On My Nightstand March 39, 2025

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I took a screen break last weekend so that I would have the mental energy to spread a bunch of mulch. Mission accomplished and now I’m back. I’ve been spending way too much time thinking about how I want to set up my outdoor reading spaces for summer, and the best way to plant the maximum number of vegetable seeds in my yard. These are good issues to have and are a good distraction from the real world going on all around us.

Quote of the week

“I’m comfortable being bored, and this can be a surprisingly rewarding skill-especially on a lazy D.C. summer night listening to a Nationals game slowly unfold on the radio.”
— Deep Work by Cal Newport

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - I Don’t Care If We Never Get Back by Ben Blatt and Eric Brewster - Baseball is back so of course I need to read a book about it!

Audiobook - The Wedding People by Alison Espach - Finally getting to this popular read. I like it so far, but am not wowed.

Paper Book - Extraordinary Insects by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson - The idea of reading this in the yard in between gardening sessions really appeals to me.

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

Note: Links to bookstore.org are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

Walking Wednesday March 19, 2025

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March 19th already! How did that happen? I love this time of year when the sun comes out and billions of flowers just appear where there was just brown dirt the day before. I’m enjoying it before summer comes and it feels like walking through soup!

This week’s audiobook is Ten Birds That Changed The World by Stephen Moss. This is the book that finally got me to upgrade to Everand Premium so I hope it’s worth it!

Note: links to bookshop.org are affiliate links. Thanks for your support.

REVIEW: The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry

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There's a little bit of mystery, romance, and magical realism in this historical fiction. This fictionalized account of a true story takes us from the coastal rivers of South Carolina to the toxic fog of post-war London, and to Beatrix Potter's Cumbria. With a strong sense of time and place the book starts with a phone call about papers Clara's mother had left in the hands of Charlie's recently deceased father. Together they try to figure out the mystery that impacts both of their families. This was a great read that took my mind away on a stormy day.

A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Views are my own.

On My Nightstand March 15, 2025

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I always forget what this time of year is like. It’s a lot of fun, but it seems like once March rolls around there’s someplace to be every minute of the day. Also all of those places require me to bring food and a financial contribution of at least $10. It’s like Christmas all over again except it lasts 3 months and there’s no presents at the end. At least it stays light later so I can read at night on the porch.

Have a great week everyone!

Quote of the Week:

“What was it all for? Furlong wondered. The work and the constant worry. Getting up in the dark and going to the yard, making deliveries, one after another, the whole day long, then coming home in the dark and trying to wash the black off himself and sitting into a dinner at the table and falling asleep before waking in the dark to meet a version of the same thing, yet again.”
— Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - This Way To Murder by Shelley Shearer - I bought this way back when it was first reviewed and I am finally getting around to it. So far it’s light and fun- just what I needed.

Audiobook - Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo - I’m reading this for Author A Month on Litsy and it is so fun! I love it when reading challenges lead me to something I would have never found on my own.

In Print - Star of the Sea by Joseph O’Connor - I’m reading this one all month long. Last week’s chapters just started getting really engrossing so I can’t wait to turn back to it.

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

Note: Links to bookstore.org are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

Lunch and a Book Week 3

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This week’s lunch was a kind of throw together minestrone soup. I simmered carrots, potatoes, chickpeas, and kale in a couple of cans of diced tomatoes and some veggie broth. About 45 minutes before we ate I threw in some pasta shells to thicken it up. We had this for Sunday dinner with rolls, and then I ate it for lunch all week with crackers. Winter isn’t over yet so it was nice to have a hot lunch this week!

Show Us Your Books March 2025

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February wasn’t the best reading month, but there were a few gems. I was distracted, and the book club books I was reading were kind of blah.

Five Star Reads

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler - It really is amazing how close to reality this book is. I’ve read it before but I was glad to read it again.

Four Star Reads

Never Panic Early by Fred Haise - If you‘re reading this for insights on the Apollo 13 mission don’t. However if you want fun stories about astronaut training from a guy with a laid back attitude this is worth a read. I loved the stories about the different places they traveled to study geology before going to the moon. I also appreciated his thoughts about climate change at the end too.

Tuesday Evenings With The Copeton Craft Resistance by Kate Solly - A group of crochet enthusiasts get together to craft, fight racism, and support each other in Australia. I needed something straightforward with a happy ending.

Book Censor’s Library by Bothayna Al-Essa - A short book in translation about book censorship. It gets a pick from me, but I’m glad it was short because it’s all just been a lot lately.

That’s it for February. So far I’m liking my March reading a lot better!

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Walking Wednesday March 12, 2025

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From ice to flowers. Welcome to March! Time is flying like usual but it’s lighter out at night when I go for my walks. Hooray!

I’m about to start Fire Weather by John Vaillant. A tough topic, but it’s important to know about. This is one of the 52 non-fiction books I want to read this year. I think it’s #4 from my list so I better get going!

Note: links to bookshop.org are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

On My Nightstand March 7, 2025

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It’s going to be another weekend of audio gardening when I can in between sports games and volunteering. I love this time of year but there are so many jobs to be done! For example do I dare take out my spring clothes and put away my sweaters? DC area weather always makes it so that whatever choice I make will be the wrong one.

Have a great week everyone!

Quote of the Week:

“My drink was wet and depressing. Each time I took another sip it tasted more and more like dead water.”
— The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - Deep Work by Cal Newport - I waited so long to read this it’s a little dated now. (Instant messaging - it’s not just for teens any more!) Still I’m hoping I get something out of it.

Audiobook - Untamed by Will Harlan - I fell in love with Cumberland Island in Georgia when I visited last year, so I was excited to read this book about a woman who lived there.

In Print - Star of the Sea by Joseph O’Connor - Nothing says March like an Irish famine buddy read! We’ll be reading this all month.

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

Note: Links to bookstore.org are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

REVIEW: The vanishing Kind by Alice Henderson

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I adore this series. Yes the story lines are pretty far-fetched (I hope!) but reading about the adventures of Alex Carter while she works in the continent's most beautiful spots is so fun. In this installment Alex is in New Mexico tracking jaguars that come across the Mexican border. She meets all sorts of neighbors both good and bad along the way of course. I read this mostly in one sitting because I couldn't wait to see what would happen next!

This book comes out March 4th, and would be perfect for spring break reading!

An electronic copy of this book was provided by Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

On My Nightstand March 1, 2025

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Just a quick check in this weekend because I want to get out to my garden. It’s time to plant the peas!

Have a great week everyone!

Quote of the Week:

“[H]istory is personal, even when it isn’t.”
— The History of Sound by Ben Shattuck

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - The Vanishing Kind by Alice Henderson - This ARC comes out Tuesday so I need to get moving! Luckily Alice Henderson’s books are never a burden.

Audiobook - The History of Sound by Ben Shattuck - I am absolutely loving this beautiful book. What a gift.

In Print - Love and Death in Kathmandu by Amy Willesee and Mark Whittaker - Almost done with this one! It’s good but only in small doses.

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

Note: Links to bookstore.org are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

Lunch and a Book Week 1

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With grocery prices rising by the hour (or so it seems) I wanted to start sharing some of my lunch meal prep practices. Having lunch made for the week saves me time and money, and keeps me from eating chips or poptarts instead of a meal. Sometimes this will look like recipes from one of my many cookbooks and sometimes this will look like a bunch of stuff I threw together.

This week was definitely a throw together week. I love salads for lunch, so I make those a lot. They keep well for the week in a closed container, but I don’t add cheese, dressing, or croutons until the last minute.

This week’s salad was mixed greens, leftover roasted asparagus, chopped apple, about a cup of leftover pasta shells, goat cheese, vinaigrette from Aldi, and some of the microgreens I grow in my kitchen. I got a package of seeds from the dollar store and they are growing well!

The bonus to having my lunch already made is I get to spend my whole break reading and walking instead of scrounging for food!

My March 2025 TBR

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February Beginning TBR: 459
February Ending TBR: 457

Walking Wednesday March 5, 2025

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Spring is on the way now! It’s been such a joy getting out on these beautiful days. Most walks are still in the dark, but I’ve been sneaking out here and there to see the flowers starting to pop up.

I’m still loving The History of Sound. It’s so good!

Note: links to bookstore.org are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

REVIEW: Show Don't Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld

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This collection of short stories was classic Sittenfeld. If you read Prep fifteen years ago and loved it read this collection. I'm usually not the biggest fan of short stories, but these ones were so well crafted I didn't even mind. I was so happy for the nostalgia of the Prep follow up at the end too. This was a lot of fun.

Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld is coming out on Feb. 25, 2025. I received an uncorrected proof from the publisher and Net Galley. All opinions are my own.

REVIEW: The Other March Sisters by Linda Epstein, Ally Malinenko, and Liz Parker

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The Other March Sisters by Linda Epstein, Ally Malinenko, and Liz Parker available February 25, 2025

I didn't read Little Women until I was in my 20's, and when I finally did I didn't have the same rose colored glasses towards the March parents that I might have if I had read it as a child. Some people might find the treatment Marmee and Jo got in this book as harsh, but I appreciated the authors' perspectives on the dynamics of the March family. Told from the points of view of the non-Jo sisters this book gave more insight into the motivations of Amy, Beth, and Meg. I especially enjoyed the chapters about Meg and her garden.

From the publisher:

Four sisters, each as different as can be. Through the eyes and words of Jo, their characters and destinies became known to millions. Meg, pretty and conventional. Jo, stubborn, tomboyish, and ambitious. Beth, shy and good-natured, a mortal angel readily accepting her fate. And Amy, elegant, frivolous, and shallow. But Jo, for all her insight, could not always know what was in her sisters’ thoughts, or in their hearts.

With Jo away in New York to pursue her literary ambitions, Meg, Beth, and Amy follow their own paths. Meg, newly married with young twins, struggles to find the contentment that Marmee assured her would come with domesticity. Unhappy and unfulfilled, she turns to her garden, finding there not just a hobby but a calling that will allow her to help other women in turn.

Beth knows her time is limited. Still, part of her longs to break out of her suffocating cocoon at home, however briefly. A new acquaintance turns into something more, offering unexpected, quiet joy.

Amy, traveling in Europe while she pursues her goal of becoming an artist, is keenly aware of the expectation that she will save the family by marrying well. Through the course of her journey, she discovers how she can remain true to herself, true to her art, and true to the love that was always meant to be.

Purposefully leaving Jo off the page, authors Liz Parker, Ally Malinenko, and Linda Epstein draw inspiration from Alcott’s real-life sisters, giving the other March women room to reveal themselves through conversations, private correspondence, and intimate moments—coming alive in ways that might surprise even daring, unconventional Jo.

A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Opinions are my own.

On My Nightstand February 22, 2025

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Last week was a whirlwind. I was in Lancaster, PA with my daughter for a tournament all weekend, then we came home and I helped my son get ready for his junior retreat. In the middle of all that the dishwasher sprung a leak and our kitchen flooded. Plus they want me to work. Needless to say this is a catch up weekend including reading. I am due some couch/tea/cat time!

Have a great week everyone!

Quote of the Week:

“You’re not cut out for a pleasant, easy life. You think too much!”
— Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - Dead With The Wind by Miranda James - Another one for book club. Not the best books around, but they’re quick and easy reads.

Audiobook - Wonton Terror by Vivien Chien - This series about a noodle shop in Ohio is so fun. I realized I had skipped the 4th book so I went back before the new one comes out this spring.

In Print - Love and Death in Kathmandu by Amy Willesee and Mark Whittaker - Still making my way through this one, and hoping to finish by the end of the month. It’s a good but, but by the end of these busy days I can’t stay awake for long. Most of my daytime reading is on my kindle since I’m on the go. Getting in actual hardcover books is getting harder and harder these days.

my cat when i do find time to read a hardcover- oh were you doing something?

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

On My Nightstand February 15, 2025

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Hi readers! I have been binge reading all sorts of short stories. I never used to be a short story person, but this year they seem to be agreeing with me.

We had snow off and on all week. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a real winter. It makes spring feel even more special when it comes don’t you think?

Quote of the Week:

“There is no end
To what a living world
Will demand of you.”
— Octavia E. Butler, Parable of the Sower

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - Night Shift by Stephen King - These stories are intense! It’s fun though to read some of King’s early short stories and see where he starts playing with ideas for his later doorstop epics.

Audiobook - The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler - A re-read for a book club. The parallels of this book and today’s news give me the chills. This is free if you have an audible account.

In Print - Love and Death in Kathmandu by Amy Willesee and Mark Whittaker - This one started slow, but is beginning to pick up. The history of Nepal is really interesting.

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

Note: Links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

Show Us Your Books February 2025

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I did not exactly start my reading year off with a bang, but I did manage to squeeze some good books in. Here’s the best of the best from January.

Five Star Reads:

Becoming a Matriarch by Helen Knott - A great and powerful book about dealing with grief and what we are to others.

Mina’s Matchbox by Yoko Ogawa - I loved this book. I was expecting something like The Memory Police, but instead I got a coming of age story about a girl who goes to live with wealthy relatives for a year. Written in a light way even though it touches on some dark topics, this book was easy to read and perfect for cold winter mornings when you just can’t face getting up yet.

Four Star Reads:

What The Wild Sea Can Be by Helen Scales -
I loved this well researched audiobook. The author read it herself and you can hear the emotion in her voice when she talks about the ocean. I grew up near the coast in Massachusetts and this made me so homesick. Must get back to see the ocean soon.

Someone Like Us by Dinaw Mengestu - This was my most anticipated Tournament Of Books title. I live in a city in Virginia with a large Ethiopian population so I thought I would learn more about my new neighbors. Haha no. That’s not at all what this was. This was a fever dream that jumped all over the place and I’m not even sure what happened to be honest. I’m not mad. Just confused. Still a pick, but don’t ask me any questions.

The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden - I thought this was one thing, then it wasn’t, then it was again but in a completely different way. That probably doesn’t make sense if you haven’t read it but I don’t want to spoil it for you.

Help Wanted by Adelle Waldman - This was my first read of the year, and I loved it! It seemed so true to me- working a job with very little power doing what you can to create any change at all. Highly recommend.