Non Fiction Tuesday: American Rambler

2026 is the year celebrating the 250th birthday of the United States.  There are some really great books coming out comemmorating this event, and although American Rambler isn't a direct connection to that,  what is more American than Johnny Appleseed?

 

This one isn't out yet, but you won't have to wait too long - the publication date is May 12 and I can't wait!

Synopsis taken from Amazon:

New York Times bestselling author Isaac Fitzgerald sets off to the heart of America, following the path of the legendary Johnny Appleseed on an epic journey that both takes him far from home and brings him closer to it

It’s a difficult thing, to separate legend from story from memory from fact. • The Reverend “In the spirit of John Chapman, who loved apples for their nutrition and their symbolism…”
“And cider,” I whispered.

As a child, Isaac Fitzgerald became obsessed with Johnny Appleseed. Maybe because the legendary rambler—born John Chapman—grew up just down the road from his mother’s family farm. Maybe because of the larger-than-life tales his dad told him on walks in the woods, stories that planted the idea that adventure and discovery lay around every bend in the road. Or perhaps it was a shared sense of restlessness; the same search for both freedom and solitude and what they mean in America 250 years ago and today. Who hasn’t wanted to simply walk out the front door and see what’s out there?

American Rambler is a story about walking; about searching; about one man following the myth of another to find something true about himself and about America. Over the course of a year, Fitzgerald walks in Appleseed’s footsteps, following the path Chapman took from birth to death, from Leominster, MA to Fort Wayne, IN. Using as a starting point the lesser-known facts of Appleseed’s biography—that he belonged to an obscure Christian sect, or that that the bitter, hard apples he distributed were used almost exclusively for making alcoholic beverages—Fitzgerald weaves history and memoir seamlessly, reckoning with his own relationship with alcohol and his family’s shadow of mental illness, reflecting on this nation’s rich, raw, often romanticized past and myths we still tell ourselves about the heartland of the country today.

On his journey, Fitzgerald is attacked by dogs, nearly hit by a train, and taken in by strangers more than once. With each step he takes, we see his unique talent for teasing out the human capacity for contemplation and kindness, bearing him up amidst loss and grief, ritual and faith, grimy gas-station bathrooms, and a whole lot of apple lore. From choral music in cathedrals to tattoo-trimmed vets in back-alley bars, this is a true American odyssey and an antidote to the breakneck pace of modern life. Hopeful, intimate, and often hilarious, this story is about uncovering the things that really matter in this life.

Monday Mini Reviews: Oh, What a Good Week It Has Been

2026 is turning into an embarrassment of riches.  There are so many amazing books being published right now.  And I had enough time this week to enjoy a few of them.

 

Emma Brodie's newest book was published by Jenna Bush Hager's imprint and selected by Reese Witherspoon as her April book club pick.  This one is hefty, but a quick read.  AJ and Noah seem destined to be together, but their relationship suffers challenges that keep them apart for years.  When the two are cast in roles in a TV series, they are forced into each other's lives again, and despite their best attempts at avoiding each other, can't seem to live without each other.  There's nothing easy about this relationship, but the two have a connection that is impossible to break.

Corey Ann Haydus' Mothers and Other Strangers is a dysfunctional family story which is something I thoroughly enjoy.  Mae and Sydney grew up as best friends, but have been estranged for a decade after a secret that Sydney kept from Mae comes to light.  Now both are pregnant with their first child and when Sydney reaches out to Mae, the two tentatively begin to communicat with each other.  This story moves back and forth in time, and as the story unfolds we get to know Mae and Sydney's mothers: Joni and Beth Ann.  The mothers have little in common, but because of the bond between the girls, also become good friends.  This novel had a few twists I wasn't expecting and just kept getting better and better the further into it I was.

I love Sally Hepworth's novels, and Mad Mabel is no exception. This one feels different to me than her others-not so much of a mystery in the traditional sense. Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick has lived a quiet life in the same house for more than sixty decades, careful to attract no attention.  As a child it seemed that people who came into contact with her often came to a rather horrific and untimely end.  And thus the name "Mad Mabel" became a nickname people used when talking about her.  But time has passed and a young girl on Elsie's street is uncovering the soft side that Elsie has long kept hidden, and as the book moves back and forth in time we come to understand the various ways in which "Mad Mabel" was born.

Cleo Dang Would Rather Be Dead by Mai Nguyen a new-to-me author was my last read of the weekend and one I couldn't put down.  This novel is heartbreaking as Cleo and her husband Ethan lose their infant daughter just a couple days after her birth.  Cleo's grief is so raw and her narration is so real, and although I'm ot a cryer when I read, I can read with a lump in my throat.  The funeral home that handles the arrangements for Cleo's daughter Daisy asks if Cleo would consider working there, and  although it would seem that being around death after suffering such a profound loss wouldn't be good for her, Cleo does find the job fulfilling.  I lived in a house attached to a funeral home for the first ten years of my marriage because my husband was a funeral director, so the inner workings of the funeral home are familiar to me.  But it is the various characters who speak of their losses and who offer some perspective that I most appreciated.  Nguyen has done an amazing job with this novel.  

I'm not sure how I can continue to be lucky enough to find books of the high quality I'm reading right now, but my TBR is still stacked with books that I'm excited to crack open.

Friday Five: The Week After Easter

 This past week was busy...and in case you didn't notice, this is actually getting posted on Sunday evening instead of Friday as I intended.  The weekend has been relaxing, which has been nice since the work week was extremely busy.  

I've been able to enjoy the Masters Tournament on television, read a few fantastic books, attend church, get laundry done, and enjoy not really having anything scheduled.  

Enjoy this week's Friday finds!

1.  Striped Kelsey Jean

2.  Mid Rise Denim Bermuda Shorts

3.  Lizzie Wide Leg Pant

4.  Gola Firefly Sneaker

5.  Home of the Free Navy Textured Flag Sweater

6.  Fruits Graphic Sweatshirt

7.  Dianthus Henley Puff Sleeve Eyelet Blouse

8.  Love Printed Tank

9. Chambray Slim Wide Leg Linen Drawstring Pants

10.  The Windsors at Easter

That's it for me this week.  What's caught your eye?

Waiting on Wednesday: Daughters of the Sun and Moon

 Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature where I highlight a soon to be released novel I can't wait to read.

This week's pick: Daughters of The Sun and Moon by Lisa See

Due out: June 2, 2026

Synopsis taken from Amazon:

Beloved New York Times bestselling author Lisa See draws on the vibrancy and turmoil of post-Civil War Los Angeles to tell the story of three Chinese women who managed to survive and, eventually, thrive, despite all odds.

In 1870, three Chinese women arrive in the small, dusty, and violent pueblo of Los Angeles. Dove, the bound-footed daughter of an imperial scholar, is entrancing and innocent. These characteristics should bring her great rewards, beginning with her arranged marriage to a much older merchant. Petal, the big-footed daughter of peasants, has grown up hungry and with dirt between her toes. In a moment of desperation, Petal’s father sells her to buy money for rice seed, and she is loaded onto a ship to the Gold Mountain—America—where she is once again sold. Moon is married to a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine. She is educated, speaks fluent English, and has been endowed with a face of great beauty, yet her failed footbinding as a child has left her with a limp that lessens her value in the eyes of many.

Each woman has her own desires. Dove wants to love and be loved, Petal desires freedom, and Moon seeks justice. Together they face a larger society that wishes them not one ounce of good will. Anti-Chinese sentiment is strong in Los Angeles, and this eventually leads to the Night of Horrors during which all three women are challenged in ways they could not have imagined. Brought together by hardship and heartbreak, they must use their bravery, endurance, and ability to “eat bitterness” to discover their voices, find freedom, and connect through solace and friendship. Together they are daughters of the sun and moon.

Monday Mini-Reviews: Something New, Something Old

 Abby Jimenez has become a must-read author for me.  I had bought her books for a few years before ever actually cracking one open, and once I did, I quickly devoured her backlist. 

This book came at a good time for me.  Work has required too much of my brain power recently and I've found it hard to concentrate on reading.  

The Night We Met was a good choice of a story to get caught up in.  

Larissa's life is full of challenges, and has been for years.  Her father has managed to set up credit cards in Larissa's name creating a huge debt that she is slowly trying to dig her way out of.  She lives with her mom since she can't afford a place of her own, and she is constantly hustling.  Her boyfriend Mike seems to be the one good thing that has happened to her.  

But as Larissa gets to know Mike's best friend, Chris, she begins to realize that she enjoys spending time with Chris more than anyone else- including her boyfriend.  

Without spoiling things, there are a few parts that I found a little hard to believe, but I wouldn't say that it made me dislike the story at all.  I feel like you know going into Jimenez's books where things will take you, and that was true with this one.  

This past weekend I also picked up a backlist book I've had hanging around for quite a while (16 years!).  

I always enjoy Jodi Picoult's books, but there are times when I just am not in the mood for one, or when I am "saving" a book because if I read it, it will no longer be something I can experience for the first time.

After 16 years of a sitting on a shelf, I'm not sure which is true for House Rules.

But this is a solid novel by Picoult that is told by several narrators and centers around Jacob, an eighteen year old boy with Aspergers who is fixated on crime scenes and forensics.  When his tutor disappears and her body is found a short time later, Jacob is suspected of her murder. But many people don't seem to understand that Jacob is very literal about everything and that he struggles socially.  What are hallmarkers of Aspergers make him appear guilty.

Some of this novel is written in Jacob's perspective which gives readers a better understanding of where his thought process is.  Because I have read so many books by Picoult, I never thought that Jacob would be found guilty.  But, I also couldn't figure out how Picoult was going to conclude things.  The ending, as is also typical of Picoult's books, was one I didn't foresee.

This is one that would make a great book club choice. It also reminds me of Defending Jacob by William Landay.  And, it also happened to be a perfect pick for kicking off Autism Awareness Month. 

Friday Five: Easter Weekend

I am so happy to have a three day weekend.  Our new couch arrived on Thursday; it was sitting outside in the driveway when I got home from work - and despite it raining on and off all day, it actually was only outside for a brief span of time when it wasn't raining. 

We spent the evening getting everything out of boxes and put together.  The rest of the house is trashed right now as we still have two pieces of furniture we need to get rid of, and books stacked up in several places since one of the things we moved was a bookshelf.  Eventually things will come together, but it's not happening immediately.

The girls are all home for Easter as well.  Holidays are definitely not the same as when they were little - no egg decorating or Easter egg hunt, and the Easter baskets don't have very much in them anymore.  But, it is also nice to have things be a little less work.

I've told my self repeatedly that I am not buying anything, and then I look online and see so many great things that I want to wear.  Here is what caught my eye this week:

 

1.  Linen Blend Bias Cut Skirt

2. Raw Seam Sweater Tee

3.  Pilcro Short-Sleeve Smocked Tee

4.  Bandana Print Bucket Hat

5.  Straight Hem Zig-Zag Shirt

5.  100% European Linen Structured Blazer

6.  Club de Lecture Sweatshirt

7.  Gola Firefly Sneakers

8.  Offline by Aerie Cool Down Quarter Zip Waffle Sweater

9.  Mya Smocked Jersey Shirt

10.  Maeve Textured Cotton Jumper

That's it for me this week.  What's caught your eye?

Waiting on Wednesday: Beneath A Broken Sky

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature where I highlight a soon to be released novel I can't wait to read.

This week's pick: Beneath A Broken Sky due out Joshua Moehling

Due out: May 26, 2026

Synopsis taken from Amazon:

From award-nominated and USA Today bestselling author Joshua Moehling comes a tense, atmospheric thriller about one detective's search for a mysterious killer in the chaos following a deadly storm…

Detective Ben Packard has put down roots in the small town of Sandy Lake. A difficult thing to do; it's a hot, miserable summer, and a tornado has swept through causing irreparable damage. Trees are felled, homes destroyed, and people are desperate. Worse, the storm has also blown in a group of storm chasers with something to hide.

Then a woman is killed in her home. The mother of a gay boy and unpopular among the locals for the hell she recently raised at school when the administration refused to punish a group of students who were bullying her son, there's almost too many suspects to count. 

But to Packard, the case hits close to home. And when someone from his past shows up on his doorstep out of the blue, he realizes he'll have to confront the reality of navigating life as a gay man in a small town bent on tradition, no matter the cost.

The heat suffocates. The violence simmers. Before the summer is out, someone else will die.

Friday Five

TGIF!  This has been one of the most stressful weeks of my school year.  On Wednesday I had to reinterview for my job.  Without going into too much detail, the interview itself was bizarre, only focusing one minor portion of my job.  We were evaluated using a rubric that we didn't even know about, and three of the five interviewees had their building administrator there (I wasn't one of them with an admin present).  To say I'm feeling less than confident would be an understatement.  

It's a good thing I can still find time to shop online.  Here are my picks for this week, and I'm hoping next week is less stressful.  

 1.  Darla Buckle Slide Sandal

2.  The Tammy Pearl Drop Earrings

3.  Fate Boat Neck Sweater

4.  Seersucker Smocked Shirt

5.  Remy Ruffle Collar Buttondown Shirt by Pilcro

6.  Fashion Icons

7.  Short Sleeve Floral Smocked Top

8.  Cotton Twill Knot Button Jacket

9. Viscose Blend Tunic Dress

10.  Astrid Tassel Loafer

That's it for me this week.  What's caught your eye?

Waiting on Wednesday: Calamity Club

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature where I highlight a soon to be released novel I can't wait to read.

This week's pick: Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett

Due out: May 5, 2026

Synopsis taken from Amazon:

Gripping, funny, heartbreaking, and hopeful, The Calamity Club is the story of a group of unbreakable women in 1933 Mississippi, as they fight to claim what’s rightfully theirs—Kathryn Stockett’s first novel since the #1 bestselling phenomenon The Help.

It’s been over a year since Meg’s beloved mother failed to come home one Christmas Eve. Since then, the eleven-year-old has been one of the unadoptable “big” girls at The Orphan in Oxford, Mississippi. There, in the face of the disdain and cruelty of the chairlady who runs the orphanage, she fights each day to keep her wits sharp and her spirit unbowed.

In the final, sweltering weeks of the summer, Birdie Calhoun, unmarried and opinionated, arrives in Oxford with the unpleasant task of asking her socialite sister to help the struggling family she’s left behind. Her sister has married into a wealthy, old family and has taken pains to conceal her humble Delta roots. But as the Depression tightens its grip, it becomes clear that her dreams may have been built on an unsteady foundation. With her banker husband worryingly absent, she drifts around his once-grand family home as her imperious mother-in-law clings to a fantasy of bygone days.

When Birdie meets Charlie, a woman with nothing left to lose, their fates—and Meg’s—converge with those of a band of undaunted, disreputable women as they form an audacious plan to take back control of their lives. But in a place and time where hypocrisy is rife, where women’s freedom is fragile, and where making an enemy can have calamitous consequences, will the price they pay for their outrageous risk-taking be too high?

Bold, heartwarming, and bracingly funny, The Calamity Club is an unputdownable story about the many ways female agency can be thwarted, and of those determined to take it back, no matter the cost.

Non Fiction Tuesday: Five Star NonFiction: No One's Coming

 

Kevin Hazzard's newest book, No One's Coming, is one I devoured over the weekend.  

Hazzard takes his time setting the stage and providing enough background to the situation: Americans with ebola trapped in Africa, needing an emergency rescue in order for them to have a chance at survival.

We learn about the company, Phoenix Air, that was created to transport dangerous materials around the world.  And we learn about the doctors and volunteers who are waging a war against the deadliest ebola outbreak in history and their desperate need for rescue.

Once the action begins, this is a page-turner.  I have read The Hot Zone by Richard Preston and am fascinated by the ebola virus, so reading about the most recent outbreak and its impact on the people it infected is a topic I continue to be curious about. Add to that the high stakes rescue and the people willing to take risks on a daily basis, and this book only gets better.

If you need some great nonfiction in your life, this is a book that will appeal to readers of all ages.