What am I reading?

I can't believe that my summer vacation is already about half over! What have I been doing? More importantly what have I been reading? So far, I am pleased, not ecstatic, but pleased with what I have read so far.

• My Fair Lazy by Jennifer Lancaster - Her funniest book yet!

• Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - I read this in high school and I enjoyed and appreciated it so much more now as an adult!

• Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner - Ms. Weiner is an incredible writer. Unfortunately, the plot of this book did little for me personally. I am excited to read more of her books, but this was not my favorite.

• sTORI Telling by Tori Selling - Loved the book. Love her.

• Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson - A thoughtful and enjoyable, yet VERY quick, read.

• Mommywood by Tori Spelling- Loved this book even more. Love her even more.

• Reading Now - Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen- I'll let you know what I think...
  

Book Review: The Time Traveler's Wife

I have wanted to read this book for a while, but I will admit it wasn't until the advertisements and previews for the movie that I really wanted to read it. The movie looked like just my kind of flick...a little love, a little romance, the perfect chic movie so of course this has to be the perfect chi book, right? Yes and no! I broke down and bought the book last Friday because 'i was tired of waiting to be moved to #1 on the library's wait list. I am always a little hesitant to buy books because there will be some I will not read again. well, this will become one of those books that will be read over and over. I digress...back to my yes and no to being the perfect chic book. Yes this is a love story. A truly amazing love story that transcends time, age, and all the nuances in between. What I liked about this book though was that it did not follow your typical plot line. Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Enter some dramatic problem. Problem solved. Boy and girl live happily ever after. This book truly makes you question the extent to which your decision affect the direction your life is going versus that of fate, predetermined destiny. I thought at one point I knew what was going to happen, but I was wrong and glad for it. Audrey Niffenger takes a difficult story line and does an impeccable job of guiding the reader through the story without ever getting lost. Not a difficult task considering that every other page is a different year and age for the characters. Anyone looking for a book to curl up with and not put down until the very last word is read - this is it. Not only will you love every second of reading it, you will be left wondering about the possibilities of time travel and thinking of the love story of Clare and Henry.

What have I been reading...

I know I have done a little complaining about how busy I have been and that I have been feeling a bit stressed. In between summer school, classes, yard sale,and all the other things that have been keeping me running, I have found some time to read. At the beginning of the summer I made a summer reading list for myself. Unfortunately, it took me half the summer to get started and it seems that these books are on a lot of other people's list and are difficult to get from the library.

But, so far I have read the following chic books and was not disappointed by any of them:

• Such A Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster
• Pretty in Plaid by Jen Lancaster
• Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin
• Something Blue by Emily Griffin
• Shopaholic Ties the Know by Sophie Kinsella

And I read the following non chic book and was not disappointed in it either:

• Night by Elie Wiesel
  

Not bad given that it took me until half way through July to get started...

So, anyone read anything else that I should move to the top of my list? Happy Reading!

Summer Reading List

I am starting to put together my summer reading list and thought that there was no better place for input than here, at That's What We Said. I have high hopes for myself this summer; there are a lot of books that I want to read and a few books that I need to read. Let me clarify. I am constantly writing down names of books that I read about, see on TV, at the bookstore or that someone tells me about. then when I go pick out a new book, I always feel conflicted, like "Where do I start?" Then there are some books that I need to read. I am special education teacher with students on my case load in 9-12th grade. That means that I have kids in a minimum of 4 English classes at a time. They always need help with their work and right now I have not read all of the books that they read in class and sometimes have to resort to Spark Notes myself to help out. In order to make myself a better teacher I need to have firsthand knowledge of these books. So here goes:

Books I Want To Read:

Such a Pretty Fat and Pretty In Plaid by Jennifer Lancaster

sTORI Telling by Tori Spelling (I have never been a reality TV lover but I can't get enough of Tori and Dean...Brett even watches)Multiple Blessings by Kate Gosselin (see comment above...and Brett watches this one too, love him!)
The Kite Runner by Khaled HosseiniSpeak Softly, She Can Hear by Pam LewisAnna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Not sure I want to read this but Is tarted it over Spring break and then put it down. I now feel obligated to pick it back up and read the last 600 pages)

Target Underwear and a Vera Wang Gown: Notes from a Single Girl's Closet by Adena Halpern

Born on A Blue Day by Danial TammetThe Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Books I Need to Read

• The Adventures of Huck Finn
• The Catcher in The Rye
• Of Mice and Men
• A Separate Peace
• reread Night

In addition to this list I have three classes to finish so I have those books to read as well. It's a long list, but after summer school I think sitting in the sun reading will be just what the doctor ordered.

Friday Ramblings...

I am so happy it's Friday and can't wait to get this weekend started. We don't have anything huge planned but still should be lots of fun. I'm hanging out with the girls after work and Brett is coming with me to a special ed dance tomorrow night. Other than that we are expecting some warm weather so we'll be able to get out with the dogs and we'll head to the gym and do a bit of cooking. It was mid 50s yesterday so we were able to walk the dogs for about an hour! They loved it and the fresh air felt great!

I recently finished a book my Mom recommended and I would definitely pass on that recommendation if you are a dog lover. The title is "the art of racing in the rain" by Garth Stein. The book is written about a dog's life from his perspective. Warning: have tissues close by. Speaking of reading, Jodi Picoult has a new book out this week. I am on the waiting list at the library but who knows how long that will take. I plan on going to her signing when she is here. March 15 in Oak Brook or the 16th in Naperville. The Naperville event sounds like it may be a bit more in depth. And, I am still waiting for May when Jen Lancaster's new book is out. For now I stick to her blog which provides lots of laughs!

Well today is the second Friday of Lent and I have yet to drink a cup of coffee! Yeah! I have however had my fair share of tea lately. Tonight I have a yummy Cod recipe planned for dinner. There was a chef cooking at Whole Foods last week and I am going to mimic his recipe. Seems pretty easy- basically Cod fillets topped with crushed Ritz crackers. We'll see how it turns out!

Conrats to Brett! Although he did not lose nay weight last week and I know he is bummed, he is down 9 lbs. Good for you buddy!

So, we obviously have been trying to eat much healthier lately and have been doing OK. It is just hard when you have down right ridiculous cravings for sugar, carbs, chocolate, grease, pretty much anything that you shouldn't have. I caved yesterday and had a handful (OK 2) of M and Ms and 3 reduced fat Oreos. Now I know this sounds almost comical because what is the big deal, but it seems that as soon as I eat something like that I crave it the rest of the day. So, for the rest of the night I was wracking my brain for what else I could eat. Ugggg! It didn't help that Brett kept teasing me about not being a team player and telling me how he didn't eat M&Ms and Oreos ( well, you ate a peanut butter egg a few days ago!). Anyway, we really have been trying. I have switched to soy milk in my oatmeal and I have been trying buy more organic produce. I found an interesting article listing "The Dirty Dozen". Basically they are the top 12 fruits and veggies that you should NEVER buy unless they are organic because of the very high level of pesticide residue found on them even after they are washed. Here's the list: Apples, Cherries, Grapes (imported from Chili), Nectarines, Peaches, Pears, Raspberries, Strawberries, Bell peppers, Celery, Potatoes, and Spinach. Here's the list of things they say it is OK to buy if it is not organic: Bananas, Kiwi, Mangos, Papaya, Pineapples, Asparagus, Avocado, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Corn, Onions, Peas. I found this all quite interesting am going to try a little harder now to buy organic. For more information, check this out. And, if you need some inspiration, there's a blog Lesley...Living Life with some good stuff. Lesley seems pretty cool and I love all the pictures of what she and her husband eat. One more if you want some yummy sounding healthy recipes: Oh She Glows.

Lastly, I cooked dinner on Wednesday because Brett worked late so our usual PB and J at the gym didn't happen. It turned out delicious except that I was so hungry there is no picture, BUT, here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Turkey pie

1 lb. ground turkey or chicken
1/3 c. bread crumbs
1 egg
Pizza sauce
Mozzarella cheese
2 tomatoes, half green pepper, half red pepper, half onion all coarsely chopped and mix with Oregano, basil, garlic salt to taste

1. Mix the first three ingredients together and press into deep dish pie plate sprayed with cooking spray. You want to press the meat mixture up the sides to form a “crust”.
2. Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce in crust and top with cheese. Place in oven on 400 for about 10 minutes.
3. While pie is baking, sauté veggies in pan until hot and partially cooked.
4. Remove pie from oven and top with veggies. Return to oven and bake 10 more minutes.

Witty Women Writers

Toward the end of summer, Brett and I made a strong effort to read more. For him, this is difficult because much of his job revolves around reading (although not the enjoyable kind, unless you find laboring over medical records enjoyable) but for me it was easy. I have a never ending list of books that I will never get through in my life time (unless of course I could quit my job which has become the topic of much interior monologue lately, but that would be for an entirely different post). Anyway, he started with some crime fiction (The Appeal and The Innocent Man both by John Grisham) something that very much suits his fancy and I started with something that would provide a bit of an intellectual challenge (I finished East of Eden, Memoirs of A Geisha, and The Thornbirds in a few weeks which added up to over 1800 pages. Go me!). So more recently I felt my brain needed a break and I read the Glass Castle (Hysterical) and Bringing Home the Birkin (why can I not make a living shopping for and selling designer handbags on eBay…again the quitting my job thought). Brett then switched genres and has recently read Who Moved My Cheese (I really need to read it because now all of a sudden when we don’t work out, it’s not that big of a deal) and Why The World Is Flat (it seems interesting enough, but make Brett feel like he is back in college as a Poli-Sci major).

My friend Sam has turned me on to a new author, Jen Lancaster, author of Bitter is the New Black, Bright Lights Big Ass, and Such a Pretty Fat. I have only read the first one, but I am OBSESSED with Jen Lancaster. She has a way with words – “HATE Dave Matthews. He makes me want to kick puppies.” This one stuck out in my mind because I do not hate Dave Mathews. And, just as much as I loved her book, I LOVE her blog Jennsylvania. Well, Friday night, Sam and I attended Witty Women Writers at The Book Celllar in Chicago. So fun!!!! This book store is totally what I dream of owning some day. A touch eccentric, a touch trendy. Coffee shop. Bar with wine and beer! Love it!

Sam and I got meet Jen and I told her of our mild obsession with her – she verified the spelling of my name as she signed my book and told me it was just to make sure it was spelled correctly on the restraining order. Well isn’t that just “a bucket of suck”…

(Recent update: she has confirmed me as a facebook friend!)