Monthly Catch Up #3 – March 2019

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Written by Norrie

Hey, guys, how’s it going?

Guys, I’m just simply not feelin’ it… Weather’s been all right, work isn’t particularly busy, I finally got some medication that should stop my endless stomach pains, and yet, I just feel meh most of the time.  I’m almost positive it’s to do with my plans for the end of the month.

I’ve been planning a trip to Hungary to visit my family and just can’t shake of this sense of impending doom. 2017-01-01-brooklyn-9925My therapist is having a field day with me, for sure. Even my boss tried to offer helpful advice, along the lines of Mari Kondo’s philosophy of tossing things that don’t spark joy. I’m super confused.

On the flip side, I signed up for my new gym this week. Only took me about two weeks to psyche myself up! It costs me three times what my old one did, but fuck me, it doesn’t stink, it’s clean, tidy, has a swimming pool, sauna, and a cafe. I also have unlimited access to all the classes, which is nice, but probably will take another month to convince myself to try them. I’m not really a fan of classes. They tend to be quite peopley.

I haven’t spent too much time experimenting with cooking this month, but fear not… As part of the gentrification of my neighbourhood a lot of cool food places opened up recently. My favourite is… the new ramen place!

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readmarch

Well, thanks to audio books and some mind-numbingly uneventful days at the office, I managed to read (or listen to some of them, whatever) 18 books. Woop-woop! Of course there are always some party poopers around the corner, and one of them felt compelled to point out “But surely you don’t remember all of them“. I pointedly shot back a “Why do you even care?” which went unanswered, so here we are.

March was also the month when my very first one star review was born. Yep, that’s right. Looker by Laura Sims was a truly traumatic experience for me.

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Kill Me Again by Rachel Abbott ♥♥♥♥♥
DCI Douglas, the Swoony One is after a serial killer, murdering women who look like each other.

Undone by Cat Clarke ♥♥
Mindless revenge stuff.

Sleep by C.L. Taylor ♥♥♥♥♥
Suffer from insomnia? Well, this won’t help either…

One For Sorrow by Sarah Denzil ♥♥♥♥
A creepy thriller set in a mental asylum.

She Lies In Wait by Gytha Lodge ♥♥♥♥
A cold case & some good, old fashioned police investigation.

The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond ♥♥♥♥
I smell cult.

The Fever King by Victoria Lee ♥♥♥♥
Alternate history, refugees, magic outbreak, super powers.

Looker by Laura Sims ♥
Endless drivel and crazy talk.

Adrift by Isabelle Adler ♥♥♥♥
Scavengers, space pirates, adventure and fluffy feels.

mylovelywifeMy Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing

Dexter meets Mr. and Mrs. Smith in this wildly compulsive debut thriller about a couple whose fifteen-year marriage has finally gotten too interesting…

Our love story is simple. I met a gorgeous woman. We fell in love. We had kids. We moved to the suburbs. We told each other our biggest dreams, and our darkest secrets. And then we got bored.

We look like a normal couple. We’re your neighbors, the parents of your kid’s friend, the acquaintances you keep meaning to get dinner with.

We all have secrets to keeping a marriage alive.

Ours just happens to be getting away with murder.

I’ve been thinking if I should take a break of some sorts. These past couple weeks I spent considerably less time on Twitter and Instagram, and I must say, it did help with my mood a bit.

I haven’t felt particularly inspired about my reviews, and as ironic it sounds, this month I broke all kinds of personal records with number of books read, but can’t say I felt like discussing them all that much. Perhaps you know the feeling of having too many thoughts, but feeling inadequate in expressing them.

I need to prepare myself for my trip, mainly mentally. It sounds awful, but right now, I just want to get it over with and come back home. I haven’t set foot in Hungary since 2015, and I’m only going for a week, so it’s definitely survivable and yet it feels like the biggest chore. It’s quite a weird state of mind and I just feel shitty about even having these thoughts.

I look forward to seeing what you guys are up to!

68 Comments

  2. Hi Norrie. I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been having a tough time. Hope that you will feel better soon. That is amazing that you’ve read so much this month. I see there are some 5-stars there! What is your favourite book this month? 🙂

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    1. Hmm, good question…
      I think i like The Au Pair the most from my usual genre, and Adrift the second best 🙂
      How about you? Did any book stand out from your reads?

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      1. The Au Pair sounds like an interesting book! My favourite from this past month was probably The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo which was super addictive with amazing characters 🙂

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  3. Oh I have The Au Pair and You still on my list! 15 novels is an amazing amount… was it a form of escapism to stop thinking about your trip or was it just a good opportunity to read? I hope you’ll feel better soon and that it’ll turn out better than expected! Take care sweetie, hugs to you!

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  4. Best wishes for your trip & also for your health 🙂
    I have to say that regular blogging helps keep my mind off rubbish things… like I have been ill for about 3 weeks now but I’d be lost without the reading & reviewing.

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  5. Looks like you’ve accomplished a lot of reading! And a new Ramen place is always a good thing. I’m sorry to hear about how you are feeling though and can honestly say that I’ve had a similar way of felling this past month. Here’s to hoping April is good to you!

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  7. Hugs dear Norrie. Sorry to hear that you haven’t been well. I pray that your trip will go well and that you will feel better x So many interesting titles in March. I hope you are enjoying My Lovely Wife. That is my next read. Have a lovely week.

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    1. Aw, thank you, Diana ❤ 🙂 Hope you have a great week & month too!

      I read about the 1/3 of My Lovely Wife, and i'm kinda hooked. It's quite different to what i thought it will be.
      Can't wait to see your thoughts on it! 🙂

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  8. “They tend to be quite peopley.”
    Yep, that would be enough to convince me not to go to a class! I must say I am impressed with your numbers this month (18, hurray! and ignore the sour pusses who just want to rain on your parade).

    Sorry you’re feeling down. In this case, with a trip coming and not feeling like doing much social media, watch out for burn-out on your blog. If you need to just do a full stop, do it. I’d recommend letting people know though so they don’t think you’ve been hit by a bus (awesome gif by the way, made me laugh pretty good).

    I trust that April will be a better month for you.

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  9. Hope your feeling of impending doom doesn’t end in actual doom and you have a fab time! In the meantime: keep reading! And / or watching Black Mirror. Although that usually doesn’t improve my feelings of impending doom 😄

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  10. My grandfather emigrated to America from Hungary in 1911 when he was 11. This doesn’t really have anything to do with anything except that I hope you post about your trip afterwards. 🙂 (Also, that it does not end up being as terrible as you think it’s going to be.)

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    1. Ooh, how cool! Did he ever go back for a visit?
      I always get weird about it…
      I’m taking my BF with me, so we’ll do some touristy stuff as well, i’m sure, so i’ll post some pics 🙂

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  11. Sorry to hear that March was a rough month for you! 😦 I understand the feeling of having anxiety about something and not being able to explain why. Just the overwhelming sense of doom and gloom. I hope that you are able to enjoy your trip though!

    Also, I love the thought about classes being too “peopley.” I completely agree! My gym in general is too peopley for me.

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    1. Thank you 🙂 I think it’s a combo of not visiting for 3 years and also i’m taking my BF with me, so a bit worried i’m gonna be a party pooper 😀

      So far i’m happy with the gym… as i noticed, lot of people go only for classes and leave the machines and weights alone 😀

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  12. Okay, I get the feelings of impending doom when it comes to visiting family, I get that too. I’m eh what you call estranged from my family. My only advice, go because you want to see maybe one person, or one place, and to enjoy one really good thing, and focus on that. It always helps me.

    As for ramen? The food of the gods, I love me some good noodles, hell, anything with rice included as well. I was brought up in SE Asia, so ate rice and noodles every day. I had no idea what chips were till I was in my teens. 😉

    I get the ‘peopley’ thing too. I don’t like crowds, or two many sweaty bodies, so you’d never find me in a gym.

    As for book records? Well, you know how my March went, down the toilet. Personal problems can either make you read, a lot or, simply don’t give a f*ck!

    If all else fails, grab for the chocolate. Works for me. Take care!

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    1. Thanks for the advice! That’s a solid tip actually 🙂 I’m taking my BF as well, so i think i will just pretend i’m a tourist too. Maybe that works.

      Ah, growing up in SE Asia sounds quite cool! Even without the noodles it must have been interesting. But of course noodles make everything better 😀
      I did know what chips was, but only the home made ones. To this day there’s no fast food chain place in my home town, so all we had was my grandma’s soggy chips… 😀

      I’m kinda partial to ice cream over chocolate, but now i even feel bad about that too cuz i just got back to the gym. It’s one of those months i think… 😀

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      1. I use that tip myself when stressed about having to go someplace, or visit anyone. And I’m not a people person at the best of times. And if you have moral support, with a BF, make it all about you both. The rest can take care of itself, right? ☺️

        Yeah, I had the luck of living with big bugs, snakes, and very large spiders! 😛 But the noodles made up for everything.

        And gym or no gym, no self respecting woman should feel guilt over chocolate, it’s a given.

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        1. Ha! Ok, well bugs and snakes don’t sound so good. I really hate snakes… the other day BF tried to watch a documentary w snakes, and i had to leave the room 😀 😀

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  13. What a month in reading, Norrie! And that ramen- wow! That is ramen at a whole new level! Yum! I hope you start to feel better- it sounds like having the trip behind you will help with that. I hope your month is wonderful and filled with some great reads. ♥️ No more one-star ones!

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  14. Oh I’m so sorry to hear you’re feeling that way, I hope that the trip will come and go really quickly and that it will end up being better than you imagine it to be. Sending you tons of positive vibes, Norrie! ❤ ❤
    You've read quite a lot the past month, this is great! I get the feeling of… not wanting to talk about all the books, though, I get that feeling often, too and… it's so frustrating, but sometimes we just can't force the words to come 🙂
    I hope you'll have a lovely April ❤

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  15. Pingback: Planet Simon’s Weekly Orbit – Blog Date 14-2019 – Planet Simon

  18. Aw, I’m sorry to hear that you’re in a sucky mood. It’s never fun. But I really, really hope that you’re trip goes well! Pls don’t die of a stress-induced heart attack … lol 😉 ❤

    Very glad to see that you had a productive reading month! A sense of accomplishment is always nice

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    1. Ha! Could be! Haven’t thought of it that way.

      Asian food is so addictive! For me, anyway 😀 Try not to eat it all the time cuz of all the salt, and oil and whatnot. One day i’ll master them and can make a healthy version at home! 😀

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  23. Stomach cramps? Impending doom? 😦 Naaw. I hope time flies by for you so you can get back home and feel better. Feel hugged. Sending virtual chocolates. You´re going to a gym that has a pool? What magical place is that? The gym I go to doesn´t even have a sauna. It´s a get in, do your shit, get out place. Lol. A pool would make it all a bit nicer. I totally feel you on gym classes being peopley. I usually go with a friend to the gym. She wanted to do the trampoline class. I was like a cat being forced to take a bath. The only thing I didn´t do was scream for my mother. lol. So many people in there looking questionable. We have a trampoline at home for the kids and I tried ( in secret ) to immitate the moves from those classes. Husbutt caught me. He will never let me off the hook with that one. No gym class for me… ever. 🙂 Honey, yous got an impressive reading list. Why is everyone ( aside from my lazy self, of course ) being so bookish? I feel like I should hide in a corner or something. Black Heart looks really interesting. That ramen…. looks amazing. I hope it tasted as grand as it looks in the pic?
    Pfft. I´m not feeling social media at all, either. Totally feeling you on that front. And the weird thing is: It doesn´t feel like a loss. Lol. Hope you have a wonderul time in Hungary. I´ve heard many wonderful things about the country. 🙂

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    1. Aw, thank you * hugs *
      My old gym was like the one you go to. Machines upon machines and weights. And still, never found the ones i needed. My new one… it is kinda like a magical place 😀 I go during lunch time, and there are barely any people around. Love it ❤

      Black Heart was a pretty good conclusion to an awesome series 🙂 It's YA, but really well written, and has an interesting way of handling "magic".

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  24. I hear ya! Being offline a lot myself, I totally get that mood vs online time thing Norrie.

    Just a thought – I come to London on a regular basis and if you ever fancy meeting up for coffee or drink, I’d love to share a rant about all of that. But hey, no worries if you don’t fancy it, the offer is there if you want to swap stories one day. Hang in there my friend. ❤️

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    1. Oh, that’d be lovely 🙂
      I don’t remember if you are on twitter or not, but you can send me private message there if you are, to swap contacts. If you aren’t on it then we’ll come up with something else.
      Had to obliterate my contact form here, cuz i got too many review message despite i mentioned i don’t accept any 😀

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  25. Sending all the hugs! I definitely feel that dread and anxiety sometimes when I go to South Korea to visit my extended family. I think it’s just the stress having to recap what I’ve been doing with my life–how are my studies going, what’s my job like, what are my future plans–and the feeling that I’m not living up to their standards? Who knows. But hopefully things will get better for you post-trip! And that ramen looks delish. 😀

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  26. While a trip to Hungary sounds lovely, it does sound like meeting up with family might become quite hectic although what you seem to need most of right now is calm, peace and less “peopley” things. I do hope you’ll get to read some great books this month and things will smooth out for you! Take as much time off as you need to survive it all, Norrie! 😀

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  27. Take a break if you need it – I definitely understand, blogging or feeling excited about it is something I am struggling with at the moment, but it turns out I was also on a reading slump.

    I hope things will get better and that you will have an amazing time on your trip!

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  28. Ahh, I hope you have a great time in Hungary with your family & that the ‘impending doom’ feeling was for nothing. ♡ Your new gym sounds awesome! & I feel you on not wanting to take the classes because they’re too “peopley.” 😂 The ramen looks yummy! How fun that they’re opening up a bunch of new spots near you!

    We totally understand if you need to take a break, Norrie. We’ll still be here when you’re feeling more inspired & up to it!! ♡

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  29. Aw, I’m sorry to hear you’ve been feeling so “meh” lately. ❤ I feel ya. Hoping for better days to come your way soon! 🙂
    Glad to hear you found an awesome new gym though. That's gotta be a major improvement. I started taking more classes again at my gym (luckily they usually aren't too people-y at mine) but then I got smacked with a wicked cold so I gotta wait a bit more before I head back.
    I hope your trip goes better than you're expecting and you have an amazing time. ❤ 😀

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