Favorite Books of 2020 📚

It's finally time to share my favorite books of the year - one of my favorite lists to put together! I kind of did my favorites lists in two parts in 2020, which isn't something that I've done before but might continue to do moving forward. It's interesting to see what my highlights are from the first half of the year vs. the second half! Below you'll find my 12 favorite books of the year, including links to their GoodReads pages and the video in which I talked about them so you can find out why I loved each book. Here's to many more favorite books in 2021!

Favorite Books January - June 2020

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Startup by Doree Shafrir

Beach Read by Emily Henry
How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

Favorite Books July - December 2020

Scythe by Neal Shusterman (+ Thunderhead, as a bonus! This series is great!)
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
Well Met by Jen DeLuca

Séance Tea Party by Reimena Yee

Dominicana by Angie Cruz

Recent Media Favorites | Blogmas Day 3

Outside of books, I'm totally a creature of habit when it comes to my media consumption. I'll watch the same handful of shows over and over. When it's time to watch a movie, I prefer an old favorite. Every now and then, though, I'll venture out of my comfort zone and find a new show, podcast, movie, or bit of music that I really enjoy and want to share with everyone. Today I'm going to share with you a couple bits of media that I've been really enjoying the last few months, and hopefully you all will enjoy them as well!

Sweet Boys Podcast

I am so excited about this podcast, and even more excited that it is also being released as a video podcast each week! I'm a big fan of Garrett Watts and Andrew Siwicki, like many others. I find them so funny and their stream of consciousness conversations make me giggle so much. There isn't a set agenda or purpose for this podcast, but I feel like it is such a nice, positive distraction in this crazy world. It feels like I'm just hanging out with two funny and kind friends. Highly recommend throwing this on in the background while you're cleaning, going for a walk, or just looking to clear your mind a bit from the stress of daily life.

We Are the Champions on Netflix

This mini docu-series was so much fun to watch! Each episode chronicles a unique competition that happens somewhere around the world and follows a handful of participants and their journey leading up to and during the competition. The first episode, which covers Cheese Rolling in the UK, will have you hooked immediately. Y'all, when I tell you I was tearing up on the treadmill watching the results of a freaking yo-yo competition. 😂 You will be totally invested in these peoples' stories, and it will make you feel so good about pursuing all of your interests, no matter how niche.

Little Fires Everywhere on Hulu

I've been slowly watching this throughout the fall and I am blown away by how good it is! I was a big fan of Celeste Ng's book, and also a big fan of the Big Little Lies adaptation which Reese Witherspoon also created, so I had high hopes for this adaptation. It definitely has not disappointed! I still have a few episodes left to get through but I'm really enjoying this show and think it is totally worth the watch if you're looking for a new drama to get into.

Office Ladies Podcast

This is one of the more popular podcasts that is out at the moment, so it may not be new to you, but during quarantine/working from home I've fallen WAAAAY far behind in my podcast listening since I don't have a commute at the moment. With The Office being removed from Netflix at the end of 2020, I wanted to give the show one more watch through and with that, I've picked back up on my Office Ladies listening! It's so fun to hear the behind the scenes experiences of the cast and crew of The Office, and Angela Kinsey and Jenna Fisher are so thorough in their recounting. If you haven't given the podcast a listen and you're a fan of the comedy series, this is an excellent way to learn a bit more about the show!

True Crime YouTube Channels

I've recently been getting back into my interest of learning about true crime cases, and specifically the psychology of the folks behind them. I know that true crime can be a sensitive subject because these are REAL people's experiences, but learning how investigations and the criminal justice system operates is so fascinating to me. In high school I had a period of time where I was interested in potentially going into forensic science as a career, and then I quickly realized that while on the surface it seems like an interesting path, the whole ~science~ part was not a strong suit of mine 😂 So that interest area has resulted in a casual interest in criminal psychology, which basically means doing really amateur research on the internet. 🤷 There's a couple of YouTube channels that I've been really digging lately when it comes to learning more about the subject, and I'll leave them below with some of my favorite videos from them:

JCS Criminal Psychology

Observe

Stephanie Harlowe

What pieces of media have you been enjoying recently?What should I check out next?

Favorite Books of 2019

It's finally time to share with you all what my favorite books of 2019 were! As I logged off of BookTube a little over half way through the year, this list is probably more of a mystery than it has been in year's past, but I love curating this list each year and sharing what my top reads were. Before we dive in to my top reads of the year, I wanted to share some stats with y'all:

2019 Reading by the Numbers

-I read a total of 112 books and 38,459 pages, averaging at 343 pages per book.

-It took me an average of 3 days to finish a book.

-I averaged 9 books per month and 3,205 pages per month.

-I read the most books in June at 30 books, and I read the least books in March, August, and October at 4 books.

-I read the most pages in June at 8,350 and the least pages in March at 1,172.

-My average star rating was 3.8 (which is actually higher than I thought it would be!).

-The genre I read the most was Contemporary at 37 and the genre I read the least was Historical Fiction at 1.*

-The format that I read most of my books was Physical at 68 and the format I read the least was Kindle at 3.*

-The age group I read the most was Adult at 44 and the age group I read the least was Middle Grade at 4.*

-I ended the year with 7 books on my "Currently Reading" shelf.

*For those curious, here were some genres/formats/age groups I read 0 books from, but I just didn't count those for the sake of these stats! 

I always think it's so cool to see how my reading year has turned out by looking at various statistics! I feel like I had a better reading year than I originally thought, and it's encouraging to see that I can still make time to read when the going gets tough. Crazy! For those that might be wondering, I've been using this tracking spreadsheet made by Sophie from Portal in the Pages for years. I've since modified it here and there to make it work for me, but I think this is a great base if you're looking for something to capture a lot of information about your reading. She has published newer versions of this sheet which might also work better for you so feel free to compare and find what fits your needs! 

I also wanted to share my GoodReads Year in Books with you all, for those that are curious! I always love looking at the end of the year stats on GoodReads as well which automatically captures data that I don't usually track, as well as shows *all* of the books you read within a year. I think this end of year wrap up is the main reason why I participate in the GoodReads reading challenge every year. 😂

And without further ado, let's talk about my favorite books of the year! I tend to not cap my favorites list at any particular number so I usually end up with a weird number of favorite books. This year I had 12! I order this list in order of when I read each book because ranking them is just too difficult as they're all so different. Either way, I totally recommend you check out each and every one of these books because they are all incredible in their own ways!

Favorite Books of 2019

The Line That Held Us by David Joy - This book was SO TENSE. This is one of those books where you're in the shoes of a character that is up against a wall, and any misstep would mean his doom. I was on edge the entire time reading this and while it can get quite graphic at times, I could not look away. I have always said that if a book can make me react to the story in some kind of physical way, then it's a 5-star read, and this is a story that will make you tense up your entire body any make you feel sick to your stomach. And if you're a fan of thrillers, you'll love every second of it! If you're looking for a thriller that will keep the pages turning, check out The Line That Held Us.

Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi - This one is on my favorites list because I don't think I've ever related to a character in a novel more than I related to the main character, Penny. She's an awkward ball of anxiety that has trouble feeling comfortable in her own skin. She wants nothing more than to be seen and feel understood by the people in her life, and is trying her hardest to accomplish that. While I'm older than Penny is by about 10 years, I so understand that feeling and was going through the same things she goes through when I was a freshman in college. I really enjoyed Mary H.K. Choi's writing style as she makes her characters really dynamic and complex, which I think is rare in a lot of YA novels. I can't wait to read more of her work!

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman - You know how when you stumble across one of those books that you love so much that it sometimes gives you butterflies to think about? This is that book for me. I ADORED this story and these characters oh so much. My heart broke when their hearts broke, I swooned when they swooned - I felt every single emotions that these characters felt and I just wanted the best for them so much. I had no idea how much I would love this story but I truly did and I now need to read Practical Magic and every book ever written by Alice Hoffman. 😂

No Exit by Taylor Adams - This was another SUPER intense thriller which I could not put down. I love thrillers where the stakes are as high as they possibly can be over a short period of time, and this 100% fits that bill. There is truly no predicting what might happen by the end of this story and I feel like there were twists until the last 2 pages. I honestly felt a little out of breath by the time I turned the final page! If you're looking for something extremely gripping and fast paced with characters that you're not sure if you can trust, look no further. I highly recommend reading this in the wintertime as well, because it has a lot to do with getting snowed in and would make it that more scary! (Thought to be fair, I read this in the middle of May and was still just as spooked!)

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli - THIS IS SUCH A PERFECT YA NOVEL!!! Becky Albertalli is so good at creating such honest and accurate YA characters that handle problems the way a teen would actually handle a problem. I thought this book explored the ideas of high school friendships, romantic relationships, and sex in such an honest and true way. I remember being 16/17 years old and feeling the same ways that the main character Molly feels throughout this book. At the same time, Albertalli tells the story in such a way that I fully enjoyed reading this book at age 29 as well. I so wish I had The Upside of Unrquited in my hands when I was in high school, but I'm so glad that I had the chance to read it as an adult. 10/10 YA novel. Would recommend 100%!

Heartstopper vol. 1 & vol. 2 by Alice Oseman - Okay this is the *cutest* stinkin' graphic novel series I've ever read. I believe more volumes are going to be released, but even the first two books are so adorable that you could melt into a puddle and I practically did. This is an adorable love story between two high school boys and talks about their budding relationship in the somewhat scary environment of their all-boys school. This is an extremely lighthearted story but it still tackles some really tough topics like coming to terms with your sexuality, abusive relationships, and navigating what it's like to come out to your loved ones. I absolutely loved this series and I'm looking forward to any/all future installments!

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne - This book had been sitting on my TBR shelf for YEARS and I knew I was going to be so mad at myself for putting it off as long as I did. Lo and behold, I was right. I absolutely loved this heart wrenching book oh so much. It's a story of a little boy named Bruno who is the son of a high-ranking member of the Nazi military and his family lives right outside of Auschwitz, as his father is in charge of running the camp. He doesn't really understand what's happening, and because it's written in Bruno's perspective, he is telling the story in a way that a nine-year-old would understand it. He doesn't realize the atrocities that are being committed just over the fence. It's a heartbreaking story in all the ways you would imagine it to be, and if you haven't had the opportunity to read it yet, please do.

Recursion by Blake Crouch - BLAKE 👏 CROUCH 👏 IS 👏 SO 👏 GOOD! This is the second year in a row that one of his novels has wound up on my favorites list and he has officially sealed his status as an auto-buy author for me. Just like Dark Matter, this book was so cool. It had elements of both memory alteration and time travel. Crouch creates ideas and worlds that you just want to get lost in and it makes it so hard to put down. As soon as I finished this book I instantly bought a copy for my friends Erin & Cullen to enjoy because they also loved Dark Matter, and I also got Cassie hooked on both books this year as well. I can't wait for him to publish his next book, whenever that might be!!!

Bloom by Kevin Panetta & Savanna Ganucheau - Bloom was another one of those super adorable, so-cute-you-want-to-cry graphic novels about falling in love, making mistakes and learning from them, and also lots and lots of baking. 🥐 The story is very simple, but you see so much learning and growing from the main character, Ari, that it feels like you get to know him so well and you just want him to be happy. Through a tough year, I was really drawn to these super lighthearted graphic novels, and this one in particular made me feel so warm and fuzzy inside. This is a book you could easily just fall into and it will warm your heart right up!

Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emie Lang - One of my favorite things a book can do is take place over the course of a lifetime, and this one fit that bill so beautifully. We see the development of Weylyn Grey and his strange powers through the many people who crossed paths with him throughout his life. We see him struggle to maintain a normal life and be rejected by many, but so loved by a few core people across several decades. This is an incredible story of growth, acceptance, and both familial and romantic love, with many magical elements weaved throughout the story. I absolutely loved this book and if you're looking for a story that will totally sweep you away, you should pick this one up soon.

Fullmetal Alchemist vol. 25-27 by Hiromu Arakwa - This is the final volume of the Fullmetal Alchemist series and I am so please with the way it ended! It's so difficult to end any series in a satisfying way, especially one that is 27 freaking volumes long, but Hiromu Arakawa did a great job of taking her time and telling this story is the right way and making it feel truly complete with the finale. I needed to have this final volume on the list of my favorites of 2019 as I will always remember this as the year I finally completed the series that I loved so much. The list would not feel complete without it!

Top 18 Books of 2018

I'm finally sharing my favorite books of 2018 with you all! It actually worked out that I was able to identify 18 books that I consider to be favorites from 2018, and I'm so pleased that I was able to read so many favorites in one year. 2019 has big shoes to fill! Keep reading to find my list of favorites from 2018 - listed in order of when I read them - and make sure you watch the video above if you'd like to hear my reasoning behind each of my picks!
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch Big Little Lies by Lianne Moriarty Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa 2 A.M. at the Cat's Pajama's by Marie-Helene Bertino Autoboyography by Christina Lauren The Long Walk by Stephen King A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir Nevermoor: the Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid We Are Okay by Nina LaCour Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson Beartown by Fredrick Backman An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti Orange by Ichigo Takano

A-Z Random Favorites | Blog Ahead #7

Blog Ahead #7

Originally written October 11, 2018

When seeking inspiration for blog posts for #BlogAhead, I saw a lot of suggestions on doing an A-Z list! I thought this was a great idea, and I thought I'd try my hand at it with a list of random favorite things of mine. These might be things you know about me, or they might be totally new to you, but either way I hope you enjoy reading through my faves! Let me know if we have any favorite things in common. ;)

A is for ALASKA ROLLS

Literally my favorite sushi roll to order - salmon, avocado, and cucumber. Delicious!

B is for BAGELS

If I could have one for breakfast every day, I would (and often do)!

C is for  CHALLENGE

This has been one of my favorite TV shows for years, and it's a show that Brett and I share together which makes it even more of a favorite!

D is for DUNKIN' DONUTS (a.k.a. Dunks)

It's rare to find me in the morning without a coffee from Dunks in hand!

E is for ENERGY DRINKS

I know they're bad for you, but every now and then I love to indulge in a Monster Energy Drink, expecially the Juice flavors!

F is for FAIRS

It's been a while since I've been at a fair, but I won't lie - I get really excited when I see a sign for one! All of the delicious food, fun lights, rides and games... what's not to love?

G is for GOAT CHEESE

Omg... I don't know what it is about goat cheese, but I could eat it with any meal. There's this blueberry vanilla goat cheese I get sometimes at the store that is TO DIE FOR.

H is for HOT APPLE CIDER

My absolute favorite fall beverage. Move over, PSLs!

I is for IPAs

I'm not super picky when it comes to beers, but IPAs are hands own my favorite. The hoppier the better! Wormtown Be Hoppy is my favorite, for those wondering. :)

J is for JUGGLING

This is a ~hidden talent~ that I have - I learned to juggle when I was a kid a sleep away camp! I can only to the basic stuff, but it's still a fun party trick to bust out every now and again.

K is for KETTLE CORN

Salty + sweet popcorn... one of my fave post-work snacks!

L is for LA FESTA

Still hands down my absolute favorite pizza joint. If you're ever in Dover, NH, highly recommend making this a spot you visit!

M is for MARY LOUS
Another local favorite - this is a South Shore MA/Rhode Island coffee spot that makes AWESOME coffee treats. Favorite flavor is definitely the Twix coffee, but they have so many awesome flavors and drink!

N is for NEWFOUNDLANDS
I'm a big dog kind of gal and Newfoundlands are some of my faves! They also happen to be my patronus, so I'm an extra big fan of these balls of floof.

O is for OTTERS
Who doesn't absolutely LOVE otters? They are probably the most adorable aquatic creature!

P is for POKEMON
This has been an absolute staple favorite in my life and I still love all things Pokemon! Favorite Pokemon has always been and probably always be Squirtle! #squirtlesquad

Q is for QUEER EYE

Literally the best thing that Netflix has released to date, IMO! The rebooted Fab Five is so perfect. <3

R is for RUM & COKE

I know this is super basic, but I can't resist a good Rum & Coke. Besides Mai Tais, these are typically my go-to cocktail!

S is for SANDALS
I'm the kind of gal that if I don't have to wear anything on my feet, I'm not wearing anything on my feet. Sandals are just the next best thing if I MUST wear shoes, and I can/will wear them with every outfit if it is not below freezing outside. :P

T is for TUMBLERS
I've developed an obsession over the last few years for tumblers! I love drinking my water out of them and bringing them everywhere with me, PLUS it's a lot easier to remember to hydrate when I have a water tumbler on the go!

U is for UNDER ARMOUR
High quality stretchy athletic wear? Yes and yes. 10/10 will wear UA leggings everywhere.

V is for VANILLA LATTES
Gahhh I love me a good vanilla latte as an afternoon pick me up! Pair that with a cookie or pastry and I am in absolute heaven.

W is for WWE
Something that I've gotten more into over the years, thanks to one of my favorite reality shows, Total Divas! Brett and I are hoping to attend Smackdown at the end of December and it's going to be SO FUN AND RIDICULOUS!

X is for XL SWEATPANTS

I often purposely buy sweatpants an extra size or two bigger than my actual size because they're so much more comfy when they're loose on your body!

Y is for YANKEE CANDLE
...or really any brand scented candles, for that matter! I love to burn candles year round, and Yankee Candle, while v. expensive, has such a great collection of scents!

Z is for ZODIAC
I know a lot of people think it's silly, but I love talking about the zodiac and about the different star signs! (For those that might be wondering, I'm a Taurus!)

Recent Favorites ♥ Fall 2017 & Winter 2018

I used to make seasonal favorites posts, but here's the thing: my favorite things don't tend to change all that often. I rend to stick to the things I like and those tend to stay the same for a long period of time. That makes it hard to do favorites posts on a regular basis, unless you like seeing the same things over and over again, which I'm guessing most people don't. ANYWAY. It's been quite a bit since I've made a post talking about my favorite things, so I thought it would be good to talk about the things I've been loving over the past 6 months or so!

1. MONSTER JUICE (specifically Pipeline Punch & Mango Loco)

Brett and I are absolutely obsessed with these. While energy drinks are pretty terrible for you, and generally speaking, I don't really like the taste of them, these energy drinks are BOMB. They're basically soda but the flavors are SO GOOD and are honestly so satisfying. They are quite sugary, but that's okay in my book because I have such a huge sweet tooth. If you're in the market for a new energy drink, I highly recommend giving these a try.

2. SAILOR J

HANDS DOWN ABSOLUTE FAVORITE NEW YOUTUBER. Sailor J makes 2 minute trolly videos and I am OBSESSED. My favorites that she's put out so far are her zodiac videos and her Hogwarts house videos. I'm just waiting for her to drag Tauruses and Gryffindors! Highly recommend her videos. Here's a couple to get you started:

3. CROCKPOT COOKING

Over the past few months I've been getting really into using the crock pot. I just really love the ability to prep, start cooking, then go about my day for hours until it's dinner time. We've been doing some really easy chicken and veggie recipes, but we've also been a big fan of this honey garlic chicken recipe and this creamy chicken recipe as well. Soooo delicious!

4. LAST MINUTE TRIPS

This is one of the coolest webseries that I've ever stumbled across. I love Julien Solomita's vlogs and when I found out that he and his friend started a project where they literally throw a dart at a map of the United States then travel to that location in THE SAME DAY, I was instantly fascinated. I get so excited when they release a new episode and I cannot wait for them to make more. Here's a look into one of their trips:

 

5. AMERICAN CRIME STORY: THE PEOPLE VS. OJ SIMPSON

HOLY SHIT is this a good show! I'm a big fan of True Crime stories and the way this series is done is just so compelling. I was a really small child when this case was going on, so while I do remember this being talked about a LOT in the media, I of course didn't understand most of what was happening. I'm learning so much about this case and the way that this series is done just HOOKS you. I'm almost done (I've been watching it on the treadmill at the gym) and I can't wait to see how they wrap everything up.

6. AMERICAN VANDAL

Speaking of True Crime, this is probably one of the best parodies of it that I've ever seen. American Vandal pokes fun at a few of the more recent True Crime media sensations (Serial, Making a Murderer, etc.) and it had me in giggle fits the whole time. I really hope they continue the series because honestly, it's genius. If you like dumb humor like me, you'll really appreciate this show.

7. DARK MATTER BY BLAKE CROUCH

This is one of the only books in a LONG time where I've thought "Wow, this is a good book" while I've been reading. This book was fantastic and I had a blast while reading it. It has to do with the multiverse theory and it kept me flipping the pages as fast as I can while keeping me on the edge of my seat. This is the rare occurrence where I wish a stand alone novel was a series, which is saying a lot for me because usually series tend to frustrate me if I don't think they're necessary. Totally recommend if you're looking for a fast-paced read.

8. CINDY GUENTERT-BALDO

Cindy is SUCH A BREATH OF FRESH AIR in the planner video community. She is hilarious, raw, and 100% herself and I just absolutely love it. A lot of planner people try to give off this ~perfect life~ vibe or get so frustrated if their planner doesn't look perfect and Cindy just embraces the mess which I absolutely love. I also really admire her artistic and lettering skills. Her bullet journal is just so fun to look at and binging her planner videos while I'm working on my own bujo is so much fun!

9. RTIC TUMBLER

My parents got this tumbler for me at Christmas and I am obsessed. It's one of those cups that keeps your drink hot or cold for an extended period of time and I've been absolutely loving using it for my coffee because I always drink it SO SLOW. I love that I have something that will keep my drinks at the right temperature so I'm not sipping on a luke warm beverage.

10. AT-HOME ICED COFFEE

Kind of going along the beverage theme, I've been really loving making my own iced coffee at home! It saves me some extra time in the morning so I don't need to stop at Dunks, and when I throw it in my tumbler it stays cold FOREVER! It's the best and I'm kicking myself a bit for not starting to use this system of iced coffee in the morning a bit sooner.

Spring 2017 Favorites!

Whaaaaat a SEASONAL FAVORITES?! I know, I haven't posted one of these since December, but when spring rolls around I am so insanely busy that I don't even have time to breathe let alone think of my favorite things from winter. Sorry about that! Hopefully this spring favorites makes up for it, though, and I hope you enjoy my gushing about my favorite things from Spring 2017! :D Watch the video to hear me talk a bit more about my favorite things from spring, and click on the links below to learn more about each item I discuss!

Favorites from Spring 2017
Instax Mini 8 camera Mandel sandals The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country by Hellen Russell Giant Days, vol. 1 by John Allison Something New: Tales from a Makeshift Bride by Lucy Knisely The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (Review) Pittsburgh Marathon Hamilton on Broadway

A Few of my Favorite Links {#26}

Happy Thursday, y'all! This month's Favorite Links post is heavily television and video based (Let's be honest, are you really that surprised?) but there's also some theatre thrown in there for good measure. I hope you can find something you like among these links, and don't forget to share your favorite links of the moment in the comments! :)

Luke from 'Gilmore Girls' showed up at a Luke's Diner pop-up'

When I first heard that this promotion was happening I was super excited! Then I was super depressed that no coffee shops near me were asked to participate. Then not so depressed when I found out some people waited upwards of 2 hours just to get a regular cup of coffee with a Luke's sleeve on it (cool, but not worth 2-hours of waiting in the cold IMO). It's awesome, though, that Scott Patterson made a surprise appearance at one of the participating shops to take pictures, interact with the customers and the staff, and just generally be his Luke self. Things like this are getting me SO PUMPED for the revival on November 25th!

What It's Like to Have 'High-Functioning' Anxiety

Gah - when I first saw this video I wanted to shout from the rooftops: "THIS IS HOW I FEEL EVERY DAYYYYY!!!" It's so hard to explain anxiety to someone who doesn't experience it, or is blinded by the BS stigma of mental illness, or just generally doesn't know a lot about it. But this is what it's like. Constant pre-occupation with your thoughts and constantly finding ways to fill your hours to distract yourself. This is mainly why I pass right out at night because my brain is so tired of racing all day, every day. It's so good to have someone, SOMETHING explain exactly how I feel on a regular basis. Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton Debate Cold Open - SNL
As much of a circus this presidential election is this year (a very, very scary circus), we can't deny how much Alec Baldwin and Kate McKinnon are KILLING IT playing Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton on SNL. Brett shared this cold open with me and I'm pretty sure I cry-laughed through the entire thing. A+ comedic acting by these two and A+ writing by the SNL staff (per usual). The Crown Official Trailer - Netflix
You guys.... this series looks fantastic. The life of Queen Elizabeth II is so interesting to me. She has been the Queen of England for suuuuuch a long time and to get a glimpse into what her life was like when she was younger is so intriguing. I can't wait until The Crown on Netflix next month. Between this and the new Gilmore Girls, I don't think I'm going to be doing anything other than watching Netflix in November and I don't hate it.
What's Your Hamilton Leadership Style?

My good friend Erin shared this with me (we are going to see Hamilton together in the spring! AHHHHH!!!) and of course I needed to share it with all of you as well. It perfectly blends my love of personality assessments and Hamilton so of course it is right up my alley. I got Eliza Schuyler Hamilton... who did you get?!
What links have you been loving lately?

Summer Favorites 2016!

Fall is here which means it is finally time for me to share my favorite things of the summer! Go ahead and click play on the video above to hear my explanation of each of these items, but if you just want a quick rundown of each of my favorite things this season, keep reading for the list! Happy fall, everyone! :)
Home & Office Favorite Moleskine Grid Notebook
TV Favorite Gilmore Girls
Podcast Favorite Gilmore Guys
Book Favorites She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki & Mariko Tamaki Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
Movie Favorite The Little Prince
Event Favorite Rio 2016 Olympics

A Few of my Favorite Links {#23}

Hey y'all! It's been quite an eventful week/weekend thus far. I've officially moved out of my apartment and in with Brett which is super exciting! We spend most of this past weekend packing, moving, and settling into *our* new space. We're adjusting back into sharing space with one another full-time but it is so nice to only be a couple of steps away at any given moment and planning dinner every night. There are still some boxes to be unpacked and furniture to be moved but our place will feel like our home very very soon! 

We will be celebrating Fourth of July weekend with a Weezer concert tomorrow (thanks for the tickets, Lindz!) and a trip to New Hampshire to spend the actual holiday on the lake with my whole fam which includes a visit from my South Carolinian sister! It will be good to all be together again. That hasn't happened since Thanksgiving! I hope you all are planning fun, eventful holiday weekends as well!

I'm really happy with this month's selection of favorite links! It's a good combination of things that I love and things that I'm looking forward to this season. I hope that you can find something to enjoy in this handful of internet gems and be sure to share your favorite links of the moment in the comments!

Game of Thrones Houses as Pokémon 

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Talk about two of my geekiest obsessions colliding to make something awesome! This is a series of illustrations created by Kaleb Raleigh that reimagines the house sigils of Game of Thrones as Pokémon evolutions! (The series is titled A Song of Blue & Red... awesome.) All of these are pretty awesome and accurate to what I would have imagined them to be. Of course, I had to share with you my favorite house here (#TeamTargaryen fo' lyfe) but I strongly encourage you to click the link and check out the other houses as well!

The Little Prince Official US Release Trailer



The Little Prince is one of my all time favorite stories and I am OVER THE MOON that it is being released as an animated feature on Netflix in July. I guess this film was dropped by its original studio at some point in the process so I am extremely happy that Netflix did the smart thing and picked it back up! If you haven't read The Little Prince, I strongly - STRONGLY - encourage you to do so and be just as excited as me that this is happening!
Simone Biles Floor Routine at the P&G Gymnastics Championship
Raise your hand if you're excited for the Olympics! ME: *flails arms both arms around in the air like an idiot* So I've been watching some of the Olympic trials and championships for Olympic sports in preparation for the summer games and getting SO PUMPED for the Olympics! It's just over a month away and I can't wait to sit on the couch all month and be amazed at how talented these athletes are while I shove handfuls of chips and Oreos into my face. This gymnast, Simone Biles, is incredible and a force to be reckoned with. Just look at this floor routine - especially that last pass. WOW. She won this championship and will be going to the Olympic trials for the Women's team, but I don't have a doubt (barring disaster) that she will be representing the USA in Rio. She is amazing! Strawberry Ravioli with Balsamic and Basil

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This recipe looks incredible. It looks complex to make, but sooooo delicious to eat. And a perfect dish for summer, too! The blogger that wrote about this recipe said that it took them a few attempts to make it the way it appears in the image above (I'm pretty sure that making pasta is ALWAYS a pain in the ass) but that the pay off is super worth it. I would love to attempt this recipe some time this summer because it looks so yummy!

What links have you been loving lately?

Spring 2016 Favorites!

Another spring has flown right by which means it's time for me to share with you all what my favorite items of the season were! I had quite an extensive list when preparing for this video but pared it way, way down to the things that stuck with me through the whole season. I really love all of these items that I talk about in this video and hope that you find something to enjoy among these items as well! Enjoy!

Items discussed in the video:
BLOGGER/YOUTUBER: FRANNERD
MUSIC: "Hamilton: An American Musical" Original Broadway Cast Recording 
FILM: "The Barkley Marathons"
FITNESS: Fitbit Flex & Garmin Forerunner 230
CLOTHING: Birkenstock Madrids
BOOK: "Greyhound" by Steffan Piper

A Few of my Favorite Links {#21}

April....PHEW. 

It's been a whirlwind y'all, as it usually is. If you've been following this blog for a while now you can totally tell when things are crazy for me at work because that's when posts get a bit more infrequent (usually September and April every single year). I guess that's just the trend in my life! Anywho, we had our final *major* event of the year - Pangy Day - on Friday and it was super successful! We were gambling hard with the weather. All week called for rain and even thunderstorms but kept going back and forth on when the rain would actually begin. We had outdoor activities planned from 10:30AM to 3PM, and according to all of the weather sites rain wouldn't start coming down until right around the time we would be packing it in for the day, so on Friday morning we made the official call to stay outside and we. hit. the jackpot.

While it was quite humid (we were expecting thunderstorms, after all), the sun was shining for most of the day, everyone was in their summer clothes and summer spirits, and everyone was having a blast. It was truly such a perfect day (I keep joking that Mary Lyon was looking out for us) and the weather held right until we got the last person and last piece of equipment inside after breaking down at 4PM when it immediately started pouring, thundering, and lightning-ing. Perfect timing, to say the least! With a smattering of other weekend events, we closed out our year of student programming Sunday afternoon and I can officially say I made it through my first academic year as a professional! We only have Senior Week and Commencement to worry about before we can officially call it summer time! :)

I have a few really awesome links for you today which (per usual) involve 3 of my 

most favorite things in the world - food, dogs, and Game of Thrones. I hope you enjoy!

Super Filling Sweet Potato Tacos

If you've been following my weekly vlogs or if you were around for this blog post, you'll know that I've been making a bit of an effort to be a bit more conscious when it comes to eating meet and dairy products. I by no means have cut them completely out of my life, but lately I have been pausing to consider possible alternatives, often making the decision to take a vegan or vegetarian option when it's available, and have recently made the choice to completely stop eating pig meat all together (yes, including bacon) which was a pretty easy choice as I never was too crazy about it in the first place. It's a journey and while I don't think I'll ever go completely vegan or vegetarian (then again, who knows?), making these decisions little by little will help in the transition.

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Enter, this recipe. I just stumbled upon it yesterday and it is completely vegan! It looks freakin' delicious and honestly not that much different than a regular taco recipe. Just really replacing the meat with sweet potatoes which sounds pretty amazing in my opinion. I definitely want to try these out the next time I'm in the mood for homemade tacos!

Pet Portraits by Incandescent Design

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As I've come to find out, I'm all about customized pet products that create a fun memory of your beloved furry friend. Incandescent Designs offers up these fun pet portraits for a modest (sarcasm) $200. With a finely detailed drawing, a pop of color, and a little twist to show off your pet's personality, I think this would be a fun addition to any room in your home!

Chart of 40 Different Kinds of Pizza

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I'm not sure when I came across this chart but I do know that I came across it when I was borderline hangry and of course fell heart-eyes-emoji in love! There are some items on this list that I wouldn't really want to try, but the vast majority of these pizzas - sign a lady UP. I think the top three pizzas I would need to try at some point in my lifetime are the Scottish Pizza Crunch, the Pizza Cone, and I really want to try Cauliflower Crust Pizza as well! What one would you want to try?

9 Times Actual History Was More F*cked Up Than Game of Thrones

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In honor of Game of Thrones finally returning, I obviously had to include a GoT related link of some sort! This one showed up on my Facebook feed, as most BuzzFeed articles do, and I had to click on it because I love when fictional stories are put into historical context. It's crazy just how messed up the world was back in the day and it was just considered to be normal. I mean, could you imagine hearing about a party reminiscent of the Red Wedding happening in real life?! Yikes.

What links have you been loving lately?

Winter 2015/2016 Favorites!

It's springtime! Hooray! That means I get to share with you all what my favorite things of the winter are! I love shooting these kinds of videos, and in the past I've written out a little paragraph about each product over here on the blog in addition to sharing the video, but this month I figured it would be *much* easier to just share my favorites video with you and let you hit play! I've also included links to the products you'll be able to check out for yourself right underneath the video as well. I hope you all enjoy!



Items discussed in the video:
BOOK: "Big Magic" by Elizabeth Gilbert
ACCESSORY: Sunglasses from Florida
CLOTHING: FHP Leggings
FOOD: Montreal Bagels (St. Viateur)
BODY: Midnight Pomegranate Body Spray from BBW
HAIR: Pantene Pro-V Serious Repair Detangler
TECH: GorillaPod
HOME/OFFICE: Dumbledore FunkoPop  +  Journal & Glue Dot Runner
INTERNET: SimCity Let's Play Videos (BDoubleO100)  +  Flight Attendant Vlogs (Jenny Ernst & Shiba Style)
MEMORIES: Florida Trip + Montreal Trip