I can’t believe I’ve completed almost a full year of monthly reading posts! I’m starting to evaluate what this will look like for 2024 and if I’ll continue with these or not…I’m leaning towards not. Although I provide a little more information on my blog, I also post my reviews regularly on Instagram. And although I like the monthly posts for the sake of tracking what I read, I can easily track that info as well on my reading tracker Google sheet. But, who knows!
November was a bit of a lighter month given the holidays and all (we hosted THREE back to back events: Thanksgiving, Jonny’s 4th birthday party, and Friendsgiving – it was madness but it was also great!).
Rating reminders:
One mug: Did not finish or finished out of sheer determination or stubbornness
Two mugs: Liked but didn’t love
Three mugs: Loved it! Add it to your list!
Jalapeno: open door, spicy scenes
Snowed In, by Catherine Walsh: Three Mugs + Jalapeno
So far, this is one of my favorite holiday reads. Who doesn’t want to be snowed in at a luxury cabin?! Sign me up.
My favorite parts of this book were hearing about familiar places, since it’s based on a town that we’ve been to, and we’re close to the surrounding areas that were mentioned. This is another one of those “story within a story” that I’m just not a huge fan of: the story line is about the story line. Aside from that recurring theme, it was an enjoyable and easy read.
Iron Flame, by Rebecca Yarros: Three Mugs + Jalapeno
You guys. I pre-ordered this back in August and was anxiously awaiting my copy to arrive (in the midst of dealing with our youngest being in the ER), only to find out it was delayed, then freaking out, then cancelling my order and buying it on Kindle. I’m bummed to not have a hard copy, but was happy to read it when I did. I feel like a lot of it went over my head and although I’m not generally a re-reader, I might have to re-read this one before the next book comes out, just to figure out what all I missed. But all in all, another great read that left me hooked for the next book in the series!
Ahhh I LOVED this book and I want everyone to read it so we can break it down and discuss all the things. I asked Jeff to read it just so we could discuss it, and he loved it also. If you like traveling and reading, this is the book for you. Trigger warning: lots of blood…but not in a violent way.
I started this book then set it aside, and finally found my way back to it. It took me a while to get into it and figure out the different characters and timelines, but once I did, I was hooked. I do love me some historical fiction and the ability to learn something about history through reading. I learned some new stuff about West Virginia and WWII, and it provided some sad insight into how we treated Jewish immigrants, which feels timely with our current wave of antisemitism.
I enjoyed this closed door holiday romance once I was able to get passed all the brand-name dropping and talking about how rich the two main characters were. I liked the best-friends to lovers trope, and I do love me a good only one-bed trope as well! And if you know me, I love cabins, so there was a lot that I liked in this one.
This was a sweet, closed door romance, although the storyline was fairly predicable (I know, I know). My biggest grief with this one is that it keep trying to brush over the Hallmark predictability by being very direct about it’s Hallmark predictability (“if this was a Hallmark Christmas movie, I would get snowed it…”). It felt a little lazy and took away from the story itself. We know it’s a Hallmark Christmas movie, just embrace it!!
Did this book feel crazy long and repetitive? Yes, yes it did. Was I reading it at late hours and unable to put it down? Yes, yes I was. So…it was good but not great. I get really frustrated with miscommunication tropes, especially when that trope is repeated over and over again. But I loved the small town characters!
What have been your favorite reads lately?
If you’re looking for your next read, here are some of my TBR lists:
You can also follow me along on Instagram for regular posts on what I’m reading (@alexs.reading.nook)
Amazon Affiliate Link Disclaimer: this page contains affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.
Let’s be honest, as an avid reader, this is my personal Christmas wishlist (wink, wink Jeff and fam). Seriously I want all (and maybe bought myself some) of these things. The first grouping of items from various amazing Etsy shops have provided discounts with a discount code, so make sure you check them out! Some shops have specific time frames and discount codes, so check the green box for discount details.
I decided to combine this book lover gift guide with a giveaway on Instagram (@alexs.reading.nook) so be sure to check out my latest post there if you’d like to participate.
Without further ado…here is my 2023 book lover gift guide!
stickers
There are so many great literary stickers from The Autumn Leaf Shop for all those water bottles and notebooks! I’ve been refusing to fall into the “vinyl stickers on your water bottle” thing for a long time, but their “I’d rather be reading” sticker finally got me to cave, and now I’m onto three stickers, ha!I will confess that I originally purchased that sticker for this giveaway, but they sent a freebie of “Shh I’m Reading,” and I decided to monopolize on the opportunity. Sorry…
Discount: 10% off all items from The Autumn Leaf between 9/13/23 and 12/31/23 with discount code ALEXREADS
Bookmarks
I’ve been following Gigi & Bo for a while and looooove all the bookmarks! It makes me wish I read more physical books so I could use bookmarks for each of them. There are also so many different options – it’s so hard to choose!
Discount: 10% off bookmarks from Gigi & Bo with discount code ALEXREADS
Book Themed Cross Stitch Pattern
Don’t you love when multiple things you like overlap? Like a book-ish cross-stitch pattern! Crafting AND books. I can’t wait to try this one out from My Stitch Witch.
Discount: 25% off all items in My Stitch Witch’s shop between 11/25/23 and 12/16/23 with code ALEXREADS
Book Themed Mug
See above note about My Stitch Witch’s cross stitch pattern, but replace crafting with COFFEE. Yes, please. How cute is this mug from Bella & Oak?!
Discount: 25% off this item only in Bella & Oak’s shop between 11/15/23 and 12/16/23 with code ALEXREADS
Book Lover Tote Bag
There are SO many cute book-ish tote bags out there, but I love this one from With Love Melissa. I also started following her RV nomad journey on Instagram, which I think is so cool!
Discount: 20% off through December, 2023 with code ALEXREADS (exceptions: discount won’t be valid during holiday flash sales)
Bookshelf Earrings
I loooove these! I plan on acquiring the stud earrings at some point, but the giveaway includes the small bookshelf ones. Honey Comb and Hyde has so many great things in their Etsy shop.
Discount: 10% off all items in the Honey Comb and Hyde etsy shop with discount code ALEXREADS
Book Lover T-Shirt
Again, there are SO many great book-ish t-shirts, but I really liked this one from Soft Touch Apparel on Etsy.
Discount: 10% off this specific listing between 11/22/23 and 12/16/23 with discount code ALEXREADS
Book Inspired Candles
If you love books and candles and haven’t heard of Briarwick, you’re missing out! They have amazing lines for different book series and they’re so great!
Discount: 10% off between 11/30/23 and 12/19/23 with discount code ALEXREADS10 (but not valid during their Black Friday sales)
Reading Light
I don’t know what my boys do with their reading lights, but I feel like we’re replacing them every few months, gah! We’re definitely a fan of these clip on ones from Amazon.
Monthly Letters
My step-mom has gotten me three of these different Flower Letter series and they’re so fun! You get a letter in the mail each month, and the letters usually have some cool postcards or bookmarks included, as well as interesting historical insight or recipes. It’s nice to have something to look forward to in the mail!
Book Cart
Yes, yes, yes, I’m fully on the book cart trend. I recently bought this one for my crafts and TBR stack, and it’s perfect! I actually looked through a LOT of different carts, and prefer the aesthetic of this one. I didn’t like the legs on the Michaels’ ones (ha!) – call me picky, but I’m happy with my selection!
Book Tracker
This one is probably more a gift for yourself than someone else, but it’s a great way to track the books you’ve read. I used this free one from Addicted to Romance. This is still the 2023 version – hoping they’ll post an updated one for 2024 next month. Although if you’re savvy enough, you can probably update the formulas for 2024.
There are SO many tabs with different things you can track, and obviously pick and choose which ones you want to use (I moved the tabs around so the ones I use are more accessible). I love the ARC tab to sort the ARC copies I’ve received by publication date, so I can prioritize which ones to read next. My other favorite part of this Google sheet is the charts and visuals – I love comparing easily the number of books I’ve read each month, or the number of pages.
Sweater
I bought this sweater a while ago from Lake House Design Art, and LOVE it! I also have gotten multiple comments on it, which never hurts.
Personalized Stamp
This is big on my “want” list, but it’s seriously difficult to narrow down which one to get, and honestly, whether I even really need it with most of my books being read on Kindle. But here are my top picks:
puzzles
There are honestly just too many puzzles to choose from, so here are a bunch of ones I found that I *wink, wink* wouldn’t mind having to do over winter break. These are definitely ranked in order…except for the 12 Day of Christmas – that one stands alone and looks so cool!
Books!!
Obviously! Although I have a million books on my different Amazon wishlists (you can check out the bottom of my monthly log if you want to check any of those out), here are a handful of my favorite reads from 2023 (and maybe one from 2022):
Thriller (as recommended by the hubby because this is NOT my genre): All the Little Raindrops, by Mia Sheridan
Horror (also as recommended by the hubby because this is NOT my genre): Maggie’s Grave, by David Sodergren
Let me know in the comments if you have a favorite book-ish item that I’ve missed – would love to add to my own list for Santa!
Amazon Affiliate Link Disclaimer: this page contains affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.
October has been a fun mix of fall and Christmas reads. My desire for a cabin house has only grown exponentially. But I’m reminding myself that even though we don’t have a vacation cabin, we do still have all of these amazing family traditions during the holidays – even if they’re at home!
A lot of these fall book reads have also had dual points-of-view, which I’ve realized I LOVE.
The Breakaway, by Jennifer Weiner: Three Mugs (Libby Loan)
This book had a post-pandemic setting, which I’m enjoying reading more and more. Although I know we all went through it together, it’s interesting to gain insight in how others fared through it, and how it affected them after.
I enjoyed the exploration of staying in a relationship because it’s “safe” and you know what you’re getting into, versus pursuing a relationship that has all the passion, but all the uncertainty as well. Sometimes, you just gotta take the risk!
She was worried that if she told Lizzie what she’d decided, if she spoke it out loud, it would sound impractical or impossible; like something Abby could never hope to accomplish, or like something that someone else was already doing. Abby wasn’t sure which one of those things would be worse.
I loved the familiarity of this book: it starts off in Culver City, CA, which I’m vaguely familiar with (two of my best friends from college are from that area), and the main character went to UCSB for undergrad, which is my alma mater (Go Gauchos!). It’s always cool to read about places you know first hand or have some history with.
This was a little difficult for me to get into at first: it was hard for me to wrap my head around some of the main characters’ relationships with those most important to her (the priorities were unrelatable to me).
But overall, I really enjoyed listening to this book and loved following along on (another) an Italian adventure.
Ding ding dings: You guys, reading The Breakaway and One Italian Summer back-to-back was bonker balls! Here’s why: for one, One Italian Summer mentions a book by the author of The Breakaway at the end (WHAAAAT?). For seconds, both books have female main characters that are evaluating their relationships with their significant others, and exploring relationships with someone else while they’re doing that evaluation. Both books also explore some intense relationships with their mother’s, although from VERY different perspectives. Lastly, both books had characters that had to let someone go, in order for them to come back.
There is more to do than continuing to do what you do.
A Court of Silver Flames, by Sarah J. Maas: Three Mugs + Two Jalapenos (Book 5 of A Court of Thorns and Roses series)
Ohhh boooooy. All the spiciness on this one. Although it teetered on the edge of what I’m capable of consuming, it was SO GOOD. I think book 2 is still my favorite, but this would be my number 2 of the five. Now we just….wait….for the next one? Ugggghhhh
Gaaaaah, just gimme gimme gimme a lake house, pleeeeeease. I’ve been lusting over a cabin in Lake Arrowhead or Idylwild for a few years now, and reading books like these just gets me all hyped up. I want the memories and the traditions and the weekend/summer/winter getaways.
There were so many great quotes in this book about family life, dynamics, and the messiness of life. I felt that it was authentic and real, even if I though it went a little slow at times.
Not everything is as simple as you see it. Life isn’t black and white. There are so many shady gray areas that nobody knows what to do with, and everybody has their own answer, especially when it comes to marriage and raising kids. Our marriage had its natural ebbs and flows, and I didn’t want to give up when it got bad.
Easy as Pie, by Carina Taylor: Three Mugs (The Sweater Weather Series, currently free with Kindle Unlimited)
Female mechanic and hot doctor in a small town? Yes, please. This is another sweet, closed-door romance from The Sweater Weather Series.
This is a classic best friends to lovers romance, and I was all in. Also: what’s cuter than a guy taking care of you when you’re sick? Swooooon.
This is one of those that I read because it was highly recommended somewhere, and it just didn’t live up to the hype for me. It seemed to drag on for a too long and I really just wanted to get to the end (eek).
I think my issues started at the very beginning where the main character is publicly passed over for a promotion and is devastated. I haven’t worked in the private sector in about a decade, but I’m not sure that’s how promotions work…do they? I feel like if you were getting a promotion, you would have a closed door discussion about it and hammer out the salary and contract before it’s announced to the entire office. I also feel like this happened in another book that I read recently and it’s killing me that I can’t remember it (main character was passed up for a promotion and she fled to a small town…Bueller?).
There were several WTF moments for me with this book: things that seemed liked obviously terrible ideas but the main character went for it anyway. And there are only so many “I’m sorry’s” that I can read. I did need to see how it ended though…
Ding Ding Dings: Stuck in a storage room, like in Easy as Pie (and countless other romance books, ha!). Like Breakaway, the main character here was trying to decide between a safe romantic relationship, and one that offered more than stability. Also reminiscent of Liz’s Road Trip: going on a road trip across the country, even down to the cat companion!
Do you think it’s a coincidence that the author’s name is Laurie Gilmore, and that this book takes place in a cute town like Stars Hollow, where Lorelai Gilmore lives? I think not!
I loooooved this fall romance book. Pumpkins, apple donuts, contentious town hall meetings, a hot apple orchard farmer, who is grumpy and thoughtful? Yes, please.
Ding Ding Ding: This was a little reminiscent of Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe: the main character finds herself in charge of running a cafe in a small town with zero experience.
Absolutely Not In Love, by Jenny Proctor: Three Mugs (The Sweater Weather Series, currently free with Kindle Unlimited)
I think this is the last book in the series, and I LOVED it. The forced proximity trope was executed expertly, and I loved the reading and classical music themes running through the book. And who doesn’t love a smart AND hot hockey player with a ladder bookshelf?!
Take Me Home, by Beth Moran: Two Mugs (currently free with Kindle Unlimited)
I assumed this was a holiday book from the cover, but it was NOT. Obviously the description would have set me straight, but I didn’t give the description enough credit, haha.
This book deals with a lot of trauma and therapy, but has a nice historical throwback plot line woven throughout it that I really enjoyed.
I did also love the description of the property, and I’m ready to book my stay on the grounds.
Mrs. Nashes Ashes, by Sarah Adler: Two Mugs + THREE Jalapenos?! (Libby Audiobook)
Nothing says forced proximity better than having to road trip in a car together because all the flights got cancelled and no other rental cars are available! I wasn’t a huge fan of the narrator on this one, and maybe that had something to do with my overall enjoyment of the book. This book also had some historical flashbacks which were entertaining, but I mostly loved the grumpy but caring male companion.
I question the three jalapenos because there aren’t THAT many spicy scenes, but some of them were borderline much for me. I’m still trying to psycho-analyze myself to understand why I draw the line where I do, but I haven’t finished my self-evaluation yet…
There were definitely some laugh out loud moments, which were amazing. I loved the small town pitstop (I’m all about the small town books, in case you haven’t noticed).
I’m also realizing I’m not a fan of the last-act conflict. I’m not sure that’s an exact literary term, but I’m sure there’s one. Like when the happy ending is in sight, but then there’s a curveball and everything is up in the air again, but you know you’re getting a happy ending eventually. Whatever it’s called, I don’t think I like it, ha!
Ding Ding Ding: Ashes, on a road trip to Florida. Hello Liz’s Road Trip!
Ahhh this was such a delightful read! I’m sure it helps that we love beer in this house. There were definitely lots of beer references and metaphors (not sure that’s the right literary term, but I’ve ruled out alliteration, simile, and allusion, so I’m pretty sure it’s metaphor), but I think they were executed well.
I really liked that the romance plot was secondary to the well-being of the pub and the main character finding her true calling. It’s refreshing (like a good IPA…see what I did?).
I also really enjoyed the writing style:
He shrugs. “I like books.” A gleam from his eye hits me square in the feels. Ryan likes books. I like books. Kat can’t think smart now.
Cabin (which you already know I’m obsessed about). Christmas. Cookie decorating. Sledding. Puzzles. Friends to lovers. Yes, yes, yes. I read this book in a day. I loved the chemistry, the family vibe, the holiday traditions, all of it. This is book one of the Gift Wrapped Romance series, so I’m excited to check out some of the other titles as they come out.
To be honest, I didn’t really love Die Hard. Go ahead, revoke my man card. Jake Peralta would be totally ashamed.
Ahhh I love when I get a good reference. And yes, Jake Peralta WOULD be totally ashamed.
I wasn’t sure I was going to finish this one in time to include it for October, but I couldn’t. Put it. Down. This one kept me up late…I couldn’t stop, haha.
I found the characters to be absolutely adorable and I’m smitten with both of them. I was excited to hear about each individual story with the five rings they had to deliver, and laughed and cried through some of them. I like how the separate ring stories explored different types of love: the showy and extravagant, the simple and straightforward, and sometimes the heartbreak that love brings.
What have been your favorite reads lately?
If you’re looking for your next read, here are some of my TBR lists:
You can also follow me along on Instagram for regular posts on what I’m reading (@alexs.reading.nook)
Amazon Affiliate Link Disclaimer: this page contains affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.
September. WOW. This has been my most productive reading month. I’m not EXACTLY sure how I did it, although I am pretty tired all the time, ha! That might just be kids and work and side hustles, so it’s hard to prove causation…but still, I’m so excited with how many books I got to check off this month!
Of course I probably added more than that to my TBR lists, so we didn’t make any huge strides in whittling it down…
*ding, ding, ding* designates a part of a book that resonates with a different book I’ve read recently.
This was a sweet holiday read with all the Christmas feels (Christmas markets, decorations, a Christmas store, etc.). I enjoyed the enemies to lovers trope on this closed door romance.
*ding ding ding/trigger warnings*: Infidelity, grieving for father
Just Don’t Fall, by Emma St. Clair : Three Mugs (Book 1 of The Sweater Weather Series)
This was the first book of the series to be published, and I’ve been reading most of the books that have come out since! These are all closed door romance, so clean and sweet. That being said, I still got alllll the butterflies reading the chemistry between the characters in this book!
So after finishing Fourth Wing and realizing that maybe I’m more into fantasy books that I’ve ever allowed myself to believe, I decided to listen to the suggestion of several friends and give this series a try. This was not my favorite and I struggled a little bit to finish it. It seemed to move a little slow, I wasn’t convinced by how quickly the two characters fell in love (and how much one of them was willing to do for the other), and was a little annoyed with how certain the main character was that she was going to die at every corner. I also felt like there were some obvious things the main character refused to see (which, I know, is typical, so I’ll let that slide!), and I found it hilarious how much it referenced other books/movies:
I wasn’t in love with any of the Amazon First Reads options for September, but saw this was a short story and figured I might as well. It was a nice quick read on second chances, and I liked the background on the Tropicana.
Ready or Not, by Cara Bastone: Three Mugs + Jalapeno (ARC, publication date: 02.13.24)
I really loved this book. It was sweet and thoughtful and no-nonsense. I stayed up super late to finish this one, and loved Shep. May we all find our Shep in life (I definitely did!). I loved the banter and humor in these characters.
The Fall Back Plan, by Melanie Jacobson: Three Mugs (Book 2 of The Sweater Weather series)
Book Two of the Sweater Weather Series. I think it was a little harder for me to identify with the tough business woman on this one, but still a super enjoyable read about a small town.
The Good Part, by Sophie Cousens: Three Mugs (ARC, publication date 11.07.23)
Another one of my favorites for this month. Would you regret fast forwarding to the “good part” of life? And miss all the building blocks that led to it? This had some Midnight Library feels, but focused only on one future possibility. I really enjoyed putting a 20-something year-old’s mindset in the life and body of a 40-something year-old. It made me realize there are some qualities to your younger years that you definitely lose as you get older, and maybe we do ourselves (and our family) a disservice by just focusing on getting through the day and checking things off the list. Maybe every now and then, it’s great to shirk off dinner duties and take an impromptu walk to the park, just because. There were a few literal laugh-out-loud moments.
The bedside clock tells me it’s five a.m., which is the worst of all the a.m.s – not early enough to guarantee getting back to sleep, but not late enough to contemplate starting your day.
A Court of Mist and Fury, by Sarah J. Maas: Three Mugs + Jalapeno (paperback loan from a friend, Book 2 of ACOTAR series)
Now we’re talking! My friends convinced me to keep going with this series, and enabled me by letting me borrow all the paperback copies. So yeah, now I have to read ALL of them, and read them NOW (because once I start a series, I need to know how it ends!). I loved this book so much more than the first one.
*ding ding ding*: Definite similarities to Fourth Wing with “wards” for protection and mind windows/doors/paths for mind sharing.
Can’t Help Falling, by Courtney Walsh: Three Mugs (Book 3 of The Sweater Weather series)
Ohhhh this one was my favorite of the series, so far. I really liked the chemistry and characters in this one, and obviously can relate to a book-loving book store owner (not that I am one, but wouldn’t mind being one!).
I want to crawl into a hole and stay hidden until hell freezes over or Leonardo DiCaprio dates someone his own age, whichever comes first. Probably the hell thing.
I’m not gonna lie, I decided to read this one for cool points. I mean…John Steinbeck! I saw it on a list somewhere and added it to my Libby waitlist. It’s not a gripping listen, so I had to return it and wait to finish it on the second go-around. But I did enjoy it. I listened to this as an audio book and I HIGHLY recommend it. It’s narrated by Gary Sinise and he does a great job of making you feel like you’re in that time period.
I really enjoyed Steinbeck’s humor and observations as he travelled across the U.S. in his trailer (named Rocinante), with his dog, Charley. He muses on immigration, farm workers, slavery, racism, and the benefits of getting people to talk to you when you have a full bar to offer them. There are definitely some moments that clearly show how much has changed since this book, like men being the breadwinners and women staying home. His description of Montana have placed it even higher on my wish list of places to visit. And I also discovered that Abercrombie & Fitch started out as a “sporting equipment and attire” store -did you know that?! I definitely did not.
A part that made me laugh out loud was when he mentioned dining in a German restaurant: “The beer came in a can. The bratwurst was terrible and the kraut an insulting watery mess.” Ha!
*ding ding ding*: His description of Seattle reminded me of A Wild and Heavenly Place, and how a place can change so much so quickly.
I wonder why progress looks so much like destruction.
Book 3 was pretty heavy – lots of war preparation and then the inevitable war. I’m surprised how OK I am with the violence and blood – who knew!? I think that stuff is outnumbered by the love and sense of family that the characters create between each other, which I’m loving and can’t wait to see what developments are in the next book. Which I’ve already started.
As someone I know said, this was a nice “palate cleanser” after A Court of Wings and Ruin. Coming in at under 300 pages, it’s also a super quick read compared to the others. This really was a nice break from the constant action of the last few books, but I’m ready to get back to it in on the action with the next book!
What have been your favorite reads lately?
If you’re looking for your next read, here are some of my TBR lists:
You can also follow me along on Instagram for regular posts on what I’m reading (@alexs.reading.nook)
Amazon Affiliate Link Disclaimer: this page contains affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.
You guuuuuuys, I’ve kept this up for 8 straight months! Whether anyone is reading or not, it feels like a big personal accomplishment, ha! This was a great reading month – I read the same number of books as last month, but I really loved almost all of them (which will make picking my top four pretty difficult). I wanted to explore some titles for a Fall Reading blog post that I was inspired to do half-way through the month, so that added to my reading list.
I’m jumping on the Armchair Expert bandwagon and starting a *ding, ding, ding* element to my posts. I love finding common threads across books I’m reading, so these will now be labeled with a *ding, ding, ding*
This was a sweet read, following an extended family along while they spread the ashes of their parents/grandparents. I really enjoyed seeing the family dynamics mature and change throughout the book. I loved that the ashes were spread, literally, throughout the world, but I felt like this was glossed over somehow. I can’t put my finger on it, but it seemed like there wasn’t enough…time? provided to each destination. Someone please read this book and tell me what I’m not describing correctly here, because I can also vividly remember the stories narrated from each location, so maybe I’m just nuts.
*ding ding ding*: very much like Liz’s Road Trip that I read last month: spreading family ashes!
This story follows different people along two days leading up to a wedding. I really enjoyed the different points of view and how each story over lapped just a little, so you could understand what happened from two different points of view. I really appreciated having LGBTQ characters that were not necessarily labeled as such. I hope that as a society we’re moving towards a place of inclusion where the description of a character isn’t having to be overly explained: it’s just who they are.
Memory has no rhyme or reason. There is no logic in ghosts. They all visit on their own time. They don’t need an invitation. They own all the keys.
*ding ding ding*: Similar to All the Ways We Lied (and another recent read that I can’t put my finger on), the father had passed away fairly recently and was the person that held the family together. In both stories, the family members struggled to be a family without the father figure: “Jason had stitched them together so tightly with his unwavering devotion that they never needed more family.” I’m honestly a little torn by these theme: I fall in love with those characters and the love they provided their family to keep them unified, but also a little sad that so much of who a family is can depend on one integral member.
Fourth Wing, by Rebecca Yaros: Three Mugs + Jalapeno (Libby loan)
Oh. Em. Gee. I’d been seeing this book around the book socials for a while and decided to listen to the hype and added it to my Libby wait list. And boy oh boy am I glad I did. I’m not typically a fantasy reader, but I’m all in now. I’ve even pre-ordered the next book in the series and can’t wait to see what’s next! There were some VERY spicy scenes in this one.
I loved the unique body image-approach this book had: it repeatedly pointed out how the main female character was curvy and not your typical model character. Although I loved that the character wasn’t embarrassed or tooooo self-conscious about her body, she definitely felt like the hot male character would never be interested in her because of it. I felt like that was a missed chance for a female character owning all of it and never doubting herself. She also was…not very nice sometimes, but she grew on me and definitely warmed up as the book went on.
There was a passage in the book about the character’s dad and his admiration for the pin-tailed Wydah that visited his home and this just really tickled me. Here’s why: the characters are from South Africa, and this bird is native to South Africa, but it has very recently been spotted in part of Orange County, and we have our very own resident Wydah that I say hello to almost every morning, and greats me when I get home. I went on a deep search of the internet and know more about this bird than I’m comfortable admitting, and it made me so happy to read and relate about it in this book.
This book also gave me both the lough out loud giggles, and the teary eyed moment, which is such a great thing to be able to pull off!
*ding, ding, ding*: This was the other book about losing a dad and dealing with that kind of grief (why are all the dad’s dying??), and also a moment about spreading her fathers ashes (and they’re all getting cremated!).
I got to add a couple other library cards to my Libby account thanks to my sisters, and two books that ere not available through my library were instantly available. Cue obsessive reading!
This book was such a delight! I loved all the millennial references, the frequent cussing (so refreshing), and the shout out to a local playground that I’ve taken my kids to multiple times. I’ve also been wanting to start a podcast with Jeff for a couple years now (literally), and this book just made that itch a little more. I also truly loved the relatability of millennial mothering.
*ding ding ding* This may sound very older-millennial, but social influencer characters are a thing! Today, Tonight and Forever also had characters that were social influences. This was also the third book in a row where a female character explicitly stated they never wanted to have kids. Again, as an older-millennial, I think I JUST missed this in my age and with our friends, so it’s so fascinating to see this play out in literature. Also: another dead dad!!
They’ve done nothing but humblebrag about their little angels since we arrived. Like, I get it, Karen, your kid’s a genius and can paint like Picasso. Nobody gives a fuck.
Cicada Summer, by Maureen Leurck/Kilmer: Three Mugs (Libby loan)
This was a small town setting book and I LOVED it. This book was all about second chances, and I loved reading about a major home renovation project to restore a historical home. It also solidified my desire for a lake house. I NEED a lake house.
Another small town read and YES PLEASE. Sweet tea, porch sitting, fried chicken, outdoor movie nights, small town gossip, sprinkled with a little magical realism. Also some family drama and MULTIPLE romantic story lines. I’m here for all of it. And now I’m also in serious search of a Blackbird Café t-shirt and possibly commissioning Jeff to design one for me.
The opening lines of this one threw me a little, but so glad I stuck with it. Another small town read (1000% intentional – I was looking for fall-based books to read) that had all the apple pie talk you could hope for in a fall-inspired read, although this book takes place in the span of a year, ha! Another super enjoyable read and I hope the cabin the main character lived in is actually an AirBnB I can stay in some day. One can dream, right?
I LOVED the banjo, fiddle and contra dances and the main role they played in this book (oh did I mention the dad had passed away?) – I really want to go to one!
The end of the book had an apple pie recipe that I will definitely try, but just taking screenshots of all the pages of instructions reminded me why i bake an apple crisp instead.
*ding ding ding*: there was a line where a character says “what does permanent mean, really?” And let me tell you, I couldn’t highlight that fast enough. Midnight at the Blackbird Café had the same bit: “what is friendship, really?”
We do our best as parents while we can. But after we’re gone, we expect that our children will go on. That they’ll keep becoming who we raised them to be.
I had really high hopes for this one, but it wasn’t as great as I’d hoped. It DID have all the fall things: Fall in New Hampshire, pumpkin everything, apple cider and hot chocolate. I listened to this on audio through Libby and I have to say, my dislike for the book could be mostly based on this. The narration was cringe worthy. But the book was also heavy on the cheese. And opposite to Mom Jeans, the language and romance were SUPER clean – which might be your thing, but I’ve realized it’s not mine, ha! The main character lived too munch in a stage of regret over something that obviously wasn’t really her fault, and was super stubborn about stuff that every other character (and reader) could tell was BS.
*ding ding ding*: cheating spouses. This was a big one for my reads this month, including Mom Jeans, What Happens on Vacation, Cicada Summer, and Today, Tonight, Forever. So – almost all of them? Also: Harry Potter references! They were everywhere this month. Again with the older millennial thing, but maybe I’m just now realizing how important Harry Potter was for the younger millennial crowd.
What have been your favorite reads lately?
If you’re looking for your next read, here are some of my TBR lists:
You can also follow me along on Instagram for regular posts on what I’m reading (@alexs.reading.nook)
Amazon Affiliate Link Disclaimer: this page contains affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.
This was a sweet travel romance story. I enjoyed traveling vicariously through the characters in quaint and touristy towns in Italy, as well as eating their way through them: I’m ready to try a limoncello spritzer and lemon pasta! Also: anyone else feel like EVERYONE went to Italy this summer?! My pet peeves on this one were the over-use of “2 years” and “24 hours,” which was respectively how long it had been since Mira and Jake had seen each other, and how long they had in Paris, and coincidentally also how long they had together in Italy. It got to the point that I really wanted to say out loud: I KNOW IT’S BEEN TWO YEARS! BUT: a sweet read, nonetheless ;)
This one was hard for me to finish. I was expecting one thing from the description and felt like it was something completely different. I definitely wasn’t expecting casual drug use and prostitutes, ha! I don’t think I’m a complete prude in this areas, but I felt uncomfortable by them and it just wasn’t something I was expecting. There were several monologues that felt tedious to read through, and the translation just didn’t’ feel right. I also felt like the story line wasn’t really flushed out: it didn’t really end anywhere for the main character.
I read this book right after My Shadow is Yours and I could tell within the first few sentences already that this book was going to be GOOD. Well, that and obviously hearing lots of amazing things about it. Jeff and already read it as well and loved it. But seriously, you can tell good writing right away. I love books that are not high drama, just a re-telling of a life in a great way, and that’s exactly what this book is, although from a very unique situation (someone born with red eyes). I loved that the small, ordinary moments in our life are what can ultimately make for an extraordinary life. I had several favorite quotes:
Reality could be painful to acknowledge, but there came a point when we all realized we weren’t going to walk on the moon, star in a Hollywood movie, or be president of the United States. We’d be who we were, and we could either come to grips with this fact and like the person we’d become, or live with regret and disappointment.
I think this is so true – I think I’m still trying to work through my own expectations of what I have to achieve to feel like I’ve made something of my life.
For some reason, we think our parents will never grow old, perhaps because when they do, we are forced to acknowledge that we will one day grow old, and we face our own mortality.
Woof.
But to my mother – I suspect to all mothers – their little boys will always be their little boys, no matter how old those boys become.
This book was my summer assignment for our management group at work. For me, it put research and numbers to confirm a lot of the things I’ve always believed would make a difference in the workplace. But as stated in the book: most employers don’t want to invest in those actions because they’re not practical or financially efficient.
For my historical fiction fans: this one’s for you! This book starts in Scotland in the late 1800s, and then the initial establishment of Seattle. I haven’t been to Seattle yet, but it was so interesting to picture what a city of that size started out like. I really enjoyed all the characters, seeing the immigrant beginnings of a city, and reading about some beautiful settings.
The Wishing Game, by Meg Shaffer: Three Mugs (July pick for The Literate Lushes Bookclub)
This one has been on my TBR for a while so I was so excited when it was picked for our book club. And it did not disappoint. Who doesn’t want to get whisked away to a magical-sounding island for their deepest wishes to come true? I loved that there was a romance strung in the story line, but it wasn’t the main story line (although I was definitely invested in it!).
Kids with hard lives deserved gentle words.
‘We tell people,’ he said, ‘to follow their dreams. We tell them that they won’t be complete until they do, that they’ll be miserable until they start reaching for that brass ring. They never tell you how good it feels to give up on a dream. That it’s a…’ ‘Relief?’ Lucy said. ‘A relief, exactly,’ Jack said, nodding.
Liz’s Road Trip, by Bernadette Marie: Two Mugs (pub date: 08.01.23)
I was torn on this one. I thought the story line was interesting and overall I did enjoy it, but there were a few things that really kept me from loving this book. One was maybe just the fact that it’s an ARC and the format wasn’t fully finished, but I’ve read other ARC’s now that haven’t been this difficult to follow. The format was a bit funky, and every “f” was replaced by special characters, that sometimes also included the second letter following the “f,” so I had to stop and guess what the word was. It just constantly interrupted the flow of reading – but I’m assuming this won’t be an issue in the published version.
I know this book is about the main character mourning the loss of her grandmother, but there was a LOT of “tears,” “crying,” “sobbing,” and “I’m $ine!” The character broke down at almost anything she did. To be honest, I’ve been lucky enough to not have a loss like that yet and therefore I’ve never experienced a real grieving process, so maybe that’s accurate and relatable for some. It just wasn’t for me. Oh also the “interlacing” or “entwined” fingers was used A LOT. I also felt like this book was about 100 pages too long. I hate when a book starts feeling long.
***SPOILER ALERT***
I loved Mark, but I couldn’t figure out how he fell in love so quickly with Liz. Maybe he’d heard about her for decades so he kind of already loved her before he knew her? I dunno, I thought it was sweet and romantic how well he cared for Liz, but also couldn’t’ quite figure out how he got there so quickly, it was constantly in the back of my mind like a red flag. Also, if someone called me “baby” the first time I ever talked to them, I would be weirded out.
***END SPOILER***
In the Likely Event, by Rebecca Yarros: Three Mugs (and a jalapeno) (Amazon First Reads)
This one I could NOT put down. It’s told from two points of view, which I always love, and with backflashes that fill in information as you go along. I though the story line of the evacuation in Afghanistan was a great setting to highlight a time that was so important and maybe overlooked by a lot of us. Ladies, don’t hate me, but I did feel like Nate’s hotness was a little over the top, haha. And oh yes, LOTS of spicy and very explicit sex scenes in this book. This is the same author as Fourth Wing, which is toping lots of lists lately, and I’m curious if that book is also this level of spicy…(I might find my answer among the 49k reviews!!). I’ll have to find out when I read it!
This book had a big twist near the end, which when it started twisting literally had me adding a highlight that said “WTF?!” I had to go back to some parts of the book to revisit them with the newly acquired information, and it was great.
Ohh because I seem to always find little veins of commonality between books I’m reading at similar times: Izzy (in this book) and Liz (in Liz’s road trip) are both afraid of flying, and just noticed they have very similar names, haha. There was also a lot of lacing fingers in this one too and some crying from Izzy, but I think spaced out or used better than in Liz’s Roadtrip.
Currently
Reading: Pocketful of Poseys, by Thomas Reed (pub date 09.19.23). Just a few pages in, but promises to be a great family novel.
Listening to: Travels with Charley in Search of America, by John Steinbeck. I’m only a few minutes in, but I love the narrator’s old-timey accent, John Steinbeck’s humor, and I’m curious to see how I feel about some generational differences (he already said something about being the “breadwinner” that I’m sure was very timely then, but completely irrelevant now).
What have been your favorite reads lately?
If you’re looking for your next read, here are some of my TBR lists:
You can also follow me along on Instagram for regular posts on what I’m reading (@alexs.reading.nook)
Amazon Affiliate Link Disclaimer: this page contains affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you.
We’ve used a trailer on our camping trips for the last couple summers, which provides a lot of comforts. We went back to tent camping for our recent camping trip to Big Sur, and I wanted to work out a few kinks. (Also, I used “short cuts” in the title because I feel like “hack” is severely over used, but yes, the tips at the end would be called “camping hacks” by anyone else.)
Kitchen
I loved having a kitchen and kitchen storage in the trailer. During our prior tent camping experiences, I felt like I was constantly going through bins trying to find what I needed. I also put our camping stove on the picnic table that almost all camp sites come with, which made eating at the table either cramped, or needing to be switched around before and after eating.
For the organization part of it, I resorted to a Pinterest idea and bought this clear shoe organizer to sort everything. A big key here is that the pockets are clear, so you can see through them and easily know what’s in each pocket. This one also had some very wide pockets and stuff hung out pretty far, so I grabbed my stapler and tucked some of those in before we took off. I used the hanging hooks that it came with and hung it from our tent canopy, which was serving as my kitchen. This worked out SO great – even Jeff and the boys commented on how convenient it was to find the things they needed (smore skewers, lighter, flashlights, napkins, etc.). Knowing me, these pockets will eventually be labeled, but for a maiden voyage, it worked great.
One thing to be weary of is loading it up before heading out. I didn’t want to pack everything separately and have to sort it into the pockets, so I just folded it over and over until I could stuff it into a bin. I had to remove some of the longer items and lay them horizontally, but it worked out fine.
Another Pinterest idea was to use a bungee cord for a makeshift paper towel dispenser. I bought a set like these from Dollar Tree and it worked out so great! I initially used a smaller bungee cord to hang the paper towels, but it was too tight and didn’t allow it to roll, so I’m glad I had a variety pack so I could find the right size.
I also bought large clips from Dollar Tree to clip down my tablecloths (sorry, couldn’t find a link, but they’re HUGE), and this set of carabiners just in case (which did come in handy).
I also took a large folding table and table cloth that functioned as my kitchen counter. This kept our picnic table open for just eating and hanging out. To make this space functional, I brought a round container to hold my cooking utensils (spatula, tongs, wooden spoons, etc.), a bucket for utensils, and a folding wire rack to hold some dishes. Plates went under the folding wire rack, and bowls and mugs went on top (upside down to prevent them from getting dusty).
To wash dishes, I moved the stove top and table cloth aside, and placed my collapsible washing buckets on the table. I have two of these buckets: one for washing, one for rinsing, and a collapsible drying rack like this one.
Ambiance
I really wanted to make our campsite feel homey, so again I researched some ideas on Pinterest and added the following:
Twinkle light strands from Target: I bought two of these, so I used one outside (even though they’re indoor – we did eventually put the battery pack inside our tent through a corner pocket), and one was strung back and forth inside our tent. I LOVED how this looked and the vibe it gave our camp site and the inside of our tent as we got ready for bed. Make sure you buy batteries as well!
Solar lights from The Dollar Tree: at $1.25 per light, it doesn’t get much better than these! I bought six of them, although apparently I left behind the stake for one of them at the store (they stick to the display box, so make sure you get the light AND the stake when you pull it out of the box), and we placed them outside on either side of our tent. One of them went crazy on the first night and was just blinking constantly, so that $1.25 went down the drain, but the rest of them worked really well, even with the fairly low amount of sunlight that our site got throughout the day.
A candle! I had a random candle on my desk, and decided to pack it up at the last minute. I would light it as it got dark and leave it on our picnic table, and it just added a little extra ambiance to the area.
Meal Prep
Last summer I took advantage of cooking meals prior to our trip and freezing them, which made cooking super easy. I made carnitas and spaghetti sauce and meatballs, and froze them in Ziplock bags. For the carnitas meal, I took some rice in a Ziplock bag and cooked that to go with our meal and warmed up some tortillas. I had pre-chopped the onion, lime, and cilantro, so that was ready to go too. For the meatballs, I just had to boil up some noodles, warm up the sauce and meatballs, and our meal was ready!
This was the first time where I pre-made our pancake batter so I could make pancakes for breakfast. I have tried the “ready to go” pancake mix where you just add water, and it’s just not for us (call us pancake snobs, I guess, ha!). I added everything to the batter except a mushed banana (we only eat banana pancakes in this house), which I added the morning I made them. I made pancakes our first morning at our campsite, so it only had to hold for a day. I thought I’d be able to put the banana in and mix up the bottle, but it wasn’t very easy. I think next time I’ll pour the batter in a bowl to mix it in more easily.
Another Pinterest find was to pre-crack some eggs and take them in a jar. I had the perfect glass jar from some cherries we had just finished up from an ice cream social, so I cracked six eggs into that, and made scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast on our second morning. This worked out really great too: no cracking eggs, no wet, soggy egg box, no accidentally cracked eggs in the cooler.
I have to say, this was the BEST camp set up we’ve ever had. The amazing campsite definitely helped, but I think all of these little additions were HUGE.
What are your favorite tips and tricks when you go camping?
This summer we decided to head north to Big Sur, a place I’ve heard only great things about. At the beginning stages of planning our trip, I was thinking of making a day or two jaunt to San Francisco so we could show the boys all the classic San Francisco stuff, but then realized we’d be stretching ourselves thin – like we’ve done on our last two camping trips. Those trips were great, but we were constantly on the move: setting up camp, exploring for a day, packing up and driving to the next spot, and doing it again. As much as we got to explore a lot on those trips, they were also a lot of work. So this time we decided to stay put and just explore all the things Big Sur had to offer. In retrospect, this was a GREAT decision. This is one of the first trips we’ve gone on where I felt satisfied in checking all the boxes of things we wanted to do/see.
Reservations
After some research, I decided Pfeiffer State Park was the campground for us (you can check the current fees here). But, it’s also the preferred campground for a lot of people. The sites are booked six months in advance! So this destination definitely requires some planning ahead. I looked at the calendar and set the dates that we wanted to travel, then calendared back six months and set myself a reminder to book the site. I also did lots of research ahead of my booking date: I reviewed the campground map as well as online reviews to find the best sites. I’ve relied heavily on Campsite Photos the last few years to get a visual on individual sites, and a handle on what are considered the best sites (they have stars on the photos for the best sites).
A day before my booking date, I made a list of my top campsites that I would want, and compared them to what was showing as booked for any of my dates through Reserve California. Although no reservation could be made for my initial date at that point, you can make reservations for “add on” dates: if my initial reservation date is January 14th, I can book my site from that point forward, even though I couldn’t book a site starting on January 15th. So someone else could have already reserved some crossover dates on the sites I’m looking at.
The reason it’s good to know what sites won’t work before your booking date is so you don’t waste any time trying to reserve sites that are already booked. You have to log in and be ready at 8:00 a.m. to book your site: they go FAST. So I check the available reservations the day before and the morning of my booking date, before 8am, and whittle down my list, and pick which site I’m going to aim for first.
For Pfeiffer State Park, after walking around the campsite we noticed there are very different kinds of sites. The ones highlighted in green are the ones that are surrounded by coastal redwoods (which is what we wanted). The yellow areas were more open and had oak trees instead of the large pine trees – I would have been really disappointed if we ended up in one of those, to be honest.
I will say, however, that the bottom green area is VERY shady, so our site never got a ton of sunlight and remained pretty cold in the morning, and cooled down quickly in the afternoon.
With that said…
Saturday
Started off reading books, definitely ended with tablets
We left our home in Orange County, CA, at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday – we had packed up the truck the night before, and I highlighted the few items we still had to pack that morning on my packing checklist, just to make sure we didn’t miss anything. We made it to San Luis Obispo for lunch, and stopped at Mr. Pickle’s. It was a bit pricey but it was good, and included free chocolate chip cookies!
We had to take the road up through Monterey since Highway 1 is still closed due to a landslide, but we arrived at Pfeiffer State Park around 3:30 p.m. The drive IN to the campground is already stunning: no matter how many times we drove through it, it always took my breath away. We picked up a couple bundles of firewood at the entrance gate after we checked in ($12 per bundle, cash only), and made our way to our campsite.
Our campsite was BEAUTIFUL! We explored most of the campground during our visit, and I really think we got the best spot.
We spent the rest of the afternoon/evening setting up our site, exploring our surroundings, and hoping our dinner would defrost in time!
We were so tired that we forgot to clean up our site, and all night we heard animals scavenging through our stuff. I was pretty sure our entire snack box would be gone in the morning. Jeff looked out at one point and saw a skunk going through our trash (yes, we forgot to dump it out), and wisely decided to leave them alone. Thankfully they didn’t get into our food bins and ate all the gross stuff from our trash can, so I really just had wrappers and paper towels to pick up in the morning. The rest of the nights we made sure to dump the trash and leave all our food bins in the truck (no bear boxes, here).
Sunday
Since Saturday was such a long driving day, I planned for us to explore the campgrounds and state park on Sunday. The nights are cold, and our site was pretty tucked away in the shade, so early mornings did not happen for us (so hard to get out of our warm cocoons!). I made pancakes (I prepped the batter at home), the boys explored, and we just enjoyed our surroundings. Once we were ready, we explored the Pine Ridge Trail. This trail was a bit stressful with the kids since it’s very narrow and has a big drop off. We didn’t make it all the way, but enjoyed the parts we did, although our favorite part was the very beginning.
We got back to our campsite for lunch then drove to the Big Sur Lodge at the entrance of the park to look for some essentials. While there, we explored Warden’s Path and the Nature Center. There is a VERY cool river cross walk that we loved – although we did take the bridge on the way back so we wouldn’t have to take off our shoes again (I sacrificed my sweater so everyone could dry their feet after we crossed – small price to pay, to be honest).
The Nature Center is pretty small, but kept the kids entertained for a few minutes and had bathrooms nearby, which we needed.
We took a walk around the campgrounds after dinner, and explored a little bit of the Big Sur River Gorge trail – I do wish we’d come back to this spot again, it was so pretty! Other campers had brought their drinks and camping chairs, put them in the water, and enjoyed the sunset. Like pros!
Monday
This was our day of exploration and driving to Carmel and Monterey. On the way there we stopped at Andrew Molera State Park and Point Lobos Natural Reserve. The great thing about both of these was that our camp site permit gave us admission to these parks as well, so we didn’t have to pay any park fees to get in.
At Andrew Molera we walked through the dirt road and went over a beautiful river crossing, then took the Creamery Meadow Trail to get to the beach. I think it was only a mile walk, but it was interesting to see how much the landscape changed throughout the trail. The boys had so much fun on the beach adding to driftwood teepees that are scattered throughout the beach. Jonny wasn’t as big of a fan: it was pretty cold and windy, but we hung out for a little bit.
By the time we got back to the truck, we realized it was already almost 12:00 p.m. and we were starving. My plan was to have a picnic in Carmel, but the Andrew Molera parking lot was just as good! We all climbed into the back of the truck and ate our sandwiches, chips, and drinks that I had packed that morning. I had a pretty emotional moment at this point just watching our boys eat their lunch, watching the squirrels, and being so thankful for these memories we get to make with them.
Our stop at Point Lobos was pretty quick: we went straight for the Sea Lion point since we wanted to look for sea lions. The parking lot is right next to the trail and it’s a short walk to the viewpoint. There were only a handful of sea lions lounging on the rocks below – I think they were the lazy or injured ones that got left behind, but I was thankful for them anyway!
Point Lobos had a pretty long line to get in when we drove by on Saturday on our way to our campsite. It wasn’t nearly as busy when we went on Monday, but if you go on a weekend, be prepared for crowds. I do think we left a lot unexplored at this park.
Our final agenda item for the day was checking out the 17-mile drive around Pebble Beach. There is a fee to get in to this gated area, $11 and cents. As long as you have your receipt, you can use it to get in and out throughout the day. We entered through the Highway 1 gate, then exited at the Pacific Grove gate to head to Ghirardelli for ice cream and a quick walk around Cannery row, then entered again through Pacific Grove gate to finish the drive. If you are pressed for time or have small kids, I would stick to just the coastal part of the drive – the first few stops were not very exciting. On the coastal side, we got to see sea otters and deer, and some crazy outdated mansions!
Although I’m not sure we’d do the 17-mile drive again, we’d definitely do Ghirardelli again! It’s not cheap, but it was delicious. Jeff and Josh shared a monstrous thing that had two brownies, vanilla ice cream, whip cream, salted caramel and a cherry. Jake, Jonny and I shared the “world famous” sundae, which was SO GOOD.
I had originally planned for us to have dinner around Carmel or Monterey, but the timing didn’t work and looked a bit fancier than we were up for. We decided to find something on our way back to camp, which was an hour back south. We ended up at Fernwood Tavern and OH-MY-GOODNESS. Must dine in the back patio: cool, wooden furniture, green trees all around, view of the river below, and lights strung up across the patio. The food and drinks were also delicious, but definitely a bit pricey. We spent $150 for the 5 of us: a beer, a margarita, three Shirley Temples (we decided to let the kids live a little, but in retrospect, this was too much living: they could have shared one), two pizzas (shareable size), fries, and a salad. HIGHLY recommend.
Tuesday
This was another day that we planned to stay fairly local-we had a few other points of interest to check out. We headed south from our camp ground towards the road closures, looking for Pfeiffer Beach. There is NO signal around there, so I couldn’t map us and really had no idea where it was. We ended up making it all the way to McWay Falls, which was on my list anyway.
The fog just a little south and north of our campground was crazy-I’m so curious why our little pocket of woods didn’t have any fog but was basically surrounded by it. Either way, it gave McWay Falls a cool, mysterious look, although it also blocked us from having a clear view of the falls (you can kiiiiindaaaaaa see them through the fog).
This was another park where we didn’t have to pay the fee. If you’re not camping at a state park and need to pay, it was unattended when we got there so you had to have cash to leave in the pay box. It’s a short walk to the lookout, and unfortunately the waterfall trail was closed, but looked beautiful.
We decided to head a little further south, but ended up turning around and heading back north, still on the hunt for Pfeiffer Beach. We thought it was past our campground but alas, it was not, so we turned around AGAIN and thankfully had a pocket of service where I could map us and find out that the turnoff was exactly a mile south of our campground, so Jeff kept and eye on the speedometer and counted down: “half a mile, .8 miles, .9 miles…” and then we saw the tiniest, almost u-turn street on the right, called Sycamore Canyon. There were NO signs on the highway that indicated the beach was down this tiny street, so I’m not surprised we missed it (several times)! We drove down that street for two miles, and you have to drive pretty careful since it’s a narrow road and cars have to pull over to let each other pass.
Pfeiffer Beach doesn’t take any of the park passes, so be prepared to pay to get to the parking lot, which I think was $12. We were told this beach had purple sand, and although there were some hints of it, it wasn’t as prominent as the boys had expected.
After this, we had a grandiose plan to raft and tube down the river at the campground, and let’s just say: if no one else is rafting all the way down the river, there’s a reason why…the bruises on my feet will definitely remember that next time we will just pick a section of the river to hang out in. By the end of the ordeal, we were ready for ice cream and drinks, so we headed to the Big Sur Lodge right outside the campground. Highly recommend their beer battered fries. Then we did a quick visual of Pfeiffer Falls trail. We didn’t have the energy to actually do it, but the beginning part was beautiful!
Wednesday
We had our campground booked through Thursday, but we also had a site booked at Cachuma Lake in the hopes of breaking up the drive on the way home, and giving the boys a chance to fish. We debated staying at Pfeiffer or heading home, and reluctantly decided to head out Wednesday. We took our time packing up since we only had a 3.5 hour drive, but by the time we got to Cachuma Lake around 5 p.m. we had no desire to set up our tent again in 90 degree weather (and the site couldn’t compare to our Big Sur site), so we decided to keep going and just head home. I think in the future we’ll just plan on driving straight from Big Sur to home. We did pull off at Bixby Bridge to get some pictures.
Eating and Groceries
If you don’t bring groceries from home (which we did), then you have to stock up in Monterey/Carmel, because there is not much in Big Sur proper. There was one night that I wanted to do burgers and I didn’t want to buy ground beef too early and take it from home, so I planned on buying it there. The best we found was some off-brand bacon, so we had BLTs instead. There are lots of little general stores with basic supplies and snacks, and maybe we could have checked some other general stores, but I don’t think they would have been much different. I will say that the property was gorgeous: they had Adirondack chairs in the river and I wish we could have just spent the evening there!
I was really glad I had purchased all of our groceries before we left, and had pre-cooked and frozen two of our meals ahead of time (carnitas tacos and spaghetti and meatballs, always favorites at home and camping!).
Favorite Camping Items
You can click here to read about some of the camping tricks I tried on this trip and the stuff I liked (as well as my kitchen setup, which I feel in love with), but here are a few new items I purchased for this trip:
I liked the insight on immigrant stories in the Central Valley of California, but was reminded that I’m not a huge fan of short stories. These end up being interconnected to some degrees, but it’s not clear until pretty far into the book, and then I had to think back to put the pieces together. And they were loose connections, which was neat, to an extent. As someone who grew up looking white in a Hispanic family, and then marrying into a white family, I love reading stories that take me back, culturally speaking. It taps into a sense of melancholy, I think.
The Ex-Mas Holidays, by Zoe Allison (ARC, publication date: September 26, 2023): Three Mugs + a Jalapeno
This was the first Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) I read, so that, in itself, is pretty exciting. Being able to read something before it’s published, and for FREE! I do imagine there’s a fine line between giving a good review because it’s been given for free, and not wanting to loose credibility by giving amazing reviews to everything you read. I’m glad that’s not a line I’ve had to walk, yet. I loved this book for what it is: a wonderful holiday romance book. A very, VERY spicey wonderful holiday romance book, haha. Like most romance books I’ve been reading lately, this one leaned heavily on the miscommunication trope, so fair warning there.
I really enjoyed this book, and think it would be great for book club discussions. There are definitely sides to be taken, and I was happy with the outcome at the end of this book. I loved the exploration of we, as humans, being different people at different points in our lives: we are not static, and our relationships may or may not evolve with us.
The Wake Up Call, by Beth O’Leary (ARC, publication date: September 26, 2023): Three Mugs
This was another pleasant Christmas holiday romance read, but it felt a little like the holiday references were thrown in just to make it a Christmas romance book rather than simply a romance book. And another romance book with a miscommunication trope. I enjoyed the point of views from each character, as well as the Brazilian and Portuguese angles.
Favorite quote: If you want something as passionately as you clearly want this, that means you owe it to yourself to make it happen.
All The Ways We Lied, by Aida Zilelian (ARC, publication date: January 9, 2024): Three Mugs
I’m quickly realizing that family-centered novels are my sweet spot. And this one was great. I loved the exposure to Armenian family dynamics and food and culture (the cover art is a beautiful depiction of this), and the complicated relationships that make up a family. I loved the juxtaposition of the relationship between the children and their biological father versus their step-father (blood isn’t always thicker than water, metaphorically speaking). I also loved how each of the characters had to work through their issues, or chose not to. The mother’s relationship with each of her daughters revolves around very toxic traits, and it was interesting to read how each daughter was affected differently by their relationship with their mother.
Kohar realized that it had been Gabriel who had kept them all together. Because he himself was a whole person.
Another family novel that I inhaled. This one centered around a home in Cape Cod, and now I really want to spend a summer…on the Cape….is that how you say it? In the Cape? Either way…it sounds pretty great. This novel follows all the extended members of a family, from their own points-of-view, as they each deal with some pretty big life events. I had lots of thoughts on this book, so bear with me.
I thought the topic of infidelity was discussed quite beautifully, if you’ll allow me to say so. It explored not so much how the other partner would judge or feel, but how the person committing it deals with the aftermath, which I don’t think is often acknowledged in our society. I realize this is a very black and white issue for most people, and most likely not a popular take on infidelity, but I enjoyed reading it.
Staying married, she’d decided, was a choice; one that had less to do with love and more with forbearance. You recommitted yourself to your spouse every time you overlooked a pair of sweat-soaked boxer shorts in the corner of the bathroom; every time you swept, without comment, toenail clippings from the bedroom floor; every time you’d pick a different coffee shop after finding yourself buoyant and flushed and a little too eater to see that one barista with tattoo sleeves and the large, capable looking hands.
I also think this is the first post-COVID book that included it in a way I didn’t find annoying. Instead, it simply stated our collective experiences:
They were all trying to do too much, for too many people, in too little space, trying to manage their jobs and their kids’ schooling, the meals and the housework and their working-from-home partners or spouses while they clung to sanity with their fingernails.
One of the characters has serious doubts about the choices they made with their life, and I loved their conclusion:
Maybe you couldn’t get the life you wanted, but you could have a life you wanted.
It reminded me a little of The Midnight Library, which I also loved. You might be able to take so many different paths in life, that would lead you to completely different lives, but it’s very likely you’d still want the one you have.
Finally, the different perspectives from the daughter and the mother on how they remembered the daughter’s childhood summer’s on the Cape reminded me of a couple books I read a while back that made me realize there may be no such thing as perfect parenting. The mother thought she was giving her daughter these amazing summers, but the daughter still had resentment towards the mother because of how she remembered these summers (her mom working too much). That is also a topic that hit home: how two people can have very different interpretations of the past. I’ve experienced this myself and realized early on that I would never really know what the “truth” was: each person was remembering their interpretation of the past. And I think to an extent, they’re both right.
Oh, one more thing! There’s a character that makes a brief appearance that I recognized from another book, and realized I’d read another book by this author. I then had to think back to that book to figure out how these characters fit into THAT book (which I still can’t quite remember). I LOVE when characters intersect different books.
Who We Are Now, by Lauryn Chamberlain (ARC, publication date: August 8, 2023): Three Mugs
I really enjoyed following the four characters in this book as they navigated life after college graduation and the first couple decades of adulthood. I loved seeing how friendships change over time, which is so accurate: people change and evolve over time, and not all friendships can survive that. And maybe they’re not all meant to?
This was an Amazon First Reads free book for me, and it was an enjoyable read. If you have Amazon Prime, every month you get to pick one free book from books that will be published soon.
This book was cute enough, but did feel very self-helpy – the main character had to work a lot on her self-worth. I enjoy reading that to an extent, because we all have flaws and what not, but I felt like it was a little over done. I also saw the ending coming a mile away, haha.
I’ve mentioned before how I love when books I’m reading around the same time have themes in common. In this case, one of the characters in Who We Are Now had a big theme in common with Rosie: they were both from immigrant families and felt a lot of pressure to live up to certain expectations from their parents. Actually, so did All the Way we Lied, so it was a pretty prevalent theme this month. I was so intrigued to see this portrayed in three totally different books, and I really REALLY hope I never put that kind of pressure on my own children.
Did not finish – One Mug
The French Art of Living Well, by Kathy Yandell (audio book). I was expecting something different from this book, but really just picked it up because it was an “available now” audiobook on Libby.
The Hurting Kind, by Ada Limon (audio book). I’ve been wanting to explore some poetry, but maybe audiobook isn’t the way for me to explore it: the narrating was so dramatic, it felt super cheesy to me.
Good Morning, Monster, by Catherine Gildiner. This was our Literate Lushes pick for the month. It provided some really great discussion topics at book club, but I jus wasn’t feeling it when I was reading it and I’m trying to be better at not forcing myself to finish a book just to finish it.
What have been your favorite reads lately?
If you’re looking for your next read, here are some of my TBR lists:
You can also follow me along on Instagram for regular posts on what I’m reading (@alexs.reading.nook)
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I really enjoyed this book. It had such a unique plot and explored some pretty big life questions that are great for all of us to consider, and a surprise, but happy-ish ending. The premise of the book is that out of nowhere, every person in the world over a certain age gets a box with a string inside of it, and they find out that the string tells them the length of their lives. I liked the exploration of discrimination (short stringers vs. long stringers): how one person with a large audience can take advantage of people’s fear, and the devastating effects that kind of power can have on society (sounds familiar, huh?). The larger premise of the book, however, is how do we measure our lives? Is it by the number of years we live, the lives we impact, the difference we make? The other big questions are what risks are we willing to take when we know the length of our lives? What do we give up? There were some definite heart-wrenching and gutting moments in this book, which I thought were expertly executed.
Favorite quote: You don’t need a long lifetime to make an impact on this world. You just need the will to do so.
I love me a good historical fiction. This one takes place on a cacao plantation in Ecuador in the 1920s, which was extra special to me since we did a cacao tour in Guatemala with the boys during spring break. That experience made it easy to picture a lot of the descriptions in the book surrounding the cacao pods and the process. This book is also a mystery book, with the main character trying to solve who is trying to kill her. I thought the “everyone is a suspect” part was a little too much, but I don’t read very many mystery books and maybe that’s just par for the course. I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending, but could understand why it had to end the way it did.
Favorite quote: You never know what’s going to happen. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t follow your dreams for fear that something bad might happen. You did what was right. You followed your heart…
Becoming, by Michelle Obama: Three Mugs (on Audiobook)
This book was long, but I really enjoyed it. I listened to it on audiobook at 1.5 speed, and it still sounded pretty normal, ha! There were so many things I related to in this book, like the trade offs of being a working mom (letting go of my volunteer interests after kid #2), and stepping back from things you would have stepped forward to. I find myself constantly struggling between wanting to say yes to everything, and knowing what it will mean on the back end if I do.
I loved the determination of two people to make a difference: it’s inspirational and also makes me wonder: what have I done to change the world???
This book was also super emotional for me, for some reason. There’s a passage explaining how Michelle went to law school just to please others, and that really hit home for me. The parts that talked about her life as a mother and wife, and the difficulties of those roles while being the wife of a politician or the First Lady, were emotional for me. Again, no idea why, but my heart broke a little for what they all had to sacrifice of their personal lives during those years in the White House. She also had a poignant passage about reaching a point in parenting where you are no longer parenting so much, you’re watching their lives unfold, instead. Gaaaah!
Oh she also wrote about the night Trump won the presidential election, and what that felt like. And I was right there with her. I remember the exact place I was standing in at my in-laws house when the realization hit me that Trump would very likely be our next president. I remember it as clearly as I remember where I was when I heard Princess Diana died, or when I heard the Twin Towers had been hit by an airplane. Woof.
I wanted to love this book, but I just liked it. I really enjoyed the Lake Michigan setting and small town life, but the COVID references were a bit much for me, as were the TYPOS!! Gah, I don’t understand how that many typos got to a printed version. There were also some SUPER cheesy lines, and lots of button references – some of them cool, others over the top. Generally, an easy Summer read, but not the best.
A couple tidbits from the book that I found interesting: buttons were on different sides for men and women because women often had help getting ready, and there was a mention that egg shells in the garden detract slugs. I did a quick perusal of the internet on this one and it doesn’t seem to be effective, so I guess I won’t be saving my eggs shells.
Quotable quote: In college, I worked two jobs while going to school full-time. I had such resentment toward the sorority girls who tanned in the quad between classes and partied every weekend in a new outfit while I scurried to dish out food at the commons and waitress at a local pizza joint.
This part was like reading my mind as I walked to my concessions job at UCSB, literally watching sorority and non-sorority girls sun bathing on a Saturday or Sunday morning. Or a Tuesday morning. Lots to unpack here when I start going to see a therapist, I know.
This was a book club pick for The Literate Lushes (my local book club). I love books that put me in someone else’s shoes, and this book is told from the perspective of a teenage boy with autism. It was so insightful, and difficult and heart breaking. There is a scene where the mom just wants to hug her son, but he doesn’t like being touched. Ugh, my momma-heart broke in that moment.
Quote: OK, maybe I don’t tell the truth all the time. God knows, I try, Christopher, God knows I do, but…Life is difficult, you know. It’s bloody hard telling the truth all the time. Sometimes it’s impossible. And I want you to know that I’m trying, I really am.
Ain’t that the truth of a parent? The boys have called me a liar before, which I hate, but also…situations change and sometimes you can’t deliver on something you promised.
Sometimes I get a little burned out on so many historical fiction books being about WWII, but then I realize there are so many stories to tell, and it’s such an important part of history to keep alive. Even if it hurts. This book hurt. But I also couldn’t put it down. I was up until almost 1 a.m. this morning because I just had to know what happened to the Nightingale sisters. I’ve read a couple Kristin Hanna books before (The Four Winds, Winter Garden) and they are both great historical fiction books (the Great Depression and the fall of Leningrad, respectively), but this one got me even more than those. I hugged my boys a bit tighter when I got home today, and I’m so, so thankful to live when and where I do: I don’t think I would have had the strength to survive the atrocities of WWII if I had been born to that time and place. This book follows the stories of two sisters living in German-occupied France during WWII, and how they each found the courage to make a difference.
I am a sucker for advertising, and I was drawn in by the title and the cover art. This book was more self-help than I bargained for, although probably pretty obvious from the description (again, I’m a sucker for advertising). I kind of skipped through the table of contents to parts I thought I’d be interested in, and skipped others. There was some humor, but some over the top stuff, like “Write that down, right now, I’m not kidding, I’ll wait while you do it.” Meh. And “I see you, and I love you.” Sure, some people probably need to hear that from strangers, and I guess this book is more for them than me, but…she doesn’t know me, how can she love me?!
BUT, there were some good pointers that I took and that were good to hear: spoil yourself, invest in you, spend time in the morning getting ready so you feel confident. I suck at all of those things. I can’t think of the last time I went and got a manicure or pedicure (I think it’s called…a… “mani-pedi”?), because I just don’t think I need to spend the money on it. But maybe every now and then I should.
What are you reading lately?
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Finca Cielo Azul 