The first thing I should probably mention about Paris Cocktails, a book by Doni Belau, is how it looks on the outside (all “don’t judge a book by its cover” arguments aside). This small, hardcover collection of recipes features a martini-shaped cut-out on the front, revealing a map of Paris underneath. It is extremely pleasing to the eye, to say […]

A feisty heroine, a dashing Scotsman, a handsome megalomaniac villain and his idiot son, nonstop wit and laughter, and adventure. Roll all of these into one book and you will find Jane Carter Barrett’s Antonía Barclay and Her Scottish Claymore ! Antonía Barclay is not your average 16th century Scottish nineteen-year-old. As the beloved and only daughter of Lord and Lady Barclay, Antonía (pronounced […]

The definition of a “hierophant” is, according to my trusted internet sources, “a person, especially a priest in ancient Greece, who interprets sacred mysteries or esoteric principles.” That word, although perhaps unfamiliar to many, is particularly important to know when beginning the book He Can See Heaven by J.B. Keats. Before even starting the first page, I looked up that […]

Jenny Linford‘s Garlic: Over 65 deliciously different ways to enjoy cooking with garlic shows that you can do more with garlic than ward off vampires! Who knew there are so many kinds of garlic? And each is used in different ways to create and enhance different flavors. Linford begins by explaining each one and the best way to prepare and store […]

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” – C.S. Lewis I love tea. My collections of tea and mugs are extensive. One of my favorite holiday traditions with my friends is to go to a pretty and cozy local tea house. How do I create the perfect tea experience at […]

Howard Beckman has been many things, but boring is not one of them. Yogi, gemologist, father, Ayurvedic expert, astronomical guru, husband, heroin addict, international drug trafficker. Survivor of both the Thai and American penal system. Writer, motivational speaker. Animal lover. Friend. These are all descriptors that can be employed to describe him, and yet none of them are singularly able […]

How do we move on from the past? How do we define ourselves after tragedy? Pam Jenoff, author of the popular novel, The Kommandant’s Girl, explores these issues in her new book, The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach. In 1941, Adelia Monteforte, an Italian Jewish teenager, is suddenly put on a boat and sent to America for safety. Alone in a new country, […]

One constant that occurs every day is the rising and setting of the sun. However, that same constant changes each day: no sunrise or sunset is the same. Each new day is a new beginning. In Sunrise, Sunset: 52 Weeks of Awe & Gratitude, book publicist and writer, Kim Weiss, uses photography to share this message. “When I see the sun rise, […]

A piece of the past has returned to the present with Ann Banks’ audiobook First Person America. Originally published in paperback in 1991, Audible recently released the audio version with award-winning broadcaster Tony Kahn narrating the book. Banks takes the lost history of Americans during the 1930’s and transforms it into a powerful read that shows the lives of people […]

I couldn’t open up The Noticer’s Guide to Living and Laughing, penned by Margery Leveen Sher, quickly enough. Not only did the cover page claim that the book could help “change your life without changing your routine,” but the back of the book posed such questions as: “Do you want to be awestruck every day? Do you want to laugh […]