tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-258243022024-03-07T02:48:05.766-05:00Jess RunsBecause life is funner with a runnerUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1790125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25824302.post-22187850418060105462024-02-21T07:20:00.000-05:002024-02-21T07:20:53.593-05:00Converting Our Office Into a Nursery<p>It's been a minute since we've had a home improvement post to share. But this one has been sitting in the drafts folder for a while now, and it seems time to share. </p><p>Once we got through the scariest parts of my pregnancy and were pretty confident we'd be bringing home a baby in the summer, we got to work converting the room that had been our home office into a room for the baby. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/53443957972/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53443957972_2bb93e0e02_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<p>The room is the smallest of the three in our house, and I knew since it wasn't huge, I wanted to do some sort of wall feature. We debated a bit between board and batten or picture frame moulding, but before we could do anything to add some character to the room, we had to do some basic repairs. </p>
<p>The floor in this room squeaked horribly from the house settling over the years. We tried a couple of simpler solutions that ended up not solving the problem, so we had to open the wall and add a bunch of screws into the wall framing to tighten things up. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52699281700/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52699281700_db09d90153_z.jpg" width="480" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52696936824/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52696936824_bea74c35d5_z.jpg" width="480" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<p>Once the squeaking was eliminated we patched the wall back up.</p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52698864681/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52698864681_3344ee0341_z.jpg" width="480" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
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<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52753892378/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52753892378_6d9fb3739b_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<p>(I promise I didn't just take the pictures. I did work too). </p>
<p>Once we had the wall repaired, we had our blank slate to work with. We settled on board and batten for our wall feature, and started using painters tape to visualize the height and width of our potential battens. I will not tell you how long we spent on getting all the measurements right and trying to figure out how to make sure no battens overlapped outlets or created awkward spacing in corners or by doors. The prep work and the math took a lot of time, but it was worth it because once this was done, it was a matter of getting the supplies and diving right into the work. </p>
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<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52753804980/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52753804980_78cae307a3_z.jpg" width="480" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<p>I also went a bit overboard on the paint samples in my quest to find a green that would feeling calming and soothing. </p>
<p>Since this was a small room, I wanted to make sure our battens were very thin and wouldn't make the furniture sit off the wall too much. We priced out quarter inch thick wood boards and realized it would cost us a lot of money to buy all the battens individually. Instead, we bought a single piece of quarter inch thick plywood and used my dad's table saw to rip it down to 3 inch wide pieces for the battens and 4 inch wide pieces for the horizontal boards at the top. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52753804160/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52753804160_d5c78bceb5_z.jpg" width="480" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<p>Once we got all the wood home, it was time to start nailing it to the walls. We worked section by section, hanging our horizontal pieces first to ensure they were level and then fitting our vertical battens in as we went. Since our walls aren't perfectly level, we had to get creative at some points and add some filler at the bottom of some of the battens so everything would line up nicely between the baseboard and the top board. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52753642094/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52753642094_fc7cc881c1_z.jpg" width="480" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<p>Oh look, a picture of me actually doing work. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52753887268/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52753887268_1ce928aaf8_z.jpg" width="480" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
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<p>After we got the wood all hung, it was time for my least favorite part of any project -- the caulking and the wood filing. There were tons of small nail holes that needed to be filled in, though that part went fairly quickly. The caulking always takes me forever. I knocked it out in an afternoon though, and let it sit to dry overnight so that I could dive into the priming and painting. </p>
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<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52752854527/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52752854527_095dc27f10_z.jpg" width="480" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<p>The wood all got a coat of primer and so did the areas of the wall that we had patched.</p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52753390701/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52753390701_51c1592e0f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<p>Then we hit everything with two coats of Benjamin Moore's Jack and the Beanstalk. The painting took some time as we had to alternate between brushes and rollers to get clean edges around the wood and smooth finishes on the walls. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52753820003/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52753820003_2af638a2d6_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52759808246/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52759808246_1e583e0df1_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<p>To brighten the room a bit, we also painted the top half of the walls Benjamin Moore's Chantilly Lace. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52756136880/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52756136880_11fb2c77a3_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52759808331/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52759808331_2800aedb6c_z.jpg" width="480" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<p>For safety, we changed all the outlets, replacing them with childproof ones. We also rehung one of the closet doors to make it easier to open after we had the crib in the room. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52909537408/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52909537408_b5d65656cd_z.jpg" width="480" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<p>We built the furniture, hung the bookshelves, and then just waited for our little guy to be ready to move in. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/53444965903/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53444965903_bdf4de14de_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/53445022233/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="480" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53445022233_c3ff14e7bf_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<p>I spend a lot of time in this room now, and I love the way it turned out.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25824302.post-26564671675776033242024-02-12T15:43:00.000-05:002024-02-12T15:43:00.688-05:00Books I Read January 2024<p>I didn't read a lot of books in January, but the ones I read were so good. Three five star books in one month, not a bad way to start the year. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/53525830135/in/datetaken/" title="Jan 2024 books - 1"><img alt="Jan 2024 books - 1" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53525830135_4c1166d925_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Five stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60468332-the-light-pirate" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Light Pirate" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1663783151l/60468332._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60468332-the-light-pirate">The Light Pirate</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8333865.Lily_Brooks_Dalton">Lily Brooks-Dalton</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6166625144">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I cannot stop thinking about this book, and I really want to talk about it with people (good thing it was my book club read for the month). It reminded me a bit of The Displacements in that Florida gets hit with devastating hurricanes. I liked how this book imagined what could happen if the storms became too much that it was impossible to repair critical infrastructure. I loved many of the characters in this book and despised others. All around a great thought provoking book.
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61423989-a-fever-in-the-heartland" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1659417830l/61423989._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61423989-a-fever-in-the-heartland">A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/40820.Timothy_Egan">Timothy Egan</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6166648500">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This book is so wild it’s hard to believe it’s nonfiction. It tells the story of the KKK’s resurgence in the 1920s, and the woman who brought them down. The way the author wrote some of the court scenes made it feel like a thriller and I just kept reading to find out what happened next. It’s hard to make a story that compelling when people already know the outcome. But this was so good. Highly recommend.
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<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13130847-gone-missing" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Gone Missing (Kate Burkholder, #4)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1334069120l/13130847._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13130847-gone-missing">Gone Missing</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/54958.Linda_Castillo">Linda Castillo</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6166617025">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I tore through this book in like a day and a half. It’s another great mystery thriller featuring Detective Kate Burkholder trying to find three Amish girls that have gone missing. This book is five stars despite the fact that I hated the ending and that I felt one of the characters ended up with an unresolved storyline.
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Four Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65646968-mother-daughter-murder-night" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Mother-Daughter Murder Night" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1696722227l/65646968._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65646968-mother-daughter-murder-night">Mother-Daughter Murder Night</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3408558.Nina_Simon">Nina Simon</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6257688349">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This was a fun and fast read about about a mother, daughter and grandmother that unwittingly get sucked into a murder investigation when a body is found at the daughter's work. When the police question the daughter, the grandmother is determined to find out who really killed the victim and clear her granddaughter's name.
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</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Three Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56897951-through-the-glass-ceiling-to-the-stars" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars: The Story of the First American Woman to Command a Space Mission" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1629308432l/56897951._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56897951-through-the-glass-ceiling-to-the-stars">Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars: The Story of the First American Woman to Command a Space Mission</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21140803.Eileen_M_Collins">Eileen M. Collins</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6175986272">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I always enjoy a good astronaut memoir, though I wish at times this book would have given some deeper details about various aspects of the life of an astronaut. At times I felt it just bounced from one event to the next without some deeper insight that only Eileen could have shared. But despite that, I still enjoyed hearing Eileen tell the story of how she became the first woman to command a space shuttle mission.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/10285587-jess">View all my reviews</a>
</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25824302.post-50567295577357661412024-01-17T19:26:00.003-05:002024-01-17T19:26:43.582-05:00Reflections on Maternity Leave<p>After 6 months, my maternity leave is officially over and I'm filled with so many emotions. </p>
<p>I'm so grateful to have had this time even though it was not what I imagined it would be. There were times when it was so, so hard and days when I so deeply missed talking to another adult during the day. There were times it felt so isolating even though I was lucky enough to have friends on maternity leave at similar times. And there were times when the baby would cry and I just couldn't figure out what he needed and then I'd be crying too.</p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/53068144551/in/datetaken/" title="Jess-101"><img alt="Jess-101" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53068144551_e282465a67_c.jpg" width="533" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<p>But as the time draws to a close, I know I will miss the days of getting to spend all our time together. Watching my little boy experience something for the first time or make progress toward a milestone. He's such a serious little boy sometimes, who concentrates so hard on whatever toy he's holding or whatever new thing has caught his attention. </p>
<p>I'll miss some of the little routines we've fallen into like spending 20 minutes sitting on the porch each morning to get some fresh air and sunshine, while I drink my tea and he either studies the patterns of the bricks in the wall or watches the cars go by or intensely studies one of the electrical outlets covered in a water-proof box. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/53396402647/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53396402647_f4376ba086_c.jpg" width="600" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<p>I already miss some of the early stages when he was just a few weeks old and would fallen asleep on me easily. So many times when it happened, I remember being frustrated that I was "nap trapped," and couldn't go to the bathroom or get more water or eat some food. I wish I had realized how short that phase was and did a better job just enjoying those very fleeting moments. Now my kiddo pretty much won't sleep anywhere but a crib or if we're lucky a car seat while we're on the road. </p>
<p>But it's hard when you're in the thick of it, and you just desperately want a minute to yourself to regroup or meet one of your own basic needs. </p>
<p>Maternity leave for me had a lot of struggles. <a href="https://www.jessruns.com/2023/08/what-im-doing-to-rebuild-fitness-after.html">My initial recovery was hard given all the hemorrhaging I experienced in the hospital</a>. I was lucky to have parents and in-laws who came and helped in the first two weeks after we were home. And my husband was able to take four full weeks off of work right when we got home. </p>
<p>I had a great support system, and pretty much always had another adult around to chat with when I wasn't napping in those early days. </p>
<p>As I started to heal more from the C-section and my husband went back to his day job, I found camaraderie with two friends who also had babies over the summer. I started attending a weekly mom and baby yoga class in the neighborhood with one of my friends, and it was so nice to have a sliver of normalcy and a reason to get out of the house once a week. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/53156029378/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53156029378_4b82309f7b_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<p>I relied heavily on my daily walks, which were such a lifesaver when the baby would nap the entire time. I could put on a podcast and walk for easily an hour or hour and half and feel a bit like my normal active self. </p>
<p>The news that I'd need another surgery at around 12 weeks postpartum because I wasn't healing well from the C-section was a huge blow -- physically for sure, but mentally more than anything. I know <a href="https://www.jessruns.com/2023/10/recovering-from-another-postpartum.html">I wrote a whole post on this</a>, so I won't spend too much time here on it, but it was hard to start recovery all over again, and it wasn't until maybe mid-December that I felt like I was maybe, finally full physically recovered from childbirth. For those counting, my child was over five months old at that point. </p>
<p>Before I gave birth, I had all these visions for fun little outings I wanted to do with the baby while I was on leave -- reasons to get out of the house and also chances to show him new things and have new experiences together. </p>
<p>Some of these things I eventually got to do -- a short hike in Rock Creek Park with another friend who was also on maternity leave, weekly story time at the library, exploring at the Arboretum, saying goodbye to the pandas at the National Zoo (snuck this one in the day before my second surgery). </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/53249341108/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53249341108_bf60267de0_c.jpg" width="600" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<p>The one outing I was most bummed to have to cancel was apple picking and visiting one of our favorite farms this fall. The timing of my second surgery basically meant I was laid up for the bulk of the picking season. </p>
<p>As the baby got older it started to become a little harder for him to fall asleep any time, any where, and I spent a lot of time trying to establish a somewhat predictable nap schedule. Figuring out sleep was probably the hardest, but most worthwhile thing (and perhaps the thing I'm most proud of baby-raising wise) from my maternity leave. </p>
<p>We got very lucky in that our child was always a pretty good night sleeper from the beginning, but we also worked hard to establish good sleep habits. By like week four or five, we'd introduced a "bed time routine" basically just a set of consistent things we did each night to send the message it was time to sleep -- bath, PJs, feeding, book. </p>
<p>The first time he slept for more than a three hour stretch overnight, I obviously panicked and thought something horrible happened. But by the time he was three-months old, we were fairly consistently getting 8 hours of sleep each night. </p>
<p>Naps were a different story, and I swore I read to the end of the Internet on how to help get better naps so our kiddo wasn't so overtired all the time. I tried a million different things, that all got disrupted with that second surgery, but eventually, eventually we found a system that worked. I now consider myself a minor expert on baby sleep. Ask me about wake windows, sleepy cues and linking sleep cycles and I can talk your ear off. I was happy when I got us onto a consistent four-nap schedule around 3 or 4-months old, and life has become tons more predictable now that we're on a three-nap schedule. I feel like I can actually plan things that won't totally mess with nap time and I'm not as trapped in the house. </p>
<p>But boy that feeling of being trapped and isolated really permeated a lot of my leave. I loved getting to spend time with my child. Every time I managed to get a gummy smile or a giggle, my heart would melt. But I missed interacting with adults, and using my brain to solve more complex problems than why is this child crying now. There's only so many times I can do the same activities with the same toys or dream up a new game to play when we're bored after 30 seconds. </p>
<p>And for all those reasons, I'm sometimes so excited to go back to work. I have a job I really enjoy. It plays to my strengths. It lets me problem solve and be creative. And I work with some of the best people, several of whom I consider friends outside of the office, and I miss them. There have been a handful of times over my leave when I've popped in and looked at a few work emails, and I'm excited to get caught up on everything I've missed the last few months.</p>
<p>But holy heck, the minute I think about being excited to go back to work, I feel slapped down by some major guilt, and then I get nostalgic for this uninterrupted time with my child that I'll never have again, and woof that swirl of emotions is tough. </p>
<p>I'm grateful that my husband still has some of his paternity leave left and he will be staying home with the baby while I transition back to my salaried job. If I had to juggle my transition back to my day job with a daycare transition too, I'd be emotionally spent. </p>
<p>Despite the fact that my maternity leave was not a walk in the park, I am so beyond grateful that I had this time. I got so lost, but learned so much and it was messy and hard, but also really beautiful. It's a privilege that many people in the U.S. do not have, and I'll forever be thankful that I had this time, and that as it comes to an end, I'm not feeling forced back to work, but prepared and a little bit nervous to take that next step.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25824302.post-5105016761782465052024-01-08T09:55:00.000-05:002024-01-08T09:55:10.025-05:00My Favorite Books of 2023<p>I read more books in 2023 than I expected to, and honestly, I think I have to credit the summer months with a newborn who was up at all hours of the night needing to be fed. I did so much reading in a dark nursery on my Kindle. </p>
<p>Of the 72 books I read, I only gave a handful five stars. I don't have a very scientific way of determining whether a book is four stars or five stars, but I tend to reserve a five-star rating for books that I rave about or constantly recommend that others read. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/53443044676/in/datetaken/" title="2023 books in review"><img alt="2023 books in review" height="479" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53443044676_c06eb859f7_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">2023 Five Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6115138-sworn-to-silence" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Sworn to Silence (Kate Burkholder, #1)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388818184l/6115138._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6115138-sworn-to-silence">Sworn to Silence</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/54958.Linda_Castillo">Linda Castillo</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6006094177">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
It has been ages since I tore through a book in just over a day, hating to set it down and looking forward to picking up again, and that's exactly what happened with this book. The opening was dark with a very grisly murder and it was hard to read parts of night because it was a bit creepy, but I was sucked into the story of a serial killer in Amish country and the formerly Amish female chief of police tasked with hunting down the killer. As soon as I finished this, I immediately requested the next book with this character from the library, and I look forward to working my way through them all.
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<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/85175319-the-breakaway" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Breakaway" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1678036017l/85175319._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/85175319-the-breakaway">The Breakaway</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9212.Jennifer_Weiner">Jennifer Weiner</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5958437941">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I loved everything about this book. First off, I almost always love anything by Jennifer Weiner, she just tells the best stories. And secondly, I particularly loved this storyline of a woman finding herself, her confidence, her path forward through sports/athletics. I was sad to put this down when I finished it because reading it just made me so happy.
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<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29496076-killers-of-the-flower-moon" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1470699853l/29496076._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29496076-killers-of-the-flower-moon">Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1431785.David_Grann">David Grann</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5899400721">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This book has been sitting on our bookshelf for years, and I finally got the nudge to pick it up and actually read it, and I'm so glad I did. I didn't know much about the Osage murders before reading this book, and Grann told the story in such a gripping way, it was almost hard to believe it was a nonfiction book. Highly recommend.
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<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59912428-mad-honey" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Mad Honey" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1642705453l/59912428._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59912428-mad-honey">Mad Honey</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7128.Jodi_Picoult">Jodi Picoult</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5767626065">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This book certainly lived up to the hype, and I tore through it. High schooler Asher lives with his mom Olivia, a bee keeper, in a small town, and he loves his girlfriend Lily. This book is told through the perspective of Lily and Asher's mom after Asher is arrested for Lily's death. Lily's story is told backwards in time while Olivia's is told moving forward. It's hard to say too much without giving away one of the bigger surprises in the book, but boy this was so good, and I'm so glad I finally got it off the waitlist at the library.
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<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61718053-happy-place" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Happy Place" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1660145160l/61718053._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61718053-happy-place">Happy Place</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13905555.Emily_Henry">Emily Henry</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5716301990">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Emily Henry's books are just the best and most fun reads. I was so excited when I got this book off the library waitlist so quickly, and I tore through it in a day or so. A group of friends have been vacationing together in Maine since college. When they come together this year, things have changed. One is engaged, and one is keeping a secret that they no longer are. As the friends spend more time together, some of the secrets come out. The book has a happy ending, but I'll leave it there to not spoil it.
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<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58999205-fly-girl" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Fly Girl: A Memoir" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1643414004l/58999205._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58999205-fly-girl">Fly Girl: A Memoir</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/24558.Ann_Hood">Ann Hood</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5527557611">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I loved this book because I felt like I was getting a behind the scenes look at what goes on before, during and after a flight. I actually read this on the plane to Europe in March, and I appreciated being in the air, reading about all the training the author had to go through to be a flight attendants, some of the antics she experienced and in general just learning more about her jet-setting life. It was cool insight and an enjoyable read.
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<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60182291-her-sister-s-death" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Her Sister's Death" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1660404258l/60182291._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60182291-her-sister-s-death">Her Sister's Death</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6565833.K_L_Murphy">K.L. Murphy</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5348866440">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This was just the book I needed to drag me out of a major reading slump! It's a mystery set in Baltimore during two different time periods. In modern day, Val is trying to investigate her sister's mysterious death at a fancy Baltimore hotel. The police have ruled it a suicide, but Val doesn't buy it. Back in the 1920s, Bridget is getting ready to be married off to a wealthy man in the same hotel. She has some concerns, but goes through with the wedding anyway. I thought it was interesting the way the author wove these two very different storylines together, centering the hotel as a strange and mysterious place. I couldn't put this book down and tore through it in just a few days.
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">2023 Great Four Star Reads</h3><p>Occasionally, when I look back at what I read, I realize maybe a book wasn't perfectly a five star for me, but was still really good, and I talk about or recommend it a lot. I have a few of those this year too. So these are the four-star books that I keep recommending. </p><p><br /></p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62296528-spare" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Spare" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1673458354l/62296528._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62296528-spare">Spare</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7848512.Prince_Harry">Prince Harry</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5527566197">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
There was nothing quite like Prince Harry narrating this book through my headphones. I listened to this while working on some home improvement projects, and while some of the parts of the book that focused on Harry's military service were a little slow, I really enjoyed learning about his travels to Africa and what drew him to working in various countries there. I also of course loved the behind-the-scenes Royal Family insights, and man, the press and the relationship between the Palace and the press and the way they all turn on each other to feed stories, that was tough. Highly recommend this as an audiobook.
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60194162-demon-copperhead" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Demon Copperhead" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1660050779l/60194162._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60194162-demon-copperhead">Demon Copperhead</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3541.Barbara_Kingsolver">Barbara Kingsolver</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5958446507">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
A modern take on David Copperfield, set in in the heart of the opioid epidemic in Appalachia. This was a great and heartbreaking book, but it was really long, which is why I only gave it four stars instead of five. There were a few parts of Demon Copperhead's story that I thought could have been condensed a bit, but overall, I wanted to keep reading because I wanted to see if Demon ever caught a break in life.
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<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61896638-canary-girls" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Canary Girls" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1687141891l/61896638._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61896638-canary-girls">Canary Girls</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11630.Jennifer_Chiaverini">Jennifer Chiaverini</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5990312614">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This is a fictional account of the women who worked in munitions factories in Europe during WWI. This story follows four different women from very different life circumstances that find themselves working in the factory. While the men are gone, the women not only do the work, but they also form a professional soccer league, playing games against other mutionettes to raise money for charity. I feel like most historical fiction I've read has been set during WWII so this was a nice change from that!
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</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25824302.post-50447274913285230532024-01-04T19:32:00.003-05:002024-01-04T19:32:35.031-05:00Books I Read December 2023<p>December reading was entirely thriller/suspense/mystery (if you don't count the one book I read on starting a baby on solids), and honestly that is a pretty ideal kind of reading month for me. I love the twists and turns of suspense books, almost nothing holds my attention better, so it was pretty much a four-star month. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/53443419885/in/datetaken/" title="Dec 2023 books - 1"><img alt="Dec 2023 books - 1" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53443419885_4d47598c21_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Four Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60260682-the-christmas-murder-game" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Christmas Murder Game" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1655756511l/60260682._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60260682-the-christmas-murder-game">The Christmas Murder Game</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22307202.Alexandra_Benedict">Alexandra Benedict</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6028460760">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
A holiday read, but make it murder-y. Lily is called back to her family's estate for the annual holiday game, but this time her aunt's been murdered and has left a cryptic note for Lily to help her solve the case. I enjoyed this book for the most part, but I felt like the end was a little bit rushed and there were a couple of dots that I was a bit confused about the way they were connected. I'd probably have given it 3.5 stars, but rounded up because overall I still enjoyed a solid holiday murder mystery.
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<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7315153-pray-for-silence" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Pray for Silence (Kate Burkholder, #2)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441564150l/7315153._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7315153-pray-for-silence">Pray for Silence</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/54958.Linda_Castillo">Linda Castillo</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6056935889">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Still really enjoying the Kate Burkholder books by Linda Castillo. This is the second book in the series and follows Kate and her team of police officers as they investigate the murder of an entire Amish family. I tore through this book just as quickly as the first one, and enjoyed seeing each of the characters develop. I already have the third book in the series from the library and I can't wait to start it.
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<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9954597-breaking-silence" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Breaking Silence (Kate Burkholder, #3)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1438359418l/9954597._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9954597-breaking-silence">Breaking Silence</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/54958.Linda_Castillo">Linda Castillo</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6108305542">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Continuing to enjoy these thrillers set in Ohio Amish country. In the most recent story, Amish families are the targets of hate crimes and things quickly seem to escalate when an Amish mother father and uncle are murdered on their farm. Kate and her team work quickly to uncover who is targeting the Amish population.
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<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62067072-gone-tonight" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Gone Tonight" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1662827704l/62067072._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62067072-gone-tonight">Gone Tonight</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2982045.Sarah_Pekkanen">Sarah Pekkanen</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5847750106">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I've only ever read Sarah Pekkanen when she's writing with Greer Hendricks, so it was fun to read one of her solo books. Thoroughly enjoyed this thriller about a mother and daughter and their mysterious lives. As Catherine graduates college and prepares to move to Baltimore, her mother begins showing signs of early onset Alzheimer's. Catherine tables her move to stay close to her mother, but then realizes everything is not as it seems. The book flips back and forth between Catherine and Ruth's perspectives and you begin to learn more about Ruth's early life and why she's never stayed in one place for very long.
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<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61198195-simply-lies" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Simply Lies" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1668798650l/61198195._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61198195-simply-lies">Simply Lies</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9291.David_Baldacci">David Baldacci</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6056923932">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
It's been a while since I've read a Baldacci book, but I stumbled upon this at the library and got to meet a new character he introduced -- Mickey Gibson -- a former cop, single mom to two kids who currently works on digital asset recovery. Because of her expertise tracking down criminals on the dark web, she gets pulled into a murder of a former mob accountant. I enjoyed this thriller and both of the two female main characters trying to crack this case, despite very different motivations.
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Three Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62849881-rogue-justice" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Rogue Justice (Avery Keene, #2)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1684815225l/62849881._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62849881-rogue-justice">Rogue Justice</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17274107.Stacey_Abrams">Stacey Abrams</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6102586466">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I enjoyed this more than the first Avery Keene book, though there was a lot going on and I couldn’t remember all the details from the first book that seemed important in this book. This plot wasn’t quite as technical as book 1, but I do wish it was a bit more standalone.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/10285587-jess">View all my reviews</a>
</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25824302.post-39094903807100631682023-12-06T09:29:00.001-05:002023-12-06T09:29:33.486-05:00Books I Read November 2023<p>I found a new author I love in the month of November courtesy of a recommendation from my mom. Linda Castillo writes mystery/thriller/suspense books set it Amish Country with a cast of repeating characters. She's written tons of books, but I've never read anything by her, so I went back to the beginning, requested the first book in the series from the library and could not put it down. I can't wait to read the rest of the books she's written over the next several months. </p>
<p>I read a handful of other books in November too. More on those below. </p><p><br /></p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/53379926650/in/datetaken/" title="Nov 2023 books - 1"><img alt="Nov 2023 books - 1" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53379926650_0b48216cee_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Five Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6115138-sworn-to-silence" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Sworn to Silence (Kate Burkholder, #1)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388818184l/6115138._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6115138-sworn-to-silence">Sworn to Silence</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/54958.Linda_Castillo">Linda Castillo</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6006094177">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
It has been ages since I tore through a book in just over a day, hating to set it down and looking forward to picking up again, and that's exactly what happened with this book. The opening was dark with a very grisly murder and it was hard to read parts at night because it was a bit creepy, but I was sucked into the story of a serial killer in Amish country and the formerly Amish female chief of police tasked with hunting down the killer. As soon as I finished this, I immediately requested the next book with this character from the library, and I look forward to working my way through them all.
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Four Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65213595-starling-house" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Starling House" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1682447293l/65213595._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65213595-starling-house">Starling House</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9823112.Alix_E_Harrow">Alix E. Harrow</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5958473138">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
3.5 stars, but I rounded up because I thought the book got pretty good at the end after a slow start. It took me a little bit of time to get into this story. In Eden, Kentucky, there's a creepy and mysterious house that no one ever seems to come and go from. Opal walks past it most days on her way to work at the Tractor Supply Store, and she finds herself drawn to it. She meets the owner, and he offers her a job cleaning. The more time Opal spends in the house, the more it calls to her when she's awake and in her dreams. But at the same time there's a faction in town that wants to destroy the house to mine under its land. Opal is torn between wanting to protect the house and wanting to protect her family from the powerful forces looking to control that land. This isn't normally the kind of story I'm drawn too, but I found myself unable to put the book down toward the end wanting to know what happened to Opal.
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61896638-canary-girls" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Canary Girls" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1687141891l/61896638._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61896638-canary-girls">Canary Girls</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11630.Jennifer_Chiaverini">Jennifer Chiaverini</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5990312614">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This is a fictional account of the women who worked in munitions factories in Europe during WWI. This story follows four different women from very different life circumstances that find themselves working in the factory. While the men are gone, the women not only do the work, but they also form a professional soccer league, playing games against other mutionettes to raise money for charity. I feel like most historical fiction I've read has been set during WWII so this was a nice change from that!
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62952152-my-murder" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="My Murder" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1671235474l/62952152._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62952152-my-murder">My Murder</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/304812.Katie_Williams">Katie Williams</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5974305067">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I didn't know what rating to give this book because I liked it, but it was so weird. Lou is part of a serial killers survivors group -- and by survivors, it means everyone in the group was murdered and then brought back to life as some sort of clone. So you have to walk into this book suspending all sense of reality. It's hard to write too much of a summary without giving some key plot points away, but this was a weird, but enjoyable read.
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54814676-crying-in-h-mart" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Crying in H Mart" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1601937850l/54814676._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54814676-crying-in-h-mart">Crying in H Mart</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18916582.Michelle_Zauner">Michelle Zauner</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6028456518">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This was a really lovely book about mothers, daughters, their relationships, and grief. At times it was hard to read because it's impossible to imagine the pain of losing a mother to cancer.
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</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Three Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62929412-playing-the-witch-card" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Playing the Witch Card" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1676463465l/62929412._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62929412-playing-the-witch-card">Playing the Witch Card</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3944366.K_J_Dell_Antonia">K.J. Dell'Antonia</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5974293940">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I was looking for something fun and Halloween-y to read around the holiday, and I had really enjoyed another book by this author. This book however moved a little slow until the very end, then it picked up and I appreciated the extra action. I guessed the twist pretty early on (which I don't always mind), and it felt like there was an extra storyline that wasn't totally necessary. I also kept wanting to yell at the main character because she seemed to never learn as the book went on. So overall kind of only felt so so about this one.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/10285587-jess">View all my reviews</a>
</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25824302.post-51043861965045113552023-11-06T14:39:00.003-05:002023-11-06T14:39:50.304-05:00Books I Read October 2023<p>I had several more DNFs in October -- I'm clearly getting better at putting down books I'm just not that into. But I also read some really great books this month. Demon Copperhead was long, and took me at least two weeks to read, so my number of books read definitely went down a bit this month. But that book was worth it. Here's what else I read (and finished) this month.</p><p><br /></p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/53314555864/in/datetaken/" title="Oct 2023 books - 1"><img alt="Oct 2023 books - 1" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53314555864_6fb3bf2740_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Five Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/85175319-the-breakaway" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Breakaway" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1678036017l/85175319._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/85175319-the-breakaway">The Breakaway</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9212.Jennifer_Weiner">Jennifer Weiner</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5958437941">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I loved everything about this book. First off, I almost always love anything by Jennifer Weiner, she just tells the best stories. And secondly, I particularly loved this storyline of a woman finding herself, her confidence, her path forward through sports/athletics. I was sad to put this down when I finished it because reading it just made me so happy.
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</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Four Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62900745-forever-hold-your-peace" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Forever Hold Your Peace" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1665142585l/62900745._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62900745-forever-hold-your-peace">Forever Hold Your Peace</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2816864.Liz_Fenton">Liz Fenton</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5958453917">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This book was such a fun and fast read. A young couple gets engaged in Italy after knowing each other for only a few weeks. When they get their divorced parents together for a meet-the-parents moment back in California over brunch, things go extremely sideways and not just because at least two of the parents think the engagement happened much too fast.
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60194162-demon-copperhead" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Demon Copperhead" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1660050779l/60194162._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60194162-demon-copperhead">Demon Copperhead</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3541.Barbara_Kingsolver">Barbara Kingsolver</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5958446507">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
A modern take on David Copperfield, set in in the heart of the opioid epidemic in Appalachia. This was a great and heartbreaking book, but it was really long, which is why I only gave it four stars instead of five. There were a few parts of Demon Copperhead's story that I thought could have been condensed a bit, but overall, I wanted to keep reading because I wanted to see if Demon ever caught a break in life.
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7177089-wicked-witch-murder" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Wicked Witch Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #16)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348998508l/7177089._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7177089-wicked-witch-murder">Wicked Witch Murder</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/138662.Leslie_Meier">Leslie Meier</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5899586174">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This cozy witchy murder mystery was perfect for this time of year. After failing to finish so many books last month, I was happy to find a book that I was excited to pick up again every time I had to put it down. The book opens with the mysterious death of the leader of a local Wiccan coven. Lucy Stone is a reporter intent on getting to the bottom of the mysterious death before any more trouble gets stirred up.
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</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Three Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3386101-baby-led-weaning" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Baby-led Weaning: Helping Your Baby To Love Good Food" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320471927l/3386101._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3386101-baby-led-weaning">Baby-led Weaning: Helping Your Baby To Love Good Food</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1427496.Gill_Rapley">Gill Rapley</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5958460791">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I picked this up because in like two months we have to figure out how to introduce solid food to our kiddo. I wished this book had a bit more how-to and bit less theory/convincing that this was the method to use. (I was already fairly bought in to this method, so this book was probably better for someone that wasn't sure which approach they wanted to take).
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63241104-tom-lake" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Tom Lake" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1691084837l/63241104._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63241104-tom-lake">Tom Lake</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7136914.Ann_Patchett">Ann Patchett</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5899444943">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I don’t know if it was just me, but it took me a minute to realize this was a story in a story, and for the first bit of the book that left me kind of confused. Once I got past that, I enjoyed Lara telling her daughters the story of her romance with a famous actor when she was in her 20s. I liked the way the author didn’t need to beat you over the head with Covid to know this book was set during the pandemic and it’s what brought all Lara’s daughters home
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/10285587-jess">View all my reviews</a>
</p>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25824302.post-36127914874423410752023-10-30T19:08:00.004-04:002023-10-30T19:08:49.412-04:00Recovering from Another Postpartum Surgery<p>At the end of August, I wrote a blog post about <a href="https://www.jessruns.com/2023/08/what-im-doing-to-rebuild-fitness-after.html">what I was doing to rebuild my fitness after my C-section</a>. Back then, I was pretty happy with the progress I was making. The scar massage was really helping with mobility around my incision, and I was starting to build back my strength and endurance by lengthening my walks. I was hopeful I'd be able to start easing back into running.</p>
<p>But my body wasn't healing properly after the C-section. At my 6-week follow up appointment with my OB, my doctor told me to monitor a few of the symptoms I was still having and if they hadn't resolved by 8-10 weeks, I'd need to come back in for an ultrasound. </p><p>Unfortunately for me, those symptoms didn't resolve on their own. So in early September, they got me in for an ultrasound, which showed something abnormal near the internal incision from the C-section. In order to get better imaging and give my doctor a better sense of what was going on, I had to go for an MRI. </p>
<p>After waiting for a week to get the results of the MRI, I had another appointment with my OB to talk through the options. Going into the appointment, I knew I'd need another surgery, and the MRI would dictate how major of a surgery it would be. Because the theme of this pregnancy and postpartum period was that I have the worst possible luck, I of course found out I needed the version of the surgery that amounted to another C-section, aided by a camera inserted through my belly button. It was both a laparotomy and laparoscopy. </p><p>To say I was devastated would be a huge understatement. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52942097712/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52942097712_9f59438e75_c.jpg" width="600" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<p>I couldn't believe I was going to have to go through another major abdominal surgery and start the healing and recovery process all over again. </p><p>But that's what happened. I had the second surgery at the end of September. It was outpatient this time so I got to sleep in my own bed instead of a hospital bed this time around. The doctor was able to make the abdominal incision on top of my existing C-section scar, and the belly button incision is not noticeable at all. The anesthesia made me puke multiple times again -- once in the car on the drive home. And there's really nothing like the pain of puking after your abs have been sliced open.</p><p>Recovery has been long and hard both mentally and physically the second time around. My kiddo is bigger, and I wasn't allowed to lift him for about three weeks post-op. I was incredibly sore for the first week and had to do the same rotation of ibuprofen and Tylenol every three hours like back in July. We luckily had lots of help from my parents, Ben's aunt and Ben's mom. But there is nothing more heartbreaking than hearing my little guy cry and not be able to pick him up to comfort him.</p><p>When I had a follow up appointment with my doctor two weeks ago, he was happy with my healing process this time around, which is good, but I'm still not cleared to do any real exercise yet beyond walking. </p><p>So here I am, starting my recovery all over again. I'm doing the scar message and core engagement work, but I'll be honest, I'm not as good about remembering to do it as I was the first time around. It was just really demoralizing to take such a huge step back in the program that I was following, and some days my heart just really isn't into it. </p><p>I am slowly rebuilding my walking endurance. Walking at least gets me out of the house for fresh air. I'm up to three miles of walking now which is great, but not really close to the five miles I was walking pre-surgery. </p><p>And at this point postpartum, I thought I'd be back to running and all my regular activities again. My mom and I had even picked out a race we were planning to do together in December. But now, I have two more weeks of waiting to even get cleared to begin regular exercise again, and that's tough. </p><p>My little guy is almost four months old, but my body is only healed as if I were five weeks postpartum. This has all just been really hard. I know some day it will all be just a blip of a memory, but it has been really frustrating having all my progress wiped out and starting from zero again.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25824302.post-4974196520904488232023-10-10T11:26:00.003-04:002023-10-10T11:26:34.753-04:00Books I Read September 2023<p>September was not the best month of reading. I started reading so many books that I didn't finish because they just weren't keeping my interest. The few books I did finish this month were a mixed bag. A couple were quite good, others were only so so. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/53248723968/in/datetaken/" title="Sept 2023 books - 1"><img alt="Sept 2023 books - 1" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53248723968_f0eccf6697_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Five Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29496076-killers-of-the-flower-moon" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1470699853l/29496076._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29496076-killers-of-the-flower-moon">Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1431785.David_Grann">David Grann</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5899400721">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This book has been sitting on our bookshelf for years, and I finally got the nudge to pick it up and actually read it, and I'm so glad I did. I didn't know much about the Osage murders before reading this book, and Grann told the story in such a gripping way, it was almost hard to believe it was a nonfiction book. Highly recommend.
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</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Four Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57792084-the-magnificent-lives-of-marjorie-post" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1626717206l/57792084._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57792084-the-magnificent-lives-of-marjorie-post">The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7155436.Allison_Pataki">Allison Pataki</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5824338921">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I wish I could give half stars because I think this book lands as a 3.5 for me, but I'm rounding up here. I've been to Post's DC Hillwood estate and have really enjoyed the gorgeous grounds and her wild collection of fine art and jewelry, and I was excited to learn a little more about her through this book. While I overall enjoyed the story, I thought there were some parts that were a little slow, and I sort of hated that the book was broken into parts that were based around the men she was married to. In some ways I felt this reduced her a bit too much. But if you can get past that, reading about the fictionalization of the life she lived during the time she was alive was really interesting.
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</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Three Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60149573-our-missing-hearts" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Our Missing Hearts" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1664802258l/60149573._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60149573-our-missing-hearts">Our Missing Hearts</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/164692.Celeste_Ng">Celeste Ng</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5899410091">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This book was a bit hard to read, maybe because it's too close to being true with everything going on in this day and age, and I kind of struggled to get through it. Book bans and children being stolen from homes was maybe just a little darker than I was hoping for when I picked up this book.
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57468137-without-a-hitch" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Without a Hitch" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1619544659l/57468137._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57468137-without-a-hitch">Without a Hitch</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21297395.Mary_Hollis_Huddleston">Mary Hollis Huddleston</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5899601388">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I thought I'd like this book more than I did because it seemed like it would hit the right notes for me, but I struggled a bit because I didn't love the main character. Lottie is a bit lost in life. She had big plans in college, but then got sidetracked by her relationship with her college boyfriend. When that relationship blows up just before graduation, Lottie isn't sure what to do with herself. She falls into a job at florist and eventually finds her way to a wedding planning firm. This was a mix of Lottie trying to find herself and a bit of a romance. The romance parts were sweet, the Lottie finding herself parts fell a bit flat for me.
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56269084-the-guilt-trip" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Guilt Trip" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1621843162l/56269084._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56269084-the-guilt-trip">The Guilt Trip</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3917070.Sandie_Jones">Sandie Jones</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5899429449">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I read this book on the heels of a few other suspense/thriller type books and kept wondering when the murder would happen. Turns out that wasn’t the plot of this book. Instead a group of friends heads to a destination wedding where a secret threatens all their relationships. This book was a bit slow, though toward the end I wanted to keep reading to see if I guessed the twist.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/10285587-jess">View all my reviews</a>
</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25824302.post-10406853072828865772023-09-08T16:17:00.003-04:002023-09-08T16:17:31.565-04:00Books I Read August 2023<p>I read 10 books in August, which is way more than a typical month, and I continue to have late night baby feedings to thank for all the reading I've been getting done. </p>
<p>My Kindle has been a real work horse lately, and I've developed a newfound appreciation for it. It's just so much easier to read by the light of the Kindle in the middle of night and it's much easier to read that one handed than a physical book at the moment. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/53173500046/in/datetaken/" title="August 2023 books - 1"><img alt="August 2023 books - 1" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53173500046_2ba7f3c0be_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<p>I also continue to reach for lighter, faster and easier reads because my brain can't really process much heavier these days. </p>
<p>So without further ado, here are the 10 books I read in August -- largely mysteries, thrillers and light-hearted fare. </p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Five Stars</b></h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59912428-mad-honey" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Mad Honey" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1642705453l/59912428._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59912428-mad-honey">Mad Honey</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7128.Jodi_Picoult">Jodi Picoult</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5767626065">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This book certainly lived up to the hype, and I tore through it. High schooler Asher lives with his mom Olivia, a bee keeper, in a small town, and he loves his girlfriend Lily. This book is told through the perspective of Lily and Asher's mom after Asher is arrested for Lily's death. Lily's story is told backwards in time while Olivia's is told moving forward. It's hard to say too much without giving away one of the bigger surprises in the book, but boy this was so good, and I'm so glad I finally got it off the waitlist at the library.
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</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Four Stars</b></h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43998065-pretty-guilty-women" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Pretty Guilty Women" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553046354l/43998065._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43998065-pretty-guilty-women">Pretty Guilty Women</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11010807.Gina_LaManna">Gina LaManna</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5824365582">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This book pulled me in from the first page and I totally flew through it. A man is killed at a wedding and four different women confess to the crime. But their stories don't quite match the evidence. The book jumps back and forth in time starting from the moment that guests arrive to the lavish wedding and wrapping up with all of them being interviewed by the police. Really enjoyed this as a fun and fast suspense book.
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61273760-birth" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Birth: Three Mothers, Nine Months, and Pregnancy in America" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1680127122l/61273760._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61273760-birth">Birth: Three Mothers, Nine Months, and Pregnancy in America</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/939143.Rebecca_Grant">Rebecca Grant</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5824288340">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I found this book super interesting perhaps because I’d just given birth myself. It followed three pregnant woman all of whom hope to give birth at a birth center as opposed to in a hospital. It follows each of their pregnancies as well as looking into how we ended up with the current maternal health situation that we have in this country.
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<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61492446-a-very-typical-family" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="A Very Typical Family" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1673267198l/61492446._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61492446-a-very-typical-family">A Very Typical Family</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21470742.Sierra_Godfrey">Sierra Godfrey</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5824347022">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This is one of the rare books I liked even though I could not stand the main character. She is pretty much insufferable through out the entire book, and I really got sick of the giant pity party she was throwing herself, but the characters surrounding her were so weird and so quirky and the book's storyline was kind of out there, and yet I found myself flying through this book pretty highly entertained.
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<h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Three Stars</b></h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56637976-while-justice-sleeps" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="While Justice Sleeps: A Novel (Random House Large Print)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1617709617l/56637976._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56637976-while-justice-sleeps">While Justice Sleeps: A Novel</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17274107.Stacey_Abrams">Stacey Abrams</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5738063031">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Supreme Court Justice Wynn’s health has been deteriorating and he ends up in a coma two weeks before the end of the court’s term. With major decisions hanging in the balance, he chooses a questionable POA to carry out his wishes. This was a great thriller, but some of the science parts of the plot got a bit technical and were a bit hard to follow until later in the story, hence only three stars instead of four.
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<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54985743-people-we-meet-on-vacation" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="People We Meet on Vacation" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1618913179l/54985743._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54985743-people-we-meet-on-vacation">People We Meet on Vacation</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13905555.Emily_Henry">Emily Henry</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5767648044">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I usually tear through Emily Henry's books, but this one was only so so in comparison to some of her others. I think the main reason I wasn't quite as into this book is because I didn't love the main character. And since this book really centers around only two characters, not liking one of them made it hard to love the book overall. It was still a light and fast read, but I'd recommend most of her other books before this one.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/10285587-jess">View all my reviews</a>
</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50485649-in-my-dreams-i-hold-a-knife" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="In My Dreams I Hold a Knife" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1669321407l/50485649._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50485649-in-my-dreams-i-hold-a-knife">In My Dreams I Hold a Knife</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19926652.Ashley_Winstead">Ashley Winstead</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5824352938">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I feel like this book came highly recommended at some point, but I only felt meh about it. The main character was highly unlikable and was trying too hard to prove herself basically the entire time. A group of friends heads back to college for a reunion. While they're there, they're forced to reckon with the murder of one of their friends that has remained unsolved to this day. The title of this book also didn't make a whole lot of sense to me because there was no knife. The murder weapon was a pair of scissors. I stuck with the story because I was invested in finding out who had done it.
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<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62047982-between-two-strangers" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Between Two Strangers" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1673551980l/62047982._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62047982-between-two-strangers">Between Two Strangers</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/59972.Kate_White">Kate White</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5767616592">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I usually love Kate White's mysteries, but this was just so so for me. A woman gets a call from a lawyer saying she's been left a large inheritance from someone she doesn't know. As she tries to figure out why she's been left this money, strange things start to happen, her apartment gets broken into, her art studio is targeted. By the end of the book, she's eventually able to put the pieces together, but this just moved a little slower for me over all.
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<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62703226-the-only-one-left" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Only One Left" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1668181003l/62703226._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62703226-the-only-one-left">The Only One Left</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15263414.Riley_Sager">Riley Sager</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5767638472">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Several years ago, tragedy struck the Hope family when the matriarch and patriarch are found stabbed to death and one of their daughters is found hanging in the dining room. Police arrested the other daughter Lenora, but never had the evidence to convict her. Fast forward in time, Kit is hired as a home health aid for Lenora who still lives in the family home, but has suffered a stroke and needs around the clock care. The previous health aid disappeared without a trace, and Kit immediately experiences stranger sounds and noises as soon as she moves in. I usually love Riley Sager's books, but this one was a little slower than some of his others, hence the three star rating.
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63249825-must-love-flowers" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Must Love Flowers" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1684817308l/63249825._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63249825-must-love-flowers">Must Love Flowers</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11349.Debbie_Macomber">Debbie Macomber</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5767604325">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This was a sweet book about two woman who've suffered losses trying to determine what their lives look like and how they move forward. Joan is a widow who lost her husband four years ago, and has never been able to move forward. Maggie struggles to deal with an alcoholic father after her mother dies. The two woman form an unlikely friendship as they help each other move forward. This book was just a very cozy and comforting read.
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</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25824302.post-52456484898282371642023-08-30T18:05:00.000-04:002023-08-30T18:05:37.452-04:00What I'm Doing to Rebuild Fitness After My C-Section<p>This title might come as a surprise to some since I never blogged about being pregnant. The past year was full of complications, and there was never really a time that didn't feel scary to share the news. </p>
<p>The birth was full of complications too that landed me in the ICU. Suffice it to say pregnancy and childbirth were not at all what I imagined they would be like. </p>
<p>Here's one of the few pictures of me pregnant. This was me enjoying my last float in the pool the day before our baby was born. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/53153897178/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53153897178_23c1d8be0b_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt="Untitled"/></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Now that I'm generally cleared for physical activity again, I'm slowly starting to find my way back to an exercise routine, and let me tell you, it looks a heck of a lot different than anything I did before.</p>
<p>I was slapped with exercise restrictions at 20 weeks pregnant. No more running, no heavy lifting. I could basically swim, walk or do yoga. It was a pretty devastating blow since I was just getting back to running after my hip injury. </p>
<p>Once my favorite activities were off the table, I lost a lot of my aerobic endurance fitness, but I focused on what I could do. I got into a nice swim habit and spent a lot of time training my deep core and pelvic floor, knowing that would make postpartum recovery easier. </p>
<p>Because of said complication, I was medically required to have a C-section. Having your abdominal wall and like seven other layers of stuff cut open requires some major recovery time followed by some major rehab work. </p>
<p>In the first two weeks postpartum, I focused my efforts on deep breathing and reconnecting my brain to my core muscles. I was in quite a bit of pain, and other than sitting on the sofa, breathing and trying to go for some short walks around my house there wasn't much more I could be doing. Oh and trying to keep a tiny human alive on like no sleep. </p>
<p>By week three, much of the soreness from the surgery had started to fade. At my two week doctor appointment, my OB was happy with how the incision was healing and encouraged me to start scar massage to help prevent the build up of scar tissue. </p>
<p>So I added that in, along with some gentle core engagement work and slowly began to increase the distance I was walking. (We're talking going from like a quarter mile to a half mile, and then eventually progressing up to a mile).</p>
<p>My goal each day was a daily walk to get me and the baby some fresh air (assuming the weather was decent), some time spent breathing and doing those introductory core engagement exercises plus my scar massage. It maybe sounds like a lot, but I was only a few weeks post-major surgery so everything was really short durations and low intensity.</p>
<p>I'm about 8 weeks out now, and I've slowly started lengthening my walks and increasing some of the load on my core exercises. For example I've progressed from doing a wall plank to a plank on an elevated surface. I've also done a handful of strength training sessions with dumbbells. Again these are very short maybe 20 minutes or so that I can fit in during a nap. It also helps that I'm following a plan from a physical therapist that helps me map out how I should be progressing different things.</p>
<p>I'm itching to start running again, but I'm forcing myself to spend the time on the rehab first, and to try not to rush. A C section is major surgery, and the last thing I want is to injure myself because I jumped back into something too soon. I know I need a strong core to stabilize me while I run (and just exist day to day). I have big hopes of running some races later this year and into the spring, so I'm forcing myself to spend time building a solid foundation so that I don't suffer further set back when I start running again. I'm super impatient so this isn't easy, but I keep telling myself it will pay off in the long run.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25824302.post-54120955329069124342023-08-08T13:14:00.003-04:002023-08-08T13:14:24.664-04:00Books I Read July 2023<p>I wasn't sure what reading would look like in July what with a newborn to take care of and all. But turns out all those late night feedings leave a lot of time for sitting around and reading a Kindle in the dark. So I got through plenty of books in July. </p>
<p>I kept things mostly light. The book needed to have a fast moving plot and not make my completely sleep deprived brain think too hard. Most of the books I read seemed to meet that target. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/53102578921/in/datetaken/" title="July 2023 books - 1"><img alt="July 2023 books - 1" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53102578921_6972b0a086_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Four Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62873996-the-five-star-weekend" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Five-Star Weekend" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1680591253l/62873996._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62873996-the-five-star-weekend">The Five-Star Weekend</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/88301.Elin_Hilderbrand">Elin Hilderbrand</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5716228990">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This was another easy summer read from Elin Hilderbrand. Every time I read one of her books, I'm sad she's planning to retire next year. This book centered around Hollis Shaw after she loses her husband in a car accident. She decides to bring together four friends from different points in her life for a "five star weekend" on Nantucket. The women don't know each other well and so their weekend together has so of the highs and lows you might expect when a group of strangers get together. A fun and fast summer read.
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61885041-what-the-neighbors-saw" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="What the Neighbors Saw" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1678219626l/61885041._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61885041-what-the-neighbors-saw">What the Neighbors Saw</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19455747.Melissa_Adelman">Melissa Adelman</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5716238584">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Can't remember who recommended this to me, but I love a book set in/near DC, and this one delivered. Alexis and Sam are eager to move out of their DC row home to one of the more exclusive neighbors in the suburbs to make room for their growing family. But the 'burbs are expensive and they settle on a falling down home, still outside their price range, in an elusive neighborhood that they think will be safe. But soon after they move in a neighbor dies on a running trail and Alexis starts to learn that everything in their fancy neighborhood isn't all it appears.
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<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61273351-the-only-survivors" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Only Survivors" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1678900287l/61273351._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61273351-the-only-survivors">The Only Survivors</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4417749.Megan_Miranda">Megan Miranda</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5716441698">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I've enjoyed the last several of Megan Miranda's books, and while this one was good, I didn't love it quite as much as some of her others. In this book, a group of friends gets together each year to commemorate a tragic accident that happened when they were in high school that left them as the only survivors. But recently two of the survivors have died mysteriously and so when the group gets together this year things are tense as they strive to figure out what is happening to them.
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62312250-the-senator-s-wife" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Senator's Wife" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1668734258l/62312250._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62312250-the-senator-s-wife">The Senator's Wife</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16360992.Liv_Constantine">Liv Constantine</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5738053161">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I tore through this twisty book that opens with two senators and their wives on vacation together. By chapter one of the senators and one of the wives are dead and the other two eventually marry. The remaining wife has major surgery planned and brings in in home care to help her recovery, but her condition gets worse instead of getting better. This was a fast and suspenseful read set in DC.
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</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Three Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61884844-bad-summer-people" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Bad Summer People" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1675084836l/61884844._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61884844-bad-summer-people">Bad Summer People</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22419488.Emma_Rosenblum">Emma Rosenblum</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5716417331">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This was another fun summer book about a group of people that spends the summer on Fire Island every year. The book opens with a little kid finding a dead body that has fallen off the boardwalk, then you jump back in time to the start of the summer when all the families are just arriving. There's lots of gossip and backstabbing and a young good-looking tennis pro that draws lots of attention. The book is told from multiple character's perspectives and all of them could have a motive and all of them could be the one that ends up dead at the end. A light summer read.
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784641-the-villa" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Villa" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1651426717l/60784641._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784641-the-villa">The Villa</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2261547.Rachel_Hawkins">Rachel Hawkins</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5716430192">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I was on the waitlist for this book for a really long time and had been looking forward to reading it, but it was a little bit slower than I expected. Emily and Chess head on a girl's trip to Italy. They've been friends for ages, but don't keep in super close touch anymore. Chess has become a famous self-help author/influencer, and Emily writes cozy mysteries. They both plan to use the time at the house to work on their writing. But the house has secrets waiting to be uncovered and Emily and Chess have secrets of their own. This book was interesting, I was just hoping for a slightly faster pace.
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<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62919401-the-chateau" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Chateau" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1682527923l/62919401._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62919401-the-chateau">The Chateau</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20392713.Jaclyn_Goldis">Jaclyn Goldis</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5738072262">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This book started a bit slowly, but picked up toward the end. Four friends are invited to one of their grandmother’s chateaus in France 20 years after they spent time studying abroad there. The grandmother claims she has to set the record straight on a few things, but is murdered before she can. The friends struggle to figure out who did it, unsure if they can trust each other at all anymore.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/10285587-jess">View all my reviews</a>
</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25824302.post-41442303272324197922023-07-24T19:51:00.001-04:002023-07-24T19:51:14.179-04:00Books I Read June 2023<p>June was the month of my family beach trip, which is always a great week of reading for me. This year, I didn't read quite as many books on vacation as normal since I was busy playing in the ocean and building sandcastles with my nieces. But I still read seven books, and most of them were fun and fast reads. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/53069459344/in/datetaken/" title="June 2023 books - 1"><img alt="June 2023 books - 1" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53069459344_da744ededc_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Five Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61718053-happy-place" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Happy Place" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1660145160l/61718053._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61718053-happy-place">Happy Place</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13905555.Emily_Henry">Emily Henry</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5716301990">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Emily Henry's books are just the best and most fun reads. I was so excited when I got this book off the library waitlist so quickly, and I tore through it in a day or so. A group of friends have been vacationing together in Maine since college. When they come together this year, things have changed. One is engaged, and one is keeping a secret that they no longer are. As the friends spend more time together, some of the secrets come out. The book has a happy ending, but I'll leave it there to not spoil it.
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</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Four Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784636-all-the-dangerous-things" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="All the Dangerous Things" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1652631076l/60784636._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784636-all-the-dangerous-things">All the Dangerous Things</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21408101.Stacy_Willingham">Stacy Willingham</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5716365887">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I flew through this book wanting to know what happened. Isabella’s son was taken from his crib one year ago and the investigation to find him has grown cold. In order to help, Isabella agrees to be interviewed by a true crime podcaster. Fast and twisty, this book often had me trying to guess what exactly was going on.
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61062488-it-s-one-of-us" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="It's One of Us" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1675641742l/61062488._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61062488-it-s-one-of-us">It's One of Us</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1311949.J_T_Ellison">J.T. Ellison</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5716324186">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I loved the premise of this book and the way it asked what if about modern fertility medicine. What if a couple couldn’t have kids and had tried fertility treatments for years? What if during that process the police show up to say the husband’s DNA proves a local serial killer is his son? And that he has a wide-reaching number of offspring from when he donated sperm in college. I enjoyed both the thriller angle of this book and the relationships impacted by the husband’s sperm donation. Flew through this book on vacation.
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61913611-the-daydreams" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Daydreams" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1675083558l/61913611._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61913611-the-daydreams">The Daydreams</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9762056.Laura_Hankin">Laura Hankin</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5716375163">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This book is about a teen TV show getting rebooted in modern times, and it was a perfect beach read. The cast was inseparable as kids during the height of the show, but no longer speak to each other as adults after a disastrous live finale years ago. But they’re coming together for a reunion and all the drama that entails.
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Three Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784540-the-soulmate" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Soulmate" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1669915047l/60784540._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60784540-the-soulmate">The Soulmate</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8123141.Sally_Hepworth">Sally Hepworth</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5716347155">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Gabe and Pippa live in a house overlooking gorgeous but deadly cliffs. Gabe has repeatedly talked people off the literal edge. He’s never failed until recently and this person is someone Gabe knows. Pippa wants to know what’s going on, and finds more than she bargained for. A good read, but not as good as Hepworth’s other books.
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60023131-secluded-cabin-sleeps-six" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1662440965l/60023131._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60023131-secluded-cabin-sleeps-six">Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18445.Lisa_Unger">Lisa Unger</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5716254700">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
It took me a while to get into this audiobook. It started pretty slow and it took a while for the six adults (a set of siblings and their significant others) to get to the creepy cabin in the woods. Once they're there, the summary promised a thriller where no one felt safe. The book did eventually get there, but it just took a while. By the end, I was curious to see what would happen and how things would resolve, but I wish this one would have had more action from the start.
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Two Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61986136-the-guest" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Guest" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1666574413l/61986136._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61986136-the-guest">The Guest</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2926065.Emma_Cline">Emma Cline</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5716294842">2 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I liked Emma Cline's last book quite a bit and had been looking forward to this one coming out, but The Guest fell pretty flat for me. I didn't find any of the characters particularly likable and the ending felt like a bit of a letdown after I'd stuck it out to see what happened. This was an incredibly fast read, I finished it in one day by the pool, but it just didn't land for me.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/10285587-jess">View all my reviews</a>
</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25824302.post-86593305761704162662023-06-08T14:26:00.003-04:002023-06-08T14:26:28.476-04:00Books I Read May 2023<p>After really struggling with a reading rut in April, I found myself breaking out of it in May. I indulged in lots of easy reads and thrillers. There's nothing like an engaging page turner that makes me want to keep picking up my books and reading into the night. (Multiple times this month, my husband had to pull my Kindle out from underneath where I'd fallen asleep on top of it in bed). </p>
<p>I also found myself enjoying several audio books this month as the weather got nicer and I was more inclined to go outside at lunch time for a walk with a book to break up my work day. </p>
<p>Here's what I read. I gave almost everything this month four stars.</p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52960742833/in/datetaken/" title="May 2023 books - 1"><img alt="May 2023 books - 1" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52960742833_5e85096707_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Four Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60285684-the-first-husband" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The First Husband" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1643739504l/60285684._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60285684-the-first-husband">The First Husband</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2672.Laura_Dave">Laura Dave</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5605062143">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Annie was feeling pretty grounded in life until her long time boyfriend comes home one day and decides to end things. The announcement sends Annie reeling and she eventually rebounds with a chef she meets on a night out trying to console herself. She doesn't expect to fall in love, but she does, and she moves with him to rural MA where he hopes to open a new restaurant. At the same time, Annie's old boyfriend comes back full of regret and she gets a great job offer overseas. Really enjoyed this as a fast and light read.
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54419239-meet-me-in-paradise" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Meet Me in Paradise" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1594300988l/54419239._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54419239-meet-me-in-paradise">Meet Me in Paradise</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20481975.Libby_Hubscher">Libby Hubscher</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5605070151">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This was an Ashley Spivey recommendation that helped pull me out of a book slump. Marin and Sadie are sisters that had completely opposite reactions to their mother's death. Marin buckled down and became a caretaker to Sadie isolating herself from the world and never taking a risk. Sadie on the other hand became a world traveling photographer. On a break from work, Sadie convinces Marin to take a girls' weekend to a small island for relaxation. Marin reluctantly agrees, but then Sadie misses the flight, and Marin is off on her first solo trip. This was a super fast and enjoyable read.
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54508798-the-guncle" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Guncle" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1594848421l/54508798._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54508798-the-guncle">The Guncle</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14972725.Steven_Rowley">Steven Rowley</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5605052063">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This book was such a fast read and the characters really pull at your heart strings. When Maisie and Grant lose their mother and their father suffers a health scare of his own, they're sent to live with Gay Uncle Patrick in Palm Springs. While Patrick has always loved his niece and nephew, he feels out of his league raising them, while dealing with their grief and his own grief over the loss of their mother. Despite the sad situation that throws them together, this book is heartwarming as Patrick, Maisie and Grant all manage to find their way by leaning on one another.
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56625098-the-wish" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Wish" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1614769180l/56625098._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56625098-the-wish">The Wish</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2345.Nicholas_Sparks">Nicholas Sparks</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5605014163">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I have not read a Nicholas Sparks book in ages, but when I saw this on the shelf at the library, I snapped it up knowing it would be an easy summer read, and it did not disappoint. When Maggie was 16 she found herself pregnant in high school, her parents send her across the country to live with her aunt in North Carolina until the baby is born. Her aunt hired her a tutor to help with the school work and the two grow close over the year. Maggie is now an adult living in New York and the book jumps back and forth between the present day and back in 1996 in North Carolina. A fast and enjoyable read.
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58065033-lessons-in-chemistry" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Lessons in Chemistry" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1634748496l/58065033._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58065033-lessons-in-chemistry">Lessons in Chemistry</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21370624.Bonnie_Garmus">Bonnie Garmus</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5605023033">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This book came with rave reviews, but it honestly took me a while to get into because of the two main characters' personalities. They were both a little jarring and until I settled into them, the book itself felt jarring. By the end of the book though, I was really appreciating Elizabeth and her style and attitude and kind of loved watching her inspire others throughout the book.
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59762456-how-to-survive-your-murder" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="How to Survive Your Murder" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1642779274l/59762456._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59762456-how-to-survive-your-murder">How to Survive Your Murder</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13462655.Danielle_Valentine">Danielle Valentine</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5605043917">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
You've got to suspend a lot of your disbelief for this book, but it was interesting enough as an audio book that I kept wanting to go for walks to find out what happened next. Alice is the only witness to her sister's murder, but on the day she's set to testify in court against the killer, she gets knocked out and jumps back in time to Halloween 1 year ago -- the day her sister was killed. She's given a second chance to save her sister's life and find the real killer. There's some weird stuff that happens in her time travel, but if you can get past that, this book is decently suspenseful and I found it to be good company on long walks.
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<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59808050-daisy-darker" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Daisy Darker" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1639604124l/59808050._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59808050-daisy-darker">Daisy Darker</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15904689.Alice_Feeney">Alice Feeney</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5605037268">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I generally love books that are twists on Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. In this case, an estranged family gathers on a remote island for Nana's 80th birthday and when high tide comes they are isolated until the water recedes and cars can reach the island again. But overnight, family members start dying one by one. The story jumps back and forth in time between the present and the past as you try to figure out who is killing off each family member. The only thing I didn't love was the twist at the end. If I say more than that I'll spoil things, but it felt a bit like an easy way out or something. Still decently enjoyable overall though.
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Three Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15957.The_Patron_Saint_of_Liars" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Patron Saint of Liars" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347356188l/15957._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15957.The_Patron_Saint_of_Liars">The Patron Saint of Liars</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7136914.Ann_Patchett">Ann Patchett</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5605009219">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Compared to many other Ann Patchett books that I've loved, I thought this book was good but not great. It's broken into three sections and told from the voices of three different characters. I found the first character the most interesting, even though she was also the most unlikeable to me. By the end of the book, I found myself wanting more of her perspective rather than hearing from the other characters.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/10285587-jess">View all my reviews</a>
</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25824302.post-21036557721847066182023-05-03T15:30:00.004-04:002023-05-03T15:30:22.508-04:00Books I Read March and April 2023<p>March was a good month for reading, and I credit all the time I spent on airplanes and with travel delays during our vacation for letting me get through a lot of books. April was more of a mixed bag. I started a lot of books that I didn't end up finishing, and I think only finished four. </p><p>I'm getting a bit better at stopping books when I don't love them, but I often times still spend more time with them than I should in hopes that they'll get better. I need to be more ruthless and quit earlier so I can focus on the books I actually enjoy!<br /><br />Anyway, here are the books I did finish (and largely liked) over the last two months.</p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52868038851/in/datetaken/" title="March and April 2023 books - 1"><img alt="March and April 2023 books - 1" height="671" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52868038851_e5dfe1bb53_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">March Books</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Five Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58999205-fly-girl" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Fly Girl: A Memoir" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1643414004l/58999205._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58999205-fly-girl">Fly Girl: A Memoir</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/24558.Ann_Hood">Ann Hood</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5527557611">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I loved this book because I felt like I was getting a behind the scenes look at what goes on before, during and after a flight. I actually read this on the plane to Europe in March, and I appreciated being in the air, reading about all the training the author had to go through to be a flight attendants, some of the antics she experienced and in general just learning more about her jet-setting life. It was cool insight and an enjoyable read.
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</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Four Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62296528-spare" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Spare" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1673458354l/62296528._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62296528-spare">Spare</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7848512.Prince_Harry">Prince Harry</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5527566197">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
There was nothing quite like Prince Harry narrating this book through my headphones. I listened to this while working on some home improvement projects, and while some of the parts of the book that focused on Harry's military service were a little slow, I really enjoyed learning about his travels to Africa and what drew him to working in various countries there. I also of course loved the behind-the-scenes Royal Family insights, and man, the press and the relationship between the Palace and the press and the way they all turn on each other to feed stories, that was tough. Highly recommend this as an audiobook.
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55898099-an-ambush-of-widows" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="An Ambush of Widows" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1605582419l/55898099._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55898099-an-ambush-of-widows">An Ambush of Widows</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5095.Jeff_Abbott">Jeff Abbott</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5527552433">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This was a good twisty, turny thriller that I read extremely quickly. Kristen North receives a phone call that her husband is dead in Austin. But he was supposed to be in New York on business. Kristen heads to Austin right away and discovers her husband's body was found with that of another man, who was also killed. There seems to be no immediate connection between the men, but as Kristen and the other man's wife, Flora start digging into what happened, they uncover things they never expected.
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35961720-you-think-it-i-ll-say-it" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="You Think It, I'll Say It" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1511377802l/35961720._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35961720-you-think-it-i-ll-say-it">You Think It, I'll Say It</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6429.Curtis_Sittenfeld">Curtis Sittenfeld</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5527562493">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I'm usually not much of a short story person, but I love Curtis Sittenfeld's writing, and I enjoyed reading this collection of short stories on the plane home from Europe.
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<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33590214-young-jane-young" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Young Jane Young" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490731852l/33590214._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33590214-young-jane-young">Young Jane Young</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/40593.Gabrielle_Zevin">Gabrielle Zevin</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2905684090">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This was a book club re-read. This book was a super fast read -- I tore through it in about three hours. I enjoyed the story of how many generations of one family are changed when a young intern has an affair with a congressman. I thought there were parts of the story that could have been explored in more depth, but overall, I liked the way each main character got a look at separation section of the book dedicated to them.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/10285587-jess">View all my reviews</a>
</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Three Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60495147-nine-liars" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Nine Liars (Truly Devious, #5)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1650735371l/60495147._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60495147-nine-liars">Nine Liars</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10317.Maureen_Johnson">Maureen Johnson</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5527550100">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I really enjoyed the first few books in the Truly Devious series, but this one fell a bit flat for me. I liked the mystery solving parts, but Stevie became largely insufferable for much of the book because of her angst over her relationship, and I just didn't really have the patience for that. It seemed to take away from the actual interesting parts of the story. Still giving it three stars because I liked the case she was trying to solve.
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</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">April Books</h2>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Four Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60556912-the-housemaid" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Housemaid (The Housemaid, #1)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1646534743l/60556912._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60556912-the-housemaid">The Housemaid</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7244758.Freida_McFadden">Freida McFadden</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5527584349">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
When Millie is released from prison, she doesn't have many job prospects, so she finds herself working as a maid for a wealthy family. Soon she feels Nina is playing with her head, leaving messes everywhere for Millie to clean up and complaining to her husband that Millie is the one that created the messes. It's clear that not everything is as it seems, but Millie can't seem to put her finger on the issue. This is a fast, twisty thriller that I really enjoyed.
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62848145-the-housemaid-s-secret" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Housemaid's Secret (The Housemaid, #2)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1664729357l/62848145._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62848145-the-housemaid-s-secret">The Housemaid's Secret</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7244758.Freida_McFadden">Freida McFadden</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5527752054">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
In the second book of the Housemaid series, word has spread about the work Millie will do to protect some of the clients she works for. When she's hired by another wealthy family to do their cleaning, Millie suspects the wife is being abused. She never comes out of her room and the few times Millie has broken the rules and stepped inside, she's seen blood or bruises. Millie is determined to help. But when she's trying to hatch a plan to help, things take a turn. Another fun and fast thriller that I really enjoyed.
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62628727-romantic-comedy" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Romantic Comedy" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1679496983l/62628727._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62628727-romantic-comedy">Romantic Comedy</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6429.Curtis_Sittenfeld">Curtis Sittenfeld</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5527537494">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This book was cute, but the main character was a little bit tough to handle at times with her severe lack of self esteem. But I loved that this book was set around a show like SNL, where Sally is a writer and she gets to work closely with one of the hosts to help him polish his own skit. The research the author did about how things run at SNL was evident in the book, and that helped make this a really fun and fast read. There were also some really touching parts at the end that sort of redeemed the main character a bit for me.
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</p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Three Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61246258-pineapple-street" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Pineapple Street" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1659404866l/61246258._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61246258-pineapple-street">Pineapple Street</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23436938.Jenny_Jackson">Jenny Jackson</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5527579751">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I largely enjoyed this book and would probably have given it 3.5 stars if I could do halves. This book tells the story of a family of 1 percenters and the spouses that married into it. It was fun and a little wacky, but at some points I really struggled with some of the decisions the characters made. There was one relationship in particular that did not seem incredibly healthy, and I had a hard time with how things turned out for them in this book.
<br /><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/10285587-jess">View all my reviews</a>
</p>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25824302.post-12701669100237625342023-04-05T16:42:00.001-04:002023-04-05T16:42:07.196-04:00Our Nordic Vacation: Last Day in Stockholm<p>We wrapped up our vacation with our snowiest and coldest day of the whole trip. The high in Stockholm was going to be 25 degrees, and with the windchill it was going to feel like 13. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52796463435/in/datetaken/" title="Stockholm last day - 1"><img alt="Stockholm last day - 1" height="671" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52796463435_b8d5931096_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<p>We had prepared for a winter trip, but this was definitely the day I put on every single layer I had packed. Every trip to the bathroom took an excessively long amount of time dealing with all those layers.</p>
<p>But despite the cold and freezing, the snow actually made everything look kind of magical, and this was one of my favorite days.</p>
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<p>Our morning started out with a boat tour of some of the islands that make up the Stockholm archipelago. Given the weather, by the time we arrived, all the inside seats were taken. So we hunkered down on the upper deck. </p>
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<p>During the early part of the tour, being outside actually wasn't so bad. The boat was decently protected from the wind, and we had pretty good views of the various islands.</p>
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<p>But about half way through once we hit the turn around point and started heading in the other direction, we got the full brunt of the wind and sleet pelting us in the face. </p>
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<p>We had planned to hop on the tram to take us from the port to our next destination --Skansen, an open air museum that is supposed to capture moments from historical Sweden all in one place. </p>
<p>My hope was that we'd warm up a bit on the tram before plunging back into the cold. </p>
<p>But joke was on us because there was a delay on the tram, and we ended up waiting outside in the bad weather for a while for the next tram to come. </p>
<p>We were about zero percent warmer by the time we got to Skansen. </p>
<p>So we started out exploring some of the inside exhibits -- like the Baltic Sea center, where we could see some of the animals that call the Baltic Sea home. </p>
<p>After grabbing a warm and hearty lunch of soup, we finished exploring the museum.</p>
<p>We got to watch a glassblowing demonstration and see some of the old historic buildings that had been scattered throughout Sweden over history and were collected into this museum. </p>
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<p>But hands down my favorite part was the Nordic animals section. </p>
<p>I had so much fun walking around and seeing all these cool animals that I'd never really see at home (ok except for the bears, we have bears here). </p>
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<p>But we saw reindeer and wolverines and a Nordic fox. </p>
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<p>And we got to watch a seal feeding display. (Ok fine we have seals here too). </p>
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<p>The animals section definitely made being outside on such a freezing cold day totally worth it. </p>
<p>But after so much time outdoors, we decided it was time to let ourselves thaw out at an indoor museum. </p>
<p>The Vasa Museum had come highly recommended by so many people and blogs and websites, and I'll be honest, I could not figure out why everyone thought this museum dedicated to an old boat that sank 30 minutes after leaving port was so worthwhile. </p>
<p>Like what is so special about a sunken boat and a museum to complete failure in shipbuilding?</p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52775346710/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52775346710_f09a183f2f_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<p>But this museum actually ended up being one of the coolest things from the trip, and now I think it is really undersold. </p>
<p>Yes, you can see the entire ship that has been salvaged off the bottom of the Baltic Sea and beautifully preserved and restored. And that in and of itself is really cool.</p>
<p>But you can also see everything else that sank with the ship that is also still incredibly well preserved. Explorers were able to pull up bowls and plates and jewelry from the boat that were still in near perfect condition because of the make up of the seabed and the waters of the Baltic. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52774782666/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="600" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52774782666_2d02fdaf75_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<p>Perhaps a bit more morbid, you can also see the still pretty well in tact skeletons of the people who died aboard the ship and the clothes they were wearing. Again, all in still remarkably amazing shape for sitting at the bottom of the sea for something like 300+ years. </p>
<p>That was actually the most interesting part of the whole museum to me -- all these artifacts that were hundreds of years old that were still in pristine condition despite being part of a shipwreck. </p>
<p>We stayed until closing time, and then began the snowy walk back to our hotel. We strolled along the water and through some of the fancy shopping districts in Stockholm soaking in the last bits of the city before we got ready to pack our bags to head home. </p>
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<p>All in all this was a great trip. We loved getting a taste of some of the Nordic/Scandinavian/Baltic countries. They are definitely different than other parts of Europe we've been to, and even though it was pretty cold while we were there, it was great visiting in the offseason when there were far fewer tourists. We never had to wait at a restaurant and were easily able to get into all the sights we wanted to see pretty much when we wanted to see them. </p>
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<p>Would definitely recommend adding this part of Europe to your list if you've never been.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25824302.post-1754971159434076972023-04-04T15:53:00.000-04:002023-04-04T15:53:32.370-04:00Our Nordic Vacation: Stockholm Day 1<p>Our first day in Stockholm was cold and windy and grey, but we tried to make the best of the newly freezing temperatures and still enjoy a good chunk of the city.</p>
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<p>When we woke up in the morning, our boat was cruising through the outer parts of the Stockholm archipelago. The temperatures had dropped big time over night and the islands were covered in snow.</p>
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<p>We docked and made our way to our hotel to drop our bags before setting out for a day in Gamla Stan, the historic part of the city. </p>
<p>Gamla Stan is home to the Royal Palace and is known for its beautiful architecture. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52772544174/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52772544174_a3518ff762_c.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt="Untitled"/></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
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<p>We spent most of our morning just wandering up and down the narrow streets before making our way back to the Palace to watch the changing of the guard in the early afternoon. </p>
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<p>We warmed up with a hearty lunch in Gamla Stan before heading over to our city hall tour. </p>
<p>The city hall building itself was really interesting. The outside is kind of dark and a bit depressing looking, but inside each room has pretty different design aesthetics. </p>
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<p>Our tour started in the hall where the Nobel winners get to celebrate their accomplishments before moving on to the part of the building where Stockholm's politicians do their work. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52772292331/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52772292331_c3f67843e0_c.jpg" width="800" height="600" alt="Untitled"/></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>We passed through rooms with gorgeous artwork, including these lovely tapestries.</p>
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<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52772538944/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52772538944_c30f0e380b_c.jpg" width="800" height="600" alt="Untitled"/></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>And then we ended up in this wild room full of gold mosaic. I have to say this room was not what I was expecting at all to see in city hall, but the mosaics were stunning. </p>
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<p>This room is used for lots of things, but it's also where the post-dinner dancing for the Nobel winners takes place. </p>
<p>We finished out our first day in Stockholm on the hunt for some traditional Swedish food for dinner. I, of course, got the Swedish meatballs. They were good, but I found that I liked the food in Finland better.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25824302.post-14396861168502426032023-04-03T17:02:00.001-04:002023-04-03T17:02:11.405-04:00Our Nordic Vacation: Wrapping up Helsinki and Heading to Stockholm <p>Our last half day in Helsinki, we woke up to sleet and rain that we hoped would clear out by the time we finished breakfast since we only had a few hours remaining before we were heading to Stockholm.</p>
<p>Luckily it did, and we were able to enjoy our last few hours walking around to the last few sites we hoped to check off our list. Helsinki isn't a huge city, so we felt we got to see a lot even though we weren't there for super long.</p>
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<p>It stayed cold and grey as we strolled past some of the major museums, around the library and up to Toolo Bay, which was still largely frozen. </p>
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<p>I had been interested in checking out two churches that came highly recommended in Helsinki. The first was the Kampii Chapel of Silence. It's supposed to be a place anyone can go for a moment of respite in the city, but unfortunately it was temporarily closed while we were in town. </p>
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<p>The other church I've seen referred to as the rock church in English because it's this big church that is built into a rock that was blasted out. </p>
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<p>The architecture in the church was pretty cool, and I certainly enjoyed the chance to get out of the cold weather for a bit. </p>
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<p>We wrapped up our remaining time in Helsinki riding some of the city's trams. Rick Steves had an interesting tram loop he recommended for a chance to catch a glimpse of some of the further out sites in the city, and since we had some time to kill before we needed to head to Stockholm, we did that. </p>
<p>The tram tour took us past the old Olympic stadium, through some neighbors, past the botanic gardens and then back into the heart of the city before passing through Helsinki's version of embassy row.</p>
<p>After collecting our luggage at our hotel, we walked about 15 minutes over to the port where we could catch our boat to Stockholm. </p>
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<p>We had initially been planning to fly to Stockholm, but after our horrendous travel experience getting to Helsinki, we weren't eager to deal with an airport again so soon. So we switched things around and booked an overnight boat trip instead. </p>
<p>We found good seats to watch as we departed Helsinki before the sun set. </p>
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<p>My pictures through the front windows are less than ideal, but it was too cold to stand outside on the upper decks. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25824302.post-63696765106368289972023-03-31T15:27:00.000-04:002023-03-31T15:27:38.250-04:00Our Nordic Vacation: Day 2 in Tallinn <p>When we were planning our vacation, one of the coolest things we discovered is that it's really easy to take a day trip from Helsinki in Finland over to Tallinn in Estonia. There's a ferry that runs right across the Baltic sea. It takes about two hours, and it only costs $20 per person. </p>
<p>This was a total no-brainer for us to add to our itinerary, and we're so glad we did. Tallinn ended up being one of our favorite parts of the whole trip. </p>
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<p>We spent our day in Old Town Tallinn, which is the walled part of the city with some of the medieval architecture dating back to the 13th century. </p>
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<p>In some ways it reminded me of the walled city of Quebec, but obviously much older. It was a little bit like being in a fairy tale walking around the cobblestone streets, seeing the old churches, and wandering around the Town Square. </p>
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<p>We started the day in the lower part of Old Town.</p>
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<p>We popped into some old churches.</p>
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<p>We explored Town Square. </p>
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<p>There's an old pharmacy here that is still open and you can check out some of the ancient cures people used back in the day to treat a variety of ailments. </p>
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<p>One of the cooler things we did was climb the city walls and explore some of the museums that had been set up on the old watch towers. The museums covered the historical uses of the towers as well as some of the other medieval history.</p>
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<p>There was some eerie stuff like this plague doctor and some of these statues, which I think I heard a tour guide say were faceless monks. </p>
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<p>After descending from the ramparts, we headed into the upper portion of Old Town, which is where the Parliament building sits as well as a massive Russian Orthodox church.</p>
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<p>After a day spent exploring, we grabbed a late lunch at a medieval themed restaurant, where we feasted on a massive pork leg.</p>
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<p>We just really loved taking in all the architecture in Tallinn, which is so different than anything we see at home. </p>
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<p>The last thing we did in Tallinn was spend some time in a museum dedicated to Estonia's more recent and darker history as part of the Soviet Union. Under Soviet rule, one of the old houses on a main street in Old Town Tallinn had been converted into KGB prison cells. </p>
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<p>Now the basement of the house is open and converted into a small museum where you can see the horrific conditions in which people were held under KGB rule often before being shipped to a gulag.</p>
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<p>Our stop in this museum was definitely a heavier part of the trip and a sharp contrast to the enjoyment of taking in the sights at street level. </p>
<p>We ended our day back on the ferry to Helsinki talking about how we expected nothing else on the trip would top our day in Tallinn.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25824302.post-86330216721393225122023-03-30T15:36:00.000-04:002023-03-30T15:36:15.359-04:00Our Nordic Vacation: Helsinki Day 1<p>We just got back from a week-long trip visiting some of the Nordic and Baltic countries. It was an awesome -- though pretty cold -- vacation, where we admired several beautiful cities and tried a bunch of new-to-me cuisines like reindeer, elk and bear. </p>
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<p>We unfortunately lost our first evening in Helsinki to a horrible first day of travel. Our flight out of Baltimore was delayed 2.5 hours, which caused us to miss our connection in London, and the next London to Helsinki flight wasn't for another four hours. So we arrived in Helsinki around 9 p.m. local time instead of the 3 p.m. arrival we initially planned. </p>
<p>But after putting a bad travel day behind us, we woke up to a fairly sunny morning the next day, which was perfect for exploring the city on foot. </p>
<p>Helsinki is pretty small, and we found it very easily walkable. </p>
<p>We started our first day exploring some of the major sites. The beauty of visiting in the winter is that there weren't a million other tourists there at the same time so nothing was overly crowded. </p>
<p>Our first stop was Senate Square, home to what is perhaps Helsinki's most famous landmark, this massive Lutheran Cathedral. </p>
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<p>It anchors the other buildings in the square, which include university buildings, the government palace and the national library, all of which were built by the same architect in a similar style in the 1800s. </p>
<p>The art inside of the library was especially beautiful (and apparently some of the best non-ecclesiastic interior architecture in the country, per the one of the guidebooks I read).</p>
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<p>From Senate Square we took a stroll over to Katajanokka, a quieter island neighborhood that's home to a large Russian Orthodox church as well as beautiful architecture along quaint streets. </p>
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<p>As we were walking over the bridge to the island, a friendly local man pegged us as tourists on a stroll and offered to show us around the neighborhood. He walked with us for probably 30 minutes, pointing out some of the different buildings and key landmarks. He also provided some colorful commentary on some of the historical and more recent changes in Finland. </p>
<p>After we parted ways, we stopped in to visit the Russian Orthodox church and take in its ornate beauty. </p>
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<p>We finished our morning stroll looping past the archives and the national bank of Finland before heading to the Central Market along the water for lunch.</p>
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<p>Our local friend highly recommended the salmon soup, which I'd also seen recommended on several Helsinki travel blogs. So after checking out the multiple market vendors, we settled in with a big bowl of delicious soup.</p>
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<p>With some hearty fuel in our bellies we set out to explore Suomenlinna, an island fortress that's about a 15-minute ferry ride from Central Market. </p>
<p>This fortress was originally built by the Swedes to protect against the Russians, but it eventually came under Russian control (like all of Finland), until Finnish independence in 1917. </p>
<p>Now the island is a UNESCO World Heritage site. We spent the afternoon exploring the old fortifications, walking along the sea and checking out the bunkers placed throughout the island. </p>
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<p>Of course, while we were on the island, the wind really started to pick up and it got quite chilly despite the sun. </p>
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<p>Our day concluded with a visit to the sauna before heading out to Restaurant Savotta back at Senate Square for dinner. This might have been my favorite meal of the whole trip where we got to try a whole variety of traditional Finnish dishes. </p>
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<p>Our appetizer platter featured traditional food from land and sea. This is where we tried bear for the first time. Ben got the reindeer and I got the lamb for our entrees. I was surprised the reindeer wasn't nearly as gamey as I have found venison in the U.S. to be. </p>
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<p>On the way home, we picked up some Frazer chocolate for dessert to end our first day on a sweet note. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25824302.post-2586403858720251492023-03-17T11:44:00.004-04:002023-03-17T11:44:30.797-04:00Books I Read February 2023<p>I think I may have only read two books in the month of February. I felt like I blinked, and the month was over. But when I look back at my calendar, I'm trying to figure out what exactly I did. Yes there was the Super Bowl, which the Eagles sadly lost, and we had an incredibly busy President's Day weekend, but beyond that, I think I was just largely uninspired by the books I had been reading, and only managed to find two this month that I actually enjoyed. </p>
<p>And oddly enough, they were both witchy romances. I stumbled down this category books after a discussion at a past book club on how witchy books were really taking off. So I read two of them in February, and honestly found them both pretty enjoyable.</p><p><br /></p>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Four Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60018635-the-very-secret-society-of-irregular-witches" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1643062993l/60018635._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60018635-the-very-secret-society-of-irregular-witches">The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5333630.Sangu_Mandanna">Sangu Mandanna</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5420476578">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Witches in Great Britain follow a certain set of rules to remain undetected by the regular population, most importantly, keeping their heads down and not mingling with other witches. But then Mika gets a job opportunity to train a group of young witches living in secret together on a far-flung farm. She takes the job because she needs the money, but is constantly worried about the repercussions. Over time she finds herself growing found of her charges. Throw in some surly normal people that live on the farm with the witches. Things get dicey as spells go off the rails and Mika has to navigate it all. This was another enjoyable and cozy read.
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</p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59949720-the-kiss-curse" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Kiss Curse (The Ex Hex, #2)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1647103771l/59949720._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59949720-the-kiss-curse">The Kiss Curse</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12326128.Erin_Sterling">Erin Sterling</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5420470728">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This was a cute follow-up to the Ex Hex that I read back in the fall. Set in the same magical town, featuring a similar set of witches. One witch loses her magic when a newcomer arrives in town, but it's not immediately clear why. As she tries to figure it out, she's also faced with a pack of witches attempting to do some dark magic. Meanwhile, she finds herself falling for a sworn enemy. Definitely a fun and light read.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/10285587-jess">View all my reviews</a>
</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25824302.post-38785386206082235992023-02-15T16:28:00.004-05:002023-02-15T16:28:37.843-05:00Books I Read January 2023<p>January was a slow month of reading for me. I just felt like I was in a slump the whole time and didn't finish a lot of the books I picked up. To that end, I only finished the month with four books. They were at least all fairly decent though, and the last read of the month was just what I needed to get me excited about books again.</p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52691543544/in/datetaken/" title="Jan 2023 books - 1"><img alt="Jan 2023 books - 1" height="450" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52691543544_67c789d34e_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Five Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60182291-her-sister-s-death" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Her Sister's Death" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1660404258l/60182291._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60182291-her-sister-s-death">Her Sister's Death</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6565833.K_L_Murphy">K.L. Murphy</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5348866440">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This was just the book I needed to drag me out of a major reading slump! It's a mystery set in Baltimore during two different time periods. In modern day, Val is trying to investigate her sister's mysterious death at a fancy Baltimore hotel. The police have ruled it a suicide, but Val doesn't buy it. Back in the 1920s, Bridget is getting ready to be married off to a wealthy man in the same hotel. She has some concerns, but goes through with the wedding anyway. I thought it was interesting the way the author wove these two very different storylines together, centering the hotel as a strange and mysterious place. I couldn't put this book down and tore through it in just a few days.
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Four Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60468246-the-revolutionary" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1653943150l/60468246._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60468246-the-revolutionary">The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5741.Stacy_Schiff">Stacy Schiff</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5348847330">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Not normally a book I'd pick up, but it was a book club selection for a virtual book club I'm in, and honestly it was better than I expected. Samuel Adams (who apparently NEVER went by Sam Adams) was a pretty pivotal figure in the founding of our country, but not much is written about him. This book explored his life and the role he played in the American Revolution. I definitely learned some stuff I didn't know and largely enjoyed reading this book.
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<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61175551-the-vibrant-years" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Vibrant Years" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1655830351l/61175551._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61175551-the-vibrant-years">The Vibrant Years</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7025918.Sonali_Dev">Sonali Dev</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5348853952">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This book is the first from Mindy Kaling's book production studio with Amazon so I knew it had to be good. And it was. It tells the story of three generations of women, the push and pulls on their relationships, the way they support each other as they each dip their toes into the dating waters and some of the hi-jinx that ensue. It has funny moments, but it's also a touching story. Definitely a fast, feel-good read.
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Three Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60318890-the-winners" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Winners (Beartown, #3)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1645483248l/60318890._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60318890-the-winners">The Winners</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6485178.Fredrik_Backman">Fredrik Backman</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5348842705">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I was really looking forward to the conclusion of the Beartown Trilogy, but this book was a bit of a slog for me to get through. I appreciated being reunited with some of my favorite characters from the series, and there were parts that definitely pulled at my heart strings, but overall, this book felt long and I didn't get swept up in it like I did the other Beartown books.
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</p>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25824302.post-13074891858800676772023-02-09T15:59:00.002-05:002023-02-09T15:59:39.109-05:00Slowly Coming Back from Injury<p>It's been nearly a year and half since I first started experiencing my hip issues, which then turned into hamstring issues. The last race I ran before shifting into rehab mode was the <a href="https://www.jessruns.com/2021/12/rehoboth-seashore-half-marathon-race.html">Rehoboth Beach half</a> back in December 2021. </p>
<p>That is a long time for me to not lace up my shoes for a race morning starting line.</p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52679585810/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img alt="Untitled" height="640" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52679585810_f07b360a14_z.jpg" width="480" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<p>Recovery from this injury has been slow and full of set backs. I spent several weeks trying to rest, and then do my regular mobility/rehab routines at home. I'd make some progress, but never fully recovered.</p>
<p>After being frustrated with my own lack of progress, in June I visited my orthopedic doctor and got myself into PT. </p><p>This is hands down the longest amount of time I've spent in physical therapy, and let me tell you that is hard for me. I am not patient. When I felt like I was <a href="https://www.jessruns.com/2022/09/a-pt-set-back-and-starting-over.html">suffering setbacks in August</a>, I was so disheartened. </p><p>But I stuck with all the PT. I've done a million and one balance and stabilization exercises to help provide support for my loose joints. My PT focused on building stability up the entire length of my body. My hips are in a better place and so are my knees. My right ankle is still really wobbly though, so I'm still working on stabilization exercises for that. </p><p>By building all this balance and stability, my body is better able to support me through the motion of running without having to overtax muscles or recruit muscles that really should have anything to do with running and then causing injuries. </p><p>I've mentioned in previous PT posts that I was on a run walk plan starting back in the fall. </p><p>Over time, I've been building up my running stretches and reducing my walking. Yesterday, I felt like I hit a really big milestone. I ran for a full 30 minutes with less than 90 seconds of walking over the course of the run. (See Garmin pic at top of post).</p><p>I've also managed to increase my distance from the 2.5 miles that I had been doing during most of my recovery up to 3 miles. </p><p>That might seem like such a small thing, but to me it's a huge sign of improvement. These runs, while so, so much slower than I used to be able to go, have been fairly pain free. </p><p>I definitely feel like I'm starting over, which is hard, but I'm also really grateful that I might finally be seeing the light at the end of this injury tunnel. </p><p>I know I still have a lot to do in terms of maintenance of everything I've been working on in PT as I slowly rebuild my endurance, and then hopefully my speed. But I'm finally seeing some progress, and that's huge.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25824302.post-48977602983792044832023-01-17T17:03:00.001-05:002023-01-17T17:03:35.004-05:00Running Post-Covid<p>It's been a little over a month since I first tested positive for Covid, and getting back to running has been kind of tough. </p>
<p>I got pretty sick with Covid. I was in bed for two days straight, and then on day three and four, it felt like a real victory when I could venture downstairs to the sofa. I had a bad headache, horrible sinus congestion, a mild cough and major fatigue. </p>
<p>I felt bad for a full week, and it took a solid two weeks for the fatigue to go away, and even then I got winded walking very short distances. </p>
<p>After all the progress I'd been making in PT slowing building my running back up and getting my hip and hamstring to cooperate, it was so demoralizing to have all that wiped out by one really bad sickness. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52633882369/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52633882369_fd80a149c4_z.jpg" width="480" height="640" alt="Untitled"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>But alas, here we are. </p>
<p>I attempted my first run about three weeks post-positive test. It was really painfully slow, and involved a lot of walking. Honestly, not really sure you could even call it a run. It was probably more of a walk with some running intervals mixed in. But it happened, and my hamstring was grouchy, but not as grouchy as my lungs. </p>
<p>I gave myself some more time to recover before trying out a run again. </p>
<p>The second time I went out was maybe four weeks post-positive test. It was a freakishly warm December day, and I was excited to be outside. But running was hard, and slow. But I did a bit more running than walking this time. It was a good baby step. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52633625301/in/datetaken/" title="Untitled"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52633625301_6fc35ffb40_z.jpg" width="480" height="640" alt="Untitled"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>As time has passed, I've tried to increase my number of runs from one per week to two per week. The first week I did that, the first run felt pretty good. But the second run a couple of days later was really hard. </p>
<p>Just this past week, I ran three times and increased my distance to three miles on one of the runs. (I'd been sticking with a 2.5 mile loop for much of my PT recovery). My times are still really slow, between an 11 and 12 minute mile, and that is so humbling and really hard. When I first started running seriously back in college, I was clocking 12-minute miles. And after years of dedication and persistence, I'd settled in around a 9-9:30 minute mile. I'm no speed demon, but I always felt good about those times. </p>
<p>To feel like I'm starting over again from the very beginning is just tough. I'm happy to be running, and I know with time my pace and endurance will come back. Right now, this feels like a crappy phase that I need to get through, and I know there's no way to rush it or else I'll just get another injury. </p>
<p>So that's where things stand. Covid took a big toll on my running. I'm glad to be back to it, but it feels like I'm starting all over. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25824302.post-86644354930449734802023-01-03T17:05:00.005-05:002023-01-03T17:05:58.948-05:00Books I Read December 2022<p>December was a bit of a mixed bag of reading for me. Covid really halted my ability to read much for a good chunk of the month because it hurt my eyes to try to focus on the words. A couple of books I expected to be great fell flat, but there were a few pleasant surprises in the mix too. </p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/52884206@N04/52604860902/in/datetaken/" title="Dec 2022 books - 1"><img alt="Dec 2022 books - 1" height="800" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52604860902_96a3731c78_c.jpg" width="800" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script></p>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">Four Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31850581-chasing-space" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Chasing Space: An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, and Second Chances" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1484677615l/31850581._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31850581-chasing-space">Chasing Space: An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, and Second Chances</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15732000.Leland_Melvin">Leland Melvin</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5226124115">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
A friend in my book club got this for me a few years ago and it's been sitting on my TBR pile for quite some time. But it was the perfect book to close out 2022. It's an uplifting story of how Leland Melvin overcame an injury that he thought meant he'd never get to go to space. I learned a lot about Melvin's life, both as an astronaut and as his time serving at NASA in a variety of different roles. I've always found space interesting and it was fun to read a book about one of the more recent astronauts. I feel like lots of has been written, filmed, etc about the early days of the space program, but more recently stories aren't as widely told.
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<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55196813-the-maid" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Maid" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1643228739l/55196813._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55196813-the-maid">The Maid</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20650250.Nita_Prose">Nita Prose</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5162616445">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Molly is a maid who works at a fancy hotel. It's never specifically stated that Molly is autistic, but it seems that's what the author would want us to assume. Because her reactions are perhaps different than "normal," Molly soon finds herself in some hot water with the police over the death of one of the hotel's customers. But Molly and some of her friends set out to clear her name. I loved the friendships Molly develops in this book, and the twists this book took to figure out who killed the person in the hotel room.
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<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58724863-our-crooked-hearts" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Our Crooked Hearts" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1633361833l/58724863._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58724863-our-crooked-hearts">Our Crooked Hearts</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8384949.Melissa_Albert">Melissa Albert</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5162685298">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I've been really enjoying escapist books lately and this one about witches and dark magic really struck a good note. On the way home from a party Ivy and her boyfriend almost hit a young naked woman in the road, and after that strange things start happening at Ivy's house. Dead rabbits show up, someone seems to be inside the house taking a bite of her snacks. Ivy's mom and aunt disappear, but clearly have a sense of what's going on. This book took so many turns and was definitely a bit darker than I expected for a YA book, but it was so different than my normal reads, that I really enjoyed the change of pace.
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<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55566545-payback-s-a-witch" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Payback's a Witch (The Witches of Thistle Grove, #1)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1620320326l/55566545._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55566545-payback-s-a-witch">Payback's a Witch</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10804566.Lana_Harper">Lana Harper</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5226166524">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This book was fun and definitely different from a lot of my normal reads. Emmy is a witch who has fled her magical hometown for Chicago and has hoped to put magic behind her. But after she returns home out of a sense of familial duty to host the competition between all the witch-y families for power in the city, she finds herself pulled into a ploy to bring down one of the long dominant families. Her magic isn't as strong as it used to be, but the more time she spends in her hometown, the more she reconnects.
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">Three Stars</h3>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60372440-the-rewind" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Rewind" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1647801665l/60372440._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60372440-the-rewind">The Rewind</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/344525.Allison_Winn_Scotch">Allison Winn Scotch</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5162640326">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
This book took me a little while to get through, and I couldn't tell if it was because I just wasn't feeling it or because I got sick in the middle of reading it and had to pause for a while. Two exes see each other for the first time in 10 years at a wedding. The next morning they wake up in the same bed together and neither of them remembers what transpired the night before that led them there. It picked up a bit at the end, but felt like a slog in the middle.
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<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59345249-the-it-girl" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The It Girl" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1671400977l/59345249._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59345249-the-it-girl">The It Girl</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9013543.Ruth_Ware">Ruth Ware</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5226151793">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I normally love Ruth Ware's books, but this one wasn't one of my favorites. It took me a while to get into and it moved a bit slowly. I'm used to Ware's books grabbing me from page one and really sucking me in, and this one I felt like I had to force myself to finish a bit. The plot picked up around the midway mark as one of the main characters headed back to her college to look into the murder of her college roommate. The ending was certainly fast-paced like I'd expect, but it just took a while to get there, hence the three stars.
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0