(Thanks to NetGalley and Baker Books for providing an ARC of this book.)

Analysis paralysis. Rumination. Perfectionism. How do we fight these and so many other types of overthinking? Values-based decision making. Completing the cycle. Simple abundance.

Is this a self-help book? Of course. Is this a self-righteous book? Obviously you don't know Anne Bogel.

Fans of her blog, Modern Mrs. Darcy, and her podcast, What Should I Read Next, will be familiar with Anne's talent for bringing universal subjects to an intimate level and helping us see them with fresh eyes. (See: any of her periodic What's Saving Your Life Right Now? posts.) She is unassuming, inclusive, and congenial. You could easily see yourself meeting her at the local coffee shop to talk books and catch up on each other's week. These are the strengths she brings to her book.

The thoughts, ideas, and processes that Anne shares in the book aren't highly original; we've heard them before, seen them elsewhere. The genius of the book is that she's brought them all together in one place and presented them in such an engaging manner. She speaks directly to you. She speaks directly to me. She tells stories from her own life to underscore the points she's making. And it's all done from a true desire to help, both on a personal level and in the larger world.

Life-changing is an over-used term lately. But it's accurate for this book. Reading it has changed my life for the better. It will be re-read many times and loaned to family show more members. It will be recommended every chance I get. There are very few books I can say that about. My rating is five stars and then some. show less

Short, but remarkably sweet. I was expecting something light and fun. This was so much more, in the best possible way. I broke my 'no writing in books' rule and highlighted sentences, even entire paragraphs, with abandon. The book lists at the back sent me running for my Good Reads TBR list. Highly recommend.

This was a 3 1/2 star book for me. I learned straight off in Still Life that the strength of the Chief Inspector Gamache series lies more in it's people and their relationships than in the mysteries. (Not that the mystery in Still Life wasn't good!)

In A Fatal Grace, the personal side of the story was even better than in Still Life; we seriously level up here. (And we learn what the often-mentioned 'Arnot case' was about.) However, the mystery in this book was, to me, convoluted and unnecessarily complicated. In fact, it was a hot mess.

Louise Penny uses the murder investigations to get Gamache's team in Three Pines so that we can all dig a little deeper into their psyches and those of the townspeople. (Which is why I enjoy her books.) So the murders need to be kept reasonably simple. They should be an interesting, but not distracting center for the characters to spin around. A Fatal Grace failed to do that.

Where have all the good biographers gone? I wasn't expecting Doris Kearns Goodwin here, but my heavens- what a slog! Weak writing, abysmal editing, and far too much supposition mean this 'biography' of Wallis Simpson has little credibility. There are many, many things wrong with this book, so I'll focus on just three of it's greatest offenses:

1) While the book is meticulously researched, the editor made no attempt to reign the author in. It's as though we are reading the author's research notes- every single detail Sebba dug up was included, whether or not it was interesting, relevant, or true.

2) Other reviews speak of how the author seemed to dislike the Duchess and painted her as black a villain as possible. I could not disagree more; Anne Sebba came up with every half-baked excuse possible to explain away the terrible behavior of a terrible person. Simpson couldn't help herself because she had no father figure... she was insecure about money because she grew up poor... she was trying desperately to hide the fact that she was a hermaphrodite!!!! Sebba spent over 300 pages pulling excuses out of thin air, despite having little or no evidence to back these claims up.

3) This is one of my personal literary pet peeves; it makes me crazy when an author picks a pet word/phrase (or more than one) and uses it to death. How many times did the author refer to WWII as an 'existential' war? I very much want to say to her, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you show more think it means.”

I went into this book hoping to find some redeeming qualities in both the Duchess and the Duke, although their infantile private language should've warned me off from the start. But if you threw in some pictures of topless girls, “That Woman” would essentially be a particularly long, tedious issue of The Sun. It seems appropriate, though, for this trashy pair. show less

This was a light, fast read- I finished in three hours while watching a football game. I didn't expect much of the book going in, but was pleasantly surprised by a story that held my attention, characters I cared about, and lots of interesting information on quilting. This book wouldn't be for everyone because of all the quilting detail, however. But it's worth a little of your time, especially if you are a crafter.

I love brownies. L.O.V,E. them. And I am picky about them, so when someone claims to have written the definitive brownie cookbook, I approach it with reservations. But this book truly is the last word in brownies. Ms. Slater encourages the use of the highest quality ingredients you can obtain and her recipes assume that's what you're using. (In other words, don't use Baker's chocolate and expect the perfect brownie. Vahlrona, please!) Even the most basic brownie recipe is sublime; no nuts, no chunks, nothing extra except a layer of ganache. The book does lack helpful commentary, like how the batter should look while mixing, etc. But this does not really detract, because brownie preparation is usually a pretty simple process. A note: all of the brownies in this book are fudgy. No cake brownies here. And if you like to get creative with your brownies, you've come to the right place.

I was a little disappointed at first look, because this book was mostly recipes, with a few good tips for saving money. But they seem like pretty decent, easy recipes that would be practical and economical for our family, so I consider it a book worth having.

Delicious, funny, and useful.

This cookbook is not meant to be one you reach for every day. It targets a specific audience- omnivores looking for a junk food hit. It gives classic recipes and creative spins on old favorites. Try the sweet potato fries.

I understand that this book is off-putting for some. The Japanese way of looking at and relating to the world around them is so different from the American way; I personally can't fathom it, but to each his own. What I can do, though, is look past what I perceive as weird- Marie Kondo telling me to thank my possessions for their service- and take away the core lessons. Because, if you can get past your prejudices, the information in this book is solid gold. It's full of insights you didn't know you needed to hear.

This book totally changed the way I relate to Things. It's helped me to separate the sentiments and memories from objects so that I can let go of items that are just taking up space, being of no use to me. Three sets of my grandmothers' china, for instance. My grands have been gone for 24 and 15 years; the china hasn't been out of the boxes since then. I felt that a stack of plates was my link to them. This book helped me realize that that is not true, not even a little bit.

This shift in attitude has extended to other facets of life. It's helped me to let go of the "but my life was supposed to be..." and "if only I had..." attitudes that hold a person back from appreciating the life they actually have, as opposed to the one they planned to have. It's helped me help my niece, who doesn't accept change easily, adjust to a move; she understands now that leaving behind our house doesn't mean leaving behind the memories we made in it.

This book took me a while to read. It gets bogged down during the first third of the story- the author took a bit too long introducing us to the characters and their situations. If I hadn't liked Maggie and her friends so much, I would have given up on the thing. The action picks up later, but you can still tell that this was the author's first book. Mistakes were made and, apparently, the editor was on holiday. (For example, there was a sentence about Maggie's sore feet. But because of the way the sentence was constructed, it appeared that she took her shoes off and rubbed them because they were tired. A good editor would have caught that sort of thing.)

The plot was a good idea, but segue-ways from scene to scene were choppy. I felt also that she used one too many sudden, dramatic plot twists. I'm hoping that future books in the series will be smoother as the author refines her skills. And I do plan to continue the series, because they (and their author) have great potential.

In this book, Rebecca Lang pays tribute to her Southern roots while keeping in mind that we live hectic lives. These recipes may not be made the traditional way, but they are delicious and close enough to the real thing for a weeknight. The price of the book is justified by the Brunswick Stew and Drop Biscuits alone.

Rose Levy Beranbaum has never disappointed me with a cookbook before and this one is no exception. I love the way she includes some of the science of baking in her recipes. She also includes weights for the ingredients and I am now a kitchen scale convert. She sometimes provides helpful commentary during the baking process, such as 'the mixture will look curdled' and then goes on to reassure that what she describes is just as it should be- thus no panic attacks in the kitchen. Her approach to a recipe is a bit different from the cream-the-butter-and-sugar norm. Many of the offerings are inventive twists on classics, such as the Bostini, a deconstructed Boston cream pie. If you're a fan of the book, there is a bloggers' bake-through on the internet that I enjoy following. It's found under Heavenly Cake Bakers. Good stuff!

So much silliness packed into such a short play!

This truly is a cake 'bible', the ultimate resource for bakers. Just about any cake you could hope to make is covered here and some of the science behind it, too. Rose has made me a believer in weighing ingredients rather than just measuring. I give it only four stars for two reasons: one, the directions are clear and precise, but if you stray from them at all, disaster follows. These are not forgiving recipes. So you really have to be on your toes. Second, there are not enough pictures. But despite these two things, I highly recommend this book.

Practical recipes, detailed instructions, and personable authors make this a cookbook I will come back to again and again.

Chrissy Teigen wasn't really on my radar before this cookbook (other than being John Legend's wife), but you can bet she is now. She is hilarious and really real. And she totally knows good food. I've tried several recipes from this book that were delicious, but I would've bought it for the Chipotle-Honey Chicken alone.

Healthier takes on traditional Southern dishes. This is not necessarily a cookbook I'll be reaching for every day, but it's a good addition to my shelf. (Okay, who am I kidding, shelves. Many, many shelves of cookbooks.)

Sweet and funny Joy Wilson has served up another home run. I read this cookbook cover-to-cover before trying a single recipe, just because it was so entertaining. Now that I've tried several recipes (we had the Blueberry Sour Cream Waffles 3 times in 10 days), the book has become indispensable in my kitchen. If you are a breakfast, brunch, or breakfast-for-supper fan, you need this book in your life.

Not my favorite Inspector Ian. Too many characters, too many plotlines. I read it, re-read the ending, then asked my mom (who has also read it), but I still can't figure out if one of the characters did in fact die and if so, which of the many unidentified bodies was his.

This is a short, but fun cookbook. I love the mad-libs style format. It turns out to be more than a gimmick: it's really helpful for remembering all those little changes to a recipe that I make (and inevitably forget).

Love this very practical cookbook. So many recipes the kids will actually eat, but that don't have a lot of processed ingredients, like canned soups or packets of pre-made seasonings.

I rarely give books a 5-star rating. I gave this book 5 stars.
I usually guess the murderer about half-way through the book. I had no clue until Poirot enlightened me.
I seldom buy a book that I've already checked out from the library. I'm ordering this from Amazon today.
Do yourself a favor and read this book, whether you are a mystery fan or not.

This latest installment of the phenomenal Inspector Rutledge series was not the best. I enjoy being challenged by a mystery and don't mind being surprised by the outcome, but I don't appreciate reading a mystery that never really gives me any clues to work with. This book was a frustrating series of dead ends, meandering storylines, and ambiguous loyalties. Other than the regular characters, I was either apathetic towards or actively disliked just about everyone in the book, including the victim. (And Chief Superintendent Jameson? He's Got. To. Go.)

As for Ian himself, he's made a lot of progress with his personal problems and... well, something happens to him in this book that could have profound negative repercussions in the future. I found this plot point deeply unsettling and I hope the authors don't pursue it further books. Ian deserves better.

If you're a fan of the series, of course you have to read this one, but lower your expectations. It's not up to the usual standards, especially in comparison to the last few outstanding books.

This girl. And her Blueberry Cream Cheese Pancakes. Just go get this cookbook. You're welcome.

Clever ending.

Of course I love everything Magnolia, but this cookbook is the real deal. Practical, delicious recipes for real life that my family will actually eat.

First let me say that every cookbook should be required to come with a pretty pink ribbon bookmark. No other color will do now, lol.

This cookbook is mislabeled. The recipes are not 'the basics'. RLB doesn't do basic. These recipes are The Essentials.

This is not the book for you if you're looking for anything new and different. (No cronuts in sight.) This book is about honing technique, reinforcing the foundation that you've built on, even if you've been building on it for over 35 years like I have.

If you're new to baking, don't bother with the rest- start here and get it right the first time. If you're an experienced baker, get this book if you're ready to level up.

3 1/2 stars.

Flavia is at Buckshaw solving a murder once again. Despite certain upheavals in her personal life, which we won't name here, Flavia should be able to solve such a murder in her sleep. And presumably Mr. Bradley should be able to effectively write about Flavia solving such a murder in his sleep. Unfortunately, this book is a hot mess, as my teenager would say. The story lacks focus and the murder is solved largely 'off-stage', although the murder investigation is supposed to be the focus of the book. When all is revealed, we realize that we were not given several pieces of the puzzle going along. Agatha Christie is somewhere choking on her tea.

There has been a sharp drop off in the quality of writing in this series over the last couple of books and I hear that the next in the series doesn't get any better. So now I'm becoming concerned. Has the author become bored and is just cranking them out to finish his contract? Is the publisher rushing him? Is his mind failing him? (I'm reminded of another favorite author whose final books suffered in a similar way from her battle with dementia.) I don't expect or want every book in the series to be carbon copies, but I do expect them to make, you know, sense.