Sunday Snapshot

Hey cool cats! I was in the middle of writing a review and got the idea for this weekly feature, basically giving a quick update on what I've been up to. Hopefully this will help with the radio silences that tend to happen around here when I'm not reading much or am buried by deadlines.

What I'm reading right now:

Supermind by Mark Phillips (audiobook)
This novel is like urban fantasy meets The Maltese Falcon. I'm enjoying it quite a bit, despite the endless dialog tags.
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge (ebook)
I started this one last night and am only one chapter in. Loved the first sentence.
Green: The History of a Color by Michel Pastoureau (hardback)
Having trouble getting into this one, although I love the concept. The book doesn't seem to have a strong central thesis.

Movies watched this past week:

Focus, starring Will Smith and Margot Robbie
I'm a sucker for caper movies. Focus got a little too artsy and touchy-feely at times, but there were at least two fantastic scenes, and overall I liked it a lot.
The (One?) Hundred Foot Journey, starring Helen Mirren and Manish Dayal
I really wanted to love The Hundred Foot Journey, but there were several things that just didn't make sense. It also felt like it went on for a REALLY long time.

Somewhat obsessed with:

Subscription boxes. It all started with Ipsy (makeup). Damn you, Facebook! Anyway, as of today I've tried True & Co. (bras), Taste the World (food), Stitch Fix (clothes), Nature Box (snacks), Loot Crate (gamer and geek stuff), Bark Box (dog treats and toys), and Zockster (socks). I'm waiting on Rocksbox (jewelry), Bulu Box (nutrition and vitamins), and Hello Fresh (meals). I think I might need a spreadsheet to keep track of all these.

Edited to Add: Here are some pics from my adventures in unboxing recently:

The dogs don't know what to think of their Bark Boxes and are more interested in napping.

Bamboo socks from Zockster. Was hoping for something a little more quirky and colorful, but they are nice socks.

The Loot Crate box–this was fantastic. Not only did I get Ready Player One, but the box unfolded into a game board! Also there's a mechanical bug I can now use to terrorize the dogs, win.

My five clothing items from Stitch Fix. I decided to send two of them back, but I was on the edge about it.

So far Ipsy is the best deal in terms of what you get for an affordable $10, but I also really like Loot Crate and think it's a good bargain at $13 (admittedly, this is mainly because they included a book). The downside to Loot Crate is that they charge shipping. Stitch Fix was a bit pricey, but fun and everything fit perfectly. Bark Box was also super fun–who doesn't enjoy playing with their dogs?–but at $30 a month I think it's overpriced. I'm still on the lookout for a foodie box to fall in love with.

Reviews in the queue:

The Hooker and the Hermit by LH Cosway and Penny Reid
The Sculptor by Scott McCloud

Theme of the week: I need more sleep.

I came down with The Crud this week, and that was only exacerbated by the fact that I'm going through one of my insomnia strikes and we switched to Daylight Saving Time this week, the evil bastard. The only saving grace is I can sleep in since I work at home most days.

Bonus: Two hilarious Facebook Quizzes

These quizzes were super funny. I love the bizarro options on the inkblot one.
Inkblot Personality Test
Can We Guess Your Age Based On How You Use the Internet? (I got 35)



That's all I have the energy to focus on today. Let me know how you're week's going and if you know of any subscription boxes I absolutely need to try!



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