Working on getting up November and December book posts. I haven't had much free time recently and if I'm being totally honest, I've wanted to play Pokemon more than I've wanted to read, so that's why it's taking me a while. Unrelated but I truly admire anyone with a full time job and at least one hobby and a clean house and a social life. Or at least two of the above. I mostly just work and think about how I will have fun later and then I just like… don't have fun, lol. I work a pretty normal full time schedule – eight hours a day, five days a week. I'm scheduled for nine hours though because of lunch. I very rarely clock out on time though. Call center, so you're done when you finish your last call, not when it becomes 7 oclock or whatever time you're off. If you factor in the time I spend in Lyfts or waiting for Lyfts, I'm out of the house close to 10 hours a day. It just feels like there's no time left in the day, even when there is.

it's a wonderful life

My main goal for the new year is to have a good time. I know that sounds frivolous, but a someone who has spent waaay too much time depressed and miserable and having lots of bad times, I feel like it's important that I make that effort for myself. Enjoy life as much as I can. But due to the fact that I've been extra stressed and miserable (like… stressed to the point that it's caused me to be physically ill), I'm making a concentrated effort NOW to enjoy the little things. One thing I really enjoy is live theater… but you know, I couldn't remember the last time I saw a play. So last weekend, I went to see It's a Wonderful Life performed live at a local community theater.

It's a Wonderful Life is my favorite Christmas movie, and honestly one of my favorite movies in general, so I was excited to see a live production! I had a really good time… the actors did a great job and it was staged really well. I ended up getting really emotional though of course… that story means so much to me. The play really made me think about it.

I relate to George Bailey. I relate to this character who feels out of control of a life that didn't turn out like he thought it would. This is a man who has done for others and lost out on so much, but has always tried to be kind and be thankful for what he has… a man who ends up in a situation that he feels there is no way out of.

There have been numerous points in my life where it felt like the sky was falling. Sometimes the crisis was real, and sometimes it was just a regular problem that my anxiety magnified… but I've been where George Bailey was. I've struggled with depression and suicidal ideation for years. And when I was at the worst of it (as, uh, I sometimes still am… healing isn't linear lol), I found myself at times wishing for a miracle like George got. When I was lonely, again as I still often am, I found myself wishing to feel like I had friends enough to be as rich as George Bailey.

I have had some miracles to get me through the really bad times and keep this leaky roof over my head, and this story reminds me to be grateful for that.

I could also sit here and go into how any criticism of this movie for being “too depressing” truly misses the point, or how it's incredibly timely that the backdrop of this story is a poor community full of people struggling for property rights (and how, as someone who has survived foreclosure, this resonates deeply with me)… but I'll leave it here and save the in depth thoughts to more eloquent folk.

The play was a really lovely experience – at once true to the movie and able to stand on its own. My fellow Bakersfield peeps, it's playing at the Empty Space for one more weekend… you should catch it if you can! As I said, I saw the play last week… I meant to write this sooner, but I was having computer difficulty. And then I got worn out because of work, lol. Better late than never I guess.

When I checked in on facebook at the theater last week, I got an ad that another local theater (Bakersfield Community Theater) was showing Miracle on 34^th Street, so I went to that tonight. I really enjoyed it too, and that's another favorite Christmas story of mine… but I don't have the energy to go in depth with my thoughts. There wouldn't be as much to say because as much as I do love it, I don't have quite the same connection with it. But I would recommend going to see it at BCT next weekend if you can!

DYRC 19: October: Like Sisters on the Homefront by Rita Williams-Garcia

The theme for October was young adult.  Obviously there's millions of YA books out there, many of them very fun, many of which I have not read.  What I was mainly looking for was something about people (preferably women) of color and a story that was NOT a romance.  I do like romance, but so many YA romances are predictable and super straight.  Anyways, I didn't have anything specific in mind, so I went to the library and grabbed the first thing that really stood out to me -- Like Sisters on the Homefront by Rita Williams-Garcia.

It took me a while to get into this book because it took me a while to get into this book because it took me a while to get to like the main character Gayle.  She's a very obnoxious teenager, and her naivete about certain things is not so much endearing as it is annoying.  She's 14 and has a baby, and when she ends up pregnant again she thinks this is a good thing (and resents her mother for making her have an abortion).  But over the course of the story, I came to understand more why Gayle was the way she was, and eventually I really liked her as a character.  I got really engrossed in the story and I just wanted the best for Gayle and her cousin Cookie.  I ended up crying a lot at the end... I got super invested in the story and the characters.  I'm glad I read it!

This is my Goodreads review.  Insert usual spiel about how you should follow me, lol.

I read this book between October 30th and November 4th.  Almost on track, lol.  🎉

Would I recommend this book? Yes

adventure (ft. a decade plus of love for joe jonas)

I mentioned in my last couple of book posts that I went to see the Jonas Brothers in October.  That whole trip was honestly pretty cool!  I had a lot of stress getting ready for it and even more stress getting home (not really worth getting into... I obviously did make it back lol), but everything in between was great.  I took the Greyhound Bus to Hollywood (a decent trip) and I stayed at Las Palmas Hotel, aka the hotel from the end of Pretty Woman (one of my favorite movies).  It was kind of a coincidence... I was looking for affordable hotels in the area, and that was an option so I kind of had to.  This was the first time I've ever stayed in a hotel by myself!  Truth be told, it wasn't the world's nicest hotel lol, but it was decent and clean, and the bed was comfy.  The show itself was so fucking good... this band means and meant so much to me, and the times that I saw them in concert when I was younger are some of my favorite memories, so when I heard they were reuniting, I was so excited.  I bought the ticket as soon as they went on sale.  But I didn't count on them becoming even better performers... and that hearing their old songs would make me feel so nostalgic and so good.  They had two opening acts, neither of which I really knew anything about (Jordan McGraw and Bebe Rexha) but they were both good too... but I just couldn't wait to see my boys perform.  And it's been ten years, but it was worth the wait.  Here's the setlist they performed (yes, I did make it into a playlist on my iPod lol).  The Hollywood Bowl is a fantastic venue too... they kept saying how it had been a dream of theirs to perform there.  It's huge though, and I wore this dress and boots because I wanted to be cute, so I know if I ever see another show there I should wear practical shoes, lol.

It took me fucking ages to get a lyft back to my hotel (the driver that took me to the venue suggested I'd be better off walking back after the show but not in those shoes and not in that area I literally don't know when it's pitch black out lol), but when I finally got back, I watched youtube videos and ate microwave mac and cheese I packed with me.  It was fun, lol.  In the morning  checked out and went to the Museum of Death, which I had been wanting to see for a while.  It was really close to my hotel too, so it was convenient.  I wandered around in there for a while and it was really cool!  They had a lot of stuff about serial killers and famous celebrity deaths as well as just educational stuff about the history of death and the funeral industry.  There were a few things there that might be hard if you're squeamish (I'm not really, so it wasn't a big deal, but one of the guys that was walking around with his girlfriend just a little bit behind me was freaking out a lot, bless him), but most things weren't that graphic.  After that I went to lunch at Shake Shack... I've constantly heard about how delicious their food is, but we don't have one here so I'd never tried it.  It was really good! I'd definitely eat it again, and I hope they do come to town.  After that I still had a few hours to kill, so I went down to the Chinese Theater to do more sightseeing.  Unfortunately they were closed, so I just ended up kind of wandering down the Walk of Fame and hanging out.  I also grabbed a Halloween donut at Randy's Donuts, a place that is apparently "world famous."  I ducked in because it was really hot out and I saw they had bottled water, but the donut was delicious.

(top: burger and fries from the restaurant in the greyhound station in LA, where I had a two hour stop -- surprisingly good food lol; middle: burger, fries, and pumpkin shake from shake shack [DELICIOUS]; bottom: Randy's Donuts Halloween donut)

I had a fun little trip... it was just over 36 hours I was gone, but I packed a pretty good time into it.  I'm enjoying doing things for myself.  Seeing the Jonas Brothers did make me miss my mom more though because we used to go to those concerts together, and obviously she isn't well enough to go now.  The guys did a shout out to the parents that used to drive the kids to their concerts, and they sang her favorite song of their's right after, so that really felt like it was for her.  It was a nice moment.

Here's some of my pics and videos from the trip -- the hotel, the concert, the museum, and the Hollywood site seeing.  (Follow me on Instagram for more incredibly random pics from my life lol)

https://www.instagram.com/p/B35hVzcgRnP/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B36dRLBgnGE/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B37aRlxHU4Y/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B37uQSOAyVB/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3_XUn1AV4b/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B38RU74gxQ6/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4Ywi5GgnnN/ 

Merry Misfits Book Club October: The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (adapted by Shannon Donnelly)

The theme for October in the Merry Misfits Book Club was a book set in a different country or by an author from a different country.  The Phantom of the Opera is both, taking place in France (Paris, to be exact) and written by a Frenchman named Gaston Leroux and published in 1910 (the first English translation becoming available in 1911).  While I do want to read that original 1911 translation at some point (as well as another translation I've heard comes highly recommended), now wasn't really the time because it's long and I'm busy... and behind in this reading challenge.  So, Great Illustrated Classics to the rescue once again, lmao.

I wanted to read this because I've been super obsessed with the Phantom recently (I even dressed as him for Halloween) so I requested this from the library.  The story obviously is condensed, and since I haven't read the original I can't say how good it is as an adaptation, but it's interesting how contradictory the book is.  It moves slowly, yet it jumps from episode to episode.  It tells when it should show, yet there's a lot of detail.  The art (as with every Great Illustrated Classic I've read) was not great, but the cover is really nice, imo.  It's not a bad way to experience the story, I just don't feel like it's the best.  In fact, I read another kid's version after finishing this one and I liked it a lot better. 

I feel like I don't have a lot to say about this little book.  Even my goodreads review is like one sentence long lol.

I read this book between October 19th and October 21st.  I finished it in a Greyhound Bus station while on my way to see the Jonas Brothers!

Would I recommend this book? Ehh... If you want a young readers' adaptation of The Phantom, pick up the Kate McMullan adaptation I linked above instead.  (Or just... y'know... watch the musical.  It's sooo good.  Like, not High Entertainment, and it's hopelessly 80s, but it's guilty pleasure good... and I feel no guilt.)

DYRC 19 September: Burnin' Up: On Tour With the Jonas Brothers

The theme for September was non-fic.  I'd been tempted to cheat and swap DYRC's September and August themes so the non-fic themes would coincide and I could get away with just one book (y'all know I love to read, but I never have any time to do it, and desperate lack of free time calls for desperate measures) but I ended up not doing that.  Cheating felt like cheating, lol.  So instead I decided to go easy on myself and just read something lighthearted and picture heavy.  So...

Burnin' Up: On Tour With the Jonas Brothers was written at the height of Jonas fever (2008), which was generally a better time in general, lol.  The book is mostly pics, behind the scenes pics from their When You Look Me In The Eyes Tour (the first time I saw them) and the Burnin' Up Tour (which I also attended), but there are lots of passages of the brothers talking about their lives and career and family.  It made me super nostalgic and happy.  This band has meant a lot to me, and I actually finished it up while I was sitting in a hotel after watching them in concert for the first time in TEN YEARS!  This book was the best companion... and I'm glad for once that I ended up behind.

Here's my Goodreads review.

I read this book between October 21st and October 22nd.  Yes, it was a book for September...I'm trying really hard to get caught up!

Would I recommend this book? If you're a Jonas fan, absolutely.  If not, you won't get anything out of it, so probably not.

Merry Misfits Book Club September: Aida by Leontyne Price

September's theme was fairy tales.  Now, that's pretty broad... and since I was so behind with the reading challenge, I decided to go ahead and pick something short and simple.  I saw this picture book version of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida (adapted by opera singer Leontyne Price, who was famous for playing the title role) at the library and had to check it out.  It is a children's book, so very short... debatably cheating, but reading is reading.  And I know what you're thinking... is this really a fairy tale?  According to the Dewey Decimal system, yes... it was shelved with the likes of Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm.  Plus it's about a princess, true love, and adventure in a foreign land, so...

This was a good book.  I admit, I didn't really know the story of Aida -- I know next to nothing about opera -- so it was a good story to pick up and read in a condensed form.  The story was beautiful, the art was stunning, and it kind of made me want to go listen to the music from the show.  As I mentioned, it's about a princess and true love... but (SPOILER ALERT) since it's based on an opera, it does not have a happily ever after ending, and that would be the one place it differs from what we think of as fairy tales.  But the atmosphere of magic and romance was very fairy tale, and our heroine is brave as she suffers through everything life throws at her just like you'd expect of a fairy tale princes.  I don't really have much to say, other than the fact that kids' books are almost always better than adults' books, and I don't regret choosing this.

I didn't end up reviewing this one on Goodreads because I didn't really have anything to say, but here's the book on Goodreads and here's my profile.  Mark it as "to read" and then follow me, lol.

I read this book on Septermber 22, making me technically on track for that one day, lol.  I finished it before the August book I just posted about, but I didn't want to post out of order.

Would I recommend this book?  Sure!  It's a quick read but it's a good one, and I think it'd be at home in any library of children's books.

DYRC 19: August: Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure by Cecil Castelucci and Jason Frey

I am aware it is October.  Yes, I'm a little behind, lol.  Anyways, the DYRC theme for August was sci-fi, so I decided to read Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure, which was a book I got for free as a prize for finishing the library's summer reading challenge.  Now, it's debatable whether or not choosing a junior Star Wars novel is cheating, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.  On with the show.

I enjoyed this book.  It's a story that takes place between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and we follow a Leia who is dealing with a lot.  She's struggling with feelings of survivor's guilt and probably some PTSD... and she's incredibly worried about Han, who is at this point still frozen in carbonite.  Her characterization is true to the films, but very realistic and well rounded.  She plays well with the other characters that make up her team for this mission.  We don't get to know all of them as well as I would have liked, but they're written well enough that you can easily get attached.  The story is good and exciting, takes a lot of turns and I wouldn't call it predictable.  Plus the Phil Noto art is a really nice touch... I love his work. And because this book is a part of the Journey to The Force Awakens line of books and comics released to coincide with the release of Episode VII (my favorite modern Star Wars film), the epilogue ties into that movie beautifully and it made me happy.

Here's my Goodreads review.  Follow me there to see me add a bunch of children's books to my shelves and to read observations I think are pithy but are really tired.

I read this book between September 22 and October 19.  It only took me that long because I didn't get to dedicate a lot of time to it.  It's not super long and it's a pretty quick read.

Would I recommend this book?  To Star Wars fans only.  It's an enjoyable book, but it won't convert you into a fan if you aren't one already.

i'm only a million behind

I'm so determined to get caught up on my reading challenge, but I don't know when/if I will be able to.  Here's what I'm working on though:

August: (theme sci-fi) Moving Target
September: (theme nonfic) Burning Up
September: (theme fairytale) Aida (finished this one, just don't want to post it out of order)
October: (theme a book from another country) The Phantom of the Opera
October: (theme young adult) tbd YA book lol

Hoping to have August and September finished soon.  I hate being this far behind... I hate that having a full time job now prevents me from doing the most minor amount of reading.  Sigh...

fatigue

I've been feeling especially worn down lately.  Just from life, from stuff related to work, just... everything.  I've been going in to work at 6 am, which is just fucking awful, lol.  I'm supposed to get back to my normal hours next week (fingers crossed that for once something works out like work tells me it will), and hopefully things will be less uncomfortable for me. And maybe I'll be less unhappy.

Merry Misfits Book Club August: Harriet Tubman, Secret Agent by Thomas B. Allen

We're going to stick a pin in the fact that it's nearly the end of September and I'm only just finishing one of my August books.  I do not plan on addressing it later, lol... y'all already know.  I just had to mention it.  I know.  I'm sorry.  Anyways, the theme was non-fiction.  Nice and broad, easy to pick something interesting.  I saw this book, Harriet Tubman, Secret Agent: How Daring Slaves and Free Blacks Spied for the Union During the Civil War, and thought it looked really interesting. 

I liked this book quite a lot.  Short, well researched, interesting.  It's obviously a very important period of American history, so I was happy to see an honest but entertaining children's book about it.  Obviously it doesn't give completely in depth information about the events or about any of the historical figures it discusses, but it's a good introduction to the period... and it will hopefully inspire a young reader and budding history nerd to do further reading and research.  It would have for me as a kid.  But as it is, this book is informative and easy to digest.

Here's my Goodreads review.  Obligatory reminder that you can and should follow me there, lol.

I read this book between September 7th and September 21st.  Wouldn't have taken that long if I had had more time to dedicate to it.  I'd call it a fast read.

Would I recommend this book?  Sure, especially for someone who likes history... or someone who wants to like history but doesn't have a lot of background info yet.

Merry Misfits Book Club July: Sailor Moon Eternal Edition Vol. 4

So I didn't quite finish on time, but I was a lot closer this month than the last few, lol.  The theme for July was a sequel... which was great for me, because I've been reading these new translations of Naoko Takeuchi's Sailor Moon manga as soon as the library gets them in.  The most recent is  the fourth volume.

The fourth volume of Sailor Moon continues where the third left off.  Chibi-Usa is staying with Usagi and they're still learning to get to know one another.  I've been enjoying them very much... I unfortunately can't go into many details about this volume because I finished reading it a while ago and have since taken it back to the library.  Also spoilers, lol.  But as for the merits of the book, which I can go into, the art is gorgeous (especially the colorized pages) and the translation is really nice and reads very naturally.  I have the next volume here and I can't wait to read it!

Here's my goodreads review.

I read this book between July 24th and August 3rd (yes, over a month ago... see my previous post for an apology/explanation).

Would I recommend this book?  Do you love Sailor Moon and have you read the previous volumes?  If so, yes!  If not, maybe watch the anime and decide if you like the story enough to read the anime... and if so, start with volume 1.

where have i been?

I've been so busy with work, and when I wasn't at work I was too tired and/or depressed to write on this blog... my apologies.  This is why I didn't write about my second July book (despite finishing the book and beginning the post a waaaay long time ago) or even begin my first August book until yesterday (September 7th...).  They were basically requiring a bunch of overtime from all the employees, and that may well continue (or even get worse) with the coming new product releases.  So I just didn't have the mental energy for anything else, and I was basically miserable.  But hopefully these coming few days, at least, will be less... chaotic.  I'm. going to try and get the July book post up today and get some reading done on the first August book.  I may end up being behind on this reading challenge for the rest of the year... but I WILL finish.  And I'm going to try and do more "life" related posts too, since that's been a goal.  Ideally I'd post once a week at least on life things -- what I'm feeling, what I'm up to, maybe even a little creative writing from time to time -- and then the two book posts.  I might also post about hobbies or what have you.  I want the blog to be a snapshot of my life, and I think it's a good outlet... so I shouldn't just leave it until I'm like rushing out a book post.

never thought I'd get this far

Today is my birthday.  Today I am 31 years old!  Thirty-one.  It doesn't feel as weird as turning 30 did (which didn't feel as weird as turning 29 did... maybe I'm getting better at aging, lol).  My life is so drastically different now than it was last year, you'd think it would feel very different... But it doesn't really.  It is what it is.

so hot in herre and out therre and all around

It's been so hot recently that one can barely concentrate.  I don't always appreciate my job (because it's stressful and the customers suck) but I do appreciate that the building itself is air conditioned, unlike my house.  I worry when I'm out though, locking the house up... so hot for my pets.  What I'd really love to do is just... get out of here for a few days, go to like the beach or something, lol.  But no one would be here to take care of my animals.  And there's also the job thing.  Sigh... well, Summer won't last forever, I guess.

changes

One more book and then I'll be caught up!  And I'm actually like... on track to finish, I think, before the month ends.  Excited about that... this could potentially be the first time I finish both books for the month on time like all year, lol.  In other news, I'm no longer going to be doing the book log posts I had been doing for a while there.  I'm simply not reading anywhere near as much as I was when I started those, and I don't have the time to keep up with one more thing.  If those were actually of any interest to you, I'd encourage you (once again lol) to follow my Goodreads.  I'm pretty good about keeping track of what I'm reading on there.  Sometimes I post reviews too... different than just what I post here, lol.  I do want to do more non-book related posts, since this blog is meant to be about my life in general.  I don't know if anyone is reading this, but I do want to make this blog a cool space to read but still a good outlet for me.

DYRC 19 July: Crazy Cat Lady by Agnes Loonstra and Ester Scholten

The theme for July was humor.  I wanted something quick (since I've been so dreadfully behind in this challenge) and fun (since that fits the theme, lol, but also just fits what my stressed out ass needs).  I looked through the humor section of Goodreads and eventually settled on Crazy Cat Lady.

So this book honestly is kind of cheating for a reading challenge, because it's mostly pictures.  I'm counting it though because it IS in the humor category, and I did really enjoy it.  But it's full of fun art, cute trivia and relatable cat facts, and it has stickers in the back.  It's kind of like the type of book you'd get someone as a gift if you knew they liked cats but didn't know much else about them, lol, but it was still fun and enjoyable.

Here is my Goodreads review.  It doesn't say much because there isn't much to say.

I read this book on July 24th while I was at jury duty.  Lucky it was so short, because I ended up getting called into court with the first group of people and didn't have all day to sit and read, like I'd hoped, lol.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, but only to other crazy cat ladies, lol.

DYRC19/Merry Misfits Book Club June: Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson

This post is late too, I know.  I'm doing my best though!  June was a month where my two book challenge themes worked well together.  The theme for DYRC was a children's book. The theme for the Misfits was perfect Summer read.  Since I (and the rest of the tumblr) have been obsessed with the Moomins of late, I decided to go ahead and grab Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson.

So I wanted to start with the beginning of the Moomins, but this is actually the second book.  The first book, The Moomins and the Great Flood, was actually out of print in English for decades.  It is available now, but hasn't been for long... and the library didn't have a copy and I couldn't find a cheap used copy (or even a Kindle version).  A lot of more knowledgeable Moomin fans have said it's not the best introduction to the series and really more for the completionist fan anyways, so I just skipped on to the second book.  If I do go back and read this first one, however, I'll try and get a post up!

Anyways, I really enjoyed this book!  It was cute but it also had a lot of adventure and genuinely high stakes.  It was a good introduction to all of these characters.  The English translation doesn't feel weird or unnatural, as translations sometimes can.  The art is really cute and stylized.  It was just a really cozy book that made me feel warm all over.  Cute but not cutesy.

Here is my Goodreads review.  It's bare bones, to say the least, but it's there.

I read this book between June 18th and July 24th.  Yes, that is a long time.

Would I recommend this book? Yes!

DYRC 19 May: Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley

Addressing the elephant in the room, yes.  This is my May book and yes I'm making this post in July.  It be like that sometimes.  May's theme was history and biography, and that's a theme I typically enjoy.  History major, biography fan... and it didn't take long for me to pick a title.  Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley was a given.

This was a book I had wanted, and needed, to read for a while.  I like Lucy Worsley, and Jane Austen  is incredibly important to me, so I was very much looking forward to it.  I'm pleased to say it lived up to my excitement!  I learned a lot about an author I love... I feel like I know her better, understand her work better, and overall feel closer (so to speak) to Jane than ever.

Here is my Goodreads review.  It isn't much, and neither is this, but I think my enjoyment is evident.  Follow me on Goodreads, lol.

I read this book between May 19 and June 28.  Yes, that is over a month.  Yes, I finished quite late and it took a long time.  That wasn't due to the quality of the book.  Work keeps me busy and I don't have time to read much anymore... and I'm not happy about it.  But anyways, we made it.

Would I recommend this book?  Yes, especially if you're a history nerd or a big Austenite.

Merry Misfit's Book Club May: The Cowboy's Second Chance by Riley Knight

May's theme for the Merry Misfits Book Club was a niche genre, or one you don't usually go for.  I mentioned last year that I struggle with picking a genre I haven't really read, because my interests are very broad.  I thought I'd go ahead and read a western, but then I realized that that sounded less than fun.  Sooo... I put "gay western" into amazon and this was something that came up. #noragrets

I ripped through this book so fast... I enjoyed it a lot!  It was just super cute.  Parts of  it were rushed and predictable, but I never minded.  It was just a sweet little book... there was a lot of mutual pining and other fanfic-y tropes (I say that without a hint of derision because I love fanfic; I write fanfic so these trope get me right lol).  The characters were what I would call loveable idiots, and honestly I almost immediately went back and purchased the other book in this series after finishing this one.  You could call a book like this a guilty pleasure, but I'm not even that guilty, lol.  I enjoyed it, and there's nothing to feel guilty about with that!

Here's my goodreads review.  Not a lot of thoughts there, but I was the first review on this title... so that's something, lol.

I read this book between May 7th and May 9th.  Quick read, fun read I was eager to continue and finish.

Would I recommend this book to a friend?  I mean... if you're into smutty gay romance novels that have some very fanfic-y tropes, then yes.  If not, no.

DYRC19/Merry Misfits Book Club April: The Return of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Finally added up and worked out in my favor, lads.  I could use one book to satisfy both themes of my reading challenges!  The DYRC theme was comic/graphic novel and the Merry Misfits theme was a book that has been on your TBR pile too long.  Obviously this is a comic, and it's been on my TBR since before it came out in the states.

I really really enjoyed this.  The story behind this one is that these comics were released in the 1940s in Italy (two things I like) and just within the last year or two became available stateside in English. The art, by Romano Scarpa, is gorgeous.  It looks very true to the Disney movie but also very Golden Age kids' comics.  The stories themselves were simple and fun, and it was an overall fun read.  Nothing about this was dumbed down, but it was still a nice easy read.

Here's my goodreads review.  I produced actual thoughts... different than the ones here!  So follow me on goodreads.

I started reading this April 26th and finished it May 6th.  Yes, I am aware May 6th is not a part of April.  But I did finish!  I was just really busy.

Would I recommend this to a friend?  Definitely, if you're a Disney fan or you love Snow White.

DYRC19 March: The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives by Leonard Mlodinow

Yes, I'm well aware that not only is March over but April is nearly over as well, lol.  Shit happens.  I did finish the book though, uphill battle though it was, so let's get to it!

Soooooo.  The theme for March was Science and Technology.  I am not a science person, really (try as I might, that's not how my brain works), so I looked through goodreads for something that would fit the theme but also be kind of fun.  This book was described by a  lot of reviewers as  being humorous and irreverent in its approach to discussing statistics, probability, and randomness.  Would I agree with that assessment?  Yes and no.

There was nothing wrong, in my limited understanding, with the information in the book.  And it wasn't poorly delivered.  There wasn't anything wrong with the style.  But the fact that this is not a subject that interests me made this a hard book to get through.  It was good, but honestly not for me.

I didn't post a review to goodreads for this book, however you should just... follow me on goodreads anyways, lol.

I read this book between March 27th and April 26th.  Part of that was the fact that I've been busy with work and life, the other part of it is the fact that it's not really a book I was enjoying.

Would I recommend this book?  Unless this is a subject you really enjoy, no.

i'm trying dude

I'm not even halfway through my March book, lol.  I'm trying really hard though.  It's a little dry, so I'm reading slower... plus I don't have as much free time as I used to.  As it is, I come home and just... crash.  Even if I don't go to sleep (I honestly usually don't get to sleep until night no matter what time I have to get up) I just like... sit around with no energy, lol. I'll get used to my schedule and be a little more normal, I think.  Eventually.  I really want to manage to finish the March book and then get April knocked out too.

Merry Misfits Book Club: March: The Adventures of Mickey Mouse

Yes, I know it is already April.  Life has been kicking my ass, sue me, lol.  Anyways, the theme for March was a good book to read while it's raining.  I like that, nice and broad... but since I'm a dumbass, I saw the theme for another group's monthly discussion and got my wires crossed, so I spent most of the month thinking the theme was lore.  I was planning to read the first Percy Jackson book, even got a beautiful illustrated copy of it from the library, but since I didn't have time to get to it and it turned out not to be necessary for the theme (but I'll still make a post on it if I do get around to reading it... I really want to) I turned it back in to the library after not being able to renew it.  Just picked something else because improvising!  Anyways, as you all know, I love Disney.  On a whim, I bought a copy of The Adventures of Mickey Mouse for $4.  Somehow it became my March book, lol.

This is a 1978 reprint of a children's book from 1931.  I thought it was going to just be like a quick little story book, but it's over 100 pages (although there are illustrations on each one) because it actually combines three vintage story books in one, and the last one was a chapter book.  The Mickey in this book is very different from the character we see in more modern Mickey cartoons.  He's almost like a little farm boy, and he's very adventurous and enterprising.  It's kind of a cross between his depiction in the early black and white Mickey shorts and the way Floyd Gottfredson wrote him in the comics.  The most memorable thing about this book, though, is the charming art work.  That alone makes this worth the price of admission for any Disney fan.

My goodreads review this month is very brief but like... what more could I really say? Lol.  Just follow me on goodreads.

Started this book on March 31st and finished on April 1st.  Quick read.

Would I recommend this book?  If you're a Disney fan, sure.  Otherwise, probably not.  Actually, you need to be a Disney fan who likes kids books.

so about march...

You may have noticed I didn't post about either of my March books.  That is because March was a hell of a month.  I may have mentioned before that my mom was in the hospital... well, she ended up being transferred to a skilled nursing facility out of town.  I doubled my efforts in my job search and finally got hired somewhere, and I started training for the new job last week.  I've been going in at 6 AM (which is an hour so early it should be illegal), but I won't know my regular hours until I finish training.  The time between my mom going to the facility and me getting the job, I've spent that time trying to clean the place up and hopefully get it set up for when she comes home.  I don't know if she will come home... now that I'm going to be out of the house I don't know if I'll be able to get someone to come in and look after her when I'm not here.  It's a lot.  It's stressful.  Anyways, none of that is what I wanted to post about... I wanted to say that I didn't finish one of my March books because I was too busy, and the other book I just... didn't read it and picked something else at the last minute.  So I finished one this morning (and I'll post about it soon) and I'm gonna really try to get that other one read as soon as I can.  I'm trying, guys.  Life.................. chugs on.

DYRC19 February: Let's Talk About Love by Clare Kann

February's theme was a romance book.  Obviously that's broad and gives you a looooot of options, and in a way that makes it harder, doesn't it?  I didn't want to read about the typical straight white couple of your typical romance book.  I didn't want anything crazy sexual.  I wanted something that gave me the warm fuzzies!  So after poking around goodreads and reading a bunch of different online lists, I found Let's Talk About Love by Clare Kann.

I really liked this book, though I didn't love it as much as I expected to.  It was really good and well written, but there were certain parts that made me uncomfortable for personal reasons.  I think what happened is that I read the summary of this -- a biromantic asexual black girl named Alice meets this amazing guy while working at a library and they figure out the whole dating while ace thing together --  and it hit all the right buttons.  I hyped it up a little too much so it would have been hard to live up to that.  But I did like it!  The ending was perfect.

Here's my goodreads review.  Not a lot more in depth thoughts but you know... follow me on Goodreads lol.

I started this book February 22 and finished February 24.  Equal parts quick read and me having a lot of time on my hands, sitting at my mom's hospital bedside.

Would I recommend this book? Sure, it was a fun little read.

life

I did finish my February dyrc19 book, but I haven't had time to write my post about it. My mom is in the hospital, and things aren't looking good.  Docs aren't optimistic, unfortunately.  So I've been out at the hospital practically all day every day for the last eight days.  I have actually gotten a fair amount of reading done while sitting at her bedside, but I come home so fucking beat I usually will watch an episode of something, force myself to eat dinner (stress has killed my appetite) and then fall asleep and sleep poorly at that.  I do want to get that post up (since I actually did finish the book on time for once lol) but it may take me a while.

Merry Misfits Book Club: February: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The theme for February was a book that was made into a movie or show.  That gave me lots of options obviously, but I wanted one that I had seen and liked the movie, but never read the book.  Since I really adored A Little Princess when I read it last year, I decided to go for The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett's other very famous work.  (I know she wrote more than just these but I believe these are her most famous/lastingly popular.)  I do like the 1993 film a lot, so I was curious to see how similar it was to the book.

For the most part, I enjoyed this book.  The story itself is lovely, but there's a lot of racism and classism (and even some misogyny) that aren't fun to read, even in an old book.  What I hated most of all, though, was the Yorkshire dialect that many characters (all the lower class ones...) speak in.  There were times when I had to reread sentences to understand what the characters had said.  I think about how some parents won't let their kids read silly books like Captain Underpants because there are misspellings... I don't see why being a classic makes that okay.  (Not that I'm saying kids shouldn't be allowed to read this, that should be up to each parent... I just find the double standard gross.)  I sound pretty down on the book and I don't mean to, because I did like it!  Like I said, the story is lovely... the setting is so picturesque, the plot is so slice of life, the characters are oddly endearing.  Even though I didn't like it as much as A Little Princess (as or much as the 1993 movie, if I'm honest) I did still like it.

My goodreads review is here.  Not too many in depth thoughts there, but like... follow me on goodreads lol, I post lots of legit reviews.

I read this book between February 2 and February 21.  I know that's a long time.  Not a reflection of the quality of the book so much as a reflection on the quality of my attention span and non-existent motivation.

Would I recommend this book?  If you, like me and a lot of other people around my age, grew up with and loved the movie, yes.  It's definitely worth a shot.  And if you like classic children's stories, it's probably a must read.

if stress was the ocean

I would be drowning.  Actually, even now, when stress is just stress, and not a shitty overdone metaphor, I'm still drowning.  I'm also really sad.  And really angry a lot.  I hate it.  I'm trying so hard to be this Better Person, but I still have the emotionally instability and crappy life of the old, worse person.

DYRC19: January: Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron

So I apparently started this post like a whole ass month ago and then just? Abandoned it.  I don't know how that happened, lol.  Anyways...

The Diversify Your Reading theme for January was memoir or autobiography.  I sat and looked through the memoir section on Goodreads for ages because I couldn't think of anything in that genre I was dying to read.  There are quite a few on my list, but honestly a deciding factor was that I wanted something that was in my library branch, because I wanted to be able to grab it when I went in to the library the next day (after deciding to do the challenge).  I had been considering reading Dewey by Vicki Myron for a while because obviously I love libraries and cats and I enjoy a good memoir from time to time.  My only hesitation on grabbing it was the fact that I was pretty sure Dewey the cat wouldn't make it to the end.  But I decided that that shouldn't be enough to keep me from giving the book a shot, girded myself, and hopped in.

I enjoyed this book a lot.  I know a bunch of reviewers didn't care for how much the book was about Vicki Myron's life and the story of Spencer, Iowa, but it didn't bother me.  I felt like learning about who Vicki was and what the town was like painted a picture that helped me understand what Dewey meant to the town and how he became as important to everyone as he was.  And Dewey just seemed like a really sweet, wonderful cat.  There were a lot of sweet stories and lighthearted moments, but there were a lot of sad things too.  I experienced the whole range of emotions, lol.

Here's my goodreads review of this book... some other thoughts there.

I started reading this book January 19th and I finished on January 27th.  It's a fast read, but I was reading other things at the time.  I probably would have finished in 2-3 days if I hadn't been.

Would I recommend this to a friend? Cat lovers only, but yes.

Merry Misfits Book Club: January: Scrooge's Quest by Marv Wolfman

I'm doing two reading challenges this year.  One is the diversify your reading challenge, which I had previously posted about.  The other is in a facebook group I'm a part of.  I wasn't going to do posts like this for that second challenge, but then I realized I may as well.  Writing these is kind of fun and makes me think a little.  Anyways, lol...

January's theme was a book you were gifted over the holidays.  I didn't get a lot of books this time around, and I definitely picked this one out for myself, but it worked.  I read Scrooge's Quest, a Ducktales comic by Marv Wolfman and drawn by Cosme Quartieri.

This comic is a tie in to the 1987 Ducktales series, and it's really consistent in tone with that show.  It was a fun little adventure and honestly the art was gorgeous.  A lot of reviewers on Goodreads marked it down basically for not being Carl Bark, but it isn't trying to be.  It isn't claiming to be.  There's a lot of heart here and a lot of fun, even a few laughs.  I enjoyed it!  More thoughts here, in my Goodreads review.

I read this book between January 14th and 18th.  Quick read, but I wasn't spending a lot of time on it (because I was doing other things, not because I didn't want to).

Would I recommend this? If you like 1987 Ducktales and/or Duck comics, yes.  It's not Barks or Rosa, but that doesn't make it trash.

Thoughts

I've been in a bad, weird place mentally recently.  Just extra depressed.  I'm really tired of the way that I am, just always emotionally bland or very low.  It's gross and not cute, and I wouldn't want to spend time with me if I was someone else.  So.  It's not great.  I've been very stuck in this rut for a long time, and I'm scared I won't be able to get out.  But goddammit I'm trying.  I'm doing my best to keep my head up.  It doesn't show though, and I wish it did.  I feel like people around me look at me and see some bitch who is just content to be discontent, and that's not true.  I'm doing my best, but progress is discouragingly slow.  I'm so sorry to anyone that's been disappointed by me.

Diversify Your Reading Challenge 2019

Since I had fun with last year's reading challenge (12 meses, 12 libros) I've decided to do another one this year.  I decided to attempt the Diversify Your Reading Challenge!  I found it here on Mongan Moments, and the requirements are:

I grabbed a book for January while I was at the library yesterday.  I'm really excited to get started!

Book Log (Samhain to Yule)

I just used that title to make the post sound more interesting.  A little razzle dazzle because I read so little these last couple of months.  For various reasons.  But eh, you know.  We do what we can.  Anyways... As usual, comment below if you want to hear my thoughts on any of these titles.  Follow me on Goodreads for real time updates on what I'm reading and the occasional review.

You Are Special: Words of Wisdom from America's Most Beloved Neighbor by (Mister) Fred Rogers
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
Ghastly Gothic Mansions by Joyce L. Markovics
Ducktales comics vol 1, 2, and 3
Mickey and Donald's Christmas Parade #1-4
A Treasury of Mermaids: Mermaid Tales from Around the World by Shirley Climo
Super Sons Vol. 3
Black Lightning: In Cold Dead Hands

12 meses 12 libros: December: just... several Christmas themed comic books

Imma keep it real wit you, chief.  I did not complete the assignment.  However I can explain, lol.  December's theme was a book with illustrations, and I actually picked the book I planned to read right around the same time I picked my January read.  I was going to read Tales of Zorro, a short story collection I actually bought back in 2017 when I was working on my Zorro NaNo story.  But since I had so many other Zorro books (ones I bought and ones I checked out of the library) I didn't end up reading everything, and since this particular book has nice illustrations I thought it would be perfect for that category.  However I ended up being really stressed, depressed, and even sort of busy and occupied with other things.  So I read a handful of Christmas themed comic books in the week leading up to Christmas, and that was about all I finished in the month.  However, it added up to a couple hundred pages so... book?  Book.

So a lot of Disney comics and one Betty and Veronica, all Christmas themed.  That's Betty and Veronica Christmas Spectacular #1, Mickey and Donald Christmas Parade #1-4, Dell's Four Color Comic #178, and Uncle Scrooge #9 (from the current IDW series).

Because there were several titles here, I'll have to do this a little differently than I usually do these posts.  I did put brief reviews of some of them on Goodreads, but I read them all pretty quickly and didn't want to bombard all my friends with tons of comic book reviews in a row, lol.  I'll just give my brief thoughts.

The Betty and Veronica comic is super short, just a standard 22 page issue with several shorter stories.  I was thinking it'd be a longer collection, like the ones they have for Halloween in the Pep Digital line.  It was cute, but not worth the $3 comixology asks.

The Mickey and Donald Christmas Parade issues were all really fun. Some were better than others (the second was my favorite), but they're all worth reading, especially if you like comics and Disney.  And Christmas, obvs lol.

Four Color #178 and Uncle Scrooge #9 are an interesting back to back read.  The four color story is Scrooge's first appearance in a story called "Christmas on Bear Mountain."  (Fun fact: Uncle Scrooge was actually created for the comics, not the cartoons!)  Scrooge is more of a curmudgeon than he is later, but it's still a fun story and very historically significant for fans of Disney Duck comics.  I originally read this story in the Carl Barks collection just called Christmas in Bear Mountain, so this was the first time I read the back up story (which wasn't written by Barks, but it was weird and fun -- Mickey and Goofy got jobs at Santa's workshop and had to find a missing reindeer).  Uncle Scrooge #9 is a retelling of that story, sort of a what-if, told from Scrooge's POV.  I enjoyed both of these a lot.

I would recommend these comics for the next holiday season!  Also, since I feel bad about not finishing and reviewing that Zorro book like I planned, I will review it when I finally do finish it.  (I've read two of seventeen stories and will be reading other stuff for reading challenges I'm working on for the new year, so it may not be soon... but I WILL do it, because I am a dumb and determined bitch,  lol.)