Odds and Ends

• I tried writing my weigh-in post today, but the words just wouldn’t come. I hate when that happens. The past two weeks haven’t been weeks to be proud of, but they have been weeks that I can learn from. I’m back to tracking, drinking water, and eating healthy foods. I’m scared to step on the scale, so I’ll leave that for my meeting on Wednesday.
  
  
• I spent the last week uploading all of my Project 365 photos to Flickr. I’m up to Day 73! I’ve never made it this far and the weekly updates on my blog can get cumbersome. Once I get my new blog launched, I’ll have a sidebar showcasing my photos but since most of them post to Twitter and I sprinkle them throughout my posts, I decided to do away with the blog updates.
  
  
• I started a new boot camp class last Saturday. Through Living Social, my mom found a deal for four boot camp classes for $20. The instructor is only former NFL running back, Michael Pittman. After the terrible experience I had with my first boot camp, I was very apprehensive about this one but people love boot camp! They can’t all be terrible, right? Well, yes and no. Yes, because it was terrible. As in, hard and tough and made me want to pass out. And no in the fact that it was over an hour but the time flew by and the instructors were fantastic. Encouraging but tough. I need someone who’s going to be tough on me, make me work for it, and not let me quit. The instructors at my other boot camp gave up on me quickly. What I’m trying to say is that if you’re watching The Biggest Loser this season, Conda ain’t got nothin’ on me. And I need a Dolvett-like trainer to push me past what I think my limits are. After just one class, I’m seriously considering canceling my gym membership so I can afford going to this boot camp every Saturday.
  
  
• I’m reading L.A. Candy right now by Lauren Conrad. The writing isn’t great but there’s just something about that book that I can’t get enough of! Is it time for lunch yet? I need to get back to my book...
  
  
• Speaking of books, I recently found out I can borrow books from the library for my Kindle. I can only request four at a time and only get a week to read each book, but it’s still pretty exciting! I love my Kindle but I never used to buy books before – I always went to the library. It’s been quite a financial burden, with the way I go through books.
  
  
• Tuesday, I was dealing with girl problems and it took everything in me to head to Bible study instead of going home and curling up in a fetal position. I hadn’t finished my homework for the week and was feeling lousy. But man, I am so glad I went! The message Beth Moore gave spoke right to my heart, exactly to what I am dealing with right now. The wheels were turning in my head through the entire message and I can’t wait to share some of what I learned with you guys soon!
  
  
• My running has sucked lately. Su-u-u-u-cked. Running has never been a favorite activity of mine to begin with, but I had been doing good for a few months there. I’m not sure what is going on, but I have a 5K to run in April. And I want to beat my time from last year’s 5K. So I need to figure it out and get to training!
  
  
• I’m also thinking of running walking the Disney Princess Half-Marathon next February. But I’m still not sure I have what it takes to get through 13.1 miles. It’s not an easy feat, for sure!
  
  
• I’m so happy it’s Friday. I have boot camp tomorrow morning and big shopping plans, since I got a nice little bonus in my paycheck this week. I’m trying to be smart with the extra cash, but you can’t fault a girl for wanting to treat herself a little! Wheee!
  

Have you ever done a boot camp? What was your experience like? What are your weekend plans?

Oh! And a little reminder for #twookclub members! Sunday, I’m closing the discussion for our March book pick and putting up the poll to vote. If you haven’t given a suggestion yet, do so before Sunday at 8pm EST. We have a lot of great suggestions so far, but I’d love for some books that have been suggested to get another nod!

The Top 10 Books I Read in 2011

At the beginning of the year, I made a goal to read 60 books this year. (At first, I set the bar at 100 books but didn’t want to rush myself through the books I was reading so I knocked it down.) I have never kept track of how many books I read in a year so it was a measuring tool for me. Turns out, I really like to read. As of right now, I’m at 69 books read and am close to finishing my 70th.

I’m pretty darn impressed with myself.

Sure, not all of them were of high literary quality and the majority of the books I read this year were romance novels, but it’s what I like to read.

I’m still not sure I want to set another book goal this year, because I don’t want to rush myself through books. I want to set some book challenges, though, which is something I’ve been thinking about for a while. One challenge I’m setting for myself is to read one non-fiction book a month. That may be enough for me, or I may want to challenge myself to something else. We shall see.

But by the end of 2011, I will have read 70 books this year. Some of them stand out to me as fantastic reads I wholly recommend. And here is the list:

10. Just Between You and Me by Jenny B. Jones (4 of 5 stars)
A faith-based book about a girl who is still dealing with the drowning death of her mother when she was a teenager and trying to let go of her fears of love and loss. There’s a romance intertwined with the story and I seriously could not put this book down. When I was at work, I was thinking about it. When I was driving home, I was pondering what would happen next. And when I finished it, I found myself melancholy that it was over and these characters were not a daily part of my life anymore. That, for me, is the stamp of a great book.

9. Miss Fortune by Sara Mills (5 of 5 stars)
Another faith-based book, this time set in the 1940’s and a mystery. This tells the story about a woman private detective, still searching for her MIA fiance. She still loves him and knows in her heart he is alive. She teams up with FBI detective Jack who agrees to help her search for her fiance, in exchange for her help on a case. Full of action and adventure and a crazy ending that had me begging for more. (I did end up reading the second book which had another crazy ending, but haven’t heard any mention of a third. The second book was released in 2009, so I find it strange there hasn’t been the third yet when the ending clearly showed there would be one.)

8. Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen (5 of 5 stars)
I reviewed this one on my blog but this book was my introduction to the world of Sarah Dessen and I am hooked. She’s an amazing storyteller and this book had me gripped from the beginning. It’s a story about friendship, but also a story about finding your own way apart from the way people perceive you. Full review here.

7. American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld (3 of 5 stars)
While I had some issues with this book, overall it was one of my best reads of 2011. Alice Lindgren was an utterly captivating character, someone I could closely identify with. (Well, until she became the First Lady!) I wrote an entire review of the book here.

6. Listen by Rene Gutteride (5 of 5 stars)
A thriller about a small town that gets hit with a website called Listen To Yourself, which puts private conversations between neighbors and families on a website for all to see. It brought up topics of censorship and whether you need to censor yourself in your own home, as well as the idea of how powerful words can be. Thoroughly enjoyed this novel and the twists and turns it took. And I honestly did not see the ending coming!

5. Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner (5 of 5 stars)
I followed Jennifer Weiner on Twitter before I ever read a book by her. But I loved this one a lot and I really just love Weiner’s writing style. The main character was so likeable and I was rooting for her through the entire book. You can read my review of this book here.

4. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
OK, cheating with this one but since every single one of these books would be on the list, it wouldn’t leave room for other books. I read this with a bunch of other bloggers for Summer of Harry which was an awesome experience. I had read the first two books when I was in middle school but it was Erin’s insistence that made me try them again. I am so glad I did. These books were amazing. The writing was fantastic and I couldn’t put these books down for anything. I’m pretty sure I’ll be making my way through these books again and again, but I’m still not over Fred’s death. It’s going to be a while.

3. Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen (4 of 5 stars)
This was the first book I read in 2011 and I loved it. It’s one of those books people either love or hate, because I’ve seen both sides. I enjoyed the story so much and it gripped me from beginning to end. Another one I reviewed on this blog. Find it here.

2. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen (5 of 5 stars)
I could have sworn I had written a book review about this book but I did not, which is surprising as it was one of my favorite books this year. This is a YA-lit book about a girl named Macy who is still dealing with the unexpected death of her father. She has a boring job at the library and this summer, her boyfriend is going away. She ends up joining up with Wish Catering after meeting the group during an open house her mother had and found family and community. The love story between Macy and Wes was perfect and poignant and I loved every second of this book. It’s definitely one worth a read, and one I will be rereading again and again.

1. The Help by Katherin Stockett (5 of 5 stars)
I tried to write a review for this book after I had finished reading it but just couldn’t. It was one of those books that was so good and impacted me so much that I felt a review could not do it the justice it deserved. I actually watched the movie before reading the book and the movie was so darn fantastic that it made me itch to read the book. The book was even better. While I do think the movie is fantastic and stayed very true to the book itself, nothing compares to the written word in my opinion. I finished this book in late September and I still find myself missing the characters. Skeeter, Abilene, and Minnie are forever a part of my world and this is far and away one of the best books I have ever read. 

What were some of your favorite reads this year?

Fill in the Blank Friday (1)

First and foremost, for everyone wanting to be involved in #twookclub (hashtag suggested by Tabitha and it’s a keeper!), I’ve created a group on Goodreads as a place to discuss happenings, vote on the monthly book, and just talk in general. It’s a private group for now (and I need a picture. That question mark is bothering me!) so if I haven’t requested for you to join, follow this link to ask! Everyone is welcome! And the poll for November book is up, you have until Sunday to vote.

I’ve decided to participate in Lauren’s Fill-In-the-Blank Friday for the first time! It looks like fun and I’m all about taking it easy on Friday. :) Here we go!

1. When I was a kid I wanted to be an author when I grew up. (Yes! I’ve always known I’ve wanted to write. When I was younger, I had notebooks upon notebooks of story ideas, character notes, and plot outlines.)

2. As an adult, my dream job would be to be able to make a living as a published author. (See what I did there?)

3. When I was younger, I wanted to be like the other girls who seemed to have the perfect lives with no fighting parents, no money issues, no insecurities. (Of course, I know this wasn’t true and I know they had their own issues, but on the outside, their lives seemed magical.)

4. The childhood Halloween costume I remember most was when I was a witch. (Mostly because my mom hated it and it was a hand-me-down that was too long for me and I kept tripping over at school.)

5. My favorite childhood toy was my Barbies, of course!

6. The time I got into the biggest amount of trouble when I was a kid was when I ...I’m not sure. I got in trouble for little things (like the time my brother and I woke up one morning and decided to paint my dad’s speakers with nail polish) but nothing major. I do remember once getting in trouble and my mom taking away my TV privileges, my computer privileges, AND MY BOOKS! That was the worst punishment ever.

7. I get daily inspiration from bloggers and my mom.

Happy Friday, friends! When you were a kid, what time did YOU get into the biggest amount of trouble?

Twitter Book Chat

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This past summer, I somehow managed to read through the entire Harry Potter series. It was a big undertaking, but the best part of the entire thing were the weekly chats about the books. There’s something about Harry Potter that begs to be talked about and dissected and through that experience, I developed some great relationships. (And those people are still satisfying my Rupert Grint lust with links to pictures and videos. You guys are my favorites.)

When we finished the series, we were all a little sad not to have these weekly chats. It was fun to meet every week and talk about the book, but we did end up getting a little burned out. We had plans to continue our Twitter book chats but life got busy. So it was pushed aside for a while, until I brought it up again on Twitter last week. Somehow, I’ve volunteered myself to organize this book chat but I’m happy to do so. I’ve been meaning to join a book club for a while now and while I still intend to attend a non-virtual one, this one will work for me for now. (And do I even need to mention how doing this chat with some of my best Internet friends fills me with warm fuzzies? I didn’t think so.)

And this is where you come in!

Through Twitter, I think we’ve decided on the last Sunday in November for our first Twitter book chat. (Ironically, this is also the day before my birthday so I’m hoping I can join. I just don’t know what I’ll be doing then.) But now we need to decide on a time, a book, and a hashtag. I’ve created a poll for the time to see what works best with everyone’s schedules and want your suggestions for a possible book and hashtag (right now, #twitterbookchat could work, but I’m not sure if it’s too long. We could shorten it to #tbc.). I’ll choose 3-5 books from the suggestions, post a poll on Friday, and announce the November book on Monday. Then, you’ll have four weeks to read the book before our chat! (In the future, I hope to do this process a week prior to the month beginning.)

If you’d like to join, you’re more than welcome. Now RSVP needed! :)

For now, leave me book suggestions in the comments and your thoughts on what the hashtag should be. Don’t worry about repeating others’ suggestions, I’ll choose some of the most popular books to vote on.

I’m super excited about this so I can’t wait to see your suggestions!

(And I just realized my last three blog posts have centered around books. If you haven’t noticed, I kinda love to read.)

On Being a Bookworm

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I received some comments on my last post about how many books I’ve read this year. As of today, I’m at 55 books. (5 away from my goal.) Yes, that is a lot of books.

I should admit that I have a secret love for cheesy, trashy, not-very-well-written-but-still-fun-to-read Harlequin romance novels. That accounts for 7 of the books I’ve read this year. They have titles like the “Million Dollars Amnesia Scandal” and I’m too afraid to rate them on Goodreads in fear of everyone defriending me.(I’m also well aware many of you may stop reading my blog now. That’s a chance I have to take.)

I used to be embarrassed about my love for reading. It never stopped me from reading, but it wasn’t something I broadcasted to my friends. When we had silent reading periods, I rarely took out the book I was currently reading. I would usually pick from the books in the classroom. I was way more focused on trying to fit in and be more like the popular girls than I was befriending my people. The ones who loved reading and losing themselves in the pages of a book. The ones I could chat for hours about plots and characters and settings. I’ve missed out on a lot of great friendships because of this. But that’s the past and I’m no longer embarrassed about my love for reading. 

When I look at book lists of what other people have read, I feel intimidated. They are reading these amazing nonfiction bestsellers or great literary fiction, while I’m still into romance novels and YA lit where everything turns out OK in the end. My book lists are sprinkled with books that have a deeper meaning and make you think, but I also really enjoy getting lost in a fairytale, even if the circumstances seem too unrealistic to believe.

We all have different tastes and mine tend to fall to romance novels with happy endings. I can’t apologize for that because it’s what I enjoy, even if the book titles and plots may be a little embarrassing.
For me, reading is second nature. It’s just what I do. I couldn’t imagine my life without it, although my reading has slowed down tremendously since I started my job. (I’m now averaging about a book a week, where before I was able to finish about 6 books a month.) But it remains something steadfast that I simply cannot live without. When other people tell me they just don’t have time to read, I know that isn’t exactly true. They do, but choose to let other things take the forefront. And that is perfectly okay! I’m not saying we all need to read a book a week or that putting other things first is bad, I’m just saying that we all have different hobbies we hold more dear than others. For me, reading is the hobby I love the most and take the most time cultivating. (Plus, as an aspiring writer, reading is imperative to the journey.)

I’m making a “25 Before 25” list and I need a reading goal. I know I wanted something other than a book amount goal but didn’t know what challenge I wanted to give myself. A specific list? Read all books from an author? Read books on a specific time period? I just wanted it to force me outside my reading comfort zone.
I’ve decided over the next 12 months (starting in December), I’m going to read one non-fiction book a month. In 2011, I only read one non-fiction book on my own terms. (The other two I’ve read have been reviews I’ve been asked to do.) And it was Tina Fey’s Bossypants so I’m not sure if that even qualifies. (Celebrity memoir, maybe?) I’ve made a list of the books I’ll be reading and during what months:

December - Stuff Christians Like by Jon Acuff

January - Life After College: The Complete Guide to Getting What You Want by Jenny Blake

February - 20-Something, 20-Everything: A Quarter-Life Women’s Guide to Balance and Direction by Christine Hassler

March - The Joy of Less by Francine Jay

April - Operation Beautiful: Transforming the Way You See Yourself One Post-It Note At a Time by Caitlin Boyle

May - The Christian Atheist: Believing in God But Living As if He Doesn’t Exist by Craig Groeschel

June - What Women Fear: Walking in a Faith That Transforms by Angie Smith

July - Confessions of a Prayer Slacker by Diane Moody

August - Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

September - Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture by Adam S. McHugh 

October - Messy Spirituality by Mike Yaconelli

November -  Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser

These books are not set in stone and I imagine the list may change in the coming year as newer books are released. It’s a VERY flexible list. Are there any non-fiction books you think I should add?

What is your favorite genre of books to read?

4,101 pages later...

I think I always knew I would fall completely in love with the Harry Potter series once I started reading the books. I read the first two when I was in middle school and remember really enjoying them, even if they were a style of book I wouldn’t normally read. I don’t know why I never finished the series, but I know part of the reason was because of the dark magic displayed in the subsequent books that had all Christian parents in a tizzy. I was never banned from reading the books, but also didn’t much care to keep reading. So I stopped and even when the movies came out and more and more people extolled these books, I never had an interest in them.

I wasn’t tempted when the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened in Orlando, a mere 90 minutes from me. I even visited Universal Studios a few months after it opened and was just happy the lines for all the other rides were shorter since everyone was hanging out in Harry Potter land. It wasn’t that I thought I was “better” than those who were obsessed with Harry Potter, but I was just indifferent to the whole series. Yeah, yeah, I’m sure it’s a fantastic series, I always thought. Just not for me.

And then Erin came up with a fantastic idea. (Fantastic for those who love Harry Potter, of course.) She formed an 11-week reading plan from the end of June to the beginning of September where a bunch of us would read through the series. Seven books. Over 4,000 pages. In eleven weeks. The Summer of Harry, she called it.

I thought she was crazy. I had seen the books. They were not your average young-adult literature novels. They were heavy and thick. And she wanted us to read them ALL in eleven weeks?

But since there was a good group of bloggers jumping on board with the idea and I knew Erin and others really wanted me to read the series and discover the magic (for lack of a better term) hidden beneath the covers, I joined in.

I had no idea what I had signed myself up for.

I had no idea the impact this series would have on my life.

I had no idea that I would become like Them. Dreaming of visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Linking every day processes to what I have been reading about. Falling in love with the characters and this wizarding land J.K. Rowling had imagined. Watching the movies. Drooling over Rupert Grint. (Just me?)

And 4,101 pages later, I am a believer.

I don’t even know how to describe this series or the impact it has had on me. As a writer, I was utterly astounded and impressed by Rowling’s writing ability and imagination. Every book was packed with character development, incredible plot lines, and details upon details upon details. Rowling doesn’t write by accident and every nugget of information she drops has impact and meaning. (Which is why I’m really excited to reread this series to see all the clues I missed the first time around!)

I still haven’t been able to wrap my mind around everything that happened in these seven books. Tragedy. Triumph. Love. Hate. Angst. Humor. So many amazing characters and there is no way I can choose my favorite. Every character had a place in the book, a reason for being there. They all had their moments of victory and defeat. (Although, to be completely honest, there will always be a soft spot in my heart for Ron.)

One of the best parts of reading this series were the Thursday night Twitter chats with a bunch of people reading right along with me. While I was the only one going through the series for the first time, I think it added a special something to it all, to have someone experiencing Harry Potter for the first time. Everyone else knew how everything plays out and how the series ends, but everything was brand-new for me. Being able to discuss and dissect the book with these people was so special for me. This isn’t the type of book series you can read lightly and move on from. Discussing it helped me to process all my emotions and everything that I felt while reading the books. Those Thursday night chats tied the entire #SummerofHarry experience together.

What happens now? Well, first, there is one last #SummerofHarry chat tonight. (10:00PM EST for anyone interested!) And then, I need to watch the movies. I’ve seen the first two (which were excellent, by the way) and I need to find some time to watch the remaining movies. Who’s up for a Harry Potter movie marathon?!

Dining with Joy by Rachel Hauck

Dining with Joy was about cooking show host Joy Ballard who can’t cook. She inherited her show from her father and her executive producer knew about her lack of cooking abilities, as well as a lot of the staff. The producer then sells the show to Allison Wild, who believes she can make Joy an even bigger star. Only problem? She doesn’t know Joy can’t cook. Enter Luke Redmond. Successful chef, owner of a failed Manhattan restaurant. During one failed live cook-off, Luke steps in to help her and saves the day. They begin working together. While Luke is a master at cooking, he is terrible on screen. (Joy is the opposite.) He soon finds out about Joy’s lack of cooking ability and proceeds to help her learn, keeping her secret. But sooner or later, the cat has to come out of the bag, right?

This was a sweet love story, with Christian themes. The main character was strong and someone I could identify with. Joy had a hard time trusting people, especially men. She had a hard time defining her worth, especially as she is a fraud in the foodie world. She doesn’t exactly know what she wants out of life, but wants to make her father proud, since she never seemed to connect with him while he was alive. There was something about Joy I deeply connected with, and was just rooting for her to take a chance on love. And Luke. Oh, Luke is one of the good guys. Another strong character with his own hang-ups, but someone who strives every day to make something more out of his life. I was incredibly sad when I finished this book because these two characters wouldn’t be a part of my life anymore.

This book is centered around Christian themes, such as what God has called you to do. But deep down, it is a love story. It’s one of those sweet love stories that makes you fall back in love with the process of falling in love. Character development is strong, as well as plot. While it wasn’t a book I couldn’t put down, it was one of those that sucked me right back in when I started reading it again. Rachel Hauck is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. A part of me wishes there was a sequel, just so I could get a taste of Joy and Luke again.

Has there ever been a main character that you closely identified with?