January Favourites: Makeup, Skincare & More!

February 7, 2019 / thecorkedreader89 / 2 Comments

I usually talk about how ‘fast’ a month goes by but was it just me or did January seem particularly long this year? It could have been due to the major cold snap we had for the last couple of weeks at the month that really made it feel long. If I don’t have to see -40 with the windchill on the weather network again for the rest of the winter I’ll be a happy girl! January however was a great month – it was a month of setting goals and working on achieving them. Though I didn’t get as much blogging done as I would have liked to, I did spend the month working on some other goals of mine. Continue reading →

My To-Read Pile

November 11, 2018 / thecorkedreader89 / Leave a comment

When you finish a book, isn’t it so daunting trying to pick which one to read next? I always have a general idea of which ones I want to pick up next so I thought I’d share those with you today. Since I’m participating in National Blog Posting Month I’m going to be sharing lifestyle type posts like this one on Sundays to break it up from my usual beauty-focused content. Reading is for sure another passion in my life so it made sense to start off with some reading-love. Continue reading →

Love of Reading: February 2018

March 10, 2018 / thecorkedreader89 / 6 Comments

February was definitely a reading-heavy month where I read a variety of great books! There really isn’t anything better that snuggling up with a cup of coffee, a blanket and a good book on a cold winter day. So, without further adieu, let’s take a look at what I read during the month of February!

Artemis by Andy Weir

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Love of Reading: January 2018

January 31, 2018 / thecorkedreader89 / 4 Comments

And just like that, the first month of 2018 is nearly behind us! If the first month is any indication of my reading pace this year, I think I’ll have a pretty successful reading-year! I’ve definitely picked up quite a few books lately that I’m super eager to read so I think I will have no problem continuing to make reading a priority in my life. I think my plan for this year will be to try to hit 320,000 words per month (equivalent of 4 average sized books). I use words as my measurement because I found when I was going just by number of books, I strayed away from reading longer books as it was preventing me from meeting my goals. Last year my goal was 240,000 words per month (3 average sized books). I decided at the last minute, as I was writing this to bump up my goal. So, let’s see what kind of start I’m off to…

Origin by Dan Brown

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Love of Reading: December 2017

January 12, 2018 / thecorkedreader89 / Leave a comment

2017 has come and gone and it’s time to not only look at what I read in December (spoiler alert: I only read one book) and recap the year! I thought it would be fun to list some of my favourite books from what I read in 2017!

Paris, He Said by Christine Sneed

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Love of Reading: November 2017

December 4, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / Leave a comment

November ended up being more of a reading month than I anticipated it would be. My book-wormy-ness took over and I had my nose in a book quite often last month. I think this had to do with how sick I was all month and how I wasn’t up for much else. I managed to finish four books in November so I think I should still remain ahead of my goal for the year! Let’s take a look at what I wrote…

Britt Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman

For as long as anyone can remember, Britt-Marie has been an acquired taste. It’s not that she’s judgemental, or fussy, or difficult – she just expects things to be done in a certain way. A cutlery drawer should be arranged in the right order, for example (forks, knives, then spoons). We’re not animals, are we?

But behind the passive-aggressive, socially awkward, absurdly pedantic busybody is a woman who has more imagination, bigger dreams and a warmer heart than anyone around her realizes.

So when Britt-Marie finds herself unemployed, separated from her husband of 20 years, left to fend for herself in the miserable provincial backwater that is Borg – of which the kindest thing one can say is that it has a road going through it – and somehow tasked with running the local football team, she is a little unprepared. But she will learn that life may have more to offer her that she’s ever realised, and love might be found in the most unexpected of places. Source

After reading A Man Called Ove a couple of months ago I knew I had to pick up another Fredrik Backman novel. Britt Marie Was Here was very similar in style and I really quite enjoyed it. In fact, I may even call it the female version of A Man Called Ove.

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Love of Reading: September 2017

September 29, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / 6 Comments

Hi guys! I think September might have be the month where I caught up on my reading goal, or perhaps even surpassed it! I’m writing this intro before actually checking the stats but I’m pretty sure I made it this month. While I didn’t read a ton throughout the whole month, I think spending the long weekend at the cottage and the pile of books I read there did the trick! I gotta pick up my reading at home game though because the fall/winter seasons at home are going to take me off track again. So, let’s check out what I read this past month!

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Sometimes it’s the little lies that turn out to be the most lethal…
A murder…a tragic accident…or just parents behaving badly?
What’s indisputable is that someone is dead. But who did what?
Big Little Lies follows three women, each at a crossroads Source

This book suggestion came from Polished and Inspired and I’m glad she suggested it! I really enjoyed Big Little Lies and then also enjoyed binging the HBO series shortly thereafter!

Word Count: 158,720 Continue reading →

Love of Reading: August 2017

September 1, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / Leave a comment

Hi guys! I’m sitting in disbelief as I realize today is the first day of September. I do enjoy the fall, however, living in Northwestern Ontario, the fall is also a reminder of what is next. The dreaded and always way too long winter season. But, at least we usually get another blast of “summer” weather in September so even though it looks chilly outside today, I’m optimistic for a few more nice weekends. August was another reading-heavy month as I’ve spent a lot of time reading in the sunshine. I read four great books this month so lets check them out!

This month I’ve decided to quote their synopsis from the Chapters/Indigo website as I’m always worried I’ll spoil something and really, they summarize it way better than I can. Summaries were never my strong point.

The Wonder by Emma Donoghue

Emma Donoghue takes the reader back to 1850s Ireland, where a village is baffled by Anna O’Donnell’s fast. The little girl appears to be thriving after months without food, and the story of this “wonder” has reached fever pitch. Tourists flock to the O’Donnell family’s cabin, and an international journalist is sent to cover the sensational story. Enter Lib, an English nurse trained by Florence Nightingale, who is hired to keep watch for two weeks and determine whether or not Anna is a fraud. Source

Written by the same author as The Room, which I thoroughly enjoyed last summer, I was quite intrigued by how different this book sounded in comparison. Well I do admit it was a slow read a the start, by the end I couldn’t put this book down and highly recommend it.

Word Count: 99,200 Continue reading →

Love of Reading: July 2017

August 2, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / 9 Comments

Hi guys! I can’t believe I’m writing about what I read in July already, I feel like I just did my post for June! I did do quite a bit of reading last month as I normally do read a lot when I’m out at the lake. I’m slowly but surely closing in on catching up on where I should be at with my goal. So.. let’s look at what I read in July!

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

Written by the same author as The Girl on the Train, Into the Water has a similar pace/reading experience. If you enjoy the psychological suspense genre then I think you would enjoy this book. I don’t want to say much about it as I’m always so worried I’m going to spoil this kind of book. It certainly kept me guessing as I read it!

Word Count: 109,120 Continue reading →

Love of Reading: June 2017

July 14, 2017 / thecorkedreader89 / 3 Comments

Hi guys! June was another month where I only managed to finish one book, however, I have to say, it was a pretty fantastic one! Despite that I can say that we are midway through July and attempting to catch up on my reading goal seems a bit more attainable. The nicer weather means weekends at the cottage which means reading on the deck with minimal distraction. A book worm’s paradise!

Let’s dive into the only book I finished in June…