GReads! Interrupted: Summer Summer Summer Time!

Sometimes I want to share things with my followers that aren't necessarily a book review, so I thought I'd create a sporadic feature on my blog to do just that.  GReads! Interrupted is a personal reflection of me -- music I'm listening to, delicious treats I'm craving and/or baking, or even just a random thought that I feel is worthy of sharing.  I might throw in some new books I acquired recently, too.  This is meant to be a fun break from the usual reviews + a chance for my followers to get to know me a bit more.  Hope you enjoy!

I randomly came across the band KODALINE and could not stop listening to them. With further research I discovered they are a band from Dublin, Ireland (love that!) and have been compared to bands such as Coldplay, Keane, U2, and Oasis. Woah, just woah. All of my favorites right there. So of course I wanted to introduce them to your ears if you have not heard them yet. Below is their album In a Perfect World that was released last year. Have a listen and let me know what you think. As always, if you like what you hear, support the artist by purchasing their music.

It's no surprise that summer is my favorite season.  But before it gets unbearably hot here in Texas, I try to take advantage of being outside.  I spent an afternoon poolside reading and it was GLORIOUS.  Hoping to do much more of this before it gets to be too hot.  Because then I'll be in the pool more often than out of it, and nobody likes soggy wet books.

In case you are wondering, I was reading SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE by Morgan Matson.  The setting for my reading time could not have been more perfect.  Add this one to your TBR list if it's not there already!

With summertime comes pedicure time!  I basically live in flip flops from April til about October.  I throw in the occasional sandal, too.  Regardless of what I'm sporting on the feet, having my toes painted is always a must.  Right now I went with this fun summery color.  It looks more blue in this pic, but it actually turned out to be a more mint-ish green, which I love love LOVE. 

What is your go-to nail color for summertime?  Do you treat yourself to pedicures?  I highly recommend them ;)

But before I can dive into summer, I had to complete another semester of classes.  It's hard to believe that I am THIS close to finishing my college career!  Beginning in the fall I will be student teaching and then graduating in December. AMAZING.  This past semester was definitely challenging, but so worth it.  I am eager to be in the classroom full time and learn from my mentors.

I took this picture, looking at downtown from my university.  Though I won't miss the commute, I will miss seeing my classmates every week and being downtown.  (PS, I'll always be a city girl!)

And here are a few books I received recently (bought, loaned to me, & shared with me from publishers) that I am very, very excited to read... poolside this summer ;)

Young Adult Books:
Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira [add to goodreads]
There Will Come a Time by Carrie Arcos [add to goodreads]
The Chance You Won't Return by Annie Cardi [add to goodreads]
On the Fence by Kasie West [add to goodreads]
Even in Paradise by [add to goodreads]

Adult/New Adult Books:
Landline by Rainbow Rowell [add to goodreads]
Breakable by Tammara Webber [add to goodreads]
Riding the Wave by Lorelie Brown [add to goodreads]
How to Say Goodbye by Amber Lin [add to goodreads]

GReads! Interrupted: Jumping Into Springtime

Sometimes I want to share things with my followers that aren't necessarily a book review, so I thought I'd create a sporadic feature on my blog to do just that.  GReads! Interrupted. is a personal reflection of me -- music I'm listening to, delicious treats I'm craving and/or baking, or even just a random thought that I feel is worthy of sharing.  This is meant to be a fun break from the usual reviews + a chance for my followers to get to know me a bit more.  Hope you enjoy!

For this edition of GReads! Interrupted, I only have one song to share with you.  It's a song that has become sort of my anthem right now.  Music can be interpreted in many different ways, especially lyrics.  When I listened to the lyrics: "I didn't know I was broken 'til I wanted to change, I wanna get better..." those words resonated with me in an unexpected way.  I was reminded of things in my past, and how change brought forth a sense of mending in my own life.  I'm continuously looking for ways to better myself, and my world around me.  I love when music hits a personal chord like that.  Have a listen below and let me know how you interpret this song.  As always, if you like what you hear, please support the artist by purchasing their music.

I am happy to say that winter has officially left Texas and we have jumped right into spring.  Typically we have a few months (maybe even weeks!) before the scorching temps arrive, so this is when I like to be outside as much as possible.  Recently I attended a kite festival in the park, relaxed on my patio while reading, and bought myself some pretty new blooms!

Over the last few weeks, my reading time has been slipping away from me.  Between classes, student teaching, and writing lesson plans my plate has been definitely full!  I have so many books waiting to be read, and sad that there just hasn't been time for them.  HOWEVER, I did receive this book in the mail by the lovely author Sarah Combs.  It was such a thoughtful gift and immediately I wanted to read it.  Look for my review next week, but just a heads up: This book is AMAZING.  I can not express enough how much I adore it.  Even though my life has been a bit chaotic, I did make time for this one and I am so, so happy that I did.

What are some of your favorite things to do when the weather warms up a bit?  Let me know in the comments what you're most looking forward to this spring.  And since I've shared a new favorite book and song with you, tell me what's something new you've read or listened to lately!

GReads! Interrupted: A Little Bit of Country & A Whole Lot of Cold

Sometimes I want to share things with my followers that aren't necessarily a book review, so I thought I'd create a sporadic feature on my blog to do just that.  GReads! Interrupted. is a personal reflection of me -- music I'm listening to, delicious treats I'm craving and/or baking, or even just a random thought that I feel is worthy of sharing.  This is meant to be a fun break from the usual reviews + a chance for my followers to get to know me a bit more.  Hope you enjoy!

I'm a Texan, so one would think that country music is rooted deep in my soul.  However, I think because I'm a Texan and grew up surrounded by country music, it's caused me to detour away from it in my adult years.  Every once in awhile I'll hear a song and it brings me back to my country roots, though.  So I put together a playlist of a few country songs (new & old) that I consider favorites.  Have a listen, and as always if you like what you hear support the artist by purchasing their music, thanks!

This winter has been absolutely CRAZY down here in Texas!  I know places up north, and further east have gotten it much worse, but for us southerns it's been C-O-L-D!!  In the past two weeks we've had snow/ice/freezing rain -- wintery elements we don't see often down here.  The city of Houston closed schools twice, and I even had a day off of work.  Needless to say, this Texas girl does not know how to drive on ice!

With these cold temps, it's had me wishing for spring-time weather.  I even made myself a spring-time wreath for my door (PS - this craft was super easy to do! All I did was wrap a styrofoam ring with burlap ribbon and hot-glued my own embellishments -- found these super cute flowers at my local Hobby Lobby.)  This cold weather also makes me crave sweet treats.  I ventured out to the Cheesecake Factory & ate this delicious Reese's peanut butter cheesecake, and I am not sorry about it one bit.  I also got in the spirit of Valentine's Day and made cookies for my sweet nephews.

I couldn't end this blog post without SOMETHING book related.  Since I don't participate in any book haul type posts, I wanted to feature a few of the books I recently received & read.  A little bit of YA contemporary, and a little bit of Adult contemporary.  Look for these reviews coming very, very soon!!!

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson | add to goodreads |

 The Last Enchantments by Charles Finch | add to goodreads |

 Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler | add to goodreads | read my review |

 Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler | add to goodreads | read my review |

 To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han | add to goodreads |

 Sweet Little Thing by Renee Carlino | add to goodreads |

How's the weather where you are? Do you have any hobbies/cravings while it's cold out and you're kept inside?  What's the last book you received in the mail, or picked up from the library?  Please share in the comments below!

GReads! Interrupted: Hello 2014!

Sometimes I want to share things with my followers that aren't necessarily a book review, so I thought I'd create a sporadic feature on my blog to do just that.  GReads! Interrupted. is a personal reflection of me -- music I'm listening to, something I recently purchased & want to show off, or even just a random thought that I feel is worthy of sharing.  This is meant to be a fun break from the usual reviews + a chance for my followers to get to know me a bit more.  Hope you enjoy!

I've been listening to a lot of mellowed out music lately.  I think it's a good way to start the year, especially when I am needing some calm music to keep me sane while I jump back into the craziness of working & going to school full time.  Below I've put together a playlist of songs that make me happy.  As always, if you like what you hear, support the artist by purchasing their music, thanks!

My new year started quite nicely.  Spent the evening with family, good food, and delicious drinks.  Looking ahead at the year to come I know it's going to be a BIG one for me.  My life will be shifting and growing as I come to the end of my college career and embark on teaching.  This has been the hardest goal I've worked towards in my life, and I know when the day arrives that I accept my diploma (December, 2014!) I will be very proud and humbled.  In the meantime I've got a few more obstacles to conquer.

Had to show off the oh so cute & talented card that Estelle made for me.  I love her book inspired crafty cards!  She designed this one based on my favorite read of 2013, God-Shaped Hole by Tiffanie DeBartolo. 

Got to meet up with my friend Jess for some beers and ciders.  Sadly, we didn't take a photo together (how is that possible?? lol), but I did capture this selfie since it's rare I get dressed up these days.

And my blog wouldn't be complete without a pic of my sweet Daisy. Though she wasn't so sweet at 3am, when she woke me up because she had to go potty! Sucks getting old, haha.

 

How is your 2014 starting out? Got any tunes that are making a repeat on your playlists lately?  Have some news to share, or just want a place to ramble?  Feel free to in the comments below.

GReads! Interrupted: A Holiday Edition

Sometimes I want to share things with my followers that aren't necessarily a book review, so I thought I'd create a sporadic feature on my blog to do just that.  GReads! Interrupted. is a personal reflection of me -- music I'm listening to, something I recently purchased & want to show off, or even just a random thought that I feel is worthy of sharing.  This is meant to be a fun break from the usual reviews + a chance for my followers to get to know me a bit more.  Hope you enjoy!

Before you peruse the rest of this post, why don't you hit play just below and listen to my Holiday Mix I created on spotify.  I like listening to some Christmas music.  It's great background music to have on while you're decorating the tree, or baking cookies.  But other Christmas music is a little too traditional for me.  Below are a few faves I've recently discovered that aren't your typical tunes you hear playing in the mall while you Christmas shop.  Have a listen & if you like, support the artist by purchasing their music.

 
As I mentioned in this post here, I like to decorate this time of year.  Thanks to my crafty sister, she showed me how to make a Holiday wreath for my front door.  It was super easy & fun to make!  This style of wreath is very popular right now, so if you're wanting to make something similar just look up "deco mesh wreaths" and I'm sure you'll find endless tutorials.

Thanks to Jess, from Gone with the Words, I won this fabulous Holiday book giveaway from Harlequin!  When the package arrived it felt like Christmas came early!!  I've really gotten into reading holiday romances this season (a few I'll be reviewing here on the blog), so this was a great addition to that new little love of mine.

I participated in The Broke and the Bookish's Secret Santa gift exchange again this year.  I always enjoy this event because it's so much fun to receive your person & then go shopping for them.  This year my person is someone I didn't know, so it was nice "meeting" a new face in the book blogging community.

And then I received this lovely package from MY Secret Santa, Jessica at Peace Love Books. For someone who is just a follower of my blog, I felt like she got this present PERFECT!  From the adult contemporary novels, to the cookie cutters, and those adorable sticky note pads -- LOVE!  Oh and that chocolate you see in the pic?  It may already be gone, hehe.  Thank you Jessica!

I reached out to folks on twitter, asking for some cider recommendations.  Found this one in my local grocery store & decided to give it a try. LOVE. It's so delicious!  I'm still a bit new to cider, but so far it's refreshing to my taste buds.  And don't mind the adorable photo bomber, Daisy, hehe.

I have been envious of my friends up north, experiencing a true Fall with all its beautiful foliage.  Then finally, here in Texas, the leaves decided to change and fall to the ground.  I captured this shot in my dad's backyard.  Better late than never, right?

And with those leaves changing & falling has come cold weather!  Give me three straight months of 100+ degrees and I can handle it.  But send 30 degree temps and I don't know how to survive! OK, so maybe I'm exaggerating a bit.. but these near freezing temps are bitingly cold!  I'm not sure how my friends up north handle these conditions for months on end.

Grabbing my current read, snuggling up on the couch with a blanket and a hot cup of cocoa, by the light of the Christmas tree has become a favorite thing to do right now.  There's just something so soothing and magical about it.  It's definitely my happy place at the moment.