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!! :)

turning the corner....

I feel like I am starting to
turn the corner
of that which is known
in my head
"as still frigging winter".

Second by second,
minute by minute,
the days get longer…
the light lingers
and my energy increases.

I have been pushing myself
to keep showing up…
to get outside for walks
and don’t pay attention to the wind chill,
to take photos,
to draw little characters
and call it a project.
To knit and doodle,
to nap when I need to,
to spend lots of time
reading in the swing.

Some things that I have been trying
that I like to think are helping but
it’s still pretty early:

I got a little pop up tent sauna
and I have been loving it.

Started using a light lamp in the mornings
and also got this cute little
rainbow pomodoro timer
and I know it’s all a trick of my brain
or rather maybe
I am tricking my brain
(shhhh…don’t tell)…
BUT I HAVE BEEN SO PRODUCTIVE.

so I’ll take it…
whatever the reason,
(his heart or his shoes)
heh. sorry, my brain is glitchy
and throws out random
grinch lines.

I hope you are warm and cozy,
happy and full.
Here’s a random photo of Timmy…
just because he is so damn adorable.

friday im in love....

I am hitting the point
where winter no longer
feels like a fun challenge,
I go from
THIS YEAR I’LL BE DIFFERENT,
I’LL BE A WINTER PERSON!! :)
to a cold, shivering, sleepy
messy mass of a person
who just wants blankets and
naps and books
and who said I was going to
cut out diet coke again
I AM A GROWN UP
I CAN CHANGE MY MIND.

Sigh.

So anywaysssss….
in light of that, here is what I am
currently loving:

♥ READING - the invisible life of addie larue….
i was in a bit of a slump but this is helping to
push me out of it…and I catch myself still
thinking about it when I am not reading it…
like…but…how…could that really…
how would it work or feel…(and yes, I know it’s fiction). :)

♥ BINGEWATCHING - severance
although I will be honest,
i spend most of the time
lamenting to Pugsley
that i HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS HAPPENING.
this all better make sense at the end.
but I am hooked.
(and another one that I catch myself
pondering when not watching it…)

♥ EATING - potatoes.
specifically little baby potatoes
that take 5 minutes in the microwave
and then I just mix in whatever else
i have cooked on hand…could be chicken,
could be a pork chop…could also have
a salad thrown in there….and if I
don’t eat it all, i just reheat it
and add more random things to it
for then next meal.

♥ LISTENING - so I listen to this
at least once a day….and have been
for a long time now.
Which seems odd, I know. 🤷‍♀️

♥ DREAMING ABOUT -
summer, camper vans, building a home sauna,
Newfoundland, bird feeders, gardens,
knitting projects, treehouses,
blackberry jam, sunshine on my skin…

♥ new baby plants make me so happy!

FOCUS....oh, hello 2025...

My brain feels a little
surprised every time I realize
how far we are through
January.

To be honest,
January is not my worst
winter month.

February is.

In January, I am still on a
sugar high from Christmas
(literally and figuratively)
& I bounce straight from that
to looking back at the past year
in great depth
rereading journals, my social media,
what did I draw, take photos of,
eat, where did I go, who did I spend my time with…
was I happy? What would I change?

And then charge full steam ahead into
lists and research and ideas and planning
and reading and video watching and
making plans and blueprints and manifestos.

So January flies by.

But by February, I am starting to lose steam.
My own excitement for self care
and looking after myself
has exhausted me.
Ironic, I know.

So anywayyyyyy….
If you know me, you know I pick a word
for the year every year.
Last year was glee
and honestly, it worked out ok.
I did a hell of a lot of things
that made me clap my hand in glee
(but have also come to the realization
that I sort of hate that word…it’s cringey).
but the sentiment was right.

This year’s word
is focus….
which I actually looked back and
I have used this word before (2008)…
and interestingly enough
it was when I started to get into photography
(get it…focus…heh)
and that year realllllllllly panned out for me. :)

But this time
focus is literally about
pulling myself out of this
spinning tires rut I have been in
for the last couple of years…
I have to stop just making lists
and plans and gathering ideas.

It’s time to put things into action.
It’s time to focus.

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?
:)