Books

Are you a book lover?

I go through periods. Don't get me wrong, I read all. the. time.

But not always books.

I get distracted by blogs. And magazines.

But lately, I've been doing lots of reading.

Partly because of my new love for the Kindle App.

I hear about a book, check out the price on Amazon, and bam. It's mine.

How can I resist when it costs $3.99. Or less. How?

So here is what I have read recently:

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green  (can't wait to check out the movie)

Packing Light: Thoughts on Living Life with Less Baggage by Allison Vesterfelt (blame this one on my sudden need to follow my heart and move to San Diego)

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver (this one touched me so deeply that it will get it's own post soon)


And here is what it waiting for me to start reading:

The Great Gatsby by Francis Scott Firzgerald

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown

Are you reading anything good right now? Do share!

Book Love

photo from the Salt Lake City Public Library. April 2013. by me.

I am embarrassed to admit that I've been one of those people holding out on reading e-books.

I've had an I-pad for years, it's a first generation. But I have never even considered going electronic with books.

I'm one of those people. The ones that like to feel the weight of a book in their hands. To feel the paper as you turn the pages. To see them lined up and color coordinated on the bookshelf.

That's all over now. On my last plane trip, I had so many books packed my carry on bag weighed a ton. So while on vacation, I downloaded my first book and then I only had to pack the I-pad for the plane.

Kinda nifty.

Then the other day I saw an Instagram post that mentioned a book being on sale on Amazon. So I bought it. For a $1.99. And it was available to read immediately. No drive to the local bookstore (sorry B&N, but I still love you).

Again, kinda nifty.

As I was reading this new book, I discovered that I could highlight passages in the book, in several color choices. What?

Holy Batman, that is truly nifty!

I'm smitten.

And in case you were wondering, those first 2 books were Defending Jacob by William Landay and How to Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon.

First one was OK. Liked the 2nd one, but it's a pretty quick read at 160 pages. Glad I paid that sale price.

And how about you? Do  you prefer paper or electronic? And any suggestions for what to download next?

Reviews

Life is good.

Since the move back to the valley, I have had time to visit family and friends. A lot.

Which has been great (even if sometimes I feel like I should be more productive). But I believe that spending time with those you love is the most important thing there is.

I have also had time to finish a few books and watch a few movies.

And that means that I have to share my thoughts with you. Because I can.

1. Finally finished The Casual Vacancy. I had a super hard time getting into the book, until about 300 pages in. That's just too long. And it was so depressing. Everyone was so unhappy. I don't mind unhappy, I just want there to be a lesson at the end, with characters paying attention to the lesson. That did not happen.


2.  Finished reading "7". Makes you think. About your life and your choices.  I would highly recommend this one. I think we all need to think about the choices we make everyday on how we spend our time and money.


3.  Saw Argo. Very suspenseful. And I had no idea that this really happened. Another thumbs up!

4.  Saw "Magic Mike". I knew not to expect a lot, but even keeping that in mind, it was awful. Just awful. Now, don't get me wrong. Channing Tatum is adorable. And the boy can dance. But no one else could. And the plot. Don't even get me started. The only way to watch this is to turn the volume off. Even then, there was not enough of Mr. Tatum dancing to justify a couple of hours of my life.

5. I save the best for last. I watched "Take This Waltz". I loved this. Truly loved it. But it's sad. If you want your movies to end all happy, move along. But it has an awesome message. About long term relationships. And how love starts out all sparkly, then changes over time. But the lack of sparkle is not bad. Just different. About how love changes, grows deeper (if your relationship is with the right person and you both work on the relationship). And that you might see other sparkly people out there, but that sparkle will fade too. I hope I didn't give too much away. Just see it if you like independant films. That means you Bob (Robert).