Monday, May 10, 2010

Book Review - Light on Snow

I recently picked this book up at the local half price books shop because it was on the clearance rack, and decided I would give a different kind of book a read. The book is called Light On Snow, and the author is Anita Shreve.

This was an enjoyable story and a quick read because it only contained 269 pages. The story is about a 12 year old girl named Nicky who lives with her father in a small town because her mother and baby sister died in a car accident when she was 10 years old. Nicky and her father take a daily walk through the woods and one day came across a baby who had been abandoned. The finding caused Nicky to remember her baby sister who died in the car crash with her mother as well as ask questions about why someone would just leave a child out there to die. The family later meets Charlotte, the mother of the abandoned baby and grows closer to her to learn the story of what really happened the day they found the child in the snow. Robert, Nicky's father later learns that his daughter is growing up and he would have to teach her some life lessons.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Book Review - Through Violet Eyes

I recently finished the book Through Violet Eyes by author Stephen Woodworth.


I picked this book up off the shelf of half-price books and while I do have to say the cover looked interesting what pulled my attention was the recommendation on the cover by Iris Johansen who happens to be a favorite of mine.


I found this a very entertaining read, and a unique concept. I really liked the story presented here, however I felt that the closure of the story was less than what I would of expected. While I felt this read kept my interest I don't really feel 'rushed' to go out and get another book by Mr.Woodworth but maybe if I see something around by him that just happens to be in my direction I would pick it up.



Synopsis -
Natalie, a middle aged woman who was one of the few who were gifted as being a violet. A violet is someone who has the ability to allow a dead soul to communicate through their living body. Because of this rare gift violets were often trained by the government to help them solve murder cases and other crimes because it gave a chance for the victims to speak for themselves. Suddenly violets started disappearing, then bodies were emerging, and they deemed to have a serial killer on the lose and violets were his prey.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

My Emotional Eating Challenge

I bet most women suffer from emotional eating and do not even realize it.

Is your stomach growling, or do you think you might just be hungry all the sudden because something that taste good popped into your mind and your current hunger level is not "stuffed" so you decide to give in and go for it? Yeah, thats emotional eating!

A tip I found today:
Boredom—typically you are alone, you have nothing to do, nowhere to go so you eat to occupy your time. Instead, try to be productive by doing house work, starting a new project or anything else to prevent emotional eating.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Chinese Zodiac - I am the OX


Chinese Zodiac
I am the OX


I found it interesting to learn about my Chinese zodiac and I came across this article found at http://www.chinavoc.com/zodiac/ox/person.asp
I decided I would highlight the areas I feel strongly apply to myself as a fun reference so if you want to learn more about me…enjoy!

People born in the year of the ox are steady, plain and quiet. They arrange things system-atically and they are patient and tireless.

They are usually ready to take other's advice and act with justice. But it is not easy to change their minds because they are stubborn and sometimes prejudice.

Because people born in the year of the ox are reliable and steady, they are trusted by their superiors or persons in authority.Where there is responsibility, you will always find them. However, they should be careful not to be carried away by success.

Their dauntless character and logical way of thinking is covered up by their plain appearance. Their intelligence and nimbleness are covered up by their reticence and restrained manner. Although they may be introverted by nature, when an opportunity is presented they can become quite dignified and eloquent speakers. They face danger fearlessly, and betray no fear in face of threats. They have a natural and intense trust in themselves. All of these features help them to put everything into order in times of trouble.

People born in the year of the ox do things in an orderly way. They follow settled rules, respect traditional concepts, and always do things the way other people want them to. So people can foresee what they will do the next. They believe that only those who have a down to earth style of work may never be defeated. People born in other years can achieve success depending on their intelligence or other's help. But people born in the year of the ox depend on their own tenacious will and active spirit of devotion. They never believe in chance, keep their words, and once a word is spoken will not take it back even when pulled by a team of four horses (what is said cannot be unsaid). They take an indifferent attitude towards common biases. They will do their jobs with single-hearted devotion, and never give up when something is half-way done.

They are naive when they think about other people's secrets. They cannot fully understand the feelings of others, and seldom cheat others to win their love. Poetry and serenades seldom appear in their lives, even the gifts they give will be durable and practical. Since people born in the year of the ox are quite traditional, it may take a long time for a man born in the year of the ox to propose marriage to a woman. Such a man may be broad minded and maintain good order, but when he proposes marriage to a pretty girl, he will become clumsy and slow in speech. If you happen to be married to him and trust him completely, he will never disappoint you and will be loyal to you all his life. Although he cannot give you mounds of diamonds, or chests of leather clothing, he will try to make your life as comfortable as he can, and never ask for your help.

If you are lucky enough to marry a woman born in the year of the ox, you will find that she is a serious person. She will iron your clothing like your mother once did, never forgetting to fold the newspaper on your desk, and will make you delicious breakfasts. She will be very neat and always punctual. After your marriage you will never lack clean clothing, you will never wear stockings with holes in them, and you will never have to eat burnt food. Thus she will be an ideal wife.

If a man born in the year of the ox feels unhappy about something, this unhappiness will have developed little by little. His memory is precise and can last for a long time. If you harm him, he will remember every detail. People born in the year of the tiger or rooster will complain when they find themselves in adverse circumstances. And those born in the year of the sheep and rabbit will become somewhat sulky. But those born in the year of the ox are different. They will try to reduce their pain and tension through hard work. If they are frustrated in love, they will work hard and refuse the coming "danger" by remaining single.

People born in the year of the ox do not like to owe other people money. The money they repay will be accurate to the last decimal point. And they will have the same requirement of others. If they owe you something without expressing thanks, they will never forgive themselves. You will not get empty thanks from them; they dislike flowery language and flattering words because they think this harms their honor.

People born in the year of the ox are very patient. But they can be horrible if they lose their tempers. At such times they will lose their senses and attack those who hurt them like angry bulls. The only way to cool the anger of a person such as this is to stand away from him and let him cool down gradually. But there is no need to worry, they will not get into a fight unless they are driven beyond the limits of forbearance.

Their words are the rules of their family. They know how to give an order and how to make others follow their order. They hope other people carry out their orders firmly and adhere to their principles on key matters. Although they do not easily become excited, they love their wives and children and they are willing to do anything for them.

People born in the year of the ox have their feet planted on solid ground, and they are not swayed by their emotions. If you ask for their advice on some problem, you will find their support to be quite reliable. All of them have good physiques, and are seldom sick, they trust themselves and never compromise. They show contempt for other's weaknesses.

People born in the year of the ox are born with the ability to lead. They know how to keep people within the bounds of discipline and they are often quite strict. They think one must fulfill one's duty, and do not put barriers in other's roads. Their shortcomings are their stiffness and awkwardness, their calculating nature and their rather standoffish attitude. They are never sly, and do not know how to show consideration for others. They have the qualities of a good soldier. This makes them unsuitable for public relations work and foreign affairs. However people respect them because they are honest, effective, and have a strong sense of principle. If they can try to develop more of a sense of humor and enthusiasm, they will live happy lives.

People born in the year of the ox do not willing seize chances to gain advantage by trickery. They have a strong sense of morality. They never reach their goals in any improper way. They advocate self-reliance. They do not want people to help them. So if you want to give them help, you will have to implore them in order to do so.

People born in the year of the ox are cautious. They like long-term, stable investments. They are not gamblers, and others taking risks only annoy them.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Movie - The Wolfman


Last night, I took a trip to my local movie theater to see the Wolfman movie, and I have to say I was a little disappointed. I felt that the previews really pumped the movie up to be more than what it really was about. While I give it credit for some good parts that could make you jump, the story line was very predictable. If you are interested in seeing this movie I would recommend you save the $10.00 now and wait until it comes out on video and get it from the redbox or something.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Book - Look Closely


So, today I decided it would be a good idea to start a small blog site dedicated to my personal opinions of forms of entertainment I have experienced. Whether it be a synopsis of a book, review of a movie, a recent local restaurant, business, ect. Just self reminders of what I thought...you get the drift.

So I finished reading Look Closely today by Laura Caldwell.

Type of book - Fiction - Crime Solving
Interest Level? This book kept my interest the entire time, I felt it was well written and most details had to do with the final outcome of the story. (This book did not have useless storyline details)

Synopsis - A young female attorney by the name of Hailey Sutter lost her mother when she was only 7 years old, but that was not all she lost. After the death of her mother her older brother was sent off to college and her sister went away to boarding school. She grew up with only having her father in her life after that, and when ever she would question him about why her siblings were not in their life he responded as if they did not want to have anything to do with them. One day Hailey receives a strange letter in the mail, which causes her to question the death of her mother. She becomes proactive and decides to do an investigation on her own. At the end she finds the truth behind her family and the things that have been kept hidden from her only had the intentions of shielding her from the ugliness.

Conclusion - This is my first time reading any works from this author, but I am inclined to purchasing more of her works after this one.