Jana Says

Three things in March

March 1, 2018 by Jana 12 Comments

I meant to start doing this regularly in February but clearly that dream is dead. So we pick up the pieces and start in March.

This round of questions came from some of you guys (I apologize but I forgot to write down who asked each question) and some from thin air.

Let’s get to it.

3 current favorite songs

Waking Lions by Pop Evil
Rollercoaster by Framing Hanley
Song 3 by Stone Sour

3 favorite vacation spots

Key West
Outer Banks
Aruba

3 books I thought I’d love but didn’t

A Brief History of Seven Killings
The Rosie Effect
Today Will Be Different

3 books everyone loved that I hated

The Woman in Cabin 10
In a Dark Dark Wood
The Lilac Girls

3 books everyone hated that I loved

The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley (I don’t think this one is universally reviled but I definitely liked it more than most)
Looking for Alaska (or one of John Green’s books. Might have been Paper Towns. Definitely not An Abundance of Katherines. That book was not good at all)
The Kopp sisters books (again, not universally reviled but I fangirl over them way more than most people I know)

3 common things I cannot do

Whistle
Snap my fingers
Parallel park

3 popular shows I’ve never seen

Game of Thrones
This is Us
The Walking Dead

3 items always in my purse that aren’t my phone or wallet

hand lotion
lip balm
Band Aids

What about you guys? What are your 3 things?

Weekly recap, 2018, v6

February 23, 2018 by Jana 8 Comments

What day is it? What month is it? What season is it?

via GIPHY

I’m seriously so confused.

It’s been a weird week and I don’t know what to talk about and what to leave out. My brain is messier than usual and I keep hoping that one of these days, I’ll get it all sorted out and get back to some sort of normal. But honestly, today is not that day.

Reading. Finished You Are a Badass At Making Money and The Breakdown. Currently reading 13 Minutes. Nothing new from NetGalley but I did get Force of Nature from the library and am also in a battle of wits with Barnes and Noble trying to decide what books I want to buy since there are quite a number on my TBR that my library does not have in any branch in my whole damn state.

Listening. Uncivil. It’s a podcast about untold stories of the Civil War. I’m not even sure how I discovered it but pretty interesting.

Eating. Popcorn. In buckets. Not literally in buckets but I’d honestly consider that because my entire diet lately is popcorn and coffee. At least I’ve moved up from tortilla chips and Twizzlers.

Watching. The CNN Town Hall with the students of MSD High School. How do I even begin to discuss this? First, I guess I start by saying that anyone who underestimates the power, strength, resilience, determination, and ferocity of teenagers is a fucking dumbass. These kids are leading a revolution that should have started years ago and their willingness to say things adults won’t is a sight to behold (and hear) and we need to listen to them. We need to hear them. Our “leaders” have failed them in every capacity and they’re just fucking done. They are taking them to task in ways that are more mature and intelligent than most of the adults I know are capable of doing. I don’t blame them. They’ve grown up with mass shootings as the norm. It shouldn’t be like that. I remember watching the news in horror on April 20, 1999 and here we are, 18 years later, and nothing has fucking changed. And I am here to support what they’re doing because no kid, anywhere, ever, should be scared going to school. Second, any of these conspiracy theorists or anyone sending them death threats…GO FUCK YOURSELVES. Seriously. You don’t have to agree with them but what the actual fuck is wrong with you to do that? Third, I cannot anymore with this being mental health versus gun control. It’s an issue with both. We need to address both from a public policy standpoint and a common sense standpoint. And, for the record, no one who wants common sense gun control or wants to ban or at least make it inconvenient and difficult to buy semi-automatic weapons necessarily hates the 2nd amendment. We just think it needs to stop being more important than anything else. (I’m sorry, guys. I wish this made more sense).

Cleaning. Or not. My desk is a disaster and one of such epic proportions that I don’t even know where to begin cleaning it out. Organization is not usually something I struggle with but my desk is its own untamed beast. Sort of like my hair.

I have legit thought of this more times than I should admit in public

Wondering. What the hell is up with my FitBit? Why does it have so much attitude? Like, if I do an hour of exercise, why does it only give me credit for 28 minutes? Screw you, FitBit! I want my full time! I worked for that shit and you now owe me 32 minutes.

I think that’s all I’ve got. We’ve got another cheer competition this weekend and it’s supposed to rain so that’s awesome. Hope your weekend is great and I’ll see you back here on Tuesday.

Weekly recap, 2018, v5

February 16, 2018 by Jana 14 Comments

About a week ago I bought a new phone. And I wrote a post on it. Then WordPress ate the post and I was sad. Also angry. But at least now I know not to write any more posts on my phone. Cool for me.

My life isn’t interesting enough to do a two week recap and if you saw my tweet about the birds in my chimney, my flooded basement, and the dogs nonstop peeing in the house, you’re basically caught up. I probably don’t even need to finish this post but I have some time to spare so why not.

Reading. Finishing up The Breakdown and heading into 13 Minutes. Got a ton of books from NetGalley including the new BA Paris and Caroline Kepnes books (her newest is not about Joe which gives me all the sads but he’s apparently reappearing next year), purchased Crimes in Southern Indiana and A Wrinkle in Time. Thanks to everyone who joined Show Us Your Books this month and remember that the next one is 3/13.

Watching. Last weekend I watched The Florida Project. I don’t really know how to accurately describe it but it was incredible. The kids in the movie, particularly the main character, have more talent than most adults. The subject and plot are unsettling (kids living in poverty in the shadow of Disney World) but it was worth every single minute.

Listening. A lot of 90s music and movie soundtracks. It’s been nice to shake things up. Still looking for some podcasts, though.

Thinking. About the families, friends, and community of Parkland. My heart is broken, my brain is fired up and full of rage, and my soul is crushed that continued murder of children remains a polarizing and divisive issue. One school shooting is too many; where we are now is unfathomable. This is no longer a 2nd amendment issue and it’s no longer a mental health issue. It’s a moral issue and our entire government is corrupt. Filling their coffers means more than human lives, and the lives of children at that. When churches, schools, movie theaters, concerts, and really anywhere public have become dangerous, we have an epidemic. We have a societal crisis. I am sickened at the lack of action and the continued bowing to the NRA. It shows, truly, where our politicians loyalties lie. And while I want to address how commonplace school and other mass shootings have become to the point that they’re only passing headlines in the news (some don’t even register at all), I can’t help but mention that OMG can we please stop focusing on the shooters? I truly, truly don’t give a fuck about them and I don’t want to remember their names. Let’s keep the stories focused on what matters: the victims, the communities, and how we can help them heal. Let’s focus on what action we can take to remove all the assholes who refuse to value life over money. Let’s focus on making sure every child feels safe, and IS SAFE, at school.

Laughing. So, I know this is kind of old but I just found it and you can read all of the tweets here.

Hope y’all have a great weekend! We’ll be heading into Philly for a cheerleading competition so that should be something. See you on Tuesday!

Show Us Your Books, February 2018

February 13, 2018 by Jana 38 Comments

via GIPHY

This best describes my reading pace lately. It’s not that I’m not reading; I read every single day. I’m just reading painfully slow. I don’t know if it’s the books or me or a combination but it’s starting annoy me. I know it’s not a race. But still. You guys understand.

As always, make sure to visit my co-host, Steph, and some of the other bloggers joining in. Maybe visit someone you haven’t before. Nonbloggers, let me know in the comments what you’ve been reading. And mark your calendars for 3/13 for the next one.

Now, the paltry sum of 7 books I’ve read since the last time we all met.

Show Us Your Books. Join the Link-Up! Talk books the 2nd Tuesday of Every Month

The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens. I liked this book. A LOT. It was everything I enjoy. Good writing, interesting and compelling story, great characters, mystery, conflict…all of it. Then the last 100 pages happened and it went off the rails into superfluous nonsense and too much story and trying way too hard to be action packed and just way too hard in general. It did cal itself down for the last 10 pages or so, which was nice. I still wound up liking but didn’t love it as much as I thought I would.

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke. This is a mystery that’s less about being a mystery and a thriller and more about being a commentary on family, secrets, racism, choices, and how they all intersect. It’s not an easy book to read, and there’s a ton going on (sometimes too much and it’s hard to keep track) but it’s engaging and interesting and well written. I didn’t love the ending, it seemed a little too neat within the context of the rest of the plot, but also open ended enough for another book. Which I’d happily read.

Dear Martin by Nic Stone. This is a Very Good Book about Very Important Things and I’m glad she wrote it and did so specifically for teenagers, It talks to them about issues in a way that they’ll understand and makes sense in their world. Doesn’t mean adults can’t read it but unlike The Hate U Give, which this book is often compared to, adults might not appreciate it as much. It feels juvenile. Which it should. YA books sometimes need to be written for that particular audience. They need to see themselves in literature. And in the book, the kids’ frustrations and anger are palpable and it’s maddening that this is the world we live in.

The Road Out of Hell by Anthony Flacco. I saw this on BuzzFeed(?) as described as the most disturbing book you’ll ever read. Awesome! Sign me up! And it was disturbing. Gross, horrifying, and also true. And I love some true crime. But something about this book was lacking. I think it was the writing. It just didn’t connect for me. I’m not sure if it’s his style or the way he dragged out certain parts, especially the end, or what but while the story is fascinating, it deserved a better telling. Oh, and Brother by Ania Ahlborn is WAY MORE disturbing.

The Dry by Jane Harper. I’m totally late to the party on this one but I liked every single thing about it. The plot, the writing, the characters, the setting. All of it. It’s such a well-done book, and exactly what a thriller should be. There’s really nothing left to say except I can’t wait until the library forks over the next one.

The Blinds by Adam Sternbergh. You know how when you watch a puppy it’s like the cutest most awesome thing but it’s also a disaster? That’s this book. The premise is fantastic but it’s all over the place. The writing felt like three different people wrote it, the plot was more consistent than the writing but there were too many damn people and I hated the character names. It read like LOST meets Welcome to Night Vale meets The Pines which is cool but also a hot mess. But also great.

The Comedown by Rebekah Frumkin. ARC from NetGalley. I don’t know what I think. I loved the main plot and how it read like Did You Ever Have a Family or the movie Crash, exploring the way different lives are interconnected by one single event or person and the ramifications of those and how even people that seem insignificant actually are. Her writing is excellent and I loved her respect and honoring of Judaism (like taking out the “o” when writing G-d. If you want an explanation as to why we do this, I’m happy to explain). But the extended backstories of each character was tedious and annoying. I think it’s a definite add to the TBR but also take your time.

TL;DR: Add The Dry if you haven’t read it, Bluebird, Bluebird, and The Blinds. The rest are good but not must-adds.

Currently reading The Breakdown with 13 Minutes, Providence, and a couple of others TBD on deck. P.S. Providence is the new Caroline Kepnes book. There’s no Joe but I’m excited to read it anyway.

Now it’s your turn. Link up and show us your books!

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An incomplete list of important things

February 6, 2018 by Jana 13 Comments

I know that I’ve talked about this topic before but sometimes I think revisiting ideas is a good. Because a little refresher or reminder never hurts anyone.

Today I’m reminding myself of what’s important, both big and small. I promise this isn’t turning into any sort of weekly gratitude feature but occasionally there’s some shit going down and it’s good to focus on the big picture.

Knowing how you take your coffee (or tea). Bonus points if you have someone in your life who knows it without asking you.
Voting. Not just with your actual vote but with your money and your time. How you spend resources is just as crucial as what you do in the voting booth.
Exercise. I genuinely don’t care if your form of exercise is schlepping laundry up and down the stairs or dancing in the kitchen while you make dinner. But at some point throughout the day, move your body.
Family. However you define it. For some, their actual families are toxic and their friends are their family. That’s fine. Just take care of them. Be there for them in good and shitty times.
Connecting. Nothing makes me like a person more than when I can spend time with them without thinking about my phone and when they feel the same about me. Find those people and keep them close.
Disconnecting. Shutting the damn phone off, putting it away, and appreciating whatever’s around you. A book, a pet, food, a sunset, the sound of the people down the road screaming at each other…anything.
Creativity. Everyone has a little creativity. Explore that, tap into it, and use it sometimes. It’s really relaxing. And if you don’t think you are creative, get a piece of paper and some crayons. See what you can do.
Art. It doesn’t matter if it’s painting, music, plays, TV, books, movies, photography, or something else I’m forgetting. Put some art in your life. It’s pretty, it makes you well-rounded, and it’s an escape. Escaping is okay sometimes.
Clean sheets. Bonus points if you’ve shaved your legs, too. Nothing feels quite as refreshing.
Water. Never underestimate the healing and restorative power of water. Or a nap. Or a good laugh. If you can combine all three, even better.

You know what’s not important? Pretty blog images. This is not my forte, I’m no good at it, and I’m only slightly sorry for their shitty quality. It’s one of those things I want to improve but have zero desire to spend time learning to do. Kudos and props to those of you who are good at it.

So, what would you add to the list?