A Well-Read Tart

A Food and Book Lover’s Blog

THE LOST FOR WORDS BOOKSHOP Book Review

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...

ONE DAY IN DECEMBER Book Review

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...

THE CITY BAKER’S GUIDE TO COUNTRY LIVING Book Review

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...

THE HOCUS POCUS MAGIC SHOP Book Review

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.  ...

BEAUTIFUL BAD (DNF Book Review)

It'd been awhile since I read a new thriller, so I was pretty excited when Beautiful Bad arrived from the library. Before you get too excited, though, you should know that this book ended up on the DNF pile. *Womp womp* Apart from it sounding like a good thriller, I was originally drawn to Beautiful Bad because of the exotic locations in which part of the story is set. While the novel starts with a present-day crime scene, a lot of the first 100...

NO ONE TELLS YOU THIS Book Review

My book review for No One Tells You This is going to be a long one, Tartlets. #sorrynotsorry I think the hardest reviews to write are about the books I identify with most strongly. There’s so much to say! While I have all the room in the world to write my thoughts down (it is my blog), I know I have to reel it in. I don't want to scare people away with a review that's almost as long as the book itself.     What is No One Tells You This...

THE WITCH ELM (DNF Book Review)

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...

FROM THE KITCHEN OF HALF TRUTH Book Review

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...

MELMOTH Book Review

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...

THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO Book Review

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.”...