The Hunger Games

I’m not even sure where to begin about The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins without gushing. It takes place in somewhat of a futuristic United States divided into 12 districts and a capitol. From the ages of 12-17, every child’s name is put in a hopper in each of these districts. One day a year on the Reaping, a male and female are chosen from each district to participate in the Hunger Games, the object of which is to kill all of your other opponents and be the last one standing. The Hunger Games take place in the capitol but is televised for all to see. Tributes, the chosen contestants, have sponsors and coaches and are literally in a fight to the death. Katniss Everdeen ends up being the girl tribute for Distict 12, one of the less well off districts. She is versed in archery and hunts at home which comes to her advantage in the games that take place in an arena usually outfitted with lakes, forests, etc. Not only does Katniss have to fight to stay alive, she also has to engage in a lot of game play with the other tributes, including the male tribute from District 12, Peeta Mellark (great character).

I don’t want to give too much more about this plot away. I loved The Hunger Games. Even though its genre is Young Adult, I think it was my favorite book of 2009, fitting that it was my last read, yes? It’s the first in a series by Collins, the second being Catching Fire, which I am waiting not so patiently for at the library. I think the third is to be released in 2010. The characters are all so well written and full of emotion. The story, though clearly violent, was not gratuitously so. I couldn’t put it down! I told you it was hard not to gush. I also think this would make a great movie. Maybe someday…….

2009: The Year I Read 50 Books

Back in January I challenged myself to read 35 books this year. In fact, I started this blog in the first place as an attempt to keep track of what I had read. So often people would ask, "What have you read lately?" and I would just draw a blank even though I could have rattled off any number of titles suitable for the inquirer's reading. I am proud to say that I not only met my goal but far exceeded it! I ended up reading 50 books and if I have some time tomorrow, there's a chance I'll finish 51 before the ball drops.

So, in a little walk down memory lane, and as a quick reference for future readers looking for a good tome to tuck into on a cold winter or warm summer day, I present my:



Fifty Books of 2009 (all linked back to their original review -- yes, this took a long time)

The starred entries are ones I found particularly memorable and would suggest reading over any of the others. Not that there aren't other worthy reads, those are just my faves this year.


1.) Louder than Words, Jenny McCarthy
2.) Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safran Foer ***
3.) Life of Pi, Yann Martel
4.) Dewey: The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, Vicki Myron ***
5.) Peony in Love, Lisa See
6.) Multiple Bles8ings, Kate Gosselin
7.) Julie & Julia, Julie Powell
8.) One Fifth Avenue, Candace Bushnell
9.) Plum Spooky, Janet Evanovich
10.) Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortensen
11.) Change of Heart, Jodi Picoult
12.) Such a Pretty Fat, Jen Lancaster ***
13.) Home, Marilynne Robinson
14.) The 19th Wife, David Ebershoff ***
15.) Here's The Story, Maureen McCormick
16.) New Rules of Lifting for Women, Lou Schuler
17.) Reading the OED, Ammon Shea
18.) A Little Bit Wicked, Kristen Chenoweth
19.) The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz
20.) Look Me In The Eye: My Life with Asperger's, John Elder Robison
21.) Master Your Metabolism, Jillian Michaels
22.) Mommywood, Tori Spelling
23.) The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison
24.) Blessings, Anna Quindlen
25.) Still Alice, Lisa Genova ***
26.) Handle With Care, Jodi Picoult
27.) Best Friends Forever, Jennifer Weiner
28.) Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates ***
29.) We Are All Fine Here, Mary Guterson
30.) Finger Lickin' Fifteen, Janet Evanovich
31.) The Red Tent, Anita Diamant
32.) Resilience, Elizabeth Edwards
33.) The Center of Everything, Laura Moriarty
34.) Pretty in Plaid, Jen Lancaster
35.) Always Looking Up, Michael J. Fox
36.) Dismantled, Jennifer McMahon
37.) The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger
38.) Supreme Courtship, Christopher Buckley
39.) Born Round, Frank Bruni ***
40.) The Wedding Girl, Sophie Kinsella/Madeline Wickham
41.) The Book Thief, Markus Zusak ***
42.) Wishful Drinking, Carrie Fisher
43.) Sloppy Firsts, Megan McCafferty
44.) Before You Know Kindness, Chris Bohjalian ***
45.) Twilight, Stephanie Meyer
46.) New Moon, Stephanie Meyer
47.) You Better Not Cry, Augusten Burroughs ***
48.) In the President's Secret Service, Ronald Kessler
49.) Bitter is the New Black, Jen Lancaster
50.) The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins ***


So there you have it. I hope you'll be motivated to pick a few of these up in your future reading endeavors. While I think my 50 fifty reads to be quite a feat, I couldn't have done it without my fabulous library. I didn't purchase a single one of these books. (Sorry publishers being put out of business due to the Kindle) They were all borrowed from just 3 miles down the road saving me upwards of $1,000 (calculating hard cover prices). I hope you all have access to a wonderful establishment such as this. Libraries are tantamount in a reading list this large as much as having the time to read every last word written.

Happy Reading in 2010!

A Calorie Complaint

Come on, Christmas. You do this to me every year, with your promise of gingerbread and cookies and parties where cheese abounds. Cheese is my kryptonite. I am useless against it. Before I know it, it's December 28th and I've consumed more unintentional calories and worked out much less than I planned that I feel like the biggest heifer. Part of me feels like I should work out really hard for the next 3 days to end the year on a healthful high note. The other part of me feels like I should just take it easy and start anew on January 1st. What I know for sure is that I will not be replacing the dead battery in my scale any time soon. I am left to weigh myself on the sly at work on our heavy duty industrial mail scale. Yes, if you're wondering, sometimes I take off my shoes and step on it, pretending I'm a package to be shipped off. I'm not sure how accurate it is but I can at least ballpark my eating indiscretions.

In other news, I have been in the biggest funk lately. I'm hoping something snaps me out of it soon. Do you think my poor eating habits and lack of exercise are adding to my despondency? Nah, couldn't be.

Merry Christmas to All!

Christmas Baking!

I made these recipes a few weeks ago and begrudgingly froze them in tins instead of storing them in my stomach. They will make their party debut on Wednesday at my Grandma's house. I hope they're well received. I didn't take any pictures but I wanted to pass along the recipes from What's Cookin, Chicago? because they were so tasty.

Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies - I printed out this recipe a year ago with every intention of baking them then. Well, that didn't happen but I held onto it until this year and they were the first ones I tried. They're not necessarily a traditional Christmas cookie but I thought they seemed Christmasy all the same.

Peppermint Brownie Rounds - I didn't want to bother with cut outs this year (so much effort!) but I still wanted to make something with color and a recipe that was unmistakably CHRISTMAS. I make red AND green frosting for these but, I took a shortcut and used canned Buttercream. Martha Stewart, I am not.

I also made some gingerbread biscotti but I printed out the recipe and now I can't find where I got it from. That was my first biscotti attempt and they were really good, I thought. I think they'll be a hit at the Christmas brunch on Wednesday.

Happy Baking!

Bitter is the New Black

Bitter is the New Black is Jen Lancaster's first memoir. It was published some years ago but it was the only one of hers I hadn't read. I don't typically read books like this out of order but somehow that's how things shook out here. Bitter follows Jen's toils after she's laid off and trying to make ends meet in Chicago with her boyfriend-then-husband, Fletch, who subsequently also gets laid off. It's a tale of a completely materialistic woman who is humbled at every turn as she has to trade in her designer labels to pay the rent.

I really enjoyed Bitter is the New Black, mostly because I like Lancaster's writing. I will say, however, that this first memoir is not nearly as good as the later ones. I feel like she really found her voice as the books continued. Any of her 4 memoirs are worth reading and while you don't HAVE to read them in order, I'd recommend it. I'm sorry for the short reviews lately. As I mentioned before, things have just been so busy lately.

.....in fantasy football news......

Yes, you read that right. John is an avid Fantasy Footballer. He has tried to explain the excitement behind FF many times and I just can't get into it. I don't understand why you can't just cheer for your favorite team. How come you have to have players from all these other teams you don't care about? Well, I know why. That's how you gain points. So every week he tells me, "My team's doing great today" or "My team is really sucking it up on the field." I didn't care in the slightest until today. Today, he tells me he might actually win his league, to the tune of $300. Wheeee!!! Ashley gets to go shopping! Although somehow I don't think he'll see it that way.

In the President's Secret Service

In the President's Secret Service: Behind the Scenes with Agents in the Line of Fire and the Presidents they Protect by Ronald Kessler, has the longest title ever. It chronicles the stories of many agents and their various protectees. Not much of a synopsis is really necessary here, in my opinion. This book was really interesting. Even if you have no interest in history, like me, you'll find a lot of juicy tidbits in here to keep you turning the page. #48 gets a thumbs up from me!

Sorry about the lazy blogging lately. The holidays have caught up with me and I feel like there's not enough time for anything these days. Christmas is in a week for Pete's sake! I will make a concerted effort to stay on task.