This book!! This book! Here, now. What a world. This started out as a read-at-bedtime book but I found myself thinking about it throughout the day and it became a daytime book too. This book is such a fountain of delights that I feel I need to read it again and again to appreciate it all. The more I think about it the more clever it gets. The ending a succession of fireworks. You’ve probably already read the synopsis so…
The Flowers of Provence is a stunning photography book reflecting Jamie Beck’s relationship with flowers during the time she has spent in France. Unlike her first book, An American in Provence, this one has very little writing; a lengthy introduction is followed by a tutorial on preserving flowers and tips for cutting and preserving flowers at home. If you’re looking for a photography book, the instructions are an added bonus. If you’re looking more for information on flowers found in…
This book has a lot going for it. It is written in the first person and Anisa, the main character, has one of the strongest voices I’ve read. I can’t recall being taken out of the story or not feeling like a close friend was confiding a big, secret story in me. I really like the author’s writing style and the characters feel well developed to me. The essence of the book, the story of The Centre, was such a…
The Child Thief by Brom 2/5 StarsI like the idea of exploring the origin story of a dark, true-to-the-original Peter Pan. I would have liked for the majority of the book to be about that with more details of the past and a magical/faerie way of life. Instead this book was entirely sad: bad things happening to bad people and horrific descriptions that felt gratuitous. It also jumped around in time and was difficult to follow that because there wasn’t…
The Little Village of Book Lovers is an extraordinary story. It’s the first book I’ve ever started rereading immediately, and I haven’t reread that many books overall because it feels like there are too many books out there waiting to be read. What I love most about this book is the unique perspective of Love. The entire book is Love telling the story, with some points-of-view of an ancient olive tree; both of which Marie-Jeanne has a special connection with….
Deerskin by Robin McKinley 5/5 StarsThis book cements my new obsession with the fantasy genre, and I love that this is a historical fantasy/magical realism combination. Lissar had a really weird upbringing for a princess; after her mother dies it nose-dives and she ends up fleeing her home with her beloved dog and best friend, Ash. The experience they have in the mountain cabin is, though still a very difficult time for them, a magical realism cozy transformation of my…
Carnival Quest has been the long-coming finale to The Candy Shop War trilogy. It’s been many years since I’ve read the first and second books and I was able to easy jump right back into the world. Despite being a middle grade reading level, I was engrossed in and excited for the adventure that Nate, Summer, Trevor, and Pigeon found themselves on. The premise of the carnival reminded me so much of Meow Wolf in Santa Fe (which I absolutely…
An American in Provence is a special book. It combines almost all of my most favorite things: France, cooking, motherhood, photography, seasonal living (I mean what am I missing from this list… cats and books? That’s a pretty good ratio). The book is divided by season and each season has essays, photography tutorials, and recipes. On every page are the beautiful photographs you know to expect with Jamie’s work. Each page is such a delight and a treasure. The first…
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah 5/5 StarsKristin Hannah sure can write to play with your emotions. There were a few things I didn’t like about this book, mostly excessive details in the beginning. It took me a while to get into this book as an audiobook and I absolutely could not get into it reading on my kindle. In the beginning it was really irritating how immature Isabelle was and how uptight Vianne was. My absolute favorite part about this…
Destroyer (The Shattered City #1) by Meg Smitherman 4/5 StarsThis is a delightfully engrossing and unique book. The world it’s set in is explained simply and clearly, which I’m always thankful for in a fantasy novel. I love the fact that the main character, Ru, is an archeologist and an underdog, and I really like all of the supporting characters. The first half has some clunky phrases or wording that distract from the story and fade as it goes on;…