Sunday, May 15, 2011

Weight Loss Update

Well, there really isn't anything to report here. I lost three lbs in the first week, and I gained back at least 2 of them...I have been jumping from one to two for two weeks.

Anyway, we have had a lot going including moving into a different house so I have been an emotional eater lately. I am hoping once we get moved into the new house and things settle, I can get back on track. I am falling severely behind and the closer to my goal I get, the more I fall behind.

Well, at least I have been getting to the gym three days a week.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Gang Leader for a Day

Gang Leader for a Day
By Sudhir Venkatesh

8 hours and 48 minutes listening time

Grade D

Let me preface this by saying, I know this book was a research book and was based on true events. That being said, most of what was written was so unrealistic and far fetched, that I didn't believe it. Maybe, that's just me living in my cushy little world, but I just don't believe it. I also don't believe how this guy could just sit back and watch things that happened and NOT REPORT ANY OF IT. How he isn't in jail himself for just being around the drugs is beyond me.

This book was picked by one of my book club gals for our club this month, and that is why I read it...had it been up to me, this wouldn't have been a choice of mine. I didn't much care for it at all.

Someone like you

Someone like you
Sarah Dessen

6 hours and 38 ,minutes on audio

Grade C

Don't get me wrong, I love Sarah Dessen. Her books are light, fluffy and easy to read. But I was not a super huge fan of this book. There is no real reason why I didn't much care for it, but I didn't. For one, the main guy in the book was named Macon. All I could think of was bacon. And I didn't think that he was very well developed.

Scarlett, the main character's best friend, gets knocked up but doesn't find out until two months after that baby daddy dies in a motorcycle accident. It's very sad indeed. What I found to be pretty unrealistic was that the main character, Halley, her mom is a child therapist, but doesn't tell her daughter that she can't hang out with Scarlett anymore. When I was growing up, my best friend got pregnant at 15 too, and my dad told me I couldn't hang out with her anymore. But this kids mom was totally supportive of it.

So for me....it was just eh. Sarah has had far greater books, and I can't wait to read her latest one that was just released.

The Immortals Series

The Immortals Series
By Alyson Noel

Evermore, audio and print
Blue Moon, print
Shadowland, audio
Dark Flame, audio
Night Star, audio

Grade B-

My cousin gave me a bag of books about a year ago and in that bag was the House of Night series, which I read all that were released at the time in about a week, I could not put them down. I also noticed that there was Evermore and Blue Moon in the bag, and I figured that it was another series. I didn't want to start it because I didn't want to get involved in another series like I did with the HON books. But my curiosity got the best of me, and I started Evermore about a week ago. And yes, I was hooked. I was able to get the remaining books on audio and finished them up at work. Fortunately for my sanity, the sixth and final book comes out in a few weeks and I can finish the series, unlike HON where I feel like I have been waiting forever.

Now these books aren't great. They aren't fabulous. They are only moderately entertaining. I say this because 90% of the book is the main character, Ever, describing how wonderful and gorgeous her immortal boyfriend is. Sound familiar any Twilight fans? Ever is also very quick to give up her whole universe and her everything for this guy, Damon...plot dejavu? I think so!

If you can get passed the constant "...and even the way he passes gas is sexy" crap, then you can move on to the weak boring plot lines. The first book basically went into how Damon made Ever an immortal, and their struggles with that. Ever finds out that in her past lives, Damon has found her, making them "soul mates" blah blah blah. Well it turns out that in all of her past lives over the past 400 years, when ever they try to get to the grand finale in the bedroom, something gets in the way of them actually doing it. Which in my opinion should be the fact that she is only 16 but alas, that is not the case. In all 5 books, Ever and Damon struggle to get it on. It actually gets really ridiculous.

At one point in one of the book Ever says, "little did I know this was how it was going to turn out..." and all I could think about was in Stranger Than Fiction when Dr Hilbert says, "Little did he know. That means there's something he doesn't know, which means there's something you don't know, did you know that?" One of my favorite quotes of all time. But what I kept thinking the whole time was "little did I know that Ever must have a platinum crusted who-ha because in each book, there is another dude trying to get in her pants and take her virginity." Everyone wants a piece of Ever, but Ever only wants Damon, and they can't do it because if they do, Damon will die. Why will he die? Well good question. Because when Ever tries to save his immortal life, she mixes her blood with her arch enemy's immortal elixer and that gets fed to Damon making it impossible for them to touch. OMG, I can't believe that I wrote all that. Do these books not sound just ridiculous after all that? Because when I try to explain it to people I feel stupid, kinda like how I do now as I am typing...

As time wasting as I thought these books were, they were simply easy and moderately entertaining. I don't know if I would be quick to recommend this series to anyone, but I don't regret that I read them. I also will pre-order the 6th book because really, I need to find out the most important question of all...

Does Ever ever get laid???

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Wow

I can't believe how behind I am....

I will get somewhat caught up tonight. I promise. I also have fitness updates.

Got a little caught up with life recently and fell behind, plus I've been spending a lot of time reading in print.

Ok, see you all tonight!!