whatcha readin'? {goal 35::book 9}

Oh, how I loved this book.

Once again, I really wasn’t expecting anything.
I don’t even know where I got this one…
and I had just bought like 3 new books
but saw this one sitting on my end table
(where it has sat for about a year
untouched
in full view)
and for some reason,
the blue-green cover suddenly caught my attention.

And it kept my attention.

The writing was beautiful, lyrical, sensory
and full of evocative imagery…
I realized after that this was a Reese book club pick
and then I was like yeah, I can see that.
I always love the books they pick.

Anyway, it was a beautiful read.
I was sad to see it come to an end.

Definitely 5♥♥♥♥♥’s out of 5
NEXT UP:: SISTER STARDUST - JANE GREEN

whatcha readin'? {goal 35::book 6}

I picked this book up
while I was still in Halifax
but at the tail end of my dad’s stay
in the hospital…
it’s not my usual kinda book purchase
but it ended up being a pretty good choice…
a lot of twists
a lot of turns
a lot of thinking you know
what’s going on
and then a lot of realizing
you don’t actually know
what’s going on….

so…
kinda like life
in a nutshell.

(seriously
every time I write about a book
I have read
I feel like I need the disclaimer
that this is
obviously not a
real book review…
this is just me saying
hey, so I read this book
and then going completely
off topic
with whatever seems
to be currently occupying
the space in my
brain….)

3♥♥♥’s out of 5
NEXT UP:: THE HENNA ARTIST - ALKA JOSHI

Final roundup - Books - 2021

The truth is
I didn’t hit my goal of 35 books
this year but I still read
more than I did
the year before (31)
so I am ok with that.

Here is a list of the last stragglers…

• Their Perfect Match - Debbie Macomber
  Honestly, this was painful. Not really my kind of thing.
  ♥ out of 5

• Hillbilly Elegy - JD Vance
  This was a bit of a tough, long read but worth it.
  ♥♥♥ out of 5

• Feeding My Mother - Jann Arden
  I had really, really been looking
  forward to this one and it did not
  disappoint. Her writing is beautiful
  and poignant and full of realness.
  Made laugh and cry…
  sometimes,
  at the same time.
  ♥♥♥♥♥ out of 5

• The Midnight Library - Matt Haig
  I loved this one. Big love.
  ♥♥♥♥♥ out of 5

• If I Knew Then - Jann Arden
  Another one that I was very excited about….
  I am at that point where I am aware of my age
  and the changes and perceptions,
  both mine and from other people
  and society as a whole,
  so I really enjoyed this.
  It made me think.
  ♥♥♥♥ out of 5

• The Last Thing He Told Me - Laura Davis
  A good way to catch my attention is
  definitely to lead with an ee cummings poem..
  I love, love, loved this book.
  Worth the hype
  ♥♥♥♥♥ out of 5

• Didn’t See That Coming - Rachel Hollis
  I don’t “love” Rachel Hollis but
  it was a book about dealing
  with the end of things you might not
  have seen ending
  and yeah…
  I can relate.
  ♥♥♥♥ out of 5

• The Four Winds - Kristen Hannah
  I love Kristen Hannah….
  I love everything by her…I find her
  writing draws me in, makes me want to stay.
  I can’t lie. I didn’t want to stay in this book…
  I loved the writing but I was
  exhausted and wrung out dry
  by the time I was reading it…
  so sad, so bleak, so desolate,
  at times so hopeless…
  but given the subject, that was unavoidable.
  Definitely worth reading but
  not a light beach read.
  ♥♥♥♥ out of 5

And that takes me to 33 books for 2021!

I am going to keep my goal for 2022 at 35
since I didn’t quite hit it this year.

Happy reading!! :)

(captain’s log::day six of temporary restrictions complete)

whatcha readin' {goal 35::book 12}

this book.
this frigging book.

i literally could not wait to
write about how much
i loved
this book.

i really had no idea what to expect when i picked this up.
for some reason, i always thought
that this was a book of poetry
which i would have been totally ok
with but it turns out it is actually
an incredibly interesting and thought provoking,
intense and empathetic book
about anxiety…
the various forms, the degrees,
the stages, the highs and lows,
the way it presents itself differently
on the outside for people…

i think (know) i was probably (definitely)
a little bit (insanely) anxious as a child
but i don’t consider myself to be
anxious as an adult…which may surprise
some people…yet if you knew me
as a child,
you know what my past anxiety level was
that i am measuring against
(to give this some perspective,
let me remind you that my grade one teacher
wrote that I may need psychological help
in my report card….and she was most likely (definitely) right….)

anyway.
i digress. :)

all i can say is
if you think you might be a little anxious
or a lot anxious or even not at all
anxious, you should still read this book
because chances are
someone in your life is and this
reallllllly helps to see where
they might be coming from….

105♥s out of 5
NEXT UP:: A SPARK OF LIGHT - JODI PICOULT

whatcha readin'? {goal 35::book 7}

Oh, how I loved this book.

It took me a long to read it.
Not because I didn’t like it
or couldn’t get into it
or didn’t want to read it…
but because
every time I read
just a little bit of it,
it was such a smorgasbord
of pretty words and
enticing imagery,
it was like fairy tales and
the never-ending story
and poetry
all mixed together
in a visceral, visual feast…
I had to keep backing away
from the table
to digest
what I had just read.

I came across this
while I was reading the starless sea
and thought
it was perfect
for this book
because it happened to me
all the time while reading it.

There seems to be a lot of negative
review for this book,
looking for logic and answers
and meaning to the metaphors
and answers to the riddles
but I am weirdly happy to
be carried along the sea of honey
in a broken down pirate ship
with no set destination in mind…
so it’s a 5 out of 5 for me.

5 very happy ♥s out of 5
NEXT UP:: WRITE IT DOWN, MAKE IT HAPPEN - HENRIETTE ANN KLAUSER