september book challenge

i'm not going to lie... i've already read 3 books that were on the challenge. i couldn't help it since mockingjay just came out and so did i am number four. the third book: the declaration, i am going to use as my first book and i'm glad i finished it early so i could have time to write my first ever review. never done it before so i hope i'm not horrible at it. i've been trying to read other peoples ways of reviewing so i hope it helps. any tips?


Aug 29-Sept 4: The Declaration 
Sept 5-11: Mockingjay
Sept 12-18: Uglies
Sept 19-25: Can You Keep A Secret?
Sept 26-Oct 2: I Am Number Four

The Thoughts of a Book Junky!'s first weeks giveaway is: Shadow Hills.
So to enter you have to write a review of your first book and link it to that post by the 5th. 


Looking Forward to:
Pillars of the Earth
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Can You Keep A Secret?

Reading Now:
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Books Finished:
Desecration
Dead Until Dark
What No One Tells the Bride
The Remnant
Harry potter 7

Sisters Grimm

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Short Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

I Am number Four by Pitticus Lore

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

The Declaration by Gemma Malley

16/25 books in 2010!

i'll be back

the rest of this week i'm out of here!

on to the shore

and reading this:

finally

Recommended

So my library is pretty cool.

It has this cool feature where you can send a librarian a list of the books you love and they can recommend new books for you to try.... awesomeness.

This is what I got back:

I think you might like Feed, by M.T. 
Anderson.  It takes place in a future in which computers are implanted in 
humans, and there is a constant "feed" of advertisements and entertainment 
coming through.  Titus is the main character, and he's able to function well in 
that society, but when he befriends a young woman who can't, he has some tough 
choices to make.
 
Another possibility might be the series by George R. R. Martin, A Song of Ice 
and Fire, which starts with A Game of Thrones.  It takes place in a kingdom 
where the seasons are decades long due to climactic change, and several families 
are competing for the throne.  It's more epic than most of the other titles you 
said you liked, but since you had Philippa Gregory listed, this might be a good 
combination of the drama of the royal families and the compelling writing of the 
science fiction writers you mentioned.
 
Another post-apocalyptic novel is Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow, is about a 
17-year-old named Marcus who gets picked up by the Department of Homeland 
Security after a terrorist attack on San Francisco.  When he's finally released, 
the country has become a police state, and Marcus decides to fight back.
 
Genesis, by Bernard Beckett, sounds like another good one.  It takes place on an 
island at the bottom of the globe that was the only place that stayed stable 
after the ravages of the 21st century.  A young woman is trying to get into the 
Academy, but finds that not everything is what it seems.  One review describes 
the end as a "crushing final twist."
 
Also, have you read Uglies, by Scott Westerfield?  It's about a society in which 
everyone gets surgery at the age of 16 to become beautiful.  Tally, the main 
character, is required to spy on a group of teens that have escaped to avoid the 
surgery, otherwise she will remain "ugly" herself.  As she gets more involved 
with the group, she makes some grim discoveries.
 
A series that I found really compelling, but is historical fiction, rather than 
post-apocalyptic, is the Margaret of Ashbury series, by Judith Merkle Riley.  
The first one is A Vision of Light, in which a 14th-century woman is inspired to 
write her memoirs, only she can't write.  So with some effort, she finds a 
desperate monk who is willing to be her scribe, whom she tells the story of 
discovering her healing powers, which also get her accused of being a witch.  
It's quite a page-turner, and if you like it, there are more in the series.
 
Another historical fiction novel is Through a Glass Darkly, by Karleen Koen.  
It's the story of a young woman in 18th century England, who's parents marry her 
off to a man 26 years older than she is.  While she is thrilled, but her husband 
has ulterior motives for the match, and soon she comes to a crossroad that will 
alter her life.
 
Finally, have you read anything by Tracy Chevalier?  She's the author of The 
Girl with a Pearl Earring and The Lady and the Unicorn.  She's a tremendous 
historical fiction writer, and those two books imagine the stories behind 
Vermeer painting and the tapestry that hangs in the Cluny Museum in France.

Read any? 

i'll be the first to say it...

i'm horrible at blogging.

when i have writers block (which is all the time) i can't find a reason to write.

i have been married now for 2 weeks. woohoo! but marriage doesn't really start until your honeymoon ends (thats how i see it) because your honeymoon is nothing like what real life is like together. 

and its going great.

things i love:
-having a house
-having someone to sleep with (yes i waited until marriage)
-everything that comes with a house:
    -couches
    -tv
    -an actual kitchen (i have lived on a floor with no real kitchen, just a room with a microwave and fridge)
    -a queen bed (awesomeness)
    -having more than one room where i can put my stuff and live in... like an office
-living with my husband and being able to hang out past a curfew of 11 (i lived at my church as a resident at a girls house and the girls and boys couldn't be out past 11)
-my kitty Puma


things i don't like
-cooking
-keeping up on groceries

things i didn't think i'd like but i do:
-cleaning


We decided on having 2 honeymoons since i had to be home after 5 days to finish the school year. my second honeymoon is to Hawaii and we are pumped! only 1 more day until we leave

Books:
I finished a whole bunch of books that i didn't think i would: Breaking Dawn, Harry Potter 7, Short Life of Bree Tanner, and the Sisters Grimm and almost finished with The White Queen (Phillipa Gregory)

Looking Forward to:
Eclipse
The Red Queen and anything else by Phillipa Gregory

Reading Now:
Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver

Books Finished:
Desecration
Dead Until Dark
What No One Tells the Bride
The Remnant
Harry potter 7

Sisters Grimm

Breaking Dawn

Short Life of Bree Tanner

I just joined a Book Club with my friends and one of them is writing about it over at: Reading Under the Influence
Right now we are reading Prodigal Summer. Maybe i'll do a review.
When its my turn I'm not sure what book to choose since it should be one everyone hasn't read yet...  
does the blog world have any ideas to share??please!

8/25 books in 2010!

...

Here's my updated To Do list:


-buy and make bridesmaid gifts got the picture frames... 50% done
-get shoes, veil, and underthings for wedding day hopefully Sat!
-figure out make-up/skin routine eh
-go tanning once a week 1st session today!
-figure out out of town bags eh.. do i really have to??
-to wax or not to wax that is the question (legs and underarms)
-finish thank you notes only like 10 more left!
-ask friend to play music during the ceremony check!
-get a hotel room for wedding night
-get a ride from wedding to new york hotel someone surprised us!
-get ideas for my bachelorette party Sing Sing here we come
-find a substitute for my Preschool/Kindergarten class while I'm gone check
-buy and make favors bought!
-book rehearsal dinner place check!
-make and send out rehearsal invitations check! (done by motherinlaw)
-ask people to read at the ceremony
-pick out songs and our wedding song reception songs done!
-shop for honeymoon stuff
-seating chart
-list of people coming


In other news: i finished a book... by finished i mean i skimmed the last few pages because i just haven't been able to get into it and it was due back in the library...

Now i need a couple of books to bring for plane reading..... hmmm...
maybe eclipse since the movie is almost out and i dont remember what happens..

Books Finished:
Desecration
Dead Until Dark
What No One Tells the Bride
The Remnant

4/25 books in 2010!

Books I'm Reading:

Harry Potter 7 on CD - i listened to it all the way to CT and back and it was awesome. almost done.
Catching Fire - kinda on the backburner
The Remnant - trying to finish quickly so it can go back to the library

Books I want to Read:
The Constant Princess

Can't Wait For:
Mockingjay
The Sisters Grimm
Bitterblue

Movies I can't Wait to See:
The BackUp Plan
Oceans
How to Train Your Dragon
Harry Potter 7
Eclipse

Getting Married in: 32 days... holy crap. where did the time go? it was just 5 months ago and i was saying how slow it was taking to get there and now all of a sudden i have no time and its going fast!
i have a ton of things that i wish i had started last month, like working out, getting bridesmaids gifts, and all of my extra wedding day attire...

Book List and wedding plans ago

So I'm done with #3 of my 25 books and i can't wait to get started on my new ones:

The Constant Princess

The Remnant

Books to Read:
The Constant Princess
The Remnant
The Red Queen
GoneAmong the Hidden
The Giver
Life as We Knew ItUnwind
Exodus
The Sky Inside
Turnabout
Haroun and the Sea of Stories

Books Finished:
Desecration
Dead Until Dark
What No One Tells the Bride

I realize that since i'm so close to getting married maybe i should be talking about whats going on with the planning... to be quite honest - its been at a stand still. i just got done with holy week service and this weekend i am hosting my sister in laws wedding shower: jack and jill style. i'm a little nervous because not alot of the young guys want to come but a bunch of the husbands do.. so we'll see how that goes.
there have been some bumps along the road, like me not being involved in some of the planning even tho i'm the host... but alls good now. invitations were sent out.. a little late but i had my own invitations to be pushed out since i wasted time... procrastinator till the very end.
its a beach/paradise theme. so i bought cute decor like leaves, hibiscus fringe, leis, and one very important centerpiece:

fishbowls with fish. oh yea.

my sister in law wanted them for her actual wedding and that idea got vetoed so i wanted to make her happy. i hope i can get these fish and keep them alive for the shower.

tomato bisque, chicken salad, cake... what can i say but that it'll be a great night.

since there is only one other bridesmaid that lives near me and the bride to be, we are the only ones that will be there to host. so i gave the bridesmaid one job: find games. only come to find out that brides mom (my mother in law) hates bridal games and told her no games..... uh what?

so i'll be doing some damage control thurs when i meet up with said bridesmaid. the joy of being the maid of honor.. i guess i should look forward to the fact that i'll be the matron of honor in may.

anyone else have this much to deal with when wedding planning?

3/25 books read in 2010!

update

Book Update:



Finished: What No One Tells the Bride & The Mark (Left Behind series)



Still Reading: Desecration & Catching Fire & Dead Until Dark



Awesome, 2 down, 23 to go.

So the stomach flu is a doozy... headaches, cramps, nauseousness, fever, and i wont even go into the embarrassing parts. I was on my way to having a great weekend at home (CT) with my family and getting wedding stuff done when bam... stomach flu. not cool... not cool.

I did however get a pretty funny story to tell from my airport ride home to Pitt....

I was flying with a friend and while i had fallen asleep a Flight Attendent asked a woman to put on her seat belt during the flight, its FDA regulations. The woman's response? Why?
um.... really lady? why? oh i dont know... because its the law.... if we hit turbulance you wont go flying....
anyways. the flight attendent continued to tell her she is just doing her job and that she is required to have it on... so instead of just listening to her she says:
can i have your name please?
what? lady are you serious? the flight attendent says i gave it to u at the beginning of the flight, please put your seat belt on. the lady's response?
can i have your name?
at this point my friend is thinking to herself.. you're kidding me right? just put the dumb seat belt on!
so in the end the flight attendent leaves and the lady puts her seat belt on....


now on the way off the plan i end up behind her. she stops the line and asks the lady for her name again... seriously....
but i'm glad the male flight attendent behind her backed her up and firmly told the lady.. we dont give out our names now please step off the plane you are blocking the exit.

ridiculous.... and funny. plane rides are usually boring... but not this one!

sorry if the story was long and not funny.. welcome to my life.

2/25 books read in 2010!

what i'm reading now:

I haven't had any inspiration to write in my blog until now:

On my walk to the library, which is like 2 blocks away from where i work, i noticed that today is the warmest day where i live since 6 months ago. so nice infact that i decided to walk to the library (2 weeks ago i drove my car... yes just 2 blocks) and my coat was indeed unzipped... lovely

On my walk back to school, i remembered seeing on thenest.com all of the chat forums how people had decided to make a reading goal for 2010. i've wanted to make one but just didnt think i'd make it even tho i read a ton every year. so better late then never.. my goal for 2010 is to read 25 books... or 50... i dunno we'll see how far i get.

I'm in the midst of reading like 10 books:

The Mark (i just started today)

What No One Tells the Bride (just started reading yesterday)(a married friend let me borrow it)

Catching Fire (for the millionth time)

Dead Until Dark

ok only 4 books. but all at once... yes. why? i can't stop myself from starting a book when i get caught up in the world. i wanted my goal to say that i had to read 25 new books that i've never read before but i love rereading my old books so much that that just wouldn't happen.

so here is a goal that i know i can accomplish in 2010... and since i made it easy to change from 25 to 50 i feel like it will be a great year where i'll finally set a goal and get it done! go me!
I could also set a goal to be married by the end of the year but that would be cheating....

reading

I love to read... anytime, anywhere:

hmm, i'm in the same position. apparently i like to read in my bathing suit and plop right down in my chair and not move on vacations..

again with the bathing suit...


finally! i knew i read in more than a bathing suit:

i want to do a project that involves reading books..... any suggestions?

anyone out there?


oh look, i caught him reading for the first time (he hates reading).... maybe my love of reading rubbed off on him.. hehehe