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An extra day of rest
Exhaustion hit me so hard this weekend, and with it came the kind of headache that causes vertigo and nausea. Ugh. So I’m home today, alternating between sleeping and watching baking shows depending on what how I’m feeling will allow. It’s baffling to me that this time of year always does this to me. Perhaps I need to not summer so hard, hahaha. Either way, at least I know when it’s time to take a step back and give myself an extra day of rest. I don’t really have a lot to report since the last time I wrote. I’ve…
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Can’t Wait Wednesday: The Fox and the Devil
Happy Wednesday friends! If you’ve made it this far, just know that you’re doing amazingly well! I know the world can feel pretty heavy lately. So I’ve taken to marking every Wednesday as an accomplishment. I survived the first half of the week, how about that? My book choice this week was actually sent to me as a review copy by Del Rey (thank you!) and I immediately fell in love. I mean… look at this COVER. If that didn’t already convince you, take a good look at the synopsis because that’s what really sold me on reading this. I…
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Book Review: The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig
A group of friends investigates the mystery of a strange staircase in the woods. While on a camping trip, five high-schoolers bound by an oath to always protect one another discover something in the middle of the forest: a mysterious staircase to nowhere. One friend climbs up but does not come back down. Then the staircase disappears. Twenty years later it reappears, and the friends return to find the lost boy—and what lies beyond the staircase.
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The dregs of summer
Summer is barely holding on here in So Cal. We went through a few weeks of really gorgeous, cool, overcast weather and now the daytime temps are up a bit again. It’ll pass though, and I’m trying to enjoy all of it while it lasts. There’s something to be said for a warm afternoon that isn’t melting hot, so that you can take a walk for lunch at work. Plus, if I’m being honest, I’m basically a houseplant. I need sunshine to function. I talked last week about how much better my mental health has been lately, and it’s honestly…
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Book Review: My Life As An Internet Novel (Volume 1)
What happens when you're thrown into a fictional world...not as the main character, but as the main character's best friend? This Korean manhwa puts a twist on romance and proves that falling in love is more than just a trope. Every internet novel has the usual cast: a gorgeous heroine, handsome boys vying for her attention, and a unremarkable best friend at the heroine’s side. Dani, an ordinary student and avid reader, is all too familiar with these tropes. But she never imagined that one day she’d wake up in one herself! But how did she get here? Her new…
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As cooler weather approaches, life is good.
Last time I posted, I mentioned how rough it has been to balance mental health in today’s world. That still, unfortunately, stands true. Still things have slowly been getting a little easier, bit by bit. Mainly because I’ve been disconnecting as much when time allows. Ditching my phone, in favor of reading on the couch. Spending a Saturday with a best friend, where we just watch movies and hang out together. Basically I’m planning out little bits of joy to keep myself going. And it’s working! Anime has always been one of my favorite escapes, but especially lately! So many…
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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (9/29/25)
Happy Monday bookish people! This morning started with a doctor’s visit and some updated vaccines, so I’m feeling a bit sluggish today. I’m at home though, so I’m able to work from my bed and drink plenty of tea. So it’s all good! I actually had a really relaxing weekend, with ample time to read books. As the weather cools down, I become more and more myself. Want to see what I’ve been reading? Let’s go! Read Last Week: After having Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson on my shelf since approximately 6 months before it actually released, I finally read…
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Book Review: Heartwood by Amity Gage
Heartwood takes you on a journey as a search and rescue team race against time when an experienced hiker mysteriously disappears on the Appalachian Trail in Maine. In the heart of the Maine woods, an experienced Appalachian Trail hiker goes missing. She is forty-two-year-old Valerie Gillis, who has vanished 200 miles from her final destination. Alone in the wilderness, Valerie pours her thoughts into fractured, poetic letters to her mother as she battles the elements and struggles to keep hoping. At the heart of the investigation is Beverly, the determined Maine State Game Warden tasked with finding Valerie, who leads…
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Top Ten Tuesday: Books On My Fall 2025 To-Read List
Hello friends, and happy Tuesday! I’ve been excited about this prompt since I saw it a few weeks ago, because Fall is my heaviest reading season. Things settle down, the weather cools, and it’s finally nice enough to throw open the windows and cozy up underneath a blanket to read. I simply can’t wait to dive into my spooky season reading! (Clicking the covers will take you to the GR pages.) Books on My Fall 2025 To-Read List I’ve been meaning to reread this short story collection for a while, if I’m being honest. It’s one of those that has…
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Attempts at Some Calm
Oh man friends, oh man. If you’ve been around here for any length of time you probably know that last year I was battling with my mental health pretty dang hard. That was a rough go, but I learned a lot of really healthy coping mechanisms and also was actually able to get really in touch with my emotions. Which was exhausting, but so nice. As this year has progressed though, I’m having to pull out those coping mechanisms more and more often. If you live the US right now, specifically in a big city like I do, I’m pretty…
