Not Entirely Book Related...

...But a little book related.

We recently got four little baby chicks... and here's the book-related part... We've named them after my top four favorite books! ;)

I would like you to meet:  Amparo, Katniss, Bella and Aliena (pronounced Allie-enna, not Elain-a --I recently learned).

For those of you who don't know those characters...
Amparo = The Religion
Katniss = Hunger Games/Catching Fire --She'll be the only red chicken (the others will be "buff" or blond) which is quite fitting for "the girl on fire" if I do say so myself hehe.
And last but certainly not least...
Aliena = Pillars of the Earth

Bella and Aliena are quite the little snugglers, Amparo has her moments and Katniss is just plain fiesty. It's pretty entertaining :)

A delicious sequel

Just got the delicious sequel to my all time favorite book (Pillars of the Earth) in the mail a few days ago. Gotta love Amazon, the price of this 1,014 page book is what kept me from reading it originally, not wanting to spend $22 on one book (what can I say, I'm cheap :P ) I finally ventured into the land of Amazon for a gently used copy... and got it for a whopping $5.77. Amazon should be called Amaz-ing.

I'm about 150 pages in, and my goal is to finish it before the intensity of 6 weeks of summer school sets in next Monday. Luckily I'm going to my parents for the week, so plane rides and relax time are my friends!

So far it is a lot like Pillars... which I kinda, sorta, really...love. It's two centuries later but same town, same sort of people, and utter despair followed by (I'm assuming) complete triumph. You have the unfortunate peasants, the good monks, the not so good monks, the naughty bishop and the upper class family that intermixes with said unfortunate peasants and of course the arrogant prick of an Earl-of-Shirring prancing about. And yet... it's not too similar to not be interesting, kind of a perfect mixture. Very excited to see how this one unfolds!

World Without End

P.S. Speaking of Pillars...just found out about this and almost peed my pants. Yep. My favorite book, soon to become my favorite TV mini-series. BAM.

http://www.the-pillars-of-the-earth.tv/

To make a prairie it takes a clover

and one bee, -

One clover, and a bee,

And reverie.

The reverie alone will do

If bees are few.

-Emily Dickinson

my favorite word is reverie... and she used it twice. love.

(although she actually spelled it "revery"... which isn't a word.) still love.

For Closure's Sake

I've been debating whether or not I like this book for quite a while. I think I've finally decided that yes, I do like it, and yes, you should read it. I read it a couple months ago and despite it not being one of those books that you can't put down, I think it has a good story. Just don't expect any life-altering, gut wrenching moments. But, sometimes you just have to talk a book out with someone before you can make up your mind, (Unless of course it's one of those that you can't put down, in which case, no dialog necessary- it's great!) so, thanks Mom...  ;)

Dusty Bookshelf...Nifty Phone

I haven't had much time for reading lately... however! I was able to get Pride and Prejudice on my phone, so whenever I'm somewhere like, say, waiting in a long line, I can pull out my phone and read! Yay! So far I am on chapter 8. It's taken a little getting used to reading on a screen instead of holding those wonderful pages, but it's really great to be able to read anywhere, anytime... no hefty book required. No, this does not mean I'm going to end up getting a Kindle... not my thing. I love love love the smell, feel, look, and well, everything about books. Kindle is a thief of those things. ;)

I really want to get back to reading at least 1 book a week........ we shall see!

Oh, Edward...

For all the fellow Twilight series fans out there...

I am experiencing a dilemma.

To read, or not to read...

Midnight Sun

 I really, really, really want to read it. BUT, I know it's not finished... and the agony of only getting to read part of it, and then be left hanging, could very well be worse than the agony of waiting to read the completed novel. So far my plan has been to hold off as long as possible knowing it is inevitable that I will cave and read it before it's finished... especially since there is no end in sight. :\  But I don't know how much longer the holding off can last... I'm such a junkie.

(This is only ONE of the FOUR books I'm waiting to be completed and released... it's all torture. So much torture. Series are brutal.)


---for those of you who have no idea what Midnight Sun is: 
If you haven't read Twilight, then you probably could care less. If you have... and you still don't know what it's about... oh man. It is Twilight but written from Edward's perspective, not Bella's. Intense. Delicious. However, it is not a complete novel... one of the author's cohorts leaked the book when she was about 200-ish pages into writing it. NOT cool. But Stephenie IS cool... she put her own copy of it on her website so that her fans would not have the moral dilemma of whether or not to search for and read the "bootleg" copy. Still, it is unfinished, and will most certainly leave you wanting more- which you can't have. Any time soon.

Living Vicariously

Ok, so all I've been reading lately are textbooks. If you would like for me to review McKinley and O'Loughlin's descriptions of the 1000's of bone features in the human body, or the classifications, functions, structures and locations of all the different types of Connective Tissues... well, you should probably just read it yourself. It is gnarly. BUT... if you're looking for some interesting feedback about a recent delicious novel, I am empty handed. Sad.

However, I have very recently learned the joy of passing on magnificent reads to others! Hearing that they love the book as much as you did and getting to dissect all of the wonderful parts together is, well, better than Christmas. hah.

For anyone who's read The Fountainhead, I was previously similar to Dominique Francon. For those of you who haven't... Dominique has this thing where when she finds something (like artwork) that she absolutely loves, she buys it and then destroys it. Of course you're thinking, WHY would she do that?! BUT, I can (rather, could) relate to her reasoning. She destroys the things she loves because she feels they are so magnificent that if someone else saw it and didn't think it was as magnificent as she thought it was, that would be unbearable. If she destroys the artwork no one can ever say- yikes that is ugly. To her, the piece is safe forever, away from critical eyes. Make sense? Maybe not... but that's how I felt about Pillars of the Earth. I love that book so much that passing it on to someone and hearing them say, "yeah, it was okay I guess" would be blasphemy. Silly, I know. Love does crazy things lol. ANYWAY... I have overcome this, and to my greatest happiness, success was achieved.

So I did it... I passed on Pillars. My mom, who luckily had a long vacation to read the extensive novel, enjoyed it immensely. Me= Happy Camper! Then... my sister called with news that she had just finished reading The 19th Wife and loved it. Yay! Sharing the novel lovin'. haha. She currently has my copy of Pillars, and despite my separation anxiety, (I almost bought a 2nd copy just to have on hand...several times...) I am excited to see what she thinks of it. Oh yes, and I can't forget, I have also passed on Twilight (how could I not, really?) to my sister-in-law. I'm eager to get her into the next 3, seeing how #4 is the best. ever. She is enjoying #1 despite having the lame movies in her head to compare-- she has no idea what's coming... so good. Ok, I'll stop being a Twilight junkie now. (But if you haven't read the series... [sigh]... you must)

SO... Who wants a good book recommendation?! I'm living vicariously through you since I don't have time to read my favorite books over again ;) (much less any new ones...boohoo)

Slow Boat to China

Ok, so I just started classes at SBCC, and my reading time has been greatly reduced. Thus, I have started Shadow of the Wind, but am only about half way through it.

So far, I really like it. At first it was a little hard to get into, but I'm like that with a lot of books, so that really doesn't say much. It's a really fun, kind of mysterious read, and the characters are greatly enjoyable. My favorite is Fermìn Romero de Torres. He's the perfect... sidekick, if that's what you'd call him, and you really never know what he's going to come up with next! I won't give it the official two-thumbs-up until I actually finish it, but I think it's safe to say that you should read it. ;)


*****Finally finished it... LOVED it... best word to describe it... SATISFYING. very. definitely read this one.*****

Books Books Books

Before June, I could count on one hand how many books I'd read (and actually finished) in the last ten years. However, in the last few months I have become increasingly addicted to reading. Therefore, this blog will furthermore be used to fuel that addiction. I would love any book suggestions and will be sharing a few of my thoughts on current reads. Since I'm already knee deep into this process, instead of reviewing all 24 of my recent indulgences I will simply list them... in the order they were finished.

1 - 9: Sookie Stackhouse Series

10: Julie and Julia

11: The Religion

12: Pillars of the Earth

13: Echo In The Darkness

14: A Touch Of Dead (Sookie Stackhouse Series)

15:The Fountainhead

16: The Reader

17: The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games Series #1)

18: The 19th Wife

19: Twilight

20: Catching Fire (The Hunger Games Series #2)

21: New Moon

22: Eclipse

23: Breaking Dawn

24: A Reliable Wife

About to start A Shadow In The Wind.....

The Cleaning Lady

Some unknown force has recently been motivating me to clean... deep, deep, scrubbing, Comet and Engine De-greaser infused clean...

If you've ever had the joy of seeing my kitchen sink/stove combo, you'll surely remember it's color being of the brown and gray families, with a little -okay...not so little- cascading hard water stains and paint thrown in for fun. If you come over now... surely you will be surprised when you find only your shiny reflection in the gleaming silver surface! After noticing this... your eyes will most certainly graze over to find what used to be grimy yellow-ish cabinets which are now a lovely glistening white. Where you probably won't peek is inside my oven. Yes, inside my oven. I did it. My oven -er, toaster oven- is officially clean and crumb-less Why? Not sure, but an alien might have been implanted in my brain, thus resulting in strange behavior- will seek help.



Yes, I said Engine De-greaser.



It was mixed with Comet.



I held my breath.



It worked like a charm. The End.

Quarterly Update...Bahaha

It seems to be that I am more of a "seasonal" blogger... I have a post for Spring, one for Summer... and now a Fall post. Maybe one day I'll move to monthly blogger, and... maybe even one day a tambourine. (Ok, too much 10 Things I Hate About You watching lately)

Anyway... I have a new job. I am a nanny. 42 hours a week, I have a teacup human in tow. She is 14 months old and lots of fun...when she's not being a PITA. (Pain In The Ass). Her mommy thinks she's starting the terrible 2's... a little early. Yippee! :P It's not too shabby though.. every morning I go on a 30-60 minute walk at the end of which baby falls asleep and I retire to a bench in the shady grass to read a book for 60-90 minutes. Life is rough... clearly. After that, it's playtime, lunch, playtime, second nap, time to go home. Restart next day. So far I've taught her:
-to say "Rib-ett" (or Rii-Rii, as she says it) after you ask what the frog says
-how to sign "more"...although she thinks it means more strawberries specifically, workin on that one
-to smell flowers (mommy loved that one)
-to stick her tongue out and say "bleeeehhhhh" (another classic.)
-how to put together Lego's...instead of just banging them together
I think that's it so far... so, in conclusion... there are a heck of a lot of jobs out there that are much worse than teaching a kid how to smell flowers, even if you have to change a few diapers in the process. Biggest downsides, I miss watching Riley, and I can no longer go to the gym at my usual time...which is proving to be de-motivating in the work-out department. At least I go on walks every morning, which I try to make power-walks instead of leisurely strolls. Biggest upsides, no longer in the broke department, and fun, easy-going job.

But enough about that.

Over on Sad Street... I haven't seen my sister and her kids in over a month... which is no fun. In Hannah's whole life I haven't gone that long without seeing them... it just ain't right. Trying to find a weekend that I can go see them, but life is busy and time don't wait.

Over on Happy Street... I have a secret brewing... it's pretty life changing... give me about a year and it'll no longer be a secret. Until then...happy guessing! I'm very excited though, I can say that. (NO, I'm not prego... otherwise the timeframe would be shorter... just to clarify that. the end.)

My Birthday is next week... I'm excited. The big 2.3. Actually, it's really no big deal... but I'm excited anyway. Hubby's was just a little bit ago... we decided that we would skip birthday presents this year and save up for a big Christmas... because we love Christmas. I'm already getting excited and it's definitely way too early for that.


No Conclusion... The End.

Oh Blog, my dear lonely friend, how I desert you so.

Ok, here we are again...months since my last post. I think I don't post because I'm not really sure anyone actually checks my blog for updates seeing how I know very few fellow bloggers. ANYWAY...

We moved into the new house, got everything all set up and done (with the exception of a couple drapes) and are totally loving it. Our kitchen is still waiting to be remodeled by the owners but it works for now. It was a struggle at first to keep the place clean, not having a dishwasher (yet) and all of our normal mess being confined in a much smaller space (never looked as messy all spread out!) but I have adapted my cleaning skills to work for our cozy cottage in order to keep it "magazine clean" as my mom always says. I can happily say that there are no more massive piles of dirty dishes in my life...which has been a struggle ever since I flew the nest....what can I say, I <3 dishwashers. But I have learned that I, too, can BE a dishwasher. Bahaha.

Recently I started working out (!!!!). Something I pretty much have never done in my life. Sure I did Cheer my freshman year, and dancing rehearsals for musicals with a Nazi Choreographer are a gnarly workout, and I had a gym membership last year (I used the easy machines and didn't push myself) BUT now I have goals to meet...fat to burn, muscle to build, endurance to strengthen. Thankfully I have an awesome workout partner, without whom, I would probably have been flabby and out of shape forever! She knows exactly how to kick my butt and how to keep me from hurting myself while doing it. Fabulous. Last week we went on a run, my FIRST RUN EVER, seriously. Being my first run though, I couldn't actually run the whole time, but I pushed myself and ran longer than I ever thought possible and guaranteed next time, I will run even longer! We've also been doing these crazy stair-roller machines at the gym---gnarliest things ever. The other day we did 3 miles on them in 30 minutes...stairs...3 miles...picture a building that is 3 miles tall...and then go to the top floor using the stairs, not stopping, and doing it in 30 minutes. Yeah. My butt thanked me for that one. ;) Anyhoo... we have our goals set, and the dates we want to achieve them by and I am super pumped and will be very happy to show off my amazing muscles and lack of body fat lol.

In attempts to make this a quick read instead of a novel, I am going to stop here with plans of posting again soon... I guess we'll find out if that actually happens :P