This edition of What I Read would be more accurate named 'what I finished reading in October.' Because I started quite a few books and series last month, some of which I'm still in the process of reading and others that I ditched after only a few chapters. Since I only finished five books last month, three of which were shorter and made up a series, I thought it would be fun to share what I'm currently reading. As always, leave your recommendations in the comments!

Surviving Amber Springs
Author: Siobhan Davis

This is definitely a YA book, and I feel like I need to include the fact that it features a polyamorous relationship early in my review. I decided to read this book because the underlying conflict was so different from anything I've read recently. The main female character's twin brother went on a shooting spree at their high school, targeting the group that made his sister's life hell. Blair and her parents flee their town in search of a new life, but even with new identities it all catches up with them.


The Bette Davis Club
Author: Jane Lotter

Not gonna lie: I decided to read this book solely based on the car in the description. A middle aged woman whose life has been good but not great sets out on a road trip with a jilted groom in search of his runaway fiance in her late father's classic MG. This is definitely a story of a woman who has lost her way in life finding her way back to herself. The main character has a dry wit and even drier taste in martinis. This book proves that the journey is just as worthwhile as the destination.



Dark Legacy Trilogy (Broken Wings, Broken Trust, Broken Legacy)
Author: Jaymin Eve & Tate James

I don't know why I keep getting drawn in by these dark romance books lately, but this one isn't quite as cliche as others I've read. Of course, the main female character is thrown into a world she doesn't fit into where she goes up against so-called 'kings' before falling for one of them. What sets this book apart is the fact that the MFC was born to a mega-rich couple but the mother pretended she died and gave her up for adoption. Then, when her older brother was killed, the mother reclaimed her daughter, and it is anything but a happy reunion. Now Riley and the other heirs are on a mission to uncover the real motive behind her mother's actions.

What I'm Reading Now

Traitor's Masque: A Reimagining of Cinderella - After her father's death, Trystan's stepmother keeps her hidden away, but Trystan isn't ready to give up just yet. Freedom may be within her grasp if she attends the royal ball and not ask too many questions.

Accidental Knight - Bella is the sole beneficiary of his will. He's left her control of the family business, the family ranch, and, oh yeah, a husband.

The Snow Gypsy - Rose Daniel is searching for her brother, who disappeared during WWII somewhere in Spain leaving behind a pregnant girlfriend. That child is rescued by Lola Aragon, whose entire family was killed. Rose, Lola, and the child set out on a journey that shows them war's darkest truths and changes their lives forever.

I did a lot of reading in September, and this post does not contain everything because a lot of what I read was quick little novellas with easy plot lines. So I decided to share my favorites for the month, along with two books I didn't finish.

Charming (Bastan Hollow Saga Book 1)
Author: Jane Washington

My thoughts: I think it's important to note that this is not primarily a retelling of Cinderella. The main character is not a spin-off of Cinderella. The main character is a witch who must help steer the descendants of Cinderella and Prince Charming toward the appropriate ending to keep chaos from erupting. She puts together a band of comical misfits along the way and ends up saving the world in more ways than one.

The Librarian's Coven (Written, Warriors, Scrivens, Ancients)
Author: Kathryn Moon

My thoughts: I really enjoyed this series because it was such a different twist on witches and magic. A young woman who believes herself to be non-magical applies for and gets a job working in the library of a prestigious magic university where she discovers she has an all-but-forgotten type of written magic and is the final member of a coven. She learns just how powerful she is when an ancient evil surfaces, threatening all of humanity.

Terraway Novels
Author: Mary E. Twomey

My thoughts: For me, this one was all about the characters. The plot itself was good, but I was so invested in the main characters because of how much detail the author invested in their back stories. The main character has to overcome her past to save the future of two worlds. It takes a lot for a book to make me cry, but this series did. More than once. (There are nine books in this series, but they're all fairly short. I linked to the first one to get you started.)

The Evelyn Maynard Trilogy (Variant Lost, Vital Found, Vivid Avowed)
Author: Kaydence Snow

My thoughts: You know I like strong female characters, and Evelyn Maynard is a strong female character with a rare supernatural ability thought to no longer exist. Her father wants to use her to steal other's powers so he can overthrow world governments and rule over everyone. Evelyn and her Variants risk everything to stop him.

Evergreen Academy Series (Marked, Broken, Bound, Unmasked)
Author: Ruby Vincent

My thoughts: Okay, so I feel like I should be too old for books about high school, but this series hooked me. It kind of has a Pretty Little Liars feel to it. Basically, a secret society of some of the world's wealthiest families run a prep school that churns out the next big achievers. This society runs off anyone that doesn't fit their standard one way or another, but this time they've picked the wrong girl.

BONUS: Two Books I Didn't Finish

Butterfly Island
Author: Corina Boman

My thoughts: I really wanted to love this book, but halfway in I still had no idea what the main character was looking for. Sure, it's supposed to be a family secret, but I had no inclination at all and that was frustrating. The plot was glacial and I didn't really connect to the main character.

The Impossible Girl
Author: Lydia Kang

My thoughts: After reading A Beautiful Poison, I was excited to tackle The Impossible Girl, but man was I so disappointed. I barely made it past the first chapter. The writing style just didn't appeal to me and the main character rubbed me the wrong way for some reason. I may circle back around to this book in the future, though, because it has spectacular reviews.

The calendar may say Fall arrived two weeks ago, but in the South we all know the temperature won't start to reflect the change of season until at least Halloween. So what's a girl to do when she wants to dress to reflect the season but doesn't want to die of heat stroke in the process? The easiest way is with color. Swap out the brights of Summer for the darks of Fall, like the deep red of this corduroy skirt. I've never been much for corduroy because it's never really that cold here, but this skirt is pretty thin and unlined so I didn't feel too warm in it. Unfortunately it's no longer available, but I linked to some similar ones below. I paired it with this white button-up cami I'd been eyeing on Amazon to keep things temperature appropriate and finished the look with these laser-cut peep-toe booties. And voila! A Fall outfit appropriate for near 100-degree temperatures.

Outfit Details
Shirt: Amazon
Skirt: Old Navy (similar, similar)
Shoes: Target

I was one of those kids in high school that actually knew what I wanted for my future. I set my sights on that goal and followed that path. I didn't pretend to be something I wasn't, and I'll be honest, it was a little lonely. I didn't really have a group. I flitted between most (not all) of them and could count my close friends on one hand. I rarely got invited to parties, and my dating life was pretty much non-existent. But I knew who I was and it was enough. I found my people when I went to college, and for the first time I felt like I was accepted for who I was. Then I graduated and got a job, and that path I'd always been following took a huge detour through some pretty dense woods, and I got lost. But eventually, I stumbled back onto that path I'd started so many years ago and rediscovered all the things I'd forgotten about myself.

Losing yourself isn't easy. Finding yourself in the aftermath isn't easy. But you owe it to yourself to make the effort.

Happy Monday.

Self-care has become such an important part of my life these days. Mainly, I think, because for nearly a decade I put myself last. I dedicated so much of myself to work and family life that I kind of lost myself in it all. I was operating on auto pilot - work, family, sleep, repeat. There was no time left for me to do the things I enjoy just for myself. I was starving my creative side, which takes up a pretty big part of me, and honestly was too busy to realize just how much of myself I had lost.

When I decided that I was ready to end my career in television news, it felt like a great weight lifted off my shoulders. Cliche, right? But true nonetheless. Then when I actually made the transition to working from home and setting my own hours, I had time to notice all the things I'd been missing. I'm not really sure how long I had been unhappy. I think I had been in 'survival mode' for so long that I didn't recognize unhappiness in myself. But now that I know what to look for, I can head it off at the pass, because I don't ever want to live that way again.

I've opened up to you guys recently about my need to refocus and find a better balance between all the things I have/want to do. What I haven't talked about is the how of it. Here are my top 5 self-care methods for when things start to get overwhelming.

1. Allow myself extra sleep, whether that's going to bed earlier or taking a nap during the day (because let's face it, if you've got a young child, you don't sleep in).

2. Cut back on social media (and sometimes blogging).

3. Escape into a book ... or two or three. I have to be careful with this, though, since I can easily tune out everything in favor of fiction.

4. Have a long, hot soak in the tub...by myself.

5. Go somewhere by myself, even if it's just to the grocery store.

What do you do to keep yourself at your best?

Happy Monday, friends! Thanks for continuing to be patient with me as I ease back into regular blogging in a way that doesn't feel forced or obligatory. I've been surprised over the last two months or so at how little I've missed it, which speaks to just how caught up in the culture of 'I have to post every day!' I had gotten. I think I've successfully broken that habit, but now I've got rebuild a healthy blogging relationship.

It's always kind of a weird thing to find myself in a slump. I usually realize it after I've been in it for awhile. Whether that's me subconsciously ignoring the signs or just being too busy to notice them, I couldn't tell you, but I'd like to think I'm getting better these days at taking breaks and making my mental health a priority.

On the plus side, we're almost finished painting our house and will be moving on to the floors soon (although I can't say I'm looking forward to the physicality of that part), and the magazine has officially entered its second year so I'm no longer having to build each issue from scratch. With Alexis having a set schedule for school, I'm able to set a more firm schedule for myself when it comes to work, and while it's still not very comparable to a desk job, having a range of hours dedicated just to the magazine every day is definitely helping me set clearer boundaries with my time.

To anyone going through a similar season of life, I hope you know that things will get better and remember that it's not selfish to cut back on things (or people) that unnecessarily drain you. Your time to bloom will come back around.

I read a lot during my blog/social media hiatus. However, most of what I read was shorter stories that all fell into kind of the same genre, so I decided for the sake of this post to only include the four books that I didn't read in one sitting and that aren't part of a series that I'm in the middle of.


The Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy
Author: Nora Roberts

Comprised of Dark Witch, Shadowspell, and Blood Magick, this series focuses on three cousins living in the modern world who are fulfilling their ancestors' quest to rid the world of a great evil. The first book focuses on Iona, the second on Connor, and the third on Branna. Throughout the journey, they find love and connect with the original three.

My first foray into Nora Roberts is all thanks to my mother, who sent this complete series home with me one weekend. I've never had a desire to read any of Roberts's books, despite knowing many people (like my mom) who love her work. These sparked my interest because of the magic. I grew up on Harry Potter, lost myself in The Lord of the Rings, read everything Tamora Pierce wrote, and fell in love with The Paper Magician. Fantasy is my absolute favorite thing to read, be it based on the real or a made-up world, and this series did not disappoint.


The Overdue Life of Amy Byler
Author: Kelly Harms

Amy Byler has forgotten who she is in the years since her husband left her and their children. She's devoted herself to her job as a school librarian and mother, never taking time for herself, but then the wayward husband returns and wants to be part of his kids' lives...at least for the summer. Amy reluctantly agrees and heads to NYC to visit her college BFF, who also happens to be a magazine editor, and attend a school librarian conference. While there, Amy reconnects with herself as a woman and finally starts to move on.

I totally picked this book based on the cover and then spent the better part of a week reading it. This is not a book I would recommend to just anyone. It's a bit slower paced and the humor is understated, but I did like the story and Amy reminded me of my mom a bit. I also liked how the author incorporated journal entries from Amy's daughter throughout.