Fable

Fable by Adrienne Young
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ummm - this is not my genre, but the book was getting a lot of hype, so I decided to give it a whirl. A fictional world and piracy set on the shoulders of a teenage girl (great cover art of her by the way) and her family drama has potential. It just didn't get off the ground for me. There wasn't enough emotional resonance and not enough rise and fall in the action to care. And by the time I did want to know where it was going, it just stopped. I don't mind a series set up, but come on-- no resolution at all for this first book. I'd give it two stars, except that I think this has more to do with my personal preferences and not loving the audiobook narrator than the book itself. I know past students of mine would love it. So I'd probably say don't read it unless you have a strong leaning towards young adult fantasy novels.

As ever though, happy reading--

One Day in December...Round Two

One Day in December by Josie Silver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

November 2020
I love reading books that fit the season, and as I already have my Christmas tree up in November, "One Day in December" was a perfect choice. Love, tinsel, and England You can't go wrong.

Happy reading--

Welcome Home

Welcome Home: A Cozy Minimalist Guide to Decorating and Hosting All Year Round by Myquillyn Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I fell in love with Myquillyn Smith when I was gifted with The Nesting Place years ago. It was a perfect discussion on how to make a rented space a home. Welcome Home isn't quite as magical, but I loved her ideas for making your home feel seasonal and warm without buying a bunch of extra things. I love decorating for the holidays and seasons, but sometimes the decor feels inauthentic. This isn't critical to life, but it feels important for me, my little family, and those who I welcome into my home.

A few years ago, some good friends of mine were relocating from California to Colorado. I think all of us who had enjoyed their hospitality for many years were a little bereft thinking about how the glue of group was leaving. The parting advice at their going away party from these great people was to just do it - to just invite people. To not worry about the food and whether you had a clean house, but to just welcome friends and family into your home as often as you could. I think about that advice often. Smith's hosting advice is a perfect compliment and set up to feeling comfortable having people over without much thought or planning. And man alive - when this pandemic is over, I want to have people over all the time. I really, really can't wait.

Happy reading and happy hosting--

The Guest List

The Guest List by Lucy Foley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Guest List is like if The Great Gatsby's murders took place during one of Gatsby's parties. You don't love the characters, but you're intrigued by them the way you're intrigued by a car wreck. Like I've said before Foley is like Agatha Christie meets reality television - which means Foley's books are just as clever, but more salacious and dramatic.

I didn't love this one, but I was still hooked. The Hunting Party is better, but the way the characters' lives and motivations intersected all the way to the final pages was great.

Happy reading--

ps. I love how Foley takes innocuous phrases for her titles and makes them mean something completely different. 

The Home Edit Life

The Home Edit Life: The Complete Guide to Organizing Absolutely Everything at Work, at Home, and on the Go by Clea Shearer
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The only excuse I can give for reading this was that I was so damn stressed watching election coverage that I had to read something light and borderline mindless. These women are fun, but I don't aspire to be more like them....the book was available and I was trying to calm my nerves. Who knew that day two of election coverage was nowhere near the end?

Happy organized living and happy reading--

ps. Can we just acknowledge how batty the rainbow organization strategy is? It does not make sense in 95% of situations. 

The Home Edit

The Home Edit: A Guide to Organizing and Realizing Your House Goals by Clea Shearer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

For the record I bought this book way before The Home Edit was on most people's radar...I just didn't read it. The book caught my eye a few times while I was shopping at The Container Store, and eventually I just couldn't resist. I love organizing and sorting things. I've considered that as a profession because taking an unorganized space and finding order calms me down in a way few things do, but the book was just okay. Honestly, if I'd watched the show first, I probably wouldn't have bought the book. Their ideas aren't earth-shattering and some of them are pretty unrealistic. I'm not sorry to have some visuals to try and sort out some hard-to-figure-out spots in my house, but there are better home organization books out there. They're just not as pretty.

All that said, this book was a good fit for a distraction from the insanity of tiny humans and the news - hence the three stars, instead of two.

Happy reading and happy organizing--

Magic Lessons

Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don't know how I have slowly worked my way through the Practical Magic books because I rarely seek them out intentionally. I just pop Alice Hoffman books in my library queue, and this time it landed me in Salem during the 1600s with Maria Owens. It was a happy surprise for an October read and for a person who loves Miller's play, The Crucible. Hoffman weaves details included in her other books as backstory into a full blown novel while also weaving in details from Salem's witch trials. Most incredibly she includes Judge Hathorne, who infamous both in history in and fiction. While I didn't love the book, it was really good writing and a very captivating story. It made me wish I was still teaching The Crucible. There would have been great tie-in pieces.

Happy reading and happy magical living--

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