Marvel and a Wonder by Joe Meno

I am so fortunate to have received Marvel and a Wonder as an Early Reviewer.

A chicken farmer from Indiana attempts to raise his teenage grandson in this story of another American family reorganized by methamphetamine. The grandfather is forced to deal with his racist issues dating back to his time as an MP in the Korean War, because his grandson is half-black. The mysterious inheritance of a white race horse begins to bridge the generation gap between the two, but is stolen, setting the grandfather and grandson off on a race to reclaim it.

At the end of the book, the pure beauty of the story made me cry. I will definitely be reading more from Joe Meno.

Circling the Sun by Paula McLain

Circling the Sun is a historical fiction story about Beryl Markham, a woman who as a child moved with her family from England to Kenya in the 1920s and grew up there.

Paula McLain uses careful imagery and suspension to move the reader through this exciting story. The core of Circling the Sun is Beryl and her coming-of-age/feminist triumphs. She befriends a Kipsigi boy, trains race horses, wears pants, and defies convention at every turn. Beryl carries the story, but Kenya moves from a lovely setting to a deadly character through McLain's skillful writing. Start saving now, because you will want to visit Kenya by the time you finish this book.

Messy Box 2: Electric Boogaloo

SPRING...

I used the striped paper for journaling on top and the SPRING card from the 2nd Box. The WOW chipboard letters look super on my saguaro pic. They're from the 1st Box.

But my favorite was this 3x4 card. I cut out the head from our take home papers from urgent care. Recycling awesomeness.

Kelly Purkey inspired me to stamp on my pic. I used Staz On for the first time. It is no joke. I like how it turned out and will definitely be doing it more.

I also tried to use up an entire sheet of tiny puffy heart stickers but only got halfway. When Corey saw it he said those hearts are what Stellaluna pictures all the time, and then we laughed.

I like how both kits still fit together and I can't wait to get the next one!

yummy

A photo posted by thefatjewish (@thefatjewish) on May 6, 2015 at 2:55pm PDT

May the fourth be with you!

Always.

P.S. found here

Nothing against baby but...

A photo posted by thefatjewish (@thefatjewish) on Apr 24, 2015 at 2:21pm PDT

The Dream Lover by Elizabeth Berg

I chose this book from the Early Reviewer list because I have read books by the author before and I liked them. Happily The Dream Lover is the best one I have read by Elizabeth Berg so far!

The Dream Lover is a historical fiction novel based on the author Aurore Dupin, better known as her nom de plume, George Sand. She lived in France in the late 1800s and did all the things girls shouldn't do at the time. It was mostly uplifting to read about her adventures, and even inspiring to read about her endless well of creativity.

Aurore was like the Taylor Swift of the day, dating Frederic Chopin and Victor Hugo among numerous others. The story was maybe one relationship too long for my taste, but not because I'm a slut-shamer, rather I preferred the girl power aspect of the story.

The best thing about this book was that it exposed me to a new author. I will definitely be looking up George Sand the next time I find myself in a book store.

and I'm like

A photo posted by thefatjewish (@thefatjewish) on Feb 7, 2015 at 5:29pm PST

Superbowl Sunday means...

...it's almost Baseball Season!

Go Dbacks!

2014 Book Challenge Wrap-Up

Finding a new job and completing 3 major home improvement projects last year sucked away my reading time, so I didn't do so well with my reading challenges. Here's how I fared:

Eclectic Reader Challenge: 6/12

Award Winning: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout finished 10/19 (Pulitzer Prize)

Alternate History Fiction: 11/22/63 by Stephen King finished 7/27

War/Military Fiction: Catch-22 by Joseph Heller finished 12/13

Anthology: The Granta Book of the African Short Story by Helon Habila finished 4/26

Travel (Non Fiction): A Woman Alone: Travel Tales from Around the Globe by Faith Conlon finished 7/1

Published in 2014: The Taste of Apple Seeds by Katharina Hagena finished 3/16

Didn't get to: True Crime (Non Fiction), Romantic Comedy, Graphic Novel, Cozy Mystery Fiction, Gothic Fiction, Medical Thriller Fiction

Take It or Leave It Challenge

Challenges #1-6: 5/6

1. Read a book whose title names an object usually found in the kitchen: The Taste of Apple Seeds by Katharina Hagena finished 3/16

2. Read a book from your 'average' year (2000)

3. Read a book that has a connection with the number "14": Innocence by Dean Koontz (published in '14)

4. Read a work of fiction from the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2013: The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer finished 2/15

5. Read a book set in France before the 21st Century: Hannibal Rising by Thomas Harris finished 10/8

6. Read a book by a Yorkshire Born writer: Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris finished 11/30

Challenges #7-12 Completed!

7. Read a book you received as a present: Darwin: Portrait of a Genius by Paul Johnson finished 2/21 (from my nephew Kyle)

8. Read a book that has a glossary: I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai finished 3/7

9. Read a book by the author of one of your favorite books of 2013: Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King finished 3/23

10. Read a book that you discovered on an LT thread in 2013: Everything I Need To Know I Learned From a Little Golden Book by Diane E. Muldrow finished 3/7

11. Read a book that has two of something in the title: Catch-22 by Joseph Heller finished 12/13

12. Read a mystery book where the lead investigator is a professional sleuth, but not one employed by law enforcement: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith finished 8/25

Challenges #13-18: 3/6

13. Read a book by an author who died in 2013: A Stir of Echoes by Richard Matheson finished 10/6

14. Read a book that is about an athlete or athletes: Horse People: Scenes from the Riding Life by Michael Korda finished 5/25

15. Read a book that takes place during "The War to End All Wars" (1914-1918)

16. Read a book with an ugly cover

17. Read a book about the city, state, or country in which you live

18. Read a book by an author from Sub-Saharan Africa: The Granta Book of the African Short Story by Helon Habila finished 4/26

Challenge #19 Completed!

19. Read a book with a walking or standing figure on the cover: Something Missing by Matthew Dicks finished 2/6

20. Read a book by an author called Elizabeth or a version of that name: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout finished 10/19

Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge: 0/2

Overall I completed 2 out of 6 challenges, and read 22 out of 34 challenge books. Hopefully I'll more reading time in 2015!

P.S. I found the book store picture on FFFFOUND!

My Favorite Books of 2014

I read 33 books last year. Here are my 10 favorites and 1 honorable mention, which I recommend you read as well. They are listed in the order I read them.

Something Missing by Matthew Dicks - reviewed here on February 18th

Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King - Stephen King can write anything, including incredible short stories.

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd - takes place in the early 19th century, told from the perspective of a girl against slavery and from her slave, Hetty's, perspective. The ending is amazing.

Animal Wise: How We Know Animals Think and Feel by Virginia Morell - reviewed here on May 19th

11/22/63 by Stephen King - a man travels back in time to stop the Kennedy assassination

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion - delightful story of a man on the spectrum as he searches for the perfect wife

The City by Dean Koontz - reviewed here on September 30th

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - shocking mystery about a man whose wife goes missing

Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris - the coming of age story of a girl living in German-occupied France and the effect it has on her as an adult

Eventide by Kent Haruf - the sequel to Plainsong, we catch up with the McPheron brothers and Victoria, and meet some new characters from Holt, Colorado

Honorable Mention:

The Granta Book of the African Short Story edited by Helon Habila - Almost every story in this anthology is deeply engrossing, and I can't stop loaning it to others and making them read it too.

Dirty Chick: Adventures of an Unlikely Farmer by Antonia Murphy

I received Dirty Chick: Adventures of an Unlikely Farmer as an Early Reviewer. It's the true story of a couple that moves from San Francisco to New Zealand, evolving from part-time sailors into full-time artisanal farmers.

Antonia Murphy shares funny, cute, and foul stories about the animals they collect to farm. As they add chickens, goats, alpacas, lambs, turkeys, and cows to their farm the stories get crazier and grosser. I appreciated the amount of profanity the author used to accentuate her frustration. Meanwhile, they also raise 2 kids and search for a permanent home because they are renters. It's not only the story of farming and family; as the story progresses there is the sense that the family is becoming a part of a community.

Dirty Chick is the book to read if you have a good sense of humor and a strong stomach.

The Eclectic Reader Challenge 2015

In the past 3 years the Eclectic Reader Challenge has challenged me to explore genres I may not normally be drawn to and get unread books off my shelf, so I am going to sign up again for 2015.

Here are this coming year's categories and some of the books I have on hand that fit:

Retellings (of fairytale, legends or myth) - Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire, The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy

A book set in a country starting with the letter S - Spain: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway, Sweden: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

PI Crime (fiction featuring a private investigator) - When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro

A novel published before you were born - I have a ton of these (since I'm so young ;)

Contemporary romance - Must Love Dogs by Claire Cook, Angel Landing by Alice Hoffman, Last Chance Saloon by Marian Keyes, Lost Highways by Curtiss Ann Matlock

Fiction for foodies (fiction featuring food/food related business) - The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender, Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, Julia's Chocolates by Cathy Lamb, By Bread Alone by Sarah-Kate Lynch

Microhistory (Non Fiction) - A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman,

The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls by Joan Jacobs Brumberg,

Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City by Nelson Johnson,

The Harvey Girls: Women Who Opened the West by Lesley Poling-Kempes

Science Fiction set in space - Foundation by Isaac Asimov

Sports (Fiction or Non fiction) - Gold by Chris Cleave, Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon, The Black Lights: Inside the World of Professional Boxing by Thomas Hauser

Featuring diversity - Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter: A Novel by Tom Franklin

Epistolary Fiction (fiction written in the format of letters/emails/diary entries) - I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Middle Grade/YA Adventure - Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, Stardust by Neil Gaiman, Crows and Cards by Joseph Helgerson

Do you recommend any of the books on my list? Do you want to join with me?

P.S. Strange Days is by Maggie Taylor.

Happy Holidays!

A photo posted by Elsie + Emma A Beautiful Mess (@abeautifulmessofficial) on Dec 12, 2014 at 12:10pm PST

* Instagram Fun *

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

Olive Kitteridge is a book of short stories all tied together by some connection to Olive. She is mostly an unloved, unliked, feared, or hated woman, yet she has made an impact on people all over her town and in her family.

The stories were interesting but mostly I could some them up with one word: sad. Sad, sad, sad. I'm looking forward to the mini-series on HBO because of Bill Murray and Francis McDormand, but would never reread this depressing assemblage of Pulitzer sorrow.

P.S. This book counts as my Award Winning book for the Eclectic Reader Challenge.