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reading

Reading List for 2017

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Brian and I had a date night the other night. In between an amazing dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant and seeing LA LA Land (which is amazing by the way and a must see), we had some time to kill and ran into Barnes & Noble to look around at books. 

My taste in books is not nearly as eclectic as my taste in food and music. I typically stick with funny books, however in keeping with my word of the year, I thought it might be time to switch things up a bit. Needless to say I wanted to read ALL THE THINGS! So I took lots of photos of what I think I would like to read in 2017 and created my own #2017readingchallenge

When I’m in a bookstore or the library, I just take photos of the books I want to read and then I keep them on my phone so when I am in the reading mood or am looking for something I want to read I have book selections right at my finger tips. 

Here is my reading list for 2017 (thus far).

Books I should have Read Already

 

Books I thought I would like because of Gilmore Girls.

 

 

Books because I like funny books

 

 

 

 

 

Books because I read The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett and liked it.

A book because sometimes learning is necessary.

 

Self help. Kidding… another funny book.

Finally, a book I need to read because I love all things Harry Potter and cannot believe I haven’t read this one yet either!

I purchased Ireland by Frank Delaney and am starting with that because I do have a love of books relating to Ireland and this is not a funny book either. 

Time to snuggle up and start reading!

What will you be reading in 2017?

What I’m Reading

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I love to read!

My love of reading stems from childhood. Some of my favorite gifts as a kid were books. I would spend hours inside in our living room reading book after book. I can remember my parents begging me to go outside and enjoy the day, so I would bring my book outside.

As I grew older, I continued to read. Not nearly as often as I used to, but I am proud to say that I try to always have a book that I’m currently reading on my bedside table.

Since I get this question all the time, I thought I would share what I am currently reading.

The book that I am reading right now as in what is on my bedside table is The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. So far, I really love the approach of this book. While many of us can say we are happy, who wouldn’t want to be happier?

For Christmas, I received Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. This book is like a cooking encyclopedia. I know “reading” a cookbook is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I love to flip through the pages and read the entire dessert section or flip through all of the vegetables.  I will try to soak in all the information or directions. I have found that reading cookbooks this way has helped me absorb tips that I can use with other dishes I make. Also, the recipes are divine. I cannot wait to try the Ratatouille. To think, I will be making the same recipes as the Queen of the Kitchen just gives me goosebumps.

 

This book I purchased awhile back, and was able to attend the book signing. Sherry and John Petersik of Young House Love are, in my opinion, DIY royalty. The book signing was in November, but I was finally able to read it. The pictures are beautiful, and I absolutely love love love the inexpensive tips for home decor.

Next up is How to be a Hepburn in a Hilton World by Jordan Christy. My partner in crime, Colleen, let me borrow this book a few months ago before starting her PhD program knowing I would like it and knowing that PhD does not = leisure reading time. I have to say, I really enjoyed parts of this book. There are parts that were no longer relevant to me now, but will be great tips for Coco as she grows into a young lady. This would be a great gift for a young woman headed off to college.

Finally, I just had to purchase Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich. I have read the entire Stephanie Plum mystery series, and I recommend if you like comedy and quick  reads you should read them too. I love her style of writing as well as the characters. Hilarity is spelled L-U-L-A!

Next up on my plan is to head to the library and get some comedy books. This is a genre that I have been reading since high school. I love to read books by famous comedians such as Tina Fey, George Carlin, and Bill Cosby. I find the writing clever and who doesn’t love a good laugh?

What are you reading currently? What is your favorite cook book? Who is your favorite comedian?

Time to go, I have to finish this book!

 

Kickin’ It Celebrity Style: YHL Book Signing

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This past weekend, my hubby and I headed up to Lincoln Park in Chicago to meet John and Sherry Petersik and get my new Young House Love book signed. With all the craziness of the past few weeks, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to go, but I am so happy that I put some things on hold and went.

For those that don’t know, John and Sherry write the amazing blog, Young House Love and recently published a book with over 200 ways to creatively update a home. The photos in the book are fantastic, and upon flipping through the book for 10 minutes, I already got the itch to break out the fabric and paint cans. Some of the clever projects include furniture updates, painting, styling, and crafting. Put this book on your Christmas list if you haven’t already. It is awesome!

In addition to meeting John and Sherry, there were some other perks to this fantastic day. Brian and I were able to go together sans children for some quality time together, and the signing was at West Elm so there was an awesome chance to do a little browsing.

We got there about 10:45 a.m. for a 1:00 p.m. book signing, which I know sounds crazy, but once they arrived the line moved very quickly. The line behind us was super long, so we were glad we got there when we did. It was as if every DIYer in Chicago wanted to see John and Sherry (understandably). However, the waiting wasn’t so bad when cocoa and these beautiful babies showed up.

 

Brian and I enjoyed our cookies and cocoa and made some friends around us. We all exchanged stories of our DIY adventures. Then we started talking of other people we would wait in line to see. I mentioned Food Network stars (priorities people), and some people mentioned the president. So there you have it, John and Sherry, you know you’ve made it when the only other person that people would wait in line to see other than you is the president.

 

After cookie time, we were allowed inside. In addition to the people, the little details that were part of the book signing are what made it so fun. I loved the cookies, but my favorite was the cute table set up with crafts projects from the book along with details about which page to find the craft.

 

As we made it closer to the front of the line, Brian, my new found friends, and I started to get a little giddy. So giddy, that Brian actually started to do a little West Elm shopping (Brian is not typically a shopper). We bought a few cute things for some upcoming projects that I will share in the coming weeks.

 

Finally, it was time to meet the Petersiks. They couldn’t have been sweeter people, and I think were overwhelmed by the number of people that came to see them in Chicago. Brian asked John what his favorite tool is, and John said he loves the Kreg Jig. Now I know what to get Brian for Christmas. Then this happened:

 

Yeah, they remember me. I nearly fainted from excitement. With all the people that read their blog, it was so awesome to see that they really do remember comments. Again, they were incredibly friendly!

One more picture, and then it was time to go (Brian wasn’t big on being in the picture, but he was pretty excited too).

 

On the way out, they had a guest book that they wanted people to sign to remember their book tour (again, so clever). I of course took a few pictures of my book, and the book I got signed for my buddy Colleen who couldn’t make it. Merry Christmas, Colleen!

 

There you have my idea of a perfect date! Quality time chatting with the hubby, cookies, shopping, and meeting my two favorite bloggers. It doesn’t get much better than that.