Etsy Wishlist: Puppy Edition!

If you haven't already, meet Alohi, our adorable boxer puppy! It's been three years since our sweet Conan passed away and I avoided dog-related stuff for a good chunk of that time because it was just too sad. But now that we've got a new furbaby in our lives, I can browse dog goodies again with a light heart. Below is a glimpse at some of the fantastic canine merchandise on Etsy!

Etsy shop: themadstampers

$13.50

Etsy shop: fieldtrip

$10

Etsy shop: PinkysPetGear

$12+

Etsy shop: SimplyTayloredDesign

$12.50+

Etsy shop: PuddleJumperPups

$19.50+

Etsy shop: AsherAndGrayDesigns

$14+

*Pineapples for our Hawaiian pup!

 Etsy shop: Wooflings
$13+

Etsy shop: COCOANDPISTACHIO

$32 (!?!?)

*This is more inspiration to make this myself than something I'd actually buy. I'm pretty sure you could make this yourself for like $3 with some flannel from the craft store!

Etsy shop: jclayPottery

$60

Etsy shop: SmirkingGoddess

$3.05

Etsy shop: KingsBenchCreations

$18

*Handmade boxer Christmas ornament? Yes, please!

Etsy shop: BeWildandFree

$16+

*I own a floral seahorse print by this artist and it's so pretty!

Etsy shop: AfricanGrey

$5.99

*I'd probably pop this in frame and keep this for myself rather then mail it off to someone!

Etsy shop: PrintitLoveitMugs

$12.95

Etsy shop: BoxRoomBazaar

$23.14

*I bought a couple of these as Christmas gifts the year before last and they were wonderful (and now I need one for me!)! A great bargain for a custom pet portrait, too. The dog portraits are not up for sale at the moment (only her cat ones) but I'm sure they will be again at some point.

Etsy shop: symmetricalpottery

$61+

Etsy shop: claylicious

$43+
*Kinda pricey, but I really want one!

Yarn Along: "A Monster Calls" and Je T'aime Hat

Yarn Along is a weekly link-up hosted by Ginny at the Small Things blog about two of the best things in life: books and knitting.

I made some progress on my Je T'aime Hat this weekend! The puppy and I had a girls' night in on Saturday evening and I got caught up on some episodes of "Grey's Anatomy" while working on my hat. I really like the way it's coming out! I think the flecked white yarn goes really well with the deep, rich Malabrigo teal. All that's left are the decreases (and most likely a white pompom) and it'll be done! (The pattern is From Norway With Love, here; there's a link to access it on the Wayback Machine in the comments section.)

My main read at the moment is Veronica Roth's new book, "Carve the Mark," which I'm really enjoying so far. It has much more of a sci-fi/fantasy bent than the Divergent series did, but that's right up my alley these days.

Today, though, I'll be reading "A Monster Calls," an illustrated novel by Patrick Ness, the March selection for the adult book club I facilitate at work. Much to my chagrin, all the upcoming books for the adult book club I inherited are young adult books -- not my cup of tea (yes, yes, I know "Carve the Mark" is YA, but that's a rarity for me). I wasn't too psyched about it until I saw the artwork is by Jim Kay, the illustrator of the gorgeous new Harry Potter books, and I thought maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. And I'm actually (gasp!) enjoying it! It's a very quick read -- definitely one you could get done in a day. I read the first half yesterday and I'll finish it today.

Book Review: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

"The Hating Game" by Sally Thorne
First published in 2016
363 pages
My rating: 3.5 out of 5

The Short Of It:
A lighthearted little enemies-to-lovers romance novel.

The Long Of It:
Reading "The Hating Game" was a total case of "everyone else is doing it" -- this book has gone crazy in the blogosphere and it won the 2016 Goodreads Choice Award for romance. I mostly left behind my romance and chick-lit days when I graduated college so this was pretty far out of my normal reading wheelhouse, but I wanted to see what all the fuss is about!

It's a story about Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman, executive assistants for co-CEOs at a recently merged publishing house. And, having gotten off on the wrong foot from day one, they absolutely, positively hate each other. They sit across from each other every day plotting ways to make the other miserable (or lose at any one of the various "games" they play, the point of which, explains Lucy, is to make the opponent either cry or smile). When a new COO position is announced and they end up competing for the coveted position, tensions boil over with unexpected results (well, unexpected for the characters, anyway; it's all pretty obvious to the reader).

While it's a quick read, I had a surprisingly tough time getting into the story. I found the office antics to be childish and Lucy to be ridiculously melodramatic. Eventually, though, the characters grew on me (especially moody, volatile Josh, who turns out to be a fairly dynamic protagonist for a romance novel) and I definitely became invested in their torturous, slow-burn relationship. I can see many anti-"Fifty Shades" readers disagreeing with this, but the book reminded me a little bit of "Fifty Shades" minus the BDSM. (Josh: secretly damaged but hiding it behind power and ultra-good looks. Lucy: quirky, super-nice, a bit naive, and the only person who can "fix" Josh.) And, the writing isn't anything special as far as literary fiction goes, but for a fluffier book I thought it was decent and I enjoyed the witty banter. I even chuckled a few times!

While I did like the book overall, I could've done with a little less talk about Josh's neverending muscles. And I was also a bit irritated that setting plays absolutely zero role -- the author never even mentions where the book takes place and that just kills me. Seeing as she's Australian, I would've loved a tiny bit of local flavor. Too, seeing as Josh and Lucy work at a publishing company -- Lucy's childhood dream -- it would've been a perfect opportunity to add in some literary references for all us bookworms, but there wasn't much talk about books at all.

While it's hardly Pultizer Prize material, I'd recommend "The Hating Game" next time you want to indulge in a guilty, confectionary pleasure.

Monday Musings

Alohi's exploring her boxer roots! ;)

My week: It was a pretty quiet week around here. I was busy at work putting together a big Battle of the Books display in the library's kids' section, which is set up a like March Madness bracket with children's book characters that patrons vote on. (I'll post some photos soon.) And I also made a little St. Patrick's Day display with books by Irish authors.

Reading: I finished "Dead Letters," a suspense novel about a set of twins and a very dysfunctional family, and I really wasn't all that impressed. Then I read the lighthearted romance "The Hating Game," which seems to be all over blogger-land lately, and after a shaky start I did end up enjoying it! Now I'm just a few pages into "Carve the Mark," Veronica Roth's new book. Definitely different from "Divergent" so far, but I really enjoy sci-fi these days and I have high hopes!

Knitting: I made some good progress on my Je t'aime Hat (from the From Norway With Love pattern). It's teal with white hearts. Look for a picture on my Yarn Along post this Wednesday -- maybe it'll be done by then!

Watching: I actually watched some stuff from the DVR this week (pats self on back) -- a few episodes of "Grey's Anatomy." We also watched a couple more episodes of "House of Cards."

Blogging:
Monday Musings
Yarn Along: "The Hating Game" and Je t'aime Hat
Turning the Page on February 2017
Book Review: Dead Letters by Caite Dolan-Leach

Looking forward to: Hopefully heading to the beach this week! Jarrod's gone surfing a few times, but I haven't been since we got Alohi a month ago.

*I'm linking up with Kathryn of Book Date for It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Book Review: Dead Letters by Caite Dolan-Leach

"Dead Letters" by Caite Dolan-Leach
First published February 28, 2017
352 pages
My rating: 2 out of 5

I had such high hopes for this novel, and I can see why it would appeal to some readers, but it just didn't work for me. I didn't enjoy the (incredibly depressing) plot, the characters were all pretty easy to hate, and there was nothing particularly special about the writing. And, though it's been billed as a thriller (a genre that, admittedly, hasn't been my favorite of late), it was really more of a dysfunctional family saga. Having almost completely lost interest in the story, I lightly skimmed the entire second half of the book.

It focuses on 25-year-old estranged twins Ava (the good girl) and Zelda (the wild child). They haven't spoken -- other than a series of entreating e-mails from Zelda -- since a Terrible Event caused Ava to flee her family's ailing upstate New York vineyard and head to Paris for her graduate degree. Her fairly happy existence in Paris is rocked, though, when three years later she receives word that her once-beloved twin has died in a barn fire at the vineyard.

Ava hurries home, all the while dreading interacting with her father, who has a whole other vineyard and a fresh new family in Napa, and her dementia-addled mother, with whom she's always had a tense, difficult relationship. Once home, it doesn't take long for Ava to start following her sister's trail of breadcrumbs and thinking everything is just a little too "Zelda." Could it all be one of her overly dramatic sister's sensational schemes?

The answer to that question is definitely a bit unexpected, but it didn't feel particularly thriller-y to me. The book is a lot more about family dynamics, including such joyful topics as alcoholism, bulimia, severe intimacy issues, emotional abuse, sibling over-competitiveness and dementia.

Even as I write this, the plot sounds vaguely interesting. But really, it just did not hold my attention. Part of the problem was that the whole thing, from start to finish, just felt unrealistic. And it was hard to relate to a life (and a lifestyle) so very different from mine (which doesn't usually happen under the pen of a good author -- one of the reasons I love reading is to vicariously step into other people's shoes). I didn't feel any connection or empathy for Ava, just intensifying dislike; we get to know Zelda a bit through her flashback emails and I didn't really care for her either.

All that is to say, I didn't particularly enjoy this book but many people seem to have positive thoughts about it. I'd say if dysfunctional family novels are your thing (clearly, they're not really mine), then give this one a look. Otherwise... meh.

*I received a free advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Turning the Page on February 2017

Our month mostly consisted of two things: a quick trip to the Big Island, where we took a boat tour to see where lava from the volcano is gushing into the ocean (absolutely amazing -- full post to come), and the new puppy we brought home a couple days later.

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.

Books read: 6
"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.

I didn't have much time for knitting this month, between travel and puppy, puppy, puppy. I did a tiny bit of work on the Newt Scamander Hufflepuff scarf a friend asked me to make, and I just started a new hat, which is knit in a gorgeous teal yarn with white hearts.

Favorite post: I don't really have one this month! I didn't have a whole lot of time to devote to the blog, and I certainly didn't get around to my goal of more discussion posts. Maybe I'll go with this one (I Judge Books By Their Covers: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet") because I love reading other people's opinions on these book cover battle posts.

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

Yarn Along: "The Hating Game" and Je T'aime Hat

Yarn Along is a weekly link-up hosted by Ginny at the Small Things blog about two of the best things in life: books and knitting.

I really should be working on the Hufflepuff Scarf on request from a friend, but I was craving something different and I decided to whip up a (totally unnecessary) hat, which I'll probably give away when it's done. The pattern is From Norway With Love, and it'll feature four rows of colorwork hearts, which will be done in the white yarn against a teal background. The teal Malabrigo (which is so, so much prettier in person) was a gift from my Broke and Bookish Secret Santa, and the white speckled yarn is left over from my Gilmore Girls MKAL cowl.

I'm still reading an advance copy of "Dead Letters" by Caite Dolan-Leach (which came out yesterday), but next up will be "The Hating Game" by Sally Thorne. I don't normally go for chick-lit/romance these days, but so many other bloggers were raving about it that I figured I'd better check it out. (If you're curious, I'm finding "Dead Letters" to be just-ok. I feel like thrillers almost never live up to my expectations.)