April Reads: Lots of Magic and Make Believe

 April definitely was the month for me to read books that had an element of the mystical. Whether it was a young woman working to keep her witchy gifts, or a cozy mystery involving a tea house, I found comfort in the magical. I suspect I'll keep reading magical novels all throughout the summer!

It is May 1st (!) and I'm working through the half-begun books that are littering my living room. Vacation is coming up in another week or so, and I've begun thinking about what to take with me to read. I cannot wait to sit on my plane, open a book, and relax!

Here's what I read in April:

Love Sarah Jio. This novel asks the question: how different could my life be if I made other choices? 

A historical novel set in the late 1960's in Ireland, where contraception is illegal and women have no financial rights. Fascinating read!

A cozy fantasy about a young woman who has 30 days to reclaim her magical abilities or lose them forever. 

A cozy mystery set in small town Georgia, centered at a beloved bookstore. 

Second in a series about a family of women, their magical abilities, and the special flower farm in Mexico they call home. 

First in a cozy mystery series set on the coast of California. A young woman inherits a mystical tea shop, but someone wants her gone. What are her ties to the shop? 

As I said, a month of cozy reads. May is shaping up to be a very busy month, but I'll find the time to dive into some of the newer books I've bought, as well as what's waiting on my shelves at home. 

Enjoy the warmer weather, and happy reading!

The Bookalicious Babe

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

April Reads: Lots of Magic and Make Believe

It's December!! Holiday Reads are in the House Wahoo!

Reading holiday novels in December has become an annual tradition for me and something that I look forward to every year. I usually accumulate a few in November and have to sit on my hands to keep myself from not starting them before Thanksgiving. I managed to only read one ahead of December, so I consider that a big win for me. 

Here's what I'll be reading to get myself into the holiday mood:

I haven't read any of this series, and I'm not starting with the first one, but I don't care! Love me some Jenny Colgan. 

A sweet little non-fiction book about achieving comfort at home, American hygge style. 

I'm returning to Charleston again for a ghostly tale in my favorite series. 

Saw this at the bookstore and it was an impulse buy. Don't know much about it! 

 I have a love/hate relationship with Anita Hughes. Her novels are so outside of my reality, but I can't seem to stay away. 

Returning to Ireland for Christmas. Love this series. 

Christmas and romance go together, and I can't resist it. 

I'll probably be reading more than these, too. I'd like to try some cozy mysteries with a holiday theme. My Christmas tree is up and decorated, I'm working on the rest of the house (forcing myself to keep it simple!), and I'm ready to be on the couch with a cup of tea (I love tea AND coffee), a blanket, and some mint chocolate Hershey's kisses. Bring on the holidays!

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

It's December!! Holiday Reads are in the House Wahoo!

Summer at the Garden Cafe by Felicity Hayes-McCoy

Well, I finally finished a book this month! It's taken me a ridiculously long few weeks to complete a novel. Part of my problem is that I am reading four at once and making slow progress in each one of them. I started NaNoWriMo, and after a few weeks, I've had to throw in the towel. Just not feeling inspired enough to get past my 5100 words. I'd much rather read! 

Summer at the Garden Cafe snuck by me and I saw it by chance while picking up the next book in this delightful series, The Mistletoe Matchmaker.  So I had to buy it before I could read MM for December. I reviewed the first in the series, The Library at the Edge of the World  in 2017. Set in a small town in Ireland, I loved it and looking back at my review, I couldn't wait to read more. Well, it fell off my radar until I happened to see the holiday novel sitting on a table in my local bookstore. I'm happy to say Summer at the Garden Cafe had me settling back into the small town of Lissbeg and getting familiar with Hanna Casey, her daughter Jazz, and the many folks who make the town of Lissbeg come to life. Everyone's stories continue, after the library sees some exciting growth, and Hanna has settled into her cottage. She finds an old journal, buried near her cottage, written by her great aunt Maggie. Written in 1920, it hints at secrets and troubles that led Maggie to leave her beloved Mother and travel to London. Maggie does finally return, decades later, to settle back into the family cottage, but she is a changed person. Hanna, who inherited the cottage from Maggie, is intrigued by the journal, and it makes her wonder about her family dynamics, and how the woman she knew as Aunt Maggie became such a curmudgeon in her final years. 

Meanwhile, Jazz is working through some anger issues with her father, and figuring out just what she wants to do with her life. Conor, a young farmer from the first novel who works part-time at the library, is deeply involved with a local young woman and contemplating marriage. But oh gosh, they have some bumps in the road! 

I don't want to give too much away, because you do need to read the first in the series to understand the second. It's definitely not one to pick up and read on its own. It took me a good chunk of the novel to remember what had gone on in the first novel, but once I did figure it all out, I was sucked in all the way to the last page. I can't wait to read The Mistletoe Matchmaker in a few weeks.

If you are looking for a Debbie Macomber-type novel, or something that takes you away from home and whisks you to the beautiful hills of Ireland, oh, this is the series for you. The people who populate Lissbeg and the surrounding areas are just solid, down to earth folks, but so enjoyable to read about. Characters evolve at a nice pace, and it will all leave you with a thirst for a cup of tea and a cozy cottage. Yes, there is romance, but it's not overdone at all, and it is actually pretty realistic, too, as Hanna and Brian navigate how to begin a relationship after some bad luck at love. 

This novel was exactly what I needed these first few weeks of November. The three would make a lovely present for someone in your life--or you! 

Rating:  4/6 for a smooth continuation of a series that doesn't fall flat. Life continues at a steady pace in Lissbeg, and characters make some bold choices in their journey to happiness. 

Available in paperback, ebook, and audio.

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

Summer at the Garden Cafe by Felicity Hayes-McCoy

What's Your Dream Home Library?

Every book lover has thought a time or two (or, in my case, hundreds of times) about having an at home library.  Most of us will never have the space for a library; I'd have to live on an English estate to have my perfect library.  My tiny house has just enough room for 3 bookcases and plenty of shelving in my bedroom.  It's pretty fantastic to fall asleep with books all round me.  So far I haven't had any fall on my head.  Although I may have just jinxed myself.  

I've been challenged by Arhaus to write a blog on my dream library.  So, if money was no object, and I could have whatever I wanted...this is what I'd like:

A bar is a must!

This would be my library on the grounds of my estate

Dream library

Tree of Life pillow from Arhaus

A lovely rug for my library from Arhaus

A couple of these Baldwin chairs from Arhaus

I'd have to have some great wall art mixed with the books! Blue Haze from Arhaus

So as you can see, I'd like something cozy, yet light; toss in a couple hundred books and I'd be a happy camper!  Check out more home goods and living room furniture at Arhaus to help you build your dream library (or home!).

Lots of bookcases, of course!  Arhaus Athens 

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

What's Your Dream Home Library?

Blast from the Past: Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher

I have a friend who has been a fan of Rosamunde Pilcher for years, and of course I never read her until this past month.  It speaks to the popularity of her books  that I checked out the hardcover of Winter Solstice from my local library:  yellow pages, repaired spine, and ragged cover a testament to just how many times people have read this particular edition.  And I wasn't disappointed.  

Elfrida Phipps is a retired actress who lives in a quiet village (Dibton) in England with her dog Horace.  A small cottage, good friends Oscar and Gloria, and a simple life suit her just fine.  An extended visit to her cousin in Cornwall is a welcome change of scenery and a way to connect to family she hasn't seen in awhile.  Coming back to Dibton she finds out a terribly sad event has taken place, and rushes to Oscar's side to provide companionship and comfort.  Oscar asks Elfrida if she will travel to Scotland with him to get away from Dibton and stay at a home he owns with a distant cousin.  She readily agrees, and off they go to Scotland in the weeks leading up to Christmas.  

Corrydale cottage in Scotland is a welcome respite from painful memories for Oscar.  Hoping for a quiet and uneventful Christmas, Elfrida and Oscar find themselves suddenly welcoming Elfrida's relative Carrie, as well as Carrie's young niece Lucy for the holidays.  What could potentially be a painful time for Oscar is actually a balm to his soul, and soon the small group are bonding over tea and cozy chats.  A knock at the door one day welcomes another lost soul into their midst, and life takes a sudden curve that will surprise them all.  

If you want a cozy, truly British read, this is the one for you. It is pure comfort, blissful reading, and a treat to read.  It took me a bit before the story kicked in, so be patient.  It also could be my fault for taking weeks to read this novel.  I have no excuse except it was Christmas and lots of stuff was going on in my life. I plan on reading more Rosamunde Pilcher in the future.  She retired from writing years ago, but luckily left a good amount of books for people to enjoy.  I read a review on Goodreads that calls this genre the "Aga-Saga" and I had to laugh while I nodded my head in agreement.  There's something particularly comforting in a novel that mentions an Aga gently warming the kitchen, a pot of tea or a sip of sherry, and a cottage.  Toss in a lovely English garden and I'm sold.  

Rating:  7/10
Available in paperback, e-book, and audio. 

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

Blast from the Past: Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher