Currently Reading (2.28.11)

Water for Elephants
Sara Gruen

As a young man, Jacob Jankowski was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. It was the early part of the great Depression, and for Jacob, now ninety, the circus world he remembers was both his salvation and a living hell. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It was there that he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great gray hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and, ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.


I know this book was recently made into a movie. I don't know whether or not if it has been released in theaters yet. But I saw the preview and thought it looked like it would be a neat story. Once I found out it was an adaptation of the book, I knew I would wait to see the movie until after I read the book. I much prefer reading a book first. So, after finishing the Fever series, I wanted a break form both paranormal and series books. So this was my next choice. I will let you all know what I think when I am done.

What are you guys reading now?

Fever Series

So I just recently finished the "Fever" series by Karen Marie Moning...WOW!

Ideally, I would have liked to have done individual reviews on each of the books, but since I am not normally disciplined enough to take that kind of time in between such good books, I didn't. So I will provide my opinion on the series as a whole.

I LOVED them. The first book was interesting. It didn't exactly grab me by the neck and pull me into the story, but it was definitely interesting enough to read the second book. About halfway through the second book, I was thoroughly yanked into the books by a choke-hold and couldn't read fast enough. The characters are so detailed and interesting. There are mysteries you need to know the answer to. There are twists and turns that keep you guessing. Plus quite a shocker ending. If I could figure out how to implement the star rating system into my blog (any tips?) I would rate this series a 4.5 out of 5.

Darkfever
Bloodfever
Faefever
Dreamfever
Shadowfever

Definitely add these to your reading list if you dig paranormal/fantasy with a twist of romance genres.

Growing Sweet Peas (2.28.11)

I have to admit, I suffer from "Black Thumb Denial". I am fascinated by nurturing and watching things grow. However for some reason, the things I decide to start growing just have NO will to live what-so-ever. But I refuse to give up. After failing with both Orchids and Strawberries, I have decided to attempt to grow Sweet Pea flowers. I bought a seed pack from Wal-Mart for 1.00 and used the left over container and soil from my failed Strawberry project. (Hey, dead roots have to provide some type of fertilizer right??)
Anywhoo--I planted them on Mon Feb. 21st. The pack said it takes about 10-14 days until germination so I wasn't expecting much for about 2 weeks. Well yesterday I noticed 2 seeds have already sprouted and one more is just getting ready to break the surface. I am so stoked!

It has only been 7 days total. So I am crossing my finger for these babies. I planted 5 seeds in all. I have dreams of transporting them into larger pots and placing them by our front door. Or maybe planting them in our flower bed where Irises currently reside. We will see! Grow SweetPeas Grow!

If these are successful, I really want to start my own Herb Garden to make my own Herbal Teas. How fun would that be!

M-Edge Convertible Sleeve Review

Our Nook purchase left us pretty broke, so when I discovered that M-Edge was giving away covers for Christmas, I was really hopeful to win one. Well, I did! I won their Convertible Sleeve! I was so stoked. I immediately took pictures and did a video review. When I shot this video, I hadn't used the case for more than a day or two, so I don't think I was able to give it a fair review. So I will start by giving it a verbal review of what I think NOW after about 2+ months of use and put the video after it. I will create a new post with an updated video review of the sleeve later on.

Convertible Sleeve(CS) Review:
Let me be completely honest here right off the bat, the sleeve really isn't much to look at. I am a person who loves color and personalizing things. So the appearance really does nothing for me one bit. But fortunately, I am not one to get so hung up of appearance that I forgo the functionality aspect. I have a more expensive, more colorful Jonathan Adler Nook Cover. But I only use this M-Edge case and here is why...It is so slim! I have a small pocket on the outside of my purse that my Nook fits in with just a bit of wiggle room. When I put it in the CS, it is a perfect fit. The JA cover doesn't even have a chance at fitting in my purse. Plus the CS sleeve is so lightweight, it doesn't add any additional weight to the Nook. It is a bit cumbersome to have to remove the Nook completely then reinsert it into the corner holders. But I can live with that for now. I am a bit concerned though about the edges of the Nook wearing out those corner holders. When the nook is zipped up inside, I can pretty distinctly feel where the Nook stresses the holders. But so far I haven't had any actual issues. It has kept my Nook from scratches. If you watch the video, you hear where I mention that it is a bit awkward to hold, and it is at first. But I quickly grew accustomed to the feel of it and don't notice that awkwardness as much anymore.
I will definitely continue using this Sleeve until I find something that is just as slim and lightweight that has a bit more personality.

DecalGirl Skins

For Christmas last year, my wonderful Hubby decided to indulge my reading hobby by getting me a Nook sold by Barnes and Noble. (I plan on doing a full review/video of the Nook soon). I immediately began searching for ways to "beautify" my new gadget and continuously heard great things about DecalGirl skins. After spending several days trying to achieve the impossible by choosing just *one* skin, I finally decided on Cosmic Flower in Matte Finish. I was unable to find any videos of the application process for the Nook so I did one myself.

Let me just go on the record to say how awesome these skins are. The back doesn't quite extend all the way to the edges, which is my only complaint. The quality is great, it is still on there perfectly in-tact after 2+ months of pretty heavy use. The Matte Finish prevents fingerprints and reduces glare. I am still in love with the design I chose. I was a bit concerned about the busyness of the design, but once I start reading, I don't even notice it. Here a few photos as well:

I would definitely recommend DecalGirl products. If you buy something from them, you can always use the code "GIMME10" for 10% off. They also do alot of great coupons every few weeks. I will try to post them here for you all.

Just in case you were curious, here were the Runner-Ups:
Winter Sparkle
Blossoming Almond Tree
Spring's Sweet Song

I have had the intention of starting a blog for a while now. I even started making video reviews and everything for it. Well, I tend to have terrible follow-through and never got around to creating one...until now!

So! With that being said, I will begin my blog a bit retro-actively by posting several things that were intended to be posted longer ago than I would care to admit. Here goes!