A Well-Read Tart

A Food and Book Lover’s Blog

AN ESCAPE GOAT Book Review

I regularly attend goat yoga sessions in the summer, so when I heard that Janna Rollins was writing a cozy mystery titled An Escape Goat: A Zen Goat Mystery about a goat yoga retreat gone awry, I knew I had to read this book. Prepare yourselves, Tartlets, for all the goats, all the yoga, all the foodie fiction, and, yes, for a spot of murder.   What’s An Escape Goat about? An Escape Goat is about a woman named Callie who opens up a goat yoga...

ONCE PERSUADED, TWICE SHY Book Review

I actually let out a cheer while reading Once Persuaded, Twice Shy. I mean, it was a quiet cheer. Because it was 4am and my husband was asleep next to me. But, at a crucial moment in the book, a fist pump and a hissed "yes!" went up in honor of Anne Elliot.    What’s Once Persuaded, Twice Shy about? Once Persuaded, Twice Shy is Melodie Edwards’ modern rom-com reimagining of Jane Austen’s famous novel Persuasion. I’ve only read...

THE WINTER SEA Book Review

Yes, this is the first book review I've posted in quite awhile. And, yes, I'm reviewing a book titled The Winter Sea even though it's springtime. I'm just wacky like that.  Hello, Tartlets! It's been a hot minute. (An update about that will go up later this week.) Sorry it's taken me so darn long to find my way back to this space. But, I'm here and ready to resume discussing all things books, recipes, and writing with my lovely...

CHRISTMAS CHARMS Book Review

 Christmas Charms came into my life right when I needed it the most.   The different types of Christmas books I was sifting through the library stacks for a holiday book that would make me feel “Christmassy.” A book where, like, the biggest problems are getting all the children’s toys wrapped in time, or making sure the Christmas cookies aren’t pulled from the oven too early. My search for the perfect Christmas read taught me that a...

THE COTTAGE ON PUMPKIN AND VINE and THE BAKESHOP AT PUMPKIN AND SPICE Book Reviews

Tartlets, it’s Two-fer Tuesday! The Cottage on Pumpkin and Vine and The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice are set in the same enchanting world of Moonbright, Maine, so I thought it'd be fun to do a dual book review today.   Never judge a book (completely) by its cover LOOK AT THESE BOOK COVERS. And these titles! With the fall season in full swing, how can you resist something with “pumpkin” or “spice” in the title? Obviously, I couldn't,...

MIDNIGHT AT THE BLACKBIRD CAFE Book Review

Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe is as wonderful and lovely as its book cover. Please read it. There. DONE! Book review complete. Oh, okay. I suppose I should tell you a little more about why I blazed through this utterly charming novel by Heather Webber.     What's Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe about? Anna Kate Callow unexpectedly inherits her grandmother’s adorable Blackbird Café, on the stipulation that she uproot her life and move to...

COSY: THE BRITISH ART OF COMFORT Book Review

It just so happens that I cracked open Cosy: The British Art of Comfort on a cold winter night. The temp had dropped down below freezing, and gusty winds whipped around the corners of our little cottage in the snowy mountains. I was wrapped up in the colorful afghan my grandmother knitted for me, sipping hot cocoa topped with whipped cream from a hand-crafted clay mug, with a furry little cat snuggled up on my lap. In short, at that moment, I...

AN IRISH COUNTRY FAMILY Book Review

Well, Tartlets, we're rounding out a year of reading by heading back to Ballybucklebo with another book in the Irish Country Novels series: An Irish Country Family. And, I'm happy to report that I enjoyed this book much more than the last one in the series. Author Patrick Taylor mercifully toned down the in-depth discussion of Irish politics, And, while Barry and Sue's infertility issues continue to plague them, that plotline, too, has...

WINTER SOLSTICE Book Review

Clear your weekend, Tartlets. In fact, clear your week. Because Winter Solstice is a book you want to read slooooowly, savoring every word and turn of the page. I discovered this 2011 novel by Rosamunde Pilcher on a list of holiday reads from Modern Mrs Darcy. It was the most recommended book by her readers, and it didn’t take me long to figure out why.   What's Winter Solstice about? Winter Solstice starts off...

AUNT DIMITY AND THE KING’S RANSOM Book Review

Aunt Dimity and The King's Ransom is cozy AF. I know, probably not how you expected me to begin this book review. Especially with the name "Aunt Dimity" in the title. But, "cozy AF" is the best way to describe this light, cute, and almost wholesome mystery. It begins with a cozy family living in a cozy Cotswold village. *swoon*  Main character Lori is overstressed, so her too-perfect-to-be-true husband books them a romantic weekend away at a...