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audiobooks

What I’m Loving Lately | Fall 2017

December 15, 2017 by Kim @ KimBocko Leave a Comment

Happy Friday, friends! I’m so pumped for the weekend to get here. Tomorrow, Jason and I have a date to see The Last Jedi and on Sunday we’re heading to a friend’s house for a people brunch and doggy play date. But first, how about a round-up of what I’m loving lately?!


What I'm Loving Lately

What I’m Loving Lately

Books

This Is My Face, Try Not To Stare by Gabourey Sidibe. I just finished listening to the audiobook and LOVED it. Gabourey is an amazing narrator and her story hits on her childhood, her experience with body image, working as a phone sex operator, and being an actress – basically a huge variety of topics. I’m a sucker for celebrity “memoirs” and this is a new fave.

Re-reading The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. I forgot how magical these series is and I read it differently as an adult!

The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

Activities

Sewing. I really got my sewing game on this fall and am proud of the progress I’m making and the patience I’m developing. The two places I get most of my patterns are Patterns for Pirates and Love Notions.

Kim Self Made Shirt

Random

Having people over. I’m loving having people over and celebrating the holiday season. We don’t have people over as much as I’d like to, but it’s been really great this fall inviting friends and family over to connect.

Portrait mode on my new phone (Google Pixel 2). How cute is this pic of Hoss?

Hoss

What are you loving lately?

Posted in: Links I Love Tagged: audiobooks, Reading, sewing

10 Audiobooks I Recommend (Audible Sale)

December 8, 2017 by Kim @ KimBocko Leave a Comment

Friends, I’m popping in quick with audiobook recommendations because everything on Audible’s website is 50% off (excuse me while I fan myself!). If you’re an audiobook lover like me or want to try out an audiobook, now is a great time to buy! Here are ten audiobooks I recommend, with incredibly short descriptions.

My Favorite Audiobooks

Fiction Audiobooks:

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

An unlikely hero teams up with two friends to find easter eggs hidden in a virtual reality world that an evil company wants to rule. Complete with amazing 80s references and Wil Wheaton as narrator.

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler

A college grad accepts a job at a high-end NYC restaurant where she learns about wine, food, and the dark side of the restaurant business. The narrator is so good I bought all the books she narrates.

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

An amazing epic following four friends from college throughout the rest of their lives. Complete with a tragic mystery surrounding the main character and a love story that made me feel deeply. Lots of tears.

Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

The story of a marriage told from both perspectives. A sweeping narrative with characters you’re not quite sure you entirely trust.

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The beautiful and tragic story of an immigrant who comes to America, but is still tied to her home (and her first love) in Africa.

Non-Fiction Audiobooks

Bossypants by Tina Fey

Tina Fey at her finest. Plus, she narrates.

Yes, Please by Amy Poehler

Amy Poehler talks about SNL, acting, and being a mom. Plus, she narrates.

Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay

Ah-mazing. Stories about sexism and feminism, plus the tension that accompanies not being the “perfect feminist.” And stories about competitive Scrabble (which is real).

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

One woman’s journey to spend a full year trying to become happier. Spoiler: it works.

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

For anyone who is even a little creative. My favorite part is the serendipitous story of Gilbert meeting Ann Patchett and the unbelievable connection they find with their work.

What are your favorite audiobooks?

Posted in: Reading Tagged: audiobooks, book recommendation

A Bookish Update: Books I’ve Read Since August

October 10, 2017 by Kim @ KimBocko 2 Comments

Fun fact: reading fiction during graduate school is difficult. Funner fact: reading fiction and blogging about it is damn near impossible.

I suppose that is what I signed up for. And while I owe you a post on how graduate school/#phdlife is going, overall I’ll say it’s going well (I think) and I’m enjoying it (I think). Also, it’s hard. So I’m taking a break from reading and writing the paper I should be working on to share my thoughts on a few books I’ve read lately.

A Bookish Update: The Best Books I’ve Read In The Past Few Months

You can always check in on my 2017 reading update here. As of today, I’ve completed 84 books. My goal is to complete 100 by the end of the year.

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
I bought this as an audiobook when it was nominated for the National Book Award. I’m not sure any description could truly give this book justice. A Little Life tells the story of four college friends, but there is one clear subject of the book. Throughout the audiobook (31 hours, so a time commitment), I felt more emotions than I have ever felt reading a book. I sobbed. I felt sick. I laughed and rejoiced. I felt hope and despair. This book has been catapulted to my top five favorite books of all time. OF ALL TIME. The narrator of the audiobook was absolutely amazing. I plan to listen to this book again, and will likely buy the hardback as well.

Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller
This is another book I bought as a Kindle Deal and it was well worth it. The book starts in the present: a father deserted/man widowed by his wife, his adult children taking care of him. Through a series of letters that are interwoven between chapters that take place in the present, we learn about the wife and what led her to…disappear. This book drew me in immediately and was a quick read. Loved!

My Life With Bob by Pamela Paul
Book fanatics, this book is for you. This is non-fiction, written by the editor of the NY Times Book Review. Bob is Paul’s book of books, where she chronicles the books she’s read. It’s a beautiful story, filled with emotion and totally relatable, about a woman and her love of reading.

Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay
Bad Feminist is another book I bought through an Audible sale. I didn’t have many expectations going in, but this book did not disappoint. The premise/thesis of this collection of essays is: you don’t have to be a perfect feminist to be a feminist. In her essays, Gay discusses everything from being a Scrabble lover, to being a Sweet Valley High fan as a child, to working as a female academic at a college. I loved her storytelling ability and the voice she gave her stories. I didn’t agree with everything she discussed (which is ok!), but I loved the non-judgmental way she discussed being a feminist and how it can mean different things to different people (with the basic understanding that feminism at its core is the belief that genders are and should be considered equal).

This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
I bought this book as an Audible Deal of the Day for $3.95. Totally worth it. This Is Where I Leave You chronicles the coming together of a family after the death of its patriarch. Mixing present action with flashbacks, the story is enthralling, if not at times unbelievable, but depicts a family coming together during a time of distress, highlighting how tragedy and comedy can intertwine. (I loved the narrator and recommend the audiobook).

Your turn! What are you reading lately?

Posted in: Reading Tagged: a little life, audiobooks, books, kindle, swimming lessons

What I’m Loving Lately | 6.6.17

June 16, 2017 by Kim @ KimBocko 2 Comments

Happy Friday, friends! This is the second week I’m saying this in a row, but this week has been a long one! I’m not sure if it’s getting used to summer being here and wanting to be outside…but I’m wishing I had the entire summer off! #wishfulthinking Before the weekend officially hits, I’m sharing some of what I’m loving lately!

What I'm Loving Lately

What I’m Loving Lately…

Life

It’s been a quiet week this week. Mostly, I’ve focused on working on house-related things (like cleaning, boo!). This weekend I have a list of things I want to accomplish – mostly chores like cleaning my house and organizing my closet. I’m planning on sewing a pair of pants I began working on for earlier this week (ughhh) and enjoying the sun.

Pop Culture:

I shared my favorite podcasts this week. I highly recommend checking out the Popcast episode #197 – The 2017  Chris-America Pageant. It was sooooo good.

The Wangs Vs. The World

I just started listening to The Wangs vs. The World by Jade Changevia audiobook (old school cds in the car!). I’m loving it, particularly because it’s not what I expected. This was an impulse check out at the library this week, but it’s been on my TBR for awhile now!

Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot

Wonder Woman. The move is amazing, and not just as a “female-driven” movie, but as a superhero movie. I loved it. And I’m totally infatuated with Gal Gadot! She is such a badass, but also seems like someone I’d like to sit down and have coffee with.

Links:

14 Careers For Readers, Because It Is Possible To Make A Living Off Your Love Of Books via Bustle

How I’m Using Morning Pages to Write My Way Through via Claire Diaz Ortiz

Do Reading Logs Ruin Reading for Kids via The Atlantic

Is Your Vision Board Setting You Up to Fail via Gala Darling

Your Turn! What are you loving lately? Any fun plans this weekend?

Posted in: Links I Love Tagged: audiobooks, books, podcasts, What I'm Loving

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I'm Kim, a 30-something living in Minneapolis, by way of Wisconsin. I'm an avid reader, coffee aficionado, higher ed professional, wife, and fur mama.

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