Book #18 - Crescendo

Crescendo
Becca Fitzpatrick


Blurb: Nora Grey's life is still far from perfect. Surviving an attempt on her life wasn't pleasant, but atleast she got a guardian angel out of it: a mysterious, magnetic, gorgeous guardian angel. But, despite his role in her life, Patch has been acting anything but angelic. He's more elusive than ever and even worse, he's started spending time with Nora's arch-enemy, Marcie Millar.

Nora would have hardly noticed Scott Parnell, an old family friend who has moved back to town, if Path hadnt been acting so distant. Even with Scott's totally infuriating attitude Nora finds herself drawn to him - despite her lingering feeling that he's hiding something.

Haunted by images of her murdered father, and questioning whether her nephilim bloodline has anything to do with his death, Nora puts herself increasingly in dangerous situations as she desperatly searches for answers. But maybe some things are better left buried, because the truth could destroy everything - and everyone - she trusts.  (From Goodreads)

Opening Sentence: "The fingers of the thorn-apple tree clawed at the windowpane behind Harrison Grey, and he dog-eared his page, no longer able to read through the racket."

Length: Medium - 427 pages

Notes: Ok, so my last book, I said that I just must not like the classics.  Well, now I'm saying that I must just like cheesy teen fiction, because I devoured this book.  This is the second in the series, and I read the first awhile ago, so I had a hard time remembering exactly what happened in the first book, but it mostly came back to me as I was reading.  I seriously read this in 2 days, that's how entertaining I found it!  I have the same complaints that I had with the first book - mainly that there is content in here that I don't think belongs in a "teen" book.  There is talk of sex, nothing graphic, but still - nothing I would want my teenage daughter reading.  But it was definitely a page turner for me!!

Random quote: "Being with you never felt wrong. It's the one thing I did right. You're the one thing I did right."

Recommend: yes

Have you read this book? Share your feelings!

Abbi - March 2011

 Helping Max to eat his food!

 She still loves to color!

 One of my favorites!  This was when she first came to the hospital to meet Easton.  It was love at first sight!

 PB&J face!

 You'll notice she loves to wear these pjs.  Even if I get her dressed during the day, she usually just wants to switch back into some of her princess pajamas!

 So sad... :(

 My beautiful girl

 Yes, the pjs again.  And a tutu.

 Wanting to have her picture taken

If it's not the pjs, it's a tutu!!

March Abbi-isms

While playing ball with her daddy - "Nice throw daddy!"

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After putting her to bed for the night - "I miss you mommy."

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When asking her if she wants to go potty on the "big" potty - "no mama - I'm just too big."

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After going to the bathroom on her potty: 
Me:  I'm so proud of you!!
Abbi:  I'm so proud of you mommy!  (and then to her daddy):  I'm so proud of you daddy!

Book #17 - The Great Gatsby

The Great Gastby
F. Scott Fitzgerald

Blurb: A love story, of sorts, the narrative of Gatsby's quixotic passion for Daisy Buchanan. The pair meet five years before the novel begins, when Daisy is a legendary young Louisville beauty and Gatsby an impoverished officer. They fall in love, but while Gatsby serves overseas, Daisy marries the brutal, bullying, but extremely rich Tom Buchanan. After the war, Gatsby devotes himself blindly to the pursuit of wealth by whatever means--and to the pursuit of Daisy, which amounts to the same thing. "Her voice is full of money," Gatsby says admiringly, in one of the novel's more famous descriptions. His millions made, Gatsby buys a mansion across Long Island Sound from Daisy's patrician East Egg address, throws lavish parties, and waits for her to appear. When she does, events unfold with all the tragic inevitability of a Greek drama, with detached, cynical neighbor Nick Carraway acting as chorus throughout. Spare, elegantly plotted, and written in crystalline prose, The Great Gatsby is as perfectly satisfying as the best kind of poem.(From Goodreads)

Opening Sentence: "In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since."

Length: Short - 180 pages

Notes: I think that maybe I just don't like the classics.  This wasn't my favorite book.  People chasing after money, affairs, running away from accountability, murder...that's pretty much what this book was all about to me!  I didn't like the characters at all.  Maybe it's supposed to be all about the writing, and not the story.  I don't know.  I feel like something is wrong with me for admitting that I didn't really like this book, but I didn't!

Random quote: "Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead."

Recommend: ehhh

Have you read this book? Share your feelings!

{NEW}born

The thing that really pushed me into wanting to get into photography was the birth of Abbi.  My biggest regret was that I didn't have any newborn pictures of her.  In fact, those first few days/weeks, the photos were pretty awful.  So I was determined to never let that happen again.  With my other children, I was going to have great newborn pictures.

Well, now I've determined that I will hire someone to do them next time around.  Not only was I super out of practice, but the days/weeks after Easton's birth were full of cloudy days.  No sunlight makes it hard for someone that relies on natural light for photos.  Not to mention that Easton does not like to be undressed. 

But...  I did manage to get a few good pictures. Enough for hanging in his room, at least.  So I didn't totally fail...

Book #16 - The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Alan Bradley


Blurb: It is the summer of 1950–and at the once-grand mansion of Buckshaw, young Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison, is intrigued by a series of inexplicable events: A dead bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp bizarrely pinned to its beak. Then, hours later, Flavia finds a man lying in the cucumber patch and watches him as he takes his dying breath.For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw. “I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn’t. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life.” (From Goodreads)
Opening Sentence: "It was as black in the closet as old blood."

Length: Medium - 138 pages

Notes:  I really liked this book!!  It is told by a 11-year old girl, Flavia de Luce.  This girl is funny, and incredibly smart.  It is a fun mystery book that wasn't totally surprising, but not totally predictable at the same time.  It was also pleasantly clean as well.  Reading the reviews on Goodreads, some people loved Flavia and some couldn't stand her - I was one that loved her.  I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

Random quote:  "I remembered a piece of sisterly advice, which Feely once gave Daffy and me:
"If ever you're accosted by a man," she'd said, "kick him in the Casanovas and run like blue blazes!"
Although it had sounded at the time like a useful bit of intelligence, the only problem was that I didn't know where the Casanovas were located. I'd have to think of something else."

Recommend:  yes

Have you read this book? Share your feelings!

Goofy Girl

I am convinced that 2-year olds are some of the funniest people alive.  This girl is constantly making me laugh. She loves to play dress up, but doesn't always choose to wear clothes where they actually go.  Like the bloomers on her head.  And I don't know why I bother getting her dressed - she ends up wanting to put on her pajamas 9 times out of 10!  And she loves cuddling up in Max's blankets and pillows.  Goofy girl!!