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Mel Leslie
- Jun 29, 2022
Digital Declutter, take two.
I am about to embark on another digital declutter starting July 1. Why? Well, I spend too much time mindlessly scrolling social media on my phone and have this urge to check it every other minute. That to me is a sign that I need a breather and to reevaluate my relationship with technology. In preparation, I am using this week to do a quick re-read of Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport, as well as do some self-reflection. The question I kept coming back to is why do I want to
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Mel Leslie
- Jun 29, 2022
Reminders of Him
Alright, alright, alright. I’m officially a CoHo fan. You won’t see me on #booktok, but I will be reading more of her in the future. And I have Reminders of Him to thank because this book sucked me in from the get-go and tore my heart in two. This is the third book I have read by Hoover and now I am starting to see what the buzz is about. She has a craft with creating endearingly flawed characters and stories with heavy and topical themes. I’m hopping on that bandwagon *toot
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Mel Leslie
- Jun 22, 2022
Virgil Wander
I geek out a bit over local authors, mostly because there aren't a ton from Wisconsin and Minnesota. When I was choosing books for our cabin vacation, I knew I needed to finally make Virgil Wander a priority for the simple fact that Leif Enger is from the small Southwestern Minnesota town we were visiting! I'm talking small town situated on a lake, population 1,700. How cool to read a book by an author in their hometown?! Virgil Wander is a love letter to the Midwest and was
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Mel Leslie
- Jun 22, 2022
The Invited
Recently, our little family took some time off to relax in a cabin in Northeast Minnesota. It is one of our favorite places in the world and the spot to sit lakeside and unwind with a good book. I brought The Invited by Jennifer McMahon and it ended up being the perfect spooky cabin read. This one is a ghost story with a twist and it captured my attention within the first few chapters. Synopsis: Helen and Nate want to live a simpler life. They leave behind their teaching jobs
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Mel Leslie
- Jun 14, 2022
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty
I have come to the conclusion that I will read whatever Akwaeke Emezi publishes. They can do no wrong. Their writing is other worldly, and it is almost a guarantee that I will enjoy whatever they put out (The Death of Vivek Oji was a five-star read for me.) You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi is no exception. This literary romance is full of texture, complexity and messiness. It is a story of love and grief. Not just romantic love, but all the forms lov
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Mel Leslie
- Jun 14, 2022
The Violin Conspiracy
I am hesitant when it comes to celebrity book clubs, but recently I have found that the Good Morning America book club is not one to sleep on. The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb is a literary mystery with a unique plot line that throws your right into the action from the first chapter. This one is a page-turner, and I found the world of classical music and violins absolutely fascinating. Prepare to go down a Google rabbit hole with this one. I found myself researching S
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Mel Leslie
- Jun 1, 2022
Take My Hand
Welp, I am officially out of my book slump and Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez is to thank. This historical fiction book inspired by true events blew me away. I have seen the beautiful cover of Take My Hand splattered across #bookstagram, but not enough in my opinion, because this book is everything. When a book is set 50 years ago, yet some of the things happen then are STILL happening now...that's a book you need to pick up and read..... Synopsis: Civil Townsend is fre
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Mel Leslie
- Jun 1, 2022
Cover Story
Spoiler: I loved Cover Story. A book that is marketed as a cross between Catch Me If You Can and Inventing Anna? I. AM. SOLD. Not only does Cover Story have the perfect cover with a 70's vibe, but it also has an interesting plotline told in a diary excerpt format, along with social media snippets, text exchanges and newspaper headlines. I devoured this one in a weekend. It has been a long time since I finished a book in such a short span of time (I honestly think No Exit by T
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