I Have a Confession...

{I've been reading romance novels.}

It's true. It all started about this time last year when Morgan recommended I read 50 Shades of Gray. You can read my review here.

And then this fall Megan from The Book Asylum contacted me to work with her on a new blog design and I started connecting with other book bloggers. {isn't her new design fun?}

After meeting Natasha from Natasha Is a Book Junkie I realized that there is a whole world of book bloggers out there who aren't the least bit ashamed of reading romance. I spent weeks unconsciously soaking up racy reviews while redesigning Natasha's blog. She had a few book recommendations & I'm loving them!

I'm still treading lightly in the world of romance, and will never give up my love of novels, but it's been great to explore a new genre. And to be honest, between working fulltime and designing partime a book has to really grab my attention to beat out the TV or playing a game on my iPad at the end of the day.

The Book Chat: eReaders vs. Printed Books

This week's book chat is discussing the merits of eReaders vs. Printed Books, and I thought I'd weigh in with my opinion. They both have their pros and cons.

+ lightweight, easy to carry, hold, and turn the page
+ can purchase books from home (or almost anywhere)
+ built-in features like dictionary and highlighting
+ can change font, color, size, orientation, etc.
+ iPad has backlighting for night-time reading

- when browsing to purchase, you can't "flip through" the pages
- not a great idea to bring to the beach or poolside
- have to be charged occasionally
- have to buy the eReader device plus books

nothing beats the feeling of holding, smelling & flipping through a loved book +

can be easier to scan multiple pages to find & re-read a passage +

have beautiful covers that can be displayed in your home  +

easy to pass on to friends and family members +

books can be heavy & hard to carry -

often carry a slightly higher price tag per book -

Are eReaders truly more "on the go" than printed books?
Is it really easier to share a book online than handing a friend a paperback copy?
I'm not sure.

What I do know is that I prefer each for different circumstances. It's so nice to be able to read in bed at night with the lights off, knowing that I'm not keeping Chris up. And it's really convenient to be able to find books online from home & start reading them in under 2 minutes. However, while I love how easy it is turn pages on an eReader there is no way I'd ever take my iPad to the beach. I even had a hard time bringing my kindle near the water because accidents happen (to me).

As a lifelong reader I never thought I'd enjoy reading from a screen. I bought a Kindle two years ago when I learned we'd be moving to an island that had zero bookstores. I discovered that it wasn't that big of a jump from the printed word to the Kindle's screen. My biggest challenge was finding inexpensive books online, as I'd always been a used-book-store type of gal. Then I discovered Calibre and how easy it is to share books with friends.

When I got an iPad last summer from my mom, I thought I'd never like reading a pixelated screen. Wrong again! I was shocked at how beautiful the screen was, and loved the backlighting and ability to change the size, font, and color of the text.

What's the verdict? As much as I love paperback books, I think if I could only choose one option I'd have to pick the iPad. Although it's an expensive little toy to carry around on a day to day basis, most of the time I read at home in bed and I love how easy it is to do that with my iPad and iBooks. In fact, I ended up trading my Kindle to a friend on the island and haven't really missed it.

I'm curious what your opinions are on the matter.
Do you have a preference? eReader or Print?
Did I miss any pros or cons?

Fifty Shades of Grey - Series Review

Grab a glass of wine (or a mimosa if it's before noon) and sit down for a second. It's Book Club Friday, and I want to talk about Fifty Shades of Grey. Honestly, I finished it two months ago but haven't had the gumption to write about my review.

In my first post about Fifty, I admitted that at age 28 I had never read a romance novel. I thought they were cheesy, bad literature, and just bad form for a "true reader" like me.

it was cheesy.. but I loved it anyways

Despite the cliché phrases and predictable plot, I still found myself wrapped up in the story of Anna and Christian. By the second book, I really wanted to know what was going to happen next. Even her Inner Goddess started to grow on me {although the emails never did.}

I know that life is never this perfect and this story is extremely far-fetched, but I think that was one of the things I liked best about it. A little bit of reading escapism, something totally different than what I am accustomed to reading.

the s-e-x caught me off guard

In a good way. I thought it would be hard to read once I was warned about 'the red room of pain.' But it really wasn't that bad. The first novel really makes you think that The Contract is going to play a huge role in the story, which thankfully is not true. I don't think I'm ready to read a true bdsm novel, but I might be ready to add a little romance every now and then to my reading rotation. {Any Suggestions?}

it was a full story

There were ups & downs, things that were unbelievable and things that totally grossed me out. I felt like I grew with Anna and went from loving to hating to loving Christian.

I always enjoy books that take give you a glimpse into the future at the end. I guess I'm a sucker for happy endings. James may have taken this one a little too far with the last chapter, but you can't blame her for wanting to 'tie things up' in the end.

Favorite Childhood Books

I know for a fact that my parents started reading to me from a very early age. But when I think of my favorite books from childhood, they aren't picture books, they are always chapter books. 

We had stacks of books everywhere in our house because I read hundreds of books as a kid. Picture me as a girl with glasses, unruly hair, and a purple t-shirt {tied on the side} who would rush to get her work done in class so she could get back to reading. It wasn't that I didn't have friends or even that I was shy, the books just sucked me in (like they do still!) and I could spend hours upon hours reading by myself. 

Looking through GoodReads for photos of these books that I most remember, the illustrations on the covers brought so many memories back! Since most of these books were not illustrated inside, I remember staring at the covers & those faces would be the characters who inhabited the stories in my head. 

The first books that I remember really enjoying were The Boxcar Children & The Babysitter's Club. These books were about kids my age, having great adventures. I don't think I read them in order, but I know I read them all! 

If you had asked me as a kid who my favorite author was, I would have definitely told you Roald Dahl. His stories were that perfect mix of magical & likely. I loved that the main characters were always intelligent children who had to outsmart their evil parent figures. The semester I spent at Oxford I wrote a paper on Roald Dahl and his storytelling.

These might be more obscure titles but The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle and The Witch of Blackbird Pond came to mind almost immediately when I was thinking of my favorite childhood books. In 4th grade I liked nothing better than a strong feminine heroine. I still love books with these types of characters, especially when we are talking about historical fiction. 

When my mom gave me this book I probably looked at her skeptically, but I am so glad I took her advice. The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom is the true story of two sisters who survived imprisonment during WWII. It was the first of many books on WWII that I have read, fiction & non-fiction, and started my obsession with reading about The Holocaust. 

This list could go on and on: C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling, Orson Scott Card, L. M. Montgomery, Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, Laura Ingalls Wilder. These are the authors who inspired me as a child, who taught me to imagine & who kept me out of trouble. I am a better writer, reader, and blogger today because of these authors who dedicated their life's work to writing stories for children. 

What books stand out to you from your childhood?

Linking up today with Jess from Sweet Green Tangerine
& on Friday with Katie & Heather

 

Be sure to check out Flaunt Your Cause today hosted by Emmy June & Lindsay.
I'm sad to say that I don't have an official cause at the moment,
but these girls have inspired me to start looking!

Vacation Read - The Sugar Queen

Generally, I gravitate towards more epic historical novels while on vacation like The World Without End by Ken Follet or Cane River by Lalita Tademy. I love having a thick book to really treasure during my endless hours of reading by the pool.

On my trip to St. Maarten however, there were a few roadblocks that caused me to veer from the usual.

• no book stores in Dominica to visit pre-trip
• no book stores past Customs in SXM
• no kindle (my iPad will never visit a pool deck)
• shorter vacation

Thank goodness for Clare, who had a stack of paperbacks at her apartment that had been handed down to her by various people. It was really picking bad from worse (sorry Clare.. I know they weren't your picks!), but I decided on The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen. What "sold" me was the main character is 27 years old - Not the cover.

My Review:

Josey Cirrini lives at home with her aging mother. She drives her to the beauty salon, takes her to social events, and in every way obeys her mother. One evening as she goes to hide in her closet to munch sweets and read romance novels, she discovers a local woman - Della Lee - hiding there.

Unable to get Della Lee out without giving away her secret closet, Josey allows Della to lead her on a somewhat magical goose chase. Family secrets are spilled, Josey begins to gain independence, and even falls in love.

The whole time I was reading this book, I was about 60% into it. I didn't have anything better to read, and the story was sort of interesting, but it just didn't do it for me. Honestly, it was almost as depressing as the cover, even with the bits of magical goodness.



Sorry for the poor report, but better to be honest about these things & save you from several days of reading boredom. Thank goodness I had Fifty Shades Darker on the iPad to keep me company in the hotel room at night! {and yes, I did finish Fifty Shades of Grey!}

Today I'm linking up with Blonde.. Undercover Blonde and The Nerdy Katie for Book Club Friday, as well as Sweet Green Tangerine for Best Vacation Reads from her weekly Book Chat linkup. Thanks Ladies!

Fifty Shades of Grey

I have a secret. I'm 28 years old and I just finished reading my first ever "adult" romance novel. When I redesigned Reading, Eating & Dreaming last month I asked Morgan what her favorite book was and without a moments hesitation she told me "Fifty Shades of Grey."

I hemmed and hawed about reading it because well, 'I just don't read stuff like that.' But late one night last week my husband looked over and asked, "Have you read Fifty Shades of Grey? Apparently it's the hottest book around right now." Chris likes to read the news on his iPhone before bed. He was reading a New York Times article that described Fifty Shades as "THE book everyone is talking about."

Photo from NY Times

So, I did it. I downloaded Fifty Shades of Grey & started reading. I was too embarrassed to put it into Goodreads, because I didn't want anyone to see that I was reading an "adult" book. But I'm telling you today because I just finished it & I need to read the next book to find out what happens.

As I told Clare the other day, just read it. But please don't expect me to discuss all the details with you. (Unless of course you have a bottle of wine - or two - with you.)

Have you ever read a romance novel?

Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

I admit it, I'm a sucker for a good legal drama (book). But that is only one of the reasons why I love reading Jodi Picoult novels. She always presents a "hot-topic" sort of issue in such a way that you really feel both sides.

Sing You Home was no different. The premis of the story is that after a divorce, there is a legal battle for who gets to keep 3 frozen embryos. The twist of the story is that the ex-wife wants these embryos so they can be implanted in her new wife.

I'm not here to preach or talk politics, but I will say that this is a beautiful story of finding love where you least expect it. In my opinion, there is no right or wrong way to structure a family, so long as the members love and take care of one another.
I love how Jodi Picoult draws you into a story & always throws in a twist. This novel was no exception.

Other Jodi Picoult novels I've read & reviewed.

I'm linking up with Heather from Undercover Blonde this week.

Keep Reading!

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling

This is the first "comedy" book I've read and for some reason I thought it was a novel when I first started reading it. My friend lent me the ebook for my iPad, so once again I started a book without checking out the synopsis online. However, I really did love this book, even though I had never heard of Mindy Kaling before. The Office is a show that I know people love, but I've never really taken to. I think I need to give it a shot after reading this book!

Mindy Kaling is like the Indian best-friend you never knew you had. She is not embarrassed to tell you exactly what her childhood is like, and doesn't sugar-coat her trials. I really liked how the book was divided into chapters and sections based on topics from her life. The book also has pictures (shock!) that help you to really get what she is saying. I think it was her overall down-to-earth writing that made it feel like you weren't reading a book, but rather at a Starbucks listening to a (funny) friend tell you stories. Thumbs Up, Mindy Kaling, Thumbs Up.


This week, I'm Linking Up with Heather from Blonde... Undercover Blonde for her Book Club Friday! Thanks to Emmy for recommending the Link Up. She also reviewed a book today & posted a really interesting review of it here. The book is called Under the Banner of Heaven, and it's moving up on my 'to-read' list on Goodreads.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

In an effort to simplify, I decided to incorporate Priceless Reads into Priceless Adventure. I'm having a hard enough time as it is writing on this blog while keeping up with Priceless Design Studio. I love that my little business is budding. It is certainly keeping me busy!

It took me almost 4 months to finish this book because of some combination of it being extra-extra long & me being extra-busy starting PDS. I think that is the longest I've ever taken to finish a book, sadly. I apologize in advance to those of you who just loved this book.

This book was not what I expected. I blame e-books and my own stupidity. If I had actually been at Barnes & Noble browsing for books there is no way I would have picked this one up on my own. Instead, I went off of what someone had said and because it was an e-book I didn't get to read the back (and was too lazy to google it).

The other deceptive thing about reading this book on an e-reader was the length. I guess I just didn't have a good feel for what 1400 pages on my iPad would actually be. I thought it sounded long, but figured it was probably just because the pages are smaller. I was thinking maybe an equivalent to half? Let me tell you, I was wrong, and it was long.

Let's talk about the actual book. I have no problem with historical fiction or fantasy, or even the two mixed together. That part didn't bug me. What bugged me were the scottish accents, written in words like "acht" or "ken." Drove me nuts! As did the cheesy love scenes. The scenes of graphic beatings were a different beast though. I cringed inside and they were hard for me to read.

One reviewer on Goodreads says everything I want to say about the book but better, here. {caution: spoilers.}

I will say that the book did keep me up several nights because I just couldn't put it down. There are 6 books in this series, and I might read the next one but I want to read something a little lighter first.

Love Wins

This is probably the most "controversial" book I've read in a while.. and I loved it! Rob Bell answers some tough questions in an honest and open way. He asks that you put aside what you learned in bible boot camp, and really think about what the Bible says. This book will challenge your mind and heart, in a wonderful way.

The reason I'm writing this book review today is because I just saw a youtube video and it reminded me of this book in action. Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus. Go check it out!

One Day by David Nicholls

It is very rare that I put a book down.  But it's been over 2 months, and I still haven't had the desire to finish reading One Day.  I picked it up because the book was made into a movie this summer, and I always like to read the book before seeing the movie.  Maybe I got it backwards this time.

I wasn't expecting the British dialect which although isn't something I dislike, it turned me off in this case. I felt like the same situations just kept repeating themselves.  After 9 chapters, and more than a third of the way through, I just lost interest.  I guess it's the movie for me.  

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Foer

Everything about this book was unique and special including the formatting and layout of the pages and chapters.  I love it when a book surprises me.  Blank pages, photos, even a short flip book at the end, all made me look forward to turning the next page.  Oskar Schell is a lovable boy who captivated my attention with his antics and ability to say things in a way that is both honest and thoughtful.  Oskar, in his own way, deals with life after losing his father in the September 11th attacks.  With the 10 year anniversary of that terrible day approaching, I would definitely recommend this story.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

What if magic was real?  Follow Quentin as he gets invited to join an elite magical college.  Mature readers who loved Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia will enjoy this new series where magic abounds both in our world and the land of Fillory.  The end of this first novel caught me by surprise, and I look forward to reading the next installment, The Magician King, which was released this August.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Help was a great summer novel.  I've never been to "the south" and I felt like this book gave me a good idea of what it might have been like.  The characters were endearing and the "good wins over evil" theme made this book so lovely to read.  If you read The Help and want more, I recommend reading Cane River by Lalita Tademy.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

To be honest, I didn't think I was going to like a book about a dog.  First of all I have cats not dogs, and secondly, race-car driving has never interested me in the slightest. However, I liked this book so much more than I thought I would. From the very first chapter I fell in love with Enzo and his way of looking at the world.  His ideas on how to be happy and what it means to live with morals were wise beyond his (dog) years. He even said some things that made me stop and think about how I live my life. Definitely worth reading.

Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo

Is this story for real?
The book felt more like a magazine article than a novel. The story is written from memory of the father, Pastor Todd. I don't doubt that his son Colton had an out of body, heaven experience. What makes me turn my head in question is how closely his answers match the bible. Did his 4 year old really say those things? Although Burpo tries to assert that he never taught his son many of the things he mentions about heaven, simply the fact that he was raised on bible stories and living in and around the church makes me question. Did I enjoy this book? Yes, I read it in two sittings. Did I believe every word? I'm not sure.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

I realize that I’m behind the crowd with reading this book, but I think it’s interesting that I started reading it on the day Osama bin Laden was captured and killed.  I wish I had read it earlier.  Everything about this fictional story of 2 remarkable women tugged at my heartstrings.  I was outraged at the men for their treatment of women and girls, and was so touched by the ending.  If you have never read a book about women of the Middle East, this is a great introduction.

The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory

This book was not as good as The Other Boleyn Girl.   It seemed to drag at the end, going back and forth between the three women: Anne of Cleves, Jane Boleyn and Katherine Howard.  Although I loved finding out what happened to King Henry’s next wives, the novel itself fell short for me. 

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

This book is like good braised meat.  It cooks really slowly but in the end you have a tender and delicious masterpiece.  I took my time with this novel, not just because it was rather long (over 600 pages) but also because I had to let each section sink in before moving on.  Told in 4 parts, this novel is the story of Marion Praise Stone’s journey as a brother, son, lover, and doctor. As the story grew, elements of surprise and magic kept me hooked, and the ending brought it all together for a sweet finish. 

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

The title of this book struck me first.  Followed by the fact it was about the Japanese internment during WWII.  I loved that it told a story about an old man and a child (him as a boy).  However, I became disappointed about halfway through the book when I could easily tell where it was going and how it would end.  It was too predictable for my taste, but I finished it.  It ended just as I thought it would, no surprises.  This would be a good book for a high school student learning more about the Japanese internment, but not as a novel for an educated adult.