What's In a Name 6 Wrap Up

Well a day before 2014 and I am finally writing about the What's In A Name challenge. I have done a terrible job of updating this during the year. But I did complete the challenge on the 26th. I enjoyed reading all the different books in the categories. I always like doing this challenge. You can check out the previous books I read here. 
The final book I read for the challenge was for the Party or Celebration in a title. I read The Girls' Guide to Love and Supper Clubs by Dana Bate. This book was not as frothy as I thought it would be. I was cringing through a lot of the book because the protagonist had a knack for getting herself in ridiculous situations. It was a quick and easy read and I enjoyed most of it. The ending was a little silly but to be expected.

I am looking forward to doing this challenge again in 2014! I will try to be better about updating the blog as I read but we all know how that will not likely happen. Check back for my end of year post soon!

Thankfully Reading 2013: Wrap Up Post

I had such a great time this year with Thankfully Reading. I definitely was able to read more than I anticipated. It was nice to enjoy some quiet time within this busy holiday. I also got to read some good books!

Finished Books
1. Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas Print Book
2. The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit Audiobook
3. Neptune Noir Edited by Rob Thomas Kindle Ebook
4. Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery Nook Ebook

Partially Read Books
1. Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and the Marriage of the Century Print Book
2. The Christmad Carol by Charles Dickens Audiobook
3. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
4. Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margeret Stohl Print Book

I enjoyed all the above books and can't wait to finish the ones above. You can keep up with my reading via twitter or Goodreads.

Thankfully Reading 2013: Day Five

I can't believe today is the last day of Thankfully Reading and the end of the Thanksgiving holiday. It has flown by. But it's been a great long weekend although I technically worked two days. I had a photo shoot this morning with the cutest little blue eyed boy. I am considering a nap which I rarely do during the day unless I am sick.

2:00 pm

Not much to report. Just snuggling with my puppy and reading Ender's Game. It is slightly warmer today than it has been the rest of the weekend so I am happy for that! 

10:00 pm

It has been a good afternoon and evening as all I have done is read, hang out with my sister and play with our dogs. I read more of the Liz and Dick book. I am about 100 pages from being done with Ender's Game but my Nook died and I was unable to find my charger. My sister requisitioned the Liz and Dick book so I switched to a book that I was reading before Thankfully Reading weekend which is Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. It is the third book in the Beautiful Creatures series. I am enjoying this one much more than the second book in the series. 

I am going to try to read a little more before I head to bed. I will do a Thankfully Reading wrap up post tomorrow.

Thankfully Reading 2013: Day Four

I can't believe it's already day four of my Thankfully Reading. It's going to be a busy day with a photo shoot and airport drop off but I downloaded A Christmas Carol to listen to as I drive.

12:30 pm

I have had a busy morning. Had a photo shoot with an amazing family. We took photos by the river and it was COLD. Brrr. But it was fun. I was sad because the download for the Christmas Carol didn't work so I had nothing to listen to on the way to the shoot. So I am only now settling into reading for the first time today. My kitties are trying to coerce me to get in the warm bed and snuggle with them.

9:20 pm

I am exhausted. It has been a crazy weekend. I haven't had that much time to read between photo shoots, airport dropping off and photo editing. I finished Emily Of New Moon, started The Christmas Carol and Ender's Game. I  also am still reading Furious Love. My sister and her puppy are visiting me so I don't know how much time I will have to read. I also have another shoot tomorrow. 

Thankfully Reading 2013: Day Three

Today begins my Thankfully Reading Day 3. I plan in having a very relaxing day full of pjs, reading, Thanksgiving leftovers and trying to stay warm in this chilly weather.

12:30 pm

I finished listening to The Railway Children. The ending made me tear up as usual. I am still reading Neptune Noir. I also started Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century. Looking forward to finding out more about this dramatic couple. My husband has distracted me for a few hours with Homeland but it's back to reading. 

2:50 pm

It has been a glorious sun soaked (though still cold) day. I have just been relaxing. Huddling on my couch with a blanket and snuggly puppy is the best. I had to take a break from Neptune Noir because my Kindle was dying. I am enjoying the book about Liz and Dick. So interesting what an impact their relationship had on the current celebrity culture. The term paparazzi was coined out of their relationship as well as people's burning desire to know everything about celebrity romances. I am going to take a break from this book for a little bit and read Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery. It is one of my favorite books and I usually reread it every few years. I have been reading it for a few weeks and have about a hundred pages left so I think I will finish it today. 

10:30 pm 

Well it's been another great day of reading and family time. I finished Neptune Noir and almost finished Emily of New Moon. I spent the rest of the day hanging out with three of my four sisters. I am going to bed early tonight since I have a morning photo shoot tomorrow. I am excited because my sister knitted me some fingerless gloves. It will be so awesome to have those during the photo shoot. She makes such cute handmade knitted items You should check out her shop on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/lemonsandcream

Thankfully Reading 2013: Day Two

Today starts Day Two of my Thankfully Reading weekend. It is the official start of Thankfully Reading weekend. I am looking forward to periodically checking in and seeing what everyone else is reading. I would love to discover some new books. I am surprised I was able to read as much as I did yesterday. I think I will definitely be able to finish three books this weekend.

9:30 am

I have been awake since 6 and up since 7 getting ready for Thanksgiving Day madness. I baked some pumpkin muffins and have been rearranging furniture. So excited for all my family to get here at noon. All morning I have been listening to The Railway Children and reading Neptune Noir when I get a chance. 

9:50 pm

Whew what a day! Nonstop chaos, food, family, fun, cleaning up, more food. I am exhausted! It was such a great day! Hoping to get a little more reading in before bed but we'll see how long I can stay up. I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving and a good day of Thankfully Reading!

Thankfully Reading 2013: Day One

Today begins my favorite time of the whole year: Thanksgiving prep, cooking and Thankfully Reading. Thankfully Reading is a time for me to take some time outs in this busy time to just relax. Although it doesn't officially began until tomorrow I always start on Wednesday.

I woke up this morning to a light dusting of snow. Just enough to see that it snowed but not enough to be pretty. Normally I would be excited but I do have an engagement shoot later today and it is cold and very windy. 

I have some cooking and cleaning to do today to get ready for the family. My sister and her boyfriend are getting in late tonight and everyone else will be here tomorrow. I am so excited. I love my family and I love Thanksgiving. 

It's 7:30 am and I am going to start reading. I will keep you updated throughout the day. Happy reading to everyone else!

8:30 am 

I just enjoyed my breakfast and started my first book Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas. It is a memoir of an Iranian girl living in America. It is really funny but also interesting to read how Americans attitudes changed after the Iranian revolution. I love the stories she shares of her father. He is quite the character.

11:15 am

I have been cooking all morning. I made a broccoli and cauliflower salad, herbed cheese crackers and cornbread. I am anticipating tomorrow's meal. It is going to be so delicious. We have amazing cooks in our family. I didn't let the cooking stop me from "reading" actually listening to an audiobook. I listened to The Railroad Children by E. Nesbit on my Librivox app. I have adored that book ever since I was young and I love listening to it in audiobook format. The narrator, Karen Savage does an excellent job on this book. Although, my love of the book was lessened sonewhat with the recent news that it could be plagerized the book still reminds me of happy childhood times spent reading. 

1:30 pm

Whew already tired and the day isn't even half way over. I just made a double batch of homemade cranberry sauce. It is the first time I have ever made the dish so I hope it turns out good. I don't actually like cranberry sauce but it is such a traditional Thanksgiving dish it must be made! I am still reading. I am about halfway through The Railway Children and 70 pages into Funny in Farsi. I think I need a quick cooking/reading break to watch last nights The Mindy Project since I forgot it was on.  

4:45 pm

This day has only been getting colder. Brrr. This afternoon I have had lots of time to read. It was too cold for engagement shoot so we had to postpone it. My sister who assists me on shoots came over and we visited for awhile since the shoot was cancelled. My dog was so excited to see her and was jumping all over the place. He loves his auntie. The rest of the afternoon I sat in my big chair with a blanket and read. I just finished Funny in Farsi. It was such a good book. I liked how she compares American life with life in Iran. Her stories about celebrating Christmas were so interesting. I have never really thought how left out cultures or religions who don't celebrate Christmas must feel. Christmas is like this big consuming holiday and is everywhere. One of the reasons I love Thanksgiving so much (besides my love of food) is it always seems to be much more relaxing than Christmas. Christmas has turned into this giant mess of consumerism and stress. Thanksgiving is still this beautiful time of thankfulness and family.  

8:00 pm

I am really tired and Thanksgiving isn't even here yet. But I have finished cleaning my house and cooked all but two dishes I have to make tomorrow. My husband made dinner which is good because I wasn't going to make anything. 

I started a new book Neptune Noir. I am a huge Veronica Mars fan. I think it is one of the best shows ever on TV. I was thrilled when they decided to make a movie and eagerly contributed to their Kickstarter campaign. Neptune Noir is a collection of essays written about the TV show and narrated by the creator Rob Thomas. Who knew there could be such interesting papers about a TV show? 

Note: all photos used in this blog post are iPhone only unless otherwise indicated