1. What I'm reading: I've mentioned before that I occasionally read books for paid review, and this past week I got the chance to read a book called Year of the Amphibian. It was surprisingly delightful! It's coming of age story about a year in the life of a 14-year-old boy in 1984 Los Angeles. It's about family, identity, belonging, friendship, and what it means to "home." Review books are hit or miss, but this one was definitely a hit. I'm getting ready to dive into Glass Bottom Boat, a Christian romantic suspense novel that I joined the launch team for (which means I get a free advance copy, yay!). It looks pretty good, and is available for pre-order now if it seems like your jam. Last but not least, I just started reading Liane Moriarty's newest book Nine Perfect Strangers. I've read a few other books by Moriarty (Big Little Lies, What Alice Forgot,) and suffice it to say she's super popular for a reason.
2. What I'm listening to/watching: My parents got us tickets to see the Old West Melodrama show for Christmas, and our reservation was last weekend. It's a fun, interactive, purposefully over-the-top show -- if you've ever seen Tombstone, there's a scene in that movie where the characters attend a Melodrama, so you can get the idea of what it's like. It was a lot of fun! (thanks Mom and Dad!)
3. Something challenging: I really like to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night. You may remember that my kids are early birds -- like, 6:15-6:30 a.m. early birds. In my dream world, I'm going to bed at 9 p.m. and getting up before they do. HOWEVER. For a variety of reasons, 10 p.m. is the earliest I manage on a regular basis (although there are the occasional 9 p.m. nights), so I've resigned myself to the fact that unless I drastically change my habits I'm not getting up before 6 a.m. on a regular basis. Somehow, that's also translated into me staying up later and later...yet still getting up with my darling alarm clocks. I don't know why this particular discipline is so hard -- there's even a built in external reward! (More sleep) One day this phase will pass, or maybe I will figure out mindset shift I need.
4. Gratitude: I mentioned last week that I went to Missouri for my Granny's funeral last week. Although the circumstances were hard, I am really grateful that I was able to spend time with my family, and am extra grateful for my husband and some good friends who made it possible for me to fly by myself. It made the trip a lot less stressful and hectic, and I am so thankful for that opportunity.
5. Inspiration: This is a little different than what I posted the past few weeks, but if you need someplace to go on the internet that's just visually inspiring, check out the author Sally Lloyd-Jones on Instagram (you don't have to be on Instagram to click that link and go look at her account), She posts the most lovely photos of the world around here, and always inspires me to find beauty and wonder in the every-day.
Happy Wednesday!
Thank you Amanda! I am the author of "Year of the Amphibian". I'm so glad you enjoyed it. It's such a personal book, so it's wonderful (and kind of a trip) to hear the impressions of people who don't know me personally. I'm assuming that one of the awards I entered asked you to read it (you don't have to say which). Any advice you have about getting my book out there will be most welcome. And next time I publish a book, I will learn what a 'launch team' is.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had some good advice about getting your book "out there" because I am publishing my first novel myself this fall and would love to know that too! Ha ha! It really was a great book.
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