When Landreaux Iron accidentally shoots his 5 year old neighbor, the Iron family attempts to right the wrong by following the old way: they giving their neighbors, The Ravich's, their own 5 year old son.

Oh my goodness, it's as heartbreaking as it sounds. But little LaRose is a wise soul and Louise Erdrich did an amazing job weaving together so many storylines to share a story of resilience, perseverance, and love. I loved reading this novel!

Another book that I just couldn't put down. If you're looking for motivation to VOTE in November, then I'd recommend reading this book.

Albright teaches a course on fascists around the world by defining their central characteristics and how each leader has led their countries into dangerous territories. Of course, her argument is that Donald Trump fits many of the characteristics of a fascist leader.

This was totally approachable on audio. Albright narrates this audio version and it really does feel like sitting in a lecture hall while a former Secretary of State shares her wisdom and experiences in the field.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an advanced copy of Magic Lessons in exchange for an honest review.

I was thrilled to receive a copy of Magic Lessons. The Practical Magic series is one of my favorites and I love the Owens women. Magic Lessons is a prequel to the prequel of the series. Alice Hoffman is working backwards and has finally made her way to Maria Owens - the first of the Owens women to arrive in the US and the one who put the curse on any man who dares to love an Owens woman.

After her birth in England, Maria is left in a field by her biological mother and is lucky enough to be found by Hannah, a local woman who practices the Nameless Arts. Hannah teaches Maria everything she knows, but notices that Maria has a natural aptitude of her own. She shows all of the signs of a bloodline witch. Maria is forced to flee Hannah's home after a terrifying incident. Maria finds her biological mother and father, who quickly sell her off as an indentured servant to wealthy people in Curaçao. It's there that she meets John Hathorne, the magistrate from Salem who becomes the father of Maria's child and the first recipient of the Owens curse.

This first half of the book was sprinkled with magic lessons - herbs and tinctures to mend what's broken. These magical lessons kept me interested in the novel, and the second half really gained steam.

The second half has Maria and her daughter, Faith, living in Salem and then New York City. We follow Maria and Faith through Maria's own witch trial in Salem and her escape from the gallows. While in jail, Faith is kidnapped by a jealous and petty woman and they run away to Brooklyn. Maria's magic tells her that Faith is in New York City and she spends years searching for her daughter. While in captivity, Faith slowly learns about her own bloodline powers, which she uses for dark purposes.

This is a fantastic edition to this series and is full of cozy witchy-ness that's perfect for this Fall season. You might find that the beginning is a bit slow, but hang in there. The second half easily makes up for it all!

This book was Kate Morton-esque and deliciously fun! It was just missing a bit of oomph, if you know what I mean.

This was a great book to listen to on audio. It's read by the author and that made it a lot of fun.

This book is set during two time periods: the 2016 primaries and the late 1800s, both in New Jersey. The storylines are tied together by the home that is falling down around them both, as well as the inhabitants' confusion about the lack of social and political progress around them.

You'll probably enjoy this book if your politics are progressive or slightly to the left of moderate. The author tries her hardest to understand how people in the US could have voted the way they did in 2016. I think she's figured it out and did an excellent job portraying it in a respectful and sympathetic way.