whatcha readin'? {goal 48-book 4}

Well. I read this book.
I am not really sure what drew me to it.
Maybe it was on sale.
Maybe it was the promise of
RESTORING MY
YOUTHFUL CONTOURS.
But honestly, I think I just really liked
the polka dot person. Heh.

The main premise
is cut out wheat (um. iffy.)
and cut out sugar (ok, we all know that
is NOT going to happen…
I would be delusional to think
that I could or would achieve that).

But there were lots of other interesting
points as well and I did really get
a lot out of reading it.
Can I cut back on things? Yes.
Am I looking more closely at
the “ingredient” list? Yes.
Can I focus on my protein & whole foods? Yes.
Did I have jujubes for supper the other night
while reading the book?
Also yes.
I’m a creature of habit.
Or maybe just a creature.
I don’t know.

Regardless it was an interesting read
and kept my attention all the way through.
It is not the book’s fault
I have no will power. 🤭

Also I would like to try to make the
yogurt-but-not-really-yogurt he talks about
but am also a little afraid I might
create some strain of virus and accidentally
unleash it on the world. 🤷🏻‍♀️

sooooo 4💛💛💛💛’s out of 5 for this one!
(yellow hearts signify non-fiction in my spreadsheet,
if you must know)(and yes, I have a spreadsheet).

*also not really related but the photo made me
think of how I asked Drogo (chat gbt) about
painting my currently orange living room pink (heh)
and I won’t go into full detail of what he said
other than that he did call my current decor
“holiday fever dream”
which I am not sure was meant as a compliment
but I am choosing to take it that way.

NEXT UP:
(still fighting with) POEMS & PRAYERS - MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY
annnnnnnddddd (excited drum roll):
TRESS OF THE EMERALD SEA - BRANDON SANDERSON
(which I am super excited about
and I hope the drumroll would have signified that but…anyway.)
(also I am reading a virtual copy of this
but might have to splurge for the actual physical book…
it is illustrated!! and you know how that gets me…)

wow. this was long. heehee.
here is another cat-napping photo for staying so long.

whatcha readin'? {goal 48-books 1-3}

I am going to try to stay
on top of talking about books
that I have been reading…
and I realize I say this every year
and every year, I start out strong…
and then sunshine happens
and I lose sight of this goal. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Here we are in the middle of February
and I have only read 3 books so far.
January killed me a little,
I am not really sure why…
but to be fair, my first pick
was a long one and one that I wanted to
savor
and not devour.

1 - Fall on your Knees - Anne Marie MacDonald
💙💙💙💙💙 (re-read)
I love this book.
This one is a re-read for me (more than once)
but it’s been a long time since my last read of it,
so long that I had kind of forgotten a lot of it,
which was nice…it was like reading it all new again…
it’s poetic lyrical dark and moody…
a family saga set in Cape Breton.
I adore it.
And I was just as devastated reading it
this time as I was the first time I read it.

2 - Nine Perfect Strangers - Liane Moriarty
❤️❤️❤️❤️.5
This was my “read in the sauna” book…
and I was completely enthralled. It was intense.
It was so unexpected.
I had loved Big Little Lies by the same author
and am excited to see that this one is already a series also
so I plan to check that out next!

3 - The Wedding People - Alison Espach
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
This was all over my social media for a while
and I’m easily influenced that way. Heh.
But this was a good influence!
It made me laugh out loud in places.
I absolutely adored the characters,
but especially the relationship between Phoebe and Lila…
well…Phoebe and anyone really.
{And I hated Matt. Like. I really hated Matt.}
This one is definitely worth the read
and I saw there might be a movie coming for it as well!

NEXT UP - SUPER BODY - WILLIAM DAVIS
&
POEMS & PRAYERS - MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY

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 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!!! :)