Reading

Reading has been terribly difficult with two children, one that is attached to my boob 89% of the time and the other that takes to sight of a book in my hand as a form of danger that she must protect me from.

However, I have found more time to read now than I did when I only had one kid. I make sure I make the time. It means that I get an hour less sleep at night than I actually could, but for me it's worth it.

I am now three months into the year and have finished a book on audio and will hopefully also finish a book in print soon. Baby steps, but it feels great to be reading again.

Two Kisses for Maddy

Two Kisses for Maddy
My Matthew Logelin

272 pages (read in print)

Grade A+

Imagine marrying your best friend.  You then decide to have a kid.  During your pregnancy you have to be put on hospital bed rest because of complications.  One day, the doctors tell you that you have to deliver early and they take the baby by c-section.  Then, before you are able to have a proper first meeting with your child because she is in the NICU, you get up out of bed, a blood clot moves into your lungs and you die leaving behind your daughter and your husband.

This is Matthew Logelin's personal hell.

I first found Matthew's blog (http://www.mattlogelin.com/) around the time that I had Lucy.  I couldn't get through many of his posts without sobbing like a crazy person.  And not just a tear here and there, I am talking full out SOBBING.  I had times that I would visit his blog, but they always left me in tears.  His daughter is the same age as Lucy.  His wife had an emergency c-section.  And where I lived, she died.  It was hard to think that this could have been me.  But his blog was terribly beautiful and I liked watching Maddy grow in pictures.

When I heard that he was writing a book, I waited.  I waited and waited, and when it was done, I pre-ordered.  I got the book right when I found out I was pregnant with Dexter, and I read it in two days.  And again, I SOBBED.  His writing is so raw, so honest, so perfect.  When I finished the book, I felt like we were old friends and I wanted to bring him a casserole of food because that is what you do when someone dies right?  I then tried to read parts to Matt, and couldn't get through my sobs to get them out right.  I was so happy he wrote his story, but I was so depressed about reading it.  But I am glad I did.

I would read this book again in a heart beat.  I am hoping one day I can get him to sign it.  I also would recommend this book to anyone I know, but please, don't read it while pregnant.  Matthew is a great author and a great photographer so check out his website too and look at his beautiful little girl.  And if you do take me up on my recommendation, make sure you have a box of tissue handy.  And not a small box either.

Today...

I picked up a book and read 2 pages.

Baby steps.

Welcome 2012

I have spent the last couple of weeks deciding what I want to do here on this blog.  It is evident that I am slacking hard core, and I haven't picked up a book to actually read it and not move it out of my way in months.  However, I miss reading.  And I still follow about 30 people's book blogs, and although I am not commenting on them, I am still reading them and following what is awesome in the book world.

I miss reading, and I am changing my book goals.  In 2010, my goal was 100 books, but I ended up reading 117.  In 2011, my goal was 111 but I read less than 30.  A big part of this was my changing careers to from a desk job to a stay at home mommy.  I no longer listen to audio books, although I severely miss them, and I don't get a lot of time during the day to pick up a book, because it seems my little Lucy has a book tracker and if I do, she hops in my lap and wants to do something else, regardless of what she was in the middle of five minutes ago.

Also, being pregnant with a toddler has been a little more challenging than I thought it would be.  As easy going as this pregnancy has been, as in, I haven't suffered any complications and he has been growing normally and every thing has been fine, it is severely exhausting being pregnant this time.

Enough excuses.  My goal this year on the book front is a simple, modest 30.  I would like to finish about 4ish books a month, which I don't think is asking a lot of myself.  I don't want to set myself up for failure, but I also don't want to give up on this blog, or my followers (if I still have any).

So, as it is January 1, 2012, I will start with the books I still have yet to finish, and then move on to the rest of my to be read pile.  This way, I also will not feel so bad that I keep buying books, or downloading free ones for my kindle.

So happy new year everyone, and happy reading!  I hope you won't give up on me  :)

Reading is not working these days...

I miss reading I really do.  But every time I pick up a book, I fall asleep.

I am going to finish the reviews that I have listed and then drink LOTS AND LOTS of coffee and am going to sit down and finish the two books I started MONTHS ago and finish them.  They are close to being done but well, I still need to finish them.

I don't want to give up on my reading just because I am having another kid.  I know that I can read and be a mom, so I am going to get better.

Plus I am going to give myself some limitations on Pinterest since it's devouring all my time.

I miss this blog, but not for looooong  :)  I am coming back.  And this time, I mean it  ;)

Well I think the neglect should be over

I have been off the reading bandwagon for long enough, and with that, the blogging bandwagon too.  I really miss reading, but I haven't found anything that has been taking my full attention.  That's ok though, sometimes that happens.

I will be spending the rest of this week finishing up the reviews that should have been done months ago, and I will also dedicate some of my "valuable" time to finishing the books I have started.  There is no reason I won't have them done by the end of this week if I just put my nose in them.

The hour each night that I usually have dedicated to reading, has turned into my recent pinterest addiction, and while that is all fine and dandy, I can't get much reading done when I am looking at fun stuff on the internet.  So I just need to manage my time better.

Also, I don't think it is any surprise that I will come no where near meeting my goal of 111 books this year.  As much as this saddens me, I am also ok with it.  A lot has gone on this year that has distracted me and taken my reading time.  And there is always next year.  It's not like my To Be Read list is going anywhere  :)

Thanks for sticking around if you are still reading.  I promise to get better!!  Again.

What Happened to Good-Bye

What Happened to Goodbye

By Sarah Dessen

402 pages

Grade A

What can I say, I am a sucker for teen chick lit, and Miss Sarah did not fail to impress me. All of Sarah's characters are usually some kind of troubled teen, but somehow she still makes them moderately different. Same thing with the guys in her books too. What I liked so much about this book was that the main character, McLean, lives with her dad. She choose to live with her dad after her parents divorced. Now I grew up with my dad. I didn't have a choice between my parents like McLean did so I don't know how hard that choice would have been to make, but I am happy with how my life turned out living with my dad. I know now, especially since I am a parent myself, that I would not be the person I am today had I not grown up being raised by my dad. And for that, I thank him because I think I turned out ok. So dad, if you are reading, I love you and you did a great job!!!

Anyway, back to the story...McLean's dad works for a consulting company that forces him to travel, and in his travels, he carts his teenage daughter along with him. McLean learns to adapt, maybe not in a healthy way, but in her own way. I think out of all of Sarah's lead characters, I liked McLean the best. For me she has been the easiest to relate to. But most of Sarah's books have the same idea or concept behind them, odd girl falls for a guy, something happens, the girl and the guy split and then at the end of the story they work it out and get back together. And this book went along with that basis too, but for me, this book wasn't like reading just another Sarah Dessen book. There was something about this book that really set it apart from her other books. So good job Sarah. I can't wait to read what you put out next!!