Life Update

I’M BACK!!! It has been ten months since my last blog post. I can’t believe it’s been that long, and I never intended to be gone for that long, either. I never intended to be gone in the first place. For those of you that do not follow me on social media, you may not know that back in November 2021, I found out I was pregnant. At the very beginning, I had no issues with morning sickness or pregnancy brain, hehe. So I had every intention of continuing the blog as per usual. However, my hormones had other plans, and basically, for most of my pregnancy, I was nauseous and could barely keep my focus on reading a book. Though I did read, it was VERY SLOW, and I also never got around to reading any of the ARCs I received for the year, so I felt like I didn’t have anything worth blogging, nor did I have anything to review. So, in turn, reading, book reviewing, and blogging kind of took a back seat.

Fast forward to the present day, I am 8 weeks postpartum and doing well. Aside from the constant morning sickness throughout pregnancy, I had a relatively healthy/uncomplicated pregnancy and relatively smooth labor and delivery. I have a beautiful, healthy baby boy, and my husband and I are smitten with him. As I navigate this new season in life, I hope to find a new rhythm with my reading and reviewing ARCs and books. I wish to be as consistent as possible with my blogging while being present in my new role as a mother. I also might start blogging about other things aside from books, we will see.

August 2022 Book Wrap-Up

August was a good reading month for me. I read FOUR books. I know that’s not a lot, but it’s a lot for me with a newborn. Also, all the books I read this month were five-star reads for me.

First up is Under The Whispering Door by TJ Klune. I read this via Audiobook, and it almost made me sob. The narrator was fantastic, which is crucial for me to be able to listen to an audiobook. However, the book itself was beautiful. A whimsical and tender exploration of death, loss, and grief. This book was witty, serious, silly, and sweet. I definitely would recommend it.

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams was another audiobook from the library and was another five-star read. I was hooked right from the start—a messy, heartbreaking, very beautiful second chance romance.

Next is Sally Rooney’s most recent book, Beautiful World, Where Are You. I know that Rooney sparked some controversy when this book was initially released, so I opted to also check this out of the library rather than pay for a copy. I feel like I read this book at the perfect time in my life; any other time, I think I would’ve been bored. However, I absolutly adored this book. It touched on many subjects, from identity, sexuality, politics, climate change, relationships, the collapse of society, etc. It was a great social commentary and very thought provoking. I truly enjoyed it.

The last book I read in August was After Life by Julia Alvarez, and WOW, what a powerful novel. This novel is short but mighty. Afterlife is a compelling novel about life after losing a loved one and how we carry our loved ones. Five-stars!

September 2022 Hopeful TBR

For September, I have two books that are rolling over from August, and those are Book Lovers by Emily Henry and Normal People by Sally Rooney. But I am also hoping to squeeze five more books in The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie, Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau, and Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney.