Words by Allyson

1. Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli - This was FUN. A young adult novel about a witch and witch hunter that I was not sold on until my sister-in-law convinced me I would like it, and she was right. So fun, took me no time to read, and I'm holding out on reading the second book just to savor this a little longer.

2 & 3. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion vols. 3 & 4 - This series continues to delight. At this pace, I've still got a few months before I'm all caught up, but I can see myself rereading these ones. I might need to purchase the physical books. I think I'd like them on my shelf.

4. The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow - This was a disappointment. I really liked the writing, but most everything else felt lackluster. It took so long to get to the mystery that I wasn't really interested any more and the romance was too quick for my taste. Wouldn't recommend.

5. The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig - I adored this author's previous duology, so I was really eager to pick up this new release. I liked it but didn't love. The plot moved quickly which I liked and the romance was solid, but I found a lot of the twists to be predictable and that spoiled the fun for me. However, I loved the gargoyle character - couldn't get enough. He completely stole the show for me and I loved every second he was on the page. I will read the second book, but I wouldn't recommend this automically. 3.5/5 for me.

I found an artist on Instagram several weeks ago , Hannah Phillips, and I'm really drawn to her work. I find myself constantly going back to her site. This one is my favorite right now.

I checked out Molly Baz's cookbook, Cook This Book, from my library and I'm loving making her recipes. Very attainable and super flavorful.

On Thursday, I woke up feeling pretty crummy like I was getting a cold. I had the day off work for Juneteenth, so I spent the day in bed, reading & sleeping, and drinking tons of water. It's incredibly annoying that rest and taking care of yourself actually does help you feel better quickly.

Is it wrong if I like Ocean's 13 more than Ocean's 11?

I draw pictures in birthday cards for my nieces and nephews. I'm getting pretty good at drawing Pokemon. This time it was a Moltres and I killed it.

1. Happiness Falls by Angie Kim - This was our book club book for the month and I really liked it! The story follows a father who goes missing and a family's search for answers. Angie Kim is a local author, so we invited her to attend our book club and she came! She was a delight - so generous with her process and her vision for the story, told us all about a screen adaptation that she's working on, and which local places inspired the story. Such a cool experience to spend the evening with her!

2. All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley - This memoir was really sweet. Tragedy causes Patrick to quit his job and take up a position working security at the Met. As an art lover, I enjoyed this one, but I'm not sure it's for everyone.

3. Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry - This was a delight! I just love Emily Henry books - they hit every time. I will say I feel like this was spicier than usual - I found myself skipping pages - so just be aware.

4 & 5. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Vol 1. (reread) and Vol. 2 - I started this series last year with the first book. Each book is more novella than full length and it was pitched to me as Victorian Gilmore Girls, which is right up my street. After reading the first book, I liked it, but wasn't jumping to start the next one. My sister-in-law convinced me to give the series another try, and I had such a better experience this time! I've just started the third one and I feel like I'll finish the whole series this summer. Super short and so charming!

6. Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power Greed and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams - This tell-all book about Facebook left me conflicted. It felt to me somewhat obvious? Does anyone actually believe this company has our best interests in mind? It felt like it was trying to convince me of something I already knew, and the author wasn't always terribly self aware about the ways she contributed to the harm. That said, there were interesting & thought provoking moments, and I'm not mad that I read it.

I encountered this musical for the first time when I was in college, and I was obsessed for quite some time. I checked my blog archives and found three separate mentions, all in March 2012. It's not a light show by any stretch (and I'd definitely recommend checking the content warnings first, even if it is PBS). Still, this version of the show was a different kind of gut punch than I remember from 2012. The 13 years since have given me more experiences with grief, more familiarity with illness, and a more complex relationship with both.

There is a quote from a book I read a couple of years ago that came to mind as I watched: "He’s beginning to understand that grief doesn’t strike bargains. There’s no way of avoiding the agony—or even of getting through it faster. It’s got him in its claws and it won’t let go till he’s learnt every lesson it has to teach."* I love this visceral image, and it felt like the perfect description of this show.

For the family in the show, they are in the claws of grief. It is harrowing and relentless. I was grateful to be watching it at home, able to take breaks, pause for deep breaths and a little space when I needed it. And yet, I was very aware I had the privilege of distancing myself, something that the family in the musical would never have. As they make their ways deeper into their pain, things start to fracture and then ultimately find the beginnings of a way forward.

The show closes with a piece called "Light," urging each of them to find hope and possibilities. It's my favorite part of the show, and the thing I'll take away the most: "Knowing that the darkest skies will someday see the sun."

If you feel up to crying a lot, maybe give it a watch.

*The book is The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker and I would not recommend it, even if it has several good lines that I've remembered.

1. The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson - I really love The Odyssey, but I really did not like this translation. I honestly might read another translation this year since this didn't really scratch the itch for me.

2. The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff - My mom mentioned this one to me multiple times before I finally started listening and it was SO good. The audiobook was incredible, and I came away with such a different perspective of Sept 11. Especially was interested in the Pentagon portion - so much that I didn't know before.

3. Funny Story by Emily Henry - I really enjoyed this one, even if it felt the most unrealistic of any of her books. But I love her writing and I flew through this. I think my enjoyment was especially heightened since this was a much needed dose of levity after the previous book.

4. Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez - Not my favorite. I liked parts of it, but too much trauma in my romance novel.

5. Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters - This was a fun mystery! This is the first in the Amelia Peabody mystery series. I liked the adventure, the Egypt setting, and the main detective was a delight. A very pleasant read - will be reading more in this series!