Working HARD!!

Hi everybody!!  It has been a long time, hasn’t it?  Have yall been reading?  I tell you what…I’ve been so busy at work that I have been neglecting my blogging!!  What’s the DEAL??  Anyway, we’ve got a lot of catching up to do!!

Okay and before I start talking books with you, do any of you out there own any Pandora jewelry??  Well, my friend, KK, took me by a WONDERFUL little shop that sells Pandora rings, necklaces and bracelets...zOMG.  I have become obsessed with their stackable rings.  I have been hinting to the hubby that I want some of the rings for my birthday (which is coming up!), but I'm also LOVING the charm bracelets (which end up costing quite a bit more - but think about it, he'd have built-in, automatic gifts every holiday for quite awhile!!).  Any way, I've put a couple of the rings below...aren't they pretty?  Very very reasonably priced.  Like I said, they are stackable, so you can mix and match and do pretty much whatever you like.  

 

Okay, so let's talk books.  

The first book that I wanted to catch up with you on is entitled ‘The Saving Graces’ by Patricia Gaffney.  It is an awesome read!!  It is a story about the friendship of 4 women over a period of time.  The oldest, Isabel, is very Zen and motherlike, but finds out she has breast cancer which has metastasized to the bone.  Lee works as the director of a children’s center, is very organized and determined.  She met the love of her life, Henry (a plumber), late and now is struggling to have children.  Emma, who is a writer, is sarcastic and funny, but ends up falling in love with a married man.  (But she doesn’t do anything.  In fact, once they figure it out, they go out of their way to avoid one another).  And then there is Rudy, who had a very traumatic childhood.  Rudy is beautiful and married to a very successful but controlling man…she also has a lot of mental health issues she is dealing with.

I know this sounds like another run-of-the mill chick book, but I have to tell you that this book is multi-layered – it has depth.  And while everyone has problems, and EVERY SINGLE TIME I read it, I cry, it is a wonderful book and I feel pretty good when I finish.  It makes me laugh, too, so it is not all gloom and doom and tears. 

Currently, I’m re-reading ‘Picture Perfect’ by Jodi Picoult.  Now, if I haven’t talked about her before (and I’m pretty sure I have), I really like her.  This particular book?  Eh.  Not so much.  JP has written some real wing-dingers and this just isn’t one of them.  The story opens with a woman with amnesia wandering near a graveyard in LA.  She is found by Will, a Native American police officer. Well, as the story unfolds, you find out that her name is Cassie, she is an anthropologist and she is married to Alex, who is a very famous actor.  As Cassie regains her memory, she finds that Alex is very abusive and she runs away to the reservation where Will’s family lives.

As I said, this book is not BAD, it is just not as good as it gets for JP.  I just don’t think it is up to her usual standards.  :/

 

In the meantime, I’ve also finished ‘If Tomorrow Comes’ by Sidney Sheldon.  You’ve just got to love books from this time period (I know, I know, I’m back in the 80s) – everything is just larger than life.  In this book, the heroine, Tracy Whitney is wrongfully convicted of a crime, ends up exonerated, but vows to get revenge and starts a life of high dollar crime.  LOVES IT!!

  

Speaking of crime done right, have yall ever read ‘Honest Illusions’ by Nora Roberts?  Okay, ignore the cover because it looks like a regular old romance novel and it is anything but.  The main characters are Roxy and Luke and their family, who are magicians living in New Orleans by day and high dollar thieves at night.  Who can make thieves SO incredibly likeable?  Um, Nora. Roberts.  This book is definitely a 5 out of 5.  If you haven’t, please please please read it.

Oh, and ps, the Baby T-Rex is finally reading ‘Hunger Games’.  Ha.  I win.

Ok, time for me to go!  Yall take care!!  Please feel free to comment!

Fall

Well, as of September 23, it is officially fall in Auburn, AL.  That means highs in the low 80's and lows in the 60's.  It is beautiful outside.  Football weather.  And although I default to the Auburn Tigers when I have to, I'm actually a Razorback...and Arkansas plays Alabama today.  Wooooo Pig!!  Go Razorbacks!  Should be a good game - Arkansas is ranked #14 and Alabama is ranked #3. 

Just sayin.

Ironically, I just finished a book called 'Fall' by Colin McAdam.  On the surface, it sounds like a good book - takes place in a private boarding school where most of the characters are diplomats children.  The story is told by Noel, who is a bit of a loner, and is mostly about his relationsip with his roommate Julius (who is an athlete and revered by most everyone) and his girlfriend, Fall.  Fall disappears one day and the story of how this happen is very dark and horrifying.  I realize you might think I'm shallow, but I most often do not enjoy books that aren't 'feel good' or reveal a character that is unlikeable.  This book was that way.  I didn't feel good after reading it.  And I really had to force myself to finish it.  There are some that might enjoy this type of literature, but I didn't.  I wouldn't recommend this one.  Sorry, all.

So, in an effort to get the bad taste out of my mouth, I reverted to a couple of my favorites.  Now, I'm not big on the biographies, but I have to admit that Tori Spellings books are favorites of mine.  I picked up 'Mommywood' in an airport (impulse purchase much?) and SO enjoyed it.  I like how she comes across as such a normal person, with the daily struggle of balancing her career with motherhood and how the press is a constant presence in her life.  TS's books are funny and really enjoyable.  She's kind of kooky and worries about the funniest things - which is how I feel a lot of the time.  Crazy, isn't it, that I feel like I can relate to a major hollywood star, but that is how TS makes you feel.  She has invited you into her life and just really makes you feel like a part of it.  Many times, she says that people come up to her and speak like they are old friends, and that's how her books make you feel.  She has a real talent for coming across as very down-to-earth and approachable.

So while I was at it, I re-read 'Uncharted Territori', which is the book that follows 'Mommywood' and chronicles her struggles with her health, being the mother of 2 children under 3 and again, balancing work and home.  I really think these books are worth the read.  And I tell you, it is kind of decadent, the glimpses into what her uber-rich childhood must have been like.  Try it, I think you might be surprised!!  I know I was.  Pleasantly so.


Okay everybody, have a good weekend!!  We'll talk soon!!

Left Neglected

Hey everybody?  How's it going?  Starting to feel like fall outside!  (which, in Alabama, just means that the daytime high is like 89.  And you know what?  It feels GOOD outside.)  Speaking of fall, we are getting the Teenage Banana's senior pictures made on October 1.  We are going to do them outside.  I am SUPER excited because the foliage should be beautiful just about then, AND we are taking our beagle, Tard (not his real name), to be in several of the shots.  I just can't wait!  So anyway, I finished re-reading a book by Lisa Genova entitled 'Left Neglected'.  It is about a career woman with three children (busy busy busy) who is trying to do it all.  She is in a car crash and sustains injury to the right side of her brain and this causes a condition known as 'left neglect'.  Having left neglect causes her brain to ignore everything on the left side of her body.  She can't see her arm, she can't see people who stand to her left - all of which affects her ability to dress, walk, even maneuver a wheelchair.  Sarah , the main character, struggles with her recovery and the fact that total recovery may never come.  It forces her (and her family) to rethink the way that they live.  Let me just say that the author is a neuroscientist, but she does an absolutely BRILLIANT job of making this book accessible.  She does a wonderful job of describing the condition and rehabilitation without making it too clinical, or forgetting how something like this affects not only the patient, but the patient's family.  Really, really enjoyed this book.

Also by this author is a book called 'Still Alice'.   This read is absolutely heartbreaking.  Alice, who is a professor at Harvard, is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's Disease.  I think she is diagnosed when she is about 50.  Apparently, those who are diagnosed with the early onset form, progress much more rapidly than patients that are older when diagnosed.  I enjoyed this book, too, but not as much as 'Left Neglected'.  It wasn't quite as engrossing.  If I had to pick, I think I would skip this one.  Still enjoyable, but I AM a healthcare professional, so I might have liked it just because I'm kind of nerdy that way.

 So.  Now onto my food for the day.  There is a place in Auburn called 'Chicken Salad Chick'.  All they sell is chicken salad (we in the South have elevated chicken salad to an art.  Seriously) Check out their website:

http://www.chickensaladchick.com/ 

Take a look at their menu!  It is divine!!  My favorites are:  Classic Carol (the original), Buffalo Barclay (which is chicken salad made with buffalo wing sauce...YUM) and Barbie-Q (made with a barbeque sauce).  For those of you who like a little bit of sweet in your chicken salad, they have Fancy Nancy (made with apples, pecans and grapes) or Cranberry Kelli (made with cranberries and almonds).  And OH. MY. GOODNESS.  They have this grape salad that is to die for.  I don't know what's in it, but I know I love it. 

That's all for today folks!!  Come to Auburn, we'll get some chicken salad and go to the bookstore!!  Have a good day!! 

Books by Morticia

Hey yall!  Morticia Addams here.  I tried to, um, color my hair this weekend and I went just a wee bit dark with it.  I'm naturally dark brown, but I picked up a box that said 'darkest brown'.   Memo to self:  darkest brown is actually black.  My hair is now so black it is almost blue.  My kids accused me of trying to go 'Goth'.  Did they even have Goth when I was in high school?  Moot point, really. I am now Goth.  I also see that this is the beginning step to having purple hair when I get old.  Older, that is.  BUT, it is really kind of perfect, because we are getting closer to Halloween and I was trying to think of good Halloween books.  Classic Halloween books.  But first things first. 

This weekend I finished a book of short stories entitled 'Strange Candy' by Laurell K. Hamilton.  (I'm on a short story kick right now.  Don't worry, it will pass)  LKH is the author of the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, series (which I haven't read, but my sister-in-law (SIL) has and to which she is completely addicted).  LKH also writes the Merry Gentry series, which I HAVE read.  Merry is a faerie princess in the Unseelie Court, living in America, for the most part.  I'm generally not much on the fantasy genre, but really have enjoyed this series.  So, I wanted to read this book of short stories.  With stories like 'Those Who Seek Forgiveness' (this one is about a woman whose husband died suddenly and she wants to raise him as a zombie so he can forgive her for things she has done) and 'Here Be Dragons' (the title of this story is somewhat misleading, it is about a sociopathic psychic child), I think you'll enjoy this book for the most part.  There are stories about elves and sorcery, which aren't my favorites, but one entitled 'A Lust of Cupids' makes the whole book worth a second look.  (I know, the cover of the book might make you a tad embarassed to carry it with you to the doctor's office, but if you can get past that, there's some good stuff in there).

Another one that I want to read, but haven't yet is 'The Graveyard Book' by Neil Gaiman.  It is about a family that is stabbed to death in the very beginning of the book.  The only family member that escapes is the 18-month old baby who toddles over to a graveyard and is taken in by the ghostly residents.  They name him Nobody (Bod). The story follows Bod from babyhood to his teens.  This book is for ages 10 and up, but was named on Time Magazines top 10 fiction books of 2008.  I'm dying to read this one!!

  
The last one on my list, is 'halloween' by various authors.  This one is on my 'To Read' list.  I'll let you know.

In the meantime, this is Morticia, signing off.

Unwind

'Unwind' by Neal Shusterman was recommended to me by my running friend.  RF said it was a very unusual read.  I have to be honest and confess that I'm always looking for something unique to read.  Let me read the synopsis to you.  "The second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights.  The chilling resolution:  Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen.  Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child 'unwound', whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end.  Connor is too difficult for his parents to control.  Risa, a ward of the state, is not talented enough to be kept alive.  And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound.  Together, they may have a chance to escape-and to survive."  <crickets>    Oh. my. gosh.  Sounds good, doesn't it?  I tell you that this book does not disappoint.  A definite must-read - I really enjoyed it. This book is intended for 7th grade and up, but great for adults, too. (how come the teens get all the good books?

I say that teens get all the good books, but one I read awhile back, 'The Gargoyle' by Andrew Davidson, is definitely a GREAT, unique read. 

If you haven't yet, you should read this.  It starts out a little harsh, with a car wreck where the main character is very badly burned.  While he's in the hospital, he meets Marianne, a sculptress of gargoyles.  It is sometimes a disturbing read,  but SO wonderful.  You'll love this book.  Trust me.

In the meantime, I have finished re-reading 'The Dead Zone' by Stephen King.  Someone had mentioned this book and I realized that I hadn't read it in YEARS, so I zipped over to the bookstore and picked it up.  I'm so glad I got it!!  This is not really your typical Stephen King horror story.  The main character, Johnny, falls into a coma for 5 (?) years, I think, and when he wakes up (long after anyone expects him to), he has developed a special ability...to occasionally see the future when he touches someone.  This is one to put on your list if you like SK, but don't especially like horror.  Another one to take a look at is his book of short stories, 'Just After Sunset'.  I really really love Stephen King, most especially his short stories.  He always surprises me.

Well, hope yall enjoy your Saturday!!  One last thing.  I really love Gerbera daisies (is the hub reading this blog??)

And chocolate cake with white icing.  :)

And pico de gallo.  The Pioneer Woman's recipe.  Have you checked out her blog and recipes?  You definitely to.  The web address is:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/

Check out her recipe section.  She has THE best cinnamon rolls (with maple icing) EVER.  And if I can make them, so can you.  One word of advice?  When you bake them?  Do it in a glass pan.  I did it in a metal 13 X 9 and they burned....but when I made them in glass?  They were DIVINE.

And her pico de gallo.  A must eat. 

Make some.  Eat it.  Today.  While reading.

Old Teenage Favorites

Hey everybody!!  How's it going today?  It's still hot in Alabama.  I was thinking about what books I read as a teenager.  I spent a lot of my childhood reading - I loved to spend the weekend at my Grandma's house, because I could read ALL weekend long (and she made homemade pizza every Saturday for lunch.  Who knew it was so easy to become a favorite Grandma?) I got to thinking about what I read - there was a lot of Judy Blume, some Beverly Cleary...other angst filled teen romances.  I read Sylvia Plath's 'The Bell Jar' and 'Go Ask Alice' Anonymous.  But my favorite thing to do on the weekends was read comics...I know, I know (remember, this is before comics were cool).

Remember the Archie comic series?  Oh my GOSH, I loved this series!  Do you guys remember Archie and Jughead?  Betty and Veronica? (were you Team Betty or Team Veronica?  This was so before Team Edward and Team Jacob.  And, btw, I was totally Team Betty)

Remember 'Forever' by Judy Blume?  About Katherine and Michael?  This was my first 'grown up' book, where the main characters were in an 'adult' relationship.  (Have you noticed the completely out of proportion number of 'quotation' marks in this paragraph?)  I don't know if my Mom would have objected to this book, but I got it into my head that she would have, so I hid it.  (I'm completely sure she must have known I had it - in fact, who else could have bought it for me?)  But this book ran rampant through the, what, 7th grade?  Wonder what ever happened to that book?  Wonder what happened to the rest of those books?


I also liked 'Deenie' by Judy Blume.  Did you guys ever read this one?  It was about a girl whose mother wanted her to be a model, but in a routine check, the doctor found out she had scoliosis and she had to start wearing a back brace.  (Remember those 'routine' scoliosis checks?  Do they still do those?  Hmm.  There are those pesky quotation marks again.)

  

'Tiger Eyes' was a good one, too.  The main character, Davey, is trying to cope with the murder of her father and she meets a young man named Wolf, who is dealing with a tragedy of his own, too.

Another one that I liked was 'Fifteen' by Beverly Cleary.  It is a pretty innocent romance, with the main story concentrating on the relationship between Jane  and her crush, Stan.  This book was originally published in the 1950s, so it is a pretty wholesome read.

Lastly, I just loved the Trixie Belden books.  I must have been younger, reading these, but they were just SO good!!  Trixie was a teenage sleuth (probably modeled after Nancy Drew), but she felt like a much more contemporary one. 



 Well, that's all for now, hope everyone has had a GREAT day!!  Talk soon. 

Cupcakes and Books

 So.  Yesterday at work, we had a meeting and because everyone is doing SUCH a good job, we had cupcakes.  Oh. my. gosh.  The one you see here to the left is called the 'Caramel Sugar Mama'.  Holy cow.  It is caramel cake topped with caramel buttercream frosting, drizzled with caramel and topped with Sugar Babies.  Do you remember Sugar Babies?  Thought they disappeared sometime in my late childhood.  I heard several people say that the frosting was the best thing they had ever eaten in their life.   The second type we had was the 'White Midnight Magic'.  My personal favorite.  Dark chocolate cake with dark chocolate chips topped with white cream cheese frosting and chocolate chips.  Heaven.  



 

The last type (pictured above) is called 'Kentucky Bourban Pie'.  We didn't actually have this kind, but zOMG.  Doesn't it look DIVINE??  It is bourban cake with pecans and chocolate chips, topped with cream cheese frosting, pecans, chocolate chips, and drizzled with caramel and ganache.  Do I really need to say anything else?  Yes, I am completely positive that these concoctions have 4,000 calories and require 33 hours on the treadmill to burn off the calories ingested, but I really have not tasted anything better. 

So.  On to the books.  I just finished 'Night Road' by Kristin Hannah.  Have you guys ever read anything by KH?  She's really a wonderfully 'feel good' kind of author.  The story 'Night Road' is about a set of twins (boy and girl) and their less fortunate friend.  The twins, Mia and Zack, have a great life, physician father, stay-at-home mother - they are very blessed.  The friend, Lexi, becomes Mia's best friend and the love of Zack's life.  In their senior year, tragedy befalls Mia, Zack and Lexi.  (WARNING: SPOILER ALERT)  At a party, Mia and Zack get blisteringly drunk, Lexi less so.  Anyway, Lexi ends up trying to drive everyone home and has an accident, killing Mia.  Long story short, Lexi ends up in prison, pregnant with Zack's child.  I know it doesn't sound like it, but this is a GREAT book.  It starts out golden and wonderful, then falls apart.  Although it has a rough middle, the ending is very uplifting, with Zack and Lexi trying again.  My absolute favorite line in the book is something Lexi says after her daughter, Gracie, is born.  "She says when God forgives you, he grants you Grace."  <snif>  I would probably give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.  I really liked this one.

Another one written by KH that I read is 'Winter Garden'.  This one is about two daughters, Meredith and Nina, who try to get closer to their emotionally distant Russian-born mother after the death of their father.  This one was a little bit harder for me to like as it is not quite as feel-good.  The mother is not as likeable.  But as you progress in the book, you understand why the mother is so strange and distant - as she shares a story that happened in WWII Leningrad.  It is a heartbreaking story.  I like it, but maybe only a 3 out of 5. 

 Most of KH's books (I think I've read them all) are definitely worth the read, but I especially liked 'Firefly Lane'.  (Probably even better than 'Night Road', but only because it is not as sad)  It is a coming of age story of two best friends, Kate and Tully.  You'll love it.  If I had to choose only one of hers to read, it would be this one. (Although the Amazon.com book review called it a little too 'Lifetime' tv, I think it is great and it has just a little bit of an edge to it.)

I don't know if she's got anything new coming out, but I would think not very soon, since 'Night Road' is still so new (available only in hardback).  Anyway, let me know what you think of KH and DEFINITELY let me know in the comments if you have any new books you think I should read!!

I'll leave you with one last cupcake. Gigi's cupcakes.  Available in Auburn and across the country.  Ch-c-c-check them out!! (Look.  I warned you that I was a nerd.) The Cherry Limeade cupcake (this one's for you, Helen!!)

Cherry cake topped with lime icing, sugar crystals and a straw!!  Whoa.  Wish I could make a cupcake that looked like that.  Mine usually look like:

Happy reading!!  Talk to yall later!!

The Teenage Banana's Book Recommendations

So we did the Baby T-Rex's favorite books - now let's talk about some recommendations for the young teens.  The teenage banana has so very kindly put together his top FIVE recommendations for young teens.






Number FIVE:

The Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz.  These books are about a teenage spy named Alex Rider - there are multiple books (maybe nine?), so plenty to read.

Number FOUR:

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien.  This one looks really good and I might have to read it, although this is not really my preferred genre.  It is a collection of stories about the Vietnam War.  From what I read, the stories are about the same platoon of soldiers.  Just the titles of the short stories (for example, 'The Ghost Soldiers' or 'Speaking of Courage') makes me want to read the book, even though I'm not crazy about war stories.

 

Number THREE:

The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan.  I read these books with the TB. Very good series, is based on the the mythology of the Gods of Olympus. Zeus and Poseidon are the main stars of the series. Very readable, even for adults.  The first book has been made into a movie, but TB and the BTR tell me that the movie isn't quite as good as the book.  (But we're biased.  We love the books - so take our movie recommendations with a grain of salt!!)

Number TWO:

The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan.  This series is based on Egyptian mythology.  I am reading this series, too, and find that I like it even better than the Percy Jackson books. 

 

Number ONE:

TB LOVES these books.  They are manga books - so they are read back to front.  Now, I haven't read these yet, but the illustrations TOTALLY make you want to read them.



Many thanks to the TB for his book recommendations!!  See yall a little later!!