Reading, Writing & Pondering

    The Charmed Library by Jennifer Moorman has been a treat for me to read. I was excited to receive an arc.  Stella Parker is an Assistant Librarian in the small town in the South where she grew up. She still carries sadness from her father's death and her mother leaving the family early in her life. She also had a recent break up. She loves working with books as she is a word person. Words appear to Stella and give her insights into other people. Stella stumbles into another magical element when she is in the library after hours. She learns that some of the fictional characters she remembers have come to life. She especially enjoys meeting Jack Mathis who is Stella's first book crush and a fictional hero from a World War 2 novel.  I enjoyed this trip into a small town library adventure with Stella. I haven't read a lot of magical realism so for me this was a treat. I liked the reference to some of my favorite book characters. I enjoyed seeing Stella grow and chang...

Are you a fan of horses? By the Way of the Moonlight by Elizabeth Musser ties together a love of horses through generations along with other family history and struggles to weave a fascinating dual timeline story. Allie Massey is a physical therapist with a dream of making her grandparents' estate into an equine therapy center. Her grandmother, Nana Dale, embraced Allie's dream and promised her that it would happen for her one day after she passed away. However, to Allie's shock and utter disbelief, when the will is read, things have changed and the land is sold to a developer.  Allie is tasked with cleaning out Nana's house within three weeks before the house is knocked over. During that time, she reflects on her life and we learn more of Nana Dale's history. Can Allie's dreams stay alive through this crisis?  I'm not a real fan of horses but I enjoyed By the Way of the Moonlight. If you love horses, I imagine the book would be even better for you. However,...