May Reads {2021}

This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for supporting the blog!

May was a good reading month. Although I only read six books, four of them were 4 star reads. Here are my May reads that I’m sharing with Steph and Jana’s monthly SUYB link up. Have you read any of these?

3 stars:

53029025. sx318 sy475

Admission by Juli Buxbaum – (Young Adult, December 2020) Girl gets into the college of her dreams only to discover that her mother is involved in a bribery scandal and is arrested by the FBI. This was a fictional book that was similar to the 2019 college admission scandal involving the likes of Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman. I read/listened to the news when this was happening and watched the documentary. Reading this book was just too much. I can’t stand the greed and entitlement that the wealthy think they can have but I’m glad these issues are addressed in the book.

43189874. sy475

Well Met by Jen DeLuca – (Cotemporary Romance, September 2019) Emily moves in with her sister to help out while she recovers from an accident. Her teenage niece is participating in the local Renaissance Faire and needs an adult to volunteer with her. Emily is roped into volunteering and ends up flirting with the faire organizer. Could there be something real between them? This was a cute romance read. I’ve attended our local Renaissance Faire and it was fun to see some of the behind the scenes that goes into making these faires a success. While I enjoyed this read well enough, I’m not continuing the series.

4 stars:

43925876. sx318

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes (Historical Fiction, October 2019) – An English girl marries an American and lives in his family home in Kentucky. She signs up to work for the local traveling library, delivering books to those in rural areas. As part of the team she forms friendships with the other women and learns to stand up for herself. This is a book that has been on my to read list for awhile. I’m a big fan of Moyes and although this book was different than the others that I’ve read by her, I enjoyed it.

27071490

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi – (Historical Fiction, June 2016) A multigenerational novel about two half-sisters in eighteenth-century Ghana. I’m glad that I finally read this book, as it’s been on my to read list for ages. I found the book to be slow in some parts. While I found it interesting to see the different paths of Effia and Esi’s descendants, I wished the chapters were longer, as I wanted to learn more about each of the characters.

55004063

Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson (Suspense/Thriller, April 2021) While her husband is out of town, Bree’s infant son is kidnapped. To get him back she must do one task, which ends up having drastic consequences. Can Bree get her son back and if so, at what cost? This was a fast-paced, suspenseful read.

53914938

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn (Historical Fiction, March 2021) in 1940’s England, three women are called to work at Bletchley Park, working in various roles as code breakers. After the war is over, the three women are reunited when one of them requires the assistance of the others. This was my first Kate Quinn book, but I plan to read others, as I really enjoyed this book. I had no idea that these code breakers existed and what it involved, which is one of the reasons why I enjoy reading historical fiction.

You may also enjoy:

April 2021 Reads

May 2020 Reads

1

Five on Friday {6-4-21}

Happy Friday! It was nice having a long weekend even though the weather was horrible! Memorial Day weekend, the “unofficial start of summer” and the heat was on and I was wearing my flannel pajamas! My parents were in town this weekend so we enjoyed dinner with them Friday night. Most of the rest of the weekend was spent relaxing and hanging at the house. Here are five plus one from this week:

1. The Museum at Bethel Woods – Friday I had a vacation day.  My husband and I went up to the Museum at Bethel Woods.  This is where the Woodstock music festival was and there’s a whole museum. 

53914938

2. Reading – I just finished The Rose Code by Kate Quinn.  This was a historical fiction book about three women code breakers during WW2.  It was informative, since I didn’t know anything about this, and it was a good story.  If you enjoy historical fiction I recommend this one!

3. Eating – Memorial Day we enjoyed ice cream from King Kone.

My husband and I stopped for lunch at a vegan restaurant, Thank Goodness It’s Vegan, on our way home from the Museum at Bethel Woods. We enjoyed the shrooms basket, crabby patties and “meat m’ cheeze” flautas.  It was all snack type foods and was really good! 

MitchellsMachinesPoster.jpg

4. Watching  – We had another family movie night over the long weekend.  Do you know how difficult it is for us all to agree on a movie?! We finally decided on The Mitchell’s vs. the Machine on Netflix. I don’t think any of us knew what it was about before we watched it, but we all enjoyed it!

5. Memorial Day – Memorial Day we went to Lasdon Park and walked the Trail of Honor.  This trail includes sculptures that honor every American military conflict from the American Revolution to present day.  Since our town Memorial Day ceremony was cancelled, this seemed an appropriate activity.  

6. Cookie Wars – Over the weekend we decided to have cookie wars with the kids.  We paired up by picking names out of a hat and each parent/child team made a cookie.  My husband and son ended up paired together and they made chocolate pizzelles on my great grandmother’s pizzelle machine.  My daughter and I made oreo stuffed white chocolate chip cookies.  Our cookies were unanimously the winner!

ICYMI this week on the blog:

Tuesday I shared 5 Fun Places to Eat With Kids.

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!

5 Fun Places to Eat with Kids

We are fortunate to have kids who love to eat as much as we do! While they don’t always love everything they eat, they are almost always game for at least giving new foods a try. Throughout the course of raising our now 15 and almost 13 year-old, we’ve enjoyed a host of different food experiences. We’ve come up with this list of 5 fun places to eat with kids.

1. The Melting Pot

With 167 locations throughout the United States, plenty of Americans are likely to find a Melting Pot restaurant within a reasonable driving distance.

We enjoy doing the full fondue experience which includes an appetizer fondue, salad, entrée fondue and dessert fondue. While it’s been a couple of years since our last visit, the portions are fairly generous. We always shared two adult portions between the four of us. For the appetizer, there’s a choice of cheese fondues which includes artisan breads and seasonal fruits and veggies to dip. Then there are four different salads to choose from (the California is my fave!). For the entrée, the proteins and veggies are self-cooked in your choice of styles (Bouillon, Coq Au Vin, Mojo, Cast Iron or Bourguignonne) and served with a variety of dipping sauces. Based on the proteins you choose, your server advises you how long each item should be cooked for.

And, of course, we make sure to save plenty of room for the chocolate fondue at the end. There are several different chocolates to choose from which is served with a variety of treats and fruit. Read more about our visits to The Melting Pot.

2. Medieval Times

Medieval Times is a dining experience. Not only do you enjoy a full meal, but you get to watch an entertaining show. Based on your seating area in the arena, you are assigned a colored knight to cheer on as he competes in various challenges.

The food is decent and you get to eat with your hands, like you would during the Medieval Ages. It’s definitely a fun dining experience for kids! Read more about our visit to Medieval Times.

3. Conveyor Belt Sushi

If your kids are sushi lovers, they will love a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. Our go-to has been East Japanese in the Palisades Center. The conveyor belt is filled with a variety of different sushi; from basic rolls to super-fancy sushi mountains. There are also other items like seaweed salad and fried chicken. Desserts like mochi and cheesecake make an appearance on the belt as well. The food is placed on small plates that travel their way around the restaurant dining space. If you see something you want, you grab the plate off the belt. There are different colored plates, with each color being a specified price. Once you are finished, the waiter/waitress adds up all the plates. Read more about East Japanese. Edit: It seems this great location has unexpectedly and recently closed. We are saddened by this, as the only other conveyor belt sushi restaurants we are aware of are in New York City and northern New Jersey.

4. Hibachi

Hibachi is a classic. What’s not to love about watching your meal be cooked in front of you? Especially when it involves onion volcanoes, toys that “pee” and the chef throwing eggs in the air and catching them in his hat. And many restaurants have a diner participation round of catching the flying shrimp (or the more budget-friendly zucchini) in your mouth.

5. Food Halls and Food Truck Festivals

Food trucks used to be a rare treat. Now a days, you can likely find a food truck festival taking place somewhere near you almost every weekend! We love food truck festivals and food halls because you can try a bunch of different foods from different vendors. There’s something that will likely please every member of the family. While the bigger food halls are in NYC, we also enjoy Hudson Valley Food Hall in Beacon, which you can read more about here. Check out our Westchester County Food Truck Guide for more info on the different food trucks that can be found in the area.

If you’ve enjoyed reading 5 Fun Places to Eat With Kids you may also enjoy reading:

Family Dinner Deals in Westchester County

6 fun games for a tween family game night that parents won't mind playing.

6 Fun Games for Family Game Night