The Maze Runner, but James Dashner.
It's the first part of a young adult trilogy. My sister Allison works in the youth section of the public library, and if anything good crosses her path she sends it my way. I laid down (by that I mean curled up in bed in the fetal position, thank you time of the month) and started this around 6 p.m. and read it straight through and finished around 9:30 or 10, so it's a pretty quick read.
It took me a few chapters to get a grip on what was going on, but by then I was hooked and couldn't stop even if I wanted to. The basic gist is a group of kids is stuck in the middle of a giant maze. They stay in the middle of the maze in a place called the Glade, and every day runners go out into the maze to try to map it so they can hopefully find a way out. A new kid joins the group once a month, and the newest addition, Thomas (protagonist) is very different from the rest. The ending is amazing.
I should never get hooked on a series unless the entire series has been published-unfortunately this is the only book that's out in this trilogy!
I just started Steven King's newest book, Under the Dome. I'm just a dozen or so pages in, and this book is quite the tome and should take me a bit. There are tons of holds on the book, so I have to have it finished by the 20th, so I have to hurry! So far it seems very like The Wall by Marlen Haushofer, but I shall see!
It's been so cold and snowy out lately that all I want to do after work is curl up in bed and read until it's lights out.
What are you reading right now?
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
I just finished reading....
Dark Places, by Gillian Flynn.
It was quite the page turner! I made the mistake of starting it last week when I got to St. Louis to visit with Ryan and his family, and this book made me want to be entirely anti-social until I finished it. The main character is Libby, who survived the massacre of her family when she was 7. The book is about her searching for her family's killer...and it is not at all who you'd think it is.
A lot of page turner/mystery/thriller books tend to be poorly written and on the trashy side, with a sleazy sex scene thrown in there for good measure (not all obviously, but many). This book was very well written, and the timeline that the author uses keeps you on your toes.
I highly recommend it, but only if you have a few days free to read it!
What are you reading right now?
It was quite the page turner! I made the mistake of starting it last week when I got to St. Louis to visit with Ryan and his family, and this book made me want to be entirely anti-social until I finished it. The main character is Libby, who survived the massacre of her family when she was 7. The book is about her searching for her family's killer...and it is not at all who you'd think it is.
A lot of page turner/mystery/thriller books tend to be poorly written and on the trashy side, with a sleazy sex scene thrown in there for good measure (not all obviously, but many). This book was very well written, and the timeline that the author uses keeps you on your toes.
I highly recommend it, but only if you have a few days free to read it!
What are you reading right now?
Garter Material
*Ryan, this concerns the garter which I know you'd like to be surprised about, so read no further please*
I was in St. Louis last week when I was laid off from work, and I made it to this amazing fabric store called Jackman's Fabrics. This place is like Mood from Project Runway or something, the selection was incredible.
I posted about a lovely garter I'd like to model mine after here, and I've been on the hunt for dotted swiss tulle. I hadn't been able to come close anywhere, not even online, but I knew I'd be able to find something at Jackman's. They have a really large selection of bridal trim, lace and fabrics, and now I know why lace dresses cost so much-they had some lace there that was $65 a yard! Anyway, they had this lovely sheer fabric that I think will work nicely:
It was $9/yard, and I got a half yard, which is wayyyy too much fabric, but I've never made a garter before or worked with elastic and I wanted to leave myself plenty of room for error.
I am doing the garter in the colors of a running team Ryan is on with some of his running friends. The team is called "Omega Falcon" and their colors are blue and orange. (Don't worry, they all have nicknames that go on their singlets...most of them have ninja names.) I want to incorporate the name Omega Falcon in there somehow, and I was thinking a personalized tag or something, but they are expensive, and you have to order a bunch. I might look into embroidering the name on the ribbon, which sounds really tricky. Or maybe I could get a piece of satin and cut it into a strip, hem it, and embroider on that.
Hopefully I can get on it this weekend, depending on if Ryan comes down or not. I just need to get some ribbon and/or satin, coordinating thread and elastic and I'll be good to go. Now that I have a kick *ss sewing machine, this should (hopefully) be a fun project!
Are you sewing anything for your wedding, or learning new skills?
I was in St. Louis last week when I was laid off from work, and I made it to this amazing fabric store called Jackman's Fabrics. This place is like Mood from Project Runway or something, the selection was incredible.
I posted about a lovely garter I'd like to model mine after here, and I've been on the hunt for dotted swiss tulle. I hadn't been able to come close anywhere, not even online, but I knew I'd be able to find something at Jackman's. They have a really large selection of bridal trim, lace and fabrics, and now I know why lace dresses cost so much-they had some lace there that was $65 a yard! Anyway, they had this lovely sheer fabric that I think will work nicely:
It was $9/yard, and I got a half yard, which is wayyyy too much fabric, but I've never made a garter before or worked with elastic and I wanted to leave myself plenty of room for error.
I am doing the garter in the colors of a running team Ryan is on with some of his running friends. The team is called "Omega Falcon" and their colors are blue and orange. (Don't worry, they all have nicknames that go on their singlets...most of them have ninja names.) I want to incorporate the name Omega Falcon in there somehow, and I was thinking a personalized tag or something, but they are expensive, and you have to order a bunch. I might look into embroidering the name on the ribbon, which sounds really tricky. Or maybe I could get a piece of satin and cut it into a strip, hem it, and embroider on that.
Hopefully I can get on it this weekend, depending on if Ryan comes down or not. I just need to get some ribbon and/or satin, coordinating thread and elastic and I'll be good to go. Now that I have a kick *ss sewing machine, this should (hopefully) be a fun project!
Are you sewing anything for your wedding, or learning new skills?
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Presently
When I was in 5th grade, my mom bought me a lovely aquamarine ring set in yellow gold. It fit for a couple years, but then languished in the depths of my jewelry box since it didn't fit and I didn't really wear yellow gold anymore.
Since our wedding colors are aqua and red, and I love aquamarines and this ring in particular, I've been wanting to get the ring redone for quite a while. I never got around to it, and I didn't even notice when the ring disappeared a while back. Ryan, with the help of my sister, smuggled the ring out of my house and had it dipped in a rhodium coating and re-sized. The new coating really sets of the stones, and it is so gorgeous.
I love it! It will definitely be a part of wedding-day ensemble, and I am blown away by Ryan's thoughtfulness.
Did you get any gifts lately that you are incorporating into your wedding?
Since our wedding colors are aqua and red, and I love aquamarines and this ring in particular, I've been wanting to get the ring redone for quite a while. I never got around to it, and I didn't even notice when the ring disappeared a while back. Ryan, with the help of my sister, smuggled the ring out of my house and had it dipped in a rhodium coating and re-sized. The new coating really sets of the stones, and it is so gorgeous.
I love it! It will definitely be a part of wedding-day ensemble, and I am blown away by Ryan's thoughtfulness.
Did you get any gifts lately that you are incorporating into your wedding?
Monday, January 4, 2010
Sheer Hotness
So Ryan took me shopping for boots for my Christmas present, and while we were boot shopping (I found the perfect pair of brown flat boots, they are SO cute) I kept my eyes open for red shoes for the wedding. Ryan discovered this discount shoe warehouse in St. Louis (It's right off Olive just after 170, PS). They have really great brands and the prices are amazing-they had a pair of Kate Spade heels for $100. While I was wrestling my way into a couple pairs of boots, Ryan found 2 pairs of red shoes that he brought me to try on. The first pair was pretty, but strappier than what I had in my head. The second pair took my breath away...
Love them!
They are tall my friends, but they have a little platform built into the bottom so your feet don't suffer too terribly. Unfortunately, I needed a 7 and they only had a 6.5 and a 7.5. I bought the 6.5, and I plan to walk around the house in them and look into shoe stretcher-thingies. They really aren't that much too small, but I am getting married in July, so I'd like a bit more wiggle room. They are Nina shoes and I haven't seen this style on the Nina website ever, so I'm thinking they are from a season or 2 ago. The grand total was under $60, including tax!
They are perfect, and I am so excited to cross that off my list. All thanks to Ryan, who spotted them! The timing was great, as my dress comes in a few weeks and I'll definitely need these for fittings!
What shoes are you wearing for your wedding?
PS: My friend Melissa got engaged this weekend! She's my only non-blogger friend who's engaged (thank goodness for you all, I'd go nuts if I didn't have people to talk wedding with!), and I can't wait to see how her wedding is going to turn out!
Love them!
They are tall my friends, but they have a little platform built into the bottom so your feet don't suffer too terribly. Unfortunately, I needed a 7 and they only had a 6.5 and a 7.5. I bought the 6.5, and I plan to walk around the house in them and look into shoe stretcher-thingies. They really aren't that much too small, but I am getting married in July, so I'd like a bit more wiggle room. They are Nina shoes and I haven't seen this style on the Nina website ever, so I'm thinking they are from a season or 2 ago. The grand total was under $60, including tax!
They are perfect, and I am so excited to cross that off my list. All thanks to Ryan, who spotted them! The timing was great, as my dress comes in a few weeks and I'll definitely need these for fittings!
What shoes are you wearing for your wedding?
PS: My friend Melissa got engaged this weekend! She's my only non-blogger friend who's engaged (thank goodness for you all, I'd go nuts if I didn't have people to talk wedding with!), and I can't wait to see how her wedding is going to turn out!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
I just finished reading...
O Pioneers!, by Willa Cather.
It was so good. I am a huge Willa Cather fan-she's like Little House on the Prarie for grown-ups. This was a pretty fast read, I think I did it in less than 24 hours. The book is wonderful and spans a hefty period of time. The book is all about a woman named Alexandra who inherits her father's farm. She goes on to be very successful, and you get to see the change of the land from unsettled prarie to prosperous farmland. Willa details the different groups that inhabit the area, such as Bohemian and French settlers, which is interesting-something you don't necessarily hear a lot about. Willa's books are wonderful snapshots of a period of time I love reading about. The ending isn't entirely happy, and a touch on the melodramatic side, but it sort of ends well.
What are you currently reading? Are you a Willa Cather or Laura Ingalls Wilder fan?
Lots of News
I just got back from 4 1/2 days in St. Louis and I have soooo much to tell you! I found red shoes for the wedding, the fabric for my garter, Ryan gifted me a lovely piece of jewelry and my friend Melissa got engaged! Sorry to take such a break, there will be lots of blogging this week about all of the above!
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