Love

Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I've Cried About | May Book CluB

“Dogs, Boys and Other Things I’ve Cried About” by Isabel Klee

You all know how much I love my critters. So many of them have found their way to me, much like my children, when I wasn’t even thinking about adding to my brood. But when you happen upon a heart needing a nurturing home, what’r ya gonna do???

My May Book Club choice, Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I've Cried About is perfect for people like me. Though much of it I can relate to from my younger days, the unconditional love and healing one gets from their furry family members is ageless and timeless.

From the social media superstar behind @SimonSits, Isabel Klee—known for her heartwarming tales of dog rescue—comes an utterly winning memoir about a twenty-something woman’s search for true love in New York City and the dogs who helped her find it.

A Jersey girl by birth, Isabel Klee had always wanted to live in New York City. At age 20, she got her chance, ditching her college upstate and moving into a grungy basement apartment in Manhattan. Dog-obsessed since childhood, her first post-grad job was becoming an assistant to a dog photographer, and something clicked into place: a career focused on helping dogs was the new dream.

Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I've Cried About

Isabel quickly found a passion for rehabilitating rescue dogs and helping them get adopted. At the same time, she was caught up in a whirlwind of friendships, parties, fickle boyfriends and grand romances, which she recounts in honest, tender, and sometimes devastating chapters about the search for love and belonging.

Isabel’s first true love, though, was Simon, a fluffy puppy who’d been saved from the meat trade. As the highs and lows of her twenties hit Isabel in wave after wave, it was Simon who kept her grounded. Together, Isabel and Simon created a community of dog-lovers and a tight-knit group of friends pursuing their dreams.

In this honest and moving memoir, Isabel weaves together the stories of her foster dogs—and the challenges she helped them overcome—with tales of complicated relationships, hard decisions, and great loves in New York City, all leading to a happy ending not only for the rescue pups, but for Isabel herself.

Order your copy of Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I’ve Cried About

Miracle Creek Christmas | December Book Club

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BUY Miracle Creek Christmas

Every time I crack the cover on a new book, it’s like giving myself a gift. I love to pass that gift on to you, my book club readers, and this December, this magical season, I have a delightful story to share, Miracle Creek Christmas, by Krista Jensen.

I was immediately drawn to the title, thinking how appropriate it would be for this time of year, but even more delightful was discovering the story is set in the Wenatchee Valley of Washington State! That’s a day trip from my home outside of Seattle, and there is no more picturesque place or better setting for a winter romance as far as I’m concerned.

The theatrical little Bavarian town of Leavenworth is exactly as described in the book; simply a sight to behold, and a place I love to take my family and friends visiting from far away places! The author does a fabulous job of describing the area, and I felt myself grinning every time a little burg, like Cashmere, was mentioned. If you’ve never been to these places, you’ll feel like you have after you’ve read about them here.

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But setting aside, it’s the characters that will pull you in. Riley Madigan is a twenty-something city girl trying to outrun heartache. She leaves the city life behind to become a high school art teacher in the remote little town of Miracle Creek. Expecting to find solitude in such a place, she’s not prepared when she meets Mark Rivers on the ‘off-the-beaten path.’ Mark is working to rebuild his life after the devastation of losing his best friend and fire-fighting partner in a wildfire a year earlier, in which he suffered severe burns himself. He’s trying to come to terms with his altered appearance and his altered life.

Each carry heartache and injury, guarding themselves against any additional sorrows. So “just friends” it will have to be, despite those inconvenient feelings they keep trying to deny (themselves as well as others.) Well-meaning family members, and not-so-well-meaning community characters, had me fearful these two might not ever come to their senses, but - spoiler alert - they finally do!

Love blossoms in the middle of winter at Miracle Creek, and I know you’ll enjoy it as much as I did, perhaps curled up on the sofa with a mug of hot chocolate, memories of when you last made a snow-angel in the back of your mind, while the lights on the tree twinkle in the corner…

ORDER "Miracle Creek Christmas”
(for you and all those who love a good romance)

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Cultivate | July Book Club

Cultivate | July Book Club

I chose my July book club, Cultivate, because author, business owner, and mom to three Lara Casey offers sound and grace-filled advice: “We can’t do it all, and do it well. But, we can choose to cultivate what matters.”  Gee, how familiar does that sound?

Great Summer Reads | May Book Club

Great Summer Reads | May Book Club!

Why settle for one, when you can have a whole stack of books?! From Grillin' to grinnin' my list has it all. Inspiring meals, inspiring people, inspiring mutts, and inspiring children. Get inspired. READ!