I’ll be honest: I’m not a fan of traditional cake. I blame it on the fact that in my family growing up, we had five birthdays in as many weeks, the last two only two days apart. (December 29, January 14, 21, 29 and 31). Then, a couple months later, birthday cake again, two days apart (March 26 and 28). I did, however, spend years collecting recipes and making cheesecakes. Those I can’t get enough of! Despite not being a traditional cake kind of gal, that’s not stopping me from participating in the Cake Flavored Book Tag. Thanks to A Couple of B’s for the tag!

The Rules:

• No one is sure who the originator of the tag is; if you know, drop a link in the comments! 
• Answer the prompts
• Tag whoever you want!

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The Questions:

CHOCOLATE — a dark book that you loved

Around Halloween I tried to read some spooky books, and Alice Hoffman’s prequel to Practical Magic did the trick. The history of the Owens family is certainly a lot darker than it’s predecessor, but I think I enjoyed the darkness of Magic Lessons more than the original book.

Magic Lessons (Practical Magic #0.1) by Alice Hoffman

VANILLA —  favorite light read

Loosely based on the story of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s courting, this book was just light, frothy fun. The sequel is not bad, either.

The Royal We (Royal We #1) by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

RED VELVET — a book that gave you mixed emotions.

This is a very well-written historical novel about Aaron Burr’s slave and alleged second wife and mother of some of his children. Even though it was so well-written, Burr is in effect raping her, and the fact that that behavior was common amongst slaveholders just made it all the harder to read.

The Secret Wife of Aaron Burr by Susan Holloway Scott

CHEESECAKE — a book that you’d recommend to everyone

Of course I’m going to recommend a book set in my own town! Actually, Ernst’s Chloe Ellefson’s mystery series has been a favorite of mine for years, even before Chloe came to Green Bay. You learn a lot about the European ancestry of Wisconsin residents, namely Norwegian, Belgian, and in her upcoming book, Finnish immigrants. Chloe goes to Heritage Hill State Historical Park, which has to be one of my favorite places in town, history buff that I am. And she visits the Belgian Settlement, where some of my ancestors settled when they came to America. That area was the largest settlement of Belgian immigrants in the United States.

Set in Green Bay: The Lacemaker’s Secret by Kathleen Ernst

COFFEE — a book that you started but never finished.

It’s been a long time since I DNF a book and can’t think of one.

CARROT — a book with great writing

There’s nothing I like better than a well-written, well-researched non-fiction book. I’ve read quite a few good ones this past year, but Cary Grant has always been a favorite, so I chose the most recent biography of him.

Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise by Scott Eyman Release Date 10-20-2020

My Tags:

• Nastasha at One Thousand and One Book
• I Like Books Best
• Jana T from Reviews From the Stacks
• Louise at Life in the Book Lane

And anyone else who wants to tag! As always, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.