It was a big week for my 3-year-old! My family watched him graduate from 3K and then celebrated with his class at the splash pad in the rain. It’s so sweet seeing how your kids interact with their peers and all the personality quirks that make them unique. After five straight days of rain, I should be joyful to see the sun again; however, with it comes a heat index in the 100s, our hottest temps of the year so far. Our neighborhood pool had its soft opening this weekend, and I have a feeling we’ll be spending most of our free time over the next few months there.
R - Reading
As I’m typing this newsletter, I called my local library branch because one of the three books I returned at the beginning of the week was flagged as overdue on my account. The librarian was able to locate the book on the shelf and scanned it back into the system. A reminder that mistakes happen, and it was an easy fix!
🎧Audio: I listened to the first half of Mr. Charming by Piper Rayne while I was travelling last week and was so eager to make the time to finish it up this week. It ended up being my favorite of The Nest series, and I think it’s because I slowed down and savored my time with Tedi and Tweetie.
I gave in to the BookTok hype and started Lights Out by Navessa Allen. If you can get through the content warnings at the beginning of this stalker dark romance, you’ll be fine. I bought the audio on sale during one of Libro.fm’s sales a few months ago. Jacob Morgan is one of my favorite male audiobook narrators!
Libro.fm is an Audible alternative that supports indie bookstores. They use a DRM-free model, which means you can listen to the audiobooks you purchase anytime, anywhere, on any device. You can get two free audiobooks when you start a new one-credit-per-month membership. Just use the promo code SWITCH and sign up using my referral link.
📕Kindle: I flew through my DRC of Save Me by Mona Kasten, the first Maxton Hall book. I’m grateful to NetGalley and Berkley for the opportunity to read the book before the next season of Maxton Hall comes out this summer on Prime Video. The dramatic ending left me feeling satisfied but yearning for more of Ruby and James's world!
I started Scotch on the Rocks by Elliot Fletcher and immediately had to read my review of Whisky Business to keep the Macabe Brothers straight in my mind. I’m curious to see how the ex-fiancé’s brother storyline plays out! Big thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the advance copy. Can you tell it’s about to be a summer filled with catching up on my NetGalley TBR?
E - Eating
Carnitas enchiladas
P.F. Changs lettuce wraps
hot dogs and potato salad
Brazilian steakhouse seasoned filets, carrots, asparagus, and smashed potatoes
Chips and Pub subs at the pool
Mexican dinner out at a new-to-me restaurant with my friend (sans kids!) to celebrate my birthday a few days early.
P - Playing
Arcade Fire’s album Pink Elephant on repeat. It hasn’t gotten the best reviews, but I’ve enjoyed it! It feels like Arcade Fire, and I’m okay with none of the songs being ground-breaking hits. Sometimes you just want to listen to something comforting and nostalgic. This album is that for me.
O - Obsessing over
the Peanuts x Vera Bradley collection. Are you kidding me? It’s so cute.
R - Recommending
thinking about all the life you’re missing out on when you’re on your phone.
T - Treating myself
to another JetPens order. Oops! Anything I buy this month is just a birthday gift to myself. I’ve had my eye on this Pilot Kakuno Fountain Pen for a while, and I’m eager to try it out. I also reordered the Writech Dual Color Multi Pen in the color Milk Tea & Black. This combo pen has been my go-to for journaling this year.
Hope you had a great weekend!
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Love me some pub subs at the beach or pool— it’s fitting. Also, a Mexican restaurant is something I rarely turn down!
I tried the new arcade fire album today and eh, it feels so boring? It's a let down because I really like WE! Glad you're enjoying it.