I needed to take a few months away from blogging and now I'm ready to get back into the swing of things. Stay tuned for some exciting reviews from amazing books I've been reading while not blogging. I have a lot of catching up to do....so be sure to check back soon!
April 5, 2015
I apologize, I have not been in a writing/reviewing mood. I've been pounding back the books though. And I've started this new thing, although I hate not finishing a book I've started to realize why waste my time on something I don't enjoy. Just move on.
February 26, 2014
While I was updating my entries today I decided to give the look of my blog a little face lift.
February 25, 2015
I've been reading so many great books lately I've been tardy with my blog updating. Tomorrow feels like a Starbucks kind of afternoon :)
January 2, 2015
New year! New books! New goals! So far I have set my target at 75 books for the year but I would like to hit the 100 mark...wish me luck!
December 28, 2014
I seem to have noticed a distinct pattern in the books that I am drawn to:
There must be a woman
She is wearing period clothing
She is either gazing off into the distance or striking a pose
There are of course a few other covers thrown in there, but the above criteria seems to be what traps me when looking for an interesting read.
Observe Here
Or it's about Egypt....because I love everything Egypt. December 15, 2014
Well it's been awhile and I'm just trying to wrap up my year end reading (and my Christmas presents). It was an amazing year filled with amazing reads and I can't wait for 2015 to be bigger and better!
August 19, 2014
Well it's been a busy summer and I haven't been doing much reading...it's just so hard to find the time! I also have been neglecting my reviewing and was behind. Today I finally told myself I needed to sit down and get it done - so enjoy :)
It's been a year since I started this blog and am proud of myself for keeping at it. I'm enjoying bringing my reading adventure to you and offering my recommendations and stay away from reads.
July 1, 2014
Oh man it's pretty dusty in here! I haven't been been around lately and my reading has been lacking a bit. It's this heat, I'm tellin' ya...I'm enjoying being lazy.
May 23, 2014
Yikes! Haven't checked in in awhile. Life seems to get in the way sometimes eh? Almost coming up to half way through the read and I am sitting at a comfortable 38 books read. Still plugging away determined to read 100 by the end of the year.
March 29, 2014
Haven't been reading much this month and what I have been reading keeping it light and small. Nothing too noteworthy to review lately, so sad.
February 23, 2014
For 2014 I challenged myself to read 100 books. So far so good and I think I'm on the right track with 17 so far. Pretty proud of that accomplishment and will be even happier if I can get to the 100.
February 8, 2014
I'm starting to get behind on my book reviews. The words just aren't flowing as easily these days. Still have my nose buried in books...
I've just finished my 2nd Kristin Hannah novel and I think I've found a soon to be favourite author, Love her writing.
January 19, 2014
I've gotten 2 of the 6 finished...4 more to go...
January 15, 2014
I have about 6 books on the go and I can't seem to stick with one to just bang it out an finish it! I keep starting a new one when I'm half way done a current one....why do I do this?
January 4, 2014
Can you smell that? New year, new books! I'm so excited for what's in store this year. There are so many great books coming out, and many, many, more that I still need to get to - that list is never ending. I am now fully obsessed with goodreads and have fully submersed myself with a few groups (4 to be exact) and everything that they offer. I now have many monthly books to read and reading challenges to complete...maybe I've taken on to much, but you never know unless you try! So here is to a year filled with many great reads!
December 30, 2013
I'm trying to do a clean up of the few books I am currently reading to have a fresh slate in 2014. Which is tough, every time I finish a book I can't wait to start another...I don't want to be stuck still reading the same ones ha ha. And this is why I should only read one at a time...sigh.
December 25, 2013
Merry Christmas to all! I am stuck working this afternoon, which SUCKS, but getting lots of reading done while it's quiet. Going to start a classic I think, check out my post on the "Classics" page...
I'm currently reading The Book Thief, which has been given so much hype and I'm constantly seeing reviews saying "the best book I've read this year." Well, I'm about a quarter of the way through and I'm just not seeing what all the craze is about. I'm enjoying the story, like it's good, writing is a bit odd, but good...just your typical Nazi Germany War story (am I allowed to say typical?) and nothing else. I'm going to keep plugging away at that one, don't like to leave a story untold.
December 12, 2013
Finally! Burial Rites became available at the library...I've only been waiting 3 months for it :) Now to finish Me Before You first!
December 7, 2013
My mind these days is going about a mile a minute and having a hard time reading these days. so sad.
November 28, 2013
I've been having a hard time focusing on reading the past few days. I find myself starting a book reading the first page then doing something else (like now, this is a distraction) then starting a new book and so on. Not sure what the distraction, but I need to get out of this funk. Maybe I should take this time to work of the reviews I need to get caught up on that I keep telling myself I'm going to get done.
On another note, I finished my first December challenge and read Skipping Christmas. It was pretty short. Read it in less than 5 hours...while at work. Shhh.
November 24, 2013
I'm really behind on writing reviews, I'm hoping to get to them tomorrow...I've got 3 or 4 I want to get out of the way, but I've just been so gong-hoe on reading I have't stopped to review.
November 18, 2013
I've become obssssssessed with the Pretty Little Liars series. I'm totally in love and hooked on it! I'm 4 books in and can't wait to race to the end...and I'm loving how it has become quite different than the adapted tv series. I can't decided which I like better...so I'll just say Both!
November 15, 2013
For December's reading list I have decided to make my reading choices now and stick to them! First, I want to read a Christmas themed book and I've decided on John Grisham's Skipping Christmas: Christmas with the Kranks, my online book club has chosen The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker, whom I've never heard of but am always excited to try a new author. Also, I have decided to read the very first book on my Chapters Community "plan to read" board which is The Kite Runner. Time to get it off my TBR list! and lastly, my other book club with a few of my girlfriends hasn't chosen for December yet but add that one to the list too! Going to be a busy month, can't wait!
November 10, 2013
Sooo I may have totally over estimated my reading capability for this month. Like I mentioned I have 2 Book Club books to read - The Longest Ride, which is 400 pages and The Distant Hours, which is 560 pages...so both fair size books. Also I got Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah out from the library - I was so intrigued by her first book I was anxious to read another of her novels and on top of that I've become OBSESSED with the Pretty Little Liars series, which I've just finished the 3rd book and MUST start the 4th to find out what happens! I hate to say, but I may need to take Firefly lane back to the library and focus on the 2 Book Club books. Sigh...looks like my Classic book selection will have to be put off until next month.
November 6, 2013
So I've been reading The Ghost Bride for awhile now and it's due back at the library tomorrow and I'm not able to renew it because there are a number of holds (It became popular since I checked it out!) I've put a hold on it again and plan to finish it when it becomes available again. Note to self - Start at Chapter 20.
November 5, 2013
Helllo! Well we made it back late last night and it was such an amazing trip! So nice to get away and just relax and do nothing, although by day 8 of relaxing and doing nothing we were both getting pretty antsy so we are glad to be home and getting back into the swing of things. I will be posting a review about our resort so stay tuned for that! I managed to finish both of my books that I brought with me (although I had to finish the last 30 pages of the 2nd one this morning.) I didn't get in as much reading time as I had hoped, but I knew that was going to be the case. I've very excited to say that this month I have 2 great books lined up to read (in addition to a few side reads of course.) First, way back in my first post in September I mentioned how excited I was to pick up the brand new Nicholas Sparks book...well my book club has picked it to read this month and I can't wait to get started. Second, my online book club had chosen The Distant Hours to read and that is one that has been on my to-read list for sometime, and I happen to love this author, this will be my 3rd novel of her's I have read.
I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed On Mystic Lake by Kristin Hannah, this is the first I have read of her books and I'm happy to say that I will be looking for more of her titles. Look for my review coming soon! Also, I'm not totally entwined with the Pretty Little Liar series after reading the first 2...can't wait to read more!
I've also decided that on top of my 2 book club reads I need to get a Classic novel in...I haven't been doing to well with that challenge. Also I need to read a book that I've had on my shelf for ages that I always look at but always end up choosing something else. Now to start choosing....
October 27, 2013
Just have to get through work today and then I am in full swing vacation mode. We leave at 6:30 am Monday morning for Dominican and I'm sooooo excited, this is a much needed vacation for both of us. The only thing I have packed so far is my reading material. It was a tough decision, whatever I take I'm stuck with! I decided on Flawless (my new guilty pleasure series) and On Mystic Lake. Also taking my ereader which is full of good reads that are piling up on my to-read list. I fell like I'm being optimistic thinking I'm going to get a lot of reading done during this vacation. Shane usually doesn't allow much "relaxation" time and like to go go go. Fingers crossed I get a few "lay on the beach silently for hours" days. See you in a week!
October 16, 2013
Sooo I've always been a really big fan of Erotica books (yes, even before the whole 50 Shades thing.) I first got into "smut" books (as my mom used to call them) back in high school when I discovered Jackie Collins. I instantly fell in love with her and her books and it just snowballed from there. I have to be careful reading them though, if I read too many in a row my brain just feels like mush and I feel like I've lost a few IQ points. Needless to say I fell off the wagon and are back onto them. I'm going on vacation in a few weeks and need to get my reading list organized...which will mostly include titles from that genre. I find them easy reads while laying on the beach (in Dominican Republic!)
October 14, 2013
Happy Thanksgiving all!! I have so much to be thankful for this year and couldn't be happier! :)
October 10, 2013
So I did it, finished The Shack. Now I have some closure on the ending...if closure is what you can call it that ending. Read it and find out for yourself what I'm talking about!
October 9, 2013
So I started reading The Shack by WM Paul Young back in May of this year and got half way through and started having a really hard time with it...it's not not what I expected. Good book, just different than what I usually read. I had to set it aside and read something different for awhile. Well, lately it's been bother me that I never finished it so I thought I would give it another go. The good thing is I have the ability to pick up a book no matter how long ago I was reading it and pick the story line back up. Example - I have a book that I started reading 4 (yes 4) years ago and I still know what was happening when I left off so I can pick it up anytime. It's a gift, what can I say.
So tonight I start reading The Shack again, and this time I'm not going to stop till I'm finished. I hate leaving a book unread.
October 7, 2013
So I'm off work today (and tomorrow) and I kind of enjoy having week days off opposed to weekends, I find that I just get so much more accomplished. Today I thought I would take some time off from reading - or as Shane calls it "time wasting" and do some baking since it's a very cool "fall feeling" day. I'm not the best baker in the world, but I do enjoy it. I would say that I am a better cooker than I am baker, cooking you can just throw whatever together and make it work, where as baking is all about precision and measurements. I was up early this morning, thanks to Shane thinking that he needs to wake me up when he gets up at the crack of dawn. I just lazed around for a bit eating my cereal and drinking my latte checking some emails and planning out what I was going to made for the day. After completing my grocery list (I always tell myself that I will get the bare minimum - I could buy the whole grocery store) I set out on my mission.
First up was the apple pie...since I can't make the crust (usually use bought) I happen to come across a recipe that "crust will form itself," Perfect! Mixed all the ingredients together and popped it in the oven. While that was baking mixed together the mix for banana muffins, that one to me is a no brainer. I buy banana just to let them rot to bake with them. Next up was the sauce for dinner tonight. I decided on crock pot teriyaki chicken. I love me some crock pot cookin'. So I whipped that up while the chicken was thawing. For my next feet I thought I would try something new and which I've recently discovered I love...lemon loaf. Our house smells like lemony goodness!
Now if anyone knows me, then know that there will be some mishaps in the kitchen. I'm not sure why, but weird mishappening seem to follow me wherever I go, seriously, I should be writing a book. Lemony Snicket's ain't got nothing on me! So I go to take the pie out of the oven and I life it up to look at the bottom to see how brown it is and the pie plate slides out of my hands and hits me right on the chest/shoulder. Now, this is is glass that has just spent the past hour in the oven at 350 degrees. Yes, it was hot. I now have a nice big red line on my shoulder with 3 nice little blisters.
Clean up=awful! I'm the kind of baking/cooking mad woman who uses every inch of counter space and every possible dish and utensil. Of course my mess would not be complete without flour covering every spot I've been, including the floor. Needless to say, Shane hates when I bake...he's a neat freak. So I usually do this while he's working, lucky for me he has a garage building project that is keeping him busy outside these days.
Can't wait to eat all these goodies...the pie looks a bit questionable, but I guess that's what you get for letting a pie make its own crust.
October 4, 2013
So a few years ago I got into listening to audio books and became a huge, huge fan of them. If you have never listened to one, your first time could be difficult, I found it hard to concentrate. I enjoy listening to them on the commute into work. Since I'm in such a reading frenzy and just can't find enough time to read everything, I figured I'd pick one up from the library (expensive to buy) and get back into listening to them again...I'm 2 chapters in and loving it! I figure this was I can get twice as many books read.
October 3, 2013
So I have this fascination with Paris( but not as big as my love for everything Egypt.) Everything Paris, I love the city, the language and especially Parisian novels....I even have a Paris shower curtain! Although I've never been, I can't wait to visit and just take my time seeing everything it has to offer and while I'm at it the entire country of France. If you ever look at my bookshelf you will notice an abundance of books with titles with the word Paris in them, Paris inspired novels, novels based in Paris, Parisian authors and so on. I bring this up because in a book club of mine someone nominated a book called The Invisible Bridge...the summary only took 2 words for me to want to read it: "Paris, 1937..." I'm a such a book nerd.
Some of my "Paris" books to read:
Paris was the Place by Susan Conley
Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran
Paris: A Love Story by Kati Marton
Paris by Edward Rutherfurd
The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan
The Paris Wife by Paula McLean
J'Adore Paris by Isabelle Lafeche
Side note: my "to-read" bookshelf is blowing up these days!
October 1, 2013
October already? Wow! So I've been having a bit of a "reading crisis" we will call it lately. Remember how I said I'm ready to read a great book? Well I've started about 4 and read about 50 pages and need to start a new one. I'm having a hard time focusing on getting into just one. I've always been one to read a few books at a time, but I'll end up getting hooked on one have have to keep going with that one until its done. Lately I start one and then another and another....
Just need to focus!
September 28, 2013
I've been trying to read A Secret Kept by Tatiana de Rosnay and am having a very hard time getting into the book. I like the idea of the story, I'm about 50 pages in and you can already tell the direction the novel is going. I think the reason I'm having such a hard time getting into it is because the story is told from the brothers perspective, which I haven't read many book that are told 1st person from a male...maybe this is the reason? I have read the two other books by de Rosnay, Sarah's Key - which was incredible and The House I Loved - which really fell short. So I'm on the fence about this one, although I really enjoy her writing style and find her books very nice to read. I think I have to put this one to the back burner for the time being and come back to it later.
Since I'm not feeling the greatest today and just want to have a lazy day reading I've decided to start Gone Girl, since I've heard such great feedback about this book, and like a said a few days ago I'm looking for a really great read!
September 25, 2013
I've come to realize that I don't read enough "classics." Besides Little Women, which I'm sure every teenage girl has read, the only other classic book I have real and completely fell in love with is The Great Gatsby, which I've read a number of times (long before the 2013 movie came out). I remember starting Dracula years ago, but never completed it (or even got half way through) and I've realize that's kind of sad. There are all these amazing novels that have shaped the literature world and I haven't read any of them! And what's worse is that I own many of these books (in case you don't already know I'm a book hoarder,) own a Kobo that offers free classic novel downloads AND own 100 Classic Book Collection for the Nintendo DS so I really have no excuse! So naturally I think to myself.... challenge accepted! I've decided to read at least 1 classic book every 3 months or so.
I've kind of lucked out because a book club I'm a member of has chosen Rosemary's Baby for our October read. In case you aren't familiar with the book, it is a (true) horror book that came out in 1967. Also they have decided to try and read Les Miserable...and in case you aren't aware that novel is 1488 pages. That is a great undertaking that I'm sure will be quite the challenge and will take me a small lifetime to complete. I have added a page dedicated to the classics I am about to undertake so keep checking back for updates!
September 23, 2013
I'm ready to read a great book! Lately the last few that I have read have been somewhat disappointing, I had expected a lot more. 2 of the 3 I read were given high rating and rave reviews and I felt that they didn't live up to my expectation. Oh well, on the the next book...
September 22, 2013
I am not one to sit and write a blog talking about myself and the happening in my daily life but I just thought I would add this section for when there is something I'm interested in sharing.
Something I am really excited about (book related) is the new Nicholas Sparks book, The Longest Ride that came out on the 17th. I of course being a huge Sparks fan I had to go out on the day and pick it up, although I can't bring myself to read it just yet. Cause when I do then it's over and I have to wait FOREVER for his next book to come out. Can't wait to read and review it!
I'm clearly new to this whole book reviewing thing (and blogging), while I've always been an avid reader, it never occurred to me to actually share my opinions (other than just mentioning the book to another reader) and writing actual reviews. This is a new project that I am very excited about undertaking and hope to stick with it for the long haul.
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