Current Books and TV Shows: October Edition

I haven't done a book post in awhile.  I decided to add a few of my television indulgences as well!

Date: Monday, October 24th, 2016

Recent and Current Books: 

1. I just finished reading The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer and it is HIGH-larious!!!  I laughed during each chapter several times!!  I wouldn't necessarily recommend this to EVERYONE only because she drops the f-bomb quite a bit and is pretty vulgar at times, but if you know Amy Schumer that shouldn't be super surprising.  Definitely hilarious and worth the read if you're into slightly inappropriate, but hilarious memoirs.

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2. I also just finished The A to Z of You and Me by James Hannah.  My friend, Laura, and I are complete book addicts and bought this one on a whim at Target.  We both just finished it, so it was nice to be able to discuss it with someone.  The book was pretty good.  It wasn't AS good as I thought it would but, but I enjoyed it.  I really liked the setup.  The protagonist is in hospice and his nurse suggests that he plays the "A to Z" game.  He must associate a body part with every letter of the alphabet.  While he does this, he flashes back to different points in his life and tells his story that leads up to his illness.  The source link goes to a really good blog post discussing the book.

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3. ONE of the books I'm currently reading is titled The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin (I actually started this one back in July and got book ADHD).  I love historical novels and this is perfect.  It discusses Truman Capote's time with several of New York City's most famous socialites during the 60's and 70's.  Her descriptions are filled with imagery that allows the reader to feel like they are right there in the midst of all the drama.  I'm about a 1/3 of the way through the novel, but recommend it from what I've read so far.

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4. The book I'm actually reading at the moment is My Grandmother Told Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman.  It was another "buy at Target on a whim" book.  I was drawn to the book because of the title and really like the book so far.  It's about Elsa and her Granny and their adventures.  There have been several sentences in the book that have made me tear up because they sound so much like the relationship I had with my Granny.  I'm eager to continue the book and see what adventures Elsa goes on that her grandmother tasks her with. 

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Current Netflix Show:

Again, technically am in the middle of a few, but the main ones:

1. "The X-Files" - the thing about this is I am not watching the show from start to finish, rather watching an episode here and there.  I don't watch the "mythology" episodes.  I stick to the "stand alone" episodes that explore different "mysteries" and what not.  I love the acting, symbolism, mystery, and overall atmosphere of the show.  Sci-fi mysteries are totally my guilty pleasure!!

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*This is the site I've been using to peruse my episode selection!

2. "Stranger Things" - because everyone else did, right?  I finished this about a month ago, and totally loved it!!.  Loved the 80's feel to it and the acting was really good.  The show had a lot of twists and turns.  Every episode left me hanging with a "what is going to happen next" feel!!  It has a Stephen King/sci-fi feel, and as I stated before those are my guilty pleasure shows.  

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3. "The 100" - Oh. Em. Gee. I just finished the third season.  Season 1 and 2 are on Netflix, but I purchased season 3 from Amazon Prime.  My cousins got me started on this, and I'm so glad they did!!  I devoured the first two seasons then tried to take it slow for the last season because it's not coming back on until next year!!  My cousin described it as a mix of Lord of the Flies meets "Lost" - and she was definitely right.  The show is set about 100 years after nuclear bombs wiped out most of the earth's population.  Spaceships were launched with people on them to save the next generations of humans.  Fast forward and there are some issues on "The Ark" that holds everyone.  They decide to send 100 teenagers who have been in juvenile detention to go down on earth to see if the ground is ready for people again.  The first season is about "the 100" discovering what earth is like currently and who was left there.  There's something for everyone.  Lots of drama and action, but some funny parts, too.  I love the characters, but it's one of those shows (like "Sons of Anarchy") that you can't get attached to any of the characters!!  It has a sci-fi feel to it (jeez, I have a type), but is well rounded in other areas.  

4. "Glee" - I watched most of "Glee" while it was on tv.  Recently, I've been watching an episode here and there.  I watch it mainly for the musical numbers, but watching it has reminded me of what a killer show it was!  I loved the characters and most of the stories (some of them got to be kind of silly to me) are good.  The first three seasons are my favorite.  I love the mix of humor, drama, and music.  Just a good show to watch here and there and enjoy!

Catching Up on Life!

I have been terrible with keeping up with my posts.  I always have so much to say, so much on my mind, so much to write...yet, I never actually go through with it and blog about it!

Here are the biggest things going on:

1. SCHOOL - I've been back at Freedom (my alma mater) for almost three months.  I've really been enjoying my time here.  The department is wonderful, the kids are (for the most part!) sweet, and it still smells the same!!  I'm actually teaching English I in the same classroom I was taught English 1!  It's been a full circle experience!!  FHS is about 1,000 students lighter than it was when I went here.  The class changes are much easier!  When I went here it was impossible to go from class to class without bumping and crawling along to each class!  Overall, I'm really happy with my move and pray that I continue to enjoy my time here.

2. BABIES - One of my best friends, Lindsey, is about 2 weeks out from having her first baby!!  I'm so thrilled for her and so excited to hold our newest GG baby.  We threw Linds and Baby K a shower in early September.  Linds isn't finding out the gender, so we went with a neutral "hot air balloon" theme.  Everything came together really well, and I think Linds enjoyed it!

I've also been able to spend a weekend here and there with my other "babies" - who aren't really babies anymore!!  I went up to my sister's house in TN last month and then Thad came and spent the night with me at the new house a few weeks ago.  We played legos, ate McDonalds, and watched tv - total auntie night!!

Last weekend, I was able to visit with Kelly, Casey, and their two kiddos, Brooks and Wyatt!  I always enjoy seeing the boys and it's been such a treat seeing them grow up!!

3. HOUSE - The biggest thing that's taken up my time is fixing up, going through, cleaning, and getting my grandmother's house ready to move in.  I've actually lived there for a month now.  It has been the most challenging, but rewarding adventure I've personally done in a long time.  In some way, shape, or form, all of my family has been there to help me get everything together.  My mom has been the biggest help.  She has cleaned, packed up and unpacked, redid floors, etc for almost two months now!!  I'm so thankful for all her help.  I'm also thankful for all of my family and friends who have helped me get everything together. I'm going to write a separate post detailing all we've done.  I pray that my grandmother would approve of all the changes and like them.  My cousin and I were saying last night that we wished we could've done some of this while she was alive so that she could've enjoyed it.  I hope she is watching over and protecting the house from above!

I will try to update more regularly.  I *think* things are starting to slow down a bit....maybe? Thanks for following along with me!