My brief hiatus from this space meant that I've yet to share some pretty great reads. Spanning July to December I have 10 different books to share! Now 10 books is a lot to give an in-depth synopsis, so I'll get right to the heart of each one. 

Our Woman in Moscow. Oh me oh my. If you love historical fiction you need to read this. This story unravels the mystery of a sister's disappearance. Her family is trapped in Russia during the height of the Cold War. So many secrets. So many deceptions and mistruths. 

Every Summer After. The perfect summer read but also a GREAT read nonetheless. A childhood friendship that turns into something more. That is until a situation derails this friendship entirely, until they are reunited back together after many years. Its homey. It's nostalgic. I breezed through this one.

Beach Read. Shout out to a Lake Michigan beach town setting! That was a fun surprise. The two main characters become unlikely neighbors who both happen to be authors. Their writing genres are polar opposites which posses a unique challenge for them, and leads to a personal discovery for both. It's cute. A solid chick lit.  

Raising Emotionally Strong Boys. This book I will need to purchase as a hard copy. I will be referring back to the tips and wisdom shared by the author who also is a family therapist in Nashville. His insights were revelations to me in regards to how boys are wired. This book opened my eyes for myself, too, as a mom and parent. 

November 9th. My first Colleen Hoover book and it knocked it out of the park. This book had me on an emotional rollercoaster. I rooted so hard for the characters just to get the wind knocked out of my chest and then dying to know how it ends. Fallon and Ben meet in a very happenstance way and from that point on they meet every year on November 9th (hence the title). The progression of these characters is a wonderful and wild ride. 

It Ends With Us. Figured I'd give Colleen Hoover another go since I loved her other book so much. Well lets just say I dont think this book needs much of an explanation because SO many people love this book and it also had a loooooong wait time to borrow. It was worth the wait. The beginning of the book was so good. Then it goes downhill fast. And that's when I was quickly caught off guard. I did not see the physical abuse coming, so here's your warning if you had no clue either. The ending had me in tears. And not happy tears. Sad how this is a reality for women. Overall I am glad I read it.

It StartsWith Us. This is Hoover's sequel to It Ends With Us, and it was a nice shift. I felt it was slower than the first, but that's because the character was rebuilding her life. And that makes for a great story. She struggles along the way and makes decision that pay off for her family's future. 

Nora Goes Off Script. Ah, I really loved this one. A little more chill than the previous two so it was very welcome. Nora is a writer for Hallmark type movies, and her best script happens to get a movie deal. And this script is about her divorce and her family's struggle to move forward. Oh, and her home is the set for the film. And this big A-list actor gets cast to play her ex-husband and it really stirs the pot. Basically a unique chicklit that checks lots of boxes for me.

The Bodyguard. I'd like to call it now that this will become a movie. It's just so darn good it has to be. This one is lighthearted, sweet, happy romance with a mix of laugh-out-loud moments. Hannah throws herself into her job since it feels like a lifeline for her unfortunate circumstances. She gets assigned to a movie star that shakes up her life even more. Bonus: Toledo, OH gets referenced in this one. How random and spectacular. 

The Unhoneymooners. Since I read two previous romcom type books that hit it out of the park this one came out as a fine read. Truly I enjoyed it even though the beginning had me thrown for a loop as to where it was going to lead. But the unlikely situation that came out of this book was fun to follow along. A brother of the groom and a sister of the bride who end up on their siblings honeymoon together. Like I said so unlikely that it made it a good book. 

And that's a wrap for 2022 #nowickibooknook! Overall it was a great year of reads. 

Spoiler alert: 2023 is being kicked off with a non-fiction book that I was originally going to read in 2022. It is shaking things up in my heart and mind and oh boy I'm curious how I will report back for the Q1 review. 

Until then happy reading, friends. 

No better way to revive this blog than with some Disney magic! Ah sweet space, how I’ve missed you. The beauty of blogging is that it’s like a digital scrapbook; I get to share the memories and look back on them. And this memory is one my family will always look back on, and one that I cannot delay in sharing.

Buckle up, friends! We had a week vacay hitting all the parks. Day one was not only an arrival day, but our first stop at a park for none other than…

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party! Very merry (and very exhausted) indeed. 

Our first day started with a 5am wake up call to catch our flight. Once we landed we headed to our beautiful resort, Saratoga Springs. As we were walking to our villa we saw a hot air balloon in the distance. *sigh* 

Even Disney resorts are magical.

So as a mom I, too, had to sprinkle some magical pixie dust for our first day. When the kids walked into our room they were surprised with some fun gear for the party: matching t-shirts, an autograph book, and some festive necklaces.