Mad for Max: Kitsch at Capacity

Skirt: Wild Fable, Target; Shoes: Jessica Simpson Collection, DSW

Pink Petals Necklace

Bag: ModCloth; Sunglasses: Wild Fable, Target

Bow: Art Class, Target

Armed with charm(s).  

Dress: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Crafty Confection Necklace

Bag: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Cherry clip: Wild Fable, Target; Sunglasses: Kohl's

Nature's emeralds. 

Shoes: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Dress: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Bag: Betsey Johnson

Puff Piece Necklace

Yellow necklace: So, Kohl's; Belt: Belt is Cool, Amazon

Bunched up buttercup.

Shoes: Sugar, Kohl's

Sunglasses: Amazon; My Little Pony clips: Dolls Kill

When it comes to super-sized style, maxi dresses and excessive accessories make for a kitsch-tastic combo.  I'm talking about maximalism, the aesthetic that flouts the old-school edict of taking one thing off before leaving the house and instead adding five more.  I remember being excited when I found out that it was a thing.  Deep down, I'd always known it was okay to look like a try-hard Christmas tree.  So, it's with unabashed enthusiasm that I share these fits.  Stacking the flair is not only fun but functional because I like to have things to look at throughout the day.  It's why the idea of a uniform -- by which I mean anything from a school-issued skirt and blouse to a pants suit -- sends me into, to quote Anne of Green Gables, "the depths of despair."

That said, Anne, with her love of whimsy and pretty things, would've been a maximalist of the first order.

Purple Hair, Don't Care: The Bully in the Library

As I work through Jenn McKinlay's Library Lovers mystery series, I'm happy to find that each book is better than the last.  Still, I particularly enjoyed my most recent read, Death in the Stacks.

A plot twist turns Briar Creek Library into high school when Olive Boyle takes over as board president.  Intent on making a name for herself, Olive undermines the staff with her masterful manipulations.  Not only does she threaten to replace library director Lindsey Norris, she persecutes purple-haired newbie Paula to the point of tears.  Lindsey goes into protective mode, refusing to believe Olive's accusations that Paula is dangerous.  But things worsen when the middle-aged mean girl meets her end -- and Paula is caught with the knife.

Despite her vow to stop playing sleuth after nearly getting killed, Lindsey has no choice but to save one of her own.  But as she investigates, she ends up with more questions than answers, the most niggling of which is this: Did the queen bee have secrets?

That said, McKinlay's Olive is spot on, the kind of prissy and power-hungry tormentor that we've all run up against, if not in high school, then at some watershed.  Indeed, it's Olive's evilness that makes Lindsey's loyalty to Paula all the more meaningful.  I was very invested in clearing Paula's name, even if I couldn't discover whodunit due to the clever plot.

As chilling as it is charming, Death in the Stacks is more than worth checking out.

Library Lovers and a Sleuth Undercover

They say that knowledge is power.  But sometimes it's a lifesaver too.  At least according to Jenn McKinlay's Library Lovers mysteries.  Yes, she of the Cupcake Bakery and Hat Shop mysteries -- not to mention standalone romcoms -- also pens this cerebral-themed series.  Here's the 411 on what it's about:  

Lindsay Norris has reinvented herself.  After finding her fiancé in flagrante with his grad student, she ditched her Yale gig and relocated to coastal Briar Creek.  Now she's a library director, hosts weekly crafternoons (book club, crafting, and lunch, oh my!), and is devoted to her rescue dog Heathcliff.  Also, sometimes she solves mysteries.  Because being research savvy is one sure-fire way to find out whodunit.  And so with the help of her fellow crafternooners and hunky boat captain Mike "Sully" Sullivan, Lindsey proves that ignorance isn't bliss.  

Also, that mystery and romance go hand in hand. 🔎💖