Double-Stacked Bookshelves

This week's topic for Beyond the Books is:  The REAL Me (If you REALLY knew me, you'd know...) .  This could be interesting! If you really knew me, you'd know that...                                    I am a voracious reader (this one's kind of obvious). If you really knew me, you'd know that...                                    I like my coffee strong with only a splash of sweetness. If you really knew me, you'd know that...                                    I'm allergic to broccoli...but I love broccoli. If you really knew me, you'd know that...                                    One of my favorite vacations of all time involved a trip to  Auschwitz. If you really knew me, you'd know that...                                    My favorite music is punk and alternative. If you really knew me, you'd know that..                                    My first car was a blue '83 Honda Civic Hatchback and that I started dri

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and it's a way to share what you're loving in list form. The topic changes every week, so there is always something new to discover! This week's topic is:  Top Ten Characters Who Are Fellow Book Nerds .  These seem to be the characters I tend to identify with the most when reading, so here goes... Hermione Granger (obviously!) from Harry Potter Series This should be a no-brainer!  Hermione's love for knowledge and research is unbounded and she proves that girls don't need to dumb themselves down to be accepted.  Bravo! Tyrion Lannister from A Song of Fire and Ice Series He's brainy, bookish, and hilarious!  Tyrion's snarky attitude and want of knowledge only reinforces the fact that he is (and likes to be) well-prepared in a battle of wits...if not a battle of strength. Liesel Meminger from The Book Thief Well, she is the book thief, right?  Liesel's need to learn how

This week's topic for Beyond the Books is:  Your Dream Career .  Oh man, oh man!  Well, I guess I have a few, but they're all very related to each other.  Here goes... Writer for AP Magazine AP (Alternative Press) Magazine is a music magazine focusing on alternative, rock, heavy metal, etc.  My dream would be to interview the bands, concerts, albums.  Whatever.  It would be so freaking cool to be on the ground floor of discovering new music.  They have an amazing feature every year, 100 Bands to Watch Out For, that is seriously awesome.  They even host their very own music awards show now.  So cool. Travel Writer Working for any of the big travel magazines, shows, or websites (think National Geographic , Travel & Leisure , etc) would be pretty awesome.  Flitting around the globe, tasting new cuisines, experiencing different cultures would be mind-blowingly awesome!  I have been lucky enough to do a bit of traveling and have so many experiences that I could easi

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and it's a way to share what you're loving in list form. The topic changes every week, so there is always something new to discover! This week's topic is:  Top Ten Books That Celebrate Diversity/Diverse Characters .  Such a great topic!  Here's my list: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky   Cinder by Marissa Meyer The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie   The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon   Life of Pi by Yann Martel A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini Golden Boy by Tara Sullivan The Help by Kathryn Stockett   The Passion  by Jeanette Winterson Eleanor & Park   by Rainbow Rowell What are some of your favorite books that highlight diversity? Also, look for next week's top ten:  Characters Who Are Fellow Book Nerds Happy reading!

This week's topic for Beyond the Books is:  Beach or Pool .  This is always a heavily debated topic.  Some people are so stuck in there ways...and I'm probably one of them!  Here's what I think: I love...the BEACH!  Well, let's get a little more specific.  I don't like hot weather.  I don't like crowds (I could easily be a hermit).  So, you might be asking yourself "how can she like the beach if she doesn't like hot weather or people?"  I'm very specific in my beach preferences.  I like the Oregon Beach...because it's often windy, rainy, and not crowded.  However, there are times when the Oregon Beach is filled with people, often during the Summer months, and warmer than average.  For instance, this past weekend it was 81; that's incredibly warm for the Oregon Coast.  The water is very cold (numbingly cold) and tide-pools are a common sight along the coastline.  Now, there is a definite climate difference as you make your way dow

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and it's a way to share what you're loving in list form. The topic changes every week, so there is always something new to discover! This week's topic is:  Top Ten Books That Have Recently Come Into My Possession .  This can be in any form but, as luck would have it, I recently purchased a bunch of books from the local library.  Every 4th of July weekend, the library has a Friends of the Library book sale and it is a real treat!  I managed to walk away with twelve new books for 5 bucks.  Score!  Here's What I Got The Perfect Royal Mistress by Diane Haeger Boy in the Water by Stephen Dobyns The Living by Annie Dillard Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick   A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy Quentins by Maeve Binchy   Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Cruise A Rather Lovely Inheritance by C.A. Belmond Red Leaves by

This week's topic for Beyond the Books is:  Favorite Words .  The following are words that I find fascinating or fun to use.  Some serve a purpose.  Some are completely ridiculous.  But all of them make me happy :) Shenanigans Simply because it reminds me of Super Troopers and it applies to so much. Superturboaffengeil Literally means "Super awesome" in English, but it's so much more fun to say in German and it definitely makes a more impactful impression! Ambrosia Mainly used with "liquid" in front of it and in reference to coffee...the liquid ambrosia of life! Elixir It's a fun word because it invokes ideas of magic and potions.  Again, I generally refer to my coffee as a magical elixir... Balderdash A fun game or an awesome word?  Awesome word!  Bamboozle It reminds me of old-timey tricksters and it's fun! Juxtaposition Sounds harsh, which I like.  And it uses an X and J!  So against the grain! Onomatopoeia It

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and it's a way to share what you're loving in list form. The topic changes every week, so there is always something new to discover! This week's topic is:  Top Ten Hyped Books I've Never Read .  I love this topic because I feel that, more and more, books are becoming so hyped that people lose interest quickly.  Maybe this is due to the prevalence of book bloggers and reading making a huge resurgence as a legit pastime for younger generations, but here's my list: Five I'll probably never read   The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare The Caster Chronicles   by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl Grey by E.L. James   The Host by Stephanie Meyer Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert Five I'll more than likely read The Winds of Winter by George R.R. Martin The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty The Outlan

This week's topic for Beyond the Books is:  Favorite TV Shows .  In no particular order, here's what I watch (often recorded to skip commercials)... Current Shows The Walking Dead , AMC Sundays at 9pm This is my jam...my favorite show.  Ever.  Probably.  I love this show so much and what they are increasingly able to get away with on cable television is astonishing!  So, so good.  If you haven't watched TWD yet, and blood and guts don't bother you, do it.  DO IT!  The Talking Dead , AMC Sundays at 10pm To go along with the above, the discussion show immediately following each new episode, hosted by the incomparable Chris Hardwick , is a must see.  They break the episode down with guests and, often, members of the show.  Watch it when Yvette Nicole Brown is a guest.  She's a beast and misses NOTHING in an episode.  So thorough. So You Think You Can Dance , Fox Mondays at 8pm The only reality competition I religiously watch, this show is awesome.  And I