“Don’t feel bad for one moment about doing what brings you joy.”
Synopsis
Feyre originally grew up in a wealthy home with her 2 sisters but when her father could not pay back debtors they were forced to live in poverty. She turned into the sole provider for her family – without her they wouldn’t have the food she hunted or the push to cut firewood to keep warm. One day while hunting desperate after a few days of not eating, she ran into a wolf that was about to steal the deer she was going to kill. So, she ended up killing the deer and the wolf to sell the wolf pelt for money and use the deer for food. The day after a Faerie came to her home terrifying her family – stating that the wolf she killed was a faerie so there was only 2 choices – he could kill her or she could live out the rest of her days in Prythian, land of the faeries. She ended up going with him the Prythian unsure if she made the right choice. This book follows Feyre’s adventure learning about the faeries she’s living with and what is engulfing their land.
Review
This series was recommended to me in a book FB group. The person told me to immediately put all 3 of the books in the series on hold at the library because it’s so good that you’ll want to read the next one right away. So I listened to her wise words and she definitely wasn’t wrong.
This book is such an adventure from start to finish. I was upset because when I was looking at the 2nd book on GR I accidentally read some of the synopsis and it spoiled what happened for me. BUT there was still so much anticipation and lead up to the ending.
This book will not disappoint you if you love fantasy.
July was an amazing month in books for me with 15 books read in total! While I was studying for my part 1 boards on July 3 – all I wanted to do was read books. I allowed myself to when I needed a study break of course, but when I finished my boards I just kept reading and reading! Lately, I haven’t been interested in watching shows, dramas, or movies which is strange but I’m not complaining.
I started listening to audiobooks back in June when I finally got connected to my library and saw how many they had. I was going on long walks so audiobooks were the perfect thing to listen to. I couldn’t find Verity anywhere so I ended up getting a free month on audible and it was the first book I downloaded.
This book seriously had me thinking about it for a week afterwards trying to figure out what was right. I’ve been loving psychological thrillers this year and if you do too – I highly recommend this book to you.
I listened to this book for a challenge where I had to read a book with ice cream on the cover. It was only okay for me – the romance was frustrating. You can read my full review here.
My 2nd audible pick since I saw @nerdoutwithmybookout recommend it on instagram! I loved the urgency this book portrayed and the creepiness from the husband. The adrenaline from not being able to trust anyone was what kept me going. I can’t wait to continue this series!
There has been a lot of hype about Lock Every Door so I knew I had to read it. I heard other readers saying that they liked it but enjoyed his other books more. I loved this book so I really look forward to reading his others as well!
After reading The Kiss Quotient in January I was waiting and waiting for this book. Helen Hoang definitely delivered! I wasn’t sure how she’d go about writing a 2nd book but I liked that it was kind of related to the first but very much it’s own book. She is so amazing at showing the hardships of loving and trusting someone.
I thought this book sounded like it had a really interesting premise but once I read it, I realized it was really slow. I can deal with slow paced books if it works up to something incredible at the end but even though it had a “twist,” it wasn’t super surprising.
I finished the first book on August 1st and now I am working my way through the 2nd. This series is so incredible so far. I didn’t anticipate loving a book about faeries so much but someone recommended it to me and now I can’t put it down.
Sarah Dessen has been my favorite author since I was in middle school/early high school. I re-read Keeping the Moon last month and it made me remember how I love the simple pace her books take. I can’t wait to read her newest book!
Since I started my hospital rotations I have been living in scrubs. My fiance’s mom bought me some wonderwink scrubs and they have been my favorite brand thus far. They are soft and comfortable and they look sleek and flattering on your body.
If you’re going to be standing and running around all day, you NEED good quality supportive shoes. Being in podiatry I am shocked at the amount of my colleagues who wear terrible shoes for their feet yet they recommend patients to wear these hoka types of shoes. I can feel the support these shoes give me since I have a collapsable arch and they allow me to stand for a long time comfortably. Also amazing for walking and running.
Overnight oats
I have finally found my favorite recipe for overnight oats and I have been eating them quite often.
1/3 cup oats
2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 scoop protein powder (pescience peanut butter cookie)
1/2 banana
2 tbsp peanut butter
Mix 1st 4 ingredients together and put in the fridge overnight. Add the banana and peanut butter in the morning and enjoy.
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch Format: Audiobook Duration: 342 pages Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Synopsis
Jason Dessen lives a simple life as a physics professor at a community college with the woman he loves and their son. When he is invited to celebrate his college roommate’s nomination for his work in physics, he thinks about how he could’ve won a prize in physics if he chose his career over his home life 15 years ago. After the celebration he is kidnapped by someone who claims to have been watching him his whole life and he is forced to drive to a bunker in the middle of nowhere. His captor shoots him up with an unknown substance and he knocks out and wakes up in a completely different place with people greeting him and asking about where he’s been. He immediately understands things are not as they should be and escapes to find answers.
Review
When I first started reading this book I was in utter disbelief about everything that was happening is Jason’s life. It left me on the edge of my seat curiously waiting to see how Jason decided to emerge from this mess. I loved learning about the new worlds he was visiting and imagining how crazy that would be to have the ability to do that.
In the end, this book made me really think about how everything happens for a reason and all the choices I have made up until this point have been the right ones. It’s really easy to look back and be curious about the path not taken, but it is beneficial to realize that it is all for the best. One of my most difficult decisions within the past few years was deciding where to go to podiatry school. After a few months in NYC I was questioning if I made the right choice – school was tough, NYC was not everything I thought it would be, and I missed having a network of support with my friends. Now, I know there were definitely good reasons to come here and I absolutely do not regret it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Did you read this book? What did you think about it? Did you learn any life lessons from it?
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch When I heard about this book I wasn’t sure if it was something I would like. So far I have thoroughly enjoyed it and it really makes you think.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Mass I have only heard excellent things about this series and I see why! It is so full of adventure that it takes you to a whole new world.
What I recently finished reading
Love a La Mode by Stephanie Kate Strohm (Read my REVIEW) Lock Every Door by Riley Sager When Lock Every Door came out I started hearing about it everywhere. I had never read a book by Riley Sager before but after finishing Lock Every Door I was wondering where he has been my whole life! I saw a lot of readers saying they enjoyed his other works more but I thought Lock Every Door was excellent and I look forward to reading his other books. I can’t wait to write my review on it too.
What I Am reading next
This is a good question because I’m not entirely sure. I know Netgalley is doing their reviewathon for the month of August and I definitely have some ARCs to catch up on. I have also been suspending my library books so I don’t have a bunch become available at once.
Gypsy Secrets by J. L. Vampa My first ARC outside of GR! Her books aren’t well known (yet) and I LOVED the first one! I can’t wait to make a post and introduce you all to J. L. Vampa.
Going to Iceland was taking the vacation I never thought I needed. I remember as the departure date was nearing I started doubting myself – would this be an enjoyable vacation? I had absolutely no clue what I was getting myself into.
But – it ended up being one of the BEST experiences of my life.
How to get to Iceland
I booked my flight back in December. There (were) 2 airlines that flew internationally from the US to Iceland – WOW air and Icelandair. I was so thankful I booked with Icelandair because about a month before the trip, WOW air went bankrupt 😳
WOW air was known as the “budget airline” – similar to frontier or spirit. I honestly can’t stand budget airlines and would rather spend a little extra – especially for an overnight international flight. Also at the time I booked it – Icelandair was actually cheaper so it all worked out.
Most of the flights (at least from NYC – JFK) are overnight. You leave around 8pm Eastern time and arrive in Iceland at 5:55am the next day.
Finding out this information lead me to figuring out what the heck to do between landing and before checking into our first airbnb to knock out from jet lag and an overnight flight.
The Flight
Right when you walk on the plane they give you this fancy Iceland water bottle
My only gripe with Icelandair was that you had to pay extra for a meal/snacks. There was nothing provided except for the water. I am always prepared for these incidences – especially because I brought snacks for our roadtrip.
Arrival
After landing I felt invigorated – maybe the rush of being in a new country? We decided to rent our car with lotus car rental. To go to the car rental areas there is a bus that stops at each of the rental agencies.
I highly recommend lotus – they were very professional, accommodating, and they had the best price. We originally rented a Volkswagon polo but all of them were in the shop so they ended up giving as a Renault. We ended up driving the Renault around but we didn’t like how it felt so after about 45 min of driving we came back to the car rental place. It was Easter weekend so they were almost solidly booked BUT they had one more car in our tier – a Toyota Yaris. They let us took it for a spin and we liked the drive more so we ended up with the Yaris!
1st Stop – Bridge Between Continents
Driving around Iceland is absolutely surreal – the terrain looks like you just landed on Mars. It’s just rocks instead of tress and volcanic ash instead of grass.
I chose to go here first because of it’s proximity to the airport. Plus – it’s something that is open that early in the morning.
The bridge between 2 continents in a midatlantic ridge major plate boundary.
Stop 2 – Brimketill Lava Rock Pool
The different shades of red on the dirt at this lava pool was truly magnificent. This area had various paths to walk on the check out the different lava pools.
All of the places with volcanic activity will smell like sulfur. But – you get used to it pretty quickly. And it’s definitely still worth visiting.
Grocery Shopping
After Brimketill Lava Rock Pool – it was about time for Costco in Reykjavik to be open (10am). So, we drove up there to get some extra stuff for the roadtrip. We bought some instant noodles for an easy meal at our airbnbs. Since they have some different menu items we had a BBQ chicken pizza slice and a hot dog for lunch.
I had big expectations for the BBQ chicken pizza but the chicken was quite dry on it. They have a couple unique sauces for the hot dog that we still couldn’t quite figure out what it was.
Your costco card works internationally so you can absolutely go here! We also filled up on gas (even though we didn’t use much) since we knew that is the cheapest place to get gas on the whole island
Airbnb: Eyjafjoll
After we left Costco we had the perfect amount of time to make it to our first airbnb right at check in. The exhaustion was starting to hit us so along the way we napped in our car in a bonus parking lot then continued. We were in awe seeing the random spurts of waterfalls seeping out from the mountains with little homes in front – who wouldn’t want their own waterfall in their backyard?
There were limited amounts of airbnbs in the SE area of the island so we stayed in a family house on a farm. I think there was another room dedicated to guests and the family mainly occupied the downstairs. Everyone was very nice and welcoming. I was so exhausted I knocked out for a few hours before waking up to try our instant noodles.
Originally I planned for us to see Vik and the Solheimasandur Plane Wreck but we decided to get a good nights rest before the adventure tomorrow!
“Without the threat of suffering, we can’t experience true joy. The best we get is pleasatness.
Scythe, Page 192
Synopsis
Citra and Rowan are unremarkable, normal teenagers until they both encounter Scythe Faraday in different ways. Scythe Faraday notices that they have a certain kind of compassion in them – so he decides he wants to take them on as scythe apprentices. Citra and Rowan are abhorred about the idea at first – who would want a life where their job is to be “death.” A very necessary job, but one where everyone fears you in an age where mortality doesn’t exist. After a few months of training they attend their first conclave – a congregation of the areas scythes that includes meetings and the apprentices being tested. Scythe Godddard, someone who believes his method is the future of scythedom, brings up a proposition that only Citra or Rowan can become a scythe and whoever wins needs to glean (kill) the other. The story follows this predicament and how they try to work around it.
Review
I always really enjoy books like these – it reminds of hunger games and maze runner. It is always a crazy and entertaining adventure. The characters work really well together and there is a hint of romance but it definitely does not precede the entire story. It is more of the beauty of friendship and how they can be clever to get around the hand that was dealt to them. I highly recommend this book and I look forward to reading the next one.
“The longer we live, the quicker the days seem to pass. How troublesome that is when we live forever”
Rosie and Henry happened to be seated near each other on a flight from Chicago to France. They start talking because Rosie is reading Henry’s culinary magazine over his shoulder. He is smitten by how beautiful Rosie is and promises to give her the magazine once he is finished. After exiting the plane they realize that they are headed to the same place – Denis Laurent’s culinary school in Paris. This book shows their hardships in culinary school and the blossoming of a relationship together.
Review
This book had a lot of fun moments but Henry really frustrated me at times. His mother was pushing him to get excellent grades while Henry was pushing himself to be an excellent chef. This in turn burned Henry out and when Rosie was worried about him he kept her in the dark. There would’ve been no harm in explaining to her about the pressure he was being put under. Then when Bodie Tal – a student with a famous chef father started talking to Rosie, Henry would get so upset and just bottle it inside and blame Rosie. If he didn’t have these anger issues I would have enjoyed the romance more.
Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston Check out my review here When I heard about this book I didn’t think it was my thing but I decided to try it out because I saw it popping up everywhere and it was a part of a book challenge I was a part of. In the end, it wasn’t exactly by cup of tea but I think it is an important book, especially for the LGBTQ+ community. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah I am always enthralled with WWII books. The monstrosities that happened during that period of time never cease to amaze me. This book was so beautifully written with such an important story to tell.
What I am reading next
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch I have heard a lot of praise about this book! My spot for the audiobook came faster than I anticipated so hopefully I can start it tomorrow after I finish love a la mode! A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas I have also heard wonderful things about this whole series so I am excited to begin the first book!
First things first, even though “Podiatry” may kinda sound like “Pediatrician” they are definitely not the same thing (even though podiatrists do treat children). Also, someone doesn’t become a podiatrist because they have a foot fetish.
A Podiatrist is a doctor that treats the foot. All aspects of the foot – from nails and calluses to surgery. They can treat children, the elderly, and everyone in between.
Podiatry school is another kind of medical school – like there are dental schools, optometry schools, etc. It is more similar to MD/DO schooling – 4 years of graduate school along with residency/fellowship afterwards. There are only 9 podiatry schools in the US.
The first 2 years of podiatry school are similar to traditional medical school curriculum – taking everything from biochemistry, histology, general anatomy, immunology, etc. The only difference is that medical school has some specialty classes for psychology and women’s health whereas podiatry school has some specialized classes for lower extremity anatomy.
The 3rd and 4th years vary per school but they are more dedicated to learning in a clinical setting and doing externships at programs you are interested in going for your residency.
After my white coat ceremony – August 2017
It is important for pre-medical students to be informed about podiatry school. Medical schools are getting more and more competitive to get into and so some students think the only viable option is to go to Caribbean medical school in order to become a doctor. While that is certainly a choice I think it would be wise to perhaps shadow a podiatrist or look into the field to see if it’s something you’re possibly interested in.
I didn’t even know about the field until my aunt suggested I shadow one of her neighbors – a podiatrist who owns his own office. What drew me into the field was the variety of choice – if you’re really in surgeries you can do more of that while working in a hospital. If you enjoy a more laidback in office style there is certainly plenty of that too. I loved the connection he had with his patients. As a podiatrist you will have a lot of patients that come back for services on a routine basis – which gives you the opportunity to connect with them a be a part of their life. I think it’s amazing that you can work with all age groups, granted most of your patients will be older but it’s still quite diverse.
I am currently in my 3rd year and I truly know this is the profession for me. My father inspired me to go this route when I experienced him going through foot/leg complications of his own by being a diabetic. I love that everyday I get to learn something new from my patients and that I can only get better from here.
Do you have any questions about podiatry? Are you interested about learning more?
Genre: Romance, New Adult, LGBT Duration: 423 pages
“A whole lifetime of fine… …That’s not good enough for me”
Red, White & Royal Blue, Page 250
Synopsis
Alex Claremont-Diaz is the son of the first female president of the United States. He is a heart-throb to everyone all over the world. When he goes to the royal wedding and ends up toppling over a $75,000 cake with Prince Henry of Wales, you know there has to be damage control done to save both of their images. This involves them becoming best friends with each other rather than enemies. This book is how the best friends facade turns into A LOT more and how they handle telling everyone despite being two of the most well known men in the world
Review
I really wanted to love this book after seeing so much buzz about it. I hate to say it but honestly, I didn’t love it.
There was a lot of hilariously relevant quotes which were great for a current reader to understand but if someone were to read this book 5 years from now, I don’t think they would understand some of the jokes.
I loved watching Alex’s and Henry’s relationship unfold – event through the difficult times. They were adorable and I loved the dynamic of their friend group.
What I didn’t enjoy was the politics – I think it had the potential to be interesting but instead I found most of it to be dry. I felt like those parts really made the book drag for me.
Bookventuring 