A Farewell to March

Hey there, folks! How ya doing? Having a good day? Loving the weather where you are? I guess I should use this time more wisely and wrap-up March. Because not enough has gone on in April, so far, to talk about yet.

Ah, March. Where the last vestiges of winter go to die (at least in Georgia) and spring attacks with a smattering of pollen. My reading started off like a high-speed grand prix and ended with a soft pfft. I read four novels and the latest issue of Saga. The real win was that I loved all of them. Quality over quantity and all that.

Books read:

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Three Souls by Janie Chang
Saga, Volume 3 by Brian K. Vaughn

I spent most of my time watching, talking, or writing about The Walking Dead. I’m sure you’re shocked. April has been spent coming down off the TWD high and returning to normal life. What else happened? Let’s see…a whole lot of nothing. We did our taxes. Ate at some good restaurants. And spent a lot of time working. We attended the auto show. Be jealous.

With all that nothing going on, Jimmy and I were able to spend far less money than usual. We’re paying off my car in May (FINALLY) and another small debt as well. A major win for adulthood. Okay, I’m gonna quit putting y’all to sleep and sign off.

Happy Apriling, dearies!

February 2014 Wrap Up

The days of the week always feel like they drag by so slowly, but when you take a step back and look at the bigger picture time moves amazingly fast. I can’t believe February has come and gone. Let’s not even talk about how I went from being 16 to 30 nearly overnight.

As of the day I’m writing this (the 25th), I’ve read nine books total this month. I just started A Discovery of Witches, but I probably won’t finish by Friday. Because I’m not actually reading that much right now. Taking a break, if you will. That was one of my resolutions: to read less. So I’m taking that to heart in this last week of February and only reading a few pages before bedtime if at all. In lieu of reading, I’ve been hanging out with friends and doing birthday activities. And watching True Detective.

As far as my other resolutions are concerned. I’ve ignored most of them this month except for one. I’ve bought myself a new pair of flats that I love from DSW and three new tops. One top came in my stitch fix box, the other two were impulse purchases from Nordstrom Rack this weekend. I love all of my new finds.

On tap for March, I have a TBR of eight books. Included are my book club’s selection, Burial Rites by Hannah Kent, and the classics club spin selection, Neuromancer by William Gibson. I’ll also be reading my first James Baldwin novel, If Beale Street Could Talk. My movie project, The Watch List, which I recently blogged about kicks off, and I’m excited to dive into four movies I’ve never seen before. There will be more True Detective and The Walking Dead. I’m also hoping to watch the last seasons of Game of Thrones and Mad Men so I’m ready for their 2014 premieres.

Best Book of February Award: St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell

How was your February? Any favorite books, movies, or television recommendations? What are you most looking forward to in March?

That’s a Wrap: January 2014

Ahh…January. You’ve come and gone. You’ve been super pleasant even when you tried to kill Atlanta and make her streets resemble The Walking Dead (that was spooky). I’d like to say I’m sad to see you leave, but that would be a lie. Because now it’s February and February is home to my birthday. The ultimate win. Sorry.

Let’s recap my New Year’s Resolutions, shall we? And figure out just how I’ve been doing one month in.
I was supposed to read less and buy fewer books. Did not happen. I happily sped through 11 books total and loved every single gluttonous minute. The number is slightly inflated due to some graphic novel reading and the snowpocalypse. As for buying fewer books, give me until after the birthday, please!!

Rediscovering music and attending more concerts gets a check mark! I’ve been getting some great recommendations and putting music all over my blog. Sorry, not sorry. Plus, I booked tickets the weekend of May 2nd to see HAIM with a friend at the Tabernacle.

I also had some success with eating less fast food. I cooked most of my lunches and dinners the past couple of weeks. SCORE.

A good month, all in all. Now let’s get down to what everyone wants to know. What did I read?

Perfect by Rachel Joyce
Boxers & Saints by Gene Luen Yang
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
Freud’s Mistress by Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Hunger by Knut Hamsun
Saga, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughn
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Wowee!! That’s a lot of books. Thank you Snowpocalypse 2014. And most of them were terrific and picked up merely because that’s the book that struck my fancy. A great way to come out of the great slump of 2013.

Honorary best book of the month award: Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri! A hard decision when multiple books received 5 stars!!

Southern Literature Month was great! So many readers came together to enjoy some good down home Southern storytelling. Check out some links below:

All Over but the Shoutin’ by Rick Bragg (Sarah’s Book Shelves)

Return to Tradd Street by Karen White (Sarah’s Book Shelves)

The Strangers on Montagu Street by Karen White (Sarah’s Book Shelves)

Someone Else’s Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson

The Will Trent Series by Karin Slaughter (Beth @ Too Fond)

Looking forward to a fabulous February! I’ve already finished one book and have two others going. Feelin’ really good about the reading right now.

Wrappin’ Up August 2013

Time for more videos and incessant Brooke ramblings! See below my August wrap up and September TBR vlogs:

July Wrap Up and August TBR (VLOG)

So Long, January!

I went on a reading binge this month.  A reading binge is akin to an eating or drinking binge just without the all-consuming guilt.  In total, I’ve started and finished 18 titles which is about twice as many as normal.  Many factors coincided for this small feat to happen including a husband working 80 hour weeks, still no luck on the personal job front, and a slight bout of depression directly related to the whole no job thing.  All that negativity aside, I’ve had a blast reading!

So what did I accomplish?

2 titles from the TIME’s 100 Best list – The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and The Crying of Lot 49 which brings my grand total to 23 TIME selections read.  Only 77 more to go!  Next month I’m tackling Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.

8 books from my TBR mountain that have lived there far too long!

1 Shakespearean play – Macbeth

1 re-read – Fahrenheit 451 

And many other titles I read just for the complete enjoyment of their company.  Success!

January’s High Points:

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline and Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns

January’s Low Point:

The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith

 

 

 

I’m excited to dive into February’s reads!  This month is home to my birthday (and everyone deserves a month long celebration, right?) so I’ve spent some fun hours planning and plotting what to read.  I’m definitely going to be reading some novels about relationships, love, and marriage to honor V-Day – in fact, I’ve finished one and can’t wait to tell you about it.  I’ll also be re-reading Emma by Jane Austen and tackling Faulkner’s A Light in August.

What will you be reading in February?