books: lost voices, the loom, dirty parts of the bible & fire burn & cauldron bubble.

today is a new day.
i'm pushing aside the negativity & trying to move forward.
i still can't talk about 'the situation' & don't know that i ever will be.
that's the reality of blogging.
some things are just not 'right' to share.
and i get that. just makes it difficult to blog when that's all that's on your mind.

i've struggled through the last two books i've read.
they've been good, don't get me wrong..
i just didn't get sucked in, like i do with most books.
they are STILL worth the read.
and since i haven't blogged the last four books i've read,
i figured i'd get 'em all in in one loong post :)

i should mention... these were ALL free books on kindle.
if i haven't mentioned it before, i recommend browsing the kindle free books EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.
and don't discount books or authors you've never heard of.
some of my favorite books this year have been from unknowns.
and if i'm not mistaken, most of them have been from self-published authors.
the free section varies daily & often times you can get the first in a series free
(as i did with the last book on this list 'fire burn & cauldron bubble')
also, i'm not the literary police.
i do despise bad grammar, and poor spelling..
but if the story gets my attention, i pay little attention to the structure/character development.
if i like it, i say so.
if i don't, i say so.
i'm not handing out awards here people, just suggestions on books i like :)

lost voices by sarah porter
(this one got 2 stars)

An entirely new book concept for me. I've never read, nor had the desire to read about mermaids. This was one of those books I picked up for free on Kindle, and the description peaked my interest.

A story about a young girl named Luce who has essentially been dealt a crap card in life. Her mother dies when she is an infant, and she is raised by her criminal father, living a life on the run, until they move to a small Alaskan fishing village to stay with her Uncle. Her father cared for her deeply, and she is devastated by his death at sea, which happens prior to the books beginning. Upon his death she is left with her alcoholic uncle, who abuses her. Luce finds herself the target of her uncle's alcoholic rage one night, and it's then that her life changes forever.

It's then you find out that mermaids do exist, and that their transformation is a result of the treatment they received in life. Luce becomes a part of a tribe of mermaids, who sink ships full of humans for entertainment, and as a form of punishment to all of human kind for the way they treated these girls in their past life. But Luce has a hard time coming to terms with the the fact she is supposed to hate all humans now based on the actions of a few bad ones.

It was an interesting concept, but I felt like the story stalled out before it ended. I kept waiting for a climax, a turning point, something. You get snippets of how others come to be with the tribe after Luce, but you never get to know them, something I think would help the story along. There is a second book to this series, and although I haven't read it yet, I know I will, just to see what happens to Luce, who I came to respect & care for. I hate to say this.. but I almost feel like the story was dragged out, just to create a second book. It almost certainly could have been wrapped up in one book, but that's just my opinion.


the loom by shella gillus
(gets 5 stars)

This book was....sad. It was heartbreaking, and somehow still beautiful.

Shella Gillus crafts a tale that draws you in and holds you captive. Much like the individuals in the Loom Room, she weaves together words that take your breath away. Her descriptions are simple, yet so powerful, I found myself highlighting half of the book.

A story of a young slave girl, and how she finds love, and longs for freedom, "The Loom" is truly a story of how even those individuals who are 'free' are still bound by something. Definitely a thought-provoking read I would suggest to anyone who truly likes a good story, that will inspire you even in it's saddest moments.

the dirty parts of the bible by sam torode
(gets 3 stars)

I have to say, although it took me a bit longer to get through than most books, I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Dirty Parts of the Bible'. It is apparently a retelling of the Jewish tale of Tobias & Sarah, but I am not familiar with that story, and enjoyed this book just the same. I laughed out loud several times throughout the course of the book & found myself sympathizing with Tobias when he struggled to understand things he'd been taught about God & religion through the Bible.

With all this said, I'm not a particularly religious person, and I still very much enjoyed the story. The author certainly does a fabulous job of getting you into the mind & life of Tobias Henry. A must read for anyone who could enjoy a story maybe not like 'Water for Elephants', but in the same setting of the Depression Era, trains & hobos.

fire burn & cauldron bubble (jolie wilkins #1)  by hp mallory
(gets 4 stars)

After a succession of books about heavy subjects (child abuse, slavery, & religion) I needed to read something light and entertaining. I picked up 'fire burn & cauldron bubble' for free on kindle a few weeks back (it's still free as of yesterday), and decided it was the right time to read it.

I was immediately sucked into the story line. It's apparently considered a paranormal romance, although there wasn't much in the romance department in my opinion. (At least compared to other paranormal romances I've read) Jolie Wilkins owns a little shop where she capitalizes on her ability to see aura's & read tarot-cards. Now & then she has a vision or two, but as it's been something she's been able to do most of her life, she doesn't think much about it. Along with her friend Christa & her cat Plum, she lives a relatively mundane life until one evening a ghost shows up in her shop. She's never been able to see a ghost before, and now this one says he's been sent to visit her.

Shortly after her ghostly visit, a handsome man, with a delicious British accent appears in her store & asks to have her read him. She's instantly drawn to him, and into a world she never imagined before. She quickly learns that reading auras & having visions are just a small part of the magical abilities she possesses. Rand, the handsome British warlock takes her under his protection, and from their an entirely new life unfolds for Jolie.

The first of five books, I'm telling you, I just could not put it down. I'd describe it as a Sookie-esque series. Jolie is a blond, slightly curvy, self-doubting witch. She cracks jokes on her own behalf, and has an internal dialogue that makes her extremely likable. If you are down for a good paranormal read just for fun, I'd definitely recommend this one!

here's to good books & positive thinking.
happy monday!
xo-k

book: abraham lincoln vampire hunter

don't worry, you read that right.

if you are one of the few people who doesn't already know about this book..

let me just say the obvious..

it's about abraham lincoln.. who is in fact a vampire hunter.

i'm pretty sure everyone here is aware of how hopelessly obsessed i am with all things vampire.

(i think i mention it every.single.post, or it feels that way anyway)

but i'm also a total history nerd.

as in, upon exiting high school i was SURE i was either going to teach high school american history

OR work in a history museum.

the first one got veto'd when i realized that high school wasn't an experience i cared to EVER repeat..

and the second dream kicked the bucket when i decided that i didn't want to live in a big city.

but back to the book.

when i saw this title a few months back, i KNEW it had to be read.

i mean, i was sort of crazy obsessed with abraham lincoln..

(still am if i'm completely honest)

so i tried to pick it up at the second hand book store last year on the cheap.

no such luck.. apparently EVERYONE was reading it.

(or no one was cashing it in..)

i didn't want to shell out the dough for it full price..

and i am a horrible library book borrower

(as in, i'm pretty sure i still have $20 worth of late fees from 1998 hanging around)

plus i'm one of those people who likes to HAVE the books they read.

so i waited patiently for it to come down in price on the kindle.

& a few weeks ago it finally dropped to $7.99.

i snatched it up & couldn't wait to read it.

i should warn you...

if you can't forgive some artistic liberties,

this book is probably not for you.

the author embellishes on lincoln's actual life (obviously)

and weaves in some pretty believable story lines.

it's essentially a story that spans lincoln's entire life.

starting with his birth

& (not to ruin the surprise) ending with his assassination.

it's composed mostly of journaling snippets from lincoln's own diary.

with the blanks & back stories filled in by the author.

it's pretty quick-tempo'd in my opinion.

and NOT like ANY of the vampire-sympathetic books i've read in the past.

there are no sparkling brooding vampires.

no steamy human-vampire relations.

the vampires are the bad guys.

and they are the very worst kind of bad guys.

and what has me even more excited?

it's being made into a movie!

and what is even better than it being made into a movie?

the fact that it's being directed by tim burton!

we saw an extended trailer last sunday while watching, funny enough,

another vampire movie, by tim burton, 'dark shadows'.

i can NOT wait.

have you read the book? you should!

will you see the movie? i don't normally go for the 3d movies.. but i may have to make an exception on this one!

xo-k

books: fifty shades of grey

so.. unless you've been living under a rock the last few weeks, you've likely heard of this book series..

fifty shades of grey.

i'm one of the thousands of women who have read it (twice) & fallen under the spell. i don't have it quite as bad as my friend stephanie, who is on her fourth time through the trilogy, has pinned every location, car, boat & alcoholic beverage in the books to pinterest, AND admitted yesterday she is putting the time line of the characters into her personal calendar. she's got it BAD. VERY BAD.

i'm hear to tell you.. they are good. and here's the thing you may not have heard.. it's not all about the sex scenes. and there are A LOT of them.. and some of them are pretty darn racy. more.. steamy than anything i've ever read before. i am sure i was blushing from tip to toes OFTEN. the sex scenes seem to be all that anyone is talking about, well that, and the repetitive use of certain words. several libraries in florida have even removed them from their shelves... and people are petitioning to get them back in.

it's stirring up quite the pot & is being called mommy porn.

well, if you've read the books, you'll know.. that's the surface. the story is really much deeper than that. it's a story of two people who fall in love. i don't want to give away all the details.. I'll just say that one of the main characters, christian grey, has a sad sad past. it was actually heartbreaking to read. so imagine a character with the worst imaginable childhood, who grows up to be a successful, but hardened & closed off individual, and out of no-where an awkward-less-than-polished bookish girl breaks through his shell. that's the story of christian grey & ana steele.

it's kinda like your good girl turns bad boy good. (and i'm a sucker for a sad bad boy, have always been)

so, if you can get past the somewhat less than literary award winning writing (according to some), and the shock-inducing sex scenes.. i suggest you read it if you haven't. if only to see what all the fuss is about. i don't know a single person who has read it who didn't like it.

and please, don't be one of those people who can't look past the surface & think that this is about some control freak who beats his girlfriend. i'm so tired of hearing people say that crap, and stating this gives young girls the wrong idea about what is acceptable in a relationship. two things.. 'young' girls shouldn't be reading this, AND parents should be enough invested in their daughters upbringing to teach them how PEOPLE should treat each other anyway.

and because it's just flippin' hilarious here's a clip of ellen TRYING to read excerpts of the book.



xo-k

ps. i'm currently sorting out the fact that i've hit the photo limit on blogger.. hence the lack of blogging. hope to be back in form soon!

books: death benefits. at the sign of the sugarplum. uneasy spirits.

i have a love/hate relationship with book series.
part of me loves that the stories get to go on & on...
and part of me gets irked because i get through the books & then have to WAIT on the next book.
boo.
right now i'm waiting on four series to come out with their next book...

sookie stackhouse #12
black dagger brotherhood #10
southern fraud thriller #3
victorian san francisco mystery #3

and i'm in the middle of another four series...

lords of the underworld series
sister to sister series
brights pond series
sign of the sugarplum series

i promise that my blog will one day be more than books & boring.
until then.. i'm going to keep chugging along, in the hopes that maybe someone is interested :)

these are the last three books i've read..

death benefits: southern fraud series

If you, like me, grew up loving 'Murder She Wrote'.. or are currently one of thousands obsessed with the onslaught of CSI type shows, this is for you!

This is a great series. The second book picks up shortly where the first left off, but it can certainly stand alone. Julia Jackson is an agent for the Georgia Department of Insurance. She investigates insurance claims before payment can be made to beneficiaries... sounds boring right? It is SO not boring. In this installment Julia & her partner Mark Vincent set out to investigate a mysterious car fire, where the occupant has been burned to a crisp.. and before the body can be identified, his widow has a call in to collect on his death benefits..... And that's just the beginning. Death Benefits is a good ol' who-dun-it that will have you turning pages, while you try and sort out the cues for yourself.

Like I said.. if you are addicted to Law & Order, CSI, NCIS & the like.. this ones for you! 

at the sign of the sugarplum

Hannah is a young girl from the country, ready to live it up in the big city. The city is London & the year is 1665. Hannah doesn't know it yet, but her time in the big city is going to be filled with misery, because the plague has just begun claiming victims.

I can't say I know too much about the plague, and I'm sure that the authors descriptions although sometimes graphic, were no where near as horrible as the sights people of that era actually witness. I found the book one part education & one part entertainment.

I think this is a young readers book, but I found I enjoyed it just the same. Would recommend to anyone willing to give historical fiction a chance... just don't expect anything other than a tale of a young girl & her sister trapped in a city crumbling around them. There isn't much of a plot beyond getting out of the city alive.

uneasy spirits

I cannot begin to express how much I love this series!!

I have no particular inclination to the Victorian era.. but this series is just amazing. The language isn't so detailed that you get lost in the descriptions of the surroundings... there is just enough to make you feel like you are right there in the 1870s, walking the gas-light lit streets of San Fran.

Annie Fuller is a twenty-something year old widow. She's lived a hard life in her short years, losing her mother, then her father, and then her husband. She's made a life for herself though.. she owns a quaint little boarding house, and she gives business advice under the guise of Madam Sibyl, a fictitious clairvoyant... & it's the very thing that lands her in the middle of her next ordeal.

Annie's newest boarder enlists her help in proving the new medium in town is a fraud. Uneasy about her own charade as Madam Sibyl, she agrees & finds herself in the middle of seances where tables shake & little girls act mysteriously... but is it a hoax?

Another well written mystery series that I've thoroughly enjoy & would recommend to anyone who likes mysteries!!

let me know if you check them out...

and again.. add me on goodreads! :)

xo-k

books: lords of the underworld

i've decided that there are some serious upsides to the kindle.
while i miss the heft of a book, and turning the pages...
there is totally an upside in the cover not giving me away.

... ya. the dude totally calls me out on the vampire books.
whichever ones they may be...
he knows the twilight covers..
and the sookie covers are pretty much a dead giveaway (har har. dead)
and i had to hide away the covers while reading the black dagger brotherhood.
mostly from the dude, but also from the hubs.. because he totally makes fun of me.

and ya.. i think i've sunk to an all time low.
i got the first book in this series & was like huh, okay.. it's free i'll give it a try..
it wasn't until i went back to get the second book that i noticed the (HQN) next to the titles.
HQN? i asked myself.. what the heck does that...
O M G. HARLEQUIN?! as in ROMANCE?!
yep. harlequin. as in romance.
as in those books ladies hide in the grocery aisles with, covered in pictures of steamy couples intertwined.
his long hair blowing in the wind, big poofy shirt hung open.. her draped all over him like a bad accident.
harlequin romance.
i sorta hung my head in shame when i realized it.
then i purchased the next book & said, oh well! no looking back now.

i figured diving into a harlequin romance series was only appropriate given it's february.
ya know, the month of L O V E...
so, another confession.
i am reading harlequin romance.
(why is that so embarassing?)

in truth.. i'm actually fascinated by the story line.
i know i'll likely not convince you.. but it's the truth.
i wasn't lying when i said i was kinda over vampires, and witches & the like..
but the 'lords of the underworld' while paranormal, is something totally different.
it revolves around greek mythology, something that's always fascinated me.
(i took every religion class offered at the local community college, so that says a lot right?)
anyways, with out giving too much away..

(how would i explain these covers to the dude?! i wouldn't EVER want to!!!)

there was a group of warriors who were the guardians of the greek gods a loong time ago.
a female warrior, pandora, was chosen to guard a box that contained several of the most evil demons.
yep, pandora's box, a box made from the bones of the goddess of oppression.
the male warriors (and one female) were ticked off that a female was chosen for such a task.
so in revenge, they set the demons free, to prove how unworthy she was.
they had plans to collect the demons & again imprison them..
only the box went missing during the scuffle, and as punishment, each of the warriors was forced to imprison a demon within their own body...... for all time.

like i said. pretty interesting.
if you like greek mythology.
or....ahem.. harlequin romance novels...... ya.
still so lame sounding.
oh well ;)

xo-k

ps. are you on goodreads? if so- add me! :)
pss. if it's at all redeeming, i just finished up another one in the 'southern fraud series' & am moving onto a book called 'farm girl' that's supposedly for people who liked little house on the prairie... no? oh well i tried! :)

book: charlotte figg takes over paradise

we are just 26 days into the new year, and already i have 8 books under my belt.

i'm pretty proud of myself.

even if say, 5 of those books are young adult paranormal romance books.

it's still 8 books.

and to be honest, i'm kinda over the paranormal stuff right now.

i can't put my finger on why..

but i need books that are real right now.

books about real people, doing real things, overcoming real life.

i need real right now, even if it's hard.

even if the stories break my heart.

i need to hear them.

i need to be changed by them.

ever feel that way?

maybe it's just me.

i want to read 'the help' so badly,

but i'm still saving my amazon gift card for those dang design a project life page protectors.

until then, i'm still on the free ebook trip.

but you know what, it's not so bad.

i just finished 'charlotte figg takes over paradise' last night.

and i'm telling ya, it's running a close second to 'maids of misfortune' for the front runner in favorites.

but i guess as they are entirely different books, they can both occupy the numero uno spot for now.

i'm a big fannie flagg fan.

i bet you are familiar with her work, even if you haven't read a book.

she wrote 'fried green tomatoes'.

and as with everything else, the book is SO much better.

but this cover drew me in because i'm a fannie flagg fan.

promises of a quirky cast of characters suckered me from the get go.

and i wasn't disappointed. at all.

i don't want to give too much away.. but let me say this:

charlotte figg's husband, unexpectedly drops dead, and a stray dog named lucky claims her as his own. one day lucky brings home the neighbors mail, and as charlotte thumbs through it she happens upon a magazine with an advertisement for a double wide trailer for sale in a place called 'paradise'. she makes up her mind to purchase the trailer sight-unseen & that's where the story takes off.

charlotte finds herself in a world she never expected, living a life she never dreamed... and oddly it's exactly where she needed to be. she lands among a community of people who didn't know they needed her & somewhere in the midst of everyday life she overcomes a past she didn't really know was haunting her.

it's an amazing story. a funny, sometimes wacky story about a community of people with scars. some you see, and some you don't... and how they bond together.

totally worth the read, if you are asking me.

:)

what are you reading right now?

are you on good reads? if so.. friend me so i can follow your reads! :)

xo-k

currents: 1.18.12

watching: the dude ride his bike. he went from not wanting to ride it, to teaching himself to ride it... in just a few days. he seriously would NOT even try to ride it after christmas of 2010 when he took a major nose dive off it. it sat at my mom's house & every time we were there we'd try to get him to ride... with no success (he didn't even want to bring it home). insert neighbor kids with new bikes for christmas & suddenly he's DYING to ride it by himself. monday papa brought it over & by monday afternoon he was an old pro! (check one off the 2012 to do for him!)

reading: just finished reading 'Maids of Misfortune' (A Victorian San Francisco Mystery #1). it is my FAVORITE book of 2012, so far ;)

eating: ruby red grapefruit. every morning for breakfast. i can't seem to get enough of it.. but as it's supposed to be a metabolism booster, i can't see how it's a bad thing to be addicted to!

needing: project life design A page protectors. and waiting NOT so patiently for them to come in. i've been working on my first two weeks, regardless... but i want them in page protectors already! :)

obsessing: purging. simplifying. also known as getting rid of useless clutter taking up space in our lives. there is a definite garage sale in our future. no untouched toy or shoe is safe right now!

learning: how to use the silhouette cameo. how to eat clean & gluten free. how to accept change for what it is, and embrace the new 'what is' as something just as special as the old 'what was'.

loving: this stage that the babe is in. he's learned how to open the doors in the house & while annoying sometimes, it's so funny to watch him stand on his tiptoes & then squeal with delight when he gets in a room he shouldn't be. he's using the sign language i've taught him frequently, & we are adding new words about every two to three weeks. (here's the website i'm using if you are interested)

looking forward to: my cousin's wedding in march. it's in st. augustine & we are taking just a few days prior to the wedding to take the dude to the fort there. it'll be his first trip & i am BEYOND excited about it!

pinning: healthy food. pirate parties. project life. & amazing designs.

i'm busy with the business of life. nothing particularly interesting. trying to get my self on some sort of household schedule, so i can balance what i have to do, with what i want to do. it only took me 1.5 years of being a stay at home mama to figure out i need one, talk about late to the party. i'm enjoying that lull between christmas & valentine's day, and hope to tackle some house projects in the coming weeks. right now, most of my time is devoted to figuring out this new way of eating. it's like being in school trying to educate myself on grammar, with all the can's & cant's. it's a challenge, for sure, but one so far i'm enjoying! :)

xo-k

books: southern fraud series, sister-to-sister series, of witches and warlock series

hi, there.
how are you?
i'm good. very good, actually.

i'm lost in thought in that place that seems to reside between december 31st and about the 5th of january. you know what i'm talking about? that place everyone seems to gravitate towards to reflect upon the last years triumphs & tragedies. you're there too, huh?

i have my 2012 word. i'm letting it seep into my pores & psyche before i share it, although, if you follow me on pinterest, you may already have an idea as to what it is :) i am trying to put together my thoughts on it before i share it though. it's a word that has been growing closer & closer to my heart over the last few years.

in the mean time, i've been reading. a lot. A LOT. my kindle fire is an obsession. my husband teases he regrets buying it for me, but it's given him remote control for the first time in years (aside from game days), and secretly i think he's enjoying it, though he'd NEVER admit it.

the instant my kindle was up & running i was searching through the free books to download all the classics i wanted to read... then i went through all the books that were $2.99 or less. and i ended up with 4 books that i thoroughly enjoyed & paid about $2.99 for total, one of which was borrowed.

'Absolute Liability'

 not my favorite of the four, but an easy who-done-it read in the fashion of 'murder, she wrote'.

the next book is due out sometime this year & i'm definitely going to pick it up to see how the character progresses.

'Stuck in the Middle'

 i just finished tonight. another free first from amazon, the other two books are just a few dollars & i'm certainly going to pick them up. (or download them.. i should say.. I LOVE MY KINDLE) a heartwarming story about three sisters, centering particularly on the middle child, who is 25, and stuck in her life. i don't want to give too much away. but i laughed & i cried & i laughed some more. it does speak about religion, but i didn't find it too preachy, and it's totally worth the read.

'The Trouble with Spells'

 free to download & it sucked me right in. ya, big surprise right? paranormal romance. it's actually a 'young adult' book. someone in the reviews described the two characters as rivaling edward & bella.... i'm going to duck for cover & say that i may like vance & portia more. i know you twilight fans are probably shooting death stares at me right now.. but it was a good read i'd recommend to any young readers.

'The Demon Kiss'

sequel to the above book... i think what i like is the action. the magic progresses at a believable rate, while the romance doesn't. i can handle all the 'i love you's' but knowing this is a young readers book, it sorta bothers me that it's such an all-consuming love. but, i liked the book & am totally ready to jump into the next one..

i tried & tried to get through 'northanger abbey'. i'm like 1/3 of the way in & half the time i just felt like i didn't even know what the heck was going on... whether the story was progressing or if austen was lecturing me. (did you see 'becoming jane'... i felt like the guy sitting through her short.. ha... story) so i decided to put it down & try to come back to it later.

hopefully the end of this week brings about some clarity of thought & some new blogs.. see ya then!

xo-k

book: little women

my 'to read' list on good reads is growing twice as fast as my 'read' list.

i am realizing i have a slightly obsessive personality. (ha!)

when i get into something, i find that it's all consuming.

right now, it's books & reading.

(and sadly, i must confess still baking bread & sweets)

 my affection for the movie compelled me to read pride & prejudice...

yes, you read that right.

but if you can look at that picture of matthew mcfadyen & not want more mr. darcy..

well then you are not a hopeless romantic, and i confess, i can't help you.

(i must admit, i'd gladly throw over edward AND eric for mr. darcy.)

so, like i was saying, because of the movie, i read pride & prejudice.

and yes, as always, the book was 1,000 times better.

(i feel like i should just throw in that,  much to my embarrassment, i can't claim to be one of those nerdy girls who curled up with a copy of jane austen when she was 16 or 17.

i was a reader, to be clear, but much like my current bookshelf , i was a sucker for suspense stories, with a little romance thrown in.

mostly young adult stuff.

sadly, i would have lived in the young adult paranormal romance section,

 had it existed in the early 90s.)

::hanging my head in shame::

why is it embarrassing that i love paranormal romance?

so embarrassing.

like, i want to hide the books as i check out like it's a box of feminine products.

ya know, so the 'real' intellectual people reading 'real' literature don't have any more fuel to mock me.

wait, what was i saying?

oh. little women.

ya, so far from paranormal romance..

and who's horrible winona ryder knock off did NOT compel me to read the book.

if i'm honest..

(and since i mentioned feminine products, it's obvious i'm going to be)

i read it to pad my bookshelf on goodreads.

my friend jaime (hi, Jaime! :) is a voracious reader.

(see, big word means i'm not all together lame)

she's read NINETY-FIVE books this year.

AND has a toddler and a brand new baby.

so ya, after the initial 'woohoo i read 24 books this year!' wore off..

i realized that 19 of them were paranormal romance.

so after feeling so proud & bookwormish..

i found myself looking around to see if anyone was looking over my shoulder

& laughing at my accomplishment.

so....

 i decided that the list of books in the back of my head that you should be able to say you've read in  your life, needed tackling.

you know, the classics you were required to read in high school that you skimmed 

& somehow managed to pass honors english with an A.

(uh, huh, you did it too, didn't you!)

i was totally captivated by night by elie wiesel

i made my way through 1984 & Fahrenheit 451.

it took all i had to make it through animal farm.

(i think my 10th grade english teacher was obsessed with dystopia as well as jimmy buffet)

and i totally fudged my paper on all quiet on the western front

i don't think i was ever required to read little women..

but it just seems like a classic you should check of your list.

and i have.

I'm not going to lie.. I struggled for the first, oh 200 pages.

 It just seemed to drag on and on and on.

alcott seemed determined for the reader to know absolutely every detail down to the last spec of dust on a shoe and wrinkle in a coat, and that started to wear on me.

The book makes a dramatic shift, fast forwarding three years in time,

and that's about the time I started to really enjoy it.

 All in all I'm glad to say I read it, but I'm also glad to move onto something new.

when you see there are 30 pages left

& are like '30 MORE?!' and not 'ONLY 30?!'

that's a pretty good indication of how you'll come away feeling.

the plot. good.

the story. slow. sometimes VERY slow.

the characters. some okay. some blah. some interesting.

but, i added the somewhat lesser known little men sequel to my good reads 'to read' shelf.

that's gotta count for something right?

let me be clear.

i like the descriptions of life & times.

i like the pictures that were put in my head.

i just feel like it dragged too often,

 or that maybe i was missing the moral i was supposed to be being taught?

please don't send me hate mail if little women is your favorite book ever.

(or if you think i'm lame for liking paranormal romance :)

any recommendations for a new-non-paranormal romance book?

(or maybe a suggestions in favor of one? :)

i'm upping my goal for books read in 2012!

(and vowing that only 1/4 will be filled with paranormal smut!)

happy saturday!

xo-k

book: the crowning glory of calla lily ponder

it's no big secret around here i have a thing for vampire stories. i will admit that i get sucked into them, however horribly written they may be, and forget i live in a reality where the only real vampires are those people who are so miserable in life that they SUCK the life out of you.

them and the occasional confused individual who feels the need to cap their teeth & clothe themselves from head to toe in black patent leather.

but you can't bet your life i'm not out bragging about reading vampire smut. i already feel like i'm one step away from being one of those housewives who fawn all over those cheesy romance novels in the grocery store... not there is anything wrong with that... but i can not imagine myself picking up a harlequin romance novel, or any novel for that matter, where there is a half naked man on the cover with his hair blowing back in the wind.

i like my men sans billowy white shirt please.

SO. back to the book i just finished. it's more my genre, my preferred reading outside classics. 

'the crowning glory of calla lily ponder' by rebecca wells. she's the author of 'divine secrets of the ya ya sisterhood' which i read after seeing the movie. (ps. the book, as usual, was SO much better) i picked it up on a whim & could not have loved it more.



i'm a sucker for stories about real people. small people from small towns. people who are great if for nothing else than their frailty & flaws. i don't think i have sobbed while reading. ever. it was ALMOST the ugly cry. almost. but it was SOO good.

it's written loosely as a diary.. it just sorta flows along from the time she is 5 until she is in her early 30s. you will cry, you will laugh, you will scratch your head. but you will connect with her.. or at least i did. it's one of those stories that will remind you that the human race is capable of such good, and how important it is to connect with those we love.

it was a perfect read for me right now. perfect.

xo-k

ps. if you are interested in more stories like this, or 'divine secrets..', check out these books by fannie flagg; 'fried green tomatoes', 'daisy fay and the miracle man'. or adriana trigiani's big stone gap novels.

scrapbooking: the vampire edition.

if you know what is comes out in 12 days, then this post is for you!

waaay back in 2008 i was COMPLETELY obsessed with twilight.

believe it or not, i'm not quite as obsessed now as i was then, although i still enjoy it.

it's something that my scrapbooking friends & i bonded over.

twilight was my introduction into the world of vampire smut, ehem.. romance.

and the first books i had read in the three years since giving birth to the dude.

so. what do scrapbookers do?

we document.

report. relive & retell our stories.

and i did A LOT of twilight scrapbooking in 2008.

i thought it only appropriate to share some with you as we count down to the beginning of the 'end'!

(that'd be obsessive cullen disorder.... :)

(don't the movies have THE best soundtracks?!)

this next one would be about my vampire obsession altogether.

i don't think i've ever stuck so many pictures down on one page.

ever.

and because no 'vampire' post is complete with out eric northman...
i've included these pages as well :)
i felt like that picture of eric in sookies dream was just too darn small in the above layout...

i scrapped it again :)

because there is NO SUCH THING  as too much eric.

EVER.

the girls & i have this insane obsession with the line 'oh sexxxxyyy girlfriend!' from sixteen candles.

we chant long duck dong & other brat pack quotes non-stop.

(much to the dismay & confusion of some of our OLDER scrap-mates)

could have something to do with the late night crazies & excessive starbucks...

so one night..

probably a LATE night that included me donning an eye patch, or drawing something on my face...

i put together this gem of a page... :)



are you a twilighter?

are you sookie fan?

are you a vampire diaries watcher?

it's not a edward vs. eric vs. damon in this house..

we are all about the more the merrier.

(although if forced i'd throw the others over for mr. northman in a heartbeat!!)

did you catch the knock to twilight in the first vampire diaries episode way back when?

what are your twilight plans?

are you a midnight watcher?

i saw twilight 7 times. 4 within the first 3 days.

i saw new moon twice.

and eclipse once.

(all in the theater of course)

i've only been to one midnight viewing.

and i can't wait for november 18th to roll around! :)

happy sunday!!

xo-k