Reading
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Special Feature: Dog Friendly by Victoria Schade
I have been a huge fan of Victoria Schade over the years! I love the adorable dogs on the covers of her books plus, the stories feature strong women who are maybe struggling with something in their personal or professional lives (hello this could be ANY of us ladies!) and then she throws in a touch of romance and cute dogs and I just can’t say no to one of her books! This book is no different! I am reading it a little later this summer and I cannot wait to meet more cute dogs plus a hunky surfer if the summary is to be trusted! Schade’s books are just…
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Review: The Beach Trap by Ali Brady
I love beach reads season! I love the carefree, relaxed, fluffy appraoch to beach reading every year and as the summer approaches I usually have a list of books that I can’t wait to read on vacation over the summer. This book was right up there for me. It sounded like a blend of The Parent Trap and an HGTV show that I could absolutely get behind. Plus a friend of mine recently went to Destin, Florida and the photos looked amazing so I could completely visualize what this beach house might look like! But as I got into this one I found that it was NOT in fact a…
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Special Feature: A Thousand Miles by Bridget Morrissey
There is nothing quite like a road trip in the summer is there? I love driving and seeing different places but with gas prices the way they are this summer, I will probably be staying mostly close to home. Which leave me feeling a little sad since every summer my family and I try to road trip somewhere either in Oregon or in the immediate vicinity. There are plenty of road trip destinations in Oregon but the gas prices are breaking the bank here! So where does that leave me? Longing for a road trip of some kind—-enter this book! I thought this sounded like the perfect book to read…
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Review: Jobs for Girls with Artistic Flair by June Gervais
This book appealed to me for one big reason—the main character wanted to be a tattoo artist! I loved that plot point and I was eager to read it simply for that! I have two full tattoo sleeves and tattoo culture has changed SO MUCH since I got my first tattoo. When I was 18 (1999 ish) I was sure no one would hire me with a visible tattoo so I got a tiny one on my shoulder, flash forward 20 years and here I am with a professional job and full sleeve tattoos and PLENTY of other visible ones too. I love tattoos and the tattoo culture and I…
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Special Feature: The People’s Princess by Flora Harding
I can vividly remember where I was when I found out Princess Diana had died. It was such a memorable event and one that captivated me as the events and details of her life unfolded. I was in my late teens when she died and I didn’t really know much about her personal life but in the months after her death, I found my self more and more fascinated with her life and history. Now that I am an adult I still am fascinated by the royal family and I love books that explore the royals. When I saw this book was coming out I jumped at the chance to…
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Special Feature: Local Gone Missing by Fiona Barton
Fiona Barton is a fairly well known thriller/mystery writer. She is probably most known for her Kate Waters series which has been on the New York Times Best Seller List. With this latest book, she steps away from her well known protagonist and creates a standalone book begging to make it’s way into your beach bag this year! I know some people like reading romance or ‘beach reads’ while on vacation but I gotta say there is something about a thriller that scream beach read for me! I haven’t read anything by Barton before so I am eager to check this one out. I love books about missing people and…
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Review: A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari
This book has me written all over it! The cover, the title, the summary! I couldn’t wait to check this one out and start reading it! I loved that it was set in post WWI England, though to be honest I missed in the summery that it was set in 1923 when I read it. I spent the first 10-20 pages of the book trying to figure out of it was the Victorian era or post WWI! At any rate, the setting was great and it had a very ‘adventurer,. explorer, intellectual’ vibe from the very first page and I was eager to see how the story panned out. If…
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Review: The Night Shift by Alex Finlay
I had this book sitting on my TBR shelf forever. While I was on vacation I knew I wanted to read a fast paced thriller/murder mystery but I didn’t really have any idea what I wanted to read or what might fit the bill. But this one kept coming up on my recommended lists in Goodreads and on Audible. Finally I gave in and picked it up on the plane ride down to Salt Lake City. This book was an absolute perfect fit for me. It was fast paced with short chapters that advanced the plot nicely. I loved the characters and the mystery so overall it was a solid…
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Special Feature: Out of the Clear Blue Sky by Kristan Higgins
You all should know by now that I am a sucker for book covers with adorable dogs on them! And this book—-that sweet dog lounging on the beach living his best life just GOT ME! I am definitely taking this one on my trip to Cabo this summer but since today is the release day I just couldn’t resist sharing this book with you guys! I mean don’t we all need more cute pets in our lives?? I know I do! But beyond the adorable dog on the cover lies a story that promises to satisfy your beach read craving! Author Kristan Higgins has penned over 20 books and many…
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Special Feature: The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan
It’s funny how war changes so much about society in unexpected ways. I loved that this book really wanted to tell the story of how war changed life for these three very different war brides. Sewing really used to be such a bonding experience for women not to mention a point of pride. I can remember my my grandma telling me about sewing with her friends and sisters and the pride she took in the fact that she sewed her own wedding dress (in the 1930s!). In the age of everything including wedding dresses being at the tip of our fingers, it’s pretty amazing to think about women sitting around…