Wednesday, May 31, 2023

the books I read in May and a few things I've been watching or want to watch

 


Happy Wednesday, friends! Since I only read three books in the month of May (hello May and working full time in a school), I thought I would also share some things I've been watching along with some I want to watch. Let's start with the books I read. (Click on each picture of the book to be redirected to Amazon.)


First up is this adorable book with a terrible cover and name.



This was cute! I have a friend who I worked with that I share an opinion on about books like this one, and that is that I love stories about regular people meeting famous people and falling in love. Maybe because it's so preposterous? I don't know, but this is one such story. Amelia finds herself with a broken  down car on the property of a handsome stranger, and takes him up on his offer to use his guest room until the next morning. It doesn't seem too dangerous, right? Especially since she spoke to his grandmother on the phone and she validated his gentlemanly reputation. One night turns into more nights as she waits on parts to be delivered for her car repair, but before she blink, she is falling in love with the small town and kind people in Rome, Kentucky. Can she really go back to her life as a famous country singer after living in this town for two weeks? 


I'm glad this was good, because I really did not love the next one.



I mean, it wasn't terrible, but I think because of a blogger's review, I had expectations that were too high. Anyway, this is a book about Sophie, a professional, secret bridesmaid. She is hired by families to play the doting (knowledgeable) bridesmaid to brides who need advice and counsel. She loves her job and is always successful, until she meets the newest, most complicated and mean client she's ever worked for. Throw in some royalty and the adorable brother of the bride, and there you have it. 


I was so ready for this book to end! It wasn't even that it was a predictable book, because I don't mind those, I think it was just the way that it was written? Or the length of it? It just seemed to drone on and on. 


Lastly, I read this by a favorite author.



I always love Fiona Ferris books! This is similar to the last one I read by her, which is basically 100 ways to be a more confident version of yourself. I love these little inspiring books and always come away from them with ideas on how I can live a confident and pleasing life. I guess another reason why I love these books is because she is so great at inspiring you to slow down and to breathe in all the small joys that are all around us, every day of our lives. She really encourages you to be mindful in the mundane, which speaks volumes to me. I also think she and I have the same personality type, so I just love these little books. 


And now, onto what I've been watching!



Have you watched this? I started this show when it first came out, and then never watched it once Season 2 hit Netflix. I started watching Season 2 recently, and I finished it on Sunday afternoon. I read the two books that this show was created around back when they first came out, about fifteen years ago. I loved the old Kristin Hannah books! Somewhere along the way, her writing changed, and her books are very different now. I was committed to finishing this show, but know that the language and content are terrible. I can't really recommend it, based on that, but it did have a nice ending. I really wish they could leave out all the language and junk. The books weren't like that, so if you're interested in the show, I'd just read the books if I were you. 



I really want to watch One True Loves on Prime TV! I'll probably rent it next weekend. Once again, here's the book that I loved by Taylor Jenkins Reid.



I want to rewatch Season 1 of Sweet Magnolias and catch up on Season 2. 



Once again, did you know this show and Virgin River are both based on series of books by authors? Sherryl Woods wrote the books this particular show is based on, and she wrote the books that the show Chesapeake Shores (the Hallmark show) was based on. Robyn Carr wrote the books that Virgin River was based on. I would say the books are almost always better than the shows! Have you watched The Summer I Turned Pretty on Prime TV? I watched it last year and loved it, and that show forced me to read the whole series by Jenny Han. 


Tell me what you've been reading and watching, I would love to know! I have more time on my hands now, and I do love to get hooked on a series. Thanks for reading my blog, friends. Love to all! 




12 comments:

  1. I liked both When in Rome and The Secret Bridesmaid but neither would be books I would rave about - they were just fun little reads.
    I couldn't get into Firefly Lane the show at all. Both of the characters annoyed me.
    I will totally watch One True Loves.

    I need to read that Fiona Ferris book!

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  2. Right now I'm reading "The Housewife is a Writer" by Kate Singh. I try to read most of Kate's books and watch her YouTube videos every day. She's a wife and mom and a writer and she writes mostly homemaking books or budgeting books, which I love. I also love Fiona's books, but I don't have the last one you mentioned.

    As far as TV shows lately...I'm watching season 2 of Miss Scarlet and The Duke on Prime and I recently found a very old (1975) show I loved as a kid, called "Family." It's slow and cheesy at times, but clean and refreshing to not hear all the words of today.

    I'm thinking about watching The Durrells in Corfu again, just because my aunt recently went to Corfu and her pictures made me want to watch it all over again. It's one of my favorite shows.

    I don't have Netflix anymore, but The Beauty and The Baker was a good one, if it's still on.

    I finally gave up on Virgin River. Too predictable and the main actress is not a good actress, in my opinion. I loved Sweet Magnolias and would have loved another season of that one.

    I keep telling myself that I need to read more, rather than watch tv during the day, but sometimes you just need to sit and watch a good show :)

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  3. Thanks for sharing- I am looking for some good summer reads!

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  4. Amy, I totally see that both characters annoyed you. I actually preferred the younger version of themselves, it was the adult version of them that I didn't love. I had similar feelings, but I also had enough curiosity to keep going. You should totally check out Fiona Ferris!

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  5. Debbie, thanks for the great ideas on shows! I added The Durrell's to my watchlist on Prime TV. Not too long ago I started watching The Brady Bunch on one of the streaming channels, maybe it was Hulu? I loved watching the show again! It's fun to do that sometimes. I know what you mean about reading over TV- I do tend to watch more in the summer, for some reason. Maybe that's when they put out good stuff. That actress wasn't my favorite, either, but I loved the story line. I recently finished that one too, but didn't mention it here.

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  6. Holly, I am always looking for that too! Did you read Sarah's blog post on Monday? She shared some great books for summer reading!

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  7. I was really into Season 1 of Virgin River but have lost interest. I did not read as much in May but did read a few really good books.

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  8. Cindy, I did too, for a while. I did finally pick back up with it and when the last season ended, I was glad I'd watched it again. Now I'm anxiously awaiting the next season.

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  9. I always end up watching the movie/series of any book/series I've read and when I have watched something and find out it was based on a book I kind of feel like I HAVE to go back and read them since the books are almost always better.

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  10. Joanne, I do the exact same thing! You are so right. The books are almost always better!

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