Anyway, this book showed up on my Goodreads personalized recommendations, based on books I’ve read and rated in the past. And Goodreads knows me, apparently, because I am really enjoying this one. It’s about two women who work together at a newspaper and send each other personal emails using their company accounts. They know their emails are being “monitored,” but they never get in trouble so they figure maybe it’s just a scare tactic. But the reason they haven’t been caught is that the person hired to check all the flagged emails gets emotionally attached to the women’s stories, and basically he falls in love with one of them.

I’m about three-quarters through with it, so we’ll see how it turns out. The endings of books are usually the part where I can get a little irritated if it doesn’t turn out in a way I like or can at least understand the rationale behind. (Wow, terrible grammar much? I must be tired because I’m not even gonna try to fix it.)

Read any good books lately?

So I started the first book a few days ago, and I’m loving it so far. I had been in a slight reading rut for the past several weeks, picking up a book only to find myself disinterested after a few minutes. But Suzanne Collins has caught me in her web of awesome storytelling once again!

It’s about an 11-year-old boy named Gregor who, along with his tw0-year-old sister, finds himself in an underground world where he is believed to be the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy. I’m reminded of A Wrinkle In Time with this story and the writing style. And it’s not one of those, “This reminds me TOO MUCH of another book,” type of things. It’s a good kind of similarity, with its own personality, too. If you’ve read A Wrinkle In Time, you might know what I mean? I dunno.

Anyway, that’s what I’m reading lately. What are you reading?

***

It’s NaBloPoMo time! I’ll be here every day this month, and I’m always open to suggested topics or themes. I’m going to keep the posts relatively short (since I know there are a LOT of people doing this and it’ll be hard enough keeping up with our Google Readers!), and I’ll try my best not to write any “fluff” posts this year, but we’ll see how that goes…

Swoooooooon. (Sound familiar?)

Seriously though. I charged it up, turned it on, bought a couple of books and I have been hooked ever since. There are so many things to love about this device, I don’t even know where to begin!

How about this? I’ll start with everything I maybe don’t like so much:

• I don’t like that I can’t spend the entire day reading books on my Nook. Except, that’s not the Nook’s fault — it’s my job’s fault.
• I don’t like that Nook books don’t smell like Book books. Except in the case of those really old books that I buy used online that sometimes smell like someone kept the book at the bottom of their trash can for 27 years. In that case, I welcome the nondescript scent of my Nook.
• I don’t like that I’m tempted to subscribe to 12 different magazines I’ve never actually cared about reading, just because they offer a 14-day free trial on my Nook. Except that, so far, I’ve resisted this temptation without too much fuss.
• I don’t like letting Joe hold my Nook, because I want it all to myself, and he didn’t really have any interest in e-readers anyway, right? Grrr. Except, I guess I kind of have him to thank for making me hold off for so many months. Otherwise I would have the “old” Nook and be pining for the new one right about now.

And that about covers my “dislikes” about the Nook. You’re kind of sensing that there’s really nothing about the device itself that I don’t like, right? Cuz my first impression, after owning it for about a week, is that everything about the Nook is basically awesome.

***

(Oh, and did I mention that I’ve named my Nook? His name is Cricket, after my very first favorite book, The Cricket in Times Square. My grandmother gave it to me nearly twenty years ago, and it’s the first chapter book I remember reading. I re-read it a few years back, and it holds such a dear place in my heart. This is how much I love my Nook, people.)

***

• The first thing I loved about the Nook was, as expected, the e-Ink display. I love that it isn’t backlit and therefore doesn’t strain my eyes at all. I love that it’s really easy to forget that I’m not looking at an ACTUAL paper page, as evidenced by the fact that I sometimes pinch the edge as if trying to turn a page, rather than swiping across the screen like I’m supposed to do.
• I love that I can adjust the font, margins and text size to suit my preferences! I like making it relatively small (about equal to the text on most of my paperback books), with small margins so that I’m not swiping to the next page after every paragraph.
• I love that I can post updates to Twitter and Facebook about where I am in the book, and even share quotes (though I haven’t tried that feature yet).
• I love how light-weight this device is! I was pretty surprised when I pulled it out of the box. I wondered if there was a battery that needed to be installed or something, because it seemed TOO light, ya know? But it makes it so easy to carry around with me, or to hold upright while I’m reading in bed; and it doesn’t strain my arms or wrists like a “real” book can do sometimes.
• I love that I can highlight, bookmark, or make notes! The bookmark feature is especially helpful, because I am always reading more than one book at a time. At first, I thought I would end up losing my place in one book if I moved on to another one, but with bookmarks, I don’t have to worry about that. For example, I’m currently reading Catching Fire (Hunger Games #2) and Wanted (Pretty Little Liars #8 — don’t judge me!). I may even start reading Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, too, just because I can.
• I love the LendMe feature! I have already utilized it to borrow two books, and I can’t wait to build up my library and be able to share books with other Nook users, too. I didn’t realize until I read through the User Guide (yes, I actually read it) that you can only lend a book one time, which is sort of a bummer, but I guess I get it. And, really, I might end up buying The Hunger Games trilogy anyway, despite having been able to read someone else’s copy! I feel like the lending thing, for someone like me, really could drum up more business for B&N, because when I really like a book, I HAVE to own it.
• I love the pretty screen savers! I also learned that I can put my own photos on there to use as screen savers, but I haven’t decided yet whether I want to, because the ones on the device are so peaceful and happy.
• And lastly, I love that I still have a whole, ACTUAL bookshelf full of books to read, because as much as I love little Cricket, I don’t think I will ever convert to an entirely electronic library. I mean, I have to read the last two Harry Potter books, and they’re not available in ebook format, so I kind of have no choice in the matter.

But seriously, having this Nook for a week has made me certain of two things:

1) I will not regret deciding to get an e-reader.
2) I will still read, buy and love regular books, too.

I think it’s just a matter of deciding when I need the convenience of having an array of books stored in one compact, light-weight device, versus when I need to feel and smell and dog-ear (guilty!) an old-fashioned, tree-killing kind of book.

And that’s my first impression of the new Nook Touch Reader.

End of Part 2.

***

Thoughts? Comments? Angry rants? You know where to leave them.

Swoooooooon. That about sums it up.

***

Okay, but seriously. I’m going to tell you everything I can possibly think to say about the Nook, and it will probably be rambly, and I will probably leave some stuff out that I will remember later, and someone could probably put my thoughts into much more eloquent words (heck, I could probably do it if I bothered to edit). But I just want to rave about this thing until my face turns blue!

So here we go.

When I first learned about this whole e-reader craze, I thought, “Pshaw! I’ll never be the kind of person who reads books on an electronic device.” (Yeah, I literally think the word “pshaw” on a regular basis.) And then I dared to touch one in a bookstore, and I felt guilty just for being intrigued by it. And then I thought about all the times I’ve wanted to bring a book (or four) with me on a trip and dreaded the extra weight, the bulk, the possibility of squishing the pages amongst everything else in my suitcase. Specifically, I remembered bringing SIX books with me on one of my trips to Romania, finishing those books less than halfway through the trip, and buying FOUR more books at a local store, then hating myself for having to bring home TEN books along with all my souvenirs.

Last fall(ish), I decided I would probably love having an e-reader after all, but I wanted to read up on all the different options available. I eventually settled on the idea that a Nook would be my reader of choice. I don’t actually remember why, except that I knew I didn’t want a Kindle because of the DRM shenanigans that have gone one (see here, for example), and some of the other e-readers on the market didn’t seem to have as expansive a book collection as the Nook. Mostly, when my mind gets set on something, it’s hard to change it, no matter how arbitrary my decision might be. So there.

Anyway, I hinted (or more like obsessively pointed out over and over and over) to Joe that I would love to get a Nook for Christmas. He told me he really wanted me to wait and see what the future of e-readers would be, since it could end up being a flash-in-the-pan sort of thing that became obsolete in just a few years. I secretly hoped he was just trying to throw me off the scent and then surprise me with a Nook on Christmas day. (That didn’t happen. He was really serious about the wait-and-see thing.)

Fast forward to about a month ago, when I received a work email informing me that my “Star Points” (a company recognition program of sorts) were going to expire if I didn’t redeem them within 15 days. I had 200 “points” which are equivalent to $200, and there are only so many options for redeeming them. There’s this website where you can “shop” for stuff, but most of it was not terribly interesting to me…until I saw that I could trade my points in for Barnes & Noble gift cards.

My eyes lit up. That little light bulb just off to the right above my head flickered on. I went the Barnes & Noble website and checked the price on their Nook 3G. It was clear that my decision had been made, assuming I could convince Joe that it was a good idea. Well, maybe not so much that it was a GOOD idea, but an idea that wouldn’t cost me anything to try out. He said I could go ahead and do it, and I did. I bought the Nook 3G.

And then, three days later, Barnes & Noble announced their Brand! New! Nook! Touch! Reader! Which made me go, “Craaaaap!” because, first of all, the new touch-screen Nook? Was LESS EXPENSIVE than the now-outdated edition I had just purchased. And second of all, they reduced the price of my now-outdated Nook, right after I paid the full amount for it days earlier. I was ready to throw in the towel and cancel the whole thing just because this seemed like a Bad Omen or something.

Instead, a couple of lovely people on the internet gave me some insight and advice, and to make this part of the story as concise as possible, I decided to trade my “old” Nook for the new and improved one. I waited for the first package to arrive, then went to a B&N store with it and asked if I could return it, pre-order the new one, and get the rest of my already-spent money in the form of another B&N gift card (to spend on my first few ebooks, of course). It all went off without a hitch, and the store manager said, “The new Nook should ship on June 10, so expect to see it sometime the following week!”

And THEN. Well, then a beautiful thing happened. My Nook arrived on June 5th. FIVE DAYS BEFORE IT WAS EVEN SUPPOSED TO SHIP. I was in heaven.

And that’s where I’ve been ever since.

And, since I’m realizing that this whole “first impressions” post has turned into an epic tale before I’ve even mentioned turning the doggone thing on, I’d better save the ACTUAL First Impressions part for another post.

End of Part 1.

(Part 2 will be posted on Monday!)

This week I’m wine-ing about:

• Crappy “green” plasticware in our work’s cafeteria. I mean, it’s great that you’re thinking of the environment, but I do not enjoy using forks that bend before actually poking through my sandwich, or spoons that instantly warp when I put them into my oatmeal.
• June gloom. Just because it almost rhymes doesn’t mean it has to be a “thing” EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR. Can we just get on with summer already?
• Loooong week. This is my first full (five-day) work week since the beginning of May, so it feels extra, unbearably long compared to the last few weeks of three- or four-day work weeks. Why isn’t it Friday yet?

This week I’m loving:

• Seeing a LOSS on the scale! I had three consecutive weeks of gains, so I’m glad I finally did something right this week. Now to keep resisting the temptation to eat Everything In Sight.
• The Hunger Games. I hadn’t really planned on reading this series, just because it seemed sooooo hyped up and I tend to get disappointed by those kinds of things (Hello, Titanic). But Katherine said her mom had it on her Nook and would love to loan it to me, so I figured I would read a few chapters and I could always send it back to her if I didn’t get into it. Well, I GOT INTO IT. I finished the first book in three days, and I’m already a few chapters into the second!
• Everything about the new Nook Touch Reader. My initial review will be posted TOMORROW (hopefully)!
• Orange juice. I could probably just drink it all day instead of actually eating, except for the part where I would get major acid reflux from all that citrusy goodness. (Also? I apparently NEED to go to Trader Joe’s soon to get some peach champagne, to be combined with OJ, because according to Katherine and Ashley, it’s the stuff of legends.)
• I get to see Josh, Serena and Levi this weekend! (That would be my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew, in case you haven’t memorized my family tree.) I think I haven’t seen Levi in person since Thanksgiving, and this weekend will be my second-to-last chance to hang out with him before they move out of the freaking COUNTRY for a year. (And it better be ONLY a year. I’m watching you, brudder.)
• All the vlogs happening this week for 20SB’s Vlog Day. It’s so fun putting faces to some of my favorite bloggers, and “meeting” new people, too!

***

It’s always good when the “loves” outweigh the “wines” right? Now head on over to Nora’s blog to check out more Wine and Love submissions, or to share your own!

…. Anyway, speaking of time travel. I am officially in love with Doctor Who. In the last month or two, I’ve gone from seeing one or two episodes and thinking, “Yeah, they’re cool, I guess,” to OWNING the first three seasons (not the old ones from the ’60s, but the current series that started in ’05). We’re about halfway through season 3 now, and I’m pretty sure that Joe and I will be buying each other the next two seasons the minute a special occasion comes up (like our anniversary, only hopefully we’ll come up with some semi-legitimate special occasion that happens BEFORE that, because I don’t want to wait until August for more Doctor Who!).

…. And speaking of special occasions, this weekend is the Scottish Festival in Costa Mesa, and I am STOKED, as usual. It should be nice warm weather, perfect for my mini-kilt! (Pay no attention to the skeezy old dude checking me out in the photo below. Baha.) We go to a few different Scottish Festivals throughout the year, but the Costa Mesa one holds a special place in my heart because it’s where Joe took me on our second date.

…. And speaking of Orange County, I also get to meet up with Erika while we’re down there this weekend — woo! She’s one of the first bloggers I met in real life. (Come to think of it, she might be THE first blogger I met in real life!)

…. And speaking of bloggers, do you know Katherine? I discovered last night that she is pretty spectacular. We “met” on Twitter via Ashley, and then Katherine offered up her sage advice about my new Nook, and then yesterday we got on Gchat and within approximately 38 seconds we were pals. THIS is why I love the blogosphere, people.

…. And speaking of my new Nook: I changed my mind. I’m trading in the first edition for the new touch-screen Nook, which comes out on June 10th. So I’ll let you guys know what I think of it after I get it and have had a chance to use it for a week or so. I’m pretty sure the verdict will be that it’s awesome and I don’t know how I ever lived without it for the first 26 years of my life. (Kind of like the verdict on meeting new bloggers and getting a smart phone, right?)

…. And speaking of smart phones: What was UP with that weirdness this morning where it told me it was 6:30 when it was actually 6:20?

***

And we’ve come full circle in the ridiculousness that is my train of thought. Thank you, and goodbye.

(And speaking of ellipses: my apologies to Ashley for using so many of them in this post, for absolutely no good reason.)

WINE:

*** I tore my Gap jeans right in the crotch the other day! They’re my first pair, which I won last summer from AshleyD, at which point I discovered that I can fit into a SIZE FOUR (depending on the material/brand), but apparently I am no longer a size four in Gapland. (That, or I shouldn’t have been drying them, because maybe they just shrunk a little? Yeah, let’s go with that option; makes me feel less fat.)

*** My house is a disaster, and it’s entirely my own fault. I’m almost done cataloguing my beads, and as soon as that’s finished, I will be taking a day (or two) to get everything squared away again. My desk needs to be organized, my clothes need to be put away (um, I did laundry like two weeks ago), and I would love to use our dining table for actual dining. (Maybe I should really be pouring JOE a glass of wine for this one. Poor guy.)

*** I got a really cute headband (at Kmart of all places), and I’m wearing it today, but it’s giving me a headache from the pressure behind my ears! Now I remember why I never wear headbands. I think wearing glasses makes it even worse, actually.

LOVE:

*** I think I mentioned this in a recent post, but it’s worth repeating: On June 15th, I will officially be 100% DONE paying off my school loans! I’m seriously brainstorming some party ideas (and welcome your suggestions!), and I may or may not be contemplating inviting EVERYONE I went to college with, just so I can be like, “Yeah, my loans are paid off; how many years until YOU can say that, suckas?” (Clearly, I’m a terrible person.)

*** My fabulous sister-in-law Kelly got me a sweet deal on contacts at the end of last year, and after a small hiccup in the process, I finally received my rebate in the form of a $75 gift card! I always love “free money” and I’m thinking I might have to spend part of this on some new jeans, seeing as how my best pair are officially kaput.

*** I ordered a Nook last week, and it should be arriving today! I had a bunch of “star points” from a company recognition program, and they were about to expire, so I redeemed them in the form of Barnes & Noble gift cards. Thus, my Nook is free. The only thing is, I ordered it about three days before they announced their new touch-screen reader (with e-Ink)! I’ve considered returning my “first generation” device and trying the new one, but I really don’t think I care that much about having a touch screen. I DO care about getting a refund on the difference in price, since the original Nook went from $199 to $169 in the days after I bought it. So hopefully I’ll have an extra $40 $30 (yeah, I can do math) in store credit to start buying books!

***

Don’t forget to check out more Wine and Love submissions over at Nora’s page, and if you write one, link up!

***

I get a weird satisfaction from peeing in the shower. Maybe it’s because I saved a little toilet paper, or maybe I’m just a total weirdo. Probably a little of both.

***

I love reading books in the bathtub, but sometimes I think about one day lending that book to someone and feeling like I should make a disclaimer: “I was naked when I read this. Hope that’s not awkward for you!”

***

I am alarmingly obsessed with my new confetti nail polish. Like, I can’t tell you how many times a day I think about taking it off just so I can repaint my nails to see a new configuration of prettiness!

***

The Borders in my town is closing down, and although I’m bummed that we won’t have any big, chain bookstores within 45 miles, I’m kind of excited to explore the smaller shops in the area! I might even make use of my dusty little library card one of these days….

***

I just switched from name-brand to generic birth control, and although I’ve Googled the crap out of it to make sure I have nothing to worry about, I have a feeling the next month or two I’ll be reading into EVERY potential pregnancy symptom. (The cool part, though? Three months’ worth cost $14 as opposed to the name-brand’s $52. Woo!)

***

While I’m normally pretty mellow when it comes to games (namely, losing them), I have become extremely competitive about Words With Friends. I absolutely HATE losing! I will inevitably demand a rematch with you if you beat me. Call it fair warning. (Let’s play! I’m probablytabitha.)

***

The only thing keeping me from cranking out 30 pieces of jewelry to list for sale on Etsy is my stubborn determination NOT to make anything until my beads are organized and categorized in my spreadsheet. It’s proving to be a MUCH more daunting task than I had imagined, and I seem to be taking every opportunity to delay it. I’m about to go wash dishes, y’all.

***

I have a massive bruise on my left butt cheek (well, more like upper thigh), and I have been fighting the urge to tweet a photo of it but I’ve resisted because the only person who needs to see my butt can take a gander whenever he pleases. (Oh, and he did this to me, in case you were wondering. But not in that “Domestic Disturbance” sort of way. He was actually trying to…well, it’s kinda TMI. Nevermind.)

***

I learned tonight that I should not read autobiographical books about a 25-year-old girl losing her husband in a freak accident when she is five months pregnant with his child. Frick, y’all, that is some scary stuff. But hey, if you’re into those real-life survival stories that are super heart-wrenching yet also inspiring and hopeful, pick up Signs of Life by Natalie Taylor. I got an ARC through Goodreads and it is really, really good.

***

And yes, I WAS reading Signs of Life in the bathtub tonight. Who wants to borrow it?

So, back in college (I think it was freshman year? maybe sophomore), I picked up the first Harry Potter book. Within the next month or two, I had finished the second, third and fourth books. Then I started to read the fifth one, and somehow I just couldn’t get into it. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that it was a daunting EIGHT HUNDRED SEVENTY PAGES? (Just sayin’.) I managed to get a hundred pages in; then I decided to “take a break” from Harry Potter, thinking I’d get back to it in another month or so.

Fast forward to last Sunday, January 16, 2011. It had been at least four years since I’d read any HP, and suddenly I felt an intense NEED to go into my bookshelf and find that fifth book. I saw the place where I’d dog-eared my spot years ago (yes, I’m guilty). I read a paragraph or two, then realized I couldn’t remember anything about the previous hundred pages, so I settled into bed at started back at page 1.

From Project 365 (Day 174)

I managed to breeze through those first hundred pages again, then I kept going for another hundred, and then another. As of last night, one week after restarting this book, I’m on page 695.  And all I can think is, “How did I go so long without picking this up again?!” I think at this rate I’ll probably finish the series by April. And then? Then it’s time to go watch those movies. I’ve seen the first four, but I’m thinking once I’ve finished reading the series, I’ll have myself a movie marathon and start over from the first one! (This is assuming I can find someone who’ll lend me all the movies, cuz I’m not about to buy them right now. Hello, budget!)

Anyway, I’m loving getting back into this story again. Just thought you should know. (And if you want to see what else I’ve read or am planning to read, add me as a friend on Goodreads!)

Anyway, one of my items is to document every completed goal, and I’m a little behind on that (again). Since it’s Friday, a typically lower-blog-traffic day, I figured I’d get it out of the way now so I can do some more exciting posts next week.

Item #15: Read an entire book (minimum of 200 pages) in one day.

I actually completed this one twice over, because I read the first Pretty Little Liars book one day in July, and then The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants in August. This item was actually kinda scaring me, because it’s been years since I have been able to read a book for longer than half an hour or so without starting to nod off — no matter how amazing the book may be. So, I feel pretty good about being able to read TWO entire books in one day (each)!

Item #23: Make our home look more “homey” by putting up photos/art and other pretty things.

So I’m calling this one “done-ish” because I kind of did a bare minimum decorating job in our condo. There are some photos from our wedding up in the living room (along with curtains on the sliding glass doors! yay!), and I have some things set up on my side of the desk that are pretty and/or meaningful to me (souvenirs from Romania, for example). I would still like to paint the living room (and maybe bathroom) and come up with some sort of “theme” or decorative motif, but I gotta admit: I’m kind of waiting until we know we’re going to be settling down someplace. We’re not 100% sure whether we will be staying in Santa Barbara long-term, and if we do, we’re hoping that the housing market will turn around so that we can sell without losing money, and maybe look into getting a slightly larger place. (Basically, I’m kinda just deciding to drop this item for the time being, I guess. Call me a cheater if you want.)

Item #89: Volunteer for an event or organization.

Okay, I’m WAY overdue on blogging about this one. Back in April, I volunteered through work for a record-a-thon, where we got to read excerpts from various books that would be compiled for the benefit of students who are blind or struggle with dyslexia. The company that runs the program is called Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, and it was a really fun day for me! I have considered signing up to volunteer there more regularly, but it’s going to have to wait until my life is just a teensy bit less hectic. Like maybe after I get done with all this crazy ambitious stuff like paying off loans, losing weight, and completing 101 items in 1001 days (to name a few).

Item #93: Tip 100% to an exceptional server at a restaurant.

This one happened fairly recently, on the day that Joe and I got up early to watch the sunrise at the Goleta Beach Pier. We went to our favorite breakfast spot, Domingo’s, afterwards, and there was only one server on duty for the early morning shift. Despite having about seven or eight tables (a few with 5+ people), she was incredibly helpful and friendly. Our food came out as quickly as usual, and she stopped by frequently to make sure we had everything we needed. I think the bill came out to about $22, so I made sure Joe was okay with it, and then I wrote the tip for the exact same amount. I didn’t stick around to see her reaction, but I hope she felt our appreciation for her awesome service!

Item #100: Post ten video blogs.

Okay, so before VEDA happened, this seemed like a really big undertaking. But now that I have (almost) 31 consecutive days of vlogging under my belt, I can’t imagine stopping now! I will be writing a more in-depth post next week about VEDA, but for now I’ll just say that yeah, I totally killed this goal. And if you missed any of my awesome (pshaw) vlogging action last month, you can just click here to see them all in one place! (Or, of course, you can go to my YouTube page and not only watch, but comment!)

***

Woo! I’m all caught up for now. Happy Friday, pals!