Book Review: Confessions of a Domestic Failure by Bunmi Laditan

Title: Confessions of a Domestic Failure
Author: Bunmi Laditan
Source: NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads Summary:

There are good moms and bad moms—and then there are hot-mess moms. Introducing Ashley Keller, career girl turned stay-at-home mom who's trying to navigate the world of Pinterest-perfect, Facebook-fantastic and Instagram-impressive mommies but failing miserably. 

When Ashley gets the opportunity to participate in the Motherhood Better boot camp run by the mommy-blog-empire maven she idolizes, she jumps at the chance to become the perfect mom she's always wanted to be. But will she fly high or flop? 

With her razor-sharp wit and knack for finding the funny in everything, Bunmi Laditan creates a character as flawed and lovable as Bridget Jones or Becky Bloomwood while hilariously lambasting the societal pressures placed upon every new mother. At its heart, Ashley's story reminds moms that there's no way to be perfect, but many ways to be great.


My thoughts:

This book cracked me up!  Laugh out loud funny in places, there are times I could totally and definitely relate to Ashley, as all my own failed Pinterest projects will testify to.

Ashley is a wonderful mother - she is attentive, she loves her baby with all her being, she devotes much of her life to her, but like some moms, doesn't feel that she is doing a good enough job. She feels that she is not a perfect mom - she doesn't make her own baby food, she wasn't able to breast feed, her home is usually a bit of a mess, and Ashley wants it all, that big picture perfect shining example of motherhood. When her favorite mom icon has a Motherhood Boot Camp, with a grand prize of $100,000 she is ecstatic at having been chosen to participate. Each week has a theme that the chosen moms focus on, from hobbies to husbands to work outs to finding their mommy tribe to home design and decor. Ashley does her best, but her efforts don't seem to measure up as well against her fellow moms. In the end, Ashley realizes that no one is perfect, and that although she can't craft her way into her own Etsy store, she is a wonderful mother. I loved Ashley's evolution throughout this book, from losing herself to the ideal of what a perfect mom is, to finding her own voice and fully embracing her strengths, and gaining self-confidence.

The Sunday Post/It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

  

Check out the The Caffeinated Book Review for the Sunday Post! 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date!

Last week I am terming the week of the Not-so-Funtastic Cold! My cousin's daughter had a birthday party at one of those indoor playground things. and boom, a few days later, our household was down for the count! Yuck, to early spring colds. Needless to say, I didn't get much reading done while taking care of a sick two year old.  I also had book club, which was a fun reprieve!

Read Last Week:

I did get a chance to flip through this and I am hooked. I can't wait to hygge my life. Lol. I also ordered the book The Little Book of Hygge!

Reading This Week:

  

Forever a Hero by Linda Lael Miller: I received this in the mail last week, which was perfect timing really. When I did get a chance to read, this was a great escape! I didn't finish it although I plan to this week. 

The Breakdown by B.A. Paris: From NetGalley. Paris' last book truly scared me so much I had to set it down! I am looking forward to  this new thriller. 

Watching:

We did a lot of tv watching last week! Lol. Big Little Lies, The Path, Victoria, Bones, The Crown, Schitt's Creek for some "Levy-ty" (bad Eugene Levy pun. Sorry. Lol.) 

So how are all of you? What have you been up to?

The Sunday Post/It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

  

Check out the The Caffeinated Book Review for the Sunday Post! 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date!

My family is very firmly Irish, both sides, and this year we celebrated a more family style version of St. Patrick's Day. My brother invited us over for dinner, and it was more about kid wrangling than anything else. Needless to say, it was a great time. I had been playing the Irish Rovers all day for Wyatt, and apparently, my brother had been playing them for his daughter as well. I grew up on their lively songs, and remember my mom dancing around the living room holding me when I was Wyatt's age, spinning and singing ~ maybe Wyatt will have the same memories with me. 

I love gardening, and I am feeling the itch to start planting! Michigan is not cooperating though. I am starting some seeds this week, and I have begun a new obsession with buying indoor plants. We will see how that goes, since I usually am terrible about houseplants. So far so good!

Read Last Week:

 

Confessions of a Domestic Failure by Bunmi Laditan: This book was hilarious, laugh out loud funny in parts. I very much enjoyed this read! Review soon.

Serenity Harbor by RaeAnne Thayne: I was so excited to get this in the mail for review this week! It was a great surprise - I love the Haven Point books, and this one is maybe my favorite so far.

Reading This Week:

  

How to Hygge: The Nordic Secrets to a Happy Life: I am really looking forward to starting this book!

Ravencliffe by Carol Goodman: It's taken me some time to get to this second book in the series by Goodman, but I am in the mood for this kind of read this week.

Watching:

The Crown (so good!), Riverdale, Bones, Supernatural, Schitt's Creek ( I love Eugene Levy!), Big Little Lies

Book Reviews in Brief: The Final Vow and A Million Little Things

Title: The Final Vow by Amanda Flower
Source: NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I highly recommend this series to fans of the cozy mystery, especially if you are a history buff. I love that Kelsey and her son live right on the grounds of the Living History Museum that she runs ~ although, with the amount of dead bodies that seem to turn up regularly, I might have second thoughts about living there. Kelsey's natural nosiness and desire to keep the museum open, and therefore keep her job and home, lead her to getting involved with the mysteries that plague the museum. This time, a wedding planner is pushed out of the steeple window, right before the wedding! Kelsey is determined to solve the mystery and keep the wedding on track, as the bride is a bridezilla, well-connected, and did I mention marrying Kelsey's ex-husband? Things are a little rocky in the romance department for Kelsey this book as well ~ and the ending had me on the edge of my seat! This was a great read that I hope you like as well as I did, and a great book for history buffs and cozy readers.

Title and Author: A Million Little Things by Susan Mallery
Source:  NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This was my first foray into the Mischief Bay series, and one I greatly enjoyed. There were a wealth of different characters, with unique situations and voices, their own sets of issues. I immediately connected with the character Jen, an overprotective, worried, helicopter mom, as those adjectives could sometimes be used to describe me as well! I am not as extreme as she is, but I think that her over-the-top behavior and worry was used illustratively, and effectively. I have a special needs child, and it is easy to let that consume you, especially when it is your first child. Mothers can get crazy! However, Pam, who is Jen's mother, is a different sort of crazy mom - and one I didn't care for. Judgmental, controlling, and just plain mean at times, which was a total 180 based on how we are introduced to her, as a business woman whose entire career is based on giving other women a helping hand. Her treatment of Zoe is deplorable, especially for a woman who is supposed to be lifting other women up. Which brings us to Zoe. Zoe is sort of adrift, having bought a house and quit her teaching job in preparation for a future that never materialized. She gets a huge surprise midway through the book, and that is when things get really going. This book is a good look, if slightly exaggerated, of three women at three very different points in their lives.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

  

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date!

I'm a little tardy to the party today! I blame the snow. Lol. We are having a crazy March snowstorm today with an expected 5 inches. The weather this month has been absolutely crazy ~ I know March comes in like a lion and all that, but this is ridiculous! Right after midnight on the first of March, we had severe thunderstorms with a chance of tornadoes. Last Wednesday we had hurricane force winds that took out the power for 600,000 plus people in our area. Some people are still waiting for their electricity to be restored! Now today, snowstorm from hell. (Do they have snowstorms in hell?)

Read Last Week:

 

The Turn by Kim Harrison: I loved this book!! I can't wait for the next book in this series - and I seriously hope there even is one.

The Sh!t No One Tells You About Toddlers by Dawn Dais: Because all of a sudden my sweet boy can be a little stinker! Lol. 

Reading This Week:

The Widow's House by Carol Goodman: I love Carol Goodman, although her more recent books haven't resonated as well with me. I am hoping that this one is a return to the Goodman I love. If not, I will be grabbing an older one off of my shelf, just to remind myself of the magic of her words!

Watching:

Santa Clarita Diet, Riverdale, Supernatural, Bones, The Mick, The Crown

Book Review: Hello Bicycle by Anna Brones

Title: Hello Bicycle
Author: Anna Brones
Source: Blogging for Books, in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads Summary:

Riding a bike is one of life’s simple joys—it’s fun, freeing, and good for the planet and our health. Hello, Bicycle is a practical guide to the bike life with real-world advice, covering everything you need to know to up your bicycling game and ride with confidence and style:
→ Buying new, used, and custom bikes
→ Making the switch to bike commuting
→ Riding, locking, and storing your bike
→ Maintaining your bike at home (and what your mechanic should handle)
→ Picnicking, traveling, camping, and touring by bicycle
This inspiring, informative handbook offers something for cyclists of all types, whether you’re new to biking, looking to get back into it, or a seasoned rider who wants to take it to the next level.

My thoughts:

I really enjoyed this guide to bike riding! Bicycling is such a huge movement right now. Bike lanes are popping up more and more in cities, people are choosing to bike more to work, and events like the slow roll in Detroit, or Critical Mass, are gaining more bicyclists every month. It is also an up and coming industry, with specialty bike shops opening up all over the map. Detroit, the Motor City itself, has quite a few, such as Shinola Bikes and Wheelhouse Detroit.

This book was a great read for the beginning bicyclist, whether you are interested in biking as a exercise, as someone who wants to just bop around town, or the more serious enthusiast who want to do a bike tour. It covers just about anything you want to know, from which bike to choose to simple bike maintenance to how to bike commute to what you need to do to go on a biking trip. There were some other fun little sections too, such as different yoga poses for bicyclists, recipes for what to eat for fuel or what to take on a picnic, and even how to DIY to recycle and reuse old bike parts! That is another bonus: bikes are not only good for you, but for the environment!

My husband is a serious bike enthusiast, and while I do not share his passion, I do enjoy bicycling, although I do find it a wee bit scary! He also got me addicted to the Tour de France. He is also the perfect example of the best of all worlds of biking. He has a fancy Specialized bike, that he uses when he is in serious bike mode, with his bike kit and pannier, and then he has his bike that is from 1980 something, forgotten in a shed, beat to crap that he fixed up and then slapped a Brooks "saddle" (fancy bike term for bike seat) on, that he rides the most often. I have a bike that is similar, minus the Brooks saddle, although I have to admit, I kind of want one! Bikes can be expensive, customized, specialized, or they can be that bike you pick up at a garage sale - that is the best part of this hobby. You can tool around town, going to the library and the store, putting wine and bread in your basket, like me, and just have fun with the sun on your face and the wind on your back. Or you can take it as far as you want. That is the perfection of biking.

Whatever your pleasure or goal, this book can help you to get your feet off the ground and onto the pedals, with its easy, readable "how to" for every situation and type of biking.

The Sunday Post/It's Monday! What are You Reading?

The Sunday Post/It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

  

Check out the The Caffeinated Book Review for the Sunday Post! 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date!

It's been a whirlwind of a week this week - fun but action-packed. Wyatt turned a big time two this week and somehow his birthday celebrations turned into a three day extravaganza! We visited the DNR Outdoor Adventure Center in Detroit, which was a lot of fun; then on Saturday we had his birthday party, complete with cookies, milk, and of course, cake! On his actual birthday we took him to the library, since he shares a birthday with none other than Dr. Seuss. So we always take him for their Seussabrations. I plan on doing a few posts on our antics over on my other more personal blog. 

I did get some reading done, but not as much as I had planned. I also went to the library Monday and picked up so many books that I had book ADD, and hopped around between a bunch of books. I finally became immersed in one late last night and then passed out after ten minutes of reading. 

  

Read Last Week ~ and reading this week as well:

The Turn by Kim Harrison: So I picked this up from the library and once our schedule settled down, I was able to settle in. I love this look at Trent, the early years!

Reading this Week:

If I finish The Turn, I will be reading this one.

Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham: I am such a Gilmore Girls fanatic, that I was so excited to pick this book up! Now, if only I were able to read it as fast I could. Lol.

Watching:

Riverdale (my brother and his wife are now addicts as well), Big Little Lies, Top Chef, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries (time to clear up the DVR!), Bones, The Path

What about you? What have you all been up to?