The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Title: The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Author: Carrie Ryan

Publisher: Delacorte Press 2009

Genre: Young Adult, Zombies

Pages: 310

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; May Read and Review; Zombies

In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

Wow! I am so in awe of this book. A story of faith, hope, loss, dreams, terror. I practically read it in one sitting. I would have if I didn't have to do things like sleep, eat, shower, and take care of my children. As it was, it took me two days to finish. I couldn't get through the pages fast enough.

My mother used to tell me about the ocean. She said there was a plcace where there was nothing but water as fara as you could see and that iw as always moving, rushing toward you and then away.

The first line hooked me. I hadn't been told what happened or who the characters were, but I knew this was going to be a story of hope and loss. And the book didn't fail to disappoint. This was one of those books where I put myself completely into the world, into the main character. I was Mary sitting in her village wondering, dreaming of the ocean. What was it like? Where was it? Was it just fleeting dream? What would it mean to leave the safety of the village? Then I continued with Mary's journey, while the safety of the village is compromised, when her faith in her family is tested, where she goes after. I couldn't wait to find out if she was safe or still in danger.

The novel creates this moody atmosphere. The forest is a living thing and not only because it is home to the Unconsecrated. It's also a breathing entity surround the village and subsequent areas. It seems neverending, always there, always growing. I loved stepping into Ryan's world.

I now see why everyone in the blogosphere was raving about this book. It has earned a place in my Top 10 of 2011. Thankfully I picked up the next book, The Dead-Tossed Waves, so I can dive into it tonight. The book had such an affect on me that it invaded my dreams. I woke up last night out of a dream and felt inspired to write. The resulting story will appear on Friday. Tell me what you think about. Until then, I am off to finish the chores o the night so I can get back to reading.

Forest of Hands and Teeth

#0.4 What We Once Feared
#0.5 Hare Moon
#1 The Forest of Hands and Teeth
#2 The Dead-Tossed Waves
#3 The Dark and Hollow Places
#3.5 The Dead and Empty World

Top Ten Tuesday: Places to See Before I Die

I was having a hard time coming up with 10 Favorite Minor Characters, so I'm doing another me Top Ten. This week: My Top Ten Places to See Before I Die. I hope to do a "Dream Vacation" post for each of these, but getting some great pictures and finding some great places of interest may take a while. So here's a little list to spark my imagination. In no particular order: 1. Greece -- The History, the Culture, the Food, the Mystery, the Alcohol. How could I not got to Greece and see the cradle of our Western Civilization? I want to see Athens, but also the small villages and islands off the mainland. This would be a great honeymoon!

2. Grand Canyon -- I feel like I must see this natural wonder. I know it's a huge hole in the ground, but the scale is so massive, I just can't truly picture it in my mind.

3. Italy -- I want the wine and the sun and the food.

4. Alexandria, Egypt -- The shining city of ancient times. I would love to see where the Nile empties into the Mediterranean, where Alexander the Great planned the jewel of his empire, where the lighthouse and library once stood.

5. Ireland -- Those green rolling hills call to me and I'm not even Irish!

6. Barcelona, Spain -- Ever since taking Spanish in high school, I've wanted to visit this coastal city known for its food. Plus it would be fun to actually try out my Spanish.

7. Austrailia (probably Sydney) -- The Land Down Under just seems like a great place to visit.

8. Turkey -- The mix of Western and Eastern culture intrigues me. Plus great food and music!

9. Morocco -- Another interesting mix of African and Muslim cultures creating a whole new city.

10. San Francisco, California -- Yeah, Yeah I've already been here, but I would love to go again. I absolutely adored the city when I vacationed there a couple of years ago. I would love to revisit all my favorite spots and hit some of those places that I missed.

Where do you want to go?

Once Bitten, Twice Dead by Bianca D'Arc

Title: Once Bitten, Twice Dead

Author: Bianca D'Arc

Publisher: Brava 2010

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Pages: 293

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; May Read and Review; Zombies

So take a contemporary romance (complete with fairly graphic sex scenes) and combine it with a zombie action/adventure... interesting concept. And yet, I felt this story was poorly executed. I picked this up from the library thinking that a combo of romance and zombies would be fun. Unfortunately I didn't buy either aspect.

The love story was predictable. The two main characters hop into a sexual relationship within the first two days of meeting each other. The characters separately were okay, but nothing so great. Why is it that every woman in this romance books has had a bad relationship that causes her to hesitate (for a fraction of a second, but in her mind the entire book) getting involved with the male character? Can we have any other type of female character, please? And I am so sick of these books ending with the characters telling each other "I love you" and more often than that becoming engaged and/or getting married. I would like to read a more complicated (and real) relationship. I want to see two people actually get to know each other. This is why I love Jane Austen. Her romances (even being set in the early 1800s) feel more like real relationships than these modern romances. I sometimes feel that these novels were written solely for the sex scenes. Sort of like how many people watch porn just for the sex scenes and fast forward through anything that could be called plot. Is it so hard to have a good story that happens to have a few good sex scenes? Please someone give me some ideas...

As to the zombie storyline, I felt it was an afterthought. It was like we needed something to get these two characters together, so how about a mad scientist letting zombies loose? These zombies are supposedly a laboratory creation with the intent of creating an army. How many times have I read that story? Very rarely is it excuted well and that's without a romance plot. The mad scientist was predictable. The zombie attacks were predictable. The suspense was nonexisant. I like my zombie books to be truly disturbng (see Autumn) or lots of fun (see Pride and Prejudice and Zombies trilogy). Zombies as an afterthought better be prefaced by a great storyline and characters.

This book just didn't catch me at all. I was bored halfway through, but skimmed through the rest for the action/zombie scenes hoping that somethng would get better. Nope, pretty disappointing. Once finishing, I found out that the books is part of a trilogy. I had picked those up from the library to read, but think I'm going to skip them for something more interest.

If you want to read a good romance/zombie book, pick up Married with Zombies and Flip This Zombie by Jesse Petersen (1-2 of The Living Dead trilogy, 3rd comes out later this year). David and Sarah are a great real couple who fight their way through the zombie apocaplypse.

Next up: The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Heard great things about this zombie young adult novel, so I bumped it up my reading list.

Guardians of the Dark (DNFed series)

#1 Half Past Dead (with Zoë Archer)
#2 Once Bitten, Twice Dead
#3 "Smoke On The Water" in The Beast Within
#4 A Darker Shade of Dead
#5 Dead Alert

Music Monday - Bon Jovi "You Give Love a Bad Name"

This past Saturday, I went out with a few friends to see a local 80s cover band. They dress in spandex, play great music, and engage in crazy antics (you can see pics of them on my birthday post). It's the perfect bar band. Among my favorite songs that they cover is Bon Jovi "You Give Love a Band Name." So, I'm going back to a classic. I absolutely love this song. It's the perfect song to sing at the top of your lungs while dancing around crazy. I've seen the band so many times that I can actually call the songs based on how they prepare to start. Scary, I know. But so much fun. Going home from the bar, I had my iPOD on shuffle (that's 3500 songs shuffling) and randoming this song actually came up. Perfect! I was going to put the lyrics, but really who doesn't know this song? Instead enjoy a video!

Live from London 1995

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus Vol. 2-3

Title: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus Vol. 2

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics 2007

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 318; 302

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; May Read and Review

More fun volumes. I've loved going back through the Buffy years and adding to the journey. It's been a great look back. Unfortunately it's been a few years since I watched the entire series (even though I own all the series, plus the movie, plus the entire Angel series). I've had to think "What happened during season 2 or season 3?" Once I reminded myself, it was great to read the comics. Some are more related to specific episodes than others. I really loved the little inside jokes embedded in the comics, references to specific episodes, allusions to story arcs. I loved every page.

I wanted to read Volume 4, but the local library (one of the best libraries in the country. that's not just me talking, they've been chosen) somehow doesn't have it. Instead, I think I'll just have to skip Volume 4 and move on to Volume 5. Maybe I can pick up some of the other stand alones to tide me over.

Mr. Darcy's Decision by Juliette Shapiro

Title: Mr. Darcy's Decision

Author: Juliette Shapiro

Publisher: Ulysses Press 2008

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 206

Rating: 4/ 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; May Read and Review; Historical Fiction

A sequel to Pride and Prejudice that didn't disappoint. I'm always leery of "sequels" and "companions" and "prequels" and etc for Austen novels. often they come off cheap and way too modern. This is Jane Austen, master of the Regency time period, we are trying to emulate. Now there are some Austen reimagings and companions that I do like. See Riglerand Hale.

So I came into this novel with some trepidation. And I was pleasantly surprised. Shapiro sounds like Austen. The tone, the sentence construction, the characters are all there. I really did feel like I was reading a lost Austen novel. The continuation of the story of Elizabeth and Darcy went just how I could have imagined it. (And I often think about how the story would continue after the end of the written book) The characters grew, but didn't grow away from their hearts. A great read, full of Austen goodness! Definitely recommend.

BTT: Age-Appropriate

Do you read books “meant” for other age groups? Adult books when you were a child; Young-Adult books now that you’re grown; Picture books just for kicks … You know … books not “meant” for you. Or do you pretty much stick to what’s written for people your age?

I hate the age categories. Instead of looking at these incredibly arbitrary distinctions, we should be looking at reading levels and interests. When I was in elementary school, those books that were deemed "age-appropriate" for me were way too easy and stupid. I started reading "teen" and "adult classic" books. And I turned out just fine. My teachers even encouraged me to read books above my age level. I like the reading level classifications for children's books. They give people a much better idea as to the strength of the vocabulary. But once a person gains enough vocabulary to read most things, why are we going to pigeon hole him or her into an arbitrary category? Don't

I pick up just about anything that looks interesting. I read picture books. I read independent readers (one of my favorite all time books is From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler). I read Young Adult. I read adult classics. I read pulp fiction. I read romance. I read science fiction. I read Christian fiction. I read horror. I read mystery. I read cook books. I read media related books. I read history books. I read textbooks (mostly to spot the inaccuracies). I read science books. Should I go on? My point is that age categories are crap. It's more about the quality of the book. Is it well-written? Does it sound interesting to you? Then read it.

Quote Wednesday -- Brancusi

"Don't look for obscure formulas or mystery in my work. It is pure joy that I offer you." -- Constantin Brancusi

I am absolutely loving that I can look back at all the books that I've read since November. I can see how my reading ebbs and flows. I can see my wild genre swings. It's like a personal reading diary, but public. I love seeing all the comments from people (those I've met in person and those I haven't met, they're all great!).

Taking a look at my reading, I've noticed something: I read some crap! I haven't picked up anything that could be classified as "High literature." And that's okay. Because the books I've read, whatever the genre, bring me joy. I love reading whether it's children's literature (Hello Percy Jackson! Love you!) or Christian fiction (At the Scent of Water, anyone?) or zombie schlock (A Zombie's History of the United States) or contemporary romance (Under Cover). I love it all. There's no deeper meaning to these books. I don't have to ponder over the intent of the author. I don't have to read a critical review of the book to understand. I just read them and love the stories. I love the characters. I love the settings. I love the books for the joy that they bring me. So up next Love Finds You in Treasure Island, Florida, just for a light romance. That's it. Just for joy!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus Vol. 1

Title: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus Vol. 1

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics 2007

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 318

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; May Read and Review

Very excited about this one. Somehow, throughout the years of loving Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I never got around to reading the comics/graphic novels. Well, I finally started. I decided to try and read them chronologically according to the series. That means going with each numbered Omnibus. Volume 1 starts with The Origin story. You know, the one detailed in the crazy Kristi Swanson/Luke Perry movie. I'll admit that I liked the movie, as cheesy as it is, but the TV series blows it out of the water. Thankfully the comic follows Joss Whedon's original screenplay and feels a lot more like the tone of the TV show. We also get a Spike and Dru story from 1933 and a fun little interlude featuring Dawn (my least favorite character, but whatever). The volume ends with bridging the gap between movie and TV show. We see Buffy in Las Vegas with Pike and then shipped off to a mental institution. We also get information about how Giles became her Watcher. I love how the comics add extra information about the Buffyverse, but aren't dependent on watching the TV series. Great stories, great art, great fun! Loved it! Now on to Volume 2 (season 1).

Top Ten Tuesday: Jerks in Literature

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten listsEach week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. If you can't come up with ten, don't worry about it---post as many as you can!

This week the topic is "Top Ten Jerks in Literature." Looking through literature, there are definitely a lot of jerks. But I thought I would highlight jerks from my favorite author. Here are my picks for Jerks in Jane Austen's Literature:

1. George Wickham from Pride and Prejudice - Can't hate him enough! He interest Elizabeth, but his duplicitous nature just gets me. He manages to deceive everyone and make Mr. Darcy look bad for holding onto his principles. And then, he runs away with Lydia, but doesn't actually want her. Makes me so angry!

2. Mr. William Elliot from Persuasion - He seems so nice when Anne meets him. The heir to Kellynch, but such a gentleman. A breath of fresh air from the ongoing does he or doesn't he of Wentworth. I really liked Mr. Elliot. I thought he would be a good match for Anne. And then we find out that he has a mistress on the side and definitely has eyes for the estate. That two-timing bastard!

3. Henry Crawford from Mansfield Park - The icky icky lothario with eyes on Maria, and then Julia, and finally Fanny. I can't believe Fanny fell for this guy! Definitely not a surprise when we hear that he runs away with Maria, a married woman!

4. Mr. Elton from Emma - A man of the cloth! For shame sir! To treat Emma so kindly, then spurn her for that dreadful Augusta when Emma denies you! You are a icky icky guy!

5. Frank Churchill from Emma - Another two-faced man. Flirting with Emma, making her feel liked she's the only one, and then finally, revealing your engagement to Jane Fairfax. And we're supposed to forgive you in the end? I think not. I also think Jane should dump you after how you behaved towards her. For shame!

6. John Willoughby from Sense and Sensability - Another love 'em and leave 'em ladies man. Romancing Marianne while having multiple ladies on the side. I see how you are. Thankfully he showed his true color and Colonel Brandon never left her side. Marianne deserves a man who can take a strong lead. Willoughby is too much a coward to do so.

7. Mr. Collins from Pride and Prejudice - A boring, slightly gross, high reacher. He wants a Bennett woman just because they are pretty. Jane's taken, so he moves onto Elizabeth. And then he plans to marry off the rest of the girls to his good-for-nothing brothers. And all the time, he's under the influence of Lady Catherine! Every time I read about Elizabeth denying him, I do a mental happy dance at her strength. And every time I read about Charlotte Lucas marrying him, I cry a little at her fate. It seems so unfair!

8. John Thorpe from Northanger Abbey - A good-looking guy. The brother of a (supposed) new friend. How isn't he a catch? Oh yeah, he has no standards or morals. Thanks goodness Catherine saw the deficiencies in Thorpe and choose Mr. Tilney (my second favorite Austen hero! Captain Wentworth is #1).

9. Tom Bertram from Mansfield Park - A guy who's only interested in drinking, gambling, and women. Sounds like a few I know!

10. Mr. Rushworth from Mansfield Park - A spineless wonder! I almost feel sorry for Maria, but then again, she was only marrying him for his money and status. And then she runs off with Crawford. I kind of feel sorry for Rushworth, but then again, he was too stupid and silly to notice the ambitions of his wife. No excuse sir!

Bonus 11. Edward Ferrars from Sense and Sensibility - Yeah, yeah, he's supposed to be one of the heroes, but I can't stand him. He's so spineless, I just can't see how Elinor could love him. He flirts and makes an attachment with her when he knows there's an understood engagement with another women. Such a cad! Definitely my least favorite of the romantic leads. Colonel Brandon shows Edward up at every turn. I would much rather take him than Edward!

xkcd Love!

I absolutely love xkcd. It publishes Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Some days the science behind the posts really does go over my head. Other days, it's just right. Like Monday's post. I found something so true and pointed in this post. All of you feminist/scientist/historians/etc out there... Enjoy! And check out the website for back comics, products, and general geeky fun! xkcd

The Living Dead 2 edited by John Joseph Adams

Title: The Living Dead 2

Edited by: John Joseph Adams

Publisher: Night Shade Books 2010

Genre: Zombies

Pages: 496

Rating: 4 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; May Read and Review; Zombies

Another day, another anthology. But this one features my favorite: ZOMBIES! According to the editor, John Joseph Adams, this anthology gives the newest of the new running the full spectrum of stories. It definitely delivered. I loved so many of these stories. I like almost all of the stories. I only disliked a couple. Out of 43, I would say 40 were enjoyable. That is quite a score for an anthology.

Here were my absolute favorites:

Seth Lindberg "Twenty-Three Snapshots of San Francisco" -- Interesting way to show live before and after the zombie apocalypse. I connected with the characters without them ever speaking. Great concept! Really hit home. Loved it.
Karina Sumner-Smith "When the Zombies Win" -- What would the world be like after the zombies win (and they will, don't kid yourself, they won't stop)? According to Sumner-Smith, it's a pretty depressing place. A philosophical look at the world. I like it.
David Wellington "Good People" -- Classic survivor tale set in the desert in a motel. A group goes out to check out the surrounding area. This is going to well, right? Watch out for the twist at the end. A character finally realizes the definition of "good people." Instant classic!
Brian Keene "Lost Canyon of the Dead" -- Zombies, cowboys, and dinosaurs.... need I saw more?
Cherie Priest "Reluctance" -- Set in the same world as Boneshaker (which I own, but haven't read yet. steampunk fun!) during the American Civil War. Classic story with a steampunk twist.
Bret Hammond "Rural Dead" -- How would the Amish deal with the zombie apocalypse? Hammond tries to answer with a great short story.

Loving me some zombies this week. But this book definitely took me longer to read than I anticipated. I need to be more focused in my reading. I am going to commit myself to reading at least 1 hour day. Hopefully that will get me back on track. Next up: I'm thinking a romance. As much as I love zombies, I think I need a bit of a break after 43 zombie stories.

Music Monday - Imogen Heap "Hide and Seek"

I spent all car ride to the coffeehouse trying to think of a song for Music Monday. Should I go current, past? Should I go singer songwriter, hard rock, country? And then I walked into the shop and Imogen Heap "Hide and Seek" was playing. Perfect! Love it so much! I can't recall when I first heard Imogen Heap. It was probably about five years ago or so. I might have first heard her on the OC Soundtrack. Or possibly The Last Kiss Soundtrack. However I ran across it, I instantly loved her. The voice. So weird, yet amazing. The style. Even more weird, yet even more amazing.

Lyrics:

Where are we? What the hell is going on? The dust has only just begun to fall, Crop circles in the carpet, sinking, feeling. Spin me round again and rub my eyes. This can't be happening. When busy streets a mess with people would stop to hold their heads heavy.

Hide and seek. Trains and sewing machines. All those years they were here first.

Oily marks appear on walls Where pleasure moments hung before. The takeover, the sweeping insensitivity of this still life.

Hide and seek. Trains and sewing machines. (Oh, you won't catch me around here) Blood and tears, They were here first.

Mmm, what you say? Mm, that you only meant well? Well, of course you did. Mmm, what you say? Mm, that it's all for the best? Because it is. Mmm, what you say? Mm, that it's just what we need? And you decided this. Mmm what you say? What did she say?

Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth. Mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cut-outs. Speak no feeling, no I don't believe you. You don't care a bit. You don't care a bit.

You don't care a bit. You don't care a bit. You don't care a bit. You don't care a bit. You don't care a bit.

Of course, the real music video is through Vevo and won't embed. But I found this great live performance! Enjoy a quiet Music Monday...

House Hunting Blues - Random Writing #1

I've been wanting to starting a weekly creative writing post. I figured I would start today since I couldn't think of an answer to the Booking Through Thursday question. So here's my first:

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Hunting for their perfect house was supposed to... one of the milestones of adult life. Right? I mean that's what we're all taught from an early age. The American dream: graduate high school, graduate college, get a great job, find that perfect someone, get married, buy a house, have children, live happily ever after. That's I what I thought. I had my perfect job, my perfect husband, my perfect house, my perfect children all imagined in my head. And then reality sat in.

Mike and I met with a realtor. A nice lady named Susan. She was excited that we came with reasonable expectations of what our budget would buy. She called us two days later with 5 showings. "You're lucky!" she tells us. "All five homes just came on the market this week. You'll be among the first to see them. I think we might have a winner here." So Mike and I cleared our schedules and prepped for the hunting to begin. To say we were excited was an understantement. We were practically jumping up and down with antiicpation.

First House: A nice little three bedroom two bath in a great neighborhood. I fell in love with the Spanish style architecture. Mike argued that the yard was way too small. Okay I can see that, but the house was in budget and in amazing condition. Oh well, there are more...

Second House: A classic 1950s style ranch. God it looked just like the Brady Bunch house. Mike thought it had potential. Yeah potential for me to have a heart attack from the stress of remodeling. I don't think so.

We'd been at it all morning and now it was lunch time. We really should have stopped for food, but the adrenaline was still pretty high. So we continued. In hindsight, this was where everything started going horribly wrong.

Third House: A two bedroom condo with no yard, but amazing view. I loved, loved, loved it. Mike thought it just wouldn't do. "We're going to have six kids. How are they going to fit in here?" SIX KIDS!?!?!?! When the hell did I ever agree to that? I was thinking two kids, tops! Right there in the newly refurbished kitchen with stainless steel appliances, Mike and I argued about how many kids we wanted to have. How did we never have this conversation? We left that house not speaking. But there were still two to go. And I was determined to find the perfect house.

Four House: Classic three bedroom 60s two story. Nice sized yard. Newly remodeled interior. I loved it. Classic. Great neighborhood. Nice yard. There's even space for my craft room. "Craft room?" says Mike. That space is going to be my house gym. "House gym? When do you ever workout? When you come home from work, all I see you do is sit on the couch and watch tv." "Well, you never craft! When have you ever made anything in your life. All you do is sit next to me on the couch and watch tv." All of this in front of the realtor. I'm sure she had her own opinion, but thankfully she kept it to herself. I think we went on for about 15 minutes, but who keeps track of time during an argument.

Fifth House: I barely even remember this house. I think it was brown.

Mike and I continued the gym vs. craft room argument into the car ride over. Somewhere it chnaged into a discusion of our various mothers. I think I thanked the realtor for the showings. I might have told her we would be in touch. We arrived home, hungry and pissed. I went to the bedroom and laid down. I think Mike sat on the couch. We stayed like that for most of the afternoon. I recall eventually emerging for food (leftover Chinese). And then I went to bed. Mike slept on the couch. Who knew house hunting could end a marriage? Definitely not me. I thought it was going to be one of the best days of my life. Guess I should rethink that whole American Dream thing, huh?

Quote Wednesday - Chanel

Fashion passes, style remains. -- Coco Chanel

I love shopping. I love clothes. I love dressing up. But what is my style?

I'm 29 years old and sometimes I get really confused when it comes to style. How should I dress? Where should I shop? Does this outfit make me look 15 or 40 or my actual age? I think I've reached the time in my life where clothes become very confusing. And I don't like it... Maybe a style journey into my past might help.

As a child of the late 1980s and early 1990s, I wore some truly ugly clothing. Bicycle shorts, neon shirts, hairsprayed big hair, scrunchies, etc. If it was fashionable, I wore it. Except dresses. I've always hated wearing dresses. Once I got to high school, my style was all over the place. I could wear a polo and nice jeans one day and the next show up in goth/punk complete with vinyl pants and concert tee. College turned me into a tshirt and jeans kind of girl. I lived in them. Why dress up if you're going to roll out of bed and stumble to class? Just not worth it. Working during college, I had the required Shoe Carnival and Best Buy uniforms of khaki pants and work polo. And then I had to do student teaching. What does a 23 year old student teacher wear? Do I dress like I'm 40 to give the illusion of professionalism? Do I wear what I want to wear and run the risk of having the same outfit as a student? I think I did a little of both. I know I wore some ugly "teacher clothes" some days. And some days I really did show up in clothes my high schoolers were wearing. It was a confusing time.

Once I actually obtained a teaching job, I tried create a real, professional wardrobe. I didn't get just pieces willy nilly. I treated to coordinate. I thought I did a pretty good job. A lot of it was bought from the Goodwill which gave me a lot of clothes for not much money. Unfortunately, used clothing doesn't last that long and many pieces had to be thrown out within two years. I thought I dressed fairly well during my teaching.

Now, I am out of a job. I have been living in tees and jeans. I try to dress nicely, but many days I fall back on standbys. I don't have a dress code. I just wear whatever. But I don't want to just be a tees and jeans kind of person. And soon I will need to get a job. The kind of job determines my wardrobe. What if I get a job as an executive secretary? I don't have anything that would work. What if I get a job in retail? Stuck in uniform land, gross! I don't know where to go with my style right now. I'm in that weird in between age. Too old to shop at Charlotte Russe, but too young (and broke) to shop at Banana Republic. I guess I'll continue to buy my clothes from Target (Merona line) and H&M and Old Navy and sometimes Forever 21. If' I'm dressing too young or too old, please tell me. Because I can't really figure it out!

Top Ten Tuesday: Happy Recommendations

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten listsEach week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. If you can't come up with ten, don't worry about it---post as many as you can!

This week the topic is "Top Ten Books that Were Recommended to Me." Now this is supposed to be recommendations from book bloggers, but I've only been writing and following for a few months now. So I thought I would do my top ten based on people recommendations, specifically my friends.

1. The Awakening by Kate Chopin - My high school English teacher recommended this book for my hour-long presentation in American literature. I wanted to do Huckleberry Finn, but she convinced me that I would love this book. I reluctantly agreed, read it, and absolutely loved it! It's become my favorite book of all time. Edna's struggle really hit home and pushed me into reading more about women's struggles. I eventually majored in Women's Studies with emphasis on women in U.S. history and women and religion. And it was all because of a recommendation in high school.

2. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon - C knew I would love this book and forced me to read it. Okay, okay, I read it completely under my own power, but C can be pretty persuasive when she wants to be. I absolutely loved the mix of romance, adventure, and history. I read this during a few reenacting events (I am a part of Seven Years War living history). It felt perfectly natural to be reading about 18th century Scotland dressed in 18th century clothing! I started the second book, but somehow strayed away. I am resolved to read the entire series this July as part of my reading challenges. And did you hear? Supposedly a movie version is being made! Very excited!

3. At the Scent of Water by Linda Nichols - Another C recommendation. Our local coffeehouse has a borrowing library shelf. C read it and then gave it to me read. And it was amazing. I cried so hard reading this book. Happy and sad tears.

4. Watchmen by Alan Moore and David Gibbons - J has been encouraging me to read graphic novels/comics. This was one that he told me I would like. I guess he really knows me, because I loved it. Just finished it and rewatched the movie to complete the week.

5. Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer - I didn't really have any interest in reading the series when everyone else was. I thought it was just a silly teenage melodrama. After being forced into starting a book club at my school (requiring clubs without interest from students is a disaster waiting to happen), a few of my students and I started talking about books that we loved. Overall, they were reading a lot of young adult paranormal fiction. I was squarely in the American classics camp. After finding out that I hadn't read the series, they brought me the books and basically demanded that I read them. I ended up reading the entire series in about a week! I loved it! They were beautiful and stupid all at the same time. It was such a departure from my usual reading.

6. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory - I'm pretty sure this was a recommendation from my friend B. She was a history major in college and really got into historical fiction. Its been a few years, but I remember seeing the book out and about, but for whatever reason not reading it. Then B told me that I had to read it. And I loved it. Haven't' gotten around to Gregory's other books, but they are definitely on my list.

7. Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser - Another high school English teacher recommendation. She thought I would like this after my love of The Awakening. It's become on of my favorite classics. I definitely like early 1900 American authors. Is it any wonder that my favorite time periods in U.S. History are urbanization and the progressive era?

Well, it seems I can't think of any more. Looking back, I'm often the one recommending books. Of all my friends, I probably read the most, so I usually get to books first. Since starting to follow various bloggers, I now have a list of recommended books. But, I haven't gotten to them yet. Hopefully soon!

Music Monday - The Offspring "Smash"

Caution: This post is rated R for language!

It's the first Monday of the month. Happy May! I thought I would do something a little different today. Usually I highlight an artist that I'm currently loving. And usually they are fairly new. Today, I would like to highlight one of my high school favorites: The Offspring. Specifically "Smash." Back in the late 90s, I was in high school. To kick start our day (I took various people to and from school) I made a mix tape (yes an actual mix tape) with our favorite "get up and moving" songs. Track #1 was The Offspring "Smash." The title track from their 1994 album came into my life somewhere around 1997, and I instantly loved it. The general teen angst, hard guitars, and sing-a-long lyrics. Everything I wanted in high school. You probably wouldn't know it from my earlier Music Monday posts, but back in high school (and really even now) I had a love of crazy rock. I actually saw The Offspring in Indianapolis around 2000 (can't remember the exact date, but I'm pretty sure I was at Ball State). It was definitely after the Americana album. They were so funny! Definitely didn't expect that but loved it all the same Enjoy my trip down memory lane!

Extra video: "Bad Habit" live at the Billboard Awards 1994. Another mix tape entry. Love how they changed the words for the broadcast. Pretty funny if you know the actual song! In retrospect, singing this, windows down, driving my 1998 Hyundai Accent is absolutely hilarious!

P.S. Did you know that Dexter Holland has a Master's in Molecular Biology from USC? Crazy smart!

Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

Title: Watchmen

Author: Alan Moore

Publisher: DC Comics 1995

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 416

Rating: 5 / 5 stars

Reading Challenges: Support Your Local Library; April Read-a-Thon; Page to Screen

Another graphic novel... or is this a trade paperback? Okay all you geeky people, feel free to correct me. I saw the movie before I read the book, but I really did want to read the book.

The novel: Different characters narrate different chapters. This gives a greater insight to those who tend to be one dimensional on screen. For example, Dr. Manhattan seems like a tool until I read chapter IV: Watchmaker. Moore lets us see the conflicts inside Jon even when others don't understand. We actually get a sense of seeing all of time as one. Brilliant! My favorite quote:

Perhaps the world is not made. Perhaps nothing is made. Perhaps it simply is, has been will always be there... A clock without a craftsman.

Beyond the characters, I loved the inclusion of excerpts from Hollis' book. The movie mentions it, and we see much of the past through flashbacks, but I loved hearing him telling it. We see the rise and fall of the superheroes along with the rise and fall of the country. It makes so much more sense with the bit of history.

The movie: I watched the movie right after it came out, but decided to watch it again after reading the novel. The rewatch affirmed that I really did like the movie. I just understand it a bit more after reading the novel. The visuals are stunning. I loved the colors, the music (it's in the book, but in quotes), the costumes. Seeing everything come to life in a slightly nonrealistic way was a highlight. Overall I think Zak Snyder did a good job bringing Watchmen to life.

April 2011 Wrap-Up

Books Read and Reviewed (20 books)

The Amaranth Enchantment - Julie Berry
Fables: Legends in Exile - Bill Willingham
Unusual Suspects
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After - Steven Hockensmith
Fables: Animal Farm - Bill Willingham
The Mammoth Book of Time Travel Romance
Bad Boys with Expensive Toys - Nancy Warren, MaryJanice Davidson, Karen Kelley
Fables: Storybook Love - Bill Willingham
Bad Boys with Red Roses - Janelle Denison, Sharon Cullars, Tina Donahue
Coraline: The Graphic Novel
Hungry for Your Love
No Rest for Witches
V for Vendetta -Alan Moore and David Lloyd
Death's Excellent Vacation
Love FInds You in Pendleton, Oregon - Melody Carlson
A Taste of True Blood - Leah Wilson
The Titanic Awards - Doug Lansky
Love Finds You in Sisters, Oregon - Melody Carlson
Watchmen - Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
Watchmen and Philosophy: A Rorschach Test - Mark White (review coming)

Current Read

The Living Dead edited by John Joseph Adams

Books I Won!!!

Night of the Necromancer by Kyle West and Jelani Sims- from vvb32

Books I Gave Up On (1 books)

Notes from a Spinning Planet: Ireland - Melody Carlson

Books Bought (9 books)

Borders closing sale (I can't resist):

Allison Hewitt is Trapped - Madeleine Roux
Lost in Austen - Emma Campbell Webster
The Secret History of the Pink Carnation - Lauren Willig
The Masque of the Black Tulip - Lauren Willig
North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell
Cranford - Elizabeth Gaskell
Seducing an Angel - Mary Balogh
This Side of the Grave - Jeaniene Frost
Halfway to the Grave - Jeaniene Frost

Comments

What a month! So much going on. I finished my first Readathon. Not a long or a demanding one, but it definitely made me focus on my reading progress. I've decided to try and do a readathon at least once a season. Hopefully I can get to one in July. We'll just have to see. I hit the 20 books for a month mark and am really excited to keep the momentum up.