Not Finishing…

Hello!

I usually post about books I have read, but this time, which I don’t do very often, I didn’t finish a book.

The book is Haunted By Chuck Palahniuk
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First, the cover is a bit freaky AND unknowing to me, it glows in the dark. UGH!

The book has received great reviews, but a word that comes up in several of the reviews is disturbing. And boy is it…disturbing. I thought, I can read this. I’ve read disturbing books before. Oh. My. Word. I must say, I haven’t read anything this bothersome….or disturbing.

Basically it’s about a group of eccentric people that are picked up by a bus in the middle of the night. They can’t tell anyone they are leaving, they may only bring one bag to their destination, which is an isolated mansion. While at the mansion, the owner pressures them to create, in writing, something…but not sure what.  That’s the thing…you meet all these people that are given an alias for their name and then suddenly you are reading a short story that one of the captives wrote. To put it simply, the short stories written by the “captives” are disturbing. (need to look up some synonyms for disturbing!) And here’s the kicker, they get more bothersome as the book goes on!! Oh. My.

So, I read the first chapter (which actually caught my attention) and the first “written” short story. Well, I didn’t read all of the first story due to it being, you guessed it, disturbing. I had to skip an entire page of description of an event. It grossed me out. It’s not bloody and gory…it’s just…disturbing.  How does someones mind go that way?

Later, I shared the story with Jason and he also thought “WOW! That is nasty!”  And he has read more disturbing things than me!

So, now you want to read the first chapter and short story in this book, but you have been warned…it is bothersome and disturbing.

New Sign!

Hello!

Another great gift for Christmas I received was a felt letter board from my sister! I change the inspirational quotes every so often. It hangs in our living room for all to see and be inspired.

This is the latest quote…

(side note: I asked Jack if it was ok to blog this. “Sure!” he said, “Why not!”)

 

Best Thing EVER!!

Welcome Back!

For Christmas, Jason bought me an iRobot Roomba. Yep, I got a vacuum cleaner for Christmas and I absolutely love it!!

When you have one of these….

It’s super great to have one of these!

I cannot say enough good things about the Roomba. It is a MUST if you have pets and feel (like I do) that you are constantly vacuuming to stay ahead of all the hair.

I put it a room, hit the clean button and let it run for about 30 minutes (can run for about 2 hours with out needing a charge) and then put it into another room. I shut the door to block the Roomba in a room. It’s amazing how much it picks up. You do need to put up cords or anything that it might suck up, but that’s it!

I must say it has been a life saver for me due to not having to haul out the vacuum cleaner each day!

Would make a great Valentine gift for the one you love! 🙂

Just Finished…

 Welcome Back!

I just finished the book
Best Day Ever by Kaira Rouda

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“I glance at my wife as she climbs into the passenger seat, and I am bursting with confidence. Today will be everything I’ve promised her…and more…”

Paul Strom has the perfect life: a glittering career as an advertising executive, a beautiful wife, two healthy boys and a big house in a wealthy suburb. And he’s the perfect husband: breadwinner, protector, provider. That’s why he’s planned a romantic weekend for his wife, Mia, at their lake house, just the two of them. And he’s promised today will be the best day ever.

But as Paul and Mia drive out of the city and toward the countryside, a spike of tension begins to wedge itself between them and doubts start to arise. How much do they trust each other? And how perfect is their marriage, or any marriage, really?

I read a lot of reviews on this book and the vast majority loved this book, thought it was thrilling and suspenseful.  I wasn’t impressed.
The main character is Paul, he is narcissistic and SO extremely into himself, that he actually bored me when he wasn’t turning my stomach! What he was able to get away with, was at times, pretty farfetched.  The entire story is told by Paul and he would talk to himself to remind us how great he was and how all women loved him and they all threw themselves at their feet and how rich he was and how he lived in the best place ever. Barf.

Paul and his wife Mia are going to their cottage on the lake, for the weekend, kid free. He is planning on making it the best day ever, except we find out he has a much more sinister plan for her.

I usually like these types of books, but it really didn’t do anything for me. You can figure out what will happen. I thought it can’t be this predictable, but yep, it was. There were times I thought, here comes a twist, but nope. Nothing. The ending was pretty unsatisfying.

I’d give this book a 2.75 out of 5 stars.

You may want to give this book a chance, because MANY readers gave this book 4-5 stars. It just wasn’t for me.

 

A “New” Craft…

Hello!

I have revived and old craft that I use to do and love when I was younger!
Counted Cross Stitch! It’s perfect for when we are watching TV (like football games) and I need to keep busy.  I decided to go with a geometric Cardinal pattern that caught my eye on Etsy.

So this…

(with all it’s flaws and miscounted stitches)

Will become this…
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Hmmm.  If I hold mine far away and squint a little, I can see the resemblance…NAILED IT!

 

Just Finished…

Welcome Back!

I just finished a book that Jack gave me for Christmas called
The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld.

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From Goodreads:

“Where are you, Madison Culver? Flying with the angels, a silver speck on a wing? Are you dreaming, buried under snow? Or—is it possible—you are still alive?”

Three years ago, Madison Culver disappeared when her family was choosing a Christmas tree in Oregon’s Skookum National Forest. She would be eight-years-old now—if she has survived. Desperate to find their beloved daughter, certain someone took her, the Culvers turn to Naomi, a private investigator with an uncanny talent for locating the lost and missing. Known to the police and a select group of parents as “the Child Finder,” Naomi is their last hope.

Naomi’s methodical search takes her deep into the icy, mysterious forest in the Pacific Northwest, and into her own fragmented past. She understands children like Madison because once upon a time, she was a lost girl, too.

As Naomi relentlessly pursues and slowly uncovers the truth behind Madison’s disappearance, shards of a dark dream pierce the defenses that have protected her, reminding her of a terrible loss she feels but cannot remember. If she finds Madison, will Naomi ultimately unlock the secrets of her own life?

Told in the alternating voices of Naomi and a deeply imaginative child, The Child Finder is a breathtaking, exquisitely rendered literary page-turner about redemption, the line between reality and memories and dreams, and the human capacity to survive.

Me:
I had a hard time with this book for two reasons: First, I had a hard time with Madison’s abductor, Mr. B., and what he would do to her. (It is not graphic, but Madison shares things that make you realize what Mr. B. has done to her.) Also the repetition of Naomi being lost from herself was brought up over and over and over again. We got it.

Anyway, Madison, the little girl, is very imaginative, creates almost an alternative personality,The Snow Child, in order to survive and make sense to what is happening to her. It’s amazing what people can do to survive a horrible situation. I do not like Mr. B. He makes me sick. But, the author is such an amazing writer, that at times I actually felt bad for Mr. B. If a writer can make me feel for the “bad” person in a book, then that’s a well written book.

It’s a good story, disturbing at times, but it did keep my interest and I would recommend it to others. I think in the end, I would give this book 4 stars out of 5. (3.5 due to the disturbing things Mr. B does to Madison.)

 

Oh Goodness!

Hello!

I have had post prepared for the week, but I did not schedule them correctly! Sorry about you missing such important information for the first two days of the week! My apologies!! Please read on so you can be updated on a happening at our house!

So, I have been trying to exercise…again. I like to work out at home for many reasons, but one reason I don’t like to work out at home, is a cute four legged busy body…Charlie.

When I am doing “floor work” she thinks it’s time to wrestle or lay on top of me or lick my face or take over my yoga mat or…the list goes on. So I must block her from interrupting my important work out session.

But wait…let’s take a close look at her face. Yep, she is laughing at me while doing yoga!

She sits there the entire time and just laughs. Just because my down dog doesn’t’ look like hers, she should be encouraging and not making fun.