Category: About books

The Lineup: Alyssa

TV Show: Summer Camp Island

This is one of my all-time favorite comfort shows. Unlike most cartoons (or really most TV Show these days), this show is so gentle and soothing. It follows two best friends, Oscar and Hedgehog, while they’re away at a magical summer camp led by three witches. The show has everything; musical yetis (with one voiced by Elijah Wood), ingenious elves, talking trees, dancing aliens, a shark who’s a licensed therapist, and a friendly moon. It’s pure magic!

Books: The Silmarillion Collector’s Edition

I tackled J.R.R. Tolkien’s world-building behemoth, The Silmarillion, a few years ago, and I’ve always wanted to give it a re-read. While strolling through Barnes and Noble, I found this edition and had to get it! It’s got this beautiful blue hardcover with the Two Trees of Valinor and the three Silmarils perfectly highlighted. The inside is fairly straightforward with a colorful map and decently-sized text, but the spine is flexible enough to lay flat which is perfect for all the note-taking I plan on doing. It’s even got a built-in bookmark. I feel like a Tolkien scholar walking around with this!

Coffee: NesCafe Gold Espresso Instant Coffee

I’m a coffee fiend. Whether hot or cold, flavored or unflavored, I’m into all the robust dark-roasted coffees. For the past few years I’ve been making pour-over coffee each morning which, while effective, does take a little time and clean-up. As I approach the hectic summer season, I was looking for something quicker and stronger. I found this NesCafe Gold on YouTube Shorts and O. M. G. it’s amazing! Just two teaspoons, some boiling water, and you have dark, rich, espresso-like coffee that even has a lovely crema on top. Perfect for iced lattes or my fave almond milk lattes. It is on the pricey side, but it lasts a while and it’s way cheaper than hitting up the drive-thru line.

Hobbies: Cat Full of Spiders Tarot Deck

In preparation for a trip to Planet Comicon in Kansas City where I planned on meeting the incredible Christina Ricci, I purchased her tarot deck, Cat Full of Spiders. I’ve always had a love of tarot, and this deck is so fun! It highlights a lot of her movies, but in subtle, secretive ways. I’ve done some deep digging into each of the cards to find all the meanings and references. And meeting Christina was so awesome!!

Streaming: Dropout

I stumbled on Dropout from seeing random YouTube shorts and thought I’d try the full subscription. Their content is amazing! It’s hilarious and random, but also really thoughtful at times and such a great company. I love shows like Game Changer and Make Some Noise which both have a “Whose Line Is It Anyway” improv vibe. The Dimension 20 series is also great, especially the season called “Burrow’s End.” Highly recommend giving Dropout a try, even just for a month. It’s worth the money!

What’s Ashley Reading?: Murder By Cheesecake

Murder By Cheesecake by Rachel Ekstrom Courage

First line: Rose Nylund whispered into the lemon-yellow telephone receiver, twisting the cord tightly between her fingers, her words obscured by the gurgling of the coffee percolator.

Summary: Picture it…Miami. Rose Nylund is planning a beautiful St. Olaf wedding in Miami but things are not going as planned. She is working against the groom’s snobby family and the fact that Dorothy’s date was found face first in a cheesecake in the hotel’s freezer. What else could go wrong? Well it appears that Dorothy may be the prime suspect in the man’s death since their one and only date was disaster. The girls are determined to clear Dorothy’s name, find the killer and make sure the wedding goes off without any more problems.

My Thoughts: Several years ago I binge watched The Golden Girls for the first time and absolutely loved it! Those ladies were witty and the show as completely ridiculous but it is perfection in sitcom TV. When I saw that we were getting a Golden Girls mystery series, I was all in. It was a cute, quirky and silly murder mystery. In all it was exactly what you’d expect from these ladies. The things they did while pursuing the criminal were outlandish and the St. Olaf wedding preparations were beyond kooky. It could easily have been an extended episode of the show. While is it nothing overly fantastic it fits perfectly in The Golden Girls fandom by giving all the silliness and wit of the characters that many of us love. If you love the show you will like the book too.

Bookworm Buffet: A Feast for your Reading Senses

Bookworm Buffet: April 2025

Welcome to Bookworm Buffet! Get ready to feast on three literary delights, each served up in a different format: physical, digital ebook, and audiobook.

April’s Spread –

Physical: Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

Genre: Dystopian, Young Adult, Science Fiction

Summary:
When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.
Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.
When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.

Publication: March 18, 2025

My Rating: +

eBook: Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

Genre: Sports Romance, Contemporary, Adult Fiction

Summary:
Scarlett Vandermeer is swimming upstream. A Junior at Stanford and a student-athlete who specializes in platform diving, Scarlett prefers to keep her head down, concentrating on getting into med school and on recovering from the injury that almost ended her career. She has no time for relationships—at least, that’s what she tells herself.
Swim captain, world champion, all-around aquatics golden boy, Lukas Blomqvist thrives on discipline. It’s how he wins gold medals and breaks records: complete focus, with every stroke. On the surface, Lukas and Scarlett have nothing in common. Until a well-guarded secret slips out, and everything changes.
So they start an arrangement. And as the pressure leading to the Olympics heats up, so does their relationship. It was supposed to be just a temporary, mutually satisfying fling. But when staying away from Lukas becomes impossible, Scarlett realizes that her heart might be treading into dangerous water…

Publication: February 5, 2025

My Rating:

Audio: Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Dark Academia, Young Adult
Read for: Wine & YA Book Club

Summary:
Sade Hussein is starting her third year of high school, this time at the prestigious Alfred Nobel Academy boarding school. After being home-schooled all her life and feeling like a magnet for misfortune, she’s not sure what will happen. What she doesn’t expect though is for her roommate Elizabeth to disappear after Sade’s first night. Or for people to think she had something to do with it.
With rumors swirling around her, Sade catches the attention of the most popular girls in school – collectively known as the ‘Unholy Trinity’ – and they bring her into their fold. Between learning more about them – especially Persephone, who Sade finds herself drawn to – playing catch-up in class, and trying to figure out what happened to Elizabeth, Sade has a lot on her plate. It doesn’t help that she’s already dealing with grief from the many tragedies in her family.

And then a student is found dead..

Narrated by: Natalie Simpson
Publication: March 14, 2024

My Rating:

What’s Ashley Reading?: Sunrise on the Reaping

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

First line: “Happy birthday, Haymitch!”

Summary: As the morning of the 50th Hunger Games dawns, Haymitch Abernathy is among the group of children of District 12 who wait as names are picked as tributes but this year is different. To commemorate the fiftieth year, four tributes will be chosen from each district to compete in the games. As Haymitch hears his name called he is forced to believe that he most likely will never see his family or the girl he loves ever again.

Upon arrival in the Capitol he comes face to face with the people who are relishing in the deaths of children. As he becomes more familiar with the world around him his anger increases against those that are determined to keep the districts down. But what can a kid from District 12 do? Using his hope of survival, recklessness and drive to help those he cares about he plans to bring the Capitol and the Games to their knees.

My Thoughts: Ever since I saw this book announced I couldn’t wait to read it. I LOVED the original trilogy and enjoyed the other prequel, even if it was about Snow. I had to know what Haymitch’s life was like before Katniss and Peeta and I believe Suzanne Collins completely delivered. From page one until the last it brought me back to my love of the originals and gave me more to mull over as I decided I needed to reread The Hunger Games.

Even though I was dying to read this I made myself take my time. I read 30-50 pages a night rather than devouring it in one sitting. It was an emotional roller coaster. I had hopes of seeing other characters and this was exactly what we get. With each person’s introduction I had to set the book down and collect my thoughts on them and what this may mean to the story. But even with knowing how it’s going to end, I was still on the edge of my seat as I finished the Games portion and then the aftermath for everyone involved. It was everything I wanted from this book and more.

If you loved The Hunger Games trilogy and are willing to go back into the arena, then I would highly recommend picking this one up as soon as you can! It adds so much to the original trilogy and gives a whole new appreciation for those who help Katniss and Peeta throughout their story.

FYI: As with the original stories this one is filled with death, violence and other triggering themes but it also has a story of hope too.

What’s Ashley Reading?: Story of a Murder

Story of a Murder by Hallie Rubenhold

First line: No murderer should ever be the guardian of their victim’s story, and yet this is the role of Hawley Harvey Crippen has always held.

Summary: Belle Elmore, wife of Hawley Harvey Crippen and vaudeville actress, was found buried in the basement of her home in July 1910. In Story of a Murder Rubenhold examines the women involved with the case and details out the events leading up to the arrest of Crippen for the murder of his wife. For years writers have placed the blame on Belle for her own death but Rubenhold gives back her story while breaking down the subjects of class, misogyny and the role of women in Edwardian society.

My Thoughts: As with The Five, Rubenhold gives back the humanity to her subject. Her latest work dives deep into the Edwardian world and the murder case that captivated the masses on both sides of the Atlantic. I had never heard of the Crippen murder which gave me no preconceptions going into the narrative. The story starts out with Crippen’s life, education, work experience and first marriage. As she builds on these points we see the path leading us to the winter of 1910.

I find Rubenhold’s writing to be superb. I easily get drawn into the story as if I was reading fiction. Belle was not perfect and Rubenhold doesn’t try to portray her that way. She had flaws but nothing she did gave Crippen the right to do to her what he did. After Belle’s disappearance I loved how the research showed her friends doing all they could to find answers. The persisted against the male dominated world to try and find justice for their friend. It shows how much this woman meant to those around her.

The other woman the author examines is Crippen’s mistress, Ethel Le Neve. What did she truly know about the events surrounding the death of Belle Elmore? As the evidence is laid out and the narrative given for years is challenged, it leaves the reader questioning Ethel’s role in Belle’s death. We are taken through Ethel’s life and choices on her way to meeting Crippen. This new insight into the case gives a whole new dimension to the woman who was only considered a bystander at the time.

I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a true crime story and women’s history. After reading it let me know what you think! Are you convinced by Rubenhold’s assessment or do you stand with the courts of Edwardian England?

FYI: This is currently only available on Libby. DNA research has been done on the remains and new eyes on this DNA research has come into the public eye again recently. Read the story here.

What’s Ashley Reading?: Boudicca

Boudicca by P. C. Cast

First line: For the rest of my life, when fog swirled in with the dawn, my stomach would tighten, and the small hairs on my forearms would lift.

Summary: In Roman controlled Britain, the local tribes are struggling to keep their autonomy. The Iceni tribe has a new queen, Boudicca, who is determined to not bend the knee to the occupying forces. After they are attacked and barely escape with their lives, Boudicca and the Iceni tribe gather their allies and plan a counter attack on three major Roman-held cities. As they prove their might through their victories they retreat for the winter and to strategize for the upcoming spring. However, the Druid seer sees that there is destruction in their future. With trust in her patron goddess, Boudicca and the Iceni hope to change their fate as the next battle with the Roman legions approaches.

My Thoughts: My interest in Boudicca and her rebellion are rather recent. Several years ago while visiting London I was able to visit the statue to Boudicca on Westminster Bridge. It is rather impressive as she looms over the bridge and raises her arms in challenge or maybe even triumph.

P.C. Cast brings the history and the woman who led an army against the Romans to life in her book. Boudicca was a fiery haired, powerful and passionate woman. She did what many men of her time would not have dreamed of doing. Through the narrative we see what led Boudicca on her mission to oust the Romans from Britain and the consequences of her actions. The story is not one that is easy to read, including the atrocities that were done to her and her daughters. As with many stories of war it is filled with death and loss but there is love and hope as well.

I found this to be an interesting first dive into Roman Britain and the Iceni rebellion. For anyone else who loves a strong female character and ancient history then I’d highly recommend picking this one up.

Bookworm Buffet: A Feast for your Reading Senses

Bookworm Buffet: March 2025

Welcome to Bookworm Buffet! Get ready to feast on three literary delights, each served up in a different format: physical, digital ebook, and audiobook.

March’s Spread –

Physical: Love & Friendship by Jane Austen

Genre: Satire, British Literature, Humor

Summary:
From the much-loved Jane Austen comes the satirical short novel, Love and Friendship. Written as a series of letters, Love and Friendship is a satire of the upper-class 18th century society that Austen loved to parody.

Isabel’s daughter, Marianne, is naive, flighty and unaware of the first thing about love. Through apprising letters, her mother’s friend, Laura, warns her of the dangers of sensibility and romance. But when Laura receives an unexpected proposal, it seems as though love might have its advantages after all. That is until the family learn about their hasty marriage and each member begins to reject Laura.

The plot is an amusing combination of unlikely coincidences, dramatic fainting fits and confusing twists and turns. Complete with the young writer’s original spelling quirks, this short novel demonstrates Austen’s natural talent and biting wit.

Publication: 1790

My Rating:

eBook: The Love Haters by Katherine Center

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Adult Fiction

Summary:
It’s a thin line between love and love-hating.

Katie Vaughn has been burned by love in the past—now she may be lighting her career on fire. She has two choices: wait to get laid off from her job as a video producer or, at her coworker Cole’s request, take a career-making gig profiling Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West.
The catch? Katie’s not exactly qualified. She can’t swim—but fakes it that she can. Plus: Cole is Hutch’s brother. And they don’t get along. Next stop paradise!

But paradise is messier than it seems. As Katie gets entangled with Hutch (the most scientifically good looking man she has ever seen . . . but also a bit of a love hater), along with his colorful Aunt Rue and his rescue Great Dane, she gets trapped in a lie. Or two.

Publication: May 20, 2025

My Rating:

Audio: The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling

Genre: Horror, Gothic, Historical Fiction
Read for: Hauntingly Good Reads Book Club

Summary:
Practical, unassuming Jane Shoringfield has done the calculations, and decided that the most secure path forward is this: a husband, in a marriage of convenience, who will allow her to remain independent and occupied with meaningful work. Her first choice, the dashing but reclusive doctor Augustine Lawrence, agrees to her proposal with only one condition: that she must never visit Lindridge Hall, his crumbling family manor outside of town. Yet on their wedding night, an accident strands her at his door in a pitch-black rainstorm, and she finds him changed. Gone is the bold, courageous surgeon, and in his place is a terrified, paranoid man—one who cannot tell reality from nightmare, and fears Jane is an apparition, come to haunt him.
By morning, Augustine is himself again, but Jane knows something is deeply wrong at Lindridge Hall, and with the man she has so hastily bound her safety to. Set in a dark-mirror version of post-war England, Starling crafts a new kind of gothic horror from the bones of the beloved canon. This Crimson Peak-inspired story assembles, then upends, every expectation set in place by Shirley Jackson and Rebecca, and will leave readers shaken, desperate to begin again as soon as they are finished.

Narrated by: Mandy Weston
Publication: October 5, 2021

My Rating:

What’s Ashley Reading?: I’ll Be Gone In The Dark

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara

First line: After processing the house, the police said to Drew Witthuhn, “It’s yours.”

Summary: For a decade someone was terrorizing Northern California. The perpetrator was responsible for over fifty rapes and assaults before moving south where the incidents escalated to murder. But suddenly the crime spree stopped.

Thirty years later, true crime author Michelle McNamara started looking into the case for her website, TrueCrimeDiary.com. As she interviewed victims, poured over police records and talked with other true crime sleuths she started piecing together the story and the culprits that the police had yet to catch.

Through her work she was able to bring more exposure to the case than had been seen since the time of the actual crimes. McNamara was not able to finish her work due to her untimely death but her devotion to finding the killer paid off when an arrest was made in the case. One woman’s obsession lead to the capture of the person she called, “The Golden State Killer”.

My Thoughts: I remember the hype of this book when it originally came out. It was huge! But for some reason I never read it until recently. It could be because I’m going through my true crime era and I’m watching all the documentaries Hulu and Netflix have to offer. So it felt like a good time to listen to McNamara’s book.

I enjoyed how it featured her own obsession with the crime, how the research affected her life and the details of the case she uncovered. Years of her life were spent piecing together the events of the decade long rampage of the Golden State Killer. She looked at all the original suspects and tried to link them to the patterns that were emerging. It was truly fascinating to see how diligent she was in her research. It is unfortunate that she was not able to see the culmination of the case before her death.

This truly deserved the attention it was given. The content is very dark and definitely not for everyone. But I am happy that her friends and family made sure that her work was completed and presented to the world. If you love true crime and haven’t picked this one up yet, I’d highly recommend it!

What’s Ashley Reading?: The Blonde Identity

The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter

First line: Here’s the thing about waking up with no memory in the middle of the night, in the middle of the street, in the middle of Paris: at least you’re waking up in Paris.

Summary: Waking up in the middle of Paris with a splitting headache and no memory of how she got there or who she even is, a young woman is being told to run because people are trying to kill her. As she and the handsome stranger race across Europe to escape the assassins they realize that she is the identical sister of the spy who is the actual target. In hopes of discovering why she is being chased and finding her sister the two pose as newlyweds. But as they learn more about the reason she is being hunted, the woman cannot decide who to trust, the man who rescued her or the sister she cannot remember.

My Thoughts: Having recently read Ally Carter’s newest book, The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year, and really enjoying it I decided to try another of her adult rom-com mysteries. This one I listened to rather than read which I feel like sometimes affects my reception to a story. I did enjoy this and plan to read book two this fall but it didn’t hit with me as much as the other one.

This is a fast paced romantic spy comedy. When I started I got The Spy Who Dumped Me vibes. I liked the banter between the characters but I struggled a little with the instalove. It all happened really quickly. But this could be because the plot had to move fast. It was a quick spy novel where they are running for their lives. There are several twists which may be a little predictable but all in all it was a fun read and kept my attention throughout. I hope to see the characters developed more in upcoming stories.

Bookworm Buffet: A Feast for your Reading Senses

Bookworm Buffet: February 2025

Welcome to Bookworm Buffet! Get ready to feast on three literary delights, each served up in a different format: physical, digital ebook, and audiobook.

February’s Spread –

Physical: Better Than Revenge by Kasie West

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary

Summary:
Seventeen-year-old Finley has only ever had one to become a famous podcaster. This includes coming up with the perfect pitch to land her on her school’s podcast team. But when her football-obsessed boyfriend, Jensen, decides to also try out—and uses her idea—she’s left confused and betrayed. 
Determined to get back at him, Finley and her friends try to find the perfect revenge scheme, but quickly discover that Jensen is almost-impossible to best. Keyword, almost. 
By chance, Finley discovers a knack for kicking and decides to take Jensen’s spot on the football team. To help her train, she recruits Jensen’s cute but conceited nemeses, Theo. Soon the two discover that their connection runs deeper than football. But Finley can’t let herself get distracted, and Theo has secrets of his own. Is true love really better than the perfect revenge?

Publication: December 31, 2024

My Rating:

eBook: Finders Keepers by Sarah Adler

Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Adult Fiction

Summary:
Last week, Nina Hunnicutt was a professor about to move into a gorgeous new apartment with her long-term boyfriend. Now, she’s single, unemployed, and living with her parents. Even more surprising is the fact that Quentin Bell, her childhood neighbor (and okay, fine, crush), is also back in town—and wants to resume the treasure hunt that ended their friendship almost two decades ago.
As they resume their hunt, Nina and Quentin begin to rediscover all the things they once loved best about each other. But unlike the treasure, the secrets that left them empty-handed the first time refuse to stay buried. If there’s any hope of finding what they’re looking for—and for a future together—Nina and Quentin will have to be brave enough to excavate their past as well.

Publication: June 24, 2025

My Rating:

Audio: A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Read for: Wine & YA Book Club

Summary:
Niamh Ó Conchobhair has never let herself long for more. The magic in her blood that lets her stitch emotions and memories into fabric is the same magic that will eventually kill her. Determined to spend the little time she has left guaranteeing a better life for her family, Niamh jumps at the chance to design the wardrobe for a royal wedding in the neighboring kingdom of Avaland.
But Avaland is far from the fairytale that she imagined. While young nobles attend candlelit balls and elegant garden parties, unrest brews amid the working class. The groom himself, Kit Carmine, is prickly, abrasive, and begrudgingly being dragged to the altar as a political pawn. But when Niamh and Kit grow closer, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more

Narrated by: Fran Burgoyne
Publication: January 2, 2024

My Rating: