Being bookwormy and bossy

Ok, so my midget wants me to write a blog suggesting books for others to read. Not that she has the time to read, but whatever... I aim to please. Haha. I figured I should probably stick to books that I have already read... which means that I reserve the right to add to this list at a future date, probably multiple future dates. For now I am suggesting my absolute all time favorites and a few that I have recently read. So here goes: (These are in no particular order...)

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen- I'm going to be honest and say that this is not my favorite Jane Austen book, however, it is most people's and a good gateway to reading Jane Austen's other works. Which, if it didn't sound overly ambitious, I would just say read the complete works of Jane Austen because I love all the rules and I love how everything turns out just right in the end... I frequently wish the real world was like a Jane Austen novel.
2. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte- you had to know I was going to slip my classics in... Here's the reason I love Jane Eyre, it's a classic love story/mystery. It has it all. Including a crazy lady living in the attic.
3. The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett- This book is like a combination of all my favorite classics, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Pride and Prejudice, etc. However, there's this wonderful plot twist of magicians and witches and all sorts of lovely magic and bad guys.
4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald- I just love the imagery in this book. Fitzgerald paints this beautiful picture of life in the 1920's and I want to go there.
5. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger- This book has haunted me since the first time I read it. Some parts are a little inappropriate I suggest skipping over them, the book is totally worth it. It's probably one of the most beautiful and complicated love stories I've ever read.
6. The Earth Hums in B Flat by Mari Strachan- This book is about a child who thinks she can fly and solve a murder. Anyone who has ever met me should understand why this appeals to me... The way the novel is written is almost like a song in itself- it's beautiful.
7. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier- This is probably my favorite book of all time. But the first chapter is really hard to get through so just bear with it for a while. This novel has a love story, a crazy mystery, and it is also kind of haunting. My three favorite things in a book.
8. Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz- This is a book about a fry cook who can see ghosts. Thomas is so charming and so awkward and the story is different from anything else you will ever read. Which is why I love it.
9. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks- in a way, I hate this book. Like really hate it. But, the story stays with you for a long time after you finish it and after a while it seems like it might have ended right after all.
10. Atonement by Ian McEwan- I love this story because it starts from a child's point of view. I also love this story because everything goes gloriously wrong because a child's imagination goes wild. The characters in this book seem real to me, they are probably the most real character descriptions I have ever read.
11. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale- This is a nice, light, easy read. It is entertaining the whole time. And as opposed to most of my favorites, it doesn't make you think too much and it doesn't leave you feeling haunted by the story. It's just a really fun fairytale.
12. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous- This is a journal written by a young woman who becomes addicted to drugs. If you've ever had an interest in the mind of drug addict this is a fascinating read. It also describes what it's like to do LSD and serves as a cautionary tale.
13. The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman- This book is written backwards. I love that. It starts now and then tells the story of the generation before. I like it because you start out knowing the end, but not the beginning.
14. The Givenchy Code and the Manolo Matrix by Julie Kenner- This is actually two books. But they are by the same author so I counted them as one. These books have the cyphers and codes of an awesome mystery combined with cool locations in New York and fashion... need I say more.
15. The Work and the Glory by Gerald Lund- amazing stories that actually teach you church history.
16. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks- Everytime I pick up an old book I wonder who made the book, how it was made, and I wonder about the people who read it before me. This book is about a special book and tells the stories of all those different people. Plus, there is a mystery!
17. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell- I'm going to admit upfront that this is a really long book but it doesn't seem like it while you're reading it. The main character is so flawed in this book, but you are still drawn to her and her story. Plus, it's an excellent way to get interested in the civil war.
18. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood- probably my favorite dystopian novel. It shows you what the possibilities are when the world goes crazy. It's not a world I would want to live in, but I found it incredibly interesting.
19. 1984 by George Orwell- It's a pretty easy read and I support anything that encourages a healthy suspicion and questioning of authority. It might make you a little paranoid of big brother for a while, but who says that's a bad thing?
That's it. I hope you find something on my list that you want to read or at the very least that it inspires you to pick up a book. Happy Reading!

My Other Resolution Was A Lie!

Since making my non-New Year's resolution, I have become addicted to The Legend of The Seeker. And therefore my actual New Year's resolution is to become this lady:Her name is Kahlan and she is super pretty, kicks serious bad guy trash, and has the ability to make any man her love slave! This might even supercede my childhood wish to become Wonder Woman... it's hard to tell. Kahlan can use her powers to discern the truth- Wonder Woman has a lasso of truth. And it's a toss-up who has a better outfit... So yeah, that's my new quest. Anyway you can help me achieve this goal would be much appreciated. Haha. You know you love me!

Resolutions...HAH!

This year I am not only not going to make a resolution, I'm going to take back last years resolution (Seeing as how I didn't quite accomplish it). Mainly because if I had known myself better I would have known better than to make it. My non-relationship is sadly the best relationship I have. So in 2010 I hope everything stays the same. Cheers!

How Old is Old Enough?

Is there an age limit for doing what your parents tell you? And if so, am I getting close to it? Not that I don't love being obedient, but I have too many parents and all of them like to tell me different things to do... MUY CONFUSING!

Being Not Scroogey

Nothing illustrates the true reason for the season better than my favorite Christmas song! It bears an amazing testimony of the Savior and the true importance of His birth. I choke up every time I hear the first and third verses. So, please read, and as you read, pause to remember how much the Savior loves us.

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of Our dear Saviour's birth.

Long lay the world In sin and error pining,

'Til He appear'd And the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope The weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks A new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! O, hear the angels' voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born;

O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,

With glowing hearts By His cradle we stand.

So led by light of A star sweetly gleaming,

Here come the wise men From Orient land.

The King of Kings Lay thus in lowly manger;

In all our trials Born to be our friend.

He knows our need, To our weakness is no stranger,

Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

Behold your King, Behold your King.

Truly He taught us To love one another;

His law is love And His gospel is peace.

Chains shall He break For the slave is our brother;

And in His name All oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy In grateful chorus raise we,

Let all within us Praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,

His power and glory Evermore proclaim.

His power and glory Evermore proclaim.

Possibility

Possibility by Lykke Li

There’s a possibility

There’s a possibility

All that I had was all I gon’ get

There’s a possibility

There’s a possibility

All I gon get is gone with your step

So tell me when you hear my heart stop,

You’re the only who knows

Tell me when you hear my silence

There’s a possibility

I wouldn’t know

Know that when you leave

Know that when you leave

By blood and by mean

You walk like a thieve

By blood and by mean

I fall when you leave

So tell me when you hear my heart stop,

You’re the only one who knows

Tell me when you hear my silence

There’s a possibility

I wouldn’t know

Tell me when my sigh is over

You’re the reason why I’m close

Tell me if you hear me falling

Theres a possibility

It wouldn’t show

By blood and by mean

I fall when you leave

By blood and by mean

I follow your lead

Feels Like Home?

Lately I feel like a broken record. I don't know what to do with my life. I'm mad at this boy. I don't know what to do with my life. I like this boy. I don't know what to do with my life... you all are going crazy wanting to punch me in the face or the stomach since that is probably where you will be sick if you have to hear about how bad my life sucks one more time. I'm sorry! Thanks for bearing with me even though you'd rather be somewhere else. But, I'm going to make you all crazy one more time because blogging is very therapeutic for me. I kind of just need everything out there and organized in writing. Ha ha. So, I had an epiphany of sorts tonight. I had this panicky overwhelmed feeling overcome me, like there is so much that I need to accomplish and I'm running out of time to do it. And I didn't know what to do. I was sitting in a chair crying when I needed to talk to a certain someone. I never understand why I need to talk to him or why I need him in my life. So I started thinking about it. And I remembered something that happened when I was sixteen. It was the last day of school-junior year. And for some reason a friend and I weren't invited to go to breakfast with our friends. So we decided to forget them and hang out with some other girls and go to lunch with them in Cedar to celebrate our summer freedom. Everything was fun and fine at lunch, we had a good time, all was well. Then two of the girls who rode with us wanted to stop by the apartment of some college boys they knew. When we got to the apartment there was a bong laying on the counter and a bag of weed in another room, the whole apartment smelled like weed and the guys were totally creepy. I was raised in a bar with alcoholics, but drugs were new for me. I didn't know what to do- it was one of those experiences where you are sick because the Spirit just flew out the window. The two girls we were with wanted to stay so my friend and I drove around town for a couple of hours waiting because we didn't want to leave them. It really wasn't the biggest deal. I've had much more upsetting experience since then. But I spent the rest of the day trying to get rid of that sick feeling I got from the loss of the Holy Ghost. Later that day I was driving around town thinking and I saw this boy and a friend playing a game. So I stopped to talk to them. As soon as I could look into his eyes, the bad, sick feeling was gone. And I felt instantly safe. In that moment I knew that no matter what happened, I was safe with him. That no matter what happened, if he could help it, he wouldn't let anything bad happen to me. To this day that boy makes me feel safe in a way that no one else does. I know from life experience that he would do pretty much anything for me. So I guess that's why, at the end of a bad day, I need him in my life to tell me that everything is going to be okay. I need him to tell me that because I know that he wouldn't say it if it wasn't true. He feels like home. And to quote the Dixie Chicks, "I need something to believe in, Breathe in sanctuary in the, Easy silence that you make for me, It's okay when there's nothing more to say to me, And the peaceful quiet you create for me, And the way you keep the world at bay for me". No matter what's going on, he always feels like my center, my constant, my home base, if you will... the one place that I'm always safe. And no matter how hard I try I can't seem to let that go- because no matter how hard I push, he always answers when I call.