@XpressoTours, @debbiereadsbook, #Adult, #Contemporary, #Romance, 3 out of 5 (good)

From best-selling author Melanie A. Smith comes the first book in a new series of steamy contemporary medical romance standalone novels about life lessons that break all the rules. What’s the first rule of nurse’s club? That’s right: Never date a doctor. Which Sasha Suvorin has no intention of doing anyway, since she’s a nurse at Rutherford Hospital by day and working on her master’s degree by night. Who has time for dating, much less dating someone you work with? Bad idea much? That is, until the sexy British Dr. Caleb Thompson starts at her hospital. It also doesn’t help that he’s exactly her type with his dark hair, blue eyes, and rockin’ bod. Or that he’s not your typical arrogant and bossy surgeon. But Sasha isn’t so easily convinced, and she soon discovers Dr. Hottie has a past that puts a stop to whatever she might have been feeling before anything ever starts between them. Unfortunately, working together means facing temptation. Every. Single. Day. Is Sasha strong enough to resist what might just be the perfect man? And if she gives in, will Cal’s past stay in the past? Sasha may be used to playing it safe, but life has a way of teaching its lessons … one way or another.

When you lose your way in the middle of your journey,

When things start going wrong halfway through,

When there is an eclipse after a sunny morning,

That’s when you feel the pain so acutely.

But that’s also the time to remember and hope,

Because things get better only after they get worse,

Losing your way will lead to new enchanting roads,

Things going wrong will cause you to find new solutions,

And the sun will shine brightly after the eclipse.

Life is all about good, bad, and everything in between,

It is about the right, the wrong, and so much more,

It can be easy and difficult both at the same time,

All that matters is; we keep moving forward.

Be happy if you lose your way and find your soul,

Be glad if things go wrong and you discover life’s purpose,

Celebrate the solar eclipse, it doesn’t come that often,

More than that, don’t blame yourself for what’s meant to be.

© 2020, Fizza Younis.

The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright was one of the titles mentioned in the Excellent Books for Early and Eager Readers that I reviewed not too long ago and one of the first from my holds list that I picked up to read. Firstly, even though this book was written in the 1940s it's still very readable for a contemporary middle grade (or adult in my case) audience. The book follows the 4 Melendy children (Mona, Rush, Randy, and Oliver) who are described (and drawn) with loving detail by the author along with their father, Cuffy the housekeeper, and Willy Sloper the handyman. The basic premise of the book (which is the first in a 4 part series by the way) is that the four children form a club to stave off their boredom wherein they pool their weekly allowances so that every Saturday they can each afford to go on solo adventures and do something that they really want to do (but which will likely not appeal to anyone else). Their interests much like their personalities were realistic for the time period in which the book was written although they feel somewhat far-fetched in comparison to today's children (one of the kids is obsessed with opera). Each of their Saturday adventures comes complete with peril (of the lightest variety) and life lessons learned so that there are built-in morals (sometimes heavy-handed) built into the narrative. I liked it but it's probably not going to be the first book I think of to recommend...unless the kid really digs the opera in which case I am ready. 6/10

What I'm Currently Reading: The Umbrella Academy, Volume 1: Apocalypse Suite by Gerard Way & Gabriel Ba

Days with Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel is a collection of stories about Frog and Toad.  Among the stories are life lessons about being proactive, not giving up after failure, and the true meaning of friendship.  One of the stories is called "The Kite" and Frog and Toad are trying to make a kite fly.  After several failed attempts and ridicule from some robins, Frog gets discouraged and wants to give up.  Toad, however, insists on trying one more time and they succeed in flying it.  After reading "The Kite," a teacher could have the students actually attempt to fly a kite and have a discussion on things that might help a kite fly turning the activity into a science lesson.  All of the stories in Days with Frog and Toad collection could be used in the classroom, and the activity about using "The Kite" was one example of how one of the stories could be used.   The Lexile leveling measure rates this book at 470L, which is in the reading level range for Grade 2.