"I would only go if there was cake.”

divergent

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

candor

the honest

erudite

the intelligent 

dauntless

the brave

amity

the peaceful

abnegation

the selfless

just a look at what each faction might wear

and maybe what tris might wear...

“I might be in love with you." He smiles a little. "I'm waiting until I'm sure to tell you, though.”

the second book is

insurgent

Every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves, and herself, while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

goodreads info

the third book is

allegiant

(this one will be out on october 22nd)

One choice will define you.

What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

goodreads info

and the movie will be out in march 2014

i thought this book was very good!

(not my favorite genre, but this one was really good)

if you enjoyed 

the hunger games,

you will love this one...

i am looking forward to the movie...

“I feel like someone breathed new air into my lungs.

I am not Abnegation.

I am not Dauntless.

I am Divergent.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

i have not been a great blogger of late:(

it really does take a lot of time and i have been super busy but i will try to do better:)

i love you all and thought you might enjoy a picture of my little cheeses...

i think they are just adorable and i cannot get enough!!!

p.s. little benny blue is a whole new baby!

he was allergic to cows milk and is now strictly on a specific brand of soy.

he hardly spits up at all and is

HAPPY

HAPPY

HAPPY!!!

also, he is a huge flirt and annoyingly cute:)

he smiles with his whole body.

including his toes:)

and baby jack?

he is the biggest sweetheart...

he talks all day long and his eyelashes flutter in the wind...

they just kill me...

p.s.s.

we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the next baby...

baby love...

can't wait to see what a beautiful baby shane will look like...

treats and books for the babes...

baby eyes...

and eyelashes...

bye...

more later...

black and white and read all over

“A woman who can threaten your life before breakfast is the only sort of woman worth having.”

black hills
by nora roberts 

“Necessity is often the mother of balls”

:)

Black Hills

by Nora Roberts

Black Hills 4.01 of 5 stars 4.01  · 

 A summer at his grandparents' South Dakota ranch is not eleven-year-old Cooper Sullivan's idea of a good time. But things are a bit more bearable now that he's discovered the neighbor girl, Lil Chance, and her homemade batting cage. Even horseback riding isn't as awful as Coop thought it would be. Each year, with Coop's annual summer visit, their friendship deepens from innocent games to stolen kisses, but there is one shared experience that will forever haunt them: the terrifying discovery of a hiker's body.

As the seasons change and the years roll, Lil stays steadfast to her aspiration of becoming a wildlife biologist and protecting her family land, while Coop struggles with his father's demand that he attend law school and join the family firm. Twelve years after they last walked together hand in hand, fate has brought them back to the Black Hills when the people and things they hold most dear need them most.

Coop recently left his fast-paced life as an investigator in New York to take care for his aging grandparents and the ranch he has come to call home. Though the memory of his touch still haunts her, Lil has let nothing stop her dream of opening the Chance Wildlife Refuge, but something ... or someone ... has been keeping a close watch. When small pranks and acts of destruction escalate into the heartless killing of Lil's beloved cougar, recollections of an unsolved murder in these very hills have Coop springing to action to keep Lil safe.

Lil and Coop both know the natural dangers that lurk in the wild landscape of the Black Hills. Now they must work together to unearth a killer of twisted and unnatural instincts who has singled them out as prey.



my review from goodreads

Black Hills by Nora Roberts
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I always love Nora Roberts:) She has a way of bringing you back to what matters. Relationships. I love venturing out into other genre's but always love coming back to a good old fashioned love story. Thanks Nora, for reminding me of why I love to read and always bringing me back home:)

View all my reviews

in honor of finishing my book i decided to have a black and white cookie:)

they both made me smile...

so did this little monkey

benny blue:)

i love him so much!!!



bye...

more later...

the winter sea

 

"it wasn't chance.

there wasn't any part of it that happened just by chance."

 Basic Plot:

A well know historical fiction writer, Carrie McClelland, travels to Scotland to research the material for her book in progress and to get a feel for the area where the main action will take place. Her main character is Sophia Patterson, named for an ancestor who, coincidentally, had lived in Scotland in the early 18th century and had been an relative of the Duchess of Slains castle. The Duchess was an instrumental figure in the times of the Jacobite rebellion and, Sophia resided with at Slains Castle at this time.


The book is really two stories in one: the 'old 'story playing out during 1708 and the Jacobite rebellion, the 'new' in present day Scotland.


Carries rents a small cottage from a local man , Jimmy Keith (who retains the decided burr of the local dialect) who has two sons, Stuart and Graham. Both sons begin to fall in love with Carrie - although only one of the sons 'feels right'. As Carrie's research intensifies, and her need for for more information increases, she calls on her father to fill in details about their ancestor's story. Gradually as her research and writing, as well as her love interests, progress, Carries finds herself swept up in more than just words on on paper. She finds herself caught in a time warp of sorts. Her flashes of insight feel more like memory than writing and her love for one of the brothers feels more compelling than just a present day love interest. As Carrie writes her book she finds that she is, in fact, recounting her own story - a story that began during the Jacobite rebellion and a love that has lasted through time. Her flashes of deja vu are more than just images - they are images that are filled with remembrance and as real to her as her present day life as a writer.

this was a "book within a book" and i found myself equally invested in both stories.

i loved graham...

i would love to know what you thought:)

slains castle in its prime

slains castle now

here is my review on goodreads...

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved it! So romantic and tragic and beautiful!

View all my reviews

thanks for the pictures of all the fun

"scottish"

things you made last month.

we will try some

"lucky"

ones this month:)

bye...

more later...

the other boleyn girl

the other boleyn girl

by Philippa Gregory

from goodreads

Two sisters competing for the greatest prize: the love of a king When Mary Boleyn comes to court as an innocent girl of fourteen, she catches the eye of Henry VIII. Dazzled by the king, Mary falls in love with both her golden prince and her growing role as unofficial queen. However, she soon realizes just how much she is a pawn in her familys ambitious plots as the kings interest begins to wane and she is forced to step aside for her best friend and rival: her sister, Anne. Then Mary knows that she must defy her family and her king, and take her fate into her own hands.

A rich and compelling tale of love, sex, ambition, and intrigue, The Other Boleyn Girl introduces a woman of extraordinary determination and desire who lived at the heart of the most exciting and glamorous court in Europe and survived by following her own heart.

this is fiction.

it is basically a political thriller at its best which includes betrayal, intrigue and passion and ambition.

told from the narrative of a child. it is also accurate enough (but not too accurate) to lend color and depth behind the actual historical events.

the realization that these peoples entire lives revolved around position. it seems to be the only real reason to have children, on the hopes that they will somehow award the family with it.

but there is always someone who emerges with a heart.

in this case it was mary.

only fourteen and probably the only one who really loved king henry, the man, as opposed to the King. only to discover that she is just a pawn inserted there by a family that cares more for position than for her.

sometimes it appears as though there is no real loyalty to family or love because without position, there is no chance.

mary boleyn’s family seems to care nothing for their children at times and only for the status that their daughters can afford them.

anne seems to have that same ambition.

mary, on the other hand, seems to be the only one who truly loved. and since I am a junkie for the romance side of this book, 

i loved her.

she seemed to adore king henry and was heartbroken when his attention was diverted to anne.

these women seem to be cast in the role of having no power

and all the power at the same time.

mistresses of temptation used to rise in society. only to end up again with no power. it is kind of sad to realize that mary was only fourteen and was placed in the position of grown woman. but her determination and strength and ability to eventually see beyond her family obligations make her such a lovable and compelling woman. i loved how she followed her heart with william and survived in the wake of all that. i also loved george. i think he was funny and inspiring and i wish he could have followed his heart as well.

it seems as though it would have been much easier to be a commoner and able to follow your heart rather than have to fight tooth and nail to insure your family a position in the court.

whether any of this is accurate or not it certainly makes for a great story.

i enjoyed it very much.

i give it 4 stars

here is my review on goodreads



The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book so much! I love historical fiction and although it may not be extremely accurate, it was so interesting and for the second half of the book i could not put it down. I can't wait to read more in the series.

View all my reviews

the moon is just the moon

"some mysteries are simply irresistible"

The time is the present.

The place, the rugged coast of northern California. A bluff high above the Pacific. A grand mansion full of beauty and tantalizing history set against a towering redwood forest.

A young reporter on assignment from the San Francisco Observer. . . an older woman, welcoming him into her magnificent, historic family home that he has been sent to write about and that she must sell with some urgency . . . A chance encounter between two unlikely people . . . an idyllic night—shattered by horrific unimaginable violence. . .The young man inexplicably attacked—bitten—by a beast he cannot see in the rural darkness . . . A violent episode that sets in motion a terrifying yet seductive transformation as the young man, caught between ecstasy and horror, between embracing who he is evolving into and fearing who—what—he will become, soon experiences the thrill of the wolf gift.

from

goodreads

in honor of the book i decided to have a London Fog on this crisp fall columbus day and celebrate my day off...

you know, i enjoyed this book for lots of reasons...

i loved the descriptions of food and scenery and the rain...

oh, how i loved the rain...

the setting was really beautiful off the coast of san francisco and on the cliffs of northern california...

reminds of all the things i love about that area...

ie. pebble beach

the book itself was good but not great...

i did like it though...

“Oh, if the moon only had a secret, if the moon only held a truth. But the moon was just the moon.” 

― Anne Rice, The Wolf Gift

below is my review on

goodreads 

The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It was pretty fun for this time of year. i loved the descriptions of the food and the setting and i loved the house. I didn't love the book but i enjoyed and i am glad i read it.

View all my reviews

now, on the "the thirteenth tale"!

oh. my. gosh.

are you guys reading it?

it is so good!

bye...

more later...

matters of the heart

image of clay taken from here

http://claysnellgrove.com/

http://www.amazon.com/The-Ball-Player-ebook/dp/B007YK2CMI

I spend so much time looking for new books to read. I am always tempted to go to the obvious recent bestsellers and lists and whatnot in order to hopefully find something everyone wants to read. In other words I am always on the hunt for the next new book.

But …

every once in a while…

a book finds me.

The Ball Player…

This book found me.

And since I was personally guaranteed by its author of “passion galore”...

gosh...

how could I not read it?

So here’s the thing…

Just when you think you are reading what seems like an auto biography of a professional athlete you soon discover that what you are really reading is a beautifully written, heartfelt story about love.

In its purest and simplest form.

It begins with the love of Baseball, continues with real friendship and the seedy underbelly of sports and ends with the possibility of 

true love and forgiveness.

What drives a man to the extreme? What drives a man to do the unthinkable (in his own eyes) in order to play for a little longer? 

What do you do when you are “Born to Play Baseball” and the pursuit of that dream nearly kills you and yet you still cannot give it up?

How do you find a new dream?

Can you?

That’s the dilemma that this ball player faces. Along with the loss of his best friend and biggest competitor. He realizes that all his life he was driven by the competition of his lifelong friend and now that friend is gone and he feels entirely responsible and somewhat lost without that motivation.

I was promised “passion galore” and it truly does have passion. Maybe not the obvious “Fifty Shades of Grey” type passion but the deep down, sometimes awkward but definitely genuine passion that is often dismissed or skimmed over by male writers.

It was real and fragile and in its simplicity, that much more moving.

 This story is honest and so exposed.

I loved it.

Mr. Snellgrove is  

a beautiful writer with something deep that needs to be said. 

I hope there is more…

and clay...

thank you for liking my seemingly meaningless picture on instagram and helping this book find me...

i truly did dig it:)

to purchase click here

"she was part of everything i had done since being born again under the half moon of a humid summer sky."

"for one night i was able to see without light, breathe without air, and experience my soul living inside another."

from the "the ball player"

by clay snellgrove

~~~~~~~~~~

bye...

more later...

little master stoker:)

http://www.babylit.com/

for the baby book club:)

5 heros*****

(it's a counting book:))

bye...

more later...

"rosemary, for remembrance"

Shadow of Night

A Discovery of Witches introduced Diana Bishop, Oxford scholar and reluctant witch, and the handsome geneticist and vampire Matthew Clairmont; together they found themselves at the center of a supernatural battle over an enchanted manuscript known as Ashmole 782. Drawn to one another despite longstanding taboos, and in pursuit of Diana’s spellbound powers, the two embark upon a time-walking journey.

Book Two of the All Souls Trilogy plunges Diana and Matthew into  Elizabethan London, a world of spies and subterfuge, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the mysterious School of Night.  The mission is to locate a witch to tutor  Diana and to find traces of Ashmole 782, but as the net of Matthew’s past tightens around them they embark on a very different journey, one that takes them into heart of the 1,500 year old vampire’s shadowed history and secrets. For Matthew Clairmont, time travel is no simple matter; nor is Diana’s search for the key to understanding her legacy.

Shadow of Night brings us a rich and splendid tapestry of alchemy, magic, and history, taking us through the loop of time to deliver a deepening love story, a tale of blood, passion, and the knotted strands of the past.

here is my goodreads review

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really loved this book. I really loved Matthew in this one. Instead of being so English and proper, like he was in the first book, he was dark and haunted and even cruel at times. I loved his rogue and tormented struggle between right and wrong and what his true purpose was. I loved his father and I can't wait to see what the big Scot Gallowglass' role will be in the next book. He was my favorite. I thought the first book was great but I think this one was better. Cannot wait for the Third Book!

View all my reviews

bye...

more later...