Category Archives: Books

Just Read: Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore + 9 more

Posted on April 3, 2013 | 7 Comments

Somehow I’ve already read ten books this year and I’m not quite sure how that happened. Must have been a combination of bad TV, wintery weekends, one day nursing a cold, and a couple of plane trips, because that is not normal for me.

The good news is that a few of these books are really good and I’ve done reviews on all of them. My favorites being Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore (fiction), The City of Ember (YA fiction) and Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body’s Natural Ability to Heal Itself (non-fiction, health).

books just read in 2013

Here are all ten books recently read (ordered from top to bottom picture-wise):

  1. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore (smart, techie + old-world)
  2. The City of Ember (YA fiction that is a real page-turner)
  3. Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body’s Natural Ability to Heal Itself (change your diet, change your life. Gwyneth follows this, so there’s that, and Dr. Oz approved)
  4. The Last Letter from Your Lover (right love, wrong timing + amnesia!)
  5. The Curse of the Good Girl (tips for raising girls with high self esteem)
  6. The Runaway Princess (beach read, sort of Bridget Jones meets yummy heir to the throne)
  7. Cesar Milan’s Short Guide to a Happy Dog (naughty dog? reset the behavior + tips for picking the right puppy)
  8. Superfoods: The Food and Medicine of the Future (easy adds to your diet)
  9. The People of Sparks (sequel to Book of Ember, YA fiction)
  10. The Secret Lives of Wives (want to stay married? Anecdotes on longevity)

Click over to 2013 Books and Reviews to see more info and detailed reviews. I’d love to hear what you’re reading and liking. Please tell me what’s good. We all need good books in our lives.

x Laura

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Just Finished: Gone Girl + 4 others

Posted on November 1, 2012 | 6 Comments

If you’re ready for a modern mystery with egotistical characters, unfathomable plot lines and a wild ride that will keep you on edge, grab Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn for your next read. I tore through this book in August and knew that it would most likely be the best book I’d read in 2012. That’s high praise given I still have a lot of reading to do, but so far it’s holding up. My mom is reading it right now and I can’t wait to see what she thinks of it.

Today I’m reviewing:

  • Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn
  • 500 Places To Take Your Kids Before They Grow Up, by Holly Hughs
  • When It Happens To You, by Molly Ringwald
  • The Paris Wife, by Paula McLain
  • Wonderstruck, by Brian Selznick

For my full reviews of all of these books go to the 2012 Books and Reviews page. I’m lucky to have read a lot a good books this year, but they are all so different. See which ones strike your fancy.

Got a Tween? If you’re looking for a visually stunning book and heartfelt story for your tween reader, please check out Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick. He’s the author who wrote The Invention of Hugo Cabret (which was made into the movie Hugo) and it does not disappoint.

Currently Reading

When God Was A Rabbit, by Sarah Winman

We’re all so busy and increasingly our spare moments are being shifted to our iPads, TVs and streaming media. When on earth do you fit in the time to read? Or do you?

x Laura

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Catching Up

Posted on August 22, 2012 | 8 Comments

Time flies when you’re having fun, so I guess that’s a good sign. July sped by with family time, hot days and travel, but I missed you guys and my blogging. With my kiddo out of school, I get wrapped up in summer activities and spend much less time at the computer, creating, writing and hunting down fashion. But now that August is here with fall fashion issues hitting the stands, I’ve been scouring my favorite magazines and dog-earring a bunch of great things.

Amusement
As a parting shout-out to summer, here are a few shots from our day at Elitch Gardens amusement park in Denver this summer: me on the carousel horse, the big ferris wheel and the Twister roller coaster sign. The Twister is a wooden roller coaster modeled on the original design of the roller coaster I rode as a kid, then called Mister Twister. Riding it took me straight back to my youth. What a rush. I would rather go on a roller coaster than anything that spins.

carosel

elitch gardens ferris wheel

twister 2 roller coaster

I managed to get some reading done too, which is great. My 2012 Reading Challenge goal of 30 books is alive and kicking, although I’ve got to get moving on it. At my current pace (13 out of 30 read), I’m four books behind. Gotta get crackin’!

I enjoyed all three of these books and they were vastly different, ranging from fantasy to mystery to humor. Click here to see my reviews.

The Night CircusThe Brutal TellingLet's Pretend This Never Happened

  1. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (fantasy)
  2. The Brutal Telling by Louse Penny (mystery)
  3. Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson (humor, blogger)

More to come soon, with lots of fashion ahead. I hope your summer went well!

x Laura

Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open.
John Barrymore

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Just Read: State of Wonder and Full Dark House

Posted on May 14, 2012 | 5 Comments

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett[State of Wonder by Ann Patchett]

Beautifully written story of a medical researcher who goes in search of her dead colleague in the Amazon forest. Her former medical professor heads up a deep-in-the forest fertility research project, where Marina is traveling to, and has given scant information on the details surrounding the jungle fever that overtook her friend. What Marina finds in her harrowing travels soothes her past and uncovers a new-found strength that takes hold within herself. Very readable and even though I thought I knew how this story would end, it surprised me.

Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler[Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler]

Crime novel set both during World War I in London, England and present day. A detective duo in their 80′s (how cool is that) from the Peculiar Crimes Division are stopped in their tracks by a murder suspect who has risen from the past and is intent on killing the pair. The story flips back and forth between current day and the early 1900s when the duo first meet, during an investigation into a series of murders at a theater. First book in a series.

I’m not one for overly grisly murder mysteries and this is one that I could handle. Just the right amount of tension, eeriness and British humor for me. Will definitely read another one from the series.

If you’re looking for your next book, I love to read, so maybe you’ll find something you like here:

Also, in the name of being accountable, I’ve read 9 books this year on my way to a goal of 30. Not sweating it yet.

2012 Reading Challenge

2012 Reading Challenge
Buckle Button Zip has
read 9 books toward a goal of 30 books.
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What are you reading right now? I have SO many friends reading 50 Shades of Grey. Are you too?
xLaura

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Spring Trend: A Sea of Blue

Posted on March 7, 2012 | 13 Comments

Rebecca Taylor Spring 2012, Style.com

It’s time to gather steam on your Spring shopping list. Stores are beginning to get their first warm weather items and the itch to get some new things is strong. Have you started already?

Ocean-inspired blues are big news this spring. They range in hues from bright, electric blues to soft, watery blues and will pair well with yellow, orange and the lush blue-green colors that are also popular. Rebecca Taylor (pictured above) walked several items down the runway for Spring 2012 in this artful blue pattern and I absolutely love it (and want it too).

Here are some more beautiful blues to add to your closet this spring (and summer):

  1. Shoshanna ‘Julie Acacia’ Dress, $375 at Shopbop.com
  2. Zara Sandal with Combined Straps, $35 at Zara.com
  3. Theory ‘Efina D’ Merino Sweater, $295 at Piperlime.com
  4. Pim + Larkin ‘Colette’ Blazer, $79 at Piperlime.com
  5. Elizabeth & James ‘Sadie’ Dress, $395 at Piperlime.com
  6. Marimekko PJ by Converse Sneakers, $90 at Piperlime.com

You’ll have to endure a few more weeks of nautical-inspired posts from me. I’ve got beach on the brain and truly can’t wait to change my latitude in the coming days and cast-off winter for a few precious moments. I’m heading to the water soon (but not soon enough), so this spring trend is right up my alley.

Speaking of water and beaches, here are the last two books I read. Do you see how crazy for the island life I am right now!

  • An Embarrassment of Mangoes: A Caribbean Interlude by Ann Vanderhoof is about a couple who decide to quit their jobs and sail from Canada to the Caribbean. Sailing may sound like a dream, but every dream has rough waters to go through.
  • Cross Currents by John Shors takes place on Koh Phi Phi island near Thailand in the days just before and after the devastating tsunami hits and follows two intertwined families, one Thai and the other American, one of which is running from the law.

 Read my reviews and see if you’d like these books too. This makes 5 books read out my goal of 30 books for 2012. On track for now!

xLaura

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