whatcha readin'? {goal 45 - books 11-14}

It’s like time doesn’t even exist
on a linear level over here
in the big orange house….
the photo taken above was taken
when I was reading this book…
in MARCH.
and is that my Christmas tree in the background?
why yes…why do you ask?

Anyway on to the March reads.

11. HOW TO END A LOVE STORY - YULIN KUANG
MARCH 😍😈😍😈😍

This was a 5 star read for me.
It was sweet and spicy and
I fully enjoyed it.
*and it’s also a Reese pick so that usually means
a yes for me!

12. WOMEN WITH ADD - SARI SOLDEN
March 💛💛💛💛
This was recommended to me by a psychologist
who proclaimed
mid meeting
”OH. You are definitely ADHD…
we can do the tests but you probably don’t have to.
You are.”
Then I read the book and found it informative
and interesting but I don’t really think I am..
or I am completely oblivious to what I really am
which is also a possibility.
Anyway. It was interesting. :)

13. PACHINKO - MIN JIN LEE
March ❤️❤️❤️❤️.5
This book held my attention…it was a bit of
a sad and frustrating story but it made me
feel all kinds of emotions. And I felt strongly
for all the characters…they felt real.
And honestly, the story stuck with me for awhile after
which is not always the case for my control/alt/delete brain.
*oh! and I just realized that this was made
into a series on apple! I am going to check that out!!

14. ILLUNSIONARIUM - HEATHER DIXON
April ❤️❤️❤️
I had read The Enchanted Sonata
before this and I had loved that book…
this one…not quite so much.
To be fair, I think this may have been written
before The Enchanted Sonata
so sometimes that matters as writers mature…
or I was in a different frame of mind…
still a good story with an interesting concept though.

And I realize I went one book into April but whatever…
eventually I’ll get caught up.
But also…LOOK AT ALL THE NEW BOOKS I GOT
at the book sale at work…20.00 went a long way!!! :)

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 45 - books 4-6}

Here are 3 books that I finished…
Also, I am not just at 6 books so far,
but didn’t want to overwhelm myself
writing about so many books at once.
My brain can’t take it.

OUTLIVE - Peter Attia
👩🏻‍⚕️👩🏻‍⚕️👩🏻‍⚕️👩🏻‍⚕️👩🏻‍⚕️ this gets a 5 star rating.
It took me a while to read as it was very heavy
in technical/health details
but I kind of love that sort of thing.
I feel like I may need to reread it
in order to really grasp it
and am very interested now in his podcasts
and newsletters, etc.
If you are interested in longevity,
and especially in making sure the quality of your years
matches the number of years you live,
then you might like this one too!

I LET YOU GO - Clare MacIntosh
❤️❤️❤️❤️
The best part of this book is that
I really wasn’t expected to love it.
It kept me drawn in and caught me
by surprise a number of times.
Good quick page turner!

THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE - VE Schwab
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I really loved this book.
The idea just kept staying with me for days…
the concept, I just kept mulling it over
and trying to imagine it,
trying to make sense of how it would work.
I will say (& this is not a spoiler)
but I didn’t love the ending and woke
up in the middle of the night after reading it
thinking no…wait…I HATE that ending.
It wasn’t mere dislike.
😆

whatcha readin'? {goal 45 - books 1-3}

I went through a bit of a
reading slump
in January…
well….let’s be honest…
I went through a bit of a
life slump
in January in some ways.

Winter can do that to a person.

3 books complete in January…
one was an audio book:

1. When the Body Says No - Gabor Mate
   ♥♥♥
   To be honest, this was not really what I thought
   it was going to be…or maybe
   what I wanted it to be.
   I wanted reassurance that yes, stress can cause these things
   but if you do these things, you can avoid the diseases
   that stress may cause….
   but instead the book caused me stress
   because they seemed to indicate that
   you could have had stresses outside of your control
   AS A CHILD
   THAT YOU MAY NOT EVEN BE AWARE OF
   that may have already
   started you down the path to disease.
   How is that fair or reasonable??? Sigh.

2. Fitter, Calmer, Stronger - Ellie Goulding
   ♥♥♥ - audiobook
   This was ok…nothing really revolutionary.
   Apparently she is a famous musician
   but….I didn’t know that when I picked the book. 🤷‍♀️

   (oh wait…she did this song! I didn’t know that.)

3. Holiday Romance - Catherine Walsh
   ♥♥♥♥
   I liked this more than I had expected to.
   A fun rom-com kinda lighthearted book.

NEXT UP: Outlive (Peter Attia); I Let You Go (Clare MacIntosh) and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (VE Schwab) (and maybe even more if my reading slump is really over!! :)

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?
:)