This New Yorker is prepared to be snowed in and to be honest I’m excited for it! The snow estimates have been all over the place with some as low as 7 inches to 10+ inches *GASP* It is so rare that I ever get to slow down and just wind down any day of the week or weekend that I don’t know what to do with myself LOL! I’m really looking forward to my resistance and strength training workouts this weekend since I’ll have a blanket of snow for a view which we haven’t seen in a really long time. Of course I have my reading plans in place and also some things I’d like to watch on Apple TV and HBO. On the healthy/self-love end of things, I’ve been weaning myself off of Starbucks Cold Brews cause as much as I love this drink, it absolutely drives up my anxiety. Instead i’ve been alternating between juicing (spinach, mangos, apples, pine apples and chia seeds in 8 oz of water), smoothies (strawberries, 1 banana, blueberries in 80z of water with 1 tbsp of flax seeds), and teas (Ginger or Peach Green Tea) which have made a HUGE difference in my mood and metabolism. I had planned for this post to go live early this morning but back to back meetings threw a wrench in that. So, let’s get into the books cause ya girl still has 3 miles to run *sobs* for cardio.

I’ve been on a thriller kick this week which I attribute mostly to me just not being in the mood for Fantasy and the escapism it offers. Instead I opted for serial killers and a group of vengeful women getting justice for the murders of their children…don’t know what that says about me these past 7 days but I went with it. Look out for my Three Thriller Mini Review post going up next week featuring yet another thriller that I’m currently listening to.

In My Dreams I Hold A Knife by Ashley Winstead (RTC)

The Collective by Alison Gaylin (RTC)

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano (My Review)

This morning Libby delivered the audiobook for A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham and before I knew it…I had attended 3 meetings, meal prepped for this weekend and cleaned out my bathrooms while powering through this book. IT’S SO GOOOOOD Book Lovers! Our MC is a psychologist in a small Louisiana town where 20 years prior, her father had been imprisoned for the murder of 6 young girls. I’m about 60% in and hope to finish the rest tonight in the gym but all I can say is that this story is engrossing. Once I’m done with Flicker, I’m jumping right back into the island of Kekon with my favorite gangster family in Jade War. Having recently read and loved Jade City (My review), I really don’t want too much time to pass where I forget key details.

Euphoria was recommended to me by both friends & family to the point I just couldn’t escape it anymore. It’s INTENSE and I have had to take breaks in between episodes to process certain scenes but it’s excellently written. Anyone who is interested in watching the show should know that it focuses heavily on addiction. I’m starting season 2 this weekend and a part of me is not ready but I’m going in regardless.

Ted Lasso! this show caught me by surprise BIG time and I’m not even sure why I was resistant to starting it. My BFF kept asking me every week if I’d watched it so I figured it was time and I LOVE it so much that i’m savoring each episode so as to not finish the first season.

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WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On a World of Words and to participate all you have to do is answer the three W’s listed below. Once you’ve posted your WWW, drop a link to your post in Sam’s comments <3’s!

The questions are:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

CURRENTLY READING

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Goodreads

Started Heartless yesterday as part of a buddy read with my book twin Gretchen @Chicnerdreads & enjoying it immensely! honestly Marrisa Meyer is the Queen of Fairy Tale re-tellings. You’re immediately thrust into the kingdom of Hearts & the Wonderland feel is ever present. I am very interested in Catherine’s aka The Queen Of Hearts story before she becomes who we all know & fear for her mood swings lol. I love that Catherine is a baker…I think I love any book in which there is baking especially when the author does a great job of making me want a pastry straight off the page.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Goodreads

Also started this one yesterday in audiobook format BECAUSE it’s none other than uncle Gaiman come to tell a story & I can’t get enough of his narrating voice lol. After listening & adoring the hell out of Stardust, I knew that I would be a fan of Gaiman for life. This is now my 2nd book & i’m only 12% in and i’m hooked. The Graveyard Book is rich with characters from page 1 and I find myself smiling like a little girl every time I listen to these characters (he even does the voices & does them WELL!) dialogue. I love little Nobody Owens & want to protect him for as long as possible…I have a feeling this will lead to me buying uncle Gaiman’s (not really my uncle lol) books for my shelves.

What did you recently finish reading?

Gemina by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Goodreads

I recently read & reviewed Gemina (review here) by Amie Kaufman & jay Kristoff, this was a 5 star read for me and an EPIC addition to the Illuminae files. Inside & out, this book was stunning!!! with illustrations by Marie Lu the author of The Young Elites trilogy to enhance the reading experience. Gemina offered up tons of laughs & a whole new set of characters to LOVE & care for.

The Girl With The Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer

Goodreads

This was a 3.5 star read for me (review here), I listened to the audiobook & have a new found respect for Amy. Although the 1st half of this book was a bit hard to get into due to a bit of Amy’s own awkwardness & what comes off as dicomfort…the 2nd half really saw her coming into her own & owning her words. Schumer hits on some really tough subjects in this her collection of essays. Not every moment will be a laugh out loud moment but it will be raw & she makes no apologies for that, which is why I am now a fan 😉

What do you think you’ll read next?

Fractured by Catherine Mckenzie

Goodreads

Goodreads Synopsis:

Julie Prentice and her family move across the country to the idyllic Mount Adams district of Cincinnati, hoping to evade the stalker who’s been terrorizing them ever since the publication of her bestselling novel, The Murder Game. Since Julie doesn’t know anyone in her new town, when she meets her neighbor John Dunbar, their instant connection brings measured hope for a new beginning. But she never imagines that a simple, benign conversation with him could set her life spinning so far off course.

After a series of misunderstandings, Julie and her family become the target of increasingly unsettling harassment. Has Julie’s stalker found her, or are her neighbors out to get her, too? As tension in the neighborhood rises, new friends turn into enemies, and the results are deadly.

After seeing so many rave reviews from bloggers I follow, I requested and was approved for this eGalley on Netgalley. This author has been on my radar for another one of her books titled Smoke and if I enjoy Fractured, will be probably be boosting Smoke up the more immediate TBR list.

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Goodreads

I will be buddy reading the 2nd book in the Six Of Crows duology with Jill @rantandraveaboutbooks, Melissa @Booknerdmomo, & Megan @Bookslayerreads starting November 17th. A bit bittersweet feeling since I am not ready to let go of this world & my babies! but it’s time, I can’t continue dodging Crooked Kingdom spoiler bombs on Twitter (quite stressful lol). Looking forward to jumping back into this world 😉

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Goodreads

Goodreads Synopsis:

“Are you happy with your life?” Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious. Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits. Before a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.”

In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable–something impossible.

Is it this world or the other that’s the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could’ve imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.

Another book that comes highly recommended by some pretty awesome book bloggers I follow & love. Also, while waiting in line to get my book signed by V.E. Schwab I over heard her say that she LOVED this book & that it was simply just SO GOOD! I mean, if that isn’t enough motivation to finally start this one I don’t know what is. Such an interesting premise, i’m looking forward to finding out what is happening to Jason.

Did any of you participate in WWW Wednesday? if so, drop that link & i’ll swing by your blog for a peek. October was a blur of activity & i’m hoping for a much more mellow November but who am I kidding? LOL!