Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Books: February Edition

Oh hey, it's the end of February already! I'm super excited that it's March tomorrow, because that means we are even closer to warmer weather, spring break, and oh yeah, The Hunger Games movie. I guess you can tell what's been on my mind, ha ha. I'm obsessing just a bit about The Hunger Games right now. Can you blame me?

Anyhow, back to the subject of this post. I made it through three books this month and I am really excited to tell you about them. First I read Homeward by Melody Carlson. Something not many people know about me: I like reading Christian Fiction. Not LDS fiction (I find most LDS fiction books a tad too cheesy and smothering, to be honest), but just general Christian Fiction. Melody Carlson is an author I discovered as a teenager when I read a ton of her Diary of a Teenage Girl series. I love that her books are uplifting as well as interesting.
Homeward was not my favorite of her books, but I did really like it. Here's a quick synopsis (Source: B&N.com, of course): "For twenty years Meg Lancaster has avoided Briar Hedge, the Lancaster family estate. Now she has been drawn back to her grandmother's home to uncover secrets that have been hidden for decades and to try to regain the family she long ago abandoned."

The characters in this book were really enchanting. I wish they had more depth, but still they kept me reading. I also liked that there were plenty of plot twists to keep me on my toes. It was also a longer novel, which I like because I always want more of a good story. I do feel like there could have been more detail given overall (characters, story, etc.), but on the whole, I liked this book a lot. Three and a half stars out of five!Next I read Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen. Here is the synopsis (same source, since I like theirs better than anything I could say to summarize it): "The year is 1929. New York is ruled by the Bright Young Things: flappers and socialites seeking thrills and chasing dreams in the anything-goes era of the Roaring Twenties.

"Letty Larkspur and Cordelia Grey escaped their small Midwestern town for New York's glittering metropolis. All Letty wants is to see her name in lights, but she quickly discovers Manhattan is filled with pretty girls who will do anything to be a star. . . .

"Cordelia is searching for the father she's never known, a man as infamous for his wild parties as he is for his shadowy schemes. Overnight, she enters a world more thrilling and glamorous than she ever could have imagined—and more dangerous. It's a life anyone would kill for . . . and someone will.

"The only person Cordelia can trust is ­Astrid Donal, a flapper who seems to have it all: money, looks, and the love of Cordelia's brother, Charlie. But Astrid's perfect veneer hides a score of family secrets.

"Across the vast lawns of Long Island, in the ­illicit speakeasies of Manhattan, and on the blindingly lit stages of Broadway, the three girls' fortunes will rise and fall—together and apart."

I love the feel of the 1920's, so this book was a wonderful treat. The characters were rich and unique while the plot kept me reading, and reading quickly. There is a sequel that I am just dying to read because this book was so wonderful. I also love that it was set in New York City. The feel of adventure and history was so lovely. Basically, I loved this book for a nice, easy read. Three and a half out of five stars.
And last but definitely not least, Everneath by Brodi Ashton. I let this book sit for about a month before I got around to it. I looked at it almost everyday thinking, I need to read that. And once I picked it up, I refused to put it down. I read this book in less than three days, which is definitely not a record, but considering my crazy-busy schedule, was sort of a challenge. Synopsis:

"Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she’s returned—to her old life, her family, her boyfriend—before she’s banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can’t find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

"Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance—and the one person she loves more than anything. But there’s just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he’ll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.

"As Nikki’s time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole’s queen."

This book was awesome. I am so glad mine is signed and I got to meet Brodi herself. This book is not written completely chronologically, as it jumps back and forth from present to past. And I really liked the way the author did that. Many times when I read a book, the author dumps a ton of background information on you in the first fifty pages. Brodi kept me guessing because she only fed tidbits of information at a time through the flashbacks that Nikki has. It was a really nice change.

Nikki was also a great character. She was not overbearingly perfect, but had flaws that made her likeable. And although she has two boys after her, I loved the fact that she didn't string them both along. She had her mind set on one and was unwavering. So although there was a love triangle happening, it was unique and unlike a lot of other teen-paranormal-love-triangle-romances (which are getting annoying, just sayin').

I just have to spend a quick moment talking about Jack... Cause I loved him. He was a great book-boyfriend. He wasn't perfect, but he was sweet and genuine. And when Cole came into the picture, Jack didn't get all stupid-jealous-boyfriend-y, which was refreshing. OK, maybe he was a little jealous, but a little jealousy is expected.

I cannot wait for the sequel to Everneath. The ending was... oh wow, just took my breath away. I hope the next one comes out soon, because I feel like I just need to know what is going to happen next! Four and a half out of five stars. Love.

Hope you enjoyed!

Yours,

Cait


Tuesday, February 28, 2012

So Awesome

This is pretty much the most awesome, wonderful news I have had in a while. Can't wait for more information on it!

Yours,
Cait

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

*Click*

Just bought our tickets to the midnight showing of The Hunger Games! I am totally fan-girling right now!!! I seriously cannot wait to see this movie.
Yours,
Cait

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Sad Truth

One of the benefits of working for a bank: I get paid holidays. So this weekend was a three day weekend for me and yesterday I got a lovely break off from school and work. And let me tell you, I had big plans for this weekend. In my mind, I had so much time to get some much-needed-stuff done. I was going to catch up on laundry, clean, hang up pictures, and get some major homework done.

Guess what I actually did? Ha, nothing. Yep. I think I did one programming assignment and a sad ten pages of reading for web design. The laundry? Still in the hamper. Cleaning? Well, at least I got the laundry in the hamper!

Oh, and then we did lots more that was just plain fun. We had a game night with my work pal, Nikki and her hubby Alex. Tons of fun. We played poker (I can never actually bet money cause seriously, I suck!) and The Settlers of Catan. It was a blast.

On Sunday Brad and I went to the mall and splurged on some new clothes. Brad seriously needed some new shirts and nice jeans, so I am a much happier wife and he looks awesome in his new clothes. I got some new jeans too, seeing as how Brad said he was tired of my baggy jeans making my butt look like... well, not flattering. Ha ha. (I have lost seven pounds!! Hence the baggy jeans.)

After the mall, we headed to my mom's and had a game night there with Mom and Glenn. Pizza, popcorn, and donuts, too. I was in a junk food coma! That also was such a blast and much, much needed. Can't wait to do it again!

And yesterday, the day I was really planning on getting stuff done? Hmmm, I woke up and made us waffles. Yum. We played some more games. Then I was really going to study and ended up taking a nap with Brad. I couldn't help it. I was really trying to read my textbook, but he was laying there looking so much happier asleep, so I decided I should sleep, too. And it was great.

Then Brad suggested we go see a movie. And since that never (never, ever) happens, I immediately looked up movie times and bought us some tickets. We saw 'This Means War' and I laughed so dang hard. And Brad laughed pretty hard, too. Great movie.

So while my weekend was definitely not productive at all, it sure was fun and kinda awesome. It's even more awesome that the week is now only four days long. And I don't work on Saturday (which is especially awesome because I have worked the last four in a row!). Hooray for a short work/school week.

Yours,
Cait

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! I know that this is not a huge holiday and not everyone likes this holiday, but I just want everyone out there to have a wonderful day and celebrate all the love they have in their life. Whether it is the love of a significant other, your family, or a best friend, take the time today to tell all your loved ones how much you care. :)

Alright, I will be done being cheesy now. Ha ha. My life has been so crazy busy lately I almost can't handle it! Thank goodness for my sweet husband who calms me down when I get stressed. I have no clue what I would do without him! School is pretty much kicking my butt, but I am sure fighting back!

I have a couple of classes that just plain make me want to tear my hair out! Since I am majoring in Digital Media (with my emphasis in Internet Technologies), I have to take a bunch of basic digital media classes including 3D Animation & Modeling and Digital Film Essentials. Not even a month into these classes and I am already so grateful I am not majoring in either of those things! Sure, sounds fun in theory. In actuality, not so much!

I also cannot believe how big our little puppy Molly is getting. She was so small when we brought her home. Even though she is still small, she has grown so much! Molly is such a doll and follows me everywhere. I can't believe how sweet she is!This is a picture of Molly sitting on Brad's lap just after he bought her. And now look how big she is!! I cannot believe it!

Well, that's pretty much what has been going on the last couple of weeks. Not really anything exciting. I am making Brad homemade Alfredo sauce tonight with his favorite cheese tortellini for our Valentine's dinner. I hope it turns out!

Yours,
Cait

Friday, February 3, 2012

Oh. My. Heck.



Oh mah gosh... can March be here yet, please?!

Yours,
Cait