Christmas Charms came into my life right when I needed it the most.
The different types of Christmas books
I was sifting through the library stacks for a holiday book that would make me feel “Christmassy.” A book where, like, the biggest problems are getting all the children’s toys wrapped in time, or making sure the Christmas cookies aren’t pulled from the oven too early.
My search for the perfect Christmas read taught me that a...
Tartlets, it’s Two-fer Tuesday!
The Cottage on Pumpkin and Vine and The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice are set in the same enchanting world of Moonbright, Maine, so I thought it'd be fun to do a dual book review today.
Never judge a book (completely) by its cover
LOOK AT THESE BOOK COVERS. And these titles!
With the fall season in full swing, how can you resist something with “pumpkin” or “spice” in the title? Obviously, I couldn't,...
Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe is as wonderful and lovely as its book cover. Please read it. There. DONE! Book review complete. Oh, okay. I suppose I should tell you a little more about why I blazed through this utterly charming novel by Heather Webber.
What's Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe about? Anna Kate Callow unexpectedly inherits her grandmother’s adorable Blackbird Café, on the stipulation that she uproot her life and move to...
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...
Well, Tartlets, we're rounding out a year of reading by heading back to Ballybucklebo with another book in the Irish Country Novels series: An Irish Country Family. And, I'm happy to report that I enjoyed this book much more than the last one in the series. Author Patrick Taylor mercifully toned down the in-depth discussion of Irish politics, And, while Barry and Sue's infertility issues continue to plague them, that plotline, too, has...
Clear your weekend, Tartlets. In fact, clear your week. Because Winter Solstice is a book you want to read slooooowly, savoring every word and turn of the page. I discovered this 2011 novel by Rosamunde Pilcher on a list of holiday reads from Modern Mrs Darcy. It was the most recommended book by her readers, and it didn’t take me long to figure out why. What's Winter Solstice about? Winter Solstice starts off...
Aunt Dimity and The King's Ransom is cozy AF. I know, probably not how you expected me to begin this book review. Especially with the name "Aunt Dimity" in the title. But, "cozy AF" is the best way to describe this light, cute, and almost wholesome mystery. It begins with a cozy family living in a cozy Cotswold village. *swoon* Main character Lori is overstressed, so her too-perfect-to-be-true husband books them a romantic weekend away at a...
“I’m looking for a good Mormon mystery.” Said not most people. Honestly, until I read Death in the Covenant by D.A. Bartley, I didn’t even know such a genre existed. But, exist it does, and lemme tell ya – it’s pretty darn great. I loved the TV show Big Love, and I also really enjoyed reading The 19th Wife. So, when JKS Communications reached out to me about Death in the Covenant, I was immediately enticed by the Mormon mystery...
Welcome back to Ballybucklebo! *dances, throws four-leaf clovers in the air, and speaks with a laughably awful Irish accent* I mean, that’s pretty much what I do whenever Patrick Taylor releases a new book in the Irish Country Doctor series. I’ve been reading this series since day one, and, as you'll recall, several previous installments have made it into my Quick Look Books recommendations. The latest novel, An Irish Country Cottage, is set...
As so often happens, I started reading The Endless Beach on a grey, rainy, Saturday morning, snuggled up in bed between a husband and a cat. I had only gotten a little into the book when I had to wrench myself away in order to find some breakfast. Seriously, the only thing that could have made me stop reading this book at that moment was hunger. I was only about 15 pages in, and I was already lost in another world from which I didn’t want to...
