The Bit

The holiday season is officially upon us. I'm honestly not ready for the holidays, but they're here none the less. I managed to get four books read this month and did some writing. Did anyone participate in NaNoWriMo? If so, how did you do? I didn't participate this year, but I had some friends participate and they really enjoyed it. Let's get started on what I read this month.  "White Smoke" by Tiffany D. Jackson Marigold and her family move from sunny California to the Midwest after her mother remarries. But that's the least of her worries. She's now having to deal with her bratty 10 year old stepsister, the neighborhood is practically abandoned, she has no friends, and she's pretty sure the house is haunted. Yes, haunted. And all of this would be easier managed is Marigold wasn't already running from her litany of problems. But when things get personal, too real, beyond what Marigold can tell herself is coincidence, it's too late to save...

October has wrapped up swiftly and along with it all the fall weather. At least, where I'm living. We had maybe five days of really beautiful fall weather and that's it. It was very rainy, windy, and chilly all the other days. Weather aside, October is always especially busy for us. So I was only able to read three books this month. And since it's October, I read all horror to really get into the spooky season. Let's dive right in! "Touch the Night"- Max Booth III Twelve year olds Joshua and Alonzo sneak out one night and can't be found. The boys had some fun that turned bad and got picked up by the cops. Except nobody has any record of these cops even existing and the Sheriff of their small town insists he doesn't have the boys in custody. So where did they go? The boys mother's, Mary and Ottessa (an unlikely pair) band together to hunt down their boys. But what they uncover is far from believable and is much bigger and older than they could ever ...

Fall is officially coming! We've been busy getting our yard ready for the upcoming season. My kids have been enjoying the cooler weather and the trees are just beginning to drop leaves. This is my favorite time of year. Summer is fun, but getting to see all the aster and goldenrod wake up, the wildlife coming out more often, and I can have a cup of coffee on my porch without the excessive heat. Yes, this is my favorite time. Enough about me. Let's talk about some of the books I read this month! "Luster"- Raven Leilani Edie is getting by. She has a job she tolerates, an apartment she doesn't, a series of inappropriate office relationships, and a dream of doing art full time. When she meets Eric, everything tips. He's married and claims he and his wife have an understanding. As Edie's life takes swift turns she finds herself on Eric's doorstep and being welcomed in by his wife. As an unlikely friendship begins, Edie must find her way through her own ange...

Well, summer is officially over for us! School is in full swing and I'm busier than ever. Anybody else back into the school year this fall? I can't even remember what it was like to not have a school schedule. Any adults here with no kids? Please, regale me with tales of no pickups/dropoffs or bus schedules. I love to live vicariously. I managed to get some good books read this past month that I'm excited to share with you. Let's get started.  "We Are Okay"- Nina LaCour After her grandfather died, Marin packed up and left in the middle of the night. No one knew where she went or if she would come back. And Marin couldn't deal with any of it. Now, with nowhere to go for Christmas break in her freshman year in college, her best friend Mabel is coming to visit. Marin has no idea what to expect, but she knows the last time she saw Mabel there were mixed emotions and a lot of secrets. This book was amazing. If you want a book that handles emotional grief and fi...

You guys, summer is nearly over! Can you believe it?! The school supplies are out on the shelves, registration is up, and summer is officially winding down. It leaves me a little sad every year, but I can honestly say I'm ready to leave the heat behind. I've been really distracted by the Olympics the last few days but managed to finish up my books before months end! Let's get started.  "With the Fire on High"- Elizabeth Acevedo Emoni may only be seventeen, but she's known nothing but tough decisions for years. Besides being a teen mom, Emoni helps pay the bills, manage her grades, and deal with just being different than everyone else. But if there's one thing that Emoni knows with all her heart, it's food. And when the opportunity to join a cooking class at school that is planning on going to Spain, Emoni struggles with saying yes. Does she have enough time for that? Can she afford a trip like that? What's the point if she won't be able to purs...

It's been a busy month of yard work, pool time and tons and tons of rain! My backyard is a muddy mess, my kids are stir crazy, and my chickens are less than impressed. At least being indoors gave me some time to read a few books this month! Let's get started.  "What Should Be Wild"- Julia Fine Maisie was born with the power to kill and resurrect at touch. Growing up without any human contact and a father who sees her more as an object to study, Maisie has lived a sheltered existence. Though lately, the woods behind her house seem to call to her, beg her to explore, even though she knows they're forbidden. Sheltered as she is, even she knows the tales of the woods and the people who went in and never came out. But when Maisie's father disappears, she must break all the rules in order to find him. Even going into the woods. If you enjoy witchy type books and soft psychological thrillers, add this book to your list. There's a bit of everything in this book. W...

It has been such a busy month over here! Everyone's out of school, we had another birthday, traveled already, and started finally getting some warm weather! Do you have any reading goals for the summer? I don't make specific goals for summer but I love always having a book in one hand and iced tea in the other. I got in three books this month, so let's get started! "Dead as a Doornail"- Charlaine Harris This is the fifth installment of the Sookie Stackhouse series. The changelings of Bon Temps are under attack. Some are killed, while others maimed and near death by a sniper targeting those of unusual nature. But that's not the only issue. Sookie gets roped into the very political world of werewolves and finds more than one suitor to line up along the way.  I didn't care for this book as much as the others. This series has let me down several times but I feel like I'm too invested to let it go now. This book was really disappointing. The arc was incompl...

Oh, I know! I've never ever been this late getting reviews up! Sometimes life just gets a little out of hand and things have to be placed on the back burner. Well, here I am, taking it off the burner! Honestly, I didn't get much reading done in April but I did get through two pretty awesome books. Let's get started! "Entropy" by Riley Ashby Quinn is always in control. She never lets loose, parties, or does anything irresponsible. She's safe. Until Gunner. What seemed like a harmless triste quickly turns sinister when Quinn realizes she's being abducted. The only problem? She's not sure she wants to escape.  This book really surprised me. It's a little Stockholm syndrome-esque but in a way I didn't mind. Because Ashby was brilliant in writing Quinn! Ashby gave us a female character that I loved! She's tough, intelligent, slightly damaged, and not love struck. She's resourceful, clever, but also sexual. It was a combination I wasn't p...

Hey all! I don't know what the weather's been like wherever you are, but we've had tons and tons of rain. Which on the one hand is very good for all the bulbs I planted in the fall and the new trees we put on our property, but on the other hand I'm a bit tired of vacuuming water out of the basement and my kids dragging mud in the house. So, I think a little less rain would do nicely. I have a bit of a different post for you today because I didn't actually love any of the books I read this month *gasp*! I know! There's usually at least one that I really liked and it's hard for me to write negative reviews, but I really didn't love any of them this month. Let's get started.  "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"- Hunter S. Thompson We follow a journalist and his lawyer into the underbelly of Las Vegas as they search for the American Dream. At first blush we're told they went to Vegas to cover a car show and then a drug conference but that'...

I always forget how short February actually is until it's nearly over. We had a lot of excitement over here this month, but I still managed to find a little time to read. Luckily, our weather wasn't terrible, but we had a few very, very frigid days and tons of snow. Everything is warming up, slowly, and our yard is starting to show little signs of spring. I'm ready for warmer weather, how about you? Ok, enough idle chit-chat, lets break into what I read this month.  "The Handmaid's Tale"- Margaret Atwood The world has changed. Women are no longer allowed to read, write, go paces alone, make their own choices. Offred is a Handmaid and thus, slightly more protected than other women. In an age of declining birth rates, she's one of many who have been chosen as birthing vessels. The other options... well, they're not really options. Offred must navigate through this new time, looking for allies behind the hoods Handmaid's must wear. In the before, Offr...

  Welcome to 2021! This month really flew by! We had lots of inconvenient weather, back to school, and stress cleaning over here. I have two moods when it comes to the house. Either I don't care at all if it's clean and tidy or it must ALL be clean and tidy. There's no in between. I don't understand, but it's caused me a lot of stress this month for some reason. I managed to read three wonderful books this month. I really wanted to push for four, but I got a freelance contract that needed a lot of my attention and then all the stress cleaning, so I decided not to add to it by pushing for another book. Maybe in February! Let's get started. "The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires"- Grady Hendrix Set in the 90s, a woman's book club must defend their suburban community from a supernatural threat. Laced with tons of jokes, egotistical men, 90s nostalgia, gore, and mystery, this was really hard for me to put down! A stranger moves to town...

December has really been busy this year! I don't know about you guys, but it just feels non stop over here once December hits. Even though we didn't do a lot of our usual Christmas time traditions, there was no shortage of hustle and bustle. I managed to read some pretty good books this month. It was so hard for me to choose a favorite because I loved them all! How did you get along for Christmas this year? Did you make new traditions? Most importantly, did you get some good books for Christmas? Let me know what you got under the tree this year below. "The Hunting Party"- Lucy Foley A group of friends get together once a year to bring in the new year. They've all been friends since college, but they're well past their uni years now. This year feels different, more on edge. Everyone is holding a secret this year. The trip is set in a beautiful woodland estate, far away and nestled in the trees where they can get some peace and quiet from the hustle bustle of th...