Top 10 books I'm looking forward to in 2012

I'm not doing a very good job at keeping up with the whole "book posts on weekend" huh?? Each week I have all these grand plans to post reviews and other fun bookish posts on Saturday and Sunday, then the weekend rolls around and I just cannot motivate myself enough to write anything! The blogger world is so quiet on weekends, it feels pointless sometimes.

I couldn't let the entire weekend go by without posting something so I decided to write about the books of 2012 that I'm most looking forward to reading. This next year I will be severely cutting myself off from buying too many books, so I will have to plan accordingly which books I want to buy each month. I still haven't decided if I'm going to give myself a dollar limit or a number of books limit for my book budget. Probably a dollar limit, since I can obviously do a lot of harm with just a couple of books (read: hardcovers are expensive!).

Anyway. On with the subject of this post! Here are the top 10 books I am most looking forward to in the next year! Not posted in any particular order...

After reading Save Me by Lisa Scottoline earlier this year, I've been looking forward to reading something else by her! Her writing reminds me quite a bit of Jodi Picoult's and you all know how much I adore her! Come Home will be released on April 10, 2012

I've only read a few of Elin Hilderbrand's books, but the few I have read I really enjoyed! They're perfect beach reads (ahhh, the beach) and always set on Nantucket Island. It sounds like such a beautiful place, after reading any of her books, you will be itching to visit! Summerland will be released June 26, 2012. Right in time for summer and reading by the water!

Ahhhhh! Finally! It's understandable that Emily Giffin didn't release a book last year, with Something Borrowed coming out on the big screen, so I am so excited to read this one! Emily Giffin is one of my favorite authors and has been for quite awhile! I had the chance to meet her last month (and I have a signed book to give away to you all! Watch for it THIS WEEK) and she is just as pretty in person, and so NICE! Where We Belong will be released July 31, 2012 - which is going to be painful to wait that long, but is definitely one I will buy and include in my budget.

I didn't love Mini Shopaholic, which was released in 2011, but I absolutely adored Twenties Girl, which was released in 2010. Hopefully Sophie Kinsella's 2012 release will redeem herself! I think the character of Becky Bloomwood needs to retire, and I think Sophie Kinsella knows that too! The synopsis for this one doesn't sound very promising (sad, but true). The main character seems to be pretty flighty, like Becky is, but I will undoubtedly still buy this one and devour it. I have been a fan of Sophie Kinsella's for over ten years now, and is definitely a chick lit guilty indulgence for me. ;)

I've Got Your Number will be released on February 14, 2012 - Valentine's Day!

Jane Green is another favorite author of mine! There really isn't a book of hers that I didn't like! Some I like better than others, obviously, but all of them are great! These are also perfect beach reads. Another Piece of My Heart comes out on March 13, 2013.

Another one to "Ahhhhhh!" at! Jodi Picoult is one of my absolute favorite authors and one that I have driven over three hours to see for three years in a row. It's become a tradition for me to drive up to Minneapolis, meet up with Lesli or Lisa and go to Jodi's readings. Jodi's got the BEST personality and has some of the best signings I have ever been to!

Obviously the cover for this one hasn't been released yet, but I will update this post when it is released!

Lone Wolf comes out February 28, 2012

Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams? Sign me up, please! I really hope this movie doesn't disappoint. Since I am a nerd and have to read the book before seeing the movie, I have the book on my list. The book version of The Vow comes out February 10, 2012 which looks like the same day the movie comes out. That is really weird and I don't like it at all! Hopefully I can read it before going to see the movie.

This is the sequel to Delirium, which I read at the beginning of 2011 and I loved it! Delirium held the perfect amount of action for me in a dystopian YA novel, and the cliffhanger at the end was painfully perfect! It's one of the only books that I have had on my mind all year long, and I don't think I need to re-read any part of it to enjoy Pandemonium! This book comes out on February 28, 2012.

I wasn't a HUGE fan of Divergent, but I did really like it. I think if there wasn't a ton of hype about it, I would have liked it more. It is a book I recommend though quite frequently, especially to students. I book talked this one in my children's lit class and I can think of two students that read it specifically because my book talk (shocker: I can sell a book! Ha!).

I am really looking forward to Insurgent though, and hate that I have to wait until May 5th to read it. This is the only book that I went ahead and emailed the publisher to request an ARC. I got turned down though, they said I needed at least 350 followers to be considered. Good to know!

(FYI, I do not blog specifically for ARCs, but... I do enjoy them. A lot actually)

If you haven't read Divergent yet, and you liked The Hunger Games, you should check it out!

The Soul by Stephenie Meyer is the sequel to The Host, which is a sci fi book that she released right after the Twilight saga wrapped up. I have had The Host on my bookshelf for an embarrassing amount of time and I hope I can read it in 2012. After reading some YA sci fi books, I might be getting into this genre of books that I pretty much disregarded before...

This book doesn't even have a release date yet, so I have no idea if it even comes out next year. That cover is also not the official cover. I have no idea where it came from - probably a fan, because it doesn't look very professional. It's still gorgeous though! Even if that girl looks like Megan Fox, whom I cannot stand.

There you have it! What are you looking forward to reading in 2012?

It's not Christmas without Alvin, Simon and Theodore

My favorite song around the holidays has always been the Chipmunks Christmas song - I can still remember my mom playing the record (yes, the record from the 60s) when we were kids. My parents had a turntable and always played records. (I wonder where all those records are now? I'm going to find out...)

Does anybody else remember this record? Please tell me I'm not the only one.




Another Christmas favorite? This calendar.

For as long as I can remember my mom put this calendar out in December and every. single. morning. before school there would be a fight over "who got to move the mouse."

Today there is an intense fight over who GETS this calendar passed down to them.

My mom has recently released the information that ... the daughter that gives her the first grandchild will get it.

And grand-dogs don't count.

Talk about pressure! Sneaky, Mom. Reeeaaaal sneaky. Also? Not the reason you want your children to procreate I assume. (I kid, I kid).

(sort of).

What is something random about the holidays that you love?

Shh! Don't tell anyone...

Source: etsy.com via Chanisara on Pinterest

Everybody loves a good secret, right? Here are some secrets I have been withholding lately...

• I secretly hope that we get a massive snow storm right in time for Christmas. (Yep. I said it.)
• I regularly listen to the Twilight soundtracks. I love them! They have such great indie-ish music on them!
• I might listen to the Harry Potter scores too... because, well, I don't know. I just love them.
  
• I have been thinking about stopping working towards a special ed endorsement because I don't want to be "stuck" in special ed forever (this is probably a post for another day).
  
• I secretly love having classes with undergrads. At first they were annoying (ok, sometimes they still are) but now their optimism and enthusiasm is so refreshing.
• Even though I posted about my obsession with the Sleep Cycle app just this week, I haven't used it for almost a month.
  
• I didn't wash my hair today. (shocking, right? I showered last night after Zumba b/c I was a sweaty mess)
  
• I have a secret fetish with NPR. I go through these weird phases and like to listen to it in the car.
  
• I listen to Delilah at night while I am reading (yes, it's true).
• I got a new car last month and I really love it... but, I think I like the older model better. Is that weird? (not that I am not grateful to no longer be driving Granny)
  
• The running app I use on my phone has a British accent, and I purposely set it that way. I just like it better.
• I have "Watch Prancer" listed on my winter break to-do list.
  

What secrets are you keeping? ;)

Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesday!

It's that time again. Wednesday = PINTEREST DAY! This site gives me so much inspiration and makes me laugh so hard on a daily basis. If you're not on there, I highly suggest you check it out soon!

As usual, I'm linking up with Michelle from The Vintage Apple!

Here's what I'm loving this week...

Best outfit... Need me a lace dress like this, asap.

Source: gallery.me.com via Tiffany on Pinterest

Yep. I'm sure this is true. In fact, pretty sure I liked like this on Tuesday night. Do I care? No. Zumba burns 500+ calories for each class. I don't CARE what I look like. ;)

Source: facebook.com via Anita on Pinterest

Love, love, love this!

Source: weheartit.com via Laurie on Pinterest

The Trinity Library in Dublin. This made my stomach flip. How gorgeous! Doesn't it make you think of Belle in Beauty and the Beast?

Source: fromeuropewithlove.tumblr.com via The Perfect Palette on Pinterest

How fun would this be?? This is totally something I would have done when I was younger... oh wait, I DID do this. Except... I used Koo-laid. Not kidding.

Source: shesitspretty.tumblr.com via Vanessa on Pinterest

I laughed about this for longer than I care to admit! #HarryPotterNerd

Source: t2.gstatic.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Is it sad that I looked at this and thought, "HEDWIG!"??

Wait. Don't answer that.

Source: teachickadees.com via Rachael on Pinterest

How cute! I'm doing this someday and nobody's stopping me...

(the years of the coins signify the year you met, year you married... etc.)

Source: reformedsororitygirl.tumblr.com via beautifulsurprise on Pinterest

Bahaha! Love this - so true.

Source: Uploaded by user via Heidi on Pinterest

Follow the link and read the quote...
Me! Robert Pattinson, I read! You can bring me tea...

Source: 29.media.tumblr.com via Mel on Pinterest

Another good week on Pinterest! What did you find?

PS: Make sure to tell me if you participate so I can check out your blog!

Sleep, why do you elude me?!

I used to always think I would be one of those people that could just avoid the issues you begin to have as one gets older. You know, things like heartburn and achy muscles. I thought, "I have TONS of energy and I will always have this energy!" "I don't even know what heartburn feels like, and I'm never gonna find out!"

Yeeeeeaaaah, there's my optimism coming out full force.

I still think I have a lot of energy, and that I will have it for a long time, but lately I have noticed some changes. I do get heartburn sometimes (but nothing too terrible) and I get achy muscles, but not from getting older, usually from working out (you know, the good pain!). What I have noticed is mainly how I sleep at night.

Sleeping through the night is practically impossible most nights. Take Sunday night for example, I went to bed pretty early. I was in bed by 9pm and read until about 10pm, then it was lights out. I must have fallen asleep almost immediately, because I woke up again at 12:30 (for reasons unknown) and I was sure that it was almost time to get up. Usually when I wake up in the middle of the night I purposely do not look at the clock because it messes with my mind (and ability to sleep) but Sunday night I made that fateful mistake.

Because I couldn't fall back to sleep.

Somehow I finally fell asleep again, but then woke up at 3am. At this point I considered staying up, but knew that I would be wanting to kill someone on Monday if I did that.

I fell asleep again and slept until 6am. Overall, I got enough sleep, but it wasn't the kind of sleep I needed.

Yes, the kind.

Here comes a little secret of mine.

Ok, so it's not really a secret.

I have an obsession with an app called Sleep Cycle. I'm not the only one either, there are several other bloggers that I know use it too.

This app tracks your sleep patterns at night and graphs it for you.

See?

For, ahem, 182 nights I would sleep with my phone underneath my pillow and right away in the morning I would check out my "stats."

Yeah, yeah. I hear you snickering. I know. I know. It's dorky! But... it's interesting! No?

Over the summer I became really obsessed* with this thing, and completely fascinated with the science behind sleep. I used to always say that when I needed sleep I was like a junky battery that needed charging, and basically? That's true.

There are two kinds of sleep:

Deep sleep and REM sleep.

Deep sleep restores your body, and it's what your body will restore first. REM sleep restores your mind and it restores that second. During the night you should go in and out of deep and REM, but if you need more deep, you'll stay in deep sleep.

So, how does your phone know what kind of sleep you're in, you ask? Well, when you are in deep sleep you're paralyzed. You literally do not move at all (except for breathing, obviously) but in REM you're probably moving a little bit because this is when you dream. The accelerometer in the phone can tell when you're moving or not, and therefore knows what kind of sleep you're in.

As you can see from the screen shot above, I haven't used the app since November 20th. Maybe I got tired of it? I think I need to use it though. When I used it, I was so much more aware of why I was tired and I did a better job of making sure I got plenty of the sleep I needed.

Maybe the struggle to sleep isn't because I'm getting older (I'm only 29 for crying out loud), maybe it's stress. Honestly, that is the likely possibility. I wouldn't call stress either, though. I think it's more of... just a lot going on. I like being this busy, I really do, but it does keep your mind racing a million miles a minute pretty much every day.

Who knows! All I do know is, I like sleep and I want more of it. Both REM and deep, please. ;)

What subject fascinates you, and you can't seem to get enough of, that others think is strange? How much sleep do you need/get a night?

*I was so obsessed that one weekend at the lake I was drunkenly rearranging my friends' guest bedroom furniture so that my charger would reach the outlet so I could charge my phone and use the app. Yeah... I still get crap for that. Probably will for a loooong time.

Pretty me up, please!

About a year and a half ago I gave up a bi-monthly indulgence that was costing me almost $500 a year.

Can anyone think of what it is?

Go ahead, make a guess. I'll wait.

...


...


...


If you guessed regular manicures, you would be right! I planned for regular manicures in my monthly/weekly budget and got my nails professionally painted and made to look pretty every two weeks like clockwork.

Some people got massages, I got manis. Rarely did I get pedicures (I'm too ticklish), but I loved having my nails painted.

See, I had in my head that I just couldn't do it myself as well as the nail salon could.

After many years of doing this, I finally smartened up and kicked this expensive habit. All of those weeks where I paid to be using somebody else's nail polish, I could have been buying my own!

Today, I buy maybe (maaaybe) two nail polishes a month and I give myself a manicure that rivals an nail salon each week. I love painting my own nails, and I love the comments I get on the colors I choose.

Last week, I was French Quarter for Your Thoughts by OPI - it was a crowd pleaser and got many comments! One guy said it was a little too "January" though, and I should be wearing something "cheerier."

This week I am wearing "Size Matters" by Essie - which is the cheerier red that this guy requested. ;)
Over the course of this transition I have accumulated quite the collection of nail polishes! I clearly need to venture away from reds, pinks, purples and grays - huh!?

Point of the story: I gave up an indulgence and it turned out to be so much better. Now, I actually enjoy picking "crafty" nail projects from Pinterest and giving them a try on myself.

Have you ever given up an indulgence that you once swore you never would be able to? What's your favorite nail color?

In My Mailbox - Scholastic Warehouse SALE!

In My Mailbox is a fun weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, where book bloggers share what books they got this week from the library, bought, publishers, etc.

On Friday afternoon after school got out, I headed to the Scholastic warehouse for the first day of their warehouse sale! Educators were able to get a fast pass for the first day and got to shop, shop, shop, till we dropped! Have you ever been in a warehouse full of books? No? Me either!

I went in there on a budget though. It's Christmas, and I needed to be responsible. I had a coupon for $10 off $50, so $50 was my limit.

I think I did pretty good. Here's my haul, and it only came to $41!

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer - this one is a science fiction book that we read for children's lit, and I really liked it. I think I need to review this one on here...

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - I haven't read this classic, so I figured I would pick it up.

First Light by Rebecca Stead - I absolutely loved When You Reach Me (which is so fun because it has so many A Wrinkle In Time references), so I figured I would pick up Stead's first book

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne - this is a historical fiction must read for the middle grades, if you ask me. I cannot wait to use this book (or movie) in a lesson to teach about the Holocaust. (Yes, these are the things I think about - I CAN'T WAIT)

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi - This was a total impulse buy. It looked really good and it was really cheap so I grabbed it!

The Maze Runner by James Dashner - A more recent classic that I haven't read, but have been meaning too. I can't wait to read this one.

The Line by Teri Hall - This book looks awesome (look up the cover!) and was listed as a nominee for the YALSA quick picks for reluctant readers - so that tells me it's definitely an engaging read!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick - I know most of you have probably heard of the movie by now, but if you haven't at least picked up the book and flipped through it, you are seriously missing out! Hugo is a graphic novel and the drawings inside are simply A-MAZ-ING! I can't wait to read this one, too!

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - I have avoided the movies because I want to read this book - let's hope I can get to it soon!

Most of these books I have my future classroom in mind, since I hope to teach in the middle grades once I am done. That's my justification for buying all of these books anyway!

What did you get this week?