This book manages to be both strange and cozy at the same time. It is unique and interesting and set entirely in nature. A cell phone and vehicles are mentioned but in retrospect, their brief mentions really highlight how rooted in nature this story is. The book feels complete but can easily be expanded on to give readers the enjoyment of more time spent in this world of cryptids. The publisher’s synopsis of this book is about all you can…
This book started out strong for me, which I started while reading The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 18. This was one of three previews I read and I was so into it I immediately requested the full version to review. Detective Inspector Samantha Hansen has been gone from work for six months after an assault from a co-worker and a breakdown. Sam is brought back to work when a fourteen-year-old girl is found and Sam feels compelled to find her killer….
I love The Once and Future Queen so much that I’m having a hard time settling on what to say. I’m realizing a newfound obsession with Arthurian-legend books. They are all so different that it’s like reading completely different books but the characters all have the same names. Kinda confusing if you think about them all together, but this one stands out due to it being from Guinevere’s point-of-view. So I already know that I love medieval settings, especially Camelot,…
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy 3/5 StarsThis book started extremely slowly for me, so much so that I almost stopped listening to the audiobook. It didn’t have the same pull as McConaghy’s other books had for me. This one is set slightly in the future and really harped on climate change rather than having a more balanced medley of themes as her other books have had. It ended up feeling like a soft thriller once it picked up, between…
I do enjoy this world quite a lot; to me it feels like a violent-yet-cozy intimate look into a quest in World of Warcraft. Though unfortunately I did not find this follow-up book to Legends & Lattes as enjoyable or immersible as the first book in the series. I think my issue, and the cause of the two stars removed, is with Fern, the main character. She accidentally abandons the bookshop she just opened next to Viv’s coffee shop, and…
With the 50th Anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Vagabond: A Memoir is a timely release. That movie made Tim Curry familiar to me and remains what I think of when I think of Tim Curry’s work, but the first time I saw him was actually in the movie Annie, from the 80’s. Before listening to this audiobook, I didn’t know much about him or other productions he has been involved in. Tim Curry reads the audiobook himself; I…
The Secret of Orange Blossom Cake is one of the best books you could choose for summer reading: a summer spent in Italy with a magical cookbook, family, and your teenage love. Jules agrees to spend the summer in Italy at her family house with her half-sister, Alex. Her motive for going is to spark inspiration for the cookbook she is supposed to be writing and she is hoping her Nonna and their family cookbook can help. The descriptions of…
I am a long-time follower of Rebecca, both on social media and her blog. She travels to Paris many times a year and I love following along on her adventures. Her blog, Everyday Parisian, is a Francophile’s dream; filled with musings from her Paris trips, recipes, travel tips, and more. And her beautiful photography! I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with her debut book, but each page was an absolute delight. The main draw is the photography: it is…
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna 4/5 Stars I liked a lot about this book. The witch rules (and curses) in this particular world are unique and well thought out. There’s a full cast of characters and they’re all distinct enough to stand out and on their own. I really enjoyed reading it and plan to read the next one but it didn’t “wow” me in a way that has me giving it high praise and…
The Alchemy of Flowers by Laura Resau 4/5 StarsI really like all of the tidbits about France and the French language in this book. The idea of a secret garden in France is an absolute dream. I love how this garden was described, the individual living spaces, the intricacies of their daily lives. One thing that was hard for me to believe is how easily the French language came back to Eloise after last using it fifteen years earlier in…