Marsupial Literature

The First Songs of Christmas Author: Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth  Publisher: Moody Publishers  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The First Songs of Christmas is a 31 day advent devotional with a focus on the first Christmas songs in Luke 1 and 2. The songs covered throughout the devotionals are the songs of Elizabeth, Mary, Zechariah, the angels, and Simeon. The book covers the month of December, giving the reader a look into the first Christmas for the whole month. The First Songs of Christmas is a great devotional for the Christmas season. I really liked the layout of the book: the daily readings are brief and each day concludes with a prayer, a couple verses, and a topic to think about. Having the devotional focus on the songs is beautiful and appropriate for this time of year. I personally love reading/singing Mary's song at Christmas time, so the dates that cover her song were definitely my favorite. Readers looking for daily devotional for Christmas should pick up a copy of The First Songs of Christmas....

Well, we are nearing the end of November and I am just posting my wrap up of October books. Add this to my list of epic facepalm moments.  Marsupial Literature's October Book Wrap Up Last Dance with a Cowboy⭐⭐⭐⭐ I am Elephant, I am Butterfly ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Match Made in Venice ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Bad Luck Bridesmaid⭐⭐⭐ Christmas at Frozen Falls⭐⭐⭐💫 Love at the Fall Festival⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Suite Spot⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Kids Cook Dinner⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Can I Mix you a Drink?⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves⭐⭐⭐💫 Help! I'm Alive⭐⭐⭐⭐ No Player R equired⭐⭐⭐⭐ Neanderthal⭐⭐⭐⭐ We Want Bama⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Eight Days of Christmas⭐⭐⭐⭐ Pink and Country⭐⭐⭐💫 Her Honor⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rules for Falling⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Chasing the Stoke⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Rumor Game⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 The Heart of the Deal⭐⭐⭐

The Hookup Dilemma  Author: Constance Gillam Publisher: Entangled Publishing  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Hookup Dilemma is a one-night encounter turned romance story between Rashida and Elliott. Both Rashida and Elliot are not really the hookup types, but find themselves undeniably drawn to each other. There's just one problem: after their night together, they continue to be thrown into each other's orbit as Elliott's father's company looks to develop on and gentrify Rashida's community. The Hookup Dilemma is an interesting book and a bit unexpected. The attraction between Rashida and Elliott is undeniable, starting with physical attraction and moving to something more. While the relationship is central to the story, the battle between Elliott's father's company and Rashida's community often takes front and center as well. The topics covered are current and relevant, and I appreciate how the author intertwined them into the book. Basically, this is a lot more than just a ...

Rules of Falling  Author: Leslie Tall Manning  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rules of Falling follows Erica, who suffers from the fainting disorder syncope and has a less than normal life because of it. Her best friend Lindsay helps by staying by her side at all times, but a rift drives a wedge between the two as Lindsay begins a relationship with a married man. Erica quickly finds herself buried in secrets, which all begin to come to light as a string of mysterious fires hit her town. Rules of Falling gave me a lot of the same vibes as i am Elephant, i am Butterfly, and I am just as impressed with this book. Once again, I had to take a step back and let it all sink in before writing this review. Lots and lots of things going on here: chronic medical disorders, predatory relationships, arson, and more. How did this all fit into one book and still manage to flow and read well? Color me impressed. And while Erica is the lead and a great one at that, I found myself fascinated with how Lindsay's characte...

We Want Bama  Author: Joe Goodman Publisher: Grand Central Publishing  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ We Want Bama takes an in depth look at the 2020 Alabama college football team, which is possibly the greatest year for the Crimson Tide. The challenges faced by the team were far greater than just football: a global pandemic, politicians using them as talking points for their gain, and racism on both a historic and current level. We Want Bama is everything I hoped for in a book and much more. The author covers the 2020 team with so much passion and respect that it is hard not to be engaged in every chapter. Each topic is thoroughly covered, with no detail left out and a writing style that is filled with both humor and brutal honesty. Pandemic sports.....there is just so much to it. As the author notes, not playing the season was never an option for the SEC, and there were certainly a lot of consequences that went along with this. And seriously, what bravery and strength it took to combat such a long h...

A Match Made in Venice  Author: Leonie Mack Publisher: Boldwood Books ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Match Made in Venice is the story of Didi, who travels to Venice in hopes of commissioning Piero to create a custom work of art for her job. Piero, the brooding artist that he is, is less than agreeable to the task and has lost his focus since a recent heartbreak. Didi will have to get creative to keep Piero on track, and may get swept up in the romance of Venice along the way. A Match Made in Venice is the second book set in Venice that I have read this year, and is a much happier plot. Seriously, I'll take it, bring on the romance and dreamy travel settings please! This book was fun to read, and I find myself continuing to smile as I write this review. Poor Piero! Way to get his heart stomped on. I like how not only does Didi swoop in to try to get him working again, but they also develop this friends/muse/oh my relationship along the way. I enjoyed reading A Match Made in Venice and would recommend it t...

Roxy Author: Neal Shusterman & Jarrod Shusterman Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing  ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 Roxy is a unique take on a story about the ever relevant opioid crisis. Isaac and Ivy are both in need of drug related help for different reasons: Isaac for pain management, and Ivy for ADHD. In the world of Roxy, they become the unfortunate subjects of a bet between Roxy (Oxycontin for Isaac) and Addison (Adderall for Ivy) to see who can cause the downfall of their person first (by bringing them to "The Party"). Wow, Roxy is a heavy and powerful book. The topics covered in this book could easily become very after-school special, but the authors created a very original story that still gets the message across. Having Roxy and Addison as actual beings, digging deep their characters, and showing their paths of destruction in the lives of Isaac and Ivy made this book hard to put down. My one worry going into this book is that the plot would glamorize or mishandl...