BANE OF MY EXISTENCE. Holy moly. I have been reading this book for close to two years. Why didn’t I put it down, you ask? I just couldn’t. By the time I hit that 100 page mark, I was just like I’ve already invested enough time in this baby, I might as well keep on going. And on I went, bringing it with me on vacation so it was the only thing I had to read, in my purse to the airport, to the doctor’s office– to places I would be so bored that I had to read it, and eventually I finished that last page, and it was like I had rid the world of all evil.

OKAY. With all this said, it’s not a bad book, per se. The writing is just a little blah. For all the battle scenes and kidnappings and all around hijinks, it was extremely boring. Sure, some you might say “Oh,  ye plebeian, you know nothing of writing! How unsophisticated!” But let me tell you, bougie, I can kick it with the best of them. You know that book The Monk? Yeah, that had some archaic writing, and I loooved that. Totally awesome. The action was just jumping off the page. Alexandre Dumas? All time favorite author. So, Cooper just isn’t my dude. I appreciated his writing, sure, but I didn’t appreciate it enough to whip through 400+ pages of it.

The story was pretty great, and maybe that’s why I feel this churning disappointment. I love me some adventure novels, so my friend (who loves early American lit) suggested this one to me. Indians? Mountain men? Guns? YES. I love it. I love how Cooper really wrote outside the box of his time’s racist ideals giving the Native Americans much more respect than his counterparts did. It was great– there were even some interracial relationships. Cool. Of course, some things don’t work out, but it’s a step forward, ya dig? Kind of like H. Rider Haggard only his was with the English + Africans. So, like I said, I appreciate what Cooper was doing, and the amazing story he created, but his style was just not for me.

I am thinking this is one instance where the movie will be better than the book. I’ve never seen it– wanting to watch it after I finished the book– but I feel like my Netflix queue is calling for a new addition.

This is going to be a short-ish review, as I read this a while ago, and my memory seems to have fallen away a bit. Not to fear, though, I remember my general thoughts about this book!

When I went to the bookstore, I picked this one up because it had a pretty cool cover. I also picked it up because it’s a Europa Edition, and I generally like those. Oh, and I guess I also picked it up because I thought the premise sounded interesting. Quirky family? Post-college coming of age story? I’m down! I can relate to the wandering feeling of graduating and trying to find one’s place in the world.

It’s just… I don’t know. I didn’t necessarily find the story compelling. I kept on reading to find something I could connect with or find interesting enough to latch on to. I just couldn’t find that thing. I found there to be a lot of interesting tidbits and quirky characters, but none of them well, in my opinion, full formed enough to create some sort of reader connection. They fell flat to me. For all their odd behavior, there was no real substance.

The story itself was interesting, and I wanted to see how it turned out, but I wouldn’t say I was enthralled. I felt somewhat bored. This, once again, goes through the story being full of quirks and crazy happenings to only leave the reader feeling somewhat less than excited or involved.

I don’t know. I just didn’t get what I thought I was going to get out of it. I think it has the bones for a great book, but it’s just missing the flesh.

After reading through quite a few of the BBAW posts that have been floating around, it made me realize how awesome each and every one of you are. Some of you I’ve ‘known’ since my beginning (three years ago? four?) of blogging and others are newer friends. I love reading your posts and tweets and comments and all that. I might not comment on every post, but know that I love getting to know you through your writing.

Blogging has seen me through quite a bit in my life. Through college, through travels through Europe, through the death of my father, through getting into grad school, through moving across 6 states… it’s seen a lot, and so have you. SO, I just wanted to thank you for going with me on that ride, and I wanted to thank you for being you. I love being in touch, even if it’s to a very much smaller degree, with all of you through blogging.

Greatness, you has it.

As many of you do, I look for smaller, more indie bookshops when I go out of town. They usually have more obscure reads, awesome architecture, eye catching decor, and interesting people. All things I certainly appreciate. Anyways, I had no idea of its existence until my friend and I were walking around Dupont Circle, just looking around, enjoying the sites and the gorgeous day. It’s in a pretty prominent place, so it was easy to spot, so in we went!

Now, when I first started looking around, I thought a blogger must do the buying or the displays or something because I knew every title that was on prominent display, and it made it so difficult to not pick up every book and take them home with me. They were all titles I really wanted to read or if I had already read them, they were all titles I would most certainly recommend. I felt like the bookshop was made for me. Even aside from this, those titles I didn’t recognize, I still wanted to read.

Okay, so most of these were in-vogue books, even if they were from smaller publishers, but Kramerbooks also had a really awesome non-fic, cooking, classics, etc. section. I found many-a-thing I wanted to take home with me– something that, for whatever reason, doesn’t really happen to me at the chain bookshops. I did manage some self control and left with only one book, but it’s a book I wasn’t able to find other places, so I call it a win!

In addition to all this, while I only interacted with the cashier, he was a super cool dude, super down to earth, and not like some of the people you meet at hip places. You know, an arrogant asshole. It was just a totally awesome experience.

Oh! While my friend and I didn’t eat/drink here, the bookshop also has a cafe and bar on premise which seems pretty awesome. Next time I’m up there I will be sure to check it out.

So, if you’re ever in the DC area and need a cool little shop to visit, might I suggest Kramerbooks? Also, while I am sure they do a killer business because they are very, very awesome, I noticed there was a Books-a-Million (the one chain store I don’t very much enjoy) right around the corner. Competition much? Support the little guys, y’all.

Here’s their website if you’re interested! : http://www.kramers.com/index.html

Ronson not only solves the mystery of the hoax but also discovers, disturbingly, that sometimes the personalities at the helm of the madness industry are, with their drives and obsessions, as mad in their own way as those they study. And that relatively ordinary people are, more and more, defined by their maddest edges.

I remember back in my early college days, you know– 6 years ago, my Psych 101 professor asking all her students why they were interested in psychology. The room was filled with the normal amount of ‘I’m just taking this class to fill an elective, man’ and ‘I want to help people.’ The vast majority of those actually interested in psych, however, were focused on the idea of weeding out and identifying psychopaths. This all born from the years of CSI, Criminal Minds, The Mentalist, etc., I’m sure. While this is not my personal interest in psychology, I am still most intrigued by the psychopathic diagnosis.

Oh, and the cover is super awesome and eye catching. I bought this book at a little bookshop in Washington, DC called Kramerbooks & Afterwords. It’s pretty awesome and has a cafe! I’ll post about it some other time, though. Anyways, at the time of walking in the bookstore, I was in the mood for some non-fic. I saw this on display, remembered it was in my tbr, and bam! Into my possession it went.

Let me just say, Jon Ronson does an amazing job at writing pop science, if you will allow psychology to be bundled in with the sciences, of course. The book hooks you from the very beginning and doesn’t let go. It’s not a book full of facts, listed one after the other, but rather follows Ronson on his journey to discover, well, psychopaths. You meet who he meets, and you ask the same questions he does. It was all super, super interesting. He writes with wit and a very conversational voice, something I certainly appreciate. It never seemed over academic and yet you still learn from what he’s saying.

One of the coolest things about the book is that it brings up the question of whether our leaders– business, political, religious, whatever– are psychopaths. You meet some bigwigs, and you’re made to think about how these people got up to the top. Through manipulation, ruthlessness, etc. It really makes you look at all those top people in our society and what they’re doing with their power and how they got there. This might be important to think about in our (US) upcoming election.

In addition to this, we learn about the characteristics of a psychopath. For instance: shallow emotions, lacking empathy, coldheartedness, egocentricity, superficial charm, manipulativeness, irresponsibility, impulsivity, parasitic lifestyles, promiscuity, among many others. After going through all these and meeting people with psychopathy, I began to wonder if I was a psychopath. Sure, I can be manipulative when I want; I am irresponsible; I am impulsive. The thing is though, if you think you might be a psychopath, you certainly aren’t one.

Another interesting tidbit, if you think you’ve got a psychopathic friend, take a picture of some mutilated face and show it to him or her. If they study it without disgust, they might in fact be a psychopath. If not, it’s highly doubtful. If they’re a doctor, I would probably take their scrutiny as professional interest.

Either way, if you’re looking for an indepth look at psychopaths, this might not be it, but it is fun, quick, and a super interesting read. I couldn’t wait to get back to it every night. I should say, don’t go around labelling your friends as psychopaths as the book is certainly not a diagnostic guide, nor should you get out your DSM-IV-TR and start diagnosing yourself with different psychological disorders. Read it for fun! I sure had fun while reading it, at least.

It’s that time again! Time for cider, pumpkin flavored treats, crunchy leaves, scarves, and RIP VII.

As many of you know, RIP VII is an awesome challenge event held over at Stainless Steel Droppings every fall, and it’s an event I look forward to every year. I haven’t been able to participate in the past few, so I am excited to join in again this year. Here’s the deal, word-for-word from the site:

The purpose of R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril VII is to enjoy books and movies/television that could be classified as:

Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark Fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.
Supernatural.

R.I.P. VII officially runs from September 1st through October 31st.

While I am able to participate, I don’t think I will be able to to the magnitude in which I participated in years past, so I am going to set my goal at:

Peril the Second : Read two books in the category.

Here is what I’m looking at choosing from:

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

The Likeness - Tana French

In Cold Blood - Truman Capote

The Last Werewolf - Glen Duncan

If you have any suggestions for some awesome RIP style books, let me know! Here are some I’ve read for past RIP events if you’re looking around for something to add to your list!:

The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins / The Haunting of Hill House – Shirley Jackson / The Monk – Matthew Lewis / Something Wicked This Way Comes – Ray Bradbury / Asylum – Patrick McGrath / We Have Always Lived in the Castle – Shirley Jackson / Neverwhere – Neil Gaiman / Come Along with Me – Shirley Jackson / The Strain – Guillermo del Toro / The Thirteenth Tale – Diane Setterfield / The Bone Doll’s Twin – Lynn Flewelling / The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde – RL Stevenson / Great Tales and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe / The Shining – Stephen King / Interview with the Vampire – Anne Rice / The Call of Cthulu and Other Weird Stories – HP Lovecraft / The Wolfen – Whitley Strielber / I Am Legend – Richard Matheson /

Iris Dupont, a budding journalist whose only confidant is the chain-smoking specter of Edward R. Murrow, feels sure she can break into the ranks of The Devil’s Advocate, the Party’s underground newspaper, and there uncover the source of its blackmail schemes and vilifying rumors. Some involve the school’s new science teacher, who also seems to be investigating the Party. Others point to an albino student who left school abruptly ten years before, never to return. And everything connects to a rare book called Marvelous Species. But the truth comes with its own dangers, and Iris is torn between her allegiances, her reporter’s instinct, and her own troubled past.

When walking through the library, I was at first drawn to the cover– it was bright, and since I am shallow, I judged the book by its cover. After picking it up, I read on the back that it was compared to The Secret History. Ye Gods! What is this miracle I see before my eyes? The Secret History?! Oh, how I loved that book! Here is another that has been branded in comparison? Onto my TBR pile it must be added!

Now, such a comparison is not necessarily a good thing– such a comparison holds a lot of weight and can totally ruin a perfectly good book just because the book it was compared to was that awesome. In my opinion, however, while The Year of the Gadfly isn’t going to stick with me like The Secret History did, it still did well on its own merit, and I really did try to shake the comparison to rate it on its own. Maybe not as much as I would’ve liked though.

Probably the biggest difference between the two is the voice and the… maturity level of said voice. While one might argue the maturity of the voice of TSH, one can’t deny that it is a mature read. It’s extremely well written and just more adult in nature. TYotG is a bit more juvenile. The main character is in high school, and the writing certainly takes a lighter tone– and it works for the story. It’s not as heavy as its comparison, and it doesn’t delve so much into the motives and psyches of all the players.

The Year of the Gadfly takes a quirky main character and transplants her into a Nancy Drew sort of role where she blunders along to find out the answers to the mystery– using a journalist’s voice of course. She is admirable, and I enjoyed watching her journey through the sordid past of not only herself but her new school as well. The story brings up some good topics– teen mental health, suicide, bullying, etc– and it’s a refreshing way to read about them.

I can’t say I am without criticisms, though. I found the read captivating, but like I said above, I am unsure of if I will remember it for very long. The plot moves along, but the twists, turns, and revelations are mediocre, IMHO. They keep one’s attention, and you want to know for sure that what you think it is, really is, but in the end, it leads to a glum pat on the back.

All in all, I enjoyed following Iris around and getting into all the adventures she had. I wanted to read more, but I think the comparison to The Secret History is a bit misleading– the only real connection is the private institution and the secret society. Oh, and murder and a classics wizard. Okay, maybe the comparison was just… in plot points. Maybe if a comparison to The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie was thrown in I would be more accepting. Anyways, I think it’s a good read with some important themes. Give it a go, but take it with a grain of salt if you’re a hardcore TSH fan.

In truth I’d been thinking about starting a diet blog for a while now, but after my little mishap, I’ve decided to just go for it. I am sort of… self-conscious about it, but I think keeping a diet blog will be good for me the long run. I was going to meld it into this blog, but I like the idea of keeping it separate. I plan on posting on that blog at least every Sunday to track my journey, but I also plan to post about recipes I like, things I learn, weight/health topics that interest me, etc.

If you are into dieting and health and all that, I hope you’ll visit me, and give some tips and advice. There really isn’t much up there yet as I only created it yesterday, but I hope you’ll stick around to see where it goes.

Ready? Click Here : A Diet Blog. Period.

In my last Life Update, I had been to a conference in Albuquerque, NM, down to New Orleans for a bit, and had made my way up to Virginia so I could get my car inspected. Well, after getting back to Louisiana from Virginia, I then headed to Florida for a family vacation.

My brother and I met up with one of his college friends that lives down there and went to the horse races. It was my first time ever going, and being the novice I am, disregarded all stats and chose by the names of the horses. It worked out pretty well- I think I made $5.

Most of the time, however, we just sat by the pool, getting a tan, and drinking pina coladas. It was a pretty great week.

After getting back from Florida, I almost immediately headed up to Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN to visit some of my friends. I was there for a long weekend, but we ended up packing a ton of stuff into that time. The above picture was taken on this river cruise thing down the Mississippi River.

My first night there, however, wasn’t spent on the Mississippi. We went to the Walker Art Museum which has this kinda open house thing once a month (I believe) where you get into the museum for free at night and are able to walk around until closing. It is a modern art museum, so it’s always… interesting to see those exhibits (especially after a few beers). It’s worth a look if you’re there… oh, and the cherry spoon thing is on the property.

We also had some pretty tasty grubs. This is some caramel cheesecake ice cream I got in St Paul after eating some goat cheese pizza at Punch Pizza.

Oh, here’s me with one of the friends I visited (I’m on the left!). And, yes, we do have the same sunglasses– not bought on purpose. We did some other fun stuff, too. We went river tubing down the Cannon River which was amazing! We just rented some tubes and a tube for an ice chest of beer and snacks and drifted down the river for 3 1/2 hours. BEAUTIFUL. We also went to a show and saw Best Coast, Those Darlins, and another band I forgot the name of. A pretty righteous time over all! This is also where I watched the opening ceremonies for the Olympics. I was slightly confused the whole time.

After Minnesota I made my way back to Virginia for my grandpa’s 75th birthday party. All my mom’s family came down to celebrate which was nice because it’s the first time we’ve all been together since 2008. It was also nice because my brother, master chef that he is, made some delicious foods like steamed shrimp.

And BBQ bacon wrapped shrimp. We did have more than shrimp of course. We had clams casino, steamed clams, hot dogs, hamburgers, sausage and peppers, caprese salad, ceviche, etc. etc. And the party lasted for, like, three days. Pretty great birthday celebration, if you ask me!

While I was up there I was also able to make my way up to Washington, DC to see some friends. On my way, though, I made a pit stop at my brother’s in rural Virginia around Richmond. It’s always nice to go out there because I get to see pretty views like the one above.

When in DC I met up with some friends and since we’ve all done the museums, monuments, Georgetown, etc, we decided to try something different. We first went to Chinatown (not pictured) then made our way to Dupont Circle. It’s a pretty great place to walk around, eat, shop, and most certainly people watch. There’s a park right in the middle of the neighborhood (pictured above) that is great to sit in around 5 or so to see all the work traffic walk by.

Dupont Circle is also home to a lot of the embassies, so it’s nice to walk around and look at all of the pretty buildings. I think the one pictured is the Colombian embassy.

Oh, and while in Chinatown, we went to the Portrait Gallery, but we weren’t feeling walking around a museum so we left. Pictured is the atrium inside the museum.

I then made my way back down to Virginia for my dad’s 2nd annual memorial golf tournament. It was a huge success. The weather was gorgeous– not a cloud in the sky and in the 80s, the people were generous, and the food (of course) was great. All the proceeds went to this kid with cancer whose family is having a hard time paying for treatments. My dad would be proud.

I finally made my way back to Louisiana not too long ago, and it’s nice not having to live out of a suitcase for a while! I got together with my friends before classes started and we played a creative game of Battleship.

We’ve also spent a good bit of time out at the marina. Which is gorgeous. Of course.

So, that’s been my life for July and August. Classes have started, and while I only have one (It’s to learn how to administer and score personality inventories. I am very excited to take the MMPI…), I have a ton of other stuff to do. I am working as a Graduate Assistant again this semester so I have those duties, I am working on my thesis, doing other research besides my thesis, and I’m applying for PhD programs. Definitely a plate full! With all this, though, I see my blogging getting even slower. I haven’t finished a book since I’ve been back home. We’ll see how it goes!

I’m still going to have fun, though. On the books I have two trips down to Baton Rouge to see some LSU football games– the first one being this upcoming weekend for the first of the season. I am also going to Voodoo Fest again this year. I guess I’ll tell you more about those in my next update.

Lordy, lordy, lordy. Read this one in one sitting (minus those trips for snacks, of course). I was drawn in almost immediately and it kept a hold of me throughout.

I was intrigued by the premise of the story, and I was glad that it worked out for me. I think it was an interesting idea that allowed for a fun story full of action, some romance, and some dystopian happenings. I realize that there have been problems with the story holding up– the introduction of a real story only 3/4ths of the way through, the flimsy facts, the overly naive Tris. With all that aside, though, the book is pretty great! Sure, the story doesn’t start until way into the book, but it’s okay! It was fun to read about the selection and the training Beatrice gets put through. Sure, the facts are flimsy and the suggested future is not really believable for our present society. Does it need to be? Sure, Tris is sometimes super naive. Read: inability to determine the identity of one of the other characters. Yeah, okay, that was definitely noticed by me, and normally I probably would’ve been annoyed, but I found it alright this time.

Divergent just worked for me. I was thoroughly entertained throughout and after finishing it I immediately wanted to read the next in the series. I do not look at it and think ‘what a great analyzation on our current state of affairs and suggestion of possible outcomes. how now, how now.’ But that’s okay! It was nice to read something fun. I get enough analyzation in my real life.

Oh! And for those who have read the book, what! The thing where they pump you full of some drug and make you fight through your fears? BALLIN. It definitely reminded me of this episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark? where these kids get locked in this room and I think Dr. Vink is in it and they have their darkest fears come out and I think Neve Campbell is in it. Anyways, I think I would definitely be Dauntless. It just seems awesome.