Superfluous Saturday

The Name Game.

1.'Proper' name: Becca - I don't go by my full name unless I'm in trouble.

2. Detective name (favorite color & animal): Green Cat - The most flexible and sneaky private dick in the world!

3. Soap opera name (middle name & street you live on): Anne Tucson - Not so exciting.

4. Star Wars name (first 3 letters of last name, first 2 of middle name, first 2 of first, last 3 of last): KofAnBeNow - Totally Lucasian!

5. Superhero name (Color of your shirt and first item immediately to your left): Green CareBear - No bad guy would ever be scared of me. And just for the record, the CareBear is an action figure I've had since I was really little!

6. Goth name (black and name of one of your pets): Black Bella - Oooh! That's kinda good for a villain!

My Very First Friday Five

I'm trying to be a better blogger so I am swiping the idea of Weekly Posts that some other book bloggers do! So here are my FIVE for the week :)

1- Torn Tendon- I tore a tendon in my knee a few weeks ago and had no idea. It was totally worth it though. I was having drinks with my fellow booknerds- Rheana, Katie, and Shelley in Denver. It was a lovely time and I slipped in some water and did an epic splits in the middle of a bar. If you know me in real life, you know this is typical! So worth the pain now, although it hurts, the memories are fond!

2- Bear, Otter, and The Kid- I just finished reading this book by TJ Klune and it was so wonderful. I highly recommend if you like romances and you don't mind a story that goes left, right, up, down, sideways, present tense, past tense and every which way in between.

3- Four Day Weekend- I have one. I am so happy to be able to sit and do nothing. I did nothing much today but spend time with a girlfriend, have some drinks, and now a little writing.

Kinda like this...

4- Yule- I had a wonderful time at a Yule Fest with some dear friends. I was so happy when they invited me and the food and company was wonderful!

5- Happy Hanukkah- We celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas in our home, this year we did Hanukkah presents for each other and we donated rather than gave presents for Christmas. It just seemed like a better way to celebrate. I did get an iPod Touch which I am now obsessed with and my dear husband will be getting a new game for his PS3. We're also saving up to spend some time traveling when he returns from boot camp and tech school later this year.

Whatever you celebrate, I hope you are surrounded by love and have a lovely weekend!
<3 Becca

Snowed in with Santa by Sue Lyndon

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13080964-snowed-in-with-santa

Goodreads Summary: Alana has no choice but to accept the seasonal job as an elf in the local mall, not unless she wants to lose her apartment. She didn’t expect the man under the Santa costume, a volunteer named Jared, to be such a hunk, either. But just as the sparks between them fly, Jared tangles with a thief and is escorted out of the mall for violating the manager’s ‘hands off’ policy.

Jared can’t believe he was fired from a volunteer job just because he single handedly apprehended a thief in the mall. Worse yet, he won’t get to wish Alana a Merry Christmas and ask her out on a date. What he doesn’t expect is for her to show up on his doorstep in the middle of a snowstorm . . .

Well this was a cute story. I can honestly say though, I was listening to it on my Kindle and it went from the story to an advertisement for another book and I did a double take. I wasn't expecting it to end so suddenly. It was sweet and naughty, just what you'd expect from a erotic tale, but it bothered me that it just ended. 
Jared was hot and I enjoyed reading about him. Alana was a little flat, I wish we'd known more about her. I felt more attached to Jared, but who couldn't get attached to a hot Santa who wants to spank an elf? :D
It was very sweetly written though but rather predictable. I guess it was supposed to be, again, an erotic novella. I'm eager to read more from Sue Lyndon!

My Vloggy Vlog about stuff...

My book club girls did vlogs today. I'm late to the game, but here's my 15 questions!

Yes, I look like crap... it's okay. I have a cute dog.

Here are the questions Tameka asked us to answer: 
#1. What's a nickname only your family calls you?
#2. What's a weird habit of yours?
#3. Do you have any weird phobias?
#4. What's a song you secretly LOVE to blast && belt out when you're alone?
#5. What's one of your biggest pet peeves?
#6. What's one of your nervous habits?
#7. What side of the bed do you sleep on?
#8. What was your first stuffed animal && it's name?
#9. What's the drink you ALWAYS order at starbucks?
#10. What's the beauty rule you preach.. but never ACTUALLY practice?
#11. Which way do you face in the shower?
#12. Do you have any 'weird' body 'skills'?
#13. What's your favorite 'comfort food'/food that's 'bad' but you love to eat it anyways?
#14. What's a phrase or exclamation you always say?
#15. Time to sleep- what are you ACTUALLY wearing?

How about you?

An open love letter to Stephanie Perkins @naturallysteph

Dear Stephanie Perkins,

Thank you.

“Just because something isn't practical doesn't mean it's not worth creating. Sometimes beauty and real-life magic are enough.”  ― Lola Nolan

I was so bummed when you published this while I was prepping for NaNoWriMo. I knew I wouldn't be able to read until December, but having it sitting there, staring at me, it was a good impetus to keep going. Now that I've won, I can read. And I am so glad I picked this as my first post-NaNo book.

I went to bed last night with a huge grin on my face but I was sad that I didn't have anymore Lola and Cricket to enjoy. I actually woke my husband up from a sound sleep to tell him how happy the book made me and how you were in my head.

It was as if you were in my head while I read. I guess you were if you were a teenage girl once upon a time, a girl who had her heart broken and a girl who tried to fall in love with an idea rather than following her heart. It would make sense if you were a girl who looked for what everyone else kept talking about, you were not sure of it at all yourself.
I remember trying to make something work that I knew deep down wasn't going to work. I remember seeing the boy and knowing I could never have him. I can picture in my head even now, the different things I did and said to find away along it all, but it just didn't work.
Lola is a girl that make sense to many a woman who can look back and think "Huh... wish I knew that now!" Lola is imperfect and makes mistakes, but deep down she's a good girl. I was that kid. I wanted to do everything right, but was constantly making mistakes. Lola is kind and smart and creative. She reminded me so much of me and so many other of the girls I knew. We tried so hard to do what we thought we were supposed to do, we tried to be ourselves by trying on different personas and personalities. And watching Lola traverse love was beautiful and poignant.
And then there's Cricket Bell. He's precious and coy, he's smart and unsure, he's pretty and goofy and sensitive.  Oy.
And Etienne is there, too! What a phenomenal plot device, Stephanie! You gave us Max who was interesting, then Cricket who was titillating, and then you brought us Etienne for a second helping of Unf! .
A magician! You worked a story about an awkward, evolving, kind teenager who can be identified with in with relevant plots and real characters! Lola's parents you can believe rather than some stories out there. Her parents are honest to goodness parents. Even her birth mother, that storyline touched me deeply. When Norah says, “Do you know my biggest regret?" She asks. "That you turned into this bright, beautiful, fascinating person... and I can't take credit for any of it.”  I felt my heart break for my own mother. It was tough to read, but I was so happy to see it. There was a lot going on within the book. We have lots of characters and plots and background information and repeated costume changes and you mixed it all together with pretty, swoony boys! 
It's so good! It was such a thrilling story that had my stomach clenching and my mind working it all out, all the while I was smiling and pursing my lips and ignoring the dog and the husband. It took one day and I'm sold. 
Anna was lovely. Truly lovely. Lola spoke to me. Something about Lola's journey resonated within me. I didn't just enjoy her tale and love the boy like I did with Anna. With Lola I could really, honestly, connect with this character.
I think a great deal of why I loved this is that Lola is strong. Yes she makes mistakes, cries, makes more mistakes, gets angry, throws things, loves her dog, and laughs at stupid jokes... she's real. Or as real as the pages of your book will let her be. But she's also struggling to be whole. I think a lot of us, me in particular, can appreciate that struggle. Even into my adulthood, I find we are all in this struggle. I loved that even though Lola was given the opportunity to rid herself of a mistake and what she wanted was served to her on a platter of skinny jeans and blue rubberbands, she said she had to wait. She waited until she was whole again. Any time your heart is broken or you make a huge, life altering decision, you lose a bit of yourself and you need to recover. I love that she recovered. She didn't need Cricket to heal her. She didn't need Max to make her real. She didn't. She needed Lola. She had lots of support, lots of love, lots of time. And in the end... Lola is Lola for Lola and gets her happy in the end on her terms.
I absolutely respect you for that, Stephanie. Completely.
So again, thank you, Stephanie Perkins, for giving us Lola. I can't wait for Isla.


Love,
Becca


 
If you're looking for a great YA read that will make you laugh and swoon and feel good when you finish, pick up Lola and the Boy Next Door. :)