Monthly Catch Up #1 – February 2019

Hey-hey! What’s up, guys?

Well, guess what! Fool’s spring is here, and just two days ago we shed our coats when we went outside for a smoke break with my bestie at the office. Picture this. A February afternoon on the northern hemisphere; two women in skirts and sleeveless tops baking in the parking lot. Love it!

Ice coffee is also something I don’t necessarily associate with February, so the weekend walk in the park was definitely out of the ordinary.

My good mood from last month is still going with full force, and top it all, I even got rid of the dude sitting next to me at work after he failed his probation. He was truly the desk mate from hell. Constant, forceful drumming of fingers, muttering, unblinking stares from close range and a torrent of Italian cursing are not something I want to put up with on a daily basis. Porca troia! Good riddance.

Thanks to my latest obsession with audio books I found a way to spend time on cooking and not lose out on any reading time either. Until now I’d happily eat three biscuits and call it dinner, just so I can sit on the sofa with my book, but considering how much I actually like nice food, and how much I hate putting on weight, I had to put an end to it.

I also discovered only just recently, that I can return any book on Audible, and get something else with my credit. Well, don’t mind if I do! Now I can spend as much time in the kitchen I want, and it’s like I’m reading and cooking at the same time.

I must say not everything turned out as I imagined. Cue mushy rice with chicken that tasted like biting into an oregano bush, but according to my dude it was the most amazing thing ever created. Go figure.

Some hit & miss this month, but I loved Kill Me Again, The Furies, The Last Act of Hattie Hoffman and Aristotle and Dante a lot. Heretics Anonymous was super cute and funny, and finally I managed to finish Sleeping Beauties as well.

Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz ♥♥♥♥♥ A heart warming, cute story of two boys.
Year One by Nora Roberts ♥♥♥ Post apocalyptic, but meh. Oh, and super powers!
Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King & Owen King ♥♥♥♥ A world without women.
The Lingering by S.J.I. Holliday ♥♥♥ Neither suspenseful thriller, nor ghost story.
The Furies by Katie Lowe ♥♥♥♥ Witches and Greek tragedies.
The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond ♥♥♥♥ Marriage and paranoia go hand in hand.
The Memory Chamber by Holly Cave ♥♥♥♥ Intriguing mystery with a touch of Black Mirror level mind boggle.
Kill Me Again by Rachel Abbott ♥♥♥♥♥ DCI Tom Douglas on the hunt for a serial killer.
Heretics Anonymous by Katie Henry ♥♥♥♥ Atheist boy in a catholic school. What could possibly go wrong?
Safe With Me by K.L. Slater ♥♥♥ Crazy lady out for revenge.
The Last Act of Hattie Hoffman by Mindy Mejia ♥♥♥♥♥ Small town mystery at its best.
Undone by Cat Clarke ♥♥ Nope. Just nope.
The Sleeper by Emily Barr ♥♥♥ Trains!
The Preacher by Camilla Läckberg ♥♥♥ Even Sweden gets hot during the summer! Best weather for a murder?
The Witch of Duva by Leigh Bardugo ♥♥♥♥ A witchy short story.

The Lingering by S.J.I. Holliday ♥♥♥
The Furies by Katie Lowe ♥♥♥♥
The Guilty Party by Mel McGrath ♥♥♥♥
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz ♥♥♥♥♥
The Flower Girls by Alice Clark-Platts ♥♥♥♥
Bitter Orange by Claire Fuller ♥♥♥

Tainted Love – 13 Books for the Non Romantically Inclined

Sunshine In February – a lil’ Q&A sesh.

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

What if everything you set yourself up to be was wrong?

Frances is been a study machine with one goal. Nothing will stand in her way; not friends, not a guilty secret – not even the person she is on the inside. Then Frances meets Aled, and for the first time she’s unafraid to be herself.
So when the fragile trust between them is broken, Frances is caught between who she was and who she longs to be. Now Frances knows that she has to confront her past. To confess why Carys disappeared…
Frances is going to need every bit of courage she has.
Engaging with themes of identity, diversity and the freedom to choose, Radio Silence is a tor de force by the most exciting writer of her generation.

Even though I’m not really participating in blog tours anymore, I signed up for The Fever King tour, so keep your eyes peeled, because based on what I’ve seen so far, it’s going to be a good one!

I have all kinds of ideas for cooking, and going to spend the next month experimenting. I even bought a cast iron pan, because Christina @Recipe & Read said it’s a must-have. I’m quite fond of the practice of cooking a shit ton of something and then chill for the next few days.

My hairdresser relocated to Richmond, so now I have to trek over there every other month. I’m going this Saturday and pretty much keeping my fingers and toes crossed for nice weather. I love walking near the river! But even if the weather fails me, there are always book shops.

I look forward to seeing what you guys are up to!