Another Friday Find...

Last Friday I discovered the Civil Library inside of a brewery and this Friday I had another bookish find! We were on our way to dinner with a couple friends, all riding in the same car. As we were about to drive over a speed bump I saw a book laying in the middle of the road. Of course I yelled "omg there is a book!" Everyone was laughing but we stopped and I ran out to grab it. I couldn't leave a book out there to possibly be ruined! It really is in quite good condition for being found in the road (it is a very quiet street), the cover is a bit dented up but not too terrible. The book is Killing Moon by Rebecca York - anyone ever heard of it? Sounds like a mystery or something along those lines. I don't know that I will read it anytime soon. I may even just pass it along. Although my friends were laughing at me for saving a book like it was a stray animal or something, this quite made my night. Here is a picture... if anyone is interested in reading this, let me know and I will send it your way!

The saved book!

Did you have any bookish finds this week? I'd love to hear about them!!

Life is crazy...

I have been thinking this over for a few days and I think I have to take a little step back from blogging for a bit. I am so busy the month of August with starting my new job, being a bridesmaid in 2 weddings and attending a few others, as well as trying to study for a certification test. I am trying to adjust to my new lifestyle with my job, but then every free moment is spent getting things together for a wedding. I am not going to stop blogging all together, I just will not be participating in all of the weekly memes such as Teaser Tuesday, Booking Through Thursday, and Feature & Follow Friday. If I have time during the week, I will definitely participate though. I plan on still posting my Picture Post!, book reviews (if I find time to finish reading a book), and other bookish things I find along the way. I hope you understand- I'm sure everyone has experienced times of craziness in their lives. I will definitely be back in full swing as soon as I can get a grip on my schedule and routine.


Until then, Happy reading!

"In Leah's Wake" by Terri Giuliano Long

In Leah's Wake
by Terri Giuliano Long
306 pages (Nookbook edition)

Short Version: Leah wants to make her own decisions in life, not be ruled by soccer or her parents.

Why I Read It: I think I downloaded this book when it was $.99 for a day. It sounded interesting so I thought I'd check it out.

The Book: (From Goodreads)
The Tylers have a perfect life--beautiful home, established careers, two sweet and talented daughters. Their eldest, Leah, an exceptional soccer player, is on track for a prestigious scholarship. Their youngest, Justine, more responsible than seems possible for her 12 years, just wants her sister's approval. With Leah nearing the end of high school and Justine a seemingly together kid, the parents are set to enjoy a peaceful life...until Leah meets Todd, a former roadie for a rock band.

As Leah's parents fight to save their daughter from a world of drugs, sex, and wild parties, their divided approach drives their daughter out of their home and a wedge into their marriage. Meanwhile, twelve-year-old Justine observes her sister's rebellion from the shadows of their fragmented family-leaving her to question whether anyone loves her and if God even knows she exists.

Can this family survive in Leah's wake? What happens when love just isn't enough?

My Thoughts: I was disappointed by this book. I don't really know what I expected but it definitely wasn't what I got. 
Most of the characters drove me crazy. I understand Leah's wanting to act out because of all the pressure from her parents to play soccer. I'd probably get sick of it too if I were her. She starts hanging out with Todd thinking he is the coolest guy ever. He pressures her into things like drinking, drugs, and sex that Leah probably wouldn't have gotten into if it was not for him. Then Leah's mind just seems to get lost. She believes she is going to marry Todd even though she gets mad at him quite often, she thinks her parents don't love her at all, and she believes she can truly make it on her own as a 17 year old with no job experience or even a high school degree. At least in the end she starts to figure herself out.
Then there are Leah's parents. They cannot seem to get along enough to try to get their daughter back, which ultimately pushes her away even more. Instead of being a united front, they were completely divided. They were so focused on Leah and her problems they sort of forgot Justine was even around.
Justine is the only character I liked. She is smart and sees way more that everyone expects her too for a 12 year old. She wants to protect Leah and sees how her parents push her away even more. 
As I think over this book, I think I was expecting more action and emotion. I expected more of the drugs, sex and parties from Leah's side of it, and more devotion and trying from her family. Overall the book lacked these strong emotions, which could have made it more enjoyable to read.

2/5 Stars

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

#16 in 2012 Ebook Challenge
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Picture Post! (Aug 8)

Now that I have started my new job I am not traveling to someplace fabulous every week. So for this week's Picture Post I went back through my photos and decided to share some from my trip to Paris last August. I had one day to see everything I could and I did just that. I started at Pompidou and walked the entire river down to the Eiffel Tower seeing everything along the way - Notre Dame, Louvre, Tuileries Gardens, Princess Diana's memorial, and of course the Eiffel Tower. Here are a few pics from along my walk...

Prayer candles in Notre Dame

Feeding the birds outside of Notre Dame

Enjoying a drink before getting to the Eiffel Tower

And of course, the Eiffel Tower!

Teaser Tuesday (Aug 7)

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...

"You're not back together? How could you, Lee?"

p. 187, In Leah's Wake by Terri Giuliano Long 

 

This made my week....

Last night I went to have a beer at the Civil Life Brewing Company. It is a local micro brew in St. Louis. The atmosphere was awesome - all wood paneling and decor, done very simply but looks amazing. I walked upstairs since the bar was full and at the top of the stairs there was a library!!! That's right, a library in a bar! I was so excited. They had an eclectic mix of books and a few games as well. It was called The Library at The Civil Life. After taking a picture and being fully amazed, I went back downstairs and asked the bartender if I could have a bookmark (I saw them sticking out of the books and I collect them). He said yes especially since I collect them :). On the bookmark it states the books are curated by Hurley House. As soon as I got home I looked up the website. Come to find out Patrick Hurley was one of the bartenders and brewers at Civil Life. His website and blog are interesting and I think I'm going to have to look into buying books from him. I kind of want to go back today and talk to him about books! I love finding bookish things in everyday life and especially someone who loves books and would like talking about them. This totally made my week!

The Library at The Civil Life

Did you have any bookish finds this week? I'd love to hear about them.

Booking Through Thursday: Picking & Choosing

This week's Booking Through Thursday asks...


Overall, what factor most influences your choice of your next read? And what is it that makes you want to read a book by an author you've never read before?


Well my next read usually depends on what I am in the mood for. Sometimes I stick to the same genre for numerous books then want to mix it up a bit. As I am finishing a book I usually have an idea of a couple books I will pick from to read next. When it comes to reading authors that are new to me, I am always doing this. I tend to read anything that the story line grabs me so I am open to reading books by different authors. 


How do you choose your next read? And what makes you go for a new author? I'd love to hear your answers so leave a comment!

July RAK: Wrap Up

Another great RAK month! I missed June RAK so I was happy to get back into it. In case you were wondering, RAK is Random Acts of Kindness. It is hosted by Book Soulmates. Those who participate share their wishlist and others can send books as a Random Act of Kindness. Pretty awesome!

This month I sent RAKs to...

Devan @ Bookstrings
I sent Devan The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

I received RAKs from...

Emily @ Doodle's Book Blog sent me The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult

And Christa sent me Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

So excited to read both of these books! Thanks for another wonderful month of RAKs!

Picture Post (Aug. 1)

I just got home from an AMAZING last trip as a Travel Director, in Ireland. Ireland was one of my favorite places I've ever been. We stayed in Killarney, at a hotel right on the lake. The weather was great while we were there - sunshine with little rain. I kissed the Blarney Stone, went on a ghost tour of Killarney, visited Ross Castle, at yummy food, went shopping and of course made a couple visits to the pubs. I can't wait to go back to see more. I'm sharing 5 photos this week that sum up my trip. Enjoy!

Blarney Castle

The ghost tour bus. Wish I would have gotten a
pic of the inside, the decor was awesome!

Derek telling us the tragic love story that
took place at Ross Castle (all love stories
end in tragedy in Ireland apparently so I was
told not to fall in love with an Irish guy - bummer.)

Muckross Abbey at night = creepy!

Beautiful view from our final function at the hotel.
I was in love with all of the bright flowers.