I knew I was going to love Spare before I even read it.
In all honesty, I was predisposed to love it:
I’m that girl who got up at 6am to watch Kate Middleton marry Prince William and risked being late for her train because I didn’t want to leave the house before she walked down the aisle.
I’m that girl baked scones at 5am and donned a fascinator when Prince Harry married Megan Markle.
I’ve seen every season of The Crown, and I’m...
Happy 2024, Tartlets! I’m kicking off the new year with a book review I think many people could use: Happy Jobs: Doing What You Love for a Living.
Truth time: Who here doesn’t like their day job? (Hiiiiiii.)
Who here wishes they could do something else for a living, but you don’t know what that “something else” is?
Who here does know what that “something else” is – but is afraid to venture down a new path since the one you’re...
Decoding the Stars: A Modern Astrology Guide to Discover Your Life's Purpose isn’t the type of book I usually read. But, I’m so glad I broke out of my comfort zone with this one. As we bring 2023 to a close, I’m bringing you a dose of “woo woo” that'll knock your socks off.
How I discovered Decoding the Stars
I actually met author Allison Scott before I'd even heard of Decoding the Stars. We hit it off and soon started talking...
Confession: I've never read a Stephen King novel. Yes, even though I adore horror stories. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft is the first work by this insanely famous author I've read. I picked up On Writing because so many other writers, readers, agents, and editors have recommended it to me as a must-read for aspiring authors. I received a library copy in 2019 during The Great Concussion and couldn't read it, so I promptly sent it back,...
"To the Women." Author Liza Rodman dedicated her memoir, The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer, "to the women." I always read dedication pages, and when I saw this phrase at the beginning of the book, I thought the sentiment was sweet. But, that's about it. Because I didn't know yet. I didn't know what I was about to read. By the time I finished reading The Babysitter, the full impact of "to the women" hit me like a brick. The...
I knew I was going to enjoy Wow, No Thank You when I saw that author Samantha Irby also runs a blog called bitchesgottaeat.com. My level of enchantment only increased when I saw that she dedicated this book of essays to Wellbutrin, to which I, too, owe many a debt of gratitude. Obviously, Irby and I are kindred spirits. The reason I originally decided to read Wow, No Thank You is the title. The second I saw it, I could hear one of my friends...
It just so happens that I cracked open Cosy: The British Art of Comfort on a cold winter night. The temp had dropped down below freezing, and gusty winds whipped around the corners of our little cottage in the snowy mountains. I was wrapped up in the colorful afghan my grandmother knitted for me, sipping hot cocoa topped with whipped cream from a hand-crafted clay mug, with a furry little cat snuggled up on my lap. In short, at that moment, I...
Michael Arceneaux, author of I Can't Date Jesus: Love, Sex, Family, Race, and Other Reasons I've Put My Faith in Beyoncé, may be my spirit animal. I can't even tell you how many times I emphatically nodded and shouted "Hell, yeah!" as I read his candid and moving memoir. It's rare that I stumble across a writer whose wry sense of humor so closely matches my own -- or, at least, my own if I had the chutzpah to speak or write about things as...
"Maybe you should talk to someone." How many times have we heard those words, whether uttered jokingly or spoken with complete sincerity? Personally, I've said them lots of times to friends, family, and co-workers. Yeah, I'm that person. Which is why I was immediately intrigued by the title of this book. As a strong advocate of mental health awareness, I subscribe to the theory that everyone should see a therapist -- and, that those protesting...
Confession time: My newest celebrity crush is the author of The Jane Austen Diet. Bryan Kozlowski, you have the dubious honor of being on the list of “Men I Would Date In An Instant, Were I Not Happily Married.” (Also on this list are Enrique Iglesias, James Cordon, Andy Samberg, and Josh Gates, in case you're curious as to who your competition is.) This is all because of your brilliant, funny, fascinating, and amazingly relatable book about...
