Water For Elephants

I just finished the book Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen last night and decided to start a new "tradition." After every book I finish, I have decided to write a quick review. I love to read and recommend books to fellow friends and readers (you know who you are). :) Because of paperback swap (yes, a plug. I really do love it!), I've taken risks on books I typically wouldn't pick up, because I didn't want to waste money. However, when you're only spending about $2.00 on a book, it's worth a try!! So here it is...Water for Elephants.

The story is set during the great depression, and tells the story of Jacob Jankowski who, after the sudden death of his parents, realizes he has nothing, and goes to join the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth, what seems to be his only option. He learns the struggles of working with a circus and there is much drama to be had along the way :) He also falls in love with a performer, Marlena. (If you know me, there must be a love story, or I'm just not interested!) All of these events are told through the memories of a ninety-three year old Jacob Jankowski, who now sits alone in a nursing home.

Overall, the book kept me interested; however, it wasn't necessarily a "page turner". Worth a read?--yes, if you're a true reader, and enjoy a good story. If you're more like my mom, and can't finish a novel unless it's the most amazing story in the world (*wink)...or like my sister who can't even touch the front cover of a book, or it might burn her fingertips...I would say hold off on this one :)

My personal rating: 6

ALL TREATS, NO TRICKS

You may have seen on a friend's blog (The Bowars Bunch), that she mentioned using Restaurant.com and getting a $25 gift certificate for as low as $2. Well, RIGHT NOW is one of those times! From now until October 31st, you can get 80% off your purchase (which translates into a 25 dollar gift certificate, for only 2!) Enter discount code "TREATS" at checkout, and hit "apply".

In the B/N area, JBucks is the only restaurant participating in restaurant.com. Hopefully they will add more soon! So if you ever go there, or would like to, now is the time to buy a gift certificate! Remember, you must spend $35 to use your certificate...but that shouldn't be too hard to do :) Also, I believe you can only print one per customer, per month...to the same restaurant (because i knew what you were thinking) Enjoy!

Spoonful of Sugar

I’m on my way to work, and I’m listening to the radio. Suddenly I’m listening to the song “A Spoonful of Sugar” from Mary Poppins. Oh, that’s pleasant-love that song, what’s this advertisement for? Enter In—dialogue: “That’s nice when the medicine goes down, but what happens when the poo won’t go down?” WHAT?!?! I just about drove off the road! How bizarre a transition! I wasn’t sure if I even heard that right. I totally busted into laughter. Can you even say the word “poo” in a radio commercial? The advertisement was for Lee Excavating and Plumbing. (I guess they accomplished their purpose, because I remember their name…way to go Lee!) So remember, if you can’t get the poo to go down, call Lee Excavating & Plumbing.

P.S. Props to the friend who said “Hey, you should blog about that!” …I’m not quite in the “blog frame of mind” yet.

Mmm Mmm GOOD!

Anybody enjoy going out on these cold nights and grabbing starbucks? Well now through October 31st, you can head to Barnes & Noble and get yourself a FREE tall cafe latte, cappuccino, espresso, coffee or hot tea. Click here for the coupon. Enjoy!

For the Reader In You...

Okay, so PaperBack Swap is something I experimented with this summer, and I loved it! I used to be a sucker for brand new books; however the cost would really add up after a summer of reading! Don't get me wrong, I will still BUY my Nicholas Sparks and Jodi Piccoult books :), but it's fun to swap books that I don't necessarily want to keep on my bookshelf.

What is it? It's basically a free online book club. You start out by posting 10 books that you are willing to "swap" with other members. You get 2 free credits when you post 10 books, as a "welcoming gift". With these credits, you are able to order books from other members (1 credit = 1 book). These books will be sent right to your front door, and are then yours to keep or swap again. I can't tell you how exciting it is to get a book in your mailbox!!

When someone requests a book from you, you get an email to let you know. You pay postage (which you can actually print at home), and send it off to another member. Once your book is shipped, you recieve 1 book credit. And! You can actually mail it right from your very own mailbox; no need to go to the post office (is this not on your list of top 10 worst places in the world?) So basically, you are paying about $2.00-3.00 for a book, and you never leave your home! When you recieve a book, you don't pay anything!

So check it out! The website is www.paperbackswap.com. I've done this more than a dozen times. Let me know if you're a skeptic and I'll convince you!!

Did You Know?

I recently made a discovery, through the help of a person more clever than myself. Did you know that your boxes of aluminum foil, saran wrap, wax paper, etc., all have a little handy dandy hole on each side to prevent you from pulling out the entire roll EVERY TIME you use it??? I don't know how many times I have been frustrated over this, and all the while, there was some genius who already took care of the problem! Do be careful however, because if you push it in too far, you will find that your product has been locked in the box, never to be seen again by mankind :)

Was anyone else in the dark on this one? Or was I the only one???

A First

Welcome to my very first blog post. Beware: If you travel back to this blog at some point, and it no longer exists...that may be because it has been deleted due to a lack of interesting topics :) Afterall, what do you blog about when you don't have kids or a real hobby?! Any ideas?

Okay, so I DO have an interesting website to share. If you like recieving free things and coupons, this is for you! (I'm starting to become obsessed with coupons, good deals, and things that are free)! It is called freebirthdaytreats.com. You can search by state, and see what companies offer for FREE on your birthday! If you're interested, you follow the different links and sign up! I will be recieving something free from: Famous Daves, Smoothie King, Coldstone, and many, many more! Go ahead, set yourself up for a great birthday!