Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts

What I'm Reading




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Sometimes life is to hard, heavy, and overwhelming. While one of my favorite escape is watching terrible TV, I've been working at picking up books to lift my spirits more frequently. It's odd to have moved to a town that doesn't seem to have a book store, but thankfully, I've got Amazon Prime to meet my fix almost immediately.




This summer, I've been focusing on favorites. Whether that be new favorite authors {I'm looking at you Liane Moriaty}, favorite actresses, or favorite people; it's definitely been a deciding theme.

To get started, I breezed through Lauren Graham's Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls. I've always adored Lauren Graham first in Gilmore Girls, and now as I'm working my way through Parenthood {it's amazing; go watch}. She writes just as she seems as her characters: witty and fast, and also hilarious. I loved some of the behind the scene peeks into her life and her shows.

I'm currently laughing through I Regret Nothing by Jen Lancaster. I've also read her book Pretty in Plaid a few years ago and loved it. Funny, real, and engaging. Similar in style to Celia Rivenbark, but a little bit cleaner perhaps. I appreciate her love of the 80's, her dogs, and lists. It's kind of like talking with my mom, honestly. She's also a hoot to follow on Facebook!

Next up is Truly, Madly, Guiltily, by Liane Moriaty, which was one of last summer's hottest titles. I never quite made it over to TMG, but am looking forward to a long weekend to dig into it. Last year, I fell in love with Liane's easy reads like The Husband's Secret and The Hypnotist's Love Story.

What are you reading this summer?



What I'm Reading




This post contains affiliate links.  If you click and/or make a purchase through certain links on this site or any related social media platforms, I may make a commission from it. I will always disclose if a post is sponsored.
image via Amazon
The forecast is calling for basically 100% rain and thunderstorms all weekend here in South Georgia. I'm looking forward to snuggling with the pups, and spending Saturday morning on the couch with a good book. Rainy days usually make me super sleepy, but after a little downtime, I have got to spend some time organizing my house! I'm trying to be thankful for the rain, which we need, and also being forced to stay inside and work on somethings.

I'm currently in the middle of The Hypnotist's Love Story, and read The Husband's Secret one beach weekend over the summer. I really love the author Liane Moriarty, and am planning on reading the super popular Truly Madly Guilty next! Her style of writing kind of reminds me of older Meg Cabot books that I loved in high school, so it brings back the "warm fuzzies" of reading that I've been looking for the last few years.

I'm personally working my way through Kingdom Woman in my Bible study, and will probably start the 90 day devotional once I'm done. It's been great so far: practical and applicable, while still pushing you to be your best {aka a "Woman of Excellence"}. It's a really easy read, and I like how it presents a lot of information, but then also encourages your own exploration of the topics within the Bible as well.

Next will be Grace Not Perfection: Embracing Simplicity, Celebrating Joy by Emily Ley. Besides being the most beautiful book ever {hot pink and pineapples anyone?!}, this book speaks to my desire to simplify, organize, and be less stressed! With a lot coming up in the next few weeks, and a huge desire to purge all the junk that has accumulated in my home over the last two years, I think this read will be very engaging.

What have you been reading lately? I love getting suggestions, especially for good young adult/romance series!


Couples Christmas List







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I'm really excited to celebrate our first married Christmas this year. We've worked hard to establish a lot of traditions already with each other, as well as our families, in the almost five years we've been together. This year truly begins the "couples Christmas gift" idea for us! So with Christopher's help, {and some personal input, of course!} I've curated a group of great gifts for the couples in your life!

First up, luggage. I wish we would have splurged before our honeymoon {but who can with a wedding right before!} on nice, rolling luggage. We had one roller, and a bunch of bags, and were running through the cruise check-in points right before the boarding cut-off. If we'd had multiple rollers, it would have gone much faster! I really like this hardsided set that is a nice, neutral gold color.

Who doesn't love a good bonfire in the fall and winter? Living in town, a bonfire is kind of out of the question, but I'd love a nice fire pit for us to sit around with friends while entertaining!

The soundbar is a piece of technology that in the past, I never fully understood or appreciated. But Christopher loves them, and I've grown to enjoy the added experience it provides to watching movies or listening to music in the house. There are many options in a wide array of price points, so this becomes a great gift for the techie on your gift list.

Garden & Gun is one of our favorite magazines. With beautiful photography, delicious recipes, and awesome travel guides, it hits all of our interests with a southern focus. Both of these "southerner's" books would be something we would enjoy exploring together! The Southerner's Handbook | The Southerner's Cookbook 

I've already picked up this precious Mud-Pie "Our first Christmas as Mr. & Mrs." ornament for myself from a local boutique, but I have a couple other couples that I can't wait to gift this to!

Right around Christmas each year, I get a hankering to watch all the Harry Potter movies. They're kinda Christmassy with all the snow and candles, and when I have a few days off, I love to curl up under a warm blanket and binge watch the series together with Christopher. I used to watch it on ABC Family, but since we've switched to streaming, I haven't had my fix! Boxed DVD sets have also become one of the more reasonably priced gift ideas in recent years, too.

Speaking of curling up under a warm blanket, we love soft blankets, and this herringbone monogrammed one from Mud-Pie does the trick, while coordinating perfectly with the rest of our home decor.

I really love a unique, stand out kind of gift, and these Be Mixed all natural, calorie free, cocktail mixers are just the thing! The variety pack contains three flavors for making margaritas, Moscow Mules, or mojitos: three of our absolute favorite drinks. Order a set now for the amateur bartenders in your life, or for your own bar cart!

What I'm Reading





It's no secret that I've been saying I'm trying to get back into reading regularly for years now. College sapped any desire to read a book for fun, and now three years later, I'm still struggling to get my groove back. I think I've finished maybe one book in three years that I loved? Others I've started, and just put down or forgotten about. There have even been a few that I bought and never even began! It's so annoying to me as someone who used to literally read all. the. time., and even got in trouble for reading when I wasn't supposed to!

I love a good biography, and have had this Elizabeth Taylor biography on my shelf for years. It's not the most well-written book, but it's pretty intriguing. I'm about halfway done with it, and as someone who knows relatively little about this leading lady, it was a good place to start and definitely is encouraging to read more about her.

Last weekend I finished "American Babe" the third installment in the White Girl Problems series. Hilarious, although a bit racy at times, these books laugh out loud. This book was short and sweet, and a perfect end of summer read. If you've not read the original White Girl Problems book, get on it!

These are a few articles I've found in and around the interwebs, mostly Facebook and Pinterest. My friends are great about sharing finds with me, and I appreciate that these are shorter but extremely informative little 'books.'


{Now I never want to go to the West Coast!}

Happy Weekend!