it's a "whatcha readin'?" end of the year ROUND-UP

I am not sure why
I struggled so hard
to get here this year
and write about books…
but the good news is
I not only hit
but I surpassed my
self imposed goal of 41 books
and actually read 44
(which means the goal for 2025 will now be 45!!)

The last post I wrote about books
took me to 21.
So here is the short list of the rest
but a couple of them
I may write more about later.

BOOKS 2024:

22. Dark Places - Gillian Fynn
♥♥♥♥ August 2024
23. Gut Smart Protocol - Dr Vincent Perde (audiobook)
♥♥♥♥ August 2024
24. The Winners - Frederick Backman
♥♥♥♥♥ August 2024
25. The Diamond Eye - Kate Quinn
♥♥♥♥♥ August 2024
26. Glow in the effing Dark - Tara Schuster
♥♥♥ August 2024
27. A Court of Frost & Starlight - Sarah J Maas
♥♥♥♥ September 2024
28. Uglies - Scott Westerfeld
♥♥♥♥♥ September 2024 (book club pick)
29. The Perfect Couple - Elin Hilderbrand
♥♥♥♥♥ Sept 2024 (the series? not so much)
30. This Summer will be Different - Carly Fortune
♥♥♥♥♥ Sept 2024
31. Court of Silver Flames - Sarah J Maas
♥♥♥♥♥ Oct 2024
32. Fable - Adrienne Young
♥♥♥♥♥ Oct 2024
33. Fourth Wing - Rebecca Yarros
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Oct 2024
34. Pumpkin Spice Cafe - Laurie Gilmore
♥♥♥♥ Oct 2024
35. One Dark Window - Rachel Gillig
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Nov 2024
36. The Creative Act - Rick Rubin
♥♥♥♥ Nov 2024
37. A Man Called Ove - Fredrick Backman
♥♥♥♥♥ Nov 2024 (book club pick)
38. Two Twisted Crowns - Rachel Gillig
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Nov 2024
39. A Mindful Morning - David Dilliard-Wright
♥♥♥♥ Dec 2024
40. The House in the Cerulean Sea - TJ Klune
♥♥♥♥♥ Dec 2024
41. The Enchanted Sonata - Heather Wallwork
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Dec 2024
42. The 12 Week Year - Brian Moran
♥♥♥♥ Dec 2024
43. A Winter in New York - Josie Silver
♥♥♥♥♥ Dec 2024
44. The Christmas Fix - Lucy Score
😈😈😈Dec 2024 (a little spicy…just fair warning)

Looking forward to lots of reading in 2025!
I also started using a new reading app called Fable,
come find me over there!
And have started to make a reading bullet journal
because…I like paper and pen…heh.

What was your favorite read of 2024?
What are you excited to read in 2025?
:)

hello 2025....

2024 was a mix
of moving forwards
and slipping backwards.
It was a year of
heart sick healing and at times
still reeling
from the loss of my dad.

But it was also a year
of so much fun
and I can’t help but think
that dad had a hand in that…
I know he would have been
rooting hard for me to do the things I did
and my favorite part would have been
telling him about it all.
♥

Onwards and upwards and forward and through.
That’s all you can do.

Christmas was quiet…
and my words feel quiet still, too.
I have been pretty solitary
and introspective during the
transition from the hustle
of Christmas
to the brand new slate of the new year.

But 2025, I have plans for you. :)

I hope you had the merriest of
Christmases
and the happiest of
New Years.

50 in 50 - 2024 update!

*Disclaimer - this post has nothing to do with a cat
but look how cute he is…how could I not post that?

Years ago,
I started my plan to do
50 things BEFORE I turned 50…
& then 50 came.

So I changed it to
50 things in my 50th year…
but then
50 turned to 51.

So then I adapted and reacted
& decided to make it
50 in my 50’s
and that feels doable.

Well, I got to cross
try rock climbing
off my list!
I am not going to lie…when I signed up
for this class, I did not realize
it would be as HARD as it was…
I struggled. I fought. I felt like I was never
going to get to the top of even ONE of
those damn walls, even though everyone
else in the course seemed to be scurrying up
there hardly breaking a sweat.

Then finally, on the last night of the course,
I MADE IT TO THE TOP.
And yep, it was probably an easy wall
but that doesn’t matter. I did it. I finally did it. :)

This has probably the
most active I have ever been
in the fall…I have joined a gym,
tried pickleball, am going to the sauna,
hitting my steps.

I am also trying NOT to
focus on the extra weight I am carrying
in the rock climbing photo.
I am trying to focus on the feeling of
sheer effing accomplishment I felt at that moment.
And how I want to keep that momentum going.

So today I crossed this one off my 50 in 50 list.
And wondered
what can I cross off next!?! :)

Suggestions?

friday i'm in love 👻

It’s the first day of new month.
That makes me happy.

THINGS I AM LOVING RIGHT NOW:
🍂I have not had a “really bad” headache
in about a week.

🍂Mild fall temperatures that make me
want to be outside which means I made it
to the park that I always try to get to
for fall photos and it did not disappoint.

🍂Reading this made me laugh cause…
me. I’m the red flag. Me.
I fit two out of three of the flags.

🍂this was just cool.

🍂Did a dry needling session with my
physio girl and she focused on the front muscles
in my neck…and while it hurt like the devil
to have it done, please see my first entry
regarding no bad headaches in a week…
fingers crossed.

🍂So excited to have gotten tickets for this
tonight! Nirvana!! Grunge!!! Yay!

I am still sad that Sarah McLachlan’s
Moncton concert is postponed but I am
hopeful it will be rescheduled.
More finger crossing. 😊

and a random picture of the pug
cause he’s cute
and I haven’t posted anything
about him in a long time.

whatcha readin'? {goal 41::books 15 to 21)

I am hitting that time of the year
again when I have gotten
incredibly behind
in posting
what I have finished reading
so here is a July round up.

July was a pretty big book month
for me…and oddly enough,
it was a big physical book month for me.
But maybe that’s not that odd.

Summer is when I like to be outside
and there is just something
about having an actual
book
in my hands
at the beach or
in the hammock and on the swing
or in the park.

15. THE EMBROIDERED BOOK - KATE HEARTFIELD
♥♥♥♥♥ out of 5 ♥’s
It’s not often that I remember a book
after finishing it,
but this one stuck with me.
It’s a bit of a historical story but
with some magic woven in…
I absolutely loved this book.
I am not going to lie…I bought it based
on the beautiful cover alone
but this time, that worked out in my favor.

16. THE GHOST WOODS - CJ COOKE
♥♥♥♥♥ out of 5 ♥’s
A gothic thriller is not my typical pick
and I would be lying
if I said that the pretty cover didn’t have
something to with me
picking this to read.
The only note I had on it
was that I finished it in 2 days
so obviously,
it grabbed my attention.

17. EVERYONE HERE IS LYING - SHARI LAPEGNA
♥♥♥♥ out of 5 ♥’s
My notes:
'twisty turns and a fast read :)'

18. MODERN DRAWING - CHELSEA WARD
♥♥♥♥ out of 5 ♥’s
My notes:
'Did a lot of exercises in it. Pretty fun :)'

19. THE DROWNING WOMAN - ROBYN HARDING
♥♥♥♥ out of 5 ♥’s
Very twisty and fast paced
with lots of unexpected surprises.

20. DEAR EVAN HANSEN - VAL EMMICH
♥♥♥♥♥ out of 5 ♥’s
When I started this, I didn’t realize that
it was a novelization of a musical.
I had actually never heard of that before.
But I enjoyed the read…
not sure if I would say the same
had I seen the musical first but
I didn’t…so….it is what it is. :)
But also now that I watched this trailer,
I NEED to watch this.
😍

21. YOU, ME AND THE SEA - MEG DONOHUE
♥♥♥♥♥ out of 5 ♥’s
My notes:
'The writing in this book made me feel wordy.'

and that takes me to the end of July!
:)