Happy Friday Roomies,

It has recently come to my attention that some kids these days (heh, that makes me sound really old) are writing lists for the Easter bunny, just like they do for Santa Claus. The bunny then brings them gifts on Easter morning, just like Christmas (but in a basket instead of under a Christmas tree). If you celebrate Easter, is this something you've heard of? Something you do with your family?

The Easter bunny at our place hides chocolate eggs and candy, and if she remembers, she also hides the hard-boiled eggs that the kids dyed the day before (she rarely remembers). She also brings one small toy or book. But that's it. No lists required.

So when did Easter become the next Christmas? My guess is it was around the same time as St. Patrick's Day became the new Easter. Once kids started making leprechaun traps and getting chocolate coins in return, it was all downhill from there. Or maybe it was when Valentine's Day turned into Halloween? I swear my kids come home from school with so much candy on Valentine's Day it's like they went trick or treating.

Or maybe I really am old, and the problem isn't holidays changing so much as it is me aging? Have I reached the fabled "get off my lawn" stage of life at the young age of 44?

news from home

We've reset the seizure clock for Rocky

Well, we made it almost 12 weeks between seizure clusters this time which is amazing! Right now Rocky is resting after another short seizure and I'm taking the opportunity to quickly finish up this email.

He had a few seizures the night before last and yesterday, but last night he had one almost every hour starting at 10pm. Luckily they've been relatively mild and he recovers pretty quickly compared to times in the past. It's like having a newborn in the house all over again.

We're all exhausted, no one more than him though, of course. The rest of today is for taking it easy and having lots of naps. Hopefully we're over the worst of it so Rocky doesn't have to deal with many more seizures. The poor guy deserves some real rest. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Of course, as I always do when we're in the midst of a seizure cluster, I'd like to remind you of the book tracking journals I made during Rocky's first really bad cluster. He couldn't walk for a week, and we were only a day or two from making a more final decision about his well-being. I sat on the floor with him while I postponed what felt like the inevitable, and since I couldn't keep track of my thoughts well enough to write anything, I designed a series of book tracking journals that I've since dubbed Journals for Rocky.

The Journals for Rock y are available for sale on Amazon, and are a reasonably-priced option for those of us who like to track our reads with pen and paper. If you're someone who enjoys tracking your reads this way (or if you know someone like that) I'd love for you to check them out here ➡️ chantalroome.com/journals. I use proceeds from the sales of these journals to help with Rocky's veterinary and prescription costs, which as you can probably imagine, tend to add up quickly.

image of lab retriever type dog laying on his back next to a bookshelf with a rubber chicken under his head

Current Reads

I am the moodiest of mood readers and having both Kindle Unlimited and Kobo Plus subscriptions make my reading life so much easier. Check out these reads and listens from the two weeks.

Kobo Plus Read & Listen (Yes, you read that right, reads AND Listens, because Kobo Plus has a plan t that includes both ebooks and audiobooks!)

audio and ebook reads from the last two weeks, all included in my Kobo Plus subscription

learn more about Kobo Plus here

Kindle Unlimited

ebook reads from the last two weeks, all included in my Kindle Unlimited subscription

Personal Colleciton

paperback and ebook reads from the last two weeks, all from my personal collection

Looking for something new? Check out these books from other authors.

free with Kindle Unlimited

In A Pickle

One bed. One paddle. One very bad idea. (The Pickled Hearts Series Book 1)

🏓 In a Pickle

Enemies to lovers • Forced proximity • Opposing doubles teams 🔥

I came to Willow Ridge for a fresh start. I didn’t expect to get stuck with Chase Maddox—cocky country club prince, reigning pickleball champ, and the human equivalent of a smug wink.

When our doubles partners both drop out, we’re forced to team up for the tournament of the summer. There are rules: no flirting, no fighting, no falling for each other. We break all three before the first match.

Now we’re spending every sweaty, tension-filled practice pretending we don’t want to kill each other—or kiss each other senseless.

Welcome to the Willow Ridge Country Club, where the paddles are savage, the gossip is hotter than July, and I’m in a pickle I definitely didn’t plan.