I really did like this book. It’s the rushed ending that forces me to only give this book 3 stars. I really thought this book was going to have a sequel…. but no…. the last 20-30 pages just rushes to an end that just wasn’t fulfilling. Sure all the characters’ stories have an end of some sort… but I wanted more. I really wanted an epic battle. Or at least more to the main story that made sense. It was like the author ran into a page limit and was just like “Ok I guess I’ll just smash something that could be a hundred pages into twenty”. This book could have been so amazing!

Despite the bad ending, the rest of the book was fun and entertaining. As a HUGE Halloween fan, it was great to see so many spooky character and places connections. Jack is a lantern (Get it? Jack O’Lantern!) and he guards a covered bridge and has a creepy ghostly horse and he likes to ride around with a lit pumpkin to scare people…. Does that description remind you of Sleepy Hollow at all? That’s just the tip of the iceberg. He guards a gate to the monster world. There were many gates that he’s helped protect in the past including one in Salem, Sleepy Hollow, and Roanoke (three “spooky” towns!!!). In the monster world we have vampires who stories connect to Transylvania, a man made monster who resembles Frankenstein, a mad scientist who owns an island like the island of Dr. Monroe and so many great connections.

Main character wise…. I loved our little witch, Ember, though she did act very naive sometimes. Jack was an interesting guardian, though I feel like his romance was a little too easy. Finny was a good overall sidekick, but nothing super special. Dev was a decent vampire though his longing for Ember got tiresome. The love quadrilateral (yes there were four people instead of our usual three) was kind of odd and a bit pointless. I feel like it was rushed and in some ways just didn’t make sense. Many of the other characters in the book we interesting and cool as well, but I feel like they didn’t get enough attention. I blame part of that problem yet again on the rushed ending.

Overall, this was a fun quick read especially for the Fall/Halloween season. It’s a “clean” read so young tweens and teens of all ages can enjoy it. Give it to someone who’s a fan of horror connections.

Unfortunately this book was just not for me.
I gave it a chance and read to the 50% mark, but just never felt like picking it back up once I set it down, which is a big deal for me with books. I need to care about the characters or the storyline enough to want to see how it all pans out. I didn't get that with this book.
Keep in mind, these are only my opinions and others may love this book! It just wasn't for me.

For all the spooky vibes from The Lantern's Ember, the "world where nightmarish creatures reign" and deals with the devil and all things haunting, this book was entirely underwhelming and disappointing.

Part of my problems probably comes down to the fact that I really enjoyed Houck's work in the past and combined with being a Sleepy Hallow/Headless Horseman type deal (which I was super excited about), I had pretty high expectations. So when I started reading and quickly lost interest, I knew it would be a downward spiral.

Rather than follow Jack, the Lantern (because the whole idea of Lanterns, guardians of the crossroads, is fascinating), The Lantern's Ember follows Ember, a young witch, and her adventures through the Otherworld while fending off 3 -- yes, THREE -- love interests. 

Ember was frightfully annoying, naive and innocent to the point that it felt more like a plot device to explain everything than actual character development. Which there was none of. While I liked her and Jack's little romance subplot (it was very sweet and all), soon her life seemed to revolve around making bad choices despite being told how they were really stupid ideas, or obsessing over Jack.

So the story progresses and Ember goes on her little adventure, everything that should be dangerous is. . . and isn't. I was never scared for the characters because, frankly, the plot was so predictable I didn't see anything bad ever really happening. Combined with simplistic writing and a 3rd person point-of-view that kept me distant from the characters the whole way through, I had no interest in what happened to Ember or her companions.

And I can't say that the synopsis didn't deliver because it did, but felt skewed. The plot focused on the romance to the point that I would label this book a paranormal romance, not a fantasy. What I never understood about all of it was what made Ember so special that all 3 guys were falling over themselves for her. The only explanations given were that she was pretty and a very powerful witch. Gave me immediate special snowflake vibes and not the good kind.

After several attempts to read this book, I finished and immediately forgot most of what happened. The Lantern's Ember ended up being a waste of my time despite being a quick read, and I wish that hadn't been the case. This book had potential if the romance hadn't become central and killed any chance of character development the book had left.

I wasn't real thrilled with the last book I read by Houck either so I'll definitely be hesitant to pick up another as these past two have had the same issues. The Lantern's Ember was a definite miss.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
The Lantern’s Ember started out seeming like a spooky budding romance, but ended up feeling like a middle-grade lacking in overall spookiness. Ember, the main character, was obnoxious. She was naïve and deemed to be “super special” and that it frustrated me as a reader. Top that off with the fact that there is a love “square,” and under-developed characters that lack depth? Needless to say I was disappointed by this book.
The plot was pretty predictable and, because it was a stand-alone, I feel that there was a major info-dump at the end to make sure everything tied up nicely. Overall, this book was a big let-down for me.

Jack made a deal with the devil. It’s difficult for him to remember much about his mortal days. So, he focuses on fulfilling his sentence as a Lantern—one of the watchmen who guard the portals to the Otherworld! I love spooky-ish books in October! This one really got me into the Halloween spirit! A fun and unique take on all sorts of legends!

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC for an unbiased review!

What first attracted me to The Lantern's Ember was the truly awesome cover! A decorated skull. Eerie glowing bugs. It's dark. It's moody. Then, you read the synopsis. Deals made with the devil. Nightmarish creatures. Forbidden travels. Chaos. All these things pointed to a spooky tale perfect for the approaching Halloween season.

Alas, 'twas not to be...

Instead of spookiness, nightmarish creatures, and chaos, I discovered a love square--not a triangle--and trope characters who never stray from their boundaries. Jack is a Lantern tasked with guarding the crossroads between the mortal world and the Otherworld. Ember is a Witch looking for trouble. Dev is an obsessive-possessive vampire. Finney is the guy in love with his best friend. I so wanted to like the characters, but I found them all tedious and their interactions wooden and bordering on boring. Honestly, by the time I reached the end of the book, I was glad it was a standalone and not the first in a series.

Another annoyance I found was the author's decision to use a third person omniscient point of view. I don't mind being inside different character's heads, so to speak, but when the point of view changes midway through a page, then I have a major problem. It's confusing and inevitably kicks me out of the story. This narrative choice also didn't help further the plot, in my opinion. The synopsis led me to believe there would be more adventure and danger, but the plot read more like an overly complicated romance than the fantasy adventure the book was described as being.

While I had major issues with the characters, their story, and the point of view, I did find some redeeming qualities. I enjoyed the explanations for the origins of various Halloween traditions like the jack-o'-lantern, the boogeyman, vampires, werewolves, and Headless Horseman. The Otherworld is describes in vibrant language, and I actually enjoyed the parts of the book set in this world. I may have even liked it more if the plot had lived up to the hype.

Overall, The Lantern's Ember was Frankenstein's creature of steampunk, fantasy, and romance that lumbered along with sparks of brilliance but ultimately collapsed under the weight of overly complicated romantic entanglements, a shoddy plot, and questionable narrative choices.

3.25-3.5 Stars
A middle grades supernatural story with a lot of potential. The ideas for this novel are enchanting and I especially enjoyed the implementation of mythical characters and the background stories, not to mention the breathtaking cover art. The characters need a little more development, but overall a fun read for the fall.

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This is a weird one for me. I think I’d have enjoyed it more if I’d read it during the proper season. However, it’s still light and fun.

I do think it reads younger than YA, though. So perhaps that is why I didn’t enjoy it as much as I expected to.

What a fun book! It was full of adventure, romance (the romance!!!), danger, and plot twists.

Jack is a lantern, a guardian of a portal between the mortal world and the Otherworld -- a realm filled with vampires, werewolves, and every other terrifying creature known to humankind. He's fantastic at his job. That is, until he meets Ember, a young witch that he can't bring himself to turn over to the Lord of the Otherworld.

When Ember slips past Jack's guard and into the Otherworld (with the help of a dashing vampire), he abandons his post and goes after her. What follows is a breathtaking chase through an alternate dimension full of magic, machinery, and monsters.

This book is spooky, creepy, and utterly perfect to read at Halloween. I absolutely loved it. You'll definitely want this on your TBR this fall!

Content: Clean. There are some perilous situations, non-descriptive violence, and some creepy/spooky scenes, but it's one of the cleanest YA novels I've read in a very long time. There's no language, sex, or anything graphic.

I loved this book! The full review will be posted soon at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!

Jack has been given the lonely task of being a Lantern for the last 500 years, a being who guards the crossroads from both sides- be it humans trying to pass to the Otherworld or creatures trying to pass to the human world. In the small town he currently protects, there lives a girl who is not just a girl, but a witch. Instead of reporting Ember O'Dare to his superior and having her be executed, he has kept quiet and watched her grow up, coming into her power and personality. But the winds of change are blowing in and Jack's secret will not stay secret forever.

Let's just spend a minute gushing over my cover love and the title to the book. The title to the book as well as the cover image could not be more perfect for this story! Jack is a Lantern, and Ember is the female main character aka witch, and the two have a secret, totally not allowed connection that makes the title so appropriate.
The skull imagery I assumed was just a because it was creepy and appealing at the same time, but really shows Jack's true nature as it was revealed. And the random lights just wrap it all together so nicely. I feel like at times covers and titles are thrown together just cause or just kind of relate to the book, but this one nailed it out of the park and I could not love it more.

My favorite part of the book was the world that Colleen built. It was so cool- a mash-up of steampunk with supernatural elements and all kinds of monsters and creatures that roam free. The human world is a simple time of the 1800ish (per my guesstimate, don't quote me), with little to no technology as was the time. And then on the other side of the guarded crossroads is the Otherworld, with amazing gadgets and inventions run by witch power as an energy source, so ahead of anything the humans would even fathom. I so easily got lost in the Otherworld right along with Ember, her awe was my own. And the supernatural creatures that came to life were terrifying and inventive, with the oddest little quirks to give them personality- Colleen's imagination knows no bounds... and beware the Boogeyman.

As per the norm for Colleen, there is a love triangle thrown into the story, perfect for those who need an extra dose of angst along with their plot. We have one headstrong girl (witch) who makes some very questionable choices right off the bat (Why would you let a strange vampire you just met take you on a dangerous quest from a mysterious demand AND let him drink half your blood to purposefully weaken you?? Yep, I have no answer to that besides temporary insanity.) but luckily for Ember, she is crazy strong and can hold her own in a crazy situation. Next we have sweet, lonely Lantern (magical gate keeper) Jack who watched Ember grow up and went against his calling to instead protect her- he is the tie to the sleepy hollow story which made me so happy! And then there is Dev the very old, very charming vampire who has ulterior motives and does not understand being turned down. I knew who I rooted for but it was interesting to see what direction Ember took (and ps she basically had a super internse orgasm but without the word actually being used within the first 20% of the story- just an fyi!)

The ending of The Lantern's Ember was all that I hoped for, wrapping up every character the best way possible and leaving no loose ends. I really like that this was a standalone, making it the delightfully fun pre-Halloween read to get you hooked on the supernatural. This was a nice blend of fantasy and romance, making it the perfect escapism read.
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Wow, this book was not at all what I was expecting! But I kind of love that because I really liked what it was. Colleen Houck is a YA author I've seen around a lot but never gotten to read. The one thing I love about her style is the visceral experience she provides. I literally FELT fall reading this book. I live in South Texas, where there is no threat to the end of summertime, but I could literally smell the apple-cider and pumpkin spice when I was reading this book.

First of all, the cover is what originally drew me in. It's inviting, yet haunting, and beautifully made. The artist did an absolutely splendid job because I could not get the book out of my head. Second, for anyone who is a lover of fall, paranormal, and Halloween, the synopsis will have you practically drooling for the book. So, naturally, I had to join this blog tour!

This book did seem like it could have been the perfect middle-grade story, if not for the romance. However, I was happy to see a younger YA read that I could recommend to my daughter. Ember herself was a fun character - completely compelling in the dichotomy that she both seemed completely competent in her own skills, but also a little naive when it came to the world. She was bold and headstrong, but also kind of to the point where she missed the danger just lurking around the corner. Even so, this made her all the more interesting to read about. I feel like I should point out the romance in the book once more because it was so overdone. There were THREE potential love interests, which just seemed like too much for a standalone novel. I loved the connection between Jack and Ember, especially at the beginning of the book, so the continuing chaos of all these extra relationship opportunities felt like overkill. I did like the characters, but at times it felt like there were so many that we didn't get adequate time to really learn more about them and delve under their skin, so to speak. That's really the downside to a standalone. The upside is that you get to invest in a wonderful world without having to carve out time to read several books at once. This is refreshing, especially considering I'm constantly looking down the barrel of series with 6-9 books in them.

The world-building has to be my favorite part of the book. I was absolutely spell-bound by Ember's village - it was one of my favorite parts of the book just because Houck did such a wonderful job detailing everything. I felt like I was THERE. It's clear from the synopsis, and Ember's passive feelings towards the plainness of the village, though, that we wouldn't stay there long. And of course, we didn't. Instead, we are thrust into a world that I'm sure you'll see many reviews call steampunk. There was definitely a horror vibe to the place, but I never FELT scared. It was just more of that overarching theme. Even so, the classic Halloween vibes and storylines were sensational. You could see the work to tie in lots of folklore into the story. There's not only Jack, whose soul is in a pumpkin, but witches, vampires, werewolves, and more. You're definitely going to see a lot of the classics.

Overall, the world was fun and had a lot to left to explore if the author ever sides to delve back in. However, I think it was a wonderfully encapsulated story. Overall, this is best read with a nice warm blanket, some rain on your windowsill, and a hot cup of apple cider.

If you're looking to get the Halloween spirit going, this read is highly recommended. Taking place in the Otherworld, The Lantern's Ember follows the story of Jack, a lantern whose soul rests in a pumpkin, and Ember, a prodigal witch. With a Frankenstein's monster-like being named Frank, sibling vampires named Dev and Delia, and a werewolf named Graydon, it has all the makings of classical horror genre-blend like Van Helsing or Penny Dreadful.

I really liked the characters. Perhaps they were somewhat archetypal, it really helped balance a larger cast. Also, they had such a great dynamic. No one was infallible and each of the main cast balanced their strengths and weaknesses. The world-building was also fun. Very much a Halloweentown vibe with steampunk and magical technology galore.

The only complaint I could find was the sense of POV. There was a little too much jumping around within chapters about who's seeing what. Keeping these limited to the already brief chapters would have helped the pacing a bit and let the reader dwell with each perspective. The ending also wrapped up a little too neatly, but thank God it was given enough page time.

Cute and really committed to the aesthetic, The Lantern's Ember is a must-read for anyone looking for a really good Hallow-read.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and reviews are my own.*
2.5 stars

DNF @ 33%

I was really trying not to give up on this one. And, to be honest, I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with this book. Although to start, I would probably call this a middle grade book over young adult.

This also wasn't the spooky book I expected-- which is fine, I could get over it... if I was interested. And this is what it all comes down to, see I started reading this on a Saturday and then proceeded to forget about it and when I did remember it, I didn't feel the desire to pick it back up.

The concept and setting is really interesting-- the villain and what is waiting for the end is slightly intriguing, but not enough for me to read about this journey and the chase. I think there is supposed to be a romance between Jack and Ember, but it seemed too insta-love for me. I see how their background and history is supposed to show how their affection has grown, but it didn't work for me.

I think this is a case of good book, but the wrong reader. I really think other people will really enjoy this, especially if they are looking for a not-so-spooky read for Halloween.

I just wasn't impressed with this one. Without the overly descriptive scenes (seriously, pages devoted to what kind of food they were eating and unnecessary scenery), this probably would have been a novella. This also reads very much like a middle grade novel, like a poorer written Prosper Redding. The nail in the coffin for me was how the author kept describing Ember's breasts. We get it, they're big. Please stop.

The Lantern’s Ember follows Jack and Ember. Jack used to be mortal until 500 years ago when he made a pact with the devil that led to him being sentenced as a Lantern. As a Lantern, his job is to guard one of the portals to the Otherworld and keep everyone – mortal and non-mortal – on their respective sides of the portal. He is supposed to immediately report to his supervisor if any mortal or supernatural creature ends up on the wrong side. Ember is a teenage witch who, thanks to Jack and his ability to conceal her witch light, has managed to live undetected in the mortal realm for most of her young life.

Until now, that is. Someone has detected Ember’s presence and wants to meet her. A handsome vampire named Dev is hired to retrieve Ember, not a difficult task since Ember has been itching to visit the Otherworld for as long as she has known of its existence. Jack, who has deemed himself Ember’s protector, has done everything in his power to deter Ember from the Otherworld, but the Vampire wins out and Ember slips away right under Jack’s nose.

Who could possibly be powerful enough to detect Ember when she should have been undetectable? How much trouble is she going to get into with her vampire in the Otherworld? Will Jack be able to find Ember now that she has a vampire cloaking her? And if he can find her, can he bring her home safely?


Ember was probably the highlight of the book for me, primarily because she’s the catalyst for much of the story’s action. She is smart, sassy, and stubborn. Because she can’t resist the call of adventure or the allure of a dashing vampire, Ember completely ignores Jack’s warnings about the dangers of crossing over to the Otherworld. Although Ember is a natural born witch, she is self-taught as to how to use her powers. The result of her lack of formal training is that she is completely clueless as to how powerful she really is until she arrives in the Otherworld. It was very entertaining watching her gradually learn how to more effectively channel her witch powers.

Aside from liking Ember, I also developed a soft spot for Jack immediately. He lives a nearly solitary existence, a shell of a man, with his soul tethered to a pumpkin that he must carry around with him. My love for Jack grew as soon as it became clear that not only has he been well aware of Ember’s presence in the mortal world since she was a small child, but instead of doing his job and turning her in, he has actually devoted himself to hiding her from those who would destroy her, serving as her self-appointed guardian. He has strong feelings for Ember but knows that nothing will ever come of them because he’s stuck being a Lantern. Jack earned bonus points from me when in spite of his sentence, he risks everything to follow Ember to the Otherworld.

There are endless wonderful secondary characters in The Lantern’s Ember as well. Finney is, by far my favorite. He’s kind of a nerd who loves to tinker and invent things. He is a mortal and he and Ember grew up together. Finney knows that Ember is a witch and helps her practice her spells. He even designs gun-like weapons for her so that she can fire her spells at those she wishes to use them on. Jack’s pumpkin apparently thinks Finney is as precious as I do because it follows Finney around like a puppy and is super protective of him.

In addition to such great characters, the other highlight for me when it comes to The Lantern’s Ember is the absolutely brilliant worldbuilding. First of all, the Otherworld is surprisingly technologically advanced, way more so than the mortal realm. As soon as I got a glimpse of it, I wanted to explore the world just as much as Ember did and found myself willing her to continue on her adventure so that I could see more. I’m not sure exactly when the story is supposed to be set, but the Otherworld appears future-esque in comparison to the mortal realm.

Even cooler than the technology, however, was the way Houck also manages to incorporate both actual historical events and Halloween folklore to fully flesh out this world. She places real historical events, such as the Lost Colony of Roanoke and the Salem Witch Trials, and gives them plausible supernatural explanations. She then takes it a step further by seamlessly blending all of our Halloween spooky favorites into her story and giving them what felt like origin stories: the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow, the Boogeyman, Frankenstein, the Bride of Frankenstein, and the Invisible Man, just to name a few. It was so much fun to turn the page and come across another favorite and see how Houck works her magic to incorporate them into her tale.

I don’t want to spoil anything about the adventure aspect of The Lantern’s Ember, so I’m just going to say that it’s a fast-paced adventure and that you’re in for a wild ride through the Otherworld, so buckle up!


I thought the book’s synopsis was a little misleading. It might just be me, but the synopsis makes it sound like the book will be pretty terrifying. Instead, I didn’t find it frightening at all. I found it whimsical and delightful. I’ve seen a few mixed reviews for the book and I have to wonder if that synopsis is giving people the wrong expectations for The Lantern’s Ember. The book also seemed to focus around romance more than I was expecting it to. More than one of our characters have crushes on Ember.

My only other issue with the book is that the ending felt a bit rushed. Again, it could have been me because I was having so much fun with the story that I didn’t want to say goodbye to the world or the characters.


If you’re looking for a scary Halloween-themed read, this book might not be for you. But if you’re interested in a Halloween-themed read that is pure fun and whimsical, and even contains a hint of romance, definitely consider checking out The Lantern’s Ember.

First thing I have to say is I really love this cover. It's interesting and I love the fireflies and swirl things all over.

This is the perfect book as we are just heading into fall here. Halloween is on it's way and I loved how this book eventually tied in to some of the stories and traditions of Halloween.

If you are wondering if this book is scary, the answer is no. Not at all. This is what I would describe as a paranormal steampunk, I think. There were lots of paranormal creatures but I never felt the least bit frightened or anything close to it. It was more like a grand adventure. The Otherworld was where the steampunk feel came in with machines and gadgets.

I liked a lot about this book and it's plot but I felt like it lacked in a few places. There were a lot of characters, but none that I felt an emotional connection to. I liked Jack and Ember but from the outside looking in. Ember is tenacious and maybe a wee bit naive. Jack is devoted. Both were characters I could root for.

I really didn't like the ending because I felt like we finally got to some good action and then had an information dump to explain everything and then "the end". I was really hoping for more, I guess. The characters were as clueless as me for the whole book and that's no bueno. We all got the information dump together.

So, I guess this book was okay for me. I'm not raving excited but it wasn't bad either.

Content: moments of peril, mild violence. Some kissing.

- I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Lantern's Ember by Colleen Houck is a standalone YA fantasy novel that will get you in the mood for October and Halloween! With characters inspired by Halloween favorites like the headless horseman (Lanterns), witches, vampires, and more, this novel takes you on an adventure to the Otherworld where all the nightmarish creatures live.

A quick and easy read, The Lantern's Ember is more fantasy, fairy-tale like than scary or spooky. It also has a love quadrangle amongst Ember and the three suitors vying for her affection, which you may or may not like depending on how you fee about them. I would have preferred it to only have one couple (Ember and Jack) instead of adding additional love interests.

Other than that, the adventure and getting to know Ember, Jack, and why witches didn't go to the Otherwold was worth the read.

Overall, The Lantern's Ember by Colleen Houck is a fun, light read and I would recommend it especially if you want to find books that will get you in the spirit of Halloween.

(I voluntarily reviewed an advance review copy of this book I received for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my open and honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.)

I was so excited to read this book for multiple reasons. The first thing that pulled me in was the cover. I mean, look at it. It’s beautiful! Then I clicked on the title, read the synopsis, and fell in love with it. I was so excited to read this book, but it just let me down. The story and its plot were very rudimentary and not complex whatsoever. I’m sure that will interest some people, but it just wasn’t for me. The worst part of this book for me was the fact that the characters were not well fleshed out. I wanted to like them, I really did, but I practically knew nothing about any of them before I was thrust into this story. Maybe it was because I had such high expectations for this book, but I did not enjoy it. But hey, if you like the synopsis, go ahead and at least try it. It was a cute read, just really not for me.

This book was one of my unicorn ARCs to hopefully get when I attended ALA in New Orleans this past June, because I really enjoyed her other book that I'd read in the past. Getting a hold of this one made my day. And when I finally picked it up to read, I was not disappointed! Houck has created a beautiful world, or should I say, "Otherworld", with this story. I loved how she wove in details of well-known fairy tales and legends, along with creating new background stories or even giving more life to characters only touched on with our modern day recountings of these legends and tales. Not only did we get legends and fairy tales and monsters, but actual historical events were sprinkled throughout. I always have been intrigued by the whole Roanoke Colony mystery, and we got a unique new story for that. And then there was a trip into the Salem witch trials that also got its own retelling.

I mentioned that it was a beautiful world, and that was so much from the descriptions of this place, as well as the thought out mythology and unique takes on the creatures. At times it was very much like a kind of Alice in Wonderland world, but with witches and vampires and the boogeyman. Then there was Jack, a Lantern, as in Jack-o-Lantern, or even might call him the Headless Horseman. While I've read other tales that may have given you a bit of sympathy for this person, I fell in love with Jack in this book, and wished that he could actually be with his Ember, the witch who everyone seemed to be after. Another point in the book I felt as if it was reminiscent of Wizard of Oz, and I was on the edge of my seat as I read, waiting to find out who was this "man behind the curtain" going to really turn out to be. There were little clues sprinkled throughout the story, but it all went in a pretty unique way that I was kept hanging on and wondering until it was all wrapped up very neatly.

A great new paranormal, fantastical fairy tale retelling that I will be recommending to customers at the store where I work, and purchasing for the students at my library.