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
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
- 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!
- 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!
- 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!
- 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!
- 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
- 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.
- 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?
- 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
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?!?!?!
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.
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!
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!
The Unlikely Story of a Pig in the City by Jodi Kendall
The Dire King by William Ritter
The Royal Nanny by Karen Harper
The Scribe of Siena by Melodie Winawer
Like a River Glorious by Rae Carson
What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum
Scribbles & Wanderlust 