Book Lovin' [part 1]

I think I’ve mentioned before that I use a site called Goodreads. If you’re a big reader, this is a great site. It has a great database and just helps you keep track of what you've read, what you did and didn't like and what books you might enjoy (recommendations). I also really enjoy the ratings system and other member’s reviews. Ultimately, if I really want to read a book I’m going to regardless of the reviews, but they often help in deciding what to read next.

Anyway, enough rambling. On this site they have this Reading Challenge thing where basically you set a goal of how many books you want to read in a year. You “log” in your books and it keeps track for you, telling you how far behind or ahead you are. Well, this year I set a goal of 15 books, which is either a lot or a little depending on how often you read. It was more than I've ever read in a year before (that I’m aware of), but still seemed attainable. Guess what? I reached my goal with a couple months to spare. :) Might sound silly, but I’m totally proud of myself.

So, are you curious what I've been reading? Sure ya are!

 Chaos Walking Series by Patrick Ness
*the three primary works.

Oh man, I don’t even know what to say about this series. I felt so up and down about it. Feel free to read my reviews, but I know there is a spoiler on the first one. Let me just say this about the first book, The Knife of Never Letting Go, I honestly have never felt so pissed off and angry after finishing a book. I was so angry that I wasn't planning on finishing the series, I even read two other books in the interim. I picked up the second book for two reasons 1) the two books I read in between sucked and 2) I figured if a writer could evoke such strong emotions from me then I should probably continue on. Ultimately, I think I’m glad I read the series, but I think another reviewer said it best when the whole book is basically about hope, but Ness never really gives us any. I honestly felt very hopeless while reading this series and often heard myself mumble, “damn, can’t he give these people a break?”.
Ha, so yea...read or don’t read, I don’t know. :/

 Sookie Stackhouse Series

Don’t waste your time on these. I am a big fan of the show (although, this past season wasn't my fav) and so I received these as a gift. I know I read the first two for sure and I’m pretty sure I started a third, but I just couldn't get into it. The show is leagues better...and the quality of writing in these books is low.

Millenium Series by Stieg Larsson

Okay, it took me starting the first book three separate times over the past year or two before I actually read it. I’m not going to lie, it’s slow going at first, but don’t give up! It’s totally worth it, promise! I’ll also say that Larsson’s writing is a bit overly detailed and wordy at time, but I just skimmed when I felt necessary. The stories have a nice flow and had me captivated. They build up to the pivoting parts where intense and exciting. The second book was my favorite and the third was easily my least favorite. Definitely read these!

Divergent & Insurgent by Veronica Ross

First two books of the Divergent series, the third one is set to be out next year I think. If you liked Hunger Games, you’ll like these! It’s different, but the same. These are both easy, but exciting reads. There’s lots of action and a little young love, lol. Although, I often kept forgetting how young the characters were, because they often felt much older to me. Anyway, I’d recommend this to dystopian fans!

Okay, more on the rest later.  
xo, kass

Friday Favorites: Camping!

Oh it's that time of year again folks, yes it is.  Time for what you ask? Time for Camp Trip 2012!!

You see, I live far from home.  Not as far as some of you, I assume, but its about a 4.5 hour drive back, so I don't do it often.  Luckily, I have awesome friends and we all do our best to keep in touch.  And one of those things we do is a yearly camping trip!

Don't be too impressed, we aren't very rustic.  We found this awesome state park that has "camper cabins" that are air conditioned, have a microwave, table and chairs, a futon and bunk beds.  Sure, we spend most of our time outside [read: eating and drinking], but it's nice to have somewhere cool to sleep. 

I've been a camper all my life...tent and big ol' winne's :P  I practically grew up on the Mississippi River...well okay, I did because I lived a mile from it most of my life.  HOWEVER, when I was a young child we camped nearly every weekend in the summer.  So basically, I got this camping thing down.

Here are some of my favorites [and necessities] for a successful camp trip! Of course these are just in addition to those other things that are obvious: pillow/blankets, personal items, clothing [ha], and extra shoes, socks and undies!

*please forgive me for being a lazy bum and just using pinterest for images.*

Sunblock, Bug spray and big sun hat!

S'mores fixins'!

Definitely need firewood, since we cook all our meals over the fire [kabobs this year!].  Check out the park rules first though, often you can't bring wood over state lines!

Apples to Apples...and any other fun games you like!

Beach necessities!  This includes: Swim suit, big ass beach towel, crappy sandals, beach cover up and something to read!  And maybe a big beach umbrella! :P

And of course, several coolers of beer. :)

Enjoy your weekend!!

Hunger Games Date Night :)

I'm sure by now you've at least heard of The Hunger Games.  It's a great book and has now been made into a movie.  I enjoyed the movie, but I will say the book was definitely better.  That's usually how it goes. :)   Anyway, okay, remember before how I posted on a Pizzeria date night...well after that Brian did a Medieval date night {it was awesome!}, so it was back to me.  Since we were going to see The Hunger Games movie on Friday, I thought...why not make it our themed date night for the month!  Yes, yes, I am a huge nerd, but it was fun and the food turned out awesome! :)

 Obviously, decorations are an important part of our themed date nights. :P  A large part of the Hunger Games takes place in the forest, so I tried to recreate that...in a sort of abstract way.

The single white rose is symbolic for one of the characters, President Snow.

 The main character, Katniss Everdeen, sort of gets nick-named "The Girl On Fire"...hence my light decoration. :)

Next, the food!  Each item was chosen specifically and directly relates to the book.  I got these recipes from other bloggers and websites, so click the links for the recipes!

The Appetizers

Prim's Basil & Goat Cheese wraps that she left for Katniss before the Reaping.

Peeta's {burnt} Raisin & Nut bread that he gave to Katniss when they were younger and her family was starving. 

 Drink Special

The Cinna - This is not a drink but rather based on a character.  It has vodka, balsamic vinegar, sugar and strawberries.  Sounds weird, but I liked it!  Brian did not...lol.

 Main Course

Katniss' lunch with Cinna - Chicken in orange sauce, over rice.  Pea's and onions and biscuits {that are supposed to be flower shaped, but I wasn't that ambitious!}

Dessert

Last but not least, Peeta's Apple & Goat Cheese Tart.  I've never had a tart before, but this thing is delish!!  I'll definitely be making this again!

After all this crazy goodness we headed to the movie,which again I will say was good not great.  I had really high expectations, which was silly.  I just felt the movie was geared toward the teenie boppers, who by the way would not shut the heck up during the movie. Grr.  Anyway, I still think the movie is good enough to warrant a theater viewing!

Have a good Monday!

DIY Book Wreath

Hello All!

My little business trip went very well, but now I am back to the regular grind. Anyway, how about a DIY post?

Okay, so I have been seeing these Book Page Wreaths all around the blogosphere and I absolutely love them! After looking at a couple different styles, I finally decided on the one by Living with Lindsay.

 

I essentially followed her instructions, so I won’t go into much detail. I’ll just give you a quick over view and show you some fun pictures!  Be sure to check out Lindsay's blog post for a full tutorial!

What I used:  A couple books, some spray paint for the edges (sort of like in Lindsay's), a foam wreath, hot glue gun

 This is that first step where you glue the rolls to the back first, then flip it over and start adding more to the wreath. 

 Getting a bit fuller now...

 And FINISHED!!!

I do think I made mine “tighter” so to speak, b/c I definitely ran out of book! I had another book that I sorta filled some spaces in with. I’m pretty happy with the result, but I have a feeling I’m going to add a bit more to the center to cover up some ugly parts. You can’t really tell in the picture, but in the center you can see where I glued some pieces. I'm not going to lie, took much longer than I expected, but I used a larger wreath.  For the loop to hang it I plan on just used some hemp twine I have. I think it will look nice with the book pages. Then, since I rent and don’t want holes I will be using a 3M removable hook and attach it to the inside of my door. I’m not 100% sure I'll like it there, I may put it on the adjacent wall. Anyway, if you have any questions about what I did, or any thoughts/suggestions, just let me know!

For now, I’m off to work on another project - one that has been in the works for awhile. I can’t wait!

peace, kassie