When it rains, it POURS

I mean this title very literally right now. It has been pouring like you wouldn't believe. Both North Dakota and Montana are flooding like crazy. First, we had record snowfall at over 100 inches for the winter. Now, we have rain dumping into our rivers, which are already filled with excess snowfall runoff.

You would think that all of this crazy weather would encourage me to sit inside and curl up with a good book. But, unfortunately, it hasn't. And I am, again, without power (going on 30 hours now). Today, I'm at work on my day off to steal internet and heat. It is a sad, sad life I live up here in the Northern Plains...

I'll admit that I haven't done much reading. BUT what I have read is so heavy and valuable that I'm glad I let it soak in.

Here's what I've got:

Room by Emma Donoghue is a wonderful, captivating book. With that said, I want all you readers to go into it the same way I did: based solely on "amazing" reviews and without a clue as to what the storyline is. I purchased this as an audiobook because I heard its praises sung every which way I turned. I had no idea what the novel was about but trusted the word of those around me. Please do the same, friends--trust me. This book will consume your life until you've completed it. It's somewhat of a mystery novel (well, it was for me at least, since I hadn't read a summary). Run to the bookstore today and pick up two books today: Room and The Help.

To date, I have only purchased one novel in 2011. Impressive, no? This is one I just had to have. The reviews on it were nothing short of spectacular. I picked it up at Costco (they always have a surprisingly large, wonderful book collection) over Mother's Day weekend and just finished. I recommend allowing this novel to stretch over the course of a couple of weeks. I wanted to finish it right away because it was so great, but I'm now thankful that I let it absorb, day by day.  The Help by Kathryn Stockett examines three women in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s. Two are black maids; the other, a young 20-something white woman who wants nothing more in life than to write. Together, the three take on a challenging and controversial project that they know could change their lives forever. The relationship Stockett creates between readers and characters in the novel is unmatched. I was so impressed with it. I recommend it for everyone. And, now, there's a sense of urgency to read it: while at the movie theater yesterday, I discovered the movie version is coming out in August. MUST SEE! :)

Since Room was an audiobook, I don't count it in my page goals. I do, however, count it as a book I've read. Here are my stats on The Help:
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Rating: 5/5
Pages: 544
2011 Reading Goal: 4,356/12,500



This puts me at only 35% of my reading goal, and we're almost halfway through the year. Anyone wanna recommend a novel or two for my summer reading list? :)
 

April Blizzards Bring May...Reading?

It has been quite the month. I know I said I would post more often, but there's definitely been a lot going on. This past weekend I meant to blog, but this is what I woke up to Saturday morning:

Because of the blizzard (on April 30th, mind you, one day before MAY!), the power went out throughout the entire town. I don't mean it flickered on and off, or that it was out for an hour or an afternoon. It was out for 64 hours. Needless to say, I was unable to blog all weekend. On Monday, the college was closed so I didn't have to work. This would have been wonderful, except that I already had really bad cabin fever and the whole town was closed down. There was no escape! Talk about a nightmare...

The good news? I finished a book! If I had gone through the storm alone, I'm sure I could have finished six before I turned into a popsicle (oh yeah, did I mention I had no heat?). This brought my total up to two more books I haven't yet blogged about. Here you go, readers:

Montana 1948 by Larry Watson is a novel that captures a fictional experience in Northeastern Montana in 1948. Larry Watson is actually originally from Rugby, ND (known for being the geographical center of North America) and grew up in Bismarck, ND. He works at the University of Wisconsin--Stevens Point, where he teaches English. Now that I've given background on the author, I feel it's important to discuss how I came across the novel.

The college I attended in Oregon has an annual book sale, where the Women's Center on campus receives books via donations, and sells them by the inch. $1 an inch?!?!? You know I was the first one in line...
Anyway, I had like 20 inches already (that may or may not be an accurate representation) and saw this book. As you know, I love all things Montana. When I saw this book, I picked it up and read the description. It sounded alright, but I decided to add it to my stack. I recognized that it had been well-cared-for. There's even a light pen engraving in the inside front cover, "Lucy Terry", which is one of my favorite marks in used books. Don't judge. I was immediately attracted to the condition of the book and thought that, even if I didn't read it, I could give it away in a gift for someone who would like it.

It had been on my bookshelf for almost two years before I finally decided to take a break from Patterson novels and read a good mystery. This novel is told from the perspective of a 12-year old boy, whose father is a sheriff in his small town. He has a young Sioux housekeeper who passes away. Behind her death is a little bit of a mystery, but moreso an ethical dilemma. Someone abused their power, and now the boy's father, the town sheriff, has to determine whether he values loyalty to justice or loyalty to the family more.

I do recommend this novel for those of you interested in Jodi Picoult-type stories. Here are my numbers:
Montana 1948 by Larry Watson
Rating: 4/5
Pages: 175
2011 Reading Goal: 3,397/12,500

The other novel I read while freezing was Patricia Cornwell's Black Notice. This has been on my bookshelf since at least 2003 (how do I know this? I found a sheet confirming I could run on the cross country team for Fall 2003) and I just haven't had the time (or interest?) to read it.

Kay Scarpetta, formerly on of my favorite mystery novel crime-solving females, sets out to find how a decomposing body ended up in a Belgium cargo ship traveling to America. I remember that I used to really love Patricia Cornwell when I was in high school. I haven't decided if it's this book in particular that I don't care for, or if it's Cornwell's writing style. I felt like the book was all over the place; one day Scarpetta was in the workplace, then she's in France, then she's being attacked in her home. Every time I picked up the novel after putting it down I had to spend some time to leaf through and figure out where the hell I was at. Part of this could be because I read through the novel fairly quickly, since I'm a relatively fast reader. The story line itself was great. Still, I'm disappointed. I've decided I need to re-read one of the novels of hers I loved (Unnatural Exposure, if I remember right, was what really got me excited to follow Scarpetta in her adventures). Either way, this wasn't my favorite, and I'm not upset it sat on my bookshelf for so long. Here's what I've got on it:
Black Notice by Patricia Cornwell
Rating: 3/5
Pages: 415
2011 Reading Goal: 3,812/12,500

Historically, April is a really good reading month for me. It's when I tend to diversify my tastes and get really into enjoying a hot cup of coffee and curling up on the couch. This year was way different. Here's what I'm attributing the change to:

• Time invested into housing: Although I was in the final stages of purchasing a home, the seller decided to accept a last-minute cash offer. Jerks. I put another offer in on a house yesterday, but the seller accepted another offer (which was, thank goodness, not cash).
• A boy living with me: Matt doesn't read (awful, isn't it?), so we can't curl up in opposite corners of the couch and read. I can't read with a lot of background noise (ie: the tv or radio on), so my reading has been severely restricted. Thankfully, he works every other Saturday. Now I'll have the chance to binge read...2 times a month.
• Cooking and eating meals: Now that I have a "roommate", we make dinner every night. I can no longer eat a cold can of corn and get lost in a good novel. Cooking and eating takes a lot of time out of the day! And, when food doesn't come out of an aluminum can, you have to do more dishes! Yuck!
• Being a grown-up: Adjusting from the college-student lifestyle can be a bit of a challenge sometime. As a college student, there are lulls in coursework where you can catch up on personal reading. Now that I have a grown up job and work a lot, I don't have lulls that allow me to take off and read. Darn this grown-up life!
• Moving: I'm trying to pack up my books to move...and hoping I have a house. But I can't pack up my books just yet because I love them too much. I've decided I'll leave a select 5 out, should I go on a book binge within the next two weeks. I've been procrastinating determining which books will be selected for this opportunity
• Couponing: That's right, I've become one of those crazies. It's all I can think about sometimes. What's wrong with me!??!? I spend about 4-6 hours per week couponing....but I scold myself sometimes that I could be investing that time into another novel. Then I see the savings and forget about the joy of reading, at least temporarily.

So I need to cut this blog a little short...to go couponing *blushes* I won't make any promises that I'll be back soon, but I can promise I'll keep reading and will update you on them eventually :)

Until then, enjoy the nice weather (unless you live in North Dakota, in which case: enjoy the nice blizzards)!

Bestseller Catch-Up

Hi everyone!

I hope this finds you after a nice, long, relaxing weekend. Mine certainly was :)

I just now completed reading Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point and LOVED it! It's definitely a book I will be utilizing in my "game plan" at work. Essentially, Gladwell discusses three main concepts that can cause a business to reach its Tipping Point--that is, the point where an epidemic begins and everything turns around (I definitely summarized that--Gladwell spends a good 20 pages describing what the tipping point is, but you get the picture).

1. The Law of the Few: this is really about utilizing the natural abilities of those around you, or those in your market. There are three different "types" that work well to communicate your message. These include:
1. Connectors: Those people who connect you to others. They're the people who are big on networking and seem to know everybody. They're ones looked up to in social circles and start trends easily.
2.  Mavens: These people are a little trickier to find, but I've definitely diagnosed myself as one of them. Mavens are those people who gather knowledge about everything. They are not necessarily persuaders, but they are personally motivated to share their knowledge. Helping you helps them.
3. Salesmen: This one is pretty self-explanatory. These are the people who can talk you into doing anything. They often have a charm that makes you immediately attracted to their personality.
2. The Stickiness Factor: getting your message to stick is important. Examples Gladwell uses to demonstrate include tv shows Sesame Street and Blue's Clues.
3. The Power of Context: examining environmental impacts is essential to understanding if the tipping point can even happen. Gladwell uses some excellent examples throughout the two chapters describing this section

I highly recommend this novel to anyone interested in business novels, or looking to make their own business succeed. I would actually recommend this novel to anyone, but I know there aren't a lot of people out there like me who genuinely enjoy business novels. It's ok, I don't take it personally.

The Tipping Point was published in 2000, over 10 years ago. Forgetting how young I am, I shook my head and scolded myself for letting a business bestseller go unread for so long. Then in occurred to me--10 years ago, I was only 13. I was just getting started on reading Stephen King novels, and had no idea I would one day join the business world. Therefore, I suppose it's acceptable that I'm just now getting around to reviewing this book--but really, I should've gotten to it 5 years ago :P

Here's my information for the book:
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
Rating: 5/5
Pages: 301
2011 Reading Goal: 3,222/12,500

This brings me to being a quarter of the way done with my reading goal for 2011, which means I'm right on track for this month! I'm actually kind of surprised with that, since I don't feel I've read enough to date. But it's a happy surprise!

I'm baaaa-aaaaack!

Hello, readers!

I want to apologize for my long absence. February and March were tough months for me, so I'm hoping April improves, because I don't know that it can get much worse.

Quick recap:

• My grandma passed away in the middle of February. It was difficult to go through, but I know I'm a better person for having known her. It was nice seeing family, but bittersweet :( She will be missed
• I celebrated my 23rd birthday...the day before Grandma's funeral. Again, a little bittersweet
• When I returned, I tried to make my life a little more normal. I worked, read, and neglected blogging. Oops.
• The end of February, I found out my apartment is being sold. Where I live, one bedroom apartments run for $1,500+ per month. I love the community and want to stay, so I applied for a housing loan and was approved (woo hoo!)
• I found a house and fell in love with it. It's the perfect starter home for Matt and I. While I would much rather not have to purchase a house, I would prefer to make money each month, rather than give my paycheck directly to my landlord.
• Spring break for my college came. I'm a 12-month position, so I don't get a spring break :( I was so busy and got so far behind that I didn't catch up until this week.
• The inspection for my house went well. Now it is contingent on the appraisal and financing. I have my fingers crossed that everything works out.
• Matt came to visit for his spring break. I tried taking the week off, but worked almost 20 hours. I guess that's what happens when you're a one-woman show. Because I didn't work much and everyone else did, I fell even further behind at work. I just caught up this week.
• Matt told me he will not be finishing school. We have decided he will move here and get a job. He'll return to school when he figures out what he would like to study and what he wants to do when he "grows up".
• I spent this week stressing, working, not sleeping, and losing 5 pounds from stress. I caught up on some sleep, and am hoping to reduce my stress enough to where it is not controlling my life.
• We have had two blizzards in the past 3 weeks. Another one is forecast for Sunday. WILL IT EVER END?!?!?

So, this is where I'm at. I hope that covers it well enough. As I said, it has been a yucky past couple of months.

Good news:
My best friend, Jessie Mae, bought me a book for my birthday! It's one I'd been wanting to read: Jodi Picoult's House Rules. In this novel, Picoult tells the story of a high-functioning autistic son to a mother who has sacrificed everything for him to have as much of a normal life as possible. Jacob, the son, becomes obsessed with different topics. His favorite topic: forensic science. When a close friend goes missing and the body turns up, police look at Jacob as their top suspect.

Emma, Jacob's mother, fights as much as she can to keep her son out of jail--even though she isn't 100% certain he isn't guilty. As is characteristic of Picoult's novels, the story is told through the eyes of several characters; in this case, Emma, Jacob, Theo (Jacob's younger brother, who doesn't suffer from autism), Rich (the police officer arresting Jacob), and Oscar (Jacob's inexperienced lawyer).

Picoult usually does a really good job of keeping the reader on their toes and questioning guilt up until the last page. Unfortunately, with this novel, I knew before the trial even began what had happened. I haven't figured out if that's because I've read so many of Picoult's books by now, or if this particular novel was easier to figure out than those previous? Either way, it was wonderful and scored a perfect 5/5 from me! Here are my stats:
House Rules by Jodi Picoult
Rating: 5/5
Pages: 532
2011 Reading Goal: 2,505/12,500

In this entire two month period, this was the only novel I read. I am highly disappointed in myself for that reason, but am confident I will catch up.

I hope you have all had a better two months than I have. If not, then we should throw a pity party together, because misery loves company! :P  Or, better yet--maybe we should find a book where the main character sheds light on a particularly challenging part of their life and use it as inspiration. I'll see you again soon, readers.



Side note: books purchased to date in 2011: ZERO! You should all be proud! :)

Every Quarter Inch Counts...

Well, I told you I would likely blog today, but I sort of implied it would be about books...
...sorry.
I began and finished another project today, though!



















This skirt is made out of kind of a fun, funky material. It reminds me of upholstery from the 1960s. I could tell from the get-go that it would be super challenging to work with, but I think everything turned out ok (except when I sewed the band on inside-out and had to seam rip the whole thing--yuck! I don't use patterned print much when sewing, especially when I'm making anything I'd wear in public (PJ bottoms are always patterned and cute, but there's no pressure--if I mess up, I'm the only one who sees them) because it gets complicated when cutting and I always seem to mess something up. This pattern was especially difficult to distinguish, because the right side and the wrong side look a lot alike, but different enough to where, if I had sewed it wrong, you would've noticed. It was a nice challenge to work with this fabric!

The McCall's pattern I followed was super easy and quick, which is always really nice when making skirts. It's my firm belief that skirts SHOULD be a simple project--I hate when they take a lot of time and stress!

I did have to "customize" the skirt a little bit. It's supposed to have darts in the back and in the front. I had originally put darts in both places, only to remember that I have a very wide waist (see picture above). When I wrapped the skirt around me, there was a big gapping section. Every quarter inch counts, so I took out the darts in the back, left the ones in the front, and sewed the sides at a 3/8" seam instead of the standard 5/8" seam. I'm thankful it turned out, though. I think that, had I gone up another size and included the darts and a proper side seam, the skirt would have looked too big.

The patten was for five "different" skirts. It's the same style of skirt, only different lengths. When I picked this one I liked that it went below the knee, which I feel is more appropriate for work. I ended up having to hem it up an extra 1/2" because it was so long it made me look like a midget (which, at my height, doesn't take much).

Now all I need to do is buy a cute pair of brown boots to go with it :)

Project Complete!

I finished sewing my robe!

There's always such a strong sense of accomplishment when you're able to complete a project in a total time span of about 10 hours. As I had written in Burning Vinegar, I began working on this robe about a month ago. I had cut out the pattern, ironed the tissue paper pattern pieces, ironed the fabric, pinned the pattern, and cut the fabric. Usually, those steps consume about half of the total time spent on the project. Oh, and I also succeeded in stinking up the entire apartment.

Today, I began working on the robe again around 1:00, not expecting to get it done today. Surprisingly, it was done 5 hours later! I made a few adjustments to personalize the project. I'm also still considering having my mom embroider something on the two pockets just to add some fun decorations.

Now, in spite of all the coffee I drank while working on the project, I am exhausted. I think I will spend my Saturday night curled up with a good book and warm blanket. Who knows--maybe I'll have another blog for you all tomorrow ;)

Discovering and Developing Strengths

I have been slacking. Hardcore. I would like to apologize for that, and will try to write an extra long blog today to make it up to you. Well, kinda long. I do have a life, you know!

It's certainly been a busy week and a half. At work, my to-do list kept getting longer and longer. I keep my to-do list on a legal pad, which has about 30 lines? I rewrote that list at least once a day, because it would get too full. There was so much going on that I was, at times, convinced my head would spin right off. Another challenge was that I could hardly read, since my eyes kept getting worse. I went to an eye doctor (about time, huh?) and was given medicinal eye drops and told not to wear my glasses for a week. When I returned to his office today, my eye doctor informed me that my eyes have improved, but still aren't nearly where they should be. I will be meeting with him weekly until it's fixed...unfortunately, he believes it may take a whole month. Yuck.

On Friday night I had a girl's night with my coworkers, which was a lot of fun! It's been waaaaaayyyyy too long since I've had one of those. I spent Saturday doing laundry, packing, and reading an entire book (more of that to follow). On Sunday I left for Bismarck for work. I was there until yesterday evening, and headed back home. Nothing too exciting happened there--but I did eat at a restaurant called Grizzly's Grill n Saloon. It looks to be a Midwest chain, so should you be in the area, it's definitely a place I recommend.

So, now I am exhausted. Today feels like it should be my Thursday, since I have already put in 32+ hours this week. But alas, it is not. Hopefully this will be a very relaxing (and not so distant) weekend for me.

Now it's time to catch you up on the readings of the past 10 days:

Literacy and Longing in L.A. by Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack has been sitting, unread, on my bookshelf for a couple of years. I discovered it in the clearance section of Barnes and Noble, and the description enticed me to adopt it. The novel even got a fabulous review by the New York Times! It is about Dora, a 35-year-old L.A. bibliophile, twice divorced. She dates a man who works in a bookstore, and goes on book binges any time she's upset. The end of the novel has a slight twist and then becomes predictable again. Character development was lacking, particularly Dora's past and her mother. I thought this book would discuss literature and Dora's passion for writing, but was slightly disappointed. I just didn't find it to be one of those books that will stick with me or have any kind of impact whatsoever. It's a book I would recommend bibliophiles read at some point in their lives, but it certainly shouldn't be a priority novel for anyone.

Literacy and Longing in L.A. by Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack
Rating: 3/5
Pages: 315
2011 Reading Goal: 1564/12500

I can't leave a series unfinished, regardless of whether it is a novel, TV show, or movie. In May, James Patterson will be releasing the 10th book in the Women's Murder Club Series, and it drives me crazy that I'm nowhere near being ready to read it! Therefore, I spent Saturday evening reading 5th Horseman by James Patterson. Character Yuki Castellano is officially introduced as the newest member of the Women's Murder Club and undergoes a tragic experience linked to the case Lindsay Boxer is working on. Lindsay is also trying to handle a mysterious case of petite, blonde escorts showing up dead in high-end cars. Both cases captivated my interest. Alas, Patterson has done it again!

5th Horseman by James Patterson
Rating: 4/5
Pages: 409
2011 Reading Goal: 1973/12500

Those of you who know me personally are aware of my interest/obsession with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test. I have a true passion for understanding personality tests and utilizing them in management and leadership practices. For years I have been wanting to take the Strengths Finder. The Strengths Finder is based on the concept of discovering your strengths, then building on those strengths to excel at whatever it is you do.

Here are my five strengths and a quote or two I believe is particularly applicable to my personality:

1. Learner
• "The subject matter that interests you most will be determined by your other themes and experiences, but whatever the subject, you will always be drawn to the process of learning. ... You are energized by the steady and deliberate journey from ignorance to competence"
• "This Learner theme does not necessarily mean that you seek to become the subject matter expert, or that you are striving for the respect that accompanies a professional or academic credential"
2. Communication
• "Ideas are a dry beginning. Events are static. You feel a need to bring them to life, energize them, to make them exciting and vivid" (This perhaps explains my passion for writing)
3. Includer
•  "...you actively avoid those groups that exclude others. You want to expand the group so that as many people as possible can benefit from its support."
• "You are an instinctively accepting person. Regardless of race or sex or nationality or personality or faith, you cast few judgments. ... Your accepting nature does not necessarily rest on a belief that each of us is different and that one should respect those differences.  Rather, it rests on your conviction that fundamentally we are the same. We are all equally important. ... Each of us should be included. It is the least we all deserve."
4.  Input
• First of all, the author accuses me of being a collector and lists books as an example. I think he's creeping on me. Unless...there are more like me?
• "If you read a great deal, it's not necessarily to refine your theories but, rather, to add more information to your archives."
5. Woo (Winning Others Over)
• "...strangers can be energizing. You are drawn to them. You want to learn their names, as questions, and find some areas of common interest so that you can strike up a conversation and build rapport"
• "Not only are you rarely at a loss for words; you actually enjoy initiating with strangers because you derive satisfaction from breaking on the ice and making a connection"

  

  I've been lonely my whole life. Can there
  really be other book collectors like me?

For those of you readers who are interested by individuals' personalities, take the test now! Each strength comes with an example and suggestions for working with others who possess the same strength.

What I discovered is that I really have the perfect job and career goals for my strengths. This insight is all very accurate and it will be helpful to utilize it in my career goals.

<---------I love Wall-E. I now feel like watching it, but Criminal Minds will be on soon. Dilemma!