One Word April Update – JOY

Lisa (of LisaNotes) has provided a place to share our experiences with our OLW (One Little Word)– to be accountable, to keep it front and centre in our lives. This is our fourth check-in:

 

My One Word April Up-date:

JOY is my OLW – a word that is needed greatly this year.

I did not do an update in March. It was a challenging month. I didn’t do much art and even reading didn’t help as much as it should have. I started with the Lenten exercises which I did enjoy, but thendid not finish them. I didn’t even turn to my gratitude journal or prayer log.

Although my hubby was finally out of hospital and was getting stronger, I developed shingles and the pain was something else. Six weeks later, it is still uncomfortable on my back.

But this past month, I got good news – my knee surgery has been scheduled for the end of May. I can see an end in sight (finally after over a year of waiting!) to the pain. I also found the warmer weather and the gardens and green grass have helped too.

And Easter arrived – how could I not be joyous, with the Easter message and time with family.

(I have not done exactly what Lisa asked of us, but here is a summary of some of the things I have done this month.)

What I am now doing:

I continue to keep my JOY canvas in a conspicuous spot so that I see it often each day.

I continue to list 3-5 things I am grateful for every day.

I continue to add to my JOY journal quotes, inspiring stories, and pictures that spark joy.

I am creating l JOY cards using my hubby’s old business cards and some art pieces I painted as backgrounds. They are fun to do.

I also started two new fun art projects, that are relaxing, easy and can be done anywhere, anytime. They are both found at iHanna’s blog:

Rainbow glue book                   En Masse glue book

I am continuing to study of Joyful by Ingrid Fetell Lee with a writing friend- a chapter or two a week, to study it in depth. So much interesting stories and ideas about how to find joy.

My favourite chapter has been “Transcendence”.  “Upward movements seem to correlate to joy:

Hot-air balloons

Bubbles

Kites

Even treehouses

I am also trying to find joy in small things – playing wordle every day and sharing results with my hubby (we have now added a Canadian version – Canuckle); reading; listening to music; face-time with family and friends; making apple crisp; looking at the growing flowers in the garden.

The newest joy, has been watching the building of a robin’s nest on our porch, on the top of the hanging ladder. This week we discovered 2 eggs. Such a gorgeous blue!

Here are several new JOY quotes I found:

Grab JOY!

May JOY take root more and more.

JOY comes to us in the ordinary moments. We risk missing out when we get too busy chasing down the extraordinary. Brene Brown

 

 

 I am trying every day, to feel that joy, to be filled with joy. Some days more than others it is a challenge.  I will keep trying – It is well worth the pursuit.

Connect 5 Friday: Spring in the Title

It’s time once again for Connect Five Friday, hosted at Book Date by Kathryn – the meme where we share five book/reading things that connect in some way.

 

I hope we had the last of the snow this past week. The temperature is slowly rising, there are flowers blooming and the grass has grown enough to soon need mowing. Spring has finally sprung, ready to stay. And we even have robins nesting and laying eggs on our porch!

 

Here are 5 books with “spring” in the title. (Summaries from Goodreasds)

The first 2 are historical romances that I have read, both by Lisa Kleypas, and really enjoyed.

 

Scandal in Spring                                       

“Quirky and fun-loving American heiress Daisy Bowman is the last unmarried Wallflower. Her exasperated father has informed her that if she can’t find a husband by the end of her third London season, she will be forced to marry a man she hates—the ruthless entrepreneur Matthew Swift.”

 

Devil in Spring

“Most debutantes dream of finding a husband. Lady Pandora Ravenel has different plans. The ambitious young beauty would much rather stay at home and plot out her new board game business than take part in the London Season. But one night at a glittering society ball, she’s ensnared in a scandal with a wickedly handsome stranger.”

 

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. This is a non-fiction classic, over 50 years old and still relevant.

“Silent Spring is an environmental science book. The book documents the adverse environmental effects caused by the indiscriminate use of pesticides. Carson accused the chemical industry of spreading disinformation, and public officials of accepting the industry’s marketing claims unquestioningly.
The book appeared in September 1962 and the outcry that followed its publication forced the banning of DDT and spurred revolutionary changes in the laws affecting our air, land, and water. Carson’s book was instrumental in launching the environmental movement.”

 

The Spring at Moss Hill by Carla Neggers. A contemporary romance that looks interesting.

“Kylie Shaw has found a home and a quiet place to work as an illustrator of children’s books in little Knights Bridge, Massachusetts. No one seems to know her here—and she likes it that way. She carefully guards her privacy in the refurbished nineteenth-century hat factory where she has a loft. And then California private investigator Russ Colton moves in.”

A Spring Affair by Milly Johnson. This one sounds like a fun read – and one that had me looking at my clutter. Time for more spring cleaning!

“When Lou Winter picks up an old, dog-eared magazine in the dentist’s waiting room and spots an article about clearing clutter, she little realises that it will change her life in ways she could not imagine.

What begins as an earnest spring clean of unwanted household debris – a never-touched omelette maker here, a hideous collection of chintz ornaments there – soon spirals out of control.”

It’s Monday! What are You Reading?

It’s time once again for Kathryn’s weekly meme, “It’s Monday! What are You Reading?“, hosted at Book Date, where we share what we’re reading and have read over the past week.

 

On Good Friday we were exposed to someone who ended up with covid, but so far we have not had any symptoms. We have been isolating tho – even had to miss my physio. 10 days tomorrow should be the end,  I hope. Our province relaxed mandates a while ago – and now after not knowing anyone who had covid the past 2 years – I now know 4 family members who have had covid in the past 2 weeks.

It was also a week of 3 rereads – they were a definite comfort.

What I Read Last Week

I read 8 books – 2 romance 2 pix books and 4 fantasies.

I finished the final book in my favourite fantasy series – The Others by Anne Bishop:

Etched in Bone

I also reread another book in her Others world – Wild Country. Loved it again.

 

City of Time and Magic by Paula Brackston. I have read the rest of the series. I’m wondering if there will be more in the series, but did enjoy this one.

Last Guard by Nalini Singh. The latest in her Psy-Changeling Trinity series was a great fantasy read.

Singh also writes romance novels and I read 2 books in her Hard Play series (and so enjoyed them). The newest one comes out next month and I am anxious to read it.

   

Cherish Hard                                    Love Hard  

I read 2 enjoyable non-fiction pix books:

Capturing Joy: The Story of Maud Lewis by Jo Ellen Bogart, illus. by Mark Lang

Think Outside the Box by Justine Avery and Liuba Syrotiuk

What I’m Reading Now 

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

Dearly by Margaret Atwood

 

What’s Up Next

Rebel Hard by Nalini Singh

Connect Five Friday: Novels in Verse

It’s time once again for Connect Five Friday, hosted at Book Date by Kathryn – the meme where we share five book/reading things that connect in some way

 

As I was checking blog posts yesterday, I saw a post at Reading Ladies on novels in verse. As this is Poetry Month, I though I’d share 5 novels in verse, YA and MG, that I really enjoyed.

5 Novels in Verse: (Summaries from Goodreads)

2 books by Elizabeth Acevedo

Clap When You Land

“In a novel-in-verse that brims with grief and love, National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives.”

 

Poet X

“New York Times-bestselling novel-in-verse by an award-winning slam poet, about an Afro-Latina heroine who tells her story with blazing words and powerful truth.”

 

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

“you can call it a gun. That’s what fifteen-year-old Will has shoved in the back waistband of his jeans. See, his brother Shawn was just murdered. And Will knows the rules. No crying. No snitching. Revenge. That’s where Will’s now heading, with that gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, the gun that was his brother’s gun. He gets on the elevator, seventh floor, stoked.”

 

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

“Josh Bell and his twin brother Jordan are awesome on the court. But Josh has more than basketball in his blood, he’s got mad beats, too, that tell his family’s story in verse, in this fast and furious middle grade novel of family and brotherhood.”

 

The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary by Laura Shovan

“Laura Shovan’s engaging, big-hearted debut is a time capsule of one class’s poems during a transformative school year. Families change and new friendships form as these terrific kids grow up and move on in this whimsical novel-in-verse about finding your voice and making sure others hear it.”

It’s Monday! What are You Reading?

It’s time once again for Kathryn’s weekly meme, “It’s Monday! What are You Reading?”, hosted at Book Date, where we share what we’re reading and have read over the past week.

 

Hope everyone had a lovely Easter. It was a quiet one, altho I did get to deliver Easter bags to our grandkids.

What I Read Last Week

I read 5 books –an historical romance, 2 romance and 2 fantasies.

This week I reread 2 books in my favourite fantasy series – The Others by Anne Bishop.

     

Vision in Silver                           Marked in Flesh    

The Rogue to Ruin by Vivienne Lorret. A most enjoyable historical romance.

Curves and Cars by Kast Baxter. A short romance I enjoyed.

Chasing the Billionaire’s Only Son by Olivia Monroe. An okay read.

 

What I’m Reading Now 

Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop

City of Time and Magic by Paula Brackston

 

  What’s Up Next

Last Guard by Nalini Singh

Connect Five Friday – Books Becoming a Movie/SeriesThis Year (That I Haven’t read and Own)

It’s time once again for Connect Five Friday,  hosted at Book Date by Kathryn – the meme where we share five book/reading things that connect in some way

 

As I was checking what books I need to read for the Popsugar Challenge, #17 caught my eye. This was “Becoming a TV series or movie in ‘22”. As I scrolled through a long list online, I found many that I have the books for the coming movie or series. Usually, I prefer to read the book before I see the movie.

 

Here are 5 books on TBR shelves which are becoming a movie or series this year:

 

Persuasion by Jane Austen

 

The Wonder by Emma Donoghue

 

The Storied Life of AJ Fikiry by Gabrielle Zevin

 

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

 

Kindred by Octavia Butler

 

 

Which one would you read for this challenge?

 

It’s Monday! What are You Reading?

It’s time once again for Kathryn’s weekly meme, “It’s Monday! What are You Reading?”, hosted at Book Date, where we share what we’re reading and have read over the past week.

 

A reading week that included rereading a paranormal series I had really enjoyed in the past. It meant I didn’t finish several I had started, but it was a necessary distraction from continued pain. At least that is lessening.

 

What I Read Last Week

I read 7 books –1 paranormal romance, 3 paranormals, a romance and 2 pix books.

The Hidden Legacy series by Ilona Andrews – a reread and I loved it as much as I did the first time.

       

Burn for Me                                     White Hot                                  Wildfire

Rock Hard by Nalini Singh. THis was the first of her contemp. romances I’ve read and I really enjoyed.

Not Your Average Hot Guy by Gwenda Bond. What would you do if a Satanic cult showed up at your place and they conjured up a demon? A quick, humorous paranormal romance.

2 PBs by Patricia McLauglin, who recently died:

Chicken Talk        The One-Hundred Year Barn:

What I’m Reading Now 

City of Time and Magic by Paula Brackston

The Rogue to Ruin by Vivienne Lorret

 

 What’s Up Next

Last Guard by Nalini Singh

Connect Five Friday – White in the Title

It’s time once again for Connect Five Friday,  hosted at Book Date by Kathryn – the meme where we share five book/reading things that connect in some way. (Although I am a bit late with my post)

 

As I was finishing a book by Ilona Andres this week, I realized that I had read a number of books with white in the title. (Summaries by Goodreads)

Here are 5 books with white in the title, that I have read:

White Hot by Ilona Andrews . Book 2 in the Hidden Legacy series, a fantastic urban fantasy series.

” Nevada Baylor has a unique and secret skill—she knows when people are lying—and she’s used that magic (along with plain, hard work) to keep her colorful and close-knit family’s detective agency afloat. But her new case pits her against the shadowy forces that almost destroyed the city of Houston once before, bringing Nevada back into contact with Connor “Mad” Rogan.”

 

Black in White by J.C. Andrijeski . First in a paranormal mystery series that I enjoyed.

“THE QUENTIN BLACK WORLD encompasses a number of dark, gritty paranormal mystery arcs with science fiction elements, starring brilliant and mysterious Quentin Black and forensic psychologist Miriam Fox. “

 

Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. An enjoyable c0ntemporary LGBTQ+ romance

“First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz is the closest thing to a prince this side of the Atlantic. 
As President Claremont kicks off her reelection bid, Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations. What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?”

 

White Lies by Jayne Ann Krentz. Book 2 pf the Arcane series, an enjoyable paranormal mystery 

Relationships are challenging enough for most single over-thirty women. For level-ten parasensitive Clare Lancaster, they’re a minefield. The elite few who know her secret call her a human lie detector, and any falsehood, no matter how subtle or well hidden, sets her blood racing. 
Caught in a dizzying storm of secrets, lies, and half-truths, Jake and Clare will plunge into an investigation that demands every bit of their special gifts. Together, they must overcome their mutual distrust in order to unravel a web of conspiracy and murder.”

 

White Hot Kiss by Jennifer Armentrout (A YA paranormal series – quite enjoyable)

Layla just wants to fit in at school and go on a date with Zayne, whom she’s crushed on since forever. Trouble is, Zayne treats Layla like a sister–and Layla is a half demon, half gargoyle with abilities no one else possesses. And even though Zayne is a Warden, part of the race of gargoyles tasked with keeping humanity safe, Layla’s kiss will kill anything with a soul–including him.

 

It’s Monday! What are You Reading?

It’s time once again for Kathryn’s weekly meme, “It’s Monday! What are You Reading?”, hosted at Book Date, where we share what we’re reading and have read over the past week.

A better reading week for sure. Still some shingle pain – the doctor couldn’t say when it would end – just that it should!

What I Read Last Week

I read 8 books –3 historical romances, 1 romance, 2 women’s fiction, 1 mystery and 2 picture books.

Lost and Found by Jacqueline Sheehan. This is the second of her books I’ve read recently and enjoyed.

 

What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon. An amazing historical fiction, with time travel. So enjoyed it.

Indigo Ridge by Devney Perry. An author I really enjoy and a such an enjoyable mystery to read.

How to Be a Wallflower by Eloisa James. My first historical romance by her – and there will be more!

Which End is Up? By Patricia Kay. An enjoyable woman’s fiction.

My Hero by Debbie Macomber. A short, sweet romance.

2 wonderful PBs:

     

Love You by Heart by Peter H. Reynolds

Stacey’s Extraordinary Words by Stacey Abrams, illus. by Kitt Thomas

What I’m Reading Now 

City of Time and Magic by Paula Brackston

The Rogue to Ruin by Vivienne Lorret

 

 What’s Up Next

Last Guard by Nalini Singh

Connect Five Friday – Poetry Books

It’s time once again for Connect Five Friday, hosted at Book Date by Kathryn – the meme where we share five book/reading things that connect in some way.

April is National Poetry Month. I hope to read at least a poem a day and try to read a couple of poetry books this month.

here are 5 books of poetry to enjoy (with summaries from Goodreads):

2 I own:

What Kind of Woman by Kate Baer

“A stunning and honest debut poetry collection about the beauty and hardships in being a mother, a wife, and a woman. “

Home Body by Rupi Kaur

“Rupi Kaur constantly embraces growth, and in home body, she walks readers through a reflective and intimate journey visiting the past, the present, and the potential of the self. home body is a collection of raw, honest conversations with oneself ”

3 I hope to read:

Devotions by Mary Oliver

“Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver presents a personal selection of her best work in this definitive collection spanning more than five decades of her esteemed literary career.”

The Wilderness by Sandra Lim

“Moving through myths of the American landscape, the fatalism of American Puritanism, family history, New England winters, aesthetic theory, and the suavities and anxieties of contemporary life, the poems in this astonishing collection ultimately speak about the individual soul’s struggle with its own meaning.”

Dearly by Margaret Atwood

“In Dearly, Margaret Atwood’s first collection of poetry in over a decade, Atwood addresses themes such as love, loss, the passage of time, the nature of nature and – zombies. Her new poetry is introspective and personal in tone, but wide-ranging in topic.”