Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Top Ten Tuesday-- Fall Reads


Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl...join in on the fun!

This week's them is what is on my Fall TBR list? I always love horror, mystery and true crime non-fiction during this time of year...I doubt I'll get to all of them but I will try!

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1. Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl. I have loved her other two books so I'm looking forward to this one.

2. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. The movie is coming out soon and I've heard good things about the book. Love me a good gothic historical.

3. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. I've enjoyed the movies over the years but am looking forward to reading the original and I think there is a new remake coming soon!

4. Asylum by Madeleine Roux. This has old asylum photographs set throughout the book and probably where some of the story comes from. It sounds like it's very similar in nature to the Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children series.

5. Scream All Night by Derek Milman. It's a new YA novel that's scary-themed. Yay!

6. Penpal by Dathan Auerbach. This has been on a few lists the last few years for really creepy books to read during Halloween time so I've added it.

7. Haunted: On Ghosts, Witches, Vampires, Zombies, and Other Monsters of the Natural and Supernatural Worlds by Leo Braudy. Saw this one at the library and thought it looked interesting.

8. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson. I've already started it!

9. War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy. I really want to fight through this one in November as part of my classics challenge.

10. Heaven's Ditch: God, Gold, and Murder on the Erie Canal by Jack Kelly. I heard about this one on a book podcast today and it sounded right up my alley!

Monday, September 17, 2018

Week-in-Review and 30 in September Update-- September 17, 2018

Something has been going around in my son's school and area...whooping cough/pertussis. A lot of kids have been sick or parents are keeping them home as a preventative measure. Luckily, G only had a small cold from the previous weekend and was able to go all week! But I ended up getting a mild sinus infection. I think it's been aggravated from all the smoke from fires we've been experiencing here in Utah! Just a few days ago I could smell the acrid smoke and could hardly see across the street. We had a big windstorm over the weekend and it cleared a lot of it out, thankfully. But it's still burning.

G's school has a carnival fundraiser each year and has become quite a tradition in our family. This year was no exception. G got his face painted and tried out the huge plastic bubbles. I enjoyed the street tacos for only 2.50$. G's grandmother and a family friend visited this weekend as well and came along for the ride. G doesn't get to see DH's mother very often so it was really fun for him to catch up.

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I also finished my first f-bomb crochet project. It's crap but I needed to finish so I could see a result and eventually see how far I've come as I keep going!

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And Sunday was family game night! Takenoko...always a fun one!

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30 Books in September

Day 10: On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder-- This will be a classic. Snyder lays it all out with examples from fascism, communism, and Nazism from the twentieth century. Key things to look out for and ways to combat the destructive time we find ourselves in. It's one to keep on the shelves and reference often.

Day 11: Nimona by Noelle Stevenson-- This is an amazing young adult fantasy graphic novel. I loved everything about this world and Nimona. Read it. It's so good. There are a couple of really funny shark parts in this one.

Day 12: Seriously...I'm Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres-- I love Ellen! She's so funny and good-hearted on her talk show and everything else I've seen her in. She's a class act. But I did not like her book. It was boring. There wasn't anything truly personal in there and the jokes fell really flat for me.

Day 13: The Sand Warrior by Mark Siegel-- Another fantastic juvenile fiction graphic novel sci-fi. Can't wait for the next installment.

Day 14: Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl-- My weekend ran away from me so the last few days have been very small books! It's cute but Dahl just isn't my favorite author.

Day 15: Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr-- This is a tear-jerker. I learned about Sadako and the Thousand Cranes when I lived in Hiroshima for a year. But I finally decided to pick up the English kid's story about her. It's tragic and sad but an important story to learn from.

Day 16: The Elephant's Friend and Other Tales from Ancient India by Marcia Williams-- I love all of Marcia Williams' graphic novels on classic stories and fairy-tales and myths. She's a wonderful illustrator and funny too. I enjoyed this one right before bed.

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Nala says hi!




Monday, September 10, 2018

Week-in-Review and 30-in-September Update

I'm really enjoying the book a day in September. I enjoy picking out my book for the day and setting out time to sit down and read. It's been a fun challenge! There were a couple of days that I had to stay up a bit too late to finish but overall I've been getting them done with time to spare for a few other books I'm reading as well.

I've been enjoying the cooler nights the last week or two. G and I have been taking some walks at night and talking. We've had some fun conversations.

Books Finished:

A book a day for my challenge and The Book on the Taboo of Knowing Who You Are by Alan Watts. I read this one over the summer with my friend. We do a little philosophy club together and this was our pick for the last few months. There were some interesting ideas on how to see ourselves as totally apart of nature and not separate from it. There were some nuggets of great insight. But overall it was a bit wordy and out of touch with pragmatically how the world is and not how we want it to be.

Books I'm Currently Reading:


  • The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas-- a great YA mystery.
  • Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl--It's weird but good!
  • The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters--it's been awhile since I've read a good historical fiction novel with some creepy elements. Probably the last one was The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova.
Books Acquired:

  • Ida: A Sword Among Lions: Ida B. Wells and the Campaign Against Lynching by Paula J. Giddings for my Kindle
  • X-Files: Cold Cases by Audible
  • Emma by Jane Austen from Audible
  • Heresy by S.J. Parris for my Kindle
Listening to:

  • The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
  • Spooked--a podcast put on by Snap Judgment
Watching:

I finally finished up The Alienist. I really enjoyed that show. Characters and world-building were fantastic. Caught up on Castle Rock! OMG only one episode left. The Sinner is getting good too. The WNBA finals are this week so I know I'll be watching those games. Making It finished up its season. What a fun show. I'm going to miss Amy and Nick and all the makers on the show.

Making:

I've been trying to cook more at home and last week I did really well. I made grilled salmon and fish tacos and one-pan chicken thighs with potatoes. Overall, it's been a good week. So yay me! This week will be leftover tacos, spaghetti and homemade meatballs! 

I also have plans to make chocolate chip pumpkin pancakes and start on my crocheting project for f-bombs!

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I don't know if it'll look exactly like this but I'm hoping something similar! I want to make a few of these for stocking stuffers and friend gifts--so my one friend who reads my blog may see this...surprise! But hopefully not...

Looking Forward to:

G has his school fundraiser carnival this Friday so he's very excited about that! I'm also looking forward to Fall. The Pumpkin Harvest beers from Blue Moon are out and I just love those so much. Pumpkin cookies and soon I'll be making chilis and soups and stews. We also just put up most of Halloween decorations cuz after Labor Day it's unofficially fall for me and that means Halloween.

30 Books in September Challenge:

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Day 4: All's Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson. This was a very cute graphic novel story on the anxieties and fears of starting middle school. I had a hard time with the parenting in this one but I know that wasn't the point so I tried to overlook that. Overall it's a great read.

Day 5: The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang. I loved this young adult graphic novel. The prince secretly loves to dress in women's clothing and he hires a young seamstress to make his clothes for him and to keep his secret.

Day 6: The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz. Some good principles to live by but he lost me in his metaphors and anecdotes.

Day 7: The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown. I had to read this way too fast so I'll be going back over all the things she wrote about. She's great.

Day 8: Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce. I've been wanting to read this one for along time. I'm so glad I finally picked it up for my challenge. Loved it!

Day 9: How to Fake a Moon Landing: Exposing the Myths of Science Denial by Daryl Cunningham. This was a non-fiction graphic novel. It's not bad. Wasn't my favorite but I liked the sentiment.

Sunday, September 9, 2018

Earthseed: The Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler

This is the second book in the Earthseed series. Olamina and her Earthseed group have set up their community and are enjoying its fruit but soon her life changes again when her brother shows up who thinks she's a heathen and needs to repent her ways. Her brother leaves and soon after their community is run out by fundamentalist Christian terrorists and her community is forced into slavery and their children are taken away to be raised by "good" Christian families.

It's an awful experience to read about. The trauma and violence inflicted upon Olamina and her group is devastating after we have gotten to know so much about each and every one. Her husband is murdered and her daughter is taken away. After she escapes she searches for her but she also decides she needs to set up her religious movement differently.

The book focuses on her daughter all grown up and reading through her mother's old journals and Earthseed movement writings. Her daughter does not have a lot of sympathy for her mother and it's devastating to see it. Things do not always turn out for the best and our relationships with family and friends are not always what we need them to be or expect them to be. They're fraught with all the drama and hurt and disloyalty we can imagine.

These books were written in the 90s and it's an eerie reminder of how things truly never change in the world. Her assessments of current politics are spot on. If I didn't know better I'd assume she had written this series for present-day.

“Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought.
To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all that the coward fears.
To be led by a fool is to be led by the opportunists who control the fool.
To be led by a thief is to offer up your most precious treasures to be stolen.
To be led by a liar is to ask to be told lies.
To be led by a tyrant is to sell yourself and those you love into slavery.” 


“Beware:
Ignorance 
Protects itself.
Ignorance
Promotes suspicion.
Suspicion
Engenders fear.
Fear quails,
Irrational and blind,
Or fear looms,
Defiant and closed.
Blind, closed,
Suspicious, afraid,
Ignorance
Protects itself,
And protected,
Ignorance grows.” 


“I found that I couldn't muster any belief in a literal heaven or hell, anyway. I thought the best we could all do was to look after one another and clean up the various hells we've made right here on earth.” 


Saturday, September 8, 2018

Mini Book Reviews


Dark Places by Gillian Flynn:

I enjoyed this one a lot better than the movie. Do not see that awful movie. It was like a bad Lifetime movie...

I didn't like the storyline as much as her other two books. Libby isn't a great person; she's been through a lot after being the only survivor of the slaughter of her family along with her brother who's been convicted of that slaughter.

The plot gets pretty convoluted toward the end. Where it all just kind of happens and we're still kind of wondering at all the coincidences that would have had to play out that night...

But I enjoyed the character development. Libby is messed up and rightfully so. Her brother Ben is no picnic even after all these years in prison. Everyone's messy and real. The plots of Flynn's books are truly out there but her world-building and characters are top-notch, which is why I'll continue to read her books.


Wishtree by Katherine Applegate:

I loved reading this sweet book about a tree and her friends that live in her branches and the humans she's trying to take care of. It's a great discussion books on remembering our history and sharing our love with other living things. It's a wonderful story and I enjoyed reading it aloud with G.


The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas:

I'm really into mysteries right now--good mysteries, and Kara Thomas delivered. I loved seeing the perspectives of the dead sister that year she died and what led up to it--we get small pieces from both timelines in order to put it all together. The characters are not perfect; they're messy and stupid and yet we still care and want to know what happens. One of the better young adult authors out there right now. I'm reading Thomas' previous book The Darkest Corners right now and it's not disappointing either.


Thursday, September 6, 2018

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Goodreads summary:

They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.

Now we rise.

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.
 


My Thoughts:

This is a magical book. I loved immersing myself into the world of Orisha and Zelie and Inan. You think you have some characters all figured out and then boom no! Course changes and storylines flow and change like the sea. I loved everything about this magical world.

Not only does she share such an amazing world she also has something to say about the human condition and how we have to dehumanize the "evil other" in order to awful and terrible things to them. It's a powerful metaphor for our present times.

I recommend listening to it. The woman who narrates pronounces everything beautifully and she really engages you so you are completely immersed. I also recommend buying the book because they cover is gorgeous and it has maps and deity and maji maps and power descriptions. It helps to keep it all in your head!

So please go pick this book up!

Cat Thursday-- September 5, 2018


Welcome to the weekly meme hosted by Michelle at True Book Addict that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite lolcat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats!

Seal gets powned by cat! Ha ha!




Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Horror Movie Wednesday

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The Crucifixion (2017): An American journalist heads to Romania to find out if a girl was murdered by over-zealous nuns and priests or if they were helping to cleanse her of an evil demon.

Not a great possession movie. It felt more like Catholic-made propaganda but it had some beautiful cinematography. I definitely would love to visit Romania. Gorgeous country.


All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006): Mandy Lane is the virgin-esque hot girl that ahem all the boy love....Mandy finally decides to go to a house in the middle of nowhere with all popular kids from school. Soon people start dying horribly!

It's a teen slasher flick. It's not bad. It's a slow burn with a twist at the end. But there is no character development at all. The killer kills for no reason. The acting is only so-so. But it's a fun time with friends with wine.

*watched as part of R.I.P. challenge.


Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Week-in-Review and 30 in September: Days 1, 2, 3

I was out camping over the weekend so I had to limit myself to very small books for my 30 in September book challenge with Stacy! A lot of my books are small so I can feel good about my challenge and not make it too daunting.

We enjoyed a relaxing Labor Day weekend with friends by sitting around a fire most of the day and eating and drinking! Best kind of camping for me....

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September 1st I was around a fire a lot so before bed I ended up reading the graphic novel/comic Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur vol. 1 by Amy Reeder. It's a super cute story and I really enjoyed Moon Girl and how she deals with all the anxieties of being young and not knowing where you fit in. The dinosaur was adorable!

September 2nd I read The Three Questions by Jon J. Muth to G before bed. It's a wonderfully illustrated read based on a story by Leo Tolstoy. In fact, all of Muth's illustrated stories for children are fantastic. They are upbeat and philosophical.

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September 3 I finished off The Cutting Season by Attica Locke. The Cutting Season also fulfills one of my books in the R.I.P. XIII challenge!

So technically didn't read it all in one day but like I said before I've got to make the challenge work for me!

Watched:

The Lodgers: Interesting take on an Irish ghost story. I loved the setting and the accents. It was creepy and had a satisfying ending.

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane: Not a bad teen slasher flick that came out 12 years ago. I saw some familiar faces. The acting was so-so but the cinematography was great and the ending was weird and gross. So overall, not too bad but not one I'd rave about or watch again.

Christopher Robin: This was a very cute and light movie. I loved Eeyore! The whole family had a great time seeing these cute Pooh characters back on the screen.

Caught up on Castle Rock, The Sinner, and started The Alienist.

Looking forward to:

We have some good friends coming over for a BBQ on Saturday! It's been awhile since we've all gotten together.




Friday, August 31, 2018

30 in September!

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A challenge has been issued! My wonderful blogging friend Stacy over at Stacy's Books has challenged me to read 30 books in September, a book for each day. She did this last year and I had so much fun cheering her on that I told her I'd be up for it the next year. Well, the time has come. I will be sticking to very small books, like all of G's books I could gather up from his bookshelves...and graphic novels from the library! Never fear, I did throw in some short classics like Animal Farm and The Pearl. But for the most part I'm sticking to the small stuff and see how I do. If I manage all right I hope to up the ante next year!

I also am going out of town a couple of weekends in September so I will have to be extra vigilant!

 So without further adieu here is my list in picture form. I do have more than 30 pictured but I wanted to have options! I also may do a few on my Kindle...

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Nala couldn't resist helping me out with my piles! And another kitty to round it all out!

I will try to do regular updates but I can't ever be sure. But wish me luck and Stacy too and whoever else is crazy enough to join us!

Thursday, August 30, 2018

Week-in-Review--August 30, 2018

I headed out of town last weekend--up to Boise, Idaho for a little reunion with some ex-pat. friends I met while living in Japan a few years ago. We decided to ride around the city on a bike bar. And yes that is exactly what it is. We brought our own liquid courage and had a sober "driver" who told us when to pedal and when to coast and steered us to a few food spots and a bar or two. It was so fun to see old friends and catch up!

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Finished:

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (on Audible)

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas

Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate

Watched:

The Sinner, started The Innocents on Netflix, still watching Making It, and finished the last episode of Sharp Objects! OMG! So good!

Saw in the theater: The Meg. Surprisingly more watchable that I was expecting. Jason Statham seems to nail the action/cheesiness perfectly!

The Lodgers for my scary movie night! Also a winner.

Listening to:

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman

Making:

I made some excellent sloppy joe's the other night and I will be making some tasty tilapia fish tacos for dinner tonight! It's been grilling all summer long.

Looking forward to:

Camping for Labor Day weekend! We have been looking forward to this with our good friends for a few months and cannot wait to head out of town on Friday!

Reading/Movie Challenges:

I did not excel at Bout of Books last week! But I did manage to finish a few of my books! But I wanted to try it just to see what it was like and hopefully schedule myself better for the next Bout!

I will be participating in a 30 books in 30 days of September with Stacy! Looking forward to that one soon....

Also R.I.P. XIII will be starting in September. I won't be reading as much horror due to my aforementioned challenge but will be going full throttle with scary movies and TV shows.

Cat Thursday--August 30, 2018



Cat Thursday is hosted by Michelle over at True Book Addict where we share all things cat!








Wednesday, August 29, 2018

R.I.P. XIII-- The Challenge!


Join up for all the scary things at R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril site!

Peril The First-- At least 4 scary books

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

Out by Matsuo Kirino

The Ruins by Scott Smith

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Scream All Night by Derek Milman

A Ghost Story by Peter Straub

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

Peril of the Screen-- I will be watching all the horrors!

Slenderman

The Nun

Searching

Lizzie

The Little Stranger

Mara

A Simple Favor

I am unlikely to get to all of these but I wanted a small list of possibilities over the next two months!

Saturday, August 25, 2018

R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril XIII



It's that time of year again! R.I.P. XIII is just around the corner from Sept. 1- Oct. 31st hosted by Capricious over at the official Readers Imbibing Peril website.

The purpose of the R.I.P. Challenge is to enjoy books that could be classified as:
Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark Fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.
Supernatural.
The emphasis is never on the word challenge, instead it is about coming together as a community and embracing the autumnal mood, whether the weather is cooperative where you live or not.
The goals are simple. 
1. Have fun reading.
2. Share that fun with others.
As we do each and every year, there are multiple levels of participation (Perils) that allow you to be a part of R.I.P. XII without adding the burden of another commitment to your already busy lives. There is even a one book only option for those who feel that this sort of reading is not their cup of tea (or who have many other commitments) but want to participate all the same.
Multiple perils await you. You can participate in just one, or participate in them all.

Peril the First:

Read four books, any length, that you feel fit (our very broad definitions) of R.I.P. literature. It could be Stephen King or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Shirley Jackson or Tananarive Due…or anyone in between.

Peril the Second:

Read two books of any length that you believe fit within the challenge categories.

Peril the Third:

We all want you to participate. This Peril involves reading one book that fits within the R.I.P. definition.

Peril of the Short Story:

We are fans of short stories and our desire for them is perhaps no greater than in autumn. We see Jackson in our future for sure! You can read short stories any time during the challenge. We sometimes like to read short stories over the weekend and post about them around that time. Feel free to do this however you want, but if you review short stories on your site, please link to those reviews on our RIPXII Book Review pages.

Peril on the Screen:

This is for those of us who like to watch suitably scary, eerie, mysterious gothic fare during this time of year. It may be something on the small screen or large. It might be a television show, like Dark Shadows, or your favorite film. If you are so inclined, please post links to any R.I.P.-related viewing you do on our book review pages as well.

Peril of the Review:

Submit a short review of any book you read and you may see it here on the blog! Again, you may participate in one or all of the various Perils. Our one demand: enjoy yourself!
The R.I.P. XII Challenge does not require you to read from a pre-selected list of books, but like many of you we love to get ideas from what others are thinking of reading. If you want to include a pool of potential reads when you sign up, either in the comments or on your own sign up post on your blog (not required for participation), please do!
This challenge is always a joy because of one thing: you! You sharing your passion for books, reading, films, television, etc. helps bring us together and ensures that we all have a great time. Thank each and every one of you who choose to participate on any level. We are honored that you would choose to do so.

I know I'll be reading lots of things in September and I'll throw some good scares in all month in October. Horror movies will be back in queue for those two months! Can't wait! I'll probably throw some titles up that I'd love to get to as September approaches. Join in if you dare!!!

Friday, August 24, 2018

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager


Goodreads Summary:

Two Truths and a Lie. The girls played it all the time in their tiny cabin at Camp Nightingale. Vivian, Natalie, Allison, and first-time camper Emma Davis, the youngest of the group. The games ended when Emma sleepily watched the others sneak out of the cabin in the dead of night. The last she--or anyone--saw of them was Vivian closing the cabin door behind her, hushing Emma with a finger pressed to her lips.
Now a rising star in the New York art scene, Emma turns her past into paintings--massive canvases filled with dark leaves and gnarled branches that cover ghostly shapes in white dresses. The paintings catch the attention of Francesca Harris-White, the socialite and wealthy owner of Camp Nightingale. When Francesca implores her to return to the newly reopened camp as a painting instructor, Emma sees an opportunity to try to find out what really happened to her friends.
Yet it's immediately clear that all is not right at Camp Nightingale. Already haunted by memories from fifteen years ago, Emma discovers a security camera pointed directly at her cabin, mounting mistrust from Francesca and, most disturbing of all, cryptic clues Vivian left behind about the camp's twisted origins. As she digs deeper, Emma finds herself sorting through lies from the past while facing threats from both man and nature in the present.
And the closer she gets to the truth about Camp Nightingale, the more she realizes it may come at a deadly price.

Things I liked:

  • It's a fast read.
  • The middle section is pretty intense and I was unsure where he was going with the story. Kept me guessing.
  • I liked the overall atmosphere of being up in the woods, camp, cabins, spooky lake and mysterious people showing up.
Didn't Like:

  • The story fell flat in the end. I thought he was going to have something to say about the lake and where it came from but that was a red herring.
  • As in his first work under Sager, the author had a hard time with the female voice. They come off very stereotyped.
  • The ending....I can't. It was too much.
I read it in two days and the mystery isn't bad but it could've been so much better. The Final Girls was a better plotted story overall. I don't think I'll read more by him.

Part of Bout of Books readathon!


Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Top Ten Tuesday-- Books to Pull You Out of a Reading Slump



These are books that are guaranteed to pull me out of a reading slump! Maybe they will for you too.

1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte-- This is my all-time favorite book. I first read it as a teenager and it only gets better each time I read it. Truly a timeless classic.

2. Persuasion by Jane Austen-- My favorite Jane Austen novel.

3. Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier-- One of my favorite historical fantasies. It's a beautiful retelling and it's just guaranteed to drawn you in.

4. Harry Potter series J.K. Rowling-- If I'm not sure what to read...this is always a go-to.

5. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Ayedemi-- My love of ya fantasy has been reignited!

6. Yes Please by Amy Poehler-- Listen to this one. She has her friends and family do their own parts and it's hilarious!

7. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah-- Also listen to this one. His accent and his optimism despite his awful childhood is truly inspiring.

8. The Demon-haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan-- Carl Sagan can always get me out of any funk.

9. Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Penelope Bragieu-- Great graphic novel collection of women who truly rocked the world.

10. Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell-- I listened to this one. If you love history and comedy, Ms. Vowell is a true national treasure.

Visit That Artsy Reader Girl to participate and find out more!

Monday, August 20, 2018

Week-in-Review August 20, 2018

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Where did the summer go? I mean there is still 5 weeks left til the official start of autumn but once the kiddos hit school, it all changes. Summer isn't quite the same with school back in session. G was really nervous about starting but we went to his back to school night and he had a blast. He loved seeing his new classroom and meeting his teacher and seeing all his buddies from last year. He was excited all weekend long to be heading back to school.

It's bittersweet. G is getting older so we can hang out and do a lot more stuff together. This was the first summer he actually enjoyed our hikes together. We did our last one together Monday and it was challenging and very hot but he stuck with it and told me it was one of his favorite hikes. So yeah it's a bittersweet time. I wish we had a few more weeks to just hang out and be together. It's enjoying these tiny moments together and keeping them with me.

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Zoo day for DH's work family summer party!


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Our last hike together before school started


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Last big water park shin dig!


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What!? G in 4th!!!


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First book to read for Bout of Books!


Finished:

I'm Fine and Other Lies by Whitney Cummings (listened to audiobook)

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

Watched:

Finished up Killing Eve. Whoa! That was a good show. Weird and awkward and funny along with some action. Caught up on The Sinner season 2, Castle Rock, and Sharp Objects.

Netflix just released To All the Boys I've Loved Before and I watched that with DH. Super cute. I loved it! I want to read the trilogy now. It was a little cheesy but overall a well-done production. I hope it goes viral and gets watched a lot. I'd love to see the next two in the series also made into movies.

I Kill Giants was also a very poignant coming-of-age movie. Though, A Monster Calls was done a lot better it was still a great movie to see and that little actress is gonna go places.

And if you want creepy and disturbing I watched The Gift with Jason Bateman and Joel Edgerton.

Listening to:

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. So good. Over half way through.

Making:

I've been grilling brats and chicken all week. I've been trying to get full use out of our grill this summer.

Looking forward to:

Heading out of town with a friend. We're doing a little expat reunion for all of us who were in Japan together a few years ago. It's been three years since I've seen one of them. It should be a great weekend.

Challenges:

I'm participating in Bout of Books this week.

September I'll be joining Stacy from Stacy's Books to read one book every day in September. I'm choosing a lot of kids book and graphic novels. But it'll be fun to try and focus and get as many in as I can.

Yay to Fall! I can now officially look forward to it!

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