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

Ugh last week Wyatt and I were sick. We did a lot of nothing, basically chilled and rested. I didn't read my intended book, I just didn't feel well enough. But today we are on the upswing, and it is a bright sunny day, so things are looking better. 

We bought Wyatt a little play kitchen though, since flu season is horrendous this year, and we are keeping out of public areas as much as we can. He loves it, and I have to admit, I like to play with it too! We drink endless cups of "tea" and "coffee" together. :)

That's one of our three cats, Marlow. Wyatt is Marlow's person. He is always next to him, just hanging out.

Read Last Week:

This historical romance was perfect for last week! 

Reading This Week:

I inadvertently made February into Fantasy fiction reading month! I picked up a bunch of my library holds and they were all fantasy. Lol. Anywhoo, I am halfway through Spectacle already. I really enjoyed Menagerie and this one is just as good. Next up will be Neverknight - my husband is currently listening to it so it will be fun to talk about with him. And he is absolutely loving it, so even better.

Watching:

Alias Grace - this was amazing. I really need to read the book. 

Riverdale - I love this show. Jughead's character evolution kind of bothers me a little, I think he went "all in" a little too quickly. 

Grace and Frankie - so happy these two are back on! And last but not least, Top Chef, an old favorite of ours.

And that's really it for our week - it was kind of low key, filled with pretend tea, runny noses and Winnie the Pooh movies. How about you? How was your week?

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

Hey all! Hope all is going well with you! This week the weather is supposed to be warm, what? It is so crazy. Temps to the low 60s even!  We have been busy trying to get outside more, get more fresh air and sunshine when we can. We have visited our local dairy farm, and two different trails the past two weekends. There is something for being outside during the winter - everything looks so different. We did see something cool yesterday. We saw a small group of deer, huddled together, swimming across the Detroit River to a small island that sits in the middle of the channel. Immediately following this sighting, an eagle swooped from the sky, practically at eye level! It was crazy cool! I have also been planning my son's 3rd birthday party that is in March. I can't believe he is turning 3 already - time certainly does fly. We are going with a gnome theme this year... :)

Read the last two weeks:

 

And loved them both!! I have been lucky, everything I have read this month so far has been fantastic. Although, I hate that cover for the John Green book. The colors. Bleh. 

Reading This Week:

The Keeper of Lost Things. The description reminds me a bit of one of my favorite movies, Amelie. 

Watching:

Top Chef, Grace and Frankie (yay new season!), The Crown season 2 (amazing!!), and Home Town on HGTV. We also I think are about to finish up Alias Grace. And of course Riverdale, but I am letting them build up a bit. It has seriously become one of my favorite shows.

What have you all been up to?

Book Review: The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

Goodreads Summary:

The magical adventure begun in The Bear and the Nightingalecontinues as brave Vasya, now a young woman, is forced to choose between marriage or life in a convent and instead flees her home—but soon finds herself called upon to help defend the city of Moscow when it comes under siege.

Orphaned and cast out as a witch by her village, Vasya’s options are few: resign herself to life in a convent, or allow her older sister to make her a match with a Moscovite prince. Both doom her to life in a tower, cut off from the vast world she longs to explore. So instead she chooses adventure, disguising herself as a boy and riding her horse into the woods. When a battle with some bandits who have been terrorizing the countryside earns her the admiration of the Grand Prince of Moscow, she must carefully guard the secret of her gender to remain in his good graces—even as she realizes his kingdom is under threat from mysterious forces only she will be able to stop.

***Thank you Random House for the advance reading copy, in exchange for an honest review!

My Thoughts:

Vasya is that wild thing, untamed, unashamed, brave and bold, that lives inside all of us. In a time when women were expected to stay at home and be a good wife or join a convent, Vasya refused. Knowing her spirit would never allow her to stay hemmed in by four walls, she went her own way, secreting herself as a boy and riding around the countryside, exploring the world as a traveler, living in the wild, all from the back of her magical horse and companion, Solovey.  When circumstances bring her to Moscow, to the company of no less than the Grand Prince of Moscow himself, her spirit remains undaunted, allowing for daring feats and challenges, that could ruin her if she is found to be a woman instead of the boy she masquerades as.  

I loved everything about this book. Its majesty, the atmosphere, the descriptions that drop you directly into the pages and the place. The characters themselves, most especially Vasya herself. She retains her wild nature, and almost seems to embody the spirit of Russia itself. This is a more mature Vasya, yet one still  in tune with natural world and all its otherworldly beings - including Morozko. And let's not forget Solovey, who has such a huge personality. I simply adored him!

 I didn't think it possible, but I loved this book even more than its predecessor, and I can't wait for the next book, The Witch!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

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

It is sooo cold, it hurts outside! And I know we don't even have the worst of it! It is supposed to warm up this week though, to 30 degrees so we are looking forward to the heat wave. :)

This cold has kept us indoors. We go where we need to, and that is all, for the most part. We did get a little cabin fever the other day, and ventured out for some coffee and pastries. It was nice to get out for a little while. Today, Billy and I went out without the boy for a bit, just to Panera where we nerded out with our planners. We talked about some of our goals for the year, for the family, for our home, for ourselves. I almost don't recommend that, it was slightly overwhelming - perhaps we are being too ambitious! Lol. We are pretty easy going and flexible though, so I know if we don't get to all these ideas we won't trip out, but at least we have an inkling of what we are hoping to do. 

Read Last Week:

  

Both of these books were excellent! The River at Night made me think of Deliverance. So crazy, and a really creepy read. But The Girl in the Tower was amazing. I absolutely loved it. I didn't want it to end. The Bear and the Nightingale was my first book of the year in 2017 - it seemed fitting to begin this year with its sequel. I highly recommend reading them both - and since this is listed as the Winterknight Trilogy, apparently a third book will be on its way soon. Review very soon- hopefully this week!

Reading This Week:

I am really looking forward to reading this third in the series!

Watching:

We finished up Longmire, which was bittersweet. I loved that dang show so much!! I can't believe it is all over. We are also watching The Ranch, and Home Town on HGTV. Not sure what is next up for us, as we are almost finished with both each of them. We did start watching Top Chef again, and we do have Riverdale and The Gifted (which my husband likes more than I do), but as for Netflix shows to binge watch, I am not sure what is up next for us. Maybe Godless, or our Outlander season 3 that we haven't watched yet.

How about you guys? How is the new year treating you?

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

Happy New Year's Eve! 

We spent the morning being lazy and cozy - listening to music, dancing with the boy, eating French toast and tater tots, with many cups of coffee as it is freezing outside! We followed that up with a short ride, where I saw many magical things. A swooping hawk, clouds edged in rainbows, and an 80 year old woman dressed in head to toe black leather, snow blowing her walk and driveway, with perfectly coiffed hair. We are home now, and I plan on spending a few hours cleaning, as is a New Year's Eve tradition for our family. We must start the new year with a clean house, actual cash in our pockets, and the first person into our home after midnight needs to be a dark haired man. Tomorrow we will honor my husband's traditions, and eat a Southern good luck dinner.

I haven't been great at posting lately, holidays and then that weird period between Christmas and New Years where you just flounder about I spent putting together and playing with toddler toys. Wyatt and I had a great time playing with his new stuff - and he also enjoyed playing in an empty Amazon box. Lol. 

I am not sure if I met my Goodreads challenge or not, as I was terrible at entering my reads this year! I am going to do better next year though. And finally, I posted my favorite reads of 2017! Did you read any of them? Like them, love them, hate them?

Read:

Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe was a fun read before the holiday season. It was easy and quick and fit into my schedule. It was lighthearted, which helped with stress. It was a perfect read!

There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather was an excellent read! I plan on reviewing it soon, as I had many thoughts.

The River at Night I am only halfway through but I am loving it. It is scary, tension filled, and I can't wait to see what happens next!

Reading Next:

I'm thinking I am going to start the year off with the sequel to The Bear and the Nightingale, The Girl in the Tower. My first book of the year last year was The Bear, so it would be neat to follow it up with the sequel this year. I'm a nerd, I know. 

Watching:

Longmire. We love this show so so much and I am sad that this is the last season. We are also watching The Ranch. We are all Western over here. We just finished up Mindhunter, which blew my mind it was so awesome. And scary! I need a season 2 right now!

Here's to a great 2018 everyone! Stay safe tonight, call a friend, call a cab, call an Uber, but don't drink and drive! :)

My Favorite Reads of 2017

Wow, did this year fly by! It has been a whirlwind of moments, books, and what all have you. It was a year that I didn't buy ANY books for myself. In fact, I am getting rid of most of my collection - but that is a story for another post. 

I read so many good books this year - and also a few bummers! 

Here are my favorites of the year, in no particular order. Also, these are just my favorites that I read this year, but they may not have necessarily been published this year.

  

Honorable Mentions

Rekindled Love

How about you? Any standouts? Any royal stinkers?

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

Hey all!! I am such a flibbertigibbet these days. I can't focus on one thing for too long, moving from one project to the next. It's even affected my reading! I'm behind on so many things, including reviews. Note to self - do not promise any book reviews for December next year! I need more hours in a day - or else I need to just stop sleeping until Christmas is over. 

We took boyo on a walk through the woods, pulling him on a little sled. It was so fun! We also took him to see Santa, where he did ok until they bopped him on the nose with a stuffed animal and he made a wicked little face. Lol. I can't help but wish that would have been his photo expression!

Christmas Eve is next week, I can't believe it! I probably won't be around until after the holiday, so I wish everyone who is celebrating a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate Hanukkah, and well wishes to everyone else as well! 

Read Last Week:

I managed to finish this short YA book. I wasn't too excited about it, but I kept reading it because the setting was so unique. The main character lived on a Christmas tree farm most of the year, but the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas, she and her family lived in a trailer on a Christmas tree lot. It was pretty cool, and I learned some neat facts about trees. Lol.

Reading This Week:

I have a whole laundry list of books that I need to be reading, but I am sure I will read some other short, lighthearted read instead. 

Watching: 

Christmas movies, Riverdale, Top Chef, The Gifted, and Mindhunter. (scary but good, that one)

I pop on Youtube on our TV while I am cleaning, usually to play music, but lately I have been watching vloggers too. My son gets really excited whenever this vlogger named Zoella comes on. Lol. It's cute.