The majority of the book, you know none of the characters' names, with the exception of protagonist Laurelie. The only time the reader really even learns anyone's name is via dialogue, which is few and far between. There's something to be said in how the book is written that way - again, it obviously has a deeper meaning that I'm not quite ready to explore. But overall, it was a very interesting concept.





Forbes Riley is obviously an incredibly talented writer. This book was written beautifully, but I didn't feel invested enough to care about digging beneath the surface of the story. And I was left wanting by the ending - feeling a bit confused even. But for those who are fans of literature and literary devices, this may be one you'll want to jump into.








*I received this book free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions, as always, are 100% my own.

For the past five years, I've been working at the same institution. And that institution happened to be my alma mater. I was comfortable and content. I loved it there. But in order to grow, I stepped a bit out of my comfort zone into a new role of a place that's wonderful. Because of the change, (and let me tell you - I hate change) I am stressed, okay. Not to mention, having to recreate this comfortable space that becomes mine. I mean, you're at work almost more waking hours a week than at home, so that space should feel good, right?

So I've been trying to get into this new space with things that make me happy. And I've been trying to gauge those feelings of stress and anxiety in a happy, healthy way. Keep reading for what I've been doing to alleviate stress and what I've added to my list of work day must-haves.



Stress Relief Tactics 

I've been walking. The new institution I'm working out is gorgeous, so I'm having a fun time exploring it and discovering all it's little quirks. The city is new to me, as well, so I'm getting tons of outside walking in, which has been wonderful. I've been closing my Apple Watch rings every day, which never used to happen. I've definitely got to keep up the momentum.


Making new connections, and keeping up with old connections. Thank goodness for the internet - I've been able to keep up connections with my old colleagues, who are my friends. I've also purposely been trying to make new connections with my new colleagues. I am a whole-hearted believer in the feeling of belonging and how important it is to the space you're in. So I'm working on that.


I've also been keeping some new Stressballs Day in my desk drawer. These new gummies are so cool - they're an all-natural herbal supplement product rooted in stress management. They're a drug-free, habit-free herbal blend remedy. Stressballs Day provide the opportunity to destress naturally, while also helping me to focus. They also keep me energized without needing anymore caffeine on top of all the coffee I drink.




Thankfully, there are also Stressballs Night, which are perfect for those nights when my brain will not stop. I tend to get pretty bad anxiety, and sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night without the capability to get back to sleep. My mind races and I get so jittery. The Stressballs Night calm my nerves and help me get a good night's sleep without any next-day grogginess.

Interested in learning more about Stressballs? Hover over the picture below to link straight over to the products on Walmart.com.







Work Day Essentials


Salt-stone lamp. It's one of the first things I set up/plugged in when I moved into my new office. They're natural air purifiers and can relieve headaches, which I'm prone to when staring at a computer all day. The one of have plugs straight into my computer via USB, but you can find them in all sizes!





Books. All the books I bought for grad school reside on my office bookshelf. It screams, "hello, I know what I'm talking about," but also I have read those books - so I am smart and I know what I'm talking about.


Credentials and awards. I still haven't received my Master's diploma yet, but once I do, I'll have my undergraduate and graduate degrees hung up, alongside several awards I've won over the past few years.






Personal touches. From miniature Harry Potter figurines to family photos and memorabilia from my previous job, these fun pieces make me feel at home and make me feel so happy. My job also relies on me building rapport with different individuals and sharing with them about myself so we can relate on more personal levels. This definitely helps with that.


A water bottle, tea, and a mug. Most places these days try to be sustainable, so reusable water bottles are preferable to plastic ones. And tea is a great pick-me-up mid-afternoon.






And as mentioned above, I definitely keep my Stressballs in my desk to get me through any slumps or nervous spells. Keep in mind they're only available at Walmart, online or in-store on the vitamin aisle.

TW: Infidelity, financial issues, death, some talk of PTSD



I was so kindly gifted The Printed Letter Bookshop from Booksparks to participate in the #ReadAroundTown challenge, which was so fun getting to try new ways to take photos and I have to say I absolutely love the picture above. It's one of my favorites I've taken lately.

I was pleasantly surprised by this sweet novel, which features a fun, flawed set of characters: Madeline, Janet, and Claire. After inheriting her beloved aunt's treasured bookshop, Madeline intends to sell it right away. Her relationship with her aunt was strained, and she's way too busy to try to deal with her inheritance and all that's come along with it. But Janet and Claire have been running the bookstore for weeks, and they're not quite ready to let go.

I really enjoyed getting to know each of the characters within their own designated chapters. They were each highly flawed, but likable in their own ways. It was interesting seeing their perceptions of each other, which was a friendly reminder you "can't judge a book by its cover," which is fitting because this book is filled with sprinkles of bookish goodies and easter eggs.




The book was written from the different perspectives of Madeline, Janet, and Claire - which is a format I tend to love, but found it a bit confusing in this book. Each chapter featured a shorter subchapter from each woman, which I felt didn't really give enough time to get into their section of the story, so I did get confused a lot and would have to double-check whose perspective I was reading. Additionally, I wasn't a fan of the picture perfect ending, but as a sweet chick-lit novel, I guess everything's meant to be a bit sugarcoated.

I'd also take note that this novel is a bit Christian. It's not a blatantly in-your-face religious novel, but there are a few bits of Christianity sprinkled in, for anyone that may not enjoy that genre (or for those who are very excited about that genre).


Goodreads rating: ★★★★☆



















*Thanks to Booksparks for this free review copy. All opinions, as always, are 100% my own.

The Birds That Stay* by Ann Lambert ★★★★☆
Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge Prompt: A book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover

Brief synopsis: After an old woman is found dead in her garden, suspected homicide, Chief Inspector Roméo Leduc takes on the case. Meanwhile, Marie Russell, a fairly close neighbor, is dealing with the sell of her childhood home and her mother's worsening dementia. Yet her mother's failing memory sparks something that may be a clue in the old women's death. Through a series of intermingled stories, secrets are unburied, and the old women's death may just be the tip of the iceberg.

Overall thoughts: This is the first novel in a new series of detective novels and I really enjoyed this one. I felt it was incredibly character-heavy, which was hard to follow at times, but this book had a good mix thriller, crime, and historical fiction. Full review here.




Lock Every Door* by Riley Sager ★★★★★
Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge Prompt: A book featuring an amateur detective

Brief synopsis: This novel follows Jules, a 20-something in NYC with no family, a crappy ex-boyfriend, and no job. When she comes across a Craigslist ad that directs her to her dream apartment (also setting of her favorite novel), it seems too good to be true. For three months and $12,000, all Jules needs to do is apartment-sit. But there are some weird stipulations that her best friend is totally creeped out about, and the apartment building does have a kind of mysterious past. They say if it's too good to be true, it probably is. And that may just be the case in this situation.

Overall thoughts: I've read all of Sager's books and they each get better and better. This one has been my favorite yet. It reinforces how great of writer Sager is - his writing is beautiful, haunting, and pulls you in, but it's easy to read instead of being incredibly dense and difficult to navigate. Just when I thought I'd had this book figured out, something new would pop up. And the character development? Out of this world! Full review here.





The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak ★★☆☆☆
Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge Prompt: A book revolving around a puzzle or game

Brief synopsis: The novel focuses on 14-year old Billy and his group of misfit friends (Alf and Clark), who are attempting any and everything they can in order to get their hands on a copy of the newest edition of Playboy - the one with Vanna White on the cover. In their attempt to get the magazine, Billy meets Mary, a 14-year old computer programming girl who he immediately likes but is too embarrassed to tell his friends, so instead becomes involved in a plan to use her to get what they want.

Overall thoughts: With an 80s setting full of computer science and gaming geekery, I thought I would love this book. There's even a fat girl gamer, but this book is full of fat-shaming and harsh, hard jokes that were really harmful. And the wrap up? It doesn't make it any better whatsoever. Full review here.




Little Lovely Things* by Maureen Joyce Connolly ★★★★☆
Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge Prompt: N/A

Brief synopsis: This book follows Claire, a wife and mother to two young girls, who is working on her doctorate program residency. After a required vaccine causes an allergic reaction in Claire on her way to take her daughters to childcare for the day, she wakes up on the floor of a gas station bathroom with her car and children missing. The story takes place over the immediate weeks and years following the kidnapping/car theft, and the impact of those involved.

Overall thoughts: This novel was intriguing and terrifying and at times, sickening. I enjoyed the genre-bending (is it thriller? is it literary?) and the mash of cultures in the story, but reading a book about POC writen by a White woman can be really cringey. Full review here.




How Not to Die Alone by Richard Roper ★★★★☆
Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge Prompt: N/A

Brief synopsis: This novel follows Andrew, a 40-something government employee who scavenges homes after individuals die alone with seemingly no close friends or relatives. For the past five years, he's worked in the same role, with the same people - who all believe him to be happily married with children. So, when he becomes close to a new co-worker, he begins to feel guilty about his family, because well, they don't exist.

Overall thoughts: This novel was really laugh-out-loud funny, but I kind of disliked the characters, especially the main character, a lot. He was so incredibly selfish! But I very much enjoyed Roper's writing - it was beautiful and smart, and I'll certainly read his writing again.  Full review here.




'Salem's Lot by Stephen King ★★★★★
Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge Prompt: A book with a two-word title

Brief synopsis: Set in 1970s Jerusalem's Lot, Maine, the novel focuses on writer Ben Mears, a young man who returns to the Lot 20 some-odd years after last living there to find inspiration for a new book he's writing. After a series of weird happenings take place, Ben gathers a motley crew of folks to fight the evil in 'Salem's Lot - an English teacher, an artist, a priest, a doctor, and a pre-teen boy.

Overall thoughts: Classic King. Classic horror. This book is terrifying, but a bit dense (which is totally to be expected from King). I appreciated the full-out horror, instead of the sexual lust that seems to accompany current-day vampire novels (though I do enjoy those, too). Full review here.












* denotes I received a copy free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own.

Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge Prompt: A book with a two-word title


TW: Death, graphic violence, infidelity, harm to children, harm to animals, misogyny



It can feel a bit silly reviewing a Stephen King novel when so many have read them - I mean, they've been around for decades. Especially a classic like 'Salem's Lot, which I feel like everyone has already read. There are two things that surprised me about the book that I didn't know, but felt I should have: 'Salem is short for Jerusalem, and this is a book about vampires. My sister and I had attended a talk about vampires last fall and 'Salem's Lot was one of the major foci of the chats, which encouraged me to read the book. I mean, I would've read it anyways, but it gave me a bit of a push.


Set in 1970s Jerusalem's Lot, Maine, the novel focuses on writer Ben Mears, a young man who returns to the Lot 20 some-odd years after last living there to find inspiration for a new book he's writing. After a series of weird happenings take place, Ben gathers a motley crew of folks to fight the evil in 'Salem's Lot - an English teacher, an artist, a priest, a doctor, and a pre-teen boy.


I love all the King novels I've read so far, and this one is not an exception. Though the storylines can get dense, the character development is never lacking and the storytelling is always beyond exceptional. I've noticed that sometimes the character descriptions and judgements can be problematic, but I think that may just be further ode to King's writing and storytelling. I don't think the descriptions are necessarily his thoughts and his feelings, but those of the characters in the chapters or in those parts of the story.





Of course, King's novels are typically the product of their time. Misogyny is definitely not lacking. There's tons of slut-shaming and women doing just what they're told. But again, it may be more of the perception of those characters of the scene. Though it is a bit uncomfortable.

Anyways, this story is terrifying. It's not a modern-day vampire book with a mixture of horror and sex. This is true horror and left me with some nightmares.

I also enjoyed some little easter eggs - for example, the usage of "he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts" which is what Bill repeats in It to help his stutter. Like I said, King is basically a genius.


Goodreads rating: ★★★★★