Monday Muse (17)

Hey fam! Happy Monday! Or something - are Mondays ever really happy? Let's change that! Today I'm sharing another Monday Muse post, which features my hobbies other than reading.

It's the last Monday of January! Isn't that bizarre? Time really flies.

I still haven't started coloring in my new Johanna Basford planner... there is definitely something wrong with me! I love coloring, but just haven't gotten into it so far. I'm going to start this week!

I posted something bookish on my Instagram, theeaterofbooks!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Alyssa (@theeaterofbooks) on Jan 26, 2019 at 7:55am PST

I've posted on my personal one too, alyssasadventuresinwonderland. Lots of Florida pictures!

In other bookish news, I got my King of Scars preorder incentive!

Speaking of preorders, I highly recommend checking out Austine's Preorder Incentives page on her blog, to see if there are preorder incentives that might apply to you! This is an amazing resource that I have bookmarked.

I posted a new giveaway!

New #diversereads giveaway! Follow me + RT to win a book from the stack, plus a surprise book! 💫

Open INT. Ends 02/04 (11:59 PM EST). One winner.

BONUS (both optional):

+1: follow my bookish Insta- theeaterofbooks
+1: follow my other Insta- alyssasadventuresinwonderland pic.twitter.com/IBphyT03Sx

— Alyssa (@Alyssa_Susanna) January 26, 2019

Here is a pretty sunrise photo for last week!

Friday, January 25th, 2019.

Monday Muse (16)

Hey fam! Happy Monday! Or something - are Mondays ever really happy? Let's change that! Today I'm sharing another Monday Muse post, which features my hobbies other than reading.

Happy MLKJ Day! Martin Luther King, Jr. was (and still is) such an important figure in United States history, and I'm honored to celebrate the day in his honor. We are still fighting hard for equal rights, but the fight would be nowhere without Dr. King.

In coloring news, I haven't colored in my new Johanna Basford planner at all! I'm not sure what's wrong with me, but it hasn't been a great start to the year in terms of coloring. Hopefully this week!

In book news, I am SO EXCITED to tell you all that I have read my first book of 2019! And I loved it! Wrong Bed, Right Roommate by Rebecca Brooks was fantastic.

You can check out my review HERE, and a steamy excerpt HERE.

I'm working on this one right now:

Also in book news - I finally posted something new on my bookish Instagram, theeaterofbooks!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Alyssa (@theeaterofbooks) on Jan 20, 2019 at 1:58pm PST

Preorder Bloodwitch! Read Bloodwitch! I still need to read it, but I've preordered it. I want those buttons (in addition to getting a hardcover for more collection)!

In photography news, I've bought that photography class on Udemy! It's a lot to take in, so I'll be slowly working my way through that over the next few weeks. 

Here are some of my recent sunrise photos!

Baltimore; January 16th, 2019.

Baltimore; January 17th, 2019.

And in vacation news, I was in southwest Florida from January 12th to January 14th! Here are some very brief highlights. Go to my personal Instagram - @alyssasadventuresinwonderland - for more gorgeous photos!

Centennial Park

Manatee Park

Manatee Park

Siesta Key

Longboat Key

Sanibel Island

Finally, I have to share this song I've been introduced to. I loooove this song. I'm obsessed!

Monday Muse (15)

Hey fam! Happy Monday! Or something - are Mondays ever really happy? Let's change that! Today I'm sharing another Monday Muse post, which features my hobbies other than reading.

I can't believe it's 2019 already! This is my first Monday Muse post of 2019. It has been a busy couple of weeks already!

I've bought my new Johanna Basford planner! It's for September 2018 to December 2019, so I have a few months of 2018 to color. I've not started coloring yet, but I'm excited about it!

In book news, I'm excited to tell you all that I'm not participating in a Goodreads challenge this year. Exciting, right? Surprising is more like it. I failed dismally in 2018 and I don't think my results will be much better this year. So I'm not going to be joining the 2019 reading challenge. Whomp whomp!

Somewhat book-related - from the holidays - my #TBTBSanta gift! There's a little bit of everything that I love. It's perfect - thank you, Tzivi!

In photography news, I've been getting really into photography. I especially love taking photos on sunrises. Typically I'll reach work just as the sun is rising, so it's a perfect time to take some photos before starting my work day. Here are some from this past week:

What's cool is that Udemy was having a sale - $9.99 for many classes - so I just signed up for a Photography Masterclass one! I haven't started taking the classes yet, but I'm excited. I can't wait to expand my knowledge in photography!

In fact, I bought some lenses for my phone - yes, you can get lenses to adjust the angle of your phone's camera! Check out a fisheye view:

(It's not my best shot, but I'm working on it!)

I'll leave you all by telling you that I'm currently in Florida! I scheduled this post ahead of time. I'll be back tomorrow. On my next Monday Muse post, I will post some photos of lovely southwest Florida. But if you want to follow my trip, check out my personal Instagram, @alyssasadventuresinwonderland!

Monday Muse (14)

Hey fam! Happy Monday! Or something - are Mondays ever really happy? Let's change that! Today I'm sharing another Monday Muse post, which features my hobbies other than reading.

I am in full holiday mode! I've begun coloring out all of the holiday-themed pages in my 17-18 Johanna Basford planner. Last week I showed off a gorgeous poinsettia page. This week, I've finished the reindeer snowflake:

And I've started Santa's sleigh!

Also related to holidays: I've FINALLY gotten a good start on my holiday cards. I still have a second (smaller) batch to do, but the majority are going out today! This batch has 30 cards, which is already way more than I usually do. But I wanted to do more this year!

At work, I decorated my cubicle!

(It looks better with the lights off/blinds closed/sun down!)

As you can tell, I love the holiday season. =) In book news, I got an ARC of Stain recently, and oh my goodness, this ARC is beautiful. The story seems amazing, but the ARC is especially gorgeous!

Take a look at the dedication! I love it!

I can't wait to read the book. It publishes on January 15, 2019! This story is inspired by The Princess and the Pea. You can preorder an exclusive edition from B&N. AND if you preorder from anywhere, you can enter your preorder information and receive a swag pack! Fill out the form HERE!

Speaking of preorder incentives, there are a tooooon of good ones available right now. I've sent in my information for Courting Darkness, The Weight of Our Sky, Beware the Night, and King of Scars. There are so many more - check out Austine's master list!

Finally, I'll leave you with a photo of my oyster plant (native to the West Indies!), which has been growing and growing and YAY I DIDN'T KILL MY PLANT! To be fair, I have seven plants, and none of them have died or look dead. But I'm especially proud of my purple beauty which is thriving in the cold office climate!

Monday Muse (13)

Hey fam! Happy Monday! Or something - are Mondays ever really happy? Let's change that! Today I'm sharing another Monday Muse post, which features my hobbies other than reading.

Happy Chanukah, to those who celebrate!

I'm in full holiday mode, and it certainly shows, in terms of my coloring choices! I finished up the holly design I'd been coloring in my 17-18 Johanna Basford planner. 

And then I started on a candy cane/reindeer one! I love the holidays!

I'm also just about ready to ship my #TBTBSanta goodies to my recipient. I hope she loves everything!

I went to Philadelphia this weekend for a work function, but I got to indulge in a ton of holiday festivities! For example, there is a gorgeous tree outside of City Hall...

... and one in 30th Street Station...

... and a giant present in Love Park...

... and the gorgeous lights show in the Macy's!

I got to see the Liberty Bell for the first time, which was pretty cool. I felt like I had to go through airport-level security though. But hey, worth it; another National Historic Park checked off my list! 

It was a fun trip. The work function went well too. I can't wait to go back to Philly next year.

While I was away, I got one of my Black Friday purchases in the mail! I have recently discovered local eclectic and absolutely adore their collections. I saw this starburst blue opal ring and just had to get it, especially with the Black Friday sale. You all know how much I love rings! 

And finally, I'll leave you all with some holiday reading recommendations. I loved these two books and hope you will too.

Looking for a swoony YA holiday read? Look no further! @SwoonReads has great books for the holidays, including @CindyAnstey's #CarolsAndChaos, and @ShaniPetroff's #MyNewCrushGaveToMe. https://t.co/wlK0zU9TFt pic.twitter.com/mYB5HIkhFX

— Alyssa (@Alyssa_Susanna) December 1, 2018

Monday Muse (12)

Hey fam! Happy Monday! Or something - are Mondays ever really happy? Let's change that! Today I'm sharing another Monday Muse post, which features my hobbies other than reading.

It has been a while since I posted one of these! I made some progress in my 17-18 Johanna Basford planner. This castle is so gorgeous!

I moved on to another garden-y one. This one took soooo long to finish. It has been slow-going, on the metro!

And now I'm starting a holiday one!

Speaking of holidays, I AM SO EXCITED FOR HOLIDAYS! November/December is my favorite time of year. I've been jamming to Christmas music since Thanksgiving ended.

I'm participating in #TBTBSanta for a fifth year! If you don't know what that is, see THIS post. It's an awesome Secret Santa book exchange. I'm just about finished with the package I'm sending to my recipient! Just need some more candy, methinks. =)

In bookish news, I recently discovered The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad and I can't wait for it to publish! It sounds and looks amazing!

I also saw this fantastic preorder incentive on Twitter. I love the His Fair Assassins series, and I can't wait to read Courting Darkness. So it's such a bonus that the publisher is offering quite the preorder incentive! The first 300 preorders receive everything in the photo. Don't miss out! Click on the photo for more details.

And finally, here are some of my giveaways that are ending soon!

  

   

(Click on the images to go to the posts!)

Monday Muse (11)

Hey fam! Happy Monday! Or something - are Mondays ever really happy? Let's change that! Today I'm sharing another Monday Muse post, which features my hobbies other than reading.

I have slowly colored another page in my 17-18 Johanna Basford planner! Here it is:

I love how this one turned out, except the shed. I ran out of the light brown. Oh well! The yellow leaves look fantastic.

I am suuuuuper excited about this castle. I love orchid and I think the castle will end up being really pretty!

SO you may recall, in Monday Muse #9, that I was planning to dress up as Dorothy for Halloween. My plan was to make the outfit. My mom sewed the dress from the pattern I showed in Monday Muse #9, and I painted a pair of shoes with red glitter, and voila!

(I think I looked pretty good! My mom did great with the dress. Check out my personal Instagram for more pictures.)

Now that Halloween is over, I am in full Christmas mode. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE Thanksgiving. And Black Friday. And Cyber Monday. But I adore Christmas and the holly jolly holiday feeling that the holidays bring. So I'm ready!

On that note, I encourage anyone who is interested and committed to participate in #TBTBSanta! This year will be the 5th year I've participated. I love sending a box of personalized goodies to another participant. It's very fun and getting a package is great too!

Sign up below!

(It's actually the 9th annual SS, but I couldn't find the updated button. If you click on the button, it'll take you to the proper location!)

In other semi-bookish news, Read Me Romance has launched and the first audiobook novella will be available this week! Subscribe to the podcast and you'll get the novella in chunks throughout the week, with a HEA on Friday. Repeat next week!

AND for romance fans, one of my favorite historical romance novels ever is on sale for $1.99!

(He's worth your $2 and more, I promise!)

That's it for now! Tomorrow is Election Day in the USA so GO VOTE if you can!

Monday Muse (10)

Hey fam! Happy Monday! Or something - are Mondays ever really happy? Let's change that! Today I'm sharing another Monday Muse post, which features my hobbies other than reading.

I haven't done a Muse since the first week in October! Here are the latest pages I've colored in my 17-18 Johanna Basford planner:

(As you can see, I take the creative route when it comes to nature! Bet you've never seen flamingos like that.) 

This is the latest one! It's very fall-esque. I love it!

My big thing of the month - I went on vacation for a week! FINALLY! I went to Iceland it was amazing. I toured around the southern half of the country and desperately want to go back to see the northern half. Here are some of my photos!

(Flying over Greenland!)

This is like 0.01% of the photos I took (and not even the best ones.) There are dozens more on my personal Instagram, @alyssasadventuresinwonderland!

I've gotten a lot of book mail in the last month! Here are some highlights:

Might I recommend Courting Darkness? This is Robin LaFevers' fourth YA novel, publishing in February. I loved her first three!

(This pin is FANTASTIC. "You will be the death of me.")

To wrap things up, my company is hosting a chili cookoff soon, in which employees volunteer to make chili and bring it in, and anyone who wants to eat chili gives a donation that will go towards a charity. You can make a chili, and/or a dessert. Last year, I made only a dessert. This year, I'm going to be making both! The chili is going to be a spicy Trinidadian-style one. The dessert is something I'm still deciding. But I'm thinking about making this:

I got this recipe years ago in the grocery but haven't tried it yet. I think it'll be perfect!

Tell me about your week, past or present! I hope everyone has a great one. And enjoy Halloween - next Monday Muse, I'll show off my DIY costume!