Not gonna lie -- I was completely unexcited when the ARC of Hunt Them Down by Simon Gervais landed on my doorstep. I received the copy on Thanksgiving weekend, and I saw the pub date was scheduled for January 1. While you don’t have to post ARC reviews before the pub date, it’s really nice to do so. I feel like the publishers appreciate it. After all, that’s why you’re getting a copy in advance…to share advance reviews. Presumably...
Another DNF. *sigh* This one pained me. To add yet another title to my Did Not Finish tally, and to have it be the third time I've had to do this in about a month. On the plus side, that TBR pile that looked so intimidating just a week ago is now looking pretty darn manageable. But, I mean...BARBARA KINGSOLVER. She's a legend who writes some damn fine novels. The Bean Trees was eye-opening for me when I read it the summer before high school....
This novel was like a breath of fresh air. I love discovering wonderful books by debut authors. I may be slightly biased toward them, as I hope to be a debut author sooner rather than later, but I really feel like you’re unearthing a hidden treasure when you find such a gem from a previously unknown writer. I mean, you didn’t find that gem. The publisher did. Well, really, the agent did. BUT STILL. You took a chance on reading a new book by...
You guys. This is the second book that I’ve added to my DNF pile in one month. I am not liking this trend. I am sorry to tell you that The Witch Elm by Tana French has the dubious honor of being another book that I will never finish. Which is incredibly disappointing because I had heard such good things about it. There are rave reviews about her previous work, In the Woods, which is part of a series, and The Witch Elm (I believe) is her first...
I love the original title of this book: Nutmeg. Nutmeg was originally published in the UK in 2013, and it was re-christened From the Kitchen of Half Truth when it made its way to the U.S. I personally feel that the U.S. title better captures the essence of the novel, but I’ll be honest – I might not have picked up this book if that had been the title I saw first. Nutmeg really drew me in. It’s one of my favorite spices, as you know from my...
Sometimes, the books we look forward to the most leave us the most disappointed. *cries* I’m sure I’m in the minority on this, but Melmoth has been put on my DNF list. You all know about my 50-page rule: the book has 50 pages to suck me in, or I drop it. Melmoth was kind of a backwards read for me. I started off really into this book. It’s very atmospheric, and I flew past the first 50 pages without even realizing it. I have no...
Hi Tartlets! This page is for an old post that I've recently updated. Until I get around to updating my site and removing this page, please visit the page for my regularly updated Book List: Christmas Books You NEED to Read.
However, my book-inspired recipe for Christmas books remains the same: Chocolate-Covered Christmas Pretzels!
I’ve been trying to write my review of Two Steps Forward since June. Yup, June. That’s how long ago I read this book. I usually read and prep my reviews a few weeks in advance, but six months is really stretching it. It's hard to see a story for what it actually is and not the hopes you were pinning on it. I first fell in love with author Graeme Simsion's writing with The Rosie Project, which took the world by storm and, if you remember,...
I'm sure it comes as no surprise to you, dear reader, that I'm a woman who loves food. I mean, half of my blog is devoted to sweet and savory recipes, whether I've concocted them myself or borrowed them from my culinary idols. So, it should also come as no surprise that I love books that revolve around food. I have lots of fun coming up with book-inspired recipes, and some books definitely make dreaming up recipes easier than others. With my...
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo wins the award for the best last sentence of a book, ever. No, don’t go look at it! Do not flip to the back of the book to read it, or search for it on Google books, or anything like that. You have to read the entire book in order to fully appreciate – and understand – that last line. Just know that it made me cackle happily, close the book with a great big grin on my face, and say, “Oh, Evelyn.”...
