Rainy Days With Amanda

I love the  Crazy Rich Asians  movie, and it is my go-to movie on a flight. For our Hawaii trip, I wanted to read something more summer-y, and I thought maybe this was a great time to read  Crazy Rich Asians  and see how different or similar they. I’m here to say the book is very different but not in a bad way. Let’s talk about it. About the Author Kevin Kwan  is the author of New York Times bestsellers  Crazy Rich Asians, China Rich Girlfriend, Rich People Problems , and  Sex & Vanity . His books have been translated into 40 languages, and the film adaptation of  Crazy Rich Asians  became Hollywood’s highest-grossing romantic comedy in over a decade. In 2018, Kevin was named by  Time Magazine  as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. About the Book When Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home, long drives to explore the island, and ...

  FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME By Kimberly Packard Romance, Time-Slip, RomCom Publisher: Abalos Publishing Publication Date: 16 June 2026 SYNOPSIS ════════════════════════════════════ ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　 ︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶︶⊹ Blink and your life’s halfway over. What if that happens literally? College party girl Emily Murray bounces through majors and boys until an ill-advised art major leads her to a rebellious relationship with an aspiring rock star. When her father cuts off the college fund—and her boyfriend ditches her to chase a record deal, Emily spirals, hard. One shaved head and emotional black out later, she wakes up thirty years in the future, living a life she doesn’t recognize as a successful therapist and engaged to a total stranger. With no apparent way to rewind the clock, Emily scrambles to make sense of her new reality. With a wedding date looming and a competitive therapist threatening her fragile career, Emily is fo...

 The Golden Girls has to be one of my all-time favorite shows/sitcoms. I've been a viewer, probably since the womb and my little family and I are current;y watching it all the way through once a week-ish. It's a show that has, for the most-part, aged well with punchlines still hitting and the more serious subjects still ringing true today. My daughter has a few Golden Girls books on her bookshelf and now I can say the same for me. Here's my review of Murder by Cheesecake: A Golden Girls Cozy Mystery. About the Author  Rachel Ekstrom Courage is the New York Times, USA Today, and American Booksellers Association bestselling author of Murder By Cheesecake: A Golden Girls Cozy Mystery (Hyperion Avenue/Disney) and the Young Adult thriller Nothing Bad Happens Here (PRH/Delacorte). She lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her husband (the children’s book author Nick Courage) and their family. By day she’s the founder of Courage Literary, advocating for books and authors that make the worl...

I'm writing this for two reasons. One, I love to travel and I think people who are looking to travel on longer flights or who have and may want to see other people's perspective on long-haul flights. Two, my family is going on their very first overseas flight this summer and I wanted them to be prepared, so I thought, why not just make my list to them a whole blog. Anyway, let's get into it.   Before Your Flight There are a few things I recommend you do before your long-haul flight.  Get a facial or go all out on your face routine the night before. The plane makes your skin dry, and you don't want your face to feel bleh when you land. Some people also bring a mask to use on the plane. I haven't tried that yet, but just get your face clean. As a bonus, getting a facial done can get those pesty pimples out beforehand.  Make sure you check off everything you need to bring with you before your flight, especially your carry-on items, as that is what you'll have acces...

Every year for Christmas, my husband finds me a unique or interesting book as part of my gift. This year, he chose Mona's Eyes. It's a book I've seen displayed at Barnes & Nobles as their book of the year for 2025. I always make the books he gets me on the top of the list of my TBR and what I found was a love letter. Here are my thoughts on Mona's Eyes by Thomas Schlesser.   About the Author Thomas Schlesser is the director of the Hartung-Bergman Foundation in Antibes, France. He teaches Art History at the École Polytechnique in Paris and is the author of several works of nonfiction about art, artists, and the relationship between art and politics in the 20th century. He is the grandson of André Schlesser, known as Dadé, a singer and cabaret performer who founded the Cabaret L ’Écluse. Mona’s Eyes is Schlesser’s second novel and his American debut. It has been translated into thirty-eight languages, including Braille. Schlesser was awarded 2025’s Author of ...

                                   THE LAST FAIRY WITCH By Jean M. Roberts Historical Fantasy Publication Date: March 31, 2026 ∞༺✦✮✦༻✧ SYNOPSIS ∞༺✦✮✦༻✧ Hannah Heronstone appears to have everything—a devoted husband, a beloved child, and a thriving business built on ancient herbal knowledge. Yet beneath the calm surface of her life, something old and malevolent stirs. A disturbing encounter with a friend from her husband’s past awakens Hannah’s suspicion that a coven of dark witches is gathering near Wentworth Manor. When Hannah, Peter, and Johannah journey to Ireland, her fears take terrifying form as she comes face to face with an unspeakable monster. A fairy offers her aid—but in a land where truth is slippery and magic demands a price, can such a creature be trusted? And where, across legend and time, can she find the Last Fairy Witch? Centuries earlier, Eithne is a young Irish slave whose gift...