Even if you’re staying home over Spring Break, you can still take advantage of treating yourself to some good reads, must-watch TV, and products that will remind you it’s almost summer! Here are my recommendations:
BOOKS TO TAKE TO THE POOL (or coffee shop)
Get a Life Chloe Brown, by Talia Hibbert.
Chloe is unique in that she is every single one of us. She’s flawed. She’s funny. She’s sarcastic and smart. She stress-eats. She loves animals, and oh yeah…she’s a sexy thing.
When she meets Redford Morgan, things go a little bit haywire for Chloe, and the ensuing ride is absolutely wonderful to experience.
This is a quick, fun, sexy, slightly naughty book that will keep you planted in your seat soaking up the sun, or drinking an entire pot of coffee in a moody, soulful bistro.
Either option is totally okay by me. 🙂
Lock Every Door, by Riley Sager
Short on time to read? Taking a quick weekend away? Get this book. You’ll read it in less than a day.
This is a page-turning, suspenseful, non-violent, creepy story about a woman who answers a too-good-to-be-true ad for an apartment sitter in an upscale, celebrity hotel, and the horror she discovers is happening there.
No spoilers, but I did not see this one coming.
If you haven’t read it, let me just push you to do so immediately! It’s so fun, and you will instantly become a Riley Sager fan.
The Idea of You, by Robinne Lee
I know I’ve recommended this before, but if you’re new here you need to know about this book.
Gah! This book!
It has it’s own cult following, this book. After I read it I desperately needed to talk about it and wound up joining a Facebook (support) group for fans of the novel.
It’s THAT moving.
You would think it’s a romance, but it’s not. Even though there truly is a wonderful love story.
It’s women’s fiction, but then it’s not. The sex scenes in this book are h-o-t enough to make my cheeks pink.
It’s erotic fiction, but not completely. The love story between Solene and Hayes is gut-wrenching and beautiful and oh-so-moving that you quickly realize it’s about much more than sex.
It’s all of these things wrapped up in an age gap, rockstar troupe novel. It’s a book I never thought I would like and ended up not being able to stop thinking about.
Call me when you’re done reading. 🙂
The Bad Guy, by Celia Aaron
Okay, so this one is marketed as a “dark romance” and holy eye-opening-shockers, is this book exactly that.
Don’t read this if you have triggers. Like…ANY triggers. Don’t read this if you are easily offended by profane language or the use of slang when it comes to certain area of anatomy. And whatever you do, don’t blame me if you read it and think, “oh my god, where are my morals?” Because that’s what happened to me.
Honestly, I can’t even believe I am recommending reading this book, because it says more about me than I’d like to reveal, but what the heck? You only live once, and this book, for some probably humiliating reason, totally sucked me in.
This book will make you question your values and generally who you are as a person, because you literally swoon for a truly Bad Guy.
Definitely an A+ beach read.
Did you know that instead of buying a book here and there, spending money on each individual purchase, you could be reading those same books for free?
It’s true. Well, sort of.
If you sign up for Kindle Unlimited you can read any of the 1 MILLION titles in the KU library for free. You can download a book onto your phone, a Kindle, a tablet, your computer, whatever. And when you’re done, you just click “return to library” and zoom, it deletes off your device.
And did you know this membership includes audiobooks too?!
Next time you don’t want to put your favorite book down, but the dishes are calling your name, you can switch to audio and do the chore at the same time. Brilliant, eh?
Right now if you sign up you can get a month for free. After a month it renews at $9.99/month. I mean, really, you don’t have anything to lose. If you try it and don’t like it, just cancel before the 30 days is up. Easy peasy.
It’s definitely one of the better investments I’ve made in my reading career.
BINGE-WORTHY NETFLIX SHOWS
This has to be my number one choice right now. Has.To.Be. Because this show…this crazy, creepy, awesome show will suck you in and refuse to let go.
Joe is a stalker. And when I say he’s a stalker, I mean, holy crap, you might want to change your personal safety habits after watching him work.
But he is also a kind, caring, generous human that has this side to him that makes you actually think, “oh, he’s not that bad.”
And just like that you’ve succumb to the sociopath mentality that is Joe.
So it’s easy to understand why Beck (Guinevere Beck goes by her last name) falls for him. Especially when you start to know her “friends” and realize how self-absorbed they all actually are.
But when certain people in Beck’s life begin to pull at her attentions, well, things get a little bit sideways.
As in criminal.
As in you won’t be able to stop watching.
As in, I might have had to stop watching once when things got too intense.
Ah my heart.
“Seeking a fresh start, a nurse practitioner moves from Los Angeles to a remote Northern California town and is surprised by what — and who– she finds.”
Full confession: I rarely cry any more. I don’t know why. Maybe because I was such an emotional mess during my adolescence that I used up my allotment of tears. I don’t know, but it takes a lot to make me cry these days. ESPECIALLY during a movie or show.
Not this show though. I watched an episode while on the treadmill and had to keep wiping my eyes because it was so dang moving! Mel’s story is heartbreaking, yes, but the way the actress pulls it off is incredible. Watching this show is like having a conversation with a best friend. Alexandra Beckenridge does an amazing job with the character Melinda Monroe, so much so that I caught myself thinking, “she is a great actress”, and also, “I wonder if I could move to Virgin River.”
Check it out. It’s a quick season though, so my advice would be to watch it slowly.
Full disclosure, I haven’t watched this yet. But a friend has and she said it was super good.
“A hotheaded widow (Christina Applegate) searching for the hit-and-run driver who mowed down her husband befriends an eccentric optimist who isn’t quite what she seems.”
After I finish the second season of You, this is what I plan to watch next!
VACATION PRODUCTS & STUFF YOU need!
I actually bought the Vitamin C serum from Mad Hippie (if you are over age 40 and aren’t using some type of oil on your face, well….long pause….you SHOULD), and when it arrived there were several samples included. One of the samples was this face cream and wow, as soon as I finish using my current one, I will be buying this one ASAP.
First off, Mad Hippie products are free from cruelty, parabens, petrochemicals, animal ingredients, GMO’s, phthalates, SLS (whatever that is), synthetic dye, perfume, PEG’s (again, WTF?), and silicone.
Okay, so right away I’m interested.
But when I tried the face cream, oooooh man. So soft and creamy. It was literally luxury in a bottle. I loved it. And now that I’m typing out a review, I think I just need to order it now.
You can see all of their products by visiting their fun and cute website: www.madhippie.com.
Crystal Light Pure Energy Caffeine packets
I’m no drug dealer, but I’ll tell you this: you need to try this $hit right now.
I am terrible, absolutely terrible at drinking enough water throughout the day. I feel like I get enough water with my coffee so I’m good.
I know that’s wrong.
So recently I picked up these little packets from Crystal Light (can you see the old commercials playing in your mind right now?) and on day 1, not even kidding, I drank two (2!!) 32-oz hydro flasks full of water.
Yes, I had to pee all day long. Yes, it was annoying AF. But here’s the thing: I felt better and had more energy (full disclosure, these packets do contain a slight amount of caffeine as well as B vitamins which give you natural energy).
Don’t follow the instructions on the packet. One packet is MORE than enough for 32 ounces of water. In fact, this morning, just to be frugal I only used half a packet in my hydro instead of a full one.
Oh, before I go, I should say these babies are 15 calories.
Meh, whatever. It’s a good trade off in my opinion.
This little thing is more important than you might initially think.
“It’s a brush, what’s the big deal?” you might be asking yourself. It’s what I said when the whole dry brush trend became popular. But then I recently won a spa basket at an auction and one of these dry brushes was included.
So I used it.
And it was incredible.
Here’s the thing: it feels a little rough at first, like the bristles are too sharp and scratchy, but then you get used to it and it feels amazing. I imagine it’s what it would feel like if a tiger licked your whole body.
Ok, that’s weird. But you get what I’m saying, LOL.
Anyway, this idea of dry brushing is supposed to remove dead and dry skin, remove toxins and improve lymphatic functions. It even claims to reduce cellulite, so of course I’m all about that.
I’m fully addicted to dry brushing my bod now.
Red Light Therapy
So this isn’t a product but a way of treatment that is relatively new.
The idea is that you expose yourself to low wavelength red light that helps with skin conditions, scarring, and signs of aging. It is reportedly beneficial for improving facial texture and improving fine lines, as well as reducing age spots and increasing collagen production. It could also be effective at reducing pain in adults with musculoskeletal disorders.
As it turns out my local tanning bed franchise, Tan Republic, offers a red light therapy bed. I checked it out and it turns out it’s pretty popular. I’ve been using the service now for about a month and can honestly say that my skin does look better. I have some sun spots on my face that have noticeably lightened and the size of my pores, especially around my nose and forehead, has decreased. Not to mention I feel rejuvenated from the warmth and exposure to light, especially in this gloomy Pacific Northwest climate.
For the first week or two you need to go every day, for at least 15 minutes a day. After that you can reduce down to about 3 times a week.
We’ll see how it goes with reducing pain; I haven’t really experienced that as a potential bonus, but I’m also dealing with a herniated disc. Probably a condition that is a little less severe could see definite improvement.
Here’s an article about RLT if you’d like to read more about it.
Cute Peplum Top, Target
For $12.00, this adorable top will be perfect for your spring break. Pair it with high-waisted anything and a fat belt for a super cute, on-trend look. It also comes in a mint green, rose, and orange, but you know me: all black is best.
To me this dress just says “vacation”. But it is a multi-purpose thing as well. Even if you aren’t in warm weather over spring break, this can be used later in the summer as a swimsuit cover up, as a quick, easy outfit for a coffee date, something cute to wear with a black kimono to an outdoor concert, or, with a light cardigan sweater and some statement jewelry as a date night outfit. It’s so versatile and I love this pink pattern (very forgiving to lumps and bumps).
It’s in my cart 🙂
Something else that is in my cart right now is this blue and white striped tote bag. I’m envisioning using this at the beach during my girls’ sand volleyball matches since it will hold a small arsenal of supplies, including my laptop. But this would also make a perfect airplane carry-on tote since it has flexible sides and can be easily fit into any space. But most of all I love the stripes. They remind me of canvas awnings and sailboats, and nothing says sunshine like those two things.
So, please hit reply and tell me about your spring break plans. Going anywhere fun? Staying home and having an amazing stay-cation? Both options sound equally fantastic to me, plus I love to hear how other people choose to spend down time.
Thanks for reading! Can’t wait to connect with you again soon. Have a fabulous March.
xo
Megan
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