Day Three

First, thank you all for listening to me yesterday. There’s been a lot going on and it’s been hard to find the time and space to get things out of my system. So, thank you for giving me that space.

Now, onto the post.

I’ve been reading a lot lately. Like, a lot a lot. I read three books in two days last week (granted, I didn’t sleep much, so there was some sacrifice). I’ve spent a lot of the last year reading, getting lost in books like I did growing up.

The thing I love most is to get lost in a story. I love short stories, long epic tales, political intrigues, fluffy romances, comic books, grand space operas and every other type of story there is. There is nothing like being in someone else’s head for a little while. It makes the world fresh and new when you come back to your own reality. It adds shade and color to the way you view the world, and it changes you.

I’ve been reading a lot of romance lately. I think the reason it’s such a popular genre is because it shows us the happy endings we want in the world. Even when things are bleak in our reality, romances remind us that there are still happy endings, and if a happy ending can exist on the page, it gives the hope that it can exist in real life too. And hope is really what drives us all, in light or dark times.

Love,
February

[Song of the Day: Bad Wine and Lemon Cake by the Jane Austen Argument, performed by Amanda Palmer and The Jane Austen Argument.]

I picked this song today because it is just such a vivid little story all on its own, and this verse just gets me every time:
I’d like to rent a wife
Then rent a husband to keep her for life
The three of us, we could be so happy
Them with each other, me with company
I’ll see them off on a flight around the world

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    I always like your song picks ~ if you have any book recommendations, feel free to share!

    I started reading more romance novels during pandemic life too, there’s just something nice about a book you know will end happily.

    I like what you said about it giving us hope, reminds me of a quote from Lord of the Rings about stories sticking with us when they give us hope that there is some good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for.

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      Thanks! I have a playlist I’ve been pulling songs from for these – I’ll share it in a post later.

      If you like contemporary romance, I really enjoyed The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood. I also read two books by Sally Thorne, The Hating Game and Second First Impressions, and I enjoyed both, but the former was a bit rough in terms of writing and needed a bit more polish. It was her first book though, and still very addictively readable in the right mood. I preferred SFI if only because it was more slow burn, though I felt she created a lot of room for character development that she never explored, but it was still just a lovely fluffy story. Currently working my way through Beach Read by Emily Henry, and I loved her other one, People You Meet on Vacation.

      Anything by Jasmine Guillory is my jam, though I found her latest one a bit underwhelming. Also, working on the Brown Sisters trilogy by Talia Hibbert, the first one Get A Life Chloe Brown was delightful. I like Helen Hoang, especially because she really likes looking at romances through the lens of characters who are on the spectrum. I haven’t read her latest but it’s on my list.

      Uzma Jalaluddin’s Ayesha at Last and Hana Khan Carries On are wonderful, and I related to the stories on a personal level. They lean a bit less romance, more fiction, but still are romances at their core. AAL is a P&P retelling, so extra points there.

      I’ve also been reading a lot of fantasy – I’m trying to read more non-white/western stories, and the Daevabad trilogy was just perfection (adult fantasy) and The Ember in the Ashes quartet is also great (YA fantasy). The Priory of the Orange Tree is dense but so well done, and really created a full world in one book.

      I have a ton more too, but these are the things from the last year or so that stand out for me.

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        If you like podcasts then Fated Mates is a really good one that is all about romance novels. Some of the books you’ve listed have been mentioned. It’s usually is good for a laugh or two, plus they have some great discussions.

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          I just looked over their episodes and there’s a lot of stuff I’ve read or that’s in my TBR list, so I’ll definitely try to give it a listen sometime soon!

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    I missed all your struggles and just went back to read them. I’m glad you’re in a better place. How are your plants doing? That was the last time I “spoke” to you here.

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      Plants took a bit of a hit over the spring/summer since I had to spend most of it at home taking care of my mom as she recovered from surgery, but things have been all right for the most part since fall. I do have one impatiens currently quarantined in my bathtub with mites, and it’s probably a goner and also a sign I need to stop buying impatiens. Also, my brother just bought a house in Cali, so I have informed him that I am making him buy lemon and pomegranate trees for his deck because I cannot have those in my cold midwest apartment.

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        Or you could do what my hubby does in this area…indoor gardening. We have lemon and tangerine trees. I actually picked a tangerine today…and we have 6 in of snow on the ground today. 😆

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          My place doesn’t get enough light, and I don’t have the space for a tree now, but the plan is to one day have a place with a balcony and better light to be able to have a lemon tree.

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            He has a set up in the basement storage closet (no light) and bought all these grow lights. Looks like we’re growing something else down there! 😂

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            That’s amazing (and kind of my dream setup one day…)

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