Extracurricular activities

There have been a couple of really nice days. REALLY NICE! Just simply gorgeous. Somewhere in the 70 degrees (occasionally 60 degrees) and the sun is shinning. It reminded me of when I was little and we would pull out our bikes and go on a family outing.

So what did I do?

I found a bike on craigslist and bought it!

Yes, that's right. I bought a bicycle.

I feel like a kid on Christmas Morning!

I was looking at it while trying to decide to buy it, but both the tires were flat and it was feeling a little short for me. I did a little research on it the night before so I knew how much it retailed for and what I was kindof looking at. After buying it, I took it to the gas station and the tires wouldn't fill up. That is about all I know about bikes, so I decided to go find out how much it would cost to have a bike place look at, fix it and fit it to me. I mean, if I was at home, my dad would have done it all for free, but sadly that is what happens when you move away from home. When I got to the bike place I felt like their price was good, so I left it with them. For over a week. Ack!

After I left, I realized I didn't remember what the bike even looked like. I only had it in my possession for about an hour. But here is a picture of the bike from the brand's website. Obviously not the used one I bought, but it's new to me.

Apparently this is their biggest season. Who knew? It's still cold out and there is snow on the ground. Then again, a couple of really nice days and I wanted a bike, so hey, what do I know?

I was bummed about having to wait, I promptly put it out of my head and went about my days, but lo and behold I got a call later that week saying I could pick up my bike. YEAH!! I wouldn't have to wait after all. When Saint was in town, I dragged him to the shop and while I was there I was tested and found out my bike was a wee on the petite side for me. Damn. Just an FYI, your bike should offer you a 30 degree leg extension. I did feel that in the seconds I rode before I bought the bike, but for a small fee they could order me a new seat pole and voila! new and fits well. She said I had nice long legs and short arms. WHAT? Short arms? I looked at Saint and said, Did she just tell me I have short arms? He laughed and she did too and replaced her comment with most women do.

I knew one thing, I wanted a good and cool looking bike helmet. Fashion is oh so important when riding especially when I was standing there watching these guys ride bright red bikes through the shop. I like color! I found the perfect one too! I made Saint take a picture of me in it. Sadly, once again, I had to leave it all behind and wait for the part for my seat to come in. But even if they call me to come pick it up this time, it will still be earlier than I expected it in the first place.

Oh how I'd really like a bell too!

Each time I am out and about in town I fantasize about my bike and where I would go and what I would do. Dad is funny because he so nicely pointed out that no matter where I go, when I come home there is the biggest hill to climb in order to get home. That's nice. Thanks for reminding me that I have a big climb right at the end. I will definitely have to keep that in mind when riding anywhere. It's very apropos because when I was growing up we had this huge hill by our house and my dad would have to tie a rope to my bike from his so that I could go up (pulling me from behind) and down (guiding me down tied to his front) the hill. What a good dad he was. Poor guy.

Review - I am Nujood, Aged 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali

I am a great fan of biographies, especially those by women and added that they are women from another religion, country or time pulls me in even more.

The feminist in me wants women to learn all their life possibilities. Not to be told No or held back. So when this book came in, I knew I would love it.

It goes through the life of a Yemen girl who has some seriously bad things happening to her family, focused mostly on her young sisters. In order to fix things, or maybe to save her, her father marries her off to a man three times her age who swears to protect her and wait til she is older to consummate the wedding. As predicted, none of this goes as planned. She pleads to those around her for help, but they all tell her to go back and she will be fine. She refuses to live with that verdict and seeks the help of a judge.

My first disappointment in this book was how fast the story is laid out. It is good because it gives the book that much more honesty because it sounds like it was written by a 10 year old. My second disappointment is all the information is surface and not in depth. I would have liked more depth to this book. Since, once again, I do not read the summary of the book before hand I thought the book would be entirely about her struggle to become divorced. Sadly it was resolved within the first quarter of the book. The rest goes on to detail her life after.

I did however enjoy this book simply because of the differences in culture and the fact that she does survive her ordeal to find that life has more to offer than marriage so early in life.

I am Nujood, aged 10 and Divorced is a good, quick read. Though I didn't love it, I would still recommend the book.

Synopsis

"I'm a simple village girl who has always obeyed the orders of my father and brothers. Since forever, I have learned to say yes to everything. Today I have decided to say no."

Forced by her father to marry a man three times her age, young Nujood Ali was sent away from her parents and beloved sisters and made to live with her husband and his family in an isolated village in rural Yemen. There she suffered daily from physical and emotional abuse by her mother-in-law and nightly at the rough hands of her spouse. Flouting his oath to wait to have sexual relations with Nujood until she was no longer a child, he took her virginity on their wedding night. She was only ten years old.

Unable to endure the pain and distress any longer, Nujood fled--not for home, but to the courthouse of the capital, paying for a taxi ride with a few precious coins of bread money. When a renowned Yemeni lawyer heard about the young victim, she took on Nujood's case and fought the...

Other books similar in feel that I would recommend are Some Girls: My Life in a Harem by Jillian Lauren.

I am also really excited to read the book Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Wordlesss Wednesday - the shadow

Wordless Wednesday

Review: Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

I have been a fan of Jodi Picoult since I read all of her books within the same time period. I started and didn't stop til I have read every single one of them. I was hooked from the first book of hers. She has this incredible way of seeing people and their lives. It gives them a life that I can put their shoes on and walk in them. I can feel their pain and their life. I can see their conflicts and decide for myself what I would do. As a friend of mine says, "Jodi Picoult breaks your heart." Therefore it is no secret I am a HUGE fan of Jodi Picoult.

Sing You Home was no different than the other books. It was simply fantastic. I felt so many different emotions that at some points I put the book down and swore I wouldn't read anymore then like watching a train wreck I picked it back up and was, once again, sucked back in.

The characters surprised me consistently and I was wowed and sadden. I loved Zoe who was the main character. She is married to Max who is a previous alcoholic. They have tried for years to have children, but even with help she has another miscarriage. Max decides he can't do it anymore and gets a divorce. Zoe finds she is destroyed. She throws herself into her work as a music therapist and finds a friend at work. A woman therapist who turns into a new love and eventually they marry. As Zoe is finding a new life, Max is too, with a very religious church of his brother and his wife. A once married couple becomes complete opposites and when Zoe reveals she would like to use their leftover embryos for her new wife to conceive, the battle begins. The church against lesbians who want to have a family with kids.

The emotional roller coaster that Picoult takes the reader on in this book was so fantastic. I found myself on both sides at different times. Throughout the whole book though I had one consistent feeling, I did not like the weakness of Max's character. I was disappointed that he kept riding the wave of other's.

I loved the music therapy information throughout the book. I believe that things like this work and I really enjoyed all the detail and seeing it develop. The book includes a CD to listen to while reading. A concept I also find fun and entertaining. Something different.

I do not want to spoil any of the details of this book. Read and decide on your own.

Caite of A Lovely Shore Breeze wrote a review of this book, but her findings were different than mine.

Find this book on GoodReads or Barnes&Noble

Synopsis from GoodReads:
Zoe Baxter has spent ten years trying to get pregnant, and after multiple miscarriages and infertility issues, it looks like her dream is about to come true – she is seven months pregnant. But a terrible turn of events leads to a nightmare – one that takes away the baby she has already fallen for; and breaks apart her marriage to Max. In the aftermath, she throws herself into her career as a music therapist – using music clinically to soothe burn victims in a hospital; to help Alzheimer’s patients connect with the present; to provide solace for hospice patients. When Vanessa – a guidance counselor -- asks her to work with a suicidal teen, their relationship moves from business to friendship and then, to Zoe’s surprise, blossoms into love. When Zoe allows herself to start thinking of having a family, again, she remembers that there are still frozen embryos that were never used by herself and Max.

Meanwhile, Max has found peace at the bottom of a bottle – until he is redeemed by an evangelical church, whose charismatic pastor – Clive Lincoln – has vowed to fight the “homosexual agenda” that has threatened traditional family values in America. But this mission becomes personal for Max, when Zoe and her same-sex partner say they want permission to raise his unborn child.

SING YOU HOME explores what it means to be gay in today’s world, and how reproductive science has outstripped the legal system. Are embryos people or property? What challenges do same-sex couples face when it comes to marriage and adoption? What happens when religion and sexual orientation – two issues that are supposed to be justice-blind – enter the courtroom? And most importantly, what constitutes a “traditional family” in today’s day and age?

Review: Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison

I find it a bit funny that I read this book by accident. I have been waiting to read Kim Harrison for quite some time now. I also have been waiting to read Jennifer Rardin's Once Bitten, Twice Shy.

I was playing with the digital library trying to download books to my Nook and ended up downloading both by accident. Didn't even realize it. I don't read the back of a book (summary) so I had no idea what to expect from either of these books. I was about halfway through when I realized I was disappointed. I finished the book before I realized I wasn't even reading the one I thought I was - lol.


There were times I was tempted to skip ahead pages just to find out what was going on. It developed incredibly slow. I like when a book keeps you guessing, but this one, I felt, kept the reader at arms length for much of the book which made it hard for me to really get into. I really enjoyed the characters and I liked the plot. I liked the ending and it did start to get more interesting toward the end It was good, just slow. For a first book of a series, I am not sure I would continue reading this series after this book. I am however going to. (smirk) I am hoping the second book gets better. (to be continued)

This was my VERY FIRST Kim Harrison book and it will not be my last. I am really looking forward to reading Dead Witch Walking. It is the first book in the Rachel Morgan/Hollows Series.

From Good Reads: Once Dead, Twice Shy:

My name is Madison Avery, and I'm here to tell you that there's more out there than you can see, hear, or touch. Because I'm there. Seeing it. Touching it. Living it.

Madison's prom was killer—literally. For some reason she's been targeted by a dark reaper—yeah, that kind of reaper—intent on getting rid of her, body and soul. But before the reaper could finish the job, Madison was able to snag his strange, glowing amulet and get away.

Now she's stuck on Earth—dead but not gone. Somehow the amulet gives her the illusion of a body, allowing her to toe the line between life and death. She still doesn't know why the dark reaper is after her, but she's not about to just sit around and let fate take its course.

With a little ingenuity, some light-bending, and the help of a light reaper (one of the good guys! Maybe . . . ), her cute crush, and oh yeah, her guardian angel, Madison's ready to take control of her own destiny once and for all, before it takes control of her.

Well, if she believed in that stuff.

But don't take my word for it. Have you read this book yet?

Wordlesss Wednesday -

A different kind of coffee brewing:

Random miscellaneous picture:

And two books I thought looked hilarious:

Wordless Wednesday

Wish List

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where I list all the books I desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It's also an event that you can join in with too - Mr Linky is always at the ready for you to link your own 'On My Wishlist' post. If you want to know more click here.

My book TBR list is SO LONG now I am not sure how or when I will ever get to it. (thanks a lot bookchickcity and wishlist participants - lol) But I love knowing I will be able to find a book (or eight million) that I love. I decided this Wish List is dedicated to the two (maybe three) I am DYING to read NEXT. Or at least as soon as I am done with Jodi Picoult's Sing You Home and watching Lost Episodes. This last two weeks has been hell at work with inventory. I worked four closing shifts in a row (and I love to go to bed early - like 8pm) followed by two overnights and then yesterday I worked for my boss on my one day off (my next day off isn't scheduled for nine more days). When I crawl into bed at night, my eyes will bleed if I try to read, so sadly these are really going to have to wait a few more days since reading has been so slow and second nature. I've began the last two days with two aspirin and a large glass of water. Sadly, I digress. On to Wish list -

Allison Hewitt is Trapped:

From Booklist Roux’s debut tells the story of a zombie apocalypse through the eyes of Allison Hewitt, graduate student and bookstore employee. Allison is working in the bookstore when she sees one her regular customers have her head bitten off. It’s clear that something very bad has happened. Alison and the survivors lock themselves into the back rooms, hiding out from the relentless zombies. In an attempt to stave off her loneliness and connect with the outside world, Allison begins a blog (blog entries and comments from readers are included at the end of every chapter). The use of the blog as a storytelling device, drawing in additional characters and points of view, helps enliven what is otherwise an average zombie story, albeit one with plenty of action and a high body count. Suggest it to zombie fans who enjoyed Ben Tripp’s Rise Again (2010) or Charlie Huston’s Sleepless. --Jessica Moyer

Hex Hall:

Synopsis

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father-an elusive European warlock-only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters. By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect. As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

And the last book I will have to figure out a way to read next, Jennifer Rardin's series JazPark, which I know I have already listed as a wishlist book, but seriously, I am dying to read this!!

Once Bitten, Twice Shy:

Synopsis:

Jaz Parks is an assistant assassin who works for the CIA. She and her boss, Vayl, have just received an assignment to meet, assess, and neutralize a Miami plastic surgeon with some disturbing supernatural connection. A spunky tale with real bite.

Which books can you not live without reading NEXT?