Book Chat: Never Look Down

Unknown

Sorry I’ve been M.I.A, we were on holiday in Italy and it was aaahhhhhmmaaaaazing!! Two weeks, four cities, and more pizza, pasta, and gelato than you can shake a stick at! The only reason I didn’t come back big as a house was because we walked and walked, and walked some more, every day.  Tours, sometimes two a day, would make us walk even when our legs were screaming in agony.  Our first stop was Torino, which upon first glance, I wasn’t a fan of but after getting out and checking out the city, I fell in love. Such an amazing place filled with kind people, dogs running around without leashes, and squirrels you could feed by hand. While there we checked out the Egyptian Museum which was crazy good, I think probably one of the best in the world.

Next was Rome, where we did the Roman ruins, Colosseum, and Vatican tours. I’m not even remotely religious but I can’t even get over the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica. It’s huge and beautiful and over the top. We only had 2 days in Rome but we made the most of it, that’s for sure!

Then it was a train to Florence, where we stayed right on the Ponte de Vecchio, a view that is a requirement to see. The duomo was also glorious, but by this point the kids were churched out. They had more interest in staying in the hotel room, but I couldn’t blame them, it was the best we’d had thus far on the journey. Ferragamo doesn’t do anything bad, does he?!

Finally we set off for Venice. It was as cool as I imagined it to be, nearly as smelly but hey, it wasn’t summer yet so the worst smells were yet to come. We had a blast being typical tourists, taking gondola rides, feeding the pigeons in the piazza, and wandering the streets getting lost. None of us wanted our Italian journey to end but eventually, it’s back to the grind.

Back to the task at hand. So this review  is actually a bit old, I had forgotten to post it way back in February so here it is!

neverlookdown

From Amazon:

In his first case in private practice, Oregon lawyer Cal Claxton came to the aid of a tagger calling himself Picasso, a Banksy-like figure in Portland. Dividing his time between a wine-country town and the city, the ex-L.A. prosecutor now encounters another urban teen at risk, Kelly Spence, also a tagger. Using climbing skills learned from her much-loved deceased father, a mountaineer, Kelly places angry tags in visible, hard- to-reach places. A runaway from an abusive foster home and alternative high school student, she lives with her father’s former girl friend. Kelly is four stories up at 3:00 one morning when she looks down and witnesses the brutal murder of a woman in the parking lot below. Unluckily the killer spies her but Kelly escapes. The police soon seek her as a witness. Desperate to stay anonymous, she seeks help from someone on the street she trusts. Too soon she finds his mutilated body and becomes even more afraid. Cal is drawn into the case by his volatile Cuban friend and landlord who is devastated by the murder: the dead woman had just become his fiancée. Her ex is the obvious suspect, but Cal’s instincts lead him in a different direction where he will run into Kelly. Can he get her to talk, or will the killer find her first?

My Take:

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the characters were rich and well-developed. I loved the Cal Claxton character most, as I assume I’m supposed to being that he’s the protagonist. As for the story line, I thought it was good but a little unbelievable. I mean, he made Kelly sound like Spiderman, climbing buildings like it was no big deal. I had a hard time buying it but beyond that, it was a totally fun read, great for a ski weekend trip cozied up by the fire (can you guess where I read this, lol?!)

Overall, I’d definitely recommend and will be seeking out other Warren Easley books!

PS. Try not to judge the uber cheesy cover, I think they could have down waaaaaay better than that!

**Full disclosure: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review

Paper: Party Time!!

I don’t know about you, but I love putting together a good party. I’ve got two little girls who share a birthday so the lead up is always exciting and a great time for me to start scouring the internet for awesome party supplies. And there are TONS! A few of my favorites include: Harlow & Grey, Sweet Lulu, and Beau Coup

Harlow & Grey is great for more modern, adult parties but I’ve used some of their stuff for certain themed birthday parties in the past. These plates played a big part in our last soiree:

How beautiful are they?!

 

Next up, is Sweet Lulu:

These are just a few of my favorites, and they can literally be used for any type of party, or just to spice up a regular night’s dinner! Little ones seem to love that…

 

Finally, I really like Beau Coup, such cute things for every possible party, great themes to choose from and quality products.

Adorable or what?! I love every single thing and have used the milk glasses before for “mermaid lemonade” and my girls LOVED them!

If you’ve got parties in your future, definitely take a look at these shops, they are game changers and such a nice departure from your typical party store goods.

signature-medium

Shiny Thing Alert

I’m so sorry I’ve been shit at this blog thing, I really am trying. It’s all so new and I try to do it after I’ve read a book in order to give a review but honestly, life is busy, and I don’t read books as fast as I used to. That, along with my aromatherapy school, I have just fallen behind. But when I find something I love, I must share, and there are a pair of earrings that I’ve been eyeing lately.

They’re by one of my favorite jewelry designers, Marco Bicego. His stuff is pricey but well worth it as it lasts forever and is truly gorgeous. I love the look of brushed gold and his is the loveliest I’ve come across.

These are gorgeous!! I haven’t been able to pull the trigger on them yet but they are in my cart waiting patiently for me to save up for them:

The Jaipur Collection: Two Stone Stud with Diamond & Turquoise

is $1,350

OB1518-B-TU01_1024x1024

 

And a piece I actually do have, that I bought for myself after graduating from college:

Siviglia Gold Small Bead Short Necklace

is $1,430

SivigliaGoldNecklace_CB608Y02_image1_1024x1024

How gorgeous is this stuff?! No lie, it’s kind of hard to tell quite how beautiful they are on a computer but in real life, these babies shimmer and shine! Check them out if you get a chance, I know this brand is sold at places like Bloomingdales and Neiman Marcus.

signature-medium

Book Chat: The Woman In The Mirror

 

Woman in the mirror

From Amazon:

A fabulous and very dark exploration of the twisted and neurotic minds of the residents of a cliff-top bungalow.

A gripping, page-turning journey, peeling back more and more layers through tantalizing revelations of the past.

Noreen Palmer describes herself as sweet and responsible, but she can’t stop lying about the things that happened in her bungalow perched on a cliff above the ocean.

When Alexandra Mallory and Jared Brady rent rooms in Noreen’s precariously situated home, the danger of falling over the cliff is the least of their fears.

Noreen’s escalating threats force Alex to uncover Noreen’s secrets and right a terrible wrong.

My Take:

This book was good, but there were some things that didn’t work for me. The good news is that I found myself wanting to set aside time to read this, which doesn’t always happen, even on the best of days with the best of books. It was because I honestly had no idea what the deal was with Noreen, or Alex, or even Jared. They all seemed to be a bit quirky but obviously Noreen was the one who made me shake my head the most, thinking “why the hell would anyone be like this”. (You finally do find out why she was like that but it still didn’t do much for me.) Everything seemed a bit forced, like Jared falling madly in love with Alex after one night, planning their life together after they move out of Noreen’s. I mean, C’mon.

What I didn’t quite get until near the end was how the book is about a woman who is tired of the sexism and obvious hypocrisy women face day in and day out in real life. Alex starts talking about it as the book goes on, and it does ring true. I found myself saying “right on, sister!” Of course, she takes things quite a bit further than the average person but that kind of made for the interesting read the book was. I really enjoyed the chase of finding out why Noreen was the way she was, why Alex was so cool and aloof, and what would happen between her and her roommate Jared. Overall, this book didn’t disappoint, and I was happy with the ending as it didn’t leave me hanging…too much.

 

**Full disclosure: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

signature-medium

Paper: Feels Like Spring

Hey guys! I don’t know where you’re all located but I’m in Bermuda and I have to say, the weather is delightful. Having just got back from a little ski trip to Vermont where I was basically a Popsicle the whole time, this is downright refreshing. And yes, it is a bit cold for Bermudian, subtropical standards but damn, I’ll take it! With the weather like this and the birds chirping outside, I couldn’t help but fall in love with these little beauties from Paper Source.  Don’t they just make you want to start writing?!

signature-medium

Book Chat: Walk Into Silence

walkintosilence

From Amazon:

A woman vanishes from a Texas town. Did she simply run off, or is something darker at play?

When Patrick Dielman shows up at Detective Jo Larsen’s desk insisting that his wife, Jenny, is missing, Jo wonders if it’s a case of a bored housewife running away.

But as she digs deeper into Jenny’s life, Jo learns that Dielman keeps a stranglehold on the family finances, down to the last nickel, and that Jenny’s first marriage dissolved following the death of her young son. By all accounts—including her doctor’s—she never recovered from the loss. Between a controlling husband, a tragic past, and a callous ex-husband, Jo can’t be sure if she should suspect foul play or accept that the woman may have wanted to disappear.

For Jo, whose own demons are shadowing her every step, finding Jenny becomes more than the typical protect-and-serve.

My Take:

Loved it! I couldn’t get enough and needed to find out what happened to Jenny Dielman. I kept thinking it was the nosy, husband coveter from next door because she acted so incredibly shady, but then I also thought it might be the ex-husband or even his new wife so there was plenty of mystery to be had. The writing was really nice, flowed smoothly and the characters, as I said, were so good that I just couldn’t decide who to suspect more.

I certainly hope to have a long series involving Jo Larsen, a very driven detective who doesn’t settle until the case is closed.

While I hate books where kids or animals are the subject of abuse or worse, this book was written in such a way that I wasn’t a blubbering mess but more involved in the whodunit so that’s always a win for me.

Overall, great read and highly recommend!

**Full disclosure: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

signature-medium

Stuff: My Itty-Bitty Interview Over At Whatmatterstomommy.com

Not gonna lie, I’m kind of loving Michelle’s blog, What Matters To Mommy. She’s full of great advice on making money, saving money, and all things blogging. It’s basically a mom’s place to hangout and learn how to be more than just “mom”.  I think a lot of mother’s tend to lose their identity after their kids are born, and I know for me it has definitely happened. But I do still yearn for something to call my own. Cue my starting up this blog.

Having not worked in so many years, I have kind of forgotten how to deal with things besides making lunches and being a mom taxi. (You’d think scheduling would be easy peasy for me but I literally just came home defeated because I missed lunch duty at my youngest daughter’s school.) With that said, blogging is a good reintroduction to finding yourself again while *possibly* making a little moola on the side. Clearly, I’m not there yet but am hopeful that once I really figure this stuff out, I’ll actually get some readers!

Anyway, Michelle asked me to do a little interview for her blog about introverted bloggers and I certainly fit that description. I’m feeling a bit badly as my answers are so minimal but that’s who I am, a woman of few words (not in this particular post I suppose) so I kept true to myself…hopefully not to the detriment of what she was trying to accomplish.

Michelle has started a Facebook group called Introverted Bloggers Unite so if you feel you fit in with that, go check it out, the more we can do to help each other, the better!

Thanks Michelle!!

signature-medium

Book Chat: The Square

51fTcGt7v8L._SX321_BO1,204,203,200_

The Square by Rosie Millard

From Amazon UK

Jane has the ideal life: loving husband, beautiful house and delightful son. Her fashionable dinner parties are perfect – and so are her secret assignations with her neighbour’s husband, Jay. From Tracey and her ‘New Money’ lottery winnings to eccentric artist Philip and his pornographic portraits, the residents of North London’s most privileged enclave The Square are a very satisfied bunch. To raise money for communal fencing, the Residents’ Association decides to hold a Talent Show, produced by Jane and hosted by TV celebrity Alan Makin. But when the show lurches into public disarray, reputations are shattered and everyone has to learn to live with a far less glossy reality than before.

 

My Take:

This was a kicky little book about neighbors in an upper class London square. It was a bit Melrose Place except with married, wealthy families instead of gorgeous single people. It was written from multiple perspectives, with the viewpoint of the Square’s bitchiest occupant, Jane to the children who live in the households, including George, Jane’s son. I was never quite able to figure out how old he was; at times he sounded and acted much older than he would at other moments throughout the book. Strange. You also hear from other neighbors like the lucky lottery winners and the eccentric artist and his bizarre companion. Each of them is flawed in their own special way, which makes for an entertaining read.

The premise of the book was fun, being a fly on the wall in the households where things may look great on the outside but underneath all the fluff there was some seriously dissatisfied people, cheating on one another here, there, and everywhere. I found the characters to be only somewhat developed, I never really cared to know any of them further though. Again, it was fluff, but that was what I knew it was so it delivered perfectly.

It wrapped itself up fairly well, although I would have liked a bit more closure on some of the happenings. Overall, it was a fun, punchy read that I would definitely bring along to a beach and read while soaking up some Vitamin D.

**Full disclosure: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

signature-medium

Stuff: What I do besides ogle stationery and shiny things!

young-living-eos

 

I haven’t been terribly with it in relation to the blog and it’s for a multitude of reasons but one of the main things I do is study Aromatherapy.  I initially started out getting a starter kit from Young Living from a friend of mine and jumped in whole hog. I have always been a crunchy, granola type (if anyone takes offense to those terms I’m sorry because I find them fantastically complimentary!) of gal but didn’t really know the proper outlet until I stumbled upon essential oils and herbalism.

I was hesitant at first because I didn’t really know the proper way to use oils and was honestly almost afraid of them but I’ve been learning slowly. While I enjoy learning from my Facebook groups, I did take it upon myself to do my own research and started with a FREE introductory course from Aromahead. I enjoyed that so much I decided to go ahead and do the full-0n certification course and I couldn’t be happier.

As a mom, it’s important to me that I do things that will benefit my kids and some of the information I found online was misleading to say the least. I prefer to err on the side of caution and believe that less is more in just about every capacity (except maybe chocolate). What I was seeing on sites like Pinterest and the like were EO recipes that were far too strong or just not consistent with findings from leading people in the aromatherapy industry like Robert Tisserand.

So yes, I still use my Young Living oils, love them in fact, but I use them in ways that make me feel confident and comfortable. If you’ve ever wanted to experiment with oils, let me know, I’d be happy to chat with you, no pressure, I promise. I’m not in this to make money, I truly love, love, love all things oils! One of the best smells in the world is diffused Frankincense and Bergamot, especially when I’m doing yoga or meditating, but even if I’m not, it is a welcome scent any old time.

Other things I use my oils for are: diffusing Tea Tree in my bedrooms to help with mold spores as we live in a super humid climate where mold loves to grow; using Pine, Lavender, and Mandarin in a baking soda, Castile soap base to make a “soft scrub” for sinks and tubs. The list is endless and they truly are an amazing, non-toxic option for today’s overly chemical world.

Book Chat: Two Days Gone

Two Days Gone

Two Days Gone by Randall Silvis

From Amazon:

The perfect family. The perfect house. The perfect life. All gone now.

What could cause a man, when all the stars of fortune are shining upon him, to suddenly snap and destroy everything he has built? This is the question that haunts Sergeant Ryan DeMarco after the wife and children of beloved college professor and bestselling author Thomas Huston are found slaughtered in their home. Huston himself has disappeared and so is immediately cast as the prime suspect.

DeMarco knows―or thinks he knows―that Huston couldn’t have been capable of murdering his family. But if Huston is innocent, why is he on the run? And does the half-finished manuscript he left behind contain clues to the mystery of his family’s killer?

A masterful new thriller by acclaimed author Randall Silvis, Two Days Gone is a taut, suspenseful story that will will break your heart as much as it will haunt your dreams.

My Take:

Hey all, hope everyone had a great holiday!! Sorry for being all non-posty and stuff but this book took me forever to finish and it wasn’t necessarily that it wasn’t good, because I did look forward to when I could sit down and read it but as most of you can probably relate, this time of year is so full-on packed with things to do, Christmas concerts, holiday parties, shopping for presents, getting tangled in wrapping paper and tape, etc., etc.

So back to the book, the first thing I should say is that it was a hard read based on the format on my Kindle, as it was all over the place format wise. But I’m hopeful that it is only because it was a pre-copy and I assume it won’t be like that regularly. As for the story itself, it was ok. I can’t say great because it just didn’t engage me as much as previous books I’ve reviewed but perhaps I’m not being fair due to all the other stuff that kept my mind occupied. It was a pretty dark storyline though, which is right up my alley (weird, because I’m like, the most peaceful person in real life unless you count road rage!) so it called to me for that reason. I must admit, as a parent, some of this was really hard to think about but it wasn’t so intense as to keep me from reading. I generally shy away from any book where something happens to kids, and animals if I’m being truthful, lol.

I didn’t really understand why Sergeant DeMarco was so captivated by Huston, the man accused of killing his own family. He seemed to think he knew him far better than someone who only hung out with him a few times should. It was little things like that which bugged me a bit but overall, I thought the storyline was ok, and subplots like DeMarco’s wife and his history were included but didn’t do much to enhance the story. But did it keep me wondering who actually did it? For sure! Did I enjoy reading it? Not really. Did I look forward to finishing it to move on to another story? Yes. So from that, you can reach your own conclusion!

**Full disclosure: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

 

signature-medium