monday minis

Happy Monday everyone!

Reading has been a struggle for me lately. I’m been having fun gardening instead but living in Florida’s heat and humidity puts a limit on that sort of activity. I expect to start my summer hibernation and dive back into reading soon.

I’ll also be heading to ALA (the American Library Association conference) later this month so I need to sprint to the finish to clear out more of shelves before…adding more books to my shelves. lol

So here are a few books I did manage to read the past few weeks.


A summer read about first love, feminism, and ice cream.

Summer in Sand Lake isn’t complete without a trip to Meade Creamery—the local ice cream stand founded in 1944 by Molly Meade who started making ice cream to cheer up her lovesick girlfriends while all the boys were away at war. Since then, the stand has been owned and managed exclusively by local girls, who inevitably become the best of friends. Seventeen-year-old Amelia and her best friend Cate have worked at the stand every summer for the past three years, and Amelia is “Head Girl” at the stand this summer. When Molly passes away before Amelia even has her first day in charge, Amelia isn’t sure that the stand can go on. That is, until Molly’s grandnephew Grady arrives and asks Amelia to stay on to help continue the business…but Grady’s got some changes in mind… ~ Goodreads

Source: Library

My thoughts: I had the hardest time getting into this one at first due to the 3rd person pov. It felt like Amelia was running through a shopping list rather than telling a story but once the drama kicked in Stay Sweet was a perfect summer concoction of a read. It has an innocent, retro feel with complicated and changing friendships, a touch of romance and ice cream! Amelia’s story is tied in with the diary of the woman who founded the all girl ice cream shop and both narratives tie in nicely together by the end. I thought bringing a boy into the mix was going to make this a war of sexes kind of story but Grady is a good guy and other than a few differing opinions – he wasn’t made into the enemy.

A little slower and quieter kind of story but cute.



A YA memoir of surviving sexual abuse in the Air Force academy. This is a story that needs to be told and refuses to go away.

I want to be in the Air Force someday.

These are the words Polo Tate engraves on her junior dog tags at age eleven. An unpopular dream for most young girls, but her hard work pays off and at age eighteen, Polo finds herself in Basic Training at the United States Air Force Academy.

She does everything right, except fly under the radar. No one prepares her for what comes next. Physical, sexual, and emotional abuse at the hands of her superior. Betrayal at the highest levels of authority. Harassment from her peers, who refuse to believe her story.

Deep Dark Blue by Polo Tate is more than a memoir about sexual assault. It’s about breaking boundaries but also setting them. It's about learning to trust your instincts. It's a story of survival, resilience, and finally, finding your joy. ~ Goodreads

Source: ARC provided in exchange for an honest review

My thoughts: I kind of hate reviewing memoirs because it is a persons real life story. I don’t really want judge that in any way - you know? Deep Dark Blue tells Polo Tate’s story of abuse – physical, sexual and emotional – after she embarks on her dream of joining Basic Training at the Air Force Academy. It’s clear right away what the culture is and that a certain amount of abuse is both encouraged and tolerated or ignored.

Tate bravely tells her horrifying story and how she fought her way out of the self doubt and pain from her experience. Not an easy read, obviously, but a story that is as powerful as it is harrowing. And ultimately hopeful.

Currently Reading:



I’m about 30% in and it’s cute but….eh. Not loving it as much as I had hoped but maybe it will kick in. I seem to be having a lot of slow starts with my books lately but end up enjoying them. We’ll see…

What are you reading this week?