A Well-Read Tart

A Food and Book Lover’s Blog

THE FURY Book Review

The Fury isn’t the first book I’ve read by Alex Michaelides – and, unfortunately, it wasn’t my favorite.   What’s The Fury about? This thriller is about a supposedly close-knit group of friends on a lavish vacation together on a private Greek island – and one up them ends up dead. The story is told through the eyes of one of the friends, Elliot Chase, who narrates the The Fury. And, who is super annoying. There’s basically two...

THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE Book Review

Many thanks to those of you (there were many!) who told me to read The Bear and the Nightingale. Extra special thanks goes to those who pointed out that I should do so during wintertime. You were spot on about this.   What’s The Bear and the Nightingale about? The Bear and the Nightingale beautifully weaves together historical fiction and fantasy, truth and fable, new religion and old world magic. There are princes and peasants, house elves...

HAPPY JOBS: DOING WHAT YOU LOVE FOR A LIVING Book Review

Happy 2024, Tartlets! I’m kicking off the new year with a book review I think many people could use: Happy Jobs: Doing What You Love for a Living. Truth time: Who here doesn’t like their day job? (Hiiiiiii.) Who here wishes they could do something else for a living, but you don’t know what that “something else” is? Who here does know what that “something else” is – but is afraid to venture down a new path since the one you’re...

Book Review of DECODING THE STARS: A Modern Astrology Guide to Discover Your Life’s Purpose

I don't usually read books like Decoding the Stars: A Modern Astrology Guide to Discover Your Life's Purpose. But, I’m so glad I broke out of my comfort zone with this one. As we bring 2023 to a close, I’m bringing you a dose of “woo woo” that'll knock your socks off.   How I discovered Decoding the Stars I actually met author Allison Scott before I'd even heard of Decoding the Stars. We hit it off and soon started talking about ghosts...

HOME FOR CHRISTMAS Book Review

Home for Christmas by Holly Chamberlin wasn't my favorite Christmas book ever. But, it definitely wasn’t the worst.  You know how some holiday stories can get overly saccharine? Home for Christmas is like that. Just a little. The two daughters are just a little too perfect. The main relationships in the book are just a little too on the nose. And, everything gets tied up a little too neatly in the end. But, hey. It’s Christmas, right? WE...

HAMNET Book Review

I hated Hamlet, the famous play by William Shakespeare. But, I adored HamNet, the novel by Maggie O’Farrell. This work of historical fiction has been on my TBR list for a little while, but because of the title, I was reluctant to dive in. Luckily, a friend reassured me that the novel Hamnet has very little to do with Hamlet, and then told me I should read it because it’s wonderful. My friend was right.   What’s Hamnet about? Hamnet’s...

THE HACIENDA Book Review

The Hacienda is one of those books that’s received a lot of buzz – and I’m happy to report that it lived up to the hype. I’ve seen a lot of bloggers/reviews comparing The Hacienda to Mexican Gothic, which was a DNF for me. So, it took me awhile to gather the courage to attempt The Hacienda. I’m not sure why people keep comparing these two novels. Maybe -- disappointingly -- it’s because they’re both set in Mexico?? Sigh. It's a...

A TRUE ACCOUNT: HANNAH MASURY’S SOJOURN AMONGST THE PYRATES, WRITTEN BY HERSELF Book Review

Don’t let the excessively long title of this book turn you off. I promise you that **deep breath**  A True Account: Hannah Masury’s Sojourn Amongst the Pyrates, Written by Herself is a GREAT read. When Kaye Publicity asked me if I’d like an ARC of this Katherine Howe title, I pounced on the opportunity. I adored Howe’s witchy historical fiction novel The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, and I wasn’t passing up a chance to get my...

GREENWICH PARK Book Review

Greenwich Park isn't the best thriller I've ever read, but it's certainly not the worst.  I know, I know. Not the world's great accolade. I've read a lot of great thrillers, and while this one kept me entertained, it didn't necessarily blow me out of the water. A large reason for that is because while there are plenty of plot twists, I saw about half of them coming a mile away. It's all just kind of predictable.    What's Greenwich Park...

GAD’S HALL and THE HAUNTING OF GAD’S HALL Book Reviews

How do I even begin to review the confounding and enchanting reading experience that is Gad’s Hall and The Haunting of Gad’s Hall? First, let me reassure you that despite the book cover promising “two novels of the supernatural,” Gad’s Hall/The Haunting of Gad's Hall is the most benign ghost story I’ve ever read. Like, if you blink, you miss the scary parts. Which aren’t even that scary to begin with. Shockingly, I was okay with...