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Reading Roundup // 02

May 9, 2014August 25, 2015 Crystal // Dreams, etc. Post a comment
Reading Roundup // 02

Happy Friday! Are you excited for the weekend? It has been a somewhat long week and I haven’t been feeling the best. Either allergies are starting to kick in or I’ve been fighting off a little cold, so I’m looking forward to relaxing a bit this weekend and reading a couple of books. I have one that I need to finish and another one that I’d like to read throughout Saturday and Sunday. If I have time I’d also like to start a book that my coworker is letting me borrow. It’s a true crime book and apparently it’s pretty scary, so we’ll see how long I last.

Usually on Friday I post a Daily Diaries update, but my week has been the most uninteresting week ever. The most exciting thing that I did was go to the dentist for a cleaning, so instead of writing a week’s worth of, “Went to work, came home” I thought I’d talk about a couple of books that I have read or listened to.

First up is And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard, which is about a teenage girl who starts to attend a boarding school after her boyfriend pulls her aside and then takes his own life in the school library. This book was described as a mix of verse and prose. If a verse novel isn’t your thing, but you are interested in the premise, I would still recommend that you give this novel a chance because the verse was, for the most part, limited to one poem after each chapter. This novel was a little on the slower side, but I thought it worked really well in the novel. It set the stage for what was to come in the book and felt natural to Emily’s life. This novel tackles some difficult topics but, again, I think it does so in a natural way.

I listened to the audiobook of Lost Voices by Sarah Porter. This is a “reread” for me. I would like to read the next two books in the series, but it’s been a few years since I read this one so I wanted to refresh my memory. This book is about a fourteen-year-old named Luce who joins a clan of mermaids. In the world of Lost Voices, girls who are abused or abandoned become mermaids and use their beautiful singing voices to sink ships. When Luce becomes a mermaid, she’s gifted with an extraordinarily beautiful voice that is the envy of the mermaids, but she doesn’t want to use her voice to drown the humans that pass by. I really enjoyed the narrator for this book and thought that it was a good one to listen to. I love the unique take on mermaids in this book and I also like that they’re dark mermaids. Also, the setting is in Alaska, which is awesome. Cold weather mermaids!

The final book that I read is Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight, which is about a single mother who goes to pick her daughter up from school and finds out that she has jumped off the roof of the building and is dead. Kate doesn’t believe that her daughter committed suicide, so she starts to look into her daughter’s death and things take off from there. This book was a bit of a slower start for me, but it totally reeled me in and I was definitely hooked once the story picked up. I have the ebook version of this novel and eventually bought the audiobook as well, so that I could listen to it on the bus when I wasn’t able to read. I saw a few of the revelations coming and I even guessed one of the bigger revelations early on, but then talked myself out of it and thought, “Trust your instincts, Crystal!” when I realized that I would have been right. I loved the twists and turns in this novel. I also liked that the author played around with different formats. There were text messages and emails throughout the novel and I love writing like that. I highly recommend this if you’re looking for a mystery to read–or just a book in general. This is my first book for the #scsbc14 Semi-Charmed Summer Book Challenge.

What have you read recently?

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About Crystal

Hi! I'm Crystal, a millennial learning how to live slowly and sustainably, while still seeking adventure and following my dreams, etc.

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hi!

I'm Crystal, the storyteller behind Dreams, etc. I'm all about learning how to live slowly & sustainably, while also seeking adventure as we follow our dreams, etc.

Hello, friends! šŸ‘‹šŸ¼ Swipe through for a few g Hello, friends! šŸ‘‹šŸ¼ Swipe through for a few glimpses from January. As 2022 came to an end I had this feeling that I was preparing to hibernate and I guess, in a way, I have. I’ve been slowly easing into the new year, focused on getting back into a few routines after Iceland and the holidays. And it’s been a great month. I can’t believe it’s almost over. What have your favorite moments of January been?
2022. Looking back on this year it was the year of 2022. Looking back on this year it was the year of so many dreams experiences. Whales. Cape Cod/Nantucket. Iceland. I saw musicals that have I’ve been dreaming of with Moulin Rouge, Wicked, and Six. 

It wasn’t without its stresses and rough moments but I’m grateful for the good that can be found, even when it’s hard.
Let’s journey back to November for the second we Let’s journey back to November for the second weekly dam walk of the month. My dad joined me for this one and we made it somewhat fast because it was a chilly day. ā€œThe water looks cold,ā€ I said when we back to the car.

Between Iceland and the below zero, windy, and snowy weather we had last week (which came with requests from my parents not to go) it’s been a few weeks since I’ve been to the dam and I miss it!
Years ago I celebrated Christmas and New Years in Years ago I celebrated Christmas and New Years in Vienna and it still lives in my memory today as such a special time. I know December in Reykjavik will be the same—and not just because I came home with a little over $100 worth of ornaments of all 13 Yule Lads AND their mom AND the Christmas cat. (There was a little bit of miscommunication between my mom and me on that shopping trip. šŸ˜‚)

It might have been cold (and when that wind hits you don’t want to be outside or by the harbour…I speak from windswept, breath-stolen experience and will forever be grateful for the library we eventually found respite in) and we only saw the sun a few hours each day, but seeing this already charming city decked out in Christmas lights with a skating rink and the prettiest tree secured it’s place in my heart.

Reykjavik, I hope to see you again one day. Soon. Probably not in December, but I’m glad I got to see you in December once.
Last year my niece and I visited New York at Chris Last year my niece and I visited New York at Christmastime and it was fun to see the city decked out in lights. I can also now say that I’ve seen the Rockefeller Christmas Tree and skating rink and the Saks Christmas lights, but I’ve also seen the crowds they draw.

It was completely different in Reykjavik this year. You actually had a chance to skate on the ice rink if you wanted (and I never did the conversation, but I think it’s cheaper) and you could actually walk up to the Christmas tree. Two very different Christmas in the city experiences.
Iceland, Day 2, Part 2. We ended the Golden Circle Iceland, Day 2, Part 2. We ended the Golden Circle tour with a stop at Thingvellir National Park. My fingers froze as I took these photos but it was worth it to capture this view. šŸ˜ PS - the last photo is from a lake we stopped at on our way from Geysir to Thingvellir.
Iceland, Day 2, Part 1. We went on a rather unvent Iceland, Day 2, Part 1. We went on a rather unventful Northern Lights tour the night before and slipped in a few hours of sleep before meeting our bus for the Golden Circle tour. Our tour guide was @busdriver_annie and she was amazing! Pictured: Faxi (the small waterfall) Gullfoss (the big waterfall), a wool market where we also saw some animals, and Geysir (the hot springs area). Geysir is actually the most famous geyser in the world but it doesn’t erupt anymore. However, Strokkur erupts every 5 - 10 minutes. I’ll share more photos from the tour soon!
Iceland, Day 1. We landed bright and early at 6:30 Iceland, Day 1. We landed bright and early at 6:30 am, dropped off our bags at the hotel, and went exploring. We saw HallgrĆ­mskirkja, the amazing view from the bell tower, the rainbow street, and walked down Laugavegur. Swipe to the end to see the view from our apartment!
Scenes from November, which were mostly at the dam Scenes from November, which were mostly at the dam apparently.
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