Book Review: Portrait of a Witch Undone

Portrait of a Witch Undone by K.S. Shay
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I like to read a book about witches every October, and I picked this one because it had a cool title and cover and a creative plot that involved the stolen works of art from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Unfortunately, those were pretty much the only things I liked about it. I found the story to be rather confusing, repetitive, depressing, gritty, and unengaging; the characters all behaved like annoying teenagers; and various other irritations.

View all my reviews

July 2026 Randoms

 

The Boston Temple

The summer flowers were so pretty. The temple gardeners do a great job.

John on his mission (last full month!)

😆

Food

I treated myself to this delicious (and expensive 😑) lobster roll on my way off the Cape one day after cleaning the house between renters.

I went to a program at a nearby library about colonial-era cooking and brought home some recipes. I made this 1750s bread—the recipe is from the 1750s with all the same ingredients. It turned out a little funny-looking (like a clamshell), but it tasted good!

Really good orange juice

Nutritious avocado toast

Actual Randoms

I participated in this.

Please do!

A path into the woods that I regularly use on my woods walks

Sam took a selfie at church

This guy is so funny. He's a nonpartisan(ish) Trump impersonator, and he gets him just right. In this one, he was pretending to be "Donna Trump," a female version of Trump running for president in 2028. 😆 I of course appreciated the name.

July Books and Library Things

 Summertime, and the reading is easy...
(Do you sense a theme to the opening line of my blog posts lately? 😄)

I saw this book at the library and thought it was really cute: There's an Owl in the Shower.
That's my kind of shower! 

There was a giant inflatable whale at the library one afternoon that you could go in. The guy who did it took it down quickly after his program, so I didn't get to go through it.

😍

I read these two books with amusingly coordinating titles at around the same time.

It Could Have Been Her was good; It's Not Her had an unrealistic and stupid ending.

Seeing this book brought back all kinds of pleasant childhood memories.

My endcap display for July was "All Aboard! Books Set on a Boat."

A local bookstore does different literary-themed wraps and seasonal drinks throughout the year. I got "The Old Man and the Sea-sar Wrap" (delicious) and the Simply Lemonade Smoothie (also delicious).

One of the best places to do summertime reading is in the hammock at the Cape house!

The House in the Pines wasn't nearly as good as I thought it would be. I was disappointed by a mystery again!

Around the Apartment in July 2026

 Summertime, and the living was easy!

I really like this screen we got for the balcony door. It allows the door to the outside to be open with the fresh air coming in, minus the bugs (for the most part).

Huckleberry sundaes, yum! 

Cheese + berries + Bonne Maman raspberry preserves = a delicious and (mostly) nutritious snack.

I'd live there!

A peaceful evening

Our neighbors directly below us had a first birthday party for their baby and set up this cute barnyard scene outside for pictures.

Banana split with huckleberry sauce. So good!

Adventures in Beekeeping (July 2026)

 When I say "adventures in beekeeping," it should be noted that I am not a beekeeper, at least not yet, but my husband is, and I'm learning more about it because of that. So I guess by association, observation, picture-taking, and the minimal level of help that I give, I'm a beekeeper of sorts. 😄 I'm a beekeeper-in-training, how about that? 

Check out all of those bees! Home sweet home for them.

There's the actual beekeeper. He didn't need to wear a suit on this visit, just the veil. We rarely need to put on the full suits. Overall, the bees are gentle and non-threatening.

I take selfies while David works in the background. 😆

We were back another day to check on da beez.

We see you under the plexiglass!

The bees were doing well.

I bought a bee house on Amazon and hung it up on our apartment balcony. Bees and other flying insects can make little homes for themselves in it. I only saw a bee at it once or twice this summer, and when I did, I took a picture. Do you see it?

Bees sure are busy bizzzee in the summer!

Wisdom, Humor, and Inspiration in July (2026)

Walking in the woods is one of my favorite things to do.

😂😂😂

"Our entire lives should be filled with the gospel of Jesus Christ..." This is a key to true peace and joy.

This hymn and its tune speak peace to my soul.

FranklinPlanner just gets me. ✔

Ever since I was a kid and read a nature book about ducks called Ducks Don't Get Wet, I've appreciated the analogy about being like a duck and not letting things get to you. This article I saw in the For the Strength of Youth magazine was a good reminder of that.

Livin' the life!

No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, this is fact-based and makes a good point.

I like Tom Homan and think he's one of the few people in government who stay true to their objective, regardless of party or pressure.