Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Top Ten Tuesday - The Swoony Stuff
Happy Tuesday, dear readers! This week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt from That Artsy Reader Girl is all about books with relationships I would like to have or be a part of. (Examples: Characters I’d like to date, be friends with, be enemies with, etc. - you get the picture). But since I racked my brain and couldn't come up with any of those, I decided to just post some of my favorite swoon-worthy reads. Have a great day!
👩❤️👨 The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab - All I'm gonna say is..."I remember you". I cried. I melted into a puddle. It broke my heart and made me swoon all at the same time. If you know you know.
💋 Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers - He's a Godly Christian man, and she's a prostitute. I don't know how Francine Rivers came up with such an intriguing couple dynamic and plot, but I'm glad she did. (Oh, and the movie is great too).
👩❤️👨 The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren - This book cracks me up, and it's my all-time favorite of Christina Lauren's. I adore an enemies to lovers plot, and this story is full of SO many awesome snarky comments between the hero and heroine. I laughed all the way through it.
💋 Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens - Tate and Kya are such a beautiful couple. I mean, come on...he taught her how to read! How can you not fall in love with someone like that?
👩❤️👨 Things We Left Behind by Lucy Score - I love ALL the Knockemout books by Lucy Score, but this one is my favorite because...again...I love the enemies to lovers trope. Sloane and Lucian seriously hate each other (in the beginning), and that makes for some very serious (and HOT) sexual tension. When they finally get together...WOWZA!
💋 Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt - This isn't a romantic relationship, but the closeness between widow Tova and Marcellus the octopus melted my heart. I went into this story thinking it would be too weird to enjoy, but it's one of my favorite books.
HAPPY TUESDAY!
Tuesday, August 13, 2024
Review - Weyward
AUTHOR: Emilia Hart
RATING: ★★★★
Summary (from Goodreads): I am a Weyward, and wild inside.
2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.
1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. As a girl, Altha’s mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence for witchcraft is set out against Altha, she knows it will take all of her powers to maintain her freedom.
1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family's grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives––and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.
Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart's Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.
REVIEW: First off, the fact that this is a debut novel just blows my mind. Emilia Hart writes with the flawless ease of someone who’s been writing and publishing books for years. The story is told by three Weyward women from three different generations, but it all flows together so beautifully and is very easy to follow. Each of their stories is captivating, and in the end I found myself cheering them on as they faced their struggles head on. (Kate’s defining moment had me on my feet clapping like a lunatic. My husband thought I’d lost my mind. LOL). I chose the audiobook version, and I’m so glad I did because the narrators (Aysha Kala, Helen Keeley, and Nell Barlow) are absolutely incredible. Their smooth as silk voices and stunning accents drew me in from the very beginning, and I didn’t want the book to end. I really look forward to reading more of Emilia Hart’s work in the future.
Monday, August 12, 2024
Recipe - Strawberry Yogurt Bark
- 2 cups nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, divided, ½ cup sliced
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- ¼ cup whole raw pistachios
DIRECTIONS: Line a small 13 x 9-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a food processor or blender pitcher, add yogurt, honey, 1/2 cup of the strawberries, vanilla, and pinch of salt. Blend on high until smooth throughout, roughly 10-15 seconds.
Pour mixture onto baking sheet, and use an offset spatula to spread out evenly.
Top off with the remaining strawberries and nuts.
Set in the freezer for roughly 2 hours to set. Cut into 12 pieces and eat frozen.
NUTRITION INFO: 1 piece, Calories: 60 kcal, Carbohydrates: 9 g, Protein: 4 g, Fat: 1 g, Saturated Fat: 0.5 g, Cholesterol: 1 mg, Sodium: 15 mg, Fiber: 0.5 g, Sugar: 7.5 g
(Recipe and photo courtesy of Skinnytaste)
Thursday, August 8, 2024
GMA Book Club Pick Available in My Little Free Library
Book summary (from Goodreads): A young woman wins the role of a lifetime in a film about a legendary heroine — but the real drama is behind the scenes in this sumptuous historical epic from the author of Mexican Gothic.
1950s Hollywood: Every actress wants to play Salome, the star-making role in a big-budget movie about the legendary woman whose story has inspired artists since ancient times.
So when the film’s mercurial director casts Vera Larios, an unknown Mexican ingenue, in the lead role, she quickly becomes the talk of the town. Vera also becomes an object of envy for Nancy Hartley, a bit player whose career has stalled and who will do anything to win the fame she believes she richly deserves.
Two actresses, both determined to make it to the top in Golden Age Hollywood—a city overflowing with gossip, scandal, and intrigue—make for a sizzling combination.
But this is the tale of three women, for it is also the story of the princess Salome herself, consumed with desire for the fiery prophet who foretells the doom of her stepfather, Herod: a woman torn between the decree of duty and the yearning of her heart.
Before the curtain comes down, there will be tears and tragedy aplenty in this sexy Technicolor saga.
Tuesday, August 6, 2024
Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Favorite Books from Ten Series
Happy Tuesday, dear readers! This week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt from That Artsy Reader Girl is Ten Favorite Books from Ten Series. Unfortunately, since most of what I read are standalone books, I only have four on this list instead of ten. So, with that being said, here are my top FOUR favorite books from FOUR series. 😊
📕 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling - Not only my favorite book in the series, but also my favorite movie in the series too. I could read these books and watch these movies over and over again and never tire of them.
📙 Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer - I guess you could call this book part of the Twilight series. Although I loved the first four books, there was something about reading Edward's point of view in Midnight Sun that really stuck with me.
📗 Things We Left Behind by Lucy Score - The whole Knockemout series by Lucy Score is amazing, but book three is my favorite. Not only is the main female character, Sloane, a librarian like myself, which I love, but the love of her life/rival/lover/enemy, Lucian, is...well, he's HOT. 🔥 I highly recommend this series if you love steamy romances.
📘 Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews - I remember reading this book for the first time in 8th grade and thinking how messed up it was and how it felt like I was reading something "taboo". Such a great series!
HAPPY TUESDAY!
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