Book Review: The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway

The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway by Ashley Schumacher ~ 320 pages ~ published on March 14, 2023 by Wednesday Books

Goodreads Synopsis:

Since her mother’s death, Madeline “Gwen” Hathaway has been determined that nothing in her life will change ever again. That’s why she keeps extensive lists in journals, has had only one friend since childhood, and looks forward to the monotony of working the ren faire circuit with her father. Until she arrives at her mother’s favourite end-of-tour stop to find the faire is under new management and completely changed.

Meeting Arthur, the son of the new owners and an actual lute-playing bard, messes up Maddie’s plans even more. For some reason, he wants to be her friend – and ropes her into becoming Princess of the Faire. Now Maddie is overseeing a faire dramatically changed from what her mother loved and going on road trips vastly different from the routine she used to rely on. Worst of all, she’s kind of having fun.

Ashley Schumacher’s The Renaissance of Gwen Hathaway is filled with a wise old magician who sells potion bottles, gallant knights who are afraid of horses and ride camels instead, kings with a fondness for theatrics, a lazy river castle moat with inflatable crocodile floaties, and a plus-sized heroine with a wide-open heart… if only she just admits it.


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Amazon Travel Essentials & Must-Haves for 2023

With the prospect of my trip to Japan on the horizon (we fly out on June 13!), I spent pretty much all of my Christmas and birthday money on new travel products from Amazon! I had been doing some fairly intense research for products that would be good for my Japan trip, so I had an entire list saved of travel products to purchase.

Here is a list of some travel essentials and must-haves from Amazon for 2023!!


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Discussion Post: Why Do All Historical Fiction Covers Look the Same?

This is something that I have been noticing for a long time. Why do all historical fiction covers look the same? What is it about having someone facing away that seems to captivate fans of the genre? Does seeing a cover like this make you more likely to buy it? I saw this display at my local Target, and it made me laugh. Then it made me curious to look at my own shelves at home!


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How to Pack: Long Winter Weekend in NYC

I’m going to talk about how to pack for a long winter weekend in New York City! My husband surprised me with a trip to NYC for New Years 2023! This was a dream come true for me, as I have always wanted to go to New York, and going at the holidays is especially fun. In this post, I will show you my process of packing for a long weekend using only a carry-on suitcase and a personal item.


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New Blog Series – Travel!!

Traveling has always been a passion of mine, and lately I have been inhaling all of the travel blog and vlog content that I can. I have, therefore, amassed quite a bit of knowledge about traveling. I am starting a new blog series devoted to travel – packing hacks, travel tips, trip recommendations, etc.

I have a big trip coming up to Japan this summer, so that will be my main focus in the coming months. My husband and I just traveled to New York over New Years, so I will also be posting about that trip and the process of packing for it.

I’m also planning on doing several travel themed book recommendation posts!


If you have any requests for topics in this series, please comment below and let me know!

Love and happy traveling!

Whitney