What I’ve been reading, watching, making, and otherwise doing for the past month!
In May, I spent most of my free time reading books and trying to establish a new exercise routine, but I also spent some time on a couple of art + crafts projects and, unsurprisingly, playing The Sims (and a little bit of Lego Star Wars).
NEWS! I have decided to reopen comments on all posts starting now.
Books + Media | Arts + Crafts | Food + Health
Books + Media
Finished
Books
- Audiobook — A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, 1962
- Audiobook — Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, 1847
- Book — Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons, 1932
- Book — The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science by Peter J. Hotez, 2023
- Book — Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi, 1974
- Book — Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion, 1964
- Poetry — Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti, 1862
- Poetry — Poems and Fragments by Sappho, circa 600 BCE
In progress
Books
- Book — A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, 1902
- Book — Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome, 1930
Media
- Podcast — Articles of Interest hosted by Avery Trufelman, 2018–TBD
I have signed up for the virtual summer reading programs at my local public libraries. At both locations, readers of all ages can earn small prizes + tickets in big prize drawings just by logging reading time. I ♥ library swag!
Reviewed
- Backlist Love | Cats and Dogs (Fiction)
Arts + Crafts
Finished
Cross-stitch
Nothing this month!
In progress
Cross-stitch
- Multiple projects from the book Feminist Cross-Stitch by Stephanie Rohr
I have a problem with starting a cross-stitch project, then starting a new cross-stitch project, then starting a new — well, you get the idea. I still have multiple in-progress pieces from a single book!
Food + Health
Finished
Cooking
- Cookbook cook-thru project – Tasting History by Max Miller, 2023
Pomodori farciti all’erbette - Cookbook cook-thru project – The Food Lab by J. Kenji López-Alt, 2015
Egg salad - Cookbook cook-thru project – Methodist Morsels by the FUMC of Lamesa, Texas, 1983
Fonduloha by Ople Anne Nance - Cookbook cook-thru project – Essential Breads magazine special ed., 2018
Barbari bread by Andy Baraghani - Magazine clippings cook-thru project
Goat cheese crostini with fig compote from Eating Well magazine, recipe by Lynda Balslev
Of the new recipes I tried this month, I especially enjoyed the goat cheese crostini from Eating Well. I have a totally-under-control-definitely-not-a-problem goat cheese addiction anyway, but this particular presentation with sweet and tangy figs + crunchy bread really elevates the stuff.
I also enjoyed the Fonduloha from Methodist Morsels — but honestly improvised a bit with it. The recipe shared in this book is, as far as I can tell, a simplification of a dish from The Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library of the 1970’s. The original calls for carving pineapple boats for serving as well as some additional ingredients, but the church lady version is meant to be basically a fruit-forward chicken salad served on a bed of lettuce. I will happily admit that my own version had a couple of substitutions as well; I’m not interested in combining bananas with mayonnaise, and not sorry.
Dining + Drinks
- Dined out — Rudy & Paco in Galveston, Texas
I did not try any new wine this month, so no updated Wine Folly Challenge.
Fitness
- Walking, 6 hours (18.25 miles)
- Rowing machine, 1.5 hours
iFit “Hawaii Weight Loss Rowing” series with trainer Kai Wilding - Stairs, 5 hours
- Weight training, 9.25 hours
I joined a gym. It has already become too hot and mosquito-y to enjoy spending extended time outdoors.
In progress
Cooking
- Cookbook cook-thru project – Tasting History: Explore the Past through 4,000 Years of Recipes by Max Miller, 2023
- Cookbook cook-thru project – The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science by J. Kenji López-Alt, 2015
- Cookbook cook-thru project – Methodist Morsels by the Cookbook Committee of the First United Methodist Church of Lamesa, Texas, 1983
- Cookbook cook-thru project – Bon Appétit + Gourmet Essential Breads from Condé Nast Special Editions, 2018
- Magazine clippings cook-thru project
Dining + Drinks
- Wine tasting project – Wine Folly by Madeline Puckette, 2015
Fitness
- iFit “Hawaii Weight Loss Rowing” series with trainer Kai Wilding
Have something to say? Monthly wrap-up posts are open to comments!
That’s so fun that your library does a reading challenge for all ages! I’d totally do that if they offered it in my local library!
Maybe they would consider it in the future if you feel like suggesting it? My libraries are definitely not spending a huge part of their budget on the adult program — the majority of the prizes are things like freebies from the Friends bookshop or donated tickets / gift cards from local businesses, with some smaller library-branded prizes like stickers and shoelaces. An insider at a local branch told me participants are mostly either parents of kids in the youth Summer Reading program or young adults who recently aged out of the teen activities, so they’re treating it like a kind of customer (patron) retention thing… which is especially important given some recent pushback against public libraries and book banning attempts.
I remember watching and rewatching the 90’s The Little Princess often when I was little. It was one of my favorite movies. It’s funny that I see you mention the book in this post because it crossed my mind recently that perhaps I should try to read it despite not really personally being into classics.
I love that you mentioned the movie from the 90’s! That was my first experience of this story and I kept comparing the book to it; I’m trying to put my thoughts in order about the book vs. film for my review. If you might feel inclined to read it but are still not sure, keep in mind that it’s a super quick read + there are like a billion editions of it, so it’s pretty easy to find a copy and chew through it.