Happy Reading!
#DEARBASICBUDDYREADS~NOVEMBER 2022
I am so happy to announce our #DEARBASICBUDDYREADS NOVEMBER PICK. We will be reading Stolen, by Elizabeth Gilpin. There is no doubt in my mind that this memoir won’t spark the most intense conversations. COME READ WITH US!
Try A Little Tenderness
Today I am sending a big shout-out to ATRIA BOOKS for sending me an ARC of Jacqueline Bublitz’s debut novel Before You Knew My Name. FIVE STAR READ all the way, and guess what????? It just came out, so be sure to grab yourself a copy after you read my rave!
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Today I am presenting the MOST WONDERFUL book for parents of teens. We all know that the book What To Expect When You Are Expecting is THE go-to book for new parents. Unfortunately, this book and the one after do not cover the teen years. And let me tell you this…if there was ever a time for a parent manual, it is during this period. This is where today’s book comes into play. The Parent Compass by Cynthia Clumeck Muchnick, MA & Jenn Curtis, MSW could not be more timely. I am literally in the throws of TEENAGEHOOD, and this book is my new GPS.
DEAR FRIDAY~10/21/22
Happy Friday! Are the weeks going by SUPER FAST, or is it just me? Lots going on this week, including a bunch more personal development, a new book to get excited for, a milestone birthday, and a DELICIOUS new recipe that everyone LOVED! I, of course, have a few things to say about my current love affair with TV and my relationship with my headphones. So much to share on this beautiful Friday! I wish you all the most incredible weekend ever!
DEAR FRIDAY~10/14/22
October 14, 2022 Dear Friday! You are here again, and I am not mad about it. Monday holidays always throw me off and completely mess with my head. I basically had no clue what the date was or what day it was ALL WEEK. It all worked out because I
ZIBBY BOOKS SPRING 2023
Happy Monday! As you may already know, I am a proud ZIBBY BOOKS Book Ambassador. ZIBBY BOOKS is a beautiful publishing home for fiction and memoir founded by the lovely Zibby Owens. Today I am giving you a sneak peek at some of the GORGEOUS books coming your way in Spring 2023. I can not wait to get my hands on these beauties. Be sure to get your pre-orders in. They are so helpful to the talented authors.
DEAR FRIDAY~A WEEKLY LOVE LETTER 10/7/22
You are here, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to share my days with you with my FIRST-EVER Weekly Love Letter. This week has been another lesson in “adapting” to the new school schedule for my boys while juggling the everyday tasks of working, managing homework, driving my boys EVERYWHERE (thank God one has his license), pretending to keep up with the ENDLESS piles of dirty laundry, and figuring out what to make for dinner AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN. I swear, if the laundry crisis in my home doesn’t break me, coming up with endless dinner plans will definitely. Oh, and did I mention…I adopted a duck????? Here is the deal…Life is hard, and it doesn’t blink an eye when it drenches us with monotonous tasks and uninvited stress. And while I do not believe every day needs to feel like a trip to the Magic Kingdom, it is VITAL to experience sparks of joy throughout the day that nourish you inside and out.
Loving My Messy Couch: Picture Perfect is Just an Illusion (Grown & Flown)
I am THRILLED that my latest piece was published on GROWN & FLOWN. If you are a parent and haven’t visited their site…HOP TO IT. It is an absolute wonderland of information, essays, stories, and then some about parenting teens and young adults! It is an incredible resource and pretty much covers EVERYTHING! My piece is a love letter to all the messy couches and moms who stress over keeping them tidy. Instead of focusing on catalog-worthy couches with gorgeous faux fur blankets and pillows strewn about, let’s pivot our mindset and appreciate the memories that are being made on this central piece of furniture and all the respite it provides us from our fast-paced world and over-scheduled lives.
#DEARBASICBUDDYREADS OCTOBER SELECTION
It’s that time again. I am THRILLED to announce our OCTOBER pick for #DEARBASICBUDDYREADS. We will be reading The Chain by Adrian McKinty. COME READ WITH US!
MOMS DON’T HAVE TIME TO MOVE AND SHAKE PODCAST
I am so excited to share that I am a community host of the podcast, MOMS DON’T HAVE TIME TO MOVE AND SHAKE. Be sure to check out my episode, Weight Loss and Drinking Alcohol…Can They Co-Exist? I had an absolute blast recording this with my guest and truly enjoyed the podcast process. I am looking forward to recording more fun stuff in the future.
#DEARBASICBUDDYREADS SEPTEMBER SELECTION
Katie @basicbsguide and I are so excited to announce our September book selection for #DEARBASICBUDDYREADS. We will be reading and discussing 𝘠𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘞𝘪𝘧𝘦 by Sadeqa Johnson.
Here is the scoop…𝘠𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘞𝘪𝘧𝘦 has been rated over 31,000 times on GOODREADS with an average rating of 4.4 😮. And honestly, I have only heard rave reviews about it from the book community.
“𝘈 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥… 𝘠𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘞𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘱𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺. 𝘏𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘬, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵-𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭-𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦.”–𝐍𝐏𝐑
All Things Bianca Marais
One of my favorite authors of all time has a new book out in the world today. Bianca Marais is back, and this time, she brilliantly meshes present-day themes of race, gender, women’s rights, and sexual identity with a spellbinding flair in her brand new magical tale, The Witches of Moonshyne Manor. It is time to hop on a souped-up Harley Davidsonstick and fly on over to Moonshyne Manor & Distillery to meet some of my new favorite characters who are not only fierce friends but WITCHES too. Being described as The Golden Girls meets Practical Magical, Queenie, Ursula, Jezebel, Tabitha, Ivy, and Ruby are a force to be reckoned with. Let’s not forget about Widget and Persephone too. These characters are MY PEOPLE!
The 1950s & 1960s Housewives in Fiction
Today I am incredibly psyched to share four books that depict women living in the 1950s & 1960s. I will NEVER NOT be fascinated with this period in our history. I adore being a wife and a mother, but I also enjoy my opinions and ways of doing things that most definitely do not match up with the era I bring to you today. Some women were complacent with their expected roles as wives and mothers. Others rebelled or suffered from undiagnosed mental illnesses. My book selection shows the superficial glamour of these times for women and the limitations and repercussions of such an oppressive era. Yes, women could vote, but they were still second to their male counterparts in everything else…except child rearing, vacuuming, and making dinner. Enjoy these four splendid books and wicked remarkable and courageous leading ladies! I sure did!
The WesternMost Bookstore in the United States
I am so excited to share with you the bookstore I had the pleasure of visiting last week. It just so happens to be the Westernmost Bookstore in the United States. How cool is that?
Cocktails & Book Tales With Ashley Winstead
I am so excited to announce that I will be going LIVE on Instagram with author Ashley Winstead tonight at 8 pm EST. We will be discussing her new book, The Last Housewife, which comes out on August 16th, and a bunch of other fun things. I hope to see you all there. If you happen to miss it…It will be saved to my Instagram account and can be watched later. In the meantime, here is what I said about all three of her books.
Cape Cod Summers With Jennifer Weiner
I am 100% in love with all of Jennifer Weiner’s “Summer Books.” 𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 and 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 kept me company on the beach the past few years here in coastal Maine. AND this year, I happily devoured Weiner’s latest, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 with my toes nestled deep into the warm sand. Today I am happily sharing all three of her summer books with you, hoping you will enjoy them on a warm sunny day. At the end of the day, 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝗪𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐞!
#DEARBASICBUDDYREADS AUGUST SELECTION
Hello Gorgeous Readers! I am so excited to announce that after taking the month of July off, #DEARBASICBUDDYREADS is back with our August book selection. I hope you will join Katie and I AND all the fabulous readers over on Instagram for this online book discussion.
Cookbooks Extraordinaire
have had a delicious blast sharing all of Abrams Books’ Food and Drink collection this year. Today I am sharing FIVE fantastic cookbooks I’ve been working my way through one scrumptious recipe at a time. I hope you enjoy these yummy treats! Happy Eating & Drinking!
#DEARBASICBUDDYREADS JUNE SELECTION
Katie @basicbsguide and I are so excited to announce our June Book Selection…𝘕𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘩 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 🐍 by Leigh Bardugo. I have been wanting to read this for SO LONG and my dreams are finally coming true 😃. Does an Ivy League School, secret societies, dead bodies, and some dark magic sound good to you???? Sounds magnificent to me! This is a read at your own pace situation during the month of June followed by an EPIC private chat on Instagram with me, Katie, and the whole 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐁𝐔𝐃𝐃𝐘𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐒 crew. Come join us!
Scrumptious Cookbooks
Hello Reading Friends! As you may have gathered, I am a cookbook junkie! I love them, use them, collect them, obsess over them, and basically can’t live without them. Because of this, I am excited to share THREE shiny new books for you to check out. Each one of these beauties is unique in its own way and all of them are absolutely DELICIOUS!
Happy Cooking & Happy Eating!
xoxo,
Kelly
Who Took My Phone Charger
Today I am sharing a piece I have up on MEDIUM. In a house with two parents, two teens, and a tween, phone chargers are a hot commodity and should NEVER be taken for granted. Join me in battling imaginary Serial Killers, sleepless nights, and my late-night hunt for my missing phone charger. Be prepared to LAUGH OUT LOUD while I stumble through my house in the dark of the night searching for what is rightfully mine…all in the name of A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP!
Cleopatra’s Dagger & An Honest Lie
Today I am sharing two books that couldn’t be more different from one another. On tap is a psychological thriller that will knock your socks off and a slow-burn historical mystery with a few dead bodies floating around. Let’s take a peek at these spring 2022 releases, shall we?
May #DEARBASICBUDDYREADS SELECTION
The month of May is just around the corner, and Katie @basicbsguide and I have selected 𝘕𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 by Anna Pitoniak for our next Buddy Read!
It’s time to dive into something with chills, drama, ambition, and intensity and we anticipate Pitoniak’s 2019 book will deliver.
As always, this is is read at your own pace situation with a killer private chat at the end of May!
Listen Up
Spring is officially in the air, and my reading life feels wonderfully on point. I constantly switch up genres to keep up with my ever-changing mood, and it’s the #1 reason I hardly ever get bored with my books. Today I am sharing two books that could not possibly be more different from one another, yet both were captivating in their unique way. A memoir about healing from trauma while climbing Mount Everest and a work of spectacular fiction that involves dead bodies and over-the-top rich people is what I am talking about today, so listen up.