Thursday, January 04, 2024

50 Book Challenge: 2024

 Wowza, they say time flies when you're having fun? Well, the past year 2023 just flew by and I'm so very proud to say that I'm back in the reading saddle and conquered 81 books in 2023! I have my goal of 80 books for THIS year, so let's see how it goes! I squeeze in my precious reading minutes whenever I can!

1. Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover and Me--Adrienne Brodeur

2. First Lie Wins-- Ashley Elston

3. The Woman in Me --Britney Spears

4. Demon Copperhead --Barbara Kingsolver

5. If You Would Have Told Me--John Stamos

6. The Mystery Guest (Molly the Maid #2) --Nita Prose

7. Weyward--Emilia Hart

8. Maybe Next Time--Cesca Major

9. Anna O. --Matthew Blake

10. The Heiress --Rachel Hawkins

11. The Exception to the Rule--*(The Improbable Meet-Cute #1)* --Christina Lauren 

12. The Frozen River --Ariel Lawhon

13. Only If You're Lucky --Stacy Willingham

14. Her--Britney King

15. Family Family --Laurie Frankel

16. End of Story--A.J. Finn

17. One of the Good Guys--Araminta Hall

18. The Star and the Strange Moon--Constance Sayers

19. The Women --Kristin Hannah

20. Worst Wingman Ever --*(The Improbable Meet-Cute #2)* --Abby Jimenez

21. The Princess of Las Vegas--Chris Bohjalian

22. Expiration Dates--Rebecca Serle

23. Still See You Everywhere --Lisa Gardner

24. Rosie and the Dreamboat --(*The Improbable Meet-Cute #3) --Sally Thorne

25. Drop, Cover and Hold On--*(The Improbably Meet-Cute #4) --Jasmine Guillory

26. With Any Luck (*The Improbable Meet-Cute #5) --Ashley Poston

27. Royal Valentine (*The Improbable Meet-Cute #6) --Sariah Wilson

28. Too Soon For Adios --Annette Chavez Macias

29.  James --Percival Everett

30. This Tender Land--William Kent Krueger

31. Lost Man's Lane--Scott Carson

32. Northwoods--Amy Pease

33. Daughter of Mine--Megan Miranda

34. The Teacher --Freida McFadden

35. Just For The Summer--Abby Jimenez

36. How to End a Love Story--Yulin Kuang

37. Adelaide -- Genevieve Wheeler

38. Part Of Your World--Abby Jimenez

39. Happily Never After--Lynn Painter

40. Annie Bot -- Sierra Greer 

41. The Paradise Problem --Christina Lauren

42. Days of Wonder --Caroline Leavitt

43. Think Twice--Harlan Coben

44. Very Bad Company --Emma Rosenblum

45. Darling Girls --Sally Hepworth

46. Gone Too Long --Lori Roy

47. Drowning -- T.J.Newman

48. Funny Story --Emily Henry

49. The Heirloom --Jessie Rosen

50. Second First Impressions--Sally Thorne

51. Within Arm's Reach --Ann Napolitano

52. A Novel Love Story--Ashley Poston

53. A Calamity of Souls --David Baldacci

54. Honey --Isabel Banta

55. The New Couple in 5B --Lisa Unger

56. The Rom-Commers--Katherine Center

57. My Side of the River --Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez

58. I Want You More --Swan Huntley

59. We Are Called to Rise --Laura McBride

60. Swan Song --Elin Hilderbrand

61. The Sicilian Inheritance --Jo Piazza

62. The Summer Pact--Emily Giffin

63. God of the Woods--Liz Moore

64. Summers at the Saint--Mary Kay Andrews

65. Natural Selection--A Short Story--Elin Hilderbrand

66. The Friend Zone--Abby Jimenez

67. The Return of Ellie Black --Emiko Jean

68. Yours Truly --Abby Jimenez

69. A Well-Trained Wife--Tia Levings

70. This is Why We Lied --Karin Slaughter

71. All the Colors of the Dark --Chris Whitaker

72. The Cliffs --J. Courtney Sullivan

73. The Goddess of Warsaw --Lisa Barr

74. The Wedding People--Alison Espach

75. The Unraveling --Vi Keeland

76. The Night We Lost Him --Laura Davis

77. Here One Moment --Liane Moriarty

78. The Night She Disappeared --Lisa Jewell

79. Like Mother, Like Daughter --Kimberly McCreight

80. Break Every Rule--Brian Freeman

81. Sandwich--Catherine Newman

82. The Waiting --Michael Connelly

83. Spirit Crossing--William Kent Krueger

84. The Change --Kirsten Miller


















Wednesday, January 11, 2023

50 Book Challenge: 2023

 Happy New Year...again!
I feel like time is flying!
I did not meet my personal goal last year of 75 books, but life is busy so I have this year to plow ahead!

1. Let Love Rule --Lenny Kravitz

2. Blackwater Falls--Ausma Zehanat Khan

3. Tell Me Lies--Carola Lovering

4. The Widow--Kaira Rouda

5. The Quarry Girls --Jess Lourey

6. Every Summer After--Carley Fortune

7. Nora Goes Off Script --Annabel Monaghan

8. True North Cabin Cookbook: Recipes and Stories from a Northwoods Table--Stephanie Hansen

9. Suspect —Scott Turow 

10. The Secret Society of Salzburg— Renee Ryan

11. We Are The Light —Matthew Quick

12. The Villa— Rachel Hawkins

13.  Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow — Gabrielle Zevin

14. The Chemistry of Love —Sariah Wilson

15. Just the Nicest Couple—Mary Kubica 

16. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing — Matthew Perry 

17. All The Dangerous Things --Stacy Willingham 

18. Remarkably Bright Creatures—Shelby Van Pelt

19. Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun --Elle Cosimano

20. The Sweet Spot —Amy Poeppel

21. The Lies I Tell— Julie Clark

22. Hidden Pictures—Jason Rekulak 

23. Pretty Things—Janelle Brown

24. Romantic Comedy— Curtis Sittenfeld

25.  I’ll Be You— Janelle Brown

26. Watch Me Disappear— Janelle Brown

27. The Soulmate — Sally Hepworth

28. With My Little Eye— Joshilyn Jackson

29. Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted—Suleika Jaouad 

30. Happy Place—Emily Henry

31. The Ferryman—Justin Cronin 

32. Eight Hundred Grapes— Laura Dave

33.  The House of Eve — Sadeqa Johnson 

34. Wrong Place, Wrong Time —Gillian McAllister

35.  Bad Summer People—Emma Rosenblum

36. The Spectacular—Fiona Davis

37. The Guncle -- Steven Rowley

38. I Will Find You -- Harlan Coben

39. Summer Stage --Meg Mitchell Moore

40. The Five-Star Weekend --Elin Hilderbrand

41. Killing Me --Michelle Gagnon

42.  Stone Cold Fox -Rachel Koller Croft

43.  The Secret Book of Flora Lea--Patti Callahan Henry

44. Pineapple Street--Jenny Jackson

45. The Marriage Box -- Corie Adjmi

46.  Little Monsters—Adrienne Brodeur

47.  Strange Sally Diamond—Liz Nugent

48. Graceland —Nancy Crochiere

49.  Golden Hills- Jennifer Weiner **Kindle Short Story*

50. What Never Happened--Rachel Howzell Hall

51. Hello, Stranger --Katherine Center

52. All the Sinners Bleed— S.A.  Cosby

53. Just Another Missing Person— Gillian McAllister

54. Love Buzz—Neely Tubati Alexander

55. Before She Finds Me—Heather Chavez

56. After That Night- Karin Slaughter 

57. Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club —J. Ryan Stradal

58. Small Mercies--Dennis Lehane

59. The Quiet Tenant--  ClĂ©mence Michallon 

60. The True Love Experiment --Christina Lauren

61. Prom Mom - Laura Lippman

62. The Summer of Songbirds— Kristy Woodson Harvey

63. Hello, Beautiful --Ann Napolitano

64. The Last One--Will Dean

65. None of This is True —Lisa Jewell

66. Mother-Daughter Murder Night—Nina Simon 

67. The One That Got Away--Charlotte Rixon

68. Gone Tonite -- Sarah Pekkanen

69. The Leftover Woman-- Jean Kwok

70. The Drowning Woman- Robyn Harding 

71. This is Not How It Ends--Rochelle B. Weinstein

72. Happiness Falls--Angie Kim

73. Look Closer--David Ellis

74. Tom Lake — Ann Patchett

75. What Wild Women Do —- Karma Brown

76. The Breakaway--Jennifer Weiner

77. The Fields- Erin Young

78. Resurrection Walk--Michael Connelly

79. Christmas Presents --Lisa Unger

80. Tell Me Everything: A Memoir -- Minka Kelly

81. The Spy Coast--Tess Gerritsen













Friday, January 07, 2022

50 Book Challenge: 2022

 I don't know about you, but I'm feeling 22!!  

All jokes aside, I entered into this year feeling optimistic that things might be looking up?  And...there's always books! I'm so excited because I was the co-creator of a neighborhood ladies' book club! We meet monthly and it's a new way to get new reads into my life! I started the new year reading our January book, and really liked it! It's #1 on my list, so I hope you enjoy!!


1.  The Best of Friends--Lucinda Berry

2. The Night She Disappeared --Lisa Jewell

3. Wish You Were Here --Jodi Picoult 

4. Ghosts--Dolly Alderton

5. The Masterpiece--Fiona Davis

6. Accidents of Marriage -- Randy Susan Meyers

7. No Exit--Taylor Adams

8. April May Fall--Christina Hovland

9. Bright Burning Things--Lisa Harding

10. One Night On the Island --Josie Silver

11. The Good Lie --A.R. Torre

12. Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead--Elle Cosimano

13. The Last House on the Street --Diane Chamberlain

14.  The Ursulina --Brian Freeman

15. Reminders of Him --Colleen Hoover

16. One Step Too Far --Lisa Gardner

17.  It Ends With Us -- Colleen Hoover

18. Nine Lives--Peter Swanson

19.  My Darling Husband--Kimberly Belle

20. Greenwich Park--Katherine Faulkner

21. The Match -- Harlan Coben

22. One of Us is Dead -- Jeneva Rose

23. One Italian Summer --Rebecca Serle

24. Reckless Girls --Rachel Hawkins

25. It Happened One Summer--Tessa Bailey

26. The Boy From the Woods--Harlan Coben

27. Meet Me in Paradise--Libby Hubscher

28. The Golden Couple --Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

29. The Lioness--Chris Bohjalian

30. Meant To Be--Emily Giffin

31. Something Wilder--Christina Lauren

32. A Flicker in the Dark --Stacy Willingham

33. What Happened to the Bennetts--Lisa Scottoline

34. The Love of My Life--Rosie Walsh

35. The Hotel Nantucket --Elin Hilderbrand

36. The Maid --Nita Prose

37. One of the Girls --Lucy Clarke

38. The Summer Place --Jennifer Weiner

39. The Unsinkable Greta St. James --Jennifer E. Smith

40. Hello, Molly! A Memoir-- Molly Shannon

41. Normal Family: On Truth, Love and How I Met My 35 Siblings--Chrysta Bilton

42. Book Lovers--Emily Henry

43. Girl, Forgotten --Karin Slaughter

44.  The Bodyguard--Katherine Center

45. This Time Tomorrow- Emma Straub

46. How Are You, Really? --Jenna Kutcher

47.  Carrie Soto is Back--Taylor Jenkins Reid

48.  The Younger Wife--Sally Hepworth

49. Again, Rachel --Marian Keyes

50. Lessons in Chemistry--Bonnie Garmus

51. It Starts With Us--Colleen Hoover

52. The Last Flight --Julie Clark

53. Too Good To Be True --Carola Lovering

54.  The Stolen Marriage --Diane Chamberlain **reread

55. The It Girl --Ruth Ware

56. Desert Star-- Michael Connelly 

57. Mad Honey--Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan

58.  The Jetsetters --Amanda Eyre Ward

59. Can't Look Away --Caroline Lovering

60. Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six --Lisa Unger

61. Small Game -- Blair Braverman

62. Our Missing Hearts--Celeste Ng

63. The Matchmaker's Gift --Lynda Cohen Loigman












Saturday, January 02, 2021

50 Book Challenge: 2021

 How can it be 2021 already?
Well, I was lucky enough to spend the very first day of 2021 reading....the latest "Lincoln Lawyer" story..... Good luck to you who love to read! I am always open to suggestions!


1. The Law of Innocence--Michael Connelly
2. Here For It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America; Essays -- R. Eric Thomas
3. Girl Underwater--Claire Kells
4. The Vacation --T.M. Logan
5. The Chelsea Girls --Fiona Davis
6.  The Address --Fiona Davis
9. Deep Into The Dark -- P. J. Tracy
10.  Outsider: A Novel of Suspense-- Linda Castillo
11.  The Midnight Library--Matt Haig
12. Before She Disappeared --Lisa Gardner
13. Feels Like Falling --Kristy Woodson Harvey
14. The Dollhouse--Fiona Davis
15. Better Luck Next Time --Julia Claiborne Johnson
16. The Four Winds --Kristin Hannah
17. 29 Seconds --T.M. Logan
18.  Everything After --Jill Santopolo
19. Slightly South of Simple --Kristy Woodson Harvey
20. The Secret To Southern Charm --Kristy Woodson Harvey
21. The Southern Side of Paradise --Kristy Woodson Harvey
22. Bloodline--Jess Loury
23. Concrete Rose --Angie Thomas
24.  More Than Words --Jill Santopolo
25. The Ladies of the Secret Circus --Constance Sayers
26. The Cold Millions --Jess Walter 
27. A Witch in Time --Constance Sayers
28. Every Vow You Break --Peter Swanson
29. The Good Sister--Sally Hepworth
30. People We Meet On Vacation --Emily Henry
31. Mother May I? -- Joshilyn Jackson 
32. The Almost Sisters--Joshilyn Jackson
33. Malibu Rising--Taylor Jenkins Reid
34. The Girl Who Stopped Swimming --Joshilyn Jackson
35. Last Seen --Rick Mofina
36. Somebody's Daughter: A Memoir --Ashley C. Ford
37. Dance Away With Me --Susan Elizabeth Phillips
38.  A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty--Joshilyn Jackson
39. With or Without You--Caroline Leavitt
40. The Opposite of Everyone --Joshilyn Jackson
41. First Star I See Tonight--Susan Elizabeth Phillips
43. Three Women --Lisa Taddeo
44.  Never Have I --Joshilyn Jackson
45. Fallen --Linda Castillo
46. Pack Up the Moon--Kristan Higgens
47. Want: A Novel --Lynn Steger Strong
48. Choose Me--Tess Gerritsen & Gary Braver
49. That's Not a Thing--Jacqueline Friedland
50. The Newcomer --Mary Kay Andrews
51. When Stars Collide--Susan Elizabeth Phillips
53. The Soulmate Equation --Christina Lauren
54. Are We There Yet? -- Kathleen West
55. False Witness --Karin Slaughter
56.  That Summer --Jennifer Weiner 
57. Golden Girl --Elin Hilderbrand
59. The Forest of Vanishing Stars--Kristin Harmel
61. The Turnout --Megan Abbott
63. A Slow Fire Burning --Paula Hawkins
64. Apples Never Fall --Liane Moriarty
65. Blush--Jamie Brenner
66. The Damage--Caitlin Wahrer
67. The Ugly Cry: A Memoir--Danielle Henderson
68. The Saturday Night Ghost Club --Craig Davidson
69. Last Girl Ghosted--Lisa Unger
70. We Are the Brennans--Tracey Lange
71. The Dark Hours--Michael Connelly
72. The Midnight Lock-- Jeffery Deaver
73. Falling: A Novel--T.J. Newman
74. The Sweetness of Water --Nathan Harris






























*Re-read










Tuesday, September 15, 2020

2020-21 School Year: Hybrid learning w/the Soup Girls


Well Hello there!

It's been a long time! Yes, lots of things have changed, including how BIG my beautiful babies are getting!  

We are starting our school year with the Hybrid model: In person 2 days a week and distance learning the other 3 days.

Yesterday AM, we took our yearly pictures! WOW! So big!
K1 is going into 8th grade and her final year of Middle School and K2 is going into her FIRST year of middle school as a 6th grader! 








 


Thursday, January 09, 2020

50 Book Challenge: 2020

1:  Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years --Julie Andrews, with Emma Walton Hamilton
2. Know My Name: A Memoir -- Chanel Miller
3. The Secrets We Kept --Lara Prescott
4. The Wives --Tarryn Fisher
5.  Last Day --Luanne Rice
6. Where or When --Anita Shreve
7. When You See Me --Lisa Gardner
8. The Better Liar: A Novel --Tanen Jones
9. Open Book-- Jessica Simpson
10. Big Lies in a Small Town --Diane Chamberlain
11. The Giver of Stars --Jojo Moyes
12. The Wife and the Widow --Christian White
13. Regretting You--Colleen Hoover
14. Eight Perfect Murders--Peter Swanson
15. Untamed--Glennon Doyle
16. The Nowhere Child --Christian White
17. The Two Lives of Lydia Bird--Josie Silver
18. Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy,  Paternity, and Love --Dani Shapiro
19. You are Not Alone--Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen
20. Faithless--Karin Slaughter
21. Maid: Hard Word, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive--Stephanie Land
22.  The Lookalike -- Erica Spindler
23.  Today Will Be Different --Maria Semple
24. The Last Romantics--Tara Conklin
25. Stories We Never Told -- Sonya Yoerg  (**kindle**)
26. The Red Lotus--Chris Bohjalian
27. Holding Up the Universe--Jennifer Niven
28. The House Girl--Tara Conklin
29.  The Honey Don't List --Christina Lauren
30. Long Bright River --Liz Moor
31. Children of the Land--Marcelo Hernandez Castillo
32. A Woman is No Man --Etaf Rum
33.  American Dirt--Jeanine Cummins
34.  All I Ask--Corinne Michaels
35. I'd Give Anything --Marisa de los Santos
36. Blood Orange--Harriet Tyce
37. My Kind of You (Trillium Bay #1) --Kindle--Tracy Brogan
38. The Lies That Bind--Emily Giffin
39.  The Wife Stalker--Liv Constantine
40. Such a Fun Age--Kiley Reid
41. Always The Last To Know --Kristan Higgins
42. Dear Edward -- Ann Napolitano
43. Big Summer --Jennifer Weiner
44. In Five Years -- Rebecca Serle
45. Party of Two-- Jasmine Guillory
46. What You Wish For -- Katherine Center
47. The Knockout Queen--Rufi Thorpe
48. Fair Warning--Michael Connelly
49. Friends and Strangers --J. Courtney Sullivan
50. The Daughters of Erietown--Connie Schultz
51. Cleaning the Gold --Short Story --Karin Slaughter/Lee Child
52. The Night Swim --Megan Goldin
53. The Other Mrs. --Mary Kubica
54. He Started It --Samantha Downing
55. We Are All The Same In the Dark --Julia Heaberlin
57. The Swap --Robyn Harding 
58. Valentine --Elizabeth Wetmore
59. The Silent Wife --Karin Slaughter
60. One To Watch--Kate Stayman-London
62.  The Exiles--Christina Baker Kline
63. The Sweetness of Forgetting--Kristin Harmel
67. 28 Summers --Elin Hilderbrand
68. In a Holidaze--Christina Lauren
69. Confessions on the 7:45 --Lisa Unger
70. Black-Eyed Susans--Julia Heaberlin
71. Paper Ghosts--Julia Heaberlin
72. Where the Crawdads Sing--Delia Owens
73. Somewhere in the Dark --R.J. Jacobs
74. Layla--Colleen Hoover
75. Troubles in Paradise --Elin Hilderbrand
76. How Lulu Lost Her Mind --Rachel Gibson
77. One by One --Ruth Ware
78. Sweet Mess--Jayci Lee
79. Luster: A Novel -- Raven Leilani
80. The Lions of Fifth Avenue -Fiona Davis
81. Wolfpack--Abby Wambach













Monday, March 04, 2019

Congrats to K1!


Proud mama here.....K1 landed the role of Wendy Darling, in her middle school's musical production of "Peter Pan".  Since this is her first year in middle school (6th grader, in a 6-8 grade school), and there were 110 kids that tried out, I'm about to burst! Her dreams of the stage are slowly starting.

Now, because she was the product of an egg donor, the question of "nature vs. nurture" comes into play here. You see, her egg donor and her children are musical and an actress!  K1 definitely fits into the "nature" category in that regard.  She also is the product (nurture) of a mama who teaches 3 year old special ed. children, who needs to be dramatic to make a point and is the lover of movies and books.  So I do believe, in K1's situation, it was inevitable? LOL. Perhaps. 

I will keep you posted on dates and tickets (in April!)....for now, she is sharing her tunes around the house and I'm loving them.  



Tuesday, January 01, 2019

50 Book Challenge: 2019

1. The Guilty Dead-- P.J.  Tracy
2.  The Wife--Alafair Burke
3. The Life Intended -- Kristin Harmel
4. The Sea of Tranquility -- Katja Millay
5. The Woman Inside -- E.G. Scott
6. Verity --Colleen Hoover
7. Watching You-- Lisa Jewell
8. The Guy Who Died Twice -*(Kindle Eshort Story)--Lisa Gardner
9. Dark Sacred Night--Michael Connelly
10. One Day in December --Josie Silver
11. Sold on a Monday --Kristina McMorris
12. The Boy--Tami Hoag
13. Daisy Jones & the Six--Taylor Jenkins Reid
14. The Crooked Street-- Brian Freeman
15. The Accidental Beauty Queen --Teri Wilson
16. Before She Knew Him --Peter Swanson
17. Love and Other Words--Christina Lauren
18. Everything You Want Me To Be --Mindy Mejia
19. Mrs. Fletcher -- Tom Perrotta
20. My Lovely Wife--Samantha Downing
21. Wolfhunter River--Rachel Caine
22. The Proposal --Jasmine Guillory
23. Queenie--Candice Carty-Williams
24. Intercepted--Alexa Martin
25. Never Tell-- Lisa Gardner
26. I Know Who You Are--Alice Feeney
27. When Katie Met Cassidy -- Camille Perri
28. The Unhoneymooners --Christina Lauren
29. Stay Up With Hugo Best--Erin Somers
30. The Better Sister--Alafair Burke
31. The Friends We Keep --Jane Green
32. The Hate U Give--Angie Thomas
33. City of Girls--Elizabeth Gilbert
34. Howard Stern Comes Again--Howard Stern
35. Dear Wife--Kimberly Belle
36. If You Only Knew--Kristan Higgins
37. Recursion: A Novel --Blake Crouch
38. Now That You Mention It--Kristan Higgins
39. Good Luck With That --Kristan Higgins
40. The Night Window--Dean Koontz
41. From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home --Tembi Locke
42. On Second Thought --Kristan Higgins
43. All American Boys-- Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely
44. The Nickel Boys--Colson Whitehead
45. Summer of '69 --Elin Hilderbrand
46. Summer People--Elin Hilderbrand
47. The Last Resort--Marissa Stapley
48. The Mother-In-Law--Sally Hepworth
49. Mrs. Everything--Jennifer Weiner
50. Life and Other Inconveniences --Kristan Higgins
51. The Escape Room--Megan Goldin
52. The Last Widow--Karin Slaughter
53. Surfside Sisters--Nancy Thayer
54. Whisper Network--Chandler Baker
55. Shamed--Linda Castillo
56. Things You Save in a Fire--Katherine Center
57. The Wildlands --Abby Geni
58. The Perfect Son--Lauren North
59. Ask Again, Yes --Mary Beth Keane
60. The Murder List--Hank Phillippi Ryan
61. Twice in a Blue Moon-- Christina Lauren
62. The Stranger Inside--Lisa Unger
63. Catch and Kill -- Ronan Farrow
64. Inside out: A Memoir --Demi Moore
65. What Happens in Paradise--Elin Hilderbrand
66.  The Night Olivia Fell -- Christine McDonald
67.  The Night Fire --Michael Connelly
68. Plan B: What Do You Do When God Doesn't Show Up the Way You Thought He Would? --Pete Wilson




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