A Hint of Spring, Dare I Dream?

 

It's too early to start seedings but not too early to start garden planning. Yesterday, the hubs and I looked online for another raised garden to add to our front yard. Once it is in place we will officially have more garden than grass, which has been my goal!

I've got some new reusable silicone trays and soil ready for seeds come my spring break at the end of March. Last year I started herbs from seeds and it worked out well. We will see how the vegetable seeds go. 

I also ordered three tomato plants from the Chicago Tomato Man, He has an incredible amount of heirloom tomato varieties. You pick and choose what types you want and then in May, you pick up your plants! 

Below is a June picture of our garden last year.

Is there anything you do to help with the winter doldrums? 

        

Rich People Stuff-- What Do You Think? The Paradise Problem

 A couple of weeks ago, I went with my husband to the ER (he is fine.) I brought The Paradise Problem with to read. I should have brought another book along, but silly me didn't think we'd be in the ER for eight hours, I thought we'd be out in two hours. Lesson learned always take two physical books to medical facilities. 

I enjoyed Christina Lauren's writing. The dialogue is snappy and they really turn a nice phrase. This book is about obscenely wealthy people on a private island, so if you like an escapist setting this should be a hit for you. The cast of side characters is large and I didn't feel a strong connection to them, which is fine as this book is very focused on our main characters. This is a fake relationship story and it's interesting to see how the situation is resolved.  

If you like rom-com dialogue and lush settings, give this romance a read!

Four Stars for The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren!

Next week our school district goes back to school! Boy did this summer fly by! My garden continues to do very well. And I have a ton of tomatoes slowly ripening. I have these tiny little cherry tomatoes that are as big as a blueberry and I cannot wait to pick a bunch of those. I am hoping that they ripen before Anna heads back to college, she loves tomatoes on her avocado toast! 

When You Read A Five Star Book and Can Only Hope It's The Start of a Series!

 

I listened to the audio version of this book and it is excellent. The reader is fantastic, she does an excellent job with all the characters. The main character of this book is Clara, and she is a hero you want to root for. What makes this book stand out from the crowd are these factors:

1.The Setting is Washington DC in the 1920s.

2. The side characters have their own story arcs and those don't take away from the main story.

3. A unique magic system in a mundane world.

4. Leslye Penelope includes actual historical people in the book in a very creative way.

That's about all I can tell you without going into spoiler land. When I started this book, I was hooked right away it has excellent pacing. 

If you read this book I'd love to hear your thoughts!

On the gardening front, I've harvested my first vegetable! 

The first 'fruits' of my garden labor! 

All the 2011 Feels!

  This spring I was listening to an episode of the podcast Fated Mates and they mentioned that JR Ward had a new book coming out in the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series.  I read a bunch of books in the series back in 2011 and 2012, until I was caught up and then I assume I got distracted. 

However, when I heard about The Beloved by JR Ward I got a craving to check it out. I put the book on hold and last week my hold came up. I started reading it Sunday and right now I'm at the fifty percent mark. I'm enjoying my return to the book's universe.  It's like I found an old favorite jacket that I haven't worn in years and it fits perfectly and feels nice and soft, just like I remembered.

Are there any series you started, didn't finish, and then years later revisited?

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In this weeks writing, I'm getting to know one of my side characters from Too Kölsch For Comfort better and now she has a best friend. I enjoy writing female friendships so much!   We got a ton of rain today and I am hoping that my plants will flourish this week and that I'll have a nice garden update to post on The Sunday Post!

The Sunday Post First Week Of May! Time to Draft Book Three!

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme

May has arrived and it's past the last time for a frost in my garden zone so I picked up some plants yesterday. A local greenhouse had a pop-up plant sale at one of our local breweries, so I got some seedlings. I got thyme, oregano, a bell pepper, marigolds, cucumbers, kale and zinnias. 

I've got room for a few more plants. At the end of this month, I'm picking up four heirloom tomato plants from the Chicago Tomato Guy. Exciting! 

Reading-wise, I just finished reading an ARC of How to Help A Hungry Werewolf by Charlotte Stein. I'll talk about that this week.

Writing-wise, I have my outline for Is This Love Fur Real? Today I need to buckle down and write two thousand words. My short-term goal is to get to fifteen thousand words in my rough draft by next Sunday. Wish me luck!

How was your week? 

 

Book Release Day! No Gouda Without You by Me!

No Gouda Without You is officially available! It's a Kindle unlimited book so you can download it and check it out via your subscription!  It's also available as a Kindle for under $4 and you can also get it as a paperback! I'm nervous and excited! 

My goal was a book that was filled with Hallmark Vibes and showed life after cancer for someone who had cancer young  (ish). It's the first book in my small town romance series and I am having fun working on book two right now! 

Here is the Amazon link and the book's description below! 

https://a.co/d/hjCZL2W

She survived cancer. Can she survive risking her heart?

Having survived cancer, Nicole Garrett is determined to take care of herself by eating well, exercising, and avoiding stress. She’s got a stable job, good friends, and her own house, and that’s enough for her. Most importantly, Nicole isn’t going to take any risks that could leave her heartbroken again. But when she meets a handsome chef with the cutest dimples she’s ever seen, she begins to question if playing it safe is still working for her.

Sean Harper is the optimistic chef and owner of Jesse’s Pub. After two years of constant devotion, his restaurant is hitting its stride. He’s put every dollar and every hour he’s had into making it a success. Beyond the now positive balance sheet, it’s a way for him to distance himself from his own broken family, who’ve never seen his worth. Then one Sunday, he meets the attractive woman who dismisses his omelet culinary masterpiece, and he can't get her out of his mind, so much so that he starts questioning if he can make room for her in his kitchen.

She’s got plenty of reasons to be grumpy, and, frankly, relationships with men never end well for her, especially given the wounds she’s still healing from. Even though sparks fly between Nicole and Sean, he only has time for his farm-to-table restaurant. If he’s willing to change his view of marriage, can he convince her to open her heart and trust him in return?

No Gouda Without You is a small-town, life after cancer, grumpy-sunshine, steamy romance, featuring a chef who loves a good food pun and a school secretary who’s just trying to survive. Part of the Marley Creek Romance Series, this standalone story includes adventures at a local brewery, Hallmark movie vibes, and a guaranteed HEA. 

A Lovely Book for Summertime: Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets of the Universe

The first two-thirds of June were hot and dry. Then the rain came down, and down and down.  My garden is going to eclipse our scarecrow! 

I listened to the audio version of this book which is read by Lin-Manuel Miranda, he does a wonderful job.  He has amazing source material to work with; this book is so lovely. It's beautifully written. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a rare book that I enjoyed so much that after having listened to it, I'm going to go by a physical copy so I can read it and keep it and read it again. 

If you haven't read it already, go get it. It's a story of boys and summer and life and families.  It's clear early on why it has won many awards. Even if you don't usually read YA, if you love books, give it a read. 

“Summer was here again. Summer, summer, summer. I loved and hated summers. Summers had a logic all their own and they always brought something out in me. Summer was supposed to be about freedom and youth and no school and possibilities and adventure and exploration. Summer was a book of hope. That's why I loved and hated summers. Because they made me want to believe.”
― Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

 

Toast! Sans Avocado and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Willams- Sonoma sends emails with amazing recipes. Sometimes I just drool over them and sometimes I give their recipe a go.  Recently, they send this recipe- Tomato, Feta, and Herb Toast.  Making this recipe I learned that feta is kinda pricey and that after you defrost the puff pastry, you roll it some. This is why I tell myself, don't just look at the ingredients and start chopping, read the whole recipe first. I didn't have fresh oregano on hand, so I used more thyme. Thyme is my favorite herb. We have lemon thyme in our garden this year and this recipe was extra good with that hint of lemon. 

Next go round with this recipe I am going to let it cook for a couple of minutes longer, use tomatoes from my garden, and maybe switch out the feta for another cheese. You need one sheet of puff pastry for this recipe and puff pastry comes in a two-pack, once the tomatoes in my garden ripen, I'll be ready for a take two of this easy light meal. 

Late Monday night, or really Tuesday morning, I finished blazing through the book The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.  I raced through it because I received a 'jump the line' digital copy from the Libby library app, I only got to borrow the book for seven days and I forgot that I had the copy for the first few days of the seven days.  Life on a deadline is an integral part of the book, so having to read it in less than three days was very fitting. 

This is an award-winning fantasy book. If you don't normally read much fantasy, you might want to give this book a try because the story spans 300 years and includes the historical events of those times. Because I was crunched for time, I skimmed some of the pages.  The writing and the descriptions are lovely and the story is compelling. I needed to know things and I was prepared to be heartbroken at the end.

However, I was not heartbroken, I think the ending was satisfying and not tragic. My key takeaway is how no matter how long you live or what your life looks like, every day, every single day is an opportunity to be delighted.  And I think that is exactly right. 

Four and 1/2 stars to this book! I am going to make it a point to read some of V.E. Schwab's past books, I've heard good things! 

I'm Anti Invasive Anything! Gardening and Post Cancer Treatment Life #PTSD #BCSM

 

Today I was in my garden, which is tiny but the plants are thriving; so much so that my cucumber plant is now encroaching on my flowering red bell pepper plant. This morning I was checking the garden plants for nefarious invaders and I found cabbage worms! Picture me looking at my cauliflower plant above, seeing all the holes, and frowning. Then I look closely at the leaves and bam!  A green worm!  On my leaf! First of all, this is why I don’t plant cruciferous vegetables, and second of all, how dare invasive disease attack my garden! 

Cue my outsized stress reaction to the garden pests. Yes, cancer trauma here we go again. First I put on some gloves, then I went inside and got a plastic knife,  and then I eradicated the worms. I serial-killed five of them, and I think there were either eggs or poop down on the budding leaves so I scrapped that off the plant. I’m glad I only have one plant. I don’t know that I will be planting cauliflower in the future, I don’t like murdering bugs almost as much as I don’t like, cue my waving my hands around, another reason to have some PTSD. 

After I killed the worms I found, I did a google search to find out if there was anything I could do to not have cabbage worms. First I learned that it’s supposed to be too early in the season for the worms and second I learned that if I put down diatomaceous earth that might help. 

Tricky how trauma can creep up on a person. Imagine what it will be like for people of this earth over the next decade given all the trauma the pandemic inflicted.  We are going to see so many different ways people try and cope--and plenty of that will be bad. It's a fine time as any to try to be kind because you don't know what people are dealing with when you run into them. 

Last thought for this post, later this afternoon, after I had reflected on invasive disease in my garden is just too on the nose a metaphor for the stress of cancer treatment,

I decided if I find more worms I'm going to scoop them up and then put them out for the plentiful birds in my backyard to eat!

How the Garden Started...

How the garden is going... just three weeks later! Looking great except for invasive pests! 

Starting A Garden This Year? #TheBeginnersGuidetoGrowingGreatVegetables #NetGalley

 

Off and on over the years, I've had gardens at our homes. Above is this year's situation, one raised bed of vegetables and then containers with flowers and herbs. My gardening style is winging it.  I really don't know what I'm doing.  With that in mind, I decided to check out this book via #NetGalley: (I received an ARC of this book, all the opinions are mine!) 

Doesn't this cover call to you? If you have Kindle Unlimited you can get this book as part of your subscription.  You will be inspired by the gorgeous photography throughout the book. The Beginners' Guide to Growing Great Vegetables i is packed with easy-to-access information to help anyone become a gardener.  It includes explanations of planting zones, microclimates, how to kill pests with beer, and a month-by-month guide to starting a garden.  It also includes instructions and tips for planting raised beds as well as containers and discusses using edibles as ornamentals.  Why not have some beautiful kale in your front yard?  It's pretty and tasty!   

The book is filled with wonderful graphics to show you everything from how to lay out a garden, to DIY soil testing, and how to build a hoop house. In the past, I have purchased gardening books that I have opened and thumbed through and put aside because I felt overwhelmed by the content. This book is different, it's very beginner-focused focusing on why you will want to do certain things and when you will want to do them in order to grow vegetables in your backyard, front yard, or even on a balcony.  

5 Stars- Comprehensive guide with a monthly planner! 

#TheSundayPost for May 23rd! What's Going On?

 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.  See rules here: Sunday Post Meme

Purple Irises began blooming earlier this week!  The hubs bought a bunch of vegetable and flower starts for the garden.  The raised bed is planted, the big planter is filled with herbs and I have filled all the containers from last year with flowers.  So I bought a few more containers, some for the front porch and a couple for extra tomato plants in the back yard. 

Upcoming this week I'll be reviewing this month's Cozy Mystery Book Club selection. Little Bookshop of Murder by Maggie Blackburn (aka Mollie Cox Bryan) 

You can join us for the live stream on Tuesday via YouTube.  Here is the link join us! 

How beautiful is this cover! 

And Friday I'll be sharing a review for Blaze of Memory by Nalini Singh --I've been hoping that Dev Santos who we meet a couple books ago would get getting his own book! I was sure he'd make a great main character! You can join the Read-Along by clicking here! 

I'm not feeling this cover, it's a little too action movie starring Steven Sagal -esque! I have every confidence that the book is better than the cover! 

Throwback Thursday

Remember the good old days when there wasn't a global pandemic?  Good times. Good times.  Happy Thursday to you!

I'm trying to grow celery from a celery stalk. I think it has started growing. If you look close you can see some little leaves starting inside on the lefthand side. I'm not sure what I am doing, so I turned to the internet and found this blog post: Regrowing Celery We will see how it goes.  While it is solidly Springtime, the forecast is calling for a bunch of snow tonight.  Up to 6 inches of snow, ugh!  We are still a month out from thinking about planting outside. Hopefully, I can get this celery going and transplant it outside right around Mother's Day. I am also trying to regrow lettuce, my fingers are crossed. 

Thursday is my short run day. I run in the morning and then I participate in a virtual journaling class.  It's good for reducing anxiety during this weird time. It's a group for people who have had cancer and I think everyone in the group has commented that the pandemic has triggered stress and emotions bringing one back to the uncertain days of cancer treatment.  We are all working through some things. these days.