September Book Review

September was a very mixed bag of reads - let me tell you that! It went from thriller to dark fantasy to Christian leadership to rom com... I managed to get a little bit of a lot of genres into the month! I should also note that I hit my 2024 Reading Goal of forty-five books this month when I finished Phantasma! I guess I underestimated my reading skills for this year, ha-ha! 

Like Mother, Like Daughter by Kimberly McCreight - When Cleo, a student at NYU, arrives late for dinner at her childhood home in Brooklyn, she finds food burning in the oven and no sign of her mother, Kat. Then Cleo discovers her mom's bloody shoe under the sofa. Something terrible has happened. 

But what? The polar opposite of Cleo, whose "out of control" emotions and "unsafe" behavior have created a seemingly unbridgeable rift between mother and daughter, Kat is the essence of Park Slope perfection: a happily married, successful corporate lawyer. Or so Cleo thinks. 

Kat has been lying. She's not just a lawyer; she's her firm's fixer. She's damn good at it, too. Growing up in a dangerous group home taught her how to think fast, stay calm under pressure, and recognize a real threat when she sees one. And in the days leading up to her disappearance, Kat has become aware of multiple threats: demands for money from her unfaithful soon-to-be ex-husband; evidence Cleo has slipped back into a relationship that's far riskier than she understand; and menacing anonymous messages from her past - all of which she's kept hidden from Cleo. 

Rating: ⭐⭐and a half of five: I will be the first to confess that my reading of this was disjointed. I started it as we headed to Norway and then proceeded to put it down for the entire week before finally finishing it... so maybe that colors my rating? The book was good but not great; nothing about it just jumped out and pulled me in. Probably one of my least favorite books this year. *sigh*

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith - When Ophelia and her sister discover their mother brutally murdered, there is no time to grieve: Ophelia has inherited both her powerful death-driven magic and enormous debt on their home. Circumstances go from dire to deadly, however, when Ophelia's sister decides to enter Phantasma - a competition where most contestants don't make it out alive and the winner is granted a single wish. 

The only way to save her sister is to compete. But Phantasma is a cursed manor, with twisting corridors and lavish ballrooms, and filled with enticing demons and fatal temptations. Ophelia will need to face nine floors of challenges to win... if her fears don't overtake her first. 

When a charming, arrogant stranger claims he can protect and guide Ophelia, she knows she shouldn't trust him. While Blackwell may not seem dangerous, appearances can be deceptive. But with her sister's life on the line, Ophelia can't afford to turn him away. She just needs to ignore the overwhelming, dark attraction drawing them closer and closet together - because in Phantasma, the only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart.  

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐and a half of five: This was my Book of the Month pick for September and I wasn't 100% sure about getting it, but wanted something a little spooky! This book had that in spades and even though it was over 400 pages, I ended up reading it all in one weekend! The New Orleans setting was perfect for this tale of magic, mystery and devilish games played in a house that moves from place to place to entice people to enter it's gate to take a chance on winning the ultimate prize. 

A Fine Sight to See: Leading Because You Were Made for It by Sophie Hudson - With relatable stories and disarming grace, popular podcaster and author Sophie Hudson cuts through the confusing, difference stances on Christian women in leadership and offers a resource that empowers women to embrace their roles as leaders. Drawing from the book of Exodus, and using her trademark humor, Sophie skillfully helps you identify the leadership traits you already possess.

Serve with boldness inside and outside the church, lead faithfully and consistently. This is your invitation to embrace leadership with confidence and to find joy in the understanding how God sees you. Prepare to be inspired, encouraged, and equipped to embrace the truth that you are uniquely made to lead. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐of five: I absolutely love Sophie's writing style; she writes the way she talks and she shares her whole heart with her words! She is able to break down the importance of female leadership in the church with such grace and wisdom; she made points about the story of Moses that I've never seen before! And as her book pointed out - seeing is one of the most important parts of leadership! 

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus - Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as the average woman. But it's the early 1960's and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one; Calvin Evans, the lonely, brilliant, Nobel-prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with - of all things - her mind. True chemistry results. 

But like science, life in unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America's most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth's unusual approach to cooking ("combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride") proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn't just teaching women to cook. She's daring them to change the status quo. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐of five: This was definitely my favorite read for the month of September! The characters are unique and the storyline is also different from anything I've read recently! I especially loved the wonderful ending... and I hear that there is a TV series on Apple+, so I'll definitely have to give that a watch! Hopefully it does the book justice, because the book was excellent!

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I hit my 2024 Reading Goal of 45 books when I read Phantasma earlier this month! So that means everything that follows it are just additional books that are above and beyond my goal, ha-ha! Perhaps I underestimated my reading prowess for this year? We shall see! Only three months to go! 

Norway 2024 - The Trials & Tribulations of Coming Home

The joys of travel are; in my opinion, what happens after you've arrived at your destination. It's well documented that I am not a fan of flying and honestly, the whole business of flying is so draining to me. The checking in, the security, the waiting, the cramming into a metal tube with tons of strangers... and then there's the flight. So yes, in this sense - it's IS absolutely about the destination and I can care less about the journey, let's get it over with! 

Our flight from Oslo to Amsterdam was smooth - we were able to literally walk across the street to the airport in Oslo, got all checked in and through security, boarded our flight and about an hour and a half later, we were in Amsterdam! Amsterdam's airport is HUGE and our gate was quite a ways away from where out first flight came in... and we wanted to purchase some wooden tulips in our short layover, so we were booking it! I mean - I did take some pictures of the Delft Teacups and Elephant...

We got our wooden flowers and made it to our gate - and I immediately noticed that even though we were set to start boarding in less than twenty minutes, there was no plane at the gate to actually board. The anxiety bells in my immediately started going off... but I was trying to tell myself it could be any number of reasons and it didn't mean that I wasn't going to be sleeping in my bed that night. But the longer we waited and the farther past 12:00 the clock got, the feeling just got stronger.

And sure enough - they announced that because our plane had maintenance issues, it had been cancelled. We would have to go to another gate where we would be given a number and we would eventually be given food and hotel vouchers, as well as be re-booked on a different flight. Well, I guess my emotions got the best of me because I just burst into tears... and I would keep bursting into tears throughout the LONG afternoon that was spent waiting to get confirmation of our new flight and obtain our vouchers. Finally, around 6 PM (that's right - it took six hours) we made our way to a shop in the mall to grab toiletries, catch the bus to the hotel and try to have a relaxing night before our newly assigned flight left early Sunday morning! 

We decided to try and make the best of it - the hotel we were put up in was quite a nice hotel and really unique; it had a gift shop and multiple restaurants and was honestly gigantic. We were even given toiletry bags with all sorts of wonderful items, so we really hadn't needed to buy the items at the shop! However, I was really thankful to have new undies and a shirt to sleep in, ha-ha! The hotel had a huge buffet set up on the fourth floor and even had a sign letting us know it was the stranded flight buffet, ha-ha! Like I said - you make the best of the situation, right?

We snapped pictures in the lobby - because hey, if we were going to be in Amsterdam for almost 24 hours, we might as well have some pictures to memorialize the moment, right? Sure it's not canals and the Anne Frank House... but I bet other tourists to Amsterdam don't have a stranded flight buffet picture or a picture with a giant cheese wheel, do they?

Blessedly - the showers were amazing, the bed was comfortable and when we got up on Sunday and got to the airport, our plane was at the gate. The flight was from Amsterdam to Atlanta and at 9.5 hours long, was the longest flight I've been on to date... it was also the bumpiest flight and well - I won't even get into that. I'll just say I'm glad that it's done and I don't have any flight in my near future.

We arrived in Atlanta with about an hour to go through customs, go through security again and then ride the train to our gate - but luckily everything went as smoothly as possible and we arrived to our gate in plenty of time. Soon enough, we were landing in DC - granted, we were landing at Reagan and not Dulles, so we had to ride the Metro to the Reston station, call an Uber to take us to our car and then finally, we made it to my parents and the last leg was just getting to our house! We arrived to the view below - two kittens literally hanging from our destroyed blinds - but I was so happy to be home, I didn't even care, ha-ha!

The trip to Norway was amazing and the memories we made will be ones I'll cherish for a lifetime. The last 24 hours of the trip were less than smooth, but I suppose all's well that ends well, right?

Norway 2024 - Kristiansand & Oslo

The last full day in Norway - but not the last full day of our trip (although we didn't know that yet). After hiking Pulpit Rock on Thursday, we drove from Stavanger to Kristiansand and spent the night at this coastal town, en route to Oslo. The hotel was great (even if the servers at the restaurant were not) and honestly, Kristiansand looked like a really lovely town - but we didn't quite have time to see much!

Kristiansand is Norway's southernmost city and while we were there, besides our stay at the Radisson Caledonian Blu, we stopped to check out two quick things: the oldest church in Kristiansand, Norway and a bakery for breakfast on the go! The Oddernes Church was built in 1040 and updated in the 1600's, before getting some additional work done in 1788 and 1827! The church is still used today to hold Sunday services, concerts and more - and really, it's a lovely church! 

The Odd Bakery was our final stop as we headed out of town - I got a cinnamon bun with passion fruit curd and a glorious drizzle of icing! It was divine! My parents also got buns; my Dad a traditional cinnamon bun and my Mom one with raspberry sauce - it was all so good! This is just a small little spot but the smells coming from inside are incredible! 

We made our way down the road, cinnamon buns in hand - headed for Oslo! Along the way, we passed a sign for the town of Arendal. And yes, this town on the southern coast of Norway has a name that struck Disney imagineers, because when they came to Norway to scout for Frozen - they decided the town that Elsa and Anna lived in should be called: Arendelle! The town of Bergen (where we were earlier in the week) was the inspiration for the look of Arendelle, but the name - that's from this little southern coastal town!

We stopped to get lunch y'all - at a Burger King that was built over the highway?!? What?!? It was the wildest thing, but also - what an excellent use of space. We ate our burgers as we made our way into the city, so that when we arrived in Oslo at around 2:00, we were ready to see all we could see! 

Our first stop in Oslo was the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History and I have to say; I couldn't recommend this stop enough! We were originally planning to go to the Viking Museum but discovered that it is closed for complete renovations until 2027 - so this was the alternative! The Museum is a massive, indoor and outdoor experience that highlights life in Norway throughout the past, with buildings, homes, churches and exhibits that come from regions all over the country of Norway! 

The first portion we toured was an exhibit on Timescapes, showing what life in Norway looked like throughout the 1600-1914, with dioramas and relics on display. That's where I took the picture of the amazing sleigh that looks like something out of Frozen; they also had an exhibit on folk dress, which had numerous dresses and men's clothing that looked straight out of Frozen as well, ha-ha! Which makes sense... given that Frozen is straight out of Norway! We didn't stay indoors too long because the vast expanse of the houses, barns, churches and villages that spread out in the massive courtyard were calling our name! 

I absolutely loved - loved the little houses with greenery sprouting out of the roofs! We saw some of them here and there when we were out in the Norwegian countryside earlier in the week and they immediately captured my heart! The Norwegians use grass roofs for insulation, water management, biodiversity and noise management... not to mention, they just look delightful! They also had a teepee that exhibited Sami culture; the Sami are the indigenous people of Norway and are descendants of nomadic peoples who have lived in the areas of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia for thousands of years!

The museum also had homes that represent a more current day home for Norwegians; and while it looked very similar to our homes, it also looked very different! This museum was; in my opinion, such a unique way to showcase so much about Norway and I don't believe I've ever been a museum quite like it before! After wandering through numerous villages, we hiked up a hillside (seriously - it was a little of a climb) to the Stave Church that the museum has on display! This one was larger than the Fantoft Stave Church and was from 1200! 

The gorgeous woodwork in the church was absolutely stunning - so detailed and beautiful! The whole church smelled like wood and history, ha-ha! If that makes sense? It smelled old! And given that it hailed from the 1200's, it definitely was old! After sitting in the shade staring at the church for a little while (it was a LOT warmer than we'd imagined it would be), we headed down the hill and made our way through the final villages and to some of the more modern day buildings! 

The more modern buildings included a gas station and an apartment building that illustrated how a family lives in present day. They also had an apothecary from the turn of the century and let me tell you, if there is one thing the Norwegians have loved for years, it's their licorice! The apothecary had medicines, treats and more on display and of course, they had their licorice! I have to say that while I enjoyed most of the sweets I tried in Norway, I cannot understand their love for licorice! It blows my mind! 

We saw as much of the museum as we could see, given that we only had a finite amount of time in Oslo and we headed through the gift shop and cafe on our way out! I grabbed a bag of gummy candies that I'd read about in the article I found on Norwegian candy... and we all got a laugh when we got to the car and discovered the female gummies had boobs! Because of course, you have to make the distinction between the two and that's the only way to do it! Regardless of their anatomy, these things were so tasty!

Our next stop was the Akershus Fortress! The Akershus Fortress and Castle were built in in 1299 by King Hakon. It has withstood numerous sieges and was "modernized" in the 1600's by King Christian! I don't know how modern it is, but I do know that the fortress' grounds are still an active Norwegian military space today - we even saw guards in full uniform near the entrance to the fortress! And yes - if you're a Disney person, you'll recognize the name because the restaurant in Epcot's version of Norway is called the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall! 

Our last stop before we headed to dinner was a pop into the center of downtown Oslo, where we were able to find a wonderful souvenir shop, see the headquarters of Freia Chocolate (they make all the chocolate in Norway) and get a peek at the Norwegian Royal Palace and the Norwegian Parliament! Oslo is a really lovely city; at least, the portions we got to see. We were only there for an afternoon, but I thoroughly enjoyed the portions we did get to see and I'd love to go back again one day!

Our final stop for the evening was a restaurant located right on the harbor front of Oslo - Lofoten! I can only assume it's named for the Lofoten Islands, which are in northern Norway, but this place was a Ryan find and it was incredible! The views from the restaurant were gorgeous, the setting was perfect, the staff were some of the friendliest people we'd met all week (and that's saying something - because most everyone was friendly) and well - I assume the food was good. I don't eat seafood, ha-ha!

Ryan got a seafood feast platter that had lobster, crab claws, shrimp, mussels and more - it was gigantic! I've never seen a man so happy about a plate of food! He absolutely loves seafood, so I knew he'd be excited but his face was priceless... and y'all, he pretty much ate all of it! My Mom and Dad sampled some bites, but he otherwise cleaned the tower! I did get dessert from Lofoten; I had the Petit Four Trio and it was a lovely little sweet treat to end the night on! 

We walked slowly back to our car, taking in the sights from the Oslo harbor. I have to say, it was hard to believe that a full week in Norway had already come and gone! Norway was such a beautiful place and I am so unbelievably glad we were able to see this gorgeous country - especially because I know I will need to make a return trip to see Northern Norway and catch the Northern Lights! 

We stayed at the Radisson Blu Hotel at the airport; literally, across the walkway from the entrance to the Oslo Airport. We slept and we were up early... for the trip home. But that's another post...

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Stops & Stays Along the Way

• Radisson Blu Caledonian, Kristiansand
• Oddernes Church
• The Odd Bakery
• Kristiansand, Norway
• Norsk Folkemuseum
• Akershus Fortress
• Lofoten Restaurant, Oslo