So when I decided to start on this list I thought I was going to be screwed by my own hubris - how could I possibly pick favorites out of what (I think) were hundreds of books I read in 2018? And then I started looking, combing through my Amazon and Google purchase history, double checking against my other Friday Book Club posts, and surprisingly it turned out not to be that hard. It also made me want to re-read some of the books I talked about earlier in the year, but I digress.

This list is full of books I loved, that stayed with me and got reread, over and over again. I decided to include books that might not have been published in 2018 as long as they were new to me, so hopefully that won't skew the numbers too much.

Have fun and happy reading!

Every Heart a Doorway/Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire (Fantasy/~Urban Fantasy Light)
I might not be current with her Toby series (things in that world got real dark for me y'all) but McGuire's Wayward Children series is memorable for the same reasons that series is. Happy endings don't always happen for anyone, let alone children who are coughed back onto Earth after adventures in a multitude of "somewhere elses" and McGuire makes each of their stories incredibly compelling. On their own and also as ensemble casts, which are the books I'm choosing to focus on here. The casts are diverse by design but never come across as forced, instead as true representations of the types of people that might be better served by a world not this one - as least as it is right now. It's dark and beautiful and mesmerizing and familiar while still being brand new, which isn't surprising when a lot of the other worlds sound like the homes of the fairytale stories we read as children. Read them, you will not regret it.

Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews (Urban Fantasy)
I can't even tell you if this was my favorite book in the Kate Daniels series, because it was the last and the last of a series that's been going on for so long I can't remember when I did before reading them. The first two books in this series are ones I accidentally kept for so long from the library system in North Carolina that I just had to pay them for the damn books, which means I've officially been reading Andrews for almost 15 years. Kate and Curran have gone through innumerable challenges on the way to their own Happily Ever After, and collected friends who have become family in their own right. While I'm sad to see these two go, I'm also happy to have one of my favorite series end on a note that is so well done and leaves room for the supporting cast to get their own time in the spotlight later (Hugh's time has already started).

A Little Familiar by R. Cooper (Paranormal Romance)
In my quest to convince BlerDCon we need some serious book focused content, I deliberately tried this year to read some romances out of my comfort zone, and R. Cooper hit it out the park with this one (& the sequel to be honest). I've already gone on about how much I love quiet but emotionally intense heroes who need time to adequately communicate the depths of their feelings (see my love for Laura Florand), but it's the connection between Piotry and Bartleby that stayed with me, which is especially wonderful to say about a romance book. They grew beyond what they thought they knew about each other to find a connection that was authentically theirs, and it was just freaking great, ok? The magic is a part of it but it's a supporting part to the emotional bond and everyone who loves a truly satisfying HEA should pick this up.

A Girl Like Her by Talia Hibbert (Contemporary Romance)
I'm not gonna lie, I was being a total punk about this book. It went around the Twittersphere like fire and I have this weird perverse tendency that if a book gets too much love there has to be something "off" about it so I don't read. Plus this heroine (Ruth) has some sexual assault in her history and I was concerned that it would get too descriptive, not because the story didn't call for it, but because everything is so awful I don't like reading about that (and because these sorts of things often give me nightmares). ALL THAT TO SAY, yes, Ruth has been through some shit but it's referenced to and not explicitly detailed, her sister is a fucking BAMF (and also has an awesome book you should read), and I loved Evan (the hero) who has recently been described as Chris Evans-like. Would not disagree

Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox by Forthright (Fantasy/Alternate World Urban Fantasy)
When a great author (Ilona Andrews) recommends a book you pay attention, and while not everything they've shared has worked for me, Forthright and their work really really has. I loved Tsumiko, which is a slow burn romance in a fantasy world where humans are just being introduced to Amaranthine, otherworldy creatures that can appear as humans or the animals their Clans claim as namesakes. This particular story focuses on Tsumiko, who recently takes command of an estate she never knew existed, and responsibility for an Amaranthine who's been bound into service of her family for generations. You would expect some very tricky conversations about consent with that setup, and they happen, but Argent (her new Amaranthine servant) isn't nearly as helpful as he appears, or as clear about his emotions as their connections develop. So the whole story is a song and dance between them and where they'll ultimately end up - it's awesome. The payoff is slow but so worth it (plus there's great supporting characters who appear in book two).

Miss Fortune Mysteries by Jana DeLeon (Romantic Suspense)
And rounding out the year is a series I've fallen in love with because it's just so damn comforting. It combines all the best bits of mystery, action, a small-town setting and the characters you'd expect there, and a romance. So far the good guys have always won, and at the point of the series I'm in, Fortune might be finally lining up her own HEA with the local law. WHAT IS THERE NOT TO LOVE ABOUT THIS? It takes me back to when I first started reading the Aurora Teagarden series by Charlaine Harris, but this is even more low angst. I am not complaining - I love that while I don't always know (or care) whodunnit, I am invested in the happiness of the characters I'm reading about. Seriously, some of the best supporting characters are in this book, and it's what makes every new installment I buy more fun. These are probably the closest what I consider beach reads, because they don't stress me out and are very soothing, while also being a lot of fun to read.

2019 will be 10 years of me blogging, personally, in this space. The name and content may have changed (for one I am significantly less angsty, thank you time and BCP), but it's interesting to have that big round number in front of you and wonder what you have to show for it. Do I even remember why I got into sharing my outfits? It was probably about 75% inspiration from others already killing the game, and 25% of my own hubris that made me feel like I still had something unique to add to the conversation. And honestly, the things that motivate me to continue change - not constantly, but enough.

I don't feel particularly unique anymore, and I think the absolute breadth of the bloggers out there (even in the inbetweenie/plus size space) is unique in a way it never has been before, but somehow I still find it hard to discover and follow women that feel like me. That are not only shaped the way I am, but are intrigued and attracted to the same kinds of clothes I am, because sometimes? Sometimes I don't want to be the one who tries it first - I'd like someone to be able to tell me if it's a waste of time. I still remembering running around SoHo this past summer, trying on all the "cool girl"/sustainable brands that had taken Instagram by storm, and pretty much all of them looking like shit on me. I'm a big believer that "it's the clothes, not you" but whoa buddy, there comes a time when there are only so many strangely fitted size 12/Larges/X-Larges/One Sizes before you start to take it personally.

And on that personal note, I'd like to end on discussing how 2019 will also be the 10th anniversary of my mother's death.  Which doesn't even sound real when I say it. I'm not the first or last to have a parent pass suddenly, but the more time passes the more I realize that there will come a day when I will have been alive longer without my mother than with her, and what the absolute fucking bullshit that is. I miss her all the time. I think embracing my anger at well, almost everything the last couple of years, has possibly only made me miss her more, because I'm more willing to express how unhappy I am, and how I think things would be easier with her here. I would like to think that she would be proud of me. That she would think I'm doing well at navigating the waters of full-time work and part-time hobbies (that are never quite as hobby as they should be).

So here's to 2018 - a year with more anger than I thought my body could contain, and a closet with less clothing in it now than it started with.

// And how is your search for apple related recipes going? Cause Mel's Kitchen Cafe just made my entire life with this one...


// I'm going to link to Minimalist Baker's recipe here, but really all I want to tell you is to make arepas. They're easy and so tasty and a wonderful vehicle to transport (to my belly) all my favorite flavors. And now I want to try them for breakfast sandwiches too!



// I realize the next couple of articles are mostly results of time and Halloween, but nope, DON'T CARE. STILL AWESOME.



// And also see...




And then some fun/interesting posts & random finds: "Law Roach: the stylist who transformed Céline Dion and Zendaya"  // "How Best Buy survived the retail apocalypse" // "The iPhone’s New Parental Controls Block Searches for Sex Ed, Allow Violence and Racism" // "Chrissy Teigen on Kanye, Getting Blocked by Trump, and Actually Caring About Her Comments" // "Netflix’s new ‘Salt Fat Acid Heat’ is unlike any other food show on TV" // Did you know there was an actual use for those straps on the shoulder of jackets?! // Lyft Announces $2.50 Flat Fare to Grocery Stores for Families Living in Food Deserts

Even though I know this amuses probably no one but me, this title still makes me think about Star Trek Voyager (also, why don't I remember ridiculous trailers like this from when I watched it live1?!). And honestly, I feel like amusement is few and far enough in between that I'll take the moments when I can.

The holiday season has both been fun and kind of a let down unfortunately, though you could make the argument that I have no one to blame but myself. Though I'd be more comfortable blaming the United States for being such a dumpster fire that we can let children sit in cages on our soil or die in our hands and blame the people who were fighting desperately to give them a better life. Not trying to be a downer, but it's especially true when you don't even have a representative to yell at in hopes that they start to care on your behalf. 

Read & Have Opinions On
Quick Note -  I went through so many books this past month that instead of including a "Looking Forward To" section, you're getting the proverbial word vomit of all my thoughts and feelings. And there are actually other books that didn't make it on here, but I felt like for the sake of everyone's sanity this was enough. Thanks for accepting me in all my book craziness! 

Kimiko and the Accidental Proposal by Forthright 
She wasn’t aware of her gift’s significance, yet he expects to be courted.

Kimiko enrolls at the In-between’s prestigious new high school, which is designed to promote the integration of the human and inhuman races. As a reaver, she’s supposed to act as peacemaker, bridging a formidable cultural gap, but the other two members of her triad don’t need any help in that department. Akira and Suuzu have been friends since middle school. Instead, the boys must rally behind Kimiko when she inadvertently initiates a courtship with Eloquence Starmark.


My Thoughts: I'm just going to put it out there that this description is so much less than the book's whole. Like, I understand that the intricacies of the world Forthright has created makes it harder than normal for blurbs to capture the whole thing, but y'all. This book is so good. This series is so good and I can't wait to see how it continues to evolve. Forthright excels at writing incredible relationships, that grow and build in ways that I just don't see in other fantasies or romances - plus there's a special place in my heart for relationships that develop after lots of conversation to get past misunderstandings. It's incredibly soothing. Plus this book brings back characters from book one, building on their stories without detracting from the main couple (which is hard). If you're looking for an engaging series with interesting, well developed characters and a sweet romance - this is it.


Witchmark by C.L. Polk
In an original world reminiscent of Edwardian England in the shadow of a World War, cabals of noble families use their unique magical gifts to control the fates of nations, while one young man seeks only to live a life of his own.

Magic marked Miles Singer for suffering the day he was born, doomed either to be enslaved to his family's interest or to be committed to a witches' asylum. He went to war to escape his destiny and came home a different man, but he couldn’t leave his past behind. The war between Aeland and Laneer leaves men changed, strangers to their friends and family, but even after faking his own death and reinventing himself as a doctor at a cash-strapped veterans' hospital, Miles can’t hide what he truly is.

When a fatally poisoned patient exposes Miles’ healing gift and his witchmark, he must put his anonymity and freedom at risk to investigate his patient’s murder. To find the truth he’ll need to rely on the family he despises, and on the kindness of the most gorgeous man he’s ever seen.

My Thoughts: I kept seeing this one talked about on Twitter so I decided to take the plunge with the help of my local library (thanks DC!). It's an interesting one for me, an alternate history England where the slowburn romance is adjacent to the main mystery plot. I liked how the initial symptoms that Miles encountered as a doctor whose patients were exclusively Veterans could easily have been categorized as a form of PTSD, but throughout the book took on more and more sinister connotations. There are also a ton of complicated relationships in this book, between friends, family, community, etc. and each of them is flavored by their own societal dictates of propriety in addition to emotion. The big reveal at the end even surprised me, because while I had guessed some of it, I definitely hadn't grasped the full breadth of the whole enterprise - or the huge ramifications to society that will be examined more thoroughly in the next book. For me Witchmark was a bit of a slow burn with a satisfying payoff, so I would recommend.

Leopard's Blood by Christine Feehan
Though he was born into a leopard’s lair in the bayou, Joshua Tregre’s fighting skills were honed in the rain forests of Borneo. Sleek and deadly, he’s the perfect man to take over a crime syndicate back home in Louisiana’s lush swamplands. His razor-sharp instincts give him an edge in the violent underworld he knows so well, but even the watchful leopard inside him isn’t prepared for the threat that comes from the girl next door...

She is a woman who can create beauty out of thin air—and out of the ruins of her own life. The games that dangerous men play have taken their toll on her, but she is bent, not broken. And it’s her fierce spirit that’s like a lure to Joshua, a temptation he can’t resist—even if it means bringing his true nature into the light...

My Thoughts: You know, I picked this book up from the library because while I don't read Feehan with the same consistency anymore, the blurb made it sound like it was going to perhaps be a bit more like her older work. Plus I vaguely remembered Joshua from earlier on in the series when I was still following more closely. In the end I think it mostly just cemented why these aren't so much my cup of tea anymore. I don't have a problem with insta-love, but insta-lust that's fueled by hormones/bodily functions that "can't be resisted"? Not my jam. Plus it but the heroine immediately on the defensive during the relationship, when she had very some very good reasons for feeling the way she did. Plus, I've lost my ability to be totally on board with helpful heroines. I want her choices to be respected, even if they're made on incomplete information, so being physically bullied into doing what was "best" for her was just...not fun. I don't need every woman to be able to kick every man's ass, but I want her to have agency dammit, not just the masquerade of it [shakes fist]. Also, I'm just gonna leave you on this one note: leopard sex. I actually don't ever need my people romances to feature animal sex, and I think that's ok.

Diamond Fire by Ilona Andrews
Nevada Frida Baylor and Connor Ander Rogan cordially invite you to join their wedding celebration. Summoning, weather manipulation, and other magical activities strictly forbidden.

Catalina Baylor is looking forward to wearing her maid of honor dress and watching her older sister walk down the aisle.  Then the wedding planner gets escorted off the premises, the bride’s priceless tiara disappears, and Rogan's extensive family overruns his mother’s home.  Someone is cheating, someone is lying, and someone is plotting murder.

To make this wedding happen, Catalina will have to do the thing she fears most: use her magic.  But she’s a Baylor and there’s nothing she wouldn't do for her sister's happiness.  Nevada will have her fairy tale wedding, even if Catalina has to tear the mansion apart brick by brick to get it done.

My Thoughts: In the best way possible I want to say that this was exactly what I expected and it was great. This novella is a complete story that also acts as a bridge to the next arc of the series, which will focus on Catalina (and the rest of the Baylor children?). Catalina proves herself to be a woman just as capable as her sister, with powers that have their own interesting depths and gradation of expressions.  Andrews focusing this story in and around the wedding was a great way to immediately increase tension since everyone's emotions are already running high, and while I wouldn't say the whodunit was totally unexpected, there are few scenes as recklessly fun as that final confrontation.

A Little Familiar by R. Cooper 
A powerful witch, Piotr Russell has resigned himself to loneliness, because ordinary humans can’t know what he is, and other witches are intimidated by his abilities. Generations of Russells have lived and died with only their familiars at their side. The presence of a friendly familiar is enough to keep even the loneliest witch sane, and yet Piotr deliberately hasn’t chosen one. He forces himself to keep busy instead, but the emptiness of his house haunts him even more the spirit of Great-Great-Aunt Elysia in the parlor. With Samhain and Halloween approaching, he’ll have much to do, and knowing that, his concerned coven seizes the chance to intervene and sends help to his door in the form of Bartleby Dorchester.

The rarest of rare jewels, Bartleby is a human familiar: a witch with no magic of his own, and a desire to find a strong witch to help and serve. In particular, he desires to help and serve Piotr, and everything in Piotr wants to let him. Bartleby was meant to be his familiar; Piotr knows it as surely as he knows when it will rain or when the apples in his garden will ripen. But what Piotr wants from Bartleby, all he’s ever wanted, is for Bartleby to love him, something he thinks is impossible.

Russells live and die unloved, and he won’t allow Bartleby to feel obligated to spend his life with him as his familiar if he could be happy in love with someone else. But Samhain is a time for change, when walls come down and borders grow thin, and Bartleby isn’t going to waste what might be his last chance to convince Piotr that they were meant to be. He might have no magic, but love is a power all its own.

My Thoughts: I'm again throwing my thanks out to Twitter for this $.99 gem, because I really enjoyed myself. There's something about gruff-but-kind heroes and their hidden emotions that have be slowly drawn out into the light by match that gets to me. It speaks to all the rainbows and butterflies in my soul that love a good romance books. And the relationship between Piotr and Bartleby hit all those buttons in the best way possible. I feel like over the past couple of months, months were I've deliberately tried to read more Own Voices/Non Cis-Heterosexual, I've enjoyed myself more than I have in a while. I think in these stories the authors are placing more emphasis on the conversational bonds and emotional cornerstones that result in a romance that feels real, and I'm loving it. GIVE ME ALL THE CONVERSATIONS. ALL THE EMOTIONAL CONNECTIONS. Plus, these aren't to the exclusion of sexy times - Cooper does a bit of fade to black after some spicy physical back and forth, and at no point did I feel like I was missing out on that part of their relationship. I immediately bought book two and I can't wait to read it.


Seasons of Sorcery by Amanda Bouchet, Grace Driven, Jennifer Estep & Jeffe Kennedy
WINTER'S WEB BY JENNIFER ESTEP
An assassin at a renaissance faire. What could possibly go wrong? Everything, if you’re Gin Blanco. This Spider is trapped in someone else’s icy web—and it seems like they don’t want her to leave the faire alive . . .

A WILDERNESS OF GLASS BY GRACE DRAVEN
The stretch of sea known as the Gray rules the lives of those in the village of Ancilar, including widow Brida Gazi. In the aftermath of an autumn storm, Brida discovers one of the sea's secrets cast onto the shore—a discovery that will change her world, mend her soul, and put her in the greatest danger she's ever faced.

A CURSE FOR SPRING BY AMANDA BOUCHET
A malevolent spell strangles the kingdom of Leathen in catastrophic drought. Prince Daric must break the curse before his people starve. A once-mighty goddess trapped in a human body might be the key—but saving his kingdom could mean losing all that he loves.

THE DRAGONS OF SUMMER BY JEFFE KENNEDY
As unofficial consort to the High Queen, former mercenary Harlan Konyngrr faces a challenge worse than looming war and fearsome dragons. His long-held secrets threaten what he loves most—and he must make a choice between vows to two women.

My Thoughts: Anthologies live and die by your feelings about the authors themselves, so I'd give this one a solid B. I was really in it for Draven's story, but Bouchet's was also incredibly well done, both with the vivid characters and emotional connections that make their other works so enjoyable. Estep's story was good, but I definitely got the feeling it was a  small vignette in a larger story arch (which it admittedly is) and it didn't stand incredibly well on its own for a new reader. Kennedy is a harder one for me to judge. I've read a few of her stories in other anthologies, and the problem is I just don't enjoy her Twelve Kingdoms series. The characters and world building are great, but each one seemed to have a character whose backstory included not a little, but a LOT, of sexual assault and the related trauma, and I'm a hard pass on that. I don't feel bad giving a trigger warning and I think your mileage may vary when it comes to her work. 

Natural Witch by K.F. Breene
Something has always been missing from my life. A hole that I could never seem to fill.

When I accidentally turn a coven of witches into nightmares, I find out what that something is.

Magic.

And it turns out, I have a crap load of it.

As a latent power awakens deep inside of me, I’m exposed to one of the most powerful and corrupt organizations in the magical world—the Mages’ Guild.

Barely knowing a spell from a few swear words and luck, I won’t be able to evade them alone.

And that’s when I meet him.

The Rogue Natural. The best and most feared mage in the world.

He’s dangerous, mysterious, and has a vendetta of his own. He is now the only thing between me and magical enslavement.

My Thoughts: For the moment, this book is one of my few DNF (did not finish). Can anyone who's read this book tell me if it gets better? Because right now the characters are so cliched it's kind of becoming funny in a bad way (like the hero has a whole internal monologue when he's first introduced about how it's "better" that he's alone, that it's safer for those mythical other people, and I actually laughed out loud) and the burgeoning romance between him and the hero is not doing it for me. This got a lot of props in the Twitterverse so maybe this is just a me thing?

In solidarity with what feels like 90% of the internet, brown and brown tones have definitely taken the spotlight in my new purchases. I'm not sure how much neutral as a whole is taking over my wardrobe, but I do really like the look of mixing them together, so looks like today's brown and black make my heart happy.

Also funnily enough this combines two different pieces of Nordstrom Blogger collaborations - the sweater is from Chriselle Lim's collection, and the cami underneath from Blair's Halogen collection. I'd wear one without the other, but I have to admit that together it's become one of my favorite looks.

It's funny how at this point I almost fee like writing a "fit post" for The Frankie Shop. Every time I'm in NY I like to swing by and try on some of their wares, because despite the "one size" label that so many of their pieces have, they can end up fitting pretty perfectly. This green corduroy shirt fulfills a few different wants I had, in a way that's much more versatile than a blazer (which is the other corduroy piece I was toying around with buying).

I'm still working on creating a wardrobe I'm 100% happy with, but I feel like maybe I'm coming around more and more to The Anna Edit's version of a capsule - not a particular number, but a determination to only have pieces that I love, and moving out-of-season items to a different spot in my closet (and not because I don't have space, but because it's distracting to have them cluttering things up).

I realize that I just did all that ranting about how I didn't feel happy with my closet, but shockingly, I think purging it so aggressively has helped. I feel like it wasn't totally dissimilar from one of Style Bee's 10x10s, because now what I'm looking at are only the items that I like, and when I pair them in new ways, there are less options to get distracted/dissatisfied by. Case in point, I went to NY for my birthday weekend and brought one pair of jeans. One pair that I felt totally happy with the entire time (except for that moment right before the bus ride back when I realized how bloated I felt hahaha).

Maybe there does come a point for people (some people) where all the extra stuff cluttering up your closet is more of a detriment than a help. I even took some of the summer/spring stuff out to store in a suitcase, and that's by someone who isn't limited by closet space - I just didn't want to see it anymore.

I don't know friends, we'll see how things continue, but I am starting to feel a bit better, which since 2018 has been a huge dumpster fire, is a relief.

This post is a bit of a project in options, since I just recently purchased this blouse from the Atlantic Pacific x Halogen collection. Trying it on in store I could mostly see what I wanted to do with it, but I also hadn't bought such a brightly patterned piece - outside of a dress - in a long time. Thankfully these vintage trousers I picked up over the summer are turning into a wardrobe workhorse, and pair so well with pretty much everything. The gray blazer (also second hand, this time from Poshmark) I threw over it at the last minute (this was almost pictured with a leather jacket) and the look felt finished to me. The super high rise pants and long length blazer balance each other out nicely in my opinion, while the subtle tweed textures plays well with the floral print.

So September and October went a bit off the rails there, but you know what? Mine is a closet in crisis. Or at least it feels that way anyway. I just don't feel satisfied by what I have. I can't explain it. I buy individual pieces that I *think* fit with what I already own and what I *think* I want to look like, and instead of satisfied I just feel incomplete. Which I then feel kind of bad about, because I don't think like one should feel incomplete by their wardrobe? So October ended up a bit of a wash, as I tried to both logically and emotionally fill the gaps in my wardrobe.

How does anyone figure out what they want to look like? Like for realsies, do you find someone physically shaped like you who's style you admire? Or do you pull inspiration from magazines and other places? I'm having this weird brain moment where the women whose style I admire aren't shaped like me, and as such the clothing that I like so much on them won't look the same on me. Which I acknowledge is a pretty "duh" conclusion, but it doesn't change the fact that I can't really take as much inspiration as I would like from the women who's style I admire.

Right now that means I've even more aggressively purging. I may not sell/donate all that I'm taking out, some of it's become more of a seasonal banishment if you will, but I just don't want to see it. I want those particular pieces of clothing to go somewhere else, while I try to figure out how I can wear what I already have.

1. Cropped Sweater (& Other Stories)
2. V-Neck Cardigan (Chriselle Lim Collection/Nordstrom)
3. Striped Shirt (Ralph Lauren Outlet)
4. Linen Shirt (Urban Outfitters)
5. Fuzzy Jacket (Zara)
6. Replacement Madwell Jeans x 2 (I have no explanation here other than the fact I love my Madewell 10" high rises and my thighs have started to destroy the fabric. So I freaked out and bought a couple new pairs, one on sale at Madewell and one from Poshmark.)
7. Faux Leather Jacket (Nordstrom)
8. Green Crew Neck Sweater (H&M)
*9. Plaid Blazer (Ralph Lauren via Poshmark)
*10. Burgundy Zip Up (Eddie Bauer)
*11. Nightmare Before Christmas Cardigan (Hot Topic)
*12. Camisole (Atlantic Pacific x Halogen)
*13. Floral Button Down (Atlantic Pacific x Halogen)
* 14. Striped Sweater (Atlantic Pacific x Halogen)

So many things happened behind the scenes of these photos:

1) I had to buy a new camera cause of environmentally induced damaging (f*cking wind) and while I made sure that the Sony Alpha a6000 had an app to remote trigger the photo, it didn't occur to me to check how long I'd have to pose. Every camera I've ever owned has had a 10 sec self-timer, but guess what? With the Sony? 2 SECONDS. Also, it's much harder to see before you trigger the timer what the camera is focused on so... fun times.

2) This is iteration two of this outfit, mostly due to the fact that I took a bunch of photos in outfit one, hated myself, went back home and tried again because I bought this sweater for myself last year as a birthday gift, and I am determined to figure out how to style it on my frame.