Everyone deserves a coffee break.

The only hard part is deciding where you will take it. That’s where I come in.

Coffee Break is a monthly newsletter featuring local coffeeshops, bakeries and gathering spaces in St. Louis. I’ll be sharing where they are, what I love, my favorite sips and treats and throwing in a few musings from the owners who started them. Occasionally, you may even get a surprise destination from my travels or fun downloads to keep track of your coffee finds.

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Crawling for Coffee | March 22

Have you ever heard of the Maplewood Coffee Crawl?

I’ve been going for 3 years now with my sister who is a 5+ year Maplewood resident. Tomorrow we will be crawling with the morning crew, better known as the Early Risers. My parents are also joining to sip the morning away with local roasters and bonus sweet treats.

Some of this year’s featured roasters are La Cosecha Coffee Roasters, The Living Room, Kaldi’s Coffee, Coma Coffee and many more. Participants are encouraged to bring their own mug, and I am having a hard time deciding which one I will bring along.

While tickets are sold out for this year, put a pin on this weekend for your 2026 calendar to crawl on over to Maplewood and get your caffeine fix during the first weekend of Spring! If you have tickets, be sure to say hi if you see my sister and I crawling around with our favorite mugs.

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That’s all for this Coffee Break!

While today’s break might be short, there is much more to come. Come back next month for the first coffee shop feature.

But here’s a few places to sip with until then.

• Teleo Coffee - Kirkwood Neighborhood

• Park Avenue Coffee - Lafayette Square Neighborhood

• Antagonist & Protagonist Cafes - Soulard & Benton Park Neighborhoods

• Coma Coffee Roasters - Brentwood Neighborhood

• The Wolf Cafe - Ballwin Neighborhood

See you for the next sip and latest read!

Here in St. Louis, the weather has been so topsy turvy that it was time for some much needed R,R&R — better known as reads, reviews and recommendations over here on the Show Me Shelf. So far this year, I’ve read 17 books, ranging from romance and historical fiction to literary fiction and nonfiction picks. In February, I fell greatly into the “let’s celebrate the month of love” category with these three reads.

So let’s get to it…

My three choices really stuck out to me because

1. One was a much awaited backlist book to complete the author’s published works

2. One was taking over Goodreads by storm as a front-runner for a popular book of 2025

3. One was an anticipated release that tugged at my heart in all the right places

Can you guess which is which?

1. Life’s Too Short by Abby Jimenez. I swear she never misses for me, and this book was no exception. A surprise baby, a helpful handsome neighbor, ALS representation and a firm message to go for it because “life’s just too short” — this was the wholesome February read I didn’t know I needed. Abby is great for readers who want the perfect blend of romance and heavy themes without them feeling too heavy.

2. The Favorites by Layne Fargo. Ice dancers with romantic tension? Say no more I was hooked into this from the first page. Plus, the audiobook version had a full cast, including olympic skater and figure skating commentator Johnny Weir. Full review down below!

3. Beg, Borrow or Steal by Sarah Adams. I am a big fan of Sarah, especially for her Rome Kentucky series of which this is the third book. This author writes stories that (and to quote her website) “that make you laugh, maybe even cry; but always leave you happier than when you started reading.” I just love her and if you want a lighthearted romance to read this spring, she’s your ticket.

The Review

This book stole the show for me in February (literally). The Favorites is a story that tells the professional ice dancing story of a partnership between best friends, lovers and even, fierce competitors. Set in the elite world of figure skating and spanning Katarina & Heath’s entire careers, both skaters captivate audiences with their intense chemistry and rebellious skating style — until a shocking incident at the Olympic Games ends their dynamic partnership. Built off the premise of a documentary about their careers, Katarina breaks the silence with her side of the story and sacrifices to be one of the greats.

Here’s a few reasons why I loved this broken down into a writing phrase everyone knows well — PLOT:

• People. The character building in this was incredible, especially with all the different voices on audio. Katarina’s quest for glory amid all her struggles with family was compelling. It was a great character study of all the sacrifices elite athletes may go through to get to the top.

• Length. This book was a solid 350 pages, making for a roughy 10 hour audiobook. In my opinion, this is the sweet spot of books like this. Faster to get through but with plenty of substance to keep you wanting to come back for more.

• Opinion. Overall, this was a five-star read for me. It reminded me of how Taylor Jenkins Reid wrote Carrie Soto is Back or how Fredrik Backman wrote the Beartown Series, not only for their sports features but also for the dynamics and dramas of the athletes and their teams. This is a great book to read ahead of the Winter Olympics in 2026 or for someone who just lives for the drama of it all in the world of sports.

• Themes. As a former college and “once upon a time” aspiring sports writer, I truly live for stories like this. The Favorites brought together themes of competitiveness, mental toughness/mental struggles, relationships, the quest for greatness and sports drama. The themes present would make for an exciting book club discussion.

The Recommendations

Now we get into a few random recommendations that can be about reading, products, things to do or otherwise.

• Beauty: Rare Beauty Liquid Blush is the perfect subtle blush if you need a new one. I was on the hunt earlier this year, and my friend recommended this whole-heartedly. 10/10 product and you don’t need too much to get a glowy look.

• Event: Fish Fry Fridays are back in St. Louis. Check out Fox2’s handy list of places hosting them for Lent. If you’re out of state, search for yours in your city for great meals on a budget!

• TV: The Traitors. I was not a reality TV show gal until this show. It’s addicting, dramatic, back-stabbing fun.

• Releases: Two of my most anticipated are Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry in April and Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid in June.

• St. Louis: I went to Art in Bloom over the weekend and it was absolutely incredible. It happens yearly in early March and best part is…its FREE! Check out some photos of my day with my sister in my gallery below.

What’s Up Next?

R,R&R complete! I hope you found some new reads to add to your TBR or an exciting thing to do this coming month. What’s up next for Show Me Shelf you may ask? Stay tuned for my next SMS message where I will highlight a local coffee shop in my series, Coffee Break. I guarantee you won’t want to miss it if you’re a caffeinated person like me!

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Welcome to Show Me Shelf! The Substack for readers, coffee lovers, St. Louis locals and midwestern natives. I’m Mary, a long-time bookstagrammer and a life-long reader. When I was about to graduate college in Louisville 7 years ago (GASP) with my communications degree, I wanted to meld my love of reading with my desire to write — and so, I turned to the newfound world of bookstagram.

The Origin Story

For the first year, I was known by the handle coffeeandreads — something oh so creative. But, it was not until I moved back home to St. Louis a few months after graduation that my true name and brand emerged, Show Me Reads.

Thousands of posts later, and this passion project has continued to grow. The joy of sharing my love for reading, local coffee shops and all things St. Louis is the crux of it, but I wanted to do more than just the side you see on instagram. So, that got my sister and I talking.

Hello Substack!

I mentioned what if I did an email newsletter through Substack once and then she said sounds like a good idea. But I was stumped on the name. So she said well you could always keep it the same, but that did not sit with me. Then she mentioned the name you all see here — Show Me Shelf. And it has stuck around.

So what can you expect from this substack?

It’s simple really. A few times a month, you’ll get an email from me where I share:

• R,R&R — best known as Reads, Reviews and Recommendations! This monthly email shares my standout reads, a good review and some additional recommendations for reading.

• Coffee Break — Caffeine fiends this one is for you. A feature of a local coffee shop and sometimes a special feature of one I encountered on a past or recent travel will enter your inbox. Trust me, it will leave you salivating for your next cup.

• Monthly Musings — A shorty of an email with five musings of my choice. Could be events, could be books or could be a great article I had to share with you. Be surprised each month if you stick around!

So Ready to be a Shelfie?

Yay! I cannot wait to show you all my shelves and city have to offer. I’ll catch you in the next SMS Substack.

Subscribe now

XOXO,

Mary, Show Me Reads

It’s been a mighty minute since my last post so we’re keeping it simple with some RR&R - Reads, Reviews & Recommendations. I have read quite a bit since June and by that I mean at least 10 books so I may have my work cut out for me. Alas, let’s give the people what they want ; )

Reads

This summer has been heavy on the romance. Since May, I have read a whopping 22 romance books that range from shifter romances (The Fake Mate) to auto-buy author’s latest releases (Emily Henry, Carley Fortune, Katherine Center) to some new authors (Liana De La Rosa, Sonali Dev, Kwana Jacksom) courtesy of the Novel Neighbor’s new romance room Open Door Romance. This is my shameless plug for anyone and everyone to go and visit them since they just opened last month!

My summer reading has also included some historical fiction, mystery, family fiction, suspense and magical realism. Here are a few quick mini reviews of the 12 books I have picked out above!

Romance

• Ana Maria and the Fox - 5 stars, Regency Historical Romance, Mexican/African American Romance, series featuring three sisters, love letter to the oldest sister, great for fans of Bridgerton, Open Door Romance

• Recipe for Persuasion - 4 stars, Foodie Romance, Indian/Brazilian Romance, series featuring the Raje Family, Celebrity Food Show, Second Chance Romance, lots of family drama, Semi-Open Door Romance

• The Happy Ever After Playlist - 4 Stars, Happenstance Romance, Dog brings them together, Love after Loss of Fiancé, Celebrity Guy X Everyday Girl, Big heart and lots of miscommunication, Semi-Open Door Romance

• The Fake Mate - 4 Stars, Shifter Romance (Werewolves), Workplace Romance, Great banter, Great for Fans of Twilight, Very Open Door Romance

• Real Men Knit - 3 Stars, Childhood Crush turned Romance, Love after Loss, Cozy Knitting Shop in Harlem, Found Family/Brothers, Death of a Parent, Open Door Romance

• The Rom-Commers - 5 Stars, Workplace Romance, Forced Proximity, Cancer + Chronic Illness Reference, Death of a Parent, Hollywood Drama, Closed Door Romance

• The Summer Will be Different - 5 Stars!, One-Night Stand turns into falling in love with Best Friend’s Brother, Prince Edward Island, Anne of Green Gables Ref, Flower Shop Romance, Oyster Shucking, Open Door Romance

Summer Fiction

• Ruthless Vows - 5 stars, Magical Realism, Historical undertones of WWI, Gods & Goddesses, Magical Typewriters, Enemies to Lovers, Writers, Wartime Journalism, Second book in a series

• Flight of Dreams - 3 Stars, Historical Fiction, Dawn of WWII, Hindenburg Balloon Crash, Multiple POVs, German Politics, Journalism, Truth or Lies

• The God of the Woods - 5 Stars, Mystery/Triller, Summer Camp Setting, Family Drama, Adirondacks, Set in 1960s & 1970s

• Such a Bad Influence - 5 Stars, Child Social Media Star, Family Drama, Money Hungry, Sisters, Power of Social Media, Missing Person’s Case

• The Guncle Abroad - 4 Stars, Gay Uncle Takes Niece/Nephew Abroad, Big Family Themes, Dad’s Second Wedding, Second Chances, Mid-life Crisis, International Setting, Quirky/Great banter, Heartwarming

Reviews

Now I know I mention a lot above so let me break down 3 of my 5 STAR reads —Such a Bad Influence, Ana Maria and The Fox and This Summer Will Be Different.

Such a Bad Influence

A debut novel written by the incredible , Such a Bad Influence takes a deep dive into influencer culture and child stardom. In the first few pages, we meet Hazel and her sister/child social media star, Evie. We immediately get the inside scoop on their family whose viral video launched them into stardom on YouTube and turned it into a “family” business of influencing. Hazel strived to stay out of the spotlight and that placed her sister Evie right into it. Years later, Evie is eighteen and disappears in a viral live stream video. This launches a spiral of events that explores the darker sides of social media and even her family.

When I say this book gripped me from the first page, I mean it. I listened to this as an audiobook over the course of a day of painting my house and I was SO HOOKED. The prose of the book was addicting but also so compelling. The characters were well developed, and so many twists and turns throughout the whole thing. Olivia, you are a genius and I cannot wait for more in the future!

Ana Maria and the Fox

Following my meeting Liana De La Rosa at a Novel Neighbor author event in May, I knew I had to enter her historical romance series set in London featuring the love stories of three Mexican sisters. Ana Maria and the Fox is the first in the series and it sets the scene for the turmoil they escaped in Mexico during the French occupation. Ana Maria and her sisters arrive in London to not only represent their family but also find some freedom in-between. Enter Gideon Fox, a new member of Parliament who strives to make a difference for a cause close to his heart, abolishing slave trading. They catch each other’s eye and when Ana Maria is caught between a nobleman with his own political agenda and taking the hand of Gideon for protection…where will her heart lie when its all over?

This was so fun to read after watching Season 3 of Bridgerton. This gave us another side of London society with great historical antidotes of Mexican culture and history during the 1800s. This was a true love letter to older sisters (which resonated a lot with me) and it set the scene for the rest of the sisters books. This series is great for those looking for something like Bridgerton but goes deeper into history and has a bit more diversity!

This Summer Will Be Different

Ah, it has not been a true summer for me without a lakeside Carley Fortune book to accompany me on a family vacation. This year was no different — except for the fact that the book’s setting was actually on an island. The story centers around Lucy who ventures to Prince Edward Island with her best friend Bridget every summer. BUT on her first summer, she has a magical night with a handsome local who shucks oysters…unbeknownst to her that it was actually her best friend’s younger brother Felix. Over the years, they try to fight the chemistry but its hard to resist the person you may be meant to be with forever…even if your best friend said to “never fall in love with my brother”. However, when Bridget suddenly flees to the island before her wedding without any context — Lucy drops everything at her flower shop to help her through it and be forced to reconcile the past with Felix in the process.

This book is my TOP book of summer 2024 so far. I loved the setting on the island, Lucy’s flower shop in Toronto, the quaint qualities of the locals and of course the challenges Lucy and Felix overcome throughout the book. It was the perfect book to sink into a chair and get lost in during this mild summer. Highly recommend for anyone who has not read Carley’s books because it may just top her debut Every Summer After in my Goodreads.

Recommendations

And now, for three quick recommendations based on three things I am loving right now.

1. Laughter Permitted Podcast with Julie Foudy. This podcast is great for those who love and appreciate sports, good stories and a laugh with the hilarious trivia questions they do at the end. Bonus: the Erin Matson episode from last year is amazing. She’s 24, one of the most decorated field hockey players ever and is the head coach of reigning national champions University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

2. Summer Target mug. I mean the cherries are so cute, and they also have strawberries. Too cute and $5 is a hard price to beat. Their fall mugs are probably out by now, but I had to shout it out because its adorable.

3. Dogtown Doggy Dash. If you are a runner like me in St. Louis, my running club Dogtown Running Club is putting on a 5K in a month throughout the streets of Dogtown! Furry friends are also welcome to run or walk along with you. It’s coming up fast on Sunday, September 15. But sign ups are still open. ALSO if you love running and live near Dogtown — the Running Club meets every Wednesday from 6-7:30 for a 2 or 4 mile run in the lovely Forest Park! I have been going since June, and LOVE IT.

So there you have it!

Like what you see or found a new book to read? Let me know! Or if you have recommendations for me, my inbox is always open :)

There are many things to love about summer — one of them being the delectably sweet rom-coms that come out all season long. From summer camps to rodeo ranches, there’s a something fun, flirty and swoon-worthy to read. And so, I give you a list of romances to read based on what type of summer fling you would fall for.

Ah the age-old trope of “OMG, you with my brother/sister?!” For some, they saw it all along and others they were completely butt-hurt by it BUT one thing remains the same…love conquers all! Here’s the skinny on each of these books.

• If Only You by Chloe Liese - Older Brother’s Best Friend, Sports romance, Neurodiversity rep, Good girl & Bad boy, Fake dating, Big family series!

• The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han - Love triangle, Summer romance, YA, Trilogy!

• Off Limits Rule by Sarah Adams - Force Proximity, Older Brother’s Best Friend, Opposites Attract.

Everyone who lived in a neighborhood with a bunch of kids may have had a crush on the boy next door. This one goes one step further to not only have one truly next door all your life, but also one at the vacation home next door and the life-long childhood crush next door.

• Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn - Best Friend’s Brother, Life-long crush/love story, you’ve liked me all this time?!, Regency romance series.

• Beach Read by Emily Henry - Classmate turned enemy and ope, now he is my neighbor…, Enemies to lovers, Forced proximity.

• Every Summer After - First crush, Lakeside cabin in Canada, Family friends, Big secrets.

The western/cowboy genre is on the rise and so we include a few that have taken the bookstores by a dust storm. To quote my dear friend and coworker, “Let all the cowboys rope me” in this summer.

• Flawless by Elsie Silver - Forbidden romance, falls for his agent’s daughter, professional bull rider, Series!

• Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage - One night stand, Falls for her boss, Montana, workplace romance, Series!

• Dust Storm by Maggie Gates - Force Proximity, Single Dad, On the Ranch, damaged reputation to fix, Series!

Summer camp romances give me all the YA vibes. So I give you 2 YAs and 1 college romance with a hefty bit of spice. The Camp Confidential series comes straight from my book fair days in grade school where I used to buy EVERY new book when they came out. While the other two are new to the scene (of the last 5 years).

• Camp Confidential by Melissa J. Morgan - Multiple story lines and love stories, massive YA series (20+ books!), growing up and tons of drama.

• Wildfire by Hannah Grace - One night stand, Forced Proximity, Secret Romance, Hockey Player, Series!

• You Have a Match - Parent Trap Theme, Long time crush, Family Drama, YA.

Sports Romance! There are so many in this genre but here are a few that are popular on the field and on the board. All make for quick beach reads and to be easily devoured by the pool.

• The Long Game by Elena Armas - Grumpy Guy/Corporate Girl, Professional and Club Soccer, Ted Lasso like, Forced Proximity, Coaches turned lovers.

• Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood - Chess prodigies, Bad Boy, LGTBQ+ Rep, YA Debut.

• The Graham Effect - Grumpy Sunshine, Hockey romance, Enemies to Lovers, Spin-Off series from Briar U & Off-Campus!

The best of romances always begin by the water. From the Queen of Beach Reads to two of my summer staples, these authors always promise a great summer romance.

• Summer of ‘69 by Elin Hilderbrand - Family Drama, Multiple Romances Happening at Once, Summer on the Island, Forbidden Love.

• The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren - Marriage of Convenience, Rich Boy/Poor Girl, Family DRAMA, Beachy setting.

• Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan - Single Mom, One-Night Stand turned into MORE, Big Life Themes, Coastal Town.

It’s time to get a little wild…as in the outdoors. These three books introduce us to a hot fisherman in the PNW, a hike that finds love and more and a love story set in Alaska.

• It Happened One Summer By Tessa Bailey. Big City Girl/Small Town Guy, Grumpy X Sunshine, Spicy Spicy!, Duology.

• Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center. Divorcee, Brother’s Best Friend, Big Life Themes, Personal Growth, Friendship and Love.

• Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker. Rugged Alaskan Pilot. City Girl/Remote Life Guy. Leading Man Works for her Dad. Grumpy X Sunshine. Parental Baggage, Series!

Speaking of baggage, these romances have them in spades. Family pressures, getting through grief and finding love in different places. These books tug at the heart string and make you fall in love in different ways.

• Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez. Big City Girl/Small Town Guy, Grey’s Anatomy Vibes, Small Town Drama, Love After Big BreakUp, Going your Own Way. Series!

• One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle. Mother/Daughter Relationship. Italian Summer Fling. Loss of Loved One, Big Trip of a Lifetime.

• Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score. Bad Boy/Runaway Bride. Small Town Romance. Evil Twin. Surprise Child. Series!

We all remember the days of summer reading lists. Requirements from grade school and high school days past. I am happy to say that those required reading days are gone with the wind (one of many on my required reading lists at school :D). These days, summer reading is a lot more fun, flirty, mysterious and inspiring compared to the long days reading Kate Chopin or Lord of the Flies.

Without further adieu, let’s get into my summer reading with my 12 picks for Summer 2024 that I cannot wait to read. Maybe you will find a book or two that you will read too!

Darling, Its All About Balance!

My summer reading taste has always leaned on the side of romance with a bit of historical flair and a hint of mystery and whimsy. This summer is no different (contrary to one of the titles in my summer reading list). And here are the categories my reading taste has fallen into in 2024!

First up: The Rom-Coms

For me, summer is not complete with out many, many, MANY summer romances. There are a few authors that I have gravitated toward for the past four summers since the pandemic — Ali Hazelwood, Annabel Monaghan and Carley Fortune. And ONE new one that is hitting hot and heavy with me in terms of content, vibes and wholeheartedness — Abby Jimenez.

I cannot wait to see Ali here in STL next week to talk about her newest STEMinist Romance, NOT in Love. I also just came off loving her recent romance that dove into a werewolf/vampire romance…and seriously if you have not read it please go get it and fall into nostalgia based on the Twilight days of our teenage past :D

I plan to read Carley and Abby’s latest novels (This Summer Will Be Different & Just for the Summer) on a cabin trip in a few days which seem pretty picture perfect if you ask me considering they both are set in woodsy, lake/water towns. Annabel’s book, Summer Romance, I need to pick up still but count on me reading that before the Fourth of July!

Next Up: The Bold and Mysterious

There are two that slide into this category — a debut called Such a Bad Influence by Olivia Muenter (of Bad on Paper Podcast!) and a book recommended by the Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading Guide called The God of the Woods by Liz Moore.

SABI, as the author calls it, is a psychological thriller about a child star/social media influencer who grows up and goes missing….oooh the drama. The God of the Woods is a family story set at a summer camp and yes another missing person’s tale. I guess the theme for this section is truly the bold, mysterious and the missing?! We love it!

Next Up: A Squeeze to the Heart

Oh my heart with these two novels. I read The Guncle earlier this year, and it was adorable, absolutely hilarious and quirky SO when I saw the sequel coming out The Guncle Abroad…I preordered it on Libby immediately.

Stephen Rowley writes a story set around one guncle (gay uncle) and his two “wards” — his niece and nephew. In book one, he takes them in for a summer as they grapple with the loss of their mom and GUP (Gay Uncle Patrick) swoops in to help them with their grief. In book two, he guides them through their father’s remarriage with his guncle love languages. It’s truly so fun and funny.

The Lost Story is a book by an author I LOVED last year with her debut novel The Wishing Game. This new book is loosely connected to the Chronicles of Narnia and C.S. Lewis’s quote, "Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again." My heart literally burst reading that on Goodreads, so I am 100% here for all the feels and magic this book with give me this summer.

Next Up: A Dose of History

One of these, The Women by Kristin Hannah, has been on my TBR for awhile so this summer is the time to read it. Set in Vietnam War era and tells the story of the women who worked as nursed and medical professionals abroad.

Lisa Barr’s The Goddess of Warsaw has been on my radar since I read and LOVED her book Woman on Fire last year. It came out recently so now is the perfect time to add it to my summer list, especially since I always read at least one WWI or WWII novel each summer.

Last in the category, a book I saw from fellow bookstagrammer and podcaster, Kayla (@kayreadwhat on IG) about the Queen of England and her CORGIs. I literally could not add that to my list faster since I did not have a royal family historical fiction on my summer reading list.

And last but not least — The End of a Journey

I have been reading the Throne of Glass series for a few months now, albeit SLOWLY because this is the last of Sarah J Maas’s books I have read until I am caught up! I am currently almost done with Queen of Shadows, which will then lead me into my TANDEM journey with Empire of Storms & Tower of Dawn. Ending with the culmination of the series — Kingdom of Ash.

After I finish this series, I am planning a reread of A Court of Thorns and Roses since it has been almost three years since I picked up book 1…I cannot believe that! But for now, I will be soaking up all that our main girl in Throne of Glass has to offer and surprise me with.

Reader Girl Summer

St. Louis is a great place to be in the summer (minus the obscene humidity and vocal cicadas). I plan to bask in the glory of my patio, lounge on my couch and read in as many STL places as possible this summer. If you are looking for ideas, here is a snippet of some of the things we readers in St. Louis love to do!

Happy Reading this Summer and remember — read what you want and soak up all the summer sun!

Fun fact: when text messaging was created it was first called short message service, which is why you may see “SMS: data rates may apply” when you sign up for a brand’s text alerts. Promise none of that here! All you will get from me is some of my favorite reads, happenings and maybe an occasional short story, poem or food for thought because I love to write. Without further adieu, let me talk about some reads with you.

Recent Reads

My reading tastes go all over the board, but that is because I am a massive mood reader. So we will go from top to bottom to give you the inside scoop of my latest thoughts on my reads:

• The Guncle: A delightful story of Patrick, dubbed a guncle (gay uncle) by his niece and nephew who are staying with him for the summer as they grieve the loss of their mother. He gave me the same character personality as Cameron from Modern Family, and I just thought it was such a fun read.

• Done & Dusted: Entering my cowboy romance era with this romance set in Montana on a very similar ranch to Dutton Ranch with less violence of course! Clementine (Emmy) Ryder was thrown from her horse (literally) and comes back to her hometown to find her way back into the saddle and maybe into the arms of her brother’s best friend? So flirty, fun and light! A great read to go along with moving!

• Finding Margaret Fuller: I love a good historical fiction that tells me about a woman I have never met…meet said woman, Margaret Fuller. She was one of the most important feminists of the Transcendentalist era, and she wrote alongside the likes of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and she was said to be the inspiration behind Hester Prynne in Nathanial Hawthorne’s Scarlett Letter. I was hooked from the very first page.

• Hello Beautiful: Give me a modern take on a classic and I am sold. This book was loosely based on Little Women, and it was set in Chicago just near Northwestern. I loved the lyrical way in which this book was written, but also how the family handled each struggle that came their way. It was a true testament to how far would you go for someone you love?

• Table for Two: I am currently reading this much awaited short story collection from the incredibly talented Amor Towles (who is coming to STL in a few weeks!) It gives me the same vibes as his past novels but the storytelling is just so immersing into his character’s lives. My favorite short story so far has been The DiDomenico Fragment, which gave me similar vibes to a Gentleman in Moscow.

• The Deal: A fun hockey romance set at an ivy league college called Briar University. The girl is a music major and the guy is a hockey player. She has a crush on a football player, and has no idea how to go about it. A hockey player who is struggling in her philosophy class asks her to tutor him and in exchange he will give her lessons on how to catch a crush at a college campus. Super fun, raw because of their broken pasts and a bingeable series.

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What Am I Currently Reading?

For those who know me well…they know I read 2-3 books at once (oh the confusion?). But really, I am such a mood reader that this is just how it works best for me. So to that — here is what I am reading physically, on my kindle and on Libby!

Physical Book — Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Yes, I am finally continuing my journey through Throne of Glass with the fourth book in the series, Queen of Shadows. I will not go into too much detail since I don’t want to be a spoiler, BUT I have heard nothing but good things about this book in the series. For many, it seems to be their favorite so I’ll sum up where I am in one phrase: Secrets revealed, a battle brewing, will someone be crowned?

My Kindle - Happily Never After by Lynn Painter

Ever heard of someone that you could hire to be an objector at a wedding? Lynn Painter writes a super fun rom-com about this very idea where a bride who hires a private objector and they become friends…maybe lovers? I am currently reading this and loving it so far! It’s my first Lynn Painter so excited to see if I end up reading more of her books.

On Audio - Secrets of a Summer Night (Wallflowers #1)

In preparation for the release of Bridgerton Season 3, I needed a regency romance. Maddie, a bookseller at the lovely Novel Neighbor, shared this series on her story recently and told me to start with Book 3 — The Devil in Winter. And holy moly that was a fun read! So I have jumped right into Annabelle’s story who is trying to find a husband without a dowry. It is the perfect spring series to read.

What I am Looking Forward to…

It’s no surprise my biggest book of the year drops next Tuesday. Its Emily Henry’s latest release, Funny Story! I will be attending the Midnight Release Party at Novel Neighbor, and after hearing her on Friends & Fiction, I think it will be a grand time. For those who have never read an Emily Henry novel…she is the Nora Ephron of the romantic comedy book world. She has written now five books, and they are all 5 star reads for me. The book releases on April 23!

Mary Recommends…

Last but not least one recommendation that may or may not be reading related. This newsletter my recommendation is: Find a New Podcast You Love!

For me, I have been loving Friends & Fiction with four authors Kristy Woodson Harvey, Patti Callahan Henry, Mary Kay Andrews & Kristin Harmel. They talk about good books, interview authors, talk about their writing processes and just good fun things. Some others I love: New Heights with the Kelce Brothers, Laughter Permitted with Julie Foudy, Bad on Paper with Becca Freeman and Olivia Meunter & Sports-Ish Podcast.

Hit that subscribe button to get all the latest from yours truly whenever I feel compelled to show you something from my shelf.

See you soon!

Mary @showmereads

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