The Bit

Oh, the heavy Thanksgiving holiday weekend got away from me and now I'm late posting my November reads! So sorry for the delay. Did everyone have an excellent Thanksgiving? It's honestly my favorite holiday. I love getting to see my family and eating. Quite easily my favorite thing to do is eat. Thanksgiving is an entire holiday devoted to comfort food. Ok, I'm getting sidetracked. In the midst of all the food, I managed to read two books this month. I think I was still reeling from my heavy reading load from October. I needed a bit of a break. Without any more yammering, here there are! "Dead Until Dark"- Charlaine Harris Are there any "True Blood" fans reading this? Well. The television series is based off this book series written by Harris. We find ourselves in Bon Temps, Louisiana in a time where vampires are common. They have their own rights, their own bars, even synthetic blood is readily available. But. No one in Bon Temps has really seen on...

I absolutely love October. Have I ever mentioned that? Not only is my birthday and anniversary in October, but I love the weather. Or the hypothetical fall weather. I live in the Midwest, we had our first snow a few days ago. And then about three inches last night. It's Halloween! We're not supposed to have snow for Halloween! Anyway, another reason I love October is I read all horror books this month. And I managed to read five books. Five! I can hardly believe it myself. My average is three. Let's dive into these spooky reads. "Come Closer"- Sara Gram This book was definitely high on the creep factor. Amanda, who by all appearances is very normal, begins to experience some very not normal things in her life. First, it's the noises in the house. Everyday, the noises. Scratching. Clicking. She can't seem to pinpoint where they are coming from and she seems to be the only person who can hear it. Then the dreams that quickly turn to nightmares. And th...

Hey all! I don't know if I mentioned last month, but we moved. Again. And I think I'm semi settled in. Well, there's only a few boxes left, so I think that's as settled as I'll be for now. I don't know about you guys, but I absolutely hate moving. All the boxes, forgetting where you put things, the chaos of setting up a new house. Ugh. I didn't get much reading done this month, but when I did it was a splendid retreat from all the moving business. So, are we ready? "Jar of Hearts"- Jennifer Hillier In high school, Georgina was always second best. Her best friend, Angela, was the star. She was captain of the cheerleading squad, homecoming queen, the one that everyone wanted to be. And then, suddenly, Angela was simply gone. Jump fourteen years ahead and Geo has made quite the name for herself being an executive of a pharmaceutical company. But her rise to stardom is quickly stifled when Angela's body is suddenly recovered and Geo is arreste...

Hey book lovers, did everyone get their kids back to school? Or maybe you're the one going back to school this semester? Or maybe nobody is going back to school, but at least your favorite hangout is kid free during school hours. Whichever, whatever, school's back in session. I always have tons of nostalgia for back to school. I come from a family of teachers and back to school, for me, always meant days in the teacher's work room helping press letters for bulletin boards, shopping for classroom decorations, and spending hours in the library working with the laminator (this was a coveted job my sister and I used to play rock, paper, scissors for; if you don't know what one is, I'm sorry. You're childhood was deprived.) Back to school also, usually, meant I suddenly didn't have as much time for books anymore. After two months of unlimited time I was now stuck with weekend and speed reading until lights out. I'm happy to say that I no longer have such rest...

I hope your summer is treating you well and that you've found some lovely beach reads this month. I absolutely love the idea of lounging on the beach with nothing but a book and a fruity drink, but in reality I would probably get sunburned and my eyes would hurt from squinting at the tiny print of my book. So. I do all of my summer reading in the comforts of air conditioning. Well, summer is winding down now and school is only a few weeks away. I can hardly believe it! Where did summer go? While my kids have been spending a ton of time at the splash pads and running through the sprinkler in the backyard, I was able to read three excellent books this month. Let's get started. "The Silkworm"- Robert Galbraith This is the second book in the Cormoran Strike series. To read the review for book one, "The Cuckoo's Calling", click here . Holding onto the buzz from the Lula Landry case, Cormoran has been busier than ever and finally making headway on his ...

Hey everyone! I know, I'm a little late getting this out, but we've been traveling and it's finally been nice enough for the kids to play outside! You have no idea what a relief it is for the weather to have finally turned. My kids were completely stir crazy, first with the never-ending snow and then all the rain and flooding; finally there's sunshine to be enjoyed! So, without any more preamble, let's get down to business. "The Beach"- Alex Garland I choose this book for our book club this month and I was really impressed. There was a film adaptation that was <very loosely> based on this novel starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Has anyone seen it? Well, the book is better! We meet Richard as he's back packing around the world. While he enjoys the solitude most of the time, a little company is welcome here and there. The night he lands in Thailand, he meets a man that leaves him an interesting map, apparently a way to paradise. Teaming up with a fel...

Hey all! I hope summer is in full swing for everyone. We had a particularly long school year due to all the snow days we accrued. Luckily the weather is finally turning and we're getting more and more warm days. Unfortunately, we're also getting colossal amounts of rain. Like, too much. Is anyone else just wanting some nice summer days where the pool is an actual option? I'm sure I'll regret saying that in another month. Anyway, I managed to put away two very good books this month. We have a new addition to our family, a baby boy, who joined us on May 13. So, I've been a little preoccupied this month, but I still managed to get some reading done. It's a nice little escape from my chaotic reality. Let's get started. "A Wrinkle in Time"- Madeleine L'Engle This was the book club selection this month and I could not have been more thrilled. Talk about a blast from the past! My mother used to check out this book on audio tape (yes, cassettes!) f...

I'm so on my game this month, I'm shocked! I finished all my books with a week to spare. Good thing too, because we've been crazy busy. Anybody else feeling the pressures of Spring Cleaning, gardening, and getting the house ready for the upcoming summer? It probably doesn't help that I'm about to have my third (yes, third!) kid in two weeks. I look around and only see all the work that still needs doing, but have absolutely no energy to do it! My poor husband has been run ragged every spare minute he's not at work. Anyway, I hope everyone's April has been great. We love the weather now that all the snow is gone. We still get the occasional cold day when the heater needs to be kicked on, but overall, we're delighted. Now, let's talk about books! "The Dinner" by Herman Koch If you didn't already know, this book was made into a film co-starring Richard Gere. That was literally all I knew about it when I picked it up from the library. ...

I hope everyone had a pleasant March and an exciting Spring Break. We got tons and tons of rain and snow melt. If you heard about the floods in Nebraska, now you know someone who lives near the action! Thankfully the flooding is subsiding, slowly, but there's still tons of damage and families without homes. We were lucky enough not to be directly affected, but much of our community is suffering. Keep sending us all your good vibes and thoughts, we sure need them! Moving on. I managed to (barely) read three outstanding books this month. I hope some of you took a book vacation over Spring Break! That was always my favorite thing to do when I got a break from school. My mom, sister, and I would go to the library, stock up on books, and just read. Great memories there. If you read something you think I'd like, let me know! Let's get started. "Black Klansman"- Ron Stallworth This book recently got a film adaption, so of course, I needed to read it before...

February really got away from me! In my defense, it's a short month and I always easily lose track of the days. But this year, I felt like I went to bed on the first and woke up on the twenty-eighth! Amidst my time warp, I was able to read three books this month, one of which has been on my TBR pile for a few years now. Let's begin. "Descent"- Tim Johnston A family vacation for the Courtlands turns tragic when eighteen-year-old daughter, Caitlin, is abducted and brother, Sean, is severely injured on a Rocky Mountain hike. The trip was the final hurrah before Caitlin started college in the fall. With a marriage already on the rocks, Caitlin moving away, and Sean struggling to connect with his parents, a morning run between siblings seemed like an excellent way to start the trip. Little did they know how things could go devastatingly wrong. A mash-up tale told by varying family members and Caitlin, we get weaved into the story a few years later as everyone is s...

Welcome to the New Year, everybody! Is it just me or is everyone else falling behind on their to-dos already? Please tell me I'm not alone? I feel like January steam-rolled right over me! Only the bare essentials have been taken care of, but there's always a chance at a fresh start in February! I know I promised a post of my Top Five for 2018 and I have failed to deliver. I swear, I'm actively getting my life together and will put the blog post up asap. Now. Let's talk about what I read this month. "The Arrangement"- Sarah Dunn If the thought of an open marriage has never crossed your mind (even in a drunken fantasy), I would say you were a liar. Everyone has thought about it at least once. And sensible couple Lucy and Owen balk at the idea that their friends are going for it. Once fast-paced New Yorkers, they left the hustle and bustle of the big city for the burbs. And once they realized their son was autistic, the dynamic of their relationship signi...