Review: Bus Stop

Bus Stop by William Inge
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was the play version of the movie. I knew most of the dialogue because I have seen the movie soooo many times. I thought it was brilliantly written. I can see why it was made into the movie. It is about a 1 hour 45-minute read, but quite enjoyable.

Bo has kidnapped the lady of his dreams, Cherie (he calls her Cherry). She is trying to escape with the aid of the people that work in the bus stop where the bus was stranded due to road conditions ahead. Grace, the bus stop owner, may have had an affair with the driver, the sheriff may have assisted Cherie in getting some assistance and the cowboy may have been put in his place. Oh, but there will be a good ending to the tale. If you have seen the film you can figure it out, but if you have not, why not read the screenplay and then go see Miss Monroe in one of her finest roles.



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Review: Dead Presidents: An American Adventure into the Strange Deaths and Surprising Afterlives of Our Nation's Leaders

Dead Presidents: An American Adventure into the Strange Deaths and Surprising Afterlives of Our Nation's Leaders by Brady Carlson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thought this book was OUTSTANDING!!! I am one of those Presidential geeks that would love to visit every single Presidential site in America. I am very aware that I will never obtain it, so this was wonderful to hear about some of the dead Presidents that I find fascinating. Carlson evens mentions some places that I have been and he added new facts to what I saw (mainly because I was herded through places at a fast pace). What a brilliant idea to visit all these Presidential places of the dead leaders and then write about them.

Simply awesome!

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Review: Granny Gets Fancy

Granny Gets Fancy by Harper Lin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

And I would love to give it to you. Granny has a boyfriend, Octavian. They decide to get all dressed up and head to the country club where, as you would expect, a murder will take place. Granny/Barbara has to interview all the fancy folks of Cheerville to see exactly who committed the crime.

I do think you can read this as a stand-alone book, but I don't know why you would want to do so. Just read them all. They are all great for a vacation where you want some time by yourself, but you probably can't carve out too much time.

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Review: The Beantown Girls

The Beantown Girls by Jane Healey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I did the audiobook version of the Kindle book (what do I call that?). I was thinking while listening that the book wasn't perfectly written, but it was written perfectly enough for me to get sucked into the storylines and have a hard time NOT finishing it faster. I thought it had nice storylines of the Red Cross girls and their lives. Some were about love, some death, some promise and all of the girls had hope. We fall the Red Cross Clubmobile girls from their training to their post-war lives. I adored how these girls that met in carefree college find themselves in the middle of the fighting in WWII.

The narrator was easy to understand, she had a soothing voice and I loved how she read the men parts as a man, in a deep voice.

Very nice.

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Review: American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt

American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt by Stephanie Marie Thornton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Historical fiction about Presidents is sometimes hard for me, so while I longed to read this I was nervous since it would mention my beloved TR. I didn't keep that nervous feeling for long. The picture that Ms. Thornton painted of Alice was exquisite. Alice has always been known to have been a devil may care lady (I would have loved to have met her) and it was perfectly portrayed here. I did see spots that history was embellished, but it was done wonderfully. I wanted to be able to jump into the pages of this book and live right there alongside Alice. I loved every part of this tale.

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Review: Daisy Jones & The Six

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a fantastic book! It was like an episode of VH1 Behind the Music. A band that had it all, being interviewed in the present about the past. How they became who they were, the songs that made them legends and the drugs that made them forget some of what happened.

I really wish I could have read this at one sitting because it was "unputdownable". I was so invested in every single character just like they were real rock stars that I grew up listening to on the radio and they now appear on the classic radio station. I sing along with the songs just as if I was 16 again. I mean it was THAT good.

This book is for every rock fan.

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Review: The Actor's Life: A Survival Guide

The Actor's Life: A Survival Guide by Jenna Fischer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kind of out of my realm of knowledge because this is more a guide to being an actor. I do think she would have great tips for anyone trying to be in the business.

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Review: Comfort Food Shortcuts: An "In the Kitchen with David" Cookbook from QVC's Resident Foodie

Comfort Food Shortcuts: An "In the Kitchen with David" Cookbook from QVC's Resident Foodie by David Venable
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is exactly what I expected from my favorite QVC personality. A well done, well-organized book with beautiful photos. Knowing David, I knew that things were going to be simple, fun, and full of shortcuts. I will make quite a few of the recipes in this book, however; my boys are picky so I will have to do a little editing (I know it stinks). I think the mac n cheese recipe is going to be divine!!!!! Trust me, David knows his mac n cheese.



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Review: The Beautiful Strangers

The Beautiful Strangers by Camille Di Maio
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

WOW just WOW!!

I was interested in this book because of the grand cover. Then I saw it would be set at the place where Some Like it Hot was filmed and that Marilyn Monroe was going to have a small part...this book was a no brainer for me.

The story was very neat it weaves in and out the early 20th century and 1958. Kate Morgan longs to do more than just work in her family's restaurant, but her circumstances prevent her from doing anything about it. That is until she has a conversation with her grandpa about a Beautiful Stranger. After this conversation Kate will embark on a journey she longed to take but never thought she would.

In the past, we met another Kate Morgan that was murdered. She is a ghost that hangs around the hotel that is really the main character of this book and I love how the book ends on August 5, 1962.

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Review: American Duchess: A Novel of Consuelo Vanderbilt

American Duchess: A Novel of Consuelo Vanderbilt by Karen Harper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First of all, I have seen photos of Consuelo and she was a vision of loveliness. I was super excited to get this book because of the photos I had seen because I knew nothing about her. When I read the book, I did not like the mother. A typical woman that pushes her child into something that she doesn't want to do (marriage) for status and a title. A common move in those times, but I still hate it. Time seemed to move at a regular pace after the marriage but escalated after that. I am not sure I liked that part and I believe that is what kept me from granting a 5-star rating. Time was moving with the pace of the book and then all of the sudden we skipped to 10 years ahead.

Other than that part, I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed how a Duchess can get out of a loveless marriage and find that true lifelong, fated love. I LOVED the Winston Churchill parts. I loved everything about him, to me he was a secondary character after the Duchess and I enjoyed every second we got to spend with him. Ivor was my third favorite character.

This book didn't blow me away, but it was nice.

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Review: That Woman: The Life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor

That Woman: The Life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor by Anne Sebba
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I try to read every book that I can on Wallis. I am not sure why she fascinates me so much, but she does. Ever since I was a little girl I wondered how a King could give up all for a woman? How much love did he have? It must have been some love story. Well this book goes more in depth to Wallis's early years and the courtship, but also the abdication. I very much enjoyed the parts on how the whole abdication and wedding occured in real life. I found the part from wedding to death to be too swift, but otherwise a perfect books.

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Review: Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool: A True Love Story

Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool: A True Love Story by Peter Turner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I like Gloria Graham in the picture show, and I have never seen this film, but the Gloria I know is seductive, funny, perky...this lady was sad and sick. I felt so sorry for her. She was also alone! It was just a sad tale for me. I can't say I enjoyed it and can't say I didn't. All I can say is I have wanted to read it for some time and now I have.

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Review: The Wartime Sisters

The Wartime Sisters by Lynda Cohen Loigman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In looking at the cover and the title and then reading the text, I was very surprised at this read (I rarely read the synopsis). Right out of the gate I expected it to be as I had envisioned, not that there was anything wrong with that, but I LOVED how it became something else indeed. You could almost feel the jealousy coming from Ruth. Millie seemed so sweet and cute and pretty like Baby Jane was in Whatever happened to Baby Jane. Ok, she didn't end that way, but I like the analogy at the start. I admit that I didn't like the Millie character at first, but then when that pivot happens in the action, I liked her a lot. There were a few sub characters that I wasn't sure added anything to the plot, but they ended up adding a lot to the plot and they added an aspect that I thought was very unique.

I ended up giving this 5 stars because of the surprise factor. I also liked how things twisted around. It wasn't my typical WWII read, it was a bit more....and I liked that.

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Review: The Girl They Left Behind

The Girl They Left Behind by Roxanne Veletzos
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book started out fantastic! I was sucked right into the story with the hope of no release. Then I got some questions (some of which I never had answered) and thought that I didn't really like the book. I kept reading and fell madly in love with the last little bit. I was just a big ball of emotion by the end.

I hate to give away to much of the plot, but what happens is Natalia's parents have to go into hiding because they are Jewish and they cannot take their little girl. They leave her and she is adopted by a wealthy family. Then the tables turn and communism takes over and the family loses their wealth and standing. We will meet many character that weave in and out (very quickly at times) of the family's life. The family will experience many different situations in our quick journey with them, but the theme is there "FAMILY". Being together is what they all long for, what they all need to keep going no matter what happens to their social status or the diminishing amount of food on the table...none of that matters as long as they are together.

Natalia has no control over her life in any way at any time in this book. I am not sure I like that part, but I very much like how the book ended.

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Updated info on Nonresident Library cards

I have had a nonresident library card to the Free Library of Philadelphia for 3 years.  Last week I got an email that my card expires in 30 days and I need to renew if I didn't want an interruption to my service.  We have had a major lifestyle change in the last 6 months and paying for a library card seems impractical, but I felt it was necessary due to the number of books that I read and the titles at my disposal locally.  I have had 3 library cards for years and still can't get all the titles I want.  I will say I did not buy any books last year.  Most of that is due to the lifestyle change, but it still stands true.  I did figure up what I saved in using my library cards.

FLP (Free Library of Philly)--$350
Campbell County Public Library---$187
McCracken County Public Library (my local card)--$437

I came by the dollar amounts by looking the titles up on Amazon for the Kindle price if I read a Kindle book and ebook price if it was an epub. 

I feel that it is worth the money, but decided that maybe I should be more frugal so I set about trying to find a cheaper card or a card that offers even more titles. I first did a Google search and all of the information in blogs/articles was from the beginning of 2018 or before.  I needed updated info. So I began the search by looking up nonresident cards for big cities all around the USA.  I discovered that a few libraries will give you one but you must show up to get the card.  Not really what I had in mind.  A few of them had low fees but the catalog didn't include books I liked to read.  I read mostly historical fiction, books on Hollywood stars and Presidents/US history.  You may have a completely different taste selection so maybe check out the overdrive for other libraries.  The information below was obtained by visiting the library websites.


Cards you can get but need to show up in person:
Detroit Public Library
Portland Public Library
Sacramento Public Library (can get online now, but expires in 14 days without you coming into a branch with ID)
San Francisco Public Library
Los Angles Public Library
The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton Co
Lexington Public Library (for KY nonresidents)
Huntsville-Madison Co Public Library ($20 per year)
Carnegie Public Library-Pittsburgh
Willmington (Delaware) Public Library
Warren County-Kentucky (free)
Hawaii State Public Library (can renew for 5 years)

Nonresident cards available not for digital content (Physical content only):
Hennepin Co Public Library (Minneapolis)
Nashville Public Library

Not enough info on the website:
San Diego Public Library (they say it is $32 a year, but don't tell you how to get one)
Dallas Public Library ($250 for unlimited books per year but doesn't tell how to get it)
Columbus Public Library
Durham Co Public Library
Boise Public Library

No mention of a nonresident card:
Denver Public Library
Las Vegas Public Library
Salt Lake City Public Library
Memphis/Shelby Co Public Library
Indianapolis Public Library
Des Moines Public Library
Atlanta-Fulton Co Public Library
Seattle Public Library
Louisville Public Library (has one listed but only for certain KY counties $25 per year)

Not available if you don't live in that state:
Phoenix Public Library
St Louis Public Library
Chicago Public Library
Cleveland Public Library
District of Columbia Public Library
NYC Public Library

Places that offer a card and you can get it online:
Austin Public Library ($125 per year)
Houston Public Library ($40 per year) I wasn't pleased with Overdrive selections
Charlotte Public Library  ($45 per year--$35 for Senior Citizens)
Free Library of Philadelphia ($50 per year)
Brooklyn Public Library ($50 per year)
Orange County Public Library ($125 per year)

Illinois nonresident cards are all listed here and range in price. I have not investigated how to obtain the card because the fees were kind of high.

This one doesn't say who can't get a free digital one, but I have a digital-only card at the Campbell County KY.  It is a great card and like I said, it is free.

Review: The Age of Light

The Age of Light by Whitney Scharer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I only knew a little about Lee by reading a book on Picasso once. I then Googled her to see who she was. The photo in Hitler's tub was really cool. Once I started this book I was very invested in the novel. It was not a perfect read for me, but I found it good. I liked that Lee was a woman that was trying to break barriers, but then she regressed a little (while I can't say it was perfect) and didn't break the rest of the way through those barriers. I was hoping she didn't use Man Ray to define her. I can see that she did indeed do things that at that time women did not do and she did them well. I am very glad that I got to read this almost perfect book.





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Review: Macchiatos, Macarons, and Malice

Macchiatos, Macarons, and Malice by Harper Lin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I received a free ARC in exchange for my honest review and I am more than happy to give it to you. I thought this was a lot of fun. This time we will leave town and head to a resort a few hours away. We will meet characters that we want to slap across the face and some we want to give a hug to and of course there is a murder. Fran is going to give it her best to be romantic with Matt while trying to solve the murder.

You could read this as a stand-alone but why would you want to? Go back and read the other 8 books in this series, you will love them. As always this one is a quick relaxing read. Perfect for a few hours alone, or a chair on the beach...don't forget your glass of wine and macaron.

***Bonus*** macaron recipe in the back!!!!!

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Review: The It Girl and Me: A Novel of Clara Bow

The It Girl and Me: A Novel of Clara Bow by Laini Giles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was fun. It started out a little different than I expected it to, but when it ended....ZOWIE!!! I loved how the story wrapped up and then I saw it was based on a true person (Daisy DeVoe) and this really happened. I am not sure how much liberties the author took with the true story, but it the book read like a "it happened but it's hard to believe it did" tale. I very much enjoyed this, as I do the series. I am hoping so much that the author pulls off a Forgotten Actress story on Norma Shearer or Thelma Todd, or even Carole Landis.

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Review: The Forgotten Flapper: A Novel of Olive Thomas

The Forgotten Flapper: A Novel of Olive Thomas by Laini Giles
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh my word! I have waited forever to read a book on Olive Thomas. I have been intrigued by her since childhood. This was written as if Olive was telling us the story. Fiction that reads like nonfiction. Written in a style most celeb autobios are written in...."I make good choices but those around me don't." It was a perfect way to tell a story about a big celebrity that no one now knows because she died in 1920. She was a big star before talking pictures were a thing and married a Pickford. A Ziegfeld girl, the most beautiful woman alive...Olive was royalty at the beginning stages of Hollywood. Her death was horrible and it is featured in this book just as horribly as I have imagined it.

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Review: The Light Over London

The Light Over London by Julia Kelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book intrigued me. A modern-day lady finds a diary and searches to find out who wrote it and what happened to her. Our WWII heroine...falls for a man...joins the war effort and goes through things that no woman should go through.

I really enjoyed my time spent with Louise (WWII) and Cara. There is a lot of beautiful exchanges between lovers and diary entries.

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Review: The Dakota Winters: A Novel

The Dakota Winters: A Novel by Tom Barbash
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I stopped reading Dec 24, 2018, because I wasn't feeling the vibes of the book. The setting was nice, but I couldn't get into the characters. I plan on coming back at some point.

I did come back sooner than I thought. My friend had read this and really liked it. Since I trust her opinion I had to come back and see what I thought.

The Dakota has fascinated me since December 8, 1980. I have never forgotten seeing it for the first time and thinking what an interesting place that it must be. Over the years I have picked up any book that I see written on the famous/infamous structure. This one was a little different because it was the first told from a man's perspective.

This family was kind of screwed up (ok, whose family isn't? )...but they seemed like they were connected in some odd way. Everything seems to center around Dad's (Buddy) nervous breakdown. He is a famous interviewer that had his own tv show. Most of the book is how dad can get over this breakdown and get back on the air.

Along the way, we get to spend some time with the one and only John Lennon. We even get to take a trip with Lennon. On this trip, John will write a lot of the material that will become the Double Fantasy album. Some of the dialogue that Lennon says could really have come from his mouth. There is a neat reunion planned...a reunion that will make Buddy's career rebound and bring Lennon back out onto the top of the world with a dude named, Paul. It all ended on Dec 8, 1980. No reunion, Buddy's show will fail. Anton will have a breakdown. Everyone just falls apart.

It does end nicely. While not a book I will ever pick up again, I did enjoy the time spent within the walls of the Dakota. The cover was also very nicely done.


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Review: The Lost Girls of Paris

The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book took me on a roller coaster of emotions. I hated a character, then I loved them and then I wanted to hug them. While some of the book's text is reminiscent of other WWII stories I have read, this one was very unique in its circumstances. I found myself caught up in the middle of the same emotions that the characters were feeling. There is one part that I was TERRIFIED!! (you will see what I mean).

I thought it was worthy of my time and enjoyed the ending. It wasn't a perfect read for me, but very good.

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Review: Dear Evan Hansen

Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have been kind of obsessed about DEH for about a year now. I think the play and soundtrack are brilliant. Once I heard there was a book I just had to read it. I think I liked it even more. You don't have the music (being a musical nut, I thoroughly enjoy that part), but you have a GREAT story.

Without giving much away...Evan is kind of a mystery to his mom, friends, and the kids at school He has an absent father, a mom that has a job but goes to school and a therapist that makes him write letters to himself.
The death of a classmate changes Evan's whole world. He gets caught up in something he can't handle because he doesn't know how, and he has to face the facts of things that have happened in his own life.

It is a very quick read because the play itself is only about 2 hours.



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Review: The Parisians

The Parisians by Marius Gabriel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway and I was thrilled because I had wanted to read this one!!

There is a lot going on in The Ritz hotel during WWII. For most of the book, the Nazis have taken over the hotel, leaving the regular residents either out of a home or in different quarters. It was odd to see a side of a famous designer, Coco Chanel that I had never seen. We also see a middle-aged actress, Arletty and her lovers. We see a chambermaid, Olivia, find love and risk everything for something she truly believes in. I hate to give away the plot because I am a person that hates spoilers, but I will tell you that some of the things are shocking!! The way the Germans could treat people will forever shock me no matter how many WWII books I read.

I enjoyed this book. My only issue with it is that it kept me up too late because I did not want to put it down.

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Review: The Only Woman in the Room: A Novel

The Only Woman in the Room: A Novel by Marie Benedict
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hedy has always fascinated me. Toted by the film studios as "the most beautiful woman in the world". Just look at her in Ziegfield Girl and you have to believe that statement is true. Then when I started studying old movies I discovered she was very smart too. NO FAIR! Brains and Beauty.

This story will show you both of the brains and beauty. We see Hedy trying to first please her family and then we see her try to save their lives and then she works on the lives of all Americans.

I knew she had been married many times, but never knew of the first one. I knew the first one came before she was a big star. This whole thing was very interesting and really may have gone down in the way depicted here.

This was a short read and you will get a nice story on The Most Beautiful Woman in the World.

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I am looking forward to the release of these books (in 2019)

This is a list of books on my TBR reading list. All of these will be released in 2019.  I am not sure if I will finish all of them, but I am going to give it my best shot.  I will add the synopsis after I read the book because I don't usually read them until after I have read the book. I am one of those that doesn't like movie trailers too.

The Gown by Jennifer Robson (released).  I have read this one it is magical.  Set in the embroidery shop that did Princess Elizabeth's (now Queen Elizabeth II) wedding gown.  A beautiful story.



















The Light Over London by Julia Kelly (this one has been released)

Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly (April)














The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict (released-I just finished this one)  A tale of Hedy Lamar before she was a famous movie star, how she got started, her first terrible husband and how she changed our world by creating technology you and I use every day.











The Age of Light by Whitney Sharer (February)













The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner (March)

When We Left Cuba by Chantel Cleeton (April)

American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt by Stephanie Marie Thornton (March)

The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams (July) The Wicked Redhead is slated to come out in May but I have seen no cover. I read every single book Beatriz releases.

Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb (July)

Mistress of  the Ritz by Melanie Benjamin (May)

The Chelsea Girls by Fiona Davis (July)

The Beautiful Strangers by Camilla Di Maio (March)

Dear George, Dear Mary: A Novel of George Washington's First Love (February)

The Wartime Sister by Lynda Cohen Loigman (January)

Park Avenue Summer by Renee Rosen (April)

In Another Time by Jullian Cantor (March)

American Duchess: A Novel of Consuelo  Vanderbilt by Karen Harper(February)

The Paragon Hotel by Lyndsay Faye (released)

The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory (July)

Review: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondō
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had to jump on the bandwagon and see what this lady was all about. I will tell you that there are some things that I agree with and some I absolutely do not. The books thing really bothered me. I do indeed read my books more than once. I have many, many and that will never change. They make me very happy. The other thing I hated was the pocket change. I will not put it in my wallet. I like to save my change/dollars in a jar and then pay for tolls on Florida/Canada trips and once I paid for a trip with that pocket change.

I have done for many years folded my clothes vertically in a drawer and a shelf. In ROY G BIV order. It is easy to see, easy to get what I want and won't mess up. I have never taken this to the level of towels, and now I intend to do that.

I am inspired to get rid of some things. I like the idea of making my space much more peaceful.

what I need: I need her to teach me to organize a kitchen when you haven't a cupboard and a few storage spots.

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Review: The Girl on the Velvet Swing: Sex, Murder, and Madness at the Dawn of the Twentieth Century

The Girl on the Velvet Swing: Sex, Murder, and Madness at the Dawn of the Twentieth Century by Simon Baatz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was WILD!! It reads like fiction because some of the facts are so unbelievable. I had a slow spot in the middle but then the book got crazy again and crossed country lines. I did find myself asking, "is this really true?". Bizarre incidents that were all over the place....and remember while you are reading this book...it happened in like 1905ish!!!!!



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Review: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - The Original Screenplay

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - The Original Screenplay by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I thought the movie brilliant. I found the screenplay let me envision the actors reading the lines while I read the book.

JK does a wonderful job showing us the power of persuasion that Grindlewald has. He doesn't even have to do the deeds himself, he just gives a head movement and bam a curse is cast on an unsuspecting soul by another wizard. He was a great evil character. I found him a bit like a cult leader with no conscience.

Dumbeldore was extraordinary. It was nice that his character was like the original series, he had secrets, there is some agenda and made me question for a bit whether that agenda for good or evil?

Queenie is adorable!! If I could be any character in any of the books, I would choose her.

Newt is my favorite JK character after Snape. He is perfectly written, he has no ambition except to save the creatures and has a mad crush on Tina.

I am excited for #3.



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Review: The Library Book

The Library Book by Susan Orlean
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This review is written by someone who worked at her local public library. Loved every second of it and says it was one of the greatest jobs she ever had.

The book is all about solving a massive fire that took place in the Los Angeles Public Library in 1986. It is mingled with stories of what a day in the life of a librarian is like. These stories took place in Los Angles but could have easily happened right here in Paducah, Ky (or any other American town).

I love the library. I love all libraries and this book just deepened that love.

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Things to accomplish in 2019

I started out this post with talk about resolutions, but I am not a resolutions person so I deleted all of that and decided that I am more a goal person.  I do keep goals in my planner.  My planner is not one of those beautiful things. It is simply a planner with an elastic band. I write in my appointments, cool things, house cleaning checklists, glue in ticket stubs and write down the greatest thing of each day.  That is all.

Goals for 2019:
Mail more cards (letters) ---will this be hampered by the .05 increase in the cost of stamps
Learn to make a hardcover book
Go to Halifax
Stop eating candy (haven't had any yet in 2019)
Finish organizing my photos on my external hard drive
Read 100 books and review them

I am trying to stay on target to finish them, but looking for ways to hold myself accountable.  Habit trackers are NOT for me.

I am curious if you do goals/resolutions and how you stay on target to finish them.

Review: Sugar and Scandals

Sugar and Scandals by Harper Lin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It is no secret that I am a HUGE Harper Lin fan. I have read all of her books and love each and every one for different reasons.

This one is full of old classmates, cougars (the women kind), strange acting ex-husbands, sweet boyfriends, 2 teenage kids and of course cupcake recipes (have you tried the recipes? Well, you should).

This book could easily have been read in 1 or 2 nights but I was reading another book while reading this one so and with the New Year holiday, I got a tad distracted with life.

Things I love:
Lila and Amelia's friendship
Amelia and Dan together
recipes

Things I love to hate:
The ex-John
The new Mrs. -Jennifer

I think you could read this as a standalone and still have a good time, but why would you not want to read all the others in this series?


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Review: The Gown: A Novel of the Royal Wedding

The Gown: A Novel of the Royal Wedding by Jennifer Robson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am not even sure how to start this review. I am still a little bit of in the "oh I can't believe that is over phase."

From the first chapter, I was sucked into the story that takes you through a period in time of the lives of three woman. Ann and Miriam are in a post-war England. Struggling to make peace with who they are and how to survive in this new world. Heather is in modern-day and she too struggles with her job and a secret in the past.

They all meet men who will change the course of their lives in some unexpected ways.

This is a beautiful novel. England is not very pretty during much of the time we are visiting. It suffers from The Blitz and England is still suffering the effects of the war, but we don't dwell on hardships, we see a beautiful friendship and a country very excited about a royal wedding. I loved that Jennifer spun a story where we could imagine what the workroom looked like, I could even envision the embroidery as she was describing it in every detail. I could see war-torn London and I could feel the pain the girls experienced as they try to rebuild for the future.

Warning: I could not put this book down once I started...so you may need to plan accordingly.



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