Two Posts in One Week! Record!

Last night, I took my last final of my first Fall semester in grad school.  It still hasn't hit me that I'm actually done with a whole semester.  Only 3 and a summer left.  I will be the first person to say that grad school ain't easy.  Not even close.  

Will it be worth it one day? Abso-dang-lutely.  

Have I lost sleep because of it? Every night.

Have I missed opportunities because school came first? Constantly.

Will I change these things next semester? Absolutely not.

Does my bank account hate grad school as much as I love it? More than I can fathom.

Hopefully that will change soon though.

So, what have I been doing other than studying my ass off?

Well, car shopping.  I love my Charlie, but he's 10 years old and driving 40 miles one way twice a week isn't making him any older.  

I think I've settled on the Camry.  Now, the hard part... the car dealerships.

I've also been playing a TON of violin.  Just to make a few extra dollars on the side.  Last weekend I played Handel's Messiah with 3 days notice and made $250.  This weekend, I have 3 cantatas, and will hopefully make $375.

Other than a ton of online shopping, just work, work, and more work.

xo,

Hanna

Review: Girls in White Dresses

Wickedly hilarious and utterly recognizable, Girls in White Dresses tells the story of three women grappling with heartbreak and career change, family pressure and new love—all while suffering through an endless round of weddings and bridal showers.

Isabella, Mary, and Lauren feel like everyone they know is getting married. On Sunday after Sunday, at bridal shower after bridal shower, they coo over toasters, collect ribbons and wrapping paper, eat minuscule sandwiches and doll-sized cakes. They wear pastel dresses and drink champagne by the case, but amid the celebration these women have their own lives to contend with: Isabella is working at a mailing-list company, dizzy with the mixed signals of a boss who claims she’s on a diet but has Isabella file all morning if she forgets to bring her a chocolate muffin. Mary thinks she might cry with happiness when she finally meets a nice guy who loves his mother, only to realize he’ll never love Mary quite as much. And Lauren, a waitress at a Midtown bar, swears up and down she won’t fall for the sleazy bartender—a promise that his dirty blond curls and perfect vodka sodas make hard to keep. 

With a wry sense of humor, Jennifer Close brings us through those thrilling, bewildering, what-on-earth-am-I-going-to-do-with-my-life years of early adulthood. These are the years when everyone else seems to have a plan, a great job, and an appropriate boyfriend, while Isabella has a blind date with a gay man, Mary has a crush on her boss, and Lauren has a goldfish named Willard. Through boozy family holidays and disastrous ski vacations, relationships lost to politics and relationships found in pet stores, Girls in White Dresses pulls us deep inside the circle of these friends, perfectly capturing the wild frustrations and soaring joys of modern life.

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My Review:

Honestly, I have no idea what happened in this book.  It was just a bunch of different stories about girls who had just graduated for college.  I never could remember who was who, and I know probably 2 of their names now after reading it.

I just didn't like it.  And, I had so much hope for this book. I wanted to love it more than anything, and I just couldn't.  I basically had to force myself just to finish it.

Because it wasn't terrible and I didn't just abandon it, I give it 2/5 stars.

Spring Wish List

Since I just bought a new Mac, I am now officially broke so I spend my time making wishlists in my brain.  I decided to make it on here instead.

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Evidently I'm really into Pink and Polka Dots this summer.

xo,
Hanna

 



Top Ten for Tuesday (late)

I realize that it's not Tuesday, but I just found this link-up right before I went to bed last night.  I've gotten back into reading recently, so I figured this was perfect.  Not that I ever stopped, my life just got busy so reading fell to the side.

 

 

Today's topic is Books on my Spring TBR list.

 

1.  The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult.  I've liked Jodi Picoult's books for many years, and this one looks amazing.

2.  The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin.  This book has been out forever.  But, it looks like an easy read that could be enjoyable.

3.  Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell.  It's been getting pretty good ratings on Goodreads.  And, it just looks like a fun read for Spring.

4.  Cinder by Marissa Meyer.  I always love a good spin on a classic fairytale.  And, I've heard great things about this one so far.

5.  Taken by Erin Bowman.  This is the first of a new series about a sort-of dystopian society.  I've always enjoyed books that put my world in a different perspective.

6.  How Zoe Made Her Dreams (Mostly) Come True by Sarah Strohmeyer.  It's about a girl with an internship at an amusement park.  How much more do you need?

7.  Crossed by Ally Condie.  This is the second book in the Matched trilogy.  I enjoyed the first one enough to want to know what happens at least.

8.  The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe.  I've heard great things about this one as well.  But currently I'm reading The Fault in Our Stars.  So, we'll see if I want another sad one so soon.

9.  Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly.  This was recommended by a family friend.  I enjoy history, so we'll see how it goes.

10.  Reached by Ally Condie.  This one is conditional.  If I like Crossed enough to continue, I'll read it, but if not I'll probably skip it. 

 

 

 

xo,

Hanna