**I wanted to mention I was devastated by that Halloween incident in Itaewon, South Korea. I was devastated seeing that news before Halloween and I pray for those young souls lost so tragically.🙏🏼** So heartbreaking.💔
It was Halloween on Monday and it was a busy day for us. I was so happy my kids’ school chose Nov. 1st as their waiver day (school closed) – so we didn’t have to wake up early the next morning! They had a school parade in the morning. Then at night we went trick or treating. I bought about 5 or 6 big bags of candy – I made 40+ goody bags for their classmates – the rest went into the candy bowl to pass out. We had a LOT of candy to pass out! Usually we leave the bowls out by the steps and go trick or treating. By the time we came back to the house the bowls of candy was almost empty. By the end of the night I think I refilled the 2 candy bowls twice? And we were left with only a handful at the end of the night. Here are some of the pics from that day and night:
Can you guess what my kids are? My son is a red PIKMIN (a Nintendo game character from the Pikmin game). And my daughter is Pikachu – the ears on her hood is flat in the picture but they are there lol. And yes my son is in slippers (as we call them in Hawaii, flip flops on the mainland lol) – it was 80 degrees outside! My hubby and I were Peanut Butter (him) and Jelly(me). We loved seeing the houses that go all out on decorating! I wish we had as much motivation to do it lol…but it gets expensive. There was one house that was a bit too scary for my kids – it had some ghostly girl swinging on the porch and a creature thing that looked like it didn’t do anything until you stood there long enough and it screamed at you. 🤣
The skeleton house is always popular and the skeletons are SO huge! My kids say it’s their favorite house on Halloween. And then my daughter and I found this one woman who was dressed as a fortune teller and was in full character, asking my daughter to ask her a question, etc… SO cool!
The rest of the week went quick – my birthday was on Friday and we went to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.
I loved my daughter’s drawing that she made me on Procreate. And yes her name is Layla…can you tell? 😅🥰 Me and the kids are lactose intolerant so we had to take some Lactaid tablets to enjoy the hot fudge sundae. We didn’t have cheesecake because I’d need like 2 more lactaid for that. Cheesecake is hard on my tummy and I only became lactose intolerant in my 40’s. SAD huh? My favorite used to be the Oreo Cheesecake or the Pumpkin Cheesecake…both of which is painful to eat now. 😩
We are counting down the days to our trip…so I’m trying to figure out who can take care of our dog for 2 weeks 😢 – our vet is full, a home sitter I found on Rover.com with good reviews said she’s not available for the dates we are gone. Bummer…so…last resort is he goes to my mom’s house but she doesn’t allow dogs in the house, their dog is an outside dog and it’s a busy/rough neighborhood. I guess I’ll check with one more vet that was recommended…and see what they say. 🤞🏽
World Series Major League Baseball – Phillies lost, oh well! But the Astros had really good pitchers.
Selena Gomez – My Mind & Me – I can feel her sadness through this documentary 😦 but I’m glad she is healing. I loved the scenes of her going back to the small town she grew up in.
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!
The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:
What are you currently reading?
What have you just finished reading?
What are you going to read next?
It’s November! Can you believe it? I can’t! I haven’t read a lot this week and I won’t be reading a lot in the coming month because *crossing fingers my kids will not get another cold* I’m supposed to go on vacation in 2 weeks.
What are you currently reading?
What have you just finished reading?
What are you going to read next?
I only have these 2 December arcs to finish reading and then I can move on to my 2023 arcs…can you believe it? 2023? I’m not ready!
Well the week started off good! We went to a Halloween party my cousin was throwing at her condo – or the area behind her condo. My kids had some fun time with their cousins and ran all over the place. My cousin bought like all the Halloween games and kid activities from Target! We had a blast.
But then my daughter’s cold…came back. Day after the party she was congested and had a runny nose and then her cough came back. And then her brother got her cold two days after her. So it’s been lots of sneezing, runny nose and coughing again in my house. I’ve actually been lucky to not catch it myself even though my daughter coughs in my face all the time!
So will we actually be going on our East Coast trip in 2 weeks or is she going to have another cold? Seems like she has a cold every two weeks and my son gets it once a month. 🙁 I will say she did better this time around and got better quicker? So I hope her immune system is getting stronger because it’s being bombarded with germs.
In other news my grandma, who lives in the Philippines turned 100 years old! My mom (it’s her mom) and dad left for the PI 2 weeks ago and will be there for another week. They planned a surprise birthday bash for it, which is exciting for all of them. I wish we could’ve gone but I did manage to facetime to wish her a happy birthday and she got to see my kids – even though the connection was bad.
I hope all of you had a good week and a wonderful week ahead of you! Happy Halloween to those who celebrated! 🎃
So I fell into a reading slump for a few days – I think it was because my kids were sick again and I just felt tired. Anyway I did manage to finish two books at the end of the week. But I feel like my reading is slowing down as the busiest time of the year approaches.
Books I Read:
Currently Reading:
Shows/Movies I Watched:
House of Dragons (HboMax) – looking forward to next season!
World Series Major League Baseball – because the Phillies are in it and my hubby is from Philadelphia so we have to support them, even though we never watch baseball 😅
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!
It was a good week and my daughter is done with her antibiotics and the flonase is helping a lot with allergies so I’m happy! They had a school carnival and yes it’s late October but it was about 85 degrees with the sun making me sweat – my weather app says “it feels like” 90 degrees. Let’s just say we played most of the games and left after 30 minutes because my shirt was kind of drenched in sweat. Gross. Other than that we have a Halloween party my cousin is throwing today so that should be fun.
This week will be Parent Conference week which means my kids will be let out early for 2 weeks so they can get through all these meetings. Ours is on Wednesday so I hope I hear great things! Can you believe October is almost over? I can’t!
I hope all of you had a good week and a wonderful week ahead of you!
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!
The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:
What are you currently reading?
What have you just finished reading?
What are you going to read next?
I’m taking my time reading this week – so I just have two I’m working on. Also I’m trying to do a bunch blog posts for November since I’ll be gone for 2 weeks (I almost don’t want to jinx this by saying it out loud LOL)…but I want to be prepared!
What are you currently reading?
What have you just finished reading?
What are you going to read next?
I’m caught up on October arcs, YAY! I don’t have much for November and December but I have a bunch in for January (as in 2023! wow…).
Did both my kids finally get through one week of school without being super sick? YES. Except my daughter’s cough (which I think is now due to allergies/post nasal drip) was bothering her at night. So I had her take Zyrtec, and set a cool-mist humidifier on at night – hoping it helps. Basically I’m just trying to fight it turning into some sinus infection or something. I just need her cough to go away, it’s worst at night. Since my son had to go to his annual physical on Saturday I asked if they could see my daughter too for her cough and she’s going to try another round of antibiotics plus Flonase to clear up all her congestion. There was a news segment here in Hawaii that the children’s hospital and pediatricians all over the state was seeing an unusual amount of sick kids so early in the year (instead of around Nov-Dec usually). And their doctor and I talked about it, so she confirmed that yes it was a rough September for lots of kids. Let’s hope this regimen works for my daughter. 🙏🏼
As for me I barely made it out of the week – I had what seemed to be a stomach bug/stomach flu whatever you want to call it. I had body aches, chills, an elevated temp, sweats, and diarrhea. Not fun! 😒 I’m not 100%, I’m getting there though. Main thing is that I can get up and still get through my daily routine/chores/errands/keep the household going – ya know? 😅 And I think our fridge is finally fixed! I hate to
Plus…it’s been hot this week! We had rain, which is nice but that means it’s been so humid. I blame the weather for messing with our sinuses and allergies. It sucks but just gotta keep going! I am really taking it week by week here lol.
Also – I started Christmas shopping! Have you guys started? I figure I start now because November is going to be crazy for me and then my hubby leaves for Okinawa, Japan in the second week of December. 😓Chills and Thrills ~ Spooky Book Season
My Singing Monsters – mostly to keep up with my kids who love this game
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!
Another month, another book haul! Have you gotten a lot of good books lately?
NETGALLEY::
Immortality: A Love Story is the eagerly anticipated sequel to Dana Schwartz’s bestselling gothic romance, Anatomy: A Love Story.
Hazel Sinnett is alone and half-convinced the events of the year before—the immortality, Beecham’s vial—were a figment of her imagination. She doesn’t even know whether Jack is alive or dead. All she can really do now is treat patients and maintain Hawthornden Castle as it starts to decay around her.
When saving a life leads to her arrest, Hazel seems doomed to rot in prison until a message intervenes: She has been specifically requested to be the personal physician of Princess Charlotte, the sickly daughter of King George IV. Soon Hazel is dragged into the glamor and romance of a court where everyone has something to hide, especially the enigmatic, brilliant members of a social club known as the Companions to the Death.
As Hazel’s work entangles her more and more with the British court, she realizes that her own future as a surgeon isn’t the only thing at stake. Malicious forces are at work in the monarchy, and Hazel may be the only one capable of setting things right.
From the author of The Widows of Champagne, and inspired by true events, comes a gripping and heartwrenching story of two very different women united to bring light to the darkest days of World War II.
London, 1933
At first glance, Austrian opera singer Elsa Mayer-Braun has little in common with the young English typist she encounters on tour. Yet she and Hattie Featherstone forge an instant connection—and strike a dangerous alliance. Using their friendship as a cover, they form a secret society with a daring goal: to rescue as many Jews as possible from Nazi persecution.
Though the war’s outbreak threatens Elsa and Hattie’s network, their efforts attract the covert attention of the British government, offering more opportunities to thwart the Germans. But Elsa’s growing fame as Hitler’s favorite opera singer, coupled with her secret Jewish ancestry, make her both a weapon and a target—until her future, too, hangs in the balance.
From the glamorous stages of Covent Garden and Salzburg to the horrors of Bergen-Belsen, two ordinary women swept up by the tide of war discover an extraordinary friendship—and the courage to save countless lives.
KINDLE UNLIMITED:
On the worst birthday of my life, I come home to find my boyfriend in bed with another woman. Within hours, I’m drunk, homeless, and pledging to stay single forever. And that is when the dangerously sexy Seelie King rolls through town, looking for fae like me.
Every generation, the king holds a competition for Seelie queen. But for reasons he won’t explain, Torin is looking for a charade, not a real marriage. So when I drunkenly sling insults his way, I have his attention.
When Torin offers me fifty million to participate, I think, “What have I got to lose?” The answer turns out to be “my life,” because my competition will literally kill for the crown.
And the more time I spend with the seductive king, the harder it becomes to remember it’s all supposed to be fake. Now, my life—and my heart—are one the line.
A final quest. A people divided. Can one cyren turn the tides of fate?
The time has come to obtain the final birthstone of Saddoriel. Reeling from a near-deadly sacrifice, Roh must rally all her strength if she is to take her place upon the throne.
But with cyrenkind divided and enemies closing in, the road to Lochloria and beyond is more dangerous than ever. An ancient prophecy looms, loyalties are tested and Roh races against the clock that threatens to undo all she’s fought for.
As a centuries-long conflict comes to a head and forces of nature collide, Roh has to decide if there is more than one kind of magic in this world, and whether or not she has the power to harness it.
Some bonds will solidify, while others will be fractured forever – but all must take up their swords and face the final battle for a better Saddoriel.
Will Roh emerge from the perils victorious, or will the trials claim her at last?
Bursting with Scheuerer’s trademark action and a dash of fiery romance, the Curse of the Cyren Queen series reaches its epic conclusion with To Wield a Crown.
KINDLE Bought E-Books:
Every harvest moon, the Witch Collector rides into our valley and leads one of us to the home of the immortal Frost King, to remain forever.
Today is that day—Collecting Day.
But he will not come for me. I, Raina Bloodgood, have lived in this village for twenty-four years, and for twenty-four years he has passed me by.
His mistake.
Raina Bloodgood has one desire: kill the Frost King and the Witch Collector who stole her sister. On Collecting Day, she means to exact murderous revenge, but a more sinister threat sets fire to her world. Rising from the ashes is the Collector, Alexus Thibault, the man she vowed to slay and the only person who can help save her sister.
Thrust into an age-old story of ice, fire, and ancient gods, Raina must abandon vengeance and aid the Witch Collector in saving the Frost King or let their empire—and her sister—fall into enemy hands. But the lines between good and evil blur, and Raina has more to lose than she imagined. What is she to do when the Witch Collector is no longer the villain who stole her sister, but the hero who’s stealing her heart?
In love they breathed. In destiny they believed. In the end, will divinity be their demise?
After Séverin’s seeming betrayal, the crew is fractured. Armed with only a handful of hints, Enrique, Laila, Hypnos and Zofia must find their way through the snarled, haunted waterways of Venice, Italy to locate Séverin.
Meanwhile, Séverin must balance the deranged whims of the Patriarch of the Fallen House and discover the location of a temple beneath a plague island where the Divine Lyre can be played and all that he desires will come to pass.
With only ten days until Laila expires, the crew will face plague pits and deadly masquerades, unearthly songs and the shining steps of a temple whose powers might offer divinity itself… but at a price they may not be willing to pay.
Returning to the dark and glamorous 19th century world of her New York Times instant bestseller, The Gilded Wolves, Roshani Chokshi dazzles us with the final riveting tale as full of mystery and danger as ever.
House of Earth and Blood meets The Witch’s Heart in Rebecca Ross’s brilliant first adult fantasy, set on the magical isle of Cadence where two childhood enemies must team up to discover why girls are going missing from their clan.
Jack Tamerlaine hasn’t stepped foot on Cadence in ten long years, content to study music at the mainland university. But when young girls start disappearing from the isle, Jack is summoned home to help find them. Enchantments run deep on Cadence: gossip is carried by the wind, plaid shawls can be as strong as armor, and the smallest cut of a knife can instill fathomless fear. The capricious spirits that rule the isle by fire, water, earth, and wind find mirth in the lives of the humans who call the land home. Adaira, heiress of the east and Jack’s childhood enemy, knows the spirits only answer to a bard’s music, and she hopes Jack can draw them forth by song, enticing them to return the missing girls.
As Jack and Adaira reluctantly work together, they find they make better allies than rivals as their partnership turns into something more. But with each passing song, it becomes apparent the trouble with the spirits is far more sinister than they first expected, and an older, darker secret about Cadence lurks beneath the surface, threatening to undo them all.
With unforgettable characters, a fast-paced plot, and compelling world building, A River Enchanted is a stirring story of duty, love, and the power of true partnership, and marks Rebecca Ross’s brilliant entry on the adult fantasy stage.
From holy cup comes holy light; The faithful hand sets world aright. And in the Seven Martyrs’ sight, Mere man shall end this endless night.
It has been twenty-seven long years since the last sunrise. For nearly three decades, vampires have waged war against humanity; building their eternal empire even as they tear down our own. Now, only a few tiny sparks of light endure in a sea of darkness.
Gabriel de León is a silversaint: a member of a holy brotherhood dedicated to defending realm and church from the creatures of the night. But even the Silver Order could not stem the tide once daylight failed us, and now, only Gabriel remains.
Imprisoned by the very monsters he vowed to destroy, the last silversaint is forced to tell his story. A story of legendary battles and forbidden love, of faith lost and friendships won, of the Wars of the Blood and the Forever King and the quest for humanity’s last remaining hope:
The Holy Grail.
Emilia is reeling from the shocking discovery that her twin sister, Vittoria, is alive. But before she faces the demons of her past, Emilia yearns to claim her king, the seductive Prince of Wrath, in the flesh. Emilia doesn’t simply desire his body, she wants his heart and soul—but that’s something the enigmatic demon can’t promise her.
When a high-ranking member of House Greed is assassinated, Emilia and Wrath are drawn to the rival demon court. Damning evidence points to Vittoria as the murderer and she’s quickly declared an enemy of the Seven Circles. Despite her betrayal, Emilia will do anything to solve this new mystery and find out who her sister really is.
Together Emilia and Wrath play a sin-fueled game of deception as they work to stop the unrest that’s brewing between witches, demons, shape-shifters and the most treacherous foes of all: the Feared.
Emilia was warned that when it came to the Wicked nothing was as it seemed. But, have the true villains been much closer all along? When the truth is finally revealed, it just might end up costing Emilia her heart.
Two curses. One prophecy. A reckoning all have feared.
And a love more powerful than fate. All hail the king and queen of Hell.
ONLINE LIBRARY::
Florence Day is the ghostwriter for one of the most prolific romance authors in the industry, and she has a problem—after a terrible breakup, she no longer believes in love. It’s as good as dead.
When her new editor, a too-handsome mountain of a man, won’t give her an extension on her book deadline, Florence prepares to kiss her career goodbye. But then she gets a phone call she never wanted to receive, and she must return home for the first time in a decade to help her family bury her beloved father.
For ten years, she’s run from the town that never understood her, and even though she misses the sound of a warm Southern night and her eccentric, loving family and their funeral parlor, she can’t bring herself to stay. Even with her father gone, it feels like nothing in this town has changed. And she hates it.
Until she finds a ghost standing at the funeral parlor’s front door, just as broad and infuriatingly handsome as ever, and he’s just as confused about why he’s there as she is.
Romance is most certainly dead… but so is her new editor, and his unfinished business will have her second-guessing everything she’s ever known about love stories.
Welcome to the funnest spot around . . .
Jay is living his best life at Karloff Country, one of the world’s most famous resorts. He’s got his family, his crew, and an incredible after-school job at the property’s main theme park. Life isn’t so great for the rest of the world, but when people come here to vacation, it’s to get away from all that.
As things outside get worse, trouble starts seeping into Karloff. First, Jay’s friend Connie and her family disappear in the middle of the night and no one will talk about it. Then the richest and most powerful families start arriving, only… they aren’t leaving. Unknown to the employees, the resort has been selling shares in an end-of-the-world oasis. The best of the best at the end of days. And in order to deliver the top-notch customer service the wealthy clientele paid for, the employees will be at their total beck and call.
Whether they like it or not.
Yet Karloff Country didn’t count on Jay and his crew–and just how far they’ll go to find out the truth and save themselves. But what’s more dangerous: the monster you know in your home or the unknown nightmare outside the walls?
The new groundbreaking queer thriller from New York Times bestselling and Edgar-award Winning author Courtney Summers.
When sixteen-year-old Georgia Avis discovers the dead body of thirteen-year-old Ashley James, she teams up with Ashley’s older sister, Nora, to find and bring the killer to justice before he strikes again. But their investigation throws Georgia into a world of unimaginable privilege and wealth, without conscience or consequence, and as Ashley’s killer closes in, Georgia will discover when money, power and beauty rule, it might not be a matter of who is guilty—but who is guiltiest.
A spiritual successor to the 2018 breakout hit, Sadie, I’m the Girl is a masterfully written, bold, and unflinching account of how one young woman feels in her body as she struggles to navigate a deadly and predatory power structure while asking readers one question: if this is the way the world is, do you accept it?
Author Sarah Kuhn reinvents the modern fairy tale in this novel of a girl whose search for a storybook ending takes her to unexpected places in both her beloved LA neighborhood and her own guarded heart.
If Rika’s life seems like the beginning of a familiar fairy tale–being an orphan with two bossy cousins and working away in her aunts’ business–she would be the first to reject that foolish notion. After all, she loves her family (even if her cousins were named after Disney characters), and with her biracial background, amazing judo skills and red-hot temper, she doesn’t quite fit the princess mold.
All that changes the instant she locks eyes with Grace Kimura, America’s reigning rom-com sweetheart, during the Nikkei Week Festival. From there, Rika embarks on a madcap adventure of hope and happiness–searching for clues that Grace is her long-lost mother, exploring Little Tokyo’s hidden treasures with cute actor Henry Chen, and maybe…finally finding a sense of belonging.
But fairy tales are fiction and the real world isn’t so kind. Rika knows she’s setting herself up for disappointment, because happy endings don’t happen to girls like her. Should she walk away before she gets in even deeper, or let herself be swept away?
The idea is pretty simple, every week you dedicate a post to the three W’s:
What are you currently reading?
What have you just finished reading?
What are you going to read next?
I got the stomach flu or some stomach bug 2 days ago, so I’ve been kinda in bed or on the couch recuperating. Had a low grade fever, lots or time on the toilet too and body aches of all things. UGH. I feel better today thankfully, at least I got some reading done.
What are you currently reading?
What have you just finished reading?
What are you going to read next?
I have to catch up on some arcs – I can’t believe how fast the month is going by. How are you doing on arcs? Are you caught up?
My kids were on fall break and honestly we didn’t do much. I’ve been just trying to make sure my daughter got healthy this week so she can start off Monday on a clean slate, no cold. But I do think she’s dealing with allergies – she has a post nasal drip that causes her to cough. So just trying to deal with that and so far she’s so much better! My son recovered nicely from his sore throat episode and good thing too since their October is packed with school activities.
I did get some reading done which is nice and we did do a family outing nearby to the Kroc Center which held an Kroctober Fest.
My Singing Monsters – mostly to keep up with my kids who love this game
Splatoon 3 – the connection errors suck but I still play
Overcooked 2 – because my son begged me to play/help him lol, there was a lot of yelling going on between us
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!