Happy November! Where does the time go?! I have neglected my blog terribly the last couple of months and I wish I could promise this month will be different but a lot depends on whether I can scrape together any quality blogging time. Even my reading has slowed down. I confess, the introvert in me who needs quiet alone time to regenerate is very unhappy with me more often than not these days.
The weather has been so lovely with temperatures in the 80F's during the days. The nights are nippy enough to dress more warmly. The fog rolls in sometime in the night and leaves in the morning hours. The leaves haven't yet changed on our trees, but I imagine it will not be long. I have to remember to set my clocks back an hour tonight before I head to bed.
Work is taking a lot out of me, not to mention there are more changes afoot. Hopefully some of the changes coming will bring relief. I took a couple days off of work to help my mom settle into her new home here in town. It has been a bit of an adventure for her--a lot of bumps. You know, the usual: moving company issues, broken glass in the china cabinet, roots in the pipes causing overflowing toilets, missing silverware, just to name a few. On the plus side, my mom accepted an offer on her house. Not even a week on the market!
My mom arrived at a busy time for us--Mouse and some of the other dancers from her studio performed at a Halloween festival one day near the end of October and we attended a Halloween Girl Scout event. Both were a lot of fun. Because of the festival dance performance though, that meant more rehearsals at the studio during the week. We made it work though and Mouse really enjoyed the experience.
October also saw me volunteering to help Mouse's Girl Scout troop and taking part in the preparations for the dance studio's annual Showcase and Nutcracker ballet performances. We found out this morning that the venue they had secured cancelled. The good news is a new one has been found--although it means the performance dates have to be moved up. You can imagine there was a bit of panic in the studio today as everyone behind the scenes had to reconfigure some of the details. Fortunately we will be in the same theater we performed this past summer shows in, which means we are familiar with the layout. On the downside, it's a smaller stage with a lot less space behind stage for the many quick changes required and props and such. Every show has its challenges, but we always seem to make it work. I am sure we will this time as well. In the meantime, we will continue to stress and panic as usual. Oh, and guess who will be taking the stage in this year's Nutcracker? Besides my husband and daughter, that is. Me! I am not sure how or why I agreed to this, but I will be on that stage, dancing in the party scene as one of the parents. And I thought my days performing were long behind me . . . At least I will only have the one costume. Poor Mouse has eight!
Let's not even talk about dental appointments. I needed a crown replaced and no sooner was that one in, but another of my crowns fell out. I am just glad they were able to recement that one in instead of having to replace it completely. As I was leaving my last appointment, I told the dentist I hoped it would stay put this time (it had fallen off about four years ago too) and he replied, "It won't."
We still keep a careful eye on the virus numbers in our area and schools and mask up whenever out and about. Mouse will soon count herself among the vaccinated, and I know she's feeling relieved her turn has finally come. Even as active as we have been, we have not lost all sense of precautions.
The end of the first trimester was this past week and Mouse's dad and I met with her teacher online for the parent/teacher conference. Mouse is doing very well in school. How she manages to do all she does, I do not know. I can barely keep up and stay sane!
Hopefully I will have a chance to catch up reading your blog posts soon and will not be such a stranger. In the meantime, tell me what you have been up to! How was your October?
New to the Shelves
Well Matched (Well Met #3) by Jen DeLuca ~ I loved the first in the series and look forward to reading more Renaissance Faire romance in her latest.
A Song for the Road by Kathleen M. Basi ~ This one is sure to pull at my heartstrings and make me feel all the emotions. It's about a woman who embarks on an unforgettable road trip a year after the death of her family, touching on such themes as grief, forgiveness, and finding the strength to move forward.
Have you read either of these books? What books did you add to your TBR this past month?
Then
My October reading centered around witches mostly along with a fairytale retelling of sorts. They were all so different from one another and I loved each one. Alix E. Harrow is an author I have read and enjoyed before, as is Erin Sterling, only writing as Rachel Hawkins. The other three authors were new to me, but I definitely hope to check out more of their work in the future. I highly recommend all of these books!
The Lighthouse Witches by C.J. Cooke
A Spindle Splintered (Fractured Fables #1) by Alix E. Harrow
Cackle by Rachel Harrison
In the Company of Witches (Evenfall Witches B&B #1) by Auralee Wallace
The Ex Hex (#1) by Erin Sterling
What books have you finished reading recently? Are there any you would recommend?
Now
I feel like I have been reading Nancy Marie Brown's The Real Valkyrie: The Hidden History of Viking Warrior Women forever. I considered giving up a couple of times, but I am not ready to call it quits. It just is not holding my attention as much as I would like. Whether it is the book or just me being distracted by everything going on in my life right now, it is hard to say. I am also reading The Outlaw Demon Wails (The Hollows #6) by Kim Harrison, which I find easier to get lost in.
What are you reading right now?
Next
My TBR List is hosted by the awesome Michelle at Because Reading. It’s a fun way to choose a book from your TBR pile to read. The 1st Saturday of every month, I will list 3 books I am considering reading and take a poll as to which you think I should read. I will read the winner that month. My review will follow (unfortunately, not likely in the same month, but eventually--that's all I can promise).
I have the winter holidays on my mind and, as I try to think of last minute Christmas gifts for everyone, thought I might dive into a holiday themed book to help with the mood. All of these sound good to me right now. I just need help deciding which one to read next!
The Christmas Dress by Courtney Cole
One Dress. Two Women. The Magic of the Holiday Season.
When hopeful fashionista Meg Julliard must return to her hometown of Chicago to manage her late father’s apartment building, she thinks her dreams of making it in the fashion business are over. Add in her father’s eclectic roster of tenants who all need Meg’s attention (ASAP!), a host of building related disasters, and a handsome handyman she keeps embarrassing herself in front of, and this has all the makings for the worst Christmas she’s ever had.
Ellie Wade, one of the building’s longtime residents, is also not feeling the Christmas Joy this year. She is preparing to move into a nursing home (reluctantly), and is in the process of sorting through her belongings to downsize. Every corner of her apartment holds memories, some good, some bad. But there’s one dress she hesitates to pack up as it represents both the best and worst night of her life.
Ellie and Meg strike up an unlikely friendship and the story of Ellie’s dress comes out. Ellie gifts the gorgeous dress to Meg, hoping that it will bring her more luck, on the condition that she wear it to the building’s Christmas party.
The dress magically fits, and while it eventually leads to the best night of Meg’s life, it also acts as inspiration for Meg to follow a life-long dream of her own, a dream that will help save the crumbling Parkview West, and restore it to its former glory, and keep it as a safe home for all of the current tenants..
The dress and the magic of the holiday season helps both Meg and Ellie find their own happy endings. [Goodreads Summary]
Mrs. Claus and the Santaland Slayings by Liz Ireland
It's the first Christmas in Santaland for April Claus--but it may also be her last unless she can uncover a villain with a killer Christmas wish. . .
Love is full of surprises--though few compare to realizing that you're marrying the real-life Santa. April Claus dearly loves her new husband, Nick, but adjusting to life in the North Pole is not all sugarplums and candy canes. Especially when a cantankerous elf named Giblet Hollyberry is killed--felled by a black widow spider in his stocking--shortly after publicly arguing with Nick.
Christmastown is hardly a hotbed of crime, aside from mishaps caused by too much eggnog, but April disagrees with Constable Crinkle's verdict of accidental death. As April sets out to find the culprit, it'll mean putting the future of Christmas on the line--and hoping her own name isn't on a lethal naughty list . . . [Goodreads Summary]
A Holly Jolly Diwali by
Sonya Lalli
One type-A data analyst discovers her free-spirited side on an impulsive journey from bustling Mumbai to the gorgeous beaches of Goa and finds love waiting for her on Christmas morning.
Twenty-nine-year-old Niki Randhawa has always made practical decisions. Despite her love for music and art, she became an analyst for the stability. She's always stuck close to home, in case her family needed her. And she's always dated guys that seem good on paper, rather than the ones who give her butterflies. When she's laid off, Niki realizes that practical hasn't exactly paid off for her. So for the first time ever, she throws caution to the wind and books a last-minute flight for her friend Diya's wedding.
Niki arrives in India just in time to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, where she meets London musician Sameer Mukherji. Maybe it's the splendor of Mumbai or the magic of the holiday season, but Niki is immediately drawn to Sam. At the wedding, the champagne flows and their flirtatious banter makes it clear that the attraction is mutual.
When Niki and Sam join Diya, her husband and their friends on a group honeymoon, their connection grows deeper. Free-spirited Sam helps Niki get in touch with her passionate and creative side, and with her Indian roots. When she gets a new job offer back home, Niki must decide what she wants out of the next chapter of her life--to cling to the straight and narrow like always, or to take a leap of faith and live the kind of bold life the old Niki never would have dreamed of. [Goodreads Summary]
Thank you for voting!
