january and february favorites

January & February Favorites

Hello and welcome back to another edition of Favorites, where everything is straight forward and I tell you—you guessed it—about some of my favorites from the last two months.

Let’s get right into it.

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Podcasts

I melt for Norah Jones’ voice. It has long been able to put me in a peaceful place and make me feel like things are going to be okay—even if the song she’s singing happens to be sad. So when I heard she had a podcast—Playing Along with Norah Jones—where she interviews and plays music with guests, I was IN. It is such an easy and relaxing listen. I’ll put it in on when I’m on my way to work, or making dinner, or, my favorite, when I’m sitting at the kitchen table doing a puzzle.

I found the Bad on Paper podcast on a best of 2022 list and I am so happy I did! It is a podcast mainly centered around books, but it also touches on a little bit of everything. I especially like the book club episodes that come out at the end of the month.

And finally, Podcrushed, which is a podcast centered around life—mainly middle school life­—hosted by Penn Badgley, Nava Kavelin, and Sophie Ansari. Each episode features a guest that talks a little bit about their middle school experience, as well as what they’ve learned since. It’s a relatable and cozy listen that makes the trials of middle school feel a little less scary to think about.

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Books

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins was the Bad on Paper book club pick for January, so I was excited to jump in and participate. It follows two timelines, one in the present day, and one in the 70’s. In the present day, two best friends go on vacation to an Italian villa that is famous for a murder that took place in the 70s. It was a gripping read and the ending left me sitting there, thinking about it, for hours.

I heard a lot of hype about Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton so I went in with high expectations…and it met all of them. It’s a memoir about the trials of love (both romantic and platonic), and Dolly does such a great job at capturing the feelings down to the bone. This book made me feel especially seen and so I’m very grateful I read it.  

It had been a while since I read a book that I loved but also hated because I was in such a hurry to know every single thing that happened but also didn’t want the book to be over, so I was excited to find Every Summer After by Carley Fortune. It follows Persephone and her best friend Sam as they grow up together during their summers spent in a beach town. I listened to the audiobook, and while I started at a slow, leisurely pace. I quickly began to work my schedule around finding time to listen to this book because I just wanted to know what happened. So I suppose you could call this a recommendation and a slight warning.

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Movies

Going to come clean with you, I watched The In Between solely because I have a crush on Kyle Allen. They stuck him on the poster, so that was enough for me. I also like Joey King, who stars opposite him in this good but also kind of heartbreaking movie about a couple who is separated by death but finds their way back to each other in the “in between.” It’s a sweet story with a supernatural element that makes you wonder. (find it on Amazon Prime)

As I was writing that last paragraph, I laughed out loud because I realized that this next movie, Rosaline, also features Kyle Allen. I love watching movies that have actors in common. I call it, “theme-ing.” So this is both funny and on par for me. Rosaline tells the “untold story” of Romeo’s girlfriend before Juliet. It’s funny and original and made me laugh out loud. (find it on Hulu)

Unrelated to both of those movies (and, unfortunately, breaking the theme) is The Banshees of Inisherin. I have been trying to watch all of the movies nominated for Best Picture at the Oscar’s, and this one was on the list. It is a little bit hard to explain, which is funny because it is a very simply premise. In short, two friends end their friendship. It is a slow moving, beautifully shot movie that I loved. It is strange and funny and sad.

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TV Shows

Shortly after I finished reading Everything I Know About Love (which I’ll admit I was a bit behind the times on) I found out they’d made it into a show that is streaming on Peacock. Needless to say, it took priority over everything else I was watching and I absolutely loved it. It is a relatable, cozy show that again made me feel very seen and understood. I caught myself nodding along to each episode. (find it on Peacock)

Special Forces: The Toughest Test is the wildcard pick of this favorites post. These last few months I have been in the mood for peaceful, calming, love stories and this show is the complete opposite. It puts a group of celebrities in the middle of the desert to try and endure special forces training. They are given a taste of what our military personnel is put through in order to fight for our country. It is extremely humbling to watch. I sit on the couch cheering all of them on, almost always on the verge of tears, knowing full well I could not do what they’re doing, and feeling incredibly grateful that people do in order to let me live this great life. (find it on Hulu)

I have long been curious about The Mindy Project but had only ever seen half of an episode, on mute, while running on the treadmill at the gym. I love Mindy Kaling so I was pretty sure I’d love this show and I was 100% correct. I think it’s rare to find a show that makes you laugh out loud but this one gets me almost every episode. I am almost sad to be loving it so much because I am blowing through it. But I suppose that’s the great thing about streaming—when I’m finished I’ll just start again. (find it on Netflix)

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Music

The People’s Champ by Quinn XCII

Everything to Everyone – EP by Renee Rapp

Rolling Up the Welcome Mat by Kelsea Ballerini

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Sundae Conversation

Caleb Pressley and his interview series Sundae Conversation used to pop up all the time on my For You page on TikTok. They are short, witty, dead pan interviews that often make the celebrity guests crack up laughing. I have loved going through the backlog of interviews and am forever impressed by Caleb’s ability to keep a straight face. This interview with Morgan Wallen is one of my favorites

Have anything you’ve been loving over these last couple months? Let me know!

See my previous favorites post here.

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January & February Favorites

I always miss favorites posts after it’s been a little while. I like having somewhere to put things and say, “HEY, I LIKE THESE,” and I like to picture you checking them out and saying, “HEY, I LIKE THESE TOO.” Because that’s what friendship is.

So let’s be friends.

One thing before we start, thought. If you’re looking for a drinking game, go ahead and take a drink whenever I say a form of “recommend” in this post. Then call 911.

Podcasts

Against all odds, me, the scaredy cat of my family, has started listening to a true crime podcast. I didn’t anticipate it, and to be honest, I don’t know what made me click on Anatomy of Murder in the first place, but I’ve been all up in the archives, listening to an episode every day and looking forward to the next one. The podcast is hosted by a former New York City homicide prosecutor and a former deputy sheriff so you get an insider’s perspective into both the crime and the process of it being solved, which I really like, each crime (at least so far) is solved, which I love.

The Proverbs 31 Ministries podcast is a Christian podcast I just started listening to after having been on the hunt for one for quite a long time. I kept hoping to find one that was kind of like a friendly, inspirational conversation with friends and so far, I think this is just that! The very first episode I heard was “5 Things to Do if You Feel Lonely in Your Life” and it had me wildly jotting down notes—in a good way, so I’m excited to keep listening.

Books

In probably the most unexpected of favorites, I listened to the audiobook of Matthew McConaughey’s Greenlights and I could. not. get. enough. He is so funny and so strange and so wonderful to listen to. By the end I couldn’t tell if I was inspired by Matthew or if I had a crush on him—or both. Either way, I’d recommend the book but I’d especially recommend the audiobook.

Next up, The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society. I absolutely adore this movie on Netflix and after recommending it to my mom, she saw it, loved it and read the book, then recommended the book back to me, making it an all around wonderful, lovable recommendation circle. I recommend both the book and the movie!

TV Shows

I’d had Peaky Blinders on my radar for a while after it was recommended to me by my cousin, but I was never ready to *make the commitment*. Once I started however, I was in! I will say, it was conflicted to like, then love, then borderline feel as if I would commit crimes for a family that is arguably not the “good guys”, but I will make no apologies. The Shelby family is now my family. (find it on Netflix)

The Wilds is another wildcard that I didn’t expect to like as much as I did, and certainly didn’t anticipate to get the have you seen’s over it, where you continuously bring it up in the hopes that there is someone you can talk to about it. But alas, here we are. I am now anxiously awaiting season two with so. many. questions. (find it on Amazon Prime)

Movies

I haven’t heard anyone talking about The Dig and so I’d like to officially say: watch it! It’s a true story based on an incredible archaeological dig that took place right before World War II. Not only is the find amazing, it is so interesting to watch the world prepare for and anticipate war in the context of a story like this. (find it on Netflix)

The Map of Tiny, Perfect Things was another unexpected good one. Having seen Groundhog Day (which this movie pays homage to) I was curious to see what a new take on it would look like, and I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this movie. It reminds you to appreciate the wonderful moments that exist inside each day. I loved it! (find it on Amazon Prime)

Music

Hoax by Kevin Garrett

A Song for Every Moon by Bruno Major

MinimaList

My brain has been a little bit of a chaotic mess lately and I have fallen off using my planner—mostly because I keep forgetting about it—making it hard for me to keep track of all the things I want/have to get done. But this app is a simple, organized tool that lets you make a list of anything and everything that comes to mind, giving you an on the go to-do list that I am loving! (find it here)

Crispy Sheet Pan Gnocchi

Image Credit to the TheKitchn.com

This recipe was recommended by a friend and my sister and I fell in love with it instantly. It is so easy and so yummy and even though we’ve already made it twice I have no doubt I will be craving it again shortly (find the recipe here.)

Have anything you’ve been loving over these last couple months? Let me know!

See my previous favorites post here.

January & February Favorites (2020)

Hey y’all, it’s that time again!

I’ve had my hunting eyes extra open for the past few months because I’ve been really feeling the need to find more new in my life, you know?

Here’s what I’ve found:

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Podcasts

Kicking us off with a dark one, I found Truth and Lies: Jeffrey Epstein on the podcast charts and was equal parts curious and horrified, so I gave it a listen. It is a very well made show, and even though the subject matter is awful and skin crawling, I can’t stop listening and I look forward to a new episode each week.

One of my good friends turned me on to Pretty Big Deal with Ashley Graham and I’m so thankful that she did. (Thanks, Sam!) I didn’t know a lot about Ashley Graham before listening, but I’ve more or less fallen in love with her and most of her guests. Not only are the interviews fun, interesting, and inspiring, but they are all well under an hour which honestly sealed the deal for me.

And finally, Straight Up with Trent Shelton! I first heard about Trent Shelton through Rachel Hollis’ podcast, Rise. He is a very positive and inspirational guy so when he announced he was releasing a podcast of his own I knew I had to listen. The first episode alone was enough to get me hooked—especially when I found myself feverishly scribbling down notes on the advice he was giving. Highly recommend!

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Books

Reading has taken somewhat of a backseat in my life lately, as I’ve been too distracted to actually finish a book, making it hard to find a “favorite” or two. But in the month or so I was finally able to find a couple that I both loved and wanted to finish. The first is Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come by Jessica Pan. It is a memoir that follows the author (self-described as a shy introvert or “shintrovert”) as she goes on a year long quest to say “yes” to things that scare her but also have the potential to challenge and encourage her to grow. As an introvert myself, I related hard, and I laughed through the whole thing. (I also wrote this curse word filled blog post about it.)

On the sadder side of things, Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano. This book follows the journey of 12 year old Edward, who is the sole survivor of a plane crash that kills 191 people, including his parents and 15 year old brother. A review of the book written by author J. Courtney Sullivan stated that the book “will break your heart and put it back together again” and I can honestly say that is exactly what it did.

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TV Shows

If you have been hearing any or all of the hype surrounding Cheer, know that it is for good reason and it is MORE than worth the watch. Having exactly zero experience in cheerleading other than watching Bring it On many times, I was unsure of whether the subject matter would catch my attention as much as it had everyone else’s. But over the six episode season, the conversations between me, my cousins and my sister grew so passionate that one might assume our souls had been dedicated to cheerleading at birth. Not only is it a fascinating and exciting sport, but the team the documentary follows is undeniably loveable, making the journey of the season both wonderful and incredibly stressful.

Speaking of wonderful, stressful and…murder. You. I didn’t jump on the train for this one until just before the premiere of season two, but let’s just say I quickly caught up. It is a very conflicting show, in that the bad guy is put in the shoes of what should be the protagonist, making his bad choices and horrifying actions confusing. But this confusion is actually what makes the show so good. You’re rooting for the guy, but you’re also hoping he gets what’s coming to him. I personally liked season two even better than season one, and it was just renewed for a season three so there is more to come! Can’t wait!

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Music

I have perhaps done the most newness hunting in music. After receiving my Spotify Wrapped for 2019, I was anxious to dive in and start my 2020 journey. Thus, diving I have done. Here are some of my favorite finds:

Rare by Selena Gomez

Ocean by Lady Antebellum

Blood Harmony by FINNEAS

Léon by Léon

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Downtime

In mid-January I decided to make an effort to stop looking at my phone before bed, both to fall asleep faster and sleep better. To help with that, I turned on the Downtime feature on my iPhone that allows you to lock your apps at the time of your choosing. You can customize which apps won’t lock (i.e. the phone & text apps in case of emergency) and how long you want to keep them locked. For me, every day at 10:20 p.m., all but a few apps (including phone, messages, notes, weather, and camera) lock, meaning all access (unless I physically choose to unlock it) and notifications from all other apps are unavailable until the next morning at 7:20 a.m. It sounds intense when I spell it out, but it has honestly been WONDERFUL.

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Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm

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For a long time my go-to makeup remover was First Aid Beauty’s Coconut Micellar Makeup Melter, but I was very sad to find out that it was recently discontinued. In my search to find a new staple, I came across Clinique’s Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm, which came very highly reviewed, and even better, was trusted to do its job without causing acne prone skin to break out. I have been using it for a month now and can confirm it both works and is safe for sensitive skin! It is also very affordable and lasts a long time. (find it here)

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Powerbeats 3

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I don’t think there was any real doubt that these bad boys would live up to their hype. But when I got them for Christmas I did find myself the slightest bit nervous that I wouldn’t like them as much as my tried and true iPhone headphones. But having used these for both cardio and strength training, I can confidently say that they stay in place and give you great sound quality. Love them! (find them here)

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Have anything you’ve been loving over these last couple months? Let me know! My Amazon cart is always open…

See my previous favorites post here.

January & February Favorites (2019)

Have we finally made it to March?!

Didn’t it seem like February lasted forever?

Or is it just me?

Either way, I’m excited we’re finally here. It means we’re one step closer to spring, baseball season, a general thawing of my limbs. Let’s just say, I’ve been looking forward to March and it has taken its sweet time to get here. However, there have been a handful of things that made the wait a little more bearable:

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Podcasts

Y’ALL. Whether you are a regular podcast listener or have never listened to a single minute of one, I promise you will get sucked into the chaos of Dr. Death. While I’ve recommended it to pretty much everyone, I consistently have a hard time truly explaining it. To give you the bullet points: it follows the story of a man who may or may not be IS DEFINITELY a sociopath, and also happens to be the worst neurosurgeon ever. The. Things. That. He. Did. Oh. My. Gosh. Listen. (find it here)

On completely different level, Beach Too Sandy, Water Too Wet just makes me laugh. In each episode the brother and sister duo pick a theme such as “libraries in Los Angeles” and then do dramatic readings of the most ridiculous one-star reviews they can find. I laugh every episode. (find it here)

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Movies

If you watched the Oscars, you might have seen Free Solo win Best Documentary which, after seeing it, I can officially say it 1000% deserved. It follows professional climber Alex Honnold as he sets out to free solo (a.k.a climb with no ropes) El Capitan. You know, the casual 3,000 foot rock in the heart of Yosemite Valley. The cinematography is just out of this world, as is the stress you feel while watching. (find it here)

Since my brother is a rock climber, both Free Solo and The Dawn Wall are high on his recommended list, so the other night he came over and we watched both. I’d like to say this one is less stressful, but it’s not. You are immediately captivated by the spirit of climber Tommy Caldwell as he sets out to climb “The Dawn Wall” a section of El Capitan that has never been climbed before. I tell ya, these guys will inspire the heck out of you, but they also might very well give you an ulcer. (find it on here)

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GU Energy Gels

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For the past few months I’ve been training for the LA Marathon and I have absolutely no idea what I would do without these on my longer runs. They are super lightweight so I can keep them in my pockets, and they give me just the energy boost I need to keep running. Not to mention, every flavor I’ve tried is delicious! Highly recommend! (find them here)

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Books

Little Fires Everywhere follows a mother, Mia, and her daughter, Pearl, in their move to Shaker Heights, Ohio, and their introduction to the Richardson family, which has a whole series of repercussions. It’s the kind of story that moves slow but has you hooked the whole time. I loved it! (find it here)

The Tattooist of Auschwitz gives such a unique perspective of real life Holocaust survivor Lale Sokolov, who spent most of his time in the concentration camps working as a tattooist, giving other prisoners their identification numbers upon entering. Lale falls in love with a fellow prisoner and the book follows their journey throughout their imprisonment and afterward. (find it here)

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Music

In the music world, it has been a series of badass ladies that have stolen my heart over the last couple of months. These are a few of my favorites, with the ever colorful adjectives iTunes uses to describe them

thank u, next by Ariana Grande: “This album doesn’t arrive a minute too soon. As Grande wrestles with what she wants—distance and affection, anonymity and star power, and sex without strings attached—we learn more and more about the woman she’s becoming: complex, independent, tenacious, flawed.”

Heard it in a Past Life by Maggie Rogers: “A thoughtfully sewn patchwork of anthemic synth-pop, brooding acoustic folk, and soft-lit electronica.

Inner Monologue Pt. 1 – EP by Julia Michaels: “In her second solo EP, Julia Michaels dives further into the messy space between logic and love. By tangling clashing emotions together, she captures the profound thing that’s so perplexing about being in love: it’s complicated.”

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Have anything you’ve been loving over these last couple months? Let me know! My Amazon cart is always open…

See my previous favorites post here.

January & February Favorites (2018)

It has been a minute since I did my last favorites post! 126 minutes to be exact. That is, if we count “minutes” as days. A lot has happened since October and as such, a lot of new favorites have been made! So, in the interest of saving time, let’s dive right into these new favorites so you can start making them some of your new favorites.

 

Apps

While I wouldn’t consider myself someone who is glued to her phone, in the last few months I’ve found a few things that make it a little more addicting.

 

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Plant Nanny

It wouldn’t be the slightest exaggeration when I say that I tell almost everyone I come into contact with about this app. Honestly, the people at Plant Nanny should be sponsoring me at this point. But I can’t help it! This app is so adorable! Similar in nature to other apps that help you drink more water, this app steps it up by using your water drinking efforts grow digital plants. When you drink water, the plant grows and eventually moves into the “garden” to live out the remainder of its life in sunny glory. When you don’t drink enough water however, the plant DIES. I’m talking x’s over the eyes, withered in its pot type of death, and let me tell you, it is AWFUL. The threat of death however, is far outweighed by the adorable plants you can grow. I mean, look at my little collection. This is the nicest garden I will ever have. (Find it here)

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hq-trivia-appHQ

If you haven’t heard of this one, I apologize in advanced for introducing it to you. HQ is a live trivia game that runs twice a day at 12pm and 6pm (PST). Each game consists of 12 multiple choice questions and if you get through all 12 questions, you win the prize money, or split it with the other winners. On weekdays the prize is about $2,500, while on weekends it tends to be higher. Yesterday, in honor of the Oscars, the prize was $50,000! If you do end up winning, feel free to send me some money in thanks. (Find it here)

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Spider Solitaire246x0w (1)

Do you remember the computer game Spider Solitaire? Yeah, well, this app is the exact same thing, and has become somewhat of a point of contention between my sister and I. We’re constantly competing to see who can win a game in the least amount of moves—which is currently me, by the way, with 108—and can spend a good amount of time procrastinating side by side in the chairs in our living room. It’s a good time waster as well as—at least I like to tell myself—a good brain exerciser. Plus, I’m a fan of any app that can make my sister yell “YOU’RE A MONSTER” from the upstairs bedroom. (Find it here)

 

 

MoviePass

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I know this might sound dramatic, but THIS IS THE GREATEST INVENTION OF ALL TIME. As someone who loves seeing movies in theaters but can’t really afford to do so on a regular basis, discovering this was a true gold mine. MoviePass lets you see as many movies as you want (the only rule being you can only see one per day) for a monthly payment of only $10. (There is actually a promotion going on right now for $7.95/month!) Once you sign up, they mail you a card that is connected to your account and then whenever you want to see a movie, you drive to a participating theater, check in to the movie you want to see using the app, and then swipe your MoviePass card and get a ticket. With the prices of movie tickets being what they are these days, as long as you see one movie per month, you save money. I’ve seen three movies so far—I,Tonya, Call Me By Your Name and Maze Runner: The Death Cure (all of which I’d recommend)—and each time the process was a smooth as can be. (Find it here)

 

 

The Dollop Podcast

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If you are in the market for a new podcast, may I suggest that you add this to the top of your list immediately. Not only is it hilarious, but it’s unique and oftentimes extremely educational. Hosted by comedians Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds, each episode consists of Dave finding a relatively unknown story in American history and then telling it to Gareth, who has absolutely no idea what the story is about or how it ends. Throughout the telling of the story, both Dave and Gareth give commentary on it, the result of which has left me laughing out loud during my morning commute on more than one occasion. (Find it here)

 

 

Roman Holiday

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One of my goals last year was to watch every movie that has won the Academy Award for Best Picture. In the process of doing so, I shamelessly fell in love with Gregory Peck, who starred in Gentleman’s Agreement as well as Audrey Hepburn who—well, DUH. After completing my goal, I sought out both of their filmographies which led me to Roman Holiday. Before you say anything, I KNOW I’m way behind the times on this one, but that was kind of the whole point of watching the Best Pictures in the first place. So if you happen to be someone who, like me, is looking to be with the times, or if you’re someone just looking for a feel good, classic film with a handsome man and an iconic lady, this is your movie. (Find it here)

 

 

Godless

Godless-Netflix

In perhaps the starkest contrast of genres, I recently watched the Netflix western miniseries, Godless. And since I can’t give a better summary than IMDB, this is how they describe it: Frank Griffin, an outlaw terrorizing the 1880s American West, hunts down Roy Goode, his partner turned enemy. Roy hides out at a ranch as Frank’s chase leads him to La Belle, New Mexico – a town mysteriously made up almost entirely of women.  The funny thing is, that’s only the skeleton of the show. There are so many good characters and intersecting storylines that hook you. I finished the series in two days, but spent a good handful more thinking about it afterwards. (Find it here)

 

BoomChickaPop

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I’ve heard about this popcorn for a while now, but never had the chance to try it until I recently developed an addiction to kettle corn. To make matters worse/better, upon finding this brand at Target, I discovered it has a bunch of different flavors! So far I’ve only tried the purple (Sweet & Salty Kettle Corn) and green (Light Kettle Corn) but I can almost guarantee I’ll be making my rounds. I’ll report back with the best flavor! (Find it here)

 

Have anything you’ve been loving over these last couple months? Let me know! My Amazon cart is always open…

See my previous favorites post here.

January & February Favorites (2017)

Do wappa do wappa do wappa do wappa

DUN

DUNDUNDUN

DUNDUNDUN

DUNDUNDUNNNNN

Wait, wait, wait, pause.

Okay, I thought I would be kind of epic if I started off this Favorites post with an Eye of the Tiger type vibe, but I can see now that it looks more like a post-wisdom teeth slur/stroke hybrid type of situation.

Apologies.

But hey, now that you know the intention behind the introductory gibberish, you can totally start this post over and get the full effect of the do wappa’s…

No? Well okay then, let’s just get started, here are a few of my favorite things from January and February:

 

Running!

running

Go ahead, roll your eyes. I deserve and accept the gesture. I mean, who wants to hear about someone that loves running, right? Running sucks! Except, well, I don’t think it does…at least not anymore. Maybe it’s because I’ve been doing it consistently for over two months now so my body no longer feels like it’s going to spontaneously combust (as it has done every other time I’ve ever decided to “become a runner”) or maybe it’s because one of my goals for 2017 is to run 1000 miles, so I feel like in a way I have to love it. Regardless, I’ve recently discovered that I do. Oops.

 

Nerd Wax

Speaking of running, have you ever noticed how completely annoying it is to run with glasses/sunglasses? There you are trying to get in the zone and there your glasses are, bouncing around your face like a drunk guy at a nightclub, causing you to break your focus and, depending on whether the glasses are prescription, sending you in and out of ranging levels of blindness. Enter Nerd Wax, stage right. Put a little on the bridge of your nose and your glasses will hang on tighter than a drunk guy at a nightclub, but unlike him, you’ll definitely want to take Nerd Wax home. (Find it here)

 

Books

When I’m not writing, I’m usually reading, (or running, or eating, or sleeping or asking my brother to clarify popular teenage slang terms or looking up new quesadilla recipes) but mostly reading, and so more often than not, when a favorites post comes around, I have multiple books that I’ve recently enjoyed, making the selection of just one, HARD. So, I’m just going to start recommending two. It’s a safe median, I think. It lets me give you a little variety without writing you a book…about books. So yeah, two. And I’ll do the same for movies and music. Onward!

Here are this months’ recommendations:

Nicola Yoon is quickly becoming one of my favorite new writers. I read her first book Everything, Everything (which is now a motion picture!) and loved it with my whole heart, and The Sun is Also a Star was no different. She just knows how to make your heart swell, and she tends to do so without your permission. (Find it here)

Anna Kendrick is arguably one of my favorite HBINM’s (Human Beings I’ve Never Met) (pronounced, hib-i-nims) and I was so excited to finally get to read her debut book, Scrappy Little Nobody. Long story short: I LOVED it. Throughout the process of reading it I was the physical embodiment of a LOL and I would highly recommend it. (Find it here)

 

 

 

La La Land & The Submarine Kid

As an artist, La La Land was an absolute dream to watch. As a lover of movies, La La Land was an absolute dream to watch. As a human being, La La Land was an absolute dream to watch. Honestly, there’s not much else I can say. (Find it here)

On a completely different token, The Submarine Kid is a story about a soldier suffering from PTSD. It’s told in an incredibly unique way, while still remaining honest, and is extremely well done, well acted and well, just go watch it! (You can find it on Netflix.)

 

James Arthur & Lauren Alaina

One of my favorite things about iTunes is the expressive language used by the reviewers to describe albums. Those people bring out alllll the adjectives, let me tell you. So I would feel rather unworthy trying to describe anything about these two albums. That being said, let me just leave with you with the names and a few words iTunes uses to describe them:

Back from the Edge by James Arthur: “energetically soulful”, “lusty neo-R&B”, & “gospel-tinged behemoth” (Find it here)

Road Less Traveled by Lauren Alaina: Hmm…the adjective guy keeps it brief here with simply: “crossover gold”, but it should also be noted that an iTunes user rated it as “the best thing that has ever happened”, so there’s that. (Find it here)

 

Cinnamon Bun Oreos

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I mean, this shouldn’t be that surprising, as this cookie was essentially my muse this month. But seeing as it’s still an incredible cookie that I have yet to go a full week without consuming, I thought it deserved another round of recognition. (Find it here)

 

Have anything you’ve been loving over these last couple months? Let me know! My Amazon cart is always open…

See my previous favorites post here.