What's In Your Handbag?

Welcome to my weekly meme, "What's In Your Handbag"? Do you always have a book in your handbag? If you can't leave home without something to read, then "What's In Your Handbag?" is the post for you! Every Friday, I will be posting what book is currently in my purse. 

So yeah....I'm having a reading slump.  I've been oddly busy this past weekend and week, so I am really looking forward to a nice, long weekend!  Having said all that....I still haven't started Pretty in Plaid* by Jen Lancaster!  I know, I know - I am a bad reader!  

Leave the link to your "What's in Your Handbag" post in the comments! Also, feel free to grab the button, the HTML is posted on the right sidebar.

 
*affiliate links used 

If I Were On American Idol: Top 2

I'm not going to do a full AI post today because there isn't really a genre.  

Any predictions on the winner?  I think Lee will win because he's more "mainstream", but I kind of want Crystal to win.

What's In Your Handbag?

Welcome to my weekly meme, "What's In Your Handbag"? Do you always have a book in your handbag? If you can't leave home without something to read, then "What's In Your Handbag?" is the post for you! Every Friday, I will be posting what book is currently in my purse. 

This weekend I plan on devouring Pretty in Plaid* by Jen Lancaster!  I got this book (paperback) for Easter and I know it came out last year, but I wanted my Jen Lancaster books to match - so paperback it is!  It's supposed to be pretty decent out, so I hope I can get some outdoor time in as well!

Leave the link to your "What's in Your Handbag" post in the comments! Also, feel free to grab the button, the HTML is posted on the right sidebar.

*affiliate links used

TLC Book Tours: Life After Yes by Aidan Donnelley Rowley

Life After Yes by Aidan Donnelley Rowley
*Book was given to me by the publisher for review.


     Prudence (better known as Quinn) has what many people might think is the perfect life.  A wonderful fiance who popped the question in Paris, a fantastic job as a lawyer, a beautiful, perfectly decorated home.  But all is not as it appears.  
     The loss of her father on that tragic day in September has left Quinn questioning every choice she's ever made.  As she struggles to confront and contain her grief, she's left making decisions better left for clearer heads.  But as the fallout grows, Quinn is left to wonder if she's just thrown away all she ever dreamed of - or if she finally has a chance to truly live. -- from the back cover.


I began reading this book and assumed it would be a typical chick-lit type book.  I was wrong because this book was fantastic!  This book opened with a dream and what a dream it was!  Quinn is confused by her dream after an extremely romantic proposal.  Throughout the book, I was wondering which way Quinn would go?  Would she stick with Sage, or would she end up on her own.

Quinn was a great character!  She was a modern girl who likes her booze - what's not to love?  Besides that, she was a realistic character because her life seemed perfect, but she was struggling as much as any other woman out there.  Even though she made some {major} mistakes, she was still a sympathetic character.  Quinn discovered throughout the course of this novel that many people in her life had imperfect lives as well, even her own parents, and that outward appearances are not everything.

Let's talk about Sage for a minute.  After that opening dream, I immediately disliked Sage and was strongly leaning towards Quinn ending up alone in the end.  Sage did seem like he had too many red flags in his life, maybe he was just too perfect.

I also liked the setting of NYC after 9/11.  It was an interesting perspective to hear from someone who has lost someone on that day and it was interesting to see how she had to navigate certain situations and how the people in her life {personally and professionally} treated her after and if they had to censor their thoughts. 

Without giving away the ending, I am wondering if there will be a sequel to this book {hint, hint}.  I would be curious to see how Quinn's life turned out 8 years later.  I encourage you all to buy this book because 1.) it's extremely well-written 2.) you will probably cry at some point 3.) you will suddenly get the urge to name your daughter Quinn or some other masculine name {Henri made my future baby name list this weekend} 4.) the cover is simply beautiful 5.) because I said so!

Be sure to check out Aidan Donnelley Rowley's website, facebook, and twitter.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for allowing me to read this book as part of their program.  Here are the upcoming stops for the Life After Yes TLC Book Tour:

Tuesday, May 18th:  Life and Times of a “New” New Yorker
Monday, May 24th:  Books Like Breathing
Wednesday, May 26th:  Luxury Reading
Thursday, May 27th:  Rundpinne
Tuesday, June 1st:  Crazy for Books
Wednesday, June 2nd:  Cindy’s Love of Books
Thursday, June 3rd:  Write Meg
Tuesday, June 8th:  Heart 2 Heart
Wednesday, June 9th:  Thoughts From an Evil Overload
Thursday, June 10th:  Book Club Classics!

If I Were On American Idol: Top 3

Do you ever imagine yourself blowing the judges away each week on American Idol? Then you have stopped at the right place! This weekly meme will allow you to tell me your song choice for the week.

So, we are at the point in the competition where there aren't really themes.  I know that there are judge's choice and singer's choice.


Want to see what the judges picked for Crystal, Lee and Casey?  Click here.  It's hard to play along with this one since I don't know the judges personally and they don't know how amazingly talented I am {yeah right}.  I can only assume that they would want me to have a moment on that stage since clearly, I would have been the front runner this whole time.  So I think Simon would pick I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miz and I would have a Susan Boyle type moment, only better.  When it comes time to my personal choice, I would choose Touch Me from Spring Awakening {the version Lea Michele sang here}.  I flipping love this song and I sing it so well ;)

What song would you choose?  What song do you think the judges would choose for you?

May 15, 2010: Spring Awakening

Spring Awakening* by Frank Wedekind

Spring's Awakening is a tragi-comedy of teenage sex. Its fourteen-year-old heroine, Wendla, is killed by abortion pills. The young Moritz, terrorized by the world around him, and especially by his teachers, shoots himself. The ending seems likely to be the suicide of Moritz's friend, Melchior, but in a confrontation with a mysterious stranger (the famous Masked Man) he finally manages to shed his illusions and face the consequences. -- from Amazon.com*

I've been obsessed with the musical for quite awhile, and I recently bought The Awakening of Spring*, so I felt it was fitting to finally read the play.  I can't say much about the play because I already like the story.  It was different from the musical, but most adaptations are different from the original piece of work.  If you like Spring Awakening, you would like this play as well.

*affiliate links used

May 15, 2010: Whiter Than Snow

 Whiter Than Snow* by Sandra Dallas

 In this stilted, disjointed smalltown disaster drama, a 1920 Colorado avalanche traps nine children in a snow drift, turning their close-knit community upside-down in the process. As the children's families learn of their predicament, the complicated backstories that bind the members of sleepy Swandyke come to light; in the present, the developing tragedy, including multiple deaths, transforms the community through sorrow, forgiveness, and redemption. Unfortunately, novelist Dallas (Prayers for Sale) isn't up to the challenge of multiple plot threads, a large cast of characters, or the heavily loaded children-in-distress material; exaggerated caricature, stiff dialogue, and poorly integrated character history make for awkward, disappointing melodrama. -- from Amazon.com*

I have never read any Sandra Dallas books, so I did not know what to expect when reading this book.  At first, I was hesitant to pick it up but once I did I had to keep reading.  I really enjoyed how the chapters were divided by each character's story and each story was a good one!  It was interesting to see how all these different characters lives lead them to this town.

When we got back to the present day and all the parents were searching for the children, I was on the edge of my seat wondering which children would be found alive and which ones wouldn't be.  During that frantic time, it felt that religion or race didn't matter and that all people were digging for one common goal; children that were breathing.

One thing that bugged me was when Lucy (I think) and her husband were calling each other Mother and Father.  I know this was set in the 1920's but it reminded me of Big Love (which I love) and I hate that saying.....I don't know, I just find it odd.  Also, I wish maybe another chapter or two were added on to this book.  It just ended a little abruptly for me.  The characters were so well drawn out that it just felt like the book stopped at the end, but that is my only critique!

*book was provided by the publisher for review

*affiliate links used

What's In Your Handbag?

Welcome to my weekly meme, "What's In Your Handbag"? Do you always have a book in your handbag? If you can't leave home without something to read, then "What's In Your Handbag?" is the post for you! Every Friday, I will be posting what book is currently in my purse.



I am currently reading Whiter Than Snow by Sandra Dallas.  I was given this book by the publisher to review on my blog and so far it is fabulous!  Who would have thought I would want to read about an avalanche during the middle of May?


Leave the link to your "What's in Your Handbag" post in the comments! Also, feel free to grab the button, the HTML is posted on the right sidebar.

*affiliate links used

Reading Habits

 I saw this meme over at WORD for Teens, so I thought I would join in!

Do you snack while you read? If so, favourite reading snack:
I don't usually snack, but if I do I snack on pretzel sticks.

 What is your favourite drink while reading?
Depends on the weather.  During the summer, I love to drink iced tea outside and read, but any other day I just drink water {boring, I know!}

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
I don't mind marking my books, but I don't mark every book.  If there is a typo that I find it gets a big red circle!  If I find a quote that I like or if it pertains to my life, I highlight it.  It all depends on the book!

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
I always turned my pages until a couple of years ago, now I bookmark and have a lovely huge collection {though most of them go missing!}

Fiction, non-fiction, or both?
Both!

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?
It depends on the length of the chapter.  I can stop anywhere in the book, but if I only have a page left I will go to the end of the page.  If it's a 50 page chapter, I will stop anywhere.

Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?
No.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?
No, I can usually figure it out in the context of the sentence.

What are you currently reading?
Whiter Than Snow* by Sandra Dallas.

What is the last book you bought?
The Big-Ass Book of Crafts* as a gift for a friend.

Are you the type of person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one?
I try to read one at a time, but sometimes I read a couple at the same time.

Do you have a favourite time/place to read?
I love to read in the recliner chair with a pillow in my lap.  In summer, I love to go sit outside and read.  As for time of the day - I can read any time.

Do you prefer series books or stand alones?
I like both!  I prefer to start a series once all the books have been released so that I don't get impatient/forgetful between books.

Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?
If I read a book and I really enjoy it, it gets passed around the family!  My favorite to have people read is My Sister's Keeper* because I love to talk about that book with people.

How do you organize your books? (by genre, title, author's last name, etc.)
I have absolutely NO organization when it comes to my books.  Unfortunately, many of them have been relocated to the basement in Rubbermaid totes due to the lack of space.  My bookshelves are organized by size basically.  The authors I collect get special shelves and alphabetical order and any books I get from publishers get a special shelf as well.

That was a fun little meme.  I love doing these types of things!  Do you have any fun reading habits?

*affiliate links used

Personal Challenge: 15 Books Worth Reading Again and Again

 I was reading through TrésSugar yesterday and I found this great slide-show called "15 Books Worth Reading Again and Again".  Looking through this list, I realized that most of these books were already on my reading list {that I've had for years and years}.  I will bold the books that I've already read.

1.  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
2.  To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
3.  Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
4.  Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
5.  Summer Sisters by Judy Blume
6.  The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
7.  A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
8.  The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
9.  The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
10.  Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann
11.  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
12.  Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
13.  The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
14.  Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
15.  Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

Not too bad, but I want to read all of them!  I am challenging myself to read all of these books {even the HP series again} and I am going to give myself awhile to do it!  My goal is to finish this challenge by September 2011.

Do you have any favorites on this list?

{alicia}

If I Were On American Idol: Top 4

Do you ever imagine yourself blowing the judges away each week on American Idol? Then you have stopped at the right place! This weekly meme will allow you to tell me your song choice for the week.

This week's theme is The Songs of the Cinema.

Finally a theme I think I will like!  The list of songs is here.  For my solo, I would sing Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In by The 5th Dimension because I think this is as close to a show tune as I might get this season.  And since there are duets this week, I decided that Lee and I would be singing Can I Have this Dance from High School Musical because that is a hilarious choice on this list!  Also, if someone could please sing Gangsta's Paradise (Crystal), that would be awesome!

Also, I am requesting that American Idol not go over 9:00 this week.  My Glee recordings are all messed up!  I like to save each episode, but the ending is always cut off because I tape two things at once and it makes me mad!  Ryan Seacrest needs to work on this for me.

What Song of the Cinema would you choose?

{alicia}

May 8, 2010: Caught

Caught by Harlan Coben*

17-year-old Haley McWaid is a good girl, the pride of her suburban New Jersey family, captain of the lacrosse team, headed off to college next year with all the hopes and dreams her doting parents can pin on her. Which is why, when her mother wakes one morning to find that Haley never came home the night before, and three months quickly pass without word from the girl, the community assumes the worst.

Wendy Tynes is a reporter on a mission, to identify and bring down sexual predators via elaborate—and nationally televised—sting operations. Working with local police on her news program Caught in the Act, Wendy and her team have publicly shamed dozens of men by the time she encounters her latest target. Dan Mercer is a social worker known as a friend to troubled teens, but his story soon becomes more complicated than Wendy could have imagined.

In a novel that challenges as much as it thrills, filled with the astonishing tension and unseen suburban machinations that have become Coben’s trademark, Caught tells the story of a missing girl, the community stunned by her loss, the predator who may have taken her, and the reporter who suddenly realizes she can’t trust her own instincts about this story—or the motives of the people around her. -- from Amazon.com*

I love Harlan Coben but I think this book was kind of a mess.  I hate to say that because in theory it should have been amazing, but the execution was awful.  It was a jumbled, far-fetched mess and I felt like I was reading two different stories.  What a bummer I am, huh?

{alicia}
*affiliate links used

What's In Your Handbag?

Welcome to my weekly meme, "What's In Your Handbag"? Do you always have a book in your handbag? If you can't leave home without something to read, then "What's In Your Handbag?" is the post for you! Every Friday, I will be posting what book is currently in my purse.
This weekend I will be indulging into a lovely book picked for the Bloom Book Club, Strong Women, Soft Hearts: A Woman's Guide to Cultivating a Wise Heart and a Passionate Life* by Paula Rinehart.  I thought it would be fitting since it is Mother's Day and I want to celebrate all of my strong women.  Any other Bloom-ers out there?

Leave the link to your "What's in Your Handbag" post in the comments! Also, feel free to grab the button, the HTML is posted on the right sidebar.

{alicia}

*affiliate links used

If I Were On American Idol: Top 5

Do you ever imagine yourself blowing the judges away each week on American Idol? Then you have stopped at the right place! This weekly meme will allow you to tell me your song choice for the week.

This week's theme is The Songs of Frank Sinatra.

Okay, I know I say this most weeks but I honestly don't know any of these songs (list here). I am really unenthusiastic about this season of American Idol, it's so lackluster! Where is Broadway week? Anyways, if forced at gunpoint to sing a song from this list.....I would sing Come Fly Away because it is the only one that sounds familiar!

What Frank Sinatra song would you sing?

{alicia}

May 3, 2010: Rape: A Love Story

Rape: A Love Story by Joyce Carol Oates*
Read for the O.A.T.E.S. Challenge


Prolific Oates (We Were the Mulvaneys; Beast; etc.) explores sexual violence and its aftermath in this taut, harrowing novella. Teena Maguire, a pretty, 30-something widow, is on her way home from a party when she is beaten, gang-raped and left for dead. She survives the attack, which her 12-year-old daughter Bethie witnesses, but as only a husk of her former self ("That pathetic woman," she thinks of herself, "they should have finished the job"). It is to Bethie, then, that the task of caring for her falls: "If Momma could sleep, that was good. It was your duty to let her sleep." Oates draws on shifting, often fragmentary points of view to tell the story of the days before and after the rape, including that of Teena's lover, Ray Casey, whose feelings have changed since the attack; Walt Pick, the father of two of the rapists; Harriet Diebenkorn, the deputy prosecutor who fails Teena in the preliminary hearing; and Bethie, whose affecting chapters are written in the second person. Redemption of a sort is offered in the form of John Dromoor, a young police officer whose concern for Teena is matched by his desire for justice. When a slick Buffalo defense lawyer devastates Teena on the witness stand, Dromoor takes matters into his own hands. This is where the story truly chills, as the attackers fret about their future and Dromoor slowly exacts a cool vengeance. The love story is Bethie's-a haunting affection born of a terrible crime. The effects linger, despite the book's brevity. -- from Amazon.com

So I finally read a book by Joyce Carol Oates.  I tried to read other books by her, but was unable to get used to her writing so I chose this book because it is a novella and it sounded interesting.

I did not like it.  I found the writing to be so odd and disjointed, which is the problem I had with a previous book by her.  Some chapters were good and the writing was fine but then in the next chapter, I would be confused again....does that make sense?  This opinion probably makes me the lamest person ever because everyone loves Joyce Carol Oates, right?  I don't know, maybe I will try to read The Falls because it is in my TBR pile {now that I just wrote that, is JCO from Niagara Falls?}

The Niagara Falls setting was interesting, I didn't know that this was the location of the book but I live very close to NF and the towns mentioned, so that was interesting to me.  But even the location couldn't save this book for me......should I re-read?
 
{alicia} 

*affiliate links used

May 2, 2010: Brava, Valentine

Brava, Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

Trigiani's sequel to Very Valentine is a sweet second act for shoemaker and designer Valentine Roncalli. Val takes over the New York family-run shoe business with feet-of-clay older brother, Alfred; falls for the dashing, older Gianluca in Italy; and takes a business risk in South America, where she unearths a dusty chapter of family history. There are plenty of picturesque globe-trotting adventures in Tuscany, Manhattan, and Buenos Aires, and, for artistic and independent Val, a grown-up commitment evolves. There is no art without love. Only love can open someone up to the possibilities of living and creating art, Val writes to the wary Gianluca. And the startling twist of family history finally challenges an old-fashioned, insular clan to join the modern world. But it's always the endearing, unnerving and rowdy Roncallis who steal the show. Look for a heartbreaking exit of one beloved character, and a cliffhanger breakup in this charming valentine to love, forgiveness, and family. -- from Amazon.com

I really love this series, but now I am mad that I have to wait for the 3rd {and final?} book. I enjoy the shoe-making aspect of this series, and only wish that pictures of the shoes were included. It's silly, but I'm always trying to imagine what they look like and how comfortable they are.

I also liked watching the relationship betweek Alfred and Valentine grow and it was certainly interesting to see some other relationships suffer. Overall, a great series {so far} and I'll definitely be checking out some of her other books!

{alicia}

April 28, 2010: The River

The River by Mary Jane Beaufrand

Following her father’s emotional breakdown, Veronica moves with her family from Portland to tiny Hoodoo, Oregon, where her parents open an inn. Her father’s condition improves and her mother, a celebrity chef, is just fine, thank you. But Ronnie is bereft, unable to get over all the things she’s left behind in the big city. And then the young girl she’s been babysitting dies—an accidental drowning, the authorities think, but Ronnie’s not so sure and sets out to investigate. Beaufrand does a nice job of building suspense and integrating a gradually developing romance that surprises Ronnie and will satisfy readers. Less rewarding is the gradual unraveling of the plot and an ending that is at once predictable and anticlimactic. Nevertheless, the characters are appealing, the setting is well realized, and there is more than enough suspense to satisfy most mystery fans. -- from Amazon.com

I don't have too much to say about this book, other than I liked it. I thought the writing was great, and the story was great as well. It was intriguing and mysterious, and I was eager to find out what happened. What a great book for young readers!

{alicia}