five things Friday: August TBR edition

My July reading list was all about getting around to picking up some hard copies already on my shelves, and that's partly because my August reading is a little up in the air... could have 2 solid weeks of good reading time before baby arrives, or 2 days, so who knows how many books I'll fit in next month. However, I do remember getting through a good bit of books on Kindle when Hendrik was tiny, since it's easy enough to do one-handed while nursing - thus I'm hoping I'll still be able to enjoy a few things in later August as well and decided I'd still put together a little potential reading list for myself.

So here's what I've got lined up on my Kindle that I've been saving for the one-handed reading-while-nursing days, thinking these will be engaging or light/fun to accommodate having maybe smaller snippets of time for reading (and of course less of a well-rested brain...): YA mystery Good Girl, Bad Blood (sequel to one I really enjoyed, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, kind of a Serial [season 1] true crime podcast in YA-narrated form); memoir Nobody Will Tell You This But Me, which I've heard great things about, and think will be enjoyable as it's written by a tv comedy writer; a couple of fun rom-coms, The Soulmate Equation and The Tourist Attraction; and finally a book that I've been intrigued by after hearing it described as noir fantasy and Harry Potter for grownups, Magic for Liars. 

Not pressuring myself to finish August's list, but it's nice to have a few books I'm interested in that I know I literally have right at my fingertips - reduce the decision-making requirements and keep myself doing my favorite hobby even if busy and tired!

 As for my July reads, definitely more success than June's list recap. 

• Instructions for Dancing is YA that along with Tokyo Ever After (review here) got my YA -reading mojo back, after I had been a little meh about some other recent YA picks. Great protagonist, cute story and romance but with some depth and diverse characters. ★★★★
• Anne of Manhattan is a modern-day resetting of Anne of Green Gables. Not great literature but still fun - see my full review here. ★★★
• Great with Child is a book of letters of encouragement and advice from poet Beth Ann Fennelly to her younger friend who is expecting a first baby was wonderful to read during a first pregnancy. But I loved it even more on revisiting during a 2nd one because while I can still very much identify with the pregnant letter recipient looking for the community of womanhood and motherhood, at the same time I felt even more strongly along with the writer the wonder and strangeness and struggles and everything that she reflects on in her letters, having been through it myself now. ★★★★.5
• A Children's Bible is fascinating literary fiction - lots going on, with an apocalyptic/climate change story line, but also read to me as coming-of-age, allegory, and a bit of satire. Even felt a bit Lord of the Flies except with the kids working together and figuring things out as a team. It's set in a not-too-distant future where group of oddly mature kids, disdainful of their parents' out-of-touch attitudes, partying, and willful ignorance of the realities of how climate change is affecting daily life decides to go it alone when a destructive storm arrives. It's not super depressing and bleak apocalyptic fiction like The Road, maybe more of a Karen Thompson Walker verge of apocalypse type of tone/story (The Age of Miracles, The Dreamers). It's really engaging and even wryly amusing at times, though certainly has its intense moments - and after coming through the Covid pandemic and the latest climate change craziness with wildfires and storms, it feels eerily real (and predictive) to have life sort of going as normal, but with these big disruptions/shut-downs and the way it makes people go a bit feral or hoard things. Something unexpected and different - I'm glad I read it.  ★★★★
• The Fixed Stars is a memoir of Molly Wizenberg exploring her changing identity and sexuality in her mid-30s, and how that affects her sense of self, her marriage, and her family. I appreciated the prompts to think about sexuality and sexual orientation in a broader way (perhaps moving beyond the "born this way" understanding of it, especially in terms of women's sexual identities), allowing ourselves to get rid of definitions and identities that no longer fit, and also her discussion of motherhood - but I think I would have liked it even more in terms of a connection to the personal stories from her life if I had previously read her other work (though it sounds different, as the others look to be more about being a writer/opening restaurants with her husband). ★★★.5

Best books of last month were definitely Great with Child and Instructions for Dancing, but A Children's Bible was (somewhat unexpectedly) up there, as was the romance The Friend Zone (love everything by Abby Jimenez!). What were your favorite book(s) of the month? 

going lately: a woodsy getaway

I have always adored tiny houses - I mean, the sleek, minimalist designs, the compact and clever arrangements where everything has its perfect place? Makes my type-A, organizational self happy. So when I saw Rachel post about staying in a Getaway cabin rental, essentially a tiny house in the woods where you go to totally unplug, I wanted in! 

This company - Getaway - has their "outposts" set up within 2 hours of major cities, to give big city dwellers easy car access to nature, and easy access to what we would probably term glamping - the locations and activities you might do there feel like camping, and you're encouraged to unplug with no wifi or TV, but everything is provided (actual dishes/silverware, toilet paper, etc.), there is full-on plumbing, a real mattress with nice linens, and even heat and a/c. These little cabins are 100% Instagrammable and cute, and I was super jealous to learn about Rachel's stay, because I don't live in a big city, so how could I ever get to do this myself? But then I remembered: I live within about 3 hours of Chicago... and it turns out there is a Chicago outpost, which is actually in Michigan, 40 minutes from home! 

Enter the perfect babymoon/birthday/anniversary/we haven't had a babysitter in months overnighter for Peter and me, once we were all vaccinated and could have Hendrik stay with grandparents. (Also a great place for staying Covid-safe in general, when we were planning in the spring and not sure what the situation would be by summer, because you're pretty isolated and can do pretty much all outdoorsy things.) We had such a delightful stay, enjoying some hikes in the area, which included lovely Lake Michigan views in South Haven; a bonfire happy hour using the provided fire pit; a cozy evening inside with our dinner and books when the rain came in; and a lazy morning in bed enjoying the sunlight and view from the giant window. Super relaxing, and THE way to do camping for a person who refuses to go camping.

If you can find a Getaway outpost in your vicinity, we'd definitely recommend! There are 2-bed ones with lofts as well, if you have a kid or two to bring - wishing we had had a chance to take Hendrik on another trip (because, again, I'm not actually taking him camping...).

And if you do want to go (check out the list of nearby major cities here), or just want to know more, click through for some amenities we enjoyed and some ideas for what to bring and do.

wearing lately: last of the maternity wear

Calling this "last of the maternity wear" because at 37 weeks, there's just not much time left... and also I feel like this is about the last outfit I can even show, having exhausted my somewhat maternity wardrobe in blog posts already. But here's one last dress in the collection:

This one hasn't gotten quite as much wear as my other dresses, mostly because it's not easy to do tons of walking with the midi length in a more snug fit, but it's been great for dressing up a few special occasions, including two fun baby showers. I liked the body-con style in my pregnancy with Hendrik - seems like the time in life for wearing this style - so while I tried to mostly buy regular clothes that could stretch to work for maternity (like my black midi and striped midi), I did go for an actual maternity dress in this style. Linked some similar regular styles above as well, because this type of super simple tank dress in a great color is just a summer staple for any lady, I think.

Hard to believe that this basketball belly is going to turn into a real live baby so soon! His room is ready, especially now thanks to last week's shower gifts (thanks, family and friends!) - especially was happy to get the diaper pail, because when we arrived home from the hospital with Hendrik we realized we didn't have one yet and had to quick Amazon one. Then about two years ago I gave it to my sister when she was pregnant with her first... and here I was, about to find myself bringing home a baby to no diaper pail again. Ha! (Best part is that she's actually the one who bought it for us for a shower gift.)

reading lately: armchair travel

Books as "armchair travel" is one of the classic metaphors for reading - and how much more so have we needed it in 2020-2021? I can hardly remember back to the last time I was on a plane, which I think was fall 2019, definitely the longest I've gone since childhood of not traveling by air... And it'll still be a while, as I'm definitely in the stay close to home stage of pregnancy at 36+ weeks! So how about we go ahead and indulge in some of that imaginary travel now, with 3 great recent books I've read?

Tokyo Ever After

This new YA release is billed as "Crazy Rich Asians meets The Princess Diaries," which I'd say is pretty accurate indeed. I'd say also excellent for fans of American Royals not only for the imagining of the antics of young royals, but also the swoony bodyguard forbidden love plotline... sign me up! Izumi (goes by Izzy because it's easier in her mostly white northern California town) is an outspoken and irreverent high schooler who does fine in school but is more focused on her great group of girlfriends. It's always been just her and her mom against the world, until one day she uncovers a clue that leads her to learn that her father is actually the Crown Prince of Japan - which means of course that she's a princess. This sets off a whirlwind trip to Japan to meet her father and his family for the first time, and get trained in all things proper royalty - a bit tricky for this snarky and slightly clutzy girl, to navigate the tabloids' expectations of a demure young lady, not to mention the family and country's expectations of years of traditions and customs. Many gaffes but also new friendships and even some romance ensue. I liked how it was a fun and fluffy escapist story - I mean, who doesn't love the regular girl turned princess trope? - but that on top of it there was also some great escapism with travel to Japan. The descriptions of the royal palaces, lavish meals, and fancy outfits are definitely on par with Crazy Rich Asians, plus there are some side trips around the country that give such a great sense of place, as you visit and experience Izzy's homeland for the first time along with her. Lots of fun. But on top of all of that, there was a theme of finding one's place and sense of belonging, especially when coming from two cultures and feeling like neither is exactly "home," which gives it all a little bit of depth, and a chance for growth for Izzy.  

4.5/5 stars, was fully charmed and can't wait for the sequel

People We Meet on Vacation

Emily Henry's Beach Read was one of my favorite escapes of the early pandemic, even though it didn't transport me all that far from home - just a bit north up the coast of Lake Michigan (my happy place) - so I was excited to see she had a new one coming out that seemed like a perfect summer read, with the combination of travel and romance. Poppy and Alex are complete opposites - Poppy is a free spirit who adores travel and trying new things, while Alex is very practical and probably would prefer staying home with a book. Somehow they became inseparable best friends in college though, and after graduation, they started a tradition of going on a trip together every summer in order to still spend good quality time together even after their careers and romantic relationships have taken them to - until a fateful trip two years ago when everything got ruined and they've hardly spoken since (it's a rom-com... so you assume it had something to do with a kiss or something like that making things awkward, of course). Now Poppy is hoping to repair their friendship, so decides to ask Alex to come with her on just one more trip, to Palm Springs, and amazingly he agrees. But while they are able to slip back into some of their old relationship patterns, bantering and reminiscing about old times, this trip keeps having one disaster after another, from the too-hot weather to the broken air conditioning in their AirBnB, and also it's clear there's still some awkwardness in the air between them... not to mention some simmering chemistry. Admittedly vacation gone wrong isn't one of my favorite tropes, but it doesn't feel too over-the-top with the comedic elements, since you get the current-day Palm Springs trip interspersed with chapters that recount some of their earlier travels - both fun armchair travel and also a nice way to really feel like you get a full picture of their lovely relationship as it develops over the years (and their chemistry, even if they don't realize it till now). Didn't love it as much as Beach Read - it's over all a bit lighter, I'd say - but still really enjoyed it and was quite satisfied with the will they/won't they of the relationship and of course the banter.

4/5 stars, for fans of rom-comes with great banter

The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street

Now to be transported to one of my favorite cities in the world: London. In Helene Hanff's charming 84, Charing Cross Road, we see the development of her relationship with the employees of a rare books shop in in London, especially with bookseller Frank Doel as she writes from her home in New York to request books she's having trouble finding. In her letters, she often discusses making the trip to meet her bookshop friends, but she never quite has the money for it, for some reason or another. Until finally, years later, she has published these letters as a book, and the publisher brings her to London for a few events. This book, then, is essentially her travel diary, through which we get to experience 1960s/70s London and its history - the major sites and also the off-the-beaten-path, especially if it's literary-related - with her, along with such a great cast of characters that she meets along the way, and they end up serving as her tour guides, dinner hosts, and more. It makes you feel like you're in England with her, and also makes you feel like you're getting to know the people who live there; I just marveled at this amazing little community she builds on the go, smiling as she keeps managing to make her extremely limited travel funds last even longer by getting invited to dinner or a play or an overnight in Oxford by various new acquaintances, or friends-of-friends she connects with. Whereas 84, Charing Cross Road is charming yet also bittersweet, with the combination of Helene's snarky side and the British correspondents' more "proper" yet friendly responses, this book is all Helene, and I loved that too, for all of her snark and wit and eccentricities and zest. As a sequel, it was like coming back to an old friend but also getting to see another side of her. Plus touring London! Delightful. 

5/5 stars, for Anglophiles and book lovers alike, but don't pick it up until you've read 84, Charing Cross Road first (also a 5-star; see review here), or you won't appreciate it as much!

What places have you visited via book lately? Or where do you want to go? Because I'm sure there's a book for it... notable recent ones for me have been "trips" to the Pacific Northwest in Erica Bauermeister's books House Lessons and The Scent Keeper and to coastal California in Taylor Jenkins Reids' latest, Malibu Rising. Excited to go soon on a little jaunt through Britain to Scotland in Beth O'Leary's new one, The Road Trip, and maybe even try out a little jaunt to Alaska in The Tourist Attraction, which I recently got a Kindle deal on.

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wearing lately: pull-on pants, part 2

Back with some more pull-on bottoms, after last week's new fave pants, that still manage to work with this already kind of ridiculous basketball belly at 35 weeks (you should see me now, at 36...).

I happened upon this pair of (non-maternity) elastic waist shorts from Old Navy and am very pleased with this little trend they're on: the material is from their activewear line, so they're really lightweight, cool, and comfy - but the cut and print make them very easy to pass as a "regular" short. Also love a patterned short to jazz up a super simple outfit, especially when the current "tops" section of my wardrobe is made up of about 4 solid-colored tees/tanks. Paired with my comfy and still going strong from last summer Rothy's slip-ons, it's the perfect casual but still put-together outfit for walking down to the farmer's market on a warm day... and even better that it all just so happens to coordinate perfectly with my market tote!

Lined up a few more pull-on shorts below that look like they would also have this happy combination of lightweight/wicking material but not looking like you're heading out for a run, in case you're feeling the summer heat too:

five things Friday: Amazon acquisitions edition

Another stretch of rainy and gloomy weather here, seems like a good day for some online window shopping. Or maybe a roundup of my recent-ish Amazon acquisitions with kind of a stormy sky color scheme...

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

I was online-influenced to buy this brand of leggings as a great dupe for some (much) more expensive ones from Lululemon, and I love the buttery softness of them so much that I have now also bought them in cropped length and also two colors of shorts, most recently this fun print - great for hot summer days of course and also a must for all Peloton rides because I would die of sweat if I wore anything aside from just shorts + sports bra. Also was influenced on this makeup travel case, but I legit needed a new one since the zipper on my old broke. I love this flat/transparent style to avoid some of the crazy jumble I get with just a regular pouch, and the faux leather edges on this one make me feel so much fancier than my old only clear one.

The Lego was a fun purchase - Hendrik and I decided to get Peter a set for his birthday, and this was the style H picked out, based on their love of watching Formula 1 racing together. Amazon had a good price, so into the cart it went. Along with a good price on this fan, which was a necessary replacement when one of ours gave out. Not always easy to find this nice looking metal style, but I like it a lot better for our bedrooms since we always have the fans on display.

And no surprise, some things for baby have made their way into my cart... I feel a tiny bit ridiculous buying Danish pacifiers, but I couldn't resist the cuteness of this, especially at Prime Day pricing.   

Any fun stuff made its way into your cart lately?

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reading lately: retellings

I've read plenty of adaptations of classics (especially Jane Austen, of course) in my day - check out some reviews here and here - and while some are more successful than others, I'm still always up for trying another... which brings me to 3 new adaptations of classic literature I have read recently:

 

Anne of Manhattan

Anne of Green Gables meets contemporary romance? Well, I'll definitely try that. In this adaptation, Anne is a grad student living with her best friend Diana in a little Manhattan apartment, finishing up a masters of education - when who should join her program (and be assigned as a partner on a big thesis project), but her old childhood nemesis she hasn't seen in years, Gilbert Blythe. As Anne and Gil get to know each other in adulthood, they start to realize that the constant bickering and competition from their school days was perhaps really their romantic interest in each other all along, of course. Okay, so I love Anne and Gil getting together, and how a modern-day adaptation of it can turn into a romance with one of my favorite tropes, enemies to lovers, but I must say that with my attachment to the original Anne, I wasn't quite ready for an actual play-by-play of the steaminess between them... it's not super steamy compared to other romance/rom-com books I've read lately, but just admittedly felt a little weird to go beyond a chaste kiss with this couple from my youth. What makes this different from a regular contemporary romance is the flashback chapters to Anne and Gil's youth, when we get to see some of the familiar stories of how Anne comes to Green Gables (re-set as a winery in an idyllic small-town area of Long Island), when Gil first calls her "carrots", etc. - these take you a bit out of the contemporary romance book that this really is, but definitely are there for the Anne fans to relive some of their favorite moments in a new way. I had some (or a fair number, to be honest) quibbles with the writing/editing, like the excessive overuse of phrases like "the older woman" or "the younger girl" to refer to a character rather than just using their dang name, but as a beach read it was pretty satisfying, and it definitely made me want to revisit the originals again.

3/5 stars, learned about from Annie on From the Front Porch

Sex & Vanity

Set in the echelons of the rich & famous in Capri and the Hamptons, this modern-day retelling of A Room with a View sets Lucie Churchill as the daughter of an American-born Chinese mother and old-money New Yorker father and explores her position between the two cultures - and between two men and their romantic attentions. Admittedly this is not an original classic that I have a lot of in-depth knowledge of, and thus no strong affinity with. So while I had a general sense of where it took its inspiration, it didn't speak to me as a fan of the original, and this made me feel kind of like it was Crazy Rich Asians 2.0 with all of the descriptions of amazing fashion and food, and the antics of the wealthy behaving badly... which certainly is fun, but perhaps I wasn't quite ready to read another Crazy Rich Asians, and I didn't super connect with any of the characters (again, not having any existing attachment to them like I do with Anne or Austen), so didn't love it as much as I hoped. Definitely a fun read in the dazzling yet snarky vein of Kwan's previous series, so a good pick for fans of Crazy Rich Asians, or someone looking for a beach read (or armchair getaway for that matter - the descriptions of Capri will have you in raptures!)

3.5/5 stars, recommend if you're looking for your next Crazy Rich Asians-type read

Pride & Premeditation

In this YA re-imagining of Pride & Prejudice, Lizzie aspires to be able to work in her father's law firm, but of course as a young woman in this era, it isn't exactly in the cards. But when she hears about a young wealthy man, Mr. Bingley, who has been arrested in the murder of his brother-in-law, she decides this is her chance to prove herself to her father, by solving the this scandalous high-society mystery herself. And just maybe she also wants to beat the handsome yet infuriating Mr. Darcy, from a rival law firm, to it...  Absolutely breezed through this one - a regency era romp with a feminist twist, my favorite Austen characters in intriguing new roles, new information about the history of the time period presented in an interesting way, plus a slightly cheesy YA whodonut mystery + romance combo to boot? That's 100% my kind of summer reading. Not high literature by any means, but made me think fondly of some of my favorite literature and showed me a great time, and the ways that the standard touchpoints of P&P are adapted to this setting were often quite clever indeed.

4/5 stars, definitely excited this will be a series; if you want something else similar while waiting for the next one check out Dangerous Alliance

A couple of new modern-day takes that are on my list to read soon: Olympus, Texas, which brings Greek mythology to a modern-day sprawling family drama; Anna K Away (I enjoyed Anna K, a YA modern-day Anna Karenina, so I'm very curious to see where the sequel goes). 

Are you a sucker for this genre like I am?

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wearing lately: pull-on pants

Okay, let's be honest - if we're talking "lately" when it comes to wearing pull-on/elastic-waist pants, I'm going on a solid 23 weeks of it (and before that, 2020 probably had more than its fair share of this type of pant with or without pregnancy, amiright?) - but today I've got a cute new pair that nicely walks the line between pajamawear and cute style, a great summerweight seersucker cropped pant from Madewell.

Even better for me, these pants also nicely walk the line between being "regular" pants that can fit during maternity days (never mind that it's a bit obvious under my shirt where I've got them hiked up to on my basketball belly...), so that I don't have to invest in another pair of maternity-specific ones - but that elastic waist will also be great for the awkward transition phase back to actual regular stuff in early postpartum. This is part of the little postpartum capsule I'm assembling for myself to help feel a bit normal in those hazy days, with the Madewell seersucker mix & match collection as the base (the shorts version is great too).

Plus right now they're a great base for showing off some of my favorite pink things that I mentioned in Friday's post - my sorbet-hued ombre manicure and my favorite maternity tank. And then also my birthday shoes (thanks, mom!) with the sweet pink tulip embroidery.

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five things Friday: think pink edition

A love of all things pink isn't anything new (nor is this the first time I've done a "think pink" Friday roundup!), but I noticed this week that I have been particularly into a few pretty-in-pink things lately and thought it would be quite satisfying to see them all arranged together in a collage...

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

First up, my mom got this sorbet set from Olive & June and while I have a couple of definite favorites (BI is a fun peachy coral and GH is a great blush), I couldn't help but try an ombre manicure with all of them - very fun, especially how my fingers coordinate with the things I'm holding onto lately: the ombre cover of my July BOTM pick (which I started yesterday and am really liking, though the gritty thriller plot is decidedly not sorbet-like!) and my cute pink iPad cover, where I'm busy mostly with doing NYT crossword puzzles. On a 20-day streak of completing them correctly!

Also all pairs nicely with my favorite maternity tank purchase - this softspun fabric makes this tank feel a little fancier than the basic it is, in a lovely pale pink, and I love the neckline too. Kind of wish I had ordered it in a couple of colors earlier, but at almost 35 weeks I'm at the point of making do with what I've got! My lightweight nylon mini pink backpack from a couple of summers ago has made a reappearance this summer now that we're out and about a bit more - great for carrying my essentials on trips to the farmer's market or splash pad with Hendrik (no pale pink available any longer, but the current version in a pinky red is super cute too). 

Clearly we can see what my favorite color is... but having a favorite makes using/wearing everyday things more fun! What have you been buying in your favorite color lately?

currently

 

eating: so much peanut butter + jam on toast. I am hungry kind of all of the time lately, and this 100% hits the spot, no matter what time of day.

feeling: so much movement from this little guy. Sometimes I feel a niggling worry about what the might indicate for a potentially hyperactive child… sometimes I feel gratitude and appreciation for how wild and special and it all is - after all, wasn't sure I would ever feel a baby move inside of me again... and sometimes I feel like I just. want. to. sleep.

going: to the cottage nearly every weekend. On a little woodsy "camping" getaway with Peter, and even a couple of outdoor restaurant dates. With Hendrik to swimming lessons, science camp drop off, and bike + scooter rides. To some family cookouts and gatherings. Pretty standard summer stuff - but having all of this (nearly) normal feels so good this year!

ordering: a few things for a little postpartum capsule wardrobe. I remember feeling like I wanted some slightly flowier/looser options after Hendrik was born, and feeling pretty blah about wardrobe in general (not fitting into maternity or regular clothes), so I’m seeing if it works to head it off with a few things n reserve. Got a couple of these great mix and match seersucker pieces from Madewell (elastic waists will be a plus at that point too), and though it doesn't exactly match the capsule this dress is working for now + will be good for later as well thanks to the nursing-friendly button-front design.

realizing: that I am well and truly out of bookshelf space. As evidence, here's the overflow spot: the top of the piano. (And yes, I realize maybe I should maybe accumulate fewer books, but instead I've acquired this new shelf for the living room, that I just need to get around to assembling.)

What are you currently up to this July - and is the season flying by as quickly for you as it is for me? Before we know it, August will be here, and with it the next linkup on Wednesday the 4th, when I'll pop in from my pre-maternity leave week of vacation to share what I'm currently: admiring, anticipating, enjoying, spending, and saving.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

wearing lately: onesie love

As I'm starting to collect, wash, and even be gifted some new onesies for baby, it seems only fitting that it's also what I've been wearing lately too...

Okay, this one maybe feels like it's in falling a bit into the muumuu realm, but this great find from the Nines by Hatch collection at Target has been one of my favorite actual maternity items. Easy and breezy and a fun color and I can easily look past the fact that I've dressed myself in a onesie that would twin with a lot of baby outfits. Of course it helps to call one for a grown lady a "jumpsuit" to make oneself feel a little more sophisticated, but the effect is the same of how darn easy the outfit is. 

I have been into jumpsuits for the last couple of years for that - they're really quite easy to dress up or down, fun for something a little different from my usual sundresses, and a bonus that they can go to the park or hop on a bike with a kid a lot easier than a dress. Above are some similar options to this maternity one - and also several that I would have been very tempted into ordering this summer had I not needed the extra room to accommodate a little growing somebody.

Speaking of that little somebody, also couldn't resist sharing a few of the onesies that are on deck for dressing this little guy in - 6 weeks or sooner and it'll be happening!

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five things Friday: July TBR edition

New month, new reading list time! And this time I'm being strategic in reading through some of the physical books sitting on my shelf - thinking ahead that when this baby arrives in August, my Kindle will become more the reading method of choice... So here's what I'm gearing up to make sure I get to in July: 

Some lighter reading up first: Instructions for Dancing was my June BOTM pick from a YA author I really like, and Anne of Manhattan is one I ordered from The Bookshelf after hearing Annie enjoy this modern-day resetting of Anne of Green Gables. I've also got some literary fiction with A Children's Bible, received in my Christmas haul but somehow got a bit buried on my shelves the last 6 months. And finally, a bit of non-fiction: Great with Child is one of my favorite motherhood books I read when pregnant with Hendrik, so I wanted to revisit it, and The Fixed Stars is a memoir I've heard lots of great things about.

As for a recap of my June TBR - this one's going to be short because pretty much my June picks were a bust. I actually had 2 books I didn't finish (plus one DNF that wasn't on that TBR list) - rare for me, and that left me feeling like I had a disappointing reading month, though when I look back I actually did have some excellent reads - really liked Pride and Premeditation (YA Jane Austen retelling as murder mystery romp - yes!), We Begin at the End (literary mystery with great characters), and Nevermoor (middle grade fantasy), but they just weren't on my June TBR.

So brief recap:

• Tokyo Ever After was the successful June TBR book. Read it in about a day and it was such a delight - definitely recommend for fans of American Royals. And fans of Crazy Rich Asians, if you'd be up for a YA version. Full review to come! ★★★★
• I'll Be Your Blue Sky was an enjoyable enough reading experience, even if not one that will stick with me forever. The banter in it was great, kind of some Evvie Drake vibes, but then also some vibes of Kate Morton with the 2 timelines and geneaological mystery, and some vibes of cute romances like Maddie Dawson's Matchmaking for Beginners. So, a satisfying read if you like any of those types of books, especially with a current/historical timeline. ★★★.5
• Big Summer wasn't quite the juicy summer read I had hoped for. I liked the beginning with the plus-size influencer storyline (reminded me of the recent If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy, which was a lot of fun) - but then it was also trying to be a mystery and romance at the same time, and it all just felt like too much, a bit all over the place, which made it feel a bit of a slog at times somehow. Just okay for me overall. ★★★
• The Secret Lives of Trophy Wives and The Boys' Club were my DNFs. The former was sent to me by the publisher via Netgalley, so I didn't know that much going in. Seemed like it could be a fun summer read, but instead just felt really shallow, with characters that are really stereotypical yet also seemed inconsistently written in terms of their own conflicting thoughts/actions. On the other hand The Boys' Club was picked from a summer reading guide that I thought would be a good fit for me. Was hoping it would be an insider view of the workplace with the #metoo vibes like The Whisper Network (which I would recommend!), but instead this look at being a young woman working in big law was missing the friendships and characters to root for (even if they're totally flawed). So much binge drinking, drugs, poor choices that sabotage both work and personal relationships - I got pretty far but quit after the 3rd time the main character realizes she's been blackout drunk again and doesn't remember what she did last night. No thanks.

So that's that. How was your reading month? Here's hoping for some good beach + book time to come in July!

cooking lately: easy recipes to bookmark

Summer cooking often involves a lot of grilling and light/fresh meals, so I don't feel the need to utilize all that many recipes. However, I have made a couple of new ones lately that definitely are getting bookmarked for later - not only because they were so tasty that we'll want to eat them again, but also because they're going to come in very handy with how quick/easy they are, when I've got an infant around again soon. If you've got jam-packed summer days or are just looking for some new flavors, thought you might like to bookmark as well!

Sauteed beef and bok choy bowls: this was a recent Blue Apron winner for us that has one of the best quick'n'easy-yet-delicious ratios out there - definitely kept this recipe card in order to add the meal to our rotation. It's not always easy to get one's hands on baby bok choy, but other than that, the ingredients are ones that I have on hand or are easy to add to cart (versus some of the more specialty ones in other Blue Apron recipes that I enjoy eating but then toss the recipe card afterwards...). The combo of savory + acidic with the marinated radishes, and then the creamy spicy (sub sriracha for the gochujang for an easier on-hand ingredient) to top it all off, makes for an excellent meal. And handy that the spicy part can be skipped or moderated for any kids/people who like it less spicy.

Turkey burgers with pesto mayo: I've made pesto burgers in the past but was looking for something a little different, leading me to this recipe from Food and Wine. It's excellent for when you've got a bit of pesto left over from last night's pasta dish, since you don't need a ton of it. I chopped the sundried tomatoes and put them right in the burgers (yum), and this one went over really well with the whole family. Even grilled it myself, so this one is very achievable...

Soy and ginger stir fry with noodles: I was looking for something that would be easy to pack and easy to cook on the stovetop with limited kitchen implements and space when Peter and I had our Getaway cabin stay earlier this week and decided to add this stir fry meal kit to my online grocery order - and we'll be ordering it again for sure! Ready in under 10 minutes and very tasty, with veggies galore. To make it for the family I would try this shrimp version pictured, from Natt Eats, to make it go a bit farther (plus Hendrik loves shrimp), but it could be done with chicken too, or it's delicious on its own. 

Slow cooker chicken tacos: you hardly need a recipe for these, they're so easy - basically just tossing some chicken in the crockpot with some salsa - but it was good to be reminded of this type of recipe recently when I was hosting some extended family and needed to easily feed a crowd. To make it go even further, I served it as burrito bowls - one-pot beans & rice as the base, cut up the chicken into cubes to top, and then got premade pico de gallo and guacamole, shredded cheese and lettuce, and set out some hot sauces for people to jazz up their own. (Didn't do the sweet potatoes in this recipe but that would be good and make it filling too.) Feeds a crowd well, but if you've got a smaller crew is great for leftovers, which will come in handy when we've got a baby around and want quick lunches or subsequent dinners (not to mention there is very little hands-on cooking time with the chicken, also useful for when your hands are already full!).

Will definitely have these in the rotation here for the next month or two - let me know if you try and like any of them as well! Now to decide if I should explore the world of freezer meal prep (kinda not my thing), or just see how it all goes come August... there's always takeout.