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Letters from the Reading Perch: The Unique Joy of Travel Tsundoku
I’ve been doing quite a bit of local travel recently. Two weeks ago, we were soaking up coastal sunsets; this weekend, we headed inland for a few days in Tahoe. (California is a truly incredible state – in the coldest months of the year we can enjoy sea and snow in a matter of miles.)
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Reading Adventures, Pt. 13: A murder, a flock, and the Pacific sunset
I know most of the country has been battling mountains of snow this week… But I’m lucky enough to be in California, and Mr. Owlet treated me to a special stay in Elk for a lovely dinner and hours spent reading by the sea. We were somehow the only two guests at the Harbor House
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On Projects, Patience, and the road to Julia Child
Could there be any warmer way to kick off the New Year than with Julia Child? When the days are this dark, I find myself drawn to the warmth of my kitchen. And with the Dutch oven bubbling with a delicious tomato-dal soup, I settled in to learn more about “Our Lady of the Ladle.”
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Familiar Paths and Fresh Magic in Violet Thistlewaite is Not a Villain Anymore
It’s hard to believe it’s already December—yet here we are at the end of the year. Honestly? I’m always excited to dive headfirst into the holiday spirit. My tree is up, the lights are twinkling, and I’m prepping for a weekend of intense cookie-baking. But before we can plunge into the holiday festivities (yes, you
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Warm, healing, rebellious, comforting: The flavors and facets of fantasy tea
Perhaps the most consistent part of my reading experiences over the years has been my beverage of choice. Whether I’m reading mystery, fantasy, or epistolary, I’m always accompanied by a steaming hot mug of tea. (In summer – or in the Bay Area “summer”, aka late September, you may catch me with an iced version.)
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January 2025 Roundup: Falling further in love with reading
I committed this year to monthly updates on my 52 Book Club Challenge, with short blurbs on anything I hadn’t written about yet. I am pleased to share that this approach seems to be working! I’ve already tackled 16 books from the challenge in January, and many are books I may not have touched if
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The rise of cozy reading: mystery, fantasy, and more
The idea of “cozy” fiction seems to have spiked in the last few years. Cozy mysteries, cozy fantasies – shelves are overflowing with authors insistent of making you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. (Google Trends seems to agree with me on this. Searches for cozy mystery, cozy reading, and cozy fantasy grew 2-10x since