tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70478436514117394662024-03-18T19:09:06.963-04:00For What It's WorthEst. 2010Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.comBlogger2367125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047843651411739466.post-85336257615934809962024-03-15T03:00:00.038-04:002024-03-15T03:00:00.250-04:00It's a wrap! Weekly update - life, baking, watching, reading, music<p style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #741b47;"> IT'S ALMOST SPRING🎕</span></b></i></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">My plants are budding, we will have SUN for at least 5 days. I am happy! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Not a whole lot going on here. I've felt kind of sick and the weather was awful so I've mostly only done what I had to and not much else.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Our counter was finally installed and fit this time. YAY! Just tiling the backsplash is left. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Kevin and I had our 37th wedding anniversary this Thursday. Hoo-boy that's a long time! We were just babies when we got married at 22 years old. All the people who said it wouldn't last are now divorced so ha!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Also, I totally forgot to celebrate (due to the not doing much blogging thing) but December was my 14th year of blogging. WHOA. So much has changed over those 14 years and only a few of you are still here and blogging. I may be scarce but I'm still not ready to give it up.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">So what have I been doing this week?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>BAKING:</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I was planning on baking a cake and trying my hand at making my own frosting for our anniversary - but, like I said, I wasn't feeling great and a giant sugar bomb was not what I was in the mood for. Maybe next week. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6kLuowMgCtn51qzKqfyE8zAvTIZytEVI69hBi3doq3OXTdZnCYbWuaxRn0iCdUqzUaz3F4s9LDrbA3_l9-jeeSqEPPDrW-NWPlywCccel84WdOhKI8VODWVsQqzK6Tt8IO9r7Bp8oN7UZfYrOMOJqr4Su7FikXNZpiilQa_oxj1f4rbUFj5LlXV0gT5t/s3000/focaccia.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2865" data-original-width="3000" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO6kLuowMgCtn51qzKqfyE8zAvTIZytEVI69hBi3doq3OXTdZnCYbWuaxRn0iCdUqzUaz3F4s9LDrbA3_l9-jeeSqEPPDrW-NWPlywCccel84WdOhKI8VODWVsQqzK6Tt8IO9r7Bp8oN7UZfYrOMOJqr4Su7FikXNZpiilQa_oxj1f4rbUFj5LlXV0gT5t/s320/focaccia.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I did make a sourdough focaccia. It turned out really well but I tried a new method and it didn't rise at all at first. Normally, I would have gotten defeated and thrown the dough out and never baked again lol but I had invested so much time - so I threw the whole thing (pan and all) into the fridge overnight then put it in a warm spot to rise the next day and it worked!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I had also put olives, rosemary and sundried tomatoes on top but the tomatoes burned to a crisp so I plucked those off. I send a lot of my baked goods to Kevin's work and this one got a thumbs up. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I've also now have people suggesting recipes to me try and I LOVE THAT! I did the Pandesal rolls last week and Sam sent me a recipe for chocolate brownie sourdough and I think I'm going to give a try! It's a bit more challenging but I'm game to try.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>WATCHING:</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><i>Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom - MAX</i></b> - This was bad (IMO of course). Bad story, bad acting, really bad CGI. Neither of us liked it. It wasn't even silly, cheesy, good/bad fun. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>The Gentleman - Netflix</i></b> - We're watching this now. It's a series by Guy Ritchie about an aristocrat that inherits his families estate and discovers they are running a marijuana business on the property. He tries to sell it and get the family out of the whole thing but gets caught up in mess and after escalating mess. Very violent, kind of fun. I like Theo James (the aristocrat) and Kaya Scadalario (daughter of the marijuana business) as the leads but it's also getting increasingly wacky. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Damsel - Netflix - </b>We both loved this one! It stars Millie Bobbie Brown as a girl sent off to marry a prince to save her family from poverty. She thinks she's marrying a pretty good guy and helping her family survive, until after their wedding ceremony where she learns she is to be a sacrifice to a dragon. Really fun movie - a nice twist on the genre and I loved the ending.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>READING:</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5kEU119L4F-Z96IBGoPfP9s-sRZ-Q9BOiH67okYfniO8VWRfpCKpFZjg03uD7y0QWIdZBKvvTz8gm4s-KyHzrtdbbaJLqvhLymQCCRuy5W1sjhj4Qzxvb5HZZjoS49fke_0wkhMNglQBi8s-gAZ-yjYYKxFJf-OneD3Bo-xa-GCF9BtvkZ7S1une0g9Ec/s785/reading.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="785" data-original-width="723" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5kEU119L4F-Z96IBGoPfP9s-sRZ-Q9BOiH67okYfniO8VWRfpCKpFZjg03uD7y0QWIdZBKvvTz8gm4s-KyHzrtdbbaJLqvhLymQCCRuy5W1sjhj4Qzxvb5HZZjoS49fke_0wkhMNglQBi8s-gAZ-yjYYKxFJf-OneD3Bo-xa-GCF9BtvkZ7S1une0g9Ec/w184-h200/reading.jpg" width="184" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I finally finished listening to <i style="font-weight: bold;">Lights Out in Lincolnwood by Geoff Rodkey.</i><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I really wish I DNF'd this one. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It was supposed to be dark humor & satire on the rich having to struggle and get scrappy to survive an apocalypse but it was basically a whine-fest with too much set up.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>MUSIC:</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Most of you are much younger than I but a-ha and their groundbreaking (& still fabulous) video for <a href="https://youtu.be/djV11Xbc914?si=a-5lZ9_G814-o43x">Take on Me</a> were a big deal in my day (the 80's).</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Here's the band doing an acoustic version for MTV and it's gorgeous. I love it, but I have to admit, in my brain, I kept singing it faster and mentally twirling through rooms like original lol </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>a-ha Take on Me acoustic </i></b></span></p><p><br /></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="157" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-xKM3mGt2pE?si=ZAe2RQUOMP0EhAFE" title="YouTube video player" width="280"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">How was your week? What are you reading, watching, doing?</span></div>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047843651411739466.post-40027883520810502952024-03-12T03:00:00.014-04:002024-03-12T03:00:00.133-04:00Tell Me Something Tuesday<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0B75tAxTBoJMRx5WvJeN5yJuy-eAXo8Fzxeo8p3QysAt4PtEWf-4v8iISVQOCQ_EetUfEMBNCYHDvFM0UW_EgqEJF89Xn1pDMrgyVlZehy5c8cawW36rJ3P6tEBcoAmC2VXdtRc-r55aJO1H_gEFjhCTjzzeMrapKkAHDAmrwlM5Eur8Lkbq8fhcbkg=s200" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img alt="4 women of various races sit on a blue sofa thought bubbles about their head that say Tell Me Something Tuesday" border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0B75tAxTBoJMRx5WvJeN5yJuy-eAXo8Fzxeo8p3QysAt4PtEWf-4v8iISVQOCQ_EetUfEMBNCYHDvFM0UW_EgqEJF89Xn1pDMrgyVlZehy5c8cawW36rJ3P6tEBcoAmC2VXdtRc-r55aJO1H_gEFjhCTjzzeMrapKkAHDAmrwlM5Eur8Lkbq8fhcbkg=w200-h200" title="tell me something tuesday" width="200" /></span></a></div><i style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. </span></i><p></p><p></p><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Century Gothic", Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="box-sizing: border-box;">It is co-hosted by</span><span face=""Century Gothic", Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="box-sizing: border-box;"> </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">(Linda from <a href="http://books-forlife.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #990000; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell</a></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">,</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> Roberta from </span><a href="http://offbeat-ya.blogspot.com/" style="background: 0px 0px transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #990000; letter-spacing: 0.5px; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.5s ease 0s;">Offbeat YA</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">, Jen from </span><a href="http://twimom227.com/" style="background: 0px 0px transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #990000; letter-spacing: 0.5px; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.5s ease 0s;">That’s What I’m Talking About</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">, Berl's from <a href="https://www.becausereading.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #990000; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">Because </a></span><a href="https://www.becausereading.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #990000; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">Reading<span style="box-sizing: border-box;"> is Better than Real Life</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> and me) </span></span></i></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Join in by answering this weeks question in the comments or on your own blog.</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-size: medium;">If you would like to join TMST and receive periodic emails of upcoming topics, <a href="https://forms.gle/ZYEZqJE3KWV2dv6J8" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #990000; outline-offset: -2px; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">please fill out this GOOGLE FORM</a>. TMST is a laid back meme – join </span></i><i style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-size: medium;">in or opt out depending on your interest in topics or schedule.</span></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></span></p><p><span><i style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Question: What genres do you tend to avoid?</b></span></i></span></p><p><span><i style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span></i></span></p><p><span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Answer: </b>My reading has changed </span></span></span><span style="color: #171717; font-size: large;">so drastically</span><span style="color: #171717; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: #171717; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">over the years that is tough for me to answer. </span></p><p><span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I guess, the few genres that I still struggle with overall are:</span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #171717; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Fantasy - I just don't care what color the sky or blades of grass are, or some new language. The world building tends to overshadow the characters & I glaze over the laborious descriptions.</span></p><p><span style="color: #171717; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Thrillers - I know this is a hot genre right now and I've tried, but it's another genre that features plot devices over character and it ends up being difficult for me to care what happens to anyone. And I almost always figure it out by the second or third chapter, so I'm left waiting for the supposedly brilliant investigator or whoever to figure things out. </span></p><p><span style="color: #171717; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Sci-fi - another one with details that escape me and I glaze over. </span></p><p><span style="color: #171717; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The two above genres (thrillers and sci-fi) have a somewhat procedural/bland tone to me when I'm reading and I get bored. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #171717;">Multiverse - I hate it in movies and books. There are so many possibilities that anything can happen - then unhappen - then happen again. For me, nothing means anything after a certain point because it can all be reversed. </span><span style="color: #171717;">(I'm so, SO sorry Roberta lol)</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #171717;">I say this with the caveat that I have found books I've loved in all of the above genres. But who knows! I used to be a hardcore - 5 book a week - romance genre junkie and now I can barely get through one. </span><span style="color: #171717;">I used to HATE angsty YA, now it's what I prefer (in audio). </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #171717;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">So, maybe next year I'll be an avid sci-fi reader lol Who knows!</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #171717;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>What genres do you tend to stay away from?</i></b></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #171717;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBaIfBTAnm_yvFvDOqNtPMl0aXurt5ecQ3cbF9aUSIjssJI7TAcbkdfHA3bWc625ojyVe7i6_tG1L08aP5sbLT4TJpAh2bszpsQJL6yXjFq1GRAPXC8ALs6ds633GHJLzml7vlUObwv_jYth9BTyDh4lpexo_wDADu6qxwXpDDXkbWqzmYg7MTurYu0d8/s760/BBack.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="760" height="53" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBaIfBTAnm_yvFvDOqNtPMl0aXurt5ecQ3cbF9aUSIjssJI7TAcbkdfHA3bWc625ojyVe7i6_tG1L08aP5sbLT4TJpAh2bszpsQJL6yXjFq1GRAPXC8ALs6ds633GHJLzml7vlUObwv_jYth9BTyDh4lpexo_wDADu6qxwXpDDXkbWqzmYg7MTurYu0d8/w400-h53/BBack.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047843651411739466.post-54393468415119599762024-03-08T03:00:00.007-05:002024-03-08T03:00:00.130-05:00Weekly Update: Life, Baking, Watching, Reading & Ripley...<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I'm not sure what to call this post - other than the super exciting - Weekly Update. I was sure I wouldn't, in fact, update weekly so I didn't worry about it too much - but here I am TWO WEEKS IN A ROW!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I even did my <a href="https://www.fwiwreviews.net/2024/03/tell-me-smething-tuesday.html">TMST again this week </a>and have three more already drafted.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It was a somewhat slow, uneventful week. We're putting in a small coffee bar type area in my kitchen. The process has been going on since around November as the stars never seem to align for ordering the cabinets and installation. The cabinets were finally installed a few weeks ago and the countner was supposed to be put in Wednesday - but after they got the counter up here - it didn't fit. Grrrrr So take two happens next week and fingers crossed it will be done. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPI0CBqhphTQuHryOl-0vQfQtyljAceEPnbn4WjQ5Ket0QNAnigaCUtjF9LZqaaMxsByWjtEEMKSSVE9q8KWIsRNdINuuLipuKYpC7NpK7Uxzx-1tMtJUyvD1YDzoPGLoQjNXVnqaw8GBVvREexTGZQ9POKCKaRF3DGYpumOobuSWBWaIKN_9AWFlO6Wf0/s4000/fake%20spring.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="a park setting covered in a light snow, with daffodil blooms to the right and pond in the background" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPI0CBqhphTQuHryOl-0vQfQtyljAceEPnbn4WjQ5Ket0QNAnigaCUtjF9LZqaaMxsByWjtEEMKSSVE9q8KWIsRNdINuuLipuKYpC7NpK7Uxzx-1tMtJUyvD1YDzoPGLoQjNXVnqaw8GBVvREexTGZQ9POKCKaRF3DGYpumOobuSWBWaIKN_9AWFlO6Wf0/w320-h240/fake%20spring.jpg" title="snowy park" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>March is a moody beyotch</b>. After a glorious week of fake spring - this happened. Every day it rained, snowed, hailed, sun came out - repeat. So rude! We're having a few days of sun Thursday and Friday but very cold before we go back to a week of rain. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Over. It. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>BAKE:</b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimp6oXBP_T2aoGmAmm0g7b9GzWkNO6dvf9xSWrRdhaxL9fGWXadP1QcwWyYuOxc7xnbbCcLvNq6OWWKaaGmUJ7IbZDDggLoNb_kcfewGNxjkqAOHsfflD_5_ZrFP8bxqaNhIMToTP7vhtM-uzz0GnBXzfLf2nbgJiV-sQVaOoYkpsb28GRvQOR1tXa4Vn9/s1440/pandesal.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="a tray of freshly baked pandesal rolls" border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimp6oXBP_T2aoGmAmm0g7b9GzWkNO6dvf9xSWrRdhaxL9fGWXadP1QcwWyYuOxc7xnbbCcLvNq6OWWKaaGmUJ7IbZDDggLoNb_kcfewGNxjkqAOHsfflD_5_ZrFP8bxqaNhIMToTP7vhtM-uzz0GnBXzfLf2nbgJiV-sQVaOoYkpsb28GRvQOR1tXa4Vn9/w200-h200/pandesal.jpg" title="pandesal rolls" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">After posting about my ube brownies on IG - a friend told me a had to try making <i><b>Pandesal rolls</b></i> and have them with ube.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">They are a popular Filipino breakfast/snack roll . They are super soft and rolled in a very light coating of bread crumbs for a bit of crunch. Sooooo good, especially warm with the ube jam! A+ rec!<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">*For those who don't know - ube jam is made with purple sweet potatoes - usually found in Asian grocery stores. I used jam from Trader Joe's that they usually sell around June-ish.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">This is the recipe I used <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTcMZskN5_0">No-Fail Pandesal recipe</a>. I have a bread machine and I mix on the dough only setting and then shape/bake in my oven. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I used ube jam spread after they baked , but many recipes have you using the jam as a filling or even using a melty type cube of cheese before baking. I'll definitely be making these again.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>WATCHING: </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Napoleon - Apple+ -</b> ok, so this was never going be a *me* movie but it was soooooo 😴😴 Even Kevin didn't like it. It felt woefully miscast with Jaquim Phoenix as Napoleon.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Other than that, we haven't started anything new. We're waiting for Shogun to rack up a few more episodes before starting that and we watched the latest episode of Masters of Air on Apple+.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>READING: </b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I'm still reading<b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55577688-lights-out-in-lincolnwood"> Lights Out in Lincolnwood by Geoff Rodkey</a></i></b>. I'm almost done and I don't <i>hate</i> it but I don't really like it either. All the characters are just so whiny and useless lol I think I might write a review for it because, even though it's not my jam, I think some of you would like it. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: red;"><i><b>HAPPY BIRTHDAY RIPLEY</b></i> </span>🎂🥳</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD367nXzKS0vepJEO7vp23MWHuArdkBSs8E7E4dLaWWNH1HJ1Pb6Xm97yUU7IgMQWyOM-UAX8coZJPIJ0OwZymAAB4aWVA86_fxO4yMLEEnGJ-HzEjW3X5JctOiU2LZ0cYXR102h0z-OZgq6wdevqAeLtyibh8OXWrJm_EhDwo3WPKCUI6pmTdZ99OUvrO/s3000/rip%20bday.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="a sable and white sheltie's face looking down from a black leather sofa" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD367nXzKS0vepJEO7vp23MWHuArdkBSs8E7E4dLaWWNH1HJ1Pb6Xm97yUU7IgMQWyOM-UAX8coZJPIJ0OwZymAAB4aWVA86_fxO4yMLEEnGJ-HzEjW3X5JctOiU2LZ0cYXR102h0z-OZgq6wdevqAeLtyibh8OXWrJm_EhDwo3WPKCUI6pmTdZ99OUvrO/w320-h320/rip%20bday.jpg" title="ripley, sheltie" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ripely turned 4 on Tuesday and, unfortunately, had to spend it at the vets for an ear infection. (weirdly - the same exact thing happened with Kai on his birthday in December) </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">She is definitely one of the more challenging dogs I've ever owned but I adore my, let's be nice and say, <i>feisty</i>, baby girl</span> 💕<br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047843651411739466.post-38328483401209075482024-03-05T03:00:00.011-05:002024-03-05T10:33:07.557-05:00Tell Me Something Tuesday<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0B75tAxTBoJMRx5WvJeN5yJuy-eAXo8Fzxeo8p3QysAt4PtEWf-4v8iISVQOCQ_EetUfEMBNCYHDvFM0UW_EgqEJF89Xn1pDMrgyVlZehy5c8cawW36rJ3P6tEBcoAmC2VXdtRc-r55aJO1H_gEFjhCTjzzeMrapKkAHDAmrwlM5Eur8Lkbq8fhcbkg=s200" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img alt="4 women of various races sit on a blue sofa thought bubbles about their head that say Tell Me Something Tuesday" border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0B75tAxTBoJMRx5WvJeN5yJuy-eAXo8Fzxeo8p3QysAt4PtEWf-4v8iISVQOCQ_EetUfEMBNCYHDvFM0UW_EgqEJF89Xn1pDMrgyVlZehy5c8cawW36rJ3P6tEBcoAmC2VXdtRc-r55aJO1H_gEFjhCTjzzeMrapKkAHDAmrwlM5Eur8Lkbq8fhcbkg=w200-h200" title="tell me something tuesday" width="200" /></span></a></div><i style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. </span></i><p></p><p></p><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Century Gothic", Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="box-sizing: border-box;">It is co-hosted by</span><span face=""Century Gothic", Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="box-sizing: border-box;"> </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">(Linda from <a href="http://books-forlife.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #990000; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell</a></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">,</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> Roberta from </span><a href="http://offbeat-ya.blogspot.com/" style="background: 0px 0px transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #990000; letter-spacing: 0.5px; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.5s ease 0s;">Offbeat YA</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">, Jen from </span><a href="http://twimom227.com/" style="background: 0px 0px transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #990000; letter-spacing: 0.5px; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.5s ease 0s;">That’s What I’m Talking About</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">, Berl's from <a href="https://www.becausereading.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #990000; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">Because </a></span><a href="https://www.becausereading.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #990000; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">Reading<span style="box-sizing: border-box;"> is Better than Real Life</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> and me) </span></span></i></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Join in by answering this weeks question in the comments or on your own blog.</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-size: medium;">If you would like to join TMST and receive periodic emails of upcoming topics, <a href="https://forms.gle/ZYEZqJE3KWV2dv6J8" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #990000; outline-offset: -2px; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">please fill out this GOOGLE FORM</a>. TMST is a laid back meme – join </span></i><i style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-size: medium;">in or opt out depending on your interest in topics or schedule.</span></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Question: Describe yourself in three words.</b></span></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Answer: </b>Hoo-boy this is a tough one!</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Phobic</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Loyal</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Rebellious</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-size: medium;">To expand a little... I'm afraid of heights, closed/small spaces, flying, talking in front of, or with a large group of, people, and other various irrational things and I have panic attacks. I'm getting better about it and have been doing things that make me uncomfortable and using techniques (I saw a therapist) to get through it. I'm also happy to say that while I've had a sped up heart rate a few times, I haven't had an actual panic attack in several years. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Loyal. I like to think I stand by the people I love and fight for what I believe is right. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I will mostly likely do the opposite of whatever someone tells me to do - including myself. Once I am ordered to do something, or commit to do something, I don't want to do it anymore. lol</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Roberta always sends this gif to me...accurate 😂</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></p>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="317" src="https://giphy.com/embed/3oGRFIRcIaNalAD56g" width="480"></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/rogue-one-3oGRFIRcIaNalAD56g">via GIPHY</a></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">What about you? Describe yourself in three words.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_4vdkqAbohZ-sPWMLPp_ja7HjN87qfqTDn_2V6KLK7Lfb77VFKfBIT2vMV6QCddzEcZMg2C3892AVKucYmIUitKH3o6dIjCgksQev4TTKcvLksMQnzTP7DlHt7xhfsjblfHzS4gudpMImsg7m3P2rPMrbW-hO4ym2-OIWK7AzNaYYfRHPqwZX_RlKu8le/s760/BBack.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="760" height="53" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_4vdkqAbohZ-sPWMLPp_ja7HjN87qfqTDn_2V6KLK7Lfb77VFKfBIT2vMV6QCddzEcZMg2C3892AVKucYmIUitKH3o6dIjCgksQev4TTKcvLksMQnzTP7DlHt7xhfsjblfHzS4gudpMImsg7m3P2rPMrbW-hO4ym2-OIWK7AzNaYYfRHPqwZX_RlKu8le/w400-h53/BBack.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047843651411739466.post-52369796851959006232024-03-01T03:00:00.019-05:002024-03-01T03:00:00.131-05:00Weekly update: What I'm baking, watching, reading...<div style="height: 0px; padding-bottom: 25%; position: relative; width: 90%;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="90%" src="https://giphy.com/embed/hPfHqrxUlEgwM" style="position: absolute;" width="90%"></iframe></div><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/tristeza-hPfHqrxUlEgwM">via GIPHY</a></p>
<p> </p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I'm trying something a bit new so that I can get at least 2 posts a week up. The TMST is fairly simple and I should be able to draft answers ahead of time. I say<i> should</i>...because I'm me and probably won't do that lol</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I've also started doing an ongoing draft on the weekend and just jot down what I'm reading/watching/doing or upload pics as the week progresses. Then I just have to add a few sentences/links for the post to be ready to go on Friday. That's the hope anyway. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><i>So here's what happened in my little corner this week...</i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">After 3 gorgeous days of warm sunshine, we got 1 week (and still going) of cold, rain and snow. Not nice Mother Nature. Not nice. So mostly a week of indoor stuff.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">BAKING: </span></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJV4OsCN9hEdmITlo1T_wzZtHi7gT7HgrIXzVcNDJpFy2i7TvZy4WvsdybHSXrsJTBVOUapfv1tc4_ElgCenRbEgNfTo90-HE2U6MzdIo1JH5Q-sT18hM_L9jwprC32AblNzrTFzLR1Y0T7aT-nEvqwdFQnXqBhzuM7eHZYWACZBbBZlWG8k-pIq4QRhAe/s3000/bagel.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A loaf of Everything Bagel Bread cut in half so the center is visible. Everything bagel seasoning speckles both the top and center" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJV4OsCN9hEdmITlo1T_wzZtHi7gT7HgrIXzVcNDJpFy2i7TvZy4WvsdybHSXrsJTBVOUapfv1tc4_ElgCenRbEgNfTo90-HE2U6MzdIo1JH5Q-sT18hM_L9jwprC32AblNzrTFzLR1Y0T7aT-nEvqwdFQnXqBhzuM7eHZYWACZBbBZlWG8k-pIq4QRhAe/w200-h200/bagel.webp" title="No-knead everything bagel bread" width="200" /></a></div><b><i><p><b><i><br /></i></b></p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">No-knead Everything Bagel Bread (<a href="https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/no-knead-everything-bread-recipe">King Arthur Baking recipe</a>) </span></i></b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">- this was super easy (although it's a very wet dough to handle) and made excellent toast with a smear of cream cheese. I didn't want to order KA's bagel seasoning because I already had a jar of Asiago Everything Seasoning on hand, so I used that instead. Kevin thinks they would be great as rolls, so I might attempt that at some point. </span><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjRvXUyEPY0zgzFRmdHm64h8ey9BUo8jbqGO4u5C_7eMNWYhX8ttfGwN6Mr6UyOc-nCO4Q-EvqqpdrTvuD7G7YSNqfZgMRZpVooFVZEbpYSVb8TEVaJGWSyfBJWA6tCUHpJulUZ09CF7uhx1YVCWZHM83l4GKjMYyR_2BYEiv30-JyHmwZl5fEy8V5VuW/s4000/brownies.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="an 8x8 baking pan, lined with parchment paper and filled with brownie batter, swirled with ube ribbons" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhjRvXUyEPY0zgzFRmdHm64h8ey9BUo8jbqGO4u5C_7eMNWYhX8ttfGwN6Mr6UyOc-nCO4Q-EvqqpdrTvuD7G7YSNqfZgMRZpVooFVZEbpYSVb8TEVaJGWSyfBJWA6tCUHpJulUZ09CF7uhx1YVCWZHM83l4GKjMYyR_2BYEiv30-JyHmwZl5fEy8V5VuW/w320-h240/brownies.jpg" title="Brownies with ube" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><i>Brownies with ube and coconut chocolate bar</i></b>. I used the base cake brownie recipe from <b><i><a href="https://www.erinjeannemcdowell.com/the-fearless-baker">The Fearless Baker</a> by Erin Jeanne McDowell</i></b> and added swirls of Trader Joe's ube and chucks of a broken coconut chocolate bar. It's really unlike me to feel confident enough to go off the grid but my niece encouraged me to buy the seasonal TJ ube and I have no idea what else to do with it lol</span><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">WATCHING:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><i>Season 2 Fargo - Hulu </i></b>- S2 is a prequel to S1 - I won't say why because it could be a spoiler - but was kind of slow for the first 1/2 of the season and IMO, overly long at 10 episodes. Everything is really picking up & we're enjoying it now (episode 6) but really, it could have been wrapped sooner. There are a few characters I really like though (especially Ted Danson as a cop and his son-in-law, played by Lou Solverson ) & a few people I would like to see die a slow, horrible death lol, so we're in it until the end.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>READING:</i></b> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I'm listening to <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55577688-lights-out-in-lincolnwood">Lights Out in Lincolnwood by Geoff Rodkey. </a></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The entire technological grid shuts down in NYC and from Goodreads: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">"Over four transformative, chaotic days, this privileged but clueless American family will struggle to hold it together in the face of water shortages, paramilitary neighbors, and the well-mannered looting of the local Whole Foods as they try to figure out just what the hell is going on."</span> </i></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXQTlHRe8HoUeSdNAsbNhbxSGzD2Hslqripg3GTxkYI28lkPEJz4EpqUMWgjoNDQ_nhVuSx-MJVFof_IExs2-XYyU9PrHWvHr3fvg3_YINZfoG4NB4BN0S9bovYFHk0SAd5xEhImYhYuO0lMihy4llS-Wo49u1tLZejqcrQw7PTE3jOrzOqo4KnZMGPKg/s785/reading.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="audio book cover for lights out in lincolnwood" border="0" data-original-height="785" data-original-width="723" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXQTlHRe8HoUeSdNAsbNhbxSGzD2Hslqripg3GTxkYI28lkPEJz4EpqUMWgjoNDQ_nhVuSx-MJVFof_IExs2-XYyU9PrHWvHr3fvg3_YINZfoG4NB4BN0S9bovYFHk0SAd5xEhImYhYuO0lMihy4llS-Wo49u1tLZejqcrQw7PTE3jOrzOqo4KnZMGPKg/w184-h200/reading.jpg" title="Lights Out in Lincolnwood" width="184" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">They also call it "mordantly funny" but so far, there's a lot of setup and very little survival or funny going on. But it's not bad so I'll stick with it. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><i>Spam comments.</i></b> I was doing my regular search of the spam comment to make sure none of you had been thrown in comment jail and found these comments. They just crack me up. <i>Harsh!</i> lol They were on posts almost a decade old. WTF?</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzVog5IqHyVpbSpcc_OC4tBNMw-FqCcsHCgqVR5rPQdj3crVVad7szDiyJ0RA0fPIG1gO_1JCG_wHRmZXYjTqETdT8lr7tbYS9bg3o7teS7BVeUzMHkMCgkPPe4r-YZwjhZ-GtqRf6bFXbwbcq7OO3Kti68hQgf6KzhXvT72E6Lrho2fMIp7rl4Cl6lfnH/s1332/tempFileForShare_20240228-125741.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="screen capture of spam comments from anonymous posters. They say STFU and this was dum af, and no" border="0" data-original-height="1332" data-original-width="1146" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzVog5IqHyVpbSpcc_OC4tBNMw-FqCcsHCgqVR5rPQdj3crVVad7szDiyJ0RA0fPIG1gO_1JCG_wHRmZXYjTqETdT8lr7tbYS9bg3o7teS7BVeUzMHkMCgkPPe4r-YZwjhZ-GtqRf6bFXbwbcq7OO3Kti68hQgf6KzhXvT72E6Lrho2fMIp7rl4Cl6lfnH/w275-h320/tempFileForShare_20240228-125741.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Why waste the energy? Kevin believes it's just bots and they hit thousands of blogs with all kinds of comments just to get a click back. Sorry to disappoint you bot (or actual person) but I just laughed and deleted. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Finally, As much as I hate my current weather and long for a warming spring - I'm trying to find the beauty in what we have blah. blah, blah 😂 I love how the little raindrop is translucent enough for the pattern of the leaf to peek through.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqQyYjnVMSkDUEtZ8mLAdIPLU2Pj0e4VUjX1Dw1aqCA9mwcJD5BRqIG7v62hodK9Y0AAJ-UIAnCPYrzSrYIr67-PCTGdAIxfP1F3fjmBYloBMlQYUyVHlO8L07foVUGt8sogZm5rNIPneRsRMMmrzq6bIci8mTtIkw9PdvGJW703qfcHUsZpomECjUPCh/s4000/20240224_134950.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Multiple green leaflets with a single, translucent rain droplet in the center. Multiple leaves are also in the background" border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqQyYjnVMSkDUEtZ8mLAdIPLU2Pj0e4VUjX1Dw1aqCA9mwcJD5BRqIG7v62hodK9Y0AAJ-UIAnCPYrzSrYIr67-PCTGdAIxfP1F3fjmBYloBMlQYUyVHlO8L07foVUGt8sogZm5rNIPneRsRMMmrzq6bIci8mTtIkw9PdvGJW703qfcHUsZpomECjUPCh/w300-h400/20240224_134950.jpg" title="Leaf with rain drop" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047843651411739466.post-81382037365579365002024-02-27T03:00:00.000-05:002024-02-27T13:49:11.437-05:00Tell Me Something Tuesday: Spring reading<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0B75tAxTBoJMRx5WvJeN5yJuy-eAXo8Fzxeo8p3QysAt4PtEWf-4v8iISVQOCQ_EetUfEMBNCYHDvFM0UW_EgqEJF89Xn1pDMrgyVlZehy5c8cawW36rJ3P6tEBcoAmC2VXdtRc-r55aJO1H_gEFjhCTjzzeMrapKkAHDAmrwlM5Eur8Lkbq8fhcbkg=s200" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0B75tAxTBoJMRx5WvJeN5yJuy-eAXo8Fzxeo8p3QysAt4PtEWf-4v8iISVQOCQ_EetUfEMBNCYHDvFM0UW_EgqEJF89Xn1pDMrgyVlZehy5c8cawW36rJ3P6tEBcoAmC2VXdtRc-r55aJO1H_gEFjhCTjzzeMrapKkAHDAmrwlM5Eur8Lkbq8fhcbkg" width="200" /></a></div><i style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post where bloggers discuss a wide range of topics from books and blogging to life in general. </span></i><p></p><p></p><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span face=""Century Gothic", Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="box-sizing: border-box;">It is co-hosted by</span><span face=""Century Gothic", Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="box-sizing: border-box;"> </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">(Linda from <a href="http://books-forlife.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #990000; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell</a></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">,</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> Roberta from </span><a href="http://offbeat-ya.blogspot.com/" style="background: 0px 0px transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #990000; letter-spacing: 0.5px; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.5s ease 0s;">Offbeat YA</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">, Jen from </span><a href="http://twimom227.com/" style="background: 0px 0px transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #990000; letter-spacing: 0.5px; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.5s ease 0s;">That’s What I’m Talking About</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">, Berl's from <a href="https://www.becausereading.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #990000; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">Because </a></span><a href="https://www.becausereading.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #990000; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">Reading<span style="box-sizing: border-box;"> is Better than Real Life</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> and me) </span></span></i></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Join in by answering this weeks question in the comments or on your own blog.</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-size: medium;">If you would like to join TMST and receive periodic emails of upcoming topics, <a href="https://forms.gle/ZYEZqJE3KWV2dv6J8" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #990000; outline-offset: -2px; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">please fill out this GOOGLE FORM</a>. TMST is a laid back meme – join </span></i><i style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-size: medium;">in or opt out depending on your interest in topics or schedule.</span></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm going to attempt a thing...maybe do a TMST and a weekly recap about whatever is going on for that week on Fridays. That way, I'm at least posting lol Waiting for me to pick reading back up is just not going to work. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm starting back up on a bad (for me) question though lol</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Question: Which books are you looking forward to this spring?</i></b></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Answer: </b>I don't even know what's coming out in spring. Or even what came out LAST spring. I am so out of the bookish loop. I have quite a few audiobooks that I downloaded as part of the review program over at Libro.fm, so I would like to get to a few more of those. And maybe a few of my physical books that have been judgmentally staring at me for the past 4 years in my living room 😂</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">*Ooooh update! I thought of one!!!!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/179947229">The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore </a></b></i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I adored</span> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/61341469" style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">The Lonely Hearts Book Club</a><b style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic;"> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">and look forward to </span>listening<span style="font-family: inherit;"> to this next installment. </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-XPkLIyhMses1K6ChxasODeNx4JImxExrqaBqXh3qokzZG61ezASoQDDA96sIrFliornSmbD7SpaR_2GtI6e_FN2EKt3CbtlnB9DX7bo4cH6KlASvb3ZDKypqATwHY4S9ejGFL9VgyARAtjsh4Iw0g7jtn8eug_c_xBCM_K8cI0stM4F_tQGYC2Oa0YKd/s2475/179947229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2475" data-original-width="1650" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-XPkLIyhMses1K6ChxasODeNx4JImxExrqaBqXh3qokzZG61ezASoQDDA96sIrFliornSmbD7SpaR_2GtI6e_FN2EKt3CbtlnB9DX7bo4cH6KlASvb3ZDKypqATwHY4S9ejGFL9VgyARAtjsh4Iw0g7jtn8eug_c_xBCM_K8cI0stM4F_tQGYC2Oa0YKd/s320/179947229.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: #171717; font-size: large;">How about you? Any spring reading plans or book releases you are most looking forward to?</span></p>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047843651411739466.post-75757027194388049502024-02-23T14:45:00.002-05:002024-02-23T15:10:41.230-05:00Update: Baking, Reading (I read a book!), Watching...<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> I swear, I will, one day, figure this posting n a regular schedule thing out lol </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_S1qhCFVPL7w2tV7wkj8o9CzVOa9uq6iSqxPVHZrs8DqkVr67ab7YIyhJOFJsEFjHefFSdu7fj6nzWvImnCEgRVZ0m2O2hKVSb_TCKEC2IHezvi5RHxLHCcutgHwAyImi9CHuc8DrzmsPZldSlPHpZ2xmC4ZRJ-1pLurTMYyNJQZpgj-ntqiE7fMch5Qj/s4000/barfi.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_S1qhCFVPL7w2tV7wkj8o9CzVOa9uq6iSqxPVHZrs8DqkVr67ab7YIyhJOFJsEFjHefFSdu7fj6nzWvImnCEgRVZ0m2O2hKVSb_TCKEC2IHezvi5RHxLHCcutgHwAyImi9CHuc8DrzmsPZldSlPHpZ2xmC4ZRJ-1pLurTMYyNJQZpgj-ntqiE7fMch5Qj/s320/barfi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Life is going pretty good right now, overall. We are having a "fake" spring. I say that because after this gorgeous week of sun and 60's, we'll be </span>having<span style="font-family: inherit;"> a week of 40's, rain and possible snow next week. I take what I can get and enjoy it while it lasts. </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm still baking more than reading. Below is my 3rd sourdough loaf and I think it's fair to say I have the hang of it and I have a strong, reliable starter. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I also baked an </span>Indian<span style="font-family: inherit;"> dessert called Baked Coconut Barfi from <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65212166-the-effortless-baker">The Effortless Baker cookbook by Janani Elavazhagan. </a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhOVog46F6rEVPBuuC1kqETLKhs72FyCi9B3kx0QZ3sT7_431qIlWtPolLgWxPKg-HBt-c_0RlUXmt6WePtGp-IlDps7iKEhBZvBodTKgUg0G9ofMMzXLzNNq_Oeulf4gBGIpm1IET_sWgwrMYs_E4wxZlU2ELTRZLCqS3OMzj-B1PQXLKoGWuWcF7jsX2/s2969/20240222_155823.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2969" data-original-width="2764" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhOVog46F6rEVPBuuC1kqETLKhs72FyCi9B3kx0QZ3sT7_431qIlWtPolLgWxPKg-HBt-c_0RlUXmt6WePtGp-IlDps7iKEhBZvBodTKgUg0G9ofMMzXLzNNq_Oeulf4gBGIpm1IET_sWgwrMYs_E4wxZlU2ELTRZLCqS3OMzj-B1PQXLKoGWuWcF7jsX2/s320/20240222_155823.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><b><span style="font-size: large;">Reading:</span></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I saw Jenni talk about <b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58733693-remarkably-bright-creatures">Remarkably Bright Creatures </a></i></b>on IG, then on her <a href="https://jennielyse.com/january-book-club-2/">blog</a> & it gave me the kick in the pants I needed to a) read b) read this book I've had on audio since last year. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm SO glad I did! It was such a </span>poignant<span style="font-family: inherit;">, delightful story that made me laugh, cry and everything in between.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's a book that intertwines various characters at different crossroads in life through the unlikely POV of Marcellus, a giant Pacific Octopus living at a local aquarium. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I listened o this on audio - there are multiple POV's, but Marcellus's droll start to his chapters<i> "day 345 of my captivity" </i>had me cackling.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I started a second book, I'm enjoying, today but I'll keep it to myself for now in case it goes south lol</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b>Watching:</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We watched <b><i>The Marvels on Disney</i></b> - we meant to see it at the movie theatre but Kevin had to travel a lot and we missed out. The reviews (from people </span>not<span style="font-family: inherit;"> the critics) were awful but I gotta say, this movie was a damn delight. It </span>reminded<span style="font-family: inherit;"> me (in tone) to the first Ant Man. It was fun and about connections and characters over the big budget, hammy acting from big stars. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That's all for now! Maybe...hopefully...(not likely lol) I will have a post again for you next week. </span></span></p>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047843651411739466.post-50095724725133833802024-01-30T16:38:00.002-05:002024-02-01T20:04:26.883-05:00Watching... Fargo, The Brothers Sun, Monarch, A Murder at the End of the World, and more...<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW4PMZkuunaMwZLvaTbRa_El2o0OvMK0ohlRmbv0OZYPYq26LZEgZJeZUcyo6Wln5_JQl8xFwCEc-tJUPafdugVr8TuNYxIIocR18vwB4NRxvkImvgcRxFArpltiw_y8CNbIz8evXdIafyOs2VwPqDgdfEpw4rs0xwY3uO4GOBhw3TRs4Tn2CmILQWZ9Hl/s350/Facebook%20Post.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="249" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW4PMZkuunaMwZLvaTbRa_El2o0OvMK0ohlRmbv0OZYPYq26LZEgZJeZUcyo6Wln5_JQl8xFwCEc-tJUPafdugVr8TuNYxIIocR18vwB4NRxvkImvgcRxFArpltiw_y8CNbIz8evXdIafyOs2VwPqDgdfEpw4rs0xwY3uO4GOBhw3TRs4Tn2CmILQWZ9Hl/w143-h200/Facebook%20Post.png" width="143" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /> </span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">We've been watching A LOT of TV lately. We're on some weird documentary kick right now. I think because they're usually quick and don't require a binge worthy time investment and I always learn some weird, random thing I didn't know before. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">But we did watch several popular series & here's a quick round-up!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF4V1EMwE_7kaFWPknoZni1n0gDzR9BSvDJchHEkeYyWAcxoaWLwYq190KOPEFyj4LOeWUN-llJiE3zjjmxe0GF2_slCoH_fuLx_1HeIZATwXAzVl7-qnDw0LGq7o8W2BRGfGe9b5KAbVJjwmTNKWeRhyr_gwF3Agk-R7dGFfnX7OFh8_DoYJ-09y-UCP/s304/fargo.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="209" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSF4V1EMwE_7kaFWPknoZni1n0gDzR9BSvDJchHEkeYyWAcxoaWLwYq190KOPEFyj4LOeWUN-llJiE3zjjmxe0GF2_slCoH_fuLx_1HeIZATwXAzVl7-qnDw0LGq7o8W2BRGfGe9b5KAbVJjwmTNKWeRhyr_gwF3Agk-R7dGFfnX7OFh8_DoYJ-09y-UCP/s1600/fargo.png" width="209" /></a></div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">Fargo S5 </b><a href="https://www.hulu.com/series/fargo-203cda1b-7919-40fb-ab36-1e45b3ed2a50" style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold;">FX/HULU</a><b style="font-family: inherit;"> - Starring (</b><b>against</b><b style="font-family: inherit;"> type) Juno Temple (Keeley from ted Lasso) and Jon Hamm & a STELLAR Jennifer Jason Leigh - plus many, many more recognizable faces.</b></span></i></div><div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">👍👍</b><span style="font-family: inherit;">I saw Fargo, the movie, years ago but had never watched the TV series until now & WOWZA. This was some of the best television I've seen recently. We were </span>riveted<span style="font-family: inherit;"> and holding our breath worrying about characters fates. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We're going back and </span>watching<span style="font-family: inherit;"> the series from the start now - every season is a new story/cast. S1 was </span>excellent<span style="font-family: inherit;"> but nothing tops S5 to me. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">*TW: This show is very violent - so just a general </span>warning<span style="font-family: inherit;"> there, but also this season is about domestic violence. It makes many references to past violence and and on screen domestic </span>violence, as well as PTSD reactions to events. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjry2oJuZ_lBMpQz3mPVK6CuaTDOPbKgML_syxBxsUjIi0Kkxzu0FwBySk9F6MHV9GrPR3BqpqMSey2xfIushuShkIQE-ElFpmDYFZ4ZNEx_GEXM5BoSCCShh855JHLXLSH_p87-ibOZmyZdX8yT5WK1rVJBL7yFXOFogZntSfBRbZ7OcCNAwrRqjS3Hid2/s500/TV.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjry2oJuZ_lBMpQz3mPVK6CuaTDOPbKgML_syxBxsUjIi0Kkxzu0FwBySk9F6MHV9GrPR3BqpqMSey2xfIushuShkIQE-ElFpmDYFZ4ZNEx_GEXM5BoSCCShh855JHLXLSH_p87-ibOZmyZdX8yT5WK1rVJBL7yFXOFogZntSfBRbZ7OcCNAwrRqjS3Hid2/s320/TV.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Brothers Son<a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81389634"> Netflix</a> - </i>This stars, the always amazing, Michelle Yeoh. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><i>"<span style="background-color: white;">When a mysterious enemy targets his family, a Taipei triad member heads to Los Angeles to protect his strong-willed mother and oblivious younger </span><span style="background-color: white;">brother</span><span style="background-color: white;">."</span></i></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">👍👍Fun, action packed (very bloody)</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">***</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><i>Monarch: Legacy of Monsters <a href="https://tv.apple.com/us/show/monarch-legacy-of-monsters/umc.cmc.62l8x0ixrhyq3yaqa5y8yo7ew">AppleTV</a> - <span style="font-family: inherit;">"</span></i></b></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>After the world-shattering revelation that monsters are real, two siblings follow in their father's footsteps to uncover their family's connection to the secretive organization known as Monarch."</i></span></span></p><p><b style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">👍</b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">We liked it. Good background story and acting elevates, what feels like just another set up for a </span><span style="font-size: medium;">never-ending</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>barrage<span style="font-family: inherit;"> of inter-connecting shows/movies and spin offs.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">***</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><i>A Murder at the End of the World <a href="https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/a-murder-at-the-end-of-the-world">FX/HULU </a> - </i></b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><span style="background-color: white;">"A Murder at the End of the World" is a mystery series with a new kind of detective at the helm -- a Gen Z amateur sleuth and tech-savvy hacker named Darby Hart. In the new limited series, Darby and eight other guests are invited by a reclusive billionaire to participate in a retreat at a remote and</span><span class="yZlgBd" style="background-color: white; display: inline;"> dazzling location. When one of the other guests is found dead, Darby must put to use all of her combined skills to prove it was in fact murder, all against a tide of competing interests and before the killer takes another life."</span></i></span></p><p><b style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">👍</b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">We watched this because it starred Clive Owen and it was fine. There was a lot of hype around it but we felt like it dragged a bit too long and didn't make use of some of the bigger messages it kept dropping - like </span><span style="font-size: medium;">environmental</span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">, </span>egomaniacal<span style="font-family: inherit;"> tech giants, cyber safety etc. But it was interesting and if you are into crime thrillers more than I am - give it a go. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">***</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><b>Love at First Sight - </b>Based on The Statistical Probability of Falling in Love at First Sight by Jennifer E Smith<a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81504327"> Netflix</a></i></span></p><p><b style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">👍👍</b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">My friend and I do a weekly virtual movie date and this was our pick. We both loved it and thought it was one of the better rom-com type movies we've seen in a long time. Great acting, chemistry, good story, GREAT ending.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">***</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic;">Percy Jackson Disney -</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> we're </span>watching<span style="font-family: inherit;"> the new series adaptation and we're not hooked or anything but it follows the books and it's fun, even if it'</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">s not super compelling</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">***</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">We also watched all the recent Doctor Who - except for the Christmas special.\</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">***</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="font-family: inherit;">Documentaries</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> - Arnold </span>Schwarzenegger<span style="font-family: inherit;">, </span>Sylvester<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span>Stallone<span style="font-family: inherit;">, Rita Moreno, Squaring the Circle (about iconic album covers), Inventing David Geffen</span></span></p><p><br /></p></div>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047843651411739466.post-48597602592872028102024-01-24T14:53:00.004-05:002024-01-25T12:47:25.964-05:00Happy (very belated) New Year - new year, same lazy blogger...<p> HAPPY NEW YEAR!</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">New year - same me...still barely reading and barely posting lol</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I had all these posts planned but I seem to get bogged down when it comes to actually writing them. I thought I would start off simple and show what I read last year and what I'm reading right now. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Apparently, I read 32 books last year. That's about 30 more than it felt like I read. Far below the 200+ I used to, but anytime I finish a book these days is a win for me. My Goodreads goal for this year is 12.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">2023 READS: Here's a link to my <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/3594840-karen?ref=nav_mybooks&shelf=read-2023">2023 shelf</a> in case you want to read my rating or review (if I left one)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">*Partners in Crime is there twice despite me only listening to the audio..I CANNOT seem to get this duplicate off my damn shelf lol</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QzSv3GSynqDqu-SVCWNLfdvZk-NxWp9AUiBILYxCd105QF_-P2nXetS6thandoQpqNkw4v5jfNZMhXI6KvHASeD-9IFu8J0n0OUl2HIUpLafNzME25YqJKV0iXMvgeKTBmC8FVnLK-JTuFM2AOmjbbBsLqSTLa6aNfwi4Po0Od3igY8s4_bWLAAKTahL/s720/Screenshot%202024-01-24%20095925.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="627" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QzSv3GSynqDqu-SVCWNLfdvZk-NxWp9AUiBILYxCd105QF_-P2nXetS6thandoQpqNkw4v5jfNZMhXI6KvHASeD-9IFu8J0n0OUl2HIUpLafNzME25YqJKV0iXMvgeKTBmC8FVnLK-JTuFM2AOmjbbBsLqSTLa6aNfwi4Po0Od3igY8s4_bWLAAKTahL/w558-h640/Screenshot%202024-01-24%20095925.png" width="558" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The standouts: <b><i>The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore</i></b> was a sweet bookish vibes, feel good read.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, and All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Crosby </i>were well outside my comfort zone but both surprising hits for me.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Undertaking of Heart and Mercy by Megan Bannen and Chick Magnet byt Emma Barry </i>were balm for my jaded romance genre soul. Once my favorite go-to reads - romance has been meh for me lately but these two were great. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><i>Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune</i></b> was a great (not a direct) follow up to <b style="font-style: italic;">The House in Cerulean Sea </b>- much darker and not quite as good as Cerulean Sea,<i> Under the Whispering Door</i> still held the same whimsy and compelling characters that I've grown to love from Klune. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Biggest disappointments - </span><i style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold;">Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn - </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">I wanted (& expected to!) love this one but it was </span>just<span style="font-family: inherit;"> meh for me. <i style="font-weight: bold;">Radio Silence by Alice Oseman - </i>I buddy read this with Greg and that made it fun - but otherwise this book was nothing I was expecting. i thought it was a dystopian but it was straight up HS drama and just kind of odd. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Everything else on there is pretty good - I did not finish Elatsoe yet. I was listening on audio and my loan expired but I will get back to it. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">CURRENTLY READING</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMQEnGTgu5tvfrm38AHwajvu4wxHACFBYd4NMpNpQuGhXZ9kbXvjxpEAAamixW5UDRzxq6vWOiUefiK7BItjjs_cdzoKfJq0zRuzTvP4-_OwU6aRyiS2ygDm344TglouzFxd3bcZrdaBHrcqJ04E7x0y4a9FEOMp9GFm8vW0J5gaWcK8jQPwtrbLz_KNU/s1366/remarkable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMQEnGTgu5tvfrm38AHwajvu4wxHACFBYd4NMpNpQuGhXZ9kbXvjxpEAAamixW5UDRzxq6vWOiUefiK7BItjjs_cdzoKfJq0zRuzTvP4-_OwU6aRyiS2ygDm344TglouzFxd3bcZrdaBHrcqJ04E7x0y4a9FEOMp9GFm8vW0J5gaWcK8jQPwtrbLz_KNU/s320/remarkable.jpg" width="211" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><i>Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58733693-remarkably-bright-creatures">Goodreads</a></i></b><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I've had this on my libro.fm app for awhile now and<a href="https://jennielyse.com/january-book-club-2/"> Jenni's review</a> finally gave me the kick int he pants I needed to start it. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One of the POV's is Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus, living an aquarium where Tova Sullivan works. From what I gather so far, their lives intersect and, Tova heals from grief and loss.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm really liking the author and Marcellus's POV - (paraphrasing...) <i>Day 145 of my captivity</i>...lol</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">ONE POST FOR THE NEW YEAR DOWN!! </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm hoping to do a post about what I've been watching next - maybe for Monday?? Come yell at me if I don't lol</span></span></p>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047843651411739466.post-34786478514817449902023-12-21T14:00:00.000-05:002023-12-21T14:00:23.943-05:00Waves Hello!<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> Helloooooo stranger! I just haven't gotten my blogging shit together lol </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Still not reading. And apprently I bake now??? </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I did want to touch base and get at least one more post in before the end of they year, so here's what's been happening in my little world.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zr_zWq3XTDi7q-vo8rTgsKCjTr7wP-DGRa4s2m284ur-ePVbCVA_2DDo-TzRegZoEZVh2Y_KzSo5CJCVrqAFGvZiE9kFfclcJfUMJrey19z9PDoiC2x1adnTK0R-BG3-bKIH3Z3U5RU8JvW4XarSCqa-TwJ59rgwgXFVtGQ4u-eAIsoZmC3biVqM9QaS/s2048/vampire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1328" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zr_zWq3XTDi7q-vo8rTgsKCjTr7wP-DGRa4s2m284ur-ePVbCVA_2DDo-TzRegZoEZVh2Y_KzSo5CJCVrqAFGvZiE9kFfclcJfUMJrey19z9PDoiC2x1adnTK0R-BG3-bKIH3Z3U5RU8JvW4XarSCqa-TwJ59rgwgXFVtGQ4u-eAIsoZmC3biVqM9QaS/w130-h200/vampire.jpg" width="130" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">I did read a whopping one book in the last few months.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine</i> ~<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60041932-my-roommate-is-a-vampire?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=cjQGUj8WTN&rank=1">goodreads</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It was cute. Maybe a 3 1/2 star read. The first half was fun but the second half kind of went out the with a whimper for me. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I just got, what I thought, was the <b>final</b> <i>Heartstopper, Volume 5</i>, only to find out there will yet another one. Which is fine. I love the series and the characters but it was supposed to end at Volume 4 and, at this point, feels like a bait and switch. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I Bake!</span><br /><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I am not really a great cook and especially not a great baker but apparently, I am getting better??</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxG8KqxpI_PqIm_a2MUnOGSvnpuhVRNy9leU4zZb_6n5yOhVppJQ-nOLuvcLnfLkE4yC5NenwSuqlXxLDTsHqg_2bBRY3BfSJHLVjvPg4j-_-XjC3nlZ0tQTPdQPy5FbEwB1R_0sSAOPxpdOXVYILtnUFT83w1j-oi8BDxL1-TVRRv-H2qs-8Yi_OqnUhM/s2916/sourdough.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A pyrex measuring cup filled with rising sourdough starter" border="0" data-original-height="2916" data-original-width="2160" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxG8KqxpI_PqIm_a2MUnOGSvnpuhVRNy9leU4zZb_6n5yOhVppJQ-nOLuvcLnfLkE4yC5NenwSuqlXxLDTsHqg_2bBRY3BfSJHLVjvPg4j-_-XjC3nlZ0tQTPdQPy5FbEwB1R_0sSAOPxpdOXVYILtnUFT83w1j-oi8BDxL1-TVRRv-H2qs-8Yi_OqnUhM/w237-h320/sourdough.jpeg" title="rising sourdough starter" width="237" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">My sourdough starter is finally strong enough to bake with. I've made a focaccia and rolls. This latest feeding tripled in size so I'm going for bread next. I am a negligent starter mom so I'm kind of shocked at my success. I started with Ellie (einkorn flour) and Ryan (rye flour) way back in March and killed Ryan - he got moldy lol</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Books and baking collide and I bought <i>The Effortless Baker by Janani Elavazhagan</i> ~<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65212166-the-effortless-baker?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=437rZDl9EK&rank=1">goodreads</a> at an author book signing for Gobble Up - an awesome foodie event in </span><span style="font-size: large;">Portland. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">She's a food blogger and food photographer and I knew I wanted to get a prettier pan to show off her recipes. I baked the Blueberry Almond Breakfast Loaf and it was delicious. And honestly, easy peasy. It's a one bowl quick bread. It just looks fancy because of the loaf pan. But you can bake right in a regular loaf pan as well.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGA7pBL38u3yUUz4k86j9roSQtJSQJhyI8QswO_PbKPF9tDgvItW31xeo1sT6LDaNN57C6lCtx4Rn4mFKtZNN7SL5pqh_HyYN6VwWdfXbhZeOkfjleVQr-g1t4KhWLfo9jyrF9JIv8b0_GeimvqLFIoSQkSQ8J9jbcgcn-ZrrUAe9-PHVFjNIPuFOtWmCF/s1440/Effortless.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A loaf of blueberry almond bread with a beautiful spiral pattern, dusted with powdered sugar. To the right, sits a copy of The Effortless Baker" border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGA7pBL38u3yUUz4k86j9roSQtJSQJhyI8QswO_PbKPF9tDgvItW31xeo1sT6LDaNN57C6lCtx4Rn4mFKtZNN7SL5pqh_HyYN6VwWdfXbhZeOkfjleVQr-g1t4KhWLfo9jyrF9JIv8b0_GeimvqLFIoSQkSQ8J9jbcgcn-ZrrUAe9-PHVFjNIPuFOtWmCF/w320-h320/Effortless.jpg" title="The Effortless Baker by Janani Elavazhagan and blueberry bread" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Then I baked cookies for Kevin to bring to his office for gift day. They always request my ginger molasses cookies & I added a batch of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C0_2eJaLqXj/">Peanut Butter Marshmallow Cookies </a>by Kale Junkie. Her version was gluten and sugar free but I used regular flour for mine. I also added peanut butter chips to half the batch and mini chocolate chips to the other. OMG sooooo good! Kevin reported that the peanut butter cookies were gone in under 10 minutes and the molasses within the hour. So whew! I'm always so nervous sending in baked goods. lol</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh60DnM-yVYtL92Q1Q6geCuE_4nUtFtYCDDv0XvTxmqEy-AXKKpyXuL_5mTZZsRVeptDLdxFcGVMnZrUTDTuhtRxfO_AtoaAHCrByralGPQo4nNNl7LHOBKJT3zrXjX7OEs5_BHD0Z8ZcVwX4_5MfDsDgBAX1ihDVm42Cj5dnc8ySRNYIQC2-Dg48CULqZz/s674/IMG_20231220_114504_323.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A plate full of assorted cookies on a round tray - sitting on a christmas placemat with a snowy tree on the left , on a wood table." border="0" data-original-height="503" data-original-width="674" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh60DnM-yVYtL92Q1Q6geCuE_4nUtFtYCDDv0XvTxmqEy-AXKKpyXuL_5mTZZsRVeptDLdxFcGVMnZrUTDTuhtRxfO_AtoaAHCrByralGPQo4nNNl7LHOBKJT3zrXjX7OEs5_BHD0Z8ZcVwX4_5MfDsDgBAX1ihDVm42Cj5dnc8ySRNYIQC2-Dg48CULqZz/w320-h239/IMG_20231220_114504_323.webp" title="Plate of christmas cookies" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This was such a weird year with a lot of personal things going on (a few of you know about some of it and THANK YOU for being there!). We're ok but it's been a lot and I hope next year is better. I know it's been that way for a lot of you too so {{hugs}} - this is not always a joyful time of year for everyone.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm grateful so many of you still pop in to visit and comment or say hi elsewhere on Instagram or even texting. I'm not on anything else very much these days but I'm still not ready to permanently quit blogging for some reason.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anyhoo...I'll end with my two goobers that help me get through the stressful times. Even if they also cause some of my stressful times lol</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div> </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGqFKXQ8g2DBZ_exPT_NAs3QCTSvwODZsCHky3K2eoquVHgIS4VNA6OFHlCtadu9z2jV-U1BfvDVaKEih5MupBDffsXcs37Zt1I4EBRYStL4KbxXp0zLc82QAVF-L8ySFRJxyubmjbNvrhG6WTQBc1ERH-5o26sQpq3C2aubfsQBRI0YWGS6fKe5lKiAqU/s2717/cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="2 sable and white shelties sitting in front of a large white sign , bordered to the left with red Christmas ball garland. The sign says Life is Short, Eat Christmas Cookies" border="0" data-original-height="2717" data-original-width="1896" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGqFKXQ8g2DBZ_exPT_NAs3QCTSvwODZsCHky3K2eoquVHgIS4VNA6OFHlCtadu9z2jV-U1BfvDVaKEih5MupBDffsXcs37Zt1I4EBRYStL4KbxXp0zLc82QAVF-L8ySFRJxyubmjbNvrhG6WTQBc1ERH-5o26sQpq3C2aubfsQBRI0YWGS6fKe5lKiAqU/w223-h320/cookies.jpg" title="Life is short eat Christmas cookies, shelties" width="223" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I'll see you back here in the new year - maybe, hopefully, no promises 😂</span></div><br /></div><p></p>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047843651411739466.post-21273782095554285092023-10-30T15:11:00.000-04:002023-10-30T15:11:12.723-04:00Weekly check-in...<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Still not reading so I guess I'm going to turn the blog into a weekly check-in for now lol</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I cannot believe tomorrow is Halloween! It's my favorite holiday and I got a jump on indoor decorating in September but still haven't done a thing outside yet. I just bought candy this morning. Kevin dragged my skeletons and gravestones out from the basement Sunday, so there's still time, I guess lol</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I did buy a few books at my new local indie bookstore, Copper Bell Bookstore and at Powell's in Portland.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I haven't been getting many physical books but I wanted to support them. I got <i>Teach the Torches to Burn by Caleb Roehrig</i>. I've always enjoyed his books and how he writes in several genres (all YA). This is his take on a queer Romeo & Juliet remix.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Solitare by Alice Oseman</i>. I love the Heartstopper graphic novel series and Charlie's sister Tori is a favorite of mine. This is her book - in regular novel form - not a GN.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">My Roomate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine has a super fun retro cover (which you can't see here lol) and it's been ages since I've read anything paranormal.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1LgyHINl1a8Jlk-jp7v6KTjw2wj4BA6KnnVArgHyd5EeVsUGdMO_3GvNdgTZkCR7Bf-0zQBpEJwhXJQ_FdKGBNxVcNQZojpBQ4w4Ix-sm-0rLATVSz6BJvhW7OBDe4c7WGwLv48DXK8inT6UsZSIwOYNTfpi7N-RoTbEyimiuoV92y7Q6816F5wcf5tQ/s3608/books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The spines of three books - Teach the Torches to Burn, Solitare, My Roomate is a Vampire - face up. Bookended by a black staub ceramic pumpkin witha gold stem handle tot he left and black and white skull napkins to the right. Orange with white leaf pattern in the background" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3608" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1LgyHINl1a8Jlk-jp7v6KTjw2wj4BA6KnnVArgHyd5EeVsUGdMO_3GvNdgTZkCR7Bf-0zQBpEJwhXJQ_FdKGBNxVcNQZojpBQ4w4Ix-sm-0rLATVSz6BJvhW7OBDe4c7WGwLv48DXK8inT6UsZSIwOYNTfpi7N-RoTbEyimiuoV92y7Q6816F5wcf5tQ/w400-h333/books.jpg" title="Books" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">This past weekend we checked out the Portland Farmers Market at PSU. It's one of the oldest and largest in the area and that's where a lot of chefs go to get their produce. I can see why. The sheer variety is off the charts. There had to be at least 50 apple varieties between all the vendors and all grown locally. There were about 20 potato varieties as well. </span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWEFf-imWmLjj3pPsXgoxIIt3KivvttxU-8b3hpeF_ovuQyGYuuqjhKdomZgTPfclHelvY6SszDKtjEa5nLK1Fmfrx57O90BZtHvTeJ6GnXugT9wrXunbe9Op9LN9ry_5bYJCzNQBekUEHnEI-I9EbvbytfJGwJHDkEhlAM70d4WGT8vnXlfuAKmR2paK/s4000/apples.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A long row of baskets filled with different apple varieties on a table, at a farmers market" border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWEFf-imWmLjj3pPsXgoxIIt3KivvttxU-8b3hpeF_ovuQyGYuuqjhKdomZgTPfclHelvY6SszDKtjEa5nLK1Fmfrx57O90BZtHvTeJ6GnXugT9wrXunbe9Op9LN9ry_5bYJCzNQBekUEHnEI-I9EbvbytfJGwJHDkEhlAM70d4WGT8vnXlfuAKmR2paK/w240-h320/apples.jpg" title="PSU, apples" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I picked up some unique grains like this Abenaki Polenta. It's a heritage corn variety with red and yellow corn. I bought wheat berries because I can never seem to find any at stores.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_iTL8_-maJNlco1zpw-S19Iq0hmjneTn-fV8N70nQmBmXuoGQDQj1zGe_4j1Wfw4kBVPgpuMTrvHHvUlxtgb4N4o1RW8PG0kvq-UIMhY8dreEmJh5hLcRQTuDR85I25PtizK6riByFD20mdV9EsrBflaN-HPsZzeu4aCNXEedNqJrf4o-f_Bw-rB8rSB/s4000/farmers%20market.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_iTL8_-maJNlco1zpw-S19Iq0hmjneTn-fV8N70nQmBmXuoGQDQj1zGe_4j1Wfw4kBVPgpuMTrvHHvUlxtgb4N4o1RW8PG0kvq-UIMhY8dreEmJh5hLcRQTuDR85I25PtizK6riByFD20mdV9EsrBflaN-HPsZzeu4aCNXEedNqJrf4o-f_Bw-rB8rSB/w400-h300/farmers%20market.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And my new seasonal obsession, squash lol I had no idea there were so many kinds and just picked them up at the grocery store. The two rounder ones are both spaghetti squash, but unique, and the one to the right is sweet potato acorn squash. And a pretty radicchio.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I also got this GOREOUS fresh Peruvian ginger. I've never had fresh ginger. This smells and tastes amazing!!!!</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVlWg-EhNWL7KiEHtDzSb936Isiyq7O4Ip8EfHX5dfhBmqyjC1kLl1Ejugzvs8qMfoKvcbsCOamzt5lvakTMy4jE3-7ywxvQur2xI5D_2-Y6q8JGD7iFRm0dNcB4c198WOXtvawht9JOtwVTd-Ysan4dNTq4m-b_v8dk1Chki3kMSXhWwkGDsCqBNhB_gS/s3050/ginger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="a bundle of fresh ginger. pale yellow with pale pink at the top with greens tems" border="0" data-original-height="2423" data-original-width="3050" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVlWg-EhNWL7KiEHtDzSb936Isiyq7O4Ip8EfHX5dfhBmqyjC1kLl1Ejugzvs8qMfoKvcbsCOamzt5lvakTMy4jE3-7ywxvQur2xI5D_2-Y6q8JGD7iFRm0dNcB4c198WOXtvawht9JOtwVTd-Ysan4dNTq4m-b_v8dk1Chki3kMSXhWwkGDsCqBNhB_gS/w320-h254/ginger.jpg" title="peruvian ginger" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">And just because...Ripley - standing next to the weekly famers market pun sign</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOP6ZJHYjHhUfu6T7hDPDJLjLAzRx2TM2Zizh8cjnKHTm51-MTuANxcfcjYbAZjsOVekjWwC4rmfTwSi3j9WEMi-16mck_02etTPUOw5AkG8KvAFvtBDd69XH6IIZRGxUjf15nq8qIcK0Ud8ku_08HgAm8NhQrAdYSpJ2oGEnV64ZK9_0SoIlKbbc2QnxW/s4000/ripley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOP6ZJHYjHhUfu6T7hDPDJLjLAzRx2TM2Zizh8cjnKHTm51-MTuANxcfcjYbAZjsOVekjWwC4rmfTwSi3j9WEMi-16mck_02etTPUOw5AkG8KvAFvtBDd69XH6IIZRGxUjf15nq8qIcK0Ud8ku_08HgAm8NhQrAdYSpJ2oGEnV64ZK9_0SoIlKbbc2QnxW/s320/ripley.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>"What helped the witch win the race?</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Her vroomstick."</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I'll see myself out after that one lol</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Happy Halloween!!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">P.S. I have a follow up CT scan this week (they saw several nodules on my lungs 6 months ago) so please send good vibes. I'm trying and only half succeeding at not freaking out and wait for actual results.</span></div><p></p>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047843651411739466.post-91094306969960058182023-10-26T15:19:00.001-04:002023-10-26T15:19:54.230-04:00Adventuring!<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Once again, I'm not reading - UGH - but I'm going to share a fun adventure I had last weekend. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kevin and I explored Ape Caves and a few surrounding area hikes. The caves are in Gifford Pinchot National Forest in WA - near Mount Saint Helens. There are 2, 3000 year old lava tubes - an upper and a lower. We did the 3/4 mile lower tube, as I am SUPER </span>claustrophobic, and the lower is more open, shorter<span style="font-family: inherit;"> and flatter for walking. The upper tube is over 2 miles long, requires some rock pile climbs, an 8 foot wall with only a rope and much narrower sections. Nope! lol</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Like I said - super claustrophobic - but I'm trying to overcome some of my phobias with (in therapist speak) exposer therapy. Kevin had actually taken his sister to the cave the week before so he could scope it out for me. Plus, I wouldn't be ruining his chance to see it if I did panic. BUT I DID NOT. I'm So proud of myself!! Here I am at "The meatball" lol</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxZ-og-itlKq0ABsTmWaD30xNI2nZ4VNBOpZNrf2ybaY7p-J0pOFrdxnW4T4PWHN0dhbRdLQQgWKHLdc7Nt8IKhP5qnK4S-dQR7yuLDuBpukjVnnquig7G_ajuira1XHoRkhrUfv82ruCgkMfwt6wfug3BY9SILM5Z1MCk-9042jPo0UXlbS8eYxuEEIo/s1600/meatball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Woman, wearing orange jacket, standing with arms outstretched up at round rock suspended between two rock walls in an underground lava cave" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxZ-og-itlKq0ABsTmWaD30xNI2nZ4VNBOpZNrf2ybaY7p-J0pOFrdxnW4T4PWHN0dhbRdLQQgWKHLdc7Nt8IKhP5qnK4S-dQR7yuLDuBpukjVnnquig7G_ajuira1XHoRkhrUfv82ruCgkMfwt6wfug3BY9SILM5Z1MCk-9042jPo0UXlbS8eYxuEEIo/w300-h400/meatball.jpg" title="Ape Cave, The meatball" width="300" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It is 42 degrees, drippy and pitch black without lights. They recommend at least 2-4 light sources but Kevin had these superpowered head lamps from his work and they worked great. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Anyhoo...here are a few pics from the cave.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKT3gVmFhyphenhyphenC1tBn8ycrtdFBDM9EMhO_W52anpN0dEL_9hUNYTL07oxKQG_I-XH-9e1wtWv1UpAT0KD4fZ_Z6vKBxRp21idxZbyXlFucufY-a30LPZGhFYWpbhPcZCqeuubYq281smnAGeZLudX0fPboyRfJtn75zuqmTSh8dPMHPOh1sCiwg4xGYpNB5xK/s2000/Ape%20cave.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Upper left: man with head lamp shining brightly in underground lava tube. Upper right: rocky stairs from an underground lava tube wind up with a view of lush green and sunshine up to the exit. Lower left: a sunbeam shining through the trees. The end of the light makes a blueish, star shaped pattern on the ground. Lower right: inside the lava tube with light gray, curved walls. A pattern that looks like trees is on the left walls." border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKT3gVmFhyphenhyphenC1tBn8ycrtdFBDM9EMhO_W52anpN0dEL_9hUNYTL07oxKQG_I-XH-9e1wtWv1UpAT0KD4fZ_Z6vKBxRp21idxZbyXlFucufY-a30LPZGhFYWpbhPcZCqeuubYq281smnAGeZLudX0fPboyRfJtn75zuqmTSh8dPMHPOh1sCiwg4xGYpNB5xK/w640-h640/Ape%20cave.png" title="ape cave" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">That's Kevin with his head lamp shining on the top left, to the right is when you emerge from the caves and climb the stairs back out. The bottom left is kind of cool. That's looking down going in (opposite angle of the exit). You can't even see the entrance because of the sun, but what caught my eye was that star like pattern on the ground. There's nothing there that should have made it. Aliens??? lol And the bottom right pic was cool because I thought it looked like little trees imprinted on the walls (left side).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Afterwards, we did a hike to June Lake nearby. It's a really cool spot with small waterfalls and dead tree stumps sticking out. It's kind of eerie but I loved it. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKEhFtQnuJGzW29FOs9eOPLrNvW2oosscmXXqMVRwbzahfz3iY2Bs7WiMB3D20VEm0tZDBRlxVNI0tZtKdI8jx3sGz540lt7oLFrOuFxLLiXNVR1Sv1K2qZoW9hihNq2adRjyruGGe42U-u21xOIn0Spj7V2_mMzLmLkkMTFvQTGh4lMLRrG5vZhBx7SjC/s4000/june%20lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="a lake with a waterfall straight ahead. Tall tree stumps and dead fallen logs litter the lake. Lush green trees and ferns surround the area." border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKEhFtQnuJGzW29FOs9eOPLrNvW2oosscmXXqMVRwbzahfz3iY2Bs7WiMB3D20VEm0tZDBRlxVNI0tZtKdI8jx3sGz540lt7oLFrOuFxLLiXNVR1Sv1K2qZoW9hihNq2adRjyruGGe42U-u21xOIn0Spj7V2_mMzLmLkkMTFvQTGh4lMLRrG5vZhBx7SjC/w480-h640/june%20lake.jpg" title="June Lake" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">And finally, a nearby trail that has incredible views of a lava canyon, where the lava had flowed through, and waterfalls. It kind of looked magical with how lush green it was and the water thundering through. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQd4hfvhS1FYsj7rZGemfBptXJn_uEfwk2tXxhLgHy5IFkHp-4MRMFmsdwIbN9zSwBgdeXdsgO4Ii_VrpbpdscoAeIQ58BxiLP877yRkir934hwQBwgpExcct3oJN9gr33eBqPhmVdazjwS0sPXT4zdEPUngh0E19lXp5E731ghvpi5bT8IRp2Ua5nEnQC/s4000/waterfall%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A valley of lush green trees is cut through the middle with a carved path of rock and a raging water from a nearby waterfall" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQd4hfvhS1FYsj7rZGemfBptXJn_uEfwk2tXxhLgHy5IFkHp-4MRMFmsdwIbN9zSwBgdeXdsgO4Ii_VrpbpdscoAeIQ58BxiLP877yRkir934hwQBwgpExcct3oJN9gr33eBqPhmVdazjwS0sPXT4zdEPUngh0E19lXp5E731ghvpi5bT8IRp2Ua5nEnQC/w400-h300/waterfall%201.jpg" title="lava trail" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1xkMVZ87H4QKEZXLR8nQ9wQglEtGA3HjQZF4Sl-Q1VKN4g1cvq_p1k8suJ4kvc7j_FZVqYLZBdOTvXli0hyYft7pGf7Bg0HGxMwuw2JYQH1BZ1_lMkEEiwN_4y7MKRR0cwD9Pn5hYM0G81U8mtxLF6YIeKspDF36iO5e_xSGA4kAMUFl6V89L8DBNbQfu/s4000/waterfall%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A valley of lush green trees is cut through the middle with a carved path of rock and a raging water from a nearby waterfall" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1xkMVZ87H4QKEZXLR8nQ9wQglEtGA3HjQZF4Sl-Q1VKN4g1cvq_p1k8suJ4kvc7j_FZVqYLZBdOTvXli0hyYft7pGf7Bg0HGxMwuw2JYQH1BZ1_lMkEEiwN_4y7MKRR0cwD9Pn5hYM0G81U8mtxLF6YIeKspDF36iO5e_xSGA4kAMUFl6V89L8DBNbQfu/w400-h300/waterfall%202.jpg" title="lava trail" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">We had a great time but I was EXHAUSTED!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Total change of subject, but with Halloween around the corner, I have two </span>streaming<span style="font-family: inherit;"> rec's. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />#1 is the new<a href="https://www.hulu.com/series/goosebumps-7ec4b386-6981-42e5-bcc8-3bad11b170a1"> Goosebumps on Hulu.</a> Great modern update on an older favorite. It's still directed at teens but i</span></span>t is darker that previous takes though. Which I love. It's topical with great acting and not cheesy, which can happen with a lot of YA-ish shows. My only complaint is not all the episodes drop before Halloween. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">#2 is <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81414665">The Fall of the House of Usher on Netflix</a> Ok, so this one is WEIRD and kind of batshit but I really enjoyed it. It is based on an Edgar Allen Poe and includes many of his poems and references to his works. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">That's it for now!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Have you been on any fun adventures lately? Have any rec's for me to read/watch?</span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047843651411739466.post-6181868327315311282023-10-18T15:32:00.000-04:002023-10-18T15:32:21.984-04:00Hello, hello!<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I was sort of back on a semi-regular blogger roll and well...I'm not now lol</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">My reading fell off again and then we had visitors last week. My niece came in on a Monday, followed by my SIL on a Thursday.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I had THE BEST time with my niece! She is the sweetest person and loves books, food, baking and the animals. We spent the week going through old cookbooks, baking pie (she taught me how to make pie crust), doing puzzles, visiting bookstores, Asian markets, and watched horror movies. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then when my SIL </span>arrived<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Kevin took her hiking and we all went to the farmers market, Japanese Gardens and </span>Powell's<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Bookstore. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm exhausted and need to introvert for the next month to recover but it was a nice visit.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here are a few pics because I have read nothing.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is the apple blueberry pie we baked. We had extra dough and my niece stuffed it with a tiny piece of apple and a blueberry, plopped it in the center - we called it pie inception lol - but I had no idea it made the pie (with the venting holes) look like a face with a nose until I took an overhead picture 🤣</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj64-rGW752zzWjywGfR3TeE-AmGDfLjSZUeuLVZPYTWNNkMQ3yqz19yi9val8W2Z-q5Alz7G8naZ15UCT7djWT1ho50XvbJWOngS2vwWY2NhZStkNmKyL3dfFmL6BpUSi5XZCBF7D_OTeYABTQZbrgGTxloN3-gL0r_XDVyp76z5iHozpDSxE6FPIxab9k/s4000/pie%20face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="the top crust of a pie with three slits in a circular pattern and a small knob of pie crust int he center - making it look like a face" border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj64-rGW752zzWjywGfR3TeE-AmGDfLjSZUeuLVZPYTWNNkMQ3yqz19yi9val8W2Z-q5Alz7G8naZ15UCT7djWT1ho50XvbJWOngS2vwWY2NhZStkNmKyL3dfFmL6BpUSi5XZCBF7D_OTeYABTQZbrgGTxloN3-gL0r_XDVyp76z5iHozpDSxE6FPIxab9k/w240-h320/pie%20face.jpg" title="pie face" width="240" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I baked bread that was GORGEOUS</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIY0untQi7gAAqUR7sGFgTMjI7d16aGG34ZYd_uawYqPR19_2rt71e_vO1hwtfASdEQUX-bnOafkpDF1p_7CKgnmpVCnSe3rA2imtzJPwxSU6G52pWDcExuQpVv03lrw0pEgUdljYgrXLA8Yu5NB1ITdZ0ZtbRSLfoGgxB6KM3P_d3KalcuBF22lgbRNW/s2668/bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="a beautifully browned artisan baked bread in a red dutch oven. Scoring reveals an x pattern in the baked bread" border="0" data-original-height="2201" data-original-width="2668" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIY0untQi7gAAqUR7sGFgTMjI7d16aGG34ZYd_uawYqPR19_2rt71e_vO1hwtfASdEQUX-bnOafkpDF1p_7CKgnmpVCnSe3rA2imtzJPwxSU6G52pWDcExuQpVv03lrw0pEgUdljYgrXLA8Yu5NB1ITdZ0ZtbRSLfoGgxB6KM3P_d3KalcuBF22lgbRNW/w320-h264/bread.jpg" title="baked bread in oven" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">But....because social media doesn't show the other, non perfect, side of life - the crust softened, so I popped it back in before it finished pre-heating - forgetting I have a gas oven and....</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KKhxiN9vhNf6AumjPp5f9al3tdqX0x6D2jl64oFXPHdLZyBay_ILKw8GGh5ImGQnm9MvczTiia6ZuR9nurOcals2ab_Pj3Q_bHAhyvcYtz6LVG9Zqnbejoc8Qwh1nanQeWvsolJ-6Hv9bywLiGFy_DUYI0fTq8dlW4N48kOto0ssIY1FBVIPeiSw1FHp/s2778/bread%20after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Baked artisan bread loaf that is burned black on the top" border="0" data-original-height="2494" data-original-width="2778" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KKhxiN9vhNf6AumjPp5f9al3tdqX0x6D2jl64oFXPHdLZyBay_ILKw8GGh5ImGQnm9MvczTiia6ZuR9nurOcals2ab_Pj3Q_bHAhyvcYtz6LVG9Zqnbejoc8Qwh1nanQeWvsolJ-6Hv9bywLiGFy_DUYI0fTq8dlW4N48kOto0ssIY1FBVIPeiSw1FHp/w320-h287/bread%20after.jpg" title="burned bread" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I had to slice the top off but it still tasted great ha!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">And finally, here is a picture of the tea service we had at the Japanese Garden in Portland. We were able to get an outside seat near the tree tops that overlook the gardens. So pretty and relaxing.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEialVammgRr0rO6V-NgLx4FFvYjjKE-XJU6K-i83eleATTG5X-51X19Jk8WrtOHaSxgnEoSlTauIwRYxtTHC-V_7XYpYSLYTNGKIz7E3JZ2w_kbFNL4sRYSasc6Gar4rvmi1OHCdqcYPC5IJvj_aAItYDmpT3XikyA-I7VSzxw819i8iqPrNmOKwCMCW1lK/s1440/tea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="japanese tea service tray. A small cup of tea in left upper corner, with white tea pot in lower left corner. Small slice of nut bread in the upper right corner and a small bowl of miso soup with rice in lower right corner." border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEialVammgRr0rO6V-NgLx4FFvYjjKE-XJU6K-i83eleATTG5X-51X19Jk8WrtOHaSxgnEoSlTauIwRYxtTHC-V_7XYpYSLYTNGKIz7E3JZ2w_kbFNL4sRYSasc6Gar4rvmi1OHCdqcYPC5IJvj_aAItYDmpT3XikyA-I7VSzxw819i8iqPrNmOKwCMCW1lK/w320-h320/tea.jpg" title="Japanese tea service" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Welp, that's it for now. I'm so far behind in visiting blogs and saying hi so I hope to get to it this week. I hope everyone is doing ok and enjoying fall!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><p></p>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047843651411739466.post-69551013071071019992023-09-25T14:39:00.001-04:002023-09-25T20:40:38.345-04:00Update: Life, reading, watching...<p><span style="font-size: medium;">To the surprise of no one, my recent burst of blogging productivity tapered off lol But I'm happy that I'm reading again and got a in a few full length reviews!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm falling way behind again though, so I thought I would do a quick update of all the things!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>LIFE</b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">If you remember my health care app saga (I had no access to my Dr, RX's, appointments on my app for over a year. I called. And called. And called. Just to keep getting IT case #'s and no response. Kevin had talked to a Kaiser rep about an unrelated matter and the guy told him that it was an app issue. They were trying to enhance the app but broke the whole thing instead but won't tell anyone. So, I gave up and guess what??? 2 months later they fixed it! I have full access now and even ordered my refill through the app. The only thing I can't access, oddly enough, is billing and I don't care about that lol</span><span style="font-size: large;">.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The next thing, if you recall, is my dissolving ECCO shoes. Kevin filled out all the paperwork and sent them back & they gave me a $100 credit. Not bad for older shoes with no receipt. All their shoes are fairly expensive though ($200+) and honestly, I just don't trust them anymore. You can only use the credit on more shoes, so I'm keeping my eyes on the sale page and will hopefully find something that doesn't cost me any additional money.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Fall has arrived right on cue - like a switch being flipped. The rain, wind and cold are here and I am instantly drained of joy and energy lol I enjoy fall things but cold, rainy weather depletes me.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>READING</b></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpQJTQ5itChYNKac5LANXqEJiIMlZPEYU2t4daTxSuhNdhdBz3snL1MXrXVTvNMTEJzZdYUUxe8NVE1afIRGhceP8KQGJcHl54dSlTnmeJSWDd-nrkWDaoE_TPZ6bR-xDr1Gxce__VZK8692CC0qWM48UeDx-JTcG6s-B_U3Ov16HJa-emPw8n_I0AdqGq/s640/Facebook%20Group%20Cover%20(1).png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="640" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpQJTQ5itChYNKac5LANXqEJiIMlZPEYU2t4daTxSuhNdhdBz3snL1MXrXVTvNMTEJzZdYUUxe8NVE1afIRGhceP8KQGJcHl54dSlTnmeJSWDd-nrkWDaoE_TPZ6bR-xDr1Gxce__VZK8692CC0qWM48UeDx-JTcG6s-B_U3Ov16HJa-emPw8n_I0AdqGq/w640-h334/Facebook%20Group%20Cover%20(1).png" width="640" /></a></div><p style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Loved:</span></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><i>Stars in Your Eyes by Kacen Callender (audio - ALC copy provided in exchange for an honest review)</i></b>- 2 lead actors are forced into a fake relationship to help save the indie film project they are working on, thanks to Logan's bad boy persona. But Matty inlocks another side to Logan and things become too real. <b>CW for this one</b> - <span style="color: white;">child abuse, rape, drug use, suicidal ideation, homophobia, PTSD </span><b>< </b>I really liked this one. It really handled trauma, healing and finding your own path sensitively. It was not your typical cliche bad boy, all sex M/M romance. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><i>The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen </i></b>- I've been struggling with romances lately but this one really hit the spot! I loved their chemistry - a enemies to lovers vibe but both are mature about it. The magical world, the family of undertakers, and supporting cast were all great. Hart is the most cinnamon roll of a grumpy hero & Mercy was a confident, snarky ray of sunshine. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Liked:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><i>New Adult by Timothy Janovsky </i></b><b><i>(audio - ALC copy provided in exchange for an honest review)</i></b><b><i> </i></b>- 13 Going on 30 vibe - upstart comedian, Nolan Baker is frustrated by his lack of success, lack of support for his career from family, and by his unrequited crush on best friend Drew. Enter a few magical crystals at his sisters cult like company (a running gag aimed at Gweneth Paltrow's GOOP - I think it was named Dupe?? I can' remember but it rhymed with GOOP) and Nolan gets exactly what he wished for - he's 30 years old and a successful comedian, with all the fame and money he could ask for. But at what cost? This was a lot of fun - light, good message, a touch of magic. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">The Honeymoon Crashers by Christina Lauren (audible exclusive) -</i> a cute short story for after <i style="font-weight: bold;">The Unhoneymooners. </i>Ami is determined to plan the ultimate, inexpensive, curse free wedding in Maui, for her sister Olive and finance Ethan (from the Unhoneymooners. She's forced to work with surfer dude vibes, best man, Brod,y and all her well laid plans go off the rails as she learns to relax and fall in love. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Ehh:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Funny Guy by Emma Barry -</i> I struggled right from the start with this one. Sam is a comedian on a hit sketch show (think SNL) and self destructs on a regular basis, always going to his safe harbor and best friend Bree. During his latest antics, Bree is given a job opportunity that will take her away from NYC and Sam. Fearing his abandonments issues, she's reluctant to tell him and its' excruciating to finally let go of her love for him since it isn't returned in that way. Except...it might be? I love Barry's writing and I felt, for sure, she could guide me past some of Sam's selfish, bad boy stuff and root for a getting stronger Bree. However, they have such an unhealthy dynamic that I didn't think was ever truly addressed other than - they fell in love so it was no longer an issue. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">DNF:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><i>Divinity 36 by Gail Carriger</i></b> - Carriger's books are always a little offbeat and I usually enjoy them even if I don't 100% get them but I am completely lost with this one. There are so many new terms and concepts always being thrown and me and I...just don't get it. There's a barista - Phex -who lives on one of the moons and alien hears him sing and wants to make him a God. And I think there's some sort of reality show competition for it? I don't know - I don't get it lol </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">What she does do really well, is write these sweet, found family, quirky, gender fluid type stories and if that's your jam then I say give it a go! I might pick it back up at a later date and see if I connect to it better. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>WATCHED:</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><i>Afterparty S2 on Apple+</i> - </b>dragged a bit but I like how it ended</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">What We Do in the Shadows on FX -</i> loved this season!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><i>Ahsoka on Disney+ </i>-</b> not bad.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><i>No One Will Save You on Hulu</i> - </b>Kevin and I liked this one! It's about an alien invasion from the point of one girl living alone, in the woods. The movie is almost completely dialogue free. Not everything is 100% explained but I really loved how it ended. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><i>Netflix - Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story</i> -</b> sad but interesting<b>, <i>Dolly Parton: Here I Am doc</i> - </b>I feel like they left a ton of personal stuff out (her philanthropy, theme parks - probably by her choice) but good.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Speaking of - I LOVE this cover of <b>What's Up by 4 Non Blondes (ft. Linda Perry) </b>for Dolly's upcoming rock album.</span></p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="157" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ruw0_o-tWzk?si=bWRL98o7rszffAoZ" title="YouTube video player" width="280"></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Welp, that seems like more than enough for one post! What have you been up to?</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdFvDxuy11U5XtNqcfYFjsWi45miehYpXEcisfKk9Rf37iqPpzfOAJfAQASVEAQqRpv_ytBxN7etpsD8dcG8sVuAXcuws3t4ZcI9ErPTxjtZu7y1OFBZXZsG8zi5HBV3Vi1Dyhyv72ZsPwyZoz71vORbJLvtYxYHKQTPh_Iin-zVQDIEclOIGTnv_50ASW/s760/BBack.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="760" height="53" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdFvDxuy11U5XtNqcfYFjsWi45miehYpXEcisfKk9Rf37iqPpzfOAJfAQASVEAQqRpv_ytBxN7etpsD8dcG8sVuAXcuws3t4ZcI9ErPTxjtZu7y1OFBZXZsG8zi5HBV3Vi1Dyhyv72ZsPwyZoz71vORbJLvtYxYHKQTPh_Iin-zVQDIEclOIGTnv_50ASW/w400-h53/BBack.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047843651411739466.post-14563151847481499012023-09-13T13:06:00.003-04:002023-09-13T13:06:42.323-04:00Things I'm enjoying! One Piece, Wiser Than Me<p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Hello everyone! Just popping in to share a couple of things that I've loved this past week.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>First up is the live action adaptation of the Japanese manga - One Piece on <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/80217863">Netflix</a></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9WuWxct_2InbZeuPxkUYiMKiLcEIM2KI9r3Gwt38bJYW0UgV5T5eUIKctA7N7JKObfp_OkV75NnjEFdVuEby0upWzSJdyKA_dev1h0wjT1LeStqoeCtqlaYngi2gaRBdKX-Xzv9lu52i_g7M2r19OT4R5YLNMEORJFuFynjHjxtlHxbOpfEl6J53WrhII/s1663/one%20piece.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="1663" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9WuWxct_2InbZeuPxkUYiMKiLcEIM2KI9r3Gwt38bJYW0UgV5T5eUIKctA7N7JKObfp_OkV75NnjEFdVuEby0upWzSJdyKA_dev1h0wjT1LeStqoeCtqlaYngi2gaRBdKX-Xzv9lu52i_g7M2r19OT4R5YLNMEORJFuFynjHjxtlHxbOpfEl6J53WrhII/w640-h248/one%20piece.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Kevin and I binged watched this one in just two days and LOVED it! We've never read or watched the anime version but had no problem falling right into the show. It's SO MUCH FUN!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Pirates! Adventure on the high seas! Treasure! Danger! Betrayal! Found family! </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The fighting could be a little graphic - sword fighting, lots of blood - but this is mostly a mad cap, exaggerated, funny kind of show with the biggest heart at it's core. Every time a new member is added tot he cast, I fall in love. The storytelling is A+++ too. I cannot recommend this one enough.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Next is the Wiser Than Me podcast with Julia Louis-Dreyfus <a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/6q2FGeEsGbeAzPVbiYIu0v?si=bcqrCNueR7yZpmK6dwJvbg">spotify trailer link</a></b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>
<iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="176" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/episode/6q2FGeEsGbeAzPVbiYIu0v?utm_source=generator&t=0" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="50%"></iframe><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Julia talks to older women about getting older, what they've learned, asks what she should know about getting older and just generally fun discussions with women who are...wiser than me.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">A few episodes stood out to me. Darlene Love just radiates positive energy and not dwelling on the past but still standing up for herself. Jane Fonda was the most reflective of mistakes from her past and things she would do differently. Carol Burnett - total legend with fantastic stories and OMG - sharp as a tack at 90. Rhea Perlman felt the most real. And Fran Lebowitz is just the funniest person to listen to. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">One downside is that most of these women are privileged and have money to grow older in comfort. Like Amy Tan has completely retrofitted her 2 story home to ADA accessible so she can stay there until she dies. That's wonderful! But not something we can all do. Same with private trainers and pools for exercise. But all in all - a lot of the advice is adaptable and still on point. And most of all - it's just a fun podcast, because we're all getting older!</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">And, just to end on a funny note - I posted this on IG a few weeks ago - but if you haven't seen it....</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I had to go for my mammogram and they updated the facilities (it was outside in a trailer before - like...why????) but anyway, tech was super excited and had treats for post mammogram. The Hershey kisses are supposed to be boobs and the mints a smile for a job well done lol</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I thought it was really sweet and a nice touch after the whole smashing thing lol</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvdi_pGFMR8RDVefGoIsqX-o-5mBv9IRu48tVTtLw6hqcbtq2ZneFmR5Dk33gDdomBD14imbR_uRwaS7VOdQ-vlI-58GomHGbftVzt36HvUPCfHp6YxgB4SgmM-MW21qhL5q6r3cZG4j7WVOfK4M3reALitwW8aq7bk1Dupf0o4-G9Kmwa3se_rsfTBoc0/s3000/boob.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvdi_pGFMR8RDVefGoIsqX-o-5mBv9IRu48tVTtLw6hqcbtq2ZneFmR5Dk33gDdomBD14imbR_uRwaS7VOdQ-vlI-58GomHGbftVzt36HvUPCfHp6YxgB4SgmM-MW21qhL5q6r3cZG4j7WVOfK4M3reALitwW8aq7bk1Dupf0o4-G9Kmwa3se_rsfTBoc0/s320/boob.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Let me know how your week is going!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAfuuHmB7fSr6Sg0pt7oeLad30B9fRsPxjN_dB94IVu55x_3Fl0mHSuuIZRzg7oeaoqtg9EHn-T9xdhjshZJSxcvMrxrU4h6Pt9zdA-QbhAenj4Mes88AmttiOTHf9GgBvGvE80qLiLFckM0l9VGXlFiFUKc9uuXIOtfSJYjl6BES2EqyfDoHSGdpZm4K/s760/BBack.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="760" height="53" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAfuuHmB7fSr6Sg0pt7oeLad30B9fRsPxjN_dB94IVu55x_3Fl0mHSuuIZRzg7oeaoqtg9EHn-T9xdhjshZJSxcvMrxrU4h6Pt9zdA-QbhAenj4Mes88AmttiOTHf9GgBvGvE80qLiLFckM0l9VGXlFiFUKc9uuXIOtfSJYjl6BES2EqyfDoHSGdpZm4K/w400-h53/BBack.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047843651411739466.post-40717367452789506062023-09-07T12:59:00.001-04:002023-09-07T12:59:45.727-04:00Review: The Lonely Hearts book Club by Lucy Gilmore<p><span style="background-color: white;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX2dEK5tfFV-m3VWUuzvYkGWnnOtux0X_CVLaku4BP3LS-MuNviiitwv65szEa0DDt4EeqOhK_-koNWf9FmilS0Py04vK7-pBgy-7b-BoSu-4mdpsYXIjR74wCNpUTVsVh3IOZSkh-mGhCQSQVYEknSRIgcf2_hHZ4ZjC2BibhC6HbWheT1-hbK00D9l_A/s2475/61341469.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2475" data-original-width="1650" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX2dEK5tfFV-m3VWUuzvYkGWnnOtux0X_CVLaku4BP3LS-MuNviiitwv65szEa0DDt4EeqOhK_-koNWf9FmilS0Py04vK7-pBgy-7b-BoSu-4mdpsYXIjR74wCNpUTVsVh3IOZSkh-mGhCQSQVYEknSRIgcf2_hHZ4ZjC2BibhC6HbWheT1-hbK00D9l_A/s320/61341469.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Sloane Parker lives a small, contained life as a librarian in her small, contained town. She never thinks of herself as lonely...but still she looks forward to that time every day when old curmudgeon Arthur McLachlan comes to browse the shelves and cheerfully insult her. Their sparring is such a highlight of Sloane's day that when Arthur doesn't show up one morning, she's instantly concerned. And then another day passes, and another.</i></span><p></p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Anxious, Sloane tracks the old man down only to discover him all but bedridden...and desperately struggling to hide how happy he is to see her. Wanting to bring more cheer into Arthur's gloomy life, Sloane creates an impromptu book club. Slowly, the lonely misfits of their sleepy town begin to find each other, and in their book club, find the joy of unlikely friendship. Because as it turns out, everyone has a special book in their heart—and a reason to get lost (and eventually found) within the pages. ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61341469-the-lonely-hearts-book-club">Goodreads</a></span></i></span><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Source:</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Audiobook via the library/Hoopla</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>Review</b>: Although I read this one in summer, this is the <i>perfect</i> - curl up in front of the fireplace, rainy day, fall-ish - read.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Told through multiple pov's, <i>The Lonely Hearts Book Club</i> tells the story of a group of lonely people, at different stages of life & difficulties, coming together to hobble together a new, found family of sorts. And of course a book club!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Sloane Parker leads a nice, comfortable life as a librarian in her small town. After a childhood growing up with loud and volatile parents, she's engaged to a calm, respected chiropractor and enveloped into his large family, where they make the decisions for her. It's all very predictable and safe. The way Sloan likes it. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">That all changes when cranky senior, Arthur McLachlan - who makes all the staff hide or cry - with his epic rants and insults, decides to pick a fight with Sloane. For some reason, Arthur's takedowns and literary challenges don't pierce her, instead, it awakens something else. The feisty side of her. She banters right back with Arthur and it becomes a daily habit. Then one week, Arthur stops showing up to the library and Sloane takes it upon herself to check up on him. She's suspended from work for interfering with a patrons personal information and life and given an order - no more Arthur. But after being passed over for yet another promotion, she choses Arthur and leaves her job. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Finding Arthur at home, basically alone, after chasing away all his nurses with his "charming" personality, Sloane is determined to bring some light into Arthur's days by taking care of him and organizing his substantial home library. Arthur is loath to say it out loud, but he loves sparring with Sloane just as much and she helps crack open his closed heart by inviting a little band of misfits, one by one, to start a book club. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">There's Masie - the quirky single mom next door who is struggling with a surly teen and empty nest syndrome, Mateo - Sloane's former co-worker, who struggles to let himself love and be loved, Greg - Arthur's grandson who wants to reconnect with his last family member before it's too late and Nigel - a frenemy from Arthur's past, and, of course, Sloane & Arthur round out the group. No matter how different their lives are - the common thread is that they all crave love and connection- even while they sometimes push it away.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">While I usually dislike so many pov's in one book, it really worked for me here. I initially felt jolted when the switch happened, but quickly fell into the new background story and fell in love with each of them. They way they all tie back to each other and come full circle warmed my heart. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I loved how Gilmore discussed all types of books, from the classics to more modern, and popular literature. There was no reader shaming or elitism about how one reads or what our individual takes are from a story. It makes the story assessable to readers of all kinds. Even non-readers.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I also loved how the author<i> </i>showed various kinds of love - platonic, familial, found family. The romance is super light in this so, while it's there a (very) tiny bit, this is a great story for those who don't want romance. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I listened to the audiobook narrated by Angie Kane who did an excellent job but I wish her Sloane and Masie were a bit more different. And my one peeve would be that story was in dire need of an epilogue. It ended on a perfect note but I would love to know just how far they've come, say a year later. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>The Lonely Hearts Book Club </i>is a nod to all the people who are a little odd, lonely, regretful, introverted and never feel seen. If you're bookish then it's even more wonderful! Reading this book felt a little like therapy - cathartic, enlightening, hopeful and full of possiblity. I already used this quote on another book review (<a href="http://www.fwiwreviews.net/2021/05/review-house-in-cerulean-sea-by-tj-klune.html">T.J. Klune's The House on the Cerulean Sea</a>) but this was a warm hug of a book. I was so comforted by this world, I didn't want to leave. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047843651411739466.post-81191154690449019382023-09-04T15:34:00.004-04:002023-09-04T15:38:11.376-04:00The weirdest weekend ever...<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Happy Labor Day to those in the US. The PNW seems to have plunged into fall, the weather is cool, it's been drizzling and rainy </span>almost<span style="font-family: inherit;"> every day. I'm always loather to let go of summer out here but this is nice. I'll take it. I just hope it lasts until official winter - that I do not enjoy.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, a few of you have already seen this over on Instagram, but I had the WEIRDEST series of events happen this weekend.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhskl0XF8qRxMXPaC-PO6joySft7Axwi7m-vBISfgmKiU5fl1O066hHk1wSbzHhPNL_60skCKGzCRdBzLciGbHl0oCp1ReO1RUKLx85qrOYwCwIF4kyh466cXoJE4a_Y-L6MaBeIOzVNoJTZUTyfITH8_eeCdhO10kyy57ASO-cglJu7HPNpZkYO5xB1kHZ/s1440/shoe.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhskl0XF8qRxMXPaC-PO6joySft7Axwi7m-vBISfgmKiU5fl1O066hHk1wSbzHhPNL_60skCKGzCRdBzLciGbHl0oCp1ReO1RUKLx85qrOYwCwIF4kyh466cXoJE4a_Y-L6MaBeIOzVNoJTZUTyfITH8_eeCdhO10kyy57ASO-cglJu7HPNpZkYO5xB1kHZ/s320/shoe.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">First, while out to dinner and </span>walking<span style="font-family: inherit;"> through and outdoor sidewalk art show - my soles of my shoes literally </span>disintegrated. At first a chunk came off in the restaurant. I thought it was dirt or...eeek poop from the dogs lol I checked in the bathroom and the soles looked sticky-ish but still nothing too weird. I thought whatever I stepped in would come off while I walked outside. Now, I'm leaving a trail of crumbled black stuff and chunks behind and I notice the sides of the sole are hanging off. WTF??!!!!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm almost a mile away from my car at this point, everyone is out strolling, enjoying the art and music in the streets and I'm falling apart lol There was ONE clothing store that sells shoes in the area and I ran in with 15 minutes to spare. They have a super small selection and mostly dressy shoes but I found these boots on clearance for $19. Whew!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In doing a little research when I got home I solved the case of the disappearing shoe. It is</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcjp7WG53scAKPi8Lr1PCX7aEWGLhaAtLIcqnNYaS4Hcbf6clpd_timCLXYe_1IIxhsSIzvmEPJd74TpCxImUhOBMnqSEgn6HyZr5Gju8pPwUXYxhNiXuEWYkQkuSv-t0pGXG_fTse6St6YFoaaxUKpeO3SQOz8O90S6v-hFRp4TfG1T1LBDy9bqCtREe/s1440/boot.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcjp7WG53scAKPi8Lr1PCX7aEWGLhaAtLIcqnNYaS4Hcbf6clpd_timCLXYe_1IIxhsSIzvmEPJd74TpCxImUhOBMnqSEgn6HyZr5Gju8pPwUXYxhNiXuEWYkQkuSv-t0pGXG_fTse6St6YFoaaxUKpeO3SQOz8O90S6v-hFRp4TfG1T1LBDy9bqCtREe/w200-h200/boot.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"> something called hydrolysis. It's </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">a chemical reaction that occurs when water molecules break down the bonds in the polyurethane (PU) material. These were Ecco shoes - and pretty pricey even though they were older (but in great shape). Kevin looked at their website and they will take them back and give a credit. I'm </span>doing<span style="font-family: inherit;"> that because it's on their dime but I doubt I'll ever buy their shoes again. I read horror stories of this </span>happening<span style="font-family: inherit;"> in the middle of </span>business<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;">meetings, while hiking and even while being a pall bearer at a funeral! </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Weird thing number two... </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimOA-Uygdhkx94PBy37Y-7g_HmLwc1ryJXeCFqhKgmi9xC1ojQNH_GVFcDMgCYQEh-jnWt-0Qe4a3wWZM4c7leq78Y5Kg7a8ilsLiob2a20d7GdMlHoKawUYXlHh5c6xiedRIf3Kxg_UJMkKBcMVIq79NFjAQgZWjgP7Xq-wfQbPvxfuiRg6dJrJmjkYki/s1500/tv.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimOA-Uygdhkx94PBy37Y-7g_HmLwc1ryJXeCFqhKgmi9xC1ojQNH_GVFcDMgCYQEh-jnWt-0Qe4a3wWZM4c7leq78Y5Kg7a8ilsLiob2a20d7GdMlHoKawUYXlHh5c6xiedRIf3Kxg_UJMkKBcMVIq79NFjAQgZWjgP7Xq-wfQbPvxfuiRg6dJrJmjkYki/s320/tv.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We were playing a point and shoot game (Pistol Whip) on Kevin's Oculus (a VR headset if you didn't know). We've had this for several years and only play games where you stay still and shoot or use a saber like weapon. I have never felt like it's real or gotten disoriented. I can't play those type of games that are immersive or else I get nauseous. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Anyway, there was a new level where they took your gun away and you had to punch the bad guys coming at you. And, honestly, that was fun lol but when I got to the end, with only a few feet to the exit door, there were like 10+ people shooting at me from platforms far away. I couldn't reach them and I was just getting hit over and over. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In my brain, I was thinking, I'm only like 2 feet from the exit - I will just run out and be done. You usually have a play area radius of about 6 feet. I was much closer to the edge though - took leave all all common sense - and RAN. Into the large screen tv and entertainment cabinet. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Everything went blank, I heard Kevin yell oh shit! and run over to me asking if I was ok. It was so shocking (because I couldn't tell what really happened) that I was just standing there asking what was wrong. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Then I sort of realized that I smashed into something and Kevin's checking my arms and head and I thought - oh my god what did I do to myself. I thought I was bleeding and looked down (at still virtual me lol). Turned out that the headset has enough cushion and I didn't have any head injury, I did whack me knee pretty hard to I have a bruise. The Oculus didn't have any damage, which is shocking, so the TV took the brunt of it all and is now dead. I guess the only bright spot is it's the tv downstairs that we don't really use and I had gotten it super cheap on clearance, even though it was a big screen. But...yikes.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I kind of wish Kevin was recording it because I can't even imagine how ridiculous I looked, tucking my head down and ramming forward like a football player lol</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Now, it's Monday and I have managed to set off the smoke alarm while cooking and now Ripley is afraid to go in the kitchen, so I'm on a roll!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">At this point, please save me from myself or put me in bubble wrap lol</span></p><span style="font-size: medium;">How is your long weekend going? Hopefully better and safer than mine!</span><p></p>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047843651411739466.post-50698334901410946932023-08-31T13:29:00.003-04:002023-09-01T13:53:57.679-04:00What's Cooking?: Weeknight chicken<p><span style="font-size: medium;">A little something different today - after posting TWO weeks in a row with TWO LONG reviews!! Brace yourselves, there may even be another one coming next week! </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAYMTcAVmAyzzc--PhFdz9eWLbfCs-oqNNhXU_i0_3y6rRzjIrRprZXKwiv_oY8uwI1Z4B90aQxaPUrDdWKm4MkC_nuBd3VNDOpPZtwHaA4GniRQm6qFgwBxhs3noU8t7FVepBZrXghAUPNe9y6ToP2XiEw_zLGtwem5hHt9RifqOx_5hxMH9lIaDatCPA/s390/cooking.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="retro looking woman wearing a red dress and apron. Her hands covered in flour and dough from the bowl below her. Cookbook is laying open to the left" border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="350" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAYMTcAVmAyzzc--PhFdz9eWLbfCs-oqNNhXU_i0_3y6rRzjIrRprZXKwiv_oY8uwI1Z4B90aQxaPUrDdWKm4MkC_nuBd3VNDOpPZtwHaA4GniRQm6qFgwBxhs3noU8t7FVepBZrXghAUPNe9y6ToP2XiEw_zLGtwem5hHt9RifqOx_5hxMH9lIaDatCPA/w179-h200/cooking.jpg" width="179" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">My mother-in-law has been raving about this weeknight chicken recipe for at least a year now. I don't really eat whole chicken (or chicken) very often so I never tried it. There was gorgeous, free range chicken on sale last weekend ($8!!) so I thought I would finally give it a go and....</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Ta-Da!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_8m54bfUGxCqf2-QXcWlgdt7osJBy8npyYjVpdwxl_ryyHFH7kqSG6MBGxDNRyMGb8Yqy00jPgE1MqDc-wbEWcBPGuFVNIdkAap18K8vULju6mMjRLTxFMx9nYeDRTIww9O84h9FEd1ntKpYJyHw-d4jLxmC-FnNSdjyPdSpV0O3gqezT1BXdwlZ9fR7V/s3728/chicken.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A roasted chicken laying on a plate with fall leaves around the edges" border="0" data-original-height="3728" data-original-width="3000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_8m54bfUGxCqf2-QXcWlgdt7osJBy8npyYjVpdwxl_ryyHFH7kqSG6MBGxDNRyMGb8Yqy00jPgE1MqDc-wbEWcBPGuFVNIdkAap18K8vULju6mMjRLTxFMx9nYeDRTIww9O84h9FEd1ntKpYJyHw-d4jLxmC-FnNSdjyPdSpV0O3gqezT1BXdwlZ9fR7V/w323-h400/chicken.jpg" title="Roasted chicken" width="323" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Before you say...yeah, ok Karen, that looks good - congratulations, you cooked a chicken....The secret to this game changing recipe is just how easy and hands off it is.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">You preheat a 12 inch pan in a 450 degree oven. Meanwhile you brush the bird with melted butter and season. I sprayed mine with olive oil spray and seasoned with Montreal Steak Seasoning and paprika per my MIL's instructions.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Throw it in the oven at 450 for 35 minutes, turn the oven off and leave it another 30-ish minutes until it reaches the proper temperature. And that's it! </b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This is honestly the best tasting chicken I've ever made. It tasted just like a rotisserie chicken from the store. Super, melt in your mouth juicy. Surprisingly, it also made very little mess. There are some dripping to make a pan sauce if you wanted but otherwise not much to clean up. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The original recipe is from <a href="https://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/6682-weeknight-roast-chicken">America's Test Kitchen </a> but if you can't see it on their site without a subscription/membership, it is also here on <a href="https://nomnompaleo.com/post/99591424823/weeknight-roast-chicken">Nom Nom Paleo</a>. She changes the recipe a tad by using ghee and includes a pan sauce recipe but the basic method is the same. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Even better, I'm using the leftovers for chicken and dumplings tonight. The PNW decided to flip the switch and dive right into fall with cooler temps and rain, so I get to make my first soup of the season. </span></div><p><br /></p>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047843651411739466.post-40234997355735357502023-08-23T17:03:00.005-04:002023-08-25T14:17:05.005-04:00Review: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang<p><i><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;"></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dZ4Z_8YUuHC1KhYy0aJyKWuIxfMMNzsQ7-oY3Iq93Bk1760lPZNQ0ZX84b0NGR-7t0WbwMjz2tgTVyoxMy8shI6XQQAxLK_caHzZVSJ6Iw4IY8rM1yoB3veeu4ZIpoDGGYvd2QP-HJZjSnu5bbUzVQBmvZ8E8wCPWeY_3lM-FdHDqSxQ3YzLR5eboisK/s353/62967013.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="353" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7dZ4Z_8YUuHC1KhYy0aJyKWuIxfMMNzsQ7-oY3Iq93Bk1760lPZNQ0ZX84b0NGR-7t0WbwMjz2tgTVyoxMy8shI6XQQAxLK_caHzZVSJ6Iw4IY8rM1yoB3veeu4ZIpoDGGYvd2QP-HJZjSnu5bbUzVQBmvZ8E8wCPWeY_3lM-FdHDqSxQ3YzLR5eboisK/w200-h200/62967013.jpg" width="200" /></a></i></div><i>White lies. Dark humor. Deadly consequences… Bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who she says she is, she didn’t write the book she claims she wrote, and she is most certainly not Asian American—in this chilling and hilariously cutting novel from the #1<span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;">New York Times</span><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;">bestselling author R. F. Kuang.</span></i><p></p><i><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;">Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena’s a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. Who wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;">So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;">So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song—complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That’s what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;">But June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span face=""Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915; font-size: 16px;">With its totally immersive first-person voice, Yellowface grapples with questions of diversity, racism, and cultural appropriation, as well as the terrifying alienation of social media. R.F. Kuang’s novel is timely, razor-sharp, and eminently compelling. ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62967013-yellowface">Goodreads </a></span></i><div><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span><div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Source:</b> e-book via Libby</span></i></div></div><div><i><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>The Bookpusher:</b> <a href="https://www.jenryland.com/review-of-yellowface/">Jen Ryland Reviews</a></span></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Review: </b>What a trip <i>Yellowface</i> was! It was a biting satire of the publishing industry, cultural appropriation and cancel culture, a thrilling mystery, a fascinating look at the writing process/publishing, and, at times, a self-indulgent, self-defense of authors (&<i> possibly</i> of the real life author R.F. Kuang).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">For those who don't know, R.F. Kuang is the author of the extremely popular <i>The Poppy War </i>trilogy - a dark fantasy about war and<span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">politics in mid-20th-century China & the critically acclaimed <i>Babel</i>, a speculative fiction </span><span style="background-color: white;">set in an alternate-reality 1830s England, as well as other books. Since I'm not a big fantasy reader, I have not read any of her previous works but gave this one a try since it's firmly set in the present - not to mention how incredibly topical it is. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">Writers, June Hayward and Athena Liu have been friends since college - coming up in the publishing world a the same time. Both are published, but June's experience is quite different to Athena's. Athena becomes an instant sensation, while June's book and profile languish. Despite the strain, they always meet up for drinks or dinner when in the same town and call each other about any new publishing news. June, who is white, usually interprets any of Athena's news as bragging and generally feels that she's only successful due to her being Chinese-American and "the diversity trend". Although she grudgingly agrees that Athena is talented. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">One fateful night they go out but head back to Athena's home after, have a few drinks and genuinely have a good time in a way that June hasn't felt with her since college. Athena shows June her latest first draft and, then shortly after, dies in a freak accident right in front of a panicking June. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">On her way out of Athena's apartment, June grabs her draft, an experimental novel about the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Labour_Corps">Chinese Labour Corps</a> of WWI. The days pass</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">- and as the friend who was with Athena when she died - </span><span style="background-color: white;">her social media profile sees an uptick. The follows and likes and sympathy increase. Liking the attention, she starts combing over the draft, tweaking and editing until she has a fully polished</span><span style="background-color: white;"> manuscript to present to her agent. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">Now, is this stealing? June reasons that no, she's helping Athena get her final magnum opus published. However, the more she thinks about it, it needed a lot of work, and June's "improvements" made it what it is now. And, really, how much of Athena is still in the work at this point? So she passes it off as her own, while saying that her friendship with Athena helped inspire it. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">Things start to go off the rails. June</span><span style="background-color: white;"> refuses a sensitivity reader after one of the Chinese-American employees at the publishing</span><span style="background-color: white;"> house notices several issues. In the editing process, June cut several of the scenes centering the horrors of the laborers and instead focused on the British soldiers, white savior narrative to, as she would say, keep it from being a downer and appeal to a wider audience.</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Feeling a little nervous about a white author publishing a book about Chinese history, the publisher gives June the new pen name of Juniper Song. Close enough to her name - her middle name is Song - but also ethnically ambiguous enough to ward off questions. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">While the book is a huge hit, it goes about as well as you are expecting. The blowback on social media is swift. Despite her success, accusations of cultural appropriation and even plagiarism come at June in waves. She becomes more and more obsessed with Goodreads, Twitter and Instagram and <i>who is doing this to me???</i></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">It turns out that someone, apprently, close to Athena, might actually have the dirt on June and bring her whole world tumbling down. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Yellowface</i> is a tough book to pin down. June is a horrible person. She feels slighted by everyone and everything and has a huge chip on her shoulder. True to real life - when she's called out in Goodreads reviews or Twitter - she makes the usual, cringe worthy apologies, doubles down with 0 sense of irony that she<i> did</i> steal the draft and she did cut out the cultural references/didn't do the research lol.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">Athena doesn't come off much better. She didn't mentor younger Chinese- American writers, in fear that they would outshine her, she mined and profited from peoples' painful stories and was kind of a shitty friend. She gets canceled posthumously. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">The story does get a little too meta and self-indulgent at times. Kuang has faced many of these accusations herself, and clearly *gets* the book-ish ecosystem. It feels like she hits every single argument ever argued and because it's always from June's (unreliable) perspective there isn't a whole lot of nuance. Just - people are mean, why me? But honestly, I've seen everything she wrote about in this book at one time or another. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Having</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> said that, I kind of think that was the intention. Sure, you can enjoy the inside dirt, the satire and takedowns if you are in the know, but this is also just a frothy, fun read - no lesson required. June isn't likable or redeemable (in my eyes) and maybe that is the judgement. It </span>doesn't<span style="font-family: inherit;"> need to be spelled out.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">This would be an AMAZING book club read. I can imagine bookish people (especially bloggers) would have a lot to say and have strong thoughts. Outsiders might not truly get (or care) about all the insider dirt but there's enough about friendships and the (lackluster) thriller aspect. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">One more random thing of note - this book was published in May 2023 and already felt dated, thanks to the rapidly changing media landscape. <i>So</i> much of this book is about Twitter, and while the drama stays the same, in my head, I couldn't help thinking it's the other thing now lol And references to a movie deal with prestigious HBO are already outdated. It was just a little odd since the book just came out, yet it's already changed. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Well, thanks for reading that long ass review lol (all 10 of you 😃) The audio, narrated by Helen Laser was excellent. She had just the right amount of earnestness mixed with self delusion to pull off a messy character like June. </span></div>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047843651411739466.post-61165564634539657072023-08-18T15:46:00.001-04:002023-08-23T17:04:32.894-04:00Review: All the Sinners Bleed by S.A Cosby<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRucPE-SyceGpORe3oMbwy8Y-FTkFy502u8sDKijNVhJ53N_R1gSHyezQmpASr-ZCxBHwG5Gr4sSxAq9Yl7VQQiGlSd3AeuOb7uWliWhKlC-xta9V75_Vhxo5PXvIah1KLJ5qfBRjhDmPw3KwvMVAKVw__KUEZU63O_789jui7OpVIPQzqU4ZJXkhSY7M/s500/sinners.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdRucPE-SyceGpORe3oMbwy8Y-FTkFy502u8sDKijNVhJ53N_R1gSHyezQmpASr-ZCxBHwG5Gr4sSxAq9Yl7VQQiGlSd3AeuOb7uWliWhKlC-xta9V75_Vhxo5PXvIah1KLJ5qfBRjhDmPw3KwvMVAKVw__KUEZU63O_789jui7OpVIPQzqU4ZJXkhSY7M/w200-h200/sinners.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">Titus Crowne is the first Black sheriff in the history of Charon County. A former FBI agent and security expert, Titus came home to take care of his father and look out for his troubled younger brother. He ran for Sheriff to make a difference, especially in the Black community, which has so often been treated unfairly by the police.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">But a year to the day after his election, a school shooting rocks the town. A beloved teacher is killed by a former student, and as Titus attempts to deescalate and get the boy to surrender, his deputies fire a fatal shot.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1e1915; margin: 0px;" /></span></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">In the investigation, it becomes clear that the student they shot had been abused by the dead teacher, as well as by unidentified perpetrators. The trail leads to buried bodies—and secrets. While Titus tries to track down a killer hiding in plain sight, while balancing daily duties like protecting Confederate pride marchers, he must face what it means to be a Black man wearing a police uniform in the American South.~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/79488490-all-the-sinners-bleed">Goodreads</a></span></i><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><i><b>Source: Audiobook from library - narrated by </b></i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Adam Lazarre-White</i></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><i><b>The Bookpusher(s):<a href="https://www.jenryland.com/review-of-all-the-sinners-bleed/"> Jen Ryland Reviews</a> & <a href="https://e135-abookaweek.blogspot.com/2023/06/all-sinners-bleed-by-sa-cosby.html">A Book a Week Blog</a></b></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="color: #1e1915; font-style: italic;">Review: </b><span><span style="color: #1e1915;">This book is SO outside my wheelhouse. <i>All the Sinners Bleed</i> is a gritty, riveting, procedural about the newly elected (& first) Black </span></span></span><span style="color: #1e1915;">sheriff of Charon County, Virginia. Titus Crowne - a former FBI agent, moved back home to help out his aging father, troubled brother and to try to make a difference in local law enforcement. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">On the first anniversary of his election, Titus is called to an active school shooting. A beloved teacher is killed by a former (Black) student who is then killed, by one Titus's deputies, as he exits the school, waving a gun, yelling vague religious rantings about the angel of death and a plea to look into the dead teachers phone. Most residents take this as a win - bad guy dead after killing good guy- but others (including Titus) have questions about whether the shooting was justified and what the popular teacher had done to set the troubled young man off.</span></p><p><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Although Titus won the election, his support is fragile, at best, and the deaths rock the community. The investigation proves to be even more fraught when Titus discovers a trail of bodies, details too shocking to be believed and the knowledge that his small town of Charon is not the safe haven most of the residents thought it was. While the teacher and shooter may be dead, there is still a killer amongst them, taunting Titus and endangering the residents.</span></p><p><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">As sheriff, Titus Crowne has to navigate the minefield of racist snake charming pastors and the Black church that helped him get elected and now feels they are owed things, as well as members of his own team that might be on the take. All while dealing with his own past trauma.</span></p><p><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">S. A. Cosby expertly weaves history, race, religion, duty, and the sins of the past into this taught thriller that digs far deeper than figuring out "who done it". In fact, I would say that the villain was the least important & (sorry to say) least interesting part of this story. </span></p><p><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">In Titus we have a man who wants to do right by everyone but has his own cross to bear. While dealing with the complexities of a small, (historically) racially charged, Southern town, he always leads with a quiet strength, compassion, and expertise. I absolutely loved Titus as a character and guiding moral force. The other characters are richly drawn as well and not mere caricatures of the South.</span></p><p><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">The crimes are gruesome and not for the faint of heart. They are explicit and described in detail but never ventured into just to shock or torture porn, IMO. Through Titus's eyes, I felt the victims, even if they weren't *innocent* victims at times, were given the sense of compassion, gravity and horror the crimes deserved. </span></p><p><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I also loved the Titus and his team were competent. There was no pissing contest/in-fighting over what agency would handle the investigation. He didn't come up with answers out of nowhere. He had expertise, as a former FBI agent and profiler, but didn't come off as the ONLY person who could solve this case. It was really refreshing to read a thriller that hit all the trope notes while being nuanced and competent. </span></p><p><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">However, as I mentioned earlier, the villain and the ending weren't as powerful for me. Everything ties together, and there's even a wonderful epilogue but the big bad, while truly evil, lacks the carefully laid out scenes that rest of the book does so brilliantly. They are left behind for an explosive end that felt out of character and more like scene chewing for the story.</span></p><p><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Even though the end didn't stick the landing for me, it in no way ruined my reading experience. I adored this book - which is a weird thing to say about such horrible subject matter - but it was Titus, the detailed setting, the sense of history, respect for the subject matter - that had me riveted. I don't know if the author is interested, but this would make an amazing series, with Titus Crowne as the lead. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #1e1915;">I do recommend the audiobook if you like that format. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;">Adam Lazarre-White's narration was</span><i style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"> perfect!</i></span></p><p><i style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">And I also recommend you read CW because this book gets DARK -> </span></b></i></p><ul class="i8Z77e" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li class="TrT0Xe" style="list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: white;">Death of a parent & child, murder, racism, children killed/tortured, video taped, school shooting, kidnapping, torture, racial slurs - racist marches/confederate statues protests, sexual assault, religious bigotry, panic attacks, animal abuse.</span> <b style="color: #202124;"><--</b></span></li><li class="TrT0Xe" style="list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #202124;">I always struggle with thrillers because, in </span><span style="color: #202124;">following</span><span style="color: #202124;"> the clues - usually an unreliable narrator, a know everything detective, or so many red-herrings I feel manipulated - that I never feel a connection to anyone or the outcome - but if I could find more thrillers like <i>All the Sinners Bleed</i>, I could be converted!</span></span></li></ul><div class="u9iNfb" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; margin-left: -20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="u9iNfb" style="background-color: white; margin-left: -20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I </span></div><div class="u9iNfb" style="background-color: white; color: #202124; margin-left: -20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="color: #1e1915; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047843651411739466.post-34845474084847870472023-07-26T16:53:00.004-04:002023-07-31T13:50:38.989-04:00Summer Shorts: Heart Gear by Tsuyoshi Takake, Golden Hills by Jennifer Weiner, The Bookstore Sisters by Alice Hoffman<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">It's summertime and reader attention spans are low. Who am I kidding? My reader attention span has been low for a few years now 🤣 But I'm going to just roll with it as an excuse to review a group of shorter length stories I've recently read. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfn_c29KP0zJa8g8qbJkJFvDYHXSmeubG5ZH5NudoDXv0IwZnrNuYxble5IHiA1-Px1PXCnVaJ_T4IQfL2i8Aruj1MSPTiY-rkGWvRfpefV8k3ifimCojD-zzn4pwa8-i0cZuT99WOyoxjyqMSJq8qIqIUAmytcOmTSS3s8dF4lk_PUkwGTOhmehrowqR8/s525/heart%20gear.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="371" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfn_c29KP0zJa8g8qbJkJFvDYHXSmeubG5ZH5NudoDXv0IwZnrNuYxble5IHiA1-Px1PXCnVaJ_T4IQfL2i8Aruj1MSPTiY-rkGWvRfpefV8k3ifimCojD-zzn4pwa8-i0cZuT99WOyoxjyqMSJq8qIqIUAmytcOmTSS3s8dF4lk_PUkwGTOhmehrowqR8/w141-h200/heart%20gear.jpg" width="141" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Heart Gear (Heart Gear #1) by Tsuyoshi Takaki ~ </b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50065361-heart-gear-1" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Goodreads </a><b style="font-style: italic;"> </b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Source: </b></span>received<span style="font-family: inherit;"> an ARC fromt he publisher via Netgalley in </span>exchange<span style="font-family: inherit;"> for an honest review.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I've always been a sucker for the unfeeling robot/being that begins to feel human. Think...Data, Spock from Star Trek, Bishop from Aliens, Murderbot by Martha Wells.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Takaki has written a new manga series to challenge the reader as to what we perceive as being human and finding our purpose when given free will.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In this postapocalyptic future, a young human girl, 11 year old Roue, lives with her robot "uncle", Zett. His purpose is to take care of raise Roue. Their happy little bubble is burst when, not so </span>friendly<span style="font-family: inherit;">, robots find them but a robot named Chrome comes to the rescue. Only Chrome has no base program, no purpose, and isn't sure what to do or how to act. Zett and Roue take him on and, later, he becomes Roue's caretaker. But is he hero or villain? Soulless or </span>becoming<span style="font-family: inherit;"> human?</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I </span>honestly<span style="font-family: inherit;"> can't tell if this is meant to be an eventual romance or not because Chrome was just a metal can and became, inexplicably, hot when moved to a new host body lol And that cover really gives off romantic vibes to me even though Roue seems to young for that. </span></span><span style="font-size: large;">The female characters (there are 2 - Roue and another robot) are </span><span style="font-size: large;">occasionally overly</span><span style="font-size: large;"> sexualized, which is common with the genre.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am not an avid graphic novel/manga reader so I feel sort of awkward weighing in on that aspect but I found some panels jumpy - story wise - and had to backtrack to get my bearings again. The art work was sometimes messy to the point of confusion. My arc was a black and white ebook though, so that could be totally different in the finished copy.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I think this issue did a great job of laying out the characters and story. I was totally invested and like I said, I love a good - what it means to be human story.</span></p><h3 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>These next two books are Amazon exclusive stories and are included with a Prime or KU membership.</i></span></h3><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOgKfFppQIwHCMNX4MW8pqRaUIqnXkq8rwsXJQJF4NSMPtZR3QNNO0Jfhey4-cVFyr1LhLrc5w2TqpI_QnLffV9zJAdoVMHypeVi9mEP7zHYN94_u_KYipP54bLw-nnu6mVVA1k_kvhLJbpJfr2IrK60wK806Dzm-xyMpOe_G7nlnDpu9p-WXHwA9fo7q4/s500/golden.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOgKfFppQIwHCMNX4MW8pqRaUIqnXkq8rwsXJQJF4NSMPtZR3QNNO0Jfhey4-cVFyr1LhLrc5w2TqpI_QnLffV9zJAdoVMHypeVi9mEP7zHYN94_u_KYipP54bLw-nnu6mVVA1k_kvhLJbpJfr2IrK60wK806Dzm-xyMpOe_G7nlnDpu9p-WXHwA9fo7q4/w200-h200/golden.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><i><b>Golden Hills by Jennifer Weiner ~<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/126431368-golden-hills"> Goodreads</a></b></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">This is a very short story - 58 pages print, just under 2 hours audio, which is how I read it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Senatorial candidate, Ida Berkowitz, is headed for a win in her </span>reelection<span style="font-family: inherit;"> bid. That is until a ghost from her past, Marissa Schuyler, announces a press conference that will bring up feelings and deeds long forgotten from their summer at Camp Golden Hills while they were just young girls. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">By Ida's reaction I was </span>expecting<span style="font-family: inherit;"> some serious, <i>I Know What You Did Last Summer</i> level shenanigans but it felt more like nothing burger to me. But who knows? Maybe it could take her out - what do I know? lol</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What I did like about this one was the look back at the perceptions we have about others and their circumstances and the weight of our past that we carry with us. There are also themes of forgiveness and growth, which I also enjoyed. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ida does discuss politics and political issues quite a bit so steer clear if that's not your jam. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRFv-Hj2K1lhiDO9zp_lF3UmVNcT4FPmhL1RIjx6ACypBhvwt7B-8lJgtrTCwtGnYbNPv0LhlfyemiI0k1SrH3jjPNWWUq-pnRDQy7HGkLvYrK2w4gtGuZyFsJOXamU4JEVDTH0FR5S1mjgDSR04a1xrlv3o2is60--0OLOUZu2vwHImkj3S3v_JoUN0Q/s500/bookstore.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRFv-Hj2K1lhiDO9zp_lF3UmVNcT4FPmhL1RIjx6ACypBhvwt7B-8lJgtrTCwtGnYbNPv0LhlfyemiI0k1SrH3jjPNWWUq-pnRDQy7HGkLvYrK2w4gtGuZyFsJOXamU4JEVDTH0FR5S1mjgDSR04a1xrlv3o2is60--0OLOUZu2vwHImkj3S3v_JoUN0Q/w200-h200/bookstore.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The Bookstore Sisters by Alice Hoffman ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63096573-the-bookstore-sisters">Goodreads</a></i></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This one is an even leaner 36 pages. For such a short story, I think Hoffman did a great job unfolding the background of two estranged sisters, the reason why, New Yorker, Isabel Gibson goes back to her small Maine </span>island<span style="font-family: inherit;"> childhood home, reconnects with family, saves a bookstore and finds love.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ok, I didn't really love the romance aspect. Gasp! But it's a </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">really</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> short story and the way the love interest was crammed in there and rushed wasn't my favorite. But I did love the two sisters, Isabel's </span>niece, the bookstore and the embracing of old recipes with new meanings. <br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Very sweet! </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span face="Proxima Nova, Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1e1915; font-size: large;"><b>Currently</b><span style="background-color: white;"><b> reading!</b></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #1e1915;"><span style="background-color: white;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavcysapKillRhlHRwdmlNAK6Z1-FVpn8zx3tWcrvx9va82IdRANMxTgZ8ypiGCPhoSLKp_UCYYoia5gW06P1FFv_oar1_CQ46rhR64Dccmo9nTv2iIJp_A1v024AOQn73eZE1k_grX-2wYxNmRhAw7F5NrsNQbiNvY5mA75bLahAVkWkXozrUBuXekORV/s2560/58510253.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1706" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavcysapKillRhlHRwdmlNAK6Z1-FVpn8zx3tWcrvx9va82IdRANMxTgZ8ypiGCPhoSLKp_UCYYoia5gW06P1FFv_oar1_CQ46rhR64Dccmo9nTv2iIJp_A1v024AOQn73eZE1k_grX-2wYxNmRhAw7F5NrsNQbiNvY5mA75bLahAVkWkXozrUBuXekORV/w133-h200/58510253.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I started this last year and set it aside. I just wasn't in the mood then. I picked it up again and I love it! I felt this way about a romance in a while so fingers crossed the second half is just as good. ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58510253-the-undertaking-of-hart-and-mercy">Goodreads</a></span><br /><b style="font-family: "Proxima Nova", Montserrat, Arial, sans-serif;"> </b></span></span></div>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047843651411739466.post-12007362614494588352023-07-11T18:02:00.005-04:002023-07-11T18:02:57.471-04:00Update: Life, Reading, Watching...<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Hello, Hello! I hope you are all enjoying the summer (or at least surviving the heat - looking at you Roberta 😜).</span></p><p><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b>SUMMERTIME</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I don't really love hot weather but I LOVE summer because of all the flowers and produce and live on huge salads. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I also found this fantastic salad dressing over at Endless Meals - <a href="https://www.theendlessmeal.com/best-kale-salad-dressing/">The Best Ever Kale Salad Dressing </a> It really stands up to the taste and texture of kale but I think it would be amazing with root vegetables or in veggie bowls. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I never used to make my own dressings but I've bee experimenting (& finally cracking open all the cookbooks I own!). I haven't repurchased my standby Panera dressing yet either. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKV9WyStvQl0cvwUXCuLwh_nmLQbTvTeyuTdoStJotci7mjNlxmXHkrHC6SOOstBYY8vvTXtD2SmHWL3O_ZPiscRYiPwF9rAxbCZTvcX5Ezht-KJ5IpT7gV9OgsawjJXGICIklnZv8kw4UTkMEWPkF_CiZKHY_atm0xr6E-Hg8ju0KMJ9a6JETXrfpFnr1/s4000/salad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="a summer salad with lettuce, peaches, tomatoes, corn. In the center is an opened ball of burrata cheese, drizzled with olive oil. The round white plate is sitting in a black and white dotted tablecloth" border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKV9WyStvQl0cvwUXCuLwh_nmLQbTvTeyuTdoStJotci7mjNlxmXHkrHC6SOOstBYY8vvTXtD2SmHWL3O_ZPiscRYiPwF9rAxbCZTvcX5Ezht-KJ5IpT7gV9OgsawjJXGICIklnZv8kw4UTkMEWPkF_CiZKHY_atm0xr6E-Hg8ju0KMJ9a6JETXrfpFnr1/w320-h240/salad.jpg" title="summer salad" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b> LIFE</b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">After 7 months of testing and Dr visits, I finally got to the ENT (ear, nose & throat specialist) to discuss my breathing/coughing issues. Every Dr I saw kept telling me - THIS is who you have to see, they are the ones who can test you fully/properly. Welp, he looked down my nose and throat in the office - didn't see anything serious and basically said I have allergies and don't work out hard enough. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Now - I work out doing cardio 5 days per week, yoga, walk, meditate etc. And my breathing problems are in situations that not one person has problems with unless they have other problems like asthma, COPD etc. My heart and lungs are ok (other than the small spots I have to have rechecked in November). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">He was supposed to be the Dr that did a full endoscope and testing to see if I have any obstructions, damage, infections or anything like that. I tried to talk to him about my reflux which causes severe coughing fits but he was like....hahaha, you're </span><span style="font-size: medium;">chasing</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> down rabbit holes now. So continue with your speech therapist (who is helping me </span><span style="font-size: medium;">enormously because she gets it but can't fully fix it because that's not exactly what's wrong) and don't be lazy. So that's that. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">They tell you not to google your illness or research online - only talk to a specialist - but then they don't listen when you get to them. The Dr's that do get it aren't in the correct specialty to do the testing so you're stuck. The only reason I am living as well as I am with whatever tf is going on, is through my own research. SO frustrating. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Sorry, I had some pent up venting to let out lol</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">On to lighter fare!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuCVR2ZIyZFASk1NcPW-LEGYUjSc-zp0_QzGzNfp-pOXXvPv2e6Zb-2AbyDcBCH-j4dQedZozb6VZGgCKO49mP9QERcYZwoewNh9jt53HusPuGVezZ4ntf2ydVJG8_1Bk858BXUwtUrwbDgw1lJVMlW7snufrzy7zPcpGpVdd7mwnlWV8ChUwwruasN7ik/s4000/backpack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Man walking down a crowded . closed off street hosting a farmers market. He's wearing a longsleeve blueshort with jeans and sneakers. On his back is a grey backback that is holding a sable and whit sheltie. She is looking out to the right at the vendors and people passing by" border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuCVR2ZIyZFASk1NcPW-LEGYUjSc-zp0_QzGzNfp-pOXXvPv2e6Zb-2AbyDcBCH-j4dQedZozb6VZGgCKO49mP9QERcYZwoewNh9jt53HusPuGVezZ4ntf2ydVJG8_1Bk858BXUwtUrwbDgw1lJVMlW7snufrzy7zPcpGpVdd7mwnlWV8ChUwwruasN7ik/w240-h320/backpack.jpg" title="farmers market, k9 backpack" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Ripley is terrified of dogs & crowds so it's hard to take her to busy places but I want to continue working with her because she's come so far. We bought a backpack with the thought that she could still look at things but know she's safe up high up with Dad. I was sure she was going to be a brat kicking and twisting in there but nope - she loved it! Almost too much. Instead of sitting high and looking out, she hangs back like a heavy slug lol But it worked great. We did this a few times and now this past weekend she was able to walk around the farmers market more (out of the backpack) without panicking. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><b>READING</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I'm reading approximately 1 bajillion books at one time right now lol Here are the three audiobooks I'm listening to. TOTALLY different so I bounce around depending on my mood. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtg_ERKIHQt4-WyGGZw8e8zC8Rp1roRMe4C7AJEPzGkl59urvQ4LjxoEuS528B6CEC2iI2hYPsayK37_WGyg-T1kr_aRLLSsLWGDYFTrV2kqUN4aKVjy8p1YDpibH6lWhQXnPUzELKPzAh5c9VvahK7noObaIERtl8lZPgBzb3NVN7C5W4_OMuHG_158OH/s600/reading.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="600" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtg_ERKIHQt4-WyGGZw8e8zC8Rp1roRMe4C7AJEPzGkl59urvQ4LjxoEuS528B6CEC2iI2hYPsayK37_WGyg-T1kr_aRLLSsLWGDYFTrV2kqUN4aKVjy8p1YDpibH6lWhQXnPUzELKPzAh5c9VvahK7noObaIERtl8lZPgBzb3NVN7C5W4_OMuHG_158OH/w640-h190/reading.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>The Love Hypothesis</i> is one of my favorites but I haven't been able to get into anymore of Hazelwood's books since then. I thought I would switch to audio for <i>Love, Theoretically</i> and see if it made a difference. It did. At first, but now I'm realizing that TLH was a one shot thing with this author for me. Things are repetitive to the point of almost identical scenes and character traits (even though each book has a different premise). I don't want to harsh on anyone's else's love - this is just how I feel. ~<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61326735-love-theoretically?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=YA1DEKwRlo&rank=1"> Goodreads</a> (<b>Source:</b> received an ALC from the publisher via Libro.fm)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>There are No Stupid Questions...in Science</i> is kind of a science for dummies or science in a hurry. Elson answers reader questions in a quick, witty way. Some of the humor seems forced but it's a fun listen while driving or for short listening bursts. ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61812902-there-are-no-stupid-questions-in-science?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_20">Goodreads</a> (<b>Source:</b> received an ALC from the publisher, via Libro.fm)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Wool Omnibus</i> is the series of short stories that the new Apple+ TV series is based on. I did a buddy watch with Greg and we have questions we don't feel like waiting 2 years to have answered - so now we're doing a buddy read. It's sticking very close to how the series u<span style="font-family: inherit;">nfolded but filling in a few blanks so I'm enjoying it. It's long though with 2 more books to the series, so it will be a while before I ever finish it lol ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13453029-wool-omnibus?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=ctebNH555Y&rank=1">Goodreads</a> (<b>Source</b>: Library loan)</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm also reading </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">The Undertaking of Hart & Mercy by Megan Bannon</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> on my Kindle. I started this last night and was immediately smitten. It's been a long time that I was </span>instantly<span style="font-family: inherit;"> drawn to a story and characters so I'm hoping this one holds! </span></span><span style="font-size: large;">~ </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58510253-the-undertaking-of-hart-and-mercy?ref=nav_sb_ss_1_15" style="font-size: large;">Goodreads</a> (<b>Source:</b> Purchased eons ago)</p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I've also had several others not even worth mentioning...</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">WATCHING</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">We've been on a bit of a documentary kick and watched docs about Audrey Hepburn, Katherine Hepburn, <span style="background-color: white;">Arnold</span><span style="background-color: white;"> Schwarzenegger,</span> the new Wham! documentary. All on Netflix - all pretty good.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Ted Lasso</i>, Silo and <i>The After Party</i>, Hijack on Apple+</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Sweet Tooth</i> S2 and <i>Extraction 2</i> on Netflix</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">My rec is <i>Nimona</i> on Netflix. I wasn't too enamored with the trailer but the movie is the sweetest. </span></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Tell me what you've all been up to! </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEmClCfQn3MFpy897my0CjVk0p-jKStvWI6PMVjRNHLFQDoS7hrcXxYmg6lOBK-cSzQUJjpkxcL2UJOXIMmeubK8G523QoKwU9bqf1bFtqqBvKUOPvDEBgyVvCaaZvwHy92o08IpMXj8INIruNIvlCvoWIjFftIC50UhQhnG0rPgYTwCbqjdSA1C9ZPLO2/s760/BBack.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="100" data-original-width="760" height="53" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEmClCfQn3MFpy897my0CjVk0p-jKStvWI6PMVjRNHLFQDoS7hrcXxYmg6lOBK-cSzQUJjpkxcL2UJOXIMmeubK8G523QoKwU9bqf1bFtqqBvKUOPvDEBgyVvCaaZvwHy92o08IpMXj8INIruNIvlCvoWIjFftIC50UhQhnG0rPgYTwCbqjdSA1C9ZPLO2/w400-h53/BBack.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047843651411739466.post-20868510772065518762023-06-30T13:14:00.004-04:002023-06-30T13:14:51.816-04:00Random facts: the history of charcoal briquettes<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I know I've been doing random posts lately, but this is a REALLY random post! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Since we're coming up on the 4th of July in the US, and it's officially summer grilling season, I thought I'd share the origin story of the charcoal briquette and the Kingsford charcoal company.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We were watching <b>The Food That Built America</b> on </span><a href="https://www.history.com/shows/the-food-that-built-america" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">The History Channel </a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> and they had an episode about BBQ, titled, <i>Where There's Smoke</i> and I thought it had an </span>interesting<span style="font-family: inherit;"> bit of trivia that I didn't know. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0IYQYXOjEnzNQubaG6ANmmziuOXlj6XtKpLmshY9gcgn32wtzVf66amc7BCv-LA0ChA2sMTxAddJk0NrAaUNBzEv-XQgq2mdDsShmZ9pNhO624OqVIDdX9lpDLAz4k4mYS1zTxxyGpzTjLCtS2AbTFISHm9ZNMNN5q4WNG4t_3DE7FVfCmj7WPY9xbeTw/s4000/20230622_082921.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0IYQYXOjEnzNQubaG6ANmmziuOXlj6XtKpLmshY9gcgn32wtzVf66amc7BCv-LA0ChA2sMTxAddJk0NrAaUNBzEv-XQgq2mdDsShmZ9pNhO624OqVIDdX9lpDLAz4k4mYS1zTxxyGpzTjLCtS2AbTFISHm9ZNMNN5q4WNG4t_3DE7FVfCmj7WPY9xbeTw/w400-h300/20230622_082921.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Henry Ford, of the Ford Motor Company, was </span>making<span style="font-family: inherit;"> and selling over a million cars in the 1920's. Back then, cars were made of wood and used 100 feet of wood per car. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Wanting more control of the process and to save money, he sought the help of </span>Michigan<span style="font-family: inherit;"> real estate agent, and family </span>friend<span style="font-family: inherit;">, Edward G. Kingsford to find suitable land. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>Once up & running though, the mill generated a lot of waste. This bugged Ford so he decided to venture into making a new fangled thing,</span> invented by a chemist named Orin Stafford, called charcoal briquettes (made from sawdust and mill waste and held together with cornstarch), with an eye towards marketing to families who were doing more things outdoors - thanks to being more mobile because of his cars. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ford, not knowing the first thing about how to build a factory to make charcoal briquettes, enlisted his good friend Thomas Edison, who helped design the factory to be built next to the sawmill, which was a model of efficiency, and let Kingsford run it. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The company was named Ford Charcoal and only renamed it Kingsford Chemical Company in 1951, after Ford's death in 1947.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ford sold what he called "picnic kits" containing the charcoal briquettes and a small portable grill for $1, exclusively at his dealerships and larger quantities to meat smoking plants. The home backyard grill wasn't invented yet, and grilling as we know it, didn't take off until after WWII.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><b>I had no idea it was Henry Ford who brought charcoal to the mainstream or that Ford Charcoal was the original name for Kingsford. Nor did I realize Thomas Edison's involvement. Did you?</b></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Do you all have any plans for the holiday? We have a new event in town. All day music and food by the waterfront. It's only 5 minutes away, so I think we're going to do that for the 4th. Otherwise it's just a chill weekend (or not - since it will be in the 90's) with the dogs at home.</span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="320" src="https://giphy.com/embed/26tOZ42Mg6pbTUPHW" width="480"></iframe></div><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/26tOZ42Mg6pbTUPHW">via GIPHY</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">Don't shoot your eye out with fireworks and keep your pets inside! More pets go missing on the holiday than any other time of they year - they can get scared and disoriented from the firewrks. </span></p>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047843651411739466.post-82868421608458915902023-06-26T03:00:00.001-04:002023-06-26T03:00:00.135-04:00Read with Pride<p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">To celebrate Pride month, I wanted to do a few book recommendations. I am <i>horrible</i> at remembering what I read last week - never mind over the years -and making lists - but these have stood out out in my mind. I also wanted to pick less obvious or older titles as well.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxQb4Iu2sS8a8JfRD_RtkshKo567I4bPNzg27QV2QVl7WQJpIXM_vFi1rz8NhFrsAb2Ptiu7LuntCkBB2nLNLx-7vx0f9kfQ5YLk9YSeejmqMgoyAU6hz3XUdsuWkG273i5B_gvk64zwadi57juvubULf1T6Td-qdTuwDmIQLno43rnggdVK23owkQEO4/s1640/Read%20with%20Pride.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="856" data-original-width="1640" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVxQb4Iu2sS8a8JfRD_RtkshKo567I4bPNzg27QV2QVl7WQJpIXM_vFi1rz8NhFrsAb2Ptiu7LuntCkBB2nLNLx-7vx0f9kfQ5YLk9YSeejmqMgoyAU6hz3XUdsuWkG273i5B_gvk64zwadi57juvubULf1T6Td-qdTuwDmIQLno43rnggdVK23owkQEO4/w640-h334/Read%20with%20Pride.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">YA</span></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58874675-the-honeys?ref=nav_sb_ss_2_11" style="background-color: white;"><b>The Honey's by Ryan La Sala</b></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #171717;"> - I read this one a few months ago, and I still mention it almost weekly. Mars, who is genderfluid, throws himself back into the strict gender coded </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Aspen Conservancy Summer Academy, where he was once bullied out of, looking for answers after his sister dies under mysterious circumstances. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #171717;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #171717;">I adored how brilliantly La Sala weaved mystery, horror and coming of age into this delicious (pun intended if you've read it) tale.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50160619-you-should-see-me-in-a-crown?ref=nav_sb_ss_3_17"><b>You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson</b></a> - <span style="background-color: white; color: #171717;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #171717;">Liz is a Black, queer teen in an elite, mostly white school where she doesn’t ever quite fit. Watching her navigate the different groups and grow her self confidence is a real treat. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #171717;">This is the fluffy feel good summer read you need in your life right now!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40190305-like-a-love-story?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=voTRddHOY3&rank=1" style="font-weight: bold;">Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> (</span><a href="http://www.fwiwreviews.net/2019/08/review-like-love-story-by-abdi-nazemian.html" style="font-weight: bold;">review</a><b>) </b>I read this book back in 2019 and think about it to this day.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #171717;">Set in the late 80’s against the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic with the music of Madonna as a catalyst, </span><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;">Like a Love Story</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #171717;"> is the stunning coming of age story of three teens caught in a complicated relationship dynamic.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #171717; font-family: "Century Gothic", Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #171717; font-family: inherit;">Nazemian so brilliantly captures the era of the on coming AIDS crisis, the activism, fear, death, the LOVE, the intimacy, and the pop culture all at once without ever skipping a beat. It’s all done so seamlessly. Family, by birth and found, also feature prominently. It's a rough read, no neat little bows at the end and it's angsty but it's perfect. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43568395-pet?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=Lia694h5nU&rank=2" style="font-family: inherit;">Pet by Akwaeke Emezi</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> (</span><a href="http://www.fwiwreviews.net/search?q=pet" style="font-family: inherit;">review</a></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>)</b> (<i>Pet</i> is YA but it had more of a MG vibe to me, so consider it a crossover and read my review for more details on why I feel </span>this<span style="font-family: inherit;"> way) </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #171717;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>Pet</i> is about things that look like monsters but might be angels and things that look like angels who might be monsters – and being brave enough to confront evil and speak up – even when it’s hard.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While the book is not specifically about sex or gender, Jam is a black transgender girl and has a lovely </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">relationship with her parents, best friend and his family. </span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">MG</span></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35604722-ivy-aberdeen-s-letter-to-the-world" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Ivy Aberdeen's letter to the World</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> (</span><a href="http://www.fwiwreviews.net/2018/04/review-ivy-aberdeens-letter-to-world-by.html#.WtYqlojwYuU" style="font-family: inherit;">review</a></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>) </b>This is such a lovely little story about 12 year old Ivy Aberdeen and the chaos and confusion she experiences after her baby sister is born, a tornado blows through her town and she starts having feelings for girls instead of the boys all </span>her<span style="font-family: inherit;"> friends are talking about. </span><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1915;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">I haven't read a lot of mid-grade, but the few that I have, have been wonderful - defying age classifications with universal themes.<i> Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World</i> is one such book, tackling family dynamics, new and changing friendships and self discovery, making it perfect for readers young and old.</span></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Adult</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59427409-the-secret-life-of-albert-entwistle">The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain</a> (<a href="http://www.fwiwreviews.net/search?q=the+secret+life+of+albert+entwistle">review</a>) </b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #171717;">The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #171717;"> is a gentle little story that says it's never to late for new beginnings and family isn't something that needs to be connected by blood. Albert is a 65 year old forced to retire from his position,</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #171717; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #171717; font-size: large;">as a carrier,</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #171717; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> for the Royal Mail. Adrift and longing for a life never lived, he sets in motion a plan to let more people into his life - a plan that lets him finally reveal and be who he is (a gay man) and possibly lead him to his long lost love. This one is a little sad at first but a sweet story about small acts of kindness </span><span style="color: #171717; font-size: medium;">leading</span><span style="color: #171717; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"> to bigger and better things.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #171717; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Have you read any of these? What are your recommendations? If you did a post for Pride Month - please leave a link so I can visit.</span></span></p>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047843651411739466.post-13686735916964212152023-06-22T03:00:00.001-04:002023-06-22T03:00:00.141-04:00Review: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKzVOwWWRppg90vZcu4nOYB2j-Lwvyq-8iUq-V3KJj39VcICTk2WHYwQDLxwmH-IwkoIAgb-GKvwoC_5tVIgJTNVjt7jFK2ChtyBfNuJPH_XSSe59f-2li-Dweoc0duStnkqjLOzxDaJCUHpdvNvTzfmC-h5XdxDZVcHWA-qeuFpAKyDmvi8EQn2JeWZq/s300/little%20fires.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Book cover for Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, in smaller white font. A small, suburban neighborhood with neat lawns" border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEKzVOwWWRppg90vZcu4nOYB2j-Lwvyq-8iUq-V3KJj39VcICTk2WHYwQDLxwmH-IwkoIAgb-GKvwoC_5tVIgJTNVjt7jFK2ChtyBfNuJPH_XSSe59f-2li-Dweoc0duStnkqjLOzxDaJCUHpdvNvTzfmC-h5XdxDZVcHWA-qeuFpAKyDmvi8EQn2JeWZq/w200-h200/little%20fires.jpg" title="Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><b><span style="background-color: white;">In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Enter Mia Warren – an enigmatic artist and single mother – who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town--and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood – and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster. ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36112638-little-fires-everywhere">Goodreads</a></span></b></i></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><b>Source: Audiobook via Hoopla</b></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i><b>The Book Pusher: <a href="https://e135-abookaweek.blogspot.com/">A Book A week blog </a></b></i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Review: </b>I rarely read best </span><span style="font-size: medium;">sellers/mainstream books but was finally convinced to try<i> Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng</i> thanks to Ethan's<a href="https://e135-abookaweek.blogspot.com/2023/05/little-fires-everywhere-by-celeste-ng.html"> review</a>. I went with the audiobook version, narrated by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8600141.Jennifer_Lim">Jennifer Lim</a>, which turned out to be a great choice.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Set in the 90's, during the Clinton administration, and Monica Lewinsky scandal, Ng writes a tale of two very different women. The affluent Elena Richardson - wife to her lawyer husband, mother of 4, and journalist at her local paper, and Mia Warren - artist, waitress and single mother to 15 year old Pearl.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Their worlds collide when Mia moves to the idyllic, progressive community of Shaker Heights, Ohio. She rents a duplex from Mrs. Richardson, hoping to have finally found a place to settle with Pearl, after a somewhat nomadic upbringing. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Little Fires Everywhere</i>, primarily, through Elena and Mia, looks at progressive ideals, how they change and warp the wealthier one becomes, the "seeming" perfection of suburbia, social class, the impulsiveness of youth, and above all motherhood. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Right from the start the two families become intertwined and headed for disaster. Pearl, raised unmoored from a sense of place, gravitates to the Richardsons. She becomes best friend to Moody, pines for eldest son, Trip, becomes confidants to daughters Lexie and Izzy. Pearl spends every day with the family and is enamored by the picture perfect, welcoming Mrs. Richardson as opposed to her free spirit mother. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The Richardson's fall under the spell of the Warrens as well. Moody has a crush on Pearl, Trip starts to show an interest, and Izzy, never feeling like she belonged in the Richardson's family, thrives under Mia's tutelage and helps with her art projects after school every day.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Then a local explosive custody case, involving a Chinese-American baby, rocks Shaker Heights to its core. Mia is a friend and co-worker to the poor, immigrant birth mother fighting to get her baby back, after leaving her at a fire station, while Elena is best friends to the potential adoptive family and her husband is their lawyer. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Ng creates and intensely voyeuristic experience. With expertise, she weaves the stories of all the players, past and present, so seamlessly that you just get swept up into it. Instead of getting annoyed that the story is veering (seemingly) off course for a time - you appreciate the intricate layer this new information adds to the story. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I mentioned earlier that this book is, above all, about motherhood and this custody case sets things in motion that neither woman can undo. Elena </span>becomes<span style="font-family: inherit;"> more and more suspicious of Mia's past and uses her </span>journalist<span style="font-family: inherit;"> skills and contacts to dig up the dirt. She calls in favors from people she calls friend - clear that every good deed she has done for them over the years was </span>catalogued<span style="font-family: inherit;"> and expected to be </span>reciprocal<span style="font-family: inherit;">. It becomes </span>personal and she crosses lines. She also loses sight of her own children's needs and actions. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Mia, while coming from a better, more altruistic place, is still, none-the-less keeping secrets and has moral quandaries she struggles with both in her past and with her relationship to the Richardson children.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Ng explores subjects and scenarios that might not raise as many eyebrows these days. I recall in the 90's that test tube babies, surrogacy custody battles and adoptions where children being ripped away from their adoptive parents - live on tv were HUGE, polarizing stories. And big ratings grabbers. Ng expertly captures that time and place.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">She also doesn't justify or judge her characters actions. She just lays out their complex stories, their history and motivations then leaves it to the reader to decide. I can see how this would make for an amazing book club book. I can easily think of a dozen topics off the top of my head to discuss. I haven't even touched the surface of what the book entails in this review.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The ending though...I was so thrown by the ending. It was abrupt - although I knew it was coming. It was wrapped up yet not. I'm not sure if I struggle with the way it was written or that I wanted to stay with these people longer and know where they are now, how they are handling this next chapter. Either way - it's not often that a book gets to me that way so I'll take it as a win. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>I do want to mention a few CW. These are mostly if pregnancy/motherhood issues are a trigger for you ---></b><span style="color: white;"><b> </b>infertility, surrogacy, adoption, miscarriage, abortion, women who change their mind about surrogacy/adoption, kidnapping, child abandonment, death of sibling</span></span></p>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13958940283330319507noreply@blogger.com18