2014! Books! Hurrah!

I think I must be the worst blogger who ever blogged. Alas, it is what is, and since I refuse to let another year go by without a published post (there have many attempts, believe me) I am here now.

I feel like a terrible parent since I have failed to post about all the wonderful things my little monster has done this year, even though I have hundreds of pictures and stories. The truth is that it is hard to be a working mom and time seems to slip away even more quickly. I am in no way saying that the role of a working mom is harder than that of a SHAM. They're both very hard in very different ways. I will make an official family update post on the other blog. Maybe.

So today's post will be about books. I read a lot of books. Most of them are cheesy romances that entertain me while I read them, but are rather forgettable as soon as the book is closed. There were a few titles I read last year, though, that I feel are worth talking about and recommending. Here follows the little list in the order that I read them:

1. The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore 
Yes, we're starting with a children's book! My mom bought this book for the monster and we absolutely adore it! Its kind of hard to write a description of this book without telling you the entire story, but believe me, its lovely. Warning, it is a little sad at the end. But a happy kind of sad. That will make sense, I swear. I highly recommend it for kids and adults alike. It's also a short film and there is an interactive app for it that the monster just can't get enough of.

2. Clockwork Princess
This was the final installment of The Infernal Devices series and also the prequel to The Mortal Instruments. Sigh. I really loved this book and it seriously makes my heart a little sweaty to think about it. If you want to know thoughts on it, see my last post. But don't bother reading the info on the other book in that post. It was terrible. And won Goodread's Romance award. Why? Because I honestly believe that the voters wouldn't know a good book if I hit them in the face with it.  But I digress.
Read Clockwork Princess.... after reading the first two in the series, of course.

3. The Passion of the Purple Plumeria 
Finally! I got to read Miss Gwen's story! And finally the pairing I imagined became reality! **SPOILERS** From the moment I met Miss Gwen and her formidable parasol (first book), I began the anxious and looooong wait for her story. The moment that I met Colonel William Reid (6th book) and he announced that he was returning to England, I immediately started to imagine all the sass, and romance, and fighting that would occur between him and Miss Gwen. Never have I been more relieved to be right. Honestly, if Willig had paired them with anyone else, I might have stopped reading the series (I'm still upset that Jane won't be with the man I planned for her.) If you have not read the Pink Carnation series, here's a brief summary: female espionage in Napoleonic France (and other countries) filled with romance, humor, and all around awesomeness. Also, its two stories in one. You're welcome.

4. Styxx
Oh Sherrilyn, why must you hurt me so? This book is the long awaited sequel to Kenyon's Archeron. Acheron and Styxx are twins who each have the most tragic and upsetting back stories ever. Archeron's was bad, thank-the-gods-its-only-fiction, soul-scarring bad. Styxx's was infinitely worse. This is the proverbial redemption story on steroids that has been armed with machetes, and pikes, and.... sadness... (I got bit lost on where that was going.) Styxx's story is so heartbreaking that you actually hate those you loved in Archeron, including Ash. In Ash's book I was crying almost immediately, but Styxx took a while to really get to me. I think part of that is due to the fact that I still hated him. I felt bad for him and I definitely hugged my monster more while reading about poor Styxx's childhood, but Ash still seemed to have had it worse. And then this book broke me. **SPOILERS** The one man who was nice to Styxx dies and I swear I felt my hear shatter. From there I was swallowed into this dark and horrible pit of dispair that nothing could bring me out of. I was in so much pain from the crying. I'm serious. This book physically hurt me and left me with a book hangover (i.e. depression fit) for three days. It wasn't as bad as The Bronze Horseman, but it was pretty close. I almost want to forget that I ever read it. Only it was amazing. And the happy ending almost made up for all the hurt. Almost. For those new to the DH books: you do not need to read all 21 Dark Hunter books (or any of them) before reading this one, but I do recommend reading Archeron first.

5. The Autobiography of Red
This is the first book of poetry I have read that wasn't assigned for a class and isn't from the Middle Ages. This poem confused me in the best way possible. There were times that it was slow, but the way that Greyon experiences everything with such meticulous care, is inspiring and thought provoking. I feel I must read it again in order to fully grasp it. And that makes it an absolute win.
Real poetry fans/writers/readers/etc. may have better/more coherent thoughts on this, so maybe you should read their reviews. Or just read the book.







6. Fangirl
I'm sorry, but anything written by a girl named Rainbow has to be full of awesome. Fangirl did not disappoint. This was definitely my favorite book from 2013. This is a fanfic writting college student who is trying to adjust to this new life while desperately trying to hang onto her old life that was centered around her fandom. This was a fantastic coming-of-age story that really hit me in the feels. Cath is the me I could be if I let my fandom obsession take over. I kid you not. (Just because I haven't written fanfic, doesn't mean that there isn't this alternate SuperWhoLock meets New Species world living in my head and heart.) I now must read everything else Rainbow Rowell has ever written. It was just that good.




Honorable Mentions: Cafenova by S. Jane Scheyder and Gnome on the Range by Jennifer Zane. Both were cheesy romances I bought because the titles are awesome and they both ended up being rather enjoyable. They also happened to be free on Amazon at the time.


 What about resolutions? I only plan on reading more books of substance and less crap. And to actually start making Christmas present in July-- seriously, I can't do another December mad-dash. So what is in store of 2014? I have no clue, but I feel like I have started this year off with a positive feeling and I'm looking forward to all the happy things this year will have in store for me and my little family.

Heartbreak: Book Reviews

It's been over a year since I've written a book review so I have decided to gift you all with two!

Really, these are just two books that I think I need to sit down and write about because maybe then I can finally wrap my mind around them and heal a little. I apologize for any weirdness that comes out while I'm writing, I'm running off of gallons of coffee and 2 hours of sleep.

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

In the last book review I gave a very brief summary on my feelings towards Clare's Shadowhunter series, and it still holds true. I love her books, every single one of them. She does an amazing job with character and plot development and her writing is impeccable. The Shadowhunters are a group of nephilim who protect mankind from Downworlders (demons, vampires, etc.) but let me stress, this isn't a vampire/warewolves series. It features said "beings" but not in the typical sense- a change I very much enjoyed. For a summary of the latest book (without major spoilers) go here. 

This book broke my heart, and in a mostly-good way. This little trilogy features a love triangle and sigh  I really love me a good love triangle. This one is by far the best love triangles I have ever encountered because I loved all three characters. I did not care which one Tess (heroine) chose and I was happy for her choice, even though my heart broke for the man she didn't choose. 

But here's the thing and if you're planning on reading this series, you might want to stop reading now:

She chose (in the previous book) Jem who is slowly dying because of a drug addiction (that totally wasn't his fault) and who I picture looking like this:

Yummy, right? This is Top and I love him.

So I went into this book certain that Jem was going to die and- I kid you not- I cried every time he did something sweet. Which is all the freaking time! And then he died and my soul broke. Will, the other man, was Jem's best friend and both he and Tess were not present for Jem's death. Will, who is connected to Jem on a spiritual level (it's a ritual thing) felt it when Jem passed and my soul broke more. When Will informed Tess of Jem's passing and she cried for the second time in the series (which is pretty darn rare for a YA) I died. Then it turned out that Jem wasn't dead, just changed, which you would think would be a happy thing. It wasn't. Not really. All the characters, and myself, had to mourn the Jem he used to be and it kind of sucked. Tess ends up agreeing to marry Will (happily, I might add) with Jem's blessing, but she's immortal and outlives him. 

This is probably the worse summary ever, and I'm only talking about the love triangle. I love every character in this book and I loathe the villains to the point of love (that totally makes sense). 

Tess' story (from beginning to end) is rather tragic and messy, but it is so worth it for all of the happy moments. I feel like I know her and all the people in her life intimately and I weep for all of them. Only one other author was able to move me to such a degree and I am certain that this is a story I will never never fully heal from. And it was so worth it. 

 I can't seem to recall who actually said this

now onto the other review:

Lover at Last by J.R. Ward

Let me begin by saying that I have not finished this book- I am only a third of the way through and I believe that this is as far as I am going to go. This is book 11 in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series and yes, this one is all about vampires. It is also considered erotica (though I wouldn't classify it as that, but it is a bit racier than your standard romance.) This book as been four books in the making and is a boy-on-boy novel and I have been anxiously awaiting it's arrival. But I am incredibly frustrated by it. My biggest complaint for this series is the villains. The main baddy is called The Omega. Yeah. That's it. The Omega is a black blob of gooeyness who corrupts people by putting his goo in them and turing them into vampires that smell like baby powder. It makes me miss the days when vampires sparkled. The Omega has a right hand man (who changes because they keep dying) and Ward seems to enjoy spending a ridiculous amount of time on them- what they're doing, what they're feeling (or not in the case of erections) and she has pretty much taken the surprise out of their actions. I don't care about them and I don't want to read about them. Alongside the lessers (baby smelling vampires) are The Bastards- another group of warrior vampires who kill the lessers and loathe the Black Daggers. I like one of them, but could really care less about them as a whole.

So, the problem with this book? It was meant to be a novella. I think she intended to be a shorter story (even with all the build up) because she wasn't quite comfortable with writing a m/m story and/or was sure her audience would like it. I happen to really enjoy m/m novels so I was thrilled to learn that she had decided to turn the novella into a full-lenght novel and a ~600 page one at that. But she didn't turn a Qhuinn/Blay novella into a novel. She took a Qhuinn/Blay novella and inserted stupid side stories about the goddamned villains, turning it into a 600 page collection of short stories. Not really, but that's what it feels like. And I have hated every moment of it. I wish she would have just published the novella. So I quit. I rarely give up on a book, but I just cannot proceed. I prefer to have the happy, functional, and super kinky Qhuinn/Blay love story that exists in my head rather than have their creator ruin it. Also- her name spelling is just plain fucked up. I'm sorry, but get over your god-forsaken obbsession with adding the letter "h" into every freakin' word! Just give them normal names! Fhury, Zhadist, Tohrment, and Qhuinn just makes you look stupid.

I am so disappointed right now.

So there you have it. My past three days in a nutshell.

On an unrelated note, I start my new job on Monday.

Operation GOSS

Warning: This is going to be long.

Before launching into GOSS (get organized, stop spending) here's an update:

I "won" NaNo- hit 52k words (give or take) but the novel itself is not exactly finished. There is still the editing and such to do. But a goal accomplished is still satisfying.

Christmas came and went. So did Thanksgiving. So did New Years. They were all nice, but not fully appreciated as I was in the throes of NaNo and then a three-month long panic attack over having to grow up. Christmas craftiness: 2 paintings, 2 quilled monograms, 2 scarves, and 1 giant stuffed penguin. Pictures will be posted on those some day.

The hubs is now the SAHD.

After what felt like hundreds of applications, and fewer interviews, I finally got hired. Its not a dream job, but since I don't really know how to become a person who thinks up names for nail polish colors, it's not a horrible job either. And, lets face it, I am super happy to just have a job. The job: taking calls for Starbucks. Because people actually call that 1-800 number. The problem: they keep pushing back my start date and I've been looking forward to starting work. Weird, right?

I opened an etsy shop. There's nothing in it right now since I'm still trying to make more things to sell in it (and procrastinating like a crazy person) but one day I will sell paintings and quilled artwork.


So what is GOSS? I told you already. Why GOSS? Because everything I do needs some catchy name that I then turn into an anagram. I'm just that cool.

Our biggest spending area (outside of cars and the house) is groceries. The biggest problem is impulse buying and since we used to go to the grocery store every other day, that added up really quickly. So to eliminate the chance of impulse buying, I decided to try something different. Here's what we're doing now:

I went to this this site, liked what I saw, then sat down and came up with a dinner menu for the month of March. I don't have every day assigned a meal, some just have "leftovers" written in since we always have leftovers.

Our calendar. Originally purchased to write down appointments and book releases (March is going to be a fantastic reading month for me!) Dinner is on the bottom line.

Then I put together a grocery list for the entire month. It was hard and I'm not sure exactly how we're going to keep all of the veggies fresh until they are needed (still working on that.)

One side of "The List." 

My guess is that we will have to go to the store one more time since we don't have our chest freezer up and running yet and can't store milk the way the woman suggests until we do.  Also, you get a lot of funny looks at the store when your shopping cart is overflowing. I almost wanted to yell that that's not the reason why I'm fat.

The vehicle after shopping. Thank God I cleaned my trunk out last week!

I tend to keep a well stocked pantry, but I had to restock this month since we apparently run out of a bunch of spices, cooking wine, and various cooking oils all at once. I've had a few people ask how I keep a stocked pantry and the simple (and perhaps snooty) answer is that we cook at home more than we eat out, which means I need a stocked pantry. I almost always buy more of something when I run low; I know what we need and use so I keep those stocked at all times. Since I know that's not a helpful answer, this list contains what we keep on us at all times and then some.

Finally, I've been making my own bread for a few months now. I have yet to find a sandwich bread recipe that I love, so I've been using my french loaf recipe instead.

I also do my own canning. It's an expensive hobby at first, but saves money in the long run, especially since we're planning to start our own garden this year.

They're growing! Well, the onions and garlic are. Not so much the basil plant. And yes, I started some veggies indoors. In my craft room.

We also make our own broths. Right now we only have beef broth, but once that stupid turkey taking up a huge amount of space in my fridge thaws, we'll make broth out of that (in leu of chicken.) I just picked up a pressure canner (insert huge squee here) so I will start to can broth, tomato sauce, and veggies! Yay!

 So that's the haps. Sorry if this was uninteresting for you. I'm super excited about it.

I'm also more than happy to share recipes and cookbook recommendations if peoples want them.

NaNoWriMo

I think I may have been hit with the crazy stick recently, for I have decided to participate in National Novel Writing Month. Yup. 50,000 words in one month. 

Do I think I can do it? No idea, but I look forward to trying. 

I've spent the last month doing tons of "research" for a novel idea that I've been kicking around for a while, and since NaNoWriMo is just a week away, I decided to go for it. Even if I don't win, I think it will be a great experience and maybe, just maybe, prove to be something that I want to do full-time (or as full-time as it gets when you're a mom, wife, and bread-winner.) 

So everyone, wish me luck, and if you don't hear from me next month, chances are I'm only mostly dead. 

Ch-Ch-Changes

This year has not been my favorite. It's had some pretty awesome moments, but lately, things have kind of sucked. I really try not to share depressing thoughts, but I have been absent from the blogging world for a while, so I might as well write down why.

We thought N was going to get laid-off and though the thought terrified me beyond belief, N was delighted and planned on spending the next year or so living off his expected severance and some of the 401K (and go to school full time.) When it turned out that he was not going to be laid off, the plan didn't change. I don't really know what happened or how or why, but he is now set to resign at the end of the year. I am now in the throes of job hunting since it now falls to me to provide for my family. There is a large part of me that very much wants to provide this opportunity since he has spent the last 9 years hating his job and making those around him miserable because of it. He wants his degree and since he allowed me to get mine, he should be allowed to get his. That being said, there is still a part of me that is bitter with the thought of giving up my dream job and security. Even with a degree, there is no way I can get a job that will pay half of what he is making. Which means that I have to take our budget to a whole new level and pray that it is enough. See, bitter. And worried. Sick with worry.


 If that isn't bad enough, last week my grandmother died. It was a very peaceful passing and even though it was kind of sudden, it was a relief that she passed painlessly. The funeral was a fiasco. The feud that has ensued during the past 7 or so years finally came to a head in the most inappropriate and shameful manner. I am so ashamed of people I have blood ties to and I thank God every day that I no longer have any reason to be in contact with any of them. Which is also depressing since we didn't just lose a grandmother, we lost an entire family.


In happier news, my marriage has actually gotten stronger with N finally being able to leave the evil place. It's super scary, but worth it to see the change in him. Hopefully I will find a decent paying job soon.... one with benefits at least half as good as what we have now. Plus, I will get a house-husband. No more cleaning, cooking, organizing, etc. for me! Except for laundry. I don't trust him with the laundry. Not that I mind doing all that stuff, but it will make leaving L everyday a little easier knowing that I can come home and just play with him without worrying about chores. Also, I've been reading a ton of romance novels lately. It's so sad, I know, but I'm addicted. And N definitely seems pleased with me doing so since his sex life has dramatically improved since. Perhaps I will do a book review post (one with very brief summaries... I may be comfortable telling the world that I read these books, but I'm not comfortable discussing the details.) On that note, I did read The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons. It's a love story set in and around blockaded Leningrad (WWII). Simons has an amazing gift and, I kid you not, this story will break your heart and rip apart your soul. It's part of a series and the happy ending isn't reached until the final book, but it is so worth it. And I may be in love with Alexander. Thinking about it both warms my heart and makes me cry a little. Everyone needs to read it.

Also happy: my monster is amazing. He is still a giant ball of energy, and I admit that there are some days that I just can't keep up with him. Seriously, he never stops and is so curious about everything. He also loves airplanes, which pleases my dad to no end. Every time he sees one he yells "Plane!" then immediately imitates a plane (arms out, making vroom noises, and spinning in circles.) When it is no longer in sight, he looks up and says "Where'd it go? All gone. Bye-bye!" It melts my heart every time. Grandpa is planning to take him to view the planes as they take off while he is in town and I can't wait to see L's reaction when he see's them up close!

So there you have it. My life in a nutshell. Or part of it. Now I'm off to read another sleezy romance called The Great Scot. I kid you not. I will post some pictures of the monster's cuteness once I find my SD card.

Super Amazing Pasta Salad!

I'm back!!! (But only briefly.) I'm not sure if I've shared this before or not, but I make amazing pasta salad. The best part: it's super easy and only has 5 ingredients.

Pasta Salad

1 boneless skinless chicken breast

1/2 bag pasta (I used veggie rotini in the picture but anything works)

8 oz cherry/grape tomatoes, halved

Ken's Northern Italian salad dressing

parmesan cheese

Poach/bake/grill the chicken (I usually poach it but it works well any way). Cook the pasta as per its instructions. (Rise the pasta with a little bit of cold water if you're planning on eating it right away.) Combine chicken, pasta, and tomatoes in a medium size bowl. 

Pour in enough dressing to coat the salad (this varies each time and I never measure).

Sprinkle in some parmesan cheese and mix! 

Also good with some asparagus spears, but I didn't have any. Also good without meat (especially if you have asparagus.) 

MIA warning

Hello all,

I'm going to be MIA for a while. I know that's nothing new, but since it is planned this time, I figured I would give my avid readers a head's up. And by avid, I must mean my imaginary readers.

I am currently in a horrible bought of depression brought on by going off my anti-depressants (who'd have guessed?), quitting smoking, and pretty much life in general. I'm trying not to wallow in it, and I'm getting better, but it's going to take some time.

I hope that I will return to "normal" soon. I have updates, recipes, and book reviews to share, but I just can't seem to bring myself to actually write them down.

Anyway, I'm out. I hope everyone enjoys their summer on my behalf!