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Hello to all of my happy readers!!!
January was FULL of fun for me! I took my oldest to the Seahawks/Jets game. The seats were outstanding because it was his Christmas present. We had such a nice time. It was just the two of us, such a lovely day together. Then, the first week of January - my 18-year-old AJ wanted to go to a furry convention in Seattle. So, that was his present and we went to that and I had an unexpectedly good time. It was really nice to see my kiddo in his element, doing his thing.
Wooohooooo! Time off was simply lovely! I shall bore you with the details. Jaycee, Amberly, and I took off on Sunday afternoon after the shop closed and we headed to Portland. We did all of the things: we ate food, we read books, we listened to books, we bought books, we discussed books. Hahaha! So we did what we do here, but in another town. I had such a lovely time. We really feel like we made good choices and stayed safe, and we visited new parts of Portland and I really enjoyed that. I also got a new tattoo. And as it warms up, you will see more of that. When I got home I rested and then I started de-cluttering my spaces and cleaning parts of my house. It was such a fulfilling experience. I felt very at peace with this-- creating purposeful spaces in my home, I have a new spot to do "art" things with my Janet and it is REALLY fun.
I LOVE February...I love Valentine's Day and I love LOVE, and I love Galentine's Day. My hubby and I met in February...our love story started on February 15th, 2013. We had been communicating before that and were ready to finally meet, but neither of us wanted to feel the pressure of meeting for the first time on February 14th, so the 15th was it. This year is our 10 year anniversary for meeting. NOW, do we do anything overly romantic? Absolutely not. We make a nice meal, maybe buy a wine that is not on sale, and call it good. I do love to celebrate my kiddos, cause they are my Valentines also, so I have already been gathering cards and goodies to create and send care packages to my boys. And of course my GALS...We may go and grab a drink and share some gifts with one another. I just love being the sharer of love.
This month is a little slower and I am playing all sorts of catch up in my private and professional life. So I am grateful for this time! How is it going? Not great! hahaha! My hubby and I are planning our next big trip and my heart is FULL with the excitement. We will be going back to Iceland this year for 7 days and then we are popping over to Scotland for 10 days. I AM SO ABSOLUTELY EXCITED! We booked an ice cave excursion. This is a dream trip for me. It will be over March and April time-frame. We always travel off season, we prefer to not mess with the crowds. You will be hearing more about this.
I am going to ABA (American Booksellers Association) Winter Institute 2023 in Seattle at the end of the month. This is a time for ordering, gathering and education. I am looking forward to it! I will let you all know how it goes.
This month I read The Tryout: A Graphic Novel, by Christina Soontornvat. In an effort to read more well-rounded this year, I am reading from other areas of the shop. So this title was a middle-grade read and it was awesome. Covered a lot of really important areas/issues. Perfect for a 6th or 7th grader in your life. The main character, Christina was born in Texas, but her father is from Thailand and so there are bullies, fears and discrimination that she confronts. And it is a tryout for cheerleading, in case you wanted to know. I also read Wild Is The Witch, by Rachel Griffin. This was a Young Adult (YA) novel that follows a young witch. The main character is very likable and the story is set in a world that accepts witches but they are only to use their powers in controlled, medical ways. She works in an animal reservation and a young boy works there too. He rubs her the wrong way, so she sets about casting a spell on him that she intends to submit to the earth, never to harm him but rather settle her mind. When the spell is being cast to the earth an owl swoops in and is struck with the spell and now carries it with them. So now the girl must find a way to get the spell back before something awful happens. It was a good read, a coming of age story and a little sexy. I also read Drizzle, Dreams and Lovestruck Things by Maya Prasad. This YA novel is set on Orcas. This family of 4 sisters take care of an Inn and the story is very sweet. It is told in four parts... one part for each sister. It was fun and cute to read a book about the islands.. perfect for your 11,12,13 and 14 year olds.. I would say a little youngish for much older than that. I listened to When Life Gives You Vampires by Gloria Duke and this was a really fun and sassy and sexy new take on vampires. There was also a huge body-positive message, which I greatly appreciated! The main character gets turned into a vampire and hilariously tries to navigate this new world, while the main vampire seeks to end her because she was turned illegally. Fun, exciting and an easy listen. I also listened to Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone, by Benjamin Stevenson. WOW!!! What a very fun listen! Ms. Diane on our team also read it and said she enjoyed it. It is cheeky and sassy and you think you know and have it figured out... but alas.. you don't. This is for fans of The Thursday Murder Club. Set at a ski resort and I just don't think I can tell you more!!! Just read it!
This month I plan on reading Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan. I have been a Jodi Picoult fan for ages and I am looking forward to seein what this one is about. How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix- I really enjoy this author's books, they are DARK... and I find them to be book candy!!!! I also want to read Is It Hot In Here? (Or Am I Suffering For All of Eternity for the Sins I Committed On Earth)? by Zach Zimmerman. This will be out in April of this year.. but I get to have dinner with the author at the end of the month for my book event. This one is supposed to be a laugh-out/cry-out loud book, I shall report back.
Please stay safe, happy, and healthy...Happy Reading!!
Brandy~
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