If I'd known that drinking tea in American Royals is considered unpatriotic, I might have avoided reading this one. Out of protest for my favorite beverage, of course. Naaaaawwww, jk! This book is awesome. I'm so glad I didn't know about the tea thing beforehand. Author Katherine McGee's version of America apparently never quite recovered from the slights of the British against the colonists, and the American Palace refuses to serve tea to its...
I want to tell you what reading An American Marriage by Tayari Jones did to me: it blew the doors of my understanding of white privilege wide open. Those doors will never be shut again. I read An American Marriage in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. With a few exceptions, most of my reads are written by white women. This isn’t a purposeful decision, but it’s a trend I’ve noticed over the past few years, so I’ve decided to diversify...
Who else pounces on a new Mary Kay Andrews book the minute it comes out? My copy of Hello, Summer arrived a few days before Memorial Day Weekend, and it made me so excited to kick off the summer season. I'd devoured another beach read last MDW, and I figured a book titled "Hello, Summer" would be a shoo-in to invoke the easy, beachy, summertime vibes. Um, no. Hello, Summer combines two things that I couldn't give two hoots about: politics and...
The Sun Down Motel gave me mixed feelings. I'd been eagerly anticipating this one for months, especially after seeing SO much love for it from readers and other book bloggers. I was so excited when it came in from my local library just before they closed down because of COVID-19. I was quarantined, but I figured, Hey, I got THE book I was waiting for, so NBD. Ehhh, not quite. The Sun Down Motel is a good book; the story it delivers is solid...
Um, who's about ready for a beach vacation? THIS GIRL. While we may not be taking actual vacations anytime soon, I'm here to tell you that you can take a vicarious one with Summer Rental. I feel like this novel could've easily been called "Summer of Secrets," because that's pretty much the sitch in this easy, breezy, beach read from Mary Kay Andrews. It's admittedly an older book from this popular author, but it's a goodie. I loved Andrews'...
Here's a fun fact: I've had this Quick Look Books list of Historical Fiction recommendations planned for, oh,...over a year? Something like that. I've been meaning to post it. Really, I have. Just...something always got in the way. However, since the last few weeks have been pretty history-defining, I figured now's the time to debut this particular book list. To remind us of what people have faced, fought against, and, against all odds, overcome...
Little Darlings by Melanie Golding is So. Freakin’. GOOD. I’m not usually a fan of stories that blur the line between supernatural and psychotic – is there really something otherworldly going on, or is the main character just crazy? – but Little Darlings may be one of the best exceptions I’ve ever come cross. Fair warning: don’t read this book if you have an intense fear of child abduction. This book made me sleepless, and I don’t...
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 can't remember if I requested an ARC of Saint X. I was pretty surprised when it showed up on my doorstep last fall, so I'm guessing that I didn't actually seek this one out. However, it's possible I just forgot. Book bloggers tend to say yes to any offers of free books that come their way, and, while I limit the ARCS I request to only a few per year, there's a good chance I read a synopsis of Saint X before my self-imposed ARC restrictions and...
You guys, I don't know how I'm going to write a concise book review of And Then We Grew Up. I wrote pages and pages of notes as I was reading this fantastic nonfiction book. PAGES, I tell you! Author Rachel Friedman spoke to the art monster within me, and I responded viscerally to everything she said. Friedman had dreams of being a professional violist, but she left them behind when she realized the punishing professional music scene wasn’t...
