Heartbeat Monthly [35]: May 2023

Posted by Jessi (Geo) on June 4, 2023 | 0 Comments

May haul

Bought

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune, Fairyloot exclusive (BST group)
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, sprayed edges edition
Book journal w/ washi tape, book sleeve, & bookmark from StellaBookishArt
Fairyloot ADSOM letter opener (eBay)

From subs

Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken (Fairyloot, April)
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross (Fairyloot, May)
Some Desperate Glory (Illumicrate, April)

May Wrap Up

Books I read

Weyward by Emilia Hart – ★★★½
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros – ★★★★½
Damsel by Evelyn Skye – DNF
Seven Faceless Saints by M.K. Lobb – ★
House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland – ★★★½
Starling House by Alix E. Harrow – ★★★★½
The Seventh Raven by David Elliot – DNF
A Broken Blade by Melissa Blair – DNF
High Mountain Court by A.K. Mulford – DNF
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow – ★★★★★+
Dragonfall by L.R. Lam – DNF
The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi – DNF
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater – ★★★★★
The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater – ★★★★★
Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater – ★★★★★
The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater – ★★★★★
Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater – ★★★★½
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty – DNF

Pages read: 5,184
Average rating: 4.2
Favorite book read in May: Starling House
Least favorite book read in May: Seven Faceless Saints

Books I reviewed

What I’ve been up to this month

I went to Cedar Point for the first time in a decade!

I went up to Sandusky (a 3 hour drive) with a couple of close friends and spent 3 nights in an AirBNB a few miles from the park, so we could have 2 full days in the park. The last time I went, I spent so long in lines that I wasn’t able to get to everything, which is why I wanted the two days. My body was pretty much dead after two days of walking 23k steps and riding a bunch of coasters (I’m not as young as I once was, lmao), but it was sooo worth it! We chose that weekend because it was after opening weekend, but before the kids got out of school. We knew we didn’t want to go on a Saturday, and were hoping that on a Monday with kids in school and people at work it wouldn’t be very busy. Even going when we did, the lines were still an hour or longer for the really popular coasters (read: the good ones), so the second day we ended up splurging on a Fast Lane pass. And let me tell you, it was worth EVERY penny!! Our fave coasters were Steel Vengeance and Maverick, and their lines were 1 hour to 90 minutes, so the Fast Pass was worth it for those alone. I hadn’t thought of a Fast Pass before, but now that I know about it I’ll probably get it every time I go up there because it’s a game changer. You get to cut the whole line – most of them you still have to wait for about 15 minutes before you get up there, but there were a couple that we literally just went right to the front and walked right onto the coaster. Maverick was one of them, which is awesome because it was a favorite. Steel Vengeance was 10/10 our favorite overall – that coaster is WICKED! My favorite of all time was the Top Thrill Dragster, but they unfortunately shut that one down last year. Whomp, whomp. We had so much fun though and I can’t wait to go back! I bought a season pass because it was only $15 more than the two day pass, so we’re going to go back later in the season!

Current obsessions

Movies: We went to see Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 and it was amazing!! I loved seeing Rocket’s backstory!

TV: Prehistoric Planet! HOW did I not know about this show sooner?! I saw the 2nd season advertised and went to check it out, and I’m hooked! I used to be OBSESSED with dinosaurs when I was younger. I can’t wait for season 2! (By the time this posts, I’m sure it will be out already!)

Food: I made my own recipe for the delicious Mud Pie Mojo from Coldstone because I was craving it! I mixed 1/2 scoop of cold brew flavored protein powder with CarbSmart vanilla ice cream, added a tablespoon of peanut butter, and a small handful of almonds and mini Oreos. It was sooo good! And the best part, it has half the calories and a fraction of the sugar!

Apps: PROCREATE! I am absolutely OBSESSED!! I saw a TikTok about book journaling and I immediately wanted to do it. I was actually going to go out and buy an iPad, but thankfully a good family friend had an extra so I was able to buy it off of her for a discounted price! I’ve had sooo much fun with the app. I’ve been making journal pages in Instagram story format when I finish a book (only the ones I really like, for now). I’ll be sharing them on my Insta @novelheartbeat!