Saturday, January 28, 2012

Book#2 of 2012-Done!

I just finished reading The Fault in our Stars by John Green. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that it has risen in the ranks to my top three books of all time. Within that top three, there it stands triumphantly at number one. It is the best book I have ever read. It is tragic, and devastating-I wept openly while reading it, but for some reason you fall in the love with the characters, and when something bad happens it hits you where it hurts. Hard. I am only surprised that John Green thinks it's a young adult book.  You will not be disappointed if you read this book. I think you may even look at life over your laptop and say, "Damn! I'm alive! I better get my butt outside and enjoy these lungs that breathe for me, and this body that works for me." Take your kids to the park, and for God's sake, put the phone down while you are at a restaurant and enjoy your family. I know I will.

Peace, Love, and Health.
Melody

Friday, January 27, 2012

The Fault in our Stars

Do yourself a favor and READ THIS BOOK! It is witty, and sad, and just so delightful! I am loving this book. It is not for the faint of heart, or for anyone who has an aversion to cancer patients and their sufferings. John Green is my geek crush right now.

Read it!

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Book #1 of 2012-Done!

I finished reading Bungalow by Sarah Jio, and it was good. It was a mix of The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks, and a mystery. It is set during the war in the South Pacific, and two friends (nurses) end up in Bora Bora. Something awful happens, and the story unfolds quickly. The ending is heart-warming, and the story had unexpected twists and turns. It was a delightful first read. I would definitely pick up a book by this author in the future. I never got the chance to meet her in Pasadena, but one day I hope to!

Next up...The Fault in our Stars by John Green which has gotten some recent acclaim. That worries me a bit because of hype that surrounded Tiger's Wife, and I couldn't get through the whole book. No matter, I will give The Fault in our Stars an unbiased start.

Oddly, I bought the newest book (Fault) after reading Amazon reviews, and ran to Target where there were...wait for it...signed copies by the author. At Target! Now I will not have to look up any appearances to have my copy signed. Hope you are enjoying the first day of your weekend.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

The Bungalow

Love it! I have been using every excuse to pull this book out and read it. I'll admit, I picked it up because it looked short, and with school being in session, I hardly find the time. I have been looking forward to reading when I come home. Hoping for a great ending.

She's going to be at Vromann's Pasadena tomorrow, and I think I might go. 7pm. What the heck! Life is short.

Bungalow by Sarah Jio-so far, so good! Yay!

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Crossing my fingers!

I am putting a great deal of hope behind a book I picked up at Target today called  Bungalow by Sarah Jio. She was highlighted on a blog that I follow, and I am trusting her advice. I have been telling you lately that every book I have touched has been an epic fail! I need to read more to be a better example to my children, and for them to know that I value and respect reading. I also want them to see that people actually DO read for pleasure, and not just to fulfill the requirements of their homework assignments.

On a side note, remember how I posted a while back about something important happening soon? Well...it happened! I did it! I can't quite post just yet what it is, but you will know soon. That has been a positive highlight because I totally suck at sticking to a diet, and have fallen off the wagon. Actually, my leg is hooked to the wagon, and I am being dragged along with bloody stumps. I am just going to continue moving forward, and delight in the fact that now I can fire up all of those recipes I found on Pinterest. I started with the Taco Bake, and it was yummy. I also kept it a bit healthier by substituting Turkey for the ground beef. It was sooo delish! Hope your New Year is starting off well. Good things are happening.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Life is precious

Having a bad day? Put your hand over your heart. Feel that? It's your heart beating. You are alive for a reason, and you have a purpose. So go out there and do something important today!
-adapted from a Pinterest post

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Book Fiend Shop on Etsy. I love their stuff, especially this magnet! Makes me laugh.

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Possibilities

I have alway been a skeptic of the book The Secret, and all that it entailed. I think it made people act a little too crazy and believe that they were going to receive all of these wonderful things in life without a key essential ingredient...work! I'm not saying it never worked for anyone. In fact, I believe that circumstances that were destined to happen to people already ironically fell during the time they happened upon this book and its methodology.

I don't want to say it is "bad" to believe in positive energy, in fact, it's quite the opposite. I think it is of the utmost importance to believe in good things, set goals and dreams for yourself, work hard, love deeply, and always look on the bright side even when there doesn't appear to be a bright side. The thing is, that is not a secret! You didn't need her to tell you all of those things, you just needed to look deep within yourself. It was ALWAYS there.

That being said, I am putting all of my hard work and energy behind something right now that I have dreamed for myself. Stay tuned to find out if my prescription worked. Have a great Saturday!

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Pinning is Winning

Have I mentioned my love for Pinterest yet? It has literally become the site I look at once I log onto the computer- before Facebook. BEFORE Facebook! I love all of the ideas I get for my classroom, home, etc. The ideas for cooking are the best. I had no idea there were so many creative people out there. We really have some amazingly creative folks here in the good ol' US of A. The unfortunate side effect of my new pinning obsession is that I am on that 17 day diet now, and the Dorito bake looks amazing! Or the green chile sour cream enchiladas. Sigh... I'll never stop pinning though because pinning is winning, and I am clogging the shit out of my computer's reading list for when I am off of this diet!

Monday, January 2, 2012

Time Flies

Two days ago I started reading The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht. I'm on pg. 81, and so far it's just...eh. Darn it! That's two in a row that have been hyped up, and are now disappointing me. Oh yeah, the other one was Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. I actually read 115 pages of that thing, and then refused to pick it up again. I need a recommendation of a book that I haven't read that I will love!

I did, however, read Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor. It is a YA book, and was delightful! There are a ton of "mom" issues in the book, so if you have a student/child who is looking for a book to read, and may have this going in, it is great! You will actually get angry with this worthless mother. The worst part is there are women like this that exist.

As a complete aside, I started a new "eating healthier"/working out plan, and I lost five pounds in one day! No, seriously! My husby was telling me he lost five pounds in one night, and I was muttering under my breath and cursing men in general for their fast metabolisms, when I heaved my own butt onto the scale and BAM-five pounds down! I retract all of my cursing Lord. Source: The 17 Day Diet by Dr. Mike Moreno