This week was better than the last few and for that I am grateful. I still feel slightly disconnected from reality but I think that is just the pollen count going from nonexistent to medium in the span of two days.

While I was super productive this week, my creativity feels like it's at an all time low and I don't really know how to solve that. It feels like the older I get, the more it slips away from me and that is very scary. Everything that used to be important to me takes a back seat now and it needs to be solved, I need to do better by myself.

In other news, last night I was at dinner with my family, today was spent running errands in my new car that I love so much, and tomorrow is another family get together. For the rest of the day, I just want to unwind, write, clean and do what I have to do. 

Let's get into the roundup.

 It's been a minute since I read a hardcore thriller so when I was deciding my next book after the Fourth Wing series, I knew it had to be one that would satisfy that urge. Ever since reading The Family Plot by Megan Collins, she's become one of my favorite thriller authors so when I got an ARC of her latest novel, Cross My Heart I knew I would be in for a treat. 

Cross My Heart was published on January 14th, 2025 so yes, I am a little more than a month late but it was worth it. This was one of the most interesting book plots I've ever read and had the hairs on the back of my arms standing up more than once. 

If you need an interesting, thoughtful and thrilling book to sink your teeth into, that isn't predictable or too gory, Cross My Heart is that book.

 Happy Saturday! I'm tardy again with my blog post, and just tardy for everything in my life. It was another hellish week that nearly broke me but the sun is shining, it's freezing out and I have an Oura ring sleep score of 80. 

What I'm starting to realize is I need a better work-life balance; I need a better organization system, and I need to learn to handle stress better. I didn't think those were issues I had but it seems to be affecting me more and more, so I'll need to figure that out.

I also need to figure out how to make time for the things that bring me joy, or truly figure out what does bring me joy. I've slacked so much with the blog over the past year, as well as content creation as a whole -- what does that say about me? Creating has been the one constant in my life for over a decade, I don't want to give it up but maybe I need to figure out how it fits back into my life...or just stop being lazy because I think that's what it ultimately comes down too.

My screen time has gotten really bad so if I could just put the phone down, maybe I could pick up my computer and write. I'm continually hitting my 'rock bottom' in all areas of life but can never pull myself up high enough to get it together. What will be my breaking point? 

That concludes my existential crisis for the week, let's get into the roundup!

 When it was announced that there was a new book coming out called The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey, I was immediately seated. After I read the synopsis, I realized this book was going to be the perfect combination of reality TV and true crime.

As the biggest Bravo fan, reading a book about a fictional Real Housewives show taking place in New Jersey felt like coming home; it was familiar and like being wrapped in a warm blanket.

The book was so good and it teetered on the edge of fiction and real 'Bravo' life, which was so fun to pick apart because I was able to read between the lines.

Really Dead Wives had a bit of everything -- familial turbulence, wealth, fame, murder and secrets. Even if you're not a Housewives fan I think you would enjoy the book. It was definitely a page turner and I simply just needed to know how everything was going to play out...it surely didn't end the way I expected it to and I think there will be a sequel because it was left on a cliffhanger.

 Wow, what a week. I feel like I haven't been able to breathe for the past few until now. I know I keep saying it, but work has been so busy and we've finally crossed the finish line. It feels so good to decompress, to relax and just lean into the slowness. It also helps that I have a 3-day weekend (3.5 if you count the fact that I had a half day of work on Friday, which I kind of worked through). 

Yesterday, I went to my cousin's baby shower and it was such a nice day with family. Afterwards, my sister and I went to my mom's house and hung around for most of the day and then we had a sleepover. Now, I need to actually get my life together -- go grocery shopping, pay bills, organize and clean my home, and just do adult things.

Let's get into the roundup.

 There are very few pop culture phenomenons that I miss out on. I am usually right there in the center with bells on -- I love being part of a community, to be united by a common interest is one of life's greatest joys. Though, there are always exceptions to that rule of mine, and for the past few years, the rule was Fourth Wing.

Aside from Harry Potter and Twilight, I'm not big into fantasy genres. I've read ACTOAR and didn't love it, and have never found myself super interested in anything else that becomes popular. 

I've seen Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros around the block and knew everyone goes feral for it, but it never sparked my interest. I thought reading about a war college with dragons was too complicated and felt I was better off staying in my own lane.

That is, until I had a near nervous breakdown a few weeks ago and needed something to sink my teeth into to distract myself from the hellscape that was unfolding around me. I wanted to lose myself in a book, to really immerse myself in the world, in the characters and become one with the words I was reading. 

With Onyx Storm just being released and everyone very much in Fourth Wing mode, I decided to try my hand at it.

Well, I simply have no words.

I finished both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame within 4 days, and then took my time with Onyx Storm which I finished this past weekend...my life will never be the same.

This won't be my traditional book review, and I already talked about my obsessive personality and how it relates to Fourth Wing on Substack , so we're just going to chat about the entire series. 

I cannot believe it is only January 17th. This year has been 500 weeks long and we are only in the 2nd full week. This week was very hard, for a variety of reasons and truthfully, I just want it to be January 21st. I want to get the inauguration over with and I want to know what the hell is happening with the TikTok ban. 

It's a horrible game of limbo that we're all in, and my anxiety manifests itself when it feels uncertainty in the air. I also need to get better about protecting my peace and not seeking out the things that cause me anxiety. 

I'm going to do my best to relax and find some sort of peace this weekend. Lord knows I need it. 

 It's the first book review of 2025 and it's a good one! It's also one that is long overdue because it's been sitting on my shelf for a year. Fiona Davis is one of my favorite authors but whenever I get a book I'm excited about, I never read it right away. It's like I'm saving it for the right time.

Well, after Christmas was the perfect time. I wanted something that was wintery and holiday adjacent but not a romance or thriller. Enter a historical fiction novel about the Radio City Rockettes in the 1950s, The Spectacular. 

Fiona Davis writes the most beautiful books about New York City landmarks and their history, mixes in mystery, romance and brilliant, brave women are at the center of them. 

I've read every single one of Fiona Davis' books and this is definitely one of my favorites. Her new one, The Stolen Queen, came out last week and I need to order it, just as soon as my low-buy month is over or I have the extra money & need a little treat.