Never judge a book by its cover

Well, I finally did it.  I took myself down to the library and got a card.  And then I turned into the asshole whose cell phone rings.... in the LIBRARY!  Where you could hear a pin drop!  And then I walked aimlessly around because I didn't know where anything was and my mind decided to go completely blank, rendering itself completely useless.  And God forbid I try to use one of the stupid new reference computers.  Can somebody please, please, pretty please bring back the card catalog and the old fashioned Dewey Decimel System before it was updated in 2003.  I know I only just turned 30, but damn! 

I finally managed to round up 4 books to check out and as I made my way to the check out area, I saw it.  The stereotype I pictured in my head.  The reason I have avoided going to the library in the first place.  The lady in front of me in line was the slightly overweight, pale skinned, woman in her late thirties, with her arms full of trashy Harlequin romance novels (you know - the ones made famous by featuring Fabio on the covers).  It took every fiber of my being not to throw my 4 books down and run out of the library never to look back.  But I didn't.  I stood my ground and tried my best to look as least like her as I possibly could.

After I checked out, I made my way out behind a somewhat short, rotund, young black guy who reeked of marijuana.  I took a deep breath, smiled to myself, and made my way to my car.... at least I learned a valuable lesson today:  bibliophiles come in all forms these days.

While We're on the Subject of Books.....

I feel like sharing a list of some of my all time favorites - and this is my blog so that's exactly what I'm going to do. 

To Kill a Mockingbird - by Harper Lee

What can I say about this novel that hasn't already been said?  It's basically the best piece of literary genius that's ever been written.  If it wasn't for Mrs. Vogt in my 9th grade English class requiring us to read this book over Spring Break, I would never know the passion I have for this piece of work.  I remember that Spring Break vividly.... I flew to Aruba to spend the week with my dad who was working there (pre-Joran Van der Sloot--you know, back when Aruba was a safe place for teenage girls to vacation).  The day I flew there was the day of the Oklahoma City bombing - April 19, 1995.  Since we only got 3 English channels in the apartment - HBO (which was playing The Sandlot, my absolute favorite movie!), CNN (which was only covering the Oklahoma City bombing), and some local channel (which didn't have any news to report, because Joran Van der Sloot was a mere 7 year old boy who had not yet begun slaughtering young girls) - I begrudgenly picked up my tattered copy of To Kill a Mockingbird and absolutely fell in love.  I remember laying by the pool while my dad was at work and just devouring this novel as fast as I could.  If you haven't read this novel - you're an absolute idiot and should run out right now and buy a copy because you'll definitely want to keep it when you're finished.

Twilight - by Stephenie Meyer

Laugh all you want, but I loved this book.  I read all 4 in the series - actually, I lied - I read the first 3 and 3/4 of the last one but didn't like it as much and never felt compelled to finish it.  But the first novel - Twilight - was great!  Give it a chance if you haven't.  I honestly don't know anybody who's read it and didn't like it - so that should be a good enough incentive.... and if you did read it and you didn't like it - well re-read it because there's something wrong with you!


Bitter is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office - by Jen Lancaster

Seriously, if the title doesn't make you want to read this memoir, then I don't know what will!  Jen Lancaster is hilarious!  She says the things that I think and publishes them in books!  I laughed out loud throughout this book - like seriously LAUGHED.OUT.LOUD!  I've read 3 of her other memoirs and I'm waiting to get her most recent one as well - and none of them disappointed.


The Art of Racing in the Rain - by Garth Stein

I bought this book to take on vacation with me, but then I made the mistake of starting it the weekend before I left and I could not put it down.  I read over half of it in one sitting and then finished it off the next morning as soon as I woke up.  THAT is how good it is.  I laughed, I cried, and I seriously felt like a better person after I read it.... not to mention that I still can't look at my dog the same way after having read this novel.  If you're a dog lover like I am, this is a must read.... and even if you're not, you should read it anyway. 


Yummers - by James Marshall

This was my absolute favorite book growing up.  I never owned it - I would like to purchase a nice copy now so I will have it for my own children, but I used to check it out at the library every single time my mom would take me to the library.  It's a simply written and illustrated children's book, but there is just something very special about it.  If you have young children, you should take a look, and if you're a kid at heart, you should give it a shot too!


Ramona Quimby, Age 8 - by Beverly Cleary

Another favorite from my youth.  The Ramona series was a favorite of mine once I graduated into "chapter books" and could read on my own.  Ramona always managed to get herself into trouble, yet she remained a lovable heroine as we watched her grow up.  Oddly enough, my favorite chapter in this book is the one when Ramona throws up in the classroom - go figure!  These books were written years ago, yet are a true testament to the universal appeal of the characters as they remain as popular as ever.  They're even coming out with a Ramona movie - and you better bet I'll be first in line to see it!


Marley & Me - by John Grogan

Another dog book - but it was SOOOO good!  Much better than the movie!  I grew up with a black lab who was NOT named Marley.... yet I laughed and laughed and laughed as I read this book - remembering what it was like when she was a puppy.  Yes, the book is sad at the end - SPOILER ALERT - the dog dies.  But don't they always?  The book as beautifully written and you can tell how special Marley was to the Grogan family just by the way the author told his story. 


Confessions of a Shopaholic - by Sophie Kinsella

My guilty pleasure - snarky-British-chick-lit!  I devoured this book - I don't know why it took me so long to break into the Shopaholic Empire - I can't wait to read the second book (as soon as it arrives - courtesy of Amazon) and I'm looking forward to renting the movie and curling up on the couch one night to watch it.  I just loved absolutely everything about this book and the way it was written.  I just felt lighter and happier when I finished reading it!  And did you know that the author's name isn't really Sophie Kinsella?  That's just her pen name (you know, like Mark Twain and Dr. Suess).  Her real name is Madeleine Wickham - and she's also published novels under her real name!  I'm excited to start reading those as well! 


Something Blue - by Emily Giffin

This novel is the sequel to Something Borrowed.  Don't get me wrong, I liked Something Borrowed, but I LOVED Something Blue.  What I loved the most about this book is that the author took a character that everyone hated in Something Borrowed, and turned around and actually made you like her and relate to her.  I'd been less than pleased with the first Emily Giffin book I read, but I'm glad I gave her another chance! 


Baby-Sitters Club Super Special #10 - Sea City, Here We Come - by Ann M. Martin

My absolute favorite series when I was young was the Baby-Sitters Club.  I remember that I would go to the bookstore with my mom and race to the section where these books were, and I was usually allowed to buy 2 of them (they were $3.99 each at the time).  The Super Specials were my favorite because they were longer, and they told the story from each character's perspective and almost every chapter began with a hand-written entry.  I remember liking this book especially because they went to the beach and a hurricane hit - and growing up in South Florida, that's definitely something I could relate to.  I still have a soft-spot for these books and recently found out that there was a Super Special released that I never owned where the baby sitters went to Europe and I'm really tempted to order myself a copy and read it now as an adult! 

This list will have to be continued at a later time because now I have the urge to read - wonder why!

Well-Read Failure!

FAIL, FAIL, FAIL!

Well, shame on me!  I failed at updating this blog, I failed at the photo challenge I was so excited about, and I've basically just been a big lazy failure!  Oh - and it's official - I'm 30 now.  PITY PARTY FOR ME!!!

In other news.... I've been really into reading lately.... books that is.  I like books.  I like to hold paper, smell the ink (sometimes the mildew), and turn the pages.  I'm not into all that fancy electronic crap - the Kindle, the Nook, The iPad - BLAH!  Nothing can take the place of a good old fashioned paperback in your hands.  I noticed that I tend to read a lot of fiction, some "chick-lit," and I have a soft spot for memoirs - which is ironic, considering I never thought of myself as a big fan of autobiographies or biographies in general.  I've read some really good books, and some really awful ones.

Since I prefer to own all my books (unfortunately the ones I hated also) rather than check them out from the library, I have developed a love affair with http://www.amazon.com/.  I could browse all day and I thoroughly enjoy clicking through the 45 pages of recommendations I am presented with every day because I get a real kick out of seeing that Amazon recommends I purchase "Are You There, Vodka?  It's Me, Chelsea" and "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: The Complete First Season."  And you know what?  Amazon has really hit the nail on the head with it's recommendations - I'll tell you that.  They can read me like a book - no pun intended!

Anyway - so I have this new obsession with Amazon.  I also have a life-long obsession with sharing my opinions with others whether they want to hear them or not, so recently I started leaving reviews on Amazon.  If you want to read them, and I suggest you DO, here is the link:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A32F7XPPKIILVC/ref=cm_cr_pr_auth_rev?ie=UTF8&sort_by=MostRecentReview

So, like I was saying - I like to share my opinion, but lately I've gotten really consumed with checking all my reviews (sometimes multiple times a day) to see if people have found them "helpful."  If someone reads your review and likes it, Amazon asks if they found it helpful: yes or no.  If you click yes, it shows up.  If you click no, it shows up also and I get SO OFFENDED when someone clicks no!  I know it's silly, but it bothers me because obviously, I am always right so I don't understand how anybody could dare disagree with my opinion and/or not find my insight helpful! 

Well, that's all I've got tonight - off to unwind and read!