August Graphic Novel Review

Transposes

A fantastic graphic novel about 6 transgender men. Very honest and beautiful. I can't recommend it enough.

Pregnant Butch

An interesting memoir of a lesbian who gets pregnant while identifying as butch. Great look at how health care and society looks at non-gender conforming people. Thought provoking and funny.

Sex Criminals vol 2

I love this series. Such great characters and an interesting premise.

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and me that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

Julie of The Wolves

Just gearing up for Banned Books Week. A little early I know.

Let's Get Lost

I know nothing about this one except it looked cute. 

What You Left Behind

This one just sounded good.

What did you get this week? Claire's got the linky this week.

Teaser Tuesday-Gregor The Overlander by Suzanne Collins

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"Gregor felt sure she'd done that fancy trick off the bat completely for his benefit. One flip would have been plenty."
pg 28 Gregor The Overlander by Suzanne Collins 

Goodbye, Little Green House

Recently, my dad sold my childhood home. He hasn't been living in since his heart surgery over 3 years ago. It was time for all of us to move on.

Goodbye, little green house.

My parents brought me home from the hospital to this house.

I had my first dog there.

I got ready for prom there.

I broke into the house once. Who knew you need an ID to get into an 18 and under club?

I spent 30 Thankgivings in that house. I learned to cook a turkey and created our favorite cranberry sauce recipe there.

I learned to cook in that kitchen.

I loved to lay underneath the lilac tree in the backyard.

I dreamed of building a gazebo around the willow tree in the backyard and getting married there as a little girl.

I'll never forget the day we got cable and watching MTv for the first time.

I remember the day my parents paid the house off and we all went to the bank to pay off the loan.

I remember drawing a treasure map all over the fireplace (and it's still there!).

I remember sitting on the couch and watching the world go by.

Thank you, little green house for being a good house. We had a lot of good memories there.

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and me that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

Crazy Salad and Scribble Scribble

I spotted some Ephron on the shelf and had to grab it.

Life From Scratch

Reloot. Hopefully I'll read it this time around!

What did you get this week? Share your loot below!

Teaser Tuesday-Knit Two by Kate Jacobs

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"Having children had never been a question when Anita was young; it was simply the expected order of things. Marriage meant babies and babies meant marriage."
pg 15 Knit Two by Kate Jacobs

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

I picked up Everything I Never Told You because a coworker recommend it. I'm glad she did. It was a hauntingly beautiful story that I probably wouldn't have picked up on my own.

Everything I Never Told You is tough to describe. There's so much there. The story revolves around the Lee family. James, the father, is an American born Chinese man. Marilyn, the mother, is white, Nathan, the brother, is headed to college. Hannah, the youngest daughter, is silent. And Lydia, the older daughter, is dead. That's not a spoiler. That's how the book starts. Lydia's dead and it's a mystery as to how and why. But the whole family unravels and Ng does a beautiful job of showing how they were and how they are. Ng's writing is gorgeous. The story itself was depressing at times but I couldn't stop reading it. I was so invested in the Lees. I needed to know how this story was going to work out.

I'll be keeping my eye for more of Ng's books. I believe this is her debut. I fell in love with her beautiful writing and engaging story telling. Others who shared their thoughts on Everything I Never Told You: A Reader of Fictions,Epiphany in Baltimore, and Rebel Mommy Book Blog.

July Goals Update

How did I do this month on my goals? I forgot to do this June. I don't think anything notable happened in June anyway.

1. Make one meatless meal for dinner a week. Sadly it's been to hot to cook so we've been eating lots of take out and not any meatless meals. I'm looking forward to cooler weather and cooking again.

2. Continue working on my fitness and lose another 30 lbs. Still plugging away on my fitness. My pants are looser but no weight loss on the scale yet.

3. Go back to meal planning. Again, really not cooking a whole lot. Too damn hot.

4. Schedule one do nothing, stay home weekend a month. It's been busy but still trying to stay home at least one day on the weekends. So far so good.

5. Plan one trip with Tai this year. Tossed around a couple of ideas but will likely wait to the fall or winter.

6. Get a will and other necessary estate planning documents. Haven't even thought about this.

7. Clean and declutter one room a month. Going to get back into it in August.

8. Do one things for myself a month. Got a pedicure. I did go to the spa in June.

9. Watch one older (pre-2014) movie a month. I need to keep better track of this. I'm sure I did watch at least one older movie this month.

10. Learn to make 5 Japanese dishes.  Made gyoza.

11. Stop complaining and start sharing my gratitude. I've been a lot better about this.

12. Take 2 cooking classes. Took a knife skills class. Learned that I already know a lot about cutting food. Also learned how to care for my knives better. Have a meat class and a tamale class planned for the next couple of months too.

The Beekeeper's Daughter by Santa Montefiore

I picked up The Beekeeper's Daughter to satisfy the familial relation category of the What's In A Name Challenge. I'm glad I read it. It reminded me of Rosie Thomas and Sarah Jio's books.

It's 1973 and Trixie is in love with Jasper. She's fallen hard for the budding rock star. But suddenly, Jasper is called back to his home of England, leaving Trixie brokenhearted. Trixie's mom, Grace, reminisces to her own youth and her first love. The story alternates between 1973 (Trixie) and 1933 (Grace).

I do love stories that go back and forth between time. I also enjoyed the similarities between both women. Both Grace and Trixie had hard times but it helped them become better people. I really loved Grace's story because it involved WWII, but Trixie's story was sweet too.

Overall, I liked The Beekeeper's Daugher. If you like stories about family and love, this one is one to check out. Others who shared their thoughts on The Beekeeper's Daughter: The Historical Novel Society, Write Note Reviews, and Reading Lark.

I read The Beekeeper's Daughter for the familial relation category of the What's In A Name Challenge.

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and me that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

Stargirl

Someone on social media somewhere mentioned Stargirl. I thought it sounded interesting and put it on my library hold list.

The Martian

I'm hope I get to read it before the movie comes out.

What did you get this week? Claire's got the linky.

Teaser Tuesday- If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"When I walked in twenty-four hours later, I discovered the next step was a duet. Carson was sitting there, in the chair I usually sat in, his three-quarter-scale guitar in hand."
pg 120 If I Ever Get Out Of Here by Eric Gansworth

The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

I added The Fill-In Boyfriend to my library queue cause it sounded cute and easy. It was cute but it had some unexpected depth that I really enjoyed.

Gia is dumped by her boyfriend, Bradley, just before prom. Since it was a long distance relationship, none of Gia's friends met Bradley. Gia sees a guy in the parking lot she doesn't know so she begs him to come in and fill in for Bradley. He agrees and Gia and fill-in Bradley have a good time at prom. In the days following prom, Gia thinks about fill-in Bradley more than the real Bradley so she does some investigating and finds fill-in Bradley.

The beginning of The Fill-In Boyfriend is cute and light. Gia's perfect. She's the student body president. She's going to UCLA in the fall. She also popular and pretty. She seems to have it all. Except that no one really knows her. She keeps everyone at arms length and she bottles up all her feelings. But when she meets someone that sees past all that, she's thrown for a loop. The Fill-in Boyfriend reminded me of My Life Next Door. Starts of light and moves in some more seriousness but not in an overly preachy way. Gia doesn't have to be perfect and slowly she learns to be herself.

I really liked The Fill-In Boyfriend and would recommend it to fans of contemporary YA. I'll be looking for West's other books. Others who shared their thoughts on The Fill-In Boyfriend: Midnight Book Girl, Good Books Good Wine, Dark Faerie Tales, and The Hopeless Reader.

July Book Tally

Birthday Gift by Courtney Milan
Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen
Glory: The Complete Saga by Joe Keatinge
Alex + Ada vol 2 by Jonathan Luna
Bento Box In The Heartland by Linda Furiya
Stella by Starlight by Sharon M Draper
Thor's Serpents by KL Armstrong and MA Marr
Where She Went by Gayle Forman
Fables vol 4 by Bill Willingham
Armada by Ernest Cline

Not a bad month. I hit #100. Cruising right along to my goal of 150. July was a busy month so I didn't read as much. August looks just as busy so I expect to read about the same in August.

Stats:

What's In A Name Challenge: this month: 1 (Lost Lake ) YTD: 5

Graphic Novel and Manga Challenge: this month: 3 (Glory, Alex + Ada vol 2, Fables vol 4) YTD :38

Historical Reading Challenge: this month: 1 ( Birthday Gift) YTD: 11

Foodies Read Challenge this month: 1 (Bento Box In The Heartland) YTD: 4

Total: 104

Armanda by Ernest Cline

If you've read my blog for a while, you've probably heard me gush about my love for Ready Player One, Cline's first book. I've been anxious for his second book (not a sequel), Armada.. While I didn't love Armada as much, I still enjoyed the story.

Zack Lightman is a few months from graduating high school. Soon he'll be free to spend his time playing his favorite video game, Armada. One day, Zack thinks he sees a spaceship, an enemy ship from the game floating over his school. Zack thinks he's losing it but could he be the hero earth needs?

Zack's dad died in a explosion at the waste management plant he worked at when Zack was a baby. Zack's mom has raised him and while she's a good parent, Zack misses having a dad. When Zack's not playing Armada, he spends time looking at his dad's old books and movies. Here Cline brings in a lot of 70's and 80's sci fi movie and video game references. Where Ready Player One was about 80's pop culture, Armada is about sci fi movies and games. This is probably why I didn't love Armada as much as Ready Player One. While I'm a Star Wars fan, I'm not well versed in all the 80's sci fi. Although I did get some of the references, a large majority didn't register. Also I thought Cline spent a lot of time on the game mechanics of Armada. Armada isn't a game I would play so I found the detail tedious.

Overall, I liked Armada. It didn't elipse my love of Ready Player One but it was still a fun time. I choose to read Armada this time around but I'll get the audiobook sometime later. Others who share their thoughts on Armada: A Dribble of Ink, We The Nerdy, and MuggleNet.

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and me that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

Me, Earl, and The Dying Girl

I think this one is being made into a movie. I thought it sounded good.

The Primates of Park Avenue

I've heard a lot about this one too. 

Tampa

Diane brought this one too my attention. I'm sad my library went with the plain black cover rather that this one.

What did you get this week? Share yours below.

Teaser Tuesday-The Beekeeper's Daughter by Santa Montefiore

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"Recently she had begun to sink more often into her former life. It was as if with the passing of the years her regrets grew stronger and her attachment to her memories more desperate."
pg 18 The Beekeeper's Daughter by Santa Montefiore

July Graphic Novel Reviews

Glory: The Complete Saga

I read the first volume of Glory last year. I enjoyed it and hoped to finish the series. I was lucky to find the entire story on the library shelf so I could complete it in one fell swoop. I liked the beginning of Glory but it got off the rails and ended somewhere else. The ending was good. I liked how Glory's backstory developed but it certainly didn't end I thought it would. 

Ada + Alex vol 2

I enjoyed the second one just as much as the first. Really looking forward to the next volume.

Mara

The story of a young woman who suddenly acquires supernatural powers. Interesting story, good characters. It's brief but maybe that's all it needed to be.

Fables vol 4
I was starting to lose interest in Fables but the second half of this volume renewed my interest.

Weekend Cooking: Bento Box in The Heartland by Linda Furiya

I picked up Bento Box in the Heartland for a couple of reasons. I love Japanese food and I like immigrant stories. Furiya was born in the US but her parent's immigrated from Japan. I enjoyed the stories Furiya told as well as all the recipes and food related tidbits.

Furiya grew up in small town Indiana in the mid 60's to late 70's. Her stories show the prejudice she faced and some of the hardships she and her family endured. I enjoyed the stories about her parents and how she was raised. I loved the stories about her favorite foods and how her mom prepared them. Furiya has 2 brothers but they are mostly mentioned in passing.

Furiya not only talks about the food but some of the traditions her parents brought with them. I liked the fact that her parents tried hard to bring a little bit of Japan to their small Indiana town. I also loved the relationship between her parents. Her mom was especially funny but her dad was kind.

A lot of the book talks about the foods her parents made and took them to eat. I loved her trip to Japan and all the yummy food details she includes. Japanese food wasn't easy to find in the Midwest when Furiya's parents arrived, They had to trek to big cities like Chicago to find ingredients. They would go every couple of weeks to stock up and even then her parents worried they would run out of ingredients. Her parents hoarded food and worried when they might not be able to make it an Asian grocery store.

Furiya includes a recipe at the end of each chapter. I decided to make gyoza. Her recipe is very similar to this one.

 I made a batch of just pork and cabbage and another batch with pork and kimchi (just mixed chopped up kimchi with the pork and a little sake).

First batch ready to be cooked.

The finished product!

I've never made gyoza before. It was a lot of work. I made 120 gyoza in about 4 hours. The cooking part took the longest. But they were delicious. Everyone loved them.

Furiya has another book about her time in China, How To Cook A Dragon. I might pick that one up too. Others who shared their thoughts on Bento Box In The Heartland: You Think Too Much, Shelf Life, and What Did You Eat?.

This is my fourth read for The Foodies Read Challenge.

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.