In these troubled days, have you ever wished that you could read a simple uplifting story about healing, forgiveness, and love?

Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber is just that kind of novel.

Sprinkles of mysterious magic bring warmth to the small Alabama town of Wicklow when an aspiring medical student named Anna Kate Callow arrives. Anna Kate has recently learned of her beloved Granny Zee’s passing and must travel to Wicklow to settle the estate. Anna Kate’s preconceived ideas of Wicklow formed by her mother’s tragic past begin to change as she learns the truth about her family, the Wicklow community, and the details of a car accident that killed her father.

Anna Kate is a natural healer. It is a gift that all Callow women possess. The Blackbird Cafe is a magical place where blackbirds exchange spiritual messages at midnight and Blackbird pies deliver answers in dreams. As Anna Kate begins healing others through the Blackbird Cafe of which she now operates, she discovers her true self, love, and a community where she can at last call home.

I read this novel every night before going to sleep and it lifted my spirits, brought me peaceful dreams, and optimism for the future. Perhaps it will do this for you too.

Recommended interest age – High School to adult

Fresh Berry Cream Cake with berries described in the Blackbird Cafe

— see detail below

This five-star Fresh Berry Cream Cake recipe was located on Sally’s Baking Addiction website. It is layered with many of the berries included in the Blackbird Cafe pies including blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Each layer includes the Lemon Curd recipe described expertly on the site. It was made as a special birthday cake for my future daughter-in-law. The ingredients include a wish for the magic of love and close family ties — much like those discovered at Wicklow’s fictional Blackbird Cafe. — Carole