Tag: books

Mini Book Reviews: In the Company of Witches, Ghost Business, and Play Nice

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized7 Comments

I am making my way through my fall TBR and I am loving it. Why do I just save these books for fall? I love them all so much. I should read them all year!

First up, In the Company of Witches by Auralee Wallace.

Ivywood Hollow has a reputation for its calm, restorative atmosphere. This time of year, one could reliably expect upon entering its doors to be greeted with a fire, gently cracking in the hearth, soothing classical music playing in the background and divine scents emanating from the kitchen.”

In the Company of Witches is a perfect read for fall. It is cozy and warm, with atmosphere and quirky characters, witches and ghosts, and that quaint small town feel. I really enjoyed this book about Brynn, her eccentric aunts, and her haiku writing uncle Gideon. Oh and I can’t forget Dog and Faustus. This book feels like the beginning of fall and would be absolutely wonderful paired with a cup of hot chocolate. Just make sure Izzy hasn’t charmed it before drinking it. And the ending was so sweet and made me a little bit teary – and the author herself commented on my Instagram post, saying that it made her a bit teary as well!

“Nora’s garden was a sanctuary. There was no better word to describe it. Even though she had tended to it daily, it had a wild feel, lush and overgrown. It was a the type of place where you wanted to dance in the moonlight, trailing your fingers over flowers, or laze away a hot summer’s day listening to the wind rustle in the trees.”

Next, Ghost Business by Jen DeLuca

“Setting the place on fire anytime was a bad idea, but during a hurricane? That seemed especially negligent.”

Ghost Business by Jen DeLuca was one of my most anticipated reads of the season and it did not disappoint!! This book was fun, funny, adorable, and at times, vulnerable. Sophie and Tristan both run rival ghost tours in the same small town in Florida; Sophie has the hometown advantage, having lived there her whole life and knowing all the stories, yet Tristan is a natural showman with flair. This is definitely going to be my Friday book buy!

This enemies to lovers story is so endearing and I just loved both characters, along with the rest of the characters from the town, including Cassie and Nick from Haunted Ever After. While it takes place in Florida and during some very hot months, the ghost vibes make it perfect for a fall read – especially for where I live, with its unseasonably hot weather right now.

I also sort of love that I finished this on October 1, a very significant date in the book.
This is all small town charm, enemies to lovers, and Tristan is a bit of a cinnamon roll, my favorite. As for spice, there was some, but not super open door explicit. So maybe like a rating of red pepper flakes on pizza?

Definitely read this. Maybe have some red wine on hand, and plan on ordering a pizza!

And last but not least, Play Nice by Rachel Harrison.

“Darling, what other people think of me is none of my business.”

This was my first time reading a book by Rachel Harrison and oh my gosh did I love this book. I could not stop reading it, much like Clio could not stop reading her book, in the book. 😂 Clio is a feisty fireball, all about appearance and being seen, her image, and snarky, quick witted repartee. She is also a bit of a brat. She knows it and owns it. That is until she is up against her past and things she can’t see – or maybe unsee.

I feel like that is a big theme in this book. Appearances, how we are seen, how we are perceived, what it means. I sort of loved how the author explored this idea through Clio’s job, through her mom’s book, through her sisters. It was really well done, especially as the main plot of this book was about a haunted house.

I loved every character in this book despite all of them being flawed, the story, and the look at how women are treated as well, when they may have issues. “The world will drive a woman insane, then point and laugh at them “

This book was funny, scary, and ultimately a five star read. 😈

I am linking up with the monthly book link up I co-host with Lisa at Boondock Ramblings, A Good Book and a Cup of Tea.

I hope that whatever you do today, you do something that makes you smile!

Sunday/Monday Post!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized7 Comments

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date

Hello everyone!! We have been very busy socially this month so far! Lol. I think we are making up for our “lost summer” due to Wyatt’s surgery and recovery. We have been having a good time but this mom is getting tired! Lol. This weekend we visited a “haunted bookstore” for some shopping, spent Saturday creating Halloween decorations, then going to an outdoor movie at my brother’s, then yesterday our Blackbirds went on a nature walk and “insect encounter” on Belle Isle, then Wyatt, Billy, and I went to the Detroit Zoo Boo. Phew. I am so ready … for our busy week. Wyatt is having a great time though so it is worth it.

What I Read:

I read Play Nice by Rachel Harrison and Ghost Business by Jen DeLuca. I really loved both of them!! Play Nice was scarier, while Ghost Business was just like a cozy little romance. It is not set in the fall really, but had enough of a vibe that made it fun spooky. Plus it fit this unseasonably hot weather we are having here. One more day, and it seems like we will have better temps.

Reading This Week:

I recently read In the Company of Witches by Auralee Wallace and I loved it, so I am looking forward to Late Night Witches. And hopefully by the time I get to Falling Like Leaves, we will have some actual Michigan fall weather around here!

Posted Last Week:

The Gilmore Girls Episodes That I Love to Rewatch

Hello October!

Comfy Cozy Cinema: A Knight’s Tale

Friday Morning Coffee Catch Up

What We Are Watching:

We are watching along with our Comfy Cozy Cinema, that I am co-hosting with Lisa from Boondock Ramblings. We just watched A Knight’s Tale, and this week we are watching The Five Year Engagement, which I picked for the humorous depiction of Michigan. It is more than just the little jokes about Michigan though, and I hope you all enjoy it if you watch along!

We are also watching the cartoon Haunted Hotel, and we restarted Twin Peaks. I LOVED Twin Peaks as a teen and wanted to be Audrey Horne. I still want to be Audrey Horne, maybe. Billy and I were watching and can’t get over how much we still love it, and we both agreed I have been chasing that aesthetic my whole life. It is so weird and creepy and sad but it is so good. Very Lynch.

And that is it from me this morning! I have an eye appointment soon and I should probably get ready! I hope that whatever you do today, you do something that makes you smile.

Friday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized12 Comments

Hello everyone! After a few hot weeks after a false fall, we had a cool night last night. There was an actual chill in the air, and it was glorious. We stayed outside until the fairy lights came on then headed inside where we made sure all the windows were open. This morning I was practically freezing making coffee in my kitchen! I of course loved it before retreating back to my bed with my hot cup of coffee. It is cooling on my nightstand as I type!

We have been having a good time around here – in school, and out of school. Last weekend we woke up and headed down to Toledo early on Saturday morning to meet my cousin and his family at the Muddy Maumee Book Festival. Well, we really met Mike’s wife Michelle, and their three boys, because Mike was working there. With Wyatt added, there was big boy energy happening! My cousin Mike is the Chief Engagement and Enterprise Officer (a title I just looked up because I knew he was some sort of administrator there but I didn’t know what) and I am so proud of him. Anyway, we will get back to that part in a minute. Let’s start with the book festival.

The festival was all independent authors from around the area – some even as far away as Grand Haven Michigan and southern Indiana! This was the first year that it was held at the Glass City Riverwalk in Toledo, which seemed like a perfect place to have it. They all had their books on display, and were happy to answer any questions the kids had. My cousin’s oldest boy is also a bookworm and asked the authors great questions about the books. Michelle and I were lucky to get out of there with only a few purchases each! Billy ordered a set of dragon books for Wyatt from Ryan Null, a clean fantasy author based out of Indiana, called The Flare Chronicles, and I picked up a book for myself from Michigan author Mark Love, who writes romance! I bought an early copy of a collection of short stories by various authors, including Love, called Inkspell’s Enchanted Holidays. After we shopped and chatted and I gathered bookmark business cards from every author, we had a nice lunch at the restaurant there, called The Garden by Poco Piatti. They had the best pizza, seriously.

After we ate, my cousin gave us a guided tour (using an 8 person golf cart which Wyatt thought was awesome) around Glass City. We hit all the major attractions of this 70 acre park. It has a 7 mile loop around the river with a 1,000 foot long trail (The Ribbon) for ice skating in the winter – and they even provide skating sleds for the disabled community, and cute little huts for fires and s’mores and whatever when you need a break, which you can reserve. We saw it all – the mural, the field of histories, which was my favorite. They are a field of glass orbs, and each one has a laser engraved image from a member of the Toledo community, that relates to their own personal history. Then each one has a code that can be looked up online to read more about the object. It is really well done and intricate, and ties it personally to the area. I absolutely loved it. History and art and community connection!! We saw the slag ladles, which is something Billy and I are familiar with living in an area with lots of steel mills, the kayaking cove and even some sites that are soon to come, such as a place to camp! It was really amazing, and for some reason I never put it together that it is called the Glass city because of all the glass manufacturing that happens/happened there, by companies like Libby and Corning.

We had a great time and headed happily home, full of books and history and moments with family.

Billy and I were having a big day Saturday, because we also went on our first date in like a year. I had bought tickets for an Edgar Allan Poe speakeasy all the way back in August and the day had come! Billy’s mom came over to watch Wyatt for us, and we made our way to another big city on the river, this one north – Detroit, of course.

So, this event was four readings from Poe, each one preceded by a drink pertaining to that reading. It was amazing. It was run by just six people, from start to finish, the drinks, the serving of the drinks, the readings, and it was all done so smoothly. When you get there, you are directed to a waiting room, that has drinks and just a few snacks, and tables. My cousin had been to this performance a few days before, and tipped me off that you can wait in line at about fifteen minutes to start, which we did. When they opened their doors five minutes later, we were among the first to find our seats – center stage, second row. Perfection. Then there is the intro, the first drink was served, and the first performance began. And that continued for the next 90 minutes. I did not drink all of my four drinks, I would have fallen over or died or something. So I drank about a quarter of each drink, so that I could taste it and enjoy it but still have the ability to watch the performance, try the other drinks, and not be a puddle on the floor when it ended. No need to get all messy. The performers did a phenomenal job setting the mood and atmosphere, and delivered a magical performance. I was spellbound! They did readings from The Pit and the Pendulum, The Fall of the House of Usher, Annabel Lee (I love it!) and Cask of Amontillado. It is hard to pick my favorite, so I won’t!

Sunday we spent just relaxing and resetting for the week, which I greatly needed. Then most of this week we spent schooling, therapy, and other just life things, except for Tuesday. Tuesday we met my brother and the Hurricane at the Henry Ford Museum. We had a great time, walking around, hanging out with the kids, putting Wyatt’s little flat George Washington places, until it happened. Wyatt threw up. He still occasionally has nausea from his meds and it got him on Tuesday. He threw up however, right in front of the lunch counter where I was paying, in a restaurant with a bunch of people eating. It was one of those horrid moments, where you feel terrible for your kid but also want the floor to swallow you up. My brother was there thankfully to lend a hand, cleaning Wyatt up for me so I could clean myself up, as I took the brunt of it and then I took my kiddo home. He napped for about 30 minutes and woke up perfectly fine. It was just not a great meds morning. We are having a redo next week, when we go to a different museum with Devin and Hurricane girl.

And Marsha, those pumpkins made me think of you!

And that is it for today! I hope that whatever you do today, you do something that makes you smile.

Gilmore Girls: The Episodes that I Love to Rewatch

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized9 Comments

Sigh. Gilmore Girls. One of my favorite shows back in the day. I loved everything. I loved Lorelai and Rory, I loved that Rory loved to read as much as I did, I loved Stars Hollow and the small town quirkiness, the community involvement, the festivals and events, their love of coffee, and of course, Luke. I like to discuss which of Rory’s boyfriends was the best – and it is Jess obviously. I love Lane and her love of music and it was so awesome when Sebastian Bach was in her band. I love Paris. I love Sookie and Jackson. I could go on and on. And yes, fall is Gilmore Girls season, we can chug coffee and eat Chinese food and watch old movies, and dream that we are just living in the early 2000s again. Was life simpler then, or was it just that I was younger?

I don’t however watch the entire series all over again every year. I have watched it so many times, that I just don’t want to watch it all over again, again. I will however, let it play in the background as I am doing other things, and if I sit down to intentionally imbibe an episode for relaxation, I have some favorite episodes that I choose to watch. And that is the focus of this post. My favorite episodes.

I am not putting these in any particular order, although they may fall into order by season. We will see how this shakes out.

Season 1, Ep. 8: Love and War and Snow: I usually save this one for the cusp of winter for obvious reasons. This is the episode where Lorelai famously says that she smells snow, enthusiastically. And I totally feel her in this episode. I too enjoy walking around rhapsodically in the snow, the more snow the better! (as long as no one has to drive in it) In this episode Rory stays the night at her grandparent’s due to the blizzard, and Lorelai is unexpectedly alone. Until she runs into Max Medina, Rory’s teacher. And we all know where that goes (and not that far, jeez guys). Why I love this episode: The snow and joy of snow

Season 2, Episode 10: The Bracebridge Dinner: This is probably one of my very favorites. I love this whole idea, of this very niche themed dinner, the snow, everyone staying at the Inn, the horse-drawn sleigh rides. Why I love it: Everything!

Season 2, Episode 13: A Tisket, A Tasket: In this episode, the women folks make up picnic baskets and the men bid on them. When they win a basket, they get to eat the food with the woman who made it. (They also did this on Hart of Dixie and I loved that episode too) Pretty sexist but I still loved it. It was just a fun episode and Jackson and Sookie were so cute in it. Of course there are the tv twists, like Jess outbidding Dean for Rory’s basket (lol take that Dean!) and Lorelai and Luke have a picnic together too. Why I Love It: This falls into my small town cute community things love.

Season 3, Episode 7: They Shoot Gilmores, Don’t They? The Dance Marathon episode!!! How can anyone not like this episode? The costumes, the idea, the excitement, the nostalgia, and ooo the tension between Rory and Dean and Jess! Why I love it: All of it.

Season 3, Episode 9: A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving: Two words. Dave Rygalski. I was just so happy for Lane in this episode, with her Dave Rygalski pretending to be a Christian guitarist so he could be at their Thanksgiving. It was just so cute and teenagery. I also loved\ Kirk and cat Kirk.

Season 4 Episode 14: Girls in Bikins, Boys Doin the Twist: This episode cracks me up and gives me anxiety. I never went on spring break in college. Not my scene. And that is my favorite part of this episode, when Rory and Paris give up trying to have the “normal” spring break experience and just are like we are nerds, let’s watch The Power of Myth. It’s good to know who you are and if you like to stay home and read and watch movies and eat pizza, then I want to be your friend. What I Love: Rory and Paris becoming better friends, how they nope out of spring break.

Season 5, Episode 7: You Jump, I Jump, Jack: Ok we all knew this iconic episode would be on here. It has the big scene with Rory jumping off of a tower with an umbrella. I love the setup of this party though. I mean obviously this is put on by the richy rich members of the Life and Death Brigade, so it is fancy pantsy. But I want to go to this party, minus Logan. Ugh I hated Logan!! His smugness, his just everything, his attitude just smacked of privilege and he was repulsive. However, he can throw a good party. In Omnia Paratus! : What I loved: the look of this party! All these white tents, candles, tables in the forest. Just so otherworldly and pretty.

Season 7 Episode 9: Knit, People, Knit!: I think we all know by now I love a theme. So of course I love this episode where the town gets together to knit to save the Old Muddy River Bridge. I am going to be honest, the last few seasons of The Gilmore Girls are not my favorites. Rory is insufferable, Lorelai never learns, Logan sucks, Dean sucks, I miss Jess. The only thing I really like about them is the slightest introduction of Sherrilyn Fenn’s character as Luke’s baby mama of the daughter he didn’t know that he had. I love Sherrilyn Fenn, I wanted to be her as Audrey Horne. Anyway, I liked seeing the ol’ Stars Hollows energy in this episode.

And that is it! Are you a fan of Gilmore Girls? Are you Team Dean, Jess, or Logan? Team Luke, Jason, Christopher, Max? Who is your favorite townie? (Kirk)

I hope that whatever you do today you do something that makes you happy – and I hope that you find that perfect cup of coffee, that perfect book, that perfect movie if that is what you need today.

Friday Morning Coffee Catch Up

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized10 Comments

Hello everyone!! We have been busy around here lately – a weekend full of fun events and then a week of appointments.

Let’s start with the blah. Wyatt had an extra therapy appointment, so we had three trips to his therapy this week. Then I had my regular routine bloodwork appointment that we all have to get, and then I also had my mammogram this morning. I scheduled it super early in the morning so that I could get it done before Billy had to go to work, and it was super eerie out when I left. Pitch black and quiet. I was the only patient in the building. It was a weird feeling but it was a very quick appointment! I even got my results already – I’m good. I had put off all of my regular appointments for Wyatt’s surgery and recovery, so I now have to catch up on them. Yuck. I go to the eye doctor soon, but I am excited about that one. I am ready for some new glasses!

It was nice heading into this super busy week off of a really awesome weekend. On Saturday, Billy and I took Wyatt out on our first big family adventure post-surgery. We drove down to Ohio to visit some of the marshes there, and did a little hiking on the trails. We were only about an hour from home, and it was nice to be in nature again. I really needed that! We heard so many birds, and we saw a mink dart across the trail! The water levels were really low – you could tell that our area has been in a drought.

We went to two different state parks, located literally right next to each other, Magee Marsh and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. Both had fantastic visitors centers, nice trails, including a driving tour, and to Wyatt’s delight, a gift shop.

Sunday was another busy day! We had our Blackbirds outing to the Detroit Tigers game, and it was such a blast. We didn’t go for the whole game, but arrived during the fifth inning. I knew Wyatt would not make it through the entire thing, and a few of the other families from our group did the same. The wheelchair area was only about 3 rows up from where our group was sitting so it was nice, we felt like we really were there all together. It was a beautiful day, not too hot, although it did rain briefly! Instead of fighting to get back up to the main concourse with Wyatt we just plopped a poncho over him and waited it out. He loved being in the rain. Everyone else in the lower section where we were had headed up and it was funny to see the rows so empty!

One of the mothers from our group has a niece that works for the Tigers and is in charge of the kids events. On Sundays, kids can run the bases after the game. Well, our group had it one step better. We got to go down before the rest of the kids in the stadium, take the special elevators down that the players’ families use, and we were on the field before basically alone. We were there while the players and their kids ran the bases, and then we got to go! It was so crazy being five feet from the players while we waited our turn. Even the parents were excited. The kids were all pretty pumped, even though they were a little nervous too. They usually only allow the kids to go, but for our group they allowed Billy to go with Wyatt, and then Chrissy to run with the little hurricane girl. Then afterwards, Billy, Wyatt, and I got a security escort back to the elevators with someone clearing the way for us through the crowd. It was such a great experience.

I am so grateful that our kids had this opportunity!!

We also started to decorate for fall and Halloween. Wyatt and I flipped on some fall ambience video on YouTube and found places for our decorations. (well, mostly me) We still have some to put out but we made a good start. I really love my dresser right now. It looks all fall and has a collection of books that I hope to read this autumn. It is up to ten books. Lol.

And that is it for today!!

I will leave you with some random photos from the past week.

And with that, I am out. It was an early morning and I am going to finish this coffee and maybe try to read a bit.

I hope that whatever you do today, you do something that makes you smile!

Book Review: The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized12 Comments

Hello everyone! Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and I buddy read The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder last week and while neither of us were over the moon about the book, we really enjoyed being able to chat each other about the book while reading it.

First though, the summary:

In this “irresistible, immersive, and completely unputdownable” (Ellery Lloyd, New York Times bestselling author) debut novel, a former antique hunter investigates a suspicious death at an isolated English manor, embroiling her in the high-stakes world of tracking stolen artifacts.

What antique would you kill for?

Freya Lockwood is shocked when she learns that Arthur Crockleford, antiques dealer and her estranged mentor, has died under mysterious circumstances. She has spent the last twenty years avoiding her quaint English hometown, but when she receives a letter from Arthur asking her to investigate—sent just days before his death—Freya has no choice but to return to a life she had sworn to leave behind.

Now, me:

One of the first things I chatted Lisa while reading was “Lisa! Do you think that antiques hunting is really this dangerous and cloak and dagger?!” because this book made all antique hunting sound like Indiana Jones, with danger around every corner, sneaking into buildings and maybe countries, being all incognito, and having the skills of a criminal. And I think that is one of my biggest issues with this book. It was very over the top dramatic feeling to me.

Freya is a “retired” antiques hunter, having lived the normal life an English mum, married to a not-so-great man, but her past is apparently murky, and they hint a lot about who she “used to be” and how she was starting to become herself again as the story goes on. Like I get it, she was Lara Croft before an incident drove her from the business for twenty years, and now she was free to pursue that career again – and is pushed into it by her former mentor Arthur, with whom she had a huge falling out with and never spoke to again before he .. died mysteriously. He has left a game/hunt/clues behind for her to figure out that will lead her to the answers behind his death and behind the reason she left the field.

I have to admit I kept picturing Geena Davis in The Long Kiss Goodnight, where she plays a teacher who has amnesia who all of a sudden gets her memory back and finds out she was an assassin.

The book was wandering and I think it just suffered from not knowing what it wanted to be. Did it want to be a cozy mystery, or a thriller, or a murder mystery? Or a character driven book filled with drama and revelations, about a woman starting over again after her child is grown? There was a lot of emphasis on the backstory that led up to Freya’s leaving her old job, which was not being an antique picker, but someone who searched for stolen antiques. (I think?) I was slightly confused. I was also confused as to why Arthur had money issues. I would think selling expensive antiques to rich people would provide a good living.

Anyway, this book is about Freya and her coming into her own again and having a life that she picks, and is also about solving Arthur’s murder. She is accompanied by her aunt, Carol, who is a boisterous, outgoing character, and sort of pushes Freya along when she hesitates.

Overall, I felt lukewarm about this book. There was just a lot going on and it was hard to connect to any of the characters. However, I do think that the author had some very good ideas, and might have things all out in the open now, so that a second book will be tighter and more focused.

I also had a great time chatting Lisa while reading. I have to admit, some it was more along the lines of “This book makes me want to buy red shoes” or “I am distracted by looking up all of these antiques they are talking about that I don’t know what they are” but some of it was more about who we thought did it, who was red herring, who was going to be the love interest, if there was one.

Some of the best writing was in the very beginning of the book, with the descriptions of the village and of Freya’s relationship with Carol when growing up. I particularly liked this line.

“..I’ve always loved the hush of dusk as it settles over the village – its orange glow lighting the medieval wooden shop fronts and Victorian or Edwardian brick houses, interspersed with tea shops and hairdressers.” I also love dusk, it is one of my favorite times of day.

And then my favorite line, “It was like some houses stopped breathing the moment their owners died.” Isn’t that so true?

Although Lisa and I weren’t blown away by this book, I had a great time buddy reading with her and I hope to do another buddy read or group read again. And this book wasn’t terrible – I think it just suffered from wanting to do and be too much, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Better too many ideas than too few! It is probably a 3/5 star read for me.

And with that, I hope you check out Lisa’s review as well! You can find it here.

I hope that whatever you do today, that you do something that makes you smile!

Fall Reading: Let’s Get Cozy – Paranormal/Fantasy Style!

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized9 Comments

I have so many fall lists of books! And really, too many books to list here on the blog. I am going to have a full list available next Friday on my Ko-Fi for anyone who will want to see alllll the books I have researched and compiled. Until then, please take this humble offering.

Love’s a Witch || Uncharmed || Rewitched

Love’s a Witch: Witchy cozy romance, set in Scotland. Enemies to lovers.

Uncharmed: Cozy fantasy, and lots of pink vibes.

Rewitched: Cozy fantasy, bookshops, cats.

The Witching Moon Manor || The Late-Night Witches || An Unlikely Coven

The Witching Moon Manor: Sequel to the Crescent Moon Tearoom, following the further exploits of the Quigley Sisters.

The Late-Night Witches: Witches and vampires and cozy fantasy!!

An Unlikely Coven: Cozy urban fantasy with LGBT representation

The (Most Unusual) Haunting of Edgar Lovejoy || Ghost Business || Crazy Spooky Love

The (Most Unusual) Haunting of Edgar Lovejoy: The publisher calls it “A COZY, GHOSTLY LGBTQIA+ ROMANCE” I can’t improve on that.

Ghost Business: I can’t wait to read this one! The second in the Boneyard Key series and the main FMC runs a ghost tour business.

Crazy Spooky Love: Cozy little ghost hunting romance. Also high on my own list to read this fall!

Potions and Prejudice || The Lone Wolf Cafe || Cat Dragon

Potions and Prejudice: Cozy witchy romance, enemies to lovers. And this cover is gorgeous!

Lone Wolf Cafe: Spooky sapphic cozy, with a witch and a werewolf. Also, baked goods!

Cat Dragon: Another that is on my own list. I just don’t have enough time to read all the books that I want to! I have to admit I just want to read this because of the idea of cat dragons. How cute would that be?

I can’t wait to get started with the spooky or spooky adjacent reads!

Book Review: Cat’s People

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized12 Comments

I usually group my book reviews, but today I wanted to add some additional information in with my book review, so Cat’s People gets its very own post.

First, the summary from the publisher.

Núria, a single-by-choice barista with a little resentment for the “crazy cat lady” label, is a member of The Meow-Yorkers, a group in Brooklyn who takes care of the neighborhood’s stray cats. On her volunteering days, she starts finding Post-it notes left by a secret admirer in an area where her feeds her favorite stray—a black cat named Cat. Like most felines, he is both curious and observant, so of course he knows who the notes are from. Núria, however, is clueless.

Are the notes from Collin, a bestselling author and self-professed hermit with a weakness for good coffee? Are they from Lily, a fresh-out-of-high school Georgia native searching for her long-lost half sister? Are they from Omar, the beloved neighborhood mailman going through an early midlife crisis? Or are they from Bong, the grieving widower who owns Núria’s favorite bodega?

When Cat suddenly falls ill, these five strangers find themselves bonding together in their desire to care for him, and discover that chance encounters can lead to the meaningful connections they’ve all been searching for.

My thoughts:

I wanted to hug this book. This book is so heartwarming, wholesome, pure, and I absolutely loved it to pieces. The story is simple, but with so much emotion and complexity hidden within. So much love. So much kindness. Found family, both human and feline. It is definitely a five star read for me.

Every character had their own challenge that they were going through. Social awkwardness, grieving, doubting life choices, just the self-doubts that creep up on us late at night. This book is told from all of their viewpoints, and one additional point of view – Cat’s.

One thing that you may not know about me, unless you read my former blogs Cinnamon Owl and Quixotic Magpie, is that before Wyatt was born I was very active in animal rescue. I helped start an animal rescue organization, I served on the board as an officer, I volunteered at the animal shelter at least twice a week, and spent countless hours doing what I could for the animals. I never fostered because every time I did, I was a foster failure, meaning I adopted every one. All three of my cats and my dog Penny were all fosters that I ended up keeping. So when I say this book touched my heart, it really did. I was not surprised to see that the author, Tanya Guerrero is in animal rescue because every detail, every bit of advice, every aspect pertaining to cats and stray cats was on point, and it reminded me so much of all the animals lives that I have known. The happy stories, and the sad too sometimes.

And spoiler here:

And if you are worried about reading this book, don’t be.

If after reading this book, you find you have a heart for rescue, start with your local animal shelter. They can help you find the right places to volunteer and get your started. Or google local animal rescues and send an email. It can be very rewarding but also very emotional. And you may end up with an extra animal or two or three.

Here are my rescue babies. Maggie, Marlow, and Penny have crossed the rainbow bridge and I am so thankful I had them while I did.

Marlow || Miso || Maggie || Penny

I loved this book so much, and in this world we are in right now, it was so just nice to read a book that was so full of kindness and love. This is definitely one of my favorites reads of the year.

Bookish, Artsy, Slice of Life YouTube Channels I Love

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized14 Comments

Hello everybody!! Does anyone else like to watch YouTube? I feel like I can find anything on there. I do have favorites though, that I like to watch, especially in that calm down zone that we have with Wyatt. Usually Billy will be in the shower, and Wyatt and I watch half an hour of YouTube together. He has his favorites of our nighttime ‘Tubers as well, which I think is so cute. After that, we read a bit of his book and he goes to bed. It’s a nice way to wind down. I also like to put them on as background when I am doing things around the house as well. These YouTube people are all pretty different, from all walks of life, and different lifestyles and beliefs.

Anyway, here are some of my favorites lately! I’m also linking recent videos that I enjoyed.

First, in no particular order besides the order they were in as I scrolled through my subscriptions, is Harm’s Honey. Her full name is Harmony but I guess her shortened name people call her is Harm. I just love her vibe and style and energy, although I don’t always agree with some of the things she says or her exact views.

Next, Real Vintage Dollhouse! I love her vintage style from the 1940s, and her channel always includes detailed historical videos of different aspects of life in Britain in the 40s. I feel like her channel gave me the courage to embrace bold color lipstick! Plus, she is awesome because she rescued a pigeon! It is a crazy story, the pigeon actually came up to her at a pub and just wanted to stay with her. So she kept her. The pigeon was injured and had been kicked around at the pub and it was all very sad for a minute. But that pigeon went to the right woman!

Liv’s Library is our favorite book channel. Wyatt loves watching her and calls her the book lady, Liv. When he was in the hospital after surgery in a lot of pain, I put her channel on for him and he was able to relax a bit. I actually sent her an email thanking her for her work and told her about Wyatt and she wrote us back. She was so gracious and sincere! She also reads a lot of fantasy and cozy books, which I also like to read, which is of course why we first started watching her.

I also really like A Moment of Wonder. These are captioned, with music playing, and they are so relaxing and mesmerizing a bit. It is all book talk paired with a delicious looking food dish, usually dessert and a special drink. She acts like the viewer has just come in off the street into her bakery/cafe and they are just so atmospheric.

The Plant Based Bride is next up. I feel like her channel makes me smarter, in that it has challenged me to read my books a bit closer, and to investigate the themes and subtext and remember my Lit Minor roots from college.

We all love Alexis Dahl! This is one we watch with Billy too. Alexis shares history and science pertaining to Michigan, and it is always educational and interesting!

The Wild Pencil is a channel that doesn’t have a ton of video but the videos that are there, are quality.

With Love, Kristina is a vlogger I have shared before. I just really appreciate her honesty, and the realness of her life. It is not all an aesthetic for show and views. She is a real mom, who lives a real life, with ups and downs and struggles and happiness. She also just wrote a book, The Devil and the Midwife.

Finally, I want to mention Drew Binsky. This is another channel we watch with Billy too. Drew travels the world, reporting on “inspiring people, hidden cultures, and wild adventures in faraway places”. It is pretty fascinating!

Do you watch any of these channels? Who do you like? I would love to hear!

Top Ten Tuesday: Villains

On By Erin @ Cracker Crumb LifeIn Uncategorized39 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

This week’s topic: Villains!

Ooo villains! We all love to hate them. Or love to love them. It all depends on the villain, right? This is my list of villains I both love and hate.

Dead Witch Walking || Small Spaces || Harry Potter

The first villain to pop into my head was Algaliarept, from The Hollows series by Kim Harrison. I have met this author many times at book signings, as her hometown is near my own, and I once told her how much that I loved Al. He is just a loveable bad guy, and I always picture him like Gary Oldman in Dracula, this version of course.

Next was the Smiling Man from the Small Spaces series by Katherine Arden. This is a more recent villain in my reading which is one reason I thought of him so quickly. He is also super creepy and if I were a kid I would be pretty terrified. He scared me enough as an adult!

And of course Professor Umbridge. What a jerk! She was just awful. I guess I could have said Voldemort but, naw, I am going with Umbridge.

Now let’s talk Stephen King. Because he is the master.

Misery || It || Apt Pupil

Annie Wilkes is crazy pants. Like literally. She has hidden depths of scary!

This list wouldn’t be complete without Pennywise, one of the worst villains ever, in my opinion. He absolutely freaked me out when I was a kid, when I first read it.

Apt Pupil is one of those stories that have stuck with me. Todd Bowden and Dussander are the most bone chilling duo. I still think about this story, and it still scares me, just the evilness of these characters.

Sharp Objects || The Hundred and One Dalmations || We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Sharp Objects had a few villains that were frightening. And if you haven’t read this one, and don’t want a spoiler, then stop reading here. Lol. But both Adora and Amma are just the stuff of nightmares.

One of the earliest villains in my memory is Cruella De Ville! I read this book as a child, I distinctly remember my copy was yellow, and I was horrified that this woman wanted to make a coat out of puppies!

So. Let’s talk We Have Always Lived in the Castle. I would like to nominate the town as the villain, and I think Shirley Jackson would agree.

And finally, General Woundwort from Watership Down. I love a rabbit, I love hares, but not General Woundwort. He has no redeeming qualities and is terrifying.

And that is my ten! I am looking forward to reading everyone else’s list!