coat – Kate Hamer – https://www.katehamer.co.uk/. This one had me in tears a LOT. As any mothers’ worst nightmare came to life! Such a fantastic book though!
• Chaos to Clarity – Rev. Patricia Cagganello – https://sacredstoriesmedia.com/ – a combination of several short stories by multiple contributors who share their deepest pain and how they triumphed! A great book! Click here for my review.
• Bound in Flame (Book # 1 The Hawaiian Ladies Riding Society) – Katherine Kayne – https://katherinekayne.com/ – a great book! I fell in love with the main character and her journey to be accepted as a women vet during a time when that was unacceptable! Click here for my review.
• The Trap – Melanie Raabe – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6869194.Melanie_Raabe – a page turner for sure! I loved the back and forth of the main character! Kept me on the edge of my seat (wherever that was!) I’ll be keeping an eye out for more of her books!
• If You Give an Ox an Oxy – Laura Happe, MD – https://www.laurahappe.com/research – a super good introduction to everyone on the issues with prescription drugs. Click here for my review.
• Calabama Cooking – Lori Rogers – https://cheflorious.com/ – um, YUM. Like seriously some of the best sounding recipes and I can’t WAIT to try them! Click here for my review.
• Dancing to the Darkest Light – Soheila Adelipour – https://www.soheilaadelipour.com/ – absolutely incredible. Provokes tears, smiles, laughs. Mrs. Adelipour gave me my first interview!! See my review (and interview!) here.
• The New Baby Blueprint: Caring For Your Little One – Whitney Casares – https://modernmommydoc.com/ – every new parent should have this book. It’s incredibly sweet, honest, raw and so worth the read! My review is live now, click here to see it!
• Girl Sailing Aboard the Western Star – RA Anderson – I just finished this book yesterday and it’s so fun! Throwback to the late 70’s, drama, teenage hormones, a personal diary of a young girl uprooted from her life in CA, and forced to sail the Caribbean for 8 months! A great and quick read! Click here to see my review and interview with RA Anderson!
• The Holocaust Chronicle – http://www.holocaustchronicle.org/ – an absolutely, incredible, heartbreaking book. The things that happened towards “criminals” of the Nazis is complete insanity. Yet, it’s on the rise to happen again now. Devastating book. I’ll be reviewing and posting something when I can gather my thoughts. HIGHLY recommend.
• Why Will No One Play With Me? – Caroline Maguire – Such a great book! She gives tips/tricks on how to help your child/children learn social cues and be more socially aware; which is something everyone has to learn! I got in touch with her and did a quick email Q&A, and posted along with my review, you can read here.
• No More Dodging Bullets: A Memoir About Faith, Love, Lessons, and Growth – Amy Herrig – https://amyherrig.com/. This was a great memoir! Thoroughly interesting, thought-provoking, and downright crazy! The US government sure throws Amy and her family for a loop! Check out my review and our interview here!
• Fragile – Shannon Sovndal – just started this one, and I was hooked within the first few pages. Not only hooked but in tears. 🙁 It’s going to be a heart-breaker.

What kind of books are you currently reading or into? Drop me a comment!

Love ya,

Kelly Ann

Relevant hashtags if you choose to share (which I’d appreciate!): #2020readinglist #reading #books #mybooks #bookworm #fiction #nonfiction #history #romance #thriller #alwaysreading #childrensliterature #adultliterature #biography #personal #touching #wonderful #interesting #pageturner #authors #illustrators #goodreads #livinglovingexploring