What I Read In January

For about a minute, I thought I might be able to read 52 books in 2019, since I managed to average one a week in January. Then I realized that January was frigid, the sun was setting at 5 pm, and I was essentially hibernating. So, for now, I'm sticking with my original Goodreads goal of 30 books this year. Also, I have the Kindle Unlimited subscription which tends to influence my book choices a lot lately.

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Highland Queen: Okay. This was the 4th book in a series (The Celtic Blood Series) and holy cow did I devour those four books. I actually had to wait for this one to be published. The first book was recommended to me in Kindle Unlimited and I literally read the first three in maybe a week and a half. It's a different side of the story of Lady Macbeth. The first book gets off to a slow start, but once you really get into it, you won't be able to put it down. It's a lot of highland magic and I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who's a fan of Outlander or historical fiction in general. 

The Unbroken Line of the Moon: This one was again recommended to me by my reading history with Kindle Unlimited (legit after I finished Highland Queen it was the first suggestion.) This one was a little bit hard to keep up with, there are several "main" characters and the narration changes to that person's point of view. I only finished this one because I kept reading expecting something to happen, and the book ended. That's what happened. This one might have been a little harder for me to follow because I was less familiar with Nordic mythology than I am with Celtic, or the whole multiple narrators thing. I wouldn't tell you not to read it, but I also wouldn't tell you oh my god you have to read this one.

Crazy Rich Asians: I flew through this one. I borrowed the entire series from one of my girlfriends in physical book form. I've been reading so many Kindle books that it was a bit of an adjustment for about five minutes. This story was great, following the main character and her boyfriend through all kinds of family drama, with an unexpected twist at the end. I cannot recommend this one enough. I didn't jump on the bandwagon with everyone else, and honestly I wish I had. I loved that the characters use their native languages for certain things and that there are footnotes explaining what they mean - I learned a lot of stuff from a fun, quick read. I'm trying to wait for the movie to come on one of my streaming apps, but might bite the bullet and rent it. I definitely recommend picking this one up (if, like me, you are waaaay behind on the bandwagon) 

I mad it about halfway through China Rich Girlfriend before January ended too, but that will just have to be in the February books I read post. *Spoiler alert: I'll be reading Rich People Problems after that...* What did you read in January? Do you have something I should add to by "to be read" list (that somehow only seems to grow.)

Thirty, Flirty, and Thriving

That's a super very terribly dumb title, but I feel like I have to use it. I started to write this post on Tuesday, my actual 30th birthday, but like everything else that day, it didn't go my way. That sounds like a terribly bratty thing to say, I enjoyed the day very much (until a late night emotional breakdown, but I've been assured that everyone goes through that.) I became very overwhelmed at the prospect of turning 30. I really don't remember feeling this way about any other birthday, I couldn't tell you why 30 feels so daunting. 

So a little more than a year-long, unintentional hiatus, I've decided to come back to blogging. I've been constantly encouraged to come back by Elle, and more recently inspired by Becca. I don't imagine this will be a space for a ton of sponsored content, but I'm hoping for it to be a creative outlet. If said creative outlet can drive some extra income, who among us doesn't need help in that department? I'm excited to get back into what I used to love about blogging, before it became all tailored instagram posts and selling lightroom presets.

I've been reading a ton lately, I'm assuming it's a reaction to the cold temperatures and my natural instinct to hibernate. I'm working on a Goodreads goal of 30 books this year, which may be a bit low considering I've already finished four here in January. I am always looking for book recommendations and I'll be talking about the books I've read from time to time (read: I haven't decided if I want to commit myself to an editorial calendar or just go with the flow, so to speak).

I've also been in a bit of a musical rut lately, does anyone have any good Spotify playlists to share? I just keep listening to the same 30 or so songs, which combined with a 30 minute commute each way has gotten quite stale.

So, in summary, I'm back, I'm having the stereotypical "30" anxiety issues, and I need all of your book and music suggestions!

I Take It Personally When You Don't Give Me The Jeep Wave

A lot of things have happened lately, the most monumental of which being that my poor little Liberty had it's last run. That means that with all of my planning, I ended up buying a new car a year before I meant to. You know what they say about life and making plans. It's all been very stressful and I still have panic moments about it. But Kasey! You bought a house! That's a bigger investment! That is true, but when I bought my house I was making a rent payment anyways. A mortgage was going to be cheaper than rent! I was closer to work! My dad said when they put the paperwork in front of me, he thought I was going to puke on the poor kid selling me the car. 

ALL THE STRESS AND DRAMA ASIDE, I am finally a Jeep Wrangler owner. I forsee all of my disposable income going into this car. GUYS. I haven't even named her yet (I'm thinking this one is a lady.) All of my cars have been named after Beatles songs, my first car was Lucy, second Sadie, and most recently, Jude the Jeep Liberty. I think I really might have wasted Jude on the Liberty, but I looooved that car and drove it until the AC went out. So, baby Jeep to be named later. 

Now, I've wanted a Wrangler since my first Barbie Jeep. So I've done every bit of research you could possibly do. One of the things I was really excited about was the "Jeep Wave" Now, I am the new kid. I'm 6 days in and I haven't even been able to get it muddy yet, but I take it very personally when I don't get a wave back. 

Now, I know maybe people aren't paying attention or don't see me or are really into the Serial podcast they're listening to on their way to work, but come on guys. I can always tell the real Jeep people from the ones who bought it because it's a cool car. The ones who would NEVER get it muddy and will probably never take the top off. 

I love my new baby, so I'm sure we will have many crazy Jeep lady posts to come. What do you think I should name her?