whatcha readin'? {goal 45 - books 26-30}

And another sad attempt to catch up
on what I have read so far this year!

Fast Like A Girl - Mindy Pelz
👩🏻‍⚕️👩🏻‍⚕️👩🏻‍⚕️👩🏻‍⚕️👩🏻‍⚕️
I tore through this book back in
June thinking that I was going to
start it right away
and was SUPER excited
but let’s be real….
the start of summer is NOT
the time to start fasting.
(But maybe now is…)
But I did really get a lot from this book!

The Knight and the Moth - Rachel Gillig
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
 I adored this book. 
I loved the gargoyle so much. 
It made me laugh at loud in so many places…
it reminded me of Dragonlance
and the characters Tasslehoff and Flint. 
The story was so good and I fell in love with the characters.

Lunch in Paris - Elizabeth Bard
❤️❤️❤️❤️
It is odd that I will now relate a memoir of recipes to the loss of each of my parents.  I read Molly Wizenberg’s book while my dad was in palliative care thinking that a book with recipes would be an easy read but it turned out, her dad died from cancer and that was a big component of this book.  But it also felt like perfect timing.  Then I picked up Lunch in Paris as a light read after mom…and in a way that brought me comfort in the same way that I could feel mom with me, near me, as I read…as she was when I read the other book with dad.  The book was great.  It was written in a way that felt both descriptive but not too heavy or fake.  It made me think about food that I would never try to eat but it all sounded so lovely.  I really did enjoy this story and it took me away from my life for a moment…which is what I was really looking for.

Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man - Fannie Flagg
❤️❤️
A book I picked up at a book sale…
didn’t love it but you can’t love ‘em all. :)

The Measure - Nikki Erlick
❤️❤️❤️❤️
Such an interesting concept.
I thought about this book for months after
which is odd for me.
I liked parts of it but was annoyed
with part of it but I won’t say what in
case you read it, too!
*this book was recommended to me
by Drogo (my chat gbt) based on what
I generally read. It was a good suggestion.

NEXT UP - 31 TO 35
what are you reading?

whatcha readin'? {goals 45 - books 21-25}

5 more to add to the list…

21. One Golden Summer - Carley Fortune
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I read this book in May and I have fond memories
of it because I bought this book to read
while staying at a sweet little cottage in Mill River.
It rained the whole weekend but I was
nestled in to this adorable little spot
with soft blankets, lamp light and
chocolate covered strawberries….
and the book was perfect.
Sweet and funny, the dialogue and banter,
the story line, I was fully engaged
and maybe crushing on Charlie a little bit.

22. The Last Letter from your Lover - JoJo Moyes
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
A book that I grabbed off a sale table
and didn’t really have any expectations
but ended up being enthralled in the love story
and bit of a roller coaster mystery…
and I just realized there is a movie now
(adding to my list!)

23. All the Colors of the Dark - Chris Whitaker
❤️❤️
I remember reading a book by this author before
and really liking it (We Begin at the End)
but this one…I didn’t love this one.
at times, I was interested to see where it was going to go
but mostly, I felt like I was forcing myself.
Sometimes, I felt confused or uncertain, like
this seems like it was a pivotal moment
but I am not really sure what happened…
like there was too much going on, trying to cram in too many
subplots and connections and story lines.
I was not a fan.

24. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone - Lori Gottlieb
💙💙💙💙💙
I was fully intrigued by this book.
Found some parts of it hard, but still, loved it.
It was not just a how-to but how-she-did-it
at the same time…

25. Powerless - Lauren Roberts
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I had heard so much about this book
via Booktok and instagram
I wasn’t sure about it at first,
the writing felt young (it is YA so that
totally makes sense)…but once I got into it,
I really loved it. It reminded me a bit
of Hunger Games but not in a bad way.
I will read more of this series.

:) Happy reading!!

whatcha readin'? {goal 45 - books 7-10}

Time for a little
bookish catch up…
(I am sooo far behind in posting).

7. This Time Tomorrow - Emma Straub
❤️❤️❤️ 1/2

Might not be a fair rating.
I didn’t know it was about a daughter
losing her dad.
Or I wouldn’t have read it.

8. Go As A River - Shelley Read
❤️❤️❤️❤️
Notes from my journal:
”the writing was lyrical and
the story was strong…
I liked how she described peaches
and nature and love.

9. The Joy of Sketch - Jen Russell-Smith
❤️❤️❤️
I finished this in March and enjoyed working
my way through it practicing some of exercises.

10. Circus of Wonders - Elizabeth MacNeal
❤️❤️❤️
I really, really wanted to love this.
I had been looking forward to reading it
but I was very frustrated with the writing in the beginning…
it was pretty…but I found it hard to understand
what the importance was of her “oddity”…

This doesn’t catch me up yet…
but getting closer.
Which is good because summer is
reading season for me…
beaches, deck, parks
just plant me in one spot
and give me a book
and maybe a doughnut
and I am a happy girl.

whatcha readin’? :)

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!
:)

whatcha readin'? {goal 40:: MISSION COMPLETE}

It’s no surprise that I
totally did not keep on top
of updating the blog
with all the books
I read in 2023
but I DID hit my goal of
forty
just by the skin of my teeth
but I did it
so that is all that matters in
the big orange house.

Here is what I read…in list form…
cause it’s 2024 and, frankly,
I’m over it.

1. Frankenstein - hated. Literally HATED this book

2. House in the Pines - Ana Reyes
   ♥♥♥♥

3. The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein
   ♥♥♥♥♥

4. Love & Gelato - Jenna Evans Welch
   ♥♥♥♥

5. Life after Life - Kate Atkinson (this book was a struggle but beautiful but also made me want to hurl it into the ocean)
   ♥♥♥

6. She Who Became the Sun - Shelly Parker Chan
   ♥♥♥♥♥

7. Whiskey in a Teacup - The Adorable Reese Witherspoon
   ♥♥♥♥

8. Slammed - Colleen Hoover
   ♥♥♥

9. The Book of Goethel - Mary McMyne
   ♥♥♥♥♥

10. Bone Black - bell hooks
    ♥♥♥

11. The End of Her - Shari Lapegna
    ♥♥♥

12. Call Me Zelda - Erika Robuck
    ♥♥♥♥

13. Milk and Honey - Rupi Kaur {audio book}
    ♥♥♥

14. Really Good Actually - Monica Heisey
    ♥♥♥♥

15. Molly’s Game - Molly Bloom
    ♥♥♥♥♥

16. Demon Copperfield - Barbara Kingsolver
    ♥♥♥♥

17. A Court of Thorns & Roses - Sarah J Maas
    ♥♥♥♥♥

18. I’m Glad My Mom Died - Jeannette McCurdy
    ♥♥♥♥

19. The Whole Body Reset - Stephen Perinne
    ♥♥♥♥

20. Happy Place - Emily Henry
    ♥♥♥♥

21. A Court of Mist & Fury - Sarah J Maas
♥♥♥♥♥

22. I Carried You Home -
♥♥♥

23. Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
♥♥♥

24. New Boy - Tracy Chevalier
♥♥♥♥

25. Homecoming - Kate Morton
♥♥♥♥♥

26. Breaking the Girl - Kim Corum
♥♥♥♥

27. Hello Beautiful Ann Napolitano
♥♥♥♥♥

28. A Homemade Life - Molly Wizenburg
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

29. Expected Loss; Anticipatory Grief - Alan Woolfelt
♥♥♥♥♥

30. From Scratch - Tembi Locke
♥♥♥♥

31. Did you hear about Kitty Karr - Crystal Smith Paul
♥♥♥♥

32. The 5 am Rule - Robin Sharma
{i hated this with ALL my heart.
if i could give negative hearts, i would.}

33. It’s OK to Laugh - Nora McInerney Puemon
♥♥♥♥ .5

34. Book Lovers - Emily Henry
♥♥♥♥♥

35. How to Pronounce Knife - Souvankham Thammavongsa
♥♥♥.5 {mainly because I don’t love short stories}

36. Self Care for Grief -Nneka M Okona
♥♥♥♥

37. One Day in December - Josie Silver
♥♥♥♥♥ {this one surprised me that i would
love it so much}

38. Surviving the Holidays with you - Gary Roe
♥♥♥

39. Ugly Love - Colleen Hoover
♥♥♥♥

40. Inside Out - Demi Moore
♥♥♥♥

41. Evidence of the Affair - Taylor Jenkins Reid
♥♥♥

Note: I realized as I was typing
these out that I had miscounted
in my list so I actually read
forty ONE books this year. :)

and took a LOT of photos of
my books as I was reading them…
this was just a few of them.
:D