April 2023 reads

I spent most of this month reading about and plotting travel and a general desire to go a few days without reading in between books but still encountered some good and some not so good.

April reads: 

Engrossing Reads

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead - This was well written, cleverly connected, and deep - it hit me. Two characters I loved and an intriguing thread throughout. It featured a story within a story which is not always a hit for me and books within this book, which is also not always a hit for me. Yet this was. Thanks to Rose for the rec! OCNJ library hardcover

The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley - Is it weird to say a book has chutzpah? This one does. I didn't know anything about it and am surprised I liked it like I did  OCNJ hard cover

Hide (Detective D.D. Warren #2) by Lisa Gardner - Once upon a time (2019), I read another book by Lisa Gardner and D.D. was a character in it. I liked her more than the main character and found there was a series and decided to start reading it. Then I realized that while it was that character's #1, it was the 5th time DD had been in a book, so I had to go back to the beginning, only I started with the second because I found it at my used bookstore, and here we are in 2023 and all that to say I'll read the next DD but am not going back to the first. LOL used paperback, own

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James - This sat on my shelf for YEARS, including all the ones everyone was cycling through it in Show Us Your Books. I finally picked it up and tore through it. Great pacing, very good story. I prefer to read her books during the day LOL Hardcover, own

Reef Road by Deborah Goodrich Royce - This experience felt a little like being on drugs and the book is just beyond your functioning cognitive understanding in your drug induced state until the stories converge. So take from that what you will. LOL used paperback, own

Passed the Time Just Fine

This Bird Has Flown by Susanna Hoffs - Yes, The Bangle. Yes of course I had to read it. It was fine. I liked the music parts of it so much. Lots of sex in it which surprised me but I'm not sure why? Anyway a find read and a novel one - pun intended OCNJ library hard cover

Red Queen by Juan Gomenz-Jurado - I struggled a little getting going which is typical for me with novels that have been translated until I pick up the rhythm. Once that happened, I sped through this. Antonia Scott is a tremendous character and I loved Jon as her sidekick. Quick and intelligent writing. Free copy from Minotaur books, paperback, own

The Second Ending by Michelle Hoffman - I do love a quirky cast of characters that converges, and this book had that. I did think it was a little overstuffed in the beginning but it hit its stride about 40% in and was an enjoyable read Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

The Lie Between Us: A Thriller by Amanda McKinney - She sent this to me because I read and liked her novel The Widow of Weeping Pines. This was a super quick few hour read digital copy, free from author

Not For Me/Did Not Finish

If We're Being Honest by Cat Shook - Middle of the road as far as family dramas go - I liked the end, but was really annoyed by several characters throughout. And while that is sometimes the point, it started to grate too much here. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review NFM

Homecoming by Kate Morton - As always, the writing is careful, intricate, and beautiful. As always, the book is 150-200 pages too long and this time the end was not worth it to me. The story within the story was okay here, but the book within the book was absolutely unnecessary. OCNJ library hard cover NFM

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Extra Book Love for two  April occurrences: 

National Library Week 

Independent Bookstore Day 

Both libraries and independent bookstores ensure vital communities.

Library love ALWAYS. One of my lifelong loves.

Amazon and Target are not bookstores and don't need our book money, but the little independent bookstore in the neighborhood that is so much more than just a bookstore IS a bookstore and DOES need our book money even though they cannot afford to give us book deals like Amazon and Target can because they are backed by other revenue. If you are buying books, please buy them from independent bookstores. 

What have you been reading?

snippets of the weekend 4.24.2023

Friday afternoon I had my monthly massage at Blossom Bodywork with Sarah and it was fantastic. When I got home I worked some more then made a nice steak, sweet potatoes, and mushroom dinner; read a book, did laundry, and spent the evening in peace. I was asleep by the time MFD got back from the shore.

Saturday we were on the road by 7:15 to the Brandywine Conservancy for an Earth Day cleanup with my company. We got back home at about 1:30 and MFD did another cleanup with Byberry Friends of the African American Burial Ground while I took a nap. 

I took my niece and nephew to the dreaded Friendly's and got caught in a downpour again - the last time I took them to a dreaded Friendly's there was ALSO a downpour. Then we went to Target and they got Toys and I got bug spray because if I die from the deet in Deep Woods Off then so be it. I dropped them back off at home then went home myself, painted my nails, read, and zoned out to The Office in peace while MFD was out catching up with some of his college fraternity brothers.  

Sunday I worked a half day then we went to Bristol to walk along the river, check out the new Bristol Bookstore, have lunch at the King George (not good), then returned home to get the dogs and take a walk through Benjamin Rush Park to the Byberry African American Cemetery MFD helped clean up the day before.

I meant to return to the shore but I felt like laying down and reading more so I did that instead. 

weekending reels on Instagram 

 

TWTW - the year of dip has begun

Friday Was a good day despite me waking up on the wrong side of the bed. I got a manicure at lunch for the first time in a year I think, killed it at work, my new phone came, hopped a train a little after 4 and saved $31 using Target Circle plus got a $10 gift card, came home to dinner made, washed my overly dirty hair, and chilled the F out. I watched the Taylor Swift documentary on Netflix. It was interesting to see a young celebrity deal with the expectation of women to be nice and quiet. Also I forgot how fucking terrible Kanye was at the VMAs. 

Saturday I made power breakfast muffins and we piddled around then headed to Fishtown for the grand opening of Harriett's Bookshop at 258 E. Girard Ave. Local friends, check it out. It's a new, small, black woman owned business. These are my buys, MFD got two books too. We tried to get something to eat in Fishtown but our time was limited so we attempted Three Monkeys which was a half hour wait and said fuck it and went to Redhouse Bagels before popping in to Aldi to pick up a few things. 

MFD headed out almost as soon as we got home, and I did laundry and read before setting up my Imbolc altar, and making some lemon poppy seed muffins, salad, salmon, rice, and brussels sprouts for dinner. I set MFD to untangling a mess of three necklaces before he went out, and I finished a book and fell asleep at 1:30.

Sunday I was not asleep long before I heard the old dog crying. He had pooped his way down the stairs and around the first floor, so I was up at the ass crack cleaning that up. MFD joined me and then it took a while but we both went back to sleep until about 10. I did some work work then weekly food prep. The nail photo is why I do my nails myself. Not even three full days. Not my ideal start to a day, sleeping in feels like wasting the day to me, but it was necessary and I rallied.

Dip making for the super bowl. We're all here for the dips, right? This is my self proclaimed Year of Dip. Dip #1 of the year was a chive/mascarpone/bacon dip for which I used Giada's recipe. It was good - I added two additional pieces of bacon, and I'd add two more the next time which would double the amount of bacon in the initial recipe. Dip #2 of the year was a crockpot jumbo lump crab dip that I got from a coworker and is much different than my usual hot crab dip recipe and method. I also made wings but we care more about the dips, right? Also let's get it out of the way from the start that dips photograph terribly but taste delicious.

We went to Frank & Amanda's for the super bowl through the first three quarters. The half time show was awesome with over 40 ladies out there killing it, the company was great, and I ate too much. And I painted my nails in the back room with the younger girls since i felt the need to remove Friday’s nail salon chipped polish LOL. 

Weekly food prep: Breakfast is scrambled eggs topped with broccoli that will get made tonight, no room in the fridge yesterday. Snacks are cucumbers and dip. Dinner is the broccoli/chicken/bacon dish I pulled from the freezer over leftover rice and chili with corn bread. The chili is loaded with veggies - red onion, zucchini, bell peppers, mushrooms. Salads on the side of both. Still working through those freezers. Lunches are leftovers or PB&J on Dave's bread.

How was yours? 

TWTW - the one to recharge

Last week was a killer and Friday provided no safe harbor. From peeling myself out of bed with snuggly dogs suggesting I stay to a busy work day to another crappy commute due to someone on the train tracks for the second time in a week to a late, traffic-filled drive to the shore...stick a fork in me, I'm done. I did get down in time to meet Jen, Neil, and the girls on the boards for a little under an hour. It's nice when everything is still open at 11. I fell asleep around 1.

 The damn dogs had me up before 6 Saturday. MFD arrived close to 8 and we spent a few hours in the house at turnover re-stocking, putting new zippered mattress encasements on all the beds, and tending to what needed tending to. When that was done I pieced the hell out and went to the beach for some peace. I read a book (Girl in Snow), enjoyed an ice cold LaCroix grapefruit sparkly water, lounged under the umbrella, had organic frozen yogurt with fruit from Yoassis for lunch, took 479823 shots of seaspray, and stopped to smell the flowers on the way home. A lazy night followed.

Sunday sunrise was hopping, lots of people on the beach doing their thing before 6 am. I also encountered the weirdest trash I've picked up from the beach - a half full bottle of a household cleanser. I opened it before I put it in the recycle, and it was indeed the cleanser and not sea water or something else. What are people cleaning at the beach?

MFD left around 8 and I painted my nails (OPI Gelato on My Mind) and lounged with the dogs.

Then the perfect Sunday morning errand outing: I was off on my bike to Bookateria II to trade books and get some new ones (all Anne Rivers Siddons books that I'm not sure if I've read or not...we'll see), Drip N' Scoop, and ACME. If it can fit in my bike basket, I can buy it. I love not having to use my car down here.

Sunday afternoon I put in a few hours of work work, then I put in a few hours at the beach. I came home to a tray of awesome blondies left at my apartment door from our Memorial Day Weekend renters. Some people are A+. Dinner was a chicken cutlet and grilled asparagus courtesy of Bennie's Bread. I chose lounging and reading over cleaning our apartment so I'll be doing that next weekend. 

Weekly food prep: breakfasts are hard boiled eggs and bananas; lunches are tuna salad on Dave's Killer bread and peaches; snacks are hickory smoked almonds and cucumbers and blueberries. I'll be going light on dinners: corn on the cob, tomato and mozz salad, a cold pasta salad with tuna and peas, tomato sandwiches - the hit parade of summer. And pizza with the family tonight for my cousin's going away party.

Sunday crying time doesn't seem to come when I sleep at the shore and leave Monday morning.

How was your weekend?

Linking up with Biana at B Loved Boston for Weekending