Do you know Flavia de Luce? // Bookworm

If you follow my little blog for a while, you know I'm a bookworm. I read almost every day! I don't do e-book readers though. I might give it a try one day, but so far I need a real book in my hand. I love the paper, I love the smell. I would miss it. And I want to keep at least one part of my life tech-free!

We have this lovely little bookstore downtown El Dorado. Since I'm trying to support my local dealers as good as possible, I go there as soon as I have a feeling I will be running out of reading material soon.

The other day I was there to pick up a book I ordered, when I saw a few books on the shelf, all with similar covers. I LOVE series. I miss the characters of the stories as soon as I finish a book. So series give me the chance to spend a little more time with them.

That day I decided to pick up the first book of the Flavia de Luce series, which is called "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie". And I didn't regret it one day! The Author is Alan Bradley.

It is the summer of 1950–and at the once-grand mansion of Buckshaw, young Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison, is intrigued by a series of inexplicable events: A dead bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp bizarrely pinned to its beak. Then, hours later, Flavia finds a man lying in the cucumber patch and watches him as he takes his dying breath. 

For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw. “I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn’t. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life.”

via goodreads.com

The first few pages were a little weird to read. I had to get used to the way Alan Bradley writes I guess. And since Flavia, a 11 year old girl, is the narrator, it all adds up to a whole new reading experience.

The book was well received by critics as an old-fashioned mystery featuring an unforgettable protagonist (Flavia). The novel has won multiple awards and is the first in a proposed 6-book series. Currently I own 1-5. I will definitely order the remaining one as well.



I finished the first book in s few days, bought the number 2-5 right away, and right now I am about to finish reading the 3rd one, which is called "A Red Herring Without Mustard". The books have the weirdest names, and (IMO) not the nicest covers, but I think they are awesome, funny, entertaining.... A MUST READ! If you love mystery and black humor.

Goodreads.com sums the series up: 

"Precocious 11-year old fascinated with chemistry and death bicycles around Bishop's Lacey from ancient country house Buckshaw in 1950s England."

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#NaBloPoMo // Book: "The Wedding Girl"

This book was surprisingly good! I read it after 2 bloody thrillers in a row, being in desperate need of some chick-lit.

I have tons of Sophie Kinsella books, but this was my first one of her books writing as Madeleine Wickham, her real name.

She wrote 7 books as Madeleine Wickham; all of them years before the well-known "Shopaholic" series. She was often asked why she writes under two names - the reason is that these books are in a different style from her books written as Sophie Kinsella.

I loved " The Wedding Girl" right from the start! The main character, Milly, is such a lovable person! I read the book in 2 days. I laughed out loud many times, and even cried a little bit every now and then. The story and ALL the characters are wonderful!

"At eighteen, Milly was up for anything. So when a friend asked her to marry him just so he could stay in England, she didn't hesitate. To make it seem real she dressed up in wedding finery and posed on the steps of the registry office for Photographs.

Now, ten years later, Milly is very a very different person. Engaged to Simin - who is good-looking, wealthy and adores her - she is about to have the biggest and most elaborate wedding imaginable, all masterminded by her mother. Nobody knows about her first marriage, so it's almost as though it never happened - isn't it?

But with only four days to go, it looks as though Milly's past is going to catch up with her. Can she sort things out before her fairytale wedding collapses around her? How can she tell Simon? And worse still, how can she tell her mother...?"

Great book with lots of twists! 4 out of 5 stars!

Currently reading // Vampire Academy

A cold made me stay home all weekend. I was sleeping most of the time, but made it to finish "Silence". Now I have to wait til october for "Finale" to come out... Geez!!!!

Next on my to-read-list is the "Vampire Academy" series.

M brought me book #2 and book #3 a few weeks ago. I wanted to start with the very first one though. I found it on amazon marketplace for 41 cents :oD

The seller's shop is named "preloved books". I've bought quite a few used books from there so far and they always came in exactly the condition that was stated on the Internet. If not even better!

If you are a bookworm like I am, check out the marketplace! You can save a whole lot of money!

Excuse me now, while I dive into the world of "Vampire Academy"....
Anybody out there already read it? Opinions, please!

Have a great day!

The Ugly Truth

OK, check the date.... It´s summer, right? Is it? Or did I go to bed in April and woke up in October? Help!

I know some of you guys in the US are suffering from the heat. Over here in Germany? Rainy, cold, dark... It sucks. At least I live in Bavaria (southern Germany) so we had a couple of hot days so far and I still remember the sky is blue and the sun is warm.

In the western parts though (that´s where I grew up) - every time I checked the weather on my App, they were obviously freezing their butts off. Plus I guess umbrella stores make a billion over there right now.

Ok, I know I know, I should be happy I already have freckles and a tan. But this weather right now sucks. Bad. I don´t feel like wearing socks and SHOES!!! I want my flip flops :o(

The only good thing about this crazy weather is: I can stay at home without feeling guilty ;o), wear my Chargers sweatpants and my good old Lakers shirt, cuddling up with Coco cat on the couch  and work on my to-read-list. By the way - is anyone else on goodreads? If so: go ahead and hit me up on there!

M is happy though! He loves this kind of weather. Stupid Washington State ppl ;o) (JOKE!!)

How´s your summer so far?

Weekend Recap

// Since M gave me the first book of Becca Fitzpatrick´s "Hush Hush" series for my birthday, I´m addicted to these books. I finished the second one, "Crescendo", Friday night and I was so glad I already ordered "Silence" since the cliffhanger at the end of book #2 was SO BAD I started reading book #3 right away! And so far it started even better than the first two books of the series! //

// I finally found a church :)! It´s an international baptist church and I went there for the first time when M´s mom was over here. Since that day I go there every sunday for worship and to the bible classes on Thursdays. Awesome people!
I feel so much better! Friday and Saturday I was designing prayer request cards for the intercessory prayer group and I really enjoyed doing it. //

// Ben & Jerry´s. Do I have to say anything else? :oD I´ve got this one, "Bonnaroo Buzz", for my birthday... And finished it Saturday. Yummmmmmy! Especially with the Sandies cookies and a nice cup of coffee! Life is good! //

// Saturday I had to go downtown to get the prayer request cards printed. Since they were really fast with printing and cutting them, I still had a whole lot of time. I decided to run a few more errands, bought this yummy body splash (melon and quince)....... //

// ...and got a manicure :o)! //

//Friday my new bike got delieverd to my office. I freaked out and felt like a kid on christmas morning and kept jumping up and down and laughing and screaming! I absolutely LOVE it! Can´t wait for the rainy days to stop so I can go on a long ride. //

// Yesterday I went to church. It was a nice service and fellowship afterwards. When I get home after church, I always read the part of the scripture again. Yesterday it was Mark 5: 24-43. I love my "The Woman´s Study Bible". It´s the NKJV.

"This popular study Bible features contributions from today's well-known women authors for enriching a woman's heart, mind, and spirit with God's Word. The Woman's Study Bible is a priceless treasure, poignantly delivering the Word of God to a woman's heart. Dig deeper into God's Word with the help of inspiring articles from today's leading communicators. Its many features provide abundant resources to truly study the Bible."

 // Besides all that, I was browsing through some MBFWB articles online and in magazines //

 
How was your weekend?

______________________________

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Bye bye, weekend! // On to the next one!

Howdy!

Hope y'all had a wondeful weekend? I was pretty busy.... and now I´m ready for bed :oD (it´s 9pm over here...). 

I´ll read a few pages ("Silence" by Becca Fitzpatrick). Maybe. Might be even too tired for that...

Weekend recap will be on here tomorrow! So make sure to come back!

Oh and don´t forget to enter my giveway! ---------> CLICK!

Jay Z - On To The Next One Feat. Swizz Beatz from urbanpulse radio on Vimeo.

DIY // Awesome Ideas For Bookshelves

Hello, I´m Anni. And I´m a BOOKAHOLIC! :o)

I just found these online and wanna share them with you.

These easy and clever bookshelves look so much cooler than anything you can buy from a store. Finding creative ways to display books can be just as alluring as any kind of art.

Floating Bracket Bookshelves

Source: moredesignplease.com

 

Box Shelves from Ikea, Connected with Ordinary Office Binder Clips
 

Click here for further instructions.

Source: livethemma.ikea.se  /  via: remodelista.com

 

The Wall Bookmark Shelf

You could use a bracket, or buy the one pictured here for $32.

Source: sleekidentity.com

 

Ladder + Wood Bookshelves

Made with 2 ladders and planks of wood.

Source: peggy

Or just one ladder will do for a smaller bookshelf.

Source: casahaus.blogspot.com

 

Wallpapered Bookshelves

Click here for more details on how to make this yourself.

Source: apartmenttherapy.com
 

Leather Harness Hanging Bookshelf

Available for £89.00 from Rockett St. George. But you could probably also make this with some leather belts.

Source: rockettstgeorge.co.uk

 

Hollowed-Out TV Bookcase

Source: dirjournal.com

 

 

Another Ladder Bookshelf

Take a ladder apart and hang one side of it on the wall.

Source: poetichome.com

Source: pinterest.com

 

The Bookend Bookshelf

You can also buy this one in particular here from Umbra.com for $15.

Source: umbra.com

 

Wooden Pallet Bookshelves

Source: kmackay

 

Another Example of a Wooden Pallet Bookshelf

Source: homedit.com

 

Bookshelf Made from an Old Drawer

Click here for the full tutorial.

Source: olivebites.blogspot.com.es

 

 Industrial Pipe Shelving

This one's available for $349 from Etsy, and the seller, Stella Blue Designs, has many variations available.

Source: etsy.com

Pipe shelving can also be easily DIYed.

Source: coolmaterial.com

 

Pipe & Wood Bookshelf

Click here for the instructions.

Source: the-brick-house.com

 

Storage Bench

Made from pine wood, metal crates, and casters. Click here for instructions.

Source: abeautifulmess.typepad.com

 

Rope Bookshelf

For more detailed instructions, click here.

Source: scraphacker.com

This one uses drawer pulls. Click here for more instructions.

Source: projectnursery.com

 

Larger, More Industrial Hanging Rope Bookshelves

View the full tutorial here.

Source: theruncible.wordpress.com

 

Bookshelf from Wooden Cable Spool and Ikea Casters

Click here for more instructions.

Source: smalltowncraftfair.blogspot.com

 

Wine Crate Wall Shelves

Click here for more elaborate instructions.

Source: designsponge.com

 

Magazine Holder Bookshelf

You can get one of these from Ikea, $9.99 for a set of 2. Get the incredibly simple instructions here.

Source: designsponge.com

 

Pegboard Using Colored Pencils and String

Not exactly a bookshelf, but books can certainly be incorporated. Full tutorial here.

Source: karapaslaydesigns.blogspot.com

 

Hanging Fabric Shelves

You'll need 2 curtain rods, 2 double curtain rod brackets, and some fabric. See the full tutorial here.

Source: pennycarnival.typepad.com

Spice Racks

Ikea spice racks nailed to the sides of a dresser makes instant display bookshelves. Click here for more details.

Source: ikeahackers.net

 

Stacked Antique Benches

Source: bhg.com

 

Stained Plywood Book Display Case

Just glue some birch plywood together and stain. Click here for the tutorial.


via buzzfeed.com

Eat Pray Love

I´ve read this book last year in Ocotber while being on vacation in California. It is one of the most wonderful books I´ve read so far. I kept marking parts of it and keep looking them up.

I´m 29, single, working for almost 13 years now... Sometimes, especially when I´m alone, I keep thinking about my life, the past, the present and the future.
I ´ve had good times and really bad times... Sometimes I wish I had the money to leave and just travel for one year, too, just as Liz in "Eat Love Pray" did.

My dream is, to move to California one day, cause thas the only place on earth i felt "home" so far. I work hard on that dream...

But what I´ve learned during all this time being single is, "Ham-sa" - "I am That."
I know who I am and what I want. And I think that is a great start to achieve your dreams!

Birthday Present Impressions //