Friday, April 10, 2015

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts #3


1. I have surprised even myself by how much I enjoy reading comics and graphic novels. I never thought they would be for me, but some of the ones I have tried so far have been seriously compelling and I am totally hooked. And I fly through those bad boys, so the library has been really great for exploring this new genre without breaking the bank -- or my book buying budget/resolutions for the year.

2. I've actually completed a bookish decorating project I've been meaning to do forever! And I'm halfway finished with another project for the baby's room -- just waiting on a few more supplies. I will share photos soon :)

3. Part of me really wants to dive into Drums of Autumn, the next Outlander book for my re-read of the series, but I think I need to take a little break and squeeze in some other books while waiting for our little one to decide it's time to arrive. It's less than two weeks 'til due date now, so it could still be a while or it could be any day now -- there's really no telling!

4. My plan to read ahead for the next two months of book club got thwarted with all the busy-ness of preparing for the baby. I did start the May book last night in the hope that reading it before the baby comes will mean I actually know what is going on when I attempt to attend the meeting after he's born (in what is likely to be a very sleep-deprived state!)

5. The frequency I need to do laundry because only a limited number of clothing items fit my pregnant self is kind of annoying. I really don't want to buy anything else with so little time left, but I guess this will be good practice for when the baby spits up, pees, etc. all over everything -- frequent laundry is just part of the deal I suppose. On the plus side, since starting to organize all the clothes, bedding, etc. we got at the shower, I've learned that you can fit a LOT of baby things in one load.

6. I really love these applesauce scones and these pumpkin scones. I like having a scone with my breakfast, so I usually skip any sort of topping or glaze and sub in whole wheat flour -- this totally does not work for dessert recipes, but I do it all the time for scones, muffins, and quick breads without any trouble.

7. Speaking of scones... my pastry blender is probably one of my favorite (and most used) kitchen gadgets. I usually only make pie once a year at Thanksgiving, but it's so helpful for making scones, biscuits, and the topping for crumb cakes.

8. Despite the fact that I keep talking about food, I can't say I've had any crazy cravings while pregnant. I make sure I am eating enough for me and the baby, but things are getting crowded in there! Having a tiny person squishing all my insides doesn't really make me want to go to town on snacks or sweets -- not that I don't have them at all, because I definitely do, but I haven't had the roaring appetite I had expected. Though I'm now pretty convinced that pregnancy and parenthood is all about the unexpected.

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Thursday, April 2, 2015

March Madness 2015: Wrap-Up


So it turns out I was a little over-ambitious after all! I was on a major reading roll in January and February, but a baby shower, out of town guests, and lots of preparations for our little one meant I was busier in March than I had accounted for. The middle of this giant pile got a bit neglected, but I did end up reading 8 of the 16, plus three audiobooks and one children's book I've been wanting to read for my Banned Books Challenge -- And Tango Makes Three.


I finished Voyager -- woo hoo! -- and read the James Thurber collection as well as all of the remaining Y: The Last Man comic collections. I started Paper Towns for book club, but was only a couple chapters in at the end of the month. My husband's work schedule has been super busy, so a lot of days I went on my daily walk (Dr.'s orders!) alone and zipped through two Lisa Scottoline mysteries -- Look Again and Don't Go -- and a short story collection on audio. Something tells me audio as well as shorter, easier books (like the graphic novels and children's books I've been gravitating toward) are going to be the new normal around here for a while.

I hope you read something good last month!