Her name is Alohi, which means brilliant/shining in Hawaiian, and she's now 10 pounds and 10 weeks old. She's totally adorable and fun and sweet and smart, but she is also a major handful! People say the puppy months are the best, but I don't know about that. We got Conan, our previous boxer, when he was almost a year, so this is our first time going through puppy-ness, and I have to say I think the best time is when you and your dog are so familiar with each other, are so in sync, that you know what the other is thinking just by a look. The puppy days... well, those are incredibly cute and kinda fun, but they're also exhausting and frustrating!
Other than all that, I've enjoyed my new duty of putting together displays at work. I made a fun little display of Sherlock Holmes spin-offs (featuring the iconic wallpaper and "I Am Sherlocked" from the show), and I just finished putting up a March Madness-style Battle of the Books bracket on the huge wall in our children's section. It pits children's book characters against each other, and patrons vote on their favorites each round. I had fun figuring out the match-ups (i.e. Winnie the Pooh vs. Paddington, Peter Rabbit vs. Velveteen Rabbit, Percy Jackson vs. the Wimpy Kid) and I'm curious to see who'll make it to the championship round.
"The Lonely Hearts Hotel" by Heather O'Neill (2 stars)
"Looking for Alaska" by John Green (3 stars)
"Lab Girl" by Hope Jahren (4 stars)
"Gilded Cage" by Vic James (3 stars)
"The Chemist" by Stephenie Meyer (4 stars)
"I See You" by Clare Mackintosh (3 stars)
(not the best reading month ever, sadly)
Favorite book: "Lab Girl" -- a wonderful memoir that taught me a lot about science!
Biggest let-down: "The Lonely Hearts Hotel." If there ever was a poster case of misleading blurb and cover, this would be it. It purported itself to be magical and whimsical, but it was mostly just dark and depressing.
March release I'm most excited about: "Bleaker House" by Nell Stevens, a memoir about her time attempting to write a novel in the frigid Falkland Islands with only penguins for company.
Book I'm most excited to read in March: "A Perilous Undertaking" by Deanna Raybourn, book 2 in the Veronica Speedwell historical mystery series. I've been waiting for it to come out forever, and it was in the pile of library holds I just picked up. Hooray!
Books added to my to-read list: 7 (not bad!)
Most intriguing TBR addition: "March," the graphic novel series about the Civil Rights movement by Congressman John Lewis.From Goodreads: "'March' is a vivid first-hand account of John Lewis’ lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis’ personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement."
Favorite bookstagram: I really like this photo of "Lab Girl," which also features an absolutely gorgeous fox and fern illustrated notebook my mom ordered from Etsy for me as a surprise.
Book reviews:
"The Lonely Hearts Hotel" by Heather O'Neill
"The Young Widower's Handbook" by Tom McAllister
"Gilded Cage" by Vic James
"Lab Girl" by Hope Jahren
"The Chemist" by Stephenie Meyer
"I See You" by Clare Mackintosh
Oh I remember puppy days well. I know we will get another boxer pup eventually but not right now. Two is enough. However, Booker T is almost 4 years older than Cass and I know if something happens to him, we won't want Cass to be alone for long. Puppies are great but you hit the nail on the head, they are exhausting.
ReplyDeleteTwo is enough, indeed! I can hardly imagine three boxers underfoot, one being a puppy! (Though it sure would be adorable!) We used to love getting Conan together with his Aunt Ruthie (my husband's parents' boxer) and they were adorable together.
DeleteNo wonder your reading has slowed, a puppy is a lot of work! LOL. Looking forward to I See You and A Perilous Undertaking. Hope March is a great reading month.
ReplyDeleteI've really been looking forward to "A Perilous Undertaking!" I loved book 1 so much, and I feel like I've been waiting forever for the next installment. It's next up in my queue and I'm so excited!
DeleteAlohi is absolutely adorable! I've been trying to get a dog for such long time now.... it just never seems to work out!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun and exciting month you had! Lots going on. Treasure the puppy days, she will grow up, and they will soon just be a memory. Cute pictures!
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