Have Your Reading Choices Shifted At All During The Last Two Years?
While some things have stayed the same, I have found I am less likely to pick up a historical fiction book and much more excited about contemporary romance reads! This was a big shift for me and I am really enjoying it!
You see, I live with both feet firmly planted in reality, and I think I was a little “judgey” about the contemporary romance genre as a whole. But really, what I didn’t realize was that you just have to find your type!
This Is What I Like…
I love when women support other women, when they are just as much about finding themselves as a partner, and when real life issues intersect within the more “Happily Ever After” plot-line. And there are so many of those titles!!
And one of the ones I really enjoyed is In A New York Minuteby the absolutely delightful Forever 35 podcast host and author @KateSpencer and it publishes TODAY! And how adorable is this amazing book mail?! {thank you @readforeverpub!!}
{You can use my affiliate link to order your copy HERE.}
My Thoughts…
I had the pleasure of both reading this and listening to it on #audiobook and it was an absolutely perfect rom-com! I loved the main characters, Franny and Hayes, who after an awkward meeting on the subway go viral on the internet together. This book was perfectly predictable, adorable, and entertaining and I loved the focus on friendship as well.
I appreciated that the characters felt real and authentic and the sub stories and smaller characters were equally cute and relatable, and added some laughs throughout. This isn’t a super steamy read but this meet-cute storyline was just delightful and endearing.
Author Kate Spencer has such an engaging writing style that kept me turning the pages until the very end. For anyone looking for a perfect weekend read, this is a great and super charming choice!
I discussed this book and topic more over on my @genthebookworm Instagram feed and I would love it if you joined in on the conversation!
Disclosure: Some of the links above are Amazon affiliate links. This means if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission that helps support this blog at no cost to you. Thank you!
Just like with my reading tastes, what I am listening to has changed a bit over the last few weeks. I have found that my ability to focus has shifted with my podcasts and I am seeing that I either need some small helpful bits of information, relatable banter, some inspiring messages, or maybe a quick distraction.
Fitting in Podcast Listening…
Previously podcasts made up a good part of my workday whether it was when I was editing on the computer or during my commute. Photos above are back in the “good old days”.
Now that I don’t have either of those things, both my amount of time and attention to detail has changed. I am now listening while quickly getting ready for the day, while I am doing tasks around the house, on a walk to the mailbox…and sometimes when I just need to block out the decibel level from the kids.
It’s an exciting day! I mentioned a few weeks ago HERE that I had my very first podcast interview. At the beginning of this month, I chatted with Sarah from Sarah’s Bookshelves Live about all things reading and this morning it went live!
Welcome to another edition of my reading list and book recommendations guest post series. Today I have my first guest poster that is a librarian! While I consider myself a big reader, librarians are on a whole other level of reading awesomeness.
Hello! How is your week going? I can’t believe it is Thursday already! Holiday weeks always throw me off and they also tend to be more hectic with 5 days of work fitting into 4 days. This is my busy work season now that it is nice out (Vermont photography season is in full swing) and I am trying to fit in as much as possible before school gets out in mid-June when our childcare will be pretty limited.
Currently listening to…
With the increase in photo editing, it means I have officially entered “audiobook” season! I am lucky to have a job that is in the creative field, which enables to listen to things while I edit photos. For weddings, I tend to choose audio books since they often are about the same amount of time it takes to edit a whole wedding…and regular sessions I tend to listen to a podcast episode or two.
I haven’t made it that far yet but I am just loving The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates. It is so powerful and she is a wonderful orator. The news had been hard lately and as important as I think it is to know what is going on around us, I also love something that motivates to be more proactive and supportive of others in our own daily lives.
I know I mentioned the docu-drama Chernobyl last week, but this week I learned that there is also a podcast that goes along with of the episodes. I talk about this more on my IG stories earlier today but it is amazing to hear the thoughts behind the making of the series and the choices that went into doing a show about this real event that affected thousands and thousands of people. If you haven’t checked it out I highly recommend it!
Currently loving…
Book Mail!
There is NOTHING better than book mail! This week I was excited to receive packages from Berkley Publishing and St. Martin’s Press. Kristan Higgins is one of my favorite summer authors and Life and Other Inconveniences was just amazing! I have included it on my summer reading lists and think it would be a great one to toss in your beach bag. Higgin’s writing is funny and relatable but her characters are also relatable and multidimensional. Have you read any of her books before?
Friends who read together stay together:
Speaking of Kristan Higgins, I happened to show up to work on Tuesday with the same book as Kristy and we were wearing the same color sweatshirt. We obviously had to take a selfie to document this.
In addition to being my co-worker, Kristy is also my wonderful friend and reading buddy. We love discussing our current books at lunchtime but we normally aren’t reading the same one at the same time because we share most of our hard copy books…so this was really exciting! Do you have friends that you share books with? It’s the best!
If You Only Knew came highly recommended from my Bookstagram friends and Kristy already finished it and I am almost done and am loving it. It’s the perfect book for this more hectic time of year. <3
Back to book mail & a Diane Chamberlain update!!
St. Martin’s Press was kind enough to send me the paperback release of Dream Daughter which is being published next week on 6/4! If you haven’t read this yet, this will be the perfect summer book to add to your reading list. Dream Daughter was in my top 10 books of 2018 and it might be my favorites Diane book ever and I have read A LOT of them.
I will have to do a whole post about my favorite Diane Chamberlain books but she rarely lets me down and her books are always unique and super engrossing, while also being total page-turners. I have read a lot of them while on vacation and they are the perfect books to just get lost in.
AND the most amazing exciting news of all, they announced that Diane will have another novel published in early 2020 (January 24th to be exact!) Big Lies In A Small Town!
While I would like to say that I have parted ways with antiperspirant deodorant, I have tried and I just can’t do it. I think it has come from a lifetime of having that feeling of “dry” armpits but I just can’t get used to that “sweaty feeling”, especially while I work out.
I am all about compromise, so I have decided to use my “regular” Tom of Maine antiperspirant in the mornings and then putting on a more “natural” one, specifically Lavanila, when I get dressed for the day after class.
I don’t like to recommend things until I have really given them a fair shot but this stuff is pretty amazing! I have very sensitive skin and in addition to not cutting the sweat(deodorant just masks the smell of sweat but it doesn’t stop it like antiperspirant), it would make my underarms break out in a painful rash.
A lot of “natural” deodorants have baking soda in them which I think was the culprit. Lavanila is super gentle, smells amazing and really keeps you smelling quite fresh! And it lasts a long time. I first ordered it last May and each stick lasts 3+ months for me of daily use.
Have you made the deodorant switch?! Or are you meeting in the middle like me? 😉
Alright, that is all for this morning! I hope you have a wonderful rest of your Thursday. <3
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means if you click through and make a purchase, it helps support this blog. Thank you!
Hello! How is your week going? It may not be Tuesday but I am always drinking coffee and I wanted to pop in and share a little bit about what is going on lately.
Related Reading:
Lately, I have been working on letting go of smaller expectations I set up for myself and focusing on the big picture which is definitely a work in progress for me.
Last month I read an ARC of Juliet’s School of Possibilities which was released this past week. You can read more about the book and see my review HERE.
In celebration of its publication, Laura(the author) and Sarah discussed it on last weeks episode of The Best of Both Worlds Podcast. There is nothing I enjoy more than when my podcast and book worlds collide and I loved their discussion so much that it inspired me to go back and read the novella again. It was also the perfect week to be reminded of the important messages of this book.
Laura shared some great advice about recognizing that your larger life goals are not always achieved by saying yes to everything. Every day you have to make choices about what you are prioritizing….and asking yourself “is this bringing me closer to the life that I want?”
“A choice to do one thing is a choice to not do something else” -Laura Vanderkam
I have been pulled in many different directions lately and this book and discussion was a timely reminder of how important is it to have open time to think and reflect…Every day we are choosing between immediate obligations vs making choices that are a vision of the life we want in the long run.
I highly recommend reading this book if you are feeling decision fatigue but are also looking for an engaging and fun read. The discussion questions at the end also are an amazing way to reflect on Juliet’s advice in your own life.
Currently listening to…
I am slowly working my way through Girl, Stop Apologizing and I am struggling with wanting to put it in my DNF pile. It is not working for me, but I also want to do a full review…so I am pushing on.
I really struggle with sharing more negative reviews but I also think it is important to share our feelings about something with the perspective that everyone responds differently to things.
I am not an author so I can only imagine the amount of time and effort it takes to write and publish a book and I never want to take away from that. But just like with any content out there, the style and tone can impact the way we react. I also do think there are parts of most everything that can help in some way and I plan to share about that too. More on this soon…
On a more positive note, I am just loving The podcast Moms Done Have Time To Read Books with Zibby Owens. Her latest episode with Camille Pagan, author of I’m Fine and Neither Are You was so inspiring and also relatable. It was a wonderful conversation and if you haven’t checked out this podcast yet you should! And I highly recommend I’m Fine and Neither Are You, which you can still grab for free on Amazon’s First Reads…more information can be found HERE if you are curious and my review of the book can be seen HERE.
Currently eating…
Way too many Cadbury mini eggs!!! I am not that tempted by candy normally (I am more of a savory person) but these are just too delicious. The crackle of the outside coating makes the perfect crunch and I think because they are a seasonal item, they feel extra special. I love that they taste just as good as when I had them as a kid…and I am traditional and will never get the shimmery ones or the ones with dark chocolate.
Currently smelling…
Are you a diffuser? I love diffusing oils and I find citrus scents so invigorating. I have found a great selection at our local Healthy Living store. I love the pink grapefruit for daytime and sleep dreams for the evening.
Currently excited about:
We may have more snow in the near future but you know it really is spring when baseball season has begun! This year we will have two players and lots of practices means lots of time for reading while we wait.
I broke out my Crazy Creek chair last weekend at little league tryouts and was able to read my Kindle in total comfort. 😉
Alright, that is all for today! I will be back soon with some more book reviews and I have a fun guest poster on Friday for What’s On Your Nightstand? <3
I know I mentioned the docu-drama Chernobyl 
