Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Best of October: A Month in Review

I was going to wait until next month and wrap October and November up together, but with me getting married and all in October, I thought it deserved its own post. ;)

Most Popular on Instagram & Notable Events

1 / 2 / 3 / 4

I have a new foolproof way to get more than 100 likes on an Instagram picture! It used to be simply "include Jonathan in the photo," but now I think "include wedding dress" would work as well. ;) I've calmed down on posting wedding photos a bit recently, but that's just because I'm waiting for our professional photos to come back. Be sure to follow me on Instagram at @mcstroup if you want to see those babies when they're available! (I'm also known to post photos of books, coffee cups, and vacation destinations near and far.)

Most Popular on the Blog

As was the case over the summer, none of my most popular posts in October were actually from October (except my #SCWBC14 posts). Because I only posted six times anyway, I'll just share those posts by popularity:
6. Recipe: The Easiest Breakfast Sandwich Ever (October 10)
5. I'm married! (October 30)
4. Best of: #bookphotoaday (October 1)
3. The Perfect Bridal Shower Gift: A Creative Wine Basket! (posted October 13)
2. Winter 2014 Book Challenge: The Preliminary List (posted October 22)
1. Semi-Charmed Winter 2014 Book Challenge (posted October 15)

On My Bookshelf

Fangirl & Landline, Rainbow Rowell // Panic, Lauren Oliver

Note: I'm sad to say my first experience(s) with Rainbow Rowell were less than satisfying. :/ Does anyone have a recommendation for a book by her with a stronger female character? Cath and Georgie just didn't satisfy my expectations of "real women," and I thought that was what Rowell was known for!

image via @mcstroup

On My iTunes Radio

Now that I'm home more often (due to working part-time and attending graduate school online), I've been listening to iTunes radio on my Apple TV a lot. Here are some of my favorite artists that just keep playing:

Birdy // Ed Sheeran // Of Monsters and Men
Passenger // Band of Horses // The Lumineers

And here are some specific songs the "real" radio didn't completely kill for me in October:

"Ghost," Ella Henderson // "Habits (Stay High)," Tove Lo
"Black Widow," Iggy Azalea & Rita Ora // "Waves," Mr Probz


On Our DVR

Everyone knows fall is the best time for television (right?). Here are the shows Jonathan and I have been watching weekly this year:

Criminal Minds // Law & Order: SVU
Stalker // How to Get Away with Murder

And (of course) I have a few more shows I like to watch on my own while Jonathan is at work:

Parenthood (I can't believe it's almost the end!!)
Scandal (which is finally getting better this season!)
Forever (a must-watch for crime show junkies; thanks to Nicole for introducing me!)
Revenge (though it's so bad I'm almost too embarrassed to type it out ...)

How was the beginning of your fall? Now that all my shows are getting ready to take their fall breaks, do you have a new addiction for me to begin? (The Killing is already queued up in my Netflix account!)

Linking up for the 2014 Review Extravaganza.

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