Heyyy there friends!

Lots of great things have been happening in my life so I thought that I would check in with you all! I work very hard to keep this blog a hobby that makes me happy and never something that I “must” do, which means when I am out there enjoying life, the blog stays pretty quiet. So with that in mind, I thought it would be fun to catch you all up on what I have been doing/reading/listening to for the first half of the year!

#amlistening

Lore Podcast

You guys, I can’t say enough great things about this podcast! Knowing my adoration for the macabre, Lindsey nudged me to give it a try and I am so happy that I did! So what is it? Lore is a bi-weekly (sigh, I know) podcast about true life scary stories. Each episode of Lore delves into a scary tale and uncovers the truth behind it! That’s right, we get a nice supernatural history lesson with each podcast! I was so enthralled by Lore that I actually went back and re-listened to some episodes! Now, I know most of you are thinking that this must be terrifying in order to hold my macabre interest! But you know what, it really isn’t! Some of the stories managed to get near my incredibly high threshold, but I played some episodes for my (incredibly sensitive and ahem..scaredy cat) boyfriend and he enjoyed them as well. So what I am trying to tell you is that this podcast is great for all types of listeners, those of you who love the macabre, and those of you who are in the mood for the kind of story you should listen to on a chilly October evening. Also check out Lore’s Twitter because Aaron is very fun and seems to really appreciate his fans. Also, we (ahem, I) am trying to come up with a name for our fandom…Loreates? Loreites? What say you fellow fandom dwellers?

For fans of: all things supernatural, the x-files, Welcome to Nightvale, Rick Yancy, Neil Gaiman, Mythology, folktales, chilly autum evenings…

#amwatching

Penny Dreadful is still going strong, if you like gothic literature then head over and binge this show because it is gloriously macabre and wonderful. Gotham started off slow but then I fell fast and hard for it. Batman villains, I was already in love before it even started. Outlander, though I am only half way through the season, I binged that entire half and can’t wait to devour more! The book wasn’t my favorite, but the show is stellar. All things Avengers are also my (and everyone’s) current obsession. Ant Man comes out next week and I can’t wait.

#amreading

Currently, I am reading Uprooted by Naomi Novik and I am absolutely loving it. It is so reminiscent of those books I read growing up, such as The Enchanted Forest Chronicles and even my favorite books by Juliet Marillier. Look for our Gals on the Same Page posts about Uprooted to go up soon!

Other than that, I have been devouring graphic novels lately! I finished up The Unwritten and Y: The Last Man which were both fantastic and just picked up Pretty Deadly today which I cannot wait to read. I was incredibly disappointed to find that my most anticipated read, Crimson Bound fell (very) short of my expectations, but we can’t win them all.

The Blog:

Ohh so my first read of the year was Midwinterblood and you guys, I adored it. I cannot tell you how many emotions this book got out of me but I was all over the place. I wrote a very personal and what I hope to be beautiful review! The gals and I read American Gods and it is no surprise that I absolutely adored it. I wrote a fun “Beginner’s Guide to Neil Gaiman” post for those of you who have yet to be amazed by his work. I was blown away by Cat Winter’s novel The Uninvited, the ending was absolute perfection and it comes highly recommended, look for my review soon. Now, my favorite book of 2015 thus far is definitely, hands down, The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh . I can hardly tell you how breathtaking this novel was. The easiest way for me to sum up my feelings is by telling you that I actually read it in ARC format, and then pre-ordered the hardcover and I NEVER pre-order books. EVER. I loved it so much that I wrote a review and post showcasing the gorgeous quotes throughout the novel. Alexa and I shared our love of Shakespeare and hosted some awesome bloggers, check out what they had to say about the Bard! I also wrote a little something about The Princess Bride over on Lindsey’s blog! Check it out!

Where have I been?

Well, I went to BEA with Amy and Brittany and had a really excellent time. We spent most of the time there focusing on seeing everyone and it was just the best experience!

Other than getting a new great job at a public library, my best friend of 22 years got married! Here is a little sneak peek from the wedding…

What’s to come?

Round 3 of The Secret Sister Project starts in just a few weeks! We have been blown away by the positivity and overall fantastic group that we have participating! With my Gals on the Same Page we are planning on reading some more great titles, so stay tuned for that. Other than that I have a few weddings to attend in the fall, hope to make it out to the Steelers v. 49ers game in September, and will be heading to IL to spend FRIENDSGIVING with Britt and Amy. We plan on making lots of literary foods to celebrate our first annual Friendsgiving, so send us some great ideas!

What have you gusy been up to? I hope you know that I am INCREDIBLY active on Twitter, and would love to chat with you! I want to know what you are reading, doing, eating, ALL THE GREAT THINGS! Share away, lovelies!