I just learned about 'breadcrumbing' and it hit me that this is precisely what I'm doing with this blog. Twelve years ago, I left the private Livejournal where I had been tracking my reading to start this blog. In 2010, people were already talking about book blogging being a 'dying' scene but I found it vibrant, exciting, and busy. I was newly married, just entering my 30s, and had tons of free time. I was putting time, energy, and attention into the book blog world and it was incredible. And then my life shifted. My work required more online time and between that and having a kid, I found my ..read more

I finished ... The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian I also finished a dress! So satisfying. (You can see the dress under the book, in fact!) Sebastian's newest is a romance between nobleman-in-need-of-vengeance Percy and reformed-highwayman Kit. The heist was really secondary to the story, as it was about the two of them figuring out their futures -- individually, eventually together -- found family, loyalty, all that. In reading this I discovered that I'm not deeply fond of 1760s fashion (or 1780s, I forget precisely). Sebastian does a wonderful job of describing Percy's flamboy ..read more

I've gotten myself all stressed about writing 'perfect' reviews (even though my earlier reviews are hardly perfect) so now I'm just going to share my kneejerk thoughts when I finish something.  So... I finished ... Boyfriend Material by Alexis HallWhat a lovely and fun read -- although as my first HFN (happy for now), I found the end a little unsatisfying (this book made me discover I'm 1000% a Happily Ever After girl). Our POV character is a total hot mess; he begs a grumpy and buttoned up lawyer to be his fake date to rehab his reputation. Their relationship shifts from vaguely advers ..read more

I first learned of this book via the Fated Mates podcast, and one of the hosts admitted that Clayborn was a friend of theirs. I took their enthusiasm with a grain of salt, but reader, every word of their gushing praise was true. In addition to being a sweet romance, it's a beautifully written book that had me hanging on every word. Love at First by Kate Clayborn Kensington, 2021 Copy via public library It's a romance of two kind people who have felt unwanted, possibly even unworthy of love. They're lonely, and respond in different ways: Nora, by making the neighbors in her building her family ..read more

Late to this gorgeous, gutting novel and can't really offer anything that hasn't already been said about it. My reflections will be merely admiration and awe: mood, language, storytelling technique. I requested this read as part of batch of books that could help me hit some reading challenge goals; I opened it up not recalling what it was about. Sheep, it turned out, and the steady tick of choices that push us further and further along. The novel alternates between moving forward, as Jake tries to keep her sheep alive as something slowly kills them off; and moving backwards, taking us back th ..read more

The moment she released his hand -- a hand she'd clutched like a lifeline all the way from the church to the room on the third floor -- their romance had ended. Their friendship, too, by the look of it. I love me a good retelling and Matthews' gender bent imagining of Jane Eyre is a wonderfully fun, Gothic-y  read that takes some of the expected, beloved moments of the classic novel and mixes in new, surprising ones. John Eyre: A Tale of Darkness and Shadow by Mimi Matthews Perfectly Proper Press, 2021 Review copy via NetGalley for blog tour Our eponymous hero, John Eyre, has a backgroun ..read more

It's been more than a month since the car accident and we're all healing well. Gardening has been a welcome respite from screens -- which is good because we doubled the number of raised beds! Clearly expansion is a theme here because we've also picked up 25 chicks of different ages for our flock. (My Instagram will usually include the cutest animal pics and videos, for those interested in our microfarm.) I've finally able to get back to reading -- time combined with physical therapy, acupuncture, and muscular therapies does wonders! -- but I'm still struggling with concentration and short-ter ..read more

I uh-dore historical romance. Historical fiction is probably my favorite genre, and I love historicals that offer a point-of-view that isn't cisgendered and white. Historical romance is rich with diversity that reminds us that many people want love and partnerships that affirm them. I'm so excited to read stories with romantic protagonists who aren't cisgendered, or white in Regency England, or straight in 19th-century United States.  So when Ana Coqui of Immersed in Books put out the call for people to help with this year's #RomBkLove, I jumped at the chance to participate. Assembling t ..read more

Thank goddess for an easy task this week for Top 10 Tuesday: my 10 most recent reads! (Although, as per usual, I'm tweaking slightly to note it's reads I haven't reviewed yet!) It's probably weird (?) to post about recent reads when I previous asked about quitting my blog, but much of the advice was a reminder to focus on what I enjoy about blogging (and to take a break to refresh). Just giving myself the space to wonder was a nice break, and I found I wasn't ready to cut and run. I want to talk books but I want to do it ... better? Different? I'm not sure precisely yet -- can I blame concussi ..read more

The other night I had the sudden urge to just scrap the blog and everything with it -- all my socials, my GoodReads page, this actual website -- and think about just reading (and reflecting) privately. I'm not sure if this urge is real or a result of my concussion; but I keep flip-flopping between wanting to hit 'delete' on a lot of accounts and feeling small pangs of worry that I'll regret moving on. This is my 12th year blogging but I feel like I'm getting worse at it rather than better. I find my reviews lacking; I feel very aware of how little I interact with other bloggers. I don't think ..read more