TTT: Spring 2022 TBR

Like I said last time, I'm only interested in book posts lately! Today I'm joining Jana and sharing my top books I'd like to read this spring.

My first order of business is to finish the Book Challenge by Erin 16.0, and I'm on my very last book, The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley.

I also want to read the books that are becoming movies/series, which include Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll and The Dry by Jane Harper. (For a comprehensive list of many books-movies/series coming out this year, check out Tanya's list!)

One of my reading goals this year is to read books that I already own, waiting for me on my (physical) bookshelf. These include Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney, and Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng. 

Another goal of mine this year is to clear out some books off of my Netgalley shelf. Two I've started but stopped, Ghosts by Dolly Alderton and Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Lois, and one is by a favorite author, The Therapist by B.A. Paris. 

Of course with spring in the air I'm thinking of spring cleaning, and I found this short book on Kindle Unlimited so I thought I'd check it out Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle With Stuff by Dana K. White.

What are some books you'd like to read this season?

February Reads

Seems like the only posts I'm interested in writing this year are book-related, but I'm pretty sure this audience doesn't mind! One thing I bought myself this Christmas was a "reader's journal." Even though I occasionally come back to these posts to remember what I thought of a book, I hardly ever write/share spoilers and thrillers are one of my favorite genres, so this allows me to  write down and remember questions that I had while reading and those big AH-HA! moments. I love it. I'm still figuring out how exactly I want to structure it (like, I don't care about "character notes" but I am interested in how I got the book, whether it was from library or Kindle, or BOTM, etc.) and genres, etc. It's definitely still a work in progress, but I'm loving it so far! It actually helped me to write some of these reviews! So without further ado, here's what I read in February. 

What You Did - Claire McGowan: 5 Stars

Kindle Unlimited

Summary: 6 college friends get together for the first time in 20 years. They're having a great time until Ali (our protagonist)'s BFF Karen comes staggering in from the garden claiming that Ali's husband (and her friend as well), Mike, raped her. There is a trial, after which shit goes down and even more truths come out about that night and a night 20 years earlier at their graduation where another young woman that they all knew was sexual assaulted and murdered. 

Wow. THIS was the fast-paced domestic thriller I've been looking for. So many twists and turns, and even though our protagonist is a bit dim/wearing rose-colored glasses, I didn't see that ending coming!

"'Al. Ali. You know by now, don't you? You know and that's why you've come?'...

'What do I know?'...

'What I did...'"

The Call of the Mountain - Sam Neumann: 3 Stars

Netgalley (from 2015)

Summary: High-flying financial analyst Julian up and leaves his life in NYC because he's tired of the "rat-race." He moves to Denver because he's always wondered what it would be like to live "out west" after seeing an ad for the Rockies in his childhood. He gets caught up with some mob (like, really? How could you not know?) and a bunch of shit goes down.

This was just ok. Kind of predictable, but kept me intrigued enough to finish. I would not label this as a "face-paced thriller" but more of a slow-burn. Julian was a very unlikeable character with no real back-bone and there's 0 character development. The "romance" was lackluster at best.  The whole story was a bit far-fetched, but the ending even more so, and it needed an epilogue. It wrapped up a bit too tidily.

Jonny Appleseed - Joshua Whitehead: 2 Stars
Purchased, paperback

I wish I could summarize this one, but the storyline was so hard to pinpoint. I'll try though:  a young, gay man trying to make ends meet after he leaves the "rez," moves to Winnipeg and pursues a life as a cybersex worker (the author really makes a point of stating "cybersex worker" and not prostitute, but basically a prostitute). He is trying to make money to go back home to his grandmother's funeral- one of the few people who seemed to understand and love him for who he was. 

The stream-of-consciousness story-telling made this story extremely disjointed. There was just no coherent timeline and too many VERY graphic overly sexual scenes. I think the author was trying to be "edgy" but it just made me cringe. At least it was a short, fast read. 

Currently Reading: Why Not Me? - Mindy Kaling

Book Stats
Total number read: 8
Owned: 1

Library: 4 (same)

E-book: 4

Physical book: 3
Non-Fiction: 1 (same)
BIPOC Author: 2

What are you reading?

Linking up with Steph and Jana! 

January Reads

Hello fellow bookworms! I'm coming in late with my book reviews from last month... what can I say? Monday night I stayed up late reading instead of writing this post... oops! It wasn't even a good book ::facepalm:: But I'll be sharing that one next month. Last year was rough for sure, and my reading reflected a lot of what I'd consider "fluff" because that's all I could handle. This year I'm trying to be more inclusive in terms of authors (last year I only read books 4 by men, 2 of which were short stories, and only 6 by BIPOC authors... oh, the shame!). Here's what I read in 2022 so far.

Let It Snow - John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle: 5 Stars
library e-book

Short take: 3 intertwined stories of teens caught in a snowstorm between Christmas and NYE in NC. 

I almost never read the book AFTER watching the show/movie, but I made an exception because I barely remembered anything about it other than that the stories were interconnected. (And of course I re-watched the Netflix movie directly after I finished, and they were vastly different.) All that to say that I loved both (though I think I liked the movie a wee bit more *gasp!*). And I'm pretty sure this was a timing thing, as I was still feeling a bit of the holiday spirit and this had just enough mush and romance and holiday without going overboard. Also made me crave Waffle House hash browns.

Shout - Laurie Halse Anderson: 4 Stars

library paperback

Content warning:  rape, sexual assault, PTSD, war, physical abuse, fat shaming, alcohol and other drug use.

I never read Speak but I knew what the premise was, and knowing that made me wary going into this memoir. But this wasn't all about that singular incident (which was called IT and I found that profoundly fitting); it included poems about her childhood and growing up, about her family, her subsequent relationships, and her After life.  I love that she's going to high schools and school boards and spreading her truth and empowering the movement because it at least gets the conversation going. 

"too many grown-ups tell kids to follow

their dreams

like that's going to get you somewhere

Auntie Laurie is says follow your nightmares instead

cuz when you figure out what's eating you alive

you can slay it"

Jane Austen Ruined My Life - Beth Pattillo: 3 Stars
library paperback

Short take: Emma (ha) finds herself cheated on and out of a job; she moves to England after getting a letter from a stranger stating that she has Jane Austen's long lost letters, so she moves there to find, steal, and publish them to get "revenge" on Austen and her life back on track.

I admit I've never read anything by Jane Austen nor do I know anything about her life. I solely picked up this book to fit Erin's Challenge, but I enjoyed it! While Austen factoids were thrown in, it wasn't much about her at all but rather one fanatic's journey after she falls (or tumbles, painfully and quite publicly) from grace and lands in England on the hunt for Austen's long-lost letters (really to sell Austen's private life out and publicize the letters because she read to many of Austen's novels and wanted to get revenge on her for "making" her believe in a happily-ever-afters or something like that, but also to clear her name and get her career  as a professor at a university back). I liked the eccentric character of Mrs. Parrot, the witty banter and playful romance, but was disappointed by the ending and too many unanswered questions that I can't mention here without major spoiler alerts. 

"'I can't believe any of this is coincidence.'

Mrs. Parrot gave me another one of her smiles. 'My dear, you should never fail to believe in the power of coincidence. I'm sure Jane Austen would give you the same counsel.'" 

The Knockout Queen - Rufi Thorpe: 2 Stars

library e-book

Content warning: pedophilia, homophobia, self-harm, alcohol and other drug abuse, physical abuse/bullying

Short take: An unlikely friendship blossoms between neighbors and "outsiders" Michael (who is poor and gay) and Bunny (who is 6 ft tall and rich); this is "their" story."

I just didn't like this author's way of story telling. The first person narrative felt like a stream-of- consciousness, however Michael isn't telling his story at all- he's talking all about events that are happening to his best friend, Bunny, which felt weird. Events that happened to Bunny that should have been gut-wrenching, as told from outside/Michael's POV, seemed less so, if that makes sense. This was definitely a coming of age story, but also involved toxic friendships, abuse, and privilege. (F'n RAY aka Bunny's dad, what a scumbag.) A few reviewers mentioned that if you liked Holden Caulfield and/or Wes Anderson movies, you might like this. I dislike both, so take this review with a grain of salt I suppose. 

"You were poor, you got a drug charge, you got a gun charge, ding, ding, scrape, scratch, because those were the problems that came from growing up in a poor neighborhood. They were not signs of individual moral turpitude."

Currently reading: What You Did - Claire McGowan

Book Stats
Total number read: 4
Owned: 0

Library: 4

E-book: 2

Physical book: 2
Non-Fiction: 1
BIPOC: 1

What are you reading?

Linking up with Steph and Jana! 

Monthly Musings

2. Chocolate, Flowers, or Both? I prefer flowers because I've never had much of a sweet tooth, however Blue always says flowers smell like a funeral. I disagree, but since she said that I obviously never bought her flowers again! This was her favorite bouquet though...

3. Favorite Romantic Date? We like going to dinner, or an experience like the pasta/wine tasting we did for our anniversary. 

4. Any Valentine's Day Traditions with Kids? No kids, so no traditions. 

5. How Do You Show Love? I'm reading this in terms of "What's Your Love Language" and in that case it's Acts Of Service/Gift Giving. I'm always bringing Blue treats or doing little things that I know will make her happy, from ordering peanut butter when I see the empty container in the trash to cleaning out her closets (which actually brings ME joy too!). 

6. Do You Decorate for Valentine's Day? No. 

7. Do you Wear Red or Pink on Valentine's Day? Yes! Nothing special, but it nearly always involves some pink or red. 

8. Is Valentine's Day a Big Deal or Small Remembrance? Small remembrance. We feel that everything is so overpriced for Valentine's Day that it's just not worth it. Plus after my birthday, followed by the holiday season and then our anniversary in early January, we keep Valentine's Day very low-key; just a card and maybe a small gift or date (not ON Valentine's Day, but shortly before or after). 

9. Favorite Ideas for School Valentine's Parties? Again, no kids so no school parties. I do remember giving out those little cards and maybe cupcakes when I was in school. 

10. Have You Ever Had a Secret Admirer? I have, twice actually! The first a high school friend and he was very upset when I didn't feel the same. The second was in college. We threw a big graduation party, and had cardboard posters where our guests could write us a goodbye message. I didn't even see it until the next day, but one of my friends from a year below me wrote that he had a crush on me- it was so sweet! 

How do you show love?

Linking up with Patty and Holly!

What's Up Wednesday

Hi friends! Since I've been a bit MIA I wanted to join Shay and Schaeffer for a recap of all the things goin on lately!

What I'm Eating... Don'tcha hate it when a restaurant (or in my case a fast food chain) gets rid of your favorite dish? I've been missing my Taco Bell spicy chicken burritos for awhile now, when lo and behold I found a copycat recipe on Pinterest and it's so good! This recipe will definitely be repeated since it's so easy (especially when you use leftover shredded chicken)!

This I plan to try this creamy garlic salmon pasta, these crockpot Swedish meatballs over egg noodles, and these oven baked chili cheese dogs- man, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! 

What I'm Reminiscing About... bigger vacations in general, but especially our last "flight" vacation to Jamaica 2019. Who knew then that would be our last international trip for awhile?! I remember I was SO COLD at Dunn's River Falls, but has so much fun too!

What I'm Loving... right now, my last day working remote! We go back to fully in office next week. I'm going to treat myself to a little lunchtime walk over to the library and lunch from this Italian deli around the corner from me which is never open when I get back from work! 

What I've Been Up To... Blue and I shared a 7-year anniversary! We both love "experiences," so she took me to a wine-making class followed by a scrumptious dinner at a new-to-us restaurant, and I took her to a wine and pasta tasting. As I told my friend, "Great minds think of wine!" 

What I'm Working On... decluttering! I just got rid of 5 boxes of "stuff" and I feel so much lighter! Definitely nice to see some more of my closets and floors again haha! 

What I'm Watching... Let It Snow - Netflix

I'm a BIG fan of book-to-film adaptations. In most cases, I'll wait to watch the movie version until after I've finished the book but when this movie came out in 2019, I couldn't contain myself and HAD to watch it. Luckily for me (I guess?) I have horrible memory, so I didn't have a problem watching the movie again right after I finished reading the book earlier this month.

The book was great (though I'll admit I'm a sucker for YA romances in general, and intertwined stories especially). The movie was pretty great too. That being said, this was not the same story- and THAT makes me mad/unhappy/upset. The movie was one story and the book was another, and they didn't intertwine and they should have just made a teen movie by another name because it was SO FAR from the book!

What I'm Reading... I just finished Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Bath Pattillo for Erin's Book Challenge and it was pretty good, though I wanted a bit more from the ending. Here are the others I read in January:

What I'm Listening To... Billy Bossa Nova - Billy Eilish

Loving this calming track that I actually Shazamed from a TV show (though I don't remember which one... maybe SATC?) I don't really like Eilish as a person/pop icon, but her voice can't be denied! 

What I'm Doing This Weekend... nothing on the books yet, but I have a Groupon for some bourbon tasting, so maybe that! 

What I'm Looking Forward To Next Month... a weekend getaway with 10 of my favorite people! We are heading to an Airbnb in the woods. I've actually never gone away for the weekend with this group but I can't wait. We're already starting to get a menu together haha!

What Else Is New... Blue got a new job! After several months of being unemployed she landed a fully remote program management position with a small company and I'm so excited for her! She said she really likes the vibe of the company and is looking forward to getting into a routine again. 

And that's it! What's up with you?

December Reads

Hi fellow bookworms! Hope everyone is off to a wonderful 2022!

December was the month of short and mostly holiday-themed stories for me. And romances! I love a good holiday themed romance. 

The Santa Suit - Mary Kay Andrews: 4 Stars

library e-book

I know this one gave me the warm and fuzzy Christmas vibes I was hoping for but unfortunately I don't remember anything about the story :shrug:

The Rejected Writers Book Club - Suzanne Kelman: 4 Stars

Netgalley (from 2016 LOL)

This was an unexpectedly good time. I liked that this story featured older women and that it was focused on friendship. The road trip and convention were both hilarious and the characters were strong and well developed. I didn't realize this was part of a series, but am now looking forward to reading the others! 

Snow In Love: 4 Stories: 4 Stars

library e-book

Snow and Mistletoe by Kasie West- I've never read anything by this author, however now I want to read EVERYTHING from her. This was  about a girl stuck at an airport when an old crush surprises HER with a road trip home. So. Sweet. I needed this story to be last in the collection, as nothing compared after.

Working in a Winter Wonderland by Aimee Friedman - meh. A girl gets a job (to buy an expensive dress... ugh) from her crush thinking he's gonna be working there too, but he's actually a total tool and the job is to be a Christmas elf. This may have been better if it was longer, as the end was kinda cute but felt rushed. 

The Magi's Gifts by Melissa de la Cruz - my least favorite in this collection. A retelling of the original (because duh, it's in the title). I'm not sure if I've read anything else by this author, but I definitely don't plan to after this major fail. 

Grounded by Nic Stone - first of all, I love stories told in a different format; in this case, through text messages. Second, this is a bit of a coming-out, #ownvoices story. Another girl stranded at an airport (hmm) fresh off a break-up from a dude because she realizes she's actually a lesbian, and hey, her old crush (again, hmmmm) is also stranded at the same airport. But Girl #1 is scared of seeing her again so they start a game of I-Spy/scavenger hunt while they wait for their (same) flight home. (Extra points for punny clues.) #swoon

If The Fates Allow - Rainbow Rowell: 3 Stars

Kindle Unlimited

I'm glad this was free, and that actually makes me hurt a little since I love Rainbow Rowell's stories so much, usually. I liked that this takes place right now, what with Covid and social distancing. And there was some romance (with the boy next door... ooohhhh) but it felt too rushed. 

Oh. What. Fun. - Chandler Baker: 3 Stars
Kindle Unlimited

I wanted to like this so much more than I did, but there were just too many characters (siblings actually) to try to keep track of unnecessarily. There could have been just 3, and we would've gotten the point: Dad is the Fun One, and Mom keeps the "miracle of Christmas" alive and well with all the traditions. And then Mom  goes AWOL. The End.

The Faraway Collection - Kindle Unlimited

The Prince and the Troll by Rainbow Rowell- 3 Stars: So I thought all of these were retellings, but I don't know what this was a retelling of. I liked all the references to the current time (like the new iPhone) but I'm not really sure what happened in the end. (highlight for spoiler- like, did she eat him or kill him or what?)

Hazel and Gray by Nic Stone- 4 Stars: In this take, a bf/gf duo get lost in the woods and the mansion they come across is basically a brothel. Definitely did not see that twist in the end coming! 

The Princess Game by Soman Chainani- 5 Stars*: Asterisk because this was my favorite of the series, as messed up as it is, because it is SERIOUSLY f'ed up! A very "boys club" type story where a serial killer is going around killing off all the popular girls in this high school and placing their bodies in fairy tale call-backs. 

The Cleaners by Ken Liu- 2 Stars: I had a really hard time understanding this one. Apparently this guy cleans off people's energy from objects, and it works for him because he doesn't feel the energies? I don't know, I didn't enjoy this one. 

The Wickeds by Gayle Forman- 4 Stars: This was a fun one featuring Snow White's stepmother, Cinderella's stepmother, and the woman who "kidnapped" Rapunzel, as told from their point of view years after the original fairy tales. 

What was/is your first book of the year? 

Linking up with Steph and Jana for Show Us Your Books!

Currently: January

Happy New Year friends! Though we had a historically warm NYE (49-50 degrees- whaaaat?!) we're definitely back to cold and gray January weather here in NJ today! I was fortunate to get an extra day off from work yesterday due to a scheduling error, so I'm just catching up with myself and trying to get back to a somewhat *normal* schedule which is always hard for me after a bit of vacation time. Like, "what's my password for my work email? You want what?! Wait... right now?! When is snack and nap time?" Amiright?

It was a great break overall though, and relaxing AFTER Christmas. I survived Christmas. Every year I'm most happy when it's over. There's so much pressure- gifts, equal quality time with everyone, not to mention this whole pandemic thing that is still here... many of my close friends who are fully vaccinated and boosted have contracted Covid during this holiday season, which scares the shit out of me. Of course they all say that it's not terrible, "feels like a common head cold," but still. Numbers are rising. 

But as I said, it was relaxing. Hence all the TV shows and movies I've been watching, and what else I'm currently up to (spoiler alert: some organizing after Christmas but not much else)! 

Reading: Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle. I almost never read the book after watching the show or TV adaptation, however I watched this on Netflix so long ago that I hardly remember it! I plan to rewatch it after I finish. 

Watching on TV: Station Eleven, Emily in Paris, ...And Just Like That (Sex and the City), Queer Eye, You, Love, The Shrink Next Door (what a crazy, manipulative little shit.)

Movies: The Hating Game - I never read the book but this felt rushed (Prime Video)

King Richard - WOW. I'd never heard of Venus and Serena's story, but this was powerful (HBO Max)

Being the Ricardos - Lucille Ball really wore the pants! This was interesting (Prime Video)

Single All the Way - not sure how many times I squee-ed! (Netflix)

The Christmas Chronicles - so CUTE! (Netflix)

Father Christmas is Back - great cast, TERRIBLE movie (Netflix)

8 Bit Christmas - better than I expected, tbh. I also didn't realize this was based on a book!  (HBO Max)

Don't Look Up - this was so silly but I was still laughing and quoting it days later (Netflix)

Planning: On moving my recent watched, to watch, and listening lists to a monthly post on the third Wed of the month, and possibly making it a link up. Would any of you be interested in that?

Anticipating: putting away Christmas, which I'll be doing this weekend since I always put away most of the holiday stuff after Three King's Day (Jan 6). I think I'll leave out some of the dish towels, candles, and my snowman twinkly lights, but the rest must go! 

Organizing: my kitchen, since I got a new awesome appliance! And my closets... again! I feel like I have to do this every few months, but I finished one at Blue's over the weekend and have already scheduled a Vietnam Vets pickup for later this month!

Resolving: I don't actually like making new year's resolutions; I prefer monthly goals, if anything. However while I was trying to not admit this and actually put an answer here, I found this list, which made me chuckle. 

Here are some ideas if you need inspiration though! 

Scheduling: a girls' trip to a cabin in the woods for Presidents' Day Weekend. Somehow I was made responsible for finding us the cabin which has been a bit stressful (trying to find a place for 10 people with a hot tub, fire pit, and full kitchen- oiy!), but I've never gone away with this particular group of friends so it should be interesting! 

What's currently going on with you? 

Did you make any resolutions? 

Linking up with Anne!