Books!!

It's no secret that I love to read... here's what I've been reading lately, and what I will be reading soon....

I read this back in May while I was in Ohio and I blame Oprah for it. You may wonder how this is Oprah's fault. Well, I have two answers for that.

1.) Everything is Oprah's fault. ;)
2.) I've become addicted to the "docu-reality" shows on Oprah's channel (OWN) and I got hooked on the one with the Judd's. I mean, Momma Judd is just bat-guano crazy, if you know what I mean (did you watch the show?)... Just watching all that dysfunction made me very interested in Ashley's side of the madness. I'm not going to lie, I skipped over all the chapters about her charity work because it made me too sad and I have enough issues already. I will say, though, the parts I read about her life and family - wow. I have a lot of respect for Ashley.

I know after that I probably read a couple of quick-paced mystery books or something, because I know I read stuff after that book, but I can't remember. Also, I give most of my fiction away after I read it, so I don't have it lying around to jog my memory.

The next book I recall reading is this one:

In general, I really like Lisa Gardner's books, but I always have the same problem with them. They don't grab me at first. I'll read two chapters, put it down for a month, then pick it up again and next thing I know I can't read it fast enough. This one kept me guessing until the end, which I really liked. I found myself rooting for the main character in the book, despite whether I didn't know if she had actually done the things she was accused of or not until the very last pages.


Last week, I read this one:



This is another one I blame Oprah for, because she gave Shania a show on her network, too.  *Sigh*

I have never been a Shania fan - ever. But, I am a sucker for Autobiographies, especially about country singers. We can either blame that on my upbringing or the fact that I've been living in Nashville for almost 10 years.

I actually found this book fascinating. On her show she seemed so self centered, insecure and full of introspection to the point of excessive navel- gazing. It was grating. But after reading this, I can see why she is the way she is - she's had a hard life and went through things that all of us hope we never have to experience. Instead of being annoyed at her for the reasons I mentioned above, I now wonder how she has managed to avoid a straightjacket with all that she has been through. Go ahead and navel-gaze, girl. You've earned it.

Currently I am reading this:

It's the newest book in the True Blood series (and season 4 just started on HBO last night!), and so far it's just ok. Actually the last several have been just ok, if not downright awful at times. But I keep reading because I'm attached to the characters and there's only 2 more books to come after this - I want to see how it all ends. Hopefully then Charlaine Harris can pick up with some of her other series or write about some new characters altogether. I love her writing - it's quick to read, a great blend of light and dark and usually very comical. I have found that the humor has been lacking over the last several books and it makes me sad - it's what made the books special, I think.

Any day now, I should be receiving these 4 books:

I love Karen Slaughter's books because I am attached to the characters - they are very human and imperfect. I also always love a good mystery! I tend to pass her books around at work when I'm finished with them, and everyone else seems to like them, too.

Oh, I can't wait for this one to land in my mailbox!! I need it. I also found a "Yoga for Anxiety" DVD on Amazon that I need to order SOON. When I was reading the reviews for the DVD, guess who wrote one of them? MY YOGA INSTRUCTOR! Oh, I miss her so. I haven't done yoga in nearly 3 weeks and my brain is so cluttered and jumbled... I really need to find another place to go until she comes back, or figure out how to practice at home without being distracted.

Oh, I need this one badly, too. I am the Queen of beating myself up. Why? Because I've made bad decisions in the past. Despite the fact I do my best to make good decisions and live a better life now, I still can't forgive myself for the types of things that most people can shrug off or ignore. It's ridiculous. My load is heavy after 35 years and 99.9999% of the stuff I waste my time and energy fretting over isn't even that big of a deal. I'm tired of it and I need to learn this self-compassion stuff, ASAP!

I'm excited to read this book when it comes, too! It seems slightly different from what I normally read (although I do tend to read a wide variety of stuff), and I'm looking forward to it. Here are some blurbs about it:

“A tense, moving, and wondrously strange first novel. The photographs and text work together brilliantly to create an unforgettable story.”—John Green, New York Times best-selling author of Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns

“With its X-Men: First Class-meets-time-travel story line, David Lynchian imagery, and rich, eerie detail, it’s no wonder Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children has been snapped up by Twentieth Century Fox. B+”—Entertainment Weekly



“‘Peculiar’ doesn’t even begin to cover it. Riggs’ chilling, wondrous novel is already headed to the movies.”—People



“[A] thrilling, Tim Burton-esque tale with haunting photographs.”—USA Today Pop Candy



“Readers searching for the next Harry Potter may want to visit Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.”—CNN



“You'll love it if you want a good thriller for the summer. It's a mystery, and you'll race to solve it before Jacob figures it out for himself.”—Seventeen



“Riggs deftly moves between fantasy and reality, prose and photography to create an enchanting and at times positively terrifying story.”—Associated Press



“Got a tweener child with a taste for creepy horror and time-travel stories? Send them Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children."—McClatchy Wire Service



“It’s an enjoyable, eccentric read, distinguished by well-developed characters, a believable Welsh setting, and some very creepy monsters.”— Publishers Weekly



“An original work that defies categorization, this first novel should appeal to readers who like quirky fantasies. Riggs includes many vintage photographs that add a critical touch of the peculiar to his unusual tale.”—Library Journal



“His premise is clever, and Jacob and the children are intriguing characters.”—Booklist



“Readers will find this book unique and intriguing.”— School Library Journal
 
 
 
 
 
 
HOORAY FOR BOOKS! (And Yoga!)