Show Us Your Books December 2020

Looks like we made it. Last SUYB regular post of 2020. The SUYB Favorite Reads of the Year post is Tuesday, 12/29. The first SUYB of 2021 is January 14. I'm glad this linkup survived 2020 even though reading took a big hit for me personally. Will I ever read at my previous pace? I don't know. I care less about the pace and more about my ability to easily and immediately sink into a book and shut the world out. That has been rare for me this year and I miss it desperately. It's been like losing a coping mechanism I've had through every other stormy part of life. This year has helped me shift my perspective though. I'll read anything and everything that keeps my attention. I've always been like that, I'm not a book snob, but the books I'd consider fluffier always got pushed down on my list for a special brain break treat. No more. It's your time to shine a light in my life, fluff.

As a little bookish holiday token, Jana and I are giving away two Rae Dunn mugs on Instagram (find me here and Jana here). We'll be pulling winners by Friday so I can get them packed up and to the post office by Monday. 

We will also be donating to a reading/lit focused charity this month, like we always do in December. This year it will be focused on diversity in reading and we'll share on Instagram when that's done in case any of you are interested in doing the same. I hope we are all going into 2021 intent on diversifying all of our spaces. 

Here's what I've been reading since the last linkup. 

Engrossing Reads

The Searcher by Tana French - This took me a while to read, all of her books do, but I loved it. It's probably my second favorite of hers aside from the first book in the Dublin Murder series. OCNJ library

When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain - I secured this from Netgalley but it doesn't publish for a long time so I was going to wait to read it until Anne mentioned it on IG and I tumbled right into it. This is probably the novel that cements me as a Paula McLain fangirl. It is different than what I've read from her previously but I loved it straight out. It's a mystery/thriller, but the writing was wonderful, almost lyrical in spots, which is not always the case in mystery/thrillers as those of use who read a lot of them know. Free advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review - book publishes April 13, 2021

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle - This book has been out for a while, but for some reason Netgalley just gave it to me a month or so ago. I was not expecting what I got from it. It went both as I thought it would and not which is always interesting. Stayed up late to finish, well told quick read despite not liking the way some things went down. I read it in under five hours. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Passed the Time Just Fine

White Ivy by Susie Yang - This was cumbersome at the beginning and a few of the characters are awful (the mother in particular), but the story was quite good., especially for a first novel. Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie - Nadine had this in her post a few months back. It was a slow start for me but was good in the middle pace-wise. Great writing, dark humor, I loved the glimpse of Ghana and really enjoyed Afi. OCNJ library

Wild at Heart (The Simple Wild #2) by K.A. Tucker - This would be one of those fluff books that has gotten pushed down. Heather at The Maritime Reader reminded me I had this on my kindle and away I went. A solid second entry and I will read the next of course. Kindle book

Take it Back (Zara Kaleel #1) by Kia Abdullah - This book was a lot to handle and process. Heavy themes - sexual assault/trial, islamophobia, deformity, bad home life to name a few - and despite that kitchen sink varietal and it being a court room drama which I am not into, a good execution by the author in my opinion. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

Not Worth It

n/a

Did Not Finish

The Perfect Guests by Emma Rous - I did not finish a lot of books this year - started so many and put down within pages but blamed the year and not the book. This was a case of not a good fit book-wise (and I suspect author-wise going forward but that remains to be seen). Free copy from Netgalley, told them I could not finish and would not be reviewing. Book publishes January 12, 2021

The Mermaid from Jeju by Sumi Hahn - This was similar in so many ways to The Island of Sea Women. Such a rich tableau to pull from of Jeju and the haenyo aso I was disappointed to crack this open and get the same time period/occupation/death at sea. Stopped reading and told Netgalley why. The writing was quite good I was just not up for a story so like one I've already read. 

Linkup Guidelines:

This link up is the second Tuesday of every month. The next linkup is  The Favorite Reads of 2020 on Tuesday, December 29.  The next regular SUYB linkup is Tuesday, January 14, 2021. 

1. Visit and comment with both of your hosts, Jana & me, and check in with as many in our reading circle as you can - give some love to the later linker uppers! 
2. Link back to us in your blog post - if you want the button you can get it from that link

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

TWTW - the first one of the last month of 2020

Friday Work work work. I started early to finish early so Bruce could get his booster shots. He was  not okay with it as he had a bad reaction to the initial ones. I took the best friends down to Corson's Inlet to run around while I looked for shells. They came home tired out, I finished a few work things and ate the dinner I had ordered for contactless delivery earlier, and my big Friday night was grocery shopping at 8:30 pm when I was the only person in the store aside from two workers. 

Saturday I unapologetically did nothing. I read a bit, but mostly cleaned shells in batches.  

We headed for our beach walk once the weather cleared. There was like an entire whelk village on my beach. It was amazing. My pickings from that are in the bottom right photo above - all those in under 10 minutes in less than a block. Bruce was not having it. It was cold and he wanted to go home. I understood. More lounging and reading followed. 

Sunday there was a little more life. I put stuff away in the apartment and house, vacuumed the apartment and cleaned the bathroom, cleaned out the dishwasher filter in the house and ran that with vinegar, sorted Christmas gifts, did my SUYB blog, did some beach walking with the best friends. MFD was taking care of stuff in Philly and arrived late with the old dogs.  

I made pork chops in the air fryer, rice, and broccoli for dinner. I also made tuna for lunches. This week the dogs are eating skirt steak, chicken tenders, rice, mixed veggies, and sweet potatoes as a topper for a bit of dry food.

Show Us Your Books tomorrow!

Friday Five 12.4.2020

1. Back at the shore as of 10 pm last night. I hate when I forget that I have stripped the bed and not put sheets back on and have to do it later at night. I didn't have any clean sets here when I left, MFD had taken them home. 

2. My old boy sits next to me when I work. I consider every day he is still here a gift. 

3. Best surprise inclusion in a holiday card ever. Thanks Mrs. G! I have had my holiday cards for many weeks and they sit unfinished on the counter. My plan was to go to the post office today. Plans change! 

4. Winter is coming. Thanks to the coronavirus and donald trump fucking all supply chains everywhere with his lack of response and antagonization of everyone all over the world, my windows and doors for the main floor of the shore house are long lead time items. They were ordered back in September, still not in. We're about to see how well this old shore house can hang on through a period of cold days. 

5. I cannot tell you how many hair concoctions I've tried over the years. My longtime friend and best stylist Kristi figured it out for me finally a few months ago and even with the weather change it's holding. I use Pureology Hydrate shampoo, no conditioner, and Pureology Color Fanatic spray on my ends. That's it. I have used and loved Pureology before, but was using volumizing and it was drying me out, as was everything else, leaving the ends of my hair looking like hay bales hobos sleep on in train cars. 

Have you seen the Ryan Reynolds Match commercial? It is fucking hilarious. 

And one of my favorite blog posts every year is up at Bourbon & Lipstick - Gift Guide: What We Really Want (2020 Edition). If you haven't seen it, I think you'll like it too.

Happy Friday! Happy 60th birthday to my uncle Billy today!

Thursday Thoughts - Big wheels rolling through fields where sunlight streams, meet me in a land of hope and dreams

Eating sushi like I always do when I come back to Philly (no good place I know of at the shore). We ordered in from Osaka in Feasterville. It was delicious. My mom dropped off a pork roll pretzel and coffee this morning too. 

Visiting with my mom, who had a big fan group as she was eating

Operating a day behind all week. I have known the date (rare for me) but thought Wednesday was Tuesday, keep thinking today is Wednesday, etc. 

Painting my nails green (OPI Envy the Adventure) and brownish (Essie On the Bright Cider). I need to start moisturizing stat. 

Getting my hair done by the fabulous Kristi. Bye blonde, all auburn now. This is the only photo I've taken. 

Living in dog town as always

Waiting for the cabinets to be done in Philly. The house, which I have not occupied full time since April and will not be re-occupying full time at this time, is a giant shithole mess that needs to be completely cleaned out with a lot of work coming up inside. This is step one. We used a local woman cabinet painter and she's great! This is the primer and first coat on the backs. She takes the doors. I'll do before and afters when it's done but what a huge difference.

Preparing for winter at the shore. It's been pretty cold this week. Fleece lined leggings and long sleeve tees to replace short sleeve under cardigans, you're up.

Listening to Land of Hope and Dreams by Bruce Springsteen. (it's the lyric after the hyphen in the title). As usual, I listened to mostly Bruce Springsteen this year. 

Watching The Undoing. I watched all of it this week. I've also caught some of The Crown since MFD is watching it, and I ask questions incessantly and I think he hates it. But I'm actually watching TV. New TV, not reruns of something I have watched 420934820 times. I think I might be getting back into it.

Reading I read a book in a few hours Sunday night, but have bounced around since. I couldn't get into the next one. I'll start another one tonight. Show Us Your Books is Tuesday. The Favorite Reads of 2020 Show Us Your Books is Tuesday, December 29.m

Reminding us all that nothing's wrong with you if you never buy into the magic of the season in December, or if you usually do but aren't this year 

Ecarding - all of us at some point this year, am I right?

What's new with you?

The Thanksgiving Week that Was

A full week off. There were daily beach walks, sometimes multiple per day, lots of treasure hunting, dogs running, fishing, sunrises, fall props. 

There was Thanksgiving in adherence with NJ gathering guidelines, with everyone contributing to group cooking and cleaning up efforts, a turkey hat passed around, a what are you thankful for session around the table, a tie dye dress code. There were homemade desserts and purchased pies, only one of which made it to actual Thanksgiving day. The rest were consumed beforehand.

There was a lot of resting and just being. There was a new moonpod MFD purchased. 

There was a little bit of Christmasing, including Santa on a fire truck which always makes me cry. We caught him early and it was socially distant AF, the town did a great job with this this year despite our annual Black Friday Christmas in the Downtown being cancelled. There was a night of matching Grinch pajamas courtesy of CiCi and movie watching with jiffy pop and candy to fill the littlest Grinch lover's heart and make his almost three year old day when everyone individually appeared in Grinch pajamas. 

There was miscellaneous - cleaning out cabinets, jobs for all, excellent weather, nails, small business shopping and local love, poop adventures, fishing, mask wearing and hand washing like whoa, a curious kitten, lots of time together planned out and planned for exposure-wise beforehand. There was sadness on my part when my family was gone after a week, and then there were books and pizza and more beach walks and 

here we are in December. What a fucking  year we're closing out.

Congratulations to my Dad on his first full day of retirement today. Yesterday was his last day of work at a company he was with for 44 years. I learned work ethic and loyalty from him, and I'm so happy he is moving on to the next phase of his life now. It's well earned.