Book Clubs

After a long time of making jealous eyes at anyone who manages to go to a book club that continues to function, it turns out I’m now part of FOUR book clubs. Five if you count the local brewery’s book club that I keep meaning to get involved with but can’t seem to make it to.

Unfortunately three of them are solely online, but the fourth was started by me and it will be both online and as a Sunday brunch meeting which makes me delighted, and is a true crime . Of course, this also means I have four books to read. This wouldn’t be a problem since I read more than 4 books in a month generally, but I’m not always good at reading ONLY assigned reading so I need to be more diligent about making sure I’ve done what I need to do and then read other stuff.

So here’s what I’m reading:

Sleeping Beauties

So I started the audio of this and I honestly don’t know if I’ll get all the way through it; I might have to bow out of this month’s discussion. This is a controversial opinion but I just don’t love SK. I try but he just has a cadence and a wordiness that drives me up the wall. I’ll give it a chance though.

History of Love

This is for a new online book club add, and I’m excited because it’s a little different format – they have a “heavy book” and a “light book” every month and you read what you want to read, or you can go back to other books in the year and participate in those discussions. I picked a recent pick to start on though, and I’ll see how it goes.

StartUp

This is for my Ladies book club, and I made the recommendation because I own the book and hadn’t read it yet so yay! I am kind of excited; it’s supposed to be fun and light and hilarious.

Fatal Vision

This is my true crime pick, the story of Jeffrey MacDonald who was convicted of killing his family. Did he do it? Did he not do it?  

Friday, again

It's Friday, and I have no idea where this week went. I was constantly running from work to doctor's appointments to dentist appointments and back to work. I dealt with Halloween costumes and Storybook Parade costumes and somehow did too much grocery shopping (I checked myself and I went to the grocery twice, plus the new organic grocery, plus Costco which we all know is an expensive trip). I now need to meal plan AROUND my grocery shopping so I'm not shopping for the next week at least. I know ham steak and green beans, Brazilian shrimp stew, and chicken soup will be on the menu. Crispy chicken thighs with wilted spinach. Taco salads.

I was supposed to be out of town next week for work, so I kind of got on a frenzy this week so that I would be ready, and then Wednesday afternoon the case resolved so I'm home for the month. I'm glad that I'm not traveling, but it becomes something of a letdown when I've psyched myself up for the alone time. Not that I *need* the alone time, but the only way to get excited about living out of a suitcase for a week by myself is to psyche myself up about the things I get to do in my downtime, non-working time. See a movie! (even though I'm not a theater person) Do yoga in my hotel room! (even though I could easily do that in my bedroom) Read at a restaurant! (honestly, when am I not reading?)

I started a new book club, within the group of my local chapter of Murderinos. I'm super excited. I think our first book will be Fatal Vision, with supplemental reading of The Journalist and the Murderer. 

So what's going on for you?

10 things - movies

I was looking for writing prompts to kick my brain into gear and I started out with "10 things that make you happy". And I was totally going to do that (and will in the future) but then I typed 10 Things and immediately thought of 10 Things I Hate About You and then I thought of Heath Ledger and then I went down a rabbit hole of looking at photos of Heath Ledger and being sad he's gone and on and on ad nauseum. God, he was a beautiful man.

SO.

I'm going with 10 movies that make me happy. Not necessarily my favorite 10 movies, although some favorites are on my list. 10 movies that make me smile, that I will watch when I'm down, that I will listen to when I need something to fill my brain. Happy thoughts, man.

1. Leap Year. Listen, I know the whole premise is crap. One day every four years a woman is "allowed" to ask a man to marry her, and she has to travel to Dublin to do it and and and. Amy Adams and Matthew Goode are so good and so fun. I love it. This is my number one feel-good, Netflix-wants-to-know-why-I-keep-watching movie.

2. Newsies This is one of my favorites, always and forever. I like to sing along while I clean, snuggle under a throw blanket and watch, force my children to love it too. They WILL love it too.

3. Empire Records I haven't been able to watch lately but I've been listening to the soundtrack and it fills me with so much nostalgia. Best.

4. Overboard I'm sure that I'm mostly obsessed with this because it was on TNT or TBS or one of many cable channels when I needed something to zone out on growing up. I didn't watch much television (boy, what else is new) but just as now, I watched the same things over and over and over when I needed it.

5. Camp Rock I haven't finished this list in my head yet, but it's entirely possible that the rest of the movies on this list will be cheesy 1990s/2000s teen Disney/ABC family movies. Because seriously, that is my wheelhouse. Find me a Jonas brother, please.

6. The Thing Called Love Dude. River Phoenix. Samantha Mathis. Durmot Mulrooney. How could you go wrong?

7. Dirty Dancing I feel like this is something that should always be on a 30-something's list. There will always be the one that then says "No, I always hated that movie" but can that person be trusted, really? Nobody puts Baby in the corner.

8. Chasing Liberty This actually is a stand-in for all of this trope - daughter of person of power trying to live a normal life and also falling in love with the person charged with keeping her safe. See also: The Prince and Me; What a Girl Wants (hell, really put all Amanda Bynes movies in this group. Why are none of them available on streaming?) (Also, all Julia Stiles movies here too. And Hillary Duff. Okay fine, any 2000s teen actress.)

9. Sabrina the Harrison Ford/Julia Ormond version. I love Audrey Hepburn, but Julia Ormond really brought something special and fresh to Sabrina Fair.

10. Daddy Long Legs I've always loved Leslie Caron and this movie was the height of my love for her. She was such an amazing actress and dancer (is? apparently she's still acting, and I've got some catching up to do)

Edited to Add: This list is not long enough to include others that I could watch all day long: Veronica Mars, Cinderella Story, Runaway Bride, You've Got Mail, The Wedding Date ... obviously, I have a type. I'm cool with that. It makes me happy.

What are your happy place movies?

Monday hijinks

Is "upright and moving" good enough for Monday hijinks? Asking for a friend.

It's good of me to call myself my friend, isn't it?

Anyhow, this morning had me googling when the time change happens (November 5, FYI) so I can get up in the morning with a reasonable degree of awareness. I keep attempting to pry myself from the sheets early so I can leisurely ready myself for work and do my makeup and drive to work in a calm and orderly manner, only to hit the snooze an unbearable number of times, throw myself into clothes, make sure my makeup from YESTERDAY isn't too smeared and off I go. The one good thing about me being too lazy to wash my face on a Sunday night.

But I'm up and moving and relatively productive this morning and I'm ready to face the day. I'm two hours late for facing the day but hey! Better late than never! Honestly, I was on time but my brain is still catching up. Hence this rambling stream of consciousness blathering I'm going on with.

So what to talk about? I stayed up late hoping to see the Indians come back to sweep the Yankees, but it didn't happen. I've been watching Veronica Mars whenever I have a few minutes to myself. Listening to Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas - I was disappointed that she decided to follow a different story arc but man, still SO GOOD. Taking walks with Louie whenever I need out of the house.

Do your kids drive you up the wall? S fancies himself funny. He is not funny. He's loud and repeats his punchlines eleven times and makes a million Vine videos about eating a shoe that might or might not be meatloaf. He's affected this barking laugh that is not him but has become his new favorite thing to do and OMG I'm going to die from noise pollution. H is not quite as obnoxious, but I think he's getting there ... that age of 8-10 holy sweet baby Jesus.

So I spend a lot of time with my headphones on, is what I'm saying. Or barking at children to stop talking, FTLOG. I feel like a terrible parent. This is surviving, right?

September Bookery

After I read most of four books during Hurricane Irma, I thought that this month would be a big one for reading. Alas, I just couldn’t get into much. I watched some television; I stared off into the void. There was baseball. There was not a ton of reading.

By the numbers

8 books

4 owned (personal collection)

4 library

6 print (ebooks)

2 audio

7 new

1 reread

pages (or equivilent) read: 3009

Best book I read:

Currently ... Happy October!

I’m wanting to keep up with my blogging, but I’m not sure what to type out, so I’m going to go a la Stephany and answer these fun questions. October! It’s October!

Loving … My new boots, which I bought off a friend and they are excellent. It’s still 90 degrees here in Florida, but it feels like the arctic at work so I can easily wear wool-lined Uggs and be October-y.

Loathing … I was pretty sick at the end of last week and I’m still not 100%.

Reading … Oooh, this is a fun one for me right now. I’m listening to the Unearthly series (I just finished the second, Hallowed, and I’ll start the third, Boundless, today). I’m also reading the fifth in the Throne of Glass series (Empire of Storms) and holy goodness, I adore that series.

Watching … The Originals. So the reason I started watching was because Jason Dohring (Logan in Veronica Mars) is in the second or third season and I wanted to see him in a different series, but then of course I wanted to watch the show from the beginning. I’ve been binging television one day a week (we know how notoriously bad I am at watching tv) so this is my binge show. I really really like it, and I haven’t even gotten to the season with Jason Dohring!

Anticipating … cooler temperatures. I can’t anticipate EXTREMELY cooler temps, but anything less than 89 degrees would be welcome. Perhaps a slight breeze?

Thinking about … The violent shooting in Vegas, my dreams last night, all the work I have on my plate, my three brain-related doctor appointments this week. How much I want the really bad-for-me breakfast that work is supplying today that I’m not eating. Life is a lot right now.

Needing … a break. I didn’t do much at the end of last week because I was so sick, but it wasn’t a break. I need a vacation from everything. I’ll go with another cup of coffee instead.