I’m working on putting together our first book retreat for our book club. What’s our book club named? I’m so glad you asked, because I think it’s pretty great: The Literate Lushes! We’re going on thirteen years of book clubbing, which seems pretty incredible. And yet we’ve never done anything more than a Saturday or Sunday brunch. I’ve been wanting to plan one of these for a LONG time, so I was so glad when some members expressed interest in a weekend book retreat. Needless to say, I’ve sent a lot of emails, maybe even a Google Form (I definitely sent out a Google Form)…
I plan on sharing some more details about this planning process and our final weekend plan later on, but for now I want to share: PUZZLES! The idea is to have a puzzle set up somewhere, and people can puzzle if and when they want. It’s crazy how many puzzles you can find, and how many don’t hit the vibe you want. Or how many puzzles don’t have cats or dogs (no offense to those, just not what I was looking for, and HOLY COW, most puzzles have a cat or dog). Or how many puzzles have vintage cars…
I was looking for some that were either book-ish, or giving general cozy vibes. Also, since we’re going in October, I figured some Fall-themed puzzles could work as well. Here are my top favorites:
Autumn Cottage Nature Landscape Art, 500 pieces
Cozy Study puzzle, 1000 pieces
Fleurs, 1000 pieces
Magic Treehouse Forest Puzzle, 1000 pieces
Magic Bookshelf, 1000 pieces
Petals and Pages, 1000 pieces
Wildflower Pages, 1000 pieces
Stacked Vintage Books, 1000 pieces
I haven’t actually completed any of these, but I DID buy Cozy Study and Autumn Cottage for our book retreat. Do you have any favorites from these, or other book-ish puzzles that you’ve loved?
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I realized in the last couple years that I LOOOOOVE novels about…life. Just the little daily nuances and banality that make up your daily life. There can be highs and lows, but it still remains within the realm of something that can very realistically happen to you or me. No bat boys (sigh), no magical bakeries (well, maybe one of those) or “just one bed” tropes. But heartbreak and health emergencies, parenting decisions (the good and the bad), sibling rivalries and loyalty. Mommy and daddy issues. All the things that are very real to you and/or me or someone you know, that make a book so much more relatable, and sometimes so much more enjoyable because of that.
A warm, funny, and keenly perceptive novel about the life cycle of one family–as the kids become parents, grandchildren become teenagers, and a matriarch confronts the legacy of her mistakes.
My takeaway when I read this back in 2020: there is no such thing as perfect parenting. One off-hand comment you make can screw up your children forever. And you don’t even realize it.
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.
This is one of my favorite reads this year. This books follows Marley, a newcomer in a small town, and her relationship with three brothers who have a family-owned roofing business. She’s “the one that got away” to one brother, wife to another, and a stand-in mother to the third. There’s also a bit of suspense and drama with a discovery in a church attic.
I could tell the writing in this book was extraordinary from the opening lines. 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.
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.
Mariel inherited the Lakeside Supper Club from her grandmother, and has been working tirelessly to keep it afloat in a small town in Minnesota. There are complicated family dynamics between Mariel and her mother, and with some recent developments, Mariel has to decide what matters most.
Meena is a photojournalist who has made it a point to avoid settling down and forming long-term relationships. She unexpectedly inherits an apartment in Boston, and discovers family ties she didn’t know existed. Meena starts to explore whether settling down is something she can do, and what she’s willing to give up in order to do so.
Matelda, the Cabrelli family’s matriarch, has always been brusque and opinionated. Now, as she faces the end of her life, she is determined to share a long-held secret with her family about her own mother’s great love story: with her childhood friend, Silvio, and with dashing Scottish sea captain John Lawrie McVicars, the father Matelda never knew. . . .
It takes place in Italy and Scotland, and I just love exploring foreign countries through books. I think the stories of past and present were woven together really nicely, and one of the final scenes had me crying sad tears, in such a good way.
Although this was a two-mug read for me, I enjoyed the historical perspective and a bit of the political intrigue. I also enjoyed seeing the family perspective behind the men that made these big political back end deals in the ’70s (?).
Family Centered Books that have Magical Realism
Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe, by Heather Webber. This book is set in the small town of Wicklow, Alabama. Sweet tea, porch sitting, fried chicken, outdoor movie nights, small town gossip, sprinkled with a little magical realism. A granddaughter returns to settle her grandmother’s estate, which includes a diner. The book explores the complicated relationships between the mother, daughter, and grandmother.
The Fortunes of Jaded Women, by Carolyn Huynh. I LOVED this book! Part of the appeal for me was that it takes place in Orange County, CA, and although I live in a different part of Orange County, many of the places referenced were known or at least familiar to me. I thought the cultural insights were brilliant (I had a Vietnamese best friend in high school and reading some cultural references definitely made me nostalgic for that friendship!), and the humor with which the author explores the complicated relationships between the sisters and their daughters was so entertaining.
The Cartographers, by Peng Shepherd. As the title indicates, the book is about a map. A very rare map. This one may not be SUPER focused on family, but the flashbacks are definitely about found family, and the current timeline is about discovering family ties. There’s a bit of mystery and intrigue in this one, so not what I would consider a standard family drama, but I still had to include it!
Family Drama Books Set in Beautiful Landscapes
A Wild and Heavenly Place, by Robin Oliveira. 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 story follows a brother and sister along their journey to Seattle, and the brother’s pursuit of the woman he loves.
Crow Talk, by Eileen Garvin. The cover alone is enough to fall in love with, but the story was beautiful as well. This story is about one main character, but also the profound impact that family can have on oneself, and not always positive. There’s a beautiful relationship that develops as well between the main character, a baby crow, and mute five-year old boy. I would love to spend a summer in this cabin in the Pacific Northwest.
Family Drama Books that are set in the Summer
The Summer Place, by Jennifer Weiner: this family-centered drama takes place during the summer in Cape Cod. This was a three mugger for me last summer. The Summer Place follows a family along a few days leading up to a wedding taking place at the family beach house. I have a terrible memory, so I’m not 100% sure, but I THINK this is the book where the house is sentient in the beginning and the end – and it’s a really sweet touch for the opening and closing of the story.
The Paper Palace, by Miranda Cowley Heller: this one has some common plot lines as The Summer Place, as they both deal with infidelity and both are set in Cape Cod. But The Paper Palace actually has a bunk house. ON. A. LAKE. I still think of the ending of this book often.
Last Summer at the Lakehouse, by Heather Dixon. After the death of their father, three sisters and their mother head to the family lake house, where they make a shocking discovery about their father. 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.
Classic Family Drama Reads
The Berry Pickers, by Amanda Peters. This books starts with the disappearance of a 5-year old indigenous girl in Maine, and how that affected the entire family. Although it doesn’t talk about it in detail, the book briefly addresses indigenous family separations that occurred in the 60’s. But it does deeply explore family ties and discovering who we really are and where we come from.
The Dutch House, by Ann Patchett. Although I didn’t love it as much as I expected to, it was still a good read based on a torn family. I loved reading about the relationship between the brother and the sister, and the house that seemed to have a gravitational pull on them. This book explores the very complicated relationship between a mother and the children she abandoned at a very young age.
The Most Fun We Ever Had, by Claire Lombardo. As mentioned in a previous post: this one was a long read, but a good read. The book explores the relationship between a husband and wife, and their four grown daughters. It makes me think about whether I can raise my boys without saying or doing something that will have a long-term and negative impact on their lives; maybe it’s unavoidable to some extent? It’s also a good reminder that we’re not perfect, but we can still be good people. I’m currently reading Same As It Ever Was by the same author, and seems to have many of the same deep family relationship vibes.
This is Where I Leave You, by Jonathan Tropper. The main character’s father dies, and he has to sit shiva with his extremely dysfunctional family, all soon after he walks in on his wife cheating on him with his asshole boss. Among other things. Most of the time I’m not a fan of story lines where the main character gets shit on over and over and over again, but in this case, I enjoyed reading about his at-times-comical and at-times-tragic life events. I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending, and although it was sometimes so outside of reality, I really enjoyed reading it.
Tom Lake, by Ann Patchett. This book is set on an orchard in Northern Michigan, and follows a family as they spend their COVID lockdown together. I really loved the quiet drama of this book, and exploring deep family ties and relationships.
Sandwich, by Catherine Newman. I have not read this one yet, but it is HIGH on my list. It’s about that in-between time where you’re sandwiched between half-grown kids, and aging parents. I know this is stage of life that is around the corner for us, so I’m very intrigued to read it and hopefully gain some insight before we get there.
What are you family drama reads? Drop your recommendations in the comments!
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You guys, these are my happy places. I dream of buying a mountain cabin where we go spend a couple weeks every summer with the boys, and the occasional Thanksgiving or Christmas. And then they take their kids when they get older, etc., etc. and they tell their kids “we’ve been coming to this cabin every summer since I was your age.”
Admittedly, that ship has already sailed to a certain extent, but hey, it’s good to have life goals, right? Maybe it’s more of a retired life goal…
But alas, I love books with these settings and plots. And they make for great summer reads! So here are a few I’ve read over the last few years.
Love and Other Words, by Christina Lauren: the modern-day setting for this book is in San Francisco, but a lot of the book is told in flashbacks that occur in a summer home outside of San Francisco, and it gives me all the summer/vacation vibes. Plus there is a reading nook, so yes, yes please.
The Celebrants, by Steven Rowley. This is the same author from The Guncle and The Guncle Abroad, which I’ve loved. This book is a little more serious, but a lot of the story line takes place in a vacation home in Big Sur. I don’t consider this a light beach read, but I did really enjoy the various topic of friendship, how those relationships evolve over time, and the very real issues that we all face as we grow older.
Books set around/near a lake
Edge of Summer, by Viola Shipman: although this was not my favorite book, plot-wise, it does take place around Lake Michigan, and I loved the small lake-town vibes.
Cicada Summer, by Maureen Leurck: this book is set near Geneva Lake in Wisconsin. Here’s my recap from August of last year:
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.
Tom Lake, by Ann Patchett. This book is set on an orchard in Northern Michigan, but there is a lake near the house that the family walks to. So it makes the cut! I really loved the quiet drama of this book, and exploring deep family ties and relationships.
Last Summer at the Lake House, by Heather Dixson: this book is set at the family lake house in Summerville (you guys…I don’t remember details…but I’m pretty sure that Summerville is a fictional lake town….but you know…still a lake town!). I’m also seeing quite a pattern with the blurbs I’ve typed before and I gotta say….manifestation is obviously NOT working for me…
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.
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.
Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club, by J. Ryan Stradal. This one takes place in Minnesota, so not your typical beach read, but one of the characters talks about spending summers in her youth there, and the small town and diner definitely give me summer vibes.
Just for the Summer, by Abby Jimenez. This book features a cottage on an island, also in Minnesota! Lots of pontoon boats, BBQ, pool, and quirky cottage reading in this book. This one definitely has some spicy scenes, and although it’s been a summer blockbuster in the book scene, it was a two mugger for me.
Good for You, by Camille Pagan. Setting: Lake Michigan beach house. I had a streak of Lake Michigan reads last year, and it’s definitely given me an itch to check it out at some point in my life. This has a sweet romance plot, along with a “what am I doing with my life,” which I can always relate to, and enjoy reading about.
Beach Read, by Emily Henry. This book is set in a fictional beach town that the author stated is an amalgamation of Michigan beach towns. Another spicy read with all the summer vibes, plus some enemy to lovers vibes.
**I had a hard time figuring out where to place some books….lake-front books also have beaches…so do they belong under lake or beach? Both? Should I relabel my classifications? Welp, I’m just going to ask for your flexibility and understanding in where I placed books.**
Books set along a beach
The Summer Place, by Jennifer Weiner: this family-centered drama takes place during the summer in Cape Cod. This was a three mugger for me last summer. The Summer Place follows a family along a few days leading up to a wedding taking place at the family beach house. I have a terrible memory, so I’m not 100% sure, but I THINK this is the book where the house is sentient in the beginning and the end – and it’s a really sweet touch for the opening and closing of the story.
The Paper Palace, by Miranda Cowley Heller: this one has some common plot lines as The Summer Place, as they both deal with infidelity and both are set in Cape Cod. But The Paper Palace actually has a bunk house. ON. A. LAKE. I still think of the ending of this book often.
Today, Tonight, Forever, by Madeline Kay Sneed: this story is set along the beaches of Watercolor, Florida, so not my typical cabin/lake destination setting, but still gave me very summery-y vibes. This book also has LGBTQ characters.
Happy Place, by Emily Henry. Friends hanging out at a cottage in Maine? Um, yes again. Please. Loved this book – but definitely spicy.
Elizabeth of East Hampton, by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding. This is a Jane Austen retelling of Pride & Prejudice, and although I haven’t read Pride & Prejudice (gasp! I know!), I really enjoyed this book set during a summer in the Hamptons. There’s surfing, a small beach town, and a swoony beach house. This book publishes on August 6, 2024.
Sandwich, by Catherine Newman. I haven’t read this one yet, but I’ve been hearing about it from ALL my bookish sources, and it really is right up my alley. I hope I can read it later this summer.
Do you have any cabin/vacation home reads that are not listed and you’ve loved? Drop your recommendations in the comments!
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SPRRRRIIIIING BREEEEEAAAAAK! We decided to have a fairly mellow Spring Break this year by staying local, but we managed to fit in a couple cool things with the boys.
On Monday we headed to San Diego and stopped at the Cabrillo National Monument, which was pretty cool. We had coffee and ice cream at a cool little place, and then headed to our hotel. Funny enough, the hotel was the ONLY part the boys were excited about all day Monday. We stayed at a pretty cheap hotel, so I kept trying to tell them that sightseeing around San Diego was going to be WAY more exciting than checking in to our hotel. But alas, they asked “how much longer until we go to the hotel” about a million times.
Our big event was going to the U.S.S. Midway on Tuesday. We got there before it opened, and that worked out so great because we basically had the upper deck to ourselves. The audio tour is really great, and they have a kids and adult recording for each station. Although we were exhausted after almost four hours of walking around, we all had a great time and loved exploring all the different parts of the ship. I think we all agreed that the control rooms were the best part.
As expected, eating lunch on the ship was expensive. Although I was prepared for it, I still wasn’t prepared for it. I think it was a little over $80 for the five of us to eat mediocre fast food. Le sigh.
We also went to Medieval Times that week, compliments of the grandparents. Jonny took a while to warm up to the noise and lights, but all three boys ended up having a blast. This was another expensive outing, and not something I see us doing again until we have grandkids (ha!).
Honestly between San Diego, Medieval Times, and getting random treats throughout the week, I think we would have spent just as much going somewhere out of town for the week!
We also had Josh’s 8th birthday party, so on the heels of Easter and Spring Break, it was a busy month!
items i loved this month
After Easter, spring break and birthday planning, April was a very low budget month for extras. Josh’s birthday was a skateboard theme, so I did get these before for goody bags:
One tradition we started in 2020 with COVID that has stuck around (sometimes, based on the theme) is making our own pinatas! I didn’t find anything great online that was on-theme, so with dad’s help, we made our own! Jeff designed an amazing invite, so we used that image for the pinata. There wasn’t a large enough print at FedEx, so Jeff cut the image in two, we printed two copies of each page, and then cut and glued them on to the pinata that Jeff fashioned with Amazon boxes. Bought some black and white tissue paper, and voila!
Our other big home project has been the built-in closet that Jeff has made for Jake’s bedroom. It’s been a very time-consuming project, but Jeff has done an AMAZING job.
Lastly, my craft project at work for April was a paint-by-numbers craft, and it was a huge hit! I bought a variety of sets, some from Amazon and some from Michaels. The ones from Michaels were more intricate, but the Amazon ones were pretty easy and almost completed within our hour lunch.
recipe
BLT’s – Armstrong Style
With summer approaching, we’re going back to some of our hot-weather meals, of which BLT’s is high on the list. We go a little crazy with ours, so here’s what we add in addition to bacon, lettuce, and tomato:
Avocado
Monterey Jack cheese
Cucumber
And the key ingredient: a fried egg! I fry it in the bacon grease…because obvies.
Haven’t started it yet because just the title makes me sad, but our May book club pick is My Lobotomy by Howard Dully and Charles Fleming. I borrowed the audiobook from Libby – wish me luck!
I started a podcast with my friend, Karla. Take a listen!
Follow me on Instagram for current reads and reviews.
Let me know in the comments what your current read is, or a book you’re looking forward to reading!
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This month has been a doozy! I had a presentation for my consultant side-gig on 3/27 and it sucked up a lot of my time and energy. Not to mention I was a bundle of nervous anxiety for the four days preceding it. I’m still trying to understand that – I wasn’t nervous about presenting, I’ve done that before and LOVE it, which is the whole reason I’m pursuing this, but it was my first time presenting on this scale. And being me, I added all of these little extras that I was probably nervous about pulling off. Regardless, it went great (although I do need to adjust the timing and format of it), and as of last night, my belly is back to feeling normal and not feeling like I’m going to puke, so that’s great.
Ever since the time change, the boys have been able to play outside a little longer in the evenings. And although it’s a constant “stay out of the street! put a sweater on!,” it’s so great to live in a neighborhood where they can play with other kids outside. I feel like it’s a quintessential part of childhood that many kids miss out on these days. It makes up for the fact that hosting Easter in our tiny home is a logistical nightmare when it’s raining and we can’t use our backyard.
items i loved this month
Paint by numbers: I’m getting ready for the April craft workshop that I organize at work, and decided on these. I found some other ones at Michael’s, but they were larger and seemed way more complicated. We only have an hour, so I’m trying to get better at finding crafts that can be easily completed within that time frame (instead of everyone taking home a partial project – I have so many unfinished ones from the last year!).
Skateboard book: I usually buy a book for each child’s birthday party, so that those attending can sign it. I try to stay on theme, obvies. Josh’s 8th birthday is coming up, and he chose a skateboard theme. If you’re friends with either of us on the socials, you’ve seen the amazing invitation that Jeff made – he’s SO talented! But I digress. I bought this skate book for Josh’s birthday and it’s so cool! It’s more expensive and grown-up than what I would usually buy, but alas, our boys are growing up.
Motivational cards: because I’m a sucker for these things, I post little motivational cards in the bathroom stalls at my work. And people are allowed to take one if they see one that speaks to them. I recently purchased these, although I really liked these ones that I bought last time.
projects, crafts & more
My craft at work for March were DIY magnets. I made a version of these years ago, when Jeff and I had a little shop in a trailer at The Camp in Costa Mesa, and they sold pretty well!
Now Amazon has a “kit” to make these, so they look even better and were way easier to make then using a hot glue gun to attach the magnet.
The great part of this craft was that it was easily completed during our lunch break – which has not been typical of some crafts, ha!
SUPPLY LIST
Magnet set that includes glass piece and adhesive magnet
I cut plastic cups so I could give everyone a small “bowl” with modge podge
Newspaper or craft paper for each workstation for easy clean up
recipe
LEMONADE
Our neighbors gave us lemons from their backyard recently, and honestly they’re the only lemons I like to use for lemonade, because they’re DELICIOUS. Anyhow, we’ve been making this lemonade for a few years now, and making the sugar syrup is a game changer!
Ingredients and Instructions
1 and 3/4 cup of sugar
1 and 1/2 cups of lemon juice (about seven juicy lemons)
8 cups of water
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and one (1) cup of the water. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve the sugar. Allow it to cool, cover, and refrigerate until chilled.
When juicing the lemons, remove the seeds but leave the pulp (optional, but I do really like the pulp in the lemonade). Stir into a pitcher with the sugar water. Add the remaining seven (7) cups of water, stopping to taste occasionally (sometimes I need more or less water, depending on the sweetness of the lemons).
I’ve started two different books, plus just got a long awaited book from Libby, but really feeling the need to finish the first two (which haven’t hooked me). My Amazon First Reads are really stacking up, and hoping for a month where I can make some serious progress and share some great reads!
Follow me on Instagram for current reads and reviews.
Let me know in the comments what your current read is, or a book you’re looking forward to reading!
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We went to LA this month to meet up with one of our favorite families, and explored the Fern Dell Nature Trail by the Griffith Observatory. We walked to a great playground that was on the trail, and the kids had a blast running around (unfortunately the bathrooms are under renovations, so beware of the porta poties!). We enjoyed some ice creams from the local paletero, and I got such a kick out of all the boys saying “gracias!”
We also did a little brainstorming session this month which I really enjoyed. We are not doing a major trip for Spring Break this year, so instead I put up a big piece of butcher paper on our closet door, and told the kids to go wild with anything and everything they’d like to do. We have some great ideas that we winnowed down between things we can plan for spring break, things we can plan for future family trips, and things we can aspire for…someday, ha!
items i loved this month
Presentation pointer! Such a cheap and silly gadget, but it made a HUGE difference during my professional development presentation last month. I was able to walk about the classroom more freely while still clicking through my slides. I had originally ordered this one, but the day before my presentation I was notified it wouldn’t arrive on time.
Trash can stickers. Again: a silly purchase, but we have our trash and recycle cans right next to each other under the sink and guests will ask which is which. I thought this could take the mystery out of it all.
Chip clips! Andy was calling these the unsung heroes of the kitchen on Nobody’s Listening, Right? and I agree! Which made me realize: I hate our mismatched chip clips. I had a lightbulb moment while listening to the podcast: I could BUY cute and matching chip clips, and they probably wouldn’t even cost much! Shocker: they don’t.
Herschel backpack. Jeff and I are planning our trip to Tulum in May to celebrate my aunt’s 60th birthday, and I decided this was the inspiration I needed to finally upgrade my travel backpack. I’m a little sad to let my last one go, since it’s really been EVERYWHERE with me, and through so much, but it is literally being held together by safety pins. And I’ll be honest: I really want to feel and look cool on this trip. This will be our first major trip without the kids (and since we went to Germany together in 2012), so I figured it’s worth the splurge. I’m REALLY excited about the Seagrass color on the Little America Backpack. I originally ordered the standard size, which I was concerned about so I even watched a YouTube video comparing the standard and mid-volume sizes. Turns out it really is too big, so I’m returning it and exchanging it for the mid-volume size. TULUM HERE I COME!
projects, crafts & more
This month’s craft at work was a “Love” wooden sign made with nails and yarn. I think it came out so cute!
Jeff and the boys helped with the boards: Jeff obviously did the cutting, but the boys helped sand and apply some layers of I-really-don’t-know-what and paint.
I wanted to have a few different options available for people, so we experimented with a few different stains, and a couple white boards. I also bought various colors of yarn so everyone could pick what they wanted, and printed a few different fonts. I love seeing how unique everyone’s project turns out.
recipe
CHICKEN PITA WRAPS!
Ok, maybe not the best representation of this dinner, but we had it last night and we LOVE it. It’s light and refreshing and after a week of eating crap, it was exactly what we needed.
Ingredients for chicken marinade:
1/4 cup of Olive Oil
2 cloves of garlic
2 table spoons of lemon juice
1 and 1/2 pounds of chicken breast (about two breasts), cut into bite sizes
Place all the above ingredients in a ziplock bag and let the chicken marinate. I’m sure overnight is probably best, but I usually do it as soon as I get home and just let it marinate in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. Still tastes great!
Meanwhile, get those bamboo skewers soaking in water, and prep your tzatziki sauce.
Tzatziki ingredients:
6 ounces of greek yogurt
1/2 of an English cucumber, de-seeded and thinly diced
Chopped fresh dill
1 tsp of white vinegar
large pinch of salt
3/4 tablespoon of olive oil (recipe calls for one full tablespoon – I find it to be too much)
1 minced garlic clove
Mix these all together and let it chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
Additional toppings: red onion, lettuce, large tomato chunks, and FETA cheese (we really like the tomato and basil seasoned feta). And are you really from California if you don’t add avocado to everything?
Our favorite side: greek french fries! I know…it makes for a less healthy meal, but they’re so good! We used to use frozen shoestring fries, but yesterday Jonny picked the crinkle frozen fries, and I’ll admit: they were much better. On a cookie sheet, I have one side of regular french fries for the boys, and on the other side I season the frozen fries with dried oregano. I bake per the instructions, and once ready, I put our seasoned fries in a bowl and add feta, tzatziki, and sometimes chopped parsley. So good!
reading recap & MORE
This was a pretty slow reading month. I’ve been trying to do yoga more often in the mornings, and I’ve really been buckling down on my clerical professional development handbook for an upcoming PD session next month, so the reading has been slim.
I also read the Improbable Meet Cute series – these were all short stories and although some of them were cute, none of them were favorites. As I’ve mentioned before, short stories also seem a little rushed to me, so that’s probably part of it.
Currently reading:
The Volcano Daughters, by Gina Maria Balibrera (publication date: 08.20.24). I was intrigued by the cover and title of this book, as someone with a Central-American born mother, but I’ve had a hard time staying hooked.
Follow me on Instagram for current reads and reviews.
Let me know in the comments what your current read is, or a book you’re looking forward to reading!
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OK, trying to branch out on my monthly blogs for 2024. Let’s see how this goes!
family highlight
For a couple years now we’ve gifted the boys “mom, dad, & me” dates for Christmas. I really wish we did this more often throughout the year because the one-on-one time with them is SO great. But it does make it super special and each of them were excited for their “dates.” We picked different date ideas for each of them based on their interests:
Jake: trip to Barnes & Noble that included a book purchase and Starbucks snack
Josh: going out for breakfast, and a boba date which we did a bit later as a family
Jonny: a trip to Baskin Robbins for ice-cream with all the yesses (yes, you can get the unicorn with the extra chocolate and sprinkles!)
items i loved this month
I had an Amazon gift card to burn so I splurged on some items I’ve been wanting for a while and could buy with no guilt!
Library kit!! Ah I’ve been wanting this for so long! Finally got it, but I’ll admit I haven’t had time to actually put them on my books. The kit only comes with 20 cards so I was also over-analyzing that I’d have to prioritize my books, but I found out they sell refill cards!
Busytown Seek and Find board game: this was really a Christmas present for Jonny, but it’s been a HUGE hit. Although it’s mostly for Jonny, it’s become a family favorite.
projects, crafts & more
I’ve been organizing monthly craft workshops at my work since June, and I LOVE them! January’s workshop was our most popular to-date: one of my co-workers is a crochet wizard (just like my mom!), so she led the class and we’re all furiously crocheting our little hearts away. It’s nice to have a commonality with co-workers that transcends our individual departments and is not work-related.
I also watched a documentary on Amazon Prime for ME. I NEVER watch anything, so this was huge. It’s called The Booksellers and it was an interesting peek into the world of book buyers/sellers and the history and future of bookstores.
recipe
I wanted to try something new recently so I brought down my Magnolia cookbooks, and given the weather, I decided to try the potato soup. It’s not my new favorite, but it’s good, and Jeff LOVED it, so that’s huge! I made the full recipe the first time I made it, and had waaaay too much leftover (the boys won’t touch it). It didn’t freeze well, so we ended up dumping it (anyone have special advice on freezing food with potatoes in it? They always defrost funky to me…).
This last time I did a half-batch and that was still more than enough. I also ventured to my local Panera on a very rainy day because I REALLY wanted to have them in sourdough bowls, and I do think that’s the only way I’ll have this soup in the future. I’m not sure what the rules are on sharing recipes from cookbooks, so I’m just going to share this site that’s already done the dirty work ;)
reading recap
I started out really strong since I had the first week of January off from work and generally not a lot going on, but then side projects and life took over, and I started a book I couldn’t seem to finish. It took me a while to decide not to finish it, but I’m so glad I let it go. I read The Heirloom instead, and breezed through it. So here’s my reminder to you that it’s OK not to finish a book – there’s too much great stuff out there!
Crow Talk, by Eileen Garvin: Three Mugs. Publication date: 04.30.24
Tangled Up In You, by Christina Lauren: Three mugs + Jalapeno. Publication date: 06.25.24
Follow me on Instagram for current reads and reviews.
Let me know in the comments what your current read is, or a book you’re looking forward to reading!
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.
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.
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.
Finca Cielo Azul 