Weekly Video Round Up #19 - 4/12/2021 - 4/18/2021

4/15 - Try A Chapter | Reading the first chapter of 5 books | Keep or Toss | Backlist Booktuber

Hi, I’m Mo.
In this video I read the first chapter of 5 different backlist books to Try A Chapter! Will I keep them or toss them?
I've never tried this before and it was a little confusing at first but then really fun! I really enjoyed trying a chapter to see is I was going to like these five books and pick my next read. These are all back list books, of course! They were ones I wasn't sure whether I should keep when I did my TBR Shelf Organization (https://youtu.be/KHbRKruJr18). Have you ever done a video like this or used this method as a way to pick your next book? Have you read any of these books? What did you think?

Thanks for joining me today! I post videos three times a week. I post about creative simple living: books, cats, zero waste, bullet journaling, beach life, and more!

Books in this video:
The Society of S (2007) Susan Hubbard
Masie Dobbs (2003) Jacqueline Winspear
The Magdalien Martyrs (2000) Ken Bruen
The Secret Life of Cowboys (2003) Tom Groneburg
Dark Matter (2016) Blake Crouch

Cats in this video: none joined me today

Original music by audionightlight. https://soundcloud.com/anlight/tracks

Blog: http://www.madcatquilts.com/blog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/madcat1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/120401161-ana-mo-shoshin Please

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4/17 - The Bar and the Bookcase Tag | Cocktail inspired book recommendations | Backlist Booktuber

Hi, I’m Mo.
I finally got a drink and an afternoon to film The Bar and the Bookcase Tag! The prompts are all cocktail themed and the books recommendations are based on the cocktail prompts!
Jaylen (sp?) at The Bar and the Bookcase (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTZ9I9tX1zOmp7woF7xwPFw) created this cocktail inspired reading tag! This was a really fun tag to do! There are a lot of questions and this video got quite long! You can find some info about the books I chose down below. Since I primarily read backlist the titles range in publishing date from the 1930s to the 2000s. I opted to have a cocktail while filming this! I love cocktails but usually only drink them while I am out. We don't drink much at home. Do you drink at home, when you are out, or not at all. If you don't drink, you can still do this tag, as long as you are comfortable talking about alcohol. If not, that's ok, too! I tagged She wants the Diction (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAVkvyBF0_3aR2yuDzaajGw) and Mishelle Lexi (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCboGrYXHeVXAxTpn7bGJqug), but feel free to do this tag if it interested you! Also, go give these great booktubers a follow! Have you read any of these books? If so, let us know in the comments!

Thanks for joining me today! I post videos three times a week. I post about creative simple living: books, cats, zero waste, bullet journaling, beach life, and more!

Here are the prompts:
Old Fashioned: Historical Fiction Recommendation
Sidecar: Book with a strong supporting character
Manhattan: Book set in NY
Bloody Mary: Book that scared you/messed you up
Espresso Martini: Book that kept you reading into the night
Sazerac: Book that left you disoriented
Long Island Iced Tea: Book that is doing TOO MUCH (bonus point if it works anyway ;))
Negroni: Book with a love triangle
Bay Breeze: Book with light, chill/heartwarming vibes
Dark and Stormy: Book that’s dark, thrilling, and menacing (bonus point if the setting matches!)
Martini: Classic Recommendation

Books in this video:
The Prestige (1997) Christopher Preist
The Hitchhikker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979) Douglas Adams
The Great Gatsby (1925) F Scott Fitzgerald
The Brooklyn Follies (2005) Paul Auster
The Murders of Molly Southbourne (2017) Tade Thompson
Coraline (2002) Neil Gaiman
The Good Life (1930-70) Scott and Helen Nearing
The Raw Shark Texts (2007) Steven Hall
Joy in the Morning (1947) PG Wodehouse
The Black Tower (1975) PD James
The Quiet American (1955) Graham Greene

Cats in this video: none

Original music by audionightlight. https://soundcloud.com/anlight/tracks

Blog: http://www.madcatquilts.com/blog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/madcat1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/120401161-ana-mo-shoshin

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4/19 - Answering YOUR Zero Waste Questions | Free and Easy Zero Waste | Sustainable Tofu? | Plastic Free

Hi, I’m Mo.
Answering YOUR zero waste questions! Is there a way to buy more sustainably tofu? Ask me your zero waste questions and I will try to make you a video!
A friend and viewer asked a zero waste questions in the comments, but I thought everyone could benefit from my attempt to answer! Is there a way to get tofu in more sustainable packaging? Is there plastic free tofu? I'm not a zero waste expert, but becoming zero waste doesn't take an expert! It only takes making an effort to reduce your waste and be mindful of your choices! Do you make your own tofu or have some tips and tricks to reduce the waste it creates? Leave us some comments below! Do you have a zero waste question? Leave me a comment, contact me via email, or put it in the discussion/community tab!! I'll try to answer all questions and make you a short video!

Thanks for joining me today! I post videos three times a week. I post about creative simple living: books, cats, zero waste, bullet journaling, beach life, and more!

Original music by audionightlight. https://soundcloud.com/anlight/tracks

Blog: http://www.madcatquilts.com/blog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/madcat1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/120401161-ana-mo-shoshin

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Carry On Jeeves

One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I had read most of Carry on Jeeves by PG Wodehouse on audio before. I was happy to pick up and read the entire book with my eyeballs.

When doddery Bertie Wooster loses his gentleman’s gentleman, he meets his match when he meets his new man, Jeeves. This collection includes some early adventures of the perfectly paired duo.

I had watched Jeeves and Wooster before I listened to the audio book of Carry on Jeeves. Then I read other books in the Jeeves and Wooster series, now I have read this book. So I have a pretty good handle on not only the characters, but these stories in particular. And yet there was still surprises when reading this book. I really liked reading physically although it did take me a few month to get all the way through. Partly, I think that was bc it’s very easy to read most of the Jeeves and Wooster books as a collection of short stories. They are more chapters, but can be read almost apart from each other. One might think that that makes it hard to get back into upon picking it up again, but the sill and easy style of these books and characters, makes it simple to fall back into almost immediately. There are a lot of people to keep track of in each book, but one gets into the flow quickly and easily. Perhaps you don’t remember each person every time, but Bertie often give a background on someone you might have forgotten. I love that many of these books are self referential. Carry On has the tale of Bertie and Jeeves first meeting and then jumps in time to the duo living in NYC to avoid the strict and disapproving eye of Aunt Agatha. I had listened to the audio book so many times but I did not realize that in the print edition there are two additional stories. The last story is told from Jeeves perspective and is unique in all of the J&W series, as far as I can tell. I greatly enjoy these stories and would highly recommend them to any J&W fans, those who like British humor, anyone who likes bumbling and silly characters, and those familiar with the TV show.

This book is featured in my Feb Wrap Up.

More about books here:
BookTube
Goodreads

The Hunter

One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

The Hunter is the first of the Parker series written by Richard Stark (the psudonym of Donald Westelake)

Parker is a career criminal who was beyrayed on a job. When he gets out, he can only think of one thing: retribution.

My father gave me this book for xmas, and I was excited to read it, as I had been on a bit of a noir reading kick. It was interesting to read this book so soon after a noir classic, Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep. This book was written much later, and it has a much more modern feel. The Hunter was a little hard to get into bc it is much more violent and misogynistic with lots of violent acts and thoughts. None of the characters are likable and I found myself hoping that Parker could redeem himself, I did eventually get into the rhythm of this book, and over all I would say that I did enjoy it despite it being a difficult read. I would try another of the Parker books bc this book might suffer from first book syndrome. The idea and the characters are there, but the execution is clunky. Although I didn’t love this book, I would recommend this to those who are reading noir mystery/thrillers, fans of classic crime books, or anyone who admires Donald Westlake’s work.

This book is featured in my Feb Wrap Up.

More about books here:
BookTube
Goodreads

Mad Cat Garden | March 2021

March is always the month that the garden really kicks off. We planted seeds this month and really tried to use the green house to it’s full potential. My husband has been making seed pots reusing newspaper. We also use found or donated pots. We have some kale and chard that had wintered over.

We also bought a few lettuces and chards to get our garden going.

Flowers and strawberries also wintered over in the green house. Both are already blooming!

Peas are the seeds that have come up the most but we also started pumpkins, radishes, tomatoes, peppers and more.

During the start of the month, almost everything was in the green house, but as the month wore on, we started moving plants out to the yard/garden.

We didn’t turn our beds in March, bc we were letting any bees, moths, pollinators, or other bugs stay sleeping under the ground as the weather is still chilly. The bluebs started budding, and the pear trees have leaves.

While a lot happened in March, it was still a month of waiting in the garden. Hopefully the weather will break and we can do a lot more in April.

What is happening in your garden this month? Was it gearing up or winding down?

1 More Month of Zero Waste | Food Scraps and Compost | April 2021

Each month we do a easy and free challenge to become better at a zero waste lifestyle 1 more month at a time. The challenges can be modified for all levels of zero wasters, from beginner to advanced. Every month, you can also choose how much you want to participate. You can do the challenge every day of the month, you can do one task, or you can take only what you need.

One thread that runs through all the challenges is to be more mindful and aware about the waste we create with each monthly challenge. If you only take a new awareness of what waste you create each month, you are succeeding in these challenges!

In April we are talking about food scraps and learning how to compost! Composting at it’s simplest definition is letting food scraps, yard scraps, and other organic waste rot and turn back into dirt. Home composts are most often kept in a container orpile kept in the back yard or garden, and allowed and encouraged to rot down into a nutreient rich siol, then used in the yard, garden or house plsnts. There is also industrial comoposting which is a whole other story. For this challenge we are mainly concerned with our home or community compost systems.

Step one to starting your own compost pile is to assess what food waste you are creating and reduce it.
Next is to research what is the best avenue of compost for you. Do you have a space in your yard for a pile or a compost container? If not, how else can you compost? can you put a bucket on the stoop or fire escape? Can you save your food waste and drop it off at the local farmers market? Does your city or town have a compost pick up program?

After you have figured out where to compost, you can start saving scraps and composting!

Do you have a compost pile? Do you use one of the other methods for keeping your food waste out of the landfill?

Weekly Video Round Up #18 4/4/2021 - 4/11/2021

4/6 - March Vlog Style Wrap Up | 11 Books in March 2021 | Ranting About Newer Releases | New Favorite Book

Hi, I’m Mo.
My reading wrap up for march is my biggest so far in 2021. I read 11 books this month. I get a little ranty about some of them! But I might have found a new favorite as well!
Even though I didn't love every book I read this month, I had a really great reading month! I am honing in on my reading tastes and I think that I don't really like contemporary mysteries/thrillers! I also read some backlist mysteries that I liked so much more!! I read a picture book. This wrap up also includes my BooTube Spin Spin 1 book! You can check out my BookTube Spin vlog here: https://youtu.be/DD3hiNMNHF8 I also read a comic, which I totally failed to explain the plot of. It's a great Batman book! You should read it if you like Batman! What is your favorite Batman book? What did you read this month? What was your favorite book this month? Did you read any of the books I read? Share your thoughts!

Thanks for joining me today! I post videos three times a week. I post about creative simple living: books, cats, zero waste, bullet journaling, beach life, and more!

Books mentioned:
Secret TBR book
Dead Wake (2016) Erik Larson
Fletch (1975) Gregory MacDonald
Cover Her Face (1962) PD James
The Bunny Book (1955) Richard Scary
Batman, The Long Halloween (1995) Jeff Loeb and Tim Sale
The Wife Upstairs (2020) Rachel Hawkins
The Lake District Murder (1935) John Bude
The Woman in Cabin 10 (2016) Ruth Ware
The Nickel Boys (2019) Colson Whitehead
A Murder is Announced (1950) Agatha Christie

Cats in this video: Martin and Irving! (that bit where Irving bops Marty on the head makes me laugh every time).

Original music by audionightlight. https://soundcloud.com/anlight/tracks

Blog: http://www.madcatquilts.com/blog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/madcat1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/120401161-ana-mo-shoshin

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4/8 - March Readathons Wrap Up | March Mystery Madness | 3 Readathons are Too Many? | 2021

Hi, I’m Mo.
I participated in 3 readathons this month (march 2021)! That might have been too many! I loved March Mystery Madness!
Too Fond Of Books always does great readathon and March Mystery Madness (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZNcl5UKlAQ&t=3s) is no different! She makes so many videos to help you be inspired for the readathon! I had sooo much fun reading lots of mysteries in March. I read 8 books out of the 9 prompts for this challenge. I read a few golden age mysteries, some from the 60s and 70s and some contemporary mystery/thrillers. Some I really liked and some I didn't like too much. I also tried my hand on the Backlist Readathon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL9FqaaHuZ0) which I only read 3 books for. I'm going to keep it on my radar for next year, tho, and hopefully do better! Lastly I had the March Of The Moderns (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jIgcjJID8M) in my head, too but was only able to read one book for that. Did you participate in any readathons or challenges this month?

Thanks for joining me today! I post videos three times a week. I post about creative simple living: books, cats, zero waste, bullet journaling, beach life, and more!

Books in this video:
Secret TBR book
Dead Wake (2016) Erik Larson
Fletch (1975) Gregory MacDonald
Cover Her Face (1962) PD James
The Wife Upstairs (2020) Rachel Hawkins
The Lake District Murder (1935) John Bude
The Woman in Cabin 10 (2016) Ruth Ware
The Nickel Boys (2016) Colson Whitehead
A Murder is Announced (1950) Agatha Christie

Original music by audionightlight. https://soundcloud.com/anlight/tracks

Blog: http://www.madcatquilts.com/blog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/madcat1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/120401161-ana-mo-shoshin

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4/11 - 1 More Month to Zero Waste | Food Scraps and COMPOST | April 2021 | Free and Easy Zero Waste

Hi, I’m Mo.
It's April and time for 1 More Month of Zero Waste! Our monthly challenge towards a free and easy zero waste lifestyle! If you think you can't compost, I'm here to tell you you can!!
For April we are examining our food and identifying how we can cut down on food scraps and how we can learn to reduce food waste by composting! Composting is free and easy and accessible to almost anyone with a little leg work or elbow grease! It's a great way to reduce food waste and keep food out of landfill and traditional trash. The first step in any zero waste challenge is to examine what we are wasting and how we can reduce. By eating all our leftovers, only making what we need, and being mindful of the waste we are creating, we can learn ways to utilize our food better! Making food from food scraps is a great way to reduce waste as well! Making veggie stock or meals with scraps are great options! Having a compost pile, or donating your compost to a local garden, farmers market, or a friend who gardens is super easy! Does your city have curbside composting? Sometimes this is a service that you have to sign up for. The challenge this month will be to look into ways to reduce your food waste, how to compost in your area and for your situation. Make sure to share your progress in the comments!

Past 1 More Month to Zero Waste Challenges:
Jan: https://youtu.be/Gs2W6Ngdl0s
Feb: https://youtu.be/8RewurP4A-0
Mar: https://youtu.be/ZEYaYJJf4fw

Start of do these challenges at any time or in any order!

Thanks for joining me today! I post videos three times a week. I post about creative simple living: books, cats, zero waste, bullet journaling, beach life, and more!

Original music by audionightlight. https://soundcloud.com/anlight/tracks

Blog: http://www.madcatquilts.com/blog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/madcat1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/120401161-ana-mo-shoshin

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Freedom from the Known

One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

My husband had read this spirituality/philosophy book, Freedom from the Known, by Krisnamurti. When I saw it in our read shelf I decided to pick it up.

From Wikipedia:
Jiddu Krishnamurti (11 May 1895 – 17 February 1986) was a philosopher, speaker and writer…born in south India in what is now the modern day Madanapalle of Andhra Pradesh…Krishnamurti said he had no allegiance to any nationality, caste, religion, or philosophy, and spent the rest of his life travelling the world, speaking to large and small groups, as well as individuals.

I haven’t read too many easter spirituality books, but those I have read I have really enjoyed. Taoism, Buddhism, hinduism, stoicism, sustainable living, are all idealisms that I am interested in learning about. I had never heard of Krishnamurti before reading this book. I also knew nothing about his philosophy and boy, it’s a doozy! It’s a hard one to wrap your head around. What I took away from this idea goes something like this this: one must be so pure and natural a being’s self, that one has no room for want, desire, hate, love, vanity, or any other human emotion, physical or mental state taht might remove one individual to another and create any kind of conflict. I found some of the ideas to be similar to what I understand about Buddhism in that almost all avenues of the human condition lead to pain and doubt and sorrow in one form or another, so one must transform one’s thinking to be solely in the moment and to ease pain in all forms for all beings. The goal is to be light and love and care for everyone and be kind and fair to all. Sounds easy, right? I am really intrigued by these ideas. If these are concepts and ideas that you might be interested in, I highly suggest reading this book. I would also recommend this book if you like learning about philosophies or religions, enjoy eastern studies, or have read anyone who was associated with Krishnamurti.

Have you read Freedom from the Known? What did you take away?

This book is featured in my Feb Wrap Up.

More about books here:
BookTube
Goodreads

2021 Quarterly Goals | Q2 (April, May June)

Here we are in Q2 of 2021. It was a little hard to not just keep all the same goals from Q1. Partly bc I feel like almost none of them were 100% completed, but also, it was kinda nice to just work on those goals for three solid months. Would it also have been nice to keep working on them? That might be a good goals experiment for another year.

But here were are, needing new goals for a new quarter. This is what I’m thinking.

10K steps (but really tho)
This is a carry over goal. What’s frustrating about this goal, is that it is one that I had made into routine, but fell out of. I have to get back to it.

cleaning schedule
This is also a carry over goals and it’s not quite going as I planned. So far this goal is helping me keep a cleaning schedule in mind even if i’m not 100% getting it right yet.

yoga/stretching/exercise 15 min a day
The last carry over goal is to take only a little bit og time to improve my physical health.

tiktok and reels
Last quarter I wanted to get better at posting on instagram, which I feel like I’ve gotten marginally better at. For this quarter, I want to continue to get better at instagram, but to focus on figuring out how to create reels. Along with this, I want to give tiktok a go.

be outside more
This will be easier now that it’s springtime. It also goes along with several of my other goals.

eat better/lose weight
Another goals in line with several others above. I don’t want to sat the D word, but I need to reign in some of my bad eating habits and get back to eating better.

We’ll check in over the next three months and see how these goals manifest. What are your quarterly goals?

Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers

One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I’m a big fan of the TV series of Red Dwarf. Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers is a companion novel that follows much of the first season written by the creators Rob Grant and Doug Naylor who write as Grant Naylor.

When Lister finds himself planets away from Earth, penniless and prospectless, he decides to sign up for the mining ship Red Dwarf. He sees it as a ticket home to Earth. He could not be more wrong.

I was going to order this book used online, but it turns out, I had it in my Basement Box Books the whole time! I was very glad not to spend a ridiculous sum for the used copy, especially seeing as I had it for years. I had no idea what to expect from this novel. I was sort of hoping it would be more it’s own story but it turned out to be more of a novelization of the first season of the show. I hadn’t watched the show for several years, but I remembered a lot of it. I kept hoping that it would diverge and be more story we haven’t seen or learned. I wasn’t thrilled that it never did. It more made me nostalgic for the show then enjoy the book. I felt like a lot of the jokes didn’t work as well written and there was a lot of very dated references. Again, thinking back to the show, it was nice to have a personification of the writing when picturing the characters and ship. But I think the show did far better with representation and personality than the book did. It makes me wonder about the choices made in both cases. I love that the show is a diverse cast but the book seemed to fall flat. Ultimately I liked the book and enjoyed my reading experience more than not and I will be reading the next few books, I think. But I’m actually more excited to watch the show again, bc I think it will be more fun in that format. I would recommend this book to those who want a to look at the show from a different angle, readers who like sci fi comedies, and those who enjoy British humor.

Have you read Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers? Have you watched Red Dwarf?

This book is featured in my Jan Wrap Up.

More about books here:
BookTube
Goodreads

March Plant Update

March still feels like a blur but we did get some good plant and nature observations in. The weather was up and down but by the end of the month there were some flowers and buds pocking out and about. Spring might have officially started in March, but only at the end of the month did it really feel like it.

Lovely, foggy, moody Asbury Park.

This poor beauty.

Dusting and rearranging the house plants.

Found a stone cormorant.

And a living duck.

We spent plenty of time at the beach this month.

Spotted this crane on a still wintery walk.

And this camouflaged deer on a drive.

Swampy goodness.

This pic does not do justice at all to how HUGE this bald eagle was.

I’ve seen this little creature a few times now. Neighbors.

Another foggy evening.

And finally the cherry blossoms.

What did you see or do in nature this month?

Weekly Video Round Up #17 - 3/29/21 - 4/4/21

3/29 - TBR Shelf Organization and Clean up! | March is TBR Month | Gotta Make Room for New Books | Backlist

Hi, I’m Mo.
Welcome to my TBR Shelf Organization and Clean up!! I have to make more room on my TO BE READ shelf for more books to read! Check out all my Backlist books while I clean and ramble.
I have declared March to be TBR month. I have done a TBR Tag (https://youtu.be/DiL2O8BJheg), Shown you all my physical books (https://youtu.be/clDFNN3TsmA), Talked about hauls(https://youtu.be/q3QHc9U5cUI) and shown some recently acquired books(https://youtu.be/Xp3qIZqzeBw). All in the name of organizing my TBR. But what I really needed was to organize my TBR!! Where do you keep your to be read books? How do you keep that space neat and tidy? In this video I also pick out my next read for March! I'm participating in March Mystery Madness this month and I'm loving it!
Thanks for joining me today! I post videos three times a week. I post about creative simple living: books, cats, zero waste, bullet journaling, beach life, and more!

Channels Mentioned: Rick MacDonnell: https://www.youtube.com/user/SuperMacDonnell

Books in this video: All of them!

Cats in this video: none

Original music by audionightlight. https://soundcloud.com/anlight/tracks

Blog: http://www.madcatquilts.com/blog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/madcat1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/120401161-ana-mo-shoshin

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4/2 - April Plan with Me | Booktube Planning, Video Ideas | I ask my insta followers to pick my videos!

Hi, I’m Mo.
Here is a my April Plan with me using my minimalist bullet journal. My instagram followers help me pick my booktube videos for April 2021.
My minimalist bujo set us is generally the same but I have made a few little changes to my booktube content calendar. I find creating my monthly set ups each month fun and relaxing and it's always fun to show my subscribers as I do it! My minimalist and simple style really work for me! I show you last months to show how messy the calendar gets by the end of the month. It was so fun to have my insta friends help me pick videos for this month! I would like to try this again! If you want to follow me there (http://instagram.com/madcat1), please do!! I didn't want to list all the video ideas so that they are still a surprise!! If you have a plan with me, let us know in the comments!

Thanks for joining me today! I post videos three times a week. I post about creative simple living: books, cats, zero waste, bullet journaling, beach life, and more!

Cognitive Surplus: https://cognitive-surplus.com/collections/notebooks

Other plan with me videos:
Feb: https://youtu.be/rrC6aZ3XfxA
Monthly: https://youtu.be/kMjTct0oSa4
Daily Fill In: https://youtu.be/diKPqNabev8

Cats in this video: you can hear my husband yelling at the boys (Martin and Irving) to stop fighting at one point.

Original music by audionightlight. https://soundcloud.com/anlight/tracks

Blog: http://www.madcatquilts.com/blog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/madcat1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/120401161-ana-mo-shoshin

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4/5 - TBR ASMR 7 | LoFi ASMR | Tapping, scratching, page turning, cat sounds, petting, rubbing | Book ASMR

Hi, I’m Mo.
Booktube ASMR with tapping, scratching, cat petting, book stacking, page turning, lo fi sounds. These are some books from my TBR.
I really like picking some books from my TBR Shelf and creating some lofi ASMR. Irving decided to join me today. We are looking at all books that have to do with sharks this month! I hope you enjoy this gentle and lo fi book ASMR!

Thanks for joining me today! I post videos three times a week. I post about creative simple living: books, cats, zero waste, bullet journaling, beach life, and more!

Books in this video:
Close to Shore (2001) Micheal Capuzzo
The Raw Shark Texts (2007) Steven Hall
The Jaws Log (1975) Carl Gottlieb Cats in this video: Martin!

Original music by audionightlight. https://soundcloud.com/anlight/tracks

Blog: http://www.madcatquilts.com/blog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/madcat1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/120401161-ana-mo-shoshin

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The Murders of Molly Southbourne

One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

The first book I read as a Booktube recommendation, The Murders of Molly Southbourne by Tade Thompson kinda blew my mind.

Molly grows up with many rules, some of which she doesn’t understand until she’s older. Molly grows up learning to fight and to kill. Molly grows up with many little girls who look like her but none of them can stay.

This is a very short sci fi novel that packs a punch. Molly is raised in almost complete isolation by her family and you quickly find out why. I think it might even say in the blurb on the back of the book, but I feel like when I read the book, I would have preferred not to know before hand. So I will not explain it here. Bc of the conditions of her isolation and the extreme care that her parents took with and instilled in her, she has periods of terrible paranoia. Although this book is short, it is able to convey it’s information in interesting and suspenseful ways. There was a revelation towards the end of the book that basically blew my mind and clues you in to something that has been a bit of a question mark since earlier in the book. You feel quickly for Molly’s paranoia and her desire to see and meet people. Murders certainly had a lot of mysteries, many of which were not in any way satisfied. This is the first in a series but can be read as a stand alone. I’m not sure who could just read this one, though, and am excited to pick up the rest of the books! I would highly recommend this book to those who like mystery horror, but be warned this book has many graphic passages. I would also recommend this book to those who like quick and gripping reads, and those who like clone or duplicate stories.

This book is featured in my Jan Wrap Up.

More about books here:
BookTube
Goodreads

2021 Quarterly Goals | March Check In | Q1 Finale (Jan, Feb Mar)

In 2021 I have decided to make quarterly goals instead of monthly goals. But I still want to check in monthly so that I can take a look at my progress and be mindful of my goals. Here are the goals I’m working on for Q1 (Jan, Feb, Mar):

get dressed every day
yoga every day
face smoothing
10 k steps
monthly life admin day
cleaning schedule
3 vids per week
6 blog posts per week
instagram

We are now at the end of the first quarter of this quarterly goal experiment. So far, I’m finding it interesting even if I’m not sure it’s working exactly. I feel like I could keep working on these Q1 goals for the whole year. I don’t think any of these goals became completely ingrained routines. On the other hand, there are a lot more goals I want to work on. Sometimes one just has to say “good enough”.

That being said, I definitely crushed the goal of getting dressed day every day! I also have gotten the hang of posting 3 videos a week. This might ebb and flow a little, but I feel pretty good about it.

Goals that we are gonna leave at good enough are posting 6 blogs we week. Have I contunually slipped on this, yes, but it’s pretty ingrained in me to get it done when possible. See yesterday’s post. Face smoothing is also something that I have been doing pretty regularly. It’s not every day but it is frequent enough to be headed towards routine.

Although my idea of a cleaning schedule routine is getting very close to what I want, I want to take it to the next quarter to hopefully perfect it more. Stretching/yoga and walking 10k are also going to stay on the list.

My goal to post more on insta is going to change a bit for the next three months. I’m not quite where I want to be with a posting schedule, but I want to expand my goals a little to include figuring out how to post to reels and also get tiktok.

The only goal I’m not continuing to pursue is my monthly life admin day. Althought I still think a LAD is a great idea, I haven’t needed a whole day each month devoted to this task.

How did you do on your Q1 goals? Will you be continuing quarterly or change it up? Will you carry over goals or start all new?

A Bloggish Problem

I seem to have a reoccurring bloggish problem. Each month, towards the end of the month (sometimes even in the middle), I get off track with blog posts and It becomes very hard to get back on track. I out this up to a few issues: I have been busy trying to get on a schedule for my booktube (which is not more important to me than I blog but a bit more exciting at the moment), and then there is just life and productivity in general. Putting my efforts to making videos has left me with less inspiration (not to mention time) for writing. Life generally is always in flux, it seems.

Each month, I try to buck this growing trend and keep on track. The beginning of the month is always easier for me. I have lots of idea, as well as regular series that are easy to accomplish. I love my regular series but it’s important for me that the blog isn’t just those posts. That being said, if that’s all I can muster, it’s better than nothing.

So here we are at the end of another month where, going into the next, I have fallen off with blog posts. My notes books and drafts are full, but very little writing is getting done. On the horizon is my beginning of the month line up, and I feel good about it as usual. I see several weeks of content lined up and accessible for me to write. I love it. So As with each of the last few months, I will try to start strong and keep the momentum going for April.

How do you combat writing fatigue? Over come over or under-inspiration? Get around writer’s block? Stacy on schedule with creative endeavors without letting them becomes tedious?

Until I find the answers to these as well as many other questions, I’ll just keep trying.

Weekly Video Round Up #16 - 3/22 - 3/28/2021

3/22 - TBR Tag | March is TBR Month! | Booktube tag | How do I keep track of my TBR?

Hi, I’m Mo.
Thanks for joining me today! I post videos three times a week. I post about creative simple living: books, cats, zero waste, bullet journaling, beach life, and more!

I'm officially calling March "TBR month"! Here is the TBR Tag! This is the TBR Book Tag!

Original http://aperfectioncalledbooks.blogspo...
Questions
1. How do you keep track of your TBR pile?
2. Is your TBR mostly physical, ebook or audio book?
3. How do you determine which book from your TBR to read next?
4. A book that's been on your TBR list the longest
5. A book you recently added to your TBR
6. A book in your TBR strictly because of its beautiful cover
7. A book on your TBR that you never plan on reading
8. An unpublished book on your TBR that you’re excited for
9. A book on your TBR that basically everyone’s read but you
10. A book on your TBR that everyone recommends to you
11. A book on your TBR that you’re dying to read
12. How many books are on your TBR shelf?

Cats in this video: Only an unknown whisker!

Original music by audionightlight. https://soundcloud.com/anlight/tracks

Blog: http://www.madcatquilts.com/blog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/madcat1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/120401161-ana-mo-shoshin

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3/24 -

Hi, I’m Mo.
I've been going on an extended little library tour lately! Here are some recently acquired books! (don't call it a book haul!)
I have been going to so many libraries lately! I'm obsessed. I have been keeping a list and searching them out where ever I go. I have found some really new books and a lot of backlist books. It's a struggle to make sure not to take too many books. I have also been dropping books off! Don't worry, I have a lot of books to show you! Have you read any of these books? What are your thoughts?
How many little libraries do you regularly visit? How many are in your area? Check out my Little Library Tag: https://youtu.be/hLyQmkI0jGY
March is TBR month, according to me! How many books are on your TBR? Take this opportunity to sort and unhaul! Check out my TBR Tag: https://youtu.be/DiL2O8BJheg

Thanks for joining me today! I post videos three times a week. I post about creative simple living: books, cats, zero waste, bullet journaling, beach life, and more!

Books in this video: So many!

Cats in this video: Irving was there like the whole time.

Original music by audionightlight. https://soundcloud.com/anlight/tracks

Socials:
Blog: http://www.madcatquilts.com/blog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/madcat1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/120401161-ana-mo-shoshin

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GEM ASMR 1 | Tapping, scratching, calm breathing, light flares, natural long nails | LoFi ASMR

Hi, I’m Mo.
Gem ASMR using amethyst, selenite, milky quartz, pyrite. LoFi tapping, scratching, light flares, calm breathing, long natural nails.
This was a super fun video to make and I will def be more gem asmr!! It was heck on my nails, tho! I really liked to take a closer look at my gem collection and the scratching was so soothing. Amethyst is my birth stone and I love to just look at it. The second piece is an interesting one bc it also has a green pattern. The pyrite is my husband's favorite. We have many gems and fossils, so I could make a lot of videos!
What are you favorite gems? What is your birthstone?

Thanks for joining me today! I post videos three times a week. I post about creative simple living: books, cats, zero waste, bullet journaling, beach life, and more!

Original music by audionightlight. https://soundcloud.com/anlight/tracks

Blog: http://www.madcatquilts.com/blog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/madcat1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/120401161-ana-mo-shoshin

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Weekly Video Round Up #15 - 3/15/2021 - 3/21/21

3/17 - BookTube Spin Vlog | Booktube Spin #1! | First Spin Vlog

Hi, I’m Mo.
Thanks for joining me today! I post videos three times a week. I post about creative simple living: books, cats, zero waste, bullet journaling, beach life, and more!

Rick MacDonnall invented the Booktube Spin and spun the first round at the end of Jan. The rules are simple: make a 20 book TBR, label them 1-20, put them into groups if you wish, post your TBR somewhere, and check out Rick’s video to see what book you need to read by March 31st. It’s easy and fun! I thought I might cheat, but in the end, I didn’t! I vlogged my experience!

Did you do the Booktube Spin #1? What was the book you got? Did you read it?

Rick’s first Booktube Spin video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc4Iz0dvGos
Rick’s first spin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6eYtA0X-2g
My Booktube Spin TBR video: https://youtu.be/UqXne0-dtWE

Books in this video:
Thunderstruck (2006) Erik Larson
Dead Wake (2015) Erik Larson

Cats in this video: Irving!

Original music by audionightlight. https://soundcloud.com/anlight/tracks

Blog: http://www.madcatquilts.com/blog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/madcat1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/120401161-ana-mo-shoshin

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3/19 - Free and East Zero Waste | 1 More Month of Zero Waste | March Check in | Bag Swap

Hi, I’m Mo.
Thanks for joining me today! I post videos three times a week. I post about creative simple living: books, cats, zero waste, bullet journaling, beach life, and more!

How are you doing with this month’s 1 More Month of Zero Waste Challenge? We are keeping an eye on all the plastic bags that are in our lives and swapping them out for more sustainable options.

March Challenge here: https://youtu.be/ZEYaYJJf4fw

Feb: https://youtu.be/8RewurP4A-0
Jan: https://youtu.be/Gs2W6Ngdl0s

Cats in this video: Martin meowing!

Original music by audionightlight. https://soundcloud.com/anlight/tracks

Blog: http://www.madcatquilts.com/blog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/madcat1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/120401161-ana-mo-shoshin

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Recommending Books to My Favorite Booktuber | 3 Books BooksnadLaLa Might Like | Books Reccs

Hi, I’m Mo.
Thanks for joining me today! I post videos three times a week. I post about creative simple living: books, cats, zero waste, bullet journaling, beach life, and more!

I was so nervous to make this video!! I have been wanting to make one like this for a little while. Thanks Hannah Snow White Reader for the inspiration and courage! Check out her channel here:

Here are a few book recommendations for @BooksandLaLa. I hope she reads them someday and I hope she likes them! But NO pressure!!

Books in this video:
Bunny Modern (1998) David Bowman
The Crying of Lot 49 (1965) Thomas Pynchon
The Raw Shark Textst (2007) Steven Hall

Bunny Modern was also mentioned in my Re Read Tag Video: https://youtu.be/haM9XJJkdus

Original music by audionightlight. https://soundcloud.com/anlight/tracks

Blog: http://www.madcatquilts.com/blog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/madcat1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/120401161-ana-mo-shoshin

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Emergency Skin

One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

A free short story on one of my subscriptions, Emergency Skin is the first book I have read by much beloved contemporary sci-fi author NK Jemison.

Follow a volunteer and the AI guiding them from within their head, as they return to a long dead planet to replenish materials needed on their new home. The leaders of the new world have promised them this is a routine mission and the volunteer will be rewarded upon their return. They are quickly to find out, not all is as it seems on the dead earth.

I really enjoyed this short story! I still stands out in my mind, several months later. It was definitely one of my favorite reads of 2021 so far. I’m sure that has something to do with Jason Issacs being the narrator. One of the reason that I liked it is that it’s written and therefore read in second person. Isaacs, as the AI guiding the volunteer, talks directly to you. This helps you feel close to the character that you are in the books. Also the secretive and misinformed nature of how that character is treated, makes you weary to the AI in a very specific way. Although brief, this book held a lot of emotion. Reading this definitely made me want to read more NK Jemison. I wonder if all her works draws you in as well as this short story. I highly recommend this books for those who already have a**zon (you can listen to this free as part of your membership!), those who like stories told in second person, and sci-fi readers!

Have you read any NK Jemison? What are you thoughts?

This book is featured in my Jan Wrap Up.

More about books here:
BookTube
Goodreads

Something New: Meal Plan Stories

For a few weeks now, I’ve been making a meal plan and posting it to my instagram stories.

I pretty much copied this idea from @lindsaystrannigan on instagram and I’ve been loving it! It’s nice to go through the fridge each week to see what needs to be used up and to have a list so if I forget what I was thinking, I can refer back to it. I also find it helpful to have an accountability partner in wanting to post the recap for the week. Since I started, I can see that we have less food waste and don’t buy as many duplicates when shopping!

Do you make a meal plan? Do you use any kind of system? What other tips do you have for cutting down on food waste?

Weekly Video Round Up #14 - 3/8/21 - 3/14/21

3/8 - 1 More Month of Zero Waste | Bag Swap | March 2021 | Easy and Free Zero Waste | Zero Waste Booktuber

Hi, I’m Mo.
Thanks for joining me today! I post videos three times a week. I post about creative simple living: books, cats, zero waste, bullet journaling, beach life, and more!

For our March 1 More Month of Zero Waste challenge we are swapping out bags to be more sustainable. Whether you are a zero waste newbie or a seasoned pro, we can all swap out what we use for a more sustainable option. In this challenge there is no need to buy anything new!! The most sustainable option is often what you already have and can get use of.

What bags can you swap this month?

Some of the bags mentioned:
(most of these are from Mighty Nest. I’m not sponsored but I wish I was bc I love them!!!)
Bee’s Wrap: https://mightynest.com/shop/kitchen/food-storage/bee-s-wrap-assorted-3-pack
Plant based Bee’s Wrap sandwich bag : https://mightynest.com/shop/kitchen/food-storage/wraps-and-covers/plant-based-sandwich-wrap
Silicone bag: https://mightynest.com/shop/kitchen/food-storage/reusable-storage-bags/silicone-food-storage-bag
Produce bag: https://mightynest.com/shop/reusable-bags/organic-cotton-net-produce-bag
Cotton grocery bag: https://www.simpleecology.com/shop/organic-cotton-deluxe-reusable-canvas-grocery-bags

Cats in this video: Martin!

Original music by audionightlight. https://soundcloud.com/anlight/tracks

Blog: http://www.madcatquilts.com/blog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/madcat1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/120401161-ana-mo-shoshin

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3/10 - My Physical TBR | all the books I need to read | TBR Shelf | Basement Box Books | Backlist Booktuber

Hi, I’m Mo.
Thanks for joining me today! I post videos three times a week. I post about creative simple living: books, cats, zero waste, bullet journaling, beach life, and more!

Here is my physical TBR. Take a tour of my TBR shelf, my messy basement, and revisit my Booktube Spin list.

Books in this video:
too many!!

Cats in this video: Martin!

Original music by audionightlight. https://soundcloud.com/anlight/tracks

Blog: http://www.madcatquilts.com/blog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/madcat1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/120401161-ana-mo-shoshin

Please Like, Comment, and Subscribe!

3/15 - I Hate Hauls | Or Do I?!?! | First Thoughts On video | Super rambling and ranty thoughts on hauls

Hi, I’m Mo.
Thanks for joining me today! I post videos three times a week. I post about creative simple living: books, cats, zero waste, bullet journaling, beach life, and more!

This is the start of a series of ramble-y videos about things that I’m not sure how to get in other videos.

How do you feel about hauls? Do you love them or hate them? Do you do do regular book hauls, library hauls, second hand book hauls?

Let’s start a convo!!

Booktube mentioned:
Emma - Drinking by My Shelf: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBv9PyaDIjq_7nnTreH93_A
Book Break: https://www.youtube.com/user/panmacmillanbooks

Original music by audionightlight. https://soundcloud.com/anlight/tracks

Blog: http://www.madcatquilts.com/blog
Instagram: http://instagram.com/madcat1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/120401161-ana-mo-shoshin

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Woodswoman

One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

My mom gave me this beautiful old copy of Woodswomen by Anne LaBastille. Weirdly, my BFF had read it only a few month before so I was to discuss in straightaway.

When her marriage, her career, and living situation disintegrate in one fell swoop, Anne LaBastille rails against the ordinary life that might be waiting for her, opting instead to move to the Adirondack mountains, build her own house and live completely alone. This is how she becomes a Woodswomen.

Thinking back to this book several months after reading it, I loved it but it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. This books was spoken to me in the same category as The Good Life by Scott and Helen Nearing and other books about sustainability and self sufficiency. Although there are definitely elements of these topics, mostly of self sufficiency, Woodswomen is more a true memoir. Although Anne LaBastille does live on her own and her own terms and although she does right about conservation, she does not live a very sustainable and environmentally conscious lifestyle in any ways. The story of how LaBastille bucks conventional living and makes her own home, with all the trials, fails and accomplishments that entails, is fascinating. And often frustrating. In sharp contrast to how the Nearings go about creating their life, with detailed plans everything thought out, LaBastille plunges ahead with barely a plan let alone detailed “blueprints”. She almost dies, or gets someone else killed, many times,. Her rash actions often cause close to chaos and has to redo many of her initial work. She must make the same mistakes over and over before she gets it right. She is brash and impetuous and head strong. But this impetuousness allows her to live the life she always wanted without getting bogged down by being scared or conjoled into how she should live. Anne’s writing is evocative and compelling and interesting. When she writes about the freezing lake, you shiver. I would highly recommend this book to all those who have dreamed of walking in to the woods and never leaving, adventurers living on their own, people interested in the history of the Adirondacks, those who want to build their own homes and lives.

Have you read this book? What did you think?

This book is featured in my Jan Wrap Up.

More about books here:
BookTube
Goodreads