tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11144232130947776332024-02-20T18:11:57.391-08:00Read It HardA Book / Reading BlogJennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08094952365544594595noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1114423213094777633.post-24133390252188444032012-09-22T08:17:00.000-07:002012-09-22T08:20:44.037-07:00Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp7GeaiRmz9iwqtiNxgzGqNXsulM6JKOgJzOk2gQVJP56qOMH0orm2xPX8sM_T9-ICY68vkKOlSimR_iGSccP4WJPI9hrtsDh-TBZW_KH11li9lsGCd4khRpVAUTEqTWu6bMHJ3qZ4DOWk/s1600/gone+girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp7GeaiRmz9iwqtiNxgzGqNXsulM6JKOgJzOk2gQVJP56qOMH0orm2xPX8sM_T9-ICY68vkKOlSimR_iGSccP4WJPI9hrtsDh-TBZW_KH11li9lsGCd4khRpVAUTEqTWu6bMHJ3qZ4DOWk/s200/gone+girl.jpg" width="131"></a></div>
Title: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gone Girl</i><br>
Author: Gillian Flynn<br>
ISBN: 030758836X <br>
Pages: 432 <br>
Time It Took Me to Read: 5 Days<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><br>
<br>
<o:p> </o:p><br>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gone Girl</i> was a book I was aware
of, since my friend reviewed it on her <a href="http://mrandmeatless.com/2012/07/10/book-review-gone-girl/" target="_blank">blog</a> and another friend recommended it.
I was determined to get my hands on it since I had been seeing it everywhere. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gone Girl</i>’s reserve list at the library
was so large that it would’ve taken FOREVER for me to get. My friend with the
blog lent it to me and just like that, I got involved in another book
phenomenon.<br>
<br>
This book opens on the day of Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding
anniversary. They met and spent the first years of their marriage in <st1:state><st1:place>New
York</st1:place></st1:state>. However, due to layoffs and the demise of
Nick’s mother’s health, they move back to Nick’s hometown in <st1:state><st1:place>Missouri</st1:place></st1:state>.
Not sure what to do next, Nick opens a bar with his twin sister, Go, while Amy
stays at home. Then, Amy disappears on the day of their anniversary and Nick
becomes the prime suspect.<br>
<a href="http://readithard.blogspot.com/2012/09/title-gone-girl-author-gillian-flynn.html#more">Read more »</a>Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08094952365544594595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1114423213094777633.post-87033827300589337332012-09-18T20:43:00.001-07:002012-09-18T20:59:00.654-07:00Hmm...<br />
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Um, hi guys. </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Wow, this is awkward.<br />
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Okay, I know I have been away for a good six months. I know
it’s weird I’m starting back up this blog that exactly no one reads but hey, a
girl needs an outlet.<br />
<o:p> </o:p><br />
Let’s just say that this summer was the worst reading time
of my life. I blame <u>Fifty Shades of Grey</u>. I was also reading
a lot of series’ installments that I was already bored with. I didn’t have any
shining stars and I was reading sloooowly. Nevertheless, my library queue
dwindled and dwindled until I had exactly one book I wanted to read in it. I
was feeling down, uninspired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
seemed like no light at the end of the tunnel…<br />
<o:p> </o:p><br />
Then…<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p>I read <u>Gone Girl</u> by Gillian Flynn. </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p>This book was exactly what I needed to get back on the
metaphorical horse and search for some new stuff. Turns out, I’ve been hiding
under a rock. I started getting book ideas from people I know and people I
found on Youtube and suddenly, my book queue filled up again. I am on hold for 10
books at two separate library chains! I finally got my hands on <u>Where
We Belong</u> by Emily Giffin and lo and behold, I have a bonafide hobby
again.</div>
<br />
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I also joined a book club. Look at me.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
So, I’m not promising anything with this reintroduction. I
might keep this going for a week or a year or ten years. We’ll see. All I know
is that there is a reinvigoration inside of me that comes from reading a good
book. Any reader can attest to how a great book can make you fall in love with
reading all over again and that’s what happened to me.</div>
<br />
So, let’s hope I can read it hard…again. Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08094952365544594595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1114423213094777633.post-50811616879162977782012-03-11T15:50:00.000-07:002012-03-11T15:50:02.379-07:00Book Fail: The Moment by Douglas Kennedy<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOIcNUA2UaE8ukWoeQm4L8CkN-20UZsTPVn3arOVBD3RINXRLA1NwvntNmoDZLczQ546bJrcJCq-vH20x7dnpozsH4OxIgqtaCsROdzYz6_kDIr-FDRRWjgjmMfTqnc-uul1nQfGKmarn8/s1600/The-Moment_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOIcNUA2UaE8ukWoeQm4L8CkN-20UZsTPVn3arOVBD3RINXRLA1NwvntNmoDZLczQ546bJrcJCq-vH20x7dnpozsH4OxIgqtaCsROdzYz6_kDIr-FDRRWjgjmMfTqnc-uul1nQfGKmarn8/s200/The-Moment_0.jpg" width="132" /></a> Title: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Moment<o:p></o:p></i><br />
Author: Douglas Kennedy<br />
Page I Stopped <st1:city><st1:place>Reading</st1:place></st1:city>: 50<br />
<br />
Here’s what happened.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Moment </i>is a thick book. I tend to shy away from books over 400 pages for many reasons. I feel a great sense of pride by finishing a book. I feel accomplished and proud of myself, even if it’s 15 minutes worth. When I read longer books, I get that feeling less often. I tend to get tired of books I read for over ten days too. This fear of reading this book for over ten days consumed me and thus, why it’s going back to the library unfinished.</div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I had the best of intentions. The first 50 pages were good and interesting. However, I put it aside to read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">31 Dates in 31 Days</i>, which I knew I would finish quickly enough to return to the library this week. However, when I finished <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">31 Dates in 31 Days, </i>I was no longer interested in it. I lost the book’s rhythm. This again reaffirmed why I read one book at a time and date one man at a time. I’m horrible at multi-tasking.</div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Moment</i> is about a divorced writer who has just signed on the dotted line to dissolve his marriage. He’s solitary and single-minded in his career as a travel writer. He soon comes home from a short trip to find a package from a woman he used to see—who was from <st1:state><st1:place>Berlin</st1:place></st1:state>. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Moment</i> definitely sets up the book’s overarching theme right away—The moments that change us the most are often the most unexpected.</div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Moment </i>is a tragic book fail for me because it was just a matter of timing. What would have happened if I didn’t pick up <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">31 Dates in 31 Days</i>? Would I be further through it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who knows. Overall, I do not feel bad for returning this to the library. I can only move forward and pray the next one doesn’t meet a similar fate.</div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Grade: Incomplete<o:p></o:p></div>Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08094952365544594595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1114423213094777633.post-79239162688775956082012-03-08T17:31:00.001-08:002012-09-18T20:46:17.486-07:00Review: 31 Dates in 31 Days by Tamara Duricka Johnson<div class="separator" style="border: currentColor; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgac7-fJZ0Nistpj7yHGHF-X8EvFDojyyyz25gN0ZvEEfHay9rETlFA3wUc08XDYpkXbAXWCLGIGZg2cg7riPN84JAodrF6qS3TiySTFT36wurY0m7IgBF0DCcysv9cSAUSFDn_a9neh07/s1600/31dates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgac7-fJZ0Nistpj7yHGHF-X8EvFDojyyyz25gN0ZvEEfHay9rETlFA3wUc08XDYpkXbAXWCLGIGZg2cg7riPN84JAodrF6qS3TiySTFT36wurY0m7IgBF0DCcysv9cSAUSFDn_a9neh07/s200/31dates.jpg" width="200" yda="true" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Title: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">31 Dates in 31 Days</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Author: Tamara Duricka Johnson</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
ISBN: 9781580053662</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Pages: 320</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Time It Took Me to Read: 3 Days<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
When I started reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Moment,</i> I had a feeling it would take awhile. With my growing pile of books to take back to the library, I figured I could get this one out of the way and return it with my hoard. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Now from first glance, this has “Bitter” written all over it. It’s about a single thirty-something woman from <state><place>New York</place></state>. I’ve watched enough <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sex and the City</i> to judge this book by its cover (or blurb on the back). However, this is anything but bitter. It has frustration, yes. It has a little bit of heartache, yes. But, bitter it is not.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
This 31-year-old woman named Tamara embarked on a dating project in 2009 called “31 Dates in 31 Days.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She would date a different man for each of the first thirty days and on the thirty-first day, she would go on a second date from the broad she dated over the month. She created a blog from it, which I suspect some of the book is. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Tamara was kinda desperate, kinda hopeless. However, over the coarse of the thirty-one days, she learned how to open up to love, see the positive in people, regain hope in the men of <state><place>New York</place></state>, and eventually become marriage-material. In her author bio, it says she’s married. Interesting. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Now, whenever you do a memoir, everyone and their mother will have an opinion about you. She put her life out there for people to judge and read about and that’s brave. However, I don’t think her singledom is due to a terrible personality. She seems sweet, kind, and easygoing. I think she just choose the wrong men and had bad dating habits. That makes this easy to read and easy to cheer for her. You want to see her find love.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
I enjoyed reading the book but would definitely fail a reading comprehension test on this one. The men definitely ran together and I began to have trouble distinguishing them. When she chose her second date on the thirty-first day, I had to go back and read about his first date. Still, there was some suspense as to who she would choose and more importantly, did she marry someone from the project? It says she’s married after all.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Grade: B+ </div>
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<br /></div>
Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08094952365544594595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1114423213094777633.post-80867841348760386832012-03-03T09:05:00.002-08:002012-03-03T09:05:39.711-08:00February Round-Up and March Goals!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I know, I know.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">March is already three days in and I have yet to make any March reading goals. I also need to wrap my head around February. Well, here it goes.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">February was a wildly successful reading month for me. I enjoyed pretty much every book I finished and I blazed through some. My original goal at the beginning of the month was to read four books and I read seven. I do have a bigger goal of reading 40 this year (I only read 38 or 39 last year) and I feel like I am well on my way. This blog has been a positive motivating experience for me and encourages me to have a steady reading pace. I have no doubt I might need to choose a new target for the year (50? 60? 70?!) and that excites me. I feel like my old self again when it comes to reading.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The books I read last month are:</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><ol style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bringing </i><place><placename><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Adam</i></placename><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i><placename><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Home</i></placename></place><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">: The Abduction that Changed </i><country-region><place><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">America</i></place></country-region> by Les Standiford and Det. Sgt. Joe Matthews</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Then Came You</i> by Jennifer Weiner</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><state><place><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">California</i></place></state><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Girl Chronicles</i> by Michelle Gamble-Risley</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Stolen Life</i> by Jaycee Dugard</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Next Always</i> by Nora Roberts</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bossypants</i> by Tina Fey</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">31 Dates in 31 Days</i> by Tamara Duricka Johnson (Review Soon!)</li>
</ol><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I did have a book fail but it wasn’t epic by any means. I stopped reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Moment</i> by Douglas Kennedy. However, one book fail for a month is pretty good because I am a lot more picky about what I finish reading these days.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">So, here are my goals this month for my reading and for my blog:</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><ol style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;">Finish 5 books</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;">Give every book I currently have borrowed from the library a chance before picking up any others</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list .5in;">Post 10 times throughout March (this is #1)</li>
</ol><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">So, happy March everyone! BIRTHDAY MONTH!</div>Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08094952365544594595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1114423213094777633.post-58729292122138152982012-02-28T19:04:00.001-08:002012-02-29T15:12:56.089-08:00Review: Bossypants by Tina Fey<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2j5v87kHyMnHJh7Bx-w3YlocLWrTGYPPGUM5kQEgFCePixBnoxxWNLvu16kMZw5o7zfigBDGy7aoR3TmAGpY8gdKHakNJaZ5X-Pg-Q19nId3i4L7lZ4aaj-YP0a5q6oxyOJN8F9NkjNL3/s1600/bossypants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; height: 183px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 151px;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2j5v87kHyMnHJh7Bx-w3YlocLWrTGYPPGUM5kQEgFCePixBnoxxWNLvu16kMZw5o7zfigBDGy7aoR3TmAGpY8gdKHakNJaZ5X-Pg-Q19nId3i4L7lZ4aaj-YP0a5q6oxyOJN8F9NkjNL3/s200/bossypants.jpg" uda="true" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of Persphonemagazine.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Title: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bossypants</i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Author: Tina Fey</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">ISBN: 9780316056861</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Pages: 275</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Time It Took Me to Read: Less than 48 hours</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I had extremely high hopes for this one. When I put my name on the reserve list at the library, I was in 50s. I was patient and eventually, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bossypants </i>was mine. Upon learning it had arrived for me, I promptly went at lunch to pick it up. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I didn’t know what to expect but I had some vague ideas. I had hopes for random anecdotes of embarrassing childhood memories and funny perspectives on average things. While the first part of the book rambled and meandered much to my heart’s delight, it eventually slowed down into amusing (but less funny) narrative.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">At first, it’s hysterical. I was laughing hysterically at the chapter “All Girls Must Be Everything,” where she talks about women’s bodies and things she feels uncomfortable about but has learned to accept. Here’s a nugget for your viewing pleasure: “Wide German hips that look like somebody wrapped Pillsbury dough around a case of soda” (Fey 25). Funny right?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Then, she begins documenting her career. While it’s fascinating, there is less and less of funny moments and the funny anecdotes I was expecting. Chapters of funny are sprinkled throughout to break up the story (“Dear Internet” and “The Mother’s Prayer for Its Child” are good examples). However, I didn’t expect to read that much about Sarah Palin.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">One thing that I absolutely loved is Tina Fey’s voice. There were moments I could hear her voice through her words. Fey is extremely sarcastic throughout this book and because her voice is so strong, the tone of her sarcasm is not lost. Here is another nugget from the chapter “The Mother’s Prayer for Its Child”:</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And when she one days turns on me and calls me a </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Bitch in front of Hollister,</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cab in front of her friends,</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it (Fey 263).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Overall, this is a major win for Fey. My high expectations did make me grade this harsher than a book that I had no expectations for. Fey is an extremely gifted comedic writer. I read this baby fast and I would definitely read (and maybe even buy) a sophomore effort. If not for the slow chapters of narrative, this would’ve gotten a higher grade.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Grade: A- </div>Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08094952365544594595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1114423213094777633.post-60631511715662057622012-02-25T19:26:00.001-08:002012-02-29T15:12:00.014-08:00Library Haul -- February 2012<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I don’t know about you but I tend to overborrow from the library.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">If you’re an avid reader, you know how it is. You get into a library and are overcome with the possibilities. I’m on a neverending search for the next great book love affair. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to read some good standby authors but I also want to branch out and find new loves and new voices to hear (or read).</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">When I am in a mood, I just start grabbing. I peruse many different sections, reading the covers to see if it is something that could peak my interest. Sometimes, I edit my selection and put a few back. Or in my case on Thursday, I borrow everything that looks good.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I was just going to get Tina Fey’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bossypants</i> that came in and was finally mine for up to three weeks. While there, I went into a frenzy. So many choices. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ended up taking four books home total, all for different reasons. Borrowing four books to add to the two I had already out that I hadn’t read yet, wasn’t my sanest moment. I’m a slow reader compared to the avid badass I-read-several-books-a-month-under-24-hours reader. Still, it’s a challenge.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Behold my bevy of bounty:</div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNkMOUQNEs2xJfcNI0HIoOAz80QzKt-boUs_SFAEaFri62dhMoHG8X7R512MfT_PzqIU_O9B_nxYbtknvEnDgysp9AW7cuvyQh1hPXl_GYbm_y3ljXW9A-nSp57IErk0miERtI-I-PkA1/s1600/haul+feb+12.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" lda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSNkMOUQNEs2xJfcNI0HIoOAz80QzKt-boUs_SFAEaFri62dhMoHG8X7R512MfT_PzqIU_O9B_nxYbtknvEnDgysp9AW7cuvyQh1hPXl_GYbm_y3ljXW9A-nSp57IErk0miERtI-I-PkA1/s1600/haul+feb+12.bmp" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Personal Photo</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Here are my choices (and possible future reviews):</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Great and Terrible Beauty </i>by Libba Bray: I’ve been wanting to read this one for a while. It has a gorgeous cover and sounds interesting. I got this a week ago but it’s an honor book so no rush! <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nutshell: </b>Girl from the Victorian age gets sent to bordering school. Girl has supernatural powers. Stuff happens.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Moment </i>by Douglas Kennedy: This is a book I knew nothing about until I pulled it from the New Books section. I got this a week ago and it’s a thick one so it’s next on the reading list. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nutshell: </b>Guy is getting divorced and is down. He gets a parcel from an old German love. I might learn something about the Berlin Wall.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Wives of Henry Oades</i> by Johanna Moran: You had me at bigamy. One of the ones I got on the library trip that shall be now referred to as “The Incident.” <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nutshell: </b>Guy is married and has children. Guy thinks wife and kids die. Guy falls in love and marries again. However, his first wife is not dead. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bigamy.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">31 Dates in 31 Days </i>by Tamara Duricka Johnson: I love me a good dating book although I’m in a committed long-term relationship. I got this because I couldn’t pass up the chance to read about dating. I got this during “The Incident.” <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nutshell: </b>Woman is picky and desperate, similar to other single women in their thirties. She decides to go on a dating experiment, going on thirty-one first dates <em>in a row</em>. What will happen?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bossypants </i>by Tina Fey: Got this during “The Incident.” Expect review soon.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Of All the Stupid Things</i> by Alexandra Diaz: This was my wildcard pick. It’s YA, so there’s a good chance it’s bad. However, seeing a YA novel try to discuss the complexities of being a gay teenager, well, I was curious. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nutshell: </b>Girl’s boyfriend is rumored to have cheated on her with another guy. Now, she thinks another girl is cute. Or does she?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">There you go folks. What books did you get recently?</div>Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08094952365544594595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1114423213094777633.post-63743395637486383012012-02-23T22:07:00.001-08:002012-02-29T15:13:21.312-08:00Review: The Next Always by Nora Roberts <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center">Courtesy of Amazon</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Title: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Next Always </i>(Inn Boonsboro Trilogy)</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Author: Nora Roberts</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">ISBN: 9780425243213</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Pages: 324</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Time It Took Me to Read: 8 days</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Now, don’t get me wrong. I love Nora Roberts. That woman knows how to write a book. She puts out a good 3-4 books a year and hasn’t really slowed down. In fact, I think she’s sped up.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">This is a new miniseries she likes to put out between her single titles. They’re usually predictable because they center around a family or group of friends of the same sex, who own a business or have a romantic hobby. Then, you watch each person in this group fall in love. They are all some variation on this storyline and they tend to run together. You can’t tell one book from another and can’t tell who ends up with whom when it’s been awhile since you’ve read them.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">This book is the first in the trilogy, centers around the opening of a B&B owned by three brothers, Beckett, Owen, and Ryder Montgomery and their widowed mother, Justine. Now, let me say, I am a tad frustrated this B&B doesn’t exist. It sounds gorgeous and a place I would love to stay. I think Nora Roberts thinks of romantic places that women would just eat up and asks herself “Well, if three women/men worked there…”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Beckett is the first to fall in love and I kind of see all the characters as characters in a horror-romance movie. You can figure out who’s going to go with whom because the characters who are going to fall in love show up in the first book. Beckett has always been smitten with Clare, who owns the local bookshop, is widowed and mother to three boys under the age of ten. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The book flows and isn’t overally formulaic. It dwells on the gorgeous details. You can really see Roberts doing her thing when the characters describe how they’re going to decorate this gorgeous B&B that doesn’t exist (And I’m still pissed about). </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Even if it doesn’t follow a formula, there is absolutely no suspense. It was a decent book but I didn’t read it all that fast (8 days is looooong). There’s nothing wrong with it but it just didn’t excite me. Romance readers in general like the predictability of the couple falling in love at the end. I enjoy it once and awhile and after finishing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Stolen Life,</i> I needed it. I do find that I get bored easily with her books, though.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If it takes me over a week to read a book, I like it but I don’t love it. I read her books because I read her. That’s it. I’ll probably read the rest in the series but you won’t see me rushing out to get them.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Grade: B</div>Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08094952365544594595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1114423213094777633.post-55536842865653062982012-02-18T20:48:00.002-08:002012-02-29T15:14:13.099-08:00Review: A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of LA Times.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Title: <em>A Stolen Life</em><br />
Author: Jaycee Dugard<br />
ISBN: 1451629184</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Pages: 288<br />
Time It Took for Me to Read: less than 24 hours</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">You know I like a book when I read it quickly. There are so many other distractions in my life (if you own an iPhone, you understand) and a book that inspires me to sit down and read…well, that is an enthralling book.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">This was a surprising read for me but not surprising at the same time. I love a good crime memoir but I had slightly low hopes for this one. First off, this poor girl (now a woman) has a fifth-grade education. Second, there is a high probability that this was ghost-written. I am not against ghost-written books but my limited experience with them has not been good. For the most part, they suck.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">However, Jaycee Dugard’s experience trumps any lack of writing ability. Dugard was famously taken from <city><place>South Lake Tahoe</place></city> in 1991. She endured eighteen years of captivity in the hands of her captor, a deranged, delusional convicted sex offender. She was found after a pair of <city><place>Berkeley</place></city> campus officers noticed something odd and acted on their female intuition and instincts. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Her perspective is captivating and explains how someone could be bound like emotional handcuffs, instead of physical ones. A good book is not always the most entertaining but also makes you ask yourself the hard questions. Jaycee was positive in even the worst of circumstances and focused on what she has rather than what she has lost out on. I am blessed and Jaycee probably would’ve preferred my life to hers. However, I complain a lot more than she was allowed to. She was thankful for the roof over her head and food to eat and I stress about stupid things. Her story created an appreciation of my own life in me.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">While this will never win a Pultizer, it served the purpose she had for this book. She wrote it as part of her therapy and as a way for her kidnapper, Phillip Garrido, to not longer hold any power. I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would and gained a little fragment of a life lesson. Bravo, Jaycee. Bravo.</div><br />
Grade: AJennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08094952365544594595noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1114423213094777633.post-34927220730553662722011-11-02T19:27:00.000-07:002011-11-02T19:45:15.894-07:00Welcome to Read It Hard!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Welcome to my own little piece of the Internet called Read it Hard! I decided to start a reading blog for two reasons: I love to read and I love to write. My love for reading goes way back. We’re talking more than 20 years of sheer love for books and libraries. I've loved writing almost as long. So, I decided to make my own blog about reading and books to start conversations and state honest opinions on the books I’ve read. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">So, let's read it hard.</div>Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08094952365544594595noreply@blogger.com0