Armada

Ernest Cline is one of my favorite authors (seriously, his bio page/website is awesome). "Ready Player One" tops my list of all time favorite books. I knew going into this newest book Armada, that I shouldn't compare it to RPO. If I did that there was no way I'd enjoy Armada. What I really like about Cline's books (including Armada) is the way he inserts pop culture into the story. 
Armada tells the story of Zach Lightman who one day sees a ship from one of his favorite video games on his way to school and from there he discovers that he wasn't imagining it and that all the time he spent playing video games wasn't for nothing. 
I really enjoyed Armada, albeit not as much as I enjoyed RPO. Cline's writing is entertaining and makes for a quick read but there were certain parts of the book that were just a bit too fantastical (which is saying a lot for a book where video games are used to train civilians for war against an alien race). There were several times in the book where Cline wrote himself into a corner and then his characters suddenly get really lucky (a few times) and they're magically saved. It was a bit frustrating. 
The other thing that annoyed me was (small spoiler alert) Cline's belief that babies are consolation prizes. Like, so and so character died but take heart! Here's a baby that magically came about after one romp to ease your pain! Maybe it's because of my struggles with infertility that left a dark mark on that part of the story for me but it really annoyed the crap out of me. 
What was fun about reading Armada was how it changed my view on my husband playing video games. It was kinda neat to think that he was playing to train himself on how to handle drones so he could fight to save the world. All in all, it was a great story and I definitely recommend picking it up since Cline created another enjoyable read, plus his "Raid the Arcade" playlist is a really good listen! 
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

15 in '15 August Update

I am officially done the 15 in '15 list! Whoo hoo! I always enjoy creating this list (well this and the '14 list haha), it's a great way for me to read some books that have been in my "To Read" pile for a while and I find that it also motivates me to read more. 

Clan of the Cave Bear

This month I "read" Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel. I attempted to physically read the book and got 3 pages in and gave up. It was just too descriptive for my taste, but Dave's grandmother gave me this book and raved about how much she loves it, so I felt like it was important to attempt to finish it. To do that, I rented the audio book from the library, and I'm so glad I did. I would have never gotten through the book trying to read it, but the descriptiveness of the story lent to a really great audio book. 

Clan of the Cave Bear tells the story of Ayla, an "other" who looks and sounds like a modern day human (as much as you can for someone from the very distant past) and her interactions with a clan of people who are the more traditional cavemen that we think of. Auel clearly spent a copious amount of time researching cave people for this story, and that lends to a very very interesting read. I learned so much more about cavemen from reading this one book than I've learned in school. However, there are times when the book reads like a textbook, for example, she lists different plants in ridiculous detail. Let's just say there were a few times that I skipped a track or ten. But with all that aside, the story was very enjoyable and I definitely recommend picking it up, but I would recommend audio versus regular book.  

Here's the complete list (links will go to the post that I wrote about the book):

1. Sharp Objects

2. TV Gods
3. A Discovery of Witches
4. The Thousand Dollar Tan Line
5. The Serpent of Venice
6. I Don't Know What You Know Me From
7. Big Fish
8. Orange is the New Black
9. American Gods
10. Dead Until Dark
11. The Great Gatsby
12. The Glass Castle
13. Pride and Prejudice
14. Insurgent
15. The Clan of the Cave Bear
16. Paddle Your Own Canoe

I'm on Goodreads, if you'd like to add me.

What I Read

Funny story...I got a little overzealous with checking out audio books at the library and ordered two books that are each 17 and 25 discs long. For someone who only listens to the CD on her half hour ride into work and then home, it's taking me a while to even get through one of the books. The good news is I'm almost done the first one, which is Clan of the Cave Bear, the last of my 15 in '15 reading list, and my library has a really easy renew button on their website for the other book. 

I enjoyed linking up with Jana and Steph so much last month, I decided to do it again! Here's what I read this month:

All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner- this is the first Weiner book I've read, although I have several more on my list to read. The book was good, it was definitely a slow read and nothing major happens to grip you, but Weiner depicts the struggle a upper class woman who pops pills very well. In real life, there normally isn't some massive moment for them so it makes sense that there would not be one here. I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys reading several books and wouldn't get hung up on this one (so pretty much any of you participating in the linkup! haha).

Before We Met by Lucie Whitehouse- I picked this book up because I needed to find a thriller book like Gone Girl, You, or The Girl on the Train. They're my new favorite genre to read. This book fell flat, so flat if you turned it sideways it would disappear. I knew the ending before I finished the second chapter it was so predictable, even with the "twist" that the author wrote into the book to throw you off.  Whitehouse is a British author so the mannerisms of her characters were very different too and it was kinda frustrating at times. 

I really had hope for the premise of this book and it didn't live up to it. Lucky for me, it was a short read so I wasn't too disappointed in wasting my time on it. If you don't mind the predictability of this story, it wouldn't hurt to pick it up, just don't go into it with high expectations, and maybe you'll enjoy it more than I did. 

Uganda Be Kidding Me by Chelsea Handler- I have read all of Chelsea Handler's books and have loved them all. This book felt like she was phoning it it. There were times when the story she was sharing didn't make sense or just rambled on, and I could literally feel the times when she was just like aw f**k it and crapped out a paragraph. If you didn't compare this book to her others it wouldn't have been so bad, it's not a terrible book, you can just tell her enthusiasm has waned since she first started writing and now she writes for a paycheck. 

That's what I read this month, what did you read?

I'm on Goodreads by the way, and I love new friends!

15 in '15 July Update

Another month down, another book read off the list. There's just one book left, I tried to read it this past week but between my grandma passing and this book being very descriptive I had a hard time concentrating so I ordered the audio book from the library to help me get through it. Normally I wouldn't go through all these measures to try and read a book but Dave's mom-mom really wants me to read it so we can talk about it together so I'm going to give it more effort. 

This month I finished The Great Gatsby. 

I can't believe it took me this long in life to read it. I normally am not a fan of classic books but I really enjoyed this one. Not only was it a quick read but the story was very interesting and timeless. It was neat to see how the 20s were portrayed but also to see how the story could still be relevant in the present. This is definitely a must read if you haven't gotten around to it. 

Here's the complete list (links will go to the post that I wrote about the book):

1. Sharp Objects

2. TV Gods
3. A Discovery of Witches
4. The Thousand Dollar Tan Line
5. The Serpent of Venice
6. I Don't Know What You Know Me From
7. Big Fish
8. Orange is the New Black
9. American Gods
10. Dead Until Dark
11. The Great Gatsby
12. The Glass Castle
13. Pride and Prejudice
14. Insurgent
15. The Clan of the Cave Bear
16. Paddle Your Own Canoe

I would love to hear about what you read this month!

I'm on Goodreads, if you'd like to add me.

What I Read in the Past Month

This is my first time participating in Steph and Jana's "Show Us Your Books" post because normally I only read one book a month and if I read more it's normally books from my yearly reading list and there isn't much to talk about. This month, however, I read, or attempted to read, quite a few books so I decided to participate!

The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan - I buy all these books the minute they come out in October...and then let them sit. Which means this book has been sitting for about 3 years, I'm glad I let it sit though because it ended on a good cliffhanger and I take some comfort in knowing I have the other two books on my shelf ready to be read. 

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris - Okay, so I kinda cheated here. I didn't "read" the book per se, I listened to it via book on CD, but I still count it. This book was okay, it wasn't something I was super excited to listen to on my way to and from work but I also wasn't wishing it was over either.  

Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers -  I cheated on this one too. It was also an audio book and I didn't finish it. The shrill British voice of the woman reading the story probably didn't help. 

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller -  Another cheat, I figured I'd get them all out of the way now. I couldn't finish this either. The book was all over the place and hard for me to follow. It may be a classic to some but I just couldn't get into it at all. 

The Little Prince by Antoine De Sainte-Exupery -  If I'm being honest, I found this book a little weird. I can understand why some people would relate to the message in the book, though. A quick read, it doesn't hurt to pick it up and see if it resonates with you. 

The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom -  Another quick read, this one also had a deeper message within the book.  The message didn't resonate much with me either but I did enjoy the story that went with it. 

What did you read this month? 

15 in '15 June Update

Books have been pretty comforting to me this month, among other things. I read three books off this list, plus a few others. There's only two books left to read on the 15 in '15 list, and I'm reading The Great Gatsby now so we should be done any month now!

Orange is the New Black

I love the TV show and many friends warned me that the book was nothing like the show and that they didn't enjoy it as much as the show. Going in with those expectations I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the book too, albeit not as much as the show. Memoirs that read like a story instead of smaller chapters often become a bore to me but the way this was written it was a quick and enjoyable read. Treat the book separate from the show and I think you'll enjoy it too!

Dead Until Dark

Another show I really loved (barring the last few seasons), I did like this book but I'm pretty sure if I read it prior to watching the show I probably wouldn't have. It's not that its a  bad book or a terrible story, it's just not what I typically enjoy. Being able to replay scenes from the first season in my head while I read this took me back to the show that I enjoyed so much. 

The Glass Castle

I'm not going to lie, I'm not sure how I feel about this book. So many of my friends loved this book and I walked away just feeling "meh". What Walls' parents did was so atrocious and it was hard to believe that anyone would allow that. I still would recommend this book to others, it is a unique memoir to read. 

Here's the complete list (links will go to the post that I wrote about the book):

1. Sharp Objects

2. TV Gods
3. A Discovery of Witches
4. The Thousand Dollar Tan Line
5. The Serpent of Venice
6. I Don't Know What You Know Me From
7. Big Fish
8. Orange is the New Black
9. American Gods
10. Dead Until Dark
11. The Great Gatsby
12. The Glass Castle
13. Pride and Prejudice
14. Insurgent
15. The Clan of the Cave Bear
16. Paddle Your Own Canoe

I would love to hear about what you read this month!

I'm on Goodreads, if you'd like to add me.

15 in '15 May Update

Hello Friends! Sorry for the absence over  the past week, I've been feeling a bit of a brain drain lately and decided to take a quick break from writing. This normally means the kiss of death for blogs, I promise you that is not the case, I'd just rather not write than write crap. 

I did want to share with you that I did finish a book on the 15 in '15 list! 

The Serpent of Venice

Christopher Moore is one of my favorite writers, however his last few books have fell flat for me, this one included. It's not because it's a bad book it's because I liked Moore's previous books. His recent ones have been inspired by the French art movement in the 1800's, which doesn't interest me, or Shakespeare, which I feel has been lampooned enough. The Serpent of Venice is Moore's retelling of a mishmash of The Cask of Amontillado, Othello, and The Merchant of Venice. I had a tough time getting through this book and even thought I was going to have to give up another book on this list. I ended up finishing it but I wasn't super enthralled with it. 

I would definitely recommend a Christopher Moore book to someone to read, but I definitely would not recommend this one. 

I'm in the middle of The Glass Castle now, it's a bit of a slow read for me. The contents of the book are insane but the short chapters make it hard for me to be hooked. We'll see how it turns out when I finish it for next month's post! 

Here's the complete list (links will go to the post that I wrote about the book):

1. Sharp Objects
2. TV Gods
3. A Discovery of Witches
4. The Thousand Dollar Tan Line
5. The Serpent of Venice
6. I Don't Know What You Know Me From
7. Big Fish
8. Orange is the New Black
9. American Gods
10. Dead Until Dark
11. The Great Gatsby
12. The Glass Castle
13. Pride and Prejudice
14. Insurgent
15. The Clan of the Cave Bear
16. Paddle Your Own Canoe

I would love to hear about what you read this month!

I'm on Goodreads, if you'd like to add me.

15 in '15 April Update

It's insane that it's April already. That is all I have to say about that. Here's what I read from my 15 in '15 list in April:

The Thousand Dollar Tan Line

I am a huge Veronica Mars fan. I loved the TV show when it was on and I made Dave buy the movie on demand the moment it became available. The book was right in line with the series (it helps that the writer/creator of the series co-wrote the book) and I really enjoyed it. I'm normally not good with reading mysteries, I want to know whodunnit right away but this time I just read the book faster to figure it out. If you're a fan of the series, this is definitely a must read! Plus, I just found out they released a second book. 

TV Gods

The only way I would be able to read this book would be to purchase it on my Kindle. Before I took the plunge and bought it I decided to read the sample first. TV Gods is supposed to be short stories about different gods (Norse, Egyptian, Greek) inserted into TV shows. It seemed so promising but the two stories I read were terrible so I decided not to waste my money and buy the whole book. I have to say this one I was super disappointed about, I loved the concept of it so much. 

I bought The Glass Castle from Barnes and Noble when it was on sale for bargain book priced, so I have a feeling that will be the next book I read. I also think that I might not have a post for this list next month. I was given a few books from friends to read and I feel like I should read them first. But last year I also took a month or so off and was still done by October! 

Here's the complete list (links will go to the post that I wrote about the book):

1. Sharp Objects
2. TV Gods
3. A Discovery of Witches
4. The Thousand Dollar Tan Line
5. The Serpent of Venice
6. I Don't Know What You Know Me From
7. Big Fish
8. Orange is the New Black
9. American Gods
10. Dead Until Dark
11. The Great Gatsby
12. The Glass Castle
13. Pride and Prejudice
14. Insurgent
15. The Clan of the Cave Bear
16. Paddle Your Own Canoe

I would love to hear about what you read this month!

I'm on Goodreads, if you'd like to add me.

15 in '15 March Update

As of this month I am halfway through the reading challenge, even with an extra book thrown in the mix, unless you count the fact that I didn't finish two of them....anyway, here's what I read from the challenge list this month:

A Discovery of Witches

This book started out so slow, like first 200 pages slow but once it started to pick up, I really enjoyed it. It took me a while to get through this book, probably because it had such a slow start. It reminded me a bit too much of Twilight which made me not like this book as much as I probably would if I hadn't thought that. I'm interested enough to pick up the second book eventually and see where the story goes. 

Insurgent

It took me a full year to pick up the second book in the Divergent series and I have no idea why because I really enjoyed the first one. The second book was just as good as the first and since I finished it just in time for the movie to be released, it'll all be fresh in my mind to see how the film adapts the story. 

Here's the complete list (links will go to the post that I wrote about the book):

1. Sharp Objects
2. TV Gods
3. A Discovery of Witches
4. The Thousand Dollar Tan Line
5. The Serpent of Venice
6. I Don't Know What You Know Me From
7. Big Fish
8. Orange is the New Black
9. American Gods
10. Dead Until Dark
11. The Great Gatsby
12. The Glass Castle
13. Pride and Prejudice
14. Insurgent
15. The Clan of the Cave Bear
16. Paddle Your Own Canoe

I would love to hear about what you read this month!

I'm on Goodreads, if you'd like to add me.

My Story- Elizabeth Smart

Bonnie over at Life of Bon hosts a monthly book club. This month we read My Story by Elizabeth Smart.

I thought this was a good book, Elizabeth Smart is very courageous and it probably took a lot for her to write all this down and share it. For her to succeed the way she has after facing horrific situations is amazing. 

Here's Bon's questions:
+ What made you feel connected (or disconnected) to Elizabeth throughout the story?

The only way I was really able to get through this book was knowing that she made it out of this situation alive. I don't think I'd be able to stomach everything she went through if I didn't know she was okay in the end. 

+ What was something that amazed/ shocked you when reading her story?

I think it's incredible how resilient Elizabeth is and how she's been able to turn her life around. My only qualm about the book is that she claims she didn't use therapy at all to work through her issues, just her faith, however I read on a Goodreads review that her parents (or whoever wrote a book as well) stated that she was in therapy. It may be splitting hairs but if it's not true, she shouldn't say it. 

Did you read My Story? What were your thoughts? 

Check back next month when I co-host with Bon for Yes Please!

15 in '15 February Update

I used to have a problem with putting a book down if I didn't enjoy it. I felt like all books that I started had to be finished. Now, I give each book I start a fair chance. Each book gets about 100 pages to catch me, and if I don't like it I don't finish it. So far this year I haven't finished two books on my list and I wondered if technically that was cheating since I didn't finish them. But the more I think about it, the more that I realize that a.) I don't care b.) I gave it a fair shot and that's all that matters. 

American Gods

I know my friend Sherrie is going to be disappointed in this but I couldn't finish American Gods. I really like Neil Gaiman and I've enjoyed all his other books I've read, and this one definitely has not turned me off of reading future Gaiman novels, however I did not like this book. I gave it a good 150 pages and I found myself dreading picking it up. To me, that's a surefire sign to abandon it. 

Like most typical Gaiman novels, it was very dark. I'm slightly intrigued to know specifically what the book was about and how it ends, but I'd rather someone tell me than to have to pick it up again. 

I Don't Know What You Know Me From

Although it would have been nice to read some stories about antics on set, or stories about her costars, I didn't expect to read anything like that from Greer. She doesn't play everyone's best friend in movies because she's a blabber. With that being said, I did still enjoy her stories and thought this book was a good read. Ironically enough, Greer comes off as being your friend who just happens to be sharing some memories over a cup of coffee or tea, which I really liked. It definitely endeared me towards her. 

Here's the complete list (links will go to the post that I wrote about the book):

1. Sharp Objects
2. TV Gods
3. A Discovery of Witches
4. The Thousand Dollar Tan Line
5. The Serpent of Venice
6. I Don't Know What You Know Me From
7. Big Fish
8. Orange is the New Black
9. American Gods
10. Dead Until Dark
11. The Great Gatsby
12. The Glass Castle
13. Pride and Prejudice
14. Insurgent
15. The Clan of the Cave Bear
16. Paddle Your Own Canoe

I would love to hear about what you read this month!

I'm on Goodreads, if you'd like to add me.

End of the Week Roundup

The majority of this week, including today, I've been feeling a bit under the weather. I hate being sick, besides it throwing everything off balance, I hate working at less than full capacity. Especially considering my schedule is full capacity. 

1. Friday night I met up with some girlfriends and took a painting with a twist class, which was fun!

2. Saturday, Valentines Day, was spent lounging around with Dave and making cheesecake. Check back on Monday for my cooking challenge results, including how the cheesecake turned out. V-day was super relaxing and I enjoyed every peaceful moment of it. 

3. Tuesday I finished up a few bears for some friends, which boosted my mood. 

4. I started reading The Girl on the Train last night, so far so good! 

5. These two, they are my heart and soul.

Here's to hoping I start feeling better this weekend! Happy Friday and have a great weekend!

Let's Talk Books

I'm a stickler when it comes to my books, which is evidenced here. I know everyone treats books differently but I'm curious on what your take is on certain things that I do when it comes to books.  

Like, I can't write in books. Even school books or books given to other people. 

There was only one exception to this rule and that was my literature book and that was because my professor pretty much insisted upon it. Even when I give books to friends or as part of a baby shower gift, I have to write my little note on an index card to them and then paperclip it to the front page. I just can't bring myself to write in a book. 

I was listening to a podcast the other day and one of the people on the show talked about how they write notes in the margins of the novel to notate things. I was kinda horrified. 

Or, when I read a hard cover book I have to take off the paper cover. 

I can't stand it sliding all around while I read it so I always take the cover off and store it until I finish the book and then replace it. 

How about re-reading books? I don't do it unless I have to. 

I've only ever re-read two books, the first was for the teen book club I run. I read the book in question about 7 years before I decided the club was going to read it and wanted to brush up on it again. The second was a book that is coming out with a sequel this summer and I wanted to reacquaint myself with the story. Otherwise one and done. Although, I'm not closed to the idea of catching back up with Harry Potter.....

Lastly, it took me a long time to do this, but I don't finish books I don't enjoy. 

I used to think I had to finish a book. The problem with that is that I would hate reading the book so much I'd stop reading all together. That's not cool. Now if I find myself avoiding picking up the book because I dread reading it, I just stop reading it. Nothing is worth me not reading. 

So what are your thoughts on all these things?

Dancing with Duck Lips

I've been on a memoir kick lately. They're normally quick reads for me that give me a "sneak peek" into a celebrity's life. My favorite memoirs have to be the ones by Chelsea Handler. 

Anyway, I was inspired by the run of memoirs I've read to brainstorm what the chapters of my own memoir would be called. Ladies and gentlemen I present to you the chapter headings of "Dancing with Ducklips and other insights", look for it at your local Barnes and Noble never. 

Chapter 1 // If your mother didn't pass out from your big head entering this world at least once, you haven't done it right. Go back and do it again. 

Chapter 2 // Greasy hands and dirty fingernails aren't as sexy as I once thought, but it made me a hard worker.

Chapter 3 // I don't care how intelligent or level headed you are as a teenager, your first boyfriend is going to make you stupid. 

Chapter 4 // Hemorrhoids aren't the only thing in life that will be a pain in your ass. 

Chapter 5 // How to plan your life out perfectly--and then watch your plans fail miserably.

Chapter 6 // You know love isn't like the movies, well neither is friendship. 

Chapter 7 // Treat yourself as you would treat your friends.

Chapter 8 // Romance isn't flowers and candles, it's when he stays by your side when you hop on the crazy train and get on the first class psycho bitch cart. 

Chapter 9 // Dancing with duck lips, perfect "The Lawn Mower" on the dance floor,  and why Night at the Roxbury is the worlds best dance instruction video.

Fin. 

aka The End. 

15 in '15- January Update

I may know how to read, but apparently I don't know how to count. I didn't realize until I started to write this post that I chose 16 books for 2015. No worries, I always like bonus rounds. 

The gist of 16 in '15 is simple. I'm going to read a lot more than 16 books in 2015 but I'd like to make it a point to read these books in particular. 

Pride and Prejudice

I've only ever said twice in my life that a movie was better than it's book. Both times I uttered this phrase was during the past month. This was one of those books. It's not that P&P was a bad book, it's just not what I enjoy reading. I understand that this book is a classic and I can see why but I just could not enjoy it. I attempted to read it and couldn't so I borrowed the audio book from the library and even that I couldn't finish so I watched the movie. I enjoyed watching the movie but I just could not with this book. Sorry guys!

Big Fish

The second time I uttered that phrase was during this book. I think I have to confess that Big Fish happens to be one of my favorite movies of all time. The book wasn't bad at all and I would still recommend it to others, its just that the movie and it's characters resonated more with me than the book did. The book seemed a bit scattered and I don't think that it had the same magic to it that the movie did. It's a short book and a quick read, maybe if I hadn't seen the movie first I would have enjoyed it more. 

Paddle Your Own Canoe

I think Chelsea Handler's books ruined me for all celebrity memoirs because they always fall short of my expectations. Nick Offermans' book is broken down into two parts in each chapter. The first part is the memoir and the second is lessons/advice. Honestly, I skipped over the second part of each chapter, it was too long winded and didn't interest me. It was really sweet hearing him talk about how he met his wife Megan Mullally, but the book wasn't as funny as I'd hope it would be.

Sharp Objects

Gillian Flynn has quickly become one of my favorite authors. I loved Gone Girl and Sharp Objects was no different. I was hooked on this book and finished it in two days. Flynn writes very dark novels so as much as I want to pick up Dark Places, I'm pacing myself for now for two reasons: 1. to break up the darkness with some humor/lightheartedness 2. because once I'm done her third book I'll have nothing to look forward to from her. This was definitely my favorite read from this month. 

Here's the complete list (links in this post will take you to the book, future posts will link to the post that I wrote about the book):

1. Sharp Objects
2. TV Gods
3. A Discovery of Witches
4. The Thousand Dollar Tan Line
5. The Serpent of Venice
6. I Don't Know What You Know Me From
7. Big Fish
8. Orange is the New Black
9. American Gods
10. Dead Until Dark
11. The Great Gatsby
12. The Glass Castle
13. Pride and Prejudice
14. Insurgent
15. The Clan of the Cave Bear
16. Paddle Your Own Canoe