Beyond the Books ~ Yellowstone

Welcome to Beyond the Books. This post was inspired by Lexxie @Unconventional Bookviews' Up Close and (Un)conventional, who was inspired by Cuddlebuggery. It's meant to be a way for y'all to get to know me better on a personal level ~ Beyond the Books. ;)

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This trip to Wyoming, my first which is sad since I live ~3 hours from Wyoming, was inspired by books for me (naturally) and my hubs' desire to take the kids there before our oldest graduates. Y'all will get more about my trip to Wyoming and Yellowstone in a Travel by the Book post sometime, but I wanted to share some highlights of our trip! By the way, we spent our first night in Wyoming in the Grand Tetons National Park on Signal Mountain Lake. It was gorgeous there as well. And hubs and I plan to go back.

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Being in Yellowstone, in the Geyser Basin in particular, gave us all a really good idea of what prehistoric Earth must have looked like prior to the arrival of cyanobacteria. <-- My oldest, who wants to go into biology and my youngest who is a prehistory expert shared that piece of knowledge when I mentioned my thoughts on the landscape. The juxtaposition of a landscape very similar to where we live and that of what really does look like a moonscape was spectacular to see.

***Things We Saw in Yellowstone or Grand Tetons***

• Bald Eagle - we saw one fly so close overhead we could see lovely detail
• Bison - we saw so much bison and baby bison roaming free
• Cutthroat Trout
• Deer - we saw deer but since we see it at home, we didn't marvel
• Elk - see comment about re: deer
• Fumarole - these are just vents in the ground which steam but have no water
• Geyser - they steam and blow water...amazing!
• Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
• Grizzly Bear - we had resigned ourselves to not seeing any bears (totally fine with me) and then we saw a mama and her 2 cubs on a hillside on our last day. This was the best way to see a bear!
• Hot Spring - beautiful pools of water and seem like they'd be great to take a dip in until you find out they're 250 degrees Fahrenheit and have a pH of 1-2. In other words, it'll boil and eat your skin right off!
• Moose - we saw a juvenile moose in the Grand Tetons NP
• Mountains!
• Mud Pot - a hot spring that has started eating the rock around it and the liquid looks like bubbling mud
• Paint Pot - same as mud pot only it has extremophiles (bacteria) living in it that makes the liquid pretty colors
• Yellowstone Lake
• Yellowstone River

***A Few Things We Learned***

• Mosquitoes in Yellowstone are smarter than those here in our part of the Rocky Mountains. This means we got 'chewed' on quite a bit. The mosquitoes here are more like keystone cops - you can walk through a swarm and maybe end up with a single bite.

• Theodore Roosevelt did not create Yellowstone National Park. He did form 5 other National Parks, but it was Ulysses S. Grant who signed the legislation that created Yellowstone. Yellowstone was a favorite of Teddy's though.

• You can't fix stupid. Despite multiple warnings - BIG signs everywhere - we still witnessed people: a) step off the boardwalk onto thin and dangerous 'crust'. We even saw a woman walking barefoot through the drainage of a geyser and then lie down next to it; b) get too close to a bison. Yep, the bison actually charged the couple. Luckily for them, he was only giving them a warning.

• Don't attempt Uncle Tom's Trail is you're afraid of heights. This grated stairway leads down into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (River) where you can get a great view of the lower falls. My daughters couldn't make it though. They tried but I ended up coming back up with them before they had panic attacks. :)

***Favorite Quote from the Trip***

Kid: But I don't want to get up early. We're on vacation!

Dad/Hubs: Yes we're on vacation, but it's not a relaxing sort of vacation. It's a see everything we can cram in sort of vacation!

***A Few Photos***

Welcome to Yellowstone!

That's a moose!

A hot spring on the shore of Yellowstone Lake

Don't get too close to that buffalo!

Another hot spring - Dragon's Mouth

That moonscape I was talking about - and a geyser

A gorgeous hot spring

A waterfall - sorry I can't remember the name :/

That's What HE Said #29 & Thirsty Thursday & Hungry Hearts #8

That's What He Said is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely ladies @Chapter Break. Here's the deal: every Thursday, post a line from your book boyfriend to his heroine. Keep in mind, these are direct quotes from dialog in the books. The quote doesn't have to be romantic - just something our hunky hero said to his lucky lady. Be sure to link up over at Chapter Break as well.

My pick this week for That's What He Said is from:

Enemies on Tap by Avery Flynn

(and I was lazy and took photos)

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Audio Review ~ Unbelonging ~ Sabrina Stark

Unbelonging
Unbelonging #1
Narrated by: Erin Mallon
Release Date: September 9, 2014
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: Purchased on Audible
Rating: 3 Bookworms
Goodreads

Synopsis
With an accounting degree that's getting her nowhere, Chloe Malinski spends her nights waitressing and her days housesitting in a neighborhood that's infinitely beyond her reach or comfort zone. But she knows all too well that no one wants a pauper in their mansion, so she's gotten good - maybe a little too good - at faking it 'til she makes it.

With more baggage than any airline, Lawton Rastor made his money through prizefighting - and not the kind with padded gloves and some bowtie-wearing referee. He made it through the gritty, back alley kind where sweaty money changed hands over beer and bimbos.

She's a poor girl from Hamtramck. He's a billionaire bad boy from Detroit. They should've never crossed paths. But when they do, thanks to Chloe's latest housesitting gig, the collision of sparks, secrets, and misunderstandings leaves both of them yearning to belong exactly where they shouldn't - with each other.

A full-length novel, this new adult contemporary romance is book one of the two-part Unbelonging series. It features mature content, sexual situations, and adult language. It's not advised for under-age readers.

I didn't re-read the synopsis for Unbelonging prior to starting it, so I was uncertain what I was getting into. After a few chapters, I was still wondering. By the end, I was thinking 'well, this wasn't bad, but I might not listen to the final one in this duology.' And then...BOOM! A cliffhanger that has me wanting to know what comes next...although I'm not in a rush for it.

Chloe Malinski is a recent college grad who's still job hunting. In the meantime, she works as a waitress and a house sitter. Her house sitting jobs usually put her in more well-to-do neighborhoods - from from where she grew up - and far from where she feels comfortable. But they pay the bills and help support her grandma.

Lawton Rastor is a guy from the 'wrong side of the tracks', who became uber-wealthy through prize fighting. He now lives in a well-to-do neighborhood where he fits financially but not socially.

When Chloe and Lawton meet, it's...well, cute and odd. The dog Chloe is watching as part of her house sitting duties, Chuckie, serves as their introduction. They embark on a friendship - with daily dog walks - that gradually turns into more despite them both 'knowing better'. The problem is, they're both keeping secrets. 

Although I admit that the story kept me interested for the most part, I felt like certain elements were added simply for the drama. We met some side characters who's only purpose seems to have been to create drama. I didn't understand why we spent so much time at the diner where Chloe works except, again, for the drama. And that ending. It kinda came out of the blue. I didn't understand Lawton's behavior at all. Which is one reason I want to listen to the final installment. However, I did enjoy witnessing Chloe and Lawton get to know one another. They are each decent and kind, as far as I can tell. I guess I feel like I didn't get to know them well enough outside the bubble they existed in while their romance was blossoming.

Erin Mallon did well as the narrator. But without having re-read the synopsis, and therefore not knowing what the book was about, Mallon's breathy delivery had me expecting a paranormal. Is that weird? I am an audio newbie but that was the feeling I had.

Overall, I was left feeling iffy about the Unbelonging with the exception of the ending which evoked more emotion from me than most of the story did. I think the story would have been better with more character development. Then Chloe's, and especially Lawton's, behavior would have made more sense. I will, eventually, get to the second installment because I have to know. Whether I will read it or listen to it remains to be determined.

Berk Reviews ~ The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet ~ Erin Dionne

About a year ago, I reviewed The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet. If you missed my review, you can read it here. I mentioned in my review that my younger daughter had tried reading this but had put it down as it 'hit too close to home' for her. But she attempted it again and enjoyed it, so I asked if I could share her review with y'all. :)

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The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet by Erin Dionne

Release Date: January 7, 2010

Genre: Middle Grade
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms

Synopsis

Hamlet Kennedy just wants to be your average, happy, vanilla eighth grader. But with Shakespearean scholar parents who dress in Elizabethan regalia and generally go about in public as if it were the sixteenth century, that's not terribly easy. It gets worse when they decide that Hamlet's genius seven year-old sister will attend middle school with her - and even worse when the Shakespeare project is announced and her sister is named the new math tutor. By the time an in-class recitation reveals that our heroine is an extraordinary Shakespearean actress, Hamlet can no longer hide from the fact that she - like her family - is anything but average. In a novel every bit as funny as her debut, Erin Dionne has created another eighth grader whose situation is utterly unique - but whose foibles and farces will resound with every girl currently suffering through middle school.

**Berk's Review**

Between the school's Shakespeare project, secret crushes and the not-so-dynamic duo-- Hamlet Kennedy’s life was a mess. It didn’t help that her parents are constantly trying to ruin her life, dressing in full Elizabethan regalia, speaking without the use of contractions, or coming to help out at her school. And then her seven year old sister enters 8th grade to learn music and arts before going to college. Will Hamlets life get any better?

This was an overall amazing book. Erin Dionne has a very clever way of creating a great conflict for the character to go through. I had already tried to read this book once before but I thought it was a bit too similar to the situations what I was going through at the time. As I tried the book again, I soon found myself pulled into the story. The world that Dionne has created for the reader makes you really feel like Hamlet was a girl going to your school and dealing with these problems. I’m not going to spoil but I loved how it ended. Wrapped up with revenge and a bow. Dionne has written another wonderful book to add to the collection.

‘“Lots of people get in trouble,” I said. “ It’s no big deal. They won’t stay mad at you forever.”’

What Do You #CRAVE? Blog Tour Review & Giveaway ~ Crave ~ Jennifer Dawson

Welcome to my stop on the What Do You #Crave Blog Tour for the first book in Jennifer Dawson's Undone series, Crave. My stop includes all the details for the book, my review, and a giveaway. 

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Crave
Undone #1
Release Date: June 1, 2015
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: I received a complimentary copy, as part of the blog tour, in exchange for an honest review
Rating: 4.5 Bookworms
Goodreads ~ Amazon ~ B&N ~ Kobo ~ iTunes

Synopsis
I vow. I crave. I give in.

I used to be a nice, normal girl.  I had dreams.  Good, happy dreams of white picket fences, 2.5 kids, and a fairytale love that lasts forever.  Nobody warned me the prince dies three weeks before the wedding.  

Like any addict, I swear this time is the last…. 

Now, I go through my days, a shadow of my former self. I pretend I’m okay, and the people in my life pretend to believe me.  But, sometimes, when I can no longer stand the craving my dead fiancée left behind, I roam an underground sex club looking for my next hit.  It’s dirty and wrong, but I can’t stop, and my only line of defense between them and me, is the rules I’ve designed to keep me safe. With free, no-strings attached sex; men always abide by my rules. Until I meet him.  

And, like any addict, I’m wrong.

I don’t question the instincts that tell me to run. One look at him, standing there, power radiating off him in waves, tells me all I need to know. He will make me forget. And that’s not an option.

**TEASER**

The desire to give him what he wants fills me like an ever expanding balloon. I grow tight with the needto burst. I close my eyes, breathing into the phone. If I answer, I instinctively know all bets are off. Acknowledging without words my rules no longer matter. That I’m in this, and he has power over me.

Crave is a beautifully rendered, sometimes shocking, aching, and yet ultimately heartwarming story. It's a story of one woman's journey back to life after suffering unspeakable trauma. Her journey is fraught with emotion but awe-inspiring in her eventual choice to live.

Layla has spent the last 18 months barely existing - punishing herself for events outside er control, drowning in grief. The night she meets Michael, all her carefully composed rules and constructs begin to crumble. It's not insta-love, but Layla and Michael recognize something in each other -- something they both need, something Layla craves.

You may be thinking this sounds familiar, but Crave has a very different feel. I can't put my finger on the why -- but it does. you're thinking -- this sounds familiar. But Crave has a very different feel. This isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea since it does deal in D/s but it's not a story spent on scenes in clubs or dungeons. There are no toys for props. Dawson does an incredible job in conveying the dynamics in a D/s relationship -- explaining the inexplicable need and freedom found for people who are wired this way. At it's heart, it's a story of a woman finding her way through her grief and getting a second chance at love. We see all the inner turmoil Layla experiences as she rebels against the idea of getting a second chance. We witness her struggle with feelings of betrayal. And we see the beauty of the inner strength she has which enables her to fight for acceptance of who she is, forgiveness for what she perceives as her fault, understanding, maybe even redemption, and the realization that

"Life is risk. Unless you want to go off by yourself and live in the woods, disassociated from all your loved ones, you will experience loss and sorrow again. Grief is inescapable."

and

"Michael loves you." 

"I know." 

"And you love him." 

I nod. 

She takes a deep breath. "Sometimes it's really that simple."

Obviously Crave affected me. It's deeply emotional and intense. Dawson's writing is well paced and she even uses some of Layla's emotion as plot devices because just as I was agreeing with Michael's observation that Layla was wallowing and finding it annoying, Layla annoys herself. Michael is a generous and compassionate man. Yes, he's dominant, but he's patient with Layla and really does give her what she needs.

This was my first read from Dawson and it definitely won't be the last. In fact, I'm rather eager for the second novel in the Undone series, due out in August. 

1 US Winner will receive gift basket that contains a signed copy of CRAVE

Prize package contains:
Decorative reusable storage trunk
Signed copy of CRAVE
$25 Barnes & Noble Gift Card
4 Premium Chocolate Truffles
Argan Oil Sugar Scrub w/shower scrunchie
Pink & black Pillar Candle
Black & Pink Chalk Board Flower Pot
Hanging chalk board
Candle Holder with pink sparkly battery votive

Entry-Form

3 INT/US winners will receive an e-Copy of CRAVE

Entry-Form

Jennifer Dawson grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and graduated from DePaul University with a degreein psychology. She met her husband at the public library while they were studying. To this day she still maintains she was NOT checking him out. Now, over twenty years later they’re married living in a suburb right outside of Chicago with two awesome kids and a crazy dog. 

Despite going through a light FM, poem writing phase in high school, Jennifer never grew up wanting to be a writer (she had more practical aspirations of being an international super spy). Then one day, suffering from boredom and disgruntled with a book she’d been reading, she decided to put pen to paper. The rest, as they say, is history. 

These days Jennifer can be found sitting behind her computer writing her next novel, chasing after her kids, keeping an ever watchful eye on her ever growing to-do list, and NOT checking out her husband.

Website ~ Amazon Author Page ~ Facebook 

Goodreads ~ Twitter

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Bought, Borrowed, & Bagged #68

Bought, Borrowed, & Bagged is a weekly meme, hosted by TalkSupe, where I share with you the books I have bought, borrowed, or bagged (gifted or won) plus a recap of the previous week's reviews, upcoming reviews, and any other bookishness I want to share. :)

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Well, I'm back...technically. ;) Our vacation to Yellowstone was incredible! I'll have a post about it soon. I'm exhausted though and while you will see me around the blogosphere this week, I'm gearing up for another vacation. Yep. I'm a jet-setter this summer! *haha* My hubs and I are going on a trip to celebrate our 20th anniversary, which was in March. So I'll be gone for another week starting next Sunday. We're going to Hawaii - it's the first time for us both and we're very excited!

I will be having another giveaway while I'm gone though, so be on the lookout for that. :)

How have y'all been? I feel like it's been soooo long.....

Bagged

I received these books and swag from Braine @TalkSupe - I won her Fab Giveaway. Thanks, Braine!

And I picked up these beauties on my vacation. :)



Last Week's Reviews

7 Years Bad Sex by Nicky Wells
Out of Breath by Rebecca Donovan
The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead
Jax Reviews Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer
Primani by Laurie Olerich

Upcoming Reviews

Crave by Jennifer Dawson
Unbelonging by Sabrina Stark
Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

#ShelfLove ~ Mid-Year Check In

Wow! How did we get to mid-year already?!? This month, we're discussing how we're faring at this point in the challenge.

As y'all know, I've added my fair share of books both to my physical and my digital shelves. And I've done far more adding to my shelves than removing. I have, however, kept to my budget, used gift cards I received, and/or one-clicked freebies. So in the grand scheme of things, I'm doing well. Yay, me! :)

One area of progress (well, I've really only one!) I'm happy with is that I'm making a conscious and concerted effort to read books that I own...and have owned for awhile. It may be silly, but it gives me a good feeling when I can move a physical book from the TBR shelves over to the Read shelves. And on my ereaders, I get a certain amount of satisfaction when I can 'move' it to the Read shelf. Here's to hoping I can continue this trend - and maybe even add fewer books to my shelves so that I can see the ratio shift!

What about y'all? How are you doing with the #ShelfLove Challenge or any challenge you're doing?

#ShelfLove Review ~ Primani ~ Laurie Olerich

Primani
Primani #1
Release Date: September 7, 2013
Genre: New Adult, Urban Fantasy/Romance
Source: Purchased - Kindle Freebie
Rating: 3 Bookworms
Goodreads

Synopsis
Mica Thomas is Sean O'Cahan's worst nightmare. Part angel, all Primani, he's a ruthless protector with unusual talents. Jaded by the weakness of humans, he takes a hands-off approach to his charges. His job's to protect her. That's all. But Mica's got other ideas. He's strong, but she's stronger. Will his one moment of weakness destroy them both?

I had a hard time deciding how to rate Primani but ended up going with 3 Bookworms. I was initially drawn to it because of its premise. But it had a really slow start and was rather uneven. However, I did end up enjoying the story and I will read the next in the series if only to see if the rhythm Olerich attained by the end continues. Because I liked the direction she decided to take, eventually, I can overlook some of my issues. Here is what I liked and didn't like:

Pros

• Fresh spin on angels and demons 
• I was fully invested in characters by the end
• Once the direction became clear, the story was exciting and suspenseful
• Well-choreographed action scenes
• Vivid descriptions of settings and locales

Cons

• More telling than showing in several parts of the story
• Uneven - it seemed like Olerich couldn't decide how she wanted her characters to be perceived (for example, in one scene Mica is feeling nervous about what is about to happen one minute and the next, she's thinking she looks pretty badass in her combat outfit)
• Pacing was off - for part of the story, it was like Olerich didn't know which way the story was going to go but once it was clear, the story really tightened up