Books and music, music and books

Review by: Do

So today I received a gift from my husband. A gift that I am very appreciative of and that I will use until the day it dies. Yes folks, I am the proud owner of a brand new, shiny blue, small compact laptop!! My former laptop was faithful up until the day it decided to just go black on me. I thank my former laptop for its semi-reliability, and I think it would be happy to know it has been donated to science to further our knowledge of its inner workings (aka, my son is tearing it apart to see if he can make it run after a real live tech said it was beyond repair). I would like to blame the fact I haven't blogged on my dead laptop, but I don't like to talk ill of the dead (and it would be a lie anyway).

Books I have finished since my last blog:

I recently finished reading "The Forgotten Garden", by Kate Morton. Recommended to me by my sister, Ju, this book was very enjoyable. A well written combination of my favorites; mystery, touch of romance, and interwoven time periods. The author made you wait for tid bits of information from the past, making you wonder and speculate before you are given the answer to what actually happened. I was left guessing until the very end.

Prior to that I finished book#9 of the Dresden Files; "White Night" by Jim Butcher. I like to throw one of these in every once in a while. I really get into this series, but after all the magic, and killing, and vampires, and death...I need to take a break. Yes some of the actions are unbelievable and outrageous, but that's what makes it so much fun to read. And now that Harry has found a family member that he has to take into consideration, it makes things a bit more complex; he can't run into situations all gung ho and rambo-like...he has to think first, act second, which is hard for him. He also has an apprentice now and I am digging his new role as "master".

Current music adventures:

Amaryllis by Shinedown is a great follow-up to their "Sound of Madness" album. Although not as heavy, in my opinion, I think it is a very strong compilation of songs. Of course, with any album, there are some songs I don't care for and skip over without hesitation, but for the most part this album rocks. I have been a fan of Shinedown since their SOM album, and I even caught a glimpse of them at the Great NYS Fair. They are touring this summer with the Uproar Festival, coming to the Great NYS Fair this August, and my husband and I are in discussions on whether or not we are going to that event. We already have 2 concerts set for this summer, and the Uproar Festival is an all day event, which we may just be too old for. We shall see.

Oddly enough, I also borrowed the cd soundtrack to the movie "Burlesque" from the local library recently. This movie you will recall, or probably not, starred Cher and Christina Aguilera. I heard 1 song from this album (Show me how you burlesque) at a dance recital and decided to see what the rest sounded like. Unfortunately that 1 song is the ONLY song I like from the album. The rest of the tracks range from "ok" to "omg bad". The last song on the album threw me for a loop...it samples "Beautiful People" by Marilyn Manson...in a burlesque song? Really? In the immortal words of Florian Bellanger, "it dinn't work for me".

Happy 4th of July!

:)

Never again

Review by: Do

My day started out on a good note. I took a mental health day from work, and after the kids left for school, the sun came out, and I was planning for a wonderful day off. :-)

All was going just fine until I decided to check my online banking account.

I just wanted to check my deposit, and what did I see? A charge to my account for $9.06 that didn't belong to me. Now, I know $9.06 isn't a lot of money, but it's my money and no one BUT me (and my husband of course) has the right to take my money without my consent. Bastards.

This scenario is very familiar to me because it happened to me this past December too. Exactly 2 months ago I encountered a similar charge for $9.90 that was deducted from my account for a transaction I did not do. Why do people think they are entitled to money or objects that do not belong to them? Why do they think they should have MY hard earned money, and not me? Maybe if they got off their theiving, lazy, good-for-nothing hoodlum asses, they would make their own money and not have to resort to breaking the law and stealing mine or anyone elses.

So once again I had to call my bank, cancel my bank card, and now wait 7-10 days for a new one. As the bank stated, and only cuz I asked, these damn worthless thieves (I may have embellished that part) steal small amounts like that because most people don't notice them. The bank will probably just reimburse me MY money without an investigation because the amount is so small. And that's exactly why these bastards do it and get away with it time and time again. No one bothers to find out who did it, or how they got the stolen card numbers in the first place. Both transactions were for online stores (spornetzone.in and everingame.com), which means items were shipped somewhere to someone! And given the fact they can trace the card number to a transaction number, which in turn is attached to that certain someone who is using stolen card numbers, you would think someone would do something about it! Nope.

My point for this rant is that I think I know where the problem started. I find it VERY coincidental that I have only ever used the local Redbox kiosk TWICE in my life, and BOTH times I ended up with unauthorized transactions on my bank account within 10 days. The 2nd time only took 3 days. Same kiosk, same bank card, same outcome. So be careful, my friends, of your local Redbox because I have a feeling they are not as safe as they claim to be. I, for one, will never try to save a couple of bucks by using Redbox again...I will spend the extra $4 and order on-demand from my local cable company in the safety of my own home, and have the piece of mind that my bank account is safe.

"Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me".

>:-(

Arcadia Falls

Review by: Do

Wow it has been a while! I apologize for my absence. Not that I haven't done anything interesting to write about...maybe I just had too many interesting things going on to find the time to write about them...yeah, we'll go with that.

Any way, I finished a book last night that was a pretty good read. It's called Arcadia Falls, and it was written by Carol Goodman.

This book revolves around a Meg Rosenthal and the new life she is forced to create for herself, and her daughter, after the death of her husband. Meg's daughter Sally is a rude and rebellious teenager, and I didn't like the way she treated her mother at all. I sure hope all teenagers aren't like this character because the thought of that scares me a little.

Meg has taken a teaching position at a boarding school in Arcadia Falls, which is in upstate NY. There they become surrounded by many interesting people and some very strange school traditions. While trying to mend their own strained relationship, they are thrown into murder, mystery, some artsy stuff, a lot of snow (good ol' upstate NY), and a little bit of romance.

Intermingled with Meg and Sally, there is also another story going on at the same time. This story starts in 1927 and is about the life of Vera and Lily, the founders of the Arcadia School. You learn how they met, how and why the school was formed, and why the focus of the school is on art. This story is just as interesting, and at times I found myself skipping over Meg to read more about Lily.

Other than the occasional imagery overkill...the scenery is beautiful, I get it...I thought the book was very good. It contains a lot of things I found that I could relate to; upstate NY landscape, snow fall, fairy tales, and it also included plenty of art references. I would definitely recommend this book if you like any of the above mentioned items, and even if you don't, it's a well written historical fiction story that I think all will enjoy.

Reading much?

I have a confession to make. I'm addicted...to my NOOK Color. Do -- you have to go get yours again. We can share books!


I never, in a million years, thought I would have any interest in an e-reader. I'm a dorky librarian who loves books. They are ALL over my house and I will not be getting rid of them anytime soon, but I have become seriously attached to my NOOK. I've been reading like crazy on it. Since May I've read eight books on it and have three more downloaded to read.

I try only to purchase books that are over a year old. The new releases tend to be a bit more expensive. And with the NOOK Color, you get the apps. They have added the Android software to the new NOOK Color and holy moly! The Angry Birds are BIG. It works kind of like a tablet now and it's cool. Apparently there are things to do to hack the NOOK and make it fully like a tablet but I don't think that's necessary. I have a few games (like Sudoku and Solitaire) to keep me occupied when waiting around for any of a variety of things.

I love it. I'd buy it again and for other people if it wasn't so pricey. It's not cheap, but...I'm worth it! And so are you. I'd love to know what you think. Do you have a NOOK or Kindle?

Yogurt Shmogurt

Review by Do:


I like yogurt. I like granola. So when I saw that Activia is now offering both in one nifty little container, I just couldn't help myself.

Boy was I pleasantly surprised! Described as "a blend of creamy lowfat yogurt, fruit pieces, and lowfat crunchy granola" the new Activia Parfait Crunch is very tasty and filling! The container has 220 calories and 3 grams of fat per 6oz, and is offered in 4 different flavors. My local grocery store only carries Vanilla and Strawberry, if it's in stock at all. I prefer the Strawberry, which has the fruit pieces, over the Vanilla, which does not.

The only complaint I have is that the container of yogurt is only half full...literally. Normally when you open a jug it's almost full; with this container, not so much. I'm not sure if they do that so there is room for you to stir in the granola or what, but it's a little deceiving. Somedays you want to eat healthy, but then again you're sooo hungry, and then you open this container and find that someone has already eaten half! Oh no...but don't worry my friends!! Like I said, it is very tasty and filling, so it is well worth the purchase.

Although Activia claims to "naturally regulate the digestive system", I do not eat it for that reason. I have had my share of activia yogurts and I never felt as though it helped me out in that "area". I eat this particular activia product because it is good, plain and simple. I hope that if you give this yogurt a try, you'll like it as much as I do. And if it does happen to 'help you out' with other things, then just think of it as a little added bonus. Enjoy!

Cracker Chips

Review by: Do

I enjoy crunchy snacks. Crunchy, salty, yummy snacks. But it's hard to indulge in such a treat with all the fat and calories they usually bring along. So when I spotted the new Special K Cracker Chips in the cracker aisle at my local store, I decided to give them a try.

Let me just say, they are a tastey treat! They taste like a cross between a pringle and a rice cake. Thin and salty like the pringle, but crunchy and ricey like the cake. And they only pack on 110 calories, 2.5g fat, in 30 chips! And you wouldn't always think so, but 30 chips is a lot.

They come in 2 flavors, sea salt and sour cream & onion. I prefer the sea salt over the sour cream & onion variety. I find the sc&0 flavoring to be too powdery and not as flavorful as I would have hoped. So if you are looking for a light and crispy crunchy snack, do give these cracker chips a try. They definitely pack the big potato chip crunch you like, but without all the fat & calories you hate.

The Dresden Files

Review by: Do


So I've been reading.

Recently I started The Dresden Files series. Book one, Storm Front, is a very good introduction into the life of "Harry Dresden. Wizard." Harry is a freelance wizard who advertizes his abilities with vague listings, which leads him to very sporatic work adventures. But he is a very interesting character. He isn't particularly nice, doesn't play well with others, but is always willing to help someone in need, which makes him very likeable. He has slim pickens when it comes to family, friends, and people he can count on. Most of the creatures he comes in contact with aren't even human.

This first book has Harry tracking down someone or something that is murdering people with black magic, which, in the wizarding world (really in any world), is a no no. He teams up with the local police department to solve these killings; the director of Special Investigations believes in what Harry can do, or rather, when she is out of ideas as to what could have happened, she consults him. While learning who/what is doing the killings, we get a glimpse of his life, who he is, what he's capable of, and possibly even a little love interest. I thought this book was pretty good. A little confusing at times with all the author tried to throw at you, but in the end, a good story.

Book two, Fool Moon, was a much better read.

I've always been a big fan of werewolves & vamps, etc., so when I started reading and finally realized this book was about werewolves I was excited. I didn't notice it right off the bat but if you look closely at the cover, the full moon and bloody paw prints are a pretty good indication that this book is about werewolves. Duh. I need to start paying closer attention to detail. So keep that in mind with all the Dresden Files titles. STORM Front, Fool MOON, you get the idea.

This story also involves the Chicago Police Department, which I am assuming is going to be an important reoccuring event. More supernatural, unsolved murders have the PD calling upon Harry again. To figure this set of grisly murders out, Harry dives deep into a hidden world of werewolves. Who knew there were so many different types!! All different and all deadly...not a nice set in the bunch. And won't you be surprised where the deadliest are hiding! We also get more tidbits of Harry's past, his parents, and other details of the wizarding world. Definitely an interesting and enjoyable book!

But not as good as number three...

Book three, Grave Peril, has been my favorite so far.

This story involves...(title hint, GRAVE)...you guessed it...ghosts! And boy do I like a nice ghost story. Ghosts that are being tormented and causing major trouble for the living makes for a good read. Again Harry is working with the PD, but on a smaller scale as they are still recovering from their last encounter. This book also introduces someone new that Harry works and usually gets in trouble with. This character, we'll call him Michael (cuz that's his name) is a champion of God, a Knight of the Cross. He's honest, trustworthy, strong, religious, and the total opposite of Harry. Once you take away all the fighting, some of their interactions are seriously funny. And it's just nice to see that Harry can have an actual friend.

The book starts off very different than the first two. Immediately thrown into a situation, you work backwards to get yourself forwards in the story. Very interesting! I was confused at first, thinking maybe I had skipped an entire book because I had no clue who Michael was, but just keep reading and it's all explained.

I liked this book best because it had many storylines going on at once, but they were all tied together. Whoever was doing this, was doing that, and may be involved in something else too...maybe. More supernatural creatures are introduced, including Harry's Godmother who is not a very nice person. A story I couldn't put down, just ask my husband. ;-)

For those of you who are looking for a nice sci-fi, supernatural thriller I do recommend The Dresden Files. No matter what abnormal, dark, and/or unnatural being is your favorite, this series is sure to have a little something for everyone. (sidenote: Although I have chosen to read this series in order, you don't necessarily have to. Each book recaps enough info from the previous books so you are not lost; but not too much that it becomes annoying.)

So I've been reading...times three. I am not a big believer in buying new books, as the local library, my mother, and used book stores are all excellent alternatives to purchasing a new shiny book. But after checking all those resources first, the next book is not available for me. I have put The Dresden Files books 4-6 on my Christmas wish list, with the hopes that Santa will find me NICE this year, and fill my stocking with a new (or gently used) book. I wait patiently, bookless, for the next two weeks. But on the bright side, I should now have plenty of time to finish my Christmas cards.


Happy Holidays!!