Books Books Books: The Fault in our Souls Review

Alright, your resident bookworm is back, after two failed attempts at finishing books before their due dates...yea, not exactly proud of that. Anyways, her redemption: reading one book in a little more than 3 hours. Yes, 3 hours, and I know what happened in the book and I got attached enough to the characters that I nearly started to cry, and that takes a lot from me! (Random note: you know you're a bookworm when you get more emotionally attached to the characters in a book than ones in a movie...I've cried more for characters in books than for any in movies.) What book was this that kept my attention so well that I was able to read over 300 pages in just over 3 hours? To be fair, it is a New York Times Bestseller by John Green, called The Fault in our Stars. Here's my review for this book:

"This book was an attention grabber for me starting at the beginning. The eloquent and highly logical way all the teens spoke was made even better with their no bullshit attitude and a sense of humor that quite matched my own. I found myself turning the pages even before I got out of the library and finishing it within a few hours. A wonderful read that ends in a tear-jerker, John Green's writing held me for the entire story wanting more! Is there more?"

Honestly, if there's another I'd be game for reading it! There were at least 10 copies of this book at my local library, so go check your library I'm sure there will be something there! :) I give it five stars out of five for sure!!

Happy reading!
Love,
Sara :)

Musica Monday

Wanting to be accepted is part of being human. This starts to become especially apparent when we are in middle school, when we first really witness cliques and friend groups forming. I'm sad to report that I have seen this begin even before in elementary school, because it has become less important for kids to accept people because of who they are and more important for them to fit into the accepted social group. Obviously I feel there is a problem with this, but I really did not want to go into this because I'm not sure when I would stop. I was bullied and I know many of you probably were too.

But what if we forget about being accepted? What if instead of submitting to this status quo that never leaves (seriously, high school never ends....another great song btw!) us, and instead we stay ourselves and stick with those who love us for who we are? I've been helping a friend over the past few years get through a few guys who have been complete jerks to her and before she found her current significant other it was hard and she found that people were weirded out by who she was when she acted hyper or childish one minute but then professional and smart the next. It took a while but she has found someone who loves her for who she is, no strings attached or anything like that. This is where I have found myself for the past year and I am happy and super content to stay right here where I am :). I think Nick Jonas wraps it up quite well in this song. And yes, Nick Jonas, one of the Jonas Brothers, he's got an awesome voice! Enjoy people!

Love,

Sara :)

Book Book Book: Cocaine Blues (Phryne Fisher, #1) Review

I finished this book, Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood a few days ago, but I haven't really had the time to sit down and write a review for it, but here I go :) Cocaine Blues is the first in a mystery series about a high society girl, named Phryne Fisher, who moves to Melbourne, Australia from England to become a detective, and  never looks back.
"Not the normal mystery, Phryne presents herself as a knowledgeable, quick-witted, sassy, sexy, and all together awesome female role. High society and being proper doesn't stop her from showing up the men in her life. Similar to a female version of Sherlock Holmes, she is quick on her feet and not afraid to bend the rules, get a little dirty (to clean up later), and point out what is seemingly obvious to her but confusing to her counter parts. She is classy and lives for adventure. I look forward to getting my hands on the second!"
Above was my review placed on Goodreads. Come find me and let us swap book suggestions :)

Your friendly neighborhood bookworm,
Sara :)

Musica Monday

I've spent enough time on YouTube looking at different artists that some of my recommended songs have become something other than anime and mainstream pop. Today was one such example. One of my recommended videos was entitled "VanLadyLove - Neverland (Lost Boys Remix)", my first thought: Peter Pan? So, I clicked on it and listened. The video was artistic, a little odd, but to my liking! And the music was quite wonderful! Much more acoustic than some of the things I have been listening to recently, which is a nice twist. There aren't many songs out by these guys as of yet, the other one I found that was an original by them is called "Maybe Not Forever". Their covers are also quite lovely, a distinct acoustic that is very pleasing to the ear. These guys I think are definitely someone to watch! Enjoy!

Love,
Sara :)

Beans and Barley

I have been looking around for a nice cafe in the Milwaukee area that is great for vegetarians, such as myself. For my upcoming grad party (Sunday! Scary!), we found a place called Beans and Barley where who specialize in vegetarian and vegan meals. Don't panic, you meat-lovers, there is chicken offered there as well. Located in Milwaukee on 1901 E North Avenue, this restaurant also doubles as a deli where you can buy delicious and healthy food or order catering or pick up containers of food for your next party.

The restaurant is very neat, with an open feel to it and a friendly atmosphere presented by friendly staff who know the food and drinks like the back of their hand. I will share with you what I had to eat there because it really made a lasting impression on me! There are pictures to accompany my review. I'm feeling organized today :D

They have a good assortment of teas and smoothies, as well as espressos, coffees, ciders, and juices. However, unlike most restaurants, they only carry root beer, lemon lime soda, and ginger ale as far as soda is concerned. I tried the Citron Oolong tea and it was quite good.

Moving on to dinner itself, I had one of the most delicious burritos I've had in a long time. When I first looked at the menu, this item caught my eye and when the waitress was recommending food, this one came up as having a following of customers. It sounded like a good choice so I chose the Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burrito. OMG! If you ever go to Beans and Barley, this is something that you HAVE TO TRY, assuming you like black beans, sweet potatoes, guacamole, corn, and rice. It was absolutely delicious! You could taste every aspect of the burrito and it was filling but healthy so I didn't feel bad eating nearly the entire thing, along with all the nacho chips and salsa on my plate. I highly recommend this dish! I am thinking of trying to replicated this dish sometime...when I get a handle on cooking...

As soon as I saw the desert menu I knew that I couldn't leave without trying some dessert. So, between my parents and I, we ordered a slice of Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie and a Mango Smoothie. These were also both well worth getting. The pie was interesting because instead of dicing up the rhubarb, they actually left it in large chunks but cooked it down enough so that it was not bitter much at all and was quite sweet, tasting more of strawberries. The Mango Smoothie was a combination of mango, banana, and mango juice and tasted as such.

Summary: I recommend anyone who is in the Milwaukee area to try out the restaurant or at least some of their food when you get the chance :) It is completely worth it!

Also, sorry for being absent lately, I'm working on a very strange schedule that involves overnight shifts three nights a week while working days and planning for a grad party with over 50 people on Sunday and trying to find more jobs, and thinking about moving and yea....it's getting kinda crazy, and I was under the impression that things got easier after college. That would be a no go my friends! It's just as complicated and crazy, if not more so in the real world. I find myself already missing that college bubble I had...

Love,

Sara :)