Café Con Monica

Show us your books!

I have been reading reading reading so I’m super excited for this month’s link up with Jana @ Jana Says & Steph @ Life According to Steph

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty…I was surprised by this book which is always a good thing. I find I often don’t like a book that everyone loves but this one was an exception. It was a great read. I stayed up to finish it and would definitely recommend it. 
Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker…Another great read and also why I don’t take other reviews to heart (shes says as she reviews books and reads other reviews in a link up) but really you should always take a look and see if you like it yourself. BUT I thought it was great, twisty, dark and a little weird.  
Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas…Listen I am flying through this series. I read all 4 of those books in a litte over a week and then had to force myself not to download the next book so I could read a few of the books that will be due back to the library soon. I can’t put them down, they are well written and 100% YA books and I don’t even care. Read them if you like magic, fighting and strong female characters!
 I definitely do not finish books if I am not into them. I have far too many books on my list to waste time, sometimes I will give it a try if i feel like at some point they will redeem themselves…
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel….this book was part of one of the bookclubs that I am in and I was sorely disappointed to find so many people loved the book and I didn’t even get 50% before deciding it wasn’t worth my time. So boring. Seriously. I chose to do homework over reading the book. That should tell you something. 
So those are some of the books I have been reading. Have you read any of them? Did you like them? 

5 Ways to Motivate My Monday

Mondays are so hard for me… I am sure they are for everyone. I try to be positive and not get into a crap mood before the day even begins but it is hard! Here are some ways I try to motivate myself!

1. Get some “me” time on Sunday! This can be hard sometimes because I love to jam pack my weekends full of stuff but I find that if I give myself a little time on Sunday to relax, read, nap, anything that makes me happy I am a bit more prepared for Monday!

2. Plan ahead. I am terrible at keeping my schedule and making plans but I am working on planning ahead, getting things in my calendar and double checking before I say yes to things. I am also trying to plan ahead for meals so that I can get all shopping done and avoid the spending trap that is the grocery store last minute.

3. Go to bed. I am a notoriously horrible sleeper…horrible. I go to bed super late, I don’t sleep, I play on my phone until the minute before I go to bed. Its all a mess. I really try to help myself on Mondays by just going to bed early on Sunday so when my alarm goes off I am not miserable!

4. Shower in the morning. This may not sound like much but I usually do not shower in the morning. I hate to waste precious sleep time BUT on Mondays I get up and shower. It really helps wake me up and feel like its a fresh start to the day.

5. No plans Mondays. I keep my weeks pretty busy between work and school and attempting to keep a social life but I do not make plans on Mondays if I can help it(meaning unless obligated to by work or school). I love the idea of knowing that I get to go to work and decide what I will do with my evening. If I’m exhausted, that is ok because I don’t have plans!

How do you motivate yourself on Mondays? 
Are you one of those people who don’t mind a Monday?

Three on Thursday

Stolen from  Stephanie @ Not Entirely Perfect because I love her Thursday posts! 

Lush – Mask of Magnaminty…really most of their masks but this one in particular is my favorite. I am learning to curb my Lush obsession because that shit is pricey but I love the smell of this one, its always nice and cool on the skin and it leaves your skin feeling tingly & clean! 


Kindle Fire HD…It is such a hot topic to discuss kindles with avid readers. It’s like there is some offense to use one but you  know what? I am a book hoarder. It is the one thing that I collect and have very little self control over and so the kindle is my lifesaver. At this moment I have 854 books on my kindle. I do still love a real book, nothing compares, and if I find a book I loved on the kindle I will buy the paper copy. BUT convenience and being able to hide my hoarding problems make it a winner. 

Timbuk2…more specifically the Classic Messenger Bag. I have had this bag for 7 years now, it has been through 13 countries, plane, train, auto, boat…you name it we have done it and while its a little beat up it is still my favorite and most sturdy bag. It is waterproof, comes with a strap that i can attach around to hold the bag in place and again…waterproof! Anyway, I am a fan. 


What are some of your favorite things? Any recommendations?

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