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May 2017: Recap + On My Shelves


May was a special month full of celebrations, adventures and sweet memories. I had a hard time choosing my top four loves for the month because of it! I hope that's a sign of good things to come this summer.

1. My Baby Turned One - I can't believe that my baby is a one year old! This boy has been such a blessing and a bright spot in our lives. He's changed our family for the better, and I'm so thankful that God chose us to be his parents. We had a Puppy Paw-ty to celebrate, and it was a hit! He is one loved little boy and so worth the wait.

2. Visiting the Zoo + Aquarium - On my boy's first birthday, Nick and I took him to the Atlanta Zoo for the first time. He loved pointing to the elephants and pandas, but I think the carousel was his favorite part. Then, we took him to the Georgia Aquarium on my brother's birthday, and he loved getting up close to the glass.

3. Family Photos + Walking - We had family photos taken at the beginning of May, and they turned out amazing! I am so thankful for the talented photographer, Michele Zakeri, who captured our boy's personality so perfectly. And I decided to do two-for-one with this love because the photo worked: we have a walker! 

4. Little Bitty Kitty - At the very end of May, my brother finally got to pick up his brand-new Bengal cat. Her name is Bitty, and she's a beauty. I'm not a cat person, and even I can't help but love her! She's still shy and getting used to her new home, but my boy already obsessed with her. He can't wait to be her friend.

Read 7 Books | Favorites:
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn
The Memory Book by Lara Avery
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
“Only you can decide what breaks you, Cursebreaker. Only you.”
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

“I believe that everything happened, exactly the way it had to... so I could find you.”
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

“Then your mom forced you to join a club, and debate team was the first table at the fair.
(I wish it were more epic than that.) Anyway, everything changed. The brain you used to employ
memorizing species of aliens you used instead to memorize human thought, events, ways of thinking
that connected your tiny house in the mountains to a huge timeline, one just as full
of injustice and triumph and greed as the stories you craved, but one that was real.”
The Memory Book by Lara Avery

“We lingered inside our fragile bubble of happiness, the kind of happiness that sits
on top of melancholy as easily as icing on a cake. I didn't want to leave it.”
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
In May, I started off the month with my April 2017 recap. Then, I talked about my recent binge read of The Bone Season, The Mime Order and The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon. Things started off a little shaky, but I was in love by the end! Then, I talked about a duology that I fell in love with recently: Disruption and Corruption by Jessica Shirvington. I thought I was tired of dystopian novels, but these books definitely reminded me of why I loved the genre. I got to write one of my favorite yearly posts: ten reads for summer getaways! I had so much fun pairing five summer destinations with the books I'd want to read there and with some adorable bags + goodies. Finally, I recapped what I read in April with my Quick Lit: April 2017 post. 
1. 17 Books Everyone Will Be Talking About This Summer and The 2017 Summer Reading Guide by Anne from Modern Mrs. Darcy - Are you surprised to see posts from Anne Bogel on my list? I'm in love with all of the content on her blog, but the book lists definitely top the list. I always look forward to her reading guides!

2. Teaching Them to 'Plot Twist' by Ashley from Under the Sycamore - I've been following Ashley's blog for a little while for the photography tips (learning on how to use my fancy camera is on my never-ending to do list) but had to bookmark this sweet post about teaching her kids to be flexible and go with the flow.

3. Why I Was Wrong About the Planner Life by Kelly from Belle of the Literati - Did I bookmark partly so I could gloat and say "I TOLD YOU SO!" to Kelly? Hmm... maybe. All joking aside, I loved having her visit and being able to introduce her to my newfound Happy Planner obsession. I love being her life coach!


Favorite Album #1: After Laughter by Paramore
I was so pleasantly surprised by this album! I was a huge fan of Paramore in college,
but I didn't love their last album. Thankfully, this one is a winner! I can't stop listening to it.


Favorite Album #2: Harry Styles by Harry Styles 
I never really listened to One Direction, aside from when they came on the radio,
but I heard so much hype for this album that I had to check it out. And it really is great!

Anne with an E (2017) starring Amybeth McNaulty - I couldn't wait for this show to hit Netflix, even though I had a feeling it wouldn't compare to the book or the original series. I enjoyed it, but only if I mentally separated it from my Anne. It takes a lot of liberties with the source material - some I could understand and some I found completely baffling. I loved many of the actors, however, and am still glad I watched it. 


Girlboss (2017) starring Britt Robertson and Ellie Reed - I wasn't interested in this show until Cassie mentioned that she was hooked on it, so I decided to give it a shot. And my goodness, talk about an unexpected obsession! I loved watching this series and thought it was so well done. Despite the fact that the heroine was often so unlikeable, I was still rooting for her. How? I have no idea. Maybe it was the magic of Britt Robertson.


La La Land (2016) starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling - I was so hyped for this movie but never got a chance to see in in theaters. When Emma Stone won the Oscar for Best Actress, it just added to my excitement. I loved these two in Crazy Stupid Love, so I had high hopes for the pairing. Unfortunately, I was sooo bored watching it. I'm not a huge musical person, which might have been part of the problem. So disappointing!


Cristela Alonzo: Lower Classy (2017), Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King (2017), Katherine Ryan: In Trouble (2017), and Ali Wong: Baby Cobra (2016) - I have no idea how I ended up binging a bunch of stand-up comics. It's so far from what I normally watch! My favorite was Hasan Minhaj, which I'll re-watch in the future. Ali Wong was my least favorite (though I loved parts) because I skipped a bunch that was just too vulgar. And I laughed the hardest at Katherine Ryan's line: Yeah, but you aren't normal... you're ordinary. It's different.” 

Hot Off the Press: A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas, The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein, Maud by Melanie J. Fishbane and Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han

Bookstore Browsing: Here Goes Nothing by Kendra Broekhuis and The Magic of Motherhood by Ashlee Gadd




Alexa: The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord, The Traitor's Kiss by Erin Beaty and When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon

For Review: Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal, The Alice Network by Kate Quinn and The Whole Way Home by Sarah Creech



Kindle: A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas, Mr. Rochester by Sarah Shoemaker and The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny

NetGalley: Serenity Harbor by RaeAnne Thayne

4 comments

  1. Happy birthday to your little boy!! So exciting that's he's walking -- good luck keeping up with him -- HOW do toddlers have so much energy? Mine is 2 and I've been asking this question for a year now LOL

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  2. My feelings about Anne with an E are pretty similar. The cast was great and it was beautifully shot, and while for the first few episodes I was OK with the changes, it just got to be too much at the end! If they had made all the same changes but set it in modern day I think I would have liked it better.

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  3. I can't believe your baby boy is one already! He is sooo adorable. Happy birthday to him :)

    Also, I'm so sad to hear you're not into musicals!!! I loved the music in La La Land, but I didn't care too much for the story.

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  4. Yay for baby boy turning one! (How is he one already? Time is flying by so fast.) Also, I have always loved Bengal cats so I think it's awesome your brother got one!

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