Month: August 2025

Review of The Princess Diaries, Volume IX: Princess Mia by Meg Cabot

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Synopsis:
Mia has been invited to speak at a gala for Domina Rei, an elite society of powerful businesswomen. But what could she possibly have to say? Michael has broken up with her, her bff Lilly won’t speak to her, and her parents are forcing her to see a therapist. Even J.P.’s efforts to cheer Mia up (he’s being really sweet!) aren’t helping.

Just when things couldn’t get worse, Mia discovers a long—forgotten diary of a teenage princess of Genovia. It could be just the inspiration Mia needs to write her speech—but what it reveals might change everything.

Review:
“It’s funny how this can happen when you’re in a hole. You forget about the people who would do anything–anything in the world, probably–to help you out of it.” (Page 72)

“It just.. it so blows, you know? I don’t WANT to be that girl. The crying emo girl. Next thing you know, I’ll start wearing skinny jeans and too much black eyeliner and nail polish and reading vampire romance novels.” (Page 210)

I love that this series uses real life tragedies and problems that people experience and shows healthy ways of tackling them, all while maintaining a level of realistic comedy. I loved how Mia really worked to understand herself and find herself and the answer to what she should be doing in this novel, especially with the forgotten diary. As an avid horsewoman I also really appreciate the therapist and all of his stories; very accurate to real life! J. P. is certainly being greatly attentive, and it’s great that Mia has a friend who will keep pushing her. I cannot say anything more on J. P. as I’ve read the entire series and… you should too!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of The Princess Diaries, Volume VIII: Princess on the Brink by Meg Cabot

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Synopsis:
At last, Mia is a junior. An upperclassperson. So why is it that everything is going so terribly wrong? What is she doing in Intro to Creative Writing? When she has made it through Algebra and Geometry, why must she be faced with Precalculus? All this is nothing compared to the news Michael springs on her, however. Her beloved boyfriend could be leaving for Japan for a year—or more! Precalc has nothing on preparing for the worst separation ever!

Turns out there is one way she might convince Michael to stay. But will she? Or won’t she? No matter what, Mia seems headed for disaster.

Review:
“And what about the fact that once you DO IT, that’s ALL you want to do when you get together?” (Page 48)

Lana seems like a serious jerk in this book, but, at the same time, she is also one of the only people who tells Mia something straight. There are so many times that Mia really needed to be able to talk to her mom, but she was so preoccupied with Rocky that she really had to try to figure things out on her own. This book really pulled at the heartstrings of having been a teenage girl, and while some may think the subject matter is “too mature”, it’s something most girls that age are experiencing in some way or another. Great job on another awesome teen book, Meg Cabot!

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of The Princess Diaries, Volume VII: Party Princess by Meg Cabot

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Synopsis:
Princesses just want to have fun. . . . And Mia does too, despite the fact that the student government over which she presides is suddenly broke. But Grandmère’s got a wacky scheme to raise the money, catapult Mia to theatrical fame, and link her romantically with an eligible teen bachelor who’s not her boyfriend. No wonder Michael seems to think she’s not much fun. Is it possible that Mia, soon-to-be star of the stage, president of the student body, and future ruler of Genovia, doesn’t know how to party?

Review:
“A feeling of calm has descended over me. Oh, wait, that’s just Fat Louie, sleeping on my feet.” (Page 249)

Not only does Mia have to keep on her toes due to Grandmère but she also begins to worry about not being cool enough for her older boyfriend. While Mia doesn’t have any problems writing things down, it’s obvious she needs to actually share her feelings with someone instead of acting so different and trying to be someone she isn’t. All in all, this series continues to be a great homage to a teenager growing up, in a bit more spotlight than the average person faces.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of The Rumpelstiltskin Problem by Vivian Vande Velde

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Synopsis:
Have you ever wondered just what was going on when that odd little man with the long name stepped up and volunteered to spin straw into gold for the miller’s daughter? If you stop and think about it, there are some very peculiar and rather hard-to-explain components to the story.

Vivian Vande Velde has wondered too, and she’s come up with these six alternative versions of the old legend. A bevy of miller’s daughters confront their perilous situation in very different ways — sometimes comic, sometimes scary. Most of the time, it’s the daughter who gets off safely, but sometimes, amazingly, Rumpelstiltskin himself wins the day. And in one tale, it is the king who cleverly escapes a quite unexpected fate.

Review:
A Fairy Tale in Bad Taste
This was a unique take on who Rumpelstiltskin was and why he wanted a baby. It did give a bit more depth on who Rumpelstiltskin was, and some more backstory than the original tale. The ending was a bit surprising but also fair considering.

Straw Into Gold
I quite enjoyed this take on the classic tale, where Rumpelstiltskin helps multiple times. I absolutely loved the ending, and only wish such a short tale had been longer.

The Domovoi
This was a great take on WHY Rumpelstiltskin appeared and wanted to help spin straw into gold for no reward. I also quite liked the moral of the ending– “Some people… just aren’t happy unless they aren’t happy..” (Page 59)

Papa Rumpelstiltskin
This was one of the better tales in who/what Rumpelstiltskin is and why he wanted so desperately to help the miller’s daughter. Cute!

Ms. Rumpelstiltskin
This was another short story that did a great job of fleshing out the character of Rumpelstiltskin to showcase why someone may have wanted the miller’s daughter’s baby in the first place. The ending was also quite enjoyable.

As Good As Gold
This one I quite loved- one in which the King isn’t the big instigator of such drama. The ending was perfection.

I would recommend this little book for anyone who loves retold fairy tales and quick little reads.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of The Strawberry Patch Pancake House by Laurie Gilmore

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Synopsis:
As a world-renowned chef, single dad Archer never planned on moving to a small town, let alone running a pancake restaurant. But Dream Harbor needs a new chef, and Archer needs a community to help raise his daughter, Olive.

Iris has never managed to hold down a job for more than a few months. So when it’s suggested that Archer is looking for a live-in nanny, she almost runs in the opposite direction.

Now, Iris finds herself in a whole new world. One where her gorgeous new boss lives right across the hall and likes to cook topless… Keeping everything strictly professional should be easy, right?

Review:
“I’m pretty sure half of dealing with kids is just tricking them into doing stuff.” (Page 81)

I absolutely loved this book. A quick, simple, fun read I found that this was the first in the series that had the perfect spice as well. There was a great message of what life can be like when you try to be perfect versus when you’re trying to find something sustainable/some balance. Iris and Archer were absolutely perfect together. It’s fun, flirty, and honestly one of the best single dad books I’ve read. Usually single dad isn’t really my style, but this book hit in all the right places: both in finding one’s self, and letting yourself become part of a community.

The only complaint have is the name at the very end… so many options that could have kept with the tradition.

Star rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Book Reviews GALORE!

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Did I stop reading? No.

Did I stop writing the book reviews? At some point.

Why? I wish I could pinpoint this. If I don’t write them as soon as I finish a book sometimes they just add up and then… and then it seems like a big hurdle to get them all done before the end of a month, and I just keep pushing it off a little longer. There’s been quite a bit going on in the real world which also attributed to this.

Are you going to post them again? Yes, yes I am.

Right now? How many? Well, we’ll take it one review at a time, but there are 3 books I read in paper that I need to review, and 14 on kindle for a grand total of 17 books from June to now.

How many were read in each month? 11 in June, 6 in July- at least I’m fairly certain of these numbers.

Will you ever put out novels again? There may be a few on the horizon… care to take a guess on the subject matter?