First of all, Happy New Year! This is my first post of the 2019 and I’m happy to be sharing one of my favorite 2018 reads. Now, I had lofty reading goals in 2018 and, to be blunt, I failed miserably. But those that did make the cut were fantastic, and The Dressmaker is no …
Life: Fantastically Ordinary
What if I want to live a perfectly ordinary life? What if I don’t want to rush, and push, and force my way through life only to stumble out the other side wondering why I didn’t breathe every once in while? A while ago I read this blog post in which the author talks about accepting …
The Art of Buying Books on Amazon.com
If you’re anything like me, your budget is maxed out with silly things like gas and insurance, with only a handful of random extra dollars for fun things like wine and books. But then again, if you’re anything like me, you will still spend money on books. What always gets me, though, is the insane …
“All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr
The first word that comes to mind when I reflect on Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See is Symphony. The ebb and flow, as well as the author’s co-narrator construction, pulls you through the heart-wrenching lives of the characters much like a symphony guides you through some of the most enchanting musical compositions. Set against …
Book Review: “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins
Rachel Watson hovers just above rock bottom. Wallowing in her divorce and drowning in her alcoholism, Rachel’s only comfort lies in her daily observations of Jason and Jess, the happily married couple who live a few doors down from the home in which Rachel herself once enjoyed marital bliss. From her seat on the train …
My Top 10 Travel Tips: London
Wherever you are, be all there. — Jim Elliot — Jim Elliot’s “be all there” philosophy is as wonderful for daily life as it is for traveling to unknown cities. My general interpretation of this is to blend in and attempt to exist in the city in much the same way a local would. Veer …
Simple Journaling: Q&A a Day
I’ve tried journaling a hundred different ways, and as someone who likes to write it always confused me when my efforts failed. I usually attributed this to the fact that my journals devolved into a space for me to complain about things, or my entries taking the form of: Dear Diary, today I brushed my …
Acceptance: The First Step To Better Curls
Like most people with naturally curly hair, I hated my hair when I was younger. Partly due to the fact that I didn’t know how to style it (I’d never heard of curl creams or serums, and never dreamed of using a diffuser) and partly due to the fact that I took dance lessons for …
6th, 7th, 8th, & 9th Day(s) of Blogmas
Okay, so I’m cheating a little bit. Well, a lot a bit. But the past few days have been insanely busy and I didn’t have the forethought to write enough of these posts ahead of time. As a tribute to this past week and the new year, I’d like to talk about New Years resolutions. …
Fifth Day of Blogmas: Five Favorite Songs
Welcome to the Fifth Day of Blogmas! I’m so excited to share with you five of my favorite songs. I love music, and I’m constantly discovering new artists and songs, so there are many songs that could be on this short list, but for now I’ll give you some of my more recent obsessions. I …