Bethenny Frankel: Simple Lunch Salad Recipes & Blog Award

In my never-ending endeavor to eat natural and healthy, I thought these recipes by Bethenny Frankel (one of my favorites on Real Housewives of NYC) were really great. Bethenny has also recently put out a book called Naturally Thin, which I have a sample of waiting on my Kindle. I hope to read it this summer.

Well, off to the gym...and maybe the Pesto Chicken Salad after?!? :) Also taking a great book with me to the gym. How can you go wrong, I ask?

Also, Desert Rose was so kind and awarded me the #1 Blogger Award! It was so nice of her, and the picture is too cute. (Head over to her blog to say hi!) Since I'm up to my eyebrows in finals for my online classes, I thought I'd pass this on to just one new blogger I stumbled onto. She is Gaby317, over at Starting Fresh. I was excited to see someone new, and wanted to give her this cute award! Congrats.

eBook Reader Challenge 2009

Wow...I stumbled on this one REALLY late, but I know (okay, hope) that I can get through this challenge. I love my Kindle 1, so I think I'll be okay with this challenge. It ends at the end of 2009, and is hosted by J. Kaye's Book Blog. Here we go!

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Books By Mail--Always a Pleasure

I returned home from work this evening to find a package waiting for me. I looked at it a little perplexed, thinking maybe it was the Indie book purchase I made on "Indie Book Day," but thought that was a bit fast! By the way, I purchased Harriet Evan's second book Going Home, since I so enjoyed the first one. Anyway, I ripped open the package to find that I'd been sent a couple of ARCs from Sourcebooks. To be quite honest, since I don't generally go seeking out books...mainly because my library book list and TBR pile of books I own or have been given along the way, is just too big..., so I was pretty surprised, but in a very nice way. In hindsight, I did later remember where they had come from (thanks sourcebooks on BookBlogs). The first was Loving Mr. Darcy by Sharon Lathan. (Pretty regal looking cover eh?)


I'm actually about 120 pages into the first book in this series, Mr. & Mrs. Darcy: Two Shall Become One, and have grown to like the fluidity of the language, descriptions of the house, etc. I won't lie though either, the "honeymoon" phase has really gone on for a lot longer than I would have expected. Maybe it's my own skepticism, since I'm not upset at Lathan for tackling P&P or even having these iconic characters cohabitate, but I found myself a bit disbelieving that people actually swoon over one another like this. So, the part of me that is self-indulgent and still hopes that all my single-girl fantasies will find such "swooning" affection kind of likes the book, and the other half of me is ticked and feeling ripped off because it's not real (right?).

Anyway...(because I know you want me to get off this point), the second book I received was Darcy and Anne by Judith Brocklehurst. This one looks like an interesting take on Anne de Bourgh, cousin and previous intended for Mr. Darcy. It's a pretty small, short book, but with a pretty little cover, so we'll see! I am excited though to include them in my pile of books to ship over to my mom's place for the summer. :) Thanks for these!

On a different note, I did want to comment though on something I'd been thinking about in connection to keeping this book blog. Many of my reviews center on my escapist reads. I realize that I haven't shared much about what I'm reading and teaching at school. As the year starts to wind down, and in doing one last major review with my AP Literature students, I realized what amazing literature there is available for us to read, and how I feel like I barely scratched the surface with my students. Have I exposed them to some really great pieces that will stretch their reading abilities and make them want to explore other reading options? Have I effectively taught these pieces of literature in a way that they now feel they not only understand them, but can also appreciate them? I'm not really sure, but I have great hope that they do.

Having rambled on about that, I have to close with the novel I'm teaching right now, Night, by Elie Wiesel. In his famous, Pulitzer Prize winning novel based on his experiences during the Holocaust, we learn about how far fear and hate of any one person or group can go. We also learn about the human need for survival, even in the face of greater horrors than seem expressible on paper. Today, in class, we read the scene in chapter three where Elie and his father are being marched from selection to processing. As they are walking, they see the pits of burning children and adults, and Elie denounces God and decides to commit suicide when they reach the electric fence. In the end, he doesn't make it to the fence, he doesn't commit suicide, and he doesn't denounce God as he recites the Kaddish (Jewish prayer magnifying God's name and often spoken over the dead). As with most Holocaust literature, I'm reminded of how desperately the human psyche hangs on to the possibility of good, and uses that possibility as a reason for going on with life. Don't we also, day to day, seek for the good that we think we might reach someday? Once again, I'm given much to think about and consider.

Review: Harbor Nights by Marcia Evanick

Yes, so I totally got sucked into a light-hearted romance novel last night, and almost finished the silly thing before my eyes started slamming shut. Besides, I'm still trying to get through Stephen King's The Stand, at the request of a student, and just needed something lighter before bed! (In case you didn't know, King's novel is about a "superflu," which feels a bit weird to be reading about right now with the whole swine flu mania.) Today at school, while my students were testing, I could only sit quietly and monitor, so I pulled out my book and finished it. I debated reviewing it, but decided I might as well.

Synopsis: In this stand-alone novel by Marcia Evanick, we find 24 year-old Norah and her recently divorced mother in Misty Harbor, Maine. (All of Evanick's novels pretty much take place in this same town, but somehow don't overlap.) Feeling shaken by an abusive relationship with her father, Norah looks at men with a good deal of distrust. She has moved to Misty Harbor with her mother, to support her in her new life. Together, they are building new lives, and trying to learn how to not be victims any longer. Enter the next door neighbor's 27 year old son, Ned, who is hunky and mysterious, and you have the makings of a romance novel. Can Norah trust any man enough to fall in love?

Review: While I have to say that I really liked a previous Christmas novel written by Evanick (which is why I tried this one out), I will say that the story felt predictable at times. Even in my synopsis, you get the general gist of what's to come, the issues they'll have to face, and what will end up happening, but you just don't know the specifics. Yes, there are a couple of sex scenes, but it doesn't take up the entirety of the book like some romance novels. The characters are likeable enough that you do care and want to find out what happens...even if you already sort of know. Although this wasn't one of my favorite reads ever, nor the best romance I've read, I can give Evanick props for writing a romance that I could get into pretty quickly. I had a few laughs at the silly things the characters said or did (once again, because I had a sense of what was going to happen), but overall, found that as far as romances go, it wasn't the worst I've ever read.

P.S. Congrats to my good friend Sarah, who gave birth to an 8lb 2 oz baby girl on Sunday morning! She called me at work today to give me (and the entire gang) the good news. Congratualations Sarah! Can't wait to see her! :)

Sunday Salon #3

I went to prom last night! How's that for an opening? :) Actually, I joined some of my good friends from school in chaperoning the prom. It was so fun! We met, early in the afternoon, to get pictures (yes, we got to have pictures) and then head off for dinner. The rest of the evening was spent, taking tickets, dancing through the crowds, awarding prom royalty, and just general merriment! Several of us got one of our administrators to take us on a "tour" of the dance floor. She was super-brave (and so were we for following), and cut through the largest crowds. The key, she said, "Just bounce with them, and you'll be all right." How funny! Altogether, it was more fun than I ever expected, and will gladly chaperon again!

Well, on to reading! I've been bouncing around between several different books, and am thinking ahead to my summer in Hawaii. Why am I thinking ahead? Well, I have to make sure my library lists are closed or put on hold! It feels a little sad though, to see my lists disappear or be put on long-term hold. :( Small price to pay for two delightful months in Hawaii though, right? :)

Today I'm going to keep reading Sharon Lathan's Mr. & Mrs. Darcy: Two Become One. I've read the first chapter and don't have an opinion yet, but am interested to keep reading. It seems that it's received some controversy, so we'll see what I think once I get through it for myself! As for now, I see the sun peeking through the clouds, so might grab my book and go out for a quick walk. Another week gone, and another great one ahead! Cross your fingers for my AP students. They take their test on Thursday morning.

Review: Being Nikki by Meg Cabot

Last night, I took my lovely book on a nice walk with me. I know I've mentioned that I've recently rediscovered the fine art (or should it be considered a sport?) of reading while I walk. (And I don't mean on a gym machine...I mean outside.) Anyway, minus a soccer ball mishap that had me chasing down a ball for a little girl, and a pesky double stroller that a mom decided needed to be parked in the middle of the walking trail, I had little to no trouble trotting right along with book in hand. I have to say, it really kept my attention too, so the time flew right on by!

Synopsis: Picking up where Airhead left off, Em is still trying to sport the life of a super-teen-model, even though she never wanted to be super pretty or popular. Modeling in crazy photo shoots in the Caribbean, wearing clothes with designer labels, and dealing with brothers she didn't know she had...duh, because she's not who everyone thinks she is...only begin the drama that ensues in Book 2 of the Airhead series. Not only must Em keep the secret of how she became Nikki (to protect her family from being sued for millions they don't have), but must also deal with a mad-crush she has on her friend Christopher, who now thinks she's selfish, super-model Nikki.

Review: Does the synopsis sound a bit like a teen soap opera? Well, it is...kind of. I now get book one in the series, as it set up everything that then happens in book two. You get a sense of what is to come in Airhead, but it's not until Being Nikki that you really see just how complicated Em's life has become. I would think it would seem pretty fantastic to wake up and be super sexy, but I suppose it wouldn't be if at the cost of your very identity. In book two, I enjoyed the way her friendship with Christopher (he thinking she's Nikki) developed, and even though I kind of know where it's all headed, I liked the mystery and drama built into the story. There is way more drama surrounding Stark Enterprises, for whom she works, so you feel like there is always more we are going to learn. Also, we get the sense that Em is a good person, and it makes her actions (as Nikki) seem believable.

All in all, I liked book two the best so far. I'm glad that I read them back to back, as I'm sure that had I read Airhead alone, I would have thought, "Wait...what?" You really don't get to the heart of the drama until book two, so it definitely makes for a much more entertaining read overall. Once again, regardless of genre or subject, Meg Cabot manages to entertain me though, and I really do just love her writing voice.

Being Nikki comes out on May 5th, so once again, thanks to Meg Cabot for sending me an advanced copy of her book!

Giveaway: A Hopeless Romantic by Harriet Evans

This is my first, official book giveaway! I read A Hopeless Romantic earlier this year (here's the link to that review) and LOVED IT so much that I had to have a keeper copy. Having said that, back in February I ordered a copy for myself, and as a gift to give my friend Doc. Well, after a MAJOR UPS debauchle, I ended up with three copies. I decided awhile ago that I would give this extra copy away, but wanted to wait to do it as a celebration of my students taking the AP exam next week on May 7th. I know that seems silly to many of you, but to me, it's consuming my waking days and nights! (Yes, I've started dreaming about it.)

Anyway, in celebration of my students finishing up and taking the AP test next week, I'm going to give away my extra copy of the novel. On Sunday, May 10th, the giveaway will close at midnight MST. Sorry, only resident of the U.S. and Canada at this time.

To enter:

• Leave me a comment, telling me about a test that you took in high school that gave you nightmares! :) Please include your email address so that I can contact you if chosen.
• For another entry, include this giveaway on your blog (sidebars count), and post another comment letting me know that you've posted this.
• For another entry, Twitter the giveaway and then post a comment, letting me know you twittered!
• For another entry, follow me, and post a comment letting me know you are a follower! :)