This week's book recommendation is An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler. A thoughtful book on cooking food without waste. Incorporating both creativity and technique in cooking, it is a guide to a more intuitive approach in the kitchen.

What are four siblings to do when sent to live with their eccentric great aunt in Ireland for the summer? It promises to be a miserable summer for the children, but slowly they fall under the charm of the old place. Today's episode is The Magic Summer by Noel Streatfield. A quiet novel of charm, whimsy, and a wonderful sense of place.

May's final book recommendation is The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey. In this intelligent and well-crafted mystery, Inspector Alan Grant investigates one of history's most notorious unsolved murders, the death of the princes in the tower.

The children's book recommendation for May is A Stage Full of Shakespeare Stories by Angela McAllister. It is a delightful retelling of twelve of Shakespeare's most loved plays.

The second book recommendation for April is 84, Charing Cross Rd. A collection of letters between a writer and bookseller. This short book is a bibliophile's dream, a sweet testament to friendship, and one that I always have within easy reach.

April’s children’s book recommendation is The Railway Children by E. Nesbit. An endearing classic filled with kindness, courage, friendship, and summertime adventures in childhood. 

The second part of my booklist for books that offer comfort and hope.

A short list of books that offer comfort and hope for all ages.

This month's children's book selection is Black Hearts in Battersea, the second book in the Wolves of Willoughby Chase series. It is a story of political intrigue, mystery, and daring adventure, with a good dose of humor on the side.

Philippa Talbot is a successful businesswoman who leaves everything to become a Benedictine nun at Brede Abbey. Rumer Godden's In This House of Brede tells the story of Philippa and her fellow nuns at the abbey. It is a beautiful and moving book.