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7 Word Reviews: January 2019

February 5, 2019 By Talya Tate Boerner

January Book Reviews

7-Word Reviews

If you’ve been waiting for my January 2019 book reviews, here they are. If you’ve not been waiting, well, here they are. ?

I read State of Wonder and True Places for two different book clubs. I picked up a used copy of A Spot of Bother at Dickson Street Bookshop. Dickson Street Bookshop is a Fayetteville treasure and not to be missed if you visit northwest Arkansas. How to Be a Good Creature was a Christmas gift, and the perfect way for me to kick off my 2019 reading. Santa gave my husband a copy of Elevation. Once he finished it, I read it.

Yay, Santa. I like how he plans in advance.

I feel like I’ve left something off my January 2019 list, but for the life of me I can’t remember what it is.

I did try to read Milkman but gave up after page 200. If you read it and loved it, you amaze me. I’m marking it CNF (could not finish) because either 1) this period of my existence before death is too brief and transient and fleeting to devote one more heartbeat or blink of the eye to said prose, or 2) my organ of soft nervous tissue within my skull has grown dense, or 3) perhaps I’ve reached a certain age that renders me dull and confused, or 4) maybe I need my characters to have actual names, or 5) perhaps I subscribe to the philosophy that ninety-five words shouldn’t be used when four will suffice.

That’s just me.

I really wanted to like Milkman. When I walk away from any book, I am disappointed in myself. Does anyone else suffer from this ridiculousness?

The books I did read…

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Potluck & Poison Ivy (plus a little Accidental Salvation)

January 31, 2019 By Talya Tate Boerner

Potluck & Poison Ivy

Potluck & Poison Ivy

Last week, I was fortunate enough to help kick off the 2019 season of Potluck & Poison Ivy. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this event, Potluck & Poison Ivy is a live dinner theater located at The Joint in the Argenta Arts District of North Little Rock. Bring your story to the table—that’s the tagline for the evening. A $35 ticket will get you dinner, southern storytelling, and live music.

What a deal.

Arkansas friends, do you remember the Starving Artist Cafe? The cafe, which served as the venue for Tales from the South, closed in 2014. I never had the chance to attend Tales, but I imagine Potluck is similar.

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Sunday Letter: 01.27.19

January 27, 2019 By Talya Tate Boerner

Sunday Letter

Dear Sunday Letter friends,

Tomorrow is the official three-year anniversary of the launch of my first book. I say first book like I have a second book. LOL. This is the power of positive thinking and possibly how fake news starts.

No seriously, I WILL have a second book come hell or high water. If you stick around, you’ll be the first to hear about it. (And be sure to subscribe to my quarterly-ish newsletter.)

As I said last week, I’ve been obsessed with editing said second book. In fact, the entire month of January has disappeared within the words of my manuscript. Words I’ve dissected, deleted, added, moved, debated, stared at until they don’t look like words at all.

The truth is I’ve found little time to blog lately. And I need to find better balance. I sure could use a Time-Turner, like the one Hermione Granger had. If anyone could loan me one for a month or so, I’d be ever so grateful. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Well, that’s just ?.Continue Reading

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Hi! I'm Talya Tate Boerner. Writer, Reader, Arkansas Master Naturalist / Master Gardener, Author of

THE ACCIDENTAL SALVATION OF GRACIE LEE (2016)

GENE, EVERYWHERE: a life-changing visit from my father-in-law (2020)

BERNICE RUNS AWAY (2022)

THE THIRD ACT OF THEO GRUENE (coming 2025)

Recent Ramblings:

  • Sunday Letter: February 22, 2026
  • Our Garden Mission Statement
  • Goodbye, 2025. Hello, 2026.
  • Sunday Letter: 11.23.25
  • Maggie and Miss Ladybug: My New Children’s Nature Book

Novels:

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