Good-bye 2011, Hello 2012!

Another year has come to an end, which means another year-in-review and goal setting. Ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourselves, for this is what I learned this year:

1. Your heart can heal after a terrible emotional blow. It's true that time heals all, but I never believed it until I experienced it. An ex-boyfriend and probably one of the best friends I had (I really, really liked--dare I say loved?) got married to another woman, and it was rough though I tried to put on a happy face. Several months later I'm fine with it. He's happy. I'm happy. Do I have some regrets? Yes, a few, but not enough to make me hate him. Are we still friends? Yes, but not to the extent that we were before. And that's okay. I can let go, I can move on, and I can still be happy. That doesn't mean I want a similar experience to happen though.

2. Work is stressful--it has a ton of deadlines, people got fired, our hours got cut, the editors had more books to edit, and it was awful--but that doesn't mean it has to affect my attitude. And believe me, I wanted to be terribly negative and cry that the world wasn't fair. But that's not fair to me or work. I learned that a positive attitude in stressful times benefits me and my coworkers a lot more than a negative attitude will. Go forward and smile.

3. Some people will make you feel guilty so you will do something for them. But that doesn't mean you have to do it, especially if it's not beneficial for you. People are crazy. Friends are crazy. They'll make you feel guilty. I learned it's okay to say no.

4. Hard work does equal a good pay off. I lost 30 pounds this year! Here's to another 30 in 2012.

5. Good times with friends does not equal lasting friendships. Sometimes it works . . . and sometimes it doesn't.

6. The Lord has a plan for me. Sometimes it's a little blurry on my end, but he has a clear view. I just need to have trust in him and faith to keep going.

7. I can set and meet my goals. Nanowrimo, anyone? Now I just need to finish the story.

8. I really, really like stories. I've read a lot of books this year, and I've picked up more to read. I've watched some really good movies and TV shows. And it's all about the stories . . . and my obsessions. I think it makes me a better editor. I hope.

9. I can live in the same place for a year. I like stability. Yes, I do.

10. And the best lesson I learned, Heavenly Father and the Savior are there for me.

It was kind of a roller coaster ride this year. Lots of good things happened: going to concerts, hanging out with friends, making new friends, hiking, swimming, and good family outings. And not so good things: stress at work, stress with friends, stress with family stuff. But I think this happens to everyone. Overall, it was just okay.

Evaluations of 2011 Goals:
1. Attend the temple twice a month--except for July (1 time), November (0 times), and December (1 time)
2. Read the New Testament--didn't even make through the Gospels. Stopped in March.
3. Run a 5K without dying--ran three 5Ks. Boo-yah!

2012 Goals
1. Write in my journal every day.
2. Run a 5K in 35 minutes.
3. Lose 30 pounds.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is definitely one of the more interesting books that I've read this year. A psychological thriller, this book had me guessing the entire time as to what was happening. Unlike Possession, however, I wasn't rereading paragraphs to understand what was happening. Instead, I was going, "No way that just happened!"

Michelle Hodkin was at the same author panel that I attended a few months ago and her story of how she started writing this book intrigued me. Mara Dyer is her first book and it's good. I can see why so many people like it. Mara is fascinating as a character. She's had a traumatic experience that has affected her deeply. She see things that aren't there, hears things that don't exist. And it makes the reader guess whether this is one of her episodes or if it's really happening. Just when I thought I had figured things out, the story twists into something completely different. I never saw it coming. Maybe I needed to pay attention more, but there you go. I was caught up in the story.

On a side note, there is a bit of swearing, including the "f" word. And since teenagers are involved, there is a bit of sexual innuendos, although there isn't any sex. Kissing, yes. But no sex. You have been warned.

And the best/worst part is the book leaves you wanting more. It ends suddenly and on a note of "No way!" So book 2 will be coming out, I'm sure of it. Prepare yourselves that this isn't a neat little story all wrapped at the end. It does answer some questions, but leaves plenty for book 2.

All in all, this was a fun, exciting read.

From Pennies to Possession

 Two more books down! What a great month it has been for reading. I've been really busy at work, but still found some time to read for pleasure.

First up is Carla Kelly's The Admiral's Penniless Bride. It's been about a year since Carla joined the ranks of CFI's authors and I've had the wonderful pleasure of working with her. She's awesome. She sent me this book after Borrowed Light was published, with a little warning that it was a little "spicey," or something like that.

And, indeed, it is. This is a harlequin, after all. There are a couple of sex scenes (I skipped over those) and mentions some child abuse. 

Overall, the book is quite delightful, filled with interesting and intriguing characters and a scenario that's fun. The protagonists enter in an agreement of marriage, one to save him from his sisters' nagging and the other to save her from a life of poverty. What started out as a marriage of convenience, however, turns into a happy romance. I love how Carla writes and her characters are so much fun. Although I can't really suggest this book as being the best clean read, I do suggest checking out her books with CFI, Borrowed Light and Enduring Light. They are fantastic, and she's writing more novels for us. Also, for those that are interested, we are also making several of Carla's classics as ebooks. And I get to edit all of them. :)

The second is Possession by Elana Johnson. What a fascinating, quick read. My only complaint with this book is that it goes so fast, the plot constantly jumping, that I had to stop several times and ask, "What just happened here?" In a technological society where everyone is either labeled "Bad" or "Good," Violet decides that she's sick of following the rules and runs into trouble. The writing is crisp and clear, but there are a lot of things to take in, so it took me awhile to figure out what  was really going on. And then you throw in some awesome powers, such as controlling other people by voice or even mere thoughts, and you have one heck of a ride. The bad news is that it sets up a sequel and doesn't end happily. Be forewarned. You will want to read the sequel. This ending just cannot be.

This is what happens when you go to an author panel at the Provo Library. You want to read the authors' books. And it hijacks the order that I had planned. In any case, more book reviews to come. My shelf is still full, and I desperately need to get the stack down.

Here's to more reading. :)

Book club read: The Mysterious Benedict Society

Oh boy, what a fun ride! This book was definitely up my alley since I like puzzles and I like solving puzzles. One of the many reasons that I bought this book (besides the fact that I had a birthday present gift card) was the quiz at the back of the paperback copy. (By the way, Ann, Emily, Kyle, and I took said quiz and I got 10/10. :) I'm not geeky.) The other reason was due to the artwork. I know, I know, you should never judge a book by its cover, but seriously--this art is cool.

I really liked the themes of family, friendship, and belonging. The main characters have lost their parents in some way or another. (Question: how did Constance Contraire was an orphan? I can't remember.) So in some ways, this book explores how the children make connections with each other and how they learn to trust each other on their top-secret mission.

I just loved the many different, zany characters. For some reason I thought that S.Q. was a spy all along. He was a bumbling, kind of spacey character who worked for the bad guys, but he was endearing in a way. And perhaps he do learn about his past in the later books. He just seems too nice of a guy to really be bad. Constance was a riot. Mr. Benedict was weird at first, but I grew to like him. Mr. Curtain was such a great bad guy, driving around in his wheelchair. Milligan was a secret favorite, even though he was depressed for most of the book.

This book is a nice fun read. I'll probably read the other books in the series . . .  when I have time. :)

The Good Earth . . . and other news

 

When I finished listening to The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, I felt a little bit more knowledgeable about of Chinese culture. This book is a Pulitzer Prize winner for a reason: it is really, really well written. Not having read Pearl S. Buck before now, I went in without having any expectations. And I was surprised how much I liked this book even as it tackled such topics of marriage, culture versus nature, and the role of women. There are other themes, of course, but these struck me the most. This is the kind of book that makes people think and evaluate their own lives. I recommend it.

In other news, I'm doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and have written over 15,000 words in 10 days. Boo-yah! And in the meantime of that, I'm also reading a book for my sister's book club (it's one I chose, which makes it even better.) And I'll be helping to write a blog about our experiences as a book club as we discuss the book. This is going to be good. :) If you're interested in checking it out, I'll be promoting it as soon as we create it. My sister and I are interested in hearing other people's opinions about books. You never know what you'll learn. 

And in other, other news, I'm running a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving. Please, oh please, don't let it be freezing!

Till next time!

Melly

Book Club Read: The Wikkeling

This is one strange little story that left a lot of questions unanswered and left me wishing I could know more about the backstory. Focusing on Henrietta and Gary, two children who live in the Addition, this book describes a world filled with plastic and garbage, of regulations and growth.

As my fellow book clubbers (Ann and Emily, at this point) gathered to discuss, we all felt that The Wikkeling had a lot of interesting points:

1) the education system
2) the monster itself
3) the constant barrage of advertisements
4) the overprotectiveness of society
5) the mysterious wild housecats
6) the history of Old Town and the Addition
7) garbage men

I was somewhat dissatisfied because I wanted my questions to be answered about why the monster was the way it was, why the town chose to develop so quickly, and why the Wikkeling affected our heroes the way it did. Those questions are left to a sequel, I suppose. Overall, the book was beautifully designed and the pictures went right along with the story--kinda dark and not overly filled with detail. I give this book 3 stars out of 5.

I Shall Wear Midnight

This may come as a shock to a few of you, but I actually read—rather than listened to—this book.  And I must admit that I got as much pleasure reading it as I did listening to the previous three. It was actually pretty thrilling to see the dialogue of the Wee Free Men and to see the clever puns and comments made by the author. It's another thrilling story where Tiffany grows up a little bit more while yet another something else tries to kill her.

But Tiffany is Tiffany for a reason and nothing seems to really throw her off balance, even if it's her best friend getting married to another girl.

I'm so glad that my friend Ann introduced me to Terry Pratchett and Tiffany Aching. I give this book a thumbs up. Read the whole series. Laugh, and enjoy the Wee Free Men.