Pages

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

review: The Undiscovered Goddess



Title by Author: The Undiscovered Goddess by Michelle Colston
Series (if applicable):  none
Publisher: Michelle Colston
Publication Date: August 2012
Page Count:  326
Source: netgalley.com

Blurb: Who knew a Cosmo quiz and a bottle of wine could change a woman’s life?
Holly, housewife and frazzled mother of three, is determined to discredit the lackluster result of a Cosmopolitan magazine quiz. After buying a workbook geared toward helping her find her inner goddess, Holly sets off on a year of self-discovery, journaling through each exercise as she goes. Facing inner demons, yoga, an explosive colon cleanse and REALLY spicy curry, the lessons are hard on her emotions, not to mention her digestive system. But does she succeed in the end? Beyond the superficial, what important lesson does Holly’s inner goddess have the power to teach her…and what can Holly teach you?

My Interest in this book is: Loved the title and the premise, so had to give it a go!

My Review:
Living in the suburbs of Houston, downing a bottle of wine on most evenings, Holly decided to treat herself to a Cosmo quiz after the kids were in bed and her husband was on a business trip.  The result – “Stylish, but Shallow.”  This did not sit well with Holly.  What was wrong with her life?  She lived in a beautiful home, had three great kids and a wonderful husband.  Just because she dropped the F bomb and downed wine like water was no reason to call her shallow!

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Top 10 things I would like to see...


The Broke and The Bookish are the Hosts!


Top Ten Things On My Reading Wishlist (if you could make authors write about these things you would. Could be a specific type of character, an issue tackled, a time period, a certain plot, etc.)

Wow! What would I like to see? 

Dystopia that actually gets in to the WHY and the HOW!  Not some silly romance, or worse yet, TRIANGLE, that just so happens to be set in a future world that sucks.

Spy mysteries that aren’t all sexed up!  There are some titles out there I think might be interesting, but they turn out to be a bunch of bodice rippers – no thanks!

Chick Lit that has teeth!  I loved “Emily and Einstein” and “Skipping a Beat” because they provoked emotion.

Well-done historical fiction that doesn’t seem like either: A) a history lesson, or B) a romance simply set in the past.  I really enjoyed “The Rosetti Letter” and “The Devlin Diary” by Christi Phillips.

Humorous “self-help” books.  I am currently reading (and ABSOLUTELY LOVING) “The Undiscovered Goddess” by Michelle Colston.  I am LMAO as well as getting great journal prompts to help guide me to better wellness.  

Duets – books written by two different authors.  I have read a few, and have loved them all! (So, it would be a ‘more of this type’ on this one!)

Non-sciency Sci-Fi – does that make sense?  My husband loves reading Sci-Fi, but what he tells me about them, there is just too much science for me (and violence).  It would be nice to see something “out-there” but written for minds like mine!  We would groove on that, but don’t want our brains turned to mush just trying to understand it.

Victorian-esque without the paranormal.  I love the concept of bringing back the Victorian Era with futuristic gadgetry – but please keep your paranormal creatures out of it!  Really sick of vampires and other ghouls invading my stories!

Time-Travel – this might be part of the whole Sci-Fi thingee, but not necessarily.  I like time-travel (as long as it doesn’t get too sciency, but doesn’t seem far-fetched.  Maybe with alternate histories because of said time-travel.

Modern adaptations of Classics.  I know that this is a touchy subject with some, but WELL-DONE modernization of classic storylines would be great.  (I just watched “She’s the Man” again yesterday and it’s a great modernization of Shakespeare!)

If you know of ANY books that fall in to these categories, please feel free to mention them in the Comments below.  I am always looking for new stories to read!

 Don't forget, if you are looking for a Reading Challenge - Try Booklover Musings 2014 Reading Outside the Box Challenge.

Monday, January 6, 2014

Top 10 Resolutions of 2014



…of a bookish, or not so bookish, nature!
The Broke and the Bookish are our fearless Hosts!

Wow… only TEN?!?!  This year, I have Intentions! (Better than resolutions because I am not solving problems, but setting up better behavior patterns.)

Here it goes:

1.  Write reviews RIGHT AFTER finishing a book!  Last year I slipped a bit, and then forgot salient details of a book and it made it difficult to write reviews…to the point where I just gave the books “stars” and not write anything.

2.  Use re-usable bags when I go shopping, or buy a new one if I forget to grab the bags out of the back of my car. (You should see my collection!)

3.  Blog at least twice a month (through memes or reviews or whatnots) on this space.  

4.  Get more movement in to my week.  My only exercise should not be pacing in the classroom while lecturing.

5.  Finally read: *takes deep inhale to recite long list* Mansfield Park, Possession, Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, Divergent, Searching for Captain Wentworth, The Orchid Affair, Mr. Darcy and the Secret of Becoming a Gentleman…. *exhales* - just to name a few!

6.  Finish writing my cookbook – it’s a work in progress!

7.  Visit more blogs to find even MORE books for my TBR monster pile (534 books and counting!)

8.  Write an article for Mind Body Green and a local monthly magazine.

9.  Read more of the ARCs that I have received and finally review them.

10.  Re-read my half-novel and FINISH it… and maybe self-publish if no one wants to publish it.  I don’t know why they wouldn’t want to, though!

What are your “resolutions”?  Would love to hear about them.  Maybe we can compare notes and get even more things to do – like do a Reading Challenge!


Sunday, January 5, 2014

review - The Future of Us



Goodreads

Title by Author: The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler
Series (if applicable): none
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date:  November 2011
Page Count:  356 pages
Source: library
Blurb: It's 1996, and Josh and Emma have been neighbors their whole lives. They've been best friends almost as long - at least, up until last November, when Josh did something that changed everything. Things have been weird between them ever since, but when Josh's family gets a free AOL CD in the mail, his mom makes him bring it over so that Emma can install it on her new computer. When they sign on, they're automatically logged onto their Facebook pages. But Facebook hasn't been invented yet. And they're looking at themselves fifteen years in the future.

By refreshing their pages, they learn that making different decisions now will affect the outcome of their lives later. And as they grapple with the ups and downs of what their futures hold, they're forced to confront what they're doing right - and wrong - in the present.

My Interest in this book is: I saw good reviews for this, and stumbled upon it in the library, so thought I would give it a try! Also, it is for the 2014 Reading Outside the Box challenge - "I Just Love a Good Duet" category.

My Review:
Have you ever finished a book quickly because you want to see how it ends (or if it ends the way you think it might), but are saddened that you rushed it, and now you can’t stop thinking about it?  That’s how I felt when I finished The Future of Us.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

FF - Top Reads of 2013

Wow!  I haven't done one of these in quite some time, and it is one of my intentions for 2014 - to do more bookish things!

Parajunkee and Alison Can Read are our hostesses!

This year wasn't the best as far as reading went.  Too many 'non-fiction' books and not nearly enough fun ones.  But I did get a chance to read a few and here are the top books I read in 2013.



Austensibly Ordinary by Alyssa Goodnight - This was a fun book written by the author of Austentatious, which I absolutely adored!  It was fun, light and love having my Dear Jane as a ghost!

Never Sit Down in a Hoop Skirt – and other things I learned in Southern Belle Hell by Crickett Rumley - I laughed...a LOT...while reading this book.  What makes it even more humorous is that I was once an Ambassador of my small hometown, dressed up as a princess - so I had even more vested in this!  Really enjoyed it!

Emma by Jane Austen - I read this decades ago (sad I can say that!) and glad that I re-read it!  Absolutely loved it and it has pushed P&P out of its second spot in my Jane Austen hierarchy! It was nice to see that the movie (with Gweneth Paltrow) did a good job of following the story.

Finding Colin Firth by Mia March - This book had a lot of heart, and very little Colin Firth!  I enjoyed the story of the women who ended up together at the end of the story.

Perks of Being a Wall Flower by Stephen Chbosky - I read this for my Reading Outside the Box Challenge last year (to the Screen) and enjoyed both the book and the movie. Definitely read the book first!

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins - Okay... I think I am the last person to finally read this series!  I LOVED the books!  I really enjoyed the movie (saw it way before reading the books) so I thought I would give the books a try...finally, and so glad that I did!

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil Frankweiler by e. l. konisburg - This was another one from my reading challenge. It is a children's book, but I really enjoyed it even as an adult.  It would have been great to read it as a kid and it will be one I would suggest to all!  

The Conscious Cleanse by Jo Schaalman and Julie Pelaez - okay... as I mentioned, I have read many books this past year that were non-fiction.  Studying to be a health coach, you need to read up on some of these things.  I really enjoyed this book on cleansing - it's a no-nonsense approach, not too radical (gets in to clean eating) and I really liked that the authors had daily readings to help you through.

What are some books that Wow'ed you in 2013?  I hope you have a little bit of time to look around my blog! I am looking forward to visiting yours!

Want a Challenge?  Join me in my Reading Outside the Box 2014 Challenge!


Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...