Welcome to my weekly update for December 24, 2023! We’re spending today with my parents and my sister and her husband. My husband and I will exchange gifts tomorrow, barring any calls for him at work. My favorite part of Christmas with my parents is our giant Christmas breakfast. My mom makes bacon gravy […]
4 Stars. This is a great collection of non-traditional Christmas stories in the fantasy and science fiction vein with bits and pieces of other genres thrown in here and there. It sounds quirky and it is but it really worked for me. It was a nice change of pace during the holiday season. The quality is […]
Welcome to my weekly update for December 17, 2023! Well, I’ve posted a few times but my last actual update was on August 20. Oh boy. I truly admire those of you who regularly post and comment on so many other blogs. I just cannot find a routine that works for me. But I’m here today […]
Welcome to the 2024 Southern Literature Reading Challenge! We’ll focus on books and authors from the southeastern region of the United States. Read books by Southern authors set largely in the South You can read any genre, including fiction or nonfiction, classics, or contemporary works You can read […]
Welcome to the 2024 Books in Translation Reading Challenge! It’s pretty self-explanatory, right? Nevertheless, here are the rules, details, and linkies. You can read a book that’s been translated from any language into the language of your choosing. The challenge is not limited to translations to or […]
4 Stars. I’ve always liked Ari Shapiro on NPR so I was excited to read his memoir when I saw it. I was listening to a very long audiobook at the time so I decided to read The Best Strangers in the World in print, but I would hazard to guess that the audio is even better. I truly enjoyed reading […]
I’ve been missing in action for quite a while (again? as usual?) but I was hoping to get settled into a routine in time for Nonfiction November. I’m not quite there yet, but I am here for the second week of this annual nonfiction lovefest. Apparently the event almost didn’t happen this year? I’m out […]
Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl invited us to share reading goals we would like to accomplish before the end of the year this week. I have so many of those, I can’t possibly accomplish them all. But since this is Banned Book Week, I decided to share a list of the thirteen most frequently challenged […]
4 Stars. Now, hang with me for a minute here. Flora is a difficult character. I struggled a bit with her, to be honest. She’s really prickly and she can get a little too self absorbed at times. I understand that she’s suffered an unimaginable loss but watching her repeatedly push away people who genuinely care for her got to be […]
5 Stars. I just need to say that this book was fantastic. It’s hefty, coming in at 518 pages, but there’s even more to to chew over and unpack than meets the eye. It’s written in three parts (because of course a book about wishes would be written in three parts) and each takes a slightly different approach […]
3 Stars. I am a surprisingly big fan of Ms. Willig’s Pink Carnation series for someone who doesn’t consider herself a fan of romances. But the witty banter, intrigue, and Napoleonic settings sucked me right in. I inhaled that entire 12-book series and wished for more. The author’s newer books look more serious to me so I’ve […]