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!)

The Wishing Year. (book review)

I am currently reading this book -

http://www.amazon.com/Wishing-Year-Memoir-Fulfilled-Desire/dp/B002SB8PJC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297192627&sr=8-1

- and it's just so great, that I can't stop thinking about or talking about it.

Basically, it is the true story of a woman who decided to spend a year "wishing", or using "the law of attraction" to get what she wanted out of life. Her desires are to buy a home, find spiritual peace/fulfillment, and a romantic partner. Each chapter encompasses a month, so you can follow her on this journey.

I am not even halfway through this book yet, but I am finding it uplifting, hopeful, and thought-provoking. I relate to the author on many levels... she is uncomfortable with the idea of wishing for material things, and a believer of "God helps those who help themselves." I feel the same way - sure, I'd love a new dining room table, and my wardrobe could use a serious makeover. I think of these things in passing, and I even daydream a little. But would I ever pray "Lord, please give me some new clothes and an antique round pedestal table with two explanding leaves"? No way. I pray for others, for spiritual things and healing for the many imperfections in myself, but never for material things.

What I find fascinating about the author, and see in myself (though she has not touched on it yet and I am not sure if she will), is that she doesn't seem to feel deserving of her desires. She has massive guilt for things she has done in her past (which she didn't even begin to talk about until the 4th chapter). Boy, can I relate to that. She mentions at one point that if you look at the root meaning for the word "remorse", it basically means "to bite again." How true is that, that we continue to let things eat at/bite at us when we "choose" to carry so much remorse around with us? Of course, this might be an easier thing to let go of  if the whole world wasn't so darn judgemental... maybe I should wish for that? ;)

Anyway, I could go on about this forever, but I wanted to share two paragraphs from the book that really "spoke" to me:

"You just have to shift the paradigm," Carole has told me more than once, and I hear her voice now as I drive through the gaudy green and yellow hills. "How can you receive the blessing of abundance when your mind is closed like a fist?"

Wow. It's amazing, really, how deft her question is. How neatly it replaces one worldview with another - so that what, for centuries, might simply have been called "greed" becomes "receiving the blessing of abundance." And what, for centuries, might have been seen as the virtue of self-restraint begins to look more like the absence of gratitude.

I hope you will read this book and love it as much as I do so far!

Red Hot Vodka!

Today is tasting day for this Jalapeno vodka I am infusing for my friend LeAnn to use in her Bloody Marys. It only needs 2-3 days to infuse. Tomorrow we get to taste test the pear vodka and see if it needs an extra two days, and Sunday the strawberry vodka will be ready!

I ordered these two books yesterday for more inspiration:

I'm very excited to get some more ideas and get cracking on homemade xmas gifts!

And today I am wearing new pants which is very exciting! They fit! All of my fall/winter clothes were on their last legs (some long past their expiration) last year, but I just couldn't afford anything new. Josh promised me I could get some new clothes this year if I just stuck it out last year. So I did, and I have a few new things right now and more on the way. Very excited and appreciative.

Recent Reads

Even though I have an entire room of my house devoted to books (although Josh has kind of taken it over and calls it his 'office.' It's a library, damn it!), I have yet to devote a post to my papery loves. So here's one!

I read a lot. I started reading when I was two (really!), and I haven't stopped since. Whether my nose is in a book, my iphone, or my computer, chances are I'm always reading something whenever I can. Even the back of a shampoo bottle when I'm in the tub (but usually, I bring a book)! I've come to accept that my brain is wired differently than most, and reading is almost a compulsion for me. It's something I have to do, and I enjoy it immensely. For a while, I had a second job at Goodwill. All those secondhand books at rock-bottom prices were my kind of crack... thanks to Goodwill, I have several unread books still on the shelves to read when the mood hits me.

I usually have one or two books in my purse - just in case! - and sometimes I start four or five books within a period of a few days. Usually one 'sticks' and I finish it quickly, and dawdle with the others until I find another one that 'sticks'. I tend to read a lot of suspense/crime/mysteries, because they go quickly, they tease my brain, and all the bad guys are caught at the end. Plus, they are easy to find - I can always find a good one at Kroger or even Walgreens if I am in the mood for one.

I also tend to go on Biography benders every now and again. I'm kind of coming off of one now. I usually have 'phases' of what I am into. I'll read 5 or 6 mysteries, feel burned out on that genre, move on to 2 or 3 biographies, then feel the need for some fluffy fiction with a happy ending.

These are the books I have most recently read or am currently reading. Maybe you'll find something that interests you. Enjoy!

This is the book that started my most recent biography binge. I remember when I was very little, my Papa had an 8-track of George Jones and Tammy Wynette's duets. He used to take me everywhere with him, and we listened to it all the time. And then one day, he turned my world upside down by telling me Tammy Wynette and George Jones were divorced and had been since before I was even born. I was heartbroken, because I just loved them. I would pray every night for them to get back together!

When Tammy Wynette passed away several years ago, there was some controversy surrounding the circimstances of her death. A good source to read up on it is here (I promise, it's really interesting!):

http://scottmichaels.com/ (go to "Directory" and click on "Tammy Wynette")

Her last husband sure doesn't seem like a very nice man, does he? I had the displeasure of metting him once.

All the Tammy Wynette overload inspired me to pick up Mr. Jones' book off the shelf:

He wrote this book before Tammy died, I wonder how differently it would have read if he had written it after her passing? Love me some George Jones, and I found his book fascinating - he lived a crazy life! (It has since calmed down, praise the Lord)

The country music biography high  I was on launched me into this newly released book by Roseanne Cash (daughter of Johnny, step-daughter of June Carter Cash and wonderful singer in her own right):

It seemed only fair that I read it, since I've read one of Johnny's two biographies (I read his later one... I do have his first one on the bookshelf, waiting), June's biography, John Carter Cash's book (a tribute mostly to June, but a great resource on all things Cash), AND Johnny's first wife's (Vivan Cash) book, as well. Of those books, Vivian's certainly paints quite a different picture of things... And I've gotta say, she's the one I believe when it comes to certain things. A lot of people idolize and romanticize the love that Johnny and June had. I don't doubt that it was a great love, especially in their later years, but after reading Vivian's book, I don't doubt for a moment that June was a very manipulating woman... She claims to have gotten Johnny off of drugs, but never really mentioned that she SUPPLIED Johnny with drugs. Yeah. And had a pretty big drug problem herself. Hmmm. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Vivian, Johnny and June all passed away within a year and a half or so of each other, and I reccomend reading any of their books if you are a fan (Vivian's book is mostly letters from Johnny when he was in the service. I skipped over most of them and read the actual meat of the story, which was just a few chapters at the beginning and end.)  I have not finished Roseanne's book yet, although she's quite a lovely writer. It reads like poetry, but I am slightly biographied-out at the moment.

I needed a lighter read, so I devoured this in just a couple of days:

It might not seem like light fare to many, as it's the story of "Stevie", and it goes back and forth from her past (having a schizophrenic mother who threw both her and her sister over a bridge in an attempt to kill them, and then killed herself {Stevie was the only survivor}), and her present (having recently lost 100+ pounds after Gastric Bypass surgery and finding herself and also coming to peace with her past and her guilt over not being able to save her little sister). It's not world-changing literature, but it's a quick read and the characters crawl into your heart and stay there. I really loved it, and highly recommend it.

Next, I read this (also in just a couple of days.)

It was surprisingly similar to "Such a Pretty Face" - wonderful characters, schizophrenic mom, but a very good book in it's own right. Also highly recommended. Most of the book took place in Savannah, and I really loved revisiting that city, even if only through a book. I could almost smell the marshy air. Mmm.

Currently, I'm back into forensic mystery mode, so I'm reading:

...but also trying to cultivate a little bit more of my spiritual side and self-awareness with these two books (recommended to me by Bip, my personal Zen Master):

Bettering myself seems to be a never-ending journey, but at least I'm trying, right? Some never even bother.

Happy reading!



Daily Photo for 8.30.10

This is what I did last night.

I am on a biography kick right now. Just finished Tammy Wynette's a couple days ago, and have moved on to the Possum now. I think next up is going to be Roseanne Cash's (should arrive today).

I love books - I read like crazy, and I tend to have several going at once (I think I am reading about 5 right now, but George Jones is my main read). I think I will have to do a post soon about some of my favorite reads, and maybe a little library update, too... making a few changes in there!

In other news ... Wedding is in 4 days! I can't concentrate on anything! Very excited.