So Obsessed With: The Mini Edition #8

So Obsessed With: The Mini Edition #8

Feb 25, 2020

I've mentioned numerous times how much I love Jane Austen, and recently I've spotted lots of new Austen-related releases while browsing online. There's been non-fiction about her life, gorgeous new editions of her novels, a few fictional stories drawing upon her life and characters for inspiration – and even a recent TV adaptation of one of her unfinished works. And, unsurprisingly, there are always new products (pins! mugs! pouches!) to collect. As I kept adding stuff to my wishlist, I decided to collect it all in one post. If you're an Austen fan too, today is your lucky day. Here are thirteen Austen-related items I've been eyeing lately:

1. Sanditon by Jane Austen (Clothbound Classics Edition)
I have the original 7-book set designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith and have always wished this one had been added, even though it's unfinished. I'm thrilled this released in 2019 with Lady Susan and The Watsons included, too.

2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Seasons Edition)
Years ago, I wrote about the fact that I collect editions of Pride and Prejudice. Y'all my collection has grown significantly. I love the associated memories – and I have my friend Lauren to thank for this recent addition!

3. The Illustrated Letters of Jane Austen by Penelope Hughes-Hallett

I own another book of Jane Austen's letters, but who can resist an illustrated edition? This collection of letters has added painting and engravings of Regency England, as well as commentary from Hughes-Hallett.

4. Dress in the Age of Jane Austen by Hilary Davidson
Yes, my obsession with Jane Austen extends to books about Regency fashion, too! I love how non-fiction can deepen my appreciation for Austen's work and give me more insight into life during that time period.

5. The Lost Books of Jane Austen by Janine Barchas
In the nineteenth century, inexpensive editions of Austen's novels were targeted to Britain's working class and sold at railway stations. They were, essentially, mass market paperbacks. This book explores that history!

6. The Austen Girls by Lucy Worsley
I'll be honest, the summary of this one makes me a little nervous! It's a fictional story about two of Austen's nieces. Aunt Jane? I'm intrigued. Add in the fact that it's YA, and we'll see if it lives up to the adorable cover.

7. Miss Austen by Gill Hornby
This book focuses on Jane's sister, Cassandra, and that's an approach I haven't seen before. I'm so excited to see how Hornby reimagines Jane's lost letters. It's always interesting to speculate on why Cassandra destroyed them! 

8. The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner
This made it onto my list of most anticipated 2020 releases, but I had to include it here too! A group of Austen lovers coming together to try to save her Chawton home and legacy = I need it. I hope it lives up to my expectations.

9. The Stars We Steal by Alexa Donne
Although I don't read a ton of Young Adult anymore, I can't resist a science fiction retelling of Austen's Persuasion. It sounds so good! My only hesitation? I feel like it's been done before, so we'll see how it compares...

10. Masterpiece Theater: Sanditon ($27)
We don't have cable anymore, so I wasn't able to watch this week to week. But honestly, I would prefer to binge this anyway! Now that it's out on DVD, I'll be buying a copy so I can watch it anytime the baby sleeps.

11. Jane Austen's Emma (Audio Adaptation)
This isn't as recent as some of the other releases, since it came out in 2018, but it's still on my wishlist. This is a full-cast dramatization of Emma – so, not the unabridged book – but it seems like such a fun listen!

12. Jane Austen Zipper Pouch ($13)
Can you have too many zipper pouches? I love that this one is covered in Austen quotes because it reminds me of one of my favorite mugs (from the same company) that Kelly got me for my birthday a few years ago. 

13. Jane Austen Characters Mug ($25)
This mug is important from the U.K., so that's already a point in its favor. It's bone china and decorated with humorous illustrations of more than 40 characters from Austen's novels. I have too many mugs. and yet...

Are there any Austen-related books I've forgotten?

What's one person/topic you just can't resist?

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Creating New Routines (Part 2)

Creating New Routines (Part 2)

Feb 21, 2020

As I mentioned yesterday, one of my goals for 2020 is: Create purposeful monthly, weekly, and daily routines. I have seen how much routines can make a difference in my productivity! For January, I gave myself two routine-related goals. The first was to brainstorm possible routines that I'd like to implement. Before I could start implementing anything, I needed to figure out what exactly I wanted to do on a regular basis! 

First, I looked at household chores: meal planning, grocery shopping, cleaning, and laundry. I chatted all about that in Creating New Routines (Part 1) yesterday. Once that was done, I started thinking about a few other tasks I'd like to perform weekly and/or monthly. I brainstormed a big list of all the things I said I wanted to do on a recurring basis and then categorized them based on how frequently I felt they needed to be done.

Everything left on my list fell into three general categories. So, here's what ended up on my Monthly to-do list:

DIGITAL

The first four tasks are grouped because they're all related to digital photos:

• Download photos/videos from iCloud to my external hard drive.

• Rename the files, which I do based on date taken. For example: 2020-01-02_01.jpg. 

• Backup the photos/videos to OneDrive. I like having them saved in two places!

• Choose a calendar photo for that month, which I'll order from Artifact Uprising in December.

The next three are quick tasks to keep my computer organized:

• Delete/archive emails. I want very little in my email inboxes! 

• Clean out Pocket. I save articles/links here throughout the month.

• Organize desktop. It can get messy as I make blog graphics and such.

BLOG

The first three are reminding me of the blog posts that I publish every month:

• Monthly Recap – sharing all my favorite things from the past month!

• Goal Check-In – recapping previous month's progress and setting new goals.

• Quick Lit – mini reviews of everything I read the previous month.

The next two are general blog maintenance items:

• Goodreads – basically just add any reviews I've written!

• Update Pages – the list of what I've read and any reading challenge progress.

And the last three involve wrapping up the month in my bookish planners:

• Reading Log – filling out my top three reads from the month, favorite quote, etc.

• Bullet Journal – just making sure it's updated and ready for upcoming month!

• Blog Plan – use my calendar to loosely pre-plan two posts per week.

PAPER

The first two are related to my Promptly Journals for my sons:

• Promptly 2 – fill out applicable section in my second's journal (Birth Story, First Month, etc.)

• Promptly 1 – work on getting caught up on the last three years in my first's journal

And the next three are related to my Simplified Planner and PowerSheets:

• Planner Prep – note any birthdays, mark Nick's upcoming travel, add any appointments, etc.

• PowerSheet Prep – review previous month, fill in new month's brainstorming pages, etc.

• Tending List – choose my new monthly goals and put them on this page in my PowerSheets

It might sound like a lot, but so many of these tasks only take a few minutes. I've always had the time to do them but just hadn't developed a system to make them into a habit. To keep myself on track, I created a bookmark to print monthly for my planner, which you can see in the photo above. The number following the item correlates to the week of the month that I want to try to do it. For example, (1) = completing this task the first week of the month.

Before I shift to the small list of weekly to-do items, I wanted to mention my second January mini goal since it's related to this section. In addition to brainstorming routines, I wanted to schedule a monthly planning session. On the last Saturday of January, I went to Starbucks by myself with my planner, PowerSheets, and bullet journal. I spent about two hours there enjoying the quiet time, reviewing the past month, and getting prepped for the one ahead. It was heavenly! I'm definitely doing it again in February, though I anticipate being at home instead.



Most of the items on my initial brainstorm were monthly, but there were a few things that I wanted to do weekly. The first was meal planning, which I mentioned in yesterday's post. Here are my other Sunday tasks:

• Planner Prep – plan for the week ahead, write down any known to dos, add in meal plan, etc.
• Bullet Journal – coloring books read, noting book purchases, and so on (like in this post).
• Reading Log – filling in anything I read during that week (using this same format).
• Cull Photos – delete any blurry photos, duplicates, screenshots, etc. Keep only the best!
• Delete Texts – delete threads I don't need, like appointment reminders or ones using up space.

Because I'm me, I made it into a printable that I keep at the front of my bullet journal. The "Blog" section is to help keep me on track with my goal of blogging two times I week. That's roughly 8-10 posts per month, so I gave myself check boxes for up to 12. It's motivated me to think ahead and schedule posts!

Can you see why I was shocked by how much progress I made in this area in January? I'd planned to just brainstorm potential routines – never imagining that I'd actually feel motivated to start implementing them! Like I said yesterday, I do anticipate pausing on the cleaning routine until we've started to adjust to life with a newborn. But I'm hopeful that I'll still be able to stick with the things I've mentioned today!

I'll share an update on these routines, likely at the end of the year. Additionally, there are other routines or rhythms I'd like to introduce – family traditions like pizza + movie on Fridays, some school-adjacent things for my firstborn, some health and wellness habits, etc. However, most of them didn't make sense to start in this season of my life. I've got them on a list for future consideration, and I'll revisit those when the time is right.

What routines do you have in your life?

I'd love to hear what habits have made a difference!

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Creating New Routines (Part 1)

Creating New Routines (Part 1)

Feb 20, 2020

One of my goals for 2020 is: Create purposeful monthly, weekly, and daily routines. I've noticed that I thrive when I have clear expectations/deadlines in place. When I look back at school and work (or even my most active blogging years), I always had system in place to keep me organized and on track. Lately, I haven't felt as productive. I'm often playing catch up – making a grocery list at the last minute, procrastinating on cleaning, and talking about things I "need to do" at some point. Some have been on my list since my oldest was born almost four years ago!

And it's not like I haven't had the time. As my mom always says, "If you wanted to do it, you'd do it." Because we really do make the time for the things that are important to us, no matter how trivial or how time consuming! I've talked about this before when I discussed finding time to read as a new mom. As I looked at what worked and didn't work from last year, I couldn't ignore the proof that I needed more routine in my life. I know based on my personality and past experience that it will make me more peaceful. I waste too much mental energy when I'm overwhelmed. And I'm sometimes I'm guilty of procrastinating by being productive at something less important.

With a baby due this month, I'm aware that this was a slightly ambitious goal to set for 2020. Life with a newborn doesn't lend itself to predictability. But even a little bit of progress here would make a meaningful difference!

For January, I gave myself two routine-related goals. One was to brainstorm possible routines that I'd like to implement, which I'm going to chat about today (and in tomorrow's post, too). I don't know if it was the new year or nesting, but I got so much more done here than I expected! Before I could implement new routines, I had to figure out what I wanted to do on a regular basis. I decided to start with household chores: meal planning, grocery shopping, cleaning, and laundry. So, here's what I made for myself:

First, I looked at cleaning schedules on Pinterest, listened to a few related podcast episodes, and thought about what made the most sense for me. I wrote out a cleaning schedule, put it into practice, made adjustments based on what I learned, and then laminated my chart and put it on the fridge. Seeing it has been so motivating! There are many ways to break this down, but here's where I ended up. Every day, I want to do four things:

1. Make the beds. It just gets the day off to the right start!
2. 15-minute tidy – just a quick pick up at the end of the day.
3. Dishes, essentially empty/load the dishwasher and don't leave anything in the sink.
4. Counters – wiping down the kitchen counters every night.

And then I gave every day two additional tasks:

Sunday: 1) Meal plan for the week, and 2) take out the trash, which is picked up on Mondays.
Monday: 1) Grocery shop, and 2) do laundry.
Tuesday: On our first floor, 1) dust and 2) vacuum.
Wednesday: 1) Clean the kitchen, and 2) clean the downstairs bathroom.
Thursday: On the second floor, 1) dust and 2) vacuum.
Friday: 1) Clean the bathrooms upstairs, and 2) wash all towels.
Saturday: 1) One monthly task, and 2) two bi-weekly tasks.

As you can see, Saturdays are a little bit different. There are four cleaning tasks that I just plan to do once a month: 1) dusting the baseboards, 2) dusting windowsills and cleaning dirty windows (usually handprints in one or two specific rooms), 3) dusting lights and vents, and 4) wiping down the kitchen cabinets. If you're looking at my chart, each task has a number following it that represents what week I'll do it (1 = first week of the month, etc.).

And there are four tasks that I'm doing every other week. On the first and third week of the month, I'm 1) mopping the hardwood floors and 2) disinfecting door handles/remotes (or anything else that's frequently touched). On the second and fourth weeks, I'm 3) washing the sheets and 4) doing a quick car clean (toss any trash, vacuum any spilled snacks, and so on). Yes, I know some months have five weeks – but you get the idea!

While I was at it, I thought about some other tasks that are recurring but less frequent. Quarterly, I'd like to aim to clean my major household appliances: washer & dryer, dishwasher, microwave & oven, and the fridge & freezer. On my chart, the number corresponds to the month I'm aiming to do each one in. For example, cleaning the washer and dryer in January (1), May (5), and September (9). This section may change with time because it's the one I haven't tested yet. But I liked having an overall starting point and seeing how it goes.

Yearly, we need to remember to change 1) the air filter, 2) the fridge filter, and 3) the smoke detector batteries. Also, we typically 4) pressure wash the driveway. And, as a note, I put five things we want to keep on our radar: 1) wash windows, 2) clean carpets, 3) purge and donate, 4) aerate the yard, and 5) get new pine straw for the yard.

I made this chart at the beginning of the month and spent three weeks actually doing it. And I love it! It was taking me less than an hour a day (aside from laundry) and made me feel so much better. I occasionally skipped a task or combined two days into one when I was motivated, but the general system was there. It was so nice to have a few weeks of success under my belt, even though I'll take at least the month of February off. I'm not even going to attempt it with a newborn, but I love knowing it's there when I'm ready to pick it back up!

I've got meal planning on my chart but wanted to elaborate! I've used Plan to Eat for planning and making my grocery lists for the past three years, and I love it. It has streamlined the whole process for me. If I see a recipe that looks good online, I use the "Add to PTE" bookmark to save it. If it's from a book, I quickly type in the recipe name + ingredients and then list the cookbook title and page number in the Directions section. The Plan tab is easy to navigate and rearrange, if needed. And I love that it auto-generates a shopping list based on the recipes I've planned. Then, all I have to do is add stuff from our Staples List that needs to be replenished.

The only problem? I was meal planning when I noticed we were running out of things rather than being intentional about it. The only real change here is the fact that I now plan on Sundays and grocery shop on Mondays! I did something different for February and loosely planned the month in advance, but I prefer weekly planning overall.

Do you have a cleaning or meal planning routine?

Check back tomorrow the other routines I'm trying to implement!

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New for Number Two

New for Number Two

Feb 18, 2020

After my first son was born, I shared my fifty baby favorites (part one and part two). Registering had been so overwhelming, but I wanted to talk about the things I'd ended up loving. As we were preparing for our second baby, I realized that there was almost nothing that I felt like I had to purchase. We still have most of those fifty items and will happily use them again: the monitor, baby tub, car seat, and so on. We still had lots of baby clothes, too.

But there were still some things I wanted to buy, just because. So, I decided to share the fifteen "new" things we bought for number two! I was going to turn this into a So Obsessed With post but decided not to since I haven't used most of these products yet. Instead, it's just a little shopping post. Hope you enjoy!

1. Freshly Picked Butterscotch Classic Diaper Bag ($175) 

When I was pregnant with my first, I saw so many posts recommending backpack-style diaper bags. I ended up being totally fine with the style I'd already chosen and didn't give it another thought... until now. I realized I'd want my hands completely free for both of my boys! I love the color and look of this bag and am so excited to use it.

2. Comotomo 8 oz. Baby Bottles in Green ($24)

Want to know where I've got lots of room for improvement with my second baby? Bottle feeding! I nursed my firstborn – and plan to do the same with my second – but I made the mistake of not introducing bottles soon enough. My son basically refused them all. I'm hoping for more success with this baby and bought these to try.

3. Mushie Cleo Pacifier Clip in Wood ($15)

My firstborn barely used a pacifier – he had a WubbaNub that he liked it for a little bit, but it was more about the animal attached than the actual pacifier. Since every baby is different, we have a few pacies to try (one mentioned later in this post) – and I couldn't resist this clip. I got sucked in by the cute babies with them on Instagram!

4. Lou Lou & Company Ultimate Newborn Bundle in Henry ($68)

I don't remember where I heard about this brand, but I made the mistake of joining a Facebook group for it. That was some insanity! I have no desire to build up a stash, but I did pick up one set (gown, hat, gloves, and swaddle) in their Black Friday. This boy has lots of hand-me-downs, but he needed a few special things of his own, too. 

5. Loulou Lollipop Bubble Silicone and Wood Teether ($25)

Sorry not sorry, but I'm a sucker for baby products that look pretty. We had a few wood teethers for our firstborn and loved them... but I'm pretty sure at least one was lost to our dog. Struggle. My mom gifted me this gorgeous London swaddle from the same brand, and then I ended up browsing their website. The rest is history.

6. Bunnies by the Bay Skipit the Pup ($20)

This might be my favorite thing on the list, solely for the story behind it. While on our beach vacation, my firstborn picked out matching stuffed animals for himself and his baby brother. He got a big one, which he's named BB (for Big Brother) and has legit become his favorite. And he can't wait to give the baby this matching mini one!

7. Mama's Must-Have Restaurant Bag ($25)

I saw this on Instagram and loved it. I'd never considered carrying a silicone place mat + pair of kitchen shears in our diaper bag for eating out, but it makes so much sense. My oldest still likes some of his food cut up, and it can be such a pain to do it. Scissors will make it a breeze! We should get lots of use out of this for both boys.

8. Childhood History Journal from Promptly Journals ($32)

This isn't the first time I've mentioned this journal, which goes from pregnancy until age 18. I bought a baby book for our first and never filled it out. It just didn't focus on the things I cared about most! When I found these journals, I was sold. I got one for this baby, fell in love, got one for my firstborn and am slowly (but surely) catching up in it.

9. Custom Quilt from Morgan Kelly Quilts

My mom had a custom Morgan Kelly quilt made for our firstborn, and I ended up using it as the background for monthly photos of my growing boy. When my mom found out I was pregnant again, she immediately mentioned having another quilt made. Here's a little peek at what we chose. It's perfect in his nursery, and I'm in love!

10. Solly Baby Wrap in Flax ($65)

The idea of baby wearing appeals to me, but I didn't do it very much with my firstborn. We loved our structured carrier (an Ergobaby) and plan to use it again. But I wasn't a fan of the wrap I tried! I started researching other options early in this pregnancy because I have a feeling I'll need to be handsfree more often with my second.

11. BIBS BPA-Free Natural Rubber Baby Pacifier 2-Pack ($15)

In addition to a new Wubbanub, I decided to get one more pacifier option for this baby before he arrived. If he wants nothing to do with them, that's totally fine with me. Less work down the road when I'd need to end the attachment! But I wanted to be prepared in case he's the opposite and heard great things about this brand.

12. 4moms mamaRoo 4 Classic Infant Seat in Grey ($220)

This was all my mom's doing! We went shopping for some baby clothes and a few other things, and I mentioned that the rocker/swing-type product we'd used with my first had been recalled. I planned to wait on buying a replacement until later, but she thought we should go ahead and get it. I bet I'll be thanking her for that foresight!

13. Joovy Caboose Graphite Stand-On Tandem Stroller ($120)

This is the only thing on my list that we haven't actually bought yet! We have a Chicco carseat and stroller, and our oldest hasn't used a stroller in ages. But that might change with the baby's arrival, and this gives him the option to stand or sit on the rear platform or bench seat + has an adapter that works with our car seat.

14. Design Dua Nap & Pack Bassinet and Stand ($180 / $70)

This was at the very top of my "I want this but know we don't need it" list. We have two travel cribs (a bassinet style and a pack-and-play one), so I couldn't justify splurging on this beauty. And then! I found all of it (bassinet, stand, sheet, mattress) barely used on Craigslist for 75% off retail price. Major happy dance would be an understatement.

15. Hakaa 4 oz. Silicone Breast Pump ($14)

As I mentioned, I struggled with bottles with my first. Since I didn't go back to work after my maternity leave, I didn't give much thought to pumping. And when I finally tried it, I gave up after a few failed attempts. I'm determined to try again with this one and have heard such great things about this manual pump. I'm hopeful!

Any other baby product recommendations? 

I'd love to hear about them!

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Quick Lit: January 2020 (Part 2)

Quick Lit: January 2020 (Part 2)

Feb 14, 2020

Welcome back to my mini review round-up! Yesterday, in Part 1, I talked about nine of the 17 books I read in January. Today, I'm sharing my thoughts on six more of those books! At the end of this post, I briefly mentioned the two re-reads I did on audio. If you enjoy this feature, check out other readers' reviews at Modern Mrs. Darcy.

A PERFECT HERITAGE BY PENNY VINCENZI – I read Vincenzi's Spoils of Time trilogy back in college and adored it, and I've always meant to read more from her. Because of that series, I was expecting this to be a historical novel and was surprised when I realized it was contemporary (with a small historical component). Maybe it's because I love makeup, but I thought it was so fun to fall into this book about a businesswoman trying to revitalize a dying British cosmetics company. As I would expect from Vincenzi, there was a ton of drama, more than one affair, and lots of characters to follow. But the shifting POVs worked for me, and I found myself racing through this one. The characters were so engaging, even when they weren't likable. I'm just a sucker for fast-paced saga! I So Enjoyed It.

BEHOLDING AND BECOMING BY RUTH CHOU SIMONS – I haven't read Simons' previous books, but I am familiar with her work from Instagram. When I saw this at the bookstore while on vacation, I couldn't stop admiring the gorgeous artwork. My mom bought me a copy, and I finally sat down to read it (instead of just looking at the art) in January. The writing was lovely, but I do think Simon's art is what makes this book special. Such lovely imagery throughout! I liked the overall theme of everyday worship and how she wrote about it, but I didn't feel like anything was explored in much depth. However, I do recognize this was more of a devotional / coffee table style book than anything else. I So Enjoyed It for what it was, even if I wanted just a bit more from the writing itself.

ATOMIC HABITS BY JAMES CLEAR – With goals and habits on my mind lately, I decided to give this popular non-fiction book a try. Y'all, I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did! Clear has a straightforward, effective writing style. I finished reading it really quickly, but I can tell it's the type of book I'd like to own so that I can re-read, highlight, and take notes. Clear builds on others' research, but in a way that felt very practical. I appreciated that he focused on how to actually implement strategies to "build good habits and break bad ones" rather than spend tons of time on research and theory. And he did provide plenty of examples, charts, and additional references for further exploration. I So Loved It and can't wait to put it into practice in my own life.

THE STORY GIRL BY L.M. MONTGOMERY – As a huge fan of Montgomery, I'm slowly but surely reading my way through her backlist. The Story Girl has an interesting structure – an adult male narrator looking back at his childhood, which I don't think I've seen Montgomery do before. Sadly, I had a hard time connecting to any of the characters. The summary and title sound like Sara Stanley (known as The Story Girl) will be at its center, but she lacked dimension for me. How many times and ways can I be told that she's a gift storyteller?! This felt like a collection of short stories – every chapter had some type of group adventure/conversation + Sara telling everyone a story. Not my favorite Montgomery, by far. I was only So Okay With It but decided to read the sequel, too. 

THE GOLDEN ROAD BY L.M. MONTGOMERY – Even though I wasn't a fan of the first book, I still wanted to give this a try. I already owned a copy, Montgomery is one of my favorite authors, and it was short enough that I knew I wasn't committing a lot of time to it. Well, I'm sad to say this one was equally boring to me. I cannot overstate how annoying it was to be repeatedly told that Sara was an amazing storyteller. WE GET IT ALREADY! It didn't help that the scenes meant to illustrate this fact just sounded mediocre to me. And it still read like a short story collection, which just doesn't really appeal to me personally. I can't say for sure if I would have enjoyed this more as a child, but I don't think so. I was So Okay With It and don't plan to ever re-read it, even as a read aloud to my kids.

LOVEBOAT, TAIPEI BY ABIGAIL HING WEN – After reading a lot of historical fiction in January, this seemed like a light, fun way to end the month. This story follows Ever Wong after her parents send her from Ohio to Taiwan for the summer to study at Chien Tan, a cultural program to (primarily) help her learn Mandarin. I loved learning more about a new-to-me city and culture. I thought the heroine's struggle with her identity + her parents expectations was really well done, too. That being said, I did feel like a lot of stuff was packed into this story in a way that often felt dramatic but without a lot of depth. At 432 pages, I had issues with the pace. And the romance was too complicated (and rushed) for me. But overall, I So Liked It and would be curious to see what Wen writes next.

In January, I also re-read two books via audio. The first was My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman. This was my first Backman, all the way back in 2015, and I have a special place in my heart for it. Listening to it was a treat – I'd forgotten a ton of what happened! I think it might have been hard to follow in this format for a first read, but I thoroughly enjoyed it as a re-read. I'm still So Obsessed With It. The other book I re-read was What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty. I was a lot less emotionally invested in it this time around than I was on my first read. It just felt like something was lacking! It's a great premise and Moriarty executes it well, but something was a little off for me. I think I'd still give it a So Enjoyed It overall, but I'm not sure I'd recommend this format (the narrator wasn't my favorite) or suggest it as something to re-read. Still fun, just fell a bit flat.

What have you been reading lately?

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