By Golly, Ollie!

Good Reads

  • Sign Language by Amy Ackley

    Sign Language by Amy Ackley

    Sometimes I choose library books with reckless abandon. I choose them at random and hope for the best. For example, the moment I plucked Sign Language by Amy Ackley from the library stack…I was disappointed. The book cover seemed to indicate that the novel I held in my hands was going to be some generic… Read more

  • I Found You by Lisa Jewell

    I Found You by Lisa Jewell

    I had a difficult time immersing myself in I Found You by Lisa Jewell, and I’m not entirely sure why. This novel had many characteristics that I appreciate. It was atmospheric. The writing was beautiful. It involved a mystery that I desperately wanted to solve. Yet, I started this book four separate times before finally reading… Read more

  • The Illusionist’s Apprentice by Kristy Cambron

    The Illusionist’s Apprentice by Kristy Cambron

    The Enemies of Versailles by Sally Christie is such a tough act to follow. Especially if the next book that is picked up is also of the historical fiction variety. How could anything even compare to a book that I’ve anticipated reading for months? Enter The Illusionist’s Apprentice by Kristy Cambron– a bit of a… Read more

  • The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

    The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

    Following my recent re-read of Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison, I decided to check out another book from my teenage days– the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares. To be completely honest, I only sort of vaguely remember this book despite its popularity and despite the movie, which of course… Read more

  • Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

    Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

    About a month after publishing a blog post about how I was nervous to start reading Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse #1) by Charlaine Harris, a reader pointed out that a fair amount of time had passed and I still hadn’t written a review for the novel; she was curious about what I thought of… Read more

  • The Enemies of Versailles by Sally Christie

    The Enemies of Versailles by Sally Christie

    Pardon me. I’m just feeling a bit emotional right now. I’ve officially finished the final installment of the Mistresses of Versailles series by Sally Christie– the Enemies of Versailles. I know I’ve dedicated a fair amount of blog space to this genius series already, but allow me just one more post (at least this quarter… Read more

About BGO

Hello, my name is Jackie. I’m a thirty-something mother of a rambunctious toddler from a small town in Michigan. When I’m not toddler-wrangling, I’m often seeking refuge from life’s most chaotic moments in a cup of hot tea. I also love getting lost in stories—both in books and virtually. I enjoy speculative fiction the most, and I am especially eager to read fantasy novels and horror novels. When I’m feeling especially indulgent (usually after everyone in the house has gone to sleep), I like to dive into video games and explore the sprawling worlds in Fallout, Elder Scrolls, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect.

Five Star Reads

Lately on IG

Sipping the Rohini First Flush Darjeeling from @mastersteas (gifted). It’s as gorgeous as the springtime sunshine 😌 #tea #instatea #teastagram #teasofinstagram #teablogger #teagram #teapet #gaiwan #gongfucha #totoro #adagioteas #darjeelingtea May was mostly for coffee, but occasionally tea. Like today’s River Red from West China Tea, which reminds me of the way my mom’s purse smelled when I was a kid— like leather and tobacco.⁣ Here is the latest stack of library loot. (Paired with some rather old long jing). Aside from Monsters by Claire Dederer, I’m not ~*excited*~ about anything I picked out 😅. I went in totally unprepared, not thinking my kiddo could keep himself entertained long enough for me to peruse the book stacks. I found myself almost overwhelmed by choices. I think what I want (but didn’t not pick out) is something Summery but NOT something that is romance or a heartfelt contemporary. Or literary fiction because I don’t want to think too hard 😆. I don’t know what that leaves me with though. If you have any suggestions, I’d love to hear them! #tea #teastagram #teasofinstagram #teablogger #booksandtea #gaiwan #greentea #bookstagram #library #librarybooks #bookcommunity Jazzing up some matcha that’s been sitting in my fridge since mid-2020 with some white chocolate raspberry coffee creamer. *chef’s kiss* #tea #instatea #teastagram #teasofinstagram #teablogger #matcha #matchalatte And We Rise⁣ I’ve had the pleasure to taste the Rohini First Flush Darjeeling the past few years, and once more, @mastersteas so graciously sent a free sample my way. It’s always a lovely treat to mark the changing of the seasons.⁣ #currentlyreading | This weekend, I’ve mostly been bouncing back and forth between the House in the Cerulean Sea and the Geography of Nowhere (non-fiction critique of the American suburbs). Also, currently sipping River Red from West China tea, which tastes a bit like the burnt topping on crème brûlée. #teastagram #teasofinstagram #bookstagram #nonfiction #nonfictionbooks #librarybooks It’s blue skies for days! Actually, it’s blue skies just for today followed by six days of rain, but I’m okay with that. We are finally seeing signs of Spring in the village like clusters of tulips in flower beds and pink blossoms on trees. I’ve started to shift away from cozy spiced chai or malty Assam teas and toward anything that begs to be cold brewed— Darjeeling black teas especially. Like this Risheehat Summer Black tea, which is crisp and refreshing and tastes like it’s dripping with honey and fruit 🍯 #tea #instatea #teasofinstagram #darjeelingtea 80 degrees and clear skies beg for jade snail and messy gaiwan pours on the back porch because I suck at brewing up green teas today, and the drama makes it taste better 🙃 #tea #teatime #instatea #teastagram #teasofinstagram #teablogger #teadrinker #teaphotography #teagram #gongfucha #teaoutdoors #greentea

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