I spent the weekend seeing my college son and my parents. They're 15 minutes apart from each other. It was both wonderful and hard. As I was taxing down the runway on my way to see my people, I answered a call from my dad. He doesn't call often, and I knew it would be bad, so I took it. Yes, I know, please don't come at me. My parents always speak on speaker and my mom was right there with my dad. She asked where I was and I told her, then I asked if all was good. My mom said, "We'll talk to you later." And my dad said, "The cancer is back." That my friends is my parents in a nutshell. As hard as it was to hear and then quickly hang up, it was the perfect place to hear it. It gave me three hours of flying to process it and another hour drive from the airport. I needed that time to collect all my thoughts so I could ask the good questions instead of the stunned ones.
Like you, J.T., I'm on a reading slump too so go you for finding your way out. I read a good book this week by Victor Methos, THE SILENT WATCHER. It was about a guardian ad litem and a detective on the trail to find a ruthless killer. The characters were wonderful, and the bad guy was seriously a bad guy. The writing was fresh with fast pacing, but the characters still felt fully developed. My favorite type of read.
Also, to all my fellow FOURTH WING lovers, Cosmo has a link in their Instagram bio to an excerpt from the next book, ONYX STORM.
Oh and a funny side note. I went to church and high school with Keri Russell before she moved to Florida. The nicest person ever. At least then.
I'm about a third of the way through The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Allly Carter. It's a romance AND murder mystery and I'm loving it. I've never read her before but I'll definitely read her again. Very much Emily Henry vibes.
It’s been a rough few months. Mom just got accepted into a long term care facility. Now I get to figure out how to pay for it. It’s been constant putting out fires and making snap decisions since September. I feel like I might be able to breathe for a change.
I recently finished Grady Hendrix’s Witchcraft for Wayward Girls which made me ugly cry at the end. I’m used to his more lighthearted or humorous horror, but this one was darker and hit on lots of social/political issues that are relevant now. It did have some graphic pregnancy and childbirth moments, but I was really impressed with how well he wrote a novel full of teenage and adult women set in the 1970s. It’s about a group of unwed teenage girls who are pregnant and staying in a group home. They get a witchcraft book from a librarian with a bookmobile and things start to change. There are some light moments, but not like his other books.
Thank you, Rachael. I really enjoyed You Know What You Did. It does have a lot of OCD issues in it that were triggering for some people. The mother-daughter relationships were complicated and difficult to read at times, but almost cathartic as I have been going through things with my mom if that makes sense. I would definitely read more from the author.
Hi Brandee - gosh, that is the hardest. I'm sorry but so glad you were able to find something safe and comfortable for her, and that you can have some peace of mind, too.
I love Grady, he's wildly funny in person, and that sinteresting to hear about the book. Another excellent list!
I remember seeing him at either an ALA program or a BookExpo program and loved his sense of humor. I really love Alison Hammond's memoir. It's from 2021 before she was on GBBO, but just delightful.
I’m exhausted this week. A wild and wacky week of school. I’ve been struggling to concentrate on a book. I only read one this past week. I think I’m going to start Jessica Knoll’s Bright Young Women this weekend, or try to… I might just watch season 2 of The Diplomat. I loved the first season.
Glad you are feeling the warm and fuzzies and loving love…. I love that!
I am also receiving warm hugs through my reading this week in the form of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (a Christmas season annual repeat for me and my daughter). Also prepping for my anniversary trip in December to the Biltmore by reading The Last Castle by Denise Kiernan.
Oh that sounds delightful! I love the Biltmore. Saw yesterday that the stable lead was able to save the horses by taking them to higher ground and staying there for several days. Incredible bravery.
I finished reading THIS SUMMER WILL BE DIFFERENT by Carley Fortune. New to me author and I really enjoyed this romance. I'll have to check out some of her other books.
I also like a good romance or rom-com to cleanse the pallette in between all of the death and destruction...lol
I just finished A BLOOM IN WINTER by JR Ward. I just LOVE all of the BDB books and they're making a series on Passionflix!!
Funny several people are talking about The Diplomat. I just started season 1 last weekend and I'm 4 episodes in....wow...I love it!!
I also watched Yellowstone on Sun...I guess we'll see how this all unfolds.
Our 2 local high school football teams have made it to the semi finals for state. We're so excited!! Go Knights and Bulldogs!
We loved The Diplomat, too. The third season should be longer. Six episodes just doesn't feel like enough. (Also, is it just me, or does Keri Russell spend about 10 minutes per episode power walking between rooms? With multiple takes, she must crush her step goals during filming!)
Lioness is good so far, but I think I prefer the first season at this point (we're 3 eps in). Can we talk about the ridiculous casts Taylor Sheridan can pull for these shows? Good grief. And the upcoming Landman has Billy Bob Thornton, Demi Moore, and Jon Hamm. Impressive.
I have Thoughts on Yellowstone, too. It's early, and we knew this season (or half-season) would be different, but maaaan... we waited like two years, and this was it?
Another TV disappointment: season 3 of The Bear. Season 2 was SO GOOD, and this one is just... kinda there. It's not bad, but it's definitely a letdown. If it were the first season, we might not have kept going. Props to Jamie Lee Curtis, though, for guest starring again and hitting an enormous grand slam.
Loved The Diplomat S2. S3 will go back to 8 episodes. The showrunner said it was all her not Netflix. She was really tired, and it was a time thing.
I loved all three seasons of The Bear mostly because I would watch that cast read phone books. Lol
I loved season 3 of The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix and just started Cross on Prime. Even after 2 episodes, I understand why it was renewed before it even premiered.
I am behind on the Bear. I have to add that to the list - but I've heard this from several people. Yellowstone is just a damn mess. But yes, Taylor Shriden is getting a lot of epic talents to work with him. I'm looking forward to the new show.
I just finished The Sequel, which is the sequel to The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz. I liked The Sequel a little better. Currently reading Sandwich by Catherine Newman though I’m not sure what to make of it yet.
The Diplomat was brain 🤯 and also LOVE Lioness--both current seasons are better than the originals (which is saying a lot!). Hope you get a break soon!
I spent the weekend seeing my college son and my parents. They're 15 minutes apart from each other. It was both wonderful and hard. As I was taxing down the runway on my way to see my people, I answered a call from my dad. He doesn't call often, and I knew it would be bad, so I took it. Yes, I know, please don't come at me. My parents always speak on speaker and my mom was right there with my dad. She asked where I was and I told her, then I asked if all was good. My mom said, "We'll talk to you later." And my dad said, "The cancer is back." That my friends is my parents in a nutshell. As hard as it was to hear and then quickly hang up, it was the perfect place to hear it. It gave me three hours of flying to process it and another hour drive from the airport. I needed that time to collect all my thoughts so I could ask the good questions instead of the stunned ones.
Like you, J.T., I'm on a reading slump too so go you for finding your way out. I read a good book this week by Victor Methos, THE SILENT WATCHER. It was about a guardian ad litem and a detective on the trail to find a ruthless killer. The characters were wonderful, and the bad guy was seriously a bad guy. The writing was fresh with fast pacing, but the characters still felt fully developed. My favorite type of read.
Also, to all my fellow FOURTH WING lovers, Cosmo has a link in their Instagram bio to an excerpt from the next book, ONYX STORM.
Oh and a funny side note. I went to church and high school with Keri Russell before she moved to Florida. The nicest person ever. At least then.
I'm about a third of the way through The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Allly Carter. It's a romance AND murder mystery and I'm loving it. I've never read her before but I'll definitely read her again. Very much Emily Henry vibes.
I love, love Ally Carter and will have to pick that one up.
Hi Jamie - Excellent suggestion thank you very much! I will add it. I am all in for these vibes right now : )
It’s been a rough few months. Mom just got accepted into a long term care facility. Now I get to figure out how to pay for it. It’s been constant putting out fires and making snap decisions since September. I feel like I might be able to breathe for a change.
I recently finished Grady Hendrix’s Witchcraft for Wayward Girls which made me ugly cry at the end. I’m used to his more lighthearted or humorous horror, but this one was darker and hit on lots of social/political issues that are relevant now. It did have some graphic pregnancy and childbirth moments, but I was really impressed with how well he wrote a novel full of teenage and adult women set in the 1970s. It’s about a group of unwed teenage girls who are pregnant and staying in a group home. They get a witchcraft book from a librarian with a bookmobile and things start to change. There are some light moments, but not like his other books.
Here’s my current list:
All the Hearts You Eat by Hailey Piper
The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
Vanishing Daughters by Cynthia Pelayo
You Know What You Did by K.T. Nguyen
You’ve Got To Laugh by Allison Hammond
I'm so sorry Brandee for the rough few months!! I hope the answer appears quickly. Did you like K.T. Nguyen's book? I've been thinking of reading it.
Thank you, Rachael. I really enjoyed You Know What You Did. It does have a lot of OCD issues in it that were triggering for some people. The mother-daughter relationships were complicated and difficult to read at times, but almost cathartic as I have been going through things with my mom if that makes sense. I would definitely read more from the author.
Hi Brandee - gosh, that is the hardest. I'm sorry but so glad you were able to find something safe and comfortable for her, and that you can have some peace of mind, too.
I love Grady, he's wildly funny in person, and that sinteresting to hear about the book. Another excellent list!
I remember seeing him at either an ALA program or a BookExpo program and loved his sense of humor. I really love Alison Hammond's memoir. It's from 2021 before she was on GBBO, but just delightful.
I’m exhausted this week. A wild and wacky week of school. I’ve been struggling to concentrate on a book. I only read one this past week. I think I’m going to start Jessica Knoll’s Bright Young Women this weekend, or try to… I might just watch season 2 of The Diplomat. I loved the first season.
Bright Young Women is fantastic. Enjoy it!
I think anything you can do to recharge this weekend is a good thing. You will love season 2. It's remarkable.
Glad you are feeling the warm and fuzzies and loving love…. I love that!
I am also receiving warm hugs through my reading this week in the form of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (a Christmas season annual repeat for me and my daughter). Also prepping for my anniversary trip in December to the Biltmore by reading The Last Castle by Denise Kiernan.
Oh that sounds delightful! I love the Biltmore. Saw yesterday that the stable lead was able to save the horses by taking them to higher ground and staying there for several days. Incredible bravery.
That’s good news
I finished reading THIS SUMMER WILL BE DIFFERENT by Carley Fortune. New to me author and I really enjoyed this romance. I'll have to check out some of her other books.
I also like a good romance or rom-com to cleanse the pallette in between all of the death and destruction...lol
I just finished A BLOOM IN WINTER by JR Ward. I just LOVE all of the BDB books and they're making a series on Passionflix!!
Funny several people are talking about The Diplomat. I just started season 1 last weekend and I'm 4 episodes in....wow...I love it!!
I also watched Yellowstone on Sun...I guess we'll see how this all unfolds.
Our 2 local high school football teams have made it to the semi finals for state. We're so excited!! Go Knights and Bulldogs!
That's great for your young footballers! Congrats!
Thatnk you for the romance recs. I am down the rabbithole of love and more love.
We loved The Diplomat, too. The third season should be longer. Six episodes just doesn't feel like enough. (Also, is it just me, or does Keri Russell spend about 10 minutes per episode power walking between rooms? With multiple takes, she must crush her step goals during filming!)
Lioness is good so far, but I think I prefer the first season at this point (we're 3 eps in). Can we talk about the ridiculous casts Taylor Sheridan can pull for these shows? Good grief. And the upcoming Landman has Billy Bob Thornton, Demi Moore, and Jon Hamm. Impressive.
I have Thoughts on Yellowstone, too. It's early, and we knew this season (or half-season) would be different, but maaaan... we waited like two years, and this was it?
Another TV disappointment: season 3 of The Bear. Season 2 was SO GOOD, and this one is just... kinda there. It's not bad, but it's definitely a letdown. If it were the first season, we might not have kept going. Props to Jamie Lee Curtis, though, for guest starring again and hitting an enormous grand slam.
Loved The Diplomat S2. S3 will go back to 8 episodes. The showrunner said it was all her not Netflix. She was really tired, and it was a time thing.
I loved all three seasons of The Bear mostly because I would watch that cast read phone books. Lol
I loved season 3 of The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix and just started Cross on Prime. Even after 2 episodes, I understand why it was renewed before it even premiered.
I am behind on the Bear. I have to add that to the list - but I've heard this from several people. Yellowstone is just a damn mess. But yes, Taylor Shriden is getting a lot of epic talents to work with him. I'm looking forward to the new show.
I just finished The Sequel, which is the sequel to The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz. I liked The Sequel a little better. Currently reading Sandwich by Catherine Newman though I’m not sure what to make of it yet.
Oh yeah? I loved the Plot - though it took me forever to get into. Great to hear!
I'm planning to listen to Cruel Winter With You today! I listen to romcoms year round but I'm ready to transition to more festive stories!
It's such a great story... I like Marc. I am team Marc.
The Diplomat was brain 🤯 and also LOVE Lioness--both current seasons are better than the originals (which is saying a lot!). Hope you get a break soon!
Yes, it takes a LOT to make a better second season.