Making A Legit Effort

 

    

So like. I really suck at this whole blogging thing. But I made sure to actually put it in my planner every other day which is something I actually do follow. I think if I see it as a "task" (even though it's not going to be considered one!) it'll help me stay on track.

But that's life right now huh? COVID has made so many things completely out of whack. Intentions that we have made or goals we had for ourselves in 2020...not happening for some. Vacations and trips planned? Cancelled or postponed. Kids are either at school, virtual or a hybrid of both which seems to change weekly. Fires have been absolutely crazy on the West Coast. This election year is the worst I think I have ever experienced in my entire adult life.

It's. Been. Weird.

But at the same time I am truly cherishing this slowed down life right now. The time I am having with my kids is a time I am loving. We have done a lot of local traveling (camping and social distancing!) and I started hiking. October is going to be really busy for us but that's okay. Hopefully it helps the time go by quicker! 

A lot of people tend to focus on the negative with this but I want to hear some positives. What is something positive that you have about this crazy year? 

Summer is Ending

 

    It's really crazy to think that in a few short weeks summer is officially over. I feel like with this pandemic, the year is just like Groundhog's Day repeating over and over again. And yet, summer flew by us quicker than any of us could imagine.

    Kids are gearing up for back to school and whether or not your district is doing in person or virtual, I know the parents are stressed. The district we are going back to didn't give us an option and they said 100% virtual to start and I am completely okay with it. But know that no matter what option YOU choose, you're doing what you think is best for your child. Don't let anyone put you down or make you feel bad for that. Only you know what's best for your family.

    I know I made a post about my blog changing and how I would update more. And that was in July. So clearly I need to work on making that change! We did a few hiking trips and did a big trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton's a few weeks ago and I will be updating this week about that amazing sight. I am already planning a trip back but right now trying to focus on the next trip which is Zion, Bryce and Arches. We were going to camp at Grand Canyon but the virus being the way it is in Arizona, we got an email saying that all services are closed and that while our reservation is good to go, no new reservations were allowed. So that made us rethink that part of the trip and we are swapping it with Arches. We will be visiting a friend so we will be safe from being around other people for this one and we're excited! 

I am loving all the exploring we are doing in our country. And I can't wait to do more of it! 

Blog Changing!

Hey all! Its been a minute since I updated this thing. And after some reflection, I think its because of what this blog was intended for. I write my book reviews on my IG, Netgalley when I need to, Goodreads and Amazon when I remember so having another outlet just for  book reviews was something that got put on the back burner.

But I think I found a way to change that! 

In addition to reading, I also love traveling and eating. HAHA. Right now with 2020 being the way that it is, our traveling has gone way down. But even when we are not doing a big trip, we love exploring our state. There are so many amazing gems in your own state that I guarantee most people aren't even aware of! Those are the places we love going to. (The website Only-insert state here- is absolutely amazing!) 

So I am going to try and revert my blog into more of a "lifestyle" blog if you will. Not only will it be book oriented but it'll also have my day to day activities. When I really stop and think about it, we are much busier than I realize so hopefully having an outlet here to record that will keep me engaged. 

What's your favorite place you've traveled to recently? 

Insadong, South Korea (2018)

Caribbean Sea, Jamaica (2019)

Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World (2019)

Redfish Lake, Stanley, ID (2020)

The Better Liar by Tanen Jones

Synopsis: (Amazon) “Like most of the dead, I want to be remembered.”

Robin Voigt is dead. If Leslie had arrived at her sister’s cramped Las Vegas apartment just hours earlier, this would have been their first reunion in a decade. In the years since Robin ran away from home as a teenager, Leslie has stayed in New Mexico, taking care of their dying father even as she began building a family of her own. But when their father passed away, Leslie received a rude awakening: She and Robin would receive the inheritance he left them together—or not at all. Now her half of the money may be beyond her grasp. And unbeknownst to anyone, even her husband, Leslie needs it desperately.

When she meets a charismatic young woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Robin—and has every reason to leave her past behind—the two make a reckless bargain: Mary will impersonate Robin for a week in exchange for Robin’s half of the cash. But neither realizes how high the stakes will become when Mary takes a dead woman’s name. Even as Mary begins to suspect Leslie is hiding something, and Leslie realizes the stranger living in her house, babysitting her newborn son, and charming her husband has secrets of her own, Robin’s wild, troubled legacy threatens to eclipse them both.

An electric, twisted portrait of sisterhood and the ties that bind, The Better Liar is a stunning debut with a heart-stopping, twist-after-twist finale that will beg the question: How far would you go to get what’s yours?

My Review: This was another quick read that I read back in February (I am awful about updating this, have you noticed?). This one was definitely a ride but touched on some deep topics. One constant theme is depression/post partum and suicide. Having suffered from both (I was diagnosed with clinical depression in 2018), I would understand the emotional roller coaster you can't seem to ever get off. 

I really could feel for Leslie and her struggles as a Mom! It's hard and when you add PPD into it, you really do feel that disconnect with your child. Don't get me wrong, I adore my babies but with PPD sometimes you just check out and half the time you don't even realize you had. 

The twist with Robin/Mary I actually didn't see coming. I mean I guess now that I look back on it, it was pretty obvious but at the time I was like NO WAY! So if you had figured it out 😛. 

This one is definitely worth checking out for yourself!

Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Good Girls Lie by JT Elilison

**SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW**

Synopsis: (Amazon) Goode girls don’t lie…

Perched atop a hill in the tiny town of Marchburg, Virginia, The Goode School is a prestigious prep school known as a Silent Ivy. The boarding school of choice for daughters of the rich and influential, it accepts only the best and the brightest. Its elite status, long-held traditions and honor code are ideal for preparing exceptional young women for brilliant futures at Ivy League universities and beyond.

But a stranger has come to Goode, and this ivy has turned poisonous.

In a world where appearances are everything, as long as students pretend to follow the rules, no one questions the cruelties of the secret societies or the dubious behavior of the privileged young women who expect to get away with murder.

When a popular student is found dead, the truth cannot be ignored. Rumors suggest she was struggling with a secret that drove her to suicide.

But look closely…because there are truths and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened.

My Review: Another amazing, quick read thriller! I finished this one last week after only spending 48 hours reading it. Which I feel like has been my experience with most thrillers. Quick chapters plus engaging story and you have the perfect recipe for a good book. I couldn't put this one down at all! 

I loved how it kept you guessing what was happening next. I wasn't expecting the twist that Ash and Alex were sisters and two different people. I honestly thought it was a case of different personalities! I thought the real killer was Rumi all along. But Ford definitely annoyed me. Like this was HER school and yet she had no idea what was going on? I did genuinely feel bad for Becca. I know she was the "spoiled rich girl" but I really did think her and Alex would have been okay. 

This one is a must read for thriller readers!

Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Frankly In Love by David Yoon

Synopsis: (Amazon) Frank Li has two names. There's Frank Li, his American name. Then there's Sung-Min Li, his Korean name. No one uses his Korean name, not even his parents. Frank barely speaks any Korean. He was born and raised in Southern California.

Even so, his parents still expect him to end up with a nice Korean girl--which is a problem, since Frank is finally dating the girl of his dreams: Brit Means. Brit, who is funny and nerdy just like him. Brit, who makes him laugh like no one else. Brit . . . who is white.

As Frank falls in love for the very first time, he's forced to confront the fact that while his parents sacrificed everything to raise him in the land of opportunity, their traditional expectations don't leave a lot of room for him to be a regular American teen. Desperate to be with Brit without his parents finding out, Frank turns to family friend Joy Song, who is in a similar bind. Together, they come up with a plan to help each other and keep their parents off their backs. Frank thinks he's found the solution to all his problems, but when life throws him a curveball, he's left wondering whether he ever really knew anything about love—or himself—at all.

In this moving debut novel—featuring striking blue stained edges and beautiful original endpaper art by the author—David Yoon takes on the question of who am I? with a result that is humorous, heartfelt, and ultimately unforgettable.

My Review: "Someone once told me that you had to hate your parents in order to leave them." 

Something I have discovered this year that I love more than anything are buddy reads. 

Buddy reads are online book clubs and I think I actually might prefer these to real life book clubs! Its just so convenient to hang out and chat with a glass of wine or in your pajamas. Some of them are strictly with text and some use Zoom or Google Meetup. Its really a great thing! But the thing I am loving the most about them is that it has expanded my reading palette. 

This book, Frankly in Love, I read for a buddy read with my friend Kaylee and her group. And this one did not disappoint yet again! 

This one touched on racism in the US in a way that made me wonder if I also do and say things like some of these characters. Another thing I loved was that this was told from the viewpoint of a teenage boy. Having one myself, I can see some of the same traits that Frank exhibits in our own home. It surprised me at first but only because society likes to pretend that only women are emotional and have hormones! But I loved the internal monologue we got and how we got to watch him nature and accept who he is.

I know it drives people crazy about how easily he fell in "love" but that was so real! Almost every teenager falls instantly in love, its like a rite of passage for them! 

Have you read this one? What did you think? 

Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Wives by Tarryn Fisher

Synopsis: Thursday’s husband, Seth, has two other wives. She’s never met them, and she doesn’t know anything about them. She agreed to this unusual arrangement because she’s so crazy about him.

But one day, she finds something. Something that tells a very different—and horrifying—story about the man she married.

What follows is one of the most twisted, shocking thrillers you’ll ever read.

My Review: Wow! WOW! WOOOOOOOW! I recently read this for a thriller book club buddy read on IG and I am so glad I joined! I started this book and finished it in less than 24 hours. That was a combination of short chapters (which always make you just plow through a book!) and it being that good. This book had everything: intriguing story, people playing mental games and a plot that makes you go 🤯 when you finally figure out what is going on.

I really liked Thursday's character to be honest. I really felt for her when she explored the emotional mind games her Mother played with her. Having had suffered through many miscarriages myself, I can understand the deep emotional and mental toll they take. I LOVED the Seattle setting and could actually picture the places she was visiting as she described them. I liked that the story was set up as she had this idyllic life but is it ever as it seems? 

What I didn't like was how Regina's story panned out. Like she is legitmately just as bad in my opnion as she made Thursday out to be. And I wasn't too keen on that ending. I was just hoping for more, not that abrupt end that it took. 

Given how small this book was, I can't give too much more of a review without seeping into spoiler territory but I do recommend this book a million times over! 

Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆