Tag Archives: reading

Nov15

Lil Red’s Book Club: His & Hers By Alice Feeney Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: His & Hers By Alice Feeney Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! Today, we are going to be discussing a thriller by Alice Feeney called His & Hers – without giving any spoilers away, of course. Before we dive right in, I will be putting a massive trigger warning on this book for gruesome murders and a graphic scene of sexual assault. If this is something that would impact your mental health, please skip on reading His & Hers. Now, let’s get to it:

Anna started from the bottom of the BBC news and worked her way up to an anchor when the former went on maternity leave. For two years, Anna had her dream job but that’s not to say that everything was perfect due to her severe alcoholism. In fact, she describes herself in the beginning of the book as being the “unstable narrator” to her life. Despite this, her career is going accordingly to plan until her predecessor returns from leave and Anna gets kicked off the news and back into the correspondent’s corner.

Anna’s first task as a correspondent is to return back to her small hometown of Blackdown to report on a gruesome murder that might be the beginning of a spree. The thing is, she knows the victim personally as does the detective, Jack Harper. Both have a connection to the victim that would put them at the center of the investigation if found out so mum is definitely the word, especially as the murderer continues killing.

These serial killings have put sleepy, tight knit Blackdown in disarray and just being there stirs up a lifetime of bad memories for Anna and Jack alike. The reminders of a former life are almost worse than the insurmountable amount of stress as they do their jobs because evidence is being planted on Jack and Anna’s mom is suffering from dementia.

As more victims are found, the culprit feels like they are slipping through the fingers of the law and everyone turns into a suspect. Will Jack and his team be able to solve the case? And just what about Anna’s past caused all of this to happen in the first place? Read His & Hers to find out!

I have very mixed feelings about His & Hers and am actually still trying to digest it because I was loving the book until a very difficult to read chapter. His & Hers featured everything that I enjoy in a novel with three different narrators (Anna, Jack, and the killer) and a grand reveal that I so did not see coming. Similarly to when I read False Witness, the story line was excellent but it was hard to look past the graphic nature of some of the scenes.

The murderer’s unveiling was, indeed, a jaw dropping one and just when you thought you knew for sure who did it, the rug would get swept from under your feet. The short chapters of the killer’s thoughts really could have belonged to anyone in His & Hers and massive kudos to whomever figured out their identity because I never would have guessed it in a million years.

It’s hard for me to wrap my head around this read because I enjoyed everything but one part so much. The plot, narrators, and ending were all awesome and I have never read anything like it before. Needless to say, coming up with a star rating is difficult but I am going to award it with: five and a half out of ten stars. Without one chapter, I had already planned on rating His & Hers with a ten but some things just leave too bad of a taste in your mouth to overlook.

What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Nov8

Lil Red’s Book Club: Not A Happy Family By Shari Lapena Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: Not A Happy Family By Shari Lapena Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! Today, without giving any spoilers away, we will be discussing Not A Happy Family by Shari Lapena. I got this book in large print from the library and, is it just me, or does reading a large print book go by way faster than a normal print? After a mere five reading sessions, I was done with this four hundred and twenty-two page thriller and it was one that I enjoyed a lot! Now, let’s get to it:

Sheila and Fred Merton are, for lack of better words, filthy rich. Fred made his fortune in robotics and they boast a sprawling estate and a net worth upwards of thirty million. Fred is proud of his life as a businessman but of his children… Not so much, and it all comes to light on a particularly awful Easter dinner when Catherine, Dan, and Jenna’s father screams his poison in a drunken rage. While his disappointment is nothing new, his extreme anger is a surprise but no one is ready for what happens next when Fred and Sheila are found murdered in their own home.

The bodies of the Merton parents are discovered by their long term nanny turned housekeeper and the police investigation begins immediately with the children as their prime suspects. First, we have the eldest sister named Catherine. She is a dermatologist and married to Ted, who both enjoy the finer things in life. Dan is the middle child who is married to Lisa and are currently in a desperate financial situation. Fred also happened to refuse and degrade him when he asked for a loan on Easter Sunday. And, finally, we have Jenna who is the baby of the family. She is a starving artist with a new fling every week, a violent streak, and is currently living off of a monthly allowance from her parents.

Any one of the Merton children could have committed the double murder but who? All of them have secrets to hide about the night of the murder and with their partners lying for them and siblings backing each other up, it sends the detectives on a wild goose chase with the possibility that the case could go cold. Each Merton child has a lot to lose and a fortune to gain from the wills of Sheila and Fred so whodoneit? Read Not A Happy Family to find out!

I have been pretty unimpressed with the books that I have read recently and Not A Happy Family kept me on my toes until the very last page. This was definitely a nice change of pace and, for once, I couldn’t figure out the grand reveal so I really liked it! Not A Happy Family was an unputdownable read with red herrings at every turn of the page, especially because the children weren’t the only players in the investigation. The housekeeper, aunt, and a family friend are all potential suspects too which added to the confusion and suspense of the case.

This book changed narrators either every chapter or paragraph between the children, their partners, or other suspects who all have a lot of money to gain from the murder of Fred and Sheila. I love this type of format and it added so much urgency because you couldn’t put each person’s puzzle pieces together consistently. Just when I thought that I knew who did it, I read another few paragraphs and my opinion would change drastically.

I can’t recommend Not A Happy Family enough if you are looking for a fast paced murder mystery and am awarding it with an eight out of ten stars. Although it wasn’t a groundbreaking story line, it had me hooked and happily reading for hours on end. If you like playing detective as much as I do, then you are going to love this book!

What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct25

Lil Red’s Book Club: The Spires By Kate Moretti Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: The Spires By Kate Moretti Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! Today, we are going to be discussing The Spires by Kate Moretti – without giving any spoilers away, of course. 🙂 The Spires was a fast paced read that I finished after a mere four reading sessions. Although it wasn’t my favorite, it definitely qualified as unputdownable as twists and turns seemed to happen with every short chapter. Now, let’s get to it:

Bland, rational, shy Penelope has been living her life on autopilot for the past year. With her unemployed husband not picking up any extra slack, Penelope has been forced to juggle absolutely everything – A demanding job, cooking, cleaning, and two children with tons of extra curriculars. She is run down, exhausted, and closer to reaching her breaking point with every passing day. But, with the arrival of a friend who she hasn’t seen in twenty years on her doorstep, her busy life becomes the least of her problems.

Willa and Penelope were best friends in college and lived with each other and three other roommates for a year after graduating. Willa was the resident life of the party in the renovated church that they lived in, which made her state at Penelope’s door startling. She was terrified of the abusive ex that she escaped from and needed a place to stay.

At first, Willa was a welcome guest in Penelope’s home. She cooked delicious meals, cleaned, and helped out with the kids. Then, things started turning very suspicious. Jewelry of Penelope’s began turning up missing, major boundaries in the home were being crossed, and photos of her life that she can’t recall anyone taking appeared in her bedroom. The worst part? No one believes Penelope, which leaves her questioning her own sanity and sinking further back into her history and the tragedy that took place in the church house.

With no one in her corner, Penelope goes at it alone and the secrets that she uncovers about Willa unravel her even more. In a shocking final stand off where it all began, the truth of the tragedy at the church house is revealed as well as one more grand reveal that will make your jaw drop. Will Penelope survive the show down? Read The Spires to find out!

What I liked the most about The Spires was its format. No one loves a back and forth setup more than Lil Red and this book alternated from Penelope in present and past day to present day Willa. The chapters were short and sweet which is what made it so hard to put down because just a few more pages would uncover even more game changers. And, we all know that just a few more pages means you end up reading fifty more!

While I enjoyed the story line of The Spires because it was different than anything I have read before, I wasn’t particularly fond of any of the characters. Penelope bored me, her husband drove me crazy, and Willa was SO annoying. Not feeling any type of connection to any of the main players made for a lackluster reading experience despite a riveting plot.

Overall, The Spires is one that you could take or leave and I am going to award it with five and a half out of ten stars. These stars were given for the unique plot and enjoyable format. Had I liked even one character, it would have been a much higher star rating. If you are looking for a quick read, give The Spires a try. If you are looking for something deeper than that, it is one that you can pass on.

What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Oct2

*Super* Early Christmas Present

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*Super* Early Christmas Present

Hi! When it comes to gift giving occasions, I simply cannot wait for the day of and ask my giftees if I can give them their presents as soon as they arrive in the mail. My sweet Johnny knows this firsthand because I don’t think we have ever waited until the day of a birthday, anniversary, or holiday to open gifts! This year, Christmas came especially early for us as we already gave each other presents last weekend lol. Take a look at the best give ever from my husband:

I like to do all of my present shopping way ahead of time so, of course, I had Johnny’s Christmas gift ready to go since the beginning of September. I guess I inspired him to shop early because he let me know that he had my gift too!

Knowing that each of us had our prezzies already was going to make it impossible to wait until Christmas. We decided to give each other a hint and if we guessed right, then we would tell each other. Johnny’s hint to me was “it is something that you have wanted for forever but never want to pay for”.

Right off the bat, I was stumped because there’s a million things that I would love to have but don’t want to pay for – mainly clothes related. Then, it clicked. My favorite comic book series, Sandman, by Neil Gaiman will have its own Netflix show which will be releasing soon. Johnny isn’t familiar with it, so I have been talking about it constantly and every time it gets brought up, I mention how much I would like to have the Sandman Omnibuses so I can have the complete collection.

As you can see, I guessed correctly because that is, indeed, what Johnny got for me for Christmas. It is, hands down, one of the best gifts I have ever received and I cannot wait to reread my favorite series in its entirety for the millionth time – no trip to the library required! 😀

One of my many favorite things about Johnny is how incredibly thoughtful he is. This gift is the ultimate testament of how he listens to me when I’m talking, even if I’m rambling about something for the hundredth time. That is the best gift of all – no matter how freaking cool the Omnibuses are! ❤

Who else is excited for the Sandman series on Netflix? Who has started their holiday shopping already? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Sep27

Lil Red’s Book Club: False Witness By Karin Slaughter Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: False Witness By Karin Slaughter Edition

Hi everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! Today, we will be discussing a book called False Witness by Karin Slaughter – without giving any spoilers away, of course. Before we begin, however, I will be placing an extreme trigger warning on this book and post. False Witness covers every type of abuse imaginable, violence, rape, and drug addiction. It is definitely not a book to be read by the faint of heart. With that in mind, let’s get to it:

Big sister Leigh and little sis Callie spent their childhood in poverty and immersed in abuse at the hands of adults who should have been protecting them. Finally, the hunted became the hunters and the sisters murdered one of their abusers – the father of the child that Callie was babysitting. They cleaned house, covered their tracks, and lived their lives as if nothing happened afterwards.

To cope, Leigh worked hard to the point of obsessive and became a defense attorney for a major law firm. Callie, on the other hand, turned to hard drugs to ease her pain from scars both mental and physical. She would show up in Leigh’s life occasionally to steal money and possessions but mainly lived on the streets or seedy motels.

For over twenty years, the girls thought that they had gotten away with the perfect crime and did their best to keep it in the back of their minds. That is, until Leigh is hired to defend a new client on brutal rape charges. Who is he? None other than the boy that they babysat all of those years ago.

Andrew Tenant is clearly guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and everyone seems to know it. However, he expects to get off scot free because he has leverage over Leigh that will incriminate both her and Callie if she doesn’t succeed in trial… He knows that they killed his father. How, you may ask? Read False Witness to find out!

Let me start off by saying that False Witness in its entirety was insanely hard to read. Its content was nothing short of heartbreaking and deeply disturbing. Having said that, it was a book that kept my attention to the very end with twists, turns, and complete curve balls on every page.

The subject matter was, at times, unbearable. However, Karin Slaughter crafted the two sisters in such a way that I was rooting for them harder than I have for any other character in the books that I have read recently. Despite their flaws, both Leigh and Callie were likeable, smart, so strong, and sometimes absolutely hilarious. In fact, I liked them even more because of everything that they have gone through.

Slaughter hit hard in this book to the point that it was almost grueling. She shined a light on very real issues and wrote in such a way that it felt like you were reading a true story. The sense of urgency in this book was palpable. There were also delicious moments of comic relief that had me in stitches, which was much needed and appreciated.

I am going to award Karin Slaughter’s False Witness with a six out of ten star rating. While I can’t say that I enjoyed this book due to its graphic nature, I loved how it was written as well as the two main characters. If you can stomach it, False Witness is certainly worth the read. If not, please don’t bother with it because it is not worth damaging your own mental health.

What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Sep22

Must Haves For Your Bedroom

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Must Haves For Your Bedroom

After another long year in the pandemic lifestyle, it’s safe to say that everyone is going to want to hibernate this winter. And, where better to retreat than to your bedroom? Your bedroom should be your ultimate safe haven where you are cocooned in comfort and free to relax and be your best self. For the best in comfy cozy, consider the following in your bedroom:

Plush Bedding:

The best place to start in the bedroom is, of course, with the bed! After shopping for quality bedroom furniture for sale like your mattress and bed frame, it is time to dress the bed with comfortable and soft bedding. You can’t go wrong with light cotton sheets in the summer but during the winter, its best to adorn your bed with warm and toasty flannel or fleece.

Don’t forget comfy pillows both for sleeping and decoration. You might even want to consider a statement piece like a velvet headboard for an over the top luxury feel. That will make your queen sized bed truly fit for royalty!

Items That Sooth:

One of the first things that I bought for my bedroom in my apartment was a Himalayan Salt Lamp and I just love it! It provides the perfect glow to help you relax or set the mood for a scary movie night. Fairy lights or even sphere lights that look like the moon are also great options.

Your bedroom should have items that comfort rather than stimulate you and this can come in all shapes and forms. Think sound machines, your favorite plushie, or a photo album with pictures of your family. The bedroom is where people tend to go when they want to spend some peaceful time with themselves so save your bold pieces like loud artwork or unique patterns for the living room, instead.

Book Nook:

I don’t know about all of you, but reading before bed is one of my favorite parts of my nighttime routine. If you feel similarly, why not create a book nook in your bedroom? Stock a small bookshelf with your favorites or must reads from the library so you always have some reading material handy. A chaise lounge by a window would also be a nice touch. Cue the rain (outdoors or on a sound machine) for the ultimate reading space.

Create Calmness:

Testing out lavender or chamomile products before going to bed is always a good idea! You can sip on chamomile tea while taking a nice hot bath and crawl into bed with a cozy robe and a magazine. Or, how about some lavender scented lotion and pillow spray to help you drift off into the land of nod? Pampering yourself can be so soothing and will help put you in the right state of mind for a peaceful night’s sleep.

Think calm, soft, and soothing and you will have a bedroom fit for the royalty that you are for the most relaxing winter ever!

Sep7

Lil Red’s Book Club: The Last Thing He Told Me By Laura Dave Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: The Last Thing He Told Me By Laura Dave Edition

Hello and welcome to a new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! Today, we are going to be discussing a thriller by Laura Dave called The Last Thing He Told Me – without giving any spoilers away, of course. This book kept me on the edge of my seat with twists and turns on every page and an ending that almost made my cry. I simply could not put it down and devoured it in less than a week! Now, let’s get to it:

Hannah and Owen have been married for about a year and everything is going picture perfect. They live in a charming houseboat with Owen’s teenage daughter, Bailey, in Sausalito, California and Hannah constantly wonders how she got so lucky. Even though Bailey is not particularly thrilled over the relationship!

Hannah thinks that she knows everything there is to know about Owen until he doesn’t return home from work. Instead of calling, he has a note delivered to their front door with the simple message of “Protect her.” on it. Shortly after Hannah receives the note, we learn that the CEO of the tech company that her husband works for has been indited for major fraud and embezzlement. Fast forward a few days later and Owen has seemingly disappeared without a trace… That is, except for the huge bag of cash he left in Bailey’s locker at school.

As if Hannah didn’t have enough to stress about, the FBI and U.S. Marshals are hot on her trail and she knows that she needs to act fast to save herself, her step daughter, and husband. With the unlikely help of Bailey, they begin to uncover dark secrets of Owen’s past that could put all of them in unspeakable danger. This begs the question of if Hannah and Bailey really even knew him at all.

The Last Thing He Told Me was a fast paced, urgent read because every twist that occurred put everyone closer to being in harm’s way. This is why I couldn’t stop reading if I tried and it was definitely a nice change of pace from the lackluster Such A Quiet Place, which I finished recently. The Last Thing He Told Me also offered a story line that was incredibly unique which made trying to figure out the grand reveal pretty difficult. There were some things I got right and others that I missed and that made it even better.

What I liked the most about The Last Thing He Told Me were all of the different emotions that I felt while reading. Hannah and Bailey’s anxiety was palpable and they were both so easy to root for as they were thrown into such a life altering situation. I felt bad that Hannah’s fairy tale was cut short and awful that the only parent Bailey has left had disappeared off the face of the Earth. This made all of their discoveries and final heart wrenching sentence even more triumphant to the point that I was almost moved to tears.

I really can’t go into detail about Owen’s past because it would ruin the point of reading this book. I can tell you, however, that if you like a good thriller, then The Last Thing He Told Me is definitely worth the read. I am going to award it with an eight out of ten star rating. Laura Dave delivered with flawed but insanely likeable characters and a book that will keep you guessing until the very end. I highly recommend it!

What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

 

Aug31

Lil Red’s Book Club: Such A Quiet Place By Megan Miranda Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: Such A Quiet Place By Megan Miranda Edition

Hello everyone and welcome to a new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! Without giving any spoilers away, of course, we are going to be discussing a thriller called Such A Quiet Place by Megan Miranda. Was it the best book I have ever read? No. Was it the worst? Still no. Now, let’s get to it:

Hollow’s Edge is a beautiful neighborhood where everyone knows everyone. The home owners consider themselves a family and you can often find them at each other’s places having coffee and barbecues or lounging together at the community pool. Not only is their free time spent with each other but their work lives also mingle as many of the neighbors are employed at the local college. It is a picture perfect place for thirty somethings to truly begin their adult lives with family or blossoming careers. However, if we know anything about thrillers, we know that Hollow’s Edge is anything but picture perfect.

A year and a half ago, the community was turned upside down by the murders of Brandon and Fiona Truett via carbon monoxide poisoning. With the utmost cooperation from the Hollow’s Edge residents, twenty-five year old Ruby Fletcher was convicted of murder and sent to prison. The neighborhood was completely shaken and everyone tried to move back to some sense of normality. That is, until Ruby’s charges were dropped after she served fourteen months thanks to an excellent lawyer and new evidence.

After being released from prison, Ruby waltzes back into Hollow’s Edge as if nothing happened. She invites herself back into the home she shared with her old roommate, Harper, and begins plotting her revenge for the wrongful conviction. Her erratic behavior frightens the community and they are sure that a murderer is walking freely around their tight knit neighborhood.

The people of Hollow’s Edge try their best to ignore Ruby but it is with much difficulty with every twist and turn she presents. And, when she is reported dead after a Fourth of July party, it becomes impossible. Are there two murderers in the neighborhood? Or was Ruby’s death just collateral for desperate community members trying to save face? Read Such A Quiet Place to find out!

Given the description, you would think that Such A Quiet Place would be right up Lil Red’s alley because I love a good thriller. And I did like this book. The story line was different than anything I had read before and that, in itself, is a huge plus. The grand reveal wasn’t the grandest ever, though, and I had figured it out well before the book was over despite all of the red herrings. While I do enjoy solving the major twist in thrillers, I like being completely blindsided better.

Megan Miranda’s writing style didn’t help the cause, either. This is not to say the book was poorly written because it wasn’t. However, I never got a deeper understanding of any of the characters because it was always skirted around with their outward cattiness. The book wasn’t boring, per se, but it’s not much fun to read about an entire neighborhood of people who are exactly the same.

I can’t say that I particularly cared for any of the characters in Such A Quiet Place. Although they were all pretty shitty people, it is nice to have someone to root for in a book and I just didn’t feel that connection to any of them. So, even when the plot twist finally revealed itself, I still felt underwhelmed.

Such A Quiet Place is a read that you could take or leave and I am going to award it with a five out of ten star rating. This thriller really didn’t do much for me but I did like the unique story line. Whomp whomp.

Which book are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug27

Self Care Hobbies That Can Be Done From Home

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Self Care Hobbies That Can Be Done From Home

Hobbies that can be done from home are so much more likely to be practiced often. And if they are much more likely to happen, then it can be such a good thing for your self care and mental health. Looking after yourself and finding something that you love to do, outside of work or school is important. So with that in mind, here are some hobbies that you can try from home to help you relax. Which are you going to try first?

Knitting:

Knitting is a wonderful hobby to try. The reason being, is that it is not only a mindful and relaxing activity, but it also gives you an end result. Want to create a scarf or make something for your friend’s new baby? Then get knitting. Seeing that you have created something by yourself can be a real confidence boost. Not only is the act of knitting relaxing but it’s also fun to find new colors of yarn for your projects! You can shop sustainable supplies for knitting and crochet for an eco friendly approach without sacrificing quality. This is another way that your hobby can make you feel good because you will be doing good for the planet too.

Painting:

Painting is something that can be really relaxing and mindful, and you don’t need very much equipment to get you started. You can go wherever your imagination takes you or take inspiration from your favorite artist or pieces of artwork. You could look here for some inspiration: https://davidhartgalleries.com.au/pro-hart/. You could choose paint, acrylics, watercolors, chalks, or other mediums, it is all about being creative and making it up as you go.

Baking Bread:

Another hobby that is practical, as you get something good to eat at the end of it, but that is calming and relaxing at the same time. Baking bread in a traditional way, such as by kneading the dough by hand and waiting for it to rise can be therapeutic and so, so rewarding. You can get creative with the types of bread and the flavors like sourdough, which will need a starter, as stated here: https://feastingathome.com/sourdough-starter/. So there are a lot of options for you to play around with.

Reading:

If you don’t think that you have much time for reading, then you might not have been putting as much emphasis on it as you have in the past. Reading can be pure escapism, as well as a way to learn new things. If you want to read more, then block out the time in your schedule and it will make sure that it happens.

LEGO:

Building with LEGO is not just for kids! You can get proper sets and kits to create something as it is meant to be or you can use what you have to create anything else that you can imagine. Some kits can take a while to build, so it can be a real labor of love. The perfect solution when you’re looking for something to do to relax at the end of the day.

Everyone needs a hobby to enjoy so why not try some of these ideas? Have fun!

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Aug13

Chilling Out

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Chilling Out

Hello! These past few weekends for Johnny and I have been nice and relaxing which is a welcome change of pace after several super busy weekends in a row. I definitely know that I was feeling the effects of being on the move nonstop because I felt so exhausted throughout my work week. My job is quite mentally demanding so this on top of tired made me feel drained.

While I love going out and about with Johnny, a lot of my favorite things can be done just Chilling Out in our apartment. Like the following:

Pampering Party:

Pampering myself after a long day at work always makes me feel better. This means bubble baths, face masks, getting my nails done, and painting my toe nails. Johnny also loves to have his nails painted so I’ll usually do his fingers and toes too while the nail polish is out. Nothing pleases me more than an evening at the nail salon or testing out a new skin care product and it is a great midweek refresher until the weekend rolls around. A Pampering Party is my favorite form of self care and it gives me something to look forward to for once I get home.

Fun & Games:

Super intense video games are not relaxing to me in the slightest even though I love them. However, Pokemon Snap and Animal Crossing never fail to put me in the chill zone. Both games for the Nintendo Switch are insanely cute, laid back, and fairly mindless. They are also games that Johnny and I enjoy a lot so we play them often when we need some time to unwind. Our new hobby has been listening to The Last Podcast On The Left together and we will normally play Pokemon Snap or Animal Crossing while we have an episode on.

Soak Up The Sun:

I have been making great use of the pool at my apartment community this summer and it feels nice to be in the water and catch some rays in the evening. It is also the best time to go since it is not as crowded which makes it even more relaxing! Our apartment gets incredibly hot in the summer so I love having a pool two minutes away to cool off in. It’s hard to get in a chill set of mind when you’re sweating profusely lol!

Book Club:

Despite pretty much only reading horror and thriller novels, reading always helps me to relax and I try to finish a book at least every three weeks. Right now, I have been working on Candide by Voltaire which I have really been enjoying. Next on deck is a suspense novel by Megan Miranda called Such A Quiet Place. Nothing is better than settling in with a good book and I get transported to the chill zone as soon as I read one page.

It’s important to know what helps you to relax when you are feeling tired or stressed and the above are all surefire ways to unwind for me. Talk about an instant chill pill!

How do you like to relax? What makes you feel stressed? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah