Delirium

I was looking for a new book to read, while I waited for the one I really wanted to read to be available at the library. I'm not a fan of buying books if I can rent them/check them out for free. The book I chose was comparable to The Hunger Games. 

The United States Of America has found a way to cure the infected people and maintain control.  When a person turns 18, they undergo a brain procedure that will prevent them from becoming infected. The disease: LOVE.  Prior to turning 18, you must go through testing so they can determine if/what college you will go to, what you will study, who you will marry, and how many children you will have. 

Lena is counting down the days to your 18th birthday for the procedure.  She is ready to be cured before she is infected.  The infected are either killed, held in The Crypts, or flee the city to live in the Wilds, never being allowed to return.  When Lena and her best friend Hana were out for a jog one evening, they meet a cured man, who takes a liking to Lena.  She thought she was safe to be around him, having the feelings of the disease inside of her, because he is cured, so no harm can come from it.  Turns out, he isn't cured afterall. 

While secretly dating Alex, lying to her family, and falling victim to the disease of love, Lena is no longer is eager for the cure.  They plan to run away into the Wilds and be together forever, until the protectors discover that she is infected!!  The evening before her re-scheduled procedure, Lena escapes her house and runs off with Alex, only to have the police, protectors and helicopters chasing after them as they drive quickly towards the Wilds to escape for good. 

I have to admit, I was very upset up the ending of this book. I know this is a series, and am now eager to see the next book to know what happens to Lena. 

For One More Day

This is a great, quick read. I am a slow reader and within less than 2 hours, I was halfway through the book and engulfed in the story.

It jumps around from the main character's current life, to life growing up, to telling stories about what he did growing up.

This is a great read about a man who loves his divorced mother and father; who is always eager to please his father, who is rarely even in the man's life.

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

Welcome to The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, an all-girls school.  Anyone looking at this elite private boarding school would see just what The Gallagher Academy wants you to see--a preppy school for privileged girls, complete with a guardhouse and stone wall to keep the curious away from their precious charges. And they'd be right, of course, and yet they would be so very, very wrong!

Because The Gallagher Academy isn't exactly what it appears to be. It's an elite school, that's for sure, and the only boys who grace its grounds are the male teachers. After that, though, the similarities between The Gallagher Academy and every other elite boarding school in the world ends. Instead of math and reading, English and horseback-riding, the girls who attend this school take courses in Covert Operations, Ancient Languages, Countries of the World, Culture and Assimilation, and Protection and Enforcement. The Gallagher Academy is, in a word, a school for spies.

Cammie Morgan is a sophomore here, living in a room with her two best friends, Liz and Bex, when a new girl shows up and the only place available for her to stay, is with Cammie and her friends.  Just like the rest of the town judges all these ‘snotty’ girls, Cammie is quick to judge Macey, the tall, beautiful, skinny legs roommate who seems not fitting for the smarts you need in this spy school. 

But then things start to get a little out of control.  Cammie meets a boy in town, Josh, while on a CoveOps assignment for class.  But now Cammie is balancing on a dangerous ledge--knowing that no one outside of the gates of The Gallagher Academy can ever know who she truly is, and wanting nothing more than to spill all of her secrets to Josh.

As lies tangle with truths, as first love duels with obligation, Cammie will need to learn exactly what it means to be a spy, and a young girl falling in love, and loyalty to her friends/classmates.

I’ve rated this 4.5 out of 5 as this was a book I couldn’t put down, even after my 13 year old step-daughter informed me that this is the same book her middle school announcements encourage them to read each morning. 

Family car

Wow – It’s been two months and I haven’t posted about this yet.  I’ve been saying for a year that by summer 2014 I will have my first SUV. I’ve had trucks and cars, and fortunately, I didn’t buy a single one. They were given to my by my parents.  I’m 30 now, time to get my own car! The truck I’m driving is small. Doesn’t fit the kids in it, is now 15 years old, with almost 350 thousand miles on it. SHEESH! One day, it will break down and I won’t be able to afford to fix it.  Me and Bo have been looking for a few weekends. I’ve compiled a spreadsheet of the possible vehicles I want, then researched them, crossing off the ones with the worst reviews and least gas mpg.  We test drove several, and kept coming back for the same make/model. We went up to Houston looking around on a Saturday, found one that drove great, but was brand new and we did NOT want a brand new vehicle.  He said they didn’t have any others ,but would ‘run some numbers’ on the new one. While he stepped away, Bo got on his computer and pulled up a list of vehicles they had on the lot, and saw a 2011 that fits what we wanted. We asked him about it when he came back, and ended up leaving in it that very night. It’s a 2011  Chevy Traverse, and it’s wonderful! It seats 8 people. I haven’t gotten it 100% full yet, but the kids love the room and space and it drives so great and wonderful.  I’m so super excited!!  Here’s me with the new car the morning after I got it. 

Beyond Tuesday Morning

I am definitely becoming a new fan of Karen Kingsbury. I didn’t know her books had such religious affiliates to it, but it is definitely a great read and helped me with some of my own issues with God and myself. 

Beyond Tuesday Morning is the second book in the 9/11 series, coming after “One Tuesday Morning” when the Twin Towers were attacked on September 11, 2001.  

Jamie and Laura have learned to live with their final news they learned about, 3 months after the terrorist attacks.  Laura’s husband was alive, and had finally remembered who he is and wanted to return home.  Jamie’s husband died doing what he loved best, savings others. 

 Three years later, Laura is still loving every moment with her new-found husband Erik, who learned a lot from Jake, the man that once loved Jamie and looks just like him.  Jamie and Sierra have re-adjusted to life without Jake.  Jamie volunteers at a memorial for 9/11.  One day on her way to work, she was held at gun-point by several punks.  Little did she know, but earlier on her ferry ride she caught the attention if an off-duty officer who was from California.  He noticed the men and confronted them, saving her life.  They spent every day together for the next three weeks while Clay enjoyed his vacation/training in the Big Apple.  When they discover who they both really are, can Jamie overcome her sadness from her husband’s death and be happy? Can Clay accept the role that Jamie once played in Clay’s family’s life 3 years earlier?  This is a great story of love and God’s love for all of us. 

Adventure Time

Today has been an adventure. I woke up at 6 with Brynnlei.  We took a Nap by 10:30. We took her to the mall where we pissed off the cleaning lady. Who closes off the bathroom to a busy mall during the day?! B is potty-training so when she says she has to go, we went in even though it was blocked off. Lady kept trying to kick us out. Then we set off the emergency alarm at Academy for a good 2 minutes. Then she got herself dizzy and ran into a metal pole. Lol

One Tuesday Morning

One Tuesday Morning is nothing like I expected to read; like nothing I has read. Karen Kingsbury is not an author I am familiar with. Her writing is wonderful in this great book.

Jamie and Jake have a beautiful 4 year old daughter, Sierra.  Jake is a firefighter for FDNY.  On Sundays, Jake and Sierra go to church together and pray together. Jake reads his bible daily and updates his journal as he reads the bible.  Jamie, who was once a believer, lost both her parents in a car crash, and since then, lost her faith in God. 

Laura and Eric have 8 year old son, Josh.  They live in a California.  Eric is an over-achiever at work and never has a moment to spend with his family.  Laura is a doting wife he is tired of trying to make her relationship with her husband, who is like a stranger living in her house, work. 

On a day in Eric had an important business meeting in New York City.  September 11, 2001, Eric is working on the 61st floor of the South Tower, when he sees a plane flying too low, and then crashing into the North World Trade Center.  Shortly after, he is alerted that their building is on fire on a higher floor and they need to evacuate the building. 

Jake's unit is called, along with all other New York units to run to the World Trade Centers and control the erratic plane and fires. Jake's unit is assigned to run up and clear all floors up to the 64th floor.  On Jake's trek up the floors, he runs into a stranger, Eric, and helps him up.  Eric and Jake stared at each other, and it was as if they are looking in the mirror; they could have been twins! Eric saw Jake's helmet with a picture and name, Sierra written on it.  Jake continued up and Eric continued to the ground.  Shortly after, we all know what happens: the towers collapse. 

Laura and Jamie see this on the news and immediately start calling everyone they can to get in contact with their husbands.  As the women live through the moments of this day and the following days, we read through their struggles and turmoil of dealing with their tragedies.

I rate this a 5 of 5.  wow this is an intense book. It definitely opened my eyes to some of the moments that happened on this terrible day that we don't think about.  The family.