Best Beach Reads

NPR had a poll of the Best Beach Books Ever (BTW - Didn't know about this poll so I didn't vote):

[Read] [Will Read] [Haven't Read]

1. The Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling (I have never read these -- I can hear readers across the world groaning in despair. In my defense I have tried, I started the first book multiple times; I just couldn't get into the story.)
2. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (Read it, loved it, recommend it!)
3. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini (Nope.)
4. Bridget Jones's Diary, by Helen Fielding (Not really interested.)
5. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen (Read it.)
6. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, by Rebecca Wells (Sadly, I watched the movie 1st -- that usually ruins the book from me.)
7. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Listened via audiobook -- I liked this this one.)
8. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams (Yes.)
9. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, by Fannie Flagg (Again watch the movie, didn't read the book.)
10. The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver (No.)

11. The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger (I currently have this book checked out! The roommate is reading it right now.)
12. Life of Pi, by Yann Martel (No.)
13. The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan (Watched the movie.)
14. The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien (Own it, read it several times, including once for a college course.)
15. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger (Read it in high school, I have been thinking I should read it again.)
16. Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell (On my CTR: classics-to-read list.)
17. Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett (I have never heard of this one.)
18. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien (See #14)
19. Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides (No.)
20. Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen (No, but on my list TRE list: to-read-eventually.)

21. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain (Yes.)
22. The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver (No.)
23. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith (TRE)
24. The World According to Garp, by John Irving (No.)
25. Catch-22, by Joseph Heller (CTR)
26. The Prince of Tides, by Pat Conroy (No.)
27. Like Water for Chocolate, by Laura Esquivel (No.)
28. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman (Watched the movie. Love the movie.)
29. The Accidental Tourist, by Anne Tyler (No.)
30. Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer (Yes.)

31. A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole (Haven't heard of it.)
32. East of Eden, by John Steinbeck (CTR)
33. The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant (No.)
34. Beach Music, by Pat Conroy (No.)
35. One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (No.)
36. Rebecca, by Daphne Du Maurier (Yes -- and watched the movie.)
37. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card (No.)
38. Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry (Yes.)
39. The Thorn Birds, by Colleen McCullough (No.)
40. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, by Michael Chabon (No.)

41. Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett (N0.)
42. Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy (CTR)
43. Interview with the Vampire, by Anne Rice (No.)
44. Cold Mountain, by Charles Frazier (TRE)
45. Empire Falls, by Richard Russo (No.)
46. Under the Tuscan Sun, by Frances Mayes (No. Saw the movie.)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas (Yes. Liked it.)
48. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, by Tom Robbins (No.)
49. I Know This Much Is True, by Wally Lamb (No.)
50. Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie (Yes. I like Agatha Christie.)

51. Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott (Yes. Loved it and Little Men and Jo's Boys.)
52. The Stand, by Stephen King (No, not much of a King fan.)
53. She's Come Undone, by Wally Lamb (No.)
54. Dune, by Frank Herbert (Mmm . . . probably never read this one.)
55. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (TRE)
56. Love in the Time of Cholera, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (No.)
57. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll (Yes.)
58. Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov (No.)
59. The Godfather, by Mario Puzo (No.)
60. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith (Yes, a long time ago.)

61. Animal Dreams, by Barbara Kingsolver (No.)
62. Jaws, by Peter Benchley (No. Saw the movie though.)
63. Good in Bed, by Jennifer Weiner (No.)
64. Angle of Repose, by Wallace Stegner (No.)
65. Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson (No.)
66. The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway (No.)
67. The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand (No.)
68. Breakfast of Champions, by Kurt Vonnegut (No, but Slaughterhouse 5 is on my CTR list.)
69. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut (No.)
70. The Big Sleep, by Raymond Chandler (No but maybe TRE?)

71. The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway (No. CTR.)
72. The Hunt for Red October, by Tom Clancy (No. But this is one of my favorite movies.)
73. Cold Sassy Tree, by Olive Ann Burns (No.)
74. The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding (Yes.)
74. Bonfire of the Vanities, by Tom Wolfe [tie] (No.)
76. Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte (CTR.)
77. Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon (Started this one.)
78. The Shell Seekers, by Rosamunde Pilcher (No.)
79. Prodigal Summer, by Barbara Kingsolver (No.)
80. Eye of the Needle, by Ken Follett (No.)

81. Cannery Row, by John Steinbeck (No.)
81. The Pilot's Wife, by Anita Shreve [tie] (No.)
83. All the Pretty Horses, by Cormac McCarthy (Yes. I didn't really like this one.)
84. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson (No.)
85. The Little Prince, by Antoine De Saint-Exupery (Yes, a long time ago.)
86. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy (No.)
87. One for the Money, by Janet Evanovich (Yes. Yes. Yes. And every one after!)
88. Shogun, by James Clavell (No.)
89. Dracula, by Bram Stoker (No.)
90. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, by Milan Kundera (No.)

91. Presumed Innocent, by Scott Turow (No.)
92. Franny and Zooey, by J.D. Salinger (No.)
93. The Secret History, by Donna Tartt (No.)
94. Dead Until Dark, by Charlaine Harris (Yes.)
95. Summer Sisters, by Judy Blume (No.)
96. The Shining, by Stephen King (Yes.)
97. How Stella Got Her Groove Back, by Terry McMillan (No.)
98. Lamb, by Christopher Moore (No.)
99. Sick Puppy, by Carl Hiaasen (No.)
100. Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson (Yes.)

Well, I haven't read many of those. :-)

I have to say many of the titles I haven't read I really have no desire to read.

Heart and soul redux

Last year, I revisited my New Year's resolutions several times throughout the year -- a little habit check-up. This year I haven't reviewed my New Year's resolutions -- at all.

The reason: I really haven't been working on them consistently.

Oopsie.

I definitely haven't formed new habits yet. But I am working on it - I haven't given up.

Hopefully, I will soon be able to say I have had some measure success in this endeavor but until then I will be back to regularly scheduled posting--whatever that may be--tomorrow.

Sunny afternoon

She's supervising . . .

Stormy weather

I had to go post-less last night . . . no internet . . . rain and storms.

Really, I have nothing to complain about and everything to be thankful for. This summer's weather has been very pleasant.

I fact, today was beautiful. Definitely, walk-to-work weather! :-)

I never knew

Some fun things that I found found me on the internet:

• Very clever organizer . . . if I only had the space and the moola.
  
  
• I have been craving some homemade ice cream lately so I might try one of these techniques.
  
  
• During the winter, I live in a cold house (I toss my blanket in the dryer before bed to heat it up) so one of these might be handy.
  
  
• I thought this was a great idea. I wish I could think of things like this!
  

A vine example

I was at my parent's this evening and took a photo of my mom's trumpet vine on the garage . . .

(Sorry it is so small, I didn't have my camera with me and had to make due with my cell phone.)

Family time

This weekend I, my mom, and my grammy (who is visiting from Texas) are going to a family reunion -- the family of my grandma's grandparents.

I was talking to Grammy last night about who was going to be there. She told me she had only met a young cousin of her mother's . . . so it should be interesting.

Tomorrow, I will be having lunch with Grammy . . . yea!

Sweet Summer

Today was the perfect summer day . . .

Mostly sunny, warm and breezy . . . perfect weather for reading.

(Although, I could argue that any day is perfect weather for reading -- I won't though. At least not today!)

Books, books, books

Working at the library, I find books I want to read everyday. A lot of books I want to read.

I have to make it a matter of priority. Which books I read that is. Despite how much I would love to get lost in a book, I realize I have a life to live, house to clean, work to do, family & friends to spend time with.

It's all about balance and priorities.

Today, I brought home a great haul of books though. And I plan on starting one before bed. I can hardly wait!

Berry-licious

The berry fairy dropped by the house the other day. Black caps magically appeared in the refrigerator while I was at work. (Thanks Mom!)

To celebrate, the roommate and I had a super supper: we grilled hamburgers with pepper cojack cheese, had corn, and shortcake with black caps, blueberries, strawberries, and real whipped cream.

Yummy!

In my own backyard

When I worked at the motel, I found it ironic that many of the guests were vacationing here and seeing the sites. I think of vacationing as going to New York City or Wyoming or someplace facinating or unusual.

I guess it is all a matter of perspective.

Anyway, this past weekend Mom, the roommate and I did the tourist thing and visited one of the state historic sites -- Montauk.

If you are ever in northeast Iowa, I definitely recommend this attraction. It has beautiful grounds, a great tour, and nice walking trails (although we didn't have the shoes to walk them this time).

And here is the best part: it is FREE!

A little taste . . .

Front Door

Parlor/Main Living Area

Library

Blessed

Fan (noun): an enthusiastic devotee, follower, or admirer of a sport, pastime, celebrity, etc.: a baseball fan; a great fan of Charlie Chaplin. Origin: 1885–90, Americanism; short for FANATIC

I have never been one to follow celebrity lives religiously, to go to concerts, or scream and cry when I see a pop superstar. I do occasionally read People magazine, or click through to an entertainment news story that catches my eye. I tend to roll my eyes at said screaming, crying fans.

However, to my eternal embarrassment, there was a time that I was a closet fanatic.

During my teenage years I purchased the obligatory teen pop magazines and promptly dismantled them to post photos on my walls of all my favorite celebrities -- mostly consisting of NKOTB (on my honor I did NOT know this site existed -- I simply Googled it for linkage-sake). And when I say "on my walls", I mean, I'm surprised my mother didn't complain about the fact that the walls in my room were re-wallpapered because you couldn't see the wallpaper anyway as they were completely covered with posters. I know I threw in a couple of other teen heartthrobs but to be honest I cannot remember who they were.

Obviously, they all had lasting impact on my life [she said dryly].

A couple weeks ago my roommate received some hand-me-down People Magazines from a relative. While we were looking at them I teased her that I had picked the better of the two -- it was the best bachelors edition.

I laughed my head off when I found this in my room this afternoon:


I laughed so hard I cried.

Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:22)

I was blessed to have a family who put up with my foolishness and imperfections.

I am blessed that they continue to do so.

I am blessed to be able to enjoy life.

I am blessed to laugh with friends.

I am blessed to laugh at myself.

I AM BLESSED.

Summer time

Gone are the days where summer meant summer vacation, nothing to do but sleep in, read, and do the chores my parents have asked me at least 5 times to do.

:: sigh ::

I miss those days.

Now I have to fit all that in between my normal work routine.

But I have mad skills -- as they say (because it really doesn't sound thatgreat coming out of my mouth) -- in that area.

Last weekend was quite busy (Independence Day weekend) and this weekend I am going to visit Montauk with my mom and roommate. Then it is fair weekend . . . cotton candy, 4-H exhibits, free swag, cotton candy, cows & horses & pigs (oh my!), oh and I almost forgot, cotton candy. :-)

Reader catch up

I just caught up on my reader feeds and thought I would share a few . . . a couple videos, a couple money-saving tips, and a little brain tease:

1.) This is very interesting -- especially since there are about 1,581,571,589 internet users worldwide today . . .

2.) A little bit of fun . . .

Bubblicious from Rex The Dog on Vimeo.

3.) Frugal relationship ideas -- money not emotions!

4.) Very useful financial checklist

5.) How observant are you? (I hate to say it but didn't do very well on this one!)

What time is it?

I am a night owl. I like to stay up late. I am usually more productive in the evenings. I like to sleep in.

However, the last week or so, I have gotten in the habit of staying up way too late.

Why are habits easier to start than to break?

Where were YOU on the 4th?

LOL - Happy 4th!

Today's blessings . . .

• The sun came out
  
  
• Three-day weekend
  
  
• Coupons

• Blueberries

Just a reminder

That the sun will shine . . .