What I’m Watching and Reading

So I get quite a bit of time off between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, and after the kids are (finally!) in bed, I generally ignore that small voice in my head that says I have a million housekeeping chores left undone. Instead, I’ve been catching up on my tv shows and finding new ones. To be fair, I fold laundry during this time, so I’m still somewhat productive. Here is what I’m watching right now:

 

Godless- I just finished this mini-series. To be honest, it was a rough show to watch. But then, the Wild West was not a tame place to live and survive.  An entire town is found dead in the very first scene. The story centers on a (different) town run by women whose husbands all died in a mining accident. One of the women takes in a stranger who ends up being hunted by a band of outlaws who are, well, godless and merciless. One of the main characters, Mary Agnes, was on The Walking Dead for a minute. Fortunately, she doesn’t get killed off on this series. Oh, and Jeff Daniels plays a bad guy! It all builds up to a shoot out in the last episode and with a pretty definite ending. I enjoyed it, but would I ever watch it again? Probably not.

Holiday Baking Championship- This one just makes me hungry the entire time. I love these kind of competitions and the silly banter. The only flaw in this season was having Jesse Palmer as host. Not a fan of him, but he is pretty to look at. It's called 'holiday' because they incorporate fall, Hanukkah, and Christmas into the desserts. And what these bakers come up with using the ingredients they’re given is incredible! They actually make fruitcake look edible! Here are a couple of my fav recipes from this season:

 

 Cookie Swap Wreath- I know this is far above my talent level, but it was beautiful! There are four different types of cookies in there, two of which I can't even pronounce. But the judges seemed pretty impressed, which is saying a lot.

Peppermint Scones with White Chocolate Ganache- I will be making this at some point. I'll let you know how delicious it is.

Into the Wilderness- When I say ‘reading’, technically I mean ‘listening to on Audible’. I have a 45 minute commute to work every day so I need a distraction. I’m currently in the middle of book one of the Wilderness Saga by Sara Donati. I chose it partly because it was recommended by Diana Gabaldon, author of the amazing Outlander series. I was super excited to find that the Outlander characters are briefly referenced in the story. The adventure begins with Elizabeth Middleton, an unmarried spinster, arriving from England to the wilds of upper New York with plans to teach school. But then she meets frontiersman Nathaniel Bonner, and has to decide between her respectable life and running away with him. It starts off a little slow, but it’s very well written, and sometimes I finding myself actually doing the speed limit on my home so I can hear just a bit more of the story! Bonus- there’s five more books in the series!

Do you have any suggestions on good books or shows? I’m always on the hunt for a new series Chase and I can watch together that doesn’t involve comic books or superheroes. 

 With Love,

Susanne