Friday, February 15, 2013

Pets

Lately, I have been thinking about getting a pet this coming year. I have always been a dog lover. I love playing with my friend's pets and my parent also own two pet Beagles! Right now, I think I am leaning towards a Basset Hound, but I also really love Chocolate Labs.

This line of thinking brings me to another point: one of my favorite books. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein is a fantastic read. It is from a dog's point of view and it brings light to the relationship between man and dog.

If you love pets too, then I definitely recommend this book to you!

Cheers,
Millie

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Happy Valentines Day!

Since it is Valentines day and I am feeling a little mushy, I am going to share my favorite love story.


A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks is my favorite love story by far. I know it doesn't end the way that some may hope, but it is just so romantic and heartbreaking. This story showed me how even if a couple is apart, the are never truly alone.

What is your favorite love story?

Cheers,
Millie

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Budgeting

I find that sometimes I get caught up in reading so much that I end up spending way too much money on books. Even if I can find good deals on Amazon or Audible, I sometimes spend over a hundred dollars in one day on reading material.This can obviously be a problem when cash is tight.

I can solve this problem by taking advantage of my resources. Now, before I buy a book, I check my local library for an electronic or physical copy of it. If I end up loving the book then I can invest in a purchase. However, if I don't love it then I didn't have to spend any money on a book that I won't read again.

Another way to save is to borrow a book from a friend. This can also introduce you to new books that you may end up loving. Discussing books with other people allow me to form bonds with them that I might not be able to otherwise.

Good luck with finding great deals on your reading material!

Cheers,
Millie

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

On Again, Off Again

Someone recently told me that they and their boyfriend are on a 'break'. I don't know about everyone else, but this seems silly to me. I can understand needing space or breaking up. Going on a 'break' just seems too vague to me. What does it even mean? Are they still in a relationship? What would be defined as cheating. What is the future. Taking a break just seems like a being a wimp. If you can't take the time to figure out if you should be in a relationship with someone, then you probably shouldn't be.

It seems like some people are constantly in an on-again, off-again relationship. They are in a constant state of turmoil without any sense of future reprieve. I don't understand how this can be enjoyable. Relationships are about trust and enjoying spending time with your partner. They are not about constant fighting and uncertainty.

Maybe some people need this state of unrest in their lives, but personally I would rather have someone I can count on.

Let me know what you think!

Cheers,
Millie

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Coffee Table Books

Having one or two great coffee table books is a good idea. These make your living space more interesting and gives guests something to look at. It is usually a good idea to buy books about something you are interested in. This could be anywhere from sports to travel to CIA intelligence. These books tend to be more interesting if they have a good number of pictures.

I currently have two coffee table books. I am very interested in New England sports. So, it only makes sense that my two books are about the Red Sox and the Bruins. Eventually I will add a book about the Celtics and one about the Patriots to fill the collection. I purchased these two books from a discount shop called Five Below. This is a chain store that sells items that are all under five dollars.

I am very happy with these purchases, because they show my interests and give me something to look at when I am bored.

What are you interested in? They probably make a coffee table book for it.

Cheers,
Millie

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars - John Green

 
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is a fictional book about Hazel, a young girl who has thyroid cancer. However, this is not the typical cancer book about a typical cancer patient. Hazel has a specific type of cancer, where the tumors are present, but not growing. She isn't in remission, but she is not deteriorating either.

She has a different type of emotional outlook on life as well. She does not want to impact people's lives. She believes that she will die soon and she wants to reduce the number of people who will grieve about it. She believes that diminishing the affect of her death would make the world a better place.

Hazel's parents do not feel the same way. They want Hazel to experience life and form relationships with new people. At the beginning of this novel, they force Hazel to start attending a support group for young people with cancer. Hazel doesn't see this support group as very supportive. At the beginning of each session, the leader reads a list of all the people in the group who have died since the group was formed. As you can imagine, this is a fairly long and depressing list. Next, people vent about their frustrations and dealing with cancer. This support group doesn't necessarily help Hazel, but it does give her the opportunity to meet one of the most important people in her life.

She met Gus at the support group, and they end up becoming more than the best of friends. They trade books and connect over the journey to discovering the end of an influential story. This journey evolves from finding the answer to their questions, to breaking down emotional barriers and discovering each other.
 
Overall, this story makes you think about What If? What if I had cancer? How would I react? Would I still try to form those important relationships, or would I go through life alone? Can you really trust people, or do they just pity you for your disease? When you don't have cancer, these questions don't come up. People don't think about them. This book makes you think about them.

If you want to read a happy go lucky story where everything turns out to be ok, then this story is not the one for you. If you want to read a story that will make you think and reconsider how you live your life, then this one might work.

I give this book 5 stars. It made me cry and it made me laugh. An author who can evoke both of these emotions from me has serious talent. The Fault in definitely makes my Book in the Nook status!

Cheers,
Millie

 

Friday, February 8, 2013

Snow Day!

If you live in the North East part of the United States, then you will have heard by now that the 'snow storm of the decade' is coming. They are predicting as much as two feet in Boston and even more in southern Maine. They have already cancelled my work for today and are considering closing down the business Saturday as well.

Now I feel like I am in school again with snow days and lots of free time. This is giving me a chance to get caught up on my life. Here is the top five things I am going to do with my snow day!
  1. Clean my apartment
  2. Bake some cookies
  3. Reorganize my closet
  4. Throw out old make up
  5. Settle down with some hot chocolate and a good book
Remember to enjoy yourself with your free time and don't get completely caught up in chores. It is important to relax so when you go back to your busy schedule, you are at 100 percent!

Cheers,
Millie

Resources

I have found that there are many different ways to enjoy reading. There are physical books, ebooks, and audiobooks. Beyond that there are many ways to enjoy these stories. You can borrow a book from the library or a friend. You could purchase it from a book store or online. You can download it on to your Ipod.

I enjoy all three versions of reading. I like to bring my Kindle Fire with me when I travel or go places, so that I can enjoy reading wherever I am. I like having the physical book if I am enjoying some R&R (Rest and Reading) at my apartment. Finally, I like to listen to audiobooks at work while I am performing tasks that don't involve writing.

I have to be honest though, I like having physical copies of my favorite books. These are the one's that I will read over and over again.

Cheers,
Millie

Thursday, February 7, 2013

First Post

Hi Everyone,

This is my first attempt at starting a blog. I will be writing sporadically about a variety of different things. Mostly, I will be posting about books that I have read and enjoyed. However, I will also write about other things, such as home living, recipes and pretty much whatever I want.

For my first post, I would like to encourage everyone out there to find a hobby that they love. I have found mine in reading. I love to read about pretty much everything. Chick lit, mysteries, classics and so on. I read autobiographies, science fiction and books about weddings.

Currently, I am reading White Oleander by Janet Fitch. So far, it is very well written and I am enjoying the descriptive language. This book was recommended to me by a coworker and it is also listed on Oprah's Book Club.

I will let you know if it deserves my 'Book in the Nook' rating

Cheers,
Millie

Dream Book Nook