Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader 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 Before You

I've heard a lot of good things about Me Before You. I saw it on the library shelf and decided to grab it.

Chimes At Midnight

The next in the October Daye series. 

What did you get this week?

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. 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!

"The sorrow came from those two feelings-the happiness of company, the anxiety of interrupted solitude. That was what he had felt, he thought, and what to some extent he still felt."
pg 250 The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin

Thank you to All Veterans

A big thank you to all those who have served (including my dad, my mother's brothers, and my father's uncles) as well as those still serving. And a huge thank you to those families of those serving.

October Book Tally

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (337)
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple (330)
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (433)
Love Minus Eighty by Will McIntosh (432)
The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater (439)
Days Missing vol 1 by Phil Hester (144)
The Arrival by Shaun Tan (128)
Stuck Rubber Baby by Howard Cruse (216)
Wolverine: Get Mystique by Jason Aaron (96)
Batman Black and White vol 1 by Mark Chiarello (222)
Batwoman: Elegy by Greg Rucka (192)
Allegiant by Veronica Roth (526)
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (315)

Thirteen books. A banner month! I have a lot of graphic novels and the Readathon to thank for that.

I couldn't write a review for Allegiant that wasn't spoilerific. Suffice to say that I enjoyed it.

Stats:

Fill In The Gaps YTD: 0 (None this month)

Historical Reading Challenge YTD: 12 (none this month)

Mammoth Book Challenge YTD: 11 (None this month)

Let Me Count The Ways Book Challenge: Pages read this month (3810), Pages read this year (32232)
Total books to date: 103

Awesome and Awkward Thursday

Awkward:

-My addiction to Kazoozles. Tai got them on a lark and I love them. 

-The amount of bread I've been making recently. A like a loaf a day. Insane. 

-My closet is getting ridiculous. I actually pulled a lot of "summer" clothing and it's still too crowded!

-And my pile of boots. Does anyone have a good way to keep their boots from falling over into a pile? 

Awesome:

-Tai gave me my Christmas present early! A iPad mini. I love it. 

-I've read over a 100 books so far this year. Now trying to get to that 40,000 page goal. About 8000 pages shy at this point.

-I've been on a good cook at home streak. Trying new recipes and making some tasty dishes.

-Adding pizza back into our lives. Papa Murphy's DeLite crust has less than 20 carbs per slice. Dad loved it!

What's been awkward and awesome this week for you?

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader 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.

Obsidian (Lux #1)

After hearing Lisa rave about this series, I decided to check it out. 

What did you get this week?

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. 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!

"I perceive the spirit world through the five senses already wired into my brain, plus the emotions we all have. I've learned to dial down the volume up or down on the psychic impressions-the visit to the Alamo taught me the importance of that skill-but mostly it's like seeing color. I just do it."

pg 9 Spirit and Dust by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Wild: From Lost To Found On The Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

I picked up Wild off the library shelf because I had heard so much about it, mostly good. And since the Pacific Crest Trail winds through my neck of the woods, Wild had all the ear markings of a must read for me. I'm glad I read it but I failed to connect to Ms Strayed.

Cheryl Strayed decided to hike part of the Pacific Crest Trail alone. She hiked from the Mohave Desert in California to Oregon. She set aside a month of her life to make the journey. Cheryl had a lot of reasons to make the journey-her divorce, the grief of her mother's passing, the affairs that led to her divorce, and flirtation with heroin. She felt lost and saw her time on the trail as time to heal and start over. I couldn't connect with why Cheryl would set out on this journey. She had little backpacking and hiking experience. I'm surprised she didn't die numerous times due to her own inexperience. I know why she did most of her hiking alone but I found it unbelievable that she did little research about the journey.

I was completely in awe of Cheryl's strength and resilience. The physical toll that the journey took on her was astounding. I admired her for doing something I couldn't do. I would love to check out parts of the Pacific Crest Trail but would never hike more than a few miles of it.

While I didn't connect to Ms Strayed, I did enjoy reading about her journey. I've heard good things about Tiny Beautiful Things which I'll check out as well. Others who shared their thoughts on Wild: My Fab Fifties Life,  Write Meg!, and An Armchair by The Sea.

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

I'd heard so many good things about Beautiful Ruins, I couldn't help but snatch it off the library shelf. Walter did get great job of blending past and present. It reminded me of Sarah Jio but with a lot more characters. At first I thought there were too many characters but I quickly got accustom to everyone and enjoyed Beautiful Ruins.

The book opens with Pasquale, attempting in vain to make a beach out of the rocks that sit in front of his hotel. Pasquale desperately wants to make his hotel an American tourist attraction. While he's lifting rocks, a boat pulls up to the rocks and an attractive American woman deboards. Dee has come to this remote Italian village to spend her last days. Pasquale is overjoyed. The Americans are finally coming. The story takes Dee and Pasquale from Italy to Hollywood to London to Sandpoint, Idaho and over  nearly fifty years.

For me the characters that kept me reading were Claire and Shane. Claire wants to make films. But her boss wants to make money so she decides she's going to quit and find a way to make the films she wants. Shane has come to Hollywood to pitch his movie idea-a movie about the Donner Party. Both Shane and Claire want more than what's in front of them. When we first meet them, each thinks they know what they want but by the story's conclusion they have a clear focus of what they want and it's within their grasp.

The scenes in Italy were breathtaking. I felt like I was on the Ligurian Sea. I could smell the ocean air. I could see the small, desperate town. I could see the cliffs that Pasquale lived under. Those scenes alone made the book. I would recommend Beautiful Ruins especially to those who like Sarah Jio's books. I love the different time periods and seeing how these characters lives intersect. Others who shared their thoughts on Beautiful Ruins: It's All About Books, That's What She Read, Read. Write. Repeat, Confessions of A Book Addict,  and Write Meg!

Stuffed Eggplant with Ground Beef #pinitdoit

I picked some eggplants at Costco as a lark. I honestly had no plan for them. Worst case scenario, I'd make baba ganoush or eggplant parm. While surfing Pinterest, I came across a stuffed eggplant dish. It was diary and gluten free. I decided to give it a whirl.

It took a little longer than my regular evening meals so I saved it for a weekend night. I followed the recipe pretty closely. I even had some almond meal and parsley so I was able to do the garnish! Everyone loved it. I guess I'll pick up eggplants again from Costco.

Here's the original pin:


Here's mine:

How do you like to prepare eggplant?

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader 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.

The All New Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook

I quit eating commercially made bread. Most of it has potassium or sodium bromide which I discovered was causing my IBS like symptoms. Now if I want bread I either make it at home or buy it fresh. Time to pull out the bread machine.

Hawkeye vol 2

I really enjoyed the first volume of this graphic novel centering around Clint Barton. Looking forward to the second volume.

What did you get this week?

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. 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!

"It was an idea, vague and outlandish, full of promise and mystery. Something bloomed inside me as I traced its jagged line with my finger on a map." 

pg 4 Wild: From Lost To Found On The Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed 

Pumpkin Muffins #pinitdoit

I don't have much to say about these pumpkin muffins other than you should make them right now. They were so moist and delicious. I had trouble not eating the whole dozen at one. Yummers.

Here's the original pin:


Here's mine:

I'll be making these again soon.

Weekend Cooking: Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breasts #pinitdoit

I've done bacon wrapped chicken a few times before (A whole chicken wrapped in Bacon and Sweet Bacon Chicken Bites) but I liked this one because it was stuffed and wrapped.

Here's the original:

Here's mine:

I only had thicker cut bacon on hand. Thinner cut would be easier to work with. It was difficult to wrap the thicker bacon around the chicken. For the stuffing, I used marinated artichokes, black olives, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, and fresh rosemary. It was very easy to make. Everyone determined this one a keeper. 

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.

Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple

I'd heard nothing but good things about Where Did You Go Bernadette. So when I spotted it on the library shelf, I grabbed it. While I enjoyed it overall, there were a couple of rough patches.

Where'd You Go Bernadette is almost entirely told through emails, notes, and messages. Bernadette's fifteen year old daughter, Bee, narrates the parts where either the email needs explanation or when Bee feels that the reader needs to know more about her parents. Bernadette is an eccentric former architect who lives in a deteriorating Seattle mansion. Her husband, Elgin, is devoted to his Microsoft job. And Bee is whip smart and headed to a great East Coast boarding school in the fall. As Bee's graduation present, Bee asks for a family vacation to Antarctica. This is what starts the whole mess/adventure.

At first I loved Where'd You Go Bernadette. The writing was clever and the characters were funny. Plus all the Seattle references. How could it go wrong? About half way through the book, it took a turn. Not unexpected but just unwelcome. After Bernadette disappears, the book turned (momentarily) into a Desperate Housewives episode. Drug addicted children, spiritual awakenings, unexpected pregnancies, a lackluster affair. It didn't seem in keeping with the rest of the book which had been light and funny until then. But once we got past that, it didn't go back to light and funny (not til the end) but I felt like the ship righted itself.

The other gripe I had with Where'd You Go Bernadette was that for fifteen, Bee sure talked like an adult. And she did some things that I didn't feel were keeping with a fifteen year old girl. I still enjoyed Where'd You Go Bernadette but some parts didn't feel realistic. Although I think Semple did an excellent job capturing the parents at Bee's school and some of the other Seattle quirks. Overall it was an enjoyable book. There were plenty of laugh out loud moments. Others who shared their thoughts on Where'd You Go Bernadette: She Loved Life, That's What She Read, Rhapsody In Books, Devourer of Books, Coffee, Books, and Me, and A Lovely Shore Breeze.

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader 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.

Steelheart

Sanderson's latest. 

Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express

I love quick meal cookbooks. I'm looking forward to trying a few recipes out of this one.

Express Lane Meals

This looks like Rachel's version of Mark's book. It'll be interesting to compare the two.

A Wrinkle In Time

After reading about the graphic novel version of A Wrinkle In Time on The Discriminating Fangirl's blog, I immediately put it in my library queue. I loved A Wrinkle In Time as a child. I can't wait to see how the graphic novel compares.

House of Leaves

My hairstylist recommended this book to me. She warned me that it's weird but sometimes that's ok. 

Keepsake

After reading Sandra's teaser last Tuesday, I added Keepsake to my library list. When Sandra said she stayed up til 2am reading Keepsake, I knew I wanted to read it. 

45 pounds (more or less)

I think this was one that was recommended to me by Goodreads, Sounded interesting. 

What did you get this week?

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. 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 he finally drifts off, our fingers are twisted together in the space between the beds. 

I smile a little, and let myself go too."

pg 137 Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Duh, Rainbow wrote it so of course I had to read Fangirl. I am definitely a Rainbow fan girl. I've read all of her books in less than a year. How I am I going to survive til Landline comes out next year?

Anyway, Cath and Wren are twin sisters. They are headed to college but instead of being joined at the hip, Wren wants them to live separately and meet new people. This is not what Cath wants at all. Cath doesn't want to meet new people. She wants to stay with Wren and keep writing her Simon Snow fan fiction. Simon Snow is similar to Harry Potter, wizards and goblins. Cath is devoted to her Simon Snow fan fiction. Will Cath be able to adjust to life without Wren or Simon Snow?

I didn't immediately like Cath. She seemed a little whiny. But slowly I grew to love Cath. By the end I felt like I was saying goodbye to a friend. Confession, I used to write fan fiction myself. I wrote fan fiction about The Babysitter's Club. I was very much into writing about a world I adored. So I could easily understand Cath's devotion to Simon Snow.

Levi. Levi. So wonderful. I adore the guys Rainbow creates. So amazing. I don't know how to explain Levi. He's understanding, kind, geeky, and thoughtful. I love how he insinuates himself in Cath's world.

Of course Rainbow's writing is witty and so engaging. There were references to She's All That and Twilight. I was laughing so hard through most of this book. All I had to tell Tai was that I was reading Rainbow (as he likes to say) and he knew that I wasn't crazy.

As with all of Rainbow's books, read it now. So funny, touching, and charming. Others who shared their thoughts on Fangirl: Once Upon A Prologue, Jenna Does Books, Perpetual Page-turner, The Starry-Eyed Revue, and Estella's Revenge.

Weekend Cooking: Pumpkin Poppers #pinitdoit

I love pumpkin. I look forward all year to fall so I can make pumpkin bread, pumpkin cookies, and pumpkin pie. I broke out my cans of pumpkin last weekend and made these pumpkin poppers. I wanted something for the Readathon that I could snack on. I ate most of them at breakfast!

Here's mine:

Here's the original:


I used whole white flour rather than just plain white. But pumpkin covered with butter and sugar, who wouldn't like that? I didn't wait too long to cover them with butter and sugar. Next time I would wait til the poppers were fully cooled first. I think they'd be more like donut holes at that point.


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.

Love Minus Eighty by Will McIntosh

I read about Love Minus Eighty on The Offbeat Home & Life blog. When Ariel said it was "It's the perfect combination of intriguing and just fucking creepy", I knew I had to read it. Sadly I had to request from the library twice because life got in the way the first time I had it. I'm glad I relooted it because it was everything I promised. 
It seems like there are a lot of characters in Love Minus Eighty but eventually they all connect it and it's like a sci-fi Valentine's Day. McIntosh creates a world where people are so dependent on their computers, they wear them like a second skin. Yet these six people become so tangled into each other's life due to real non-internet life. Rob runs Winter over with his car. Veronika tries to save Lycan. Nathan and Veronika use the same coffee shop for their work but wind up talking and connecting. Even though they all hide behind their computer systems they crave human interaction, love, and companionship. Things they can't get from holograms or blog followers. It was an odd juxtaposition. 
So they title-Love Minus Eighty. Women who either purchase freezing insurance or women that the cryo company finds attractive are frozen (minus eighty). They are held in these creches, waiting to meet men who would be interested in reviving them. So it's a dating center. Men come in and revive a woman and have a "date" with her. If a man likes a woman, he can come back and visit again or marry her. In marrying her, she is bound to him for life and he's responsible for the cost of repairing the damage to her. In the end, the woman is sort of like a servant since she can't divorce or leave the man responsible for reviving her. It was a little odd to say the least. 
Love Minus Eighty was one of those sci-fi books that I love. The world wasn't too hard to imagine. The characters were marvelously flawed and very engaging. McIntosh definitely made me think.  Others who shared their thoughts on Love Minus Eighty: Beth Revis, A Dribble of Ink, The British Fantasy Society, Stainless Steel Droppings, and The Little Red Reviewer.