Recent Reads: July 2025

I didn't get through many books in July. My time and energy was consumed by re-building the blog. Hoping to pick the pace back up in August! Here's what I read.

📊 Reading Stats

Books Read: 3

Genres: 

    Fiction: Literary (1) ◦ Thriller (2)
    Nonfiction: (0)

Formats: Paperback (1) ◦ eBook (1)

Sources: Library (2) ◦ Owned (1)

Average Rating: 3 stars

Yearly Reading Goal Progress: 39 / 100 books (39%)

39%

📖 Book Reviews

📘 The Arrangement

Author: Kiersten Modglin

Genre: Fiction ◦ Thriller

Publication: 

Format & Source: eBook ◦ Kindle Unlimited

Dates Read: June 27 – July 1, 2025

Rating: ★★★★☆

Ainsley wants to fix her marriage, so she proposes an arrangement: she and her husband Peter can each date other people once a week. They’ll use fake names and identities—and they won’t talk about it. At first, it seems to be working… until one mistake leads to dangerous consequences and a tangled web of secrets.

This book was short but gave me absolute whiplash! It was crazy, ridiculous, and ridiculously entertaining. The twists were wild and completely unexpected—I was genuinely shocked multiple times. The dual narration worked well, and I found myself excited to pick this one up whenever I had a chance. I immediately jumped into the sequel and was thrilled to see it was a series. An absolute blast to read and total brain candy.

⚡Quick Take: Fast-paced, wildly twisty, and totally addictive. The definition of popcorn reading.

📘 Wild Dark Shore

Author: Charlotte McConaghy

Genre: Fiction ◦ Literary

Publication: 

Format & Source: Print ◦ Library

Dates Read: July 4 – July 10, 2025

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

On a remote island called Shearwater, Dominic Salt and his children are the last remaining caretakers after rising sea levels drove everyone else away. When a mysterious woman named Rowan washes ashore during a violent storm, her arrival sparks new hope — but also new secrets. As tensions rise and danger builds, everyone must decide who they can trust and what they’re willing to sacrifice to protect each other — and the future.

This book had major hype, and I was excited to get my hands on it. But about a third of the way in, I was already googling: Does Wild Dark Shore pick up pace? I held out hope and kept reading… but it never did.

The writing was incredibly unique—sometimes even beautiful—with lines that stood out and a setting that felt eerie and otherworldly. But the stilted, simplistic style took some getting used to, and the pacing dragged throughout. Worst of all, the romance felt completely forced. There was zero chemistry, and the relationship just didn’t feel believable.

Overall, this was a disappointing read with a few redeeming qualities.

⚡Quick Take: Unique writing and atmosphere, but painfully slow pacing and a romance that never rang true.

📘 The Amendment

Author: Kiersten Modglin

Genre: Fiction ◦ Thriller

Publication: 

Format & Source: eBook ◦ Kindle Unlimited

Dates Read: July 1 – July 30, 2025

Rating: ★★★☆☆

After the explosive fallout from The Arrangement, Peter and Ainsley are left picking up the pieces of their shattered marriage — and dealing with the secrets that came to light. But just when they think the worst is behind them, a new threat from the past resurfaces, putting everything — and everyone — at risk. This time, trusting each other might be the only way to survive… but it could also be the most dangerous thing they do.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, The Arrangement, and was excited to dive into its sequel. The Amendment was completely twisted and took off in directions I didn’t see coming. Overall, I liked it — but not quite as much as the first. It got a little too far-fetched at times and didn’t feel quite as thrilling. Still, it was a good, fun addition to the series, and I jumped straight into the third and final book as soon as I finished.

⚡Quick Take: Twisty and entertaining, though a bit more over-the-top than the first — still a solid sequel that kept me turning pages.

🎖️ Favorite Book of the Month

The Arrangement by Kiersten Modglin

That’s a wrap on this month’s reads — here’s to another great chapter! 📚

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Month in Review: July 2025

🗓️ July 2025 in Review

July brought high highs and a few frustrating lows — a long-awaited writing breakthrough, endless blog tinkering, a handful of migraines, and more Diet Cokes than I care to count. The boys delivered their usual one-liners, the blog saw progress (and chaos), and there were crookies... so many crookies.

📚 Books I Read

My reading took a bit of a nosedive this month, as most of my time, attention, and focus went to rebuilding the blog. In all, I finished up three books.

• The Arrangement by Kiersten Modglin
• Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
• The Amendment by Kiersten Modglin

🏅 Favorite Book of the Month:
The Arrangement by Kiersten Modglin

📚 Books Read: 3

📈 Yearly Progress: 39/100

🎬 What I Watched

🎥 Movie:

• I Know What You Did Last Summer: Katie, Taylor, and I went and saw this reboot at the theater. It was pretty ridiculous and the plot had a lot of holes, but all in all, it was entertaining and fun.

📺 TV:

• Amy Bradley is Missing (Netflix documentary series): I've been fascinated by the disappearance of Amy Bradley ever since it was featured years ago on Disappeared, one of my favorite shows. So when Netflix announced a documentary series, I had the date marked on my calendar. I wasn't disappointed -- and I'm glad the case is finally getting more attention. (Yes, I joined the Facebook groups.)
• A Deadly American Marriage (Netflix documentary): This true crime documenatry covers the case of a woman and her father who murdered her husband -- claiming it was self-defense. I hadn't heard of the case before, but it pulled me in right away. There are so many twists, and the deeper you get, the more questions it raises. Even by the end, you're still not totally sure what to believe.

📌 Happenings & Tidbits

• A long Fourth of July holiday weekend and a lowkey celebration at home. The kids set off little fireworks in the yard with Papa!
• A long-awaited doctor's appointment for Holden, and a huge improvement with a small medical issue since then.
• The boys and I went to a birthday party for my son's best friend. It rained, but they had a blast playing in the yard.
• I went to the movies with my besties. 
• I decided to re-launch my blog and spent the bulk of the month working on that! I bought a new domain, changed my name, and transferred hundreds of posts over from the good ol' Internet Archives.

💖 What I Loved

• Had some major writing breakthroughs once I started working on the blog again. First time in years!
• Free Kindle Unlimited trial.
• Grabbed four free books in the break room at work. Score!
• 🎶"Weren't For the Wind" by Ella Langley and "House Again" by Hudson Westbrook

🙃 What I Hated (a.k.a. Things That Sucked)

• Too many small migraines.

👦 Boy Mom Moments

• Holden wrapped up his summer season of soccer. Several games and practices were canceled due to extreme heat, but all in all, he enjoyed this season.
• The boys went to the cottage overnight a couple of times with Mimi and Papa and really enjoyed it. They swam in the lake.

🍔 What I Ate (Besides My Feelings)

• Holden and I made crookies on several occasions. They are DANGEROUS!
• Some coworkers and I went to a new-to-me Indian buffet for lunch one day. It was really good.
• I got my favorite meal (carbonara romana) from my favorite restaurant (Papa Joe's) for takeout when the kids went out to the cottage for the night.
• The McDonald's snack wrap returned, so I had to get one. Disappointing! They're not what they used to be.

🔄 This Month in Loops & Spirals

• Spiraled over blog formatting dozens of times.

📝 This Month on the Blog

📚 June Recent Reads 📖 Book Review: Where the Crawdads Sing

⏭️ Coming Up in August

• Launching the blog!
• Hopefully a couple of farm visits to prepare for fall (we already had one last weekend)!
• Another movie date to see Freakier Friday with friends.

💡 What I Learned

Sometimes the biggest progress comes on a quiet weekday night, with a laptop, a Diet Coke, and no one home but you.

So that’s it for me! See you next month!

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Get Sh*t Done: August 2025

My first official month back to goal setting! I'm a little rusty, but let’s go… one messy step at a time. 🧹

August 2025 Goals

Reading & writing

• Read eight books
• Officially re-launch and announce the new blog
• Post eight new blog posts

Personal

• Take Holden to dinner at BJ's: we went here a few weeks back for the first time to try the pizookies and we both really liked it. I have a coupon that expires this month, so it's time to go back!
• Get rid of ten pieces of clothing
• Order birth certificates for the boys
• Apply for my passport
• Sign Holden up for Fall soccer
• Reduce debt by $800
• Watch ten episodes of TV
• Create a fall bucket list
• Deal with school change issues 
• Go for eight walks 

⭐ Priority Goal: Officially relaunching and announcing the new blog!

One messy step at a time still moves you forward.

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Book Review: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

📘 Where the Crawdads Sing

by Delia Owens

Genre: Fiction ◦ Mystery ◦ Literary

Format & Source: Print ◦ Library

Publication Year: 2018

Dates Read: April 24, 2025 – May 1, 2025

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

“Autumn leaves don't fall, they fly. They take their time and wander on this their only chance to soar.”

📝 My Review

Kya, abandoned at a young age, lives alone in the marsh. Rumors have always floated around town about her and her wild upbringing (or lack thereof). For the most part, though, people leave her alone… until Chase, a popular and beloved young man, is found dead nearby. Immediately, suspicion falls on Kya.

I’ve been meaning to read this one for a long time and finally got around to it! I liked it but didn’t love it like some people did. It was definitely beautifully written, with a haunting sense of place and lovely turns of phrase. I also enjoyed the mystery element, though it was a bit slow at times. There were moments when I felt very connected to Kya, but at other times I was a little removed emotionally. I think it was the pacing that kept me from loving it, but I can definitely see why so many others are captivated by this one.

⚡ Quick Take: Lyrical, atmospheric, and quietly haunting — but a little slow for me.

🎨 Themes

• 🌿 Nature and isolation
• 💔 Abandonment and resilience
• 🔍 Small-town suspicion

📚 Recommend If You Like

• Atmospheric Southern settings
• Slow-burn literary mysteries
• Stories about survival and resilience

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you’ve picked this one up — or plan to.

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Five on Friday (75)

I haven’t done a Five on Friday since MARCH, apparently?! Who am I? Yikes. Well, I’m finally back, and I guess we’ll just jump right in!

ONE.

Holden turned THREE yesterday! I’m always in shock at how old my boys are getting when another birthday rolls around. During the day, my parents took the boys to the zoo, and sang happy birthday with a twinkie for a cake (LOL), and after work, Jerry and I got them pizza and took them for ice cream at the new Byrne Dairy. We got him an electric ride on Front Loader that he proceeded to crash into everything last night in the house. It will obviously become an outdoor toy as of today. Ha!

TWO.

Speaking of Holden, he also had preschool orientation this week! He’s going to the same preschool Caleb went to, so we’re very comfortable with it and looking forward to it. He will be in the pre-3 class, which is only 2 mornings a week. Like Caleb was, Holden has been in speech therapy, and still is very delayed in that area, so he tends to get frustrated easily. I worry about how that may manifest itself at school, but his speech therapy will be increasing from 1 to 3 times a week, so that should help! Other school news is that Caleb starts 1st grade next week and is not excited. Sigh.

THREE.

For book club this month, we went to my friend Christine’s house. Angela and I wanted to celebrate her birthday, so we got Olive Garden to go, and just hung out and ate in the backyard. Caleb came with so he could play with her little guy. Always nice to catch up with them, even though we don’t even pretend to pick out books or read them anymore. HA! I have 2 other book clubs that actually read the books though, so I’m glad this one is low pressure (or no pressure, actually!), or else I couldn’t keep up!

FOUR.

As you can see, I am slowly starting to get back into the swing of blogging, and I am also getting back into the swing of my Pink Zebra business too. Healing from surgery has been going well over the last week and I am starting to feel pretty good. I tend to get overwhelmed when I am in full on work / blog / PZ mode, because it’s basically 3 jobs, but I need to try and find a balance because obviously all are important. Not to mention… kids, family, friends, and house work, like never ending laundry.

FIVE.

We’ve had some fall like temps this week and boy does that make me happy! I am so ready for fall. By this time (early September, that is), I am usually all decorated for Halloween and have already scheduled all sorts of farm and fall activities, but I’m just not as into it this year as usual, mostly because life has just been so chaotic what with my surgery. We’ll still do a lot of the activities with the kids, and I always want to hit up some haunted attractions, but I think our fall will be tamer than usual. It’s been a nutty year (and summer in particular for me), so… the holidays are going to look different. My whole life basically looks different now, and I am still learning to adjust.

It’s been a busy week! Tomorrow morning is piano lessons for Caleb. Tomorrow night, we’re having a much awaited game night with my two besties and the husbands. I cannot WAIT! We used to live for a good game night back in the day when we were still in high school and college. We haven’t done one in forever though because… kids, work, responsibilities. You know. We recently decided we’d like to try and do one every month or so if we can, and tomorrow is the first one! Then of course, we have a long weekend because of Labor Day, so no complaints there. Hoping to clean and organize around the house, and make some good progress on my book club book. Also want to take the kids outside so Holden can ride around on his new toy, and I’d like to go for some walks to get some exercise. My breathing is starting to feel back to normal after I had some issues from surgery, and since the weather seems to be getting cooler, I want to get in as many walks as I can.

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Five on Friday (73)

Another Friday, another peek into the chaos, calm, and everything in between. Here's what’s been on my mind this week…

ONE.

Today is Caleb’s birthday! I can’t believe he’s 6 already. I’ve been feeling too emotional about this for weeks. I wish there was a time machine so I could back and do things better. Motherhood was scary and hard for me when he was a newborn. Either way, he turned out to be the best boy ever, and I am grateful. What I am NOT grateful for is COVID birthdays. Jerry and I are both off today but there isn’t a whole lot we can do: movies are closed, Chuck E Cheese is closed. He wants to go out for ice cream at lunch time, bake a cake, and get KFC for dinner, so we will do all of those things. His big gift this year was a new Firestick, and he’s thrilled about it.

TWO.

Jerry’s birthday is Sunday! He hasn’t decided what he wants to do yet, but I’m thinking he’ll probably want subs or pizza. Luckily, he won’t want me to cook because I am NOT good at it. Ha! I can use the air fryer and the crockpot though! Not super into using the oven or stove unless I have to.

THREE.

I have the best "Caleb Says" for you guys that I forgot to share. A couple of weeks ago when we were at Walmart, there were some little speakers he wanted in the checkout line. Now, this kid LOVES technology of any kind, and he already has an Echo dot, 2 Kindles, and an old phone, so he does not need speakers, trust me. He wanted them though, and in trying to convince me to buy them, threw this at me: “but they need a home. They’ve been waiting for someone like me.” I CANNOT!!! He’s so freaking inventive and funny. And no, he didn’t get them even though they were waiting for a boy like Caleb.

FOUR.

Now that Christmas movie watching season is (sadly) over, I am back into my trashy reality TV binge watching. Lately, I’ve been watching a whole lot of Love / Life After Lockup (with Jerry), My 600 Pound Life, and 1000 Pound Sisters. I don’t know what it is about reality TV, but it’s always been my favorite. What have you been watching?

FIVE.

I also just started my first true crime book of the year this week: The Perfect Father by John Glatt, which is about the Chris Watts case. I’m only a couple of chapters in so far, but I think it’s going to be a good one. Jerry and I watched the Netflix documentary about the case last year when it came out and thought it was excellent. This whole thing is honestly one of the most disturbing and chilling cases of our time so I was definitely eager to read the book when it came out.

I hope you all have a great weekend! I’m signing off to go continue celebrating the birthday boy(s) this weekend.

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