A Dangerous Collaboration by Deanna Raybourn (Early Review)

A Dangerous Collaboration by Deanna Raybourn (Early Review)

This is the fourth book in the Veronica Speedwell series and I can’t get over how great it is. In A Dangerous Collaboration, Veronica and Stoker find themselves on a tiny Cornish island investigating a years-old disappearance. There is just as much wit and sexual tension in this book as the first three plus I learned many new useful words. I just have one gripe for this book: Veronica originally agreed to visit this island to obtain larvae of the…

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February Book Reviews

February Book Reviews

February was a productive reading month for me. I kind of made it my new year’s resolution to read all of the physical TBR books I already have before buying any more. I also gave myself permission to stop reading books I’m not into sooner than I usually do. Because of this, I started and abandoned about four books and it felt surprisingly good. Here are reviews for most of the book I finished this month: In an Absent Dream…

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A Beginner’s Guide to Reading Comics

A Beginner’s Guide to Reading Comics

Disclaimer: I put off publishing this post for years because I am by no means an expert in anything to do with comics. In this post I am sharing the information I wish I knew when I first discovered comics as an adult and personal recommendations I can share. Getting into reading comics without having any knowledge can be pretty intimidating. The only experience I had with comics until my reintroduction as an adult was when my mom let me…

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Wild Country by Anne Bishop (Early Review)

Wild Country by Anne Bishop (Early Review)

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again for anyone who may be new to my reviews for this series: I absolutely love this world and each book that offers a larger glimpse into it.The breakdown of the series is a bit wonky. The first five books follow the Lakeside Courtyard and largely the same cast of characters. These are called The Others. There are now two books set in the same world but in different towns. They are…

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The Lady from the Black Lagoon by Mallory O’Meara

The Lady from the Black Lagoon by Mallory O’Meara

Despite the title, I would not call this a book about the Lady from the Black Lagoon. This is a memoir about O’Meara researching Milicent Patrick’s previously unknown life with a lot of filler to make this into a full-length book. With a few exceptions, the first 85% of this book doesn’t have much about Milicent Patrick. Instead we learn about her father’s background, William Randolph Hearst and his architect Julia Morgan, Nelbert Chouinard, the Westmores, a history of special…

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Point Defiance Zoo

Point Defiance Zoo

The Sunday before my birthday Joe and I went to Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma. This zoo isn’t as great as the one in Asheboro, NC, but it’s a second best. I like that most of their enclosures are good sized and the animals don’t seem distressed. The bad thing about a zoo on the weekend is that there are so. many. kids. It ended up being really chilly that day but I’m still glad we went- the animals were…

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Wednesday Whimsy #24

Wednesday Whimsy #24

Bonjour and happy Wednesday, the first one in February. Everyone seems to have not enjoyed January and I regret to say I am included. I seemed to have one minor physical ailment after another that made it seem like I was falling apart before I gained a year at the end of the month. I brightened things up by planning French-themed dinners for the week of my birthday. You can read more about that here. If you’re looking for a…

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French Recipes for My Birthday Week

French Recipes for My Birthday Week

I like to put a a decent amount of thought into celebrating around my birthday each year. After having a kind of crummy beginning of the year I decided to cook French meals for the week of my birthday. I usually only eat twice a day- an egg and veggie scramble around 11am and then dinner- so I mostly focused on dinners.Here’s what I made: Croque Madame from Tasting Paris. Quiche from Pardon Your French. Swiss Chard Potato Gnocchi from…

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Afar by Leila Del Duca and Kit Seaton

Afar by Leila Del Duca and Kit Seaton

When I first heard about this book at an Emerald City Comicon of the past, I was already familiar with both creators. Leila Del Duca is best known as the artist for Shutter and Kit Seaton is known for an amazing web comic she does with her sister, The Black Bull of Norroway (which has since been published). She also had a short comic in the back of one of the issues of Shutter that I really loved (the only…

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Favorite Books of 2018

Favorite Books of 2018

In reading order, my top 10 favorite books read last year: 1. Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire 2. Where the Wild Cherries Grow by Laura Madeleine 3. Time Jumpers by Brandon Mull 4. I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara 5. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman 6. Sweet Tea and Sympathy/Ain’t She a Peach by Molly Harper 7. Alpha and Omega series by Patricia Briggs 8. Ageless Beauty the French Way by Clémence…

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