March Book Review

March - thankfully this lovely "first month" of Spring did bring some Spring-like weather and we were able to put together one of my Christmas presents from Ryan: a hammock! You will be able to find me in our backyard in that hammock reading from now until probably early November. *sigh* 

I didn't get quite as much reading done this month as I would have liked - but I am almost done with two books, so I listed them below with the "in progress" section. 

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas - Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she's at last returned to the empire - for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past... She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. She will fight for her friend, a you man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and waiting their lost queen's triumphant return.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐of five - I find the Throne of Glass series gets more and more interesting with every book and this one was no exception! The characters become more layered, the story and the lore deepen and the plot thickens! I am now in it for the long haul and looking forward to the three (very large) books that will complete the series! 

Between Sisters by Kristin Hannah - We all make mistakes, but for Meghann Dontess, the terrible choice she made some years ago cost her everything, including the love of her sister, Claire. Meghann is now a highly successful attorney, and has put all thoughts of love completely behind her - until she meets the one man who believes he can change her mind. 

Claire has fallen in love for the first time in her life, and as her wedding day approaches, she prepares to face her strong-willed older sister. Reunited after two decades, these two women who believe they have nothing in common will try to become what they never were: a family. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5 of five - I have never read a bad book by Kristin Hannah and this holds true with Between Sisters! This was a random Audible find and I really enjoyed listening to it! The storyline was engrossing and the characters were all very... real, I think is the best way to describe them! This was a quick and delightful read, with some tear-jerking moments too!

 

We All Live Here by JoJo Moyes - Lila Kennedy has a lot on her plate. A broken marriage, two wayward daughters, a house that is falling apart, and an elderly stepfather who seems to have quietly moved in. Her career is in freefall and her love life is... complicated. So when her real dad - a man she has barely seen since he ran off to Hollywood thirty-five years ago - suddenly appears on her doorstop, it feels like the final straw. 

But it turns out even the family you thought you could never forgive might have something to teach about love, and what it actually means to be family.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐of five - Another author that I really love! I will say, this book was probably my least favorite of hers, but it was still a really great read! While I couldn't identify with the main character, the story was interesting and kept me hooked, even if at times I felt like it was a little slow. I enjoyed reading it and even though it's not my favorite book by Moyes, she continues to be another favorite author of mine!

First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison - Aiden Valentine has a secret: he's fallen out of love with love. And as the host of Baltimore's romance hotline, that's a bit of a problem. But when a young girl calls in to the station asking for dating advice for her mom, the interview goes viral, thrusting Aiden and Heartstring into the limelight.

Lucie Stone thought she was doing just fine. She has a good job; an incredible family; and a smart, slightly devious kind. But when all of Baltimore is suddenly scrutinizing her love life - or lack thereof - she begins to question if she's as happy as she thought. Maybe a little more romance wouldn't be such a bad thing.  

Everyone wants Lucie to find her happy ending... even the handsome temperamental man calling the shots. But when sparks start to fly behind the scenes, Lucie must make the final call between the radio-sponsored happily ever after or the man in the headphones next to her. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐of five - I loved this book! It's like the perfect romantic comedy in book form and I absolutely ate it up! The characters are very lovable and the storyline is so perfectly done! It has some spice, but nothing too crazy - which I appreciate. This book gave me all the warm fuzzies and I absolutely loved it. 

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I am currently reading Empire of Storms as my main book, while slowly working through Find Your Brave for my women's Bible study group and Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at the Table with my couple's Bible study group. So perhaps I'll touch more on those in April?

Whisker Wednesday

Today's Whisker Wednesday features our very own version of Friday Night Smackdown - courtesy of Spook and Maverick absolutely going nuts last Friday night. It seems like right around 9:30 or 10:00, these two little guys get crazy and end up having battles all over the house - and usually Spook comes out the victor. I guess that's just part of being the older brother?

I think every once in a while - Spook might let Maverick win - but not very often, ha-ha!

The Fourth Weekend of March

Can we even believe that the fourth weekend of March has already come and gone? I think I say this every year, but January and February last for years... and then from March on, time simply flies! I'm looking at my calendar and marveling that by this time next week, we will be closing out the month of March - it's absolutely wild!

I wanted to include a little pre-weekend, because on Friday we had our Administrative Luncheon at work and it was a great time! We have these each quarter and they are generally themed on the season, so this one was a Spring luncheon! We had Pupusas for lunch, which were new to me and absolutely delicious - and we all submitted compliments for one another, anonymously, and then passed around a basket of eggs with the compliments inside - and each read them out! I love the spirit of my team at work and I love that everyone has a little handful of eggs with compliments, especially for when they are having a less than great day!

Friday evening was really chill - I had some pizza for dinner and Ryan ended up home earlier than expected, so we started watching the show The Residence on Netflix - and we are hooked! While we were watching The Residence, Maverick and Spook had what can only be described as fight night in the corner of the living room. They crack me up!

One of the Connect Groups that Ryan and I have joined with our church is a Co-Ed Hiking Group, and Saturday morning we had our first hike of the season at Weverton Cliffs in Maryland! We were only about twenty minutes from the trailhead and the drive was easy as well, so that was really nice. The hike itself is 1.9 out and back (my Apple watch said it was a little bit more) and while it's mostly uphill going in, it's all downhill going down! We had a nice group of about 12-13 (not all pictured below) and a great hike! 

The hike was not too strenuous and the pay off at the end was incredible! The views from the cliffs look down on the Potomac River, with Harper's Ferry up the river to the right and far, far down the river to the left is Great Falls and Washington DC! You can see Harper's Ferry from the summit, but obviously - you can't see DC from the summit, ha-ha! The sun was out all morning and the weather was just perfect for the hike and I'm so glad we got the opportunity to participate in this hike! 

We were level with the hawks and vultures circling around the cliffs and the sunshine was perfectly warming. It was nice to sit on the cliffs, munch on a fig bar and just have some time to breathe, take in nature and just enjoy the first glimpses of Spring that are slowly but surely popping up everywhere!

After our hike, Ryan and I headed home by way of Chick Fil A to try their new menu items - the BBQ Bacon Chicken Sandwich and the Pineapple Dragonfruit Lemonade - and they were both delicious! Once we were home, Ryan took a quick nap before heading to softball practice and after a quick chill session to try and get rid of a bit of headache, I headed to grab groceries. The cats - who had been at home all morning - also took long Saturday afternoon naps, even though I don't think they had majorly busy mornings! 

I really enjoy getting groceries most days - I find it very calming to meander through the store, marking things off my list and just having some chill time. I know I'm probably in the minority with that thought, but oh well! :) I popped into Home Goods before heading home (the danger of the Home Goods being right next door to the Weis is real) and putting away the groceries - with help, of course! We had a lazy Saturday evening with some Jambalaya and a couple more episodes of The Residence and cat antics!

Sunday morning we started slow and after some breakfast and coffee, we headed to church and then grabbed dinner at Wing Stop before running a few errands. We picked up and organized some things at our house and then my parents arrived to visit and have dinner - Ryan made some excellent ribs and I put together mashed potatoes and Brussel sprouts to go along with them. After we wrapped up, we went to see the Watoto Children's Choir from Uganda and South Sudan, and were blessed by their joy and their love for the Lord!

It was a lovely way to cap off the weekend and after the performance, we headed home to eat some dessert and crash into the bed to get ready for another work week! The last full work week of March - where is the time going?

Whisker Wednesday

Today's edition is Spook-filled, because Spook is my little counter sitter. He absolutely cracks me up because most of the time, he chooses a stool and sits at the counter like a little kid, waiting to eat his breakfast or dinner... or maybe to get a snack. 

While Maverick just sits on the literal counter all the time - Spook is more than likely to be found sitting in one of the actual seats, like a little gentleman! I mean, he is a tuxedo cat after all, ha-ha! He's a very fancy little gentleman.