Tales of a busy, messy, at-times-chaotic, but happy family
Can you believe it's almost April?! I LOVE spring. I love the warmer temperatures, the trees starting to bloom, getting to plant everything in our garden, etc. Spring is my favorite season and I am trying to soak it all up over here!
I was unable to squeeze in a book post last month when I took some time off, so today I have a "what I read" post for both February AND March. There were some really good ones, so get ready to add some books to your list!
Good morning! I hope you all had a nice week. Today I am sharing the 4 books I was able to read in the month of January. As always, thank God for audiobooks otherwise this wouldn't have happened 😆. Three of the four books were really good, and one was only so-so. Let's have a look:
One of my New Year's Resolutions in 2020 was to read 40 books. When we all first went into quarantine I thought "oh, I'll have so much more time to read since I won't be going anywhere". It turns out I was WRONG! Very wrong. Wrangling two young kiddos all day while simultaneously trying to navigate at-home teaching AND keeping the kiddos busy while Devin was leading webinars/conference calls/etc turned out to be very much the opposite of "I'll have so much time to read". Yet somehow I was able to do it! I give all the credit to audiobooks because I think at least half of my books I "read" this year were audiobooks I listened to while doing laundry/dishes/driving/taking Liam for a walk. Also, it turns out I had read a book earlier this year and forgot to check it off my list! Let's have a look at what I read in December:
Good morning friends! This year I set out to read 40 books, and while I don't think I'm going to hit my goal of 40, I was still able to squeeze a lot of books in this past year. I am currently reading two more as we wrap up the year, but I think it is safe to say neither of them will end up on my favorites list. I was able to read 37 books up to this point, which is still pretty close to my goal-- and with this year being as crazy as it was-- I'll take it! As always, some of them were good, some not-so-good, and some GREAT. Today I want to share the great ones with you in case you're looking for some books to read either over the break or in 2021. I have broken them down by genre for those of you who like books from specific genres:
- Thriller-
Lock Every Door- Earlier this year I joined a Facebook Book Club called "Reading Between the Wines" and this was one of the books of the month. The main character breaks up with her boyfriend and needs a new place to live, so she accepts a job as a house sitter on the Upper East Side of NYC. There were a bunch of creepy twists in this book and I kept finding myself staying up way too late to read "just one more chapter!!". It's currently in development to be a mini-series, like "Big Little Lies"-- I can't wait to watch it!
The Sun Down Motel- Another from the "Reading Between the Wines" book club, this one was very unique compared to the thriller books I usually read. This is about a girl who goes missing from her job at a motel in the 80's and her niece comes back in present day to try to find out what happened to her. It goes back and forth between the 80's and present day, with a few "guests" at the motel who never really left. If you like thrillers with a hint of ghost story, this one is for you!
An Anonymous Girl- Jessica is a makeup artist in NYC who is struggling financially, when she comes across an opportunity to participate in a study at a local college. A professor is doing a study on morality and will pay her for her time answering questions. Everything seems fine at first, but as Jessica progresses further into the study the more the things the professor is asking makes Jessica uncomfortable. This book makes you think "if you were desperate for money, just how far would you go to make some?"
The Other Mrs.- Sadie and Will move from Chicago to small town Maine. Shortly after their move, their neighbor is murdered. Naturally, the people in the small town start getting suspicious about Sadie and Will's family, but Sadie is determined to try to figure out what really happened. Mary Kubica, the author, is one of my all time favorites! She knows how to write thriller books that make you stay up way too late, and then wake up early just so you can read a little more.
The Silent Patient- Whoa! I listened to this one on Audible and was listening with my headphones on while cleaning/doing things around the house. I kept saying "oh my gosh!" or "whoa!" while listening and it even made Devin curious 😄 Such a crazy twist at the end!
- Historical Fiction-
The Librarian of Auschwitz- I'm not sure historical fiction is the right category here or biographical fiction? This book is based off the true story of a young girl who was tasked with keeping the secret library for the children in the family block of Auschwitz. This book was eye opening, heartbreaking, and yet inspiring at the same time. It is astonishing to me that someone can go through such horrible conditions and still put other people and their survival above their own survival.
Her Last Flight- This is a story about a journalist who is trying to investigate the disappearance and lives of two of the world's most famous aviators, one of them a woman named Irene. This story felt like it paralleled Amelia Earhart's life and I loved learning more about early aviation and about women in flight. I have yet to read a Beatriz Williams book I haven't loved!
- Fiction-
What Alice Forgot- This is one of my all-time favorites that I read again this year with a friend-- it has such a unique storyline and I love it! The main character, Alice, suffers a head injury and loses 10 years of her memory. Unfortunately for Alice, in that span of time she has gone from happily married and pregnant, to a mother of 3, getting divorced, and has strained relationships with other family members. She has no memory of any of this happening. This story is about her trying to find out how her life has changed so drastically over the past 10 years and what she can do to salvage some of those important relationships.
A Man Called Ove- Such a heartwarming book about a grumpy old man whose neighbors help him see the positives in his life, at a time when he is struggling to see them on his own. A perfect feel good book!
- Nonfiction-
There's No Such Thing As Bad Weather- As an outdoorsy person, I love that this book encourages us to get our kids outside in nature every single day, despite the weather. Even if it's rainy or cold, you can dress appropriately and get outside for at least 15 minutes. I definitely notice an improvement in myself when I spend some time outdoors, and I notice it in my kids as well.
SuperLife- So I heard about this book after watching the "Down to Earth" documentary on Netflix earlier this year. Darin Olien, the author, was one of the hosts of the show. I don't necessarily buy into everything this book says, but it definitely lit a fire up under me about eating healthy food and paying attention to what I put in my body. I read this book months ago and I am still trying to follow some of the advice in this book daily-- including making sure I get some raw green foods into my diet. If you're looking for a book to help you get a healthier start to 2021, I recommend this one!
And now if I had to pick my #1 favorite book of the year, it would be:
Her Last Flight!
If you love historical fiction and haven't read this one yet, please put it on your list!!
And now, what about you? What was your favorite book you read this year?
Good morning friends and happy Wednesday! Today I am sharing my monthly book review-- I would recommend 3 out of the 4! Let's get to it, shall we?
Hi there! On Monday I posted some of our favorite Halloween books for kids and it got me to thinking that maybe some of us adults would like to read a creepy/chilling/thriller type of book this time of year too! I don't know of many Halloween themed books for adults (unless you count the super famous teenage vampire series we all read but pretend we didn't 😂), but I do know some good books that'll give you that chilled-to-the-bone feeling! I don't want to give too many details and give anything away, so I just gave a brief reason why I loved it. If you're looking for something a little on the creepy side to pick up and read, have a look at these suggestions!
Good morning friends and happy Monday! We had some big plans to go up to Blowing Rock and the Blue Ridge Mountains this weekend to peep some leaves but then 2/4 of our family ended up with head colds ('tis the season!) so we decided to sleep in our own beds for a few days instead. We stopped by our house Sunday to check the renovation progress and then drove around the nearby neighborhoods looking at some fun Halloween decorations. This one was a favorite by far-- they had EVERYTHING! Witches, pumpkins, skeletons, spiders, etc. We were stopped in front of this house for like 10 minutes oohhhing and aaaahing. 😀
Good morning friends! Today I am sharing the books I read in the month of September. I had big plans to "read" (i.e. listen to the audiobook version) of several books this month while we packed and moved but that didn't quite work out like I had planned! Our library stopped giving us unlimited access to audiobooks in August and we only get 6 a month. I didn't realize we were limited again and used all my downloads on audiobooks for Lily Grace-- oops! While I don't mind listening to Olaf's Frozen Adventure while we're in the car, I'm not exactly going to be listening to that while I pack up the house 😉
Good morning friends and happy Friday! Today I am sharing the books I read in the month of August-- and believe it or not I was able to squeeze in 4! Every single one of these was an audiobook this month and I think that's the only way I was able to get through so many. I listen while I put on my makeup for the day, while I do laundry, while I clean the kitchen after dinner, while I am out for my walks/runs, etc. Anytime I have a spare minute, I'm listening! Do any of you listen to audiobooks?? I love a good thriller while out for a run-- I swear I run faster!
Anyway, every single one of these books was hit! If you're looking for something good to add to your list, maybe some of these will fit the bill.
