Rainy Days With Amanda

This post is more of an archive for me, but if you're interested in people's years, then keep on reading! So 2017. This was a rollercoaster of emotion type of year for me. My year started off emotionally unstable. My grandmother passed, my dog passed, and my car died...3 times! On top of two jobs, full-time classes and my senior project, it was like the world was coming down around me and I couldn't stop it. I just watched as the embers of the evening sun slide behind the wall and the darkness came up and over my dreams. Halloween  The year also brought good memories though. Memories with family and friends. I ended up purchasing my new car, was nominated for the top senior project, printed a book, wrote another book, graduated college, got my first real paying job, moved to a bigger apartment, got my wedding dress and went to Lousiana where I gambled and won some money. When I brought Civi home in February I had a really crazy, busy, and all toget...

Sorry about taking forever to do another review. I participated in my first NaNoWriMo , which was a very challenging expereince but I did it! And I plan on publishing my book in February so stayed tuned! Anyways, the book I'm about to review is another gem I found at the Dollar Tree. It might actually be my favorite book that I've gotten from there so far. It's been a while, so lets get on to my  review of The Heart of the Night by Judith Lennox! (SPOILER ALERT!) A Little Bit of Background Let's talk about the author a bit. So Judith Lennox is a German native romance novelist who has been writing for the past 30 something years now. Her sixth book, The Winter House , was her breakthrough novel for both in Germany and around the world. Three of her novels have been shortlisted for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award.  Judith published The Heart of the Night in 2009. As a short overview of the book, it basically follows the lives of five unforgetable, individ...

So, I've been thinking about this blog topic for a while. I feel like it really resonates with me now more than really any other time in my life...at least for now. I keep seeing more and more nostalgic things come into play. Some of these things are MTV's 90's House , where a group of people have to live and dress like they are in the 1990's. We have comebacks of 90's shows, such as Rocko's Modern Life and the conclusion movie of Hey Arnold ! We also have fashion trends finding their back, platform shoes and the acceptability of overalls. It's an interesting concept, but the fact is, there's so much nostalgia around us. I find this interesting and sometimes weird. But I have a theory to why there's so much of this nostalgia going on. At least of a couple of them. Theory: Everything Moved too Fast What I mean by this is, during the late 1980's to1990's, things were more tech-free, which in return makes people feel like it was a ...

Hello everyone! Yes, I have finally gotten around to doing a new book review! I wanted to ask you all a question first, do you think I should switch to wordpress or even Wix? I've been thinking of doing this for a while now, but I can't make up my mind. I'm fine with a really simple blog, but sometimes I don't feel like I can be as creative with my blog. I also don't want to lose all my content. Let me know your thoughts or suggestions! Anyways, onto the review! (SPOILER ALERT) A Little Bit of Background Charlaine Harris  is a New York Times bestselling author who has been wriitng for the the past 30 years. She published her firstbookin 1981 entitled Sweet and Deadly . She published  Dead until Dark   in may of 2001,which started the Sookie Steakhouse series that spanned from 2001 to 2013. The book went on that year to receive the Anthony Award for Best Paperback Mystery. The series was then picked up by HBO and transformed the Sookie Steakhouse series into ...

Hello everyone! It's raining once again here in Dallas and I'm loving it because my car gets a wash! I also love it, because rain really puts me in the mood to write (and to sleep). I'm still reading the book I started at the beginning of September, but should be done next week. I've been busy because I got a job! (eeep!) So between three jobs, I've been pretty busy, but I really want to keep up with my blog. Next week, I will have a new book review done, but this week it's another Rainy thoughts! Topic of the day: Community College . "Oh, you went to community college, no shame in that" This is one of the sayings I get when I tell people I went to community college. Why do community colleges have this weird rep? I personally loved my community college. Palo Alto alumni! (not the one in Silicon Valley). I learned so much and had a ton of opportunities from my professors. One of my professors had us all register to vote, had local politicia...

No, it's not raining this time while I write this. Though, it did rain pretty bad a couple of weeks ago south from where I live. Hurricane Harvey struck down the southern region of Texas, from Rockport to Houston, Texas. It's a pretty bad incident, one we weren't too prepared for. Luckily, Texas is known for it's hospitality. Photo Courtesy of Time Magazine When danger strikes us cold, it's a very tragic, yet realizational moment. During and post days of the hurricane, neighbors were and are still helping each other. There were strangers helping other strangers. People sharing their boats, their coats, directions and anything else they could. The cities that weren't affect have been collecting donations, starting fundraisers, volunteering at shelter and doing what they can. Photo Courtesy of CNN It's really times like these, unfortunately, that bring people together. Here in Texas, people and businesses have been supporting the victims of H...

Hi everyone! Hope all is going well! I mean to do this book review earlier, but as all things in life goes, nothing went according to plan. I just graduated and I've been crazy busy with work! I actually just got back from a small get-away (will be writing about it next week...at least that's what I'm planning!), so I have a day to actually relax and write some this book review. Now, this book is co-written by one of my favorite author's, Janet Evanovich, so when my fiance spotted it at the Dollar Tree, I knew it was a gem. Now onto the review! (SPOILER ALERT!) A little Bit of Background As for the authors, I've talked a little bit about Janet Evanovich from my last reviews on her Stephanie Plum series. If you would like to look at those, here is the link to one and two . A little bit about Janet, she has been publishing books since the early 90's. Her most famous series, and my favorite, is the Stephanie Plum series that is still in continuation. She ...

Let me start by saying, it's not raining today, but I feel it in my bones that it will soon.. hopefully because it's crazy hot here in Texas! So, this is my first time reading this book. I know a lot of people have read it by now, but it's my first time. In school, we read Animal Farm , an equally eye opening book. I was so happy to finally read this book and I immersed myself in it. So now, let me tell you a little about it (SPOILER ALERT!) A Little Bit of Background George Orwell is a very renowned writer for a number of his books, including 1984 . Now 1984 was actually written in 1949. Orwell wrote this book because of what was going on with the world at that time (WWII, communism, etc). He wrote this book as a warning to all that man can easily become manipulated if the right people know how to do it. It's a scary thought, and after reading it, it's something that could and has happened before.  The main story follows a man named Winston who knows...

Hey everyone! It's been sunshine and rainbows in Texas during the day, but at night, thunder storms have been going off like crazy! Anyways, I'm half way done with school and I couldn't be more excited and terrrified (job wise) at the same time. Also, found my wedding dress (squeal). I have been in college for four years now and never have I once felt like a typical college kid in regards to food. I love to cook and frozen dinners just don't cut it for me (except pizza, mmm Totinos!).  For lunch, it's a different story, I eat what is there. So I decided to make ramen, stove top. When I was younger, my mom use to cook ramen for me when I was sick or just as a lunch. When she would make it for me, she would break up the ramen into little pieces before putting it into the hot water on the stove. I use to think everyone ate ramen like this, until I went to my bestfriend's house. Her name is Shelby and when she made ramen noodles, I was surprised to see she did...

Another book review is here! Can you believe it? It's about the middle of summer already! Kind of crazy. Seems like the older I get, the more time just likes to fly by. Hopefully it slows down, just for a while. Anyways, if I'm not working three job, or at school/doing school work, I'm at the book store picking out a new read. Here in Dallas, we have a huge flagship Half Price Books! If you ever visit Dallas, and you love reading books, you need to visit this place! I originally found this book at Target as a Target Club Pick, but wanted to save money, so headed over to Half Price. As usual, (especially at this Half Price), I found what I wanted. Onto the review! (SPOILER ALERT)! A Little Bit of Background   The Ice Cream Cream of Orchard Street was written by New York Times bestselling author, Susan Jane Gilman . This book was Gilman's debut novel in 2014 and has been praised by various publications, including Publishers Weekly and USA Today . Her book contain...

I happen to write these blogs when it rains or when it looks like it's going to rain. It's nice and kind of suspicious. Anyways, if you're into basketball, then you know that the Spurs lost last night to the Golden State Warriors. At the end of the game, everyone cheered and shouted for Manu Ginobli. He has played with the Spurs since he was drafted in 1999. Even though the Golden State was ahead, everyone appreciated Manu for all the years he contributed to his team. It's being speculated that this will be his last season, but it's still not been confirmed. Either way, those people in the arena, and those people posting about Manu and how they're still spurs fans, those are real fans. If you don't know Spurs fans, then you don't know real dedication, as you can see in the pictures below. Spurs wedding. Courtesy of Spurs Twitter account. Spurs quinceanera. Photo from My San Antonio Express News. Photo from Instagram account @c_always_wright...

My second review on the Stephanie Plum series by author Janet Evanovich . I know it's a week past my usual monthly deadline, but I had so much stuff to do this month school wise! I was nominated for top 5 best capstone (senior project) so I had to do a whole presentation in front of a bunch of people! It was scary, but I made it through. I'm actually turning my senior project into a book (stay tuned for that!). Anyways, enough with my update! Let's get on to the review! (SPOILER ALERT) A Little Bit of Background Janet Evanovich is a New York Times Best Selling author for plenty of her works. Her Stephanie Plum series started back in 1994. This book is her eighth installment out of 24 (I know, I'm a little behind). This book came out in 2002 and follows directly after the 7th book. As for Stephanie, she is on another round about chase to find a missing mother and child. She ends up finding out that the person she is after and the mother and daughter she is t...

 So this is the book I have been reading for class. I'm so happy to be reviewing this book for you. This is definitely a different type of book, one that I have never read. I bought this book at half price and I was pleasantly surprised when I found a note on the inside. This was originally a gift from a son to a mother. This book does deal with children and parents, so I'm kinda curious if I could actually trace the original owner of this book. Anyways, on to the review! A L ittle Bit of Background Roz Chast came out with this book in 2013. Before his book, she illustrated many other books and has had her cartoons appear in the New Yorker since 1978. She continues to write and illustrate to this day. This whole book centers around Roz and her parents before there death, the passing of one and then the other. Throughout this book, there is writing, but it creatively drawn as if her own handwriting, which may be the case. There are also comic strips that go along wi...

Hello everyone! I have been so busy recently. I am a senior in college and I've been working on senior projects and what not. I feel like it's been a while since I wrote, but I know it's only been a little less than a month. I have been reading a book, but I have been reading it slowly, because it's for class. Once I finish that, I will write a proper review. Since I don't think I'm going to be able to finish and put up a good review on the book until the end of the month/next month, I thought of maybe introducing a new every now and then series called Rainy Thoughts, so here it is! Homesick So if you don't know me, I moved to a different city about a year and a half ago, partly for school, mainly for my now fiance (we get married next year!). Leaving home didn't seem like it was going to be a hard decision, but when it got closer, it became so hard. Now, I just started spring break, and besides going to work and school, I don't really have fr...

Found another interesting book for .99 cents at a Goodwill! Just goes to show that you can find great books almost anywhere! Anyways, this took me a little longer to read, because school, work, winter break, family emergencies, blah, blah, blah, but I finished it! I am happy to be writing again. I find that writing can either take your mind off things, or help you cope with life changes. Either way, here is my review on The Bellwether Revivals by Benjamin Wood . WARNING: Spoiler Alert! A Little Bit of Background  Benjamin Wood is an author and a Lecturer at Kings College. He grew up in Northwest England. This was his first publication, which won him a series of awards, including Costa First Novel Award. The novel is a British book, and has different spellings and narratives, such as using (' ') when someone is talking rather than (" "). The book is set in Britain with references to different scholarly figures. This book is about a young adult named Oscar, who...

I was on winter break from school and rather than starting a new book, I felt like reading through a manga series that I have been reading since I was in the 5th grade (so about 11 years). The Yotsuba&! series is known for coming out super slow, and after a 3 year hiatus, came back this past past year with another volume set. I was completely excited and went to different stores, until I found a Barnes and N oble who had two copies sitting on a cart that an associate was stocking the shelves with. I thought it would be a cool idea to do a manga review on one of my favorite series, so here it is! A Little Bit of Background Kiyohiko Azuma has been writing the Yotsuba&! series since 2003. He is known for his manga turned anime series Azumanga Daioh . Yotsuba has not been turned into an anime, but Azuma doesn't think it would really work for an anime, since the chapters are short. Yotsuba&! revolves around a 5-year-old, green-haired girl named Yotsuba. She can be...