Book Review: “The School of Essential Ingredients”

Posted on April 30, 2013 by kmore

“Life is beautiful. Some people just remind you of that more than others.”
― Erica Bauermeister, The School of Essential Ingredients

My book club read this lovely title a couple of years ago, and it still stands out as one of my all-time favorite “foodie” novels. Today I learned that the author has recently published its sequel, and it reminded me of how much I enjoyed it, so I thought I would share a little bit about it with you. I hope you’ll grab yourself a copy and when your done, please send me a note and share your thoughts. Happy Reading!

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister (Putnam Adult)

As a young girl, Lillian learned that by combining certain ingredients in the kitchen she could make a connection with her wounded and withdrawn mother. As an adult, Lillian uses this gift to run a first-class restaurant as well as a weekly cooking class. On Monday evenings, students are allowed to conquer their fears in the kitchen as well as create delicious, simple food. In doing so, each of them discovers what “essential ingredients” will not only improve their culinary skills, but also bring flavor to their lives. Told in a series of vignettes, readers will step into the personal struggles of each character and delight in the way stirring, slicing, smelling and tasting can inspire friendship and renewal. This tender novel will seduce your senses and inspire you to create loving menus with enticing ingredients. More importantly, through its tender glimpses into challenges of each character, it will encourage you to embrace your own abundance of small pleasures. With captivating language and believable characters, this insightful novel will leave you as satisfied as a delicious meal.

Book Review – “Microcrafts: Tiny Treasures to Make and Share”

Posted on April 3, 2013 by kmore

“For the person for whom small things do not exist, the great is not great.”
~Jose Ortega y Gasset

Microcrafts: Tiny Treasures to Make and Share compiled by Margaret McGuire, Alicia Kachmar, Katie Hatz and Friends (Quirk Books)

Take a regular item, make it smaller, and what do you get? Something that’s just plain adorable! Miniatures have always been popular for their “cute-factor” and this book is BIG on cute. Prepare yourself for the dilemma of deciding which of the twenty-five unique and completely different projects you will want to make first. Will it be the scrumptious looking candy charms, the adorable little spool dolls, or perhaps the itty-bitty houseplants and terrariums? Whatever you choose to make, you will have something to decorate your dollhouse, give as a gift, wear as jewelry, or simply add some charm to a darling little shelf. Each project comes with simple, easy-to-follow directions as well as diagrams and illustrations that will make craft-time a joy. The photographs are lovely, and the overall feel of the book a blend of sophisticated whimsy. You will want your own copy of Microcrafts to turn to again-and-again– if for nothing more than to get your daily-dose of cute! We want to extend a big thank you to Quirk Books for sharing the “Book” and “Deer Head” projects from Microcrafts with us for this issue. Go ahead, give them a try, and don’t be surprised if you start dreaming up your own microcraft ideas!

(This review was first published in the Christmas issue of Amy Powers’ Inspired Ideas. The publisher, Quirk Books, was generous enough to share two amazing projects from the book with readers of the magazine. The images below come from the magazine, not the actual book. Hop on over to Amy’s site to check them out, and then grab yourself a copy of the book to see all of the other amazing projects!)

“Inspired Ideas” Spring Issue – It’s Here!

Posted on March 25, 2013 by kmore

No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn. ~Hal Borland

I loved working on the spring issue of Amy Powers’ Inspired Ideas. Once again, I helped edit the articles and wrote several book reviews. This issue includes several more book reviews for craft titles as well as three amazing fiction titles. This time I chose three novels with a flower “theme.” All of them are very different, but very good! Isn’t this the perfect time of year to settle in a sunny window and crack open a good book?

My favorite non-fiction book review this go-around was a fantastic little book by Lilla Rogers called I Just Like to Make Things. This book is just a treasure-trove of advice and inspiration for those of us who want to maximize our creativity. It’s especially for those who want to turn their creative passion into a career. Pick up a copy soon. You won’t be disappointed!However, it’s really the crafts that make Amy’s publication so special. Each unique craft idea is full of cheer and whimsy. You’ll have a hard time deciding which project to try first! To be honest, Amy’s bird nests are at the top of my list, as well as the sweet little Easter cloches designed by Ashlee Park.

If you’re in the mood to bust some of the stashes in your craft closet, head on over and check out all of the great ideas in this issue. It’s quite an amazing deal for so much loveliness! Be sure to stop back by and let me know if you read one of the recommended books or whip up something special for spring!

Happy crafting and happy reading!

Book Review: “Bliss Remembered” by Frank Deford

Posted on January 12, 2013 by kmore

“I think that when you’re falling in love you see everything brighter and clearer. Everything is more vivid. That’s what love does to the whole world around you.” -Bliss Remembered, Frank Deford

“Bliss, Remembered is the saga of Sydney Stringfellow’s life from 1934, when she was a lonely 16-year-old innocent growing up in the Depression in a small town on The Eastern Shore of Maryland, until 1942, when war with Germany has begun and she finds herself personally caught up in it in a way she could never have imagined.” (excerpt from Frank Deford’s website.)

If you’re looking for a great book to start off the year, here’s your next check-out or download! I recently finished this gem of a novel that incorporates history, love, mystery and a whopping twist at the end to keep you turning the pages.

As Sydney reaches the end of her long, eventful life, she chooses to tell her son, Teddy, the secret of her trip to Berlin to swim in the Olympics. Almost by accident, she discovers the incredible talent she possesses for swimming as a sixteen year old girl mourning the death of her beloved father. As she follows her bliss, she finds herself crossing the ocean and wrapped-up in a whirlwind romance with a handsome German. This is a turbulent time in world history, and the implications of this love affair shape the rest of her life…as well as history.

I know you will love this book as much as I did. It’s a perfect book to while away a long January afternoon. Don’t forget your blanket and tea!

“A natural. Is there anything better anybody can tell you but that you’re a natural? I don’t think so.” -Sydney Stringfellow, Bliss Remembered

Book Review: “World of Pies” by Karen Stolz

Posted on September 16, 2012 by kmore

“The main facts in human life are five: birth, food, sleep, love and death.”

–E.M. Forster

This E.M. Forster quote is fitting to accompany my review of the novel World of Pies by Karen Stolz, for each of these elements…. birth, food, sleep, love and death, plays a role in the life of the main character, Roxanne Milner.

This novel is a quick read that takes the reader on a journey to Annette, Texas, and spans the turmoil of racial tensions in the 1960′s to the scars of those returning from the Vietnam war. Although larger social issues are present, the real story is the very normal journey from childhood to adolescence, and eventually adulthood, experienced by Roxanne. Each chapter paints a picture of an important period of time in the life of the extremely likeable main character. The reader is granted a glimpse into the small moments that formed Roxanne into a caring, sentimental, and supportive wife and mother.

From her first experience with racism at the town’s first pie-baking contest, Roxanne learned from her mother the importance of holding true to one’s convictions. When she gets to meet her mother’s first high-school boyfriend, she sees her mother as a person with a story that is more complex than she ever imagined. When her beloved cousin returns from Vietnam injured and addicted, she learns the importance of family and how time can heal wounds.

These experience, and many more, are framed by the Milner family’s love of food, and each chapter is concluded with a down-home recipe–one of which is sure to inspire the reader to roll up her sleeves! Doreen’s Frozen Fruit Salad is sure to evoke nostalgia and making it will surely connect you to the daily ritual enjoyed by Roxanne and her father at the local lunch-counter…swivel-stools and all! I’m sure if you indulge in Christina’s Lemon Meringue Pie, each bite will thrill you with tangy sweetness and remind you of her courage and conviction in a time when the color of one’s skin seemed to prompt exclusion. We’re all familiar with the power of food to heal, and Aunt Ruthie’s Lemon Pound Cake did just that when Roxanne’s mother had surgery, and she was faced with the reality of her mother’s mortality.

If you’re in the mood for a coming-of-age story that will make you laugh and cry…this is it! The recipes are a bonus! Happy reading!

Book Review: “A Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of a Misspent Life”

Posted on July 4, 2012 by kmore

“At the worst, a house unkept cannot be so distressing as a life unlived.” –Dame Rose Macaulay (1881-1958)

A Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of a Misspent Life: How to live creatively with collections, clutter, work, kids, pets, art, etc… and stop worrying about everything being perfectly in its place. (Rizzoli New York) by Mary Randolph Carter

Have you ever read a book, and thought that perhaps it was written specifically for you? This lovely book is likely to strike a chord with many of us who live with: collections, memories, children, pets, clutter, work and lots of creativity. Mary Randolph Carter, author of several books dedicated to “junk,” has written a book that provides much-needed affirmation for those of us who experience a love-hate relationship with our houses. We hate the burden of keeping them clean and tidy all of the time, but we love to bring lovely things into them, and fill them with the items that speak to us and bring us joy. Somehow these two desires create a conflict. Carter’s solution? Give up the idea that our houses have to be perfect, and simply live in them in a way that brings comfort and joy not only to you, but perhaps more surprisingly, your guests as well!

Seriously, think about the houses you enjoy visiting. Are they the stark homes in which you feel nervous to set foot inside? The homes where not a picture frame or throw pillow is out of place? If you’re like me, you much prefer your friend’s house where you can admire the refrigerator filled with family pictures, paw through the stack of books on the ottoman, tuck your feet under you in a cushy chair, and delight in the creative vignette of collected whimsical items on the mantel. A little dust? Who cares. A friendly dog giving you a friendly greeting? All the better!

This book is a treasure-trove of lovely photography that gives readers a glimpse into the collected items and lovingly “lived-in” homes of not only the author, but a host of other diverse folks. These are the kind of homes you want to sneak into and peer into every nook and cranny admiring the chipped vases, distressed picture frames, frayed quilts and stacks of books. (Take a look at the picture on page 114-115 and you’ll see what I mean!) Truthfully, when I look at the homes featured in many decorating magazines, I say to myself, “No way! Where’s all of there STUFF?”

Take Away’s:

1. There really are other people out there who have a compulsion to bring something home from the side of the road or from a junk shop. They don’t NEED this item, they just love it for some unexplainable reason, and it makes them happy to look at it.

2. For many beauty lies in the imperfect and the informal.

3. It’s okay to embrace your home less with the “housekeeper’s broom and more with the homemaker’s heart.”

5. On page 131, Carter shares her practice of keeping a personal welcome book… a place for friends to jot down their memories of visiting your home. This idea stuck with me and it is my intention to purchase a simple blank book and some colored pens to encourage my guests to chronicle their time at our cabin in the mountains. Isn’t that a fun, simple idea?

6. There’s a fine-line between living with our treasures and being on the next episode of Hoarders. Be mindful that you don’t cross the line!

7. It’s okay to have a “purposeless room!”

Favorite Quotes:

“At times you may think you’re crazy to own all these things or else brilliant for finding these treasures so many other eyes missed!”– Liza Carter Norton (p. 27)

“Clutter is the poetry of our homes. It is a fingerprint of an experience, a souvenir of our childhoods, an expression of our humor, a collection of things that we just can’t live without… Embrace it, make peace with it, take control of it, share it, reorganize it, and when the time seems right, bid it farewell.” (p. 51)

“Never stop to think, “Do I have a place for this?” (p. 259)

Happy Reading! I hope you will pick up a copy of Carter’s book soon. I found mine at my local library, of course! Sit down in a comfortable chair with a glass of ice-tea (Be sure to bring the sticky-notes so you can mark all of the pictures and quotes you will want to re-visit!) and spend a few quiet hours honoring your creative, imperfect home. After all, you can dust later! (You might also like my review of Dottie Angel: the Peachy Crafty World of Tif Fussell:
http://kerriemore.com/2011/10/06/dottie/
)

Aside: On more than one occasion, I have mentioned my favorite magazine Where Women Create created by Jo Packham - which is a quarterly gallery showcasing the creative spaces of a diverse group of artists. If you are a fan of this publication, you will know what I mean when I say you want to slow down and savor each picture, admiring each lovely item in these creative spaces. I felt the same way about Carter’s book. On more than one occasion, I would put the book right up close to my nose to try to figure out what lovely item was tucked on the corner of a shelf or under a table. That’s how I enjoy each lovely issue of “Where Women Create”!

(Photo Credits: A Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of a Misspent Life by Mary Randolph Carter published by Rizzoli New York.)

“The Art of Reading” with Joan Tapper

Posted on May 1, 2012 by kmore

When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing. ~Enrique Jardiel Poncela

Photo credit: Gale Zucker

Recently I had the pleasure of reviewing an incredibly beautiful and absolutely inspiring book…. Craft Activism by Joan Tapper and Gale Zucker. This amazing book was selected in Amazon’s Best Books of 2011! (You can check out my more complete review here.) After posting my review, I was delighted to hear from Joan, herself, and was not surprised to learn that as a writer, she is also an avid reader. I thoroughly enjoyed her book, but I especially enjoy stopping by her blog from time to time to see some of the amazing projects that have been inspired by her book. (Seriously, it looks like she has the most interesting life!) I know you will enjoy some of these fantastic creations as much as I do! Among other topics, Joan has written about creativity, travel, and interesting places, and is a sought-after editor who lends her skills to a wide variety of genres. Check out her website to learn more about this talented writer.

Website: Joan Tapper Blog: Craft Activism

What creativity do you share with the world? I believe in the written word, and as a writer and editor have tried to promote excellence.

Book OR e-reader? book
Buy OR lend from the library? Often the library, but I’ll buy books I can’t find there or those I want to keep, especially books written by friends of mine
Hardcover OR paperback? both
One book at a time OR several? Usually one
Skip ahead and read the last page OR be patient and wait? Patience is a virtue
Bookmark or fold over the page corner? bookmark
Abandon a bad book OR stick with it no matter what? To the bitter end
Laugh OR cry? Why choose
Cover Love: I love the cover of …….. sorry too many choices

What is the next book on your stack of books to read? I’ve got Ann Patchett’s State of Wonder and Eleanor Brown’s The Weird Sisters (both passed along by a friend), Janna Malamud Smith’s My Father is a Book and Cynthia Ozick’s Dictation (courtesy of a book giveaway at the community college where my husband teaches) and Katherine Stewart’s The Good News Club, written by a friend and bought at a book-signing event.

How do you acquire the books you read? I’ll reserve a book at the library when I read a promising review; that extends to popular mysteries and thrillers and literary novels. I’ll pick up a book at Chaucer’s, my local indy bookstore, for an upcoming book group meeting. Occasionally a friend will pass along a book. Online? On rare occasions.

How do you choose the books you read? I follow certain authors, but I’m interested in many subjects, both fiction and non. When I read a review that sounds interesting, I’ll make a point to find and read it. But I also am delighted when members of my book group choose something I would never have thought of…a classic, science fiction, a science topic. I like being introduced to new writers and ideas.

Do you have a book that you love so much that you re-read it periodically? You can put me in the Jane Austen club. I could read and reread Pride and Prejudice or Persuasion every year. Austen is sharp-eyed and precise in her use of language. And of course, you always know things will turn out well for the heroine. What a comfort!

What are the characteristics of your favorite books? I think I tend to like books whose authors exhibit a wry sense of humor and a generosity toward their characters, as well as an acute sense of place. That could mean Ann Taylor’s works, those by Alexander McCall Smith, Larry Shames’s Key West mysteries; it could mean Tolstoy’s War and Peace or Anna Karenina. Even a nonfiction work like Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks shares those qualities.

How do you fit reading into your busy life? It’s not an issue. If reading is important – and it is – you find time to sit down for a few minutes and do it. I’ll start with newspapers at the breakfast table, a magazine story over lunch, and a book for at least a few minutes (and often more) at bedtime.

I am proud to say that I have actually read… Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past and Anthony Powell’s A Dance to the Music of Time – both brilliant multivolume sagas. I took them on lengthy vacations many years ago and they filled the hours wonderfully.

I am in a book club and it goes something like this…. There are about 13 of us and we meet each month (first Wednesday) at a different house, which goes in alphabetical order. Hostess provides dinner (often memorably keyed to the book.) We eat and discuss. Everyone gets to have a say uninterrupted, then it’s a lively free for all. It’s a fairly literary group, with several writers and a publisher included, so opinions are strong. Then the hostess gets to choose the book for two months down the road, which gives us time to get it from the library and actually read it.

One of my favorite craft books is…. My own two, of course, with photographer Gale Zucker: Shear Spirit and Craft Activism.

Thank you, Joan, for sharing your love of reading with us! Here’s to good books, good writing, and new friends!

Book Review: “Craft Activism” By Joan Tapper and photography by Gale Zucker

Posted on March 23, 2012 by kmore

“We make to provide. We make to give. We make to share. We make because we love. Making is marketable, it’s “green,” it’s local. And when the fad passes, we will still be making. Because making things by hand has never stopped, and it will never disappear.” –Craft Activism (Foreward.)

The increased popularity of handmade is touching all age and economic groups. Young and old… at home and abroad… People are turning to craft to create beautiful and meaningful items. For some, it’s a way to express themselves creatively, as well as connect with others. However, for some, crafting is used to make statements and promote change within their communities.

Craft Activism pays a joyous tribute to this growing movement. In this fantastic new book, many talented artists reflect on their passions, provide insight in what motivates them, and encourage others to find their creative voice. Their message seems to be, “Take something you love to make, and let it touch others in a more meaningful way.”

This book will give you ideas, it will provide you with inspiration, and it will challenge you to try something new. Why not use your talent to think a little more “green”, beautify your community, join a group of like-minded folks, pay tribute to your past or make a statement about what matters to you?

Get a copy of this book to find out a little more about:

Knit Bombing (or crochet!) … See an amazing bench-warmer pattern by the Jafagirls!
How to connect with the women of our past… After all, aprons and Granny Squares are back and here to stay!
Organize a craft night… Make a Bella Brooklyn house-dress (so cute with skinny jeans and boots!)
Get excited about helping a cause… and support the The Red Scarf Project.
Protect the earth… and make vibrant art from plastic bags.
Ravelry!… This is one great online hub of crafty-connectedness!

This is a book that I will be turning to again and again. It perfectly honors the grassroots movement that has become a crafting revolution. It provides a generous amount of practical ideas along with a dose of sentimental tribute to those who have paved the “crafty- highway” for us.

Check out the Craft Activism website at: http://www.craftactivism.com/

For the Creative Book Club….

Posted on February 26, 2012 by kmore

Good friends, good books and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life. ~Mark Twain

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a book review for Keeping the House by Ellen Baker. If you’re looking for some creative ways to make your book club discussion of this book fun and interesting, I have gathered some ideas to make it festive!

As a member of a book club that has been meeting for 15 years, I know that sometimes finding a good book for discussion can be a challenge. So, that’s why I’m suggesting this book as your next selection. You will be talking about a wide variety of things…. The role of women in the early-to-mid 1900′s; the impact of both World Wars at home and abroad; the way small town life can be a blessing as well as a curse; the importance of communication in a marriage; and the way things have changed as well as how they have stayed the same!

First of all, head over to Ellen Baker’s website for some excellent background of the book including great discussion questions as well as some fun recipes from the book. I think the recipe for Dolly’s Lacy Raisin Wafers would be perfect! In fact, take a look at these free recipe-card printables. Wouldn’t it be fun to print out the recipes on these cards and give them as favors to your guests?

LACY RAISIN WAFERS
Dolly brings these cookies to her first Ladies Aid gathering to try to make a good impression…

¾ cup sifted all-purpose flour
½ teasp. baking soda
½ teasp. salt
¼ teasp. nutmeg
¾ cup light or dark raisins
½ cup salad oil
¼ cup water
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teasp. vanilla extract
1 ½ cups uncooked rolled oats

½ cup chopped nuts

Sift flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg. Rinse and drain raisins; mix with salad oil, water; mix in sugar, vanilla, oats, nuts, then flour mixture. Refrigerate 1 hr. Start heating oven to 350 degrees F. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls, about 2” apart, onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 min., or till crisp around edges. Makes 3 ½ doz.
From the Good Housekeeping Cook Book, 1949

Are you feeling extra crafty? Perhaps you could get some of these cute clothes-pins from Etsy, or make some using this tutorial, and add a magnet to the back so your guests can display their recipe cards at home. How darling would these be, holding your recipe cards nestled next to your table settings?

When it comes to setting the table, there are so many great options. Aren’t these dishes great? You can pick up lots of retro dishes at thrift stores, of course. Perhaps your relatives have some to borrow. I know my mom has some really great pink melamine coffee cups and saucers. (I wonder where they are….) These lovely ones are available online.

I have a co-worker who collects vintage tablecloths, and once in awhile I run across one at a thrift store for a good price, but they are a little hard to come-by. Maybe you have one waiting for a good excuse to show it off! (Since Dolly is a member of the ladies’ sewing circle working on a quilt throughout the novel, you could also cover the table with a quilt!) One of my favorite bloggers, Dottie Angel, is a master when it comes to finding and re-purposing vintage linens. I wish I had this one for book-club! In fact her blog is full of inspirational ideas that would be perfect for this book-club gathering! Her dishes, her linens, her aprons… Go visit her site now!

I can’t think of anything more fun than having each book-club member join-in the theme by arriving in a vintage-inspired apron. The cover of paper-back version of the book, with its colorful apron, is so charming! Most ladies will have a lot of fun finding an apron to wear to book-club. Check out the inspiration for vintage aprons like this one.

Finally, I adore the idea of using graphics for display that include cover images of the magazines and journals quoted in the book. If you can get color copies of covers from Ladies Home Journal or Good Housekeeping, place them around the house along with some of the quotes from the book that you type-out and print on vintage inspired paper. I just love this picture of a ladies sewing circle from a vintage magazine. It looks almost exactly how I envisioned it in the book. Or how about this picture of a wife happy in the kitchen? I found it on an article entitled: From a 1950′s high school home economics textbook, teaching girls how to prepare for married life. Take a look at the suggestions given, and find a way to print them out and incorporate them into your creative book-club gathering!

My favorite? #7 Make him comfortable: Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.

Finally, in the novel, Dolly was so determined to be the perfect wife that she ended up resenting the fact that she couldn’t follow her dream to fly an airplane. By the end, we are happy that Dolly will fulfill that wish. Encourage your book-club members to follow their dreams and “fly” by giving each one a mini-charm to remind them that they have wings!

The sky’s the limit (no pun intended) with your creative book-club for Keeping the House! If you try some of these ideas, please send me a note and a few pictures of your festive gathering!

Book Review: “Keeping the House” by Ellen Baker

Posted on February 15, 2012 by kmore

“A house, exactly like a dog, must be loved before it will show the best side of its nature.” -Popular Home Decoration 1940 (from Keeping the House by Ellen Baker)

First of all, I selected this novel because I liked the cover (yes, I am prone to do such things) and I really have a little bit of a house-fetish. I love houses! I love looking at them, dreaming about them…. Just like the main character of this novel, Dolly Magnuson. Dolly is a young housewife in the conformist 1950’s and the details of her life are most-likely accurate, but absolutely entertaining in their “antiquity.” Readers will be amused at how drastically expectations have changed for married women, yet will be shocked at just how many things have remained the same. Like many modern day wives, Dolly wishes her husband were more complimentary of her cooking; she wishes he would paint the bathroom like he promised, and she yearns for him to spend the day with her instead of going fishing with the guys.

Dolly’s sense of angst in her role as wife and member of the Ladies Aid Quilting Circle only fuel her fascination with the beautiful, grand home perched on a hill overlooking her small town. She imagines that if only she could live in this house her life would suddenly be different. The object of her desire is the former home of the wealthy Mickelson family. Now, however, the house sits abandoned and neglected. Slowly, Dolly learns snippets of the Mickleson’s story as she suffers through afternoon quilting sessions at the home of the town busy-body who has lived next to the Mickelson home for decades. Dolly’s boredom compels her, via a broken window, to enter the home and begin uncovering not only its secrets, but also its faded glory.

Woven alternately with Dolly’s story are chapters highlighting the plight of the Mickelsons. We see the arrival of Wilma Mickelson as a new bride to her lovely new home on the hill, and we marvel at how Wilma’s story closely parallels that of Dolly. We follow the heartbreaking stories of the Mickelson children and grandchildren as they endure war, betrayal, and ultimately love.

A few moments are slightly over-done and mildly far-fetched, but are forgivable in what ultimately resonates as a compelling family-saga. The shift from past to present is done well and adds to the story, while small moments of suspense kept me eager to find out more. Furthermore, there were times when I was particularly captivated by Ellen Baker’s writing. Notably at the end of a chapter, she would sum up the situation or events in a way that was strikingly beautiful, and I found myself re-reading small sections just to enjoy her words and descriptions. This book feels like a slice of small town America. If you’re craving a wholesome book that is not all fluff, you will enjoy entering the complicated, yet hopeful, worlds of these characters.

Happy Reading!

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