CSN Giveaway

If you read my previous post, you would know that I recently did a review of CSN Stores.  Well they were nice enough to let me do a giveaway!


If you aren't familiar with CSN Stores, you are in for a treat.  CSN has over 200 online stores where you can find everything from shoes to barstools.  Up for grabs is a $65.00 gift code, right on time for Christmas shopping.


To enter:


1.) Leave a comment on this post with a valid e-mail address.
2.) Open to US and Canadian citizens only.
3.) Winner will be chosen on November 4th at 1:00 PM EST.


Thanks to CSN for this giveaway!

CSN Stores Review

I was given an opportunity by CSN Stores to review a product from their site.  They sent over a $65 gift card for my review and I got the following items:

Le Creuset Stoneware Citrus Juicer in Carribean $24.95

Little Tikes Endless Adventures Easy Store Jr. Playslide $39.99

First of all, I had an extremely difficult time choosing.  There is such a huge variety of items.  I was on this site for 2 days before I finally picked something out.


Okay, I don't really need a juicer, but I've always wanted something from Le Creuset in Carribean.  I love that color and I love Le Creuset.  Baby steps.  I decided to make some orange juice.  No one ever told me that making orange juice does not produce great results.  The recipe called for four oranges and I only got a single serving of orange juice.  While the juicer really worked well, I think I will stick to buying my orange juice from now on!  Maybe I will have to try a lemonade recipe.


As for the slide.  I felt so guilty getting myself something, I decided that my niece needed a new toy to play with.  The slide arrived very quickly, but obviously I couldn't test it out by myself so I had to wait for my niece.  For reference, she is 13 months old.  The slide itself is pretty steep (I think) and kind of hard to snap open, but I do appreciate that it snaps shut for easy storage.  I much prefer the maroon and navy blue to the hideous orange and bright blue one that my grandma had.  While my niece is a little too young to fully enjoy the slide without our help, she is surely enjoying sending her shoes, blankets and toys down the slide.  We put her up and then hold her hands while she slides down...and then she promptly tries to climb up the slide.  Thankfully, she hasn't mastered that yet.  I cannot wait for her to fully enjoy it!


My only gripe is the shipping.  The slide was not eligible for free shipping even if I had spent $69.00, so I had to shell out the $18 for shipping.  I think it is quite expensive, and if I didn't have the gift card there is no way I would have paid that much for shipping.

*CSN Stores provided me with a $65 gift card to purchase products for review on this site.

Movie Review: The Way Home

The Way Home

Dean Cain stars as Randy Simpkins, a husband and father torn between the demands of his job and commitment to his family.  Asked by his wife Christal to watch their two-year-old son Joe for a few minutes, Randy is distracted by work and Joe disappears.  Racked by guilt, Randy joins Christal in a desperate search for their missing son alongside hundreds of others from their church and community.  Randy and Christal's strained marriage must now weather the ultimate test - the potential loss of a child.  The Way Home is the story of Randy's powerful spiritual journey back to love, faith and a Godly understanding of what must always take first priority in a man's life - his family. -- from BookSneeze*

I had mixed feelings about this DVD.  The story itself (based on a true story) is a good one, however the movie itself felt very flat to me.  I felt that Christal and Randy's marriage was supposed to be rocky, but we only got a five minute glimpse into their marriage.  We saw Randy at work for only a minute, but Christal told us that he is always working.  I would have liked a little more back story.

Also, while I appreciate the beautiful display of community in this movie, I felt that the entire search was a little drawn out.  The entire movie was searching for Joe.  I wish maybe a little of the aftermath would have been shown as well.  From what I understand, Randy Simpkins' life was changed forever after that day and he was a changed man.  The movie showed us nothing after Joe was found.

I appreciated Dean Cain and Lori Beth Edgeman in this movie.  With what they were given, their acting was incredible.  But why wasn't there more interaction between them?  They barely spoke during the search, I felt that in that situation they would have been more likely to cling to each other.

Overall, I enjoyed the story but I wish that how that day affected the Simpkins would have been more prominent in the movie.

*This book was provided to me through the BookSneeze program (BookSneeze.com) 
for review on Confessions of a Bookaholic...

October 7, 2010: The Financial Lives of the Poets

The Financial Lives of the Poets
by Jess Walter

What happens when small-time reporter Matthew Prior quits his job to gamble everything on a quixotic notion:  a Web site devoted to financial journalism in the form of blank verse?  Before long, he wakes up to find himself jobless, hobbled with debt, spying on his wife's online flirtation, and six days away from losing his home...Until one night on a desperate two a.m. run to 7-Eleven, he falls in with some local stoners, and they end up hatching the biggest - and most misbegotten - plan yet. -- from HarperCollins*

When I first got this book, I was a little iffy.  For starters, the cover isn't that great (yes, I judge) and the title didn't grab me.  Everyone kept saying that it was really funny, but I was still hesitant.    They were right.  I was laughing out loud quite a bit, which was kind of embarrassing because I was eating lunch by myself in the lounge on campus and I kept laughing.  Oops.  

While most of this book was really funny, it was also kind of heartbreaking.  It seems that Matt Prior cannot catch a break and while his initial venture into the drug-dealing world is hilarious, it takes a turn.  Listen, I don't condone drugs, but I really wanted this venture to work out for him!  I wanted his family to keep their home, and I wanted Lisa to realize she loved him madly.  The idea that someone would do something so drastic to save their home rings true in these tough times is very realistic to me.  Unfortunately, it did not look like it would work out.   The ending did leave me feeling hopeful though.  

As for the amazing author, Jess Walter.  I have to read his other books.  His writing flowed smoothly and the humor did not seem forced.  I loved how he included poems throughout.  Some chapters were straight up poems, but it worked and it was funny!  I will definitely be lending this book out.


*This book was provided by Harper Perennial

I love that feeling...

Sunday was very dreary, and I liked it...until my neighbors decided to throw a rave at 11 am.  Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating or maybe I'm sleep deprived from all of their late night raves, but their music is so loud that my walls literally vibrate.  In fact, it doesn't sound like music at all but just some heavy beats.  This all makes me sound elderly, when in fact my neighbor is 2 years older than I am but emotionally immature.  Anyways, that loud music raised my blood pressure so I decided a trip to Border's was in order.


I know.  I'm supposed to support local bookstores, Borders/Amazon.com is the devil, etc.  Who cares?  If I had a great bookstore in my area, I would gladly visit.  Instead, I have a Borders and I happen to love it there.  


I love Borders because it gives me a feeling.  Imagine a perfect Fall day.  Maybe it's raining or maybe it's just overcast.  It doesn't matter because it's Fall.  Those automatic doors open and the scent of books just bombards my senses.  I always stop in the doorway and breathe it all in (sorry to whoever was behind me). 


I love that feeling.


Once inside, I look at the table with buy one get 50% off.  Then I slowly make my way around the store.  The beauty of going alone is that you have all the time in the world to browse with no interruptions.


I love that feeling.


Sitting in those comfortable chairs and looking at a huge stack of books and looking through them all as I make a keep and put back pile.


I love that feeling.


Keeping a cheap thriller, romance novel or humorous memoir over the more serious literature that we should all read.


I love that feeling.  


I'm not going to apologize for going to Borders.  Guess what, sometimes I shop at amazon.com because it's convenient.  Judge me all you want, but I love that feeling.

Banned Books Winner!

Congratulations to Carrie!  You have won a copy of Living Dead Girl and Lessons from a Dead Girl.  If you haven't responded to my e-mail, please e-mail me at adw7984 at gmail dot com with your mailing address.

September Books

Sippy Cups are Not For Chardonnay by Stefanie Wilder-Taylor  (August 31, 2010)
Hilarious!  I love reading books about babies and new moms {even though I have no kids}.  I laughed so much during this book and I found it to be so real!  I love that she is being honest and motherhood isn't all roses and cupcakes.  I will definitely check out her other book!

Death Be Not Proud by John Gunther (September 4, 2010)
I read this for my book club and had no idea that it was an "old classic" {my mom told me that}.  It was a really sad book, but really quick to read.  Johnny was such an inspiration during the end of his life and it was so well written.  Great book!


Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner (September 4, 2010)
This book started out strange with the "mystery", but overall it was a nice, fluffy read for this rainy Saturday afternoon!


You'll Never Blue Ball in This Town Again by Heather McDonald (September 8, 2010)
Not as funny as Chelsea Handler.  The cover was right when it said "funny for her, painful for others".  Parts of this book were just rough and not funny.  Where Chelsea's humor seems effortless, Heather's seemed too forced.  I would skip this one.


Red Hook Road by Ayelet Waldman (September 10, 2010)
I liked this book, but I didn't love it.  I think I just had really high expectations for this book, so in the end I was a little disappointed.  I think I would have liked to have read more about the bride and groom before their untimely deaths.  


Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner (September 15, 2010)
I hated this book.  It was not interesting and it really was difficult to get into.


The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (September 20, 2010)
I don't know why I waited so long to read this book, but I'm happy that I finally did!  I was hooked from the beginning and even had nightmares that I was part of the hunger games (eek!).  I cannot wait to read the second book.


Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (September 23, 2010)
I have nothing new to say, except I am loving this series!  Seriously.  I cannot wait to read Mockingjay (despite unfavorable reviews), but I am 7th in line at the library.


Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella (September 25, 2010)
Don't you love when you finally get a book in the mail and you are able to sit down and read it on a nice, cold day?!  I do.  I love Sophie Kinsella.  She is pretty much a rock-star.  Becky is as lovable as ever, and her antics are hilarious.  Is this the last book in the Shopaholic series?  I thought so, but the ending seemed as if there could be another one, or is it just me?  Anyways, if it is the last book I would love for the publisher to release a beautiful box set :)

September 28, 2010: Knowing Jesse

Knowing Jesse:  A Mother's Story of Grief, Grace, and Everyday Bliss by Marianne Leone

Jesse Cooper was an honor-roll student who loved to windsurf and write poetry.  He also had sever cerebral palsy and was quadriplegic, unable to speak, and wracked by seizures.  He died suddenly at age seventeen.

In fiercely honest, surprisingly funny, and sometimes heartbreaking prose, Jesse's mother, Marianne Leone, chronicles her transformation by the remarkable life and untimely death of her child.  An unforgettable memoir of joy, grief, and triumph, Knowing Jesse unlocks the secret of unconditional love and speaks to all families who strive to do right by their children.  -- from Amazon.com


I can never say anything bad about a true story, especially one from the mother's point of view.  This is no exception.  It was very clear that Marianne loved Jesse very much, not only that, I got the sense that she was a huge advocate for him and his health.  I also love how she incorporated the pictures at the end of each chapter.  


This is a strong family and this book is a great testament of their love for their son.  Highly recommended for readers who love non-fiction.


*This book was provided by the publisher for review.