A summer of books

I've been zipping through books like crazy this spring and summer, and because the beautiful Angie asked, I decided to share some of my favorite books that I've read these past couple months.

If you're looking for a light, easy, very fast read and you're a fan of authors like Fannie Flagg, definitely check out Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore. I'm a huge Fannie Flagg fan. If I ever had another life, I'm pretty sure I was a Southern girl in it. I love the vernacular, the culture, the accent - all of it. This book is absolutely charming. You'll fall in love with the characters, and the writing style is just delightful. I think I read it in a single day.



I know I'm way behind the times on this one, but I just read Marley and Me. I can't see the movie because I don't want to cry. Plus, I'm big on reading the book before I see the movie. This, again, was a really easy, quick read, and it's not just a story about a dog. I just fell in love with the family in this book. I was expecting to finish the book and be all sad, but I wasn't. It's such a positive story. Loved it.



 Next up? Julie and Julia. LOVED this book. Saw the movie first, actually, and I was a big fan. But, I really liked the book even better. Julie Powell is hysterical - she's one of those authors where you can tell she writes just like she talks. This book was highly entertaining and a really fun, easy read.



I mentioned a while back I was struggling with the whole concept of church (still am, but I'm making some forward strides...). I recently read If the Church were Christian, and it was very fitting for my struggles. It deal with some of my huge frustrations with the church in general, and it focused on how different church would look if people actually acted the way they supposedly believed. I didn't agree with everything in the book, but I really, really liked the overall concept, and I feel like the author made some excellent points. Very thought-provoking. It was also a really quick read - I think I read this one in a day as well.



I've recently read two books by Jennifer Weiner. Wasn't a huge fan of Good in Bed, but Little Earthquakes was definitely something to write home about. I got into the book very quickly, and I could definitely relate to it at this point in my life. It was all about adjusting to life as a new mother. It was a refreshing read.



And most recently...I've broadened my horizons into the romance novel genre. I was given the opportunity to review a new trilogy by Tessa Dare, and I'm hooked. The first in the trilogy is One Dance with a Duke, and the second one is Twice Tempted by a Rogue. While I liked the first one better, I must admit I can't wait to read the third one. I won't go into too much detail because I'll actually be reviewing the second book later this month and giving away the entire trilogy. I was expecting a bit of smut and a generic storyline. But really, the books have a few steamy scenes here and there with really good story lines, surprisingly enough.

 

I'm currently reading The Poisonwood Bible, and next up after that is a Philippa Gregory book.

Read any good books this summer?

Starting with a clean slate.

I've never been one for New Year's Resolutions. It's just too much pressure.

On the one hand, though, I like the idea of having a brand new year. A clean slate. 12 months of possibilities. It's like a breath of fresh air.

Last year was quite a year. Sure, there was nothing monumental, but I did a lot of growing. Had a few growing pains, in fact. But - I'm grateful for all that happened and for the realizations I made.

I did a lot of reflecting on things. Things like - what really brings me joy? What do I need more of, and what can I get by with less of? What do I need to feel balanced, to feel well, to feel like my priorities are in line?

So, this year I'm not making resolutions, but I'm establishing just a few goals for myself. It's hard to not just sit here and just brainstorm stuff that I want to get done this year. Two or three months ago, if I'd decided to sit down and come up with a list of goals for 2010, the list would have easily been a few pages long.

BUT! I'm learning to put less pressure on myself. To let some things go, and to try and have less stress and anxiety in my life. So, I'm setting the bar lower. Realizing that less is more. And this is what I'm going for this year.

*Being WELL. To me, this means taking care of myself - eating right, regularly doing exercise that I love, getting good sleep, setting boundaries where they need to be set, and realizing that I don't have to do everything and be everything.

*Reading like crazy. These past couple months I've been reading voraciously, and even though it may sound corny, it's making me such a happier person! It's like I've rediscovered my favorite past time, and I am absolutely loving getting lost in a good book.

*Enjoying life and relishing in the small things. This could mean ditching the laundry for watching my backlogged episodes of Grey's Anatomy and eating a chocolate bar, or it could mean remembering that playing with Kaylee is more important than anything else I need to do in my day. It means keeping my family and friends my first priorities, and trying not to sweat stuff that really doesn't matter in the long run.

Do tell me what you are hoping for this year!

Because it's a curl up with good book and a hot cup of chai kind of day...

The only thing that could make this day more cozy would be huge snowflakes outside my window and some fuzzy slippers.

But, for some odd reason, our weather has decided to take a break from the frigid temperatures and grace us with some warm sunshine.

So, no fuzzy slippers for me, but I do plan on a cup of chai (along with a good book) as soon as I'm done writing.

I am just about finished reading Your Oasis on Flame Lake, by Lorna Landvick, and I have loved it from the very beginning. The first book I read of hers was Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons, and from then on, she's been a favorite author of mine.

I hate to be without a book to read, so I figured we better high tail it to the library so I'd have a book waiting for me when I finish this one.

Kaylee and I made a trip to the library this morning and picked out some new books, but as soon as she started going ballistic, we bee lined it to the car and came back home.

I really, really wanted to read Hunger Games because Tiffany has put it right up there next to the Twilight series classifying it as official "crackliture." I've heard raving reviews about here and there on different blogs, and so I'm dying to get my hands on it. But, the library didn't have a copy available, and I'm an instant gratification kind of girl, so I moved on to my second choice.

I chose this little gem - A Girl Named Zippy - which I am fulling expecting to be fabulous because Jenners, author of the blog Life With a Little One and More (one of my very first blogging buddies) recommended it on her book blog, Find Your Next Book Here. The book is a memoir of a girl who grew up in a small town (I, too, happen to be a small town girl), and it's supposed to be just delightful.

Which is something I need more of in my life - delightfulness.

Kaylee and I got home, and I proceeded to put in her newest video - some variation of Play With Me Sesame that she picked out at the library. I did my best to provide her with cheese, milk, crayons, and lovable, furry old Grover while I sat there on the couch and read more of my book.

Eventually, the movie ended, so we moved into her room for a change of scenery. The sun hits her room about midday, so I opened the blinds and curled up there on the floor in a patch of sunlight just like my old cat, Molly, would have done.

Kaylee played and I read, basked in the sunlight and relaxed. And of course, we played here and there.

Sure, there were other ways we could have spent the time. We could have gone to the store, done the laundry, or cleaned the house.

But, we didn't.

Because it's a curl up with a good book and a hot cup of chai kind of day.

It's just what I need.

We all have days (weeks, months...) when we just don't feel right.

The older I get, I'm trying harder to realize exactly what it is that keeps me ticking and keeps me healthy. When my life starts to feel off kilter, I've gotta take a step back, look at things, and try to figure out where I went wrong, because when one area is off, it seems to have a domino effect on all the other areas of my life.

A couple months ago, things started going downhill again. I was feeling depressed. I had quit exercising - period. I was eating whatever and however much I wanted, and I wasn't getting outside much. I wasn't blogging like I wanted to. I quit reading for a while.

And all the while, I was so blind to it. It was like my eyes were just fuzzy over the whole thing, and I think I blamed it on being busy or something trivial like that.

So, I've made some changes in the past weeks, and things are starting to feel normal again. I spoke with the doctor who treated me for postpartum depression about how I was feeling(jury's still out on whether some of my recent symptoms were depression or a side effect from birth control - hopefully I'll have an answer on that soon), and tweaked a few other parts of my lifestyle.

So, in no particular order, these are the things I've realized are oh-so-helpful in making my life feel well-rounded and somewhat normal. Well, normal for me anyway.

1. Time alone. And, I'm not just talking about time alone on the toilet without being bothered (although that would be lovely). I'm talking about time just for me - whether it's walking around Target (window shopping or "window" shopping - *wink, wink*), having the whole house to myself for a couple hours, or going to a restaurant by myself for lunch. I've always needed my alone time, and now that I'm a mom, I need it more than ever. When I don't get it, I am not a happy camper.

2. Exercise. I've always loved being active, from taking gymnastics and ballet as a little munchkin, to playing volleyball in middle school, to developing a love for step aerobics in high school and kickboxing in college, I've always loved being active. Let's not forget to throw in outdoor stuff like hiking, either. I've been consistently exercising for a little over a month now, and I'm working out 6-7 days a week, for about an hour at a time. It's a guaranteed hour every day where I don't have to think about anything else, and I get to blow off steam, and make my body healthier (and buffer, and leaner, and meaner). It's something I've always loved, but now it's an absolutely necessary part of who I am and what I need to do to feel healthy.

3. Healthy foods, appropriate portions, and a few treats here and there. I've gotten great results with Weight Watchers in the past (once before Kaylee - stopped that time as soon as I found out I was pregnant, and once after Kaylee), but after the last time, I decided to discontinue the online program, thinking I could save money and that I was disciplined enough to choose healthy foods and portions on my own. Not so much...I got off track a few times, and I found myself signing up for the program yet again. Right now, I've got a goal to lose a few more pounds. I was sick of my cute pants not fitting, and I was sick of wearing baggy tops to hide the muffin top. This time, my main goal is to get back on track with healthy portions, and I'm planning to stay on the program for quite a while, just to give me the guidance I need to keep making the right food choices.

4. Time alone with Kaylee, and time alone with Dennis. It's so easy for me to get wrapped up in being "busy," but living like that detracts from the most important things. Then, a week goes by and realize I was more concerned about a messy house than just simply having fun. If I get regular alone time with Kaylee and with Dennis, I'm so much happier. They help me slow down and remember what's important, and what's really not so important in the grand scheme of things.

5. Being outside. I remember days when I was home alone with Kaylee when she was a newborn. I'd start to feel all cooped up and anxious and cranky, and then I'd realize I hadn't set foot outside in a couple (or a few) days - not even past the front porch. Not okay, people, NOT okay! I need to be outside every day. Preferably for a longer period of time than it takes me to walk to my mailbox, but even that will do if I'm desperate.

6. My friends and family. They let me vent. They don't judge me. They let me be myself, and they listen when I feel like I'm falling apart. No matter what, they don't go anywhere.

7. A job. I may whine about it from time to time (hey, who doesn't?), but I love my job, and I love that it gives me scheduled time to be around other adults in a professional setting. It lets me use another part of my brain, and it makes me appreciate my time at home with my daughter even more. Plus, it gives her a break from me, which I think is also really important.

8. Prayer. To be honest with you, I know if this was a more regular part of day-to-day life, things would go a lot smoother. Things seem to go better, or - at least - I seem to handle them better when I start my day off with a prayer, and throw a few up throughout the day, too. It's something I'm always working on.

9. Reading for fun. For my whole life, this has been one of my very, very favorite hobbies, and as an adult, it's one way I deal with stress, by escaping into the pages of a book. When I don't have a book that I'm reading, chances are, there's probably another area of my life starting to crumble.

10. The blog. Writing has always been another one of my passions, and I really wish I'd discovered blogging a long time ago. I hate it when I have those spurts where I go a few days without blogging. Writing on a regular basis really helps me deal with stuff. It just feels good to get my thoughts out of my head, and on to my blog. It's therapeutic, and fun, and it's another hobby that brings me enjoyment.

So...what about YOU? What makes you tick? What is it that you just have to have in your life in order to feel like you have balance? Leave me a comment about it!

Move over, Edward. There's a new book in town.

It's almost time. Although I zipped through the first 500 pages of the Breaking Dawn, the last book in the Twilight series, in a mere 2 days, I've been trying to make the second half of the book last a little bit longer.

Do you ever get into a book, and when you reach the midway point, you're like - "Oh, no! It's almost over! I don't want it to end - I love this story! No, no!"

Thanks to my parents, who instilled a love a reading in me from the time I was just a wee little tot, I'm still a huge fan of a good book. I just love to read. It's one of the things I do to deal with stress and escape. I love how books have a way of just taking you to another place - putting you in someone else's story, making your imagination work overtime, and helping you forget about your own worries for a time. Plus, reading before bed makes my eyelids heavy and distracts me from things that might be bothering me from my day, so reading helps me sleep better.

I don't waste my time on crappy books. I'm too busy, and life is too short to waste time on crappy books. If I'm not hooked by the first 3 or 4 pages, you can forget it.

Now, I'm sure there are many of you out there like me - you heard all the hullabaloo about Twilight and you thought, "Ughhhh. If I hear another WORD about that stupid book I'm going to hurl. Teenage vampires. Drama, drama, drama. It's written for young adults - thanks, but no thanks."

As strong as I was to avoid peer pressure in my teen years, I'm crumbling the older I get. I tend to trust other moms about things they like, things they don't like, all that stuff, and I jump on a bandwagon here or there. Cloth diapers, homemade baby food, the E.A.S.Y. method for getting your child to sleep better, all that sort of stuff. But, at this point in my life, I think it's a good thing. If something is tried and true or someone has been there, done that, and I tend to agree with them on a few other things, why not give some of the things they like a try instead of spinning my wheels?

So, when one of my favorite bloggers, Tiffany, dubbed the Twilight series as "crackliture," it sounded like I had no other choice but to give it a try.

And I'm so glad I did. I've been hooked since book one, and I'm seriously bummed about this being the last book. It's taking me back to a couple years ago when I read the Harry Potter series and got all sad when it was over. I'm pathetic, I know.

I've got a mere 89 pages left. I may just finish the sucker tonight. But, then again, if I decide I'm not ready for it to be over, I'll drag it out another night or two.

Now, in anticipation of this difficult time in my life, I did something to counteract the feelings of sadness that loom at the end of my beloved book.

I visited a local bookstore that I'd never set foot in before, and much like the regret I felt for not reading Twilight sooner, I am kicking myself for not stopping in to this little hole-in-the-wall gem of a place before today.

Any book lover would walk into this store and want to stay all day. Imagine wall-to-wall books are just crammed into this tiny little store. An old guy named George with a handwritten sign above the register instructing customers to bug him about the special of the day. It's the smell of paper and glue, old books, new books...And all the records are kept on hand-written ledgers. It was just such a unique little treasure that I'm so excited exists in my own town!

So, we paid $17 today for for 6 books, and when we take them back, we'll get 60% of the cover price in store credit, which will work out to be about $30! So, it looks like I've finally found the perfect way to support my book habit.

Libraries are lovely, but I never take books back on time. So, the idea of borrowing books for free doesn't apply here - I always end up forking over at least $5 in late fees. Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. And then there's the issue of borrowing books.

I've got to give my sister-in-law (the same one who saved my sanity on our recent vacation) major props for lending me the entire Twilight series at once. I couldn't tell you how long ago it was that she gave them to me.

So...since I found my new, quaint little piece of heaven on earth, there will be no more library fines, no more friends and family waiting for me to return their books for 86 years. I can take my sweet time, and then when I'm done, I'll return my books and get new ones for free.

Are you wondering what's on my readings list next???

Well, I've decided to have one fiction book and one non-fiction book on active duty on my night stand. The non-fiction book? The Happiest Toddler on the Block.











Dennis and I loved The Happiest Baby on the Block, and we got to watch part of the DVD based on that book during our childbirth class. I'll be darned if our jaws weren't on the floor. This guy knows his stuff, and his techniques really helped us to calm Kaylee in the early days of her life. So, I figure I'll give this book a try, too. Heck, if it might be able to help us deal with some of the most frustrating things about having a toddler, bring it on. So, that one is already on the nightstand.

Now...for my fiction pick? Hmmm...

Well, I'm debating between two.

First up on the list - The Time Traveler's Wife.




















I hadn't even heard of this one until all the recent publicity about the movie. I've heard people talking about the movie, talking about the book, and raving about how incredible the book was. So, when I somehow managed to see this one in the midst of the poorly alphabetized plethora of books today, I decided I needed to pick it up. I'm a big fan of reading books before seeing the movie based on the book. Initially, I thought about reading this one first because the movie is out, but shoot - if I don't read the book before it leaves theaters, I'll just get it on DVD, so that's not really an issue.

The other one I'm considering starting next is - We're Just Like You, Only Prettier.



















I don't think it qualifies as fiction, but whatever. It seems funny and like it won't make my brain hurt to try and follow it, so I'm tossing it in there with fiction.

In my efforts to become a well-rounded reader, I find that one of my favorite types of books are fictional books written about the South. I love the vernacular, the humor, the characters, everything. And a part of me wishes I could spend a significant amount of time there, just to take in the culture. The title of this one intrigued me. Apparently, its' a collection of essays about Southern life. This quote is on the cover: "I laughed so hard reading this book, I began snorting in an unbecoming fashion." - Haven Kimmel, author of A Girl Named Zippy.

Plus, how can you pass up a book by an author whose other published works include such titles as Bless Your Heart, Tramp and Other Southern Endearments and Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank: A Slightly Tarnished Southern Belle's Words of Wisdom. I'm going to have to get my hands on those books, too, I have a feeling.

So, fellow book lovers, you may now feel free to roam about the cabin and give me your two cents about which book you would recommend I read next.