What I Read July and August 2019

I read a lot during my blog/social media hiatus. However, most of what I read was shorter stories that all fell into kind of the same genre, so I decided for the sake of this post to only include the four books that I didn't read in one sitting and that aren't part of a series that I'm in the middle of.

The Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy
Author: Nora Roberts

Comprised of Dark Witch, Shadowspell, and Blood Magick, this series focuses on three cousins living in the modern world who are fulfilling their ancestors' quest to rid the world of a great evil. The first book focuses on Iona, the second on Connor, and the third on Branna. Throughout the journey, they find love and connect with the original three.

My first foray into Nora Roberts is all thanks to my mother, who sent this complete series home with me one weekend. I've never had a desire to read any of Roberts's books, despite knowing many people (like my mom) who love her work. These sparked my interest because of the magic. I grew up on Harry Potter, lost myself in The Lord of the Rings, read everything Tamora Pierce wrote, and fell in love with The Paper Magician. Fantasy is my absolute favorite thing to read, be it based on the real or a made-up world, and this series did not disappoint.

The Overdue Life of Amy Byler
Author: Kelly Harms

Amy Byler has forgotten who she is in the years since her husband left her and their children. She's devoted herself to her job as a school librarian and mother, never taking time for herself, but then the wayward husband returns and wants to be part of his kids' lives...at least for the summer. Amy reluctantly agrees and heads to NYC to visit her college BFF, who also happens to be a magazine editor, and attend a school librarian conference. While there, Amy reconnects with herself as a woman and finally starts to move on.

I totally picked this book based on the cover and then spent the better part of a week reading it. This is not a book I would recommend to just anyone. It's a bit slower paced and the humor is understated, but I did like the story and Amy reminded me of my mom a bit. I also liked how the author incorporated journal entries from Amy's daughter throughout.

Welcome Back

Man, what a month it's been. Usually, I have two or three days to take it easy between each issue of the magazine, but not this past month. First, an elderly relative succumbed to dementia so there was a funeral. On the day of the funeral, my dad - who had been sick for several days already - was hospitalized for the rest of the week. My grandfather ended up in the hospital the next day for pneumonia and was kept until the weekend.

The next week was distribution week, and it was the hardest one yet. With my mom back at school and Pre-K not started yet, we had to make special arrangements for Alexis, but I still ended up taking her with me on one day. Distributing magazines in 100-plus degree weather isn't any fun on my own and it's hell with a 4 year old. Add on top of all of that the fact that the September issue of the magazine was the most difficult thing I've worked on in a long time. The topic was special needs, and it kicked my butt.

I was also feeling the strain of working at home with my 4 year old. I don't regret our decision to take Alexis out of daycare for the summer, but I underestimated how tough it would be on me. I went from having the house to myself two to three days a week to never having the house to myself.

Between personal and family issues and work stress, I didn't need anything extra, and I realized I had been treating this blog and the social media associated with it like an obligation rather than an enjoyable hobby. So I decided to step back for awhile and get my head back in a good place. For the past four weeks, my only screen time has been work related or reading on my Kindle, and no - I didn't miss social media.

I am, however, ready to get back to blogging and everything that goes along with it. So stay tuned!