Did I mention I seemed to have lost my blogging mojo? I do have some mojito mint, haven’t lost that. Yet. We are under a freeze advisory for tonight (I can’t remember the last time it felt this cold this late in April).

Anyway, I did promise a post a few days back about what I’ve been reading and watching so here it is.

Reading

I really need to be doing more of this! If you want to follow along with what I’m reading, I do have a Goodreads profile. Usually don’t write too many book reviews unless I absolutely love or hate a book. And I tend to be generous with my star ratings.

Lately, I’ve been on a Chris Pavone kick. Honestly, I’m not sure why. His books aren’t all that great but they do entertain me. Something about them is just complicated enough I can’t breeze through them. That said I sometimes skip big chunks of them as well. Not a great endorsement and yet here I am currently reading his book titled The Travelers.

Just finished one called Finders Keepers by Stephen King, well-written as always. This is the second in the Mr. Mercedes trilogy. So far these books are more real world type scary than monster under the bed type scary.

When I need a light escape type reading, I turn to Donna Ashcroft, Daisy James, or Alison Sherlock. And Alison Sherlock’s new series start Heading Home To Lavender Cottage did not disappoint me. I’m ready to move to the Cranbridge/Cranfield area.

TV, Too Much

Been watching too much tv lately. I go through spells. Hardly watch it and then, THEN. So much viewing. Too much viewing. Doesn’t help that we have too many streaming services! So, that’s how I’m dividing things.

Sort Of Regular TV

Regular TV: Masked Singer always, Next Level Chef, most of the time, and Just Call Me Kat, The Voice, FBI, and Animal Control, when I happen to catch them

Peacock App: My husband and I have been watching Top Chef, season 20 and Last Chance Kitchen. I’m enjoying this season as it’s chefs from around the world. He also watched  Cocaine Bear on there. I caught the very end. (We also watch Saturday Night Live on this sometime on Sundays as we can rarely stay awake long enough on Saturday nights)

Streaming Services I Watch Rarely

AMC+: Decided I was ready to face the zombies again. Over the past 2 days, I binge-watched Walking Dead, The World Beyond. (Direct quote from our house: I can call my show stupid, but you can’t call my show stupid while I’m watching it!). Also watched a short one called Fear The Walking Dead: Dead in the Water. I think it would’ve made a better prequel series than the actual Fear The Walking Dead. (Still need to catch up on that one)

Discovery+: (Have you heard they are merging this with HBO max? And renaming it MAX? Bad marketing name but I’m excited to have one less streaming service to worry with). Each Monday, I watch The Spring Baking Championship on this one. And last night I started watching one called Ciao House.

Regular Streaming Services

Netflix: We recently watched both Night Agent and The Recruit. Good fairly short bingeable tv shows. Husband liked Night Agent better but I preferred The Recruit. 

HBOmax: My one episode a week of the David Tennant series of Dr. Who, I’m up to Martha Jones as his companion. And I’m excited that my favorite dark comedy has finally returned for its season 4, Barry. It’s so good but definitely not for kids!

Apple TV plus: Ted Lasso, of course! And then, I’ve watched the Tetris movie, so good. Highly recommend for any gamers but even as a non-gamer I really enjoyed it. The Big Door Prize is different, a bit more drama than comedy or rather perhaps it needs its own absurd category. Also, watching Shrinking a bit, struggling to get into it. And finally, I started watching The Last Thing He Told Me. Read the book a while back and loved it. So far, the show is true to the book so very good. And I’m waiting for the release of Lessons in Chemistry, another show from a book I read and absolutely loved.

Today, since it’s a bit too cold to do outdoor things, I’m probably going to watch the Ghosted movie on there although I think it looks a bit dumb.

Oh how I need the weather to turn warm and sunny again!

Have you read/watched anything interesting lately?

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Sometimes you just need to escape for a bit. And without a Bahama vacation on the horizon, I have to find other means. My favorite form of escape is reading. Funny to think that after reading voraciously for years, a few years ago I had just stopped. I’m so glad I picked this habit up again.

Anyway, here’s a little peek into my current and past escapes from the past few weeks.

Let’s start, obviously, with books.

Reading

I’ve been working my way through the book pictured. It’s actually a collection of short stories. The first one is Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, a Netflix movie made from it. Not sure why it was considered movie worthy as I’m finding the other stories to be far more interesting. Enough so that I’ll forgive Mr. King for apparently having no clue what states comprise the Midwest.

My other fun reads have been from Kimberly Belle. She writes pretty good suspense novels though I think so far The Personal Assistant definitely is my favorite. All her books seem to be set in Atlanta and have a pretty decent twist. By the third one I read, I expected the twist.

Moving on…

My Game

I feel as though I should preface this by saying I do play Wordle every morning.

And this game does have a puzzle element (my youngest son quickly points out it is luck but I do think there’s a bit of skill involved in the match 3 type games). It’s not as mindless as it seems. Or maybe it is and I just don’t care.

I’m not sure if I’d love this game as much if I were playing on a tablet as opposed to a small cellphone. Maybe. As I tell my family, it’s really like 3 games in one. First, there’s the match 3 levels you must win to get the coins for the makeover portion. And then, there’s the makeover portion. I recently “helped” an astrophysicist with a new look and an apartment makeover. You get to makeover both the person and their living quarters or office. And then, you also get to makeover your avatar and their dressing room.

There’s an option for other locales, I have the beach house. However, I lucked into a “sale” on that where I had enough gemstones. The other locales take more gemstones than I could get without spending real dollars. And I’m too cheap to do that.

Finally, let’s move on to the bigger screen known as TV.

Movies and TV Shows

First, I have no idea why in the beginning of March I’m on a scary book and tv show watching binge. That is so unlike me. However, these were really good.

Megan

Actually, this probably doesn’t qualify as scary. My husband turned this on last Saturday. And I threatened that I might not be able to sleep. I slept just fine. Pure entertainment.

Oh my, it was so funny! I’m not sure if it was meant to be. Had to get on my husband for cheering for the killer doll. It’s at the theaters but I’m glad we were able to stream it on Peacock. We were laughing out loud at this one.

The Watcher

This is a Netflix one based on a true story. I just wanted something short (it has just 7 episodes) and accidently found myself sucked into this story. Family moves into a super expensive house in New Jersey and starts getting super creepy letters from someone calling themselves “The Watcher.”  The whole show has a super creepy but engaging vibe to it. I was busy trying to solve the case. Let me know if you watch/have watched this one.

Regular TV Shows

Masked Singer is back so I’m happy about that one. If you do watch, is it just me or are they way over hyping Medusa’s talent?  Next Level Chef usually holds my attention but I’m struggling with it this season, not sure why.

And I did actually catch La Brea this week. Oh my, that doesn’t disappoint. I love that I can say, hey they’ve got time travel, saber tooth tigers, now all they need is a….and there it is! Ha. I might have to find a way to catch up a bit though as I was rather lost on some parts of it.

Classic Movies

After watching Megan, we did also watch Tommy Boy. Not sure why my husband added it, maybe to keep me from being scared from the first movie (I wasn’t). Tommy Boy is one of my all-time favorites though so I stayed up a bit late watching the whole thing. (My husband fell asleep)

J, my non-movie kid, walked through the living room while I was watching and said at least he’d seen that one. So, it reminded me of some other classics the kids need to see. And tonight’s plan is a family movie night with another of my favorite “stupid” comedies: Dodgeball. 

What are some of your favorite (or recent) escapes with games, books, and movies or tv shows?

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Day 61/365

That title seems clunky. Anyone else have trouble with blog post titles? Or is it just me? Maybe I should stick to the basics like the name of this category: Books and TV Shows. Anyway, I thought a long holiday weekend (Monday is President’s Day) might be a good time to share what I’ve been reading and watching lately.

Books

I recently read two very good books right in a row! They were very different types of books though both extremely well-written. Made the book I read after them both stand out for its glaring mediocrity.

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

The first book, I somehow had mistakenly thought was going to be a comedic book. It was not. AT ALL. This was the heartbreaking memoir of the actress who played Sam on the show, iCarly. G used to watch that show when he was in middle school, I think.

Sometimes when I read memoirs, I question the claims of the author. She wrote this in a way that I didn’t do that. What I did question was how so many adults could fail her. Basically this is a story of child abuse. She spends so much time trying to please her mentally unstable mother that she loses herself, to a career she never wanted, to eating disorders (her mother basically teaches her to be anorexic!), and the wrong relationships. There are adults in this book who notice but then, seem to do nothing. It is truly heartbreaking but not without hope as by the end of the book she’s beginning to find her voice and her calling as a (clearly very talented) writer. Worth your time.

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng

I’ve been a fan of Celeste Ng since first reading Little Fires Everywhere. By the way, I never could make it through the Hulu series despite loving the book. Not sure why. Her newest book, does not move at a fast pace. Honestly, the beginning is a bit slow, considering this is a Dystopian novel of sorts. In this story, a law passed by congress after a “crisis” makes it possible to remove children from parents who are suspected of working against the government.

It focuses on a young Asian boy and the disappearance of his mother after her poem is used in several protests. Is his mother a traitor? The law in the book is used and abused to discriminate again mostly Asian families. It’s hard to give a proper plot summary without spoilers but while the book could feel a bit political yet doesn’t, it seems a lot more chillingly possible than the likes of something like The Hunger Games. Even the ending felt realistic to me. If you are looking for a work of fiction that makes you think with well-developed characters, this is it. Each character made me consider how I would want to react to things vs. how I would actually react to the things happening in the book.

I do suggest having a good light romantic comedy or something funny lined up as your next read as both the books I mentioned here were pretty intense. I just finished Smells of Tween Spirit by Laurie Gelman (#4 in a series) which while not her best had just enough sarcasm and snark to balance out some of the heaviness of my last few reads.

Or just plan to move on and watch some TV instead.

My TV Viewing Lately

Did you know the Amazon fire stick doesn’t work if it’s super outdated? We had to get a new one! Annoying but at least now we have special buttons to go right to Netflix or Disney.

Streaming Shows:

My oldest is happy because I finally started watching You over on Netflix. Somebody, please tell me why I am cheering for a psychopath stalker over here? What is wrong with me?

Still watching the one episode a week of the David Tennant era of Doctor Who.

And I started casually re-watching my favorite show of all time, Fringe over on HBO Max.

Regular TV Shows

The Masked Singer is back! So excited to be watching that one again. That said, I do wish they’d go back to the format where they only did one unmasking a show. I’m kind of over the whole battle royale set-up of it all.

I also enjoy Next Level Kitchen though I missed most of the season premiere of it for some reason.

Things I don’t go out of my way to watch but will sit and watch if they happen to be on when I have time to watch: Just Call Me Kat, The Rookie: Feds, Whose Line Is It Anyway, the new Night Court one. Random PBS documentaries.

If my husband has the remote, he’s usually watching either Forged in Fire, Pawn Stars, Swamp People, the Tree Logging one (that one really annoys me!), or one of the bazillion seasons of Top Chef. And I’m reading one of my books.

What are you reading and/or watching lately?

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day 48/365

Happy Friday! Thought I’d do another what I’ve been reading and watching post. And throw in mention of a few games we’ve been playing at our once a month outing with friends.

Games:

Once a month we get together with friends to honor a friend who passed away in 2021. After dinner, we  play card or board games. We started with playing Uno, very fun! Then, we expanded our choices a bit. The games pictured above are the games we have here at our house. Some of them are from this previous Christmas. G gave his dad the Cards Against Humanity game (Warning: that one is NOT for young children/all audiences). I gave my husband the Password game (very fun!) and then, G gave me the Ted Lasso game (we’ve not played that one yet).

Our current favorites (played with our friends) are: Uno (especially the write your own cards version), Mexican train dominoes, Skip-Bo, and sometimes silly trivia games. Last time we played the original Trivial Pursuit (It’s hard and why my husband pulled the family edition we own out of our closet for next time).

Do you have any game suggestions for large groups (there are roughly 9 of us)?

On TV

Regular TV

On regular tv, haven’t been watching too much. We tried the new Night Court show. I thought it was ok, needs to find its way still. Caught a couple episodes of a new game show called Lingo. Nothing I’d seek out.

And of course, this weekend, we’ll be watching football. Well, I’ll be listening to it as I run my son to band practice.

Streaming

I completely binge-watched two series both on Netflix:

That 90’s Show: Had a good premise but I think they were trying to make 90’s kids fit into a 70’s mindset with the writing and it didn’t quite work. I think should they get a second season, it would work if they focused more on the issues of the 90’s and less on trying to reboot the kids into a setting of doing things kids/teens in the 70’s did.

Wednesday: It definitely lived up to the hype but I was so mad at myself for not figuring out the mystery. I literally guessed every other person in the show. Told my son it did give me a bit of a Harry Potter vibe while watching it but in a good way. Glad it’s getting a season 2.

Movies

Tortured the husband (and myself) by making us sit through Minions: The Rise of Gru. Should’ve known better as none of the preschool kids were really talking about it. Not good though I usually like those movies. Time to let that series of movies end. (This was on Peacock but I think it might be gone now, don’t worry you didn’t miss much)

Then, my husband has a talent for picking out random movies from 10-20 years ago that none of us remember and they turn out to be good. Case in point, random movie called The Proposal with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds from 2009 on Hulu. Really enjoyed it! I guess it makes up for him making us sit through the oddity of Mr. Harrigan’s Phone on Netflix. He didn’t like it either, guess they were talking about it on the radio.

It was based on a book, so at least it gave me something to request at the library. So let’s move on.

However, before we do, I don’t know why this song popped into my head for the post title but here’s a clip of it from you-tube:

Books

Currently I’m reading A Conjuring of Light, the conclusion of the Darker Shades of Magic series by V.E. Schwab. It’s a bit better than the last book in the series. I’m really hoping they reveal the big secrets about the pasts of a couple characters.

Prior to this one I had a quick read of one called Five Winters by Kitty Wilson. I enjoyed the technique of showing what happened to the character during each of the winters. Interesting way to mark the passage of time. Basically, the main character is in love with her best friend’s brother who basically sees her as sister. Her life was a bit tragic and his parents took her in as a young girl. Will he see her differently?

My favorite of the books I’ve read recently was one I didn’t even expect to like. Figured Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus was probably overhyped. However, it did not disappoint. Took a minute to get into it but once I did, couldn’t stop reading. And I’d have probably kept reading if she hadn’t ended the book. I was satisfied with the ending just wanted more. It chronicles the life of Elizabeth, a woman chemist in the 1950’s, who is clearly ahead of her time in regards to equal rights. She also seems to have a bit of a problem reading people. It’s one of those makes you think at the same time you are laughing kind of books. I think it would make a terrific book club choice especially in a book club of mixed ages.

What’s keeping you entertained this winter? Any game, television, or book suggestions for me?

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day 27/365

I can’t think of a good title for this post. Thought I’d share some of my favorite books and tv shows of 2022. Also, what I’m currently reading and watching.

Favorite Books of 2022

One of my favorite books of 2022 was The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. I think it was probably a popular choice before last year but that’s when I got around to reading it. Sometimes the rebel side of my personality doesn’t want to read/watch something if everyone is raving about the greatness. Interestingly, I only read it as it popped up as a “skip the line” option for e-book library loans one day.

Basically, she makes a deal with the devil to escape one life and live forever but part of the debt for the bargain is she is destined to never be remembered by those she meets. I’ve seen it referenced to as a Faustian deal. I admit I’ve never read Faust.

As I do try to read at least one classic a year, Faust is likely my choice for 2023.

My other favorite books from 2022 were all the Donna Ashcroft, Daisy James, and Alison Sherlock books I read. Not high brow literature but lovely romances set in beautiful places or quaint villages.

Non-Fiction Choices

I love a good non-fiction book!

My favorite autobiography of 2022 was We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story by Simu Liu. He’s the lead actor in the Marvel movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. (A very underrated movie, if you have Disney+ and haven’t watched this one yet, go do it! It’s one of my favorites of all the Marvel movies). Always interesting learning about different cultures. Worth your time.

My other two favorite non-fiction books of 2022 were by the same author, Johann Hari. The first book I read from him, Stolen Focus, Why You Can’t Pay Attention is definitely a must read for anyone struggling with all their social media. The second book was super interesting from a historical standpoint. And makes you think about how we’re approaching societal problems. Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs is a fascinating look at how the war on drugs started as well as how addiction is treated around the world.

Current Fiction Reads

Since I enjoyed the first book I read by V.E. Schwab so much, I quickly put a few of her titles on my holds list at the library. My first book of this year ended up being A Darker Shade of Magic. I enjoyed it a great deal, found it fairly interesting and original. And it turned out to be part of a series of 3 books.

Wish I could say I’m enjoying the second one as much as the first. However, A Gathering of Shadows is feeling a bit young adult to me. Not that I mind a good young adult series ( The Young Elites series by Marie Lu is excellent!).  I can’t help but feel elements of this book are a little more parallel to the Harry Potter series than I’d like them to be. Different plots just similar concepts. Magic tournament? Oh, you don’t say. SIGH. Still enjoyable enough I’ll keep reading.

My Non-Fiction Pile

Well, it is Marie Kondo’s time of year is it not? I’m actually enjoying this one quite a bit. Like most books of this style, it’s a bit common sense but reading it helps reinforce the ideas. There was also an intriguing bit in there where she talked about our blocks.

Book hiding behind the others is called A Hygge Life: Embracing the Nordic Art of Coziness Through Recipes, Entertaining, Decorating, Simple Rituals, and Family Traditions by Jody Eddy and Gunnar Karl Gislason. It was okay. Focused on Iceland mostly. Not the best book I’ve read on the subject. None of the recipes interested me too much. Pretty pictures though. Still working my way through the other two books.

TV Favorites from 2022

NETFLIX:

Better Call Saul:  (note only has seasons 1-5, you’ll have to find 6 elsewhere. Used to be on AMC+ but is not longer there). I thought this was actually a better series than Breaking Bad.

Kim’s Convenience: I only discovered this series because Simu Liu mentioned it in his autobiography. It is so funny.

Emily in Paris: Can’t even explain why I like this show so much. I shouldn’t like it at all, however, I just love it.

HULU: Only Murders in the Building: Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, a spoof on true crime podcasts. You won’t be disappointed!

Apple TV:  Ted Lasso: My husband and I both loved this and we have extremely different TV tastes.

HBOMAX: Barry. So funny, a hitman decides to quit and become an actor instead. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I love dry understated comedy/drama. And this is it. Plus, Henry Winkler. Can’t go wrong.

Regular TV: I loved The Masked Singer.  And I do need to get caught up on The Flash as the last season airs this year. I loved it at the beginning but then my interest waned a bit the last two seasons. However, I plan to watch the last season as it was at a time one of my favorite shows. Even have a Star Labs coffee mug and sweatshirt!

Current TV Viewing

Last week I binge-watched the entire 3rd season of Emily in Paris. Like I said, I have no idea why but I do love that little show. Maybe it’s her crazy fashion choices?

Yesterday, I started watching The Chosen. A friend has mentioned this series several times so I decided to give it a try. I’m only 3 episodes in but she’s right, it’s very good. A drama series about the life of Jesus. I think it streams across several platforms.

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Wish I had some stickers to hand out to anyone who read this whole post!

day 13/365