Litsy

Curling up with a cozy mystery for the #bakedgoods #booked2021 prompt because today was HARD. We had to say goodbye to Mr. Anderson, Maya‘s homeroom/science teacher from last year who was still teaching just a few weeks ago. #cancersucks

This is a teacher who even wrote a last lesson for his students that his wife read at the service today. 😢Maya is struggling with the loss of an important mentor who happened to pass away on her birthday.

MallenNC I am so sorry. I am sure this is a hard loss for your daughter and hard for you to experience with her. 2y

Avanders 😢 so sorry 2y

rachelsbrittain Oh gosh. Sending big hugs to all of you 💛 2y

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TheSpineView Oh gosh.. how sad! So hard for kids to process this kind of loss! **hugs** to her! 2y

Soubhiville That‘s so hard. I‘m sorry. 2y

candc320 I‘m so sorry, that‘s just awful 😣! 2y

JenReadsAlot I'm so sorry that's a difficult loss. 2y

MoonWitch94 Awwwwww that‘s so awful. What a special teacher. Sending hugs to her 😢 2y

KarenUK Oh that‘s so heartbreaking 💔 So sorry… 2y

CarolynM Condolences to you and your daughter. Cancer really does suck☹ 2y

kspenmoll I am so sorry- how sad for his students, family, etc. hugs to your daughter & you. She is you g to suffer such a loss. 💕 2y

Chrissyreadit I‘m so sad. Both of my kids lost significant mentors- the same year- it was intense and years later still a struggle. I hope the school will consider some grief groups. 2y

Bookzombie I‘m so sorry that this has happened. Sending lots of love and support to all of you. ❤️ 2y

DaveGreen7777 I‘m so sorry! 😢 Cancer sucks indeed! 😔 2y

Megabooks I‘m so sorry. Sending support to those whose lives he touched. 2y

LeahBergen Aww, I‘m so sorry to hear that. 🙁 2y

MaureenMc 💗 2y

74 likes17 comments

rockpools

Chocolate Cake and Chaos | Agatha Frost

pan

Maybe I‘ve just gone off cosy mysteries? Or maybe I just didn‘t warm to the characters and found the humour more silly than amusing. It was also on the snooty side, and tending to play to stereotypes. And cozies with a baker/cafe-owning woman in a romance with a police/ex-police guy would need something else to stand out. In short,I wasn‘t a fan.

But hey, it had #bakedgoodsoncover #booked2021. And it has a great rating on GoodReads, so…

Cinfhen, BarbaraTheBibliophage, alisiakae

TrishB That‘s a funny thing to write on the end of the blurb on here! I missed your book report, no pressure obvs 😁 3y

rockpools @TrishB I hadn‘t seen that - there‘s a certain tone there 😬. And ha! I‘ll get on it (sometime today) - I have another review needs writing first 😁. Happy Sunday Trish! 3y

Cinfhen It has the #bakedgoods so there‘s that!!! 3y

rabbitprincess Yes, to help it stand out it at least needed a bad pun in the title and some delicious recipes at the end! ? (I always laugh when cosy mysteries promise « delicious » recipes—what if I wanted terrible recipes?!) 3y

49 likes4 comments

KarenUK

So Lucky | Dawn O�Porter

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#pop21 #bodypositivity
#booked2021 #bakedgoods
(Sorry for long review!)
The ‘So Lucky‘ of the title, refers to the way we look at other people‘s lives from the outside with envy, but that our perception is so rarely the reality. Similarly, this raunchy and raucous Chic-lit (sorry, hate that term) is so fun and fluffy on the surface, yet beneath it‘s (at times) heavy-handed facade, lies some real truth about women‘s lives. (cont. in comments ⬇️)

Megabooks, Cinfhen, Kalalalatja, BarbaraTheBibliophage, alisiakae, BarbaraBB

KarenUK It definitely touches on a lot of hot-button issues (mental health, body positivity and dysmorphia, unrealistic beauty standards, celebrity influencers, women supporting women etc) as well as regular genre staples such as motherhood, work-parenting balance, female friendship and sex. ⬇️ 3y

KarenUK But what stood out to me, and made me really warm to this easy read, was the way it tackled some subjects that as women, we would often be afraid to share with our closest girlfriends. What if you don‘t like being a parent and hate spending time with your child? What if your married sex-life is non-existent, and your husband won‘t even touch you? I liked the bold way the author took a risk with some tricky issues.⬇️ 3y

KarenUK I read many reviews that called the characters of this novel unlikeable. I couldn‘t disagree more. Flawed? Yes. Make questionable decisions? Sure. Act selfishly at times? Absolutely. But I like a novel that has some realness, that shows characters at their lowest points, on their worst days. ⬇️ 3y

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KarenUK That‘s life, and that‘s relatable. I found so much to empathize with, and found it easy to root for these women, each struggling with something behind closed doors, essentially alone with their troubles, whether in a relationship or not.⬇️ 3y

KarenUK The ending coincidences are silly and unbelievable, but there is a #girlpower theme to the story‘s resolution that had me guiltily cheering for Beth, Risky, Ruby and Lauren! Everyone moves on and moves forward, so as I closed the book, it felt oddly satisfying. Fluff with a heart, and definitely took some risks. 3y

Cinfhen Fabulous review!! The cover wouldn‘t make you think you‘re getting anything more than fluff. Nice surprise 3y

KarenUK Thanks Cindy! 💕 Definitely was better than I thought it was going to be! Not perfect but a fun read with more behind it than the cover might suggest. @Cinfhen (edited) 3y

Oryx I liked this one too. Lots of big issues dealt with in a fun readable way. 3y

BarbaraBB Great review. And if you loved it, I will probably too! 3y

Kalalalatja What a review! I am in the mood for fluff with a heart, so I‘ll have to try and find this 👍 3y

Megabooks Glad you enjoyed this one!! 👍🏻 3y

46 likes3 stack adds11 comments

KarenUK

Book Report Beagle | Pamela Klawitter

#bookreport & #weeklyforecast @Cinfhen

Not much reading this week... struggling a bit with my anxiety, and busy at work... But I enjoyed the one book I did finish!
Just starting ‘So Lucky‘ for the #bakedgoods prompt for #booked2021 💕🍩
And my next #ARC and a #pop21 read up next....

Cinfhen I really liked Shadow Tag: it‘s slow and sad but I think you‘ll like it. Sorry about the anxiety 😔hopefully you‘ll feel like the sunny you that I know 😘 3y

43 likes1 comment

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick

The Worst Best Man | Mia Sosa

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I tore through this rom-com super fast! A few years after being left at the altar, Lina is up for a job that leaves her collaborating with (the worst!) Best Man, her ex's brother who was apparently behind the breakup. We see two people who despite some misunderstandings, use their words to communicate and act like adults. This one pulls out some common tropes and while they're not groundbreaking, they sure are fun! ⬇️

Kelly_the_Bookish_Sidekick We get a steamy romp with two people who both have something to prove in their collaboration & actually use their words to communicate with each other! I'm not sure if some of Lina's Brazilian culture references are stereotypical or over the top, but it was a nice nod to the character's heritage.
#booked2021 #BakedGoodsOnCover @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cinfhen #pop21 #oxymoronintitle @TheAromaofBooks #bookspinbingo 3y

AutumnRLS I really liked this one! ❤❤🔥 3y

Cinfhen Great choice for #bakedgoods 🥰💕🍾 3y

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! This one is on my shelf!! 3y

52 likes2 stack adds4 comments

TK-421

Pie: A Global History | Janet Clarkson

“It could be argued that there is an element of entertainment in every pie, as every pie is inherently a surprise by virtue of its crust.” #Pastry #QuotsyMar21

Karisa Happy Pi Day! π 3y

TK-421 @Karisa Thanks! Belatedly wishing you a happy Pi Day too! 3y

46 likes2 comments

mhillis

Impractical Uses of Cake | Yeoh Jo-Ann

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Although there is plenty of orange chiffon, lemon sponge, and sugee cake, this book is about much more than sweets! The main character Sukhin is a high school English teacher who comes face to face with issues of family, education, food, and homelessness. I really enjoyed reading it although it might not be for everyone!
#ReadingAsia #Singapore @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB
#Booked2021 #BakedGoods @Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft