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Spring Reading List 2017

You guys, I am such a slacker! I am excited though to share my Spring reading list with you all. I have what seems like a bazillion books laying around my house, yet always seem to find the need to buy another 5 or 6 here and there. I have decided to put my foot down.



My community has a Spring and Fall book sale where I can get some great books for as low as a quarter. That sale is coming up in May and I REALLY need to read some of these books before I go buy some more. It will kill me if I can't attend, but I need to have some restraint. So I have decided to challenge myself to read these 6 books before the sale comes. I have a nice little mixture of different genres so I am hoping to get them all done.

Me Before You by JoJo Moyes - I have been wanting to read this book forever. I did cave and see the movie, but I still want to get this one read. I found it at the Fall book sale for super cheap and have no real excuse on why it isn't read yet.

Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo - I started reading this LAST Spring right after I brought it home from the Spring book sale. I am almost halfway though, but for some reason just put it down and never picked it back up. It's not that I didn't like it. I am really not sure why it never got picked back up. I am not a quitter so I am going to finish this book!

This Year I Will... by M.J. Ryan - I have had this book for awhile now. I found it on clearance and really wanted to get it read early this year. I am going to power through this one because self-help is my new favorite kind of book!

Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick -  I got this for my birthday in December and keep looking at it and just haven't had the interest to read. I am going to get this one done because I love Anna and can't wait to read her book!

The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern - I picked this one up at the Fall book sale as well. It has been reviewed all over the place as an amazing book, so that is why I got it. Again, just never picked it back up after it came home. I am excited to read something different.

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty - So this one is on my kindle so I have no photo of it. I started reading this a few weeks ago. It has been SO slow moving for me. I have heard wonderful things about Liane's books. I am wondering if I just started off with the wrong "first" book. Can someone please tell me it gets better or maybe that other books are faster paced? I am at 48% and it is kind of driving me nuts to read.

I may add books to this list as I go on, but this is a good start for me.

What books are you reading this Spring?




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My Relationship With Books



Reading has always been an interest to me, or so I thought. I would always read the newest rage out there. I read the Harry Potter series because everyone, including my mother was reading. My mom *gasp* read the Twilight before I did. I only got on board when the first movie came out. Thankfully I actually enjoyed both of these series, so I never really saw the issue. What issue am I talking about?

The issue is, I never found a genre of books that I personally enjoyed. I couldn't honestly look you in the face and say, I really love young adult books or self help books. I only read what was popular. That was until the 50 Shades of Grey series came out. I remember it was summer, and a book was going around at my job. At the time I didn't have cable or internet at my apartment so I decided to read the book. I got through the first book okay, but could not for the life of me finish the series.

It was then I realized I didn't actually know what I liked to read. That Christmas I got a kindle from my parents. I downloaded loads and loads of books off the free list daily. I read so many types of books, desperately trying to find what spoke to me. What would keep me up all night because I had to read "just one more page.."

That was back in 2012. Today I am re-aquainting myself with books. In the mist of life, I let reading fall onto the back burner. I wasn't going on daily adventures anymore and it really started to bother me. One of my promises to myself for 2016 was to read more. Explore new genres. See what it is that pulls me in these days.

Just in case you wanted to know, lately I really love YA (The Fault in Our Stars, etc), Self-Help (Anything Gretchen Rubin, Inspirational, etc), Dystopian (Hunger Games, Lunar Chronicles, etc), and Historical Fiction.

I have been a member of Goodreads for a few years and just recently jouned a pretty active Facebook group about books. I am growing my TBR (to be read) list rapidly. I have read 6 books so far this year and am working on book 7. This is huge for me, as my track record has been pretty pitiful the last couple of years.

The good news is, I visited my local book sale and walked out with 7 books for $10. 6 of which were on my TBR list, so I call that I win. R and I also have this new thing where we pick out a book that we will both read. We base this on what we think the other person would of picked, but we can also tolerate ourselves to get through (We have a completely different taste in books!). I will write an update on that once we both read the books.

In the mean time, starting in June I am going to start writing a "What I read" post and do a little review on each book. Because I have only read 6, possibly 7 by the end of this month, I will do an update on ALL the books I read this year. In June I am going to strive to read more and hopefully have at least 2 or 3 books to update you on  moving forward.

What is your relationship with books? Any recommendations on things I should check out?

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Book Sale



I am so fortunate to live in a community that loves to read. Every spring “The Friends of the Library” non-profit group puts on a massive book sale. They collect books all year and then sell them at cheap prices. It goes on for 3 weekends and each day the pricing goes down. The best day to go is the first day naturally but the pricing is more expensive.

I like to go and browse to see what they have, but tend to wait to the last days to buy when everything is super cheap. Yes this is a gamble, but I’ve still come away with some amazing books and barely any cost.

Last year I took my parents for the first time. My mom is a HUGE reader and she was in her glory. We looked for books in a series she had been reading and found a few books but not all of them. She decided to hold off because they were still pricey. I came back the last weekend and was able to get the rest of the series for her (It was about 7 books) for under $5.00.

This year I will not be around the opening weekend due to being in Denver (currently in transit to get home!), so I will have no choice but to pick through what’s left the 2nd weekend. I have already compiled my list of books I am looking for (I forgot to do this last year), and will take on the sale prepared. It gets so overwhelming that you forget what you originally came for. I tend to leave with 0 books I was looking for and a ton I just picked up.

Books bring me happiness these days. The sale this year will be like heaven and I will be like a kid in a candy store. Stay tuned to see what treasures I find.

Are you a reader? Does your city offer a booksale?


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Book Store Magic

I could write about my weekend or maybe how my Thanksgiving went, but today I want to write about my trip to the book store. I know that may sound weird, but I went into a Barnes and Noble this weekend and it was like walking into a candy store as a child. Anyone else feel like that?


Me and R were running errands and I had this urge to stop in and browse. I didn't have anything in mind to buy, but it doesn't matter to me. Book stores are magical this time of year. It doesn't matter if you walk into a small private boutique book store or a large chain. They are all decked out for the holidays and feel warm and inviting.

I am a sucker for all of the little gifts and paper goods. Planners, journals, games, and books. It doesn't matter to me. They suck me in. I wandered around for what seemed like hours losing myself in all kinds of creative thoughts. I was amazed to see all of the adult coloring books and adult connect the dot books. These all made me smile and laugh at the same time. So many feel good memories coming out of these things. I began to make a mental wish list. Things I needed to have. Things I wanted to give as gifts.

The book store reminded me that the world is still a place of mystery. We can read books to help us discover some of these wonders. I enjoy escaping into these stories. They help me flex my creative muscles and remind me to keep on dreaming.

I left the bookstore reminding myself that books can help us. From readings someone else's story to reading a fantasy that doesn't really exist. We can relate to these stories and work them into our own lives. We can work on coloring books and relax our minds. We can write in journals and create our own stories. Everything is magic when you enter a book store. Do you agree?

Now I need to write about what I put on my mental wish list. That is for another day though!

Also as a reminder, when you pick up those new books, you mat want to have a big hot cup of tea..  Don't forget to get signed up for my 2015 Holiday Tea Swap! It's a little magical itself.

Happy Monday Folks!




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Winter Reading- Updated Book List

So on Monday I posted I was going to partake in a winter reading challenge. I did not have books picked out yet so I decided since I have picked out most of my books I would give a quick update.


5 points: Free book of your choice : I was to the library and picked out a book the day I decided to do this challenge so that book is going to be Tales From My Closet by Jennifer Ann Moses (298 pages) Finished 11/13/14)

10 points: Read a book written by an author who has published at least 10 books: This was easy because it seems like most of the authors I wanted to read have put at out at least 10 books. I have been meaning to read  The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. So perfect choice. (292 Pages)
10 points: Read a book of short stories. TBA

10 points: Read a book with a food (not a drink!) in the title: This is such a fun topic so of course I had to pick one with a cupcake in the title! I will be reading How to Eat a Cupcake by Meg Donohue. (309 pages)

15 points: Read the first book in a series that is new to you (so no rereads for this one!): There are so many series out there that I want to read so this was hard. I decided to read Matched by Allie Condie. (369 Pages)

15 points:
 Read a book that was originally written in a language that is not your native language: This is an interesting category. I had fun looking these books up. I decided on a book originally written in German called Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. This is also book 1 in a series! (548 Pages)

15 points: Read a book written by a local author (either an author from your state if you live in the United States, or in your country if you live somewhere else—note: author must be from where you currently live).  TBA

20 points: Read a "bookish book" (in which books play an important role, e.g. the setting involves a bookstore or library, a major character is an author, or a book that celebrates reading and books: TBA
 
20 points: Read a book with a direction in the title (N, S, E, W) TBA
25 points: Read a book from a genre you don't usually read. I really wanted to read this book even though it wasn't in my normal go to type of book. My Notorious Life by Kate Manning.

25 points: Read a book with a song lyric in the title. Be sure to tell us the song name and artist as well! TBA

30 points: Read two books with a different meal in each title (e.g. breakfast, lunch, dinner, supper, brunch; update: meals like feast, banquet, picnic will also count, but try not to get too "creative" with your meal words!). TBA

So that's what I have picked so far! If you have any suggestions let me know!


Lets wrap it up May!

May as a whole is normally a pretty great month for me. It is the early stage of Summer and who couldn't love that? The weather starts to get warmer, those grills come out from hibernation, and people get REALLY busy. Looking back on this particular May, I realized I had a pretty big month for myself and this blog. I have learned so much in a short period of time and I think that entitles May to get an "A" in motivation and growth. Not every moment was rainbows and kittens, but what it did do was help me see the bigger picture in where I am headed.

To start off, May brought me sickness. Now you are probably thinking, "why is this significant?" The reason this is significant is not only did I get Strep Throat, I got it 3 times! It made me realize how stressful my life has been over the past few months and how it makes me that much more prone to getting sick. This was significant in me deciding to start managing my stress better and leading a healthier lifestyle! That brought on my first series that just started on Friday.. Fit-Trish: A guide to healthier lifestyle on a budget. I am hoping to post every Friday easy ways to keep yourself on track without breaking the bank. I hope you will join me in leading that happy, healthier life!

One of my favorite moments of May was traveling down south to visit an old friend who I met first in Kindergarten.  This was a long time in the making and when the opportunity came up, I jumped on it. It has been roughly 18 years since I last saw Jennifer. We were both going into 8th grade the last time we crossed paths. We are now in our early 30's with lives of our own. It was such an exciting adventure and I shared it for everyone to see: My trip to the deep south! I hope you enjoy the pictures!

One of my most commented on posts of May was my post about why I loathe social media in the summer! There are so many social media trends that seem to up the ante in the summer. If you missed this funny little rant, make sure you check it out here!

Last but certainly not least, I took on a summer reading challenge this month. It is definitely something I needed to do. I love reading but have really gotten away from it over the last few years. The challenge I am participating in is the Semi-Charmed Summer Book Challenge. I figured now is a better time than any other to update my reading list which was originally posted here. This is a good way for me to track my progress as well. I hope you all decide to read this summer! I am always looking for recommendations as I haven't completely filled my list yet!

1. Freebie: Any book that is at least 200 Pages long:
2. A book that was written before you were born (1982): Wuthering Heights
3. Finish a book that you couldn't finish the first time around: Divergent by Veronica Roth
4. A book from the children's section of the bookstore: 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
5. A book that is on the New York Times Best Sellers List: The Goldfinch by Donna Tart
6. A historical fiction book that does not take place in Europe:
7. A book that another blogger has already read for the challenge:
8. A book with "son(s)", "daighter(s)", or "child(ren)" in the title: Please Excuse My Daughter by: Julie Klam (Currently reading)
9. A book that was/will be adapted into a movie in 2014: A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
10. A book written by a blogger:
11: A biography, autobiography or memoir: Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Woman's Prison by Piper Kerman
12: A pair of books with antonyms in the title:

As you can see I am still looking for some books for some of the categories. If you have any recommendations please sent them my way! I have completed 2 books and I am reading another. I feel like I am doing better than I anticipated I would. I have until the end of August to complete! Let me know if you are also doing a challenge!

I have had a pretty busy month. I also failed to mention at the beginning of this post that I have officially been moved over to Blogger for a month now! I am absolutely loving it here and feel I have grown so much with my writing and audience. June should be an even better month! I am going live with a new layout next week as well as a link up to help celebrate it! I hope you will join me in this exciting time and milestone for this blog!

Goodbye May, you are now wrapped up! Hello June!

Xo Trish
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