Nonfiction

The Story of the Great British Bake Off by Anita Singh

A Celebration of a National Obsession Before heading over to London to visit my sister in June, I figured I should brush up on what is currently topping British popularity charts - that meant, Bake Off! I downloaded a whole season on Netflix for my overnight flight across the pond and wound up watching all… Continue reading The Story of the Great British Bake Off by Anita Singh

Biography, Book Club, Memoir/Autobiography, Nonfiction

Jell-O Girls by Allie Rowbottom

A Family History I've been half-heartedly participating in a book club that used to be mine and has now migrated into someone else's, but I've still had a foot in the door. When a fellow member picked Jell-O Girls for today's discussion, I was thrilled to finally read nonfiction AND get to talk about it. Downside, my opinion and… Continue reading Jell-O Girls by Allie Rowbottom

Memoir/Autobiography, Nonfiction

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly Oddly enough, Kitchen Confidential was not the first Bourdain I read, but the last, despite it being the entire reason that the world knows his name. I put it off, thinking that they way it was described was not in line with the Tony I had come to know and respect through… Continue reading Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

Essays, Memoir/Autobiography, Nonfiction

I Need a Lifeguard Everywhere but the Pool by Lisa Scottoline & Francesca Serritella

Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman #8 This year will be the third year the bookstore I work at will host mother-daughter writing duo Lisa & Francesca. For the last two years, I've pretended that I've read their essay collections... This year I figured I better have some truth to back up those words. Synopsis… Continue reading I Need a Lifeguard Everywhere but the Pool by Lisa Scottoline & Francesca Serritella

Book Club, Memoir/Autobiography, Nonfiction

Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

A Mostly True Memoir It is not often that I get the idea in my head that I absolutely must read a book at a particular time, but I decided this year before Christmas that I absolutely had to read Furiously Happy. My coworker, Jennifer, who loves Jenny Lawson, said "No, no. You have to… Continue reading Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

Contemporary, Fantasy, Fiction

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

I'm a sucker for a book with a starry night on the cover. And when I read the synopsis of The Girl Who Chased the Moon, I was drawn in. It sounded sweet and enjoyable, the perfect read for a rainy fall day. Synopsis Emily Benedict has come to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at… Continue reading The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

Book Club, Fiction, Historical

Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown

A former co-worker first recommended Cinnamon and Gunpowder to me when I told her of my love of pirate tales. It then became a book that sat on my shelf for far too long until I decided it should be a book selection for my book club, the Modern Readers! This is the original graphic used to… Continue reading Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown

Fantasy, Fiction, Retelling

The Fairest of Them All by Carolyn Turgeon

I love fairy tale retellings, they are one of my favorite subgenres of fantasy and like Beauty, and other works by Carolyn Turgeon, the combination of fairytales promised in The Fairest of Them All pulled me in. Synopsis In an enchanted forest, the maiden Rapunzel's beautiful voice captivates a young prince hunting nearby. Overcome, he climbs her… Continue reading The Fairest of Them All by Carolyn Turgeon

Essays, Memoir/Autobiography, Nonfiction

Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain

A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook Seven years ago I made a remarkable discovery - Anthony Bourdain. I was, by America's standards, ten years late to the Bourdain party, but at least I got there eventually. I have now obsessively watched just about every episode of No Reservations, The Layover,… Continue reading Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain