When I finished reading early 2018’s The Wedding Date, it was great news to read that writer Jasmine Guillory had another book coming out. Thanks to a few specific websites, I really took to reading the “good kind” of romance fiction they recommended (to realize later that most of it has been, is, and always will be wonderful) and Guillory’s books were warm, comforting hugs before bedtime. I liked that food played such a role in her romance fiction. What you eat means something to […]
My Cult Leader Is a Toddler On Cold Medicine. And Yours’?
Erika Carter, Lucky You [#CBR10Bingo: Listicle] The premise itself was intriguing—three female work acquaintances all searching for direction each end up at an off-grid location under the direction of a burgeoning leader–and I added it to my ‘To Read’ list after seeing it pop up on recommended reads from NPR, the Book of the Month Club and Vulture’s website when I needed reading inspiration. So, this book…I read it over the course of one night and generally, that is shorthand for “I had to rush […]
Nice to Meet You, Jane: A Film Legend Proves to be Something Real
Before I even looked at a single page of Jane Fonda’s autobiography, My Life So Far, someone in my family was upset with both me and the fact that I would deign to waste my time reading “that traitor’s book.” I attempted to explain the reasons behind why I thought I should, but was immediately shut down. Despite all the platitudes about reaching across the aisle when it came to other Americans’ political beliefs to find common ground and build the relationship from there, that […]
Cocaine! Fancy Food! Danger! Super Boring! Balloon Pop Pretentiousness! (CBR10 Bingo)
At a certain point in your adulthood, as you grow into the role or at least identify what the concept of adulthood actually means to you, it becomes easier to spot a phony. Part of it is the experience of life; you’ve lived long enough, hurt enough and wear the scars like a beauty sash made of caution tape. These friends float into your life like party balloons, relationships with a short shelf life that start bright and colorful, ultimately full of nothing but air […]
Discovery of Dante’s Undiscovered 10th Circle of Hell Takes a Detour to a Much-Deserved Vacation In a Multi-Verse Land
I was in a bit of a reading slump. I didn’t exactly avoid cracking the spine of the long, long autobiography I’d been carefully wading through; I’d find other things I needed to do instead. When laundry, cleaning the bathroom, and a trip to the Swedish furniture superstore/newly-discovered 10th circle of Dante’s hell were all excuses NOT to read it, though, it was obvious that I needed a break. I had to find another (very specific) book. My search for a literary boost—the book to […]
Tasting Tears and Spilling Whiskey On the Floor
“…’Cause I headed West to grow up with the country / Across those prairies with those waves of grain / And I saw my devil, and I saw my deep blue sea / And I thought about a calico bonnet from Cheyenne to Tennessee.” — Gram Parsons’ “Return of the Grievous Angel” The singer/songwriter had the ability to draw from the well of his past and experiences to inform his writing. Some authors painted a picture so aching, vivid and funny you felt yourself knocked […]