Review: The Arrangement

The Arrangement
The Arrangement by Kiersten Modglin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was super over the top and that it has a bunch of crazy twists and narrators that are somewhat unreliable. All of which is usually a combination I am not fond of anymore but this book was clever and the twists all made me smile. Quite enjoyable to be honest.

View all my reviews

Review: Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself

Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself
Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself by Melody Beattie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have so many things to say about this book. I think there were a lot of very interesting and valuable learnings in this book but I wish so many of the stories didn’t center around alcoholics and some of it was around the milder versions of codependency. It still left me with a lot to think about.

View all my reviews

Review: Apples Never Fall

Apples Never Fall
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While I found this story quite long, I did enjoy the time I spent with it. The tennis family in the story and all the research Moriarty clearly must have done was interesting. Several of the characters were also interesting but, of course, the marriage and the relationship between the two main characters was the best part. Some of it felt a bit unbelievable to me, but overall I still enjoyed it.

View all my reviews

Review: Take Me with You When You Go

Take Me with You When You Go
Take Me with You When You Go by David Levithan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this story of two siblings who are writing back and forth to each other while one of them has run away from home. There are many trigger warnings for this story, especially around domestic abuse but in the end, it’s a story about resilience and sibling support and making your own family in the world.

View all my reviews

Review: Rock Paper Scissors

Rock Paper Scissors
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

meh. this was interesting for a while and i kept waiting to see what was going on. The twist was interesting, but it was all so over the top. I am done with these super over the top stories.

View all my reviews

Review: Heart Smart

Heart Smart
Heart Smart by Emma Lee Jayne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

i read this sweet, cute story in a flash. it was fun and sweet and i liked the characters. it likely won’t stick with me for a long time, but it was a wonderful way to spend a day.

View all my reviews

Review: The Maid

The Maid
The Maid by Nita Prose
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved every minute I spent with this novel.

This story is told from the perspective of a Maid who works at a fancy hotel. She finds one of the guests in his room, dead. The story unfolds from there to tell you the before and after. This maid, Molly, has a very ordered, specific life she lives and her life and the order the clings on to is completely upended as a result of her discovery.

Molly is very, very good at what she does and she lives by a strong work ethic and moral code. She is unusual and doesn’t always follow what’s going on or understand enough of the world to read between the lines. This means that sometimes people can take advantage of her.

This story has a little bit of everything. There are unexpected twists and turns. There is joy and kindness and disappointment and deep unkindness. It’s a story with so much heart that it’s not possible not to love it.

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

View all my reviews

Daily Year of Yes – 283

Year of Yes – 283

Lately I find that I am running out of time often. Time is passing quickly and I am having trouble getting all the things I want to do, done. When I feel this way, I am usually cranky so I am reminding myself that time is the most precious asset I have and it’s the only one that cannot be replenished, thus it helps me to be intentional about how I use mine.

I don’t know what the right answer is for me right now and I am having a hard time choosing so instead I decided to make a list of things I never regret spending time on:

– playing games with my kids
– exercising
– going climbing with my husband
– doing art
– hanging out with a good friend
– helping my kid’s with school
– talking with either kids or Jake about life or us or something new we learned
– reading a really good book
– watching a really good movie
– sitting outside

That’s some of my list. So the plan is that when in doubt I do one of these.

Yes to using time well.

#yearofyes #karenikayearofyes

Daily Year of Yes – 282

Year of Yes – 282

Here’s to choosing joy again and again!

Yes to joy.

#yearofyes #karenikayearofyes

Daily Year of Yes – 281

Year of Yes – 281

Happy Friday. Today was hectic and full but I still feel the ease I’ve been trying to hang on to. Let’s see how long I can stay with it.

I hope your weekend plans are exactly as much or as little as you like.

Yes to choosing the life you want.

#yearofyes #karenikayearofyes

Daily Year of Yes – 280

Year of Yes – 280

This morning I had a moment where I realized that I am not anxiously stressing about anything actively at this moment. I have some things sitting there in low noise bit nothing really taking up constant space in my brain.

Is this how others’ feel? If so, I’m so jealous!

I am making sure to note this moment because it doesn’t happen often but it does happen and it’s important to acknowledge it so I can remember what’s possible.

Yes to ease. Yes to paying attention.

#yearofyes #karenikayearofyes

Daily Year of Yes – 279

Year of Yes – 279

For the first time since March of 2020, I got to go to work today to the building where I work and see a few of my work colleagues.

It was quite magical.

It felt weird and nice at the same time. I wonder when it will feel normal again.

Yes to baby steps.

#yearofyes #karenikayearofyes