Books of 2024

It’s my favorite time of year — finding books to anxiously anticipate during the year and hoping my expectations are not too high by the time I read them! Without further ado, here’s my list of this year’s highly anticipated books releasing January through June.

JANUARY

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

Release Date: January 2nd, 2024
Genre: Thriller/Mystery
Elston wrote one of my favorite YA novels, This is Our Story, and I cannot wait to see what she does for Adult Thriller.

When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A Parker

Release Date: January 13th, 2024
Genre: Fantasy
This is apparently only available on Kindle Unlimited which makes me really sad. But it sounds like a beautiful fantasy book. I saw a TikTok about it and immediately knew I needed to read it – I mean, LOOK AT THAT COVER.

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett

Release Date: January 16th, 2024
Genre: Fantasy
I adored the first in this series. It was slow but in the best way. I’m sure this will be the same and I’ll have to be in the right mood to read it.

The Fury by Alex Michaelides

Release Date: January 16th, 2024
Genre: Thriller/Mystery
I have tickets to see Michaelides at book signing in February and I absolutely can’t wait. The Silent Patient is one of my favorite thrillers EVER.

House of Flame and Shadow – Sarah J Maas

Release Date: January 30th 2024
Genre: Fantasy
I think Crescent City is my favorite SJM series. I’m very much looking forward to devouring this next installment.

Release Date:
Genre:

FEBRUARY

Bride by Ali Hazelwood

Release Date: February 6th, 2024
Genre: Romance/ Fantasy
Hazelwood is known for her women in STEM romance novels so I cannot wait to see her dive into the world of vampires & werewolves. I mean, talk about forbidden romance!

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

Release Date: February 13th, 2024
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Arden wrote one of my favorite series of all time, The Winternight Trilogy. Arden can write a grocery list and I will read it.

A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

Release Date: February 20th, 2024
Genre: Fantasy
I’ve heard a lot of good buzz around this book and I’m excited to hear more about it.

Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana

Release Date: February 27th, 2024
Genre: Romantasy
A debut author writing a romantasy about humans & fae. SIGN ME UP.

MARCH

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle

Release Date: March 5, 2024
Genre: Fiction/ Romance
Serle’s last book was a miss for me but I’m hoping this will be a better one for me. 

Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano

Release Date: March 5th, 2024
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Finlay Finlay Finlay. These books are just SO FUN. I cannot get enough of this series.

Release Date:
Genre:

APRIL

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

Release Date: April 2nd, 2024
Genre: Romance
Jimenez is one of my favorite romance authors now. I absolutely cannot wait to read her novels, they have been firmly cemented into as an auto-buy author.

Funny Story by Emily Henry

Release Date: April 23, 2024
Genre: Romance
Emily Henry is another one of my favorite authors. Her romance novels are so full of heart and are completely relatable. They are also completely devourable. I don’t need to know what her books are about for me to add this to my “must-read” pile.

A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall

Release Date: April 25th, 2024
Genre: Fantasy
A whimsical fantasy set in an underwater world filled with mystery & romance.

MAY

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren

Release Date: May 14th, 2024
Genre: Romance
Christina(&)Lauren are powerhouses in the romance genre. I think there will come a time where I’ve read all their books (I am working on the backlog).

The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton

Release Date: May 21st, 2024
Genre: Thriller/Mystery
If you haven’t read the 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hugo by now, what are you doing? It’s absolutely one of my favorite novels so OF COURSE I’m picking this up blind.

Release Date:
Genre:

JUNE

Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood

Release Date: June 11th, 2024
Genre: Romance
Hazelwood is another one of my auto-read authors. I am thrilled to have two of books on my lists this year. 

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center

Release Date: June 11th, 2024
Genre: Romance
Hazelwood is another one of my auto-read authors. I am thrilled to have two of books I’ve enjoyed Center’s previous novels and this seems like it’ll be a grumpy x sunshine romance which is one of my favorite tropes. 

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

Release Date: June 25th, 2024
Genre: Romance
Poston is a recent auto-buy author for me and I’m so excited for this to be my birthday book this year. Her novels are woven with magic realism & the romance is just *chef’s kiss*.

Books of 2023, part 2

As promised, here’s the second half of my most anticipated books of the year post!

June

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

Release Date: June 27th, 2023
Romance
I adored The Dead Romantics which I read last year. I 100% do not care what this book is about but I will be buying it.

July

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center

Release Date: July 11, 2023
Romance
I devoured Center’s romance from 2022, I hoping this is the same. This book deals with face blindness which is something I’ve never read about before. I hope it does it well.

Release Date: July 20, 2023
Mystery/Thriller
Thrillers have been letting me down recently but they’re so fun to read when they’re good. I always find the less I know about it before going in, the more I tend to enjoy it. Here’s hoping this is a good one!

August

The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter

Release Date: August 8, 2023
Rom- Com Mystery
I loved Ally Carter’s YA books. This is first adult fiction book. I’m so looking forward to reading what her characters can get up to without the confines of young adult fiction. Whatever happens, it’s sure to be fast paced and quick witted.

Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Release Date: August something or September 5th – I’ve seen it differently
Romance
This is apparently a TIKTOK sensation but I don’t care about that – I just think it sounds good. Evie unexpectedly becomes the assistant to the most notorious villain Rennedawn has seen. Pitched as Once Upon a Time meets The Office AND it’s grumpy x sunshine. SAY NO MORE

September

Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

Release Date: September 12, 2023
Witchy Romance
Magic, ghosts, & second-chance romance. Sounds like a recipe for a wonderful witchy book.

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall

Release Date: September 19, 2023
Witchy Romance
I love reading witchy books in the fall. Hoping this is a good one.

October

The Fragile Threads of Power – V. E. Schwab

Release Date: October 3, 2023
Fantasy
Set in the world of A Darker Shade of Magic, say less please. If you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t read that series, do yourself a favor and get caught up before this releases.

Release Date: October 3, 2023
Gothic Fantasy
Harrow’s writing is a hit or miss for me but I’m not giving up yet.

The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon

Release Date: October 3, 2023
Fantasy
This is a debut novel features enemies-to-lovers, magic, and war. I think there’s a theme for the books I’m reading/loving this year.

A Winter in New York by Josie Silver

Release Date: October 3, 2023
Romance
Silver’s book have a 50/50 track record for me. I’m hoping this will firmly put me back on track to being a Silver fan.

What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez

Release Date: October 31, 2023
Fantasy
Pitched as The Mummy meets Death on the Nile. Say less.

A Holly Jolly Ever After by Julie Murphy and Sierre Simone

Release Date: October 10, 2023
Romance
In their follow-up to A Merry Little Meet Cute, we’re back in Christmas Notch

November

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

Release Date: November 7th, 2023
Cozy Fantasy
Legends & Lattes was absolutely adorable and I cannot wait to dive back into a cozy fantasy. I can just picture myself reading this while drinking a peppermint mocha and curling up under a blanket.

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

Release Date: November 7th, 2023
Fantasy
I’m not gonna lie, I just finished reading the first one, Fourth Wing, and I already pre-ordered the sequel. This is not an original fantasy by any means, but it’s FUN with great characters. The first one reminded me of an adult version of Divergent + Divine Rivals + The Poppy Wars. The first book left off on a cliffhanger (of course). I can’t wait to see what happens next.

December

Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross

Release Date: December 26, 2023
YA Fantasy
I enjoy Ross’ writing. One of my favorite books of last year was an Adult fantasy book of hers and I’m dying to read the sequel. While waiting for that to come out in paperback, I picked up the first of this duology – Divine Rivals. And it did not disappoint. It’s young adult fantasy with an enemies to lovers romance, magic typewriters, and set in a wartime of the gods. The first book left on a cliffhanger and I can’t wait to find out what happens next!

What are you looking forward to reading in this half of the year? Anything I should add to my list?

Books of 2023

It’s my favorite time of year — finding books to anxiously anticipate during the year and hope my expectations are not too high by the time I read them! Without further ado, here’s my MUST READ books releasing January through June.

JANUARY

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun (Finlay Donovan#3) by Elle Cosimano

Release Date: January 31st, 2023
Cozy Mystery
I love this series so much. There’s murder, mayhem, & more. It’s funny, it’s sexy, and Finlay is just relatable. If you haven’t read the first book, what are you waiting for?

FEBRUARY

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

Release Date: February 14th, 2023
Fantasy
This marks Chokshi’s adult debut. This is a gothic story about a marriage, dark secrets, friendship, tragedy, and fairytales. All ingredients for my perfect cup of tea.

A Day of Fallen Night (The Roots of Chaos #0) by Samantha Shannon

Release Date: February 28, 2023
High Fantasy
This is the standalone prequel to Shannon’s Priory of the Orange Tree which I loved to pieces. Priory was a BIG book and this is clocking in at over 800 pages, too. ADOFN takes place in the same world as Priory… just 5 centuries before. The entire series will be able to be read as standalone novels & you can theoretically read them in any order. I love this because with so long between books, it’s hard to remember characters.

MARCH

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi (Amina al-Sirafi #1) by Shannon Chakraborty (S. A. Chakraborty)

Release Date: March 7th, 2023
Fantasy
I absolutely adored the Daevabad Trilogy so I cannot wait to see what Chakraborty has in store next. Just from the cover I tell this is going to be a swashbuckling adventure!

The Foxglove King (The Nightshade Kingdom #1) by Hannah Whitten

Release Date: March 7th, 2023
Fantasy
I’m on the fence about this one honestly. I enjoyed Whitten’s first book to a point but I wasn’t IN LOVE with it. I never even read its sequel. But this is a whole new series. It’ll be her 3rd book so I’m hoping what wasn’t clicking for me in the first one will be gone in this series. Because it DOES sound intriguing.

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q Sutanto

Release Date: March 14th, 2023
Cozy Mystery
Vera Wong, little old lady, thinks she can solve a murder better than the police can. Oh, what hijinks will ensue in this book? I can’t wait to find out!

The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner

Release Date: March 21, 2023
Historical Mystery
I loved Penner’s The Lost Apothecary and am looking forward to this! There’s murder (two!), a spiritualist, an occult non-believer, an exclusive high society club, and crime-solving. All great elements of an entertaining book, if you ask me.

The Quarantine Princess Diaries (Princess Diaries #12) by Meg Cabot

Release Date: March 28th, 2023
Contemporary Romance
I LOVE PRINCESS MIA SO MUCH. She’s funny, she’s snarky, and she’s sexy. I loved the last installment Cabot came out with (Royal Wedding) and I cannot wait to see what Mia is up to now! I love that I started reading this series as a kid and have *grown up* with Mia who has aged gracefully from an awkward teen princess into an awkward ruling adult. *Please note, this is will have adult content & themes*

APRIL

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

Release Date: April 4, 2023
Historical Fantasy / YA
Ross wrote one my favorite books of 2022, A River Enchanted. This is another one of her YA books, but geared more towards older YA with “adult fantasy crossover.” Iris Winnow is a journalist during wartime, so naturally when she’s worrying over her brother at the front lines, she does what does best, she writes. She writes him letters and slips them under her wardrobe where they disappear… into Roman Kitt’s hands. Roman is Iris’ rival at the newspaper but soon they’re making a connection through their writing during the war of the gods. Includes enemies-to-lovers, fantasy, and magic.

Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez

Release Date: April 11th, 2023
Contemporary Romance
I read Part of Your World and was completely hooked. If you haven’t picked that up already, do so! It was in my favorites of 2022 list. If that’s not reason enough, then you should know that the main character in this book is the best friend from that one.

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune

Release Date: April 25th, 2023
Fantasy
Don’t know what it’s about. Don’t care. Will read Klune’s grocery list. Just hand over the cinnamon roll gay protagonist and no one gets hurt. Klune’s books are magical and make your heart go all gooey (for various reasons).

Happy Place by Emily Henry

Release Date: April 25th, 2023
Contemporary Romance
I don’t know what this is about. If you want to find out, please click the link on the picture of the cover. I love Henry’s adult romance books and all I know is that I am buying this the day it comes out.

MAY

The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren

Release Date: May 16, 2023
Contemporary Romance
If you read CL’s The Soulmate Equation, you’re familiar with Fizzy (the main character’s best friend). Her personality jumped off the page and fans have been clamoring for her story. Well, it’s almost here! Fizzy Chen has never been in love, not head over heels soulmate kinda love. A chance encounter with Connor Prince, a filmmaker & single father, suddenly throws her into starring on a reality tv show but will her chemistry be with the contestants or someone behind the camera?

JUNE

Kiss the Girl (Meant to Be #3) by Zoraida Cordova

Release Date: June 6th, 2023
Contemporary Romance
This is the third installment in the fairytale retelling series. After wrapping up her final tour with her band Siren Seven, Ariel is excited to have a normal summer to figure out herself. But when her father (and head of Atlantica Records) wants to launch her solo career sooner than expected, Ariel decides to explore the world with a boy she just met. Enter Eric – lead singer of an up & coming band who spontaneously invites Ariel on the road for the summer. Will Ariel be able to find her own voice & fall in love in one summer? I loved the first book of this series (written by different authors) but the second was a letdown. I’m hoping this Little Mermaid retelling helps redeem this series.

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

Release Date: June 13th, 2023
Contemporary Romance
After reading 2 Hazelwood books + 3 novellas in 2022, you bet her next novel in my list! Following her STEMinist trend, Hazelwood is back with a romance novel involving fake dating & academia. Hazelwood’s books are lighthearted, funny, and filled with pop culture references. I can’t wait to see what the main characters get up to this time!

Favorite Reads of 2022

This year I decided to split my favorite books out into categories. I read a good variety of books this year that I thought it was best to do it this way because there was no way I could rank them. I read a lot of not fantastic reads this year, too, so I was a little frustrated with that.

Makes you think:

The Measure by Nikki Erlick

This wasn’t perfect but I liked the way Erlick approached the premise. The question that was explored in the novel is what would you do if you knew down to the day how much longer you had to live? It was thought-provoking and intriguing. The book stayed with me for a long while after I finished it. It’s definitely a good book club book and it can be interesting conversation fodder.

Favorite Series & Longest Reads: Crescent City by Sarah J Maas

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas

I am not a SJM fangirl (anymore). I think her books are too hyped without enough diversity. The main characters from all 3 of her series are pretty similar, to boot. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy reading them. I read most of the ToG series and the first 3 or 4 books of ACOTAR. I think my problem with her series is that they just go on for far too long. I forgot what happened in the previous novels and was so lost by the time the next one came out. I think if I binged both series while all the books were published, I would probably finished them. ANYWAY. I avoided it on principle at first so I ended up being pleasantly surprised. I will definitely be getting the next one at least.

New Favorite Author: Ali Hazelwood

• 

  The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

• 

  Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

I don’t care what problems people have with these books, I LOVE THEM. They’re not groundbreaking. I wouldn’t say it’s novel to have main characters that are women in STEM. But I will say it’s a big deal to have these BESTSELLING, highly talked about, & TIKTOK sensational books be about women in STEM. And yes, The Love Hypothesis is Reylo inspired and you know what? I LOVE IT. Rey & Kylo SHOULD HAVE ended up together. If you’re not a Star Wars person, it’s not in your face so it won’t effect the book’s readability. I love Hazelwood’s writing, I really do. Her books are fun, witty, and smutty.

Most Unexpected Books I’ve Read This Year:

Sign Here by Claudia Lux

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

Both Sign Here by Claudia Lux and Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn were Book of the Month picks for me. Before I chose them for my boxes, I didn’t know they existed. I didn’t look much into Killers because I had read Raybourn before and I knew I liked her writing. But I was intrigued by the premise of Sign Here so I added that my box and read it as soon as it arrived. They were both fun & different in various ways.

Best Fantasy

A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross

I adored this book! Its sequel came out in December but I’m a freak and need my book editions to match so since I have the paperback of the first one, the second one also needs to be in paperback. Therefore, I can’t buy/read it until SEPTEMBER 2023. AHH! After I read it, I could not stop thinking about it or wondering was going to happen in the next book. My head remained in Cadence and with all the characters.

Most Anticipated Book of the Year (that I read & LOVED):

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

I had to go back & read my list of books I was looking forward to in 2022. I’m sad to say I didn’t read a good amount of them, I did purchase a bunch of them… the reading them part is lacking. Some I did read and I was disappointed. While others I was happy my excitement for them had not been misplaced. Book Lovers is one of them. Though, if Henry writes an adult romance that I DON’T actually love, I’ll be shocked. I love reading about the literary world and having a romcom set in publishing was awesome. The writing was witty and fun and the small town setting was cute & fun. The book isn’t perfect by any means but I enjoyed reading it and it didn’t let me down.

Best Romance:

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

So obviously I couldn’t pick just one since it’s the genre I read the most books in this year. I loved them all for different reasons. The Dead Romantics is a beautiful look at grief and how to deal with loss while also discovering yourself. It also has awesome quirky main characters who grow to love one another despite their circumstances. It’s pitched as a ghostwriter with literal ghosts in her life and I just can’t. TOO GOOD. I do not have enough good things to say about this book but I will give the trigger warning for death of a family member that may be hard to read if you’re grieving yourself. I had read a couple of Poston’s YA novels when they first came out and I loved them so I had good feeling about this book before I picked it up.

The Bodyguard... I honestly don’t remember too many details but I devoured the book and remember having good happy feelings while reading it. Sometimes that’s the most important part. I also read it in a single sitting one evening

Part of Your World was my first time reading Jimenez but I had followed her on TikTok without realizing she was the person who wrote this book! Her dog Stuntman Mike is the CUTEST. IYKYK. I digress, the book was wonderful. The romance was awesome. There’s a hint of magic. There was a lot of Princess Bride references, which I loved. I honestly wasn’t expecting to love it as much as I did. It’s a solid read.

I think that’s a wrap on my absolute favorites! What did you love reading in 2022?

TV Shows of 2022

To absolutely no one’s shock, I haven’t watched a ton of TV this year. Aaron and I watched what we could when baby was sleeping but there’s also wasn’t a ton I was interested in.

Here’s what I did manage to see this year:

The Witcher (Netflix) season 2
The Wheel of Time (Amazon Prime) season 1 — didn’t finish
Hawkeye (Disney +)
The Book of Boba Fett (Disney +)
Stranger Things (Netflix) season 4
First Bite (Netflix)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime) season 4
The Umbrella Academy (Netflix) season 2
The Sandman (Netflix) season 1
Grey’s Anatomy (Hulu) season 18
Bluey (Disney +) season 1
She-Hulk (Disney +) season 1
Rings of Power (Prime) season 1
House of the Dragon (HBO) season 1
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu) season 2

I’m going to say Fantasy shows were my favorite this year. I loved The Witcher (duh!), The Sandman, Rings of Power, and House of the Dragon. The latter which I wasn’t even planning on watching but the online peer pressure got to us.

I was disappointed in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel because it’s absolutely one of my favorite shows and I just felt like they could have done more. And I understand there were some constraints because of COVID shooting schedules/locations, etc. But the storylines were just not there for me this season. I really hope they turn it around for the final season.

Hawkeye was definitely awesome (THAT CAST) and She-Hulk was fun, too, but left a little to be desired.

What did you love this year? Anything I should put on my list for next year?

Two Truths and a Lie

Part of our appreciation week at work entailed everyone sharing two truths and a lie for us to figure out later. (We had to fill out a survey which included sharing our favorite ice-cream flavor, how long we’ve worked for the company, and sharing a baby picture.) I always struggle coming up with things because I never know what people would find interesting or intriguing. And to me, that’s kinda the point of these. Tell me something that’s going to have me asking questions or wanting to hear an interesting story. It also has to be worded in a way that’s not going to be immediately obvious.

I worked at the Emporium in Magic Kingdom.
I edited and self-published a book for my senior thesis in college.
I am a dual citizen of Lithuania & the US.

Do you know which one it is?

It was a slight trick question. A lot of people knew I worked at Disney but they didn’t necessarily know where. I’ve never worked at Magic Kingdom, only Hollywood Studios and EPCOT.

It was a really fun way to get to know one another a little more. What I liked is that instead of it being a normal “ice-breaker” game, everyone’s responses where on paper. We had time to read it over and guess which one was the lie. During our employee dinner, we went over everyone’s answers & got to share stories.

If you had to come up with Two Truths and a Lie, what would they be?

Do you Duolingo?

While on vacation in September, my husband became inspired to learn another language after hearing how often my aunt & cousin talked about their Duolingo streaks. Immediately upon our return home, we downloaded the owl app & started talking about which language we should learn. We settled on Spanish (which I took throughout my entire school career but thought I retained very little of).

Turns out, I remembered much more Spanish that I thought and my husband called foul because we were supposed to start off on equal footing. You see, his Spanish was not as proficient as mine. To keep him engaged, we picked something different. We chose a language neither us had any experience with beyond pop culture: German.

Words I knew before I started Duolingo: nien (no), ja (yes), maus (mouse), auf wiedersehen (goodbye), danke (thank you), guten tag (good day), du hast mich (you got me), ich bin (I am), Sprechen sie (do you speak), Deutch (German), liebe (love)…

Okay so when I write them all out like that, it looks like I knew quite a handful. But I promise, there were too many words that I didn’t know.

After spending time with Spanish, it was a shock going to a language I hardly knew but I discovered that many German words simply made sense to me.

Tochter – daughter
Sohn – son
Vater- father
Mutter – mother
Wasser – water
Milch – milk
Wein – wine
Bier – beer
Tee – tea
und – and
oder – or

Of course, those are the very basic words that get drilled into you on the app but having them so close to English was a comfort. It made learning the words that did not have a close relation to the English word a little less scary.

Left: A snip from a lesson
Right: My progress in the German course – Unit 3

So far, I’ve had a 54 day streak. This means that everyday I have progressed in my course. This doesn’t mean that I spend a ton of time on it but I take at least 5 minutes to login & keep my streak going.

My progress in this month’s challenge & my badges from September and October

Duolingo keeps you engaged by having you stay competitive in multiple ways. There are challenges to complete with or against your friends. And there are monthly challenges regarding daily quests (3 daily quests per day). And every week, you compete in a league against strangers to move up to the next league.

I don’t know how long I’m going to continue to use this but I can see how beneficial it can be. German in particular is a hard language and I’m sure I’m going to get to a point where it feels overwhelming. But I can see myself using this before traveling abroad so I can have a basic understanding of the language for the country I’m visiting. I personally find languages hard to learn because I grew up somewhat bi-lingual and I would compare everything to that language. Learning Spanish in school was torture because my brain would automatically think in my second language instead of Spanish. And maybe it’s been so long since I’ve thought in my second language (I don’t speak it much anymore) that it’s just not happening since I began learning on Duo. Or maybe it’s how Duo has setup their app for learning. All I know is that it’s easier for me to switch between languages without my brain getting confused regarding which language to think in. And that’s a win my book!

The one super annoying thing about this app is how much it berates you into subscribing to Super Duolingo (their paid version of the app). There’s nothing wrong with their free version but my husband and I broke down and bought the family plan because the constant ads for Super Duolingo were annoying. If you plan on using the app for more than 1 month, simply put, your sanity is worth the subscription price. I don’t mind the occasional ad but this was after nearly every task (unit) you complete which is too much.

The second downside is that there’s no Lithuanian course! I grew up wishing Rosetta Stone had a Lithuanian course because that was the biggest language learning product when I was a kid. As an adult, now that I’m actively using Duo, I wish the option was on here. I know there are Lithuanian courses out there but I tried learning Lithuanian on the Mondly app and it’s not as user friendly as Duo and honestly, it’s just not as much fun.

I digress.

Oh, look at the time… I have to go continue my streak before it gets too late! I hope you’ll consider Duolingo for personal enrichment or if you happen to travel out the country. Dare I say, it’s fun!

If you already have Duolingo downloaded, what language are you learning?

Tschüss!

Podcasts > Music/Audiobooks: Am I Old Now?

I love books (duh, are you new?) but I cannot listen to audiobooks. I’ve tried on various occasions but my mind either wanders or I fall asleep. I can’t focus. But when I had a 45 minute commute to work, I started to love listening to morning radio. I began to dread hearing the same 4 songs over and over again so I relished listening to the talk show hosts.

My very first foray into podcasts was not really a podcast at all. It was Deadly Manners, a dark comedy murder mystery with some big name actors. I first heard about it from Kristen Bell (and I’ll watch or listen to anything she’s in). But this was different because it sounded like theatre without the visuals. It wasn’t a conversation or a story, it was a show. But I couldn’t find anything like it again.

I didn’t think I’d be able to listen to traditional podcasts. So, I made more music playlists. Then I found that music was getting too complicated. It was hard to decide what to listen to, I found myself not in the mood for certain songs so I was skipping around too much, my playlists never felt right, and I didn’t want to use Spotify but I wanted different music than I had, etc etc. I ignored the feeling of wanting to try something new because it seemed too daunting to try to figure it out. I pushed it off until I couldn’t anymore.

I came back to work from maternity leave in November of 2021. I found myself needing something to listen to that would distract my mind just enough so I could focus on my job. Otherwise, I was just going to miss my baby all day. Don’t get me wrong, I still wished I was at home with her instead of working but it kept my mind from spiraling. I was desperate for something that wasn’t music and wasn’t audiobooks. I remembered Deadly Manners & the podcast I listened to that went along with a book I had read. I had enjoyed those two experiences so starting to listen to podcasts truly seemed like the perfect solution.

The only problem? I didn’t know where to start. I decided to crowdsource by posting on Facebook asking friends for their podcast recommendations. They did not disappoint! I immediately dived in and saved the first episode of (almost) every podcast my friends recommended. I’m not going to lie, I didn’t listen to all the recommendations. I began to spiral into podcasts sporadically and find new ones to listen to before I could go back to the ones originally recommended to me.

Here’s what I loved:

CRIME JUNKIE
Hooked from the very first episode! I can’t remember if this was the first one I listed to or not but it was the one I stuck with. I started listening to what they were currently producing but then decided just to go back to the beginning since there was too much history I had missed. I finally caught up in the spring of this year. If you don’t know, Crime Junkie is a hit true crime podcast with hosts Ashley Flowers & Brit. They are best friends so they have a great rapport.

OLOGIES WITH ALIE WARD
Honestly, I listed to one episode with guest Hank Green and then I forgot about it. But when I had caught up on all the backlog of episodes from Crime Junkie, I gave it another go and was completely hooked. These episodes are fascinating and funny! There’s so much to learn about random niche topics. I love that there are child friendly episodes, too (SMOLOGIES). I cannot wait to listen to this with my kid.

Ones I found on my own:

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIE
The perfect holiday podcast which explores the dreaded Christmas Letter/Newsletter. It’s hilarious and filled with drama. I love it so much. It’s truly a joy to listen to (especially when drinking a peppermint mocha!)

COUNTERCLOCK (with host, Delia D’Ambra)
Each season is a detailed looked into a murder. I don’t LOVE it. But I don’t hate it. Delia’s voice reminds me of Ashley Flowers’ but with a southern twang. Which is to say, that I like listening to it.

THE DECK (host Ashley Flowers)
It doesn’t have the same vibe as Crime Junkie because there’s no Brit. But it’s still good to listen to & get your true crime fix in.

GILMORE GUYS
This is what it sounds like. Guys talking about every episode of Gilmore Girls in detail. It really works when you watch an episode of Gilmore Girls then listen to the corresponding podcast episode. Since I haven’t given GG a re-watch in some time, this got put on the back-burner for me until I realized they covered Amy Sherman-Palladino’s new show, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. I started listening to the recent episodes that covered season 4 of Mrs. Maisel and loved hearing people discuss one of my favorite shows!

GUILTY PLEASURES
This is hilarious. It’s just a great way to kill time and laugh. Each member of the show picks a movie they love that they feel is a guilty pleasure & they all have to watch it then talk about it for an episode. I love it. Obviously, it’s better if you know the movie they’re referring to but you’re not too lost if you haven’t seen it.

FUNNY CUZ IT’S TRUE with Elyse Myers
As with the rest of the world, I’m obsessed with Elyse Myers (of TikTok). She is a gem and I was so excited for her podcast. If you don’t know who she is, get yourself on TikTok and look her up.

I’m happy to report I listen to podcasts almost every work day now. If my daughter didn’t love music so much, I’d even listen to them in the car but she’d start screaming so that’s a non-starter. i honesty never thought I’d be at this point where I’m actively seeking out new material. It’s fun finding enjoyment in something that I previously thought was so foreign and hard to break into.

Do you listen to podcasts? What are you favorites? Have I enticed you to start listening if you haven’t already?

Hocus Pocus 2 Watch Party

A TV with a still from Hocus Pocus 2 ready to play the movie on Disney+

I don’t know many millennials who weren’t DYING to see Hocus Pocus 2. We have been waiting (in my case at least), our entire lives for a sequel. So when the release date was announced, I knew I had to gather our friends and throw a movie night.

It just so happened that my dear husband’s birthday was 4 days later so I wrapped his celebration into the party, too: I’ve Put a Spell on You… and Now You’re 31! He only complained a little that his party was halloween themed.

The initial plan was to sit outside under the stars and watch the movie on a projector while we’re all covered up in blankets & drinking hot chocolate. But the night before the party, the forecast said we’d be under the cover of rain clouds, not stars. So, we went to Plan B which was to shove all of us into the living room & get cozy.

Of course, because we planned to be inside, it only rained a little & we totally could have sat outside. C’est la vie.

A sideboard table decorated with pumpkins, candy dishes, & purple twinkle lights. There’s a handwritten sign saying “Thirty” taped on a gold “one” decoration.

I have to say, I’m pretty proud with how everything came together.

A charcuterie board with 3 cheese faces resembling the Sanderson sisters.

I made a Sanderson Sisters charcuterie board & we made cauldron cakes. We had beef stew for dinner with freshly baked bread. We served apple cider & crock-pot hot chocolate. There was candy & popcorn, too. Can you tell I love Halloween? And movie nights?

Chocolate cupcake with green buttercream frosting & Halloween sprinkles. Topped with a little chocolate bat.

As for the movie itself, I really liked it. I love the little Sanderson sisters and all the references to the first movie. The storyline is much better written than the first. I’m glad they didn’t just slack on the writing because it was something they knew would get views regardless. They 100% set it up for the possibility of a third movie. I hope they take advantage of the hype and make it before another 29 years goes by.

Did you watch Hocus Pocus 2 the weekend it came out? What did you love about it?

Perfect October Reads

I love reading books that correspond with the season. It makes everything feel like it’s coming together. If you love that too, grab your Pumpkin Spice Latte and cozy up with one of these perfect autumn books.

Feeling Witchy?
The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling (romance)
Payback’s A Witch by Lana Harper (romance)
The Physick Book of Delieverance Dane by Katherine Howe (historical fiction)

Full Body Chills:
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (YA)
The Death of Mrs. Westaway – Ruth Ware
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

Frankenstein retelling anyone?
The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White (YA)

Atmospheric Autumn Vibes
Spells for Forgetting- Adrienne Young
Pumpkin Heads by Rainbow Rowell (YA Graphic Novel)
Sign Here by Claudia Lux
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

And as a bonus, some children’s books:
Pig the Monster by Aaron Blabey
Gustavo the Shy Ghost by Flavia Z Drago
The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt by Riel Nason

What’s your favorite spooky season read? I know there’s a bunch I missed but I wasn’t too inspired this year. My October picks were Spells for Forgetting, Sign Here, & Payback’s A Witch (and all three children’s books because of my daughter).