Did you miss me?

Okay, I've got some 'splanin to do...

A ton has gone on since I last wrote -- which has kept me extra busy.  I've still managed to find time to read now and again, but this has been one heck of a busy year.  A great year, but a busy one.

We purchased our first house!  It is truly amazing.  I am so happy about it all, and slowly but surely we are making it our own.  Most everything is relatively finished, but the more I play on pinterest the more I realize there is left to do.  I've gotten extremely crafty, and frequently call my mother to tell her "move over Martha...guess what I made now!"  (side note -- Pinterest is extremely addicting -- if you aren't already on there, I highly suggest it!)

My promotion at work has been great!  I'm really enjoying what I'm doing, although it keeps me extremely busy (which is a good thing...we know I can't sit still...).

I've really missed posting on here -- I'm really ready to come back this time -- PROMISE!

I've been reading some great books recently that my cousin lent me - The Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J. R. Ward.  I really didn't think I would be able to get into them, but WOW.  That is really all I can say.  I'm currently reading the 5th book, Lover Unbound and I just can't get enough.  I wish there were more hours in the day!

Well anyway, I've got a semi-busy day at work today, but trust me ... I will keep you posted!

Missed you!

Happy Reading!

Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Published: September 1, 2009
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Format: E-book
Source: Lendle
Challenge: 2011 E-book Challenge &

100 Books in a Year

 Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark.  But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules.  Katniss and Peeta should be happy.  After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty.  But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion.  The Capitol is angry.  The Capitol wants revenge.  

First Sentences

"I clasp the flask between my hands even though the warmth from the tea has long since leached into the frozen air.  My muscles are clenched tight against the cold.  If a pack of wild dogs were to appear at this moment, the odds of scaling a tree before they attacked are not in my favor."

My Thoughts

SUCH a fantastic sequel!!!  I absolutely loved the first book, and I've now devoured the second book!  I cannot wait until I get my hands on the last book -- I'm dying to know what's going on!

Let me just say -- maybe I'm a little slow -- but I did not see that coming!  My prediction was that the second book would just be about Katniss and Peeta living in the Victor's Village . . . but whoa.  The first half was just as I expected . . . and then BOOM.  I was SO wrong.  No spoilers if I can help it.  

Of course I still love Katniss, and after this book, I think I love her a little more.  She gets on my nerves sometimes with the whole Peeta/Gale love triangle thing, but you know . . . she's just a girl.  And an awesome kick-butt girl, too!  Everyone is up in arms about the poisonous berries that she used during the end of the Hunger Games, and the Capitol (specifically President Snow) are now saying that they believe there will be a rebellion because Katniss has defied the Capitol.  Now, the Capitol is furious, and will seek revenge.

This year is the Third Quarter Quell, which is a big deal.  The Capitol always does something "special" for these events . . . like for the Second Quarter Quell they double the number of players.  The "special" something for the Third Quarter Quell is enough to make you sick, again.  

A definite must read, I'm so loving this series!!


Favorite Quotes
"I wish I could freeze this moment, right here, right now and live in it forever."

"I always channel my emotions into my work.  That way, I don't hurt anyone but myself."

"My nightmares are usually about losing you.  I'm okay once I realize you're here."

"At some point, you have to stop running and turn around and face whoever wants you dead.  The hard thing is finding the courage to do it."

"Tick, Tock."

"Because I can count on my fingers the number of sunsets I have left, and I don't want to miss any of them."

"Because I'm selfish.  I'm a coward.  I'm the kind of girl who, when she might actually be of use, would run to stay alive and leave those who couldn't follow to suffer and die."

"Whatever it takes to break you."

My Ratings

Cover: 5/5

Characters: 5/5

Writing Style: 5/5

Plot: 5/5

Ending: 5/5

Overall: 5

Happy Reading! 

Review: The Art Of Racing In The Rain by Garth Stein

Published: May 5, 2008
Publisher: Harper Collins
Format: Audiobook
Source: Audible
Challenge: 100 Books in a Year

Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (an an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver.  Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast.  Using the techniques needed on the race track, one can successfully navigate all of life's ordeals.

On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through.  In the end, despite what he sees as his own limitations, Enzo comes through heroically to preserve the Swift family, holding in his heart the dream that Denny will become a racing champion with Zoe at his side.

A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life . . . as only a dog could tell it.  ((From Goodreads))

My Thoughts

I just finished listening to this and I am at a complete loss of words.  Congrats Stein, not many people are able to shut me up!!  If you recall -- I tried the whole audiobook thing on the drive to my parents house last year, and I just couldn't get into it.  I really wanted to give it another shot, and I'm so glad that I did.

I got a free audiobook from Audible.com for joining, and my membership gets me 1 free book a month!  I'm still a little torn though.  While I enjoyed listening to this book, I still feel like I want to read it myself.  I'm afraid I might have missed something!!

Enzo is such a loveable and amazingly loyal dog.  I am such a big dog fan that as soon as Enzo started talking I knew I was in love!  I found myself constantly listening to Enzo recall all of the events he was a part of with the Swift family, and looking over at my pup wondering "whatcha thinkin??"

With only the capability of using gestures as communication, Enzo often has to think outside of the box to get his point across.  My favorite scene was when Denny was getting ready to sign some important papers, and Enzo knew it wasn't a good idea.  Instead of just barking or nudging Denny, Enzo grabbed the papers and ran outside to bury them!  

I highly recommend this book to animal lovers everywhere -- especially those that have had to go through some rough patches but have had a loyal companion with them for the ride.


Favorite Quotes


"There is no dishonor in losing the race.  There is only dishonor in not racing because you are afraid to lose."

"He died that day because his body had served its purpose.  His soul had done what it came to do, learned what it came to learn, and then was free to leave."


"The true hero is flawed.  The true test of a champion is not whether he can triumph, but whether he can overcome obstacles - preferably of his own making - in order to triumph."


"To live every day as if it had been stolen from death, that is how I would like to live.  To feel the joy of life, as Eve felt the joy of life.  To separate oneself from the burden, the angst, the anguish that we all encounter everyday.  To say I am alive, I am wonderful, I am.  I am.  That is something to aspire to."


"The race is long - to finish first, first you must finish."


"People and their rituals.  They cling to things so hard sometimes."


"I beg of you, pretend you are a dog like me and LISTEN to other people rather than steal their stories."


"People are always worried about what's happening next.  They often find it difficult to stand still, to occupy the now without worrying about the future.  People are generally not satisfied with what they have; they are very concerned with what they are going to have."

My Ratings

Cover: 5/5

Characters: 5/5

Writing Style: 5/5

Plot: 5/5

Ending: 5/5

Overall: 5

Happy Reading! 

Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Published: October 18, 2007
Publisher: Razorbill
Format: E-book
Source: Amazon
Challenge: 2011 E-book Challenge & 100 Books in a Year
Finished: 7/14/11

Clay Jenkins returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch.  Inside he discovers, thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life.  Clay is one of them.  If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list. Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers. ((From GoodReads))

First Sentences

"Sir?" she repeats.  "How soon do you want it to get there?" 

I rub two fingers, hard, over my left eyebrow.  The throbbing has become intense.  "It doesn't matter," I say.  

The clerk takes the package.  The same shoebox that sat on my porch less than twenty-four hours ago; rewrapped in a brown paper bag, sealed with clear packing tape, exactly as I had received it.

My Thoughts

I literally could not put this book down. Read it all in about three hours!

Clay receives a set of cassette tapes that contain the thirteen reasons why Hannah has committed suicide. Hannah created these tapes as a sort of explanation of why she felt like she had no escape other than death. There are seven tapes, and each side of the tape is devoted to one person, and their actions that led to Hannah's death. When Clay receives the tapes he has no idea what they are or who they are from, as there is no return label on the plain brown package. Once he starts listening to the tapes he cannot stop. He must figure out what part he played in driving his high school crush to death.This is an incredible story that had me hooked from the first line. I felt like the back and forth narration between Hannah and Clay was the perfect way to write this! Honestly, when I found out what the spark was that started the snowball effect leading to Hannah's death I thought it was so stupid! Who would be so upset about something so seemingly harmless? But that is exactly the point!

I thought that Asher's choice in characters was fantastic. Hannah is a new kid in high school, which is every teens dream! You get a second chance to be whomever you want. People don't have to know about your past and you can start fresh! I know there were plenty of times in high school that I wished I could start over. . .but Asher just goes to show us that second chances aren't always what they seem.

Clay was the perfect character to follow through the tapes with. He has a crush on Hannah but has never given himself the opportunity to get to know her because he was scared of being rejected. He had heard all the rumors about her, and figured he would never have a chance with her. He finally got to talk to her at a party one night, the night that everything came together and Hannah made up her mind. Clay is full of raw emotion, which left me feeling like I knew Hannah as well and I was listening to the tapes trying to figure out what I did wrong.

I don't want to give anything away, but I will tell you that this is a book that will change you. When I read the last lines I just sat there, stunned and silenced. Suicide is such a sensitive topic to write about, but Asher has done so well in this book. I hope that not only do people enjoy reading this book, but also that they become more aware of how they make others feel. You never truly know how someone else is feeling.

Favorite Quotes

"Maybe it's best to get through the day half-asleep.  Maybe that's the only way to get through today."

"Now, the truth is the one you won't forget."

"The wonderful thing about a yearbook photo is that everyone shares a moment with you . . . forever."

"Right then, in that office, with the realization that no one knew the truth about my life, my thoughts about the world were shaken."

"I wanted them to know me.  Not the stuff they thought they knew about me.  No, the real me.  I wanted them to get past the rumors.  To see beyond the relationships I once had, or maybe still had but that they didn't agree with.  And if I wanted people to treat me that way, then I had to do the same for them, right?"

"No one knows for certain how much impact they have on the lives of other people.  Oftentimes, we have no clue.  Yet we push it just the same."

"If my love were an ocean, 

there would be no more land.

If my love were a desert, 

you would see only sand.

If my love were a star --

late at night, only light.

And if my love could grow wings,

I'd be soaring in flight."

"Looking back, I stopped writing in my notebook when I stopped wanting to know myself anymore."

"If you hear a song that makes you cry, and you don't want to cry anymore, you don't listen to that song anymore.  But you can't get away from yourself.  You can't decide not to see yourself anymore.  You can't decide to turn off the noise in your head."

"You don't know what goes on in anyone's life but your own.  And when you mess with one part of a person's life, you're not messing with just that part.  Unfortunately, you can't be that precise and selective.  When you mess with one part of a persons life, you're messing with their entire life. 

Everything . . .affects everything."

"You can't go back to how things were.  How you thought they were. 

All you really have  . . . is now."

My Ratings

Cover: 5/5

Characters: 5/5

Writing Style: 5/5

Plot: 5/5

Ending: 5/5

Overall: 5

Happy Reading! 

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature over at The Broke and The Bookish, they love lists...and so do I!  So, each week they will feature a new Top Ten List from a reader and we get to make our own lists!  

Top Ten Authors I Would DIE to Meet (living/dead)

1.  My number one author would be Jodi Picoult -- however, I've had the honor of going to two of her book signings.  Reason I'm including her on my list today -- I'm talking about actually getting to sit down and have a meal with these authors!  So by default, she counts!

2.  I would love to meet James Patterson for so many reasons.  Obviously I love his books, but I am so intrigued by how he can write such amazing stories so quickly.  I would also ask him to go back in time and unwrite Toys, just sayin...

3.  I've never picked up a Harlan Coben book I didn't love.  In a creepy way I want a look inside his brain -- I'm thinking with the stuff he comes up with, it's gotta be chock full of weird. 

4.  Patricia Cornwell is another author whom I love.  I'm still working my way through all of her books, but I've enjoyed all of her books that I have read!

5. Lauren Oliver is so completely talented I can't even begin to describe my love for her!!  I read Delirium and loved it -- then went back and read Before I Fall.  Both were completely un-put-down-able.

 

6.  Not only am I obsessed with Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse books, I'm also now obsessed with Trueblood on HBO.  How can you not be?  Eric Northman anyone?  

7.  Stephen Chbosky - all I can say is - The Perks of Being a Wallflower.  I'm pretty sure I read this book about a million years ago -- but to this day it sticks with me.  Well done Stephen, well done.

8.  If for nothing other than to say "what the hell has happened to you in your life?" I would like to meet Alice Sebold.  While she's definitely a talented writer, her stuff usually leans a little further to the weird than anything else.  Just from a psych major's point of view, I'm thinking she's seen a lot in her day...

9.  I think that Mitch Albom probably should have been higher on the list, but here he is.  His work is so well written, and so inspirational that even just a 15 minute chat with him would suffice.  I feel like he could teach me a lot about life.

10.  I'm not really sure if you would count her, but Chelsea Handler cracks me up, and I've enjoyed all of her books thus far...I guess she's more of a comedian, but I would still love to meet her!

Review: Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me - Chelsea's Family, Friends and Other Victims

Published: May 10, 2011
Publisher: Borderline Amazing
Format: E-book
Source: Amazon
Challenge: 2011 E-book Challenge & 100 Books in a Year

 "My tendency to make up stories and lie compulsively for the sake of my own amusement takes up a good portion of my day and provides me with a peace of mind not easily attainable in this economic climate." - Chelsea Handler, from Chapter 10 of Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang
It's no lie:  Chelsea Handler loves to smoke out "dumbassness", the condition people suffer from that allows them to fall prey to her brand of complete and utter nonsense.  Friends, family, co-workers -- they've all been tricked by Chelsea into believing stories of total foolishness and into behaving like total fools.  Luckily, they've lived to tell the tales and, for the first time, write about them.

First Sentences
"My name is Chelsea Handler and I'm not proud of myself.  I have made a career out of being a misanthrope with the maturity level of an eight-year-old who had to repeat the third grade several times."


My Thoughts
Oh lord Chelsea and her victims have completely made my day.  What a fantastic read!  Chelsea, you are my hero --- honestly, if I could be just like you and get away with it...I WOULD!
Chelsea doesn't let anyone get away unscathed.  Everyone at one point or another has been scorned by Chelsea and it is amazing.  These stories had me "pulling a Chelsea" -- I just made that up...it means I peed in my pants...read the book, she's almost famous for it.
If you've read any of her other books, this is a must read.  There were many times that some of her victims were recounting things that she wrote about in previous books, and wow, their stories were much different....so in a way...I'VE been lied to by Chelsea Handler...we have ALL been lied to by Chelsea Handler.  Well played Chelsea, well played.

Favorite Quotes
"Even when it's at the expense of others, it's important to laugh.  Laugh loudly, laugh often, and most important, laugh at yourself."


"Chelsea Handler is a hypocrite.  The one thing she hates more than anything in life is a liar, and yet Chelsea lies more than anyone else."


"I don't know why or when she learned to type like that, but my guess is that in high school someone said, 'We're giving free abortions to the fastest typist in the room.'"


"You think Tina Turner didn't jump every time Ike reached for the salt?"

My Ratings

Cover: 5/5

Characters: 5/5

Writing Style: 5/5

Plot: 5/5

Ending: 5/5

Overall: 5

Happy Reading! 

Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Published: September 1, 2009
Publisher: Scholastic
Format: E-book
Source: Lendle
Challenge: 2011 E-book Challenge & 100 Books in a Year

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts.  The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.  Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games.  But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature.  Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender.  But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

First Sentences

"When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold.  My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim's warmth but finding only the rough canvas cover of the mattress.  She must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother."

My Thoughts

Wow, I have no idea why I waited so long to get my hands on this book.  Once I did though, I couldn't put it down.  I didn't really know what to expect.  I got a run down of it from a friend that read it and it sounded interesting, but I didn't really think much of it. Boy did she forget to mention just how awesome this book really is!!  I cannot wait until I get my hands on the second book, Catching Fire.  
Anyway, I don't want to give too much away, so I will just say that the story is suspenseful, but also pulls on your heart strings.  I cried, several times...not that it is really that hard to make me cry, but dang...
I instantly fell in love with Katniss -- I mean it seems almost impossible not to like her.  I think her only flaw is the fact that she doesn't always see things that are right in front of her eyes...
I knew that Katniss had to survive the Hunger Games one way or another, as I knew that there were two more books in the series.  I just was amazed at the way it happened. 
If you don't listen to any of my other suggestions, please listen to this one.  Seriously.


Favorite Quotes
"District Twelve.  Where you can starve to death in safety."

"The Treaty of Treason gave us the new laws to guarantee peace and, as our yearly reminder that the Dark Days must never be repeated, it gave us the Hunger Games.
The rules of the Hunger Games are simple.  In punishment for the uprising, each of the twelve districts mus provide one girl and one boy, called tributes, to participate.  The twenty-four tributes will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena that could hold anything from a burning desert to a frozen wasteland.  Over a period of several weeks, the competitors must fight to the death.  The last tribute standing wins."

"Look how we take your children and sacrifice them and there's nothing you can do.  If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you."

"Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true
Here is the place where I love you." 


"I know I'll never marry, never risk bringing a child into the world.  Because if there's one thing being a victor doesn't guarantee, it's your children's safety.  My kids' names would go right into the reaping balls with everyone else's.  And I swear I'll never let that happen."

My Ratings

Cover: 5/5

Characters: 5/5

Writing Style: 5/5

Plot: 5/5

Ending: 5/5

Overall: 5

Happy Reading!