Movie Review: You, Me & Tuscany

Allison and I decided we needed to go to more movies this year - we were slacking for a little while, but there's actually several movies that we're excited to see. So we started with a little rom-com fun!

Plot: When a woman crashes at an empty Italian villa, posing as the owner's fiancée, she discovers an unexpected romance that could transform her life.

Review: OMG, this was so cute! Cheesy and silly definitely, but we both enjoyed it a lot! I was kind of anxious how this would all work out in the end, but of course, it all DID work out and was just so much fun. We both walked out with a smile on our faces!

1st Quarter 2026 Book Review

Oops, I let the first quarter of the year get away from me, and I haven't talked about books once! I read too many books to do a post about all of them, so I thought it would be fun to do a summary of my favorites and least favorites. If I can get my act together I do want to go back to monthly reviews, but no promises. I am on Goodreads and also post my books to my Instagram stories so if you want to see everything I've read, let me know!

I read 39 books in January, February, and March. 7 of them I gave 5 stars to. As I was looking at my spreadsheet {because yes, I have a spreadsheet}, I was a little surprised that SIX of the seven are non-fiction/memoirs! I always talk about loving 'chick lit' - and I do - but my stats are showing I gave the best ratings to real stories.

For the worst books I read during this period of time, sadly, they all fall somewhat into the category of romance - fantasy romance, YA romance, and a rom com. Am I getting pickier? I don't know!

I will say I've been struggling with Nora Roberts for awhile {she used to be a go to author for me} - I think she is just recycling ideas and not for the better. I had also been told 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' series was not as good as Jenny's Han's other series, but man, I wasn't expecting it to be as annoying as it turned out to be. And I've really enjoyed Jesse Q. Sutanto's Vera Wong series, but I will NOT be continuing with this series, boo.

I can't finish this quarter without giving a shout-out to the Game Changers series. I read 5 of the 6 books in 2026, and I loved all of it! They were all 4 star reads {with The Long Game getting 5 stars}. Who doesn't love a queer hockey series? The second book, Heated Rivalry, was released as a show at the end of 2025 and took the world by storm. I cannot wait for the 2nd season!

And there you have it! My first quarter of 2026 in books!

2025 Books By the Numbers

I didn't do monthly book reviews this year, but did update this space with my favorites through July. I want to finish out my thoughts on favorites for the year and also share my stats for 2025. I read 134 books - my highest number ever, yay! My average rating was 3.89. 

I absolutely ADORED 2 series this year. Heartstopper and The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion stole my heart, and I'm so glad neither of them are done! These 2 are the TOP top tOp of my list for 2025, I am smitten.

I read so many good memoirs this year, but I would say these were my favorite.

My biggest categories of books were historical fiction and romance - no one is surprised.

My favorite romances {which I included historical romance, rom coms, and romantasy}:

Favorite historical fiction:

     

Now for some nerdy stats!

Author Gender - 82% women and 18% male - not surprising

Diversity - 31% diverse authors {BIPOC, LGBTQ, Jewish authors}

Type - 48% eBook, 41% audiobook, 11% physical

2026 is already starting off with a bang, I love the promise of a new year of reading!

Pause in Programming for BOOK TALK!

Since I'm at the halfway point of the year in catching up on the blog, I thought it was time to take a little pause and talk books! It is too overwhelming to think about posting about all the books I've read so far - I'm almost to 90 books. So I thought I could share my favorites through now, and I can restart doing book reviews soon!

First up, the Heartstopper series by Alice Oseman! It's a YA graphic novel series, but I loved it so much. OMG, I am obsessed with this. Also watched the Netflix show and it was fantastic too. Not so patiently awaiting the last book which has been made into a movie - both coming out in 2026.

I also read some really great memoirs. I did all of these as audiobooks because I love hearing the authors narrate their own stories. These all made me laugh and/or cry. 

   

             

       

Another great Fantasy series I started this year. I've read the 3 books that are out, 4th {and final} book to come! The Kindred's Curse series by Penn Cole. The first book was a little on the slower side, but I really liked the 2nd book and loved the 3rd.

These were both some really great historical fiction. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead looks at the actual underground railroad but with a sci-fi twist. It was so, so good but also VERY hard. I've loved Dances with Wolves the movie SO MUCH and can't believe I've never read the book. I remedied that this year and am so glad I did, it was fantastic!

And these were my favorite fiction books so far. One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune is the second book about 2 brothers. The first was Every Summer After and I'm so glad I got to be back with this family! The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley is a debut book by a woman who wrote the most amazing Dramione fan fiction that I read last year {Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Falling in Love}, and I was super excited to read this. I would say it isn't as good as her fan fiction, but I really enjoyed it AND there will be a sequel, yay!

I do share all my reads on Goodreads and in my Instagram stories if you ever want more details on what I've done so far this year! But I do plan on getting back to more detailed reviews.

Movie Review: The Last Showgirl

Allison and I are back at it! 2024 wasn't our best year of movie going - there were long stretches of there being nothing we wanted to see. I'm cautiously optimistic for 2025 based on some previews we saw. But I'm de-railing this post because we saw The Last Showgirl last weekend!!

Plot: A seasoned showgirl must plan for her future when her show ends abruptly after a 30-year run.

Review: This is not a happy movie, but it was so good! The performances were very strong - Pamela Anderson was great, and Jamie Lee Curtis - WOW. I feel like I had every emotion watching this - happiness, sadness, confusion, despair - it was a very emotional film. It also made me think about dreams and goals and expectations on women and mothers, so much! I can see why this one has had so much buzz - it is well deserved!

Movie Review: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

 We squeezed in seeing a second movie over the Thanksgiving break with our neighborhood besties, the Sladeks. I hadn't even heard of this coming out as a movie and barely remembered it was a book, so I went into this blind.

Plot: Nobody is ready for the mayhem and surprises that ensue when six of the worst youngsters disrupt the town's yearly Christmas performance.

Review: This was SO cute! We all really enjoyed it - it entered the adults and kids alike. It definitely has a Christian angle {which I was expecting but wanted to throw that out there for others who might not know}. I teared up a couple of times, especially at the end. Very heartwarming and fun.

Movie Review: Wicked!

To say I've been waiting A LONG TIME for Wicked to release as a movie would be an understatement. I saw it for the first time on Broadway in December 2006 on a vacation to New York City and was hooked. I have since seen it 4-5 times {I can't remember if I've seen it once or twice in Austin, but I've also seen it in Chicago and Houston}. You can read this post if you want more on my love of Wicked. It was really special to take Drew to see it in Houston and then to take both girls this past spring in Austin {I guess I didn't blog about it, oops}. So of course I had to go with my girls to see the movie!

Plot: Elphaba, a misunderstood young woman because of her green skin, and Glinda, a popular girl, becomes friends at Shiz University in the Land of Oz. After an encounter with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroad.

Review: HOLY SMOKES, it was INCREDIBLE!!!! I loved every second of it and cannot wait for the 2nd movie. I was basically bawling by the end {it ended when the first act ends in the musical, and I'm always crying then too} and could go see it 100 more times. The girls and my mother-in-law loved it too - it was a grand slam homerun for all 4 of us!

November 2024 Book Review

Oops, inadvertent blogging break, but I'm BACCCCK! Going to try to catch up with some stuff from November that I missed but there's always a lot to share in December too! BUT I can't miss a book review, so we're going to start with my November reads.

I read 9 books this month and spent a lot of time finishing up the Throne of Glass series. Lots of non-fiction this month too!

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls - I read this to help Drew answer her English questions - surprisingly, I didn't read this in school. We both thought it was good but super sad.

Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter - This was a sequel to Better Than the Movies and was equally adorable. Predictable YA rom-com {exes where one is trying to get the other back}, but there was some extra oomph to it - I think Lynn Painter excels at making you love her characters.

Wordslut by Amanda Montell [audiobook] - I LOVED this. There isn't much to say that the title doesn't cover, but I found this fascinating. I told a lot of people about it and thought about it obsessively for awhile.

The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon [audiobook] - This was so delightful. And I read it at a time when I needed a little infusion of hope and goodness {after the election}. I love Sharon McMahon and thought she found some great unsung Americans to highlight.  

The Assassin's Blade [audiobook]/Empire of Storms/Tower of Dawn/Kingdom of Ask by Sarah J. Maas - I finished Throne of Glass! I listened to the prequel short stories {that do tie into the main story but isn't REQUIRED} and then read the last 3 books. This is such a great fantasy series! I cannot say enough great things about this one. Sarah J. Maas is amazing. {Also a small cheat - I finished Kingdom of Ash on December 1 but figured it was easier to put it here for review purposes ha}

Scenes From My Life by Michael K. Williams [audiobook] - It was so super sad but also really interesting to listen to this memoir after listening to Matthew Perry's last month. There were a lot of similar themes and thoughts related to their addictions, and it's just so darn sad to read these books after these talented men passed away from their addictions. I really enjoyed Michael's insights and thought he sounded like a really great guy. Brent and I have never watched The Wire, so it's definitely on my list now!

Never Enough by Jennfer Breheny Wallace [audiobook] - This was absolutely fascinating and right up my alley. I made really good grades in school {but Brent didn't despite being smart}, so we've had a lot of talks about what our expectations are for our kids knowing that grades aren't everything {but can open or close a lot of doors}. This book has made me think a lot about the message I want to be sending to my kids about success, and I definitely don't want to prioritize grades/college/salary over their mental health. I think this should be required reading for parents!

That wraps up my month! My total through November is 112 books, I'm guessing I'll end up around 120, which seems to be a sweet spot for me. My average for the month was 4.39 compared to my yearly average of 3.9, so this was a solid month of reading for me, quite a few 5 star reads! Looking forward to finishing the year strong.