Milk and Honey / Rupi Kaur / 202 pages / Anthology

Milk and Honey is a collection of poems that are structured in a simple manner,

usually

with one

or two

words per

line.

It dives into topics on falling in and/or out of love, what it means to be a woman, and how one can overcome some of the most cynical moments of her life.

I loved these poems— I had to listen to the audiobook a second time because I wanted to remember some of them.  The ones on healing and coming hand-to-hand with fellow women were the most powerful, and had made me reflect back on myself and what I could do to become a better person.  Give it a listen, folks, 'cause I'm recommending it to all of you!

Dollhouse: a Novel/ Fiona Davis/ 289pages

The Dollhouse: a Novel, written by Fiona Davis takes place in a dual time track.  Darby McLaughlin has arrived at the Barbizon Hotel for women in 1952 to pursue a career in stenography.  It's 2016 and Rose Lewin has moved into her boyfriend's condo in the newly refurbished Barbizon.  Rose discovers a elderly woman living on the fourth floor in a rent controlled apartment made available to the long time Barbizon residents.  Through an odd series of events, Rose and Darby's lives intertwine around the care of Darby's dog and Roses hope to tell the story of the Barbizon's longtime residents.  Rose begins to unravel the mystery of jazz club coat check girl, a terrible death and Darby herself.  It takes a few chapters to get into the swing of the parallel story line, but soon the reader is entrenched in both stories.  It was a nice look at the culture and lifestyles of 1950.

Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend / Katarina Bivald / 394 pgs.

I just finished my ARC of this, and I do not see anyone else asking for it. Please let me know and I will be happy to send it your way. This was a cute story. It was one of those nice books that you want to read when you just need a happy ending. Swedish twenty-something Sara arrives in the tiny town of Broken Wheel, Iowa. She plans on staying with her pen pal, Amy, for two months only to find that Amy passed away from a long illness. Stranded and a stranger, Sara finds herself welcomed by the townspeople and realizes that the best way she can thank them is to start a bookstore in Amy's honor, sharing their mutual love of reading to the rest of the residents of Broken Wheel.