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...
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 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...
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...
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...
A Storm of Infinite Beauty begins with a bang – pretty much literally.
Did you know that a massive earthquake and tsunami decimated a portion of the Alaskan coastline in the 1960s? Because I had no idea this happened until I read Julianne MacLean’s detailed and deeply researched women’s fiction novel set in Valdez, Alaska.
What’s A Storm of Infinite Beauty about?
A Storm of infinite Beauty is a dual timeline novel. There's young...
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...
Even though I read Hour of the Witch last year, it seems I've waited for good time to post my book review.
I'm not going to get too political here. But, if you're a woman -- particularly one of child-bearing age and means -- you're probably feeling a little limited these days.
But, geez. After reading Hour of the Witch and meeting Mary Deerfield, who hails from Puritan Boston, I'd say we ladies of the 21st century have it pretty darn...
The Drowning Kind has made me SO happy that I didn't buy a house with a pond. Or, a lake. Hell, even a pool. Because I am legit now a little creeped out by all bodies of water and what may be lurking beneath the surface.
What's The Drowning Kind about?
This supernatural horror story is a mix of contemporary and historical fiction. It follows two main characters. There's present-day Jax, who returns to her Vermont family home after...
The quickest way to dissolve a marriage is with secrets and lies. Both abound in Recipe for a Perfect Wife.
This bold, thought-provoking, and heartfelt novel by Karma Brown captured me right from the start with its recipes, its gardening advice, and its setting in the New York suburbs – all the things an in-her-late-30s woman like myself enjoys.
What's Recipe for a Perfect Wife about?
In Recipe for a Perfect Wife, you have Nellie,...
