Life, in a nutshell

So obviously I haven't been blogging or reviewing.  However, I have been reading!  And like Martha Stewart says, "It's a good thing!".  I've just finished reading all of The Jessica Darling series.  Loved, loved, loved, loved them! I've also read The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, and I did not like that one at all.  It just didn't connect with me.  It was an advance copy so there were some clunky passages.  Hey, it happens.  I'm not going to like every book I read.

I'm currently reading Chime by Franny Billingsley.  It's an interesting book, the language and tone are gorgeous, but I'm only 1/4 of the way thru and it better pick up soon!  I have also joined the gym!!!! I'm very happy with that and I've been pacing myself (I'm only in my second week) and I have good and bad days.  I find that if I get on the treadmill and plug in my earbuds and have either my nook or a book with me, I can go to town for at least 45 minutes.  I really need to lose the belly that I've had since the Lilygirl was born (almost 8 years ago!).

Hubby has been traveling like mad to Phoenix.  He's generally gone for about two weeks at a time so life can get a bit hectic with him not around.  Especially now that the school year is winding down, I'm going to be alone quite a bit with the Lilygirl.  But thankfully she is such a great reader!  We'll do some reading programs together through our local library.

I will be having a couple of giveaways soon.  I just need to get my head on straight.  I have to go to post office and I haven't and I keep kicking myself in the head for that (well not literally I'm not that flexible yet!)

I had a great time at BEA and met so many great people and had dinner with the cream of the crop too! I got to have dinner with Cindy Pon! Gretchen McNeil! Shana Silver! It was incredible.  I also went to a SoHo Press party that was hosted by Daniel Ehrenhaft.  It was an editors, agents and authors dream.  I finally got to meet the lovely, if slightly, neurotic Bennett Madison!  I love him.  And he better be writing! ;p  Of course Barry Lyga was there and I just love him too.  He was with an editor from Scholastic and she was so sweet and funny.

I got to spend time with Janet Gurtler.  I had dinner with her before the SoHo Press Party and it was so nice to just sit back and relax and talk about everything and nothing at the same time.  I took her to this quaint little Irish Pub that I love in Times Square.  She came up to my room at the Marriott Marquis and we waiting for Shana and Matt Blackstone.  (Matt has a book coming out very soon and I encourage everyone to look out for it.  It's called A Scary Scene in a Scary Movie.  Which I think is just about the coolest title in the world.  I completely enjoyed meeting Matt and I wish him all the luck in the world with his debut novel.  I have a feeling it will be a huge success!  Just look at that cover!


I do have some reviews I have to write.  I just haven't been feeling it lately.  I mean I enjoy reading the books, but reviewing them is so difficult. I don't want to sound the same over and over and over again, you know?  One of my biggest thing is that I know exactly what I want to write and how I want it to sound, but then when I start, my brain gets all jumbled and I can't think of the right word! It gets so frustrating.

I hope everyone out there is reading up a storm.  This is a great time of year to get that reading done that you've been wanting to do for ages.  Right now it is pouring out and the rain is so soothing and refreshing that a great book is the only thing missing.  So hop to it!  Tell me what you are reading? Do you love it?  Not so much? Reading it because a friend recommended it?  Is there a favorite out there that you absolutely love and you like to reread it every so often?