Reading Review: 2014 Books

Yep, I only write a post once a year. And it's about books. And like 2 people read it. But that's okay - I like to write this every year for myself. I wanted to read 80 books in 2014 and I only made it to 60. It was a little disappointing and it was because I kind of lost my reading mojo in the last few months of the year. And I hope I get it back soon! Any recommendations would be appreciated.

I had 14 books on my goal list and read 9 of them. (Just finished one this week; a little late but I'm counting it.) It's those stinkin' non-fictions that kill me. I have a hard time picking those up. But am half way through one of them. I'll do better in 2015. I think I'll go for 70 books this year.

To Read in 2015

To Finish:
Outlander by Diana Galbadon
Trails to Testimony by Bradley D. Harris

Classics:
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Non-Fiction:
The Parenting Breakthrough by Merrilee Boyack
To the Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson

General Fiction:
The Alienist by Caleb Carr
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
James Potter & the Vault of Destinies by G. Norman Lippert


Out of 60 books, I read 2 non-fiction (yikes!), 6 classics, 17 YA, and 17 mysteries. I gave a 5-star rating to 8 books, 4-stars to 28 books, 3-stars to 18 books, 2-stars to 5 books, and 1-star to one sad, little book.

Favorite 5 Stars

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Phillip Sendker
The most romantic book you'll ever read! This is true love, the kind that lasts forever. I so enjoyed learning about the culture of Burma and how such a simple life can be so rewarding and joyful. The format made it almost a mystery, and the pieces of the puzzle come in slowly, at a rate that was frustrating for us Westerners, but made for a very beautiful story. The writing was excellent and obviously the setting was my favorite.

Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
This was my favorite book of the year and I recommend it to everyone! Is like Indiana Jones meets the Da Vinci Code meets Google meets your favorite old book store. All in a neat, not-too-long package. Great, descriptive settings too.

A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R. King
The 2nd book in a series about an older Sherlock Holmes & his young protege, Mary Russell. I am excited to read more of this series! This one was about mysticism and the women's rights movement in London.

Sutton by J.R. Moehringer
A psychological study of a famous bank robber, rich with historical detail and the setting of NYC. So different and interesting, PG-13 for sexual content, R for language.

Rules by Cynthia Lord
A very touching short novel about a 12yo girl with an autistic brother - appropriate for all ages.

It Starts With Food by the Hartwigs
This is the book that goes with The Whole 30 diet and while the book might not be a literary marvel, I give the program 5 stars. You can read my review of the system here.

Jacky Faber series by L.A. Meyer
I read books 3-8 early in 2014 and I love this series! I gave 5 stars to books 3 & 4, and 4 stars to the rest. If you haven't read the outrageous adventures of young Jacky you really should! I would love for my 10yo son to read these but they have enough sexual allusions that we will be waiting 4 or 5 years. But I would say for grownups they are pretty clean. Although there is some violence. They are YA books. I am going to read the last 3 books this year.

Notable 4 Stars

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Well written, mysterious and scary! The setting of Spain and some very interesting characters make this a great read.

The Incorrigibles by Maryrose Wood
I read the first four books of this series and am so excited for the last two. Silly, smart, mysterious, and charming! These are short-ish chapter books appropriate for 9 and up.

The Wedding Bees by Sarah-Kate Lynch
Charming story about a Southern beekeeper living in NYC.


The entire list of 60 books that I read in 2014 is on Goodreads.

Reading Review: 2013 Books

I did it! I made my goal of reading 80 books this year! A few of these were cookbooks, decorating books, shorter young adult or kids chapter books, but I didn't count any picture books. I feel like 80 is a sweet spot for me - I read 72 in 2012 and 68 books in 2011. But to read more than 80 I would have to cut out other things that I love to do also. So I'm going for 80 again in 2014. But... more non-fiction. And classics. I only read 3 classics and 1 non-fiction. Man, no wonder I got to 80 easily!

When I look at the reading goals I set last year, I failed miserably at most of them. I only read 3 of the 6 books I wanted to get to (although one I took off the list) and didn't get to any poems, plays, or non-fiction. So I guess my goal for 2014 is to read more meaningful and quality books and a little less just-for-fun fiction. And to finish a few I have been working on for a super long time!

To Read in 2014

To Finish:
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
The Hand the First Held Mine by Maggie O'Ferrell
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

Classics:
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber

Non-Fiction:
Trails to Testimony by Bradley D. Harris
Raising up a Family to the Lord by Gene R. Cook
The Parenting Breakthrough by Merrilee Boyack

Plays:
The Odd Couple by Neil Simon
The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare

General Fiction:
Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

This seems like a lot - just the 14 listed above. But anyone who can read 80 books in a year can get through those, right? Let's hope so. I would like to be widely-read and well-read (and well-rounded) and not just have finished a bunch of fluffy mystery books.

But I did read some great things in 2013 and want to lay out my favorites here.

Favorite 5 Stars (I only gave this rating to 6 books and one was a cookbook.)

The Penderwicks series by Jeanne Birdsall
I love this series and this family so much! It has a charming, old-fashioned feel to it, but probably set more currently since they mention laptops and such. It just impresses me that the children play sports, do creative things like writing, crafts, cooking, and plays, and never seem to mention watching tv or playing video games. It helps that it is set on the East coast in places that seem to good to be true but I want it anyways. I gave the 2nd book (of 3) 5 stars, but the rest are solid 4 stars and supposedly another book or two will be coming out eventually.
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman - a gripping, emotional story of love & loss about a couple isolated on an island off the coast of Australia
Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff - A Newberry Honor book from The Battle of the Books list for elementary school, about an orphan girl who finally finds a family
A Proper Pursuit by Lynn Austin - a fun, light Christian romance
The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King - A Sherlock Holmes fan fiction book/series, introducing a young, female assistant for an older, semi-retired Holmes. Can't wait to read more!

Notable 4 stars

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein - about a couple of women serving in the RAF during WWII
Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George - for grade-schoolers
Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan - an interesting twist on a spy novel. set in the 1970s.
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving - this has really stuck with me
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri - great collection of short stories






The entire list of the 80 books I read is on Goodreads.

Getting ready for "Geneful" Conference

Nothing like posting twice in a year! But my family has been having some fun and success with our family home evenings lately and I wanted to share. My husband and I attended BYU's Education Week in August, and one of the many, many things that struck me during the week was a thought about modern prophets and apostles. Their words are scripture to us, and we need to learn and know the messages they give us at general conference and other times. But how can we believe their words if we don't know them? We need to know these great men. So our family is getting to know them every week until conference in October. Or as my boys call it: "Geneful Conference." (They also say Geneful Grevious from Star Wars.)

The internet is a wealth of information, and we used several ideas we found there. I made a poster like the one on the blog, We Talk of Christ.  I used the photos of the apostles from lds.org and printed them at a print shop so they would look nice, then laminated them myself and attached them with Velcro to the poster. I did the same with their names. The boys have been practicing and after conference next month we will replace the names or photos with a few words or pictures that represent the talk they gave at conference. I certainly like having this up in our foyer where we see it every day.

Another fun idea we used was a song to learn the names of the apostles. I know there are several songs out there, but we used the one on this YouTube video. I love it and get a kick out the boys singing it. Plus it keeps getting stuck in my head, in a good way, and keeps me thinking about the Lord's apostles more than I normally would.






And here's the video of my boys singing it.

 

The lesson part of our family home evenings this month is devoted to learning about these men of God. Each week we are learning about the history and background of 3 of the apostles. And my oldest, Alden, (he just turned 9!) has been taking on one every week, with my husband and I each taking another.

Last week we had my son research President Packer, while I took Elder Nelson. What Alden found out was that he and President Packer shared the same birthday, which was the next day. He was so excited to find this connection. And when I was studying the life of Elder Nelson later that day, I found that it was his birthday that very day! And these two friends and elders were born the same year - both Pres. Packer and Elder Nelson turned 89 last week. We got a kick out of all of it.

All my family is enjoying this course of study and we are looking forward to learning about the rest, and especially to hearing their words at general conference on October 5th and 6th. You can watch it all here.

Very Valentine

I am getting the flu and have 15 minutes to kill before my preschooler's bus gets here and then I can climb into my bed for a couple hours while my boys watch Netflix. Happy Valentine's Day! My husband is amazing and deserves so much more than a sick wife who has been too busy to do much for him. I did buy him a gift. It is shoe laces. Long story but I know he loves them! We are going out to celebrate for reals next week.

I love doing elaborate Valentines with the kids because it's like justified crafting for me. I found a couple of cute airplane valentines online this year. Both were cute and required much folding. Incidentally, I'm all caught up on my Hulu shows.

But Alden looked through my Valentines Pinterest board and wanted something like this:

We decided to glue mechanical pencils to the backs of the arrows and stick them into pink erasers. But did you know those erasers are like 50 cents each? And mechanical pencils aren't cheap either. So I opened up Illustrator and designed my own Valentines. And ended up with these. Hot glue holds the pencils on and suprisingly holds the arrows straight up too.

Roland was willing to practice his writing and addressed and wrote individual notes on 18 Valentines for preschool. He would tell me what he wanted to say, I'd write it on scratch paper and he would copy it onto the Valentine. That kid is going to write for Hallmark someday. Some of my favorites were:

You are kind of tough.
Sometimes I like your shirt.
You can do an awesome flip.
I like your voice.
I like that we are both 5.
Sometimes you say oopsy daisy and I like that word.

Man, I love that kid.

Illustrating Fool

If I could go back to college I would study design. Because despite not having artistic talent, I am drawn to creative design work. But because I can't afford the time or money to redo college I have opted for a few classes here and there. If you have ever heard of Nicole Hill Gerulat, photographer extraordinaire, you may have heard of Nicole's Classes. Nicole works with Mike & Alma Loveland, as well as other professionals to teach us lay people some creative skills. I have attended two Art Weekends, which are three day events that offer  lots of different two-hour mini-courses. I have taken screenprinting, Illustrator 101, pattern-making (in Illustrator) and Photoshop. And Illustrator is my favorite. I feel like I can create something that I can picture in my mind, without my hands having to draw at all!

For Christmas this year, my sweet husband paid for me to take an online course from Nicole's Classes. So this month I am taking Illustrator 101 from the illustrious Alma Loveland. And I am loving it! It's so nice to take a month-long class instead of just two hours. I completed week 1 and am deep in the throes of week 2. For anyone yearning to cultivate their creative side I highly recommend Nicole's Classes. I am very impressed with their online format and they offer classes in photography, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, flower arranging, sewing, and watercolors.

My first assignment was to make a typographic poster and I chose to make one for my friend that just had a new baby. I asked her about colors and used the sweet baby's name (isn't Piper Jane the cutest!). This poster is not fabulous design-wise, but it was fabulous as practice for all the things I learned in my first week. And I learned something about saving files properly so I was very pleased with the printed results. Costco prints a 16 x 20 size for only $6.

 

 

 

 

Foods to Try

I am a Bzz Agent, which means I sometimes get products or services for free to try out and review. Over the holidays I was part of two campaigns - Alexia Frozen Foods, and Private Selection (by Kroger) Foods.

Alexia is a line of all natural, gourmet-inspired side dishes. I tried three Alexia products - which are available in your grocer's frozen food case, sometimes in the section for fancy or organic stuff. Although I found it at my grocery store, they carry less than half of the line of products. I would be interested in trying more of the products, but am not sure I will venture out to another store just for that.

The julienne sweet potato fries were our favorite. My family ate these straight off the baking sheet and enjoyed every bite. The seasonings were perfect. They were a great side to serve and are much healthier because they are baked and because they are sweet potatoes. Plus they taste better too!

The oven fries with rosemary and garlic were not as great. They cooked up well and had a pretty good flavor, but were dry and needed a lot of salt.

The garlic baguette was very convenient for a Sunday dinner with soup. It certainly didn't taste homemade, but was probably better than other frozen breads I've tried. The butter and seasonings were good and not overdone, and the bread baked up crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.

Private Selection is the gourmet brand by Kroger, which for me means my local grocery store, Fry's, carries all the products. I was already a fan of this line, particularly the ice cream and the greek yogurt, but was glad for the chance to try a few new things.

I tried a jar of fancy kalamata olives - and when I say "I" I mean my husband (because I hate olives). We actually served these at a holiday party and they were a big hit. They were higher quality than what we normally buy, but really were barely more expensive. We are switching.

We got a few kind of Private Selection crackers. We already buy these regularly and love them. My husband is strange and prefers crackers and cheese and fruit over chocolate for his dessert. I love chocolate, but with my weight-loss challenge I am starting to join him. (I started a new 8-week challenge yesterday). These crackers are higher quality than the cheap stuff, but much more affordable than the fancy ones.

We tried a bottle of the Private Selection Napoletana Roasted Garlic Sauce too. It was wonderful! I'm not a big fan of bottled tomato sauces, and usually just feed them to my kids or use them on pizzas. But I was impressed with the flavor and quality of this sauce. We are switching for sure!

My BzzKit also included some Private Selection coffee, but since we don't drink coffee we passed it on to my husband's co-workers.

Still Love My Books

Even though I don't write much on this blog anymore (I want to do better), I look forward to doing this post at the end of every year. In 2012 I read 72 books, which included 8 non-fiction - that's a lot for me. And I kept track of every single book, including my rating and review, on my Goodreads account. I love that website. Was waiting for it all my life. See all my books here. But just in case you don't want to go through all my books, the good and the bad, I'll list some of my favorites here.

Favorites 5 Stars

The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt - my very favorite that I recommend to everyone!
I Am The Messenger by Marcus Zusak - loved The Book Thief, and this one too, even though it was very different.
He Shall Thunder in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters - #13 in Amelia Peabody series - my fave since book 1 and I recommend it to lovers of the series or of this genre.
A Great Deliverance by Elizabeth George - 1st in the Inspector Lynley series. I was very impressed but only those who love British police mysteries will agree.
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett - different than I usually read, and almost ruined at the end, but a fascinating look at a very different society and the things that drive us. Heart of Darkness-esque.
Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey - I was so skeptical and then totally surprised at how great this book was. Quick and easy to read, but very convincing to me. 2013 financial goal: get out of debt!


Notable 4 Stars

James Potter and the Hall of Elder's Crossing by Norman Lippert - great fan fiction but not dependent on the originals- so close to the feel of the Harry Potter series and free to read on the Goodreads app. will be getting to #2 soon.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - a classic that was on my must-read list for 2012. so glad I finally read it, and loved it - but the first third of the book was soooo slow and kept it from 5 stars.
Divergent/Insurgent by Veronica Roth - best YA dystopian I've read since Hunger Games (although I really liked Incarceron and Chaos Walking series too)
Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn - a fun, British, historical mystery - exactly my genre. can't wait to read the rest!


To Read in 2013

I am putting these six book on my must-read list for the year, in addition to whatever I can get to on my Goodreads To-Read list, which I try to keep close to 200 but is currently at 211. These books have either been on my list for a long time, or are popular or award-winning, come highly recommended, or just sound really good to me.

Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund
The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

And in addition to these, and in the name of pursuing a well-rounded reading list, I want to read more classic fiction, more non-fiction (specifically church/parenting/self-improvement books) and specifically a book of poetry, and a play.


Have you made a list of to-reads for 2013? What are your top faves that I should add to my list? Any suggestions for poetry or plays? Wish me luck with my goals and I wish you a very happy year of reading too!

A Sugar-Free Cookie Extrordinaire

With my new healthy lifestyle, I try to limit my sweets and desserts to one day a week. And then I try not to pig out all day long that day. But after being good for three or four weeks, I was craving some sweets so badly! So I turned to Pinterest and searched for a sugar-free recipe that looked palatable. Now I wasn't expecting miracles, but was hoping for something that didn't just use a sugar substitute. I bought some Stevia and tried to make my own hot chocolate. Yeah, it was nasty. Still need to try it in something else though - I don't want to judge it on that sole experience.

I found this cookie recipe that is not only sugar-free, but also flour, egg-free too. It is mostly bananas, so if you don't like those you should probably skip this recipe. I don't like to eat bananas on their own, but like them in bread, pancakes, etc. I love the oats in this recipe too! I did add a dash of salt and little Stevia to sweeten things up - just a single serving packet. The batter tasted great on it's own, and I wondered if it was even worth baking the cookies. Out of the oven they were okay, but the next day or the day after they were fabulous - just needed a day to meld I guess. I couldn't help but pass this recipe on. I give full credit to Once a Month Mom. You can find the recipe here. 

The cocoa and oats really satisfied me and kept me out of the real treats that do not help me!

Ending 2012 with a Loss (a good one)

This is a hard topic for me to discuss, but I'm on a roll and am hoping for some long-term change so it's time for me to go public. I have steadily been gaining weight since college & our wedding (11 years ago), and I have hit several unhappy milestones that I swore I would never pass. Yet I did. And I just didn't know what could turn me around. Then I heard about a weight-loss challenge that some people in my ward were putting together and I decided to join. That was two months ago and things have gone extremely well.

 

 

 

We used this system here, where you earn points for good behaviors like exercising, drinking water, skipping sweets, etc. We skipped the first two weeks of the challenge so we could finish by Christmas Eve. Everyone puts in $10 as a show of participation and the pot gets split between the top points winner and the top weight-loss percentage winner. And I was the points winner! I lost fifteen pounds! I liked that so many of my friends were all doing it together so we could encourage each other, as well as compete. I was actually quite motivated by the competition - more than I would have thought I could be. Once I was in first place after the first week - I didn't want to give it up. It was also a huge help that my husband, Aaron, did the challenge with me. He was so supportive in everything. I normally hate it when he encourages me to go to the gym or to eat less sweets. But since it was part of the competition and he was doing it all too... well, I couldn't have done it without him.

Worst part of the challenge: eating fruits and veggies. I know you are supposed to integrate these into your meals, but I had a hard time with this and I'm not a big salad eater, which is where some people get their veggies. I'm glad it's winter though - I love cauliflower or butternut squash soup! I found myself stuffing down veggies and/or fruit at 8:30 most nights - which is 30 minutes before the no-food limit. I need to do better at this.

Best parts of the challenge: working out at the gym. You get the maximum points for exercising 45 minutes five times a week. I have finally caught the joy of the gym and I still have a long ways to go. I've been doing the bike (so I can read at the same time), walking on the treadmill (but want to work up to running sometime), and the elliptical. That elliptical machine is hard! And I have to do 45 minutes. Man it's good exercise! I look forward to trying some Yoga and Zumba classes soon too. Another great part of the challenge: drinking 64 ounces of water a day. I have come to really enjoy this and it makes me feel a lot better. I love that the challenge is set-up to reward good behavior rather than penalizing you.

I am going to use my winnings to buy some new exercise gear and maybe some running shoes. I am loving the new looseness to my clothes and some subtle changes to my body. We're starting the challenge again in a couple weeks and I'm hoping for at least 15 more pounds of loss. Maybe then I can set some kind of target weight goal. I am amazed at how natural my new behaviors and habits are starting to feel - except the no sweets. But I'm learning about moderation. I'm really looking forward to a new year and a new, healthier lifestyle for me!

Pinterest Project 02

It's time for a Pinterest Challenge from Sherry at Young House Love and her pals. I love the inspiration I get from Pinterest, but am often overwhelmed by how many projects I want to try out. I've even stopped pinning new things (mostly) because I don't want to forget about all the great things I've already pinned. You can see all my boards here.

 

For the past year we have been renting our own little room in a great house that my in-laws are staying in. It is in Northern Arizona and we love it there! I wanted to decorate our room a little, mostly to distract me from the 80s wallpaper. I decided to use some of my favorite Pinterest pins as ideas for some graphic art to liven up our space. I know the pictures aren't great, but in person I am very pleased with the view.

 

 

 

Here are my inspiration pins:

 

 

from mer mag

 

 

from susanna vento

 

I even did up one other print, to greet us as we walk into our room.

 

 

 

 

 

Wrapping up LDS Fiction

This month has been fun while I read as many novels by LDS authors as I could get my hands on for the Summer Book Trek, hosted by LDS Publishers blog. I just finished my last book last night, and am anxious to get all my reviews listed. Here's my final list:


Freefall by Traci Hunter Abramson - read Aug 9th
Crossed by Ally Condie - read Aug 21st
Austenland by Shannon Hale - read Aug 17th
Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale - brand new & offered on Kindle for $1.99 - read Aug 26th
Twitterpated by Melanie Jacobson - read Aug 28th
Lemon Tart by Josi S. Kilpack - read Aug 23rd
Dead Running by Cami Checketts - read Aug 7th
Michael Vey: the Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans - read Aug 24th


I've  got a lot of reviews to list here. As always, I review every book I read on Goodreads.













Crossed by Ally Condie

I enjoyed this one a little more than the first, but maybe it was because I read it myself, rather than listening. I always like that better. There was also a lot more action, but you still get to hear all of Cassia's thoughts - and now we get Ky's thoughts also. It starts to explain some of the background, but leaves plenty for the 3rd book. I still love Cassia & Ky's relationship, the pull they feel towards each other, but Xander isn't out of the picture yet. This love triangle has more to...moreI enjoyed this one a little more than the first, but maybe it was because I read it myself, rather than listening. I always like that better. There was also a lot more action, but you still get to hear all of Cassia's thoughts - and now we get Ky's thoughts also. It starts to explain some of the background, but leaves plenty for the 3rd book. I still love Cassia & Ky's relationship, the pull they feel towards each other, but Xander isn't out of the picture yet. This love triangle has more to tell I think.

Austenland by Shannon Hale

	I'd give this book 3.5 stars. It was just the kind of easy-reading book that I like sometimes. Romance, British characters & historic literature, some American humor, and a happy ending. It was clean and good for teenagers. Still plenty of kissing though.

Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale

	3 stars. I read this right on the heels of Austenland, so the same plot device wasn't exactly novel for me. I did like having a heroine that was quite a bit different than the 1st, who was there for different reasons. The whole real mystery and nod to Northanger Abby was great (especially since I just read that one recently) and the happy ending wasn't so bad, since that's how I like them.

Twitterpated by Melanie Jacobson

I wanted to like this book as much as I liked the main character, but I just didn't. The plot was cliche but still has some potential. I really felt for Jessie and some of the situations she ended up in. But the main conflict with Ben felt contrived and then wrapped up all too quickly. And despite the fact that Jacobson can obviously write decently, it was the writing that ruined this book for me. I rolled my eyes and practically threw the book down every time a million details of the setting ca...more22 stars. I wanted to like this book as much as I liked the main character, but I just didn't. The plot was cliche but still has some potential. I really felt for Jessie and some of the situations she ended up in. But the main conflict with Ben felt contrived and then wrapped up all too quickly. And despite the fact that Jacobson can obviously write decently, it was the writing that ruined this book for me. I rolled my eyes and practically threw the book down every time a million details of the setting came out. I really don't care about the colors of the walls, and the couch, and the accent pillows. Or the plates & flatware, the table runner, and on and on! Not to mention the clothes, which I don't mind quite as much, but are still a huge departure from the actual story. It was so distracting! (I was not surprised when I read Jacobson's bio & found out she was in the fashion industry.) The same thing happened with so many details of Jessie's work life. Even though it was a bit more important to the story, we still didn't need so much. But if all of the excess details had been taken out, it would have been a very short book. Lds fiction is hard to write as any kind of decent literature. I hope Jacobson keeps it up and I'll try another of hers in a few more books

Lemon Tart by Josi Kilpack

3 stars. I didn't expect a lot from this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. It certainly fits in with its genre of culinary mysteries - the recipes look delicious and I will be trying them soon. And the mystery has a few more plot twists than I expected. It ended with the expected confrontation with the killer, but I still liked it. The heroine was new to me, so she doesn't drive me crazy yet and I'm interested in getting to know her. I'll pick up a few more of these.

Michael Vey: the Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans

4 stars. This book is like X-men for teenagers. The premise wasn't super original, but still very fun and exciting. The hero is very likable and his band of merry men totally grows on you. The action was great, without being violent or gory at all. There was no langauge or sex - totally clean for pre-teens but adults will enjoy it too. I think I'll have my son read it in about a year when he turns 9. (The characters are 15 so it's a little old for him.) I really liked it, and sometimes Richard Paul Evans is a little hokey for me, so I was very pleased with Michael Vey. I will look for the next in the series soon.

Funnest Back to School Party Ever!

We were thrilled to receive some more fun party materials from Mom Select - this time from Gutzy Gear! I was a little worried that the kids wouldn't be thrilled with the product - they are velcro patches that attach to your gear, particularly with covers that go around your kid's backpack straps. No sewing required! Why can't scout uniforms be so easy? But I don't know why I was worried - they were a huge hit! They all tore into the packages of the straps and were thrilled to get them on their own backpacks. I helped my 4 year old a bit, but otherwise all my 1st and 3rd grade guests had no problems with them. And there was such a great assortment of patches that we didn't even have fighting over them. That's always a plus at a party.

We played a couple games that were including in our packet  - bingo, and a super fun scavenger hunt game. I taped up pictures of the Gutzy patches all over the house and the kids had to race to find them, in a specific order. There were two sets, one for each team. They really loved it and ran around crazy for about ten minutes. We will have to play that game again sometime. Here are my two teams:

Here's a video with a little taste of the scavenger hunt and some up close footage of the kids' choices.

 

What else can you ask of a party? Yummy snacks, fun games, good company, and awesome Gutzy Gear products made for our funnest back to school party ever! We will be keeping our eyes open for these patches in stores. Our set incuded basic patches, but they have super hero ones that my boys will love (in their stockings at Christmas). The patches retail for $6 for a two-pack and are available online or at Kmart, Walmart, or Toys R Us.

Summer Book Trek

I finished my first two books for the Summer Book Trek, hosted by LDS Publisher blog. I altered my list a bit for what I was able to quickly get my hands on, and here's the update:

Freefall by Traci Hunter Abramson - read Aug 9th
Crossed by Ally Condie - currently reading
Austenland by Shannon Hale (found out Palace of Stone doesn't even come out for a few weeks)
Twitterpated by Melanie Jacobson (The List sounds more interested but a friend loaned me this one)
Lemon Tart by Josi S. Kilpack (my friend loaned me this one too)
Dead Running by Cami Checketts - read Aug 7th

The exciting news is that I won a prize before I even finished my first book. I look forward to receiving Dispensation in the mail. It is an anthology of short stories by LDS authors, compiled and edited by Angela Hallstrom. And in choosing my prize, I found Dead Running, which I finished quickly. More points! Maybe I'll win another prize. Here are my reviews:

Dead Running by Cami Checketts

Goodreads Summary:
Cassidy Christensen is running.
Running from the mercenaries who killed her parents.
Running from a scheming redhead intent on making her life miserable.
Running from painful memories that sabotage her dreams of happiness.
With two very tempting men competing for her attention, she hopes she’ll finally have someone to run to, but can she trust either of them? When secrets from her past threaten her family, Cassidy decides to stop running and fight for her future.

My review:

I might give this 2.5 stars. It was quick and kind of fun, in a spy mystery/all the bad guys are chasing her kind of way. There was some fun romance and I was a bit inspired by the heroine's drive to train for the St. George marathon. The plot wasn't original and the writing wasn't anything special. I did like the main character, even if I thought her reactions were unrealistic sometimes. I got this as a 99 cents Kindle download from Amazon, and found it through the blog ldspublisher.com. I am pa...moreI might give this 2.5 stars. It was quick and kind of fun, in a spy mystery/all the bad guys are chasing her kind of way. There was some fun romance and I was a bit inspired by the heroine's drive to train for the St. George marathon. The plot wasn't original and the writing wasn't anything special. I did like the main character, even if I thought her reactions were unrealistic sometimes. I got this as a 99 cents Kindle download from Amazon, and found it through the blog ldspublisher.com. I am participating in their Summer Book Trek to read books by LDS authors. The church isn't mentioned anywhere in the book, but it was completely free of language and sex. There is just kissing and mentions of violence. Not explicit or gory, or even scary.

Freefall by Traci Ambramson Hunter

Goodreads Summary:
Lieutenant Brent Miller arrived in the Middle East with one objective--get seven hostages out of a hostile country. The plan almost worked. But now he has been left behind--with one of the hostages. It's up to Brent to get Amy Whitmore, a US Senator's daughter, across miles of desert to safety. What he doesn't know is that to survive, he needs her as much as she needs him.

My review:

This book was enjoyable and nostalgic for me. I used to read stuff like this in junior high. The spy thriller/terrorist type of book, with some LDS people thrown in. It is good, clean fun for me. I liked the format of action, romance, action - not too intense, but not boring. I was glad that both of the main characters were LDS, otherwise it gets a too unrealistic to me. This book was neither original, or fabulously written, but I liked it and will read more of the series. There was no sex or la...moreThis book was enjoyable and nostalgic for me. I used to read stuff like this in junior high. The spy thriller/terrorist type of book, with some LDS people thrown in. It is good, clean fun for me. I liked the format of action, romance, action - not too intense, but not boring. I was glad that both of the main characters were LDS, otherwise it gets a too unrealistic to me. This book was neither original, or fabulously written, but I liked it and will read more of the series. There was no sex or language, and the violence was minimal and completely vague.

A Book Challenge

I haven't posted much on this blog in 2012, and much of it has been of the crafty variety. But I still love to read and do quite a bit of it. Despite my not mentioning it here, I always list and give a brief review of every book I read (even the embarassing ones) on Goodreads. You can find my lists there. But it's time for me to bring back some posts about literature, good and bad. Here are some of my favorites from this year:

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

I really liked this book, even though it took just a little bit longer to get into it than most of the fiction I read. It is more serious and made me think more than most of the fluff I read too. And the writing was beautiful, that certainly pulled me in from the beginning. I found myself re-reading entire paragraphs just for the way the words flowed and made me feel. I don't read writing of this caliber nearly often enough. The first half of the book takes place in Minnesota & Manaus, Brazil...moreI really liked this book, even though it took just a little bit longer to get into it than most of the fiction I read. It is more serious and made me think more than most of the fluff I read too. And the writing was beautiful, that certainly pulled me in from the beginning. I found myself re-reading entire paragraphs just for the way the words flowed and made me feel. I don't read writing of this caliber nearly often enough. The first half of the book takes place in Minnesota & Manaus, Brazil, the second half deep in the Amazon rainforest. The characters are imperfect, but compelling. The whole thing is very Heart of Darkness, but somehow lighter without losing the impact. Cautions: an occasional swear word and mentions of sex (sometimes completely pointless) without details. also some native drug use.

Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Account of the Misadventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman and Fine Lady (Bloody Jack #2) by L.A. Meyer

	Read #1 first, Bloody Jack. That Jacky just charmed me again with her enthusiasm & love for others. I enjoyed reading about her adventures as a fine lady just as much as being a sailor. I was much more heartbroken at the end though, when she moves on. I'm really enjoying this series but am a little worried about them keeping up the high standards as the books keep coming.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

I'm glad I bought a copy of this book because I think it's something I'll read again. I also marked a couple quotes, and that's not something I normally do. I really enjoyed the writing and felt the author had a lot of great insights. I enjoyed the characters, especially seeing them grow & change - even some of the minor characters. I found myself smiling a lot while reading this, and the ideas just stuck with me. Even though it is a slower read, it was so charming and enjoyable that I didn'...morI'm glad I bought a copy of this book because I think it's something I'll read again. I also marked a couple quotes, and that's not something I normally do. I really enjoyed the writing and felt the author had a lot of great insights. I enjoyed the characters, especially seeing them grow & change - even some of the minor characters. I found myself smiling a lot while reading this, and the ideas just stuck with me. Even though it is a slower read, it was so charming and enjoyable that I didn't mind. And you still got some drama & action towards the end, which felt pretty improbably, but was still fun. The ending was a little neat but that's how I like them. We had some great discussions in book club about this book.

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
this is my new favorite book that I recommend to everyone! such a great story with inspiring characters. I was very interested in the historical aspects and the cultural intricacies of long island - with a feel of a small town but so close to NYC. Holling Hoodhood is a national treasure & I hope my boys are something like him when they are in 7th grade. And I hope they have a teacher somewhere along the line like Mrs. Baker. and I want to read some Shakespeare now. this will make for an excellent book club discussion.

Silent in the Grave (Lady Julia #1) by Deanna Raybourn
A completely charming book with a lovable heroine that is strong but far from perfect. I liked seeing her personal introspection and the changes in her during the book. I loved the British setting and time period, also the parts about the Romany people. The characters were very interesting to me and the action and mystery thoroughly satisfying. I totally guessed the murderer early but for all the wrong reasons! I loved the interactions between the two main characters but also that everything wasn't wrapped up into one neat package and happily ever after. Marriage in and of itself doesn't bring happily ever after and now I can't wait to read book #2!
Many mentions of homosexuality, prostitution, STDs, etc. No actual sex scenes, but I still wouldn't recommend this for teenagers.
ps - I just read #2 of this series and enjoyed it maybe even a little more, because it was a little lighter.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
I can't believe I had never read this book! In the end I absolutely loved it but have to give it 4 stars because it took me months to get through - the first parts were too slow for me I guess & failed to capture my attention. I'm so glad I perservered because as soon as Jane gets to Thornfield everything starts moving. The last few chapters were my favorite, as I'm sure they are with most women - so romantic and touching! This book feels completely like chick lit to me, just with many, many words I had to look up in the dictionary. I loved the auto dictionary feature on the Kindle app of my new Nook tablet!


We've spent a lot of time in Pinetop, AZ this summer, enjoying the fabulous weather, and I've had plenty of time to catch up on books. Not that I really need the encouragement, but I heard about a book reading challenge from my friend Susan's blog. (Hopefully all readers of this blog know that I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, sometimes known as Mormons or LDS.) The LDS Publishers blog is hosting a Summer Book Trek to read books by LDS authors in August. They don't have to be about LDS topics or people, just written by an author who is LDS. You can read all about the details by clicking on the button to the right. And apparently they even have prizes, which sounds fun. You can join too! There are plenty of lists of authors and suggestions on their website.

Here's the list of books I'm planning to read in August:

Freefall by Traci Hunter Abramson
Crossed by Ally Condie
Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale
The List by Melanie Jacobson
Lemon Tart by Josi S. Kilpack

Craft Night: Giant Cross Stitch

I am finally getting around to posting about our craft night, thanks to The Pinterest Challenge, hosted by Sherry from Old House Love and her posse.  I was very inspired by a lot of pins I saw on Pinterest, I listed them in my last post, but here are a couple of my favorites again.

 

 

I think this is such a modern, fresh take on the time-old tradition of cross-stitch and it seemed perfect for DIY. I jumped on the computer, made myself a design, and got started. I used Adobe Illustrator, set my artboard to the size of the canvas I planned to use, chose the number 5 (for 5 in my family), and added crosses until my eyes couldn't see straight. I put the number 5 on one layer, in the font I liked, and then made my crosses in a layer on top, matching them to the number below as best I could. I used 3/4 inch crosses. After I chose this project for craft night, I helped my friends design their projects too and generally used the 3/4 inch crosses again. Even with a large canvas, 24" x 36", I found anything larger gave me not enough control over detail. And for some designs, like the chicken below, I used smaller crosses for some detailed area.

Next I spray painted my canvas, although most of my friends used craft paint and a foam brush. I would love to try one over fabric, like a burlap or a small-print flowered muslim or something. It would be harder to mark where the stitches should go, but I did buy a fabric ink pen, with disappearing ink. I'm anxious to try it soon. I would recommend wrapping and stapling the fabric to a canvas, just to keep the structure and make it easier.

After the paint was dry on my canvas, I printed off my design, which necessitated multiple pages taped together sometimes, and attached it to the canvas with some of my washi tape, whose low-tack & removability were perfect for this project. Then I took a needle and drove it down through the paper & the canvas below. The hole remains in the canvas to show you where to stitch. That's where fabric would be a little trickier than the canvas, although that disappearing ink pen must be so much easier on the fingers than stabbing through the canvas with a needle. A thimble helped. I learned a few things on the first row. Don't stab through the middle of the Xs, only the corners. I made that mistake on the first row, but the holes were covered up when I did the stitching. Also, my design ran fairly close to the edge of the canvas, over the wooden supports, which made it pretty hard to put a needle through. You might keep that in mind when creating your design. My friends poster-size canvas had a support right up the middle too - which made it difficult to stitch around, but canvas is flexible and we worked around it.

And then we got to stitching. Some used yarn (for the big canvas), some used embroidery floss, the white one was a thick baking string, and I used a hot pink mason twine, which is nylon and sold at Home Depot. Long needles worked well, although I had to use one with an extra-wide eye to keep my mason twine from unraveling. Which made it quite hard to punch through the canvas. I was getting blisters before I heard about the idea of using rubber gloves. I felt pretty silly wearing my long, yellow dish gloves, but it worked like a charm. You just follow basic cross-stitch principles, tie a knot, come through from the back, and get to work, tying off in the back when you run out of string. You'll have to find better instructions elsewhere.  ;)  It took a few hours to complete, but Netlix helped while the time for me, and my craft group is always happy to use the time to catch up on each other's lives, gossip, and discuss important philosophies. Here are some shots of us working, and a few of the finished projects.

I am so thankful to Pinterest for keeping me appraised of great art and projects, you can follow me here. And I'm glad for Sherry's Pinterest Challenge and for my turn to host craft night for impelling me to actually complete some of the things I pin. My friends' projects turned out so cute too & I'm sure they are livening up their houses by now.