This Perfectly Imperfect Life

Welcome to my new blog home! I lost my blogging mojo with my original blog longer ago than I care to admit. I tried changing the designs, even the blog's name, several times over the years, and nothing brought me back to the joy I originally found with blogging. (And joy it did bring me; I loved writing for my old blog at one time). But, I also didn't want to let the old blog go. (How ironic! One of the best feelings is letting go of things that no longer serve me or bring me joy and here I've been holding onto that old blog for far too long now). For some reason this morning, it hit me out of the blue while I was in the shower (like so many things do):  Start a fresh new blog with the name of The Eclectic Spoonie (a hashtag I use in my Instagram posts), and keep the one thing I currently love about the old blog (the design). And here we are! I want to thank you in advance for your patience as I continue setting up The Eclectic Spoonie, and work on linking to the old blog a...

(partner) @shereadswithfriends Co-founder Marybeth Mayhew Whalen is fabulous at what I like to call 'slow burn writing' - character driven plot-lines that build tension and suspense set in small town America - and her latest novel #OnlyEverHer due out 5/7 doesn't disappoint!   "A bride-to-be goes missing just four days before her wedding and a community is left reeling. As the days pass, the list of suspects grows and her loved ones are left to confront their own secrets."   This. Book. Y'all. Marybeth's engaging writing style brings you right into Annie Taft's life and drops you into the middle of Southern small town living in Ludlow, South Carolina. (But you don't have to live in the South to relate to just how small a world small town living can be).   I was hooked right from the get-go! Annie, along with Laurel, Kenny, Carry and Faye's points-of-view weave a story full of tragedy & heartbreak, secrets &...

(click here ) (click here ) (click here ) (click here ) (check my stories under "bookish" - unable to link) Here's a wrap up of my recent #bookstagram posts over on Instagram since the end of March. For the down-low on these books (and others!), head on over to my Instagram at bloomin.chick or click here .

(partner) Thank You to Meg Walker of Tandem Literary Publicity & Marketing for this gorgeous book mail package of Mary Kay Andrew's upcoming novel Sunset Beach due out May 7th!  "Summer doesn't truly begin without a Mary Kay Andrews book in your beach bag." What are your most anticipated SummerReads?

I'm behind with my #reading and reviews (when am I not really?!) thanks to round one of the crud. So before round two takes me out, I wanted to share my thoughts on this 5 Star read, #LostRoses by @marthahallkelly (author of #LilacGirls also a 5 Star read). Synopsis from NetGalley: "The million-copy bestseller Lilac Girls introduced the real-life heroine Caroline Ferriday. Now Lost Roses, set a generation earlier and also inspired by true events, features Caroline’s mother, Eliza, and follows three equally indomitable women from St. Petersburg to Paris under the shadow of World War I. It is 1914, and the world has been on the brink of war so often, many New Yorkers treat the subject with only passing interest. Eliza Ferriday is thrilled to be traveling to St. Petersburg with Sofya Streshnayva, a cousin of the Romanovs. The two met years ago one summer in Paris and became close confidantes. Now Eliza embarks on the trip of a lifetime, home with Sofya to see the...

A cheerful red and pink #bookstack to brighten your day whatever you celebrate today ☺️   Happy #ValentinesDay or #GalentinesDay or a #HappyThursday to you!  ❤️ 💖 ❤️ 💖 ❤️

(top photo) #ThankYou to @randomhouse #ballantinebooks and #NetGalley for this #advancedreaderscopy of #LostRoses by @marthahallkelly due out in April. I can't wait to get started! Is this one on your TBR yet?  Brief synopsis: "The million-copy bestseller Lilac Girls introduced the real-life heroine Caroline Ferriday. Now Lost Roses, set a generation earlier and also inspired by true events, features Caroline's mother, Eliza, and follows three equally indomitable women from St. Petersburg to Paris under the shadow of World War I."  (bottom photo) #bookmail! #ThankYou @detemeserve for this signed copy of #TheSpaceBetween which I won from her via @lakeunionauthors on Facebook during the holidays! Another #book I can't wait to dig into. Have you read Dete's #books? Brief synopsis: "After presenting a major scientific breakthrough... Sarah Mayfield returns home to find her husband has disappeared... The only answers their son Zack can offer? The last wo...