Tag Archives: Personal

12.24.16
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Writing Prompt #38: My Favorite Christmas Music

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Image Credit: The Diamondback

Merry Christmas Eve!

Happy Hanukkah!

I woke up this morning feeling inspired to write a post about my favorite Christmas music! I love listening to music this time of year – It always gets me into a festive mood.

This list has a mix of secular songs, carols, and hymns. I hope you enjoy!

“All I Want For Christmas Is You”

Mariah Carey‘s version is my all-time favorite. I certainly can’t sing like her, but I try! It’s one that always makes me excited for the season.

If you haven’t seen the recent mash-up of the song courtesy of James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke, it’s awesome!

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“Carol of the Bells”

I love this song. It gives me chills every single time! My parents play handbells at church. That’s my favorite way to hear it, but I love a good string quartet, too.

Here’s a few others that I’ve found:

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“Christmas Canon”

Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is one of my favorite musical groups of all-time. I was lucky enough to see them perform in 2012 at our local Hampton Coliseum. Since then, I’ve desperately wanted to see them again!

Their spin on Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” is impressive, titled Christmas Canon.

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“Christmas Eve / Sarajevo 12/24”

Another classic from TSO. This is one of my top three Christmas songs of all-time, one that I listen to multiple times every single year. It’s stunning!

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“Go Tell It on the Mountain”

This is one of those songs that I look forward to singing every year.

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“It Came Upon A Midnight Clear”

I remember learning to play this on my viola. I love singing it, but also listening to it.

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“Mary, Did You Know?”

Let me tell you, I went crazy for Clay Aiken after he became runner-up on season two of American Idol.

That’s part of the reason I love this song now. His version was just beautiful. I remember receiving his Christmas CD and playing it on repeat.

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“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”

This music always gives me chills. It’s almost haunting.

I fell in love with this version the minute it started. I think it’s partly because I played piano, and then viola, so anything with piano and strings captures my heart: O come, O come, Emmanuel – (Piano/Cello) – The Piano Guys.

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“Silent Night”

Hearing this song always makes me think of the end of Aldersgate’s Christmas Eve services. We all light candles, and the entire sanctuary is darkened as we sing. It’s just a gorgeous scene.

Lindsey Stirling is my girl. She’s amazing! Seeing her in concert at the NorVA a few years ago blew me away. Take a few minutes and listen to her version of Silent Night.

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“You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch”

Sung by Thurl Ravenscroft for the 1966 Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas special, I love this song!

Fun Fact: We watched this on TV last night!

However you celebrate the season, I wish all of you many blessings, safe travels, and cherished time with family and friends!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

12.20.16
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Getting Personal #50: “Tree House, Santa Monica, California” (Reblogged)

Seeing this post yesterday morning made me drift away into whimsical daydreams. Especially since it’s been a wild roller coaster ride of temperatures in Hampton Roads recently. It was chilly on Saturday, then rose to nearly 80 degrees on Sunday, and Monday was frigid and grey all day long.

I love tree houses! I’ve wanted one ever since I was a kid. What about you?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

12.08.16
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Writing Prompt #37: Considering A “Five-Year Journal”

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Image Credit: Becoming Who You Are

I don’t remember when I stumbled upon this link, but it must have been earlier this year.

Here’s the link:

At first glance, looking at it, I was filled with excitement and dread. FIVE YEARS? Wow. That’s a LONG time!

But, I like the idea of it. It reminds me of my parents and their logs. My mom still writes in a notebook almost every day, recounting the day’s events. Then, they have boxes of red-bound books with logs of years past. I didn’t read them much as a kid, but as I got older, I enjoyed reading pieces of them, especially Dad’s. He crammed his neat all-capitalized print into every line of every page!

I can’t remember a time when I haven’t journaled, in some way. I always have pen and paper with me. My journaling has evolved and changed over the years – From just regular paper, to spiral notebooks, to loose-leaf in binders, to legal pads, and mini-notebooks. Now, most of mine is electronic, with the blog and all. But, I value my handwriting and I enjoy writing in cursive, so I’m considering this “five-year journal” endeavor for 2017!

I like the prompts idea. I may go that route.

At the same time, several of my journals have contained random ideas and thoughts, and some of those have turned into story ideas. So, who knows where this may lead!

I already have a potential notebook in mind!

What do you guys think?

Do you journal?

Do you consider your blog a journal?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

12.01.16
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Getting Personal #49: December Goals

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Image Credit: quotesgram.com

Here are my goals for the month of December!

  1. Decorate for Christmas.
  2. Fully clean up / clean out the attached garage.
  3. Enjoy several holiday parties!
  4. Donate blood.
  5. Create our budget for 2017.
  6. Help either a child or a family have a good Christmas.
  7. See Rogue One: A Star Wars Story!
  8. Make peppermint bark.

Here’s the breakdown:

Decorate for Christmas.

  • We just bought our first Christmas tree! We’re excited to set it up in our living room and decorate it!
  • Red and green are so festive!

Fully clean up / clean out the attached garage.

  • We cleared out two of the end tables last weekend, so one whole wall is clean now!
  • We plan to go through boxes and containers a little bit every weekend!

Enjoy several holiday parties!

  • Amanda and Dan’s annual gathering is this weekend.
  • Al’s company holiday party is next weekend!
  • At the end of the month, we celebrate New Year’s and Kathryn’s birthday!

Donate blood.

  • I’m trying again this weekend!

Create our budget for 2017.

  • We started a spreadsheet in July, and we need to fill it out for the rest of 2016, and then create a new worksheet for next year.

Help either a child or a family have a good Christmas.

  • Having been raised in a church that has participated with Angel Tree, Salvation Army stockings, and Operation Christmas Child, I always try to do something extra in the month of December.
  • I’ve already volunteered to be a Christmas elf to help a college friend help a family she knows, but I want to do a little bit more than that.

See Rogue One: A Star Wars Story!

  • This has been the most anticipated movie for us this year!
  • This is one that we are going to see multiple times!

Make peppermint bark.

  • I discovered this a few years ago, and it’s super easy to make!
  • I love peppermint during the holidays. Plus, it has white chocolate! Yum!

That’s all I have for December! I can’t believe it’s the last month of 2016!!

Do you have any goals for December?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

11.30.16
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Getting Personal #48: November Goals Recap

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Image Credit: quotesgram.com

Hello, readers!

November whizzed by so fast, I could barely keep up!

Here’s the link to my November Goals post:

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Ready?

Here we go!

  1. Complete NaNoWriMo 2016! – Did not accomplish.
  2. Wear makeup every single day. – Accomplished!
  3. Make more progress with my 2016 Reading Challenge. – Accomplished!
  4. Enjoy our first wedding anniversary! – Accomplished!
  5. Make chocolate mousse pie for Thanksgiving. – Accomplished!
  6. Make final preps for our housewarming party! – Did not accomplish.
  7. Start the “Lady Lounge” makeover! – Semi-achieved.

Here’s the breakdown:

Complete NaNoWriMo 2016! – Did not accomplish.

  • I felt super confident on October 31st, but then I looked at the calendar for November. There was so many things filling these 30 days – Vacation, Thanksgiving, Al’s parents coming to visit, plus trying to finish my class projects way before November 29th. I didn’t even sign up / register this year.
  • I’m slightly disappointed, but I know that it wasn’t meant to be this year. Hopefully, by next November, I’ll have graduated with my Paralegal Studies degree and I won’t have to worry about projects, homework, and exams!

Wear makeup every single day. – Accomplished!

  • I felt amazing taking just a few minutes out of my morning to put some makeup on. I received multiple compliments, and I plan to keep going!
  • I definitely want to experiment a bit more in the coming months – Play with colors, etc. I’m having fun!

Make more progress with my 2016 Reading Challenge. – Accomplished!

  • I made my first trip to the local library at the beginning of the month, and picked up two books on the list. I almost got through one of them by the time they were due two weeks later. I want to go back this weekend and check that one out again to finish it!
  • I’m currently one-third of the way through another piece on the list. Look for that review in the next week or two!

Enjoy our first wedding anniversary! – Accomplished!

  • We enjoyed a wonderful six-day vacation to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We explored Avon, Buxton, Hatteras Island, and Ocracoke Island. I’m hoping to publish my Adventure Time post next week!

Make chocolate mousse pie for Thanksgiving. – Accomplished!

  • It’s actually called chocolate mousse cake.
  • Here’s the recipe I used: Bon Appetit Chocolate Mousse Cake
  • I was a little nervous, cooking it for the first time in my own kitchen. I think I spent about 3 hours on it that Wednesday night.
  • I shouldn’t have worried: It was AMAZING. Everyone complimented it at my parents’ house.
  • Needless to say, the leftovers didn’t last past Friday lunch!

Make final preps for our housewarming party! – Did not accomplish.

  • Given that tomorrow is December 1st, it looks like plans for a housewarming party aren’t in the cards for 2016. We want to clear more of the clutter and put a few more finishing touches on our living room and kitchen area first.

Start the “Lady Lounge” makeover! – Semi-achieved.

  • This is along the same lines as the housewarming party. I need to make a plan for what I’m buying and when – Buying a desk, moving the massive bookcase from my parents’ house to ours, researching shelves, etc.
  • It’s becoming more organized. I’m definitely going to use the break in between my classes to keep this going!

Final Thoughts

  • I was able to put Accomplished on 4 of the 7 goals! Yay!
  • The one goal that was Semi-Achieved: I wasn’t able to spend as much time on it as I wanted, but I’m getting there.
  • The two goals that I didn’t accomplish: Both were due to time constraints. This month was one of the fastest yet. I’m excited to make more progress!

Did you have any goals for November?

Come back tomorrow to see my December goals!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

11.23.16
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Getting Personal #47: Giving Thanks

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Image Credit: pinterest.com

Since today is Thanksgiving Eve, I wanted to take a few minutes to write about giving thanks and reflecting on so many blessings that I have.

I’ve been pretty busy these last few weeks, which is why you haven’t seen many posts from me recently. Since last year, November has become a whirlwind month. We just celebrated a year of marriage. We went on a super relaxing vacation. Since we got home, we’ve dived back into reality – Home improvement projects, making sure parts of our house don’t flood, getting excited for the holidays.

I’m in the home stretch with my Trial Prep class. I’ve been trying to finish my two big projects that make up 45 percent of my grade – They’re due next week. After that, all that’s left is my final exam.

I’m blessed to be a part of several wonderful families – By blood, by marriage, by church. I’m looking forward to creating our family-favorite, absolutely delicious Chocolate Mousse Cake tonight, to share with Al, my parents, family friends, and church family tomorrow afternoon.

Reflecting on 2016, overall, it’s been a pretty good year.

No doubt, I’ve dealt with challenges, nightmares, anxiety attacks, friendship difficulties, and information overload.

There are still people in shock over the election results. There are families dealing with insurmountable tragedies – House fires, hospitalizations, difficult pregnancies, refugees trying to migrate, the horror of war, losing children / family members in school bus crashes. It happens every single day.

But, I thank God for a wonderful marriage, loving families, amazing health, stable jobs, a beautiful house, food in the fridge, and the ability to help others.

As we enter the 2016 holiday season, I’m motivated to help others as much as possible. It’s about giving, not receiving. I hope to give a pint of blood in two weeks. I hope to help at least one child have an amazing Christmas morning. I hope to spend quality time with my family and friends.

I’m very blessed. Writing everything down here, in this amazing space and platform, has only increased my gratitude.

I’m also incredibly grateful for you, my readers. Thank you so much for helping this little blog blossom into something amazing, especially this past year. All of you are amazing!

Readers, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

11.01.16
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Getting Personal #45: November Goals

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Image Credit: pinterest.com

Here are my goals for the month of November!

  1. Complete NaNoWriMo 2016!
  2. Wear makeup every single day.
  3. Make more progress with my 2016 Reading Challenge.
  4. Enjoy our first wedding anniversary!
  5. Make chocolate mousse pie for Thanksgiving.
  6. Make final preps for our housewarming party!
  7. Start the “Lady Lounge” makeover!

Here’s the breakdown:

Complete NaNoWriMo 2016!

  • NaNoWriMo = National Novel Writing Month.
  • I did it in 2012, 2013, and 2014. I took 2015 off, and I found that I missed it! I’m excited that 2016 will be Year #4!
  • My overall goal is surpassing 16,000 words. That was my total for my 2014 novel!

Wear makeup every single day

  • I’ve wanted to wear makeup more often, so I want to make more of an effort for this month.

Make more progress with my 2016 Reading Challenge.

  • I’m not setting a specific goal this month (i.e., “read two books,” etc.)
  • I just want to review the list and try to make headway before December!
  • I plan to go to the local library next weekend and get started!

Enjoy our first wedding anniversary!

  • I’m blown away – I can’t believe we’re 13 days away from celebrating one year of marriage!

Make chocolate mousse pie for Thanksgiving.

  • My parents are hosting us for Thanksgiving, so I’m excited to make the famous chocolate mousse pie again!
  • I’m excited to make it in my kitchen for the first time.

Make final preps for our housewarming party!

  • We’d like to have a housewarming bash before the end of the year.
  • We have a good-sized list to accomplish, but I’m excited to check everything off!

Start the “Lady Lounge” makeover!

  • Al has dubbed my office space the “Lady Lounge,” and I love it!
  • I’m hoping to move over the huge bookcase from my parents’ house, most of my books, and finalize plans for a desk and a plan for my American Girl dolls.

That’s all I have for November!

You guys are awesome – Your likes and comments mean the world to me!

Do you have any goals for this month?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

10.31.16
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Getting Personal #44: October Goals Recap

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Image Credit: brainyquote.com

Hi, my amazing readers!

I’m stunned – It’s the end of October! Wow!

Here’s the link to my October Goals post:

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Ready?

Here we go!

  1. Prep the house for our first overnight visitor! – Accomplished!
  2. Donate blood! – Did not accomplish.
  3. Plan our Halloween costumes! – Accomplished!
  4. Decorate the house for fall! – Semi-achieved.
  5. Clean up the clutter and plan my office space! – Accomplished!
  6. Recap my 44 for Bill Movement participation. – Did not accomplish.
  7. Celebrate birthdays – Mom’s and Mia’s! – Semi-achieved.
  8. Read at least two books on my 2016 Reading Challenge list, and publish those book reviews. – Semi-achieved.
  9. Join the Portsmouth Public Library. – Accomplished!
  10. Read through Megan’s cookbook, and try at least two of her recipes! – Accomplished!
  11. Sign up for a pen pal through Geek Girl Pen Pals. – Accomplished!
  12. Get ahead with my Trial Prep & Discovery Practice assignments. – Accomplished!
  13. Get excited for our wedding anniversary getaway! – Accomplished!

Here’s the breakdown:

Prep the house for our first overnight visitor! – Accomplished!

  • This one was a little wonky. Our original visitor wasn’t able to come down during the weekend of October 14th due to a work schedule conflict. It actually worked out okay – There were some unexpected changes that weekend, and Al and I ended up moving a good chunk of furniture from my parents’ house to ours.
  • However, Al’s parents stayed with us this past weekend! It was awesome. We had a great time. They stayed overnight on Friday, and then went to see some of our family yesterday.

Donate blood! – Did not accomplish.

  • I was so close. My favorite phlebotomist, Spencer, was able to work the drive at the beginning of October, for the first time in over a year!
  • Unfortunately, I just barely missed the mark. For women, you need a score of 12.5 for hemoglobin, and I got to 12.4. Argh!
  • I’m beefing up my vitamins and investing more research into iron-rich foods. I will give again in December!

Plan our Halloween costumes! – Accomplished!

  • We went to Kathryn and Tim’s annual Halloween party on the 22nd as a wizard and witch headed back to Hogwarts. We had matching Griffyndor ties, collared shirts, and dress pants. We also showed off our wands from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Decorate the house for fall! – Semi-achieved.

  • I showed off my painted pumpkins, and I was able to give another stylized “V” one to Al’s parents! Mom was so excited – She can’t wait to put it in the house on the farm!

Clean up the clutter and plan my office space! – Accomplished!

  • I finally got so fed on a Sunday night that I turned into a tornado and went to town. It’s still a work in progress, but I have all my doll items in an organized pile now.
  • Plus, there was enough floor space to move the vintage yellow couch into another corner! I can’t wait to transform that space into my reading nook.

Recap my 44 for Bill Movement participation. – Did not accomplish.

  • This didn’t happen. I’m still writing letters!

Celebrate birthdays – Mom’s and Mia’s! – Semi-achieved.

  • We went out to dinner with my mom and dad to Szechuan Inn, a great local Chinese place. Mom had a great day!
  • We’re hoping to meet up with Mia in November to celebrate her. They were super busy in October, and Nick and Savy both got the plague after attending a wedding!

Read at least two books on my 2016 Reading Challenge list, and publish those book reviews. – Semi-achieved.

Join the Portsmouth Public Library. – Accomplished!

  • I marched in there after the blood drive on October 1st. The man that helped me was wonderful! I’m hoping to visit next Saturday to check out my first books!

Read through Megan’s cookbook, and try at least two of her recipes! – Accomplished!

  • I successfully made Burger Bowls and Chili-Lime Sweet Potato Fries!
  • We’re gonna look through the Shrimp section next!

Sign up for a pen pal through Geek Girl Pen Pals. – Accomplished!

  • I officially signed up! Woohoo!
  • I started emailing Penni, who posted in a forum that she was essentially left high and dry by her “match.” She’s wonderful!

Get ahead with my Trial Prep & Discovery Practice assignments. – Accomplished!

  • I finished my midterm exam ahead of time, and I feel like I did well. We graded them in-class on the 25th. I missed a few questions, but I got all of the extra credit right! I’m pretty sure I scored a high B or a low A.
  • I put in some good work on both folders last weekend and this weekend. Everything is due at the end of November, and I feel really good right now.

Get excited for our wedding anniversary getaway! – Accomplished!

  • We’re going to Hatteras Island, North Carolina! We love the beach, and I can’t wait to show Al all that Hatteras has to offer. We are so excited to get away, and enjoy our first anniversary!

Final Thoughts

  • I was able to put Accomplished on 8 out of 13 goals! Woohoo!
  • The three goals that were Semi-Achieved: I’m happy that I was able to do as much as I did this month!
  • The two goals that weren’t accomplished: I’m excited to conquer them in November and December!

Did you have any goals for October?

If so, how did you do?

Come back tomorrow to see my November goals!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

10.29.16
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Getting Personal #43: “For Anyone Considering Suicide, From Those That Have Been There” (Reblogged)

I love Carla’s blog. She writes about so many important issues!

This is such a powerful video. The Mighty is a wonderful site!

I love her idea of writing letters to those with depression, thinking of suicide, or struggling with a debilitating illness. Since she lives in Australia, she will be starting with just Australia (Postage is very expensive to go outside of the country!)

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With that, since I love sending cards and letters, I would like to do a similar effort in the U.S.

Especially since I considered suicide once. It was the fall of 2008. So much was going on in my life, it was starting to become too much – My first grandparent had passed away, I wanted to leave Longwood and come home, I was having problems with my long-term boyfriend, he was using a few friends to aggravate me and feel even lousier.

If you would like to receive a card or letter, or you know someone who could use a little bit of encouragement and love, please contact me through the links below:

Thank you, Carla, for sharing!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

10.25.16
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Getting Personal #42: My First-Ever To Be Read List (TBR)

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Image Credit: TED Blog

Thanks to a recent conversation via blog comments with Maureen, who writes the fabulous blog Sparkle, she gave me that kick in the pants to finally make a To Be Read (TBR) list of my own!

In addition, this is the perfect segue for me to get back onto Goodreads and hold myself accountable that way, too.

Now, with this post, I’m currently focused on wrapping up my 2016 Reading Challenge first, so that’s why the remaining books from that list are at the top of this list.

Ready?

Here we go!

Laura Beth’s To Be Read (TBR) List, as of October 2016:

  1. The Language of Silence, Tiffany Truitt (An awesome sorority sister of mine, and a local author!)
  2. Black Rabbit Hall, Eve Chase
  3. Gone With The Wind, Margaret Mitchell
  4. The Red Tent, Anita Diamant
  5. The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick
  6. Tropic of Cancer, Henry Miller
  7. New Boy, Julian Houston
  8. The Casual Vacancy, J.K. Rowling
  9. The Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins
  10. 11/22/63, Stephen King
  11. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs
  12. Hollow City, Ransom Riggs
  13. Library of Souls, Ransom Riggs
  14. Tales of the Peculiar, Ransom Riggs
  15. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, J.K. Rowling
  16. Quidditch Through the Ages, J.K. Rowling
  17. Music in My Heart: My Journey with Melody, Erin Falligant with Denise Lewis Patrick
  18. The Sky’s the Limit: My Journey with Maryellen, Valerie Tripp
  19. Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures, Emma Straub
  20. Modern Lovers, Emma Straub
  21. In the Unlikely Event, Judy Blume
  22. You Will Know Me, Megan Abbott
  23. The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
  24. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
  25. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, Laura Hillenbrand
  26. Valley of the Dolls, Jacqueline Susann
  27. The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson
  28. The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead
  29. Brown Girl Dreaming, Jacqueline Woodson
  30. Another Brooklyn, Jacqueline Woodson
  31. The Art of Memoir, Mary Karr
  32. Loving Day, Mat Johnson
  33. American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes, and Trial of Patty Hearst, Jeffrey Toobin
  34. The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson, Jeffrey Toobin
  35. The Grid: The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future, Gretchen Bakke
  36. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, J.D. Vance
  37. A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression, Jane Ziegelman and Andy Coe
  38. Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney
  39. Bright, Precious Days, Jay McInerney
  40. Underground Airlines, Ben Winters
  41. A Good Month for Murder: The Inside Story of a Homicide Squad, Del Quentin Wilber
  42. American Girl: Ultimate Visual Guide, Erin Falligant, Laurie Calkhoven, Carrie Anton
  43. Teardrops of the Innocent: The White Diamond Story (True Colors – Volume 1), Allie Marie (Another local author!!)
  44. Grace and Grit: My Fight for Equal Pay and Fairness at Goodyear and Beyond, Lily Ledbetter

That’s all, for now!

I plan to update this list quarterly. Since this is the last quarter of 2016 (Already!), look for an update to this list in January!

Cheers! Happy reading!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂