What Happened When I Started Reading To My Husband

When I was a teenager I read Hank The Cowdog and Captain Underpants to my younger siblings. Reading aloud was so simple then.

My husband has been begging me to read one of my books to him. He snuck a peak over my shoulder and was intrigued. I was nervous it had been awhile since I read aloud, and this was smut! I may be liberated from purity culture in many ways, but there is some lingering embarrassment over my books of choice. Teen me read clean, wholesome stories. And reading my smut aloud seemed to amplify the taboo (not in a titillating way, either).

It was after I downloaded the Intimately Us app on Android, that it suggested reading a book together to build intimacy. I wanted to work on romancing my husband. 

He chose Beautiful Carnage by Heather Ashley because he liked the tattoo of the guy on the cover (proud of him for totally judging a book by its cover), but it's not exactly romantic smut. 

The MMC is much older than the FMC and was actually in love with her at 16! He did not act on his feelings, though. My husband and I discussed these points as we slowly made our way through the first few chapters. I could tell the plot bothered him a little,  though he swore he found the book stimulating to listen to.

However, 10% of the way through we just stopped reading together,  After a few months I asked him if we should continue and he admitted he didn't even remember the plot so far. He then gave me his full blessing to finish the book on my own.

Updates to follow on my Goodreads account.

Following For My TBR List

Have you ever been on a Facebook book group and seen someone post their "follow dot" to keep abreast of the post should a new juicy book get posted in the comments? If you are like me, you probably wanted to snatch those follow dots for yourself, but were too afraid of copyright infringement. Well, I made my own. And, I made some to share as well.

If you are on the computer, I'm sure you know to "right click" and "save."

If you are on your phone, screenshot it and then use a photo cropping app like "Photo Editor PRO" to crop the extra stuff out of the screens hot. To get "Photo Editor PRO" you have to type in "Aviary Photo Editor" it's the only way I can find it. RIP Aviary Photo Editor. 

Now for the good stuff:

Why I Don't Like Ibotta And What I Use Instead

I don't know if I legally have to say this, but I'm going to give you a heads up anyway. I have a referral code tucked in here. The other companies either did not have referral options, or (in the case of receiptjar) they only allow "official influencers" with 1,000 Followers or more to post on their social media campaigns and blogs for profit. Since I'm a small hobby blog at this time, I can't share that referral code with you. 

I wanted to love ibotta. Especially back in the days when you could stack with a coupon… problem is, I'm a simple person. I don't clip all the coupons and hunt down all the sales. I go to one cheap grocery store fore most things. That store is Aldi. And I love Aldi, but Aldi is not one of the stores covered in ibotta. Not only that, when I do head out to Walmart or Schnucks I almost always reach for store brand items. So ibotta doesn't generate much, if anything for me.

What do I use instead? Well, for one I use Fetch, you still get extra for listed items (which are all name brand) but you get a standard 25 points for just about every receipt you scan. I even scanned a McDonald's receipt. 

Another good one is Coinout. You can scan almost any receipt. Nothing that is obviously not a real receipt. It let's to link to a few online accounts too. I'm having difficulties with Amazon ereceipts, but as a paper receipt scanning app it is great. You get about 4 cents per receipt. 

It's not exactly a receipt scanning app, but it is a purchase recording app, and I love it… so I'll include it, National Consumer Panel or NCP for short. With NCP you scan the barcodes of your purchases. I never scan my groceries  because that's too much trouble, but that would certainly work and probably set me to cash out much earlier and it's a quick to cash out app as it is. I even can "scan" self serve soft drinks from the gas station.

My all time favorite receipt scanning app is receipt jar. It has a sliding scale of how many point you get based on how much you spend. Pretty much any receipt is accepted as long as the name of the store is clearly printed on the receipt. The app has a flash on the camera to give a clear view of the receipt, it steadies the camera if you have shaky hands, and it lets you take multiple pictures for longer receipts. The icing on this cake, however, is that you can even scan dispensary receipts. 

All these apps of course cash out for Amazon gift cards (my favorite). All, but Fetch also offer PayPal payouts. As a bookworm, I'll take the gift cards, but maybe you have bills to pay. I'm not here to tell you how to cash out. Just recommending some great receipt apps.

It should also be noted that I have an Android. I Googled the others and they are all iphone apps too, with Coinout only being available on iphone 14.0 or later, and iPad of the same "generation" what do you call it for ios products anyway?

If ibotta works for you, then I'm happy for you, maybe you can add these apps to your repertoire. If you are like me, and ibotta just doesn't work for you, try these options. Make sure to hook them up to an email you actually check for those gift cards.

April 2023 TBR List

I have been on a dark and twisted romance kick. My TBR list reflects that as well. I think. In other bookish news: I deleted my Goodreads account and made a new one. The books in my old TBR list were laughable and way too many to just delete them all. So I made a new account. Lost all my books read, but it's more important about the bookish connections I make on thereanyway. I have been really organizing my books on there, so go check it out if you are interested in some books. I also started a Booktok, I'm new. I have one follower. And my final bit of bookish news is that I'm going to read other stuff along with smut for awhile because I'm going to be reading through the Rory Gilmore Book Challenge List. You can find it on Pinterest and print it out for free, or you can head to Etsy and look up a "pretty" one, or you can go to Amazon and buy a booklet with the list printed out. Being ever frugal, I chose to print it out for free on Pinterest. 

Hooked by Emily McIntire 

So, the synopsis makes it sound like it's a story where Captain Hook gets the girl. After all, the character's names are James and Wendy. However, I have it on good authority that it isn't exactly that. The person did not give anymore information for fear of spoilers, and it wasn't enough to detour me. I want to know for myself!

Tempt by Melanie Harlow 

At the time that I got this book, the author was giving it away free for a limited time. I snatched it up because it's an ex's dad kind of romance, which I really like, and find kind of funny as well. I hope I get to reading this one soon.

The Fireman And His Nanny by Roya Kingsley

This book is not on Kindle at all. I got it through Book Funnel for free from the author for signing up for their newsletter. I'll do it for a freebie. I keep Unroll on my phone in case the subscriptions get overwhelming. 

Money Making Mom by Crystal Paine

I have have this book on my Kindle for years. I read their book Money Saving Mom, which has some delightful insights on saving money. This book is all about making extra money from home. That is what I need to learn. Just a little bit. Enough to help out.

How To Learn A Language In 90 Days by Adam Muller

Another book I've had on my Kindle for awhile. I'm currently trying to learn Irish Gaelic. I'm using Duolingo, Mango Languages, and YouTube. I'm also listening to Gaelic songs and reading books with Gaelic snippets in them. Hopefully this book will push me closer to my goals.

The Castle by Sky Warren 

I had thought I read this book, till I hit download to check the back of the book for follow information.  That's when I realized I had read the first two, but not this one. Then I realized there are more! I have some catching up to do!

Dandelion Jane by A.R. Stanley 

I am a terrible friend. I bought this book because my friend wrote it. We spent hours together while she wrote it. (I worked on a project that got copied over by a third party) I have read snippets of the book and they are good. But, she told me it's not a HEA book and I just never read it. I was telling my Mom about it the other day and she was excited "Oh you have to read it!" She exclaimed. I guess that settles that. I'll be reading the book soon, then.

Highest Bidder by Sara Cate 

I have read all of The Salacious Players Club except Mercy, and that's because I'm neither a Beau fan, nor a Domme fan really. So, I left that one alone. But, I'm excited to read this one, I've heard good things.

Beautiful Carnage by Heather Ashley 

Oh the struggles of getting through this book! This is the book my husband chose for me to read to him. But, he is a little freaked out by the story line. I think. He says it's too hot to handle. Is that code? In the meantime, he doesn't want me to go ahead and finish it without him, because he is interested, he just needs to be ready.

These Sinful Delights by Elizabeth Bardot

Supposedly there is an Irish character in this book that uses Irish words and phrases. I learned on YouTube that the military language training program requires trainees to listen to music in the language they are learning, watch movies, and read books. I'm not ready for a whole book, this is what I'm ready for.

Priest by Sierra Simone

I've heard so many good things about this book that I just had to buy it. Warning, if you are religious, I'm pretty sure this book isn't for you. This is Supposedly a book about a priest breaking his vows in all manner of smutty ways. If that offends you. Find something else. Anything else.

Grumpy Billionaire Boss Daddy by Blakely Rose

This is another Free Book Funnel book for subscribing to their newsletter. Just don't do what I did and accidentally download it three times. I haven't found a way to delete extras.

Highland Fling by Meghan Quinn 

After getting a wee bit obsessed with Outlander, I decided to put my own spin on falling down the rabbit hole. I'm learning Irish Gaelic because I'm Irish (by blood, not by birth), I'm knitting again, and I'm reading books with modern Scottish and Irish MMC's in them. 

Den Of Vipers by K.A. Knight

Normally I'm not a huge fan of RH romance, I don't have a problem with the why choose concept... it's hard for me to keep up with positions or to picture them. However, the people in one of my Facebook book groups highly recommend this book to me, so I added it to my TBR.

Reading Habits Book Tag

I'm bored, let's do a book tag. Today I'm going to chat about reading habits, although I'm pretty sure some of the discussions have already been brought up in other book tags. As always. I found this book tag on Pinterest. I don't know who the original poster was. If it was you please let me know so I can link you.

Bookmarks or random piece of paper?

Okay, I'm guilty of using random pieces of paper, but I absolutely love beautiful bookmarks. When I took up knitting again I started knitting up some bookmarks to use. I also plan on printing some "color your own" bookmarks too. Mostly I read on my Kindle, though.

Stop reading randomly or stop after reading chapter/certain number of pages

It depends. I at least wait until the paragraph is over if I'm stopping on my own. If someone (ahem, Hubby) interrupts me, I ask if I cam wait until the end of the chapter. I don't really measure out pages because I'm on the Kindle.

Certain place at home for reading?

Honestly? I read in bed. When we remodel the living room I will be spending more time reading in there. I have long hair and it gets tangled up when I read in bed. I don't know about you, but my scalp is tender!

Eat or drink while reading?

I'll drink while reading, but eating is too distracting. What do I drink while reading? Coffee, herbal tea, water, mimosas (better than wine, really), or a diet mountain dew.

Music or TV while reading?

What kind of question is this? Who on earth can pay attention to the TV while reading? I do sometimes put on music to drowned out my gaming stepson, from the other room. It's a bit distracting to be in the middle of a spicy scene and then hear "you @$$%^^^&$#&&!" Noted: as much as I don't mind cussing on my blog, there are some things I won't say. Also noted: this is temporary, he broke his leg and will soon be back to work and I can read in silence. 

One book at a time or several?

I used to say one book at a time. Or if I read two it was one fiction and one non-fiction. Now, I will sometimes have two fiction going at once. Right now I have my regular book, the book I'm reading to Hubby, and an audiobook all going at once. I haven't even picked out my non-fiction book yet.

Reading at home or everywhere?

I used to take my ereader with me everywhere. Then, again, I had a messenger bag as a purse that could fit my Kindle in it. I don't have such a bag now, though. I've been searching rummage sales, Thrift stores, and Facebook marketplace for the perfect such bag for me. I really don't want to spend $40.00 for the one on Amazon (as much as I love it).

Reading out loud or silently?

Definitely silently. I'm reading a book aloud to Hubby and it's going so slowly! Partly because he is slightly horrified at the type of books I read, but mostly because you read slower aloud than in your head.

Do you ever read ahead or skip pages?

No. Okay, I used to, but that's kind of hard to do with an ereader! I've tried the bookmark feature, and it doesn't seem to do much of anything that I can tell. Someone tell me if you know, please.

Breaking the spine or keeping it like new?

Oh for the love of Thor! Do not crack the spine of your books! At least not the hard covers. I don't really care about paperbacks because they are meant to withstand a bit of abuse, but hard covers are works of art! If there is one good bookish habit my Dad instilled in me, it was to never crack the spine of a book.

Do you write in your books?

Not if it's not a textbook. I'm pretty sure I'm done with college, so, no.

Rapid Fire Booktag

Just looking up and completing booktags. Don't mind me. As usual, I don't know who started this booktag. So, I'm not giving credit. I am not taking credit for this booktag, either. I find all my booktags on Pinterest. At this time, I have a whole board dedicated to booktags that I intend to do.

E-book or physical book

I have to say e-books. They are cheaper and they take up a lot less space. I have more than 3,000 books on my Kindle. Prior to 2010 my answer would have been physical book.

Paperback or hardback

Paperback, it's lightweight and it's not as big of a deal if you Crack the spine. 

Online or in-store book shopping

Since I own a Kindle, all my book shopping is online. If I were to buy a physical book, I would be Thrift shopping for it.

Trilogies or series

Series, but standalone series. Where each book can be chosen by itself if wanted.

Heroes or villains

Usually heroes. Sometimes a good villain, though. Like Hate Me by A. Jade.

A book you want everyone to read

Right now it's The Husband Lottery by Sofia T. Summers 

Recommend an underrated book

Well, I'm pretty sure they all are underrated. 

The last book you finished

Christmas With The Older Man by Natasha L. Black 

The last book you bought

Wrong by Adelaide Forrest be warned there are so many triggers in this book. I almost didn't finish it. It had a happy ending, though.

Weirdest thing you've used as a bookmark

I have books with old mail and books with dollars in them.

Used books: yes or no

I have no problem thrifting in every area of my life. 

Top three favorite genres

Contemporary romance, historical romance, and Paranormal romance 

Borrow or buy

It depends on the book and it depends on the price of the book.

Characters or plot

Plot? This is one of those "both" moments, but I'm pretty sure I can only pick one.

Long or short books

If those are the only choices, then long. In reality I like about 300 pages. That's not long, but it's not short either.

Long or short chapters

Long

Name the first three books you think of

1. Gifting Me To His Best Friend by Katee Robert 

2. A Fake Fiancée For Christmas by Ava Gray 

3. The Accidental Kiss by Heatherly Bell 

Books that make you laugh, or cry

Well, I like HEA, that said... I want to cry so much on the way there.

Our world or fictional world

Our world. I don't mind fictional places, but I'm not into aliens and elves. Give me real people or werewolves, I'll take that too.

Audiobooks: yes or no

Yes, but not often. I like audiobooks when I'm doing something else, most of the time I'm reading an e-book. All my audiobooks are free. 

Do you ever judge a book by its cover

Absolutely, but that doesn't mean I'll like the book. If I don't like the cover I won't even give it a chance.

Book to movie, or TV-show adaptation

Depends. I felt like The Hobbit was very well done. But, then I like Bridgerton too. So, both?

Series or standalones

I only like series if the individual books can be read as standalones. I don't often finish a series and I don't want to feel like I'm missing out if I only read one book.

All The Nerdy Apps On My Android Phone

There are not enough posts about Android products. I feel like they get a bad rap for being inferior because they cost less (my phone was $200). I never have any problems with my phone, that my sister (an iPhone user) doesn't also have. And any complaints I do have about my phone, my sister-in-law (who has the same phone) has none of those problems whatsoever. So, it all comes down to my app preferences, and I'm a big fan of Android's selection. My phone is stuffed full of nerdy apps galore and I use them all regularly. Feel like expanding your noggin?

Pinterest 

Of course I must include Pinterest in my list. Every little nerdy obsession I have goes through this app. I currently have a board titled "phone wallpapers" and all my nerdy obsessions have a space as wallpapers for my phone. I also have a Jane Austen board, book blogging boards, bookstagram boards, and much more.

Vocabulary Builder

When I was a kid, my Dad had a book called "1,000 Words You Need To Know" every night that he was home for dinner, we went over a word. I love words! When I found this app I knew I had to have it. It gives you a new word every day and includes pronunciation. It also provides quizzes so you can retain what you are learning. I, unfortunately, know about 1/4 of the words shared so far. I'm still learning 3/4 of the words shared, so that's a win for me.

Prompted Journal

As a writer, I try to spend as much time writing as possible. This is a simple, free, app, with no ads. You can choose how many prompts you get. The prompts are neither too deep, nor too frivolous. You don't have a limit or or a minimum of words to write. Just go with the flow. I will say they tell you they recycle prompts after awhile so you may compare your responses to see if they are the same.

Diary

I don't like to air the dirtiest of my laundry on Facebook (or here for that matter). Sometimes I just have to get out my grievances. The kind that makes me angry. I found this diary that has a coded lock to it. A code different from any of my other locks that no one would possibly think I'd choose. It's my safe space to write whatever the hell I want.

Sudoku 

As a writer, you would think I'm a fan of crossword puzzles. Or, at least word searches. What I really love to spend my leisurely moments doing is Sudoku. I don't think of it as math, really... it's just patterns... which I guess is math. Crossword puzzles confuse me. Word searches are a mess when finished. Sudoku is orderly and straightforward. I always keep a Sudoku app on any phone I have.

Libby

On the Kindle Fire HD 10 this app is still called Overdrive and I use it to read books on my Kindle app. On my Android I use it to access the audiobooks. If you are new to how Libby works, if your library subscribes to it, all you need is your library card to gain access. And you check out, put on hold, borrow, and return just like you would at the brick and mortar building.

Duolingo

On my phone it's Duolingo and Gaelic...at least that's the plan. I found out I'm mostly Irish and German. And then I watched Outlander. After Googling Ireland's native tongue, I found it was Gaelic. Which was handy since Outlander made me want to learn it already. As for the German? I picked up a little when I was younger and put a few apps on my Kindle. 

Librivox

A library of classic audiobooks for free. I'm currently listening to Emma by Jane Austen. I didn't realize how long the book was. I recommend this app to everyone who wants to listen to audiobooks. Because it's free and it's not totally obscure titles.  They are classics.

OC Editor 

Although, I have not written fiction yet, I still prepare for it always. This app is one of those preparations. I just name a character and then it gives me a list of details to fill out about him or her. There are probably far more detailed accounts to use, but if you need to use your phone, this is a great bet.

Tempt

This is an audiobook app for smut. Not all books are free, but there is a pretty good selection for free with ads. Some of the books I've seen on this app, I've also seen on Kindle Unlimited to give you an idea of the quality of the books available. 

Tarot Card Meanings

After tearing up the original booklet that came with my deck, and somehow losing the giant lug of a text I had after. After dealing with fluffy digital tarot reading apps for awhile, I stumbled on this app. It is a tarot card dictionary without reading the cards for you. Get your own cards and carry your dictionary with you on your phone.

Grammar Test

Because I spend so much of my time writing, I thought it might behoove me to brush up on my Grammar. This app is meant for ESL, but it doesn't feel like it. In fact I set it on basic ( I want to get all the basics down pat) and it didn't feel at all like it was meant for someone who wasn't used to speaking English. I love it. It's important to brush up up on things you already know to ensure that you haven't forgotten anything over the years.

Daily Art

What Vocabulary Builder did for vocabulary words, Daily Art has done with the classic paintings of yore. Every day you get a new painting and it gives you some pointers to think about said painting. So, you aren't finding yourself at the museum looking at a painting going "it's pretty, but I don't know why." 

Spelling Master

I'm pretty good at spelling. When I was a kid my Mom always said "sound it out or look it up!" Then, if I got a word wrong, made me write it correctly for 3 pages: front and back! It's paid off in the most annoying way, though. Now, everyone asks me how to spell words. I wanted to keep myself sharp, so I downloaded this app. Out of 15 words I got two wrong. So, it's just enough of a challenge to keep me engaged. But, not so much as to have me frustrated. It says the word aloud and then spells out the definition. It's up to you to blindly spell the word. No auto correct to give you a hand either. I love it!

Perfect Ear

Since I was about 5, I was obsessed with the piano... and singing... and music in general as I could create it. It took until I was 13 to 17 to get real piano lessons. I didn't get to finish lessons and I want to keep up my studies, so I found this music theory turned into a game app. I may have to give up on my beloved piano and get something smaller like a Mountain Dulcimer (no hymns) instead.