Back on the Reading Wagon

Hey there! I haven't updated in a while, mainly because everything I've wanted to say, I've said over on Facebook and on Twitter. I haven't bought many new shoes, and I went on this no-reading kick for about two years. My skincare habits still run toward a merge of Obagi and La Mer (So. Worth. The. Money. People!). My clothes shopping and non-work style still run toward "Mexico Beach Chic." My work-style is laid back and casual, usually consisting of jeans and some sort of knit top.

Let's face it. I'm totally bo-ring!

But let's talk about this reading thing for a moment, shall we?

I literally took two years off. Well, with the exception of any Janet Evanovich book that has come out, I have read nothing! Nada! Zip! Zilch!

A couple of years ago, one of my coworkers lent me the first four "Sookie Stackhouse" books. If you watch True Blood on HBO, then you know the books (or at least the name). I read the first two in rapid succession, started the third, and then put it down. I attempted it several more times over the past couple of years, but it couldn't hold my interest. Then again, nothing could. Fast forward to about a month and a half ago. I picked it up and could NOT put it down! So I then devoured book 4. In a day! I then immediately went out and purchased every other single book written in the series, including the short story collection. Of course, I read them all very quickly, was done in record time, and needed something else to read. I'm always game for anything Janet Evanovich writes, so those were on my list. Add in the always-funny Jen Lancaster, and I ran through my "go-to" reads pretty quickly.

Now I'm on the hunt for more. I've started the light and fluffy "Donut Shop" mysteries by Jessica Beck. They are quick, easy, fun reads, and come complete with scrumptious recipes. It's funny how I used to be a romance junkie and now I cannot get enough of fun, quirky, sometimes dark mysteries.

Oh well. At least this English major is back on the reading wagon once again. Now to finally finish the stack of books previously purchased and just sitting and collecting dust on my bedside table!

New Shoes! And a new book, too!

So, it's been a while since I've updated this baby. So it seems fitting that I tell you all about the goodies I just purchased with an amazon.com gift card my brother gave me for my birthday (two months ago)...

Above are the last pair of size 10 Aldo Condezza sandals. I have no idea if I will be able to walk in them, but aren't they adorable? I have a couple of pairs of jeans that are very long and these will look great peeking out from underneath. I hope they are comfortable...

These are the Steve Madden "Afrodite" Black wedges. I bought one of 5 pair in my size that they had left in stock. As with the above shoes, I hope they fit, aren't too terribly high, and are fairly comfortable. I already have outfits planned around them.

Finally, I preordered Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich. I have read every single one of her books. Each one has been a rip-roarin' page turner and I expect this one to be the same. The "Stephanie Plum" novels (like this one) also throw in a good deal of suspense and danger for good measure. I cannot recommend enough that everyone read these!

Happy Summer Y'all!

Reading and then More Reading

While on my recent vacation in Mexico, I treated myself to some completely uninterrupted reading time. I was able to blow through several books and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed each one for varying reasons.

Book #1 was Bright Lights, Big Ass by Jen Lancaster.

This is her second memoir and a follow-up to her first memoir, Bitter is the New Black.

I laughed out loud more times than I could count. I love her wit and her ability to poke fun about everything around her, including herself.

After finishing Jen's book, I turned to a book that had lived on my bedside table for about six months, Whose Wedding is it Anyway? by Melissa Senate.

This is classic chick-lit. It was an easy read and had my favorite kind of ending for such a book... A happy one. I hope that doesn't spoil the book for you, but if you are purchasing books published by Red Dress Ink and NOT expecting a happy ending where the good people win and the bad ones lose, then you are delusional. Sorry.

I enjoyed it and it was a great beach read!

Moving right along, I picked up the book that was edited by Dooce, Things I Learned About My Dad (in therapy).

This was a collection of essays by multiple bloggers on fatherhood (being a dad, their dads, their relationships with their dads, etc.). I mostly enjoyed it, but I confess I'm not quite finished with it yet. I only have a couple of essays to go. It still hasn't pulled me all the way in, but since it is a collection of essays, I am only making a few-page commitment each time I open the book.

Finally, we get to the exciting one! Janet Evanovich, my favorite author, just released her 14th in the Stephanie Plum series, Fearless Fourteen. Appropriately titled, no?

Yesterday, I had to report for Jury Duty for the very first time in my life. I came prepared with my book and a magazine. While the jury duty experience is one for a different blog, let me just say this... Janet hits a home run once again with her series.

I started and finished this book yesterday. The pages practically turned themselves and I was on the edge of my seat, ignoring everything around me the entire time.

For those of you who don't know, this series centers around Stephanie Plum, a bounty hunter in Trenton, New Jersey. She's Lucille Ball-ish in her antics and the cast of characters are written so vividly that when I read the books, I can almost see the characters acting out the story for me.

This is one series that I hope never gets put on the Big Screen. Hollywood could never do justice to the movie that plays in my head each time I open one of these books.

You may not like action/comedy/suspense/romantic adventure stories. If you don't, though, you are missing out on one Hell of a genre.

Go forth and buy the Stephanie Plum series. You will NOT be disappointed!

Finally! I've done some reading!

I ended up doing a fair amount of reading on my last vacation and finished two books and nearly finished a third. I have purchased the new Janet Evonovich and cannot wait to tear into it, either. I suppose since I have Jury Duty tomorrow, I may have ample time to get some good reading in...

Working on a New Page Element

Since half of this blog is supposed to be dedicated to books, I thought I'd keep a running list of the books I've been reading.

Unfortunately, that list is relatively short. The reason? I just haven't been feelin' it lately. There is simply so much other stuff going on that I don't have the attention span to sit down and actually read.

But I am really excited about some of the books on my nightstand, namely the Maximum Ride Series by James Patterson. There are four of these books currently taking up residence on my nightstand.

I have four books that I've started to read, but have yet to finish...

1) The book in the above link. It's fascinating and the beginning grabs me, but I cannot sit still enough to read.
2) French Women Don't Get Fat. This is a great book with some fabulous recipes, but I just stopped reading it.
3) Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. At this point I'll just have to start over with it. I loved Wicked and I want to read the sequel to it, too (Son of a Witch).
4) The Nymphos of Rocky Flats. This is a cool book. It's about vampires. And crazy shit. And I really want to finish it!

And then, of course, there is the remainder of the stack of books sitting on my nightstand... Untouched...

First Book Review of 2008!

Yes, the first book I read in 2008 was a fantasy-type semi-trashy romance. Sucker Bet is book four of Erin McCarthy's Vegas Vampire series.

If you are a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan, then you will enjoy these books.

Sucker Bet revolves around a 900-year-old vampire named Gwenna and a present day police detective. They are trying to solve a series of murders and, you guessed it, end up falling in love.

It's a fast read and helped get me over my non-reading hump. I still have the huge stack of books on my nightstand that have only been touched for dusting purposes, but I think I am finally ready to start attacking those.

A demonstration of the reading list...

I have finished the Janet Evanovich book... It took a total of about four hours to read from cover to cover. That's what I love about her writing. It is just so fast!

Currently, I'm reading Toujours Provence by Peter Mayle.

I really don't know what I'll read next. Maybe I'll revisit Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. I don't know, though. I'm really not in the mood right now for anything that is taxing to read. I'm more in the mood for fun, flirty, easy, and cute.

Reading List

I have a stack of books that is about a foot tall sitting next to my bed...

I have really gotten into Peter Mayle. He wrote A Good Year, which was turned into a movie (look it up. :) ). I loved it so much that I read the first memoir he wrote, titled A Year in Provence. It is found in the travel section of any book store and chronicles the year that he and his wife decided to buy a 200 year old farm house in Provence and move there. It is fascinating and it will make you hungry. I can't wait to read his follow-up to that one and also the rest of his work.

Also sitting is the half-finished Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire, who also wrote Wicked, which I loved.

To be read:
The Other Bolyn Girl by Philipa Gregory

And... Well... I'd have to go back home to look at the rest of the books sitting there. I swear that there are at least 10 books.

What is on your summer reading list?

New Book

So, okay. I know I said that my next book was the Anna Quindlen book, but I got sidetracked and busy, and ended up reading other things (comments and reviews later, I promise!). I've read one other book by Gregory McGuire:
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. I absolutely loved that one. I will definitely read his other tales because I thoroughly enjoy his take on the classic fairy tales of my youth.

Update on the "List" and other randomness

Actually, there is no update other than to say that I've purchased and returned a pair of Merrill sneakers that I LOVED, but realized didn't quite fit. : (

I'm still on the lookout for all of my fall items...

I'm also getting ready to read the new Anna Quindlen book: Rise and Shine: A Novel. As a side note, I don't quite get why books use the words "a novel" in the titles of their books. Is the publishing world really that worried that we'll think it's a calendar or something?

Finished the Book

Candace Bushnell's The Lipstick Jungle was much more than I expected.

If you are a fan of what I call "snapshot" stories, or stories that provide a current snapshot view into the main characters' lives, without delving too deeply into their backstories, then you'll enjoy this.

The novel revolves around three New York City power-women (Wendy -- President of a motion picture company, Nico -- Editor-in-chief of a magazine, and Victory -- Successful fashion designer) who are in their early forties. The novel goes back and forth between the three women's perspectives, but it is told in the third person.

The formula used in the writing is simple: Protagonist is successful and has it all, comes to a crossroads, faces challenges, has resolution. Most stories fall into this category, but not all of them work. It may be cliche to say so, but I like the formula and I like the content and the way it was put together. Another bonus is the fact that the author is writing from an insider's perspective, and her attention to detail is excellent.

If you are looking for a super-fast read, this is not your book. While it is a page-turner, it is 435 pages long, and does take some time. I can usually blast through your basic fluff novel in one to two evenings. This one took me a week.

What I'm Reading

Yes, I totally get the shoe thing...

I haven't been a huge fan of Candace Bushnell's writing (other than Sex and the City -- the show, not the book). I read Sex and the City and 4 Blondes and I just wasn't that into either one. I can usually tell by the first sentence whether or not I'm going to love the book or not. It took a page with this one, but I do love it. It's about three friends in their early forties, living in NYC, enjoying hugely successful careers, two have families, one is single. It is almost a "coming of age" story despite their ages, though, as each goes through their own set of challenges both with their careers and families. I cannot wait to finish it... And then I'll have to get Trading Up (the book she wrote just before this). It all goes to show you that you shouldn't give up completely on a writer, especially when she has proven she can be vastly entertaining (again with the SATC!).