This is my second winter in Minnesota but it still feels so strange this time of year. I miss living in Nashville and San Francisco where spring was already well underway come March. But I have to trust it'll stop snowing at some point and we'll see not only the ground but flowers, too. In the meantime, my friend's kitten Zoe has the right idea.

Read and Reading 

Love, Hate & Other Filters (Ahmed) is first and foremost a good story but it's also incredibly powerful. Samira Ahmed deftly explores identity, racism, Islamaphobia, and culture through the eyes of Maya, a 17 year old American Indian. Maya’s wry observations and snark often made me smile. I was fascinated by the way she is most comfortable viewing the world by the lens of her video camera. She is a part of her surroundings, yet separate from them, whenever she chooses to film and this is sometimes driven by her art and sometimes to protect herself when she feels nervous. Maya is caught between her parents' expectations for her and her own desires. She's also aware of how she's different from her classmates by virtue of being brown-skinned and Muslim. The way Ahmed structured the novel was incredibly effective. While each chapter focuses on Maya, the chapters are separated by a page which centers on a crime, either still to come or the aftermath. The way she uses this to build up the tension is impeccable. Maya was such a great character and I loved her growth through the course of the novel. The ending was satisfying and I love imagining where Maya will go from here. I can't wait to see what Ahmed writes next!

The way Dhonielle Clayton writes about society’s relationship with beauty in The Belles was downright chilling. It was disconcerting to see how much the people of Orleans hated the way they looked and the lengths they would go to in order to achieve their ever-changing idea of beauty. Even more disconcerting to see how the Belles were treated, whether they're working on little rest or trying to avoid harassment or assault. There are big implications for our own society if we're willing to examine them. The power differentials that emerge were not what I thought they'd be originally and I really appreciated the way Clayton used them to illustrate her larger points. I loved how Clayton brought this world alive and how its ugly side emerged over time. I wasn’t overly surprised by the plot developments. This didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story but it did make me anxious that Camille wasn't picking up on the same cues. Camille could be reckless and rash, especially at the beginning when she doesn't know what palace life is really like, and this drove me crazy. But then I'd remind myself she's a teenager and she grew up sheltered and her only focus is on being a Belle so she's not going in as cynical and paranoid as she should be. The ending sets up book 2 for all kinds of interesting possibilities and I can’t wait.

Susannah Nix’s novels they make me so happy! I loved every part of Intermediate Thermodynamics. (The heroines all work in STEM fields in this series!) It made me laugh and cry! Typically I struggle when a character makes a lie of omission but somehow Nix made it work here and I think what helped is that the lie was not between the hero and heroine. I kept rooting for Esther to do the right thing and the consequences played out the way they should. Esther learns some big lessons and it happens in some bittersweet but ultimately lovely ways. Esther was so prickly and the way she softened over the course of the novel was so moving. And Jonathan was not without flaws but he was still the dreamiest and I loved how he took care of Esther. Esther resisted his appeal- in fact, was blind to it- at first and it was more than satisfying to watch her finally fall in love at last.

Take The Lead, a contemporary romance about a celebrity dance competition, was exactly what I needed. Fun, heartwarming, all about dancing and opposites attracting, I read with a smile on my face almost the whole way through. Stone could not be more of my dream man if he tried and Gina is basically my role model for working hard for what you want while keeping your integrity at the forefront.  I absolutely loved these two together! I'm so impressed this is Alexis Daria's debut and cannot wait to read the next book in this series!

The tattoo philosophies, the vocabulary choices, the ease of Christopher and Ginger’s relationship in spite of everything they don’t say, all their cute interactions...I loved everything about Small Change! (Check to see if it's still on sale for Kindle! Only $0.99 as I write this.) Roan Parrish manages to explore some big issues, like sexism in the tattoo industry and bi-erasure, but never loses sight of the story. I adored Ginger's friends and how they've formed into their own family, especially in light of how awful her actual family is. I loved how Ginger and Christopher both own their businesses and how Christopher took care of Ginger by way of making her sandwiches. This is told from Ginger's perspective but her chapters are interspersed by Christopher's emails to his brother and these emails are so poignant and heartbreaking and real. Every part of this story's construction was spot on and I am so happy I read it. 

Sometimes we read books at the precisely right time. I bought Divine Intuition (Robinson) more than two years ago after hearing the author's episode on The Lively Show but I didn't start reading it until last fall, just a chapter here and there. I’ve always been an intuitive person but this past year has been a hard season and I was hopeful this book would help me find some answers on what’s next. And it did, although not in the way I expected. This book and the practical exercises within reminded me I can still trust my intuition, even when things don’t turn out as planned. If you’re at all interested in how our intuition works, this is so worth reading. I’ll be returning to this book regularly in the years to come.

My reading goal for 2018 is to read a good chunk of my unread books so every month I'm designating several books to read. These were my picks for March. 

You can see all the books I've read at Goodreads. 

Currently reading: This Is Where You Belong (Warnick), You Are A Badass (Sincero), Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality (McBride), Hot Mess (Belden), Toil & Trouble (ed. Spotswood and Sharpe), Love And Other Words (Lauren), The Preacher's Promise (Huguley), The Librarian And The Spy (Mann)

TV

Season 3 of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is on Netflix! I really don't watch TV anymore, not even my favorite shows, so I lost track of the last season. So happy I can (slowly) catch up!

Music:  

Listening to Dermot Kennedy, as heard on Pop Culture Happy Hour's SXSW 2018 Wrap episode. There was so much good music on the episode and I need to check out more of the artists mentioned. 

Listen to the What I'm Into playlist.

Podcasts:

I caught up on Babysitter's Club Club! I'll now be able to finish out the show as they complete the series. Jack and Tanner have been in rare form the last several episodes, no more so than episode 101: Dawn and Too Many Sitters. Definitely NSFW but you will cry laugh.

Pantsuit Politics put out two episodes everyone should listen to: Gun Sense and Female Leadership with Shannon Watts (who founded Moms Demand Action) and Feminism and the Pro-Life Movement with Claire Swinarksi. The latter is an important example of how to agree to disagree. I really appreciated the conversation Beth and Sarah had with Claire and how they were able to find some common ground.  

Penny Reid fans, you'll want to listen to Heaving Bosoms's discussion of Beard Science part 1 and part 2. I love listening to this podcast! 

Erika Jayne came on Bitch Sesh and it was everything. She was so unexpectedly wise! It's a must for Real Housewives fans. Then listen to their episode with Roxane Gay. Roxane had some very astute observations and I hope she'll come back on the show again.

So much goodness on Smart Podcast, Trashy Books this month: #288 Tweeting About Romance History: An Interview with Elisabeth Lane of Cooking Up Romance, #290 The Art and Magic of Designing Book Covers: An Interview with Regina Flath (fascinating behind the scenes!), and #291 Encouraging Readers and Fostering Confidence: An Interview with Margaret H. Willison. 

Highlights:  

• Abby and Zoe were a delight to petsit for. I love staying at that house and took full advantage of all the natural light for bookstagram photos. 

• Lois and I caught up at People's Organic. Those few hours flew by and I loved how many tangents the conversation went on.

• My friend Meg unexpectedly sent me a copy of a book I've been wanting to read. It was such a wonderful surprise to get in the mail!

• Similarly, Kelly and I got together and three hours later, we were no closer to exhausting all the things we wanted to talk about. But also, I would have sworn we'd only been talking for half an hour.

• Hermione came back to my place for a week and it was so nice to have a cat around again. It was rather disconcerting once she went back to her home.

• Skyping with my brother's family and getting to see my darling niece and nephew. 

• I found out about COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch from Dame Sophie of Two Bossy Dames newsletter fame and I am here to tell you these things WORK. The patches are small circles and you put it on once you notice the pimple, leave it on for a while, and the pimple is gone when you take it off. Magic.

• Dinner with Annie and Marijke and getting to see sweet Foxy

• Karin hosted a St. Patrick's Day party, which was really an excuse for a few of us to catch up and have Leap Year on in the background. It was such a fun night!

• Marijke and I had a dinner and Enneagram night. Her cat Eddie proved to be quite helpful during the session.

• I won a giveaway from author AJ Pine in celebration of her fantastic book Second Chance Cowboy and received a copy of Jenny Holiday's One And Only in the mail. I wasn't expecting anything more so imagine my surprise when I received a bookplate in the mail the next day! Not only did Jenny Holiday send me the bookplate, she included a note with an anecdote about the personal connection she has to the area where I live. It just made me so happy!

• I updated my mug brownie recipe and I've made it more this month than I have the last two years.

• Baseball is back and the White Sox are off to a strong start! Let's go go go White Sox!

Favorite Instagram:

This is how it goes sometimes: I started A Man Called Ove over the weekend and while I can tell I’m going to enjoy the arc of his story, I just was not in the mood to read about a grumpy white man. So I picked up my other March Unread Shelf TBR book: The Nightingale. And it’s Kristin Hannah so it’s great and I’m going to love it but it’s also pretty heavy. So I put that to the side too and pulled up @alexisdaria’s Take The Lead on my Nook. It’s a contemporary romance about a celebrity dance competition and it was exactly what I needed. Fun, heartwarming, all about dancing and opposites attracting. Now I’m back to The Nightingale and all is right with the world. 

(If you want to follow me on Instagram, my user name is leighkramer.)

On The Blog:

Remember when I wrote a novel? I have an update. 

Book reviews: Olivia Twist, The Radical Element, Advanced Physical Chemistry, Marriage Of Inconvenience, The Sun Does Shine 

What I'm Into Link Up Guidelines:

1. This link-up will stay open for one week. The next What I'm Into link up will be Tuesday May 1. 

2. Link the unique URL of your post, not your blog's home page. Readers peruse link ups months after the fact and you want to make it easy for them to find your What I'm Into post.

3. Please include the What I'm Into button or mention you're linking up with What I'm Into at Leigh Kramer.

4. Visit at least 2 other posts in the linkup!

What have you been into this month? 

Disclosure: Affiliate links included in this post.  If you click through, any purchase you make supports this site.

Book mural at the Kansas City Public Library - Central Branch 

It just keeps. snowing. And I'm over it. I've been in full hibernation mode, a perk of working from home. I'm ready for spring in so many ways! I did take a break from the precipitation with a trip to see a friend in Kansas City and it made my bookish heart glad.

Read and Reading 

Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda (Albertalli)  was such a sweet and funny read! I absolutely loved it, start to finish. I'm so impressed with Albertalli's characterization, particularly all the small details and inside jokes that made the characters seem so real. I guessed Blue's identity pretty early on but there was enough misdirection that I wasn't convinced until further in- and even then it didn't matter because of how happy the book made me feel. Simon doesn't always get it right- he's very much a teen boy. But he keeps trying and I loved experiencing the world through his eyes. We all want to be loved and appreciated for who we are and I enjoyed seeing how his family and friends responded to him coming out and the way he and Blue supported one another through email. The author doesn't shy away from the homophobia you might expect to find in the Atlanta suburbs but the overall note is one of hope and acceptance. Watching Simon and Blue's budding relationship simply made me smile. I cannot wait to see this as a movie!

The Lady Travelers Guide To Scoundrels & Other Gentlemen (Alexander) was so much fun! Crisp writing with a lovely sense of humor. I adored India's character arc and how she evolved as the novel progressed. She was so sure of herself and her opinions but comes to realize how this comes across to others and chooses to learn from the experience. (Methinks she's an Enneagram Type One.) And I loved how Derek tried to look out for his aunt, while trying to take care of India and help her find her cousin. Watching them fall for each other, even as much as they first resisted it, was pure delight! 

A heartbreaking and moving read, When They Call You A Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir shows how the events of Patrisse Khan-Cullors' life, as well as her family's experiences, put her on the trajectory to become an activist. It's not until the last few chapters that she shares how the Black Lives Matter movement was born. Cullors depicts one marginalizing experience after another, all the ways her school, her city, and society at large told her her life did not matter, her brother Monte's life did not matter, her father's life did not matter, her husband's life did not matter, and so on. It was maddening to see all they endured but sadly it was not surprising. This is the lived reality for people of color and this is why the Black Lives Matter movement is so important. It could not have been easy for Cullors and her coauthor to write this book but I'm so glad they did. It's an essential account. Not only is it beautifully written, I appreciated how intentional she was in naming people, from activists to her loved ones to those who were killed. It's rather telling which names are not there and I hope it serves as reminder to center the voices of the BLM founders and women of color in general who are all too easily left out of the narrative.

My reading goal for 2018 is to read a good chunk of my unread books so every month I'm designating several books to read. These were my picks for February and it turned out to be a great batch of books. Persuasion was a re-read. (I bought the Penguin Classics Clothbound version.)

You can see all the books I've read at Goodreads. 

Currently reading: Divine Intuition (Robinson), This Is Where You Belong (Warnick), You Are A Badass (Sincero), Level Hands (Cousins), How To Walk Away (Center), The Radical Element: 12 Stories Of  Daredevils, Debutantes, and Other Dauntless Girls (editor Spotswood)

TV

I'm loving David Letterman's show on Netflix: My Next Guess Needs No Introduction! First President Obama, then George Clooney. Hoping his next guest will be a similarly amazing woman!

Podcasts:

I went back on Sorta Awesome to discuss the Enneagram and the energy of each type. This is something I first heard about fairly early on in my studies but it's not something I've encountered much in my go-to resources. It's really just another way of recognizing each types' strengths and weaknesses. Meg, Kelly, and I had such a fascinating conversation and I hope our discussion will be helpful for you and your relationships. 

I loved listening to Labyrinth, Girl Scout Cookies, and Good Book Noise: An Interview with S. Jae-Jones on Smart Podcast Trashy Books! I loved JJ's book Wintersong and I'm so mad I haven't yet had a chance to pick up the conclusion Shadowsong since it released earlier this month. I also really enjoyed their interview with Chanel Cleeton. I adored her book Next Year In Havana and it was so interesting to learn more about her writing process and her Cuban American roots.

I've been listening to various episodes from 88 Cups Of Tea, all interviews with writers. So interesting to hear them discuss how their careers began, how they developed their novels, and son on!

It's Not Just About The Blood on Code Switch delves into what defines Native American identity. This is something I've been hearing more about in recent months, specifically about blood quantums. The more I learn, the more I'm ashamed about our country's treatment of Native Americans.

Matthew Perryman Jones is one of my favorite singers and it turns out he's a fellow Four! I was elated to listen to him on Typology, especially when he played one of my favorite songs. It makes perfect sense why I've responded so strongly to his music.

10 Secrets For Friendship Revealed was a fantastic episode from Meg of Sorta Awesome! Such great practical advice.

Highlights:  

• One of my greatest accomplishments of this month was finishing the copyedits for my novel. Why do I procrastinate when I don't have a deadline?! I basically crammed 174 pages of edits into a week because I was committed to finishing. If I want this novel to go out into the world, I have to do the work! It honestly felt good to see it through and realize anew how much I love the story I created.

• Also great: my editor's feedback. It has been wonderful to work with Lindsay Tweedle of Bright Lights Editing. She said the kindest things when she returned my final proofread and it's bolstering me as I figure out the next steps of self-publishing.

• All this to say: no set release date yet but I'm hoping you'll be able to buy A Storied Life sometime in May. Fingers crossed!

• Lindsay at Pen & Paint surprised me with a thoughtful gift: tea and notecards and chocolate. It made my day!

• I visited my friend Annie in Kansas City! I've never been to Kansas City nor Kansas before and it was really interesting to see how a city can operate when it's part of two states.

• Annie and I both work from home so it was nice to have an office companion so to speak. We worked at Monarch Coffee one morning and I loved the ambience there.

• The first thing I did when Annie invited me to visit was look up independent bookstores in KC. Enter Rainy Day Books. It was even more delightful in person! Great selection, displays, friendly staff. Well worth stopping by!

• We stopped by the Kansas City Library- Central Branch and clearly the book mural on the parking garage is the most amazing thing ever. I gasped out loud when I first saw it and then I couldn’t stop smiling. 

• But the inside of the library was also wonderful! This is the entry to the children's section. SO MAGICAL.

• I got to stop at Tea Market, which is darling. If I lived in Kansas City, I would stop there regularly. I picked up some Irish Breakfast and Meyer Lemon Chai and both are fantastic.

• We saw I, Tonya and it was incredible. Give Allison Janney all the awards! Everyone was wonderful and it was interesting to see a sympathetic portrayal of Tonya Harding. No matter what the truth is about the attack on Nancy Kerrigan, Harding got a raw deal.

• Mostly, it was just fun to hang out with Annie and her wonder dog Foxy. I'm so glad I got to visit!

• Petsitting for Abby the dog and new kitten Zoe, who keeps sleeping in my lap and is such a good snuggler.

• A fresh haircut! Amy at Rue 48 Salon treats me right.
    

Favorite Instagram:

I’m eight chapters in to my re-read of Persuasion. It’s taken some time to adjust to Austen’s prose after several years away but now my heart is right there in it with poor Anne. 

I thought this re-read called for one of my Pride & Prejudice fake tattoos. Because why not? 

(If you want to follow me on Instagram, my user name is leighkramer.)

On The Blog:

I added a page about the Enneagram to my navigation bar. It's the easiest way to find my posts and resources. Happy exploring!

What's Saving My Life Right Now

Book reviews: Text Me When You Get Home (Shaefer), By The Book (Sonneborn), Next Year In Havana (Cleeton), Dreaming In Chocolate (Crispell), Confessions Of A Funeral Director (Wilde), The Day The Angels Fell (Smucker)

What I'm Into Link Up Guidelines:

1. This link-up will stay open for one week. The next What I'm Into link up will be Monday April 2. 

2. Link the unique URL of your post, not your blog's home page. Readers peruse link ups months after the fact and you want to make it easy for them to find your What I'm Into post.

3. Please include the What I'm Into button or mention you're linking up with What I'm Into at Leigh Kramer.

4. Visit at least 2 other posts in the linkup!

What have you been into this month? 

Disclosure: Affiliate links included in this post.  If you click through, any purchase you make supports this site.

Sometimes you glance out the window while you're waiting on the tea kettle to boil and you notice two deer in your backyard.

Really, there's no difference between December and January. A new calendar year starts but nothing ostensibly changes. And yet something about this January feels imbued with possibility. Let's hope this means something.

Read and Reading 

The Shadowy Horses was my third Susanna Kearsley novel, and like the previous two, I didn’t want it to end. I was so fully immersed in the story, dying to know what the archeology team might unearth, whether the Roman army had ever come through there, and just what might set the Sentinel’s soul at ease. Not to mention how fun it was to see a young wee Robbie whom I met as an adult in The Firebird. Plus, the lovely development of Verity and David’s relationship. I was so happy after reading but also sad because the novel was over and it was so perfect for me.

I positively inhaled The Wrath & The Dawn (Adieh)! I was swept away by the story and the stories within the story and I never can resist a good retelling. I'm not sure if I've ever actually read One Thousand And One Nights but I'm familiar with the story and it was fascinating to see how the author depicted it here. Shahrzad and Khalid were such dynamic, compelling characters. The way Shahrzad's need for revenge conflicted with her growing feelings for the caliph, how he turned out not to be who she expected, as well as the way Khalid went off script and let Shahrzad live that first dawn and what that means for the secret and heavy burden he carries...I mean, I could not turn the pages fast enough. Watching them fall for one another was so gratifying. What's more, their story does not happen in a vacuum. There are forces of evil! Threats of coup! Good guys doing the wrong thing for ostensibly the right reason! ARGH, my heart was in my throat and I was so worried for what this might mean for Shazi and Khalid. And then! And then, that ending. Holy buckets. If I'd had the second book last night when I finished, I'm pretty sure I would have dove right in because I am dying to know what happens next and whether it's possible for Shazi and Khalid to have a happy ending.

Favorite romance novel of January: Wrong To Need You, the second book in Alisha Rai's Forbidden Hearts series. I finished it a few days and haven't been able to put into words just how much I loved this one. The emotional depth! The romance! Jackson! Sadia! I'm still in the incoherent heart eyes stage.

I'm not sure how Macdonald first thought to write a memoir about goshawks and grief but the result H Is For Hawk is fascinating, lovely, and insightful. Her connections took my breath away at times. I also enjoyed how she incorporated the work and life of TH White, particularly his book on goshawks, into her account. I'm so glad I finally read this.

Kelly Corrigan's writing never ceases to amaze me. Tell Me More is structured differently from her memoirs but we still get her excellent storytelling. There were a few chapters where I wasn't quite sure where her stories were going or how they connected to the chapter's phrase. But she always, always brought it home. True to form, I laughed out loud and I teared up. Her writing can be so moving and especially when paired with the lessons she's learned. (Read my full review.) 

I read an advance copy of Austin Channing Brown's I'm Still Here: Black Dignity In A World Made For Whiteness (thank you, Convergent!) and it positively blew me away. Even better than I hoped it would be. Y'all need to preorder it now. Full review to come.

My reading goal for 2018 is to read a good chunk of my unread books so every month I'm designating several books to read. These were my picks for January and it was a close call but I finished The Wrath & The Dawn last night. Plus, H Is For Hawk was an unread book, as was Samantha Young's Fall From India Place, and I finished a writing book, which I started reading a few months ago. Only 83ish to go. ;)

You can see all the books I've read at Goodreads. 

Currently reading: Divine Intuition (Robinson), This Is Where You Belong (Warnick), You Are A Badass (Sincero), Ash Princess (Sebastian)

TV

I basically never watch TV anymore but thanks to a FB group I'm in, I learned it's possible to watch a few of my beloved Bravo shows on their website. It used to be you needed to have a cable provider—and for most of the shows, this is still true—but there's a small window (perhaps 24-48 hours) to watch at least The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills and Vanderpump Rules after they've aired. I'm not sure how Bravo decides which shows to do this with but I'm so happy to have at least limited access!

Podcasts:

Two new romance podcasts I've been super enjoying: The Wicked Wallflowers Club and Heaving Bosoms.

I'm a sporadic Call Your Girlfriend listener but someone recommended episode 109: Pelvic Power, which is a must-listen for anyone with lady parts, and I downloaded a bunch from the archives. I really liked the interview with Hillary Rodham Clinton and their Winter Books discussion, especially because they interviewed Jasmine Guillory who wrote one of my most anticipated books of 2018 The Wedding Date.

Books That Bridge Two Worlds, What Should I Read Next?'s interview with John August, was one of the most interesting episodes I've listened to in a while. I loved hearing about his experiences as a screenwriter and as an author of a middle grade book that's about to come out. I really want to listen to his podcast too!

Code Switch's The 'R-Word' In The Age Of Trump made some really great points about how and when journalism can and should use the words "racist" and "racism," as well as why they're not deployed as often we might think they should be.

Linda Holmes (of Pop Culture Happy Hour) appeared on The Hilarious World Of Depression. I really appreciated hearing more of her story. 

Robin Bradford was on the Women With Books podcast and I want her to appear on more podcasts! She's a librarian and I always enjoy hearing her thoughts on collection development, as well as her books recs. She's also wonderful to follow on Twitter.

Highlights:  

• Buttermilk is a darling restaurant in Geneva, IL. I had a great breakfast with Heather. Get the basket of biscuits!

• Cafe K'tizo is a new-to-me tea place in Wheaton and I am wholeheartedly in love with the place. If I still lived there, I'd be stopping by as often as possible. The tea selection (you can order online!), the ambiance, the amount of tables...top notch.

• Erin and I went to Burger Social and I got the Italian Beef Burger, which is as amazing as it sounds. It was a total mess but worth it. My old friend Mike was bartending and he made me a killer Old Fashioned. The best part of the night, of course, was spending time with Erin and catching up on all the things.

• Anderson's Bookshop- I hadn't been there in a shameful amount of years and it was as wonderful as ever. I wanted to buy everything.

• After visiting Anderson's, my friend Laura and I grabbed dinner at Potter's Place, which is an unconventional name for a Mexican restaurant but the food was great. Laura and I spent most of the day hanging at her house and spending time with her darling daughter (who is my favorite and was very pleased when I helped her put together a large Hello Kitty puzzle) and I'm glad we got to get away for a little just the two of us. Our conversations are wide-ranging and I'm so grateful for a friend to whom I can say anything and everything and she never bats an eye.

• Traditional dinner at Portillo's. It's not fancy but it's such a Chicagoland institution and something I've greatly missed since I moved out of state 7 1/2 years ago.

• My parent's cat Buzz and I had lots of good snuggle time. He's getting even sweeter in his old age.

• Megan and I met for coffee on my way out of town. It would not have been right to be home and not see her so I'm glad we could steal this time together. 

• Annie was back in town for work so we met for coffee and then I got to be reunited with Foxy and she totally remembered me! She is truly the smartest and best dog in the world.

• In honor of my 38th birthday, I visited three bookstores. I've been meaning to check out Magers & Quinn (pictured above) and Once Upon A Crime for ages. I had a great time exploring them! Then I popped into Half Price Books so I could buy a book for the Bottles & Books party that weekend.

• The Rachel Sandwich at French Meadow Cafe. It's like a Reuben but there's coleslaw instead of sauerkraut. So good!

• Birthday texts and phone calls and Voxes from family and friends.

• Super thoughtful presents. I feel so loved!

• My friend Thomas threw his annual Books & Bottles Party and it was basically the best party I've ever been to. Everyone brought a book to swap and a bottle of alcohol. A book lover's dream! I want everyone to do this so I wrote a blog post about it: How To Host A Books And Bottles Party. 

• After my rhapsodizing about Portillo's above, you can imagine how excited I was when I received golden tickets (really!) to go to the soft opening of their new location in Maple Grove, MN. My roommate and I went for lunch and I got an Italian beef and cheese fries and basically I was in heaven. Then they gave us a piece of chocolate cake to go! 

• One of my favorite authors approved me to be on her Always ARC list! I freaked out when I got the email.
   

Favorite Instagram:

Confession: I’m in love with the Frost Demon and the Goblin King and it’s all @arden_katherine and @sjaejones’s respective faults. In my defense, Morozco the Frost Demon and the Goblin King look like handsome men, not demons or goblins, and the way they look out for the women they care about is something to be praised. Even if they are immortal magical beings. 

I’m a huge fan of Arden’s Winternight trilogy. I thought the second book was even better than the first- and I really loved The Bear And The Nightingale so that’s saying something. And don’t get me started on JJ’s Wintersong...I am positively dying to read book two Shadowsong, which thankfully will be out soon. Do you have any odd literary crushes?

(If you want to follow me on Instagram, my user name is leighkramer.)

What I'm Into Link Up Guidelines:

1. This link-up will stay open for one week. The next What I'm Into link up will be Thursday March 1. 

2. Link the unique URL of your post, not your blog's home page. Readers peruse link ups months after the fact and you want to make it easy for them to find your What I'm Into post.

3. Please include the What I'm Into button or mention you're linking up with What I'm Into at Leigh Kramer.

4. Visit at least 2 other posts in the linkup!

What have you been into this month? 

Disclosure: Affiliate links included in this post.  If you click through, any purchase you make supports this site.

I have to confess I didn't have much Christmas spirit going into the holidays this year. It was hard to muster the enthusiasm after one of the hardest years of my life. But it was good to be with family and to see friends back home. There are glimpses of light when I look hard enough. Here's hoping 2018 is good to all of us.  

Read and Reading 

You know those books you love so much, you’re practically incoherent? I finished The Gentleman's Guide To Vice And Virtue (Lee) a few weeks ago and I’m still swooning. It’s an adventure story the likes of which I’ve never seen before. Progressive, fresh, feminist, and as fun as it’s funny. My admiration for Mackenzi Lee’s genius grew with every page of this rollicking tale. Monty is an absolute rake, one you despair over and cheer for in equal measure. Percy’s devotion in the face of his society-imposed limitations was inspiring. The character growth was stupendous and the plot twists had me dying to know what would happen next while not wanting the book to end. Monty and Percy’s love story is for the ages and what a magnificent ride it was getting there. Highly recommended. (If you've read this, we must discuss! I have so many thoughts about the way privilege, race, entitlement, attitudes toward the LGBT community, women's roles, etc. play into this novel.)

I started What Happened (Clinton) at the end of September. I thought I was ready to handle it. Then I cried my way through the introduction and first chapter. I had to take frequent breaks because it made me so sad. And then I would get even more angry about Trump. Then I would read HRC's policy ideas and imagine how wonderful it would have been, especially in contrast to what we're currently dealing with, and get sad all over again. Clinton is a great writer and it was a treat to experience her words again, no matter the emotional response they evoked. This was a hard but powerful book to read. I appreciated how she encouraged us to choose love and kindness and used the last chapter to discuss activism and what we can do as a country. We need to stay involved and resist and enlist where we can. It's hard to think about what might have been but I'm grateful to have read this book and thankful for her example. I'm still with her.

Penny Reid is my gold standard for smart romance and I’m thrilled to have found a new author to add to that list: Susannah Nix. Remedial Rocket Science introduces us to Melody, an IT worker who is passionately nerdy about her fandoms. Melody and Jeremy didn’t have the most auspicious beginning when they reconnect three years after hooking up. We learn very troubling information about Jeremy and I wasn’t sure he could be redeemed. But I believe in second chances and as Melody and Jeremy become friends, it’s clear he’s grown up a lot. He totally won me over! This novel was clever and refreshing and made me laugh out loud. 

I'm still gathering my thoughts about Celeste Ng's second novel Little Fires Everywhere. Suffice it to say it was phenomenal and I'll be retroactively adding it to my favorite fiction list for the year once my review is done.

Favorite Book Lists for 2017: Fiction and YA, Romance Novels, Nonfiction.

You can see all the books I've read at Goodreads. 

Currently reading: Write Naked: A Bestseller's Secrets to Writing Romance and Navigating the Path to Success (Probst),  Divine Intuition (Robinson), This Is Where You Belong (Warnick), You Are A Badass (Sincero), salt. (waheed), Text Me When You Get Home: The Evolution And Triumph Of Modern Female Friendship (Schaefer), Tell Me More (Corrigan)

Podcasts:

I listened to Kristin Hanggi and Natalie Roy are just getting started on the Robcast twice. The first while I was driving, the second so I could take notes. So many great insights about intuition.  

Gabrielle Union Is Fed Up and I Can't Fix It: A First Responder and Heroin are both worthy listens from Death, Sex, and Money.

Pantsuit Politics has become a must-listen. I'm so grateful for Sarah and Beth's commentary on everything happening in our country.

Pop Culture Happy Hour's Our Hanukkah Special was fantastic! Love that they did this episode.

I've started listening to the bookish podcast Lit Up, mainly just going through the archives and downloading episodes of authors or books I like. I especially enjoyed Chapter 110: Rachel Khong on Family Matters & Food. I really enjoyed Khong's book Goodbye Vitamin and it was great to hear where some of her inspiration came from. 

I wish both Neil Patrick Harris and Octavia Spencer's episodes of Off Camera with Sam Jones had been longer! So interesting. 

Highlights:  

• I loved my time in Louisville visiting Anne, Will, and their family. While I've visited them regularly over the years, we usually just hang out at their house. It was so fun to explore more of the city. We got a lot of book-ish time in, from visiting bookstores to simply nighttime reading in their library. I sampled bourbon- Henry McKenna and Larceny were two favorites. And we relaxed and chatted about everything under the sun. I can't wait to go back!

• My friend sent me a box of clothes she no longer wants and it was filled with glorious sweaters and cardigans. It was the best!

• The globe ornaments at World Market

• Millenneagram mugs  

• Rikki and Michaela from The Ardent Biblio organized a book exchange and I was delighted by Rhode Read's thoughtful selections for me. She sent me a Little Free Library book that turned out to be a vintage romance novel (score!) and a copy of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, a book I loved but did not own. Her thoughtfulness blew me away!

• Tea and conversation about the Enneagram and intuition with Kelly at The Good Earth

• Christmas with family

• My cousin addressed my Christmas card with Favorite. I now have proof that I am the favoritest of all the cousins! 

• Being back in my hometown, which means time with good friends and stopping by as many of my favorite places as possible.

Favorite Instagram:

Do you want to build a (book) snowman? 

(If you want to follow me on Instagram, my user name is leighkramer.)

On The Blog:

All my tea recommendations: Tea For You And Tea For Me: A Tea Lover's Guide. 

What I'm Into Link Up Guidelines:

1. Today’s link-up will stay open for one week. The next What I'm Into link up will be Thursday February 1. 

2. Link the unique URL of your post, not your blog's home page. Readers peruse link ups months after the fact and you want to make it easy for them to find your What I'm Into post.

3. Please include the What I'm Into button or mention you're linking up with What I'm Into at Leigh Kramer.

4. Visit at least 2 other posts in the linkup!

What have you been into this month? 

Disclosure: Affiliate links included in this post.  If you click through, any purchase you make supports this site.

It's already snowed three times in the Twin Cities so I'm extra glad to have escaped to the Chicago suburbs and then Louisville for the last week and a half where it's much warmer. This may be a theme in the coming months.   

Read and Reading  

Reading The Firebird cemented the fact that I really must make my way through Susanna Kearsley's entire backlist as soon as possible. I was enthralled while reading this! From Nicola and Rob's psychic abilities to the way the Jacobite revolution is connected in the past storyline to what a dreamboat Rob is, I could not get enough of this story. I had no idea Jacobites were in Russia so I learned a ton via the past storyline. Sometimes when you're reading a past-present novel, you're more into one storyline but in this case, they both held my attention. Reading about Anna's upbringing and how she ultimately landed in Russia (and then met swoon-worthy Ned) was fascinating. There were a few twists that really brought out the angst and I was here for it, especially because of how Kearsley brought it all together. Reading about Rob and Nicola trying to piece together Anna's past and learn the origin of an artifact was equally compelling, especially because of their psychic abilities. Rob was so good for Nicola and I loved how he forced her to figure out more of her ability. The two of them together was magical. I could not get enough of either storyline and I was genuinely sad when it ended because I wasn't ready to say goodbye to the characters. 

They Both Die At The End (Silvera) was surprisingly lighthearted and compelling for a novel about two teenage boys who, as the title states, are going to die at the end. It's really about Mateo learning to live for the very first time and about Rufus making peace with tragic events in his life. Watching Mateo and Rufus evolve from complete strangers to friends to the promise of something more was life-giving. The writing was perfection, both deft and beautiful. I didn't want to stop reading it but I also needed to know what would happen. Was there any way the title could be wrong? The way Silvera brought it all together was moving and I could not have imagined a better way to handle the plot. Did I tear up at points? Yes. Did it make me think about what I would do if I knew this was my last day? Yes. But it also made me consider our limitations and hang ups in a new light. This is the kind of YA everyone should read.

“Are you happy with your life?” An abductor asks Jason Dessen this question in Dark Matter (Crouch) and his life is never the same again. We probably have all wondered at some point about what might have happened if we hadn’t made this decision or that. But how would we react if we were yanked from our reality and thrust into another? This novel blew my ever-loving mind and I say that as someone who doesn't normally read science fiction. I was hooked within pages and could not stop thinking about the idea of a multiverse. I couldn’t read fast enough. The ending was a small letdown (as if the author painted himself into a corner and didn't know what else to do) but the rest? Extraordinary.

American King (Simone) cemented New Camelot's status as one of my favorite series. If you read romance, you simply have to read it, even if it's out of your comfort zone. With American King, we finally get Ash's perspective on present events, as well as past events that we've seen through Greer or Embry's eyes. Let me tell you: it exceeded all of my hopes and expectations. Ash is such a beautifully complicated man. The character growth across this trilogy was tremendous. Each character really came into their own. I love each one of them so much and I especially love them as a three. There was so much pain and angst amidst the beauty and love. I cried a lot while reading this because I could not see how a HEA would be possible given the circumstances and because Ash has been through so much and I only wanted good things for him and our Greer and Embry. Plus, the way the Arthurian legend itself figures into the plot was amazing. I love a good retelling and I am in love with how Sierra made it her own. I was surprised to learn a menage King Arthur retelling totally fits within the actual legend but the way Greer, Embry, and Ash came alive in the page, it makes total sense. I felt so much hope and happiness and completion when I finished reading. It was everything!!! 

Heads up: Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is one of December's Book Of The Month selections! This is one of my favorite novels I've read this year and definitely worth picking- or joining BOTM for. I want everyone to read it! Also, if you gift a subscription to BOTM, you'll get a free book yourself.

You can see all the books I've read at Goodreads. 

Currently reading: Write Naked: A Bestseller's Secrets to Writing Romance and Navigating the Path to Success (Probst), What Happened (Clinton), Divine Intuition (Robinson), This Is Where You Belong (Warnick), The Bourbon Kings (Ward), The Gentleman's Guide To Vice And Virtue (Lee), You Are A Badass (Sincero)

Podcasts:

I loved Overdue's discussions of A Wrinkle In Time and The Great Gatsby. I've never read Ender's Game and don't plan on it but their discussion of the novel and the way they wrestle with their feelings about it in light of the author's bigotry made for fascinating listening. 

I have accepted two podcasts about the Real Housewives into my life: Bravo's The Daily Dish and Bitch Sesh.

What Lisa Ling Regrets on Death, Sex, and Money was thought provoking on so many levels. I only wish it had been a longer episode!

Penny Reid's interview on Women With Books Podcast was so, so good. I adore her!

I loved how many White Sox fans were representing at Code Switch's live show in Chicago. Also there was a great discussion of Chicago neighborhoods and gentrification.

If you want to learn more about the transgender experience, I highly recommend Smartest Person In The Room's interview with Bethany Cole.

I am still freaked out by Reply All episode #109: Is Facebook Spying On You? 

Highlights:  

• My friend Chris Ann brought me back Irish Breakfast tea from Crumpet when she visited Seattle. So thoughtful!

• Organizing Chris Ann's bookshelves. This is my kind of helping.

• Which then inspired me to really organize my own small bookcase (pictured above.)  I have such limited book storage that I use it for the books I'm prioritizing reading...which still manages to fill both shelves easily. Hoping I can knock a bunch of these out before the end of the year!

• Sarah and I went on a Little Free Library tour in her neighborhood. It was incredible!

• Gretchen and I had a great dinner at Lago Tacos and then we saw the delightful play Miss Bennet: Christmas At Pemberley at Jungle Theater. It was so funny and heartwarming! If you live in the Twin Cities and you enjoy Jane Austen, you definitely need to see it.

• My aunt and uncle hosted Thanksgiving and as nice as it was to see everyone, the real highlight is when they introduced me to their cat Lucy. Apparently, Lucy isn't keen on many people but she snuggled right up in my arms and was the sweetest thing ever with gorgeous green eyes. One of these days I'm going to get my own cat.

• Writing date with Ellie at Starbucks. It's so helpful to have built-in accountability whenever I'm back in my hometown.

• Unexpectedly great finds at the ongoing library book sale in the alcove.

• Decorating for Christmas.

• Going to Prairie Path Books. I love that bookstore!

• The amazing food at Pita Pita and unending conversation with Laura.

• Visiting Will, Anne, and the kids in Louisville for the week. I like that we can go visit places but we're just as content to sit in a room reading together. My kind of pals.

Favorite Instagram:

#12daysofbookstagram Day 2: book stack
Trick question: how many books is too many books when you’re going out of town for a week and a half? (Not pictured: my Nook with 10 ARCs and a bajillion ebooks as back up.) 

(If you want to follow me on Instagram, my user name is leighkramer.)

On The Blog:

I answered your Enneagram questions: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. 

What I'm Into Link Up Guidelines:

1. Today’s link-up will stay open for one week. The next What I'm Into link up- the last of 2017!- will be Tuesday January 2. 

2. Link the unique URL of your post, not your blog's home page. Readers peruse link ups months after the fact and you want to make it easy for them to find your What I'm Into post.

3. Please include the What I'm Into button or mention you're linking up with What I'm Into at Leigh Kramer.

4. Visit at least 2 other posts in the linkup!

What have you been into this month? 

Disclosure: Affiliate links included in this post.  If you click through, any purchase you make supports this site.