Five Things Friday...

1.  The Gym.  Yes! Week two and I have gone every day so far.  I'm still hating waking up before        5am, but I'm starting to get used to it.

2.  Weight Watchers and Oprah.

Yep, I'm an Oprah fan. I loved her show.  I love her channel. And I love this cookbook. I read it the other night and have already bookmarked so many recipes that I will be making in the foreseeable future.  So many yummy soup and salad recipes - woo hoo! Plus, she includes how many points each serving would be, which I loved.  Yep, I decided to join WW.  I intend to get healthy in 2017 and exercise alone is not going to get me there.  So, WW here I come.

3.  Travis.  I've been listening to their music this week. Ever since I went through all of my old CDs, I've been revisiting old favorite bands.  I remember loving this song:

4.   Grimm.  The season premiere for the final season was on last Friday.  There are only 12 more episodes left until its over - the horror, the horror!  I hate that they made this last season only 13 episodes long - its not fair.  I want more Monroe, Rosalee and Wu.

5.   Book Depository.  Ugh! I'm so disappointed with them. I ordered several books and have been patiently awaiting their arrival.  So far, I've received three of the books.  I'm still waiting for the others and it seems like its taking far too long.  Oh, and today I received a package filled with three copies of a book that I did not order from them - ack!   Plus, I just opened another delivery and the spine on the book is torn off - say what!? Ugh!!  Talk about annoying.  I'm beginning to think that I should have ordered everything from Amazon.

And now I'm off to continue reading about Maisie Dobbs.  Hope you all have a great weekend!  Happy reading!!

Five Things Friday...

1.  The gym.  Ugh.  Yep, going to the gym is one of my personal resolutions for this new year.  And I hate it.  Its only been a few days and already I want to give up.  Its the waking up at 5am that gets me.  Once I'm at the gym I feel fine.  I put on my headphones and try to pretend I like working out.  I'm hoping that eventually it will get easier.  I know it does, but its been so long since I've gym-ed it,  that I feel like it will never get easier.  I just keep reminding myself that I want (need) to be healthy.  And I think of what Shonda Rhimes wrote in her book, Year of Yes - something along the lines...accept that you don't like working out and then do it anyways (because you have to).

2.  Year of Yes Journal.

Yep, I'm going to make 2017 my Year of Yes.  And, one of the things I have said 'yes' to is exercise - ugh.

3.  Ladies of London.  This new season is ace!  It is chock full of drama, drama, drama.  People have already sobbed, thrown insults, gossiped, judged, and stabbed each other in the back.  It is crazy and I love watching it all unfold.  I love watching England via this show - brings back memories of when I lived there.  Plus, the fashion is top notch and the women are fascinating to watch.  Love Ladies of London!!

4.  NetGalley and Edelweiss are the BEST.  So many requests approved - thank you publishers!!  Here are some of the lovelies I will be diving into soon enough:

5.  Golden Globes.  I have no idea who is nominated, but I plan to watch it with my sister.  We are going to make some yummy appetizers and drinks, check out the fashion, and find out which movies/TV shows are up for the awards.  Should be a fun night.

And now, I'm off to cull my books.  I have this huge pile sitting next to my desk that needs to be organized.  I'm going to figure out which books I actually want to keep and donate the others.  Wish me luck! I hate culling books.

Hope you have a great weekend!! Happy reading!!

Five Things Friday...

1.  Christmas shopping is done! Finally!  I'm wrapping the last gift and delivering it later today - Hurrah!

2. 

I finished this book earlier in the week.  Its about Maja, a young lady on trial for her involvement in a school shooting.  The story is told from Maja's POV - we get to learn about her life before the trial, during, and a tiny bit after.  The more you read, the more you learn about what happened.  Its a slow reveal and I must admit to enjoying it immensely.  Its much more of an interesting read when the author gives you bits and bobs here and there, without sharing everything right away.  I found the book unputdownable! I must admit that I doubt Maja's version of events, considering how easily she lies in the book.  Of course, the fact that she's involved in a school shooting pretty much paints her "guilty" in my opinion.  Regardless of Maja's guilt, the story is fascinating in the way it explores love, justice, immigration, class, and so much more.  The writing is top notch and the storytelling is gripping.  A definite must-read!! Quicksand comes out March 7th, 2017 - check it out!!

3.  My Secret Santa sent me a lovely gift; which I of course opened up right away.  I was lucky enough to receive the following goodies:

I've hung the cute ornament on my tree, eaten some of that chocolate, and have put The Burgess Boys on top of my TBR pile for 2017.  After reading My Name Is Lucy Barton (which I LOVED) I plan on reading all of Strout's book in the new year, including her latest book Anything Is Possible (comes out April 25th).

4.  I'm planning Christmas dinner. I've bought most of the food already, but need to pick up some last minute ingredients later today.  Deciding on the main course is never a problem, its the side dishes that we can never seem to agree on.  I'm all about the veggies and everyone else wants mac & cheese with a helping of mashed potatoes - talk about carb overload.  Anyhow, I'm determined to throw in some asparagus and zucchini.  Wish me luck!

5.  Christmas is almost here!! Hurrah! I'm excited for the weekend and can't wait to celebrate with my family.  Hope you all have a lovely holiday weekend with your loved ones!!

Five Things Friday

1.  The Walking Dead.  Mid-season finale is over and the gang is back together - Hurrah!  The episode was a mixed bag for me, but I loved the ending.  Negan relished touting his power over Alexandria as he waited for Rick to show up with goodies for him.  Michonne realized that the Saviors far outnumbered her crew.  Daryl finally escaped the Sanctuary - no more Easy Street for him!  And Spencer got his comeuppance for his shady attempts to overrule Rick.  Yep, Negan gutted him like a fish and it was pretty cool.  I never cared much for Spencer, even though I can see why he didn't like Rick.  As for Rosita, she's still acting stupidly - trying to shoot Negan with one bullet and missing - ugh! Now, Eugene has been taken away thanks to his bullet making skills - thanks a lot, Rosita!  Oh, and Maggie is acting tough and taking apples away from Gregory up at the Hilltop - wow, what a leader!  And, Carol and Morgan are still refusing to fight - will they ever find out about Glenn and Abraham?!  The highlights were Michonne's speech to Rick, where he finally admitted that he knows that they do have to fight back against Negan; Daryl and Rick hugging - OMG! I teared up; and the gang finally being reunited and in fight mode - woo hoo!  So, looks like the next half of the season will be about taking down Negan and his Saviors. I can't wait!!  By the by, the new photo that AMC put up on their FB The Walking Dead page reminds me of Hamilton every time I see it:

Am I right?  Don't the lyrics to My Shot (my favorite song!!) pop in your head?  Its all I think of when I see this photo. 

2. Christmas cookies, bread, fudge, etc.  Yep, this weekend, my sister and I will be baking up a storm.  Every Christmas we make some yummy treats to give out to friends and family. I'm looking forward to it.  We put on Christmas music, laugh, talk, bake, and taste-test.  Should be a fun time.

3. 

I am in love with this book.  I finally finished it and can't stop thinking about it.  The writing, the characters, the story - oh, my!  A True Novel is true literature. Its the kind of book that makes you love reading.  Apparently, the author has a new book coming out next year - talk about exciting news!  I am so looking forward to it.  Hopefully, I'll be able to get my hands on an early copy.

4.  

My new journal for the new year.  Its a companion to Shonda Rhimes awesome book, The Year of Yes.  I loved the book and am positive that I'm going to love this journal.  Can't wait to use it in 2017!

5. 

Loved the latest issue of my O magazine. Oprah's focus for 2017 is ADVENTURE and I thought that was just great.  Reading this issue has me wondering if I should pick a word to focus on for the new year.  Hmm...something to consider. 

Enjoy the weekend!! Happy reading!! Happy Holidays!!

Bookish and Non-Bookish Thoughts...

Everyone seems to be posting their Five Things Friday, so I thought this week I'd jump on the bandwagon.  Here are mine:

The Walking Dead. I'm still recovering from losing both Abraham and Glenn. I had an inkling Glenn would be killed after watching the episode from last season where they kill Negan's men at the drop off place that the Hilltop used.  After he kills someone in their sleep, he looks up and posted on the wall are Polaroids of people that Negan's killed.  Talk about foreshadowing.  Except, I didn't want to believe it.  So, when Abraham got Lucille'd I was happy it wasn't Glenn.  And then Daryl had to react to Negan's taunts - ugh!  Why did he have to punch Negan?!  Poor Glenn. That death broke my heart. Especially with that scene at the end where they are all sitting at the dinner table - major tearjerker!

Magazines. I've been flipping through my latest issues of O, Real Simple, and Food Network.  They all talk about Thanksgiving.  Ack! So, now I have it in my head that I need to plan Thanksgiving already. How big should the turkey be? What sides should I make? What flowers should I get for the table setting? The list goes on.  So many decisions and it seems like I'm being rushed to make them. Luckily, the calendar disagrees and I have plenty of time. 

Speaking of rushing the holidays, Hallmark is going to start showing Christmas movies day in and day out as of 10pm (EST) on Friday (28th).  Christmas in October....hmm....what happened to Halloween?  Truth be told, I do love Christmas, so I'm pretty excited to kick off that holiday season early. In fact, I may just have to dig out my Christmas decorations earlier this year to join in on the fun.  What do you think? Is it too early for eggnog?

Books. Too many books to choose from. I was on a reading jag and loving it.  Now, I'm stuck trying to figure out what to read next. I was going to read The Mothers, but I'm just not in the mood. I was thinking of diving into Ann Patchett's first book, The Patron Saint of Liars, but I'm not sure I want to read that right now.  Ugh! Its frustrating me that I can't decide what to read.  Usually, I pick up something easy like a YA or chick lit novel to get me going, but this time that trick didn't work.  I read All Laced Up and The Bad Boy Bargain, but they were ridiculously predictable and didn't spark my reading mojo. So, now I'm thinking that maybe I need to pick up an old favorite and read that instead.  Something by Vonnegut maybe. Hmm...what do you recommend?

Lady Gaga's new album, Joanne.  I bought it on a whim and haven't stopped listening to it since. I love the feel of the album and the songs are just terrific. I'm crushing hard on two songs in particular - Joanne and Million Reasons. I have them both on repeat.  Have a listen:

There you have it, my list of Five Things Friday.  And now, I'm off to keep listening to Joanne while I look through my bookshelves for my next read.  Hope you have a great weekend! Happy reading!!