October 2017: Recap + On My Shelves
OCTOBER, I LOVE YOU. Please come back? And bring Kelly with you, too? Since that's not possible, I guess I'll look forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas and all those festivities instead. I see you, 2018. Hold your horses.
1. Fall is My Favorite - In my opinion, fall is the best season! When I found this adorable mug while on a trip to Monroe with my mama and my boy, I had to have it. It says "What I Love About Autumn" and lists basically ALL the reasons this season is a winner. Plus, it's a reminder of a fun adventure with two of my favorite people!
2. Kelly Comes to Town - Kelly visiting for five days was definitely the highlight of October! I've gotten to see her twice in one year, so I'm basically spoiled. I loved every minute with her and wished she'd stayed longer! We traipsed around Athens, explored lots of bookstores and talked about anything and everything.
3. A Decade of Friendship - Two days after Kelly left, I got to reunite with three of the sweetest friends in Atlanta. We met ten years ago at the University of Georgia and were all in Zeta Tau Alpha together. It was so lovely to catch up with them over delicious food and made me so thankful for friendships that have lasted so long!
4. Hello, New Happy Planners - I've mentioned before that I've become obsessed with Happy Planners, and I swear I'll post about them at some point. They recently released their 2018 planners, and there were two on my wishlist. The small one is my new reading log, and I've got some blogging things in store for the colorful one.
Read 15 Books | Favorites:
Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan
Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist
Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny
No Limits by Ellie Marney
“And it occurs to me that maybe the reason my mother was so exhausted all the time
wasn’t because she was doing so much but because she was feeling so much.”
Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan
“Oh, life was thick with irony now. Sort of like baklava, layer after layer pressed down on each other,
with grit in between the layers and honey glossed over everything to make it sweet.”
Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny
“We don't learn to love each other well in the easy moments.
Anyone is good company at a cocktail party.
But love is born when we misunderstand one another and make it right,
when we cry in the kitchen, when we show up uninvited with magazines
and granola bars, in an effort to say, I love you.”
Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist
“The heart of hospitality is about creating space for someone to feel seen and heard and loved.
It's about declaring your table a safe zone, a place of warmth and nourishment.”
Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist
“The human heart is a big thumping miracle, I decided.
What else in the world could keep beating after being so broken?”
The Key to Extraordinary by Natalie Lloyd
“She said fear is just a flashlight that helps you find your courage.”
The Key to Extraordinary by Natalie Lloyd
WHY I'M SWITCHING SALONS
“We can put on a topcoat with glitter,” said the manicurist. “We've noticed you like attention.”
Heating and Cooling by Beth Ann Fennelly
“You won't remember how it started with us, the things that I know about you
that you don't even know about yourselves. We won't come back here.”
Lift by Kelly Corrigan
“It's a strange thing to discover and to believe that you are loved
when you know that there is nothing in you for anybody but a parent or a God to love.”
The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
“This isn’t like the way I felt about Rachel. It’s different.
Rachel made me feel as if I was worth something. But Amie makes me face myself,
the whole unvarnished truth of me. And she accepts me. The bad shit as well as the good.”
No Limits by Ellie Marney
wasn’t because she was doing so much but because she was feeling so much.”
Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan
“Oh, life was thick with irony now. Sort of like baklava, layer after layer pressed down on each other,
with grit in between the layers and honey glossed over everything to make it sweet.”
Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny
“We don't learn to love each other well in the easy moments.
Anyone is good company at a cocktail party.
But love is born when we misunderstand one another and make it right,
when we cry in the kitchen, when we show up uninvited with magazines
and granola bars, in an effort to say, I love you.”
Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist
“The heart of hospitality is about creating space for someone to feel seen and heard and loved.
It's about declaring your table a safe zone, a place of warmth and nourishment.”
Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist
“The human heart is a big thumping miracle, I decided.
What else in the world could keep beating after being so broken?”
The Key to Extraordinary by Natalie Lloyd
“She said fear is just a flashlight that helps you find your courage.”
The Key to Extraordinary by Natalie Lloyd
WHY I'M SWITCHING SALONS
“We can put on a topcoat with glitter,” said the manicurist. “We've noticed you like attention.”
Heating and Cooling by Beth Ann Fennelly
“You won't remember how it started with us, the things that I know about you
that you don't even know about yourselves. We won't come back here.”
Lift by Kelly Corrigan
“It's a strange thing to discover and to believe that you are loved
when you know that there is nothing in you for anybody but a parent or a God to love.”
The End of the Affair by Graham Greene
“This isn’t like the way I felt about Rachel. It’s different.
Rachel made me feel as if I was worth something. But Amie makes me face myself,
the whole unvarnished truth of me. And she accepts me. The bad shit as well as the good.”
No Limits by Ellie Marney
I felt pretty good about my blogging life in October! I still wish I posted more often, but I'm learning to accept that I just can't do everything. I started the month with my September 2017 recap. Next, I shared my review of First Comes Love by Emily Giffin for September's Picky Pledge Challenge prompt, "A Book I Pre-Ordered." My September Quick Lit was another long one and featured nine books. Finally, I re-read Erika Johansen's The Queen of the Tearling and The Invasion of the Tearling before reading The Fate of the Tearling, which was a huge letdown. I hate when the final book makes me hate a series!
But my very favorite post in October was Creating a Capsule Library! I had the random idea to take the concept of Capsule Wardrobes and apply it to books. I asked Alexa from Alexa Loves Books, Kelly from Belle of the Literati and Rachel from Hello, Chelly to participate with me, and it honestly exceeded my expectations. (PS - If you posted your own Capsule Library, please leave a link in the comments so I can see!)
1. Capsule Libraries: Andi from Andi's ABCs, Lauren from Bookmark Lit, Kristin from Super Space Chick and Bleu Bailey from Booked & Busy - I was so excited to see people start sharing their own Capsule Libraries! These are four I found, but leave a link if you've posted one, too. I love what it reveals about people's reading taste!
2. Plan to Eat Review & Walk-Through by Cassie from The Casserole - I'd mentioned to Cassie that I was interested in trying Plan to Eat, and she had the brilliant idea to test it out and write a review first! Reading her post - and talking about it with her - made me even more convinced that I need this in my life.
3. On Being a Morning Reader by Rikki from The Ardent Biblio - How I had not found this blog before this month?! It's so lovely, as is their Instagram. This was one of my favorite posts from them in October. I'm not an early morning reader at all, though I wish I was, and this post certainly highlighted the benefits of being one.
4. The Stories We Shared: A Family Book Journal (Review + How I'm Using It) by Christine from The Buckling Bookshelf - When Kelly was visiting, I mentioned that I wanted some kind of journal to record what I was reading to my son. So, this post was perfect timing, and I'm totally getting one (at least) for our family!
3. On Being a Morning Reader by Rikki from The Ardent Biblio - How I had not found this blog before this month?! It's so lovely, as is their Instagram. This was one of my favorite posts from them in October. I'm not an early morning reader at all, though I wish I was, and this post certainly highlighted the benefits of being one.
4. The Stories We Shared: A Family Book Journal (Review + How I'm Using It) by Christine from The Buckling Bookshelf - When Kelly was visiting, I mentioned that I wanted some kind of journal to record what I was reading to my son. So, this post was perfect timing, and I'm totally getting one (at least) for our family!
Favorite Album #1: Every Little Thing by Carly Pearce
Bethany Chase introduced me to the title track a few months ago, and I was so excited
for the album's release. It didn't disappoint! I've had it on repeat all month.
Favorite Album #2: Be Held: Lullabies for the Beloved by Christy Nockels
I saw two friends recommend this on Instagram, so I immediately went to investigate.
It's such a lovely album of quiet worship songs, and I enjoy Nockels' voice.
Audiobook: The End of the Affair narrated by Colin Firth
I bought this on Audible earlier this year and finally listened to it.
While I wasn't crazy about the story, it was worth it for Firth's narration!
The Bold Type, Season 1, starring Katie Stevens, Aisha Dee and Meghann Fahy - I felt like I was hearing about this show everywhere, so I decided to binge it in October. It was fun and had such great female friendships, but I didn't love it. I'd be curious about the second season, if there is one, but I wouldn't rush to watch it.
Pre-Ordered: The Illustrated Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling and Into the Bright Unknown by Rae Carson
Pretty Editions of Favorites: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, Heidi by Johanna Spyri, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and The Memory Book by Lara Avery
Book Outlet: The Key to Extraordinary by Natalie Lloyd, When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhy Menon, Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan, French Kids Eat Everything by Karen Le Billon, Raising a Healthy, Happy Eater by Nimali Fernando & Melanie Potock and The Mothers by Brit Bennett
Costco Prices Convinced Me: The Beverly Cleary Collection (I can't find this exact set online!) and The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Come and Get It!
2nd & Charles: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi, The Royal Diaries: Jahanara by Kathryn Lasky, The Royal Diaries: Kaiulani by Ellen Emerson White, and The Railway Children by E. Nesbit (Blackberries for Sal?)
Gifted: I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (Thanks, Alexa!), 101 Books to Read Before You Grow Up by Bianca Schulze (Thanks, Mom!) and The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan (Thanks, Kelly!)
My New Puffin Classics Collection
From The Story Shop, 2nd & Charles, Book Outlet, Amazon & Book Depository
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Adventures of Robin Hood by Roger Lancelyn Green, The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, Charlotte's Web by E.B. White, Tales of the Greek Heroes by Roger Lancelyn Green, The Call of the Wild by Jack London, Goodnight Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian, Matilda by Roald Dahl, Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett and Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Unsolicited For Review: The Texan Duke by Karen Ranney, The It Girls by Karen Harper, The Glass Spare by Lauren DeStefano, Craig & Fred by Craig Grossi and Monster by Michael Grant
NetGalley: The Wedding Date by Jasmine GuilloryAudible 2-for-1 Sale: To All the Boys I've Loved Before and P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han
Kindle: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, A Thousand Letters by Staci Hart, No Limits by Ellie Marney and How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny
That quote from Glitter and Glue really hit me! Something to think about in my own Mom exhaustion lol
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing my book journal post! I hope you love it :)
Gorgeous photo of your new classics set! I had to just nod my head in understanding when I saw it with the listing of all the places you bought the books from — I totally do that! I get it into my head about a certain set or series or author or illustrator (or whatever!) and pick them up here there and everywhere to complete a set :)
Thank you for masterminding the Capsule Library tag! I had so much fun (and a bit of stress) creating mine and I loved seeing what other people chose for theirs! I enjoyed The Bold Type but I'm a bit nervous about the second season since they're changing the showrunner. My husband always made fun of the fact that a British voice belonging to no one on the show would recap in the beginning of each episode. And I looooove the Puffin classics! You've made me realize that I'm missing Oliver Twist. And I will FOREVER be wishing for a copy of the out of print Grimm's Fairy Tales one. It was so pretty!
ReplyDeleteI'm such a sucker for historical fiction and I loved The Nightingale. Honestly it caught my attention because of the beautiful cover and the authors first name is the same as mine. It told a different side of WW2 that I had never thought of. I hope you like it.
ReplyDeleteP.S. the best WW2 fiction I've ever encountered was the audible version of Code Name Verity. I've relistened to it more than once and the "kiss me hardy" scene still gets me every time.