Blind Date with a Book 2026: 'Beautiful Things' by Emily Rath

 

Since I've always preferred to read by recommendation, I decided to try a 'Blind Date with a Book' on WhatNot at the beginning of the month. There was no way I could possibly have known that this would open up the flood gates in my reading life. At this point, I've ordered dozens of blind date books and I'm slowly working my way through them. (I say "slowly" but this means that I'm reading about 2-4 books every week). 

My very first blind date book was from seller tiffanyrey03274 and the book revealed was Emily Rath's 'Beautiful Things'--the first in a trilogy called 'Second Sons'. I am currently reading the second book and I've purchased the third, so once I've completed them, they'll be available for sale on one of the selling platforms that I use. 

I'm a sucker for historical romance, especially the Regency period (though I've yet to read the Bridgerton series books). I started my literary journey with Jane Austen, after all. Emily Rath's books, however, bump historical romance up to a whole new level. 

I'm not going to say it's comfortable for me to read some of the sexual content in these books, but I'm plowing through the trilogy at this point because I've already committed. I do feel that the author does a good job with placing the reading in the historical setting, however, and everything about the customs, food, clothing, etc. feels right and I'm not left questioning how much knowledge the author actually has about the time period. Considering there are multiple characters that are focused on in this book, I felt that the author developed each one just enough to keep me invested in the story. 

The flow and pacing of the story is good, and considering how thick these books are, that is paramount. I finished this particular book in 2-3 days of leisurely reading and was left wanting to continue the series, so that's always a good sign. I'm not particularly fond of trilogies, but I was willing to invest the time with this particular one. 

I bought the sprayed edge version of the Second Sons books, so that always lends something to the reading experience as well. 

My personal Goodreads rating on this book is 4*.

I also purchased Emily Rath's 2024 release 'North is the Night' (part 1 of a duet), but have yet to begin reading it. 

WhatNot seller tiffanyrey03274 does an amazing job with her Blind Date books and she makes her own resin book holders and other items that come with each one. 

Reading List 2023 (so far)

 My 2023 Reading List

Books read so far:

  

 

 

 

Books currently being read:

Books to read:

3

Wallace Books Ebay Store is Up and Running again!

 Check out my used and new books in my Ebay Store! 

2021 Books On My Reading List...So Far

 I don't mind admitting it. I read maybe two or three books last year. This was probably because I was busy knitting 5 sweaters and weaving 40+ scarves and other items on my loom to sell since I decided to go full time as a textile artisan. Whatever my excuse, I'm declaring that I'll be reading at least 52 books in 2021. 

Life is about balance...and last year felt out of balance (for many obvious reasons)...and reading books helps balance me out, so I will not neglect that part of my life this year. With that being said, however, I will be careful in my choosing of books to read. I'm doing my best to balance commercial fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and literary fiction. I know that I will probably be reading more commercial fiction than anything else, if only because it's easier to digest, so please don't hold that against me--those of you who are literary scholars. 

So far, I've finished two books:

Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (LF: literary fiction)

Fallen Man by Tony Hillerman (CF: commercial fiction)

I'm currently reading:

Listening Woman by Tony Hillerman (CF)

Pale Death by David & Aimee Thurlo (CF)

I've bought a stack of Craig Johnson's Longmire Series books to read, along with a stack of Tony Hillerman novels. I'm also pulling books from my book shelves that I've acquired over the last ten years but haven't read yet. I'm also working a few hours a week at a local used book store, so I'll probably pick up more books to read as I go along. 

More to come.

Updated AncestryDNA and Family Tree DNA results

 Old AncestryDNA Results

September 2020 Updated Results

Old Family Tree DNA results

September 2020 Updated Results

Happy St. Patrick's Day, Y'all!

Today is St. Patrick's Day...but most people aren't thinking about that fact. Not that I'm blaming them...but I'm choosing to remember and celebrate anything other than the chaos that's happening right now.

Green is my favorite color, but strangely enough, I only have a few green shirts. The one I chose to wear today is from my teenage years. Thankfully, it was much too big for me then, which is the only reason I can fit into it twenty years later. The shirt reads "McFerran's Irish Dancers" and features Irish dance shoes in the middle of a celtic knot design. I bought this shirt when I was one of Sheila McFerran's Irish dance students back in 1999/2000. Sheila was from Dublin, Ireland and had somehow landed in Madison, Alabama. I took Irish step dance lessons from several individuals during those years, but all of them were Sheila's students or herself.

Somehow the shirt survived, even though my Irish step dancing days have long since passed. Even though I'm stuck at home, I wear it today to honor both St. Patrick and Shelia McFerran--along with my Irish heritage.

Our ancestors (no matter where they came from) endured terrible hardships throughout the ages--whether it was plague, war, famine, or religious persecution. In spite of their hardships, they survived--and we are testaments of that survival. We too shall overcome this present hardship, giving our descendants hope for their own future when troubles come. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day, Y'all! 

Revisiting Childhood Favorites

My love for books started at an early age. Reading was more than a form of entertainment, it was a form of escapism from (what seemed to be) a boring life in the Alabama countryside. I barely traveled out of the county that I lived in, much less out of the state, or --God forbid-- out of the Deep South.

In my books, I traveled the world--the real world and the worlds of sci-fi and fantasy. I learned about different cultures, languages, and customs. I traveled through time and space--getting a glimpse into ancient times, the Revolutionary War, etc.

Even with all my college degrees, I feel that the reading I did on my own throughout the years taught me more than anything a class ever could.

So, in honor of my childhood and teenage years, I'm revisiting books that made an impact--books that I've never forgotten, but have sat on my bookshelf, unread, for far too long.

I'll be adding to this list as the year passes, but here are the books I plan to revisit so far:

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

Sing Down the Moon by Scott O'Dell

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry

Johnny Tremain by Ester Forbes

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte