December Dread - Book Review

December Dread by Jess Lourey
Publication: November 26, 2024
Pages: 268 pages
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆☆
Sweet Spark: Mira James and Mrs. Berns are sure to be an epic ongoing mystery-solving duo.

While this is apparently the eighth book in the Murder by Month Romcom Mystery series, I was originally looking for a holiday time/theme book, so it was my first read. It read fine as a stand-alone. Some other reviewers mentioned that previous books in the series took place where Mira and Mrs. Berns live, instead of Mira's hometown, which may have helped, as the characters were all new.

Mira is a great unexpected heroine who is just living her life, but apparently keep stumbling onto murders which generally progresses to her being caught in the evil crosshairs of a murderer. Mrs. Berns seems to not necessarily value her own safety, and a friend with a target on her back is fine. She leaves where they live to join Mira in her hometown as she ends up seeking the Candy Cane Killer.

The book was quite enjoyable, and I laughed out loud at a few parts, like her extra 'assignment' in her PI class, and some of her adventures as a fictional character on a dating site as they tried to lure the killer. And Mrs. Berns is the sort of old lady that I hope to someday be. The story earned 4 out of 5 stars and was a great cozy, midwest mystery. 

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my electronic copy of the book. Receiving the book for free did not influence my opinions or my review. 

Christmas with the Queen - Book Review

Christmas with the Queen by Hazel Gaynor & Heather Webb
Publication: November 19, 2024
Pages: 384 pages
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆☆
Sweet Spark: Olive and Jack's love story was a slow burn, but the surrounding details were delightful and made the wait enjoyable.

The story starts out in 1952 with Olive trying to advance her reporting career despite the reluctance of the male-dominated BBC to have anything of importance reported by a woman. Jack is excited to leave the toxic kitchen he's been working in for a short assignment in the Sandringham royal kitchen during the new queen's holiday stay.

Fast forward a bit, and Olive and Jack end up seeing each other over the holidays during good career developments for both of them. They got along fine when they ran with the same social group of singles years ago, and getting reacquainted is a pleasant surprise for them both, even if it is just for a few minutes.

Both their lives continue to progress, with Queen Elizabeth II's life and reign an influential event that continues to affect both of them. The descriptions of the settings where the story takes place and the other people in both their lives are charming and a fun escape to read about. The book also included a few quotes from the queen's Christmas speeches over the years, which were intriguing and reinforced the historic part of this pleasant fiction. 

Overall, it was quite nice to read about the early years of Elizabeth II's monarchy, her life with her husband (sorry, forgot his title right now) and their children. The Christmas details and descriptions made the story a fun holiday read as well. The book earned 4 out of 5 stars and would be great for anyone who likes British royalty stories, 1950s fiction, and modest love stories. 

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my electronic copy of this book. Receiving this book for free did not influence my review.

 

Ebenezer Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Love - Book Review

Ebenezer Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Love by Robert Marro Jr.
Publication: November 5, 2024
Pages: 368 pages
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆☆
Sweet Spark: Could Scrooge really just have happily ever after once Marley and the ghosts left? Or did he truly have the change of heart to want to fix what he'd messed up in his previously miserly life?

I meant to watch the 1950s movie that this continuation was based off, but never quite got to it (I'm way more of a reader than a watcher...). With that said, my very general knowledge of A Christmas Carol was plenty to be familiar with the characters in this great follow-up. 

We've got Scrooge and Cratchitts, but several years have passed. There's a whole new generation of Cratchitts, and good ole Bob's son is at risk of being just as greedy as Scrooge was back in the day. Luckily, Scrooge's heart is truly changed, and he wants to prevent this path for his now-close friend's family. In familiarizing himself with their situation, he also encounters his previous love, Alyce, who left him for his selfish, greedy ways. Because, of course he does!

Scrooge knows that being blustery and trying to prove to everyone how he has changed will never work - it would only show him to be eternally selfish and look like he only changed for them to appreciate it. And that's not what happened. 

The lessons that Scrooge learned from Marley go on to benefit several groups that Scrooge finds it within his power to influence. 

What could probably have been summed up in a much shorter fan-fiction was developed into an enjoyable novel. Scrooge's life and business changed, and so did his whole way of seeing the world. He knows that while something may be right, he can't control or buy everything he wants, even if he's rich enough. The book earned 4 out of 5 stars and was a great progression of a classic holiday story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my free copy of this ebook. Receiving the book for free did not influence my opinions or review. 

Sunday Post/Sunday Salon - December 1, 2024: Happy December

Wow! Was November over in a blink or what?!? I finished packing the kids' advent jars this morning (but bought the last of the treats yesterday). A four-day weekend sounds cool, til you realize that Thanksgiving Thursday was for family, Friday was more of the same, Saturday was recovering from Thursday & Friday, and now Sunday is everything I should have done for the last three days, plus dreading Monday. Yay?

I'm back for another great Sunday to regroup with Sunday Post with Caffeinated Reviewer and Sunday Salon with Readerbuzz. It's the last couple days of the HoHoHo Holiday Readathon with Caffeinated Reviewer. Join the main challenge, and then there are seven great challenges at different sites for participants to win even more prizes! My challenge is a Holiday Haiku - join the challenge, then come back to enter.

What I'm reading this week:

I finally finished Lightborne: A Novel by Hesse Phillips. It was an enlightening novel about Christopher Marlowe - a playwright contemporary of Shakespeare. I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. Watch for my review soon at Books I Think You Should Read. I'm partway through Ebenezer Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Love on my kindle, and deciding on my next print book read... maybe Side Effects are Minimal or Damaged Beauty: Joey Superstar. We'll see!

Three Good Things:

1. My sister-in-law's sister read my tarot cards on Friday, and said all good things. I really needed to hear that. I have applied for (IIRC) nine different jobs this year. The first internal application was the most soul-crushing. I applied for a job I'd discussed with my managers before as a natural progression into the part of the job I really like the most. I applied in February, was told by my managers that their approvals were in place and everything was fine... then heard nothing. Two new people were hired to that team in early spring. Last week I got an email from the recruiter that they'd decided to move forward with another candidate. Ya think? Anyway. my reading said I'm doing everything right and my good outcomes are on their way within the next few months.
2. I got the kids' advent jars together in time! I posted a picture of these before, and explained that I fill the small baby food jars with a treat for each day in December. I try to make it stuff the kids will be happy to open, not just the same chocolates already in the candy dish. Today they each opened a mini Funko pop. They both got tiny Disney characters which are part of four-packs they'll see as they open  more jars. None of us is exactly sure when we'll open them each day, as ideally we should all be home to do it. They may send me pictures sometimes instead, as I leave earlier than they're usually awake. We'll make it work.
3. Weird for a good thing, but I think I forgot I hadn't had enough caffeine yesterday. I felt pretty blech all day yesterday, and hubby was blaming the fruit wine from Friday, but then I actually kept feeling worse. I went to bed a little after 6pm and slept til 9 this morningj and woke up realizing I only had one can of soda yesterday. Work and life have had me consuming several times that each day for a while. I think I found the culprit. :eyeroll:

Three Goals for this week/month/whatever:

1. A few posts ago I bragged that my holiday cards were designed, ordered, and even delivered! Now I need to address and mail them. I get paid Friday, so that will be my time to get postage. I think I'll look online today for fast & cheap return address labels. I regularly get them from charities, but usually pitch them to reduce clutter...
2. I have yet to pick up one of my old counted cross-stitch kits to work on. It's still on the list.
3. I finished my Cruella & Maleficent Lego BrickHeadz, now I just have my bonsai set left that is not yet assembled. Maybe next weekend? I do like the therapeutic value of Legos. I'm able to forget my worries for a bit while I focus on the directions. I read an article that said things like that (I think their example was knitting) is good for the soul because you're not focused on the stressful things, and then you have something to show for your time and effort...

12th Annual HoHoHo Readathon!!

Check it out! The 12th Annual HoHoHo Readathon starts this week at Caffeinated Reviewer! 

We're going to have lots of fun with several contests on different sites (including mine!). It officially runs from this Thursday, November 21 - Tuesday, December 3, with the grand prize winner announced on December 5.

Help us all get in the spirit by commenting on this post - what's your favorite holiday read, or the new holiday read you're looking forward to this year. I need to fill up my holiday reading list! If you're part of the #2024HoHoHoRAT include your linky sign up number!

I think my first holiday read will be next week, Ebenezer Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Love by Robert Marro Jr. And watch for my contest post on Thursday, November 21!

Sunday Post/Sunday Salon - November 10, 2024: Chasing My Tail

Less than a week, and the election already feels like ancient disappointing history to me. The Instagram Reels and TikTok are still off the hook, and trying to be inspiring. I deleted Facebook from my phone. That's all, folks.

I'm joining up with my peeps at Sunday Post and Sunday Salon today. You can join in too at Caffeinated Reviewer and Readerbuzz. My weeks have started cycling between already needing time off work during a week (so taking more and more time off) and being scheduled and available 40 hours (so working as much overtime as I humanly can). Last week was the first - I had Friday off to do an event at my son's middle school, so I decided to use two hours of my use-it-or-lose-it flex time on Wednesday, and then calling off on Thursday... This week I only have a 7pm theater meeting on my calendar for Monday, so I'll probably stay late on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and I'll plan to work on Saturday. The week after that is the high school's production of Little Women (and my daughter is Jo March!!), so I may need to schedule some afternoons off... My motivation is definitely a runner lately, so zeus help me getting anything accomplished at work lately!

What I'm reading this week:

I finished two kindle books since I posted on a Sunday! The Good Bride publishes in early December, and I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. Some of the characters who were central to the storyline were unlikeable, so I didn't really need to know what happened to them. LOL 

Don't get my wrong, sometimes I like unlikeable characters, as in The Stranger Upstairs, which I finished last night. The unlikeable character in this one was a much more entertaining unreliable narrator with a drug and alcohol problem. Funsies! I gave this one 4 out of 5 stars. Both reviews will be coming on Books I Think You Should Read.

Last night I started The Woman at the Wheel by Penny Haw. It's 'an inspiring historical fiction based on the life of Bertha Benz.' The author has drawn me right into the imagined life of Bertha in late-1850s Germany. Although 'only a girl,' Bertha loves hanging out with her father and learning the nuts and bolts about his business and what makes things work.

In print, I'm still reading Lightborne (coming up on halfway!) and Little Women (okay, haven't even picked it up in weeks, but hoping to get cozy with it in a bit. I still do want to finish!).

Three Good Things:

1. We had Christmas with my family last week! My parents are snowbirds (travel from Michigan to Florida every winter). In their case, they go via RV, so they'll leave before there's remotely any chance of snow in Michigan, hopefully. [I think August is the only month it has never snowed in the upper peninsula, but that's hours and hours north of us.] Anyway, my parents, my family, and my brother's family all meet at my brother's house. We have dinner and get gifts for the kids and my parents. The last few years I think it's been in October, so we actually had Chrismas a lil late this year, on November 3. Hahahahaha
2. 
   My son and I went to Motor City ComicCon yesterday. Edited to add: We're Bill Cipher and Mabel Pines from the Disney show Gravity Falls. So fun!! He's the real mastermind, and made his own costume. I ordered all the stuff for mine from Amazon the day I got tickets and found out what he was gonna dress as. This was our second Comic
   Con, and we'll definitely be back.
   
3. I started my holiday shopping! Well, I supposed it can be said that I finished it for my nieces and one of my nephews before 'Christmas' last weekend, but I started getting stuff for my kids and making a plan. See, I wanted that fabulous gift with purchase bookcase set from Lego, which ends in the next couple of days. So I had to order $130 in Legos, and then I'll slip the bookcase to my kids to wrap for me. LOL

Three Goals for this week/month/whatever:

1. 
   The other part of starting Christmas shopping for me was making a decision on our Advent calendars. I don't belong to any organized religion for Advent, but I've been doing Advent calendars since I was little, so it's definitely an awesome tradition that I enjoy. The last couple years, thinking about it stressed me out, so I bought the pre-made Advent calendars, but this could theoretically be my daughter's last December at home (unless she takes a gap year after high school), so I went back to our old-school calendars. When I was little, my parents and the neighbors collaborated to make this Christmas tree shapes in wood frame that holds baby food jars. We take the lid off one jar each day of December and get what's inside. Instead of packing them all at the end of November, I've taken the lids off of them all, and I'm filling them and putting the lids on as I go. Which is to say, I hope to get these finished up sooner rather than later...
   
2. Holiday Cards!! I actually made them in October, and they're already delivered. Now, it's time for the addressing. Might even start that later today..
3. As the fundraising VP for our district theatre program, I mostly plan dine to donates. Patrons eat at the specified restaurant on the given date, and the restaurant donates a percentage of sales as agreed upon when we set up the event. We had one this week at one of my favorite places to get pizza and salad for lunch at work, but it did not hit the restaurant's minimum for a donation. Unfortunately, a couple people who were supposed to help promote the event, didn't. And then the road that goes past the restaurant was gridlocked with lots of police presence, at least while we were there eating. Which brings me to my goal: Dine to donates are a thing for a lot of organizations near us, so I'd like to start a running list of dine to donates. No one has to belong to the organization to donate - it's usually just a code you give or flyer you show. I've gone to placed when I've seen posts for organizations we don't belong to, and I think others would too. I'd love to get a community list going with the dine to donates. I've said this for years, but it is still something I'd like to do.

Sunday Salon/Sunday Post - October 27, 2024: Spooky Week!

Good day! (not sure when you're reading this ;) )

Joining in once again with Deb at Readerbuzz and Kimber at Caffeinated Reviewer for Sunday Salon and Sunday Post. My weekend isn't quite to the wind-down part yet, as I can hear four almost-teenaged boys in my kitchen enjoying the donuts I just brought home. My son wanted originally to have a birthday field trip and bring one friend to a local amusement park (Jack's birthday was October 1), but when that hadn't happened yet, he changed it to three friends over for the night so they could play Nintendo Switch. There was minor drama with one friend not agreeing on the games, but isn't that life? They're all waking up now, because the deal was that they should be going to bed by midnight, and if they were up by 8am, I'd go get Dunkin Donuts. So here we are :)

What I'm reading this week:

As expected, I finished up This Time Could Be Different, and it was amazing. I still think about the therapist's advice in the book (picturing my ideal job, especially). Once I'm done with this post, I'll be finishing up the review to be posted on Books I Think You Should Read (not sure if she's got a giveaway with that one...).

Still reading print copies of Lightborne and Little Women. I think my job dissatisfaction is slowing down my print reading. I used to read on my 15-minute breaks and my half hour lunch, but now I just slump in defeat and play games on my phone. I'll try to change that this week. :)

I also started The Good Bride by Jen Marie Wiggins on my kindle. Pretty twisty and intriguing so far. Also excited that it's the first book in a long time that I'll finish reading before publication!

Three Good Things:

1. I've (mostly) made it through the weekend! Hubs left Friday morning and is still at a race in Pittsburgh. Our daughter had a Halloween party with her high school friends on Friday night. She and her girlfriend did the planning and set-up, but I was the 'responsible adult' present. The party was a success, though, I think. Last night our son had three friends over for a slumber party. They were STARVING, so I got a bunch of pizza. A whole large pizza and cheezy bread are untouched in the fridge, but I know they had enough, right? ;) My house is almost normal (well, the boys aren't gone yet, but they may be by the time I leave my computer...).
2. Halloween is this week! I threw my back out bad on Tuesday of last week, but I've been meticulously doing my exercises so I can hopefully wear my cute jeans and heels with my alien costume on Thursday (our department's team costume is Toy Story, and we could take care of being a main character, or pay $5 for a t-shirt and headband to be an alien. Done!).
   
3. I signed up to be an elf/host for the Ho Ho Ho Readathon at Caffeinated Reviewer! I've considered it for a while, so I'm pretty excited to have actually committed :)

Three Goals for this week/month/whatever:

1. Get most of my holiday shopping for my side of the family done today! We're doing the holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas) next weekend, so that my parents can pack up their RV and head south before snow flies. The adults don't really exchange presents, but I want to get gifts for my parents, my nephew in that family, and my three nieces. And I don't have time off from work this week, so I'd rather finish shopping today to get in some overtime later this week...
2. Sort through my clothes piles. My dresser is COVERED with clean clothes. Towers of them. One of my dresser drawers is broken, so that isn't helping the storage issue, but now I've lost one of my good pair of work jeans. Hahahahaha... Since I don't actually change clothes outside my house, they're here somewhere. Probably in the pile. I'll be donating a lot of it, as the tiny holes where my t-shirts hit the waist button on my jeans really stress me out!
3. My office, still! There's a great monogram necklace and an Italian charm bracelet in here...somewhere...

Sunday Post/Sunday Salon - October 20, 2024: A New Story?

Happy Sunday!

Celebrate a beautiful weekend with Caffeinated Reader and Readerbuzz! I think I'm on the tail end of a nearly week-long debilitating headache, during which I still worked 55 1/2 hours. Ugh. We were required to sign up weeks (months?) ago for a 'Super Saturday,' during which we'd work eight hours, and they'd feed us breakfast (bagels) and lunch (sandwich box from Jimmy John's). I used to work six hours most Saturdays anyway, but being told I had to rubbed me wrong from the get go. Especially after I asked if I could work 2 or 3 six hour Saturdays instead but was told now. Also, I have no idea why motivation in corporate America is decreasing [/sarcasm]. Anywho. The headache is finally breaking, and I'm just a little stiff and in a medicine fog today. 

What I'm reading this week:

I'm still reading the exact three books I was reading last week (This Time Could be Different, Lightborne, and Little Women), but I've made more progress on the first one, and I'm really, really liking the vibe. Someone in a review said the book was like free therapy, since the main character is continually working on tasks given by their new-agey therapist. Accurate. And I really like it. 

I've also been considering (just kidding, it actually just occurred to me) that maybe I should adjust my Goodreads goal. Cuz I'm not gonna hit it this year. I've read 47 of a goal of 75 books this year. But I'm really okay with it, and excited to build my next Lego set, and still planning to pick up counted cross stitch again. So, whatever. But a good whatever. ;)

Three Good Things:

1. My daughter, Maggie, has kind of made my weekend. She said yesterday, when I rode along to a special-ed trunk or treat that she was volunteering at, that she likes hanging out with her mom. That her friends are cool (obvs), but her mom really gets her snarky side comments without explanation (we have a very similar sense of humor), and she likes spending time with me. And then today? She invited a couple friends from her broadcasting class over so they could finish their group film assignment for this weekend. So, I'm the 'mom' in her film. But what really felt good is that she's cool with our house. Like, some things are old or run-down, but we're comfy, and she has no hesitation bringing people around. When they put the rubber duck and the camera in the fridge (trust the process), she said our fridge has 'personality.' LOL Also, she's hosting friends for a Halloween party this coming weekend. We're not fancy, but it's all good.
2. My dude! We're on our way shortly to All-State Band Auditions. He insists he won't make the cut, but he's still putting it out there and auditioning. Since he's the only one playing his instrument (euphonium) in his grade, I really have no comparison. But I think his sound is solid (I've never played brass, so it's all magical to me!), and he seems to be hitting the right notes. So we'll be on our way to auditions in a few hours, and then solo and ensemble is the first weekend in December. Since hubby and I were both band kids, it's kinda cool to be raising one, too.
3. Halloween is my favorite! Last week, my son Jack and I made our first visit to Spirit Halloween. I got a Haunted Mansion door mat, that I'm actually putting in front of the kitchen sink so I can see it more. And we got a 5 ft inflatable gargoyle for out by the front walkway. It also has red glowing eyes, and glowing wings. It is pretty darn cool. He picked out a door wrap for his bedroom door, which ended up being nicer than the plastic disposable ones. It's fabricy, and designed like a fitted sheet, so
   he was able to wrap it on the door himself. His room is at the end of the upstairs hall, so it's kind of a highlight (and his door is usually closed to keep the cats off his gaming set up).

Three Goals for this week/month/whatever:

1. Starting my Villians Lego set! It's the brickheads of Cruella and (I think?) Maleficent. I got the box out of my closet and set it at the stairs to take down to the table. Baby steps, but now I'm committed :)
2. The interview last week was a bomb. Like, they canceled earlier that day and said the position won't be filled til January now. Whatever. I was already primed for disappointment, right? So I've decided to just buckle down and work my required hours. I've done the do-your-best and above-and-beyond thing, but it's mostly a toxic office space where my particular efforts are not appreciated. So, whatever. The good news is, it also seems to be impossible to get fired, so I need to adjust my efforts to match the rewards ;) Oops - this is the goals section. My goal is to save my best for those who appreciate it. Which isn't my office.
3. I'd still like to straight up my space (read: home office) and find a better, potentially profitable, creative outlet. 

Sunday Salon/Sunday Post - October 13, 2024: Activate Spooky Season!

 Hello!

Checking in and joining The Sunday Salon with Readerbuzz, and Sunday Post with Caffeinated Reviewer. Quiet house around here this morning - last night was the homecoming dance, and we hosted the regular kids for a pre-party and photos last night. The attendees are not awake yet this morning, but I'm assuming a good time was had by all. The day before that was the big game, which we won, and me and my son got to escort my daughter onto the field at halftime as part of the high school's homecoming court! Because of homecoming week, we hurried back from a family vacation at Mackinac Island last Sunday so she could be in the parade, and then I went with my daughter and her girlfriend to the Billie Eilish show on Monday (that last one had nothing to do with homecoming...we've had the tickets for months). The show was amazing!! It's been a week for the books, for sure.

What I'm reading this week:

As apparently happened the last time I posted updates, I'm between kindle books at the moment. I finished Trouble the Living by Francesca McDonnell Capposela, and will probably start This Time Could Be Different by Khristin Wierman tonight. 

In paperback land, I am still carrying Little Women, and last week started Lightborne by Hesse Phillips.

Three Good Things:

1. Boy, this feels less easy this week. I have an actual video interview, but I've been burned enough times that I'm trying not to get very excited. While I think I understand what the job is and could probably do it well, there are probably plenty of other people who could too. I'm just too tired emotionally to keep trying, I guess. I'll tread water for long enough to get my kids hopefully successfully to adulthood.
2. Hubs is only out of town for two nights this week, so he's agreed (and added a reminder to his phone) to pick up our son from school three other days. So I'll only leave work in time to pick him up one day. (Good things on the kids' calendars includes no school Friday!) I'm required to work eight hours this coming Saturday since we're so far behind, so I'd rather rake in all the overtime I can. I'll stay every other night to make them at least 10 hour days.
3. Homecoming court!! I don't know about you, but when I was in school, this was a thing for the cheerleaders and athletes. Our homecoming court of five girls and five boys had two theatre girls and a girl from band! I don't know a lot about the rest of them, but I appreciated the diversity. My daughter and the other theatre girl didn't want to run 'against' each other, so they campaigned as 'Vote for Maggie or Mia!' LOL Another girl and her boyfriend won queen and king, but I heard they were really nice kids too :)

Three Goals for this week/month/whatever:

1. 
   Is it bad that I'm starting to feel like my goal is just to get through? Hahahaha... I did finish my Lego Haunted Mansion yesterday :) I still have a villians Lego set, and a gigantic bonsai tree one, which I should try to finish before Christmas so I can justify getting another set.
2. My son asked, so I'm putting it on my goal list to carve pumpkins this week. We originally were thinking of doing it today, but daughter has to work and then has plans with friends, and I go to bed early when I have to work in the morning. So some evening this week should be good, after we go buy the pumpkins today. 
3. I want to pick up some counted cross-stitch again. I have at least two projects started (and set aside) from years ago, but I've decided to get back to it. The first problem with that was that my long, painted nails sometimes smudged on the fabric, so I cut my nails short and will only paint with clear or not at all. It's kind of a big deal, since I've painted my nails every week or two for the past few years.
   
   

Their Divine Fires - Book Review

Their Divine Fires by Wendy Chen
Publication: May 7, 2024
Pages: 288 pages
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆
Sweet Spark: Coping looks so different for everyone. 

This multi-generational story of the women in a Chinese family was so interesting. Starting in 1917, it gives a young girl's perception of her life before and then during the Chinese Revolution. Yunhong is living her life as she planned and largely trying not to pay attention to revolutionaries, until all her plans are destroyed on her wedding night. 

Yunhong's daughter never knows her father, and as far as readers know, she isn't even told much of her own backstory. Her feelings about this are passed on to her own twin daughters, who grow up in China with much of their paths dictated to them. As they reach adulthood, the twins go their separate ways, largely as a result of their traumatic childhood.

The last section of the book is mostly about Yonghung, the twin who has moved to America, married and is raising a daughter, Emily. Her mother also moves there to be with her, while the other twin remains in China.

The bad breaks never really end for the family, but they seldom discuss the past which has brought them each to where they are. Without a background of much Chinese history, the telling of the stories from mostly children's perspectives conveyed a lot of feeling, but without an adult understanding of what was actually happening.

The book was enlightening and emotional, and earned 3 out of 5 stars. Those who enjoy family dramas and Chinese stories would like this book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the electronic copy of this book. Receiving the book for free did not influence my review. 

Sunday Post/Sunday Salon - September 29, 2024: When September Ends

September is nearly over! So don't forget to get your Amazon First Reads free kindle book ;) Last night was an annual local pub crawl, so I slept in a bit before getting up for pancakes and sausage breakfast made by hubs. I fired up my tired, old computer to post for Sunday Post and Sunday Salon, and get caught up on a few book reviews.

What I'm reading this week:

Weird morning in book-land. On my kindle, I just (like, within the hour) finished Malibu Burning by Lee Goldberg, so tonight I'll be starting Trouble the Living by Francesca McDonnell Capposela. 

For print books, I'm still enjoying Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, but I'm trying to wrap up Blindspot in America by Elom K. Akoto this week. 

Three Good Things:

1. The pub crawl was so fun, as usual :) This was our third year attending. A parent friend from our daughter's school actually grew up here, so she and her husband invite their siblings and friends who have joined along the way. This year there were probably 30 - 40 people, which looked like a few more than last year! We visit 5 or 6 bars between our town and the next town to the north (which involves a free trolley ride), and include an extra long stop for dinner at a restaurant that gives us our own lil party room and special menu. We've done the whole event last year and this year, but some people just catch up with the whole group for a stop or two. The organizer prints out lanyards with our 'schedule' and her phone number in case anyone gets lost along the way.
2. We've got a good news/bad news thing rolling at work. We're simplifying some of our basic tasks, which is good since we're super behind, but it means my job will involve less actual writing, which is a bummer for me personally. So if you know of any solid freelance or career jobs writing, let me know!
3. I had Friday off of work - huge win! I had an appointment I had to take care of for my son, but the timing made it majorly disruptive to my regular schedule. So I got a three-day weekend. I did the adult thing and tried to take care of laundry and household chores while the rest of the house was at work and school on Friday, so today I have some time to chill. Yay!

Three Goals for this week/month/whatever:

1. Still working on that blasted office. I've been thinking of more things nearly every day that I'd like to find in there. My daughter wants a high school ring, and I wanted to show her mine again. But I'm not sure where it is. Along with my old Italian-charm bracelet, and my monogram necklace, and a book I went to buy on Amazon the other day, that the site said I already bought. LOL
2. Since my son has asked for a new Lego set that is released on Tuesday for his birthday, I want to finish my Haunted Mansion Legos so I can get them off the table and make room for his big build!
3. Last but not least, I plan to make an effort to work only 8 hours on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I've been picking up my son from school, and I am only a lil late if I leave work promptly after eight hours. Thursday he has a club, so I can work about 45 minutes longer and still be at the school when he's done. And Friday we both have off to go on a family vacation weekend! Woo-hoo!

Sunday Salon/Sunday Post - September 22, 2024: A New Me!

 Hello! I'm jumping in with Readerbuzz and Caffeinated Reviewer today for the Sunday Salon & Sunday Post. Hopefully I can say what I want to say and keep moving, as I'm getting my hair cut (for the first time in at least a year) in one hour!!!

What I'm reading this week:

I finished up a couple book reviews since I last posted on a Sunday, and I'm now reading one I'll probably finish this afternoon on my kindle, and two print books I've been carrying around for when I find a few minutes of quiet. My Goodreads is still behind for the year, but anything could happen!

My kindle read right now is The Reunion by Kit Frick. I previously read her I Killed Zoe Spanos and enjoyed it as well. They're both unique-ish thrillers with interesting perspective changes. Other readers rated them both similarly, and it looks like I may lean that way too.

For print books, I'm still plugging away at Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and enjoying it. While I never read it before, I also never realized it was 500+ pages! Hoping to finish it up in the next couple weeks, as I need to know the story. I've also started Blindspot in America by Elom K. Akoto. I'm only a chapter or so in so far, but I think it's gonna be good. I just got distracted and switched back to my other print book again for other reasons.

Three Good Things:

1. Drumroll please - my daughter's high school theatre troupe had auditions for Little Women last week, and she's been cast as Jo March! Additionally, their director has applied to take the show on the road to the statewide high school theatre festival! So we'd have our regular four performances locally, and then do it again a few weeks later at the festival in Lansing! WHOA!!
2. My son's band director has moved him up from the euphonium he played last year to a four-valve euphonium (last year he played a three-valve). For those of you around my age, the euphonium used to be the baritone. I don't know exactly how it's different, but here we are.
3. I got my new glasses!! For years, I've gone to my regular eye doctor, gotten my exam, and picked out new glasses (every other year) while we're there. I've always wanted some serious cat-eye glasses, but usually settled for the best they had - sort of cat-eye style, but subtle. This time? I walked in with the picture of glasses I wanted from Zenni and showed them. They admitted they had nothing like that, but if I ordered the frames, they could have my lenses put in. Yes, please!! And NOW? I usually wear my hair pulled back to some degree, and felt it looked a little severe, so I'm going to get bangs!

Three Goals for this week/month/whatever:

1. We're going reasonable today - I want to try and get the beds stripped and made up fresh after my hair appointment, and hopefully before my husband and son get home from their weekend.
2. I'm proud to say I've sort of menu planned for this week, and I'd like to follow through. Monday is a dine-to-donate at a favorite local restaurant to benefit the local theatre boosters. Tuesday I'll used the crockpot for maybe the chicken/dumplings recipe, but then just make biscuits when we get back from my son's academic awards night. Wednesday night hubs and I have an awesome night planned with Yelp at a haunted attraction - the kids are on their own for dinner. Thursday I can make some city chicken - one of my son's favorites that I don't usually have time for, but I'm leaving work on time that day BECAUSE - I have Friday off, and it's payday. So I'll plan Friday when it gets here.
3. Easy peasy? I also want to repaint my nails tonight for all the fun events we've got scheduled this week. :)

A Misfortune of Lake Monsters - Book Review

A Misfortune of Lake Monsters by Nicole M. Wolverton
Publication: July 2, 2024
Pages: 304 pages
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Sweet Spark: Lemon, Troy, and Darrin have been through some things together, but was it enough to prepare them for this much craziness?

Lemon Ziegler has grown up in Devil's Elbow, PA, and found out not too long ago that her family is actually behind the legendary lake monster! But she's sworn to secrecy, as the tourists come to see a real lake monster, not a family who has been faking it for generations. When the extended family voted, Lemon did not want the job, but since her grandparents have given up so much to raise her since her parents died, she was never sure how to say no. 

The day after her first successful appearance in the lake, she's both satisfied and dismayed to see how well it worked. Her high school is abuzz with stories of the few people who saw it, although she easily recognizes those who are embellishing the story.

The real drama comes after an earthquake the next day that then seems to result in more stories, but Lemon has not been out to start them! Seeing evidence of a lake monster - that Lemon knows was not her - is way more than she can let continue if her community is to be safe. 

The characters and twists in this story were so fun. Lemon, Troy, Darrin, and the new girl, Amelia, sound like regular high school kids with no-so-regular problems. It's easy to feel how much all of them want to do the right thing and be true to themselves, while hopefully helping the adults around them be happy and proud too.

The story earns 5 out of 5 stars and has already been recommended to several YA readers I know. The local legends and conspiracy theories (even while those talking about them have a laugh at themselves) showcase smart and resourceful kids solving a problem that really should not have fallen to them! Young readers and adults will enjoy their charming relationships and quirky, determined solutions to unique issues.

You Can Trust Me - Book Review

You Can Trust Me by Wendy Heard
Publication: June 13, 2023
Pages: 304 pages
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆☆
Sweet Spark: Summer and Leo were the unlikely bestest besties ever. 

Summer's mom had essentially raised her as a street kid, so when her mom suddenly disappeared, she knew the ropes. And when she first nearly tripped over Leo, she knew that Leo did not have the same street smarts. While they both probably could have made it a while alone, they were much better together.

Summer's specialty was working a room. Pretend to actually work there as a caterer or waitress, and let her knowledge of people bleed the right ones dry and get out in 30 minutes or less. Leo did better with romancing a target and seducing his wallet for a week or two, then disappearing. But they always met up at the end of the night to sleep safely together in Summer's Land Cruiser, converted to be exactly what they needed for movable comfort.

While the summary of the book told me that Leo's latest conquest wasn't on the up and up, I did not guess how complicated the ending would be. I loved that the girls were aware of the way the world worked and the biases against them while they solved the little problem they needed to solve for  themselves.

Overall, this book was a quick read that earned a fun 4 out of 5 stars. While I would love to know more about them, more depth would make them different characters entirely, and I liked them just they way they were in this book.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my free electronic copy of this book. Receiving the book for free did not influence my review.

Sunday Post/Sunday Salon - September 1, 2024: Buh-Bye Payday!

Welcome to SePtEmBeR?? I'm not sure if it's the fact that I've usually enjoyed school, or that I used to work in the schools, or just that I still have kids in school, but September feels more like a new year than January does, to me.

I'm joining in with the Sunday Post at Caffeinated Reviewer, and Sunday Salon at Readerbuzz today. Thank goodness Friday was an 'extra' paycheck (paid every other Friday means two months each year have THREE paychecks!). It's gone. The paycheck went to school clothes, mostly. My looming to-buy list yesterday (after working an extra six hours on Saturday) included yearbooks (one down, one to go), registration for e-sports and twirler for a day (both pending contact), Sweeney Todd tickets (using the second card after a potential fraud alert on the first), new band book (shipping...), candy for work (yes, I did get something for me), and CLOTHES/SHOES!! Still needed: pens, pencils, paper, folders...

What I'm reading this week:

My reading is mostly back to my standard of trying to clear the backlog. I'm going to be picking a couple that I'm just reviewing for here (SweetlyBSquared.com), coming up, as the woman on the blog I usually review for is getting married! I sincerely hope she doesn't spend any of her wedding or honeymoon time posting book reviews!

On my kindle, I've already zoomed through half of You Can Trust Me by Wendy Heard. Great thriller so far with alternating chapters between the two main characters with both current happenings and flashbacks to figure out who everyone really is.

Print books, I don't think I've read another word of Little Women all week, but I'm hoping to finish The Hedgerow today or tomorrow. It's enjoyable enough, but I'm really finding a lot of the characters annoying.

Three Good Things:

1. Don't get me wrong - I know how BLESSED I am to be able to buy these ridiculous things my kids want :) It was so great to be able to get them what they wanted while we shopped yesterday. And I'm also so happy to be able to enjoy spending time with my kids.  They're pretty cool.
2. Yay for a short work week! The company I work for is closed Monday for Labor Day, so I'm pretty determined not to work extra hours at straight-time pay. I'm hoping to work as close to eight hours each day this week as possible. And I've got plenty to do after that in getting ready for the high school's production of Much Ado About Nothing this weekend.
3. I got my new paper planner! I had Erin Condren planners for years, but then her behavior during COVID19 led me to decide not to support her anymore. I got Plum Paper Planners for a couple years. This year I picked up a Happy Planner for the first time, because I could buy it and just take it home from Michael's. I always enjoy setting up a new planner, and the school year is really when things start being scheduled for the next calendar year.

Three Goals for this week/month/whatever:

1. Finish my Lego house! After I listed it last week, I don't think I've touched it again.
2. Work on my office. I've actually got a few things in mind that I know are in there, and I'd love to find.
3. I keep saying I'm gonna clean up the kitchen - like, deep clean. Over a few years, we lined the top of the cupboards with all different bourbon bottles. I'm over it. Time to move them on to glass recycling. And while I'm up there, I should get a bucket of sudsy hot water and wash all the latent grease off the cupboards, cuz, why not?

Sunday Salon/Sunday Post - August 25, 2024: Four Months til Christmas?

Happy Sunday! (note to self - post Senior Sunday pic of oldest when I get done with this post...) Today I'm joining Readerbuzz and the Caffeinated Reviewer for Sunday Salon and Sunday Post (are there peeps who would really do one and not the other??) As I filled in my title last night, the date struck me - the 25th is always [blank] months til Christmas, right? But waking up this morning, it has occurred to me that this is now a weekend of lessons.

The first was regarding my oldest - it is her senior year in high school! While she's always been mature for her age and is regularly taking on adult responsibilities, I think some people - now including me - are taking this for granted. She did a t-shirt order for the show she's directing, and she has the confidence of youth. The actual program director (who did the previous shirt orders) told her it isn't complicated, and she should go ahead and do it herself this time. So she did. But the director didn't warn her about minimums. The price of each shirt is set by how many you expect to have ordered, and if that isn't met, they charge the one running the order, the difference. Yeah. You see where this is going. Mom to the rescue, but I asked to review anything with dollar signs before she sets it up next time.

Lesson number two was of course from the other child. The one who crawls into my king-sized bed while hubby travels for work (which is most weekends). Since I usually am at work at 6am, I still wake up a bit earlier than the rest of the house on the day each work that I don't work. So I just got up and pottied, but wanted to sleep a bit more. Alas, the whole comforter was wrapped around one 12-year-old, but at least I had a sheet left? The cat got up to snuggle with me, so that was a bonus. But then he rolled back toward me, with comforter at least twice as big as him wadded up in the rolling. To get to the point, the cat panicked and scratched MY FOREHEAD trying to get away. Yes. I do love staring me day by bleeding from the head. Ugh.

But now I'm up, ready to be productive-ish.

What I'm reading this week:

This week the battle of the books is all in my rearview mirror. At the battle, there were 40 points possible, and the two teams who tied for first-place had 37 points. The team I'm on - the No Pressure Book Club - had 36. Not too shabby, eh? The four books again, in order of my ratings, were Recursion by Blake Crouch (LOVED this one! - ☆☆☆☆☆), Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller (nice book - easy read - ☆☆☆☆), Lore Olympus: Volume One by Rachel Smythe (very neat graphic novel, but graphic novels are just not my jam - ☆☆☆), and Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby (I don't think I really liked much of anything about this book - sorry! - ☆☆, cuz writing a book is hard). I did finish reading all four books, even if the last two were a few days after the battle. 

Now I'm reading a kindle copy of The Witch's Secret by Stacie Murphy which was published a couple weeks ago. I am a witch and love witch stories, good and bad. I have less than a couple hours left, and so far I'm really liking this one. It's a witch in U.S. civil war times trying to single-handedly deal with some group that is summoning demons to eliminate their opposition. How rude, am I right??

The two print books currently in my work tote bag are Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and The Hedgerow by Anne Leigh Parrish. I'm reading Little Women because the theatre troupe is doing the play in November (auditions for my daughter and her friends in just a few weeks, and I want to understand the characters and better enjoy the show). The Hedgerow is for review, and I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't realize it's a sequel. I've made it my policy to not start with something other than the first book in a series, but so far it's reading all right without the background.

Three Good Things:

1. Super fun time with the kids yesterday! After I got done working six hours (and finished a truly dreaded draft that combined EIGHT complaints), my daughter had suggested checking out our local Dragon on the Lake festival. The food trucks seemed to be waiting for the beer tent before they opened, so we had a nice lunch on the patio of one of our favorite restaurants, then visited the chalk art competition and a bunch of the craft and merchant tents. My favorites were these fantastic wings commissioned and drawn by a theatre friend (who also won her division of the chalk art competition), and visiting the booth for Black Cat Beanery, where we donated and won a half-off entry to the cafe later, and a $30 gift card!

2. I am LOVING the DNC 2024 Roll Call playlist on Spotify. I saw it recommended and couldn't find it on Spotify, but searching it on Google got me to it. So I'm sharing. It's an amazing variety full of such uplifting, energetic, and optimistic vibes.

3. The weather is finally warmer again! Last week it was getting a bit cooler and gloomy in Michigan. I really strongly dislike winter and snow, so as summer ends, I'm prone to being pretty bummed. Yesterday and today are a little bit warmer than 80 degrees, and yesterday was even sunny! I know it won't last much longer, but I'll take what I can get. 

Three Goals for this week/month/whatever:

Last time's goals were mostly a bust. But it does help with my focus ;)

1. Finish my Haunted Mansion Lego house. I'm starting step/section three of four.

2. Get tickets to Sweeney Todd, which is showing Sept 6 - 21 weekends in a town near me!

3. Keep on keeping on in that blasted office. I've got a few tasks I want the kids' help with first (moving some kitchen clutter around), and I promised to watch a Marvel movie (yesterday was Iron Man, not sure what he has planned for today), but then I should get some me-time and should make a bit more progress.

Slow Dance - Book Review

Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell
Publication: July 30, 2024
Pages: 400 pages
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆
Sweet Spark: Shiloh and Cary aren't sure if it's possible to pick up the pieces of their golden friendship from their childhood and young adult lives. And then they're not sure if they want to risk it to see if there's something more.

More than a decade has passed since Shiloh and Cary even saw each other. But when the third from their high school trio invites them to his wedding, they both show up and reconnect.

They've each followed their expected adult path, to an extent. Cary is a Navy man, and Shiloh has a career in the arts. But maybe there's enough of the people they were back when they were the closest of friends that they still recognize in each other.

Of course, if they'd actually dated in high school, as everyone had expected, it would have undoubtedly been easier. Now they've got plenty of adult problems in the mix as well. Shiloh is divorced and a single mother who lives with her mother in the house where she grew up. Cary is the most responsible member of his childhood family, and now continues to try to manage everything for his mother from a distance.

Overall, the story went pretty much as expected. High school relationships can never end up as simple as they appear in the beginning, and adult live makes everything harder. The book earned 3 out of 5 stars and was a nice cozy friends-to-lovers romance for a pretty quirky girl and they guy she never thought she'd be with forever.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my free electronic copy of this book. Receiving the book for free did not influence my review.

Sunday Post/Sunday Salon - August 4, 2024; The 'Home Stretch' of Summer

Summer is zooming by! My kids are done with most of their summer camps, although the Much Ado About Nothing production my daughter is directing doesn't have their performances until the weekend after Labor Day, and I'm chaperoning the Leadership Camp for the high school thespian troupe next weekend (really just means more reading time for me!). I'm back with Readerbuzz and Caffeinated Reviewer for Sunday Salon & Sunday Post.

What I'm reading this week:

As I said, next weekend will be some serious reading time (hopefully). I'm currently building up to our community's adult Battle of the Books on August 15. The four books we'll be challenged on this year are:

Fiction: Recursion by Blake Crouch 

Nonfiction: Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby 

Graphic Novel: Lore Olympus Volume 1 by Rachel Smythe 

Youth: Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller 

I tried reading Wow, No Thank You and Lore Olympus from July 15 - August 1, and now I'm working on Miss Spitfire and Recursion. 

I did not finish either of the two I tried so far. I admittedly did not enjoy what I read of Wow, No Thank You. For personal essays, I just didn't find the author very relatable, and I felt most of the stories were negative and sort of complain-y. But with the relatability being my main point of contention, I'm sure some other readers would really enjoy her style.

Graphic novels are never really my jam, but I still make a point of trying them from time to time. I did really like the Greek mythology storyline, and probably would have enjoyed it even more if I knew the background better so I could keep the story straight more easily.

I've barely started Miss Spitfire, but like it so far. I fully expect to like Recursion best, as I've reviewed at least one other book by the author and really enjoyed it.

Three Good Things:

1. I was ready to list not being the theatre booster treasurer again - what a relief! I am excited to set up some stuff as I transition into my new vp of fundraising role. Historically we mostly do dine-to-donate things (where a store or restaurant offers us a percentage of the night's sales for the guests we send in). I've also got plans to generate more donations of some of the stuff we regularly use (you can 'make' money by generating income, or reducing expenses, right?).
2. 
   I'm excited to take next Friday off work as I head to theatre leadership camp with our student board. Mondays and Fridays are the worst at work. I'm making a conscious choice to work less overtime (only 10 hours last week), which has made me feel so much better. This week I've got an appointment with my son on Tuesday morning - so I'm working a half day - and Friday off. WIN!
3. I also realized that the Starbucks on my way to work if I take the back streets instead of the expressway opens at 4:30am! I thought I was the only fool driving to work by 5:30, so this is a huge win! I stopped on my way in on Friday and got my Melon Burst and a piece of cinnamon coffee cake to start the day off right. Debating how many days a week I can drag myself out a few minutes early for such a day-changing treat...

Three Goals for this week/month/whatever:

I've got to admit - this worked really well last time, and my first two goals were more or less met! I even worked on the third, but I already knew that one is slow going...

1. Continue to work on my office. I did make some progress, but there is still lots of room for improvement.
2. Clean out the fridge and pantry. This was actually one that should have been on the list last time, so I would have had more room for two extra kids and their grocery choices, but better late than never ;)  I've been grabbing things I realize are expired and pitching them a little more often (I'm looking at you, unopened 2022 salad dressing in the pantry!).
3. Lay out on my deck and get some sun. Weird goal, but I used to lay out regularly and read while listening to some relaxing flute sonatas from Spotify. It may not be this week, since I've already got a day and a half off, but next week I can certainly leave at 2:30 a day or two and spend some sun-worshipping time.

Sunday Salon/Sunday Post - July 21, 2024 Work? What's that? edition

Welcome to my daughter's birthday week! It's apparently always a madhouse over here, but I'm checking in with Caffeinated Reviewer and Readerbuzz. Getting up early (9am - LMAO) gives me a bit of the 'calm before the storm.' The kids were still sleeping, so I settled in to pay bills and spend a few minutes in internet land before a birthday party later today.

What I'm reading this week:

The blog I write the most for is BooksIThinkYouShouldRead. My most recent posted reviews are for Jackie (4 out of 5 stars, giveaway through 7/22/24) and The Radcliffe Ladies' Reading Club (3 out of 5 stars, giveaway through 7/24/24).

I finally finished my review for Holliday by Matthew DiPaoli (probably posting this week, not sure if it has a giveaway...). I wish I had more time and could have read this one with the accompanying play list by the author, but it was informative and fun in my snatches of time to read a chapter or so at a time too.

I'm currently trying to dive in on our Adult Battle of the Books books - the battle is August 15 and there are four books. I've started reading Wow, No Thank You:Essays by Samantha Irby, and Lore Olympus, Vo. 1 by Rachel Smythe. Still on the list to know about before August 15 are Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller and Recursion by Blake Crouch. I'm still most excited to read Recursion. The graphic novel is so far better than I expected, and it turns out no one in our book club has really liked Wow, No Thank you. I'll keep plugging away til the end of the month, but then I'm absolutely switching to the other two books.

I'm also continuing to read two books on my kindle - Not What She Seems by Yasmin Angoe, and Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell. I started out with a bit from each whenever I went to bed each night, but now Not What She Seems has me sort of sucked in.
. 

Three Good Things:

1. Yay for a four-day-weekend! I took Friday off to run around and be available for the first night of my son's performance with Mean Girls Jr! It was such a fun show, with shows on Friday night and Saturday mid-day. While he doesn't think he'll do the camp next year (two weeks straight felt like kind of a long time), he really liked it and is glad he was in it this year. Tomorrow I've got off because my daughter and I are scheduled to visit Michigan State University (I don't think it's a likely college pick for her, but we're visiting a variety), and then we pick up our Young Americans college students for a camp this week. We've hosted the college kids from this camp for a few years and always enjoy it :)
2. My baby girl is turning 17-years-old this week! Today she's having some friends over for a painting party, but Tuesday is her actual birthday. The actual day may be a bit overshadowed by the chaos of two extra peeps in our household and the first day of camp (which she is not officially doing this year since she's directing the high school's summer Shakespeare show), but she still gets to pick dinner for the group, and hopefully we can start the day out fun with presents to open.
3. I am no longer the treasurer for the theatre boosters!! This is fantastic, as we now have any actual accountant volunteering for the job, and I was honestly pretty terrible at it. I kept the money safe, but my actual maintained records were crap. Apologies to the new treasurer. I am now the vp of fundraising, which feels like a better fit. I'll mostly organize dine to donate events and any other fundraising ideas the board comes up with, so we have plenty of money to support our high school theatre troupe and theater in the community.

Three Goals for this week/month/whatever:

Okay, so this is my own addition. But I'm feeling motivated, aight?

1. Take charity clothes (etc.) to the charity bin. There's a big ole dumpster at the middle school just across the next main road. There has been a pile of castoffs at the end of my dresser for actual months. I want to compile that stuff, and sort out my front closet (the pile in there is up to my hip) and get rid of the things we don't want but feel bad throwing away.
2. Super simple-ish and doable one for ASAP - get the kids to make a menu plan list for this week, so I can shop for the items today. My work schedule is still shite, and I'll only be there 3 1/2 days this week, so I'm pretty sure I'll be working long days on the days I work. If my kids and the extra college kids can have a plan and make dinner before I arrive at home, it will be a huge win.
3. Work on my office :) It has become a general catch-all, with piles (yes, literal piles) of things I dumped there to get them out of the way in other areas of the house. So I want to turn it back into a usable space for me. Wish me luck!

Sunday Salon/Sunday Post - July 14, 2024 I'm all out of titles. edition

Welcome to mid-July! It's a madhouse over here, but I'm checking in with Caffeinated Reviewer and Readerbuzz again. After being here not so long ago, I really liked feeling a bit connected with someone outside of my debt-collection career, so here I am  again.

July brings us two weeks of Mean Girls Jr. day camp (loving it, but our littlest thespian has been sick and missed two days out of five so far - hopefully next week will be better!), a super-successful week long camp in NYC with NYFA, and last but not least, we're hosting homestays and have one attendee this year for Young Americans performing arts camp. Buckle in!

What I'm reading this week:

LOVED Only the Beautiful by Susan Meissner. Finished the book a few days ago, and got my review written earlier this week (not posted at BooksIThinkYouShouldRead yet). Five stars - read it!!

I'm currently trying to dive in on our Adult Battle of the Books books - the battle is August 15 and there are four books. I've started reading Wow, No Thank You:Essays by Samantha Irby, and Lore Olympus, Vo. 1 by Rachel Smythe. Still on the list to know about before August 15 are Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller and Recursion by Blake Crouch. I'm admittedly most excited to read Recursion, and not really into the two I've started so far. Ugh

And because I got all four books in print copies so I can annotate, I'm also reading two on my kindle (because I couldn't get one to boot up right the first time, and they're different enough that, hey, let's read all the books at once!) - Not What She Seems by Yasmin Angoe, and Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell (which I actually have not read any of yet, but I want to, so it's listed and ready to roar)
. 

Three Good Things:

1. I applied for another job with another company, but I either asked for too much money, or I'm just too old, so they rejected me in just a few days. Oh yeah, these are the good things - at least they didn't leave me wondering! And I do love my regular schedule of starting at 6am. I don't think most people have that luxury.
2. While I'm so glad my daughter loved her NYC camp, and most likely made a few lifelong friends, I am very happy to have both of my kiddos back under my roof. Have you seen the newest Inside Out 2 movie? Anxiety...that bitch is so real.
3. Sick kiddo #2 seems to be on the mend. He has been  DEVASTATED to miss part of his camp that was only 10 days long to start, and the performances are next Friday and Saturday. Horrible cough, fever, exhaustion. Ugh. But last night I got all the meds, so now he's cough syruped, ibuprofened, vitamin Ced and Vicksed up. Fingers crossed he can go to camp all five days and two performances this week. We already ordered his Wednesday shirt (on Wednesdays we wear pink), so Ima need his immune system to pull together.