Crazy Dangerous book review

Crazy Dangerous
by Andrew Klavan

Sam Hopkins is the "preacher's kid" in town.  He's the good boy who no one acts normal around, and one day decides to hang with the wrong crowd.  While at first Sam experiences the thrill of hanging with the school thugs, he knows that in short time, things will go too far.

Jennifer is a little strange.  Eccentric.  She hears voices telling her of the evil they plan.  She has hallucinations of demons bringing about death.  When one day Sam witnesses his thug "friends" harassing Jennifer, Sam stands up to them to save her; and while he loses one set of friends, he gains a very strange new one in Jennifer.

When Sam discovers that Jennifer's hallucinations might just be more than they seem, Sam has to decide if he has the courage to dig deeper and confront these "demons" that Jennifer believes are about to commit terrible deeds.


I found this book very juvenile and lackluster.  Before learning more about Jennifer's "condition", the writing felt very....annoying and silly with the repetitive phrases and silly made-up words Jennifer used.  Even after coming to understand the mental issues behind the verbiage used, I still found it a little annoying.

I did not care for any of the characters and found Sam's actions to be wholly unbelievable when it came to actions he took on Jennifer's behalf.  While likely a very quick read, due to it's simple nature, I found it took me quite a while to get through because it simply did not capture my interest.

I can completely see this book being appealing to a much younger audience, but for me (age 32), I thought it didn't have enough redeeming qualities to keep my attention.  And, sadly, I am not sure that I will try any other of Klavan's works (even though he has been highly lauded as an author), because of this first impression.

This book was provided to me for free by Thomas Nelson Publishing through BookSneeze in exchange for my honest review.  Thank you Thomas Nelson Publishing.

what does my window look like?

today my inspiration comes from a quote that i have had hanging in my kitchen for a while.  i have forgotten to look at it apparently.  and i mean REALLY look at it.

better keep yourself clean and bright.  you are the window through which you must see the world.
-george bernard shaw

i had originally put the quote up as an inspiration to keep my home cleaner.  but today, i see so much more in that quote.  how clean are MY windows?  you know, the windows that are all over me...my eyes?  my posture?  my mouth and words?  my thoughts?  have i been keeping those windows bright and clean?

lately, i think the answer is a very sad, "no."  i have such a blessed life.  i have a husband who loves and cherishes me.  i have two AMAZING children, who are SO intelligent and SO loving.  i have a beautiful home.  and i have even been able to start developing some friendships with some great ladies i met through my eldest's preschool.  so why am i not looking out a clear and shiny window?  why has my perspective been cast in dirt and grime?

i've had some low self-esteem issues throughout my life.  and while i know i am an intelligent, strong, caring person; i still have doubts that i know what i am doing half the time.  am i a good wife?  a good mother?  have the decisions i've made in my life been the "right" ones?  and that tendency toward insecurity tends to weed in doubts.

my girls are your average two-and-a-half and four year olds.  they love each other.  they fight.  they cause chaos in the living room that i just tidied up for the umpteenth time.  they fight.  and after day in and day out (oh, did i mention that i am BLESSED to stay home with my girls?!) of the roller-coaster ride that is ANY sibling relationship at this age, especially with two girls so close in age, i find myself questioning if i am teaching them well enough.  if i am a good enough mother.  if, perhaps, it is all beyond my abilities.

i forget to look at the fact that my girls are two of the most loving, caring, affectionate girls on the planet.  they show each other love.  they show my husband and me love.  heck, they show friends who would rather be left some space just how much they love them!  i think it is safe to say that my girls are getting what they need.

and yet, i struggle some days.  rather than see that my girls want to crawl in bed with me at night as evidence that they feel safe there, i think that i have done something drastically wrong in teaching my children to sleep at night!  i have always been a rather private person when it comes to my personal space.  i like (and truly need) my "me" time.  but somehow rather than seeing the blessings, i find myself focusing on the dirt.  the scum on my window.  and, pretty soon, i don't even realize that i've let the dirt build up.   and what comes out of my mouth, my body language, my thoughts are coated in filth.  why would anyone want to be around that?  what would you think if you were at a house with dirt covered windows?

and, if i'm not careful, it can turn into a negative spiral.  proof that i don't know what i'm doing.  the negativity simply reenforcing that i am not a good enough person.  that dang insecurity!

but this morning i looked at that quote on my wall.  and i read it differently.  it isn't just about taking care of one's surroundings.  heck, it isn't about bathing regularly either.  it is about keeping my whole being: my body, my soul, my mind, clean and bright.  i need to look at the blessings in my life!  when my children fight and argue, but can't stand to be away from each other (no matter how many times they demand, "space!"), i need to see that my girls LOVE each other!  they are simply still learning how to communicate their needs and express their feelings for one another.  when they won't give me a moment's peace....it is because they love me and want my attention and affection.

i need to cast off the dirt.  stop focusing on the negative.  it can come up so subtly sometimes!  oh, i'm just venting and commiserating...NO MORE!  all i am doing is trying to clean my windows with a dirty cloth.  perhaps it is good to chat with other moms about things so that you can see certain stages are normal.  but i need to focus on the blessings in my life.  i've said this before to myself...and perhaps may have to remind myself a time or two more.  but today i will look out a bright and clean window!

Lord knows i have a good view!

Old Navy and Crowdtap please again!

I was SO lucky to get to participate in the Bottoms Bonanza Old Navy put on through Crowdtap!  It was so fun trying on all of the adorable different pants and shorts they had!  I fell in love with quite a few.  Though, I must say, It is quite disconcerting to discover that I have gone up a size....right before spring!!  *gasp*  Oh well, I see some running in my future.  I loved the loose waist in the shorts and the comfy draw strings in the shorts an pants.  I also had to splurge and get a pair of the super sexy coral skinny pants!  Hopefully I have the guts to wear them!  The shoes were not my favorite.  The slightly better than regular flip flops were my favorite.  Comfortable and looks like they will hold up.  The more cutesy shoes were not very comfortable at all!  bummer.  I also LOVED the distressed laceless slip ons!  I got some in brown.  I can't WAIT to wear them!!

I had to force myself to stay on task because I kept finding such cute things that I wanted to add to my spring wardrobe!  After a couple splurges from the clearance section, I decided to call it a wrap and headed out with my friend after a VERY successful shopping extravaganza!!

Thank you Old Navy and Crowdtap once again!!

Flawed

what a beautiful message.  and so brilliantly drawn and told by Andrea Dorfman.  bravo.

i love old navy/crowdtap sample shares!

i have been a member of crowdtap.com for nine months or so.  at first it was a bit frustrating, as you had to just answer quick questions in order to build up your ranking in order to be able to do anything.  i had applied for several sample shares, but hadn't been approved for any.  in fact, after a while, i took a break for a bit.  after a couple months, i re-visited the site to find that they had re-vamped their whole site.  i started up again with their "quick hits" and when the next Old Navy sample share opportunity came up, i applied and was approved!  i was so thrilled!

i awaited my two coupons for two free tanks/tees for me and one friend and, once i received them, went out to my local Old Navy.  while i was unimpressed with a few of the qualifying products, i fell in love with their Tami tank tops.  they were so soft and comfy!  and LOOONG!  i love me a nice, long top!  so my friend and i got our Tami tanks and were done.  that's it!  TWO FREE TOPS!

i just love them and am so thrilled that i had the chance to try out a sample share!  if you want the chance too, just go check out crowdtap and put in the time to get up a few levels so you can qualify for the sample shares and other opportunities!  i can't wait to get to do another one!

Book Review

Book Review

"A Billion Reasons Why"
by Kristin Billerbeck

I have to say that this was not one of my favorite books.  Though a very quick read, and with a moderately entertaining romance, this book tended to hit all of my "Christian book" stereotypes. A somewhat cute story of a scorned love turning a nice and sweet girl into a closed-off, distrusting person who thinks that they are doing the "right" things in the name of God.  Katie, after being rejected by her first love, Luc, decides to swear off of romantic love and play it safe.  Eight years later, as she is about to settle down with a very safe Dexter, Luc enters back into her life and, Katie discovers, her heart.  Katie begins to face the possibility that Luc had never left her heart; and, as she travels with him back to her hometown for a wedding, begins to question the safe life she thought she had set up for herself in order to honor what she thought was God's plan for her.  Is she fulfilling God's plan by playing it safe?  Or is the passion for singing, dancing, and her fiery personality gifts that God gave her to use?

Though sweet, I had several problems with this book.  First, simply because the title of the book is "A Billion Reasons Why" doesn't mean you have to repeat that phrase throughout the book a billion times.  Second, Katie was completely over the top in her denial of Luc's intentions.  While I completely understand any hesitancy she would feel over trusting him, it HAS been eight years and the extent she goes to in order to hold fast to her conviction that Luc is not trustworthy is simply ridiculous.  Third, her almost-fiance Dexter was a completely accurate portrayal of many "marriageable age" single, conservative, super Christians.  Plain and simple, he just rubbed me the wrong way.  That Katie fell for him and kept trying to justify that the "marriage arrangement" she was entering with him was what God called her to was so horribly off-putting for me.  I think, of every characters' faith in this book, I liked Luc's the best.  He seemed to truly understand that God gave Katie the personality He did for a reason and that we are not meant to squeeze ourselves into some idea of a "good Christian", but trust that God leads us to use our gifts and talents to His glory.

Overall, a cute, sweet story, with no real zest to it.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson through BookSneeze for the free copy of this book.

daydreaming of tattoos.

i want to get another tattoo. several, really. and i have several ideas for them too. one of which is a quote of some kind. but the tricky part is, what quote? it can't be too long and some of my favorites are WAY too long to be branding myself with. so, i will start my list of possibilities here.

1. "you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart." jeremiah 29:13

2. something by e.e. cummings. the "i carry your heart" quote is my fav, but want to check for others.

3. some form of my girls' names. "em&ash" or something. perhaps with little tiny bees flying around...

4. Come to the edge, He said. They said, We are afraid. Come to the edge, He said. They came. He pushed them... and they flew.

Guillaume Apollinaire, 1880-1918
(what about breaking up this poem/part of this poem into a couple places on the body)

5. some part of:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that frightens us. We ask ourselves 'who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?'
Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; its in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Marianne Williamson

6. i am fearfully and wonderfully made,  psalm 139:14

7. i have found the one whom my soul loves (song of solomon 3:4)

8. symbols for "faith, hope, love" entwined somehow. cross, wishbone?, heart

9. No one else will ever know the strength of my love for you. after all, you're the only one who knows what my heart sounds like from the inside.

10. The windows of my soul i throw wide open to the sun. (from My Psalm by John green leaf whittier)