What’s Coming for October

Hello dearies.  It’s the day before October (gasp and horrors) and I’m sitting here panicking as I realize that my plans to write a bunch of posts for my 31 days in October challenge  has just totally not happened. I did my usual procrastinate and said, Oh, I have time, I’ll do it later….. and now, here is later.  Well, oh well. I guess I’ll have to write just like everyone else and just pound out a post a day for the month. Or well, write a couple on one day.

English: Studio publicity portrait for film Sabrina with William Holden and Audrey Hepburn. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Okay, so here is what the schedule is. For the entire month of October I will be posting about ladies, femininity, and things that relate mostly to women.  It’s not going to be super gushy, for those guys out there. I do have some things that are actually interesting in my opinion; Audrey Hepburn, women poets, Steampunk clothing and women in steampunk….. various thoughts.  Things like that. Just the theme is related to women.  I will have a directory of the posts here —–> 31 Days of October – Femininity & Ladies so if you miss a post, you can just check there. I do have some other non related posts I will being doing as I always have my book reviews. I thought I might get them out of the way before the month, but again, procrastination… and I just received one, so you know.

If you are curious about last year’s challenge, you can find it here —-> 31 Days of Fun, Fanciful, & Functional.  Also, check out Write 31 Days.  If you are interested in a monthly challenge, this is a pretty nice one because there is no theme. You create the theme. There are several categories to fit just about everything in. It’s kind of low key, but at the same time, it is a challenge, so basically you monitor yourself and well, challenge yourself. Joining is open until the 5th, I believe when you can link up and have your button on the site. Also check out their Facebook group if you are interested. It is a closed group, but we are all rather friendly there.

And lastly, because I haven’t been running due to being iron deficient/anemic/out of breath all the time, I am doing a 30 Day Plank Challenge from the makers of 30 Fitness Challenges.  Last year in March I was trying to do the 30 days of squats, crunches, and situps.  It did not go well due to other health reasons. But I hope to be able to do the plank challenge. Check it out. It’s not horrible and we all could use a strong core.

So, there you have it. One month of a frazzled brain and rushing to get posts done, and drinking too much coffee….  it’s going to be exciting, so I hope you join me. I highly recommend reading each post with a very good cup of coffee. Right now I am drinking an Americano I made with the espresso machine. It’s divine.

Happy October everyone!

Kate

Vampires, Charlie, DWTS – Or My Current Guilty Pleasures

Well, it’s September and I have finally gotten out of my Bachelor in Paradise obsession. I have actually been in a Bachelor montage for almost 9 months. Ever since I started watching Chris Soules’ season, I have run through the Bachelorette and lastly Bachelor in Paradise. I think I’ve finally hit my overload limit of drama. All that freaking drama! And I am not sure I will ever watch another Bachelor again…. Maybe Paradise if it has people I know, but honestly.  And I only started watching the show because a cousin of mine signed up at one of the first casting calls. She never continued on, but she’s now friends with one of the gals from Chris’s season. Gads, crazy.

View image | gettyimages.com

Now my obsessions are still wacky, but hey, we all have to have guilty pleasures. One of my current ones is Vampire Academy. I saw the film about a month ago and fell in love. I mean, I’m so hooked on Rose Hathaway and Dimitri Belikov it’s not even funny. I am so sucked into it that I have an MP3 audio version of the entire film and I will listen to it. I just finished the final book of the first set and now I’m off to read the Bloodlines series which relates. But oh my gosh, I could not gush enough about Rose Hathaway. She is so my girl it’s ridiculous. And I totally loved Zoey Deutch as her in the film. I freaking love the film. Okay, enough gushing about that.

View image | gettyimages.com

Okay, not really because now I’m starting on the P.C. Cast series.  I blame Stephenie Meyer and her Twilight saga which I used to consider my ultimate guilty love. Now VA runs right there with it. So Vampires are on the brain. Vampire romance to be exact.  Which makes no sense if you consider my post on ‘Vampire Luuuv’. I just have my weird moments and vampire romance is pretty sexy in its own way.

View image | gettyimages.com

My Charlie guilty pleasure is Charlie Puth. Total adorbs singer. I cannot believe I just wrote adorbs. I have clearly been online too much. Well Charlie Puth is known for his song with Wiz Khalifa for the final Fast and Furious.  But what I love is his song “Marvin Gaye’ with Meghan Trainor. This song is so sexy, but so cool. I mean, seriously cool. Then his song ‘Seventeen’ is just stunning. Okay, I just love his music.

Along the lines of music, I’m still in sort of a Brocountry phase. I found Thomas Rhett‘s ‘Crash and Burn’ and Sam Hunt’s “House Party”, and they are both really good country. Okay, Sam Hunt’s is a little more Bro than country, but it’s still fun. On a side note, the name Thomas Rhett has to be one of the best names to use in a romance novel. Yes?

View image | gettyimages.com

Finally, Dancing with the Stars. I have to have at least on reality show going to get my fill of DRAMA. I need my drama.  Well DWTS always fits the bill in regards to that. I love half of the dancers this season and I am looking forward to my Monday nights. I want to write up a post regarding music I think Derek Hough needs (NEEDS) to use, but I wonder if he would ever listen to me?

So, anyways. There is my September guilty pleasures that I don’t feel guilty about. I have to note that I had told Mrs. B that watching Bachelor in Paradise with all the drama was as bad as a Taylor Swift song, then Carly at the end of the season was talking about writing a song and someone telling her to Taylor Swift it.  Could anyone throw more drama into a song than Taylor Swift? That being said, I’m loving her music right now. I don’t care if I’m 33. Her music has a story. Especially her new song “Wildest Dreams”.

So, what’s your guilty pleasure right now?  Tell me. Please!

Kate

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Never Said – A Review

Never Said by Carol Lynch Williams is a novel about sisters; twin sisters to be exact. However, shouldn’t twin sisters be the closest of friends? In this case, Sarah couldn’t be further from Annie in personality. Sarah is quiet, shy , Social anxiety disorder would be how you describe her. She is the girl who has a voice, but only uses it in sign language classes where she can say whatever she wants, but not have to use her voice. Whereas her sister is the flamboyant, beauty queen girl who has been center stage her whole life. But suddenly, Annie, who has always been the center of attention in the family, has changed her look; chopped off her hair, gained a bunch of weight, and is giving up on beauty pageants. Sarah has been left in the dust all the years Annie has been in the limelight, but she knows that something is wrong.  Suddenly, Sarah has shifted into being more the big sister in her own way from before.  Now she’s the one protecting Annie from vicious bullying in school.  But the real question, is why has Annie changed so much, and will Sarah be able to help her out?  Will Sarah and Annie become closer as sisters than ever before?

First off, this book is written from both Sarah and Annie’s point of view. Sarah’s is  telling the story while Annie is writing poetry that relates to her. The styles compliment each other so well, flipping back and forth in this rhythm that shows the heartache from Annie and the frustration in Sarah. I for one, love books in prose and poetry, a la “What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know” by Sonya Sones.  I was immediately drawn into this book because the story is so real. The issues of self image, abuse and secrecy are all explored in this book, along with the special connection sisters have. And it’s not even the bond that some twins have, but sisters have a unique bond that is special and creates a trust that isn’t there with parents.

This novel explores what happens when statutory rape happens and it changes a person. And how does one move on from something like this.  For Sarah and Annie, it becomes a bond that brings them even closer together.

I liked that this subject was written about in a simple novel. Simple as in, I finished reading it in less than two days. Sex between an adult and a minor is something that has been in my peripheral due to living in a small town and seeing some of what happens with the high school girls and teachers. Or the other way around.   It’s not something that is talked about, but it happens. And it changes a person.  I was actually kind of excited to read a book that explores these themes.

I would highly recommend this book to the young adult audience as well as parents. Because it really does happen.  I think Carol Lynch Williams did an excellent job with creating a realness in the pages.  A marvelous book. Not happy, but marvelous none the less.

Five stars!

Kate

Being Beautiful

Pearls, curled hair, yeah, this is my beautiful moment.

I was sitting reading my journal from earlier in the year… it’s something I do to reflect…… and I came across an entry  from near my birthday. I was describing being called beautiful.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I have found that it is one word that while wonderful to be called, can hold a whole lot of meanings or feeling behind it.

I have been called beautiful by plenty of men…. despite which I still wonder if I really am beautiful because what I see in the mirror sometimes is meh.  How I look isn’t what makes me feel beautiful. Sometimes for me, wearing Stetson for men, a string of pearls and having my hair in a simple updo makes me feel so incredibly beautiful in my own mind, that’s all that matters.  But having a man call me beautiful is a rather interesting thing.

First there is Boris. Boris is fire and ice and extremes. He calls me beautiful, gorgeous and such regularly. It’s his greeting. It’s his way. His way makes me feel like I am the sexiest young woman ever. Okay, I’m not young anymore, but well, I still don’t feel like a woman. I am one….okay, I can go with lady better.  Considering he calls me young lady all the time too.  His beautiful is like stepping into pure heat and desire.  I can’t explain it.

Then there was Neeko.  Darling boy. I mentioned him earlier in the year.  What I wrote in my journal was, ” He calls me beautiful and it feels like pure sunshine happiness. Not sexy, but like I’ve stepped into a rainbow. Gooey inside. Unexpected. Undemanding. Nick is daisies and buttercups and sugar sweet.”  Maybe it was safety, but I felt like me with Neeko. I didn’t have to impress or be any more than me. Something I struggle with. I’m always worried about someone’s opinion, but with Neeko I could just be, like I had stepped into a meadow….. Bella’s meadow.

More recently there is someone that calls me various forms of beautiful, but it’s weird.  I can’t put my finger on it….okay, maybe I can. I am not interested in this guy, and he says he’s not in me, because he’s in his mid fifties, but sometimes I get this weird vibe that makes me kind of shudder. I sit there and think to myself…’no, please don’t call me anything endearing.’ It’s one of those disturbing moments in life where what someone says to you makes you feel so uncomfortable.

I think who we know that calls us beautiful means something different from each person. Sweet, sexy, disturbing…… And various other feelings.  Sometimes I smile and giggle insanely when I’m called beautiful. Other times I take it in stride.   I have to say that a sunshine and daisies beautiful is like eating the best brownie, and the fire and ice extremes beautiful is like that first sip of whiskey.  It’s sexy in it’s own way.  Sunshine and daisies, which I am not a person who would ever really go for that vibe, is really, really nice.  And it’s so hard to explain….. Okay, wait, I just read what I wrote. One is safe while the other has me in a constant state of alert.

Hmmm. Rather interesting, isn’t it? Do I know which one I want? I tend to go for sweet because at the end of the day, the safe is nice, steady. Comfortable. But that being said, the extreme and sexy is well, adventurous and exciting. I think a bit of sweet with sexy is really nice.

So what about you, ladies.  Do you have different vibes of beautiful?  What makes you feel beautiful?  Words or your own inner self?  Does something you do make you feel like the goddess you are?

I’d love to know so share with me.  I feel I should add in a One Direction line… but I’ll leave that up to you.

Kate

 

The Home-Maker – A Persephone Book Review

Over the spring the wonderful Persephone Books gave me the opportunity to read and review their book The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher (Persephone book No. 7)  So while this is terribly late in coming, I do hope you enjoy this review, I hope you consider adding Persephone books to your list of book sources, and I also hope you might consider reading The Home-Maker.

This is a wonderful little gem of a book, little mostly in size, but not in story. No, indeed, this is the story about people. About life. About the interactions between family members when life isn’t so perfect even though from the outside, all appears to be perfection.

This story is set in a three person perspective; from Eva’s, Lester’s, and Stephen’s point of view. At the heart of the story is Eva Knapp. Mother of three and wife to Lester. She’s a perfectionist, a little controlling, but deep down, all she does and all she demands comes from her devotion to both the children and Lester. She worries about her willful son, Stephen, who at three seems to be going through that stage of almost being “like the traditional changeling, hard, heartless, inhuman.” Or so Lester, at one point, thinks to himself about his son. Stephen has his own troubles from a disappearing Teddy, to a mother who seems to always be correcting him. It’s a lot of work being only three.

Eva is also troubled with her two other children; Henry who has a weak system, and Helen who just needs guidance.  And lastly, she worries about her husband, who just doesn’t seem to have the drive to move up in the company he works for.

Lester is a dreamer. A writer. A man destined for more  than working the numbers at the Emporium.  Then suddenly he is faced with having been let go. How in the world he will ever tell Eva, knowing how much she relies on him, and how much he wants to give her, but can’t seem to make happen.  There is only one solution. To end his life and the insurance policy will take care of Eva and the children.

But the ‘accidental’ leap from the roof fails to accomplish what Lester was hoping, and now he is paralyzed from the waist down. Now life changes as Eva has to become the breadwinner and Lester the home-maker. Eva ends up working for the Emporium and making a smash of her position, moving up quickly. And Lester? Well, surprisingly, being a home-maker is the perfect job for him as suddenly there are happy children and a happy home.

Eva has a true purpose in life instead of always feeling like she can’t accomplish a perfect house, and Lester finally can be the dreamer he needs to be. The question is, will this continue this way? Will Lester ever recover and will Eva go back to being the housewife? It’s not till the very end of the book we find out.

I read this book quickly and found myself touched in so many ways. I can feel the inner desperation from Eva as she tries so hard to make everything just so, and just right for her family.  As she scrubs the floor trying to rid then of grease spots only to have her son dribble grease the next night. I wanted to cry for Eva because I saw myself in an instant what I could be if I was a mother. That turmoil to micromanage and control everything in an uncontrollable existence. Feeling like you are doing everything right while your own family thinks you don’t care a whit about them.

I want to scoop Stephen up and comfort him, but at the same time, when I see him from Eve’s side, I want to send him to his room with no supper.

Eva loves her husband from her side. Adores him practically. From Lester, he always feels like he can’t measure up. Eva adores her children, in her own way, but from their point, she’s always displeased with them.

This is a book about two sides of the story. And in a very simplistic view, a book about how sometimes the hand we are dealt in life is not what we should actually be doing. Sometimes the woman is just not the home-maker. And that’s okay.

I can honestly say this is a very impressive book and there are not too many books today that could ever match up to the mastery Dorthy Canfield Fisher has created in such a small novel. I would send this to any friend and feel I could read it again and again pulling out every nuance. This will be a book I treasure for years to come.

Again, I hope you consider trying out this book along with checking out Persephone Books. They are truly a little gem of the book world.

Kate

• If Persephone Had Been A Publisher (via katesbookshelf.wordpress.com)