Letters from Paris by Juliet Blackwell (Early Review)

Letters from Paris by Juliet Blackwell (Early Review)

Letters from Paris is a delightful read. I found myself thinking about the story and characters while away from the book; It felt both homey and exciting at once. Claire has gone to Paris in a sort-of soul search. She has just left Chicago and her boyfriend to go back home to Louisiana, where her mammaw doesn’t have much time left. With her last breath, Claire’s grandmother strongly encourages her to go to Paris in search of answers to a family mystery. Claire…

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Strike by Delilah S. Dawson

Strike by Delilah S. Dawson

Strike is the follow-up to Hit, a book about an evil banking corporation taking over the US government. We saw Patsy leave her mom, her only family, to try to get rid of her medical debt. The whole book take the fact that debt, credit, and the medical industry is fucked up and slaps you in the face with it. In Strike, Patsy and Wyatt meet up with a “freedom” group who are fighting against the banks. Unfortunately they turn…

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A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn

A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn

~ *OH MY GOOOSH* ~ I don’t know where this book has been hiding or why everyone on the planet isn’t talking about it, but it is FABULOUS. I had not one second of boredom and many, many fits of giggling. I was a bit surprised at first at how similar it is to Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate series or Delilah S. Dawson’s Blud series (sassy Victorian spinster for the former and Victorian circus for the latter; P.S. Both are great,…

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Tuna Macaroni Salad

Tuna Macaroni Salad

The other night I was faced with the dilemma of what to have for dinner. It was a rare occasion that Joe would’t be there, and on those nights I like to be spontaneous about what I eat. I thought pasta sounded good, but I didn’t want something with cream and I didn’t feel like any sort of tomato sauce. Once I thought of my mom’s macaroni salad recipe I knew I wanted a variation of that. I sized the…

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Return to the Little French Guesthouse by Helen Pollard

Return to the Little French Guesthouse by Helen Pollard

First came The Little French Guesthouse, then came Return to the Little French Guesthouse! It begins a few days after Emmy’s return to La Coeur des Roses, the villa she had accepted the role of manager for. She has quite a learning curve since the person doing much of her job before her left abruptly and she has never worked in the hospitality industry before. Despite the dialogue that left much to be desired, I couldn’t stop reading once I started….

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Garden Spells and First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

Garden Spells and First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

Garden Spells Garden Spells is a magical story about a small town in North Carolina. Sydney is back after 10 years of being away. She surprises her sister, Claire, not only by returning to get back on her feet but by also bringing her daughter, Bay. Claire still lives in the Waverly family house, keeps to herself, and works magic in the kitchen, literally. Evanelle is overwhelmed with desires to give items to people that they will somehow need in the…

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Chicago!

Chicago!

Back in April I went on a work trip to Wisconsin and Illinois for the 10-year-anniversary of the company I work for. I never thought I would ever have a job that I would get to travel with and while my job, per se, doesn’t involve travel, the company is based in Wisconsin and I work in a satellite office. I flew out there for a week of training and I went again in April. It looks like I’ll be…

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5 Great Pinterest Recipes

5 Great Pinterest Recipes

5 Pinterest recipes that have made it into our rotation: 1. Chicken Fricassee. In the middle of a bite the first time I made this, Joe asked me to make it again. I’ve probably made it 4 or 5 times now and we can’t get enough. I’ve taken to calling it “Freaky Chicken” due to the funny name and Nora going wild after having a bite of the chicken. 2. Jean-François Piège’s Childhood Cake. The first time I made this I ended up…

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Easy Bake Coven By Liz Schulte

Easy Bake Coven By Liz Schulte

Selene is 26, a witch, and the owner of a yoga studio. One day a man shows up that not everyone can see. It turns out that she is a half-elf and she doesn’t have any of her memories from before she “became human.” She is drawn back into the fae world to try to settle a disturbance between the Elf King and his people. But what is she forgetting? She tries to remember while the son of the Elf…

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Pancakes in Paris by Craig Carlson (Early Review)

Pancakes in Paris by Craig Carlson (Early Review)

Pancakes in Paris is a memoir covering Craig’s childhood (briefly), college years, coming out, and beyond. His original goal was to make a career in the film industry, which he does for a while before realizing his dream of opening an American breakfast diner in Paris. We follow his ups and downs in trying to get investors for Breakfast in America, he rights to use the name, finding the perfect location for the first restaurant, troubles of the renovation, and…

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