My Week in Reading: Secrets, Mysteries, and Rodeo Cowboys

I am so soooo late to post my weekly reading recap. But I've been reading a whole bunch thanks to Escape the Readathon, created by bookswithlexie. I did this readathon 2 years ago and I am back for more. It's such a fun team-based readathon where choices matter. We are all trying to get to the escape pods, but we need to get away from some pesky aliens trying to keep us on board. Only 1 team can escape. Who will it be? I am on team astronomers - the big picture thinkers who navigate the ship. 🚀🌠

I also gave myself an unrealistic goal of reading a book a day for 30 days, and I am not as behind as you would think. Do I think I am going to be able to finish 30 books in 30 days? Probably not but there is that off chance that I do. I mean... I am not reading picture books toward this challenge right now but if I did read 2 or 3, who's to say I can't catch up? In any case, this readathon, mainly the reading sprints, are really getting me to read a lot.

What happens to toys that are lost or tossed aside? If they are lucky enough to be found by the sassy and secretly soft-hearted cat named Zephyrina, they might just end up at Second Chances Home for the Tossed and Treasured. At Second Hand Chances, a small toy named Pocket helps other toys navigate their new lives with their human caregivers, Dasha and Elizaveta. Dasha is a young girl who deals with chronic pain from an injury she received during what I believe to be a war in Ukraine. She and her mother are refugees living in the United States. Dasha is the one who created Second Hand Chances with the help of Zephyrina, who, for some reason, decides to help toys rather than shred them up into bits. As the second in command, her strong bond with Pocket is visibly shaken when she finds a toy bear very similar to her friend. Pocket seems to know who this bear, Berwon, is, but why is he keeping it a secret?

I listened to this as an audiobook, and I highly recommend you do the same. I came into this book blind, but it was getting a lot of buzz around it, and it's by a prolific children's book author. Pocket Bear had such a unique premise (well... talking toys have been done before, but done it was done in a way to get kids get to learn a niche part of WWI history). I won't spoil it but Pocket and Berwon's have a troubling history but it was used in such a smart way with a lovely message. I loved listening to Zephyrina's point of view. She seemed to have a New York accent, if I am not mistaken and it worked perfectly with her personality. Pocket Bear was a lovely short read with a heartwarming message, an interesting niche history lesson, and one of the best narrators I've listened to. A great read!

I was finally able to snap out of my physical reading slump in March when I read The Starter Ex. And now with the Escape the Readathon challenge and sprints I have completely left that feeling of only being able to read graphic novels and picture books behind. I have had Bubblegum Shoes: The Case of the Contraband Closet out from the library since the beginning of the year so I was thrilled I was able to finally read it!

Maya Mendoza can't help herself. If there is a mystery to solve, she's on the case. When she encounters her former best friend, Jordan Freeman, trying to open the contraband closet where once an item enters, it never comes out (seriously, there is stuff in there from decades ago), she gets stuck in detention. Her falling out with Jordan last year makes Maya a pariah at school. Even so, she convinces the group of detention goers (Jordan, Ava Agarwal, and Clementine Steffin-Paller) to try to open the contraband closet one more time to retrieve their items. But like the last time, she gets caught again and everyone in her group pays the cost. Detention for the rest of the year until someone fesses up and gives up the stolen goods. And Maya just seems to keep being able to keep convincing this ragtag group to work together to solve the mystery of the contraband closet while slowly becoming friends. But will Maya's need to solve mysteries lead to gaining her best friend back, or will it ruin her new found friendships forever?

I had such a great time! I am recapping the heck out of these books today, so I'll try to keep my review minimal. I loved that Maya was a complex character who made mistake after mistake, but she's able to reach inside herself (and with a little life advice from her dad's girlfriend) become a better person and friend. The other characters were all very distinct and likable in their own right. The mystery was engaging. The potential love interest at the end was so much fun to read. I will be picking up the second book coming out in a couple of months. I am hoping that there is more storyline development for Jordan, Ava, and Clementine, just because I am curious to know more about them.

I did hear a review on TikTok about this book that let me go into the story with not exactly low expectations, but the expectations that this was going to be a fast-paced, instalove story, and one that makes it obvious that this was written by a Christian author. I don't practice any religion; however, I was raised Catholic, so I have no problem with the author talking about God, but I know others might think it felt forced. 

Knowing all I knew from this reviewer, I actually had a really good time with This Ain't Our First Rodeo. There was very much instalove. It was incredibly fast-paced with very short chapters. Nevertheless, I enjoyed myself. The romance was very sweet and lighthearted. Shawn, the bull-riding teen, was such a gentleman. He had so much integrity that I couldn't help but want to see him be happy and successful. Josie spoke her mind and went after what she wanted (she had a storyline where she was trying to get her grandparents not to sell their land, which is where she learned to ride horses). There was a bit of a miscommunication trope, but honestly, it was resolved rather quickly so it didn't bother me in the slightest. I learned a little bit about Black cowboys which is funny because that is something I need to research for a library program I am doing during the summer (which is ultimately why I felt the pull to read this story while I planned for my cowboy-themed programs). The climax of the story was a lot more dramatic than expected and everything concluded in a satisfying way. If you come into this with the expectations I had, you'll for sure have a great time reading this story.

I usually put what I am planning to read but since the week is over, I'll just give you a sneak peek into what 2 out of 4 books I got to read. You read that right, I read 4 books this week! An insane amount for me, knowing that I barely read or cared to read last year. Last week, I didn't do much but read. I have been more anxious lately, but thankfully, my medication changes seem to be helping me this week, so I got to do some fun stuff I'll talk about in my next post.

Below are 2 of my books read this week. Look out for their reviews coming soon!