The Grownup

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn Published by Crown in Jun. 17, 2014 Genre(s): Short Stories, Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Thriller, Adult Format: Kindle Pages: 64 Goodreads A canny young woman is struggling to survive by perpetrating various levels of mostly harmless fraud. On a rainy April morning, she is reading auras at Spiritual Palms when Susan Burke walks in. A keen observer of human behavior, our unnamed narrator immediately diagnoses beautiful, rich Susan as an unhappy woman eager to give her lovely life a drama injection. However, when the "psychic" visits the eerie Victorian home that has been the source of Susan's terror and grief, she realizes she may not have to pretend to believe in ghosts anymore. Miles, Susan's teenage stepson, doesn't help matters with...

Read More

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeanette Walls Published by Scribner in Mar. 2005 Genre(s): Nonfiction, Adult, Memoir, Social Issues, Poverty Format: Paperback Pages: 288 Goodreads The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. When sober, Jeannette's brilliant and charismatic father captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn't want the responsibility of raising a family. The Walls children learned to take care of themselves. They fed, clothed, and protected one...

Read More

The Martian by Andy Weir

The Martian by Andy Weir Published by Crown on Feb. 11, 2014 Genre(s): Science Fiction, Fiction, Adventure, Space, Adult, Thriller Format: Paperback Pages: 369 Goodreads Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.  Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.  Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old “human error” are much more likely to kill...

Read More

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Animal Farm by George Orwell Published by NAL in 1945 Genre(s): Classics, Fiction, Science Fiction, Dystopian, Politics Format: Kindle Pages: 122 Goodreads As ferociously fresh as it was more than a half century ago, this remarkable allegory of a downtrodden society of overworked, mistreated animals, and their quest to create a paradise of progress, justice, and equality is one of the most scathing satires ever published. As we witness the rise and bloody fall of the revolutionary animals, we begin to recognize the seeds of totalitarianism in the most idealistic organization; and in our most charismatic leaders, the souls of our cruelest oppressors. Rating: .img1 { float: left; margin: 0 20px 0 0; width: 240px; height:...

Read More

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker Published by Other Press in 2002 Genre(s): Historical, Romance, Fiction Format: Kindle Pages: 337 Goodreads A poignant and inspirational love story set in Burma, The Art of Hearing Heartbeats spans the decades between the 1950s and the present. When a successful New York lawyer suddenly disappears without a trace, neither his wife nor his daughter Julia has any idea where he might be…until they find a love letter he wrote many years ago, to a Burmese woman they have never heard of. Intent on solving the mystery and coming to terms with her father’s past, Julia decides to travel to the village where the woman lived. There she uncovers a tale of unimaginable hardship, resilience, and passion that will reaffirm...

Read More

Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty

Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty Published by Harper Perennial Genre(s): Fiction, Contemporary Format: Hardcover Pages: 356 Goodreads Lyn, Cat, and Gemma Kettle, beautiful thirty-three-year-old triplets, seem to attract attention everywhere they go. Whenever they're together, laughter, drama, and mayhem seem to follow. But apart, each is very much her own woman, dealing with her own share ofups and downs. Lyn has organized her life into one big checklist, juggling the many balls of work, marriage, and motherhood with expert precision, but is she as together as her datebook would have her seem? Cat has just learned a startling secret about her marriage -- can she bring another life into her very precarious world? And can free-spirited Gemma, who bolts every time a relationship...

Read More

Dirty Rush by Taylor Bell

Dirty Rush by Taylor Bell Published by Gallery Books on Jan. 13, 2015 Genre(s): Fiction/a> Format: Paperback Pages: 252 Goodreads In this shockingly true-to-life novel written by an all-star team of Internet phenoms from the Total Frat Move generation, you’ll get the first true glimpse of “real” sorority life in all its f**ked up glory. Dirty Rush by Taylor Bell is what happens when you take the creative minds behind Babe Walker (author of the New York Times bestselling White Girl Problemsseries) and add Rebecca Martinson to the mix. Rebecca Martinson—yes, that bitch—the former Delta Gamma sister responsible for the scathing, expletive-filled email that verbally assaulted her entire chapter for being “so f**king boring” at social...

Read More

A Dance With Dragons

So I haven't been able to post in awhile-- since baseball season began, I've been super busy balancing work, school preparations, and life in general!! In all of my downtime, I have either been binge watching Criminal Minds or reading the longest/best book I've ever read....... Which brings me to a solo post for the April edition of This Month's Reads featuring A Dance with Dragons, (Game of Thrones Book 5). A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martion Published by Bantam on Oct. 29, 2013 Genre(s): Fiction, Fantasy, Epic Format: Kindle Pages: 1,125 Goodreads In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance—beset by newly emerging threats from every direction. In the east, Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House Targaryen,...

Read More

My Books in Lists: Wishes

{Books on my Wishlist} I will forever have a never-ending, insanely long wish list because I love books so much that I cannot stop reading ABOUT them, let alone reading the actual books. So, I'm constantly stumbling upon new titles (and old) that strike my interest, so I add them to the growing list. I keep track of my wish list(s) using Paperbackswap.com {where I literally wish for the books and whenever a fellow user posts the title I'm wishing, I get a notification so that I can go order it from them!} and Goodreads.com {where I keep track of books I've read, want to read, like and don't like, etc. It's like Foursquare for books}. You can read more about these websites on my post about them over here. Over the weekend, the sweetest thing happened to me. I got a message from a user on...

Read More

My Books in Lists: Musts

{My Lifetime Must-Reads} Here are the books that I have read (or intend to read) in my lifetime. I've read most of them, but there are a couple that I haven't gotten to just yet. Most are literary classics, but others are novels that have stood out to me over the years as amazing for one reason or another. So... these are the books that I think everyone should read in their lifetime. What would you have me add to this list?  Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen The Help by Kathryn Stockett The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde The Giver by Lois Lowry A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger Anthem by Ayn Rand Wuthering Heights...

Read More

My Books in Lists: Favorites

{My All-Time Favorites} The title speaks for itself, don't you think? I'm sure I'll add more books to this list in my lifetime, but for now, here are the best books I've ever had the great pleasure of stumbling upon reading. I hope that you'll consider reading them, too! :) {Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech} Harry Potter (the series) by J.K. Rowling Into the Wild by John Kraukener (AMAZING story) White Girl Problems by Babe Walker (side-cramping laugh-out-loud funny) The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (sobbed like a new born baby) Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech (the first novel I ever read...made me fall in love with fiction) The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger I have a hard time choosing favorites of anything, so the books that made it on to this list are no joke. I've...

Read More

My Books in Lists: Upcoming

I am CONSTANTLY adding books to my TBR (to be read) pile & wish list...so much so that it's kind of becoming a problem. I mean seriously. I am making no exaggeration. I stumble upon a new book that I want to read pretty much every day. I fear that I'll die before I find enough time to read all the good books in this world. But I digress. In honor of National Reading Month, I am sharing all-things-books with you all month long. For a few posts, I want to share my many book lists. I hope that some of the many books on these lists will stand out to you, and I encourage you to read them if you have not, add them to your TBR pile if you feel so inclined, and tell me (no spoilers, please!) what you thought if you've already read!! Here is one section of my Upcoming Reads list. There are two...

Read More

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and other concerns)

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling Published by Three Rivers Press on Jan. 1, 2011 Genre(s): Nonfiction, Humor, Memoir, Biography, Essays Format: Paperback Pages: 222 Goodreads Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?” Perhaps you want to know what Mindy thinks makes a great best friend (someone who will fill your prescription in the middle of the night), or what makes a great guy (one who...

Read More

World Book Day: March 5 2015 {NRM Pt. 2}

Of course, I'm late to the World Book Day party in terms of posting, but don't worry at all- I was sure to celebrate the beautiful Thursday by listening to my audiobook while I drove around running errands, reading while I was relaxing before and after work, & I even finished a much anticipated novel: the fourth installment in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, A Feast for Crows. (That's HBO's Game of Thrones, y'all, and it rocked.) Since this month of March is so special in honoring books, (and let's be real, I'm not at all concerned about the fact that I am turning this life & style blog into a bookworm blog....sorry?), I am going to write about each book I'm reading as I finish them, rather than a tell-all post at the end of the month like in my This Month's Reads...

Read More

March: National Reading Month!

Hi everyone! I've had the first couple of days of the month off from work, so I’ve been working on compiling a couple different book lists for you! March is National Reading Month, and so what better way to celebrate than with book-inspired posts all month long! I'll be sharing multiple must-lists with you, including my inspiring reads, as well as my all-time favorites and current wish list. I will also post my current reads, guilty pleasures, device-musts, and more. First things first, today I want to talk about my favorite book-related websites, apps, & tools: Goodreads, Audible, PaperbackSwap, the Amazon Kindle, & the Barnes & Noble Nook. Goodreads is a website where members can share their book reviews and recommendations, as well as catalog their book wish lists,...

Read More

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty Published by Berkley on Jul. 29, 2014 Genre(s): Contemporary, Adult, Fiction, Mystery Format: Kindle Pages: 458 Goodreads Big Little Lies follows three women, each at a crossroads: Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She’s funny and biting, passionate, she remembers everything and forgives no one. Her ex-husband and his yogi new wife have moved into her beloved beachside community, and their daughter is in the same kindergarten class as Madeline’s youngest (how is this possible?). And to top it all off, Madeline’s teenage daughter seems to be choosing Madeline’s ex-husband over her. (How. Is. This. Possible?). Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare. While she may seem a bit flustered at times,...

Read More

#WIYP?

Happy Monday! I've spent all morning concluding the two contests I had going on over the weekend. (Stay tuned for a results post tomorrow!!) But earlier, a blogger friend tagged me on Instagram to share what's in my purse! So here it is! Check out my original post on my Instagram, and read below to see a detailed list of what I'm carrying around each day :)  Forever 21 bag (I borrowed this one from my sister, it's no longer available) Amazon Kindle Paperwhite in an Omoton Case.  Sephora makeup case (actually a brush set case, no longer available, see similar) Sephora Formula X System Quench-To-Go cuticle pen (only available in set) Sephora Cream Lip Stain in Strawberry Kissed Sakroots Daily Planner in Slate Flower Power Bath & Body Works True Blue Spa Hand Cream...

Read More

The Hypnotist's Love Story

The Hypnotist’s Love Story by Liane Moriarty Published by Berkley on Oct. 1, 2011 Genre(s): Contemporary, Adult, Fiction, Romance Format: Paperback Pages: 480 Goodreads For fans of Emily Giffin, another wonderful book from the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, THE HUSBAND’S SECRET... Ellen O’Farrell is a professional hypnotherapist who works out of the eccentric beachfront home she inherited from her grandparents. It’s a nice life, except for her tumultuous relationship history. She’s stoic about it, but at this point, Ellen wouldn’t mind a lasting one. When she meets Patrick, she’s optimistic. He’s attractive, single, employed, and best of all, he seems to like her back. Then comes that dreaded moment: He thinks they should have a talk. Braced for the worst,...

Read More

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty Published by Berkley in 2009 Genre(s): Contemporary, Adult, Fiction, Romance Format: Paperback Pages: 476 Goodreads Alice Love is twenty-nine, crazy about her husband, and pregnant with her first child. So imagine Alice’s surprise when she comes to on the floor of a gym and is whisked off to the hospital where she discovers the honeymoon is truly over — she’s getting divorced, she has three kids and she’s actually 39 years old. Alice must reconstruct the events of a lost decade, and find out whether it’s possible to reconstruct her life at the same time. She has to figure out why her sister hardly talks to her, and how is it that she’s become one of those super skinny moms with really expensive clothes. Ultimately, Alice must discover...

Read More

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Still Alice by Lisa Genova Published by iUniverse in 2005 Genre(s): Contemporary, Adult, Psychology, Fiction Format: Kindle Pages: 292 Goodreads Alice Howland is proud of the life she worked so hard to build. At fifty years old, she’s a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard and a world-renowned expert in linguistics with a successful husband and three grown children. When she becomes increasingly disoriented and forgetful, a tragic diagnosis changes her life--and her relationship with her family and the world--forever. At once beautiful and terrifying, Still Alice is a moving and vivid depiction of life with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease that is as compelling as A Beautiful Mind and as unforgettable as Judith Guest's Ordinary People. This book was recommended...

Read More