Burned.

It has occurred to me in the past week or so that people were actually reading my blog. I know this because I've gotten yelled at by several of you for my lack of updates. I really do hate to disappoint, but have to be completely honest, I'm burned out on reading. I've literally picked up five or six books recently only to get a little ways in and lose interest. In the past I have had phases where I'm just not interested in reading. I lose my patience with a story quickly and find other activities to do. The truth is that this really couldn't come at a worse time for my reading resolution/goal. I really do hate to disappoint everyone, but I have a theory about reading.... You should enjoy it. I'm not going to force myself to sit down and attempt to read if I'm just not feeling it. Hopefully I will get back into a reading phase here shortly and read book after book after book. I really have loved sharing updates and recommendations and plan to continue my blogging ways. On another note I will say this about setting resolutions/goals for myself this past year, it is helping me become the person I want to be. I feel like in the past year I've been more active/inspired/motivated/outgoing than I ever was before. So stay tuned friends and readers because I haven't gone anywhere!

End of the year resolution: Blog More (get ready to hear more ramblings about my life, inspirations, and hopefully some books!)

PS: Thanks for sticking with me!

Reading Rut.

I am officially begging for book recommendations. Not just anything, I need books that will hook me. Something that will keep me glued to the page. I figured out that part of the reason I'm falling so far behind isn't because I'm too busy to read, I've been busy all year, its because I'm uninspired. Nothing I've picked up in the last month has moved me.

On a happier note, I'm excited for the Fall. I'm sad to see the little bit of Summer we had go, but looking forward to crisp Autumn days spent sipping tea and wearing sweaters. Fall also brings with it one of my favorite pastimes, football. If you didn't know this already, I'm an obsessed Seattle Seahawks fan. This year I've also started playing Fantasy Football. As the only girl in the league, I'm hoping to hold my own.

I need to save some time for reading, so this post is going to be a quick one. Uninspired reading=uninspired book updates.

Update Book 67: A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Young Adult novels either hook me immediately and never let go or they bore me half to death. Sadly for everyone involved, this book was the latter. I never cared about the characters and the plot was weak. While reading this book, I came the closest to declaring my Readers Independence by quitting 200 pages in. I struggled through, but lost several days that could have been spent reading anything else. This is a series (is anyone surprised?) and for the first time, I will not be picking up #2.

Update Book 68: Heartburn by Nora Ephron

This book is about a woman who is seven months pregnant and discovers her husband is having an affair. "Heartburn," is based on events from Ephron's life. This really happened to her. Her ex-husband ended up suing her for defamation after it was published. You might think it would be the saddest book you've ever read, but its not. Ephron is witty and sarcastic. I think I literally chuckled at least three times while reading. This is a decent novel to pick up, there is not a lot of closure at the end but I think this was done on purpose. I believe Ephron wrote it as a form of therapy .

Hunger Games

Well folks, I'm moving into the future. I finally am in possession of a smart phone. Since Verizon lacks the iphone, I went with the Droid. If you would have asked me a week ago if I needed anything besides the text and phone function, I would have said "Heck no!" Ask me today and I will tell you that I don't know how to live without it! One of this things I'm most excited about is that I was able to sync my google calendar with my phone. I'm excited to get organized, something I've attempted and failed to make resolutions about all year long.

Update Book 66: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

There is something very sad about finishing a series. No matter how many times I do it, I still feel like I'm saying goodbye to a friend. After three books, the story kind of becomes a part of your life. Spending so much time with the characters, it is very sad when you realize you wont read anything new about them.

This is the third and final book in the series, 'The Hunger Games." These books take place in a post apocalyptic America, now known as Panem. Panem is divided into 13 districts which are ruled by the Capitol. About 75 years ago the districts tried to rebel against the Capitol and lost, so to punish the districts the Capitol created The Hunger Games. Every year two children aged about 12-17 are picked from each district, sent into some crazy landscape (the arena) and forced to fight until only one remains. Sounds brutal and terrible, but it makes for a great story! This series has an excellent main character in Katniss Everdeen. These books are categorized as young adult, but I think this is another instance where adults may get more out of it then the kids it was written for. There is a definite underlying political message going on, but feel free to get lost in the adventure and love triangle.

The first half of this "Mockingjay" was Hunger Games business as usual. The last half I felt rushed. Instead of experiencing everything first hand with the narrator, she just explains everything real quick and sticks a pretty little bow on top. It all ends the way I want it to, but not in the way I wanted it to. The whole point of reading a book, for me at least, isn't about knowing how it ends, but the journey you take. I really felt that Collins took that away from me. I understand that if she had written everything out it would have been twice the size and I probably would have complained about its excessive detailing. But after devoting my time to the series I wanted the conclusion to thorough, not rushed. I still recommend the series to everyone, young and old, but can't hide my dissatisfaction with the conclusion. I just wanted more.

*I just reread my review of this book and realized I should clarify. I sometimes rant about something small in a book that bugs me and it makes it seem like I didn't like the entire book, but I did. I did the same thing with 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo." One detail about the translation bugged me and it made it seem that I didn't like the book, when I really did. I try to finish everything off with an "I recommend" if I liked it. Trust that more than my picky ramblings.

Time to play catch up.

Dear friends, I just did the math. The books to days equation. Lets just say it isn't looking good. This post is to let you know that I wont be available to hangout anymore. I will be reading. When I came up with my original 4 resolutions for the new year, three of them were very ambiguous which, (to me) meant that as the year progressed I could redefine them if necessary. But 100 books in 364 days is VERY clear. There is no getting around it, no new rules I could create, I either get it done or I fail (and have to start all over again next year). Here is something you might not know about me: I'm stubborn. Like the 1995 Seattle Mariners: Refuse to Lose. Here is something else you might not know, I'm a procrastinator. In college I wrote my best papers at 4 am the night before they were due. So it wont surprise me when it takes me down to the wire to reach 100.

On a happy resolution note, I think I can check off "Travel More" as completed.

Both of these photos were taken in Tallinn, Estonia. Tallinn was one of the stops during the Baltic Sea Cruise I took with my family. While on the cruise we also visited: Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Stockholm, Sweden; St. Petersburg, Russia; Helsinki, Finland; and Copenhagen, Denmark. So many awesome cities! I'm pretty sure that is almost a double check for the travel resolution.

When I was packing for the trip I realized something, books are very heavy, so I only packed three books in my suitcase. I also decided that out of these three, two of them would books that I knew would take me a good chunk of time to read. So here we go....

Update Book 63: The Girl Who Played With Fire by Steig Larsson

Since Sweden was our second stop, I thought it would be fun to read a book that takes place in Stockholm. This is the second book of the trilogy. I have to say I enjoyed it more than the first. It was easier for me to get into and I didn't have any of the translation issues I had with the first book. There was a lot of action, a good majority of which was very violent, but I think it was a little more toned down from the first installment. This is a filler book though. It ends with a cliff hanger (which made me mad because the third book is still hardback, thus untravelworthy). These books are time consumers though. You can't miss a single word otherwise you will be left flipping back chapters in confusion.

I spotted about 10 other people on the cruise also reading books from this series. It seems that men and women both enjoy these thrillers.

A note to anyone picking up the first novel and having a hard time getting hooked (*cough Lisa*) get through about page 150 before you give up. If you still don't like it, take a page from my 'Declaration of Reader Independence: Article 1. Not finish a book. Doesn't matter how far I am into it, if it gets into the way of my goal, I can put it down!' I promise not to judge.

Update Book 64: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

There is nothing like reading a book and making an escape from your current surroundings. There is also nothing quite like sitting in the middle of the Baltic Sea and the book you are escaping with takes you back home. 'Hotel on the Corner..' takes place in Seattle during WWII. This is the story of a 12 year old Chinese boy and Japanese girl. Since it takes place in Seattle during WWII you have probably guessed that the internment camps are a major part of the plot. This was a great book that weaves love and history together to form a lovely story.

Update Book 65: The Poinsonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Recommended by many, it also came with a warning to devote some time to this novel. Although it was possibly the most complicated story I've read this year, I devoured this book. This is the story of a Baptist missionary who takes his wife and four daughters into the middle of the Congo. Each chapter is narrated by a different daughter, with the beginning of each section of the book narrated by the mother. I'll admit I knew/know next to nothing about the history of the Congo (or most of Africa for that matter) and never had a strong desire to read anything that took place there. After reading this book, I have an new appreciation for the continent. I think most of that stems from how well written this book was. Kingsolver's descriptions transported me straight to center of the story. This book took me half the amount of time I thought it would. I started it on the plane ride back and was so immersed in the story that I couldn't put it down.

I loved this book. I recommend you devote some time to it.

Disconnect.

Ok, so I've been pretty out of it lately. The "it" being: reading and blogging. The only reason I am even moderately ok with this is because I have been fulfilling another one of my New Year's Resolutions! Traveling more! On Friday I got back from my Baltic Sea Cruise. It was amazing and I plan to tell more later, but first I want to vent about my lack of commitment to my 100 books goal. I'm only at 65. This isn't terrible and the goal is completely doable still, but I need to get my bum moving! In the past I have claimed that, "Everyone has time for reading if they just make the time!" I'm trying really hard not to eat my words right now. My plan to read like a mad woman on my trip went up in flames. I only read three books. I was gone for over two weeks. I had a solid 18 hrs of plane time and 4 days at sea and I read a measly three books. I'd be more disappointed in myself except two of said books were ones I knew would be time consumers. I brought these because we all know how I feel about the Kindle and traveling with actual books is heavy and airlines are really cracking down on weight limits. Anyways, the whole point of this post is just to bitch about my new found lack of motivation because I've been home since Friday and still only hacked 80 pages out of my current book. Then yesterday I went into my favorite local bookstore and I'll be honest, I felt cut off from my book world. I realized it had been over a month since I set foot in an actual book store! There were so many new faces (books) I almost didn't know what to do with myself! I've decided to take this as something exciting and set a weekly goal for myself to get connected again! Get reading. Get Blogging.

It's Been Awhile....

I feel like I've really been neglecting my blog lately! It has been more than two weeks! Geeze! Well the one thing I can promise is that for the next few weeks it wont be improving any! The good news in all of this is that I am still reading! Even if it is at a turtle's pace (slow and steady wins the race right?) Anyways... I'm a little short on time, but wanted to update the last three books I've read!

Update Book 60: Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosney

Yes, another World War Two book.... But not JUST another Word War Two book. This was written in a very creative and compelling way. Sometimes I dislike book that change narrators from chapter to chapter, but that wasn't so in "Sarah's Key." The author or editor or publisher did something brilliant that I just loved! The chapter's written from the two narrator's perspectives were in different fonts. Not crazy different, the effect was actually quite subtle, I don't think most readers would even notice, but to me it added a little something. This book is heartbreaking in ways that only a novel about war can be. Recommend by both my mom and one of my favorite coffeeshop ladies, this is a book that everyone will enjoy.

Update Book 61: Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

I guess I lied about hitting my teen fiction quota. Lets be honest, I'm a sucker for anything vampire/werewolf/supernatural teenybopperness. Lately I haven't been read very many that I could even reluctantly recommend. But this is a series I do! The first in the series is, "Shiver." I think it's successor, "Linger," is even better. They are quick reads that are smart, feeling, absorbing. A must read for anyone who looking for a teen fiction fix.

Update Book 62: Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

I think I used to use just about anything that was handy as a bookmark. Rereading some of my favorite books has brought this to light. Inside of "Into the Wild," I find a North Kitsap High School Hall Pass. Signed by Mrs. Beauchamp.

I really enjoyed this book. I have always enjoy Krakauer as an author. He is a journalist, which I think helps to make the type of stories he writes better. They are jam packed with information that obviously took time to research. This book is the story of Chris McCandless, a young man who went to live in the wilderness of Alaska where he died after four months. This book came out of a magazine article Krakauer wrote for Outside. While reading the novel, you can feel how deeply connected the author is to his subject, it is obvious he sees himself in McCandless. The feeling I got was that Krakauer wants the world to understand McCandless.

Usually I don't want to know how a book ends before I read it, but Krakauer writes in a way that still allows for some surprises. I also enjoyed, "Into Thin Air," also by Krakauer.

Friends in bookstore places.

Some say it pays to have friends in high places.... I prefer to have friends in bookstore places. You may have noticed if you clicked on the link to my latest read that it has yet to be released. That is because I've got an awesome bookstore connection! My friend Madison hooked me up with the advanced copy of "The Clockwork Angel." My friends who have read Cassandra Clare's previous series "The Mortal Instruments" were all drooling over the book! My two updates for this post prove that I have met my monthly quota of Your Adult Science Fiction. I think I'm craving something a little more mature....

Update Book 58: WAKE my Lisa McMann

I need to be a little less trusting of Amazon.com's "If you liked this, you may enjoy this," recommendation pages. Although "Wake" was entertaining enough, it doesn't match up to the other YA novels I've enjoyed in the past such as "Maze Runner," "Hunger Games" or "Graceling."

The story is of a girl named Janie who gets sucked into people's dreams. The idea is somewhat unique, but the story is incredibly predictable. This makes for a good filler book. Unfortunately it is a trilogy and I will probably read the next two since curiosity always gets the better of me.

Update Book 59: The Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

As I mentioned before, I read Clare's previous trilogy "The Mortal Instruments," and loved them. So I had some pretty high hopes for this one. This series is actually a prequel to "The Mortal Instruments." I really enjoyed this book, but was a little disappointed that all of the characters were basically the same as in her last books, just with different names. This could also be considered a good thing by many readers who would enjoy that. Also, something that bothered me is that on top of vampires, fairies, demons, angels, werewolves, and nephilim they throw in robots that are covered with human flesh. Did I mention this book takes place in London during the late 1800's? Anyways....

Setting aside how predictable this novel is I can say that I honestly enjoyed this book for what it is and can't wait for the next installments!

A few quotes I enjoyed from this book....

"One must always be careful of books, and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us."

"I've never seen anyone get so excited over books before. You'd think they were diamonds."-Will

"Well, they are, aren't they?"-Tessa

Hot town, summer in the city

I used to pride myself on being an every season kind of girl. I liked each one for a different reason, at one point I might have even told you that Winter was my favorite (with skiing, christmas and my birthday.) but, as I've gotten older it has become clear to me that this is no longer true. What I actually enjoy is the changing of the seasons. The first month or so of a season when the air becomes a bit brisk as the leave turn, or theChristmas spirit is in the air, or when everything begins to bloom. The one thing I never get sick of? Summer. Sure, I can image I would hate to live in a world of perpetual July, but I don't think I would mind an extension of the warm months. I guess you could say here in the Pacific Northwest we appreciate good weather a bit more that other places do.

I know I've said all of this before, but I just can't get over how good I've felt since Summer hit! I am actually going to admit that I'm sad to be taking a trip in August. Why we never plan anything for the grey month of January is beyond me! Some favorite photos from Summertime past:

A good Summertime quote:

"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want."

-Bill Watterson, "calvin and Hobbes"

Update Book 57: Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin

I know I already mentioned this book in my summer reading list, but I feel I should expand upon my thoughts. Obviously since I recommended it for a beach read, I liked it.

This is the story of Tessa and Valerie. Tessa is Nick's wife, Valerie is the woman he cheats on his wife with. The chapters switch back and forth between the two women. Sometimes I hate this style, but in this book it was done well. All of Tessa's chapters are from the first person, while Valerie's are from a narrator. I felt that this was an interesting way of writing a novel about infidelity. If it had been only from one of their perspectives it would have been easy to villainize the other. As it is, you (for the most part) understand where both of them are coming from.

Emily Giffin has a way of completely captivating me. Her novels usually involve some sort of infidelity. They are about how difficult a relationship can be and how easy it is to let temptation in. What I enjoy most about her books is that they are quick reads. What's unique is that Giffin also has the ability to make you feel really connected to the characters. I couldn't put this one down.

Farmer's Market

Want to see a perfect Seattle day? Well here ya go!

This is view from Gasworks park. The weather the last few days has been simply marvelous! The fantastic weather made me realize something about myself, I am much happier and productive when the sun is shining. Even if I am inside on sunny days I am a million times more active. In the two days I had off during our hot spirt I organized my entire house, including my closet!

I also spent a lot of times with some of my wonderful friends. On Saturday and Sunday I went to two different Farmer's Markets. The first was in town and I have to say I wish we lived in a society where went to buy fresh produce and baked goods daily from the source rather than from a supermarket where everything has been chemically treated to ripen. At a farmer's market, you know where it comes from and it is fresh. My plan for this week is to make some Vegan Zucchini Bread. I'll share the recipe because it is so stinking delicious it would be a crime not to!

Vegan Zucchini Bread

Preheat oven 325, grease and flour 2 9x5 bread pans

3 cups flour- whole wheat

3 tablespoons flax seed (optional)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon arrowroot powder (optional)

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups shredded zucchini

First bowl: whisk together flour, salt, flax seed, soda, cinnamon, baking powder, and arrowroot.

Second bowl: mix together applesauce, sugars, oil, and vanilla until smooth. Add Zucchini

Fold both together.

Divide between pans.

Bake 50ish minutes until your toothpick is clean (in my oven this is more like 70 minutes.)

Cool in pans for 10 minutes the on a wire rack.

My second market experience was the Sunday Fremont Flea Market. Part farmer's market, part swap meet. I always enjoy my time in Fremont. One of the booths is full of furniture and other household items that have been antiqued in funky colors . I love it! Every time I go there I fall in love with something! The best way to describe it would be "Shabby Chic." Think Florals, antiques, distressed, and classic.

Update Book 56: Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood

I'm not sure that I could accurately describe this book without giving away a majority of the plot twist and ending. So here is what I will say: This book is about love, forgiveness, guilt, life and death. Most of the time it was predictable but a very enjoyable easy to read book. In about two weeks you will be able to see Zac Ephron in the title role on the big screen. I'll let you know what I think of the adaptation. I'm hoping it will be one of those rare book/movie experiences where I can enjoy them both individually.

Summer Reading.

Oprah has a lot of really great ideas. Along with her "Declaration of Reader Independence," she also came up a list of 26 books you should read this summer. Ok, so maybe a summer reading list isn't the most original idea, but I was still inspired. We all know how much I love making lists, so here is a Summer Reading list that I made up to celebrate the first few warm days here in the Pacific Northwest.

A book you probably cliff noted in high school:

The Great Gatsby.

This book is simple and complicated all at the same time. All in all it is a beautiful novel and one of my favorites. It also doesn't hurt to imagine Robert Redford in the title role.

An edge of your seat mystery:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

I don't have much experience with mysteries, but I really enjoyed this one. I've heard from several fellow readers that the ensuing novels in this series only get better. I can't wait!

Books to to steal from a teenager:

The Hunger Games.

This is a series (next installment out August 24th). They are brutal and wonderful all at the same time. You will not be able to put these books down.

The Book Thief.

This book moved me like no other novel has come close to doing. The concept is brilliant and the emotions are so real that at times I was overwhelmed.

Something old:

Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre.

Read them both, be impressed that novels written so long ago can still capture readers like they were written today, then decide which sister you think is the better writer (I prefer Charlotte).

Something true:

Fly Boys.

When I originally read it I dubbed it a 'boy book,' but beyond that, this was an awesome book that tells a very important story.

On the beach:

Love the One You're With.

I've loved every book that I have read by Emily Giffin. She tells a good story. At times they are predictable, but that is usually what I look for in a good summer beach read. "Something Borrowed" and "Heart of the Matter" are also 'cantputdownable' carefree books by Giffin.

On a plane:

Ella Minnow Pea.

There are three important things to take into consideration when you are choosing a book for travel, 1. it is light-weight, paperback, less than 500 pages. 2. You aren't embarrassed by the front cover, nor the content just incase someone peeks over your shoulder. 3. It is a good conversation piece. This books hits all the marks! Light, easy read with some good wholesome yet intriguing content.

Something to inspire you:

The Alchemist.

Seriously, if it doesn't then there might just be something wrong with you. The theme is simple, it is never too late to follow your life's dream. Get lost in the feeling this fable gives you.

Well my list isn't nearly as long as Oprah's, but I think it is a good start to your summer reading! Enjoy! Also, I'm looking for some fun new summer reads so start your own list and send it my way!

Update Book 55: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

A classic mystery. Although it wasn't one of my favorites, it was interesting to read and organized in a very unique way. This is the story of Hercule Poirot, an international detective. A murder occurs halfway through his train journey. Because the train had been blocked by a snow drift, only the 13 passengers in the coach can be suspected of the crime. The information is given in a very clean-cut sort of way, there are even diagrams included. There was quite the twist involved towards the end, making this a pretty difficult mystery to figure out.

Agatha Christie is the most published writer of all time. She wrote over 80 novels. As far as I know, this is her most famous. The thing with writers who publish so many books is that their books tend to just be good, not fantastic. Take Nora Roberts or Jamer Patterson for example. They just whip out books every few months. Their books are enjoyable (most of the time), but never deep. Luckily I found "Murder on the Orient Express" to be delightful.

Sunshine and Vampires.

I am blogging in the sunshine! Sitting in my back yard, listing to the creek that runs just behind my house. There isn't a cloud in the sky. Today is supposed to be warmer than yesterday. All I can think is "Welcome summer! We've been waiting for you, and not so patiently I might add." I can truly enjoy the weather today because my lawn is mowed. I know in the past I've complained that laundry is my least favorite chore, but I must admit that it has been bumped from that list by lawn mowing. Mostly because I share part of the green stuff with my neighbor, so whenever he cuts his down, I look like a slacker. Also because conditions have to be near perfect for me to even consider getting the mower out. Not too hot, not too cold, and the glass can't be too wet. So needless to say when I finally get around to it, the grass tends to be around knee length. But! last week the conditions were near perfect and so today I can soak up some rays (with some sunscreen on of course) and enjoy my little backyard of tranquility. As always I seem to have amassed several books to update you on! Even though it has been a whirlwind of a few weeks where sleep has barely ever reached the recommended eight hours, I have still been reading like a mad woman! We can celebrate passing the 50 book mark and the 182 day mark! Where has this year gone?!!!

Update Book 54: The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

You know when you are driving down the street and all of a sudden you think to yourself, "I don't remember anything about this drive. How did I get here?!" You aren't sleeping or having a seizure, you are just spacing out. You've made the trip so many times that you just forgot to pay attention. I'm sure that if you needed to react to a traffic situation you could have, but for the most part you are just going through the motions. This happened to me last week as I was driving to my brother's house to see my baby nephew. Instead of keeping on the highway, I made the turn to my parent's house completely out of habit. This is how I feel about my reading experience with Stephenie Meyer's new novella. I read it because I was on my way to see the newest in the Twilight Saga, "Eclipse." For all the excitement I received from reading it, I could have been asleep at the wheel. I was just going through the motions. It wasn't well written, nor did it add to my "Twilight" experience. Basically it was a waste of time. At 178 pages I even considered not adding it to my list. I decided to just because I felt cheated out of the time I could have been spending reading something of substance.

After watching the movie (Yes I went on opening night. I received free tickets, so how could I not?!). My cousin and I decided that this book was written for the sole purpose of having the movie make sense. If Stephenie Meyer hadn't published it, the director would surely have been criticized for taking such liberty with the original story.

All of this being said, when I originally read the books I was smitten! I loved the original "Twilight" novels and would recommend them. I think what has happened here is an author became too famous and thinks her work is more important than it really is. But alas, I contributed by purchasing this book.

I Capture the Castle.

Welcome to the world Mr. Callen James Michelson! My handsome nephew was born June 24th.

(isn't he just the cutest?!)

It is kind of silly that I thought I would get a ton of reading done while waiting at the hospital! This didn't happen because most of my time I spent there was between the hours of 4 am and 1 pm. Three hours of sleep does not equal a reading state of mind. But! I did manage to get through one novel! I've also been too busy to keep up with my monthly goal of writing ten blogs... I guess I will have to aim for that goal again in July!

I am feeling sort of random and would like to mention the weather. Mostly how ridiculous it is that tomorrow is the first day of July and I am still wearing jeans and a sweatshirt! What is going on here?! I am so ready for SUNSHINE!! Now we hope for an Indian summer I suppose...

Update Book 53: I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

There is a book I stumbled across at the beginning of this year called "The Reading Group." The book is about a book club. It is divided into twelve chapters that correspond to the twelve books the club reads in that year. I want to read this book. It is sitting on my shelf. I can't read this book until I have read all of the books that they talk about in those twelve chapters. This is sort of the same situation as seeing a movie before reading the book. Needless to say, "I Capture the Castle," is one of those twelve books.

This book is very different from most of the novels I have picked up recently. It takes place in England shortly after the war (no not another WWII novel, in fact it doesn't even mention the war). "I Capture the Castle," is narrated by a young girl of 17 named Cassandra, whose family lives in a small village castle. This is the story of her first love.

At times I felt like the book dragged along. Sometimes when you read a book that was written fifty or a hundred years ago you barely notice, it is so well written and interesting that you become a part of the narration. That wasn't so with this book. I never became connected, I was always aware that the story took place in a much different time. Not my favorite book of the last 53, but not my least favorite either. I will say this about it though; there were a few twists that I didn't see coming, which is something I always enjoy.

Declaration of Reader Independence.

Since Oprah did it, I figured I should do it too! In the July issue of O Magazine, Oprah gives a list of 26 favorite books of the summer. The list includes everything from thrillers, young adults, historical novels, to contemporary stories. Since July is the month we celebrate our independence, Oprah encouraged book lovers to create this: A Declaration of Reader Independence. I've said it before and I'll say it again, reading is an extremely personal experience. This is why I like Oprah's idea so much. We often think we should enjoy the books that other people enjoy, but reading is not a team sport, we are allowed to make up our own rules in deciding what we want to read and not read. Since I like making lists so much, this seems to be more of a Reader's Bill of Rights (some of these ideas are directly borrowed from O!)

1. Not finish a book. Doesn't matter how far I am into it, if it gets into the way of my goal, I can put it down! (Probably going to be really hard for me to do! but still....)

2. Not read the book before seeing the movie. Of course this means I probably wont read the book, but every once in awhile it is nice to not hate a movie because the book was so much better!

3. Read multiple books at the same time. Sometimes you don't want to admit to everyone passing you on the ferry that you like reading young adult fiction or romance novels. I judge other people by what they read, so I can't be mad when they judge me.

4. Reread a childhood favorite. I'm going to keep on doing this! I read a lot of great books when I was little.

5. Judge a book by its cover, title, author, or genre. Feel free to admit this one, because everyone does it. Even when they pretend they don't.

6. Not read (or want to read) every classic. Ulysses might be on the top of many book-bucket-lists, but I'm probably never going to even attempt to conquer it.

7. Not like a book that was recommended to me... and be honest to the recommender.

8. Get annoyed when I recommend a book to someone and they don't like it. If it was a personal favorite, question our friendship....

9. Not finish a series of books because they have steadily become monotonous and boring. This also means it is OK not to read every book by an author. Even if you loved one, it doesn't mean they will all be as good.

"10. Believe that books can be magic carpets to enchanted lands, even while realizing that they're inanimate objects made of ink and paper."-O

Ella Minnow Pea... Q R S T U V W X Y and Z.

Update Book 52: Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

Say it out loud with me now: Ella....Minnow....Pea. Cute right?! This is a book written in letters about letter. The story is about the fictional island of Nollop off the coast of South Carolina, named for the author of a pangram (vocab word of the day meaning: a phrase, sentence or verse composed of all the letter of the alphabet). Nollop penned the infamous sentence:

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

The island of Nollop has immortalized this sentence in monument form on a hill above their city (think HOLLYWOOD). When Letters begin falling off of the monument the high council of the island rules that it is their dear Mr. Nollop who, speaking from the grave, is telling them to stop using that letter. The consequences of using the letters are very strict. The first to fall is the little used "Z*" followed by Scrabble killer "Q." When "D" tumbles and vowels make their way down, things go from terrible to worse.

I should mention that the islanders have an impressive vocabulary. They are a civilization based on the use of fancy words. This is a brilliant book, written entirely through letters by the censored island inhabitants. It was so interesting to see how, as each letter was removed from use, they chose to express themselves. This is a novel for word lovers. It is quick and witty. The message of "Ella Minnow Pea" is that an unchecked government can become oppressive (also a few notes on religion and cults.)

What I loved about this book is that it is so different! What an interesting idea for a book. Obviously Dunn is something of a wordsmith to so carefully weave a story that slowly eliminates letters from use. I fully recommend this novel to anyone who is up for a bit of a vocabulary challenge!

Also an interesting note, this book was recommended to me by the girl who sat next to me during jury duty. It was not available at Barnes and Noble so I had to special order it. I'm glad I made that leap of faith! Book recommendations from new sources are always appreciated!

*Just a quick note: t I used the "little used letter-Z" a grand total of NINE times in this post including the title.

Focus.

I've never been able to keep a journal or a diary. I might last a week or two, stop for a year start for three days then stop, it seems to be the cycle for me. Which is really a shame because it is so much fun to look back on how you felt at a given instant. How you think/feel about something can change from day to day. The thing is, I've never had the patience to keep up with it. When I started this blog, I almost promised I would tire of it soon enough. But a funny thing happened, I really enjoy it. So I plan to keep it up, most likely after the first 365 days and 100 books.

I wanted to go back and find all of my secondary resolution to create a six month update so I skimmed through all of my past posts. It was interesting to read what has changed, what has stayed the same, what I forgot, how I've succeeded or how I've failed. So here is an update to those resolutions (to be honest, some of them I had forgotten about).

Doing something out-of-character.

This was my first weekly goal. I don't remember how this worked out. I never posted about it. So I've decided to add it to this week's resolution. Why not?! There are no rules here!

Shorter shower times.

Since I made this resolution my monthly Puget Sound Energy bill has steadily had a smaller column on the bar graph. There are of course other reasons for this including the fact that we are almost into Summer. I don't always time them, but it really helps keep me in gear during the mornings.

Be on time.

I think I've definitely improved in this section. No major late arrivals. I've also realized that when I'm on time I get even more annoyed when people are late. I'm pretty sure it is one of the rudest things you can do. Since I don't think of myself as a rude person, I'm still going to try my hardest to keep this one up.

Wake up and put a smile on my face and tell myself I'm going to have an extraordinary day. No matter what!

Ok. Harder than you would think. I don't like lying and not every day is going to be so very extraordinary. BUT! A positive attitude helps anything! So to update: this one needs work. I've woken up pretty often lately with a woe is me attitude.

Give up swearing.

Nope. Not gonna happen. Worked for about half a day. Maybe less. The truth is I like swearing. Don't give me that look! Sometimes it is sooooo very necessary. I don't use them when it is inappropriate so I'm giving this up as a resolution.

Get organized.

Also a fail. Google calendar would have saved me. If I had an iphone. But I don't. I kept forgetting to update it with appointments, so it became almost useless. I still use it for Theatre stuff, but for personal stuff I've nixed it. I need to carry a planner. I need to visualize. I need to write it down. I need to be able to flip to next week and see what is coming up wherever I am not just at home on my computer.

Start a book club.

Success! Well sort of. I did start a book club. We've had two meetings about two books. But I'm nervous for our future! Two of the girls didn't finish the second book and we've delayed book three's meeting. I guess we are more of a book every two months club. I have faith in C.A.K.E club. I think once Carly has the baby and Katy finishes her interview prep we will start to have more regular meetings. At least I hope! I've so enjoyed these meetings!

So wow! Success and failure. I have some work to do! I also need to revisit my Happiness Commandments. I need to also think about making more resolutions (weekly/monthly/yearly/life.) So here we go!

Weekly: Don't eat any chocolate/ice cream/pastries from work!

Monthly: Have a total of ten blogs completed by July 1.

Update Book 51: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia

I like getting obsessed with books. I like feeling like I can't put them down. Usually the teen-supernatural books totally get to me. I don't know why, but I eat them up! Twilight, Hunger Games, and Mortal Instruments to name a few! I liked "Beautiful Creatures." It was pretty good, but I didn't get hooked. I could take it or leave it. I'm not mad I read it, but I feel like something was missing.

Most of the time these types of novels are written from the perspective on the girl. This has sometimes frustrated me. The way the main characters end up falling for each other has never made sense. You never really understand why the guy (Edward in Twilight for instance) would fall for the girl (Bella). Well "Beautiful Creatures" puts a new spin on things. The narrator is Ethan, who is a mortal, who falls in love with Lena, a Castor (also known as a witch). The reason they come together is explained by an electric/magnetic connection between them. Which means it wasn't really explained. I thought there could have been a better story here, but if you are looking for an in-between book before all the teen-sequels come out at the end of Summer pick up "Beautiful Creatures."

Don't say I didn't warn you that this is a BOOK ONE. Which you almost have to expect when you pick up a teen book these days.

It's all down hill from here.

"It's all downhill from here." Isn't that a funny saying? It is supposed to mean that you have reached the crest of the hill and are on the easier journey down. In reality walking down a steep slope can sometimes be harder than climbing up it. Usually when I'm on hikes it is on the downhill trek that I take tumbles or almost sprain an ankle. So that is where I am right now, I've made it to the crest of the hill and have started my journey down. Seems like an appropriate time to make some updates about resolutions (especially the ones I've been ignoring in recent month's posts.) So here goes!

Starting with the biggies:

#1: Be Fearless....No matter what, don't be afraid to do anything that makes me happy.

This is by far the hardest of my resolutions to tangibly judge my success. Am I happy? Yes. Am I always happy? No. I've found that sometimes when I step out of my box and be fearless it doesn't always end with me being happy. I guess that is why the entire resolution sentence doesn't really make sense. The whole point of trying to be fearless rests on the fact that you might end up pretty unhappy with your decision. So after all that rambling I can say that I have attempted to be more fearless since the beginning of the year, sometimes it has made me happy, sometimes not so much. Hows that for a vague update on a vague resolution?!

#2: Travel more.

A slightly less vague resolution, with a simple update! Arizona for a week in April. We had a blast! I'd say right now I'm about even with how much I traveled last year. But! I am beginning to count down the days until our North Sea/ Baltic Sea Cruise in August! I also want to plan a camping trip again this year! My Dad and I went down the Oregon Coast last September and had a blast!

(Phoenix International Raceway)

#3: Read 100 books.

The one resolution that I feel I've kept you in the loop! Just finished book 51 last night. My pace has really fell off in recent weeks, but I am still ahead of schedule! I wish I could take a solid week off of work and sit in my backyard next to the creek and just read read read!

#4: Drink more water.

Also known as: drink less soda. This is the one resolution I thought I would have the hardest time with! After the first couple of weeks of getting out of the habit of grabbing a soda, it got a lot easier. I only crave the carbonation every once in a while. It has helped that I no longer stock my fridge with the 36 pack of Diet Dr. Pepper from Costco.

In my next post I'll include updates on my secondary resolutions.

Update Book 50: The Sky is Falling by Kit Pearson

This is another entry into the Kid Lit section! I loved this series when I was about 12 years old. I discovered Kit Pearson while on a camping trip in Langley, British Columbia. We had walked through the town and found the cutest book store. I don't remember exactly, but I think I must have purchased the entire series that day. Pearson is a Canadian writer, which at the time didn't mean anything to me. That was until I went to find other books she had written. This was in the time before Amazon.com when we really didn't trust buying things on the internet. So I was devastated when I couldn't just go into Barnes and Noble to pick up any more of her books! I can't remember if we had to special order the others or if we picked them up on our next trip north, but I went on to read more by Pearson (and I loved them all). In each of her books I felt like I was the main character. When I originally read these (I reread them that same summer) I was so completely captivated. That is how all books should be.

At some point these books all disappeared from my bookshelf, so I had to again search. This time around it was as easy as a few clicks and it arrived on my doorstep.

I still enjoyed the books with my adult eyes, but they are honestly written for a young girl who is just on the brink of being a teenager. I wouldn't recommend it to my twenty something friends, but I would to a girl who is about 11 years old. These books are timeless.

"The Sky is Falling," is the story of the English children, Norah and Gavin. They are 'guests of war' in Canada during the Second World War. Norah is ten and Gavin is only five when they make the journey from England to Canada. The story is from the perspective of Norah who has an incredibly difficult time fitting into her new surroundings. The ensuing books go on to tell about their life in the following years during the war, and finally the difficulty of leaving after the war was over.