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Thanks to Edelweiss and Candlewick Press/Holiday House/Peachtree for a sneak peek at Baked with Love, which won't be released until Jan. 5, 2027. But you can pre-order. This hardcover picture book ($19.99) is recommended for ages 5 to 8/grades K to 3. More about Baked with Love: How Food Allergies Led to the Invention of Baking Powder Elizabeth Bird is allergic to cake. In truth, she’s allergic to yeast and eggs, and there is no cake without yeast or eggs in 1843 Victorian En

So, I did something crazy. I read Finlay Donovan is Killing It and I liked it. I said I would read the next one but somehow, I never got around to it. My TBR list is SO LONG. Then a few years later I spotted the fourth book in the series and clicked it into my cart. I know what you're thinking, [GASP] You skipped two books? What kind of monster reads a series out of order? Then it sat on my shelf forever (a year). But I finally got around to reading it. More About Finlay Dono

Initially, I wasn't going to review Deadly Gold Rush, the second book in the Indie Retirement Mystery Series. I did have fun interviewing author Landis Wade HERE. But Partners in Crime Book Tours gave me a link and once I started reading I just couldn't stop. So take a peek at my review and don't miss out on the last days to enter the giveaway. More about Deadly Gold Rush Murder, mayhem, and the Carolina gold rush: welcome back to the Indie, where retirement is anything but q

In case you don't know (I didn't), this retelling of the Little Women story is in modern times. Yes, I did zero research. I saw Little Women and murder (two of my favorite things) and knew I must have Beth Is Dead. So I was surprised but pleasantly. Read more thoughts abut the book below. More about Beth Is Dead When Beth March is found dead in the woods on New Year’s Day, her sisters vow to uncover her murderer. Suspects abound. There’s the neighbor who has feelings for not

More about Mother Tongue: A Memoir of Taiwan “Standing by the window, I tried to understand what happened to me to take such an unfathomable leap… What I hadn’t realized was that first, my one and only assignment would be to learn the language.” In 1984, when Linda Petrucelli arrives in Taiwan with her husband Gary Hoff, she assumes she will learn Mandarin Chinese. Instead, her local church partner, the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, assigns her to learn Taiwanese, an eight-t

I'm thrilled to be welcoming back author Katharine Schellman. Last time, I got to interview her and review A Scandal in Mayfair, the latest book in her Lily Adler series. This time she back with her other historical mystery series The Nightingale Mysteries and celebrating the release of Last Dance Before Dawn in paperback! More about Last Dance at Dawn Vivian Kelly has finally created a home and a family at the glamorous speakeasy known as The Nightingale, where no one cares

Thanks to WOW Women on Writing blog tours for the copy of The Birth of a Widow. Stop by the launch for an author's interview and book giveaway HERE. I'm responding to the tour's prompt to write about an unexpected part of grief you experienced. Scroll down for more about the book, a review and giveaway. The Surprises of Grief We all think we know the feelings of grief. Sadness. Regret for things we said or did (or didn't say or do). The fondness of memories. The overwhelming

The Limerent series by L.S. Delorme is interesting as each book has a paranormal element but they also lean into another genre - romance, legal thriller, historical fiction. Today, I'm featuring a review of the last of the three stand alone titles that can be read in any order: Fanning Fireflies. I'm excited because this means that up next is Ghost Academy - the book where many of the characters from the first three books meet. Check out my past reviews of Bright Midnights an

I may have to officially declare the Summer of 2026 as the year of British thriller authors. Between Ruth Ware (check her out HERE) and Lisa Jewell I'm beside myself trying to decide which book to read next. So many to choose from! More about Then She Was Gone THEN She was fifteen, her mother's golden girl. She had her whole life ahead of her. And then, in the blink of an eye, Ellie was gone. NOW It’s been ten years since Ellie disappeared, but Laurel has never given up hope

Well, this is a twist. Usually I read a book, love it and discover that this author wrote tons of books before this one. Because I'm perpetually late to the party! I'm still late to the party but this time I actually read Ruth Ware 's first book (first for adults, at least) and discovered she has nine other thrillers I can read. Nine! I'm so excited! But first, more about her debut thriller In a Dark Dark Wood . More about In a Dark Dark Wood Nora hasn’t seen Clare for ten ye

I took a peek at my local library's used book sale. Logically, I don't NEED any more books - my TBR pile is perilously high - but I don't NOT NEED more books (gotta love double negatives!). So I came home with Orphan Train , a historical novel released in 2013, but if you like it (and I predict that you will), author Christina Baker Kline has plenty of other novels for you to enjoy. Including one being released today: The Foursome , the reimagining of an astonishing true sto

Thanks to WOW Blog Tours for giving me the opportunity to try something I don't often read - poetry. You can read some reviews from readers who probably know a lot more about poetry, as well an author interview HERE. You can also enter to win a copy of Water in Every Room. More About Water in Every Room Water in Every Room embodies the fluctuations of emotion and form in new motherhood. Ferocious and tender, tending and transformed, mother embraces both her child and the dual

I've always been a bit grumpy about Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir Eat, Pray, Love because she sold the idea and used an advance to fund the experiences the book is based on instead of having amazing experiences and then writing a memoir about it. So I was happy to find a truly authentic travel memoir. Tracy Smith began traveling for many reasons, discovered many things along the route about herself and then wrote a memoir every woman will identify with in some way. More about Th

Now I have to add Mansfield Park to my TBR list! I've seen a movie of this Jane Austen book and may have read it years ago but now it's on my re-read list since Mansfield Park and This Motherless Land run along parallel paths. More about This Motherless Land From the acclaimed author of Wahala , a stunning reimagining of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park: Split between England and Nigeria, two extraordinary cousins are set on vastly different paths as they come to terms with thei

I interviewed author Sheila Sharpe last week and got a peek behind the scenes of Artist, Lover, Forger, Thief . You can check it out HERE . More about Artist, Lover, Forger, Thief Artist, Lover, Forger, Thief is a riveting, wildly entertaining, complex, and adrenaline-fueled art crime novel that is as intriguing as it is satisfying. Nick McCoy wants out of the art forgery business but not until he exacts revenge on the man who murdered his family years ago. Kate O'Dade, Mc

Author Teresa Peschel's bio mentions that she lives in the Sweetest Place On Earth. I know where that is! Do you? Tell us where the Sweetest Place on Earth is in the comments section. More about Agatha Christie, She Watched: One Woman's Plot to Watch 201 Christie Adaptations Without Murdering the Director, Screenwriter, Cast, or Her Husband Care to match wits with Hercule Poirot? Share tea and gossip with Miss Marple? Chase spies with Tommy and Tuppence? "Agatha Christie, She

Last week I had a guest post with author Elizabeth Crowens and today she's back with her latest mystery as well as my thoughts on the book. This book revolves around the filming of Casablanca with guest starring roles for a few other classic 40s movies. You can read last week's guest post about the work authors do AFTER writing and enter the giveaway HERE . More About Round Up the Usual Suspects Against the backdrop of WWII, no one expected to find a murdered stagehand on

Since I have a young friend who LOVES dragons I knew I had to check out Dibs the Dragon. I'm more familiar with the dragons of Cressida Cowell's series How to Train Your Dragon so I was pleasantly surprised by a more cuddly version of dragons in Dibs the Dragon . You can also read my post inspired by the book posted last week HERE . More about Dibs the Dragon and the Marshmallow Rescue How does a bubble-blowing dragon make his very first friend? In the magical land of Lickit

I couldn't resist the title Zigzag Girl. Learn more about the book today and more about what exactly "zigzag girl" means in the interview of author Ruth Knafo Setton in the interview on Thursday. Plus a giveaway! Now, back to the review. More About Zigzag Girl Zigzag Girl, by Ruth Knafo Setton, is a twisty contemporary mystery with a touch of magic, set in Atlantic City and the eerie New Jersey Pine Barrens. Lucy Moon, a brilliant young magician with a mysterious past, work

When the temperature is in the single digits and you're required to head out into the arctic tundra to shovel snow, it is lovely to be able to head back inside to hot chocolate and a book about flowers. Which was exactly the circumstances under which I read Modern Floriography . We're on the countdown to the release of this book, as well as the blooms poking their eager heads through the soil. So while we wait, more about Modern Floriography. More about Modern Floriography A