Show Us Your Books Link-Up

Hello! This is my first 

Show Us Your Books link-up 

since the move...and of 2016! 

Honestly, until looking back at last month's post I did not realize that I actually read a decent bit over the holidays.

1. Modern Romance, by Aziz Ansari & Eric Klinenberg
1. ★★★★ (4)
2. I really enjoyed this book. If you are looking for something that is just Aziz doing bits about modern romance, don't read it. He actually partners with some psychologists/sociologists and looks at studies to prove his points. There are some fun personal descriptions but there are statistics involved. As a psych major, I loved it and really felt this added to the overall examination of romance in the 21st century. But some people do not like it, so just know what you are getting into.
3. Also, this book further solidifies the fact that I am SO GLAD I got married at 18. Dating sounds like the actual worse. 

1. Whiskey Rebellion, by Liliana Hart
1.  ★★★
2.  I don't really remember why or how I got this book- I'm thinking maybe it was Nook Free Friday? I started reading it mainly because I had my iPad and I have all these books that I never read on there because I just keep downloading free things without necessarily doing a quality check #NeedToStop
3. This book was good, not great. The writing wasn't the best, and at first I thought it was going to be pretty fluffy and stereotypical...and to some extent, it was.
4. Lots of sexy talk (but almost no actual sex), lots of Southern stereotypes, and a protagonist who is basically a friggin' mess.
5. Overall, it was good but not great. Actually better than I originally expected, and I would definitely read more of it when I want to read something that isn't super heavy (somewhat similar to how I felt to the Stephanie Plum books)

1. Eleanor & Park, by Rainbow Rowell
1. ★★★★⋆ (4.5)
2. Why do I keep thinking Ranobow Rowell is just going to be a cute, fun YA novel? It never is. There is always so much heart and meaning in her stories...
3. Basically, I love this. Great characters, great first loves, but not easy. Like, I love love love it. 

1. The Wettest County in the World: A Novel based on a True Story, by Matt Bondurant
1. ★★★
2.  So, I liked this story but didn't love it. Knowing the specific history of that region/trial/writer would probably have helped peak my interest sooner. That being said, I think a lot of time was spent trying to really create this world- down on their luck community, really tough men, hard lives, etc. Not saying I have experienced this, but I personally didn't feel like I needed that much background to build the story. It was more buildup than actual story in a lot of ways.
3. Also, it took way to long to realize the book did not go in chronological order but instead leaped back and forth, picking one story up for a bit then heading back and circling around. I partly blame myself for this, but it made a large chunk of the story hard to follow.
4. This book was one I got from B&N in the clearance section, and has been on my IRL TBR list forever so this hit a 2016 Reading Goal!  

 

 
 

1. Black Boy, by Richard Wright
1.  ★★★⋆ (3.5)
2. This book hit two of my 2016 Reading Goals- my diversity reading challenge (character of color on cover, and IRL TBR). I can't remember where I picked this up, but I felt like it was one of those I've heard of a lot and should have read.
3. Overall it was good. It took a little bit to get into, and there were some chunks that I just didn't feel were needed- somewhat descriptive or metaphorical (like lists of a dozen metaphors or notations).
4. However, it was really interesting to read something from this viewpoint and time period (young boy in the Jim Crow South). This past year was full of racial tension and reading this book actually puts a lot of that in context. Especially as a millennial, I think it's easy to forget how we got to where we are when it comes to race relations. I feel like reading this brought me back to a place where I could potentially participate in a conversation about race more positively and fairly.

1. A Madness So Discreet, by Mindy McGinnis
1. ★★★★⋆ (4.5)
2.  This is one of my favorite books that I've read in quite a while. I loved it in the way I loved Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. It was a unique story (more realistic than MPHfPC, but still a very unique viewpoint). 
3. MINOR SPOILER**************************I had to put this down when I first tried to read it last December, because there is a miscarriage pretty early on in the book. Normally I can handle this as a part of life, but after experiencing a miscarriage myself and currently being pregnant it was just a little too heavy for me. Maybe it was just a hormone change, maybe it helped that I could now feel my baby girl kicking away as I tried again, but I'm glad I pushed past this because the book got...not lighter, necessarily, but the issues went in a different direction. I couldn't have handled a book ALL about loosing a baby, which it thankfully wasn't. SPOILER OVER********
4. I'm not going to say a lot about this book, because it's one where if I say anything I'll just go on and on and on. But I highly recommend.

 What did you read this past month? Link-up & share!

Currently...

Currently, I am...

listening to:

Season 6 of Parenthood

eating:

Crockpot Chicken Salsa

drinking:

Water

wearing:

Maternity clothes, and I LOVE IT

feeling:

too sniffly and itchy

wanting:

to lay down and maybe drink some orange juice

needing:

to start bring my allergy meds to work

thinking:

only 3 more hours left of work

enjoying:

the fact that I can crank out a blog post & watch Netflix while still being pretty dang productive at work

Random Pregnancy Thoughts

My pregnancy has been, thankfully, pretty smooth. Still, my life (not to mention body) are clearly a little bit different now. Here are some of the random musings I've had regarding life in general as a preggo:

• I did not realize that the size/shape of preggo bellies didn't stay the same.
  
  • I really thought it just morphed into a ball and then slowly grew bigger. This is not accurate- my stomach can look pretty different one day to the next, depending on where this baby decides to hang out. And I am not a particularly tall person or have a particularly tall waist, so I can only imagine the variations women with a longer torso face.

• It's kind of fun to play "Where's the baby?" 
• I do it all the time. I'm not one of those people who can tell if I'm feeling a foot or a head, etc, but there are definite spots in my stomach where it's obvious there is something other than just fat.

• People commenting on your weight does get old...and I'm sure I still have LOTS more to go. 
• It's tough because yes, while pregnant you are supposed to get big but that doesn't mean you want to just eat everything and gain ALL THE WEIGHT...there is a healthy balance only it's much much harder to control than when you aren't pregnant. I try to take it with a smile and view it as a good thing- baby is growing! Also, pregnant women complaining about getting bigger is such a drag, and I know that-it's bound to happen, but let's just put it this way- no matter how ridiculous or drastic the physical appearance of a pregnant woman may appear to you, I assure you SHE is aware of it and does not need you to point it out. The best option is to say "You look cute!" or if you don't think she looks cute, bypass physical judgement all together and just say you hope everyone is happy and healthy.

• Also, do you know how many times I have been told to take care of the baby as we leave a place? 
• It's apparently what you say to a preggo. Which I get, kinda, but also...do people really feel this is necessary? Like, if you don't say it, I'm going to start chugging whiskey and bungee jumping?

• Oh, and we've officially reached the part of the pregnancy where I miss booze. 
• Made it about halfway and then realized what all I'm missing.

• I'm finally feeling movement! Like, for sure movement. 
• It's nice. Everyone has been asking me for weeks, even though I knew it was still really early. Can't lie, it's a pretty cool thing. 

• Maternity clothes rule.
• Some people apparently have issues with maternity clothes. They keep saying to just buy regular clothes in bigger sizes. I've heard everything from "They're too expensive, I can't afford shipping and nothing in my small town offers maternity clothes, they come in ugly weird patterns, I want something I can wear after delivery..." All of these statements are bullshit, OK? 
• I've spent maybe $100 on my maternity stuff, which includes two pairs of jeans and 5-7 shirts. Everything is pretty close to my normal style and I didn't pay shipping for anything (even though I did order half of it online). Now, I have been incredibly blessed that people have given me clothes so I haven't really bought a ton for myself (definitely asked for maternity clothes for Christmas presents). But if I was buying "regular" clothes in larger sizes I would have spent probably the same if not more...and they probably wouldn't have been as cute if I was shopping off the clearance rack! These clothes are made specifically for a pregnant body, which as I already said changes in VERY weird ways. I'd rather have clothes that specifically show I'm preggo versus making me look like I'm wearing too big clothes because I'm just becoming overweight. Maybe that's just me, maybe it's bitchy...but that's how I feel.
• And if you are planning on staying large after birth...why does it matter if you're wearing large regular clothes or large maternity clothes? If anything, wouldn't having maternity clothes as the only thing that fits be motivation to drop the baby weight? This is probably the part where it becomes obvious that I'm a first-time mom and ignorant about these things...but oh well. We are who we are sometimes.

• I can still do a lot, I just pay for it the next day.
• I sound like an old man, but it's true. Yesterday we spent literally all day (except for lunch & dinner breaks) putting up decals in the baby's room. I did it...but I was hurting by the end of the day. Not like a worrisome way...but the my hips hurt and my arms hurt and my stomach hurts from where she was pushing on it (which she loves to do, also in my ribs, to the point where it feels almost bruised if I touch it from the outside). Basically, I needed to go lay down...which is really the only truly comfortable position a lot of the time (and yes, I know, I'm not even at the really bad part yet).