The Bookshelf: Library Finds

I am still working on the Wally Lamb book I talked about last Wednesday and I am enjoying that but I am the type of girl who can work on multiple books at once so I picked up 2 from the library... Well one book and one audio book.


I love my local library. Vanessa, from Designs by Vanessa said her and her husband recently got library cards in their area and her husband said "Are you sure this is free?" which gave me a giggle, but it really is hard to believe that such a rich resource is FREE! What a concept!! My local library is chock full of books, it's amazing and in this economy it's truly a life saver. If you love to read and haven't visited your local library in some time go on and check it out, you might be shocked by the vast selection.

I was feeling magical today (LOL) so I got two fantasy/magic books.

The audio book I picked up is "The Magicians" by Lev Grossman. I am excited to get into this one since it's supposedly a grown up Harry Potter/Narnia inspired fantasy novel. Nothing has quite satisfied me in that genre since Harry Potter so I am eager to see if this delivers. Normally I'd have steered away for audio on a book like this with such rich imagery but this is a newly published book and the hardcover additions were checked out at my library. The story has a familiar plot, a secret portal leading to a school of Magic, a college rather than a secondary school. Could be amazing, hope it's not a let down.

The book I got is "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" by Susanna Clarke which is an enormous book that I have heard you will either LOVE or hate. This book is the story of two magicians in 1800s England. Reviews are mixed, some say it's an amazing fantasy novel to be cherished and some say it's utter crap. I love controversy!!!








101 in 1001 Update:
Remember, I am aiming to read 45 fiction books and 5 non fiction books by July 16, 2012 as part of my 101 in 1001 goals so these books are going towards that. I decided I am going to count audio books toward that goal because a) they take a long time to listen to b) I listen to them at the gym and while cooking, cleaning, driving etc and c) I read enough that I feel comfortable counting these towards my goal. Many people make reading goals in an effort to read more, I read a ton so I don't feel like audio is cheating.

1. Read 45 fiction books: (1/45)

I have read one book since compiling the list and that is "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer. "Breaking Dawn" is the final novel in the Twilight series. I am not going to review the book here but I have to admit the series was not as enjoyable to me as I expected it to be, I think it's a bit over hyped. Oh well.

4.Read the books I have already before buying any new ones (can borrow from library until then)

Check! I am doing just that! Sometimes what I have on my shelves is not what I am in the mood for. The library makes me feel less guilty about neglecting those books. Besides, I do own the Wally Lamb book so I am working on my collection.

28. Join the Nation Bar Association and the Connecticut Bar Association (student membership doesn’t count anymore!!) (1/2)

I joined the Connecticut Bar Association as an attorney last week. I got a kick out of the email correspondence addressing me as attorney because it's all so new to me :-)

6. Drink one bottle of water per day

Been on track with this one!

18. Go to the gym at least 3 days a week

Haven't been so good with this one, though I have an honest to God serious reason for this. We recently got a kitten and I am sooooo allergic to him I feel like I am dying, I have had a chronic dry wheezing cough for weeks now, it's finally getting better so this week I will absolutely get back on track. I feel like a failure but these goals are long term and just because I missed a week or two doesn't mean I should give up.

11. Maintain my neglected blog, or better yet start all over.

You tell me, but I feel like I have been acing this one so far!!!! My next goal for the blog is to get a few interviews posted. I'd like to interview my favorite bloggers or the owners of small companies that I love. It's going to take a bit to organize that but it's on the horizon.

The 101 in 1001 is really helping me stay focused and happier, I am so happy I heard about this!!!!!!!!!

Tempting Tuesday

Most people love the chocolate peanut butter combination but for me it's all about mint and chocolate. With Halloween behind us stores are busting out the holiday goodies and in my grocer's freezer I spied this delicious treat from Haagen Dazs: Peppermint Bark Ice cream.



This stuff is amazing. It's white chocolate ice cream with peppermint bark and peppermint candy pieces. I am destroying a pint of this right now as I type! Yummmm!!!!!

So this baby is limited addition so don't forget to try it this holiday season! Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Money Saving Tip: Check out your local target for the best price on Haagen Dazs, I have seen this stuff for as high as $6 a pint at Target it's $2.99.

Makeup Mondays: Sale Alert!

Cherry Culture Sale

Happy Monday everyone!!!!

Cherry Culture is having a 20% off sale which ends tomorrow 11.3.2009 so if you're interested I'd head on over there and use the code: NS20. Everything in the store is eligible for the discount and as always shipping is free on orders over $40. I have ordered from Cherry Culture many times and while their shipping is a bit slow I have always received everything I ordered packed with care, and they seem to consistently have the best prices on NYX products, which are sometimes difficult to find.

Here are some NYX products I highly recommend checking out if you've never tried NYX before:

Champagne Eyeshadow (left) is a staple of mine, it's a perfect gold/champagne toned neutral that can be used all over the lid and even carried up to the brow as a highlight. When I am in a hurry I sweep this all over my lid and darken my crease with NYX Walnut bronze (right), line my waterline add mascara and go!!! These single shadows are $3.50 at Cherry Culture and you'd get 20% off that with this sale. You cannot go wrong. They are highly pigmented, smooth and long lasting, I adore these shadows.


Pinky blush is another staple in my collection. Don't let the bright color scare you, this shade is flattering on almost anyone if you use a light hand. It's a bright pink that, when applied properly, adds the perfect flush to your cheeks. I know when my sister in law saw my makeup collection she pulled this out and said "Seriously?!?! When would you ever use a color like this?" but honestly it's my favorite NYX blush and I think it's an amazing color. These are $6 at Cherry Culture. Other nice shades: Angel (a light baby pink) and Natural (a light bubblegum pink).



NYX recently came out with some new eyeshadow and lip gloss palettes that I am dying to try. I have my eye on the Secret World 10 Color Eyeshadow Palette $8 with it's rich green tones, and the Naturals lip gloss palette ($7) which looks great for daily use. I think I might have to take advantage of this sale and pick some of these items up!!!

Cherry Culture has brands other than NYX but not many that I have tried myself. NYX is one of the best and most expansive AFFORDABLE makeup lines out there and if you haven't tried it before now's the time, I know you won't be dissapointed!!!

Let me know if you get anything from Cherry Culture!!!

Frightening Friday Finds

Frighteningly cute that is!!!

Look at these adorable handmade figurines I found on Etsy!!! How cute are these for Halloween!!!??





Check out Lynne's Little Creations Here.

Happy Halloween!!!

Tutorial Thursday: Brownies

Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Brownies

These brownies are super easy! I modified a recipe I found on cooks.com by adding semi-sweet morsels and butterscotch chips. Yummy!!!!

6 tablespoons cocoa
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup flour
1/2 Cup of Butterscotch Chips
1/2 Cup of Semi Sweet Chocolate Morsels
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 325°F degrees.

Melt butter and mix it with 6 tablespoons of cocoa powder. Then add 1 cup of sugar, 2 eggs, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 1/3 cup flour. Mix to combine.

Butter the baking pan lightly and sprinkle flour or cocoa over the pan until covered. This will help the mixture not to stick to the dish.

Spread brownie batter evenly in pan and put in oven to bake for 35-40 minutes. When a tooth pick is inserted and it comes out clean the brownies are ready.

Allow to cool until warm before cutting.

Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!

What's on your bookshelf?

So I am working on fiction book 2 of 45 (see 101 in 1001 post below) and I chose to read Wally Lamb's "I Know This Much is True". I have read "She's Come Undone" by Lamb and was so impressed with his writing style (and perfect editing) that I have longed to read this book for some time now. It's quite long so I have had it on my shelf for over a year, dying to be read. Finally being done with law school and the bar exam it's time to dig into this book, and so far, so good!




What are you currently reading?



P.S. check out these awesome bookmarks from Last Line. I love these so much, they hook onto the page and there's a small opening that highlights exactly where you left off... so you won't have to worry about re-reading a page or losing a bookmark. They sell these are Barnes and Noble (in store only) for about $3.50 a two pack.

Slatkin & Co. Candle Review

Product Review: Slatkin & Co. Vanilla Shortbread Candle Review

Last week I hit up the mall to get my brother in law's girlfriend a birthday present and I did a little shopping for myself as well. I went to Bath & Body Works to replenish my stock of Wallflowers and while I was browsing the store I inhaled the most delicious aroma. What was I smelling? It was like a delicious lemon cookie scent, unique to my nose and something I haven't smelled in a candle before, and believe me I have sniffed 100s of candles and tarts! I explored the store and found the culprit - the staff was warming some Vanilla Shortbread scented oil.

"Vanilla Shortbread?" I thought. Surely they must be mistaken, this has to be some sort of lemon cookie. So I scoured the store until I found a jar candle to sniff.

I opened the jar and inhaled. Sure enough it WAS Vanilla Shortbread I'd been smelling. I was shocked because the lemon is such a dominant scent I'd never have guessed it was Vanilla Shortbread.

Bath and Body Works describes the scent as:

A deliciously rich blend of Madagascar vanilla, sugar cane and a hint of cinnamon combined with the aroma of yellow cake, nutmeg and sweet cream.

I am not sure that's the description I'd have come up with. I'd call this more of a lemon chiffon. It's a bakery scent but it's a bright fruity bakery scent, not a heady or cloyingly sweet one. I don't really get any spice in it at all, so the cinnamon, nutmeg thing really makes no sense to me. I suppose the lemon might come from the "yellow cake" but nevertheless this scent is to DIE for. I had to have it. So I purchased a 4 oz. candle since they were on sale for $5.00 regularly $9.50.

This is the first candle I have tried from Bath and Body Works since they switched from White Barn to Slatkin & Co. How did it perform??

This is a quality candle. The small jar was enough to scent a 12X12 room and the wick burned clean with no soot and the wax melted evenly leaving the sides of the jar clean.

I would check these candles out if you love candles like I do, especially since they're on sale right now. I wish I purchased a larger size because this scent is heavenly!!!!!!!!! I think I might need to go back and stock up on this fragrance it's simply delicious!!!!!!