the giraffe life

When I used to buy books, I felt obligated to read them even if they were dreadful to get my money's worth. But checking out books from the library has removed that feeling, as has getting older and receiving encouragement from others to just let go of books that I'm not enjoying. That's not to say I stop reading books willy-nilly but it's nice to have that guilt-free option in the back of my mind if I'm struggling to finish something.  This month in particular has been rough for actually finishing books (or maybe I've just been too picky) so I thought I'd share the books I didn't complete rather than the ones I did. (Though if you're interested in what I did read, you can always check out my goodreads page.) Links take you to the book's page on goodreads A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness - Pretty hard to read a romance novel when you hate the supposed love interest (in this case, a super bossy vampire named Matthew). The final...

This is a long one. Thanks, winter! Tons of good books on this list, though - I have end-of-year best book lists to thank for that.  A Moment Comes - This book takes places during the partition of India in 1947, which I knew nothing about prior to reading. I really appreciated the book's messages about acceptance, tolerance, and patience. Definitely not your typical YA romance (I assumed it would be based on the description).  Though just to be clear, I don't have any problems with typical YA romance. You'll find several further down this list ;) Spousonomics - Looking at common marriage issues (like sharing chores) as an economist. Some parts were fascinating, others not so much. About Alice - A husband's tribute to his late wife. I listened to this on audio based on Jessica's recommendation and ended up teary eyed in a grocery store parking lot finishing it. Super sweet.   Open Road Summer - A throughly enjoyable YA romance. Of course it takes ...

Time for one of my favorite posts - best books of the year! And just to be clear, these are my favorite books that I read in 2014,   not   books published in 2014. Links take you to the book's page on goodreads. My top 5 in no particular order: The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld -  A heartbreaking story of the Lady, a death row inmate, and a priest. E asily one of the best books I've ever read, and it will d efinitely make you think! Be warned - it contains dark subject matter. I could only read in small portions. Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt - It's the story of June, who loses her Uncle Finn to AIDS, and the strange man she first notices at his funeral. But it's also the story of June and her sister Greta, the pains of growing up, and what it means to love someone. Beautiful writing and a story that will stay with you for a while. Something Real by Heather Demetrios - This one's about Bonnie™/Chloe Baker, a 17 year old who doesn...

The short answer:  not much. The long answer:  I started four books this month, only finished two. The ones I managed to complete . . El Deafo by Cece Bell - Delightful. A graphic novel about a girl (rabbit) who is going through the journey of growing up coupled with the challenges of being deaf. I also enjoyed Cece's book Rabbit & Robot: The Sleepover though it's written for a much younger audience. Firebug by Lish McBride - A new series about Ava, a firebug (set in the same supernatural world as Lish's other books, so the two can eventually intersect), trying to escape her magical boss, Venus. I think I like these books so much because all the characters seem so effortlessly cool, even when they're floudering. This will be my last Lish McBride book for a while - I have to wait a few years for her next one to be published. I left The BIG Disconnect unfinished (I know the author's trying to make her point about limiting technology, but every anec...

I was thinking just the other day about how much more I seem to be reading in 2014 as compared to years past. I track all my reading on goodreads , which has a handy stats feature that shows I've read 19,790 pages this year, the most of any year recorded there. And then I remembered - this is the first time in my adult life that I've only been working one job, and I finished school in April. Combine the two, and that means more free time and zero required reading! I'll enjoy it while I have it :)  Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse - Rifka is a young Russian girl in 1919 whose family is on their way to America to escape anti-Semitism. Of course they face a whole string of troubles along the way.  Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson - I'll admit I picked this up because it was sitting next to Letters from Rifka and the cover caught my eye. Lonnie's parents passed away four years ago in a fire, and this is the story of him finding his voice through poetr...

Ahh October. Mr. G and I are keeping our calendars free for a lot of relaxation this month because November is full of birthday parties and holidays (and hopefully a day trip to NYC!).  Nothing new to report as far as goals go, so just a reading update.  It was a slow month. I needed one of those :) The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell - A tough one to describe in a short synopsis. Basically, there are 6 mini books (all intertwined) in this one novel. It begins as the story of Holly, a fifteen year old who leaves home after a fight with her mother and has some strange experiences in the countryside. The 4 stories that follow are told by important people in Holly's life, and then the last one returns to Holly. A well done mix of realistic fiction and fantasy. The Magicians by Lev Grossman - Quentin is super smart, depressed, and unsatisfied with his life. He accidentally stumbles upon a school for magicians in upstate New York, and the book chronicles his years there a...

Hello September! Time for a goal check-in. Not much to report on this month, just the mortgage and what I've been reading. I was able to work a few extra hours this month and decided to put that toward the mortgage payment for September 1st. It's not money I normally have (or count on) so it won't be missed! My 2014 total is now $2600 - far more than I thought I'd have paid by this time in the year. August was a superb month for reading. I read 9 books, so I've officially passed my goal of 50 for the year! My secret? Get poison ivy on your face, take off from work, and hole up in your house, reading all day ;)   Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - Anna is forced to spend her senior year of high school attending a boarding school in Paris, and she's not happy about it at first. But then she meets  Étienne St. Clair and things start looking up. All in all, a well done romance.  What We Found in the Sofa and How it Saved the World b...

I finished 84, Charing Cross Road last night (and adored it) and look what I noticed when I reached the end. This is how I know a library book is old - it has a pocket! (Old being a relative term, of course.) Does anyone else remember these?  I remember them from my early years of having a library card. Sometimes the librarians would even let me use the date stamp on the check out card! And bonus, the pocket meant I could be nosy and see when the book was last checked out, how long it sat on the shelves before being picked again, and count to see whether blue, purple, or black ink had the most dates to its name. (I may have had too much free time.)  I'm sure the librarians were eager to see them go in favor of our current digital system, but I indulged in a little nostalgia for the pocket and card system last night. :) linking up for wordless Wednesday

Usually I post a goals recap at the end of each month (see my goals for the year here ), but this month I really made no progress on anything except reading. Oh, reading.  It was an AMAZING month for reading. :) Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson - Not sure how I made it to my late 20s without reading this book! I started reading it because I had no library books and this was a freebie, pre-loaded on my phone. The story was fun and I learned a bunch of new sailing terms.  Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh - A quick read (it's mostly comic strip style), but I really appreciated her two chapters on depression. They helped me understand the experience better than anything I've read before. The Composition by Antonio Skarmeta - A children's book Deb recommended. Pedro’s school forces everyone to participate in a writing competition about what their family does at night. Pedro lies and says his parents play chess every night to protect them (they a...

June went fast, right? Can't believe the year is already half over! I'm still feeling good about all my goals though :) This month I was able to cross off two goals - traveling twice and learning something new. We visited Ocean City for a friend's birthday, and then spent 9 days in California. (I'll post my final recap on Monday.) We still plan to fit in a day trip to NYC in a few months. Learning something new was surfing  lessons! I've already met my mortgage goal for the year, but I've decided I'm going to continue to overpay. I'm in the habit of putting extra money toward it anyway, so why stop? $2,330 total - yay!  As of the end of June, I've read 35 books this year so I'm on track for 50. This month's reads: The best was Daughter of Smoke & Bone , hands down. Bread & Wine - Memoir mixed with favorite recipes. I loved that she advocates inviting people over for dinner even when your house is a mess - been ...

We are slowly easing into summer time temperatures around here. It was 80° (27° C) on Monday, then cooled back off, and only a high of 56° (13°) yesterday. I've started checking the forecast in California too (three more weeks!), and wow, San Diego has some of the most consistent weather I've ever seen: Nothing new to cross off this month, but all's well. We are still working steadily on our savings goal and finding a book to read together ( Beedle the Bard didn't pan out).  This month wasn't anything special in the solo reading department either. I only read 4 books, partially because we started watched Modern Family, and partially because nothing really grabbed me. Everything was just okay.  I'm ready for June!

As much as I enjoy the cold, crisp air of winter, and the scenes of snow . . this in between time might just be my favorite time of year. Not too hot and not too cold. Plants waking up but not too many pesky weeds. Just lovely. This month I accomplished two of my 2014 goals so I made this handy dandy list in PowerPoint so I can cross them off as the year goes on.  Now, on to the details!  The mortgage:  I took on a temporary responsibility at work, which at first was only supposed to be one additional hour per week, but morphed into an extra seven hours! Thankfully I'm being paid for my time, and that unexpected money went to the mortgage for May, helping us pass the $2k mark. I still plan on putting extra toward the mortgage, just not as much as we have been.  My degree:   My projects were graded and I passed, so it's official - I'm finished! (Thank goodness because we already celebrated , haha). Reading:  This month I read a good bit . . 6 ...

Oh, March. I called it in my end of February post - this month we had highs in the 60s (15° - 21° C) and several snowstorms. Such a tease! But for April, I'm hoping the weather cooperates with some more consistent (and pleasant) temperatures. :) Besides nicer weather, it's also time for some goal updates. First up is the mortgage: $1100! It looks awesome on paper, but in reality, it's just my tax refund and proceeds from selling my wedding dress. Yes, I sold my wedding dress! This is one of those decisions that seems to fire people up, but for me it came down to the simple fact that I don't plan to wear it again and it was taking up a ton of room in the closet. Plus the woman I sold it to was overjoyed, so I'm super happy with my decision. :) Books I read this month:   I was running a little short on time this month because I've been cramming in school stuff after work, but I still managed to fit in a little reading. I'd recommend: The Rosi...

You may have noticed a few Rotten Ralph books in my recap of February. While I do love to randomly read children's books (and they're placed right next to the checkout counter at my library, so I often - unexpectedly - come home with several), I read the Rotten Ralph books on purpose. :) The author, Jack Gantos, came for a visit and book signing!  Jessica introduced me to him last summer, and I immediately read 3 of his chapter books. Dead End in Norvelt was probably my favorite, but they were all well written and made me laugh.  On the posters announcing his visit, there were a few Rotten Ralph book covers. And being a crazy cat person, I was instantly intrigued. I can't speak for all of them (there are 20 books in the Rotten Ralph series), but the three I read were enjoyable. Ralph especially made me laugh when he hid in the mailbox with a water gun to ambush the mailman (typical cat behavior, right?). Meeting Jack was lovely. He is so funny! I was nervous and...

February is not a well-liked month 'round these parts. Tons of people at work have complained that it's the worst month ever. I have to disagree - I really love February. It's got Valentine's Day, more daylight than January, and a bonus day off from work (for Presidents' Day). And with February, I know what to expect: cold. March is often tougher for me because it teases with spring weather one day followed by snow the next. So yay February.  Ready for goals? :) Mortgage repayment was minimal this month because I bought a smartphone . However, by the end of the year, I'll recoup the purchase price of the new phone plus a little more because the monthly service charge is so much lower. A win in the long haul. :) I read 7 books this month (only possible because 4 of them were under 35 pages). My favorite was Tell the Wolves I'm Home  by Carol Rifka Brunt. It's the story of June, who loses her Uncle Finn to AIDS, and the strange man she first no...

Dar is running a Reading Down the House challenge to encourage people to read the books in their homes. I stopped buying books 2 years ago, but I found An Invisible Thread while cleaning last month so I was able to join in the fun. :) An Invisible Thread is the story of two New Yorkers: Laura, a sales executive, and Maurice, a young boy. They meet one day when Maurice is begging on the street and Laura stops and invites him to lunch. They continue to meet for meals once a week and their relationship grows stronger. Eventually Laura introduces Maurice to her family, invites him over to her apartment, and starts to pack him school lunches. Laura tries to help Maurice in other ways, too - she washes his clothes, takes him around the city, meets with his teacher, brings him to holiday celebrations with her family.  As the book progresses, you learn more about Laura's childhood and Maurice's life. Their relationship has some rough patches, and the writing won't make you s...

For a month that's normally pretty laid back and slow moving (compared to December, anyway), this January's been lightning fast. I didn't set any month-long goals for January, so all these updates are for my 2014 goals , some of which I haven't begun to tackle so they aren't mentioned. First up is the extra $2k toward the mortgage. We're at $570 so far. Yay! Another goal I made progress on was reading 50 books this year (works out to about one per week). I actually read 8 books in January. What?!  I can thank the snow for this - there were several weekend days when I stayed home because of the weather (if I don't have to drive in it, I don't!). I also had a couple days off from work because of snow, plus Martin Luther King day off (he was a very influential leader and civil rights activist). Much of that time was spent reading. A cozy couch + warm blanket + good book = happiness! Out of these 8, I'd heartily recommend: These is my Words...

When Dar first mentioned her Reading Down the House challenge , I thought I didn't have any unread books in my house. (I stopped buying books in January of 2012.) But then I started cleaning out my two spare bedrooms and found a book I was given last Christmas (and by last Christmas, I mean 2012. oops!). So guess what's up next on my reading list?  :) linking up with wordless Wednesday

I love end of year posts - how people did on their goals, a reflection on the year as a whole, big events. But there's a special level of excitement that I save for posts about the best books of the year! I have end-of-year posts to thank for many of the wonderful books I read early this year. And of course I want to throw my opinions out there too, so here are my top five books for the year, in no particular order: And a slight clarification before we jump in - these are my favorite books that I read in 2013, not books published in 2013.  If I Stay by Gayle Forman - Heart-wrenching , but so good. Mia and her family are in a terrible accident one snowy morning, and Mia finds herself transported out of her body, watching the aftermath. She figures out that she has to decide if she wants to stay or die before she'll return to her body. This is not a plot-driven story by any means. It's all about the characters - who they are, who they were, what part they played in Mi...