As I have gotten older, I have been more picky as to the books that I have on my bookshelves. I want to own books that I adore and I could easily re-read at any given moment. One series that will always be given a spot is the Well Met series by Jen DeLuca. The Well Met series is a series of romance books that feature romance at a Renaissance Faire. Each book is centered around one of the characters and how they meet their partner. This book focuses on Emily’s older sister, April, and Mitch, one of the fighters in the Chess Match. It’s no surprise that Well Matched was amazing and solidified why I enjoy this series.
April Parker is a single mom living in Willow Creek and preparing for her daughter, Caitlin, to go off to college. April has been prepping for this moment as she’s been preparing to sell her house and move to the city. April could use some help getting her home ready to sell. It’s a no-brainer that when Mitch Malone gives her a proposition to “fake date” at his family gathering in exchange for helping with house projects, April takes him up on it. While April is adamant that she and Mitch are not dating, Mitch starts to fall for her. April has to grapple with her feelings for Mitch and how she can finally be ready to put herself first.
Starting off with the characters, I enjoyed reading from April’s point of view. I think it’s easy to write April off as being a cold-hearted person, but I think her character is more nuanced than that. April has a lot of trauma that I don’t think she has unpacked. She gave birth to Caitlin alone, her husband left her as he didn’t want to be a father, and she moved to a small town where April heard whispers about her being a single mom. I couldn’t imagine going through what April did and not feeling a bit hardened by the experience. April is snarky and gets defensive toward the people she cares about, which I think directly relates to her story. With all of that being said, I liked April as a character, and I was rooting for her to get her happy ending.
Speaking of April’s happy ending, let’s talk about Mitch. Mitch is the Golden Retriever boyfriend in a kilt. Mitch is often judged for his looks and not taken seriously. I appreciated the fact that Mitch calls April out towards the end of the book. Mitch falls for her, and April isn’t ready to go public with their relationship. I see this trope a lot where it’s the female character calling out the male character for this, so I thought it was neat to see this reversed. Mitch is the best and serves as a good foil to April.
Well Matched is no different than the other books in the series since it features the Willow Creek Renaissance Faire in the background. There’s a moment where April gets a She’s All That makeover with her own Renaissance outfit, which I thought helped bring April out of her shell. In between April and Mitch’s love story, it’s fun to see the other characters who were featured in the previous books.
As a complete side note, I like how this series normalizes not having kids. Simon and Emily adopt a dog, but it’s hinted that they are happy without kids. Stacey and Daniel travel a lot, so it’s not clear if they will start a family. April is in her 40s, and she clearly states to Mitch that she isn’t going to have any more kids. I think it’s a nice touch to show happy and healthy couples choosing to not have kids.
Well Matched is everything that I could want in a romance book. I will always recommend this series. If I had to perfectly describe the Well Met series, I would say that this is if Gilmore Girls were set at a Renaissance Faire. I rated Well Matched five stars on Goodreads.
I have a lot of happy memories attached to Doctor Who. I started watching Doctor Who in college, and it’s one of the first shows that my now-husband and I watched together as a couple. Doctor Who was a show I would watch with my roommate at the time, and we were fascinated by the adventures that The Doctor would have. I stopped watching Doctor Who sometime in Capaldi’s series, and I haven’t had a chance to return to the show. I wanted to do a full rewatch, but that’s a huge commitment. When I heard that Disney+ would be carrying all the new episodes of Doctor Who going forward, I was ecstatic. I know there may be some mixed opinions about Disney+ right now; however, I feel that with Disney+ airing new episodes of Doctor Who, it might allow new fans to join the fandom. As part of this joint venture, the holiday special is live on Disney+, debuting Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor. I was impressed with Ncuti’s portrayal of The Doctor, and I have high hopes for the new series.
The Church on Ruby Road opens with Ruby Sunday (played by Millie Gibson) being interviewed by television host, Davina McCall (played by Davina McCall herself). Ruby is partnering with Davina to help find her birth parents, as Ruby was dropped off at a church as a baby. After the interview, Ruby experiences a bout of bad luck. Ruby’s foster mother, Carla, brings home a new baby, Lulubelle, whom Ruby agrees to watch while Carla runs errands. While Lulubelle is under Ruby’s care, she is kidnapped by goblins. Ruby rushes to help and meets The Doctor (played by Ncuti Gatwa), who is also chasing after the goblins. Ruby and The Doctor agree to work together to save Lulubelle and stop the goblins.
As far as companions go, I like Ruby. Ruby reminds me a lot of Rose (played by Billie Piper), who was a companion during both Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant’s series. She’s caring, curious, and willing to dive into any sort of adventure. I think Ruby and The Doctor have good chemistry together as friends. I personally prefer the companions who serve as The Doctor’s equal to the companions who fall in love with The Doctor. Speaking of The Doctor, I like Ncuti’s portrayal of the character. He seems spunky, yet calculated as he plans out how to escape from the goblins. This is kind of a small thing to bring up, but I noticed that in the poster for Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road The Doctor’s nails are painted. I think that’s a nice touch. The Doctor is someone who is unique and stands out, so it’s nice to see The Doctor bend gender norms.
One thing that Doctor Who is known for is being heartfelt. This holiday special was no different. There’s a moment where The Doctor has to travel back in time to when Ruby was dropped off at the church. The Doctor is seen holding Ruby as a baby and whispering to her, “Happy Birthday,” as he sets her down in front of the church. Don’t mind me crying at a Doctor Who special. I think it’s a nice hint of foreshadowing because it sounds like the series will expand on Ruby’s backstory, and I’m interested to see where that goes.
Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road is available to stream on Disney+. While some fans might not like the fact that Doctor Who is on Disney+, I think it’s a great idea. Since Doctor Who is more available to me, I might end up watching this series and get back into keeping up to date on new episodes.
With February in full swing, I am devoting the entire month to reading all romance, including graphic novels and manga. Romance is one of my favorite genres to read, and I think it helps to keep my spirits high for February. Before delving into my romance TBR, I am going to share a quick recap of last month to see if I was able to read everything that I had set out to. From there, I’ll go into more detail about the romance books that I picked out.
In January, I set out to read three books: The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead, The Vanishing by Wendy Webb, and Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine. I wrote two reviews: one for The Last Housewife and Stillhouse Lake. The Vanishing was the last book I read in January, and I rated it one star. I rarely ever give out one-star ratings, but The Vanishing was not it. I think the book was trying too hard to be like Shutter Island with a psychological twist towards the end. The twist felt completely out of left field and seemed improbable. I think the twist ruined the book for me. I don’t enjoy hating on books, so I have no plans on writing a review of The Vanishing. If you’re curious, I did write a full Goodreads review where I give out spoilers as to why I didn’t like the book. While I didn’t like The Vanishing, I’m still glad that I set out to read everything that I wanted to for the month. Now I will break down all the romance books that I want to read this month.
Photo taken by me.
Well Matched by Jen DeLuca
April Parker is a single mom living in Willow Creek who is ready to leave the town and begin a new journey for herself. She asks Mitch Malone for assistance in helping to renovate her house, so it’s ready to sell. In exchange for helping her, Mitch asks April if she can pretend to be his girlfriend in front of his family, so he doesn’t get the same lectures. While Mitch and April are fake-dating, April volunteers at the Renaissance Faire at Willow Creek for the first time. As Mitch and April keep up their facade, they both start to realize that maybe this is becoming a bit too real.
Well Matched is the third book in the Willow Creek Renaissance Faire series. I love this series, it’s probably one of the best romance series that I have read. I like how the Renaissance Faire is the background of all the books. With this series taking place in a small town, it’s easy to connect with the characters and want them all to have their happily ever after.
Wildfire by Hannah Grace
Aurora Roberts and Russ Callaghan have a one-night stand. Aurora quietly leaves before Russ can properly ask Aurora on a date. Aurora and Russ awkwardly run into each other as they both are working as camp counselors for the summer. Aurora and Russ will begin to rekindle what sparks they had a few days ago.
I find a lot of book recommendations on Instagram, and Hannah Grace’s book, Icebreaker, has been making the rounds on social media. I spotted Wildfire at a local bookstore, so I figured it would be worthwhile to give the book a chance. Also, I think the cover is pretty. I like the art style along with the peach-colored background.
Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez
Alexis Montgomery is an ER doctor who is facing pressure from her parents to become a surgeon. Alexis meets Daniel Grant, a hot carpenter, who is ten years younger than Alexis. Alexis and Daniel’s chemistry is apparent. As Alexis spends more time with Daniel, she starts to re-evaluate her own life and what is truly important to her.
Abby Jimenez is a local Minnesotan, whom I didn’t know until I purchased this book. Abby also owns Nadia’s Cakes, a local bakery that has a few locations throughout the Twin Cities metro. It’s cool to see someone local getting so much success both as a writer and a local business owner. I have also been seeing Part of Your World popping up on social media, so I hope that this book is worth the hype.
If You’ll Have Me by Eunnie
Momo Gardner is an introverted, sweet, and quiet person who always puts others above herself. PG is known as being a flirt and is a little more outspoken than Momo. Momo and PG end up meeting and connecting despite their differences. If You’ll Have Me is a meet-cute with plenty of awkward and cute moments.
I didn’t know this graphic novel existed until I saw it at Barnes & Noble. I think what drew me to this was the art. I paged through a few of the panels, and the art is so good. I like the art style a lot, which is important to me when I pick out graphic novels to read.
Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon by Shio Usui
Uno Hinako is a young woman starting her professional career. She’s trying to transition into the real world and find her style at her corporate company. She has had trouble with dating in the past, so she feels a little let down at not being able to find someone. Uno meets her coworker, Satou Ashai, who also works at their company. Uno and Satou start a friendship that begins to become far more intimate.
Barnes & Noble has vastly improved their graphic novel and manga selection. I found this in the same section as If You’ll Have Me. I think what gravitated me toward Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon is the title. Do Uno and Satou go on a date at a doughnut shop because that would be lovely?
For those who might be wondering, where is the library book on this list? I had several opportunities these past few weeks to buy books at local bookstores, so I actually don’t have a library book in my current TBR. However, I thought about potentially renting romance-themed graphic novels or manga since I don’t think it will take me a full month to read through If You’ll Have Me, and Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon. I will say, I have already planned out my TBR for March, and I will for sure be renting a book from the library next month.
I mentioned this in a previous post, but 2024 will be a significant year. It will be the tenth anniversary of dating and meeting my husband. It will also be the tenth anniversary of starting Bizarre Brunette. If all of that wasn’t enough, I will be turning thirty. To help do a final send-off of my 20s, I wanted to share some of the life lessons I learned throughout this time in my life.
CW: Excessive drinking, body dysmorphia, and body insecurities.
It takes Two to Maintain a Friendship
Photo taken by one of my friends with permission to share.
I am incredibly fortunate when it comes to my friends. I have friends I grew up with, friends I made in college, and friends I met through my hobbies, along with attending conventions. While I have a great group of friends now, there was a time in my life when I struggled to make new friends.
In my freshman year of college, I met so many different people in a short amount of time. Most of the people that I initially met, they never developed into a lasting friendship. There were moments throughout my freshman and sophomore years when I felt lonely. I didn’t have anyone that I could text randomly to go do things with. In freshman year, there was one person with whom I instantly clicked. She was geeky like me, and we had similar interests. I was so excited to meet someone I could connect with. I had noticed that I was the one putting in the effort to make plans. I decided to take a step back and stop being the one to engage first. Weeks went by, and I didn’t hear from her. With that being said, we stopped being friends. Eventually, I did make a few close friends, so everything ended up working out in the end.
When I graduated from college, I naively assumed that all my college friends would be my friends forever, even though we weren’t in the same place or living together. I couldn’t have been more wrong. There was one friend that I tried to make time to see, but again, I always had to be the one to reach out. I haven’t talked to her since before the pandemic, which feels like a lifetime ago. The final thing that formally ended our friendship was when she didn’t congratulate me on my engagement to my husband, even though she was there when our relationship began. That’s how I knew our friendship was over.
I used to carry a lot of resentment when friendships ended, and that isn’t mentally healthy for me. Instead, I am grateful for those friends at that time in my life. While those friendships won’t carry over into my thirties, I wish them well.
Sober Curious: Re-Evaluating My Drinking Habits
I always considered myself a responsible drinker. In college, I went to parties, but I never missed any classes due to being hungover. I had my moments, as many college kids did, but I didn’t feel like it negatively impacted my life. After graduating from college, my friends and I would go out. We would go to bars or to various breweries and stay out late. I still didn’t feel like my drinking was out of control, as I attributed it to being a social drinker.
When the pandemic hit, that’s when I started to first realize that maybe the way that I was drinking wasn’t good for me. Every Friday night during quarantine, I’d drink at home. Of course, it was never one drink. It ended up being three or four hard seltzers. I’d usually drink them while playing video games, as I thought that served as a good distraction during this stressful time. On Saturday, I woke up with a slight headache. Once I had coffee and drank water, I was fine. After a few weeks of this, I forced myself to stop drinking on Friday, and I thought that was the end of it.
When I reflect on both 2020 and 2021, I would have blips where I would drink too much. I wouldn’t be sick, but I would feel off the entire day. There was another moment in 2020 when I drank around coworkers. I ended up mixing an IPA with red wine, which was clearly a mistake. The fact that this happened around coworkers at the time makes the story more embarrassing, considering these were people who were on my team. Every time I think back to that moment, I visibly cringe. With these blips occurring, I still didn’t think that alcohol was a problem.
I had a wake-up call, and that was The Winter Beer Dabbler in February 2022. It was extremely cold out, so I figured I’d just drink a lot and then I wouldn’t be cold anymore. Unsurprisingly, I ended up drinking quite a bit. Apparently, I fell in front of a DJ booth. To be fair, I slipped on the ice, but alcohol made it worse. Once we got home, I disclosed a lot of personal insecurities to my husband while intoxicated. When I woke up the next morning, I didn’t remember telling my husband any of those things. It was like alcohol brought out all of these thoughts that I was trying so hard to bury. While this was not a great moment, it actually led to a great conversation between my husband and me that I think helped strengthen our marriage. It sucks that alcohol was involved in that.
After The Winter Beer Dabbler, I was sober for a full month. I understand that a month isn’t a long time, but for someone who was a regular social drinker, that felt like a substantial amount of time. In that month, I journaled and started being honest with myself about how I drank. It became clear to me that I had an unhealthy relationship with drinking. For example, I’d eat less if I knew I was going out. I justified it in my head as I’d be drinking my calories. As I talk about this now, that thought feels like the beginning of an eating disorder because I’m calculating out how to eat less to drink more. Additionally, I relied on alcohol as a social crutch. I wanted people to think that I was outgoing and fun to hang out with. Alcohol gave me that confidence instead of trying to find it myself.
Since The Winter Beer Dabbler, I have decreased the amount I drink. I have eliminated alcohol from my weekly routine, and I never drink at home. I find it easy to go weekends in a row without drinking. I’m much more satisfied with one drink at a time versus having three to four beers in one sitting. I am in a much better place with alcohol, and I have a lot of good motivation to be sober more often than not.
I wanted to end with what motivates me to be sober. The first thing that has helped me is having a regular exercise routine. Every Saturday, I go to an 8:00 AM cycle class. The thought of drinking heavily on Friday to miss my cycle class on Saturday sounds unappealing. I find working out on the weekends has been especially beneficial. The second thing that has helped me is throwing myself into my hobbies. I have been playing video games more. I looked up the hours to an ice arena nearby as I’d love to get back into figure skating regularly. If that wasn’t enough, I looked up a few archery ranges as I’d love to learn how to shoot a bow. I am looking forward to the years ahead, and I’m glad that I’m leaving some of these drinking habits in my twenties.
Traveling is a Privilege
Photo taken by me.
When I was little, I used to write stories called “Amy’s Adventures.” I’d write about a young girl named Amy and how she would travel around the US. My dad used to pick up these U.S. state puzzle books where you could learn about a different US state, and then the puzzles would reveal various facts about each state. I knew from a young age that I wanted to travel.
If there is anything that I have learned about traveling, it’s that it’s a privilege to do so. To start off, it’s being able to financially afford to travel. When I started my first job out of college, there was no way that I could afford to travel overseas. The cost of airfare alone is high, and that’s not including lodging, souvenirs, food, drink, etc. I can easily say that this is the first time in my life that I have had the financial freedom to plan more extensive vacations.
Besides the cost of travel, it’s having the opportunity to do so. I work full-time in an office, which means I have PTO to use. I don’t travel for work, so all the travel that I do comes from my own personal vacations. When I was in college, there were study abroad programs, but none of them aligned with my degree. It would have been a trip, but it would have been disadvantageous if it had delayed me graduating on time. I know of a few friends who, after graduating from college, traveled the world before getting a full-time job. That sounds lovely, but not something I had the luxury of doing, as I needed a job right out of college.
Traveling to Europe was a dream come true. I have always had London at the top of all of my travel lists. Seeing Iceland and Ireland was an added bonus. Traveling to Europe taught me a lot, especially in establishing my travel preferences. We were gone two full weeks, and it started to feel like a long time. It made me miss my day-to-day routine, including working out and seeing Athena! I don’t know if I would enjoy being gone for a month or longer. Another thing that I learned from our trip to Europe was how much I put my self-worth into traveling. This is going to be a silly thing to admit, but I thought I would feel different after going to Europe. I accomplished this big dream that I have had, and when we got back, I felt no different. I put so much stock into the places that I have been and how I felt ashamed to say that it took me so long to travel overseas. Seeing influencers on Instagramhaving the time of their lives, I was constantly comparing myself to them. They live an entirely different life than I do; however, it doesn’t make my life insignificant.
It feels cathartic to type out all of this because this is something I have felt for a long time. In my thirties, I still want to travel, but I want to do it on my terms. I want to travel to places that I want to go to, no matter what anyone else thinks. I want to cut the cord of tying my self-worth to my travel. I will always be passionate about travel, but I think I’m more practical than I was in the past. I’m going to set realistic travel goals, practice gratitude, and be fortunate that I was able to see all the places that I have seen.
Thrifting & Having Less Clothing, But Loving Everything I Wear
Photo taken by my husband with permission to share.
I love expressing myself in the way that I dress. I like dressing up a basic outfit with earrings or wearing a dress I feel confident in. I find joy in taking one of my geeky t-shirts, whether it be Star Wars or Marvel, and being able to style it in multiple ways. I think it’s fun to show off my personality in the things that I wear, and it always tends to start conversations with people I didn’t know before.
In my early twenties, I used to revel in the fact that I owned a lot of clothing. I thought that the more clothing I owned, the more options I had. I liked the variety of wearing something different all the time. I used to spend so much money on new clothes, especially at Loft, which used to be one of my all-time favorite stores. However, most of my clothing from Loft, I ended up donating a few years later. The quality at Loftis terrible now. I have had blouses that I bought that have shrunk, so now they are practically crop tops. There are pants that I bought where the button came loose. I have a dress that I can’t iron, even though it’s wrinkly, because it would fall apart if I did. It’s a shame that I used to spend so much on low-quality clothing.
During the pandemic, I ordered a lot of clothing online since I wasn’t able to go shopping in person. I found that I ordered clothing online, and if it didn’t fit me or I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t return it because it would be an extra errand I have to make. It’s a shame because there are so many online boutiques I’d love to purchase from, but I know for a fact that online shopping doesn’t work for me. I need to be able to try something on and see how it fits.
Moving forward, I primarily do most of my shopping at Marshalls. I usually spend two to three hours browsing the racks and trying things on. Most of the clothing that I have purchased at Marshall’swill last me for several years. I want to get back into thrifting. I used to go to Goodwill, but I found that most Goodwill locations near me removed their fitting rooms. Finally, I want to find new ways to wear some of my favorite pieces in my closet.
Using my Library Card!
I’m going to keep this short and simple; libraries are the best. There aren’t many public places you can go to without needing to spend money. Libraries give back to their communities, and for many, libraries can be a safe space. One of my aunts is a retired librarian, so I was always reminded of the importance of libraries.
I’m looking forward to continuing to use my library card. I am someone who likes to have books on hold ahead of time, so I can quickly pick them up and take them with me. One of my favorite book bloggers, Nerdy By Nature, posted on her Instagram about her library savings. She created an Excel chart of every book that she rented from the library and then looked up that book’s retail cost. She shared what her cost savings were by renting books from the library versus buying them. That is so creative! I decided that I would be doing that this year. I’m curious to see what my overall money savings are from all the books I plan on borrowing this year.
I liked being able to put this post together. I feel like I’m letting go of a lot of negativity and baggage that I carried in my twenties. I am ready to begin my thirties.
I haven’t talked much about the Dungeons & Dragons campaign that I play in on Mondays. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to because there has been so much that has happened since we started. I wanted to take the time to get to know my character and find a balance in roleplaying as her. In the meantime, I asked Badwolf Adventure Studios to commission art based on my character. I did this with Levinia from Curse of Strahd, so it’s no surprise that I would do this with my new character. I am so excited to introduce Vesper Henshawe, my Human Sorcerer.
Art was commissioned by Badwolf Adventure Studios. The image is mine to share.
I wanted to provide a more detailed description of Vesper. Vesper Henshawe is a general. Three of the player characters are positioned below her in the hierarchy. Vesper is a student at the Academy, where she has been trained as a battle mage. She has graduated from the Academy, and upon graduation, she received a Ring of Spell Storing. From a personality standpoint, Vesper is a hard person to get to know. She can be abrasive and difficult to work with. Her personality comes from the backstory that I wrote for her. I’m not going to reveal all of that yet because some of it I have kept secret from the other players, so I want to keep that secrecy now.
Roleplaying as Vesper has been entertaining. When I originally played her, I made her purposefully abrasive. She had an attitude and didn’t share much about herself with others. As the events have unfolded in our campaign, she has started to open up to the other players. One of our characters was killed by a hobgoblin, which I think shook Vesper mentally. She is realizing that the more closed off she is, it may not gain allies in the world she lives in.
Badwolfdid such an amazing job designing Vesper. I am obsessed with this picture as I think it captures Vesper’s personality and also the experiences she’s had throughout the campaign. I hope to write more campaign recap sessions here because there has been so much going on that our party has had to work through.
Reading thrillers in January was a great idea on my part. I feel like this helped to kick-start 2024 to be a good reading year. Stillhouse Lake was one of the more recent thrillers that I added to my TBR. I thought the premise was interesting. A woman on the run with her two kids to hide away from her serial killer ex-husband. Stillhouse Lake lived up to the hype, and I can’t wait to continue on with the series.
Gwen Proctor, formerly known as Gina Royal, is seeking refuge with her two kids. Gwen finds out from a car accident that her husband, Melvin Royal, was a serial killer. Gwen was tried for being an accomplice to Melvin’s crimes but was acquitted. To give her two kids, Lanny and Connor, a normal life, Gwen is constantly moving with them, so no one can put together their identities. While living out of a lakehouse in Tennessee, a young woman’s body is pulled out of the lake. The crime is eerily similar to Melvin’s crimes. The pressure is put on Gwen to prove her innocence, along with finding out who is killing these women.
I loved Gwen. She’s fierce and a fighter. Everything she does is for her kids, even though it’s clear that her kids have been through a lot. In reading the book, I felt Gwen’s trauma in the way she lives her life. She has multiple alarms and security cameras, she owns multiple firearms, and she has help in the form of an ally who creates her fake identities. I kept comparing Gwen to Laurie Strode from Halloween. Both are survivors in their own right, although their trauma has molded them into being aware of their surroundings.
While Stillhouse Lake is a murder mystery, it’s also a book about the residents of a small town. All the characters were interesting to read about. There’s Javier, who owns the gun range and might be dating Kez, a police officer in the town. There’s Sam, a man who moved next to Gwen, who has an aura of mystery to him. These characters come into Gwen’s life at different moments and help shape the direction of the story.
Stillhouse Lake thrives on being as descriptive as possible. If you’re looking for a thriller that’s a bit more fast-paced and to the point, this might not be for you. In some chapters, the narration provides more background into how Gwen interacts with people in the town, how Gwen’s kids start making friends, and how Gwen goes back to visit Melvin in prison. I think adding these scenes helps to enhance the plot of the book. It adds to Gwen’s character background, but also how much her kids have been through. I think it helped me, as the reader, feel more invested in the book.
Stillhouse Lake was a fascinating read. The first book in a series can be tough because it’s developing a story and creating enough intrigue for readers to want to continue on to the second book. I’m looking forward to seeing how the series develops. I rated Stillhouse Lake five stars on Goodreads.
With February underway, I will be posting my February TBR shortly with all the romance books I’ll be reading this month. It will be a nice departure to read something a bit more light-hearted in the next few weeks.
I haven’t fully solidified my travel schedule for this year; however, I am consistent in the fact that I don’t find joy in traveling in January or February. With Minnesota winters, they can interrupt scheduled vacations. With that being the case, I like planning shorter trips throughout the first few months of the year. A few weekends ago, my husband and I went to stay with one of his friends from high school. They bought a house outside of Green Bay, and I thought it would be fun to stay with them for the weekend.
Photo taken by our friends.
I had only been to Green Bay once before, which, funnily enough, was for this friend’s wedding back in 2021. We didn’t have time to fully explore downtown Green Bay. One of the first things we did was go to a local coffee shop, which is fitting because I love coffee. After that, we went to Lambeau Field. I have done the stadium tour before, but I didn’t get to see the Hall of Fame. It was interesting! Lambeau Field carries so much in sports history. I mean, the Lombardi trophy is named after Vince Lombardi, the Packers’ head coach in the 1960s. While I am still a Minnesota Vikings fan, I found myself torn between rooting for the Packers. It’s funny, we were in town the same weekend the Packers were playing in the playoffs. I figured that with me being in town, they would obviously win against the 49ers. This was not the case, which was a huge bummer.
Photo taken by me.
After touring Lambeau, we ended up brewery hopping for most of the day. One of my favorite breweries was Copper State Brewing Co., which is in downtown Green Bay. They had a good tap list and the cheese curds! Going to Wisconsin, you have to eat cheese curds, I mean, c’mon. The cheese curds were so good. Curds and beer are a good combo.
It was a blast to be able to see our friends that we hadn’t seen in way too long. It reminds me how refreshing it is to take a mini-vacation, especially in January and February, which are tough months in the Midwest to begin with.
When I purchased all my new Steamgames, I knew I wanted to play the Nancy Drew games first. One of my long-term goals is to play every single Nancy Drew PC game, and I’m on my way there. Out of the five Nancy Drew games I purchased, I decided to play Nancy Drew: The Silent Spy first. Nancy Drew: The Silent Spy had an intriguing plot, and while I didn’t like this game as much as the others I played previously, this might be a good game for those who are new to the Nancy Drew PC games.
In Nancy Drew: The Silent Spy, this game focuses on Nancy’s backstory and what happened to her mom. Nancy receives a letter regarding her mother’s car accident. It’s made clear to Nancy that her mom was a government agent and that she was investigating a potential terrorist attack in Scotland. The terrorist group responsible went dark, and Nancy’s mother died shortly after that. Nancy flies to Scotland to finally figure out what happened to her mother all those years ago.
Nancy Drew: The Silent Spy has one of the best stories out of all the games. It’s hard to beat a game that goes back into Nancy’s personal history. I liked the setting of this game. Set in Scotland, Nancy finds herself in and out of a train station, jetting off to various locations, including a safe house with access to spy gear. From a story perspective, I think that was easily the best part about this game in particular.
That said, I think Nancy Drew: The Silent Spy was a bit underwhelming. The main reveal of who was responsible wasn’t exciting. This is a big deal; this is finding out who was involved in Nancy’s mom’s death, but I felt like I didn’t get any real answers. Why was this person involved in terrorist activity? What did Nancy’s mom know that made her a liability? These may have been revealed, and I wasn’t paying attention, but I felt there was more that could have been done to make this more satisfying.
Another thing with this game, I felt the puzzles were convoluted. There was one puzzle that involved unlocking the phone of a suspect that Nancy was looking into. It involved finding a flag of a particular region. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out the clue, and after getting some help from a walkthrough, I realized that the book I needed was at another suspect’s house, which I had missed. If that wasn’t enough, this puzzle was timed since Nancy was breaking into the hotel room. I don’t like timed puzzles to begin with, as I prefer to take my time figuring out the solution. It feels more satisfying when I can figure it out myself than trying to race against time before Nancy is caught.
Nancy Drew: The Silent Spy is essential to play since it covers Nancy’s backstory. I wish that this game were more satisfying. I think it ended up being a bit of a letdown. That said, I already have the next Nancy Drew game installed on my computer and can’t wait to play it. I would rate Nancy Drew: The Silent Spy three stars. It was fun, and I liked the game, but it wasn’t my favorite.
CW: Suicide, rape, physical violence, sexual violence, trauma, self-harm, misogyny, gender essentialism, and drug use.
The Last Housewife by Ashley Winstead was the first book on my Thriller TBR for this month. I was first introduced to Ashley Winstead when I read her book, In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, which was one of the best books I read in 2022. I had high expectations about The Last Housewife,and this book was enthralling. I liked The Last Housewife, but I don’t know if I could stomach re-reading it again in the future, that’s how dark this book was. The Last Housewife was a gripping book from start to finish, but please note the content warnings because this book does not mess around.
Shay Evans has a relaxing life; she lives in a nice home with her husband, and she quit her job to focus on writing. As Shay relaxes, she puts on her favorite True Crime podcast hosted by her childhood friend, Jamie. Jamie covers the potential murder of Laurel, Shay’s best friend from college. Shay has flashbacks from her time at college, as Shay, Laurel, and their other friend Clem experienced something traumatic that bonded them together. Shay assumed Laurel had fled from that. With all of this being said, Shay is committed to helping Jamie investigate Laurel’s death and uncover what happened to her.
If there is one thing that I think Ashley Winstead does so well is that she writes unlikable characters that you end up rooting for. If I don’t like a character, I find it difficult to read about them. Ashley Winstead’s books are an exception. If you couldn’t tell, I was not a fan of Shay. She parades herself as being a feminist, yet she hasn’t stood up for the mistreatment of her friends. If that wasn’t enough, Shay spends her husband, Cal’s, money and then doesn’t think he is going to cut her off. I mean, c’mon. Cal isn’t a great person, but I don’t agree with Shay that she can recklessly spend money either. Out of all the characters, I liked Jamie the best. He is genuinely a good person, and I would love to see a series that focuses on Jamie investigating various crimes.
The Last Housewife is centered on a sex cult, and that’s where this book takes this dark turn. It’s interesting to see how someone can go from lecturing about women’s empowerment to how women need to accept their gender roles and that men are superior. The way that this cult recruits young and vulnerable women is incredibly unsettling. I mentioned previously how dark this book gets, and I’m not kidding. There is so much that happens to Shay when she investigates Laurel’s death. There are moments when this book doesn’t let up, and it seems to get perpetually darker. I will say that I think this is my max. If Ashley Winstead’s books are this graphic in the future, I may have to bow out and recognize this might not be for me.
I was debating what to rate The Last Housewife. My first thought was to rate this five stars because this book had me hooked. I love Ashley Winstead as an author, and this book solidified why I like her books. I think the challenging part for me is the ending, which I wasn’t a fan of. I have the ending under spoiler tags on my Goodreads review if you’re curious about how the book ends. For now, I have left this book unrated. That might change the longer time goes on from the time I read this book, but for now, I’ll leave it open-ended. The Last Housewife was great, but please read the content warnings to determine if this book will be for you.
I have been reading more manga than ever before. I have been reading a lot of first volumes to try to figure out which series I want to continue reading. I spotted the first volume of Crazy Food Truck at a bookstore in Winnipeg. I thought the concept was interesting. It felt like a Mad Max adventure except it featured a food truck. I finished reading Crazy Food Truck, and I felt let down as this volume plays into some of the notable tropes in anime and manga. Crazy Food Truck shows how often female characters are sexualized in manga.
Crazy Food Truck begins with Gordon, a man trying to survive in this dystopian society. He’s driving through the desert looking for his next customers to serve and to make ends meet. He finds Arisa, a young, naked woman in the middle of the road. He takes Arisa in and gives her clothing and shelter. Immediately upon rescuing Arisa, Gordon is chased by Arisa’s captors, as they will do anything to get her back. Gordon and Arisa quickly bond and go off on several adventures throughout the volume.
As mentioned previously, I liked the concept of this. I think there is enough intrigue and unanswered questions that make this series interesting. Gordon has a secretive past, potentially involving the military? Some people are after Arisa, so why was Arisa captured in the first place? I can see why someone would continue the series, as I’d be curious to see how the series unfolds.
This leads me to my biggest gripe with this series, which is the sexualization of Arisa. Arisa is introduced as a naked woman in the middle of the desert. I don’t have a problem with nudity, and I didn’t care that Arisa was introduced that way; it’s in the blurb on the back of the book. With that being said, Arisa ended up being naked often. After being rescued, she complains about being hot and takes off her shirt. There’s another moment where she’s shown showering naked. If that wasn’t enough, Arisa takes her top off in the middle of a fight sequence. It felt like it was too much in such a short book. Why do we have to portray female characters this way? If you take the things that Arisa does and replicate them with a male character, it would come off as being ridiculous, yet we do this with female characters all the time.
If that wasn’t enough, I was reading reviews, and some mentioned how creepy it was that Arisa was underage while Gordon was way older. ICK. When I read this manga originally, I was picturing Arisa as being an adult, so I might have missed the fact that she’s underage. If that’s the case, this makes this manga even worse.
I think another thing to add to this is that Arisa has no personality. She meets Gordon, eats a bunch of food, and that’s about all I know about her. It would be interesting to hear more of Arisa’s story. Does she have a family? What are her hobbies? How did she learn how to defend herself? I think if there were more revealed about her, I probably would have cared more about her as a character. The sexualization of her character would have still bothered me, but it would have made the difference between continuing in this series vs. abandoning it altogether.
Crazy Food Truck was a miss, but I’m still planning on reading other manga series in the future.
Bizarre Brunette 