Highlights: May 2012

Hello readers!

This has been one hectic month for me! Here's what's been going on:


Books:

This month I read the following:

The Modern Girl's Guide to Life by Jane Buckingham
Rating: 3/5          Pages: 362           Page Goal: 8,830/15,000
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
Rating: 3/5          Pages: 514           Page Goal: 9.344/15,000


Pretty slow month for reading, huh? :( These two books total only 876 pages for the month of May.

Those of you in the book blogosphere are probably well aware that next week kicks off BEA, or Book Expo America. I will not be participating in the BEA conference this year in New York; I will, however, join in Armchair BEA. In celebration of Armchair BEA, I will be doing a giveaway of my copy of Fifty Shades of Grey, so be sure to check back between June 4-8 to enter!


School:
My summer session started May 29th. I only have one course I'm taking, a marketing course, and it goes until July 25th. That will be a nice break, I think, before school picks up again on August 20th. I'm a little nervous about squeezing school into my PACKED July schedule, but I've got no other option than to find a way...and pull a few all nighters in doing so...


Crafts:

As odd as it may sound, I've been sewing a bench cushion cover for work. I never sewed one before, but was asked to sew one for a bench giveaway. It turned out pretty good...I'll grab a picture if I have the chance.


Travel:

I feel like all I did this month is travel. I went home to B-town for Mother's Day weekend. Then I left on Saturday the 19th for Dubuque, Iowa for a conference for work. It was a lovely trip! And then I went back to B-town for Little Bro's high school graduation. Total mileage: 3,150. Time spent in a car: approximately 46 hours. I'm just thankful to finally be home!

Personal:

I finally got a Twitter account! @LHess10. Follow me for bookish (and other) news!

Future:

June is much more of a calm month for me than May was. With a relatively flexible work schedule (yay for summer hours!), I'm hoping to spend more time garage sale-ing, reading, and relaxing. *fingers crossed*

Picture:

My friend Kari (on left) and I at the Field of Dreams!

So, readers, what were your May 2012 highlights?

Jumping on the Twitter Train

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to let you know I'm now on Twitter!

You can follow me @LHess10. I'll be posting about everything, including books and reading!

Book Review: Fire and Ice by Julie Garwood

Hi, readers!

I hope you're all having a wonderful Sunday! Mine will be wonderfully lazy--I just submitted my final paper for my class! What a relief! I still have a test to take, but it isn't due until Thursday, so I'll give my mind a day or two of rest.

In the meantime, I'm hoping to catch up on some book reviews--I'm not sure how I got so far behind!

A couple of weeks ago I read my first Julie Garwood novel, Fire and Ice. Here's the summary, courtesy of Goodreads:


Sophie Rose is a crime reporter at a major Chicago newspaper and the daughter of Bobby Rose, a charming gentleman and big-time thief. When asked to write an exposé about her notorious father, Sophie quits and goes to work at a small newspaper, covering local personalities such as William Harrington, the 5K runner whose trademark is red socks. Those socks—with Sophie’s business card tucked inside—are practically all that’s found after Harrington is killed near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, seemingly in a brutal polar bear attack.

Sophie heads north to investigate, but danger follows in her wake. After one attempt on her life, she’s assigned brash but sexy Jack MacAlister as a bodyguard. But Sophie and Jack will soon be fighting more than their growing passion for each other. Powerful forces will stop at nothing to prevent the exposure of the sinister conspiracy Sophie and Jack are about to uncover.

I was pretty impressed with this novel, considering I hadn't really heard much about Julie Garwood as an author. The characters were extremely likeable, albeit stupid at times, and I definitely found myself rooting for Sophie and in love with Jack MacAlister. The novel was very fast-paced, and I was able to get through it in no time. I was pretty addicted, too--thinking about it all the time, wondering what happens next. That's the mark of a good, intense thriller. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good thriller with a hint of romance. Julie Garwood, I will definitely be picking up more of your novels in the future!


And here's where this book has gotten me to date:
Fire and Ice by Julie Garwood
Rating: 4/5
Pages: 375
2012 Reading Goal: 8,044/15,000


Happy reading! :)

Highlights: April 2012

Hello readers!

April was a wonderful month. Next year, it will be even better as Matt and I will be married! I'm getting ahead of myself. This is a recap of this past April...


Books:

This month I read the following:

Walking with Grandfather by Joseph M. Marshall III
Rating: 5/5          Pages: 115           Page Goal: 5,755/15,000
Split Second by David Baldacci
Rating: 5/5          Pages: 484           Page Goal: 6,239/15,000
Carry the One by Carol Anshaw
Rating: 3/5          Pages: 269           Page Goal: 6,508/15,000
The Quickie by James Patterson
Rating: 4/5          Pages: 347           Page Goal: 6,855/15,000
The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
Rating: 5/5          Pages: 326           Page Goal: 7,181/15,000
Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich
Rating: 4/5          Pages: 321           Page Goal: 7,502/15,000
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Rating: 5/5          Pages: 167           Page Goal: 7,669/15,000
Fire and Ice by Julie Garwood
Rating: 4/5          Pages: 375           Page Goal: 8,044/15,000
Without Mercy by Lisa Jackson
Rating: 3/5          Pages: 424           Page Goal: 8,468/15,000


These books created a total of 2,828 pages read in April. If I had to choose a favorite, it would have to be Split Second. Least favorite? Carry the One.


School:
I'm done with my current class, Management Principles and Practices, on May 10th. I won't start summer session until May 29th, so I'm really excited for the break!


Crafts:

Remember the skirt pattern here? It became a wadder. That is, I wadded it up and am done with it. The instructions were horrible, and I'm really disappointed in Simplicity right now. In the meantime, I'm looking for fun prints to sew up some adorable summer dresses that I have patterns for!


Travel:

Matt and I traveled to Spearfish, SD over Easter weekend to celebrate our 5-year anniversary. I love the Black Hills, and we had an awesome time. Some highlights of our trip:

• Traveling through 3 states to get there. We had road construction through a large portion of North Dakota, so we hopped over the border into Montana, drove through for about 2 hours, hopped on the interstate and back into North Dakota, then went south to South Dakota. It sounds long, but it really didn't tack on more than an hour to the trip. Also, we were still able to see the Badlands. Love <3
• Taking Matt gambling for the first time in Deadwood, SD. Matt had never done any gambling on a machine. Our first night in Spearfish, we headed over to Deadwood for some yummy dinner and fun times!
• Getting a Sam's Club membership. We're lame, I know. We don't have one because our nearest Sam's club is 3 hours away in Bismarck, but I travel there all the time for work. Matt finally caved and we got a membership. Yay for savings!
• Watching American Reunion. I was in middle school when the first of the American Pie series came out. Watching American Reunion was like finding out what to expect my life to be like in 5 years, only maybe a little less raunchy. Great movie!
• Laser Tag with Matt. We were bored and found a place that had laser tag. That's right, it's for 24-year-olds too! What a fun, random way to spend time together!

Personal:

This month has been the calm before the storm, if you will. May is going to be so hectic with graduation and tons of travel, so this was my month to relax and take deep breaths.

Future:

Next month, you may not hear much from me. Here are my weekends in May:
1st weekend: engagement photos (it's about time!)
2nd weekend: Graduation at the college, going to B-town for Mother's Day weekend
3rd weekend: Iowa for conference for work. I'm excited...I've never been to the Midwest before!!!
4th weekend: Little Bro's high school graduation, going back to B-town

As you can see, I'll be doing lots of travel and probably not much reading/blogging. Yay for May!

Picture:

How did I get so lucky?
Taken while sitting in road construction traffic.

So, readers, what were your April 2012 highlights?

The Sunday Post #1

Hi again, everyone!

I've decided to start participating in The Sunday Post, which is a new meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer. 

The Sunday Post is a spin off In My Mailbox, hosted by The Story Siren. The purpose is to showcase books received, update readers on new blog news, and recap the previous week.

I have decided to do this as a vlog and a part of my monthly highlights. Therefore, I only plan to post once a month, toward the end of the month. This is my first vlog, so please bear with me as I learn my software... :)

Here is my video for The Sunday Post

Please let me know what you think of this new format, or if I should do regular blog posts for this feature.

Thanks for stopping by!

Book Review: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Hi readers!

I've fallen behind on my reviews (which I only noticed when realizing the stack of books on my desk is starting to take over), so I'll knock a few out over the next couple of days.

Am I the only one in the world who hasn't yet read The Alchemist? I know the book is a big deal, but I honestly hadn't even heard of it until I went away to college. I good friend of mine had read it in high school and insisted I read it. The description sounded interesting enough, but I didn't actually order the book until five years later, which was last summer.

So, I ordered this in my rather large July B&N online booksale haul. It's been sitting on my shelf ever since. I've picked it up a few times, toted it along with me as a second book on trips, etc., but never made it a priority to read. After finishing Three to Get Deadly, I did my random Goodreads search to determine my next book. It was The Alchemist, so I finally cornered myself into reading it.

For those of you who haven't had the book recommended to you, here's what Goodreads says it's all about:

PAULO COELHO'S enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world. This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and inspiring wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an alchemist, all of whom points Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles along the way. But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a discovery of the treasure found within. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is an eternal testament to the transformation power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.

Translated from Portuguese, The Alchemist describes a story of a young shepherd trying to find a treasure. Along the journey, he meets several interesting people. Some people rob him and others nurture him and help him along the way. Ultimately, Santiago wonders if the journey is worth it; after all, he is unclear as to what the treasure may be. In spite of these doubts, he presses on, with the help of the characters he meets.

The novel is ultimately about self-discovery and achieving one's dreams. It's an excellent read regardless of age. The 167-page novel forces the tale to be a quick-paced, exciting read. If you haven't read this already, I highly recommend you do.

Here's where The Alchemist puts me in my page goal:
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Rating: 5/5
Pages: 167
2012 Reading Goal: 7,669/15,000

Update: Project Declutter 2012

Hi everyone!

I hope you're all having a lovely Saturday! I just wanted to give a quick update on my Project Declutter 2012. Remember this post in December? Here's where I'm at with everything:

Craft Clutter:
I have gone through all my sewing tubs and identified which fabric was purchased with which project in mind. I've also put the number of yards I purchased, in case I find another pattern I would like to use instead of the one I had originally intended. I write this information on sticky notes, pin it to the fabric, and viola, my sewing tubs are more organized!

Closet Clutter:
I don't have enough closet space for all my clothes, so I divide them into summer and winter clothes. When it's off-season, I put those clothes I don't need in a tub and store it in our second bedroom. At the end of each season, I go through my closet and get rid of clothes I didn't wear much (or at all) that season. This year, I removed 2 trash bags full.

Storage Clutter:
To be honest, my storage is probably where most of my clutter is! It's so easy to throw things in a tub and forget about them. Matt and I have been tackling some of our storage clutter over the past few months. I found a tub full of pots and pans I used in college. I've had them for two years now, and haven't had a need for them. Obviously, it's time for them to go. They're in good shape, so I found a friend who will be moving out of the college dorms and into her new grown-up place. She was excited to take them off my hands and have free pots and pans for her new home. Yay for passing things along!

Book Clutter:
You may remember that I joined Paperback Swap in December to get rid of some of my books, since I had such an alarming number. This place is amazing. I'm excited to pass my books along to people who will love them and care about them as much as I do! Since December, I have "swapped" 38 books, and have only received 16 in return. I plan to donate my extra "credits" for swapping these books to schools. Paperback Swap will then pass one book along to those schools for every credit donated.

I will (shamefully) admit that I now actually have more unread books than I did in December. My count is at 164, which is down from the 181 I had at one point earlier this year. I've been cruising through books so far this year (25 to date!), so it's not like I'm not trying. My goal by the end of this year is to get down to 150 unread books. I know that still sounds like a lot, but I'm taking this one step at a time.

So what does my bookshelf look like now, with more books, you ask?

Bookshelves, December 2011

Not like this! You'll notice this is my bookshelf in December, when I started Project Declutter 2012. See that little yellow sticky note? Those are books I've posted on Paperback Swap and am waiting to swap! You'll also notice the bit box at the base of my bookshelves full of books I can't even fit on my bookshelves!

Additionally, I had a stack of about 9 books on my desk that I needed to review.

Now:

Bookshelves, April 2012

TAH-DAH! Okay, okay, I know they're still crammed with books. But let me point out that the shelf with the yellow sticky note? That whole shelf is posted on Paperback Swap, waiting to find a new home. I have 52 books listed.

And the box? Well, it's still there, but there are only two books in it! That's right; this box has become my place for "loaner" books so I can prioritize them and return them ASAP! The last thing I want to do is put them on a shelf where I forget about them, and not return them until a year later. If I ever get around to going to the library again, those books will go in the box, too.

And my desk? Okay, I do currently have 3 books on it, two of which are unread. But one is waiting for me to review it!

I do swap a lot of books with my mom, as we have very similar reading tastes. I currently have a separate stack of 7 books I'm waiting to give her in 2 weeks, along with one book I need to pass along to my best friend in 2 weeks as well. I've read all of these books, and all but one will be posted on Paperback Swap when they're finished reading them.

I'm getting really good about letting go. I recognize there are so many of these books that I love, but will likely never read again (like Beowulf...who would've thought I'd get so attached? But really, Leah, will you ever read it again? Not likely).

So, readers, I am decluttering...slowly, but surely. What about you? How are you working to eliminate clutter?