Staying Open – March 16

Staying Open – 75

 

Trying to rest and be grateful today. Love and joy is everywhere and sometimes we just have to look harder.

#open #olw #stayingopen

Staying Open – March 15

 

Staying Open – 74

 

It didn’t work out. After sitting at the hospital for a few hours and getting almost completely ready, it was clear power wasn’t coming back so they sent me home. Thankfully we do now have power at home but this means another rescheduling and likely another 10+ days wait. A real bummer.

#open #olw #stayingopen

Staying Open – March 14

 

Staying Open – 73

 

Well we’re back to having no power. My surgery is tomorrow and the hospital also has no power so let’s see how this works out…

#open #olw #stayingopen

Staying Open – March 13

 

Staying Open – 72

 

I’m in that phase you get to when you’re a day before your trip and become super effective in getting a million little things done because you know you won’t be around for a bit.

Here’s hoping I don’t drop anything major on the floor.

#open #olw #stayingopen

Staying Open – March 12

 

Staying Open – 71

 

Here’s to surprises unexpected and yet so well deserved. We loved this movie so much when we saw it months ago.

The story is unlike anything else and it has so much creativity and so much heart.

And the speeches showed how much heart the cast have too.

What a joy.

#open #olw #stayingopen

Review: Pineapple Street

Pineapple Street
Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars.

This was a fun, fast-paced story of the super rich who eventually, for different reasons, have to actually think about what it means to be super rich. it doesn’t take itself too seriously and it was a fun read.

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Staying Open – March 11

 

Staying Open – 70

 

I had a super productive day today. Spent time with both kids. Did all my Todo list items.and all my chores. and all the things I wanted to do for me.

days like this are magic.

#open #olw #stayingopen

Review: French Holiday

French Holiday
French Holiday by Sarah Ready
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this delightful and fun book while I was lying in bed with COVID and it was the perfect distraction. It’s a delightful and fun romance when two people who don’t like each other are in the same “mansion” which is mostly dilapidated and are stuck having to make it work. Of course it ends the way romances do but there are some fun surprises along the way.

If romance is your genre, you will enjoy this one!

with gratitude to Swift & Lewis Publishing and netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

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Review: The Possibilities

The Possibilities
The Possibilities by Yael Goldstein-Love
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What an unusual book!

This is the story of a mom who is suffering from post-partum and her marriage is unraveling. Her baby goes missing from his crib one night and she has to go through parallel worlds to find him and bring him back. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?

And it’s so interesting and well executed. I loved it and I loved the story around motherhood, and the lengths we go to, to save our loved ones.

with gratitude to netgalley and Random House for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

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Review: The Beauty of Rain

The Beauty of Rain
The Beauty of Rain by Jamie Beck
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the story of two sisters, one whose life is irrevocably changed by an accident that killed her husband and son almost a year ago and the other whose family looks “perfect” but is unraveling slowly at the seams as she tries to save her sister, become a partner at her law firm and also be the best mom all at the same time.

There is so much in this book about grief, our sense of self and how it gets wrapped in others, about regret and remorse and marriage and having a child with needs. The characters are real and raw and the look inside their lives is open and earnest.

I loved the characters and even though i can nitpick at parts of it, I really loved this story, too.

with gratitude to netgalley and Montlake for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

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Review: If We’re Being Honest

If We're Being Honest
If We’re Being Honest by Cat Shook
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the story of a family, mostly told from the perspective of the adult grandchildren. The grandfather passes away and a secret comes to the surface during his eulogy that shocks the family and each member takes it in their own way as they grapple with their own lives, their own struggles and their own secrets.

I love books like these that are mostly character driven and we get a glimpse into other lives, other choices, other struggles. It makes me feel less alone in the world and I end up getting invested in the characters’ lives and choices and I end up having deep empathy for each of them.

Really enjoyed this book full of humor and heart.

with gratitude to netgalley and Celadon Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution

Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution
Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution by R.F. Kuang
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this because it was one of the biggest hits of last year and i had kept putting it off because of it’s monolithic size. It started strong and interesting. Well written except for tropes where the teacher is lecturing its class just so the author can lecture us. As someone who has studied eight languages I loved the idea of the magic in this book and the nuances between translating words. But in the end this book just went on and on and on. In my opinion it would have been a much much stronger book at half the size. It would have still kept its interesting world and interesting points about colonialism and been much more readable.

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