Book Review: Hungry Girl 1-2-3

I love cookbooks! Particularly cookbooks that show new and interesting ways to cook low fat and low calorie foods. I've been a Weight Watchers Lifetime member for almost 10 years. I am constantly looking for new ways to keep my points in check. Hungrygirl.com is one of my favorite websites to get new ideas. I subscribe to her daily newsletter and love buying her cookbooks. I just got her latest "Hungry Girl 1-2-3" last week.

It is AWESOME! She has a whole section on low point mug meals! My favorite so far (working my way down the list) Egg Mug Lorraine.
Egg beaters, a Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese wedge, Bacon Crumbles, Minced Onion and Dijonnaise. Pour it in a mug and nuke it for 1 minute, stir and nuke for another minute!

Delicious, filling and only three points!  I highly recommend this cookbook.

Book Review: Blue Bloods

I've been so busy lately and totally ignoring my blog. First, I have been reading this series of books by Melissa De La Cruz. These books were recommended by my coworker, who knows of my Twilight obsession.
This is another teenage series about vampires. I found all three books interesting and the plot twists intriguing. The story was complicated and original enough to differentiate it from other vampire novels. These vampires are all extremely wealthy and they are actually angels that were banned from heaven! That's different, huh? In this series there is no way for a human to become a vampire. I felt the books were missing that subliminal fear, when reading vampire stories, of eeekkk this could happen to me!

I've also been spending a lot of time with my family lately. Celebrating the last few weeks of warm weather. Last weekend we had a crab cooking and picking party. Before that we went out on the boat and rode inner-tubes. We also went to a comedy show featuring Theo Von. (He was on the real world/rode rules shows). I thought he was pretty funny. My sister, on the other hand, spoke to him before the show and said he was a total jerk, lol.

I hope everyone has a great rest of the week!

Guilty Pleasure Book Review: L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad

I occasionally watch reality television. One of my steady favorites is The Hills. My sister called me the other day and suggested I read L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad, the star of the Hills. My sister emphasized, "It's a quick fun read if you're looking for a new book". I downloaded it to my Kindle and finished it in a few days.

This book really was a fun read! If you like The Hills, you will enjoy this book. It's an insiders view of the world of reality television. It confirmed my suspicion that reality tv is not so realistic. While reality tv subjects are being themselves, the situations and scenarios are set up to produce drama.

The book shares candid moments of being "miked" and having to repeat conversations so the mikes can record the words clearer. The characters are fictional but I found myself trying to figure out if the fictional characters were actually versions of the characters of Hills. There is a character named Brayden who reminded me of Brody Jenner from The Hills. The main character, Jane, seems to be based on Lauren. Instead of navigating the world of fashion, she is learning the intricacies of being an event planner. The story is compelling and evolves into an interesting climax. The end is a bit of a cliffhanger and leaves the door open for more books to come.

All in all this was a good quick read. The writing could have been better. At times I was confused because the perspective seemed to switch from first person to third and then back again.

I've just started a new book, The Blue Bloods. Very interesting so far. Reminds me a bit of the Twilight Series.

Book Review: The Help by Kathyrn Stockett

I loved this book. The characters were so real it seemed like I knew them intimately. When the book ended, I was genuinely sad it was over. I sat hoping for a sequel and realized there probably will not be one. "The Help" left a lasting message of fear and courage, perseverance over racism, suffering and the importance of faith. It's a story about maintaining dignity despite a system that is insanely unjust.

It's set during the civil rights movement in the 1960's. The story is narrated by three main characters. Two are black maids and the other is a white woman who was raised by a black maid. She starts to question "the way things are" and the maids begin to realize it's okay to talk about "the way things are". They take turns narrating and I was compelled and engrossed with each perspective. All so interesting, as each section exemplified the strength needed to be a woman.

This is the best book I've read this summer. This perspective on 1960's race relations seemed so accurate my heart ached for anyone that has experienced racism and inequality. Highly recommended!

Kindle, Battlestar Gallactica and Old Timey Photos.... Whew busy week.

I have totally neglected my blog this last week. I've been busy, but mainly it's because my boyfriend and I are totally obsessed with Battle Star Galactica. We have watched season two, in its entirety, in about a week and a half. =)

Also my Kindle reader has become a bit of an obsession. Mine has the speech to text option so I listen to it while I drive to and from work and I read every chance I get.... sometimes at work if I need a few minutes between clients. Right now I am reading "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. It is AMAZING. I'll write a full review when I've finished it.

This weekend I headed to VA Beach to my sister's house. My other sister and I traveled there for my mom's 60th birthday! We decided to get Old Timey Photos made this weekend. We actually spent all of our summers at the beach and never had these photos made. It was a lot of fun, expensive, but worth it. I'm at the top... cute, huh?