Hello February!
I bought some Valentine’s crafts for the kids today at Michaels and I now want to decorate my whole house in pink and red. Does anyone else have this problem? Just me? Okay, fine, I must have a problem. 😉
I’ve been busy busy reading and listening this past month. Unfortunately for you and me, I don’t have many “you MUST read this” recommendations. It’s bound to happen at times, but it’s no fun when it does. Sorry!
Next I will be wrapping up December’s trip to Disney World, telling you all about Epcot and Animal Kingdom. Really quick, though, how cute was this little princess?
After finishing our Disney World post I’ll be sure to tell you about Disneyland from last weekend.
The two parks are really so different, so be sure to reach out if you have questions about which is best for you and your family.
In case you’re worried that Foster’s being overlooked, don’t fret. He and his dad were shredding it in Park City last weekend while us girls had fun in California.
Alright, let’s get to my books from January.
Red, White & Royal Blue was a GoodReads winner from 2019 so I added it to my to-read list and had very high expectations. The president’s son falls in love with the prince of England. The modern day fairytale! I enjoyed the premise and the characters, but it was a little too R-rated for me. Admittedly, I might just be a bit too prudish for the homosexual relations detailed (and I mean DETAILED) in the book. I’m trying to progressive – I promise. But, I just didn’t absolutely love it like I wanted to.
I’ve heard incredible things about this biography of the infamous Alexander Hamilton for years. Last spring I finally saw the broadway show, Hamilton, and I fell in love with his story. In case you didn’t know, the show is loosely based on the biography as presented here in Chernow’s biography.
The book is expertly written and fully tells the incredible story of one our most important founding fathers. My only complaint is that it was a bit too long. I listened to it as an audiobook and am pretty sure I heard that narrator’s voice for about two weeks straight! However, the story is great and I do recommend it to anyone who wants to dive into that time in history.
First, let me wholeheartedly recommend that you listen to the audiobook version of any book that is narrated by its author, especially when they are autobiographies. Hearing the author’s voice, emotions, emphases, etc … is simply incomparable.
Before reading this book, I knew very little about Demi Moore. I knew she was in some of my favorite 80s movies (hello St. Elmo’s Fire and gorgeous Rob Lowe), she used to be married to Bruce Willis, her daughters are close to my age, she is absolutely stunning, and she used to date Ashton Kutcher. That’s about it. Demi reveals a ton in her memoir and I really enjoyed learning about her complicated upbringing, her professional career, and so many of her struggles.
Now, I have to be honest and say I would love to compare her stories with those of the other celebs she references because there are always two sides to every story. However, this was a juicy and interesting read. I recommend it.
I just could not get into this book. We read it for book club and it was a struggle for me to get through it. You follow two characters who end up falling in love, but who (shocker) never seem to correctly interpret the other’s intentions and motives. The thirty-something chronically ill woman puts up a bit of an attitude as a defense and the building manager responds in kind as he doesn’t believe he’d ever be good enough for her. Cute premise, but the characters just fell flat for me. Oh, and this is another VERY R-rated book. I had to skip pages occasionally because I just couldn’t read it. Geez, I’m obviously getting to be a bit of a granny … lol.
What if back in the 1700s, we didn’t elect George Washington as president but instead decided he should be the king of our newly-created country? American Royals explores this fun storyline and follows the modern day “royal family” of the United States of America. I thought this book was really cute. I enjoyed the characters, and I loved the storyline. Add this one to your to-read list!
There were several things I liked about this book, such as the characters and the role reversals they experienced as they went from high school to college. However, the story was just too depressing for me and and it kinda made me want to grab my children, hug them, and never let them grow up and become young adults. I have friends who have rated this book 5 stars on GoodReads, but I did not love this one at all.
My inner geek came out while reading this book you guys. Some of you might know that I was a Radio Television Film major at UT. Yes, I was that kid that spent hours studying HBO and Hip Hop Culture while you were studying anatomy or economics. (Let’s be honest – I also took many business and other important classes and eventually studied my butt off in law school, but my major ROCKED).
All of that to say, that I am an absolute geek when it comes to studying television and movies. This book compiles some pretty groundbreaking essays on the interpretation of television published in The New Yorker by Emily Nussbaum over the past 20-plus years. She won a Pulitzer Prize for some of her work in here. I really enjoyed this book, but I would only recommend it if you’re a nerd like me or if you have a particular fondness for some of the shows she wrote about within it.
When I wrote my post last month, I made a HUGE oversight. I left off one of my absolute favorite books of the year, The Road Back To You. This book truly changed me. I somehow left it off because I actually read it from a real book (what?!?) so I didn’t see it in my electronic records from the library or Audible. I wanted to make sure and give it a moment in the spotlight here, though, because it is a wonderful book. I even went back and added it as one of my favorite books of 2019 here.
For those of you living under a rock (just kidding … kinda), the enneagram is an “ancient personality typing system with an uncanny accuracy in describing how human beings are wired, both positively and negatively.” By no means is this like a horoscope or a silly Facebook quiz. The enneagram has helped me understand where other family members and friends are experiencing life and how I can best relate with them. Plus, it’s helped me identify some of my personal hang-ups and how I can manage them.
A simple search online will find multiple enneagram personality tests and books on the topic. The market is oversaturated on the topic, but I really enjoyed this book and the accompanying study guide. If you’re wanting to look into the topic, I recommend them both!
Alright, that’s it for me today. If you’re here in Austin, bundle up. I’ve had my fireplace on all day and enjoying the random cold weather. I hope you are too!
