Bookworm- 2012 Part 2

We're going to pretend that I'm not writing this two months after I intended to :-)


For the second half of 2012, I found myself reading several sequels, most of which I had read the previous titles within the past couple of years.

Pandemonium and Hana by Lauren Oliver 
     Pandemonium is the first sequel to Delirium, which I previously wrote about a few months ago. I couldn't wait to dive in to this book, after the ending of the previous one. Unfortunately, it was a bit slow, which I think was partly due to the format of the story, which switched from chapter to chapter between "Then" and "Now." It did pick up more near the end, and, as with the first one, the last page of the book was gripping and I can't wait to read the final book!
     I'm not sure how to classify Hana. It takes place at the same time as Delirium and is told from the point of view of the main character's best friend. It was very short, which is mostly why I read it, and gave some more insight into the actions of this character. However, I don't really think it added much to my experience with the story, so I don't recommend reading it.

The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson
      I also wrote about 13 Little Blue Envelopes previously. I actually had no idea there was a sequel, but was messing around on the Richland County Library's e-reader app and found this book. I can't really say too much about this one without revealing what happened in the previous book. With that said, I didn't really like the conclusion of the story and think maybe it was better that we just not know what happened!

Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares
     This is the long awaited follow up to the popular Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series. I loved those books, so of course had high hopes for this one. Well, just like the other sequels I read this year, I was disappointed. To talk about my reasons would be a huge spoiler, so I will just warn those of you still planning to read this book that the tone is very different from the previous ones. I still recommend that you read it to help you conclude the girls' story.



The two non-sequel books I read the second half of this year could not have been more different:

A Time to Kill by John Grisham
     I don't think it's a secret that I love John Grisham. And this book did not end my love affair. It was a very sensitive topic, and had some language I could have done without, but what a powerful story. I love that all of his characters are so developed and relatable. It is easy to imagine what they might do or say and understand the actions that they take. This is also the first Grisham novel I've read that I actually enjoyed the movie as well. Book recommended!

Is Everybody Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
     This is a book by a comedienne along the same lines as Tina Fey's Bossypants. While I didn't think this one was quite as funny, it still definitely had some laugh out loud moments for me. It gave me insight into her as a person, so that I didn't think of her as "Kelly" from The Office anymore. I think the book is great and it made me want to watch her TV show The Mindy Project. If you like her show, you should definitely read the book because it will make you appreciate the show even more (I promise!). Even if you don't watch the show, this is worth a read, just for a good laugh.



So, I think what I learned from this year is that maybe I should read less sequels... because they'll probably never live up to the original :-)

Friday Four - July 20

What I Watched: TNT has a new show that premiered last week called Perception. It's another crime show, but this time the main character is a bit of a schizo, who talks to people who aren't there and whatnot. Part of the reason I'm really enjoying it though is the cast, headed up by Eric McCormack, Rachel Leigh Cook, Kelly Rowan, Arjay Smith AND Levar Burton! If you like any of TNT's other crime dramas, like I do, you will probably like this one too :-)

What I Read: Still trying to finish up A Time to Kill... I have to get all my reading in before school starts!

What I Listened to: Nothing in particular this week, but I've been enjoying the shuffle on my IPod while I'm working on my classroom.

What I Ate: We went out of town this weekend for family reunions, so we had lots of good home cookin'! But we also had Dairy Queen on the way up where I got their delicious Blizzard of the Month, Chocolate Candy Shoppe. It was sooooo good! 

 

Friday Four - July 6

What I Watched: Well, thanks to 'Retro'Mtv, I have watched the entire series of Laguna Beach and am working on The Hills. And I realized I actually didn't watch much of this the first time it was on, so at least I'm not re-watching, right?
I finally saw A Few Good Men this week in its entirety. I had only seen clips before. What a great movie!!

What I Read: still working on A Time to Kill by John Grisham

What I Listened to: Pentatonix's EP came out this week. It is AWESOME! If you have never listened to a cappella before, this just might be the best introduction you'll ever get. I'm also super proud of them for debuting in the top 15 albums of the Billboard 200! I'm not sure that any a cappella group has ever done that. Here is their first "official" music video for Starships:

 

Where I Ate: Miyo's! I sure do love that place :-)

Friday Four - June 29

What I Watched: I have a whole post about what I've been watching this summer, which you can find HERE if you missed it!

What I Read:  A Time to Kill by John Grisham

What I Listened to: Here are ten songs I'm digging right now (sorry if I've mentioned any of them before!):
                                 "Outta my Head" Daughtry
                                 "This Little Girl" Cady Groves
                                 "Two Way Street" Kimbra
                                 "Cry" Monica
                                 "Free" Haley Reinhart
                                 "Laserlight" Jessie J/David Guetta
                                 "5 O Clock" T-Pain & Lily Allen (warning: little risque!)
                                 "Burn It Down" Linkin Park
                                 "Breath of Life" Florence and the Machine
                                 "Big Hoops" Nelly Furtado

Where I Ate: We had Groucho's after church and then went over to our friends house that night and enjoyed a delicious dinner of veggie paninis, strawberry walnut salad and peaches. Yum!

Friday Four

What I Watched: The remake of Dallas premiered last week. I never watched the original when it was on, as I was a tiny young thing, but Jamie had watched it some as a kid. So we decided to check out this new version. I must say, it definitely sucked us in!

      The best movie I watched this week was Crazy, Stupid Love. It definitely lived up to the hype. Smart, funny, charming... had it all! If you haven't seen it, you should :-)

What I Read: This week I started A Time to Kill by John Grisham. The first couple of chapters were difficult to get through, but now it's moving right along.

What I Listened to: I have started the long and arduous process of uploading our CDs to ITunes, but one fun thing is that I've been listening to all sorts of fun "old" music that I haven't listened to in a while. Here are a couple of those gems... enjoy your trip back to the nineties!

Where I Ate: We ate out slightly more this week than normal. In addition to our normal Friday night fast food (Chick fil a) and after church lunch (Texas Roadhouse for Father's Day), I ate out two additional times. We picked up some Wendy's on Monday night and I went to Takosushi for lunch on Tuesday with Tara. I think I could eat Asian food everyday; it is so yummy!