The Chrissy Rose

06/01/2024

I just finished all these books in May. If you're looking for a good read. Here are my takes on these tiles.

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (5⭐️). Oh. My. Gawd!!! FINALLY!! Yes I hunkered down to read the second installment of Yarros’s Fourth Wing Romantasy. So much happened and I enjoyed every moment of it. The ending however…I am still processing and may not recover until the release of the third book, Onyx Storm in January.

The Graham Effect by Elle Kennedy (5⭐️). This is my first go with a hockey romance which seems to be a favorite sub-trope among romance readers (don’t believe me? Search hockeyromance tag on IG). I like a good sports drama so I gave it a whirl. Good spice level. Not too hockey technical. Both the heroine and hero are hockey badasses. I’ll pick up another ‘puck-rom’ soon enough.

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez (5 ⭐️). The premise and the meet cute are quirky but it works because Abby Jimenez is a master at dialogue and banter. This story was a gem and I love how Jimenez confronted complex family dynamics with such authenticity.

Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle (4 ⭐️). Women’s fiction meets magical realism in a creative and heartfelt plot that was sweet. Serle is a skilled storyteller so while the plot could have been confusing it was brilliantly focused.

The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley (4 ⭐️). This was a slow build and I figured out the ending too quickly but still an interesting reveal. I appreciate Foley’s style: smart, mysterious and sinister also, a little weird.

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (5 ⭐️). This book… This story… I am still processing and will probably be processing for years to come. I was not prepared for the childhood trauma this book explores. The writing is amazing. It’s a long one. I had to take breaks with some lighter books to get through it. ***Trigger warnings: s*xual assault against adults and children, s*x trafficking, domestic violence, violence against disabled characters, self harm and drugs.***

The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa (3 ⭐️). Very light and simple read. Cute mishaps peppered the plot. I enjoyed the cultural references of the heroine and her family. A good palette cleanser while reading a very heavy book see above.

Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage (5 ⭐️). I didn’t know what to expect from this one but wow! Pure Joy! It’s the cowboy romance (another new to me sub-trope) I never knew I needed. I am allergic to horses and to farm work but now I want to move to the Rebel Blue Ranch.

05/20/2024

05/19/2024

Nashville with my ladies.

05/12/2024

I didn’t know what the Aurora Borealis was until we traveled to Alaska for the first time in 2004 (at age 25, to be clear). When I learned of this phenomenon, I thought surely someone was making it up. How could something so beautiful magically just happen in the sky? I bought a book about it because there was no occurrence of it visible in Alaska that time of year and I never did witness it for myself. Fast forward 20 years and the Aurora Borealis was visible in the night sky over us right where we live in Milwaukee. It was wild and so very cool. Someday I hope to go to a destination to see it on vivid display but I’ll take this for now.

05/12/2024

Aurora Borealis over Lake Michigan.

Taken with an iPhone 13 max pro in night mode, 10 second shutter.

03/05/2024

The tetrad, also known as tetractys, is a Greek symbol consisting of one large triangle with four rows containing nine small ones that meet at ten points within it. It is a geometric representation of many things including unity, power, harmony, the cosmos, the four elements, and a higher power. How many triangles can you find in this photo?

This program, that I’ve been doing for months with , is a life changer! I feel and see progress, support and guidance each time I show up.

Don’t get me wrong…It’s really really hard (today was an especially brutal workout! Bulgarians SUCK!!!!) but I’ve never not been able to do it. In fact, I repeatedly shock myself with what I am capable of. What’s the secret sauce that makes this program so special? Is it any surprise that it’s three points for me?:

1. Good coaching
2. Welcoming atmosphere
3. Zero competition

There are openings in the program if any of this sounds like what you’re looking for.

📷 credit:

02/07/2024

Join me this Sunday, Feb 11, 9-10 AM for yoga at the Charles Allis Museum. I’ll be leading us through a flow appropriate for all levels. Link in bio.

02/05/2024

These are the stories I enjoyed in January.
I already gave my full review on these (see earlier posts) but here’s the quick ratings roundup (all out of 5 stars):
Good Girls Guide to Murder 4⭐️
Mayluna 3⭐️
The Other Einstein 2⭐️
Ninth House 2⭐️
Cold World 3⭐️
The Last Love Note 4⭐️

01/28/2024

HBD to this amazing human . Not a young man anymore, but all the better for it. He’s weird, challenging and brilliant in all the best ways! I am so happy to be here to celebrate his milestone bday. My sister sure knows how to throw a party!

01/27/2024

In coming!
Kindle is fired up and I am ready for a quick weekend trip.

01/27/2024

Just finished!
The Last Love Note by Emma Grey (4⭐️).

Author, Emma Grey knows grief and writes the experience of grieving so convincingly. This story is a mess but incredibly moving and perhaps more so because of its messiness.

From a literary stand point the book is, at times, chaotic, disjointed and confusing. However so is the process of grieving and I think depicting the realities of grief in this way was intentional.

Yes, there is a love story here, but this story is primarily about intense loss and unspeakable heartbreak (see all the trigger warnings!!!).

Thankfully, there is a balance between hilarious scenes that made me bust out laughing and the moving, heartbreaking scenes that had me ugly crying for hours. And a happily ever after that makes the emotional roller coaster worth the ride.

I wish there was more time spent developing the characters though. I came to understand their tragedies but not much beyond that which seems a shame.