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March Favorites

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This month wasn’t as short as the one before, but it still felt like it went pretty fast. Here are some favorites from the month of March.

Book of the Month

I love a good mystery series, and this is the second book in the Truly Devious series by Maureen Johnson. I wrote a review for it here.

Baby

We are entering the sippy cup phase and have tried a few of them. The
Munchkin Miracle 360 Trainer Cup is pretty neat because it allows Sam to drink without the water going everywhere. Plus, he can get water from it no matter how he holds it. And it stands up to being banged on the table, which he does a lot. It does spill a little, but it’s usually only if he bangs the cup upside down. And they are pretty affordable which is always a win. We got them from here.

Beauty and Fashion

I use different scents depending on the season, and the Spring scent is lavender. So, when I was trying to find a good shampoo and conditioner, I came across this brand. I used it last Sunday, all three products, and it was phenomenal. I really need something to help my frizz and also be something I can use quickly. The leave in conditioner is probably my favorite, but I loved all of them. Plus the brand seems very eco-friendly which is a plus. You can try it here.

Entertainment

Still chipping away at my TBW (To Be Watched) list. Michael and I finally have a couple of hours on Friday night to watch a rental movie together. This was our first choice and it didn’t disappoint.

Miles lives in New York, and Spiderman is a major presence in his life. He is a graffiti artist with a cop dad and goes to a magnet school. He is bit by a spider around the same time a portal opens which brings other “Spiderman” characters into his reality. But they need to get everyone back where they belong and close the portal for good or New York is going to be destroyed.

The movie was hilarious. My favorite was probably Spiderham, who was played by John Mulaney. I immediately recognized his voice, but I didn’t recognize Nicholas Cage who played Spiderman Noir until I looked it up. The timing was just really great on a lot of the jokes, plus it pokes fun at the comic as well.

What are some favorites you have been enjoying this month?

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The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson: A Review

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The Vanishing Stair (Truly Devious, #2)

The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second book in the Truly Devious series by Maureen Johnson. I read the first book towards the end of last year, so it’s not been too long between the books. However, the next book isn’t supposed to come out until next year, and this book still has questions left unanswered!
The story follows a girl named Stevie who is invited to study at a prestigious boarding school in the mountains of Vermont. The reason for her invitation was her interest in the kidnapping mystery of the founder’s wife and daughter back in the 30s. The wife’s body was found, but the daughter was never found. This intertwines in the first book with a murder mystery in the present day while Stevie is at the school.
The second book continues that plot, but it also focuses more on the 30s mystery as well. There are some questions, big questions, that are answered in this book, but some still left unanswered too. And there are new players introduced that may or may not play a bigger role in the next book.
I really enjoyed this book, maybe even more than the original book in the series. The plot seemed to move at a steady pace, and as I got to the end, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. There were so many secrets revealed and riddles solved. And the relationships between the characters really either strengthen completely or seemed to break apart.
There is some light profanity, I believe. There is one kissing scene, but nothing more explicit than that. And there is some violence. At one point someone gets beat up, and there is, of course, death and dead bodies mentioned. It is a murder mystery, after all. But the main part of the story is the solving of riddles and relationships, which is why I find the series so intriguing.
I definitely recommend the series. The next book couldn’t come soon enough!

March TBR

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Since the books from Black History month worked out so well, I thought I would try to do it again for Women’s History Month.  Of course, I have a lot of books written by women, so I tried to whittle it down to the four books. It was really hard because there is so much I want to read. Here’s my final four.

Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis.  It’s funny because before I chose this book, I saw nothing but accolades for it, but after I chose it, I’ve been seeing a lot of harsher critiques.  I’m trying to go in with an open mind and make my own decision.

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett.  A friend recommended it a year ago and it has been sitting on my shelf for a while, so I’m finally going to read it.  I read a collection of her essays which were okay, but I’m hoping to enjoy her fiction more.

The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson.  The second book in the Truly Devious series.  I read the first on towards the end of last year so excited to continue this mystery!

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.  I’m a little intimidated about this book, but I really love Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights so I am interested to see how much I like her sister’s novel.

What are you reading this month?