Rainy Days With Amanda

 The Talented Mr. Ripley is a story that captivated my curiosity in high school. I watched it once in my early twneties and haven’t seen it since. Fast forward, and I follow a very talented creator, Mina Le, who basks an online book club and this was the book of the month. I don’t know if I didn’t realize the story was a book or if that knowledge just escaped me, but once I heard that title once more, I knew I wanted to read it right away. Now, in my thirties, that curiosity for this psychological crime drama still remains. Here’s my book talk on The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith .  A Little Bit About Our Author Patricia Highsmith was an American novelist and short story writer widely known for her psychological thrillers, including her series of five novels featuring the character Tom Ripley. She wrote 22 novels and numerous short stories in a career spanning nearly five decades, and her work has led to more than two dozen film adaptations. Her writing was influ...

 Wow, it's been a minute since I did a rainy travel. I guess that is due to me having a child, but we've honestly been traveling, I just haven't documented it. We've done more road trips around our huge state of Texas and we did go on a little anniversary vacation to Vegas in May. But we've been to Vegas. I guess I could make a blog about that. Anyway, for the long labor day weekend, we decided to make our way over to the great state of Washington to getaway and enjoy better weather. Here's how our trip to Seattle went.   Where we stayed  We opted to stay at this  Airbnb near all the things you do as a first time body in the Emerald City. We were just a hop to the Space Needle, MoPop, and the Chihuly Gardens. All of which we saw, and definitely recommend for you to check out to (I'll talk more about our experiences in just a bit). It was more of a hop and a skip to Pikes Place, but we're talking like a 15 minute walk, which is nice when the weather is o...

I was completely infatuated with the first book, A Court of Thorns , so I didn't want to wait too long to read the next book. I was hoping for a good sequel, well, some people will say ask and you will receive. This rang true for this sequel, A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Mass. SPOILERS AHEAD!     A Little Bit About the Author Sarah J. Maas is the prolific, #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Throne of Glass , A Court of Thorns and Roses and Crescent City series , which have sold more than 70 million copies in English worldwide and are published in thirty-eight languages. Maas is one of the most successful authors of the modern era, generating a far-reaching and ever-growing fanbase of readers, as well as a TikTok phenomenon, with the hashtag for her A Court of Thorns and Roses series having several billion views. A Little Bit About the Story Feyre survived Amarantha’s clutches to return to the Spring Court–but at a steep cost. Though she n...

Ever since coming back from my first European trip to Italy, I have been an avid Rick Steves listener. Besides listening to his podcast, I also consumed his TV specials (more so during the pandemic), but I had never read his books. I'm not one to read guidebooks, but when he started advertising for this book, I knew I wanted to pick it up myself, so down to the library I went. Here are my thoughts on On The Hippie Trail by Rick Steves .    About the Author  Rick Steves, America's most respected authority on European travel, empowers Americans to have European trips that are fun, affordable, and culturally broadening. In 1976, he started his business, Rick Steves' Europe, headquartered in Edmonds, Washington, near Seattle. There, he produces a best-selling guidebook series, a popular public television show, a weekly public radio show, a syndicated travel column, and free travel information available through his travel center and ricksteves.com. Rick Steves' Europ...

 So many people recommended this series to me, and I refused to listen. Why? Because I am not one to read something super popular. I mean, I did read Twilight, but I read it well before it became popular let alone a movie. Anyway, I just didn't want to be disappointed with the hype. But alas, I was wrong.  Here is my book talk on A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas . A Little Bit About the Author 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 ︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶︶⊹︶︶୨୧︶︶⊹︶︶⊹ Sarah J. Maas is the prolific, #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses and Crescent City series, which have sold more than 70 million copies in English worldwide and are published in thirty-eight languages. Maas is one of the most successful authors of the modern era, generating a far-reaching and ever-growing fanbase of readers, as well as a TikTok phenomenon, with the hashtag for her A Court of Thorns and Roses series having several b...

Bytes Café ☕  6565 Babcock Rd Suite 22, San Antonio, TX 78249 Bytes Café is a new cyber café in San Antonio with lots of personality. First off, so much space. All the space. There are enough tables and chairs to come hang out with friends, grab matcha or coffee, and play a free board game or two. If you just want to come in and play a game on their computers or use their Switch, you can do that too. Besides the space, the shop is home to the friendliest family. They make almost everything from scratch, including their variety of treats and eats that you can purchase.  Speaking of treats, I treated myself to a lavender cold brew, and I loved it. It was not super sweet and not super milky, just the way I like it. I also had a very tasty raspberry macaroon. They also have a vinyl wall and a space dedicated to vintage Star Wars, superhero, and anime shirts. Yes, there's a lot of different things happening in this space, and I feel like the tables don't quite match the vibe, but t...