Musing Monday

MUSING MONDAYS… is a weekly event where MizB at Should be Reading will ask a book/reading-related question, and you answer with your own thoughts on the topic.

This week’s musing asks…
Do you snack while you read? If so, what is your favorite reading snack?


Not usually, but if I am snacking I guess it would be on some chips because my kids are obsessed with potato chips.  I don't like the regular ones too much I usually have the unsalted version for myself.  But I'd say the majority of the time I don't really snack, it's only on the rare occasions. I will put the book down during dinner and other meal times.

How about you, do you snack?

Random Ramblings

Cakes:
This past week I made Cupcakes two times and I made a cake for some one's birthday.  Mind you I don't get paid for this because it's for Family and Friends.  But the more I keep doing them I'm thinking I'm going to start having to charge LOL.  But I know I won't be able to do it, I can suggest a donation maybe for all my time and effort.  Here are some of my recent cakes.

The last one is actually made out of fondant that I had to blend to get that Leopard affect for a friend who loves anything leopard print, can't deny I'm in Jersey hahahah.  I have two cakes I need to make at the end of the month and it's gonna be a doozy.  Need to get those ideas flowing ... which leads me to my next rambling along the same lines...

Party Planning:

If I had enough capital to back me up I would totally start party planning.  I love it.  Getting ideas, searching for the best bargains, looking for places to have parties at.  Everything, I wish I could do this for a living.  Right now I'm planning or helping plan my friends baby shower and I'm relishing in it. Especially the baby stuff because my youngest just turned 2 in May so I'm drooling all over the baby stuff, but that still doesn't make me want to have another one LOL.  Anyway I was contemplating it on my way to work this morning how much I love doing it.  How much I wish I could get paid to do it.  I mean I think my party ideas are pretty good and they turn out nice.  The cakes too most of the time lol.  Again I'm not a professional by a long shot but I can get by for sure!

Work:

It's hard every day is a new day and high school never ends.  I know you know what I mean.  There's always that one person who is always right, a bully, the popular one, the loud one, the quiet one, the d-bag a little bit of everything. High school really never ends we just call it the work place now LOL.  Every day is a challenge, and sometimes it's a good one and sometimes it's not.  Lately more than the other.  What do you do when that happens though, where do you find the balance?  Especially when things just aren't the same anymore?

Booking Through Thursday : Genre's

A weekly meme about (mostly) books and reading. Hosted at Booking Through Thursday.

This weeks question is:
Amy and Sarah both asked about genres:

Amy asks:
Name a book you love in a genre you normally don’t care for. What made you decide to read it? Did it make you want to try more in that genre?

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This is hard because I don't normally read out of my genre.  I guess the one would be GF Bale's Cry Baby Cry because it was a psychological mystery type book.  I used to have a copy of it too but someone borrowed it and never returned it. It was about a woman who's child was kidnapped and she was searching for her.  Big twist in the end but I can't ruin it if anyone decides to read it.  Either way it was super interesting, but I don't normally read books like that I just kind of found that one.  Yeah I wanted to read more but I was too much into romance at that time.
Bookish Sarah asks an interesting assortment of questions:
What genre do you avoid reading and why?
Probably Non Fiction, not that I don't like it just most of the time it's like whatever.  Like all those autobiographies.  I need some embellishment some fantasy, something non realistic to run away from my sometimes not so exciting life.  That's why I avoid it.

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm "Waiting on":

Onyx
By: Jennifer L. Armentrout 
Release Date: August 14, 2012
Series: Lux

Description:
Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…


Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarre connection. I’ve sworn him off even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But against all common sense, I’m falling for him. Hard.

Our relationship issues aren’t out biggest problem…

The Department of Defense is here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we’re linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And when a new boy shows up a school with a secret of his own, things get complicated fast. I need to choose between my own instincts and Daemon’s.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. Daemon’s never going to stop searching until gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies.

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Seriously how can you NOT want this book and yah for it finally coming out next week!!!!!  I just love a really good banter between two characters and these two can definitely bring it.

Review: The List

The List
By Siobhan Vivian

Release Date: April 1, 2012

Description:
An intense look at the rules of high school attraction -- and the price that's paid for them.

It happens every year. A list is posted, and one girl from each grade is chosen as the prettiest, and another is chosen as the ugliest. Nobody knows who makes the list. It almost doesn't matter. The damage is done the minute it goes up.

This is the story of eight girls, freshman to senior, "pretty" and "ugly." And it's also the story of how we see ourselves, and how other people see us, and the tangled connection of the two.     Review:   THE LIST

FRESHMEN
Ugliest:
DANIELLE DEMARCO -
Also known as Dan the Man.

Prettiest:
ABBY WARNER -
Bonus points for overcoming family genetics!

SOPHOMORES
Ugliest
CANDACE KINCAID -
Beauty isn't just skin-deep btw.

Prettiest
LAUREN FINN -
Everyone's hot for the new girl.

JUNIORS
Ugliest
SARAH SINGER -
It's like she's trying to be as ugly as possible!

Prettiest
BRIDGET HONEYCUTT
What a difference a summer can make.

SENIORS
Ugliest
JENNIFER BRIGGS -
(Drum roll, please.)
The only four-peat in Mount Washington history!
Congrats, Jennifer!

Prettiest
MARGO GABLE -
All hail this year's homecoming queen.
  This was the list that hit the school a week before the homecoming dance.  This book explores the different reactions each girl has to this particular list, it goes back and forth between each character in every chapter.  It's really amazing to see how each one takes it so differently, for example even though they were voted prettiest that doesn't mean that is how they feel and vice versa.  It's hard to be labeled in high school as something because it will stick with you as that is when you are the most impressionable.     They are all really great characters and shows the variety of which our world is made of, sure some I feel more sorry than others.  There are some I can relate to and other I can't but that's what this is all about isn't it, diversity.   We'll start with the Freshman - Abby the prettiest, her sister is Fern who is not the prettiest and we find out later that yes, she was on the list as well but not in the same way.  And one of my favorites Danielle, who just because she's an athlete is deemed to be a man.  This from her boyfriend's stupid football jock friends.  She has a tough time and I really liked her as a character, she was so honest and hopeful.  Nothing beats hope that everything will work out in the end.   Sophomores brings in a home schooled girl Lauren who is voted prettiest, which of course does not make Candace happy at all.  Especially when her very fickle friends start to hang around Lauren more, makes you wonder if they were friends to begin with.  But there's something going on with Lauren's mom like she's trying to protect Lauren too much, you know that only makes you want to go out more.  The whole time Candace is trying to prove to everyone that she is not that mean girl, I don't know how successful she is after all again her friends are fickle.   I think the Juniors are the most dramatic.  With Sarah being donned the ugliest she takes it to an extreme to make that notation come true, how you may ask?  Well she doesn't shower, change etc for a week.  I feel grimy just thinking about it and there is even one moment where I feel myself wanting to gag, no lie.  Bridgette on the other hand, after losing so much weight still does not feel pretty.  She's actually got a real issue with weight, as in the kind that needs some serious intervention.   Last but not least, the very dramatic seniors.  Funny thing is they used to be best friends before they went into high school and look at them now on complete opposite of the totem pole, one the ugliest and one the prettiest.  Jennifer really just wants her and Margo to be friends again but goes about it the wrong way, and she doesn't seem to have learned any different from when she was younger till now when they are seniors.    I loved every bit of it, and sometimes I wanted more from some characters but I think everything ended the way it should have.  We do find out eventually who wrote the list, but I won't tell you that because really you should read the book :-)

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: •Grab your current read •Open to a random page •Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page •BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) •Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here's my teaser for the week:

 “Oh great, just great,” he calls back to me. “The Piggly Wiggly’s gone under too.”
We pass the barren supermarket, and I see the darkened sign—that familiar pig in his funny hat. Once the pig shone bright and jolly. Now in the gloom, he sports a menacing leer.

While He was Away
By: Karen Schreck


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I've never been to a Piggly Wiggly but every time I hear it mentioned whether it's a movie, book, song anything it just always brings a smile to my face so I had to put it as my teaser. 

Musing Monday

MUSING MONDAYS… is a weekly event where MizB at Should be Reading will ask a book/reading-related question, and you answer with your own thoughts on the topic.

This week’s musing asks…
What attracts you to a book blog? What puts you off in a book blog? Do you share personal stuff on your book blog?


I love blogs that share the same interest in me, that have great reviews of books I haven't gotten a chance to read.  Those are the blogs that attract me too, and of course blogs that keep pulling me back are ones that I can relate to and that are simple and easy to load.  I don't usually go on blogs that take too long to load because they have too much content.  It's unnecessary really all that extra stuff.  Yeah it's great that you are promoting everything and everyone but it doesn't have to be all at once.  I want to know where I'm going go there read what I came to read and be able to go out fairly quickly on to the next one, but if it takes too long slows my comp down or anything like that I will most likely close it.

Simplicity is the key :-)