Instead of participating in the Monthly Rewind meme, every three months I’ll update the world on my life from the previous season. Enjoy the Seasonal Rewind!
Through the Lens
I fell down the Book Outlet Black Friday hole and managed to snag some books cheap. Gotta love those sales upon sales! Shortly before Thanksgiving, my friend Amanda (the one whose wedding was featured in my summer post) was able to announce the gender of her baby! IT’S A GIRL! And finally, a wonderful gift from my parents: a signed edition of Outlander.
Life Highlights
SEEING BRITISH BEAU FOR CHRISTMAS.
We were disgustingly adorable and I miss him gigantic amounts.
But it’ll be okay because SUMMER ROAD TRIP.
(Can you tell my emotions have been all over the place?)
Tunes on Repeat
This season was all about Christmas music — and not your usual pop tunes like Sleigh Ride or All I Want For Christmas. Most of the music were choral pieces and carols. Rather than list all the songs on here, the two I played the most (one Christmasy, one not) were…
Adele’s “Send My Love” is just a fun, weird, dance kind of tune. Not quite like Adele’s usual stuff, and if that makes it more pop than anything else, fine. I don’t care. I enjoyed it immensely.
And Nutcracker “Act 1 Scene 6 (The Magic Spell Begins)” is just…yes. I love this. The music across this transitional scene is so varied and wonderful and tells a story on its own. And what’s great about this scene is that there’s typically very little dancing on stage. All lighting and props and music telling the story.
Bookmarked in the Community
- I Value My Time @ Perpetual Page-Turner — Jamie talked about her struggle to DNF, and whether or not it’s okay to DNF. While I’m on the side of “DNF if you’re just plain not into it,” she presented some great points about valuing time (DNF) and waiting to see if you strike gold (reading to the end).
- Inside Out #17: Laura from Scribbles & Wanderlust @ Boomark Lit — Lauren hosts this awesome book cover + bookmark feature on her blog and lets guest bloggers gush over their favorite cover designs and bookmarks. Check out my guest post!
- Is Twitter Replacing Blog Interaction? @ The Fox’s Hideaway — I stumbled across Holly’s post and it resonated with me (and many other bloggers, it seems). Bloggers are writing up posts and reviews and sharing links on Twitter, and while the blog may receive traffic, somehow, someway, the comments are next to nothing on the blog but quite high on Twitter. I noticed in the #back2basicsblogging hashtag on Twitter mentioned a lot of personal goals for 2016 to comment on blogs more than replying to tweets. Perhaps there will be a change?
- Recovering From Blogging Blues @ So Obsessed With — Well, now we all know one of the main reasons for Hannah’s blogging blues (yay bundles of joy!), but her post was still universal for many bloggers this summer/autumn. So many of us felt a little burnt out in blogging or reading, and Hannah’s post sums things up quite nicely.
- Home For the Holidays with Lindsey from A Bookish Sinister Kid @ What Sarah Read — Sarah hosts a cute holiday feature each day of December, and this particular post from Lindsey was my favorite: a Holiday Musical Playlist!
Popular Posts on Scribbles
- Book Buying Habits — Similar to Jamie’s post linked above, I expressed confusion on what I should buy, how, when, and why. You guys seemed to connect to that, too!
- Thankful For…in 2015 — This Thanksgiving-themed post linked some of the things I’m thankful for this year, and the books that best represent what I’m thankful for.
- Top Five Books of 2015 — Well, no surprise there. We love our Top Fives, don’t we? (Do you have Top Tens? Fifteens?)
- Book Review: “The Lake House” by Kate Morton (ARC) — I am so happy this review was a popular one! Kate Morton is amazing, and it was so much fun to read this book with the #KMflails ladies!
Cherished Reads
A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis ★★★★★
Velvet Undercover by Teri Brown ★★★★★
Into the Dim by Janet B. Taylor ★★★★★ (review to come!)
Cherished Quotes
“There is more to you than beauty. There is more to you than strength.
There is more to you than intelligence. You are a whole person,
and I would have you treat yourself as such.”
–A Madness So Discreet, by Mindy McGinnis
Safety of any kind is just an illusion.
—Velvet Undercover, by Teri Brown
Progress Update on Reading Challenges
Library Books: 6 / 10
Odditorium || The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency || Emma
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? || The Girl With the Glass Bird
Murder is Bad Manners
#ReRead2015: 3 / 10
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire || Fangirl
Anna and the French Kiss
Overall Challenge: 66 / 60
Random Obsessions
On TV: What started off as “I’ll just watch the Thanksgiving episodes” turned into marathoning FRIENDS again. I just wasn’t ready to start watching a new TV show this season. My Netflix is all queued up with some great stuff, so hopefully a new show will crop up next season.
On Film: The Age of Adaline is todiefor. I could watch that over and over again. Super huge thanks to Hannah for the recommendation!
In the Shopping Bag: Etsy and Redbubble, for my Secret Santa and British Beau. I’ve recently added the Target Cartwheel app and the Starbucks app. Discounts abound!
Miscellaneous: Harry Potter Ambience! Seriously, if you want to add a little Hogwarts magic in the background of your working day, check this out. I’ve also fallen into the crazy cat lady hole with a lot of you bloggers and downloaded the Neko Atsume cat app. Guys, it was a great day when I could remodel their little home.
Looking Towards the Future
I am looking forward to a quiet January after a wild December, a snowy but lovely February with an international Valentine’s Day, and my a-little-beyond-mid-20s birthday in March! Low-key winter. Just what the doctor ordered!
What have you been up to this season / this month? Any new obsessions or good reads or great music? Share some of your favorites here, and let me know if I should check out any great blog posts!
