It has been quite awhile since I did one of these, and since I'm feeling a little creative slump this week, I thought it would be a good time to share what books are currently holding my attention. More than half of these fall firmly in the fantasy genre, all but one is romantic in nature, and all are part of a series with the exception of one stand-alone historical fiction novel.

Also, in case you were wondering, there are over 300 unread titles currently on my Kindle and at least five unread physical books dotted around my house. As per usual, I'm adding books faster than I can read them. If your TBR list is like mine and feeling slightly out of control, check out these 14 ways to manage it courtesy of Janssen over at Everyday Reading.

Alright, here we go. The eight books I'm currently reading.

This is book 4 of the Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac series. Elise transfers to Aurora Academy to try to find her brother's killer. Investigators say it was an overdose, but Elise knows better and has reason to believe it's one of the four Kings of the school, so she sets out to get close to them without revealing who she really is. Despite the secrets all of them are keeping, there's something even darker lurking on the school grounds.

by Emilia Finn

She just started releasing books for another series that's part of this world, so while I impatiently wait for the next one of those, I decided to start rereading from the very beginning with Bobby, a professional MMA fighter, and Kit, an accountant who's just become the caretaker of her teenage brother after their father's death. Bobby and Kit's relationship kind of sets the stage for the other books in the series, but in my opinion they just get better and better.

by Bella Forrest

This is technically book 16 in this ongoing series, but we've swapped from Harley to Finch, and you need to read the books about Harley to have the proper background for these. To summarize without spoiling anything, Finch is the servant of Erebus, who is kind of like a god. He's been doing all these jobs without really knowing the reason why until they land in Atlantis, where absolutely nothing goes as planned.

Louisa is forcibly checked into an asylum after she's found at the bottom of a cliff that's popular for suicides. Although she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, her history of depression gives the doctors enough reasonable cause to keep her. The asylum is a converted hospital that once housed injured soldiers during WWI. While doing some sneaky exploring, Louisa finds a room that somehow transports her back to 1916 where she meets a British army lieutenant who's lost his eyesight.

The Witch's Rebels Book 1 -- I feel like I've read this before, but I truly do not remember it. Gray is a witch who's spent most of her life running and her magic on lock, but when she accidentally resurrects a dead teenager, everything changes. Not only does she find herself in an unwanted spotlight, but she's somehow tied to Death himself.

This is the fifth book of The Cardinal series. I actually read the last book of this series at the beginning of the year, but that was a year after I read the previous book so I wanted to read the entire series from beginning to end. Callie was kidnapped as a pre-teen and forced into a life as a hacker where she eventually ends up under the thumb of a notorious Russian criminal wanted by pretty much every intelligence organization in the world. When she's rescued by one such organization and begins working with them to bring Ivanov down, things understandably get a little dicey.

Book 3 of The Grimm Files. Elle, better known as the mermaid princess Arielle, has just learned the real identity of her mother, and she's the worst of the worst. Having sacrificed her siren gifts but unlocked her previously unknown magical ones, Elle now finds herself the main suspect in yet another murder.

The Guild Codex: Warped Book 2. I've been waiting for this to come out for a few months! Kit Morris has gone from wanted criminal to MagiPol agent after helping solve a high-profile case. Now, he's been assigned his second case investigating a demonica guild, but he suspects this seemingly straight-forward case is anything but.

Happy Monday, friends. How was your weekend? Mine was wonderfully lazy. Alexis went on a mini-vacation with my parents as a kind of last hurrah before my mom heads back to work, and Chris worked, so I had the house to myself, and after a crazy couple of weeks of running all over the Wiregrass I needed some me time. For the first weekend in quite some time, I didn't do any type of chore at all. No laundry, no dishes, nothing. And it was glorious.

Like I said, the last couple of weeks have been busy, especially last week with Alexis having camp in the morning. Half-day camps are great...in the afternoon. I do most of my work in the morning hours, so having that valuable time bisected by drop-off and pick-up times that are only a few hours apart makes for a dose of hecticness.

All in all, though, last week was productive. I got quite a bit accomplished, despite feeling like a chicken running around headless. This week should be more manageable. Alexis has swimming lessons, and we've got plans to spend half a day with my granny, but otherwise our schedule is not all over the place.

This past weekend was our state's back-to-school sales tax holiday, but we've still got four weeks before school starts back so we didn't partake. Plus, our district got a grant to provide school supplies for all students so at this point, other than a backpack and a few new pairs of jeans/pants, I don't even know what, if anything, we'll have to buy.

I'm not sure if we'll do anything special before school starts back. Everything here has been back open for awhile, but we haven't just plunged back in. Camps have been about as adventurous as we've gotten. We're are getting a little braver with eating out, though we try to time it so that we miss peak busy times. I still try to avoid places like Walmart, but that's not really anything new for me, ha! And I can't tell you the last time I didn't use a grocery delivery service and went to the store myself. That one, truly, has changed my life, and I'll probably not go back!

Well, I've got some editing to do, so I'm gonna sign off for now. Have a great week!

It feels like I just put one of these posts together, but in reality it's been a couple of weeks. I keep trying to get better about keeping up with these roundups, but I've been pulled in a lot of different directions lately, especially this past week. Which is why you're only getting six outfits plus another set of workout clothes.

One thing you'll notice about this roundup is that every outfit is fairly simple. They've got to be to survive in our current humidity situation. It's like trying to walk through a wet blanket every time you go outside.

Anyway, let's get on with it, yeah?

I'll be honest. Not a lot of thought or effort went into this outfit. In fact, it's a recycled version from an outfit I wore at the end of last summer. These are probably my favorite pair of shorts. They're by Universal Thread at Target, and although this particular pair wasn't revived this year they do have a lot of good options.

I will be the first to admit that I haven't done a lot of cooking the past couple of weeks. We still haven't replaced our stove (inventory issues) and our schedules have been pretty crazy. When I have cooked, I've been extremely reliant on my Instant Pot, so the search for new recipes has been on this summer.

I find myself partial to pasta recipes. Alexis is a big fan of spaghetti (which I have made in the Instant Pot but can't remember which recipe I followed), so I've been trying to branch out and add more variety.

These three recipes I'm sharing with you today were big hits in our house, especially the last one. Because this was the first time I've made any of them, I didn't deviate from the recipes so I'm linking to those for you.

This is a great alternative to spaghetti and meatballs. I loved how it mimics the taste and feel of lasagna without the hassle of actually making lasagna. And what kid doesn't love meatballs? They're the best part! The only thing I changed about this recipe was using beef meatballs instead of Italian.

This was really reminiscent of the Hamburger Helper taco pasta, which was always one of my favorites growing up. Of course, this being homemade made it all the better. The only thing I felt like we were missing for this particular meal was chips and salsa, but that's easily fixed next go 'round.

This is my absolute favorite recipe of the three I'm sharing. This is basically homemade mac-and-cheese, except instead of macaroni noodles you use rotini (or spiral) pasta and you add in cubed ham. It is so cheesy and gooey and the perfect comfort food. Next time I make it, I'll be adding in some brocolli florets. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

This weekend seemed to fly by. Probably because I literally did nothing. It was one of those weekends where I needed to just be lazy. Last week was draining for some reason. Probably the heat if I had to take a guess.

This week will be a busy one. Alexis has camp in the morning and I've got at least one meeting scheduled. Then we'll have swimming lessons next week. I might have over-scheduled this month in terms of her stuff, especially considering I completely forgot about the program we signed up for last Friday that we definitely did not go to. Oops.

I don't have much more to talk about at the moment. Point in case, I've been staring at the blinking cursor for at least 10 minutes trying to decide what else to say. So, I'm going to put us all out of our misery and say goodbye for now.

Have a great week!

We've made it halfway through 2021, and thankfully things look a lot different this go 'round than they did last year. One thing that hasn't changed, though, is how much I've been reading. To be fair, a good bit of my reading at the beginning of the year was finishing up series that I started in 2020, and I've been re-reading a lot. But I've still discovered a lot of great books and series, and I wanted to share the best I've read so far this year.

Author: Lynda Rutledge

This story is based on the San Diego Zoo's very first giraffes and their journey across the country after arriving in NYC during the great hurricane of 1938. Woody, having somehow survived the storm, manages to get hired on to help drive the giraffes across the country. The journey takes 12 days and is fraught with danger, especially from a travelling circus that wants the giraffes for their own. This book is packed full of history and gave me a new perspective on the Dust Bowl, something I don't remember much of from history class. I got this book through Amazon's First Reads program, but I loved it so much I bought a hard copy, as well.

Gamer Girls series

Author: Auryn Hadley & Kitty Cox

This is one of those series that will challenge your views on so many things. It's primarily about a hate group that's targeting women, specifically those who play video games. I really can't say it any better than I did in my original review: The women in this series are so damn strong. They've each been through hell and come out the other side still swinging. And then there are the guys - all alpha types who don't try to dull their girls' sparkle.

As in my original review, I need to include some warnings. Throughout this series you'll find a ton of trauma, including rape, extreme PTSD, violence, a transgender woman just beginning her transition, sexism, domestic violence, and unconventional relationships. The first book, especially, was difficult. I almost put it down so many times it got so heavy, but if you can make it through, this series is so worth it.

Author: Lydia Kang

I am a big Lydia Kang fan. Her writing is so brilliant. If you like mysteries, you need to add this one to your shelf.

Someone is murdering people in NYC and staging each to look as though a vampire killed the victims. When Tillie's sister Lucy is one of those victims, Tillie begins investigating. But she's got some personal demons to fight along the way, chiefly her newfound addiction to opium and her sister's fiance's unwanted advances. As I've come to expect from Kang, this book was full of great twists. I had no idea who the killer was, and the motive...woah.

Author: Colleen Hoover

Lowen, a semi-successful author, is hired to finish writing a mega successful series after the author, Verity, is gravely injured in a car crash. When she's unexpectedly evicted from her apartment, Lowen moves into Verity's family's home at the insistence of Verity's husband. While going through Verity's office to get direction for the remainder of the series, Lowen finds Verity's autobiography. She reads it to get a better understanding of Verity and uncovers some pretty terrible secrets.

I enjoyed this book a lot, but as I said in my original review, it was extremely intense. And the ending. Wow. I was not expecting it at all.

The Darkest Drae trilogy

Author: Raye Wagner & Kelly St. Clare

Like the title suggests, this trilogy is fairly dark. It does have a happy ending, though, so if you can make it past the torture in book one you're good to go.

Ryn is half Drae and half Phaetyn, a heritage thought to be impossible and one she's ignorant of until she's taken prisoner by the evil King Irdelron. That unique blend of magic has everyone from the human rebellion to the Drae and Phaetyn wanting to use Ryn for their own purposes. With the help of her mate, Ryn must determine friend from foe as she fights not only for herself but all of those who have been oppressed.

The Cursebreaker series

Author: Brigid Kemmerer

This is my favorite Beauty and the Beast retelling. Yes, even over A Court of Thorn and Roses, which I had a hard time getting into, but I digress.

Prince Rhen and his captain of the guard, Grey, are trapped inside a curse, forced to bring girl after girl to Emberfall in the hopes she'll fall in love with the prince and free them. After hundreds of seasons, Grey finds Harper, a girl with cerebral palsy who doesn't have it in her to give up. But the enchantress who cast the curse can't be trusted not to interfere and Prince Rhen may not actually be the heir to the kingdom.

Author: Kristin Harmel

I've been on a bit of a WWII kick lately, and this historical fiction hooked me from the very first chapter.

There's more to Eva, a semi-retired Florida librarian, than meets the eye. When a librarian in Germany begins reunited books stolen by the Nazis during World War II with their families, Eva gets the chance to finish the mission she began as a forger for the French Resistance - getting Jewish children safely over the border into Switzerland with new identities while preserving their given names in secret code in a religious text.

Author: Ariel Lawhon

This is another book based on real events, although the actions of the main characters are fictionalized. Judge Joe Crater is not a good person. His rise to the bench leaves him indebted to Tammany Hall and a notorious gangster. On top of that, he's cheating on his wife, blackmailing the maid, and has no idea his mistress is working for the gangster he owes. This book is a look at what could have happened leading up to his real-life disappearance.

Chronicles of Blood/Chronicles of Madness

Author: Crea Reitan

Technically, I read the Chronicles of Blood series for the first time last year, but when I started the series I believed it to be a completed tale. However, the author realized when she reached book four that she couldn't wrap everything up with just one book and decided to split the story into two seasons. I've been eagerly awaiting the second season and had to reread the first to refresh my memory.

If you couldn't tell by the titles of the first four books, this is an Alice in Wonderland retelling, although I'm using that description pretty loosely. I don't really consider this a retelling.

Mal is what's known as a fixer. She has been assigned to Wonderland and tasked with reversing whatever has turned the tale toxic. Turns out, it's somehow been infected by another fairy tale, thus turning Wonderland into Laddenworn and altering the characters' whimsical madness into something more deadly. In the first season, Mal sets her sights on ending the reign of the Bloody Queens, then tackles the rest of her lengthy to-do list in the second season, including but not limited to fixing Madness and bringing back Wonderland.

Some notes: while many of the Wonderland characters we've all come to love appear in this tale, they're all twisted, and in a surprising turn of events Mal is not a version of Alice. In fact, Alice plays little to no part in this story at all.

Author: S.M. Shade & C.M. Owens

Y'all, I laughed my way through this book. I laughed so hard at times I couldn't breathe. Then I made my best friend read it. Because this group of ladies most definitely reminded me of my core group of friends.

Henley, Kasha, and Lydia are best friends. When Lydia decides that she needs to go to her cheating ex's wedding, Henley and Kasha agree to tag along for the week-long event. Not that Kasha has much choice, though, considering the ex is her stepbrother. Kasha and Henley spend the week sabotaging the events leading up to the wedding in the most hilarious ways, some quite by accident. Suffice it to say, that nothing goes as planned, especially when two sexy distractions - Davis and Roman - enter the mix.

 

Over the last year, my appreciation for sneakers has grown exponentially. Whereas before the pandemic sneakers were mostly an afterthought, now I find myself planning my entire outfit around a specific pair.

Looking back, I can say with complete confidence that the reason I avoided sneakers was because I had no idea how to wear them, or that sneakers and athletic shoes are not the same.

I especially love pairing my sneakers with a dress or cute skirt outfit. Not only is it on trend but it definitely keeps my feet happy when I'm running around town.

There are no hard-and-fast rules that I follow when pairing sneakers with a dress or skirt outfit, but I'll try to put my thought process into words for you in the form of tips.

1. When in doubt, go with a neutral pair. My black retro-style and taupe sneakers are by far my most worn pairs because between the two of them, they blend with pretty much any outfit. If those don't work, I go with white.

2. With colored sneakers, like my pink and yellow Converse, I either use them to pull a color out of a pattern or to provide a pop of color.

3. Patterned sneakers work best with solid-colors, unless you're a master at mixing prints (I am not).

4. Dress length doesn't really matter. If your sneakers are in danger of being hidden by a maxi dress, consider gathering the hem into a knot on side.

5. Wear low-cut socks or none at all. These are my go-to.

6. Don't overthink it. In the end, if you like your outfit that's all that really matters. If you don't, you won't be comfortable in it, and trust me, that is the fastest way to ruin a look.

Now on to the outfit ideas.

Summer in Alabama is really frickin' hot, y'all. And humid. I've lived in this area my entire life, and I'm still not used to it. So, how do you dress when it's honestly too hot for clothes? Very carefully, my friends, very carefully.

In all seriousness, the dog days of summer are pretty much all summer for us, so when the heat and humidity start climbing, my outfits get simpler and simpler. That means few or no layers and no long pants (there are exceptions to this for indoor events).

To be perfectly honest, my go-to daily outfit formula lately has been shorts and a t-shirt. Even though everything has opened back up and events are happening again, I still stay mostly at home. The last couple of weeks I have made more of a conscious effort to switch things up with dresses and skirts, and on those days I made sure to snap a picture. I did not take pictures of all my shorts-and-a-t-shirt outfits because they all pretty much look the same.

Anyway, let's dive in.

This is one of my favorite dresses, even if I don't leave the house. It is so easy to wear all year long by layering a t-shirt underneath or a jacket over top. It's so dang flattering on pretty much any body shape. Unfortunately, this exact dress is sold out, but it is still listed on the website so maybe they plan on bringing it back. Otherwise, you can click on the show similar products button and see a bunch of options.

I made a little more effort with this outfit since I had a dentist appointment that afternoon. You've seen this skirt on the blog before, but it's been awhile. To be fair, this outfit isn't much different than the last time you saw it. My shirt color changed and I swapped out the ballet flats for sandals. My skirt is from early spring so it's not available anymore, sadly, but I linked to something similar.

I've had this dress for so long I legitimately can't remember where I got it from, so I'm linking to a couple of similar options. My sneakers, surprisingly, are still available in all sizes and only $15. I wanted something that felt like a skate shoe without paying a ton of money. They're more comfortable than I expected for such a low price and have held up nicely considering I wear them multiple times a week.

What can I say? I'm addicted to dresses and sneakers. This dress is from last year, but I'm linking to a similar dress in almost the exact same pattern. I usually go up a size in this brand. Also, these sneakers have been such a nice addition to my closet. Unfortunately, this exact pair is no longer available but Old Navy has a near identical pair this summer.

Yellow Chucks might be my new favorite thing. There's just something about yellow shoes, y'all, and you just can't go wrong with Converse.

I usually don't stay in workout gear all day because I'm usually pretty gross at the end of the session, but I did want to share this set with you. Sadly, the hot pink is no longer available in the leggings but there is a light pink and a green. These are really soft and the waistband mostly stays where it's supposed to. Plus, how cute is that twist detail on the legs? Also, I love the Micah Muscle Tank and want it in every color. This is actually the very first sports bra I bought from Fabletics so it's quite a few years old, so I just linked to all of them.

I threw this outfit together for a play date where I knew we'd be spending a good bit of time outside. I wanted to be cool but keep my shoulders protected from sunburn. This dress is so good and it comes in a bunch of colors. It has adjustable straps and pockets. My chambray is a couple years old but I linked to a really close dupe. My sneakers aren't available any longer but this style is. They're the Puma Carina sneaker.

I haven't worn this dress in quite awhile and was really excited to be able to comfortably fit back into it. This is one of those dress styles that's always in style. This pattern is several years old but I linked to the current versions above.

The heat and humidity have been killer this year, so I've been embracing tank tops in a way that I usually don't. I'm not really a fan of how much attention they give my wider shoulders. Anyway, this muscle tank is really comfortable and has a great summer vibe (pun intended).

This is by far my favorite outfit of this post. My skirt is hella old, and I hadn't worn it in years because it no longer fit. But thanks to several months of dedicated yoga, I'm getting back into my old shape.