The Baker of Lost Memories by Shirley Russak Wachtel
Stacey Irving • July 24, 2025
Historical fiction with a twist

I just finished The Baker of Lost Memories by Shirley Russak Wachtel and here are my thoughts.
 
 Lena has a dream.. Of being a baker like her parents before world war II. Living in Brooklyn in the 60s, anything is possible but her parents are distant. The loss of a sister she never knew lingers. The only comfort she had was her best friend Pearl, who disappeared when she was a child. Lena’s dreams are coming true but the past is still in her present and there are things she doesn’t even know about herself. 
 
 I didn’t read the synopsis so this wasn’t what I was expecting. While this book is a historical fiction, I was hoping it was all based during the war and I thought the baker… lost memories, that she would bake to help people grieve losses during the war with baking…. That would have been great… The story may have been different than expected but it was still very enjoyable. 
 
 The audiobook was a lot better than I was expecting too. The narration was solid. You get the story of the parents at first. How they survived the war and the loss of their pride and joy Ruby. They make it to the USA and have Lena. You get to see the differences in their parenting and it makes Lena, who is a tad unlikeable, more understood. They keep her at a distance. The lack of affection and you cannot help feeling angry on Lena’s behalf but the ending really rounds out the why at the end and I loved that. I went through every emotion with this one.
 
 Definitely a 4.5 star book. I think the pacing was a tad slow but all in all entertaining book. 
 
 Thank you @netgalley and @brillianceaudio for my gifted copy 
 
 #thebakeroflostmemories #shirleyrussakwachtel #historicalfiction #wwII #audiobookreader #audiobooksofig #igaudiobooks #bookalorian #litdulterous #reading #bookrecommendations #readreadread #booksbooksbooks
 
 
I just finished The Accidental Rewrite by Milly Johnson and here are my musings.                                                    When Polly Potter walks out on her job… She doesn’t expect to have a surprise wedding sprung on her by a giant man baby who she was in the process of leaving.                                                              Leaving him at the altar so flees to a place she loved in her childhood. When she ends up with a concussion and memory loss, she ends up meeting a kind lady whose son owns a restaurant. She works off the debt she feels she owes there and helps the restaurant tackle some crazy assaults against their business but as her memory comes back slowly, she wonders if she can rewrite her life into something she can be proud of.                                                              I was expecting to adore this book. I really did. I am not a massive fan of FMCs having amnesia but this worked really well for me. Polly thinks she is called Sabrina which happens to be the character in a story she was writing and she thinks those details she wrote are her life. It was charming. I thought the audio narration was really good!                                                              I liked how the owner of the restaurant, Teddy, wasn’t sure about her but the more time they spent together… He remembers how to start living his life and not just working. Polly/Sabrina learns to believe in herself and love herself in such a way that is so heartwarming that she starts to assert herself. Her wants, her needs. She is awesome. Funny and cute! The whole book just had a wholesome vibe!                                                              She has to be one of my favourite characters I have come across lately! I liked how the book ended and it was really a sweet book.                                                              4.5 stars                                                              Thank you @harpermusebooks for my gifted copy.                                                              #bookalorian #theaccidentrewrite #bookreview #bookcommunity #litdulterous #readingissexy #readingrecommendations #bookrecs #tbr #bookpodcast #yycreader #calgaryreaders #albertareads
 

Welcome to the Lit-indie Files. Where I take a chance on small/indie published books and bring you the inside scoop!!                                                    I just finished Not Her, Not Yet by Chelsea O’Hara and here are my musings.                                                              Wren has no memories… The man claiming to be her husband is telling her she is safe but shouldn’t she remember this man Caleb? Something is wrong. As the dark days roll on, Wren learns things she doesn’t want to know. Caleb’s love comes with strings and the controlling behaviour makes her question herself more and more.                                                              Maybe someone out there can help her but they all seem to know more than they are letting on.                                                              I made a mistake… I was reading the first chapter of a few books to set up my reading… I read this one before bed one night and OMG sleeping wasn’t easy after this disturbing book.                                                              SIDEBAR - I am a survivor of abuse. Manipulation, control, smashing holes in walls, gaslighting… Those are the least horrible things I went through so I thank Chelsea for all the triggers. I don’t need warnings but I know a lot of people do and she makes sure to write this book in a well researched and sympathetic way.                                                              I wanted to rescue Wren so badly.. That is how well written the characters are. Not that we have many to deal with as it is mostly Wren and then Caleb and saddling a whole book on mostly one character was a risky risk but it worked really well because you felt like you were trapped in that cabin with her and you have a front row seat to all that unfolds.                                                              The biggest problem I found was the pacing. I would have liked the pace to have been a little faster and for the book to have gone a little further. Maybe having us watching Wren after the ending. That’s a personal preference only, not a problem with the book. I think this book got right under my skin and did so in a really effective way without going for the shock value.                                                              It was good. It was really fucking good. The undertones of what the town knew just made it even more terrifying. I loved it. It was almost like I was reading a real account of abuse and that made it even more sickening. I’m impressed. Super excellent read.                                                              4.5 stars                                                              Thank you @chelseaohara for my gifted copy. That was one entertaining read.                                                              Make sure you check out my store                                                              Bookaloriandesigns.com                               Bookaloriandesigns.etsy.com                                                              Unique bookish merch for the book dragon connoisseur.                                                              You can find all my book reviews at                               thelionessofliteracy.com                                                              And my podcast at                               https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A                                                               Youtube.com/@litdulterous                                                              #nothernotyet #chelseaohara #psychologicalthriller #thrillerreader #bookreview #bookishreview #bookblog #bookishblogger #bookpodcast #bookalorian #ltidulterous #indieauthor #indiebook #topread #tbr #bookrecs
 

As you may or may not know, I am doing a podcast deep dive of Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas so here are my reviews on each book as I get through them.                                                    I had already read Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas but for this series, I went back to the beginning.                                                              Celaena is an assassin… She’s also behind bars. When the Prince of Adarlan arrives with an offer… Fight to win in a contest to become the king's assassin… And win her freedom.                                                              It should be easy but something is lurking in the castle… Something overworldly… In a realm where magic has been snuffed, this fight for survival might not be as easy as she thinks….                                                              I wasn’t blown away with Celaena as a character in this book. I wasn’t sold on her. She was frivolous and annoying. I really didn’t see the appeal.                                                                                             Then we have the Team Dorian/Team Chaol thing going on… I despise love triangles (Blame Twilight) so I wasn’t in love with that either. I liked Chaol better as a match because hello, Dorian is a prince. That would never work and I hate his attitude towards women… It’s not bad, just not something I like. So arrogant.                                                              I thought the competition for the king’s assassin was fun and I loved Nehemia.                                                              The writing was decent and as far as the first book in a series goes…. I was intrigued for sure. I thought the pacing had some shaking patches and I felt the story lulled in some spots but… still a 4 star read for me. I thought it ended well and set up book 2 in a really solid way.                                                              I did do the audio before as well and that was well worth it too.                                                              I will have Crown of Midnight - book review done shortly so watch this space!!!                                                              #throneofglass #celaena #fantasy #fantasybook #fantasyseries #tog #bookreview #thetopplingtbr #bookalorian #litdulterous #bookpod #bookishpodcast #bookpodcast #bookpodcaster #bookishbusiness #booksbooksbooks #booktokbaddies
 

Welcome to the Lit-indie Files. Where I take a chance on small/indie published books and bring you the inside scoop!! - Thank you to @partnersincrime book tours for allowing me the opportunity to join and watch this space for my author interview with the Author Kevin Hwang!                                                              I just finished The Regression Strain by Kevin Hwang @kevinhwangmdauthor and here are my musings.                                                              When Dr Peter Palma joined the medical team aboard the Paradise cruise ship, he was expecting sunburn and seasickness… Not for the whole ship to lose their marbles and civility to go overboard.                                                              The captain doesn’t want to do anything about the outbursts of violence that has become a pandemic on the ship… Peter has to get the ship and everyone on board to New York but the primal urges are becoming harder and harder to resist.                                                              UGH now I never want to take a cruise. Not now…. Not EVER!!!!! Mr Hwang, I will never forgive you for that! Haha                                                                                             This is what I like to call a slow burn thriller. You can see things are getting bad but it creeps up on you… I felt like I couldn’t get off the ship. By the end of the book I was seasick and thankful to be alive!!!                                                              I tend to find medical thrillers can get a bit technical and sometimes, as a normie, I can get a little lost in the jargon but that didn’t happen here. It was clever in how it laid out what was wrong on the ship, what was happening to the passengers and it seemed so realistic that I never had to suspend my disbelief. That’s a literary magician that can pull that kind of thing off.                                                              The only thing that wasn’t excellent for me was Peter. I dunno but I didn’t like him. I don’t know if we weren't supposed to or whether it was just a me thing but I didn’t trust his perspectives the whole way through and that was kind of exciting. I didn’t like him from page 1… It was different for me. I loved his sister so it was an interesting contrast between the pair of them.                               👒I enjoyed the writing. The prose was clever and flowed with absolute perfection!!                               It was well paced, a tad monotonal (I need a rollercoaster of insanity in my thrillers) but all in all I was blown away with how well the book was written.                               Bloody excellent!                               4.5 stars. Definitely one of the best thrillers of the year for me.                                                              #TheRegressionStrain #KevinHwang #MedicalThriller #PsychologicalInsight #PrimalUrges #Survival #VacationNightmare  #PrimalUrges #VacationNightmare #PsychologicalHorror #SurvivalInstincts #CreepyScenes #ThrillerReads                               #MustRead #PageTurner #BookReview #FastPacedThriller #MedicalMystery #PageTurner #PsychologicalInsight #bookalorian #litdulterous                               #ThrillerReads #Suspenseful #NewRelease #BookRecommendation #BookishCommunity
 

I just finished Sophie was here by Kathryn Croft and here are my thoughts.                                                    When Emmy’s boyfriend Charlie’s Parents want to give the family home to the couple, they move to the country which is something they both needed but what Emmy doesn’t expect to find is a mystery. Of what happened to Charlie’s girlfriend when he was a teen. When Emmy asks him about it, he turns cold… That’s not even the worst part.. When she goes down into the spooky basement.. There’s a message.. Sophie was here….                                                              I love twisty turny psychological thrillers and this one was epic. Just when I thought I knew what was going on… BOOM! I was on a new path. It was great. I didn’t like any of the characters, they were a tad unlikable and Emmy was dramatic but I think that helped me to be more concerned about what happened to Sophie than the danger Emmy might have been in.                                                              I loved it. The audiobook was absolutely atmospheric! Pacing could have been a bit better but dang.. I was hooked from page one!                                                              4.5 stars                                                              Thank you @netgalley and @bookouture for my gifted copy                                                              You can find your copy here https://amzn.to/4mGy6GD                                                              You can find all my reviews at                               thelionessofliteracy.com                                                              And my podcast at                               https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A                                                              My store is bookaloriandesigns.com and no tariffs!!!                                                              #bookish #sophiewashere #netgalley #audiobookstagram #audiobooklover #bookalorian #booksbooksbooks #bookouture #alc #arcbooks #arcreader #arcreview #literaryinfluencer
 

I just finished Don’t Watch Alone by Elisa Daniels and here are my thoughts.                                                    What would you do if someone you don’t know tells you not to go to the movies with your friends… Stalks you… You take their power away and go anyway.. That was Blaize’s first mistake… Now she and her friends are in danger, trapped inside the mall after watching a horror movie. Trapped in their own version of a slasher movie not everyone is going to make it to the end.. Not sticking together was the 2nd…                                                              I have a real love for the 80s and slasher movies are my bread and butter so finding this book was so very exciting for me. Let’s start with Blaize. She was the epitome of a young adult living the life back then. She was realistic and raw and I loved that! I thought the lead up to them being trapped in the mall was a tad slow and each POV was Blaize’s and was like why do we need to keep being told who’s POV it was…. Well it made sense when we got to the carnage.                                                              I like the banter between all the friends and that made me nostalgic for the 80s, so much so I went on an 80s movie bender.                                                              I am so glad the book wrapped up and tied off all the loose ends at the end. The one thing I did wonder about is Andy mentioned he tried to warn Mary about the danger… Why would he warn her if she wasn’t the target? It was about the only plot hole I found because I didn’t feel satisfied by that whole part.                                                              All in all the writing was pretty good! Definitely would be interested to see what else this author has coming out in the future.                                                              4 stars                                                              Thank you @mysterythrillerbookselisa and @booksirens for my gifted ARC copy!                                                              You can find a copy of the book here https://amzn.to/3WbCC58                                                              You can find all mty book merch here - Bookaloriandesigns.com bookaloriandesigns.etsy.com                                                              You can find all my reviews at                                                              www.thelionessofliteracy.com                                                              You can find my podcast at                               https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A                                                              #dontwatchalone #elisaddaniels #horror #slasher #thriller #80sbook #bookalorian #bookishpodcast #bookish #readervlog #reading #readstagram #bookinfluencer #literaryinfluencer #booksirens
 

I just finished The 13 Power Moves of Dark Psychology by Lena Sisco and here are my thoughts!                                                    Have you ever been the victim of gaslighting? Manipulation? Deception?                                                              This book will give you the tools you need to recognize when dark psychology is being used on you and strategies to help you navigate your way through without falling prey to people looking to fool you.                                                              Protect yourself from narcissists, scammers, users and more.                                                              As someone who was married to a narcissist.. I wish I had had this book back then. It would have given me the map to being able to protect myself sooner.                                                              I love that the author has a background in intelligence and the whole book was really well laid out and was easy to follow. I felt empowered by it. I grabbed a copy to keep on my shelf but the audio book was absolutely phenomenal. Everyone deserves to be treated properly but not everyone is a good person so having the strategies you need to protect your peace!                                                              Awesome book                                                              5 stars                                                              Thank you to @netgalley and @brilliancepublishing for my gifted ALC!                                                              You can find all my reviews at                               thelionessofliteracy.com                                                              And my podcast at                               https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A                                                              Grab your copy here https://amzn.to/4n1pZpc                                                              #13powermovesofdarkpsychology #lenasisco #darkpsychology #bookish #bookalorian #litdulterous #bookishpodcast #bookworm #booksofinsta #bookstagramfeature #bookcommunity #bookreviews #bookblog #booksbooksbooks #readervlog
 



