One of the Worst Books I’ve Ever Read

Today feels like FALL here and it’s making me so happy. It’s cold, rainy, dreary, and…perfect. I love fall so much.

(I’m totally one of those people who have a porch goose and I change her outfit every few weeks based upon holidays, seasons, etc. This is her current “fall look”).

My husband has a (ridiculously) strong aversion to anything cinnamon. Hates the taste, hates the smell, hates everything about it. Who on Earth hates cinnamon?!? Insane. I could eat it by the spoonful, lol. He can’t even be around the smell which makes this time of year a bit tricky for me as I’m obsessed with anything cinnamon! If you have been following me for any length of time, you know that I light candles pretty much daily and I looooove a good seasonal candle. I’m DYING to light a pumpkin spiced candle over here! I’ve been hunting for the perfect fall candle for months in anticipation for a day just like today. I have a few apple scented ones (eh), some campfire scented ones (eh), but nothing truly FALL because fall means cinnamon. I came across this one at Homegoods last week all mixed in with their other fall candles and although it’s a bit “citrusy” for this time of year, I’m pretending that it’s fall enough because apparently Homegoods does.

Anyone have any fall (non cinnamon) candle recommendations for me?

From Instagram:

Happy Fall, Happy Rosh Hashanah to those who celebrate, and Happy Belated National Coffee Day! A true season of happiness 🙂

After I published my last post discussing one of the best books I’ve ever read, I thought it would be fun to write a post about one of the WORST books I’ve ever read. I have read A LOT of books…like, a lot. Some I loved, some I hated, some fell somewhere in between.

Today I give you an example of a book that I absolutely hated.

Landline By: Rainbow Rowell

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble; it has been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems beside the point now.

Maybe that was always beside the point.

Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn’t expect him to pack up the kids and go home without her.

When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.

That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts…

Is that what she’s supposed to do?

Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?

My Thoughts:

(Disclaimer: I will never post spoilers in my reviews HOWEVER the comment section is completely fair game to discuss any and all specifics including spoilers)

This book won the 2014 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fiction. As soon as the results were posted, I immediately went to the library to check this one out.

Ummm….HOW did this win???

I literally hated every single second of this book. The synopsis promises that there’s no time travel…and yet the entire book is about time travel? If I’m being very honest, the details of this book escape me (not the sign of a remarkable piece of literature) but the feeling of complete confusion over the time travel is exactly what I remember about this book. I couldn’t wait for it to end, I hated every second. The one and only reason that I didn’t abandon it midway through reading was the fact that it won such a prestigious award.

The good news is that although I HATED this book, it’s actually not my MOST hated book of all time! You can read this post to see which book I hated most of all.

Bottom Line:

I now take the Goodreads Choice Awards with a grain of salt. As should you.

Xo,

Jenny

Did you read this book? What did you think? What is one of your most hated books of all time? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

I hated this book…but you might not! Click the image below to order the book through my Amazon affiliate link. When you order through this link, I receive a tiny commission. Thank you for your support, Xo

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5 Awesome Psychological Thrillers

I LOVE a good psychological thriller. It is hands down one of my all time favorite genres. There is nothing better than a twisty plot that takes you on such a ride that your heart starts beating at triple speed and you never even saw any of it coming! The BEST.

From Wikipedia:

Psychological thriller is a thriller narrative which emphasizes the unstable or delusional psychological states of its characters. In terms of context and convention, it is a subgenre of the broader ranging thriller narrative structure,^[1] with similarities to Gothic and detective fiction in the sense of sometimes having a “dissolving sense of reality”. It is often told through the viewpoint of psychologically stressed characters, revealing their distorted mental perceptions and focusing on the complex and often tortured relationships between obsessive and pathological characters.^[2] Psychological thrillers often incorporate elements of mystery, drama, action, and paranoia. Not to be confused with psychological horror, which involves more terror than psychosomatic themes.

HELL. YES.

The latest psychological thriller that I read and LOVED was this one. Omg that book was so amazing. If you can somehow manage to get your hands on a copy (it was just released last month), I highly recommend it! Stop whatever you are reading and read this one STAT. You’re welcome.

However…if your library waitlist is long or your local bookstore is sold out of this incredible new release, I’ve got you covered 🙂

While you are waiting to get your hands on a copy, here are 5 (older) psychological thrillers that I also loved which should be a bit easier to get your hands on:

The Good Girl

I just love Mary Kubica so much.

The Couple Next Door

Read it in 2 days. Literally couldn’t put it down.

Gone Girl

One of the very few times where the movie was just as good as the book! I LOVED the book, I LOVED the movie. I think they did such a good job bringing this one to the big screen (and I RARELY say that)! Awesome story.

The Woman in Cabin 10

I suspect that this one may be a bit hard to find right now as everyone is scrambling to read anything by Ruth Ware! This one was great.

Behind Closed Doors

Another one that I finished in 2 days. AWESOME book.

Have you read any of these books? Did you love them like I did? If you haven’t read any of these…do any of them sound interesting to you? What are other psychological thrillers that you recommend? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Xo,

Jenny

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A Smile for You

My husband took my daughter to a farmer’s market and she picked out flowers to give to me 🙂 I’m obsessed with the color pink and they are the most gorgeous flowers I have ever owned in my home! They were HUGE, I cut them down to fit in my favorite Kate Spade vase. My dining room table now resembles a table at a wedding reception. Every time I walk into the room, these beautiful flowers make me smile….

….so I wanted to share them with you. Hope this makes you smile today, too 🙂

I’ll be back later this week to discuss books!

Anyone know what type of flowers these are??? LOVE.

Xo,

Jenny

This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support! Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:

*Please share this page with your book and blog loving friends!*

*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*

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Reading at the Ronald McDonald House and My Car Accident

A few months ago, I was contacted by a wonderful company called Balloons asking if I would like to participate in a Back to School event which they were hosting at the Ronald McDonald House in downtown Chicago. I immediately said yes and that I would love to hold a storytime for the kids staying there and also for their families. For those who don’t know, I was an elementary school teacher for 14 years and I currently lead a storytime twice a week at a local play cafe. Aaaaand obviously I have a passion for reading 😉

If you aren’t familiar with the Ronald McDonald House and all that it offers for families, here is a brief description from their website:

We exist so families can get better together. Helping a sick child fight their illness takes a huge emotional toll on a family. Adding a financial strain can make it all almost too much to bear. We help address those problems, whether it involves providing housing near a hospitalized child, furnishing a place to rest within the hospital, or bringing free healthcare to children in under-served areas of Chicago.

I was prepared to have a nice experience at this event. I was NOT prepared to have a magical experience at this event. Magic is the only word I can use to describe the beauty of that night.

On Saturday August 17th, I headed downtown and was honored to participate alongside face painters, a magician, live music, arts and crafts, etc. for the children and their families who were staying at the Ronald McDonald House. The event itself was amazing, the families were amazing, and the entire experience for everyone involved was amazing.

I was absolutely blown away by the beauty inside of that building from the incredibly kind staff, the wonderful amenities, and the beautiful families.

My puppets (Shelley and Manu Manu) came with me:

I brought TONS of books with me to read:

It’s hard to express exactly how much doing that storytime meant to me. I met amazing children, some of whom were able to participate using words and some who weren’t. Some who seemed to be the picture of health and some who moaned from being in pain. I read them stories about dinosaurs, pigs, and dancing dogs. I brought a mermaid puppet, a dragon puppet, and lots of stickers. I sang songs. I hugged parents who were crying and listened to their stories about their children and what led them there. I watched as not only the littlest people in the room but also their whole families were momentarily taken away from whatever pain they having while enjoying magical stories that I was able to provide.

Books have a magical way of allowing the reader the briefest escape from reality, even just for a few moments.

(Photo Credit: Balloons)

(Photo Credit: ZShare Photovisions)

Other Event Highlights included Balloons keychains for each child:

Backpacks filled with school supplies for each child:

(Photo Credit: Balloons)

Click the following link to watch a 1 minute video from the event (Video Credit: ZShare Photovisions, Rabble Dabble, Balloons,)

View this post on Instagram

08/17/2019; @rmhccni X @balloons.us ———————————————— 66 Families, 15 Volunteers, Magicians, Story-Tellers, Face-painters, Arts & Crafts, Live Music & more. The ultimate back to school party✊🏼 • It means the world to us, to have had the opportunity to bring smiles to these families’ faces this past Saturday. Thank you @rmhccni for letting us come hangout! ———————————————— For those of you that aren’t familiar with the Ronald McDonald House Charities, they focus on helping sick children fight serious illness by providing housing near the child’s treatment center. They also take the emotional & financial strain away from these families by providing proper health care, free of charge. 🎥@zshare_photovisions 🎥@rabbledabble

A post shared by BALLOONS® (@balloons.us) on Aug 20, 2019 at 9:08am PDT

After the event was over, we were given a tour of the amazing and beautiful facility. Admittingly I was seeing most of it through the tears in my eyes. What a special place this is and I had absolutely no idea all that this amazing organization provides. If you are looking for a meaningful way to volunteer your time, I would HIGHLY encourage you to reach out. What a beautiful place this is in every single way.

Stunning Meditation Room:

When a child comes to the Ronald McDonald house, they are able to choose a toy from their incredible toy closet:

I left with tears in my eyes and gratitude in my heart.

While driving home, I was so caught up in my thoughts and reflections on the incredible night that I had just been a part of and suddenly this happened…

Ugh.

I’m ok and so was the person in the other car. I was sore, emotionally shaken, and a bit lightheaded for a few days afterward. I still have a scab across my chest from where my seatbelt dug into my skin.

It could have been SO MUCH WORSE. I’m extremely thankful.

My SUV is still being repaired and as of today, they estimate I will have it back in about 10 more days. It is pretty messed up.

Most importantly, my kids weren’t in the car. When the police officer at the scene noticed that I had 2 car seats in my backseat, he asked if my children were in the car at the time of the accident. I started sobbing out of gratitude when I said that they were peacefully sleeping at home with my husband.

I refuse to allow the awful ending to be the event which outshadows the beautiful beginning of that night. It really was such a special and meaningful night…

To say that I was emotionally drained from EVERYTHING last Saturday night once I got home would be a gigantic understatement. My husband came outside and met me in our driveway to hug me as I sobbed.

A huge thank you to Balloons for hosting and inviting me to participate in such a meaningful and beautiful evening. I was so incredibly honored to be a part of it.

Count me in for next year…although I just may have someone else drive 😉

Xo,

Jenny

This blog is my favorite hobby and I would so love your support! Here are ways you can help my blog to GROW:

*Please share this page with your book and blog loving friends!*

*Subscribe with your email address to my blog (scroll all the way to the bottom of this page on mobile devices OR check the top right of this screen to enter your email address)*

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Book Rut: The 2nd Book In A Row That I Haven’t Finished

There is nothing worse than being in a book rut. When you read book after book IN A ROW and neither of them pull you in and are both just kind of blah. Welcome to the current state of my life. I HATE when this happens. First there was this book. And now…this one. Book rut. The worst. I need to get OUT of this asap! Someone please give me a great book suggestion that you KNOW will save me. I cannot read a 3rd book in a row without finishing.

*Wordpress doesn’t allow emojis but if they did…Insert poop emoji here*

A few months ago, I stumbled upon the Indian Trails Public Library’s #givereading table located in a local community building (you can read more about my experience HERE). I loved the idea of the program and was so excited to handpick a book to bring home with me.

After carefully looking though all of the books, I selected this one. I had never heard of it but had heard such great things about Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows and this was written by the same author!

Fun fact about me: Since I have been a little girl, I have always been particularly drawn to learning about Indian Culture. I have always found it so beautiful and interesting! So much so that when I was getting married, apparently my bridesmaids even discussed throwing my bachelorette party as an Indian themed event.

So naturally this book JUMPED out at me. I was so excited, it sounded fantastic! All the makings of a great story AND it takes place in India??? Clearly this was the book for me. Done.