2015 Goals

My goals for 2015
1. Run a Half Marathon.  I am signed up to run the SF Half Marathon on July 26th! My goal is just to finish in the allotted time.
2. Read 75 Books. I read 52 last year. Upping it quite a bit.
3. Daily Art Journal. Draw, paint, sketch, or create something each day of the year.

Happy Reading! _________________________________________
 FTC Disclosure: Clicking on book title and/or image links will lead you to my Amazon Affiliate page.

2014: Year in Review

2014 has come and gone in a flash!

It was another busy year full of travel, family visits and fun. We flew to Maui, London, Maine, Florida and Austin. The little girl has become quite the world traveler. I am so glad she enjoys it as much as we do.

We celebrated the little girl's fourth birthday and our fourteenth anniversary. 

I lost 10 pounds!

I knit a couple sweaters, started another afghan and a pair of socks for the little girl.

I challenged myself to read 50! (Yay for reading two extras.)

January

1. Third Lies the Charm by Laura and Lisa Roecker *

2. Bellman and Black by Diane Setterfield *

3. 11/22/63 by Stephen King =

4. The Book Thief by Markus Zukas

5. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

6. This Girl by Colleen Hoover +

February

7. The Collector of Dying Breaths by M.J. Rose *

8. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

9. Divergent by Veronica Roth

10. The Memory Garden by Mary Rickert *

11. Tyringham Park by Rosemary McLoughlin *

12. The Diviners by Libba Bray~

13. The Red-Hot Chili Cook-Off by Carolyn Brown*

March

14. Cinders and Sapphires by Leila Rasheed

15. The Here and Now by Ann Brashares*

16. The Widow's Guide to Sex and Dating: A Novel by Carole Radziwell+

17. Joyland by Stephen King

April

18. Faithful Place by Tana French

19. The Medici Boy by John L'Heureux*

20. Before I Wake by C.L. Taylor+

May

21. The One and Only by Emily Giffin*

22. Pat of Silverbush by LM Montgomery+

23. Love and Treasure by Ayelet Waldman*

24. Broken Harbor by Tana French

June

25. Brunette Ambition by Lea Michele+

26. Palo Alto by James Franco

27. The Revealed by Jessica Hickam*

28. Queen of Hearts, Vol 1 by Colleen Oakes

July

29. Peter Pan by JM Barrie

30. The Yard by Alex Grecian

31. The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg

32. Queen of Hearts, Vol 2 by Colleen Oakes*

33. Keep Quiet by Lisa Scottoline~

34. The Bone Church by Victoria Dougherty+

35. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

August

36. Dead Wrong by Allen Wyler+

37. The Curse of Van Gogh by Paul Hoppe*

38. Your Perfect Life by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke*

39. Recipes for Play by Rachel Sumner*

40. The Secret Place by Tana French*

41. The Hidden Girl by Louise Millar*

September

42. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

43. Ghosting by Edith Pattou*

October

44. Enchantress by Maggie Anton*

45. The Barter by Siobhan Adcock*

November

46. The Tudor Vendetta by CW Gortner*

47. Stillwater Rising by Steena Holmes*

48. World War Z by Max Brooks~

49. Wild by Cheryl Strayed

50. The Job by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg*

51. Die Again by Tess Gerritsen*

December

52. The Resurrection of Tess Blessing by Leslie Kagen*

53. Passionate Nutrition by Jennifer Adler*

______________________

* ARC/NetGalley

^ LT Early Reviewers Program

# GoodReads First Reads Program

~ Giveaway Win

+ publisher/author sent for review (not ARC)

= Mooched/Borrowed

   Purchased

Happy Reading! _________________________________________
 FTC Disclosure: Clicking on book title and/or image links will lead you to my Amazon Affiliate page.

Creative Every Day Challenge 2015

One of my resolutions this year is to do something creative every day. Joining the Creative Every Day Challenge and starting an Art Journal will hopefully keep me going all year.

(Thanks, Becca, Vasilly, and Belle for suggesting this and letting me create with you. Four days in and I am loving it. Ya'll are motivating me to keep it up.)

January's optional theme for the challenge is "Lost and Found" and within that I have created some daily prompts for my journal.

Here are my Days 1-4:

Greens 24/7 by Jessica Nadel

Greens 24/7 by Jessica Nadel
176 pages, Paperback January 2015, The Experiment
Source: NetGalley
About the Book
More than 100 Quick, Easy and Delicious Recipes for Eating Leafy Greens and Other Green Vegetables at Every Meal, Every Day
My Review
Eating Greens 24/7 is a hard thing to do for most people including me and my family. It is, however, something I am striving towards. This book by Jessica Nadel has some interesting recipes on how to get those greens in. 
Who knew you could get your greens in a cake?
I have yet to try some of these, but I do have many marked pages for ones to try.
About the Author
Jessica Nadel is the creator of the popular blog Cupcakes and Kale.
Happy Reading! _________________________________________

2015 Reading Challenge

Going to try this challenge I found on Pinterest from PopSugar. Anyone want to join me?

Die Again by Tess Gerritsen

Die Again by Tess Gerritsen Hardcover, 352 pages Published December 2014, Ballantine Books
Source: NetGalley
I was so excited to get the chance to preview Die Again. I am a big fan of Gerritsen's books and especially of the Rizzoli and Isles series. The last book I read, Ice Cold, was three books ago so I am a little behind in the series. That was not a problem. These books are usually easily read as a stand-alone.
Die Again starts in Botswana with seven people out on a safari. All is going well until it is not and people start dying- the work of a leopard or a madman?
Six years later, Jane and Maura begin investigating the murder of a taxidermist and avid hunter who happens to be the father of one of the people on the safari in Botswana. A coincidence?   Fast-paced, interesting mystery, and a slew of possible suspects. Made for a quick, fun and enjoyable read. Happy Reading! _________________________________________

Passionate Nutrition by Jennifer Adler, MS, CN

Passionate Nutrition by Jennifer Adler, MS, CN Hardcover, 288 pages Published December 2014, Sasquatch Books Source: Publisher for Review About the Book
Nutritionist Jennifer Adler learned that "food as medicine" is a powerfully healing way to eat as she recovered from a malnourished, sickly childhood and adolescence. Part power foods cookbook, part guidebook for healthy living and eating, and part memoir, Passionate Nutrition provides powerful information, tips, and techniques for eating your way to optimal health. My Review
Adler's background and journey to healthy eating has greatly influenced her work as a nutritionist.  I like her advice to not "diet" but to develop a healthy relationship with food. Eat what nourishes, eat what heals and don't feel guilty when your body craves something you consider "bad".  There are so many things I read that I plan to implement into my eating habits; Listen to what my body wants, slow down while eating and enjoy every bite, eat when hungry. That last one I need to remember when the little girl asks me for food two hours after she has just eaten. She's listening to her body and I need to respect that by having healthy snacks for her and for me. Another read through with a highlighter and a notepad is in order. So many great things to remember and share and recipes to try. Planning on having the hubby read this one, too. About the Author

Jennifer Adler is a Certified Nutritionist and a nationally recognized nutrition expert (as seen on ABC's Nightline). Adler is the founder and owner of Passionate Nutrition based in Seattle. Happy Reading! _________________________________________
 FTC Disclosure: Clicking on book title and/or image links will lead you to my Amazon Affiliate page.

Merry Christmas!

Hope those of you celebrating today are having a very Merry Christmas. 

Save Me by Krystyn Kusek Lewis

Save Me by Krysten Kusek Lewis
Paperback, 288 pages
Published December 2014 by Grand Central Publishing

Source: From Publisher for Review, BookSparks Fall Reading Challenge, NetGalley

About the Book

Daphne Mitchell has always believed in cause and effect, right and wrong, good and bad. The good: her dream job as a doctor; Owen, her childhood sweetheart and now husband; the beautiful farmhouse they're restoring together. In fact, most of her life has been good--until the day Owen comes home early from work to tell her he's fallen head over heels for someone else.

Unable to hate him, but also equally incapable of moving forward, Daphne's life hangs in limbo until the day Owen's new girlfriend sustains near-fatal injuries in a car accident. As Daphne becomes a pillar of support for the devastated Owen, and realizes that reconciliation may lie within her grasp, she has to find out whether forgiveness is possible and decide which path is the right one for her.


About the Author

Kristyn Kusek Lewis is the author of How Lucky You Are (Grand Central), a novel about three women and the growing pains of their enduring friendship. How Lucky reached #1 on Barnes & Noble’s Top 100/Bestselling NOOK Books and was a Target Emerging Authors Pick. Kristyn’s next novel, a love story about two doctors, a tragic accident, and the power of forgiveness, will be published by Grand Central in December 2014.

A former magazine editor at publications including Glamour and Child, Kristyn has been writing for national publications for nearly twenty years. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, O: The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Reader’s Digest, Glamour, Self, Redbook, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Parents, Allure, Good Housekeeping, Cooking Light, Health, Men’s Health, the New York Daily News, and many more.

Kristyn is a graduate of the Vermont College of Fine Arts, where she earned an MFA in creative writing, and the College of the Holy Cross. She lives in North Carolina with her family.

For more info about the book and author visit her WEBSITE.

Happy Reading! _________________________________________
 FTC Disclosure: Clicking on book title and/or image links will lead you to my Amazon Affiliate page.

The Resurrection of Tess Blessing by Leslie Kagen

The Resurrection of Tess Blessing by Leslie Kagen 325 pages, Paperback Published December 2014, SparksPress
Source: Sent for review by the Publisher
About the Book
After she's diagnosed with breast cancer, forty-nine-year old Tess Blessing sets forth on a mission to complete her TO-DO List before, what she's sure is, her impending death. She needs to make peace with her estranged sister, Birdie, scatter her mother's long-kept ashes, rescue her daughter, Haddie, from the grip of an eating disorder, guide her teenage son, Henry, through a bumpy adolescence, and reignite the spark in her almost thirty-year marriage to her husband, Will. 

Tess is aided on her quest by narrator, Grace, who lends the story its most brilliant elements: subtle magical realism and deep psychological complexity. Is Grace an imaginary friend, guardian angel, or a part of Tess that knows better than she?

Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author, Lesley Kagen, has created an unforgettable, redemptive story that is by turns poignant, gritty, spiritually uplifting, and funny as hell.
My Review
Tess Blessing is an interesting character. She is likable but flawed and I found myself wanting to talk to her, sometimes yell at her. I wanted desperately to help her out, give her a hug, make her tell her family what is going on with her so she can get some love. Her relationships are strained and a bit superficial since she doesn't really let anyone know the real her- afraid that they will learn about some of her psychological problems. 
The narrator added a little magic to the story. Who exactly is she? An imaginary friend or ghost? A guardian angel? Loved it- mostly because she could materialize and help Tess out when she needed it.  
Really enjoyed this and am excited to share with you all a chance to win Kagen's iPad Mini Giveaway. There are only two more days left to enter! Click the link and head on over now!
About the Author

Leslie kagen is an actress, voice-over talent, former restauranteur, sought-after speaker, and award- winning, New Your Times bestselling author of five previous novels. Her work has been translated into seven languages. She's the mother of two and grandmother of two. She lives in a hundred-year old farmhouse in a small town in Wisconsin.
For more info about the book and author visit her WEBSITE.


Happy Reading! _________________________________________