A Well-Read Tart

A Food and Book Lover’s Blog

Book Review of RELATIVE STRANGERS

I seem to be on a Jane Austen retelling kick lately: first Once Persuaded, Twice Shy, and now Relative Strangers, which is a modern reimagining of Sense and Sensibility.   What’s Relative Strangers about? Amelia Bae-Wood ((ahem, Marianne Dashwood) goes to live with her widowed sister Eleanor, her widowed mother, and her niece Margaret after her glamorous foodie-preneur lifestyle falls apart. Her family has been rendered near penniless...

Book Review of ONCE PERSUADED, TWICE SHY

I actually let out a cheer while reading Once Persuaded, Twice Shy. I mean, it was a quiet cheer. Because it was 4am and my husband was asleep next to me. But, at a crucial moment in the book, a fist pump and a hissed "yes!" went up in honor of Anne Elliot.    What’s Once Persuaded, Twice Shy about? Once Persuaded, Twice Shy is Melodie Edwards’ modern rom-com reimagining of Jane Austen’s famous novel Persuasion. I’ve only read...

Sally Lunn Buns (Recipe Inspired by THE OTHER BENNET SISTER)

It’s hard to believe that these Sally Lunn Buns came out of my kitchen. But, they did, and they're freaking perfect. In case you don't remember, I suck making yeasted bread. Like, really suck at it. I mean, I've done it, with mixed results. There was the Fig and Pepper Bread, which turned out surprisingly great, and then the Cinnamon Rolls-turned-Cinnamon Cake, which, while delicious, obviously didn't go quite as intended. There are a few...

Book Review of THE OTHER BENNET SISTER

Calling all Janeites! I’m here to tell you that not only is The Other Bennet Sister worth your time, but that it’s one of the best Jane Austen-inspired novels I've ever read. And I’ve read a lot of them. Let’s start with the writing in The Other Bennet Sister: if I didn’t know any better, I would think Jane Austen herself wrote this book. Author Janice Hadlow completely nails Austen’s witty, sharp sense of humor and elegant turns of...

Book Review of THE JANE AUSTEN DIET

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...