3 Good Things: Happiness for Beginners

Last month, I revisited one of my favourite books from last year, Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center. If you haven’t read it and you are looking for a good summer read that is quite light-hearted but SO fun, I would absolutely recommend it. I love book that I can think back on. Some of my favourite books of all time might not be high literature or recommended for everyone, but they make me think a bit about how I can make my life better or how I can approach a situation in a new way. I think about parts of Happiness for Beginners quite often and re-read sections of it now and then when I just want to revisit the characters. There are also a number of wonderful quotes and happy life lessons in the book.

If you haven’t read the book yet, it’s about a woman named Helen who decides to do a three week camping/hiking/intense outdoor adventure with a group just for a change in life after her divorce. She ends up being the oldest in the group, and she generally feels like she doesn’t fit in. Her younger brother’s friend is along on the trip too (there’s more to that story if you catch my drift). One of the other hikers is named Windy. She is an easygoing, Buddhist, happy, friendly, smart young woman that Helen wants to hate but can’t help but love. Windy is studying positive psychology and she says to Helen says that you should always try to find three good things each day. She expresses this during a particularly challenging day on the hike. Here’s what she says:

“The more you register good things, the more you will think about and remember good things. And since all you really have left of the past is what you remember —” ‘

“It changes the story of your life,” Helen finishes.

Windy also tells her: “Write three good things you remember of that day every night.”

This idea is excellent for Helen as she struggles through difficult thoughts and physically challenging days hiking out doors. Furthermore, this concept is probably not unfamiliar to many of us: If you are interested in being happier at all, you’ve probably come across the practice of writing down a few things you’re grateful for at the end of the day. The book expands a bit into glass-half-full talk too:

“Well, for example, happy people are more likely to register joy than unhappy people. So if you take two people who have experienced a day of, say, fifty percent good things and fifty percent bad things, an unhappy person would remember more of the bad.”

I love the idea of changing your mental networks by trying to remember as many positive memories as you can. I know for sure that I remember happy moments with my kids a lot more than I remember tantrums. I try to express and acknowledge my gratitude for my life as much as I can, but some days it is easy to get bogged down by tiredness, or the weather, or feeling busy or overwhelmed.

Here are 3 good things on my mind today for Thursday Thoughts.

1) It has been gorgeous, sunny, and spring-like the past few days and I am enjoying time spent outdoors whenever possible. We are blessed to live in a beautiful location of the world.

2) My week has been busy with fun things, including a lot of quality time with a close friend who I don’t see nearly often enough.

3) My children have been adorable, loving, and well-behaved in particular this week, and I am loving this stage that our little family is in.

Anyone else read this book? It would really make for perfect summer reading, in my opinion! I have enjoyed 3/5 of her books – I still have 2 left to read and she has a new book coming out early 2018!!

Top Ten Tuesday: Mothers in books

My Mother’s Day weekend was lovely overall. We celebrated with my wonderful mother on Friday night and then had a pretty low-key day on Saturday with gorgeous weather outside with the girls. Saturday night, I went out for supper & to a concert with a friend (AKA a break from the bedtime routine), and then celebrated with my in-law’s at our house on Sunday. For some reason this year I felt a bit more emotional ON Mother’s Day than usual. My girls finally understand (and LOVE to celebrate everything), so they had a cute card and lovely gifts for me on Sunday. We are also gearing up for my sister in law’s wedding this coming weekend so they just got home and it was wonderful to see them. Mostly I just find that sometimes I look at how big my kids are getting and feel this sense of pride/nostalgia/joy/sadness/overwhelming love and adoration/fatigue all wrapped into one. I guess that’s motherhood, in a nutshell.

This weekend, I thought of a few book-ish mothers or mother figures that I either admire or enjoyed as characters in some beloved books. Here’s my list, linking up with The Broke and the Bookish for Top Ten Tuesday today (in no order):

1) Molly Weasley, Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling – Obviously. She is such a passionate person and so willing to take people (i.e. Harry) in as her own. Not to mention she knows how to keep her children (relatively) in line. I wish I could say we named our daughter Molly after her, which we didn’t, but could have 😉

2) Rosie Walsh, This is How it Always Is – I have mentioned my love for this book quite recently, but the family is just too adorable. The mom is a busy family doctor who also manages to navigate parenthood and keep the spark alive with her husband. I really like her.

3) Marmee, Little Women by Louise May Alcott – Marmee is so good to her girls, and they love her for it. She knows what each girl needs and tries her best to ensure that they all grow and learn in their individual ways.

4) Fatima (Amat’s mom) & Kira Anderrson in Beartown by Frederick Backman – I promise I will stop talking about this book someday, but today isn’t that day. Amat’s mother’s sacrifices for his success are inspiring, and Kira’s devotion to justice is admirable.

5) Violet Bridgerton, The Bridgertons series by Julia Quinn – I love this series and the mother who heads up the entire family without her beloved husband who died much too soon.

6) Jess Thomas, One Plus One by JoJo Moyes – Although it’s hard to agree with all of the actions Jess takes in this book, her intention was honourable and she really does her best for her children. Plus, this book is just so much fun.

7) Marilla Cuthbert, Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery – a stern mother figure who is finally swayed by the girl with the carrot coloured hair. This relationship is so heartwarming.

8) Katie Nolan, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith – she taught her children how to be tough and appreciate their blessings. She was such a positive role model even when things were so hard for their family.

9) Vianne Mauriac, The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah – Such a strong mother. I could never do what she does in this book.

10) Kavita Merchant, Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda – the hardships that this woman went through to give her daughter a better life are appalling and immense. This is such a powerful story about the true love of a parent.

Who are some of your favourite moms in literature?? If I were picking someone humorous, I’d go for Mrs. Bennet in Pride & Prejudice, but she kinda drives me a LITTLE bit crazy (which is her purpose, obviously!)

Recent Netgalley Reads

I like to talk about books for monthly link ups, but in the past few months I’ve made my way quite steadily through some Netgalley books and I want to devote adequate time to reviewing those books, too!!! Here are a few books that I’ve read recently from Netgalley. (Sorry for any repetition!!) I also noticed this week that Louise Penny’s newest book is on Netgalley if that appeals to any of my fellow fans of hers!! Just requested it today and hoping it works out!

Beartown by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I mentioned on my last link up post that I loved this book. I’ve since had a couple of weeks to digest it and talk about it with a few fellow readers who also loved it. I still haven’t gotten to A Man Called Ove, but I intend to get there soon because I love Backman’s writing SO much. This book was emotional, intense, and full of character development which is a driving force for me when it comes to reading. There were a few characters that I was destined to love and relate to more than others, and it’s meant to be that way. This book is very much about how your past, your upbringing, and your relationships affect who you are and who you are going to become.

I feel like I was also drawn to this book a bit because of the hockey, which is something that is SO Canadian of me to say, but I’m saying it anyway. However, hockey is more like a means to an end in this book and while you could read it all and say, yes, that was all about a hockey team in a remote town, that’s not really something I got out of it at all. Hockey is definitely a theme, but I think it could have easily been replaced by another sport or pastime and had the same message.

If you’re on the fence about trying this book, I cannot emphasize my love for it enough. It was emotional, it was intense, it was gripping, and it was so beautifully written. I am not at all surprised at all the buzz surrounding this book right now. This was by far the best Netgalley book I’ve ever had the privilege of reading.

FOX by Kelly Oliver
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book reminded me a bit of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series even though the characters come from a slightly different background. I definitely saw a lot of it coming, but it was still fast-paced enough to hold my interest. I didn’t realize before reading it that it is the third in a series, and I am guessing that there will be more in the series moving forward. Overall, this book passed the time nicely and added a bit of a different element to the genre. Parts of it were downright scary, too. I will likely pick up the next in the series just to find out what happens to all of the characters because I felt like this one ended a bit abruptly.

The Intuitive Eating Workbook: Ten Principles for Nourishing a Healthy Relationship with Food by Evelyn Tribole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was such an applicable workbook to go with their book Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works, which I had picked up used a few months ago. Overall, I enjoy the way they portray dieting, eating well, and weight loss in this book and I agree with the principles. I am hoping that I can break some emotional eating and yo-yoing by continuing to refer to this workbook, and I think I will pick it up in print to make that a little bit easier to follow along with.

Strong Is the New Pretty: A Celebration of Girls Being Themselves by Kate T. Parker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a powerful book that I cannot wait to share with all of the women in my life, and with my two daughters when they are a bit older. The message portrayed in this book is something that is SO important for me to share with my children. I want them to know that they can do anything they put their minds to, and I think that books like this really drive that message home in a beautiful and visual way.

The Best of Adam Sharp by Graeme Simsion
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have to say that this book doesn’t even come close to The Rosie Project in my opinion, and it was not exactly what I expected, but I still had to keep reading so there is something to be said for that. I enjoyed the musical references and the setting. The characters didn’t really do it for me, and as I mentioned above, that can really make or break a story for me.

What have you been reading lately?! I still have a few more good reviews coming from Netgalley in the next couple of months, and right now I’ve got two audiobooks (Scrappy Little Nobody and Born a Crime) and A Gathering of Shadows on the go!

Spring Reads

This was another month in which I was surrounded by absolutely wonderful books and I am so excited to talk about them today. Linking up, as usual, to chat books with Steph and Jana for Show Us Your Books and with Modern Mrs. Darcy for Quick Lit. These aren’t really listed in any particular order besides the order I read them in 😉 I would recommend almost all of these books listed, depending on your own personal taste, of course!! I have strong feelings about a lot of these books and could talk about them for days and days, so I tried to be concise here (and failed a bit) but I can guarantee that I will be talking about a few of these books in more detail soon.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book in one sitting and completely devoured the entire situation and the lovely characters in it. It was quite a unique storyline and there were a few things that I did not see coming (one of which left me with some INTENSE feelings). I really like Nicola Yoon’s writing. I also feel like this book will translate quite well to the big screen this month.

This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a story that needed to be told. I absolutely loved this book. The marriage, the parenting, and the relationships and the general approach to life are all exactly what I strive for in my own life. I’ve heard some criticism that the book was a little bit too neat and this isn’t how it would actually happen, and while that might definitely be true, I think the book was still quite relevant, very endearing, very sweet, and very educational and thought-provoking. If you haven’t heard what it’s about, it is about a family with five boys (sounds so busy – and it is in the book!) but the youngest boy wants to be a girl. The decisions made by the parents about how to approach this situation are a bit unique, and the way that it plays out really makes you think. I had this book out from the library twice before I actually read it because I did not expect to like it very much, but I can honestly say that it will probably be one of my better reads of 2017. I cannot recommend it enough. The writing is wonderful, the story is so lovely, and yes, it might not be overly realistic, but it is fiction, and it was great. I really feel like this book would appeal to a wide range of readers regardless of whether you have ever had any of these questions appear in your everyday life.

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh man, this book was cute. I had a pretty good hunch about it all the way through, and I enjoyed the ending. Parts of this book were quite sad, and of course the entire premise is very YA :)… but I read it in a day and would definitely recommend it if you are in the mood for a fun teenage love story. It is one of the better ones I have read in the past few years for sure.

Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have spoken quite a bit about my love for Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s children’s books, and of course I was moved to tears when I read her essay about her husband before she died. I’d say that was when I knew I needed to read her adult memoirs. This isn’t like any other memoir I’ve ever read, and as a psychologist, I love all of the observations about people, emotions, feelings, phenomena, and general happenings in the world. The way that she views the world is positive, hopeful, whimsical, and lovely. There was so much that I wanted to highlight and re-read in this book. It was a quick read, but it was so powerful and I know I will refer to it often and re-read it. I look forward to reading her first memoir soon. Reading this book was quite bittersweet knowing that she just passed away, and this was her last work (she actually wrote this before she knew about the cancer, so there are parts of it that feel SO sad knowing what we know now about her life). For instance:

When she reached 40, Ms. Rosenthal began calculating how many days she had left until she turned 80.
“How many more times, then, do I get to look at a tree?” she asked. “Let’s just say it’s 12,395. Absolutely, that’s a lot, but it’s not infinite, and I’m thinking anything less than infinite is too small a number and not satisfactory. At the very least, I want to look at trees a million more times. Is that too much to ask?” (source)

Another super fun thing about this book is that it is interactive, and you can text a number while reading it to respond to various questions or share your thoughts, all of which are anonymously published on the book’s accompanying website. It’s really fun!

The Best of Adam Sharp by Graeme Simsion
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It’s a bit challenging for me to rate this book, because I didn’t *really* like it much but I did read it in two sittings, so there’s that. Overall, I found the characters a little bit flaky and the whole plot to be a bit unrealistic/unbelievable, although maybe it’s just not something I can ever picture in everyday life, or maybe it’s cultural. I’m not sure. The musical references and the main character’s love of music was great. In no way does this rate near to The Rosie Project for me which was much more funny and endearing, in my opinion.
Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. I will likely still pursue future works from this author and I know a lot of people will definitely really like this book but it fell a little bit flat for me personally.

The Hangman by Louise Penny
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I went back to read this just to have a little bit of Three Pines in my life, and for that aspect, it was nice. However, it is nothing like her other novels (rightfully so, since it is a short story written for Canada’s Good Reads project). It was a super quick read but you still got a decent glimpse into some of the characters and the setting but I am a bit more anxious for her next full length novel instead!!

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

How do you review a book that was a part of your life for 4 months? Obviously, this book is a classic for a reason. The writing is fantastic, the plot is complex, and there is a lot of very serious plotting going on. I think I could have done well with the abridged version because I did find myself really tiring of the book towards the end. However, if you enjoy reading the classics, this one is definitely a good one (just consider the abridged unlike me ;)). I listened to the majority of this and the Audible version was fantastic.

Amazing Grace by Lesley Crewe
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

This book was interesting, but parts of it seemed a little bit too easy and parts seemed a little bit too hard (in relation to what happened to the characters, not the writing). I enjoyed the Cape Breton/Nova Scotia setting. I really liked the main characters and their fortitude. Parts of this book were also LOL funny, so I appreciated that.

The Lost Husband by Katherine Center
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love Katherine Center’s books and this one was really well done. It felt quite relatable in many ways, and her writing really draws you in and makes you feel for the characters. I loved the setting in this book, and the family scenario. There were moments that felt SO sad and moments that felt SO happy and I really felt all of those right along with the characters (maybe I was having an overly emotional week though? ;)). This book also made me want to spend some time outside with some goats, which is saying a lot. LOL.

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a good thriller that I finished in two sittings. It was a fast read and I was anxious to find out how it ended – but it wasn’t thrilling in the whole “AHH I have no idea what is happening or who to trust!” kind of way. Still a good read and I would recommend it if you like this genre. I was pleased with the ending.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’m wavering between 4 and 5 stars on this one but it’s definitely a 4.5 read for me. I’ve never read any of Backman’s other books but when I was provided with an advanced review copy of Beartown via Netgalley (thank you!), I was anxious to dive into this one. It might seem like this book is mostly about hockey and while that is the primary activity in the book, it is about SO much more than that. This book absolutely blew me away. I couldn’t stop thinking about it and I was so anxious to find out how the events would affect everyone in the story. The pacing was better than I expected because I’d heard some of his books were a bit slower. Definitely give this book a try.

Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between by Lauren Graham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you’re a fan of Lauren Graham, you will really enjoy this book. I listened to it and enjoyed hearing her voice talk about Gilmore Girls. Some of her stories are very funny, and some of her advice is quite good. I especially enjoyed the parts about filming the Gilmore Girls revival. I also quite enjoyed the advice for writing from Don Roos – such a great plan that I might put into action myself in the next few months.

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I also read two books that I chose not to review here; they were a bit too vulgar for me but the second was from Netgalley so I wanted to give it a shot and it was short. If you’re interested in extremely fluffy/unrealistic royal romance and you don’t mind the vulgarity, I am happy to share the name of the series if you e-mail me 🙂 I polished them both off in hours including some skimming. Also, two DNF books this month: The Roanoke Girls and The Animators. Books I paused this month: Everyone Brave is Forgiven and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. Thought I was in the mood for WWII but it turns out I was not.

If you’re going to choose just one of these books to read, I would vote for This is How it Always Is. A runner up would be Beartown. Seriously, I cannot stress enough, even if you didn’t love A Man Called Ove (I haven’t read it yet but have heard mixed reviews), please give this book a try. THIS REVIEW in particular really highlights what this book has accomplished. If you feel strongly about feminism, community, friendship, or standing up for what you believe in, read this book.

If you like whimsical non-fiction, Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s book is uplifting and thought-provoking and fun. If you like to spend 4 months listening to a book on Audible, The Count of Monte Cristo was really quite a timeless story of revenge. Haha. If you are in the mood for some YA, Tell me Three Things would be my recommendation there. 😉

Fri-YAY Five

This week felt a little bit blah at times. We had two super rainy days that were really busy, three lovely sunny days but I was working, and we are heading into 6 straight rainy days apparently.
I also had a headache 3/5 days that would NOT go away but feeling better today. That being said, it still feels very much like spring and I am looking forward to the weekend including some rest and some time with friends!! Last week, I introduced my 5-year old to the word Fri-YAY and she loves it. Haha. She (being the studious French student that she is) also likes to say “Vendre-YAY” which cracks me up. We are having nachos and guacamole for supper tonight to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and I can’t wait!! Yum.

Here are 5 random things from this week:

1) I have seen 3 people this week reading books that I just finished in the past month. I wanted to jump on them and talk about what they are thinking of the books, but that seemed creepy. Why is it so easy to talk about books online but not with random strangers? Haha. I have so much I want to say about what I’m reading (see next week’s posts!)

2) Friends of ours had their second baby (girl) this morning and I got to go over and visit for a little bit this afternoon. SO beautiful to see a brand new baby and made me want to go home and snuggle my non-babies tonight!

3) Really looking forward to seeing THIS on the big screen in a few weeks sometime

4) I got some (off brand) curlformers this week in the mail and they are SO fun! The only problem is that they are impossible to sleep in, so I have to plan ahead a bit. I’ll try to share a picture of how the curls turned out this weekend but I love them!

5) Loved this post about adult friendships. I was also quite interested in this info about eating vegetables. 26 of the most inspiring lines in literature was beautiful.

Have an awesome weekend!!!

April Recap

I didn’t take as many pictures as I would’ve liked in April, but I’ve scattered a few throughout this post anyway! We had a great month in April with some wonderfully sunny and beautiful days and a few really rainy/cold days too. Not too much snow though, so can’t *really* complain!! 😉

Linking up today with Kristen and Gretch to chat about what’s new 🙂

In April:

We celebrated Lucy’s 3rd birthday which I already talked about last month. It was a great April Fool’s Day party 🙂

We had our second parent-teacher interview with Molly’s teacher where it was confirmed that she is still excelling and that she hopes she isn’t bored in grade 1 next year. (We hope so, too!) She also told us she would send home some more challenging French books for her to read with us since she has flown through the others.

We watched Daddy play in a work hockey tournament and heard my old wind ensemble play at the library. Also came across this adorable Poet Tree for Poetry Month at the library 🙂

We had brunch with some friends to meet one of our friend’s new boyfriend – was such a great time and so lovely to see them all. Molly and Lucy spent a lot of evenings playing cards.

We celebrated Easter with my parents & with my in-laws and had such a wonderful time. The girls loved hunting for eggs at our house, my in-law’s house and at my parent’s house too. It was a busy day but I had the Friday and Monday off so lots of time with my special girls. See this lovely photo below of our girls with my adorable niece in the middle (didn’t want to share her photo all over the internet).

Had a follow up speech appointment with Lucy where it was confirmed that she is speaking at about a 4 year old age level (she is 3) and we have no worries moving forward after getting her tubes in last year.

I spent most of Easter weekend with an eye infection but it resolved itself. More of an annoyance than anything else but did involve seeing two doctors & a lot of eye drops and some discomfort (and a little break from reading).

Lucy and Molly had their first race with the Youth Running Series in a park in Halifax – it was SOOOO cold and quite a long walk to get to the start, but they did it! Brian ran Lucy’s 500m race with her and I ran with Molly. Molly mostly kept up my usual pace so that says something about my running…haha.

We followed up their race with a trip to the Discovery Centre in Halifax where they got to make these cool spinny paintings:

I spent a few days in a congested brain fog last week but happy to report that I mostly kicked it without getting very sick. Lots of rest and neti-potting.

The girls had another race in the series this past Saturday but this time Brian was at baseball so I ran with both of them. It was SO hot compared to the week before and I was grateful to have all four grandparents there as spectators!

Finished the month off with a 5K that was super challenging due to extremely windy conditions! I need to get back into training more; my next race is a 10K at the end of June and I don’t feel anywhere near ready for that at this point!!!

I also mentioned that I gave both girls a haircut this month. They are getting used to it 😉

I know they look super sad here but they are actually just watching TV.

In terms of any social events, Brian and I both mostly stayed in this month. We had one date night which was lovely. I think I just kind of felt like being a hermit and reading and cleaning the house. Lame, but it happened. That being said, I read a ton of fantastic books this past month (which I will chat about next Tuesday) and Brian and I watched Suits on Netflix. I started Big Little Lies but haven’t finished it yet – not liking it as much as the book so far but will stick with it.

What’s new with you lately?!?

A few random thoughts

Here are some random confessions and thoughts on this lovely rainy Thursday.

On Sunday, something compelled me to cut my girls’ hair MYSELF. I still can’t explain it. Both of them ended up with short bobs that are a little bit choppy and I felt huge mommy guilt over it for about a day, but they seem happy, they look pretty cute, and this hair will be great for summer. I made Brian promise never to let me do this again though because what was I thinking?!?

I love getting daily book deals. Modern Mrs. Darcy’s kindle deals are my favourite, but I also enjoy BookBub and Early Bird Books. I don’t know if I will necessarily ever finish all of the books I get for free or (very) cheap, but it’s fun to get them!!

I haven’t checked Snapchat in months. I think Instagram stories basically just took that over, in my opinion. Does anyone still really use both? That being said, I don’t really love posting my own Instagram stories although I feel like I should start because I love watching others’ stories. One thing I find kind of weird is that you have to reply with a message if you want to comment on the story. So I don’t mind doing this (quite frequently!) to Kristen or Brie, who I “know” or at least have interacted with online quite a bit, but I’m not going to send Sarah Michelle Gellar a message if I liked her instagram story because weird?! haha.

We have 2 cars. One is a 2010 Rav4 that has only had VERY minor repairs here and there. The other is a 2004 Honda civic that was sooo nicely given to us by my in-laws when we were desperately in need of a car 5 years ago. We have sunk tons of money into the civic but it seems to just be more worth it to spend approx $1500 on a car every year or two than buy a new one right now. Anyway, we just had something fixed on it last week (the starter – $400) and then on Friday right after we got the car back, Brian hit a raccoon on the highway and the whole car was damaged to the tune of a broken radiator ($500). BRUTAL. We barely drive the car but we will need it more in the coming months so we want to hold onto it.

Right now, I have 2 books out from the library in audio format AND print. I feel super selfish about this, but in reality, they just came in around the same time and this will get me through the books quicker, right?! haha.

I’m running a 5K on Sunday around Citadel Hill, which is a historical landmark (and BIG hill with trenches/moat/etc) and I have barely been running lately. I’m sure I will survive though…and then get back into running.

I finally finished The Count of Monte Cristo!! This feels SO good. Now I can move on to more fun audiobooks. Guys, it took me four months to listen to this book. My thoughts: it was good, but it was Loooooong.

Why I Read

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I joined a book club on Facebook, which is a great place to see what others are reading, interact with other readers, and have an online discussion about a book once a month. Last week, an interesting discussion came up in the group. It was based on a comment made by Uli Beutter Cohen on a recent episode of the What Should I Read Next podcast. Since I had just listened to that episode, I got to thinking about what she had said. Essentially, she stated that she had recently read Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (as had I!), and Anne Bogel commented that she wasn’t sure if she liked the book after reading it until she thought about it more. Uli Beutter Cohen then said, “One of the things that Subway Book Review is teaching me…is that the whole purpose of a book is to make us think, and to make us consider our perspective, and to dive into a world, maybe ideally, that we know nothing about.” She was saying this in reference to the fact that we don’t necessarily need to feel that we like or dislike a book.

This comment, and the ensuing conversation on the book club group, really got me thinking about what I get out of reading, and why I pick up books. Although I can see where she is coming from, I have to disagree a bit with her comment. Primarily, for me, reading is for enjoyment. For me, reading is relaxing, and I want to feel the emotions of characters, view a new setting or place, and yes, sometimes I want to learn about something new. I want to read books that I can talk to other people about and learn what they got out of the pages. I sometimes want to read books that definitely challenge me either in language or subject matter, but often, I just want to read a book that will allow my brain to relax and take on someone else’s story for awhile. I think this is why I gravitate towards fiction overall, as I’ve mentioned before.

We all have different tastes and different reasons for reading. I know I am a bit of a mood reader. If I’m feeling really tired, I don’t necessarily want to pick up a non-fiction book, or a piece of literary fiction, or a classic. I might just want to pick up a YA book or something that feels “easier” to read. If I’m craving a bit of a break from a busy life, I want a book that I can think about constantly and absorb myself in until I know how it ends.

In general, listening to What Should I Read Next over the past year has REALLY made me think about what I look for when I’m selecting books. Anne Bogel tries to find the connection between her guests’ three books they love and one book they don’t love and really base her recommendations on that. I know that I love rooting for certain characters. If I don’t like ANY of the characters in a book, I probably won’t like the book unless it was just crazy exciting or something.

What do you think? Why do you read? Are you a mood reader? I have a few more thoughts on this that I will be sharing soon. I find it interesting because I feel like I interact with a lot of avid readers, both online and in my family but I think we all hope to get something different out of our reading lives!

A Month of Great Books

I’m so happy that Show us Your Books day is finally here with Steph and Jana!! This month was an awesome reading month for me. Almost all of the books I read had me completely engaged, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend any of them depending on a person’s taste in books. 🙂 I am finally feeling like I might actually finish Erin’s book challenge…the only book that I have left to finish up is The Count of Monte Cristo, and I only have 17 hours left of it on Audible (which is actually only 9ish at 1.85 speed!!!)..so that’s totally doable in the next 20 days, right?! 🙂

I’ve noticed that I have been giving a lot of 4 star ratings this year and I’m not really sure why. I haven’t rated a book 5 stars yet in 2017 even though I’ve read some fantastic books. It seems like there has always been one thing holding me back from a full 5-star rating, and I’m okay with that, but I’m hoping for the BOOK OF THE YEAR to drop into my lap any day now. lol. Honestly though, reading a lot of 4-star books isn’t the worst thing in the world. I am enjoying my reading life immensely. I think I just need to wait to read TJR or Louise Penny’s new book and that’ll be 5 stars for me, I hope 😉 So much to look forward to in books this year. 🙂

The Girl Before by J.P. Delaney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was just what I needed at the time: a book I could not put down. It grabbed me right from the start. It was interesting reading about two different characters who had similar lives in some ways. There were a couple of twists that I didn’t see coming at all. I was generally creeped out and on-edge the whole time I was reading this. I know that it will be great on the big screen whenever it gets made (the rights have already been purchased).

The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
(read for #ownbooks #diversereads category of MMD Reading for Growth; read for Erin’s book challenge 6.0 category: homonym in the title)

I was unable to put this book down and finished it in a day. I loved the characters and their teenage but also adult-like problems. The plot moved quite quickly and the relevance of the issues was quite intense. I really enjoy books that are told from multiple perspectives (this reminded me a little bit of (A Little Something Different, but so much better). This book really made me enjoy the genre of YA after leaving it for awhile. I can’t wait to read her other book, Everything, Everything and I have it lined up for April because my new favourite Facebook book club is talking about it next week.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was on my radar for awhile, but I knew I wanted to wait until all three books were released to start reading them. I read about 85% of this book quite quickly and then I sort of put it down for a couple of weeks. I’m not sure why?! I really liked the writing and the world that is created here. It is unlike anything I’ve read lately, but yet it sort of reminds me of something and I can’t quite place it. When I finished this book, I felt like a lot happened but it wasn’t overly complicated. Schwab just sort of immerses the reader Overall, this was a great start to this trilogy. I can’t wait to see what happens next and I’ll be reading the next book next month when it comes in from the library. If this is your kind of genre, I think this series will turn out to be really enjoyable. I am rooting so hard for Kell!

A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

(Read this for Erin’s challenge 6.0 – category: Time Travel)

This book had some very cute moments and I enjoyed the time travel aspect and the setting. It fell a bit flat for me and I’m not too sure why. The ending was enjoyable though.

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a quick read for me and I absolutely loved the writing. The emotions that Mohsin Hamid were able to convey in this book were very real, and this book absolutely made me think about migration in a light that I hadn’t before. I don’t think this will be a favourite of mine necessarily, nor will I re-read it, but it opened my eyes to something that I think is quite important in our present day and for that I am grateful. If migration/immigration is something on your mind at all, you might want to give this book a chance. It is not very long but it is extremely powerful.

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

(Read this for Erin’s challenge 6.0 – category: Book by your favourite author)

I put off reading this book for years because I had read the first little bit of it and found it to be quite boring (a lot of the Internet agrees with 2012 Heather). However, this time, it came to me at the right time. I had just heard a fellow J.K. Rowling fan talk about how much she’d liked this book on the WSIRN podcast, and I already had it lined up for Erin’s challenge (and had put it off for 3 months). I did quite enjoy the writing in this book, and I felt that the plot moved along quickly enough (and there were certainly enough characters!) to keep me interested. However, I can see how this book wouldn’t be for everyone. It would not have been one I would have enjoyed 5 years ago, and there was a LOT going on and a lot of everything going on with every character. It was a much easier read than I was anticipating though and overall I am so glad that I forayed into J.K. Rowling’s work beyond Harry Potter. I do really love her writing, and I am antsy to go and read HP again sometime this summer. Note: for people who are NOT fans of Harry Potter (are there any? lol j/k), this book is absolutely NOTHING like it in any way, so it might be worth your time if that has ever held you back from trying it 😉

CURRENTLY READING:

Only 16 more hours left in my audiobook of The Count of Monte Cristo (it’s starting to get a bit intense!)
This is How it Always Is (this book is SO amazing so far!!!)
Everything, Everything – discussing this in online book club later this week 🙂

What have you been reading lately?! Anything good to recommend?? I think I have enough library holds to carry me through until May but I can’t wait to get into some fun spring and summer books!!!

March Mayhem Recap (What’s New? link up)

I expected March to be a little bit calmer than February, and in some ways, it was, but we sure did a lot this month too!!! We got a lot more snow, including on the first day of Spring (boo!), Molly had March break from school, Lucy was *really* sick for about a week, Brian was sick 3 times with a “cold”, and we saw a lot of friends and family. I also read some amazing books (more on that next Tuesday!), saw Beauty and the Beast, and did a little bit of running, some yoga, and some pilates. Phew.

Here are some highlights:

We stayed overnight with some close friends who have a dog and a cat. My kids are obsessed with the cat (we won’t ever have one because Brian and I are both allergic, but I like cuddly cats too). Lucy decided that her stuffed cat was friends with Teemu and every time the cat would move, she would move her stuffed cat next to her. It was adorable and hilarious:

I had some delicious food, including shawarma salad (a chicken shawarma without the pita but with lots of lettuce AKA soo good), a tuna salad with tons of veggies and curry (this was delicious, recipe to come), had 3 delicious burgers during Halifax burger week, and the kids devoured cake on several occasions, including my aunt’s birthday.

I also made these delicious paleo banana muffins that I’ve been wanting to try from Julie’s blog.They were fantastic and the kids loved them too.

We caught some live music – my cousin playing piano with my university friend on the small pipes and my cousin playing fiddle with piano accompaniment for St. Patty’s Day.

I had a wonderful girl’s night out to see Beauty & The Beast with my good friend Laura. It was amazing. I cried a little bit (thank you Paris). The music was gorgeous as was all of the cinematography. I loved how French it was. I loved the library scenes and all of the characters, of course. I made shirts for myself and my friend to wear to the movie & we also had little red rose earrings which were a fun purchase. I also did my nails with Jamberry’s Unexpected Romance which was a fun one.

The girls dressed up for St. Patty’s Day but Lucy was actually really sick that week (lethargic, runny nose, drippy eyes, it was weird but she is OK now). You can see her all snuggled up and sick here 😦

As I mentioned last week, Lucy turned 3 on Friday March 31. I still can’t believe how fast they are growing. I had the afternoon off work that day so I picked the kids up from daycare/school and took them to an indoor playground. It was AWESOME. Usually, I am not a big fan of those indoor playgrounds and Brian is happier to be there with the kids because there are SO many other kids there and I find that I get a bit anxious. When we went on Friday at 2pm, there were only 3 other kids there and lots and lots of space for my kids to play happily. It was great and they were so happy. I took a few pictures but mostly just chased them around and watched them play, which was awesome for my mommy soul. We then had pizza for supper while watching Paw Patrol (this is a major treat) and celebrated the next day with family and friends. It was fantastic and I was so grateful to be able to spend lots of extra time with these two special little girls.

Molly also finished indoor soccer this month and both girls will be playing outdoor soccer this summer. They are also participating in a Youth running race series which was supposed to start this weekend but has been delayed with the snow. Molly got an awesome second report card and we meet with her teacher this evening. Our family also developed a new obsession with Trolls, and I think Brian loves the music more than any of us. It’s such a cute kids movie & I think we could do a whole lot worse 😉

April is going to be pretty fun – we get Friday and Monday off at Easter and that will be great. I’m hoping to finish up Erin’s book challenge and read some other great spring time books. I have a 5K on April 30 and the kids have two races. 🙂 It’s going to be a nice month!!

SO, what’s new with you lately?! Check out Kristen and Gretch’s blogs today to see what everyone else is sharing this month!!