The Big Apple

Well, for the second time in my life, I visited the Big Apple - New York City.  And I have to say, this experience was definitely better than my first time when I was in high school.

First, let's go over the cruddy parts of the trip, and then I'll review the best parts!  Probably the cruddiest part of the trip was my flight out there - it was with American Airlines, and after arriving at the airport a whopping 4 hours before my flight, a huge storm apparently struck a bunch of planes with lightning, and all the flight schedules got thrown off.

So my 7:50 pm flight didn't end up taking off until 9:30 pm.  That was awful.

The second cruddiest part of the trip was the musical we saw on Friday night - Cats.  It was a definite let-down.  Did you know it's JUST songs & dancing?  There's no actual dialogue or distinguishable plot.

The costumes were pretty cool, though.

ANYWAY, on to the best parts of the trip!  My flight back to Orlando, I flew with Delta AND I got to volunteer to sit on the Emergency Exit row next to the window.  It was awesome!  Just look at all the foot room I had:

Aren't my shoes so attractive?  And I may or may not have drank (have drunk?) 2 mini-bottles of Bailey's Irish Cream with Ginger Ale on the plane.  So I was pretty happy when I got home.  haha

Second awesome thing - I saw a celebrity in New York in front of the Neil Simon theater!  I was just standing in line waiting to watch Cats, and I saw this woman walk by:

She obviously didn't look this celebrity-perfect when I saw her, but she looked pretty good!  Ten bonus points for you if you know what show she's from!  *Hint* It's on Netflix, and it has a woman's name in the title of the show.  It took me about 30 minutes to remember where I had seen her before, but I finally did.

And even though Cats wasn't the greatest, I still had fun sitting in between these two ladies:

On the left is Christina and on the right is Charesse.  They are two of my co-workers.  I had a blast getting to know them better during my time in New York.

Also, the few hours I had before I had to be at the airport on Saturday to fly home, I got to go hang out in Central park, because the hotel I stayed in - the Courtyard Marriott at Central Park, as pictured below - was only 6 blocks from Central Park!

Enjoy the pictures :)

The lobby of the hotel - isn't it swag-ilicious?

I totally wish I had taken this picture, but isn't it beautiful?!

I totally walked down this sidewalk, and I immediately recognized it from movies like "Maid in Manhattan" and that one movie with Ryan Reynolds where he tells his daughter how he met her mother.

I definitely stopped and watched some people playing volleyball.  It was so nice :)

Here I am, just chillin'. 

Anyway, so that's a little bit about my trip to NYC.  Have you ever been to New York?  What did you like about it?  What did you hate?  Would you go back again?  Let me know in the comments!

Summing Up "Twice Upon a Time" (Bk 2) & "Ever After" (Bk 3)

Why I Chose This Book: Because the first one was so good (despite the occasional awkward sentence structure and grammar fails) that I wanted to check out the sequel!

Book Rating (1-5 Stars): I give it 4 stars. I believe this may have been self-published, so if it was ever picked up by a publisher and cleaned up a little bit, it would be 5 stars for sure!

Setting of the Book: Athelia & Earth... Mostly Athelia though.

About the Author: Aya Ling is a mystery wrapped in an enigma sprinkled with a little bit of unknown.

Plot of the book in one sentence: Kat gets transported back to Athelia after the wedding with her memory gone - can the Prince win her heart again?

If I Could Rename the Book: My creative juices are too dry at this moment.

Genre: YA

Point of View: First person - told from Kat’s POV

Favorite Character: Still the Prince

Least Favorite Character: Still Bianca... Ugh

Other (Main Characters):

Kat - 22 year old who is transported back to Athelia with her memories of the first time she was there having been erased

Prince Edward - just married "Katriona," the woman whose body Kat was inhabiting in the first book. Has to win her heart again when she's once again transported to Athelia & doesn't remember him.

Elle - the Cinderella character from book 1 who's really good friends with Kat and who wants to marry Henry

Henry - Edward's cousin who is also studying to be a doctor

Bianca - Katriona's evil sister who wants nothing more than to see Kat destroyed

Katriona - Kat's twin whose body Kat inhabits in the first book. However (plot twist), Kat doesn't take over her body in the second book, she merely arrives in Athelia and Katriona ends up in another country wearing a wedding dress and a wedding ring with no memory.

If the Book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters?

Been there, done that

Favorite Scene of the Book: when Kat regains her memory (spoiler alert)

Least Favorite Scene of the Book: when Katriona comes back and confronts Kat

Did I like the Ending? No, because once again, Kat has to leave Athelia. Ugh.

Which of my friends could I see loving this book? Hillary Duff

Which of my friends could I see hating this book? Bill Nye

This book left me feeling: Frustrated

How Long Did It Take Me to Read It: 3 hours?

Why I Chose This Book: I had to know how it ends!

Book Rating (1-5 Stars): Still 4, because of the grammar and sentence structure.

Setting of the Book: Athelia & Earth (once again)

About the Author: Idk

Plot of the book in one sentence: Kat returns to Athelia a third time, but because Edward is officially married to Katriona who doesn't want a divorce, things get in the way of them being together.

If I Could Rename the Book: Third Time's a Charm - Hopefully, Because this is Starting to Get Old

Genre: YA

Point of View: First person - it actually goes back and forth between Edward & Kat

Favorite Character: Amelie

Least Favorite Character: Bianca... And Liam

Other (Main Characters):

Same as the second book, with some additions- 

Bertram - Edward's bodyguard who has a thing for Amelie

Amelie - Kat's maid

Liam - grew up with Edward & wants to overthrow the peerage system

If the Book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters?

You already know.

Favorite Scene of the Book: Edward when he appears in court *sigh*

Least Favorite Scene of the Book: when Kat gets thrown in jail

Favorite​ quote of the book: "The End." Lol

Did I like the Ending? Yes, I was satisfied.

Which of my friends could I see loving this book? Christy Carlson Romano

Which of my friends could I see hating this book? Wolverine

This book left me feeling: Finished!!!!

How Long Did It Take Me to Read It: ehhh, idk.

Vegas, Baby!

Hey, y'all!

So at the end of June, I went to Vegas with my boss and her mother to attend HD Vest's annual financial conference.  I wrote a blog post about it for work - you can read it here: https://lyncotax.wordpress.com/2017/07/24/what-happens-in-vegas/

And yes, I just linked to my work blog.  #SEO #Marketing #Followtheclicks

This was my first time in Vegas, and I had a BLAST!  (Although I did miss my hubby like cray and sometimes I wished I had more than $10 to blow on video poker, but c'est la vie.)

For the first two days, we stayed on the strip at a hotel named Harrah's - the conference we attended was a short walk away at the Wynn/Encore (pictured above).  I did a little shopping when I first got there and bought this really cute outfit for .... way more money than I'm used to spending.  And then, of course, when I got home, I accidentally washed and dried the pants that were hand wash only, and they shrank about 2 sizes and 3 inches in length  :'(

But that's okay, because life happens.

Aaaaaand, did I mention we got to see Sugar Ray Leonard speak?!  That was a pretty cool day for me.

After the first two days, we moved to Sam's Town, which is a little bit off the beaten path as far as Vegas is concerned, but I absolutely LOVED the whole hotel!

I went and saw a movie by myself FOR THE FIRST TIME!  I'll give you two guesses as to what movie it was - either "47 Meters Down" with Mandy Moore or "Despicable Me 3" with the minions.  Which do you think it was?  Because honestly, until I walked up to the ticket booth, I was still going back and forth.

Other fun things I did whilst in Vegas - gambled $10 (I lost it all...oh well), went to Fremont Street (it was during the day, so I wasn't that traumatized), and ate some kick-butt buffet dinners (I may or may not have gained a good 5 lbs on the trip).  Oh, and I got to take a picture with a million bucks.  No big deal.

Anyway, so that's pretty much it.  What do you think?  Have you been to Vegas?  What was your favorite thing you did while you were there?

Aforementioned Changes in My Life

Hello again,

In my last post, I mentioned a new part-time job.  Even though, earlier in my post, I had just written that I was still in the same job I've been in for the last 3 1/2 years.  Confused yet?

Let's travel back about 3 1/2 weeks...  *cue the flashback music*

My husband and I have been planning to pay off our debt and buy a house ever since October of 2016, but it's been slow-going.  And whenever I would think about how much a mortgage payment would be and how permanent signing a mortgage is, I would break out in a sweat.  It just didn't feel right to me, and I was dreading it.

One afternoon, Tyler showed me a You Tube (YouTube?) video of a school bus that had been converted into a camper.  At first, I was like, "That's cool...moving on...."  But then I really started to think about it.  One of my best friends lives in a camper with her husband and two children.  It's sooooo much less expensive than a house.  AND it's a project for my husband and me to work on together.  So why not pursue it?  Then, we could travel until we're ready to start having kids - or even after we start having kids.  Or maybe even travel and never have kids - who knows?

All I know is the more I've thought about it and the more we've talked about it, the more sense it makes for us right now.  So that's big change number 1.

Obviously, if my husband and I want to start traveling more, we can't have full-time jobs holding us down, but we need to make enough money to continue paying back my student loans and finance a bus-to-camper conversion and travel expenses for our future life.  Which means eventually, we'll need to get online/virtual jobs.  I wasn't planning on approaching this step until we actually moved in to the camper, but my chance came a little sooner than that.

About two weeks ago, I just put some feelers out there to a financial advisor who I know already.  She has a completely virtual team, and she was looking for additional help.  After I talked to her, it wasn't long before she offered me the job (part-time to start), and I began working for her last week.  In addition to my full-time job.  So you can say it's been a little crazy.  (Big change number 2)

Also, up until a few weeks ago, I was the choir director at my church.  But due to some changes happening recently, there is no longer a choir - hence, no need for me to be a choir director anymore.  Which actually works better for me, because it gives me more time to adjust to these life changes.

LOTS OF CHANGES, Y'ALL!  Oh, and I'm pregnant.












...Just kidding!!!  But that would be pretty crazy on top of everything else, right?  Anyway, thanks for reading this far and loving me (for those of you who do) or tolerating me (for all the rest of you).  Maybe soon I'll write about my recent trip to Vegas and post some pictures.  Yes?  No?

July New Year's Resolutions Recap

Well, hello there! It's been awhile, hasn't it? I have been going through a lot of changes in my life lately - specifically in the last 3 weeks. So obviously, I didn't post a May or June recap about my progress towards my New Year's Resolutions, and that's because in May and June, there weren't a lot of updates to address. I fell off the weight loss bandwagon, I stopped reading and blogging about it (obviously), and I've been working the same job as I have been for the last 3 1/2 years. Boring, right?

Except let me just get real for a second.  Because I just admitted I wasn't moving forward to any of my goals during the months of May and June.  Which means I was either a) stagnating in my current position or b) digressing (moving away from my goals).  And if I'm being honest, I'm gonna have to go with option number 2.  I hardcore got off the healthy eating/exercise train and gained about 7 lbs.  I started coming home and laying in bed watching Netflix by myself, because it's so much easier than trying to be productive in my life and my marriage.  I started falling back into the old habits that defined me around last October when I realized I needed to begin making changes in my life.

Why is it so easy to go back to the "bad places" in your life when you start to progress toward the "good places"?

And because I was digressing, I began to get depressed.  Something had to change.  I'm going to be 30 this year, and I can't keep "waiting around" for my life to change in the ways I want it to - I need to start acting now.

So my goals are changing from what they were in December.  Out with the old, in with the new.

1) Lose another 20 lbs by my birthday.
2) Finish paying off all debt (besides my student loans) by the end of this year.
3) Become more efficient at my new part-time job (more about that in an upcoming post).
4) Become more spiritually mature in my marriage (this is a very vague goal right now, because I'm not quite sure what this is going to look like, but I'll keep you posted).

So there are my new goals.  I know, I know, I didn't mention anything about being a faithful blogger or writer, but right now, those things are on the back burner.  I might dabble here and there (for fun), but I have so many other more important things to focus on.

Forward & progressing,

Yours Truly

Summing Up "The Elite" (Bk 2) & "The One" (Bk 3)

Why I Chose This Book:  I had already devoured the first book in less time than I care to admit, and I languished for a few days, because I couldn't find the last two books in the series to read for free, so I bought the paper copies (they were actually less expensive than the Kindle versions - can you believe it?!)

Book Rating (1-5 Stars):  Once again, these two books did not disappoint!  5 stars!

Setting of the Book: America & Canada in the future - called Illea, and split into 35 provinces, instead of 50 states...and however many Canadian provinces there used to be (Also, it has royalty, not a president, and people are separated into "castes" which is basically like your career and income and life is pre-determined by how well you marry and how much your family has always made.)

About the Author: Her name is Kiera Cass, and, as we already established, she has a B.S. in History and hates salads.  Just in case you were wondering.

Plot of the book in one sentence:  America Singer remains in the competition along with 5 other girls to compete to become the next Queen (they will be chosen by the prince), but (plot twist) the boy she's been in love with for the last two years is assigned to be her personal bodyguard while she's in the palace.  Also, there are Northern & Southern rebels who regularly invade the castle, putting everyone's lives at risk.  No biggie.

Genre: YA Fiction

Point of View: Exclusively told from America's POV - first person.  I like it.  Although there are novellas written from the queen's perspective, the guard's perspective, and the prince's perspective (they are all a part of the extra book "Happily Ever After").

Favorite Character: Okay, there was a girl that was pretty horrible to everyone in the first two books, but by the end of the third book, she has a change of heart and becomes a pretty good friend to America (spoiler alert!)

Least Favorite Character: The king.  For sure.

Other (Main Characters): the prince, America's boo-thang from her past, the King, the Queen, the other girls (there's one other contestant who America has become friends with)

If the Book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters?
America would be played by Annelise van der Pol (Raven's sidekick from "That's So Raven")
Maxon (the prince) would be played by Chace Crawford (Nate from "Gossip Girl")
Aspen (the guard) would be played by Liam Hemsworth (because eye candy)
The King would be played by Josh Brolin (he could definitely pull it off)
The Queen would be played by Bridget Moynahan (from "Blue Bloods")
There are also 3 maids that tend to America during all three books, not to mention at least 6 or 7 girls repeatedly mentioned as contestants, but I'm not about to "cast" all of them.  Get it...cast...caste...?  Ehhh?  Ok, nevermind.

Favorite Scene of the Book: The last attack at the end of the third book - it was a nail-biter.  And honestly, I did not see it coming, and THREE of the main characters die, can you believe it?!

Least Favorite Scene of the Book: When America's friend is caught in a compromising position with one of the guards (who she is in love with) and, as a result, is publicly caned.  It tore up my heart.

Did I like the Ending? Yes, although some of the characters that died during the last attack...not cool.

Which of my friends could I see loving this book? I've already let my sister borrow the entire series, and, just as I predicted, she's already read them ALL.  lol

Which of my friends could I see hating this book? Chuck Norris

This book left me feeling: Content :)

How Long Did It Take Me to Read It: The second book only took me 3 1/2 hours on a Sunday afternoon.  The third book took about 4 hours.

Summing Up "The Selection"

Why I Chose This Book:  It kept popping up in my recommended lists everywhere - and by everywhere, I mean in my Kindle list and Amazon list.  Whenever I would buy or borrow a book, it would say, "Don't you want to read this?"  And I would say, "Yes, I do, but I don't want to spend the $$ on it unless I know it will be good."  Because I frequently talk to inanimate objects.  #yayforpersonification
Then, one day, this book was available for me to check out on Kindle through my local library, so I got to read it for $FREE-99!!!

Book Rating (1-5 Stars):  5 stars, hands down.  I loved it; I can't wait to read the sequel.  In fact, I just purchased the whole series in paperback.  Yassssss.

Setting of the Book: America in the future (but it's not called America, and it has royalty again, not a president.  Also, people are separated into "castes" which is basically like your career and income and life is pre-determined by how well you marry and how much your family has always made.

About the Author: Her name is Kiera Cass, and can I just sidebar with my best friend Hannah for a minute (considering she's probably the only one reading this)?  Kthanks.
HANNAH - I was reading up on this girl on her website, and can I just tell you that she has a B.S. in History (so you both love history; that's nice) - BUT SHE ALSO HATES SALADS!!!!! I think you two might be kindred spirits.  Read her bio NOW (please. lol).

Plot of the book in one sentence:  America Singer (yes, that's her name) is chosen, along with 34 other girls, to compete to become the next Queen (they will be chosen by the prince), but (plot twist) the boy she's been in love with for the last two years is assigned to be her personal bodyguard while she's in the palace.

If I Could Rename the Book:  I can't think of a better name than the one it already has.

Genre: YA Fiction

Point of View: Exclusively told from America's POV - first person.  I like it.

Favorite Character: I really like the prince.  I think the author does a great job of humanizing him.

Least Favorite Character: Hmmm, I can't say that I really have a least favorite character.  Although, there is a girl that America is "competing" with for the Prince, but the claws haven't come out - yet.

Other (Main Characters): the prince, America's boo-thang from her past, the King, the Queen, the other girls (there's one other contestant who America has become friends with)

If the Book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters? I'm going to wait until I read another one of the books to assign people.

Favorite Scene of the Book: The castle is attacked two times during the first book - I actually really liked reading about how the attacks were handled.

Least Favorite Scene of the Book: When America's boo-thang first gets to the castle and she starts to have doubts.  It tears me up inside.

Favorite Quote in the Book: There's not a specific quote, but I appreciate how, in this society, there is MUCH emphasis placed on the importance of sexual purity before marriage - in fact, the offense of pre-marital sex is punishable by death.  While I wouldn't go that far, I would say that it should be a punishable offense, because it contradicts God's laws.

Did I like the Ending? Yes, and I can't wait to read the sequel!

Which of my friends could I see loving this book? I really think Hannah would like it, and I'm totally going to let her borrow the first book (since I'll have the physical print copy) whenever she has time to read it ;)

Which of my friends could I see hating this book? I'm gonna go with Mr. T on this one.  I can't see him getting into it.  Although, I did see a softer side of him on DWTS this season...

This book left me feeling: Excited!

How Long Did It Take Me to Read It: Time matters not with a book this good :)

Summing Up "The Ugly Stepsister"

Why I Chose This Book:  Free reading on Amazon Prime!  Can I get a "Whoop whoop!"?

Book Rating (1-5 Stars):  When I first started reading it, I don't think I was in the right frame of mind, so I quickly gave up on it after about 3 pages.  But then, one day, I got back into it, and I would say despite the ending, I would give it 4 stars :)

Setting of the Book: The setting of the book WAS a book.  Isn't that CRAY?!?!?!

About the Author: Her name is Aya Ling, and that's pretty much all I was able to get from her website.  She has no "About Me" section, but she does have a blog, so there might be some info on that, but I don't have the time or inclination to browse.

Plot of the book in one sentence:  Kat gets transported from modern-day to INSIDE OF the story of Cinderella - with a twist.  The only way she can escape the book is if she helps the heroine fall in love with the prince & vice-versa.  The only problem is - Kat has replaced one of the ugly stepsisters, and the prince has shown her more interest than Cinderella.  What's a girl to do?

If I Could Rename the Book:  I wouldn't - I love the title.  It hooked me right from the start.

Genre: YA Fiction

Point of View: Told exclusively from Kat's POV - 1st person

Favorite Character: Probably Kat.  She can be a little melodramatic at times, but she's also really funny.

Least Favorite Character: Kat's "sister" in the book.  She's a real piece of work.

Other (Main Characters): The prince, Cinderella, and the prince's cousin (can't remember his name)

If the Book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters? 
Kat - would be played by Jennifer Stone (Harper from "Wizards of Waverly Place") because I like her.
The prince - would be played by Gregg Sulkin (Mason from "Wizards of Waverly Place") because he just seems like he would be a great prince
Cinderella - would be played by Elle Fanning because I think she's beautiful, but also pulls off the humble servant-girl look really well (in a good way)
The prince's cousin - would be played by Brant Daugherty because he's gorgeous - although I'm not sold on this pick, because in my mind, the prince's cousin is a little more bookish.
Kat's "sister" in the book - would be played by Janel Parrish (I'm gonna be honest, I've never seen her act, but she's beautiful while also seeming like she would play a really good mean girl.)
Kat's "mother" in the book - would be played by Nia Peeples (Because she looks like she'd be related to the girl playing Kat's sister.)

Favorite Scene of the Book: When Kat accompanies one of her friends to a neighboring town to be a witness in her elopement wedding ceremony.

Least Favorite Scene of the Book:  Honestly, the end.  Didn't love it.  UNTIL I REALIZED this is the first book in a series!!!! Holler!!!!

Favorite Quote in the Book: I got nothing.  I really should pay more attention to this.

Did I like the Ending? See the answer to two questions ago

Which of my friends could I see loving this book? I think my sister, Sara, would like it

Which of my friends could I see hating this book? I know I'm not friends with this person, but I think Martin Luther probably wouldn't appreciate a book like this very much.

This book left me feeling: Dissatisfied (but now that I know there's a sequel - KA-CHING!)

How Long Did It Take Me to Read It: I honestly couldn't put it down.  Even though I had to a few times.  I INHALED THIS THING.

Summing Up "Fairy Tale Story Collection"

Why I Chose This Book:  It's actually 5 books in one.  My sister recommend them to me.

Book Rating (1-5 Stars):  For the most part, I enjoyed them.  There was only 1 book out of 5 that I chose not to finish.  It was the third book - "The Fairest Beauty," which was a retelling of Snow White.  And I'm not saying there's a correlation, but Snow White was always my least favorite Disney princess.

Setting of the Book: All 5 stories take place in Hagenheim, Germany during the 1400's or 1500's...can't remember which.  Basically, Medieval times.

About the Author: Melanie Dickerson has her Bachelor's degree in Special Education (that gives me hope, because I don't have a creative writing degree, and I want to eventually be a writer).  She has two daughters, and they all live in Huntsville, AL.  Fun fact about Melanie - she's taught in Germany and Ukraine!  How cool is that?!

Plot of the book in one sentence:  I'll have to use 5 sentences here, since there were technically 5 books:

Book #1 - "The Healer's Apprentice"  This book was a retelling of Sleeping Beauty (I'm pretty sure).  Rose has grown up in a pretty harsh family environment & can't understand why her mother never really loved her - then she becomes the Healer's Apprentice.  Lord Hamlin has been betrothed since infancy to an unknown woman who was placed in hiding at birth because of a curse put on her by a wicked sorcerer, but he ends up falling for Rose.

Book #2 - "The Merchant's Daughter" Annabelle is sold in indentured service to a beastly Lord Ranulf to pay off the debts incurred by her family's laziness.

Book #3 - "The Fairest Beauty"  Sophie is basically like an indentured servant to her awful stepmother, but one day, a man named Gabe comes to rescue her, claiming she is betrothed to his brother.  Things get complicated when they start falling for each other.

Book #4 - "The Captive Maiden"  Retelling of Cinderella - Gisela also works her bones off for her stepmother & stepsisters, but all she wants is to go to the annual festival the Duke is throwing.  She ends up going in disguise, and she catches the attention of the Duke's son...and her stepmother...

Book #5 - "The Princess Spy" I'm not sure what fairytale this is a retelling of, but Margaretha finds out from a mysterious stranger that her intended fiance, Lord Claybrook, is not who he seems.  She has to decide who to trust, and quickly, in order to save her family.

If I Could Rename the Book:  Ehhh, I probably wouldn't waste my time.  lol

Genre: Let's call it Christian Historical Fiction, shall we?

Point of View: Each book goes back and forth between the viewpoint of the female main character and the male main character.  Sometimes I like it, and sometimes I feel like it's a bit redundant, and at times, whiplashy.  Yes, I just made up a word.  Deal with it ;)

Favorite Character: I REALLY like the last two books, so my favorite character would either be Gisela or Margaretha.

Least Favorite Character: Bailiff Tom, the villian from Book 2.  I seriously wanted to punch him in the face.  A lot.

Other (Main Characters): I feel like I covered them adequately in the plot summaries.

If the Book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters? Too many characters to do this with - sorry!

Favorite Scene of the Book: In "The Captive Maiden," I love EVERY TOURNAMENT scene - there's jousting AND a swordfight - what's not to love?!  (Throwback to "A Knight's Tale" - such a good movie.  Now I wanna watch it....)

Least Favorite Scene of the Book: EVERY single scene with Bailiff Tom in it.  He's THE. WORST.

Favorite Quote in the Book: Couldn't tell ya.

Did I like the Ending? In 4 out of 5 books, YESSSS! :)

Which of my friends could I see loving this book? I honestly think Hannah would like these books.  And, because we're best friends, I also think she would probably be over the third one as much as I was.

Which of my friends could I see hating this book? A boy - always a boy.  lol

This book left me feeling: fictionalized (Like "You just got fictionalized!!"  Good word, right?)

How Long Did It Take Me to Read It: Honestly, I don't know.  It took a few months, because I took a LOOOOONG break after the third book made me want to give up.

Summing Up "Pretenders"

Why I Chose This Book:  On another of mom and my's infamous runs to the Books-A-Million clearance section, I picked up this gem for about $4.  Holler.

Book Rating (1-5 Stars):  I'd give it a 3 or 3 1/2.  It was good enough to hold my attention, but I probably won't read the sequel or recommend it to anyone else.

Setting of the Book: Some random town in USA.  The setting's not really that important.

About the Author: This book was written by Lisi Harrison.  I just went to her About page on her website and read it, and it's hands-down the BEST author bio I have ever read.  It made me reconsider my desire to read the sequel to Pretenders, because Lisi is awesome.  She was raised in Canada, has a bachelors degree in writing, and moved to Manhattan to write for MTV where she worked for 12 years.  She said her urge to write Pretenders came from working at MTV, not going to middle school (interestingly enough).  It's about the desire people have to wear certain things or act a certain way to fit in with the "in crowd."  She has since quit her MTV job & now writes full-time.  Bless her soul.  Here's her bio so you can read the cool-ness of it.

Plot of the book in one sentence: 5 ninth-graders who are going to an exceptional high school are assigned to keep journals for the whole year, and then, when they're in 10th grade, the journals are mysteriously released to the school to prove that no matter how "cool" someone seems, they're really just trying to fit in like everyone else.

If I Could Rename the Book:  I probably wouldn't, because the book title is pretty accurate already.

Genre: YA Fiction

Point of View: Alternates between each of the 5 students

Favorite Character: It's hard to choose, because I like them all, but maybe Sheridan.  She's a breath of fresh air.

Least Favorite Character: My least favorite character would probably be Duffy, simply because he takes a lot for granted, and he's clueless when it comes to how to act in friendships & relationships.

Other (Main Characters): 
Sheridan - dramatic and stylish, she wants to be an actress one day.  She has a best friend who, during the course of the book, begins to distance herself from Sheridan and establish her own identity, which Sheridan has a hard time with.
Lily - home-schooled until the 9th grade when she convinces her parents to let her enroll in public high school simply because (and this is a secret only she knows) she's in love with her neighbor, Duffy, and she wants him to notice her.
Vanessa - your classic know-it-all overachiever.  She was probably my second least-favorite character, because she puts too much stock into her smarts and kind of looks down on those less well-endowed with intelligence.  She gets a crush on Lily's best friend (can't remember his name) who is actually gay, but he hasn't come out of the closet yet.
Jagger - he's a loner, but it's not because he's one of those dumb emo kids who rides a skateboard everywhere.  There's some kind of dark secret as to why his parents aren't around, but I believe his dad's in jail (we don't know why), and Jagger was emancipated already so he doesn't get put in a foster home.  He's pretty lonely, and it breaks my heart for him.
Duffy - an all-star athlete whose parents essentially lose their jobs at the beginning of the year, meaning they can't afford to help him out with basketball costs (since he's on the varsity team), so he gets a "job" working for a trend-setter.  He has to wear whatever they give him and try and get his friends to buy whatever it is he's wearing.  Because Lily is head over heels for him, she ends up spending a ton of money buying this stuff to impress him, but he's clueless as to why she's doing it.

If the Book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters? 
Sheridan would by played by Peyton List (the oldest girl in the Disney show "Jessie")
Lily would be played by Lily Collins (Phil Collin's daughter - whaaaat?!  Funny how her name is Lily, too.  lol)
Vanessa would be played by Amandla Stenberg (best-known for playing Rue in the Hunger Games movie & who's starring in the upcoming movie "Everything, Everything")
Jagger would be played by Nicholas Hoult (who was in "Warm Bodies" - but like, a scruffy version of him, because he cleans up niiiiice.)
Duffy would be played by Lucas Till (who played a young "Havok" in the X-Men movies)

Favorite Scene of the Book: No one scene jumped out at me so much that I would say it's my favorite.

Least Favorite Scene of the Book: When Sheridan helps a guy she knows steal a car from her dad's dealership and then Vanessa's brother (who works there) gets blamed for it.

Favorite Quote in the Book: ???

Did I like the Ending? NO!  Because it wasn't an ending.  It was a cliffhanger that DEMANDS you read the sequel.

Which of my friends could I see loving this book? For some reason, Charity.

Which of my friends could I see hating this book? A boy...like my husband.  lol

This book left me feeling: Indy.  Like independent...you know, alternative.

How Long Did It Take Me to Read It: I think it was about 4 hours total.

April Update on New Year's Resolutions

Below are the New Year's Resolutions I made for 2017.  Can you believe 2017 is already A THIRD OF THE WAY DONE?!  I can't believe it.  I'm turning 30 in about 5 months, but I don't wanna talk about it.  Anyway, let's get a progress update on my resolution list, shall we?

1) Lose another 50 pounds - As of this past Sunday, April 30, I have completed two months of my 3-month weight loss challenge in which I've lost about 13 pounds so far!  But I have to confess, my exercising has slacked off, so I need to get back on that.

2) Pay off all of our immediate debt - Still working on it - it's definitely a work-in-progress.  Obviously, if we're still working on it... Anyway, enough of that.  (We're hoping to have everything paid off - except for my students loans - by this time next year!)

3) Rewrite Ravensboro - Still no more progress on this.  Sadly, I haven't been bitten by the writing bug lately.  But maybe soon, I will be.

4) Finish Harkness - I really can't start on this until Ravensboro is done...  ='(

5) Journal/Blog more - I have a few more book summaries waiting to be written and posted on my blog, but I finished the Harry Potter series - yay!  Not really journalling right now, but I'll figure out some kind of plan soon.

6) Find out where I should be career-wise - This is honestly still a prayer in my heart, but when you're paying off debt, a career or job change is about the stupidest thing you could possibly do.  Am I right?  This past weekend, I went to a Beth Moore devotional weekend with my best friend, and God showed me some things to work on in my spiritual walk, so that's at the forefront of things I'm focusing on right now, and honestly, I don't feel the least bit bad about it.  At all.  So yeah.


What about you?  Did you have any New Year's Resolutions going into 2017?  How are those working out?

Currently I'm...

Reading: Nothing.  But planning on starting the sequel to "The Selection" by Kiera Cass. CAN'T. WAIT.


Watching: by myself, I'm watching DWTS (Dancing with the Stars), Oh My Ghostess (a K-drama - don't judge me), HIMYM (How I Met Your Mother - who's the mother??!?!?! It's driving me crazy!), and Vanderpump Rules (really...please don't judge me).  With Tyler, I'm watching Merlin and Parks & Rec (Andy & April FOREVS!!!!!)


Listening to: Current obsessions are Elevation Worship, Bethel Music, Little Mix, the Peasell Sisters, Shane & Shane, and Bethany Dillon/Barnard.  I love music.  Like music with tight harmonies.  Especially Jesus music.  Especially also acapella.  And even better - acapella Jesus music with tight harmonies.


Jonesing for: Carrabba's.  More books.  Time to write more blog posts and work on Ravensboro.  A vacation - preferably all-expenses paid not-by-me.


Recovering from: I drank coffee today.  With lots of creamer.  So my body's currently dealing with that.  And also recovering from an AWESOME weekend at a Beth Moore conference with my girl, Hannah!!!!!


Memorizing: Currently, nothing.  Unless you count words to songs I want to try to lead in church.


Trying to: Lose weight.  Get closer to God.  Pay off debt.  Work on my marriage.  Be a good daughter, sister, aunt, wife, friend, child of God.  Write books.  Figure out what to ''do'' with my life that will make me happy & still be able to ''make a living.''


Loving: Jesus.  Literally, that's all that matters.  Also, I will admit I'm loving being able to fit into a size 14 again!!! Heyyyy!

Summing Up "Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows"

Why I Chose This Book:  Because it is the inevitable end.

Book Rating (1-5 Stars):  4 stars.  TOO MANY DEATHS and not enough happy moments.

Setting of the Book: For once, most of the book does not take place at Hogwarts.  Only some of it.

About the Author: J.K. Rowling - this is obviously her claim-to-fame series.  She wrote another book about some kind of political something or other in England (also fiction), but the synopsis on the back of the book really didn't interest me.  Also, I'm pretty sure she wrote the first Harry Potter book in her mid-twenties but didn't actually get it published until her early thirties?  Or something like that.

Plot of the book in one sentence:  Harry, Ron and Hermione travel around learning more about Horcruxes and the Deathly Hallows in order to defeat You-Know-Who.

If I Could Rename the Book:  Harry Potter & the Hunt for Horcruxes

Genre: YA Fantasy

Point of View: 3rd person limited (told from Harry's POV)

Favorite Character: The twins.  Beloved Fred & George :)

Least Favorite Character: YOU-KNOW-WHO!!!! ARGH!!!! And Bellatrix Lestrange.

Other (Main Characters): 
Harry Potter - the main character (obviously).  In this book, he's in his third year at Hogwarts.
Ron Weasley - Harry's best friend.  Comes from a poor family (all redheads).  His dad works for the Ministry of Magic, his two oldest brothers have already graduated from Hogwarts, his third oldest brother is a know-it-all rule follower at Hogwarts, his fourth-and-fifth oldest brothers are twins who are constantly causing trouble, and his younger sister is in love with Harry.  lol
Hermione Granger - Harry and Ron's other best friend.  Even though they can't stand her at the beginning of the first book (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone), they grudgingly grow to admire and like her.
Albus Dumbledore - The Headmaster of Hogwarts.  He's so wise.  And super beardy.  Seriously.  He has a super-long beard.
Severus Snape - The Potions teacher at Hogwarts.  He is SO MEAN to Harry all the time.
Draco Malfoy - a self-entitled bully who picks on Harry, Ron and Hermione all the time.
I could go on, but I don't want to bog you down with too many Harry Potter characters. lol

If the Book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters? 
It's already a movie, and the characters are spot-on.  The villians are extremely well-cast.

Favorite Scene of the Book: The theft from Gringotts.  The duel between Harry and You-Know-Who.  There are a lot of great scenes.

Least Favorite Scene of the Book: The death of the Auror.  The death of the joker.  The death of the house elf.  The death of the newly-married couple.  RIP, all of you.

Did I like the Ending? Actually, I felt like the Epilogue was a bit lacking...

Which of my friends could I see loving this book? Amy - I know she loves it.  haha

Which of my friends could I see hating this book? No idea.

This book left me feeling: Glad to be done.  I'd forgotten how dark the series gets after You-Know-Who comes back to power.

How Long Did It Take Me to Read It: Six hours? Give or take...

Summing Up "Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince"

Why I Chose This Book:  You should know by now.

Book Rating (1-5 Stars):  4 stars.  Too much Snape in this.  And SOMEONE ELSE WONDERFUL DIES.

Setting of the Book: Mostly Hogwarts (School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in London).  I'm a complete nerd, I know.

About the Author: J.K. Rowling - this is obviously her claim-to-fame series.  She wrote another book about some kind of political something or other in England (also fiction), but the synopsis on the back of the book really didn't interest me.  Also, I'm pretty sure she wrote the first Harry Potter book in her mid-twenties but didn't actually get it published until her early thirties?  Or something like that.

Plot of the book in one sentence:  Harry, Ron and Hermione try to find out what You-Know-Who is up to while EVERYTHING ELSE FALLS APART.  I just can't even.

If I Could Rename the Book:  Harry Potter & the Death of All that is Good and Sane

Genre: YA Fantasy

Point of View: 3rd person limited (told from Harry's POV)

Favorite Character: Dumbledore <3 p="">
Least Favorite Character: Snape. Malfoy. Snape. Malfoy. Snape. Malfoy....

Other (Main Characters):
Harry Potter - the main character (obviously).  In this book, he's in his third year at Hogwarts.
Ron Weasley - Harry's best friend.  Comes from a poor family (all redheads).  His dad works for the Ministry of Magic, his two oldest brothers have already graduated from Hogwarts, his third oldest brother is a know-it-all rule follower at Hogwarts, his fourth-and-fifth oldest brothers are twins who are constantly causing trouble, and his younger sister is in love with Harry.  lol
Hermione Granger - Harry and Ron's other best friend.  Even though they can't stand her at the beginning of the first book (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone), they grudgingly grow to admire and like her.
Albus Dumbledore - The Headmaster of Hogwarts.  He's so wise.  And super beardy.  Seriously.  He has a super-long beard.
Severus Snape - The Potions teacher at Hogwarts.  He is SO MEAN to Harry all the time.
Draco Malfoy - a self-entitled bully who picks on Harry, Ron and Hermione all the time.
I could go on, but I don't want to bog you down with too many Harry Potter characters. lol

If the Book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters?
It's already a movie, and the characters are spot-on.  Especially Snape - he's so easy to hate.

Favorite Scene of the Book: Honestly, I can't really think of one.

Least Favorite Scene of the Book: In the clock-tower after Harry and Dumbledore return from retrieving the locket....

Did I like the Ending? Hated it.  Hated it.  Why so much death?!

Which of my friends could I see loving this book? Amy - I know she loves it.  haha

Which of my friends could I see hating this book? Probably so many people.

This book left me feeling: Honestly, depressed.  But I press on for the ending.

How Long Did It Take Me to Read It: Too long.

Summing Up "Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix"

Why I Chose This Book:  I had to know what happened after You-Know-Who came back!

Book Rating (1-5 Stars):  This book is going to get 4 stars.  It's kind of depressing; one of my FAVORITE characters dies in it; the movie leaves out a lot of the coolest parts (but that's probably because it's one of the longest books in the series).

Setting of the Book: Hogwarts & the Ministry of Magic

About the Author: J.K. Rowling - this is obviously her claim-to-fame series.  She wrote another book about some kind of political something or other in England (also fiction), but the synopsis on the back of the book really didn't interest me.  Also, I'm pretty sure she wrote the first Harry Potter book in her mid-twenties but didn't actually get it published until her early thirties?  Or something like that.

Plot of the book in one sentence:  Harry, Ron and Hermione meet the Order of the Phoenix and deal with the aftermath of You-Know-Who coming back and the Ministry of Magic taking over the school.

If I Could Rename the Book:  Harry Potter & the Department of Mysteries (is it "department"? Now I can't remember...)

Genre: YA Fantasy

Point of View: 3rd person limited (told from Harry's POV)

Favorite Character: Tonks, hands-down.  She's awesome.

Least Favorite Character: The woman the Ministry of Magic sends to get Hogwarts under control.  She's awful.  *shudders*

Other (Main Characters): 
Harry Potter - the main character (obviously).  In this book, he's in his third year at Hogwarts.
Ron Weasley - Harry's best friend.  Comes from a poor family (all redheads).  His dad works for the Ministry of Magic, his two oldest brothers have already graduated from Hogwarts, his third oldest brother is a know-it-all rule follower at Hogwarts, his fourth-and-fifth oldest brothers are twins who are constantly causing trouble, and his younger sister is in love with Harry.  lol
Hermione Granger - Harry and Ron's other best friend.  Even though they can't stand her at the beginning of the first book (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone), they grudgingly grow to admire and like her.
Albus Dumbledore - The Headmaster of Hogwarts.  He's so wise.  And super beardy.  Seriously.  He has a super-long beard.
Severus Snape - The Potions teacher at Hogwarts.  He is SO MEAN to Harry all the time.
Draco Malfoy - a self-entitled bully who picks on Harry, Ron and Hermione all the time.
I could go on, but I don't want to bog you down with too many Harry Potter characters. lol

If the Book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters? 
It's already a movie, and the characters are spot-on.

Favorite Scene of the Book: When Fred & George stand-up to...THAT WOMAN.  Ugh.

Least Favorite Scene of the Book: When Harry gets detention and has to write "I must not tell lies" with a quill that PIERCES HIS SKIN.

Did I like the Ending? Of course I did :)

Which of my friends could I see loving this book? Amy - I know she loves it.  haha

Which of my friends could I see hating this book? People who don't like conflict

This book left me feeling: Frustrated, but vindicated.

How Long Did It Take Me to Read It: Too long - this book is sooooo long.

Summing Up "Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire"

Why I Chose This Book:  Because it was the next one to read in the Harry Potter series.

Book Rating (1-5 Stars):  5+ stars!  This is probably one of my FAVORITE Harry Potter books - if not THE favorite!

Setting of the Book: Mostly Hogwarts (School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in London).  I'm a complete nerd, I know.

About the Author: J.K. Rowling - this is obviously her claim-to-fame series.  She wrote another book about some kind of political something or other in England (also fiction), but the synopsis on the back of the book really didn't interest me.  Also, I'm pretty sure she wrote the first Harry Potter book in her mid-twenties but didn't actually get it published until her early thirties?  Or something like that.

Plot of the book in one sentence:  Harry is entered into the Tri-Wizard tournament where he's sure someone wants him killed.

If I Could Rename the Book:  Harry Potter & the Tri-Wizard Cup

Genre: YA Fantasy

Point of View: 3rd person limited (told from Harry's POV)

Favorite Character: Mad-Eye Moody (even though he's not what he seems).

Least Favorite Character: Lucius Malfoy.  Ugh.

Other (Main Characters): 
Harry Potter - the main character (obviously).  In this book, he's in his third year at Hogwarts.
Ron Weasley - Harry's best friend.  Comes from a poor family (all redheads).  His dad works for the Ministry of Magic, his two oldest brothers have already graduated from Hogwarts, his third oldest brother is a know-it-all rule follower at Hogwarts, his fourth-and-fifth oldest brothers are twins who are constantly causing trouble, and his younger sister is in love with Harry.  lol
Hermione Granger - Harry and Ron's other best friend.  Even though they can't stand her at the beginning of the first book (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone), they grudgingly grow to admire and like her.
Albus Dumbledore - The Headmaster of Hogwarts.  He's so wise.  And super beardy.  Seriously.  He has a super-long beard.
Severus Snape - The Potions teacher at Hogwarts.  He is SO MEAN to Harry all the time.
Draco Malfoy - a self-entitled bully who picks on Harry, Ron and Hermione all the time.
I could go on, but I don't want to bog you down with too many Harry Potter characters. lol

If the Book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters? 
It's already a movie, and the characters are spot-on.  Especially the villians.  You just LOVE to hate them.

Favorite Scene of the Book: There are so many!  Probably every task the Tri-Wizard champions have to face.

Least Favorite Scene of the Book: What happens at the very end of the final task of the Tri-Wizard tournament.  It's horrible.

Did I like the Ending? Of course!

Which of my friends could I see loving this book? Amy - I know she loves it.  haha

Which of my friends could I see hating this book? Maybe Matthew DelValle.

This book left me feeling: Magical (pun intended - lol)

How Long Did It Take Me to Read It: Longer than an hour and less than a day, but it was time well-spent!

Summing Up "Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban"

Why I Chose This Book:  Because the Harry Potter series is awesome.

Book Rating (1-5 Stars):  I'm gonna go with another 5 stars on this one.

Setting of the Book: Mostly Hogwarts (School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in London).  I'm a complete nerd, I know.

About the Author: J.K. Rowling - this is obviously her claim-to-fame series.  She wrote another book about some kind of political something or other in England (also fiction), but the synopsis on the back of the book really didn't interest me.  Also, I'm pretty sure she wrote the first Harry Potter book in her mid-twenties but didn't actually get it published until her early thirties?  Or something like that.

Plot of the book in one sentence:  Harry, Ron and Hermione discover a supposed murderer, Sirius Black, has escaped from the wizard prison, Azkaban, to come after Harry and kill him - or is that the whole truth?

If I Could Rename the Book:  I wouldn't rename any of the books in the Harry Potter series - they're all apropos.

Genre: YA Fantasy

Point of View: 3rd person limited (told from Harry's POV)

Favorite Character: In this book, I love the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher, Lupin.

Least Favorite Character: Always Snape.  He's just such a jerk.  Although, I don't like Draco Malfoy either.

Other (Main Characters): 
Harry Potter - the main character (obviously).  In this book, he's in his third year at Hogwarts.
Ron Weasley - Harry's best friend.  Comes from a poor family (all redheads).  His dad works for the Ministry of Magic, his two oldest brothers have already graduated from Hogwarts, his third oldest brother is a know-it-all rule follower at Hogwarts, his fourth-and-fifth oldest brothers are twins who are constantly causing trouble, and his younger sister is in love with Harry.  lol
Hermione Granger - Harry and Ron's other best friend.  Even though they can't stand her at the beginning of the first book (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone), they grudgingly grow to admire and like her.
Albus Dumbledore - The Headmaster of Hogwarts.  He's so wise.  And super beardy.  Seriously.  He has a super-long beard.
Severus Snape - The Potions teacher at Hogwarts.  He is SO MEAN to Harry all the time.
Draco Malfoy - a self-entitled bully who picks on Harry, Ron and Hermione all the time.
I could go on, but I don't want to bog you down with too many Harry Potter characters. lol

If the Book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters? 
It's already a movie, and the characters are spot-on.  Although, I don't LOVE who they cast as Sirius Black or Lupin, but they play their parts well.

Favorite Scene of the Book: When Harry & Hermione travel back in time using a time-turner, and have to help themselves while also avoiding themselves...it's pretty awesome.

Least Favorite Scene of the Book: In the Shrieking Shack when Sirius, Lupin, Snape come face-to-face with Harry, Ron, Hermione and a surprise guest.

Did I like the Ending? Always.

Which of my friends could I see loving this book? Amy - I know she loves it.  haha

Which of my friends could I see hating this book? Literally no one.

This book left me feeling: Whimsical

How Long Did It Take Me to Read It: Longer than an hour and less than a day, but it was time well-spent!

March Update on New Year's Resolutions

Below are the New Year's Resolutions I made for 2017.  Can you believe 2017 is already A QUARTER OF THE WAY DONE?!  I can't believe it.  I'm turning 30 in less than 7 months, but I don't wanna talk about it.  Anyway, let's get a progress update on my resolution list, shall we?

1) Lose another 50 pounds - As of this past Sunday, March 26, I have completed one month of my 3-month weight loss challenge in which I've lost about 9 pounds in 4 weeks!  Between sickness and back pain, I haven't worked out as much lately, so my exercising has slacked off, but I must have built some muscle, because I can tell I'm still burning fat.  Well, it's at more of a simmer, but still...

2) Pay off all of our immediate debt - Still chugging along!  Even though we're down to about six bills (at least when it comes to paying off debt), they're still the largest chunks, so I'm having the mentality of "slow & steady wins the race" right now.

3) Rewrite Ravensboro - Still no more progress on this.  I'm ashamed to say between work (tax season is here and I work in a tax office), working out, and otherwise being married and being choir director at my church, I haven't had much time to do much else.  Including updating Ravensboro.

4) Finish Harkness - I really can't start on this until Ravensboro is done...  ='(

5) Journal/Blog more - I have SIX more book summaries waiting to be written and posted on my blog, which is awesome, but I've started slacking on the journaling front - unless you count the food journal I'm doing for my weight loss competition.

6) Find out where I should be career-wise - I just got a raise, so I'm sticking where I'm stuck right now.  Hopefully, God will continue to lead me in His will for my career, because I still don't know what to do.  I had lunch with a friend the other day, and we were talking about careers and finding jobs doing what we're good at and love to do.  Obviously, being a writer or working in a church would be preferable, but I have also considered guidance counseling or camp counseling before.  So maybe I'll look into that...


What about you?  Did you have any New Year's Resolutions going into 2017?  How are those working out?

Summing Up "Afterworlds"

Why I Chose This Book:  During the same BAM trip in which I purchased "DUFF," I found this book for $3.97.  AND DID I MENTION the book has about 600 pages?  WINNING!

Book Rating (1-5 Stars):  I'd give it 4 stars.  I really like the author - his writing is really good, but some things in this book were hard to get through.  For example, some scenes were REALLY creepy, and I'm not down with horror.  Like, at all.  Also, one of the main characters decides that she's a lesbian all of a sudden.  So there's that.

Setting of the Book: It vacillates between Darcy, a YA author living in New York, and Lizzie, the main character of the YA novel that Darcy just finished writing.

About the Author: Scott Westerfeld wrote a series I read before this book called the "Uglies/Pretties" series, and I really liked that series.  I couldn't put it down.  So, of course, when I saw this book, I really wanted to read it.  And, while I don't regret reading it, I don't necessarily know if I'd want to read it again.  Maybe, though.  If I'm bored.

Plot of the book in one sentence:  Each chapter alternates between the story of Darcy in New York editing "Afterworlds" for publications and the actual text of "Afterworlds" in which Lizzie survives a terrorist attack in an airport only to learn she can now see ghosts.

If I Could Rename the Book: Psychopomps, Anonymous  (In the book, Lizzie is referred to as a "psychopomp" which is kind of like a grim reaper.)

Genre: YA Fiction Fantasy

Point of View: Alternates between Darcy (told in third-person limited) and Lizzie (told in first person)

Favorite Character: I really liked Lizzie, despite the fact that she develops a crush on a fellow grim reaper who isn't really that awesome, in my opinion.

Least Favorite Character: Either "The Bad Man" or the other villain in the story (can't remember his name off the top of my head)

Other (Main Characters): 
Darcy - the YA author.  She just graduated high school and moves to New York to edit the novel and begin to write the sequel.
Darcy's sister - can't remember her name either, but she's a 14-year-old math whiz who's also Darcy's best friend and helps her budget the money Darcy earned from getting published
Imogen - Darcy's love interest; a fellow writer (the first chapter of the book she's written is included in the book, and it makes me sad it wasn't continued)
Lizzie - Darcy's main character in "Afterworlds"
Yama - A lord of the dead who visits Lizzie and reveals what she is
The Bad Man - a serial killer who killed Lizzie's mom's best friend when she was eleven; he also murdered 5 other little girls
The Man in the Patched Jacket - the other villain from "Afterworlds" who knits coats from ghosts he chops us (gross, I know).

If the Book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters?  People?  I don't know.  I can't see the characters for this book.

Favorite Scene of the Book: The terrorist attack in the airport.  It's such a gripping scene.

Least Favorite Scene of the Book: When Lizzie meets the man in the patched jacket.

Favorite Quote in the Book: I didn't have one.

Did I like the Ending? Nope, kinda hated it actually.

Which of my friends could I see loving this book? N/A

Which of my friends could I see hating this book? N/A

This book left me feeling: Creeped out a little

How Long Did It Take Me to Read It: I don't even know.  6 hours? 7 hours?

Summing Up "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

Why I Chose This Book:  Because HARRY POTTER!  Hellooooooo...

Book Rating (1-5 Stars):  Hands-down, 5 stars.  I love the Harry Potter series.  It's so easy to read, and...it's just so great.

Setting of the Book: Mostly Hogwarts (School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in London).  I'm a complete nerd, I know.

About the Author: J.K. Rowling - this is obviously her claim-to-fame series.  She wrote another book about some kind of political something or other in England (also fiction), but the synopsis on the back of the book really didn't interest me.  Also, I'm pretty sure she wrote the first Harry Potter book in her mid-twenties but didn't actually get it published until her early thirties?  Or something like that.

Plot of the book in one sentence:  Harry, Ron and Hermione need to figure out who is opening the Chamber of Secrets and what kind of monster is trying to kill students at Hogwarts.

If I Could Rename the Book:  I wouldn't, BECAUSE it's already such an intriguing title.

Genre: YA Fantasy

Point of View: 3rd person limited (told from Harry's POV)

Favorite Character: Hands-down Hermione.  She's the best, and I'd totally be her friend.

Least Favorite Character: Always Snape.  He's just such a jerk.  Although, I don't like Draco Malfoy either.

Other (Main Characters): 
Harry Potter - the main character (obviously).  In this book, he's just turned 13.  And he's in his second year at Hogwarts.
Ron Weasley - Harry's best friend.  Comes from a poor family (all redheads).  His dad works for the Ministry of Magic, his two oldest brothers have already graduated from Hogwarts, his third oldest brother is a know-it-all rule follower at Hogwarts, his fourth-and-fifth oldest brothers are twins who are constantly causing trouble, and his younger sister is in love with Harry.  lol
Hermione Granger - Harry and Ron's other best friend.  Even though they can't stand her at the beginning of the first book (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone), they grudgingly grow to admire and like her.
Albus Dumbledore - The Headmaster of Hogwarts.  He's so wise.  And super beardy.  Seriously.  He has a super-long beard.
Severus Snape - The Potions teacher at Hogwarts.  He is SO MEAN to Harry all the time.
Draco Malfoy - a self-entitled bully who picks on Harry, Ron and Hermione all the time.
I could go on, but I don't want to bog you down with too many Harry Potter characters. lol

If the Book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters? 
It's already a movie, and the characters are spot-on.

Favorite Scene of the Book: There's just so many to choose from!  Probably when Harry has to travel by Floo powder for the first time and ends up in Knockturn Alley instead of Diagon Alley.

Least Favorite Scene of the Book: When the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets confronts Harry and tells him why he/she did it.

Favorite Quote in the Book: "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." - Dumbledore (of course, because he's so wise.)

Did I like the Ending? Of course I did!

Which of my friends could I see loving this book? Amy - I know she loves it.  haha

Which of my friends could I see hating this book? Literally no one.  Unless they're a super-duper-Bible-thumping charismatic "Christian" who believes that the devil speaks subliminally through Christian contemporary music and drums.

This book left me feeling: Fantastical!

How Long Did It Take Me to Read It: Who cares - it's HARRY POTTER!

Summing Up "The Mermaid's Sister"

Why I Chose This Book:  Free fiction book about a mermaid on Amazon Prime - of COURSE I'm gonna read it!  *insert girlish squeal here*

Book Rating (1-5 Stars):  2.5 - I seriously can't believe I actually finished it.  I was expecting so much MORE out of the book than what I got from it.

Setting of the Book:  Some mountain village somewhere. Whatever.

About the Author: Don't really care to know.  haha

Plot of the book in one sentence:  Clara and O'Neill, her kind-of adopted brother, go on an adventure to take their kind-of adopted sister, Maren, to the sea on account of her turning into a mermaid.

If I Could Rename the Book: I wouldn't. 

Genre: Fiction

Point of View: First-Person Present

Favorite Character: Probably O'Neill.  Even though he totally leads the reader on throughout the whole book, because you're like, "Who do you like - Clara or Maren?  Just pick one already?"  So it is pretty frustrating.

Least Favorite Character: Maren.  She's kind of a self-absorbed brat.  But I guess many mermaids are that way.

Other (Main Characters): 
Granny (the woman who found & raised Maren and Clara)
Scarff (the man who found & raised O'Neill)

If the Book was made into a movie, who would play the main characters?
This is usually a fun one for me to think about, but I don't really want to associate any of these characters with actors, so I'm not going to do it.  haha

Favorite Scene of the Book:  I mean, the ending was good, so props to that.  It was probably my favorite scene.

Least Favorite Scene of the Book:  Can I say the rest of the book?  Haha.  No?  Well then, probably the scene where the evil travelling salesman burns Clara and O'Neill's wagon so he can capture them and use Maren in his show to make money.

Favorite Quote in the Book: I actually had 3!  There were some good quotes in this book - it's one redeeming quality.
1) "There is no cure for being who you truly are."
2) "You can't erase a thing by not acknowledging it."
3) "One chicken cannot sit on the whole world's eggs."

Did I like the Ending? Yes, it was cute :)

Which of my friends could I see loving this book? No answer.

Which of my friends could I see hating this book? Me. haha

This book left me feeling: Sad that I wasted my time reading it.

How Long Did It Take Me to Read It: On and off again for about 5-6 hours total.

Top 10 Hymns

My friend, Hannah (who has an awesome blog, btw - you should check it out), just made her list of top ten hymns, so I took the time to make mine.  A lot of these have sentimental value attached, so just bear with me while I list them out for you:

10. Amazing Grace -  If Christianity had an anthem, I'm sure this would be it.  But, I mean, if you really think about the words themselves, they are SO AMAZING.  Because of His amazing grace, a wretch like me was saved - how sweet is the sound of that grace!

9. Power of the Cross - I love this song, because the melody accentuates the words so amazingly.  And the emotions that I can pour into this song - whoo.  That's all I have to say about that.  Favorite stanza (even though they're all awesome):

"Oh, to see my name

Written in the wounds,

For through Your suffering I am free.

Death is crushed to death;

Life is mine to live,

Won through Your selfless love." 

8. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing - This is one of the most poetic hymns I've ever heard.  I just love it.

7. Old Rugged Cross - I used to sing this hymn in the truck with my dad on Sundays when he would take me to church.  I don't have a lot of fond memories of my relationship with him, but this is one of the best :)

6. O the Deep, Deep Love - This is a "new" hymn, but it's so beautiful.  Just in case you've never heard it, please take a moment and listen.

5. Be Thou My Vision - For those of you who don't know me (or much about me), know this - I LOVE acapella music, and I love singing in harmony.  This hymn is definitely one of my favorite ones to sing acapella.

4. When I Survey the Wondrous Cross - The words to this song.  Man.  They make me bawl like a baby.  Or choke up immensely.  All depends on the room and the day.  I actually like the alternative melody to this song.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, take a listen:

3. Just As I Am - This hymn has been the "altar call" go-to hymn at manyyyyy church services I've been to.  I have it memorized.  And it is challenging, and so convicting too.

2. How Great Thou Art - This song can either be sung acapella as a solo, or as a HUGE choral number with many parts.  I've heard it both ways, and I believe the words are just as powerful either way!

1. I Need Thee Every Hour - Guys.  This song.  Is my favorite hymn of all time (obviously, because I listed it at number one.)  This hymn has the ability to break my heart down ANY TIME I hear it, no matter WHAT is happening in my life when I listen to it.  Favorite version right here:

What about you?  What are your favorite hymns?  Can someone please comment something so at least I know people actually read my blog and this isn't just a glorified online journal?  lol