Anne of Green Gables

I feel sort of lucky that I had never read Anne of Green Gables before; part of the reading challenge I'm doing includes "an author with your initials." With an exception of a few books (ones that require rereading old favorites), I'm only reading books I've never read before. While my married initials are L.M.T., I didn't have much luck finding anything. On a whim I tried L.M.M. and wouldn't you know it, I found myself reading this charming book.

For me, Anne was very similar in spirit to Pollyanna, which I don't mind at all. It's nice to read books with positive messages. It's kind of funny how different our generations are from one another. As I read this book I found it interesting that there were so many circumstances where Anne was scolded for being imaginative. When I was growing up, my parents encouraged my imagination, I think it's a huge part of who I am, and inspired many of my passions. I look at Cole (and hopefully Jensen in the future) and I'm in awe of his creativity and ability to imagine.

I ended up downloading the entire series. I look forward to finding out what happens next. One of the things I like best about Anne of Green Gables is that there are so many quotable moments (part of the reason I'm looking forward to finishing out the series). A few of my favorites are:

Isn't it splendid there are so many things to like in this world?

I'm not in the depths of despair this morning. I never can be in the morning. Isn't it a splendid thing that there are mornings?

It's been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.

The world looks like something God had just imagined for His own pleasure, doesn't it?

Cakes have such a terrible habit of turning out bad when you especially want them to be good.

Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?

Fight Club

The first rule of fight club is you don't talk about fight club. The second rule about fight club is you don't talk about fight club.

I decided after reading Tuesdays with Morrie, I needed something different. What could be more different than Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club? I have only seen the movie one time, and that was when Josh and I first started dating (we've been together almost 11 years, so needless to say, it's been a while), so I knew the plot twist. I do think, had I not seen the movie, I would've been surprised.

It seems like it always takes me a few chapters to figure out the author's writing style and adjust to it. This one definitely jumps around a bit, but it's easy enough to catch on. Overall, I liked the book. I just found out that there is a Fight Club 2, it's a series of comic books that started being released this year, so I may check them out, when they're finished at the end of the year.

Now excuse me while I go watch Fight Club, and then not talk about it.

Tuesdays with Morrie

I just finished Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. I knew going into this book that I'd cry reading it. I'm a crier, that's how I am. What I hadn't prepared for was how fond I became of someone I'll never have the pleasure of meeting.

Morrie Schwartz made me think about life in a way I've never thought about it before. Don't you love books that, once you finish them, they make you feel like you could be a better person? I'm not sure how I hadn't read this book before, but I'm glad that I have now. Albom's writing was not only easy to follow, but I felt like I was in Morrie's study with the two of them, listening to this wise man explain life.

There are so many amazing quotes to take away from this book, among my favorite:

• Death ends a life, not a relationship
• Invest in the human family. Invest in people. Build a lttle community of those you love and who love you.
• You can't substitute material things for love, or for gentleness, or for tenderness, or for a sense of comradeship. 
• You should be with the person you're with...I am talking to you. I am thinking about you.
• Don't let go too soon, but don't hang on too long.
• When you learn how to die, you learn how to live.

If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it.

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth

I finally finished reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth after going back to it on-and-off for the last few months. This book has made me approach this second pregnancy with new insight.

When I was pregnant with Cole, I made the mistake of not reading any books on pregnancy or the birthing process. My thought was, I could find any information I needed on the internet with a quick search. While that can certainly be true, it was very much like trying to register for baby shower gifts: overwhelming. There are so many different websites to click on, articles to read, opinions to receive, that it became easier just to ask the doctor at monthly appointments and hope I didn't forget anything, than it was to overwhelm myself with too much information.

I feel so much more prepared for this next labor and delivery, in part, because I've already been through it once, but now I also have an arsenal of ideas for positions to labor in, pain relief techniques, and I think most importantly, knowing that my body is doing what it's supposed to.

The book is set up so that the first part is labor and delivery stories. You get to read tons of beautiful birth stories that start in 1970's and go all the way through to the early 2000's. I especially loved that there were women who naturally birthed 10 pound babies-whoa! With Cole being born at 9lbs 13oz, I'm fairly confident I'll be having another big baby. How encouraging is that?!

The remainder of the book details the mechanics of labor and delivery. Even though I've been through it before, there were things I didn't realize could effect the laboring process. Now that I know a person's demeanor, the space I'm birthing in, hunger, etc., all play huge factors in my labor's ability to progress, I will have better control over the situation, which is incredibly comforting to me.

If all goes according to plan, I will be attempting a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). I'm still waiting to hear back from my doctor as to whether or not my cesarean incision was done to facilitate my hopes for a VBAC. Fingers crossed I will be given the green light.

As soon as Cole was born, I knew that I would do everything in my power to have a VBAC. Part of me still struggles with the fact that I had to have a cesarean. Was there something else I could have done? Maybe if I tried doing this or that, I would've been more successful. I know I need to stop beating myself up about it, the end goal was reached, I had a beautiful, healthy baby boy, that's all that matters, right?

In the end, I know that I will be overjoyed to welcome my second son, regardless of how he enters the world. If you are pregnant, and haven't read it yet, please give this book a shot, you won't regret it. Thanks to Ina May's beautiful book, I will be going into this birth with confidence and a positive attitude.

Photo Friday 2015!

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve and Day. Our night was spent finishing off the Harry Potter series, drinking sparkling grape juice (Josh too, he was on-call), and reflecting on our crazy year. We actually rung in the new year watching an episode of "House Hunters International," it was based in Germany, in case you were interested. I think we made it to about 12:15, and the only reason we made it that long, was because we wanted to make sure that there wouldn't be any fireworks (there weren't) that could possibly wake our sleeping babe.

I figured, it's a new year, why not give Photo Friday another shot!

 

Day 1: 12:01 a.m. Okay, so this wasn't at 12:01, more like 5:30, but it's the best I could do. Our camera isn't so good for the selfies, and a wiggly toddler meant I had to take a snapshot with my phone, not my favorite method, but I also wouldn't have gotten this cute picture of Cole had I tried to grab another camera. I'll mark it as a win!

Day 2: Words to live by. A few days ago, I was scrolling through Pinterest and came across a pin for a reading challenge. This specific challenge gives guidelines on types of books to read. In this case, my challenge was "A book you can finish in a day." I chose "The World According to Mister Rogers." It's a compilation of Fred Rogers quotes. I've had my eye on this book for a while, and finally decided to sit down a read it, and it was just what I needed. I remember watching Mr. Rogers when I was younger, his show always left me with a smile on my face, and that's exactly what this book did as well.

The Fault in Our Stars

Photo: moviepilot.com

Gosh, I haven't done a book review in ages! I've read a few books, but never seem to remember to write down my thoughts on them before I've moved on to a new book. I don't like writing about them after I start a new one, in case I mix emotions from the different stories, does that make sense?

I like discovering books on my own. It seems like the books that have the most hype are the ones that let me down the most. I recently finished The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. I gave it a shot out of pure curiosity, it was a good book, it was definitely a quick read, but with all the hoopla surrounding it, I thought it would be better.

Have you read it yet? I won't give anything away, but I will say I thought it would end differently. I feel like such a book snob right now, because it wasn't a bad book, not at all. I hope the movie did it justice, it just wasn't my cup of tea, I guess.

Okay? Okay.

Pollyanna

 
I'll be honest, I had never read Pollyanna before a few days ago. I have never seen the movie either. I happened upon it when I was scrolling through the Kindle Store's classics section (meaning the free section). Don't get me wrong, I had heard of Pollyanna, but never before had I lost myself in it's pages.

If you're looking for an easy read, filled with optimism, and hope; this one is for you. I quite enjoyed this little book. Pollyanna makes me want to be a better person. Try as I might, like many people, I sometimes find myself allowing my grumpy mood or small inconveniences determine how my day pans out. I know after reading this book, I will be sure to play "the glad game" daily, and share this eternal optimism with others, just as Pollyanna did.

Sookie Stackhouse novels

For those of you who may not know, the television show True Blood is based off of the Sookie Stackhouse Novels (also known as The Southern Vampire Mysteries) by Charlaine Harris. I've been wanting to share my views on these books since I started this blog, but it never felt like the right time.

 ^photo courtesy of Flickr^

Every year, I find myself re-reading the entire series, trying to get them all in before the next one hit the shelves in May. When I found out that this year would mark the last time I'd get to read about Sookie and the gang, the last year I'd be reading a Sookie book for the first time, I felt a little sad. These books kept me company while Josh was away at basic, they joined me on the long flight over to Germany, I even finished reading the twelfth book while in the early stages of labor. Not only had I experienced the crazy/dangerous world of Sookie, but she had joined me in many noteworthy areas in my world. I was crossing my fingers that Mrs. Harris ended her series on a memorable note.

Be warned, the books are MUCH different that the TV series. The first season was pretty good, but after that, they went their own directions. I like the books better, especially after the last couple of seasons...

There are thirteen books in this series:

1. Dead Until Dark
2. Living Dead in Dallas
3. Club Dead
4. Dead to the World
5. Dead as a Doornail
6. Definitely Dead
7. All Together Dead
8. From Dead to Worse
9. Dead and Gone
10. Dead in the Family
11. Dead Reckoning
12. Deadlocked
13. Dead Ever After

I won't go through every book, but the series follows small-town, Louisianian Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic barmaid, who has a knack for solving mysteries, usually revolving around a murder. She finds herself involved with vampires, shapeshifters, werewolves, and fairies (romantically, politically, and sometimes both), all while keeping a pretty positive attitude, even if danger is usually waiting just around the corner for her.

My favorite of the books are Dead to the World and All Together Dead. I'd definitely consider them  to be the more action packed stories in the series. As for the final book, it was kind of a bummer, if I'm going to be honest. I think Harris tried to make it like the other novels (there are usually a couple mysteries in one novel), but it didn't seem as well thought out as the previous books. I was left wanting to know what happened to the rest of the characters, Harris was so quick to end the book that there were many questions left unanswered. I guess it's a good thing she's coming out with another book- After Dead: What Came Next in the World of Sookie Stackhouse. It comes out October 29, 2013, in case you wanted to know.

I'll probably buy it, because I'm totally the type of person who gets emotionally involved with the characters I read about, and I need closure. Admitting it's the first step though, right?!

50 Shades trilogy

Yes. I read "50 Shades of Grey." My opinion of the books goes like this: the actual story is decent. The way it was written is not.

The plot could've been developed better. It seemed to be thrown together. The sex scenes seemed to be the only part of the books that had thought put into it. A lot of thought. It's almost like E.L. James would get writer's block for the actual story and just throw in more sex. Beyond that, the relationship between main characters seems to go nowhere fast. Doesn't she realize how he feels about her? Why doesn't he understand how fascinating she finds him. It gets old quick.

Now that I've completely bashed the book, I will say that there are a few good parts. Seeing how the characters start in the first book, compared to how they end up in the last one is interesting enough. It certainly wasn't a difficult read. Would I recommend this book? Probably not, but you'll probably read it if you're really wanting to whether it comes recommended or not, am I right? I won't judge you too harshly, after all I read them too.

Harry Potter Series

Who hasn't read these amazing books?! I loved and hated the wait for the next one. I loved waiting with other fans until midnight for the book to be released and then staying up as late as possible with my new purchase trying to read as much as I possibly could. I hated the actual wait, and even worse, hated when I finished the book and had to wait for the next one.
I'll always love these books. There's something about reading them that brings back great memories for me. What I find even more exciting, is the possibility of passing down my love of these stories to my children. I can't wait!

Uncharted TerriTori

Little known fact, I love Tori Spelling! I find her absolutely fascinating! When Josh and I were in Omaha visiting before we left for Germany, we found out that Borders was closing. We wanted to check it out, see if there were any good books left and while combing the shelves I came across this little guy!

I have always wanted to read Tori's book, but I just hadn't had the time. This is her third book, but I don't feel as though I have missed out on anything from the previous books. These are her stories, her memories. She has such a simple, easy way of telling these stories that you almost feel as though you are right there with her as it happens.

What I like about this book and her show Tori and Dean is that she doesn't have this "I'm a celebrity, so I'm entitled," quite the opposite in fact. Plus, she makes me feel like less of a crazy; I have an overactive imagination to say the least, and it's nice to know that I'm not the only one that thinks people are out to try and mug or kill me. So if that make me a little crazy, well I'm not alone!

I highly recommend this book!

The Princess Bride

I absolutely love this movie and after I had finished The Help I was looking for a new book to start and decided this was the one! 

Now, one thing you should know about this book is that the beginning can be a little bit confusing. When I started this book I was thinking it would start with a little boy being sick in bed and his grandpa comes and reads to him, long story short-I was wrong.

Actually, William Goldman the narrator/author, talks about how when he was younger his father read it to him and when he had a son of his own he wanted to find a copy of the book and give it to his son for his birthday, thinking it would be a great way for them to bond. 

His son, however, did not share his enthusiasm for the book which was baffling to Goldman until he discovered that his father was illiterate and was telling him the story from his memory and just flipping the pages! The book that his father "read" was basically a history book and his dad would only tell him the good parts-now that's what I'm talking about! 

Goldman decides, as a writer, he will take that old, boring book and give it a face lift; only keeping the "good" stuff! So, as you're reading he'll interject his views on the original; even going so far as to informing the reader when or what he edited and why.

Obviously being a book there is a chance to give more of a background on the characters, but I've got to say, the film did a wonderful job of capturing the characters. As I read along those were the people I envisioned!!! Buttercup, Westley, Fezzik, Inigo, Prince Humperdinck, all of them!

Really, other than getting into the actual story of The Princess Bride, the story and the book pretty much match up. This is actually one of my favorite books now, I'm so glad I read it! I can't wait until I can read this amazing book to my children and when they ask me to read it just one more time, I will simply reply "As you wish..."

The Help

I just finished The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I decided to read this book because I had heard so many amazing things about it and with the movie coming out it seemed like the perfect time to pick it up and read it and I wasn't disappointed. Living in Mississippi while reading a book based in Mississippi made this novel even more special to me. 

Based in early 1960's Jackson, Mississippi, this story follows the narrative of African American maids Aibileen Clark and Minny Jackson as well as Caucasian college graduate Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan. The book discusses the trio's day to day lives and how different all three of them are from one another. Skeeter decides she wants to write a book telling the stories of the maids and the people they work for and convinces Aibileen and Minny to assist her.

At first I struggled a bit with dialect because I simply hadn't expected it. When I read books I completely submerge my imagination into the plot of the story. Imagining everything from the way a character speaks and dresses, to their surroundings. This was the first book I've read where the author actually wants me to imagine the character's accent a specific way, and I love that! I like the feeling of being on the same page as the writer especially if the book is turned into a movie and the movie looks the way I imagined.

This book truly played out like a film, which made it doubly easy for me to read! I can't wait to see the movie! I encourage anyone who hasn't already done so to read this book you will laugh, cry, and laugh again! After reading this book I definitely have a better appreciation for what life has given me, and I think I'll skip the chocolate cake tonight!