Saturday, December 21, 2013

Books #35 #36 #37 #38 #39

I've been on a roll with thriller, good guys vs bad guys, repeat authors lately....here's the latest reads:

Book # 35 - Private OZ by James Patterson and Michael White  - some of the reviews I read criticized that the story is based in Australia but uses more American terminology than Australian (such as Fahrenheit vs. Celsius).  Look, I'm an American living in Australian, and I float between American English and Australian English all the time (that thing in the corner to throw things away? - sometimes I call it the trash can, sometimes the rubbish bin, sometimes it merges into trash bin or rubbish can). The story itself was fast-paced, a quick read, and a decent book. 


Book # 36 - Private Berlin by James Patterson and Mark Sullivan - another fast-paced, quickly read book that contributes to James Patterson's fortunes.  I'm not sure I cared about any of the characters, but the maze of the thriller story was a decent read.

Book # 37 - Cross My Heart by James Patterson - the Alex Cross books are still my favorites of James Patterson, and the only ones (of the thrillers) that he actually writes himself.  I've always liked the dynamics of the Cross family, the villains he presents, and the stories he creates in this series.  This one did not disappoint, and left the reader on a note where you know more is to come.


Book # 38 - Unseen by Karin Slaughter - as for thriller writers, Karin Slaughter is a personal fave.  I enjoy her characters so much - they are dirtier, darker, and/or more complex than say, a James Patterson character.  Right and wrongs; good and evil isn't always so clear which makes for interesting characters and stories.  She always leaves me wanting more.  Always. 



Book # 39 - Gone by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge - This book takes us back to the Bennett family series (I think there's been 4 or 5 previous ones).  You know, I'm not the biggest fan of the main character, but the stories are pretty darn good.  I like the ruthless drug cartel villain in this book, so it was again...a fast-paced, quick read. 






Monday, December 9, 2013

Thoughts # 5 - Quotes

I've got a guest post on someone else's blog - I feel pretty special that she thought to ask me to do it - so go check it out here:

quirky pickings


Thursday, November 28, 2013

Thoughts # 4 - Thanksgiving


Thanksgiving is one of those days that make me miss my family and American traditions. Family, food, football, and giving thanks - what's not to love?  Most reflect on what they've been blessed with and express gratitude to their loved ones.  Everyone seems to treat each other a little nicer (except those in heated football rivalries).  


That's one drastic difference - past Thanksgivings for me always included the A&M/Texas, so that's a big change.  I have no doubt, instead of rushing off to College Station or Austin, I'd be planted in front of a tv watching the other football rivalries. 



For my family and loved ones, as you're stuffing yourself with turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potato pie, chocolate pie, and more...know that I'm thinking of you today (a little more than every other day). I'm thankful for you, and I'm there in spirit!  

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Book # 34


Book # 34 - Khaled Hosseini's And the Mountains Echoed -  I had high hopes for this book.  I've read the author's previous two books and thought they were heart wrenching and brilliant.  The stories in this book are layered with emotional complexities, but I still didn't feel the deep ache that I felt for the characters in The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.  It is definitely worth the read, and I can't quite put my finger on what was missing. 

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

List # 8 - Lost & Found

I discussed in a previous blog entry that I'm moving from a tiny one bedroom apartment to a spacious house in the 'burbs.  The major move occurred this past Saturday.  I still have bits and pieces (i.e. piles of clothes) to get from the old place, but the majority of the packing and moving is complete.  Moving isn't fun.  No one likes to pack, move, unpack......  Instead of focusing on the not-so-fun aspects of moving, I thought I'd look at some of the fun things - like rediscovering hidden treasures that I thought I'd lost, but now I've found...

1.  $100 gift voucher to a day spa - I got this for my birthday in June.  It expires in December.  After this move, my back will definitely be screaming for a massage!

2.  Tweezers - I never seem to be able to find tweezers when I need them.  When I was packing, I found three pairs.

3.  I have a bag full of posters that I've been moving with me since I was a teenager - mostly of Jon Bon Jovi - including my door size collage that I lovingly created in high school and used in a group presentation at A&M.  I got an A.  I forgot about this gem that one of my best girlfriends gave to me.  It is a colored chalk drawing of JBJ.  I was bothered then that the artist got his eye color wrong, and I'm bothered by it still.  Jon Bon Jovi does NOT have brown eyes.


4.  Christmas goodies from my mother like a Peanuts Christmas card with a recorded message from her that can be played, so I can hear her sweet voice, and these fabulous Christmas light pajama bottoms:

5.   White gold hoop earrings - I think I wore this pair of earrings only once or twice before I "lost" them. 


6.  A bag full of underthings - I knew I bought more when I was in Texas this past July!

7.  I have an assortment of sweatshirts I can't seem to throw away.  I forgot about my embroidered ORHS sweatshirt, but I rediscovered this treasure:

8.  I love pictures.  I have a lot of them of family, friends, travel, etc.  This one made me cry - (I still miss you so much, Jesse James):


Friday, November 8, 2013

Thoughts # 3 - The 'Burbs

It's official - I'm moving to the 'burbs!  Neil and I are moving to Blair Athol which is a suburb 57 km (35 miles) southwest of downtown Sydney.  The house is pretty nice for a lease house.  The finishings aren't fantastic, but it's a lease house.  It's a 5 bedroom 3 bathroom house - there's 1 bedroom and bathroom with a shower downstairs and the rest is upstairs.  Best of all - it has a walk-in closet, air conditioning!, a spa bath, a dog run with a dog house, plus a paved area in the backyard with a pergola.  Heck, I'm even excited to have a linen closet!  You know I'm not the cleanest girl in the world...when I don't have space or room to put things in place, like towels in a linen closet, it only encourages my messiness!  So...space is good. 




The biggest changes...(which are two big changes)...are the commute, gaining a 15 year old (Chelsea, Neil's daughter) and 73 year old (Graham, Neil's father) as housemates, and the change itself.  Graham is taking the bedroom downstairs which is by far the smallest.  So, we'll have our space upstairs.  There's conceivably 3 different living rooms - so every one can have their own little corners if need be.  I'm happy that Chelsea will be living with us.  She's a cool kid that I can relate to.  I've been a 15 year old girl, and although it was a long time ago, I still remember a lot of things from that time.  The commute - currently, I can walk to work.  With the move, I'll be on a train for over an hour.  I'm viewing this as reading time. The change - well, I haven't lived in a house since I was 17 years old.  I've been apartment living and mostly urban dwelling since that time.  So, it's a big change for me...but I have decided that I'm ready for the change.

We've definitely been busting at the seams in our current apartment.  It's a one bedroom.  It's small.  You can barely turn around in the kitchen or the bathroom.  All that being said, it was a place where I experienced a tremendous amount of self-growth.  For this, I will always be fond of the place and hold a special place in my heart for it.  And, damn...I'm going to miss the view.  My bedroom window looks at the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  It's difficult to beat this view........ 


i'll miss Kirribilli, but it's time for a new adventure.  Now...for the dreaded act of packing, moving, and unpacking.  UGH!

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Book # 33

I forgot this one.  Somewhere in my listing of books, I forgot to list this one.  I know why.  It's because I read it on my dad's kindle when I was visiting him in July.  I am not ready to give up actual books and use an e-reader.  Forgetting to list this book just gives me another excuse to avoid this technology.


 I may have mentioned before that John Sandford is my favorite author of this genre - crimes that mostly involve crazy, sick, murdering bad guys with reoccurring good guys fighting the good fight.  John Sandford reminded me of why he's my fave with this book.  Silken Prey served up the plot, characters, and style that I expect from Mr. Sandford.  Too bad I read it on a kindle.  I'm sure I'd have enjoyed it even more reading the good ol' fashioned book. 

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Book #29 #30 #31 #32

Since I last posted about my reading adventures, I've read four more books.  Here they are:

Book # 29


Book # 29 - Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time by Rob Sheffield - The author is a music journalist, and I've seen him on several VH1 shows where they are talking about loving the '80s or other compilation type music shows.  I like music.  I like books.  I made mix tapes.  I have experienced love, life, and loss.  This was a book for me.  Many, many of the music references are from the indie rock world (not exactly my world of music), but the author and I are close to the same age.  He makes a few hair band references and chronicles musical genres/decades that I can easily follow.  He has a few other published books that I've added to my "to read" list. 

Book # 30
Book # 30 - Dark Places by Gillian Flynn - I preferred this book to the author's much more popular Gone Girl.  It was dark and disturbing, but I still found myself relating to the main character. 

Book # 31


Book # 31 - The Mourning Hours by Paula Treick DeBoard - This book was recommended on www.goodreads.com because of my reading lists and ratings of other books.  I'm glad it was.  It was another heart-wrenching, tumultous family crime type book (like the previous one), and I liked it even more than the previous one.  Never heard of the author; never heard of the book; but it was a good one. 

Book # 32


Book # 32 - Life After Death by Damien Echols - Damien Echols spent 18 years on death row for a heinous crime that he most likely did not commit.  This book does not go into detail about that crime.  You can google West Memphis 3 to find enough articles about that.  This book is insight to a person's psyche who lives over half his life on death row.  I'm a supporter of strong punishment for people who commit unspeakable, heinous crimes.  But, I also know that there are people on death row who don't belong there.  Huge dilemma, I know.  I find Damien Echols fascinating, and I think he appreciates his freedom and the little things in life a whole lot more than most of us. 

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Thoughts # 2 - Randomness

Painting by Lykke Steenback Josephsen, Denmark, "No title"


Goodness gracious.  I'm terrible at keeping up with this blog.  So inconsistent.  Random.

Hmmmmm...."random" makes me think of the only blogger that I actually read on a consistent basis.  She has a regular feature called the "random quarter".  I don't know her method.  Does she have an outline?  Does she make random notes, then compile them?  Or, does she sit down and randomly write whatever pops up in her head?  I don't know, but I know I enjoy them.  So....here's my own installment of the "random quarter" (idea stolen from here)....

one. I voted for the People's Choice Awards a week or two ago.  I've never done it, but it popped up on my facebook feed, so I took a look.  It was a joke.  I voted, but it was still a joke.  I had to remind myself it was a popularity contest and not really an award that held any true merit.  I can't even remember who or what I voted for except I voted for P!nk for something.  I like P!nk.

two.  I gave up on True Blood.  I've been watching every season.  This year, I hadn't found the time.  I only bothered to watch the first three episodes, and they didn't suck me in (pun intended).  The other episodes were filling up my recorded allotment, so I erased them.  Pam is still my favorite True Blood character though.  She has fabulous hair, a fabulous wardrobe, and fabulously bitchy remarks.



three. There is a radio ad campaign for Nichol's auto parts or Nichol's air conditioning...I don't even remember. What I do know is they use one of those really annoying, overly exuberant spokesperson, and this one happens to speak in an exaggerated Southern (American) drawl.  Why?  In Australia?  Because there is a US coin called a nickel?  It's dumb.

 four.  I adore the Big Bang Theory.  I think the characters are so well written, and the cast is superb.  Modern Family too.  These are two sitcoms that deserve the praise and viewership that they have.  I think they are the only two current sitcoms that I watch. 


 five. I don't think the general customer realizes how tough the world of retail can be for those of us who work in it and truly attempt to provide quality customer service.  There are some days that are great; customers are nice, the stories they tell are fun, and I sell some things.  Other days are not so great; people are rude, expect the impossible, and spend a lot of time asking a lot of questions with no real intention to buy anything.  I prefer the nice customers.

six. I have gained a lot of weight in recent years and my self-confidence has suffered.  Not that I was ever overly self-confident, but I was comfortable with my looks.  Now, I am terribly self-critical about myself.

 seven. I had a Steigl last night...an Austrian beer...it was good...it reminded me of the first time I traveled to Europe and drank in the beer gardens of Innsbruck and Munich.

eight. As far as full blood siblings, I have a brother.  I never really wanted a sister.  As I've gotten older, I respect the relationship that my mom has with her two sisters and the relationship my dad's three sisters have.  Fortunately, I have some really great cousins who are like my little sisters.



 nine. In 1988, I was quoted in the ORHS yearbook saying that I respect my brother.  I did then, and I do even more now. 

ten. Today is Melbourne Cup day in Australia.  "The race that stops the nation", or something like that.  I've happily enjoyed many Aussie traditions, but this isn't one of them.  It's a horse race.  It lasts 3 minutes.  I didn't care about the Kentucky Derby, and I'm not ever gonna care much about the Melbourne Cup.  To each their own. 

eleven. "i don't understand why people have to fake kindness. it's not kind when it's phony."  (this is Jenn's, but I couldn't bring myself to erase it because I couldn't agree more)

twelve.  Songs that are played in public places like restaurants or stores try to generally be harmless and unoffensive.  The last two songs to play in our store were Neil Diamond's "Cherry, Cherry" and Phil Collins' "Against All Odds".  I'm sure I've harmed myself by dancing to the first one, and I'm sure I'm offended someone by singing the latter.

thirteen. These are the highest-grossing films of the year to date. Of the first hundred listed, I have seen only five of them.  Terrible.  I need to get out more.  I did see several listed that I'm interested in seeing.....
Let's look at last year's list.  I've seen 18 of them.  That's better!  I've got three more recorded to see which is my usual movie viewing habit these days.  I know it got a lot of hype, but I quite enjoyed Silver Linings Playbook.  I saw it on an airplane, so I want to see it again in my own viewing space. 

fourteen. Places in America that I want to visit that I've never been to before: New York City, The Grand Canyon, San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the only cruise I'm interested in -> an Alaskan Cruise.



fifteen. International destinations on my wish list that I've never been to before: island hopping in Greece; Tokyo, Japan; the border region of Switzerland and Italy: Banff, Canada; Edinburgh, Scotland; the Maldives; Dubai; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Croatia; Norway; Mallorca, Spain; Prague, Czech Republic; Queenstown, New Zealand........oh, I want to go everywhere!

sixteen. Seven things I'd buy (for myself): a) a trip to Texas for Neil, his kids, and me; b) home furnishings - we're moving from a one bedroom, tiny urban apartment to a 5 bedroom house, and if money was no issue, I'd have a dandy ol' time furnishing it ; c) a new convertible VW Beetle; d) an American muscle car from the '60s - a Corvette Stingray or a Mustang would do; e) a 10 day relaxation getaway for Neil and I that included spa packages, massages, a super comfortable bed, and a pretty view; f) shoes - I always want shoes; g) a year's supply of diet pills - I know that's a terribly unhealthy response, but it's the truth.

seventeen. I'm stranded on a desert island and can bring one person, one book and one food item (that never goes bad and is in constant supply) or plant. They are: Neil; The Book Thief by Markus Zusak; potatoes.

eighteen. If I didn't have to work, I would volunteer with underprivileged or less fortunate or sick or abused kids.  I know it sounds altruistic, but it's true.  Although, I'd only do it part-time.  The rest of my time would be spent shopping, traveling, and eating.


nineteen. Source of inspiration: the fact that there are other people in this world whose struggles are far more difficult than my own.

twenty. I want a drink in my hand and my toes in the sand.

twenty-one. I've truly never put much thought into having superpowers, but I wish for better hair, prettier nails, and a lack of an appetite all the time.  Can I turn those into superpowers?

twenty-two. If I had amnesty for a twenty-four hour period and could break any law, I'd burn down the Westboro Baptist Church site, kidnap them all, and take them to a deserted island (not the one where I'd be living from seventeen). 

twenty-three. If I could have a candid conversation with anyone dead or alive - wow - this one's got me.  I've come up with several candidates, and I might be over-thinking this.  I'm totally going to cheat and pick three people.  I'd want to tell my grandfather Buddy, my grandmother Rosemary, and my Memaw Virginia how important each one of them were to me and soak up some of their stories they had to share. 

twenty-four. Five favorite desserts: Blue Bell ice cream; red velvet cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory, bananas foster, Neiman Marcus cake, a cookie cake from the Great American Cookie Co.

twenty-five. I don't like Abba.


Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Book # 28


The Fault in Our Stars by John Green was on my "to read" list for a little while.  I was hesitant to read it because it seemed to be praised from reviewers and readers all over.  I was scared it wouldn't live up to my expectations.  I was wrong.  This book is tremendous.  I laughed; I cried; I stared off deep in thought on two separate occasions while this book sat in my lap.  The characters of Augustus and Hazel Grace are so well written; my silly little blog entry will not do them justice. 

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Book #16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27



I neglected the blog, but I kept on reading.  So, I'll try to catch up with my book list starting with the ones below.  Why do I keep this list?  Well, you can go back and read a blog posting from earlier in the year, OR I'll just tell you again:  A friend of mine has challenged herself to read 100 books this year.  I think that's awesome!  I read a lot, but I know I couldn't come close to that.  It got me thinkin' that at least I could keep track of what I read this year.




Book 16:   This is Gonna Hurt:  Music, Photography, and Life Through the Distorted Lens of Nikki Sixx by Nikki Sixx



Book 17:  Violent Exposure by Katherine Howell


Book 18:  Spoken from the Heart by Laura Bush



Book 19:  Alex Cross, Run by James Patterson



Book 20:  A Child Called It by David Pelzer
Book 21:  The Lost Boy by David Pelzer
Book 22:  A Man Named Dave by David Pelzer



Book 23:  Second Honeymoon by James Patterson and Howard Roughan




Book 24:  Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn



Book 25:  Gone by Jonathan Kellerman



Book 26:  Defending Jacob by William Landay



Book 27:  The Last Minute by Jeff Abbott

I've got three more, but I actually have something to say about each of them...next post.....





Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Thoughts # 1 - Battle with my Body

In this picture, I was 33 years old, and I thought I was fat.  I'd be happy to be that "fat" again.

Originally posted on my facebook page on April 16, 2013:

Warning - I'm just writing this as it flows out of me.  I may ramble.  I may have typos.  I may be sharing too much information.  But, here it goes...

I have body image problems.  Most women do. 

When I was in the best shape of my life, I was young, and I also exercised a lot using a whole variety of muscles.  At that time, I thought I was big.  Now, I look back, and I still have a warped view because I know I wasn't big, but that little mean girl voice in my head says "yeah, you weren't big, but you were still one of the biggest ones of the group".  Warped, I know.  But that's what the voice inside my head says.

When I was the thinnest of my life, it was because I loaded myself with diet pills.  Not exactly the best way to be thin.  That mean girl voice is still there.  This time it says although I was my thinnest, I still wasn't thin.  At my thinnest, in my adult life, I wore a size 6 (sometimes) or an 8 (mostly).  So, that's not really that "thin" at all comparing to all the size 2s and 0s out there.  But, I'd be very, very happy to be that size again. 

I've done most all the "diets" - Weight Watchers, Atkins, Cabbage Soup, Lite N Easy, and more.
As I stated before, I've taken diet pills - both medically supervised and some I bought online.
I've been borderline bulimic for years.

I'm now close to the biggest I've ever been in my life.  Actually, I'm 15 pounds less than the biggest, because I've lost 15 pounds since the start of the year.  I'm aware of all the things that I need to do to lose weight, better yet, to be healthy.  I struggle to do those things. 

I've had suggestions of diets, healthy eating, exercise programs, etc.  Unfortunately, I like food that is bad for me, and I don't particularly care for exercising.  That combination does not lend itself to a fit, healthy shape.  My mind and my body are at war. 

I'm not writing this for sympathy.  I'm not writing this to have people tell me lots of compliments.  I'm just letting it flow out of me because it's something that I hold in so much there's times I feel like I'm going to explode.  Or cry.  Or crawl in bed and pull the covers over my head.  I don't want to explode, or cry, and I'm at work, so I can't crawl in bed.  So, I'm taking ownership of these feelings and this problem, and I'm writing.

Now that I've spilled all of that out of me, maybe I weigh a pound or two less?  ;)  

Letter to blog (and anyone else who may actually read this blog)

Dear blog,

I've neglected you once again.  It's been four months since I've posted.  I think it's because the last blog post was interesting to me, and it took some time and effort.  But no one commented.  No one seemed to care.  That shouldn't matter.  It was a fun little exercise.

I've made some changes with you.  Your name.  Your url.  I'm still going to make lists, read books, and look at clothes.  But, I think I'm just going to start sharing whatever I want.  If no one comments and no one seems to care.  Oh well.  I'll just do it for myself.

Happy blogging to you and to me!

Bloglovin

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Thursday, May 30, 2013

List # 7 - Mixtape of My Life (so far)

I'm turning 40 in nineteen days.  Yikes.  I'm having a lot of thoughts, a lot of emotions, and a lot nostalgia surrounding this birthday.  So, I've created a list...I'm calling it the "Mixtape of My Life".

I had to make some rules for myself in order to create such a list.  I used Billboard's Top 100 Singles for each year.  On Billboard's actual website, they call it the "Hot 100" (I think), and they only have about ten years listed.  According to other websites, they've been keeping such a list since the '50's, so I used other websites too (mostly, wikipedia...sad, I know).  I'm not quite sure how the "Top 100" or "Hot 100" was created throughout the years (I'm sure I could have done some more research to find out, but I didn't), but it seems to be the industry standard to look to Billboard's list for the popularity of music singles.  I haven't always been one who was a fan of only the "popular" stuff (such as the songs that are going to be on Billboard's Hot 100), so there's several artists/bands that are not respresented.  The "Mixtape" is definitely an imperfect reflection of "My Life".  Anyways........ Here's how I came up with the list..........

I looked at the "Top 100" list for each year of my life: 1973 to 2012 (obviously, 2013 year end charts aren't listed yet).  My initial rule was that I'd select TWO songs from EACH year, then add in 20 others from whatever years I wanted in order to create my own "Top 100" songs of my life.  That was my initial rule, but I changed it because there were actually a couple of years when music was crap, and I couldn't even choose two songs out of a hundred for this fun little experiment of mine (hello, 1997 & 1998).  Another rule I made for myself was no band/artist could have two songs in the same year.  Lastly, I told myself if the song is not in my current music library, or if I couldn't remember owning the song prior, then it didn't make the cut.  For each of these, I can remember the LP or 45 or cassette or CD or digital download (a select few weren't "mine", but my mom's, dad's, or brother's).

So...without further ado...here's the "Mixtape of My Life":  I make no apologies for some of my choices.  I realize music critics and fans alike might consider some of my selections as "crap" too.  So be it.  This is my list.  Yes, there's a lot of Bon Jovi and power ballads.  Again, this is my list.  Songs are listed by year, rank from Billboard's Top 100 for that year, song title, and artist.  Enjoy :)

  1. 1973 - (4) - Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye
  2. 1973 - (17) - Drift Away - Dobie Gray
  3. 1974 - (40) -  The Joker - Steve Miller Band
  4. 1974 - (78) - Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me - Elton John
  5. 1975 - (1) - Love Will Keep Us Together - Captain and Tenille
  6. 1975 - (33) - Sister Golden Hair - America
  7. 1976 - (18) - Bohemain Rhapsody - Queen
  8. 1976 - (51) - Dream On - Aerosmith
  9. 1977 - (68) - Cold As Ice - Foreigner
  10. 1977 - (78) - Give a Little Bit - Supertramp
  11. 1978 - (13) - You're the One That I Want - Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta
  12. 1978 - (22) - Hot Child in the City - Nick Gilder
  13. 1978 - (30) - Two Out of Three Ain't Bad - Meatloaf
  14. 1979 - (67) - Renegade - Styx
  15. 1979 - (74) - I Was Made For Lovin' You - KISS
  16. 1979 - (95) - Dance the Night Away - Van Halen
  17. 1980 - (4) - Rock With You - Michael Jackson
  18. 1980 - (55) - All Out of Love - Air Supply
  19. 1980 - (62) - I Can't Tell You Why - The Eagles
  20. 1981 - (5) - Jessie's Girl - Rick Springfield
  21. 1981 - (7) - Kiss On My List - Hall and Oates
  22. 1981 - (10) - Keep On Lovin' You - REO Speedwagon
  23. 1981 - (88) - Smoky Mountain Rain - Ronnie Milsap
  24. 1982 - (22) - Always On My Mind - Willie Nelson
  25. 1982 - (48) - Young Turks - Rod Stewart
  26. 1982 - (73) - Don't Stop Believin' - Journey
  27. 1982 - (90) - Hot in the City - Billy Idol
  28. 1982 - (96) - Workin' for the Weekend - Loverboy
  29. 1983 - (7) - Maneater - Hall and Oates
  30. 1983 - (17) - Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran
  31. 1983 - (81) - Faithfully - Journey
  32. 1983 - (90) - Photograph - Def Leppard
  33. 1984 - (1) - When Doves Cry - Prince
  34. 1984 - (4) - Footloose - Kenny Loggins
  35. 1984 - (57) - Love is a Battlefield - Pat Benetar
  36. 1984 - (68) - Cum On Feel the Noize - Quiet Riot
  37. 1984 - (99) - Rock Me Tonite - Billy Squier
  38. 1985 - (1) - Careless Whisper - Wham
  39. 1985 - (26) - Cool It Now - New Edition
  40. 1985 - (44) - Never Surrender - Corey Hart
  41. 1986 - (30) - You Give Love a Bad Name - Bon Jovi
  42. 1986 - (62) - Your Love - The Outfield
  43. 1987 - (7) - Here I Go Again - Whitesnake
  44. 1987 - (10) - Livin' On a Prayer - Bon Jovi
  45. 1987 - (15) - With or Without You - U2
  46. 1988 - (5) - Sweet Child of Mine - Guns N' Roses
  47. 1988 - (11) - One More Try - George Michael
  48. 1988 - (19) - Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard
  49. 1988 - (21) - Man in the Mirror - Michael Jackson
  50. 1988 - (41) - Bad Medicine - Bon Jovi
  51. 1988 - (95) - Never Tear Us Apart - INXS
  52. 1989 - (3) - Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Poison
  53. 1989 - (15) - Heaven - Warrant
  54. 1989 - (68) - Lovesong - The Cure
  55. 1989 - (86) - Paradise City - Guns N' Roses
  56. 1990 - (55) - U Can't Touch This - MC Hammer
  57. 1990 - (67) - Love Song - Tesla
  58. 1990 - (72) - I Remember You - Skid Row
  59. 1990 - (91) - What It Takes - Aerosmith
  60. 1990 - (96) - Without You - Motley Crue
  61. 1991 - (78) - Something to Believe In - Poison
  62. 1991 - (82) - Silent Lucidity - Queensryche
  63. 1992 - (2) - Baby Got Back - Sir Mix A Lot
  64. 1992 - (17) - November Rain - Guns N' Roses
  65. 1993 - (50) - What's Up - 4 Non Blondes
  66. 1993 - (60) - Cryin' - Aerosmith
  67. 1994 - (91) - Always - Bon Jovi
  68. 1995 - (5) - On Bended Knee - Boys to Men
  69. 1995 - (70) - This Ain't a Love Song - Bon Jovi
  70. 1996 - (29) - You Oughta Know - Alanis Morissette
  71. 1996 - (41) - The World I Know - Collective Soul
  72. 1996 - (56) - Wonderwall - Oasis
  73. 1996 - (68) - Just A Girl - No Doubt
  74. 1999 - (10) - Livin' La Vida Loca - Ricky Martin
  75. 1999 - (13) - Slide - Goo Goo Dolls
  76. 2000 - (9) - Bent - Matchbox Twenty
  77. 2001 - (9) - Again - Lenny Kravitz
  78. 2001 - (100) - Hemorrhage (In My Hands) - Fuel
  79. 2002 - (26) - Wasting My Time - Default
  80. 2003 - (4) - Crazy in Love - Beyonce with Jay Z
  81. 2003 - (28) - Lose Yourself - Eminem
  82. 2004 - (8) - Hey Ya! - Outkast
  83. 2004 - (19) - My Immortal - Evanescence
  84. 2005 - (4) - Since You Been Gone - Kelly Clarkson
  85. 2005 - (16) - Mr. Brightside - The Killers
  86. 2005 - (36) - Scars - Papa Roach
  87. 2005 - (68) - Best of You - Foo Fighters
  88. 2006 - (29) - Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
  89. 2007 - (59) - Welcome to the Black Parade - My Chemical Romance
  90. 2007 - (69) - Who Knew - P!nk
  91. 2008 - (33) - Stop and Stare - OneRepublic
  92. 2008 - (44) - Sorry - Buckcherry
  93. 2009 - (26) - Second Chance - Shinedown
  94. 2009 - (45) - So What - P!nk
  95. 2010 - (45) - Whataya Want From Me - Adam Lambert
  96. 2010 - (87) - Use Somebody - Kings of Leon
  97. 2011 - (24) - Someone Like You - Adele
  98. 2012 - (1) - Somebody That I Used to Know - Gotye with Kimbra
  99. 2012 - (15) - Wide Awake - Katy Perry
  100. 2012 - (22) - Everybody Talks - Neon Trees



Thursday, May 9, 2013

Book # 15


Book # 15 -  I put this book on my "to read" list because of a friend's recommendation (see her post about the book here; she's a much better writer than me, and her post is the reason I wanted to read the book).  I was thrilled when I found it here in Australia marked down from $29.99 to $2.  Yep, $2!  

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh surpassed my expectations.  I loved it.  I recommend it. 

Prior to reading it, I've had a connection with flower meanings.  I've been planning a tattoo for years depicting various flowers based on their meaning.  I haven't got that tattoo...yet... 

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Books #11 #12 #13 #14


I've read some more books.  I forgot to post them.  Here they are............


Book # 11 - Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L.James - ridiculous nonsense.  I did not find myself caring at all what happened to these characters.  I had such a lack of interest, I stopped reading when I only had about 50 pages more.  I just couldn't commit myself or my time anymore to this book.  The only positive I have is this - apparently, it got a lot of people reading, and I support anything that gets people to pick up a book (or an ereader). 


Book # 12 - after the disappointment of the previous book, I decided to grab one from my "to read" pile that I was pretty sure what I was in store for.  At this point, John Grisham isn't offering anything innovative,  but his stories are still decent reads for me.  The Racketeer was just alright for me.  It was quick, easy, with a decent number of twists and turns. 


Book # 13 - Wow.  This book took me on an disturbing and emotional journey.  I'd read The Kite Runner, so I know what kind of storytelling Khaled Hosseini is capable of.  Each character in A Thousand Splendid Suns pulled at an emotion, mostly not-so-positive emotions such as sadness, loss, despair, and disgust.  But some characters have such dignity, courage, and small glimmers of hope.  For historical fiction fans or fans of strong female characters, this is a good one.


Book # 13 - This book has been in my "to read" pile for a while.  I knew I'd probably need to be emotionally ready to read it.  A good friend reminded me of it, so I thought I'd tackle it, since I made it through the emotional journey of the previous book.  I haven't seen the movie, and I'm interested.  The book is different.  The main character is different.  I like different sometimes, and this is one of those times.  My heart just aches for Oskar in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer.  I've never experienced a loss like Oskar's, but I have experienced emotional and mental turmoil.  I could feel his turmoil.  I thought how the stories of Oskar, past and present, and his grandparents' stories, past and present intertwined was really, really compelling.  I can see how this book wouldn't be one that just any reader would enjoy, but I thought it was brilliant. 








Thursday, March 21, 2013

Book # 7 # 8 # 9 # 10

Sooooooo......I've neglected to keep up with listing my books for the year.  Here's a quick list of the ones I've recently finished:



 John Sandford is my favorite crime/thriller writer.  I love his characters, and I read every one of his books.  Mad River did not disappoint. 
Yes, I read a lot of Patterson, and I read all the Alex Cross novels.  Merry Christmas, Alex Cross was pretty darn good, combining two totally different, yet equally horrific crimes. 

Dark, different, disturbing, I was a fan of most of Gone Girl, but the ending was disappointing.

Besides the fact that I regularly needed some tissue, I really enjoyed The Time of My Life (I'm not sure "enjoy" is the correct way to describe it, when I knew that ultimately a beloved actor and dancer and Texan lost his battle with cancer).  If you're a Swayze fan, grab a box of Kleenex, then read this book.