Babylon Rolling Book Review

When I was a senior in college, I had the pleasure of babysitting for a family that lived close to campus. The mother of the family worked for a publishing company and gave me a ton of her favorite books. One book in particular that she gave me, became my favorite – Pretty Little Dirty by Amanda Boyden. After I finished the book I immediately scoured the internet for other books written by the same author, but I quickly learned that she only had one book out.

Over the next few years I periodically researched Amanda Boyden and was super excited when I discovered she had written a second book, Babylon Rolling. I ordered the book online but wasn’t overly excited to read it as the summary sounded drastically different from my favorite book, Pretty Little Dirty.

It wasn’t until post Hurricane Sandy that I decided to actually read it as I knew the book took place in New Orleans around the time of Hurricane Katrina.

While to book was drastically different than Boyden’s first book, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. The book focused in on a group of diverse families that live on the same block in uptown New Orleans. Boyden does a fantastic job of developing each character and conveying their relationships with one another.

We learn about the issues that plague each family and how each neighbor works together to overcome obstacles and challenges. The book takes us through the false alarm of Hurricane Ivan, however the book leaves off before Hurricane Katrina hits, so we are left to imagine how the characters we have grown to care for will fair during the tragedy.

Alyssa

March 2013 Favorties

Thanks for watching!  All products are listed in the YouTube description box.

Alexa

An Unlikely Obsession

Last winter I was in my glory – mild weather with very little snow.  However, I feared that the 2012/2013 winter season would be extra cold and stormy to make up for the little gift we received the previous year.  Therefore I decided that instead of waiting to see what Mother Nature has in store for us, I would do my homework and read The Old 2013 Farmer’s Almanac.  This little gem lays out an overview of the predicted weather for the entire year broken out by region.  So, for all you out there in NJ/ NY/ Boston/ Philadelphia/ Baltimore/ DC/ Richmond and the surrounding areas, expect snowy periods in mid December as well as mid to late February.  Also, expect June to be a rainy month.  In addition to weather predictions, this 256 page book also contains recipes, information on the moon, tide and so much more.  I have a feeling that purchasing a Farmer’s Almanac will become a yearly tradition!

Alyssa

'The Girl Who Played with Fire' Book Review

As mentioned in a previous post, I am currently in the process of reading the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy.  Just a few days ago I completed the second book - The Girl who Played with Fire and I'm excited to provide you with a review.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book!  Similar to the first one, the same main characters are back and solving a murder, well, triple murder actually.  I enjoyed the fact that the book did not spend too much time recapping the previous book, rather it jumped right into the plot.  However, one thing that I found odd was that the first 100 pages or so take place in a Caribbean island and discuss a few characters that are never mentioned again throughout the remainder of the book.  The constant twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book, but the storyline and characters discussed early on were never mentioned again - odd.

Unlike the first book, the action continued until the very last page - which I loved!  I really hope that a movie is in the works.  Even if it isn't I still plan on renting the Swedish version.

Alyssa

The Leftovers, by Tom Perrotta

In between catching up on some classical novels during football season, I threw in a fiction book that came out over the summer – The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta.  Besides reading a few books about the Holocaust, I had never actually read anything religious.  Not that I would say this book was based around religion, but it definitely touched on Catholicism.  The book was a light and fluffy fiction story about a topic that is anything but – the sudden and unexplainable departure of people all over the globe.  The story follows 4 members of a family who all remain in the town of Mapleton after the incident (or as some call it the ‘Rapture’) a year after it takes place.  All four family members are affected in a different way and we get to peak inside their lives.  Overall, I enjoyed the story as it was an interesting and easy read.

Alyssa

Gotta secret, can you keep it?

In my typical fashion I have fallen in love with a show two seasons into its life. The show is Pretty Little Liars and it is actually amazing. The show is about the lives of four girls in high school: Aria, Spencer, Emily and Hanna. Basically they had a best friend who was the queen bee and her name was Ali. Turns out Ali was pretty mean and she got murdered. Flash forward a few years and now the series focuses on a "person[s]" who is constantly sending the remaining four girls texts, letters, etc. anything to ruin their lives. Honestly the most addicting part is the fashion, each gal has her own ridiculously unique style and I love seeing how they accessorize. I know what your thinking, its a show, and they are dressed by a stylist, but who cares, its still amazing! But to be fair, the books came first and to be honest again, they are just as good! Ahh, happy watching/reading!

-A
(Alexa)

The Girl with the Dragoon Tattoo Review

Like most people, after watching a movie that was based off a book, I come to the conclusion that the book was better. I’m not sure if this has something to do with the amount of time I have put into a book, or perhaps the fact that I paint such a vivid picture of each character and scene in my mind. The Girl with the Dragoon Tattoo is no exception; I enjoyed the book more than the movie, but only slightly.

I received the book as a present a little over a year ago, and I didn’t seriously commit to reading it until late summer/early fall 2011. At first, I was a little bored by the story and confused by all the Swedish characters. But after 100 or so pages, I was hooked. I thoroughly enjoyed trying to picture all of the characters and the foreign lands the author described. I was surprised and satisfied once the mystery was solved, but was confused as to why the book continued so much longer after that point. I did not like how it took so long to tie the loose ends together at the end of the book.

The movie was great in that respect, because it seriously condensed both the slow beginning and drawn out conclusion of the book. However, my one main criticism of the movie is that it ends differently than the book. After coming to grips with the fact that the movie was already 3 hours long, and if they stuck true to the ending of the book, it would have been much longer, I realized that it was a great movie.

I highly recommend both the book and the movie, and I look forward to the second book in this trilogy – The Girl Who Played with Fire.

Alyssa

Life Post Twilight

With the premiere of the first part of the final Twilight movie behind us, I thought it time to find a new hopelessly romantic love story. With the help of my friend Andrew I was led to the book series The Hunger Games. With the least romantic title that I have ever heard, I resisted the urge to read the books until I was completely and utterly bored. In a surprising turn of events, I finished the entire series in two weeks. The books are so fantastic because they narrate an unusual romance in the midst of an action filled, constantly moving plot. If this girly girl can fall in love with a book called The Hunger Games, so can you. Happy reading! (P.s. the movie comes out in March, check out the eye candy!)

Alexa

Fall Reading List

When J.D. Salinger passed away in early 2010, it dawned on me that I never actually read the Catcher in the Rye. In fact, over the years I never actually read most of the classics. While I consider myself an avid reader, I am ashamed to admit that throughout most of middle school and high school I skimmed through the assigned reading novels – learning just enough to pass the quizzes but not actually appreciating the literature. Thus, shortly after this revelation I purchased the Catcher in the Rye and Animal Farm (by George Orwell). Within a few days I had finished the Catcher in the Rye. I enjoyed the book and was happy that I decided to read it. However, my eager book worm spirit quickly faded. I became distracted with other activities and never ended up reading Animal Farm.


However, faced with another weekend of football at my boyfriend’s house ahead of me, I’ve decided to bring along a book this time. I’m looking forward to two nice long days on the couch so that I can finally read Animal Farm which is long overdue!
Pending the success of this weekend’s book, I am hoping to make Saturdays and Sundays during football season my reading days. First up on my reading list are a few of the ones I didn’t give my full attention to the first time around:


On the Road - Jack Kerouac
The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Remarque
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Hatchet - Gary Paulsen
Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
1984 - George Orwell
Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë
The Portrait of a Lady - Henry James
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
The Giver – Lois Lowry
Farenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury
Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
Beowulf – Keven Crossley-Holdand & Charles Keeping

Alyssa