The Year So Far in Books

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I thought last year with planning my wedding was going to be a slow reading year. this year has by far been my slowest reading year in a long time.

First trimester of pregnancy demanded comfort reading while I tried to survive nausea, so I read a bunch of old books on my kindle.  

**Rereads

Cress by Marissa Meyer 3.5/5

Winter by Marissa Meyer 4/5

Graceful by Wendy Mass 3/5

13 Gifts by Wendy Mass 4/5

Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson 4.5/5 Read aloud with the husband 🙂 

But don’t worry I have managed to get some New Reads in too. 

New Books: 

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf 

“What is the meaning of life? That was all- a simple question; one that tended to close in on one with years, the great revelation had never come. The great revelation perhaps never did come. Instead, there were little daily miracles, illuminations, matches struck unexpectedly in the dark; here was one.”

Woolf’s novel goes through the lives of the Ramsey family and their guests, all centered around their holiday home on the Isle of Skye. As time moves on the challenges they face may change, the home may change, but the ever present view of the Lighthouse in the distance and what reaching it represents remains. 

While this book took me a while to get through, as much of the prose demands to be pondered on, I did enjoy it. It was nothing like I thought it would be and I can clearly see why this is one of her most praised novels. I recommend it to those who like novels about the human condition throughout life.  3.5/5

Alchemised by SenLinYu 

“There’s no one left for you to save.”

A journey through over a 1,000 pages that I should’ve got off of after the first 200 but once you’re 500 pages in, what’s another 500?

At least that’s what I told myself as I reluctantly trudged through this beast of a book. 

I have come to learn that Dark Fantasy Romance is just not the genre for me. I can see why many people enjoyed this novel but I just couldn’t do anything more than sit through waiting to see if we ever got the context for the world building that this novel deserved. It did not. The dark romance was the main plot and the novel could have been cut back by 600 pages easily for it to have been a well written fantasy. 1.5/5

Sourdough by Robin Sloan 

My Favorite New Read of the year so far.

Sourdough by Robin Sloan includes a San Francisco Software Engineer, a Robot Arm, a potentially magical Sourdough Starter, and a secret market trying to infuse food and technology. 

I was hooked from the beginning and loved watching our Main Character Lois go from the mundane of a solo life of takeout and coding to discovering life where she never imagined it could be, even within the microorganisms of bread. 

Just a happy read that’s perfect for anytime. 4/5

Currently Reading: 

The Complete Father Brown Mysteries  by G.K Chesterton. Half way done, I shall finish!

Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus. 

Send me some of your favorite books of all time to add to my post-partum reading list!

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Signs of Summer and the Best of Spring

As the countdowns come to the end of the school year.  We’re dipping our toes in the pool and eating more fruit than usual. Signs that summer is just around the corner. 

I’m here gearing up my Pinterest boards to reflect my hopes for the summer while still trying to remind myself to enjoy the few days of true spring weather we in SoCal have been having. 

 Here’s my best from the Spring before it’s over. 

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Are we sure it’s Spring?

While my friend is stuck with Snow Tornados, this week had a heat advisory for my area. I guess it’s not Spring weather though. So while we continue to hope for some true Spring weather here is what I’m doing.

Latest Baking Show Binge:

Dr. Seuss Baking Challenge which can be watched free with ads on Prime, even if you don’t have Prime.

After having Dr. Seuss week in class this month it’s been fun to watch all the creative Seusstastic Dessert ideas, and the Seussical twists for the bakers.

On Repeat:

Mumford and Sons new album- Prizefighter. Can’t get enough of it!

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What to read and what to skip in 2026

The Final Book Count 39/20

Pages Read: 12,204

Average Book Length: 329 Pages

I am extremely proud of my list of books read this year. After setting my goal way lower than usual, anticipating being busy with wedding planning, I greatly exceeded it. AND to my own surprise everything except my last few books were new to me. I am typically a big rereader and this year I just kept putting books on hold at the library. 

While I didn’t get to all the books I’d hoped for towards the end of the year, I’m ready to start 2026 with them. 

If you are looking for books to add to your list for 2026 look no further.

Here’s a look at the best and worst of my 2025 reads. 

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What’s Left to Read for 2025

Less than 80 days left of 2025. Can you believe it? I’m really surprised that I’ve been coasting with my reading goals this year.

Reading Challenge Currently: 36/20

Now it’s time to kick things into gear and try and hit 40 books! So I’m dusting off the To-Be Read list and choosing a few to look forward to. 

But before we chat about what’s left to read, here’s some reviews from my last couple reads if you still need books to add to your own list!

Recent Reads Reviews:

Back in My Sci-Fi Era: 

After rewatching The Martian movie based on the book by Andy Weir, which is a read I HIGHLY recommend if you haven’t already, I found he had another book being turned into a movie so I had to take a look. 

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

“But I have to save humanity first. Stupid humanity. Getting in the way of my hobbies.”

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Where you should Eat in Kauai

If your brother was heading off to Kauai for a wedding wouldn’t you want to go too? Exactly. So that is, in fact, what my family and I did. We stayed up in Princeville, that side of the island is extremely gorgeous, green and lush and very laid back.

A week long adventure with daily sunrises, beautiful views and, of course, eating. If you are heading on your own vacation to Kauai look no further for foodie inspiration. 

Number One Choice: Napali Brewing Co

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Getting my Style Reimagined

If you’ve been following along since my college days you know I’ve had my friend style me a few times before. They are always such fun posts. Since it’s been quite a few years since we’ve done one, and I’m feeling creatively uninspired with my current wardrobe, we thought it was the perfect time to bring it back!

She created a few different mood boards to describe the styles she thinks could fit me best. Then we went through my wardrobe using the Indyx App so she could see everything without me having to hold it up to the facetime. So useful!

Here is what she came up with. Five different styles using only things I already own.

First the visions, then the execution, and finally how I felt.

Boho

“I feel like the boho trends are coming back just in a slightly different way. No more printed shirts and “hipster” type skirts, This is more feminine with ruffled and tapered skirts, knits, even some satin like fabric shirts and tanks.”

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Dominating my 2025 Reading Goal

We are only half way through 2025 and I am very proud to say I have already completed my reading goal for the year. After last year’s abysmal crawl towards the finish line, I have been soaring this year. I anticipated I would be really busy, but surprisingly when I actually just decided to read on my downtime even if I didn’t feel like it. I got through books quickly. 

If you want to see my reviews for the books I read the first few months check them out HERE

I have been reading mostly fantasy these past few months, here’s the best, worst, and most disappointing.

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