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...

While walking through my local used bookstore, which is bursting with books from different walks of life, I happened to stumble upon a fun title for the cheap price of $1. I had to pick it up, read it for myself, and then place it in my neighborhood Little Free Library so others can smile, maybe even chuckle, at the title of this book. Here's my book talk on The Crepes of Wrath by Tamar Myers.  About the Author Tamar Myers was born and raised in the Belgian Congo (now just the Congo). Her parents were missionaries. She was sixteen when her family settled in America. In college, she began to submit novels for publication, but it took 23 years for her to get published. Persistence paid off, however, because Tamar is now the author of two ongoing mystery series. One is set in Pennsylvania and features Magdalena Yoder, an Amish-Mennonite sleuth who runs a bed and breakfast in the mythical town of Hernia. The other is set in the Carolinas and centers around the adventures of Abigai...

   About the Author Carol A. Taylor is a Texas poet whose work has appeared or is upcoming in a number of print and online journals, including Light Quarterly, Iambs & Trochees, Rattle, First Things, Per Contra, 14 by 14, The Barefoot Muse, Susquehanna Quarterly, Lighten Up Online, Trinacria, Tilt-a-Whirl, Concise Delight, and Umbrella Journal , and in several print anthologies  She has put out three chapbooks, " Saving for the Future" 2003, " Houston Skyline" 2006, and a bilingual collection of sonnets, " Sonetos del Inglés " in 2011.  Other credits include guest-editing the Fall-Winter 2002 issue of Light Quarterly which featured an anthology of classic jokes written into original poems collected and edited by Carol and fellow poet Tim Murphy, and serving as Administrator of the online workshop Eratosphere from 2001-2007 and as Light Verse Editor of Umbrella Journal's Bumbershoot division from 2006-2008.  Her poem “Texas Is Singin...

I have been a Rumiko Takahashi fan since I started Inuyasha on Toonami at the ripe age of 9(ish). I've consumed my fair share of the Rumic World, but I have never looked too much into the slice-of-life world of Maison Ikkoku until now. I started checking out the big volumes of this manga at my local library (support your libraries!) late last year. Every time I started reading a new chapter, I was transported into this cozy little chaotic world that I was always happy to be part of.   A Little Bit About the Mangaka  Rumiko Takahashi is one of the best-known Japanese manga artists in and out of Japan. With a career of several commercially successful works, beginning with Urusei Yatsura in 1978, she is one of Japan's best-known and wealthiest manga artists. Her works are known worldwide, where they have been translated into a variety of languages, with over 230 million copies in circulation; making Takahashi one of the best-selling authors of all time.  A L...

  MOONSET ON DESERT SANDS Murder, Tea, & Crystals, Book Two By Sherri L. Dodd Paranormal Thriller / Fantasy / Magical Realism / Witch-Lit Publisher: Black Rose Writing Pages: 360 Publication Date: March 27, 2025 SYNOPSIS With a traumatic year of fending off a serial killer behind her, Arista has settled contentedly into her temporary home with Auntie in Sedona, Arizona. She enjoys her new job selling all things metaphysical and even has her eye on the hot security guard, Dakota, after her recent breakup with Shane. But a series of new fainting spells has her worried, and when Auntie witnesses one, they decide the answer lies in her home of Boulder Creek. However, returning means not only dealing with her breakup and its heartache but also the possibility of drawing her bloodthirsty Uncle Fergus to her once safe haven in the redwoods. And this time he has recruited an even more dangerous alliance. Arista's closest bonds will be strengthened, but the mounting tension of a death...