merging
soooooo, it’s becoming more clear to me that i’m in love with my new blog happynesses and perhaps i never really found proper footing with the bookend. and i had this thought: my new blog has to do with all things that make me happy and make me appreciate the life i have…don’t books fall into that? they absolutely do! basically, whenever i read a book, i will post a review on it at happynesses. that way, i don’t have to feel forced to keep the posts strictly book-related and there will be posts to view EVERY DAY. which is a new and brilliant concept for me 🙂 so, goodbye to the bookend. but hello to new beginnings 🙂
mockingjay :)
as if i have time to be on here right now. i’ve been in the middle of moving (hence my absence) so my world is on fire at the moment, but there’s always time for an amazing book 🙂 happy reading!
random quote
well, it’s not a quote really. i just remembered something out of a book i read years ago. i have tried so hard to make myself forget it but it comes back at the rudest times and pisses me off. i can never remember the name of the book right away. i just always think of the movie adaptation that had Jennifer Aniston’s character falling in love with her gay roommate or something.
AHA! I just IMDB’d it: The Object of my Affection. anyway, whilst reading this book, i came upon a scene where Nina pours herself a bowl of cheerios, sprinkles it with powdered milk, then runs it under the tap. why am i so sensitive about this??? i swear that this scene will only pop into my head when i’m halfway through a bowl of cereal, then i gag and get pissed. why at such an inopportune time? through the years, i figured myself out well enough to know that i need to empty my head before eating cereal lest a terrible thought come into my mind. it’s almost like, “i know there’s something i’m not supposed to think about or i won’t finish this bowl–LA LA LA LA LA LA!!!!” people should learn to not writing disgusting things in their novels. stupid authors.
i am scarred. this is tragic.
book nite
a few of the girls preparing edibles
every couple of weeks a few girls and i get together and discuss books. we also talk about what’s going on in our lives since we all pretty much work from home. we pass books around and talk about upcoming ones we are excited about—–>like Mockingjay!
we’re totally going to have a Mockingjay party once it’s released. i’m trying not to go overboard, but this kind of thing doesn’t happen often. sooooo, i was thinking i’d try to find some mockingjay pins like Katniss wears. and maybe make some cupcakes with a mockingjay on it. in “catching fire” a cracker with a mockingjay makes an appearance so maybe something with that, too.
i recently stumbled upon mockingjay.net and found that Hot Topic is now carrying themed t-shirts. they look amazing!
blog award!
i’m excited! i just received a blog award from Zee at Zee’s Wordly Obsessions! thank you, it’s been a while since i’ve received an award! so now i’m supposed to share 7 things about myself:
1. i have a bachelor’s degree in Physics & Astronomy from the university of georgia.
2. after i worked really hard to get that degree, i decided that was enough of that. my real passion is reading and i hope to be able to get my master’s in library and information science so i can become a librarian–whenever the stars align.
3. i have been married to my high school sweetheart for almost 5 years.
4. we have two dogs, sugar and chewy, who are pains in my ass but i can’t seem to let them go.
5. i have an obsession with anything old and antique. i like to mix old and new. i also like to take old things and turn them into something more beautiful and functional.
a tarnished old candelabra...
plus a few old mismatched teacups...
becomes my new jewelry stand!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
6. i hated reading all through high school and a lot through college.
7. my nephew was born last month! in doing so, he created two sets of grandparents and a bunch of aunts and uncles for the first time!
william and me
i’m supposed to give this award to 15 other bloggers, preferably ones that i just found, but i’m afraid i haven’t yet gotten that many! i’m slowly working my way through the blogosphere. but here are my picks:
Alita.Reads.
Badass Bookie
Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog
Eep! Geek!
Mindful Musings
The Book Junkie’s Bookshelf
The Ladybug Reads
Habitual Viewer
The Sweet Bookshelf
new books!
my husband dropped me off at books-a-million yesterday while he took care of some business–bad idea. i spent about a million dollars on books. but i’m truly excited about them!!
the bell jar by sylvia plath
brave new world by aldous huxley
the book thief by markus zusak
linger by maggie stiefvater
angelology by danielle trussoni
twilight saga: eclipse–the movie
i only saw it today so that should say how excited i was. but i would describe my drive to see it as more of a curiosity. in general, i thought it was better than the second one. but “new moon” was the worst book (or most boring, whatever) so i think all the movies in the saga will be better that it was. “eclipse” had a better storyline, better soundtrack, better acting, better special effects. i did enjoy reading that the wolves couldn’t have genitals in order to keep it a PG-13 rating. they just stuck extra hair “down there”. bella’s character/kristen’s acting annoy me and i snub my nose at pattinson’s portrayal of edward. he just doesn’t hit the mark for me. i’d sum it up by saying he’s just pansy-ish on screen and doesn’t capture the complexity and quiet strength of the book character.
i will say that i was extremely pleased with rosalie’s and jasper’s backstory. i’ve never seen nikki reed look more beautiful as rosalie and i thought the delivery of her lines was impeccable. she really is an amazing actress, just watch “thirteen”. i’m looking forward to her bigger role in “breaking dawn”. and jasper was such a cutie. i always wondered why they never really gave him a southern accent in the movies. and it was like BAM! there it was 🙂 i guess when he takes on a position of authority, the southern twang makes an appearance.
the fight scenes were quite entertaining and not nearly long enough. definitely not nearly long enough. i enjoyed the effect of when the vampires were torn apart–it sounded like breaking glass and twisting metal. bree’s appearances tugged at my heart. especially after reading “the short second life of bree tanner” and knowing how doomed she was. i was also impressed with xavier as riley. he acted brilliantly. which is why he gets to be my post image.
as far as the drama went with the love triangle, i couldn’t care less. i wanted to see more of leah and seth. i feel like i cared about everyone else except bella and edward. i’d say that the best parts of the movie for me were rosalie, jasper, and the action sequences. oh, and bella’s ring looked like a $5 piece of fashion jewelry. but that’s just me.
and it never ends
omg. why does every book i pick up inevitably have to be part of a series? it’s completely the fashion in book-writing nowadays. especially with YA. my frustration came to a head when i looked over the book selection in my local supermarket this week. i saw a book cover that looked strangely like the three covers of alyson noel’s “the immortals” series. upon further inspection i verified that it was indeed the fourth book in the series. good grief. i have the third book “shadowland” in my TBR pile. now i’m even farther behind. i don’t even like the series but i feel compelled to finish because i’m in so deep. ugh. first “the maze runner” then “prophecy of the sisters” now this. of course, those two are pretty awesome so i don’t have much of a complaint there (especially with “the maze runner” which is completely amazing). but i do desire the satisfaction of finishing a novel and having it be the end of it. i must finish “battle royale”.
even more changes
i’m so proud. the books in the background and header are my very own. i love that they are incredibly old–they have that awesome musty leathery smell, heaven (or weird, depending on how you lean). i moved the list of reviewed books to its own page called “books read” up top. i figured this way i can list all the books i’ve read and link to the ones with reviews. i got depressed when i looked at the 2009 list because it was so small. when in fact, i read so many more–i just didn’t review them. happy to report that i’m in a reading frenzy at the moment (desperately searching for the reviewing frenzy). i’m already into my third book (prophecy of the sisters) in just a little over a week. boo-yah!
changeling
well, i had to do something! my blog died and i’m trying to resuscitate it. new theme for starters. and i plan on writing with abandon. no waiting until i’m done reading a book to review it. it’s hard for me to remember all the awesome details by the very end. so i’ll write as i go and maybe that will produce more posts, we’ll see. and i have a secret: i’ve read 4 books just in the past week, blog posts = nada. i hang my head in shame. i’m a terrible blog mother. my excuse is that i just didn’t feel like writing a big all-encompassing post on each one. too daunting and just time-consuming enough for me to say “bah! next book!”. so a little bit of writing here and there and i dare say i’m getting excited again. cheers 🙂
p.s. technically “the bookend.” should be thought of as “under construction” as i will be making little (or big) changes to links and such. don’t freak out my avid readers (ha!), change is good.
on writing
so, the other day my dad gave me “on writing: a memoir of the craft” by stephen king. he actually bought it on amazon after thinking that it would be something i liked. how sweet was that? not to mention how i completely adore uncle stevie’s column in entertainment weekly. so if there was any book on how to write that i could read, it would definitely be stevie’s account of how it all went down in his life. from the second foreword:
this is a short book because most books about writing are filled with bullshit.
looks like we’re off to a good start.
dusting
because my blog is dusty. i am a negligent blogger as of late. what is my problem? get it together! i finished a book called “the dew breaker”, amazing, set in haiti. will need to post on that. almost done with the first “percy jackson and the olympians” book. i guess i should update my “what i’m currently reading” page. need to start reading friends’ books i’ve had for months. maybe then i can finally finish the books that i own like “under the dome” and “shiver”. this makes me feel extremely behind. probably not a good idea that i just bought another book at sam’s club. why have i been recently buying tons of books from sam’s? seems odd. i’ve absolutely decided to entertain the idea of opening my own small bookstore. trying to determine my niche. maybe i’ll do posts on that journey as well. i’ve become comfortable incorporating the words loquacious, garrulous, laconic, and taciturn into conversations. and so glad i didn’t get a kindle after seeing the iPad. sorry about the word vomit.
complete!
yes, i know i’ve been as absent as fat on a victoria’s secret model. now that that’s out of the way…look at my completed new shelves!! and i got the antique ladder for christmas! thanks dad and tj 🙂
library again :)
soooooo, i was trying to text and call my husband today but he never responded…all day. which was weird since he was off work. i started to actually worry that something might be wrong so my texts became more frantic, like “if you’re just busy building my shelves, let me know cuz i’m freaking out”. the joksters that my husband and dad are, they sent me this picture of my dad in response:
then they sent me this one!!!!!!!!!!!!!
a little paint and a lotta books and that’s all she wrote 🙂
another library update!
my dad and husband were busy today! i’m getting really excited 🙂
should be done tomorrow!
library update
i officially suck at blogtoberfest. i’m scraping the bottom of the bucket. anyway, i found DIY instructions for building floor to ceiling shelves. my library is so on its way now. these particular instructions seem very easy with minimal damage to the walls. and judging by the pictures, they seem to be sturdy enough to withstand the weight of a rediculous amount of books–superb.
check it
my husband’s new toy
my husband recently got promoted. as a direct result, we now have in our possession the toy he’s always wanted. good for him, but i feel like we’re moving farther away from the mini cooper i’ve always wanted.
award time!
i’m so excited! my friend mendie from the spectator has given me this award. when you have a moment, you should visit her blog too because it also fits into the “it just rules” department. thanks mendie!
pictures
since i didn’t post on 10-13-09, i’m doing a double post to keep in line with blogtoberfest 🙂 i have an update on my pictures. my dad so eloquently told me that i should figure out a way to flip my pictures to prevent people from thinking i’m an idiot. my mac has a built in camera and i use it to take my “book & me” pictures. the photo booth app tends to reverse the pics when initially taken. i didn’t think it was that big of a deal, but apparently it IS. so just in case you thought i was dumb, please observe the following:
corrected version
idiot version
my future library
so i’m getting pretty serious about turning one of my walls into my own personal library: shelves floor to ceiling. i’m thinking floating shelves. this is my victim:
antiques!
i am a HUGE antique lover. as a matter of fact, i go antique shopping about once a week. i can hardly afford anything but every once in a while there’s that thing i can’t live without. i recently bought the following at a tiny shop called “the feathered nest”:
it’s a tree! with deer and everything 🙂 i turned it on its side so it would look better hanging over my bed. i think it works. the aged fabric of the background looks pretty darn good against my blue walls. the embroidery is just gorgeous!
for an early birthday and christmas present, my friend brandi gave me following:
it knocked my socks off. you have to know me pretty well to know that an antique chair (in my favorite color!) is the most perfect thing EVER to get me. i didn’t even know it was the perfect gift until i got it. surprise!
brown owls
oh my gawsh, i can hardly contain my joy. this is the cutest blog. i love me some owls and the postings are the neatest.
just check this out (location: far corner of my heaven):
the photo is originally from Ernesto JT.
blogtoberfest!
since i have been MIA from my blog the past few weeks, what an appropriate way to kick my butt into severe gear! get ready for some seriously silly posts 🙂 oh, and my post for the lovely bones is coming soon i promise!
book to movie: the host
most avid readers and twilight fans have already heard the news that stephenie meyer’s novel “the host” has been given the okay to become a movie. check out stephenie meyer’s website for more information. here’s her post:
I’m so excited to be working with Nick Weschler, and Steve and Paula Mae Schwartz to bring The Host to a visual format. They’ve all been a dream to work with, so lovely and collaborative, and I feel like we’re in a really good place to make a great movie together. And then to have Andrew Niccol writing and directing? Truly awesome. If you’ve never seen Gattaca, go watch it now. One of my favorite movies of all time. It’s such a great example of character driven science fiction, which is ideal for The Host, no? I’m having an absolute blast imagining different dream casts, which I would post if people didn’t take my silly blogs so seriously these days. I’m looking forward to seeing the cast lists you come up with in the fansite forums, and if any of them match mine.
So, very exciting. Yay Host!
XO
Steph
at first i was like “oh neat, guess i should go see that”. then i started to recall the story and got really excited. i remember the beginning grabbing my interest then the last 100 pages or so being crazy suspenseful that i was flipping the pages in a maniacal blur. but the rest of the book was slow going to me: reading about Wanderer wandering around the desert and her experiences in the caves with unbody-snatched people…yeah, pretty cool but i just wasn’t clicking with it. but in movie form???? hellz yeah! i can’t help but think that a movie with help add some umph to the story as they take some liberties with it. maybe condense what happens in the caves so it’s more like “bam! bam! bam! stuff’s happening all over the place!”. i’ll be there to watch it. and meyer tends to take her book to movie transitions very seriously as you can tell from her post, so i’ll bet the movie has something spectacular to offer even if the book was not the ish.
the bookend. 