whatcha readin'? {goal 35::books 21-25}

Another Monday,
another catch up on books read
so far this year.

And…I know my goal was 30
but…spoiler alert…I HAVE HIT 30 ALREADY!! Yay me!!!!
so for funsies,
I am trying to do a challenge
I saw online #TenBeforeTheEnd
and have picked 10 titles that I am going to
try to finish before the end of 2022.

and as promised, here are books 21-25:

21. Cilka’s Journey - Heather Morris
♥♥♥♥♥5 out of 5
So good but so sad,
and tragic and frustrating
and horrifying.

22. The Paris Apartment - Lisa Foley
♥♥♥♥4 out of 5
Interesting…I liked the setting…
twisty-turny….quick read

23. The Summer I Turned Pretty - Jenny Hahn
♥♥♥♥4 out of 5
I like books about Belly and Conrad and Jeremiah…
don’t judge me. :D

24. Lilac Girls - Martha Hall Reilly
♥♥♥♥4 out of 5
Notes I wrote after reading it:
sad & horrifying & hopeful

25. Beautiful World, Where Are You? - Sally Rooney
♥♥♥♥4 out of 5
No notes written but I know I set the book aside
as one that I don’t want to give away
because I feel I will read it again…

a weekend in november...

i love weekends.

i am trying to get outside more…
and to keep getting outside
once the weather changes.

this weekend has been rainy
but mild.
the colors are still vivid,
with flowers still blooming
and fields still green…
it’s odd for November
but I have been taking advantage of the temps
to get outside.

yesterday was a trail
through the woods,
today i did the boardwalk and watched
the fog roll in off the water…
my only company
the thoughts in my head…
i like that because it gives me
time to think about what i might
like to do creatively…
i jot ideas onto my notes app
on my phone as i walk
and come home
fresh faced
and inspired.

i feel like i have been
full of ideas lately
and there is a small chance
i may be putting too much
on my plate
once again….
but at the moment
it’s all just exciting
and fun and promising.

Happy weekend! :)

whatcha readin'? {goal 35:: books 15-20}

I have had a weird mix
of books this year….
I seem to rotate between
desolate, heartbreaking
war torn loss and incomprehensible cruelty
to
fluffy and light,
fun and silly,
romantic young adult books….

My brain is mystery even to me.

Here are 5 more reads so far this year.
And honestly….all I might tell you is if I liked it or not…
because my brain ALSO sees no need
to retain ANY information about a book (or movie)
after I finish it…or sometimes, while I am reading it.

(Again, my brain=mystery)

16. The Exiles - Christina Baker Kline ♥♥♥♥♥
Heartbreaking. Brutal. Cruel

17. To All The Boys I Loved Before - Jenny Han ♥♥♥♥
Light. Airy. Fluffy. Sweet. Romantic.
Made me incredibly happy :)
The Netflix version…not so much.

18. The Last Story of Mina Lee - Nancy Jooyoun Kim ♥♥♥
19. PS I Still Love You - Jenny Han ♥♥♥♥
PS….I still love this series. Enough to read another one right away….heh.

20. We Begin At The End - Chris Whitaker ♥♥♥♥♥
Note I had written to myself after finishing this book:
I had zero expectations of this 2.00 book I bought
at a convenience store but it brought me to my knees
sobbing on my deck.

friday i'm in love.... ♥

I had planned to have a
friday adventure
today but then a
half-headache
(which is an annoying headache
but not bad enough to render me useless
if you are wondering about my
definitions…a frigging rotten headache
really ruins my day…a migraine incapacitates me)

So instead,
I gave the big orange house
a much needed cleaning
and then spent some time
working on some new plans…
health-wise and creatively.

(The irony that I am eating 3 large
sugar coated gumdrops while writing
this is NOT lost on me…heh)

But I am thinking about making some
small changes to my lifestyle
and possibly some large ones…
like maybe joining a gym…
and maybe finally creating a calendar
with some doodles to sell…

I like fall.
It makes me feel
inspired….
even on days I have
half a headache.
:)

FRIDAY I AM LOVING:

♥ this blog post definitely made me wonder. There were a lot of “oh…that is so me moments while reading it.
♥ my glow in the dark skeleton pjs
♥ this series….though not gonna lie (ironic given the name of the series….heh)…but it’s a little bit soft core porn-ish. Just a warning. :)
♥ heeheehee….as I become somewhat jaded about dating apps (they were so fun and shiny in the beginning) THIS made me laugh out loud. Yes for wearing red.
♥ Love this guy’s channel

Happy Friday….I hope it’s fantastic, just like you. ♥

and it's time for tuesday truth again...

Last week was a whirlwind of a week…
two different friends home from away
and lots of time spent
adventuring and exploring
and reminiscing and
laughing…
so much laughing.

There was ice cream (multiple times)
and fall drives,
horses, black bogs, and lighthouses…
cake for breakfast,
cedar’s eatery and
starlite diner…

There was even a little
mushroom-y village
that made us very happy to find…

And the weekend was topped off
with a visit to my parents for Thanksgiving
where almost everyone was able to make it
(missed Kiki & J)
and it was so great to see the kids
and reconnect in a big rowdy way…
I took zero pictures that day
because I just wanted to be
in the moment…♥

It was a fantastic week
but the truth is
I am not used to
being quite so social….
it takes more out of me
than I realized…
this week will be all
about rest and recovery
and maybe a stolen nap
or three…
♥♥♥

but I wouldn’t have
changed a thing about
last week….
I’d do it all over again if I could.