A Cuppa Cosy Reads – May 2023

***Before I get into this post- I recognize that it’s been radio silent over here for the full month. I’m sorry- More info coming soon!!***

Another month has come to an end and boy was it a doozy. I saw a reel that talked about how May is busier than December and, to be honest, I wholeheartedly agree. It was incredibly busy, with changes and meetings and a whole lot of waiting around for documents. But it was also good- we got a taste of Spring, a taste of Summer, and I got a whole weekend to myself when the boys went camping. I didn’t think I was going to have the greatest reading month, but I am here to say- it wasn’t as bad as expected! I somehow managed to read 7 books and give an average rating of 3.1. I keep wondering- as life gets busier, when will my reading slow down a bit more, but I don’t know that it will. I’ve found myself trying to be better about turning to books (rather than my phone) to wind down and decompress (aka disassociate after being around people so much). It’s a slow, over time goal, but it’s happening. 

So, the books…

Paper Cuts by Ellery Adams 4 Stars As always, I really enjoy stepping back into this town, into these characters and the stakes stay low but not too low. It’s more lifechanging stakes rather than death stakes and I really appreciate that in a cozy mystery. This book was unique to the series as we learned a bit more of our main characters backstory and history prior to present day. 

Authentically Izzy by Pepper Basham 3 Stars So…I enjoyed this- it’s written 60% in emails and such between our characters and while I felt like that added to the story, it then made the “in person” interactions feel different. It was a fine romance and one I enjoyed but I found the main character to be a bit too much of a pushover at times and it took her a bit to figure herself out (which I get is normal and human, but for me was a bit…much).

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros 5 Stars Welcome to my new obsession. I’m in love. I’m going to push this book on to everyone that I can. Picture- dragons, dragons that actually play a prominent and important role, picture a school where all the kids are above age, picture a rivals to lover’s slow burn, and then picture a twist at the end that leaves you wrenched out of yourself. Enjoy!

The Marriage Act by John Marrs 3.5 Stars I feel like John Marrs is one of those authors I will always buy because I know the books will be good, even if they start to get a bit…tried and true and old at times. This is the third of his (I think) in this futuristic world- post The One. I would say this was probably my least favorite of the bunch, mostly because I think something needs to change in these novels. It’s becoming a bit – same plot, different characters/story. 

One of Us is Dead by Jeneva Rose 3.5 Stars I was hesitant to pick this one up after the disaster that was The Hunting Wives, but I’m glad I did. It’s fast paced, well written, and the small rich community politics is…accurate. The twist was…not shocking, but it didn’t ruin the vibe the book was going for and I enjoyed it. 

Awakening The Zodiac Academy (1) 0 Stars I despised this book, and I don’t know how much of that is the author’s fault- because had I been fully aware of the trope this book follows (and it’s a bully romance so there you go), I would have never picked it up. I spent the entire time beyond uncomfortable and I got rid of the book almost immediately. 

One for My Enemy by Olivie Blake 3 Stars So this would be my second Olivie Blake book. I read 75% of Atlas Six, which I ended up having to put down as it just went…too far and too overcomplicated in the plot, and I am not sure if she is the author for me. I LIKED this book; HOWEVER, I feel like in the last two acts it became to wrapped in making this grand plot work, this large overarching scheme to the story, which then led to the actual story becoming tedious and…not boring but boring. And I think this was a similar problem that I had with Atlas Six. So, I’m not sure where I stand with Olivie Blake. 

And that wraps up my May! I’ve kicked off June with a reread and a whole bunch of new books! 

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A Chatty Re-evaluation and Sharing Joy

I didn’t really have a post planned for today. Or rather, I had a million different ideas on what to post, posts prepared, and none of it really felt…right. I’m not sure- I’m kind of entering a bit of a funk with the blog. Not in a bad way, just in a…where do we go from here kind of way. What do I share? How do I share it? Do I even need to share it?

You could say in some ways there is a bit of an imposter syndrome moment happening over here. I hate saying it like that because I don’t know that that is exactly what it is. I go through these moments throughout the year of wondering if I really add any value (which HA wake up Mia- that IS Imposter Syndrome). These moments tend to come at times where there just isn’t a lot going on with life. Or at times when I feel like I’m creating much better…content in other spaces on the internet (videos on IG are really sparking a special kind of joy lately). 

I’m basically in a space where I want to reevaluate ever so slightly what I’m doing. A lot of the things that I’ve written about in the past, and tend to focus on, are…well not happening this year. We don’t have many trips planned because of life and work and such; we don’t have much going on that I can talk and share about publicly (not that I would necessarily choose to do, but I’ve always somewhat shared things that are affecting us). And so, I’ve just been trying to figure out what I actually want to write and talk about. This has been a thing that seems to happen every couple years – I tend to look back and forward to see where things stand (believe it or not I’ve been blogging in some form for 8 years now!). 

 So, what is going on? Well, the boys are on winter recess this year- I’m always shocked at how independent and self…sufficient, self-entertained they are getting as the months go by. I’ve filled in some of our days with playdates and errands (ambitious of me given the weather that’s coming in), but I’ve also scheduled in some time at home to rest and play. They’ve become amazing at simply playing together in their given spot in the house- whether that’s their room or the Lego area downstairs and allowing me to get things done or have a bit of quiet time. It’s shocking in some ways, sad in others, but overall, just super helpful haha. It’s a new level of parenthood that I’ve been grateful and sad to step in to- like much of parenthood. 

I’ve been a bit of a reading fiend this past week or so- I’ve just been devouring books in a way I haven’t in a long time. It’s been so refreshing to spend so much free time in between the pages of a book, to challenge my reading abilities, and just escape. When I’m not reading, I’m creating or I’m parenting, and I’ve just found a real joy in those three things together. 

It’s funny- when I picked my word for the year back at Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year- read about it HERE). I had no idea just how much it would guide and ring true to me. I’ve found life to be filled with so much joy these past few months, even when its hard or when I’m feeling a bit down. I’ve once again found a contentedness to our lives, a complete space of peace with where things are at just right now. I’m looking forward to experiencing more of this joy throughout the year- and sharing it with you! 

Something I’ve been thinking about implementing it’s a bit more of the slice of life stuff that I share over on Instagram. Not in the same way, maybe when I put together a reel or video of something we’ve done- I might do a little blog post here, go into a bit more detail, share links if needed and so forth. I feel like I want to immortalize some of these just true joys filled moments in so many ways and I think finding a spot on my blog for them might be good- especially as I’m reevaluating my content on here as it is. 

With that being said, if you’ve made this far through all my waffling – I want to share two little pieces of joy from the past week or so! 

The first was our little Valentine’s Day celebration. The boys had a half day at school (which was full of parties and card/gift exchanges), so I decided to put together a little something for the afternoon. I told them to work with each other to pick one movie, one of their favorites, while I put together a “little” charcuterie board. Well, the “little” charcuterie board ended up going a bit overboard and we spent all afternoon curled up in the living room eating a variety of cheese, salami, crackers, and fruit while watching Star Wars. I also made a special heart shaped Challah that was topped with pink and red X/O sprinkles and filled with chocolate. We made a total of three loaves, two of which were shared with friends, and enjoyed it all week long! It was a small but very special event for the boys and me. 

The second was a reading challenge I did over the weekend. I’ve done these challenges before- usually a read for 24/48hrs or something along those lines, but this time I had three books that I really wanted to read and wanted to read now. I knew they would all be compulsively readable- as in once I started, I wouldn’t be able to stop before I finished, so I decided to go for it!

And somehow, I managed to read all three in the three-day weekend. I managed to read The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, Radiant Sin by Katee Robert, and Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano in 3 days! I surprised myself as this was a challenge, I didn’t know I could succeed at, the kids are one winter recess (which started a day early), I was trying to do a couple of fun things for them a movie night, and two hockey nights, AND I was doing it all solo- just me and the boys. But remember how earlier I talked about how independent and grown and self-engaged they’ve become? It was a real game changer for the weekend.

So that’s it on this chatty little Winter Recess post! Coming up I’ve got my monthly reading wrap up, a Jewish Literature post (that’s been written and waiting for a minute now), and maybe a little royal commentary! 

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