When it was announced that there was a new book coming out called The Really Dead Wives of New Jersey, I was immediately seated. After I read the synopsis, I realized this book was going to be the perfect combination of reality TV and true crime.

As the biggest Bravo fan, reading a book about a fictional Real Housewives show taking place in New Jersey felt like coming home; it was familiar and like being wrapped in a warm blanket.

The book was so good and it teetered on the edge of fiction and real 'Bravo' life, which was so fun to pick apart because I was able to read between the lines.

Really Dead Wives had a bit of everything -- familial turbulence, wealth, fame, murder and secrets. Even if you're not a Housewives fan I think you would enjoy the book. It was definitely a page turner and I simply just needed to know how everything was going to play out...it surely didn't end the way I expected it to and I think there will be a sequel because it was left on a cliffhanger.

 Wow, what a week. I feel like I haven't been able to breathe for the past few until now. I know I keep saying it, but work has been so busy and we've finally crossed the finish line. It feels so good to decompress, to relax and just lean into the slowness. It also helps that I have a 3-day weekend (3.5 if you count the fact that I had a half day of work on Friday, which I kind of worked through). 

Yesterday, I went to my cousin's baby shower and it was such a nice day with family. Afterwards, my sister and I went to my mom's house and hung around for most of the day and then we had a sleepover. Now, I need to actually get my life together -- go grocery shopping, pay bills, organize and clean my home, and just do adult things.

Let's get into the roundup.

 There are very few pop culture phenomenons that I miss out on. I am usually right there in the center with bells on -- I love being part of a community, to be united by a common interest is one of life's greatest joys. Though, there are always exceptions to that rule of mine, and for the past few years, the rule was Fourth Wing.

Aside from Harry Potter and Twilight, I'm not big into fantasy genres. I've read ACTOAR and didn't love it, and have never found myself super interested in anything else that becomes popular. 

I've seen Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros around the block and knew everyone goes feral for it, but it never sparked my interest. I thought reading about a war college with dragons was too complicated and felt I was better off staying in my own lane.

That is, until I had a near nervous breakdown a few weeks ago and needed something to sink my teeth into to distract myself from the hellscape that was unfolding around me. I wanted to lose myself in a book, to really immerse myself in the world, in the characters and become one with the words I was reading. 

With Onyx Storm just being released and everyone very much in Fourth Wing mode, I decided to try my hand at it.

Well, I simply have no words.

I finished both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame within 4 days, and then took my time with Onyx Storm which I finished this past weekend...my life will never be the same.

This won't be my traditional book review, and I already talked about my obsessive personality and how it relates to Fourth Wing on Substack , so we're just going to chat about the entire series. 

This past fall I got hooked on gel manicures because of their long lasting nature and how shiny & chic they looked. What I didn't love was the cost, sitting in the manicure chair and how I felt entrapped by the color for at least two weeks. I also have realized that I suffer from sensory issues and sometimes the feeling of thick nail polish on fingers sent shivers down my spine.

How could I mitigate the cons and still keep the pros? It was like Olive & June heard my prayers and answered them in quick succession.

Right before Christmas, my favorite nail polish brand released their at home gel manicure system and I don't know the last time I pressed checkout so fast. I bought the full gel system with 6 colors-- all which I have the regular polishes for too which made it easy to choose. 

This week seemed better than the past few, didn't it? There were lots of protests, lots of slamming President Musk in court and I stayed off social media, so I kept my sanity. I weirdly cried a lot and was overly emotional about a lot of things but it felt net positive.

After a really busy, and incredible Thursday at work where we hosted a bunch of influencers, I'm looking forward to staying home all weekend. I want to relax, read, watching television and snuggle under a blanket. I want to be present and calm, but that's really all I ever want.

I also want to gear up for another really busy week at work because I have a video shoot with more influencers, which is going to be so fun but very stressful. Then, lots of social events are planned for the coming months so I want to try to be as present in my mind and body as possible. 

Let's get into the roundup!

If you're anything like me, there have been books on your TBR (to be read) list for years. I think I've had some books on my TBR for over a decade, which is slightly embarrassing. There are just some books that I've always wanted to read but never got around to it, mostly because something shiny and new comes along that distracts me. 

To me, it's always more fun to read something that just hit shelves than to read something that has been sitting on your list for a while. Perhaps there is a reason for keeping books on the shelf...maybe it's the fact that if you wanted to read them, you would. If something else is able to take your attention away, perhaps it wasn't worth having your attention at all.

Or maybe, you just love books so much that it's hard to control yourself and you want to read everything. 

I think I fall somewhere in-between...which leads me to today's post. At the start of the year, I wrote out a list of all the books I need to read this year; books that are half read, or have been sitting on my list for a while and I just never got around to it; books that I've been saving for a rainy day. The time is now.

 Well, that was quite a month wasn't it? It'll go down as one of the worst Januarys known to man, rivaling only January 2020 which doesn't feel like a good omen.

But hey, at least it snowed a ton in New York! I cannot stress enough how happy the snow in January made me. It was a bright spot amidst all the chaos and soothed my soul for a bit. 

January was a low-buy month for me and I succeeded. There were minimal unnecessary purchases and it felt really good to not get anything new. There were times when I desperately wanted to press 'place order' but I didn't, which made me really proud. It's the first time in a while I was very intentional with spending, even going as far as to keep track of every single place my money went during the month.

I'm planning on keeping that up as we head into February, and maybe try to add on another task to help improve my life. I'll do just about anything to try to calm my nervous system and new habits, holding myself accountable and being confident in myself is a good place to start. 

Even though January was a low-buy month, I still have a few favorites, most of which were purchased before January 1st. You'll notice a pattern in the items I've chosen, and that's that they help me stay sane and organized.