Month: September 2020

Leuchtturm Notebooks and Etsy Mini Haul

September 18, 2020

Getting my writing notebooks ready for 2021. This year, I felt a bit all over the place so I’m hoping these notebooks will help me get my writing groove back.

Earlier in the year, I purchased an A5 Chic Sparrow Traveler’s Notebook to house the A5 notebooks. Initially, I bought some cheap notebooks from Amazon but they were on the smaller side and didn’t fill up the TN the way I’d like them to. The Leuchtturms are a little more expensive but they do the job. I also like that they have an index and numbered pages. I’ve been using one for a year and a half now and really like everything about it.

Decided to order some fun things off Etsy.com. I mainly wanted a new date stamp since the one I currently have is coming to a close. The last year on it is 2021. This new one goes all the way up to 2031.

I ordered from WaWa Stationary. They have some really pretty washi tapes that I’ve been eying. I also wanted some vintage looking labels for my junk journaling hobby. And then the girl stickers was just too adorable. They were so sweet and included a few freebies.

Here’s a close-up of the stamp. I love how it came with a stand.

Book Review: An American Story

September 12, 2020

Title: An American Story
Author: Mark Lages
Genre: Fiction, Literary, Memoir
Year Published: 2020

An American Story by Mark Lages is a fictional memoir about a man named Huey Baker. Huey tells us stories and experiences from his life and within it, he includes some satire, war stories, alcohol abuse stories, family dynamics, and many other facets of his life. It is a story that some might find relatable, interesting—even amusing, maybe depressing, and possibly enlightening.

Huey Baker is your ordinary American, and his life is…pretty ordinary. However, there are things in life that he can’t control. Even the demons within himself are hard to keep at bay. Huey seems a bit rough on the outside, mostly in the way he thinks and in what he believes, but on a deeper level, he’s got a good heart. Huey also likes to tell stories so not everything in the book is about him. He shares quite a few life experiences from observation or from hearing it from someone else.

Lages writes with ease and flow and the story just spills out so smoothly that it’s easy to feel as though you are listening to a friend talk. The style is like comedy. If you listen to good comedy, you’ll find that the comedian will deviate from the main story and return to it here and there, finishing it off with the main point of the story. Speaking of comedy, there were some really funny stuff that had me laughing. I’d have to say, the joke about the names of the sons had me for a bit, but I did figure it out and it was an LOL moment. There were also a lot of sad stuff that broke my heart, like the kid and the toy. An American Story is the true essence of what it’s like to be an American, and the title fits it perfectly.

I enjoyed the read. It’s one of those stories that makes you think and wonder about life and being human. It’s made me more aware that we’re not perfect and that we should do our best to be kind and forgiving.

NOTE: This book was given to me to read and review, but the opinion is purely my own.

Cantaloupe From the Garden

September 9, 2020

Mom picked these cantaloupe from my plot at the community garden. All were orange inside but one. I didn’t eat that one because I wasn’t sure if it would taste right. I did taste the second smallest one and it tasted like cucumber. I’d love to grow more next year.

Book Review: The Dawn Chorus

September 8, 2020

Title: The Dawn Chorus
Author: Samantha Shannon
Genre: Sci-fi, Paranormal, New Adult
Year Published: 2020

The Dawn Chorus is a novella between The Song Rising (the 3rd book in the Bone Season series), and the upcoming 4th book, The Mask Falling. The novella doesn’t give anything away from the main story. It basically delves into Paige’s pain and suffering from the last book. It also gives us a glimpse more into Paige and Warden’s relationship.

It’s been awhile since I read The Song Rising so I really don’t remember exactly what happened. I do remember that Paige escaped to Paris and that she wasn’t doing well. If you are interested in how Paige heals and how she gains the strength to fight back, then give this novella a go, otherwise, it’s totally fine to just wait for The Mask Falling.

August’s Playlist

September 2, 2020

Hoping for a gentler and kinder September. Here’s the top three from my August playlist:

I’ve revisited this song because of what’s gone on in my life last month. “Legacy” by Lustral.

Earlier in August, I was remembering those college days in the 90’s and Tori Amos was one of my favorite musicians to listen to. “1,000 Oceans” came later but it still gave me those college days vibes.

“Radishes and Flowers” by Jesse Blake Rundle was a song I heard on a Youtube compilation. The guitars from 2:30 to the end really hit me.