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  • Book Club: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

    PotatoWhen this book was first suggested as our book club read, I had never heard of it before and my first thought was, “What kind of name is that?” Little did I know that this book is actually extremely popular and highly rated. I’m glad I knew nothing of it, because I had no expectations going in.

    The story is set in immediate post-WWII Britain. It revolves around Juliet, a woman in her early 30’s who has recently published a successful novel. She receives a letter from a man named Dawsey who lives on the British island of Guernsey, which is the only part of England that was occupied by the Nazis during the war. Dawsey bought a used book that had Juliet’s name and address inside, and he writes her to ask questions about the author. Juliet begins a correspondence with him, and subsequently with Dawsey’s neighbors and friends as well. Through this we learn all about the lives of the inhabitants of Guernsey during the occupation, and how literature helped them through it.

    The book is made up entirely of letters between the characters, all who are extremely witty. I’m kind of in love with some of them. Though it may be a tad unrealistic, it is charming and adorable to read. And, thank goodness, there is a happy ending–my favorite kind. The whole thing made me want to sit down and write long, handwritten letters to strangers. (I won’t do that, though. My husband wouldn’t approve.)

    I give it 4 out of 5 stars, and definitely recommend it as a quick and enjoyable read. (For the record, some of my real-life book club members loved this book even more than I did.)

     

  • kick start

    Hello. So it appears that I have fallen off the blogging bandwagon a bit. I really thought I would update more frequently than this after NaBloPoMo ended, but I guess it tired me out more than I realized. ANYWAY, here are some things for you to ponder. Or things for you to skim over and forget about, whatever you like.

    ***

    This Saturday I attended The Pioneer Woman’s book signing with Chelsea, Lauren, (non-blogger) Kelly, and Darla. I felt a little bit like an imposter because I’ve only been reading her blog for a couple of weeks. Although I have to say, I am hooked. Also, I am really bad at meeting people in general, and meeting anyone even remotely famous just isn’t my thing. I clam up and come off either awkward, stuck up, or–God forbid–BORING. Thankfully Lauren and Chelsea have been reading my blog so they (hopefully) know there’s an interesting person in there somewhere. Needless to say, I did not say much to Ree other than, “Thank you for making it to Houston.” There might be a picture of us out there somewhere.

    ***

    I finally saw New Moon today. I waited awhile and went to the first showing of the day on a weekday and was rewarded with only 5-6 other people in the theater, and none of them were the screaming type. I will be the first to admit that I loved the books (back when I read them long before the craziness started happening), but I’m not much a fan of the movies. In fact, I am thinking of watching the next one on DVD.

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    The things I’m working on now in my spare time include decorating for Christmas using the least amount of money possible, making and sending Christmas cards, planning my next home project (my in-laws are going to help us out with that as a gift–SO EXCITED), reading (always reading), and eating. Some of these things I will be expanding on soon for you.

    ***

    My brother and I get to do a couple of songs at the Christmas Eve service at our church. He plays guitar, I sing. We already have one picked out, but we’re looking for another. Anyone have any suggestions? The song should be about Jesus, preferably.

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    I cannot stop eating cookie dough. That is all.

  • Best Book of 2009

    bookshelves1
    Not my bookshelf, but isn’t it pretty?

    You might have heard that Gwen Bell is hosting a “Best of 2009 blog challenge” in which anyone can share their bests of the year on a different topic every day of December. Since I’m just coming off a month straight of posting, I’m definitely not participating in the entire challenge, although I think it’s a great idea. But today’s prompt is best book, and since books are something I’m passionate about I figured I’d jump in.

    Reading is my favorite hobby, even more so than blogging. So far this year I’ve read 27 books, and I should finish up at least a couple more by the end of the year. That’s actually a lot more than I thought I had read this year. I have a busy schedule and rarely get to sit down and just read for hours. But I am always, always reading, and I am not ashamed to pull out my book in the line at the grocery store or at a stoplight. That adds up. Next year I’d like to make it to 40, maybe even 50 books. I want to make it more of a priority.

    Anyway, I was looking over these 27 books and was pleasantly surprised at how many good ones there were. The Pillars of the Earth. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. The Complete Sherlock Holmes Volume 2. America America. Searching For God Knows What. All wonderful books that I would recommend in a heartbeat. In the end I chose two favorites, a fiction and a nonfiction.

    As for fiction, the winner goes to Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. Since I just reviewed it recently, I don’t need to say much more. This book moved my soul. I laughed and I cried. It made me desire and appreciate life, from the smallest detail to the largest event. It made the love I have for others grow even more.

    I relish a good nonfiction book from time to time, and this year my favorite was the classic The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. Do you want to be inspired? Do you want to be horrified? Do you need some perspective? Do you want to see the amazing things God can do through the people who love and obey Him? Read this book. It’s the story of a Christian family during the Holocaust who help hide Jews, and what happens to them when they are discovered. It’s definitely one I’ll be rereading through the years.

    What was the best book you read this year?

  • Currently In December

    Current Book(s): I’m reading The Host by Stephenie Meyer. It’s highly mediocre: just good enough so that I want to finish and know how it ends. I’ve also been listening to an audiobook called Bleeding Kansas by Sara Paretsky. I never would have picked it out myself, but my husband brought it home for me from the library one day simply because I lived in Kansas for 4 years. It’s actually not bad.

    bleedingkansas

    Current Playlist: I’ve whipped up my Christmas playlist and am loving every minute of it. I hate the Christmas music on the radio, but I can’t get enough of the music I’ve acquired over the years. Here are the albums in rotation: Andrew Peterson – Behold the Lamb of God, Eleven Eleven Band – Christmastime, Sarah McLachlan – Wintersong, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Over the Rhine – Snow Angels, Your King Has Come. Of course I’m always open to new music, so let me know if I’m missing anything essential!

    Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: Taking a complete and total break from exercising. It’s amazing how much less guilt I feel when I don’t even plan on it. I spent a couple of weeks intending to exercise every day, and when it didn’t get done I felt terrible. Now I’m just like, “Nope, not doing it right now.” (Although my plan is to start triathlon training again after the new year, so I’m enjoying this while it lasts.)

    Current Color: For Christmas I like pastel greens and jewel tone reds.

    Pastel Green 60M Ruby_Red

    Current Drink: Haven’t had any yet, but I absolutely love wassail during the holidays. Can’t wait to try making some myself!

    Current Food: Christmas cookies! Time to start baking up a storm.

    Current Favorite Show: I’m not watching any current shows, but David and I are still going through The Office on Netflix.

    Current Wishlist: All the items on my Christmas list, but what I’d especially like right now that doesn’t fit into our budget is more good Christmas albums, some house slippers, knitted boots, and more cold-weather clothes.

    knittedUggs

    Current Needs: To regain my confidence at work. An accumulation of small mistakes and unwelcome, trivial criticism has me feeling like I’m a new nurse all over again.

    Current Triumphs: Completing NaBloPoMo with very few cop-out posts. My goal was to have good content every day and refrain from whining about the task. For the most part, I think I accomplished that!

    Current Bane(s) of my Existence: Cold weather. I’m not adequately prepared for it, and it came so suddenly! This morning my husband turned on the heat, and I only protested a little bit.

    Current Celebrity Crush: I guess if I have to think about this one for too long, it’s probably not really a crush, right? Guess I don’t have one.

    Current Indulgence: The aforementioned not exercising, Christmas cookies, and turning the heat on.

    Current Blessing(s): A husband who knows exactly what to say to make me feel better about myself, doctors who don’t get upset when I bother them because of a silly mistake, warm socks and a warm home.

    Current Outfit: My #3 soccer sweatpants from college, a blue Old Navy fleece, and fuzzy socks. In a few hours I’ll find the energy to change and venture out into the world, but not yet.

    Current Excitement: I’m looking forward to seeing The Pioneer Woman this Saturday with Chelsea and Lauren. (My secret is that I’m more excited about seeing Chelsea and Lauren than The Pioneer Woman. Also, I need to buy her book, and quick.)

    pioneerwomancookbook-300x300

    Current Mood: I am well-rested and intent on accomplishing much today. Happy, for the most part, although thinking about work puts my stomach in little knots.

    Current Link: I love the blog Style Lush. It’s written by a group of women around my age, and features anything and everything that they enjoy or think is pretty. Recently they put out a pretty great holiday gift guide.

    Happy December!

  • #87: Complete NaBloPoMo

    nablo.sat.1109.120x200Today is the last day of November, and the last of my daily posts. I’ll be honest; there were times that it was a strain. I went through a lull in motivation about halfway through, but then I learned to plan ahead a little bit and came in strong for the finish. I challenged myself to be creative, to just write something even if it wasn’t great, and I did it. As cliche as it sounds, I do have a sense of satisfaction in completing this task.

    Posting every day isn’t something that is a priority for me to continue, but I have gotten into the habit and I think I’ll be a lot more frequent than I used to be. I really appreciate everyone who has encouraged me this month, who have told me how much they enjoy my daily posts. I love the creative outlet that my blog is to me, but the main reason I keep it up is because of the community and the people. Thanks, y’all.