Back…again
By mbc | January 3, 2012
I haven’t posted since this Summer….school killed me, plus grad classes (2 classes away from my Second Masters-Instructional Media, woo!) and the fact that I…BUILT A HOUSE. No, seriously, I am sitting in it right now, probably a week away from the contractor moving on to some other house. What used to be just a yard, that last April I stood in…is now a kitchen/dining room where I am typing this and eating Fat Free Cool Whip straight from the container. No I am not getting married, Yes I am a single 29 year old building a house. People stare at you like you are mental when they hear you are building a house without being, or getting married, trust me, it’s rather funny. But here I sit, in the kitchen with the cool whip, so I guess it IS done, at least by me. I haven’t resigned myself COMPLETELY to crazy cat lady status yet. I don’t FEEL old, even though I am nearing that scary 3 decade number, I don’t feel like my ovaries are shrinking, or that I am doomed to be single forever in this big house….well I don’t feel like that…too often.
So I am back, and I plan to post more….I mean I am paying for this domain, and have been for YEARS. I have a book review coming soon, of the Scorpio Games (I just need to finish the book) and plan to post much more in the diet and exercise section here. I guess that means I should diet and exercise.
Mostly Good Girls
by Leila Sales
Published October 5th 2010 by Simon Pulse
http://leilasales.com/
.5
(4.5/5 M’s for making me laugh out loud multiple times, and for Sales being brave enough to write about high school, as just that….high school.)
Goodreads Blurb:
The higher you aim, the farther you fall….It’s Violet’s junior year at the Westfield School. She thought she’d be focusing on getting straight As, editing the lit mag, and figuring out how to talk to boys without choking on her own saliva. Instead, she’s just trying to hold it together in the face of cutthroat academics, her crush’s new girlfriend, and the sense that things are going irreversibly wrong with her best friend, Katie.
When Katie starts making choices that Violet can’t even begin to fathom, Violet has no idea how to set things right between them. Westfield girls are trained for success—but how can Violet keep her junior year from being one huge, epic failure?
My thoughts:
Sometimes reading YA I am struck by a thought, I wonder if I was the most boring high school student EVER. My life was very different than what I see in books (and movies, and tv) about the American High School Experience. My biggest drama was when I accidentally barely bumped the car in front of me with my awesome parking abilities, left no damage but went and confesses my sins to my principal who was about to retire and was a bit unnerved having a crying girl in his office over a non-accident accident…so,no keggers, no girl fist fights, so selling drugs, no stealing SAT answers (might have been helpful)…and no vampire sparkly boyfriends.
Basically I was lame, still am. This is why I loved “Mostly Good Girls” because it was authentic, it showed normal healthy every-day REAL high school drama that us mostly boring people went through: grades (I remember sitting in lunch no talking, just everyone doing their homework for the next class) drivers Ed (I hit the curb on my first test attempt) boys (do they even think the same way girls do? No) and general friend issues.
I think more girls can relate to the feeling of growing apart from friends, even your best friend…knowing you aren’t in the same place anymore but pretending you are, just because you don’t want anything to change….trust me, it’s wayyyyy more common than suddenly having a a hot mysterious new student with like hidden angel wings fall in love with you while also finding out you are descended from Hell Demons or something. I made that one up…thinking I should write it like now. Potential Best Seller?
I’m not making fun of the paranormal high school books, I do love them (well written one *cough* not Twilight *cough*) I love the creative twists and unreal drama in current YA as much as the next girl who had a boring (I spilled spaghetti sauce on my new shirt right before I had to give a french speech…in French about WHAT I WAS WEARING) high school experience. But it’s also so very nice to see a book that I can identify with so clearly, a book for those of us who were simply “those nice girls people sorta remember but not that much because they didn’t do anything that interesting.”
I like how Sales created characters like that and then showed what happened when they reacted to the pressures around them, put on mostly by themselves….Katie’s rebellion was natural enough, pushing her limits but not so much that it seemed out of character. Violet did several things out of her character just to have connections with her friend, which seemed legit to me as a reader, and as an ex-teen girl. These two caused slightly more drama than I did in high school…hence the MOSTLY good in the book title ;) but still I felt this was one of the most real, and funny, high school experience books I have read…at least based on my high school social standing.
Expected publication: September 13th 2011 by Scholastic Press
My Lovely Library School roomie, Katie went to ALA and picked me up a copy of “Wonderstuck.” I guess I don’t need to be jealous anymore, I have my own ARC! I have to say, I already know this will be a hit at my school. If you don’t know much about this book check out the Youtube video above before reading my review.
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My thoughts: I love “The Invention of Hugo Cabret” as do my students (I work in two k-5 libraries) so when my ALA going friend offered to send me the ARC of Brian Selznick’s new work “Wonderstruck” I really was excited, and rightfully so, this book truly is a wonder!
It is similar to Hugo in that it is half yet and half graphic novel, but in this book the switching between graphics and text is very structured. Ben’s story from 1977 was in text, while Rose’s sections of the story are pictorial and set in 1927. Ben’s story was engaging because it read as both an adventure and a mystery, I’m the type of person who would love to find herself living in a museum or a library.
You would think that Ben’s story would be more detailed, that a reader would connect to him more as a character due to the opportunities text stories give for explanations, dialogue and character study, but following Rose’s adventures in New York city was just as accessible. Selznick’s detailed pictures are a visually treat to view, a wonder box itself, but it’s the expressions of characters and the moments he chooses to focus your attention on ( often done by showing a close up and expanding the view out to show more elements) that give you insight into Deaf Culture and the loneliness that comes from feeling like you don’t have a place in the world.
I actually think my students will enjoy this as much Hugo, maybe even more because it is more accessible for them based on subject matter. Hugo looked flippin’ cool, that’s why they love it, not because they understand French cinema and automatons.
This is a story that they can connect with more personally – filled with the excitement and wonder of a field trip to a world class museum and the heart and emotion of a Hallmark movie, yeah I cried, I’m a sap like that ;)
(5/5) Very Cool Middle Reader!
Running Song: “Just a Song About Ping Pong”- Operator Please
Money order money order hear it today
I got another fifteen seconds and I’m ready to play I say
Money order money order hear it today
I got another fifteen seconds and I’m ready to play I say
I got my got my got my got my racket in hand
Not leaving till I play don’t think you understand
With that dirty dirty dirty dirty look on your face
I bet you know beef jerky has an after taste GO!
If I know you’re running
Then I know you’re hiding
If I know you’re running
Then I know you’re hiding
If I know you’re running
Then I know you’re hiding
If I know you’re running
Running Pic:
Well tonight I tried to run in a new spot, a “lake” by my parents…okay a “water shed” they spent a good amount of cash to clean it up, but the trail was not where they spent the money it seems. It was all rocks, I quickly tripped and twisted my ankle. I limped around the rest of the “lake” only to find that I could not get back to my car thanks to this lovely river blocking my path, so I had to go back the entire way I came, it was lovely really. UGGHH
Run Stats:
Distance: 2.3 miles, not counting the limping back across the lake thought lol
Walk Pace: 16:32
Run Pace: 13:30
After my water shed issue, I drove back to the rec park, which was a better choice anyhow. The place I attempted first, and the Trail path I run are both in the woods and can be a bit scary when no one else is around…and also scary when there are people around. I have this fear of being kidnapped….not sure why, I mean if I was kidnapped I’d be annoying enough that they would have to let me go…or toss my off a bridge…
The rec park though, is another story. As soon as I parked my car I walked into the park and was immediately greeted by a uniformed Police Officer. I saw two more during my run. The park was filled with kids playing basketball and tennis. I had to pass senior citizens holding hands as I ran (at least I am not so bad that they are passing me!) This is the best place to run at dusk…and probably any time of the day.
My run pace was slower than two days ago, but I’m going to pretend that it’s due to me babying my ankle…plus this run involved getting around other people in the way and going uphill slightly more than my woods trails. See that? I’m really good at excuses!
Running Song: Pink- “So what!”
I got a brand new attitude
And I’m gonna wear it tonight
I’m gonna get in trouble
I wanna start a fight
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na
I wanna start a fight
Na, na, na, na, na, na, na
I wanna start a fight
So, so what, I’m still a rock star
I got my rock moves and I don’t need you
And guess what, I’m havin’ more fun
And now that we’re done I’m gonna show you tonight
Today I started week 2 and it was harder than I expected. My running mix is pretty varied, but this particular song helped me push through the suck that was my 6 am run. I’m fighting through the suck people, I’m a rock star like Pink….minus all the money.
Running Pic:
This morning I went to a local park connected to an elementary school. I really love this place because it has a black top track to run, and also is connected to wood trails, so it fits any of my running moods. Usually the first few weeks of C25K I stick to running in circles, and will branch out to straight paths through the woods once I work up some stamina…which may be NEVER the way I am going.
Run Stats:
Distance: 1.9 Miles
Walk Pace: 16.43 (oops!)
Run Pace: 11:56
I woke up very early Friday to get this run in, I followed it with a trip to Knoebels Amusement park..complete with cotton candy, ice cream and pizza, so really it’s like this run never happened :/
The run was pretty quite, maybe me plus a few early-birds. I avoided the path next to the river, because, as you can see from the picture NEPA has been VERY wet lately, and me running at 6 am means I would probably fall into the River.
June 22st update, a smidge late
I plan to update each of my running posts with a song from each run, and a daily picture, get into a blog format for my posting
Exercise Mix Song of the Day: Blink 21, “What’s my age again?”
And that’s about the time that she walked away from me
Nobody likes you when you’re 23
And are still more amused by TV shows
What the hell is ADD?
My friends say I should act my age
What’s my age again?
What’s my age again?
This is my song choice for the theme of the run because June 21st was my birthday, plus it is a bouncy song for running. Sadly I am no longer 23, but I’ll cling on to my 20′s as long as possible (less than 360 days now).) I’m told that when you reach your 30′s it much harder to lose weight….It can get harder than THIS?
Pic of the Day:
A trip to Red Lobster was not on my diet, but my birthday made it a good excuse, at least the shrimp I had was grilled not fried ;) I had this the day before my run, so I’ll pretend it didn’t count.
Run Details:
Should have started week 2 today, but I felt I needed more work so I repeated Day Three. Glad I did, as I had much improvement. The light rain really helped
Distance: 2 Miles
Walk Pace: 16:34
Run Pace: 13:30
Location: Trail Run
Exactly a year ago I was doing week three of Couch to 5K, my last run was a year tomorrow actually…then I just stopped. Probably because of the Scotland Adventure. I tried to get back into things.
Ran in Feb once (yeah once) ran in march once, once more in April, and a whole two times in May.
Which is really why I’m not surprised how chubby i have become. But it HAS TO END.
So, I’m back now. Back to slogging (“slow jogging”) back to buying running wear on Amazon, back to waking up ungodly early them deciding to stay in bed longer anyhow and then am forced to run during the hottest point of the day instead, back to trying to keep band aids on blistered heels while I run, back to always forgetting bug spray when I run in the woods, back to trying to find ways to hold back my recently cut hair, back to finding creative ways to hold my car keys while I run, back to hearing something rustle and thinking I’m about to be attached by a bear, when it’s just a chipmunk.
Today is my third “run” this week. I’m thinking if I blog about the experiences I may feel more compelled to follow through. I need to get back to the swing of things, to a pattern, a routine. I’m doing C25K again for that reason. I’m pretty impressed that in the three years I have been doing this I seem to have spurred on multiple other people to try the program, some who went on running 5Ks and everything. This is also embarrassing because I told them to try it, and they succeeded…and I keep failing. Maybe this year. I have a lonnnng summer ahead of me, and a birthday tomorrow. I am one day away from starting my last year as a 20something. I really should get this weight and exercise down before I hit 30.
As of right now I THINK I’ll try Cardio Kick boxing at the Y, and restart Zumba too, and mix in the running every other day. I’m not going to kill myself and bust out my 30 Day Shred DVD on top of this, not until I get back to my usual chubby-self.
Here’s my scoop of Run 1, Run 2 and Run 3 so far
Week 1 Day 1: 6/16
Week 1 Day 2: 6/18 1.60 Miles run pace 18:01 walk pace 19:08
Week 1 Day 3: 6/20 1.69 Miles run pace: 20:11 mil walk pace 17:44
So today’s run I walked faster but ran slower, no idea why that is. I can already see I am going to drive myself wacky having this pacing information so readily available. It’s pretty much consistent with HS where it took me 20 mins to do my mile for gym class..which I WALKED the whole time. I guess that means I move even slower than I did in high school. Not a proud moment.
So Jealous that BEA goers, and probably ALA goers are getting an early look at this, It looks A-MAZ-ING. Yes?
I am a huge fan of “The Invention of Hugo Cabret”, my one school especially has a love for it. In fact, this year, 4th grade had a waiting list for it, even after I bought 5 more copies. Okay, the waiting list was smaller than Wimpy Kid (that thing had it’s own notebook!) But still I plan to order 3 copies of Wonderstruck for that building.
While watching this video I was so so so sad that I don’t have a copy in my hand to see how the two stories (the pictorial 1927 story, and the written 1977 story) come together in the end. I want want want to know.
So this is not actually I book I stole from my students, but as soon as it comes in my Follett Box in September I am sooooo sticking in my bag and taking it home before any student sees it. I’m evil like that ;)
Goodreads Blurb:
Frannie Cavanaugh is a good Catholic girl with a bit of a wicked streak. She has spent years keeping everyone at a distance—-even her closest friends—-and it seems as if her senior year is going to be more of the same . . . until Luc Cain enrolls in her class. No one knows where he came from, but Frannie can’t seem to stay away from him.
What she doesn’t know is that Luc is on a mission. He’s been sent from Hell itself to claim Frannie’s soul. It should be easy—-all he has to do is get her to sin, and Luc is as tempting as they come. Frannie doesn’t stand a chance. But he has to work fast, because if the infernals are after her, the celestials can’t be far behind. And sure enough, it’s not long before the angel Gabriel shows up, willing to do anything to keep Luc from getting what he came for. It isn’t long before they find themselves fighting for more than just Frannie’s soul.
But if Luc fails, there will be Hell to pay . . . for all of them.
My Thoughts:
I wanted this book as soon as I saw it, not because of the steamy looking cover like other people, but because I <3 Angel/Demon Good/Evil books (sorry, you can keep your vampires.) I was actually a bit concerned about the steamy cover, because books that tend to be too romance novel-ie to me really aren’t my thing, but this book was a winner…. yes, it had a good amount of steamy (how many times can I say steamy in this review?) makeout scenes, and love triangles, and shirtless hot boys…but it also has heart and humor.
I think Lisa did something that seems to be lacking in some paranormal YA books lately….she got in the heads of multiple=”multiple” characters. Too often we only can see the situation from the main character’s (usually a girl) point of view, while the boy or boys getting her attention are the mysterious unknown factor. That’s one way to go, of course, not complaining if a hot mysterious guy showed up for me…but with books where a good chunk of the focus is on relationships I like to know what the people involved are all thinking, the relationships seem more authentic that way.
Lisa even replied to my comments I made as I read the book, namely the “Don’t You think the boy being named LUCIFER would be a bad sign there girlie???” haha
Lisa Desrochers: My demon and angel are stereotypical on purpose. Answer honestly: If you met a real life guy, say at work or school, and his name was Gabriel, and he acted and looked just as you’d expect an angel to look and act, would you believe that’s what he truly was? How about a dark Lucifer? Would you believe he was a demon? I had fun with the concept. =)
Melissa: If that happened to me I’d be pretty paranoid because I wasn’t the type to get hot boys’ attention in HS haha but Frannie not making the actual connection makes sense of course, personally I might take the fact that Luc is a “Lucifer” as simply a bad sign at that point lol
Lisa Desrochers Glad you’re enjoying. =) I’ve caught myself so many times, while watching a movie or reading a book, thinking “How stupid is she that she doesn’t know he’s a ____ (vampire, ghost, werewolf, angel). But, in my real, honest-to-god life, I’d never believe some dark, gorgeous Lucifer if he stood in front of me with horns and told me he was a demon. We’re trained not to believe in that stuff (at
least in corporeal form), so really, the heroine who figures it out on her own is probably more unrealistic. Just my thoughts, but it was fun playing with cliches in this book :p
How true, and really, we all know I would be too blinded by a pretty boy suddenly liking me to start thinking about religious allusions. ;) This was a fast, fun, flirty read. I would recommend it for a good Summer Read (though I read it in January lol)
Been forever since I wrote a review, usually if I can get myself on to goodreads as soon as I finish I’m going to be alright, but lately I have been such a slow reader that I haven’t been commenting on what I read. I was very pleased to pick a copy of “Abandon” from my local public library, it just looks so pretty *fawns over the cover* *fawns over Meg Cabot Paranormal Romance* *fawns in general*
Blurb from Goodreads:
Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can’t help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she’s never alone . . . because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back.
But now she’s moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid.
Only she can’t. Because even here, he finds her. That’s how desperately he wants her back. She knows he’s no guardian angel, and his dark world isn’t exactly heaven, yet she can’t stay away . . . especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him most.
But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the one place she most fears: the Underworld.
My Thoughts:
So it’s about 6am. I woke up sick at 4 and decided to finish reading “Abandon” before school. I had hit a point in the story when last I picked it up, where I knew something was going to happen…mostly because I had read more than half of the book and not much had happened in progression of plot. That sounded harsh, but, up to that point the story was mostly flashbacks, which packed a punch, and were mysterious and lovely…but the actual here-and-now plot was trudging along. I knew it has to break though, soon…soon the back-story and the present would come together in some wonderful Meg Cabot way.
I’m sort of still waiting.
I very much liked the book, the concept was really REALLY cool. I even liked the main characters…mostly because John seemed like he was always 3 seconds from taking a hissy fit, and at times I thought maybe he should be on bi-polar meds…but it made him interesting at least, damaged. Not just your usual YA Paranormal Romance bad boy thing, but endearing almost…and slightly wacked. Pierce was very low-key of a character. She lacked some of the spunk that is usually present in Meg’s leading ladies, but overall likeable.
The concept, as I mentioned, was great, but that’s also the part that left me underwhelmed. I think perhaps it was due to the disjointed writing style. Flashbacks, while really good for establishing back-story (and in this case very well written) do have their drawbacks. They did cause the plot to feel slow-moving (and not in that wonderful Gothic impending doom way.) Muddled. That’s how it felt. When we finally get into the details of the story. Who John is, what he is, how he is what it is, who is the bad guy if it’s not the emotionally unstable dead boy in the graveyard, where do people go when they die….all the goodies…well, they are answered, but not really in detail, and mostly one character just matter-of-factly explains it all, neat little plot bow and all. The actual idea behind what happens when people die seemed scattered to me as well…not what happens to Pierce, but the vague oh you know this is ONE UNDERWORLD, but there are many others, so some people get lights, others get boats…is it based on your belief system…because Pierce, pretty sure, would be Christian, with her talk of Angels so why does she get sucked up into Greek Deity world? Is it just based on Where you are when you die? I’m so confused. Mostly I wanted more details…or more commitment on that side of the story.
John and Pierce…well they have potential…I am not sitting here thinking about how wonderful, or even drama-filled their relationship is….only one moment really stood out for me especially. It wasn’t a hissy fit, or a kiss by a moonlight pool…but strangely enough it was when Pierce was in the underworld…. John sat down and completely ignored her and read a book while she ran about kicking doors down. Is it strange that THAT is what stood out for me as relationship moments? But it gave me hope that the interactions between these grow to be classic Meg Cabot as the series continues.
I hate rating this a 3.5…often it’s hard for a first book in a series to pack it’s full punch. Authors sometimes take the “all mysterious, where is what is happening now but I can’t explain WHY until the next book” approach, or the “I am going to spend 500 pages explaining every little detail about the back-story and have no time to further the plot” approach. I must give Meg credit for actually doing something DIFFERENT…she didn’t go one way or another with this story. She allowed equal amounts back-story and plot progression (it’s just the back-story was more interesting for me, so the here-and-now felt flatter.)
I enjoyed this book, and I think the things I whined about above will fall away as the series progresses and it will redeem itself as a overall wonderful Meg Cabot read. I have complete faith in this, as part of the whole storyline…but right now I’m just really liking this one, but I’ll probably love the whole story arch when it’s complete.
.5
*not loving it yet, but really really liked it, and hoping to love the entire series!
