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  • Category: This Season’s Rewind

    • Flipping Through the Pages: Winter Rewind 2020

      Posted at 10:48 am by Laura, on April 4, 2020

      The life in words . . .

      A few months ago I talked about how excited I was to go on our honeymoon, how lots of cool things were coming my way in 2020, that I’m super swamped and busy and don’t really have time to process it all…

      And then this thing *waves vaguely out the window* hit and…yeah. Honeymoon was basically canceled for us (airline restrictions and bans changed each day so we got a refund/future bookings option, hotels canceled and refunded), to be rescheduled for next spring. Some really cool things that were going to happen this month have also been pushed back and delayed. And I’m still busy, but it’s a different kind.

      Last month I talked about my journey to minimize tech, particularly with social media. I laugh about it now because I could not be more connected! I went from ~1 hour a day on my phone screen to ~4 hours on weekdays and ~6 hours on weekends, and my laptop is no longer just for work but also for Zoom for myself and my husband to keep in touch with family and friends. My phone isn’t just for texting and occasional scrolling, but for calls, listening to audiobooks on OverDrive/Libby and Hoopla, and reading the news. I even resurrected my tablet to download library apps and listen to/read books via OverDrive/Libby and Hoopla.

      Apart from increased tech and grocery shopping with homemade masks, my life has remained relatively unchanged. I already worked from home for the most part, I didn’t really enjoy going out and being around people anyway. I’m definitely craving hugs from friends and my parents, which is the hardest, absolute hardest, thing right now. I’m thankful for my husband and my cat.

      . . . and in images.

      Screen Shot 2020-04-04 at 11.08.46 AM
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      Screen Shot 2020-04-04 at 11.09.37 AM

      But good things did happen January through March! KayLynn Flanders‘s debut YA fantasy Shielded appeared on my doorstep in galley form! (You can find it on NetGalley and EW+!) I also celebrated my 30th birthday with a birthday Starbucks drink, a fresh hair cut, and halting my book buying limitations for one day!

      On the Radar

      Netflix / Prime / Hulu / Disney+: I finished my Parks & Rec binge and decided to tap into Schitt’s Creek. I have not looked back! Oh my gosh, why did I miss out on this show?! Same goes for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. I’m halfway through season 2 and thoroughly enjoying it. I also watched Mandalorian and Witcher, and finally saw Togo on Disney+. Now to see Frozen 2!

      Shopping: Felix Gray. What a godsend. I experienced eye strain, headaches, and exhaustion with work, and since purchasing these blue light lenses I’ve become focused, energized, and not at all disturbed by screens. This has especially proven helpful during this hot mess of the world!

      Cherished Reads

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      Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport (★★★★★)

      Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow (★★★★★) *review to come!

      Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (★★★★★)

      Reading Challenge Progress

      Based on my 2020 goals.

      Library Books: 9/15 

      The Mistress of Rome || Digital Minimalism || No Judgments
      You’re Not Listening || Tweet Cute || The Authenticity Project 
      American Duchess
      || Born a Crime || A Dangerous Duet

      TBR: 3

      The Summer Queen || Ten Thousand Doors of January || Queen of the Conquered

      Gabaldon / Marillier: 0

      Genre Fiction: 5

      HISTORICAL || The Mistress of Rome, American Duchess, The Summer Queen, A Dangerous Duet 
      FANTASY || Ten Thousand Doors of January, Queen of the Conquered

      Looking ahead . . .

      This rewind will be changing as time moves on. Of course I’ve seen posts on blogs and IG that are noteworthy, and I’m keeping track of most-read on here too, that I’d love to share with you. But this space will continue to evolve as my personal time allows.

      Because this pandemic is making planning difficult, who knows if I’ll get to do these things April through June. But I’m hoping we will be able to see our friends and family in the same room and be able to hug. I look forward to trips to the pool and smelling BBQs and hearing children laugh. My April plans for the honeymoon were cancelled, my plans to Book Expo in May/June were postponed…so let’s just wait as patiently as we can by staying at home and flattening this curve.

      What have you been up to January-March?

      Posted in This Season's Rewind | 0 Comments | Tagged rewind, this season's rewind
    • Flipping Through the Pages: Spring Rewind 2019

      Posted at 10:00 am by Laura, on July 1, 2019

      Every three months I give a quick update on my life and work from the previous season. Enjoy the Seasonal Rewind!

      Through the Lens

      bookshelves
      rosa
      coffee

      I purchased and built new bookcases! This is one wall of my office/library/studio featuring these beauties. They replaced ones I’d had since I was maybe 5 years old, carted around when I moved as a kid, to college and grad school and back. I needed a change. Also also, NINA’S BOOK RELEASED in May!!! It was such an awesome release day too. Did you participate in #YellowforRosa? Finally, great coffee with a best friend. We would go out for coffee and work/study all through her med school years, and now she’s an ER doc in another state, so time together is precious.

      Life Highlights

      It has been a busy few months. April was all about designing wedding invitations, attending pre-marital counseling, and reading clients’ second novels or option materials. May was all about submitting the invitations to the printer, enjoying fun weekends out with friends (one weekend we went zip-lining!), and reading even more clients’ next novels or option materials. And June, gosh, was all about addressing and mailing the invitations, making appointments, and continuing to read even more clients’ next novels or option materials. (Seriously, it’s like they all conspired or something…)

      These last few months I’ve been slammed with writing conferences, edits, and reads, with the hope that all that good, hard work and karma would lead to a very relaxing and enjoyable wedding by the fall. So do good, buy Nina Moreno’s Don’t Date Rosa Santos (released in May!), and make the world go round.

      Bookmarked in the Community

      Since I’m spending more time on IG than I am on blog posts, I’m going to include some discussion topics I really liked while scrolling through the feed.

      1. “The Friend Zone and the story it inspired me to tell” @ GReadsBooks — Y’all, if you haven’t read The Friend Zone yet, you need to. Regardless of whether you are or want to be a mother, it’s the kind of book that really touches your soul. Ginger opens up about her experience in reading this book, and it is incredibly moving.
      2. Genre overload and mood reading @mamajustwantstoread — I really liked Jen’s discussion on feeling burnt out at different times of the year, even in your favorite genres. I’m a season reader (summer always makes me want to read romcoms, fall and winter more heavier books like historical or fantasy), but even then you need to have a book once in a while outside of your genre streak so you don’t feel burn out!
      3. Blogging in all its forms across the years @perpetualpageturner — Jamie is basically an icon in the book blogging world (at least I think so…love ya girl) and she has done amazing things across a variety of platforms. Book blogging, flailing, etc has changed, morphed, developed, and adapted across social media in just 10 years alone! Remember when Twitter was THE PLACE to be? In many ways it still is, but IG is where “blogging” is happening now. Jamie reflects on these changes, and what it means to adapt, grow, and learn to take time away too. (Bonus post: a discussion on how many books defines a reader/bookworm. LOVED THIS.)
      4. How to pack for travel @soobsessedblog — I thoroughly enjoy the dynamic duo that is Hannah and Kelly, especially when it comes to posts about traveling as a bookworm. Here, Hannah talks about how she packs for travel: a filled ereader and one comfort/reread novel. It’s light, it travels well, what’s not to love?
      5. Finding yourself (and staying true to yourself) in the age of social media @emilymaryslibrary — You just need to read it. Seriously. I was blown away. It’s an incredibly thought-provoking post.
      6. Asking yourself “Why?” before setting the book aside @theardentbiblio — Calling all readers, writers, librarians, agents, and booksellers! This is such a great post especially when it comes to readers advisory questions and author intentions. What we enjoy as readers is defined by genre, character development, pacing, tone, atmosphere — but you can learn so much more about your reading preferences if you take a moment to pause and ask yourself “Why did the author write this passage? Why am I drawn to/stepping away from this scene/character/theme/book? Why is this here, and what is it’s purpose, and is it being served well?” You’ll learn so much more about yourself as a reader and your personal taste, more so than the books you rate five stars and the ones you DNF.

      Popular Posts on Scribbles

      Apart from my MSWL post, which will always have the most traction any month, these seemed to be some hits despite my low activity this season.

      1. Book Review: The Silver Gate by Kristin Bailey — How random. A 2017 review of a MG historical fantasy…but you know what? I love this book. I’m glad people were searching for it!
      2. Book Review: The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary — UH YES BECAUSE YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK
      3. Over on IG, Is there a series on your TBR you’re taking ages to get to or finish? Cause if you haven’t forgotten, I’m reminding you below I’m still way behind on my Gabaldon and Marillier challenge *laughcrysobit’sfineit’sfineit’sonlybeenthreeyears*

      Cherished Reads

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      In Another Time by Jillian Cantor ★★★★

      The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick ★★★★

      The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez ★★★★.5 (review coming soon!)

      Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin ★★★★★ (review coming soon!)

      Reading Goals

      In order to keep track of my 2019 resolutions, I’m keeping an updated roundup here each season of my progress.

      Required Reading: 6/15

      Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close || A Gentleman in Moscow
      An American Marriage 
      || Is It All In Your Head? || To Helvetica and Back
      Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

      Library Books (For Fun): 10/10

      The Light Over London || When You Read This || The Familiars
      Meet Cute 
      || The Lost Girls of Paris || In Another Time
      The Firebird || The Library of Lost and Found || The Friend Zone 
      Ayesha at Last

      Marillier & Gabaldon: 0/2

      TBR Pile: 4/10

      The Kingdom of Copper || A Curious Beginning || Roomies
      The Reluctant Queen

      Genre Fiction: 11

      MYSTERY || A Curious Beginning, To Helvetica and Back
      HISTORICAL || The Light Over London, A Gentleman in Moscow, The Familiars, In Another Time, The Lost Girls of Paris, The Firebird
      FANTASY || The Kingdom of Copper, His Majesty’s Dragon, The Reluctant Queen

      Overall Challenge: 24/45

      On the Radar . . .

      Netflix / TV / Film: Oh boy, this was extensive. On Netflix I enjoyed “Wine Country” and I’m loving “Kim’s Convenience.” “Always Be My Maybe” was hysterical, and definitely a favorite. In theaters my heart stopped and my mind was blown by Endgame, and I laughed throughout Secret Life of Pets 2. On TV I finally saw all the way through for the very first time The Martian, which is still just a terrifying concept to me. And one weekend about a month ago I fell asleep on the couch, and woke up to Animal Planet’s “Dr Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet.” Oh my gosh. Yes. So now every Saturday I’ll watch Dr. Jeff and Dodo Heroes, followed by Sunday’s The Aquarium. It gives me all the warm and fuzzy feels. PBS’s Endeavour is back too, but it’s so late that I’ve just been DVRing it to watch another time.

      So if it’s not clear enough, my brain is fried at the end of a long work day and I’m turning to TV more than books. Oops.

      Shopping Bag: Rothy’s! Among other wedding-related purchases (primarily my and my bridesmaids’ jewelry), my favorite by far has been my Rothy’s shoes for the wedding day. Flat, comfortable, navy, Earth-friendly, I’m set.

      Miscellaneous: I feel like such an old lady saying this, but this season I discovered the benefits (and drawbacks, like a draining account) of DoorDash. In fact, I should probably delete the app and get my password changed on the computer or something, because it’s dangerous how much I like getting food delivered. It’s bringing me one step closer to the hermit life…

      Looking Ahead . . .

      It’s crunch time July through September. I have a dress fitting in July. August is full of walk-throughs, payments, appointments, and bridal showers. September will be those timeline discussions with the photographer, florist, DJ, venue coordinators, and caterers, and I just plain can’t wrap my head around it. And that’s just the wedding planning. There are things going on with work, yes––they’re written on the calendar and in my planner, I’ll remember what all those things are too. I’m not drowning. Nope. It’s all good. (No really! It is!)

      ~

      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! 

      Posted in This Season's Rewind | 1 Comment | Tagged rewind, this season's rewind
    • Flipping Through the Pages: Winter Rewind 2019

      Posted at 7:15 am by Laura, on April 1, 2019

      Every three months I give a quick update on my life and work from the previous season. Enjoy the Seasonal Rewind!

      Through the Lens

      socks
      birthday
      rosa

      January through March was full of illness, life-changing decisions, and just trying to get through each day. I celebrated my birthday and the appearance of final editions of Don’t Date Rosa Santos, pushed through sinus infections and a bum knee, and decided to take control of my health by attending Orange Theory (and getting my butt kicked) and kickstarting running every Saturday morning plus doing an ab workout (with Lindsey!) every day.

      Life Highlights

      Well, everything from my If We Were Having Coffee post, if you’d like to click through and see. I also had an auction for my client Chloe Gong and you can add her book on Goodreads! Oh, and I tried on my wedding dress! It fit like a glove, so all we’ll need to do in alterations is raise the hemline a couple inches so I don’t trip over it. And last week I finally saw Mumford & Sons live! For years I’d joke that I’d marry the man who took me to a Mumford concert––and look, I’m marrying him! Haha. And, gosh, one more wedding thing, we have registries now. My mother was clearly so excited about it that she already purchased something on it. I had to tell her to stop because we didn’t have the right quantities or colors yet (scanned lots of things to look at again in a week or so). Apparently she had to then tell the rest of the family OOPS it’s not really ready yet! Oh, mothers.

      Bookmarked in the Community

      Since I’m spending more time on IG than I am on blog posts, I’m going to include some discussion topics I really liked while scrolling through the feed.

      1. “Addicted to Audiobooks” @ So Obsessed With — Hannah offers great recommendations for books on audio. Audio is seeing a resurgence in popularity in recent years, and loads of books are available for you to listen to while working, cleaning, driving…
      2. “What a Reading Year So Far” @ Bookmark Lit — Lauren shares some of her favorite books so far this year, plus the ways she thinks her reading habits have changed in order to read more books she’s drawn to.
      3. How do you cure a book hangover? @greadsbooks — Sometimes you read a different genre, sometimes you don’t read a book for a week or so, sometimes you watch TV…Ginger has a great discussion on all the ways we get over book hangovers.
      4. What was the last book you re-read that felt new to you? @soobsessedblog — Hannah spent the entire month of February re-reading old favorites. Some of them were books she hadn’t touched since the first time she read them!
      5. Which big books intimidate you but you want to read? @idlewildreads — There’s something about door-stopping fiction that gives many readers pause. Why? And which books do that for you? Have you read them, and if so, what did you think?
      6. Reading goals, big books, and motivations, @justagirlwithabook— Jessica brings up an excellent topic that I feel deeply, especially when I made my own reading goals for this year: reading for a goal number and reading for pleasure (which tends to be a lot of big books not meant for racing).
      7. What are some of the things you’ve realized about your reading habits or preferences since joining bookstagram? @eviebookish — Change “bookstagram” to really any social media platform and you’re in for a great discussion! For me, I think the biggest change of all is that I purchased books I intended to read the second I came home from the store. Now I have whole bookcases dedicated to books I was excited about but haven’t gotten to yet.

      Popular Posts on Scribbles

      1. Deal Announcement: Chloe Gong, YA Fantasy — How could this not be popular? You’re in for a treat, friends.
      2. If We Were Having Coffee — This is likely because I hadn’t posted in a while, but I wanted to be real with readers.
      3. Over on IG, Are you reading for quality or quantity?, inspired by this article which really resonated with me.
      4. Also over on IG, You are more than your number, inspired by all the discussions and stories lamenting over follower count, popularity, and how toxic social media can sometimes be.

      Cherished Reads

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      She dropped the stone into a pan. “Stop turning into a statue, and you won’t have to deal with this.” She briefly paused to glare at him. “This is the third time I’ve had to treat you . . . people are not meant to shift into rocks!”

      He looked a little ashamed. “It’s very peaceful.”

      ––The Kingdom of Copper by SA Chakraborty ★★★★★

      “Where did you get all these from? Mr. Blezard in Padiham?”

      “Women I know,” she said.

      “Wise women?”

      “Most women are wise.”

      ––The Familiars by Stacey Halls ★★★★

      “It is very nice how many books there are, indeed; and on so many subjects.”

      ––His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik ★★★★ (coming soon!)

      Reading Goals

      In order to keep track of my 2019 resolutions, I’m keeping an updated roundup here each season of my progress.

      Required Reading: 4/15

      Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close || A Gentleman in Moscow
      An American Marriage 
      || Is It All In Your Head?

      Library Books (For Fun): 3/10

      The Light Over London || When You Read This || The Familiars

      Marillier & Gabaldon: 0/2

      TBR Pile: 2/10

      The Kingdom of Copper || A Curious Beginning

      Genre Fiction: 6

      MYSTERY || A Curious Beginning
      HISTORICAL || The Light Over London, A Gentleman in Moscow, The Familiars
      FANTASY || The Kingdom of Copper, His Majesty’s Dragon

      Overall Challenge: 12/45

      On the Radar . . .

      Netflix / TV / Film: It’s been a long season of loads of Netflix and Redbox: Planet Earth II, Christopher Robin, Tidying Up, Grace & Frankie, One Day at a Time, Bohemian Rhapsody, Queer Eye season 3…And two rounds of binge-watching The Office. My favorite was Grace & Frankie though, and I’m looking forward to the next season already!

      Shopping Bag: In an effort to stick to my word, I’ve become a Fabletics member and now am the proud and excited owner of some excellent workout clothing! Throwing down the money for some proper clothing really is my own motivator. I wouldn’t want to let them go to waste!

      Miscellaneous: Marie Kondo’s Kon Mari method impacted my household, too. Our closets are leaner, our drawers folded nicely, the books examined and evaluated (I donated ~150 books from my TBR cases!), and once it properly warms up for spring we’re going to air out the apartment and really deep clean and extreme tidy the closets and remaining storage spaces.

      Looking Ahead . . .

      April through June is going to be packed. I think I’m subconsciously trying to preemptively make up for the rest-of-life-slow-down August through October in favor of all things wedding, which meant saying yes to lots of things in the spring. April, May, and June I’m traveling to writing conferences, April and May I’m participating in WisRWA, I’m working extra weekends at the library, and then there’s all the meetings pertaining to the wedding planning happening as well. Let’s hope I survive all of this…

      ~

      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! 

      Posted in This Season's Rewind | 3 Comments | Tagged rewind, this season's rewind
    • Flipping Through the Pages: Autumn Rewind 2018

      Posted at 7:45 am by Laura, on January 3, 2019

      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

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      Screen Shot 2019-01-01 at 4.03.00 PM

      October through December was a busy whirlwind. In October we had our engagement shots taken, in November Tasha’s debut Empire of Sand released, and in December I made a roundup of my favorite books of 2018––all seven of which were five-star reads!

      Life Highlights

      Part of the whirlwind of the fall months was all the wedding planning we accomplished. I found my dress and veil, we found the photographer and immediately took engagement photos about two weeks after, and we picked our DJ (three of the four things I needed last season!). November brought on Thanksgiving in town, and we had relatives from Ohio and Arizona come in to celebrate in a relaxed and fulfilling way. December was chaotic with all the music commitments, but by the time Christmas Eve rolled around I felt the joy, peace, and wonder of the season. My family also flew out to Nebraska to visit my future in-laws, and we came back in time to ring in the new year with friends. In agent life news, I’m super thrilled to share (again) the sale of KayLynn’s YA fantasy––we worked so hard to make the magic happen, and I can’t wait to share her world with…well, the rest of the world!

      Bookmarked in the Community

      1. “November 2018 Recap: On My Shelves” @ So Obsessed With — I admire Hannah’s ability to be a mother and still find the time to enjoy her personal hobbies. In this month in particular, she didn’t blog much but she read 30 books (*gasp!*)! It took me half a year to get to 30 books!
      2. “On Playing Catch-Up” @ BookmarkLit — On the flip side is Lauren, who talked about all the reasons she’s fallen behind on her usual reading, and the ways in which she’ll try to catch up or improve her reading. Plus, I admire a good spreadsheet and goals list!
      3. “My 2018 Retrospective” @ Alexa Loves Books — Alexa compiled a heartfelt post looking back on 2018 and all the ways in which she grew, discovered, and improved. It’s so wonderful especially when you have fantastic people surrounding you and supporting you in your hopes and endeavors.
      4. “Most Anticipated Books of 2019” @ Perpetual Page-Turner — Jamie compiles lists of anticipated adult books (this one highlighting the first half of the year) and I love scrolling through them! There are plenty on this list I’m looking forward to myself, including Priory of the Orange Tree (even though I haven’t read any of her other books) and The Au Pair (even though suspense/thriller is not at all something I like to read––this one looks really good nonetheless).

      Popular Posts on Scribbles

      Ignoring my MSWL post, which gets hundreds of hits a month…(yay!)

      1. Book Review: Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield — Setterfield is one of my favorite authors, purely for The Thirteenth Tale, and it was so great to see that storytelling style happen again in her third novel.
      2. End of Year Book Survey V — I love doing this round up! It really helps you look back on your reading year and realizing which books stand out most to you. Apparently a year goes by and I’m still in awe and anguish over The City of Brass, haha!
      3. 2019 Bookish Resolutions and Reading Challenges — All in all, 2018 was a difficult reading year for me, so I made my resolutions as a way of reminding me what reading is all about: enjoyment. Read what you enjoy. Life is short. No one needs to spend time doing something they don’t like, so I’ve given myself permission to set books aside even if they’re just meh.

      Cherished Reads

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      The Romanov Empress by CW Gortner ★★★★.5

      Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce ★★★★★

      Goodbye, Paris by Anstey Harris ★★★★★

      Progress Update on Reading Challenges

      Required Library Books: 15 / 17

      The Passion of Dolssa || Big Little Lies || The Zookeeper’s Wife
      Saga Volume 1 
      || The Night Bookmobile || Sweetbitter
      The Psychopath Test || Planetfall || A Long Way Home
      Ocean at the End of the Lane 
      || Small Great Things || The Innkeeper at Ivy Hill
      The Glass Castle 
      || The Circle || Goodbye, Paris

      Fun Library Books: 16 / 5

      Mr. Churchill’s Secretary || Surprise Me || Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
      My Oxford Year || Malice at the Palace || The Bird and the Blade
      Save the Date 
      || Radio Girls || Kings of the Wyld
      The Lost Queen || The Romanov Empress || Dear Mrs. Bird 
      The Glass Ocean 
      || Meet Me at the Museum || Empress of All Seasons
      In Your Dreams

      Marillier & Gabaldon Challenge: 0 / 8

      Fantasy:

      The City of Brass || Spinning Silver || The Queens of Innis Lear
      A Secret History of Witches || The Bird and the Blade
      Kings of the Wyld
       || The Girl in the Tower || Empress of All Seasons

      Historical Fiction:

      Between Two Fires || Mr Churchill’s Secretary || The Passion of Dolssa
      Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie || The Clockmaker’s Daughter
      Radio Girls 
      || The Lost Queen || The Romanov Empress
      Dear Mrs. Bird 
      || Once Upon a River

      Rock My TBR: 11 / 16

      Crazy Rich Asians || The Passion of Dolssa || The City of Brass
      Between Two Fires 
      || Now That You Mention It || Slightly South of Simple
      The Queens of Innis Lear 
      || Royals || China Rich Girlfriend
      A Secret History of Witches
       || The Girl in the Tower 

      Overall Challenge: 47 / 45*

      *It was clear I wouldn’t be able to reach 50 books, and I was bummed about that. So I adjusted it to 45 and felt much better about my accomplishment. (Yes, that’s how this year has been.)

      Random Obsessions

      On TV/Netflix: New GBBO episodes––for New Beginnings, the two new seasons with Pru, Sandy, and Noel, as well as the holiday episodes––kept me busy during the holiday season. I was also vegging out in front of The Office. It all began with wanting to watch Christmas episodes, and turned into a full-blown multi-season rewatch…

      On Film: Finally saw The Family Stone and Die Hard on New Year’s Eve. One because it’s totally my kind of movie and I hadn’t seen it before; another because everyone’s trying to convince me it’s a Christmas movie (it’s not; it’s set at Christmas with Christmas music but it is not a Christmas movie).

      In the Shopping Bag: Old Navy’s 50% sale in November burned a hole in my wallet, but other than that I’ve kept things on the down low. Girl’s gotta pay for 2019 health insurance.

      Miscellaneous: I swear, I swear, this is the last time I will binge chips and queso. I SWEAR.

      Looking Toward the Future

      Clarissa’s Bear No Malice came out January 1, the Beau’s birthday is coming up, followed by my birthday, and lots of further wedding planning (hotel blocks, transportation, rehearsal dinner, save the dates, cake, and attendants’ outfits). Wish me luck!

      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! 

      Posted in This Season's Rewind | 6 Comments | Tagged rewind, this season's rewind
    • Flipping Through the Pages: Summer Rewind 2018

      Posted at 7:15 am by Laura, on October 1, 2018

      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

       

      syros
      engagementring
      syrosnick

      The biggest and most exciting event in my life this season was that the Beau proposed in Syros, Greece! Our choir (which my parents sing in as well) went to Syros for an annual music festival and we had an unexpected evening free. We decided to make a date night of it, and he made reservations in a tavern made of glass that sat at the top of the island and overlooked Ermopouli, the capital of Syros and where we were staying. As the sun set, we watched the pier come alive and the lights all across the city turn on. We got some great pictures after dinner, and while we were waiting for the taxi we walked further up the hill, where he proposed. We got in the taxi to head back to our hotel, and just as I was saying I wanted to share the news with my parents, we saw them crossing the street! Got out, screamed, took pictures, went to the hotel where other choir members shouted with joy. Lots of champagne popped, lots of stories swapped, lots of toasts exchanged, and you can bet those choir ladies are already planning all sorts of parties for us, haha!

      Life Highlights

      Yes, other big things happened outside of the engagement and traveling to Greece — my childhood friend and college roommate gave birth to a baby girl, and she is a miracle child. My friend and her husband have been trying to have children (and adopt as well!) for quite a while now, so this baby is such a gift for them! Tasha Suri also received THREE starred reviews for Empire of Sand (we’re three for three so far in trade reviews — Booklist, Kirkus, and Publishers Weekly), so you better get your pre-orders in for this amazing debut fantasy. Finally, I’ll be able to share a deal announcement in the coming weeks, as I’ve sold another client’s work!

      Bookmarked in the Community

      1. “All Apologies…No More” @ Bookishly Boisterous — Stop feeling bad about spending money on books! Stop apologizing for going to the bookstore again and getting more books, even though you have plenty at home to read. Stop apologizing for going to the library and borrowing stacks of books you may not finish by the end of the checkout period. It’s okay.
      2. “Why I Re-Read” @ Bookshelf Fantasies — I don’t have much time to re-read, but when I do, I feel and have the same reasons as Lisa does in this post to re-read a favorite novel. Why do you re-read? And if you don’t…same question, why? Reading patterns are interesting!
      3. “Travel By Page: Behind Enemy Lines” @ Belle of the Literati — A twist on Kelly’s usual Adventures in the Great Wide Somewhere series, and perfect for WWII hist fic lovers, especially espionage. Check out these recommendations!
      4. “Living in a Small One-Bedroom Apartment with a Baby” @ Perpetual Page-Turner — Um, wow, Jamie and her husband were super creative and thoughtful when it came to making the most of their small home and baby daughter! I’m impressed…and saving this for possible future (like years in the future, please) reference.
      5. “Reaching a Blogging Milestone” @ So Obsessed With — First, congratulations to Hannah on 1K posts! Second, definitely take a look at this, because she makes some great points about blogging, adapting, and finding ways to keep the blog fresh, very her, and flexible without comparing to others’. I greatly admire her!
      6. “If We Were Having Mexican Margaritas” @ Bring My Books — Lindsey and I text nearly daily, so I’m aware how busy her life is (like seriously, holy crap, she deserves a margarita). On one hand, we have Hannah (above) who has managed to keep going with her blog; on the other, we have Lindsey who is struggling to maintain hers even though she wants to, because life happens and ya know, at the end of the day, you just want your favorite food/drink and your bed. Catch up with Lindsey and answer, what’s a hobby you wish you kept up with but are struggling to find the time to do? (Mine: scrapbooking. Not like stickers and cut-outs, but just plain putting photos in nice albums. I’m two years behind XD.)

      Popular Posts on Scribbles

      Ignoring my MSWL post, which gets hundreds of hits a month…(yay!)

      1. Just a Bit of Light Reading — The agony that is a bookworm packing for a long trip! And guess what? I only read and finished one book while away. Haha!!
      2. Book Review: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine — GOOD because I love love love love love love love love love this book and it’s sitting on the shelves with Jane Eyre, where it belongs.
      3. Book Review: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before — Not surprised at all, because of its debut on Netflix! I hope more readers become invested in this trilogy. I adore Lara Jean.
      4. Book Review: Crazy Rich Asians — Again, not surprised because of the movie! We need more books and movies and TV shows with representation of minority groups.

      Cherished Reads

       

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      Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman ★★★★★

      The Bird and the Blade by Megan Turner ★★★★★

      Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames ★★★★.5

      Progress Update on Reading Challenges

      Required Library Books: 10 / 17

      The Passion of Dolssa || Big Little Lies || The Zookeeper’s Wife
      Saga Volume 1 
      || The Night Bookmobile || Sweetbitter
      The Psychopath Test || Planetfall || A Long Way Home
      Ocean at the End of the Lane

      Fun Library Books: 10 / 5

      Mr. Churchill’s Secretary || Surprise Me || Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
      My Oxford Year || Malice at the Palace || The Bird and the Blade
      Save the Date 
      || Radio Girls || Kings of the Wyld
      The Lost Queen

      Marillier & Gabaldon Challenge: 0 / 8

      Fantasy:

      The City of Brass || Spinning Silver || The Queens of Innis Lear
      A Secret History of Witches || The Bird and the Blade
      Kings of the Wyld

      Historical Fiction:

      Between Two Fires || Mr Churchill’s Secretary || The Passion of Dolssa
      Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie || The Clockmaker’s Daughter
      Radio Girls 
      || The Lost Queen

      Rock My TBR: 10 / 16

      Crazy Rich Asians || The Passion of Dolssa || The City of Brass
      Between Two Fires 
      || Now That You Mention It || Slightly South of Simple
      The Queens of Innis Lear 
      || Royals || China Rich Girlfriend
      A Secret History of Witches

      Overall Challenge: 34 / 50

      Random Obsessions

      On TV/Netflix: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is obviously going on my top favorite teen/romcom go-to movies, right up there with 10 Things I Hate About You. Guernsey was gorgeous and made me want to re-read the book again — I love Lily James. And of course, because fall is around the corner, I’m back on my Gilmore Girls marathon. The Beau and I need to catch up on GBBO’s newest season on Netflix, and the final season of Big Bang is starting, but it’s also football season so our TV is going to be working double-time now.

      On Film: I saw Ocean’s 8 and loved it. Crazy Rich Asians was fan-freaking-tastic and I enjoyed every second of it. I hope book 2’s movie is in the works because I need more Astrid in my life!!! And one Sunday afternoon recently I binged the rest of Outlander season 3 on DVD in preparation for season 4 airing in November. Now to get started reading book 5…

      In the Shopping Bag: I think I mentioned in previous rewinds that I don’t fit in over half my wardrobe and I’m slowly updating it to my new size. And if I haven’t, well, I am, which means the last few weeks required some fall shopping. Deals on ModCloth, LOFT, and Old Navy were in order, and now I can’t wait to wear my new tops, pants, and dresses! (Even though my wallet hates me.)

      Miscellaneous: Planning the wedding! I thought my friends were kidding when they said the venue + catering takes up about half your budget. Nope. They weren’t.

      Looking Toward the Future

      Flowers, photographer, DJ, cake, and dress. Cross fingers I’ve accomplished at least two of those things by the next rewind! The Beau and I have made some headway on flowers, photographer, and DJ so far, which is great. Also, Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up (!!!) and The Beau and I will be doing lots of traveling to Ohio, Nebraska, and Iowa. Oh, and of course, TASHA’S BOOK RELEASE IN NOVEMBER!!!!!

      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! 

      Posted in This Season's Rewind | 4 Comments | Tagged rewind, this season's rewind
    • Flipping Through the Pages: Spring Rewind 2018

      Posted at 6:10 am by Laura, on July 1, 2018

      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

       

      tasha
      tom
      kate

      Tasha received galleys of her gorgeous fantasy this season, and I was so excited to see and hold this as an almost-book! (Pre-order here.) My brother also graduated college in May, moved to a new state, and is now working for a big aviation company. I’m so proud of his hard work and dedication! And finally, I managed to get a copy of my All-Time Favorite Hands Down No Question Auto-Buy Author Kate Morton’s next novel, and I was blown away.

      Life Highlights

      Clarissa has another book deal, and I gained another client! But apart from work highlights, life has been blessedly quiet in terms of activities, and bizarrely stressful in getting everything crossed off the to-do list. Just keeping ahead of work, preparing for this choral festival in Greece in a week, and finding the little things in life that make me happy.

      Bookmarked in the Community

      1. “How I’m Writing My Story of Motherhood” @ So Obsessed With — Hannah’s journey as a mother, and how it has impacted her identity, her daily life, and her hobbies, was so encouraging and refreshing to read. She reminds the reader that not everything about motherhood is sunshine and rainbows, but to take each moment with joy as really put her mind at ease. I hope to be the same one day!
      2. “Itinerary Update” @ Belle of the Literati — Hello, Kelly, Hannah wasn’t the only one who noticed your absence! So glad to see you back and motivated on the blogging front. Kelly updates her readers on life and reads and travel, and I enjoy her very matter-of-fact update through and through.
      3. “Hi, It’s Me” @ GReadsBooks — Ginger has been going through a grieving process lately since her dear Daisy’s passing (and my heart still breaks for her), but she gives her readers and update on life and how she’s doing. I think what she has to say can really apply to any of us going through tough times. Self care is very important.
      4. “10 Nonfiction Books About Mental Health” @ The Pretty Books — Speaking of self care, Stacey has a great list of accessible, readable nonfiction books about mental health. Some of them you may know through online comics, some through pop culture media, but whatever it is, you ought to try these! As someone whose first degree is in psychology, I can’t tell you enough just how important it is to know yourself and your breaking points, and to take care of your mental health just as well as you care for your physical health.

      Popular Posts on Scribbles

      Ignoring my MSWL post, which gets hundreds of hits a month…(yay!)

      1. Book Review: Now That You Mention It by Kristan Higgins
      2. Book Review: From Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon
      3. Deal Announcement: Clarissa Harwood, Historical Fiction (see her recent blog post here!)
      4. Book Review: The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton

      Cherished Reads

       

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      Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik ★★★★

      The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton ★★★★★ (review to come closer to pub date!)

      Royals by Rachel Hawkins ★★★★★

      Progress Update on Reading Challenges

      Required Library Books: 8 / 17

      The Passion of Dolssa || Big Little Lies || The Zookeeper’s Wife
      Saga Volume 1 
      || The Night Bookmobile || Sweetbitter
      The Psychopath Test || Planetfall

      Fun Library Books: 5 / 5

      Mr. Churchill’s Secretary || Surprise Me || Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
      My Oxford Year || Malice at the Palace

      Marillier & Gabaldon Challenge: 0 / 8

      Fantasy:

      The City of Brass || Spinning Silver || The Queens of Innis Lear

      Historical Fiction:

      Between Two Fires || Mr Churchill’s Secretary || The Passion of Dolssa
      Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie || The Clockmaker’s Daughter

      Rock My TBR: 8 / 16

      Crazy Rich Asians || The Passion of Dolssa || The City of Brass
      Between Two Fires 
      || Now That You Mention It || Slightly South of Simple
      The Queens of Innis Lear 
      || Royals

      Overall Challenge: 22 / 50

      Random Obsessions

      On TV/Netflix: I watched an embarrassing amount of Netflix, partly new and partly rewatches. New to me was “One Day at a Time,” which my client Nina kept telling me to watch for ages and I’m so glad I eventually did. What I’ve been rewatching lately are the GBBO shows, because it brings so much joy after a stressful day. And a mix of the two, I’m finally all caught up on Call the Midwife! Also, there was no way I was going to miss out on the Royal Wedding on TV. GORGEOUS GORGEOUS GORGEOUS

      On Film: Beau and I finished Downton Abbey (first time watching the show for him, probably the third or fourth time rewatching the show for me), and finally saw The Greatest Showman through Redbox. My brain and heart and soul was destroyed by Infinity War, so please let’s not talk about it…

      In the Shopping Bag: I’ve had some…issues and anger and frustration regarding my wardrobe, so I purged over half of it and purchased half to replace. I’m excited to play around with the new pieces, and I’m glad they fit and feel good. I’ve also been doing a lot of preparation for this Greece trip, which has included better shoes, a floppy hat (I don’t wear hats!), and general travel stuff (snacks, medication, Euros, etc). Nothing exciting, just practical!

      Miscellaneous: Still going strong with WordBrain and Forge of Empires on my phone (LOLOLOLOL omg), and I’ve recently stumbled across Chip & Jo’s house renovation app, Flip House. I’m spending ridiculous amounts of time on that before heading to bed!

      Looking Toward the Future

      July through September will be packed with activities. July is pretty much entirely my choir’s trip to Greece for the Festival of the Aegean, followed by lots of Emily Bronte celebrations at my library (girl is turning 200 on July 30th, so we better celebrate). One mama-to-be is having a baby shower too, with a baby closely following the next month! And, hmm…I feel like more is happening in these months, but it’s probably all dominated by this trip. I’ll share some pictures with you next Rewind!

      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! 

      Posted in This Season's Rewind | 2 Comments | Tagged rewind, this season's rewind
    • Flipping Through the Pages: Winter Rewind 2018

      Posted at 7:30 am by Laura, on April 5, 2018

      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

      books2017
      chainbreaker
      impossiblesaints

      As you may have noticed, I did not update and post about October through December. I was barely on the blog then, which in turn meant I barely looked at other blogs, or commented, or any of that. With the start of the new year, I wanted to begin with a blank page! It’s still a bit quiet here and my participation throughout the community, but life happens and I don’t ever want this blog to feel like a chore.

      So in images, here were my top six favorite books of 2017, and celebrating the release of Chainbreaker and Impossible Saints, both on January 2!

      Life Highlights

      So many great things happened between October to now. Nina’s deal announcement! Tasha’s deal announcement! My birthday (here and here)! My friend’s second baby was born! Another friend announced her first pregnancy! The holidays were fun too, with Bach’s Magnificat at Christmas and Beethoven’s Mass in C in March. And finally, my best friend’s wedding just a few days ago, in which I was her maid of honor. Needless to say, life’s been busy.

      Bookmarked in the Community

      Ah yes, this is going to look very sad, okay? Please, no judgement!

      1. A New Year of New Books: My 2018 TBR @ GReadsBooks — Ginger has some excellent contemporary YA and adult recommendations here. She doesn’t go for the overly fluffy or the overly dark. There’s a sweet spot right in the middle of the spectrum, and her recommendations tend to be pretty spot on to my taste, too.
      2. Slacking Off on Your Favs @ Bring My Books — Lindsey talks about how life can really get in the way of doing your favorite things, and when you finally have those free days to do all the things you love, you find yourself…not doing them. Being a couch potato. And that’s okay.
      3. 10 Books I’m Looking Forward to in 2018 @ Pretty Books — Stacey shares some of her most anticipated reads in 2018 and I, too, am looking forward to many of these! Plus, she managed to share some UK recs I have on my TBR now from Book Depository *wink*

      Popular Posts on Scribbles

      1. MSWL for 2018 — Not surprised one bit. I’m glad it’s getting traction. Hopefully writers find it helpful!
      2. Book Cake Tag — This was a lot of fun to put together. Gosh, I love GBBO!
      3. Book Review: The City of Brass by SA Chakraborty — What a beautiful and wonderful fantasy. If you haven’t had the chance yet, read this book immediately. A gem.

      Cherished Reads

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      Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan ★★★★

      The City of Brass by SA Chakraborty ★★★★★

      Now That You Mention It by Kristan Higgins ★★★.75 (review to come!)

      Progress Update on Reading Challenges

      Required Library Books: 4 / 17

      The Passion of Dolssa || Big Little Lies || The Zookeeper’s Wife
      Saga Volume 1

      Fun Library Books: 2 / 5

      Mr. Churchill’s Secretary || Surprise Me

      Marillier & Gabaldon Challenge: 0 / 8

      Fantasy:

      The City of Brass

      Historical Fiction:

      Between Two Fires || Mr Churchill’s Secretary || The Passion of Dolssa

      Rock My TBR: 5 / 16

      Crazy Rich Asians || The Passion of Dolssa || The City of Brass
      Between Two Fires 
      || Now That You Mention It

      Overall Challenge: 10 / 50

      Random Obsessions

      On TV/Netflix: I’m including everything I’ve watched since October, so this list feels quite long. I’m all caught up on Outlander and I loved how they tackled all the topics in Voyager. On New Year’s Eve, friends came over to watch The Crown and eat baked Brie with me and the Beau. I’m also caught up on The Great British Bake Off on Netflix, and finished the first season of Big Family Cooking Show (cute and fun, not as perfect as GBBO). Lately I’ve been rewatching New Girl on repeat, waiting for season 6 to arrive (!!!). Otherwise, the TV is on to sportsball for the Beau, so I sit on the couch with him and read instead.

      On Film: Saw and loved The Darkest Hour and OF COURSE  Black Panther (I can’t wait to see how they do Infinity War now!). I also saw Dunkirk and I’m glad I saw it at home and not in theaters. The music put me on edge and I was near sobbing and tense the entire time. If I saw it on the big screen I wouldn’t have been able to finish it!

      In the Shopping Bag: All the new clothes. Seriously. I gained weight in the last year (hurrah! I know that sounds weird but I’ve always been too small for my height and age, and this year I finally reached the goal weight), which means all of my bottoms and some of my tops no longer fit properly or comfortably. So now I’m in the middle of a wardrobe change. Ack!

      Miscellaneous: I kinda splurged on a lot of books when my birthday rolled around… Oh, and raving over my new watch!

      Looking Toward the Future

      I’m looking forward to the most relaxed April through June I’ve had in years. There is literally nothing planned on my calendar, mostly because I needed to afford my trip to Greece in July. So! This means adding cooking classes, getting planters, celebrating the royal baby and royal wedding, shopping for clothes that fit me properly, and lots of spring cleaning. When I moved into this apartment it was very much unpack-and-deal-with-junk-later, but now our closets are overflowing with random boxes and miscellaneous stuff. Time to weed through things!

      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! 

       

      Posted in books, This Season's Rewind | 2 Comments | Tagged books, personal, recap, rewind, this season's rewind
    • Flipping Through the Pages: Summer Rewind 2017

      Posted at 5:05 am by Laura, on October 1, 2017

      thisseasonsrewind2015

      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

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      The last few months have been dedicated to travel, wishing for cool weather, and reading. Lots of reading. Lots of reading manuscripts, that is. As you may have noticed, I didn’t post very many reviews. While I did read books for fun, many of them were kinda meh and I don’t want to put poor reviews online. Thankfully I found lots of enjoyment in reading clients’ revisions, new projects, and potential clients’ manuscript submissions over the summer. The highlight of the last few months was Jared Reck‘s A Short History of the Girl Next Door release!

      Life Highlights

      The Beau and I traveled to Iowa for his high school reunion, and I was genuinely surprised how much I loved Des Moines. His friends and family made me feel so at home there. Even the people I briefly interacted with at the reunion itself were very kind. Ah, Midwesterners! (PS I went to Raygun and I promise you, it’s just as awesome as their website. My Christmas wishlist expanded tenfold.)

      Every summer in July my family would travel to Cincinnati to celebrate Grandpa’s birthday, July 4, and just being together. We worried that since his passing, this tradition would fall apart. Thankfully it did not! We were able to gather for a family BBQ in August, and all the dogs tumbled and ran around in the backyard with the cousins. The Beau joined us too, and he went off with the boys to race around the neighborhood in a newly acquired go-kart. Haha!!

      One of my dear friends and old college roommate Lauren got married in September! Her wedding was an event we were all looking forward to in the friend group, as there were many joys and concerns going on in our lives this year. Being reunited with one another from near and far was so rejuvenating! We danced all night, and Amanda’s toddler Hazel was the best dancer in the house.

      Tunes on Repeat

      I think this section will be removed starting in 2018 recaps, because I’m at least a year behind on music. However, if you want something new and different and more on the classical lines, check out this guy! He sings Schubert arrangements with guitar (instead of piano, violin, or organ). Doesn’t his voice just make you melt?

      Bookmarked in the Community

      1. What I’ve Read @ Pretty Books — Stacey gives a great review for When Dimple Met Rishi and it made me all warm and fuzzy inside, haha. So I thought I’d share!
      2. Fangirl Friday with Laura @ What Sarah Read — Sarah hosts this fantastic feature for other bloggers to participate in on Fridays called Fangirl Friday. Bloggers can fangirl about anything and everything in a theme of their choosing. It’s a cool way to build community and break out of the standard bookish posts. I had a post in July entirely dedicated to British TV and movies (primarily BBC and ITV), and swooned over North & South and Belle!
      3. Meet Riley Josephine @ Perpetual Page-Turner — Jamie gave birth to a beautiful girl! Come for the cute baby photos, stay for the pregnancy and birth real talk. Jamie opened up about her experience, and her honesty is refreshing. Love you, Jamie!
      4. Back to School: History of Fictional Worlds Syllabus @ The Bookish Beagle — Morgan has worked on this epic post for ages, and I’m so glad it’s finally public! It may not look like a lot of text, but check out this concept: what if we could study the history of fictional worlds? You could major in Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings! Or any other fandom you’re a part of! It’s so cool seeing the classes she came up with. I wish this were real!
      5. Three Ways I Tackled My TBR This Summer @ So Obsessed With — Hannah’s methodical posts are probably some of my favorites. She’s shared her reading trends with stats, she’s worked on the Picky Pledge to be more selective about what she reads, and she’s shared a process to determine whether or not she should buy a book. In this post, she shares her step-by-step process for weeding through her TBR (to read or to sell/donate). I’ll have to try this!

      Popular Posts on Scribbles

      1. Book Review: What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum (ARC) — I’m still reeling from this novel. I want to put it in so many people’s hands.
      2. The Intimidating TBR Tag — Not surprised this was a popular post. I think it’s pretty universal for many people! Have you done this tag yet? Which question was most difficult for you to answer?
      3. Book Review: The Dire King by William Ritter — The last book in the Jackaby series, and boy was it a winner! Great on its own, great as a series ender, and it kinda leaves things a little bit open for a spin-off (though I’m fine with it not doing that too!). Have you read the series yet? If not, I highly recommend it!

      Cherished Reads

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      The Map That Leads to You by JP Monninger ★★★★.5

      The Dire King by William Ritter ★★★★.5

      The Paris Architect  by Charles Belfoure ★★★★ (review to come!)

      The Royal Nanny by Karen Harper ★★★★

      Cherished Quotes

      A book is a companion, though. You can read it in a special place,
      like on a train to Amsterdam, then you carry it home and you
      chuck it on a shelf, and then years later you remember
      that feeling you had on the train when you were young.
      It’s like a little island in time.
      — The Map that Leads to You by JP Monninger

      “But didn’t the Jews kill Christ, Father?”
      “That’s debatable, my son. But even if they did,
      I would still help them.”

      — The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure

      Progress Update on Reading Challenges

      Required Library Books: 15 / 22

      The Light Between Oceans || The Husband’s Secret || W is for Wasted
      The Miniaturist 
      || The Astronaut Wives Club || The Burning Room
      Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet 
      || The President’s Shadow
      Orphan Train || Still Life || The Paper Menagerie
      Stiff 
      || Damaged || Dreaming of the Bones || The Paris Architect

      Fun Library Books: 13 / 5 // Complete!

      Heart’s Blood || The Bear and the Nightingale || The Silver Gate
      Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies 
      || A Window Opens
      Alex, Approximately 
      || The Baker’s Secret || Troubled Waters
      Once and For All || Saints and Misfits || The Scribe of Siena
      The Royal Nanny || The Best Man

      Flights of Fantasy / Marillier & Gabaldon Challenge: 2 / 9

      Heart’s Blood || Son of the Shadows

      Classics & ReRead: 0 / 2

      Rock My TBR: 13 / 12 // Complete!

      Caraval || You and Me, Always || The Miniaturist
      Son of the Shadows || The Sun is Also a Star || Outrun the Moon
      The Secret Life of Violet Grant 
      || This Adventure Ends || The Alice Network 
      Like a River Glorious || The Map That Leads to You
      The Case of the Counterfeit Criminals || A Cold Legacy

      Impulse Buys: 5 / 5

      You and Me, Always || Flight of Dreams || Wait for Me
      The Hate U Give || The Map That Leads to You

      Overall Challenge: 46 / 50

      Random Obsessions

      On TV: WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO WATCH THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF?!?!?!

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      It’s such a great competition show — it doesn’t even really feel like a competition. These bakers are just trying to improve for themselves and for the judges, not necessarily take one another out. They’re helping each other on numerous occasions, actually, and it’s so heartwarming! Guess that’s the biggest difference in British and American television.

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      This show also makes me wish I were a baker. Yeah, yeah, I hear you, anyone can bake — but I literally cannot. I can make boiling water catch on fire. So instead I’ll eat another’s baked goods and dream of butter sticks and dough and pastry as I watch this show. I never thought something so nice and relatively calming could make for such an intense, emotional show, too! I NEED MORE. But only ones with Sue and Mel and Paul and Mary! No one else! Just them!

      Sue

      On Film: Gifted. I wanted to see so many movies this summer and didn’t get a chance to, so I Redboxed Gifted and just…lost it. What a fantastic movie. So many tears. It’s about a young girl who’s a math genius, raised by her uncle (Chris Evans) who was given custody of her after her mother (his sister) committed suicide. It’s about brilliant minds and parental upbringing, about the importance of family and social relationships, and breaking records.

      In the Shopping Bag: Target and ModCloth, once again, burned a hole in my wallet. I’ve gained weight in the last year (yay (I’m finally in the healthy weight category for my height and age, which has never happened before) and boo — it was the right amount but just too fast), which meant cleaning out pretty much my entire wardrobe and buying replacements.

      Miscellaneous: The Beau and I are moving into our apartment in a couple days! So most of my time and energy the next two weeks will be preparing for that and nesting. It means I’ve been making lots of insurance and utility phone calls…

      Looking Towards the Future

      As I stated previously, in October I’m moving into an apartment (yay! And for real this time!), and then the whirlwind of holidays and holiday prep begin. I’m always looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas — any time to be with my family and friends — and this year the choir is singing Bach’s Magnificat, so it’s bound to be an excellent music season too.

      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! 

       

      Posted in books, This Season's Rewind | 4 Comments | Tagged books, personal, recap, rewind, this season's rewind
    • Flipping Through the Pages: Spring Rewind 2017

      Posted at 5:15 am by Laura, on July 3, 2017

      thisseasonsrewind2015

      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

      IGwedding
      IGcat
      IGkatequinn

      One of my friends had a very lovely, private wedding (or engagement party? She’s having a big to-do this time next year, so it was quasi-engagement party, quasi-wedding because she and her husband signed papers), and the cupcakes were too pretty and delicious not to take a picture! Rossetti has been joining me for a lot of my reading this spring, and I love her company. Finally, The Alice Network was my first 5-star read of the year and I was absolutely blown away by the writing, the story, the characters, the plot…

      Life Highlights

      The biggest news is that I was recently promoted to Associate Literary Agent!

      I talked a little bit about Book Expo in an If We Were Having Coffee post, but I also recently went to ALA! The morning was spent attending as many panels as possible for the library, and the afternoon was spent wandering the exhibit floor and documenting Jared Reck’s first public appearance and galley signing. Big day for this agent/librarian.

      Finally, the Beau and I went on a mini trip to see his friends for a pub crawl. Two couples in the friend group are moving out of state within a few weeks of each other, so we all got together and went on a massive bar crawl. It started off with 7 people, and somewhere in the night we had 25+ total. So much fun — and a mandatory brunch the next day was just what the doctor ordered. It’s so hard when you/your friends move away. They’re going to neat places in the country, so hopefully this means more travel opportunities.

      Tunes on Repeat

      Maybe I should eliminate this bit of the feature, because it’s just not happening for me. I’m not into what’s on the radio (and I’m already missing out on John Mayer’s latest, Ed Sheeran, and the 1D solo boys’ music), I’m listening to audio books for the library in the car, and (to be completely honest) what I have listened to is mostly choral music that most of you aren’t all that interested in. Unless you want to hear something? Let me know. Feast your ears on this, in the meantime.

      Bookmarked in the Community

      1. Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro @ Belle of the Literati — For Kelly’s 30th birthday, this adventurer went on her own and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro! Her experience was incredible. Read about it here!
      2. The Intimidating TBR Tag @ The Bookish Beagle — Morgan’s TBR post was both intense and awesome. I fully plan to do this tag at some point (…just like I fully plan to read all those books on the TBR pile at some point…*ducks*)
      3. On My Nightstand @ What Sarah Read — In a similar vein, Sarah started a new feature called On My Nightstand to showcase some books she’s interested in reading immediately.
      4. When the Movie is Better Than the Book @ Writer of Wrongs — Gillian went there. She went there and admitted what we all know to be true: sometimes, the movie is better than the book. *gasp*
      5. Library Dreamin’ @ Alexa Loves Books — What does your dream library look like? I gotta say, my dream library looks a lot like Alexa’s IRL library…

      Popular Posts on Scribbles

      1. Book Review: Hunted by Meagan Spooner (ARC) — I LOVE this book, and it makes me ridiculously happy to see this was such a popular post!
      2. Book Review: When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon (ARC) — IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK YOU MUST REMEDY THAT NOW.
      3. If We Were Having Coffee… — This post is always so popular. For random updates, feel free to read my unedited, walls down, conversational post. In this one, I talk about Band of Brothers, Book Expo, Forge of Empires, and my never-ending war with chips and queso.

      Cherished Reads

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      Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee ★★★★★

      The Alice Network by Kate Quinn ★★★★★

      The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams ★★★★.5

      What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum ★★★★.5 (review to come!)

      Cherished Quotes

      “Why don’t you sit with the others?” I ask her.
      “I find the company of a book much more interesting.”
      — Outrun the Moon
      by Stacey Lee

      Emma suffered daily for friends and neighbors. [The Allies] were doing it for strangers, throwing themselves on that beach, slaughtered tillt he sea ran dark, and another wave came, and was slaughtered, and another, whole cities of men. They have never met Emma, she would never meet them, and still another wave.
      It was so humbling, Emma clung to the tree and did not think she could continue to breathe. The weight of their sacrifice might crush her. Here they had died, and up the beach they were still dying, in flocks and willingly for the idea that she, Emma herself, and her friends and family and neighbors, ought to live in freedom. Who on earth deserved such a gift?
      — The Baker’s Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan

      My hands are flapping again. Tears are running down my face. I am losing control.
      Slipping into a vertiginous vortex. I used to think loneliness was being stuck
      with only the one voice in your head. I was wrong.*

      Here’s the thing about making a friend that I didn’t understand before I started talking to Kit: They grow your world. Allow for previously inconceivable possibilities.*
      — *the following quotes taken from uncorrected proof of What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum

      Progress Update on Reading Challenges

      Required Library Books: 10 / 22

      The Light Between Oceans || The Husband’s Secret || W is for Wasted
      The Miniaturist 
      || The Astronaut Wives Club || The Burning Room
      Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet 
      || The President’s Shadow
      Orphan Train || Still Life

      Fun Library Books: 8 / 5 // Complete!

      Heart’s Blood || The Bear and the Nightingale || The Silver Gate
      Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies 
      || A Window Opens
      Alex, Approximately 
      || The Baker’s Secret || Troubled Waters

      Flights of Fantasy / Marillier & Gabaldon Challenge: 2 / 9

      Heart’s Blood || Son of the Shadows

      Classics & ReRead: 0 / 2

      Rock My TBR: 10 / 12

      Caraval || You and Me, Always || The Miniaturist
      Son of the Shadows || The Sun is Also a Star || Outrun the Moon
      The Secret Life of Violet Grant 
      || This Adventure Ends || The Alice Network 
      Like a River Glorious

      Impulse Buys: 5 / 5

      You and Me, Always || Flight of Dreams || Wait for Me
      The Hate U Give || The Map That Leads to You

      Overall Challenge: 32 / 50

      Random Obsessions

      On TV: Grantchester is back!

      I CANNOT GET ENOUGH OF SIDNEY CHAMBERS. He’s making poor life choices so far this season (go AWAY, AMANDA.), but I love him all just the same.

      On Film: I mentioned watching Band of Brothers for the first time in my If We Were Having Coffee post, and weeks later I’m still blown away by the show. So let’s add Wonder Woman to the mix! OH MY GOD. When we left the theater, I said to The Beau, “This must be what it feels like to be a white man!” I FELT POWERFUL AND UNSTOPPABLE. More female superheroes, please!!!

      In the Shopping Bag: Shopping? What is shopping? All my money went to travel, conferences, and hotel fees. Wah wah.

      Miscellaneous: I mentioned it before and I’ll say it again: Forge of Empires. I’m seriously obsessed with this app. People have described it like Sim City, and I can’t tell you if it is or not but I’m enjoying every second of it. Have you played it?

      Looking Towards the Future

      Lots of traveling coming up this summer! In July I’m heading to Nashville for a writers conference. Hope to hear some great pitches while I’m there. In August I’m traveling with The Beau to Iowa to visit family and some of his high school friends. And then in September, Jared’s book publishes! HURRAY! Oh, and it’s wedding season for like…a bazillion people, and I’m really looking forward to dancing many nights away!

      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! 

       

      Posted in books, This Season's Rewind | 3 Comments | Tagged books, personal, recap, rewind, this season's rewind
    • Flipping Through the Pages: Winter Rewind 2017

      Posted at 3:45 am by Laura, on April 1, 2017

      thisseasonsrewind2015

      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

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      17334242_103555493517214_4627935932702523392_n
      17076328_1886246791620873_322841249847443456_n

      Most of my winter months were spent catching up on manuscripts and submissions, reading from my TBR pile, and reading ARCs. Many of my afternoons looked like the far left picture, in a nutshell. In March, my best friend and I went to San Francisco and one of the mornings we met Karl the Fog and walked across the Golden Gate Bridge! But the biggest event in my life happened at the beginning of March. My grandfather passed away from lung cancer. I won’t go into the details about his journey, but I’m glad I was able to say goodbye in person on one of his last few good days. He was a rock for this family, and we miss his presence deeply. It’s hard.

      Life Highlights

      In work news: January was huge for my clients Tara and Jared! Tara announced the title for the second book in the Timekeeper trilogy as well as the release date for Timekeeper on audio (add Book 2 and the Timekeeper audio book to your TBR!). Jared’s A Short History of the Girl Next Door had a cover and publication date reveal, and early ARCs are already making the rounds. In February I negotiated a deal that was announced in March for my client Clarissa Harwood! She’s an adult historical fiction novelist, and I can’t wait for the world to read Impossible Saints!

      My birthday was in March, and my friends and family treated me well (especially considering my grandfather’s death a couple days prior). The Beau took me to a lovely Italian restaurant the evening before. On the day of, we had brunch at a new-to-us place in town (mouthwateringly delicious!), went to Barnes & Noble to buy some books, finished The Secrets of Great British Castles on Netflix, ate dinner with my parents, and then went out for drinks and dessert with my friends. The following day we had another big brunch, went for a long walk in the woods, attended an afternoon organ concert (“Job” by Petr Eben), and finished off the weekend with another dinner with my parents. So yeah. It was a great birthday!

      Tunes on Repeat

      Y’all, I wish I could share a playlist for you, or songs I listened to, but I have to be honest: all the music I listened to was in preparation for the choir concert (Durufle’s Requiem) OR it was an audiobook for the library bookclub.

      I know! How awful! How in the world does a musical person not really listen to music?! Especially when Ed Sheeran and John Mayer came out with new music?!

      *hangs head in shame*

      Bookmarked in the Community

      1. My Week of Attempted Reading Deprivation @ Clarissa Harwood — Clarissa spent a week not reading a single thing to see if it would boost her creative writing or help her observe more around her. Fascinating read.
      2. The Year of Recommended Reads: All the Light We Cannot See @ Alexa Loves Books — This monthly feature between Alexa and Lindsey @ Bring My Books is so neat, and the very first one was a great start to the year. I’m definitely interested in reading this book now.
      3. The Queens of Contemporary @ The Book Addict’s Guide — Brittany curated a great list of contemporary authors and their books for anyone who is a fan of or interested in reading more contemporary YA. The one thing I would’ve loved to see more of (not just this list, but in general) is more diversity. Who are the queens (or kings) of diverse contemporary reads?
      4. Friendship Breakups @ The Pretty Books — Stacey’s touching and heartfelt post about real life and literary friendship breakups was a refreshing read. What are some of your favorite friendship stories?
      5. 30 Things I Learned By 30 @ Belle of the Literati — If you haven’t noticed already, I adore Kelly’s travel posts and general life posts. This one tops the list.

      Popular Posts on Scribbles

      1. Book Review: My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella — WOOHOO I loved this book too! I read it in December but was finally able to post about it in January. Have you read it?
      2. Book Review: The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir by Jennifer Ryan — Another book I adored. If you love historical fiction, this book focuses on one town across one summer at the start of WWII in England.
      3. Deal Announcement: Clarissa Harwood, Historical Fiction — YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY CLARISSA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
      4. Top Ten Tuesday: Spring TBR — My TBR this spring is kind of insane and out of control. Here’s my post about it in March, and if you hop over to IG you’ll see what I’m talking about…

      Cherished Reads

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      The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden ★★★★

      You and Me, Always by Jill Mansell ★★★.5

      The Silver Gate by Kristin Bailey ★★★★

      Hunted by Meagan Spooner ★★★★.5 (review to come!)

      Cherished Quotes

      She rubbed a hand over her bare neck. The fringes of her chopped hair tickled her palm.
      This wasn’t a game anymore.
      It was hard for Wynn to remember things if she didn’t think about them
      over and over. Things that happened didn’t stay in her mind well.
      Now she couldn’t brush her hair and remember when Mother did it.
      She would forget. She always forgot.
      –The Silver Gate
      by Kristin Bailey

      Progress Update on Reading Challenges

      Required Library Books: 4 / 22

      The Light Between Oceans || The Husband’s Secret || W is for Wasted
      The Miniaturist

      Fun Library Books: 5 / 5 // Complete!

      Heart’s Blood || The Bear and the Nightingale || The Silver Gate
      Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies 
      || A Window Opens

      Flights of Fantasy / Marillier & Gabaldon Challenge: 2 / 9

      Heart’s Blood || Son of the Shadows

      Classics & ReRead: 0 / 2

      Rock My TBR: 5 / 12

      Caraval || You and Me, Always || The Miniaturist
      Son of the Shadows || The Sun is Also a Star

      Impulse Buys: 4 / 5

      You and Me, Always || Flight of Dreams || Wait for Me
      The Hate U Give

      Overall Challenge: 15 / 50

      Random Obsessions

      On TV: Though it made me cringe (a lot), I watched Masterpiece’s Victoria. It was compulsive. I had to. I had to witness the train wreck. The costumes were great, everything’s pretty, and it’s staying (so very) loosely true to Victoria’s life, but man oh man. What a soap opera. ON THE OTHER HAND…I finished the second season of The Secrets of Great British Castles on Netflix and LOVED IT (of course). Plus, the last castle of the season was one I visited on the same day they finished filming the episode: Arundel! I saw Dan Jones at the pub in town, but didn’t believe it was actually him so I didn’t say hello. Curses. Anyway, watch that show if you love castles and history!

      On Film: I saw Hidden Figures and it is everything and more. If you haven’t seen it yet, go immediately. Or just plain buy the DVD/Blu-ray. It is worth every penny. The Beau also took me to see Beauty and the Beast and OH MY HEART I JUST OH GOSH YES YES YES OH MY WORD YES BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.

      In the Shopping Bag: There honestly wasn’t a whole lot of shopping-related items this winter. I booked all the travel places for April through June. So it was more like massive spending for work instead of play. Wah wah.

      Miscellaneous: The disaster that is the Cheeto in Chief has made going onto social media mentally and emotionally exhausting. It’s hard to take in all that news within the echo chamber, and I grew tired of trying to figure out what news report people were referring to (and where they got that information). So I signed up for Skimm, a great newsletter that recaps the previous day’s news for you with links to the original/credible source, a nutshell overview, and ways you can take action if interested. It also includes pop culture items as well, like great book reviews, movies to see, the latest award shows, etc. But it’s mostly political news for the weary. Try it out!

      Looking Towards the Future

      April will be something of a breathing month for me, because once May and June hit, I’ll be traveling like crazy. Book Expo and ALA, here I come! I’m also looking forward to the little things, like sitting outside to read (though not looking forward to humidity), driving with the windows down, walking around barefoot… You gotta take the little things in life, right? Hello, spring!

      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! 

      Posted in books, This Season's Rewind | 6 Comments | Tagged books, personal, recap, rewind, this season's rewind
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    • Hello, I’m Laura!

      I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to knit, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm obsessed with popcorn. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!
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