Finally getting some reading done!

Now that my pool has opened, I'm getting to read more books. Yay!

Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore. All Catherine Grace Cline has ever wanted out of life is to get out of the small Georgia town in which she was raised. Her preacher father and younger sister support her dream, but don't really understand it. She spends every Saturday at the Dairy Queen, dreaming of her escape. And on her eighteenth birthday, she gets her escape, leaving for Atlanta. Finally, she begins a new life and all of her dreams start to fall into place. Until a death drags her back to her hometown, where she is confronted by a ghost from her past and is forced to reconsider her future. It was an easy read and a very good story. Two thumbs up!

Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Ever seen The Village? Then you know the story, minus the blind girl and with a lot more exposure to the modern world. Only this time, the town in the 1840's was created by a millionaire who wanted a real-life Williamsburg. Tourists can watch people living in 1840 via video. And until diphtheria strikes the village, everyone is content. But the millionaire refuses to allow any modern references, even medicine to help the sick children. So Jessie, thirteen year old daughter of the blacksmith and the midwife, escapes and "goes to the future" for help. Turns out the entire tourist site was an experiment to strengthen the gene pool and create people who were completely immune to all diseases. Unfortunately the experiment backfired and eventually the entire compound is shut down. And the men who set up the experiment are held responsible for their actions. Interesting read.

Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart. During the summer of 1945, best friends and sorority sisters Marjorie (yes, the author of the book) and Marty move to New York City for the summer. They get jobs at Tiffany, the first women to ever have those jobs (due to the war and the shortage of young men). What follows is a summer that neither of them ever forget. They go dancing, see celebrities, experience amazing events in the life of our country during war (am I the only person who didn't know that a plane flew into the Empire State Building and Mayor La Guardia himself ran into the building to help save people?!), be IN Times Square to celebrate VJ Day, and even fall in love. It was a pleasant surprise to discover that this was a memoir (I picked it up thinking it was a work of fiction). I really think I was born at the wrong time- I should've lived in the 20's or 40's! The epilogue shared that Marjorie became a professional cellist and music teacher, in addition to being a wife and mother. Marty went into finance and was even a Junior Leaguer!

Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik. Five women become friends during the late 1960's by starting a neighborhood book club. For the next thirty years, their lives remain intertwined. Through childbirth and deaths, through divorce and remarriage, through abusive husbands and everything life throws at them. These five women are there for each other. It's a great story. One of my favorite parts was that each chapter starts with the book they have chosen. Challenge accepted- more books for my list!

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan. It was my month to pick our book club book and I chose this one. I'd already read it, so knew how freaking fantastic it is! It's historical fiction about Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Borthwick Cheney. Mamah and her husband commissioned Frank to build them a house in Oak Park, Illinois. A few years later, Frank went to Europe and took Mamah with him, leaving their respective spouses and children behind. The scandal that followed them was the stuff of modern gossip magazines. After some time in Europe, they returned to Wisconsin, where Frank built one of his amazing architectural structures, Taliensin. While Mamah's husband did grant her a divorce (and eventually allowed her visitation with their children), Frank's wife refused to do the same. So Frank and Mamah lived "in sin" for several years. Until the ultimate disaster destroyed their happiness, forever. Amazing historical fiction. I would reread this book a million times!

The Murderer's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers. In 1971, sisters Lulu and Merry have their whole world turned upside down. Ten year old Lulu defies her mother's warnings and lets their drunken father into their apartment. When her mother screams for her to get help, she runs to a neighbor. When they return, her mother is fatally stabbed in the kitchen. And her father has stabbed five year old Merry and himself. Their father is sent to prison and eventually Lulu and Merry end up in an orphanage. They are finally taken in by foster parents and both try to cope as best they can. For Lulu, that means acting as though her father is dead, while becoming a doctor, wife and mother. Merry still loves her father, but seems lost. She eventually becomes a probation agent, but is never able to settle down. The sisters remain impossibly close and intertwined, loving and hating their parents and each other in turn. Then, after 30 years, Merry learns that their father has finally been granted parole. Both the women soon learn what place they are willing to allow their father to have in their lives. Very powerful book- I read it in one day!

There's Cake in my Future by Kim Gruenenfelder. Perfect chick lit! At her bridal shower, bride-to-be Nic decides to rig the cake pull have make sure her friends pull the charms she thinks they should have. But when the cake gets turned around, no one pulls the charm she planned. Seema ends up with the shovel, for hard work. How will that help her turn her friendship with Scott into true love? Melissa pulls the chili pepper, for a hot love affair. Does that mean her boyfriend of 6 years will finally pop the question? And Nic pulls the baby carriage. She's not even sure she's ready to be a full-time step mom, let alone a full-time birth mom! But as the other charms seem to work on the other guests, the three women realize that the charms they pulled were the ones they needed all along.

The Convenient Groom by Denise Hunter. The day of her wedding, marriage counselor and relationship expert Kate Lawrence is left at the alter. Embarrassing enough under any circumstances, but worse for Kate because her wedding (with a surprise groom) is set to coincide with the release of her new book. Her landlord and neighbor, Lucas Wright, volunteers to take the place of the MIA groom. Little does Kate know that its because he's in love with her. She agrees and their year of faux wedded bliss begins. Once the truth comes out, her world begins to fall apart. Will Lucas' love be enough? Does she actually love her convenient groom? Good pool/beach read.

This March, reading Unbroken broke me!

One Foot in Eden by Ron Rash. This was my book club book. Ron Rash is a southern author. The book was fantastic- very Faulkneresque. Billy and Amy Holcombe are involved in the murder of Holland Winchester, but no one can prove it. Not Holland's mother, not the sheriff, no one. The story is told through the eyes of 5 different characters. Eventually, the truth comes out the day that Carolina Power floods and creates Lake Jocassee. I couldn't stop reading it! Strongly suggested, especially if you like southern literature!! I will say that most of my book club didn't enjoy it the book as much as I did though.

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. The story of Louis Zamperini. He was an Olympic runner whose plane went down in the middle of the Pacific during World War 2. When he and his raft-mate finally floated to shore after 47 days at sea, they immediately became POWs in Japanese camps. When he was finally freed at war's end, he went through horrible PTSD. That is, until he heard Billy Graham speak. From that moment on, his life was different,. He stayed active well into his 90's, skiing, running, even skateboarding. Even though the story was very interesting, I had a really hard time reading the book. Clearly, as I only got 3 books read this month. It was more of a history buff's book. And I am far from that. Oddly enough, I would suggest it to anyone who loves war history though. Hillenbrand is an excellent writer after all.

Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn. I've read quite a few of her books. Most of them are modern day fairy tales. Literally- she takes a fairy tale and sets it in modern times. This one was no fairy tale. Nick, a 16 year old rich kid, is in anger management because he beat up his girlfriend. His anger issues stem from the fact that his father likes to beat the crap out of him and humiliate him. The story goes back and forth between Nick writing in a journal about his relationship with Caitlin and what is happening in his life now. It was a tough story to read because I really was able to identify with Caitlin. It's hard to stop forgiving someone you love, even when they are acting out. Nick humiliated her, called her names, treated her badly, didn't trust her and finally hit her. In the end, he lost the girl, but gained much more. He finally realized that being a man isn't about making yourself better than others by putting them down, but about being strong and sensitive. A man is secure enough in himself that he doesn't need to control the people around him.

It's like sleeping on a cloud. A very firm cloud

For those of you who are friends with me on FB, you know my mattress saga (or at least some of it). And my back problem saga. At least in status update form. Here's a slightly more detailed version.

After weeks of back problems (and multiple suggestions from friends to get a new mattress already), the eventual destruction of my back on February 12 for 24 hours finally pushed me over the edge. So, on February 18, President's Day Weekend, the mattress search was on. Mom and I figured there would be some good sales so what better time to buy. I have a full bed, not a queen like most other grownups, so decided I wasn't willing to spend a lot of money on a mattress that (please, please) will not be on my bed for the next 10 years. Hopefully, it will get relegated to the guest room at some point. And, no offense to my guests, but y'all ain't getting a Tempurpedic!

Mom and I decided to hit Macy's first. Macy's has some very nice mattresses. And they were having an okay sale. Mom and I were lounging around, trying out the different mattresses. And then Deloris, the world's nicest salesperson, stepped in. She let us know, with an apology in her voice, that if only we'd gotten there earlier we could have purchased one of the displays on MAJOR clearance. But unfortunately, there were no queen sized mattresses left, only full. But full is what I need! So Deloris showed us the two fulls that were left. One wasn't very great. But the other? It was heavenly. A Simmons BeautyRest. Ultra firm. As the Shop Tart would say, ding dang y'all! It was a fantastic mattress. And then, I took a gander at the price tag. This was a $2500 mattress, y'all. No wonder it was so divine. But Deloris wasn't lying when she said those displays went on MAJOR clearance. There, on a bright red price tag, was the clearance price. $519. Yep, you read that correctly dear reader. $555 with tax. Shopping done. Did anyone honestly think I could find a better price than that? For that nice of a mattress? I certainly did not. So here is my debit card, Deloris. Ring 'er up! The only downside- no delivery. But really, could I complain about that? And I couldn't pick up my new mattress until March 5. Sad. Because my back could've really used that mattress that day. Oh well. Now that the mattress was purchased, the rest of the day was spent shopping for other fun things!

Fast forward to March 5. I had asked two of the guys I work with to help me. One has a pick-up truck, so really I was using him for that! They readily agreed to help (love those guys). Macy's called to let me know that my mattress would be ready and people there to help me load it between 10 am and 4 pm. That's a problem, Macy's. Some of us have work. Or court. Whichever you prefer. Long story short, I got my new mattress. We loaded up the new one in the truck, got my old one out of the house and over to my parents' to be donated to HomeWorks (I feel bad that somebody's getting an old mattress. But I guess an old mattress is better than no mattress). To thank them for their help, I treated the boys to beer at Morganelli's. Then came home and made up my bed!

In addition to my box springs and super deep new mattress, I also have a fantastic new mattress pad that adds about 2-3 inches of height to my bed. So the whole thing is now about four or five inches above my footboard. No more feet pressed up against the footboard! And my bed now looks so comfy and inviting. I went to bed early last night, just to luxuriate in the amazingness of my new bed. I felt like the Princess and the Pea (minus the pesky pea, of course) climbing onto my high bed last night! And as soon as I actually lay down (after watching a little tv), I was out like a light.

This morning, I woke up feeling great. No back pain, no waking up multiple times throughout the night. Best sleep I've had in months! So in addition to feeling like a princess, I slept like one too. And I've decided that a mattress this good needs a name. To that end, my new mattress has been christened Poppy. Because it is completely sleep inducing!

I slacked off reading in February....

I have to say, I am embarrassed by how slack I have been since the new year. One would think that giving up the gossip magazines would have helped me with the reading real books. But no. I'm still a slacker. I'll do better next month. Promise. Anyway, here we go!

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister. I heard of another book club reading this, so put it on my list. Lillian is a chef who owns her own restaurant. At a very young age, she discovered that cooking is its own language and almost an art form. She decides to share this wisdom and offers cooking classes at her restaurant. This particular group of students consists of a married couple who has overcome difficulties to reach this point together in their lives, a young mother who has forgotten who she is as a woman, an architect who struggles to maintain the integrity of the homes she redesigns, a young widower who rediscovers his love affair with food that had been cultivated by his late wife, a teenager confused about the path her life is on, and several others. The class teaches them more than cooking, it teaches them about their own lives and how to make their lives richer through love.

Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Oddly enough, I have had this book on my shelf since before the movie came out. And never got around to reading it. It was not one of my favorites. I will admit, I was jealous of her life (or rather, one year of her life). Wish I could get someone to pay me to take a year off of work and travel. And perhaps my jealousy is why I did not enjoy the book as much as I think I was suppose to. But I had a really hard time getting into the book and found myself thankful when I was finally done. And, to be honest, I really didn't enjoy the movie all that much either. So there you go.

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella. Poppy is happily engaged to the handsome, academic Magnus. Then her world slowly starts to spin out of control. She loses the priceless family heirloom engagement ring Magnus gave her. Her cell phone is stolen. Then she finds a new cell phone in a trashcan and decides to use it. The phone belonged to a personal assistant of a man named Sam and suddenly Poppy is swept into Sam's world. All just a few weeks before her wedding day. This book was typical Brit chick lit. It was an easy read and made me wish I could have been sitting on the beach while reading it!

Oh my back!

Growing up, I was always a very healthy kid. No major illnesses. No broken bones. I had hay fever. Seriously, that was it. When I got the chicken pox in eighth grade, I had about 20 poxes. Literally, 20 poxes. I got braces and only had them for a little over a year because my teeth were so well behaved and moved exactly like they were supposed to. My biggest problem was tearing the ligaments in my right ankle during my senior year of high school (stupid Camden Military football field).

Then, my body started falling apart. I blame it on years of dancing and cheerleading. It took its toll. And by took its toll I mean the following: tearing the ligaments in the same ankle 2 more times. Developing chondromalacia ie runner's knee (yes, I get the irony of the fact that I do not run, not in the slightest) on my right knee. And then, there was yesterday.

For the past few weeks, my lower back has been hurting. A nice dull pain. I'm sure that some of it has to do with my 10 year old mattress that most definitely needs to be replaced. But I'm thinking the rest of it has to do with just a bad back. Yesterday, I decided to do a little spring cleaning in my kitchen. The older I get, the more like my mother I am becoming. Everything has to be organized and in its place. So I emptied out most of my kitchen cabinets (this is my second time doing this in the past year, so some of the cabinets are nicely organized) and got to work. I started labeling the interiors of my cabinets so I would know what was in there. I started organizing by categories. I was in OCD heaven. Then, after putting something on the counter, I leaned over to pick something up off of the floor. And bam! There went my back. Tears were streaming down my face. And as it turns out, I was in the middle of a back spasm. That lasted for over 8 hours. I normally eat dinner with my parents on Sunday nights. So they came and picked me up for dinner. I passed the evening laying on their floor, drugged up and heating pad slapped on the back. Once back home, I couldn't even fall asleep for the pain. I woke up today, still in pain but no longer in the throes of a back spasm. Here's hoping I wake up feeling even better tomorrow or court's going to be SUPER fun!!

But if this is the sign of things to come, I'm going to be one decrepit 40 year old!

January readings

I didn't read NEARLY as much as I wish I had this month. I'd like to be reading at least 6-8 books a month. But it is what it is. So here goes!

Between Sundays by Karen Kingsbury. Kingsbury is a Christian author. And one I had never read anything by before. The story was beautifully written and very tear-jerking. Cory is an 8 year old boy who was told by his dying mother that the famous 49ers quarterback Aaron Hill is his father. His foster mother, who was his mother's best friend, doesn't believe that. But Cory is eventually given an opportunity to write Aaron a letter. Aaron's world is turned upside down and he turns to his back-up quarterback, a strong Christian and family oriented man named Derrick. The story that follows had me in tears most of the time, it was so beautiful. What it all boils down to is that faith in God can make the impossible possible. And life (for Christians and for football players) is about what happens between Sundays.

Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender. All I will say is holy crap! Alexis' 13 year old little sister Kasey is a bit doll obsessed. Which seems only slightly odd. Until her eyes change colors, weird things start happening at their house, and one of Alexis' classmates, Megan, tells her that Kasey is possessed. Megan and Alexis team up to help free Kasey from the powerful force that has taken over her soul. The spirit of a vindictive little girl. This book was crazy. good. Crazy good!

Mr. Darcy's Daughters by Elizabeth Aston. Elizabeth and Darcy have gone to Constantinople (if you've a date there, she'll be waiting in Istanbul btw). Their 5 daughters, Letitia, Camilla, twins Georgina and Belle, and Alethea, are left with their cousins in London. Letitia is very prim and proper. Camilla is outspoken and well-read, just like her mother. The twins are spitting images of their aunt Lydia, even down to their impulsiveness and willingness to elope. And Alethea is her father's daughter. Just like the Bennett girls in Pride and Prejudice, the Darcy girls have their own sets of adventures and misadventures, but even more so as the Darcy girls are heiresses. This is a must for any English majors/literature lovers. Jane Austen would have been proud of this novel!

The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters by Elisabeth Robinson. This was my book club book. And a total tearjerker! Olivia Hunt, a movie producer, writes a series of letters throughout a one year period of her life. Those letters are to her sister, her brother, her best friend, her former boyfriend, other Hollywood players, doctors, you name it. The letters chronicle her sister's diagnosis with leukemia, her own attempt to produce Don Quixote (a story of a man who attempted to live an impossible dream, which is kind of foreshadowing), her loves and her struggles. And through it all, she manages to recount the true and outstanding adventures of the Hunt sisters. I will say this- if you have a family member with cancer, it's going to be a tough read. I can attest to that. And then to find that this is almost a true story. The author lost her sister to cancer and held on to the letters that the two of them had written to each other. So it was clearly a cathartic process for her, you can definitely feel the love the older sister has for her younger sister.

Bye bye 2011- it was fun reading!

I'm sad to announce that I didn't end the year with a lot of books having been read this month. Only 8 (and 3 of them were shirt stories so I'm not even sure those count!). But here we go with the list!

Anthem by Ayn Rand. This was a re-read. But I'm not sure that a book I read in middle school (or maybe early high school) should really count as a re-read. It had been so long that I didn't really remember much about it. So I enjoyed the re-read. It's an interesting look at individualism v. socialism, advancement v. control. In a distant future, and another dark age, Equality 7-2521 doesn't fit in. Society calls for the "we" to prevail. He begins to sneak away and gain knowledge from hidden books. He falls in love with Liberty 5-3000, an emotion that is not allowed. When he finally decides to share his knowledge with the scholars, they attack him. He leaves the city and finds himself in the uncharted forest. Liberty 5-3000 (or the Golden One, as he calls her) joins him and they look for a new life. They find a city from the Unmentionable Times and make that their home. While reading, Equality discovers the Unspeakable Word and realizes that humanity is an "I," not a "we." He renames himself Prometheus, because he attempted to bring electricity to the scholars and renames Liberty Gaea, because she will be the mother of a new people. It's an easy read and a rather interesting look at how socialism destroys the individual and it is up to each man to retain his individuality, or his EGO.

Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. If you are in a book club, this needs to be on your list!! This story takes place in the 1940's and 1986. In the beginning, twelve year olds Henry (Chinese-American) and Keiko (Japanese-American) becomes friends in Seattle. When her family is sent to a Japanese internment camp thanks to the war, they are forced apart. And begin to realize how much they mean to each other. Eventually, they both move on and lose contact with each other. Over 40 years later, The Panama Hotel, entryway to the former Japantown in Seattle, is bought and refurbishing begins. Henry, who is now a widower, and his son find items left there by Japanese families upon their evacuation. Henry uncovers memories of Keiko. And wonders what ever became of her. It was a beautiful story, one I didn't want to end!

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. I know I've seen about a million versions of this movie and assumed I'd read the books. But half-way through the first book, I realized I never had read either. I loved reading everything about Wonderland. Namely because I love all the Alice movies that have been made (prequels, sequels, everything). So it was great to get to the bare bones of Alice.

Peter Pan by JM Barrie. Again, during the reading of this one, I realized I had never read it. Shocking! Just like with Alice, I love all things Pan. In fact, I just watched a movie on SyFy (most awful spelling of a channel ever) called Neverland. It was kind of a prequel to Peter Pan. Which is probably why I decided to read Peter Pan rather than something else. I'm really enjoying reading all of the old classics (whether they are re-reads or first time reads).

Mommy, Where Do Baby Unicorns Come From, The Ugly Kids, and The Ugly Kids: To Hell in a Hand Basket by Renee Adams. These were free short stories on iBooks when I started downloading stuff. Thought they sounded cute. Maybe young adult-esque. The first one is about a little girl who sees a unicorn outside her school. She asks her mom where baby unicorns come from. Seeing as her mother doesn't believe in unicorns, she can't give her an answer. But the little girl eventually does learn the answer. When an innocent dies, they become a unicorn. Kind of sad and almost gruesome, huh? The second is about a girl named Lily who is very tall and very big. A Goblin prince falls in love with her and decides to court her. She is able to become an honorary Goblin. But doesn't want to be courted by Gohber. Until she realizes his even more grotesque brothers would like to be courting her. In the third, Gohber's parents invite Lily to their Goblin kingdom for a celebration. But before the celebration can begin, Gohber's brother literally send Gohber to hell in a hand basket. And Lily has to go save him. Because she is an honorary Goblin after all!