First hints of spring, technology boundaries, and new crafts
March was stuffed to the brim
Welcome to Monthly Wrap, where I share three books I loved last month, three books Iām looking forward to, and three good things. Start finding book recommendations you love by upgrading to paid today!
Hello there, and happy April! We've had some peeks of spring here in Maine, but we are also due to get a few inches of snow this week. C'est la vie, yes?
March was a big and busy month! I went away for a weekend with friends, we traveled for a family wedding, celebrated my birthday, and then promptly instated our homebody ways. I started decorating our bedroom, and it feels really nice to have a space that feels cozy and calm coming together. It was seriously just our furniture, a rug, and curtains in there since we moved in 2.5 years ago (oops).
We also went to Art in Bloom at the local art museum and I went to an embroidery workshop, which was really fun! It was just a few women sitting around learning to embroider for a few hours. It felt very similar to book club, which I was very into. Now I'm hunting for a craft club in my area because how lovely does it sound to gather for a couple hours one evening and craft together with good music, snacks, and occasional conversation?
I flew through books in the second half of March because I've been listening to audiobooks while crocheting and because we instated a "less TV" rule (it's still a work in progress...) where we turn the TV off by 8:30 and read for a few hours before bed instead. In 2018, we gave up TV for the whole year, which led me to start my bookstagram, so it's a tried and true method if you're also looking to prioritize reading.
Now, onto the books...
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3 books I loved recently
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden. This is a summer release (out 5/28; thanks to Avid Reader Press for my advanced copy) and falls squarely intoĀ the genre that I love: historical fiction set in a beautiful, old house with a lonely woman. Get this book on your radar for summer: it's an impressive debut with superb writing, and I couldn't get enough of the descriptions of the Dutch countryside and the tension that van der Wouden builds throughout the story.Ā
Kala by Colin Walsh. When I was in a slump earlier this month, I thought reaching for a mystery might be a good way to harness my attention again. This is a literary mystery set in Ireland about a group of friends who return to their small seaside town 15 years after the disappearance of their friend. I partially listened to the audiobook, which was a complete delight with three Irish narrators. This is a stylish novel in the vein of Tana French orĀ The Secret History, and I couldn't stop thinking about it.Ā
Open Throat by Henry Hoke. This is absolutely going to be in my Top 10 of the year! I've been singing this novel's praises left and right for the last few weeks. It's told from the perspective of a mountain lion living in the hills of LA who is forced further into town by a wildfire. My reading experience while reading this slim novel was akin to when I readĀ PiranesiĀ by Susanna Clarke. It's incredibly creative and funny and is deeply human, even being told from the perspective of an animal. I loved it.Ā
Looking for more recs? You can see everything I read in March here:
3 new releases Iām looking forward to
Iām looking forward to so many new releases in April, so keep an eye out for a longer list later this month!
Funny Story by Emily Henry (out 4/23) because it's a new Emily Henry. Need I say more? ā”Ģ A new Emily Henry feels like it has become a sign of spring.
Better by Far by Hazel Hayes (out 4/23) because Hayes' debut is one of my all-time favorite love stories, and I'm looking forward to seeing what she does next.
The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl (out 4/23) because Reichl's memoir about her time at Gourmet magazine and her food writing are some of the coziest things I've ever read, so I'm looking forward to this novel, which is sure to be a big dose of cozy comfort.
3 good things
First signs of spring.Ā The other day, I woke up to birds chirping outside our window! We have had a few spectacularly sunny and warm(ish) days recently, and these hints of spring bring me much joy. Tiny flowers are poking up in the front yard, the birds are back, we spent some time replanting houseplants in the backyard recently, and I cleaned the porch, which had been closed for the winter. Our little porch gets a ton of sun, and I can't wait to start sitting out there more with coffee in the morning or while eating lunch and soak in some (much-needed) vitamin D.Ā
Technology boundaries.Ā As winter trudged on last month, I sank into bad technology habits. I sleep with my phone in the kitchen, but I found myself waking up in the morning, grabbing my phone, and then burrowing under the covers again and spending an hour or so on it. It's not the best way to start the day. So, these last few weeks, I've been waiting until I'm out of bed, showered, and ready for the day before picking up my phone. Dean and I also decided to watch less TV in the evenings. In 2018, we gave up TV entirely (that led me to start my bookstagram since I was reading way more!), and since then, we've returned to the habit of trimming our TV-watching habits when they get to be too much. So we've been trying to turn the TV off at 8:00 or 8:30 and spend a few hours reading before heading to bed. It's still a work in progress, but I'm excited about the additional reading time we're getting!Ā
Art Museums. We've visited several art museums in the past six weeks, and it's one of the things I miss most about living in a big city. Since going full-time with my photography, I find I have a new appreciation for art, and I am thinking about its creation and finding lots of inspiration when I go into an art museum now. I think that's pretty cool, and it's something that has made me really happy lately.Ā
Til next time,
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Kala sounds so good! **adds it to the TBR**
Sounds like a wonderful month Michelle! You have me SO excited for The Safekeep and I need to check out Open Throat, sounds like my kinda thing. Cheers to more books and less screens.