Author: Lauren

I'm not a good writer, so I'll just keep writing until I am.

Sundays in Bed With…

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So Sundays In Bed With… is a meme hosted by Midnight Book Girl. It’s an opportunity to share what book is by your bed (or by your current resting space) at the moment.

Look at me! Three blog posts in a week! I’m on a roll. To be honest, I am trying to make more of an effort to post more often, but it will not be every day. Life, it gets in the way. But on to the post!

I am reading two books right now.

I’m pretty much where I left off when I posted about this title on Wednesday. I ended up needing to order a physical copy because I have to have one for book club. I’m going to, hopefully, finish it today.

The description:

A successful film professor and podcaster, Bodie Kane is content to forget her past—the family tragedy that marred her adolescence, her four largely miserable years at a New Hampshire boarding school, and the murder of her former roommate, Thalia Keith, in the spring of their senior year. Though the circumstances surrounding Thalia’s death and the conviction of the school’s athletic trainer, Omar Evans, are hotly debated online, Bodie prefers—needs—to let sleeping dogs lie.

But when the Granby School invites her back to teach a course, Bodie is inexorably drawn to the case and its increasingly apparent flaws. In their rush to convict Omar, did the school and the police overlook other suspects? Is the real killer still out there? As she falls down the very rabbit hole she was so determined to avoid, Bodie begins to wonder if she wasn’t as much of an outsider at Granby as she’d thought—if, perhaps, back in 1995, she knew something that might have held the key to solving the case.

I picked this up last night before I realized that I still have to finish the book club book. I’m going to try and finish it tomorrow. Today and tomorrow are my days off work so I have plenty of time to get into it! I’m not very far into it, so I can’t say wether or not I like it yet, but I haven’t quit it, so that’s a plus.

The description:

Sadie Montgomery never saw what was coming . . . Literally! One minute she’s celebrating the biggest achievement of her life—placing as a finalist in the North American Portrait Society competition—the next, she’s lying in a hospital bed diagnosed with a “probably temporary” condition known as face blindness. She can see, but every face she looks at is now a jumbled puzzle of disconnected features. Imagine trying to read a book upside down and in another language. This is Sadie’s new reality with every face she sees.

But, as she struggles to cope, hang on to her artistic dream, work through major family issues, and take care of her beloved dog, Peanut, she falls into—love? Lust? A temporary obsession to distract from the real problems in her life?—with not one man but two very different ones. The timing couldn’t be worse.

If only her life were a little more in focus, Sadie might be able to find her way. But perceiving anything clearly right now seems impossible. Even though there are things we can only find when we aren’t looking. And there are people who show up when we least expect them. And there are always, always other ways of seeing.

Have a good Sunday!

Mid-Year Freak Out Tag

Lauren2 Comments

Two posts in a week? Who am I?

But it’s time for the Mid-Year Freakout Tag! Last year I attributed this Tag to Earl Grey Books, but I am not 100% sure that is accurate.

Best Book You’ve Read So Far

When I listened to Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, I didn’t expect to feel so much for an octopus, but here we are, my favorite book so far this year.

Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far

I have yet to be disappointed by Ali Hazelwood, and Love, Theoretically was no exception. I will say that though this is my favorite sequel, I do wish the author would write something other than enemies to lovers. We shall see if her next adult romance, a paranormal one, changes this.

New Release You Haven’t Read Yet, But Want To

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang sounds so good. I may suggest this as a book club pick in the future so I have a reason to read and don’t put it off for forever.

Most Anticipate Release for the Second Half of the Year

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maeher sounds fun. Like it will be a good time. I have several other books I am looking forward to, but this may be the one I am looking forward to the most.

Biggest Disappointment

I had high hopes for A Witch’s Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley, but it did not go well. The male protagonist was not likeable, at all. And I could tell he was meant to be eventually, but still, nope.

Biggest Surprise

The Measure by Nikki Erlick is one of the few lit fic books I picked up on my own, and I was presently surprised. The concept was fresh and watching how the strings impacted society was amazing.

New Favorite Author

I don’t know? I re-read the Brown Sisters Trilogy by Talia Hibbert this year, but I didn’t like her YA book. Shelby Van Pelt would be, but she has only had the one book published. I don’t think I have a favorite author so far this year.

Newest Fictional Crush

Last year I had no fictional crushes and said the Hubs was enough, apparently that’s true this year too! It would seem I don’t get fictional crushes. I’ll let you know if that changes.

Newest Favorite Character

Marcellus the Octopus from Remarkably Bright Creatures. This book really left a lasting impression on me and I appreciate that.

Book That Made You Cry

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, translated by Geoffrey Trousselot, absolutely made me cry. It’s a master class in how to translate a work to English and still maintain the emotional resonance of the original.

Book That Made You Happy

I couldn’t believe how happy this book made me. Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murders by Jesse Q. Sutanto was a murder mystery, yes, but it was also an absolute joy to read.

Favorite Book To Movie Adaptation That You Have Seen So Far?

First off, A Man Called Otto, based on the book A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, is great. It made me feel things! That being said, I hadn’t read the book when I saw the movie and there should have been a trigger warning for suicidal ideation at the beginning of this film. Still my favorite adaptation though.

Favorite Review You’ve Written This Year?

I have only written a few posts this year, and not a one of them was a review. They just aren’t a priority right now, unfortunately.

Most Beautiful Book You’ve Bought This Year?

I haven’t read it yet, but Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett is one beautiful book.

What Books Do You Really Need to Read By the End of the Year?

All four of these books have sequels coming out in the next couple of months, and while I haven’t read these books, I preordered the sequel. I have a problem.

Favorite Community Member?

Well, that’s just rude. I can’t even call someone my best friend. I don’t have a problem, I promise.

I don’t tag individuals in tags, as I believe everyone should be able to do them! So go forth and have fun figuring this out for yourself! Enjoy!

WWW Wednesday

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Well hello! How are y’all doing? How was your holiday? The hubs and I spent the last three days playing board games! Naturally, I was in heaven. And hey, time spent with the hubs is always a win!

In other news, my horribly depressing reading slump is over! I read exactly zero books in May and didn’t start reading again until the end of June when I read 6 books in the last week and a half! In celebration, I’m doing WWW Wednesday. WWW Wednesday is the day when we answer the three W’s: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next? It’s hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words but was previously hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm.

Currently Reading

I am only 30 pages into The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer, so I can’t say whether or not I like it yet, but I am going to continue reading it! So that’s good!

I’m listening to the audiobook of I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai. I’m about an hour into this (I listen at 2 times speed). Julia Wheelan is the narrator and I love her, but I’m not sure about the content. The story flows a little weirdly.

Recently Finished

When in Rome by Sarah Adams was an adorable grumpy/sunshine romance based on the movie Roman Holiday. I really liked this one, and at 300 pages it was a pretty quick read.

Reading Next

A book club pick for July, Happy Place by Emily Henry is my next read. I’m not gonna lie, Emily Henry is not my favorite author, I haven’t liked a single book I’ve read by her, so I don’t have high hopes for it. I am going to give it my best shot though!

July is looking to be a good reading month for me, even though I spent the first few days playing board games. When your two hobbies clash something has got to give, and I ain’t mad about that.

My New Obsession…Board Games

Lauren6 Comments

Well hello! How are you doing? I’m doing…alive. It’s been an interesting couple of months. I took a trip, we had more family visit, then I took another trip. I have had very little downtime and what time I have had has been spent not reading. I’ve been playing Zelda…and a few board games. In fact, I have become slightly obsessed with board games over the last several months.

It’s becoming a space storage issue. We are thinking of getting some new bookcases specifically for the board games!

But here are some of our recent plays.

Marvel Dice Throne

This game is super popular and has a few expansion packs (we don’t have them…yet). We’ve played this a couple of times and, though I have lost each time, it’s still a lot of fun. You use dice and cards to play, and it has different play rules for each player, but the overall game has the same overall rules to follow. It’s a combination of luck of the dice, luck of the card draw, and a bit of strategy. We’ve only played with 2 players so far, but it plays up to 4. I highly recommend it.

Carcassonnne

This tile-laying game has been a favorite since we got it. Its play-through is simple and is based on a combination of luck of the draw and strategy. You have to match similar tiles to make what is essentially a map that has castles, towns, and roads. It plays between 2 to 5 players, but I think it’s best played with a smaller group if you don’t have the expansion packs (which we don’t). Definitely a must-have.

Kluster

This magnetic game is extremely easy to play. All you have to do is be the first to get rid of all of your magnets. It’s for 1 to 4 players, and I like it with 2 but have played with 3. This simple game would be great to decide things, like where to go out for dinner, or who is cleaning the house this time. It’s also great for when you want something quick to play and makes a great game to play in hotels.

Trails

Trails is a quick game to play that comes in a small package. It plays with 2 to 4 players, and while we have played it with 3, we prefer it at 2. It has easy-to-learn gameplay and would also make a great hotel game. It’s also quite pretty to look at. This game has resource gathering and a bear that can help you but hinder others! Such fun!

Everdell

Everdell is a resource-gathering, city-building game that plays 2 to 4 players, though we’ve only played with 2. It’s always sold out pretty much everywhere, and honestly, it deserves the popularity. We borrowed this one from the library and had a great time playing it. The art is beautiful and the gameplay is complex but fun. It can come down to luck of the cards, but there is a lot of strategy to this game. There is also a tree that you have to build and lots of expansion packs to get! We will be adding this to our permanent collection soon.

Gloomhaven

Gloomhaven is a massive game that, I kid you not, weighs 20 pounds. It’s also the most expensive game we own, though we did get it on sale. It’s probably our favorite game. This game works with up to 4 players, though we have only played with 2. It’s extremely complex, with a rulebook that is around 50 pages long. This game is not for board game beginners, but it’s also so much fun. If you like D&D or video game RPGs you’ll probably love this game.

And that’s just a few of the board games we have played recently. There are others, like Wingspan and Star Wars Villans just to name a few!

What board games do you like to play?

Sunday’s in Bed With…The Friend Zone

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So Sundays In Bed With… is a meme hosted by Midnight Book Girl. It’s an opportunity to share what book is by your bed (or by your current resting space) at the moment.

Well hello, hoppy people! I hope your Easter/Passover/Ramadan is going well! My life has been pure chaos lately, between work, construction on a house project, and a family visit, I haven’t had much time to relax. So I took this weekend off.

Not of work though, I still did that.

Today the hubs and I went and saw the Mario Movie, and it was okay. Loved Bowser. We also played Point Salad, a card/board game and that was fun. I might have backed its sequel, Point City, on Kickstarter today as a result. Maybe.

But let us get into the book I’m currently reading, as I am only a few chapters into it. The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez.

I follow the author on TikTok and I must say, she is quite funny. Her dogs are great. Did I own this a year ago? Yes. Did TikTok influence me. Also yes. So did my friend. I hope I end up liking her. I might have purchased all her books used or off book outlet.

I have a problem.

The synopsis is as follows:

Kristen Peterson doesn’t do drama, will fight to the death for her friends, and has no room in her life for guys who just don’t get her. She’s also keeping a big secret: facing a medically necessary procedure that will make it impossible for her to have children.

Planning her best friend’s wedding is bittersweet for Kristen — especially when she meets the best man, Josh Copeland. He’s funny, sexy, never offended by her mile-wide streak of sarcasm, and always one chicken enchilada ahead of her hangry. Even her dog, Stuntman Mike, adores him. The only catch: Josh wants a big family someday. Kristen knows he’d be better off with someone else, but as their attraction grows, it’s harder and harder to keep him at arm’s length.

Have a egg-cellent day!

International Women’s Day Fiction Recommendations!

Lauren2 Comments

Happy International Women’s Day! Normally on this day you’ll find people sharing their favorite non-fiction recommendations of amazing, superb, real life women who have changed the world (you can find those wherever books are recommended). In my case, I thought I would share some kick ass fictional women instead.

The Brown Sisters From The Brown Sisters Trilogy by Talia Hibbert

In this series Talia Hibbert wrote an amazing cast of women. We have plus sized rep, disability rep, queer rep, autistic rep, and mental health rep. She crammed all of that into those three rom-coms. These are strong women and I loved getting to peek into their world. In fact, I recently did a re-read. So good.

Alice in This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub

I’m not a big Lit-Fic girl, but this one was great. Alice is just your average 39 year old when she wakes up on the morning of her 40th birthday in her 16 year old body. The books asks the question, if you could alter the past to change your future, would you? And Alice actually does! It’s interesting to see things she does to change the world she lives in and her ultimate choice in the end. It was a really touching book. This book does deal with an ailing parent, so be cautious.

Reyna and Kianthe from Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne

Can we talk about the women in this cozy fantasy for a minute? They both want to escape the life that has been chosen for them, so they do, and they open a bookshop/tea shop! Talk about taking ownership of your own destiny. They deal with politicians, brigands, a crazy queen, dragons, and a magical destiny, but they still hold true to what they are trying to accomplish and each other. Also the sequel just came out and I am loving it!

Zinnia from the Fractured Fables Series by Alix E. Harrow

Zinnia Gray is going to die before her 21 birthday. Its a guarantee. So when a mysterious spinning wheel whisks her off to the land of a sleeping beauty (her favorite fairy tale) she jumps at the chance to change someone else’s destiny, even if she can’t change her own. I love Zinnia. She’s shouting to anyone who will listen that she will not go gentle and it’s a great short read.

Amalia and Zaria from The Swords and Fire series by Melissa Caruso

These women are complex. Both have destinies, one is trying desperately to escape hers, and the other is quietly resigned to hers. Both of their lives are changed in an instant that has the potential to alter the kingdom they live in forever. Their journey together is wonderful to read.

Addie from The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue

Imagine being so desperate to escape an arranged marriage that you make a deal with an old god and it backfires on you so that no one remembers you. Addie learned to move and adapt in a world that always forgot her until one day someone didn’t and it shook her. She adapted again. It was an interesting story and Addie was so intriguing to read about. This book was so good. And that ending! Ugh! So good.

The Vignes Women from The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett

The women in this book are stunningly written. Each is very different. It starts with a set of twins who can pass for white in the segregated deep south then it moves on to their daughters who is each raised very differently. These women are so interesting that I could not put this book down. I loved it!

So go and celebrate the strong women in your life, or read about some! Happy International Women’s Day!

January Reading Wrap-Up

Lauren2 Comments

Let’s just all admit that my posting schedule is going to be sporadic and insane, because reasons. But hey, more time for reading, right?

Speaking of reading, how about going over what I read in January?

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam was a book club read and I did not enjoy it. It has such an interesting premise: A family goes on vacation to the middle of nowhere long island when a few days into it a couple claiming to be the owners of the house they rented show up in the middle of the night claiming something terrible has happened on the east coast. It was one of those things where I didn’t enjoy the writing, the ending, or the characters. This book was not for me. But it clearly has an audience because it is being made into a Netflix movie set to air later this year.

The Measure by Nikki Erlick on the other hand was amazing. I have been spouting this story’s virtues to anyone who would listen, including my mother and she doesn’t even read! Everyone in the world over the age of 22, and then once they hit 22, gets a mysterious box that has a string in it. This string represents the measure of your life. It begs the question, how would society act with this newfound information? It was amazing. Didn’t I say that already? I highly recommend it.

Loathe to Love You by Ali Hazelwood was a fun compilation of novellas set in the Steminist series. Each one has a different plot, however, I have noticed that Ali Hazelwood tends to write different versions of the same romance trope: enemies to lovers. I know it’s a common trope and that lots of romance authors use it, but seems that is all she does. It’s a little disheartening. Not gonna stop me from buying the next book though.

Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne is the cozy, sapphic, fantasy read I needed while I was on a plane ride. It was a great story about a queen’s guard who runs away to be with her mage lover and opens a tea/book shop in a small town. It is available on KU if you are curious and I do recommend it.

When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nigh Vo is the second story in the Singing Hills Cycle. They are short series of novellas about a non-binary traveling monk who roams around collecting stories. I really enjoy this series and have already bought the third one!

Once Upon A December by Amy E. Reichert was an adorable holiday rom-com about a mystical traveling Christmas market. It was okay? I started reading it when I was on my holiday trip with family and didn’t finish it until the end of January…because I forgot I was reading it. Sigh. Not a rousing endorsement, I know.

Pilu of the Woods by Mui K. Nguyen is a cute, middle-grade graphic novel that has to do with facing those not-so-nice feelings we all get. Oh, and magical tree spirits. It was adorable and fluffy and made me smile.

Taproot by Keezy Young is a heartwarming middle-grade graphic novel about a gardener who sees ghosts. This also made me smile.

Princess Princess Ever After by K O’Neill is yet another middle-grade graphic novel. I have got to spend less time on cozy fantasy TikTok. That’s where I found all three of these. I really enjoy K O’Neill’s work and think it’s quite sweet. A good time had by all…er me!

The Sandman Vol One: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman and various artists was something I had been meaning to get to for a while but had never managed to quite make it to. I’m glad I finally hunkered down and read it, it’s so good! The art is stunning and the story is fantastic. And no, I haven’t watched the Netflix series, I do have the audiobooks though.

The best book I read this month was The Measure, hands down. It was spectacular and I think everyone should read it.

Ya’ll, I meant to post this on Saturday! I forgot to schedule the post! I am so, so very special. I’m gonna go have a cup of tea now.

New Year, New Goals!

Lauren4 Comments

Happy New Year!

Did everyone have a nice, relaxing New Year? We acquired this monster of a board game called Gloomhaven and played that a couple of times on New Year’s Day while watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy (extended edition of course).

The New Year brings with it new goals and looking back on the old goals.

So let’s start with last year’s goals!

Read More Non-Fiction: Um, I failed at this. I only read one non-fiction book last year, and that was for D&D! I don’t count that.

Buy Fewer Books: I also failed at this. In fact, I bought more books in 2022 than I did in 2021. Sigh.

Read my TBR Shelf: Yeah, I added so many books to my TBR shelf that it turned into a TBR bookcase.

Write More Reviews: I actually did this, until my life got so crazy (new job, reading slump, stress, blah blah blah) that I wasn’t able to keep up with it.

So what are my goals for this year! Unsurprisingly, there is more of the same, sort of.

Buy Fewer Books: I’ve actually started two spreadsheets to help with this. One is for new releases that I definitely want to buy this year. The other one is for impulse buys that I would normally pick up while at the store, on other errands, or out with friends. If I still want them after a few months, I will consider adding them to my Amazon cart. And if I still want them a few months after that, then I will buy them. That’s a lot of work, but hopefully, I’ll keep it up and will be able to buy fewer books this year.

Read my TBR Shelf: I’m making a spreadsheet for this one too. It’s going to contain all the books that are on the TBR bookcase, the Book of the Month shelf, and my YA cart prior to any purchases made this year. Once I read a book, I’ll take it off the spreadsheet. I can also use this method to randomize my reading experience by using a random number generator whenever I can’t decide what to read.

Work on My Re-Read of the In Death Series: I got 36 books into the In Death series before I got burnt out because of the frantic pace I was reading them at. I have 20-something books left to go, so I’m hoping to finish by the end of the year this year. I am not going to force myself though. I don’t want to hit a mid-year burnout again. That slump was no fun.

I have high hopes for this year and am positive the extravagant steps I have taken to ensure those goals will pay off.

Sundays in Bed With…Half A Soul

Lauren1 Comment

So Sundays In Bed With… is a meme hosted by Midnight Book Girl. It’s an opportunity to share what book is by your bed (or by your current resting space) at the moment.

Well hello! How has it been a month? I apologize for my absence. I got distracted by shiny things…and the flu. Ten out of ten, do not recommend. But I have been reading! And I am currently reading, among other things, Half A Soul by Olivia Atwater.

This fantasy romance set in Regency London is highly enjoyable. I’m about halfway through it, well, this and three other books, and I am so happy with it! It’s my book club’s pick for the month and it is what is now being termed “Cozy Fantasy”, which is low stakes fantasy that makes you feel happy.

It’s about a woman who had half of her soul stolen by a Fae when she was a child and so she grows up not feeling emotions the same way other people do. This condition makes her more likely to cause an accidental scandal. Of course, this also leads her to meet London society’s most unlikeable man, the Lord Sorcier.

What book are you reading now?

WWW Wednesday: November 16th

Lauren3 Comments

Well, I don’t know about you but it’s been a fun week. I went on a girls’ weekend and had a fantastic time. Now I’m prepping for the upcoming holiday season by cleaning and decorating. I may have had to buy a new, smaller, Christmas tree because I put a bookshelf where my bigger Christmas tree used to go. Oops.

I know I haven’t done it in a while, but let’s do WWW Wednesday! WWW Wednesday is the day when we answer the three W’s: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next? It’s hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.

What are you currently reading?

A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone got started as an audiobook while I was coming back from the girls’ weekend, but the male narrator didn’t do a particular accent very well, and it took me out of the story. I have the physical copy so I picked it up at home. This book is pure chaos and I’m not sure how I feel about it yet.

Upgrade by Blake Crouch is a book club pick and I just started it this morning. In fact, I got one chapter into it before I realized I needed to write a blog post so…does one chapter count?

What did you recently finish reading?

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center was not what I expected from a rom-com, but I liked it nonetheless. I listened to this as an audiobook on the way out of town and it was well performed. I had a fun time listening to it and would highly recommend it.

Isn’t It Bromantic by Lyssa Kay Adams is the fourth entry into the Bromance Book Club series. This one is about the Russian, as he is affectionately referred to by his friends. It’s the marriage of convenience trope, but they are already married at the start of the book. I loved it and would highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys romance novels.

What do you think you’ll read next?

The Unbound Empire by Melissa Caruso is what’s up next on my TBR and I am excited to start it. Of course, I also have two other books that I want to pick up, but I’m hoping to actually finish that TBR this month. This book is the third and final story in the Swords and Fire series and I loved the first two books.

So tell me, what are you reading now?