May 2026 in Books

Better late than never right? Finally getting around to sharing last month's books. It was just a so so reading month for me. No total losers, but no big sinners either, and in general a little bit of a disapoinment just because I had really high expectations for a few of these.

Mad Mabel - Sally Hepworth - fiction - five stars - Elsie is a grumpy old lady who lives a relatively solitary life until a nosy, persistent little girl moves in next door. When the little girl notices that one of their neighbors hasn't brought in the mail in days, she convinces Elsie to go over to investigate. Elsie finds the neighbor dead, the police are called. While this should be an open and shut case, turns out that Elsie has a past and things start to get complicated. The book shifts between the past and present as we learn about Elsie's past, and how things connect to the present. There were a couple of twists that I did not expect. There were also some storylines that I wasn't crazy about, but overall it was a really good book that kept my interest.

Life: A Love Story- Elizabeth Berg - fiction - four stars - I probably had expectations that were a little too high for this book as I am a huge Arthur Truluv fan and have loved those books. This was a solid book, but didn't quite hit that high expectation. Florence Green is dying, and is planning to leave her home to Ruthie, a girl who grew up in the neighborhood who became like a daughter to her. She is writing a letter to Ruthie telling her about all of the special things in her home, the stories about them which are stories of her life. She is also trying to encourage Ruthie not to give up on her marriage as she tells her about the flaws in her own marriage. Florence also spends some of her last days making friends with and helping friends and neighbors. I thought that some of the anecdotes about the things in her home dragged a bit in places, but overall a really sweet story.

Boat Baby: A Memoir - Vicky Nguyen - memoir - four stars - Nguyen is an NBC news anchor/correspondent. This book tells the story of her family's flight from Vietnam, settling in the US, and her career journey. This is a really interesting life story, but the weird thing to me was that the writing seemed so plain and basic. I felt like some chapters sounded like a high school writing project. I really feel like it was a lot of facts and not a lot of emotion or character. It really felt like there was something lacking here.

Ape Escape (FunJungle #10) - Stuart Gibbs - juvenile detective - four stars - In this FunJungle book, Teddy and his parents head to Rwanda for the memorial service of an old friend. It turns out the old friend isn't actually dead, he is in hiding trying to catch poachers. When the poachers snatch a baby gorilla, Teddy and his parents and friend spring into action. Meanwhile, back in Texas, Summer has a case of her own. These are always fun to read.

The Last Woman of Warsaw - Judy Batalion - historical fiction - three stars - Fanny Zelshinsky, is the daughter of a well-to-do Jewish family in Warsaw. While engaged to be married, what she really wants to do is pursue a degree and career in photography. Her life becomes intertwined with that of Zosia, a Zionist from the country who has come to Warsaw to make a name for herself in the movement and hopefully secure a ticket to Israel. The book is an imagined riff on the life of the author's grandmother, but it just did not hang together particularly well for me. I wasn't crazy about the whole storyline about the wedding and Fanny's mother, some of the other pieces seemed too unlikely. Average. 

Once and Again - Rebecca Serle - fiction - three stars - I've really enjoyed Serle's earlier books, but the last one (One Italian Summer) and this one were just so so for me. In part, I feel like this plot has been overdone. Lauren comes from a family of women who get one take back in life. They can redo once instance, which colors their life forever Lauren's mom saved her father's life many years ago, and now watches him like a hawk to make sure he stays safe. Lauren is spending the summer with her parents at their place while she and her husband sublet their place. They are trying to save money while her husband is working in NY for a few months. This amid some tension over fertility treatments. Meanwhile, her high school boyfriend is also in town staying with his mother who is dying of cancer. In general, There was one big twist in the book that I definitely did not anticipate, which I thought was quite good, but I had a hard time with Lauren and her choices. Just so so.

The Traitors Circle - Jonathan Freedland - non-fiction - three stars - The story of a group of well-to-do Germans, some titled, who worked to undermine Hitler during WWII. The group was infiltrated during the war, many were sent do prison/concentration camps, others were executed. It's an interesting story, but was kind of a plodding read. Just OK.

Since it was just a so so month, I'm not going to pick best and worst. Hoping that I have some books in my pile now that are five stars. What have you guys been reading?

SSS Ocean Horizon

 *This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.

I was putting some things away the other day, and saw this Ocean Horizon cover plate and decided it needed to be shown off again.

I went to my scrap pile and came up with this fun progression of colors and went to town.

There is really no rocket science to this card. Just a bunch of die cutting and piecing together, but it creates such a great scene don't you think?

A simple sentiment strip finishes it off. Thanks for stopping by!

SSS Crystal Stars Embossing Folder

 *This post conatins affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.

I've got a really simple, but high impact card to share with you today using Simon's Crystal Stars embossing folder.

I started by applying Ocean, Night, and Iris ink to a panel of watercolor cardstock using blending brushes. The panel was then reverse embossed, meaning instead of having the starts stick up from the panel, the embossing sinks into the panel, so that the top of the panel is flat.

I then took my Silver Shine Lisa Horton Metallic Pigment inkpad and swiped it across the panel both vertically and horizontally. This gives it a very cool almost linen look.

The panel was popped up with foam adhesive over my white card base, and I added a sentiment from the Grad Basics set. It was embossed in silver, and I added some inking using the same colors I used for the panel. I also added a reverse sentiment strip to complete the look.

This one would be an easy one to mass produce.

SSS Always There Blog Hop

 *This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.

Happy Saturday! Today I'm hopping with Simon Says Stamp celebrating the Always There release. As always, there are lots of prizes involved. Simon is giving away a $25 store credit at each stop along the hop. All you need to do to be entered to win is leave a comment. AND, any purchase this weekend will receive the above set for free. The hop starts at the Simon blog, and you should be arriving from Sandi MacIver's blog. I'll have the full list below if you need it. 

Today I'm sharing a bunch of cards using the Blessed sentiment set. I love these sentiments, and thought I would pull out some stencils to help show it off.

First up, I inked up my White Fusion stencil with Flannel and Earl ink, using Earl twice, once with a heavier hand.

The sentiment was stamped with Archival black ink (I have somehow misplaced my Versa Clair black inkpad....). I used my new favorite, Starlight cardstock, for the card base, and added a very thin strip of a darker gray at the bottom of my stenciled/stamped panel to grouund it.

Next up, I pulled out my Snake Plant stencil.

The image was stenciled using Cabbage, Petunia, and Latte ink. I used Cabbage twice, varying the pressure applied to get two colors out of it.

The sentiment was stamped over top, and I added an olive mat as well.

Stenciled patterns can be a great way to frame a sentiment. That's what I did with these next two cards.

This first card features my Radiating Squares stencils. I centered the stencils over the panel, masking off the center portion. I used Bubblegum, Peony, Butter, and Gold Rush Lunar Paste. 

Once the paste was dry, I trimmed the panel down, and stamped the sentiment, fits perfectly doesn't it?

For the last card, I pulled out my Interlocking Circles stencils. Same process, I determined where the sentiment would fit, masked the area off, and inked up my stencils using Aspen and Mist (Mist was used twice, very lightly the second time, essentially using ink that was left on the previous stencil and brush), and Ranger Embossing Paste for the last layer.

Once dry, I stamped the sentiment, added a mat, and that was it.

That's all for me, your next step on the hop is Alberto Gava, and the full hop list is below. Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered to win the store credit, and enjoy the rest of the hop!

Simon Says Stamp Blog 
Barbara Tarayao
Emily Midgett
Nichol Spohr
Nicky Meek
Tina Smith
Heather Ruwe
Keisha Charles
Lisa Addesa
Sandi MacIver
Miriam Prantner
Alberto Gava
Caryn Davies
Kath Stewart
Carly Minner
Natasha Polite

SSS Always There Release

 *This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.

It's a release day at Simon Says Stamp and I today's card features some of the cutest items in the new Always There release.

I started by die cutting the Drawn Hearts cover plate from a light pink cardstock. This was adhered directly to my card base.

Next, I die cut the Fable Element from Starlight cardstock. Let me take a minute here to sing the praises of Starlight. This is my new favorite. It's the perfect soft gray that is on the cooler side, a must have. Anyway, I added just a bit of shading to the elephant pieces using C0, C1, and C2 Copic markers. I also added a bit of pink to his ears using R02 and softening it with the Colorless Blender.

After assembling my elephant, I added a vellum Petal Tipped Labels die cut behind him to give a softer look behind him, popped him up with foam adhesive, and added a reverse sentiment strip.

I also took a few of the little hearts that the plate cuts out as accents, giving them a little bit of color/sparkle with a Wink of Stella pen.

This one makes me smile, and I hope you do too. Be sure to head over to Simon to check out the whole release!

April 2026 in Books

This was a pretty good reading month. Some really excellent books, although one total dud. Here are the recaps:

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI - David Grann - non-fiction - five stars - This was my Spotify Audiobook for the month. This has been on my TBR for quite a while. It's about the Osage murders in Oklahoma. The Osage were once some of the wealthiest in the nation due to the oil beneath their land, and the fact that those mineral rights could not be sold. Then, the people started dying. The newly established FBI investigated, prosecuted, and convicted a group of individuals who plotted to wipe out the family of Mollie Kyle in order to obtain their lands. The book traces how Mollie's family was targeted as well as the efforts to bring the killers to justice. The book goes beyond those convictions to investigate the fact that these plots were widespread and that many more Osage families had been targeted. There are an abundance of unexplained/unsolved deaths. Great book, and now I'm ready to watch the movie.

Julie Chan is Dead - Liann Zhang - fiction - two stars - This one started off with an interesting premise. Chloe and her twin Julie are separated as children when their parents are killed in a car accident. Julie is adopted by a wealthy couple and Chloe goes to live with an aunt because there is nowhere else to go. Julie's life is charmed and she is now a major influencer, while Chloe works a clerk in a grocery store. When Chloe gets a strange phone call from Julie, she goes to investigate and finds her sister dead. She somewhat accidentally assumes her identity and starts to live a very different life. At this point, the story was interesting, and I was curious to see what would happen, but then the book just went off the rails. And I mean, really off the rails. It just got so wacky, and really was not worth the time.

This Is a Love Story - Jessica Soffer - fiction - three stars - Jane, an artist, is dying, and she and her husband Abe, a writer, spend her last days reminiscing about their lives, much of which revolves around Central Park in NY. This book was frustrating to me. Mostly because I just did not like Jane. While she did deal with post-partum depression, she just seemed so selfish, and a terrible mother. The parent/child relationship just really colored this one for me.

The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives - Elizabeth Arnott - mystery - five stars - Beverley, Elsie, and Margot are all wives of convicted serial killers. It's unclear how they found one another, but they are now friends and support one another in their post-marital lives. They are also somewhat fixated by serial killers, and how to stop them. When it appears that another serial killer has emerged, they try to solve the case. The storyline is a little far fetched, but there are definitely a few twists that I did not anticipate, and at the end of the day, I really liked the characters. Good, quick read.

This Book Made Me Think of You - Libby Page - fiction - five stars - Books about books hold a soft space in my heart, and this was a good one. It's Tilly's birthday, but she doesn't feel much like celebrating. Her husband Joe died las year, and she's just surviving. Then she receives a phone call from a local bookstore. It turns out that when Joe knew he was not going to beat his illness, he gifted Tilly with a year of books. She is to show up at the store each month, where she receives a book and a note from him. The books help her to grieve and heal, and learn to live again. In addition, she finds a new family in the bookstore, and work on her relationship with her sister as well. A happy read that leaves you smiling.

This Is Where the Serpent Lives - Daniyal Mueenuddin - fiction - three stars - This book was pretty frustrating. It is broken up into four parts where you learn the backstory of characters whose lives intertwine in the final part. I thought the initial parts were pretty good. It starts around 1955 and continues to present day Pakistan. The book focuses on the differences between the very well-to-do in Pakistan and the not to well off. In many ways Pakistan still functions as a feudal society, with wealthy families living almost like British nobility back in the day, having  farm/homestead/palace in the country as well as residences in the city. The book focuses on how that rural society still very much functions as it did decades ago, corruption is rampant, every so often you need to bring in some muscle to enforce the rules, etc. In general, the book kind of seemed pointless to me. It was a lot of pages to learn that life is still the same in Pakistan, you can't escape corruption, and there's little hope to better yourself. Meh.

The Correspondent - Virginia Evans - fiction - five stars - This was such a good book, and a great way to end the month. Sybil Van Antwerp is socially awkward. She much prefers to write letters to people, living through those missive rather than interact with them in person. The book is all letters from to and from Sybil, and through them we learn about her troubled relationships with others, her career as a very successful clerk for a judge, as a somewhat inadequate mother, as a friend/neighbor, and as an avid reader. Evans did an amazing job developing Sybil's character through the letters and you can see how she struggled to break out of the tightly crafted world she created for herself as she started to decline, and embrace real in-person relationships. Such a good read.

My favorite this month was Definitely The Correspondent and the least favorite was ulie Chan is Dead. I do feel like I've been reading a lot of books about old people dying lately. I'm not sure if it's partly because I'm dealing with aging parents, and have been gravitating towards those types of books, but I am feeling like I need to mix things up a bit. Would love to know what you guys have been reading!

SSS Impressionistic Smile

 *This post contains affiliate links to Simon Says Stamp.

I had just a bit of time to craft this weekend, and decided to pull out my Impressionistic Flower stencil set to create this super quick card.

The flower was inked up with Pawsitively Saturated Ink Trio 22 (Nutmeg, Paprika, Allspice) on kraft cardstock. I used the Nutmeg to lightly define the outer lines of the stencil using the large full flower stencil. The individual layers to the flower were then inked up in sequence with each of teh colors in teh trio, light to dark.

I took a second piece of kraft cardstock, and inked up one edge with Allspice to get a good blend from dark to light, and then cut the Smile sentiment from it. The shadow piece was cut from plain kraft and the pieces were adhered together.

I chose a small secondary sentiment from the Spring in My Step set which was stamped directly onto my stenciled panel with Ranger Archival black ink. The die cut sentiment was then popped up with foam tape.

Hope you like it!