Hi from the beach! I’m doing my best to stay offline as much as possible (other than to look up places to eat and opening hours) so if I’m not quick to get back to comments this week, that’s why!
I’m thrilled to share that I wrote my first guest newsletter on Substack! I shared five of my favorite romances with Melissa,
. I’d love for you to check it out at the link below.
R - Reading
📱Kindle: I finally finished Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. It was an adjustment reading literary fiction after such a long break from the genre. I loved Marcellus’s perspective and was relieved when Tova put together her connection to Cameron.
I started Binding 13 by Chloe Walsh late last week after realizing it was available for Amazon Prime members. Set in Cork, Ireland, the Boys of Tommen series centers around the lives of Johnny Kavanagh, Shannon Lynch, and their teenage friends as they navigate their way through the prestigious private school, Tommen College, and prepare for adulthood. It’s low on spice and high on drama. I’m not quite sure that I’m ready to dive into a series of 6 books. I think I need to go back and finish the Magnolia Parks series first. They’re addicting in a similar way.
📕Physical Copy: I picked up my hold for One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune from the library at lunch on Tuesday afternoon. It’s the perfect book to have with me at the beach. I also brought along an ARC copy of Total Dreamboat by Katelyn Doyle that I won in a Goodreads Giveaway. (Yes! It is possible to win them.) I’m not sure if I’ll get through both this week.
🎧Audiobook: I took a bit of a break from audiobooks at the beginning of the week, but every day at work was just so awful that by midweek, I needed a distraction. I started The Night and the Moth by Rachel Gillig. The Shepherd King duology was just okay to me, so it was a bit of a risk starting her newest fantasy series. If you’ve read it, let me know what you thought! It seems to be popular on Bookstagram and BookTok.
E - Eating
shrimp scampi, salad and garlic knots
ham and swiss sliders with chips
alfredo ravioli and salad
dumplings and ramen in pho broth with jammy eggs
flatbread pizzas
P - Playing
I spend more time than I should on TikTok so I have to listen to the Viral Alternative Playlist on Apple Music to hear more than the 15-second hook of today’s hit music. I’ve been digging sombr and Charlie XCX’s new music for summer. I even dressed in lime green and black (with jelly shoes) at work the other day because I refuse to believe it’s no longer Brat summer. What is time, anyway?
O - Obsessing over
The cover reveal for And Now, Back to You (Heartstrings Book 2) by B.K. Borison. The blurb says this upcoming book is about two competing meteorologists are forced to find common ground in an opposites attract, When Harry Met Sally inspired romance. I’ll be waiting impatiently until February.
R - Recommending
Came for the commentary on a problem we’re also facing at home. Stayed for the excellent book recs in the comments.
T - Treating myself
I picked up the Olive & June Gel Nail Starter Kit from Target. I’ve been wanting to try out gel polish because regular polish takes way too long to dry at home. My first try wasn’t too bad! I used the peel-off base formula, and it worked as promised. With a little practice, I think I’m on my way to the perfect at-home budget manicure.
Hope you had a great weekend!
Elsewhere on the Internet: Goodreads / Storygraph / Pinterest
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Congrats on your first guest post! Loving that for you.
Just came to say I love your freckles! I too am a freckled mama and it’s rare to see them at our level! Enjoy the beach!