Monday Musings

My week: Monday through Thursday was a bit rough -- it was just one of those weeks -- but who cares when I had a three-day weekend?! Friday we ate lunch out, ran some errands and took Alohi to the vet (always an adventure). Saturday it rained all day long, and while I had a million things on my to-do list I ended up being supremely and completely lazy.

Reading: It was a great reading week for me! I'm blazing my way through the list of 2017 releases I want to read by the end of the year, and so far they've all been really good books. I finished and thoroughly enjoyed "Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine." I liked it so much I convinced a patron at the library to check it out this week!

Then I read "The Blinds," a sort of speculative fiction story about a tiny community in the middle-of-nowhere Texas full of heinous criminals whose memories of their misdeeds have been wiped clean. For eight years the Blinds has been a peaceful little settlement, but all of a sudden things start falling apart in quick succession.

After that I read my first book for Non-Fiction November, Lauren Graham's quick and funny and "Gilmore Girls"-filled memoir, "Talking As Fast As I Can." It was pretty much book fluff, but there were definitely a few good takeaways.

Then I positively blew through "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I started it Saturday morning and, as mentioned, it rained all day long, so I spent hours immersed in the glamorous (and not-so-glamorous) world of '50s (and '60s and '70s and '80s) Hollywood. I fell in love with the characters and I just could not put this book down!

Yesterday I read the first few pages of "The Heart's Invisible Furies" by John Boyne, an epic novel set over several decades in Ireland. Several of my real-life and online friends have given it 5 stars and I'm hopeful I'll love it too -- and that it sucks me right in. It's almost 600 pages and I don't want to lug it on an airplane with me just to finish the last bit, so my goal is to get it read before we leave for our Thanksgiving trip on Saturday!

I'm also reading my second Non-Fiction November book, "Astrophysics for People in a Hurry" by Neil DeGrasse Tyson. It's short and sweet (though still a little over my head sometimes), and I'm reading a chapter a day.

Watching: "Stranger Things" season 2, "Broadchurch" season 3, "Poldark," "This Is Us."

We also watched the first episode of "American Gods," and it was soooo weird. But I'm intrigued! I was planning to read the book before watching, but our DVR is in desperate need of some space and I was chatting with a patron at work who was telling me about the show and convinced me to go ahead and start it.

Movie-wise, we watched "The Dead Poet's Society," a 1989 movie starring Robin Williams as a delightful and unconventional teacher at a stuffy New England prep school. It's one I've been meaning to watch for-ev-er, and I finally got to it as part of our DVR clean-out!

Knitting: It feels so good to have knitting needles in my hands again! I'm chugging along with my Newt Scamander scarf for my friend Jessie. I've made more progress in the last week (after ripping out and starting over) than I did in almost a year! It's definitely been an off-year knitting-wise for me, but every hobby needs a break now and then.

Listening to: "Faking It" by Calvin Harris, etc.

Blogging:
Monday Musings
The Book Releases I'm Most Looking Forward to Oct. to Dec. 2017
Non-Fiction November Week 3: Be the Expert, Ask the Expert, Become the Expert

Looking forward to: Our last-minute trip to Colorado for Thanksgiving! I haven't spent a holiday with my parents since 2008, and I'm soooooooo ready to get off this island for a week!

Non-Fiction November Week 3: Be the Expert, Ask the Expert, Become the Expert

It's already week three of Non-Fiction November -- the month is positively flying by! This week's link-up prompt is Be The Expert (share books you've read and would recommend), Ask the Expert (ask for suggestions on a specific topic), Become the Expert (create a list of books on a subject you'd like to read).

This was a bit of an overwhelming topic for me because, as it turns out, my non-fiction reading is all over the place. There aren't one or two topics that I find especially interesting -- I've got everything from the Middle East and North Korea to celebrity memoirs to books about race and the invention of the birth control pill on my lists, and I really could not bear to narrow things down.

So instead, I put my own little twist on the prompt. I chose eight subjects and listed one book I've read and would recommend, along with three that are on my to-read list (and even this was difficult to whittle down -- I have sooooo many good-looking non-fiction books on my TBR!). And if you have any recommendations based on the books below, I would absolutely love to hear them!

Today's link-up is hosted by Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness.

Read and recommend:
Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him by Luis Carlos Montalvan (review)

Want to read:
A Dog Called Hope: A Wounded Warrior and the Service Dog Who Saved Him by Jason Morgan
Pit Bull: The Battle Over an American Icon by Bronwen Dickey
No Better Friend: One Man, One Dog, and Their Extraordinary Story of Courage and Survival in WWII by Robert Weintraub

Read and recommend:
The Daily Coyote: A Story of Love, Survival and Trust in the Wilds of Wyoming by Shreve Stockton

Want to read:
American Wolf: The True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West by Nate Blakeslee
All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
A Sting in the Tale: My Adventures With Bumblebees by Dave Goulson

Read and recommend:
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann (review)

Want to read:
In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeanette by Hampton Sides
Walking the Nile by Levison Wood
Mother of God: An Extraordinary Journey Into the Uncharted Tributaries of the Western Amazon by Paul Rosolie

Read and recommend:
Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman

Want to read:
How to Be a Victorian by Ruth Goodman
The Radium Girls: The Dark History of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore
The Last Castle: The Epic Story of Love, Loss, and American Royalty in the Nation's Largest Home by Denise Kiernan

Read and recommend:
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (review)

Want to read:
Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner by Judy Melinek
The Skeleton Cupboard: The Making of a Clinical Psychologist by Tanya Byron
The Real Doctor Will See You Now: A Physician's First Year by Matt McCarthy

Read and recommend:
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren (review)

Want to read:
Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach
Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History by Bill Schutt
I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life by Ed Young

Read and recommend:
My Life in France by Julia Child (review)

Want to read:
Notes on a Foreign Country: An American Abroad in a Post-American World by Suzy Hansen
Bears in the Streets: Three Journeys Across a Changing Russia by Lisa Dickey
The Road to Little Dribbling: Adventures of an American in Britain by Bill Bryson

Read and recommend:
Unbroken: A WWII Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand (review)

Want to read:
Ashley's War: The Untold Stry of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution by Nathaniel Philbrick
Tough As They Come by SSG Travis Mills

The Book Releases I'm Most Looking Forward To Oct. to Dec. 2017

It's so hard to believe we're already halfway done with the final quarter of the year; 2017 has positively flown by for me. I feel like it was just Christmas, and here we are less than two months away from Christmas all over again! All this is to say, I intended to publish this post back toward the beginning of October, before all these books were released, but oh well: better late than never, right?!

From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death by Caitlin Doughty: Doughty's first book, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," about her time working in the funeral industry, was fascinating and morbid and has stuck with me more than most books do. It was really thought-provoking -- why are we as a society so distanced from death? what do I want to happen to my body after I die? -- and I'm excited to read her new book, which takes the topic even further.

Origin by Dan Brown: I've already blazed through this newest Robert Langdon installment! It was a typical Dan Brown book, but I'll tell ya -- I could not put it down!

American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West by Nate Blakeslee: I'm trying to read more non-fiction and this one, which tells the story of a particular wolf in Yellowstone, sounds really interesting!

Strange Weather by Joe Hill: I've read most of Joe Hills books, and the ones I haven't I'll get to eventually. I don't often read short fiction, but I'm planning to try this compilation, which includes four horror novellas.

Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King: Ok, so this technically came out at the tail-end of September, but we might as well include the whole King family here (in case you didn't know, Joe Hill is Stephen King's son too). This book is super-long, but the plot (about a disease/curse/thingie that only affects women) has me totally intrigued!

The Bloodprint by Ausma Zehanat Khan: I'm in a total fantasy mood right now and the premise of this one, the first in a new series, sounds really good! It's pretty complex, but it has to do with some badass magical women fighting off a "superstitious patriarchy...bent on world domination."

Artemis by Andy Weir: I loved "The Martian" and I've been looking forward to Weir's second novel since the day it was announced! I'm excited that it's more of a traditional sci-fi story -- it's set on the moon -- and I can't wait to get my hands on it!

The Revolution of Marina M. by Janet Fitch: I'm having a moment where I'm really interested in books set in Russia, and this chunkster promises to a captivating epic historical fiction story.

City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty: This is the first book in a new fantasy series set in 1700s Cairo that features a spunky-sounding protagonist and a djinn. I'm not quite sure if it's supposed to be adult or YA (I usually avoid YA) but I'm definitely going to give it a try!

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden: I enjoyed "The Bear and the Nightingale," a historical fantasy derived from Russian folktales, and I'm excited to dive into book 2!

Monday Musings

My week: I had fun dressing up with my co-workers at the library for Halloween! It was a nice change to wear a tutu to work instead of my uniform shirt. The rest of the week was pretty quiet... I've been busy at work getting the November bulletin board up (it's 13x9 feet, so it's always an endeavor!). In October I asked patrons to trace their hand and color it in however they liked, and now those hand prints are feathers on a giant turkey.

 

Reading: I tried for a second time to read "The Keeper of Lost Things" and I got stuck at the same spot, about three chapters in. I really wanted to love this book, but I decided to give up on it, at least for now. I think part of the problem is the authors way-overuse of alliteration, but really, I'm surprised I couldn't get into it.

Instead I started working on my list of 2017 releases I want to read  by the end of the year, and I stated with "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas. I'm sure you all know the novel has to do with Black Lives Matter and a black teen boy shot by a white policeman. Regardless of your politics or viewpoint, it's a book I recommend because the author did such a good job making me feel connected to the main character, 16-year-old Starr. And it also gave me a glimpse into a life very different from mine -- which is one of the things I most enjoy about reading.

Then I read "Tuck Everlasting," the November book for the 4th and 5th grade book club I do at the library where I work. It started off really cute, but it suffered from exactly what I mentioned above -- I closed the back cover and didn't feel like I knew any of the characters at all. Winnie almost decides to become immortal for Jessie Tuck, a boy she knew for ONE DAY, and I didn't know anything about him other than that he was cute. I imagine the movie version fixes this problem, and since it stars Alexis Bledel (aka Rory Gilmore), I do want to watch it.

And now I'm reading "Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine" by Gail Honeyman, another book from my list of 2017 releases. I'm a little over halfway done and really enjoying it so far. I didn't exactly know what to expect with it, but it's different that the vague idea I had in my head -- in a good way, though! As prickly and awkward as Eleanor is, I'm starting to fall in love with her!

Knitting: I'm finally knitting again! I hardly knit at all in 2017, but I'm back to work on the Newt Scamander scarf for a friend. Perfect timing, since I like to knit while watching TV (see below).

Watching: I had a wake-up call this week when I saw our rather massive DVR only had 10% space remaining! I feel like since I only work part-time I should watch "my" shows when Jarrod isn't around, but all too often I choose reading over watching and now I have entire seasons of shows to catch up on, not to mention a bunch of movies.

So, what am I watching? I'm keeping up with "This Is Us," "Poldark" (which Jarrod watches with me -- yay!) and "Grey's Anatomy." I finished the first season of the new Masterpiece show "My Mother and Other Strangers," which is set in a small Irish town during WWII, where American troops have set up a base, and I picked back up with the final season of "Switched at Birth." It's been my guilty pleasure for years, but this season is way too political for my taste and I had to take a break from it.

I had been recording the "Will and Grace" revival and I finally gave that a try, but after five minutes of audience sounds and canned laughter I just couldn't handle it. It occurred to me how much TV has changed -- growing up, most of the shows I watched were sitcoms "filmed in front of a live studio audience," but now there aren't even many shows like that left, much less ones that I'm interested in (period dramas don't have laugh tracks!). It never bothered me when I was younger, but hearing a bunch of audience laughter every 20 seconds was like nails on a chalkboard, so "Will and Grace" got the delete button.

We're also watching "Stranger Things" season 2 and it's really good!

Signing up for: The Broke and Bookish Secret Santa! It'll be my third year participating and I'm so looking forward to it. Though the real fun for me is buying for my secret buddy, I've had absolutely fabulous Santas the past two years and it's just been a great experience!

Blogging:
Monday Musings
Turning the Page on October 2017
Mini Reviews: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, The Alice Network, Origin, Setting Free the Kites & Red Sister
Non-Fiction November Week 2: Five Non-Fiction/Fiction Pairings

Looking forward to: Changing out my display of spooky books and movies to Thanksgiving and Christmas ones at work today!

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

Non-Fiction November Week 2: Five Non-Fiction / Fiction Pairings

It's week two of Non-Fiction November, and the link-up topic this week is a non-fiction/fiction pairing. I got a little carried away and did five, but, hey, can you really have too many books in one blog post? Where applicable, I've included links to my book reviews.

This week's link-up is hosted by Sarah at Sarah's Bookshelves.

If you've ever seen "Jurassic Park" (or read the book, which I have yet to do) and were intrigued by the science of bringing back dinos from extinction, "Bring Back the King: The New Science of De-Extinction" is for you. It's an easy, enjoyable read that covers the ins and outs of de-extincting a species, where that science is at today, and the ramifications. In a mostly lighthearted tone, Pilcher discusses de-extincting everything from the t-rex to Elvis Presley, but in the end she does make a very good argument for how we should be using the science. It's a fascinating, educational read in layman's terms. (And it does actually mention where Michael Crichton got the idea for the mosquito-in-amber de-extinction method.)

"Bring Back the King: The New Science of De-Extinction" review

I love historical fiction -- trust me, I'm a total sucker for period dramas -- and I really enjoy novels set (or written) in the 1920s. And in his signature style, Bill Bryson paints a really interesting, easy-to-read picture of the era, set around the summer of 1927, but really covering the decade as a whole. I learned a ton of stuff and got a good ol' reminder of how lucky I am to be a woman today and not 100 years ago, and it was one of my favorite books this year.

"One Summer: America, 1927" review

A memoir written by the mother of Dylan Klebold, one of the two perpetrators of the Columbine Shooting, is a perfect companion to "Nineteen Minutes," Jodi Picoult's novel about a school shooting.

"A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy" review

I finally got around to reading "The Hate U Give" last week and I can definitely see what all the fuss has been about. It's a novel about a 16-year-old black girl whose unarmed friend is shot dead -- right in front of her -- by a white police officer. It's about what it's like to be black in America, and so is the non-fiction book "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Both opened my eyes and got me thinking, and regardless of your political or social views, they're both worthwhile reads.

"Unbroken" is one of the best books I've ever read -- it really defines the narrative non-fiction genre, I think. I'm sure most of you have read the book or seen the movie or both, so you know it's about a former Olympian turned WWII bombardier who survives more than six weeks adrift in the ocean after a plane crash, only to become a Japanese POW in absolutely horrific conditions. I've never read a more powerful WWII story than "Unbroken," but "The Fire By Night," a very well-researched novel, was excellent, and it involves Japanese POWs. It's a dual narrative set in both the European and Japanese theaters, and definitely worth a read if you like WWII history.

"Unbroken" review
"The Fire By Night" review

Mini Reviews: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, The Alice Network, Origin, Setting Free the Kites & Red Sister

"The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet" by Becky Chambers
Wayfarers #1
First published in 2014
404 pages
My rating: 5 out of 5

I fell head-over-heels for this charming sci-fi novel!

"The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet" is one of those books you just want to step right into. I loved the world -- a far-off future, set after we've wrecked Earth, full of other races of sapient beings and intergalactic travel. I loved the characters -- the multi-species crew of the wormhole-drilling ship Wayfarer. And I loved the main story and subplots, all of which totally sucked me in.

I was so attached to the characters that I was slightly bummed to see book 2 in the series is a standalone, sort of a spin-off featuring one of the minor characters from "The Long Way." But I'm sure my favorite intergalactic travelers will have cameos, and I'm excited to go on some new adventures!

"The Alice Network" by Kate Quinn
First published in 2017
503 pages
My rating: 4.5 out of 5

"The Alice Network" is a dual narrative set in WWI and just after WWII featuring two spunky, brave, exceedingly clever women both scarred by the horrors of war.

In 1915, stuttering but smart Eve is recruited as a British spy and sent to German-occupied France. In 1947 American college student Charlie St. Clair is in disgrace as a pregnant 19-year-old; even as her mother accompanies her to Switzerland to take care of the "Little Problem," Charlie is determined to find out what happened to her beloved cousin, Rose, who vanished from France during the war. The one and only lead she has takes her to a middle-aged, drunken and haggard Eve's doorstep.

Typically with dual narratives, I find myself favoring one story over the other, and while I may enjoy both I'm always itching to get back to my favorite character. Not so here; I loved both Eve and Charlie and was captivated by each of their stories!

Quinn's novel was inspired by the real-life Alice Network, the most successful WWI spy ring, and any historical fiction fan should enjoy this book. I couldn't put it down -- I devoured it in just over two days!

"Origin" by Dan Brown

Robert Langdon #5
First published in 2017
456 pages
My rating: 4 out of 5

Dan Brown has turned out another typical Robert Langdon novel: a possible religious conspiracy, a frantic day's race around Europe to stop the bad guy/evade the killers, an eidetic memory, a Mickey Mouse watch and, of course, a beautiful female sidekick.

While this wasn't my favorite Robert Langdon novel, and while it was definitely formulaic, it's apparently a formula that works because I was positively tearing through the pages. And, as usual, I learned a few things from Brown's novel -- particularly that I must go to Barcelona and see the work of famous architect Gaudi.

Bloggers are always complaining about Dan Brown's less-than-stellar writing, and I guess it's finally gotten under my skin because I almost went into this one looking to see if they were right. I suppose it's true that he's no Pulitzer Prize winner, but who the hell cares when he puts out gripping, thought-provoking thrillers that keep me up way past my bedtime?

"Setting Free the Kites" by Alex George

First published in 2017
324 pages
My rating: 3.5 out of 5

A really good friend of mine -- who happens to have very similar reading tastes -- recommended this book, and I went in with high hopes but tempered expectations. Young adult coming-of-age novels are decidedly not my thing, and that's just what this one is.

It's about two adolescent boys beset by grief -- one with a dead father, one with a dying older brother -- who find solace in each other's friendship. One is a risk-taker and one is conservative, one is bullied and one is his defender, one has a there-but-not-really mother and one has parents who are completely wrapped up in his brother. They balance each other out and are inseparable during a handful of formative years.

I did enjoy the 1970s Maine setting -- especially the small family-run amusement park where the boys spend their summers working -- but overall I found it a little dull. (At least I didn't have to suppress the urge to shake the characters by the shoulders for their naivete in this one like I typically do with contemporary YA!)

"Red Sister" by Mark Lawrence
The Ancestor #1
First published in 2017
467 pages
My rating: 5 out of 5

The worldbuilding! The characters! The edge-of-your-seat plot! "Red Sister" had me gripped from the first sentence, and then shortly after that I fell in love with our protagonist, Nona Grey.

This fantasy novel is set in a far-off future when most of the planet is covered in ice, forcing humanity back to an almost primitive state. Young Nona is rescued from a horrific situation and schooled as a "sister" -- a very special sort of nun -- and as she navigates her lessons over the next few years she must also navigate the complicated world of female friendship, her unusual skillset, and the very powerful man who holds a vendetta against her.

The Convent of Sweet Mercy reminded me a bit of Hogwarts, and the book was like reading a mashup of some awesome stuff: "Harry Potter" + "The Queen of Blood" + assassins.

I've never read Mark Lawrence before, but I very well might pick up one or both of his previous fantasy series. And in any case, "Red Sister" is one of the best books I've read this year and I'm anxiously awaiting the release of "Grey Sister" next April!

Turning the Page on October 2017

October was a fabulous month for me! My mom and brother were out for a week-long visit and we had a wonderful time playing tourist. While they were here we took Alohi for her first boat ride and her first long hike! We also went to the beach a few times, went to a luau, toured Iolani Palace, did plenty of sight-seeing, and ate tons and tons of delicious food.

At the end of October I turned 32, and I celebrated by getting a couples massage with my husband, taking Alohi to the dog park, and going out to dinner at a restaurant I'd been dying to try -- then falling asleep on the couch at 10:30!

I love Halloween, and I love working at a place that encourages costume-wearing! All of my library co-workers dressed up and we all looked fabulous. I went as a book fairy, complete with book-page fairy wings.

As far as TV and movie watching goes, I'm thrilled to say I finally got to see "Wonder Woman" and "Guardians of the Galaxy 2," both of which were great. TV-wise we're working our way through the third season of "Broadchurch" and the second season of "Stranger Things" (which, by the way, came out on my birthday!). I'm also keeping up with "This Is Us," "Poldark," and "Designated Survivor" (which is quickly losing me, unfortunately -- it's too much of a one-catastrophe-after-another show with not enough character development).

Books read: 8
Himself by Jess Kidd // 4 stars
The Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne // 3 stars
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers (Wayfarers #1) // 5 stars!
Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett // 3.5 stars
One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson // 4.5 stars
Setting Free the Kites by Alex George // 3.5 stars
Origin by Dan Brown (Robert Langdon #5) // 4 stars
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn // 4.5 stars

Started in October and currently reading: The House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

Favorite book: I totally loved The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet! I just felt happy reading it, and I'm really looking forward to reading the second book in the series!

Biggest let-down: The House of Leaves! It's supposed to scare the pants off me, but I actually put it down because I was so bored! I'm not giving up on it yet, though -- I do want to keep reading.

November release I'm most looking forward to: Artemis by Andy Weir!!!!

Book I'm most excited to read in November: So many! I'm working my way through all the 2017 releases I want to get to before the end of the year, plus I'm participating in Non-Fiction November so I'll be reading at least one non-fiction book. I have The Heart's Invisible Furies on hold at the library and a good friend just gave it 5 stars, so I'm definitely looking forward to that one.

Current library checkouts: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Blinds by Adam Sternbergh and Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt (for the kids' book club at work)

Books added to to-read list: 6 (not bad at all -- and two were series continuations so those barely count!)

Most intriguing TBR addition: Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (Imperial Radch #1). After reading The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, I'm craving more sci-fi set in space!

From Goodreads: On a remote, icy planet, the soldier known as Breq is drawing closer to completing her quest. Once, she was the Justice of Toren -- a colossal starship with an artificial intelligence linking thousands of soldiers in the service of the Radch, the empire that conquered the galaxy. Now, an act of treachery has ripped it all away, leaving her with one fragile human body, unanswered questions, and a burning desire for vengeance.

Favorite bookstagram: Yes, I know I said this book was my biggest disappointment of the month, but I love the Halloween atmosphere in this photo! (Plus I was excited to show off the ghostie lights I made.) Find me on Instagram @knittinglindsay!

I actually did a teeny, tiny bit of knitting this month! Between Alohi trying to "help" and general busyness, I've barely knit at all this year. I've been itching to get my hands on my needles, though, and I finally picked up (and ripped out and started over) the Newt Scamander scarf I was supposed to have given to a friend months and months and months ago.

I also made those cute ghost lights in the picture above! They were super-easy: ping pong balls, cheesecloth, Christmas lights and Mod Podge. Just put "ping pong ball ghost lights" into Pinterest and I'm sure you'll find a tutorial similar to the one I was inspired by, if you feel inclined to make your own!

Favorite post: 10 Book Characters Who Are Sexy As Hell In Their Movie & TV Adaptations. Mmmmhmmm.

Book reviews:
American Eclipse: A Nation's Epic Race to Catch the Shadow of the Moon and Win the Glory of the World by David Baron
The Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne
Himself by Jess Kidd
Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett
One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson