READING THROUGH THE UNITED STATES...ILLINOIS

Illinois...

A masterpiece of gothic literature...or so “they” say. A well known literary genius...or so “they” say. A big ole slice of nonsense...I say. I chose to read Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury for my Illinois choice, a part creepy carnival, part coming of age story about two teenage boys. I drudged through the entire novel baffled at why this is considered a classic. To say that I was disappointed in this novel and the author is an understatement. Sorry Bradbury fans out there, I just don’t get it. 

READING THROUGH THE UNITED STATES...IDAHO

Idaho...

I think book reviews can be both a wonderful thing and a curse for readers. They are essentially opinions, and yes we are entitled to one, but are we really entitled to share these opinions? For most every book, you can find both positive and negative reviews, because just as every book is unique so are its readers. What right do we have to encourage or even discourage someone from reading a certain book? Should we let these opinions out in the world? All these thoughts are running through my head now, because after quick search on Goodreads the first few reviews I ran across for my Idaho choice were negative. I almost didn’t read it. I almost returned it to the library unread. I almost missed out on a wonderful imaginative read. Almost. 

READING THROUGH THE UNITED STATES...HAWAII

Hawaii...

Being over 4,000 miles, and a slightly expensive trip, away from my home, Hawaii is not likely a place I will ever be able to visit. Sure I could scrimp and save for several years and maybe take the trip of a lifetime, but if I’m being completely honest with myself I’m not sure that it would be the place I would choose. From all that I’ve seen it might be one of the most beautiful places in the world, just not where I would choose as my once in a lifetime trip. So to say that I’m perfectly content seeing a place through the eyes of a character, in this instance, is no exaggeration. The book I chose not only took me there, but also made me a native, part of a whole new family, and a part of the island history. 

READING THROUGH THE UNITED STATES...GEORGIA

Georgia...

Okay...really fast, don’t take time to think, now shout out the name of a novel set in Georgia. Did you shout out Gone With the Wind? If you did, then we have established the novel that I did not read. No sappy southern literature for me please. I’ve tried before, because it’s a “classic”, but got no further than a chapter or so. So no...was not going to happen.

READING THROUGH THE UNITED STATES...FLORIDA

Florida...

When I think of novels set in Florida I picture cheesy beach reads. Books that cluttered my grandmother’s bedside table. Books filled with muscle bound bronzed men and string bikini clad women who really should eat something before a hurricane blows them away. Books with overly passionate romances but no real substance to the plot. Books that quite honestly make me nauseas. So when I began my search for my Florida read I was pleasantly surprised to find so many different options that I honestly had a little trouble choosing. 

READING THROUGH THE UNITED STATES....DELAWARE

Delaware...

Here’s a question for all parents out there. What would you do to help your child? Or maybe I should I ask, what wouldn’t you do? Most of us would do anything within our power to help our children. We love them, nurture them, and protect them. Our lives revolve around them, a piece of us that we raise up and present to the world in the hopes that they will surpass our own meager lives.

READING THROUGH THE UNITED STATES...CONNECTICUT

Connecticut...

Question...is it cheating if I chose to read a juvenile book? I think I’m going to go with no. The book was a short but enjoyable read, which I devoured on a Saturday morning while relaxing in the quiet of the morning and having my second cup of coffee. Both Quirky, Dork, and our dog Milo were still sound asleep. Honestly, it was perfect. The book I chose was The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George Speare. It was the 1959  Newberry Medal winner, and a well deserved honor. 

READING THROUGH THE UNITED STATES...COLORADO

Colorado...

It must be a pretty terrifying place inside Stephen King’s imagination. I just envision all my darkest fears from childhood to adulthood all rolling around in there, and then flowing out on the book page in such a way that’s its destined to nearly scare me to death, and has on several occasions. I read my first Stephen King novel when I was in college, an experience I will not forget as it left me looking over my shoulder and under my bed. Like a frightened child. Let’s just sum all this up by saying I’m a fan of his work, and I’ve read many over the years. 

There are however a few of his novels that I have not had the chance read, so when Colorado was up next on my list I kind of knew what I wanted to read. The Shining. It’s been on my to read list for quite awhile and this would be the perfect time and excuse.

READING THROUGH THE UNITED STATES...CALIFORNIA

California...

When I went to look at the California novel choices available on Goodreads, there were close to five hundred books to choose from. Of course that was just one list that I looked at. Yikes!Honestly decision making is not my strong point, I agonize of the simplest of things. Should I get the Big Mac or the Quarter Pounder can be a sweat inducing and panic causing decision. I’m sure there is a whole post in that statement involving my terrible food choices lately and psyche. For now though let’s stay focused on the topic at hand, or in other words how I made a choice without really having to choose. You see...

READING THROUGH THE UNITED STATES...ARKANSAS

Arkansas...

Just got back from a spontaneous trip to Arkansas. I took a canoe trip down the Arkansas and Mississippi border.  One would side Mississippi forests crowd the banks and on the other the Arkansas forests do the same, in between vast amounts of muddy water surrounded me. Had a wonderful scenic drive through the Ouachita National Forest, and stopped off at some scenic overlooks. After that a quick trip to see Hotsprings. It was a wonderful trip, that would have been super expensive had it really happened. Nope, just arm chair traveling or in my case kitchen table traveling. Seriously though, thanks to Google Earth for allowing me travel while having my Saturday morning cup of coffee. It was a curiosity trip sparked by my last A state, Arkansas.  

Original Image Credit: The Graphics Fairy

I went a different direction with my book of choice this time and chose a non fiction book. A book that has has “thirty-nine public challenges or bans since 1983”, according to the “Spotlight on Censorship: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” article on the American Library Associations Website. I’m not sure about you, but when a book is banned or someone tells me I shouldn’t read a particular book, it just make me want to read it more. I guess I’m just a rebel that way. 

READING THROUGH THE UNITED STATES...ARIZONA

Arizona...

Image Credit Clipart Panda

My first initial panicked thoughts, when the title of my Arizona choice came up in my search, was no way...absolutely not. This wasn’t happening, keep on looking. There was just no way, with a title like that, I could manage the stress of reading this book. Really...it would just be too much. Too many horrible memories of suffering through high school British Literature. Okay, so I’m being just a tad melodramatic. The title was Paradise Lost after all.

READING THROUGH THE UNITED STATES...ALASKA

Check out other books by the author.

Alaska...

I am definitely not a big city girl. New York City sounds like a nice place to visit, but live there I could not. All those tall buildings surrounding me would make me feel claustrophobic. Neither am I a live off the grid kind of girl. I like to think of myself as a small town country girl who definitely doesn’t mind the comforts having a Starbucks nearby. Would I live out further in the country than we do now? Yes. In a heart beat. Give me trees, green hills, and mountains and I’m a happy girl. Give me all that with a good cup of coffee in my hands and I’m a really happy girl. 

READING THROUGH THE UNITED STATES...ALABAMA

Check out more of Winston Groom’s work.

Alabama...

There are quite a few novels that are set in the state of Alabama, but ultimately I chose a novel that was the basis for a very well known movie. A movie that I’ve seen many times. A movie that I really enjoy. The movie has it all; romance, action, friendship, family, and a uplifting message. Think Tom Hanks...yep Forrest Gump. The book has been on my to read list for quite awhile, and now was a perfect time. Because my experience has been that nine times out of ten the book is better than the movie, I was ready for an outstanding read.

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS...

Begin with good intentions and more often than not end in failure and make us feel like failures in turn. As for myself, many many New Year’s have come and gone along with their failed resolutions. Everything from the classic lose weight to drinking less coffee. Most never made it past the month and a half mark, and if I’m being completely honest, drinking less coffee 
lasted two weeks tops. Seriously, with a Starbucks practically on every street corner I’m surprised I made it a full day. Lose weight? Did that and then gained it all back with a little extra to spare. I could go on, but it is depressing and really who wants to hear that? This year I decided to give myself a break with the “health” resolutions and try to do something a little more fun and definitely something a little more achievable.  

Human Nature

There is a night for every day, a dark for every light, and moment of unbridled kindness for every moment of callous disregard. Human nature being what it is we are likely to see one, the other, or any various combination of the two. We are all people, and in our interactions with one another, we are given the choice most every day to either lift one another up or bring each other down. Last night, I found myself drowning in the dark, struggling to bring both myself and Quirky up for air. My heart filled to the brim with pain and my eyes failing to find the good in human nature. In fact, that was what this post was intended to be, a way to pour out those thoughts and emotions like water, to release them so they do not begin to erode my faith in human kind, but instead I find the need to comment on both sides of our human nature to remind myself that there truly is light in what seems like an increasingly dark world.

Sweet and Spicy Tuna Salad

I remember as a child eating "Tuna Salad" with my mom, which consisted mostly of Dukes mayonnaise and a little bit of tuna. Needless to say it wasn't a healthy meal, but I remember as a kid loving the moist and tangy concoction served on white bread. Maybe because it was the recipe or maybe it was just the time I spent with my mom. As an adult I still like tuna, but my tastebuds have evolved a little bit and just plain mayonnaise just doesn't cut it anymore. So today I threw together my own sweet and spicy tuna salad. This is what I did...

Spicy Collards and Rice

I grew up southern, and well that often meant vegetables cooked in a pot with bacon grease, fatback, or a huge chunk of butter...ok let's be honest practically the whole stick of butter. I probably still have cholesterol floating around n my veins from childhood. Collards were no different, and as an adult I have shied away from cooking them because I had no idea what to do with them other than smother them in cholesterol. Well since my new health kick, the whole trying to eat a bigger variety of vegetables thing, I have broke down and bought a bag of frozen collards. They have been staring at me from my freezer every since...taunting me in my failure to use them. Well today I braved these baffling collards and quite frankly they turned out delicious. 

Cheaper Than A Therapist

School has started at full speed ahead for us, and I find myself trying to do multitude of things at one time. Mornings are the absolute worst it seems. Quirky made it through the first week getting up on time, having her breakfast, and so on...just like clockwork. I had time to make breakfast for myself, because despite school starting back I am still trying to stick to getting healthier. It was a dream, a honey moon, or maybe a grace period, but after that first week...forget it.

Picking Up Good Habits

Don't you just love it when your kids picks up one of your good habits for a change? I do. As you might have figured out from my previous posts that I have been trying to make my diet, which I thought was already pretty healthy, even healthier. We've been experimenting in the kitchen with new recipe ideas and even trying a few new vegetables. It's been great and lucky me I've even lost a little bit of weight. What I wasn't trying to do is convince Quirky that she needed to do this to, so I was a little surprised the other day when I noticed her making herself an early lunch. She had pulled out my giant tub of spinach, which made me stop to see where this was going. She ended up making what she called a Turkey, Spinach, and Cheese Tortilla Pizza. Now Quirky will eat spinach, if I put it on her plate, but normally voluntarily. I was a little surprised and proud. She really is a great kid.

Sixth Grade Math Notebook

As I was cleaning out our school room the other day I ran across Quirky's math notes from Sixth Grade. I had completely forgotten that we still had them.  I talk about it here only because of the unusual way that she took her math notes. It was just creative enough to keep her interest piqued for the school year.