Picture Post!

This week's picture comes from Chicago. I enjoy this city more and more each time I come here. Top things on my list this week are to visit some awesome restaurants. On my first night I checked one off my list...The Billy Goat Tavern. Home of the Cheezborger (The Billy Goat Tavern is known from the SNL skit by John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd). All day long as we are working, my coworkers and I kept talking about the awesome cheeseburgers and cheap beers we were going to have. We couldn't get there fast enough. Once we got there it was awesome! Just as good as I remembered.

Next on my list is this awesome gastropub, The Gage. And if I get really lucky and have a third night free I would like to try something new, possibly The Purple Pig. I LOVE going out to eat in other city's and finding delicious restaurants. If I got time to visit Michigan Ave my trip would be complete, but I doubt I will have the time this trip- it's going to be a very busy week.

Any suggestions on places to eat or see in Chicago (keeping in mind I have limited free time). Leave me a comment and let me know!

Teaser Tuesday (May 29)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Here's how it works..

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share does not give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author too so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here are my teasers...

My girlhood disappeared in the desert. The person I'd once been vanished as I wrapped myself in white when the dust rose into clouds.

p. 3 The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman 

"Cheat and Charmer" by Elizabeth Frank

Cheat and Charmer
by Elizabeth Frank
543 pages

Short Version: Two young sisters were once a part of the Communist party, but now it is coming back to affect their lives as Dinah is pressured to testify in order to keep her life the way it is- as the wife of a famous screenwriter and director. Cheat and Charmer follows the lives of Dinah and her family as she testifies and the consequences after.

Why I Read It: I picked this up in a used bookstore and the time period is was hooked me. Anything from the 1920s to 1950s is always so interesting.

The Book: From Goodreads
Twenty-five years in the making, a first novel that has already been compared to The Sun Also Rises and The Last Tycoon, Cheat and Charmer is certain to be one of the most admired literary debuts of the season. Written by Pulitzer Prize—winning biographer Elizabeth Frank, Cheat and Charmer is a masterful and richly detailed work of fiction–a Tolstoyan novel of marriage, sisterhood, art, politics, compromise, and betrayal set in Hollywood, New York, Paris, and London of the 1950s.
Dinah Lasker grew up in the shadow of her sister, Veevi, a stunning beauty and emerging star who enchanted both the Hollywood set and its imported New York literati. But Veevi’s home was also a hotbed of political activity, owing to her marriage to Stefan Ventura, a Bulgarian filmmaker and high-profile Communist. At the end of the 1930s, when things go badly for him in Hollywood, Ventura and Veevi flee to Paris and into the lengthening shadows of Hitler and fascism.
Cut to 1951, when Dinah is subpoenaed by the House Un-American Activities Committee, which threatens to ruin her husband, Jake, and derail his successful career as a Hollywood writer, producer, and director unless she cooperates. Can Dinah live with herself if she names Veevi–whom she both loves and loathes–in order to save her husband and preserve her idyllic married life? The choices Dinah makes set in motion an unforgettable chain of events. Like Anna Karenina, Dinah must face the consequences of her choices and her needs.
Written with elegance and style, Cheat and Charmer grippingly dramatizes the interior lives of Dinah, Veevi, Jake, and their social circle. Spanning decades and following complex characters on their impassioned pursuits through America and Europe, this is a novel of grand scope, about love and deception, idealism and accommodation, the lies we live, and the truths we cannot avoid.

My Thoughts: I have to say this book is not what I expected, but I am not really sure what I expected. I grabbed this book at a used book store because the cover and brief description on the back caught my eye. It mentioned New York, Paris and London in the 1950s- sounded good to me. I also knew it was about sisters, which I often enjoy reading about since I grew up with a brother. After finishing this book I have to say it was a bit boring.
Dinah is pressured to testify about being a Communist by her husband so she does not ruin his career as a screenwriter. I thought this would be something exciting and create some action in the plot. Instead the rest of the book just went on about their lives after testifying, which really was not much different. Of course it did affect some things in Dinah's life, like her sister who she named as a Communist. Weirdly enough this brought Veevi back into Dinah's life. The whole book just seemed to be a daily account of the Lasker's lives. And nothing exciting really happened to them.
I really disliked some of the characters. Number one was Jake Lasker, Dinah's husband. He cheated on his wife all the time and thought he was justifying it to himself because he always went back to his wife. Scumbag. Poor Dinah never even suspected because she loved her husband and assumed he felt crazy about her the way she was crazy about him. Dinah and Veevi where both well written characters but they drove me nuts sometimes. Dinah needed to stand up for herself more, especially against her sister who always had everything. Veevi needed to realize the world did not revolve around her. Elizabeth Frank did a very good job creating the sister's relationship.
The end of the book was probably the best part. Finally there was some action that created feelings for me. I was nervous and sad and happy. I was just disappointed it took 400 pages to get to these feelings. I won't go into detail because I do not want to spoil anything.
If you enjoy reading about the daily doings of a somewhat dysfunctional family and the backdrop of the 1950s in Hollywood you may enjoy this book. It just wasn't right for me.

2/5 Stars

#7 in 2012 Mount TBR Challenge
Click here to see full list



Booking Through Thursday: Pet Names

This week's Booking Through Thursday asks...

Do you have any pet that has a name inspired by your readings? If not, what would you pick if you DID? Do any of your friends have book-based names for their pets (or children)?

I don't think I have ever named a pet based on a book, but I've also never named any of my pets on my own (someone else has always had a say). I like to base my pet names on their personality, so choosing a name beforehand is hard. But if I got another male cat I would possibly name him Gatsby. My sister's name is Ramona and I always think about Ramona Quimby, but she is not named after that character. Other than that I don't think I know of any animals or people named after book characters.

What about you- any pets or people named after favorite book characters? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Picture Post!

I've decided to change Wordless Wednesday to "Picture Post!" because I like giving explanations about my pictures which is not exactly "wordless". Same post, new name. Here is today's picture...

Book art

This week I am in Atlantic City, NJ in a brand new hotel on the famous Boardwalk. I wanted to share a picture of the Boardwalk, but the weather has not been in my favor (it's been rainy and gross). Beyonce is at this hotel all week for her concert here on Friday. I was hoping to snap a pic of her but no such luck, although I did hear her practicing (behind closed doors) which was pretty cool. Then I thought about taking a picture of something in the hotel- it is a very cool hotel visually with lots of fun decor and art, but I never got around to it (working here has been a bit of a nightmare). Geez I feel like I am full of excuses. As I was laying in my room one night I noticed the art in my room was made of books, so I took a pic of those. They are fun and I kind of want to take them home! I know this is not the most exciting picture but it is not often that there is book decor in my hotel rooms (besides the books I have laying everywhere). Hopefully before I leave I get a few more pics and can share them later.

That's today's Picture Post! What do you think about this fun book art? Leave me a comment and let me know

Teaser Tuesday (May 22)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Here's how it works..

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share does not give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author too so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here are my teasers...

"Why are you doing this?" Jake bellowed, as he padded across the floor wearing nothing but his bedroom slippers. "If you ask me, darling, it's an exercise in absolute futility and gratuitous decency that will be totally lost on your sister and that pompous, pharisaical lout to whom she happens to be married."

p. 111, Cheat and Charmer by Elizabeth Frank (this is the 3rd and hopefully last teaser from this book. I'd like to finish in the next week) 

Feature & Follow Friday #18

Q: Summer Break is upon us! What would be the perfect vacation spot for you to catch up on your reading & relax?

A: My first choice is always Hawaii (it will be my first choice until I move there). Probably Maui because it is a great mix of relaxing and a little night life.

This was actually in Kauai but it was the perfect beach day of reading, kite flying, napping, and just hanging out.

I also want to go back to the Bahamas. I was recently there for work and actually got to participate in some of my group's activities (which never happens!) but I want to go back to do more like the Underwater Scooters and Powerboats to Exuma Island and of course more of this...

 Where would you go on vacation to read and relax? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Booking Through Thursday- Live In

This week's Booking Through Thursday asks...

Q: If you had to choose to live within a novel, which would it be?

A: The first novel to come to mind is of course my favorite, The Night Circus. Being a part of the circus would be awesome. Then I kept thinking about it and there are so many books that would be fun to live in- Harry Potter because who wouldn't want to live at Hogwarts, Hotel Honolulu by Paul Theroux because Hawaii is where I really do want to live, Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger because I love the sister's London flat, Tiger's Curse (series) because of the awesome places they go in India and around the world, plus living with 2 tigers/gorgeous guys would be an extra perk. I'm sure if I keep thinking about this I could come up with more books but I will stop here.

Which book would you choose to live in? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Wordless Wednesday #5

Libby- ready to take herself for a walk
(I miss her)

Teaser Tuesday (May 15)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Here's how it works..

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share does not give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author too so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here are my teasers...

She turns aside, so that the kiss lands on her jawline, and looks unsmilingly into his anxious face. "Don't go in there, Artie. Just turn around and get in the elevator and go home. Right now."

p. 57, Cheat and Charmer by Elizabeth Frank 

My Friday Night....

I know I have already posted quite a few posts today as I am catching up on my blogging, but I had to share what my Friday night is consisting of in my hotel room.

Cheese, salami, olive tapenade, Triscuits, a soda, and my computer makes for a perfect night of blogging, emails, and catching up on TV shows.

This is exactly what I needed tonight :)  Have a great weekend!

Feature & Follow Friday #17

Q: This Sunday in the U.S. is Mother's Day, in celebration, what are some of your favorite books with strong mother/child relationships?

A: I definitely have to say The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. This was a great book about the life of a woman and growing up. Told from the daughter, Dinah's point of view, she tells the story of her mother and aunts, herself growing up, and her life as an adult. I have recommended this book to my mom, aunts, grandma and many other ladies.

What books have you read with strong mother/child bonds? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Booking Through Thursday: In or Out

This is a day late but here it is...

This week's Booking Through Thursday asks...

Q: Do you consider yourself an extrovert or an introvert?

A: Hmm I think I am somewhere in the middle. I am quiet and shy around people I don't really know (most of the time), but once I get to know a person I can be very outgoing. It really depends on the situation. Like for work there is not really room for being quiet and shy so I have to really put myself out there. But in some social situations there are times I am just the quiet one. I'm getting better about being shy/quiet but I think part of me will always be that way.

What about you? Do you think you are more outgoing or do you tend to keep to yourself? Leave a comment and let me know :)

Apology

Dear readers,

I would like to apologize for my lacking at Reading Kelly the past couple weeks. Work has been crazy busy and has caused me to forget what day it is. This happens often when I travel but this time I can't seem to get back on track. Next thing I knew I missed my Booking Through Thursday post and today is Friday (I have no idea where the time has gone). I am going to post my BTT to day, just a day late, and hopefully get my Feature & Follow Friday in as well. I also apologize for my lacking of comments. I try to respond to everyone, but I have not been very good at making comments on others blogs. My goal is to catch up in the next few days. Thanks for understanding. I hope to be back on track soon.

Happy reading!

Kelly

Wordless Wednesday #4

Naples, FL Sunset

Teaser Tuesday (May 8)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Here's how it works..

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share does not give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author too so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here are my teasers...

"Privately, she thought, We were Communists, for Christ's sake, and here we are running this Negro woman ragged going upstairs and downstairs bringing us breakfast in bed."

p. 244, Cheat and Charmer by Elizabeth Frank

"Pure" by Julianna Baggott

Pure
by Julianna Baggott
358 pages (nook book)

Short Version: Pressia finds a Pure and together they come to realize they may not be so different after all.

Why I Read It: I saw a few reviews for this book and after reading the synopsis decided I needed to check it out.

The Book: (From Goodreads)
We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . .
Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.
Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . .
There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.
When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.

My Thoughts: ***Spoiler Alert! This review may contain spoilers***
I think this is only the second dystopian book I have read after The Hunger Games series and I really liked it. The images of life after the Detonations were kind of creepy but also fascinating to me. I think sometimes if I were to read too many dystopian, or any genre, I will eventually be able to guess what is going to happen all the time and not enjoy it as much. Pure was mostly unpredictable for me which was great. I kept wanting to know what would happen next. The songs and riddles were great because I kept trying to figure them out as well. I was very surprised to find out Pressia and Partridge were brother and sister. I kept expecting some kind of love triange to form between Pressia, Partridge, and Bradwell but I was kind of happy that didn't happen. I really liked that Pressia and Bradwell's relationship was developed all the way to the end of the book. I don't like when characters meet and are in love right away with no chemistry formed. It is not realistic. However, I feel like Lyda was left behind a bit when it came to developing her. Her character was great while she was in the Dome. Then they let her out and it was like nothing of the outside bothered her. She was seeing the destruction for the first time and humans fused with object, yet it was like she had no reaction to this which is just not very believable for me. Partridge could not stop looking at things and wondering about them when he was first out. He also took care to cover up that he was Pure, but Lyda never did. I just think she was sort of left behind when it came to her coming out of the Dome. I also have to mention El Capitan and Helmud. I loved them. El Capitan had a good heart and I was so happy he was on their side, especially since at first he just wanted to kill a Pure before he died. And Helmud, well I think he is smarter than everyone thinks he is.

5/5 Stars

#8 in 2012 Ebook Challenge
Click here for full list

#5 in 2012 Ebook Challenge
Click here for full list


Bahama Paradise

I just finished an awesome program in the Bahamas on Paradise Island and I wanted to share a few pictures from my trip. So here they are...

The water is so amazing here

Sunrise from my balcony- don't remember what day this was

Sunrise another day

Program is over! Time to enjoy the beach

The lonely palm tree

I can't wait to go back. I'm already working on planning a vacation back to the Bahamas because there are so many things I want to do like Powerboats to Exuma Island, underwater scooters, shopping in Downtown Nassau. There was no way I could do it all while working, so I just have to go back :)

Random Acts of Kindness: May

RAK is hosted by Book Soulmates. You can join the fun here.

For those who do not know, RAK is Random Acts of Kindness. You sign up and share your book wishlist. Then you can view other's wishlists and send them a Random Act of Kindness. This will be my second month participating. I had sooo much fun with RAK last month!

Here are the rules:

COMPLETE RULES RE-CAP:
Please read carefully & follow all rules! Thank you!

• Please sign-up each month that you can participate (and by participate, we mean give as well as receive).
• Show off your participation by grabbing our RAK button (code is in the right sidebar).
• Create a wish list (on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog, etc) and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.
• If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wish list and contact that blogger directly for their information.
• Once you receive a RAK, send us an our new email to [rakbybooksoulmates @ gmail . com] so that we can update the Google Doc. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU SEND EMAILS TO THIS ADDRESS!
• E-book participation is limited to files being gifted directly to a person from the e-book store. Amazon's Kindle Store is set up to allow this, as well as the Kobo store and we believe Barnes & Noble with Nook as well.
• At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K by making a "RAK Wrap-Up" post. This post should include who you SENT gifts to as well who you RECEIVED gifts from :)

OPEN TO EVERYONE including all our International brethren!

Remember, there's always the Book Depository and they offer FREE shipping!

Easy peezy!!

You can view my wishlist here in my Google Docs. The top 5 I chose for this month are...



Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Feature & Follow Friday #16

Q: What is one thing you wish you could tell your favorite author?

A: Hmm this is a tough one for me because I am not sure who my favorite author is (this is sad, I know). My favorite book is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern so I would probably gush to her how amazing I think her book is. And ask her to tell me there really is a Night Circus because I want to experience it in real life.

Who is your favorite author? What would you tell them? Leave me a comment and let me know :)

Booking Through Thursday: Siblings

This week's Booking Through Thursday asks...

Do you have siblings? Do they like to read?

Yes, I have a younger brother and sister (21 & 11 yrs old) and both enjoy reading. However, this was not always the case. My brother used to hate reading and in the last year he found book genres he likes and has taken up reading as a hobby. I was so excited about this I even bought him his own Nook. My sister is funny about reading. She enjoys it but sometimes will only read bits and pieces from a book then put it down. I think she reads more than one book at a time. And she likes to skip around in series. That is the complete opposite of my one book at a time reading style, but at least she is reading. I love sharing books with them!

Does reading a hobby you share with siblings? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Wordless Wednesday #3

Good morning Paradise Island, Bahamas

June Schedule

It is the first of the month which means schedule time for me! Here is where I am going in June...

Aruba

Big Island, Hawaii

I could not have asked for a better schedule! I love tropical locations. Now fingers crossed my schedule does not change because I am ready for some fun in the sun. Has anyone been to either of these places? If so, leave me comments on things to do and see.

Teaser Tuesday (May 1)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Here's how it works..

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share does not give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author too so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here are my teasers...

"The air churns darkly as if stirred by unseen fan blades. He thinks of fan blades-- shiny and quick in his mind. How did he get here?"

p. 97 Pure by Julianna Baggott