Book Review - Sweet Home Amy

Happy Tuesday tweeps!  How are you?  How was your Monday?  Great, I hope! :)  Last week I came across the cutest blog with the name of Sweet Home Amy and saw where she had written a book.  It looked very interesting, so I emailed her to request a copy to do a review on.  She responded immediately and sent it right out.  I was SO excited to have it in my little hands and got right to reading it. :)

 

 

The book tells her story of getting married very young in her 20's, getting divorced, being single and dating once again and all of her trials and tribulations along the way.  She had several "hot" characters in the book that she went out with.  There was Doctor, Sailor and Mystery Man to name a few.  Each one was different with an interesting story about each of them.  We all know it's not easy getting back out into the dating scene, no matter how old you are.  I love Amy's honesty and perspective from a young girl's experiences.  I love the fact that she didn't hold anything back either and told everything like it happened, when it happened.  It's actually a diary of sorts and keeps you guessing what's going to happen next and what guy wins out in the end.  Once I began reading it, I couldn't put it down.  I honesty read it in less than 24 hours! :)

 

If you'd like to read about her adventures, you're in luck!  You can purchase it on your Kindle through Amazon here for $2.99 or, if you’d prefer a hard copy, you can get it for $8.99 on Lulu here.  (You can save 10% at this time)  Also, I am going to talk to Amy today and see if she minds me passing along the book to another reader.  If she says yes, I will have a giveaway for one lucky reader here!  Stay tuned. :)

 

If you'd like to know more about Amy, you can follow her on Twitter or like her on Facebook.  Did I mention that she also has a 2nd book coming out soon as well?  Since her first book, she's had some new adventures, and from the sounds of the teaser in the 2nd book, I can't wait to read the latest ones! Again, go give a fellow blogger some love and support and check out her book! Her blog is adorable and you won't be dissapointed. Amy, thank you so much for letting me read and review your book - I absolutely loved it all and couldn't put it down. 

 

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by to say hello! P.S. I have NO clue what the heck is going on with my fonts today, but please ignore the fact that it's all different - I've tried fixing it all, but to no avail. *sigh*

 

Lots of love and hugs,

Shellac Nails - Experiment

Happy Hump Day my friends!  How has your week been so far?  Great, I hope!  Last weekend I decided to treat myself and go for a manicure - which is something I rarely do, no matter how much I love them.  I just don't have time to stop and get one normally.   This time I went with a new technique called "Shellac".  It  is a lot like the Gel nails from what I hear.  It took about an hour to do and they are done a lot like a normal manicure.  They get the base coat, nail polish and then the top coat.  The only difference is that they are "cured" under the light for 10 to 30 seconds in between each coat.  Once the manicure is finished you literally walk out with completely dry nails. I LOVE this technique and the BEST part is that it is supposed to last completely for 2 weeks with NO chipping at all.  So, I have decided to put that theory to the test.  Here is a picture right after I got them done - excuse the poor quality - it was taken with my Iphone.  The only thing I didn't like, but didn't notice until after I had left, was the fact that she didn't paint my entire nail on a couple of them and I don't know why exactly - but either way, I really do like this technique and another thing I forgot to mention - the shine is also supposed to last the full 2 weeks.   Also, the color is called:  Red Baroness and is really a beautiful color in person.  It also looks very Christmasy too which I like even more so.   :o)

On another note, "Shellac colors are hypo-allergenic, and “3-Free” – no formaldehyde, toluene or DBP.  The formula is thin and flexible like polish, so it not only looks natural, it provides strong natural nail protection with a resilient mirror finish that resists dullness and chipping, even during the most rigorous activities." So far, so good.  I type all day long at work and have done a lot of activities like putting up the Christmas tree and wrapping gifts, etc., and there is still not a single chip! :)  Have I mentioned how much I love this polish technique?! HA!  

Here it is after day 4 - (again, excuse the iphone photo - it was dark when I took this picture last night) - see... Same as day 1! :) 

 

Okay - enough of my rambling.  If you ever get the chance to have the "Shellac" treatment - be sure and do so - it is well worth the money.  It cost me $40.00 to have it done instead of my normal $10.00 manicure.

Well, I'm off to get ready for work - I am so excited - tonight is our annual Christmas party at work.  Since things are lacking with the economy, we are having it in our office instead of some fancy place - but that's okay - I'm just excited and love being in the holiday spirit - especially in New York City!  I really hope to have some pictures from our party on my blog tomorrow.  Be sure to stay tuned for that as well as pictures of our Christmas decorations here at home.   I'm very happy with how they turned out this year and even have a few new pieces and a centerpiece that I made myself! :)

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by to say hello.  Please be sure and leave me a comment on my post from yesterday in order to be entered to win a great and funny book.  I promise you will NOT be disappointed so go sign up already! LOL 

Lots of love and hugs,

Book Review and Giveaway

Hello my friends - how are you?  Great, I hope!  We are all doing good on this end, but man, is it ever COLD here! I personally do NOT like the cold and especially when it is only 24 degrees outside and the wind is blowing making it feel like 19! ACK!  Oh well.. tis the season, right?! :)

Anyway, Valerie D'Orazio from Macmillan Publishing contacted me back in November asking if I would be interested in a review and giveaway for a client of hers new book coming out soon.  I said, of course - especially since I LOVE to read and I was certain that some of you wonderful readers enjoy it as well.   Anyway, she sent me two books - one to keep and one to give to one of you!

"The author of the book is Lisa Scottoline and she is a New York Times bestselling and Edgar-award winning author of sixteen novels, and her latest is a family affair as her daughter Francesca joins her in a series of funny, true-life short stories that any woman (and mother!) can relate to." 

And, since reading her book, I also learned that Lisa and her daughter, Francesca,  also write "Chick Lit"  for the Philadelphia Inquirer every week - which I am going to see if I can find online as I would love to read their column after reading this book. :)

The book I was given to read and give away is called:

My Nest Isn't Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space

In this book she teams up with her daughter, Francesca who has "flown the coop" so to speak and now the mom has the entire house to herself.  She talks a lot about her mother, Mary in the book as well as her brother.  I cannot tell you how much I truly LOL when reading this book.  There are a lot of short stories that are from Lisa's perspective and then there are some from her daughter, Francesca's perspective.  No two are alike.  However, there is one chapter in this book that I truly was LOL while on the bus home one evening and I had to cover my mouth to keep from disturbing the other passengers.  I truly was laughing so hard that I was crying!  It is in the section entitled "Batman and Robin" and is about a telephone conversation she was having with her Mother, Mary and it had little incerpts from the brother's conversation who was also speaking in the background.  I haven't laughed that hard over a book in a very long time, and it was such a refreshing change. 

I enjoyed this book tremendously and was so glad that Valerie contacted me asking if I would like to do a review and a giveaway.  It is definitely a book that I highly recommend reading - especially if you enjoy a good book full of humor.  I truly am looking forward to reading Lisa's other books and can't wait to start down the list.  If you want to know more about Lisa and her other writings - you can go here.

Okay, on to the contest - there is one rule and one rule only - be a follower of my blog - that is it!  If you would like to have this book - be sure and leave a comment along with your email address please and I will draw a winner this Friday.  Trust me, it is a book you will truly enjoy!  I loved every second of it and so much so, that I read the entire book in one day and the book has 241 pages! HA!

Have a great day my friends and thanks so much for stopping by to say hello! 

Lots of love and hugs,