loves and latest – marginalia and such

loves & latest: July 1, 2019

loves latest

loves

reads

The F*ck It Diet by Caroline Dooner

I had a hard time connecting with books in June, but The F*ck It Diet resonated from the start. The title is something of a misnomer IMHO. This is NOT a diet book. This is an anti-diet book. It provides a science-based look at how diets screw up our relationship with food, resulting in restriction, binging, and negative self-image. Dooner’s style is swift and powerful and really hit home for me.

I’ll be posting a dedicated review video later in July because I’m only half-way through and I have soooo many thoughts to share.

beauty

Ocean Potion Sport SPF 50 Sunscreen Spray

It’s summer in South Florida (and the rest of the northern hemisphere, obvs) but for reasons I was caught without sunscreen during my recent birthday penguin adventure. The gift shop had limited options and I am extra sensitive to chemical sunscreens, but this one did the trick, smelled great (no weird metallic scent), and covered my body in a pinch with minimal effort. Plus, it lasts, so I’m ready for my next adventure.

random

hot water bottle

This is an ode to my trusty helper. When I have neck pain, she gets me through the night. Ditto when my knee is flaring. Or cramps. She does it all.

It’s a long story, but I haven’t owned a microwave in two years, which means I can’t use my old flax seed heating pad, and I’m too paranoid for something electric. Enter ye olde hot water bottle. I have the one pictured. It’s pink and comes with a sweater and retains heat really well. If you need a warm hug to get rid of pain, you need one of these and a fast-boil kettle.

Want more recommendations? Check out the Loves page.

*Affiliate links help support the site and podcast.

latest

podcast

bluestocking-circle Following on the heels of my personal favorite (Labyrinth), we move onto my co-host’s favorite work: Zorro.

Join us as we explore the quintessential (Latin)American hero and release the Spanglish.

Episode 23: Zorro is available on your favorite podcatcher.

If you want to hear two lady nerds talk about their favorite books and movies, give us a listen on Podomatic, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or Spotify. Also available on YouTube.

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loves & latest: June 3, 2019

loves latest

loves

reads

The Woman in the Lake by Nicola Cornick

This is my third Nicola Cornick read and definitely not the last. She writes time-slip mysteries set in England. Her first two books in the “series” were set in Tudor/modern day England, but this one is Georgian/modern day. These are edgy mysteries with a psychological bent… I don’t want to give the plot away, but it involves a dress that brings out the worst in those who possess it.

*more in my upcoming video review – later this month*

Affiliate links help support the site and podcast.

beauty

twinkle * apothecary – petal tint and bronzing balm

Instagram is my happy place. I keep a separate account to track my daily outfits, and have curated this feed with indie beauty brands, project panners, and women of all sizes. As I was browzing, I came across twinkle * apothecary, a female-owned indie beauty brand and store from Oklahoma City. Her products looks so pretty and lush (and affordably priced!), I had to give them a try.

I purchased the petal tint and the bronzing balm. Both give just the right amount of glow to my skin and give me a natural flush. They are lighter and dewy-er than my RMS and great for summer. Love them and look forward to trying more from the brand.

random

I don’t often talk about my partner in online platforms, but we’ve been together for a decade and, despite the ups and downs, there are some days when he really comes through. Today was one of those days. A wasp got into my bedroom and he rose to the occasion like a proper knight to help me get it out and soothe my panicked state.

latest

podcast

bluestocking-circle It’s June, which means it’s my birthday month(!) and my fellow host indulged my fangirling with a tribute to my FAVORITE movie: Labyrinth.

Episode 22: Labyrinth is available on your favorite podcatcher.

If you want to hear three lady nerds talk about their favorite books and movies, give us a listen on Podomatic, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or Spotify. Also available on YouTube.

Follow me on

loves & latest: May 6, 2019

loves latest

loves

reads

Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik

I resolved to read more sci-fi in 2019, but the male-dominated aspects of the genre is often a turn-off… not so with Polaris Rising. Runaway princess? Check. Sexy scoundrel? Check. Forced proximity? All the checks! An excellent, fast-paced plot with an active heroine? SOLD! I’m half-way through and want more from this writer/universe.

beauty

eltaMD UV Physical Tinted Sunscreen

Summer is here and the time is right… for sunscreen! The Florida sun is blaring and my Juice Beauty CC cream is not going to cut it, so I switched to an old favorite: Elta MD physical sunscreen. It has a light tint, kind of like a BB cream; it’s COMPLETELY scent free (a must for me), and does turn me a whiter shade of pale (even if I skip the light fandango).

random

turmeric supplements

Turmeric! It’s a magic root! Well, that’s what they say. All I know is I was desperate to kick a hormonal migraine (5 days! gah!) and picked up a bottle of 1000mg of turmeric with BioPerine (a patented form of pepper that helps you absorb the turmeric). The stars aligned, or something, because it worked. Not the first time either; I just haven’t been consistent.

Affiliate links help support the site and podcast.

latest

podcast

bluestocking-circle Celebrate May-tilda 😉 as the Bluestockings discuss everyone’s favorite, telekinetic bookworm.

Episode 21: Matilda is available on your favorite podcatcher.

If you want to hear three lady nerds talk about their favorite books and movies, give us a listen on Podomatic, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or Spotify. Also available on YouTube.

loves & latest: April 8, 2019

monday musings

loves

reads

A Dangerous Collaboration by Deanna Raybourn

Veronica Speedwell is back! Deanna Raybourn is an instant read for me. The minute I learned A Dangerous Collaboration was being released, I placed it on hold at my local library. The only bad thing about loving this series is having to wait for the next book.

random

planner stickers

It was bound to happen. You can’t watch planning videos without being bitten by the sticker bug. However, I will exercise restraint, not matter how glittery the pack.

on the web

authortube

I’m a regular viewer of the #authortube community, but lately I’ve been making it part of my practice. So much to learn, so many writers to learn from. Lately, I’ve been deep-diving into Heart Breathings, iWriterly, and The Creative Penn.

Latest

podcast

bluestocking-circle Listen to the latest episode of The Bluestocking Circle Podcast – Episode 20: Pacific Rim… our second, unanimous 4-sock rating 🙂 .

If you want to hear three lady nerds talk about their favorite books and movies, give us a listen on Podomatic, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or Spotify. Also available on YouTube.

loves & latest: March 11, 2019

monday musings

loves

reads

audiobooks in general

I used to hate the thought of someone reading to me (personal weirdness involving mouth sounds), then I discovered the magic of audiobooks and the talented people who narrate them. Audiobooks are making my commute 100% better, giving me 2 hours of “passive” reading a day, and allowing me to catch up on podcast assignments without worrying about adding another book to my reading list.

I download my audiobooks for free through my library’s Libby, Hoopla, and audiobook lending programs.

beauty

establishing a beauty budget

I recently come to terms with my beauty spending and realized that I am not an all-or-nothing person. I am project panning and looking to keep my spending to a minimum, but I don’t need to fall into total austerity. This is an area that revealed how far my Upholder tendency goes, as I found myself experiencing [unnecessarily] obsessive thoughts regarding my spending in this area. Setting a budget is the middle-ground for me.

general

writer youtube and blogs

As I prepare for a new writing project, I’ve been diving into the writer community, looking for inspiration, lessons, and new ways to approach my work. One of my recent favorites is Sarah Cannon’s Heart Breathings blog and channel – a great resource for anyone who wants to start work on a writing project.

I recently purchased her HB90 planner template (because she’s also a planner addict) and can’t wait to set it up for April (it’s a 3 month, 90 day planner).

latest

podcast

bluestocking-circle Listen to the latest episode of The Bluestocking Circle Podcast – Episode 19: Star Trek & Galaxy Quest… we have so many thoughts.

If you want to hear three lady nerds talk about their favorite books and movies, give us a listen on Podomatic, Apple Podcasts,Google Play, or Spotify. Also available on YouTube.

loves & latest: February 18, 2019

monday musings

Goals edition

Loves

Reads

Personal finance books

2019 is the year when I focus on building wealth. Yep. That’s the plan. I have a solid relationship with money and live relatively debt-free (which means, I pay off credit card debt within a reasonable amount of time, generally 1-3 cycles, depending on my budget). I have an emergency fund and committed to using a cash budget for regular expenses; now it’s time to focus on investing, so I’m reading all the things.

Video on my favorites coming in March.

Beauty

Project Pan 2019

More on this to come, but if you watched my makeup capsule, you’ll know that I want to use up what I own and pan at least 2-3 of my products. I have two lipsticks that I’m rotating at the moment (about 80% of the time), and a small eye shadow palette that I would like to hit pan on in the coming months. My goal is to use up what I have and repurchase what I love.

Habits

Using my French press at work

I’m a millennial. I’m destroying my future one latte at a time. (ha!) Jokes aside, $5 a day for my latte habit is not sustainable. To make up for it, I’ve been brewing my own coffee and adding an indulgent creamer (because this is also the year I stop caring about ingredients and start living my best life). Being on a cash budget certainly makes it harder to part with those $5.

Project management

In library land, I always say instruction doesn’t make sense until the point of need. That’s also how I feel about project management tools. I tried to use Trello a few years ago and found it incomprehensible. Now that I’m trying to balance blogging, youtube, podcasting, and writing, it suddenly makes sense. I am addicted and the customizable backgrounds make me happy.

Latest

Podcast

bluestocking-circle We’ve been busy with a season of sci-fi favorites 🙂

Our most recent episodes include:

Episode 17: Ancillary Justice
Episode 18: Futurama
Minisode 18.5 (where we announce our next selection)

If you want to hear three lady nerds talk about their favorite books and movies, give us a listen on Podomatic, Apple Podcasts,Google Play, or Spotify. Also available on YouTube.

loves & latest: December 10, 2018

monday musings

Loves

Reads

The Phantom Tree by Nicola Cornick

I love a good time-slip and this book is the perfect blend of history, mystery, and romance. I had a serious book hangover after reading it, and can’t wait to read more by Nicola Cornick (she has a long history as a romance writer, but this is her second work of historical fiction). Her first historical novel, House of Shadows, is equally engaging.

Beauty

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure

I love blush. I love blush almost as much as I love lipstick (and that’s saying a lot). Mood Exposure might just bump Benefit Dandelion from my holy grail makeup collection (not least of which, because Hourglass is cruelty free, whereas Benefit is not). It’s the perfect blend of color and highlight, and gives the right amount of glow to my cheeks. It makes me look fresh-faced and ready for the day every time I swipe it on.

I have the mini travel size and I can see it lasting for years, you don’t need much at all to get a good amount of color.

Not affiliate links.

Latest

Podcast

Winter is the perfect time to cozy up with a podcast 🙂

Our most recent episodes include:

If you want to hear three lady nerds talk about their favorite books and movies, give us a listen on Podomatic, Apple Podcasts,Google Play, or Spotify.

loves & latest: June 11, 2018

Loves

Reads

I recently devoured Sarah J. Maas’s Court of Thorns and Roses series (minus the recently released novella, which I will remedy forthwith). Faeries, complex characters, and unexpected sexiness, this is the kind of story I wanted when New Adult became a thing (and completely failed to meet my expectation).

I also mention the series in the video below.

Beauty

The heat is on and I’ve been feeling nostalgic. I decided to switch my usual RMS blush for an oldie but a goodie: Benefit Dandelion. I wore Dandelion for years (through college and beyond), but stopped using it after greening my makeup. It’s not clean; it’s not cruelty free; it is all things bad and evil, but I love the color and I can live with my poor choices.

Latest

Podcast

bluestocking-circle Episode 10: Gotham by Gaslight (hosted by yours truly) is now available. This episode focuses on Gotham by Gaslight (the film and graphic novel) and general thoughts on BatCat.

You can find the episode on Podomatic, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Play.

Video

May Update

Health, writing, books, and tieks!

loves & latest: April 23, 2018

monday musings

Loves

Reads

Finished the Veronica Speedwell mysteries and now I’m in that weird space where I can’t find a book that lives up… In the meantime, I’m trying to find the time to read Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick by Maya Dusenbery (because as a woman who has been dismissed, misdiagnosed, and chronically sick, I want all the support I can get).

Beauty

A follow-up:

A few posts ago, I gushed about how much I love the Ilia lip conditioner in Pink Moon, then I started to suspect it was causing some irritation. I stopped using it for a few weeks and wore it again last week. Suspicion confirmed, it makes my lips look like I’ve been out in the cold too long. Really dry and red around the edges. I’m debating whether I should return to Sephora or give it away. It had such promise.

Other things I’m loving:

My InstantPot! My mom gave me a mini and I’m loving the speed and efficiency it provides. Even just using the saute function speeds up my meal prep and saves me the extra time and heating costs. (Old Florida apartments were not made for climate change temperatures. My apartment is hot and the kitchen heats up like you wouldn’t believe. Needless heat? No thank you.)

Latest

Podcast

Minisode 8.5: Final thoughts on Star Wars/Spaceballs (and even Howl’s Moving Castle), favorites, and an announcement bluestocking-circle

In other news: The podcast is now available on Spotify!

You can find the episode on Podomatic, Apple Podcasts, or Google Play.

Video

April Update

All the things, and where have I been?

loves & latest: April 2

monday musings

Loves

Reads

A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn

Yep, I had to come back for more. This series is my new addiction and I can’t wait to pick up the next book from my library. (I’m currently #4 in line)

Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu

I ordered this one for my own library collection (ICYMI, I’m a librarian). I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was intrigued by the idea of YA not-yet-superheroes and Marie Lu does not disappoint. Her Bruce reads like a real person with real doubts and these are all good things.

Beauty

I tried the Tarte BB Tinted Treatment 12-hour Primer in Light and I think I finally found a color match. Not 100% green, but I don’t have a problem with the ingredients listed. It scores a 1 on the EWG Skin Deep database and feels really nice on the skin (it’s a cream to powder finish with physical SPF). I’m saving it for travel and ordering a full size.