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In a New York Minute
In a New York Minute
Felice Stevens | 2023 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
IN A NEW YORK MINUTE is a standalone with a couple of cameos but nothing that would confuse you. It is a sweet and tender story of grown-up problems and mature responses. I simply adored this story from start to finish.

Both Garrett and Remi have their own baggage but they don't just jump off the deep end when something happens they didn't expect. They pass the time until they are able to speak privately and then work it out. I'm not saying it's all easy but communication does make things easier.

Bubbe and Grandpa Sol are both outstanding characters and I would love to see more of them. Pringle was an excellent example of prejudice that is still around today, even if the bloody Pringles catchphrase leapt into my head every time I saw his name. For him, it was certainly a case of "once you pop, you just can't stop." I really hope he got his comeuppance. Jeffrey stole my heart and I honestly NEED for them to get their story. All of the other characters are fantastic though, whether you like them or not.

A fantastic addition to Felice Steven's repertoire that I have no hesitation in recommending. Absolutely brilliant!

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
May 22, 2023
  
The Lies We Live
The Lies We Live
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Betty Must Uncover the Truth for Her New Client
Business is booming for PI Betty Ahern, and September 1943 finds her opening her own office. She’s also taken on a new case. Her client is worried that her younger brother, a teenager, is up to something shady if not illegal. And when a dead body turns up, Betty realizes the stakes have been raised. Meanwhile, the stakes are also raised in her personal life when her fiancé, Tom, returns from the front in Africa. He’s been injured, and his return to civilian life is anything but easy. Can Betty solve the case and figure out how to navigate Tom being back?

As a fan of the series, I’ve been waiting to meet Tom, and I was happy to see that happen here. His return really forced Betty to mature, and I enjoyed seeing that character growth. Meanwhile, the mystery was also compelling. Between the two, I was engrossed in the book. The story does touch on race relations of the era, but without taking over the book. I also enjoyed that aspect of things. As usual, Betty narrates with some slang from the time, but I enjoyed it. There’s a smattering of foul language, but as long as you know that going in, you’ll be fine. To best appreciate this book, you’ll want to back up to the start of the series. Fans will be very satisfied with what we get here.
  
The Suburban Micro-Farm: Modern Solutions for Busy People
The Suburban Micro-Farm: Modern Solutions for Busy People
Amy Stross | 2016 | Home & Garden
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book is stuffed full of useful information! It focuses on growing food in your yard when you don't have much time to spend on the yard, so there's a lot of permaculture techniques and gardens that are largely hands-off once you get them set up, which is exactly what I want. With the chronic fatigue, I often don't have the energy to get outside and work on a garden, and Maryland summers exhaust me simply by stepping outside. I really want to garden and grow food, but I need easy ways to do that.

The Suburban Micro-Farm delved into planting hedgerows, which is something we've been thinking of, rain gardens (which we probably should do, we have a couple places in the yard that do not drain well), and tree guilds, which are plantings that go under trees to work together in little micro-environments. One of the tree guilds Stross specifically talks about is a Black Walnut tree guild, which I was excited to see because we have a huge, beautiful mature Black Walnut that I've been trying to figure out how to plant around. Black Walnuts produce juglone, a chemical that kills a lot of plants, so you have to be very mindful of what you plant near them.

This is an excellent reference book for suburban gardens, and she has lots of extra resources on her site, The Tenth Acre Farm. I will be exploring those as well!

You can read all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.com