Barefoot Season (Blackberry Island #1) by Susan Mallery

Summary from GoodReads

(a.k.a. didn’t like this one enough to booktalk)

Michelle Sanderson may appear to be a strong, independent woman, but on the inside, she’s still the wounded girl who fled home years ago. A young army vet, Michelle returns to the quaint Blackberry Island Inn to claim her inheritance and recover from the perils of war. Instead, she finds the owner’s suite occupied by the last person she wants to see.

Carly Williams and Michelle were once inseparable, until a shocking betrayal destroyed their friendship. And now Carly is implicated in the financial disaster lurking behind the inn’s cheerful veneer.

Single mother Carly has weathered rumors, lies and secrets for a lifetime, and is finally starting to move forward with love and life. But if the Blackberry Island Inn goes under, Carly and her daughter will go with it.

To save their livelihoods, Carly and Michelle will undertake a turbulent truce. It’ll take more than a successful season to move beyond their devastating past, but with a little luck and a beautiful summer, they may just rediscover the friendship of a lifetime.

Review

Right from the beginning of this book I had some confusion…

Issues:

• I get that a bunch of sh*t went down in High School – but I don’t know how successful the introduction of the Ellen character was. On Michelle’s re-meet they seemed to always have been acquaintances. From Carly’s point of view they were once friends (all three of them) now they’re enemies…confused…
• Don’t see how Michelle deserves to be so angry at Carly…Just doesn’t seem appropriate. Carly overwhelmingly seems to be the victim.
• How does Carly have all these amazing ideas and yet never used them at the inn? She’s always shocked that Michelle works so well with her and yet they’ve never (past the 1st day) had a business meeting that didn’t.

Biggest of all of these issues was the whole Michelle hating Carly situation. Let’s break it down…

Michelle has a crush on a guy.

Carly ends up dating said guy…Michelle never made a play for him = No harm no foul.

Carly becomes engaged to said guy

Michelle has sex with said guy right before his wedding to Carly…Carly walks in on the sexy-times. (From this point on I’ll be referring to ‘said guy’ as ‘a$$’.)

Carly still marries the a$$ and becomes pregnant.

A$$ leaves her and takes all the money.

Leaving Carly with nothing, about 8 months pregnant.

Fast forward to the beginning of this book where EVERYONE pities Michelle.

Do you understand how Michelle became the victim?

Nope. Neither did I. It eerked me to say the least.

If this was supposed to be a girlfriend novel then I want more depth and more likable characters…not just a martyr and a bitch. It took them too long to reach a reconciliation point with too much tell and not enough show along the way. And *Spoiler Alert* At the end of the book I still have no idea why everyone pitied Michelle over Carly.

This read it fell flat for me. I wasn’t getting my friendship novel…And don’t hold your breath for romance either. It’s a side note at best and comes with its own issues. You see, Carly is thought of as this big slut from High School (though she’s only slept with her ex-husband) and while I think it’s unfair for her to have this reputation she still jumped into bed with her love interest real quick. Quick like, hi I just met you and let’s have a quickie: you’ve got 10 minutes…Go!

And that would be one of the few times a sexual relationship happens in the novel. Though for Carly it held weight because she thinks this later while gazing upon her lover:

“She remembered that body from their lone but very powerful sexual encounter” (30 pgs from end of book)

What I immediately thought following my reading of this was that this ‘encounter’ (of the third kind?) was 10 minutes long and that Carly was kinda slutty.

I’ve turned into one of her high school classmates! The book did it to me. I didn’t like anyone but the dog by the end of this one. I was so sick of waiting for them to begin to change their lives and attitudes. However, the relationship between Michelle’s PTSD healing and her adoption of an abused dog was beautiful. Wish the book had been simply about that.

Rating: 1/5 This should have been a friend book or a romance book. 364 pages was not enough for this author to do both…  

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The Scorpio Races…Quotes and *Spoilers*

Because the writing was so good.

Because the story begs a little discussion.

It’s time to share some Quotes and *Spoilers*

Quotes:

After Gabe announces he’s moving to the mainland – alone – and Puck announces her intent to run in the Scorpio Races…Puck returns to her room to deal with the emotional fallout:

“Then I walk into my room, close the door, and put my pillow over my head so no one will hear.

“Selfish bastard,” I whisper, the words close under the pillowcase” (Puck, 26, 1st ed.)

I just liked the following quote. Sometimes authors phrase something in a way that hits you…explains something in the perfect phrase.

“Tommy shouts, “I didn’t hear you right.”

But I know he did. He just doesn’t believe what he heard. Dad once said people’s brains are hard of hearing” (Puck, 46, 1st ed.)

I loved the wording of the following quote. Love that it becomes layered when you compare a Capaill Usice to a regular horse; Corr to regular Capaill Usice…

“At the moment, he [Corr] can tell that he’s being watched by a stranger, so he picks his feet up and tosses his mane a little more than usual. I allow him his show. There are worse flaws than vanity in a horse.” (Sean, 84, 1st ed.)

*Spoilers*

– – – Watch Out Below! – – –

The Race

OMG.

Was everyone else on the edges of their seat too? I swear I read the whole thing tensed, as if I could jump into the pages and save someone…knock another horse out of the way. It was like being in the mires with them.

I don’t know how I felt about the ending of the race though. My emotions were so mixed. I do think it was the best way to end the race now that I have a little bit of space between myself and the end of the book. I guess I had these dreams of a simultaneous finish…like Puck and Sean crossing at the exact same time…maybe holding hands – I don’t know -. Which obviously doesn’t fit for either character, but a girl can dream right?

It’s definitely right that Puck finished first. I think it completed the feminism thought Stiefvater had running through the book. As did the fact that Puck herself didn’t overly care about the ‘fame’ that came with winning…only the fact that it saved both her family and gave her some power to help Sean with his own goal of owning Corr. I was surprised that Stiefvater chose to completely ignore the ceremony of winning. I thought it was a smart move. It said more about Puck and the place the races held for her than anything else.

And I just have to end by saying *Tear* when Corr starts hobbling back to Sean! OMG was anyone else bawling? That single scene could have made the book for me had I not already loved so much. In the end the payoff of the novel is the love between Sean and Puck and also the connection between Sean and Corr. Loved. That.

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The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

BookTalk

Every November the brave men of Thisby participate in a bloody rush of an ocean-side horse race called: The Scorpio Races. Legendary Capaill Uisce – water horses – begin to rise from the waves off the Island of Thisby in the early fall. A Celtic legend in itself, Thisby is the only Island where the horses still appear; the only Island that still holds true to the superstition and magic that – at times – can control these wild animals.

Sean Kendrick has won the race for the past 4 years running. His father’s horse, Corr, has lead him to victory more times than the Island deems lucky. He’s amassed enough winnings to raise him up in social standing…but it’s not the position he wants. It’s the desire to own Corr, a horse that is as much a part of Sean as his own heart.

Puck Connolly is a girl on the verge of womanhood. Newly orphaned she’s facing losing her eldest brother, the bread-winner, to the call of the mainland and losing her home to the wealthiest man on the Island. Armed with strength of spirit, fear of suffering yet more loss, and her mother’s pony, Puck makes the rash decision to become the first woman ever to enter the Scorpio Races.

Both Sean and Puck desperately need to win the Race. They both believe that the winnings will provide them with the money to fund their deepest desires. And they may be right…but a deep and underlying attraction to each other and an Island on the verge of change may reveal to each that what they thought they wanted wasn’t what they desired after all…

Review

If you’re familiar with the Wolves of Mercy Falls series Stiefvater found YA fame with know that The Scorpio Races is going to be a different experience. For one it’s a standalone. Yes. Stand-A-Lone.

Everyone take a moment to breathe that *sigh* of relief for not having to wait for subsequent books to finish the story.

And while this tale does have supernatural elements (hello: horses born and then raised from the ocean) it’s told in the vein of legend rather than the paranormal. I loved the feel of a legend; I loved the superstitions that pervaded the text. As a gal who always throws spilled salt over her shoulder I very much appreciated the salt rings, rhythmic knot tying, and use of iron that controlled the Capaill Uisce. Because I’ll admit that my own salt throwing is based as much in habit as it is in superstition. It was a truly beautiful experience to see Stiefvater imagine a world in which such cautions provide actual results.

Watching Puck and Sean grow up was interesting. They grew in such a unique way. Not your usual “become mature” YA style. They didn’t run into an issue and “grow up”. In a lot of ways both Sean and Puck were traditionally adult already. Caring for their respective families, holding down jobs, orphans…they seem to have run the gamut of situations that authors use to mature their teenage characters.

The small, almost back-woods island has kept not only traditions alive, but a slightly antiquated view of life. An earnestness, almost repressive, but ultimately a genuine feeling. It’s a place still haunted by legends of yore – a rough place to live in general – disconnected from modernity. You can see how such serious children grow there. The character George Holly (who stands as a modern counterpoint to the people of Thisby) captures the feel of Puck and Sean succintly:

“You do fancy him, don’t you? What a strange, wonderful, repressed place this is.” (324, 1st ed.)

Because that’s what this story is about. Puck and Sean finishing the process of growing up.

Puck is beginning to see herself as a woman. No suffrage movement to be found. For Puck, finding her femininity was more shocking than actually being a woman in a man’s world. There seemed to be no higher theological/societal aspiration for furthering feminist theory…at least none that originated from the character’s own choices. What the author was trying to promote was up for grabs; I’d like to think that Stiefvater was demonstrating a post modernist point of view: that women should have choice, free of the trappings of theory. In the end Puck was pledging herself to her island. What started as a foot-stomp became a realization of her womanhood and a strong connection to the land she loves.

For Sean the experience of this particular Scorpio Race provided a different outlook. From a young age Sean was running a HUGE horse operation. To have found and cultured your purpose in life at such a young age is disconcerting. For Sean these races are more about realizing he needed to work his gifts of his own accord rather than under the shadow of someone else.

And back to what I loved most about this book. It’s probably one of the best examples of magical realism/practical magic I’ve ever read. The working superstitions feel so real, you forget these rituals hold no power…at least none that a modern world seems to recognize. Stiefvater did this by giving the superstitions/rituals/charms weight. She gave them physical consequence.

Rating: 4/5 Beautiful writing, Graceful story

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Library Meditations…Peace or The Story of How TheLibrarian rid a group of teens of a Death-Stare

Little known fact: TheLibrarian taught yoga in her college years.

Yep. I like myself some Yoga.

Though I’ve practiced on and off throughout the years following my undergrad education I hadn’t attempted to teach again until this year.

You see, my private orthodox Jewish school decided to switch up the prayer groups offered…give students creative and alternative ways of praying and using prayer. There is a ‘Glee’ or singing tefilah (the name for the daily prayers), an Art tefilah, and even a very short-lived Photography tefilah.

But how did this Christian gal end up leading a yoga tefilah? Well, the teacher they had outsourced decided to move to NYC…the day before school started…and I tentatively  announced that I had a few years experience teaching yoga. Sold.

And I forgot how much I LOVE teaching yoga.

How much I love getting to know my students in this intimate way…different from the relationship the Librarian usually forms with the kids.

Anyway…As my yoga girls and I settled into a rhythm of what they enjoyed during class, for example no poses done on the knees (concrete makes for poor padding) and a surprising love of breathing exercises (I thought making loud, awkward noises would embarrass them!) I found that the most difficult of all things for these teens was the Corpse Pose at the end of practice.

Girls ages 14 to 18 Can. Not. Lie. Still.

Nope.

Not even for 5 minutes.

Ugh, it was beyond painful to watch them fidget, sigh, cross  and uncross arms and legs. Worst of all, the ones who lay there with a wide-eyed-stare-of-horror I had previously only associated with slasher film heroines waiting for the killer to find them. My students were only missing the bloody tank tops!

Something had to be done. These girls were missing what I loved most about a Yoga practice; an inner sense of peace; an ability to find a moment of calm in your own mind. These girls were too terrified of…well…I’m not sure what. Perhaps an existential fear of society itself…that or being the only one with their eyes closed. The horror.

It was time we started meditating. You can make an executive decision when you’re the teacher. It’s one of the few perks 😉

Needless to say an attempt at traditional meditation (think eyes closed, attempting to clear the mind, while sitting in a cross-legged position) failed miserably. But I was not deterred!

Enter Quotes.

Yes Quotes. What does a teenage girl love better than lists of quotes on a subject? Heck, what does a Librarian love more than quotes? Maybe bacon cheeseburgers and wine, but neither is appropriate for my Jewish students, so onward to the quote experiment.

It worked like a charm.

Each week I ask the girls for a theme suggestion. Then, I pull tons of quotes on that theme. Sometimes arranging with thought-provoking questions or breathing exercises. Mostly we enter into a relaxed state, clear our minds, and then I read off the quotes to soothing music with slight pauses in between. The girls don’t think because even in the pauses their minds are clear, waiting for my next quote.

They stopped fidgeting.

They started relaxing.

The wide-eyed-stare-of-horror was gone.

It’s a thing of beauty, let me tell you!

This week’s theme was Peace. All of the quotes below were read aloud to my students just a few short minutes ago. And I encourage you to scan through them yourself and try to see if one catches your imagination more than others. I encourage my girls to do the same. Because as voracious readers we know nothing can be as powerful as a well written phrase that catches our fancy.

Enjoy. And Namaste.

Without Further Ado…Peace Quotes

Peacefulness is an inner sense of calm – it comes from becoming still – in order to reflect and meditate on our inner wisdom and receive answers. A peaceful heart is one that is free from worry and trouble. It’s becoming quiet so we can look at things quietly so we can more clearly understand them and thus come up with creative solutions. It is learning to live in the present.

Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.
– Martin Luther King, Jr.

Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.
– Albert Einstein

Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.
– Buddha

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.
– Buddha

Avoid popularity if you would have peace.
– Abraham Lincoln

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
– Mother Teresa

Peace begins with a smile.
– Mother Teresa

We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.
– Dalai Lama

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.
– Jimi Hendrix

A people free to choose will always choose peace.
– Ronald Reagan

There was never a good war, or a bad peace.
– Benjamin Franklin

Those who can win a war well can rarely make a good peace and those who could make a good peace would never have won the war.
 – Winston Churchill

An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.
– Mahatma Gandhi, The Story of My Experiments With Truth

Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity.
– George Carlin

Yes, we love peace, but we are not willing to take wounds for it, as we are for war.
– John Andrew Holmes, Wisdom in Small Doses

He that would live in peace and at ease must not speak all he knows or all he sees.
– Benjamin Franklin

End each day with thoughts of peace.  Begin each day with thoughts of peace. Continue thinking thoughts of peace throughout your precious day and happiness will be yours.

My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished 2 bags of M&M’s and a chocolate cake. I feel better already.
– Dave Barry

It isn’t enough to talk about peace, one must believe it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it, one must work for it.
– Eleanor Roosevelt

He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the world.
– Marcus Aurelius

In acceptance, there is peace.

Peace of mind is attained not by ignoring problems, but by solving them.
– Raymond Hull

One must look hard through history to find when a clear understanding of the truth moved anyone to fire the first shot.
– Robert Brault

Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.
– Seymour Miller & Jill Jackson, “Let There Be Peace on Earth,” 1955

If you go, go in Peace it makes the flowers sweeter along the path.
Mike Dolan

It’s so hard to forget pain, but it’s even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace.
– Chuck Palahniuk, Diary

World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just mere absence of violence. Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion.
– Dalai Lama XIV

Imagine that the universe is a great spinning engine. You want to stay near the core of the thing – right in the hub of the wheel – not out at the edges where all the wild whirling takes place, where you can get frayed and crazy. The hub of calmness – that’s your heart. That’s where God lives within you. So stop looking for answers in the world. Just keep coming back to that center and you’ll always find peace.
– Elizabeth Gilbert

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Breakaway (Blades #11) by Deirdre Martin

BookTalk

Erin O’Brien and Rory Brady were childhood sweethearts and in their small town of Balleycraig they were famous for their long distance love. Years of teenage romance fueled by summers spent lounging under an old tree in an Irish field seemed to be enough to keep these love birds strong for the winters spent in separate countries; as Rory had moved to the US in his early teens. When Rory’s illustrious hockey career began it appeared as if all the couples dreams would come true.

Until Rory dumped Erin.

And Rory became the official sh*t of Balleycraig. Now years later Rory is back sure that all he’ll have to do is show up and smile to win back the heart of his childhood love…Rory may have to think again. He’ll need time, perseverance and a bit of Irish luck to right his past wrongs. Because the Erin he left all those years ago isn’t the same woman he’s returning to…

Review

My biggest issue with this book is that Rory never got a swift kick in the balls. Emotionally or physically. He got off the hook too easily. All was forgiven without too much hassle. Almost like his mere presence was enough to soothe his past wrongs. As a reader it wasn’t enough for me. Apparently I’ve got more chutzpah than our beloved Erin O’Brien.

I will bow down to the fact that this plot is probably more realistic. Erin is obviously still in love with Rory, and to be honest the fact that he’s back does more to melt her than anything else. But it still doesn’t stop me from wishing for more. In real life fate rarely gives us the perfect words or situation for retribution. But isn’t that why I’m reading romance novels? People rarely have multiple-orgasmic sex with a professional athlete in the back of a Range Rover on a beautiful day in Ireland. Mostly because it’s constantly raining. If Martin can give me a sunny day in the Irish Isles she can give me a perfectly structured moment of understanding for Rory…Or at least one well tongued criticism that makes him see the light.

I liked Erin well enough. I thought that her issues with her mom were tidied up a bit quickly in the end. But ultimately I was simply bored by the book. It dragged.

Rating: 1/5 One egotistical Hockey Player plus One small town Irish Lass equals One bored reader…

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TheLibrarian Listens…Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer

So I’m still running. After my half marathon in January I enjoyed it so much I decided to sign up for another one this May in Pittsburgh. This means months of long runs and the same neighborhood/beach loops…217 miles and that means roughly 2,170 minutes too! Whatever shall I do to break the monotony? Why, listen to audiobooks of course!

Without Further Ado…Cinder

BookTalk

Cinderella’s got some new shoes to fill…

New Beijing is a leading empire in this futuristic world. And it’s leader is dying of the plague…In fact, more and more citizens of earth are falling prey to a deadly sickness that can kill is as long as a few days and as little as hours. Young Prince Kai, every girl’s dream, is standing at the edge of his childhood and looking out toward a future as Emperor …

Cinder is New Beijing’s leading mechanic. Holding court at a storefront in the rambunctious Marketplace she’s the go to girl to fix everything from a Netscreen to the family Android. When Prince Kai sweeps in to drop off a broken Android of his own and stays to flirt, Cinder can’t believe her ears…

But what would be every girl’s dream in New Beijing, is the impossible for Cinder. Not only is she adopted from mysterious origins, she’s shunned by her remaining step-mother and step-sisters, she’s covered in grease, and she’s part-cyborg herself. Yep. Cyborg. Cinder’s got a mechanical foot and hand and no hope of being accepted by the royal heart-throb…But as the city begins to crack under the pressure of the plague and of the Lunar Princesses’s evil presence, Cinder is about to find she plays a bigger role in this new world than she ever believed…

Review

I’ll admit I watched this book for a bit before picking it up. There was talk of weak world building; about the similarities between the android and cyborg conditions. But when I received the audio Cd’s in the mail from fellow blogger Bookgoonie I thought, obviously, this was a sign I was meant to do this book…

And I sooo enjoyed it.

First off, I knew all the twists before they happened. ALL OF THEM.

Second, this in no way hindered me from enjoying this book.

I didn’t see as many issues with the world. I loved the addition of an ancient plague (we’re talking about the genesis for Ring Around the Rosie here people, the dark ages are back!). Is it wrong to say I loved the inclusion of a Pandemic? A relic from Medieval Europe rearing its ugly head. It added a desperation and a seediness to the feel of New Beijing. And it furthered a theme of ancient-meets-futuristic that played throughout the text…Though, you’ll have to suspend belief for a minute that in a society as advanced as New Beijing they have yet to find a cure.

As far as the android vs. cyborg debate. I could tell the difference. And I loved Cinder’s personal android pal Iko. Iko was hilarious! By far my favorite character of the book. She was so sweet, such a good friend to Cinder. I loved that Iko was there to keep Cinder acting like a teenage girl from time to time. And to care for her in ways that the evil step-mother cliché banns the family from doing.

The other side character that I loved was the Doctor. I thought his placement in the plot was a good one. I wasn’t sure in the beginning what direction his character would take. But in the end I thought it was very smart, what Ms. Meyer did. Very interesting indeed. But I’ll let you read it yourself and figure it out.

As far as experiencing the story as an audio book I have to say I loved the character voices that the narrator did. The changes she made to her voice were just right for each character. My favorite was Iko’s voice. Perfect. But the audio itself kept me really interested. The plot was rewarding. I liked that the romance with the prince was spread throughout the story (honestly ‘fist-pumped’ while running a few times due to romantic happenings). Learning about Cinder’s cyborg system and her history was peppered across the story as well…it made me want to run longer just to lean more!

Rating: 4/5 A futuristic version of an ancient tale where eternal themes of society still sing strong. 

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Tempted by Her Innocent Kiss (Pregnancy and Passion #3) by Maya Banks

The ladies over at Smart Bitches Trashy Books have got me thinking…I’ve been a bad romance reader. I’ve shunned, out of prejudice, a major section of the romance publishing industry.

The Harlequin Novel.

I figured if those intelligent ladies over at Smart Bitches found them worthy of a read or two (if only to pick apart where the whole thing went wrong) I too could give these reads a second chance. And thus, my experiment was born.

I’ve started with Maya Banks’s Pregnancy and Passion series (mostly born of a love for the first book’s title).

So Without Further Ado…

Third in the Pregnancy and Passion Series is:

Wanted by her Lost Love

BookTalk

Ashley lives a life of privilege. A world that allows her to be her own woman – even if that’s a slightly scatter-brained animal activist. A woman whose actions have her father convinced she can’t stand on her own two feet.

Devon Carter is a man on a mission. He’s bound and determined to be a leader in the business world and is willing to give his life (or at least his hand in marriage) to achieve his goals. When Ashley’s father offers the proposition: Marry my daughter and you can take over my company, Devon’s desires are put to the test.

Can he really marry a woman in the name of business?

Can he keep up the charade of marriage with a woman who has no idea the love of her life is a sham?

What happens if Devon falls for Ashley?

What happens if she learns the truth?…

Review

This was probably the best paced plot in the series (Enticed by His Forgotten Lover, Wanted by Her Lost Love). Real time actually passed – 2 whole months! Plus, the pregnancy wasn’t ‘automatic’ in this installment. Ashley and Devon got to know each other and progress their relationship from a start to a more, shall we say, complicated point before a pregnancy was introduced. This was different from the first two books in the series where the story (for the reader at least) started with an advanced pregnancy.

Without the emotional ramifications that a pregnancy brings the reader gets to see Devon slowly, even subtly, falling for the ‘real’ Ash. Devon’s huge defense are the physical signs of love: chest tightening, pleasant ache in the chest, being surprised that he actually WANTED to marry her. Apparently for Devon it could be love or a heart attack. Because we all know that physically apparent signs of love resonate in the chest…it would be awful weird if they happened in the foot, or maybe even the brain – where Devon might be forced to logically acknowledge his feelings – though this might be too much to ask from a man whose instigation for marriage springs from a business contract.

Anyway, shocker of shocker Ash finds out about the business contract that led to her marriage proposal and Ash decides not to run or fold like a house of cards. Nope. Ash chooses the martyr route. And while parts of that are super sad – she feels as though she needs to change herself – it also makes her realize that in the end she needs to stay true to herself.

Ultimately, I thought this one was a good effort. Devon doesn’t come off as an ass (huge accomplishment of the author) and even though I think he could have smoothed over the situation a little earlier than he did…He also takes the fall for the heartless start of the relationship. Which was necessary for his character. The ending was pat for how complex Banks allowed the rest of the book to get. So easy it’s a little vomit-in-the-mouth sweetly perfect. The characters deserved more…

3/5: Best of the series so far, but the characters deserved an ending the included more emotional depth – or at least a heart-to-heart. 

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Library Musings…Back in the Saddle Again

Hello World!

Yes, I’m still alive.

I want to apologize for my month of silence. I needed a bit of a break. I have a lot going on in my world at the moment; personally, professionally, and as a reader.

I was feeling overwhelmed by life and something had to give.

My breaking point was when I found myself with 74 unread books on my Nook, 3 in progress unfinished books, 0 pre-written posts, and only 7 books read for the year…And I was already 2 months in! At this point even my favorite stress relief, reading, was feeling like a chore; it was one more thing I was struggling with.

I felt lost.

So I decided to take a good, hard look at my reading/blogging world:

Was it still making me happy?

Sort of…

I realized that I had let the blogging world dictate my reading, rather than my reading dictate what was going on with my blog.

I was reaching for short YA that I knew I could finish in a few hours (had to happen overnight remember, ’cause I had no posts prepared…duh). And I was staring at 75 books I was dying to read…but putting off because I couldn’t read them fast enough. Again: Failing. At. Reading.

Enter a bit of “bookish” depression

So I let this one ball drop.

Because as women we’re sooo good at letting all those balls we’re juggling drop. Yep. We’re super great at parsing through our obligations and letting go of those that aren’t as integral to our lives. Yep…I’m totally being sarcastic here. We’ve all pulled that all-nighter just to bake that extra batch of cookies. I’ve personally (and recently) refused to buy the box-mix of brownies. I’ll stand up and admit it. Feels like cheating to me.

Yes, I said cheating.

And Yes, I am fully aware that the guests I served these brownies to wouldn’t have known the difference between my stove-top-tempered-egg-chocolate-mint-brownies that took 15 minutes of constant stirring (hello arm workout!) and the 5-minute-kitchen-aid-mixed-boxed-batch…But I’d know. And something in me says I must take that extra 15 minutes to do it the hard right way. Crazy.

And even if my moral-brownie-dilemma is a foreign concept to you…if you’re reading this blog at least we can agree that the bookish-dilemma is not.

I’d lost touch with my favorite aspect of my personal reading style. My ability to read just about anything; and in just this one part of my life, let my choice in reads be dictated by current obsessions. If I feel like a trashy novel one day and an inspirational the next I go with it. I go with my own flow.

I started the blog as a way to record my diverse reading. And over the course of the last year I’d lost sight of that. I started reading what the bloggish community was reading. I was putting my own reading desires to the side.

No more people. I’ve hit my reset button.

During my blogging silence I read 10 books. 10. I read what I wanted, when I wanted. I took notes, I wrote out quotes, I texted my bookish bff. It was wonderful.

My plan from here on out is to stay true to myself while blogging. To be ok if I go a few days or *gasp* a week without a post. To remember that blogging about a book comes second to my love of actually reading said book.

I can be happy with that. 😉

P.S.

On an entirely unrelated note it’s my Dad’s Birthday!

Whoo hoo!

As my most faithful blog follower and supporter it’s only right that I’ve decided to begin posting again on his B-day 😉

So Happy Birthday Dad!

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