11k in 2011- The Lost Symbol

While I enjoyed the writing style and overall story of the first two more than this one, I really loved the villain!  He was... very well written.  I also must add that after reading this book I think I can now actually read the Bible and probably take something away from it with an open mind- something I've yet to accomplish.  It may be a fictional story, but the message is a good one.

The Back of the Book:
"In this stunning follow-up to the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown demonstrates once again why he i the world's most popular thriller writer.


The Lost Symbol is a masterstroke of story-telling that finds famed symbologist Robert Langdon in a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets, and unseen truths... all under the watchful eye of Brown's most terrifying villain to date.  Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C., The Lost Symbol is an intelligent, lightning-paced story with surprises at every turn.  This is Dan Brown's most exciting novel yet."


The bibliography:
Brown, Dan.  The Lost Symbol.  New York, New York: Anchor House, 2010.


You can find it here or at your local public library (where I bought my used copy).  Support the libraries!


Total Pages: 639
Total pages read in 2011: 3,515
Total pages remaining: 7,485

11K in 2011- Secrets of the Baby Whisperer

To be very honest, this is the type of book I normally laugh at.  I wonder why people buy such things and really think that parents who read this type of book are probably desperate for help or crazy.


I was given this book from someone at work.  I read the back and the cover and laughed thinking it was some joke, like all those self help books that really don't get you anywhere.  But then I started reading it, and holy Wow it's awesome.  It makes sense.  It's really not even that challenging.  It's flexible.  It doesn't say you should breastfeed.  It doesn't say you should bottle feed.  It doesn't say you HAVE to do anything, except... getting your baby into a routine.  I highly suggest any parent or parent to be read this book.  It's really that good.  It's not telling you what to do, honestly.  It's just a nice little common sense instruction manual on how to get on the right track for YOU.


Without further ado, here is: 

The Back of the Book:


When Tracy Hogg's Secrets of the Baby Whisperer was first published, it soared onto bestseller lists across the country.  Parents everywhere became "whisperers" to their newborns, amazed that they could actually communicate with their baby within weeks of their child's birth.  Tracy gave parents what for some amounted to a miracle: the ability to understand their baby's every coo and cry so that they could tell immediately if the baby was hungry, tired, in real distress, or just in need of a little TLC.  Tracy also dispelled the insidious myth that parents must go sleepless for the first year of a baby's life- because a happy baby sleeps through the night.  Now you too can benefit from Tracy's more than twenty years' experience.  In this groundbreaking book, she shares simple, accessible programs in which you will learn

• E.A.S.Y.- how to get your baby to eat, play, and sleep on a schedule that will make every member of the household's life easier and happier.
• S.L.O.W.- how to interpret what your baby is trying to tell you (so you don't try to feed him when he really wants a nap).
• How to identify which type of baby yours is- Angel, Textbook, Touchy, Spirited, or Grumpy- and then learn the best way to interact with that type.
• Tracy's Three-day Magic- how to change any and all bad habits (yours and the baby's) in just three days

At the heart of Tracy's simple but profound message: treat the baby as you would like to be treated yourself.  Reassuring, down-to-earth, and oten flying in the face of conventional wisom, Secrets of the Baby Whisperer promises parents not only a healthier, happier baby but a more relaxed and happy household as well.

The Bibliography

Hoggs, Tracy with M Blau. Secrets of the Baby Whisperer.  New York, New York: The Ballantine Publishing Group, 2001.

You can find it here or at your local public library (support the libraries!).

Total pages: 276

Total pages read in 2011: 2,876

Total pages remaining: 8,124

New obsession

Buying cloth diapers on Ebay.


Yup.  That's right.  Diapers- as in something that someone else is going to poo in and then I have to change.  And I'm in love.


I'm 20 weeks pregnant.  Half way.  I've gained a total of 14 lbs.  My baby's gender is going to remain a surprise until birth (even to us!-- eep).  Currently baby is around 12 ounces.  :)


We are doing a Dr. Seuss theme for the nursery!  We chose bright colors (grey, orange, and green) and my aunt is going to help me create neat decorations out of the pages of my favorite Dr. Seuss book (Oh Say Can You Say).  We plan on doing the totally cliche name on the wall, although it will obviously have to wait until after baby is born.  We also are going to incorporate a really cool fortune I got in a cookie somewhere.  I currently keep it in my wallet.  :)


AND we are going to cloth diaper.  EEEP they are adorable!  There were so many good things about cloth diapers that I really couldn't say no.  And my company makes diapers, so that's really saying something.  So, since cloth diapers are so expensive to buy at the beginning, I'm starting to stock up now.  We looked at a few, and I chose Gdiapers.  I have won 8 size small and I'm hoping to win 6 size medium today.  It'll at least be a good start.


This week's projects include painting the nursery and maybe building some of the furniture.  I'm SUPER excited.  It is so freakin' real.


As you can tell, I have ONE obsession as of late.  Sorry I haven't written, but I have absolutely NOTHING else going on.  Work is keeping me on my toes.  I've been in training for a good while, and it's finally sinking in, which is good.  It's still a lot, though!  I can't wait to really get settled in.  I have a feeling baby will be here before that, though!  haha.  


Oh.  PS.  We have a girl's name picked out, but since we aren't sharing it with my family, it's not really fair to share it with you.  We have a boy's name that Mike is "sleeping on".  I love it.  I'm hoping it sticks.

11K in 2011- Angels and Demons

I read The Da Vinci Code a while back, and I loved it.  Barely put it down.  With that being said, when our library had their annual book sale, and had both Angels and Demons AND The Lost Symbol, I pounced.  I just hadn't had a chance to read them until now.


If you liked The Da Vinci Code, you'll like Angels and Demons.  It's very similar in the character set up, how the plot develops, the suspense, and even how shocking the ending is.  Usually, I feel that once you've read one book by an author, you can GENERALLY figure out the ending before it happens in any other books.  Not quite this time around, which was very pleasing.


Ok, enough of my opinion, because I'm certainly not an expert.  Here you go.

The Back of the Book:


"World-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a cryptic symbol seared into the chest of a murdered physicist.  What he discovers is unimaginable: a deadly vendetta against the Catholic Church by a centuries-old underground organization- the Illuminati.  Desperate to save the Vatican from a powerful time bomb, Langdon joins forces in Rome with the beautiful and mysterious scientist Vittoria Vetra.  Together they embark on a frantic hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and the most secretive vault on earth... the long-forgotten Illuminati lair."


The Bibliography:


Brown, Dan. Angels & Demons. New York, New York: Pocket Books, 2000.


You can find the book here, or at your public library (support the libraries!).


Total pages: 569


Total pages read in 2011: 2,600


Total pages remaining: 8,400


(I would also like to note that I am in the middle of a few other books as well.  2 are baby books and probably boring to you, but one is not.  It's just not easy to get through.  I might not finish it, but the pages STILL COUNT!)

To cry while the world celebrates

I started the day with this tweet: 

Obama has had quite a good weekend. Good day to be an American.

 

I ended the day (so far) with the following post to facebook:

A man died today and the world cheered. While he was very clearly atrocious, all it does is make me think back to that dreadful day so many lost their loved ones. I worry about the families who now have to relive that, and I feel for a nation that is now erupting in political warfare over who gets to claim this "victory". In truth, we all lost. They just happened to lose last.

I've been rather conflicted all day.  I was happy at first.  What great news.  Finally.  And even if you don't care about the events, it was great for Obama (yes, I'm a supporter). 

But it just feels weird celebrating someone's death.  I'm pretty agnostic, so I honestly don't feel the "let God bring him to justice now" type of emotion.  I honestly wish I believed that.  Maybe I would feel better about things.  But alas, I don't.  So of course, the conflict continues.

This just doesn't seem like a victory to me.  It really isn't.  It's an act of war, yes.  I'm against the war (I still strongly support our boys fighting, however).  I believe all people are good.  Those who make mistakes are often misled, uneducated, or were abused in some way at some point in time.  They are not born that way, and if they turn out that way, then we as society have failed them.

In the end I feel like a 5 year old can say it better than I can.  I've linked you to her blog in the past- her son is a sage for sure.  Wiser than anyone I've ever met, I swear. 

I guess in the end I am a little reassured that he is gone.  And while I don't agree with killing, I think it was probably the safest solution for the world, for my country, and for my future children.  I will mourn the loss this world has seen, however.  Not just this one man's death, but the several who had to suffer a cruel death 10 years ago, and also those who are now reliving those deaths today.  And if I ever pray, it is most certainly for the children today asking all of the innocent questions that no one should ever have to explain.