Bookish -and not so bookish- Thoughts

Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. share exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things they’ve encountered during the week, etc.).

1. Potty training is going much better than anticipated. He has had almost no accidents over the last few days and even chose to pee standing up a couple of times. (Our apartment has a really tall toilet so this isn't really an option at home right now.) O_O

2. My son went into my room to look for video games (even though I had told him no) and found one of his gifts. A Kirby plush. *sigh* Ended up deciding to give an unwrapped present to my daughter to be fair. Normally I wrap the gifts as they come in, but the kids have been having a huge rivalry this year so I optioned to wrap gifts evenly. Kirby was not wrapped because I am making a Prince Fluff (Kirby's Epic Yarn character) for him (he wants one even though they do not exist) and I was trying to make them the same size. D:
---The older I get, the more I see why my parents had the rule that we were not allowed in their room without express permission.

3. I still have some shopping to do. My anxiety is up. My father in law gave us a check to pick out our own gifts and my husband insisted on going out yesterday to do it. We went early(ish) and it was still very crowded. DX
My husband has to finish up some shopping and I'm trying to pawn it off on him (I'm done for him).
Normally I'd go the amazon route, but the stuff is DRASTICALLY cheaper in stores.

4. Made the decision to just give a couple of the nieces/nephews cash. I'm tired of guessing and, I'll be honest, a couple of them are spoiled and will turn their nose up at gifts if they aren't up to their standards. The parents don't even bother to correct this behavior. A friend made the comment to me a while ago that she started doing gift cards/cash after a certain age and has not looked back.

5. Discovered that one of books on my wishlist is Kindle only. Bleh. They do have physical copies as an option, but I am anti-books-only-on-one-platform and refuse to buy them.

.~*Until next time!

Book Blogger Hop: Dec 15 - 21

Book Blogger Hop

Which book(s) would you like Santa to bring you this year? Maria @A Night's Dream of Books

Bookish (and not so bookish!) Thoughts

Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. share exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things they’ve encountered during the week, etc.).

1. Attempting to hard potty train my son this week. That sounds weird, but I don't know how else to describe it. My husband and I are a little more laid back. My daughter kind of potty trained herself when she was three. Very few accidents. (Like 3 or 4 TOTAL!). My son, however, is almost 5. It's been going better than I expected. Day 1 was ROUGH. Day 2 was better, but I had to spend all day watching him super closely because he couldn't tell when he had to go. Day 3, there was only one accident. Day 4... well, that remains to be seen. O_O

2. Finished my wreath. I half wonder if I shouldn't have added some pine needles and pine cones, but I'm happy with it.

I really need to get a good picture of it on the door.
3. My wedding anniversary is tomorrow. 12 years.

.~*Until next time. -Shannon

My Favorite .. Christmas Movie

My Favorite.. is a weekly meme hosted by Maureen’s Books. In this meme we share every week something we love with each other. Because let’s face it.. The world can be a dark place and it’s time to share something positive. For more info: My Favorite Meme.

This week's topic: Christmas Movie 

Okay, it's kind of a top three thing. I do actually have more that I like, but these ones are my favorite. (I love Christmas movies!)

A Christmas Story... I expect this one will be up a lot.

Babes in Toyland is a more obscure one. I tend to associate this one more with summer because I went to my grandparents every year and we always watched this one at least once, but it is a Christmas movie! Unfortunately, this was a TV movie and was only released on VHS. There are a few decent versions up on youtube you can stream. There just isn't a huge demand for this one. It does feature a tween Drew Barrymore and pre-Bill and Ted Keanu Reeves, so it's worth a look if you haven't seen it.


Admittedly, Jingle All the Way is pretty terrible. It's a movie that only could have been made in the 90s and needs to remain there. This was the only Christmas movie we owned for YEARS. We didn't have a lot of tapes, so this one made it into the rotation and into my heart.

Tell Me Something Tuesday

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion created by Rainy Day Ramblings.

Book Disappointments of 2017

Tender Wings of Desire - Colonel Sanders

This book was really more of a joke, but I expected more.

I was hoping for something silly and tongue in cheek. Instead it was a very boring, bland, and run of the mill historical romance.

The Last Neanderthal - Claire Cameron

Don't get me wrong. I liked this one. (Review here)

Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to the hype surrounding it. The modern portions of the book feel really flat and didn't parallel in the way I believe they were intended.

The Tethered Mage - Melissa Caruso

Full disclosure, I have not finished this one. I am enjoying it, but it was not what I hoped.

The title and summary give the impression that this a character driven novel focusing on a complicated relationship. Instead it's more focused on the politics taking place in its world. I don't always mind that stuff, but I find it less interesting than exploring the relationship between the main character and the mage she has enslaved.

My (not so) Perfect Life - Sophie Kinsella

This post contains affiliate links.

Summary (from amazon):
Everywhere Katie Brenner looks, someone else is living the life she longs for, particularly her boss, Demeter Farlowe. Demeter is brilliant and creative, lives with her perfect family in a posh townhouse, and wears the coolest clothes. Katie’s life, meanwhile, is a daily struggle—from her dismal rental to her oddball flatmates to the tense office politics she’s trying to negotiate. No wonder Katie takes refuge in not-quite-true Instagram posts, especially as she's desperate to make her dad proud.

Then, just as she’s finding her feet—not to mention a possible new romance—the worst happens. Demeter fires Katie. Shattered but determined to stay positive, Katie retreats to her family’s farm in Somerset to help them set up a vacation business. London has never seemed so far away—until Demeter unexpectedly turns up as a guest. Secrets are spilled and relationships rejiggered, and as the stakes for Katie’s future get higher, she must question her own assumptions about what makes for a truly meaningful life.

.~*.*~.~*.*~.~*.*~.~*.*~.~*.*~.~*.*~.

Edition Read: Local library via Overdrive

Where (else) to buy: kobo*, google play, amazon*, nook*

Thoughts:
Sophie Kinsella is hit or miss for me. I either love it or hate it.

And... I loved this one.

I wasn't sure what I was expecting walking into this one (especially considering the last three I've read), but it had the right balance of lightness and realism. It didn't feel like your average, everyday chick lit. (Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it was unexpected.)

Rest assured, you still get the same silliness with some eccentric characters and alliterative names Kinsella is known for. It's just more subdued.

Verdict:

Kinsella delivers her trademark fluffy, feel-good romp that digs a little deeper and feels fresh.

Quibbles:
I read the US version. They kept a lot of UK slang, but used the US "bangs" for her hair. It just seemed weird to keep most everything else, but somehow we needed "fringe" translated. ??!?
Dear editors ... It's 2017, UK shows are more popular over here than ever! Not to mention a little thing called.... THE INTERNET!! (I literally googled "what is a west country accent" because I wasn't sure what it was.) Please trust us to be smarter than you think.



*This is an affiliate link

Book Blogger Hop: Dec 1st - 7th

Book Blogger Hop

What is your favourite Christmas-themed read? Kristin @Lukten av Trykksverte

I don't have a specific "Christmas" read that I like. I want one, but I've never really found one.

However...
I do have some books I like to read in December!