pickVery good. Follows Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden and their quest for dominance of the beauty industry. Full of historical detail and drama. Even though I had heard of Elizabeth Arden before I didn't know much but this book has filled in some of my knowledge of her.
#Avon
#HarperCollinsPublishers
@HarperCollins
pick4-3-25: My 22nd finished book of 2025! Soft historical fiction tale about one of many “women‘s hotels” in the NYC area during the times ranging from late 40s through early 60s. For the singletons of the time, these hotels offered young women a decently priced place to lay their heads upon arriving in the Big Apple for the first time. Following many storylines of the girls who lived at the Biedermier Hotel it was at times fun but sad as well.
pickThis book about how Central Park was created is beautiful and I highly recommend it. I‘m pleased she included the forced removal of residents living where the park was built, even though this is a celebration of the park. The author ends by reminding us that the park was made for all of us.
Finished March 5, 2025.
Hectic crazy morning, meetings, teaching, & as is often the case, the totally unexpected pops up. Finally, a lunch time breather with coffee and a book. 🍕☕️ 📖
Starting a book found at a thrift store. Looks interesting to me about New Yotk City life.
panThe premise seemed interesting, and the book definitely wasn‘t. There was not enough difference in characters‘ voices, their personalities kept shifting, they behaved like middle schoolers, and wrote like middle schoolers. Lots of telling, not nearly enough showing of anything. Unconvincing romance. Cringey sex scenes. I felt the author was writing what she thinks a romance reader would like, so the story is all over the place. Mature content.
#weeklyforecast
A mix of #buddyreads, other prompts, library books.
pickThis academic enemies to lovers romance was so much fun! It‘s a great concept where Rosie writes romance, Aiden writes literary fiction, and with all their bickering in their MFA class, their professor forces them to combine genres and write together. Through the characters they write, they begin to open up to each other. It‘s super spicy, but not until the second half. I had some complaints about the final conflict, but overall I loved it!
pickAnother good book from the #AuldLangSpine list I got from @Jerdencon this year. I always like stories about women making their way against the grain, which is what happens in this story of life for a young widow after World War II. She gets a job working in radio, and it deals with some of the issues of the time period that I hadn‘t read about in historical fiction before.
