My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My absolute FAVORITE among the books in the series that I’ve read so far. Much better than the last book in the series, loved seeing how certain characters have grown and matured over the years, loved the new characters, the exciting setting, and the pacing was SO well done. I found myself completely on edge throughout the reading of the last 10% of the book, and launched immediately into the fourth book as soon as I reached the end. The events toward the end of the book were SUCH a surprise, and in a really engaging way. I can’t wait to see where this series continues to go, and I’m already thoroughly invested in the next book.



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My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don’t think this sequel was as strong as the first book in the Outlander series, but I still loved it. A bit abrupt with the ending, the beginning just sucked me right in, some bits in the middle were a bit of a yawn with all the waiting and politics and history, but overall, it left me scrambling to download the third book and I’m already halfway through it!

Jamie and Claire are one of my favorite literary couples at this point, and I really just love the fact that this author just throws away the idea of fitting into one particular genre and just rocks these long, sweeping novels that defy definition. I cannot WAIT to see what happens next. :)



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Have a great evening! I’m going to. :)

Wheee!!

I continue to love Camera+ for the iPhone. I actually just continue to love having a high quality camera on my phone in general. It’s just pretty amazing to have to carry fewer and fewer devices…

It was just really a beautiful ride (rest of the pics are here :) I hope we’ll get a few more pretty country rides in before the cold weather returns.

We went to Luigi’s afterward for pizza (which drunk Brandice did not track properly at all… drinks = too much pizza and no mathematical skillz), and I felt like a million bucks the whole night, because I just dropped another clothing size and I ALMOST fit into a size 10 while out clothing shopping the day before.

I feel REALLY great lately, and it was great to be my skinnier, healthier self with friends I hadn’t seen in a while. It’s a huge boost to have a weight loss week that includes sharing your success with people you don’t see often and also getting to wear clothes that you would NEVER have squeezed your ass into even two months ago. Rockin’ weekend!

I can’t even express how weird it is.

I went to my yearly eye exam last Friday and on a complete and utter whim decided to ask about contact lenses. My fifteen-year-old-looking optometrist cheerfully informed me that we could put some in same day and fifteen minute (and an awkward, eye-poking struggle between he and I) later, I was sporting some high tech saran wrap on my eyeballs.

Had some difficulty with the prescription being off initially (holy nauseating vertigo, batman!), but when I went in today, Doogie Howser strengthened the prescription in both eyes and I am suddenly REALLY excited. It isn’t as consistently clear as my glasses (astigmatism = strange weighted lenses that I have to blink into the right position and they easily blink back OUT of position), but man is the convenience ever worth it.

It’s so weird to be walking around with what I’ve always considered to be such a huge part of my “look.” I honestly had a bit of mourning, and I still get a little nervous about walking around without my specs, like I’m somehow more naked, but really, I’m just more… me. When I feel like wearing some nerd prop-ness, I can whip out the specs, but I don’t have to anymore, and that’s pretty cool.

Pics taken with Camera+, with my favorite Fx, Cross Process. I’m pretty much addicted to that effect. Love love love.

He uses the black and white shot for his iPhone 4 background and he’s positioned all of his apps in such a way that they don’t block the picture. (Meaning: He has four pages of apps and app folders, but they only have five or six icons per screen… lol.)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow. Four stars instead of five because I feel a bit worn out from the stress of the almost constant struggling of every single character, and the intense description of cathedral construction was a bit much at times, but it was SO worth the read.

Several different passages at the end of the book brought me to tears, and overall this was such an epic, sweeping description of the struggle between good and evil, while also constantly detailing the grittiest and tiniest details of each significant moment. I don’t think I could go through it again, but I’m glad I read it this one time, and I loved the ending.

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