Friday Five Things 5/14

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“You build your mind, so make it into something you want to live with.” – Marilynne Robinson

Hi friends. As seems to be the norm these days, it was a week for difficult and upsetting news. The escalating conflict between Israelis and Palestinians and the increasingly desperate COVID situation in India make it feel like things are spiraling in a hopeless direction. I watch the local and national news every night, I follow news accounts on Instagram, I check the AP and CNN apps regularly throughout the day, so I am not sticking my head in the sand nor am I advocating for anyone else to ignore what is happening around us. But again, I think it’s important to acknowledge the good alongside the bad; the joy alongside the sorrow. So here’s what brought a smile to my face amongst difficult times this week.

  • Chicken field trip – Earlier this week Tyler texted me around 5:30pm to come out to the front yard. He had let the chickens through the garage into our overgrown side yard and they were having the time of their lives! It was all fresh, damp dirt for them to scratch through and I saw at least three of them catch and slurp up big fat worms like spaghetti. We had to herd them out of the neighbors yard a couple times, but other than that they were perfectly content to stay put and dig away. And it was so fun to watch them have a little field trip!
  • Cucumbers – I’ve been on a cucumber kick recently. Usually they are pretty low on my list of things I’m craving, but I have been making a lot of cucumber salads for lunch. Or slicing them and dipping in Bitchin’ Sauce or Yum Yum Sauce! Soooo good.
  • Getting dressed – After several months of simply changing from “last night’s pajamas” into “tonight’s pajamas” I have finally started to get dressed in real clothing every day. I think it’s mostly due to the fact that I’m getting out more thanks to the vaccine and nicer weather. But I have to admit, it’s nice to pick out an outfit that isn’t the same rotation of sweat pants and t-shirts every day!
  • Babies! – I have several friends who are pregnant right now and, while having kids isn’t the journey I chose for myself, I LOVE seeing my friends become moms!
  • Hanging baskets – Ever since we moved into our current house I have wanted to have beautiful, overflowing hanging baskets of flowers on my front porch. And last year was the first year I was able to keep any potted flowers alive on our west-facing front patio. It gets blistering hot full afternoon sun in the summer and usually my potted plants just wither and die from it. I think it helped that I was home and spent a lot of time out front to keep tabs on how they were doing. I just bought two gorgeous baskets of petunias, lobelias, and some kind of green vine-y thing. I have high hopes for them this summer!

April Book Report

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Whoops! Meant to publish this one earlier this week and I forgot to schedule it! Better late than never, right?

“Many people, myself included, feel better at the mere sight of a book.” – Jane Smiley

  • City of Refuge by Tom Piazza – This book is part of my research and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested or seeking insight into the experience of New Orleanians during Hurricane Katrina and the direct aftermath. I think Piazza does a great job of conveying why people love that city so much and why they felt they had to return and rebuild. He also dives into the conflict of those who chose not to return. One line that stood out to me, and I think most people can relate to with other personal circumstances, “I think we are trying to do the right things, and there is no right thing…Every choice we have ends up with some kind of huge…loss. It ends u pith something getting lost that is really just…irreplaceable.” For me, the book resonated when it detailed the unique parts of New Orleans that are hard to describe to people who haven’t experienced it. And while it provoked both smiles and tears, I have to admit that the “love” of the city is laid out with a heavy hand. So Piazza might come across as a little overwrought and sappy at times, but if you’ve read his treatise “Why New Orleans Matters” you won’t be surprised at the over-the-top language he uses when talking about the city.
  • Delicious by Ruth Reichl – This book was such a fun read! It’s about a young woman who gets a job at an well known cooking magazine. From there she meets some really wonderful people and discovers a unique piece of history that turns into a treasure hunt of sorts. It goes off in completely different directions that you expect at first, not in a “surprise twist” kind of way, but more in a meandering, life-doesn’t-always-go-as-planned kind of way. The characters are really character-y and fun to read, if not 100% believable. It’s long but I definitely would recommend if you are looking for an easy read that isn’t your typical boy-meets-girl fair.
  • The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley – This was a super quick murder/suspense read, very similar in style to her more recent book The Guest List. I enjoyed it for the most part. The characters were a little too…archetypical for me. The troubled gamekeeper, the woman running from her mysterious past, the self-obsessed aging party girl desperately trying to recapture her youth. There were parts that felt too overdone in trying to hammer home the neuroses of these characters that, at least to me, seemed super obvious from their first introduction. So…great literature it is not. But I liked it and finished it quickly.

May Goals Update

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“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” – Albert Einstein

Hi Friends! I should be posting my April Book Report today, but I wanted to get my goals recapped and updated here at the beginning of the month. I’ll post the book report early next week and then have a regular Friday Five Things at the end of the week. Hope you are all having a great May so far!

Be Present – I have been working on remembering to meditate in the mornings more consistently and getting a little better at it. My journaling didn’t pick up in April like I had hoped, and I think it’s because I tried to mix it up with my workspaces. In doing so, my journal wasn’t always in the same place when I wanted to write. For May, I’m going to focus on little solutions to make both of the tasks easier and more seamless for me because I know that helps with my consistency. Aside from that, as I wrote in my post on Monday, I felt 100% present and in the moment during my week at the beach with family.

Focus on the Essential – I went through my entire wardrobe as planned and got rid of several items that either didn’t fit or I hadn’t worn in a very long time. I made a list of what I needed to replace and shopped around to find the right items at the right price to fit my needs. I think one of the differences I noticed in doing it this way is that there were a few things that I saw and liked while I was shopping, but I knew I already had something similar in my closet because I had just had my hands on it. I also returned a handful of things that just didn’t work for me and I knew that while I liked them, I wouldn’t wear them enough to justify the purchase. In the past I’d tell myself that of course I’d wear it and that returning things was too much of a hassle. I do have to admit that while on vacation the concept of only purchasing the essential kind of went out the window. We bought a few things to play with at the beach that we didn’t end up bringing home, but I feel like it was worth it for the fun we had. For May, I am going to go back to my more spartan purchasing and only buy things to replace empties. I’m also going a little more basic in my meal planning to try and reduce our grocery bill back down as it got a little out of control last month.

Stay Connected – I felt very much more connected in April than previous months. And I feel like May is going to be more of the same. I have a lot of friends who are also fully vaccinated now and I can’t wait to get together with them!

Activate Inner SJW – I reached out to two organizations to talk about volunteering. One of them is actually shut down right now because of the pandemic so they won’t need anyone until they open back up. And I’m waiting to hear back from the other about any immediate needs, as I know they are still in operation. So goal for May is to get some actual volunteer hours on the calendar!

As for the other goals I had for the month, I think I did pretty well. Starting this week I’ll be using a monthly goals and habits tracker to keep closer tabs on how I’m doing day-to-day.

  • Hike 20 miles/other regular movement – I did not hike 20 miles this month. We had some crazy spring weather with snow that got in the way. I did get in three hikes for a total just over 9 miles. I have higher hopes for May weather, although this first week has already been really cold and rainy! Targeting 20 miles again this month!
  • Finish the outline and get started on research for new book – The detailed outline still needs some work, but I have the general framework of the story sketched out. And I have definitely gotten started on research! Lots of reading and lots of ideas so far. Goal for May is to add details to my current outline and develop the main characters.
  • Read 5 books – I finished reading 3 books. Part of the reason I didn’t finish 5 is that I currently have 4 books in progress! Goal for May is to try and focus on one or two books at a time so I can actually get to the end! (2 books would be 1 fiction/pleasure reading plus 1 research book at a time)
  • Eat healthier and drink 60oz of water daily – Yes! I feel like I had a lot of success with this in April. I drank my 60oz or more every day. And I hate fairly healthy, with the exception of the brookies I talked about a couple weeks ago and some ice cream on vacation. Goal for May is to cut back on some of my excess sugar consumption. I already swapped my usual sweet coffee creamer for plain oat milk in the mornings and I’m liking it so far!
  • 15 minutes of cleaning every day – I didn’t do this every day of the month but I did most days. Going to keep this up and add the goal of decluttering and organizing all of the hall closets in the house for May.

Friday Five Things 4/30

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“I could never stay long enough on the shore: the tang of the untainted, fresh, and free sea air was like a cool, quieting thought.” – Helen Keller

Sorry I didn’t get this post out on Friday. I was at the beach with family! I went back and forth about whether to post about vacation here because I know it’s a privilege to spend a week at the beach in the best of times, let alone during a pandemic. But I want to be honest and authentic here as much as possible. We went to St. George Island in Florida. Aside from the kids, who were all from one household, only one adult wasn’t fully vaccinated and he’s had his first shot so he had partial immunity. We rented a house and were mostly just by ourselves at the beach or in the pool so it felt very safe in terms of contact with other people. We did go out to eat a couple times but all in open air dining with plenty of distance from others. The airports felt the most risky, but everyone had masks on and we could spread out for the most part. I know the idea of travel right now, especially for a non-essential trip, is controversial but I really feel like we did it in the safest possible fashion for both us and the people around us.

Anyway, that’s why I didn’t publish on Friday. I was actually able to be mostly unplugged last week which was a real treat! And without further adieu, here’s what is currently bringing me joy.

  1. The beach! Duh. It was so relaxing to sit near the water and listen to the waves crash on the beach. And to watch my niece and nephews play in the water and discover sea creatures. We ate grouper and shrimp and crabs and oysters. We soaked in the sun and the joy of each other’s company. It was the kind of vacation that fills your soul with sunshine.
  2. Budgeting. While this might seem really lame, being disciplined with our household budget for the past few years meant I had plenty of money set aside for our vacation last week and we could go out to eat and make other purchases without stressing too much about the cost. While tracking our budget takes time and discipline, it really makes things easier in the long run. I highly recommend getting a subscription with You Need A Budget. I like their philosophy on budgeting and the tool is super user friendly.
  3. Unplugging. I am a slave to my routine, which includes watching Good Morning America in the morning and then the local and national news every evening. This past week I didn’t turn on the TV at all! Of course I got a few news alerts on my phone, but it was nice to take a break from the self-induced onslaught of news media I usually get.
  4. Daffodils. The first flower to bloom in my yard every year are my daffodils and they are popping their little cheery heads out now. I was worried I’d miss them during our trip, but we got home just in time to enjoy them.
  5. Bees. We lost both our beehives at the beginning of the winter so we have been looking forward to replacing them this spring. We picked up our bees over the weekend and installed them in their hives. Last year we started naming the hives (King’s Landing and Gondor) and this year we have Tatooine and Jakku!

Friday Five Things 4/23

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“April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.” – William Shakespeare

  1. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – I am a big fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and this new series on Disney+ does not disappoint! It follows Sam Wilson (Falcon) and Bucky Barnes (Winter Solider) in navigating the world post Avengers: End Game. It’s full of action, bad guys, and fight scenes, but also explores the global socio-economic issues that arose after the events of End Game and also doesn’t shy away from the topic of systemic racism, which in this universe affects even super heroes. As of writing this, the sixth and final episode hasn’t aired yet, but I can’t imagine it will disappoint given how good the other five have been. If you are a fan of the movies but feel nervous about the stories getting the TV treatment, give it a watch. Also…WandaVision was great but I’m liking TFATWS more.
  2. Brookie Bites from Target – You might be familiar with two-bite brownies that are sold in a lot of stores. Or the ones that are a combo of madeleines and brownies. But last week I saw, for the first time, a combo of chocolate chip cookie and brownie bites in the Target bakery section. I bought them just to see if they were any good…and man oh man are they! Like, I am obsessed with them. The texture is super moist and the flavors are just so good together. Anyway, I know some people bake these themselves but I honestly see no reason to go through the effort when the store down the street sells them and I can find nothing that I would improve upon.
  3. 2nd vaccine dose! – I got my second shot this morning and I am so excited! So far I’m feeling fine, no bad side effects. Hopefully that doesn’t change throughout the rest of the day, but I’m prepared to just shut down and rest if I need to.
  4. Grocery store flowers – Recently, every other week or so, I’ve been grabbing a cheap bouquet of flowers when I do my grocery shopping. Nothing fancy, in fact I find the cheaper they are, the longer they last! It just brings a nice pop of color and cheer to the house. I do have to be careful of what I buy because both the cats seem to love when I have cut flowers in a vase and there are a lot of common cut flowers that are pretty toxic to cats (like lilies). It’s pretty funny though when Buzz sticks his whole head into the middle of the blooms!
  5. The jury’s decision in the Derek Chauvin trial – As someone who was not in the courtroom and only read about testimonies and evidence, it seemed pretty obvious to me that Chauvin should be found guilty. I am so relieved that the jury felt the same way. I am also relieved that there will be an investigation into the police department. Because it is not enough to convict one man of using unwarranted force if there is a pattern that isn’t being addressed. This really is so much bigger than what happened with George Floyd and while the verdict allowed for an exhale of relief, a lot of people followed that up with an inhale to ready themselves for next steps.

Friday Five Things 4/16

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“So joy can be joy and sorrow can be sorrow, with neither of them casting either light or shadow on the other.” Marilynne Robinson

Before I get into the five things that brought me joy this week, I want to acknowledge that it’s been a difficult and overwhelming week for many, including myself, as we have been buffeted with news of Chauvin’s trial for the murder of George Floyd, the shooting death of Daunte Wright, and the shooting death of Adam Toledo. My heart breaks at the loss of life. And I just cannot see how any of this was justified in any way. I believe there has to be another way to handle these situations and I’m working to educate myself on what it would look like to defund or abolish the police.

On top of those horrific stories came the news of the mass shooting at the FedEx facility in Indianapolis. It can be so difficult to find moments of joy in week’s like this, and I’ll be honest, I wrestled with whether I should share anything today or not. But I will because I think it is important to remember that life is complex. That we can have our hearts break while watching the news and simultaneously be happy that we are safe and cozy in our homes. We don’t have to only feel one way or the other at any given moment. So…if you are interested in where I found my joy this week, please read on.

  1. This recipe – I made this Skillet Chicken Enchilada Bake for dinner last night and I’m already looking forward to having the leftovers for dinner tonight. I added sautéed mushrooms just because we had some that needed to be used up. It was soooo good! And super easy to put together. Also, if you don’t want to deal with cutting fresh corn off the cob, I find that the Del Monte Summer Crisp corn is the best canned corn to use as a substitute. Or frozen would work too!
  2. Planning travel – I know this is still a controversial topic, but as more and more people are getting vaccinated (we are!) and infection rates are going down in areas, we are planning some trips to spend time with family. It’s exciting and anxiety-inducing all at once! But the idea of spending quality time with people we love is worth the other feelings!
  3. New Orleans – The book I’m writing is about New Orleans so the books I’m reading right now are about New Orleans. I spent two summers volunteering down there after Hurricane Katrina and then ended up moving there full time. I stayed for 2 years and I’ve been back to visit several times but I think it has now been the longest stretch of time between visits. Instead I’ve been traveling through my books. And hearing other people describe the city I love so much in a way that only someone who knows it can understand…I’ve even teared up a few times because it feels like home.
  4. Spring snow – We always get one (hopefully) final snowstorm in mid to late April. And it came this week! At our house we got probably 6-7 inches of heavy wet snow. Do I love having my spring interrupted by winter every year? Not especially. But it is bringing much needed moisture to our drought-prone state. And since it has been warm recently, the paved areas are already melted so no need for shoveling!
  5. New clothing – After doing a thorough inventory of my closet and making a list of specific needs/wants, I ordered some new clothes and most of them arrived last week. Some are replacements for other items that were worn out or didn’t fit any more. Some are specific items that I’ve wanted to add to my wardrobe for awhile. A few things didn’t fit as expected so I’ll be returning those and only keeping the things I loved. There’s an influencer I follow on Instagram (her name is Ailsa @_happygocurly_) and she likes to say “your clothes shouldn’t hurt your feelings.” While I’m still on a healthy journey that *might* result in losing some weight, I am so happy to have clothing right now that doesn’t hurt my feelings when I put it on!

Quick Update

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“Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.” – Zora Neale Hurston

As I write this update, I am sitting next to a large pile of books that I can’t wait to dig into! Last week I did some preliminary research on my novel topic that pointed me in the direction of the books I should read. And while I almost exclusively read digital version of books these days, I wanted to get hard copies that I could early markup and refer back to when needed. I can’t remember the last time I was this excited to start doing research.

I know I’m going to be battling a voice inside me telling me that just reading and taking notes isn’t productive enough, but I am going to work hard to quiet that voice. Some of the stuff I want to include in my book is historical and some is just really sensitive in nature that I want to get it right. So reading and researching is key!

All that being said, things will have to look different here on the blog. Since mid-October I’ve been consistently posting here twice a week on Wednesday and Friday. Sure I’ve taken off a week here or there for holidays or vacation. But otherwise I’ve done well to stick to my commitment of posting each week. However, now that I’m ready to really dive into my novel, that’s going to have to change.

My posts are crazy long or anything, but they do take time and effort to think of a topic, organize my thoughts, write, and edit before posting. Time that right now I’d rather spend working on my book idea. So for the foreseeable future I’m going to cut my posts here back to once a week and try to post every Friday. I think this will give me a little more mental capacity during the week to devote to my research and writing.

That’s not to say there might not be extra posts during the week if I have ideas bursting forth, but I am just giving up the commitment to generate ideas on a particular schedule. And I’m writing this all out because I know there are a few people who follow this blog and read what I write twice a week.

I am so grateful to have even a few readers as the intent of this exercise was to create a habit of writing on a schedule and getting over my “stage fright” of putting my writing out there for people to read. I think I’ve accomplished both of those and now want to use this blog just for fun! Hopefully I can come here to share some of my writing process for the book as well.

So for now, I’ll just be seeing you on Fridays!

Friday Five Things 4/9

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“Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” – Robert Bault

Hello! This week it feels like things are getting back to normal at our house after the end of March went off the rails (in both good and bad ways!). So, without too much commentary, here are my favorite five things from this week!

  1. Air fryer shrimp poboys – Since I brought home the air fryer toaster oven, Tyler has slowly been realizing the possibilities. This week’s request was shrimp poboys! I found a recipe online and then altered it to what we like. Shrimp went in an egg wash and then a mix of regular and panko breadcrumbs with some Tony Chachere’s mixed in. Before they went in to cook, I sprayed them with a light coating of oil on both sides. The shrimp cooked on the air fryer setting at 400 for about 4 minutes, then flipped and cooked for another 2 minutes. Served them on some toasted French bread with lettuce, tomato, and an aioli we had in the fridge. SO GOOD!
  2. New Orleans research – This week I ordered a bunch of book, both fiction and non-fiction, to get my research started for the new book idea. I am so excited to start reading them! Expect the next couple book reports to be New Orleans heavy.
  3. Hiking – I’m fully back into hiking season! I look at my hikes as both exercise and meditation, so I’m very excited for it to be a regular part of my weekly routine. Today I’m meeting up with my mom to do one of my favorite nearby hikes. It’s been awhile since just the two of us have spent time together so I’m really looking forward to it.
  4. Geraniums – Last year, the geranium that I had kept alive for almost 4 years finally died when I forgot to bring it inside before an overnight freeze. I was pretty bummed. It had grown into this really weird woody stem with just a few green leaves, but it always flowered really well for me. This week I made a run to Costco and they had geraniums! So I bought two! They are currently living in my guest bathroom until they can move outside full time. They are one of my favorite outside flowers, so I’m really excited to have two already. I’m sure I’ll get more as the weather continues to warm up!
  5. Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso – Have you tried it? It’s a fairly new drink from Starbucks and I hope they never get rid of it. It’s the perfect amount of sweetness for an iced coffee, which is not too much, and has a hint of cinnamon. The stores around us were out of the brown sugar syrup for a couple weeks but they’re back in stock!

April Goals Update

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“There is no glory in star or blossom till looked upon by a loving eye; There is no fragrance in April breezes till breathed with joy as they wander by.” – William Cullen Bryant

Be Present – Being present in March looked a lot different than it did in January and February. I mostly followed my daily time blocking schedule and did really well journaling consistently at the beginning of the month. Then various family things came up and being present turned more into being present for other people. My journaling slipped the last two weeks of the month and my schedule went a little off the rails. But I put my focus and energy where it was needed most and I don’t feel like I failed at my goal in any way. One thing I still have on my aspirational goal list is meditating more often. I’ve had success with doing a couple minutes either right when I wake up or as I’m trying to fall asleep, but no consistent routine yet. So April’s goal is going to be more about consistency in these things than adding anything new.

Focus on the Essential – I bought several items in March, but they were either because I was out of a certain product/item or because I had done the research and decided it was something worth the purchase. For example, I’ve been eyeing the Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven for a few months and wanting to replace our toaster for awhile. I finally decided to pull the trigger on it when there was a deal going on for 25% off! So far Tyler uses it almost every day to make his lunch sandwiches and I use it several nights a week for dinner. I’m especially excited that we’ll be able to use it this summer on the really hot days when heating up our big electric oven turns our entire living space into a sauna! It was a good reminder that reducing excess purchases is good, but sometimes it really is worth it to make a splurge. In April I know I’ll be making some clothing purchases, so I plan to spend time going through my whole closet to determine what to keep and what to donate. Then I can make an accurate and specific plan of what I need to replace and what I want to add that can be worn with things I already own.

Stay Connected – There was a lot of human connection this month and it really felt great! In addition to spending some quality time with my family in the mountains and having a couple video calls, I also had a much needed long walk at the dog park with a very dear friend. With the weather warming up, I’m anticipating a few more outdoor gatherings with people in my near future. Also excited that more people are getting vaccinated which makes it all so much safer!

Activate Inner SJW – I did not accomplish my March goal for this intention. I wanted to find an organization I could commit to volunteering with and, while I did some initial research, I didn’t follow through in contacting anyone yet. So that’s on the docket for April!

As for the other goals I had for the month, I think I did pretty well. Starting this week I’ll be using a monthly goals and habits tracker to keep closer tabs on how I’m doing day-to-day.

  • 30 minutes of movement every day – Did not hit 30 minutes every day, but I did get in some good exercise most days of March. April is going to look a little different since the weather is getting nicer, I’m planning to get back into my hiking routine. Since I usually hike for a couple hours, it isn’t practical to do every day for me. Aiming for 2 hikes a week and a total of 20 miles for the month!
  • Add 8,000 words to my novel manuscript – I actually think I added about 6,000 words to my manuscript before I decided to ditch it for a new and better book idea. My goal for April is to finish the outline for my new book and get started on research.
  • Read 5 books – Eh, only got 4 under the belt but a couple were pretty long and involved. Setting a goal for 5 again in April and I think I’m already on track.
  • Eat healthier and drink 60oz of water daily – Doing pretty well in this area! I now don’t even have to try very hard to hit 60oz of water every day, it’s my new baseline. So trying to push that a little here and there when I feel like I need it. As for eating healthier, I’ve been doing ok on that. Definitely have been able to try out some new recipes with the air fryer using less oil to cook and that’s been great!
  • 15 minutes of cleaning every day – Yes! This has been such a game changer for me. I now rarely get annoyed with my house being dirty or the kitchen being a mess. Cleaning up the kitchen every night and spending 15 minutes doing other cleaning during the day is paying dividends in lowering my daily anxiety.

Friday Five Things 4/2 – March Book Report

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“In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.” – Mortimer J. Adler

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you had a great week and were able to find some good things, even if things weren’t so good. Today’s Five Things will be about the four books I read in March plus a surprise good thing that happened this week!

  • Destination Wedding by Diksha Basu – This book was…frivolous is the best word I can come up with. It was about an Indian-American girl who travels to India with her parents and her best friend to attend her wealthy cousin’s opulent wedding. One of the themes is identity, as the main character feels out of place in both America and India. She attempts to resolve this by finding the “real India” only to make some pretty serious missteps along the way. The book also divides its attention between several of the characters, each going through their own “crisis” during their time in the country, but I felt it didn’t give any of them really enough screen time. I think it would have been better served by not splitting focus. The book resolves well enough…but I didn’t find any of the characters engaging enough to be rooting for a particular outcome, if that makes sense. This book would be fine for a quick vacation read, but otherwise I’d say skip it.
  • The Darwin Affair by Tim Mason – On the other side of the spectrum, I LOVED this book. It’s a murder-conspiracy story that takes place in Victorian London. It is a purely fictional story, but historical characters like Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, and Charles Dickens make appearances. It isn’t a whodunit, because the reader finds out pretty quickly who the killer is, but then you get to watch the detectives attempt to unravel the mystery from their perspective and there are certainly surprises for the reader along the way. If you like The Devil in the White City, I think you’ll like this book.
  • Down the River unto the Sea by Walter Mosley – I wasn’t 100% pulled into this book while I was reading it, but by the end I was satisfied with it. The first half was pretty slow in setting up the action for the second half. There are a lot of minor characters introduced for a few pages, then referenced in later chapters and I had a hard time keeping track of who was who in those instances. The writing also kept making me think it was written in the 70s and I would be jolted out of the story with references to cell phones and Ubers. But it’s a gritty look at a corrupt underworld of cops in New York City and the casualties caused when someone gets in the way. A very interesting book, written by a very prolific writer. While this book didn’t necessarily do it for me, the style of his writing makes me want to check out his other books.
  • The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett – This was a page turner, as I knew it would be. Published last year, it hit the NYTimes #1 spot immediately and was on several “must-read” and book club lists. I was on the wait list to borrow it from my library for several months before I was able to get it and…it really lived up to the hype for me. The story is of twin girls who are Black and very light-skinned. They run away from home together but eventually one disappears and begins to live her life as a white woman. The themes of identity and authenticity are prevalent throughout the book, with the main characters and several more minor characters. I stayed up way past my bedtime several nights in a row to finish this because I didn’t want to put it down. There are a few overly convenient plot points designed but nothing out of the realm of possibility. Also, a lot of people I’ve seen review this book hated the ending, but I honestly thought it was the best possible way to wrap up the story. Highly highly recommend this book!
  • And…I’m getting my first COVID vaccine shot this week! I have Kaiser insurance and had signed up on their waiting list a few months ago. On Wednesday I got an email from them saying it was my turn to make and appointment and I was able to get one relatively nearby for this afternoon! I won’t lie, there was a lot of anxiety and guilt wrapped up in making the appointment because I know people who are higher risk than me in my state are still having trouble getting appointments. But then I had to remember that every shot in an arm helps the whole community and this was my turn. Hope you are all choosing to get the vaccine as well when it’s your turn!