Sunday, September 21, 2025
Sullivan Book Nook September Updates
Here’s what’s available in the little free library. Added some adult fiction books and a few books for the kiddos. If you see something you’d like to have, please come get it. You don’t have to leave a book to take one.
Tuesday, September 16, 2025
Top Ten Tuesday - Literary/Bookish Candles I’d Make
CANDLES AND SCENT DESCRIPTIONS:
1. I Remember You (inspired by V.E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue): An unforgettable scent with top notes of bergamot and camellias; followed by middle notes of lily, jasmine, and rose; finished with notes of exotic sandalwood.
2. Gooooooood Morning, Vietnam! (inspired by Kristin Hannah’s The Women): An intoxicating ensemble of green fern, bamboo stalks, vetiver, and patchouli, with undertones of hemp seed and oak moss. Peace! ✌🏼
3. Sucks Being You (inspired by Stephenie Meyers Twilight series): This alluring blend has warm notes of amber, incense, vanilla, and patchouli. A mysterious but fun mixture of sarcasm and blood-sucking seduction.
4. Midnight on the Bayou (inspired by Delia Owens’ Where the Crawdads Sing): This fragrance combines the warmth and mystery of an enchanted Louisiana bayou with an enticing blend of apricot nectar, mimosa petals, and cypress. A best seller!
5. Kiss from a Cannabis Rose (inspired by Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones and The Six): A far out fragrance with top notes of Bulgarian rose, bergamot, cannabis, and jasmine, with sensual underlying notes of dark chocolate, white musk, and oolong tea. It’s groovy, man! ☮️
6. Always (inspired by J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series): Spicy pomegranate, dewberry, and iris notes followed with subtle hints of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. All sealed with an eternal kiss and tears of unrequited love. A Severus Snape inspired favorite.
7. Marcellus Musings (inspired by Shelby Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures): Invigorating oceanic top notes intermingling with lavender, pineapple, and melon, with bottom notes of fresh air and freedom.
8. Bacardi, Beaches, and Bad Decisions (inspired by Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation): A tropical combination of coconut, mango, papaya, and wild watermelon with a splash of remorse and regret. (But no hangovers!)
9. Up Yonder in Them There Mountains (inspired by Kim Michele Richardson’s The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek): A complex fragrance blend of Granny Smith apples, oranges, and peaches, with floral middle notes of lily of the valley and violet. Base notes of woodsy oak leaves and oak moss round out this Appalachian inspired best seller.
10. Very Very Verity (inspired by Colleen Hoover’s Verity): A dark and twisted blend of persimmon, elderberries, currants, orange and cinnamon and rounded out with base notes of sugarcane and vanilla.
So, what do you think? Would you buy any of these candles?
Wednesday, September 10, 2025
Review - Isola
AUTHOR: Allegra Goodman
NARRATOR: Fiona Hardingham
RATING: ★★★★
Summary (from Goodreads): Heir to a fortune, Marguerite is destined for a life of prosperity and gentility. Then she is orphaned, and her guardian—an enigmatic and volatile man—spends her inheritance and insists she accompany him on an expedition to New France. Isolated and afraid, Marguerite befriends her guardian’s servant and the two develop an intense attraction. But when their relationship is discovered, they are brutally punished and abandoned on a small island with no hope for rescue.
Once a child of privilege who dressed in gowns and laced pearls in her hair, Marguerite finds herself at the mercy of nature. As the weather turns, blanketing the island in ice, she discovers a faith she’d never before needed.
Inspired by the real life of a sixteenth-century heroine, Isola is the timeless story of a woman fighting for survival.
REVIEW: Such a beautiful but heart-wrenching story. To know that it’s inspired by the real struggles of a real person who survived such an ordeal makes it even more incredible. I can’t imagine what it must have been like being stranded on a desolate island for two years. Marguerite is such an admirable woman, and what an unforgettable experience it was to witness her spiritual, physical, and mental growth throughout this story. This was my first time reading Allegra Goodman’s work, and her writing is magnificent. And what can I say about one of my favorite narrators, Fiona Hardingham? She is absolutely amazing. Through Allegra’s flawless writing and Fiona’s impeccable narration, I felt it all - the joy, the heartache, the happiness, the loss…but above all else, the hope and the will to survive. I would highly recommend Isola to everyone.
Tuesday, September 9, 2025
Top Ten Tuesday - My Favorite Book Villains
Hello, dear readers! This week’s prompt from Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl is favorite villains. I had trouble coming up with ten, but here are six villains for you. Happy Tuesday!
🐶 Cruella deVille in the 101 Dalmations - Anyone who steals puppies or any other animal for cruel intentions places top spot on my villain list.
🍖 Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs - He’s a cannibal, and he’s also a genius. A dangerous combination.
⓬ President Snow in The Hunger Games - Cold and calculating. The perfect villain.
🐈 Professor Delores Umbridge in the Harry Potter series - I can’t put into words how much I absolutely DESPISE this woman. She’s just plain evil.
👠 The Stepmother from Cinderella - Was she ever given a name? If so, I don’t remember it. I’ve had my share of petty and conniving step-mother’s in my lifetime, but Cinderella’s takes the cake.
🪄 Voldemort from the Harry Potter series - Can’t finish out this list without including my favorite villain from my favorite book series. This dude has some serious issues, but the push and pull between him and Harry throughout the entire series is what makes these books so dynamic and magical. Love them!
Saturday, September 6, 2025
Recipe - Cottage Cheese Queso
- 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning from a package
- 2 tablespoons canned Rotel tomatoes, drained, plus 1 tablespoon (for garnish)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped pickled jalapeño, drained (for garnish)
- 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese, freshly grated
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro (for garnish)
- tortilla chips, protein chips or crudités (for serving)
DIRECTIONS: Add the cottage cheese and taco seasoning to a small food processor or mini blender. Blend until completely smooth.
Heat a small skillet over medium heat and spray with oil. Add the tomatoes and garlic and sauté, stirring 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the cottage cheese mixture and stir until hot, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in pepper jack cheese and pickled jalapeño, until melted.
Transfer to a serving bowl and top with remaining tomatoes and cilantro. Serve with chips or crudités.
NOTES: This is best eaten the day you make it. If you’re making this for one or two, just divide the recipe. If you do have extra, you can refrigerate the leftovers.
Can top with ¼ pound cooked ground beef to add more protein. For a thicker dip, use whole-milk cottage cheese.
NUTRITION INFO: 1/4 cup (generous), Calories: 94 kcal, Carbohydrates: 3 g, Protein: 8 g, Fat: 5 g, Saturated Fat: 3 g, Cholesterol: 20 mg, Sodium: 353.5 mg, Fiber: 0.5 g, Sugar: 1 g
(Recipe and photo courtesy of Skinnytaste)
Subscribe to:
Posts
(Atom)
Currently Listening
Currently Reading
Popular Posts
NetGalley Badges
Goodreads Updates
