Happy Turkey Day!

I just wanted to mention a few things I'm thankful for and couldn't live without! 

1. My Family. They're my rock and are always there when I need ANYTHING. They even put up with my terrible moods (which I blame on working nights!). I couldn't find a pic of my mawmaw but...I don't know what I would do without that woman! She's my best friend. 

2. The best friends a girl could ask for. This pic is cira 2006. We went to New York for our senior Spring Break, which was 6 1/2 years ago (yikes!). I wish we could do this again SOON. How many of  you are still friends with your best friends from high school AND middle school??! This girl right here :)

3. My puppy dogs, Sophie (left) and Benny (right). They keep me entertained! 

4. My favorite place for vacations. So wish I was on the beach right now...reading :) 

5. I am SO thankful for books and reading. I couldn't imagine not being able to read. I'd be so bored! I finished All My Tomorrows by Colette L. Saucier in one night! and absolutely LOVED it! I was hesitant on reading this for whatever reason but it exceeded by expectations by 100%. The book begins with you reading from The Edge of Darkness, which is what Alice is reading for inspiration for her show. The Edge of Darkness itself was so good! I found myself more interested in that than the actual story at first. This was such an easy read with a good story line. Peter, who Alice can't get along with, is the type of guy that's an ass but you like him away like Damon on The Vampire Diaries. Why do we always root for the bad guys??! If you're look for a good read by a local author, I'd pick this one up first. I am very impressed! 

6. Almost forgot...pumpkin pie! This is my FAVORITE part of Thanksgiving!! :)

Hope everyone has a great holiday! What are you thankful for? 

Wild Ride has ended!

Last night I finished Wild Ride by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer and it was so good! I think what I loved most about this book is the dry sense of humor; I laughed throughout the book. From my previous posts, you know that Mab is hired to restore Dreamland, an amusement park that holds 5 of the most dangerous demons, The Untouchables. Mab doesn't believe in demons or the supernatural; she's career driven and focused on her project. Meanwhile, Ethan comes home from the Army. He has had a near death experience in Afghanistan that's left him depressed and drunk, for lack of a better word. Ethan begins doing security detail for the park until he is called to be apart of the Guardia, those who fight the demons. His mother Glenda, works at Dreamland and is apart of the Guardia also. Ethan fights his calling until he gets a taste of a demon. He meets and falls in love with Weaver, a government agent studying Dreamland and demons and Ethan.  Mab is then called to the Guardia, which of course she wants nothing to do with but then starts helping out for Glenda. I can't give too much away but Ethan and Mab begin fighting the demons together with the rest of the Guardia, while their personal lives also get a little more interesting. This was an easy read and so funny. I'd definitely recommend it. I'd like to check out more by Jennifer Crusie. Anyone read any of her other books? 

Up next.. 

All My Tomorrows by Colette L. Saucier. This is one of the books I bought from the Louisiana Book Festival last month. I was trying to go with a less supernatural read while fighting the urge to read the next Harry Bosch book. Alice McGillicutty has had a drama filled year, with the death of her mother, her relationship ended in disaster and now poor ratings for her long-running soap opera. She begins reading The Edge of Darkness, an old melodramatic paperback she found among her mother's things for creative inspiration. When scandal rips Hollywood bad boy Peter Walsingham off the tabloids and into her studio, Alice doubts the small screen is big enough for his ego. Peter's vanity and arrogance compel Alice to write him out of her script or can she find a role for him in All My Tomorrows? 

My copy is autographed :)

High Five for Friday!

Linking up with Lauren at From My Grey Desk blog to share highlights from this past week! 

1. This was a our third game night with the girls. It was very successful! Taboo is ALWAYS a blast and Pinterest gave us tons of recipes to try :)

2. I finished and dropped off my Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes for those children that need a little help during the Christmas season. I've been doing this since I was in nursing school and love it. Check it out here! 

3. My brother and I ordered a popcorn maker for free from my mom's credit rewards! We've tested it out every night this week and it's pretty awesome. 

4. The apartment has transformed from Halloween to Thanksgiving decor for November! I have my Pilgrims and Indians out on display. Getting excited for Thanksgiving, even though I have to work...

5. Still working on Wild Ride by Jennifer Cruise and Bob Mayer. This work week has been terrible stressful so I haven't had a lot of time to read. But so far I really like the main character, Mab. She's introverted, keeps to herself and focuses all of her time on restoring Dreamland. She has just learned that Dreamland holds the most dangerous demons of the world and she has been called to be the Seer in the Guardia, which she does not want to do. Really liking the story line, can't wait to see where it goes! 

H54F! 

Have a great weekend...I'll be working :( 

President or Vampire hunter??

I really enjoyed Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Graham- Smith! I've been on a vampire kick lately ever since I started watching The Vampire Diaries on Netflix so my post may be a little biased (I'm obsessed addicted!).  I love historical fiction and this had a little twist. I love the idea of a president as a vampire hunter...that's cool! The book begins with Abe as a small child losing his mother. Come to find out, his mother was poisoned with vampire blood, which resulted in her death. Lincoln ends up killing the vampire that killed his mother and decides to kill all the vampires in America. He begins "training" and hunting vampires throughout the North. The book goes through his whole life including his presidency. Grahame- Smith links slavery with vampires. I don't want to give anything away but it's really interesting. I loved the history part of the book and the vampire part. Now, I want to do some research on Lincoln. It's been a long time since I learned about his life/presidency. But I wonder if he really believed in vampires..if there's documentation of his fear from which this book is based. When I come up with something I'll definitely blog it. I would recommend this as a good read. Lots of history, humor and the new fad: vampires! 

Up next... 

Wild Ride by Jennifer Cruise and Bob Mayer. I found this on sale at Barnes and Noble and was intrigued. More supernatural fiction (told you I was obsessed addicted!). Mary Alice Brannigan doesn't believe in anything supernatural. Nor does she expect Dreamland, a amusement park she's restoring, to be a prison for the five Untouchables, the most powerful demons in the world. Plus she's falling for a guy but something isn't quite right with him. But that's not all, Brannigan is also coping with a crooked politician, supernatural raven, a secret government agency, an inexperienced sorceress, an unsettling inheritance and mind-blogging revelations from her past. Personal demons wreck her relationship and real demons wreck the park, Brannigan faces evil and what everyone who's been to the amusement park knows: the last ride is the wildest. I like the idea of demons for this book because I watch Supernatural on the CW and have since I was a freshman in college. It's based on ALL things that go bump in the night, but mostly evil demons. I'm sure you'll be surprised to know that I was a HUGE fan of Charmed also. Don't worry I do like other shows besides the supernatural ones but I find these the most addicting :)

Louisiana Book Festival 

It was a success! I had so much fun! There were tons of vendors and authors and so much to do. The State Capitol and LSU museum were open and held some events. There were tents from Barnes and Noble and BN Jr. They had pumpkin painting and tons of food. I bought Pulse and Prejudice and All My Tomorrows by Colette L. Saucier and had them autographed by the author herself! Pretty cool. Pulse and Prejudice is based on Pride and Prejudice with a vampire twist (I know what you're thinking). All My Tomorrows is about a screenwriter who's had a horrible year and begun reading a terrible book. As a scandal breaks lose, she has to decide whether or not to write the actor out of the part. For some reason, I love reading books about people who love ready. Like The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown, the whole family loved reading. Saucier is a local author and is working on a sequel to Pulse and Prejudice based in antebellum New Orleans. She was really cool and wrote sweet things in both books. John Corey Whaley, author of Where Things Come Back, was there and had a book signing in the BN Jr. tent but I missed it because it was later in the day :(. I was disappointed, it would have been cool to meet him! I can't wait for it again next year!