Book Club Friday: A is for Abstinence (Sequel to V is for Virgin)

A little more than a year ago, I first discovered indie writer Kelly Oram when I bought her book V is for Virgin. Since then, I've also read--and written glowing reviews of--The Avery Shaw Experiment, Being Jamie Baker, and More Than Jamie Baker. So when Kelly announced she'd be writing a full-length sequel to V is for Virgin, I freaked out just a little bit.



If you have not yet read V is for Virgin, click on over to Amazon
and grab yourself an e-copy. Read it, and then come back here to read my review of A is for Abstinence. Since this is a sequel, even the book's summary reveals spoilers of the original. 

So if you keep reading below, you acknowledge there are spoilers for V is for Virgin, and you won't hold me responsible for ruining any joy in reading that glorious novel for the first time.

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From Kelly's website: Six-time Grammy Award-winning musician Kyle Hamilton has it all—money, fame, talent, good looks, and a job he loves. His only regret in life: walking away from a certain notorious virgin because he was too prideful, stubborn, and even afraid to give her the only thing she asked of him—his abstinence.

Four years and a broken heart later, Kyle realizes that sex isn’t everything, and he suddenly can’t stop thinking about the girl that got away. Virgin Val Jensen got under his skin like no one else ever has. He wasn’t ready for her then, but things are different now. He’s grown up, he’s learned a few things, and he’s finally figured out exactly what he wants, or, rather, who he wants.

Kyle Hamilton wants a do-over, and this time he’s willing to do—or not do—whatever it takes.

Y'all. Words do not do the sexiness of the make-out sessions in this book justice. Like, you could probably enjoy the book based on those scenes alone. I had feels. In my lady bits. Who knew a book about abstinence would be so stimulating?

The book begins almost a year before the epilogue in V is for Virgin, but it quickly jumps forward to that moment, when Kyle and Val reunite. 

What follows is really amazing character growth for Kyle. While he certainly showed some in the first book, this sequel allows him to grow up in a lot of ways and begin to understand Val's convictions. 

This is a fluffy young adult novel, even if the characters are now in their 20s. I hope it's not too much of a spoiler if I mention that romance blossoms between the protagonist and "the one that got away." 

As much as I loved A is for Abstinence, it wasn't perfect. Like many young adult novels, including Kelly's other books, Kyle's character has one obnoxious, disturbing trait: he assumes that he knows Val better than she knows herself, and he doesn't always believe her when she states what she wants. 

In case there are any young men reading this book and this review, please please please take this to heart. If a girl says she doesn't want to go out with you, she doesn't want to go out with you. If a girl says she doesn't want to kiss you, she doesn't want to kiss you. If you keep badgering her until she changes her mind, that doesn't necessarily mean you were right. It could just as easily mean that you scared her enough to say yes. 

Like I said, this is a troubling trend in many books aimed at teens, the insistence of writing male characters who don't actually listen to the girls they pursue. 

Other than that, I absolutely loved Kelly Oram's A is for Abstinence. I highly recommend it to anyone who was a fan of V is for Virgin. 
*Amazon Affiliate links and whatnot

To Shave or Not to Shave: A Hairy Debate (Influenster Venus Snap with Embrace Review)

I'm a feminist, but I've still absorbed the social conditioning of American beauty standards to think that my legs and underarms are better when they're smooth.



It's ridiculous, I know, especially when you look at the history of female hair removal and realize that in America, at least, it's a fairly recent concept. Basically marketers are geniuses and the American public is stupid, so when marketers told us about all these awesome products for removing leg and underarm hair post-WWI, we started buying all these awesome products that we never needed before.

But even though I'm informed about marketing schemes and impossible beauty standards, I still prefer to have smooth-ish legs and arms.

Except I'm also lazy. I gave up on shaving cream in high school and switched to inexpensive conditioner. I gave up on using anything except water in France, when my experiment of shaving in bath water led me to discover how quickly and painlessly I can shave if I do so under running water.

So when Influenster sent me Gillette Venus Snap with Embrace, I was intrigued. 

Just activate with water? No need to lather up? Use it on the go?

What kind of genius product was this?!

While Gillette is promoting their new razor as small enough for a purse and the perfect product for shaving touch-ups while you're out and about, I think it's the perfect product for lazy shavers like me. 

I've used it as suggested for under my arms. I just rinsed the razor and shaved under one arm, then rinsed and repeated. Less than 30 seconds to bare underarms, with none of the previous mess of splashing water on my underarms.

I've also used it in the shower, under running water, the way I use all my razors. I won't say it gives me a closer shave, nor is it faster to use, but the small design makes it easier to shave my knees, which frequently get missed. 


My only complaint is that the price of the razor and refill blades is a bit steep, especially compared to my Bic Soleil disposable razors. The razor is $9-10 online and in stores. A 4-pack of refill blades retails between $15 and $18.

Sometimes my laziness--and an unexpected trip to the grocery store--really does trump all, however. On Monday Beau called me at the end of work and suggested we go to Kroger right away to pick up things for dinner. I looked down at my tank top and shorts, with my fuzzy underarms and fuzzy legs, and agreed anyway. Even though I shaved with my new Venus Snap later that night, I can thank feminism for giving me the confidence to go out in public, body hair and all, without giving two fucks what people thought of me. 

*As a member of Influenster, I received the Venus Snap for free. My review is my unbiased opinion, and it's not even required in exchange for the product. Also there is an Amazon Affiliate link if you're so inclined to try out the Venus Snap yourself. 

Book Club Friday: Bitterblue, a Young but Good Queen

It has been a long year and a half since I first reviewed Graceling and Fire by Kristin Cashore. This week, I finally got around to reading Bitterblue, a sequel to Graceling.

Note: Both the summary description itself and my review contain extremely mild spoilers for both Graceling and Fire, since Bitterblue should be read after them. 

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From the author's website: Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is queen of a kingdom that was under the spell of a madman for thirty-five years. At eighteen, Bitterblue is still learning how to rule the kingdom. The influence of Leck—a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities—lives on. When Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle to walk the streets of her own city, she meets two thieves who hold a key to the truth of Leck's reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace, holds the key to her heart. 

Based on the Amazon reviews, I was a little apprehensive about reading Bitterblue, but I enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed Graceling and Fire. 

What I like most about Cashore's writing is her ability to write such complex and distinctive characters, especially the women. Bitterblue is just as brave and intelligent as Katsa and Fire, but in a completely different way. Bitterblue is young and lonely, desperate to improve her kingdom, but overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task. She soon learns that not all is as well in her kingdom as her advisers have insisted. 

While the plot might not be as active or exciting as the other novels, it is equally intriguing. It is also much darker than the other books, as Bitterblue discovers the extent of her father's evil deeds. 

Even though I own these three books in paperback, they're so good that I might invest in hardcover copies of all of them. That's how much I love these novels.

*Amazon Affiliate links, blah blah blah

Book Club Friday: Memoirs of Paris

To contrast my regular life with my honeymoon life, just look at the number of books I've read.

On our honeymoon (including time spent flying), I read four books start-to-finish, I finished a collection of short stories, I read several chapters of a textbook, and I started another novel. In the rest of 2014 (thus far), I finished two books that I'd technically started in 2013, I read two books start-to-finish, and I finished the book started on my honeymoon.

In other words, I need to go on vacation more often because I don't have enough time to read!

We had no problem making out in front of a camera.

Back in November, Beau and I took the first half of our engagement pictures in a used bookstore. Before we left for the next location, however, we took a few minutes to browse their selection. Naturally we each bought something, but it took me a whole four months to find the time to read my book!

My eye was immediately drawn to Paris: A Love Story by Kati Marton. Memoirs set in Paris? Yes, please!

From Amazon: In this remarkably honest and candid memoir, award-winning journalist and distinguished author Kati Marton narrates an impassioned and romantic story of love, loss, and life after loss. Paris is at the heart of this deeply moving account. Marton paints a vivid portrait of an adventuresome life in the stream of history. Inspirational and deeply human, Paris: A Love Story will touch every generation.

I don't normally describe women based on the men in their life, but since Marton's memoirs include detailed chapters on her late ex-husband and her late husband, they must be mentioned. Her second husband was ABC News anchor Peter Jennings. Her third husband was US diplomat Richard Holbrooke. 

A journalist's memoirs are not normally the sort of book I read, but anything about Paris lures me in. I'm SO glad I stumbled across this book at the little used bookstore. Marton seamlessly weaves back and forth between different times in her life, telling thematic stories more so than chronological ones. Yet the overall timeline of her life is easy to follow, and I'm genuinely jealous of how much of it takes place in Paris.  

Anyone who loves Paris, or Hungary (Marton's family escaped Hungary after the revolution), or journalism needs to read this book.

What have you read lately?

 

*Y'all know the drill. Two Amazon Affiliate links are embedded in this post. I get a few pennies if you shop via my links.

Love Is a Relaxing Date Night

Most of the time, Beau and I are pretty casual. We spend many Friday nights eating pizza or wings while watching Star Trek. Romantic gestures happen when I make him a mug of hot chocolate alongside my tea or when he changes the oil in my car. 

But we still sometimes like to woo each other, like we did last Saturday night. A few weeks ago, I treated myself to a relaxing evening with a facial and tasty treats. I wanted to share that experience with Beau last weekend. I planned a romantic evening for us that started with a simple dinner and ended with... well, I'll leave that to the imagination!

While Beau caught up on chores Saturday afternoon, I prepared dinner. I sliced up three different kinds of cheese--Extra Sharp Cheddar, Colby Jack, and Muenster--and some Summer Sausage. I don't exactly have a huge selection of fancy dishes, but I arranged them on my favorite plate. Putting the crackers in my one fancy margarita glass was a stroke of genius! 

Beau doesn't really like veggies, but I cut up a red bell pepper for myself and arranged them on a matching plate with some carrots and Ranch dressing as well. 

The strawberries were my dessert, and the Hershey's Kisses
were for Beau. I'm pretty sure I'm the only person in the world who doesn't like chocolate, but Beau was totally cool eating the Hershey's Kisses by himself. He doesn't like strawberries, so I enjoyed not sharing either!

Since it was a special occasion--date nights are always special!--we celebrated with a bottle of sparkling wine.

After dinner, we decided to enjoy dessert in the bath. Before dating Beau, I never really appreciated how amazing a hot bath can be in the middle of winter. We love taking baths together. I usually add some homemade lavender bath salts to the water, and Saturday night was no exception. 

It's not easy being green...

After we enjoyed our fill of strawberries and Hershey's Kisses (and finished all the sparkling wine!), we tried out my new Boots Botanics Ionic Clay Mask. Beau graciously applied it first on my face and then on his own. After ten minutes, I wiped mine off with a washcloth, and he rinsed his off in the bathwater. 

Sorry, we didn't pay attention to the softness of his hands.

Beau's Thoughts: It felt like rubbing dirt on Belle's face. Specifically, it felt like USCS Group OH soil. On my face, it felt like slowly drying mud. Also, we still haven't gotten all the residue out of the bathtub. We usually don't have to scrub it down in-between baths.

This mask can be used once a week, so I'm actually wearing it again tonight. I like how it feels nice and tight on my skin as it dries. My skin definitely felt softer last week after using it, and my face still looked good the next morning. Beau's skin also looked better immediately after using it, but his face was dry again in the morning. We used different moisturizers after the mask, though, which probably contributed to the differences. 

I use the CVS version of Olay's night cream.

All relaxed from our bath and at-home facials, Beau and I went to bed. We just didn't go to sleep right away...

This weekend, we settled back into routine. Last night we ate boneless chicken wings while watching Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Tonight I blogged while he complained about our local Republicans trying to screw with the Libertarians. Not every weekend needs to involve an extra-special date night, but I'm so glad we devoted last Saturday night to romance and relaxation!

How do you celebrate Date Night?

*Post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Also, Influenster sent me the Hershey's Kisses and the Boots Botanics Ionic Clay Mask complimentary for testing purposes.

Indulging in French Memories with Caramel Tea

I have always been a big fan of hot tea.

My junior and senior years of college, my best friend Rose and I would brew up an entire pot of tea every time we hung out. Anytime we had friends over, we immediately put water on to boil, and we offered our guests a selection of tea.

When I moved to France after graduation, it was my first time experiencing a real winter. Already an avid tea drinker, I found myself drinking 4-6 cups of tea every single day. My favorite was thé au caramel, a delicious black tea that my boss kept in the house. She and the kids quickly learned how much I liked it, and they always remembered to buy me more at the grocery store.

After spending the better part of two years obsessed with thé au caramel, it was with a heavy heart that I returned to the States, where no such tea existed. Then I interviewed with the French family in New York, and my future boss offered me a cup of tea. To my utmost delight, her tea selection included thé au caramel! It was her favorite tea too, and she always stocked up when visiting France. First in New York, and then in Toronto, I enjoyed several mugs a day of my favorite French tea. But all too soon, my second au pair job ended.

I moved to the Midwest to be closer to Beau. Together we discovered Fast Lane,a black tea sold exclusively online and at their factory by Celestial Seasonings. It became my new favorite tea, and soon, thé au caramel was just a distant memory.

Beau surprised me with an entire case of Fast Lane and Sleepytime!

Until now.

Red Rose sells a line of tea called Simply Indulgent. I had the privilege of sampling their Créme Caramel tea, and it was simply heavenly. A single sip took me back to France. 

Next time I'm at the grocery store, I plan on stopping by the tea aisle to buy a box of Red Rose Simply Indulgent Tea in Créme Caramel. 

While I still plan on drinking Fast Lane with breakfast each morning, my afternoon treat will now be a relaxing mug of caramel tea. 

*Post contains some Amazon Affiliate links if you like tea as much as I do. Influenster sent me the Red Rose tea in exchange for my honest review.

Book Club Friday: The Sense of an Ending

Wow, I can't believe I've gone five weeks without posting a book review. Unacceptable! I haven't read a ton of books lately, but I do have a big of a lag between my books and reviews. Granted, I don't review everything I read, but I try to review most of what I read.

The latest book my book club was The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes. Yes, it is critically-acclaimed, but my friends and I were not crazy about it. 

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From the author's website: The story of a man coming to terms with the mutable past, Julian Barnes's new novel is laced with his trademark precision, dexterity and insight. It is the work of one of the world's most distinguished writers.

Tony Webster and his clique first met Adrian Finn at school. Sex-hungry and book-hungry, they navigated the girl drought of gawky adolescence together, trading in affectations, in-jokes, rumour and wit. Maybe Adrian was a little more serious than the others, certainly more intelligent, but they swore to stay friends forever. Until Adrian's life took a turn into tragedy, and all of them, especially Tony, moved on and did their best to forget.

Now Tony is in middle age. He's had a career and a marriage, a calm divorce. He gets along nicely, he thinks, with his one child, a daughter, and even with his ex-wife. He's certainly never tried to hurt anybody. Memory, though, is imperfect. It can always throw up surprises, as a lawyer's letter is about to prove. The unexpected bequest conveyed by that letter leads Tony on a dogged search through a past suddenly turned murky. And how do you carry on, contentedly, when events conspire to upset all your vaunted truths?

Confession: I knew nothing about this book going into it. I found it among my library's e-books, so I checked it out without even reading its description. So for the first third or so of the book, I actually thought this was a memoir, not a work of fiction.

What I liked: The narrator talks about perceptions and distortions of memory, which I found to be insightful.

What I disliked: Basically all of the characters are not likeable, if not downright despicable. Plus the male privilege almost overwhelmed me during my reading. An early plot point is a classmate's suicide, allegedly after he knocked up his girlfriend. The narrator and his friends don't even bother to think about this pregnant teenager girl and how this might affect her or her child. The narrator doesn't even realize his blindness and arrogance until near the very end of the novel. I think the writer intended this as a big revelation, or maybe character development, but for me, it just emphasized the narrator's selfishness. 

It is an interesting book, and I was surprised by the plot twist at the end. 

But honestly, the whole thing just reads as smug self-importance. Like my boring life and philosophical musings are so enlightened that everyone needs to know my story.

So... read at your own risk.

Linking up for Book Club Friday!

 

*On the off chance that you want to read this book after my review, I do have an Amazon Affiliates link included.

Book Club Friday: The Princess and the Snowbird

It's been a few weeks since my last book review, of The Princess and the Bear by Mette Ivie Harrison. Since then, I've read both the third and the fourth books in the series. Since I love these books so much, I'm dedicating today's post to The Princess and the Snowbird.

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The Princess and the Snowbird introduces two new characters to the magical universe. The daughter of King Richon and Chala, who inherited all of her parents' magic, befriends a boy with no magic. 

From her website: Her parents were legends. When she was born, they gave their magic to her. And they will not take it back. Now, it is up to her if magic lives or dies. But she has lived all her life with animals. Why should it matter to her what humans do to their own magic?

While I loved this book as well, reading it felt a little bittersweet. I get really attached to book characters, and this book takes place in a later time period than George and Marit. 

Magic has once again transformed. The animal magic introduced in the first book is now known as the aur-magic, and a human corruption of it is the tehr-magic. Most humans fear the aur-magic, and there's an evil magic-less man called the Hunter who is trying to eradicate all magic.

I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to mention that I loved the romance and adventure in this novel.

Although I recommend reading the first two novels before trying The Princess and the Snowbird, this book can stand alone. Anyone with a love for fantasy and adventure should definitely check out The Princess and the Snowbird.

 

*Post contains two Amazon Affiliate links.

Book Club Friday: The Princess and the Bear

A few weeks ago I reviewed the amazing fantasy fiction novel The Princess and the Hound by Mette Ivie Harrison. I immediately ordered all four sequels, and as soon as they arrived in the mail, I eagerly read the first sequel.

I was not disappointed! The Princess and the Bear was just as good as the original.

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The Princess and the Bear explores the relationship between King Richon and Chala, the bear and the hound who readers first meet in The Princess and the Hound.

From her website: A princess who was once a hound. A bear who was once a king. When they become human again, can they still find love? And can they save the world of magic which they once disdained?

I wasn't sure at first if this novel could possibly live up to the first. I just loved the characters of George and Marit so much, but they're only minor characters in this book.

Luckily I loved this new relationship just as much! 

This book explores the rules of magic further and introduces a new threat to magic, the unmagic. Richon and Chala travel in the past to Richon's original time to try and save the magic.

Watching Richon and Chala learn to communicate and fall in love is just so sweet.

If you love fairy tales, fantasy fiction, and romance as much as I do, then you should read The Princess and the Bear!




*There is one Amazon affiliate link, which pays me pennies on the dollar if you choose to buy the book!

A Biblical Woman

A warm welcome to Casey's readers! Some of you might remember me from August, the first time I co-hosted the Friday Fresh Faces blog hop with Casey. Don't forget to link up again today! I wrote a special post that day just for y'all, about how I'm totes not a lifestyle blogger.

Remember the #1 reason? About being too personal and too controversial? I've already proven myself to be both this month. First I got red wine drunk and wrote about my best friend. Then I cried after overhearing rape jokes in a game of Cards Against Humanity, so I blogged about my feelings on it.

But today I'm sharing something that's both new and the same.

For the last several months, I've been slowly reading A Year of Biblical Womanhood by Rachel Held Evans. When reading nonfiction books for pleasure, I tend to read them slowly, partly so I don't get bored, and partly so I can spend more time focusing on the book, absorbing its lessons.

 

I bought her ebook in October when it was one of the 100 books for $3.99 or less. I'm obviously addicted to bargain ebooks. I usually read it on my iPad, but sometimes I read it on my iPhone. I don't have my kindle apps synced, but I like how that's affected my reading of her book. Most chapters I've read twice. And by the time I finish this blog post, I will probably have read her December chapter three times.

Why am I reviewing just a chapter of a book, instead of the whole book? And why am I reviewing December, aside from the obvious?

I haven't finished reading RHE's book so I couldn't review it in full even if I wanted. But more than that, each chapter is so different, and so thought-provoking, and so inspiring, that writing a review for the entire book would either be the longest book review of my entire life, or devoid of my emotional reaction to the book.

In her December chapter, RHE does something so beautiful that it moved me to tears.

She talks about all the biblical women who were hurt by the patriarchal norms in their society. 

She cites all the passages in the Old Testament that illustrate how terribly the laws treated women during biblical times.

She briefly tells the stories of several named biblical women, but the story that resonated the most is of the nameless daughter of Jephthah, the mighty warrior of Gilead in Judges. 

The nameless daughter who dies as a burnt offering to God.

In the book of Judges, the women of Israel remembered the daughter of Jephthah, in an annual tradition now long lost.

To honor the women who were victims of rape and murder, RHE and her friend had their own ceremony, which included reading the relevant passages of the Bible, lighting candles, reciting poetry, and creating art in their memory.

These forgotten stories are why I can't be a Christian without being a feminist. 

These women's fates are why I choose to interpret the Bible in a way that honors men, women, and children, in a way that puts love above all else. When I "cherry-pick" my Bible, I interpret the oppressive passages within their historical and patriarchal context, a choice Christ Himself often made when countering the Pharisees. 

I think biblical womanhood is important. I think Christian women should turn to the Bible for inspiration on how we live our lives.

But if we aren't living our lives in a way that honors the women who came before us... that tries to make our world a better place for women today... that focuses on love and justice... then what are we doing with the lives God gave us?

This month, as we remember the Virgin Mary, let us also remember the other women in the Bible, the named and the unnamed. As we remember the humility of the Virgin Mary, let us also remember the courage of Esther, and the loyalty of Ruth, and the strength of Deborah.

Let us remember that we have more than 

one way to be a biblical woman.

I'm linking up with Heather for Book Club Friday...

But I'm ALSO co-hosting the Fresh Face Fridays blog hop with Casey! I hope you'll add your link below.

Welcome to the

FRESH FACE FRIDAY BLOG HOP!

No prompt, just fun!

Hosted by: Casey @ We Took the Road Less Traveled

Rules for hopping:

1| Follow your host & co-hosts (first 3 links), pretty please! 

2| Link up your blog's homepage or Bloglovin' page.

3| Hop around, meet new bloggers, and leave them love!

4| Have fun? Spread the word and share this blog hop with your friends!

5| Want to be a co-host? Click here for more info! 

Grab a button and share the blog hop love!

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