Monday, June 21, 2010
Unplugged
Well, y'all (yes, I think I can pull off the word y'all [it's what we country folk say]) between jury duty and vacation, I'm going to be super busy for the next 2.5 weeks. So I decided to go unplugged rather than try to fit blogging somewhere in the mix. I'm sure I'll have many blogging topics by the time these two weeks are up. :) I'll miss y'all.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Wednesday Reviews
Okay, so I'm all off schedule this week. And I would just wait until next week to review this book, but I loved it too much. I must do it now. Have I mentioned how much I love Sarah Dessen lately? No? I love her. Her books make me happy. She's a master of contemporary. I don't know how she makes these books with no fantastical creatures, sword fights, wizards, or magic so compelling, but she does. She takes normal, everyday, teen issues and keeps me up until 2am with them. She's really good at eliciting emotion in a reader.
The blurb:
"a long, hot summer...That's what Macy has to look forward to while her boyfriend, Jason, is away at Brain Camp. Days will be spent at a boring job in the library, evenings will be filled with vocabulary drills for the SATs, and spare time will be passed with her mother, the two of them sharing a silent grief at the traumatic loss of Macy's father.
But sometimes unexpected things can happen--things such as the catering job at Wish, with its fun-loving, chaotic crew. Or her sister's project of renovating the neglected beach house, awakening long-buried memories. Things such as meeting Wes, a boy with a past, a taste for Truth-telling, and an amazing artistic talent, the kind of boy who could turn any girl's world upside down. As Macy ventures out of her shell, she begins to wonder, Is it really better to be safe than sorry?"
(Kasie rating: PG 13 for language)
The blurb:
"a long, hot summer...That's what Macy has to look forward to while her boyfriend, Jason, is away at Brain Camp. Days will be spent at a boring job in the library, evenings will be filled with vocabulary drills for the SATs, and spare time will be passed with her mother, the two of them sharing a silent grief at the traumatic loss of Macy's father.
But sometimes unexpected things can happen--things such as the catering job at Wish, with its fun-loving, chaotic crew. Or her sister's project of renovating the neglected beach house, awakening long-buried memories. Things such as meeting Wes, a boy with a past, a taste for Truth-telling, and an amazing artistic talent, the kind of boy who could turn any girl's world upside down. As Macy ventures out of her shell, she begins to wonder, Is it really better to be safe than sorry?"
(Kasie rating: PG 13 for language)
Monday, June 14, 2010
Maddeningly Unhelpful Advice-From the next Horse Whisperer
What, it's not Monday? I'm a victim of what I call the "Summer Blur" where all the days start running together. So it still feels like Monday to me. Today's advice is priceless so you might want to take notes and bookmark this post for future reference (as you do all my Monday posts I'm sure).
I would like to give you some advice about horses, since I am a self proclaimed horse knower person. Horses love me. But, apparently there are two things horses don't like (or at least this specific horse [we'll call him Crazy Horse] one street over from ours). I wish I had known these things before The Incident, but I do now and I will share them with you so you can avoid a similar situation.
It was a nice evening and my daughter and I decided to go on a bike ride (mistake number one since Crazy Horse thinks bikes are the devil's transportation). We were enjoying the nice weather and the beautiful country scenery when I noticed Crazy horse in the distance. My daughter, who has an unfounded fear of horses (I should say 'had' because her fear was about to be justified) said, "Mom, don't call to it." She knows that I like to click at horses. Usually they come trotting over to the fence and I can pat their necks or just look at them. But this horse had a crazy look in its eye (hence the name). I am a horrible mother, though, and like to tease my daughter, so I did the cheek click thing anyway (mistake number two since Crazy Horse thinks cheek clicking is the devil's communication device).
This sent off the following series of events: Crazy Horse comes charging at the fence at a very fast speed. My daughter and I, who are now much closer, slow to a stop. Crazy Horse rams his shoulders into the fence and then turns and runs to the back of the pasture. My daughter and I exchange a look and turn our bikes around. Crazy Horse runs towards the fence again, faster this time. So fast that I know he is trying to jump it. I look at my daughter and yell, "Run!" (Which looking back, I should've yelled "Ride" but I was in panic mode). We ride back towards the way we came. I look over my shoulder to see Crazy Horse clear the fence (YES, JUMP OVER THE FENCE) I know that horse is about to chase me down and trample me to death. My life flashes before my eyes. My daughter says, "Mom, it ran the other way." I catch my breath and look to see it happily trotting up the street away from us. I reassess my life goal of becoming the next Horse Whisperer. The neighbors jump off their porch and hop in their car to chase down the horse. My daughter says, "If you ever click at a horse again, I will stop speaking to you."
I would like to give you some advice about horses, since I am a self proclaimed horse knower person. Horses love me. But, apparently there are two things horses don't like (or at least this specific horse [we'll call him Crazy Horse] one street over from ours). I wish I had known these things before The Incident, but I do now and I will share them with you so you can avoid a similar situation.
It was a nice evening and my daughter and I decided to go on a bike ride (mistake number one since Crazy Horse thinks bikes are the devil's transportation). We were enjoying the nice weather and the beautiful country scenery when I noticed Crazy horse in the distance. My daughter, who has an unfounded fear of horses (I should say 'had' because her fear was about to be justified) said, "Mom, don't call to it." She knows that I like to click at horses. Usually they come trotting over to the fence and I can pat their necks or just look at them. But this horse had a crazy look in its eye (hence the name). I am a horrible mother, though, and like to tease my daughter, so I did the cheek click thing anyway (mistake number two since Crazy Horse thinks cheek clicking is the devil's communication device).
This sent off the following series of events: Crazy Horse comes charging at the fence at a very fast speed. My daughter and I, who are now much closer, slow to a stop. Crazy Horse rams his shoulders into the fence and then turns and runs to the back of the pasture. My daughter and I exchange a look and turn our bikes around. Crazy Horse runs towards the fence again, faster this time. So fast that I know he is trying to jump it. I look at my daughter and yell, "Run!" (Which looking back, I should've yelled "Ride" but I was in panic mode). We ride back towards the way we came. I look over my shoulder to see Crazy Horse clear the fence (YES, JUMP OVER THE FENCE) I know that horse is about to chase me down and trample me to death. My life flashes before my eyes. My daughter says, "Mom, it ran the other way." I catch my breath and look to see it happily trotting up the street away from us. I reassess my life goal of becoming the next Horse Whisperer. The neighbors jump off their porch and hop in their car to chase down the horse. My daughter says, "If you ever click at a horse again, I will stop speaking to you."
Friday, June 11, 2010
Summertime!
Sorry I've been so absent lately. This was my kids last week of school and considering they had nothing but parties and assemblies and "water fun" days, it sure was a busy week. My daughter graduated from the sixth grade yesterday. I now have a seventh grader. Weird. Middle School. I do not envy her the next two awkward years. At the same time, I look forward to all the stories she'll bring home (if she doesn't stop talking to me) they will be good study material for my writing. :)
In the mean time, it is officially summer! Wahoo! I sense lazy days ahead, which are my favorite kind. I know a lot of you started your summer a week ago (unfair) but happy summer, everyone.
In the mean time, it is officially summer! Wahoo! I sense lazy days ahead, which are my favorite kind. I know a lot of you started your summer a week ago (unfair) but happy summer, everyone.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Maddeningly Unhelpful Advice-Buy Cowboy Boots
Because then you can look as cool as me. The no make up, pajamas, and extremely white legs, are a must as well. They make the boots look even better.
Had the best weekend ever with one of my great friends. You know when you feel comfortable enough to be ridiculous around someone, that you've found someone special. Wait, I'm ridiculous all the time. So either I have lots of great friends or I need to find the filter I lost somewhere along my journey.
Okay, so new advice (to myself). Don't buy cowboy boots. Find filter.
Do your characters have filters? I'd say most of mine do and they think things that are sometimes the exact opposite of what they say. But sometimes it's fun to have a character who does (or says) everything s/he thinks.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Wednesday Reviews
I was looking through my bookcase today to see if there were any books I had read recently that I haven't mentioned on my blog and I was surprised to see this one. I don't believe I forgot to tell you how much I enjoyed this book--Bree Despain's debut novel, The Dark Divine. It's a great read. The plot felt fresh and different (which is saying a lot considering how much YA I read) and I loved the relationships.
blurb from jacket flap:
"Grace Divine--daughter of the local pastor--always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi diappeared and her brother Jude came home covered in his own blood. Now that Daniel's returned, Grace must choose between her growing attraction to him and her loyalty to her brother. AS Grace gets closer to Daniel, she learns the truth about that mysterious night and how to save the ones she loves, but it might cost her the one thing she cherishes most: her soul."
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