The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer.
It’s a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.
What happened this week?
This was quite the week. I called my sibling Monday and we chatted a while and caught up. They’re moving to Sweden for a new job this month, so that’s quite exciting for them. Then on Wednesday we had a partial solar eclipse here. It was about 89% I think, so it didn’t get as dark as I thought. We didn’t manage to get solar glasses as by the time we heard of the eclipse they were all sold out, so we didn’t watch the sun, but instead just watched outside. The sun fell through a tree nearby and made these half moon shapes on the wall, which was quite cool too see.
And we got another heat wave late this week and it was really warm again for a few days and not nice. I think this was the fifth heat wave this year and we broke all sorts of heat records this summer. I look forward to the cooler weather we should be getting the next few weeks.
I also got a bit of work done for the author I do assistant work for. I also did some cleaning around the house. And I tried a new recipe for noodle soup, I’ve made it before, but I made some adjustments to make it low-FODMAP and made some other changes and it turned out really good.
I started with some enzymes for my gut issues to see if that helps with the bloating. So far the enzymes seem to help as they make my gut feel very calm, not quite sure if it helps at all for the bloating, but I want to keep trying it for a bit as I know it can take some time to see results. I also started drinking ginger tea, as that’s supposed to help with gut issues too. I don’t really like the flavor, but it’s growing on me.
What did I read this week?
This week I blogged about:
– Review: Spoon to be Dead by Dana Mentink
– Review: Everyday Nervous System Regulation by Melissa Romano
– Review: Love and Lab Extractions by Mary Stephenson Su
What to expect next week on the blog:
– Review: Tides Wait for No Witch by Natalie Summers
– Review: The Floating Amsterdam Flower Shop by Annabel French
– Review: Tarts & Tiaras by Laura Greenwood
How was your week?
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Love and Lab Extractions (The “Love and” Duology #1)
by Mary Su
My Rating: 3 stars
Genre: Cozy Fantasy Romance
Age Category: Young Adult
Type of romance: m/f
Blurb:
Lab Partners, Love, and Visions of the FutureStrailer is a young elf who loves friends and fun. When the lab instructor pairs him off with Lilliana “The Ice Queen,” he hopes his charms can melt her icy exterior.
Lilliana is a young elf who likes things just so-her hair, her stuff, and her assignments. She realizes Strailer is as handsome as he is funny, but she knows he’s not the one for her. She’s seen visions of her future-including her love life-and she knows Strailer’s not in it.
When the elf of Lilliana’s dreams arrives in Valley Glen, it’s not as perfect as she had hoped. He brings chaos that could upend all of their futures. Will Lilliana find the heart to do what’s right or leave Strailer holding the bag?
My Review
I read one of this author’s stories in a Cozy Vale anthology and was looking forward to read more, so I started with this one. Love and Lab Extractions is set in a valley where elves live and follows the lives of two young adult elves who team up for a lab project and grow closer along the way.
This was a nice story, I liked reading about Lilliana and Strailer and seeing them grow closer. I would’ve liked a bit more about them getting to know each other, but I liked their connection and the way their different personalities played off each other. I wasn’t a fan of the Vision Boy plot line and the big part of the story that focussed on that was less interesting to me, but did like how it eventually made Lilliana realize more about her visions and realize what she wanted. The ending wraps things up well enough, but does feel a bit open regarding some things, maybe future books in the series will continue some of those plot threads.
I liked Lilliana’s friendship with her neighbor and Strailer has a good friend as well, and I liked their interactions with their friends and how they help out. I liked the bits about magic and how everyone has a magical skill, but would’ve liked to learn a bit more about this. The world building is a bit limited, but this is a shorter read and I assume the later books in the series will delve more into that. I did like the parts that were there with how the lab project gave a bit of a feel for how things worked as well as seeing a bit from Lilliana, Strailer and their friends their magic. There’s also something about illegal magical substances and a sort of elves police called the Peacemakers. Enough to make me curious to learn more.
To summarize: I liked reading this and seeing Lilliana and Strailer fall in love. I liked the two main characters well enough, but would’ve liked a bit more about them getting to know each other. I liked the way their different personalities played off each other. I didn’t really like the part of the plot that focussed on Vision Boy and how long it took Lilliana to realize some things, but I did like how things got wrapped up and she stood up for what she believed in at the end. The ending leaves a few threads a bit open and I wonder if future books will wrap that up. The world building is limited, but this is a short read and the part that were there like the magic and the bits about magical substances and the Peacemakers were interesting.
Everyday Nervous System Regulation: Simple Exercises to Reset & Recenter
by Melissa Romano
My Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Non-Fiction Self Help
Blurb:
Simple nervous system regulation exercises to feel safer, calmer, and more present—for anyone, anywhereFor many of us, stress is baseline. Busy schedules, trauma, and chronic pressure can keep the nervous system stuck in survival mode. In Everyday Nervous System Regulation, Melissa Romano—bestselling author of the Vagus Nerve Deck—translates neuroscience into simple practices that return the mind and body to a calm and connected state. These accessible, somatic exercises help you reset in the moment while gradually retraining your nervous system to feel more grounded, less reactive, and attuned to the world around you.
Inside this book you will find:
– ACCESSIBLE TOOLS: Start now—no exercise clothes required. These practices are intentionally low effort while remaining effective.
– SCIENCE-BACKED STRESS RELIEF: Proven techniques to release stored tension and restore energy using the natural power of breath, movement, nature, and more.
– TARGETED SOMATIC PRACTICES: Find exercises mapped to a specific experience—like anger, loneliness, or fatigue—or begin with the Emergency Toolkit that includes 10 quick resets.
– STRUCTURED 7- AND 30-DAY PLANS: Turn simple practices into sustainable habits. Examples and templates provided
My Review
I received a free copy from the publisher through Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.
Regulation is so important for me and something that impacts me on a regular basis, so when I saw this book on Netgalley I knew I wanted to read it and see what new techniques the book could teach me.
The book starts with an introduction about how the nervous system works and some of the theories behind the techniques, but where the book really shines for me is when it gets into the exercises. I liked the encouraging tone of the book and how the author emphasizes it’s totally fine to not do everything or try things out and adjust them in a way that works for you.
This book has so many different exercises you can try for nervous system regulation. These are separated into different chapters for different goals or states of being, like there is a chapter about when you’re feeling shut down, but also one for when you want to wind down and sleep or when you want connection or when you’re feeling angry or anxious. I liked the way this grouped the exercises and how you can eaisly find some that fit your current state of being.
I liked how many different exercises there are and I think that is one of the biggest strengths of this book, I think there is something for everyone. Some exercises didn’t resonate with me at all, others I adjusted so they would work for me and others were just right for me. I didn’t try all of them, but I made notes of the ones I wanted to try out and thought would work for me and even have incorporated some of them in my daily life already. I also was pleasantly surprised to recognize a whole lot of things I already do and it was nice to see that and knew I was doing some of this already.
The last chapter deals with ways to incorporate these exercises into your daily life by making a weekly or monthly plan and how to evaluate what is working and what is not. I didn’t really do much with this, but I think it’s helpful and gives you a starting point.
The only thing I sometimes struggled with is how information dense this book is, I could only read 3-4 exercises per time as else my brain just couldn’t process it. That’s more a me thing than something inherently bad about the book, but it made it so I only read this one in short burst so I could process the parts I had read. I do think this is a book I plan to read again and try some more exercises that I didn’t the first time.
To summarize: This was a great book about nervous system regulation. It feels very accessible and doable and I liked the encouraging writing style. The exercises are grouped in chapters focussed on a state of being or mood like exercises for when you’re angry, anxious or want to sleep. I liked the wide variety of exercises and I think there is something that works for everyone here. It was nice to recognize some things I already did as well as have plenty of new ideas to try. Not every exercise resonated with me, but that’s okay as there are so many of them that there were plenty I did try or want to try. I could only read this book is short bursts as it’s so dense with information and exercises and I needed some time to process after reading a few exercises. In the last chapter there also is a way to help you plan and fit these exercises in your daily life and evaluate what is working. All in all I can definitely recommend this book.
Spoon to be Dead (Shake Shop #3)
written by Dana Mentink
narrated by Stephanie Németh-Parker
My Rating: 3 stars
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Age Category: Adult
Type of romance: m/f
Blurb:
A murder for the holidays is about to shake things up!Trinidad Jones is starting the festive season with sugary confections and a heaping scoop of worry as her shake shop enters its first Oregon winter. With snow abound and tourists trickling through, she’ll do anything to keep her milkshake dreams afloat, even if it means catering a holiday steamboat party for some new arrivals in town.
But when her good-for-nothing ex crashes through her shop’s door claiming he’s being charged with murder, things go sideways. With clues piling up like whipped cream on a sundae and motives abound, Trinidad and her fellow ex-wives must solve this murder before she’s finally thrown for a scoop.
My Review
I received a free copy from Tantor Audio and voluntarily reviewed it.
I really liked the first two books in this series and was so excited the third book got released in audio as well so I could continue the series. Sadly I didn’t enjoy Spoon to be Dead as much as the previous two books, while I loved being back in Sprocket and reading about the familiar characters, the mystery in this one didn’t really grip me and the character related plot lines were too much drama for me.
Let’s start with what I liked about this book. I really liked being back in the small town of Upper Sprocket again and spending time with these characters. I really like reading about Trinidad and the characters surrounding her like her grandfather, her two sisters Bonnie and Juliette, her dog Noodles, Quinn’s brother Dough and her new boyfriend Quinn. The characters are all great and I enjoy reading about them.
The small town setting is fun and I like the vibe of this small town. This book is winter themed and while I thought the summer and autumn themes of the first two books came through better, it was still nice to see Sprocket in a different season. I also liked seeing Trinidad run her ice cream shop and coming up with some ideas to sell things during winter that aren’t ice cream. I liked reading about the choco bombs and the class she organizes as well as her first catering gig aboard the steamboat. The narrator is the same one as the first two books and was great to listen to.
What didn’t work for me was the mystery. The mystery just started off with such a weird set up already with Trinidad’s ex Gabe being back in town and he thinks he killed someone, but he can’t actually remember. His car ran someone over and there was someone else in the car with him, but that person says he left before that. It was just a weird set up. The chief can’t investigate as Gabe is her little brother and he is the main suspect despite his lack of memory. And from there onward the mystery just gets more convoluted. Even when it all came to light it just felt too convoluted to me and I thought the actions of the murderer didn’t really make sense to me and I though it was odd they didn’t do something earlier or handled something differently. The mystery just didn’t grip me and I wasn’t really invested it.
Then besides the mystery there is this whole weird plot line with Bonnie getting married, but the whole situation feels odd and she doesn’t seem excited for it and there is a secret she’s keeping. And only toward the end of the book there is the reason why and again it was twisty, but just not as interesting to me and a simple talk would’ve resolved this much better. I also didn’t like how Bonnie kept it a secret from Trinidad and Juliette as with everything that’s established in the past books it just didn’t feel in-character.
Then there is more drama with the ex Gabe being back in town and the three women have to deal with that and their past with him. And I just didn’t really like the whole ex plot line. Then there is Quinn, Trinidad’s current boyfriend, acting all possessive and jealous and that just didn’t seem to match his personality from previous books. And I just liked them together in book 1 so much and how they teamed up, but in books 2 and 3 it just seemed more drama gets introduced in their romance and I just don’t really care for it.
To summarize: I enjoyed returning to the small town of Upper Sprocket and spending time with these characters. This book is winter themed and I liked seeing Trinidad figure out how to make her ice cream business a success this season. I like the characters and seeing them interact with each other. I sadly didn’t like the mystery in this one, it didn’t grip me and it felt way too convoluted. Then there is some drama with Trinidad’s ex being in town, her current boyfriend acting possessive and Bonnie getting married and not telling her sisters why. It just didn’t feel interesting or completely in-character and I didn’t really like the drama. The narrator was great again and I enjoyed listening to this one. I am just sad it wasn’t as good for me as the first two books.
The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer.
It’s a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.
What happened this week?
I started this week still feeling the results of my migraine from last week, my body still hurt and I was feeling very tired. Somehow I ended up dealing with that for a few more days. It also was very warm weather again and I didn’t sleep well and just stayed tired. It got a bit cooler later in the week luckily. And there was a big fire in a piece of nature nearby, which was sad to hear as a bunch of the nature has burned down. It’s been very dry here and there are all these warning signs to be careful with fire and heat when entering those areas, but guess something still went wrong.
I also struggled more with gut symptoms this week, ever since eating something wrong late last week my gut hasn’t been very happy and I had some days with more symptoms. The bloating has been very bad this week and I just don’t know why. I bought some lactase pills to try so I can eat some lactose if I like without symptoms. I’ve been looking into more enzymes to see if they can help with my symptoms and allow me to eat more products again. My mom bought some products for me from a glutenfree bakery she found and it was fun to try out some new products. There was a bread, chocolate chip cookies as well as a lemon cake, they were all delicious.
What did I read this week?
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This week I blogged about:
– Review: Goblin Fruit by Celia Lake
– Review: The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst
– Review: A Demon Chef’s Recipe For Tasty Tapas by Ariana Jade
What to expect next week on the blog:
– Review: Spoon to be Dead by Dana Mentink
– Review: Everyday Nervous System Regulation by Melissa Romano
– Review: Love and Lab Extractions by Mary Stephenson Su
How was your week?
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A Demon Chef’s Recipe For Tasty Tapas (The Forked Tail Restaurant #2)
by Ariana Jade
My Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Cozy Fantasy Romance
Age Category: Adult
Type of romance: f/f
Blurb:
And we’re going live in 3… 2… 1!Welcome to the first round of the DemonChef competition where multiple teams of excellent demon chefs battle it out to be crowned the winner. For our first challenge, we’ll be asking for dishes that highlight the most versatile of sins, envy! Can our teams figure out how to make this sour flavour shine? There’s only one way to find out and that’s to tune in.
The DemonChef competition has officially started and chef Lana is determined to show the judges her cooking skills, even if she’s not the most experienced when it comes to cooking with envy. Coming up with a dish proves a real challenge when the cameras are rolling and a drunken moment with Demi only complicates matters between them.
Can Lana and Demi get through the first round of the DemonChef competition or will this be the end of their dream?
****
A Demon Chef’s Recipe For Tasty Tapas is the second book in the Forked Tail Restaurant series. It’s a cozy urban fantasy series about a determined and ambitious demon chef, a sapphic romance, found family, and mouth-watering food.
My Review
I received a free copy from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.
I really liked the first book in this series and was excited to read this one. The DemonChef competition starts in this book and it’s basically a cooking competition involving sin, which can be used as an ingredient in cooking. I had such a great time reading this book, it was such a fun read and I was sad when I finished and already looking forward to the next book.
I like food themed books and the food competition and the cooking scenes in this one were so fun to read about. The author really brings the cooking scenes alive with all the details and the way the cooking with sin works is so interesting and feels so well developed. In this book they have to cook with lust and I liked learning about the different types of lust and how they were cooking with it. There’s also a scene where they go and eat at a restaurant that cooks with lust to gain inspiration, which was fun to read too.
I also really like the dynamic between Lana and Demi. Their banter and the way their personalities bounce off each other is so fun. I really liked their connection. Lana is the more grumpy chef, where Demi is this bubbly excited influencer who loves food. The two make for a great team and I like reading about them as they work together and also outside of the competition like the restaurant scene. They also complement each other well with Demi being better at the social aspect and Lana knowing more about the cooking. There is some romantic tension simmering there and I am excited to see how that developed throughout the series.
To summarize: This was such a fun read. I really like the food theme and reading about all the food they eat and make as well as the cooking competition. The way the author describes the sins and the way the demons can cook with it is so well written and developed. I really like reading about Lana and Demi. Their dynamic is so fun and has a bit of a grumpy-sunshine vibe. They make for a great team and really complement each other. I really like seeing them interact together and am eager to see how their romance develops.
The Enchanted Greenhouse (Spellshop #2)
by Sarah Beth Durst
My Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Cozy Fantasy
Age Category: Adult
Type of romance: m/f
Blurb:
#1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah Beth Durst invites you to her new standalone novel set in the world of The Spellshop! Follow her to The Enchanted Greenhouse, a cozy fantasy nestled on a far-away island brimming with singing flowers, honey cakes, and honeyed love.Terlu Perna broke the law because she was lonely. She cast a spell and created a magically sentient spider plant. As punishment, she was turned into a wooden statue and tucked away into an alcove in the North Reading Room of the Great Library of Alyssium.
This should have been the end of her story . . . Yet one day, Terlu wakes in the cold of winter on a nearly-deserted island full of hundreds of magical greenhouses. She’s starving and freezing, and the only other human on the island is a grumpy gardener. To her surprise, he offers Terlu a place to sleep, clean clothes, and freshly baked honey cakes—at least until she’s ready to sail home.
But Terlu can’t return home and doesn’t want to—the greenhouses are a dream come true, each more wondrous than the next. When she learns that the magic that sustains them is failing—causing the death of everything within them—Terlu knows she must help. Even if that means breaking the law again.
This time, though, she isn’t alone. Assisted by the gardener and a sentient rose, Terlu must unravel the secrets of a long-dead sorcerer if she wants to save the island—and have a fresh chance at happiness and love.
Funny, kind, and forgiving, The Enchanted Greenhouse is a story about giving second chances—to others and to yourself.
Expect:
Standalone romance
Grumpy x sunshine
Magical creatures
Just one cottage
My Review
I read The Spellshop last year and bought The Enchanted Greenhouse right away. It took me until last winter to pick it up, but then I set it aside as I struggle reading books set during winter when I am dealing with my winter depression and this book takes place during winter. I ended up waiting till it was warmer to get back at it and then I really enjoyed this magical cozy story.
Terlu, the main character of this book, is the one who created the talking plant Caz from The Spellshop. She got turned into a statue and Caz never knew what happened to her and whether she made it out of the burning library alive, but in this book we find out that she did and she makes it to an island with magical greenhouses and teams up with the grumpy gardener Yarrow to try and save the greenhouses.
This was such a fun story, it’s just as magical and whimsical as the first book. I liked reading about the magical greenhouses and seeing Terlu try and figure out the magic to keep them intact and why they were failing. I like the way magic works in this universe with how some minor changes can lead to very different spells. Besides the talking plants, who are a lot of fun, there’s also a winged cat and some small dragons on the island as well. I liked learning more about this island and the magical greenhouses. I also liked the themes of second chances and resolving things. As well as seeing how Terlu followed her dreams and they didn’t quite turn out how she hoped and now she has a new chance to find a home.
Terlu is such a great main character. I liked how she craves connection and social contact and that’s why she created Caz. I felt so bad for her being turned into a statue and so happy when she got turned human again. It makes sense she has some struggles to deal with and fears getting turned into a statue again and I admired her for still decided to do magic even with the risk. I liked Yarrow as well, he also has his own struggles with how his whole family left the island and he’s the only one left there. He’s grumpy and doesn’t like social contact, but it’s clear he’s a kind person who cares a lot.
Yarrow and Terlu are very different characters, but somehow they make for a lovely couple. I especially liked how Terlu never tried to change Yarrow or pushed him to do things he wasn’t ready for. I really liked that about her. I liked how Yarrow might struggle with words at times, but he always let her know he cared in some way like baking for her, which was so sweet. I really liked seeing these two grow closer. The romance did progress rather quickly, but I liked them together.
The ending was just perfect and ended things on such a high note. I really liked the ways some things got wrapped up and how the characters got some closure and clarity on some things. I liked the way the plot line about the failing greenhouses got resolved as well. And the ending just felt so bright and hopeful and cozy.
To summarize: I really enjoyed this book. The Enchanted Greenhouse is about Terlu who got turned into a statue waking up human again on an island with magical greenhouses and a grumpy gardener. The greenhouses are failing and the two of them team up to figure out how they can save them. This book was so cozy, hopeful and magical. There are talking plants, a winged cat, lots of interesting magical greenhouses and small dragons, the book has such a magical and whimsical feel. I like the way the magic works in this universe and I liked seeing Terlu try to figure out how to save greenhouses even at the risk of doing magic might get her punished again. Both Terlu and Yarrow have some struggles they need to deal with and I liked seeing how that developed throughout the book. I liked their romance. The way Terlu loved Yarrow the way he is and never tried to change him or push him to do things he wasn’t ready for, was just lovely to read about. I liked how Yarrow showed how much he cared by taking care of Terlu and baking and cooking for her. The ending was awesome and really ends things on a high note, wrapping up the main greenhouse plot line and side plot lines. It was such a magical, cozy and hopeful read and I look forward to more books in this series.