A Well-Read Tart

A Food and Book Lover’s Blog

THE VASTER WILDS Book Review

There are a lot of book reviews out there saying that The Vaster Wilds is about a starving girl shitting in the woods. Yes. Yes, it is. And it’s beautiful.   What’s The Vaster Wilds about? I don't think the book jacket description of The Vaster Wilds conveys an accurate idea of what this unique story is about. And, I can get why. If you looked at the back of the book and read "this story is about a girl dying of starvation and hypothermia...

FORGOTTEN SISTERS Book Review

Forgotten Sisters combines true crime, suspense, historical fiction, fairy tales, and supernatural horror to deliver a ghostly tale of two sisters with a past.    What’s Forgotten Sisters about? The Forgotten Sisters follows Anna and Jennie Arbor, who live in an historic and ghost-filled house on the Chicago River. Anna hosts her own spooky podcast, while Jennie fixes antique musical instruments. Neither young woman leaves the house...

A BAKERY IN PARIS Book Review

Although I started off a little annoyed with A Bakery in Paris, this heartwarming story about two Parisian ladies -- and their delicious French recipes -- grew on me by the end of the book.   What’s A Bakery in Paris about? A Bakery in Paris follows two women in the same family. There's Lisette, who lives in 1870, and Micheline, who lives in 1946. Each woman finds comfort in friendship, baking, and freedoms she didn’t know she needed as...

THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE Book Review

Many thanks to those of you (there were many!) who told me to read The Bear and the Nightingale. Extra special thanks goes to those who pointed out that I should do so during wintertime. You were spot on about this.   What’s The Bear and the Nightingale about? The Bear and the Nightingale beautifully weaves together historical fiction and fantasy, truth and fable, new religion and old world magic. There are princes and peasants, house elves...

HAMNET Book Review

I hated Hamlet, the famous play by William Shakespeare. But, I adored HamNet, the novel by Maggie O’Farrell. This work of historical fiction has been on my TBR list for a little while, but because of the title, I was reluctant to dive in. Luckily, a friend reassured me that the novel Hamnet has very little to do with Hamlet, and then told me I should read it because it’s wonderful. My friend was right.   What’s Hamnet about? Hamnet’s...

THE HACIENDA Book Review

The Hacienda is one of those books that’s received a lot of buzz – and I’m happy to report that it lived up to the hype. I’ve seen a lot of bloggers/reviews comparing The Hacienda to Mexican Gothic, which was a DNF for me. So, it took me awhile to gather the courage to attempt The Hacienda. I’m not sure why people keep comparing these two novels. Maybe -- disappointingly -- it’s because they’re both set in Mexico?? Sigh. It's a...

A TRUE ACCOUNT: HANNAH MASURY’S SOJOURN AMONGST THE PYRATES, WRITTEN BY HERSELF Book Review

Don’t let the excessively long title of this book turn you off. I promise you that **deep breath**  A True Account: Hannah Masury’s Sojourn Amongst the Pyrates, Written by Herself is a GREAT read. When Kaye Publicity asked me if I’d like an ARC of this Katherine Howe title, I pounced on the opportunity. I adored Howe’s witchy historical fiction novel The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, and I wasn’t passing up a chance to get my...

GAD’S HALL and THE HAUNTING OF GAD’S HALL Book Reviews

How do I even begin to review the confounding and enchanting reading experience that is Gad’s Hall and The Haunting of Gad’s Hall? First, let me reassure you that despite the book cover promising “two novels of the supernatural,” Gad’s Hall/The Haunting of Gad's Hall is the most benign ghost story I’ve ever read. Like, if you blink, you miss the scary parts. Which aren’t even that scary to begin with. Shockingly, I was okay with...

A STORM OF INFINITE BEAUTY Book Review

A Storm of Infinite Beauty begins with a bang – pretty much literally. Did you know that a massive earthquake and tsunami decimated a portion of the Alaskan coastline in the 1960s? Because I had no idea this happened until I read Julianne MacLean’s detailed and deeply researched women’s fiction novel set in Valdez, Alaska.   What’s A Storm of Infinite Beauty about?  A Storm of infinite Beauty is a dual timeline novel. There's young...

THE WINTER SEA Book Review

Yes, this is the first book review I've posted in quite awhile. And, yes, I'm reviewing a book titled The Winter Sea even though it's springtime. I'm just wacky like that.  Hello, Tartlets! It's been a hot minute. (An update about that will go up later this week.) Sorry it's taken me so darn long to find my way back to this space. But, I'm here and ready to resume discussing all things books, recipes, and writing with my lovely...