Sunday Social # 10

1. What was your college major? Did you ever change majors?
I graduated with an Associates of Arts in Liberal Arts. I flip-flopped my major quite a few times but always between English 

and Film. 

2. What is the best purchase you’ve made lately?
We bought Noah for 25$ and it was the best money I've ever spent.

3. What is something silly we don’t know about you and go…
I don't know what "silly" means. I wear different colored socks all the time, but that's mostly because I'm too lazy to look for their sole mates. 

4. What is your favorite Holiday?
New Years (Eve)! Because it's the day where you get to start a afresh and you feel emboldened to do things like clean all of the kitchen cabinets or start budgeting. Also, it's the day John and I made it official so it's a double whammy thing. 

5. What is the first thing you do when you wake up?
Check my phone to see what time it is and if it says I can stay in bed a bit longer I do. If not, I jump right up because I'm probably late. 

Let the Sky Fall - By Shannon Messenger

Let the Sky Fall
Author: Shannon Messenger
Published by: Simon Pulse


Ok, first thing's first: Let's get this outta the way.

Now that you've sung to your heart's content let's get to the nitty gritty of the book.

Let the Sky Fall, centers around Vane Weston, survivor of a terrible tornado that killed both of his parents when he was 7. Years later, Vane's living a happy life with his adoptive parents not knowing that there is something different about him. He's just trying to be normal - hang out with friends, go out on dates, and trying to forget about the dark-haired girl he dreams about every night. When the girl from his dreams shows up in real life, Vane is completely unprepared for all the things she tells him. Like how she's actually his guardian and they are both sylph's, controllers of the wind. Or most important of all, that he has to learn the languages of the wind before Raiden destroys them all.

Paranormal romance seems to be popular in the YA genre. There are tons of vampires and humans, angels and humans, but this is my first time being introduced to a sylph and humans. I didn't even know what a sylph was before reading this book. Anyway, I really liked this book. I loved the way that the chapters are split between Vane's and Audra's points of view. You're able to glimpse into their minds and see what they're both thinking and that makes it really easy to connect with them. Also, Vane is hilarious! There were some parts where I was giggling out loud to some of the things that he said. As annoying as he may be, he wants nothing but the best to come out of this entire thing and though he's scared, he steps up when he's called. I love that about him.

Audra's character was incredible too. She's just broken enough for it to come across as true. Her past makes her fight even harder for the future and I can totally get behind that. Sometimes I was frustrated with her because she was so dedicated to her job as guardian but it does help keep the steamy tension alive.

The book is the first in the series and the second one, Let the Storm Break, is already out for your reading pleasure. I loved the first book so much that I have already put the second on hold at my local library so I can read it this weekend.


If you're looking for a book with a good back-and-forth romance and a story about the Last Boy of his kind who must learn the four languages of the wind to defeat the Fire Nation Raiden before it's too late - then this book is right up your tornado alley.


I give it 4 out of 5 cateyes.

Icons by Margaret Stohl

Icons is the first in a series of books by Margaret Stohl. The tagline: Your heart beats only with their permission - was enough to get me interested.

The story follows Doloria, Dol, who lives in the year 2080 ATD (After The Day). The Day was when The Lords came to Earth and was the day many, many people died including Dol's family. But Dol didn't die that day, even though she should have, and she doesn't know why.

Years later, Dol is living in a remote countryside under the watchful eye of Padre and her best friend Ro. Here they are far enough away from the Icons that they do not have to fear their control. They know that getting too close to the Icons can kill them by stopping their electrical energy, the way it has stopped all the other electrical energy within its vicinity.

But on her 17th birthday Dol and Ro are captured and taken to the Embassy. There they meet Tima and Lucas and realize that the four of them are different than other people. Are there more people like them? What else do the have in common? Do they have anything to do with The Lords? With mounting questions and little answers, the four of them try to find out who they are and what exactly their purpose is.

I was immediately engrossed in Dol and Ro's life. You don't learn very much of it but you get a small picture of what their life was like. Quiet, rural, fresh, and dirty. But as soon as they get captured and you're introduced to Tima and Lucas, things get a little too-fast paced and a bit confusing. I understand that Stohl was trying to introduce the four main characters early but I feel that the introduction to Tima and Lucas was rushed. I also feel that as much as we know about Dol and as little as we know about Ro, the connection she has for him is enough for the reader to feel a connection to him as well. When it comes to Tima and Lucas however, the fact that they are thrust so hurriedly upon us, makes it harder to make any sort of connection with them.

However, the action and the story are intriguing. The more you find out about The Lords and their powers the more you want to know. In between each chapter are also letters, memos, and reports that are sent to the Embassy that give you little glimpses as to what is happening on a larger scale. These help you piece the story together and make connections without giving too much away.

And the end of the book you've found out a bit of what is happening but nowhere near enough to see the entire picture. It has definitely left me waiting impatiently for the next book, Idols, which is set to come out in July. I'm hoping that in this next one, we are able to learn more about Tima and Lucas.

If you're looking for an interesting read about aliens and the powers of human emotion - give this one a try.


Overall, I give it 4 out of 5 cateyes.

Book Swap!

About a month ago I signed up to be part of a Book Swap. I got paired with the the host, Tiffany at Endless Bliss and I couldn't have asked for a better partner!

Not only do she and I share a love for YA books but also apparently for men named John (though her BF spells it without the H).

We emailed a lot and I got to know her really well. I couldn't wait to check my email and see if she had written back yet. Talking to her was fun and easy. It wasn't hard to find things we had in common.

Which, you would think, would make it easy to pick out a book for her right?

I love book browsing and shopping but when it's for someone else I get really nervous.

What if they don't like it? What if the jacket sounds good but the inside is all wrong? What if she already has it!?

I ended up choosing two books for her that I hope will interest her. I can't wait to hear what she thinks of them - good or bad!

She got me two books, both the first in their respective series, and the cutest crawfish postcard ever!

I mean, seriously, look at that postcard.

Book # 1 is Burn for Burn by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian.


I started reading it that night and though it was hard to get into at first, once I hit a certain point I couldn't stop.

Burn for Burn is a book about three girls, who aren't friends, and have nothing in common except for wanting to exact revenge on classmates. They eventually decide to help each other out, Stranger on a Train style.

I'm not usually one for revenge stories but once the girls started becoming friends and developing real feelings for each other, I couldn't put it down. I had to know what happened. Did they get caught? Did their plans work?

It was a good fast read and I can't wait to read the second book - Fire with Fire. The third and final book, Ashes to Ashes, should be coming out later this year.

The second book she got me was Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I haven't started reading it yet, but I seriously can't wait. I mean...look at that cover art!

This whole experience has been the best. It's always great to have friends who like the same things as you. This was great in a whole different way because you're able to actually MEET someone and then talk about things you love together.

Hopefully this will become a regular exchange because it really was something I greatly enjoyed.

You can head on over to Endless Bliss to see all the other book swap partners. 

Living Room Redux

So you may remember this entry about when John and I first moved into our home and decided to give our dining room a new paint job.

We wanted something darker and more natural than the orangey color it was before with darker brown trim. After we finished painting it we were only HoHum about it. We didn't mind the brown too much, but the trim we picked ended up looking nothing like the swatch. It looked more like a poopy brown/green.

We lived with it for a while but after I spent some time on Pinterest and Polyvore I came to John and suggested we paint the living room again but this time gray and yellow.

This is actually the collage on Polyvore I ended up creating. The table, sugar skull decal, and key rack were items we already own. The couch was one we wanted. 

John was all for it because he loves lame, boring, earthy colors. So we went to Home Depot and bought our colors.

As you can see, your computer monitor plays mad tricks on your colors.

First, we painted the accent wall. Which sucked because it took a whole gallon! The original tan we chose was so dark it needed like 4 coats of paint and we even bought the paint and primer in one. We probably should have bought a true primer though.

Yes that yellow is English Daisy. 

Painting that yellow wall was such a hassle. John did most of the work though. I was kind of scared that it would take a lot of gray to cover up the other walls so we put off actually starting on them.

Then one day I came home from work and John had painted the ceiling and all the trim white! Then the next day he painted the dining room walls.

So with my two days off we decided to tackle the living room and clean everything.

Yes, we're watching Buffy. 

It may look like he's doing all the work but...he is. 

We decided to leave the shelves off the wall in the dining room to open it up.

Don't mind the fingerprints. 

We also went to Ikea a few weeks ago and happened, on a whim, to both fall in love with a TV stand. The same TV stand might I add! So we put it together, rolled away my old one, and set the whole thing up.

With Noah, we have to dust everyday. 

Then, since we were finally done painting John was able to put up the sugar skull decal we'd had.

We both love it. Even though the color is dark (more of a bluey/slate gray), the white trim and ceiling really brightens up and enlarges the space. Everything looks so clean and sleek -- it's awesome.  We're still not quite done though. We would like a floor lamp and a (real) bookcase for books and DVDs.

Here is what the dining room looked like when we moved in, when we painted the first time, and what it looks like now.

Literary Junkies # 4

Another month come and gone and I've been so busy with work and overall things that it's seemed to have gone by even faster than it usually does.

So for those so inclined, it's time to see what reading I've been up to.

1. What are you reading? Tell us about it!
Right now I'm reading Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver.

For popular high school senior Samantha Kingston, February 12—"Cupid Day"—should be one big party, a day of valentines and roses and the privileges that come with being at the top of the social pyramid. And it is…until she dies in a terrible accident that night.

I'm reading it really slowly because Sam is a terrible, horrible person and I cannot for the life of me garner one iota of sympathy or empathy for her or her bitchy friends.  Her and her friends complete lack of humanity for other people disgust me. I understand that they're teenagers and popular but that is not an excuse. I have  a really hard time with people who are mean and cruel to other people just because they can. 

2. Library or bookstore?
If I was super rich I would do bookstore all the way. I love to own books I've read, even if I don't like them. But since I'm poor the library it is. Or library sales. Or Half Price Books with a coupon.

3. What book(s) have you read and re-read several times?
I usually end up reading the Harry Potter series once every year or so.

I need this trunkset! 

I also re-read the Jessica Darling series every so often (though I usually stop at book 2).

4. What is the first book that made you fall in love with reading?
I've loved reading ever since I could remember so I'm not sure what book it was that sealed the deal. Probably something like Hooper Humperdink Not Him!

Which coincidentally is also about kids being mean to other kids for NO REASON!

5. Who's your favorite author? Tell us so we can binge-read!
I love J. K. Rowling. I also love Stephen King. I don't care if you think he's a sell out or whatever he's made some really good books and he has awesome fully-developed characters. Meg Cabot is great too! And I'm sure a lot more people are now fans of John Green.



I figure that each month is also a great time to update everyone about my Book Challenge. I've only been able to cross out one other item.

Read a "chunker" (more than 600 pages) - The Green Mile by Stephen King 

Mystery

Young Adult fiction - The Elixir Series & Wintergirls

Accidentally watched the movie first 

Relive the magic (read a book from childhood/youth you loved and haven't read recently)

Gathering dust (had the book for years and still haven't read)

Loved by others (others are constantly praising this book)

Second chance (didn't like the first time)

Award winner - The Color Purple 

Classic

Biography/memoir

Contemporary fiction - In Perfect Light

Non-fiction

"Adult" fiction

Fantasy

Horror

Lost in Translation (book originally published in a foreign language)

"Secret Santa" (book assigned to reader by another challenger)

Short stories - Esquire's Big Book of Fiction

Graphic novel

Banned book - 1984 

True crime

Current NY Times #1 Best Seller

Coverstory (a book you chose based solely on the cover image - you are not even allowed to read the description)

Humor

Rectify Season 1

Rectify 

Created by: Ray McKinnon 

Starring: Aden Young, Clayne Crawford, Abigail Spencer

Season One is on Netflix.

Season Two starts 6/19/2014 on the Sundance Channel. 

*This posts contains season one spoilers.*

Prior to actually starting the first episode I had never heard of Rectify and after talking to others it seems that no one has either. But after seeing it, I will be telling everyone to watch it. To give this show a chance because it is a wonderfully subtle, beautifully shot show about what makes a person. 

Rectify centers around Daniel Holden (Aden Young) who was 18 when he was charged with the rape and murder of his girlfriend Hanna Dean. Sentenced to death, Daniel has spent 19 years on death row until he is released based on newly acquired DNA evidence. He moves back into his childhood home in a small Georgia town and tries to re-assimilate to living life freely. 

The show isn't about whether Daniel did or didn't commit the crime. The show isn't about what happened to Hanna. The show is about Daniel. It's about Daniel now trying to re-imagine his life after spending so much time surrendering to the thought of the end of it.

A lot of the show is visual. There isn't much dialogue which some may find annoying but I think it helps to enhance the uncomfortable feeling that Daniel has. He's spent the majority of his life talking to two inmates through the walls of his cell. He was an adult, but barely, when they put him away. He may have always been weird and reserved but after everything that's happened he's even more so. His routine in prison required him to live life in a different way. He's grown accustomed to that and when he's finally free and outside, he finds his many choices overwhelming. 

In one scene he goes to his sister's new apartment to visit. He expects Amantha to answer the door and when her boyfriend does instead he can't even bring himself to go inside. 

"Well it shocked me to find you here. You know, just not used to contemplating all the variables one might encounter. I mean, there were variables inside, but wasn't like out here where it's...You know, and if you don't have the years of experience, there isn't the repetition of everyday living to make things mundane. Because mundane is calming and soothing. Mundane isn't out of the ordinary. And when everything is out of the ordinary, it can just be too much sometimes, you know?"

The tension and drama of the show comes in the form of the townspeople and family who think that Daniel may not be innocent. 

Teddy Jr., Daniel's step-brother  does not believe that Daniel is innocent, nor does he trust Daniel to be around his wife, Tawney. Hanna's brother is furious that Daniel has been let out of prison. In such a small town, the story of what happened that night is now something of a scary campfire legend. It seems that the entire town is polarized in their beliefs of his innocence.

There are some touching moments from people who do believe that he was wrongfully imprisoned. The moments are beautiful to watch especially when they are seemingly unimportant, such as picking out a book to read. 

Rectify leaves a lot of the story to your own imagination. A lot of what you feel in the characters are emotions you project onto them yourself. All of the interactions that Daniel has with other people are important, whether they talk or not. Sometimes, even just a touch between him and someone can prove to be a monumental event. But these experiences are riveting to watch to see exactly how they will impact his life. 

The title itself has a hopefully sinister duality in its definition. To rectify something is to set it right, to fix it. But in chemistry, to rectify means to make pure. Whether Daniel committed the crime or not, the fact that he has spent years living with the guilt of Hanna's murder weighs heavily on him. He might not be able to fix what happened to her, but will he be able rectify himself? 

I give it 4 out of 5 popcorn. 

Sunday Social # 10 - All About Me

1. When do you take time for you?

Um...like every morning when it takes me like an hour to get out of bed. 

2. What do you find to be your biggest weakness?

I'm not good at confrontation and I'm horrible at small talk. 

3. What is your biggest attribute?
Yes. 

4. What is your favorite place to shop online?

5. What is your favorite place to kill time? 

At my house, in front of the Netflix box. 

Peach Crisp

Both John and I were off on Memorial Day so my parents invited us over to eat. They were going to cook but I wanted to make dessert.

Now, I guess it's time I mention my love for Martha Stewart. I watch Martha Stewart's Cooking School as well as Martha Bakes just about every weekend and every weekend I want to cook something crazy. 

At first I started watching to learn recipes and easy tricks for separating yolks or whatever but now I watch because Ms Martha takes small jabs at us, her lowly viewers. 

Which is when the hilarity ensues. Like, whenever she uses eggs (and she uses them a LOT in the baking program) she's like I got my eggs from chickens outside but I guess you can use store bought eggs.

Ouch Martha! I'm sorry I don't have time to raise chickens in my backyard! I know that my pie will taste a million times better if only I had organically fresh-laid chicken eggs! 

Or when she uses things like saffron for her mayonnaise. I'm sorry but do you know how much saffron costs? I'm not using that in my mayonnaise for a one-time dish. If I buy saffron it's going in an air-tight container and will prominently be displayed somewhere so people know that I finally won the lottery.  

She also uses like a million types of salt: Himalayan salt, kosher salt, sea salt, pink salt, flake salt, smoked salt, whatever. So I feel pretty bad when I have to bust out my Morton salt that's probably been sitting around for years. 

Neither me or the Morton salt girl are good enough for Martha. 

But besides (and probably because of) Martha's little sad jabs I love watching her make food and desserts. She makes the craziest things look really easy like a Crown Roast of Pork. I don't even really like pork! But damn if I didn't want to leave work right then and there and don an apron. 

Anyway I saw Martha make a Blueberry Crisp on her show and I decided that I would tweak that recipe and make a peach crisp to take my parent's house. 

Via PBS 

I pretty much followed the recipe exactly, except of course I subbed the blueberries for peaches. I also used a 10 inch baking dish which meant that not all of the crisp covered the peaches completely. 

First I cut all the peaches. I used about 2 pounds.

Then I made the really easy crisp mix. Seriously, it's super easy and really delicious. This recipe is amazing.

Then you put the peaches and the crisp in your baking dish and bake it. 

I think I ended up baking mine about 15 minutes longer but I also turned down the oven by 25 degrees. 

The recipe was perfect. You can substitute any number of other fruits for the bottom but we all really liked the peach version.