Summary When orphaned twins Darcy and Tory Vega turned 18, they were lured into the Fae’s magical and ruthless world, promising a great inheritance if they completed their studies at Zodiac Academy. In the Fae world, they discovered they were princesses and the rarest of all Faes, able to wield all four elements: fire, air, water, and earth. Not only do they discover magic, they are surrounded by shapeshifters, dragons, vampires, werewolves, and more. However, their royal bloodline and power seriously threaten the current celestial heirs, four guys set to rule the kingdom from birth. They are the most popular guys in school, treated as royalty, and the strongest of their elements. When word spreads of the powerful Vega twins…
Summary Sarah is a recent widow with a toddler and a child on the way. After the death of her husband, secrets began to unravel about her dead husband. Unable to support herself and driven to protect her family from those who thought they were close friends, she accepts help from her mother-in-law. Thoughts This was a page-turner! A few nights I regretted staying up late reading the book and paid the price dearly the next morning. This thriller has it all – suspense, rich old ladies, drama, secrets, and unexpectedly… A cult! Despite it being a page-turner, I found the beginning of the book to be annoying. I couldn’t help but think… “Again?! This lady can’t get a break!”.…
Summary Remembering Peasants: A Personal History of a Vanished World by Patrick Joyce is a non-fiction book about the history of peasants in Europe, mostly in Ireland. It also serves as a slight memoir of Joyce’s family history. Thoughts Not what I was hoping for this book to be. I was expecting more of a journalist collecting personal stories from peasants about their daily lives. Instead, it’s a very dry history of peasants – defining peasants, the population and decline of peasants, life and death rituals, houses, etc. The topics and chapters were poorly arranged throughout the book, and I found the syntax difficult to follow. Several times I found myself thinking this chapter is unnecessarily long, with paragraphs that…
The “IT” bag of summer… and the rest of the year! I grabbed the Lululemon belt bag in blush pink two years ago after TikTok’s algorithm sold me on it. I instantly loved it. It easily replaced my errands purse whenever we went out. Then, last year, TikTok’s algorithm sold me the Uniqlo moon/crescent bag so I grabbed it in light pink. From then onwards, I was switching between the two depending on my mood, activity, what I was carrying, and my outfit. Eventually, I wanted to clean my wardrobe, so I contemplated which one to keep. They’re both very similar but each has its pros and cons. I eventually nailed it down to one. Check out my review below…
Summary Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum by Antonia Hylton explores the historical Crownsville Hospital, a segregated asylum in Maryland. The book examines the treatment of Black patients in psychiatric institutions, highlighting systemic racism and discriminatory practices. Hylton explores how racial prejudices influenced diagnoses, treatments, and the overall experience of Black patients in asylums. In addition to retelling the stories of Crownsville, Hylton deals with mental illness in her family and what drives her to research race and mental illness. Thoughts Wow. What a page-turner! I’d never heard of Crownsville Hospital before picking up this book. Now, I feel everyone needs to know the hospital’s history and the treatment of Black citizens and patients in Maryland. It’s…
Nestled around the corner of Victoria Drive and Kingsway, The Tipper Restaurant is a casual eatery showcasing local art and music, and offering classic comfort food. We stumbled upon The Tipper on Google Maps when Dan wanted to dine out for breakfast and we didn’t want to go to our usual spot. There’s parking in front of the restaurant, but not in the back. If the front is busy (which can be throughout weekdays!), we parked on the residential street a block away. Upon entering the restaurant, we were instantly greeted and were surrounded by adorable artwork by children. Our server promptly gave us menus and, noticing Theo, asked if we wanted a high chair since we didn’t see any…
Summary In 1925, renowned British explorer Percy Harrison Fawcett and his two companions disappeared in the Amazon jungles in search of a hidden ancient civilization he dubbed Z. Since then, hundreds of explorers and rescuers also vanished in search of Fawcett and his team, and the Lost City of Z. Journalist and author David Grann set out to solve the mystery of Fawcett’s disappearance and the Lost City of Z. What happened to Fawcett, and did the Lost City of Z truly exist? Thoughts I’ve come to love David Grann’s work over the last several months. I binged his entire collection of books he’s written this year. Grann’s talent for journalism translates well into the books he’s written. He has…