Oh, sunny days...why did you have to go away? 🙁 It is just dreary here today. What a turnaround from yesterday! I miss the sun and spring like weather. The rain just makes me want to curl up with a good book. Which is exactly what I intend to do. And if spending some time with a book on a rainy day is something you enjoy as well, I have two new book reviews for you. 😀

Last night, we had a pizza and movie night. We rented New Moon from a Redbox and enjoyed a laid back night in. I guess the vampire love story on screen reminded me of the two books I read recently - one love story and one vampire novel. Both great books that I will now share with you.

Book 1 - The Opposite of Love by Julie Buxbaum

You may remember that I read another book by this author not too long ago and really liked it. So, when I realized this relatively new author had another novel I scooped it up from the library. And I am so glad I did. The Opposite of Love is about a woman named Emily who encounters many various struggles after breaking up with her boyfriend as soon as she learns of his plans to propose. After ending her relationship with him, many parts of her life begin to unravel as she starts questioning some personal issues rooted deeply within her. There are struggles in her relationship with her father, problems with her grandfather's health she must deal with, continuing to cope with the loss of her mother, deciding what to do with her happiness and her career, etc. The novel explores all these different aspects of her life and how she finally learns to overcome them and live her life to the fullest.

I think this novel is so great because it is so incredibly real. You can't help but commiserate with the main character, Emily, and hope things turn out for the best. I also love the fact that while it is enjoyable to read, it is not hoaky and predictable with everything always working out perfectly and falling into its own fairytale-world place.  The only negative I had about the book was its overuse of a particular word that starts with "F" and is various forms. However, as I discussed in this post, such things won't keep me from enjoying a well written book and I will still recommend it with two thumbs up. I hope Buxbaum continues to write more novels and I will look forward to reading them. 😀

Book #2 - All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

This is book number seven in Charlaine Harris' "Sookie Stackhouse" novels. You might be more familiar with the TV series based off of these books - HBO's True Blood. I love these novels because they are extremely fun to read. Think of them as the adults-only version of Twilight. While I do prefer the Twilight series as I think the plot of those is a bit more developed, the Sookie novels are always so creative. More seems to happen in these novels. Plus, there are tons of creative characters, a lot more humor, and plenty of intrigue. If you haven't read any of these yet, I think you should. Especially if you like Twilight.

So there you have it. A couple new books for you to look into. And I am always taking suggestions from others. So, if you have a favorite that you think I would like be sure to tell me about it. 😀

Happy 1st day of Spring!! It has been a fabulous first day of spring around these parts. After doing a few errands and cleaning around the house this morning during Makenzie's nap, we knew we had to get outside to enjoy such a beautiful day. So, we headed out to the park for some family fun. 😀

Playing on the Playground

Feeding the Ducks

Hungry Critters

walks with Daddy

Lunch Time with a Picnic!

Enjoying a new treat...review coming soon 😀

Me and my Girl 🙂

Bubble Blowing

How did your first day of spring go?? As you can tell, even though ours was different than we expected (with the baby shower cancellation), it was a fabulous one. 🙂