I did not keep up with much this last month it seems. Work was kind of nuts and I had to work several weekends in a row which made me tired and irritable. It looks like I still got some things done though.
We managed to get most of our wedding invites out this month and have even gotten some RSVPs already (which I am not complaining about, the sooner I know, the better I feel). I still have some that need to go out though.
I made my petticoats. They didn't turn out quite the way I'd wanted, but I think they will be fine. I may add a bit more to them to make the dress more puffy. But then I found that the layers of the dress don't let allow as much "puffing" as I want. So I started altering my dress by adding extra panels of fabric into the seams in each layer so the petticoats can give the skirts more volume. It is a work in progress and I hope I don't mess it up too much.
Other wedding things are slowly falling in to place. We ordered our wedding bands so those will be here soon and I will need to get mine re-sized. My bridesmaids have had a couple of meetings and I am excited for the bridal shower and bachelorette party. They have all been amazing and their involvement and excitement make me very happy and excited, too. We met with my good friend who will also be our officiant for the first time to talk about the ceremony. Basically we have lots of homework to do. I wish I could just have everything done now so I don't have to worry about anything later, but that's just not how it works. That is OK though, I am still enjoying the process more than I am stressing about it.
My little Poseidon rat has been having some skin problems which we are trying to figure out. The vet can't get him in for a little bit unfortunately. The new boys are getting better socialized. Hephaestus has an appointment to be neutered because he picks on Eros. Admittedly, Eros is a bit of a drama queen and squeals like he's dying anytime Hephaestus gets close to him... But they are all really cute and Hermes hasn't bitten me in the last couple of weeks, so that is exciting.
And now on to books. Here is what I managed to read this month.
Title: A Happy Catastrophe
Author: Maddie Dawson
Narrator: Amy McFadden
Synopsis: This book follows Matchmaking for Beginners. Marnie is now the local matchmaker and is happy in her new life. Patrick doesn't care for her generally social, chaotic lifestyle and Marnie wants more from him and more for their relationship than he is prepared to give. Enter a series of crazy events that will propel their lives forward (and in different directions) whether they like it or not.
Thoughts: While I enjoyed Matchmaking for Beginners, I did not much care for this one. Not enough to bail, there were some things that I liked, but I sort of hated Patrick the whole time.
Rating: 2 1/2 to 3 stars out of 5 stars
Title: A Thousand Ships
Author: Natalie Haynes
Narrator: Natalie Haynes
Synopsis: This book looks at various perspectives of women during the Trojan War. The story jumps around from woman to woman, occasionally returning to a few of them. What were they thinking and experiencing during the war? Was their home destroyed? Did they lose their families? Did they lose their own lives? Who waited for their men for so many years they may as well have been dead? Which women took their fates into their own hands? Finally, the ignored women are given their chance to be heard.
Thoughts: This was originally a book club book, but I had read the other selection that month. This one was on my "To Read" list, but after hearing about it during book club discussion, I wanted to read it even more. When I scored it on sale, I was very excited. I really liked this look at the women involved (directly or indirectly) in the Trojan War. Also, I really need to go back and re-read the Iliad, the Odyssey, and maybe the Aeneid as well. If you like the classic stories and myths, you will probably enjoy this book.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Title: The Great Mortality
Author: John Kelly
Narrator: Matthew Lloyd Davies
Synopsis: The first major outbreak of plague happened in the mid-14th century and it decimated Europe and most of the known world. The consequences had long lasting affects.
Thoughts: As most of you probably know, I LOVE the plague (Yersinia pestis) and just about anything that has to do with it. So it probably goes without saying that I enjoyed this book. I did have a little trouble getting into it. It felt like the topics kind of jumped around too much, but I think I may not have been focusing enough. It was still informative and fascinating and enjoyable. And I learned a few things I didn't know before, so that is always exciting!
Rating: 3 1/2 to 4 stars out of 5 stars
Title: Take a Hint, Dani Brown
Author: Talia Hibbert
Narrator: Ione Butler
Synopsis: This is a romantic comedy about Danika Brown and her friend Zafir. When he rescues her and carries her out of the building they work in, videos of the event go viral. Zafir is trying to get his charity off the ground and the video of him carrying his "girlfriend" to safety starts gaining him and his work some attention. He asks Dani to go along with it and she agrees but her only goal is to make Zafir her regular fuck-buddy. The fact that both of them have a little crush on the other just complicates things.
Thoughts: I usually love the fake dating trope, but I liked it less in this book. I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe because the other ones I adored were also more enemies to lovers tropes, too. Also, I started with book two in the Brown Sisters books, which maybe isn't ideal, but not much from the first book was spoiled. And I was not prepared for all of the smut, which is definitely not up my alley. That aside (not a flaw of the book, just not my thing), it had very sweet and charming moments. I didn't love it per se, but I did like it enough to go back and read the first book.
Rating: 3 stars out of 5 stars
Favorite book read this month: A Thousand Ships
Least favorite book read this month: A Happy Catastrophe
I have now read 25 books towards my goal of 50 books, which puts me about 4 books behind schedule. Oh well.
I think that is about it for the moment. I can't believe it is already August. Thanks for reading!
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