Showing posts with label wrap up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wrap up. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 2, 2023

What I Read in April 2023 (Monthly Wrap Up)



"No Winter lasts forever, no Spring skips its turn. April is a promise that May is bound to keep."
-Hal Borland

And my birthday month has come to a close! April was an interesting month. It was filled with memorable moments, ridiculously warm weather, only to be followed by snow, and a lot of rain. April was also the month where two of my kids celebrated their birthdays. The school year is winding down, and I am in disbelief at how quickly it went.

Let's jump into some updates.

Life was quiet-ish. There were doctors appointments, new eyewear, IEP meetings, school events, and so much more. Of course April couldn't let us sneak out without an illness popping up. From two mental health days for one kid, to another getting the flu, to the hubby getting the flu, to the flu kid getting impetigo, it was just a lot. Thankfully all of that is in the rearview. Now I just need to get my butt to the DMV to renew my license. 

Spotify was frequently on. I am hooked on the Daily Mix 1 that is curated for me. It's the perfect mix of my favorites. Of course when Spotify isn't playing, Kool 108 is. I don't like silence. I need background noise.

When it comes to television, I watched The Masked Singer. That was pushing it to be honest. This is a show that I have loved since I found it back in season 2. Since they moved to this current format though I'm just not as invested. But I will still keep watching because I love the covers, the costumes, and finding out what celebs are under the mask. Speaking of things I watched though, we did go see The Super Mario Bros movie. I loved it so much. I am hoping they continue on with that franchise.

My book total for April was high as usual. Seriously.  In April I read 27 books. TWENTY SEVEN! As per usual my reading was filled with romances. I regret nothing. I love what I love, and I don't see myself branching out too much any time soon.  I had a good amount of ARCs this month. Of those 27 books that I read, 12 were ARCs. I am so thankful to receive these advanced copies, and I definitely prioritize them above backlog books. 

As for my blog, I slacked this month. Between getting hit with a minor reading slump, I also dealt with writers block. So it was more difficult to put out content. To be specific, I put out 11 posts. That's not ideal by any means. I am hopeful that May will have me returning in full force, but time will tell. Plus I'm not 100% certain that my writers block has been broken. I'm coming up with post ideas, and I hope to bring those ideas to life soon.

With social media I've just started posting my reviews to Facebook as well. It was something I wanted to try out, and I am liking it so far. So my goal is to continue with that. I am also trying to get my bookstagram back up and running. As I don't have a lot of physical books it makes it difficult to get the artistic photos that others take. The comparison game is strong, and not the best thing mentally. But I'm determined to give it my best effort.

Book stats for April are as follows:
Books Read: 27
Pages Read: 8701
Average Page Count: 322
5 Star Reads: 2
Physical Books: 0 
E-Books: 27

What was my favorite book of the month? This is a bit of a difficult pick this month. Yes there were two five star reads, and a handful of 4.5 stars. But some of those 4 star reads were fantastic as well. My choice though is going to be the first book I read, and that is Playboy Playmaker by Maren Moore. I just loved Hudson, and he continues to live rent free in my head. My second choice is Pucking Around by Emily Rath. That book gave me a major book hangover.

My favorite cover of the month goes to Break the Girl by Rachel Jonas and Nikki Thorne. I just love the design, and the colors used. When I Come Home by Maisie Myers is a close second. It just draws the eye, and has you pause to take another look.






I liked how I did things last month when it came to listing the books I read. So I'm going to carry that forward. Here is the breakdown by the week, and if there is a dedicated post to a title that will be linked.


Week One

Hardball by Lisa Suzanne
Playboy Playmaker by Maren Moore
Flawless by Elsie Silver
That One Night by Emily Rath


Week Two

Pucking Around by Emily Rath
Ravishing Reign by Aleatha Romig
Make You Mine by JH Croix

Week Three

Give Me More by Sara Cate
Beautiful Lies by Paula Dombrowiak
Praise by Sara Cate
Eyes On Me by Sara Cate
Mercy by Sara Cate
Highest Bidder by Sara Cate

Week Four

Saving the Single Dad by Ashley Munoz
Tempt Me by KA Tucker
Break Me by KA Tucker
Teach Me by KA Tucker
Surrender to Me by KA Tucker
Pucking Ever After v1 by Emily Rath
Wicked Fall by Sawyer Bennett
Excalibur by Anna Hackett

Week Five

Vow of Revenge by P Rayne
Break the Girl by Rachel Jonas & Nikki Thorne
When I Come Home by Maisie Myers
Iced Out by Veronica Eden
Lost to the Moon by Meg Anne & K Loraine

How was your reading in April? Any 5 star reads? Any misses? Any recommendations? Have you read any of the books on my list? If so, tell me your thoughts on the various stories.

Happy Reading,
Laura






Please note:

I participate in the Amazon Affiliates program.

Purchases made through links above allow me to earn a small commission.

Thank you!


Thank you to the authors who provided me with advanced copies of their books.

Tuesday, April 4, 2023

What I Read in March 2023 {Monthly Wrap Up}


“In March, winter is holding back, and spring is pulling forward. Something holds, and something pulls inside of us too.”
― Jean Hersey

Just like that another chapter has come to a close. I'd say that I'm in disbelief, but that just seems to be the case with all of 2023. Hopefully March was a wonderful month for you. I know that many memories were made for my family.

Let's jump into some updates.

Life was fairly quiet. We did have spring break this month, and we opted to stay at home to do a staycation. Normally we would head to Wisconsin Dells, but price wise it just didn't make sense this year. That being said we did hit up a trampoline park, an indoor playground, and went bowling. We also went out to eat a couple of times, which of course the kids loved. The only downside to spring break was that a mystery bug hit my house. Whenever there is a vacation day it seems that my kids come down with an illness. It's part of life.

Spotify was playing constantly once again. I don't like to sit in silence, so music is a must. I alternated between my little bit of everything playlist, all of One Direction's discography, and Midnights {3 AM edition}. When I wasn't listening to Spotify, KQQL was on the radio. I just love listening to the music of my childhood, and teenage years. 

When it comes to television, I watched Picard and The Masked Singer. The Flash just hasn't been doing it for me, and I'm thankful this is the last season. I also watched, but didn't really watch, whatever my husband had on the History channel. It's one of my husband's favorite channels, and he was watching while I was reading. Every once in a while my head would pop up to see what was happening, but I couldn't tell you what was going on. 

My book total for March was wild. Not as high as February, but it was still a lot. Seriously.  In March I read 25 books. TWENTY FIVE! You better believe that all of the books were romance this month. It's just how I do things around here. I had a lot of ARCs this month. So of those 25 books that I read, 18 were ARCs. I am so thankful to receive these advanced copies, and I definitely prioritize them above backlog books. 

As for my blog, I was very successful this month with posting. I did miss two days of posting, but that's okay. My content could have been a bit more diverse, and that is something I will work on in April. One of my favorite posts was These Books Were Almost 5 Star Reads. That was a post I've never done before, but I thought it would be interesting to share my thoughts as to why a book was 4.5 stars versus 5 stars.

Book stats for March are as follows:
Books Read: 25
Pages Read: 7,378 approximately
Average Page Count:295 approximately
5 Star Reads: 3
Physical Books: 0 
E-Books: 25

What was my favorite book of the month? Ooh this is rough. There were so many fantastic books that I read, so selecting a favorite is difficult. My logical answer would be one of my 5 star reads. Honestly I think I'm going to go with The Sky At Night by Samantha Lovelock. I have a full post dedicated to this book, but when it is all said and done, Samantha Lovelock had me falling for a former antagonist. That redemption arc smacked me in the face, and I wasn't expecting it at all. 

My favorite cover of the month goes to Jagged Thorns by January James. I just love the design, and the colors used. The Third Baseman by Lulu Moore is a close second. That bokeh effect, the baseballs, and the fence just appeals to me.






I liked how I did things last month when it came to listing the books I read. So I'm going to carry that forward. Here is the breakdown by the week, and if there is a dedicated post to a title that will be linked.


Week One

Bent by Rue Lennox
Every Last Piece by JS Wood
The Front Runner by Elsie Silver
Flyball by Lisa Suzanne
The Wrong Pitch by Brittany Taylor
A False Start by Elsie Silver
Batter Up by Hallie Bennett
Captive of the Night by K Loraine & Meg Anne
Almost Goodbye by Nola Marie
The Third Baseman by Lulu Moore

Week Four

Groundball by Lisa Suzanne
Coast to Coast by Cali Melle
Hello Billionaire by Kelsie Hoss
Never Too Late by Rue Lennox
Over My Brother's Dead Body, Chase Andrews by Piper Rayne

Week Five

The Edge of Forgiveness by Kristin Turnage
Guarding Georgia by Anna Brooks
Made for Us by Natasha Madison
Rule Number Five by J Wilder
Kellan by Anna Blakely

Please tell me about the books you read in March! Any favorites? Any misses? Any recommendations? Have you read any of the books on my list? If so, tell me your thoughts on the various stories.

Happy Reading,
Laura







Please note:

I participate in the Amazon Affiliates program.

Purchases made through links above allow me to earn a small commission.

Thank you!


Thank you to the authors who provided me with advanced copies of their books.

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

What I Read in February 2023 {Monthly Wrap Up}


“Even though February was the shortest month of the year, sometimes it seemed like the longest.”
― JD Robb

Did anyone see where February went? I know it's the shortest month of the year, but it shouldn't have disappeared THAT quickly. Wowzers.

Let's jump into some updates.

Life was pretty quiet. Thankfully. One of my kids did have a doctor appointment, but that was just our quarterly check-in. In other words, nothing exciting. I also attended school conferences for my elementary crew, and all are doing well. It does look like summer school is in the works for two of them. Neither are exactly thrilled by that, but I keep explaining that it will only benefit them in the long run. So for as long as their teachers recommend it, they will be attending. I'm a mean mom, I know. The only other "newsworthy" thing would be the snow storm that hit my state. My kids had already been off for Presidents day, as well as a teacher inservice day. So that storm allowed them two more days home. It isn't high school tournament season if there isn't a snow storm. If you're in Minnesota you understand what I'm saying. 

Spotify was playing quite frequently in February. I alternated between my 2022 wrap up, my little bit of everything playlist, and Midnights {3 AM edition}. Surprisingly I also listened to the radio a lot. My channel of choice is KQQL, which is KOOL108. They play 80's and 90's music, so it's my wheelhouse. It's the music of my childhood and I'm always open to listening to it.

When it comes to television, I watched Picard, The Masked Singer, and The Flash. I also watched, but didn't really watch, The Curse of Oak Island. It's one of my husband's favorite shows, and he was watching while I was reading. Every once in a while my head would pop up to see what was happening, but I couldn't tell you what was going on. As per usual though I did watch the channels that I subscribe to on YouTube.

My book total for February was ridiculous. Seriously. I did read 9 novellas/essays that were under 100 pages, so that helped quite a bit with my number. Time to stop beating around the bush and disclose my total. In February I read 29 books. TWENTY NINE! I don't understand how I did that, but it happened. All of the books were romance this month, which is standard. It's very rare that other things mix in. Ten of the books were ARCs, which I am so thankful to receive. The others though all came from Prime Reading or my kindle library. 

As for my blog, I was very successful this month with posting. I think I had a good variety of content too. From my weekly wrap ups, to my anticipated reads, to book tags, to trope posts, I liked what I put out. My favorites though were my Thoughts While Reading posts. I am definitely going to be carrying those forward.

Book stats for February are as follows:
Books Read: 29
Pages Read: 6,686
Average Page Count: 256
5 Star Reads: 2
Physical Books: 0 
E-Books: 29

What was my favorite book of the month? That would go to Broken Love Story by Natasha Madison. This was one of her older titles, but the story has stuck with me. I can't even begin to imagine what Samantha had been through, but I am so glad that Blake came into her life. Although I will say that I could have easily given this "title" to Off to the Races by Elsie Silver. That book was fabulous also.

My favorite cover of the month goes to The Owner by Xavier Neal. It's the simplicity of it, along with that pop of green, and the skates. 




Last month I shared the general link for my reviews on Goodreads. This month though I'm switching it up. Since I create weekly wrap ups, where I also put in little mini reviews, I have broken the books up by the weeks I read them in. So each week has a link to that wrap up. IF a book has it's own post, I have that linked as well. 


Week One

When We Meet by JH Croix
Take the Lead by Jessica Simpson
Movie Star by Jessica Simpson
Princess of Hawthorne Prep by Jennifer Sucevic
You Can't Kiss the Nanny, Brady Banks by Piper Rayne
Final Offer by Lauren Asher
Made for You by Natasha Madison

Week Two

Defensive Hearts by Alley Ciz
As You Wish by Angela Quarles
The Disaster on 21st Street by JS Wood
The Right Swipe by JS Wood
The Baby Blitz by Lex Martin
Unexpected Love Story by Natasha Madison
Healing My Heart by Gina Azzi

Week Three

Love, Pucks, & Other Stories by Elise Faber
Broken Love Story by Natasha Madison
The Owner by Xavier Neal
Curveball by Lisa Suzanne
Recovering Beauty by Gina Azzi
Reclaiming Brave by Gina Azzi

Week Four

One Last Chance by Gina Azzi
This Time Around by Gina Azzi
One Great Love by Gina Azzi
Off to the Races by Elsie Silver
Fastball by Lisa Suzanne
Bad Boy's Downfall by Gina Azzi
Out of the Gate by Elsie Silver
Yours to Lose by Emily Silver

Did you see all those Gina Azzi titles on my list? I've been working on getting through her backlist titles, and I'm almost complete. I have one series left to go, along with her standalone. Maybe by the end of 2023 I will have read all her books. Time will tell. Fill me in on the books you read in February! Any favorites? Any misses? Any recommendations? Have you read any of the books on my list? If so, tell me your thoughts on the various stories.

Happy Reading,
Laura



Please note:

I participate in the Amazon Affiliates program.

Purchases made through links above allow me to earn a small commission.

Thank you!


Thank you to the authors who provided me with advanced copies of their books.

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

What I Read in January 2023 {Monthly Wrap Up}


“January is the month for dreaming”
- Jean Hersey

Chapter One of 2023 has come to a close. What a month it was!

When it comes to life, January was a relatively quite month. For which I am thankful. Of course it wasn't without illness. One of my kids shared a cold with me, and I've been dealing with that for about 2 weeks now. Colds always linger with me, so this isn't surprising by any means. I'll be thankful once it is gone though. As I say that though I have a kid home with a fever. So it looks like we're taking illnesses into February as well. Sigh. I'm excited for February though. February brings on my husband's birthday, Valentine's day, and a few days off of school for my kiddos. Of course there are also about 10 books releasing that I'm excited for as well. 

In January I listened to my top songs of 2022 playlist on Spotify, and loved every moment of it. That playlist is filled with Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, One Direction, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, and so many others. I could listen to it for hours. And I frequently do.

As for what I watched in January, it wasn't much. I did watch the Speaker of the House coverage to see who would be elected. That was an interesting time to say the least. Otherwise I've just been watching youtube videos (reading, homesteading, budgeting, various vlogs), and scrolling through TikTok. There haven't been any TV shows that I've felt the need to watch. Actually there hasn't been for a while now. That being said I will be watching this last season of The Flash. Especially when Oliver Queen makes his appearance.

This last month my reading was amazing. I read 22 books! One was nonfiction, one was a manga, and the other 20 were romance. There were two five star reads for me, and they were not from the romance genre! That's right, my five stars were the nonfiction and the manga. WHO AM I?

With my blog, I slacked off big time. Ever since being sick in December, I've been struggling. But I am starting fresh in February, and I am making plans. Look for reviews to return, maybe a book tag or two, and of course romance recommendations.

My stats for January look like this:
Books Read: 22
Pages Read: 6,054
Average Page Count: 275
5 Star Reads: 2
Physical Books: 3
E-Books: 19

Favorite Book of the month: Spare by Prince Harry
To say I had been eagerly anticipating this book would be an understatement. The day Spare was released, I immediately drove to Barnes and Noble, made the purchase, and then promptly dove into the book once I arrived home. I loved getting to hear what he had to say, and the way it was told was so easy to digest. Absolutely loved this book.

My favorite cover of January goes to The Coppersmith Farmhouse by Devney Perry. From the colors, to the design, it all just draws me in. 




Here are all the books I read in January, and in the order of which I read them. If you're interested in my reviews, they are on Goodreads and Amazon.

The Great Austen Adventure by Tomi Tabb
Tempting the Neighbor by Ashley Munoz
Salutis Meae by Jocelyne Soto
Throne of Diamonds by Emily Bowie
Filthy Jealous Heir pt 2 by Caitlyn Dare
How to Lose at Love by Sara Ney
Spare by Prince Harry
Spy x Family V1 by Tatsuya Endo
All It Takes by JH Croix
Never Give Up by Rue Lennox
Resilient Reign by Aleatha Romig
Steel by Anna Hackett
The Perfect Dilemma by January James
The Coppersmith Farmhouse by Devney Perry
Out of Play by Aven Ellis
Splintered Ice by Cali Melle
Wild Ever After by Rebecca Jenshak
The Lawyer by Marni Mann
Ignite by Melanie Harlow
Not Just A Crush by Helena Hunting
Promised to the Night by Meg Anne and K Loraine
Claimed by the Shifters by Meg Anne and K Loraine

Just a note, The Perfect Dilemma by January James is available as a free download on January's website. Also Not Just A Crush by Helena Hunting was a download that she offered in her Facebook group at the end of December. It was originally part of an anthology, so there is no purchase/download link available. Sorry!

Tell me what you read in January! Any favorites? Any recommendations? Have you read any of the books on my list? If so, tell me your thoughts on the various stories.

Happy Reading,
Laura


  


Please note:
I participate in the Amazon Affiliates program.
Purchases made through links above allow me to earn a small commission.
Thank you!

Thursday, January 12, 2023

2022 Year in Review

 
2022 has been over for a good little bit now. With my health on the upswing, I am finally able to share my year in review! 

When it comes to life, 2022 was an interesting year. All in all it was just a decent year. February had the health issue with my oldest child, March was our annual trip to Wisconsin Dells, May began the remodel of our kitchen, July and August had 4 of us sick with a random respiratory illness, September marked the kids return to school which brought on a few mental health and behavioral issues during that time, and then my health issues in December. 2022 ended with us visiting Wisconsin where a fun time was had with that side of our family.


As for my reading life; in 2022 I continued to use my kindle on almost a daily basis. This seriously was the best gift ever, and one that I definitely use constantly. Goodreads and I still have a great relationship. I keep up on my reviews there, and I love the end of year stats that they roll out. Now don't get me wrong, I do have a couple of complaints with the website (and app). The biggest of which is that the page count is in accurate. I keep track of pages read, and my number does not equal their number. So Goodreads (ahem: amazon) get your stuff together. My other issue slash complaint is that I can't review all my reads on there. A lot of author freebies are not posted, so that means my end of year total doesn't match with my monthly lists. Maybe one day the app will be 100% to my liking.

2022 was also the year where I tried to focus on my blog a lot more. Now there were a couple of times that I had to take a break (summer and December), but I tried my best. I'm hoping that 2023 will have me posting here on a regular basis.

This is my third year doing this year in review! It's nice to look back at how 2020 and 2021 went with reading!




The first book that I read was Our Finest Hour by Jennifer Millikin. This was a book that I had found through TikTok, and the way the author described it just had me beyond curious. If only the hype had lived up to the promo. 



My final read for the year was Hero's Risk by Gina Azzi. I am loving her Tennessee Thunderbolts series, and this story was by far one of my favorites. Plus ending the year with a 5 star read is always a good thing. Or at least in my mind.


I read 216 books this year! So I definitely exceeded my Goodreads goal of 150. Love that for me! I will say that this number is lower than 2021, but I'm okay with that. I pushed myself way too hard in 2021, so slowing things down in 2022 was a good thing.



I calculated my page total at 55,924! (Goodreads says 31,266 which is obviously a large discrepancy.) That makes my average book length about 259 pages.

My page count is slightly up from 2021, but is no where near 2020's numbers. How did I even manage 80k in 2020?


This year I chose once again to select a favorite each month. This time though, I put them into a bracket. From there it was my top 3, and then my ultimate favorite of the year.


As you can see, Obsession by K Loraine and Meg Anne came out victorious. But considering the fact that 3/4 books received a 5 star rating, I am not surprised this was my favorite of 2022.


In no particular order:
  • Gina Azzi
  • Piper Rayne
  • Natasha Madison
  • Samantha Lovelock
  • Kristin Turnage
  • Elise Faber


I felt like I didn't read a lot of "new to me" authors, but looking at this list, I did okay.
  • Jennifer Millikin
  • Kayley Loring
  • JB Heller
  • S Massery
  • Allie York
  • CW Farnsworth
  • Dee Lagasse
  • Julia Connors
  • Sophie Gonzales
  • Alison Rhymes
  • JS Wood
  • Cali Melle
  • Brooke Ramsey
  • Bianca Borell
  • Amanda Usen
  • Tempest Phan
  • Alice Hoffman


Um, as per 2021, it's Romance.

This is not new information.



Anything other than romance. 🤷🏼‍♀️


If you know me, you know that this list should be extremely long. I am an emotional person, and certain scenes and/or storylines cause me to tear up. Some hit harder than others, that's for certain.

Off the top of my head, this is a snippet of my list:


Series are my weakness!

My favorite of 2022 was The Mate Games: War by K Loraine and Meg Anne. The first book is called Obsession, and I was definitely obsessed with this series. It's why choose plus paranormal, and I could not get enough.


My reading goal is once again going to be 150 books. I feel confident with this number, and should I exceed my goal then yay for me.

Books I want to read that are not my usual reads:


As for reading challenges...I plan on participating again in the A-Z title challenge, as well as the A-Z author challenge. Hopefully in 2023 I can complete these challenges. Are there others I'd like to participate in? Oh absolutely. I have my eye on Buzzwordathon, and a few others. Time will tell though if I can follow through.

In regards to my blog, I am in the planning stages. Here's what I know as of now:
  • I know I want to write more trope posts that offer book recommendations. 
  • I also have an idea for a series on book series. I even have a title in mind for it. But I'll share that once I plan things out a bit more.
  • Continue to write my reviews here.
  • I'd also like to maybe do posts on my favorite authors. 

Let's talk social media...As you may know, I have a Facebook page, and I'm also on Instagram. Am I active on both? Nope. Do I  want to be? Yes, yes I do. 

Here are my plans for Instagram:
  • Learn more about Reels, and post one per week. (content planning, editing, etc)
  • Post 3 photos per week.
  • Post stories 4 times per week perhaps discussing my current reads, or book hauls.

Here are my Facebook plans:
  • Share my blog posts daily whether new or older.
  • Post new releases and teasers for books I'm excited about.
  • Share memes and quotes. 


Last year I talked about my goals regarding advanced reading copies and I want to discuss that again. I felt comfortable with the amount I accepted for 2022. It wasn't overwhelming, and my stress was a lot less. I loved the majority of the books that I read, and have found some authors that I truly enjoy. That being said, I am thinking of pulling back again. Here's what I'm thinking:
  • Work with specific authors directly
  • Reduce PR companies I team with
  • Only choose books/authors I am passionate about vs just accepting any arc.


How did your reading go in 2022? Did you accomplish everything you wanted to? What are your goals for this year?

Happy Reading,
Laura



Please note:

I participate in the Amazon Affiliates program.

Purchases made through links above allow me to earn a small commission.

Thank you!

Monday, December 5, 2022

Monthly Wrap Up {November}


Fear not November's challenge bold—
We've books and friends,
And hearths that never can grow cold:
These make amends!
~Alexander L. Fraser (1870–1954), "November," c.1918


Did anyone see where November went? Were we not just voting in the midterm elections? I mean I know I had a child home sick for a week, but somehow an entire month went by.

November was a pretty quiet month in our house. My oldest daughter turned 10, and celebrated with a group of friends. That same day, my youngest came down with some sort of bug. That kept her home for 5 days. I also made sure to go and vote on election day. (That was when my youngest was sick, so I masked up, and kept my distance from the other voters! Plus I waited for my husband to get home so I wasn't taking her with.) Toward the end of the month a cold took down my middles (10 & 8). Plus my 8 year old showed me that his skin does not tolerate scented laundry detergent. So I had to rewash all of his clothing and bedding. The only other thing that happened this month was my Mom and stepdad returning from Florida! It was so nice to see them, and spend time with them as they had been gone for 6 weeks.

Aside from all of that, and reading, I also have been listening to Faith in the Future by Louis Tomlinson on repeat. Constantly. It's pretty much the only thing I listen to. I am obsessed with this album. (Okay fine I'm alternating occasionally with Midnights and Harry's House.)





Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Monthly Wrap Up {October}


“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables



*Poof* Just like that October has come and gone!

One thing is for certain, my family and I had quite the month. We went to see a play at our local high school that was based on video games, we went to a corn maze and pumpkin patch at a local farm, and then also did pictures at a county park. October was also full of baking, and jumping in the leaves. Oh, my kids and I watched The Masked Singer too! I've loved that show since it's second season, and within the last couple my kids have joined my tv time. They have no clue who the majority of the celebrities are, but between the music and Ken, they are all in. Then naturally we ended the month with trick or treating. I stayed at home handing out candy, and in about 2 hours we had 150 kids. We're not back to our pre-pandemic numbers, but it's getting close. I think if Halloween hadn't fallen on a school day we would have had more kids. (and I would have been in trouble.)

Aside from all of that, and reading, I also have been listening to Midnights by Taylor Swift on repeat. Constantly. It's pretty much the only thing I listen to. I freaking love this album.

When it came to reading, I took this graphic to heart this month!