Happy 2020, Tartlets! Yes, yes, I know that we’ve all been living in the new year for over a month now. Aaaaand that I did an impromptu post in January about my NYC food tour. BUT! This is my first scheduled post of 2020, which means a new year of book and food blogging has officially begun! I can think of no better way to kick off than with my book review of Finding the Gift: Daily Meditations for Mindfulness. It’s no secret that 2019 was...
You guys, I don't know how I'm going to write a concise book review of And Then We Grew Up. I wrote pages and pages of notes as I was reading this fantastic nonfiction book. PAGES, I tell you! Author Rachel Friedman spoke to the art monster within me, and I responded viscerally to everything she said. What's And Then We Grew Up about? Friedman had dreams of being a professional violist, but she left them behind when she realized the...
It's been a long time since I've done a Quick Look Books booklist, and this one all about cookbooks is coming at you just in time for the ultimate cooking (and gift-giving!) season: the holidays! Y'know, Tarlets, sometimes I'm quite surprised that I run a blog. I'm pretty sure that some of my closest family and friends are surprised, too! If you knew me back in "the day," I eschewed most forms of technology...mostly because I failed at...
Introverted bibliophiles, this one’s for you. Loveday Cardew from The Lost for Words Bookshop is your mascot, your spirit animal, your kindred spirit. She is all of us who prefer books to people, solitary reading time to in-person socialization. And, you will love her. Eventually. What's The Lost for Words Bookshop about? This novel introduce us to Loveday, who works in a bookstore. The bookstore is her safe haven, where she can...
I received a copy of One Day in December from my library one day in March. This novel made serious waves throughout the book blogosphere when it published in late 2018, aided largely in part by being the December 2018 pick for Reese’s Book Club. Given my love for Jane Green, Sophie Kinsella, and Jenny Colgan, I eagerly anticipated a new chick lit book set in England. I read all of One Day in December, but, honestly, I’m not sure what all...
It's like the main character of The Invited has never seen a scary movie. Or, knows nothing about Lorraine and Ed Warren's Occult Museum. Or, seen an episode of -- or even a commercial for -- the Haunted Collector. Okay, okay. I realize many of you are scratching your heads right about now. I'm aware that I have a niche knowledge of all things supernatural thanks to my life-long obsession with the paranormal. But, still. I think we can all...
Words can’t express how much I loved The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living. I actually put off writing this book review because I honestly didn’t know how to capture how delightful the story is. What's The City Baker's Guide to Country Living about? The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living is all about leaving your comfort zone – or, what you think is your comfort zone – and embracing changes and...
Looking for a fun and spooky-but-not-too-scary book to put you in the Halloween mood? Well, The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop has you covered. I simply adored this wonderful novel by Abigail Drake. It's a delightfully saucy romp filled with enchanting magic and a deliciously satisfying romance. There's also a lovable cast of charismatic characters and a steady stream of mounting mystery. That's right, folks. This one's got it all. ...
The Silent Companions is a damn good ghost story. Except, it’s not a ghost story. The house in which the main characters live is most decidedly haunted, but not by ghosts, per se. The things that go bump in the night are far less sinister at first glance, which makes their effect upon the story that much creepier. However, calling this a “bewitched wooden figurine story” just doesn’t carry quite the same weight. ...
Did anyone else feel the earth move? Sorry, that was because of me. I just added a Jenny Colgan novel – The Bookshop on the Shore -- to my DNF pile. *Gulp* It’s no secret that I adore Colgan’s novels. The Bookshop on the Corner (or, The Book Shop of Happy Ever After, if you’re in the U.K.) was my first foray into the wonderful world of Jenny Colgan. Although I didn’t love it, I liked it enough to read The Little Beach Street Bakery,...
