Tag Archives: books

happy march

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WOW. February just flew right on by.

I’ve obviously hit blogger’s block! HELP MEEEEE. Give me something to write about 🙂 …

For blogging inspiration, I went back and read through my archives. OMG. I sounded so young. EEEK. And I obviously had more time on my hands because I wrote a lot more — TV comments every few days with the most random entries about my daily life. But I have to admit that it put a smile on my face to revisit my younger years so I’ll keep that in mind when I let days go by without writing anything.

To get myself in writing mode again, let’s start with a good old list (beware the randomness).

CURRENTLY…

Reading:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. According to my Goodreads, I started reading this book in early January. And I’m still only on Chapter 2. That means I’ve only read about 25 pages. In almost 2 months. It’s just that the beginning is so… boring. Although it’s quite possible it’s just me and my brain is saying it doesn’t want to read anything “serious.”

Obsessed With:
Angry Birds. OMG. What a time suck.

Loving:
DAN + BLAIR from Gossip Girl. SQUEE! I haven’t loved a ship so much in years.

Looking Forward To:
Watching Wicked later this month. I saw it 3 years ago and loved it so, so much. I can’t wait.

(Co)-planning and hosting my best friend’s bridal shower. It means so much to do this for someone special. <3

Thinking About:
Cutting straight bangs again. Hmmm.

Watching The Adjustment Bureau. The romantic thriller aspect has me intrigued. Plus, Matt Damon & Emily Blunt! I love them.

Misc:
I have a huge box full of old photos from high school and college. They’re not in albums or scrapbooks or anything. Just in the same envelopes they came in when I got them developed. I’m not sure what to do with them. Do I scan and organize them digitally? More importantly, can someone do it for me? 😉

That’s it for now. I’m excited for the weekend. Hope everyone has a good one!

confessions

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HAPPY MAY.

Confessions.

I have been too busy indulging in the following guilty pleasures to blog…

1. Listening to Justin Bieber. Gah. I hated this guy on principle when I first heard him sing the opening notes of the We Are the World remake. BUT THEN. He hooked me with that song Baby. Damn Ludacris. Yes, I know. I’m like a freaking 16-year old stuck in a 30-year old’s body.

2. Reading Lisa Kleypas romance novels. I’ve always enjoyed a romance novel here and there but rarely read books consistently in the genre. Mostly because there are SO MANY books to choose from and it’s hard to wade through all of the titles to figure out what’s good and what’s a bust. Thanks to the influence of Sarah and Ceci, I found Lisa Kleypas and totally devoured her 3 contemporaries in the past week. It’s times like these when I wish I had an e-reader so I could just download another book to read instead of ordering them online or going to the bookstore. But I love the feeling of a real book in my hands. So torn.

ANYWAY.

Rob and I went to Vancouver last weekend and had SO MUCH FUN. Also ATE TOO MUCH.

Quick pic…



Can I be an honorary Canadian? More later.

30 Day Meme: Day 14 – A Non-Fictional Book

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Day 14 — A Non-Fictional Book

I don’t read a lot of non-fiction. What can I say? I prefer “escaping” into the books I read. But as you know, I’m a huge Disneyland fan and I just *had* to read Mouse Tales: A Behind the Ears Look at Disneyland by David Koenig. It’s a quick and fun read filled with everything from the history of the park to hilarious insider gossip and even to the darker side of lawsuits and accidents. I have a tendency to romanticize all things Disney and even this book can’t tarnish the magic. Highly recommended for any Disney fan.

30 Day Meme: Day 13 – A Fictional Book

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Day 13 — A Fictional Book

I missed a couple days. Oops. I was out all day on Saturday and was too exhausted yesterday to get in front of the computer.

So… I’ve actually been reading books! Last year was a total fail in that area but I’m off to a good start this year. YAY. One of the books I’ve read is Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris. It’s the first book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. I wasn’t sure if I’d like this book (I favor light! and happy! type books) but I really, really did. I thought it was a satisfying combination of vampire fantasy, romance, humor (Bubba!) and suspense. Sookie is a slightly ditzy but engaging and spunky main character and she’s surrounded by a colorful cast of Southerners (including vampires) in Bon Temps. There’s one central plot in this book that drives the story forward and keeps you guessing until the end (at least it did for me… or maybe I just didn’t catch any of the clues). If you’re looking for a quick and easy read, I highly recommend this book. I received the first 3 books as a gift so I’m excited to get started on the second one.

This book also makes me want to check out True Blood again. I watched the first 2 or 3 (?) episodes a year ago at a friend’s house but since I didn’t have HBO, I never finished the first season. Still don’t but maybe I’ll rent the DVDs when I have time…

30 Day Meme: Day 4 – Favorite Book

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Day 04 — Your Favorite Book
Anne of Green Gables. Yes, it’s not only my favorite movie but my favorite book as well. My mom gave me the book sometime in elementary school (my memory sucks, can’t get more specific) and it was pretty much love at first read. I fell in love with Anne and wanted to be part of her world. I adored her relationships with Diana and the Cuthberts, her romance with Gilbert (he was my very first book crush :D), and all her adventures growing up in Green Gables, Avonlea, and beyond. I read this book at least once a year — it’s the book version of “comfort food” for me and I love it.

eclipse + breaking dawn

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First things first — have to congratulate my friends Leah and Ricardo! They welcomed their baby girl to the world on Sunday. It’s like baby season! Aww.

Second. I’m finally caught up with Gossip Girl. WTF is up with all the partner-swapping?!? GRRR.

Third. Another WTF to tonight’s episode of 90210. Silver is a whole new brand of kerrrazy.

Fourth. I just LOVE the tagline for the new Fast and Furious movie. NEW MODEL. ORIGINAL PARTS. Hehe, that is awesome.

Now. I started this part of the entry waaaaayyyyy back in November and never finished it. Oopsie. I had already written half of it so I figure better late than never.

So I finally finished the last 2 books in the Twilight series. Some thoughts (possible spoilers)…
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new moon

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I bought Rob an iPhone for his belated birthday present and now I am SO. JEALOUS. I want one too (whine, whine). Sadly AT&T won’t let me get one until November (stupid contract).

Anyway, I finished New Moon over the weekend and I liked it about the same as Twilight.

Emma hit the nail on the head in her comment to my previous entry — it’s been so hard to get through this series because the writing isn’t so great. 🙁 This was definitely more noticeable in New Moon.

But I did understand Bella more in this second installment. Which is an improvement. Unfortunately, I still don’t really like her. I found her to be reckless and selfish. And it completely bothers me that she’s so nonchalant about becoming a vampire. Cause I don’t feel like she’s taking it seriously or that she’s really weighed the pros and cons. Interestingly, I liked Edward much more in this book — maybe because compared to Bella, he was like the voice of reason. I also really liked learning more about Jacob (he might just be my favorite character) though I still don’t understand why the vampires and the werewolves are enemies. Did I miss something?

I’ve gotten this far so I want to read the rest of the series… but I’ll have to find a generous friend to loan Eclipse and Breaking Dawn to me. Only the hardcovers are available and I’m CHEAP. Anyone? 😛

twilight

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7

Wow, blogging 3 days in a row. Go me!

Gosh, I haven’t done a book update in ages. I swear I’ve been reading!

So I got sucked into the Twilight series. People at work kept talking about it and I felt out of the loop. 😛 I read the first book when I got back from Kaua’i so it’s been a good 2+ weeks since I finished it and I honestly haven’t felt inspired to blog about it. I think that says something. I liked it… but didn’t love it. And I wanted to. I really did.

Edward and Bella’s relationship was sweet but I think it was too much, too soon. Their lives started to revolve around each other so quickly and I didn’t even feel like I had a handle on who they are individually. It’s hard to root for a couple when you don’t have any feelings for either of them outside of that relationship. The action at the end kept me reading, though, and I was sufficiently intrigued enough to purchase New Moon (which I haven’t started yet). I might even try to watch the movie (if I can find anyone who wants to go)! I don’t follow Twilight fandom but it seems like people either love or hate Robert Pattinson’s casting as Edward. While he’ll always be Cedric Diggory to me (HP!), I can totally see him as a vampire as well. Should be interesting.

After Twilight, I read Eat Pray Love. Erm, how do I explain my thoughts? I liked it and didn’t like it at the same time. Really. It took me awhile to get through the first 25 pages or so because I found Liz to be slightly unlikable — I know she went through a huge, emotional and messy divorce but there were times when she was crying non-stop that I wanted to reach out through the pages, shake her, and tell her to snap out of it. And sometimes her journey came across as self-absorbed and arrogant instead of reflective and insightful. I don’t know. Maybe I’m just too young. Or maybe I haven’t lived enough so I don’t “get” it. Fortunately, she has a really fun (and funny), easy writing style that made the book easy to read. And I’m a sucker for a book about travel (I would LOVE to be able to take a year off and travel the world — so jealous). I just wish the ending wasn’t so neatly packaged.

I also read The Last Summer (of You and Me) by Ann Brashares. It totally sounded like a book I would enjoy… a story about sisters and the boy they grew up with at their summer house… but sadly, the characters drove me nuts. I was so frustrated and annoyed by their choices, their lack of communication, their passiveness. Ack. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series is far better than this book. :/

I’ve read other chick-lit books but they’re more the forgettable kind. Not worth highlighting here. Hop over to GoodReads to see what else I’ve been reading. I have no idea how to direct link to my profile (is that even possible?) so let me know if you’re on there and be my friend!

wicked

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I’ve decided to give up BOTH fried foods and desserts/pastries for Lent. There are ALWAYS yummy cupcakes, brownies, and cookies in the kitchen at work so staying away is going to be tough! Wish me luck.

In my excitement about food in my last entry, I forgot to mention that I also went to see Wicked while I was in LA. Finally! 🙂 I found out about a 50% discount for all Tuesday through Thursday shows in January and February so when I realized we’d be in town during the week, I jumped at the chance to go. And just as I expected, I LOVED it. Glinda was my absolute favorite — Megan Hilty played her to perfection. Caissie Levy as Elphaba was also solid. But sadly, I thought Kristoffer Cusick as Fiyero was a *tad* disappointing. His voice just wasn’t quite as powerful as the 2 leading ladies and he also wasn’t a very good dancer. Maybe he had an “off” night because he seems to be a really popular Fiyero (I was doing a search on reviews of the musical a few days ago). But whatever, it was an excellent show — definitely one that I could watch many, many times (if I could afford it :D).

I thought I would share a few of my favorite songs from Wicked…

Right click, save as…
username: cookie
password: monster


Popular
Defying Gravity
For Good

I’m also reading the book at the moment… I do not love it nearly as much as the musical. It started off sloooow, and then picked up when Elphaba and Glinda went to college, and now it’s slowing down a bit again. I’m about halfway through so I’ll be sure to write some thoughts when I’m done.

Now I’m off to watch America’s Best Dance Crew. YAY. I love dance-related reality shows. 😀

hp7 thoughts

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So. Again with the Harry Potter. Sorry guys!

I’ve been in a “post-Potter state of depression” (tm Sarah) since finishing the last book. It seems so silly but I’m incredibly sad. 🙁 It’s been a great ride for me… I didn’t start reading the books until the summer of 2001, right after college graduation. I was a “late bloomer,” as they say, hehe. One of my college roommates recommended them to me after she read the first 4 books during our senior year. I remember wondering why in the world she was reading children’s books. Little did I know. 😀 Fast forward to the summer when I had no job (no full-time job anyway) and lots of free time to do nothing. It sounds fun but doing nothing all day gets old pretty quickly. I used to pick up books from the Borders across the street regularly and one day, I finally broke down and bought the first HP book. After reading the first few pages, I was hooked. And I raced through the next 3 books that same week.

The HP world has been a part of my life since then. That’s 6 years of re-reading the series, speculation and discussion, impatient anticipation for the next installments and midnight release parties. It just doesn’t seem real that Harry’s story is over. Well, at least there’s always the last 2 movies! They’re not nearly as good as the books but I love them just the same.

I feel so lucky to have been a part of the HP phenomenon. As soon as I got home with Deathly Hallows, I knew that millions of people around the world were doing the exact same thing I was. I find that freaking incredible, you know? Anyway, I sat down to type up my thoughts on DH and I’ve totally went off on a random tangent, lol.

Here goes.

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