Another Floral Foray

I've shared before that I enjoy putting together floral arrangements to gift to friends and/or to enhance special occasions.  I am a complete amateur, but I am happy to help out when centerpieces are needed.  I've taken two "floral commissions" for special events at my daughter's school.  I get reimbursed for flowers, vases, ribbon and donate my time to put everything together. 

Most recently, I made arrangements for a reception honoring our school's 2024 Distinguished Graduate Award recipient.  It was a pleasure to spend a sunny February morning listening to my audiobook while arranging flowers and tying ribbons.

I am total amateur with zero access to wholesale flowers.  I can't make any guarantees about what the arrangements will look like since I just see what is available at Sam's Club and Jewel the day I am putting them together.  This time around, the Sam's roses looked like death so I had to make do at Jewel.  I printed labels with the school logo and the award winner's name on Avery's website and just stuck them on ribbons with a blank label on the back side to keep the sticker from attaching to the vase.

I thought the bright colors were a perfect winter pick-me-up, and it made me happy to imagine the award recipient and her family members being able to bring a vase of flowers home with them.

The school colors are royal blue and white, and I was so delighted by the gingham ribbon I found at Hobby Lobby.  That is also where I found the vases, which were fifty percent off.  If not for the discount, I would have used my favorite Dollar Tree vases.

Even if it's just for your own or your own family's enjoyment, I highly recommend treating yourself to flowers (grocery store or otherwise) when you can. 

Before and After -- Plastic Container Hellscape

Anyone else drowning in plastic containers?  I already had plenty of Gladware and its generic grocery store equivalents.  Plus, I can't bring myself to toss the black ones with the clear lids that carry-out orders are packaged in.  

Where is your plastic hellscape located?  A drawer that's not quite big enough?  A corner of a pantry shelf?  Or maybe in a tricky corner cabinet complete with Lazy Susan...

Next question:  Do you store your plastic containers with or without their lids?  Or, have you never quite decided what the system is?  In that case, just shove containers, lids, and/or containers with lids on in there wherever they fit (or don't fit), even if it means that the Lazy Susan cannot rotate properly.  

Need to put some leftovers away?  No problem.  Spin (you may have to put your back into it) and dig and spin and dig and grope blindly for a container and a lid that fits it.  Promise yourself to deal with the situation later.

Later came this past week.  There was a speaker at my women's group meeting on Thursday.  Patricia Glosner from Perfectly Organized by Patricia shared some tips for home organizing.  One of them was that when addressing your plastic hellscape (my term, not hers), store all the lids in a separate basket.  Genius!  

First, I got everything out.  I recycled the containers with cracks and the containers and lids without matches.  In several cases, I had three containers and six lids that matched them.  I held on to four lids and recycled the rest.  

Then, I sorted the plastic containers by type and put them on the top shelf.  I put all the lids in two baskets on the bottom:  one for the smallest and largest lids, one for the medium-sized lids.  I also put a few items with lids on the bottom:  a plastic chip and dip, my Pampered chef microwave steamer strainer things, and a few specialty containers.

When I need a container, it is much easier to select the size I need from the top shelf and then to find a matching lid beneath.  Without a lot of extra effort, I can even pull the basket o' lids out and make my selection in bright light.

Can I keep this system going?  I hope so.  It was so satisfying to receive a practical, sensible tip that I could follow through on forty-five minutes after hearing it. 

24 in 24

I wrote about 5 things I wanted to do in December and, what do you know, I did those five things.  So, as I have seen Gretchen Rubin and others do, I am sharing a list of 24 things I'd like to do in 2024.  I hope I do them.  What's more, I hope reading this list inspires the 0-3 readers of this blog to make their own list for the year to come.  What I'm about to share isn't a list of lofty, hard core resolutions.  Some are a bit idealistic, others are just fun, still others involve places I've meant to go, try, experience.  May this year be the year that I get out there.

1.  Take an online painting class.  I take wonderful in person art classes at Michael Symber Studios in Elmhurst, IL and I plan to continue with those!  However, I follow and have grown fond of quite a few artists on Instagram.  Several offer online painting courses, and I'd like to give one a try.  One front-runner is this watercolor house portrait class by Elizabeth Wade.

2.  Walk the Steps at Swallow Cliff.  I heard about these when my son was preparing to go on a scout high adventure trip at Rocky Mountain National Park.  Some scouts walk these steps with their packs on for practice.  My son never did, but I have been meaning to visit the Steps at Swallow Cliff for over five years now.  

3.  Start and finish travel prints for empty family room wall.  This is a project that I'll be taking on at Michael Symber Studios this winter.  

4.  Do something with my @mileawhile photos.  I have an Instagram for tracking my walks and each walk includes a photo taken along the way.  I'd like to something with these photos.  I'm picturing a big collage poster that I can display in the basement.  Message me if you've made a collage from Instagram photos.  

5.  Take my family to a Brazilian steakhouse.  I mostly just want to watch my boys react to endless offerings of animal protein.  

6.  Take a walk at Lake Ellyn.  Twenty minutes away, and I've never seen this lake.  Actually, had never even heard of it until a dogsitter told me how much my dog enjoyed walking there.  My dog is not an enthusiastic walker so I gotta check this place out.

7.  Make the Greek Yogurt pizza dough... using the skinny pizza dough recipe from @mybizzykitchen. I won't tell you how many large containers of plain nonfat Greek yogurt I have purchased for this purpose and failed to follow through upon.   

8.  Make the Greek Yogurt jello thing.  I'm not even going to link it because it probably sounds so gross, but I need to try it.

9.  Develop the habit of bringing reusable grocery bags to the store.  I would love to stop dealing with flimsy plastic bags.  The space, the guilt, the annoyance.

10.  Learn five Lana Del Ray songs.  I don't mean like learn to play them on the guitar or piano or prepare for karaoke or anything.  I just mean, listen to these songs until I learn the words and have a sense of what they mean.  LDR is my oldest's favorite artist, and he has chosen the five songs for me.

11.  Eat at Riley's.  It's a bar/restaurant in my town.  I've been there once late night for a drink, but I'd like to eat there, finally, after a dozen years of living in Elmhurst, IL.

 12.  Meet my Peloton minutes goal.  I'm not going to say what it is, but I will say that it is more than double what I achieved this year on the Peloton platform.  I do track my outdoor walks through Peloton, lest you think I am a cycling fool.  

13.   Unsubscribe to 20 emails.  I've already unsubscribed to 45, NTB, but I will keep going.

14.  Visit the golf simulator five times.  Every winter I fear that I will totally forget how to play golf (do I even know how to play golf?).  Anyway, it does help me to pick up a club a few times between October and April.

15.  See three movies in the theater.  I love movies and buttered popcorn and giant Diet Cokes and reclining seats and being somewhere where I am not distracted by things I could/should do (fold laundry, empty dishwasher, stare mindlessly at phone).   

16.  Clean out "playroom."  I attacked this sloped-ceiling secret room during quarantine and, guess what, it is full of everyone's sh$t again.  

17.  Try five new recipes.  I mean dinner recipes.  Send me any ideas but keep in mind I have one child who does not eat sandwiches, one who won't touch pasta, and one who hates salmon.

18.  Make Marcie's cookies.  My friend Marcie made some delicious peanut butter m & m chocolate chip cookies, and I am still thinking about them.   

19.  Make a new variety of puppy chow.  I love the puppy chow I always make (and gift), but I'd like to expand my repertoire.

20.  Complete the cardinal paint-by-number.  I'm obsessed with cardinals.  They're all over my house.  I have a cardinal paint-by-number kit.  Have had it for years, in fact.  I'm going to paint it this year if all the paints in the kit aren't crusty and dried out.  

21.  Visit the Art Institute of Chicago.  I have not been there since my freshman year of college.  What?!  I took a screenshot of the "free days" as motivation, but it wouldn't kill me to pay either.  I'd love to get one of my kids to go with me, but it may be a tough sell.  

22.  Visit the National Museum and Shrine of St. Therese in Darien.   There is daily mass there at 11:30 am.  I can easily fit this into a weekday.

23.  Develop a greens habit.  I am talking about the green powder you mix with water that is supposed to help your gut, etc.  I have already dabbled here this month and ended up with some bloating and distress.  Yikes.  Plus, the brand of greens I bought tastes HORRIBLE.  However, I am going to circle back on this soon and start with fewer ounces.  

24.  Track added sugar.  I am figuring out what this looks like for me.  I need some controls/accountability in place so I don't go on a sugar bender (as I just did in December), but I know from experience that if I try to cut out sugar, the feelings of deprivation don't lead to good choices or results.  Feeling my way here.  

I also have a one-sentence guiding thought that I am working with for the year, but I'm going to keep that to myself for now.  If you've made a 24 for 24 list or chosen a word for the year or made a resolution or two, I'd love to hear all about it and to cheer you on.  If you're interested in getting in on any of my 24 for 24, let me know and I'll loop you in!

I am hoping to share my progress here for my 0-3 readers. 

2023 Reading Highlights

You're not supposed to let the perfect be the enemy of the good (or the good enough) so I'm sharing this year's Reading Highlights without much commentary.  I've provided mini-reviews of most of these books on Instagram -- I'm @booksandcarbs there.  If you have questions about any titles, feel free to leave a comment or email me at booksandcarbs@gmail.com.  The books below are 2023 releases, except where noted.  The books below haven't been ranked and also aren't in alphabetical order.  Again, not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good (enough).

 

Fiction Highlights 

Foster (2010) by Claire Keegan

 

My Husband by Maud Ventura

 

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
 

Vintage Contemporaries by Dan Kois

 

Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood

 

The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane

 

Talking at Night by Claire Daverley

 

Search (2022) by Michelle Huneven

 

The Foundling (2022) by Ann Leary

 

The Home-Maker (1924) by Dorothy Canfield Fisher

 

The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue

 

Maame by Jessica George

 

Trespasses (2022) by Louise Kennedy

 

Books I loved (and feel protective of) that you may NOT love ...

Death Valley by Melissa Broder

Big Swiss by Jen Beagin

The Dog of the North by Elizabeth McKenzie

 

The Rabbit Hutch (2022) by Tess Gunty

Wellness by Nathan Hill

Memoir/Non-Fiction Highlights

Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career by Kristi Coulter

 

Kiss Me in the Coral Lounge by Helen Ellis

 

Hey, Hun: Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy, and the Other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing by Emily Lynn Paulson

Life in Five Senses: How Exploring My Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World by Gretchen Rubin

Wake Up with Purpose!: What I've Learned in My First Hundred Years by Jean Dolores Schmidt

 

Write for Your Life (2022) by Anna Quindlen

             

B.F.F.: A Memoir of Friendship Lost and Found by Christie Tate

 

Normal Family: On Truth, Love, and How I Met My 35 Siblings (2022) by Chrysta Bilton

 

"New Books from Favorite Authors" Highlights

 

Somebody's Fool (North Bath #3) by Richard Russo

 

The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand

The Running Grave (Cormoran Strike #7) by Robert Galbraith

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

Projecting -- December 2023

Creating stuff energizes me.  I don't mind just trying something.  When it comes to crafting, creating, arranging, etc., I do not worry about doing things perfectly.  I am not hard on myself.  I find joy in the doing and, when appropriate, in sharing the finished product.

One of the "lil projects" I enjoy is making floral arrangements.  I buy my vases at Dollar Tree and the flowers at Jewel.  I was meeting two friends for lunch early in December.  I don't see them as often as I would like, and I wanted to bring a holiday treat but not gift-gifts that might make them feel uncomfortable (like, "Oh shit, I didn't buy her a gift).  I put together these arrangements and added some of the beautiful holiday ribbon I found at Sam's Club.

I also wanted to make an arrangement for a friend who was celebrating a milestone birthday.  She's mad for plaid so I found this gorgeous ribbon online and chose colors that remind me of her.  It was a pleasure to assemble and to share!

I am an assistant coach for eighth grade girls' basketball.  My main job is to send the emails and to be on my best behavior so as not to embarrass my daughter.  I wanted to give the girls on both eighth grade teams a holiday treat and a memento of their grade school basketball careers.  I assembled treat bags with candy and lip gloss and then added an ornament to each as well.  The ornaments were simple to make.  I had plain wooden ornaments discs from Michael's (a pack of 50 is very inexpensive).  I painted them orange, added the black lines with a paint pen, and used my Cricut to add the "IC '24" in royal blue vinyl.  I added some Dollar Tree blue ribbon and wrote each girls' name on the back with a white paint pen.  I don't know if the girls were into the ornaments (probably more of an adult thing), but they were excited about the treat bags and may appreciate the memento one day.  If any of these wooden basketballs end up on one of these girls' trees in a dozen years, I will be thrilled!  If not, no biggie, I enjoyed creating and gifting them. 

2023 Year of Books -- Non-Fiction

Wendi Aarons

I'm Wearing Tunics Now: On Growing Older, Better, and a Hell of a Lot Louder (audiobook via Hoopla)

 

Pamela Anderson

Love, Pamela (audiobook via Hoopla) 

J. Reuben Appelman

While Idaho Slept: The Hunt for Answers in the Murders of Four College Students (audiobook via Libby)

Maria Bamford

Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere (audiobook via Libby)

Kate Baer

And Yet: Poems (library book)

Chrysta Bilton

Normal Family: On Truth, Love, and How I Met My 35 Siblings (audiobook via Audible)

 

Sophie Blackall

Things to Look Forward To: 52 Large and Small Joys for Today (hardcover) 

 

Kristi Coulter

Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career (audiobook via Audible) 

 

Paula D'Arcy

Gift of the Red Bird: The Story of a Divine Encounter (paperback) 

Alba Donati

Diary of a Tuscan Bookshop (paperback)

Jill Duggar

Counting the Cost (audiobook via Libby)

 

Helen Ellis

Kiss Me in the Coral Lounge:  Intimate Confessions from a Happy Marriage (audiobook via Cloud Library)

 

Duchess Goldblatt

Becoming Duchess Goldblatt: A Memoir (audiobook via Hoopla) 

Adam Grant

Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things (ebook via Cloud Library)

Paul Greenberg

Goodbye Phone, Hello World: 65 Ways to Disconnect from Tech and Reconnect to Joy (hardcover)

Paris Hilton

Paris Hilton: The Memoir (ebook via Cloud Library)

 

Samantha Irby

Quietly Hostile:  Essays (ebook via Cloud Library) 

Moshe Kasher

Kasher in the Rye: The True Tale of a White Boy from Oakland Who Became a Drug Addict, Criminal, Mental Patient, and Then Turned 16 (audiobook via Libby)

Minka Kelly

Tell Me Everything (audiobook via Libby)

Harrison Scott Key

How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told (ebook via Cloud Library)

Andrea Lankford

Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail (audiobook via Audible)

Sarah Levy

Drinking Games: A Memoir (ebook via Cloud Library)

 

Katherine May

The Electricity of Every Living Thing: One Woman's Walk with Asperger's (audiobook via Hoopla)

 

Stephanie McNeal

Swipe Up for More!: Inside the Unfiltered Lives of Influencers (audiobook via Hoopla)

 

Beth Moore

All My Knotted-Up Life: A Memoir (audiobook via Hoopla) 

Emily Lynn Paulson

Highlight Real:  Finding Honesty & Recovery Beyond the Filtered Life (audiobook via Hoopla)

Hey, Hun: Sales, Sisterhood, and the Other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing (audiobook via Hoopla) 

 

Elizabeth Passarella

It Was An Ugly Couch Anyway: And Other Thoughts on Moving Forward (audiobook via Hoopla)

 

Josh Peck

Happy People Are Annoying (audiobook via Hoopla)

 

Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal (audiobook via Hoopla)

 

Gretchen Rubin

Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World (hardcover) 

Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives (audiobook via Libby)

Jean Dolores Schmidt

Wake Up With Purpose!: What I've Learned in My First Hundred Years (audiobook via Hoopla)

 

Britney Spears

The Woman in Me (audiobook via Libby)

 

John Stamos

If You Would Have Told Me (audiobook via Libby)

Nina Stibbe

Went to London, Took the Dog: A Diary (audiobook via Audible)

Anna Quindlen

Write for Your Life (hardcover)

 

Christie Tate

BFF: A Memoir of Friendship Lost and Found (ebook via Cloud Library) 

Taylor Wolfe

Birdie & Harlow: Life, Loss, and Loving My Dog So Much I Didn't Want Kids (hardcover)

 

An (*) indicates a reread.  All ebooks are purchased on sale via the Kindle Store or checked out from the e-offerings of the Elmhurst Public Library.  All audiobooks are from Audible.com or the Elmhurst Public Library's e-offerings (Hoopla, Cloud Library, and Libby Apps). 

2023 Year of Books -- Fiction

Clare Alexander

Meredith Alone (audiobook via Libby)

 

Allison Ashley

Would You Rather (audiobook via Hoopla) 

Jane Austen

Sense and Sensibility* (audiobook via Audible)

Kristen Bailey

Five Gold Rings (audiobook via Cloud Library)

 

Julia Bartz

The Writing Retreat (audiobook via Libby)

 

Jen Beagin

Big Swiss (library book) 

 

Audrey Bellezza

Emma of 83rd Street (audiobook via Hoopla) 

 

Katy Birchall

The Wedding Season (audiobook via Audible)

The Last Word (audiobook via Audible) 

 

Melissa Broder

Death Valley (ebook via Cloud Library) 

Audrey Burges

The Miniscule Mansion of Myra Malone (audiobook via Cloud Library)

 

Truman Capote

Breakfast at Tiffany's (audiobook via Audible)

 

Katherine Center

Hello Stranger (hardcover)

 

Elysha Chang

A Quitter's Paradise (audiobook via Hoopla) 

 

Kirstin Chen

Counterfeit (audiobook via Libby) 

Martin Clark

The Plinko Bounce (audiobook via Libby)

 

Kate Clayborn

Georgie, All Along (ebook via Cloud Library) 

 

Emma Cline

The Guest (ebook via Cloud Library)

 

Jenny Colgan

Lessons at the School by the Sea (Maggie Adair #3, ebook via Cloud Library) 

Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop (audiobook via Libby) 

Laurie Colwin

A Big Storm Knocked It Over (ebook)

 

Sara Goodman Confino

Don't Forget to Write (ebook) 

For the Love of Friends (ebook)

Tara Conklin

Community Board (library book)

Sophie Cousens

The Good Part (audiobook via Audible)

 

Rachel Koller Croft

Stone Cold Fox (audiobook via Libby) 

 

Noelle Crooks

Under the Influence (audiobook via Libby) 

Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer

Lavender's Blue (Liz Danger #1, paperback)

 

Claire Daverley

Talking at Night (ebook via Cloud Library) 

 

Terri-Lynne DeFino

Varina Palladino's Jersey Italian Love Story (audiobook via Libby) 

 

Jen DeLuca

Well Traveled (Well Met #4, library book) 

Marcy Dermansky

Hurricane Girl (audiobook via libby)

 

Lian Dolan

Lost and Found in Paris (audiobook via Hoopla) 

Jennifer Egan

The Candy House (audiobook via Libby)

 

J.T. Ellison

It's One of Us (audiobook via Hoopla)

Edna Ferber

Dawn O'Hara: The Girl Who Laughed (audiobook via Hoopla)

 

Dorothy Canfield Fisher

The Home-Maker (audiobook via Hoopla)

Kate Forster

Christmas Wishes at Pudding Hall (audiobook via Audible)

The Upside Down Christmas (audiobook via Audible)

The Christmas Star (audiobook via Audible)

 

Daisy Alpert Florin

My Last Innocent Year (audiobook via Libby) 

Elyse Friedman

The Opportunist (ebook via Cloud Library)

Robert Galbraith

The Running Grave (Cormoran Strike #7, audiobook via Audible)

 

Jessica George

Maame (audiobook via Audible)

Xochitl Gonzalez

Olga Dies Dreaming (audiobook via Hoopla)

 

Tess Gunty

The Rabbit Hutch (ebook via Cloud Library) 

 

Janice Hallett

The Appeal (The Appeal #1, audiobook via Audible) 

The Christmas Appeal (The Appeal #1.5 via Audible)

 

Hanna Halperin

I Could Live Here Forever (audiobook via Cloud Library)

Jane Harper

Exiles (Aaron Falk #3, audiobook via Audible)

Katherine Heiny

Games and Rituals (audiobook via Cloud Library)

Single, Carefree, Mellow (audiobook via Cloud Library)

 

Monica Heisey

Really Good, Actually (audiobook via Audible) 

 

Emily Henry

Happy Place (hardcover)

 

Sally Hepworth

The Soulmate (hardcover) 

 

Kristan Higgins

A Little Ray of Sunshine (ebook via Cloud Library) 

 

Elin Hilderbrand

The Five-Star Weekend (hardcover)  

Winter Street* (audiobook via Hoopla)

Winter Stroll* (audiobook via Cloud Library) 

Winter Storms* (audiobook via Libby)

Winter Solstice* (audiobook vis Libby)

 

Nathan Hill

Wellness (audiobook via Libby)

Michelle Hoffman

The Second Ending (ebook via Cloud Library)

 

Gill Hornby

Godmersham Park (audiobook via Hoopla) 

Michelle Huneven

Search (audiobook via Libby)

Jenny Jackson

Pineapple Street (hardcover)

Balli Kaur Jaswal

Now You See Us (ebook via Cloud Library)

 

Emiko Jean

Mika in Real Life (audiobook via Hoopla)

Abby Jiminez

Yours Truly (Part of Your World #2, audiobook via Libby)

 

Ethan Joella

A Quiet Life (audiobook via Libby) 

A Little Hope (audiobook via Libby)

 

Sophie Kinsella

The Burnout (audiobook via Libby)

 

Mary Beth Keane

The Half Moon (ebook via Cloud Library) 

 

Claire Keegan

Foster (ebook via Hoopla)

Dan Kois

Vintage Contemporaries (ebook via Cloud Library)

 

R.F. Kuang

Yellowface (audiobook via Libby)

Mary Kubica

Just the Nicest Couple (audiobook via Hoopla)

 

Christina Lauren

The True Love Experiment (audiobook) 

The Honeymoon Crashers (Unhoneymooners #1.5, audiobook via Libby)

Tracey Lange

The Connellys of County Down (hardcover)

 

Ann Leary

The Foundling (audiobook via Libby)

Elinor Lipman

Rachel to the Rescue (ebook)

 

Fran Littlewood

Amazing Grace Adams (audiobook via Audible) 

Kim Lock

The Other Side of Beautiful (audiobook via Hoopla)

 

Lindsay Lynch

Do Tell (ebook via Cloud Library)

 

Kathryn Ma

The Chinese Groove (audiobook via Audible) 

 

Portia Macintosh

Better Off Wed (audiobook via Hoopla) 

The Faking Game (audiobook via Hoopla)

Long Time, No Sea (audiobook via Hoopla)

 

Rebecca Makkai

I Have Some Questions for You (audiobook via Audible) 

 

Jessa Maxwell

The Golden Spoon (audiobook via Libby) 

 

James McBride

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store (audiobook via Libby)

Mhairi McFarlane

Between Us (ebook via Cloud Library)

Elizabeth McKenzie

The Dog of the North (audiobook via Cloud Library)

Dervla McTiernan

The Wrong One (audiobook via Audible)

Jenny Mollen

City of Likes (audiobook via Cloud Library)

 

Annabel Monaghan

Same Time Next Summer (audiobook via Cloud Library)

Meg Mitchell Moore

Summer Stage (hardcover)

Amelia P. Morris

Wildcat (audiobook via Libby) 

 

Elizabeth Morrow

A Pint of Judgement (hardcover)

 

Jojo Moyes

Someone Else's Shoes (hardcover) 

 

Tim Murphy

Speech Team (audiobook via Cloud Library)

 

Matthew Norman

Charm City Rocks (audiobook via Cloud Library)

 

Onyi Nwabineli

Someday, Maybe (audiobook) 

Caroline O'Donoghue

The Rachel Incident (audiobook via Cloud Library)

Beth O'Leary

The Wake-Up Call (audiobook via Libby)

Lynn Painter

Mr. Wrong Number (Mr. Wrong Number #1, audiobook via Cloud Library)

The Love Wager (Mr. Wrong Number #2, audiobook via Cloud Library)

Better than the Movies (Better than the Movies #1, ebook via Cloud Library)

Accidentally Amy (audiobook via Hoopla)

Ann Patchett

Tom Lake (audiobook via Audible)

 

Amy Poeppel

The Sweet Spot (ebook via Cloud Library) 

 

Tirzah Price

Pride and Premeditation (Jane Austen Murder Mystery #1, audiobook via Libby)

 

Andrew Ridker

Hope (audiobook via Audible)

Jane L. Rosen

On Fire Island (audiobook via Cloud Library)

Emma Rosenblum

Bad Summer People (hardcover)

Richard Russo

Somebody's Fool (Sully #3, audiobook via Audible)

Anastasia Ryan

You Should Smile More (audiobook via Hoopla)

 

Julie Schumacher

The Shakespeare Requirement (Jason Fitger #2, audiobook via Cloud Library) 

The English Experience (Jason Fitger #3, audiobook via Cloud Library)

 

Caitlin Shetterly

Pete and Alice in Maine (audiobook via Cloud Library)

 

Curtis Sittenfeld

Romantic Comedy (hardcover)

Kylie Scott

End of Story (ebook)

Leeanne Slade

The Rebound (audiobook via Audible)

Elissa R. Sloan

Hayley Aldridge Is Still Here (audiobook via Cloud Library)

Jane Smiley

A Dangerous Business (audiobook via Libby) 

 

Rachel Lynn Solomon

Business or Pleasure (ebook via Cloud Library) 

 

Cindy Steel

Faking Christmas (audiobook via Cloud Library) 

D.E. Stevenson

Green Money (ebook via Hoopla)

Bel Lamington (audiobook via Cloud Library) 

The Fair Miss Fortune (audiobook via Cloud Library)

Sarah Strohmeyer

We Love to Entertain (audiobook)

Booth Tarkington   

Alice Adams (audiobook via Hoopla)

 

Maud Ventura

My Husband (library book)
 

Elizabeth Von Armin

The Enchanted April* (audiobook via Hoopla) 

 

Catherine Walsh

Holiday Romance (Fitzpatrick Christmas #1, paperback)

Jenny Xie

Holding Pattern (audiobook via Libby)

 

Laura Zigman

Small World (ebook via Cloud Library) 

An (*) indicates a reread.  All ebooks are purchased on sale via the Kindle Store or checked out from the e-offerings of the Elmhurst Public Library.  All audiobooks are from Audible.com or the Elmhurst Public Library's e-offerings (Hoopla, Cloud Library, and Libby Apps).