Author: stacybuckeye

This Week – 1000

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It’s been back to reality this week. Gage went back to school on Tuesday and by the time he came home from school on Friday he was sick. So, he’ll miss another day tomorrow. I’m hoping we can get him healed up by Tuesday. I’m still not entirely sure what kind of ick we’re dealing with.

But I was able to get some home projects done/started in the few days when I had the house to myself (Jason worked from home on Thursday and Friday so that also threw things off). And I had lunch with a friend which was nice.

Oh, and I hit 1000 followers on Instagram. I didn’t start using IG for books, but for the past few years it’s mainly been me tracking what I read. I don’t exactly feel like it’s an accomplishment because it wasn’t a goal I had, but I think it’s pretty cool. I did start noticing a few months ago when I hit the 950 mark and was only a few away at the end of the year.

On the blog

Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas – book review

Body Surfing by Anita Shreve – book review

The Muse of Maiden Lane by Mimi Matthews

Books

I finished all three books above and got them reviewed! A goal of mine this year.

I’m currently reading Autism Is Not A Disease: the Politics of Neurodiversity by Jodie Hare and Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

Movies

We went to the movies with friends on Monday and saw Sonic the Hedgehog 3. It was good and I loved listening to Keanu Reeves as Shadow.

I watched Lonely Planet on Netflix and liked the offbeat feel of it, just as a movie about writers should be.

Last night I watched Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. I thought it was a nice modernizing of the original. And I loved seeing most of the original Ghostbusters and where they are today. Not going to be on anyone’s favorite list but, for nostalgia, it’s a win.

This Weekend

Trying to heal up this kid and stay healthy myself!

Linking up with the Sunday Salon

The Muse of Maiden Lane by Mimi Matthews

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The Muse of Maiden Lane. Finished 1-10-25, 4.25/5, historical romance, 384 pages, 2024

“She’d been made small for so long, the words hadn’t existed to articulate the wild yearnings within her… She knew now what she wanted– what she’d always wanted… The freedom to want, to choose, to be. To live a colorful, conspicuous, unconventional life.”

The Belles of London series has come to an end as the last of the four horsewomen find love. I’ve really enjoyed this historical romance series, set in 19th century England.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Stella. She had a head full of gray hair in her 20s, a problem I am familiar with, but I could die my streak of gray away. Stella, stood out in a way that made her not marriage material for many. And her jerk of a brother made her feel like a burden. Stella deserved better. Enter Teddy, wheelchair-bound due to Scarlet Fever, who is mesmerized by her and wants to paint her portrait.

They make such an interesting pair, each conspicuous and both having limited independence. I loved seeing how they were able to come together in an unconventional way.

The themes of independence, art, and being bold made this one shine for me. As well as having a leading man in a wheelchair. I found Teddy interesting because of his struggles and his resistance to his vulnerability.

This is my favorite since the first of the series.

Body Surfing by Anita Shreve

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Body Surfing. Finished 1-7-25, 4/5 stars, fiction, 291 pages, 2007

“Sydney discovers that she minds the loss of her mourning. When she grieved, she felt herself to be intimately connected to Daniel. But with each passing day, he floats away from her. When she thinks about him now, it is more as a lost possibility than as a man. She has forgotten his breath, his musculature.”

Sydney is a widow and divorcee by the time she’s 29 years old. She’s taking a tutoring job with a family at a New Hampshire beach house (this is the 4th this same beach house has appeared in her books as part of the Fortune’s Rocks series). As she works with the daughter and enjoys a good relationship with the father, the mother is less than thrilled that a half Jewish woman has ingratiated herself with the family. And that’s before her son’s arrivals and their interest in Sydney becomes evident.

Anita Shreve’s writing speaks to me, it’s the way she puts her words together and it’s just as much of what she doesn’t say as what she does. There is a multitude said in her pauses, her silences. They always feel like they are happening to people I could know. Sydney is not my favorite character, her willingness to go with the flow frustrated me at times. It’s through her relationships with the daughter and father I was able to see her in a more favorable light.

Secrets of a Summer Night

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Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas. Finished 1-5-25, 3.25/5 stars, historical romance, 384 pages, 2004

“Having regrets is the only sign that you’ve done anything interesting with your life.”

Lisa Kleypas is a historical romance favorite. This is the first of the Wallflowers series where four ladies are having a hard time finding husbands and decide to help each other. In Annabelle’s case, she is beautiful, but without a dowry. But she doesn’t want just any rich husband, she wants a title too.

I appreciated the challenges Annabelle faced, but never really warmed up to her. She never really took on her mother’s big problem and she was willing to entrap a man into marriage just because he had a title.

This wasn’t my favorite book of hers, but it was a solid start to the series. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens to the rest of the Wallflowers.

This Week – New

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It’s that time of year that I’ve made some goals, including being more mindful with reviewing book and being more active with my blogger friends.

As a family we made vison boards together yesterday, a first. This morning Jason was in his first pickleball tournament at the new club in town and he WON! Gage and I checked out a new church based on the recommendation of a friend. It was decidedly different, but not in a bad way. The jury is still out. We recorded the results of Gage’s science fair project which involved him counting and trying to sprout various fruit seeds. So no we have a lot of sprouts and he wants to grow them all, lol. That’s a project for later.

On the blog

My 2024 favorite books

My 2024 favorite movies and shows

My first book of the year

Books

I finished my first book of the year yesterday, First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

and my second one this morning, Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas.

Movies

We had a fairly chill New Year’s, all of us had covid over Christmas so we’re just getting back on track, and we watched JAWS with Gage. After we were a bit into the movie, he said he wasn’t a fan because they were gaslighting everyone about sharks, lol. He made it to the end, but described it as mid.

Shows

Jason and I started season 3 of The Diplomat this week. That marriage is a train wreck I can’t look away from.

Plans for the weekend

I hope we don’t don’t do much of anything else today, but Gage’s last day of winter break and we’re meeting friends for the movies.

What are your plans for the rest of the day?

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

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First Lie Wins. Finished 1-3-25, 4/5 stars, thriller, 340 pages, 2024

“There’s an old saying: The first lie wins. It’s not referring to the little white kind that tumble out with no thought; it refers to the big one. The one that changes the game. The one that is deliberate. The lie that sets the stage for everything that comes after it. And once the lie is told, it’s what most people believe to be true. The first lie has to be the strongest. The most important. The one that has to be told.” Chapter 5

Evie makes her living lying and she’s good at it. She makes her way through the world conning people into believing she is someone that she’s not. Her name isn’t even Evie. She left her real name behind long ago. Until. Until the day that someone shows up while she’s deep into a con using the name she was born with.

This was a twisty one. I liked ‘Evie’ and the confident way she handled herself. She had been working on her shady skills since high school and I was a little jealous at how well she could read people!

As much as I liked ‘Evie’ the plot became overly complicated by the end and it stretched how far I was willing to suspend disbelief. But, it was fun, fast, and had a satisfying ending, so I’d still say it’s a win for thriller lovers.

It was a Reece’s Book Club Pick last year and I received it in my Book Club Christmas exchange.

2024 Book Favorites!

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I read 164 books this year, a total of 45,312 pages. On Goodreads my average rating was 4.1.

The longest book was The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith at 950 pages.

I read 49 books as a judge for the first round of the Cybils Awards. I switched from nonfiction to middle school fiction this year. So many great books!

To keep this short I’m letting my Top Ten stand for themselves.

My favorite books of 2024…

Fiction- The Guncle by Steven Rowley

Historical Fiction- The Women by Kristin Hannah

Romance- Funny Story by Emily Henry

Historical Romance- Then Came You and Dreaming of You, companion books by Lisa Kleypas

Thriller/Mystery- Listen For the Lie by Amy Tintera

Fantasy- A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas

Young Adult- Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

Middle School- Tig by Heather Smith

Middle School nonfiction graphic novel- The Miracle Seed by Martin Lemelman

Nonfiction- The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times by Pema Chodron

Do We have any in common? What was your favorite in 2024 that I should add to my list in 2025?

2024 Movies and Shows

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For years I’ve kept track of the movies and shows I’ve watched here on the blog. This year, these last three months I’ve not kept track at all, so my information is incomplete. I know I watched these 56 movies. Here are a few I especially liked…

And I know I watched at least 20 different shows. I finally made it through all 15 seasons of Supernatural and it took me over a year! I especially loved these two…

Tell me some of your favorite movies or shows this year so that I can add them to my list!

2024 Middle School Fiction

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I read 49 middle school or late elementary school fiction books this year. I wish I had time to talk about them all, but I did face up 18 of my favorites, although just looking at some of the great ones that didn’t make the cut makes me sad because they were so good!

If you have a topic that you want a recommendation for, please ask!

Wrong Way Home by Kate O’Shaughnessy (escaping a cult)

The Truth About Triangles by Michael Leali (family business, fighting parents, LGBTQ main character)

Ava Lin Best Friend by Vicky Fang (simple for the youngers, with illustrations)

Free Throws, Friendship, and Other Things We Fouled Up by Jenn Bishop (best friends, basketball)

Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston (neglect, foster care)

The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko (neglect, foster care)

Carter Avery’s Tricky Fourth-Grade Year by Rob Buyea (ADHD, first friendships)

Tig by Heather Smith (neglect, LGBTQ uncles)

Grow Up, Luchy Zapata by Alexandra Alessandri (friendship breakup)

Rise of the Spider by Michael P Spradlin (Nazi recruitment)

Lost Kites and Other Treasures by Cathy Carr (family secrets)

Mama’s Chicken and Dumplings by Dionna Mann (matchmaking)

My Life as a Potato by Arianna Costner (mascot)

Coyote Lost and Found by Dan Gemeinhart (loss of mother)

The Beautiful Game by Yamile Saied Mendez (soccer)

The Decomposition of Jack by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb (roadkill)

Frindle and Frindle Files by Andrew Clements (90s classic and current sequel)

2024 Fiction

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I read 6 fantasy books this year, 5 of them being the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. I really liked the first three the most, but do plan on continuing when there’s more.

I read 13 fiction books, my two favorites being The Guncle and The House in Cerulean Sea (technically also fantasy). These both have sequels that I’m excited about reading in 2025.

I really liked so many of the other books too, but those two brought so much needed joy that they stood out. The Women deserves a nod here because it was something so important, women serving in the Vietnam War. It was an addictive read with much to discuss for sure.