Here are my goodreads reviews. If you’re on goodreads, add me as a friend so I can see your books too! I also have an instagram account where I join my love of reading with my love of art.
A Good Marriage (3.5 stars): If you’re in the mood for a mystery, you will enjoy this one. For me, it was a good mix of fast pace, character development, plot twists, and an overall good story. I really enjoyed it. For me, it had the right mix of fast and slow, plot twisty and character-driven.
The Knockout Queen (4 stars): This was an unexpected novel. It’s not sweet and fluffy the way the cover or title might imply. This is about two teenagers growing up though difficult family and personal situations and being bullied at school. The writing is honest and brutal. I felt the gamut of feelings reading this, laughing out loud, crying, cringing, angry and everything in between. Life is so complicated and tough and people can be so cruel and this book doesn’t spare us much. It’s a controversial book and some loved it and some hated it. I was completely surprised by it and find myself still thinking about it two days (and two books) later.
Something to Talk About (3 stars): I really enjoyed this sweet story. The whole story is about the build up so not the one for steamy scenes but i really enjoyed all my time with it.
The Vanishing Half (4 stars): “There were many ways to be alienated from someone, few to actually belong.” I was really looking forward to this story and it did not disappoint. Brit Bennett is such a fantastic writer, she has an excellent way with words. This story about roots, racism, family, identity and motherhood was really layered. I really enjoyed not just Desiree and Stella and how we got to know so much more about them but I found myself more fascinated with Jude and Kennedy and how their sense of identity and belonging changed because of the choices their parents made. Britt Bennett is a fantastic writer and after two great books, I cannot wait to read more from her.
Learn to Paint in Acrylics (4 stars): One of the best ways to learn to do something is to do it regularly. To create a routine around it. This book is a fantastic way to do that. It has all that you need to know to get started. It explains paint, brushes, surfaces, basic color theory and design principles. And then there are 50 paintings. You could do one a day, one a week, or even one a month. They are each simple and yet look great. I especially loved the chess piece, the wrapped candy, and the pretzel. These are simple and fun and great way to start your journey into acrylic.
with gratitude to netgalley and Quarry Books for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Colorful Fun Embroidery (3 stars): This book has really cute and lovely projects and there is a full range from quick ones to more complicated ones. The best part of these is that you don’t have to go and learn different stitches, you can jump in and do many of these with just the basic stitch. The projects are all colorful and very fun. I did wish there was a bit more variety in the projects, almost all of them are script-focused so if that’s not your thing, there aren’t many for you. My very favorite one was a simple rainbow pendant. If you’ve wanted to embroider but weren’t sure where to start, this is an excellent book to grab.
with gratitude to netgalley and Pen & Sword for an early copy in return for an honest review
And there we go, grateful to be reading.
Books I Read this Week 2020 is a year-long project for 2019. You can read more about my projects for 2020 here. I am also tracking my books in real time on Good Reads here. If you’re on Good Reads add me so I can follow you, too! I’ve also started an instagram account where I join my love of reading with my love of art.
Prompt: Gratitude – 06 | Write a letter to someone listing all the reasons you are thankful for them in your life.
Thank you for always making sure there’s toilet paper and soap and detergent in the house.
Thank you for attacking new things with childlike wonder. Thank you for teaching our kids love of science, especially physics.
Thank you for getting our whole family into rock climbing. Thank you for buying stamps.
Thank you for managing our money.
Thank you for making delicious salads.
Thank you for hugging me like no one else ever can.
Thank you for always being patient with me and for loving me just as I am.
Thank you for teaching me about finance.
Thank you for showing me what joy looks like.
Thank you for getting me gas each time I need it.
Thank you for driving us everywhere.
Thank you for your generosity.
Thank you for seeing me.
Thank you for doing life with me.
You are the best thing that ever happened to me.
This year I am planning to do something different than last year. Around last September, I stopped taking a lot of daily photos which then meant I also stopped scrapbooking. I have several of the Story Kit’s piled up. So I decided to switch gears a bit and see if I can use Ali’s prompts to tell my stories. I might (or might not) also turn them into scrapbook pages. In the meantime, I will just enjoy telling my stories.
Stories from 2020 is a year-long project for 2019. You can read more about my projects for 2020 here. The prompts are from Ali’s Story Kits unless mentioned otherwise. I have started an instagram account for these, we’ll see if I keep it up.
Here are my goodreads reviews. If you’re on goodreads, add me as a friend so I can see your books too! I also have an instagram account where I join my love of reading with my love of art.
Love Poems for Anxious People (4 stars): If you haven’t read the poems in these sweet, delightful series, I highly recommend them. As an anxious person, I was definitely looking forward to this one and, like the others, it did not disappoint.
The Bookshop on the Shore (3 stars): This was a sweet book about what it means to be family, the secrets we all keep, community/belonging and taking chances. Jenny Colgan is a great storyteller and I enjoyed the time I spent with it.
The Kingdom of Back (3 stars): What an unusual story for Marie Lu. I’ve read several of her other books but none had the blend of history and magical realism this one has. I really liked listening to story but I felt like I couldn’t feel any empathy for Nannerl, I had a lot of sympathy but no empathy so it made it harder for me to connect with the story. Still enjoyed it.
And there we go, grateful to be reading.
Books I Read this Week 2020 is a year-long project for 2019. You can read more about my projects for 2020 here. I am also tracking my books in real time on Good Reads here. If you’re on Good Reads add me so I can follow you, too! I’ve also started an instagram account where I join my love of reading with my love of art.
Prompt: Watch – 01 | What are you currently watching? Movies, TV shows, etc? Make a list of what you are into right now
I used to watch so much TV. So, so much. No matter what I was doing, the TV would be on, turned into my Tivo with all the shows I recorded throughout the week. And then a few years ago, I just stopped. I decided I wanted to read more instead. So we got rid of the cable.
In the last few years I’ve watched very little TV. I don’t really like watching YouTube, it’s rare that I like something in Netflix. I don’t even really watch movies all that much anymore.
But I do love watching rock climbing. Especially bouldering competitions. I have become addicted to watching women climbers. Shauna Coxsey, Janja Garnbret, Akiyo Noguchi are my current favorites. I can watch them for hours and hours.
Jake and I have watched “The Morning Show” and “Atypical” and “Silicon Valley” in the last year. They were all fun and enjoyable.But none of them compared to the thrill, joy and excitement of watching the competitions. Seeing those women conquer those insane routes makes me believe anything is possible.
This year I am planning to do something different than last year. Around last September, I stopped taking a lot of daily photos which then meant I also stopped scrapbooking. I have several of the Story Kit’s piled up. So I decided to switch gears a bit and see if I can use Ali’s prompts to tell my stories. I might (or might not) also turn them into scrapbook pages. In the meantime, I will just enjoy telling my stories.
Stories from 2020 is a year-long project for 2019. You can read more about my projects for 2020 here. The prompts are from Ali’s Story Kits unless mentioned otherwise. I have started an instagram account for these, we’ll see if I keep it up.
Weekly Intention: This week’s intention is to rest. To go slow each time I can and give myself permission to be slow. I also intend to just do the next right thing every time.
This month’s intention is:Wild World: And here’s summer. Time to go big again. Travel the wild world. Take vacations. Bring the delicious, fresh wild into your home. Oh what dreams I had had for the summer. I don’t think I’ll get to travel the wild world. But vacations, yes, I need vacations. I want vacations. I also am definitely bringing the fresh wild into my life.
One way I will show up this week: intentional.
I will go into the wild: another climbing trip and maybe one hike this week would really be good for my soul.
This week, I will pay attention to: how to put a bit more space into my schedule.
One new thing I will begin this week: a summer plan for Nathaniel and maybe some time with david, too.
One magic I will create: i was hoping to maybe celebrate the last day of school a little bit. no specific ideas yet, though.
One thing I hope to release: i just want to release it all to be honest. but let’s go with guilt.
One thing I will join in on: another video dinner this week and three school conferences and two meetings with friends.
One area I will practice being open: i want to be open to learning
I am looking forward to: making a summer plan and planning some down time.
This week’s challenges: just a lot to juggle between school and life this week.
Top Goals:
Work: work on finish retrospective, clean email, make plans
Personal: draw. journal. couch to 5K. exercise. sleep earlier. continue 100 days of noticing. pick more friends to connect with.
Family: support nathaniel and david and jake. cook. walk.
I will focus on my values (love, learn, peace, service, gratitude): yes yes yes. i’ve been doing some of this. need to do more.
This week, I want to remember: that i have as much time as i need.
Living Wild is a year-long project for 2019. You can read more about my projects for 2020 here.
The Wildest Part of this Week was: The weeks are passing and it feels both really slow and really fast. I guess that’s how life feels in general lately. The weeks have all been wild. This week with all the riots and all the blatant racism, potentially major changes at work, a lot of final projects for the kids, and of course the ongoing covid insanity might take the cake but I am scared to say that or write that because I know that things can always get wilder. So I am sitting here and trying to take it one moment at a time.
Top Goals Review: still taking things moment to moment here.
I celebrate: a lovely remote dinner with our friends Jess and Sam. It was definitely the highlight of my week.
I am grateful for: my morning routine which while making me super tired is also helping me connect to myself.
This week, I exercised: finished week 3 of couch to 5K.
This week, I answered the Call of the Wild: went rock climbing with Jake.
This week’s Wildcard was: too much going on for me to be interested in throwing my own wildcards.
I said yes to: learning, showing up, and contributing to start becoming actively anti-racist.
I said no to: i am falling behind at keeping up with work email because i need the downtime. it’s piling up.
Core Desired Feelings (leap, soft, release, join, delight) Check-in: i leapt into running, it’s kicking me in the butt. I am trying to be soft and leaning into the pain and sorrow. I am working on releasing the guilt and joining into doing the work to help others and delighting in the back yard with all the wildlife.
My mood this week was: spent.
I am proud of: doing community and culture work that i am grateful to be a part of.
I release: i am getting close to being able to release because of exhaustion.
Here’s what I learned this week: that journaling always is the thread that connects me to myself. i keep forgetting it and having to relearn it.
What I love right now: I love taking time to connect with my friends.
Weekly Review 2020 is a year-long project for 2020. You can read more about my projects for 2020 here.
Here are my goodreads reviews. If you’re on goodreads, add me as a friend so I can see your books too! I also have an instagram account where I join my love of reading with my love of art.
The Secrets of Love Story Bridge (3 stars): this was a quick, sweet read. If you’ve read Phaedra Patrick before and liked it, you will enjoy this one, too. It’s a sweet story of loss, learning to trust, family, and secrets.
Beach Read (4 stars): If you’re looking for a fun, sweet, funny read while stuck at home, this is one to put on your list. I am sure it was meant to be read on the beach but alas, this year, we’re going to have to read at home. It’s light and sweet and delightful.
The Silence (3 stars): this was an interesting read. For fans of Jane Harper, this has the same suffocating atmosphere in Australia that she often captures well. There’s a mystery, family drama, some historical components and the atmosphere is definitely a part of the story. A few twists but well-timed. I did like this story even though it was a bit too suffocating in the time of a pandemic.
The EighthDetective (4 stars): “Yes,” said Grant. “And that’s what differentiates a murder mystery from any other story with a surprise at the end. The possibilities are presented to the reader up front. The ending just comes back and points to one of them.”
I have so many mixed feelings about this book.
The structure of this book is interesting. It’s basically about an editor who visits a mathematician at a remote island because she wants to publish his collection of short stories. The stories are each about a murder mystery and the chapters of this book alternate between the short story from the manuscript and the two characters discussing each story.
Here’s what didn’t work for me: there is very very little discussed about each of the two characters. I understand there are reasons for that but I tend to read books for their characters so this was exceptionally hard for me. The short stories themselves weren’t all that well-written in my opinion and since they have to be pretty short (so we can have so many of them) they are not all that engaging. For me, there were parts that really felt like a chore to read.
But then if you’re patient enough to make it to the end, there are twists upon twists and some clever reveals. You end the novel with quite the smile on how clever it was being. But you only get the reward if you’re patient enough.
With gratitude to netgalley and Henry Holt & Company for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Family Next Door (3 stars): It took me a while to get into this book. For the longest time I couldn’t keep track of the characters who all seemed the same and i had no idea where it was going. I kept wondering if i should put it down. But then I kept reading, and it got interesting. This is about a neighborhood where most of the families are having troubles of their own, secrets they are keeping. Some of them intertwine and others don’t. It’s a reminder that things are never what they seem.
A Bad Day for Sunshine (4 stars): I have never heard of this author. I have never read any of her books. Not sure what made me pick this one up, maybe the cover? I am so so glad I did. It was funny, quirky, sweet, and a joy to read. Some mystery, some romance, some just laugh out loud funny.
You Deserve Each Other (4 stars): I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read another romance this week. I’ve read several in the last few weeks and I usually can only handle 1-2 after I need to switch but most of the other novels feel heavy and too much right now while my brain is tired. So i picked it up and started laughing pretty quickly. Yes it’s another cute romance. And it was fun.
And there we go, grateful to be reading.
Books I Read this Week 2020 is a year-long project for 2019. You can read more about my projects for 2020 here. I am also tracking my books in real time on Good Reads here. If you’re on Good Reads add me so I can follow you, too! I’ve also started an instagram account where I join my love of reading with my love of art.
Prompt: Adventure – 09 | Make a list of future adventures you’d like to embark on someday.
(I wrote this before covid-19, of course.) The big adventure of 2020 will hopefully be hiking Mt. Whitney. Jake wanted to do it in 2019 and was ok waiting for one year so I could do it with him. This means that I have to get in better shape. I have to work on improving my cardiovascular health as well as doing more strength exercises.
Mt. Whitney is the tallest mountain in the contiguous US. At 14,505 feet, it’s no joke to do this 18-hour hike. And while I am terrified and deep down I don’t believe I could ever be ready for this hike, the idea of preparing for it is actually exciting to me. The idea of completing it feels like a lifelong achievement.
I am already doing some of the work of getting stronger but I have to start doing the cardio exercises and following an exercise plan. Then, I think this adventure will become real for me. It will be a daily reminder of why I show up and sweat. A daily reminder of how I am shifting my identity from weak to strong.
A daily reminder of the adventure of a lifetime.
This year I am planning to do something different than last year. Around last September, I stopped taking a lot of daily photos which then meant I also stopped scrapbooking. I have several of the Story Kit’s piled up. So I decided to switch gears a bit and see if I can use Ali’s prompts to tell my stories. I might (or might not) also turn them into scrapbook pages. In the meantime, I will just enjoy telling my stories.
Stories from 2020 is a year-long project for 2019. You can read more about my projects for 2020 here. The prompts are from Ali’s Story Kits unless mentioned otherwise. I have started an instagram account for these, we’ll see if I keep it up.
Here are my goodreads reviews. If you’re on goodreads, add me as a friend so I can see your books too! I also have an instagram account where I join my love of reading with my love of art.
Yes to Life (4 stars): I love Viktor Frankl’s writing. I love the way he thinks, I love the way he can break things down to their essential parts and help me remember what’s at the crux of my life. He’s one of the handful of names that’s on my list to read relatively regularly so I can continue to have perspective.
The Imperfects (4 stars): I really enjoyed my time with this family story. It has all the elements of a family saga, historical fiction as well as a little mystery. I liked the characters and the story moves slowly but managed to hold my interest the whole way. It has a lot of characters which are sometimes hard to keep track of. It also has a handful of twists along the way. But at its heart this is a story about family.
Writers & Lovers (3.5 stars): This story was interesting in parts, well written and thought provoking but then it also was navel gazing at parts. The writing was so strong that you could feel the anxiety of the main character through the book itself. The grief of losing her mother. The uncertainty of life. A writer writing about a writer is always interesting to read and this well-written book was no exception.
Pew (4 stars): “Since I had woken up on that pew, the meals had been endless and I wishes I could have reaced back and given one of them to those days of hunger in the past, or that I could have moved this plate to a place – there must have been such a place where someone else was hungry.”
This was such an interesting and unusual book. The main character is a person who wakes up in the pew of a church one morning and one of the church members takes the person into their home. We don’t know the gender or the race of the person as each of the characters in the book tries to figure it out desperately. They name the person Pew for where the person was found because Pew won’t talk to anyone and won’t tell them anything.
The writer does an excellent job of showing how the discomfort of being in the presence of someone who doesn’t talk can overtake other people with their need to fill the void. I also liked the Shirley Jackson-esque Festival towards the end. The unsettling, eerie tone accompanies the whole novel and crescendos in the release that is the festival.
No revelations, no twists, no surprises, this is merely a thought-provoking well-written novel.
Thank you to netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Big Summer (3 stars): I have mixed feelings about this story. Jennifer Weiner usually writes about friendship and her stories are often deeper than they look like they would be and there’s often some element of someone with a weight issue. All of those elements exist in this story, too. There’s also some unexpected mystery which I found to be weird and odd and out of character. I didn’t dislike it but it detracted from the story, in my opinion and took away from the depth usually present in her stories. Still enjoyed my time with it.
American Dirt (3 stars): I kept putting off reading this book because there was so much controversy over it and I didn’t want to promote or encourage false representation. I finally read it for my book club and maybe because I’d already heard so much about it, it didn’t leave much of an impression on me.
And there we go, grateful to be reading.
Books I Read this Week 2020 is a year-long project for 2019. You can read more about my projects for 2020 here. I am also tracking my books in real time on Good Reads here. If you’re on Good Reads add me so I can follow you, too! I’ve also started an instagram account where I join my love of reading with my love of art.
