September Favorites

I say this every month. Heck, I say this just about every day, time is going by so fast. I can't believe October is here and it's time to get ready for the holiday season.

We lost all of our Fall/Autumn/Harvest/Halloween decorations in the flood so we have to shop for new stuff this year. This is the second time I've had to replace these decorations. The first time, movers lost our box. Maybe the universe is trying to tell me something. 

September was rather uneventful if I stop and think about it. Lots of job searching going on for both myself and the Mister. His official last day as an active duty Marine is today, September 30th. We're still figuring out health insurance, retirement pay, VA benefits, etc. Making this transition is daunting to say the least. Anyway...

Books and TV

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi is by far, my favorite read for September. I remember when this graphic novel was first published and EVERYone was talking about it. I read the synopsis out of curiosity and didn't like the sound of it at all. It sounded all political and dull. This year, I decided to read it for Banned Books Week and because I'm trying to find graphic novels that I like. I love this. Persepolis is a story that is going to stay with me a really long time. 

It's about an Iranian girl and her family and how they experienced, lived, and survived the Islamic Revolutions. It's a first person memoir told from Marjane's perspective from the ages of six to fourteen. As an American, I see the news reports on the Middle East and the places that we are bombing and the terrorists that we're fighting against and it makes it very easy to forget that normal people and families have to live this life. Marjane tells her story without any "woe is me" despite the hardships and losses she and her family experienced. Can you imagine being a teenager in the early 80's and being assaulted for wearing a jean jacket with a Michael Jackson button on it? If that had been happening here in America at the same time, just about every teenager would have been accosted on the street. Marjane brings these realities to life in her memoir and makes her experiences relatable to all her readers. 

I also remember thumbing through this novel ten years ago and not being very impressed with the artwork. You have to read the story to appreciate the artwork that goes along with it. I can be a real numskull sometimes. The artwork, in its black and white simplicity, is poignant and portrays the emotions of the characters and the starkness of living in a city under attack without taking your focus away from the words. 

As for TV, basically, I got caught up on The Big Bang Theory and watched its season premier and watched the season premier of The Goldbergs. Frankly, TV holds very little interest for me these days unless I'm watching old sitcom reruns on Netflix. Since we've been back in our house, we've probably watched less than 24 hours of new TV. Not counting sports and news. I really wonder why we continue to pay for cable.

Health and Beauty


After many years of looking, I have found a liquid foundation that I can actually stand to wear! It's L'Oreal's Magic Nude Liquid Powder Bare Skin Perfecting Makeup SPF 18. It's a medium coverage foundation that applies very easily with a brush and feels so lightweight. It comes out of the bottle as a liquid and dries to a powdery finish. I LURRRVE it! I also love, love, love my Tarte Smooth Operator Finishing Powder, which I apply on top of my foundation and the combo leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth. There are other liquid to powder foundations out there that I plan on trying just to see if they're any better than a drug store brand, but I'm pretty happy with this one.

The Internets

Another booktuber I'd like to tell you all about is Sanne from booksandquills. Sanne is fantastic. It really helps that I don't think I have completely disagreed with any of her book reviews that I've watched so far. Also, she can be so funny. She's originally from the Netherlands and occasionally, she'll do a video on Dutch "speakwords" and I find them very entertaining. Sanne is living the life that I want, in London working at a book publishing company, so I hate her just a little bit. Don't let that stop you from checking out her channel.

Food and Drink

I have to tell you all about another wine that the Mister and I discovered at the Vine. It's the Grand Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon. Omg people! This is such a great wine. "Lifted aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry and vanilla are accompanied by vibrant, dark berry fruits on the palate. The finish is long with fine-grained tannins from sixteen months maturation in a combination of new and older French oak hogsheads. Although drinking well now this wine may be cellared for up to ten years from vintage." I love the blueberry notes in this wine. Yum. This is such a good wine, that the Vine can't keep it in stock. I have no idea where you can buy this wine. Sorry. A "specialist" at www.wine.com says this wine is similar and this wine too but I haven't tried either so I can't say one way or the other.

August Favorites

This month went by so fast. I have to say, I'm glad that it's over and we're moving into September and the Fall. I officially hate tourists. They freaking clog everything:  the roads, stores and shops, restaurants, and the beaches. Go home! And stay there. It's also been really hot in August in Florida. We had heat advisories for several days. If you have heat advisories in the summer, in Florida, you know it's hellishly hot. Anyway, I'm going to highlight some of the things that I have enjoyed in August.

Books and TV

My favorite book that I read this month was Landline by Rainbow Rowell. This book is about Georgie and her husband Neal. Georgie has a job writing and creating TV shows. She and her long-time writing partner finally get a break with an opportunity to present four episodes of their "baby" to a producer. The only problem is that while they have been nurturing the idea for this show for years, they still need to write the scripts for those four episodes. It's Christmas and Georgie decides she can't pass up this opportunity and opts to stay behind in California and work while Neal and her daughters fly to Omaha to spend the holiday with family.
This separation makes Georgie fear for her marriage which had already been in trouble for some time. To help stave off this fear and loneliness, Georgie spends some time at her mother's house. Here, she tries and tries to connect with Neal via cell phone but her calls either keep getting sent to voicemail or her daughters and/or mother-in-law keeps answering. Out of desperation, Georgie plugs in an old yellow telephone and tries reaching her husband landline to landline. It turns out that this phone is connection to the past and she reaches Neal back during the time before their engagement.

It's through these conversations with the past that Georgie has revelations about herself, Neal, and their marriage. Is true love enough to hold a marriage together?

My favorite TV show that I watched this month would have to be Outlander on Starz. This is an adaptation of Diana Gabaldon's series of books. At the time of this writing, I have only watched the first three episodes. I am really loving this series so far. Director Rob Moore has done a fantastic job of translating book to screen. Considering that these books take place in both the 18th and 20th centuries, I think that it's a testament to his skill how fantastic this show is. He pays great attention to detail down to ensuring that the herbs Claire, our female protagonist, uses for 18th century medicine are correct, both in use and as they are seen on screen. I've only noticed a few deviations in the show from the book, but I wanted to love this show so much, that I'm willing to give Moore a little leeway. So yeah, my opinion is biased, lol.

I've been a huge fan of the Outlander series for years. I don't think I've ever read a book with science fictional elements in it that are as well-written as they are in Gabaldon's books. By that, I mean that she incorporates time travel into her novels so that it's not silly or fantastical, but explained in such a way that the reader is able to believe that touching these standing stones would send them hurtling through the past.

Back to the show, I love the costumes, the sets, the language, basically everything about it. I have, at this point, no complaints. I'm thrilled that it's already been renewed for a second season.

Health and Beauty

I've made quite a few beauty purchases this month, but picking only one, Tarte's Lights, Camera, Splashes 4-in-1 Waterproof Mascara is the standout. I've tried several new waterproof mascaras this summer to try and combat makeup meltage from the heat, humidity, beach, and sweating. This mascara is fantastic. I love the classic bristle brush that grabs my lashes and coats them evenly, without clumping. It leaves my lashes softer than other waterproof mascaras do. I have to say, I'm not a fan of crunchy lashes. The staying power is phenomenal. It stays put until I go after it with an eye makeup remover. It retails for $20.00 at Ulta and is worth every penny. What's more, the packaging is totally cute.

The Internets

I discovered a new Booktuber this month that is so adorable. Her name is Jean and her channel is Jean Bookishthoughts. Jean is Scottish ya'll. I could listen to her read a recipe for hours and be happy. Fortunately, her booktube channel is more interesting than that. Jean really knows her books. No offense to booktubers out there, but the ones that seem to be more into performing than reviewing/talking about books are annoying. At least to me. I'm sure some people find them vastly entertaining. Jean is knowledgeable about books and her reviews are entertaining without being over-the-top silly. Plus, she's Scottish. I love the way she says "baby", lol.

My favorite Facebook page of the month is Coffee and a Good Book. It's rare to find a group of strangers online who are civil, respectful, fun, share the same interests, and actually interact positively. This group is all those things. Maybe it's because the moderators are so strict, but I have yet to see any bickering, judging, or drama in this group. I've gotten tons of book recommendations though. Great Facebook group.

Food and Drink

My favorite food that I can't seem to get enough of this month is Ben & Jerry's Half Baked. It has both cookie dough and brownie chunks in chocolate and vanilla ice cream. I may like this flavor even better than Coffee Toffee Bar Crunch, my favorite until I tried Half Baked.

The Mister and I have been frequenting a local wine bar called VINE Wine Bar & Shop. It's a laid back wine bar with a really nice selection of wines, small plates, and wine merchandise. We really like it. We've been going so much this month that they know us by name now, lol. ::cough:: Anyway, I discovered a great bottle of wine there called Thorny Rose and it's a Cabernet Sauvignon. It's a very unassuming wine. I love how it's fruit forward with cherries, blackberries, and strawberries coming through. It's an inexpensive wine too but I have no idea where you can pick it up. I've never seen it in a store and I absolutely love the label, so there's a good chance I'd remember. Ordering online is my only suggestion.We've also tried their red blend. It was okay and probably my favorite red blend, but I'm not a huge fan of blends. They have several other varieties that I'd love to try out some time.