• Book Reviews

    Book Review: The Dressmaker’s Secret by Kellyn Roth

    Media Type: Ebook Title: The Dressmaker’s Secret    *Series: The Chronicles of Alice and Ivy, Book I Author: Kellyn Roth Publisher: Self-published Pages: Kindle; 205 Release Date: January 9, 2016 Source: Author —————————————————————– Content Screening: Nothing of note. HDB Rating: 3 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Readers who are looking for a historically based read, with a little romance. Add it on: Goodreads | Amazon London, England, 1870 It comes to the attention of curious eight-year-old Alice Chattoway that her father is seemingly nonexistent. After realizing that his absence is making her mother unhappy, Alice becomes determined to find…

  • Book Reviews

    Book Review: The Secret Horses of Briar Hill by Megan Shepard

    Media Type: Audiobook Title: The Secret Horses of Briar Hill Author: Megan Shepard Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers Pages: Hardcover; 240 Release Date: October 13, 2016 Source: Library Borrow ———————————————————– Content Screening: Nothing of note HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Young readers who enjoy magical realism and amazing characters. Add it on: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N There are winged horses that live in the mirrors of Briar Hill hospital. In the mirrors that line its grand hallways, which once belonged to a princess. In those that reflect the elegant rooms, now filled with sick…

  • Book Blitzes/Promo Posts

    Book Spotlight + Playlist – Fairy Lights by Edward Lorn

    He’s baaaaaaaack! Yes friends, Edward Lorn is once again a feature on my blog and I honestly couldn’t be more pleased about it. If you haven’t already met E., as we all fondly call him, I highly recommend you check out these posts: Edward Lorn on Horror and the Objectification of Women Author Interview with Edward Lorn You can also scroll up to that review portal up there, and find his last name, for some reviews of his books! Spoiler alert, they’re great and also deliciously creepy. Anyway, I’ll stop babbling and let you know that the reason E. is…

  • Book Reviews

    Book Review: The Forbidden Garden by Ellen Herrick

    Media Type: Print Book Title: The Forbidden Garden Author: Ellen Herrick Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks Pages: Paperback; 400 Release Date: April 4, 2017 Source: Harper Collins / TLC Book Tours —————————————————- Genre: Mystery / Contemporary HDB Rating: 3 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Readers who enjoy vividly descriptive writing, with characters who are easy to love. Add it on: HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble “Captivating […] Herrick weaves a rich tapestry of family lore, dark secrets, and love.” —Brunonia Barry, New York Times bestselling author of The Lace Reader and The Fifth Petal Perfect for fans of Kate…

  • Ramblings

    On Reading the Tough Stuff

    I’m nearly through the end of We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson as I type this. It’s late at night, I’m in bed, and I can’t stop thinking about all the things that this book has wrapped up in it. Like most good books I’ve found lately, I stumbled upon this entirely by accident. The library had it available as an audiobook, it has excellent ratings on Goodreads, and the rest is history. As a young reader, I wasn’t really policed in what I read. My mom would give the synopsis on the back a cursory glance, but mostly…

  • Feature Posts/Weekly Memes

    Waiting on Wednesday (4/12/17)

    You’ve made it to Wednesday, bookish friends! Congratulations! Apologies for things being a bit slow this week. Last weekend was the hubby’s birthday, and his birthday party, and I was pretty wrapped up in all of that. So, although I still got a fair amount of reading done, not very much blogging happened over the weekend. Whenever I forget to plan ahead, things tend to slow down a bit :). That’s the blogger life. Now, on to my pick for this Wednesday! I’m eagerly waiting on Grit by Gillian French. His presence beside me is like heat, like weight, something I’ve carried…

  • Book Reviews

    Book Review: Gardenia by Kelsey Sutton

    Media Type: Ebook (ARC) Title: Gardenia Author: Kelsey Sutton Publisher: Diversion Publishing Pages: Paperback; 260 Release Date: February 28, 2017 Source: Publisher / NetGalley ————————————— Content Screening: Mild Violence HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Readers who are looking for a dark and gritty YA mystery. Add it on: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N Ever since she was a child, Ivy has been able to see countdown clocks over everyone’s heads indicating how long before they will die. She can’t do anything about anyone else’s, nor can she do anything about her own, which will hit the…

  • Book Reviews

    Book Review: Jake the Fake Keeps it Real by Craig Robinson and Adam Mansbach

    Media Type: Print Book (ARC) Title: Jake the Fake Keeps It Real Author(s): Craig Robinson / Adam Mansbach Illustrator: Keith Knight Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers Pages: Hardcover; 144 Release Date: March 28, 2017 Source: Publisher ——————————————————— Content Screening: Nothing of note HDB Rating: 4 Keys to My Heart Recommended to: Middle School readers who love stories with lots of heart, and tons of laughs! Add it on: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N For fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Big Nate comes a new side-splitting series from comedian and film star Craig Robinson, #1 New York…

  • Feature Posts/Weekly Memes

    Small Business Spotlight – Members of the AABOCB!

    It’s time for another edition of Small Business Spotlight here on HDB, and this time I’m very proud to present my AABOCB (we’re the Anti-Anxiety Book Obsessed Coffee Brigade) ladies! My hope is that, like I did, you’ll fall in love with the amazing items that they create. I’m hoping some of them will also be by again later in the year, with their own individual spotlights, but for now let me give you a peek at what they’re up to! *** First up is Erin from The Bookshelf Quest shop! Her claim to fame is her origami jewelry, which…

  • Feature Posts/Weekly Memes

    It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (4/3/17)

    Is it truly Monday again already? I tell you, I need a vacation. The bright side of it all is that, despite not having a vacation, I’ve actually been getting a fair amount of reading done! I’m well ahead of my reading goal, and actually feeling really good about the way this year is shaping up. I’ve had a lot of great reads, and that’s just too amazing for words. I’ve actually been binge reading graphic novels lately, but here are three of the books that I’ve finished most recently. The Redemption of Brian O’Connor ended up well worth the time…