Summer Blog Challenge, Day 8

Day 8: Not including blogging, your favorite guilty pleasure.

Reading... sometimes if I find a good book it takes everything I have NOT to read it all day and coerce Elah into playing elsewhere, LOL! I love to read, and I love that my daughter is finding a love for books as well. There's nothing like diving into a new world, a different life, an interesting plot and filling your mind with fantasy, mystery, and suspense!

What's On Your Nightstand?

Yay! It's that time again! I love to read... I just wish I had more time to do so! Lately, even though she sleeps great in her crib for naps, I've been cuddling up with Boogie in the recliner and letting her nap on me. One, I get sweet cuddles that she isn't always inclined to share, and two, I'm forced to sit there and then I have time to read :-D Anyways... I just finished several books, let's see if I can remember them all!

 

Ok, I admit it. I saw the movie BEFORE reading the book. Shame on me! Oh well... the book was fantastic, and I'm glad that I'm not the type of person who busts into tears during a sad read (unless I'm pregnant) because this was also an incredibly sad story. Basically, this book is about a family who started out with 2 kids (Jesse and Kate) and they find out that their daughter Kate has leukemia. Jesse and his parents are not a match to help with blood transfusions or organ donation so the doctor suggests for them to have another child. So here enters Anna... her entire life she's been giving and giving to Kate to help Kate live, which is GREAT... but nobody ever ASKS her if she wants too. So Anna hires a lawyer and sues her parents. It's truly a great read, and I highly recommend it!

 

Oh this book... I though My Sister's Keeper was sad, but this one was heartbreaking. This book is about a family (Charlotte and Sean get married and start trying to have a baby, Charlotte already had one child named Amelia) who finally gets pregnant with their first child together, and after an ultrasound at 20(I think) weeks, it's discovered that the baby girl, Willow, has a bone disease called osteogenesis  imperfecta. This bone disease causes Willow's bones to be incredibly brittle and easily broken, her case is so severe that just a slight touch of her newborn body and her bones could break. You follow this family on a vacation where Willow falls at Disney World and is sent to the hospital... a lot of miscommunication happens at the hospital and her parents are arrested for child abuse and her sister Amelia is taken to stay with a foster family. Once everything is worked out and they return home Sean decides to sue the hospital and police station who handled the entire ordeal but finds that he has no case. During this meeting with the lawyers, the lawyers explain that although they don't have a case based on this incident they may be able to sue for wrongful birth (speaking of Willow). It's a hard read, especially if you're a mother... but it's a good book, it's inspiring, heart wrenching, and another good read by Jodi Picoult. 

 

I am not going to summarize this book because you HAVE to read the first one first! But these books are phenomenal, only took me a few days to read (and if I could have I would have had the first 2 read in a few hours....). Seriously, go find a copy. READ THEM NOW!

Ok, moving on to what I'm reading now and later this month....

Before I share these first two let me explain that I'm really into supernatural teen fiction lately. Yes, that includes Twilight, House of Night series, Vampire Academy... etc. I'm a book nerd. 

 

This is the book I'm reading now, it's the 3rd book in this particular series (Fallen). It's a little hard to explain, so I'll point you to Lauren Kate's page so you can read up on the series. Go HERE.

And here are the books I'm hoping to read later:

 

 

 

 

 

 

What's On Your Nightstand? - January

There is nothing I love more than putting Boogie to bed in the evenings and cuddling up under the covers of my own bed with a book (or my nook!). I love to read, if given the chance (and the time) I could read several books a day. 
This month I've read:

This book is excellent, I love every Francine Rivers book I've read so far. This book is about a young girl named Marta who lives in Switzerland with her parents and two siblings. During this era (first world war) in poor families, the children (particularly the girls) were expected to work in other households to help with the family finances. Marta's father sends her to a maid "college" where she is taught how to be a proper maid for a household.... her abusive father expects her to stay and work to provide for his family, her mother pushes her to "spread her wings and fly" so that's exactly what she does. Her journey through this book is both amazing and inspiring. The book continues on to the life of Marta's daughter Hildemara, and then her daughter Carolyn. Allof their journeys are remarkable and each has a lesson to learn.

This is the sequel to "Her Mother's Hope", this book continues off where the last one left... in Carolyn's life. Carolyn starts her story in this book with Tuberculosis and her mother comes to take care of her and her family. As Carolyn grew attached to her grandmother, Marta as a child, now Carolyn's daughter May Flower Dawn grows attached to her grandmother Hildemara. This is the best of the two books... the turmoil between generations, the love that is found... the journey that they all face. It's phenomenal. 

Oh, this book... I read this book in ONE night. It's a wonderful book that I'm sure all of you have heard about or have even seen the movie. The story is based in the early 1960's when African American's were "free" but still didn't have really ANY rights. A white woman who dreams of being a reporter decides to write an anonymous book filled with the stories of white family's maids. 

There is not a single book by Karen Kingsbury that I haven't like. Her series are awe-inspiring, Christian-based... and I LOVE them. This particular book is the 3rd of the Bailey Flanigan series, which actually continues from several of her other series. I won't describe this one because you really should read the other series first, and then the first two of this one! But I HIGHLY recommend them ALL!

The first in the Rose Trilogy series, Nora Robert's writes again about life with the Amish. This particular series is about a girl named Rose who is helping take care of her mother (who was severely injured in an accident), hoping to find a beau, and is dealing with many other struggles in her young life. You meet her sister Hen who left the Amish life to marry an Englisher but is now craving the life she left. I love Nora's books, they are wonderful.

This is the 2nd in the Rose Trilogy series, and I'm still reading it... but so far, so good!

Five Question Friday, A Little Whining, and a Blogging/Social Media Hiatus

First up we have....






1. Dream job... realistic and completely unrealistic.
Realistic? Stay at home mommy... which is amazing! I NEVER though I would have the chance to stay home with our kids, but we are making it happen! Unrealistic? I'd love to be in charge of youth rallies and youth ministry outreaches like Xtreme Summer. Doing the worship would be AMAZING! But... that's very unrealistic. But, perhaps someday when my kids get older I can get involved with the youth group at our church?!?!

2. Do you fart in front of your significant other?
Bahahaha! Of course! Wouldn't it be kind of weird NOT too?

3. What's the furthest you've ever traveled from home? How far and where was it?
Orland, FL. I know... big whoop right? I went with the marching band my sophomore year of high school... we went to Disney World, Universal Studios, Downtown Disney, and Islands of Adventure.

4. How do you celebrate birthdays for your kids? Family only or friends?
We haven't reached Boogie's first birthday yet, but it's slowly creeping up on us! Actually... I should say it's quickly running up on us... Ay yi yi! I think we will be doing immediate family and close friends only. Meaning, a few friends, grandparents, uncles (Boogie only has 2), and godfamily. 

5. Fave thing about fall?
What's NOT to like? I live in Western NC... the most BEAUTIFUL place in the world during this season! The changing leaves are spectacular and it's sweater weather. Woohoo!



And now... a little whining.

I'm getting sick. I haven't had a cold since Boogie was 4ish weeks old? Maybe 5ish weeks? My nose has slowly become stopped up over the course of the day, and now I feel feverish and yucky. Noooooooo! This means that more than likely Boogie will get sick too. So then, not only will I be taking care of a sick child, but also a sick child who has two top teeth slicing through her gums and causing her great pain. Can I say ay yi yi again? Ay yi yi. Good news amongst the bad? J gave me a nook for our anniversary last week, and it's AWESOME. I finally figured out how to get library books from the NC digital library downloaded onto it... so now I'm currently reading Water for Elephants. So far, it's great!

And finally... blogging/social media hiatus.

J and I were talking the other day and we decided to take a week long "vacation" from blogging and social media (aka Facebook and Twitter and for me... babycenter). Do you ever think about how much those sites and others you visit on a DAILY basis take away from your relationships and families? It's astonishing really. While I'm sitting on my phone checking facebook, I could be reading a book to my daughter, or cuddling with my husband having a good conversation. Ugh, it's sick. So... starting Sunday we're taking a break. We'll be back next Saturday.... maybe. And really, with all the crappy changes facebook is making (it's supposed to change again, and it looks like a myspace copy, blech.) I don't know if I even care to stop using it. Anyways. There you go. I'll probably blog once more before Sunday...so until next time... adieu.