oodles of books

2022-09-12T20:19:00.000-07:00

Hello! Thank you for stopping by my little ol' blog. As you can see, not much is happening around here these days. I had this blog up and running (sort of) for many years and finally have decided to step away and say goodbye. I no longer post anything and haven't updated since 2021 but decided to come by one more time in case you want to find me elsewhere. I don't have plans to return but you can find me in other places where I am still a little active.

YouTube

Instagram

Goodreads

Thanks to those of you that stuck around until the end. See you soon and happy reading :)

Reading Goals | Books I Own

2021-01-16T12:55:00.004-08:00

I have a habit of reading books I don't own. Anyone else? What I mean is the majority of books I read are borrowed from the library or from friends. Except I keep accumulating books on my shelves and not reading them. Instead, I check out other books from the library and read those instead. Last year, I really wanted to read more of my own books and I did a lot better with that goal than ever before. I also cut down a lot on my book purchases. This year though, I really want to focus on reading almost exclusively from my shelves. The few exceptions I have are very specific books that are chosen to read with my IRL book club and another extension of my online book club.

I have a ton of unread books on my shelves still, even though at the end of 2020 I purged my shelves and got rid of about 100+ books. I gave some away, sold some, donated some. Now I am left with two large bookshelves of books instead of four. I used to have six but when we moved into our current apartment, I really had to narrow down my books. For the last two years though, I have realized my reading changes have changed drastically, so it was easy for me to cut down so many books because I knew I really had no interest in reading them ever or again. Instead, my collection is now books I have read and loved or books I am very interested in reading soon.

It's been nice to make my bookshelves something more exclusive to my likings. I used to have hundreds of books that were popular, but not necessarily ones I loved or was as interested to read. I plan to minimize them even more in the coming year, as I read only books I own and decide whether I want to keep them or not.

xoxo

January 2021 TBR

2021-01-04T14:50:00.000-08:00

I haven’t done a TBR in a few months but I wanted to share some of books I want to get done this month. Most of these are BOTM books because I’m doing a BOTM readathon in my book club. I’m also doing an audiobook readathon so I’m going to be listening to several of these. The only one that I don’t have showing on here is American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins, which is another book club read that I plan to listen to. As for Harry Potter, I got a new beautiful edition and I want to make some time to reread it. What are you planning to read this month?

Happy New Year | 2021 Goals

2021-01-02T11:56:00.010-08:00

I always make a short list of goals I want to accomplish in the new year, and while most of them are realistic, I tend to fall short on them. This year, I want to continue my good habits and break away from bad habits so that’s what my resolutions are.

Bookish

Continue to read books I own: I own a lot of unread books and I recently started actually reading most of my unread books. It’s been nice because I can get rid of books I no longer love or will reread, and also find new ones that are on my shelves and don’t need to purchase for my collection.
Continue to purge books: later in 2020, I began to purge my shelves of books that no longer interest me or that I’d been holding on to, even though I don’t plan to reread them. It’s been really nice to make more room on my shelves and in my home, and I want to be able to continue this trend until I have only a favorites collection in my home.
Blog regularly: this year I was able to get back into blogging more consistently because of quarantine. I think I can continue this by not pressuring myself to post on a schedule, etc. Instead, I’ve gotten more into the habit of posting whenever I want and it’s been nice.
Read 75 books: I used to make it my goal to read 100 and in the back of my mind I would still like to achieve that, but a more realistic goal is 75 books so I’ll aim for that first.

Lifestyle

Maintain or lose weight: during quarantine, I gained some weight, and while I’m not completely unhappy with how I look I am getting married in November so it would be nice to get rid of some fat.
Continue to go to the gym: we’ve gotten back into going to the gym every weekend and it’s been good going back, but about two weeks ago, I injured myself and had a hard time doing any exercise. I want to slowly get back into the groove of things.
Hike more regularly: I love hiking and being outdoors. While the gyms were closed, we were finding isolated hikes to go on, but then went back to just going to the gym instead. I want to combine both of these so that we do both regularly.
Continue minimal lifestyle: we’re in the process of becoming minimalists but we haven’t just thrown everything out the door. Instead, we’re slowly transitioning into the lifestyle and I want to continue this transition in the New Year. It’s difficult to just get rid of a ton of things, but we’ve done really well so far.
Limit spending: I love shopping but I really need to budget myself this year because we have a few expenses coming with the wedding.
Take care of my mental health: I became anxious and depressed during quarantine. Sometimes I’ll have panic attacks and keep myself awake at night. It’s been difficult but I’ve been finding small ways to help ease my mind and I want to continue to do these things in order to feel more at peace with my mind.

That’s it! It seems like a lot but this are things I already do for the most part, and just want to actively continue to do.

Favorites of 2020

2020-12-31T10:00:00.001-08:00

I don’t normally do a top anything list, but I saw a few floating around and decided to go ahead and shout out some of my favorite things during this crazy year.

Favorite Books of 2020

These are in no particular order and there are a few that aren’t pictured that I still want to mention because they were favorites, I just don’t happen to own them.

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

Verity by Colleen Hoover

Too Late by Colleen Hoover (not pictured)

Heartstopper, Vol 1-3 by Alice Oseman

The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryan Greenwood (not pictured)

Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon (not pictured)

Favorite Movies and Shows of 2020

So these are the new movies and shows that I loved this year that were new releases. There's a ton more I could add to this list that were new to me but that would make this list way too long.

Favorite Songs of 2020

I didn't really listen to a lot of newer music this year. Except for Taylor Swift. We were blessed with two albums this year and there are a few songs that I was really obsessed with, as you can tell. But I honestly spent a lot of my time listening to Lo-Fi music while around the house and I can't imagine listening to anything else now when I need music but don't really want songs. Also, I listened to a lot of old favorites.

That's it for my favorite stuff of the year. It was a difficult year and I spent my time rewatching a lot of things that brought my comfort. Listening to songs that made me happy. But not finding new things as much. So I hope you liked this post and here's hoping to a better 2021.
xoxo

Audiobook Blitz | Dirty Deeds by Nicole James

2020-12-30T10:00:00.007-08:00

Today I am excited to be taking part in the Dirty Deeds Audio Blitz. The Devil Kings MC Series by Nicole James delivers romance, suspense, and characters you’ll root for. Check out the audio narrated by Ryan West & Virginia Rose, then enter to win a signed copy of the book!

Dirty Deeds by Nicole James

Audible | Amazon

Kara Harbinger’s only crime is having a court judge for a father, one who just happens to be presiding over the criminal case of the president of the Devil Kings MC. The DKs are about to use the biggest Achilles’ heel he’s got to bend him to their will, to buy his decision, to buy his very soul.

Reno: I want nothing to do with this job, but I can’t get out of it. As a member of the Devil Kings MC, my life is a violent existence hinged on loyalty to the oath I took: Devil Kings before all else. I’m the club’s muscle, the brother they give the vicious, vile jobs, the dirty deeds. When it comes to my club, I do whatever they ask, whatever they need.

Then I see Kara, all sweet and innocent with her soulful eyes and sexy body. She’s a bright light in my dark existence. In her eyes, I see an escape from the brutal life I’ve lived for so long, a life void of feelings, emotions, and light. She gives me the faith to believe I can have more, to believe I can have everything.

What do I do when my VP wants her taken as leverage to use against her father? What do I do when one look at Kara threatens everything I thought I held dear? What do I do if they want me to put a gun to her head and end her life? I’ll have to convince her to trust me if I have any hope of getting us both out of this alive.

Kara: He’s the only one who can save me. I’m not supposed to want a man like Reno. He’s dangerous – a lawless, badass, alpha biker. I know I should be afraid, but the way he looks at me, with hunger in his eyes makes me want to become his.

I believed the lies he told me. I thought he was a good guy. But when he takes me hostage, everything I thought about him is turned on its head. Now he expects me to trust him, even as he holds me captive. How can I trust a man whose loyalty is to his club, a club that wants me dead?

Grab your copy: Audible | Amazon | Apple

caffeinatedpr · Dirty Deeds by Nicole James

About the Author

Nicole James is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author who loves writing about hot alpha men who’ll do anything for the women they love! Her stories are filled with struggle, conflict and real human emotion. She is the author of the Evil Dead MC series, the Brothers Ink Tattoo series, The Devil Kings MC series, and more. Join her mailing list to be the first to receive cover reveals, release information, giveaways and more!

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon

Enter Giveaway

3 US winners will receive a signed paperback copy of Dirty Deeds by Nicole James.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Life lately.

2020-12-29T18:15:00.000-08:00

Hi, it’s been a while. I basically went back to work and really didn’t have time for much else for a while because it took me a while to transition back into working and regular schedules and dealing with pandemic life outside of my home. It’s been stressful, but also, I’ve been healthy and safe. There was a while there were I got a cold and freaked out, but I was fine. Now the holidays have passed and we’re on the verge of a new year, so I decided it was time for an update to the blog.

I’ve been reading. Not very much, but about as much as I expected I would be reading now that I’m back at work full time. I’ve enjoyed quite a few books, but noticed lately that I’ve gotten so much pickier with my reading. I’ve never been one to rate a good amount of books 5-stars, but this last year, I’ve definitely been more critical with the books I read. Also, I’ve done a lot of purging of books because I realized that there’s no point in having books collect dust if I’m never going to read them. I’ve had books sitting on my shelves for years and now it’s time to get them out into the world for others to enjoy. It could be in part with my decision to live a more minimal lifestyle, but that’s a topic for another day. What else is new? I’m engaged and back to being quarantined for two weeks. I know, both great news and not so much.

We got engaged back in September and I’ve been overwhelmed with planning, but also doing pretty great with getting important things done and out of the way. Most of the stuff I have to do from now until our wedding is mostly DIY things that my mom, fiancé, and friends will help me with.

As for being quarantined...one of my coworkers was exposed. Actually, a few of them were. We were not sure if we would shut down but because of the circumstances, we had to. Being so close to the holidays definitely made the decision more stressful and now we’re waiting for testing results, etc., but we’ve had several positive confirmed cases which just makes it more stressful for everyone.

But the silver lining is, I have some time to blog. It’s always something that helps me get through some tough times and just another hobby I go back and forth with. So for now, I’m back. Expect some content until I fall off the blogoverse again.

a quiet reading vlog

2020-06-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

This past week, I decided to upload a YouTube video after taking a long break. I decided earlier this year to stop creating content because I really wasn't feeling it anymore, but for the past few weeks, I wanted to try something a little different. So I went ahead and recorded a quiet reading vlog.

I really liked this idea and while my channel is still a work in progress, I think this will be a new direction I am going to try. So I wanted to share my new video with y'all and hope that I can grow my channel a little more this year.

Life Lately

2020-06-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

I went back to work full-time two weeks ago (ish) and I am still adjusting to a more regular routine. I was off work since March 13th (first day of quarantine for LA County) and worked from home, but wasn't doing that much. I became accustomed to sleeping in a bit and having time to clean, read, workout, etc. It was stressful but it was also, kind of nice. My boyfriend and I were both home all the time, and it was surprising that we ended up actually having really nice days together. I've seen a lot of memes and such about couples being together now and how it's not ideal, but I really liked being home with him every day. I miss that, now that I am back at work.

And I am also very tired most days.

It's crazy how quickly your body adjusts to a more sedentary lifestyle because now that I work 7 hours every day, I come home exhausted. I guess running around after toddlers is quite different than being in a classroom of infants also but that's what I have to do as we slowly normalize. I've tried to keep up with my reading and am participating in Bookopoly, an event over on my book club, but I can tell that my reading pace is already slowing down. I don't have more than an hour or so a day to listen to audiobooks now and I've struggled to get through any physical books these last few months. So I don't know how much reading or even updating (weekly) I'll be doing now that things are changing.

I just wanted to share a quick update, since it'd been a few days since I last updated. I was doing so well too. I am going to try to keep it up!

Book Haul #2

2020-06-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in my Monthly Rewind that in May I finally signed up for Book of the Month, and I ended up choosing two books. I also got quite a few ARC's this month as well and also got to swap with a few people in my book club. So here's my haul:

Swapped

You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds

Purchased

The Guest List by Lucy Foley

A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight

Desperate Measures by Katee Robert

For review

Surrendering to Him by Hope Jones (Pub. date: March 5th, 2020)
Girl Long Gone by Danielle M. Haas (Pub. date: May 25, 2020)
Fractures by Alice Reeds (Pub. date: June 1st, 2020)
This Eternity of Masks and Shadows by Karsten Knight (Pub. date: June 2nd, 2020)
A Sweet Mess by Jayci Lee (Pub. date: July 14th, 2020)
The Night Swim by Megan Goldin (Pub. date: August 4th, 2020)
Memorial by Bryan Washington (Pub. date: October 6th, 2020)
The Push by Ashley Audrain (Pub. date: Jan 5th, 2021)

Monthly Rewind | May 2020

2020-06-01T17:05:00.000-07:00

It's been a crazy month. I know there are a lot of sad + important things happening in the world right now, but this place is my little escape from reality, so I am going to focus on different things instead.

5 Good Things in May

1// I really got back to blogging: I wasn't sure if it would really happen, but I wanted to give my blog another shot because after a couple of years of taking breaks and attempting to come back, I realized I really want to share my thoughts on books + other things on the blog.

2// I went out for a hike: the weekend before last, I finally went out for a hike. most parks and hiking trails had been closed because of the quarantine, but they recently opened a few back up so my aunt and cousin and I decided to go out for a hike. it was a bit strenuous but a lot of fun. i can't wait to get back to more normal activities like that.

3// I got a Nintendo switch + animal crossing: I am not even sure if it happened in May but its worth sharing that I jumped on the Switch wagon and got myself Animal Crossing, which I am obsessed with at the moment. it's a lot of fun and it really helps with distracting myself when i really need it.

4// I got my first BOTM box: I'd been dying to sign up for book of the month for a while and finally decided to go ahead and do it this time. I got two books and for June I already picked out three...so I am not sure how good of an idea this actually was.

5// I did a lot of reading: my reading has definitely improved since I have been staying at home, but -starting today (June 1st) I am back at work full-time. I am just hoping I will able to keep up the momentum of my reading going for the rest of the year LOL

Favorite Book of the Month

The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare

I read a lot of good books in May but I have to say, reading a historical romance again did it for me. It made me so happy to reading a good romance again, and I was just so happy while reading this one. I can't stress enough how much I loved this.

Books Read:

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero

The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare

If It Bleeds by Stephen King

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver

After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

June TBR

I am trying to keep my TBR for June as open as possible because of Bookopoly, an event that takes place over on my book club. I do have a few books picked out though for other things, and I am hoping to be able to fit those in the prompts that I might roll during this event. So as of now, I don't really have a set TBR, and I will leave it at that...

Blog Tour | The Eternity of Masks and Shadows by Karsten Knight

2020-05-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the This Eternity of Masks and Shadows by Karsten Knight Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. It's been a long time since I participated in a book tour, but the premise of this book was so intriguing so I had to join in! Although I didn't get to read the book to review it, I look forward to reading it really soon. So instead I'll be sharing an excerpt, information on the book, and a giveaway!

About the book:

In a city of gods and mortals, secrets never die.

The gods walk among us. Some lurk in the shadows, masquerading as mortals; others embrace their celebrity status, launching careers from Hollywood to Capitol Hill.

One of them just murdered Cairn Delacroix's mother.

As Cairn sifts through the rubble, she uncovers a conspiracy two decades in the making: a cursed island, the fellowship of gods who journeyed there, and the unspeakable act that intertwined their fates. One by one, the members of that voyage are dying, and Cairn's investigations land her in the crosshairs of the rogue goddess responsible.

With the help of Nanook, a polar bear god turned detective, Cairn descends into Boston's underworld of supernatural crime and political aspiration. To avenge her mother and unmask her assassin, she’ll first have to reckon with a gut-wrenching secret that will rewrite the life she thought she knew.

Publication Date: June 2, 2020 | Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, TBD

Excerpt:

The Anchor The box was growling.

Cairn could hear it over the flames crackling in the library fireplace and the thunderstorm battering the windows outside. Her mother, Ahna, smiled at her expectantly as Cairn cradled the gift in her lap.

To my fearless daughter on her 18th birthday, the tag read. Cairn traced her fingers over the pattern of air holes punctured through the foil wrapping paper.

“I’m going to guess this isn’t the Jeep I asked for,” Cairn said at last. The box quivered in response as if to say, “No, I am not.”
“Go on,” Ahna urged her. The firelight danced across her face.

As Cairn tugged the silver ribbon to undo the bow, the box abruptly went still. Cautiously, she lifted the lid an inch.

A pair of vibrantly ice blue eyes peered out, regarding her curiously. Cairn’s breath caught.

Nestled in a blanket inside was a kitten unlike any she’d ever seen. He had a spotted gray coat thick enough to withstand the fiercest Arctic chill and disproportionately broad paws built like fur-covered snowshoes. His tufted ears bristled as he backed his stubby tail into the corner of the box.

“Lower your hand in,” her mother instructed. “Let him meet you halfway when he’s ready.”
Cairn left her trembling fingers outstretched six inches from the creature’s muzzle. He cocked his head to the side, and after a moment’s hesitation, he extended one of his comically enormous paws and batted at Cairn’s fingertips. Apparently, she passed his test, because all at once he rushed forward, nuzzling the glands beneath his foxlike ears against the bony ridges of her knuckles.

When Cairn could finally form words again, she repeated, “This is not a Jeep.”

“No, but he’s great at off-roading.” Ahna was smirking now, her maternal X-ray vision penetrating Cairn’s nonchalance into the melting heart beneath. “He’s a Canadian lynx. When I visited your grandparents up in Labrador, I found him in their garden one morning, nibbling away at a crowberry bush. A predator had mauled the mother just beyond the fence. I couldn’t bear to leave him to fend for himself.”

The kitten awkwardly clambered out of the box, his plump white belly momentarily getting caught before he flopped out onto the shag carpet. Cairn watched him stagger across the room toward the bookcases that housed her father’s collection of rock and mineral specimens. His tail wiggled in anticipation right before he made a dramatic leap for one of the shelves—
—and failed spectacularly. He dropped back to the floor, rattled. A second attempt yielded the same result. On the third try, however, the lynx clung defiantly to the edge by two paws, and after some frantic scrabbling, he pulled himself up to the ledge. Cairn and Ahna applauded.

“Ahna …” Cairn’s father, Emile, appeared in the doorway, arms crossed, a pair of jeweler’s magnifying glasses perched atop his disheveled hair. He pointed at the tiny creature, which was using the craggy surface of an amethyst as a chin-scratching post. “How many times have we talked about smuggling exotic pets into the country?”

Cairn scooped the kitten off the shelf and held him inches from her father’s nose. “Come on, how could a face this cute possibly be illegal?” The fluff ball hung limply in her hand and blinked.

Emile’s wistful eyes landed on his wife. “In my experience, it’s always the cute ones that get you in the most trouble.”

Ahna blew him a kiss. “He’ll need a name,” she said.

The lynx crawled down into Cairn’s lap and curled into a ball. Within seconds, he was snoring softly, unfazed by the fierce winds raging outside the Delacroix’s seaside home.

Cairn gingerly ruffled the hair on his neck. “We’ll name him Squall.”
---

“Tonight, I’ll tell you the myth of Sedna.”
Ahna sat at the foot of her daughter’s bed, as she had so many nights since Cairn was old enough to remember. Squall claimed the space behind his owner’s knees and nestled in for warmth. While still technically a kitten, he grew bigger by the day.
Ahna gathered her stories from every mythology, every region of the world, and every century, but she always came back to the myths of the Inuit people—their people.
Sedna was the goddess of sea life, and while the details changed with every iteration Ahna told, the myth always remained as unforgiving as the tundra from which it had originated.
“And so,” her mother continued, “Sedna angered her father by turning away all of her male suitors, claiming she’d just as soon marry her dog. To punish Sedna, her father lured her into his kayak, rowed out to the middle of the icy bay, and before she could fight back, he cast her into the frigid waters. Sedna pleaded with him and attempted to climb back into the boat, but with a mighty slash of his knife, he severed all ten of her fingers. The spurned young woman sank to the bottom of the ocean. But from violence and death springs life anew. As her severed fingers slipped into the dark depths, they transformed into the sea’s most remarkable creatures—the salmon, the walrus, the seal, the whale, the narwhal. Sedna herself was reborn as their master and presided over Adlivun, the underworld where we will all one day eternally rest.”
The myth of Sedna had always been Cairn’s favorite, and for good reason:
The story was about her mother.
The gods and goddesses of every pantheon were real. Reincarnated every century, these powerful beings returned to earth with no memories of their previous lives. Some lurked in the shadows, masquerading as mortals, while others embraced the celebrity status of their godhood, publicly “coming out” as they launched careers in Hollywood or Washington. For better or worse, the gods were destined to love each other, clash with each other, and more often than not, kill one another.
Ahna Delacroix—the latest reincarnation of Sedna—had chosen the quieter path, marrying a mortal, bearing his child, and establishing herself as a respected marine biologist, a role that provided a convenient outlet for surreptitiously using her abilities.
From the moment she became a mother eighteen years ago, Ahna had vowed to do whatever it took to keep her family safe from those who feared or reviled the gods walking among them. For every mortal who had accepted the “mythological born” as just another subset of the population, several more had deemed their very existence an abomination.
And then there were the gods with a vendetta to settle …
Cairn, who had learned of her mother’s divine identity several years earlier, still found the macabre nature of Sedna’s myths amusing. “I can’t believe you’ve been reciting this story to me since preschool,” she said when Ahna finished the latest retelling. “You’re lucky I didn’t turn out more emo.”
Her mother rolled her eyes. “You’re eighteen. Your default setting is emo.”
“Touché.”
“Plus, you’re looking at the myth all wrong, Cairn. It’s not a tragedy; it’s about being tenacious and tough as nails and surviving in the face of insurmountable odds. It’s about transformation. For thousands of years, our ancestors carved out an existence in the most treacherous landscape imaginable, thriving above the timberline where few plants could grow. They learned to make tents from sealskin and houses from sod and igloos from ice, a different house to weather every season. They built kayaks to fish, and fearlessly hunted whales and caribou and polar bears for meat.” Her mother brushed a thumb along Cairn’s cheekbone. “That ruggedness is in your blood, whether you live here in Massachusetts or back in Canada like your grandparents. Whenever life beats you down, remember that.”

Then it was the final days of summer, and Cairn and her best friend Delphine rowed through the darkness. The hulking silhouette of the old lighthouse on Demeter Island loomed over them.
Cairn checked her watch as they coasted into the shore. “Five minutes!”
Delphine hopped ship onto the rocky embankment, caught the line from Cairn, and tied it to a metal rod driven into the stone. “Relax. We’re about to have the best seats this side of Cape Ann.”
Cairn could not relax.
Tonight was bigger than Delphine knew.
A padlock secured the front door of the decommissioned lighthouse, but a month ago, they’d snapped the original with bolt cutters and replaced it with one to which only they possessed the key.
The two girls clambered up the rickety spiral staircase inside until they emerged onto the metal catwalk above. They laid down a nest of blankets and pillows and propped themselves against the glass walls of the lantern room, the beacon within long since dark.
“To thirteen years of fireworks together,” Cairn toasted as she popped open a bottle of champagne she’d pilfered from her parents’ wine cellar. The cork flew over the railing and out of sight, to land in the water some sixty feet below. “You sure this is safe to drink with your diabetes?”
“Absolutely not.” Still, Delphine snatched the champagne from Cairn as it began to overflow and took a long swig directly from the bottle.
Cairn leaned in and wiped away the bubble mustache that had formed on Delphine’s upper lip. “Just try not to go hyperglycemic on my ass before the finale,” she pleaded.
They were just in time: a crack like a gunshot echoed over the bay from the south, and the first firework exploded against the starry sky. A barrage of shells followed in red, blue, and gold, molten confetti raining down on the water. Even a mile away, they could hear the delighted cheers of the thousands of residents camped out along the town beaches, all celebrating the last weekend of summer before the school year began and autumn exhaled its first cool breath across the state.
But nobody had a view like them.
As the display unfolded, Cairn chanced a look at the girl beside her. The light of the fireworks flickered over Delphine’s profile, illuminating the faint scar along her jawline—she had taken a punch for Cairn once in a parking lot altercation and her opponent had been wearing a mood ring.
The corner of Delphine’s lip curved up in a slight smile. She unconsciously played with the small conch shell through which she’d threaded her dark, curly hair.
Cairn’s pulse thrummed in her ears. Her cheeks flushed with a warmth she couldn’t blame on the champagne.
The pair had been inseparable since kindergarten, when Delphine and her father immigrated to America from Jamaica. As kids, they’d given themselves the codenames “Tropic and Tundra.” Though born in such different climates, fate had brought them together in a small town on Massachusetts’s northern shore.
Even as Cairn had felt the winds of their friendship change in her heart, she tried to bury those feelings deep. But in just a few days, Delphine would leave their coastal town to study voice and opera at Juilliard in New York City.
Delphine finally caught Cairn staring and cocked one eyebrow. “Care to share with the class, Ms. Delacroix?”
Cairn had prepared a whole speech for this moment, but what came out instead was, “Sing for me.”
Delphine started to protest, but she must have recognized the earnestness in Cairn’s face, because she nodded, closed her eyes, and launched into an old jazz standard in her soulful, seductively hoarse voice:
The rustling dune grass,
The autumn tides,
A blanket in the sand,
The star-filled sky,
Could you imagine anything better?
The horizon’s promise,
The sea-spray flowers,
The dawn’s got questions,
But tonight is ours.
Could you imagine anything better?
Could you dream of anything better?
The last word itself broke apart and dissipated into the Atlantic breeze. Delphine opened her eyes.
Cairn took Delphine’s hand in hers. “I’ve got this problem,” she said. She had used these same four words every time she needed advice from Delphine. When she fought with her parents. When a bully stalked her after school. During her ill-fated relationship with a basketball player sophomore year.
Tonight was different. The weight of thirteen years beared down on Cairn’s tongue. Her mouth went dry, so she swallowed and repeated, “I’ve got this problem: I’m in love with my best friend, but I’m terrified that saying it out loud will tear down everything we’ve built. Do I risk it all and tell her before she leaves? Or do I hold it in and always wonder if my life could have been just a little bit more?”
Cairn had envisioned this moment many times, rehearsed what she would say, prepared for a spectrum of reactions from Delphine, ranging from reciprocation to disgust.
In all of her fantasies and worst-case scenarios, Cairn never expected her best friend to laugh. It burst out of Delphine in her singsong alto like she’d just heard the funniest joke.
Tears brimmed in Cairn’s eyes, a painful cocktail of hurt and humiliation and rage. She rose to her feet and lunged for the door, preparing to sprint down the corkscrew stairs and put as much distance between them as she could.
But a hand caught her by the wrist and reeled her back onto the catwalk. Delphine spun Cairn around and pressed her against the glass of the lantern room. Her lips hovered over Cairn’s.
Then she kissed her.
Cairn was in free fall. Their lips danced uncertainly over each other at first, searching for a common rhythm, but there was beauty in the imperfection. Delphine felt different, tasted different than she had in any of Cairn’s dreams. She was vaguely aware that the fireworks display had reached its bombastic finale, but she could barely hear anything over her thundering heartbeat as she shuddered longingly and drew Delphine deeper into her.
When Delphine reluctantly took a breather, she cupped Cairn’s face in her hands. “The reason I laughed,” she explained, “is because only you would wait to confess your love until we were trapped on an island together with only one boat. Can you imagine the awkward ride back to the mainland if I hadn’t felt the same way? Unless your contingency plan was to maroon me here. You, Cairn Delacroix, are irrational and impulsive and so immersed in the world your heart dreams up that sometimes you don’t lead with your brain. But it’s for all those reasons and more that I’ve fallen in love with you, too.”
Soon they were both laughing out of relief. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to kiss your stupid lips,” Cairn said.
Delphine leaned her forehead against Cairn’s. “To thirteen years of fireworks.”

The next day, Delphine joined Cairn’s family on a sunset ride in their boat, the Lemon Shark. Even though her father spent most of his days examining rocks, Cairn never saw him happier than when he stood at the helm of the old bowrider. He accelerated up to twenty-five knots, grinning into the relentless sea wind.
As the mainland grew smaller behind them, Ahna stared vacantly north with glazed eyes that saw something Cairn could not. Cairn reached back and squeezed her mother’s knee. “You seasick?”
It took Ahna a few moments to register that Cairn was addressing her. “A tad.” She took a long sip from her thermos of iced tea and blinked drowsily. “I think I just need to close my eyes for a minute.”
In the distance, Cairn spied the silhouette of Demeter Island’s lighthouse. Delphine must have been thinking about last night, too, because she pressed her leg into Cairn’s, a sultry grin spreading across her face. Cairn had spent the last twelve hours wondering when they’d be able to steal their next kiss.
But then Delphine frowned and looked past her to the rear of the boat. “Ahna?”
Cairn turned. Her mother stood on the stern with a small anchor clutched to her chest, hugging it like a child would a teddy bear.
When Cairn traced the line attached to the anchor, she discovered that it was knotted around Ahna’s ankle.
“Mom?” Cairn wasn’t sure what was going on, but she could feel her hackles rising in alarm.
Ahna’s face still had that confused distant pall from earlier, but now her eyes brimmed with tears. When she tightened her grip on the anchor, a rivulet of blood snaked down the iron, dripping from a wound somewhere on her hands. “I have to go back to Adlivun now,” she said. Her blind gaze fell on Cairn. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
Sensing that something was amiss, Emile finally looked back from the cockpit. “Ahna? What are you doing back there?”
His wife didn’t seem to hear him. She climbed onto the transom.
“Mom?” Cairn repeated, this time more urgently.
Without another word, her mother took one step off the back of the boat, still hugging the anchor, and disappeared into the sea.
Cairn was the first to react. She dove in after her mother, entering the choppy water like a dart.
Cairn was disoriented at first. The saltwater stung her eyes and she had to blink several times to adjust. She had landed in the boat’s wake, and it was initially impossible to see more than a few feet in front of her with the propeller churning the water. As the boat drifted farther away, she spotted the dark shape beneath her slowly spiraling into the depths.
Cairn swam frantically downward, arm over arm, kicking with everything she had. The ocean pressed down around her, a suffocating, eerie silence as she descended. Her lungs burned and she wished she’d taken a fuller breath before she’d jumped in.
She was close enough to make out the features of her mother’s face now. Ahna had released the anchor, letting it drag her down, and as she stared dreamily up toward her daughter, Cairn fought through the fatigue in her muscles, ignoring the black spots that peppered her vision, resisting the urge to open her mouth and gasp for oxygen that wasn’t available.
They were four lengths apart, three lengths, two lengths. Cairn wriggled the last few feet and her fingertips hooked onto her mother’s. One last kick and she’d be close enough to grab her by the wrist.
And then the unthinkable happened. Her descent came to an abrupt stop. Her body jerked hard in the water as some unseen force pulled on the waistband of her shorts. Ahna’s fingertips slipped from her grasp.
Against her will, Cairn rose back toward the surface, away from her mother, watching in horror as Ahna’s mouth opened, letting the brine rush into her lungs. The bubbles of her last breath floated past Cairn, who released a muffled, tortured scream into the water, all the while trying to fight her way back to Ahna. Cairn thrashed wildly until her rescuer’s elbow accidentally struck the side of her head, subduing her.
In the stunned vacuum that followed, she stopped screaming and watched her mother vanish into the depths, the whites of Ahna’s unseeing eyes the last thing to be swallowed by the dark.
Cairn breached the surface with Delphine, who hugged her torso with one arm and used the other to paddle hard, keeping them both afloat. She sobbed and drew in a deep breath, preparing to submerge again, but Delphine’s hold on her tightened. “No, Cairn!” she shouted into her waterlogged ears. “I’m sorry. She’s gone.”
“There’s still time,” Cairn pleaded. “There’s still …” But the last word eluded her as she collapsed into anguished tears, her rag-doll body quaking, all the fight drained from her. Her father screamed hysterically as he turned the boat around, but Cairn couldn’t hear him. She hardly noticed the life preserver land in the water next to them.
“I won’t lose you, too,” Delphine said, her voice quivering. Unexpectedly, she began to hum a lullaby to Cairn while her father tugged them both back toward the boat. As shock cascaded in from all sides, as Cairn stared at the now still spot in the water where Ahna vanished into the wake, she thought that her friend was wrong: Delphine had already lost her.
Because the girl they pulled from the water that day was just a wispy, fragile husk of the one who dived in.

About the Author:

Karsten Knight is the author of the historical mystery NIGHTINGALE, SING, the time-traveling thriller PATCHWORK, and the Polynesian volcano goddess trilogy WILDEFIRE (Simon & Schuster)--though some say his writing career peaked at the age of six, when he completed a picture book series about an adventurous worm. He is a graduate of College of the Holy Cross and earned an MFA in writing for children from Simmons College. Karsten resides in Boston, where he lives for fall weather, bowling, and football season.

For more information on Karsten or his books, please visit www.karstenknightbooks.com.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads
Giveaway

1 winner will win a $10 Amazon giftcard!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule

5/25/2020	Lone Tree Reads	Excerpt
5/25/2020	BookHounds YA	Excerpt
5/26/2020	Book Briefs	Review
5/26/2020	Lisa Loves Literature	Excerpt
5/26/2020	JaimeRockstarBookTours	Instagram Stop
5/27/2020	Lifestyle of Me	Review
5/27/2020	Discover Elysian	Review
5/28/2020	Do You Dog-ear?	Review
5/28/2020	Books Beans & Botany	Review
5/29/2020	The Bookwyrm's Den	Review
5/29/2020	Oodles of Books	Review

Smutty Reads #2

2020-05-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

Here is another few romance books I've read recently, most of which I enjoyed!

Theirs for the Night by Katee Robert | ⭐⭐⭐

This was my first MMF romance and at first, I wasn't sure if I would really like it, but I wanted to give it a shot. I read it since it was the group book for Smutathon, and I really enjoyed it.

This was my first Katee Robert book and I'd heard great things about this author, so I am glad I liked it because I got a taste of what her work is like and am looking forward to reading more of her work soon. It definitely isn't my new favorite subgenre, but it was still a fun and quick read with a lot of great sexy scenes between the three characters. The story was left with a cliffhanger, since it's the first novella to start off a series, but I didn't love it enough to want to continue the series.

Heat Level:

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

+++++++

From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata | ⭐⭐⭐

This was a very slow burn, hate to love, sports romance. I normally don't read sports romance but I love both hate to love and slow burn, so I really wanted to love this one. For a romance though, the romance was slower than I wanted it to be. While I thought it was great that the characters went from enemies to friends to lovers, I felt like their relationship took a loooong time to develop. I loved other aspects of the story, such as the family relationships, all the pets, and even some of the sport description. But that wasn't what I was here for, honestly. I wanted more romance, and it took a while before anything like that happened. Then the end was kind of rushed and there weren't too many actual smutty scenes, so I felt a little disappointed.

Heat Level:

🔥🔥

++++++++

The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare

I looove me some historical fiction and I don't know how I have never read any Tessa Dare before this because OMG I loved this book. I have found my new favorite historical fiction author to binge (but I still have Julia Quinn as my #1) and can't wait to pick up more of these.

This book was a marriage of convenience and basically a Beauty and the Beast retelling. It had the usual tropes of any historical romance, but I don't care, I loved it all and had so much fun reading this one. The sex scenes were also a lot of fun, because they were super awkward at first. I am so glad this was one of my book club picks for the month cause otherwise, I am not sure if I would've ever picked up a Tessa Dare book.

Heat Level:

🔥🔥🔥🔥

And that's it for today! I definitely recommend Tessa Dare if you haven't picked it up and if you're looking for more romance recommendations, I am going to be sharing some of my favorite booktubers in a post soon, so I'll share some of my favorite romance readers out there.

Weekly Update

2020-05-24T10:30:00.000-07:00

Another week that flew by! I don't know how these days are going by so fast now in quarantine but I feel like I hardly did anything. It was a slow week here on the blog and with reading for me, seeing as I only finished two books again. I wanted to pick up some physical books this week because I've only been listening to audiobooks lately and I think that's causing me to go into a bit of an audiobook slump LOL.

This Week on the Blog
- Review | In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero
- Mini Reviews | The Tattoist of Auschwitz + The Giver of Stars
- Reading Goals | Netgalley ARC's

What I Read

Both of these books were about relationships and had some very sad parts, so that's also another reason I think I might be feeling a little bit of a slump coming. Emotional books always drain me a little, so maybe I need a break or a complete change in genre this upcoming week.

Other Things

Like I said, this week flew by and I feel like I didn't do much. I haven't been puzzling as much recently, or watching too much TV so I don't know what has taken up so much time. I have been doing a few things here and there for work, and playing Animal Crossing, so maybe that's where all my time went. Anyways, I hope you all had a great week and hope you stay safe out there this upcoming week :)

Reading Goals | Netgalley ARC's

2020-05-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

Over two years ago, I made it one of my goals to catch up and read/review all my Netgalley ARC's. While I read/reviewed most of the ones I talked about then, I have accumulated quite a bit more since then. But I have been better about keeping my review rating up. For the summer, I want to try and read only (mostly) Netgalley ARC's that I haven't read yet and also, catch up and read ahead to the ones that aren't yet released. My percentage for reviewing is 69% but it was a little higher for a while, before I started requesting books again.

I figured the fastest way for me to catch up on older ARC's is to listen to some on audiobook, if I can find them at the library. As for the current titles I have, I downloaded them onto my iPad and plan on trying to get through all of them soon. Here's what I have:

Older Titles

Current Titles

Currently Reading

Seeing all the titles together like this, makes me feel better because it's not that many. I think I could read all these in about two months, with reading a few other books here or there. I am currently only reading one at the moment and it releases in a couple days so hopefully I can finish it soon. As for the rest, like I said, I am going to try and read them during the summer. How about you all? Do you request too many Netgalley ARC's? I feel like I am always trying to catch up!

Mini Reviews | The Tattoist of Auschwitz + The Giver of Stars +

2020-05-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris | ⭐⭐

I was so disappointed with this book because it was the first time I've read a book based off the Holocaust that I did not like. I saw many other reviews with similar feelings to mine, so I will keep this pretty short. The story itself was very interesting, and I would've enjoyed it if it had been told better. The writing lacked any sort of emotion, and for such a tragic event and story, I really didn't feel anything. I felt no connection to the characters and really wish the story had been told in a better way, seeing as it was based on true events and the author had interviewed the person who the book was based on.

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes | ⭐⭐⭐

This was my first Moyes book and I was excited because I've heard great things about this author. While I liked this book, I didn't love it and I think that might hold me off from reading anything else by her for a little while. This book is inspired by a group of librarians in the 1930's who delivered books, but it had a lot of drama and sort of went on longer than really necessary to tell this story. There was a lot of underdeveloped characters but an entertaining read for the most part. I didn't think it really lived up to the hyped, and it is very much a book club sort of read (I read it for my book club.)

Review | In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero

2020-05-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero | ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Summary: Diane Guerrero, the television actress from the megahit Orange is the New Black and Jane the Virgin, was just fourteen years old on the day her parents and brother were arrested and deported while she was at school. Born in the U.S., Guerrero was able to remain in the country and continue her education, depending on the kindness of family friends who took her in and helped her build a life and a successful acting career for herself, without the support system of her family.

In the Country We Love is a moving, heartbreaking story of one woman's extraordinary resilience in the face of the nightmarish struggles of undocumented residents in this country. There are over 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the US, many of whom have citizen children, whose lives here are just as precarious, and whose stories haven't been told. Written with Michelle Burford, this memoir is a tale of personal triumph that also casts a much-needed light on the fears that haunt the daily existence of families likes the author's and on a system that fails them over and over.

Thoughts: I picked this up for no reason, but I'm glad I did. This is the story of Diane Guerrero and how she lived in fear the majority of her childhood over her family's situation. Her family was deported when she was 14 years old, and from then on she lived with various family friends, never being helped by anyone except for the people who let her live in their homes for a few years at a time.

This hit me closer to home than I expected, since I am the first natural born in my family. My family came her on visas that expired not long after and stayed. It was many years before they all became citizens. In fact, my mom was the last one to become a citizen, and I found out much later in life that she found herself in situations where she could've easily been deported. I never knew, so reading this book made me so much aware on how not aware I was of my own family's situation as a child. While very different, there were certain circumstances that were similar, and I am thankful that nothing like what Diane lived through ever happened to me.

With that being said, the beginning of the book was very sad, but felt really important to me. I was wholly invested in Diane's story of how she grew up with the fear that her family would be ripped apart, and how it did happen. She had to learn to survive without her parents and brother for some of the most important years of her life, and she is still separated from them, although living a much different life now that she's become a celebrity.

The second half of the book talked a lot about her growing up, going to college, struggling with jobs, drinking and her mental health. There were times that I wasn't invested in her story because it had to do with her acting career, but nonetheless, found everything she talked about very memorable.

This was definitely something I'm glad I picked up and I think readers of all genres might like. I also recommend the audiobook, which she narrates herself, although her voice can seem very childish (she sounds really young) especially when listening to faster speeds, like I do. Overall though, this was a great first autobiography and I really enjoyed it.

Weekly Update

2020-05-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday my friends! How was your week? I hope you are all staying safe and healthy out there. I've been feeling more stressful than usual this week and have been trying to find ways to keep myself sane. I worked a couple times on site, which was a nice change of pace, so that definitely helped.

This Week on the Blog

- Weekly Update
- Review | Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
- Smutty Reads #1
- Short Story Saturday | Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

What I Read

Not the best reading week, but not two bad. I got two more audiobooks read and finished the Listen Up Audiobook Readathon event from my book club with a total of 5 books read. I am still participating in the Tic Tac Toe Event though, and have quite a few squares to fill. I am currently reading The Two Lives of Lydia Bird and didn't expect it to be as sad as it's been so far.

Other Things

I am trying to be more active on my bookstagram but it hasn't worked out so well this week. I realized that I need to take a lot of pictures in advance LOL and I doubt I'll ever be that comitted, but I am going to give it a shot this weekend and see how it goes. This has been a pretty uneventful week for me reading wise but I plan to catch up this weekend with some reading too :)

Short Story Saturday | Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

2020-05-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

One Line Summary: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland tells of a young girl named Alice falling through a rabbit hole into a subterranean fantasy world populated by peculiar anthropomorphic creatures.

Thoughts: I’m a fan of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland, but I’d never read the story. I expected it to be about as silly and weird as the movie, and it was! Maybe even a little more than the movie, since there were several characters and songs that were not included in the animated movie (although the movie does include a few things that weren’t part of this specific first story.)

Alice’s story of falling down the rabbit hole is pretty outrageous and I enjoyed getting more inner monologue from her than what we get in the animated movie. We’re able to see more of what she thinks/feels as she ponders her way through Wonderland.

It was such a quick read, I’m glad I finally gave it a chance. I’m looking forward to continuing with the other short stories there are of Alice!

Smutty Reads #1

2020-05-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

I read a lot of romance and for some time I wanted to have a feature where I talked about some of the recent smutty books I've read. I love readathons that focus on romance/smutty books (Smutathon anyone?) Join me as I read some delicious romance books with lots of smut!

Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was definitely not something I would normally read, but I picked it up because of an event going on in my book club. Blue alien smut was not something I expected to like or be into, but this book caught me by surprise.

The protagonist is abducted, along with many other women, and they crash land on an planet with big, blue, aliens who are very attracted to them. While they try and figure out how to get back to work, lots of sexy times ensure between the main character and her blue hero.

I giggled so much while reading this, and most of my fellow book club members who read this also really enjoyed it. We had such a blast reading this and talking about it after. I don't think I'll be picking up the rest of the series (yet!) but I am definitely glad I gave it a shot because I loved it. It's definitely a fun time, even if a little weird because...blue aliens?!

Heat Level:
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

+ + + + + + +

The Deal by Elle Kennedy | ⭐️⭐️

This was a very typical college, friends-to-lovers romance. I was really excited for it but found myself bored very early on, which was disappointing. I struggled to get into it and when I finally did, I found the story to be very predictable, but not in a fun way (for me.) The sexy scenes were really great, but again, I didn't really care for the story all that much, so I didn't enjoy them all that much either.

I think this was the second Elle Kennedy story I've tried and I think this author is just not for me, I guess. I may give her another shot in the future, but I don't plan on continuing this series.

Heat Level:

🔥🔥🔥

+ + + + + + +

Punk 57 by Penelope Douglas | ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is considered more of a dark romance and maybe those are not for me, or its this author specifically since I didn't enjoy a previous book of hers I read, but I didn't love this one as much as I was hoping. I heard of this book years ago and it'd been on my TBR that long so I was pumped to finally get a copy to read. Unfortunately, the story felt a little flat for me.

This follows two protagonists who have been pen pals for years, but when they finally meet in person, they don't know it's each other. At least, one of them doesn't know. The chemistry between the two is undeniable, and the smutty scenes were good, but it also focuses on two teenagers so with that in mind, I enjoyed it slightly less than I would've if it had been older protagonists. I still enjoyed the story for the most part, but don't think it's as great as it's hyped up to be.

Heat Level:

🔥🔥🔥

I've been reading a lot more romance lately and loving it! And I will be sharing those as often as I can ;)

Review | Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter

2020-05-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter |⭐⭐⭐

Summary: Twenty years ago Claire Scott's eldest sister, Julia, went missing. No one knew where she went - no note, no body. It was a mystery that was never solved and it tore her family apart.

Now another girl has disappeared, with chilling echoes of the past. And it seems that she might not be the only one.

Claire is convinced Julia's disappearance is linked.

But when she begins to learn the truth about her sister, she is confronted with a shocking discovery, and nothing will ever be the same...

Thoughts: This was my first Karin Slaughter book and I picked it up because my book club had a 48 hour Slaughterathon to participate in and I was super excited because I'd heard great things about this author. It was a little difficult for me to get into the story, not because it had a slow start, but because of the changing point of views. The beginning starts off with a bang, and I wasn't really expecting to have a hard time reading the book but after the first initial scene that starts off Claire's story, I really didn't get that much into the story. Again, I think it was the alternating points of view that sort of threw me off at first.

This book follows sisters Claire and Lydia who haven't spoken in years but are brought together by a sudden tragedy. Claire is discovering more secrets than she ever expected to find, and is finding out more about a killer who is a on the loose. We alternate between the two sisters and their lives as they try and solve the mystery of their sister's disappearance and the present day murderer that's nearby. While the plot is intriguing, I found neither main character to be likeable and I just didn't really care for either them.

I found the book dragged on too much, had too much details where it wasn't needed and could've been cut down about 100 pages or so. I was entertained for plenty of it, but I was bored for more than I expected to be as well. There were a lot of gruesome scenes that were difficult for some readers to get through, and I can see why, but they weren't as frequent to bother me as much. There wasn't much that was thrilling, since we find out from the beginning who the killer is.

Overall, this was something I liked but I felt so unsatisfied with how it was wrapped up that I feel a little iffy to read something by this author in the future. I might give the author another shot, but maybe not anytime soon.

Weekly Update

2020-05-11T15:45:00.000-07:00

I meant to get this out on Sunday, but I didn't get around to because I had a bit of a busy weekend, surprisingly. How was your week and weekend? Hope you all had a good one and stayed healthy/safe.

This Week on the Blog
- Oh, hello. ← Where I talk about coming back to the blog
- A Recap + May TBR
- Mini Reviews | Say You Still Love Me + All the Ugly and Wonderful Things + Daisy Jones and the Six
- Book Haul #1
- Series Review | Bill Hodges Trilogy by Stephen King
- Healthy(ish) Vol. 2

What I Read

It was a good reading week for me. I finished Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter, which I had started in April. I wanted to make sure I got it read before I started all my new books for May, but it caused me to fall a little behind on my May reading goals. I still had a good week of reading though, and am hoping to get as many, if not more, books read this week.

Other Things:

Don't mind me as I figure things out again. I've tried jumping back in but there's a lot of new things I want to add to the blog and I am overwhelming myself and then blank out once I get here. So I will be continuing to post regularly (I hope). Hope you all have a great week!

Healthy(ish) Vol. 2

2020-05-08T11:41:00.000-07:00

A little over a year ago, I started this feature hoping to share more on my active/dieting/fitness lifestyle. After the first post, I never got around to updating you all on what progress I made or anything. In that post, my goal was to reach 135 lbs before a cruise I went on in April, and I did it. I reached and surpassed my goal weight and I felt great. Once I came back, I fell into depression and it was really difficult for me to be active. I wasn't enjoying any of my regular activities, and I shared a bit about that here.

A couple months later, I was finally able to get myself back into my workout routine, but wasn't exactly dieting the same way. I went back to about 140 lbs but was okay with it, because I wasn't really in the right mind set to go back to dieting as well.

Let's Talk About Weight

Fast forward to today and we are dealing with a quarantine/pandemic. Times are tough and I know we're kind of just waiting for things to go back to our normal's. Being stuck at home means more snacking for me. Being stressed means more snacking. Being up more hours because I don't have to wake up early means more meals throughout the day. After a month and a few days of being in quarantine, I decided to weigh myself.

149.8 lbs

I almost cried. That is the heaviest I have ever been. And it's so close to 150 that I couldn't believe it. If you look at me, you can't really tell that I've gained that weight back. I notice it in several areas of my body, but it's not very obvious. So instead of crying and complaining, I kicked myself in the butt and began to run in the morning, and count macros. That lasted all of two days. I can't pretend that I can just go back to that way of life from one day to another. After mulling it over a few more days, I realized the best way would be to make only small changes for now.

My Short Term Goal

I know I really need to be more active. I spend a lot of time sitting around these days, and I can tell it's starting to affect me in other ways than just how I look. Taking the stairs up to our third floor apartment has me winded these days, so I need to incorporate more cardio in every day I can.

I've started a few workouts a week. While I was working out during quarantine, it was about once a week if I felt like it. Now I've committed to a routine, and I'm doing workout Zoom calls with a couple of my coworkers. We have three nights a week where we workout together, and with a couple walks on the other days, I think I'll be on a good route to go back to working out regularly.

What I'm Eating

It's difficult to not eat at home, but I've managed to be more aware of what I'm eating. I cut down one meal since I was having four on some days! I limited my snacking by simply not having as many snacks at home. I had taken up day drinking regularly, and now have gone back to having a couple beers during the weekend only. These small changes are helping. I can tell.

I haven't gone back to weigh myself after obsessing over my weight for two or three days. I decided it would be better if I waited until I had made some progress, and then go back and weigh myself. I guess I'll be updating you all on that in a couple weeks.

Series Review | Bill Hodges Trilogy by Stephen King

2020-05-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

Mr. Mercedes | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Bill Hodges Trilogy, #1

Summary: In the frigid pre-dawn hours, in a distressed Midwestern city, desperate unemployed folks are lined up for a spot at a job fair. Without warning, a lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again. Eight people are killed; fifteen are wounded. The killer escapes.

In another part of town, months later, a retired cop named Bill Hodges is still haunted by the unsolved crime. When he gets a crazed letter from someone who self-identifies as the “perk” and threatens an even more diabolical attack, Hodges wakes up from his depressed and vacant retirement, hell-bent on preventing another tragedy.

Brady Hartsfield lives with his alcoholic mother in the house where he was born. He loved the feel of death under the wheels of the Mercedes, and he wants that rush again. Only Bill Hodges, with two new, unusual allies, can apprehend the killer before he strikes again. And they have no time to lose, because Brady’s next mission, if it succeeds, will kill or maim thousands.

Mr. Mercedes is a war between good and evil, from the master of suspense whose insight into the mind of this obsessed, insane killer is chilling and unforgettable.

Thoughts: I was on a Stephen King break when I decided to go ahead and start the Bill Hodges trilogy. I specifically wanted to listen to the audiobooks because they're narrated by Will Patton who is my favorite audiobook narrator. I had some idea of what these books were about and so I was excited (I always love a good detective story.) I am happy to say that I really liked this from the start. I was hooked from the start because we are taken through both the detective and the serial killers POV's which was very intriguing. I am not immediately picking up the next book in this series but I will soon continue it.

Spoilers Ahead

Finders Keepers | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bill Hodges Trilogy, #2

Summary: Wake up, genius.

The genius is John Rothstein, an iconic author who created a famous character, Jimmy Gold, but who hasn’t published a book for decades. Morris Bellamy is livid, not just because Rothstein has stopped providing books, but because the nonconformist Jimmy Gold has sold out for a career in advertising. Morris kills Rothstein and empties his safe of cash, yes, but the real treasure is a trove of notebooks containing at least one more Gold novel.

Morris hides the money and the notebooks, and then he is locked away for another crime. Decades later, a boy named Pete Saubers finds the treasure, and now it is Pete and his family that Bill Hodges, Holly Gibney, and Jerome Robinson must rescue from the ever-more deranged and vengeful Morris when he’s released from prison after thirty-five years.

Thoughts: This was such a great way to pick up after the first book because it gave us more of the characters we enjoyed, but a different story line. While it's basically the same premise, with our heroes defeating the villain, the story was different, since it followed a young boy and a murderer. Also, the murderer was kind of a book nerd so there's that.

I was really glad to see the trio back again and kicking butt, and I was really excited to see where the third book went, although, I knew that the end for Mr. Hodges had to be close.

End of Watch | ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bill Hodges Trilogy, #3

Summary: In Room 217 of the Lakes Region Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic, something has awakened. Something evil. Brady Hartsfield, perpetrator of the Mercedes Massacre, where eight people were killed and many more were badly injured, has been in the clinic for five years, in a vegetative state. According to his doctors, anything approaching a complete recovery is unlikely. But behind the drool and stare, Brady is awake, and in possession of deadly new powers that allow him to wreak unimaginable havoc without ever leaving his hospital room.

Retired police detective Bill Hodges, the unlikely hero of Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers, now runs an investigation agency with his partner, Holly Gibney—the woman who delivered the blow to Hartsfield’s head that put him on the brain injury ward. When Bill and Holly are called to a suicide scene with ties to the Mercedes Massacre, they find themselves pulled into their most dangerous case yet, one that will put their lives at risk, as well as those of Bill’s heroic young friend Jerome Robinson and his teenage sister, Barbara. Brady Hartsfield is back, and planning revenge not just on Hodges and his friends, but on an entire city.

Thoughts: I thought this was one of King's best endings, and I am glad I got through all three books. I really enjoyed this series as a whole, the last book felt like the weakest of the three. I felt like the story from the first book was very similar to this one, and they could've been one big chunker instead, with the second one as an addition.

I loved seeing all three characters again, but felt that this time around, their friendship was very repetitive. Overall though, it was a good and sad ending but found myself not as sad or connected as I had been before.

Book Haul # 1

2020-05-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

It’s been a looong time since I talked about books I hauled. For a while there, I wasn’t actually getting that many books for myself or for reviews, so I think that’s why I stopped doing those kinds of posts. Then when I attempted to start a YouTube channel, I bought a lot more books than I needed to, but never talked about them here.

In the last year or so, I’ve noticed I haven’t bought myself too many books. I’ve just sort of stopped and instead hoarding them, especially after moving in with my boyfriend because I didn’t have a lot of room for them. In fact, I had to get rid of about half the books I owned before moving into our current apartment. So now I only purchase books that I really, really, really think I need or books I’ve read and loved.

So this haul I’m sharing today is mostly gifted books, which fills my heart with so much happiness. Since joining the We Be Book’N book club on Facebook, I have not only sparked my love of reading back up but also made so many friends that I can talk to about books. Anyways, there's been a couple gifting events in which I received most of these books, and my heart just leaped with joy every time I got a new package in the mail.

Gifted

Carrie by Stephen King
Meet Cute by Helena Hunting
By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters
Well Met by Jen DeLuca
99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne
Bird Box by Josh Malerman
One Day in December by Josie Silver
Regretting You by Colleen Hoover
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Purchased

Ringer by Lauren Oliver
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
Well Met was gifted to me by my boyfriend, but the others were all gifts from some of my new lovely friends. As for the two books I purchased myself, well it's not too bad. Ringer was something I purchased at the dollar store, so that was quite the deal, and Heartstopper, Vol. 2 was just one I really wanted because the first one was so stinking cute that I had to read the second one as soon as possible.

Anyways, that's all I have for today's haul. I'm going to try to post more of the books I get as often as possible.