Indulge Your Wanderlust and Engage Your Palate with National Geographic’s ‘Food Journeys of a Lifetime’ [REVIEW]

There’s nothing quite as memorable as a fine meal. (Photo by Elina Sazonova on Pexels.com)

We are definite foodies. Anytime we travel, our trips almost always include exploring a farmer’s market, taking a cooking class to learn how to prepare regional cuisine, perching on a stool inside the tasting room at a vineyard to sample delicious wines, or finding the restaurants the locals love to eat at most and sinking our teeth into their most renowned dishes. So, when National Geographic’s second edition of Food Journeys of a Lifetime crossed our desk, we couldn’t wait to read it. Within its pages, we were delighted to discover that several of our favorite places made the cut and made an appearance. But we were equally delighted to learn even more about the very topic that makes us reach for our luggage and call our travel agent: food!

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Remembering Seven of Our Favorite Watering Holes on Bartender Appreciation Day

Heather sips her first hurricane at Pat O’Brien’s Bar in New Orleans. (Photo by Jathan Fink, Jadeworks Entertainment)

Happy Bartender Appreciation Day! Although we’re stuck at home in the midst of a pandemic, it’s a great day to meander down memory lane and remember all those great watering holes we’ve discovered over the years as we travelled from one coast to the other. Each one of them holds wonderful memories for us, always punctuated by yummy drinks and a bartender with a liberal pour. Read on to find out if your favorites made the list.

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In ‘The Accidentals,’ One Family’s Dark History Won’t Stay Buried [REVIEW]

Bird

Like migratory birds blown off course, sometimes life “jumps the track and crashes.” (Photo courtesy Canva)

A mother who dreams of something more. Two daughters who must live with a terrible secret. The fateful decision that fractures all of their lives for decades to come. In Minrose Gwin’s The Accidentals, one family must carve its way through sixty years of history in the deep South. Read more of this post

‘The Undertaker’s Assistant’: Five Questions for Amanda Skenandore [INTERVIEW]

Amanda Skenandore

Amanda Skenandore (Photo courtesy the author, Facebook)

If you’ve been reading along with us for a while, you have probably realized a few things. First, we really enjoy historical fiction that is well written. Second, we love characters that have a unique voice, particularly if they teach us important lessons or help us see life from a different perspective. And finally, New Orleans is one of our favorite places on the planet. In Amanda Skenandore’s latest novel, The Undertaker’s Assistant, she blends all these elements into an unforgettable story about a woman who returns home to build her future, but first she must confront her past. Enjoy!   —J&H Read more of this post

‘Before the Dawn’ Will Make Readers Believe in Monsters [REVIEW]

Bloody heart

Love is deadly when you fall for the wrong man. (Photo by Sarah, Flickr)

When a woman is found brutally murdered, an FBI agent must face ghosts from his past to determine whether the killer is a copycat or if an old nemesis is back from the dead in Cynthia Eden’s Before the Dawn.  Read more of this post