The Bit

I hope everyone had an excellent Thanksgiving, however you chose to spend it. This was the first time in six years that we didn't travel and see family for Thanksgiving. It was hard, and I miss them very much, but it was also a bit of a relief not to travel and be away from home. Plus it gave me more time to read! What have you been reading this month? Anything good? Let's get started.   "Dead To The World"- Charlaine Harris This is book four in the Sookie Stackhouse series. To see my review for book one, you can find that here . Sookie may be able to read minds and keep her business to herself, but when she drives home one night and sees a naked man running along her road, she has to stop. There's only so much business you can mind yourself. The problem is, this isn't just any man. It's a man she knows. Eric, the vampire that owns a nightclub and good friends with her (now) ex. To her surprise, when she stops it becomes apparent that Eric has no memory. A

I don't know about you guys, but October blew right by over here. It's been a crazy month for us, but I managed to put away some extra spooky books. As some of you know, I traditionally only read horror books for the month of October. Just because I love spooky season so much. This month had some good horror books that I'm excited to share with you. I had fun, and maybe I left the lights on a few nights, but all around it was a good chunk of books. "Pitch Dark"- Courtney Alameda When Tuck Morgan wakes up from cryo-sleep, he immediately knows something is wrong. The John Muir is dark, the AI system is unresponsive, the wakeup functions aren't operating properly, and there seems to be a glitch in the records. No way could the entire ship have been asleep for almost 400 years. Why had no one found them? Why were they suddenly awake? As Tuck stumbles out of his pod he realizes something has gone majorly wrong, beyond what's normal and acceptable. He's not

It's officially fall. I'm calling it. I've spent the last week getting out all my fall stuff, planting the last of my bulbs for spring, and locating my best and most comfy sweaters. This month's reading list was a bit different for me, but I really loved the selections I made. I only went with one thriller this month. If you're new here, I only read horror in October, so I try and end September with character lead dramas or romance. You know, to help lighten the load of October. November is traditionally light reading as well. So, let's get into what I read this month!  "Girls Burn Brighter"- Shobha Rao  When Poornima's mother died, she thought she would be alone and drifting forever. Her father only saw her as a burden to rid himself of; a daughter. And no one in India wants daughters. But when she meets Savitha, she realizes she may not have to be alone anymore. She may actually have a friend.  Savitha comes to work for Poornima's father maki

Hey guys! As you know, every now and then I get the privilege of working directly with indie authors. And this month, I got asked to read and write a review for Hannah Lynn's newest novel! Hannah is an author I've worked with over the years and I absolutely adore her books. Not only did she send me an early copy, but she agreed to answer some questions for me about independently publishing. So, after the review, keep scrolling and check out some of her tips and advice for those seeking the route of indie publishing.  Some other (equally amazing) books I've read and reviewed from her collection include, "The Afterlife of Walter Augustus" and "Peas, Carrots, and an Aston Martin" . Check out my full reviews for both of those, I promise they won't disappoint. Now, let's talk about Lynn's newest book. "Athena's Child"- Hannah Lynn Most people know Medusa as a monster. A gorgon. The original demon. But, most don't know how she bec

Hey everyone! This time of year always gets me a little nostalgic. The heat's finally starting to let up, the stores are full of fall clothing lines and back to school supplies. It always reminds me of when I was a kid, helping my mom get her classroom ready for the school year. My sister and I would hang out in the teachers workroom and punch out letters and fight over who got to use the laminator. Good times. August was also the month when I reflected on all my summer reading. Usually I had high expectations, but never really carved out time for my books. Well. I managed to get a good chunk of reading done this month. And, I'll be honest, the only reason this was possible is because I've officially stopped unpacking. Oh, there's still boxes everywhere. I'm just temporarily done opening them. I need a little mental break from that and my books have been an amazing distraction! Let's get started. "If I Live"- Terri Blackstock This is the third and fina

Oh, man, it has been a month over a here! We've moved, again, and for the very last time. There's still boxes everywhere, I can't seem to find anything, and I'm still probably months away from my office being functional, but here I am! And I managed to get some reading done! I don't know about you guys, but reading is the best kind of stress relief for me. I love getting lost in a good book and I had some real winners this month. Let's get started! "The Queen of Hearts"- Kimmery Martin I decided on this book because I absolutely adore the cover! I mean, come on, tell me you don't love that! I knew I had to read it and see if it was as wonderful as the cover. Zadie and Emma have been friends so long they forget how long it's been. They went through undergrad together, med school, residency, and eventually marriages and children. They're essentially sisters. Though they branched off into separate specialties, Zadie as a pediatric cardio

We have had a busy month here. We're officially moving again, but for the very last time. We closed on a house about two weeks ago and it's been crazy ever since. The packing is about halfway done and I cannot be more thrilled that this is our last move. This will be house #10 for me and my husband, house #6 for my oldest, house #4 for my middle child, and house #3 for my baby. We've moved a lot over the years and I'm so happy to finally be putting down roots. It's been long enough. Anyway, enough about my personal life! I managed to get some reading done this month, squeezed into the wee hours of the morning and during nap times when silence is completely necessary and welcomed. I had a weird mix this month, but they all turned out amazing. Let's get started. "Columbine" - Dave Cullen I'm going to be completely honest, I knew next to nothing about this school shooting. Except that it was a big deal. I was only ten when it happened, but I re

Hey, everyone! I hope May has been good to you. I've managed to read some really great books this month. I don't know about where you all live, but the weather has not officially changed to summer in the Midwest. Not where I am anyway. Some days are still 50s and others 80s. I'm a little over it, honestly. I want to put all my jackets away and bathe in the sun! I want to sit on a hot beach with a good book or by the pool. Well. That might not be such a possibility this summer, so I'll settle for the water sprinkler running full blast for my kids and a lawn chair. Anyway. Have you all been reading any good books? I'm always interested to hear what you're reading, or if you have any recommendations for me. Sometimes I get stuck in my little reading ruts and always love reading new genres and authors. Drop me a comment if you have any recommendations. Let's get started. "Breakout"- Kevin Emerson So, I'm getting down to the bare bones of my

Hello, everyone! I hope that all of you have remained safe and are doing well. This month has been trying in our household to say the least. Let's just say, some of us are not adjusting to homeschooling very well. It's me. I'm not adjusting. My kid is holding up way better than me. I've been finding it hard to find time for myself and to get motivated to read this month. I managed to read my three books, but I really had to force myself to crack open the first pages. And getting reacquainted with my e-reader was... interesting. I bought my Kindle when I was in college (so many moons ago) because it was light, took up zero room in my backpack, and I never got late fees! But I struggled this month figuring out how to get my library loan to come through. Luckily my husband is a bit more patient with technology than I am. Anyway. Enough about my silly struggles with old tech. Let's talk about books. "High Five"- Janet Evanovich For those of you that have

What a month this has been, am I right? I hope everyone is staying safe and being cautious, but I mostly hope that all of you are in excellent health. For those of us stuck at home until further notice, it can mean tons of time for extra reading! Well, my kids cut in on my reading time frequently, but I still managed to read three excellent books this month. "Lone Wolf"- Jodi Picoult You all know how much I love Jodi Picoult, so whenever I find myself in a slump I look into her collection and find one I haven't read. It'll be a sad day when I finally manage to read all of them. Do you guys have a go-to author? This book was nothing short of heart-wrenching, loving, beautiful, and tragic.  Luke Warren has spent his life with the wolves. He runs a sanctuary, is a member of the pack, and even spent an entire year in the wild living within a wolf pack. His extended relationship with his pack led to familial disaster. His wife divorced him and his son moved to Thail

Hey, everyone! Was it just me, or did February absolutely fly by? I was doing my day-to-day things and started thinking about my daughter's upcoming birthday when I suddenly realized it was less than two weeks away! I, somehow, managed to read three books this month, though I have no idea how I found time. The whole family was sick off and on the entire month. Good news: we're officially on the mend and I'm hoping that was the last round of sickness until the fall. Stay tuned. This midwestern weather is tricky. "Boy, Snow, Bird"- Helen Oyeyemi When Boy runs away from her home at age twenty, she searches for a new start. A new life. She finds it, unexpectedly, with a jewelry craftsman in a close-knit community outside New York. Upon marrying Arturo, she inherits a beautiful daughter, Snow. Her journey in step-motherhood is, at first, quite blissful and fun. When she has a daughter of her own, Bird, the once strong relationship between Boy and Snow quickly becom

Happy New Year everyone! Still feels odd to be saying that since January is nearly over. After a week into the new year it begins to really set in, doesn't it? Everyone talking about their resolutions and a fresh start. Honestly? It all feels the same to me. Our schedules went back to normal and I went back to being happy just getting from day to day. I'm a believer in small victories, and a successful bedtime or my kids eating all their dinner is a big enough victory for me. I don't usually set new resolutions, do you? I did tell myself I wanted to read more this year and so far so good! I read four books this month (one of which was massive!), so I feel like I'm on the right path. Ok, enough small talk. Let's talk about books! "Little Fires Everywhere"- Celeste Ng What a lovely surprise this book was! The description seemed a little vague to me, but it exceeded all my expectations. Set in a very traditional community, we're introduced to the Rich