Tag: social media
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Book Review: Food for Thought by Alton Brown
I’ve been watching Alton Brown cooking shows since way back when Good Eats first came on the air. I loved the combination of science and food, and how Alton made the how and why as important as the taste of the final dish. My younger daughter and I watched many an episode together, loving his…
michardillo
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Book Review—Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy by Christopher White
As an American and a Catholic, did I ever, in my wildest dreams, imagine an American pope? Absolutely not. But, on Thursday, May 8, 2025, that is exactly what happened. My husband and I were both home (freshly retired) and were having lunch at our kitchen counter. After we finished eating, my husband was cleaning…
michardillo
book-review, books, Catholic, Catholic Church, Catholic school, Christopher White, Conclave, Confirmation, Councils, Italy, Jesuits, Kindle, Loyola Press, Mass, NetGalley, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis, Pope John Paul II, Pope John XXIII, Pope Leo XIV, social media, Society of Jesus, St. Monica, Synod, Vatican, Vatican II, writer, writing -
Pharrell Taught Me Well
What positive emotion do you feel most often? The lyrics of the 2013 hit “Happy” by Pharrell Williams really do answer this question for me. Clap along if you feel like a room without a roofClap along if you feel like happiness is the truthClap along if you know what happiness is to youClap along…
michardillo
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Book Review: Dear Miss Lake by AJ Pearce
I have a love-hate relationship with book series. Part of me loves the continuity, the bond established between the reader and the characters from book to book, the story taking me on a journey and coming back full-circle. But, I also hate when the series ends. To me, after I’ve invested so much time with…
michardillo
AJ Pearce, Blitz, book series, book-review, books, British, Dear Miss Lake, Dear Mrs. Bird, Edelweiss, England, English, fiction, Kate Messner, Kindle, library, literature, London, Maryland, Mrs. Porter Calling, mystery, novel, reading, Scholastic Press, Scribner, Silver Jaguar, social media, teacher, teaching, writer, writing, WWII, Yours Cheerfully -
Book Review: Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping [On a Dead Man] by Jesse Q. Sutanto
After a brief hiatus of flying through books and writing reviews, I am back from a family trip and just finished this book. I absolutely loved Jesse Q. Sutanto’s first book in this newish series, Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers (Berkley, 2023). It was a five-star read for me. I thought it was fresh…
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A Travel Essay…or Is It Much More?
A former colleague of my husband’s is recently retired and is transferring his work writing skills to his personal writing. He recently created a Substack account called Into the Blue, and after just one post, I immediately subscribed. In this post, Jeff describes a “van” road trip to Portland, Maine, he and his wife took…
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Book Review: Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford
A book dominated by the daily bakes of a British pensioner? Sign. Me. Up. I just finished reading Olivia Ford’s debut novel, Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame. A teacher colleague of mine—an avid reader and all around dear friend—gave me two books for Christmas and when I opened the package, this one was on top.…
michardillo
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Book Review: Back After This by Linda Holmes
This yet-to-be published new book, Back After This, is about the world of podcasting, but that is not why I requested an ARC from NetGalley. When I read the description, I saw that it was by the same author as Evvie Drake Starts Over (Ballantine, 2019), a book I read in 2020 and loved. Somewhere…
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#Currently Reading, Back After This, blind dates, Bon Appetit, book-review, books, brand collaboration, Christopher Kimball, cooking, covid, dog, Elinor Lipman, Evvie Drake Starts Over, fiction, Flying Solo, food, Goodreads, Great Dane, Kaytee Cobb, Linda Holmes, Meredith Monday Schwartz, Milk Street Radio, NetGalley, novel, podcast, reading, rom-com, Romance, social media, teaching, Washington DC, What Should I Read Next, writer, writing -
Book Review: A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder by Dianne Freeman (Book #1 in the Countess of Harleigh Mystery Series)
I recently grabbed a book off of the new mysteries shelf at my local library and knew almost immediately that I was missing quite a bit of backstory, only to realize I was starting with book #7 of a series. I enjoyed An Art Lover’s Guide to Paris and Murder – albeit without the backstory…
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A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder, An Art Lover’s Guide to Paris and Murder, book-review, books, British, Countess of Harleigh, cozy mystery, death, Dianne Freeman, Downton Abbey, England, English, family, fiction, Libby, library, literature, MCPL, mystery, novel, parenting, reading, social media, vacation, Victorian Era -
Book Review: We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
If you follow me, you might have noticed that I typically write my book reviews immediately after I finish reading a book, while it is still fresh in my mind. But, I finished Richard Osman’s latest book, We Solve Murders (Penguin Random House/Viking/Pamela Dorman Books, 2024), book #1 in a new series, three days ago.…
Michelle Blanchard Ardillo 