I had a crazy month of last minute plans, an unexpected death, and going out a lot more than I normally do in winter months. I normally read more than I did, but I felt like I had more balance than normal for an unseasonably cold March.
Books I Read
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
This book is very highly rated and was part of Reese Witherspoon’s book club but I don’t think it lived up to the hype. It was very slow to begin and it was hard to read at times. It is a sad story and while I liked the ending, it felt like it took a long time to get there.
Verity by Colleen Hoover
I read this book to keep up with Bad on Paper Podcast and it was really, really good. You can definitely tell that it is written by an author who normally does romance novels, but she does thriller really well. I was completely entranced and had to read it all at once.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Another Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick that I wasn’t thrilled with. I only stuck with the book to the end because I know that Reese is planning on making it into a movie so I wanted to have read the book first. I think that the movie version of this story will be more entertaining to me.
Astrology for Happiness and Success by Mecca Woods
I bought this book after hearing about it on the By the Book podcast, and I enjoyed it. I only read the information about my sign (Taurus), but it was kind of like buying a long-form horoscope. I think the book looks cute and will mostly just sit on my bookshelf looking cute and that’s okay.
Hashtag Authentic by Sara Tasker
Since I’m not prolific on Instagram, I like reading about how other people find success on the platform. I find social media marketing to be fascinating so I really liked reading this book. It was well thought out and had many great ideas for gathering an “authentic” following online.
Shows I watched
Hanna on Amazon
I know this only came out on Friday, March 29, and yes, I have watched the whole season in 3 days. There are only 8 episodes so it’s really easy to do and I needed a distraction this weekend. It’s action packed, and well worth the time to watch the season through.
Queer Eye Season 3 on Netflix
I seriously love Queer Eye. The Fab Five is amazing and I love everything they stand for. I would watch a million episodes of this show. There is always something I can take away from an episode to apply to my life and improve my living situation. I wish everyone was as loving and supportive as the Fab Five are to their “heroes”.
The Order on Netflix
I like shows with magic and werewolves as much as the next millennial but this one gets a B rating. It was good enough where I want to know what happens in the next season, but not good enough where I’d recommend it to someone else. If you’re a superfan of fantasy teen dramas, then you’d probably like it enough to watch it.
Triple Frontier
When I watch TV with my husband, it’s normally action, Sci-Fi, comedy or some sort of fantasy related concept. This one had all the action that you’d expect from the preview, but the storyline was really badly developed. *Spoiler* Someone died, and I didn’t care because the story about that person wasn’t developed at all. It felt like, okay he died, why is everyone acting like we’re supposed to be really broken up about this?
Schitt’s Creek
Basic Bitches unite – this show is for us. This show is quick-witted, funny and Netflix has 4 seasons for you to binge. I feel like if you haven’t seen it by now, you are behind and need to catch up. It’s all over Insta/Twitter and for good reason. Even Mariah Carey tweeted about it.
Good Girls on Hulu
This show is definitely my guilty pleasure show. It feels like a bad fiction novel you wouldn’t tell anyone else you read, but you will read every sequel the author puts out. I like the dynamic between the female leads and their respective romantic interests and how they consistently look out for each other.
Local Broadway Shows I Saw
Mamma Mia! at Civic Theater
I was lucky that a friend’s date got sick and I filled in to see this wonderful show! I love the Mamma Mia movie and am so glad I got to see the play version through a local program.
Book of Mormon at Broadway Grand Rapids
I would say if you like the humor and profanity of South Park, you will love this show. I had to inform my husband a few things about Mormonism before we went (like how they don’t drink coffee, and what a mission was) which I think helped him understand the show better. They definitely make fun of Mormons, but they’re not mean about it. 100% worth the money.