Do you ever read a book and feel like it was written just for you, just for this moment? That is how I feel about this wonderful memoir. Sutton FosterDo you ever read a book and feel like it was written just for you, just for this moment? That is how I feel about this wonderful memoir. Sutton Foster has seamlessly woven the story of her life with the crafts she has made and it is a beautiful tapestry she has created.
I saw Sutton Foster on Broadway during her run as Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie and was astounded but her talent. It was spine-tingling. And I’ve loved her on her two tv series, Bunheads and Younger, and anytime I see clips of her singing, I always stop and watch them. She is a phenom. But I didn’t know much about her personal life or background and she lays it all out in this book. Her family life was far from easy and her journey to come to terms with it I found profoundly moving.
I loved the joy she has found in crafting, I have found that joy myself to a lesser degree. I love how she channels her feelings into a creative space separate from her work life which is also creative. It has got me thinking long and hard about the things I have created and want to still create.
Plus, she’s made me want to relearn to crochet. My grandmother taught me when I was very little but I have forgotten. So today I took myself to the craft store and bought a hook and some yarn and I’m diving in!
I absolutely loved this if that wasn’t clear. One of my favorite memoirs to date....more
Friendship, food, books, epistolary format…there is not much more I could ask for from a book. I devoured this in just a few hours. I can not recommenFriendship, food, books, epistolary format…there is not much more I could ask for from a book. I devoured this in just a few hours. I can not recommend it enough! A short but beautiful story! ...more
I love Emma. I love this series. I’m so intrigued with where it is going to go. I would write more but I need to pick up the next volume and continue I love Emma. I love this series. I’m so intrigued with where it is going to go. I would write more but I need to pick up the next volume and continue on! ...more
I couldn’t love this book, or E.B. White, more. Excuse me while I go reread Charlotte’s Web and then track down everything White ever wrote. BrilliantI couldn’t love this book, or E.B. White, more. Excuse me while I go reread Charlotte’s Web and then track down everything White ever wrote. Brilliant, breathtaking, an amazing work of art about an author of pure genius. ...more
I am loving this series so much and can’t wait to finish it with the third book next month! I found d both Maria and Miles infuriating in this second I am loving this series so much and can’t wait to finish it with the third book next month! I found d both Maria and Miles infuriating in this second book but they definitely kept me turning the pages. This book is full of joy and sorrow and the most wonderfully connected family. I wish I could go live with them at The Keep!
I will be so sad when this saga is finished but I know it is one I will revisit again and again. ...more
This might be my favorite short story collection ever. I loved every single story and had tears in my eyes by the time I turned the last page. Life afThis might be my favorite short story collection ever. I loved every single story and had tears in my eyes by the time I turned the last page. Life affirming, full of hope and the small joys that life gives to us. A treasure of a collection! ...more
Utterly enchanting. I read this in one day and am absolutely smitten with Valancy and her Blue Castle. I will be revisiting this one again and again. Utterly enchanting. I read this in one day and am absolutely smitten with Valancy and her Blue Castle. I will be revisiting this one again and again. One of the best books I have read this year! ...more
I adore Barbara Buncle! She has swiftly become one of my very favorite literary characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this second entry revolving around heI adore Barbara Buncle! She has swiftly become one of my very favorite literary characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this second entry revolving around her married life and her and Arthur’s move to Wandlebury and all the wonderful, eccentric people they meet there. These books are the best kind of feel-good stories with so much heart. I want to read everything D.E. Stevenson wrote! ...more
“It’s quite off,” she said, “but I think home isn’t exactly a house or a place. It’s wherever we all are - all our family together, I mean.”
It was lov“It’s quite off,” she said, “but I think home isn’t exactly a house or a place. It’s wherever we all are - all our family together, I mean.”
It was lovely to travel with the Ridgeway family to France and follow along on all of their adventures. This book is a pure delight from start to finish. Filled with nostalgia and simpler times, it made me remember exactly how it feels to experience the excitement of new experiences as a child. I can’t recommend this (and the first Ridgeway book, Family Grandstand) enough! ...more
“‘Now we go on,’ he told her, ‘because there is really no beginning or end. No starts and finishes. There are only small plateaux where we may stop fo“‘Now we go on,’ he told her, ‘because there is really no beginning or end. No starts and finishes. There are only small plateaux where we may stop for a moment to enjoy the view so as to refresh ourselves for the next struggle.’”
Family sagas are one of my very favorite types of books and this first entry in the Chadwick Family Chronicles is a new favorite. I adored the entire Chadwick family and all their trials, tribulations, joys, and triumphs. I can not wait to dive into the next book. This book was an absolute wonder and I hugged it when I finished it. ...more
There are so many books about WWII that it is always nice to find a book set during WWI instead. The Skylarks’ War is such a wonderful middle grade boThere are so many books about WWII that it is always nice to find a book set during WWI instead. The Skylarks’ War is such a wonderful middle grade book and I was completely enchanted by Clarry, Peter, Rupert, and all the rest. And while it has so much loveliness, it does not shy away from the harsh realities of war and the atrocities suffered but the men on the front lines.
I loved this book, cried when it was over, and hugged it to me as soon as I turned the final page. A new middle grade favorite. ...more
Before long, he caught a hold of himself and concluded that nothing ever did happen again; to each was given days and chances which wouldn't come bac Before long, he caught a hold of himself and concluded that nothing ever did happen again; to each was given days and chances which wouldn't come back around.
Bill Furlong is a coal and timber merchant and Small Things Like These is the story of Bill and his family in the days leading to Christmas in 1985 in a small, Irish town. As Bill reflects on his life and where it has led him, he is drawn into the world of secrets and lies within the Catholic Church. And the question is, when faced with a moral dilemma where we are pitted against those far greater than us, what will we do?
I am not sure what is going on but this is the third book in two months that I have read which has in some way involved nuns/convents. And I have actually begun a fourth book centering on this same world. Whatever is pulling me towards these themes, it is doing wonderful things for my reading life.
This story involves the Magdalen laundries and if you don't know about them, I urge you to look up some information on them. The author's note at the end will give you some insight into how terrible they were.
I absolutely loved this slim novella. Bill is a character whom I won't soon forget and I will for sure be rereading this book when Christmastime rolls around this year. But it's not a Christmas story so I urge everyone to just pick it up. You can read it in one or two sittings but while it is short on pages, it is long on thoughts. Claire Keegan has packed so much into this little book. I will be thinking about it for a long time to come. I can't wait to read more of her work....more
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