At Home Is it Friday already? Well, I'm not sure where, exactly, the week has gone, but I'm glad it's a three day weekend. Even if I'm up to my knees preparing for the summer and our vacation. I did so much laundry this week to wash a ton of new clothes we've gotten for … Continue reading The Lily Cafe Weekly Highlights – May 26, 2023
Title: Spells for Forgetting Author: Adrienne Young Publisher: Delacorte Publication Date: September 27, 2022 Genre: Magical Realism, Mystery, Romance Emery Blackwood’s life changed forever the night her best friend was found dead and the love of her life, August Salt, was accused of murdering her. Years later, she is doing what her teenage self swore … Continue reading Book Highlight: Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young
At Home This past week has actually been quite uninteresting. We're starting to get ready for summer vacation and our first family vacation ever in July, so lots of prep work (mostly buying clothes) has been going on. My son isn't really interested in buying clothes, but my daughter is in rainbow unicorn heaven. Her … Continue reading The Lily Cafe Weekly Highlights – May 19, 2023
Title: In the Shadow Garden Author: Liz Parker Publisher: Forever Publication Date: September 13, 2022 Genre: Magical Realism, Mystery, Romance There’s something magical about Yarrow, Kentucky. The three empathic witches of the Haywood family are known for their shadow garden—from strawberries that taste like chocolate to cherry tomatoes imbued with the flavors of basil and … Continue reading Book Highlight: In the Shadow Garden by Liz Parker
Title: The Savage Garden Author: Mark Mills Publisher: Berkley Publication Date: May 6, 2008 Genre: Mystery & Thriller Young Cambridge scholar Adam Banting is in Tuscany, assigned to write a scholarly monograph about the famous Docci garden—a mysterious world of statues, grottoes, meandering rills, and classical inscriptions. As his research deepens, Adam comes to suspect … Continue reading Book Highlight: The Savage Garden by Mark Mills
It's only May and I've already found what this year is all about. And it's all thanks to books! Seriously, could it have been any other way? I've been a book lover since before I could read (according to my mom. I have no memory of "reading" to myself at a year old), so it … Continue reading That’s It, This Year Is All About Reclaiming My Childhood
At Home Where the last couple of weeks were full of errands and other not fun things (with a few fun things mixed in, of course), this past week has kind of felt like a massive social call. We spent Saturday at Disneyland with another family, which could have gone horribly wrong, but ended up … Continue reading The Lily Cafe Weekly Highlights – May 12, 2023
Title: Resembling Lepus Author: Amanda Kool Publisher: Grey Matter Press Publication Date: April 26, 2022 Genre: Science Fiction, Mystery Earth’s sixth mass extinction has ended, and in its wake a post-dystopian civilization has struggled to rebuild after a global cataclysm shattered its ecosystems and propelled all life to the brink of eradication. In a world … Continue reading Book Highlight: Resembling Lepus by Amanda Kool
This year I'm working to be more personal and honest in my opinions about the books I read. I've spent my entire time reviewing books here trying my hardest to balance the good and the bad and offer a similarly balanced rating no matter my personal feelings about the book. Last year I finally decided … Continue reading Love, Like, and Not For Me Challenge: March and April 2023
Title: Play the Fool Author: Lina Chern Publisher: Bantam Publication date: March 28, 2023 Genre: Mystery One Sentence Summary: When Katie unexpectedly learns her friend has been murdered, she willingly jumps into danger to solve her murder, in spite of being a complete disaster of a person. Overall Play the Fool is a fun murder mystery … Continue reading Book Review: Play the Fool by Lina Chern
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