Book Review: Something Borrowed

found here

After all of my "serious" reading (The Secret Life of Bees, The Help, The Other Hand), I decided that I wanted to read some good old fashioned chick-lit. When I went to see Water For Elephants (awesome movie by the way, and fairly close to the book as I remember it), I saw the trailer for this movie and decided to read the book first. The movie looked pretty cute, so the book should be too, right?!

Brief summary:

Rachel met this amazing guy, Dex, in law school and was practically in love with him, until he met her best friend Darcy. Dex and Darcy started dating and now, years later, they are engaged. On the night of Rachel's 30th birthday, Darcy goes home early because she is pretty wasted, and Dex and Rachel end up spending the night together. The result is a fairly complicated situation in which Dex is still engaged to Darcy but seeing Rachel on the side. Who will Dex end up choosing in the end?!

My opinion:

I was looking for chick lit, and that is exactly what I got. Don't hold expectations that are too high for this book and then you won't be disappointed. No, it isn't a life changing novel or anything, but it is a pretty good read. Its a modern day romance novel with complicated love situations that you are just dying to know how they end. I did read it fairly quickly (let's face it, the writing is very straightforward and the plot is not complicated), but I enjoyed the book a lot. I am considering reading Something Blue later this summer, which is the follow up novel, told from the perspective of Darcy, a totally unsympathetic character. Should be interesting.

Book Review: The Other Hand aka Little Bee

found here

I bought this book back in the Summer of 2009 when I was in England. The bookstore was having a buy one get one half off sale and I really wanted to read "My Sister's Keeper," so I sprang for both. The back of the book intrigued me. I got "The Other Hand," which apparently is the UK title for the book. I picked it up, but never ended up finishing it. Then I hear all this buzz about a book called "Little Bee" and I think to myself, "That sounds familiar." Lo and behold, it's the same book! So I pick it up again, start reading it, and put it down without finishing it. Finally, last week after finishing "The Help," I decided that I just needed to finish the darn thing already. I started the book again from the beginning and I finally did it, I finished it.

Brief plot summary:

A Nigerian girl meets a wealthy British couple who are on a "holiday" in Nigeria one day. A traumatic event occurs and the British couple flee back home. Five years pass, and they hear from the Nigerian girl again. More traumatic events happen. The girl and the wife spend some time together. The novel ends with another traumatic event.

My opinion:

The back of the book told me that this story was unique, compelling, and one of a kind. I am assuming they put this on the back of the cover to get people to read it. Well played marketing department, well played. I enjoyed the first part of the book and felt that it was compelling. There is one part of the book that I found particularly insightful, when Little Bee is talking about scars and how they are beautiful because they meant that the person bearing them survived. It was pretty deep stuff. However, I felt supremely let down by the ending of the book. I felt like the book just sort of fizzled out and then I was left thinking "Was that it? The end of the book?!" Maybe I had too high of an expectation of the book because the back of the book was so intriguing: "We don't want to tell you what happens in this book. It is truly a special story and we don't want to spoil it[...] Once you have read it, you'll want to tell your friends about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens either. The magic is in how it unfolds." Who wouldn't be intrigued by that?! My overall rating of the book is a 3/5 because the book did hold me until the last few chapters!

The Help: Book review

found here

I just finished this book last night and all I have to say is: wow! This book is over 500 pages long and I flew through it in less than 3 days. I started in when I was babysitting on Wednesday night and read almost half of it in less than 3 hours. I didnt have a whole lot of reading time on Thursday, but yesterday I babysat for most of the day and I devoured the rest of the book. I have heard of other people having similar experiences too!

Basic plot:

This book is told from the perspective of three different people: two African American maids (or "help") and one Caucasian woman. The book is set in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s, during the Civil Rights era. The premise of the book is that the white woman, Miss Skeeter, aspires to be a writer. At the onset of the novel she is part of the socialite group of white women who have help in their homes. Miss Skeeter begins to see the injustices of the "help" system. She decides she wants to write a book from the perspective of the help to share the stories of what it is really like to work in a white family's home. There is only one problem: she has no idea what is it like to work as the hired help. The book details her struggles to get the African American community to open up to her and share their stories, the good and the bad, of being the hired help.

My opinion:

I absolutely LOVED this book! Like I said, I just devoured it in a matter of days and now I wish I had taken more time with it! I thought the writing was phenomenal and the story was very unique. When the story is told from these different perspectives, Stockett takes on different dialects and you can distinctly hear each character's own voice. You laugh and cry along with the characters as you re-live the humorous and not so humorous tales of being the hired help. There was only one episode in the book that left me confused as to why it was even in there. It sort of felt like this episode was thrown in at random. You will recognize the scene when you see it! I feel like I know these three women after reading the book. Phenomenal read, go read it and tell me what you think!

Secret Life of Bees

Found here

I started to read this book back at the very beginning of the semester (I am a teacher, so yes, my life still is divided into semesters!), but I never was able to finish it! I must say that the first chapter or so of this book is less than compelling, but don't let that stop you from reading it! I started to read it at the beginning of the semester to see if it was something that I wanted my 9th graders to read. I stopped reading it because things got crazy and I wasn't drawn in by the first few pages. I picked it up again because I was stuck for ideas on my next novel. I devoured it after that!

A VERY basic plot summary:

Lily, a young white teenage girl, lives in South Carolina in the 60s. She ends up running away from home and taking her maid with her to escape their old life. Lily is in search of answers regarding her mother who died when Lily was very young. Her search brings her to a small town in South Carolina where she finds much more than the answers she was searching for.

Ok, so I dont want to give anything away, but its a great novel.

My opinion:

After the first chapter, I was drawn into the book. The characters are very realistic and lovable, the plot is compelling enough to make you want to read on to find out what happens next. My ninth graders are all absorbed in the book and love it. The only thing that I would say about this book is it is very much a feminine book. I offered my students two choices: Lord of the Flies (a very "boy" book) and Secret Life of Bees, and the class was divided into boys and girls with a few exceptions. I love how this book speaks to the power of female bonds. In that regard, I think it is a novel that every girl should read. I have yet to see the movie so I dont know how it compares, but I usually find the books far better than the movies!

My first "big girl" job application

Today I have been working on many different things, but most important of which is my first big girl job application. I submitted my application to 17 different school districts today and I have about 20 more that I would like to submit my application to. Hopefully one of these applications will bear some fruit!

In an ideal situation, I would find a job locally and I would be able to stay with family for the first year or so in order to start knocking down some of those pesky student loans; however, at this point I am willing to take a job anywhere just to have one!

More updates to come!

Hello again blogging world!

I'm baaaack!

I have been super busy lately but things are about to calm down for awhile! For the last month I have been doing full-time student teaching and working on my final portfolio for grad school. Full time teaching ended on Monday and the portfolio was submitted tonight (due on Monday). For once in my life I can say that I didnt COMPLETELY procrastinate on something huge and submitted it before the last possible moment. Go me!

Full time teaching went well, but I am glad its over. I know that full-time teaching is what I will be doing for the rest of my life, but I wont be dealing with grad school at the same time. I did have some struggles with the classes that I picked up from my clinical teacher, but I anticipated that because she has had these students all year and not just this semester. These two classes didnt really see me as their teacher because they have been under her instruction all year long.

I'm not entirely too sure if my portfolio is what the college of education is exactly looking for, but it will have to do. Part of the reason that my portfolio was so annoying was because it was a pilot semester for a new portfolio and lucky me! I was chosen to participate in the pilot program. The expectations werent clearly defined from the beginning and it doesnt seem like anyone really knows whats going on, so I guess we will just have to see when it all is said and done!

Now it is onto job searches! (Yes, that is plural...) I need to find both a part time job for the summer, something like waitressing, and a career-job for the fall. Let the search begin!

Meredith is doing well and is as cute as ever!

I'm super ready for spring break!

I'm very ready to be done with grad school!

And... that's about it. I'm glad to be back blogging world- you'll see much more of me now. I will catch up on my project 52, I have about half of my pictures taken they just arent uploaded yet....

Giveaway

I have (for the most part) stopped blogging about giveaways- but this one is quickly coming to a close and I love the blog that is giving it away! Meghan from Little Girl in the Big world is giving away a Stella and Dot necklace as well as a 25$ gift card to either Dunkin Donuts or Target. She is celebrating 100 followers and over 200 posts since she started blogging. I have been following Meghan's blog for several months now and I just feel like we have a lot in common, which is why I enjoy her blog so much! If you get a moment, go and check out her blog :)

All over the place

I know its been awhile since I have actually taken the time to really BLOG- but life has been pretty crazy and when I get a spare moment I like to CRASH! So without further ado, here is a very random post to update on my life.

1. I sort of started running again. I have been like 5 times over the past two weeks, and I wanted to go today but I had a very strange pain in my foot. boo. I looked for a race to train for again and I found several that I feel are too soon to try for, but there is one in July that I could do either a 5k or a 10k. Obviously with that sort of time frame (approx 18 weeks), I would try for the 10k, but if all else fails I could always run the 5k? I think this is a very realistic goal. Once going over in my head, that means I would need to add a mile every 3 weeks- which is a VERY workable frame I think if I work at it. I'll play around with the idea a little bit more and get back to you.

2. I really need to do SOMETHING about my weight. I have an endocrinology appointment at the end of March to see what the heck is going on with me. Hopefully getting back to running will help, but I really think I need to be SUPER strick about what goes into my mouth and my liquid intake. I know I am not drinking enough water, I know that I eat things I probably shouldnt, but I have really been trying to be "good." I am just very afraid that if I dont find out what is going on and SOON that I will become diabetic or have a host of other problems that my family has a history of. I mean, I havent really GAINED any weight, but with the efforts that I have been putting into it, I havent LOST a whole lot either. A few pounds, but not enough to justify the means I guess.

3. My internship is in full swing. I spent my first full day alone-alone with the classes on Friday and I think it went well. I have one full week (out of three) under my belt. I have been exhausted this week, but not quite as badly as I would have anticipated. I have really started to tighten the reigns on my class that I have been working with this entire semester, but that is a post for another day.

4. I have started my teaching blog, but I think it will have to wait until this "full time" internship mess is over with to really get it started. If you would like to follow- the blog is here. I plan for this to be a blog to catalogue the funny moments, the challenges, the a-ha moments, and everything else that comes with the territory of being a teacher. I also plan to include some of my brilliant (if I do say so myself) plans. It should be good stuff.

5. I know I am super behind on posting my project 52 pics as well. I have some of the pictures taken, but I just havent had the time to upload them to my computer and all. Soon!

6. I am taking the praxis II next weekend for middle grades English- I really need to start studying!

I think that's about it right now-

Compliments

Today I truly discovered the power of a compliment (or several). This morning as I was walking to my classroom, I had a teacher compliment my outfit and tell me that I looked "super cute" today. Now I didn't think that I looked particularly well put together today, but I think the fact that this teacher took the time out of her day to compliment my outfit added a bit of pep to my step today.
Then, this afternoon I attended an English Department meeting in which several teachers complimented my performance in my internship. Again, I want to say that I am by no means tooting my own horn or thinking that I am some sort of fabulous teacher-intern extrodinaire, but I can say what a difference these compliments and kind words can make. I feel good about myself, about my work, and about my impact here at NBH. I dont feel like some outsider coming in for a short while to complete a requirement for school and then high-tail it out of there, I feel like a part of the team. I have gotten some amazing ideas from the people that I work with and have shared some ideas. My input, my resources, and my abilities are appreciated and there is something to be said for feeling valued. It's nice to know that my clinical teacher is talking about me (and in a good way!), its nice to know that someone thinks that what I am doing is really neat, and it's nice to know that I have a network of support for those days that I am not quite feeling it.
So take an effort to compliment someone tomorrow. Take the chance to make someone else's day the way that these individuals have made mine today. You never know how great of an effect a kind word can have on someone.

WHat I'm Loving Wednesday!

I know, I've been MIA lately. Life has been fairly busy and I am just plain TIRED all the time! Last weekend I spent the weekend creating a classroom management plan and fretting over my resume. Tomorrow I have an Education job fair and I am extremely nervous! Meredith also played houdini this weekend, but that's a story for another day! So without further ado....

What I'm loving Wednesday!

~ I'm LOVING that I am starting To Kill a Mockingbird with my students this week. I really love this book :)
~ I'm LOVING that I am getting ready to start my full time student teaching (all three classes) for the next three weeks. I may be fairly MIA for this time period, but then it will be over and I can BREATHE!
~ I'm LOVING my new skirt that I got from JCPenny's last night. I was actually looking for a business suit and failed horribly on THAT mission, but the skirt is uber cute so I'm cool with it.
~ I'm LOVING my poetry unit coming up. I am coming up with some EXCELLENT ideas for teaching poetry (If I do say so myself) and will be posting them soon on my teaching blog.
~ I'm LOVING that I ran for the first time in MONTHS on Saturday. I can't wait to go again!
and as always,
~ I'm LOVING my family, friends, and my sweet pupster Meredith

I thought I was over this?!?

This weekend I was sick sick sick. I felt grose on Friday during school: I kept sneezing, my nose was running, my throat felt foggy, and I was just overall blah. I went home to take a nap on Friday afternoon to try to shake it. I felt OK by the time I woke up so I went to my sister's house for dinner and a movie. On my way there, I was super duper excited to find this:

the official drink of summer in England. I have been jonesing for some Pimms since I came back from England in 2009 and just now discovered that they sell it here in the States! Its good stuff, so you should try it if you get the chance. Look up drink recipes for it online.

Saturday I felt terrible all day long. I managed to get my oil changed in my car, but that was about it. Sunday I worked in the morning and was fairly productive in the afternoon. I cleaned my car, made a test for my students, did some research, cleaned my room, took a nap, read, picked out my outfits for the week, and went grocery shopping. I was impressed with my productivity!

Recently I have been implementing different "time savers" or maybe a better term would be "stress relievers" or "making Hilary's life better practices" into my days. I have successfully implemented the whole picking out all my outfits for the week thing on Sunday nights. This saves me a LOT of time and a LOT of headache during the week. I have even noticed that I look more professional and put together. In the four weeks that I have done this, I have YET to wear an outfit twice- quite an improvement from my old standby outfits! I really wish that I had done the 30 for 30 challenge this time because I actually think I could have been successful in my endeavors! The second thing that I have done is starting to make my lunch for the day the night before. This way, I am not scrambling around looking for something to eat in the morning and my meals are usually healthier!

I still have a few practices/things that I would like to do

1. I want to come up with new hairstyles to wear. I feel like my hair is so blah all the time. I have a few things that I do with it on a normal basis and would like have a few more standby things to do,

2. I want to make working out an integral part of my day- not something that happens by chance. I want to start running outside again. I want to go to the gym more!

3. I want to have specified reading time for my own reading pleasure- not stuff related to school. I love literature and I have a bunch of bookshelves stuffed to the gills with books, many of which I have never read! Time to get crackin!

I think thats it for now- we'll see where I'm at when I master these goals!

What I'm loving Wednesday!

Another link up with Jamie over at This Kind of Love!

~ I am LOVING my internship and how well its going.

~ I am LOVING my students and how they make me smile every single day.

~ I am LOVING that I had a restful weekend this weekend.

~ I am LOVING that I am coming up with some great ideas for lesson plans.

~ I am LOVING that I am approximately 133 days away from a Master's Degree in Teaching.

~ I am LOVING that my gym has recently expanded and they have some really awesome new equipment.

~ I am LOVING my family and friends.

and as always,

~ I am LOVING my sweet dog Mere (who has a vet appointment today!)

A Wee Bit of Spring

It has been raining a LOT here lately. It feels like it has been doing nothing but raining and being overcast for the last two weeks. The entire yard is dead, but I found this ONE spot where the grass is starting to turn back to green. I can feel spring coming!

I HEART accessories swap

I received my I HEART accessories swap package from the lovely Dana over at Enjoy Yourself on Wednesday and I was THRILLED to see the contents. It's like Dana knew my taste and knew what to get for me. Since it is late and I have had a VERY long day today, I will post the pictures I took of the items, but I wont do any editing to the pics. I also dont have any pics of me wearing the accessories, but trust me I have! I wore the bracelets several times last week and the necklace went so perfectly with my outfit today!

My first item is a lovely set of three bracelets that can be worn together or separated. They have these adorable brushed metal flowers on them and I have gotten so many compliments on them!

And the next thing was this cute necklace! I love the colors in the necklace and they really made my outfit *pop* today.

I seriously need to start taking pictures of some of my outfits. I am doing SO much better at creating fun outfits and using more pieces in my closet now that I am planning out my outfits ahead of time on Sunday (like I plan Monday through Friday on Sunday night) instead of waiting until the last minute in the morning. I think I look more professional and put together too... bonus!

Ok I will catch up more tomorrow, but for now- SLEEP!

Project 52: Ennui

Tonight I saw the perfect opportunity to complete my project 52 photo for this week. Meredith was lounging in the living room floor next to her friend Holly, but she just looked so bored! She would much rather be outside frolicking around but its pitch black outside! Without further ado...

See list of topics here

Next week's topic: red