just for fun

Goodreads Reading Challenge 2025 [Updated 5/31/25]

May 31, 2025 — Leave a comment

Y’all are going to laugh that it took this long, but I finally bought a Kindle. I’ve had Kindle Unlimited for two years, and I’ve been reading like a fiend on my phone. However, I decided I needed something with a bigger/adjustable display (after frequent headaches from the constant eye strain of looking at my phone and the computers at work). I decided on the Kindle Paperwhite and so far, I’m enjoying it immensely.

Anyway, I’m telling you that to tell you this: I’ve been sailing through novels since the device arrived! May has been productive. So much so, in fact, that I changed my goal for the year. I am now aiming for 75 books instead of 50.

Here is what I have finished over the past month.

The Cheerleaders (Kara Thomas)

Rating: 3.5/5

Satan’s Affair (H.D. Carlton)

Rating: 3/5

The Summer She Went Missing (Chelsea Ichaso)

Rating: 4/5

No Place Left to Hide (Megan Lally)

Rating: 4/5

Hide (Kiersten White)

Rating: 3/5

Such Quiet Girls (Noelle West Ihli)

Rating: 3.5/4

Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)

Rating: 3/5

The Final Scene (Steph Nelson)

Rating: 3.5/5

The Collector (K.R. Alexander)

Rating: 2.5/5

***

I am currently reading Little Women (Louisa May Alcott), The Collected (K.R. Alexander), and You Shouldn’t Have Come Here (Jeneva Rose).

Progress: 31/75

Goodreads Reading Challenge 2025 [Updated 4/30/25]

April 30, 2025 — Leave a comment

Hello! I hope you have had a fantabulous April. Mine has been…well, I guess I’d say wash, rinse, repeat. Lol. Same shit, different month. However, I did read six books, so that’s at least one improvement, right?

Here are the books I finished with my ratings.

Every Summer After (Carley Fortune)

Rating: 4/5

A Peach of a Murder (Livia J. Washburn)

Rating: 3/5

The Stranger in Her House (John Marrs)

Rating: 4/5

The Scarlet Letter (Nathaniel Hawthorne)

Rating: 2/5

Murder in Cottonwood Springs (Dianne Harman)

Rating: 2.5/3

Home Before Dark (Riley Sager)

Rating: 3.5/5

***

I am currently reading Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte), No Place Left to Hide (Megan Lally), and The Cheerleaders (Kara Thomas).

Progress: 22/50

I Took a Vacation in February…

April 7, 2025 — Leave a comment

I visited my brother in Colorado for his birthday. He and my sister-in-law have moved since I last saw them, and their new home is in the middle of nowhere. Actually, it’s in an area considered to be a ghost town, which is right up my alley, haha! Needless to say, I wanted to explore all the deserted structures nearby, but we also visited Bishop Castle, North Lake, Monument Lake, a few cemeteries, and Lathrop State Park.

It sounds like we were constantly running around; however, we had plenty of downtime, too. We lazed around the house with a fire going, watching horror movies and TV shows (mostly of the cooking variety). My brother caught up on “Outer Banks,” and his wife and I got him hooked on “Squid Game.”

It was so relaxing. I didn’t want to come back. We’re already planning my next trip. I want to go out in the summer, because I always seem to go when it’s cold. On the other hand, Marilyn Manson is touring in September and has stops in both Denver and Albuquerque, soooo…

Anyway, here are some photos from my trip.

The most haunted building in Trinidad
Monument Lake
North Lake
Bishop Castle
Lathrop State Park
This was at one of the cemeteries in Aguilar
Same cemetery
Another Aguilar cemetery
Walsenburg cemetery
Not far from where my brother and his wife live. I Googled it and the area is defined as a ghost town.

Who Is a Band or Artist You Listen to That Might Surprise People? [QOTW, 4/6/25]

April 6, 2025 — 1 Comment
  • “I listen to Kelly Clarkson. Girl can SANG!” – Alchemy Within
  • “Pearly Drops. Been listening to them quite often lately.” – K.A.R.L. (Kill All Remaining Life)
  • “The Zombies.” – Naked Sunday
  • “I used to have a secret love for some 2000’s pop, like Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and Ke$ha.” – Deathmare
  • “The Byrds.” – The Immaculate Crows
  • “80’s/90’s country! Sawyer Brown is a fave. Other than that, I listen to a lot of girl pop with my daughter. Olivia Rodrigo is punk AF.” – Deadly Vices
  • “Colbie Caillat.” – Seethe
  • “Limp Bizkit. I’ll own it.” – Gillsaw
  • “Kool and the Gang. Fucking love those guys, and they don’t have a single bad song!” – Robbie Ekblom, Jr.
  • “Taking Back Sunday. People are really surprised to hear I like a lot of emo bands.” – Encircled Throne

Goodreads Reading Challenge 2025 [Updated 3/30/25]

March 30, 2025 — Leave a comment

March has been a slow month for me. I’m not really sure why, but I’ve only finished four books over the past thirty days. Here they are, with my ratings, and may I do better in April!

We Used to Live Here (Marcus Kliewer)

Rating: 4/5

To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)

Rating: 3/5

The House Across the Lake (Riley Sager)

Rating: 4/5

The October Society: Season Two (Christopher Robertson)

Rating: 4/5

***

I am currently reading The Stranger in Her House (John Marrs) and Every Summer After (Carley Fortune).

Progress: 16/50

If You Could Collaborate With Any Artist, Living or Dead, Who Would It Be? [QOTW, 3/17/25]

March 23, 2025 — Leave a comment
  • “So hard to choose one, but I’d probably have to go with Layne Staley. His style is so unique and full of vibe and emotion. 1B would be Emily Armstrong, new Linkin Park singer. Great songwriting with Dead Sara and new LP stuff and great voice.” – Deadly Vices
  • “Trent Reznor!” – Winter in May
  • “Peter Spilles of Project Pitchfork! His music inspired me to start writing many years ago.” – K.A.R.L. (Kill All Remaining Life)
  • “Trey Anastasio [Phish].” – Til Fauna
  • “Tommy Stinson [The Replacements/Bash & Pop]. Just a great songwriter.” – naked sunday
  • “Love to work with Impending Doom.” – Encircled Throne
  • “I’m gonna get shit for this, but I wouldn’t be the man I am today: Marilyn Manson.” – Deathmare
  • “Devin Townsend, for sure. He breaks all rules and molds.” – Gillsaw
  • “Frank Black of The Pixies.” – Revolution Rabbit Deluxe
  • “Coheed and Cambria.” – Overlay
  • “Jonathan Davis.” – After the Apocalypse
  • “Idles.” – Televised Mind

Goodreads Reading Challenge 2025 [Updated 2/28/25]

February 28, 2025 — Leave a comment

I finished six books in February! And one of those was A Tale of Two Cities (finally). Unfortunately, the Dickens novel was my only classic this month. I’ll do better in March.

Anyway, here are the books I read over the past 28 days, and my rating of each.

The Murder of Sleepy Hollow (Michele Pariza Wacek)

Rating: 4/5

Unholy Magic (Stacia Kane)

Rating: 4/5

Where the Crawdads Sing (Delia Owens)

Rating: 5/5

Babydoll (Christopher Robertson)

Rating: 4/5

Nettle & Bone (T. Kingfisher)

Rating: 4/5

A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)

Rating: 3/5

***

I am currently reading We Used to Live Here (Marcus Kliewer) and The House Across the Lake (Riley Sager).

Progress: 12/50

Favorite Disney movie? [QOTW, 2/9/25]

February 9, 2025 — Leave a comment

I decided to go with another fun question this week – favorite Disney movie? We all have one, right? (The answer to that is no, as I discovered. Lol.)

For the record, I have more than one: The Little Mermaid, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Aladdin, The Aristocats, and The Princess and the Frog. My list would be even longer if I included Disney’s work with Pixar…

Anyway, here are the responses I got from some of my followers.

  • “This is gonna show my age, but I’ve always been partial to The Sword and the Stone.” – Marco, After the Apocalypse
  • “Peter Pan or Toy Story.” – Steven, Justin Holt/f1oater
  • “Dragonslayer!” – Richard, RJ Archer and the Painful Memories
  • “The Great Mouse Detective.” – Xavi, The Lürxx
  • “Deadpool 3 [Deadpool & Wolverine].” – Bryce, Psycholand
  • “Maleficent.” – Mandatory Affect
  • “Moana! Mainly because my daughter and I watched it so many times together.” – Deadly Vices
  • “I don’t watch Disney. I guess when I was younger it would have been The Little Mermaid or The Aristocats.” – Synthetik Blonde

What was the first album you ever bought with your own money? [QOTW, 2/2/25]

February 2, 2025 — Leave a comment

I decided to change the title format for these posts. Anyone reading, feel free to leave your answer in my comments!!! Not all the questions will be catered to bands/artists.

  • “Underoath: They’re Only Chasing Safety.” – Seethe
  • “Rob Zombie: Hellbilly Deluxe.” – TJ, K.A.R.L. (Kill All Remaining Life)
  • “Mine was a cassette. T-Rex: The Collection. It had a cool photo of Marc Bolan on the cover!” – Richard, RJ Archer and the Painful Memories
  • “Mariah Carey: One Sweet Day. Guilty as charged.” – Martin, Naked Sunday
  • “First CD purchase was two. Bought both Slipknot’s and Flaw’s debut albums.” – Encircled Throne
  • “Foreigner: 4, in 4th or 5th grade.” – A/V Cult
  • “Mötley Crüe: Decade of Decadence.” – Deadly Vices
  • “Bon Jovi: Slippery When Wet, when I was in the 3rd grade.” – Mandatory Affect
  • “Sum 41: All Killer, No Filler.” – The Welcoming
  • “Europe: The Final Countdown, when I had just turned 9.” – Xavi, The Lürxx
  • “Megadeth: Countdown to Extinction on cassette.” – Marco, After the Apocalypse
  • “The first album I bought was KISS on vinyl.” – Scot, Road to Ruin
  • “My first two records, I got them together, were Toto’s Through the Looking Glass and Dream Theater’s Scenes From a Memory.” – Kyle, AV/drum tech, ex-Edge of Destiny

Goodreads Reading Challenge 2025 [Updated 1/30/25]

January 30, 2025 — Leave a comment

January has been a slow month, but I still read six books! (The number isn’t my best; in my defense, it took a while to get through Watership Down and The Hobbit.)

Here are the novels I finished and my rating of each.

The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath)

Rating: 4/5

‘Twas the Knife Before Christmas (Jacqueline Frost)

Rating: 5/5

Watership Down (Richard Adams)

Rating: 3.5/5

Horror Movie (Paul Tremblay)

Rating: 4/5

The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien)

Rating: 4/5

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis)

Rating: 4/5

***

I am currently reading The Murder of Sleepy Hollow (Michele Pariza Wacek) and Unholy Magic (Stacia Kane).

Progress: 6/50