In The Fast Lane

January is a clean slate for those of us who celebrate the New Year on January 1rst. Any portion of the year can be a New Year when ever you celebrate it, but for this lady it's January and tomorrow I'm starting the 21 Days of Fasting through my church and giving up social media, which includes this blog. So, for the next three weeks there will be no posts and I'm sure there are many of you who are like, "Well, there's hardly any posts on here anyway."

Touche.

This, however, is completely intentional and has a purpose. The hardest part is going to be Facebook, Instagram, YouTube. I fasted YouTube last year and realized how much time was left and how many uploads were just sitting there waiting to be consumed. 50 of them and in reality I would have watched half, BUT that fifty video accumulation could still happen because I watched repeats of things and there was no in watching something completely different. 

*insert Monty Python reference here*

*insert complete elation at someone getting alluded to reference*

In regards to what this fast is for that'll be kept to myself. So, here's to a prosperous fast!

My Top Books for 2018!

I can’t believe 2018 is over; now’s the time for me to reflect on my top favorite reads-or listens in the case of audiobooks-and gear myself up for next year’s literary adventures! In the first place, my reading goal was to read 65 books this year and the total was 62. That’s magnificent and by no means a failure! We got rid of cable and switched to an antennae and Roku which has cut down TV watching tremendously.TV just became an automatic, unnecessary time-suck that’s better off done with background asmr videos and audiobooks. By the way, I highly recommend the YouTube Channel asmr rooms; she mostly does Harry Potter background videos that range from the common rooms to Christmas at the Weasley’s. I started listening to them on my Kindle Fire during the night while reading; even got my sister hooked on them and she says they knock her out at night. My absolute favorites are The Gryffindor Common Room, Hogwarts Library, and The Three Broomsticks Inn. My sister’s are Shell Cottage, The Prefects Bathroom, and the Slytherin Common Room.  Now here are my top 10 books of 2018!

The Haunted Mansion graphic novel volume 1 by Marvel I’m a Disney fanatic and this is one of my favorite rides, so the fact that they based an original plot on the ride was amazing!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrow and Mary Ann Shaffer It’s about an author(WIN!)people ae brought together through reading and books(WIN!)it takes place right after the occupation(WIN!) and it’s told through letters(WIN!)

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society audiobook The cast was fantastic and I absolutely adoredit! This book is now one of my favorites of all time!

Bone by Jeff Smith the series bind-up Imaginative, quirky, and hilarious!

The Book Jumper by Mechtild Glaser There’s a sequel to this as well but the first is my favorite. My 

whole life I’ve dreamed of just falling into a book.

Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk This gave me To Kill a Mockingbird vibes. Very nice!

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco A beautiful gothic historical fiction. I bought the other to immediately! If you like mysteries, pick this up.

The Healers Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson This beautiful romance had me so enthralled that I reserved all her other books immediately.

Also just finished The Orphans Wish by Melanie Dickerson, which is a retelling of Aladdin and it was amazing.

Yes, there are only 9 but I, for real, can’t think of a tenth one and just throwing one in would be wrong.

Aside from reading, it’s been a pretty good year. I made a the decision to just be finished with school and stick with an Associate’s Degree.  Here’s to a fabulous 2019! I’ve already made my list of goals and will keep those to myself for now.