April Happenings (2020)

It’s time for my monthly update post…Happy Leap Day! The second month of 2020 is already over…

I’m sharing a few updates on what I’m reading, blogging about, and what I’m eating and watching.

April Happenings

on the bookshelf

Currently reading: Stay With Me by Becky Wade

Recent additions to my TBR/shelf I’m super excited about: Hadley Beckett’s Next Dish by Bethany Turner, The Little Bookshop of Love Stories by Jaimie Admans, When I Lost My Way by Jennifer Rodewald, Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey by Abigail Wilson.

on the blog

Most visited new reviews:

  1. The Lost Lieutenant by Erica Vetsch
  2. The Lost Letter by Mimi Matthews
  3. Kings Falling by Ronie Kendig

Other popular posts:

  1. Top Ten Tuesday: 11 Titles That Would Make Good Band Names
  2. First Line Fridays # 32: Take a Chance on Me by Becky Wade
  3. Spotlight + Excerpt: “The Thorn Keeper” by Pepper Basham Birthday Blog Tour

on the screen

I’ve been watching all the WWII related dramas. So far, I’m enjoying the PBS WWII drama World on Fire. It has an almost-too-big cast (many little plots to follow), but it’s following interesting events early on in the war.

I also loved the TV movie The Windermere Children, based on true life Jewish refugee children in post-war England. I rewatched Operation Finale, too.

in the kitchen

I love all things ITALIAN. Lately, I’ve made my first homemade meatballs (recipe here) and found that they freeze well! And, thanks to my PBS watching and America’s Test Kitchen, I discovered the Torta Caprese AKA a flourless chocolate cake make with whipped eggs and almond flour. It had just the right balance of gooey and light texture.

Your turn! Tell me: what have you been reading, watching, and eating this month?

February Happenings

Happy Leap Day! The second month of 2020 is already over…

It’s been a while since I’ve done any type of “monthly recap” post. I posted these regularly in 2017-18, but time & other factors caused me to get out of the habit. SO! I would like to revive them with a few format changes. I plan to post at the end of each month with a few updates on what I’m reading, blogging about, and maybe what I’m eating and watching.

on the bookshelf

Currently reading: If For Any Reason by Courtney Walsh

Recent additions to my TBR/shelf I’m super excited about: Kings Falling by Ronie Kendig, Chasing the White Lion by James R. Hannibal, and Becky Wade’s new (free!) novella Take a Chance on Me.

on the blog

Most visited new reviews:

  1. Review & Interview: The Winter Companion by Mimi Matthews
  2. The Solid Grounds Coffee Co. by Carla Laureano
  3. Follow the Dawn by Rachelle Rea Cobb

Other popular posts:

  1. Favorite Quotes from The Blue Castle
  2. First Line Fridays # 31: The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner
  3. Favorite Quotes from Persuasion

on the screen

howard's end still

I finished watched some great British drama this month, including the one and only season of Sanditon and the newest Howard’s End miniseries. I enjoyed them both. I know Sanditon is polarizing, especially with its ending, but I liked it and think it ended with enough hope. Now I need more Theo James in period dramas! Howard’s End was the first rendition of this classic I’ve ever seen, so its story ups and downs were fresh and interesting. I really really loved Margaret, though I didn’t always like the choices of the other characters and the way they drove parts of the story.

Fun movies I watched for the first time include Larry Crowne (Tom Hanks-starring and directed, hilarious “normal life” humor) and Timeline (GERARD. BUTLER. on a horse.).

in the kitchen

I had some amazing raspberry oat bars from Whole Foods I’m scheming to recreate in my kitchen. I have a couple online recipes and the ingredients list. I’m going to science!

Grocery store adventures: I can’t find buckwheat flour anywhere local. Buckwheat pancake and waffle mix, yes. Buckwheat groats, yes. I’m wanting to make the Buckwheat Blueberry Breakfast cake from this novel.

I DID make crepes a couple days ago, using Alton Brown’s recipe from his Good Eats show. I posted a pic on Twitter… and Alton tweeted back! I kinda fangirled over the kitchen nerdiness of it all.

Your turn! Tell me: what have you been reading, watching, and eating this month?