weekend tidbits

- I finally treated myself to a manicure & pedicure on Friday, and picked OPI Gargantuan Green Grape... new fave, for sure. it's a lot lighter and more pastel than it looks in the picture from OPI's website - it would probably take a million coats to achieve that! 

via OPI

- we ran errands on Saturday and did some serious shopping for house stuff.

• we bought tons of random things at Target that we've been meaning to get... like a garlic press, a tiered shelf for spices, and a new bath rug. 
• and then we hit Home Depot for even more randomness... potting soil & new planters, a raised garden bed (for veggies, which was on SALE for about $40), a quart of paint, and a door knob. 
• finally, we ended our day at a lighting store, where I stumbled upon the coolest lamp ever. the only one in stock was the display, so I snatched that sucker up. I LOVE it. it really brings a good amount of light to our living room, and it's got that funk factor I've been looking for. 

- we have big plans for the landscaping at Casa de Quinn this year. this week we're going to pay my brother to come in and tear out all the ugly bushes that surround the house (and subsequently hide it) so we can plant flowers and put in our raised garden bed. AND he'll be completely demolishing our existing deck so that we can install pavers in it's place. I'll be getting outside after work today to take some "before" pictures to show you all, although it's slightly embarrassing. 

- since we picked up potting soil at HD, I finally planted the herbs I bought to go in these planters (which I mentioned here). I'm pretty excited, considering it's my first planting adventure.

- I wrote a 1500 word paper yesterday comparing Nora from A Doll's House to Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby, discussing their abilities to exert power as women. I have one more paper to write this evening for my final exam and then I am done with my English class. I CANNOT WAIT to be done, but I'm thrilled to take new classes in the fall.

- I just finished reading Love The One You're With by Emily Giffin and was utterly disappointed in it. I guess I shouldn't have expected much, since I'd heard that her books got progressively worse as they went on, but I was hoping that it'd be a least worth a 4 star rating. it wasn't terrible, but it was way slow in the beginning and I felt like the ending was rushed and cleaned up a little too nicely for my tastes. 

- this is what I wore out and about on the gorgeous day we had here on Friday. not pictured are khaki capris and white flip flops. I love my mustache necklace, which I got as a birthday gift from Kaley.

- running and working out has unfortunately taken a back seat in favor for school work and house work the past couple days, but I hope to get back into the swing of things this week! 

Happy Monday!

Delirium [book review]

I have been on a roll with the YA fiction novels, I'm tellin' you. I still need to review the Hunger Games trilogy, and then I'll move on to the Emily Giffin books I've picked up lately as well. I'm 12 books into my 2011 Reading Challenge... only 38 more to go! ;) 

SUMMARY

"Love" is a word that is not allowed to leave the lips of the citizens of the US in Lauren Oliver's Delirium. Love and desire are thought to be a disease, and every person in the country must go through the "procedure" in order to be "cured" from the illness. Girls & boys are separated and not allowed to socialize until they're cured, and schools are even segregated in order to prevent the spread of the disease throughout the community. In a world without heartbreak, without pain, and without worry, nothing could possibly go wrong.

All her life, Lena Holoway has looked forward to being cured. Ever since her mother committed suicide when she was infected with the deliria, she's been terrified that she is somehow genetically imbalanced and more likely to end up with the disease. The disease hits your heart first, and then slowly deteriorates the rest of your body as you fall deeper and deeper into the madness.

Lena is a normal teenage girl who hangs out with her best friend, Hana, and is constantly studying for her evaluations, in which she'll be paired with her future mate. She's counting down the days until her procedure, and then the worst thing possible (in her mind) happens... she falls in love. 

REVIEW 

Ironically, I felt so much love for this book that I'm genuinely distraught by the fact that I have to wait until February for the second book to be released.

This book was everything I wanted it to be - it was definitely young-adult material in terms of content, but it wasn't the whiny, emotional, love triangle/internal struggle type of YA reading, which was well received by me, for sure. 

The concept was unbelievable and Oliver obviously spent about a bajillion hours cultivating ideas to make it seem so real and possible... this world that drills into the minds (figuratively AND literally) of the people to make them afraid of love. They are so scared of catching the "disease" that will cause insanity. There are harsh punishments, including death, for those that stray from the strict rules of this society. Romeo & Juliet is a "cautionary tale" which teaches students a lesson... that to fall in love is to ultimately kill yourself. Any interaction with the opposite sex before you're cured could cause the contraction of the deliria and must be avoided at all costs.

All the characters were extremely well developed, and seemed more mature than the main characters of most YA fiction... Lena especially. Her relationships with the people around her were clear and well laid out - from her irritability with her snobby cousin Jenny, to her envy of her beautiful and seemingly perfect best friend Hana. And from her indifference towards her uncle, with whom she lives, to her undeniable curiosity and affection with Alex, the mysterious boy that she falls in love with.

One of the aspects that I loved about Delirium is the amount of actual activity going on. Of course, you have your beginning where you get all your background information, but most of the necessary filler information was spread throughout the book, which I really appreciated. I hate opening a book and having to struggle through the first few chapters to get a good grasp for the story. This book dove right into the action, and I loved every bit of it. There are a lot of major (and interesting, obviously) events that occur throughout the book, which made it incredibly easy to keep reading, and I found myself really battling to put the book down at night, causing me to stay up way past my bed time numerous evenings. 

Needless to say, I loved this book. It was an incredibly strong read, with exceptional characters and a well developed plot. Oh, and a giant surprise at the end. February 2012 cannot come soon enough!

Matched [book review]

SUMMARY

Cassia lives in a perfect, predestined world... The Society. Everything is figured out for her... what occupation she'll have, who she'll marry, how many kids she's allowed to have, etc. Traditionally, every girl is given a Match ceremony - where the government reveals who they'll spend the rest of their lives with. Luckily for Cassia, the face that appears on the screen is the face of her best friend. It's completely uncommon to be Matched with someone in your area, let alone someone you actually know. 

Cassia goes home to review the micro-card that contains all of her Match's information, although she knows everything there is to know about Xander... they've been best friends all their lives. Much to her surprise, Ky Markham's face pops up on the screen... another boy she knows. The Society claims that there's been a glitch in the system, and that Xander is still her match. She should be relieved, but instead... she's a little curious about Ky. 

Cassia becomes more and more intrigued with Ky Markham, and as they fall in love during the Society's regulated rec time, she's faced with an impossible choice: to love the boy she's known and loved all her life... the one that the government has shown to be her best Match for life, or to take a risk with Ky, the Aberration... the mysterious one with a story that has yet to unfold.

REVIEW

I gave this book 3 stars on Good Reads. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. I just liked it. It only took me 6 days to complete it, but I think that was because I was just ready to be finished with it, as opposed to actually being 100% invested in the story.

Don't get me wrong, Ally Condie is a fabulous writer - the book was intriguing and descriptive and everything else that I love in a book. The reason I didn't give it a higher rating was due to the content. I just felt like it was a whole lot of emotions and not enough action going on. I felt that throughout the entire book, I was flipping pages just waiting for something big to happen. 

One thing I did love about this novel were the characters. I became very attached to them, although I did want to slap the shit out of Cassia on numerous occasions. In the beginning, I loved Xander, and I was angry that Cassia was even thinking of ditching him for Ky. But then through Ally's writing, I learned to love Ky as well, and I could definitely understand why it was such a struggle to make that choice. Character development is definitely one of Condie's strong points, that's for sure.

The second book of this series, entitled Crossed, is to be released later this year (Good Reads says November 1st). I'll probably pick it up, because I'm curious to see where the story goes.

I think that YA fiction readers will like this book, while people who are wanting a little more substance and action will probably not enjoy it as much. I'm definitely interested to see what happens in the next book, so I guess that's a plus on Condie's part!

weekend recap (shopping goods included)

the hubs and I had to drop the Tundra off for 

regular maintenance on Saturday... so instead 

of waiting in the service center for hours 

(yes, hours... it took them FIVE hours to perform 

the scheduled maintenance,  

even though we had an appointment... 

don't even get me started on how pissed I am with them), 

we decided to do a little shopping.

first stop? Buckle, of course! 

to be honest, I wasn't impressed with the majority of the items in the store. 

luckily, on my way out of the store, I realized I had 

missed an entire rack right in the front, 

which held all of the things I ended up purchasing. 

here's what I got:

 

Daytrip Babydoll Dress

I thought this was a top until I tried it on and realized how long it was. it could definitely be worn as a dress (but I'd only feel comfortable doing so with leggings because of my height), so I plan on wearing it as a top. it's really flattering and the chiffon overlay makes it more interesting than just a plain grey top. 

_________________________________

Daytrip Drop Waist Dress

I was nervous about this one, because it's a basic rayon and spandex blend, which means that it hugs just a little bit, but it's still got that stretch. surprisingly, probably because of the drop waist, it fit well and was actually pretty flattering to my body type. I love the vibrant color too - it can be dressed up nicely with the right jewelry and shoes! 

and bonus... it has pockets. I love pockets on dresses.

_______________________________

Rusty Peyote Strappy Dress

perfect summer dress. it has a bit of black embroidery at the top, which gives it just a little more detail than the basic black dress. the elastic waist allows for a little give and slack so that it doesn't have to be worn skin tight, which I love. and again, it has pockets, which made it an instant win. 

______________________________

the last top I got was impossible to find on the Buckle website, but it looks exactly like this:

super small photo from this ebay listing

yep, it's mustard. surprised?

____________________________

I also made a stop at Victoria's Secret, because I desperately needed new bras that actually fit me properly. I bought one of the Bio Fit bras in a black/nude lace, which is amazingly comfortable. I also purchased two cotton push up bras (which were on sale - 2 for $45) - one is navy blue with white polka dots, and the other is a basic heather grey. VS was having a major pantie sale as well, so I picked up 7 pairs of cotton underwear for $25. 

___________________________________

other than our impromptu shopping trip, we had a pretty low key weekend in the FoFandee household. I did literally a million loads of laundry, went grocery shopping, did a little cleaning and we caught up on some DVR'd shows. did anyone else catch the Shameless finale last night? I'm so hooked on that show - cannot WAIT for next season! I also did a bit of cuddling with the Bear cub yesterday between loads of laundry. 

___________________________

oh, and I started reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak last week - I can't really get into it. I'm not sure if it's the format of the writing or if I'm just burned out on fast reads. has anyone read this book? most reviews on GoodReads are raves, but I'm just not feeling it. I'm going to give it another good effort before I decide to put it down... after all, I'm only about 50 pages in, so it could definitely just be a slow start. 

Happy Monday, ya'll!

19 Minutes [book review]

Summary

19 Minutes, written by Jodi Picoult, is a story about a devastating event that occurred in the small town of Sterling, New Hampshire. Sterling is much like most small towns, where everyone know each other and nothing exciting ever happens - until one fateful day when a shooting takes place at the local high school, shattering the lives of virtually the entire town. The shooter is arrested, and the story follows the progress of the trial, but also includes flashbacks to the past when life was simpler for the kids involved. 

The tale is told from the perspective of many different characters - from the judge prosecuting the young man, her daughter, the shooter, the police detective who investigates the incident, and many others. 19 Minutes examines the ins and outs of the trial proceeding as well as the varying emotions involved with such a tragic event. The inner workings of the mind belonging to the shooter (who was the victim of bullying his entire life) are also explored.  

Review

There's a reason for the phrase "you can't judge a book by it's cover." The cover of this book left much to be desired, if I'm being completely honest. I don't even remember how I heard about this book, but I bought it, and it sat on my bookshelf waiting to be read while I devoured fast reads such as The Help, The Hunger Games and Water For Elephants. In fact, I actually put this book down to read the entire Hunger Games trilogy and did not complete it until months after originally opening it.

With that said, I ended up really enjoying this book. At first, because it's told in so many different voices, it was difficult to get into, but as I got further into it, it was harder to put down. The struggle between the two main characters, Peter & Josie, is absolutely intriguing - they were friends at a young age, and due to the pressure to be popular, Josie inherited a new group of friends in high school, leaving Peter behind to suffer the daily torture of his classmates. 

The character interaction developed by Jodi Picoult in this novel pulled on my heartstrings, to say the least. I was immediately drawn to the multiple third person narrative aspect of 19 Minutes. Although I think it was choppy at times, she made it work. You could clearly identify each person's "part" in the book without needing subtitles above their sections.

The shooting happens literally within the first 25 pages of the book, which was a huge relief for me. I hate waiting for something exciting to take place, and the big event being in the beginning was a change of pace compared to books I usually read. The story develops through the chapters, and with each character, your opinions change. Each character had a distinguished personality, and the emotions they felt seeped through the pages. Because the story parallels the Columbine shootings, it was clear that Picoult did her research when channeling the devastation felt by the entire community.

To say this book was thought provoking would be an understatement. The text is raw, heartfelt, and sympathetic to everyone involved, including the family of the shooter. I would recommend it, if only for the fact of how it made me feel and think. The fact that it's something that could happen at any point in time to anyone you know makes it that much more believable.

tidbits, yo

• UGH. slacker blogger. very busy weekend for this girl - beer night Friday, errands Saturday afternoon, birthday celebration Saturday evening, and hanging out with friends/writing a paper Sunday. 

• as you saw in this post, I finally upgraded my phone. I was the proud owner of the LG Dare for almost 2 years. my upgrade day was St. Patrick's Day (luck o' the Irish, say what?), so on Friday, we ventured out to Verizon to get the Droid X. I was torn between that and the Thunderbolt, but I just couldn't justify paying $250 for a cell phone... and the extra memory and the kickstand was just not worth $100 to me. so far I'm really loving my Droid. if you have any recommendations for apps, let a sister know! 

• check out my sweet birthday card I got from Kaycie. does she know me well or what?

• I went out with friends this weekend to celebrate my 25th birthday! we started out with a small group and dinner at a local Japanese Steakhouse, and then moved next door to Cadillac Ranch. I was so happy to have so many people come out to celebrate with me - we had an amazing evening full of laughter, flowing drinks, and memorable conversations. I am a lucky girl. here are some pictures (most were not taken by me, and I'll have more to post once Kaley uploads hers! AHEM!)

• on the other hand, I don't know if I'm ready to turn 25. I know that 25 is not old by a long shot, but I just feel very "adult" saying 25.

• I'm slowly moving through my 2011 Reading Challenge. I've now read 9 books this year - I finished two of Emily Giffin's books within about a week. I loved the first, Something Borrowed... I was really drawn to the narrator, Rachel, and was thrilled with the ending. The second book, Something Blue, was... alright... it's from the perspective of the other main character, Darcy, and I honestly hated her. I ended up liking her a bit more by the end, but overall, I was kind of underwhelmed with the story in comparison to the first. I'll be doing lengthy reviews for both books when I have the time. 

• speaking of reading and writing - I wrote an 800 word essay on the reliability of Nick Carraway as the narrator of The Great Gatsby for my English class yesterday during my lunch break. I started it Sunday and emailed it to myself to finish and send over to my professor from work. went to save the file, and it was corrupted. instead of copying & pasting like an intelligent person would do, I just x'ed out of it. lost the WHOLE thing, minus the measly two paragraphs I had written the night before. talk about pissed... I had to re-write the entire thing last night. 

• Bear is really ridiculously good looking. just sayin. 

• spring is officially here and I am SO excited. that's pretty much all I have to say about that. 

• since I had my last training session in February, I've only been to the gym once, and that was for a spin class. last week. I really need to get back into the swing of things when it comes to working out, but if I'm being honest here, that month off felt amazing. I'm still doing well with my eating habits... still staying away from fatty, greasy, and non-nutritional food. I need to stop making excuses as to why I can't work out, starting with tonight!

Happy Tuesday! 

Cuckoos and Elephants

As you may have heard before, i consider myself a 'reader'. Perhaps not a voracious reader, but i do like to read for half an hour before bed most nights, and quite often will pack my book in my handbag and read during my lunch break at work. Knowing this, my very thoughtful workmates bought me a gift voucher for my birthday, to be spent at a local bookshop, and thanks to them, i've been able to read two great books in the past month: " Water For Elephants " by Sara Gruen and " One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest " by Ken Kesby.

Somehow i missed all the hype over " Water For Elephants " when it was first released but had heard recent mumurings about a movie version being made....so when its cover caught my eye in the bookstore, i thought it was better late then never to jump on the " ...Elephants " bandwagon. Or circus train, as it were - set in the American South during the Depression, " ... Elephants " is the story of a young (almost ) vet who finds himself caught up in all the drama of a travelling circus ( the Big Top, the backlot, naked dancing girls, surly midgets, love, hate, trust...and an elephant ). I thought it was really well written, and the dynamic between the main characters really kept me involved. I cant say that the casting of Robert Pattinson as the lead character Jacob has me overly enthused, but i think Reese Witherspoon as Marlena will be absolutely spot on.

And then there was " One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest ". I'd seen the movie years ago but it never occurred to me to go out and read the book - until i saw it amongst the Classic Penguin selections ( As an aside, i love the Classic Penguin concept - classic reads for $9.95? I've probably bought at least 8 so far....love! ). I thought seeing as it had been a while since i'd watched the film, i'd read the book and then do a refresh of the movie. I really enjoyed the book - i think you get a much better sense of just how calculating Nurse Ratched is from the book, than you do from the movie. In the movie yes, she seems cold, but not much more than that - in the book, she's portrayed as a real bitch who lauds her power over the men on her ward. You really hate her, and i dont get that from the movie. What you do get from the movie is a brilliant performance from Jack Nicholson - having seen the movie first, i couldnt help but picture him as Randall McMurphy when i was reading the book. Verdict? The book wins out over the film...but only just.

Now all i have to do is wait till " Water For Elephants " is released as a motion picture in May, take my mum along ( its totally going to be a mum/daugher, sisters, girlfriends kind of movie... ) and then do the whole book vs movie thing with it too....

Pinterest = pink puffy heart

sheesh. talk about a site full of inspiration! being a design addict and constantly looking for home decor ideas, this site is like crack for me. seriously, I've been staying up way too late this week, mostly because I'm too busy pinning different shit to my boards! 

here's a little preview of what I've done so far... 

dining room: 

style:

 

books to read in 2011:

needless to say, I'm loving Pinterest! if you'd like to check out my boards or follow them, see what I've got goin' on right here! I've also got boards for awesome books I've read, entryway & bedroom room ideas, cute hippo things (totally not kidding), etc. 

basically, while I'm browsing the Interwebz (which, let's face it, happens ALL day long), I can just pin things I like to a board on this site and save it for later, instead of having to bookmark every single piece of inspiration I come across. so basically, everything keeps it's source... so if I ever want to post it here on the blog, I know where I found it. 

if you haven't signed up yet, head over to Pinterest now and do it! promise you'll love it... and maybe even consider it your crack. 

Happy Weekend, ya'll!

DISCLAIMER: I am not being compensated to give reviews about the Pinterest website, nor am I being paid to endorse the products posted on this blog. all thoughts and opinions here are my own.

Suggestions - Please?

Alright - this one is going to be short and sweet. Its more of a call for suggestions than it is a post - not a cry for help, but a steer in the right direction. Its also not any of the drama you may be imagining. See.... i need you guys to suggest some great books to me.
I was given a gift voucher to a book store for my birthday. I bought " Water for Elephants " by Sara Gruen and " One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest " by Ken Kesby. In the month since my birthday i have read, and loved them both. ( I've also re-watched the film version of "...Cuckoos Nest " and it was just as awesome as i remembered. Jack Nicholson is a revelation. Go watch it if you've never seen it. I'm also planning on taking my mum to see " Water For Elephants " when its released later this year.... ). I'm now re-reading " To Kill a Mockingbird " ( just because i adore the book and its about due for another reading ) but after that....i'm at a loss. I cant afford to buy new books at the moment so dont suggest anything to recent but...

What great reads could you recommend? I'll give almost anything a go ( not too keen on personal biographies, though i wont entirely dismiss all non-fiction ) as long as its well written, and has an involving storyline. So....suggest away people!

random tidbits

- you know those Chevy commercials that show the Rockies and the theme song says something like "like a rock"? when I was a kid, I thought the words were "lock her up." dumbass. 

- after my horrible hangover last Sunday, where I admittedly spent at least 6 hours at or on the toilet, I couldn't poop for a week. IT WAS TERRIBLE. I can say it was honestly one of the worst weeks of life. I've always had a pretty regular digestive schedule, so the sudden bout of "I have to poo, but I can't" really fucked me up. 

- I met with our accountant over the weekend. thanks a huge financial decision we made early last year, we now owe the federal government $5,000. not cool, especially since I was counting on that refund to get some things done around the house. ya know, maybe buy a dining table? maybe some chairs for the dining table? looks like we may be refurbishing the old set in the garage after all. 

- my Bear cub is the cutest kitty ever. 

don't mind the eye boogers... he's been getting them a lot lately.

- thanks to the suggestions of many people, I started reading The Hunger Games last week. started on Friday, finished on Thursday. started Catching Fire (the second book) on Friday, and I should be finished with it this evening. 

I AM HOOKED. I'm pretty sure there's crack in the pages. it's such an odd and morbid concept that it makes me value the government of our society, as corrupt as it may seem. I'm also considering naming my first born Primrose. thank you, Suzanne Collins. I will be posting reviews of all three once I finish, which shouldn't be long! 

- yes, I still have The Help review to finish and post. slacker. 

- I'm actually really liking my English class this semester. I'm not big on reading pieces of literature and analyzing/interpreting them, but unfortunately, that's the gig for this class. professor seems really laid back though, so that's awesome.  and the other classmates seem really nice and supportive.

- I'm going to email everyone who donated to the Miss Chow Fund and get their addresses. a happy ending like this one deserves proper thank-you notes.

- according to Bear, this is his couch. 

Happy Tuesday! :)

holly freaking homemaker [late post]

yeah, that's me. at least this week. ;) 

NOTE: Blogger hates me and did not automatically post this on Saturday, even though I had it scheduled to. 

I've decided it's time to be a grown up... meaning that I've got to start pitching in with cooking dinner and keeping up with the house. which means... no more waiting until the weekend, only to spend an entire day cleaning the crap out of my house. no more leaving dishes in the sink until I feel like washing them. no more unhealthy (yet incredibly easy) meals for dinner. no more buying crap food for lunch everyday at work. 

I'm proud to say that I haven't bought lunch at work in two weeks! it's amazing how much money you save when you just bring your own food to work everyday. this whole concept is completely foreign to me, but I think it's been a success so far! 

everyday when I get home, I try to do one or two small things around the house... like scoop the litter boxes or vacuum the hardwood floors. when we're finished with dinner, the dishes get washed and put in the dish drain, and the put away the following day. I'm cooking dinner at least 2-3 times a week, and I'm loving it. 

keeping up with the house work/chores and cooking meals together every night has proved to be awesome for Sean and I. we get that time in the evening to bond with each other instead of going our separate ways and fending for ourselves for dinner. unfortunately, we had been guilty of doing that in the past. teaming up to make sure the house is always in order is an automatic ego boost for both of us and we feel awesome about it. 

we decided we wanted to have our friends Kaycie & Adam over this Sunday. the Caps play at 12:30, and then of course, there's the Superbowl on later in the evening. since they'll be at our house pretty much all day, I decided to go all out and have a feast throughout the day. I've been searching allrecipes.com for good appetizer recipes, and I think I finally have a set list of dishes to make. 

let me just mention that I am not a chef... I typically do not cook and I certainly don't cook appetizers. so this is a first for me, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they turn out well!

Sunday Funday Menu

APPS

• Homemade Meatballs with Kaley's secret meatball sauce ;)
• Dill Veggie Dip, served with baby carrots, sliced cucumbers, broccoli florets, and cherry tomatoes
• Sweet Fruit Dip, served with sliced apples, bananas, strawberries, and cantaloupe
• Bacon Wrapped Shrimp (I'm substituting the BBQ sauce for a pre-packaged McCormick's marinade)

DINNER

• Garden Salad with Italian dressing and garlic croutons
• Baked Ziti, served with cheesy garlic bread

DESSERT

• Chocolate Candy Bar Dessert (using Oreo cookies instead of wafers and Snickers candy bars)

so there it is, my first ever multi-course dinner menu! I'm pretty excited about all of this, to be honest. I actually cooked Sean's chicken Parmesan (his favorite) as a belated birthday meal a few weeks ago, along with the chocolate roll cake. I honestly just kind of winged it for the chicken Parm, so I guess I can't really post a recipe for that, but I do have pictures. if I have the time this weekend, those posts will be up! 

I'm also still working on a book review for The Help, but I'm having a hard time finding the time to put sufficient energy into it. I'm in the middle of reading 3 different books right now, but all is being put on hold for The Hunger Games. I've had multiple people tell me (just this week!) that they couldn't put it down and they read it fairly quickly (we're talking a day here), so I figured I'd go ahead and pick it up. I need a page turner right now to distract me from my English class. 

I think that's all for now... at least all my brain can handle at the moment. I hope you all are doing fantastic - I'm working on catching up on your recent posts! have a happy weekend, everyone!  

UPDATE: I went out with Sean and his friends last night and got completely way too drunk, resulting in the worst hangover known to man. I've spent the majority of the day in the bathroom puking my brains out. the only dish I actually cooked today was the meatballs... Kaycie and Sean cooked everything else. and for the record, my meatballs were delicious. 

A Scattered Life [book review]

SUMMARY

A Scattered Life, written by Karen McQuestion, tells the story of a woman named Skyla. Skyla is a former waitress turned housewife when she meets an older, but financially and emotionally stable man named Thomas Plinka. They meet, fall in love, yadda yadda yadda, get married, and have one child, Nora. 

One day, a new neighbor moves in a few houses down, and Skyla immediately forms a bond with Roxanne, who slightly resembles the woman in the shoe with too many children... and wanting more. While Roxanne's laid back parenting skills are less than par according to Thomas and his nosy mother-in-law, Skyla finds her antics unique and liberating. 

In order to gain a little more independence, Skyla takes a jack-of-all-trades job at a local bookstore, which also moonlights as a place for Madame to read fortunes during the day.

REVIEW

I found this book to be a little boring. The most interesting character in the book, in my opinion, is Roxanne, the neighbor. Of course, then there was the typical mother-in-law and daughter-in-law struggled relationship, which mirrored just about anything TV series with a know it all MIL. 

The whole theme of Skyla's self discovery was such a rip-off. She works in a book store, for gods sake. It's not like she went out for a girls weekend in Vegas. I don't know... maybe for some women, getting a part time job is a really big deal, but I was underwhelmed to say the least. 

There was some attempt at redemption near the end of the book, and while the character interactions and relationships between the three women (Skyla, Roxanne, and Audrey, the MIL) were definitely believable, they lacked depth. The story doesn't really pick up until the end, and by that time, I was over it. 

I really wanted to love this book. I'm all about women having independence from their family home lives, especially with such a control freak like Thomas for a husband. If I could sum up my feelings for this book in one word, it would be "meh." Nothing incredibly exciting happened... if anything, it was mostly sad and a little bleak even. 

I wouldn't say this book is terrible, but I wasn't impressed. I guess if you're looking for a feel good book about friendships and relationships, it might be a good read for you, but I like a little more action and suspense, personally.

*ALSO, I just created an account at Good Reads, so if you're a member and want to be friends, check out my book list in my sidebar and add me!

2010 | what I read

I think I did fairly well with my book list in 2010... I read a lot more last year than I have in previous years. the books with links are those that I've reviewed, and the ones in bold are my favorites for this year. I've realized that I need to keep better track of what books I read, because I almost forgot about three or four of the books I read this year. 

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

Watchers by Dean Koontz

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult 

Undiscovered Gyrl by Allison Burnett

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris

Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris

Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris

Altogether Dead by Charlaine Harris

From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris

Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris

Let Me In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

if you've read something amazing lately, tell me about it in the comments! I'm always on the hunt for new books!

Happy Reading!

Water For Elephants [book review]

I know I'm late to the fun on this one, but I just finished reading Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, which came highly recommended to me from several friends and bloggers. I finished the entire book, cover to cover, in less than a week - started last Friday and finished it Tuesday evening (that's 5 days, people).

Summary

the story is told as a series of memories from a ninety (or ninety-three) year old Jacob Jankowski, who is remembering the most magical time of his life while he lives out his days in a nursing home.

taking place during the Great Depression, Water for Elephants is the story of a 20 something year old college student named Jacob. due to a sudden and tragic circumstance, he decides to leave his normal life behind to escape his reality. he hops a train one night and it just so happens to belong to a traveling circus.

once discovered as a veterinary student, the ringleader makes the decision to hire Jacob on as the menagerie's new doctor, which puts him in charge of the show's animals with their various illnesses, mostly due to neglect and mistreatment. his new boss, August, is the head trainer of the animals, and while he is often charming, he tends to be brutal and violent towards the animals, as well as his fellow circus crew. Jacob then meets Marlena, who is not only the star of the horse act, but also married to August. 

the novel takes it's twists and turns as Jacob falls in love with two of the show's biggest stars... Marlena, and Rosie, the bull elephant. the story tells the tale of a great love story, as they overcome great odds and survive during the gritty and depressing time period that is the 1930's, while traveling from town to endless town on the circus train.

Review

I can honestly say that this book is one of the best stories I've ever encountered. I was hooked from the first few pages, and I was continuously illuminated throughout the entire book. to say this book is a page turner would be quite the understatement, and I seriously don't even know that my words here will do this book the justice that it deserves. 

Gruen is such an amazingly brilliant writer. I was instantly impressed with the terms she used to describe the different classes of circus workers, and the lingo seemed to be right on from what I've read regarding the Big Top lifestyle. it's abundantly clear that she did her research. she really makes the time period and the setting come to life... you can just see the big canvased tent and the line of workers waiting for their breakfast on those hot summer days. 

the raw and abrasive misfit performers and surviving working men disgust you and warm your heart at the same time. it's easy to imagine that you're in the crowd when Rosie & Marlena perform their choreographed routine, just like you can see yourself in the menagerie tent when the animals are being brought in from their cabooses of the train. 

from the song the band plays when something goes wrong, to the set up and take down of the show, and the cooch tents and homemade moonshine during the prohibition period... everything is just so carefully explained in a matter that allows your imagination to see this distinct world through a clear looking glass.

the way the characters are described, along with their dialogue, is just... perfection. you get to know and love these people like you know them in real life... you know their personalities and you could probably even imagine what their voices sound like, and what they look like. 

 

the story is wonderfully written, and it certainly kept me on my toes during the whole five days it took me to read it. being an animal lover, this book was an excellent read, and one I will always recommend to people. 

ALSO, Robert Pattinson & Reese Witherspoon to star in the movie? don't miiiind if I do!


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*on another note, I have the day off work tomorrow and will probably not be near the computer. I plan on doing some things around the house (including putting my kitchen back together... finally!), having lunch with Kaley, and ringing in the new year with close friends. I hope you all have a wonderful, safe, and hilarious New Year's Eve! see you guys next year! ;)