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Book Review: Death in a Mudflat
For today’s book review I’m talking about Death in a Mudflat and I have mixed feelings about it. It is part of the Rhe Brewster mystery series. When I first received the book I didn’t realize this was a series (or I just didn’t remember them telling me that once I got around to reading it because it was sent to me a few months ago) or that this wasn’t the first book of the series. It’s okay though because you don’t really need to know what happened before this book. Although there are returning characters from previous books you don’t really need to have read those to read this one. Any…
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365 Days of Happiness
“New year, new me” is something a lot of people say every new year. It’s a time to wipe the slate clean and start fresh. You can technically make the decision to start fresh any time, but the first of the year always seems like a good time. For about half of 2018, I was mindful of myself. Trying to work towards being the best version of myself, being more mindful of putting positive energy out in hopes of positive energy coming back to me. All that jazz. I’m still trying to do those things, but it is hard! Sometimes, you just feel like life is trying to keep you…
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Book Review: The Enchanted Sonata
The book I’m talking about today is extremely fitting for the holiday season. When I was asked if I wanted to read The Enchanted Sonata by Heather Dixon Wallwork and was given a synopsis, I immediately said yes. I like a wide range of books, but this kind of book really has a special place in my heart. The Enchanted Sonata is described as a retelling cross between The Nutcracker and The Pied Piper. It’s about a 16 year old girl named Clara who has been studying for years to become a famous pianist who is magically transported to another world where there are rats trying to invade cities and kill people and the candies are…
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Book Review: The Hate U Give
Full disclosure – I didn’t have very high expectations for The Hate U Give. My students in my book club chose it to read and I thought it was going to be just a typical teenage book that was turned in to a movie. I knew the premise of the book and that it was a best seller – but that still didn’t really give me high hopes. But, I ended up really liking it and halfway through I was really hooked and couldn’t stop reading. The Hate U Give follows teenager, Starr Carter, who lives in a rough neighborhood. Her father is a former gang member who left the gang…
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Book Review: Discovery
I’m back with another book review for you this Monday afternoon. Discovery by Leslie Schweitzer Miller does some jumping back and forth between time periods and focuses on three main characters: Giselle – a French biblical scholar; David – an American archaeologist; and Abbé Francois Bérenger Sauniere – a French priest in the late 1800s. Giselle and David live in present day (well 2012-2013) and the bulk of the novel follows them, but it occasionally jumps back in time to give us more insight in to what Sauniere was doing and the secrets he uncovered. How are they all connected? Giselle is related to one of Sauniere’s colleagues and confidante, Antoine…
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Book Review: Warm Transfer
It’s been a while since my last real book review. I’ve been so busy that it’s been hard to finish a book lately and the last book I tried to read I just could not get in to. I got less than halfway through and I just had to give up because it was going to take me forever since I wasn’t that interested in it. But, the book I’m sharing today, Warm Transfer , was one that I got really in to and couldn’t put down! Tamsen is a stay-at-home mom of 2 in her mid 40s. She grew up in a working-class Irish family in Chicago. After a successful 10…
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Book Review: Donald and the Golden Crayon
Did you ever read the popular kids book Harold and the Purple Crayon? It’s from 1955 but it’s a classic and still very popular today I hear. Anyway, in that short children’s story Harold has a purple crayon that he uses to draw amazing things with his imagination. Well, I was recently sent a parody story called Donald and the Golden Crayon and it is hilarious! If you know me personally (or you follow my Twitter) then you know I’m pretty vocal about my political beliefs. I very rarely have talked about it on here and on Instagram but it does come up occasionally. Today is one of those days. This book is…
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Florists to the Field
Back in the spring I was sent a copy of a gorgeous book called Florists to the Field. Florists to the Field is a book by Garden District co-owners Greg Campbell and Erik New where they travel around the US and internationally and “document grand dining events that engage all five senses with local flavors, sounds, textures, fragrances and colors”. The result? A colorful and beyond beautiful book of photos and details from their excursions. The book is filled with photos of beautiful flowers, table settings, fields of flowers, etc. As mentioned before, I was sent this book a few months ago but now that I’m in a new townhouse with a…
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Book Review: The Innocents
Today I’m reviewing a book I wasn’t sure how much I’d like and I ended up loving. The Innocents by C.A. Asbrey contains so many elements that I secretly and not so secretly love. The Innocents is the first in a mystery series and it has 3 main characters. Abigail or Abi is a woman in her mid 20s who is a Pinkerton detective, Nat & Jake who are cousins and outlaws in the west. Abigail is undercover trying to track down and apprehend the infamous gang, The Innocents, before they rob any more railroads. They’re called “The Innocents” because they never hurt any innocent people, they rob from the rich i.e.…
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Book Review: A Shadow Away
The latest book I’ve read this summer is the first in a series, A Shadow Away by Joan K. Lacy is a book with a mix of adventure and mystery with a bit of supernatural elements. Private detective Alex Cort helps famed British archaeologist Andrew Seaton track down criminals who have stolen from him. In the investigation they uncover clues to find the lost city of El Dorado and must get there before the thieves to find a jewel-encrusted gold statue – a key to the lost city. I enjoyed the historical and adventure parts of the book. The supernatural bits were a little out there and not very believable – well,…
