Getting To Know You: Desserts

It's time for another Getting To Know You.  A great meme hosted by Jenni that lets us get to know more about each other. This week's topic...Desserts. Could I seriously resist?  About as much as I can resist the actual yumminess.

Texas sheet cake. Sigh! I love the warm gooiness and the fact that you can actually taste the sugar in the frosting.  Can you say diabetes?

Oh, Chili's,  you temptress you! The lava cake and I have a thing going on.  Shhh, don't tell my husband.  

Kneaders cheesecake brownies. So rich and yummy!

Leatherby's hot fudge brownie Sunday is absolutely sinful!  

I could go on but I think I'm going to go eat something. ;) What Desserts do you like?  Comment below or do your own post and link up. 

I'm a Failure

I've been trying to get back into blogging and totally planned on participating this week and there's so much I want to do on my blog to better it and get back into the swing of things but alas, life got in the way. I have an unexpected house guest and another coming this weekend and my house to clean and and and. Sigh! I really wanted to participate this week but I guess my updates will have to wait. 

So, I just wanted to say hi and that I'll have to check out everyone's useful advice and tips when I have more time. 

Have fun and Happy Bloggiesta!

Review: The Fetch

Title The Fetch
By Laura Whitcomb
Genre YA, Supernatural
Pages 380


First Sentence Calder was a Fetch, a death escort, and had been since his own death at the age of nineteen.

Synopsis
Calder is a Fetch, a death escort, the first of his kind to step from Heaven back to Earth.The first to fall in love with a mortal girl. But when he climbs backwards out of that Death Scene, into the chaos of the Russian Revolution, he tears a wound in the ghost realm, where the spirits begin a revolution of their own. (From Goodreads)


What it has going for it
Laura Whitcomb is a beautiful, lyrical writer. She has a way with words that reads like poetry...without the falling asleep from boredom thing. I loved the idea behind this book. The Fetch is such an interesting idea. I've always been fascinated with Death. I mean death as a person. Not death, death. I'm not that morbid. Anywho. I love the idea of an actual person showing up at a death and escorting someone to heaven or the afterlife or whatever you want to call it.  Then, if you're not totally worn out with romance yet, add the falling in love with a mortal girl and leaves heaven for her, and you've got one heck of a story idea. Am I right? Well,  I've been putting off reading this book forever. I loved A Certain Slant of Light by Whitcomb so I really wanted to delay my pleasure in this one. It just sounded so wonderful and I had high expectations. I guess you're hearing the "but" in my voice and you'd be right. However, before I say the negative I will say that this one was still beautifully written with a unique and exiting idea behind it. 

What's lacking
As I mentioned, my expectations were through the roof, so I can't entirely blame the book. My biggest problem with it was that Whitcomb decided to involve the Romanov family. Specifically Anastasia and Alexie, the two youngest Romanov's. Yeah, that might sound exciting but it just didn't work. Almost the entire book was about traveling from Russia to Japan to California to New York to England and back to Russia. You see the problem? The whole very clever idea behind this story lost its self to a history lesson. Sort of...anywho, it just didn't work and I was left horridly disappointed.   That isn't to say there wasn't a lovely lesson about redemption and courage and not giving up but it was lost in the traveling. Sigh! 

Yea or Nay?
Uh, I'd say just skip this one but maybe I just wasn't in the mood or my expectations ruined it so my recommendation is probably tainted. 

Review: Wonder

Tilte Wonder
By R.J Palacio
Genre Middle Grade Contemporary
Pages 315


First Sentence I know I'm not a normal ten-year-old kid.


Synopsis
Born with a terrible facial abnormality, Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents his whole life, in an attempt to protect him from the cruelty of the outside world. Now, for the first time, he's being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. All he wants is to be accepted - but can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all? (from Goodreads)


What it has going for it
Well, yeah. It was a quick easy read. And, yes, there was a lovely message about kindness above all that I fully believe in but ashamedly don't always practice. 

What's lacking
I really feel bad for the poor review some books get by me. I honestly have very little to say about this book. Nothing really nice and nothing really mean, just...nothing. My biggest two problems with the book were, first, it was so freaking hyped up! It was supposed to be this tear jerking,  leave you all warm and fuzzy inside book and it was...OK. That's it, just OK. My second problem with it was that, because it was just OK, it wasn't memorable. I just read it a week ago and I'm already forgetting all about it.  So there you have it; a short review that probably took longer to read than the story stuck with me. 

Yea or Nay?
Yes, as a matter of fact, go ahead and read it, just don't go in with high expectations and a tissue box. If you're anything like me you won't need it.  

January/February Wrapup

OK, obviously I'm a bit behind on my wrap up posts but here you have it.

The Breakaway
Honestly, an OK read but not very realistic or memorable

Alice in Wonderland
Ooookay. Lewis Carroll may have been on something when he wrote this.

Out of the Easy
Very engrossing. It was hard to deal with some of the stuff in it but overall a great story.

The Other Queen
Very disappointing. I usually love Gregory's books but this one fell flat with completely unsympathetic characters.

For Darkness Shows The Stars
Started out OK but the author should have just left this story to the professionals (Jane Austen). It's a retelling of Persuasion, in case you didn't know.

Persuasion 
I had to re-read this one and restore my faith in the beautiful story and the awesomeness of Captain Wentworth.

Red Rising
Sadly, this one was a DNF for me. I really despised the main character. He wasn't doing all he was doing for something he believed in. It was all for what someone else, anyone else, believed in and then it just got all "hunger games on prozac" and I lost interest.

To All The Boys I've Loved Before
If you HAVE to do a love triangle do it this way! Jenny sure know's how to twist my emotions.




So there you have it favorites were Out of the Easy, To All The Boy's I've Loved Before and Persuasion of course. Least Favorites were Alice in Wonderland and obviously (since I didn't finish it) Red Rising.

Getting To Know You: Animals

It's time for another getting to know you hosted by Jenni.  This time it's our favorite animals. I'm such an animal lover I couldn't resist. So here they are.

I know most people think cats are my favorite animal but actually my very favorite animals are horses. They're so majestic and have very unique personalities.

Yes, I love kitties too. Especially this kitty. ;) Can you tell she's begging for food?  Was it the tilted head that gave it away?

I love giant anteaters. They're just so weirdly cute!

Yes, technically Cheetahs are cats but of all the big cats, they're my favorite.  Look at those eyes!

No, I don't like all bats but fruit bars look like kitties with wings. Just too cute! 

I know, I know! Gryphons aren't real but if they were I'd do everything in my power to get one. 

And that's about all  I'll list.  I love tons more animals but I'll leave it be. What about you?  What animals do you love?