Soo I’m moving in a week…which means I have to pack up all my s*&t.  And a lot of that s*&t is books.

Which is my not so-smooth segue into my book review post!  I’ve put it off for awhile, so forgive the brevity & lack of specific recall…

1.  Are You There Vodka?  It’s Me, Chelsea. – Chelsea Handler.  The follow-up to a book I previously reviewed, My Horizontal Life.  This book focuses less on Chelsea’s struggles with relationships and more on her struggles with…life in general, I suppose.  It was a quick, easy read, and fairly entertaining.  I agree with other reviews that determine it to be “disjointed”, but I still think her sense of humor makes up for it.  Plus, I mean, if she can get on the Forbes 100 list through her crazy family, love of alcohol, and absurd mistakes, isn’t there hope for us all?

2.  Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Create Peace…One School at a Time. – Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin.  Holy.  Cow.  This book was spectacularly amazing and inspiring.  Greg Mortenson is truly a unique & bold individual.  This book made me want to a) catch the next plane out of the country.  b) join like 17 different mission projects.  c) go back and fix pre-9/11 problems in the Middle East.  d) whack a lot of people over the head for their ignorance and lack of willingness to help.  e) personally thank generous donors of time and money for all they do.  Seriously, how the heck did he do all of this?  It involves such great personal sacrifice that I can’t even imagine.  And his mission is totally on point – education is the key to solving our international crises, specfically those involving the Taliban.  But, I’ll let you come to your own conclusions through reading the book on your own.  This is, once again, a story that merits being read simply because it needs to be heard – no matter what conclusion it leads you to.  The sheer dedication this man has is astounding, even if you disagree about the direction of his dedication.  Also, it’s incredibly badass that he made it as far on K2 as he did.  And his childhood stories alone are gripping.  And I still can’t believe he and his wife got married after one week.  C-razy.

3.  The House of the Scorpion. – Nancy Farmer.  This book was actually recommended to me (read: demanded to be read by me) from a client.  So, I took it with me on my vacation.  And proceeded to way over-analyze her connection to the main character.  But I digress.  As it is, it was a pretty good book.  Definitely an engaging plot.  Certainly not handled with the greatest finesse – in particular I felt as though the exposition was disproportionately large compared to the wrapping up of the story… – but definitely entertaining.  To sum up, it creates a fictional world in which cloning of human beings exists, and Farmer actually creates a semi-believable (altho terrifying) futuristic world in which to debate the ethical dilemmas of this, and other issues.  Pretty good.

4.  The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Volume I. – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  Ok so first of all, the title of this bothers me.  How can it be the “Complete” Sherlock Holmes when it’s only Vol. 1?  But anywho.  So this included 3 of the Holmes novels, as well as about 40ish of the short stories Conan Doyle published serially in newspapers/magazines.  Needless to say, it was a rather large book, and I was rather tired of Holmes by the time I completed the book – altho this should not imply that I did not enjoy the book, or that it was not excellent, as it predictably was.  The Hound of the Baskervilles particularly lived up to the hype.  True, my thought processes became a little muddled as I was reading this book while being caught in the midst of a Criminal Minds obsession via TV media, so I began over-analyzing any situation and evaluating it in a criminal capacity…but still.  Soooo good.  Really had some very funny moments at times too.  To be sure, that vague predictability of style and method that frequently taints mystery novels did occur at times (say, around the 38th story…) but not on too large a scale.  And truly, the final novel really was excellent.  I highly recommend picking this up to read at some point (especially as you can pick it up and put it down multiple times…) especially if you enjoyed the movie.  Fun fact?  Holmes only says “Elementary my dear Watson” one time in one story. 

5.  Have a Little Faith. - Mitch Albom.  I know most people have strong opinions on Mitch Albom, and I do see how his voice can sometimes come across in a…condescending? manner.  But.  I loved this book.  I read it in approximately 36 hours.  It really spoke to me where I was, and as I enjoy personal stories, I definitely enjoyed the interview style approach to the story.  Albom’s rabbi sounds like an dear, wonderful, wise man, and Pastor Henry also has a wonderful testimony.  Essentially the book looks at the lives of two “men of faith” – one a Jewish rabbi, and one an evangelical pastor, and the effect they have on the lives of those around them.  In particular the life of Albom.  To that degree, it does chronicle a bit of Albom’s faith journey, tho not as much as I expected.  Still, some great points are raised throughout the book.

6.  Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders. – Vincent Bugliosi & Curt Gentry.  Ooh dear.  So, remember how I talked about being obsessed with Criminal Minds during my review of Sherlock Holmes?  Yeah, I had to not allow myself to watch that show while reading this book.  Because this book is insane.  Those people were absolutely 100% out of this world C-R-A-Z-Y.  Now, I had heard the name “Manson” and the phrase “Manson Family” and definitely grew up associating them with a) insanity  b) cults  c) murder  d) evil, but I really had no idea what had happened.  Helter Skelter is an in-depth look at the entire experience – the brainwashing, the murders, the hapless investigation, the trial, and the aftermath.  Additionally it takes the time to explain Charles Manson’s philosophy and motive.  It was largely unbelievable and disturbing, but excellently written, and a large kudos must be given to Vincent Bugliosi for his part in ensuring that these severely disturbed murderers were not allowed to walk free.  I highly recommend it…but not if you are prone to nightmares or live alone.

7.  Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy and Commitment. – Steve Harvey.  Ok.  I’m duly embarrassed to admit I read this.  But first of all, it was a birthday present.  Second of all, I DESPERATELY needed to read something light-hearted after all of tha Sherlock Holmes, Criminal Minds, and Helter Skelter business…particularly as my roommate was out of town and I still needed to be able to sleep.  And in that regard, Steve Harvey totally delivered.  I certainly laughed a bit and did not feel emotionally involved in the reading material.  Now, granted, I did not always fully and totally agree with what he was saying, but I do think he raised some good/interesting points.  Plus, he is a funny man.  A quick & easy read.  I didn’t really walk away with much from it, but I wasn’t exactly trying to for anything overly-stimulating at the time.  Still, some of the material could easily lend itself to spirited debate, if you so chose

So.  It’s July.  And tomorrow (the 14th) is my two year mark at work.

To celebrate, I got to lead team today.  Woo.  Hoo.

After this, Lauren and I decided to get a sandwich.  Downtown.  Naturally, we rode together.  In her car.  And naturally, as it looked like rain, I first rolled up the windows in my car.  Fast forward an hour and a half and…I’m back at my car.

And I realize I have locked my keys in the car.

And my car is running.

And has been running for 1.5hours.

And the gas tank had been on E right before I got to work anyway.

So, I call Triple A.  And since TCH is a confusing campus in which it is difficult to provide directions, I offer to walk to the entrance to meet him.  So I’m walking and texting Carley the lamentable condition of my morning while I’m cutting through a field.  Halfway through the field, I stop: I am walking through a straight-up minefield of bees.  Literally, easily over a hundred of them.  Swarming.  And I am walking.  In flip flops.  And I’m in the middle of the field, so I couldn’t exactly turn around.

But, I made it.  Maybe while mildly hyperventilating the whole time about the distinct possibility that one bee could sting me, causing a few dozen more to sting me until we’re in a situation quite similar to the tragic ending of My Girl.  It’s not like I’m *afraid* of bees, but there is something about feeling 30+ bee wings brush my skin and watching every footstep for approximately six yards that will inspire a gentle panic…

So anyway, eventually, the guy pops my door open.  La di da fixity fix.  But, now I’m out of gas.  So I call Carley up and proposition her for an adventure.  An adventure in which we go to the gas station, purchase a little gallon can, and fill it with gas.  And then try to get the gas in my car…

Which, needless to say, did not go well.

Carley and I still smell like gasoline.  I may have spilled some on each of us.  Repeatedly.  Maybe.

PS book review post coming soon!

Well dear ones, summer is officially here…which is pretty unbelievable.  I’m pretty sure it was only a few weeks ago I was wearing sweaters and knit caps.  But, I can’t ignore the signs any longer.  Aside from Sister Dearest’s charming blog post about the season, there are quite a few of those signs.  Probably my favorite is simply the smell of night summer air while driving.  It’s so North Carolina – one of the reasons I love NC.

Plus, the POOL is open!  Which means it’s tanning/swimming season (depending on how active you’re feeling).  Before you get started telling me all of the horrible things about tanning, relax…I know all of them.  But, I love Vitamin D.  A lot.  Plus, pale is really not my color.  It’s unfortunate.

So, I’m doing my best to enjoy the summer atmosphere – times of wine, margaritas, swimsuits, pools, Mexican food, dance music, tank tops, nail polish, flip flops, reading, iced coffee, etc etc.  But unfortunately, I only get to participate in the summer fun intermittently as I’m working my a$$ off.  But that’s actually ok – I really like the waitressing job folks.  And I REALLY like having a little extra pocket money (that I should be saving for graduate school…).  Still, I’m looking forward to VACATION NEXT WEEK!  3 days in Florida, 6 in Pittsburgh with small children.  Should be epic.

In the meantime, I apologize for the inconsistencies on my blog(s).  I’m just working a lot.  And that doesn’t really provide very good fodder for blog posts…also, it kind of leaves me somewhat incoherent and unable to string thoughts together.  Oops.  But, despite the busyness of this season, I would love to hear from you at any point in time   So don’t hesitate to call!

So it looks like you’ll get an actual post faster than I anticipated…because I finished the batch of books due for a book review post!  Except it’s going to be mostly a quote post because I’m a little tired.  Plus these books just have some pretty fabulous quotes.  So enjoy!

1. My Horizontal Life:  A Collection of One-Night Stands – Chelsea Handler.  I actually owe you an apology for this one – I read it in the middle of the last batch of books to be reviewed, but completely forgot about it once I started writing.  Which is horrible because this is definitely a book to remember.  Spectacularly hilarious & I highly recommend it

“I was seven years old when my sister told me she’d give me five dollars to run upstairs into my parents’ room while they were having sex and take a picture.  At that age I had heard of sex but had no idea what it looked like.  I knew for sure that my parents were sexually active.  My father had impregnated my mother on six different occasions, all of which she decided to keep, so it was clear to my siblings and me that there was a definite attraction. ”

2. Dead in the Family - Charlaine Harris.  As you know, I already reviewed the first 9 books in this, the Sookie Stackhouse series.  I had only reviewed 9 because at that time, that’s all that had been released.  But lo & behold on May 4th the 10th book was released, and I received a gift card to Target, which I promptly spent on said book.  And it was just as fabulous and just as much fun as before   GO READ THIS SERIES.  Done.

“‘Dead things love you,’ Dermot told me, and I made myself keep smiling.  ‘Eric the vampire?  He says he does.’ ‘Other dead things, too.  They’re pulling on you.’  That was a not-so-welcome revelation.  Dermot was right.  I’d been feeling Eric through our bond, as usual, but there were two other gray presences with me every moment after dark:  Alexei and Appius Livius.  It was a drain on me, and I hadn’t realized it until this moment.  ‘Tonight,’ Dermot said, ‘you’ll receive visitors.’  So now he was a prophet. ‘Good ones?’  He shrugged.  ‘That’s a matter of taste and expedience.’  ‘Hey, Uncle Dermot?  Do you walk around this land very often?’ ‘Too scare of the other one,’ he said.  ‘But I try to watch you a little.  I was figuring out if that was a good thing or a bad thing when he vanished.  Poof!  I saw a kind of blur and then nothing.  His hands were on my shoulders, and then they weren’t.  I assume the tension of conversing with another person had gotten to Dermot.  Boy.  That had been really, really weird.  I glanced around me, thinking I might see some other trace of his passage.  He might even decide to return.  But nothing happened.  There wasn’t a sound except the prosaic growl of my stomach, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten lunch and that it was now suppertime.  I went into the house on shaking legs and collapsed at the table.  Conversation with a spy.  Interview with an insane fairy.  Oh, yes, phone Jason and tell him to be back on fairy watch.  That was something I could do sitting down.”

3. The Known World - Edward P. Jones.  This book is quite a switch from the other, more light-hearted ones I had been reading.  It was a little heavy, but nonetheless excellent.  It was difficult to get into at first, but eventually I did get caught up in the plot.  It’s a very unique account – a fictional story of a black slaveowner in Virginia.  Creates a very detailed and specific picture of life in the time of slavery.

“Fern Elston had chosen not to follow her siblings and many of her cousins into a life of being white.  She stayed in Manchester County where everyone knew what she was – a free Negro, though she was as white as any white person.  Part of why she stayed was Ramsey Elston, a free Negro who came from north of Charlottesville.  Had she gone anywhere else and passed as white, the color of her husband would have made her suspect.  While he was quite light-skinned, he was not as light as she was and it was most evident that he was colored.  She would have been a white woman in the rest of the world with a Negro husband, and that would have limited her world almost as much as their just living as a colored man and his colored wife.  And being a white wife might have gotten her husband killed.”

4. Generation Me:  Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled – and More Miserable Than Ever Before. – Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D.  This is a PHENOMENAL book.  Go buy/read it now.  Seriously.  ASAP.  It’s dead-on accurate and she has done an excellent job of backing up her research while presenting a relatable account of the more recent generations (specifically in contrast to the Baby Boomers).  Outstanding.  Loved it.

“Today’s young people…take these changes for granted and thus do not face this problem [of being overwhelmed by the pace of cultural change].  Instead, we face a different kind of collision: Adulthood Shock.  Our childhoods of constant praise, self-esteem boosting, and unrealistic expectations did not prepare us for an increasingly competitive workplace and the economic squeeze created by sky-high housing prices and rapidly accelerating health care costs.  After a childhood of buoyancy, GenMe is working hard to get less.”

5.  Gather Together in My Name – Maya Angelou.  This is the continuation of Maya Angelou’s autobiography (following I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which I actually have yet to read…).  Her life story is, beyond a doubt, incredible.  It’s difficult to believe she can have gone through so many different and dangerous experiences, especially given the image I have of her from the Wake Forest orientation video.  She is truly an incredible woman, and hearing her incredible story is only made easier by her gifted writing and way with words.

“My head stayed high from habit, but my last hope was gone.  Every way out of the maze had proved to be a false exit.  My once lively imagination would not come up with one more fantasy.  My courage was dwindling.  Unfortunately, fortitude was not like the color of my skin, given to me once and mine forever.  It needed to be resurrected each morning and exercised painstakingly.  It also had to be fed with at least a few triumphs.  My strength had fallen away from me as the pert features fade from an aging beauty.  I didn’t drink and had run out of pot.  For the first time in my life I sat down defenseless to await life’s next assault.”

Um well and on that note…time to scrape up some fortitude and head into work.  Another day, another dollar…and the start of another book