Finally!!

Finally!  A book worth reading!  I just finished reading "The Museum of Extraordinary Things" by Alice Hoffman and loved every minute of it!  I started reading it Saturday afternoon and couldn't put it down.  I finished this morning and it was one of those books that I didn't want to end.  So beautifully written.  I love reading about old New York and was thoroughly entranced by this book.

Unfortunately, I hated "Bread and Butter" immensely.  Another one of my recent reads that didn't live up to all the hype.  The three brothers were so unlikeable; I couldn't relate to any of them and thought the reviews were way off.  One of the reviews I read said something about "hilarious insights to the inner workings of a restaurant."  Hilarious?  Terribly depressing was more like it.

Some Goodreads, Some Not So Goodreads

Just finished reading "The Silent Wife" by A.S.A. Harrison.  Actually, I read it in one day. It's been compared to "Gone Girl" but I don't think that's very accurate.  The story is written in a similar style (he said / she said) but that's really about it.  The main female character, Jodi, is wound up tighter than a top and it's only a matter of time before she loses it on her cheating husband.

I read "The Fault in Our Stars" a couple of weeks ago and really, really did not enjoy this book.  Maybe I'm just too old??  I had downloaded it on my Nook and was halfway through it when KJ texted me and asked me to buy her a copy (she has a Kindle so we can't really share books).  Anyway, for her to ask me to buy a book is a big deal so when I was visiting T I picked up a copy of the book in one of the airport bookstores.  This YA novel is being made into a movie staring Shailene Woodley of "Divergent" fame.  She's about to become the new "It" girl in Hollywood.  Move over Jennifer Lawrence.  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2582846/?ref_=nv_sr_1

I've added a couple of new books to my Nook Wish list:

 "Bread and Butter" by Michelle Widgen (see NY Times review here:  http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/09/books/review/bread-and-butter-by-michelle-wildgen.html?_r=0)

"The Museum of Extraordinary Things" by Alice Hoffman http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/02/books/review/alice-hoffmans-museum-of-extraordinary-things.html

Always on the lookout for a great book!  Please share your finds!

The Invention of Wings

I recently finished reading Sue Monk Kidd's "Invention of Wings" and I have to say, I was so underwhelmed.  "The Secret Life of Bees" is one of my Top 10 favorite books and I really enjoyed "The Mermaid Chair" so I was pretty excited when her latest book came out.  Historical fiction is my favorite genre but this book just left me with an overwhelming feeling of disappointment.   Kidd's characters are usually so deep and intricate but this was not the case with this book and I felt absolutely no empathy towards any of them.

I just started reading "The Fault in our Stars" and did not realize it was kind of YA (young adult).  It's been on a lot of "must read" lists this year and I know the movie is to be released soon.  I'm only twenty or thirty pages in so we'll see how this one pans out.

Finally!!!

Ugh.  Finally finished reading "The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt.  I'm not going to lie.  I really did not enjoy this book.  I wanted to like it.  I really did but I don't see what the big fuss is about (read the NY Times review here:  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/books/review/donna-tartts-goldfinch.html?_r=0)

This book is almost 800 pages full of completely unlikable characters.  I wanted to feel some empathy for Theo but he grew up into such a creepy slimeball I actually detested him by the end of the book.  His girlfriend Kitsey doesn't even love him enough to not cheat on him with his boyhood nemesis Tom Cable.  His childhood friend from Vegas, Boris, is an unapologetic, drug-abusing criminal and the whole "underground art world" plot is just mind-numbingly convoluted.  The only two characters with any type of redeeming qualities were Hobie and Mrs. Barbour (who, in her own weird way, does seem to care a great deal for Theo).

Post Holiday

The holidays are over and life is getting back to normal.  The relatives have gone home, the kids are back at school and regular TV programming has resumed.


I've started watching "The Curse of Oak Island" on the History Channel.    http://www.history.com/shows/the-curse-of-oak-island  As we all know, I'm a big history geek and love shows like this that force us to look at the unexplained, the other side of things.  The possibilities.  We're two episodes in already and, unfortunately, I'm getting a little frustrated.  They haven't really come up with new evidence as to the mystery of Oak Island and I feel like I've seen all of this information before on an episode of "America Unearthed" or that show from the 70's with Leonard Nimoy. 


I've been watching "Reign" on the CW.  I think it comes back on a little later in the month.  It's the story of Mary Stuart (AKA Mary Queen of Scots) and is kind of a Gossip Girl meets The Other Boleyn Girl and I'm probably about 30 years old to be watching it but it's fun and campy and not very historically accurate which really doesn't bother me.  I get my history fix from other sources. 
http://www.cwtv.com/shows/reign


This week "Blacklist" returned to NBC.  I made Cosmo sit down and watch it with me and he really, really liked it.  James Spader is awesome in the role of "Red" Reddington.  http://www.nbc.com/the-blacklist/


I also started watching "Intelligence" with Josh Holloway and the red-headed actress from CSI, Marg Helgenberger).  http://www.cbs.com/shows/intelligence/  He's got a computer chip in his head and is basically a walking, talking, living and breathing Internet.


Tonight is "Nashville" night!  http://abc.go.com/shows/nashville  I really enjoy this show which is very weird because I do not like country music.  At all.  But I love Connie Britton's character and Hayden Panettiere is also great as Juliette Barnes.  She's kind of an ingénue in public but a bitch behind the scenes. 


While I do enjoy a good TV series, I also like to relax with a good book.  I'm currently reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt.  The book is long.  756 pages on my Nook.  I'm on page 242 right now and to be honest, I'm not sure if I'm enjoying this book.  Maybe I just had very high expectations and am a little let down??  IDK but I'll see it through to the end. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/books/review/donna-tartts-goldfinch.html?_r=0

Read Any Good Books Lately?

It's been such a busy, crazy summer. My Goodreads reading goal has definately gone by the wayside and I'm horribly behind. I have read a couple of good books this summer but nothing outstanding.

I started reading the Capital Girls series. When I purchased it on BN.com I had no idea it was a series and I had no idea it was more YA than Chick Lit. But, I'll read just about anything so it really doesn't matter! http://capitalgirlsbooks.com/

I'm also a HUGE Phillpa Gregory fan and started watching The White Queen series on the Starz network. The mini-series is beautifully filmed and visually stunning. Earlier in the summer I had read The Lady of the Rivers and went on her website to see what else was related to the Cousins Wars. I saw the advert for The White Queen and set the DVR. Jeremy Irons' son, Max, plays King Edward IV and he's quite easy on the eyes. http://www.philippagregory.com/#./books

https://www.google.com/#fp=317996672591dcaf&q=the+white+queen+starz

On my wish list: The Girl you Left Behind, Where'd you Go Bernadette?  A Hundred Summers and Husband's Secret. Any suggestions to add to the list?

Goodreads.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/ariellecalderon/books-to-read-before-they-hit-the-big-screen

I feel like I've been reading like crazy this summer but my Goodreads account says I'm really far behind my reading goal of 100 books in 2013.  Ugh!

I've read both Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth.  Eh.  There were a lot of characters to keep up with, a lot of "factions" and a bunch of stuff about simulations and serums.  I think I like Hunger Games better.  I'm getting a little tired of reading about dystopian societies.  While I love that this series, as well as the Hunger Games, have strong female leads, I'm just over the whole bleak, depressing, futuristic, Mad-Max theme.

I'm glad to see The Book Thief is being made into a movie.  It's one of my favorite books!  And I've got Monuments Men on my queue.  Should be a good movie (Clooney?  Matt Damon?  No problem!).  I really, really hope Reese Witherspoon does NOT play the lead in Gone Girl.   Amy is insane and I don't know if Reese can tackle that level of insanity.  IDK.  Maybe after her recent run-in with the law . . . maybe she can do crazy.  And I really, really hope Rob Pattinson does NOT play the lead in 50 Shades of Gray.  Ick.  Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper are teaming up again and I think I'm the only person on the planet that was not impressed with Silver Linings Playbook. 

This summer I've read Wife-22 which was pretty funny.  I'm about 125 pages in
The Wolf of Wall Street and it's pretty insane (see the trailer here:  http://youtu.be/iszwuX1AK6A). 
And I also read Bossypants by Tina Fey.  Hysterical.  I could totally be friends with Tina Fey.  And Amy Poehler. 

Summer Reading Update

Couple of days ago I posted about Summer Reading (see blog post here: http://cos4.blogspot.com/2013/06/summer-reads.html) 

Update:  I finished the The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls: A Novel as well as Divergent and now I'm on to Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns.  Yonahlossee was OK, it kind of fizzled at the end; everything was tied up in a neat little bow.  Not sure how I feel about Divergent.  As I read it, I couldn't help feel like it was a wanna-be Hunger Games.  I'll see the series through and will read books #2 and #3 (I believe book #3 is set for a 2014 release).  Interestingly enough, Entertainment Weekly just did a feature article on the movie currently being filmed in Chicago.  The article actually helped me understand the direction of the books and the characters a little bit better.  And the Prada sequel is all over the place and Andi is kinda psycho and really insecure.  I usually don't read Goodreads reviews before I purchase a book because I like to form my own opinion.  I kind of regret not doing some research prior to pre-ordering this book on my Nook.  So far, I'm not that impressed. 

Summer Reads

I'm not sure why summer reading or beach books are separated from other genres.  Nobody seems to make a list of "top 10 books to read this winter!"  I don't read one certain type of book based on my geographic location.  I read what I read when I read. 

But, since I'm always on the lookout for a good book and love a great suggestion, I have read or am about to read a couple of books off People Magazine's 2013 summer list: 
http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/38269.People_Magazine_s_Must_Read_Books_for_Summer_2013

This past weekend I read The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls: A Novel.  I've got The Engagements on my Nook queue as well as Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen (I've read some of his other stuff) and the Widow Waltz.  I'm thinking about Sisterland: A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld  but I just couldn't get into Prep so I'm not sure if it was the author's style of prose that didn't do it for me or the subject matter.  The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story looks interesting, too. 

I'm currently reading Divergent (only a few chapters in). You can check out the author's blog here: 
http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/  Divergent is being made into a movie and this link gives a a quick review as to what this book is all about:  http://insidemovies.ew.com/2013/05/14/divergent-tris-dauntless-exclusive/  And here's the IMDB link:   http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1840309/?ref_=sr_1  It will be interesting to see if this series is as popular as The Hunger Games.  There also seems to be several discussion boards/forums dedicated to which is better:  Hunger Games vs. Divergent.  On a personal note, I loved the Hunger Game books but didn't really like the movie -- I thought some of the graphics were a bit cheesy and a little too CGI for my taste, however, I can appreciate a strong female lead and both books seem to have that in "Katniss" and "Tris." 

To Follow or Not to Follow?

That is the question. Well, that a couple other questions I have at the end of the post.

I like to access my accounts every once in a while and do a little house-cleaning. You know, delete some bloggers that haven't posted in year, people I once thought were interesting on Twitter, update my Goodreads account, update the pages I like on Facebook, etc.

Tonight I've been cleaning up my Pinterest boards. When I first starting pinning, I just had very generic, catch-all categories. Now, I've defined my boards a little better and deleted things that are no longer of interest to me or pins I must have really liked because I had them on the same board 5 or 6 times! As I was cleaning up, I realized I never, ever go on anyone else's profile and look at their pins. It was a very weird revelation. I have absolutely no desire to check out other people's boards. If I follow someone's boards and their pins pop up on my home page, yes, I'll re-pin. But I don't ever specifically go to their profiles to see how they've categorized things or what they've named their boards or anything else for that matter. Even though I'm of the mind that once you put something on the Internet it's no longer private, I do feel that Pinterest boards are personal. While I may appreciate the photo you've pinned, I don't want to know or need to know why you've pinned it or under what category.

I also discovered that I don't like to comment or put a lengthy description on my pins. I usually try to keep it brief and put a punctuation mark or something very random in the comment section. What that particular pin means to me and what it means to someone else re-pinning it at a later date and time are usually two very different things.

While I was cleaning up my Pinterest boards, I also realized a few things about myself and a few other things were just reiterated: I love to read. I am not a fan of mid-century or modern furniture. I am a romantic at heart. I have a wicked sense of humor. I love to travel. I love to take naps (preferably outside with a good book nearby). I like the beach (preferably with a good book nearby). I also love autumn. I also love winter. I love bathtubs (preferably outside with a good book nearby). Bracelets, shoes and handbags are my weakness. I have no idea who "Dr. Who" is or what's up with that blue telephone booth. I don't like to cook. At all.

How are you using Pinterest? For the recipes? For the outfit ideas? Home design inspiration? Does anyone else feel that Pinterest is "feminine" and it's weird when a guy has a Pinterest board??

Bloggity Blog Blog

I love to blog. I really do. I like Twitter and Facebook, I like Goodreads, Pinterest, Get Glue and Foursquare, too but I always seem to come back to blogger.

I started the blog as a daily journal, a way to communicate w/ my out of town family and friends and just try to make sense of it all. I don't write about anything specific, I don't post recipes, I don't exclusively write about fashion or home decor. I don't blog about diet or exercise. Cosmo & I aren't newlyweds any more so we're not planning our wedding or in that "honeymoon" phase, my "babies" aren't little any more so I'm kind out of the "mommy" loop, too. I just blog about whatever pops into my head. Which can sometimes be scary. I like to check out other people's blogs. I like to see how other folks live (particularly those in other cities/countries), I like to see that I'm not the only one who's husband / kids / whatever get on their nerves. I also love to look at crafty blogs. I am the least crafty person I know and I'm always amazed at the talent of some people. I also like looking at the design and layout of different blogs...some people so put so much time and effort into their blog and it shows! I always feel like mine is a total hodge-podge!