hunger games

I have been reading good things about "The Hunger Games" for quite while now, but resisted picking it up because I don't normally read young adult novels. I finally succumb to the hype a couple weeks ago and wondered what took me so long to come around. It didn't disappoint!

The protagonist is Katniss Everdeen who has been providing for her mother and sister since her father was killed in a mining accident by hunting. When her younger sister, Prim, whom she has tried to protect, is selected for the annual Hunger Games, Katniss volunteers to take her sister's place and thereby completely altering her own life. I won't give away too much, but I can say that it is a very good read. (Not as good as the Harry Potter series, but still entertaining and a worthy read.)

I highly recommend this book to everyone, but most especially to tweens and teenage girls. I don't remember a lot of characters like Katniss when I was that age and I think I would have loved this over 25 years ago. I can't wait to read Catching Fire and Mockingjay. Right now I have both on hold at the library, but I think it will be months until I get my hands on them.

Otherwise I'm patiently waiting for my Back 40, Open Pasture and other littles goodies coming in that brown Studio Calico box! Tomorrow can't come soon enough!

summer reading

Summer seems to be flying by! And my reading has picked up since I finished the baby blanket for Miss Hannah.

Recently I finished Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion. I normally prefer more current books but I was inspired when I came across a display of required summer reading at Borders. I had just binged on The Girl who Played with Fire and The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest back to back and thought a little change of pace would be nice. I decided to pick up To Kill a Mockingbird. Reading it a second time around was much more satisfying, more meaningful than when I read it twenty years ago.

I just started reading the new book in the Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French called Faithful Place. I really enjoyed her two previous books, In the Woods and The Likeness; she keeps you on the edge of your seat. I highly recommend both.

Up next is likely The World is Flat (we all need a little non-fiction every so often) which I had in my little hands over the weekend at Borders, but Faithful Place made the cut.

randomness

1. I am re-organizing my scraproom and closet. . .again! It drives Jay nutty when I get in this mode, but it needs to be done. Most of my supplies are in the closet and I tend forget what I have so don't use it. One day I'll get it just right!

2. Loving the running and weights workouts. Almost five months and counting. My runs finally feels somewhat enjoyable. I am slowly working my way up to 10k mileage, then hopefully 10 miles. Jay hopes to run the Army 10-mile Run next fall in Washington, D.C., perhaps I will join him too!

3. Getting ready for another try at IVF though from a different angle. And we're starting to research adoption. If you can spare a prayer for us I would appreciate it.

4. I haven't scrapped in months and terribly miss the creative process however slow mine is. I have moments when an idea comes to me, but no time create or no pictures.

5. Not looking forward to cleaning our rental condo. I am hoping that because our tenant was a family with a toddler that they kept the condo exceptionally clean.

6. Excited about the Fall TV season which starts in earnest this week. As you already know I'm lovin' Glee, but there are several new shows premiering that I'm looking forward to: NCIS: Los Angeles; Flashforward, and The Good Wife. And of course there are the returning shows: Heroes, Smallville, Supernatural and Criminal Minds. Need to watch all my Drop Dead Diva episodes soon to make space on the DVR because I can't possibly watch all of these shows during the week!

7. Happy that today is the first day of Fall. Just wish the weather actually reflected it.

8. Still wanting, needing to re-connect with my faith. Felt such a deep connection when I was leading a student choir in college (so long ago). Have not felt that same connectedness since.

9. I've been on a reading tear since coming home from vacation the last week of August. Finished Belong to Me, The Time Traveler's Wife, and Twilight of a Dark Queen. Right now I'm set to read Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri. I need some fiction suggestions since my book basket currently only contains non-fiction which I'm not up to reading right now.

10. And lastly, grateful that my lupus is relatively in check, no aches or pains out of the ordinary.

Belated Welcome July!

Okay, I know, I'm a little late, but I can't believe July is actually here! These first six months of 2008 have flown by way too quickly. I wish I could slow down time. Since college I've noticed that each year seems to pass by faster than the year before and I don't have kids!

Had a GREAT July 4th! After sleeping in (oh so wonderful) and getting the dogs' nails clipped at Petsmart, I spent a better part of the afternoon reading "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. If you don't know who Randy Pausch is, you NEED to get to know him. Randy is a professor at Carnegie Mellon who is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and is dying. I haven't seen "The Last Lecture," but the book was extremely touching and powerful. I totally recommend this book to everyone!

I just found out this past Thursday that I have to go to D.C. afterall. So this Wednesday I'm heading to D.C. for a week and half for work. Oh joy! I'm not looking forward to the heat and humidity. So beside working, this weekend has been filled with the mad scramble to get dry cleaning done, laundry, and getting my neccessities together.