The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly is a story of how there is no way to go but up once you have lost everything in your life. The heroine, Fiona Finnegan, grew up in London's East End at the end of the 1800s during the heyday of the Ripper. Try as hard as they might, her family barely made ends meet. The only thing that keeps her going is the plan to one day open her own shop with her best friend/sweetheart, Joe.

Tragedy upon tragedy pile up on top of Fiona and she finds herself completely alone. With nothing tying her to her old life in the East End, she travels to America with some cash she "stumbles upon" to start afresh working for her uncle.

The tides do begin to turn for Fiona and her determination and perseverance begin to pay off. After her father's suspicious death at the hand of his employer, Burton Tea, Fiona is bound and determined to seek her own form of justice to avenge his death.

Tea is all Fiona has ever known. Packing tea, drinking tea and constantly smelling tea as it came in by the docks. She puts her knowledge to good use and becomes the most influential tea merchant in America.

I won't give the rest of the story away, but it was such a wonderful read and was a page turner. The twists and turns will have you on the edge of your seat and once you are about three-quarters of the way through, be sure you have enough time to finish it in one sitting. 

It's the first in a trilogy; the other two books are told from other character's perspectives. In all but one circumstance, The Tea Rose leaves you with a feeling of closure.

Sarah of Sky Envy

Tell us a little bit about yourself/blog. 

My name is Sarah and I blog over at Sky Envy. Having lived in 10 zip codes and been to 18 countries in the last 4 years, I consider myself as a traveler and a nomad. My blog is a collection of photos and stories of my travels and nomadic life. 

Do you make New Year's resolutions or goals? If so, what are yours for 2015?

I don't believe in New Year's resolutions as it has been hard to keep them. I do believe in making goals for yourself. Mine are very easy - drink more water, sleep more, explore more of my own backyard and travel as much as I can.

What is the favorite book you've been reading? 

I haven't started reading it yet but I just got a copy of How To Be a Parisian Wherever You Are. I think I should add Reading more as one of my goals. :)

If you could have lunch with anyone, who would it be? 

First person that comes to mind right now is to have lunch with Jessica Stein of Tulla Vintage. She is a fashion blogger yes, but she is more of a traveler and a great photographer in my own opinion. I would like to just chat with her about her experiences with past travels. Her photos and travels are continuously inspiring me to get myself out there.

Follow along: Bloglovin | Instagram | Facebook

What you should be reading: Sail Away | Cusco | Eze

Christina of Route Bliss

Tell us a little bit about yourself/blog. 

I'm Christina, the girl behind the scenes at Route Bliss. I'm a 30-something single wannabe vagabond whose practicality and realist side keeps her planted in East Texas. By weekday I write lots of reports at my job as well as daydream frequently where I want to travel to next, ways to motivate myself to getting fit for health and happiness's sake, and experimenting in the kitchen to make my favorite not so healthy foods healthier. I also like to take lots of photos of pretty things, furry critters (aka canines and felines), and beautiful destinations.

Do you make New Year's resolutions or goals? If so, what are yours for 2015?

Intentions and plans yes, resolutions, nope. I have a lot of intentions and plans for 2015 that all tie into my one little word for 2015, cultivate.

What is the favorite book you've been reading? 

At the moment I'm between books, everything's been just an 'okay' read lately, nothing that stands out as a favorite!

If you could have lunch with anyone, who would it be? 

Right now, John Muir and Ansel Adams ... in doing trip research and planning for this summer, these two men keep popping up + I love Ansel's photography.

Follow along: Twitter | Instagram | Instagram (Route Bliss)

What you should be reading: 

Cultivating in 2015

2015 Desktop Download

Photoshop How-To: Create a Watermark Brush

She's known as the only person who dares stand up to Anna Wintour and tell her what she thinks. Or the creative mind behind American Vogue. Or the real star on the September Issue (other than Andre Leon Talley, of course.) Grace's story is fascinating, especially after reading her memoir, which is a wonderful read and not simply a nice coffee table book. 

Inspiration can come from the smallest of places: a sunrise, skyline or the pretty turn of a phrase in your favorite book. Always keep your eyes open to the world around you. Sometimes it becomes easy to get lost in the haze of routine.

If the ordinary and life's simple pleasures are inspiration for one of the most brilliant minds in the magazine world, then it is good enough for you and me. So get out and explore this weekend. Keep watching and you might be surprised by the ideas that come about.

I want to preface this review, by making it clear that this book is nothing like The Fault in Our Stars. Disregard any comparisons between the book/movie. It's not even close. And if you begin reading it expecting to uncover John-Green-words-of-wisdom then you are gong to be disappointed.

The book is based around the question posed to the main character, Mia, as she's on the brink of death "Does she want to continue to live, or go on?" Her parents and brother have just died in a car accident, so learning to live a life without them would be immensely difficult. However, she's on the edge of the rest of her life, has friends and family who don't want to learn to live a life without her. And Adam. I won't give any spoilers to how it ends in case you haven't read it yet. 

I think the book would have been much better as an extended short story or a novella. While reading it I kept feeling like the characters were running in circle, debating the same pros and cons to living/dying over and over again. The story is told through flashbacks that introduce you to the people who mean the most to Mia: her parents who are the punk to her classical, her much younger brother who breathes new life into the family, her grandparents, her best friend Kim who seems like more of a sidekick for most of the story until it's almost too late, and finally Adam, her soon-to-be-famous musician boyfriend whose life is moving in the complete opposite direction as hers. 

Music plays a key role in the lives of all of the characters. Mia stands out from her friends and family for her love of the cello, which is a stark contrast to the speaker-blaring cares-to-the-wind punk rock that is the center part of everyone else's life. Mia thinks that she can only perform alone, practice alone and develop the passion of hers alone. She looks to the others performing together, bonding over a common passion and spurring each other on to play better and is a little jealous. She thinks that she doesn't quite fit in. The turning point comes during a front porch jam session when her friends and family insist she join in and Mia finally realizes that her two worlds can coexist just fine and she is not an odd one out. 

All I will say about the end is that it is abrupt. There is not further explanation about everyone goes on with their life. Many questions are left unanswered; there is no epilogue. Overall I thought it was an interesting read, especially to make you think about whether or not you were put in the same situation, if that was a possibility, what would you choose to do?

In high school, I was one of those kids that looked forward to receiving the summer reading assignment. I rushed to the library, checked the books out, devoured them and had the papers written within the first month of summer. Perhaps I also wanted to get it out of the way so I could move on to my own personal summer reading list. There is something about long days spent by a pool or on a porch that makes me want to get comfortable in a lounge chair and get lost in another world.

On my list for this summer:

Looking for Alaska by John Green

With The Fault in Our Stars coming out this weekend, I'm in a John Green mood. And everyone has told me that Looking for Alaska was their favorite of his.

Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

I couldn't get enough of The Secret History, also by Donna Tart. Mystery, murder, prep schools and teenagers with trust funds make for some of my favorite reading. Goldfinch is another book that has been on almost every "must read" list lately. I've heard that it is a little tedious to get through and it most likely not a pool read.

Longbourn by Jo Baker

This is the Upstairs Downstairs version of Pride and Prejudice that tells about the orphaned housemaid in the Bennett household. I will not pretend nor get my hopes up that this will live up to Pride and Prejudice, but it's nice to read about one of my favorite stories from a different point of view.

For previous book reviews and recommendations, click here.

If there is one thing that is almost as good as eating French food, it would be reading about French food. For all of those foodie travel lovers out there, this is a must read. Ann Mah is a diplomat's wife who treated her few years stationed in France as a culinary adventure. She did not shy away from the pork fat, smelly cheeses, and questionable sausages that are staples in regional French cuisine. She went on a culinary pilgrimage throughout the French provinces with the goal of getting to the heart of such dishes as steak frites, anduillete, fondue, boeuf bourguignon and buckwheat crepes.

Similar to another American diplomat's wife, Julia Child, Ann finds comfort and belonging through cooking and learning about France through dishes. She interviews and learns from chefs whose recipes and methods have been handed down from generations. 

While I had not heard of half of the dishes Ann journeys to find, nor would I honestly care to try them, I am fascinated by her time in Paris and France. In my opinion, she talks about Roquefort one too many times for my taste. And anyone who truly loves Roquefort (whose mold can only be grown in certain caves, yes, caves) and Camembert, well, I have to question her sanity. 

Needless to say, she weaves her newfound culinary knowledge with her memoirs as a diplomat's wife whose husband is then quickly sent to Iraq alone for a year. Many of us, alone in a foreign country may stick to what we know, but Ann channels her inner Julia Child and learns to perfect boeuf bourguignon instead. 

Mastering the Art of French Eating by Ann Mah

Have you ever had one of those moments when you read a book, or watch a segment on the news, and think to yourself: man, I'm glad I don't have their life. Well, that is how I felt after reading Gone Girl. If you haven't read it yet, I highly advise you to download it or pick up a copy. It's even one of those books that you can pick up months later and read again and still feel connected to the plot because you've forgotten how it ends. Anyways...the whole time I was reading it I kept thinking to myself "I hope I don't end up married to someone who would fake their own murder just to get back at me and who is that psychotic." But then there were other moments where I had to give Amy credit for being so throughough and methodical in her planning. Was she completely crazy? OMG yes. But her persistance deserves to be recognized.

Also, I LOVED the not so subtle references to Nancy Grace and 24-hour news coverage of missing persons and their trials. I remember following the Casey Anthony trial from start to finish and it made me reevaluate my perception of guilt and innocence. Because for most of the book, you really do believe that Nick killed his wife. All of the "evidence" points to that conclusion and it's always the husband in these cases. Then I realized just how much the media affects our views in these cases. In the case of Casey Anthony, after months of hearing about the Google searches, choloroform and not notifying the police about her missing daughter, I decided in my mind that she was guilty. How could she not be, right?

I say all that to say, if you love a book that will leave you on the edge of your seat and constantly turning the page into the wee hours of the night, then Gone Girl is the perfect book for you. I look forward to reading other book by Gillian Flynn in the future.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Christina of Route Bliss

Brief description of you/what you blog about:

Route Bliss is where I share my love of travel and photography as well as what I'm learning on my journey to healthier living (adapted recipes as well as running and fitness tips and grumblings!).

Spring is here! What is your flower? And do you have a green thumb? If so, any gardening tips for the rest of us?

As of late, I'm loving ranunculus blooms. I wish I had a green thumb, I manage to keep cut flowers alive longer than plants with roots still attached!

What you should be reading:

Eating Healthy (& Affordably) While on the Road

Baked Chicken & Rice

A Quick Starry Night Photography Tutorial

Want to know more? You can follow Christina through her blog, Instagram, Bloglovin, Google+. 

My mom says there is no such thing as a "normal" family; there are only varying degrees of disfunction. But I would say that the Fox family has more disfunction than most. First, you have Bernadette, an artist/architect/genius, who married a computer engineer/genius. They are an unlikely match, and while they but heads the majority of the time, they stick by each other through it all. And then there is their daughter Bee (short for Balakrishna), who plays the "gifted only child who survived a major childhood heart defect" character. Throw into the mix the "gnats" (hippy prep school moms), the FBI and a psychiatrist into the mix and you have yourself the makings of a brilliant, witty and momentarily heartbreaking story.

I absolutely loved the format of the book, which is written primarily through letters, emails, and other documentation sent back and forth by all of the major characters. You never have one person's version of events and it paints a broader picture.

The jokes, jabs and quibs at the Seattle-Microsoft-hipster families reminds me of Portlandia. Author Maria Semple is one of the writers of Arrested Development, so it is no surprise that she has the sarcastic one-liners down to a science. 

When the story is told through Bernadette's point of view, I never thought she was loosing her mind. I thought she was hilarious and someone who I would like to have in my corner fighting battles against new-age parentals. But then when her husband chimes in, he makes her sound like she is a threat to herself and those around her.

I won't give too much away, but Semple does flash back and explain what led to Bernadette's mental breakdown. It's dangerous to put all of your self-worth into your career, and to define yourself by what you do for a living and the awards you achieve. It's important to remember that you are more than just what you do from 9-5, because jobs are fleeting and one wrong turn and you might watch your career go up in flames

"Where'd You Go Bernadette" is the perfect weekend read, especially if you happen to be snowed in. There are no great stopping places in the book, so be prepared to continue on long into the night. 

Oh, and did I mention there is a trip to Antarctica involved in the plot? How cool is that?

I had high hopes for Larson's tale of Chicago leading up to the World's Fair, and it did not disappoint. And as I flipped through the last thirty or so pages and realized just how many footnotes and references are included, my appreciation and love for the book grew even more. It would have been a terrifying and awe-inspiring tale even if he had embellished the story here and there. But to know that all of the minute details were thoroughly researched and woven into a narrative seamlessly was nothing short of perfection.

To give a little background, Devil in the White City follows the architects and their lofty ambitions to design and organize the Columbian Exhibition, and to make sure that it surpassed the previous world's fair in Paris (when the Eiffel Tower was built.) Despite egos, lack of a solid foundation and the creation of unions, and union strikes, you wouldn't believe that they would be able to pull the grand scheme off, especially in the two years they had to complete the plan. Chicago had much to prove to the east coast cities, especially New York. Chicago wasn't refined, it's main industry was the Union stock yard, to the east coast there was no culture in Chicago. They didn't believe that the most innovative architectural minds could possibly come from Chicago. And by some miracle, Daniel Burnham and John Root achieved the seemingly impossible.

And through all of this, one man almost got away with one of the largest serial killings in our nation's history.

Larson could have done a better job at piecing the narrative together in the beginning. I had a hard time keeping up with all of the different architects and felt like the storyline went back and forth too much. However, once all of the story lines converge at the start of the fair, you won't want to put the book down.

I did love the contrast that was discussed between the "white city" of the fair and the "black city" of Chicago. The fair was seen to be perfect and showcased all that was beautiful and modern in the country, while Chicago was dirty, crowded and home to all the necessary evils of the world.

If you enjoy history or historical fiction, then you have either already read Devil in the White City, or should pick up a copy immediately. However, think before you read it before bed because it won't lead to pleasant dreams.

And now to counterbalance the seriousness, I am off to read "Where'd You Go, Bernadette," which also happens to be about an architect who went off the deep end.

In 2014, I promise to not consider  Buzzfeed my daily reading. I promise not to watch Property Brothers for five hours at a time and I promise not to start reading a book just to put it down three months later because I forgot the plot. 

2014 will be the year of the Kindle, taking weekly trips to the library and reading the book before watching the movie. It will be a year of adventure, both in person and in the pages. It will be a year of novels and memoirs and historical fiction. It will be a year of loosing track of time, of dog-earing pages and highlighting my favorite passages. 

Here is a selection of books on my list for 2014. Feel free to add your favorites!

1. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson 

2.The Group by Mary McCarthy

3. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

4. Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie

5. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell 

6. Looking for Alaska by John Green

After spending six months trying to work my way through a comprehensive narrative of Paris' history, I decided that I needed to lighten up the reading material and take a pick off of Lauren Conrad's summer beach reads list. In all fairness to her list, Mindy Kaling's book and "The Paris Wife" were on there so I thought that all of the books were safe bets. I wasn't looking for a literary masterpiece, just something to keep me entertained while I try and ween myself off of binge tv watching. 

Even after reading mostly negative reviews of "Girls in White Dresses" on Amazon, I decided to download it anyways because I had heard people talking about it a lot. Let me save you the $9.99 and beg you not to buy it.

The plot centers around a group of college friends who are trying to cope with their love lives while watching all of their other friends get married and have kids. And after 5 people I know got married the other week, I thought, "Maybe I can relate to this." 

No. I vow never to be as whiny or as dependent on alcohol as these girls. I would say 80% of the book took place at one bar or another, even as several of them became new moms. {Which reminds me of the line from "Sweet Home Alabama" when Reese is all like "You brought a baby...to a bar." Hilarious.}

And then there was the schizophrenic writing style. I'm still not sure exactly who all of the main characters were because Jennifer Close kept jumping from one story line to another like the characters jumped from one desperate relationship to another. 

Anyways, you may be wondering why I took the time to make it to the end. Maybe it is some sort of innate need for closure, or maybe I was just desperate for some event to really bring all of the girls back together and unite all of their stories. But sadly, no. 

The positives about this book: you can read it in about two days. And if you need motivation to stay on the elliptical, but know everyone around will hate you for turning Bravo on, then this is the perfect gym read. It takes about zero concentration.

So the first Summer reading attempt was a bust. Up next on my list is "Z: A novel about Zelda Fitzgerald." I have high hopes for this one. If you are on the lookout for another book, you should definitely read "Tigers in Red Weather" by Liza Kaussmann. It was recommended on Elle. Actually, I'll put together my own summer reading list for you. But only of books that I've read and think are worthy of your time spent away from summer reruns. 

And apparently you can check out e-books from the Valdosta library now? This town and went all high tech while I've been gone. If this is true, I'm going to be one happy camper.

I've always been a reader.  It's one of my favorite things to do, & I always have to be working on finishing some book. I still remember in 2nd grade at the school book fair, picking out Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone & knowing that it was something special from the instant I began reading it. It always seemed that the favorite part of my summers growing up was the delivery of the next Harry Potter book & racing to finish it before everyone else. As I've grown, my taste in books have changed {slightly}, but I've always been partial to Harry & his friends. I can hardly visit Barnes & Noble without picking out a new addition to my collection. 

Just one of the shelves in my closet; alpha by author, obviously. 

This was the case last Saturday when I ventured in for a bathroom break in the middle of Christmas shopping. I happened to wander by the European History section & naturally I had to stop & see what books they had on Paris. I had to admit; I was impressed. If I had my way, I would have probably tried to buy 90% of the books in that section, but I refrained & limited myself to two. 

The lucky ones that made the cut.

I know what you're thinking: "A Guide to Medieval England & a Biography of Paris? Why would you buy those?" My question to you is: "Why would you NOT buy those?" They're perfect for a little Christmas Break reading & they help satisfy my need to go back to my most favorite places on earth. 

So far, I've only started on the one about Paris, but I'm thoroughly enjoying it. It's crazy to think that the places I saw almost everyday had been in Paris since Roman times & before. There's so much history in that one city. It's crazyyyyyy! 

{Also, bonjour to our French readers! I'm jealous you get to live in my favorite place on earth.}

I hope everyone has a great time shopping for last minute Christmas gifts!

-Samantha



Paris: The Biography of a City by Colin Jones
The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer
Another great book on the history of Paris: Seven Ages of Paris by Alistair Horne