It’s time again for another fun filled 10 on the 10th! 10 on the 10th is hosted by Marsha over at Marsha in the Middle.

1. A color I like to wear…black. Does this count? If not, then green is my next favorite. As for a color I would never wear, I will say white or anything metallic colored. White I just feel so washed out or something. I am fair with dark hair and eyes and I just feel like I look weird.

2. A food I loved as a kid but wouldn’t eat now would have to be apples and cinnamon oatmeal. So gross to me now, even the smell. It is too sweet for me in the mornings now too.

3. A bucket hat. I used to never ever take them off and wore them everywhere. Now though, never again. Maybe.

4. Oo good one. Hmm. I would love it if Billy bought me white roses. I don’t know why, but I love white roses so much more than red ones. Although, he could totally buy me a David Austin rose bush in any color. That would be great too. As for a flower I am not a fan of, I will say orchids.

5. There were a ton of foods I didn’t like as a kid. Lol. I was a pretty picky eater. I now love Brussels sprouts where I once thought I would die if ate them, but now we eat them at least once a week. I won’t say exactly that I can’t get enough of them but I do really like them now.

6. This one is easy. My very favorite book of all time, Watership Down. I reread it every spring and have since like junior high. I have owned so many copies, as they get so well read and fall apart. I love how they are underdogs, yet have so much camaraderie, loyalty, bravery, and grit. Also, who doesn’t love a clever rabbit or two? As for a book I wish had never been written, Stone Fox. I actually think I talked about this with Marsha before! That book is so sad, and I hate it so much for making me sob.

Some Watership Down inspired art I have hanging in my office. The triple pic is by Alex Boone Art, the second by Rivulet Paper Co.

7. I am a person whose love language is gifts of time. I absolutely love when my husband surprises me with taking a day off mid-week and we have a family day instead. That always makes me so happy! As for what he does that drives me crazy – he has ten million pairs of shoes, far more than I have, and he will leave them to accumulate at the front door in our small home. We do not have available space for him to build a shoe mountain.

8. I absolutely love my linen overalls. I have them in black and khaki but I could use another color. The other day my stepmom told me I was the cutest hippie mom when I had them on, and had my hair in braids. I just adore them. I also LOVE the boots my husband gave me for Christmas. They are so comfortable, the most comfortable shoe I have ever worn, and they look like little elf boots!

9. We are big Halloween fans over here. It is just such a fun holiday, without much prep or work involved on my end, unlike the Thanksgiving and Christmas, which are fun but always give me a lot of work as well. Halloween, we can get a costume, get together with family, order a pizza, and just have fun. It’s so laid back, and Wyatt absolutely loves it. Me too. We don’t even eat a majority of the candy he gets. Billy will take it to work and let his coworkers eat it. For us, it is just about the good time. The holiday I could do without celebrating is New Year’s. I’ve just ever been a fan. It’s always so cold here, and now with Wyatt I think about all the drunk drivers on the road and would rather stay home. Plus, it has always made me melancholy. So I can skip it.

10. I guess my phone? It does so much, including take photos, connect me to information, to people. As for which I would ditch, my Kindle. I can read physical books forever.

And that is it from me today!

My Sunday Post is hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer
Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date

The week ahead feels daunting to me. Wyatt has two huge specialist appointments this week and to say I am feeling anxious would be an understatement. I am keeping the rest of my week easy to make it a little more manageable; however we are at the end of our specialist visit gauntlet run that we have been on for the last few weeks with these. Then I might take a breath. Hopefully at least.

What I Read Last Week:

Shores of Mercy by Lisa R. Howeler – I very much enjoy this enjoyed this book. Well written, with relatable characters, a story of redemption which is always uplifting and inspiring.

A Woman in the Polar Night: I am not finished with this book yet but it is really good! Ritter’s comments on her situations sometimes make me laugh – she seems like she was bit snarky and I am here for it. I will finish this one up probably this week.

Reading This Week:

In addition to A Woman in the Polar Night, I am going to start this adorable little cozy fantasy. I am pretty sure this is the genre I have been waiting for all of my life.

Posted Last Week:

Pretty in Pink: Literary Classics

Book Review: Shores of Mercy

Hello February!

Tuesday Morning Coffee Catch Up

Watching and Listening:

We have been watching Poker Face and Lockwood & Co. We love them both! Poker Face is a television show but each episode is like a mini-movie, and we have loved every single episode. Rian Johnson (Knives Out, Glass Onion) is a genius in my opinion.

Lockwood & Co. (Netflix) is a really cool world – one where there is an epidemic of ghosts. One touch can kill someone, and only kids can see them and fight them. It takes place in London and we love the whole idea of this and the world building. They are based on books by Jonathan Stroud, which I need to read.

We watched Spirited Away from Studio Ghibli last night. I enjoyed it but it was not my favorite. I like the cozier ones.

As for listening, I have been successful lately with certain audiobooks. I started listening to a book yesterday and while I am only just an hour in I am fascinated.

And that is it from my corner of the Mitten state! I hope you are all doing well, and staying warm if you are in one of the Arctic cold states!

Book Description:

There was a time in Ben Oliver’s life when his career was more important than anything — including his girlfriend, Angie, who he walked away from when she told him she was pregnant. Even before that night, he’d been drinking too much, but after that night, the drinking got worse.

That was four years ago. Now he’s sober and opened a law office half an hour from where he grew up. He’s stayed away from Angie and the little girl he never met because he believes their life will be better without him, but when her family moves back to the area and her parents ask him to be involved in his little girl’s life, his past catches up with him.

Judi Lambert has battled her own demons and is now fighting for her sobriety. She wants to kick her party-girl lifestyle to the curb and she’s well on her way. Not far into the journey to get her life back on track, though, she’s forced to relive a traumatic experience with a man she’d once thought was simply her ticket to a good time.

When Judi and Ben’s worlds collide, can they work together to get their lives back on track? And can Judi work to help Ben get Angie and his daughter back again?

My Thoughts:

I loved this return to Spencer Valley! I am going to be up front, Lisa is my buddy, but she did not ask me to read and review her book. I wanted to, and I pre-ordered this book way back in October knowing that I would love it. And knowing Lisa she would probably want criticism of some sort, but..she’s not going to get it from me because I adored this book.

One thing Lisa really excels at is writing characters who are accessible, relatable, people you would know, y’know? Characters who have hopes and dreams but have made mistakes, who do not have it all together, like most of us. Her books are always so full of wit and humor, that make me chuckle or laugh out loud while reading. And this book, like all the rest is funny, smart, heartwarming, and a little heartbreaking too.

Let’s start with Judi, the former party girl who is tired of living that lifestyle and wants to do something else with her life. This decision had a few factors in the forming of it, from being tired of waking up feeling crappy after a night out partying to a much larger, more traumatic incident that haunts her. Seriously, poor Judi, because she has A LOT going on in this book. Like seriously. I was rooting for her so hard, and there were so many situations that occurred that could have sent her spinning off in the wrong direction again. I think that despite her outward appearances, a flighty flibbertigibbet, she is really actually quite brave and strong.

Ben on the other hand, outwardly looks like a person who does have it all together. He has returned to the area after time away, and opened a law firm nearby. He has clients and responsibilities, and unfortunately at the beginning of this book, also has a totaled car which leaves him with some other longer lasting issues. Ben has skeletons in his closet too, just his aren’t on display for everyone. He has overcome a drinking problem, and lives with the fact that he abandoned the woman he loved and their baby, and has lived with this for four years. Ben’s story broke my heart a little, especially for his child. He has a chance now to change that, and every interaction with Ben and his tiny daughter are just adorable, and I was rooting for Ben too! Like, please, let this work for him. However, there were some hurdles in his way that needed to be worked out first.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it all in two days! It is very readable and I wanted to just keep reading and reading so I could see how things turned out for these two.

If you are interested, you can purchase the book here. You can visit Lisa’s blog here.