Stephanie Howell

Reading Recap // April 2017

May 19, 2017

Reading Recap // via Stephanie Howell

*This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you.I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. Thank you so much for helping to support my little family!

I don’t even want to TALK about the fact that it’s mid May/close to the end of May and I’m just now getting this up. DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT. What is wrrroooooong with me? Oh I know what’s wrong with me.

I have a husband who’s been living in Norfolk for the past seven weeks while I deal with

*sports

*stomach viruses

*doctor’s appointments

*field trips

*orthodontist

*dentist

*5 filthy animals and the craziness that ensues and I THINK I’M LOSING MY MIND.

So I guess that’s where I’ve been. Nevertheless…I’m HERE! Better late than never, yes?

April was a heavy month. I read a couple of books that will probably stick with me forever. One of them will for sure. And as a result, I had to read a couple of emotional palate cleansers too.

Here’s what I read and some brief thoughts on each one. As always, you can keep up with me on Goodreads or Instagram. Also, as always, I am not a deep literary critic. I don’t usually notice discrepancies or mistakes. I don’t break down the tone or the narrative or the literary devices. I just talk about how a book makes me feel.

That said, let’s get started.

The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay- 4.5 stars.Oh how I loved this book. Parts of it were a little stereotypical and frustrating for me – I really hated sunshine being so sexualized by the boys and dragged around by Drew all the time. But I loved the characters and fell in love with all of them for different reasons.

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A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara- 4.5 stars. I honestly don’t know how to put my feelings into words. I have never in my life read anything so brutal. But at the same time I’ve never read anything so beautiful. The love in this book was so pure that I think …THINK… it made up for the agony I felt while reading it. I’m not sure I’ve ever cried so much in a book. It made me feel much like watching the film Moonlight made me feel. My eyes are still swollen.

The parts talking about abuse made me cry, made my stomach hurt, made me want to stop reading. But Oh… The parts about love and friendship and devotion… OK I’m going to try to stop explaining it now. I simply can’t put it into words. I can’t.

I think that it comes down to this. I had some issues with this book. It needs major editing, it felt a little emotionally manipulative ,and it got a bit ridiculous and excessive at points. However. The prose was astounding and I know I’ll think about this book for a long long time.

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Perfect Little World by Kevin Wilson 2.5 stars- nteresting concept but I had a really really hard time connecting with the characters and parts just dragged for me.

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My (not so) Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella 3 stars- Cute, light, sweet, and fun. Exactly what I needed as a palate cleanser after reading A Little Life. My heart was feeling very heavy.

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All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood- I still don’t know how I feel about this one and I still haven’t rated it on Goodreads or left a review. Some find this to be a love story. Some think the main character wasn’t a pedophile. I’m stuck somewhere in the middle. I’ll tell you that reading it made me feel highly uncomfortable, as gray area novels often do. I’ll also say that you should NOT read this if you are triggered by or sensitive to heavy emotional and sexual content.

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Under the Harrow by Flynn Berry 1.5 stars- Meh and blah. This one did nothing for me. The story seemed super disjointed and anticlimactic. Honestly, reviewing it now…I’ve already forgotten it.
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All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg 4 stars- I really enjoyed this one. It was witty, dark, sad, funny, introspective, and deep. Jami Attenberg has a way with words – the prose was quite beautiful. I connected with some storylines more than others, but overall I loved it. I even laughed out loud in a few places and got teary in one spot.

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The Year We Turned Forty by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke 2 stars- This one was just… OK for me. I can so appreciate a light read and I can also easily suspend disbelief. However, something about this just felt rushed and never really clicked for me. What a fun concept though, especially since I turn 40 this summer.

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Now let’s discuss my Book of the Month for May.

I ordered the Leavers and bought Paula Hawkins’ newest novel and another YA read. Not to spoil next month’s review, but MEH for both.

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There are some great BOTM deals happening right now!

BOTM Deals:

Gift a BOTM sub, get a free month

Receive a free copy of Paula Hawkins’ Into the Water with a 3 month plan with code WATER

1-month membership for $5

3-months membership for $9.99 per month + free BOTM tote

bedsidetable

Here’s what I’m reading now- guess it’s only a few weeks until I review these, HA!

This is How It Always Is // Laurie Frankel

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend// Katarina Bivald

Little Deaths // Emma Flint

The Leavers // Lisa Ko

Selection Day // Aravind Adiga

The Most Dangerous Place on Earth // Lindsey Lee Johnson

So what about you? What are you loving and hating lately?
Happy Friday! xoxo

Cora Jane at 18 months

April 12, 2017

So this post is more for me than for the collective you. It will probably be boring, haha! I just realized that I don’t remember ANYTHING from when the other girls were 18 months. Any thing. And considering the fact that I’m way older this time around, I’m assuming I won’t remember Cora’s babyhood either.

And I want so desperately to remember and cling to every moment, memory, sound and smell. Because she is absolutely magical.

So here are some of the things I want to remember about Cora at 18 months.

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1. We call her meep because when she has her binkie in she meeps/honks at us in an indecipherable baby language.

2. She loves blueberries and bananas and cheese and fruit bars. She doesn’t really like meat of any kind and she will just go throw it in the trash can.

3. She says “geeeeeees” (hard g) when she really want something. It’s her version of please.

4. She is constantly pushing her hair out of her face, even if it’s pinned back.

5. She is obsessed with bath time.

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6. She likes to walk and then just randomly jump in the middle of a step. Jumping is her jam.

7. She loves her binkie and blankey. She calls both “ginky”.

8. Yo Gabba Gabba might be her favorite thing in the universe. She yells YOOOO GA GA!

9. She is not snuggly at all. She always wants to GO and SEE and Do. She’s squirmy and independent. At bedtime she miiiiiight put her head on my shoulder for 30 seconds.

10. She is a rock star sleeper. She sleeps from 7 pm- 8 am and takes 2 1/2 to 3 hour naps.

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11. She throws “fake fits”- see above- where she flops around and blows spit bubbles. It’s ridiculous and makes me laugh every time.

12. She follows her sisters all over the house and adores them.

13. She yells DIEEEEE!! at people when they leave (instead of bye) and it’s hilarous to see their responses.

14. Everyone at the YMCA loves her, she has them all wrapped around her finger. When we come in, the man at the front desk comes to get her and carries her on his shoulders all the way to the baby room. Then the ladies in the baby room fight over who gets to hug her first.

15. She likes having silly face contests with me. Her favorite face is “OHHH!!!” – see photo #1. She cracks herself up during these contests.

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16. She thinks that “The Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran is about her. The oh-i-oh-i-oh-i-oh-i part specifically. She thinks it says ORA ORA ORA ORA!!!!

17. She is fascinated by dogs and calls them “wa wa” . That’s her barking noise.

18. She sings with me when I sing You Are My Sunshine. It makes my heart hurt.

19. She waits for Jimmy at the window and knocks and jumps up and down when she sees him.

20. She hums when she eats.

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21. She gives amazing hugs and kisses.

22. She loves wearing shoes, but will NOT keep them on her feet. Same goes for socks.

23. She counts when I put her feet in her footsie pajamas. Whenever I put her arms and feet in sleepers I count and make her laugh and now she parrots me. WUHHH TWOOOO FEEEEEE!!!

24. She is ridiculously spoiled and loved so much I can’t put it into words.

25. She yells HI! HI HI! At anyone she sees. If the person smiles and says hi back, she is satisfied. If the person ignores her she will aggressively yell HIIIII until they respond.

She is the light of our lives and the joy in our hearts!

xoxo

Reading Recap // March 2017

April 1, 2017

*This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. Thank you so much for helping to support my little family!

Another month, another awesome stack of books! This wasn’t quite the month of greats that last month was, but I’m satisfied nevertheless!

Here’s what I read:

Wayward and The Last Town by Blake Crouch- I polished off the rest of the Wayward Pines trilogy in a matter of days. My take on it? Super entertaining. I didn’t love it like i loved Dark Matter, but it was super entertaining. Totally worth a read. I won’t ever watch the TV show b/c I tried, and it’s just not my thing, but I did love the books. Warning: parts of them are totally ridiculous and they totally require major suspension of disbelief.

Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica- I really enjoy Kubica’s books. This one was a quick read with plenty of twists and turns. It was entertaining, and that’s what I was in the mood for- it kept me guessing! 4 stars

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne- I kept hearing all of these five star reviews for this one so I was so excited to read it. Prepare yourselves because for some reason I have a lot of feelings about this one.

From my Goodreads review:

Meh. I’m not sure of my feelings here. Let me start off by saying that I am in no way a literary snob. I love me a good chick lit, a semi smutty romance- I do. I think they are fabulous palate cleansers and I enjoy them greatly.

With that said – while there were several things I really enjoyed about this book, there were more things that bugged me in the end.

Likes: there was some clever and snarky dialogue and witty banter I really enjoyed. The two lead characters had amazing – AMAZING chemistry. Seriously. There was also a great scene at the end of the book where one character tells off another. It was immensely satisfying!

Dislikes: I got so tired of hearing about how little and tiny Lucy was. So tired. By the end of the book I was rolling my eyes every time I read something else about how tiny she was.

Also – I despised Josh’s family. His dad is a horrible person and his mom never stands up for him.

For some reason the author likes to repeat certain phrases over and over. “Gimlet eyed” and comparisons to lara croft. But for me the final straw is when Josh describes himself as “socially retarded “. Just NO.

Last comment – I found certain behaviors that Josh displayed to be controlling and abusive. Like when he would snatch the phone away from Lucy and demand that Danny never Call her again. I totally get that some people are into the whole Fifty Shades of Controlling thing… but I’m not one of those people.

Whew. Not sure why i typed so much but apparently I have a lot of opinions about this book. Ha!! 2.5 stars

Lucky Boy by Shanthi Sekaran- This is not a fast paced book. So if that’s what you enjoy, you won’t like this. This one is a bit slow and meandering. You have to stick with it because it’s worth it. Devastating and morally complicated and deep. And also very timely. It’s one of those books that’s interesting because it explores that gray area between right and wrong. 4 stars.

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour- First off, best cover art award goes to this book. Haunting and sweet and sad and beautiful. And very short – I read it in one quick sitting. I also really appreciated the diversity in this book – it was done in a very authentic and organic way. 3.5 stars

The Night Circus byErin Morgenstern- Where do I start with this one? Absolute magic. The most stunning imagery I can remember in a novel. I was completely immersed in the circus world. I had a couple of problems with the ending and the fact that it stalled out pace-wise for me a couple of times and gave it 4.5 stars on Goodreads, but the more I think about it I think it’s closer to 4.75 stars. I’ve been thinking about this one a lot since I read it, which is the measure of a good book to me. It was quite beautiful and moving.

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum- I adored this YA read. I devoured it in one day and it put a big grin on my face. Yes… I totally figured it out by the end but that didn’t stop me from falling in love with it. Sweet, funny, and a little bit sad. Pretty much the perfect YA book. 4.5 stars.

My Book of The Month selection for April:

I need your help here. I’m completely stuck between Startup and One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter. What do you think I should choose? HELLLLP!

April deals from BOTM:

** 1-month membership for $5.00

** 3-month membership for $9.99 + free BOTM tote

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

WOOHOO! Happy reading, sweet friends!

As always- please let me what what you are reading and what’s in your TBR pile!

xoxo

Pink Paislee Guest Projects

March 23, 2017

I’m so excited (and nervous) to announce that I’m up on the Pink Paislee blog as a guest designer!

I’m nervous because as y’all might have noticed…I don’t scrapbook much anymore. I kind of felt like I was going out on a limb by doing this, but I’m so glad I challenged myself! I realized that I need to stop looking at what other people are doing, and stop trying to figure out what’s “in” or “current”. These layouts look like the ones I made 10 years ago and I LOVE that. Doilies and flowers and white cardstock and labels and handwritten journaling 4EVA.

I had a blast making two layouts and a planner spread using the Sweet Freedom collection. It’s a patriotic/Americana collection, but I challenged myself to try some non-patriotic projects as well.

Here’s what I came up with:

Scrapbook Layout // via Stephanie Howell

Planner Layout // via Stephanie Howell ] Scrapbook Layout // via Stephanie Howell

Thank you so much for stopping by today, I hope you have a beautiful weekend!

xoxo

Comfort Cases Fundraiser

March 16, 2017

A while back I watched the video below and after it was over, I sat silently sobbing. I love my girls SO much and they are so loved. I can’t stand the thought that not every single boy and girl is loved and treasured and wanted.

My heart broke and I couldn’t believe that there was something so SIMPLE and so BASIC that I could do to help. Bags? I had no idea. How ridiculous am I for having no idea?

I think of this man and his story almost every single day and this morning I was thinking about what I could do. I felt like an IDIOT when I realized that I could do for the foster kids in NoVA what I was blessed to do for the senior citizens in NoVA.

GIVE. I could use my voice and my job to give back. Now, don’t laugh at me for just coming up with this today. I’ve had some other things on my mind, but it’s time to make the difference I know I can make.

For the next two weeks, I will be hosting a fundraiser for Comfort Cases.

Here’s how it works.

1. Go to the party link.

2. Choose bags to donate. Here’s what will work. The Cinch Sac ($20), The Going My Way Backpack ($55), The Lil’ Go Backpack ($35).

If you earn any specials, all THREE of those bags will be half price on top of what you already ordered.

3. Choose “HOSTESS” under shipping. This will send the bags directly to me and I will donate them with the girls.

4. Receive $5 in bag bucks from me as a way to say thank you.

5. Change a sweet child’s life.

6. Share this post and idea with your friends if you are so inclined.

I will use the hostess credits to buy more bags AND I will donate a large portion of my commission from this party to Comfort Cases as well.

I adore all of you and your big hearts..I hope you will participate if you can. For more information watch the video above or go to the Comfort Cases website, which is also linked above.

Have a beautiful day.

xoxo

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