Recent Reads

In Your Dreams by Sarah Adams (2025) 

After barely passing culinary school in NYC, Madison is offered an opportunity to be the executive chef at her friend James' new restaurant on his farm.  While they plan the business together, the two start to realize they have deeper feelings for each other.  Ugh, ok, this might be a "me" thing - this book has pretty decent reviews on Goodreads, but I barely made it through, and the eye-rolling was incessant.  For an 11-hour audiobook, which is long for me to listen to, it felt like NOTHING was happening.  The whole story is premised on Madison helping open this restaurant, and they barely mentioned it.  And I am so tired of this trend of "weak" female main characters - they are messy, quirky, nothing ever goes right for them, they are constantly failing at something (either for real or just perceived), and just in general don't have their sh*t together.  Madison is 30 years old, yet she came across so naive and immature.  Listen, I have no problem with people changing careers, but Madison seemed flighty.  Maybe I missed something previously in this series, but I didn't understand her motivations for going to culinary school, and then for her to think she could be a head chef fresh out of the school she only passed because of extra credit?  What?  Her and James' interactions felt so cringey - for two people who have known each other so long, I wasn't feeling the chemistry.  And when the restaurant actually opens, everything goes to hell, but of course, within a few pages, everything works out perfectly.  More eye rolls.  2 stars

Extracurricular by Rachel Lynn Solomon (2026)

What happens when a world-famous pop star decides to quit her day job and go to college, only to find herself falling for her professor?  This spectacular book is what happens!  I have been so excited for this book since Solomon announced it, and I couldn't have been a more satisfied reader.  I loved Ramona's journey, making the difficult decision to leave her music career for awhile and finally do something for herself.  I loved Nick and his devotion to his family and his teaching.  And I loved them together!  They had scorching chemistry, but it was more than that - Nick believed in Ramona in a way no one had before, and she pushed him out of his post-divorce funk.  They were so good for each other and I was rooting for them to find a way for their circumstances to work.  No notes, just loved every minute of this!  5 stars

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Can't-Wait Wednesday: Broken Rival

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

Broken Rival

Tessa Bailey

Expected publication date: October 6, 2026

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey comes a gripping, heated romance about a girl trapped in a new reality, forced to make a choice between two brothers—one who is the high school golden boy, the other sworn to hunt down her kind—time travelers. This is Tessa Bailey as you’ve never seen her before.

Magnolia Brown loves Friday night football games, volunteering and dominating at high school swim meets. Just your average everyday eighteen-year-old. Except for one thing:

She’s from fifty years in the future.

Magnolia’s parents, two brilliant scientists, are the inventors of time travel, but due to widespread destruction and rampant abuse of the technology from a corrupt few, time travel is outlawed and punishable by death. When Magnolia’s parents are seized and executed for illegally traveling to the past, they leave Magnolia stranded in 2026 without a way to get home.

Now Magnolia has nowhere to turn but a complicated Kansas family with two sons—Fallon, her high school sweetheart with secrets of his own, and Ramsey, the brooding militia commander who hunts and kills criminals like her. Magnolia knows Ramsey resents and hates her, but how can he be her true enemy when he looks at her with such hunger, despite his callousness, and guards her with his very life? Which brother can she trust and is the real danger coming from inside the house? - from Goodreads

Indie Bookstore Spotlight: Pittsburgh

On our recent summer road trip, I had to search for some indie bookstores!  When we stopped in Pittsburgh, I was able to visit two of them: White Whale Bookstore and Posman Books.

White Whale Bookstore

This store opened in 2016 after the owners purchased an existing used bookstore and relaunched to sell new books.  The store has been so successful as a host to many literary events and as a community hub that they recently expanded their footprint and added an in-store cafe where they serve coffee and beer!

 

 

Posman Books

I'm not sure if Posman Books is a true indie bookstore (they have several locations across multiple states), but it sure was fun to visit!  In addition to books, stationary, and games, you're greeted by an ice cream bar as soon as you walk in!

 

Fiction/Nonfiction Quick Reviews: Another Tudor Edition

 Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter Who Changed History by Tracy Borman (2024)

Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII, was also mother to Queen Elizabeth I.  Elizabeth was not even three years old when her mother was executed, so it could be assumed that Anne's influence on her life was minimal; however, author Tracy Borman posits that Anne actually had quite a large influence on her daughter as she grew up, including her religious beliefs and her stance on marriage.  Anne's untimely and violent end would stay with her daughter for the rest of her life, but this tragic event would not be the only thing Elizabeth took from her brief time with her mother.  Borman offers intriguing evidence showing how Anne doted on her daughter and also how Elizabeth honored her after her death.  Although she had to be discreet for awhile, she still found ways to keep her mother's memory alive.  After she became queen, she surrounded herself with Boleyn relatives and friends, and her mother's strong religious beliefs helped shape Elizabeth's reign.  I very much enjoyed this fresh look at a favorite topic of mine; we know a lot about Elizabeth and much about Anne (although there are still many questions), but I've never read a book that so directly linked the two.  4 stars

Henry Tudor Must Die by Jillian Lane (2026)

Imagine a world where Queen Catherine of Aragon faked her own death, and then helped Anne Boleyn escape the gallows, and then the two women work for a secret society that works to improve women's rights and education throughout Europe and ultimately get their revenge on King Henry VIII - sounds wild, right?  This premise of Henry Tudor Must Die had me hooked immediately and as a consumer of all things Tudor, I was very excited to read it.  This book did not disappoint!  Told mostly from the dual POVs of Anne and Catherine (called Lina here), we watch as the two former enemies form a friendship and support each other during their Hellebore Sisterhood missions.  They recruit others along the way and help change the fates of most of Henry's other wives, intriguingly blending history with fiction (and witchcraft!).  Friendship, love, revenge, motherhood, and the strength of women are all explored, and I was here for all of it!  4.5 stars

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Michele's Monday Picks #102

Angela is so generous to let me pop in with my series, Michele’s Monday Picks!  I’m not a blogger or bookstagrammer, but I love getting excited about new releases with the rest of you.  Here I’ll be sharing new books I’m really looking forward to!

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Winterveil

Ava Reid

Expected Publication: September 24, 2026

From Goodreads:

The Secret History meets The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in #1 bestselling author Ava Reid’s brand new, thrilling, dystopian YA novel.

There is no application process for Valeran Academy, but it boasts the brightest – and precociously criminal – students in the nation.

A disgraced politician from a powerful American dynasty.

A coldly brilliant strategist who will sacrifice anything to win.

A former pageant queen with a talent that could change the world.

A prodigious female soldier with an enigmatic past – and a dangerous secret.

With eerie war simulations, cutthroat competitions and foreboding new technology, Valeran trains its students to be elite assets in a Cold War that has dragged on for nearly a century. But as a sinister conspiracy takes shape and these four are drawn together for a mysterious mission, their loyalties are tested, their convictions shaken and they all begin to are they ushering in a new era of freedom, or tyranny?

I have loved Ava Reid’s previous books and thought this one sounded fantastic! Do you think you’ll be picking this one up?

Recent Reads

The Chateau on Sunset by Natasha Lester (2026)

After her parents are killed in a tragic accident, Aria Jones is sent to California to live with her aunt, at the iconic Chateau Marmont.  She grows up in the hotel, learning all sorts of secrets and meeting all kinds of people.  When Theo Winchester buys the hotel, Aria finds herself falling in love with the rock star - but will she get her happily ever after?  I was interested in this book because it's a Jane Eyre retelling and that's one of my favorite books.  There are enough callbacks to the original to make the comparison, yet Lester also brings a fresh, new story.  I have to admit, I struggled a bit in the beginning with this book.  The story moves back and forth between the present day and flashbacks to Aria's early years at the Chateau.  The writing, however, wasn't always super clear and I honestly couldn't tell what was real and what wasn't at times.  When we get to the part of the story where Aria/Jane runs away from her wedding, due to discovering a big secret about her fiancé, I finally felt like the story came alive.  After years of never leaving the Chateau, Aria makes a big move, and I appreciated her courage to finally make changes in her life and also help those around her.  3.5 stars

The Perfect Hosts by Heather Gudenkauf (2025)

A wealthy ranching family hosts a gender reveal party, but things turn chaotic when two explosions rock the party, leaving one woman dead.  An ATF agent is brought in to investigate, and more secrets than anticipated are revealed.  Since there always seems to be a headline about gender reveal parties going wrong, I was intrigued by this premise, but unfortunately this turned out to be kind of a "meh" read for me.  First, the writing was just not great - very stilted and could have used more editing.  There were inconsistencies in the narrative, too - first they said the gender reveal party was when Madeline was 37 weeks pregnant, then she was 7 months, then 4 weeks away from giving birth - none of it made sense!  The ATF agent had a clear conflict of interest but decided to keep it a secret.  None of the reveals were particularly interesting or surprising - just a bunch of unlikable people doing bad things.  The one exception was Madeline's sister, and I wish we had gotten to know her a little better.  3 stars

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Month in Review: August 2026

 

August was a busy month!  We attended a big picnic with our community service group, and then my mom came to visit!  She stayed at my sister's house but came up to our house to attend Henry's music class with us.  My sister had a pool party, which was a lot of fun.  Henry's daycare took a fieldtrip to the Land of Make Believe, a small theme park here in NJ.  We celebrated Tom's birthday and then went on our big vacation for the summer - a road trip to Pittsburgh, Grand Rapids, and Cleveland!  We went to 3 zoos, visited lighthouses and windmills, saw some cool sculptures, gardens,and parks, and of course, visited some indie bookstores!  We also got to meet up with our Chicago-area family and meet our nephew!

The Books

All Hail Chaos // Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I // Henry Tudor Must Die // The Perfect Hosts

In Your Dreams // The Catch // The Wedding Ringer // Happier Here With You

The Posts and Reviews

Michele's Monday Picks #101

Blog Tour + Review: The Economy Always Gets Better

How are you doing?

* This post contains affiliate links; I earn a small commission on qualifying purchases, at no cost to you.