January 2019: Recap + On My Shelves

January 2019: Recap + On My Shelves

• Feb 4, 2019

Hi 2019! January felt like it lasted forever, and I think I accomplished more in the month than I have in a while. I attribute some of that to finally feeling settled in at home, and I can't wait to see what the rest of the year holds!

1. My Best of 2018 – I'll talk about this more in the blogging section, but I loved looking back at 2018 in January. It's always one of my favorite things about the end of the year and the start of a new one! It was fun to relive my reading memories when choosing my favorite books of the year, which I shared in a post.

2. Aquarium Adventure – One Friday, I woke up in the mood for an adventure. My son and I decided on the aquarium and were so happy when Nick was able to take the day off of work to join us. It was technically our son's third visit, but I think he enjoyed it more at this age and hasn't stopped talking about it since!

3. Book-Inspired Craft – We love the book Lola Dutch in our house. In one scene, she's painting with watercolors. Every time we read it, my son tells me, "I want to do that!" So, he got watercolors in his Christmas stocking, and we finally used. It was so fun, and I loved that the activity was inspired by a book we read together.

4. Cozy at Home – I had a cold that last like two weeks, so we spent a lot more time at home this past month. But it was just what we needed after the busyness of the holiday season! We played, watched movies, and just enjoyed the coziness. And one last bit of happy? I got good news at a doctor's appointment for my thyroid!

Read 20 Books | Favorites:

We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter

Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak

The Huntress by Kate Quinn

Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

“We're all blessed and we're all blighted, Chief Inspector,” said Finney.
“Everyday each of us does our sums. The question is, what do we count?”
A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny

 “Be careful. You're making hurting a habit.
Spreading it around won't lessen your pain, you know. Just the opposite.”
A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny

 “Food was the people you cooked with, the people you cooked for, the people you ate with,
and the people you thought of as you ate. The people who made the meal what it was.”
 Love á la Mode by Stephanie Kate Strohm

“The only thing scarier than feeling so alone is fearing you’ll always feel that way,
that no one will ever see you for all the things you are, and the things you’re afraid to be,
and the person you want so desperately to become.”
Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay

 “There are hundreds of thoughts per every word spoken, and that's if they're spoken at all.”
Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak

 “In those days, too, I remind myself, our parents were something else.
Sure, they fought sometimes, they argued. There was the odd suburban thunderbolt,
but they were mostly those people who’d found each other; they were golden and bright-lit
and funny. Often they seemed in cahoots somehow, like jailbirds who wouldn’t leave;
they loved us, they liked us, and that was a pretty good trick. After all, take five boys,
put them in one small house, and see what it looks and sounds like: it’s a porridge of mess and fighting.”
Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak

“Men often think they deserve a sticker for treating women like people.”
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 “I used to think soul mates were two of the same. I used to think I was supposed to look
 for somebody that was like me. I don't believe in soul mates anymore and I'm not looking for anything.
But if I did believe in them, I'd believe your soul mate was somebody who had all the things you didn't,
that needed all the things you had. Not somebody who's suffering from the same stuff you are.”
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

“But it doesn’t seem right to me that you can feel so horrible and the other person doesn’t feel — anything.
I hate that you can think that everything’s good, you can think they mean what they’re saying —
even they can think they mean what they’re saying — but they don’t. And you give them whatever part of yourself
and it doesn’t even mean anything to them in the end. And you can’t get it back.”
Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills

I think this is the first time in months that I have something to share beyond "here's my monthly recap" in this section. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I felt like I accomplished so much in January! I blogged regularly, finished a lot of books, and binged some great TV shows. But I was probably lazier about doing chores around the house, so don't give me too much credit. You win some, you lose some.

Although it wasn't my first post of the month, I feel like I should start with my December 2018 recap. Even when it's late, I never want to skip it. I recapped the year, too, with my My Year In series. I talked about my favorites from 2018: Music, Movies & TV, Beauty, Books, Obsessions, and Adventures.

Alexa and I kicked off another year of The Picky Pledge, which I always enjoy. I'm excited to complete our TBR challenge again this year! I shared my ten favorite new-to-me authors, and it was actually hard to narrow down my list this time. And, in the most embarrassing admission, I finally started to get caught up on FIVE MONTHS worth of reviews. Whoops! If you're curious, here's my August 2018 and September 2018 Quick Lit posts.

I posted more regularly on Instagram in January, which was a goal of mine. Now, if only I could be more consistent about interacting with all content in my feed... I'm working on it! Anyway, this was my favorite photo from the month. Kelly and I are going to spend the entire month of February re-reading, and we're calling it #FebruaREREAD. I'm so excited to focus on revisiting some of my old favorites this month! • @soobsessedblog

Favorite Album #1: Heard It in a Past Life by Maggie Rogers
I saw someone mention this in their Instagram story and had to check it out.
It's so good! This was the main album I had on repeat in January.



Favorite Album #2: Beulah by John Paul White
This isn't a new album, but I'm just now finally listening to it. Where have I been?!
I'll always miss The Civil Wars, but I've been sleeping on John Paul White's solo stuff.

Ordeal by Innocence (2018) starring Bill Nighy, Anna Chancellor, Matthew Goode, Eleanor Tomlinson & more – I rang in the New Year in the mountains with my family, and this is the show we binged the next day. I thought it was kind of odd and overly dramatic, and the plot didn't make a lot of sense. But I enjoyed the casting at least.

Mary Queen of Scots (2018) starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie – Nick works from home, and he had a slow day in January where I was able to go see a movie by myself during my son's nap. Heavenly! I enjoyed a lot of things about this movie, though I didn't love as much as I expected. But I did have much to discuss with Kelly after.

Killing Eve, Season 1, starring Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer – I kept hearing people talk about this show on social media, so I had to check it out for myself. Nick and I were addicted! Having an eight-episode season made it so easy to binge, plus the story made it impossible to turn off. The cast's performances were basically perfection.

Peaky Blinders, Season 1-4, starring Cillian Murphy, Helen McCrory, Paul Anderson, Joe Cole, Sophie Rundle and more – This show has been in my queue for ages, and I don't know what made us finally give it a try. WHERE HAVE I BEEN? This show was amazing, and now I'm dying for the next season. Definitely another new favorite!

The Good Place, Season 1-2, starring Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, and William Jackson Harper –  After the darkness of Peaky Blinders, we needed something more humorous. We decided to give The Good Place a try (for the second time) and had fun watching it! It was enjoyable, but I sometimes find it too silly for my taste.

Book Outlet: Jane Austen by Zena Alkayat, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, Keep Her Safe by K.A. Tucker, The Memory Book by Lara Avery, I'll Be Your Blue Sky by Marisa de los Santos, Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn, Seven Stones to Stand or Fall by Diana Gabaldon, and A Perfect Heritage by Penny Vicenzi

Used Bookstores: Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult, Here's to Us by Elin Hilderbrand, Ghosted by Rosie Walsh, and A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn 

Gifted: Prince in Disguise by Stephanie Kate Strohm

NetGalley for Review: The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermister, The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren, The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary, and A Dangerous Collaboration by Deanna Raybourn

Audible (Some Credits, Some Whispersync Pricing): Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, Son of Shadows by Juliet Marillier, Finnikin of the Rock, Froi of the Exiles and Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta, I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, The Winner's Curse, The Winner's Crime and The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski