“The Book Witch” by Meg Shaffer

Rainy March is a proud, third-generation Book Witch, sworn to defend works of fiction from all foes real and imaginary. With her magical umbrella and feline familiar, she jumps in and out of novels to fix malicious alterations and rogue heroes like a modern-day magical Nancy Drew.

Book Witches live by a strict code: Real people belong in the real world; fictional characters belong in works of fiction. Do not eat, drink, or sleep inside a fictional world, lest you become part of the story. Falling in love with a fictional character? Don’t even think about it.

Which is why Rainy has been forbidden from seeing the Duke of Chicago, the dashing British detective who stars in her favorite mystery series. If she’s ever caught with him again, she’ll be expelled from her book coven—and forced to give up the magical gifts that are as much a part of her as her own name.

But when her beloved grandfather disappears and a priceless book is stolen, there’s only one person she trusts to help her solve the case: the Duke. Their quest takes them through the worlds of Alice in Wonderland, King Arthur, and other classics that will reveal hidden enemies and long-buried family secrets.

– From Penguin Random House

My Thoughts After Reading:

How funny! In my last blog, I wrote “I’ll think of this real unnamed hare introduced to us by Dalton whenever I meet its fictional counterparts: Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland (March Hare)…” and my next read’s mystery is centered around the March Hare! Coincidence aside, let me tell you about The Book Witch! 

One word I would use to describe The Book Witch? Delightful! Truly, it was just a good book: charming, amusing, surprising. 

This is going to be my go-to recommendation for anyone looking for a light, whimsical read.  Sometimes, life is heavy enough – we need something to ease that weight, not add to it.

The book blends:

  • Cozy fantasy
  • Literary mystery
  • Romance with a swoony detective
  • and includes a cat familiar (a Russian Blue – my childhood cat was a Blue, too!)

If you’ve ever wished you could visit a fictional world—or wondered what happens to characters when the book closes—this novel leans fully into that magic. The Book Witch is imaginative, clever, and deeply heartfelt. 

At it’s core, it is a love letter to readers, writers and the characters both bring to life. Shaffer understands readers—how we connect to characters, how stories help us process our own lives, and how sometimes the line between fiction and reality feels thinner than it should.  Being a book witch is not just about saving stories; it’s about understanding why they’re worth saving in the first place. With that mindset, we are all book witches. 🙂

– Michelle 

P.s. Usually books with “witch” in the title are reserved for the October blog but nothing about this book felt like Halloween.  Spring IS the perfect time to read this one! 

“Raising Hare” by Chloe Dalton

About This Book: 

Imagine you could hold a baby hare and bottle-feed it. Imagine that it lived under your roof and bounded around your bedroom at night, drumming on the duvet cover when it wanted your attention. Imagine that, more than two years later, it still ran in from the fields when you called it and slept in your house for hours on end. For political advisor and speechwriter Chloe Dalton, who spent lockdown deep in the English countryside, far away from her usual busy London life, this became her unexpected reality.

In February 2021, Dalton stumbles upon a newborn hare—a leveret—that had been chased by a dog. Fearing for its life, she brings it home, only to discover how difficult it is to rear a wild hare, most of whom perish in captivity from either shock or starvation. Through trial and error, she learns to feed and care for the leveret with every intention of returning it to the wilderness. Instead, it becomes her constant companion, wandering the fields and woods at night and returning to Dalton’s house by day. Though Dalton feared that the hare would be preyed upon by foxes, weasels, feral cats, raptors, or even people, she never tried to restrict it to the house. Each time the hare leaves, Chloe knows she may never see it again. Yet she also understands that to confine it would be its own kind of death.

Raising Hare chronicles their journey together while also taking a deep dive into the lives and nature of hares, and the way they have been viewed historically in art, literature, and folklore. We witness firsthand the joy at this extraordinary relationship between human and animal, which serves as a reminder that the best things, and most beautiful experiences, arise when we least expect them.

– From Penguin Random House 

My Thoughts After Reading:

Last month, I wrote “It’s only March but I think I’ve found my favorite read of 2026; the easiest 5 stars I have ever given” referring to Before I Forget.  This month, I can write “It’s only April and I’ve found my second favorite read of 2026; another 5 stars easily given” referring to Raising Hare. 

Unlike a typical pet story, Raising Hare resists the urge to domesticate its subject. Instead, it honors the hare’s wildness, reminding readers that not everything is meant to be tamed or fully understood. I learned so much about this species—a hare’s nature & needs, historical interactions with humans, their ecological impact, the difference between rabbits, hare depictions in folklore & art, and much more. 

While the story is about Dalton raising a hare, she also reflects on her journey from a fast-paced life to a slower, more observant one. Through changing seasons and subtle behavioral shifts, she reveals how much there is to learn simply by watching and waiting. In a world with constant stimulation (hello, smartphones), slowing down is crucial. 

That message resonates as we celebrate Earth Day (April 22). In a world often focused on big, urgent environmental challenges, Raising Hare brings us back to something more intimate: the importance of noticing, valuing, and protecting the everyday wonders around us. Humans are not separate from nature—we are part of it. Caring for the planet doesn’t always begin with grand gestures; it can start in your own backyard with curiosity, empathy, and a willingness to coexist.

Raising Hare is a book that lingers—quietly prompting us to look a little closer and care a little more. A perfect read for spring. 

I’ll think of this real unnamed hare introduced to us by Dalton whenever I meet its fictional counterparts (Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland (March Hare), Guess How Much I Love You (the nutbrown hares), Aesop’s The Hare and The Tortoise, etc.) and notice where those authors got it right or wrong. 

– Michelle 

“Before I Forget” by Tory Henwood Hoen

About This Book: 

A funny, heartfelt, late coming-of-age story that examines the role of memory in holding us back—and in moving us forward—for fans of The Collected Regrets of Clover and Maame.

Call it inertia. Call it a quarter-life crisis. Whatever you call it, Cricket Campbell is stuck. Despite working at a zeitgeisty wellness company, the 26-year-old feels anything but well. Still adrift after a tragedy that upended her world a decade ago, she has entered early adulthood under the weight of a new burden: her father’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

When Cricket’s older sister Nina announces it is time to move Arthur from his beloved Adirondack lake house into a memory-care facility, Cricket has a better idea. In returning home to become her father’s caretaker, she hopes to repair their strained relationship and shake herself out of her perma-funk. But even deeply familiar places can hold surprises.

As Cricket settles back into the family house at Catwood Pond—a place she once loved, but hasn’t visited since she was a teenager—she discovers that her father possesses a rare gift: as he loses his grasp of the past, he is increasingly able to predict the future. Before long, Arthur cements his reputation as an unlikely oracle, but for Cricket, believing in her father’s prophecies might also mean facing the most painful parts of her history. As she begins to remember who she once was, she uncovers a vital truth: the path forward often starts by going back.

With laugh-out-loud humor and profound grace, Before I Forget explores the nuances of family, the complexities of memory, and how sometimes, the people we know the best are the ones who surprise us the most.

– From MacMillan Publishers Website

My Thoughts After Reading:

It’s only March but I think I’ve found my favorite read of 2026; the easiest 5 stars I have ever given. 

I picked up Heart the Lover by Lily King after Before I Forget.  A quote from Heart the Lover sums up how I felt about Before I Forget: “You know how you can remember exactly when and where you read certain books? A great novel, a truly great one, not only captures a particular fictional experience, it alters and intensifies the way you experience your own life while you’re reading it. And it preserves it, like a time capsule.”  Having just lost my own father to cancer, Before I Forget was that book for me. It’s difficult to write a blog post on a book that was so deeply personal. But, I feel, regardless of related experiences, this is absolutely book worth reading.  

Readers who enjoy character-driven fiction with a touch of magical realism, strong family relationships, light romance, and thoughtful reflections on grief and growth will find a lot to love here. It’s the kind of book that will leave you teary-eyed (in my case sobbing) and also smiling and hopeful.

The characters are charming.  The topics are heavy. The humor is witty. The plot is restorative. The book is magical. 

– Michelle 

“The Correspondent” by Virginia Evans

About This Book:

“Imagine, the letters one has sent out into the world, the letters received back in turn, are like the pieces of a magnificent puzzle. . . . Isn’t there something wonderful in that, to think that a story of one’s life is preserved in some way, that this very letter may one day mean something, even if it is a very small thing, to someone?”

Filled with knowledge that only comes from a life fully lived, The Correspondent is a gem of a novel about the power of finding solace in literature and connection with people we might never meet in person. It is about the hubris of youth and the wisdom of old age, and the mistakes and acts of kindness that occur during a lifetime.

Sybil Van Antwerp has throughout her life used letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. Most mornings, around half past ten, Sybil sits down to write letters—to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to audit a class she desperately wants to take, to Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter.

Sybil expects her world to go on as it always has—a mother, grandmother, wife, divorcee, distinguished lawyer, she has lived a very full life. But when letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life, she realizes that the letter she has been writing over the years needs to be read and that she cannot move forward until she finds it in her heart to offer forgiveness.

Sybil Van Antwerp’s life of letters might be “a very small thing,” but she also might be one of the most memorable characters you will ever read.

– From Penguin Random House website

My Thoughts After Reading:

The hype is real on this one! The Correspondent was one of the most buzzed about books in 2025. In my opinion, its all well-deserved.  I still can’t believe this is Evans first novel. 

I am a big fan of ‘snail mail’. In today’s world, I crave the intimacy of putting pen to paper and the delayed gratification of receival. So picking up an epistolary novel was a no brainer. However, imagine my surprise when I discovered I prefer the audio version – choosing to listen to the letters, instead of reading them. The audiobook is performed by a full cast (my favorite!) who bring added emotional depth to the story.  

And what an engaging story it is! Spanning years, we fully connect to Sybil and the people who receive her letters. For a 300 page book, Evans expertly packed in multiple story arcs: a coming-of-age tale, a love triangle, a beautiful female friendship, a complicated mother-daughter relationship, a thrilling mystery and the stages of grief. 

In the same way I wished for a letter from Hogwarts, I now wish for a letter from Sybil Van Antwerp. 

– Michelle 

“The Knight and The Moth” by Rachel Gillig

About This Book:

From New York Times bestselling author Rachel Gillig comes the next big romantasy sensation, a gothic, mist-cloaked tale of a young prophetess forced on an impossible quest with the one knight whose future is beyond her sight. Perfect for fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout and Leigh Bardugo.

Sybil Delling has spent nine years dreaming of having no dreams at all. Like the other foundling girls who traded a decade of service for a home in the great cathedral, Sybil is a Diviner. In her dreams she receives visions from six unearthly figures known as Omens. From them, she can predict terrible things before they occur, and lords and common folk alike travel across the kingdom of Traum’s windswept moors to learn their futures by her dreams.

Just as she and her sister Diviners near the end of their service, a mysterious knight arrives at the cathedral. Rude, heretical, and devilishly handsome, the knight Rodrick has no respect for Sybil’s visions. But when Sybil’s fellow Diviners begin to vanish one by one, she has no choice but to seek his help in finding them. For the world outside the cathedral’s cloister is wrought with peril. Only the gods have the answers she is seeking, and as much as she’d rather avoid Rodrick’s dark eyes and sharp tongue, only a heretic can defeat a god. 

– From Hachette Book Group

My Thoughts After Reading:

You might not know it from my previously posted book blogs but my preferred genre is romantasy! The genre recently exploded in popularity. Given the new demand, romantasy books are being published at an unprecedented pace. While I’m happy to see so many readers flock to their local libraries for these stories, the stories themselves can begin to feel…repetitive. Don’t get me wrong – when you find what you like, repetition is a-OK.

But, if you are looking for something unique – Rachel Gillig is your author! I devoured her debut duology, One Dark Window and Two Twisted Crowns, so it’s no surprise I did the same with The Knight and The Moth. 

The Knight and The Moth is romantasy done right! Endearing characters, unique world building, engaging quest-focused plot and slow-burn romance: it checked all my boxes.

Sybil’s gargoyle sidekick is my favorite character of all time. I will take no criticism on him – he was perfection. 

And that twist! I had honestly thought: ‘Why is there a second book in the works? It seems Gillig has wrapped everything up.” WRONG. 

– Michelle 

“Dinner for Vampires” by Bethany Joy Lenz

About This Book:

An “incredible” (Alex Cooper, Call Her Daddy), “riveting” (People) New York Times bestselling memoir by One Tree Hill star Bethany Joy Lenz about her decade in a cult and her quest to break free.

In the early 2000s, after years of hard work and determination to break through as an actor, Bethany Joy Lenz was finally cast as one of the leads on the hit drama One Tree Hill. Her acting career was set to soar, but her personal life was beginning to unravel in ways her fans could never imagine. Unknown to the millions of viewers and even her costars, Lenz led a secret double life within a cult.

As an only child seeking belonging, Lenz thought she found a safe haven in a Bible study group with fellow Hollywood creatives. However, the group morphed into something more sinister—a web of manipulation and fear under the guise of a church covenant called The Big House Family. Piece by piece, Lenz surrendered her autonomy, eventually moving to the Family’s Pacific Northwest compound overseen by a domineering minister who convinced her to marry his son and secretly drained millions from her TV income without her knowledge. Family “minders” assigned to her on set, “Maoist struggle session”—inspired meetings in the basement of a filthy house, and regular counseling with “Leadership” were just part of the tactics used to keep her loyal.

Only when she became a mother did Lenz find the courage to escape and spare her child from a similar fate. After nearly a decade (and with the unlikely help from a devoted One Tree Hill fan), she broke free from the family’s grip, beginning her healing journey from deep trauma that reshaped her faith and identity.

Written with powerful honesty and dark humor, Dinner for Vampires is a “tart, refreshing” (The New York Times Book Review) story about the importance of identity and understanding what you believe.

-From Simon & Schuster

My Thoughts After Reading:

Wow. What a [insert adjective] story. Choose any of the following adjectives because there are simply too many words to describe Bethany Joy Lenz’s memoir: candid, raw, unflinching, empowering, eye-opening, courageous, transformative, vulnerable, redemptive, heartbreaking, etc. 

I am specifically recommending the audiobook version of “Dinner for Vampires”. After being silenced for so long, Lenz deserves to tell her story with her voice. Her narration is incredible –  distinct character voices, perfect inflections, translatable sarcasm,  and even some really talented singing. But don’t just take my word for it : she’s being considered for a Grammy nomination in the category of Best Audiobook Narration and Storytelling Recording. Have I convinced you yet? If so, head to Libby to place “Dinner for Vampires” on hold.

While some celebrity memoirs skim the surface, “Dinner for Vampires” dives deep. Lenz gives you everything: the good, the bad and the ugly. She shows how easy it can be for smart, capable people to get drawn into manipulative systems. There is a part where the cult leader convinces her to give up her dream role; I was white knuckling my steering wheel in anger on her behalf. 

A closing note so One Tree Hill fans are not disappointed. Her time on the show is only mentioned; it is not the focus. I believe this was deliberate – showing how wholly the cult consumed her life, even during her raise in fame. 

– Michelle 

“Aftertaste” by Daria Lavelle

About This Book:

What if you could have one last meal with someone you’ve loved, someone you’ve lost? Combining the magic of Under the Whispering Door with the high-stakes culinary world of Sweetbitter, Aftertaste is an epic love story, a dark comedy, and a synesthetic adventure through food and grief.

A food story to binge.
A ghost story to devour.
A love story to savor.

Konstantin Duhovny is a haunted man. His father died when he was ten, and ghosts have been hovering around him ever since. Kostya can’t exactly see the ghosts, but he can taste their favorite foods. Flavors of meals he’s never eaten will flood his mouth, a sign that a spirit is present. Kostya has kept these aftertastes a secret for most of his life, but one night, he decides to act on what he’s tasting. And everything changes.

Kostya discovers that he can reunite people with their deceased loved ones—at least for the length of time it takes them to eat a dish that he’s prepared. He thinks his life’s purpose might be to offer closure to grieving strangers, and sets out to learn all he can by entering a particularly fiery ring of Hell: the New York culinary scene. But as his kitchen skills catch up with his ambitions, Kostya is too blind to see the catastrophe looming in the Afterlife. And the one person who knows Kostya must be stopped also happens to be falling in love with him.

Set in the bustling world of New York restaurants and teeming with mouthwatering food writing, Aftertaste is a whirlwind romance, a heart-wrenching look at love and loss, and a ghost story about all the ways we hunger—and how far we’d go to find satisfaction.

-From Simon & Schuster

My Thoughts After Reading:

I get secondhand pride for authors that knock it out of the park with debut novels – or in Daria Lavelle’s case produce a chef’s kiss debut novel.  Aftertaste is one of the most unique books I have ever read – a wholly original plot with complex characters that are easy to root for (even the ghosts!). 

This is also another genre-blending book (something I appear to be gravitating towards lately!). It’s a supernatural thriller with hangry ghosts and surprise twists. It’s magical realism with special gifts and afterlife glimpses. It’s an epic love story with romantic and familial bonds. It’s a kitchen drama with high stakes and banter. On top of all that is the cherry of grief.  Loss, guilt, and letting go all swirl through the narrative. 

In Aftertaste, food is memory and magic. In the world Lavelle built, flavors are the echoes of a person’s life. This is poetic and central to the story – BUT I must admit, I did skim some of the longer sections of food descriptions. Regardless, Lavelle’s prose is immersive and vivid making the story, even the supernatural elements, feel real and tangible.

In short, this marketing of Aftertaste is beyond accurate:
A food story to binge.
A ghost story to devour.
A love story to savor.

I hope you find it as delicious as I did! 🙂

-Michelle 

P.s. What food would call you back to the living? For me, it’s a toss up between my mom’s mushroom gravy meatloaf and a chocolate chip cookie whose recipe has been passed-down through generations.

“Dissolution” by Nicholas Binge

About This Book:

A woman dives into her husband’s memories to uncover a decades-old feud threatening reality itself in this staggering technothriller from the bestselling author of Ascension.

Maggie Webb has lived the last decade caring for elderly husband, Stanley, as memory loss gradually erases all the beautiful moments they created together. It’s the loneliest she’s ever felt in her life.

When a mysterious stranger named Hassan appears at her door, he reveals a shocking truth: Stanley isn’t losing his memories. Someone is actively removing them to hide a long-buried secret from coming to light. If Maggie does what she’s told, she can reverse it. She can get her husband back.

Led by Hassan and his technological marvels, Maggie breaks into her husband’s mind, probing the depths of his memories in an effort to save him. The deeper she dives, the more she unravels a mystery spanning continents and centuries, each layer more complex than the last. But Hassan cannot be trusted. Not just memories are disappearing, but pieces of reality itself. If Maggie cannot find out what Stanley did all those years ago, and what Hassan is after, she risks far more than her husband’s life. The very course of human history hangs in the balance.

-From Penguin Random House Website

My Thoughts After Reading:

Did I understand everything I read? Nope! Did I still love every page? Yup! This is a “suspend some disbelief” and “trust me” book recommendation. 

Nicholas Binge impressively blended speculative sci-fi, psychological thrills, a deeply emotional love story, and even fantasy horror into one book. 

The puzzle-box narrative alternates between Maggie’s present-day urgency to help her husband and flashbacks to Stanley’s youth—focusing on his time in a memory-training club. 

I loved how memory took center stage. In the graphic below, I said to read if you like time travel. That remains true but Binge’s take on time travel is so unique; it’s actually memory travel instead. What does memory mean to identity and humanity? And what are the consequences of tampering with one’s memories? As someone who obsessively memory keeps (scrapbooking, journaling, etc.) due to poor memory, I know I would never be invited to join Waldman’s secret club, but boy did I want to be! 

Dissolution is a high stakes page-turner with thought-provoking themes, a realistic arch-villain and emotional/philosophical depth.  I can’t wait to read this one again to piece it all together with more clarity.

-Michelle 

P.s. This will be me on my second read. 
Red String Meme Generator - Imgflip

“Cat Fight” by Kit Conway

About This Book:

Big Little Lies meets Tiger King in this fun and propulsive debut novel about three suburban women who, over the course of one summer, each use the growing hysteria around a big cat sighting to achieve their own agendas—some more sinister than others.

Former zoologist Coralie King now reigns over a different sort of animal kingdom as Queen Bee of Sevenoaks, a wealthy suburb of London. When her husband Adam spots a panther on the hood of his car at one of her exclusive dinner parties, Coralie is quick to reassure her guests that they’re in no real danger. She sees the sighting as the perfect opportunity to revive her career and promote her own ecological endeavors.

New neighbor Emma Brooks doesn’t believe for a second that there’s a big cat in their midst but is all too willing to use the concern as a distraction from her home remodel application that’s been facing scrutiny. Meanwhile, former punk musician Twig Dorsett doesn’t know what to believe. She never thought she’d return to Sevenoaks and be living in her childhood home, but after her daughter became sick, she and her wife traded their Bohemian life in Bali for the security of London suburbia.

As the summer heats up, the frenzy around the big cat sighting reaches a fever pitch when gnawed bones, pawprints, and scratches are discovered. But is the real predator a big cat on the prowl or is the true threat more of the domestic variety? Filled with gasp-worthy twists and turns, Cat Fight is a wickedly entertaining novel of suspense that examines the lengths to which some women will go when they feel caged.

-From Simon & Schuster website

My Thoughts After Reading:

Fun fact about me: Like Coralie King, I am a former zoologist. I’ve worked as a zookeeper, field researcher and wildlife rehabilitator. So, I was invested in the “Sevenoaks Panther”.  Conway centering a domestic suspense and social satire novel around a panther sighting is brilliant, completely unique. I’ll, now, think of Cat Fight anytime someone posts a rare wildlife sighting on Facebook or in the Nextdoor app. 

Cat Fight is narrated in turns by the three women (Coralie King, Emma Brooks and Twig Dorsett) living next door to one another – plus snippets from a fictional docuseries. At first, this format is difficult to follow given how many characters are introduced and how quickly the author switches between narrators. But once you get a sense of the neighborhood, it really adds to the reading experience. I loved how the docuseries snippets foreshadow what’s to come, too. 

Each neighbor is likeably unlikeable – messy, manipulative, slightly unhinged and yet, vulnerable and real.  I did enjoy Coralie’s chapters the most.  As more is revealed, I had whiplash deciding who to root for and who to trust. Conway definitely keeps you guessing.. spoiler alert: the panther isn’t the cat we should be fearing. 

Set under a scorching heat, this is a fun summer novel to sink your claws into. 😉

-Michelle 

“The Strange Case of Jane O.” by Karen Thompson Walker

About This Book:

In this spellbinding and provocative novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Age of Miracles, a young mother is struck by sudden and puzzling psychological symptoms that illuminate the mysterious dimensions of the human mind—and of love.

A year after her child is born, Jane suffers a series of strange episodes: amnesia, premonitions, hallucinations, and an inexplicable sense of dread. Three days after her first visit to a psychiatrist, Jane suddenly goes missing. A day later she is found unconscious in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, in the midst of what seems to be an episode of dissociative fugue; when she comes to, she has no memory of what has happened to her.

Are Jane’s strange experiences the result of being overwhelmed by motherhood, or are they manifestations of a long-buried trauma from her past? Why is she having visions of a young man who died twenty years ago and who warns her of a disaster ahead? Jane’s symptoms lead her psychiatrist ever deeper into the farthest reaches of her mind and cause him to question everything he thinks he knows about so-called reality—including events in his own life.

Karen Thompson Walker’s profound and beautifully written novel is both a speculative mystery about memory, identity, and fate and a mesmerizing literary puzzle about the bonds of love—between mother and child, between a man and a woman, and among those we’ve lost but who may still be among us.

-From Penguin Random House Website  

My Thoughts After Reading:

I have been really into genre-bending books lately. When authors pull elements from different literary genres, they create such unique narratives – the best of all worlds! The Strange Case of Jane O. author, Karen Thompson Walker, accomplishes just that! This book cocktail includes: two parts psychological mystery, one part speculative fiction, one part literary fiction and a splash of romance. 

This review is difficult to write because to share why I loved it might give away too much, detracting from your reading experience. You can extrapolate from that then that the revealing connections and unexpected twists are top notch leading us to a satisfying conclusion.  One critic would be the pacing – strong start, slower middle and propulsive end but worth it all the same! 

I also really enjoyed the unique perspectives and mediums. It’s written dually as case notes from psychiatrist, Dr. Byrd, and journal entries/letters from his patient, Jane O., to her young son. This gives the book a very distinct tone. 

The Strange Case of Jane O. earned a spot on my reread list – a rare feat! Knowing what to look for, a reread would surely unearth Easter eggs and puzzle pieces adding to the magic of this book. 

-Michelle