Reasons to be Excited

Just a few of the books I'm looking forward to 

coming soon to a bookstore near you:

Couple Mechanics

By: Nelly Alard

An astute and honest portrayal of how one relationship fares following an affair.

The Unfinished World and Other Stories

By: Amber Sparks

A collection of fantastical short stories.

Recommended for fans of Aimee Bender, Ben Loory or Karen Russell.

The Heart: A Novel

By: Maylis De Kerangal

Heart transplants happen everyday.

But to date, no one has written about the experience quite as beautifully as Maylis De Karangal.

Be Frank With Me

By: Julia Claiborne Johnson

Take one Bel Air mansion. Add a reclusive literary phenomenon (with a fast approaching literary deadline), an eccentric little boy and a young woman to keep everything from falling to shambles and this is what you get. 

I'm already hoping there is a movie!

The Life of Elves

By: Muriel Barbery

  She's back.  This time with a story of two children summoned together by their

mystical connections to music and the natural world. 

Sidenote: Muriel Marbery's The Elegance of the Hedgehog is one of my favorite books of all time.

Five Things

The Book: You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine 

by Alexandra Kleeman

A woman known as A lives with her roommate B and is dating C.  

She lives and breathes, carries out her everyday routines.  

But I'm not entirely certain A truly knows who "she" is.  

Stay Home Club Loose Tee

Tastykake Butterscotch Krimpets

Rose Creme Lumiere 

Sarah Bodri Print

Blood Orange Candle

*I'm certain most readers have been there.  You're reading and suddenly the movie version of the story begins to play in your head.  Please tell me I'm not alone in this.  My Five Things series is an ode to that.  Each week, I choose a book and select five items I could easily see being in the movie version.  Enjoy!

The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon by Alexander McCall Smith

“all of us had a view from somewhere, a view of the world from

the perspective of who we were, of what had happened to us,

of how we thought about things.”  

The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon is the 14th book in a popular series called The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.  For those of you who are familiar, welcome back.  And for those of you hearing of this series for the first time, grab a chair as I introduce you to Precious Ramotswe and her associate detective, Mma Makutsi - two marvelous women with a knack for uncovering the truth.

This particular novel takes on two puzzling cases.  First, Mma Ramotswe is approached by the lawyer Mma Sheba, the executor of a late farmer's estate.  The farmer has left the majority of his land to a nephew, but Mma Sheba believes that the young man claiming to be the nephew is not who he appears.  Her second case is a call for help from the owner of a new salon, The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon.  The owner has been the victim of threats and a horrible bit of gossip intended to ruin her salon.  Mma Ramotswe agrees to investigate both, and as always finds the truth to be much more complicated than she had ever bargained for.       

Meanwhile, at the office, Mma Makutsi has been a little different lately.  Mma Ramotswe is certain that she is pregnant, but Mma Makutsi has been silent on the matter.  It is clear throughout that the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency would not be the same without the two women solving cases together.  They are more than co-workers.  They really are the best of friends and this friendship truly shines in this novel.  

Each and every time I step into the world of Precious Ramotswe, I smile as I check in on (what feel like) old friends.  This series can best be described as the coziest of cozy and the characters astound you with their honest interactions.  If you are looking for a mystery with a dose of female friendship thrown in, you have a winner!

Five Things

The Book: The Swans of Park Avenue by Melanie Benjamin

From the 1950's thru the 1970's, New York high society largely revolved around the Swans - a group of posh NYC women.  As a friend and confidant, Truman Capote found himself hearing their deepest, darkest secrets. When Truman Capote published the short story, "La Cote Basque 1965" illuminating just that, his life gallivanting within the social circles of New York came to an abrupt halt.  

Kite Bow Back Dress

Grace Sunglasses

Multistrand Pearl Necklace

Chenille Sleeping Mask

Lady in Waiting Red Coat

*I'm certain most readers have been there.  You're reading and suddenly the movie version of the story begins to play in your head.  Please tell me I'm not alone in this.  My Five Things series is an ode to that.  Each week, I choose a book and select five items I could easily see being in the movie version.  Enjoy!

Reasons to be Excited

All of these books are whispering out "read me!"

Which books are calling out to you?

Tales of Accidental Genius

By Simon Van Booy

Simon Van Booy's writing will paint tiny pictures in your mind.

The grace and honesty that his characters embody will stay with you forever.

This Is Your Life, Harriet Chance!

by Jonathan Envision

If Harriet can make her life work after all that she has been through,

no one has an excuse for saying no to the scary or unexpected. 

My Poems Won't Change the World: Selected Poems

By: Patricia Cavalli

Patricia Cavalli was wrong. 

 Her poems will change the world one person at a time.

The Improbability of Love

By: Hannah Rothschild

If a painting could talk, it would tell you stories you would never dream of. 

Slade House

By: David Mitchell

You will find yourself screaming at the characters to turn around and run. 

They have no idea what they are in for once they enter Slade House.

The Marvels by Brian Selznick

"Maybe Shakespeare was saying that even in a world where miracles can happen, there's still going to be pain, and loss, and regret. Because sometimes people die and you can't bring them back. That's what life is Joseph realized, miracles and sadness, side by side."

Brian Selznick is brilliant. The Marvels is another magical story written by the imaginative genius behind The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck.

The Marvels is told in two parts.  In the first, we meet Billy Marvel - a young boy on a boat with his brother and dog who are shipwrecked and lost at sea in 1766.  It goes on to tell the tale of what happens after the shipwreck and introduces us to the London life of theatre where Billy goes on to work.  We watch as the family of Billy Marvel, generation after generation spawn brilliant actors until 1900, when a young Marvel is banished from the stage.

Almost a century later, runaway Joseph Jervis seeks refuge with an uncle in London after hearing tales of him from his mother that are magical and mysterious.  His uncle, Albert Nightingale lives in a strange, beautiful house, that appears to be paused in time - complete with mysterious paintings and peculiar sounds.  The home and the mystery surrounding his uncle intrigues Joseph and leads him on a search for clues about his uncle, his family's past and the house.

 "The Marvels" is a love note to the power of stories and how they transform us in the best and worst of times. 

Please don't miss this novel. 

Five Things

I'm certain most readers have been there.  You're reading and suddenly the movie version of the story begins to play in your head.  Please tell me I'm not alone in this.  You think to yourself  - 1.) Why has no one made this movie yet?  It would be amazing!  and 2.) No one could possibly make this quite as good as I see it right now.  

My Five Things series will be an ode to that.  Each week, I will choose a book and select five items I could easily see being in the movie version.  Enjoy!

The Book: Animals by Emma Jane Unsworth

Animals is the story of Laura and Tyler, two good friends that have been painting the town red for the past ten years.  Drunken debauchery and YOLO is their life motto, until one of them starts to think about making a drastic change.   

KOVAL Whiskey

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara

Jane Crop Shirt

Basic Babe Knit Pencil Skirt

Button Party Pack

 Married to the Mob Kiki Sunglasses