Am I Back?

 It's been over a year since I wrote or posted anything! 2022 went by really fast. I literally almost typed 2021 then realized it's 2023 already, crazy how fast time flies. 

 I wasn't sure if I was going to come back to blogging. I feel like when I was working at a library I had more to say because I could talk about policies, programs, & books. Now it's just me & the book facing the world. I think if I do come back & continue blogging I'm going to write about books, tv shows I'm watching, maybe recipes I try etc. I feel more disconnected from books then I ever have. I think being around them everyday was almost like a life source, giving me power, feeding off the energy of the library. That might sound crazy to most people but if you know, you know. 

I also feel like it's been a few years since I read a book & was like WOW that was amazing, I really connected with that. I need to find THAT book. If you have a suggestion leave it down in the comments. 

I think that's another reason I stopped blogging. I'm not even sure who is reading. Is anyone out there? 

I guess I'll do a little recap from my last post or maybe if you're reading this you're new & didn't read my last post, or you've never read a post by me. I left my library job in May 2021. I had been doing library work for about 20 years in different capacities. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I miss it everyday. I also moved again for the dozenth time. I got a new job, in a new industry doing something I've never done before. I've been learning a lot & saving up more money to buy a house. I think I'm close, I just have to wait for the right moment. As for me in general I'll be 32 this year. I have an associates degree in Communications, Journalism, & Media Arts. I always wanted to go to school to be a teacher but that never panned out...story for another time. I have a little sassy black cat named Kit Kat, she is my whole world. My favorite color is purple. My favorite time of day is evening. My favorite food is mac & cheese, I'm actually eating some right now while I write this. A passion of mine is archaeology & paleontology. If I ever went back to school that's what I'd do, I think at this point the chances of that happening are small. My favorite movie is Jurassic Park. My favorite books are the Harry Potter series. I've been saying for years that I'm going to do a reread & I never have, maybe this is the year? That's enough about me. If you are reading say hi down in the comments & introduce yourself. 

More later I hope...

Updates

I've been trying to write this since May & I'm just not sure what to say in all honestly. So here it goes, a quick update & then we'll get to the books. 

I left my job at the library in May, this next week it'll have been 6 months at my new job, which is crazy to think its been that long already. I also moved about an hour away from where I used to live because the house I was renting was sold. I've been trying to save up for a house for the last 3 years & I'm hoping my saving will payoff once the market crashes. It's been a little weird not being at the library everyday since it's been that way for the last 20 years of my life. But overall the life change has been a good one. Even though I haven't been around books every day I'm still reading, probably more than ever. Less audiobooks because my new work commute is about 5 minutes twice a day, but still going strong. I think that reading is the one thing in my life that will never change, it's the one constant that keeps me going. 

Now that the update is out of the way let's get to the books!

 

I want to put a small plug in here for a new book subscription service I started using recently. Its called Scribd. You pay $10 a month & you get access to unlimited books, audiobooks, & magazines. I downgraded my Audible subscription to just the Plus Catalog so I can finish the coffeehouse series, so this new app has a lot to offer.  

What have I read since my last post? 

The Wizard's Dog & The Wizard's Dog Fetches the Grail by Eric Kahn Gale

These books were super cute! I hope that there is more in the future. 

 

Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn

The last one in the series I read was An Offer From a Gentleman. I'm hoping to continue the series in the future. The show was great too I can't wait for the next season!

 

Coffeehouse Murder Mysteries by Cleo Coyle

The last book in the series I read was A Brew to Kill. I'm really close to being caught up on this series.

Funjungle Series by Stuart Gibbs

I'm currently reading Tyrannosaurus Wrecks. There is only 1 more in the current series after this. I hope there is more in the series in the future. But I'm also going to read some of his other books. 

 

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

This book was weird but good. Very similar to his previous book I read last year, the vampire one. His books are hard to describe, you kinda just have to read them to get the whole experience. 

What do I plan on reading for the rest of the year? 

 

I'm going to finish the Funjungle series for sure because there is only 1 left. Then I'm hoping to read the books below. Beyond that I'm going to continue some of my series. 

Dark and Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain

Addison Cooke series by Jonathan W. Stokes

 

Second Quarter 2021 TBR & Updates

 When I logged in this morning I realized that I had meant to post an update at the beginning of March but never published it! So This will be a little update on me & what I read in March & some info on what I'm planning on reading in the coming months. I don't know what I would do without Goodreads to help me keep track of all my books & reading. If you aren't using it, trust me...you need to start! 

Things have been really busy at work. We starting having gardening classes that we are paying for with grant money. We've partnered with a local gardening group, the same group that helped me start the seed library. We also started a cooking show in January! So far it's going really well. We're going to keep going through the end of the year. We also found out last week that we'll be returning to "normal" over the next several months. More info on that later. 

When I'm not reading I'm usually watching TV. lately I've been into The Golden Girls & Seinfeld. But I also discovered a new show called Debris that I really like. I also still watch some of my favorites like Grey's Anatomy, The Masked Singer, New Amsterdam, & 911. Some other new shows I've been enjoying are Game of Talents, Good Girls, Bridgerton, & Ginny & Georgia. 

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One of my goals for this year was to read some of the books that I own. So in order to do that I want your help! I have picked 10 random books from my shelves. I want you to comment below three numbers between 1 & 10. The books with the most votes I will read in the next 3 months. I want it to be a surprise so I'm not going to tell you what the books are yet. Check back later to see what I picked!

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March 2021 Wrap-Up

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

This book was fantastic! Kinda weird but fun & funny & I really want to read more books by these authors. 

 

Burn by Maya Banks

Murder Most Frothy, Decaffinated Corpse, & French Pressed by Cleo Coyle

Much like the Joanne Fluke series I'm now working my way on audio through this series.

If Fried Chicken Could Fly & If Mashed Potatoes Could Dance by Paige Shelton

The first book in the series we read for our book club several months ago. I never finished the book so I read it this month. They picked book #2 for this month's book but I haven;t finished it yet. I'm hoping to this weekend.

April & Beyond TBR

Buffalo West Wing by Julie Hyzy

This is the book club book for April. I always feel bad when I don't finish the book before the meeting so I'm gonna really try hard to get a grip & always have it finished! I really enjoy this series so I'm going to continue with it.

Sugar & Iced by Jenn McKinlay

I was going to read this book last month but the book club picked it for May or June...I can't remember which month now. But I really like this series so I want to continue with it.

Sugar & Vice by Eve Calder

The first book in this series was good, we read it a few months ago in book club. They picked this on for May or June, can't remember which right now.

And the Good News Is by Dana Perino

 Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke

Now that I'm caught up with this series I always read the new ones.

 The Cage Trilogy by Megan Shepherd

We got the third book in this series last week at my library & it looked interesting. So I checked them all out. We'll see if they are any good, they are described as The Maze Runner & Uglies combined. Have you read this series? Tell me in the comments.

 

Brightwood by  Tania Unsworth

We also got this book in last week & it's a standalone that sounded cool. Home Alone meets Coraline!

The Coffeehouse Mysteries by Cleo Coyle

I'm planning on continuing with this series on audio since it's free with my Audible subscription. 

First Quarter 2021 TBRs & Wrap-Ups

I started writing this at the beginning of the month & never published it LOL oops! So I'm going to publish it now & do a kinda follow up type thing.

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So I started the year off intending to continue or I guess get back to doing my monthly TBR & Wrap-Up lists...but it's almost March & that hasn't happened. Things have been really busy at work. I moved from being at the front desk to being in the back room. I thought this would give me more time to work on things since I wouldn't be interacting with the public as much, but let me tell you...It seems like I have more stuff to do than before but less time, which is not possible I know. So needless to say I'm planning on catching up with this post & then in April maybe I can get back on the bandwagon. The good news is that I've been reading quite a bit each month which is a step in the right direction!

January 2021 Wrap-Up

Going, Going Ganache by Jenn McKinlay

Off Menu by Nell McShane Mulfhart

 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs

February 2021 TBR/Wrap-Up

Tangled in Time: The Portal

Tangled in Time: The Burning Queen

Eggsecutive Orders by Julie Hyzy

Fever & Burn by Maya Banks

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

March 2021 TBR

If Fried Chicken Could Fly & If Mashed Potatoes Could Dance by Paige Shelton

Sugar & Iced by Jenn McKinlay

Poached by Stuart Gibbs

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Skywatchers by Carrie Arcos

Unbirthday by Liz Braswell

Top Books of 2020

 Every year I look back on the books I read & I pick my top 10. This list is in no particular order, i.e. my favorites etc. I will also link the review for the books if I have them. 

The Honey Don't List by Christina Lauren

Mini review here.

Mr. Lemoncello's All-Star Breakout Game by Chris Grabenstein

Full review here.

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan

Full review here.

The Selection series by Kiera Cass

I have reviews of all the books in the archives but here is the link for the first one.

Ratscalibur by Josh Lieb

Mini review here.

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Vampires by Grady Hendrix

Mini review here.

Love Your Life by Sophie Kinsella

American Royals series by Katherine McGee

Cupcake Bakery Mysteries by Jenn McKinlay

Here is a mini review of one of the books in this series.

Welcome to Wonderland series by Chris Grabenstein

Here is one review but I have others in the archives for this series.