Aloha friends!

Happy New Year’s Eve! A few days ago was the one year anniversary of my father-in-law’s passing and at least this time, my hubby is home for it. I still cant’ believe he had to deal with his dad’s death alone because it happened right when he moved to Okinawa last year. We went to the synagogue for a service to honor his anniversary.

So NYE in Hawaii, especially on the island of Oahu, where I live, it is BONKERS. I mean I’ve been hearing fireworks since before Thanksgiving. It’s loud, it’s smoky but there’s is such an energy feeling the whole island rumble with fireworks being lit at midnight. I can just look out my window and see all the fireworks around me, we don’t actually need an official NYE show. But there is an event near our house at a new complex in the neighborhood – it’s a wave place (machine generated wave), there are restaurants, a water area and a lawn area (where we go for the Farmer’s market and food trucks some Thursdays). Anyway they just posted they will be having a fireworks show, music, food, etc. If only my kids were into New Year’s and waking up before midnight, then we’d definitely bring them. But I also I can’t leave our dog alone at home – he’s terrified of the loud booms already.

Anyway I hope ALL of you have a safe NYE and a very Happy New Year! I’m hoping 2024 is a good year!

I hope all of you had a good week!

Blog Posts:

• Book Covers: Frosty
• #5OnMyTBR: 2023 TBR Tittles You Didn’t Get To
• Book Covers: Red and Green
• Naughty or Nice Book Tag – Merry Christmas!
• Happy Book Birthday | New Releases | 12/26/23
• The Ten Most Recent Additions to My Bookshelf  | TTT | 12/26/23
• WWW Wednesday | 12/27/23
• Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White by. Amélie Wen Zhao | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• First Lines Fridays | 12/29/23
• Gild by. Raven Kennedy | Mini Book Review ⭐️⭐️

Books I Read:

Gild by. Raven Kennedy

The Getaway List by. Emma Lord

Currently Reading:

The Endless War by. Danielle L. Jensen

A Place for Vanishing by. Ann Fraistat

Ruthless Vows by. Rebecca Ross

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

• Barbie – I thought this movie was so funny but with good themes about gender equality, etc… – my son and I got a kick out of Ken’s song. I can see why there was so much hype for this movie! 😍
• Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse: my son asked if we wanted to watch this with him and I said okay. We had watched the first one together and I didn’t even know this sequel came out. We enjoyed it so much! Even my daughter who said she didn’t want to watch it, she enjoyed it a lot! 😍 Can’t wait for the next movie. I think I really love the artistic design of the movie – it’s like visual eye-candy. And I’m not someone who is into Marvel movies (only because I’m old and I was there for all the first ones 😆 and I got tired of them…). But the way they did this Spider-Man animation is so good. 
• NFL Football – so much football

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

Aloha friends!

It is Christmas Eve and honestly, I’m ready for Christmas to be over. It’s fun, lots of fun for the kids but it’s so hectic and we had to go to the mall – or I should say shopping center in town it’s a big one – but it was my only chance to see a friend who was visiting and we needed to exchange gifts, plus my hubby had a dentist appointment next to the mall. The traffic was getting on my nerves, people were driving nuts, and I was so ready to go home once we got there. 😆 

We are going to my parents house for Christmas lunch tomorrow so that should be easy and then it will be time for me to decide on what to do for my daughter’s birthday. I don’t know why I’m having such a hard time figuring out what I want to do for her- maybe because I’m tired? 

Anyway how are you spending Christmas Eve? Did you get all your shopping done or are you a last minute shopper? 

I hope all of you had a good week!

Blog Posts:

• #5OnMyTBR: Winter Celebrations
• Books I Hope Santa Brings/Bookish Wishes | TTT | 12/19/23
• WWW Wednesday | 12/20/23
• A Fragile Enchantment by. Allison Saft | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
• Somewhere in the Deep by. Tanvi Berwah | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️
• First Lines Fridays | 12/22/23
• Looking Back on 2023: New to Me Authors
• A Study in Drowning by. Ava Reid | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Books I Read:

Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White by. Amelie Wen Zhao

Currently Reading:

The Getaway List by, Emma Lord

The Endless War by. Danielle L. Jensen

A Place for Vanishing by. Ann Fraistat

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

• Elf

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

Aloha friends!

I got to spend some time with my mom on Sunday and she’s getting better day by day. I’m going to go spend time with her today since my sister and her family will be going out to celebrate her hubby’s birthday. My husband finally came home yesterday – he’ll be here for 3 weeks so I can go get some things done! I haven’t taken my kids to Sunday school the past few Sundays because my son had a piano recital and then my daughter was sick this whole week – but they also had a bomb threat, so I didn’t feel safe taking them. 

Kids have 4 days of school this week – but I’m already over it! I wish they had this week off! But at least I’m done with all my Christmas shopping. Now I just have to give the gifts so hopefully I can see some friends this week! 

I hope all of you had a good week!

Blog Posts:

• #5OnMyTBR: Short Read
• A Curse for True Love by. Stephanie Garber | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️
• Books On My Winter 2022-2023 To-Read List | TTT | 12/12/23
• Happy Book Birthday | New Releases | 12/12/23
• A Festive Feud: Special Edition by. Maren Moore | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
• WWW Wednesday | 12/13/23
• Most Anticipated Book Releases | December 2023
• Hallowed Games by. C.N.Crawford | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️
• First Lines Fridays | 12/15/23

Books I Read:

Somewhere in the Deep by. Tanvi Berwah

A Fragile Enchantment by. Allison Saft

Hallowed Games by. C.N. Crawford

Currently Reading:

Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White by. Amelie Wen Zhao

The Endless War by. Danielle L. Jensen

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

• The Buccaneers (episode 8) on Apple TV – scandalous! 

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

Aloha friends!

My mom had her surgery on Wednesday and it went very well according to the doctor. She’s sore and tired but healing which is the most important thing. She had a problem with getting a room at the hospital after her surgery – it took them a whole day to get her into a room, she was in the recovery room for awhile. Then she got a room and I got to talk to her – I couldn’t visit because my son has a cold and then he stayed home from school because the congestion became that and a sore throat. He’s still kinda dealing with it. But then when I did facetime my mom in the hospital she said her roommate had Covid! They discharged her that afternoon and I’m relieved because I don’t want her having Covid and trying to recover from surgery. Anyway what a week! I’m exhausted.

My husband is flying home this Saturday and will stay for 3 weeks. So that will be nice to have some help around here.

It’s such a busy time because of the holidays and trying to meet up with friends to give them their gifts, the kids and their holiday parties and spirit week and then of course Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Plus my daughter’s birthday…so it’s always chaotic in December. How has December been treating you so far?

I hope all of you had a good week!

Blog Posts:

• #5OnMyTBR: Title Starting with a ‘C’
• Holiday Romance Books | TTT | 12/5/23
• Happy Book Birthday | New Releases | 12/5/23
• WWW Wednesday | 12/6/23
• My Trip to Japan: Part 1
• Her Dark Wings by. Melinda Salisbury | ARC Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️
• My Trip to Japan: Part 2
• To Kill a Shadow by. Katherine Quinn | Book Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️
• First Lines Fridays | 12/8/23
• Stacking the Shelves | 12/9/23

Books I Read:

Knockout by. Sarah MacLean

A Curse for True Love by. Stephanie Garber

A Festive Feud by. Maren Moore

Currently Reading:

Somewhere in the Deep by. Tanvi Berwah

The Endless War by. Danielle L. Jensen

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

• The Buccaneers (episode 7) on Apple T – filled with so much drama but I like that it’s a period piece kinda show
• 10 Things I Hate About You on Amazon Prime Video – watched it for nostalgia
• Five Nights at Freddy’s (watched it at home with my son)
• The Grinch – because it’s the holidays!

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!

Aloha friends!

We’ve been home since Tuesday (which was a LONG Tuesday) and jumped back into school (fighting jet lag), doctor appointments, tap and piano classes AND my son has his first piano recital TODAY. 😅 My hubby isn’t coming home soon enough (he flies in on the 16th for 3 weeks) I need help lol!

Now my mom is having surgery on Wednesday to remove her right kidney and ureter (the ureter has cancer) and I hope this removes the cancer from her body but it will be about healing for the next few months. SO…my sister will be taking a month off of work since she lives with my parents. And I’m going to try and help out 3-4 times a week, just to give my sister a break. So it will be a busy December for me but we are hopeful that she will come through this strong and healthy! ❤️🙏🏼 I am glad my hubby will be home for 3 weeks so I can focus on my mom.

I hope I can get some reading down but this will probably be the month I read the least compared to the rest of the year, but some things take precedence like being with loved ones, so it is what it is and I’m not stressed about it since books will always be there. I just need to stay on top off arcs but I don’t have a lot of those, so I think I’m good!

I hope all of you had a good week!

Blog Posts:

• This Cursed Light by. Emily Thiede | ARC Review
• Holiday Romance Books I’ve Read This Year
• Flower and Thorn by. Rati Mehrotra | Book Review
• Goodreads Monday: Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White
• Books Set In Japan | TTT | 11/28/23
• Happy Book Birthday | New Releases | 11/28/23
• WWW Wednesday | 11/29/23
• Monthly Wrap Up | November 2023
• First Lines Fridays | 12/1/23
• Birthstone Book Covers: December – Tanzanite, Zircon and Turquoise

Books I Read:

Her Dark Wings by. Melinda Salisbury

Currently Reading:

Knockout by. Sarah MacLean

A Curse for True Love by. Stephanie Garber

Shows/Movies/Music I Watched/Listened To:

How was your week? Did you get a lot done? Watch anything good? Read any amazing books or books you didn’t finish? What are you reading?…Leave me a comment below!