Sunday, March 17, 2024

Book Review: The Sicilian Inheritance


Sara Marsala barely knows who she is anymore after the failure of her business and marriage. On top of that, her beloved great-aunt Rosie passes away, leaving Sara bereft with grief. But Aunt Rosie’s death also opens an escape from her life and a window into the past by way of a plane ticket to Sicily, a deed to a possibly valuable plot of land, and a bombshell family secret. Rosie believes Sara’s great-grandmother Serafina, the family matriarch who was left behind while her husband worked in America, didn’t die of illness as family lore has it . . . she was murdered.

Thus begins a twist-filled adventure that takes Sara all over the picturesque Italian countryside as she races to solve a mystery and learn the story of Serafina—a feisty and headstrong young woman in the early 1900s thrust into motherhood in her teens, who fought for a better life not just for herself but for all the women of her small village. Unsurprisingly the more she challenges the status quo, the more she finds herself in danger.

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Book Review: Walt Disney World Hacks, 2nd Edition


Did you know…

- Some attractions inflate their wait time at the end of the day to discourage riders from entering the line when they’re preparing to close? Check the rides in person...you might be able to cut your wait time in half since there might not actually be a long line!

- Although pricier, Genie+ can sometimes come with extra “freebies”—if you know where to look? A great benefit is free digital downloads of select Disney PhotoPass attraction photos.

- Packing something as simple as an extra pair of socks can really save your Disney day? Whether you’re met with unexpected weather or are just tired from miles (literally!) of walking, switching out your socks halfway through the day can provide a much-needed refresh.

Friday, March 15, 2024

Book Review: Dwellings


Welcome to Elwich—an oasis of small-town perfection, where the schools overflow with cheery-eyed children, lovingly adorned homes line the historic boulevards . . . and only the crows can see the deep, festering rot that lurks beneath the pristine surface.

Murder.

Demonology.

Possession.

Obsession.

Elwich has them all on offer—and behind every dwelling awaits a horrifying new story to be told.

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Book Review: The Day Tripper


It's 1995, and twenty-year-old Alex Dean has it all: a spot at Cambridge University next year, the love of Holly, and all the time in the world ahead of him. Then he wakes one morning to find he’s fifteen years into his future, broke and ruined, his features ravaged by time and poor decisions. After finally drifting off to sleep that night, he wakes the following morning to find it’s now 2019, another nine years later. But the day after that, it’s 1999.

Never knowing which day of his life he’ll wake up in next, Alex sets off on an emotional journey to piece together what went so wrong in his life, and test whether it’s possible to change one’s fate. Why did nothing turn out like he thought it would? What happened to Cambridge, to Holly, to his music? It turns out that small actions can have untold impact, and causes still have effects, even in a life happening out of order. Perhaps it’s enough to save himself, and those he loves.

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Book Review: Mr. Churchill's Secretary


London, 1940. Winston Churchill has just been sworn in, war rages across the Channel, and the threat of a Blitz looms larger by the day. But none of this deters Maggie Hope. She graduated at the top of her college class and possesses all the skills of the finest minds in British intelligence, but her gender qualifies her only to be the newest typist at No. 10 Downing Street. Her indefatigable spirit and remarkable gifts for codebreaking, though, rival those of even the highest men in government, and Maggie finds that working for the prime minister affords her a level of clearance she could never have imagined—and opportunities she will not let pass. In troubled, deadly times, with air-raid sirens sending multitudes underground, access to the War Rooms also exposes Maggie to the machinations of a menacing faction determined to do whatever it takes to change the course of history.

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Book Review: A Good Bad Boy


Best known for playing loner rebel Dylan McKay in Beverly Hills 90210, Luke Perry was fifty-two years old when he died of a stroke in 2019. There have been other deaths of 90’s stars, but this one hit different. Gen X was reminded of their own inescapable mortality, and robbed of an exciting career resurgence for one of their most cherished icons—with recent roles in the hit series Riverdale and Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time In Hollywood bringing him renewed attention and acclaim. Only upon his death, as stories poured out online about his authenticity and kindness, did it become clear how little was known about the exceedingly humble actor and how deeply he impacted popular culture.

Sunday, March 3, 2024

Book Review: The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers


Anke Berben is ready to tell all. A legendary model and style icon, she reveled in headline-grabbing romances with not one but three members of the hugely influential rock band the Midnight Ramblers. The band members were as famous for their backstage drama as for their music, and Anke is the only one who fully understands the tangled relationships, betrayals, and suspicions that have added to the Ramblers’ enduring appeal and mystique. That is most evident in the mystery around Anke’s role in the death of Mal, the band’s founder and Anke’s husband, in 1969.