Roni's August Recs: Read - Watch - Listen

Well…it’s been a month, y’all. I’ve never been so happy to see September 1.

First, all three of us (me, hubs, and the 13 year old) got symptomatic Covid at the start of the month. (All of us were fully vaccinated.) Hubs had it the worst, ending up with double pneumonia, but none of us had to go to the hospital—though we did make lots of visits to Urgent Care *waves at Beverly*. I’m so glad things didn’t get serious, but getting Covid did wipe out all the exciting things we had planned for August—vacations, a Foo Fighters concert, Brenda Novak coming to visit in person to interview me for her book club, my husband’s band’s first show since Covid started, and kidlet’s first few days of school. But we’re okay and that’s what counts. We’re all doing much better now.

Then this week hit. Many of y’all know I’m originally from Louisiana. Well, most of my family still lives there, and my parents live in Laplace. If you’ve watched the news at all, you’ve probably seen Laplace on all the news stations as they took a direct hit from Hurricane Ida. (My husband’s hometown of Houma was also directly hit.) My parents still live in Laplace and thankfully evacuated, but their house is in one of those neighborhoods they keep showing on TV with all the flooding and roof damage. They can’t get back yet to assess. So, August has been a rough go.

However, while convalescing from Covid and taking care of the fam, I did get some time to read, watch, and listen to things. That’s the beauty of stories, right? We can escape into them for a little while when reality is stressful. So I’m here to tell you my favorites of the month.

Read

In My Dreams, I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead

About the book:

Six friends.
One college reunion.
One unsolved murder.

Ten years after graduation, Jessica Miller has planned her triumphant return to her southern, elite Duquette University, down to the envious whispers that are sure to follow in her wake. Everyone is going to see the girl she wants them to see—confident, beautiful, indifferent. Not the girl she was when she left campus, back when Heather Shelby's murder fractured everything, including the tight bond linking the six friends she'd been closest to since freshman year.

But not everyone is ready to move on. Not everyone left Duquette ten years ago, and not everyone can let Heather's murder go unsolved. Someone is determined to trap the real killer, to make the guilty pay. When the six friends are reunited, they will be forced to confront what happened that night—and the years' worth of secrets each of them would do anything to keep hidden.

Told in racing dual timelines, with a dark campus setting and a darker look at friendship, love, obsession, and ambition, In My Dreams I Hold A Knife is an addictive, propulsive read you won't be able to put down.

My thoughts:

This was my favorite read of the month. Y’all know that I’m a huge fan of campus novels—particularly ones with a dark edge—so this hit that sweet spot. (Want more campus novel recs? Check out this list.)

This novel was everything I wanted it to be. Even though I’m prone to like a campus novel, I'm pretty picky about mysteries. I need them to be at least somewhat character-driven and not plot only. This one had both. It's not an easy thing to have a cast of seven important characters and make them all feel distinct. I didn't have to flip back once to see--wait, which character is this again? And I loved the dual timelines of their years in college and then ten years later at homecoming. It kept me turning the pages and trying to figure out who the killer was. I didn't guess. There were lots of red herrings that worked.

If you need your characters lovable, then this might not be for you. These characters were all flawed, but the author did a good job of showing why they were the way they were and that made them (most of them) sympathetic. (And as someone who was salutatorian twice--both in middle school and high school--I resonated with Jessica's salutatorian "always second place" frustration, lol.) Also, there's a tiny bit of a love story mixed in, which did my romance writer heart good.

I don't give out 5 star ratings easily, but this one was an easy one to rate. :) My one caveat is if the opening chapters (before the flashback to the past starts) don’t capture you, keep reading. I wasn’t sure when I first started reading if it was going to be for me, but once I hit those flashback chapters, I was in.

Disclosure: I was provided an ARC by Sourcebooks for an honest review and Sourcebooks is my publisher.

Dinner: A Love Story by Jenny Rosenstrach

About the book:

Jenny Rosenstrach, and her husband, Andy, regularly, some might say pathologically, cook dinner for their family every night. Even when they work long days. Even when their kids' schedules pull them in eighteen different directions. They are not superhuman. They are not from another planet.

With simple strategies and common sense, Jenny figured out how to break down dinner—the food, the timing, the anxiety, from prep to cleanup—so that her family could enjoy good food, time to unwind, and simply be together.

Using the same straight-up, inspiring voice that readers of her award-winning blog, Dinner: A Love Story, have come to count on, Jenny never judges and never preaches. Every meal she dishes up is a real meal, one that has been cooked and eaten and enjoyed at least a half dozen times by someone in Jenny's house. With inspiration and game plans for any home cook at any level, Dinner: A Love Story is as much for the novice who doesn't know where to start as it is for the gourmand who doesn't know how to start over when she finds herself feeding an intractable toddler or for the person who never thought about home-cooked meals until he or she became a parent. This book is, in fact, for anyone interested in learning how to make a meal to be shared with someone they love, and about how so many good, happy things happen when we do.

My thoughts:

I picked this one up on a complete whim. It’s on Hoopla, so if your library has that, you can grab it there. Food memoirs are comfort reads for me, so when I was recovering from Covid (and had lost all smell and most of my taste, so couldn’t enjoy anything but kale salads and fruit), reading about this author’s dinner evolution somehow helped.

This is an easy read and technically listed as a cookbook, but I felt like this was much more memoir than cookbook. I loved reading about the author’s journey through making dinner from her early years when she was first married and then through motherhood. A lot of it mirrored my own journey, and it felt nostalgic to read about those days when she was first married and learning to cook.

I came into my marriage knowing how to cook three things—red beans & rice (like a good New Orleans girl), beef roast in a crock pot, and French bread pizza. Now, I own literally hundreds of cookbooks and consider myself a pretty savvy and adventurous cook. And I can look at my cookbook collection and see my own evolution from newlywed, to new mom, to mom of a foodie teen. I didn’t have the picky eater issue Rosentrach talked about when her kids were little, but everything else in the book felt like I’d been there too.

So, if you’re looking for an easy comfort read about food, this one might hit the spot. Plus, there are lots of recipes if you’re looking for that.

Watch

Modern Family (Hulu)

I know I am sooooo late to the boat on this one. When this premiered, my kiddo wasn’t even two yet. I didn’t have much time to watch grownup TV—or you know, brush my hair—so this one flew by me. I’d heard great things and had put it on my “one day” list, but when I was looking for a new show for my whole family to watch together, I decided to see if this one would be a good fit.

I’ve discovered that it is VERY hard to find a show that will entertain both me and the hubs AND also the 13-year old AND be age-appropriate for a young teen. Things are either too silly/kiddie or they jump to full out dirty humor. Not as much falls into the space in between. * puts on my Gen X back-in-my-day hat for a second * Back when I was growing up, sitcoms (and movies) were really good at innuendo that would entertain parents but went over kids heads and still had humor that kids could enjoy too. Those are so much harder to find now. * takes off hat * So I’m so thrilled to have found this one.

Yes, Modern Family has some sexual references, but they handle it in a way that I don’t feel awkward watching it with my 13 year old and he doesn’t feel awkward watching with us. And the show is SO FUNNY. We all regularly belly laugh to the point of losing our breath (which was a bit of a problem when we were still wheezy from Covid!) and it’s just straight up fun to watch. I don’t laugh aloud all that easily, but this one gets me on a regular basis. And it’s just a joy to hear both my husband and kiddo laughing just as hard. Family fun for all.

I’m already sad that we will one day get to the end and we’re only in the second season.

This is Pop (Netflix)

We are a music-loving family over here, so when I saw the description for this show, we decided to try it out. Each episode is a standalone documentary about a particular thing in pop music. For instance, there’s an episode about Boyz II Men, an episode about the rise of autotune, one on how Sweden played a huge role in pop music, another on the Brill Building.

The whole thing was fascinating and I learned so much. For instance, I now can’t NOT hear when a singer is autotuned—and realize that it’s kind of ruined pop music in a lot of ways. I also now can’t stop noticing nonsense lyrics from 90s/00s pop songs—lyrics I’ve sang over and over and never thought, “what does that even mean?” I want it that way. What way? What it do you want? The Backstreet Boys don’t even know. Lol.

The fam enjoyed the episodes too. You can hop around and don’t have to watch them in order if one topic interest you more than another. If you like music, I highly recommend checking these out—but be prepared to have the curtain peeled back on a few things.

Listen

Open Book by Jessica Simpson

About the book:

Jessica reveals for the first time her inner monologue and most intimate struggles. Guided by the journals she's kept since age 15, and brimming with her unique humor and down-to-earth humanity, Open Book is as inspiring as it is entertaining.

This was supposed to be a very different book. Five years ago, Jessica Simpson was approached to write a motivational guide to living your best life. She walked away from the offer, and nobody understood why. The truth is that she didn’t want to lie. 

Jessica couldn’t be authentic with her listeners if she wasn’t fully honest with herself first. 

Now, America’s Sweetheart, preacher’s daughter, pop phenomenon, reality TV pioneer, and the billion-dollar fashion mogul invites listeners on a remarkable journey, examining a life that blessed her with the compassion to help others but also burdened her with an almost crippling need to please. Open Book is Jessica Simpson using her voice, heart, soul, and humor to share things she’s never shared before.

First celebrated for her voice, she became one of the most talked-about women in the world, whether for music and fashion, her relationship struggles, or as a walking blonde joke. But now, instead of being talked about, Jessica is doing the talking. Her audiobook shares the wisdom and inspirations she’s learned and shows the real woman behind all the pop-culture clichés - "chicken or fish", "Daisy Duke", "football jinx", "mom jeans", "sexual napalm..." and more. Open Book is an opportunity to laugh and cry with a close friend, one that will inspire you to live your best, most authentic life, now that she is finally living hers.

My thoughts:

If y’all haven’t caught on to the pattern yet, I love a celebrity memoir audiobook narrated by the celebrity. This one took me a little longer to get through than Busy Phillips’ memoir that I read (and loved) in July. I think maybe because this one had less humor and tackled a number of heavy topics (TW: sexual abuse, alcoholism.) However, it was a good listen and I really did feel like she was being very open and vulnerable.

My favorite parts were when she was describing the years of trying out for the Mickey Mouse Club at the same time as Britney, Justin, Ryan Gosling, and Christina, and how not being part of that group kind of followed her (being the outsider.) I also enjoyed hearing the behind the scenes stuff about her and Nick Lachey’s reality show Newlyweds—which I most definitely watched every episode of when it was on, lol. (We’re close in age so I was only two years into my marriage when the show was on.)

She talks a lot about her faith and growing up with a pastor father. She gives dirt on people—looking at you, John Mayer. And unlike a lot of memoirs that feel very “I’ve been through these things and now I’m on the other side and have all this distance and perspective”, I feel like she’s still living through a lot of things. So, she has perspective on some but is still working through others.

And I had no idea that she was billionaire—yes, with a B—mogul because of her fashion company. Go on, Jessica.

Overall, a worthwhile listen but beware the heavy parts. Not one to listen to while your kids are in the car.

Alright, that’s it for this month’s round-up! What have you read/watched/listened to this month that was great?

What I've Been Binge-Watching & Loving: Vampires, Likable Serial Killers, Quirky Families & Awkward British Sex

As a writer, I consider watching quality (and sometimes not-so-quality) television as part of my job. Yes, I do it for fun, too, but great television shows can also fill the creative well and offer a lot of inspiration. That’s why I’m glad I live in the time of streaming TV. I love being able to focus on just a handful of shows and watch them in close enough succession to see the story and character arcs in all their glory.

However, sometimes I don’t know which show to pick. There are so many now! In fact, one of these shows was selected for me by my reader group The Fearless Romantics when I went to them for suggestions. (And they were totally spot on!) So in case you suffer from the same affliction, I’m sharing some of the ones I’ve been loving lately and who I think they’d be a good fit for.

If you’re like me and missed the Buffy the Vampire Slayer phenomenon…

This was the show that my reader group overwhelmingly voted to be my next binge watch. Now, I obviously was aware of the show and had probably seen a few episodes randomly here and there back in the day. But season 1 premiered in March of 1997. That was two months before I graduated high school. I had so much going on during that time that I wasn’t in a place to pick up new TV shows. So I missed the train.

However, I’m so glad that I’m no longer out of that loop. I started watching season one in October 2018 and got through all 144 episodes this past Wednesday. That is a LOT of episodes, y’all, especially considering I only watched TV at night because I was drafting a book at the same time. But once I started, I couldn’t stop. The characters, the humor, the horror, and romance were all like TV crack to me. I should’ve known. I’ve always appreciated a good vampire story. I loved the True Blood series and the first few seasons of The Vampire Diaries (I still have seasons to catch up with on that one.) But I didn’t expect to get through these that quickly and to grow so attached.

That’s why I got enormously excited this week when I was browsing in a Barnes and Noble and randomly spotted the new Kiersten White book Slayer, which just came out and takes place in the Buffy universe. That came home with me.

So most of you are probably like, wow, how have you never watched this before? But if you’re like me and missed it, it’s a good one to dive into if you like supernatural shows. Some seasons are stronger than others, and don’t judge it by the first short season. I don’t think Joss Whedon took more control until the very end of season one. Things picked up after that.

My favorite seasons were seasons 2 and 3. I really loved season 6, too, until late in the season when they had a scene with my favorite character, Spike, acting in a way that didn’t make since for his character or the story arc. That pissed me off. I still loved the season, but that put a damper on it. The last season was just meh for me but still worth watching.

I’m now moving onto Angel, the spinoff, which has five seasons for me to enjoy. :)

Where to stream: Hulu

If you’re into snarky serial killers who think they’re in their own rom com movie…

The show YOU is based on a book of the same name by Caroline Kepnes, and I’m not sure how I first heard about it, but I’m glad I found it. Joe is a bookstore owner and seems to outsiders like an every day nice guy. He could be the Tom Hanks character in a rom com. That is, until you hear his inner thoughts, which are done voiceover style in the show, and he starts stalking a woman he’s interested in. Joe is a sociopath, but the beauty of this show/book is that he’s so snarky and smug (and kind to children), that he’s oddly likable. The female lead, on the other hand, isn’t all that likable so you kind of understand why Joe has issues with some of her actions. (Not that it justifies his behavior of course, lol.)

The show can be over the top and don’t watch with your kids nearby because it’s explicit, but it’s a compelling ride with a lot of tension and dark humor. I found that the middle of the season slowed a bit because it ventured a little too far into the over the top territory, but it picked up again toward the end. There will be a second season, but until then, I’ve picked up book 2 on audiobook.

Where to stream: I started watching YOU when it was streaming on Lifetime, but it has recently moved to Netflix, so it’s easy to access.

If you’re into edgy and smart yet endearing shows about the messiness of being a teenager…

Sex Education is a new show that just premiered on Netflix last week. I’ve already watched 6 of the 8 episode season if that tells you anything about how much I’m enjoying it. This is considered a “dramedy” and I’d say that’s an apt description but leans more to comedy. I’ve laughed out loud a lot for this one. It follows Otis, a teen whose mother is a sex therapist (played by Gillian Anderson.) He pairs up with the edgy outcast girl at his high school and they start charging other teens for sex therapy. Otis is awkward and adorable and earnest. You can’t help but be endeared. And his best friend and the female lead are equally as compelling. This kind of feels like if John Hughes movies had been explicit. It has that nostalgic quality, too, even though it’s set in present day. The show captures the awkwardness of being a teen full of hormones, insecurity, and angst. Warning: this show is explicit with nudity, sex, and language. Also, it’s British, so the accents can be a little bit of a challenge. My American ear needs to put on subtitles for this one to help. But I love this show and hope that it continues for many more seasons.

Where to stream: Netflix

If you need something that the whole family can enjoy…

My son and I always pick one or two sitcoms to watch together. It’s our thing. We started with The Goldbergs about two years ago, and when we caught up, we needed another one to binge together. It’s surprisingly hard to find sitcoms that are appropriate for an 11-year old and are also not “kid” shows that I won’t be into. The Middle has been the perfect choice post-Goldbergs. I missed this show during it’s regular run, but kidlet and I have been working our way through the seasons over the past year and we’ve reached the final season. We’re still in the beginning of season 9, but already I’m feeling sad that we’re getting to the end. This show has stayed consistently good through nine seasons, and you really do grow attached to the family. So if you’re looking for something the whole family can enjoy, this is a funny and heartwarming show that hits the spot.

Where to stream: Unfortunately this one isn’t on any subscription streaming service, though I think you can get some on ABC’s website.. You can set up to record reruns which I believe play on Freeform. But we ended up buying most of the seasons on Amazon. For some reason, Amazon didn’t have the last season so we had to buy it on VUDU.

So, that’s what I’m watching. What have you watched lately that you’d recommend? Anyone else watching any of the above?

Two Binge-Worthy TV Shows Based on Books

It's that time of the week again--Friday! :) Normally, on Fridays I give you a Friday Read pick. But the last two weeks have required me to do things that involve intense concentration (going through copyedits, checking for typos, getting everything ready for By the Hour's release, etc.) So after hours of doing that, my brain can't face more printed words. So, I've been doing some TV binge watching in evenings to give myself a break. And I've found two totally binge-worthy shows to recommend. And bonus, they're both shows based on books!

First, is Big Little Lies on HBO. This series is based on a book by LIane Moriarty. I haven't read the book, but I was intrigued by the premise and the show had a great cast, so I gave it a try. I'm so glad I did. This show is dark and suspenseful, yet it's not hard to recognize people you may know in the characters. The perfectionistic mom who really is trying to hold it together. The couple that every one envies because they seem so in love, but no one really knows what the relationship is like in private. The single mom who's just trying to do best by her kid but has her own demons. So it's relatable in that way. And no character is purely "good" so everyone is very layered. 

What I liked best about the show is that it's a fully contained story in 7 episodes. You get a wrapped up ending and aren't committing to some ongoing series. I really enjoyed it and found the ending satisfying. I also liked that it's very focused on the female characters.

I'm not sure if you can get it regular streaming, but I assume it's on HBO streaming and you can get it on Amazon with a free HBO trial.

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Next up is one I mentioned on Monday. I chose the new Netflix show Thirteen Reasons Why for my "watch" portion of April's Read and Watch Challenge. The premise of the show is a high school girl has committed suicide, but she left behind 13 cassette tapes where she narrates her reasons why. The tapes get sent to a certain list of people whom she picked to hear them. So the narrative jumps back and forth in time, showing you everyone before and the main character listening to the tapes in the present. There's a big element of suspense in the show because you don't know how everyone played into the suicide and Clay, the main character listening to the tapes, doesn't know what role he played and is bracing for hearing it on the tapes.

I started this week and am three episodes in, so I can't speak to the whole show yet. But what I can say is that so far, the show is really well done and very compelling. I read the book years ago, so I can't remember the details of the story, which is making this all new to me again. It's definitely one that when one episode ends, I immediately want to click "play next episode". Fair warning, I know this was a YA book but the show does have language and some brief nudity. it's a TV-MA rating, so be aware of that if you have kiddos around.

All right, that's what I've got for you this week. Hope you have a great weekend!

2017 Read & Watch Challenge: February's Word & Recommendations

It's time for the next month of the 2017 Read & Watch Challenge!

 (If you missed the initial post that explained how this works, check it out here. You can join in anytime. There's also a free checklist and reading journal you can download.) 

This month's theme word is RETRO. The best thing about this challenge is that you can choose how to interpret the theme word when selecting which book to read and movie/TV show to watch for that month.

Possible interpretations of the this months' theme:

• A book that was published more than ten years ago.
• A story with a throwback theme (time-travel, 80s references, takes place in a previous decade even if it's a contemporary book)
• A book or TV show/movie from your childhood
• A non-fiction book about something from the past (or technology from that past, I'll have a rec below)
• Historical fiction or romance
• A TV show/movie from the past that's been rebooted
• A book with a retro cover
• A story or documentary about a band/singer from the past

And if you're still having trouble picking something, I've got help! Each month I invite a tastemaker, solicit reader recommendations from my reader group The Fearless Romantics, and I offer my own suggestions and what I'll be reading/watching for the challenge.

On to the recommendations, take it away Genevieve!

Tastemaker of the Month: Author Genevieve Lynne

Oh how I love a good retro story! Maybe it started when my husband and I netflixed Mad Men one week and actually felt like we’d accomplished something. Ten seasons in one week? You’re damn right that was an accomplishment!

What I recommend...

Books:

For my book recommendation I’m gonna mention a few novels. My first one is The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James. It’s set in 1920s England, and is about a young woman who takes a job helping a ghost hunter and falls in love with a wounded veteran. It started a little slow, but picked up quickly, and it is creepy you guys. Like in a good way. I’m talking what the hell was that sound?, hurry and get under the covers, sleep with the lamp on creepy. And oh mah gawd there are black crows. Everyone knows black crows mean trouble. It won two well-deserved RITAS a few years ago. What I loved about this novel is that it hit all my favorite genre buttons: romance, mystery, and thriller. 

What I’ll be reading:

I’m going to be reading In the Shadow of Lakecrest. It’s about a woman who discovers her new husband has a dark and disturbing past that has to do with some family secrets she tries to uncover. I do love me a good dark family secrets story. 

TV:

I’m telling everyone who will listen that they need to watch A Crime to Remember on the Investigation Discovery channel. It’s fascinating! Every episode tells the story of a crime that happened anywhere from the 1920s through the 1960s. It goes into the investigation techniques used during that time, and tells how the crime was solved. No DNA testing, no high tech equipment, no fancy chemicals. Check it out. It comes on Tuesdays, but they have the videos on their website, and they play reruns all the time.

What I’ll be watching:

Hidden Figures. Duh, right? I’m almost ashamed to admit I haven’t seen it yet. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE who’s seen it has told me how wonderful it is. For those who may not know, it’s a true story about female African-American mathematicians who worked for NASA. Need I say more? I can’t wait to see it!

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Thanks, Genevieve! Now on to some suggestions from readers...

Reader Group Recommendations

I asked the readers in my reader group, The Fearless Romantics, what their recommendations were. (And if you want to join the reader group, find us here!)

Stacy recommends Mary Balogh's Bedyn Saga series. She says, "this was/is my favorite series of hers. These books led me to Pride and Prejudice, which was set in the same time and had the same locations."

Yanina recommends: "Lisa Kleypas' Wallflower series and BBC'S pride and prejudice" 

Martha said: "I can totally second the rec for Mary Balogh's Bedwyns. I would also put in a shoutout to the old Loveswept novels with Tami Hoag (Sarah's Sin) and Iris Johansen (Sedikhan series). And then there's Johanna Lindsey's Mallorys. I mean, if we're going retro, what's not to love about the Fabio romance covers?! And if you're gonna go to the 80's early 90's bodice ripper covers, then you gotta tackle Tom Cruise romance movies starting with Top Gun, but don't forget Days of Thunder and Far and Away. Round that out with the Wedding Singer Soundtrack, and you're good to go."

Randee said: "Princess bride. Book and movie. Both are amazing not traditional romances but super fun!"

Susan offered a book/movie combo: "I loved the Thorn Birds - book and movie. I remember thinking I could never read a book that long and then stayed up nearly all night two nights in a row to finish it."

And from readers on my Facebook page...

Connie said: "Shanna by Kathleen Woodiwiss most amazing romance author of all time!"

Dixie said: "The first romance that I read and that got me hooked was Seduction by Amanda Quick. Still a favorite reread."

Monica said: "Thirteen Reasons Why with its tape set makes me think of Retro and they just released the trailer for the netflix show to come out the 31st of March."

*From Roni: I read Thirteen Reasons Why years ago and it has stuck with me. Fantastic book. (And I had no idea there were coming out with a show.)

Sharla said: "If Tomorrow Comes by Sidney Sheldon! My favorite old romance. Intrigue, deception, romance, woman finding the kickass within herself... and it was made into a movie in the 80's. Book is better."

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Roni's Recommendations

Books:

HIstorical romance is actually a relatively new genre to me even though most romance readers grew up with them. I've mentioned before, but I didn't grow up reading romance. I was more a suspense and horror girl--but that's mainly because I didn't know romance novels existed, lol. So over the last few years, I've been working my way through some historical romances that people have told me are must reads and I'm totally in love. It's one of the subgenres that I've found I most consistently enjoy. So here are a few that could work for this month's theme.

Again the Magic by Lisa Kleypas

This is one that was recommended to me multiple times and finally I listened. I'm so glad I did. This one got me out of a reading slump last fall. The heroine falls for a servant when they're teens and everything falls apart. He's sent away to a rough life and he thinks she did it. He comes back as a grown man who has become successful in his own right and is now out for revenge. So good.

The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley

Widowed heroine and a hero who has Asperger Syndrome (though he's called mad because they didn't know how to define it back then.) This one was so well done. Super steamy, a mystery woven in, unique characters, and the Asperger aspect was handled well (my son's on the spectrum, so I'm always sensitive to how it's portrayed.) It was one of my few 5-star reads last year.

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TV/Movies:

Hidden Figures

If you haven't seen this, you are completely missing out. (I'm probably one of the ones who told Genevieve to get her butt to the movies, lol.) Go. Now. So well done, fantastic acting, and a story that will make you cheer aloud. When I saw it, the entire theater applauded and whooped. I can't remember the last time I've had that happen in a movie. Even my nine-year old who sometimes has trouble staying focused for a "non-kid" movie was into it. (Though I had to do a little whisper-explaining along the way.) He just learned about civil rights and MLK so it was a great movie to add to that.

 Fuller House (Netflix Original)

When I saw that Netflix was doing a reboot of Full House with the kids from the original cast (along with regular appearances by the entire cast), I couldn't resist because it was one of my favorite shows growing up. However, I had pretty big doubts that it'd be any good. It's hard to recapture something like that. I was wrong. I've gobbled up both seasons like candy. They somehow manage to embrace the original schtick of the show (including the requisite the group hugs and cheesiness) and it totally works. There are also nods to old episodes and inside jokes. There is also an appearance by the New Kids on the Block. I mean, come on, how can a child of the 80s/90s resist? Things are stressful in the world right now, so this is a show to go to when you just want to laugh and feel warm and fuzzy. It's also a show you can watch with your kids, which is hard to find these days. 

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What I'll Be Reading and Watching

Books:

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

This is a book I chose from the Book of the Month Club and I've started but not gotten too deep into it. The premise is futuristic, which doesn't seem like it'd fit the retro them, BUT it's all about 80s references. 

Here's the summary because it's hard to explain: 

In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines—puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. 

   But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.

But that "obsession with pop culture" it mentions is an obsession with the 80s. Wade has to basically devote his life to studying pop culture from the 1980s to solve the game. So if you're a child of the 80s, your head is going to spin with all the references. Like I said, I started this one, but haven't gotten too deep into it. I'm hoping to fix that this month.

The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter by David Sax

As someone who is dedicated to her paper planner, reads more paper books than digital, and has vinyl albums on her wall, this book is speaking to me. I've read a little so far and am finding it fascinating.

Texas Glory by Lorraine Heath

I read Texas Destiny this past week. I'm not sure if I've ever read a historical western romance before, but I loved this one. It's old school so there's head-hopping to get used to but it was a great story. I'll probably blog about it more on Friday. But I've bought Texas Glory, the next book in the series, and hope to get to it this month.

TV/Movies:

Gilmore Girls (on Netflix)

I am apparently one of the few ladies in my age group who totally missed this show when it originally aired. I'm fixing that now. I'm about 6 episodes into season one and loving it.

The Princess Bride

I've never seen it. I know, I know. I need to fix that. I'm taking the recs from my reader group and putting this on my list. :)

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Update: What I Read/Watched for the January Challenge of BEGIN:

Read:

The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (I raved about it here.)

Watched:

OJ: Made In America (Almost done with this one. It's up for a number of awards and is very well done. It's not simply about the trial but delves into so many other things. I thought this might be redundant because we already watched The People vs. OJ which was excellent, but this is documentary style and incorporates so much more than just the trial.

Missed January's recommendations? Check them out here. 

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Thanks to our Tastemaker of the Month - Genevieve Lynne!

In Bokchito, Oklahoma, you know everyone and trust no one…

Emily Matthews swore she’d never expose her son Jack to her dysfunctional family that sent her running from Bokchito at only seventeen. The sins of her past still haunt her, but when her brother lands in jail, she has no choice but to go back and face her old demons.

Miller Anderson has never forgotten about the girl who ran out of his life thirteen years ago… 

And with the secret he’s keeping from Emily, he knows he most likely never will. But when his daughter Abby plays matchmaker to set him up with his lost love, he can’t resist the resurgence of emotion that has them reliving their high school glory days.

Evil has a way of waiting for what it wants…

Just when Emily and Miller discover their old flame hasn’t died, they learn another fire has been smoldering in Bokchito. Her family’s long line of sins, kindled with a generation-old grudge, ignites when Emily discovers the truth about Miller’s daughter and is forced to choose between protecting Miller’s secret and the one thing she can’t afford to lose…her son Jack. 

Caught up in a game of lies and dirt road scandal, Emily must risk everything to save her son and preserve Miller’s good name, or let her family’s darkest secret ruin them both. 

Free on Kindle Unlimited or buy for 3.99 or get it in the boxed set, on sale today for only 99 cents!

Find Genevieve online: Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Get a free coloring sheet!

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So who's in for this month? What are you going to be reading and watching? For those who did it last month, how'd your January challenge go? 

Finding my Beloved 80s-Style Horror in Stranger Things

I know that people usually fall on one side of the fence or the other about scary movies, but I love a good horror movie. There's something about the safety of getting scared when you know you're actually safe that does it for me. I don't do roller coasters but give me a good horror flick any day and I'm good to go. 

However, I've found (and this is going to make me sound old) that I often have trouble satisfying my need for a good horror movie with the ones coming out these days. There are exceptions. I liked The Conjuring. The Ring freaked me the hell out. The Strangers was great. But I often find with newer horror movies that either A) they don't scare me B) they rely on too many special effects or C) they're just too gory. 

I blame the 80s for my snobbery when it comes to this. Horror when I was growing up was creepy. Poltergeist. Halloween. It by Stephen King. Nightmare on Elm Street. The Exorcist. Sometimes you saw the monsters. And sure, there was gore. But they had that ultimate horror drug: DREAD. That feeling of not knowing quite what's going to happen but knowing that it's not going to be any kind of good. That's what I crave in a good scary movie.

So went I went online to vaguely complain about a recent horror film I didn't love, a number of people suggested I check out the show Stranger Things on Netflix. My mom had already mentioned it to me, so I decided to give it a try. It's set in the 80s, first of all, which got me interested immediately. But once I started watching it, I realized that they didn't just set it in that time period, they tried to nod to what horror movies were like in that era and even layer in references from movies from that time. I love it. It's creepy and there's a good level of "WTF is going on?" and monsters and government conspiracies and a band of kids trying to figure everything out. Love. It. I only have 3 episodes left of the first season, but it's already a winner for me.

So if you're like me and love a little old school scary, then you might want to check it out. Here's the trailer:

Oh and if you do watch it or already watching it, then you'll get why what happened in the video below freaked me out. Hubs and I had just finished watching two episodes when we shut off the TV and he left the room. I turned on the lamp and this is what happened. o.0 The show plays a lot with the idea of electricity and people communicating through it. Needless to say I was a little freaked out by my lamp's behavior lol. I called hubs back in the room and he was like, "Oh hell no. I don't want any part of that." Ha.

When you finish watching an episode of #StrangerThings , turn on your lamp and this happens. 0.o pic.twitter.com/YCmS6q86B5

— Roni Loren (@RoniLoren) August 3, 2016

Anyway, if you watch it, let me know what you think of the show. Any other horror movie fans out there? Which are your favorite movies or shows? I'll take recommendations!