My Favorite Books in 2012...

I read some really, really good books this year. Out of the past four years I've been on Goodreads, I have rated more five star books this year than any other. I read four less books in 2012 than in 2011, but only 62 pages less. I was going to pick five of my favorite books this year, but once I started listing them, I came up with seven that I just had to pick!

Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson was by far the best romance I have read, maybe ever. I loved it because it was sweet, it was clean, it was proper, and was so romantic. I could easily read this book again which I never do! Here is my full review here.

The word that comes to mind when I think of The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani, is epic. That is probably the wrong us of the word , but it was such an amazing, thrilling, perfectly written book. Starting from the early 1900's in Italy to mid-century America, it was an incredible journey of a couples life. While I think the cover is pretty, I don't think it fits the book well. Anyway, here is my full review.

Night Road by Kristin Hannah. I still get goosebumps thinking of this story. It is haunting, it is sad, it is about the most heartsick I have ever felt reading a book. I think it is so moving because it could happen to you. Being the child or the parent, it's a worst nightmare. I loved her writing and I couldn't have suggested anything different about this story if I tried. It is perfection. Full review here.

Bridge of Scarlet Leaves by Kristina McMorris is another bit of a history lesson on Japanese Internment camps in the United States. This is the second novel I've read about this huge blemish on the United States past. I shall never be tired of hearing of it though. It amazes me and this book was told with beautiful and powerful writing. Review here.

Divergent by Veronica Roth was the first book in the Divergent series. I have read the second book but didn't like it as much. I found this dystopian themed book to be fascinating and creative. These books are all the rage now, but this one stood out the most to me. Very cool book. Full review can be found here.

I just love MaryLu Tyndall. I have had a few personal words with her via email, she is a cool and as genuine as they come. Veil of Pearls was simply amazing. I love reading early American history, especially her swashbuckling sea adventures. While this book didn't take to sea as much as her others, it was no less amazing. Tackling slavery can be tricky, but she mastered this with perfect insertions of Christianity and romance. Here is my full review. (Oops, it appears I forgot to post this review when I wrote in on Goodreads in November. On here it has a 2013 posting.)

The Fault in our Stars was very hard to read. It was such a mixed bag of literature and a mixed bag of emotions. Some describe this book as far fetched claiming the two main characters, teenagers with cancer, talk way above their maturity level. I noticed that too, but I didn't care. It was a great book with a great story and take note: have tissues handy. Full review here.

NOTE: These books weren't all published in 2012, I simply just read them in 2012. My favorite books that I read. That's all it is!

Here are the honorable mentions, all very, very good, all of these were five star books to me as well:

A departure from books for...BAKING!

A first! A post about something I baked. I don't know why I haven't done this before.

Went to a local farming area and bought some peaches and cherries. I wanted to bake a dessert since we're in the horrible habit of not eating fruit fast enough. So I looked for a dessert recipe where I could use either of those fruits. I came across this recipe from Allrecipes.com. It's a peach cobber dump cake. I modified it of course, I always do. Here's my version:

3 - Fresh sliced peaches (skin on)
? - handful of strawberries
1 - box yellow cake mix
? - a few spoonfuls of brown sugar
1/2 cup - butter
? - some cinnamon
? - some sugar

(I totally guess on adding some things, easier than measuring! This is more for my notes when I make again. The link above is the actual recipe I based this off of.)

I put the peaches and strawberries in a pan and with a tiny bit of sugar and less than a quarter cup of water and a few shakes of cinnamon. I put on the heat for ten minutes, setting it to simmer. I could have skipped this, but I didn't know if the peaches would come out hard...note to self...skip this step next time!

I buttered the bottom of a 9x13 pan, poured the peach and strawberry mixture on the bottom.

I put the yellow cake mix in a bowl and but in a few spoonfuls of brown sugar and cold butter and cut the ingredients together with a pastry blender.

I sprinkled/poured the cake mixture over the fruit and then took a few pinches of sugar and sprinkled it on top of the batter along with a little bit of cinnamon.

I baked in the oven for about 28 minutes at 350. Voila - Deliciousness!

Josh Knowles as Jamie Fraser

Since the incredibly popular series of books, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon came out, readers have been going crazy trying to find the perfect guy to portray the hunky hero, Jamie Fraser. I admit, I've been on that band wagon, but more as a curious bystander. That is until now. I think I've seen what Jamie Fraser would look like if he were real! Ha ha!

I've been watching Full Metal Jousting on the History Channel. And John Knowles could totally pass for Jamie. He's big, he's red headed and pretty cute too! He rides horses and jousts. Granted Jamie Fraser has not jousted in the Outlander series, but still, the jousting adds a pretty good historical edge to John Knowles as Jamie Fraser. I can't be the only one who has thought this!

Here is John Knowles, wish I had a full body shot of him, he's a tall dude. And this picture doesn't do him justice either.

A departure from books for...Exercise

I'm running a 12K road race and three half marathons this year. I do not want any injuries and I want to be in the best shape of my life so I am running, running, running. And cross training for strength too. It's amazing how much time exercise takes up...and how lazy I was before. I still love to read, but I love feeling fit even more. I will continue to read when I can, but for the most part, my old reading time is now becoming my new exercise time. I'm proud of myself and I look forward to kicking my own ass!

Like the picture says, motivation has gotten me started and it's starting to become a habit...and I WILL keep on going!

A departure from books, for THE book...the Bible

I'm committed to reading the whole Bible this year. From start to finish. I get daily emails from Biblegateway.com. I'm not good at doing it every day, but between every book I read I'm trying to catch up on the daily readings. I feel bad that it's taken me this long to read the whole bible, every single word. I have tried before, but have failed. 2012 is the year, I'm going to do it! I'm still in Genesis and Mathew. Tis good news, really good news I read!

A departure from books for...BEAUTY!

I'd say somewhere in my mid 20's I started thinking about my face and wrinkles and age/sun spots. I had gotten past my pimple stage and now it was time to grow up and think about the future of my face. I started using moisturizer with sunscreen daily. That was about it until this past year.

Last year, I discovered an article (click here to read it) about the benefits of Retin-A for your skin other than for acne. Apparently Retin-A, which is vitamin A derivative, is better than nearly anything you can buy over the counter. Perhaps that's the hitch for a lot of potential consumers, you have to have a prescription for it. I had a fantastic doctor  last year before I moved and simply asked him if I could get a prescription of Retin-A "for my skin". I didn't mention either pimples or wrinkles. He gladly wrote the prescription and I gladly accepted!

I do not use the Retin-A in the summer, as it makes your skin very susceptible to sun burns, so in the past 14 months, I'd say I've only used it for a total of 5 months. I've been using it regularly now for about  two months. The key to using Retin-A is to take it slowly. It can be extremely irritating to skin if used everyday right off the get-go. I started using it once a week, built up to twice a week and now I use it every other day. I do have the skin flaking/peeling that many people experience in the beginning. This does go away once your skin gets used to the product. Think of it as the old tired skin sloughing off revealing the beautiful skin underneath. Anyway this is where I discovered my new favorite skin regimen for exfoliating.

The same author of the article I mentioned above wrote about homemade body scrubs a.k.a. exfoliation scrubs. I combined 1 Tbs of Almond Oil, 2 Tbs of regular ole' sugar and 2 drops of Tea Tree Oil (my own idea). I mixed it together and lightly scrubbed it into my face before bed and rinsed. Oh. My. Gosh. Sure it started out a little red as I crawled into bed but the next day, I swear I was glowing. My skin had that beautiful dewy look and it felt like a freshly lotioned baby's bottom! Heaven!!!

I'm pleased that I don't have to buy ridiculously high priced products that may or may not work. And what's funny, if you tell any esthetician or makeup counter lady about your Retin-A usage, they'll tell you it's so rough on your skin...what? Do you think they'd tell you it's a great beauty secret while they're trying to sell you $150 worth of lotion, potions and creams? Nope!

And for a body scrub: 1/4 cup Almond Oil, 1/2 cup Epsom salt or Sea salt (not table salt) and an essential oil of your choice. I used about 12 drops of grapefruit oil and some fresh orange zest. Fantastic! Do it in the shower before you get wet. When you're done rinsing, be sure to wipe it up or it gets super slippery.

The Best Reads of 2011...

It's been a good year for books. I've discovered a new passion for Christian fiction. It's a book you don't have to read under the covers or turn it over so your family doesn't see it. I've discovered some really great authors this year: Tyndall, Rivers, Dacus to name a few.

My top five books for 2011:

(couldn't limit it to only three this year!)

Surrender the Heart Mary Lu Tyndall.
One of my new favorite authors. I'm currently on my fourth book of hers. This book is a fantastic combination of faith, romance, adventure and of course, history! Click here for my review.

A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers.

Wow, this is probably one of the most powerful Christian books I have ever read. The Red Tent was one of my top picks last year because of how powerful it was, this book is even more amazing. I cannot wait to continue on in the series but because of how deep and thought provoking it is, I need breaks between the books. Click here for my review.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

I was blown away by this book and the facts it contained about a little-known woman who helped find cures for diseases through her cells and all unbeknown to her and her family! I learned so much not only about Mrs. Lacks, but about cancer and about more abhorrent treatment of blacks for medical trials. This is an eye opener in American history. Click here for my review.

Torment by Lauren Kate

My favorite young adult/fantasy read. This is the second book in the Fallen series and the best so far. I read the third book this year as well, but it wasn't as great as this one. I do like sci-fi and fantasy books and this one was the best I've read for 2011. Click here for my review.

Ransome's Honor by Kaye Dacus

This book was also Christian themed and so good from start to finish. This is the first book in the series and has me excited to continue on and find out what happens next! Click here for my review.

Honorable Mentions:

A departure from books for...CRAFTS!

I took some time away from reading (ha ha) to make some little crafty post-it holders for my kids' teachers. Really easy and cheap to make. I bought 95 cent 5 x 7 plastic frames from Walmart. I already had scrap book paper, buttons and ribbon. I threw them all together, stuck some post-it notes on the front (with the help of a little double stick tape) and BAM! A pretty crafty present!

I'm so not crafty so I'm pretty impressed with myself. But I have to give all the credit for the idea to www.pinterest.com. I LOVE THIS SITE!

Oh boy...

Looking at my "current reads" I'm cracking up. Two clearly Christian books next to a book about a vampire demon hunter. I do not have multiply personalities, even if I yell at myself in car for being angry or stupid. I like to read things that may not be suitable for children but I also make sure to balance it out with a little halo over my head.

The library is endless entertainment to me. 

I like to read it all.

Bad romance, bad, get out of my sight! (for just a little while)

I really need to get off the romance's for a while. Sheesh! Even though some of the genre I've been overdosing on is Christian, it's still a bit much.

I will be going back to the monstrously huge, Decision Points by George Bush. It's just that it's so heavy. I've been enjoying reading my Kindle books on my Droid X. I can quite literally read it anywhere...and I have too!

Top 3 Books of 2010

I liked this book best because it was total sci-fi, it was incredibly fast paced with lots of fighting and "we're not going to take this anymore" mentality.

I liked this book second best because it's about discovering a past, discovering who you are and spans many generations and continents.

I am surprised I liked this book as much I did. It's based on a story in bible. It really brings you into biblical times and what it was really like back then. Fascinating!

It's been a long time!

I had PRK eye surgery on November 16th, 2010. Little did I know how long the recovery would take!

It has been seven weeks since the surgery and finally I'm comfortable enough with my sight to read a book. It has been too long, I have really missed reading. My next post will be my first book review in seven weeks AND for 2011.

Back to PRK. The main difference between PRK and LASIK is that LASIK involves creating a corneal flap, correcting the shape of your eye then placing the flap back in place. The vision correction is nearly immediate. With PRK there is no flap involved therefore your eye has to heal itself, new cells have to form to protect the eye. Basically your eye has to scab over but at a very, very slow pace. I was given steroid drops to both keep down swelling and to ensure a slow healing process. The first four weeks I had terrible ghosting/double vision. It was nearly impossible to read anything, especially computers which was extremely difficult for me to handle since my job entails me looking at a computer nearly all day long.

Long story short I missed more work than planned, suffered some anxiety and was pretty miserable. Seven weeks later I'm happy to report that my vision is nearly perfect and other than a little bit of dry eye, I'm very happy with the procedure.

Now, back to reading!!!!