13 Things Thursday
A travel update, book reviews, and other lil snippets.
I’ve decided to change up the format of my travel diaries. Long story short, I thought I was done traveling, and then I wasn’t. I’m also on a reduced schedule where I stay 2 nights each week instead of 3, so there’s just not as much to tell. I’ll likely continue posting travel updates in my 13 Things Thursdays instead of a dedicated series. My highlight from this week is adding another library card to my collection. Even though this library system didn’t have reciprocal borrowing with my home library, I was eligible to get a card because I work there. So now I have a grand total of 5 library cards. My Libby account is so happy. :)
In case anyone else needs to hear this, I am also burnt out from all the heaviness of the world. It’s hard to find a balance of staying engaged while also moderating the constant stream of information. Many days I wonder if I’m doing enough, and other times I feel like just showing up every day is a quiet act of rebellion.
Random pet peeve: Your skincare routine is a regimen, not a regime. I see people confusing these words all the time, and it drives me nuts. Ritual = regimen, and authoritarian government = regime. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
As you might have gathered from my library card quests, I’ve been doing a LOT of reading recently. Sometimes you just have to balance the feeling of impending doom with a little bit of healthy (?) escapism. Joy is resistance, friends. They want us tired and cynical so we don’t have the energy to call out their bullshit. Don’t fall for it. Fill your cup, and carry on. Anyway, here’s some book reviews for a fun little diversion.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I tore through this book in under a week. The old Hollywood vibes drew me in, the characters are complex, and the storytelling made it un-put-downable. This may be one of my favorite reads of the year, if not one of my all-time favorites. 5/5 stars
Awakened by A.E. Osworth. This is a fairly new release about a coven of trans witches, each with their own unique powers, battling an evil AI entity. I was very intrigued by the premise, but I have mixed feelings. The witty writing had me laughing out loud, and I enjoyed getting to know the characters and their stories. That said, the plot was very slow to develop, and for that reason I had a hard time getting into it and almost DNFed it. Ultimately I’m glad I stuck it out, because the ending was definitely intriguing. 3.75/5 stars
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. This was such a fun read! I was sucked in by the competitive war college for dragon riders, and of course, a little bit of spice. I couldn’t put it down, and with the ending, I am now fully invested in the characters. I’ve heard that the other 2 books were not as good as the first, but I will not be deterred! I’m so invested that I still want to know what happens. Also, I highly recommend looking up videos of people pronouncing the Scottish Gaelic words from this series on TikTok. It’s mesmerizing, and also v. helpful. 5/5 stars
The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas. I really loved this book, but I struggled to get through it because of when I read it. Given that this is a prequel in the Throne of Glass series, reading this last was a mistake. I bought the whole series in a mega ebook that was terribly formatted and nearly impossible to navigate, and they were organized in the order they were written. In some ways it was interesting to go back and see how everyone came to know the main character, but part of me wishes I had that context before meeting them later in the series. So I’d recommend reading this book first or third. 5/5 stars, because this is one of my favorite series of all time.
The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn. This is #2 in the Bridgerton series, and I devoured this just as quickly as I did the first one. It’s funny to read these books after having seen the show. Because the show has more diverse casting, the descriptions of the characters in the book are at odds with how I picture them in my head. So I kind of had to ignore that. Overall, it’s a really fun, quick read and part of a beloved series. 4/5 stars.
Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal. If you thought government bureaucracy couldn’t be flexible and adaptable, think again. I read this book for professional development and thought it might be a slog, but it was actually a really interesting read. It tells the story of how the conventional military tactics of Joint Special Operations Task Force struggled against Al-Qaeda in Iraq’s (AQI) decentralized, nimble structure. They were forced to rethink the traditional top-down, command-and-control strategy that dominated the U.S. military and government agencies for decades. There are some great examples of how the concepts in this book can apply to different industries, so I think it could be a compelling read for just about anyone in any industry. 4.5/5 stars
Atomic Habits by James Clear. I’ve been meaning to finish this book for years, and I finally did it thanks to my new strategy of listening to audiobooks for nonfiction or self-help. I will say that there are a lot of great nuggets in this book, with helpful strategies for making behavior change feel less overwhelming. That said, there were some parts that made me roll my eyes a little. Even though he has overcome challenges, James Clear strikes me as the type of guy who is relentlessly neurotypical and intrinsically motivated. So, this book falls into a common self-help book trap of prescribing a one-size-fits-all approach that simply might not resonate with everyone depending on their context or personality. The If Books Could Kill Podcast episode about this book sums up a lot of the issues I had with it, but it’s still a decent read. 3.75/5 stars
With all the reading I’ve been doing, I have a new favorite ereader accessory: the Strapsicle. I have pretty small hands, so the hand/wrist strain is real. I have used cases with hand straps, but the placement was a little awkward and could make the device feel even more bulky and heavy. This helps to mitigate those issues while also fitting over clear cases and being easily removable. I use the large size for my 11th Gen Kindle Paperwhite, Kobo Libra Colour, and Boox Page. The small size fits well on my Nook Glowlight 4, but I actually prefer using that device without the straps because of the placement of the page turn buttons.
Prequel PR Review. I promised an update after using my Prequel products, and I’m happy to say that I really enjoy them! I got the Urea Advanced Relief lotion, Reactive Skin Solutions cream, Scar Solutions stick, a travel-size version of their Universal Skin Solutions hypochlorous acid spray, and their Half & Half Lightweight Moisturizer. I had been using the Marin Soothing Hydration Cream to help manage the winter eczema on my legs. It helped a lot, but I still struggled with itchy dry patches. I tried the Urea Advanced Relief lotion with the Reactive Skin Solutions and noticed an immediate difference. Thankfully my winter eczema has subsided with the changing weather, but I still apply the Urea lotion faithfully after my shower for lightweight hydration. The Scar Solutions stick has also helped with fading some old scars. I tried the Half & Half moisturizer once to mitigate some forehead dryness, but I gifted the rest to a friend. While it is lightweight, it contains squalane, which tends not to work well with my acne-prone skin. I prefer their Skin Utility Gel as my everyday moisturizer.
