That's Sew Mandy: Reads

The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels... A Love Story

2011-06-01T18:16:00.000-07:00

Oooooooooh-Kay Ree... could you pick a longer title for your next book?! LMAO!

So this might just go down as my favourite read of all time for two reasons...

1) I love ChickLit when it's well written... and this is a really well written book. Not dry, not drawn out... just perfect

2) I love non-fiction... that's right, it's a true story.

So, I should tell you a little about this story. Way back when I started university and moved away, I found myself wondering what to make for dinner (which we call supper... and so does Ree!). I found a lovely little blog that had some recipes on it... it was called the Pioneer Woman Cooks and at the time it was a separate blog from her main blog that told about her life.

She's a city girl. Grew up on a golf-course... daughter of a doctor... went to college... became a vegetarian... you got the picture... right? Well, she met a cowboy... a cattle ranger that loved beef. She moved to a secluded farm, married the farmer, eats beef, and raises their four children on the farm... all the while cooking gourmet meals, homeschooling, and photographing her surroundings. She's like a super-human, super-mom and that's the way she loves it! But... she's oddly down to earth and you can tell from her blog, the way she writes and everything.

The book is about how she met, fell in love and married her husband... who she simply calles Marlboro Man. I read elsewhere that his name is Ladd Drummond but never once does she ever call him Ladd.

I'd suggest visiting her blog. For the food, for the pictures, for the family and for the great reading. P.S. she has a load of giveaway's too :)

Oh yeah, she also has another website called Tasty Kitchen... it's full of submitted recipes... like a giant cookbook for everyone. Seriously has everything... it's called a cooking community. Seriously, check it out too!

Anyway, pick up this book today for great summer reading. Also check out her websites as they are just awesome :)

Reading Hiatus --> OVER :)

2011-05-20T07:35:00.000-07:00

It seems it has been months since I've posted.

It's been months since I read for pleasure. Well a novel anyway. I've read probably 30 quilting books and at least 10 recipe books but I don't review those. Maybe I should... at least I'd have something noteworthy on this blog.

I haven't been living on my own since September and I've been finding it difficult to find quality alone and quiet reading time. It took me a while to realize that's why I haven't been reading. I use to typically read after supper (usually before and after the dishes) sometimes before bed and always as a study break. A chapter in a book is a great break from studying.

I'm not a student anymore... no more study breaks. I don't own my own place anymore (SO and I are staying with family while we're establishing ourselves in a new community, away from University) and there's a toddler in our home. She requires lots of attention from everyone in our home!

But, I'm happy to report I'll be back soon with a reading update! I've finished my first book for 2011 and I actually think it's my favourite book of all time. Truly an awesome read... it married my two favourite genres... non-fiction and chick-lit. I'll tell ya'll about it soon :)

A great Summer read...

2010-09-13T21:14:00.000-07:00

that literally took all summer.

Not because it was boring or long... in fact it was quite the opposite! With the finishing of degrees and packing, moving and un-packing (which continues to this day) reading and sewing have gone to the back burners.

Emily Giffin wrote another beautiful book. I have only one of hers left to read and she has quickly become my favourite author.

Her stories are always believable... like it could be happening in the house next door. In contrast to another favourite author of mine, Sophie Kinsella who has fanatical characters and plots that women dream about, Giffin's plots are not so out of the realm of usual to believe. They're fun, heart wrenching and entertaining all at the same time.

If can picture Dr. Russo, his wife, the other woman and their children. I bet that last sentence told you everything and nothing about this book! I recommend it as a great read. It still isn't my favourite by her but it's still a beautifully written story and I always love it when a book leaves you to wonder what happens next.

I particularly liked how the tense changed from chapter to chapter... it is written from the 1st person and 3rd person perspective depending on which character is in focus at the time. The chapters oscillate from the woman's perspectives and it is a great read. Although it took me a few chapters to get use to the style... it was a great choice in the end IMO.

Up next is Charlie St. Cloud... I'll let you know how it turns out... so far I'm 100 pages in and underwhelmed by the whole thing... very Nick Sparks in flavour... which isn't so much my flavour!

Wtching some Movies

2010-07-27T09:04:00.000-07:00

Because I haven't had much time to pleasure read lately, I've been watching movies when I get the chance...

I watched Precious which was a great movie! I can't say it was better than the book but it's worth seeing.

I watched Dear John... I liked it BETTER than the book... but I'm not a huge Sparks fan so the movie was wonderful. You really should watch it!

I also saw My Sister's Keeper. It was only ok.... I'm going to read the book because I think the book will be better.

Oh and... I FINALLY SAW ECLIPSE IN THE THEATRE! Freeking awesome... if you haven't seen it yet, you have to! Really, I mean it! It was my favourite movie in the series and I can't believe I have to wait a year and a half to see the next one... and two years to see the last one. Yikes!

Update Time... even if it's not about books :)

2010-07-24T09:01:00.000-07:00

I've been really bogged down with school work and moving and having family visit. I'm reading just not a lot right now... or not stuff that I'd call pleasure reading (ie text books!). So, I have been playing around with the Blogger Platform a little

I now have an RSS feed... which I didn't know how it worked or anything about it until today! I hope if you're using a reader you'll find this helpful for visiting me :) Next I'm going to figure out how to implement the subscribe to have the most recent post emailed to you option... but I'm still learning and just happy to have learned this much :) Just click the button on the side!

I have added a link to my Facebook account. I recently set-up a new Facebook account for only my blogging friends. I will post all my quilting pictures and keep in touch there. I like it much better than Twitter... I tried Twitter before and it's just not for me! So If you and I aren't friends on Facebook yet... click on the button to the left!

I created a BlogFrog community for That's Sew Mandy readers.... I'm not sure I'll keep this one up but I figered I'd give it a shot and see how it all works... we'll see what happens! Check it out and let me know what you think

I added LinkedWithin to my blog so new readers might be enticed to jump around and stay a while. It's free and I kinda like it! I've seen several other bloggers use it and I figured why not give it a try too?!

I've also created an about Mandy page at the top and streamlined the look of the blog a little by deleting my profile badge.

Hope you enjoy the new features! I'll be back with a book review soon I hope :)

Mitch Albom... the love hate relationship...

2010-06-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

Well I just finished 'have a little faith' by Mitch Albom. It was confusing and dry until you hit the middle... then it flowed beautifully. I usually love true stories and I thought this wouldn't be an exception... I give it a 3.5/5. It wasn't my most favourite read but I'd definitely recommend you read it.... just for the insight.

It is inspiring and touching. It's also short, choppy and a little disconnected. I would have liked to know more about I Am My Brother's Keeper Ministries and more about the Reb.

One thing I will say is 10% of proceeds from the book go to a charity "A Hole in the Roof Foundation" Even if you don't buy the book (if your able) you can donate directly on the link above.

This book left me with mixed feelings just like 'five people you meet in heaven'. It was an ok read too.

Push: Sapphire

2010-06-17T05:33:00.000-07:00

Push... such a short and phenomenal book!

Incest, rape, neglect, abuse, illiteracy, child-abuse, teen-pregnancy, African-American culture, NYC, welfare, ABE, HIV, AIDS...

these words are all profoundly represented in this novel. I cannot say how much I enjoyed and was disturbed by what was written in those pages. I cannot say I connected with the main character, Precious Jones as none of what happened to her ever happened to me. However, I can empathize with her character from a teacher's POV.

I would recommend this book for everyone who wants a short but meaningful read. It's only 150 pages (or so) but it's really a great read.
I usually read frilly-girly-feelgood stuff. But this was different. I really enjoyed reading this book. I know that it's been made into a movie too. I may watch it at some point. We'll see... but I'll hold this book near and dear as a favourite for some time to come.

Twenties Girl

2010-05-23T06:51:00.001-07:00

I just finished another book... Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella. It's written with her typical whit and humor. I very much enjoyed the light funniness of it. It wasn't my favourite book by her but I have to admit the thought of having a guardian angel haunt you as a ghost is very funny.

The ending left me wanting more. I can see where she ended it in a way that if she wants to, she can continue on with the story. I would love to hear what happened next. I think it could be a funny 2-3 book series.

I'm now left waiting for her next book to be released. I'm excited about that because it's a new Shopaholic book! I can't wait... I thought the series was done!

I'm also waiting for a couple of Stephenie Meyer books to come to my home... the Host is already released but I pre-ordered it with free shipping so I have to wait for the Bree Tanner book to be released and apparently they'll ship them together.

So if you have a moment, I'd recommend Twenties Girl for a nice laugh this summer!

Twilight - The Graphic Novel

2010-03-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

I read Twilight the Graphic Novel Vol 1. I have to say it is the first graphic novel I ever read.

I was never a fan of comic books growing up, but while in University a couple of my Lit courses emphasized the importance of all types of books/media in reading. The graphic novel is/was seen as a way to reach reluctant readers and share more difficult concepts through pictures rather than text.

I thought it was a great read! It really encompasses the love story that is Twilight but certainly captures it in a new light. It took me less than 2 hours to read the whole book, cover to cover. I bet it could be done in an hour but I wanted to appreciate the artwork. Young Kim illustrated the book and I'd imagine chose the text that Stephenie Meyer wrote in the novel that best went with the illustrations.

I look forward to seeing/reading/purchasing the next volumes.... I'd imagine there will be 10-11 more for sure!

Eclipse and Breaking Dawn

2010-03-02T16:46:00.000-08:00

All I can say about this entire series is that I'm glad I waited to read them until after they were all published because I would have died waiting for the next books to come out.

I have to say that these books were so good that I read them too quickly. I have a need/desire that I can't explain to re-read the entire series.

I'm so in love with the characters, the ultimate good, the love story that isn't mooshy, just everything about this series radiates great wholesome literature. It's thoughtful storyline is just unbelievable. I'm not a person who enjoyes werewolves and vampires but these books are just simply captivating.

I do have to caution that the first 3 books (Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse) are pretty much pg... but Breaking Dawn is definitely PG 13. There is sex mentioned but no explicit scenes, it's romantic and tasteful but I'm not sure I'd want my 11-yr-old reading it... 12, 13 yeah probably no problem just be aware!

Stephenie Meyer said that she wrote these books for people like herself. She was in her late 20's when she wrote Twilight... it's funny how they are YA Lit but I think it's because they're not graphic and there's no swearing or heavy sexual content at all. They really relate well to a younger audience but I think there's something in here for everyone.

I was going to include the link for the books separate but in my honest opinion, if you're going to buy one book it's just as well to buy the set all at once and enjoy the ride. I really look forward to seeing the movies.

A note of caution, leave your self endless hours to read these books. I read them all in 2 days a piece... that's 8 days for almost 2500 pages! It's a lot of reading... more like reading 7-9 novels rather than 4! I devoured every last morsel of information in them. I have no idea how I'm going to read something different now. But I do have a plan for the rest of this year. I'm going to read a new book and then re-read Twilight... watch the movie and then read a new book. Then I'm going to re-read New Moon and watch the movie and read a new book. Hopefully by that time It'll be June and Eclipse will be in the theatre (Weird Canadian spelling alert lol!). I don't know what I'll do until they make the other movies! Take Care people

Book 2: New Moon

2010-02-21T16:15:00.000-08:00

So I finished all 500+ pages of New Moon yesterday... It was great.

The story just keeps evolving and growing. It's heartbreaking and intriguing. I just am totally in love with the characters and progression. Even if I wanted to stop I couldn't now, I'm in too deep.

I wanted to address something that has been boggling my mind for a while now... as a teacher I like to know what other kids are reading... in every class I enter I usually ask what their into now. Last week I was in a grade 4 class where a little girl was reading twilight. I thought about it for a bit and I realized, hey that's probably ok. There's nothing any scarier than a Goosebumps plot in the book and the sex is non-existent. There's a few passionate kisses but they're sweetly implied and not in your face scenes. I think Harry Potter is more explicit!!

But, I'm still not sure the mind of a 10-year-old can fully understand and appreciate the storyline that the Twilight saga entails. But then I think they get what they want out of the book... it's a great read and when they read it again next year (because this is a book you'll want to read again and again) they'll get more and more out of it as they mature.

I think this is a series you can share with your Tween. To read them together would be extra special.

I've gone ahead and ordered the last two books in the saga and am waiting for them to arrive from Chapters. I have a discount card from there so it's great. I really didn't want to wait for them to come in the mail but Wal-Mart didn't have any copies and neither did the second hand bookstore, that's the only options in this small town.

So my next piece of advice... go get yourself into the Twilight books... New Moon was awesome. Werewolves and Vampires are such a great mix, I can't wait to read the third and fourth books. So the waiting on Canada Post game starts now... I've already got the shipping confirmation.

I also had the pleasure of reading the Midnight Sun manuscript from Stephenie Meyer's website.

There's almost 300 pages of the Twilight book from Edward's perspective. It was leaked onto the internet in 2008 and Stephenie didn't finish writing the book. She has posted the first 11 chapters which are phenomenal. I hope that she someday finds the inspiration to finish the book as I very much enjoyed the first 11 chapters. Also this is a great way for you to get into the Twilight books before buying them. If you read that much and are intrigued then you know you'll love the others too.

I've added this as a finish for 2010 as it was beyond 250 pages so it clearly is a novella in it's own right.

I don't know what I'm going to do until the other books get here! I may just skim through the first two again and re-read the middle sections to make sure I haven't missed anything.

Revelation

2010-02-19T07:45:00.000-08:00

I admit that I'm a bibliophile and now I can say that the Twilight Saga is my own personal blend of cocaine...

thanks for feeding my addiction Stephenie Meyer...

You NEED to be inspired to write more books.

Twilight

2010-02-16T14:37:00.001-08:00

Well holy sweet-bakeapple-jesus! That's a Newfoundland saying for I cannot believe what just happened.

I DEVOURED THIS BOOK! I read for no less than 2 hours at a time. I'm addicted to this series like addicts are to their drug of choice. This may be classified as a book for "young readers" but I cannot think of a single reason why anyone wouldn't like this book, even men. It is a love story but it's also so much more. I usually hate books about vampires and scary/harry things but this one is vastly different.

I cannot encourage you enough to read this book if you haven't already.

I finished Twilight last night and I'm already 100 pages into the second book. This is soon going to be a problem because I only own the first two... this means I'm going to have to buy the last two very soon. I've already checked out the prices at chapters and I think on pay day I'll be placing the order!

Enjoy!

First finish for 2010!

2010-02-07T06:23:00.000-08:00

Finally, I've finished "Uphill all the Way" by Sue Moorcroft. I loved this book. Although it's dry in parts the story reads really well. There were a few places that were short and choppy and I actually wondered if the story was missing a line in print but I think that may have something to do with my reading late at night :) It feels really good to finish this one as I started it in November! I can't remember the last time it too me so long to read a book!

I give this book a 4/5 and would definately read it again. I bought it at a secondhand store and it really was a good buy. I've looked on chapters.ca and found this picutre for you so you know what the cover is like.

This book is about a middle aged woman who is divorced, moves to Malta to work with her uncle and family. Falls in love with a local man (in a place where there is no divorce even if you're separated!)... he has a tragic accident and loses his memory. His family freaks out, blames her for the accident and she goes back home. There she discovers her ex is still an arse-hole, and her step-son (who's mother is dead and knows only her as Mum) has a teenaged girl "preggers". This is a story about preservation and will. It has many many downs and even a few ups....

I'd read it again, so check your local library for a copy... I think it'll be hard to find a copy to buy!

I've done something now that I didn't think I'd do... I've started reading Twilight... we'll see how that goes! Hopefully a little faster than the last one... although it's nearly 500pages long... usually the books I read are 300-400... it's quite a bit more :)

Happy Reading!

2009 Clue-up...

2010-01-07T09:01:00.001-08:00

Well I read a lot in 2009 but with December being so busy I have yet to finish the next book "Uphill all the Way"

It'll be my first book for 2010!

I look forward to reading a lot this year... Currently I have 7 novels here to read and I've left 5 in St. John's for this summer.

I'm hoping to have about 20 books read this year... that's 1-2 per month and a comfortable pace for me.

Some books on my list for this year are

Twilight

New Moon

Under the Tuscon Sun

The Kite Runner

and I forget the rest! SO's parents gave me Twilight and New Moon for Christmas. I hope that I like them. Most of the other books I buy at second hand stores for $5-6 each or at Chapters.ca where I have a discount card.

I'm looking forward to buying/recieving some books this year too...

Twenty's Girl - Sophie Kinsella

Baby Proof - Emily Giffin

I hear that Giffin has a new book arriving in May as well, so I'm sure that'll be added to my list as a must read...

Any suggestions for great reads are always appreciated! Until the next update... Happy Reading!

THe Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc.... <3!

2009-11-21T18:41:00.000-08:00

Well I just loved this book! It's definately a 5/5! It's really a great read and very believable too :)

Sissy is a SAHM to 3 boys in the 50's-60's... she married her high school boyfriend and then 14 years later her high school sweetheart returned to find her.

With liquor, humour, race issues, adultry, and murder this was one great read!

I haven't decided what I'll read next.... I'll figure it out in the next couple of days I'm sure :)

Dear John...

2009-11-08T08:20:00.000-08:00

Dear John was a delightful book!

Nicholas Sparks is famous for writing those sappy sad romantic love stories. I have to say I only think his work is ok most of the time.

But this book, I can't say that I could relate to the story but it was a really great read. Maybe I was in that kind of mood when I was reading it.

The main character is in the Army and stationed in Germany, while home on leave he falls in love. The story is about their love and it's growth. Of course you can probably tell something happens so that it changes and becomes sad but it's not that he dies in the war!!! This is actually a great read. I would really like to see a sequal for it. I would like to see this one on film! This book is everything that Nights in Rodenthe wasn't for me... and that makes it a great book in my honest opinion. So check it out from your local library today... or if you're a book snob like me, just go buy it! You could spend $10 on a lot worse entertainment!

Why Are you now Reading about Mandy here?

2009-11-07T10:52:00.000-08:00

Well...

Because I decided that my Small Town Adventures in the City blog was dated and didn't really fit where I am in my life now. So... I've fixed that. I now have my Sewing blog and now my Reading blog.

You're probably wondering how a brand new blog can have so many old posts? Well I use to to a Reading List tag in my old blog... so I imported only those posts.

I've also removed my name and I now have removed all my pictures with me in them from the free and open blog world. As a teacher I like to be a little more careful.

So when I finish the next book, I'll post about it here. You can link here from my Sewing Blog... I may have lost a couple of friends this way but there were way WAY more friends on my sewing blog anyway! So, happy reading everyone :)

Life's pretty simple around here

2009-09-29T15:02:00.000-07:00

Not a lot going on to blog about.... school, work, eat, laundry, dishes... repeat.

There have been a few posts on my sewing blog... but unless your into sewing, you probably don't care much about that.

I've finished a new book... it's the second one in Jeff Lindsay's Dexter series.

Dearly Devoted Dexter was a great read. I enjoyed it far more than the first one in the series yet I still like the show better. I'll read the other two books eventually but I won't be rushing out to buy them. It's more gory than the first book but it's delightfully gruesome. If you get a chance check it out from the LBS!

New Book Review... and yes it's been a while

2009-09-16T06:11:00.000-07:00

I actually finished this book on the plane while venturing home :) but with the new kiddo and all I didn't have time to write about it.

Dexter is a guilty pleasure for me. I love to watch the show and I have even purchased the DVD's. If you're not into crime novels this one may not be for you, however it is vastly different than any crime novel I've ever read so don't count yourself out just yet!!!!

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay is an ok read. It took me a couple of chapters to get into the book because Lindsay's writing style is quite different from anything I read before. The details are similar to the show however the ending is very different.

For those of you familiar with the show, here are some differences I've noticed

LaGuarta - rich and not good at her job... doesn't like Deborah. She's a detective and well lets just say (don't read any further in this sentence if you plan on reading this book) she won't make it to the next book!
Deborah Morgan - Big chested prostitute type... and then masculin in nature... not in looks
Angel Batista - Not a police officer, works for the coroners office

There are others... like the ice truck killer's differences himself... but it's best to read the book to figure out the rest. I don't want to spoil the fun.

I'm now reading the second book in the series. That's the only two Andrew owns so I probably will have to wait to read the next two.

Here's a shot at the cover if your interested in knowing what to look for...

Reading List Update

2009-08-13T06:53:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated my Reading List in a long time!

School was finally finished on Monday and I've been trying to finish up my hours at my summer job. I've been doing a lot of sewing so not much blogging has been going on.

Anyway, I have two books to talk about... one really good and worth every penny paid for it and the other was the kinda bad you had to finish. Just like one of those cheesy made for tv movies not really good but you have to keep watching anyway...

I'll start with the really good one... Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin.... I loved the idea behind this book. A happily married woman runs into her ex and he clearly wants her back. What does she do? Normally I'd let a little slip but for you... just go read it!

The other book... it's called Big Boned by Meg Cabot. It is a book in a series but I haven't read any of the others. Some of the details were alluding to other books but I didn't have that info to catch on to the reference. It wasn't a terrible read, It's a "Chick-Lit Murder Mystery" and I think those are two things that (IMO) shouldn't be mixed. You can check it out if you like cheesy murder mysteries and all lol!

I don't know what to read next! I have 10-15 novels sitting on my shelf that I've yet to touch and with my $$$ in such dire straights lately I'll be reading those before purchasing any new ones!!! I may even read one of the boy's books... he has the Dexter novels there and I love the show... I may read them to see how twisted they are in print too!

Another book...

2009-07-03T06:09:00.000-07:00

I just finished the another book in my library. It's Happiness Sold Seperately by Lolly Winston. She could easily be my favourite author.

I just love this story... infertility, infidelity, separation, divorce, miscarriage, love, hate, children... it's all in between the covers. Just got to read it... I dare you to put it down!

It took me a while to read this one but it's because I loved it that much I would read sections over and over. I probably read it 2-3 times before I got through the whole thing!

It had a very interesting style too. It was written from multiple points of view. It was the first time I had read a book like that but it creates a situation where only the reader is omnipotent (I think that's the omni word I was looking for.... if it's not please let me know in the comments lol).

I loved her first book Good Grief and I can honestly say I can't wait for a 3rd one!

Check it out at the library or bookstore soon!

Autism...

2009-06-10T08:52:00.000-07:00

I guess most of you know that I worked as an ABA for a child with Autism. We'll when I seen this book at Coles and was only $5.99 I figured I've wasted money on worse than that before...

I had never heard of the author Marti Leimbach and certainly never heard of her other books... although one of her books, Dying Young, was made into a movie with Julia Roberts.

I didn't expect this book to be a love story but that is what it is. It's the story of a mother and her love for her son who is Autistic. They have a journey through diagnosis, ABA therapy, Play therapy, and life.

She struggles in her marriage and in the end I believe she found love. It was really well written and I enjoyed every page... I have to say I could put it down and leave it for a while as it wasn't a tear jurker or thriller. It's like a look into somebody's life. It's not my favourite book of all time but it is a great read. If you or somebody you know has a child with Autism, this may be a book of interest. But I think everyone will enjoy this book.

This book was written as a kind of Autobiography for her... on the Autism Speaks website she wrote "The novel Daniel Isn't Talking reflects the situation for my family between the years of 1999 and 2001, what I've come to know as the “autism years.” Of course, the autism years have carried on. It's just that I have grown so accustomed to them that they have ceased to require the appellation autism years and have just become the years, like any years "

You can purchase the book from your local bookstore or try...

Nicholas Sparks

2009-05-25T04:33:00.000-07:00

I've always heard the Nicholas Sparks was a fantastic author. So I picked up 2 of his books recently. I started with the most recent one that was made into a motion picture. (I haven't seen either of the movies yet!).

Nights in Rodanthe. It was a good read... not a lot of detail... minimal sappiness. Overall it left me asking questions of why people love this guy so much... the book was only ok. I'm not sure I'd read it again but it wasn't terrible. Just OK. I actually think the movie will be (is) better than the book in this case. I think the actors can fill in the blanks on the missing emotions and expressions that weren't penned.

That being said... I decided to see if all of his work was that "ok" so I read the Notebook. I have to say I LOVED IT! It was short and sweet, sad and funny, just a beautiful love story. Not over the top, very tasteful, just beautiful! This is why Nicholas Sparks is loved by the world. I would tell you to pick this one up and have a little read. It's only 200+ pages so it's quick and fufilling. If you don't like this book... I'm convinced you have no heart... like nothing... grinch style... seriously... I'm not kidding!

I don't know which one I'll read next. I have a stack of about 20-25 to read lol! I need to stop buying them so I can enjoy them!!! Anywho... here's the links to the books so you can check them out yourself!

Multiple Bles8ings

2009-05-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

Well I've been clipping right along in the book category lately. I have devoured the book Multiple Bles8ings by Jon & Kate Gosselin and Beth Carson.

It's largely an Autobiography of Kate and her life since conception of sextuplets. I really enjoyed 95% of the book. The only part I wasn't a big fan of was the last chapter. It was really faith oriented and although I consider myself Christian I thought it was a little pushy for the previous feeling of the book. I mean I would read a religious book (and have!) but I didn't think that this book would be like that. It was published by Zondervan so I knew that I should expect religious views etc but the first 90% of the book just wasn't like that.

I have to say though that if you followed the show at all or even if your just curious about what life may be like with 8 children, twins and sextuplets... less than 3 years apart... this is a great read! I'd recommend it to everyone. I still gave it a 4.5/5 in my ratings

I just loved the light-heartedness of the book and it was really well written. I could almost hear Kate narrating in my head as I read lol!

So, pick it up at your local library, bookshop, yard-sale... whatever! and read it today.

My next read is... Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks... my first adventure into the sappy romance novel! We'll see how it goes.

One for My Baby

2009-05-01T10:28:00.000-07:00

This was a pretty good book actually. In the end I just decided to take a few days off... from everything including reading. That's why I wasn't blogging and why I never posted in a while... although as you can tell I had stuff to post :)

This book was pretty good It's not one of my favs or even my fav by Tony Parson's. I really prefer his Man and Boy book (also the sequel Man and Wife). I would recommend this book to people who like a book that challenges the social norms and likes to read about things that could have actually happened. I like Tony's style because he writes from a male perspective and he writes in a way that you're sympathetic to the characters he takes on.

This book deals with many family issues including; the death of a spouse, divorce, single motherhood, pregancy and abortion, nuclear closeness, and death of the elderly.

I think this is a good fall read... when you have that cup of tea and want something meaty to think about.

I couldn't find a reliable link to buy this book new... so check out used copies or your local lib!

This time of year I want a feel good book... so my next stop is Multiple Bles8ings by Kate Gosselin and Beth Carson. It's a different type of book for me... it's a biography of sorts... or a documentary lol. But, I love the show and can't wait to start this book.

Have you Ever?

2009-04-16T09:55:00.000-07:00

Have you ever started reading a book and you think it's a good book but you just don't want to read it now?

I've started reading Tony Parsons' One for My Baby. I'm only 20-odd pages in and it's great so far. Tony Parsons writes great stories from the male perspective but they're about real life. I mean the characters could be the Joe next door except they're all set in England. I love his style and his books but I just don't think I want to read that book now. I think I'm going to put it on the back burner and start another book.

I bought three new books yesterday and I think I may read one of them first. A couple of them are only short, 200 pages or so. The other is a biography. I'm looking forward to reading all of them... hopefully even more than just those lol.

Am I weird for wanting to do that? Is it just me or does anyone else want to do that sometimes too? I think I may be getting a little tired of the lovey-dovey books and want something different. I'll keep you all posted. I don't want to tell the names of the books because I like introducing them after I read them!

Finished the Second Book!

2009-04-10T13:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I just finished the second book in this two part series. I have to say that in the beginning I was captivated but it felt like I was rereading part of the first book. Although, that wasn't a bad thing because in this book the main character isn't the same person.

Without giving away too many details, Rachel was the main character in Something Borrowed. She was the best-friend to Darcy. She "borrowed" Darcy's fiance (which you can read from the cover!!!). In the second book Darcy is the main character and it tells about what happens after Rachel borrowed Dex (the fiance).

I loved this book too! For many different reasons than the ones I liked Something Borrowed. I liked the finality to this book. I don't think there will be another one but I enjoyed it and was sad at the same time that that was it!

Please read this book... but not until you read Something Borrowed. Although you could read it... I think it would make much more sense to read it after.

I actually found out that my sister has been reading these books too! Too funny, maybe we have more things in common than I first thought.

I think I've found a new Favourite....

2009-04-04T07:37:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin...

It was FANTASTIC... I give it 6/5 stars... no kidding, it really has been a new favourite of mine since I started reading it. I'm so glad that Andrew has bought be it's sequel Something Blue for a birthday present too.

I will be undoubtedly starting that one today. I'm loving that I've decided to post about the books I've been reading. I think for a while I lost things to blog about. Without delving into the uber personal areas of my life that is.

I'm hoping that this will attract some new readers to my blog too. I want to continue sharing about the books that I have read. I think I may even do some posts about previous books that I have read. We'll see what the summer brings.

I've decided not to do any courses over the summer. I've been doing courses for 20 months straight now and I'm burnt-out. I'm just going to take a break and work for a bit. I wish I could find a permanent job as a teacher but I'm settling on this ABA job for now and possibly ECE later on.

Wow, this post is all a jumble! I'm usually not this scatter brained lol. Anyway, if you're looking for a great story about love and friendship... this book is it! Pick it up from your library, bookstore, best friend, wherever! You won't be disappointed!!!!

I am...

2009-04-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

So SIIIIIIIICK! I want my Mommy!

I am barely draggy my butt to the places it needs to go. I have a sinus cold and the pressure is unbearable. I hate this crap. My eyes are runny, I'm sneezing, I'm stuffy, I'M MISERABLE!

So please... forgive me for my lack of posting... I'm in bed... and in the process of writing a paper for school... the last one until September!

I'm also reading something borrowed. I have to say I've read some chick lit before but this is Woman's Literature... it's classy, elegant, and phenomenally written. Sophie Kinesella may be funny and whitty but Emily Giffin is just outstanding. Some of the best literature I've ever read... the story makes sense, is plausable (thus far), and the characters are realistic. This could be happening to the girl next door for all I know. Thus far, this is one of my favourite books ever... not just this year!

I'm off to drain the NyQuil bottle... and read my book...

The Makedown

2009-03-28T16:43:00.000-07:00

This was a great book... I loved 9/10 of it! the 1/10 I didn't like was the ending... I required a little more... and I felt it was abrupt... maybe it's me liking things all drawn out and sappish...

The story was fantastic... secretly I wish the evolution of the main character could somewhat be my life too, but sadly, I still have acne, and I'm far more than 59lbs over my ideal weight. I fear my legs will always touch while walking. I don't get a sweat stash like she did, however... I get lovely boobsweat... pretty and sexy I know.

I however have a beautiful male specimen for a bf and he doesn't need a Makedown... I love him and trust him as is :)

I think this is a wonderful book. I'm so happy that I entered Tee's contest and won it! It is defiantly a book that I'll be keeping. I thought about passing it on but... I just couldn't do it!

My next book is Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin... I'm 20+ pages in and so far... excellante!

A great book!

2009-03-15T09:21:00.000-07:00

I just finished a great book. I devoured it in a week again. It's called Cocktails for Three and was written by Madeleine Wickham. I have now left all of her books behind me... it seems I can't get another until this summer. I have 2 pre-ordered and there are 3-4 others that are out of print. I keep checking the local second-hand bookstore but no luck thus far.

Anyways, this book was amazing. Following 3 best friends over their life changing events. I highly recommend this book for a good laugh, a bit of romance, and fun!

My next book is the Makedown by Gitty Daneshvari (I think this one is going to be great too... I've already devoured 10 chapters in a couple of days!) I'm sure I'll be back with this review soon.

Ummm well...

2009-03-10T09:16:00.000-07:00

Have you ever read a book that wasn't terrible but wasn't great either? That's what I think about the book "the Gatecrasher" by Madeleine Wickham. It's a take it or leave it book. At points I was rather bored and at other times I was roaring in laughter. The worst part about the book is the ending is unresolved. Atypical of her style altogether. Lets just say this book won't be a movie any time soon.... well not a good one anyway!

It took me a long time to get through this book. I was satisfied with reading only 4-5pages a day... usually I'm transfixed by books and devour chapters at a time, but not this one.

Did I mention that Madelene Wickham is the real name of Sophie Kinsella.

I only rate this book as a 3/5... 60% I mean that's ok right. So if your bored and want something to read this may be a good book, but I've certainly read better.

Next on my list is "Cocktails for Three" and so far it's hilarious! Much more the style you think about when you hear the name Madeleine Wickham.

Can You Keep a Secret?

2009-02-06T06:02:00.000-08:00

My Secret is that I'm a huge procrastinator... while I should be studying/writing papers I'm reading for pleasure and writing blog posts!

Anyways... this is my favourite book that Sophie Kinsella has written... over all the Shopoholic Series and her other stand alone novels... this is it! I think it would make a great movie and it's not just a chick-lit book, its fun its whitty and the characters are real, you can picture then. They don't have that fictisious quality that she's known for having (at least in my opinion lol!) So, I say definately add this one to your reading list... and if you're not old enough to do more than hold hands with a boy, this one probably isn't safe for you yet :)

Next book on my list, Gatecrasher by Madeline Wickhem... ham? I dunno I'll figure it out before I do a real post about it!

New Book Review!

2009-01-28T14:25:00.000-08:00

Well, school is clippin' right along and I'm back to procrastinating like a pro again :)

So this week instead of studying hard, I've been fretting over not getting a call to sub yet and reading a book instead.

Today I finished, Sophie Kinsella's "Undomestic Goddess" and it was dry and boring for the first 170pages... then it got good.... so good that I took 2 hours this afternoon and read the rest of it!

It's a book where you don't know if you want to continue for the first 1/3 then the last 2/3 are so great. The ending was the best... it left a lot of unanswered questions and I have to say I'm holding out on the "Domesticated Goddess". Although, I suspect that Sophie Kinsella won't take titling suggestions from me lol.

So, if you're looking for another great "chick-lit" book, I recommend this one. I've kinda gotten into a chick-lit splurge lately... I've read 7/8 Sophie Kinsella's books and I have 2 ordered that she wrote under her real name (that's right Sophie Kinsella is a pseudonym). But more on those later.

I think I'll read "Can you keep a secret next" to finish off my Kinsella spree. Then who know's what I'll pick!

I think I've gotten into the chick-lit because it's mindless fun. Entertaining and yet it has a plot and characters that are fun. I give this book a 4/5. It's not my fav read but nonetheless I greatly enjoyed it.

Remember Me?

2009-01-20T06:01:00.000-08:00

Well I thought that instead of doing a reading list this year I'd just read and blog about each book individually.

I started reading Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella last Wednesday... It's Tuesday and I finished it yesterday. That means it took me 6 days to DEVOUR the book. I'm usually not a "chick-lit" fan but I have to say Kinsella has me hooked. I'll be reading her other two books next. Until then do yourself a favour, visit your local bookstore or library and pick up this book.

It's light-hearted, funny, and it has a bit of a love story but not the gushy make you sick kind. I mean there's no steamy sections if you get my dirft but it's rather tastful (and hilarious) when she does approach the subject. I definatly wouldn't reccommend this book for children... probably 16+.

I'm a Shopaholic

2008-12-18T06:40:00.001-08:00

I've just finished the 5th book in the series. I honestly hope there is a 6th, 7th, 8th, etc book... I love these books and I usually hate "chicklit".

I highly reccommend them for every lady who wants a good laugh and well I'm sure there are even some men out there who would find these books hilarious.

Well I'm heading home on Saturday for Christmas. You may or may not hear from me until the new year.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and all that other holiday jazz!

God Bless

I'm a Shopaholic

2008-12-18T06:40:00.000-08:00

All the books I love are being made into movies now....

2008-11-20T05:48:00.000-08:00

and I cannot wait to see them!

1) Confessions of a Shopoholic - Sophie Kinsella
2) Marley and Me - John Grogan
3) The Tales of Despereaux - Kate DiCamillo

The entire series of Shopoholic books are fantastic. John Grogan's entire collection of Marley books are delightful. Kate DiCamillo is great too... although I still think her best book is Because of Winn Dixie.

Confessions of a

2008-11-20T05:33:00.000-08:00

SHOPAHOLIC!

I never, NEVER, EVER read girly books. I choose to read books with some value shall I say. However, I think I've missed out on a great area of literature.

Recently I've started reading Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series. I have to say that the first book was only ok (for me anyway) but the end was intriguing enough that I wanted to read the second book. At the end of this book I was madly in love with the characters and not only wanted to read the third book, I have read nearly 80 pages in 24 hours because I'm smitten with it!

I have the 4th and 5th books waiting for me. I sure am glad I liked them because I bought the set before trying them just on a recommendation from a group of friends. The covers are delightfully girly and it's just a good light-hearted read for when you have too much other crap happening in life to really care about a deep book.

Sophie Kinsella has a series of 8 vod-casts on iTunes iStore and they are free. Becky Bloomwood is a facinating character that reminds me of Hilary Banks in the 90's Fresh Prince of Bellair tv show. There's also a movie being released soon. I can't wait to see it. I only hope they make a second and third movie because the first book isn't the best book.

I think this is going to be a girls night out movie. However, I'm kinda upset that the movie isn't set in London and she isn't British... she is in the book.