I'm still so-reading the annotated version of Emma. It's been good for me since I didn't read Austen until college (and then on my own) so I feel like I'm missing some of the instruction that could help me understand stuff. The first time I read Emma, I found it confusing (who is Frank Churchill in this world?) but the annotated edition explains things very well. I'm also reading An Edited Life by Anna Newton. I didn't realize that Newton is the same person as 'The Anna Edit.' I've watched her on Youtube on occasion. I don't keep up with her because my style is a bit different but I like her channel.

I'm thinking about starting Sharyn McCrumb's Zombies of the Gene Pool. I love McCrumb's books and I've had this in my TBR for awhile. I have some other books going but the first two are the ones I'm hitting first. It's part of a series, and I swear I've read some of this series but it's not coming to me at all. 

I also read this short article about Temptalia, a makeup blogger. I like (and trust) her website even though the colors might show up a little differently on me. Her grading system makes sense. When I google a product that I love (or hate) she tends to align with my thoughts, so it's easy to go to her website and see what I might like. Anyways, the article is on Allure and is titled "The Woman Behind 70,000 Makeup Swatches." She also keeps tracks of sales...so it's worth following if you like makeup. 

I've also been going down this list of new summer reads from Crime Reads. It's a huge list (with descriptions and links) and ends with bestillmyheart Tana French's new book. OHMYGOSH. I'm so ready. I'm getting prepped to do a re-read of her Dublin Murder Squad series. 

This is my newest subscription...although I've had it for a few months, but I picked the quarterly model. There's also a monthly model and multiple genres. I picked quarterly (even though I'd prefer monthly) because this is a British based box and I wanted to cut down on the shipping cost. I ordered in January and the box shipped out for February. Their website is functional and takes all sorts of payment. I can't remember how I stumbled upon this subscription (maybe Instagram?) but I liked how the extra goodies aren't....cheap junk. I've received my second quarterly box (this May) so I figured I'd post this last one. 

I have the crime and mystery quarterly box (about 48 GBP), but they have a crime and mystery monthly box (about 25 GBP) and a quarterly science-fiction and fantasy (about 48 GBP). 

For the quarterly boxes, we get books (three), author interviews/questions and answers, etc, and a little extra item. The books are signed and are first edition (usually hardback). 

They begin the subscription the month before, so February Box opened January first, the May box on April first. The other two boxes are August and November. 

Well, I had a migraine on Sunday night. I think it was a combo of weather and being dehydrated (I kept playing with my new espresso machine for drinks so that's on me). So I'm a bit later than I meant to be. 

I've been taking the CGRP medication for at least a year. It's radically changed my migraines. I'm in less pain -- I even have days where there's no pain! -- but they wear off after 25 days, so I'm taking them every 27 days instead of 31. I still get the other side effects at the same level. So the pain is less (like,it'll go away with OTC pills) but the other stuff is at the same high level. So sometimes when it hits like a freight truck, I just gotta chill on the couch so I don't walk into a wall. Depth perception going wacky is a side effect for me. Guess how many times I've broken a toe? 

About ten. 

This book, I first read on my Kindle. I liked it enough to buy a physical copy and at the time (I'm still not sure if Stuart has republished this beyond the e-book availability) the copy below was available. Aren't I so lucky to get a random sticker that won't come off in the middle of the cover? Who does that? Do you see the puppets? This was kinda when I fell in love with Anne Stuart. She took a puppet backstory and made me enthralled. 

I'm starting this new thing, perhaps weekly or perhaps not. But it's just going to be a fun little thing of items I'm buying, lusting after, reading, listening or watching. Probably not all unless I get less wordy. It's honestly my favorite thing to read from other websites/blogs. I like to see what everyone is doing and buying because sometimes you can get some great gems that way. I'll probably do them for Fridays (hence the title) but I'm putting this one up early. 

Also, they're easier to write than book reviews at times. Which isn't good for me considering I'm quite behind on updating! I've read 93 out of 230 books of my book goal but I haven't added about ten of them so it's more like 103 books. Not all were great but I'm a bit behind. I still have a massive book pile to get through. My book buying has gone down quite a bit during quarantine...I've only bought five. Baby steps.

​

Ah....Covid-19. You've been a pain in the bum. My area is sorta getting into the swing of things but I swear to God I'll be the last one out of quarantine. I'm a bit suspicious of this gung-ho attitude towards this. I kinda think we're going to get another wave of sickness with everyone out and about. That's because I'm a cynic. 

So instead, I'm just going to keep cleaning the house. It's a long process. Basically, I inherited a bunch of items from one parent, some grandparents and cousins. Some from death but some from their divorces. One of my cousins gave me all her wedding china. I'm going through it all (it's been sitting here since before I went to Scotland) and trying to organize stuff as well as get rid (as environmentally as I can) of all this excess. I have no idea how I became the clearing house for everyone's stuff!

What does this have to do with this box? Nothing. I mean, I guess we could link a pandemic to medicine or something but that's not quite it. I stumped upon this box when I was looking for a new book subscription. It was on cratejoy but I can't find it on there now (I only received one month before it canceled from there). Cratejoy tends to have some long running companies on there and then some that move off for one reason or another. I usually have one subscription from there at any given time. 

Anyways, this was a medical book club, with coffee, created by a doctor to help fund surgeries. 

You can find Pheo on their own website and on Etsy. 

I was hesitant to post because Pheo had announced that it was closing but I decided to go ahead and do one post with the links in case. I'll put all the information I gathered below. I do appreciate that they're so transparent about shuttering---unlike some boxes that just vanish.

I've been in a few little book slumps. They'll last for a day or so.

Which probably seems ridiculous but I pretty much read every day. Yesterday during my bubble bath I just got on housewives forums to read. I don't even watch Real Housewives of Beverly Hills...but I can name the cast members now. My guilty pleasure is the New Jersey one (not sure why to be honest...) and Potomac. Potomac's great. 

This past weekend I've been sorting my clothes. My house has a tiiiiiiiny closet and no storage space. I've decided it's time to KonMari it again and give myself a work uniform. Also, I'm finally going to figure out how to store this all and do a closet makeover. My taste runs a bit closer to a gothic Versailles (I know) so I'm looking for inspiration on decoration that's more stated but still bold and fun. I stumbled on Signed, Blake's website where she details how she uses removable wallpaper. Which, somehow (even when buying it) I've missed that it was a thing. I loved her bedroom (it's a moody lux that I can get behind). Granted, my comforter set that I just got is...not moody. I'll figure it out. 

I was super inspired by the closet design/remodel she did because that's kinda what I'm thinking about doing with mine. Pretty wallpaper, nice system and super organized. It'll be a goal. Except my closet is more like...a tiny box. You can take one or two steps into it. I'll figure it out. Hopefully. 

Right, on to Ruth. I have bought four of Ruth's book (well, three and one came in a subscription box). I have liked one (this one), thought one was super dry and DNFed it and....not read the other two yet. So we're 50/50. That probably doesn't seem like high praise. I don't really love suspense/thriller books (usually I need a rampaging serial killer/hot FBI tie in, romance, mystery etc. to keep me going) as I find them really aggravating. I don't like being anxious while reading! So the fact that I liked this one I think means that Ruth Ware is quite a good author. I just don't like thrillers or suspense-thrillers. Yet...we beat on. 

​I sat down and read this in a few hours over the weekend.