At least for now. I still really love this book series, but it’s not hitting the right mood at the moment.
Gateway to the Gods dives right in and April is telling the story. The token girl of the group (I don’t count her sister, the witch). It always takes a minute to figure out whose POV we’re on, which is kind of interesting.
Maybe I just need a longer break than a couple of books. Maybe I’ll be more motivated next summer to finish the series. The books are feeling rather repetitive. And young. I think I’m in the mood for something more mature.
With that decided, I’ve got to figure out what to read next. I’m leaning towards Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. I really want to read another Anita Blake, but it’s too soon after reading the last one. Honestly, I’m not even sure what I’m in the mood for, but I’ve got lots of options on my shelves.
Right now, I’m enjoying The Madame Blanc Mysteries on Acorn and knitting a large wrap. That’ll do until I can decide.
When our kids were babies and toddlers we went hiking several times a week from Spring through Fall and a couple of times in the Winter. We drove far and wide to all kinds of exciting places and adventures. We had a few regular trails that we got to know really well.
A clearer part of the trail.
Sometime after our big move we just stopped going. It had become such a fight. We had so many things going on. It was just too much. But we did find a trail or two we liked that are nearby.
Lake in the woods with a grille fire pit and log benches.
Now, our kids are getting into those ages where they’re going to start doing more on their own. We’ll have less and less time together as a family. My husband and I want to make sure we’re still creating memories with them before they’re gone. We can see how fast it goes.
We’ve had a lot of rain recently.
My husband and I are also getting older. We are at that stage where we need to be active and focus on our health. We have been hiking together since we met. I’m sure we’ll keep going long after the kids have moved out. These trips keep us spry.
Figuring out how to get around the large puddles.
I love watching them help each other tackle these obstacles. They definitely bicker, but they also give support, a hand, or show each other how it’s done. Our middle one gets rather grumpy. She’s not a fan of our treks. Yet everyone is in a better mood when we get home.
Nature grows in beautiful ways.
Mostly we love the quiet. No internet. No phones. No hum of electricity buzzing through the air. A person can really feel peace in the woods, amongst the trees and the breeze. A nice light meal at a picnic table covered with some blankets and then a medium paced hike through Nature. What a wonderful way to pass a Sunday afternoon.
I’m working with what I’ve got and so this beast needs to be blocked in sections. It’s going to take a while.
I’m trying to really stretch it out and break it in. This is the kind of piece that will get better with wear.
Lots of stretching here. I’m taking a hairdryer to it every couple of hours to help it along. It will be worth the wait.
This took about a week to soak, stretch, and dry. I live in a very damp area and we’ve had more rain than usual on top of that.
Finished pictures will come soon. I’m just in that phase of reconciling what I made with what I had envisioned. If I make it again, I’ll make some changes for sure, but it’s growing on me each time I wrap myself in it. It’s mostly the hood that’s bugging me.
Cerulean Sins, book 11 of the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton.
I’m greedily gulping down more Anita Blake after a short respite from reading. I can barely stop myself from skipping lines because I can’t read fast enough. I’m hungry for this story.
No other series grips me this way. I don’t ever seem to get as tangled up with fictional characters as I do with the ones in Anita’s world. I don’t feel as seen nor as utterly frustrated by any other cast. Cerulean Sins is definitely a favorite for me. The romance is filled with actual messy love that doesn’t always buckle under pressure, but often grows.
There’s Jean Claude. Who doesn’t love Jean Claude? He’s beautiful, strong, intelligent, observant, emotionally aware, and challenges people in ways that help. He’s the anchor for everything. Without him, Anita wouldn’t be the force she becomes. The most delicious slow burn romance I know of.
Micah is my next favorite. His endless acceptance is both a warm balm, and an irritating quality. He’s the least complicated addition to Anita’s life and the ease he brings her allows her to open up and explore things she couldn’t if she was always worried about him. The strength he gives her is beautiful.
Then there’s Jason. Here I get a bit of a flip. I relate to his attitude so much more than Anita’s in a lot of ways. He reminds me of who I was before I met my husband. A short span of my life that feels longer when I think about it. I love their friendship. The way they can be with each other. Both of them grow up so much. Part of it the natural course of life, part of it because of each other. Jason can talk to Anita in a way no one else can. He reminds me of friendships I have/have had.
Asher is an interesting addition. The desire to see him slide right in and feel he’s found home is palpable. As is the frustration with him in getting in his own way. Which circles back to Anita, who often gets in her own way as well. A perfect pairing. A frustrating combination.
Maybe it’s because I started reading this series at 19. Maybe it’s because I grew up trying to make my way as a petite female in many male dominated spaces. Maybe it’s just that phase in my life where I’m feeling really nostalgic and this hits the spot, but rereading these books makes me feel like I’m wrapped up in the coziest of comforters and I love every crazy and mundane moment of it all.
This is the kind of diehard romantic I am. The messy, trauma healing, personal growth, challenging, honest kind. With the many partners, it allows for a complexity not possible in a monogamous romance. I think it also makes it really easy to have emotionally present men. I have learned so much about myself reading these.
Cerulean Sins is definitely a favorite. I absolutely stayed up reading until 2am because there was no going to sleep without the comfy wrap up at the end. After all the intensity, it is some of the best closure for a series.
Bridgerton: The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn.
The ways that I love the differences in the show and the books! This is yet another series I discovered after watching and I really appreciate the two approaches.
I completely understand being attached to the books and the original stories. Julia Quinn really knows how to draw you into the characters’ lives and feel everything with them. Events unfold with enough tension to keep you invested, and enough comfort and satisfaction to be relaxing.
My only complaint about these books is the sexual inequity, but I do appreciate Quinn’s ability to really illustrate a truth of history. It makes me uncomfortable and yet, a balance of power evolves which I do find comforting.
This is where I appreciate the ability of a tv show to offer a similar story, but with changes that can happen with a visual version. Some modern twists that evoke the same emotions and allow a wider audience to enjoy the story.
This is also an ensemble cast. The books are really focused in on the main characters. Changes have to be made to allow for a different medium. I admire how well Bridgerton has done this.
I am also all for the queer representation. I am thrilled to see bisexuality on screen that feels authentic. None of it feels forced or agenda driven. It all feels organic to me.
The Viscount Who Loved Me is a wonderfully comforting read. The second season of Bridgerton was also a satisfying story. Now, for a different kind of romance…
Every few months, almost every shift in season, we seem to need a new approach to the chore chart. I’ve created many variations over the years to help keep the kids following it without much fuss.
I’m too tired from my anxiety to create a rotating weekly schedule (to keep tasks fairly distributed amongst three children). Our schedule is also more varied this time of year. Craft sticks in a cup it is.
I’ve only got five right now, which might be just fine. The kitchen could use daily attention. The kids each pick one as their task for the day to get their cellphones back from their nightly break. The youngest gets Xbox time.
Each stick has a room on it. On the fridge is a list of all the tasks that must be completed for the chore to be done. The first couple days getting back into a chore routine can feel overwhelming, but after that there’s so much less to clean each time.
And everyone feels better in a clean(-ish) house, so the arguments about chores lessen, until they just get to it on their own.
We’ll have a new one come Fall, when no one wants to clean up anymore.
It’s always a journey. The nifty thing I did with this hood doesn’t actually work, so I’m fixing it, by adding to the front. I’m just not sure moss stitch is the right choice here.
The back.
I’m definitely happy with the main part of the hood. It was fun and quick. Although, I’ve also been pretty determined. There are these mitts I want to knit., but I need to finish this first.
The wrap pile.
I’m going to sleep on it before I go any farther. I definitely don’t want sleepy me making progress that tomorrow me is just going to rip out.
(And, sure enough, I had to tink back two rows in the morning).
I had a hankering for Heartstopper and after the end of Assassin’s Blade, I needed a pick-me-up kind of story. I spent a whole day rereading the graphic novels, 1-4.
It was really nice to get reacquainted with everyone and sink back into the queer wholesomeness. I sped through each volume on a mission to rekindle some light in my life while taking breaks to tend to my real life. Kids need attention.
I have never reread so many books. I never understood it, but now, I appreciate revisiting my favorites. Repeatedly.
I stopped after volume four, not wanting to dive into the changes. I had my fill and was ready for my next read. Onto Bridgerton: The Viscount Who Loved Me.
The more I think about it, the less I care about the characters and story of A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. People say it gets better, but honestly, I’ve got so many other books to read, I don’t really have the capacity to care.
It’s how I feel about Anita Blake versus Meredith Gentry. Laurell K. Hamilton is a genius with the Anita novels. One of my top favorite series. However, I got about two or three books into the Gentry series and I just don’t care for it. I don’t always like everything an author writes.
So when a fellow reader offered to lend me the Thrown of Glass books because they absolutely are better than ACOTR, I was willing to try.
She had me start with The Assassin’s Blade, which is a prequel to the series. Absolutely superior to ACOTR. Every time I thought I’d get bored, it just lured me in deeper. I speed read a few scenes because I just couldn’t wait to see what happened next. I slowed down in some places to soak up important or sweet moments. Even when I knew what was coming, I cried pretty good when it came.
The level of predictability was comforting because my anxiety prefers to know what’s coming. But I’m also a walking contradiction, so not knowing what to expect from this new adventure was exciting. A few new spins on old ideas, which was one of the things I did like about ACOTR.
I’m looking forward to reading Throne of Glass, but a few palate cleansers are up next. I cannot plow through a series. I’ve got to mix it up so I’m fresh for the journey.
The adventure continues. I finished the wrap part of this piece and set right to work on mapping out the hood.
I sewed in all the loose ends and tightened up the corners of the armholes a bit. Then, I tried it on. This gave me a good idea of where I wanted the hood to sit.
It actually took very little time for me to establish a pattern and pick up the stitches. Guess I’ve been loosely planning it in my head for a while now, and I am repeating the basic stitches from the wrap.
It’s so heavy and comforting. Exactly the kind of piece that will come alive with some blocking and get better with use.
The Accidental Domestic Goddess 