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Jessica Reads Fun Books, Arlington, TX (2026)

02/25/2025

The Lightbringer Series by Brent Weeks
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I’m rating this based on how I felt after reading the last book just as an FYI. I have a love hate relationship with this series. The characters, the magic system, the plot, all fabulous— kept me entertained the entire time and I truly grew to love multiple generations of characters and how they interacted with each other.

What I didn’t love was the violence 🫠 and, look, I’ll be the first to admit I’m a baby about violence. If you can handle Game of Thrones on TV, you’ll be just fine. If you think GOT is disturbing, you’ll have to do a lot of skimming.

With all of that said, I don’t regret reading the series. I started it because my husband loved it, but finished it because I genuinely didn’t want to leave the characters behind. The magic system is truly unique and creative and by the last book I could tell the author loved Jesus like I do which was a cool realization (the book is certainly not Christian fiction, but I think anyone who finishes the series will see what I’m talking about).

ANYWAY, if you have read this series I want to discuss! I’m so sad it’s over! Also- are there any other Brent Weeks series I should try?

01/15/2025

Nurture Revolution by
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If I could tell future parents to read only one book on caring for an infant before their baby arrives — it would be this one! I so wish I had read it prior to becoming a mom. Dr. Kirshenbaum so brilliantly and concisely makes the case for the importance of extravagantly nurturing your baby and following your instincts as a parent. In a society that values independence for both mother and baby above all else, Nurture Revolution showed me my instincts to keep my baby close weren’t just “fear” or “anxiety”, those instincts were intentionally helping me parent in a way that builds emotional and physical health for both me and my baby. The book is packed with data and study references, but doesn’t neglect giving you actionable recommendations for each topic discussed while ultimately encouraging you to be guided by your intuition even when that intuition may not follow popular advice and trends.

I could go on and on forever about this book and how important Dr. Kirshenbaum’s work is but I won’t - just read it for yourself. 😬 And in the meantime, remember that in a society obsessed with independence and productivity, there is truly nothing more productive than holding your baby. ❤️

11/29/2024

Celebrating a quiet Thanksgiving with pumpkin cheesecake and my little family this year. ❤️ So so very thankful!

Cheesecake recipe is and caramel sauce is 😋

Made even better by listening to Charm by 🧛

11/26/2024

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Note to self: Listen to more quickly when she tells you you’re going to love a book😂

This book is SO GOOD!!! Omg this is the book I didn’t know I needed in my life. Literally 10 pages in and I was obsessed, I sacrificed so much sleep to finish this book quickly and it wasn’t a voluntary choice. Once you get started there is absolutely no stopping. 😂

It was so fun and exciting and suspenseful and I LOVED all the sciencey stuff. It was definitely scary, but not in like a typical horror way? I’m not really sure how to describe it, but I think it’s worth a read even if horror isn’t your style (it’s not really mine). It was thrilling from start to finish and felt like watching a movie.

So, why 4 stars instead of 5… there was a lot of story lines that got left unfinished. The main stuff gets wrapped up so you aren’t left on a major cliffhanger or anything but it just felt unfinished. This wouldn’t be a complaint if the plan was for a sequel to close these loops and I was almost certain there was a sequel until I realized it’s been many years and no sequel yet. Maybe it is still the plan, just hasn’t happened yet?

if you read this, I’m begging for book 2 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

Content rating: R because it has violence and some adult content but it’s nothing crazy, just definitely geared toward adult readers.

Synopsis:
Seven years ago the Atargatis set off on a voyage to the Mariana Trench to film a mockumentary bringing to life ancient sea creatures of legend. It was lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a tragedy.

Now a new crew has been assembled. But this time they’re not out to entertain. Some seek to validate their life’s work. Some seek the greatest hunt of all. Some seek the truth. But for the ambitious young scientist Victoria Stewart this is a voyage to uncover the fate of the sister she lost.

Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the waves.

But the secrets of the deep come with a price.

11/25/2024

The House at Watch Hill by Karen Marie Moning
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I I REALLY liked this book! Thank you to for the free listening copy, I’m so excited to read the remainder of this series now!

I was expecting more horror elements (tbh, I’m not sure why, maybe the title/cover?) but it leaned more spooky fantasy complete with witches and vampires. It had some of my favorite book tropes (like rags to riches, the beginnings of found family, etc) and included some romance and mystery too. I loved that the world building happened as the main character learned things herself in real time so it felt natural and didn’t bog down the plot. The ending left some things unfinished, so I’m excited for book 2!

My only criticism is that the frequent discussion of s*x (not actual open door scenes just discussion) felt out of place and cheesy and cheapened the book for me. Not a fan of that aspect.

Content Rating: R for maybe one open door scene and the frequent adult content discussions seen above. Otherwise there was some violence/scary stuff but it wouldn’t fall into rated R category (for me) otherwise!

I definitely recommend for my fantasy/magic/spooky lovers! It was a PERFECT fall read and the audio format worked well.

11/15/2024

For the Children’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

So I’m not going to lie I wasn’t super thrilled about starting this book but recommended it and then I was gifted a copy at my baby shower so I figured I’d give it a try even though I figured it would be boring. 😂

And… I actually ended up loving it! Full disclosure: my experience with Charlotte Mason’s work going into this book was pretty limited so I’m not sure if someone with more knowledge would enjoy it as much, but for me it was the perfect foray into her work in a way that is approachable and easy to understand.

This book discusses in depth what it looks like to foster a lifelong love of Jesus, learning, beauty, and life itself. It describes magical childhood and educational experiences that make me wish more children got to experience “school” like this and inspires me to do better for my own child as she grows.

The idea that children are “born persons”, worthy of respect and to be treated as equals and not talked down to or patronized is honestly groundbreaking for our society and its (mostly well intentioned) treatment of children. Mason (and Macaulay) assert that our own limited view of what children are capable of is often what holds them back from reaching their greatest potential. Anyway, l digress, my point is that there are so many good nuggets of wisdom when it comes to raising humans from birth and into adulthood regardless of how you plan to educate your children. I highly recommend this book to anyone in a parenting or educating role!

If you end up reading it, I’d LOVE to discuss!

11/13/2024

I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve posted 🫣 I haven’t stopped reading but it has slowed down some since becoming a mom and my priorities have shifted a lot. I have been learning to slow down and lean into my role as mom and homemaker. As a family we have been working on creating a home environment that will foster a magical and healthy childhood - gardening, scratch made food, reading aloud, ample learning opportunities, etc. What has been cool is seeing how well the reading world has prepared me for this next adventure and how much we can learn about these topics from books (fiction and nonfiction). Anyway, with all that said, I plan to share more about these new pursuits - gardening (mostly just taking credit for ‘s work), cooking, homemaking, motherhood, etc. in addition to my usual book reviews (complete with lots of cheesy YA 😎 no one could make me give up my vampire and fairy books 😂). Feels good to be back. ❤️

02/29/2024

Have you heard of Dolly Parton’s Imagination library? is a program dedicated to inspiring the love of reading by gifting books to kids age 0-5 MONTHLY. The books are high-quality and curated to be age appropriate by a team of early childhood literacy experts.

Head to imaginationlibrary.com to see if there is a chapter near you and sign your baby up today to start receiving free books! I was able to sign Evie up within a few weeks of her being born and we received her first book about a month ago. :)

What’s your favorite children’s book?

02/06/2024

Ok this cake was a lot of steps but not difficult at all! Especially if you make the components one day and then assemble the next when everything is nice and set and the cake is cold!

The cake Violet brought Xaden in Iron Flame sounded sooo yummy and I have to imagine it tasted at least a little like this. 😍

What’s your favorite dessert?

02/04/2024

All The Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to for a gifted copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

Was looking for a thriller I could easily fall into and engage with and this absolutely fit the bill! The plot development and pacing kept me interested and I sped through the audio! It was narrated by my fave voice actress and the audio was well produced. Definitely recommend for a bingable thriller read! I’m actually reading another one by this author right now. :)

Content Rating: R but only because of adult themes like kidnapping, murder and affairs but nothing was graphic!

Synopsis:
One year ago, Isabelle Drake’s life changed forever: her toddler son, Mason, was taken out of his crib in the middle of the night while she and her husband were asleep in the next room. With little evidence and few leads for the police to chase, the case quickly went cold. However, Isabelle cannot rest until Mason is returned to her―literally.

Except for the occasional catnap or small blackout where she loses track of time, she hasn’t slept in a year.

Isabelle’s entire existence now revolves around finding him, but she knows she can’t go on this way forever. In hopes of jarring loose a new witness or buried clue, she agrees to be interviewed by a true-crime podcaster―but his interest in Isabelle’s past makes her nervous. His incessant questioning paired with her severe insomnia has brought up uncomfortable memories from her own childhood, making Isabelle start to doubt her recollection of the night of Mason’s disappearance, as well as second-guess who she can trust... including herself. But she is determined to figure out the truth no matter where it leads.

01/12/2024

Swipe to see what books inspired my friends to get back into reading! >

What books would you add to the list?

01/10/2024

The Family Secret by Kiersten Modglin
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This was a fairly standard thriller, nothing special but it kept me interested and entertained! It was fast paced and creepy, but delivered an ending that didn’t leave me haunted for days (which is honestly sometimes what I need lol). I read it on audio thanks to and felt like it was a great format for the book!

Some of the writing and plot was odd and the character development was weak, but like I said, it still delivered entertainment so for that I’ll give it a solid 3 stars!

Content Rating: R for adult themes, brief violence and brief s*xual content

Synopsis:
When freshly engaged Austyn Murphy and Lowell Bass receive the news that Lowell’s parents have died unexpectedly, they set out for the historic Bass estate to handle their affairs and lay the former heads of the family to rest.

Enshrouded in layers of secrecy and tradition, the Bass estate, and the family residing within its walls, give anything but a warm welcome. When the idea of staying in the home permanently is brought up, Austyn witnesses a side of her future husband she’s never seen before.

Late one night, Austyn overhears a whispered conversation, revealing she hasn’t been given the full truth about the world she’s marrying into. And when Emily, an old friend, calls with devastating news of her own, Lowell and Austyn invite her to join them for a visit at the estate.

Upon Emily’s arrival, a confession is made, causing a rift in the seemingly impenetrable bond the girls once had. As Emily settles into their home, becoming closer to Lowell than ever before, Austyn fears she’s made a grave mistake.

Trapped inside the Bass estate under the ever-watchful eye of the staff and her soon-to-be family, Austyn makes another chilling discovery—something so terrible it changes everything.

With distressing revelations hidden around every corner and time running out before final decisions are made about her future, Austyn must uncover the truth about the opulent and powerful Bass family…at the risk of becoming another one of their dark secrets.

Jessica Reads Fun Books

02/25/2025

01/15/2025

11/29/2024

11/26/2024

11/25/2024

11/15/2024

11/13/2024

02/29/2024

02/06/2024

02/04/2024

01/12/2024

01/10/2024

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