I think, after last month, I was a little burnt out on reading. So I didn't start a single book until the 6th. And other than the first four books, I just couldn't keep up the same pace as last month. So let's see how (not) well I did.
Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. I have had people trying to get me to read these books for quite a while. No idea what took me so long. I read the first one on Sunday the 6th and the second on Monday the 7th. I just couldn't put them down! I did take a quick break to re-read my book club book (more on that later), but went immediately back for the third book as soon as I could. For those who haven't read them, the series is about a girl named Katniss. She lives in a future North America that has been ravaged by hunger and rebellion. To punish the rebellion, each year a boy and a girl from each of the 12 districts of the country are forced to compete in the Hunger Games, a battle royale of epic proportions. This year, Katniss and her co-tribute put a hitch in the plan. They are "star-crossed lovers.". Or are they? Their victory triggers the country and uprisings begin again. In a strange twist, Katniss and Peeta are sent back to the Games because it is a 25th "anniversary" year in the second book. The third book begins immediately after that year's Hunger Games, where Katniss has again made a fool of the Capital (the city that controls their country). The war for freedom has begun. While I was pleased with the outcome of the war, I was NOT pleased with the ending of the book. Katniss has two loves in the series. And she isn't actually given a choice- one leaves her and she "realizes" that she's always loved the one she ends up with. I did enjoy this series, but the first book was by far the best. Katniss' character seems to change throughout the series, and not in a good way. She is actually rather disappointing after her successes in the first book. But it is what it is. And I'm glad I've read the series. And I REALLY can't wait for the movie!!
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. This was my book club book, and also a re-read for me. I loved it the first time and loved it again this time. It's the fictional story of Ernest Hemingway's first wife, Hadley. These types of books are some of my favorite, these historical fictions. The facts are true, the words between the characters are not always. Hadley was nearly 9 years older than Ernest when they met. After a short courtship, they married. And immediately moved to Paris. They traveled, they loved, they drank. They befriended amazing people- Gertrude Stein and her wife, Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, many other famous names. They did eventually have a son, nicknamed Bumby. And they finally divorced, after 6 years of marriage. The catalyst of their divorce, a divorce of two people who were madly in love with each other, was another woman. Isn't it always? But this time around, it was one of Hadley's best friends. While Ernest went on to marry three more times and have countless lovers before he shot himself, Hadley remarried only once. And stayed married for the rest of her life. I really enjoyed this book, as I had no idea anything about Hemingway's Paris wife. Even though she willingly left the public life behind when she and Ernest divorced, it seems like she was an amazing woman.
The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks. I always tell myself I'm not going to read another Nicholas Sparks book because they are always pretty much the same. Young love, ripped apart because they aren't of the same social circle. Eventual rekindling of the relationship. And some sort of regret. And of course, death and sacrifice. I'll be the first to admit, I always get a little teary-eyed when I read a Nicholas Sparks book. And then wonder why in the world I keep reading the same story over and over again. Darn addictive Nicholas Sparks....
Horns by Joe Hill. I've had this book on my shelf to read for quite a long time. I'm not really sure why I decided to buy it. But I'm really glad that I did. It was great! A year after the brutal murder of his girlfriend (a crime he is accused of but never charged with), Ig wakes up with horns growing out of his head. Yes, solid bone horns growing out of his head. These horns seem to grant Ig a special power- people just confess their sins to him, tell him all the bad things they have ever done. And then forget that they have seen him. He decides to use this power to find the real killer. Because once he finds the monster who killed his beloved, there will be hell to pay. Quite literally. Because the hell he's been through since her murder has quite literally turned him into a devil who is bent in revenge. The concept of the book was ridiculously intriguing. I had a hard time putting it down. Two enthusiastic thumbs up!
Kitty Kitty by Michele Jaffe. I've read some of her other stuff before and didn't think it too horrible. I didn't realize that she apparently writes juvenile lit in addition to her adult lit. And I'm not sure I'm a big fan. I bought this book quite a while ago and now I'm wondering why. In this book, high school senior Jas is forced to move to Venice (yes Italy, so I'm not sure what she's bitching about) the day before her senior year of school begins (okay, maybe I understand the bitching a little bit). As it turned out, the story was pretty cool (Jas solves a murder and is nearly killed in the process). But the fact that it was juvenile lit just about killed me. And we are talking totally stereotypical juvenile lit.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011
Maybe I should have called this month Book-tober?!
This month, my goal was two-fold. I didn't want to have as many re-reads as last month. And I wanted to complete the Oz series. Let's see if I was successful, shall we?
Sara Crewe and A Little Princess; being the whole story of Sara Crewe now told for the first time by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The first was like the Reader's Digest version of the second. This is the story of a pampered little girl who becomes a pauper when her father dies, leaving her penniless and alone in the world. She is allowed to remain at her boarding school, but must work as a maid. She is clever, with an active imagination. One day, all of her imaginings become her reality. And she truly becomes a little princess!
Lost in Time by Melissa de la Cruz. Technically the eighth book written about the Blue Bloods, but only the sixth that is actually story. Two of them give background on the Blue Bloods. These are a fabulous vampire series. In it, the vampires, or Blue Bloods, are born vampires. They live a cycle, then their blood "rests.". When they are ready, they can return and live another cycle. Because of this way of life, they are "born" with memories of all of their lives. And they were famous people in the past. The biggest addition to the vampire lore is that they are the Fallen Angels. Two of them actually chose to become Blue Bloods, in an attempt to save their brethren. In this series, the Blue Bloods are being killed (the true death, which means they can never come back in a new cycle). They realize that they are being attacked by the Silver Bloods, Blue Bloods who have turned on their own and drunk vampire blood (a grave offense). The characters are interesting (each Blue Blood has a twin, to whom they are bonded each cycle). Sometimes, things go wrong though. And bonds are broken. In this book, we learn some back stories. We descend into the seventh circle of Hell. And we try to find a way to stop the Silver Bloods. I really enjoyed it. Pissed that the last book doesn't come out until 2013 though. Dang long time to wait....
Rinkitink in Oz, The Lost Princess of Oz, The Tin Woodman of Oz, The Magic of Oz, and Glinda of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Book ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, and fourteen in the Oz series. The tenth book takes place in the island countries surrounding Oz. Prince Inga (whose family owns three magical pearls that will protect, give strength and impart wisdom) and King Rinkitink (and his talking goat Bilbil, who is actually an enchanted prince) are forced to rescue Inga's parents and the rest of his countrymen when they are taken prisoner. With the help of the Pearls (and Dorothy and the Wizard), they are victorious. They briefly go to Oz but eventually return to their island kingdom, happy and secure. In the eleventh book, Ozma and all of the magical items in Oz disappear one night. As Dorothy and her friends go in search of her, they learn that an evil magician is behind the disappearance. Once they find the magician, Dorothy turns him into a dove. He eventually repents of his bad deeds. And everyone in Oz is happy again! Book twelve gives us a little more background on the Tin Man. He was in love with a Munchkin girl when he back the Tin Man. In this story, he decides to track her down and marry her (because he'd promised to!). In addition to meeting new friends along the way, they have many adventures and eventually find Nimmie Amee (the Munchkin girl, who has married someone else by this time). In book thirteen, the wicked Nome King is back. He teams up with a young boy who has learned a magical word that can transform anyone into anything. The Nome King wants the animals of Oz to help him conquer Ozma. Unfortunately for him, good always conquers evil in Oz. He and the boy are transformed into nuts (no, seriously, a walnut and a hickory nut) by the Wizard. Then they drink from the Fountain of Oblivion and are allowed to stay in the Emerald City forever. In book fourteen (the last official Oz book written by Baum), Dorothy reads Glinda's Book of Records and discovers two groups of Ozma's subjects (the Flatheads and the Skeeters) are at war. Ozma and Dorothy then go to find these subjects. When they end up in trouble, Ozma's advisers- the Wizard, Glinda, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, basically the whole cast of characters we've met up til now- come to their aid.
The First Husband by Laura Dave. I really liked this book, from start to finish. Actually, start to finish it only took me a day! It's a very easy read. It's about a woman who's boyfriend of five years decides he needs to learn who he is. Without her. So what does she do? She meets someone else and, within six months, has married him and moved from LA to western Massachusetts. Of course, the ex decides he wants her back. And she loses her job as a travel writer, only to get offered a better job. Along the way, she finally learns who she is and what she wanted all along.
Candide by Voltaire. I decided to go old school, y'all. Like 1759 old. At first, I thought I had read this book before. Then realized it seemed familiar because I know the music from the play. Yep- a nerd through and through am I! I found myself singing the songs that went along with different scenes in the book. For a book written so long ago, it was a very easy read. Candide falls in love, loses his love (only to find her again), survives every adventure that comes his way (sometimes to the point of ridiculousness- no one could escape from death as often as he and his friends do) and through it all wonders if "all's for the best in this best of all possible worlds."
Always Something There to Remind Me by Beth Harbison. Definitely a good beach read. Even though I read it pool-side. In the 1980's, Erin and Nate fell in love. They were young and it was more intense than young love should be. But it ended over a misunderstanding. Fast-forward 23 years. Erin is now a single mom, about to be engaged to a wonderful man. But she never truly got over Nate. When she sees him again, they immediately fall into bed together, despite the fact that he is now married. To one of her best friends from high school. If given the choice, do you choose the man you never stopped loving or the man who is perfect on paper?
Cinderella. Yep, I went for a fairy tale. It's amazing what you can download from iBooks. I feel like everyone knows the story and has read it in a collection of fairy tales (or just seen the Disney version, which was all I'd ever done). So I thought maybe I should read it. It was just what I expected. And very sweet, just like a Disney movie should be.
The Story Girl and The Golden Road by LM Montgomery. Both of these were re-reads. They are about a family (focus on the children) who live on Prince Edward Island. It's Dan, Felicity and Cecily King (siblings). Their cousins Beverly and Felix King (brothers). Another cousin, Sara Stanley (the Story Girl). The hired boy, Peter Craig. And a neighbor, Sara Ray. They have good natured adventures in the years they are all living on the family farm. Typical LM Montgomery charm and appeal.
40 Love by Madeline Wickham, aka Sophie Kinsella. Honestly, I'm still not sure what this book was about. It was British chick lit, which is usually my go-to. This one was about several couples (and their children), spending a weekend in the country for a fun tennis weekend. There were money problems, adultery, confusing British terminology. All in all, not my favorite. And I typically love 1- British chick lit and 2- the author who wrote The Shopaholic series. How she managed to go so wrong, I have no idea.
Sister by Rosamund Lupton. In this book, Beatrice returns home to England from NYC when she learns that her 21 year old pregnant younger sister Tess has disappeared. When her sister's body is discovered, it is ruled to be a suicide based on her postpartum depression after giving birth to a stillborn boy. But Beatrice doesn't believe that her sister would have committed suicide. And she doesn't stop searching for her sister's murderer. The book skips around in time a lot in the beginning, which I didn't enjoy. But once I got used to the writing style, I really enjoyed the book. The murderer (and the ending itself) was unexpected and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end of the book! This was Rosamund Lupton's first novel and I definitely thought she did a great job.
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty. Alice Love wakes up from having hit her head at the gym. What's weird is that she doesn't go to the gym. At least, 29 year old and pregnant Alice doesn't go the the gym. 39 year old with 3 kids Alice does. Somehow Alice has lost 10 years of her life. She is now living a life that she doesn't even recognize because it was never the life she wanted. She is in the midst of a divorce from her formerly beloved husband and is almost estranged from her older sister. She realizes that 39 year old Alice is a bit of a bitch and she definitely doesn't like the woman she has become. When she does get her memory back, she has to figure out how to reconcile 29 year old Alice with 39 year old Alice. All I have to say is, thank goodness for the epilogue. It definitely gave me the ending I was hoping for!!
Sara Crewe and A Little Princess; being the whole story of Sara Crewe now told for the first time by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The first was like the Reader's Digest version of the second. This is the story of a pampered little girl who becomes a pauper when her father dies, leaving her penniless and alone in the world. She is allowed to remain at her boarding school, but must work as a maid. She is clever, with an active imagination. One day, all of her imaginings become her reality. And she truly becomes a little princess!
Lost in Time by Melissa de la Cruz. Technically the eighth book written about the Blue Bloods, but only the sixth that is actually story. Two of them give background on the Blue Bloods. These are a fabulous vampire series. In it, the vampires, or Blue Bloods, are born vampires. They live a cycle, then their blood "rests.". When they are ready, they can return and live another cycle. Because of this way of life, they are "born" with memories of all of their lives. And they were famous people in the past. The biggest addition to the vampire lore is that they are the Fallen Angels. Two of them actually chose to become Blue Bloods, in an attempt to save their brethren. In this series, the Blue Bloods are being killed (the true death, which means they can never come back in a new cycle). They realize that they are being attacked by the Silver Bloods, Blue Bloods who have turned on their own and drunk vampire blood (a grave offense). The characters are interesting (each Blue Blood has a twin, to whom they are bonded each cycle). Sometimes, things go wrong though. And bonds are broken. In this book, we learn some back stories. We descend into the seventh circle of Hell. And we try to find a way to stop the Silver Bloods. I really enjoyed it. Pissed that the last book doesn't come out until 2013 though. Dang long time to wait....
Rinkitink in Oz, The Lost Princess of Oz, The Tin Woodman of Oz, The Magic of Oz, and Glinda of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Book ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, and fourteen in the Oz series. The tenth book takes place in the island countries surrounding Oz. Prince Inga (whose family owns three magical pearls that will protect, give strength and impart wisdom) and King Rinkitink (and his talking goat Bilbil, who is actually an enchanted prince) are forced to rescue Inga's parents and the rest of his countrymen when they are taken prisoner. With the help of the Pearls (and Dorothy and the Wizard), they are victorious. They briefly go to Oz but eventually return to their island kingdom, happy and secure. In the eleventh book, Ozma and all of the magical items in Oz disappear one night. As Dorothy and her friends go in search of her, they learn that an evil magician is behind the disappearance. Once they find the magician, Dorothy turns him into a dove. He eventually repents of his bad deeds. And everyone in Oz is happy again! Book twelve gives us a little more background on the Tin Man. He was in love with a Munchkin girl when he back the Tin Man. In this story, he decides to track her down and marry her (because he'd promised to!). In addition to meeting new friends along the way, they have many adventures and eventually find Nimmie Amee (the Munchkin girl, who has married someone else by this time). In book thirteen, the wicked Nome King is back. He teams up with a young boy who has learned a magical word that can transform anyone into anything. The Nome King wants the animals of Oz to help him conquer Ozma. Unfortunately for him, good always conquers evil in Oz. He and the boy are transformed into nuts (no, seriously, a walnut and a hickory nut) by the Wizard. Then they drink from the Fountain of Oblivion and are allowed to stay in the Emerald City forever. In book fourteen (the last official Oz book written by Baum), Dorothy reads Glinda's Book of Records and discovers two groups of Ozma's subjects (the Flatheads and the Skeeters) are at war. Ozma and Dorothy then go to find these subjects. When they end up in trouble, Ozma's advisers- the Wizard, Glinda, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, basically the whole cast of characters we've met up til now- come to their aid.
The First Husband by Laura Dave. I really liked this book, from start to finish. Actually, start to finish it only took me a day! It's a very easy read. It's about a woman who's boyfriend of five years decides he needs to learn who he is. Without her. So what does she do? She meets someone else and, within six months, has married him and moved from LA to western Massachusetts. Of course, the ex decides he wants her back. And she loses her job as a travel writer, only to get offered a better job. Along the way, she finally learns who she is and what she wanted all along.
Candide by Voltaire. I decided to go old school, y'all. Like 1759 old. At first, I thought I had read this book before. Then realized it seemed familiar because I know the music from the play. Yep- a nerd through and through am I! I found myself singing the songs that went along with different scenes in the book. For a book written so long ago, it was a very easy read. Candide falls in love, loses his love (only to find her again), survives every adventure that comes his way (sometimes to the point of ridiculousness- no one could escape from death as often as he and his friends do) and through it all wonders if "all's for the best in this best of all possible worlds."
Always Something There to Remind Me by Beth Harbison. Definitely a good beach read. Even though I read it pool-side. In the 1980's, Erin and Nate fell in love. They were young and it was more intense than young love should be. But it ended over a misunderstanding. Fast-forward 23 years. Erin is now a single mom, about to be engaged to a wonderful man. But she never truly got over Nate. When she sees him again, they immediately fall into bed together, despite the fact that he is now married. To one of her best friends from high school. If given the choice, do you choose the man you never stopped loving or the man who is perfect on paper?
Cinderella. Yep, I went for a fairy tale. It's amazing what you can download from iBooks. I feel like everyone knows the story and has read it in a collection of fairy tales (or just seen the Disney version, which was all I'd ever done). So I thought maybe I should read it. It was just what I expected. And very sweet, just like a Disney movie should be.
The Story Girl and The Golden Road by LM Montgomery. Both of these were re-reads. They are about a family (focus on the children) who live on Prince Edward Island. It's Dan, Felicity and Cecily King (siblings). Their cousins Beverly and Felix King (brothers). Another cousin, Sara Stanley (the Story Girl). The hired boy, Peter Craig. And a neighbor, Sara Ray. They have good natured adventures in the years they are all living on the family farm. Typical LM Montgomery charm and appeal.
40 Love by Madeline Wickham, aka Sophie Kinsella. Honestly, I'm still not sure what this book was about. It was British chick lit, which is usually my go-to. This one was about several couples (and their children), spending a weekend in the country for a fun tennis weekend. There were money problems, adultery, confusing British terminology. All in all, not my favorite. And I typically love 1- British chick lit and 2- the author who wrote The Shopaholic series. How she managed to go so wrong, I have no idea.
Sister by Rosamund Lupton. In this book, Beatrice returns home to England from NYC when she learns that her 21 year old pregnant younger sister Tess has disappeared. When her sister's body is discovered, it is ruled to be a suicide based on her postpartum depression after giving birth to a stillborn boy. But Beatrice doesn't believe that her sister would have committed suicide. And she doesn't stop searching for her sister's murderer. The book skips around in time a lot in the beginning, which I didn't enjoy. But once I got used to the writing style, I really enjoyed the book. The murderer (and the ending itself) was unexpected and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end of the book! This was Rosamund Lupton's first novel and I definitely thought she did a great job.
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty. Alice Love wakes up from having hit her head at the gym. What's weird is that she doesn't go to the gym. At least, 29 year old and pregnant Alice doesn't go the the gym. 39 year old with 3 kids Alice does. Somehow Alice has lost 10 years of her life. She is now living a life that she doesn't even recognize because it was never the life she wanted. She is in the midst of a divorce from her formerly beloved husband and is almost estranged from her older sister. She realizes that 39 year old Alice is a bit of a bitch and she definitely doesn't like the woman she has become. When she does get her memory back, she has to figure out how to reconcile 29 year old Alice with 39 year old Alice. All I have to say is, thank goodness for the epilogue. It definitely gave me the ending I was hoping for!!
Saturday, October 22, 2011
A semi-charmed kind of life
I just finished watching The Lovely Bones, which is a movie based on a book I read quite a few years ago. Both the book and the movie are excellent (but somewhat disturbing, as it's about a 14 year old girl named Susie who is raped and murdered by a neighbor). One of the images that comes into play in the movie is Susie's charm bracelet. She was wearing it when she was murdered and the murderer keeps it as a trophy of sorts. I remember from the book that the charm bracelet was very important to Susie. It made me think about my charm bracelets. Yes, there is an "s" on the end of that. I have 2 charm bracelets. I don't wear them very often, but each charm holds a special meaning to me, just like they did to Susie. Some charms have more than one memory attached. Which makes them even more special.
The first bracelet has the most charms on it. It's actually completely full! The first charm is a worm with glasses sitting on a book. Yep- a bookworm. That's me! Next is a Celtic knot. I got to spend some time in Scotland in college and that reminds me of that time. A square that says "made in USA". Duh. A jack o'lantern. This has 2 meanings. I love Halloween. And my dad has always called me punkin. A Christmas tree. The bracelet itself was a Christmas gift and this charm was already attached. A lizard. This one, I'm not sure about. I think from all of our trips to the Bahamas, where the lizards are everywhere. A hand doing I love you in sign language. My parents and I have always done this to each other, especially if we are driving away. A clover, for all the fun St.Patty's Days down in 5 Points. A bottle of wine. Again, duh. Scales, which are both my astrological sign (Libra) and my job (scales of justice). A frog with a crown. Because sometimes you have to kiss some frogs to find a prince. A palm tree for our trips to the Bahamas. A shopping bag, although I don't like to shop as much as I used to. A beautiful cross, for my faith. A pair of tap shoes- I danced all while growing up. A baseball for my favorite sport. A flip-flop for my favorite shoes. A heart that says bridesmaid. I've been in a lot of weddings. An R for my last name. A treble clef- I played the piano and took voice lessons all throughout high school. A kitten- my parents and I have always had cats. A fish. Perhaps for snorkeling in the Bahamas? A fortune cookie. I love Chinese food! A sun hat for the Carolina Cup. 2002- the year I graduated from law school (my last graduation ever!!). A rabbit. One year for Easter, the Easter Bunny brought us real bunnies!! A sand dollar for family beach trips. A little devil- I thought it was cute! A cheerleader- all 4 years of high school and 1 year of college, thank you very much. A snowflake for the few times it snows here in SC. A pig for my goddog. I know, that sounds weird. But Pig is her nickname! A graduation cap- that one was for high school. A dolphin from when my parents and I went swimming with them. And a Confederate flag. Because I am a southern girl!!
The second bracelet has slightly less charms on it, but it's still got a lot of them! The first is a pair of handcuffs. I used to be a prosecutor and I dated a cop. Enough said. Next is the Empire State Building, to symbolize all of my trips to NYC throughout the years. A Gamecock, well, because I am a Gamecock fan. A Venetian punter's shirt from the last time I went to Vegas and stayed at the Venetian. Sadly, not because I've been to Venice. A lighthouse. Which reminds me of Cape Cod. Movie tickets- I LOVE going to the movies. A cranberry bogger- again to remind me of Cape Cod. A martini/cosmopolitan glass for many a girls night out. Sunglasses because I love to lay out. The Twin Towers. I remember going to the top of one of the Towers as a child. A sombrero for my love of Mexican food. A single rose. My high school boyfriend played soccer. During half time of one of the games, the guys got roses to give to their moms. Boyfriend ran up to give his to me! A flamingo. During one of our trips to the Bahamas, my parents and I got to see a rescue flamingo who didn't eat shrimp. So he was completely white! Amazing. An airplane because I love to travel. A crown- I am a princess after all! A horse. My parents and I went horseback riding on a beach in Texas. My horse decided to throw me. Amazingly, it didn't create a fear of horses and I've been horseback riding a few times since. A skier. Ive been skiing only a few times, but have always really liked it. I actually wish I could ski more often so I could be better at it. A bird talon- for the Gamecocks. And Chinese letters. I was fortunate enough to get to go to China a few years ago.
And those are my charms!
The first bracelet has the most charms on it. It's actually completely full! The first charm is a worm with glasses sitting on a book. Yep- a bookworm. That's me! Next is a Celtic knot. I got to spend some time in Scotland in college and that reminds me of that time. A square that says "made in USA". Duh. A jack o'lantern. This has 2 meanings. I love Halloween. And my dad has always called me punkin. A Christmas tree. The bracelet itself was a Christmas gift and this charm was already attached. A lizard. This one, I'm not sure about. I think from all of our trips to the Bahamas, where the lizards are everywhere. A hand doing I love you in sign language. My parents and I have always done this to each other, especially if we are driving away. A clover, for all the fun St.Patty's Days down in 5 Points. A bottle of wine. Again, duh. Scales, which are both my astrological sign (Libra) and my job (scales of justice). A frog with a crown. Because sometimes you have to kiss some frogs to find a prince. A palm tree for our trips to the Bahamas. A shopping bag, although I don't like to shop as much as I used to. A beautiful cross, for my faith. A pair of tap shoes- I danced all while growing up. A baseball for my favorite sport. A flip-flop for my favorite shoes. A heart that says bridesmaid. I've been in a lot of weddings. An R for my last name. A treble clef- I played the piano and took voice lessons all throughout high school. A kitten- my parents and I have always had cats. A fish. Perhaps for snorkeling in the Bahamas? A fortune cookie. I love Chinese food! A sun hat for the Carolina Cup. 2002- the year I graduated from law school (my last graduation ever!!). A rabbit. One year for Easter, the Easter Bunny brought us real bunnies!! A sand dollar for family beach trips. A little devil- I thought it was cute! A cheerleader- all 4 years of high school and 1 year of college, thank you very much. A snowflake for the few times it snows here in SC. A pig for my goddog. I know, that sounds weird. But Pig is her nickname! A graduation cap- that one was for high school. A dolphin from when my parents and I went swimming with them. And a Confederate flag. Because I am a southern girl!!
The second bracelet has slightly less charms on it, but it's still got a lot of them! The first is a pair of handcuffs. I used to be a prosecutor and I dated a cop. Enough said. Next is the Empire State Building, to symbolize all of my trips to NYC throughout the years. A Gamecock, well, because I am a Gamecock fan. A Venetian punter's shirt from the last time I went to Vegas and stayed at the Venetian. Sadly, not because I've been to Venice. A lighthouse. Which reminds me of Cape Cod. Movie tickets- I LOVE going to the movies. A cranberry bogger- again to remind me of Cape Cod. A martini/cosmopolitan glass for many a girls night out. Sunglasses because I love to lay out. The Twin Towers. I remember going to the top of one of the Towers as a child. A sombrero for my love of Mexican food. A single rose. My high school boyfriend played soccer. During half time of one of the games, the guys got roses to give to their moms. Boyfriend ran up to give his to me! A flamingo. During one of our trips to the Bahamas, my parents and I got to see a rescue flamingo who didn't eat shrimp. So he was completely white! Amazing. An airplane because I love to travel. A crown- I am a princess after all! A horse. My parents and I went horseback riding on a beach in Texas. My horse decided to throw me. Amazingly, it didn't create a fear of horses and I've been horseback riding a few times since. A skier. Ive been skiing only a few times, but have always really liked it. I actually wish I could ski more often so I could be better at it. A bird talon- for the Gamecocks. And Chinese letters. I was fortunate enough to get to go to China a few years ago.
And those are my charms!
Friday, September 30, 2011
I got my read on in September!
So apparently, I decided I needed to read a lot of books this month. And most of them were re-reads. Actually, the majority of them were. So here goes!
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George. This is a Newberry Medal winning book. For those of you who don't know much about children's literature, that's a big stinking deal. I'm just saying. This book is about an Eskimo girl named Julie/Miyax. She is orphaned, and when her aunt dies, she agrees to marry a fellow Eskimo boy in order to go back to the village of her childhood. As they are both 13, it's merely a marriage in words, not deeds. Until Daniel, her husband, is teased by his schoolmates. Rather than be raped by her boy-husband, Miyax leaves and runs away toward San Fransisco to find her pen pal. Along the way, she becomes part of a wolf pack. She is torn between the old ways and the new ways and eventually must make a choice between the two.
Tik Tok of Oz and The Scarecrow of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Books eight and nine in the Oz series. I'm not really sure why some of these books have the names they have. Tik Tok wasn't the main character of the book, contrary to the title's implication. This one has the Nome King, who formerly tried to conquer Oz, ousted because he's such an evil man. We also have another little girl from our world who ends up in Oz. My favorite part? Toto, now living in Oz, can talk! Same goes for the ninth book- the Scarecrow doesn't come onto the scene until much later in the book. In this one, Cap'n Bill and Trot find their way to Oz from our world. Long story short- they have lots of adventures in a whole new part of Oz and eventually come to live in the Emerald City with all of the favorite characters who live there!
Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, Anne of Windy Poplars, Anne's House of Dreams, Anne of Ingleside, Rainbow Valley and Rilla of Ingleside by LM Montgomery. All of these (yep, the entire series is listed right here) were re-reads for me. I have been obsessed with Anne for as long as I can remember. Please refer to one of my prior blog entries about this obsession. Anyway, for those of you who have read the Anne of Green Gables series, you probably know how amazing these books are. For those of you who haven't read them, you are seriously missing out. SERIOUSLY. Anne's story begins in 1878, when Anne is 11 years old. The story ends with the end of World War 1. By the end of the series, Anne's children are more the focus. But Anne is still always present, always Anne. Throughout the years, Anne went from a desperate for love orphan to a beloved wife and mother. She became a teacher, she went to college, she became a principal, she married the love of her life (despite thinking she had fallen in love with her "ideal man"), she became "Mrs. Dr. Blythe," she gave birth to seven children (and sadly buried the first). She lost loved ones, made new friends, had new adventures and throughout it all, never seemed to lose her lust for life. Something she was able to pass on to her children. If only all of us had Anne's love of living. Maybe I need to rethink my life a little bit!
Chronicles of Avonlea and Further Chronicles of Avonlea by LM Montgomery. These are collections of short stories and yet another re-read for me. All of them take place in the Avonlea community and its surrounding towns. Some of them have Anne Shirley as a minor character. Some are from Anne's perspective. Some don't mention Anne at all. But all of them have that same wonderful Anne of Green Gables feeling that Montgomery does so well. The stories are quick and easy to read. Sweet without being saccharine. Feel good stories that you just want to read over and over again. I know this because I have read them over and over again.
Kilmeny of the Orchard by LM Montgomery. Yep- this month was clearly LM Montgomery month!! This is a beautiful love story about a young man who decides to help out a friend by teaching for him in a small town, and the lovely girl he loves. She is born unable to speak because her proud mother refused to speak and forgive her own father for hurtful words he said to her. A stain on her birth and a very proud family made her a girl who was a mystery to the town she grew up in. But this young man shows her what true love is. And eventually she is able to speak. Even though this story is very different than the Anne stories, there is something in the way Montgomery writes that is so appealing. She really might be my all-time favorite author!!
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. This was my book club book for the month. It's about the twin sons of a surgeon and a nun. Yes, I said nun. They are orphaned at birth by the death of their mother and the abandonment of their father. They are raised in a hospital in Ethiopia by the other two surgeons who had worked with their father. Originally inseparable, something happens that creates a distance between the brothers. Both become surgeons- one trained with a medical degree, the other not officially a doctor but a famous surgeon nonetheless. Eventually, circumstances bring the brothers back together and brings their father back into their lives. The book was long. And at first kind of difficult to get into. But eventually, I found the story to be amazing. Even though it was a work of fiction, some of the events actually did happen (although not in the same time and/or way the story described). Which was kind of cool to learn.
Forrest Gump by Winston Groom. It was not what I expected. The movie was drastically different from the book. The biggest difference? Forrest is a 6'6", 250+ pound machine! Tom Hanks is a good actor, but he's not THAT good. Forrest also had some other adventures that aren't in the movie (he was an astronaut, a chess grand master, a "rassler," and a Senatorial candidate) His mom doesn't really play much of a role in the book. Bubba was a football teammate from Alabama, in addition to being a war buddy. He doesn't save Lt. Dan's life (but they do join forces after the war). He and Jenny frequently live together throughout the time they know each other (and that does imply a sexual relationship). Jenny does have a son, who is Forrest's child, but she marries someone else and doesn't die of AIDS. None of these differences really bothered me. The only thing I truly didn't like? The book was written the same way Forrest speaks. No proper English here. Just good ole Southern talk. Which is very difficult to read!
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George. This is a Newberry Medal winning book. For those of you who don't know much about children's literature, that's a big stinking deal. I'm just saying. This book is about an Eskimo girl named Julie/Miyax. She is orphaned, and when her aunt dies, she agrees to marry a fellow Eskimo boy in order to go back to the village of her childhood. As they are both 13, it's merely a marriage in words, not deeds. Until Daniel, her husband, is teased by his schoolmates. Rather than be raped by her boy-husband, Miyax leaves and runs away toward San Fransisco to find her pen pal. Along the way, she becomes part of a wolf pack. She is torn between the old ways and the new ways and eventually must make a choice between the two.
Tik Tok of Oz and The Scarecrow of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Books eight and nine in the Oz series. I'm not really sure why some of these books have the names they have. Tik Tok wasn't the main character of the book, contrary to the title's implication. This one has the Nome King, who formerly tried to conquer Oz, ousted because he's such an evil man. We also have another little girl from our world who ends up in Oz. My favorite part? Toto, now living in Oz, can talk! Same goes for the ninth book- the Scarecrow doesn't come onto the scene until much later in the book. In this one, Cap'n Bill and Trot find their way to Oz from our world. Long story short- they have lots of adventures in a whole new part of Oz and eventually come to live in the Emerald City with all of the favorite characters who live there!
Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, Anne of Windy Poplars, Anne's House of Dreams, Anne of Ingleside, Rainbow Valley and Rilla of Ingleside by LM Montgomery. All of these (yep, the entire series is listed right here) were re-reads for me. I have been obsessed with Anne for as long as I can remember. Please refer to one of my prior blog entries about this obsession. Anyway, for those of you who have read the Anne of Green Gables series, you probably know how amazing these books are. For those of you who haven't read them, you are seriously missing out. SERIOUSLY. Anne's story begins in 1878, when Anne is 11 years old. The story ends with the end of World War 1. By the end of the series, Anne's children are more the focus. But Anne is still always present, always Anne. Throughout the years, Anne went from a desperate for love orphan to a beloved wife and mother. She became a teacher, she went to college, she became a principal, she married the love of her life (despite thinking she had fallen in love with her "ideal man"), she became "Mrs. Dr. Blythe," she gave birth to seven children (and sadly buried the first). She lost loved ones, made new friends, had new adventures and throughout it all, never seemed to lose her lust for life. Something she was able to pass on to her children. If only all of us had Anne's love of living. Maybe I need to rethink my life a little bit!
Chronicles of Avonlea and Further Chronicles of Avonlea by LM Montgomery. These are collections of short stories and yet another re-read for me. All of them take place in the Avonlea community and its surrounding towns. Some of them have Anne Shirley as a minor character. Some are from Anne's perspective. Some don't mention Anne at all. But all of them have that same wonderful Anne of Green Gables feeling that Montgomery does so well. The stories are quick and easy to read. Sweet without being saccharine. Feel good stories that you just want to read over and over again. I know this because I have read them over and over again.
Kilmeny of the Orchard by LM Montgomery. Yep- this month was clearly LM Montgomery month!! This is a beautiful love story about a young man who decides to help out a friend by teaching for him in a small town, and the lovely girl he loves. She is born unable to speak because her proud mother refused to speak and forgive her own father for hurtful words he said to her. A stain on her birth and a very proud family made her a girl who was a mystery to the town she grew up in. But this young man shows her what true love is. And eventually she is able to speak. Even though this story is very different than the Anne stories, there is something in the way Montgomery writes that is so appealing. She really might be my all-time favorite author!!
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. This was my book club book for the month. It's about the twin sons of a surgeon and a nun. Yes, I said nun. They are orphaned at birth by the death of their mother and the abandonment of their father. They are raised in a hospital in Ethiopia by the other two surgeons who had worked with their father. Originally inseparable, something happens that creates a distance between the brothers. Both become surgeons- one trained with a medical degree, the other not officially a doctor but a famous surgeon nonetheless. Eventually, circumstances bring the brothers back together and brings their father back into their lives. The book was long. And at first kind of difficult to get into. But eventually, I found the story to be amazing. Even though it was a work of fiction, some of the events actually did happen (although not in the same time and/or way the story described). Which was kind of cool to learn.
Forrest Gump by Winston Groom. It was not what I expected. The movie was drastically different from the book. The biggest difference? Forrest is a 6'6", 250+ pound machine! Tom Hanks is a good actor, but he's not THAT good. Forrest also had some other adventures that aren't in the movie (he was an astronaut, a chess grand master, a "rassler," and a Senatorial candidate) His mom doesn't really play much of a role in the book. Bubba was a football teammate from Alabama, in addition to being a war buddy. He doesn't save Lt. Dan's life (but they do join forces after the war). He and Jenny frequently live together throughout the time they know each other (and that does imply a sexual relationship). Jenny does have a son, who is Forrest's child, but she marries someone else and doesn't die of AIDS. None of these differences really bothered me. The only thing I truly didn't like? The book was written the same way Forrest speaks. No proper English here. Just good ole Southern talk. Which is very difficult to read!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
It's the most wonderful time of the year
Last week, we officially entered in my favorite season- fall. It's my favorite season for a myriad of reasons. I love the weather (well, not the current crap we are having, I mean the REAL fall weather). I love Halloween. I love Thanksgiving. I love my birthday (hint, hint- it's October 10. And I am a sucker for prezzies!!). But one of the things I love the most? The fall TV schedule!
This year, my TV schedule is pretty packed. It's filled with old favorites and some new ones as well. I've also already gotten rid of some new TV shows that kind of sucked. So here's what I'm watching (and a little personal opinion on how they are panning out).
First up is scripted shows- drama division.
1- Desperate Housewives. It's the final season, so I'm expecting big things from season. We've already got a murder and memories of what led Mary Alice to commit suicide. So it should be good stuff!
2- Pan Am. There's only been one show so far. But it seems pretty good. I read an article about the real Pan Am stewardesses. And they said that other than the exact shade of blue of the uniforms and the fact that their hair couldn't touch their shoulders, everything is pretty spot on. It kind of makes me wish I had lived back then and could have been a stewardess. Lord knows I wouldn't want to be one nowadays- people are rude and travel seems to have become a right rather than a privilege.
3- Gossip Girl. The first new episode was last night. I have read all of the Gossip Girl novels. They are a lot of fun. And the show is nothing like them anymore. Honestly, the show veered away from the books long ago. At first, it bothered me. Now I love the show so much that I don't care! And any show with Ed Westwick is a show I'm going to watch!!
4- Hart of Dixie. This is a new show starring the adorable Rachel Bilson. She's a cardiothorasic surgeon who moves to Alabama to get experience as a GP. It's cute. I'm going to give it another week before I decide if it's officially on my list of what to watch.
5- The Playboy Club. I decided to watch this because of the scandalous Eddie Cibrian. Turns out it's a pretty good show. Week one, we had a murder and a Bunny who is in a sham marriage in order for both she and her husband to hide their sexual preferences (which obviously aren't each other!).
6- Revenge. Omg! Best new show of the year for me!! It's already got intrigue enough to keep me interested for the whole season and we are only one episode in!
7- Grey's Anatomy. I'm so excited about this show returning this week and can't wait to see what's in store for Derek and Meredith this season.
8- American Horror Story. It hasn't started yet. So I know nothing about it. But it looks really good and I'm excited about it starting.
Next up- scripted shows- sitcom division
1- How I Met Your Mother. This is one of my favorite sitcoms of all time. My only complaint? Who is the mother?! Let us know already!
2- 2 Broke Girls. This is a new one. I liked it. But I didn't love it. So it could go. Or stay.
3- Glee. Enough said. It makes me GLEE-ful. I know, bad. But the show is so amazing!!
4- New Girl. It's my favorite new sitcom. It's cute. It's quirky. It's a winner.
5- Up All Night. It's on the chopping block. It's fun, but not great.
6- Suburgatory. First episode is tomorrow. Yay!!
7- Modern Family. Second favorite returning sitcom. Hysterically funny. Cameron and Tyler are my favorite characters. I am not a big fan of new Lily though....
8- Happy Endings. Okay, maybe this is my second favorite returning sitcom. I am so excited that it got picked up again. So funny!
Third up- reality shows
1- Sister Wives. I love me some polygamists. Yep- I said it. These polygamists are great fun. They have now moved to Vegas and are hoping to continue raising the 17 (or however many) kids in the Mormon religion. Heaven help them!!
2- Real Housewives of New Jersey. I think these Housewives are my favorites. No one can top Caroline Manzo as far as I am concerned. Teresa (and her disgusting husband) have officially gotten on my nerves though.
3- Kendra. Loved her on Girls Next Door. Love her as a wife and mom.
4- Dancing with the Stars. I LOVE this show. Every time I watch it, all I want to do is learn to ballroom dance. With Maks. Yum.
5- Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. These women are nut balls. But wow! Last year, I hated Camille Grammer. Don't mind her so much this year. It might be because I feel a little bit sorry for her after what her husband did to her. Or maybe because she's toned it down a bit. But either way, I'm glad she's on the show.
6- Gene Simmons Family Jewels. It starts back next week. With Shannon Tweed's answer to Gene's proposal. As the wedding is planned for next month, I'm going to assume the answer was yes.
7- Teen Mom. The show is over, except for the reunions. I have watched these girls (not the Teen Mom 2 girls though) since they were 16 and Pregnant. Still love Catelynn and Tyler. The only two who seem moderately mature, probably because of their decision to give their child up for adoption. Maci has gotten on my nerves. She is pressuring her boyfriend to marry her so she can have more children because, at 19, she's getting old. She's crazy. If Farrah were my child, I would smack the crap out of her. She is so disrespectful. And finally, Amber. She hits her boyfriend. Honestly, the only one of the babies that I don't feel sorry for is the one who was put up for adoption!
8- The Rachel Zoe Project. I miss Brad. But the show is literally bananas!
9- America's Next Top Model. This season is All Stars. But some of these girls aren't really All Stars- I think they are just the girls who didn't have anything else going on right now. It's kind of on the chopping block as well.
10- Project Runway. The designers are very weird this year. But very interesting all at the same time. I can't wait to see who's going to win it.
11- Jersey Shore. Snooki makes me embarrassed to be an American. She is beyond embarrassing this year. She has a boyfriend who she claims to love, but she still acts like single Snooki. Of course, one of the roommates makes a point. Her boyfriend knew who he was dating when he started dating her. It was just wishful thinking that she might calm down.
Last up- shows I've already taken out of rotation
1- Ringer. This is the new Sarah Michelle Gellar. I've gotta say- I expected better. I just had no interest in this show after getting mid-way through the second episode. Sad, but true.
2- The Secret Circle. A show about teen aged witches. Blah blah blah. It only got one episode as well before I axed it as well. Sorry CW. You are striking out.
Anyway, that's my rundown of shows this fall. I mean, let's face facts. After reading, TV watching is clearly my other favorite activity!!
---------October 8, 2011------------
Up All Night and 2 Broke Girls have been removed from my TiVo list. And American Horror Story was so crazy, I'm not sure if it will last more than one or two more viewings!
This year, my TV schedule is pretty packed. It's filled with old favorites and some new ones as well. I've also already gotten rid of some new TV shows that kind of sucked. So here's what I'm watching (and a little personal opinion on how they are panning out).
First up is scripted shows- drama division.
1- Desperate Housewives. It's the final season, so I'm expecting big things from season. We've already got a murder and memories of what led Mary Alice to commit suicide. So it should be good stuff!
2- Pan Am. There's only been one show so far. But it seems pretty good. I read an article about the real Pan Am stewardesses. And they said that other than the exact shade of blue of the uniforms and the fact that their hair couldn't touch their shoulders, everything is pretty spot on. It kind of makes me wish I had lived back then and could have been a stewardess. Lord knows I wouldn't want to be one nowadays- people are rude and travel seems to have become a right rather than a privilege.
3- Gossip Girl. The first new episode was last night. I have read all of the Gossip Girl novels. They are a lot of fun. And the show is nothing like them anymore. Honestly, the show veered away from the books long ago. At first, it bothered me. Now I love the show so much that I don't care! And any show with Ed Westwick is a show I'm going to watch!!
4- Hart of Dixie. This is a new show starring the adorable Rachel Bilson. She's a cardiothorasic surgeon who moves to Alabama to get experience as a GP. It's cute. I'm going to give it another week before I decide if it's officially on my list of what to watch.
5- The Playboy Club. I decided to watch this because of the scandalous Eddie Cibrian. Turns out it's a pretty good show. Week one, we had a murder and a Bunny who is in a sham marriage in order for both she and her husband to hide their sexual preferences (which obviously aren't each other!).
6- Revenge. Omg! Best new show of the year for me!! It's already got intrigue enough to keep me interested for the whole season and we are only one episode in!
7- Grey's Anatomy. I'm so excited about this show returning this week and can't wait to see what's in store for Derek and Meredith this season.
8- American Horror Story. It hasn't started yet. So I know nothing about it. But it looks really good and I'm excited about it starting.
Next up- scripted shows- sitcom division
1- How I Met Your Mother. This is one of my favorite sitcoms of all time. My only complaint? Who is the mother?! Let us know already!
2- 2 Broke Girls. This is a new one. I liked it. But I didn't love it. So it could go. Or stay.
3- Glee. Enough said. It makes me GLEE-ful. I know, bad. But the show is so amazing!!
4- New Girl. It's my favorite new sitcom. It's cute. It's quirky. It's a winner.
5- Up All Night. It's on the chopping block. It's fun, but not great.
6- Suburgatory. First episode is tomorrow. Yay!!
7- Modern Family. Second favorite returning sitcom. Hysterically funny. Cameron and Tyler are my favorite characters. I am not a big fan of new Lily though....
8- Happy Endings. Okay, maybe this is my second favorite returning sitcom. I am so excited that it got picked up again. So funny!
Third up- reality shows
1- Sister Wives. I love me some polygamists. Yep- I said it. These polygamists are great fun. They have now moved to Vegas and are hoping to continue raising the 17 (or however many) kids in the Mormon religion. Heaven help them!!
2- Real Housewives of New Jersey. I think these Housewives are my favorites. No one can top Caroline Manzo as far as I am concerned. Teresa (and her disgusting husband) have officially gotten on my nerves though.
3- Kendra. Loved her on Girls Next Door. Love her as a wife and mom.
4- Dancing with the Stars. I LOVE this show. Every time I watch it, all I want to do is learn to ballroom dance. With Maks. Yum.
5- Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. These women are nut balls. But wow! Last year, I hated Camille Grammer. Don't mind her so much this year. It might be because I feel a little bit sorry for her after what her husband did to her. Or maybe because she's toned it down a bit. But either way, I'm glad she's on the show.
6- Gene Simmons Family Jewels. It starts back next week. With Shannon Tweed's answer to Gene's proposal. As the wedding is planned for next month, I'm going to assume the answer was yes.
7- Teen Mom. The show is over, except for the reunions. I have watched these girls (not the Teen Mom 2 girls though) since they were 16 and Pregnant. Still love Catelynn and Tyler. The only two who seem moderately mature, probably because of their decision to give their child up for adoption. Maci has gotten on my nerves. She is pressuring her boyfriend to marry her so she can have more children because, at 19, she's getting old. She's crazy. If Farrah were my child, I would smack the crap out of her. She is so disrespectful. And finally, Amber. She hits her boyfriend. Honestly, the only one of the babies that I don't feel sorry for is the one who was put up for adoption!
8- The Rachel Zoe Project. I miss Brad. But the show is literally bananas!
9- America's Next Top Model. This season is All Stars. But some of these girls aren't really All Stars- I think they are just the girls who didn't have anything else going on right now. It's kind of on the chopping block as well.
10- Project Runway. The designers are very weird this year. But very interesting all at the same time. I can't wait to see who's going to win it.
11- Jersey Shore. Snooki makes me embarrassed to be an American. She is beyond embarrassing this year. She has a boyfriend who she claims to love, but she still acts like single Snooki. Of course, one of the roommates makes a point. Her boyfriend knew who he was dating when he started dating her. It was just wishful thinking that she might calm down.
Last up- shows I've already taken out of rotation
1- Ringer. This is the new Sarah Michelle Gellar. I've gotta say- I expected better. I just had no interest in this show after getting mid-way through the second episode. Sad, but true.
2- The Secret Circle. A show about teen aged witches. Blah blah blah. It only got one episode as well before I axed it as well. Sorry CW. You are striking out.
Anyway, that's my rundown of shows this fall. I mean, let's face facts. After reading, TV watching is clearly my other favorite activity!!
---------October 8, 2011------------
Up All Night and 2 Broke Girls have been removed from my TiVo list. And American Horror Story was so crazy, I'm not sure if it will last more than one or two more viewings!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Hair dryer woes....
A few weeks ago, I was happily getting ready for work one day. Well, happily might be an overstatement, but I was getting ready. I started drying my hair and all of a sudden, only cold air was blowing out of my hairdryer. "Crap, I must have hit the cold air button," I thought. Nope- my hair dryer was broken. And FYI- hair does not dry with cold air. After a few futile minutes, I learned that lesson. Luckily, I have a travel hair dryer, so I didn't have to go to work a wet head.
Later that week, I decided to bite the bullet and get a new hair dryer. So away to Target I went. Holy crap! There are a lot of hair dryers. I quickly decided against the $100+ Chi one. A leeeeetle too expensive for me. I tend to gravitate towards the $20 ones. There were some really cool hair dryers though. Pink ones, ones with patterns, all sorts of fun stuff. I ended up choosing a deep pink one from Remington. I am a Conair girl, but decided to branch out. To quote Julia Roberts, big mistake, HUGE.
The pink monster is heavy as lead. My arm is actually tired after the few minutes it takes to dry my hair. Yes, I said few minutes. 3, tops. The pink monster is also the most powerful hair dryer I have ever encountered. One would think that would be a good thing- hair would dry faster. Drying my hair any faster has never really been an issue for me. I just don't like the fact that my nicely combed wet hair is completely tangled by the time I finish drying it, thanks to the high powered monster.
Needless to say, I'm kind of stuck with the pink monster now. But next time, I'm going to hold each and every hair dryer that's on display before I pick one. Lighter is better. And I'm going back to Conair. They have yet to fail me!
Later that week, I decided to bite the bullet and get a new hair dryer. So away to Target I went. Holy crap! There are a lot of hair dryers. I quickly decided against the $100+ Chi one. A leeeeetle too expensive for me. I tend to gravitate towards the $20 ones. There were some really cool hair dryers though. Pink ones, ones with patterns, all sorts of fun stuff. I ended up choosing a deep pink one from Remington. I am a Conair girl, but decided to branch out. To quote Julia Roberts, big mistake, HUGE.
The pink monster is heavy as lead. My arm is actually tired after the few minutes it takes to dry my hair. Yes, I said few minutes. 3, tops. The pink monster is also the most powerful hair dryer I have ever encountered. One would think that would be a good thing- hair would dry faster. Drying my hair any faster has never really been an issue for me. I just don't like the fact that my nicely combed wet hair is completely tangled by the time I finish drying it, thanks to the high powered monster.
Needless to say, I'm kind of stuck with the pink monster now. But next time, I'm going to hold each and every hair dryer that's on display before I pick one. Lighter is better. And I'm going back to Conair. They have yet to fail me!
Friday, September 9, 2011
I'm so glad I'm Jane of Columbia, rather than Jane of No place in particular.....
I have always been a huge Anne of Green Gables fan. And when I say huge, I mean HUGE!! I've read all of the books in the series more times than I can count (and am re-reading them as we speak). I've also seen the movie quite a few times. By the time I was in middle school, Anne and I were already fast friends (or kindred spirits as she would say). So when summer vacation rolled around and my parents decided on Maine, my little mommy thought to herself, "Maine, that's right next to Canada. Prince Edward Island is part of Canada. Let's add a trip to PEI to the trip.". Just as an FYI- it was about 500 miles away. Not quite so "right next to," but whatever.
So off we went to PEI. And a better vacation I have never had! We went to Green Gables. I was actually offered a job due to how much I knew about the series. Sadly, I was too young. And didn't speak either French or Japanese fluently. Maybe I missed my true calling back there. I certainly still know more about Anne than about most other things. I got to see the Lake of Shining Waters and stroll through the Haunted Woods. I got to visit everything I'd ever wanted to see in Anne's world. And it thrilled me to my very fingertips!
By the time I had become an Anne fan, the first Anne movie had been made. While it wasn't exactly like the book (when is a movie ever exactly like the book?), it was so close that I was in raptures watching it. Megan Follows is unparalleled in her portrayal of Anne Shirley. A second Anne movie was also filmed. While it wasn't as faithful to the books as the first had been, it did a pretty good job of combining several of the books as best it could and certainly still captured the spirit of Anne. I own the first movie and hadn't watched it recently. So I decided to do so. Then I Netflix'd the second movie. Imagine my surprise to discover that in 2000, a third Anne movie was made (Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story) and in 2008, a fourth movie was made (Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning). So I promptly Netflix'd both of them as well. The third movie has the same actors reprising their roles during WW1. Which is the last book in the series, when Anne's sons (not Anne and Gilbert) go off to war. While Megan Follows can still do no wrong as Anne, the movie itself was miserable. They introduced characters not in any of the books and story lines that would have made LM Montgomery cringe. They even had Anne and Gilbert move to New York City briefly, before they were married, so that Gilbert could work at Bellevue Hospital for a while. In the 1900's, that wouldn't have happened, even if they were living in separate apartments. No woman, unmarried, would have moved with a man. Anne got involved in espionage in France during the war. Gilbert was a POW. Needless to say, I was bitterly disappointed.
Then movie four arrived. After 30 minutes, I was already "in the depths of despair," as Anne would say. Anne is now a widow because Gilbert was killed during WW2. Now, Anne of Green Gables takes place in 1878, when Anne is eleven. Which means that by WW2, Anne would be in her VERY late seventies. The movie has her in her late forties at best. This movie was beyond disappointing. It completely changes Anne's history and back story. It changes everything about who Anne is. It doesn't even capture the spirit of Anne, especially guilty of this is the actress who plays the older version of Anne. It took every bit of my will power to actually finish the movie. And as far as I am concerned, this movie no longer exists. There were 2 Anne of Green Gables movies. And you will never be able to convince me otherwise! Sadly, it's 2+ hours of my life I'll never get back. But if nothing else, I'm completely enjoying rereading the Anne books. I'd forgotten how much I truly love them. They might have to be a yearly reread!
So off we went to PEI. And a better vacation I have never had! We went to Green Gables. I was actually offered a job due to how much I knew about the series. Sadly, I was too young. And didn't speak either French or Japanese fluently. Maybe I missed my true calling back there. I certainly still know more about Anne than about most other things. I got to see the Lake of Shining Waters and stroll through the Haunted Woods. I got to visit everything I'd ever wanted to see in Anne's world. And it thrilled me to my very fingertips!
By the time I had become an Anne fan, the first Anne movie had been made. While it wasn't exactly like the book (when is a movie ever exactly like the book?), it was so close that I was in raptures watching it. Megan Follows is unparalleled in her portrayal of Anne Shirley. A second Anne movie was also filmed. While it wasn't as faithful to the books as the first had been, it did a pretty good job of combining several of the books as best it could and certainly still captured the spirit of Anne. I own the first movie and hadn't watched it recently. So I decided to do so. Then I Netflix'd the second movie. Imagine my surprise to discover that in 2000, a third Anne movie was made (Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story) and in 2008, a fourth movie was made (Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning). So I promptly Netflix'd both of them as well. The third movie has the same actors reprising their roles during WW1. Which is the last book in the series, when Anne's sons (not Anne and Gilbert) go off to war. While Megan Follows can still do no wrong as Anne, the movie itself was miserable. They introduced characters not in any of the books and story lines that would have made LM Montgomery cringe. They even had Anne and Gilbert move to New York City briefly, before they were married, so that Gilbert could work at Bellevue Hospital for a while. In the 1900's, that wouldn't have happened, even if they were living in separate apartments. No woman, unmarried, would have moved with a man. Anne got involved in espionage in France during the war. Gilbert was a POW. Needless to say, I was bitterly disappointed.
Then movie four arrived. After 30 minutes, I was already "in the depths of despair," as Anne would say. Anne is now a widow because Gilbert was killed during WW2. Now, Anne of Green Gables takes place in 1878, when Anne is eleven. Which means that by WW2, Anne would be in her VERY late seventies. The movie has her in her late forties at best. This movie was beyond disappointing. It completely changes Anne's history and back story. It changes everything about who Anne is. It doesn't even capture the spirit of Anne, especially guilty of this is the actress who plays the older version of Anne. It took every bit of my will power to actually finish the movie. And as far as I am concerned, this movie no longer exists. There were 2 Anne of Green Gables movies. And you will never be able to convince me otherwise! Sadly, it's 2+ hours of my life I'll never get back. But if nothing else, I'm completely enjoying rereading the Anne books. I'd forgotten how much I truly love them. They might have to be a yearly reread!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Life in the fast lane (it's where I prefer to drive)
I ran into an old friend today who hadn't seen my new car. In fact, he thought I was still in a car I haven't owned in over 4 years. But it made me start thinking about all of my cars.
I grew up with parents who will drive a car into the ground. Only when it becomes unsafe is a car no longer a part of our family. We also name cars, but that's a whole other thing. In my entire life, my mother has had 3 cars and my father has had 4 (the most recent one being my old car). That's 33 years and a total of 7 cars here people! So I always thought I would be the exact same way. Wrong!
I got my first car, a grey-blue 1989 Honda Accord, for my 16th birthday. It was a complete surprise! I drove that car for nearly 4 years. Then, I got the Green Machine, a green 1995 Ford Explorer, during my sophomore year of college. Nothing was wrong with my Honda, other than it was small and I was driving to and from college. So my parents felt safer with me in an SUV. The Green Machine had many adventures and did a lot of tailgating. It was a great car and I loved it. In 2005 (I think), I finally got the car of my dreams- a silver Toyota Solara convertible. I named her Olivia. I have always wanted a convertible and figured, what better time in my life than when I had no responsibilities?! I had Olivia until I went to work at my new job, at which point she went to my father. I think he's changed her name, but I'm not sure to what. My new job came with a car. So my new car was a black Mercedes SLK350. It was a hard-top convertible (yes, another convertible). I named her Samantha. She was adorable, fun, sporty. But apparently, I thought she was also a submarine. One afternoon, after a flash rainstorm, I was driving to dinner. I saw a large puddle ahead of me, but didn't realize it was deep AND wide. In tiny Samantha went, and out she never came. I flooded the engine and she was never able to drive again. Next up, the black Mercedes E500. Black Betty, later to be known as Christine. I've gone through the saga of Christine before, so we won't rehash that. Suffice it to say, Christine needed to be gone from my life. And so she was. My new (hey- she's only a year old- that's still new) car is Fiona, a 2010 silver Toyota Highlander. After Olivia, Fiona's been my favorite car of all time. She is beautiful. She is functional. She's a winner! But let's look at this- I've been driving for a little over half my life now and I have had 6 cars. Yes, 6 cars!! That's almost as many as my parents have had TOTAL in double the time! I'm a little embarrassed at how many cars I've driven. But I have faith that Fiona will be it for me. Until death do us part. Her death, hopefully.....
I grew up with parents who will drive a car into the ground. Only when it becomes unsafe is a car no longer a part of our family. We also name cars, but that's a whole other thing. In my entire life, my mother has had 3 cars and my father has had 4 (the most recent one being my old car). That's 33 years and a total of 7 cars here people! So I always thought I would be the exact same way. Wrong!
I got my first car, a grey-blue 1989 Honda Accord, for my 16th birthday. It was a complete surprise! I drove that car for nearly 4 years. Then, I got the Green Machine, a green 1995 Ford Explorer, during my sophomore year of college. Nothing was wrong with my Honda, other than it was small and I was driving to and from college. So my parents felt safer with me in an SUV. The Green Machine had many adventures and did a lot of tailgating. It was a great car and I loved it. In 2005 (I think), I finally got the car of my dreams- a silver Toyota Solara convertible. I named her Olivia. I have always wanted a convertible and figured, what better time in my life than when I had no responsibilities?! I had Olivia until I went to work at my new job, at which point she went to my father. I think he's changed her name, but I'm not sure to what. My new job came with a car. So my new car was a black Mercedes SLK350. It was a hard-top convertible (yes, another convertible). I named her Samantha. She was adorable, fun, sporty. But apparently, I thought she was also a submarine. One afternoon, after a flash rainstorm, I was driving to dinner. I saw a large puddle ahead of me, but didn't realize it was deep AND wide. In tiny Samantha went, and out she never came. I flooded the engine and she was never able to drive again. Next up, the black Mercedes E500. Black Betty, later to be known as Christine. I've gone through the saga of Christine before, so we won't rehash that. Suffice it to say, Christine needed to be gone from my life. And so she was. My new (hey- she's only a year old- that's still new) car is Fiona, a 2010 silver Toyota Highlander. After Olivia, Fiona's been my favorite car of all time. She is beautiful. She is functional. She's a winner! But let's look at this- I've been driving for a little over half my life now and I have had 6 cars. Yes, 6 cars!! That's almost as many as my parents have had TOTAL in double the time! I'm a little embarrassed at how many cars I've driven. But I have faith that Fiona will be it for me. Until death do us part. Her death, hopefully.....
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
August readings- I've been busy!
My goal this month was to read more books than I read last month. Seeing as I bought an iPad at the beginning of the month and downloaded a few books onto it, I figured I could achieve my goal quite easily. And as I can tend to get bored with just one book, I read multiple books simultaneously. But that's a whole other issue.
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah. This was my book club book (go ahead and realize there will be one of these a month!!) It took me a REALLY long time to get into this book. Which is odd because the "trailer" on the back of the book seemed really good. Sisters and a mother who have never gotten along and are forced to care for each other when the father/husband (the only person who connected them) dies. The mother is Russian and tells her daughters a Russian fairy tale. Which may or may not be a true story. Once the fairy tale got going though, I really enjoyed it. I found myself unable to put it down and there were even tears streaming down my cheeks as I finished reading. Amazing story.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Marvelous Land of Oz, Ozma of Oz, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, The Road to Oz, The Emerald City of Oz and The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank Baum. The first became the first book I read on my iPad. Despite missing being able to turn pages and feel the paper, I rather enjoyed reading a book on my iPad. I have always been a huge fan of the movie, The Wizard of Oz, and the sequel, Return to Oz (a cult classic as far as I'm concerned.). And as I was looking through the free books on iBooks, I realized that I had never actually read any of Baum's books. So I downloaded all 14 that are in the Oz series. All of them proved to be easy reads. As for the first, I really enjoyed the "true" story of Dorothy (although the music was greatly missed!). The second and third books were clearly where they got the plot line for "Return to Oz". Many of the characters were the same as the ones in the movie. There is a boy named Tip in the second book who basically handles the role that Dorothy had in the movie. But Dorothy returns for the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh books, with a cast of new characters. The fourth and fifth books are just more of Dorothy's adventures in Oz. The sixth book changes everything, as Oz is attacked by evil creatures who want to destroy it. After they are thwarted, Princess Ozma asks Glinda to make her country invisible to anyone who doesn't already live there, thus making it seemingly impossible for Baum to learn any new stories about Oz. Luckily, by book seven, he realizes that he can telegraph Dorothy and still learn more stories, without having to actually see her. So she shares with him the story of Ojo and his adventure to save his uncle from being a marble statute. I really enjoyed entering the world of Oz, in even more detail than ever before!
A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn. Another modern day fairytale. This one was Sleeping Beauty. Exact same set up, only this time, she sleeps for 300 years. Gotta be tough to wake up in the 21st century to discover that not only does your country no longer exist, but you don't even dress correctly anymore! It's a very cute love story and was a GREAT beach read!
The Betrayal of the Blood Lily by Lauren Willig. She writes historical fiction about spies in the 1700-1800's and has a whole series of books. Fortunately, they don't all need to be read together (or in order) to be enjoyed. The modern day story that links all of the books is a grad student writing her dissertation on "Aristocratic Espionage during the Wars with France, 1789-1815.". The spies she discovers are all flower names. And some are even women. Her books are great fun. This one takes place in British-ruled India. A very easy read, and if you are a fan of historical fiction, Lauren Willig is a master of the field.
Summer and the City by Candice Bushnell. The next installment of the Carrie Diaries, which are the prequel to Sex and the City. In this one, Carrie has just graduated from high school and moved to New York to take a summer writing class at The New School. She meets (and becomes the roommate of) Samantha, meets Miranda, falls in love, has sex, learns her strengths as a writer and meets a cast of characters (some of whom return later in the TV show). It's typical Bushnell- easy to read and good fun. I read the majority of it while sitting next to my pool and finished it once I got back inside the house. Yep, I read this one in one day. Hello, my name is Jane, and I'm a bookaholic. It's a problem....
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah. This was my book club book (go ahead and realize there will be one of these a month!!) It took me a REALLY long time to get into this book. Which is odd because the "trailer" on the back of the book seemed really good. Sisters and a mother who have never gotten along and are forced to care for each other when the father/husband (the only person who connected them) dies. The mother is Russian and tells her daughters a Russian fairy tale. Which may or may not be a true story. Once the fairy tale got going though, I really enjoyed it. I found myself unable to put it down and there were even tears streaming down my cheeks as I finished reading. Amazing story.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Marvelous Land of Oz, Ozma of Oz, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, The Road to Oz, The Emerald City of Oz and The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank Baum. The first became the first book I read on my iPad. Despite missing being able to turn pages and feel the paper, I rather enjoyed reading a book on my iPad. I have always been a huge fan of the movie, The Wizard of Oz, and the sequel, Return to Oz (a cult classic as far as I'm concerned.). And as I was looking through the free books on iBooks, I realized that I had never actually read any of Baum's books. So I downloaded all 14 that are in the Oz series. All of them proved to be easy reads. As for the first, I really enjoyed the "true" story of Dorothy (although the music was greatly missed!). The second and third books were clearly where they got the plot line for "Return to Oz". Many of the characters were the same as the ones in the movie. There is a boy named Tip in the second book who basically handles the role that Dorothy had in the movie. But Dorothy returns for the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh books, with a cast of new characters. The fourth and fifth books are just more of Dorothy's adventures in Oz. The sixth book changes everything, as Oz is attacked by evil creatures who want to destroy it. After they are thwarted, Princess Ozma asks Glinda to make her country invisible to anyone who doesn't already live there, thus making it seemingly impossible for Baum to learn any new stories about Oz. Luckily, by book seven, he realizes that he can telegraph Dorothy and still learn more stories, without having to actually see her. So she shares with him the story of Ojo and his adventure to save his uncle from being a marble statute. I really enjoyed entering the world of Oz, in even more detail than ever before!
A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn. Another modern day fairytale. This one was Sleeping Beauty. Exact same set up, only this time, she sleeps for 300 years. Gotta be tough to wake up in the 21st century to discover that not only does your country no longer exist, but you don't even dress correctly anymore! It's a very cute love story and was a GREAT beach read!
The Betrayal of the Blood Lily by Lauren Willig. She writes historical fiction about spies in the 1700-1800's and has a whole series of books. Fortunately, they don't all need to be read together (or in order) to be enjoyed. The modern day story that links all of the books is a grad student writing her dissertation on "Aristocratic Espionage during the Wars with France, 1789-1815.". The spies she discovers are all flower names. And some are even women. Her books are great fun. This one takes place in British-ruled India. A very easy read, and if you are a fan of historical fiction, Lauren Willig is a master of the field.
Summer and the City by Candice Bushnell. The next installment of the Carrie Diaries, which are the prequel to Sex and the City. In this one, Carrie has just graduated from high school and moved to New York to take a summer writing class at The New School. She meets (and becomes the roommate of) Samantha, meets Miranda, falls in love, has sex, learns her strengths as a writer and meets a cast of characters (some of whom return later in the TV show). It's typical Bushnell- easy to read and good fun. I read the majority of it while sitting next to my pool and finished it once I got back inside the house. Yep, I read this one in one day. Hello, my name is Jane, and I'm a bookaholic. It's a problem....
Friday, August 19, 2011
Dating, it's virtually impossible out there
It seems like every time I turn on the TV, there are commercials about online dating. And all of them claim to be the way to find the love of your life. Oddly enough, I've actually tried online dating. Yes, me. The hopeless romantic has tried to be practical and find love in whatever way might be out there. Hey, it's worth a try, right?
First up, many years ago, was Match.com. The first guy was Fish Boy (see one of my earlier dating stories). The next was a guy I talked with quite a bit. We were even planning to meet. Then, one afternoon while we were talking, he had to go finish up some work and said he'd call later. That was about 7 or so years ago. Hope he hasn't lost my number....
Next up, eHarmony. It sucked. Nothing further to be said about that.
Third try, not really online, was It's Just Lunch. You actually meet with a matchmaker who asks what you are looking for in a mate. I had a few things. The first guy- divorced with a kid (I said no kids). The second guy- maybe 5'6" (I said taller than me). I didn't give them a chance to screw me over with the third date option. They didn't seem to listen to what I wanted.
Recently, I decided to try OkCupid. And omg- the guys on this site are disgusting. To the point that I might not even try to stick this out for very long.
To be honest, maybe I'm not really sure online dating is at all the way to go.....
First up, many years ago, was Match.com. The first guy was Fish Boy (see one of my earlier dating stories). The next was a guy I talked with quite a bit. We were even planning to meet. Then, one afternoon while we were talking, he had to go finish up some work and said he'd call later. That was about 7 or so years ago. Hope he hasn't lost my number....
Next up, eHarmony. It sucked. Nothing further to be said about that.
Third try, not really online, was It's Just Lunch. You actually meet with a matchmaker who asks what you are looking for in a mate. I had a few things. The first guy- divorced with a kid (I said no kids). The second guy- maybe 5'6" (I said taller than me). I didn't give them a chance to screw me over with the third date option. They didn't seem to listen to what I wanted.
Recently, I decided to try OkCupid. And omg- the guys on this site are disgusting. To the point that I might not even try to stick this out for very long.
To be honest, maybe I'm not really sure online dating is at all the way to go.....
Sunday, July 31, 2011
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery
One of my friends has a blog and occasionally blogs about the books she's recently read. I thought that seemed like a spectacular idea (as I tend to read quite a bit). So I've decided to copy her idea. At the end of each month, I'm going to do a little review of the books I've read that month. I'll go ahead and apologize- I've been a little lax this month on my reading. But with no further ado, July's books!
Sing Me Home by Jodi Picoult. This is NOT your typical Jodi Picoult. It's about fertility (or rather infertility), ownership of unborn children (I know, that sounds horrible), music, homosexuality and family. The only typical Jodi Picoult aspect is a trial. I'm not sure you can HAVE a Jodi Picoult without a trial! On the whole, one of my favorite Jodi Picoults. It was deep and very moving.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. It's a story of an eleven year old chemistry genius who turns detective when she watches a man die in the garden and her father is accused of murder. I read it on the recommendation of a friend and didn't really enjoy it as much as I thought I would.
Little Lady, Big Apple and The Little Lady Agency and the Prince by Hester Browne. I read the first book in this series (The Little Lady Agency) for book club last month. It's British chick lit. Long story short, Melissa starts her own business as a girlfriend for hire (not a prostitute, as she makes sure people know). She gives make-overs, shops for gifts, attends events as a plus-one, you name it. Along the way, she falls in love (book 1), moves to New York briefly (book 2), and gets hired to transform a playboy prince (book 3). If you like British chick lit, this series is a winner!
Cloaked by Alex Flinn. I read another of Alex Flinn's novels recently. Beastly. Made into a movie that wasn't NEARLY as good as the novel. Flinn likes to modernize fairy tales. This one combined quite a few fairy tales, most of them quite unfamiliar to me. However, there was the one of the prince who was turned into a frog. The one of the shoe maker who is helped by elves. The one of the 6 siblings who are turned to swans and can only be saved by their sister (who doesn't know they exist). The one of the magic cloak that can take you anywhere you wish. The one of the magic fish who curses a man for wishing for too much. There were witches and giants. Humans who had been turned into animals. Princes and princesses. Love. And, most importantly, shoes. It wasn't a greatest piece of literature ever written, but I finished all 330+ pages in one day. So that says something!
My Reading Life by Pat Conroy. This is basically a collection of essays/stories about Conroy himself. He talks about people who have influenced him, books that have influenced him, the reason he is the writer he is today. If you like Pat Conroy and like books, it's a great read. Honestly, the only part I didn't like was that I felt like a fraud, saying I was a reader when there were so many books he mentioned that I haven't read yet. And as a Southern girl, I'm a little embarrassed to say that I've only read one book by Pat Conroy prior to this. An ex gave me The Lords of Discipline when we first started dating (to help me understand the whole Citadel way of thinking). I absolutely loved it and can't believe I haven't read any others. Might need to rectify that situation and, while I'm at it, add a few more books from Pat Conroy's list of must-reads to my own. Maybe once I put a dent in the pile of books next to my bed.....
And as I finished My Reading Life TODAY, that's it for the books read in July. Let's see what kind of damage I can do in August!
Sing Me Home by Jodi Picoult. This is NOT your typical Jodi Picoult. It's about fertility (or rather infertility), ownership of unborn children (I know, that sounds horrible), music, homosexuality and family. The only typical Jodi Picoult aspect is a trial. I'm not sure you can HAVE a Jodi Picoult without a trial! On the whole, one of my favorite Jodi Picoults. It was deep and very moving.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. It's a story of an eleven year old chemistry genius who turns detective when she watches a man die in the garden and her father is accused of murder. I read it on the recommendation of a friend and didn't really enjoy it as much as I thought I would.
Little Lady, Big Apple and The Little Lady Agency and the Prince by Hester Browne. I read the first book in this series (The Little Lady Agency) for book club last month. It's British chick lit. Long story short, Melissa starts her own business as a girlfriend for hire (not a prostitute, as she makes sure people know). She gives make-overs, shops for gifts, attends events as a plus-one, you name it. Along the way, she falls in love (book 1), moves to New York briefly (book 2), and gets hired to transform a playboy prince (book 3). If you like British chick lit, this series is a winner!
Cloaked by Alex Flinn. I read another of Alex Flinn's novels recently. Beastly. Made into a movie that wasn't NEARLY as good as the novel. Flinn likes to modernize fairy tales. This one combined quite a few fairy tales, most of them quite unfamiliar to me. However, there was the one of the prince who was turned into a frog. The one of the shoe maker who is helped by elves. The one of the 6 siblings who are turned to swans and can only be saved by their sister (who doesn't know they exist). The one of the magic cloak that can take you anywhere you wish. The one of the magic fish who curses a man for wishing for too much. There were witches and giants. Humans who had been turned into animals. Princes and princesses. Love. And, most importantly, shoes. It wasn't a greatest piece of literature ever written, but I finished all 330+ pages in one day. So that says something!
My Reading Life by Pat Conroy. This is basically a collection of essays/stories about Conroy himself. He talks about people who have influenced him, books that have influenced him, the reason he is the writer he is today. If you like Pat Conroy and like books, it's a great read. Honestly, the only part I didn't like was that I felt like a fraud, saying I was a reader when there were so many books he mentioned that I haven't read yet. And as a Southern girl, I'm a little embarrassed to say that I've only read one book by Pat Conroy prior to this. An ex gave me The Lords of Discipline when we first started dating (to help me understand the whole Citadel way of thinking). I absolutely loved it and can't believe I haven't read any others. Might need to rectify that situation and, while I'm at it, add a few more books from Pat Conroy's list of must-reads to my own. Maybe once I put a dent in the pile of books next to my bed.....
And as I finished My Reading Life TODAY, that's it for the books read in July. Let's see what kind of damage I can do in August!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Books, books, I love books
I am a bit of a bibliophile. Under both parts of the definition. A bibliophile is defined as someone who loves or collects books. As my current library scares people, I'd say I'm a bit of a collector as well. Sure, I don't collect first editions or anything exciting like that (other than my 1929 edition of Anne of Green Gables and a few other fun old books). But my library is still vast. A friend came over to borrow from the Library of Jane. When I showed her my list (it's 11 typed pages of books, alphabetically by author and separated by paperback, hardback and series), she was a little overwhelmed. I'm not going to lie.
Being a person who LOVES to read, it's usually my go-to activity when nothing else is going on. And definitely when I travel. I usually take one book per day of vacation. Nothing makes me happier than sitting on a plane or a beach somewhere, with a book in hand.
All that being said, I can do some damage to books. Last weekend, I read 3 books. For those of you doing the math, that's one book per day. I read "Dreams of Joy" by Lisa See. It was the sequel to "Shanghi Girls," a book I read for book club last year. It takes place in the early years of communist China. Very good. I also read "Witches of East End" by Melissa de la Cruz (the author of The Blue Bloods series). It's about (wait for it) witches. Good beach, mindless read. The last one was "The Little Lady Agency" by Hester Brown. It was for book club and was British chick lit at its finest!
The weird thing is that this weekend, I can't seem to get into any of the books that I'm trying to read. I'm trying to read two of them and neither are actually peaking my interest. So I think I'm going to have to switch it up and try some others. This weekend can't be a TOTAL loss when it comes to finishing at least one book, right?
Being a person who LOVES to read, it's usually my go-to activity when nothing else is going on. And definitely when I travel. I usually take one book per day of vacation. Nothing makes me happier than sitting on a plane or a beach somewhere, with a book in hand.
All that being said, I can do some damage to books. Last weekend, I read 3 books. For those of you doing the math, that's one book per day. I read "Dreams of Joy" by Lisa See. It was the sequel to "Shanghi Girls," a book I read for book club last year. It takes place in the early years of communist China. Very good. I also read "Witches of East End" by Melissa de la Cruz (the author of The Blue Bloods series). It's about (wait for it) witches. Good beach, mindless read. The last one was "The Little Lady Agency" by Hester Brown. It was for book club and was British chick lit at its finest!
The weird thing is that this weekend, I can't seem to get into any of the books that I'm trying to read. I'm trying to read two of them and neither are actually peaking my interest. So I think I'm going to have to switch it up and try some others. This weekend can't be a TOTAL loss when it comes to finishing at least one book, right?
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Yep- I've been MIA lately
Yes yes. I know. I haven't really been blogging a lot lately. And by a lot, I mean not at all. At least in the past 5 months. Despite my New Year's resolution. Oops.
I'd like to say it's because I've been really busy lately. That I'm such a popular girl that I have no time to blog. But that would be a lie. Honestly, it's simply because I think I've lost my funny. I used to blog a lot. Making pithy comments and amusing the public (or at least myself).
So right now, I'm sitting here, watching Grey's Anatomy, playing on FB, and drinking a SkinnyGirl margarita (yummers). And blogging. Yep, blogging.
And I've realized that I've kind of missed it. I don't really have anything important to share. Other than I'm back. And hopefully (if not now, then soon to be) better than ever! Stay tuned kiddos....
I'd like to say it's because I've been really busy lately. That I'm such a popular girl that I have no time to blog. But that would be a lie. Honestly, it's simply because I think I've lost my funny. I used to blog a lot. Making pithy comments and amusing the public (or at least myself).
So right now, I'm sitting here, watching Grey's Anatomy, playing on FB, and drinking a SkinnyGirl margarita (yummers). And blogging. Yep, blogging.
And I've realized that I've kind of missed it. I don't really have anything important to share. Other than I'm back. And hopefully (if not now, then soon to be) better than ever! Stay tuned kiddos....
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy happy New Year, blogosphere!!
In honor of 2011, I have decided to start the new year off right and blog a little bit. Seems like a normal thing to do. New year, new blog entry. I'm not a big fan of making resolutions I know I'll never keep (hello never used gym membership, I'm talking to you). So this year, I decided to make some resolutions I can keep.
1- I will try to blog more frequently. Key word in this resolution is try.
2- I will take more pictures. I always carry a camera with me, but seldom remember to take pictures. Even last night, we only snapped a few pics with my camera.
3- I will give up drinking again for a little bit. My migraines are getting out of control recently and that's at least one thing I know I can control.
4- I will spend more time with the people I love.
5- I will not make any more resolutions than these.
Hope everyone has a wonderful 2011!!!
1- I will try to blog more frequently. Key word in this resolution is try.
2- I will take more pictures. I always carry a camera with me, but seldom remember to take pictures. Even last night, we only snapped a few pics with my camera.
3- I will give up drinking again for a little bit. My migraines are getting out of control recently and that's at least one thing I know I can control.
4- I will spend more time with the people I love.
5- I will not make any more resolutions than these.
Hope everyone has a wonderful 2011!!!
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