Category: About Me

Ten Halloween Things I’ve Never Done

Posted October 25, 2021 by Jana in About Me, Top Ten Tuesday / 43 Comments

Welcome to another TTT, and Happy Halloween this weekend! I love the fall vibes and the spooky atmosphere during this time of year, but I don’t love Halloween for many of the normal reasons most people do. I don’t like orange and black together. I don’t like paranormal or supernatural things. I don’t like blood or spiders or the undead. Instead, I love watching old thrillers, reading gothic novels, eating candy, and seeing the cute kids in costumes when they come trick-or-treating to my house. So for today’s Halloween freebie I thought I’d share with you some totally Halloween things I’ve never done or experienced before.

1. I’ve never seen a Tim Burton movie.
Seriously. No Nightmare Before Christmas. No Corpse Bride. They’re just not my thing!

2. I’ve never gone to a haunted house (or haunted anything).
I’d probably die if a went to a haunted house, haunted corn maze, haunted hay ride, etc. I almost died on the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland, so it’s just never going to happen.

3. I’ve never carved a jack-o’-lantern by myself.
Yeah, this is weird even to me. I’ve just never carved my own pumpkin! I remember carving one with a date a few years ago, but I’ve never been to a pumpkin patch as an adult and when I do end up with pumpkins from the grocery store I just put them by my door uncarved.

4. I’ve never baked Halloween treats.
It’s true. I’ve never made Halloween frosted sugar cookies or hot dogs that look like severed fingers.

5. I’ve never had a pumpkin spice flavored beverage.
So, I don’t drink coffee so it’s not like I’m against the PSL because it’s pumpkin spice. I actually love pumpkin spice, just only in baked goods.

6. I’ve never done themed costumes with friends.
I had friends in college who all dressed as a Spice Girl or a different Power Ranger or a Disney princess. Me? Not interested.

7. I’ve never read a horror novel.
I mean, I’ve read scary books, but my threshold for scary reads is so below average that pretty much nobody I know would think I’ve read a scary book.

8. I’ve never told ghost stories by flashlight.
It will just never happen. Ghost stories keep me up at night no matter how outlandish they might sound.

9. I’ve never participated in a séance or used a Ouija Board.
It’s too scary! I won’t even look in the mirror in the dark because I’m scared Bloody Mary will show up uninvited.

10. I’ve never gone on a ghost hunt or ghost tour.
Pretty sure this comes as no surprise and requires no further explanation.

So basically, I’m a major chicken. I’m scared of my own shadow or if the toast pops up out of the toaster before I’m ready. I’m scared of little noises. I’m scared of no noises. I’m really just here to find out when I can start decorating for Christmas.

Ok, so give it to me. I’m excited to hear who is just like me and who thinks
I haven’t actually lived yet without doing some of these things!

What is your number one favorite thing to do at Halloween?

Top Ten Reasons Why I Love Reading

Posted July 5, 2021 by Jana in About Me, Top Ten Tuesday / 16 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! This week’s topic focuses on reading instead of books, and asks why I love reading! This is going to be EASY.

1. The escape.
I love escaping reality and being engrossed in a completely different time, place, and/or world. And it’s been especially nice to escape the craziness of covid and travel to places where it doesn’t exist.

2. I get to travel to someplace new.
I love visiting places I’ve never been! Books are the cheapest way to see the world.

3. To make friends.
I’ve read about so many characters I’d love to be friends with! And I always miss those friends when a book or series ends. The book community has also brought me many friends, so that’s also cool!

4. To fall in love.
Much like the reason above, I love all my book boyfriends.

5. Reading makes you smarter!
AND it sets off the imagination.

6. Books are pretty.
I love all the pretty covers and putting my favorites on my bookshelves. My room looks beautiful with all my books.

7. It’s the best way to fall asleep.
I love laying in bed in the dark and reading books on my Kindle, all cozied up under the covers. It’s my favorite part of the day.

8. The memories.
Every time I see a book I loved, I smile and remember my reading experience.

9. Sometimes a story will change your life.

10. I love learning.
I love learning about people who are different than I am, places I’ve never visited, cultures I’m not familiar with, and different ways of thinking.

It was hard to narrow this list down to just ten, but that’s part of the challenge of TTT! 
Why do you love reading?

2020 End of Year Book Survey

Posted December 31, 2020 by Jana in About Me / 4 Comments

I love doing Jamie’s End of Year Book Survey every year! It helps me look back and remember all the wonderful (and terrible) books I’ve read throughout the year! Also… buh bye 2020. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Can 2021 please be better?

2020 Reading Stats

Number of books you read: 57
Number of re-reads: 0
Most read genre: Adult contemporary romance (I read 38 of them).

Best In Books

1. Best book you read in 2020:
The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler

2. Book you were excited about & thought you were going to love more but didn’t:
In a Holidaze by Christinas Lauren. I love CLo and I love Christmas, but I realllly didn’t like this one bit.

3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read:
Rolling In the Deep by Mira Grant. I started it on a whim because I needed something to break to romance monotony so I tried this and I was HOOKED. And then I started the second book as soon as I was done!

4. Book you “pushed” the most people to read (and they did):
The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler. I’ve been pushing this on everyone and have forced quite a few people to read it!

5. Best series you started in 2020. Best sequel of 2020. Best series ender of 2020.
Started: The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler
Sequel: Well Played by Jen DeLuca
Ender: Enjoy the View by Sarah Morgenthaler

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2020:
Sarah Morgenthaler!!

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone:
Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant. I’m not one for horror, but this was great!

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year:
Whiteout by Adriana Anders. I couldn’t stop reading!

9. Book you read in 2020 that you are most likely to re-read next year?
I can think of several I would re-read, but not next year. I want to wait longer!

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2020:

Christmas at Frozen Falls by Kylie Dunbar

11. Most memorable character of 2020:
Janie Morris of Neanderthal Seeks Human by Penny Reid. She’s hilarious.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2020:
Christmas At Frozen Falls by Kylie Dunbar. The descriptions of Lapland are stunning!

13. Most thought-provoking/life-changing book of 2020:
N/A

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2010 to finally read:
Neanderthal Seeks Human by Penny Reid

15. Favorite quote from a book you read in 2020:
I rarely mark my favorite quotes. I should change that.

16. Shortest and longest books you read in 2020:
Shortest: The One Night Stand Before Christmas by Jana Aston (84 pages)
Longest: Love and Olives by Jenna Evans Welch (512 pages)

17. Book that shocked you the most:
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware shocked me at the end and… made me so mad but I still loved the book? I dunno.

18. OTP of the year (you will go down with this ship!):
River and Easton of Enjoy the View by Sarah Morgenthaler

19. Favorite non-romantic relationship of the year:
Lana and Zoey have the sweetest friendship in The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler. Graham and Easton also have a really amazing friendship, which is more prominent in Enjoy the View. Sarah is just great at friends!

20. Favorite book you read in 2020 from an author you’ve read previously:
Lucky Suit by Lauren Blakely helped me stop blushing so much during romance audiobooks! And it was so much fun.

21. Best book you read in 2020 that you read based SOLELY on a recommendation from somebody else:
Agnes at the End of the World by Kelly McWilliams

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2020:
Easton of the Moose Springs books by Sarah Morgenthaler.

23. Best 2020 debut you read:
You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle

24. Most vivid setting you read this year:
Lapland makes the best setting! Christmas At Frozen Falls by Kiley Dunbar.

25. Book that put a smile on your face/was the most FUN to read:
Heidi’s Guide to Four Letter Words by Tara Sivec and Andi Arndt. SO funny.

26. Book that made you cry or nearly cry in 2020:
You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle

27. Hidden gem of the year:
Eight Winter Nights by Liz Maverick. A really fun Hanukkah romance!

28. Book that crushed your soul:
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager was a HUGE disappointment. I have loved all of his books, but this one went in a direction I absolutely hated. It was so boring.

29. Most unique book you read in 2020:
Halloween Boo by Sarah Spade. It’s… a woman in love with the ghost who haunts her apartment. There was some weird stuff. lol

30. Book that made you the maddest (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it):
I DNFed a lot of books this year that did that, but of the ones I finished… Home Before Dark by Riley Sager.

My Blogging/Bookish Life

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2020:
I didn’t venture outside my usuals this year. It was just too exhausting.

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2020:
Nothing is standing out, to be honest.

3. Best discussion/non-review post you had on your blog:
All of the TTTs, really.

4. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.):
Ha! There was nothing. I was supposed to sit at Tessa Dare’s table at the Utah Readers’ Luncheon this year, but COVID happened. I was so excited to meet her. I even bought ALL my favorites of her books so I could have her sign them.

6. Most popular post this year on your blog (whether it be by comments or views):
Top Ten Tuesday Is 10 Years Old! Updates to Many of My Old TTTs got 44 comments.

8. Post you wished got a little more love:
All my reviews, pretty much. lol

9. Best bookish discovery (book related sites, book stores, etc.):
Audible Plus! Not really a discovery, just a new service, but I love it anyway.

10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year:
I completed my Goodreads goal of reading 52 books this year. I read 57!

Looking Ahead

1. Book you are most anticipating in 2021 (non-debut):
Well Matched by Jen DeLuca

2. 2021 debut you are most anticipating:
The Layover by Lacie Waldon

3. Sequel you are most anticipating in 2021:
The Bride Bet by Tessa Dare

4. One thing you hope to accomplish or do in your reading/blogging life in 2021?
Read what I love and DNF faster. I need to stop hoping things get better. There’s too many books for that!

Do we have any answers in common?
Pick a question or two and answer them in the comments! Let’s discuss!

My Favorite Things About Christmas

Posted December 18, 2020 by Jana in About Me, Bookish Little Christmas / 8 Comments

Ok, so if it wasn’t completely obvious by now, I love Christmas more than most things. Today I’m sharing my very favorite things about Christmas!

Memories

Here is my little sister, me, and my mom baking cookies together.

The magic of Christmas always makes me look back on my childhood. I grew up a Navy brat, so I moved every 2-3 years growing up as my dad received orders for new duty stations. As such, I’ve spent many Christmases in many different places. My fondest memory is of when we were living on base in California. Someone had sleigh bells and walked through our neighborhood ringing them on Christmas Eve. I bolted out of bed and squealed with glee because Santa was here! I also have many happy memories of hanging out in the kitchen baking Christmas cookies with my mom and little sister.

Coziness

Don’t you think Christmas is a super cozy time of year? I love curling up by the fire with a fuzzy blanket and hot chocolate, reading while Christmas instrumentals play in the background. I also love sitting by the tree watching it snow outside.

Music

One of my Christmas pageants! These people are some of my very dearest friends.

I LOVE Christmas music, but I’m a major traditionalist. My very favorite Christmas song is It’s the Most Wonderful Time of Year, but only if it’s sung by Andy Williams. Find the Christmas Traditional Radio station on Pandora and you’ll hear all my favorites! I also love singing Christmas music. I was in choir my entire life, and in college I was in three Christmas pageants. I drew arrows pointing at me above!

Books

I spend all December reading Christmas books, mostly romances, and I love them so much! A few of my very favorites are Starry Night by Debbie Macomber; Christmas At Frozen Falls by Kylie Dunbar; Operation White Christmas by Nikki Edwards; and Mistletoe and Mr. Right by Sarah Morgenthaler.

Movies

I’m one of those Hallmark Christmas movie people… My mom and I record all the new ones and then watch as many as we can before Christmas. Some are way too cheesy and we make fun of them relentlessly, and some of them make us swoon and even get a little misty. Some of my favorites are Finding Father Christmas, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Window Wonderland, and One Starry Christmas. I also love The Holiday, The Santa Clause, and Polar Express.

Lights

I love Christmas lights a lot. Some might say too much. The tree has, like, 12 strings on it every year, and I put thousands up on the house. I also love going to see Christmas light displays with my mom and sister. We go to two drive-through displays that are amazing (one of them is synchronized to Christmas music). We also go see the lights at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, the lights at my city center, and two pretty amazing displays at a couple local shopping centers.

Ornaments

I have way too many favorites, so here are a few of them.
L to R: A stack of books for my blog, the year I started kindergarten, Florence, Italy, and Bellagio, Italy.

I collect Christmas ornaments! I buy one from every pace I travel, for milestones in my life, and ones that relate to my hobbies. My tree is basically a scrapbook. I also collect the lighthouse series from Hallmark because they make the tree twinkle beautifully.  It’s so much fun to put them up every year and remember all the fun things I’ve done and all the good things that have happened to me.

Baking


I love baking Christmas cookies! My sister helps me, and we spend an entire day or two baking all of our favorites. I particularly love spritz cookies and whipped shortbread cookies.

Snow

I’m always dreaming of a white Christmas. I find snow to be so invigorating and beautiful. I love it when the world looks like Narnia outside. Things seem quieter and cleaner and brighter when it’s snowing.

Happiness

We all struggle. Life is hard, and it’s gotten harder for me as I’ve gotten older with health issues and other personal trials. Christmas has the power to make me happy, though, and it’s a combination of everything I’ve listed here that makes me so happy and gives me hope for a better tomorrow.

I hope you have a very happy holiday season, filled with magic, love, and happiness. 

What are some of your favorite things about this time of year?

Header photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

 

My Top Ten Non-Bookish Hobbies

Posted November 2, 2020 by Jana in About Me, Top Ten Tuesday / 30 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! This week I thought it would be so much fun to get to know each other on a more personal level. We’re all faces in books behind computer screens, but there’s more to all of us than books, right? I’m excited to learn more about you this week. :)

1. Puzzles
I love building puzzles and collecting the prettiest ones. They’re so relaxing and really make me happy!

2. Binging TV Shows
I love marathoning my favorite shows like Friends, MASH, Wings, JAG, etc. Right now I’m working my way through I Love Lucy for the umpteenth time.

3. Christmas
It’s a hobby, ok? I shop for decorations all year long and listen to Christmas music or watch a Christmas movie when I need a pick-me-up. It makes me happy!

4. Graphic Design
Did you know this is where the “artsy” in my blog title comes from? I’m a graphic designer! I love designing things for friends, family, and myself.

5. Animal Crossing
I got a Switch over the summer and I’m super addicted to Animal Crossing. I’m having so much fun decorating my island for the holidays, too. It looked positively adorable for Halloween and now I’m preparing for Christmas!

6. Shopping
I really, really love shopping. If I’m bored, I go browse online for things to add to my wish list!

7. Alternative Medicine
I find natural healing fascinating, and love researching and looking for new ways to feel better. I’ve got a lot of chronic health and pain conditions that have not responded at all to pharmaceuticals, so this takes up a huge chunk of my free time.

8. Baking
I especially like baking Christmas cookies, but I like making regular cookies and muffins all year! I need to star dabbling in bread. I’d love to bake bread!

9. Exploring/Traveling
I love visiting new places or exploring where I live! I love traveling, and I especially love going on cruises. COVID cancelled our two-week cruise this past May, which sucked. My mom, sister, and I just went on a drive looking for fall leaves a few weeks ago and I love doing things like that.

10. Decorating/Organizing/Home Projects
I love interior design, organizing and going through stuff to get rid of, and painting/remodeling the house! My family and I just re-did the family room and office during pandemic, and we’ve been going through everything and reorganizing and getting rid of stuff. It’s been fun!

What are some of your non-bookish hobbies? Do we have any in common?