Book Review: BELONG TO ME by Marisa de los Santos

I just finished this book yesterday and so I thought I had better put the review up now before I forget about it. Like I have with at leas 28 other books. Sorry, yall!

You may have noticed this book on my nightstand from early this week because I had to leave myself to reading this at night. When I picked up the book and started reading I was really excited. One of the main characters, Cornelia, was sassy and sharp. Like me. This is like the quickest way to get me interested in a book.

But then I realized that this was really like three stories rolled into one book and you would be flip flopping between Cornelia, Dev (the new kid in town with his single mom), and Piper (the perfect bitch from across the way that you so badly want to bitch slap ALL.OF.THE.TIME.) And if a book flip flops between two characters it's doable and usually ok. Three characters? Ok three is kind of third wheel. It makes it hard.

All of the characters, except Piper, were likeable and relatable. I just wanted to smack Cornelia up because her husband, Teo, sounds like a hot dreamboat and she's kind of blah but you do get the sense that she appreciates his hotness and awesomeness. It touches on lasting love (Cornelia and Teo), bonds of friendship, even after loss (Piper and Elizabeth), douche bag husbands (Piper and Kyle), and young love (Dev)

The ending? I totally saw it coming. It was as predictable as the sun coming up. Which made it more frustrating for me when I thought I knew what was going to happen and it did. I think the only thing I was surprised about in the end was how selfish Cornelia came off, how not understanding she was.

It's not really a chick lit, but I think only chicks would dig it. I mean, what man do you know would pick up a book with brightly colored rainboots on the front? None. So it's a girly book but it's not one of those that are gripping. Once I figured out what was going to happen about half way through it was hard for me to finish.

Get Sketchy #23

Seriously, two weeks in a row, yall! I think my scrappin mojo is back.

(or more likely I have an enormous amount of supplies that Matt might demand I get rid of since I'm not using them. And that can't be happening. My scrapbook closet is like an episode of Hoarders, I swear)

(minus the dead animals, dentures, food and feces)

But let's just get excited because this week-----I'm not entering at the last minute! Yay!!

Anyways.

Here's my card for this week's Get Sketchy challenge.

And for once? This one I actually like. AND it only took me one full minute to think of and do. Seriously watch out folks- my brain is working at like warp speed. It could get dangerous.

Book Review: WHACKED by Jules Asner

I bet you all thought that maybe I stopped reading, huh? Well no. I've just been busy with the last week of posts and decided that I'll have super funny tales during the week and book reviews on the weekend. Because let's face it- it's just easier. And I'm all about easy, and organized, and scheduled. Anyways..

So I finished the book Whacked which was written by Jules Asner. Jules used to be an E! Personality, is married to Steven Soderbergh, etc. That's why the name is familiar. And if it still isn't, then that means you don't scope out the gossip blogs. Like me.

Here's a quickie description of the book from Amazon: Dani Hale is a staff writer for the successful forensics procedural Flesh and Blood, but while her professional success isn’t in question, she is finding her love life to be a trickier prospect. She is massively insecure in her relationship with her boyfriend of two years, a television director named Dave, and after conducting her own investigation, she soon discovers all her fears were founded when she learns he has been cheating on her with an up-and-coming starlet named Chloe. Dani dumps Dave and gingerly reenters the dating pool only to find that the prospects are grim. When Chloe turns up as a guest star on Dani’s show, Dani finds herself seeing red. This delightful black comedy shows how easy it is for someone to be driven to extremes—and how seamlessly a person can go from rifling through receipts to reading someone’s personal e-mail and beyond. Clever and witty, Asner’s debut will appeal to readers who like biting satire. --Kristine Huntley

Now I'll tell you---I didn't like the book. I read it and finished it, but didn't like it. For a various of reasons.

Number 1- I thought the characters were lame. They were predictable and you just couldn't like any of them. Dani is an idiot. She would be like that one friend you know you have who is constantly bitching about everything but refuses to do anything about it. Ever. We all have a friend like that and avoid his/her phone calls.

Number 2- Dave is a fuckhead. You KNOW he's cheating on her. Any idiot with half a brain and experience watching daytime talk shows and/or Law & Order could figure that out. And what I thought was ridiculous is when Dani figures it out, she looks through his phone that's just laying out on the counter. He gets mad. Well dang- OF COURSE she's going to look through his phone. Or a fucking moron wouldn't if you pretty much know he's cheating and are too stupid to figure it out.

Number 3- The ending was lame. I thought it was lame. It felt like the author just kind of got sick of writing and figured "good enough". I was kind of pissy.

It's definitely not a book I would re-read, I wouldn't even suggest it for book club. It's kind of blah. Expect this one to show up in Goodwills, Salvation Army and yard sales soon.

What do the 4 food groups and the food pyramid have in common?

They are all contain things I won't eat.

It's here yall- the post that details everything I will and will not eat. I am a picky eater and have been since birth. Some of these may shock you. You may wonder how I have survived this long. You may try to stage an intervention. You may want to hold a tasting party for me. But don't worry lambs, I'm alive. I may have horrible cholesterol and a BMI over the charts but I wouldn't know. Because I? Am 27 and don't care. Ask me in 10 years when I'm approaching 40 and freaking out. (Sidenote: That last sentence?? Panic attack inducing. At least I'm aging well).

So let's do this shit, shall we? Giddy up.

Things Sara Will NOT eat:
Vegetables (except cucumbers, lettuce, and corn but not corn on the cob)
Fruits (except red apples, and seedless grapes- preferrably purple/red ones)
Roadkill
Lamb
Anything that comes out of the water (except tuna. Sometimes. Only prepared with a TINY amount of mayo)
Taters (except french fries, which I consider a vegetable...obviously)
Mustard
Barbeque sauce
Mayo or Miracle Whip
Anything orange
Ramen noodles (no matter how broke I get I will NOT resort to ramen)
Chili
Any kind of casserole/hot dish
Soup (except chicken noodle- but no veggies)
Hot drinks (except semi cooled down hot chocolate)
Bacon
Sausage
Eggs (except scrambled eggs, slightly burned, but not the whites)
Yogurt
Cottage cheese
Most juices
Bananas (I know it's a fruit- but eating bananas is the same texture as stepping into dog poo)
Funky bread (which is anything aside from white or regular wheat)
Filled donuts
Chinese food (well I have one thing I'll order from there if I must)
Pork (pretty much anything from a pig is out)
Hot dogs (have you ever seen how those are made?!)
Bratwurst
All condiments (except ketchup)
All dressings (except my specific french dressing...but I can be flexible on this if I must)
White sauces for pastas
Anything with alcohol in it (I don't drink, yall!)
Any candy flavored cherry or grape


Things Sara WILL eat:
Ketchup
Grapes
Apples
Lettuce
Cucumbers
French Dressing (but only the Lighthouse Sweet Red French kind)
Pickles (dill only, not those funky flavors. If I'm at a restaurant with good pickles, I order a side of them. In a bowl. Yum.)
Hamburger(s)
Cheese
Chicken (but not grilled in sandwiches. Grilled if I do it)
Chips (except BBQ, dill pickle, or other disgusting flavors)
Popcorn
Crackers
Salt
Pretzels (I love pretzel rods, and I basically suck the salt off first. Now THERE is a visual for ya)
Spaghetti
Noodles
Jelly/Jam (only grape, strawberry-no seeds-, and apricot-only on english muffins)
Peanut Butter
Pizza (only with pepperoni, but I usually pick those all off anyways)
Butter (only if it's completely melted. I can't eat it if I see like unmelted butter)
Candy
Ice Cream (except strawberry or other fruity flavors)

Now as you can see, I'm barely surviving. Virtually nothing on my "will eat" list is healthy for you. Most people laugh at me. I'm a huge pain in the ass when I'm trying to figure out what to eat. Except I don't make people conform to me. Nope. I'm the freak, they shouldn't have to suffer. So if we go out to restaurants, I'm the one who is pissing the waitress of with the "hold the.." and then I add every ingredient off except for one or two. Like if I order a salad (when in a pinch) I say, "Hold everything except the lettuce and cucumbers". Snickers across the table ensue.

I have become fodder for people when it comes to food. One friend said I have like the OCD for food because nothing can touch. Everything has to be specific. I usually don't eat dinner because I make normal food for Matt & the kids.

The kicker? I like to cook. I'm a pretty good cook, actually. I like chopping, dicing, slicing, frying, baking, the whole bit. BUT...I usually don't eat what I make. I also can't taste try stuff to see if I'm fucking it up. I have to rely on Matt's "Don't make that again" or "Do we have some for lunch tomorrow?" That's how I know if it's good or not. I love watching Food Network.

And there is a reason why I don't eat the things above. I have a reason other than being picky. I am such a freak that I really can't even try stuff. I will gag like it is nobody's business. I've tried. I have been trying to do the Sneaky Chef route to sneak veggies in and I cannot eat it. I can't see it, but knowing it's there....can't do it.

Are you wondering about a specific food? Leave a comment and I will let you know. :)

Get Sketchy #22

I haven't done a Get Sketchy in...well...a very long time. BUT, I did one this week and so here it is:

Yay! A Valentine's Day card! Do I get bonus points for coordinating the sketch with a holiday?? No? Well whatevs. :)

Book Review: THE LATE, LAMENTED MOLLY MARX by Sally Koslow

Book review time! So this past weekend I actually got two books read, both of which I'll review for you, but this is the first one.

Somehow I have managed to snag, I kid you not, 5 books in the last month that have either a Jewish theme or a bunch of Jewish characters. Is this a sign? I'm not sure.

But this book was interesting. Best book ever? No. Good read? Sure. I can't remember where I heard of it, but I think it was from Jen Lancaster's summer reading list. But I can't be sure. All I know is that this was on my to-read post it note and I can now throw that note away. :)

Anyhoodle.

So this book is about Molly Marx who you learn right away is dead. It's interesting because while she's learning the ropes about being dead she can watch in on her friends, family and daughter from above. Not only does she now have a blatant "bull shit detector" but she can read minds basically. How she dies is evident- it was a biking accident but she doesn't know how it happened. Or doesn't remember. So while she's looking down she's trying to figure out what happened to her.

You learn about her slut husband who cheats on her basically from the word go, how she gave birth alone, how she falls in love with another man but feels guilty, and ultimately- how she died. It was interesting. It wasn't one of those books that I had a hard time putting down, but it was one that would be interesting for a book club.

I was fascinated because although her husband cheats on her, she doesn't/won't leave him. Even though she falls in love with another man and has an affair with him. It's relatable in the way that you feel how she is torn between these two men. It's not that her husband is abusive, but he just can't keep it in his pants. But the other man well, he loves her. Passionately. And I think that if it were me, I might struggle with that too.

So if you are looking for something that isn't super heavy but just a fun read- this is a good choice.

Book Review: SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater

I am not going to pussy foot around this at all. This book is AMAZING.

The quick and dirty of this book is that it's set in Minnesota and is about the wolves that roam Mercy Falls. People get bitten, it's weird, but only one survived. Grace. Grace is obsessed with the wolves but mostly one in particular. They watch each other. Then one day the wolf is temporarily a human. And oh my god- one of the BEST love stories. Seriously. I can't even give this book enough praise. I finished it in under 7 hours and it was the best 7 hours I've had in quite a long time. The descriptions of the characters emotions is spot on. You feel like this is really happening to you. Like you are Grace. I love how the chapters bounce back and forth between Grace and Sam's perspectives. It's like you always know what they are thinking. And feeling. It's amazing. And I am not going to lie- I started crying. Like hysterically crying at the end. SO, if you happen to get this book, do not read it before you get your period. Because it will make you a mess. And then I get all mad at Matt because he isn't this guy. *sigh*. Eventually I might realize that the guys in these books aren't real. But maybe they are and I just don't know it yet!!

Right. So you should read the book. It's so worth it. This is definitely an author to look out for because she did a GREAT job on this book. What I also love about Maggie (and here I'm talking like we're besties..HA!) is that her website for the book has a pop out player with songs that were written for and inspired by Shiver. You know what that means? Fabulous music. My favorite. Go HERE if you want to read more about the book, listen to the music, etc.

Book Review: This Is Your Brain In Love by Dr. Earl Henslin

Another book review! And let me just start by saying I finished this book about two weeks ago but have been so wrapped up in reading the Mortal Instruments, Shiver (review coming soon), and now the Vampire Diaries. I think my kids still live with me. I can't be sure. I feel like I haven't seen anyone in days.

This book was actually a fascinating read. Again, I'm not one for self help books because I get confused and then forget what I just read and if I do remember never actually apply it because I'm too lazy. You know?

You know.

But did you know that when you fall in love it's like the same brain chemical reaction as if you were on drugs? Which kind of explains the dating reality shows and you always think, "Shit- are these people on drugs?" Well, kind of.

I really liked reading the book because it really covered all kinds of people. Throughout the book it touches on the different kinds of lovers in relationship and how ADD plays a part in it. AND? I totally diagnosed my husband with Limbic ADD. You can imagine how thrilled he is. But the symptoms of that are: negativity, low energy, low self-esteem, irritability, social isolation, and poor appetite and sleep patterns. For the few of you who might know my husband- you are probably laughing hysterically because this? This is Matt. Like if I had to come up with a list- that would be it. Granted, the low energy and irritability is probably from working at least 10 hour work days, but still. He's Mr. Negative who never wants to do anything that involves people. And if you are asking how we got together- I don't know either. I've also decided he is a Blue Mood Lover. The book provides tips on how I can make him happier. Well, I might do some. But they require work and frankly, I don't think it's my job to make him a happy camper.

But I bet you are all just DYING to know what kind of lover I am. Aren't you??

Perverts

But because you have read this long, I would be the Over Focused Lover. (Stop laughing). The signs of this?

• Excessive or senseless worrying
• Upset when things don't go your way
• Upset when things are out of place
• Tendency to be oppositional or argumentative
• Tendency to have repetitive negative thoughts
• Tendency to compulsive behaviors
• Intense dislike for change
• Tendency to hold grudges
• Trouble shifting attention from task to task
• Difficulties seeing options in situations
• Tendency to hold onto own opinion and not listen to others
• Needing to have things done a certain way otherwise you become upset

My favorite part about this? It specifically tells me to eat carbs. Which is great because that's really the only food group I prefer to eat. Carbs, baby! Matt was in no way interested in reading the tips he is supposed to do to make me happier, so we're even. But can I say how eerie this was? How dead on it was??

Anyhoodle. This book was a really fun read. It was educational for one, but all of the science behind it was explained thoroughly and it's written as if you were speaking to the author. As if you were in for an appointment with the doctor. The tests (there are 5) in the book are quick and it's amazing how an injury to your head, no matter how minor it was, can really affect how your brain operates in general.

Book Review (kind of) The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

I think we know and remember how much I love me some unrealistic men. (that would be HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.) Some might think this would be an unhealthy obsession because the likelihood of finding a man that incredibly gorgeous AND attainable is impossible. But I totally agree because Matt? Is nothing like any of them. *sigh*. Don't think I haven't tried to fix that, he seems to be untrainable.

But a friend from high school named Sam posted on my Facebook a week ago about how fabulous the book series, The Mortal Instruments were and maybe because of my never ending ranting and raving about True Blood, Robert and my apparently unhealthy obsession with these prompted her to think I need another obsession. And damn you it worked because I? Am in love with Jace Lightwood. Forget he's 17. I'm sure he's at least 19 by now if this were real life. And that would make me kind of cougar right, if I'm almost 28?? No? Well whatever. It'd still be hot.

The books are wonderful. I bought the first one and my husband immediately said, "Well I guess I'll be seeing you somtime" as he proceeded to feed our kids dry cereal for supper. And I? Was totally ok with that because within the first chapter I am madly in love with Jace. Damn you Cassandra Clare for making me believe through 2 1/2 books that secret you wrote! Damn you. I almost passed out. Seriously, I should for fun have my blood pressure periodically checked during reading books such as these. I'd be off the charts. But it's worth it.

And I kid you not- if a super hot guy came to me, all saving me and shit- I would leave Matt for hunky guy. Because I? Have always wanted that really. Well, not to be in a situation where I'd need to be saved. Obviously. But a guy that is so devoted to you. Like you are it- the world and everything in it. Some women would be overwhelmed with that. But I wouldn't. I think I'd thrive in that. I know Matt loves me but dang. Not like that. Not ever. It isn't realistic to think that exists or if it did that I'd ever find it. But dang- that's what dreams are for. Right?