November 2021 Wrap Up

November felt so fast. Probably because the first part of the month was finishing wedding things and going on our honeymoon. And then my October wrap up being sooo late. I will try to be better from now on.

But our honeymoon to Hawaii was lovely! We got to see a ton of things on Oahu. Saw a bunch of different beaches and areas of the island, the Dole plantation, Disney Aulani resort, sea turtles, and so much more. It was great and coming back to real life was hard.

We have now been married for a month! Had our first married Thanksgiving together, just the two of us. That was also very nice. He's my favorite person and being married to him has made me very happy. We finally ordered and got our thank you cards so we need to work on getting those out soon.

I managed to read a fair number of books. I have felt a bit bummed because I just haven't found a book to read (a physical book) that I LOVED in a long time. It has made me feel discouraged. I have soooo many books that I haven't read and some of them seem good, but nothing has really sparked my interest. I have picked up several and none have held my interest. I guess I am in a rut. I hope I will find something to get me out of it soon.

Here are the books I managed to finish this month. All audio books.

Title: The Frontier Magic trilogy

Author: Patricia C. Wrede

Narrator: Amanda Ronconi

 

Synopsis: This series follows Eff, the unlucky thirteenth child. Her twin brother, Lan, is a lucky seventh son of a seventh son. Lan is a natural magician and powerful. Eff is afraid of her magic hurting someone when she "goes bad." So Eff's magic develops a little bit differently, but it gives her a unique perspective that, turns out, is just as important as Lan's.

 

Thoughts: I have read these books many, many times. They are old favorites, old friends. And comfort books. I can't explain it, but I just adore this series.

 

Rating: 4 stars out of 5 stars

 

 

Title: The Charm Offensive

Author: Alison Cochrun

Narrators: Vikas Adam, Graham Halstead, and Cassandra Campbell

 

Synopsis: (Copied from my review in September) Charlie is a socially awkward, anxiety-riddled wealthy and eligible bachelor who agrees to be on a dating reality show to help improve his public image. Dev is a huge romantic and it has been his dream to work with the reality dating show Ever After. Despite his lack-luster romantic life, he really believes in true love. And then he is promoted to being Charlie's handler for the show. And Dev has his work cut out for him getting Charlie to be the prince he is expected to be. After spending some (awkward) time together, Charlie realizes that his chemistry with Dev feels like so much more than his chemistry with the 20 women on the show. Dev agrees, but his career and heart are on the line. Can they find happily ever after?

Thoughts: I just had to re-read this again. But I loved this book just as much the second time. And if you want to know more, you can read my review from September.

Rating: 4 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

 

 

Title: Boyfriend Material

Author: Alexis Hall

Narrator: Joe Jameson

 

Synopsis: (Copied from my review in March) Luc has to clean up his image fast or risk losing his job. He needs to be seen with a nice, normal, appropriate boyfriend. Enter Oliver, a serious, ethical barrister with a squeaky clean record. The two enter an agreement to be fake boyfriends as it will be mutually beneficial. And then real love happens.

 

Thoughts: I generally love the fake dating trope. This was yet another re-read. And I still loved it and thought it was sweet and funny!

 

Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars

 

 

Title: The Love Hypothesis

Author: Ali Hazelwood

Narrator: Callie Dalton

 

Synopsis: PhD candidate Olive is in a weird position. She needs a boyfriend, or a fake boyfriend, ASAP in order to convince her best friend, Anh, to date Olive's ex (who Anh really likes). The only man at hand, however, is Dr. Adam Carlsen, notoriously unapproachable and harsh. Luckily for Olive, Adam needs to convince the administration that he isn't going to leave Stanford any time soon and having a girlfriend will help him look more settled. So they fake date. And of course, real feelings happen.

Thoughts: Fake dating trope, need I say more? That's sort of my thing I guess. As a scientist myself, I enjoyed the science parts. I really enjoyed the book overall. My only complaint was that it felt like the ending fell really flat for me but I can't put my finger on why exactly. But it was happy and fluffy and definitely worth the read!

Rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

 

 

Favorite book read this month: geez... since I mostly re-read favorites, nearly all of them?

Least favorite book read this month: none, really. I guess the Love Hypothesis only because it has a slightly lower rating, but not because it was bad and I didn't enjoy it.

I have read 50 books towards my goal of 50! Yay! Maybe I didn't need to lower my goal as badly as I thought. So now I am ahead of schedule for my 2021 reading goal and I will see how many books I get in and plan next year accordingly.

And now it is December! Hanukkah has already started, but I always enjoy Hanukkah and "lighting" my menorah (they are electric tea lights...). Then my birthday and Christmas. Kevin and I will be going out to visit his family in Connecticut for a few days over Christmas, which will also be nice. I love December. And I love holiday reads. Especially Landline (which I believe I read twice in a row last year...). Anyone else have exciting holiday reads planned?

August 2021 Wrap Up

August went so fast. I was not at all prepared for this blog post. Which is why it is so late. Sorry about that.

The wedding is only two months away! We are trying to get everything squared away. I feel like there is so much to do, but I don't know what all those things are.

September has been exciting so far. I will tell about my bachelorette party and bridal shower in the September post! And we get to go to a friend's wedding this month. And maybe I will have a couple of good stories at the end of September.

This month I got to have tea with my lady scientist friends at work which is always lovely. We have done this a few times and its fun to get dressed up and hang out outside of work. And the tea and food is always delicious.

I took Poseidon to the vet for some skin issues he was having that seem to be doing better now. And Hephaestus was neutered this month. I hope that will help the new boys calm down. But I might need to have Eros neutered.

I actually got through quite a few books this month, so lets talk about those. Sorry for the not-so-great reviews. I decided to sacrifice some quality in order to get this post up sooner.

Title: Get a Life Chloe Brown

Author: Talia Hibbert

Narrator: Adoja Andoh

 

Synopsis: Chloe is chronically ill which makes having a life difficult. She decides to come up with a list of things she should do in order to feel as if she has really lived. And her apartment handyman, Red, gets enlisted to help her, though they seem to be complete opposites.

 

Thoughts: Chloe was my favorite of the Brown sisters and this book was my favorite of the three. I'm not big on reading the smut portions, but I really enjoyed everything else! It was sweet and cute and made me feel warm and fuzzy.

 

Rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars 

Title: Act Your Age Eve Brown

Author: Talia Hibbert

Narrator: Ione Butler

 

Synopsis: Eve has had a difficult time finding her place in the world and her purpose in life. Faced with being disowned if she doesn't get her life together, she sets out to get a real job and decide what to do with herself. She ends up taking a job as a chef at a bed and breakfast owned by a prickly and finicky man named Jacob. But this job and place might just be the best fit.

 

Thoughts: I didn't love this one. I'm not entirely sure why. Again, the smut didn't appeal to me. But I was interested in the autism aspect of the story. It was alright overall, but this may have been my least favorite of the three books. But who doesn't love a happy ending?

 

Rating: 3 stars out of 5 stars 

Title: Celtic Mythology

Author: Philip Freeman

Narrator: Gerard Doyle

 

Synopsis: This is a collection of gods, myths, and heroes from Celtic mythology. But very little is actually known of their whole culture. This book pieces together some of the stories and characters from ancient Celtic times.

 

Thoughts: This book was just interesting and fun. I listened to it but I wish I had the physical book in front of me as the names were way beyond me. I wish I could have seen the spelling and the names as I listened. It was informative and neat to listen to. Definitely recommend if you are into mythology.

 

Rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Title: The Friend Zone

Author: Abby Jimenez

Narrators: Teddy Hamilton, Erin Mallon

 

Synopsis: Kristen is her best friend's maid of honor in her upcoming wedding. And Kristen is determined to make it memorable. And then the best man, Josh, moves into town and the two start to fall for one another. But Kristen has a secret that is a deal-breaker for Josh. Can love overcome such differences?

 

Thoughts: I started this book and then stopped. It took a while for me to get into. Parts of it were good and interesting and sad. Other parts I guess I just didn't care for. Some things felt a bit forced maybe? Or maybe this just wasn't meant to be a winner for me. Overall it was still a decent read.

 

Rating: 3 stars out of 5 stars 

Title: Felix Ever After

Author: Kacen Callender

Narrator: Logan Rozos

 

Synopsis: There is one thing that Felix would like to experience more than just about anything: love. He wants to know what makes it so wonderful and so worth the risk of having your heart broken. But he has had a difficult time finding people to date. Being black, queer, and transgender makes the task seem impossible at times. Then a troll exposes his dead name and posts photos from before his transition. To make matters worse, the person starts sending hate messages on Instagram and Felix is obsessed with figuring out who it is. As he becomes more obsessed with finding the answer, he ends up falling in love with a couple of people. And he starts a quest to discover more about his own identity.

 

Thoughts: I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. But it was very charming and definitely won me over. I was a bit nervous for Felix at times, but the good won out! Also, I love his friendship with Ezra soooo much.

 

Rating: 3 and 1/2 stars out of 5 stars 

Title: 10 Things I Hate About Pinky

Author: Sandhya Menon

 

Synopsis: Pinky has always been a rebel with a cause. She is out to make the world a better place, no matter what anyone else (like her mom) thinks. But after being blamed for an accident that was not her fault, she makes up a story about having a boyfriend that even her mom would love. Enter Samir, whose summer internship tragically fell through. With nothing to look forward to, he plans to go home when Pinky texts him. If he will pretend to be her perfect boyfriend, Pinky can get him an internship with her mother's law firm. And Pinky's mother is a very prestigious lawyer. But he and Pinky can't stand one another, so how can this possibly work?

 

Thoughts: This book was a re-read. I wanted something easy and lighthearted to read because I am having problems getting through larger, heavier books at the moment. I adore this one. It is fun and sweet. And I love the fake dating and enemies to lovers tropes.

 

Rating: 4 stars out of 5 stars

 

 

Favorite book read this month: 10 Things I Hate About Pinky

Least favorite book read this month: Either Act Your Age Eve Brown or The Friend Zone

 

I have read 31 books towards my goal of 50. I am still about two or three books behind, but I made good progress this month! I usually read a bunch at the end of September and through October because it is time for spooky reads, but I don't know if that will be the case this year. Oh well. If I can fit it in, I will try to get up a post about spooky reads for this year.

 

That is all for August. I will see you all in September! And I will try to be more on top of the September wrap up post. Thanks for your patience!

July 2021 Wrap Up

I did not keep up with much this last month it seems. Work was kind of nuts and I had to work several weekends in a row which made me tired and irritable. It looks like I still got some things done though.

We managed to get most of our wedding invites out this month and have even gotten some RSVPs already (which I am not complaining about, the sooner I know, the better I feel). I still have some that need to go out though.

I made my petticoats. They didn't turn out quite the way I'd wanted, but I think they will be fine. I may add a bit more to them to make the dress more puffy. But then I found that the layers of the dress don't let allow as much "puffing" as I want. So I started altering my dress by adding extra panels of fabric into the seams in each layer so the petticoats can give the skirts more volume. It is a work in progress and I hope I don't mess it up too much.

Other wedding things are slowly falling in to place. We ordered our wedding bands so those will be here soon and I will need to get mine re-sized. My bridesmaids have had a couple of meetings and I am excited for the bridal shower and bachelorette party. They have all been amazing and their involvement and excitement make me very happy and excited, too. We met with my good friend who will also be our officiant for the first time to talk about the ceremony. Basically we have lots of homework to do. I wish I could just have everything done now so I don't have to worry about anything later, but that's just not how it works. That is OK though, I am still enjoying the process more than I am stressing about it.

My little Poseidon rat has been having some skin problems which we are trying to figure out. The vet can't get him in for a little bit unfortunately. The new boys are getting better socialized. Hephaestus has an appointment to be neutered because he picks on Eros. Admittedly, Eros is a bit of a drama queen and squeals like he's dying anytime Hephaestus gets close to him... But they are all really cute and Hermes hasn't bitten me in the last couple of weeks, so that is exciting.

And now on to books. Here is what I managed to read this month.

Title: A Happy Catastrophe

Author: Maddie Dawson

Narrator: Amy McFadden

 

Synopsis: This book follows Matchmaking for Beginners. Marnie is now the local matchmaker and is happy in her new life. Patrick doesn't care for her generally social, chaotic lifestyle and Marnie wants more from him and more for their relationship than he is prepared to give. Enter a series of crazy events that will propel their lives forward (and in different directions) whether they like it or not.

 

Thoughts: While I enjoyed Matchmaking for Beginners, I did not much care for this one. Not enough to bail, there were some things that I liked, but I sort of hated Patrick the whole time. 

Rating: 2 1/2 to 3 stars out of 5 stars

Title: A Thousand Ships

Author: Natalie Haynes

Narrator: Natalie Haynes

 

Synopsis: This book looks at various perspectives of women during the Trojan War. The story jumps around from woman to woman, occasionally returning to a few of them. What were they thinking and experiencing during the war? Was their home destroyed? Did they lose their families? Did they lose their own lives? Who waited for their men for so many years they may as well have been dead? Which women took their fates into their own hands? Finally, the ignored women are given their chance to be heard.

 

Thoughts: This was originally a book club book, but I had read the other selection that month. This one was on my "To Read" list, but after hearing about it during book club discussion, I wanted to read it even more. When I scored it on sale, I was very excited. I really liked this look at the women involved (directly or indirectly) in the Trojan War. Also, I really need to go back and re-read the Iliad, the Odyssey, and maybe the Aeneid as well. If you like the classic stories and myths, you will probably enjoy this book.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Title: The Great Mortality

Author: John Kelly

Narrator: Matthew Lloyd Davies

 

Synopsis: The first major outbreak of plague happened in the mid-14th century and it decimated Europe and most of the known world. The consequences had long lasting affects.

 

Thoughts: As most of you probably know, I LOVE the plague (Yersinia pestis) and just about anything that has to do with it. So it probably goes without saying that I enjoyed this book. I did have a little trouble getting into it. It felt like the topics kind of jumped around too much, but I think I may not have been focusing enough. It was still informative and fascinating and enjoyable. And I learned a few things I didn't know before, so that is always exciting!

Rating: 3 1/2 to 4 stars out of 5 stars

Title: Take a Hint, Dani Brown

Author: Talia Hibbert

Narrator: Ione Butler

 

Synopsis: This is a romantic comedy about Danika Brown and her friend Zafir. When he rescues her and carries her out of the building they work in, videos of the event go viral. Zafir is trying to get his charity off the ground and the video of him carrying his "girlfriend" to safety starts gaining him and his work some attention. He asks Dani to go along with it and she agrees but her only goal is to make Zafir her regular fuck-buddy. The fact that both of them have a little crush on the other just complicates things.

 

Thoughts: I usually love the fake dating trope, but I liked it less in this book. I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe because the other ones I adored were also more enemies to lovers tropes, too. Also, I started with book two in the Brown Sisters books, which maybe isn't ideal, but not much from the first book was spoiled. And I was not prepared for all of the smut, which is definitely not up my alley. That aside (not a flaw of the book, just not my thing), it had very sweet and charming moments. I didn't love it per se, but I did like it enough to go back and read the first book.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5 stars

Favorite book read this month: A Thousand Ships

Least favorite book read this month: A Happy Catastrophe

I have now read 25 books towards my goal of 50 books, which puts me about 4 books behind schedule. Oh well.

I think that is about it for the moment. I can't believe it is already August. Thanks for reading!

May 2021 Wrap Up

Alright, I was trying to be more prepared for the end of May than I was for the end of April. So lets see what happened this month.

On the wedding front, I am still waiting for my dress to come back. They were scheduling pretty far out so even though my alterations are simple (they are taking about 2 inches off of the length), I can't pick it up until June. But I want it back so I can make my petticoat! I did get my shoes though and got some ribbon shoe laces to dress them up some. They are swing dance wedge shoes. I am looking at decorating them, too. Maybe I will document and have a blog post about that in case other people want to see.

Our venue is booked and paid, as is our DJ and photographer. I have been practicing some makeup and hair on myself (I will be doing my own hair and makeup). Flowers are ordered (we are also making our own bouquets, boutonnieres, and corsages).

I got to see some friends and family earlier in the month, which was great. And I picked up the new rats from Smol Beans Rat Rescue! I did not like the names they came with, so we changed them to match the Greek gods theme. Their names are Hephaestus (aka Festus), Eros, Hermes, Dionysus (aka Dion), and Apollo. They are still timid and getting used to being handled. It is a work in progress. They aren't biting as much or as hard now, so... small steps.

And now books! Here is what I read this month.

Title: The Silvered Serpents

Author: Roshani Chokshi

Narrators: Laurie Catherine Winkel and PJ Ochlan

 

Synopsis: Séverin is obsessed with finding the Divine Lyrics which will make him an immortal god and bring back his brother, Tristan. Laila, Zofia, and Enrique want to find it because they believe it will save Laila's life. Their search takes them to Russia where a series of muses or muse-like goddesses and girls must lead them to the answers. But it might not be the journey and savior that they expected.

 

Thoughts: I really liked Gilded Wolves, so I immediately wanted this book. I may have enjoyed it a little bit less, but not a lot. It was different and it's been a while since I read the first one. But I still love the characters and their stories. Especially Zofia, I think she is my favorite. I am looking forward to the next one!

 

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars 

 

Title: Night of the Dragon

Author: Julie Kagawa

Narrators: Joy Osmanski, Brian Nishii, and Emily Woo Zeller

Synopsis: Having lost the pieces of the Dragon Scroll, Yumeko and her friends have to travel to stop the Master of Demons from summoning the Great Dragon. Meanwhile Tatsumi has made a truce with Hakaimono, the demon sharing his body, but evidence of demon possession are evident in his features making it more difficult to travel among humans. And just when they think they might have it all worked out, another mysterious player enters the game and changes the stakes.

Thoughts: I mostly enjoyed this series. Admittedly there were a few things that I did not like about this book. I don't want to spoil anything. But I did cry at one part (and not during at least one other part that I thought I would/should cry at).

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Title: The Obelisk Gate

Author: N.K. Jemisin

Narrator: Robin Miles

 

Synopsis: This season appears to be one that will not end for another thousand years. Alabaster has returned to train Essun to succeed him. Meanwhile, Essun's daughter has been taken by her father to another com where she continues training and develops unique powers.

 

Thoughts: The first book was amazing, but I read it several years ago now. I probably should have brushed up on some things before reading this one. Despite that, the author managed to catch me up again pretty well. And this book may not have been quite as intense as the last book, but it was very good.

 

Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

Favorite book read this month: Probably the Obelisk Gate

Least favorite book read this month: Night of the Dragon

I have read 18 books towards my new goal of 50 books for the year. According to Goodreads, I am two books behind schedule... Such is life though. I'm enjoying the wedding planning instead!

March 2021 Wrap Up

Sorry this post is a bit late. On the evening of the 31st we had to put our rattie, Zeus, to sleep. He had been struggling for a while and it seemed like it was the right thing to do. But it made for a very rough, sad night. I miss him so much. 

Better late than never though. Lets move on.

March is over. It feels more like spring now. It went by so quickly I feel like I hardy got to catch my breath.

I haven't been reading a whole lot lately. Partially, not much has held my interest. But I also spend WAAAAY more time doing wedding planning research and such. Lurking on Facebook wedding groups looking for good advice. Scanning Etsy and Pinterest for ideas and fun things. All that good stuff.

On the plus side, some wedding things are falling into place! We have a date and a venue! We still have lots to do, but it's nice to make progress. In the future, I hope to do a couple of blog posts about my adventures in case they might help someone else. And just to share some of the fun. It can be stressful (and I am sure I will have my share of stress) but I am mostly happy and excited. Especially since the venue was booked, that was stressing me out.

But here are the (few) books I finished this month. All of them audiobooks...

Title: Tristan Strong Destroys the World

Author: Kwame Mbalia

Narrator: Amir Abdullah

 

Synopsis: Tristan is trying to adjust to regular life after his adventures in Alke. But when his grandmother is kidnapped, he has to return to Alke to save her. He reunites with his friends and meets new friends in his search. And saving all of Alke might be the only way for Tristan to save everyone he cares about.

 

Thoughts: I really enjoyed this one. I feel like Gum Baby annoyed me in the first book, but I mostly found her hilarious in this one. It was fun to meet new characters and see some old favorites.

 

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars 

 

Title: Piranesi

Author: Susanna Clarke

Narrator: Chiwetel Ejiofor

 

Synopsis: Piranesi lives in a very unique house, which he studies relentlessly. There are infinite rooms and corridors, and some cannot be reached because they are in ruins or under water. No one understands the house like Piranesi does. His studies aid the Other who lives somewhere in the house and occasionally meets with Piranesi. When a new, mysterious person enters the house, Piranesi is warned away, but ends up discovering much more about himself and about the house than he could have imagined.

 

Thoughts: This was a book club read. I feel like it took a while for me to get what was going on, though there were a couple of things that I guessed along the way. It was really interesting and I enjoyed reading about the house.

 

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

 

 

Title: A Love Hate Thing

Author: Whitney D. Grandison

Narrator: Adenrele Ojo and Barrie Buckner

 

Synopsis: Trice has just gone through some trauma and lost his whole family. So he is forced to move into the house of old family friends. Reuniting with his childhood friend and crush in his posh new life finally makes him feel again. Nandy has mixed feelings about having her first crush and childhood friend back in her meant-to-be-perfect life.

 

Thoughts: Let me say that there were some parts that I thought were good in about the first half of the book or so. I even cried when we got Trice's backstory. But I feel like the book was at least twice as long as it should have been. I just could not wait for it to finish and it felt like it dragged on forever. Hence the low rating.

 

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

 

 

Title: Boyfriend Material

Author: Alexis Hall

Narrator: Joe Jameson

 

Synopsis: Luc has to clean up his image fast or risk losing his job. He needs to be seen with a nice, normal, appropriate boyfriend. Enter Oliver, a serious, ethical barrister with a squeaky clean record. The two enter an agreement to be fake boyfriends as it will be mutually beneficial. And then real love happens.

 

Thoughts: I have a confession: I think I love the fake dating trope. I have only read one other in my recollection, but I also loved that one. So basically I loved this book. It broke my heart a couple of times and put it all back together again. I felt like I couldn't get enough.

 

Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars

 

 

Least favorite book read this month: A Love Hate Thing

Favorite book read this month: Lots of good ones, but I have to say Boyfriend Material

 

I have read 12 books towards my goal of 75. I am about 6 books behind schedule... And I am thinking that I may need to reduce my goal to compensate for all the time I am spending doing wedding things.

And side note: send me all your fake dating book recs! I want more!

February 2021 Wrap Up

February was a crazy, exhausting month. A study I was leading for my team began at the beginning of the month and kept me hopping and working crazy hours and late hours, and so on. I don't love everything about my job, but I still love the infectious diseases.

February also brought my fourth anniversary with Kevin. It has been four years since we first met for coffee. I hate to think about how different my life would be now if we hadn't met. 

We have continued casual wedding planning. Mostly trying to figure out a venue and rough time frame. It is kind of fun and interesting to research and look into things. And casually talk/plan with my momma, that's nice, too. I did order my wedding dress though and we made some decisions about where and when. Assuming we can get a venue. And we are trying not to spend an insane amount.

Poor little Zeusy got a case a pneumonia and has not really been responding to the antibiotics he's been on. He's still eating and moving around and defending the cage from the kitten, so he must sort of be OK. But I've been really worried about him. I think this is probably the beginning of the end for him. He's still rallying so we have some time with him. He's a good boy (except when he resists his nebulizer treatments).

I wish I had more to say about February, but I think I just worked really.

Well, lets get to the books I read this month then.

Title: Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow

Author: Jessica Townsend

Narrator: Gemma Whelan

 

Synopsis: Morrigan is now a scholar at the Wunderous Society. All the time she had been dreaming of her unit becoming her allies, like brothers and sisters. But life is not so easy. Someone is blackmailing her unit and the members of her unit resent Morrigan for it. Meanwhile, people are disappearing all around Nevermoor and the few that reappear are forever changed. Morrigan must unravel the mystery and try not to alienate her unit at the same time.

 

Thoughts: Seriously, how have I waited so long to read these books? I have been absolutely adoring them. They are so good and fun and well-written. I absolutely adore Jupiter North, I think he is hilarious and wonderful.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Title: Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow

Author: Jessica Townsend

Narrator: Gemma Whelan

 

Synopsis: Morrigan is finally training to be a real wundersmith. In the meantime, a mysterious disease is sweeping through Nevermoor that turns Wunimals into Unimals. No one is able to prevent or cure the disease that leaves the Wunimals hollow. Morrigan realizes that it might be up to her to stop it.

 

Thoughts: I am so sad this book is over because I don't know when the next one will be out. All I really want to do is re-read (re-listen) to them all again.

 

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

 

 

Title: The Glass Hotel

Author: Emily St. John Mandel

Narrator: Dylan Moore

 

Synopsis: A huge, drawn out Ponzi scheme in New York City and a five-star hotel in the middle-of-nowhere Canada are where the stories of all of the characters converge. Vincent goes from the hotel bartender to pretend wife of elite, wealthy Jonathan in New York. The lives of her and her brother and Jonathan and some of his investors all cross and re-cross throughout the story.

Thoughts: This was a book club book for February. Sorry for the poor synopsis. It was more intricate than I could sum up well. It was a very interesting story and I liked the way everything was entwined and circled around and themes re-appeared.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Favorite book read this month: Both of the Nevermoor books

Least favorite book read this month: None really. The Glass Hotel got less stars, but I still enjoyed it

I have read 8 towards my goal of 75 books for the year. I'm getting behind!

That's about it for this month. Maybe March will have more interesting things happening.

January 2021 Wrap Up

Something I forgot to mention in my yearly wrap up and goals for this year was my intention to make sure I read books by diverse authors and especially Black authors and/or about Black people and other POC and women. Also books by/about LBGTQA+ authors/characters. It’s a small thing, but I want to take steps towards being a better ally. I think I did pretty well last year and I already have some good lists for this year. I saw other people tracking such things last year. If I can find a good way to do so, I will, but only so I can make sure that I am reading diversely.

January 2021. What a month. It has been kind of crazy.  But I am overjoyed by the administration changes and the steps that have been taken in the right directions. I feel more proud to be an American than I have during the last four years. I also have officially completed my Covid vaccination series, which is very exciting!

We lost handsome little Hades during the month, which was very sad. He probably had a brain tumor. He declined and left us very quickly and it seemed like he didn't suffer much if at all. On the plus side, I managed to finally get all three of them in the same cage without any problems or fighting! So Hades got to spend most of his last days with both of his brothers. When I was home to supervise him, that is, because I was afraid he would fall from the top levels of the cage that his brothers were occupying. Hades always wanted to be up there with them of course. He is very missed.

We took in a kitten on New Year's eve that we are nearly positive our neighbors dumped (they had a cat and suddenly they don't anymore). He is a handful. We haven't decided to keep him. Except we are buying him toys and food and litter and everything kittens need. I made vet appointments to have a check up/vaccines and also to get him neutered ASAP. He is a demon, but he is also very cute. So it seems that he is unofficially officially staying. I am thinking that he will be named Marshmallow.

It has been a bit over a month since Kevin and I got engaged. I have been doing a bunch of research. But mostly I have found that planning a wedding is difficult during a pandemic and when our families live in different areas of the country. So we have not made any real plans, but we need to wait until life seems more normal so we can have all our friends and families present wherever and whenever the wedding happens. And I'm still a little in awe of the fact that he wants to marry me and I am very happy.

Work has been... kind of rough. There have been some things going on that have been great and I am working with one lady who is mentoring some of my team who is SO complimentary about my work and my abilities. It is satisfying and encouraging to be so well thought of. However, the work we are doing has made my work life very different and, in some ways, very hard and discouraging. All in all, I still get to work with infectious diseases and in high containment facilities and I still love doing those things.

And now we can look at books I read this month.

Title: His Truth is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope

Author: Jon Meacham

Narrator: JD Jackson

 

Synopsis: This book follows the early life of John Lewis. Raised into religion and a natural preacher and empath from a young age, it seemed natural for him to become so involved in civil rights. The story follows him through all of the early protests and marches that Lewis participated in and the overall impact he and his fellows had.

 

Thoughts: This was a book club selection for December to discuss at the beginning of January. I managed to finish it just in time. I'm so glad this book was chosen because I had wanted to read it. It was so good. One of those books that really should be required reading. The only disappointment was that I wanted more! Which I suppose means I should read an actual biography.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

 

Title: Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead

Author: Olga Tokarczuk

Translator: Antonia Lloyd-Jones

Narrator: Beata Pozniak

 

Synopsis: Janina is an aging Polish woman who lives in a remote village near the Polish border. She teaches English in the village part time, helps her friend and former pupil translate William Blake's poems, studies astrology, and loves animals more than people. Then one of her few neighbors winds up dead in his own home. After that, more people turn up dead under strange and sometimes suspicious circumstances. Janina feels that she has insight due to her study of astrology, but no one will listen to a reclusive old woman.

Thoughts: This was a book club selection for January which we are preparing to discuss. Part of what made me choose this book was this part of the synopsis: "[this book] is a provocative exploration of the murky borderland between sanity and madness, justice and tradition, autonomy and fate. Whom do we deem sane? Who is worthy of a voice?" The main character was very interesting. She was unique in her thoughts and actions, but she has reasons for it all. We see it all from her eyes and it is hard not to sympathize with her concerns. Overall, it was strange but I rather enjoyed it.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Title: Among the Beasts and Briars

Author: Ashley Poston

Synopsis: Cerys is the daughter of the royal gardener in Aloriya and best friends with the soon-to-be-queen. Aloriya is kept safe from the evils and curses of the woods that surround the country by the crown the monarch wears. But Cerys had an encounter with the forest at a young age and has a touch of secret magic as a result. But then the woods comes for the people of Aloriya, turning people into monsters. Cerys, with her only companion--a fox--head into the woods to find a hidden city to ask for help.

Thoughts: This was an Owlcrate book and it is such a pretty book! I have read most of Ashley Poston's books, I believe. Her Heart of Iron duology is one of my favorites. And the Once Upon a Con series is just fun. I enjoyed this book, but I have to admit that it wasn't my favorite. I did like way the story ended mostly. And really, I mostly just loved the bear.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5 stars

Title: City of the Plaque God

Author: Sarwat Chadda

Narrator: Vikas Adam

 

Synopsis: Sik wants nothing more than to have a normal life and help his parents run their family deli. But then Nergal, the ancient Mesopotamian god of plagues, comes looking for him. Luckily, he is saved by Belet, the obnoxious new girl from school who, it turns out, is the adopted daughter of Ishtar, goddess of war and love. Ishtar and Belet take Sik under their wings and go on quests to defeat Nergal.

 

Thoughts: A Rick Riordan presents book about a plague god and Mesopotamian mythology? Yes please! I knew nearly nothing about Mesopotamian culture and mythology when I started this book. Parts of it were sad and heartbreaking ("Heroes don't come in this shade, Sik." Ouch times a million). And some parts were fun and just interesting. If you like mythology, I think this is definitely worth the read!

Rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

 

 

Title: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

Author: Jessica Townsend

Narrator: Gemma Whelan

Synopsis: Morrigan Crow is a cursed child, doomed to die by her twelfth birthday and blamed for any and all bad things that happen anywhere near her. Just before she is due to die, she is rescued by the eccentric Jupiter North who spirits her away to Nevermoor. Once she arrives, Jupiter enters her into a competition to enter the very prestigious Wonder Society. But she doesn't even know what her knack is. But she knows that if she doesn't get in, she is as good as dead.

Thoughts: I am so glad I finally read this. I finished it just in time to include it on my January reads. But I loved it. It was unique and fun and kept me interested the whole time. I can't wait to read the next one.

Rating: 4 1/2 stars out of 5 stars

Favorite book read this month: Tough choice. His Truth is Marching On and City of the Plague God and the Trials of Morrigan Crow

Least favorite book read this month: None really. Lowest rating was Among the Beasts and Briars, but I still enjoyed it.

So far this year I have read 5 books towards my goal of 75 books.

I tried to participate in the bookish photo challenge on Instagram this month, with pretty mixed results. Some days were better than others, but I mostly did not have nearly as much time as I would have liked. But it was still fun to do the little bit that I did.

I have to say, February promises to be pretty insane for me. A big study starts on the first that I am leading for my team and it is all in the high containment facility. I am excited because I love the work and because I am happy to be leading it. But it will also be horribly exhausting because I the schedule will be rough for at least a week or two and I will have other responsibilities that I cannot hand off to anyone else. So I will have a lot on my plate and much of it will be unpredictable. But I will do my best to have something worth blogging about at the end of it all!

December 2020 Wrap Up

 Wrap up and send off! 2020 has been a pretty crazy year. Hopefully next year will be a little better.

Let's start off with some short book reviews.

Title: These Ghosts are Family

Author: Maisy Card

Narrator: Karl O'Brian Williams

 

Synopsis: Stanford Solomon is getting on in years and he decides to share his secret with his family that will affect all of their lives--he is actually Abel Paisley who was pronounced dead decades ago. His daughter from Jamaica turns up to be his home health aide and is under the impression that her father is dead. The stories of several different people meet and entwine together.

 

Thoughts: This was a book club selection. It was strange because it was hard to define a plot line, but it was very good and it was interesting. We discussed it and the consensus was that those of us who read it (we have two selections every month and most of us only read one) liked it. The ending was interesting to discuss. And the narration was very good!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Title: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Author: V. E. Schwab

 

Synopsis: Addie is desperate to change her fate, so she makes a deal with one of the world's darker entities for total freedom. But he twists her wish (as they do) so that she will always be forgotten. She perseveres through 300 years and ultimately arrives in New York in the present day. It is here that she meets someone who remembers.

Thoughts: I have been hearing raves about this book all year so I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I generally love her books, so I expected to like this one. And I did! It was strange and interesting and went much faster than I expected. It was a very interesting book and I liked Addie's creativity in finding ways to leave her mark.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Title: Mr. Dickens and His Carol

Author: Samantha Silva

Narrator: Euan Morton

 

Synopsis: A fictional story about Charles Dickens. He is coming off of a book which was a flop and ends up more hard-off for money than he is used to. In order to bring in some money, his publishers convince him to write a Christmas story.

 

Thoughts: I had mixed feelings about this one. I didn't enjoy Charles' character very much and had a hard time getting through to the end. But I really enjoyed the last few chapters of the story.

 

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Title: Booked for Christmas

Author: Lily Menon

 

Synopsis: Sophie is a romance writer and preparing to throw her annual Christmas party in her remote cabin. One unexpected guest shows up, the critic Evan Wolfe. Evan has written several reviews of her books that have been less than complimentary. But a huge blizzard traps them together in the cabin for the weekend. What starts out with harsh exchanges turns into something else.

Thoughts: So, I enjoyed most of her young adult books. I thought I would give this a try. It was really not for me. I don't love romance stories and books, this one was no exception. It felt contrived mostly, but it was a short story so I stuck it out.

Rating: Generously 2 out of 5 stars (Sorry, I will stick to her YA in the future.)

Title: A Christmas Carol

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: Tim Curry

 

Synopsis: I don't think I need to describe this classic!

 

Thoughts: One of my annual re-reads. I still love it and I still imagine the characters as Disney mice and ducks.

 

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

 

 

 

Title: Landline

Author: Rainbow Rowell

Narrator: Rebecca Lowman

Synopsis: Georgie loves her husband, Neal. And she know he loves her. She's pretty sure, anyway. At the last minute, her job requires her to stay in LA to work and Neal takes their daughters to Nebraska for Christmas. Georgie all but moves back in with her mother, who thinks Neal left Georgie, though Georgie argues that this is not true. Desperate to connect with her husband, she keeps calling but can never get through. Until she tries her old yellow rotary phone in her childhood bedroom to call Neal's landline. And she gets through! To Neal in the past, during the Christmas week he had broken up with her and gone to Nebraska alone. Georgie hadn't talked to him the whole week, but he showed up to propose on Christmas morning. But now she is talking to past Neal. Is she supposed to change something? Fix something?

Thoughts: I LOVE this book. It is one of my very favorites. I cry all the way through the last few chapters (they are short chapters, its OK). I just love it so very much. After I finished reading it, I turned around a listened to the audiobook. So technically, I read it twice this year.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

 

Title: Royal Holiday

Author: Jasmine Guillory

Narrator: Janina Edwards

 

Synopsis: Vivian is convinced to travel to England with her daughter who has been hired to do holiday design work for some of the English royalty. While she is here, she meets handsome Malcolm, who has been working for the queen for years. An unexpected romance blooms between them.

Thoughts: This was a book bail for me. As I said, I don't really enjoy romance, but I wanted to try it because it was the holidays and it seemed nice and appropriate. But I just couldn't do it. It was contrived and convenient, which I don't much care for. I have heard good things about it though. If you like romance stories, you might enjoy this one.

Rating: None

Least favorite book read this month: Not counting Royal Holiday? Booked for Christmas

Favorite book read this month: Landline (of course)

It is also the end of the year. I read 87 of 80 books this year, which was great. I didn't quite complete the alphabet challenge, but that is alright, it was a bit of fun.

In 2021 I hope to read 75 books. My main reading goal next year is to finish some series that I never got around to reading the last book. 

And in January, I hope to participate in this Instagram challenge (or parts of it) hosted by a person I follow and a couple of her acquaintances. Check it out here and feel free to participate and/or follow!

I wish I could say I had other New Year's Resolutions, but I don't really. I want to say I will work out or I will eat better, but with my job the way it has been, I know I can't keep those. So I guess I will say that I will try to do better.

2020 was a strange year. In some ways, my life didn't change too much since I had recently moved here and didn't know anyone or any places to go. So I didn't go anywhere. And then the pandemic happened and I still didn't go anywhere! My work life blew up to insane levels though. On one hand, I suppose it is good job security, but on the other hand it is exhausting. Luckily it is mostly work that I enjoy doing.

 

Because of the pandemic, several of my friends started meeting virtually and we have been meeting every week since March. While I would love to see them in person or be able to grab dinner or a drink, it has been really nice to feel so connected to them. We haven't been so involved in each others' lives for quite some time I think. That is something positive that came out of all of this and I am very grateful.

On Christmas Eve Kevin proposed to me and I said yes (obviously). He is the best person I have ever met and just the type of person I want to spend my life with. I feel very lucky. And it was a nicer way to help ring in (unintentional pun) 2021.

I hope 2021 brings good things (better things anyway) to everyone. We survived 2020. Happy New Year!