Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Mailbox Wednesday #2

A primarily Chic Lit haul from Ebay, I got 21 books for $13 including shipping (one seller). 

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Review: Crank

Ellen Hopkins has an interesting way of writing, 'Crank' is structured like a long poem. I am not a fan of poetry and browsing the blogs and YT videos had no hint of the way the book was structured. I was pleasantly surprised it was easy to read and did not distract one from the story which I found quite gripping. Although at some points throughout the story  I got confused as to which direction to read across or up or down but you'll be able to figure it out. 
I don't usually read young adult books but this was a good one and I'm eager to get to the rest in the series. These are the types of books that parents should read because it shows how easy kids get, use and abuse drugs and the consequences that ensue. 
The main character Kristina was the typical 'good girl' until an ill-fated visit to her father and a sniff to impress a boy. We all know where the story goes from there, drugs, alcohol, more drugs, failing in school, being assaulted, becoming a drug dealer and towards the end of the book she finds out she's pregnant. What will she do? keep the baby? drop out of school? more importantly will she quit drugs?

Crank: 537 pages (Book 1 in the Crank trilogy)
Pub. Date: October 2004
Audience: Young Adult
★★★★  Really liked it

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Review: If You Have To Cry......


All hail the queen of 'tell it like it is'. Is there anyone on this planet who does not know or love Kelly Cutrone? It's like saying you've never heard of Oprah. I first saw Kelly Cutrone on an episode of The Hills and instantly wanted her to be my fairy godmother. Next she appeared on The City and then on her own show Kell on Earth. This show got me through the writing of my PhD dissertation, I get inspired to push on and get the task done.

"One of the few movers-and shakers who seems to have an enlightened grip on both the dark and light side of the business she navigates with such self-possession.... Clear, concise, to the point, and abrasively, wonderfully honest. 
Kelly Cutrone has long been mentoring women on how to make it in one of the most competitive industries in the world. She has kicked people out of fashion shows, forced some of reality television's shiny stars to fire their friends, and built her own company one of the most powerful PR firms in the fashion business from the ground up. Through it all, she has refused to be anything but herself.
Kelly writes in her trademark, no-bullshit style, combining personal and professional stories to share her secrets for success without selling out. Let's face it: this is a different world than the one in which our mothers grew up, and Kelly has created a real girl's guide to making it in today's world. Offering a wake-up call to women everywhere, she challenges us to stop the dogged pursuit of the perfect life and discover who we are and what we really want. Then she shows us how to go out there and get it. Much of our culture teaches us to muzzle our inner voice and follow the crowd; Kelly enables us to stop pretending and start truly living." courtesy of Barnes and Noble.

I can't wait for her next book 'Normal Get's You Nowhere'  which debuts on May 3rd 2011.

★★★★★ An Awesome must read!!!

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Science/Medical

I received these two books from my PhD advisor when I had my thesis defense last November.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Mailbox Wednesday #1

Which should I read next? 
I intended to read Clockwork Angel next but after browsing through Front Row I intrigued. I admire Anna Wintour ever since watching September Issue. 

                                                                (from Ebay $5.99 including shipping)

Trying to expand my horizons by delving into the super popular YA genre (from Barnes and Noble $21 for the three books).

Also from Barnes and Noble for $16 and some cents. I got Water for Elephants because of my love for elephants and my quest to get books with the word elephant in the title.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

To Read: April/May 2011

Three of the books on my 'To Read' list
I love Kathy Reichs Temp Brennan Series so much so I have all of them and up to season 4 of the TV show Bones (which is based on the main character forensic anthropologist Tempreance Brennan). I love these books and can't wait to read 206 Bones). A few years ago I borrowed one of Laura Lippman's books from the local library and as a fan of crime fiction and series I decided recently to start from book one. 

I love Dawn French. If you are a fan of Brit Coms you know who she is, hilarious does not begin to describe how funny she is. My favorite show she stared in was Vicar of Dibly. I can't wait to read this and will do a review.

Who loves books?

Me!!! 
Hello everyone, I love to read, I love books, the way they feel they look and smell. I love books just as much as how I love being a scientist.

I have a decent size library which is ever expanding (which I'll show in a future posts) just today I purchased a great deal: 5 from BN (Water for Elephants, Front Row: Anna Wintour What Lies Beneath, Clockwork Angel, Crank and Glass) and 47 from Ebay (mostly suspense, crime, Sci fi etc) and this haul I'm proud of because each book came out to about $1.13. I love to read and I must admit I am a bit of a collector but I do and intend to read everything I have eventually.

What do I like? True crime, medical/scientific mystery, suspense, thrillers. I read a few chic lit, historical, biographies too. This year I've decided to branch out a bit so I've decided to try a few of the popular YA books fantasy not the vampire stuff.

Do I buy books full price? 99.9% of the time no; I try never to buy anything over $10 but preferably $5 or less.

Hardback vs. paperback? Paperback, they are so much easier for me to carry (no dust jackets) and cheaper..mass market printing.. it's all the same words.

Physical Book vs E reader? Physical book where I can touch each page, I will not be getting and e reader (unless it's as a gift). What's the point if an electronic PDF version of a book which you'll never touch cost the same price?

If you happen to stumble on this blog welcome and make sure to bookmark me :)