Books, books, books, oh how I love books

When I woke up today as I was washing my face, my son ran up to me (he gets up an hour earlier with my hubby) and said 'it is no joke mommy, it is raining so you can't do photos outside!' I told him he was right. But after I got dressed and was ready to take photos I thought it would be cool to place the tripod under the covered area and stand in the rain with my umberella which happens to match my pants perfectly!

The outfit was inspired by the lovely Bee from the insanely popular (and well deserves the popularity) of Atlantic Pacific Blog.

 Since I bought these magenta colored denim pants I always look for inspirational outfits I can wear with them... And this was perfect since I owned very similar items.

 These are my very old shoes. I haven't worn them in ages. Didn't really wear them today either with all the rain and plus they are not your practical pre-school carry two kids and diaper bag kind of shoes. Wore my same colored (cognac) uggs instead!

Umbrella - Coach

Jacket, Pants, heart necklace - Forever 21

Denim Shirt - LC Waikiki from Turkey

Belt - H&M

Chain necklace - Off Fifth 

Heels - Charles David

And I have to share the kids excitement today at the sight of the rain and finally an opportunity to use their umberellas and wear rain boots:

The fact that all of our clothes match to our umbrella's I swear was not planned!

 Her outfit came out so cute this morning! This jacket which so resembles mine came in a set with skinny khaki pants which are also adorable. The Calvin Kline outfit retails at a stupid $50+ but of course I got it for under $20 at Marshall's. The tutu is from Costco, the skinny jeans are rocca again from Marshalls. The adorable hat is from Children's place. She is wearing a hello kitty tee under from H&M and the boots are target!

For Friend Friday 

hosted by 

Katy at Modly Chic 

We are talking about our favorite BOOKS and/or most recent reads. I am definitely no writer but am an avid reader of fiction. I absolutely love books. Always have and always will.

• I love books written in first person and take me to a different land, time and/or era. 
• I love books that are slow reads where you can read a chapter and be satisfied and put it down. I have read the popular page turners but find them addictive and not as pleasurable as the slow reads. 
• Since I didn't grow up or go to school in this country (except for college) I was not required to read any of the classics in English Literature. So for years since moving here I have made a rule to read a classic every 5 books or so. I am always moved by those classics where the authors somehow managed to write in a way that a person can still relate to hundreds of years later!
• I also enjoy beutfiul writing. Not complex writing where the sentences are a paragraph long but writing that gets the emotions and feelings across in such a concise and beautiful way. 
• I have nothing against Kindle but it is not for me. I am one of those old fashioned people that loves to hold an actual book, smell the paper, turn the pages and hug it when I close it if it made me feel something. 
• Plus I love to build a library. To remember some of my favorite books and authors for this post I went up and looked through my shelves. I love owning the books I read and going back to them. Since I am obsessively organized all my books are displayed in alphabetical order by author's last name like a bookstore!

With that being said here are my all time favorite books:
1. Jane Eyre by by Charlotte Brontë

My absolute all time favorite!
If you have never read this I would highly recommend it. It has this 'suspense' element that I would have never anticipated. The characters are so complex and well thought out. The writing is ageless and beautiful.







2. Ahab's Wife by by Sena Jeter Naslund

This book is about the wife of Captain Ahab of the famous novel Moby Dick. Which I have bought but have not read the actual Moby Dick yet. This is also the book that got me to fall in love with Light Houses. I would highly recommend it.




3. Away by Jane Urquhart

 
4. These are a group of books all covering a similar theme: A Woman who is stuck in a marriage or a relationship in a time where having affaris is absolutely taboo but falls in love with someone else anyway and their struggle with this. And from the era and the name of the authors that have covered this theme you can see the issue applies to any century.

• Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (don't let the size or the author's fame scare you. It is a pleasant and very interesting read)
• Madame Bovary by Gustave Falubert -A bit harder read but the story is captivating and once again ageless!
• The Awakening by Kate Chopin -Super short but amazingly powerful.
• Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller - One of two books that have made me cry and I rarely ever cry!

5. Just when you think you get my tastes I will surprise you with this one and am not ashamed to admit it but I am an absolute die hard fan of the Twilight books by by Stephenie Meyer !

I have read all 4 cover to cover 3 times. The first book probably 5 times. These books are totally addictive and page turners but there is just something about the chemistry and love between the main characters that I am strangely drawn to and whenever I want to loose myself in that I open any of the books in any section and start reading. The movies are just 'OK'. They don't even come close to the books but I have to say Kristen Stewart is exactly how I envisioned Bella so I think that was a perfect casting. 



I have so many more books that I loved. Then there are authors that I love and have bought and read every book they have written. And those are:
1. Margaret Atwood (you might know her by her award winning 'The Handmaid's Tale')
2. Charles Dickens ('Great Expectations' is another big favorite of mine)
3. Jane Austin (absolute love 'Sense and Sensibility')
4. Emile Zola
5. Toni Morrison
6. Amy Tan
7. Erich Segal (the author of the famous 'Love Story')
8. Rebecca Wells (ya ya sisterhood author)
9. Naguib Mahfouz (Fascinating look into the Arabic culture)

Here is a weird observation. I spend a huge amount of time when selecting books to read. I love to go to the bookstore (alone) and spend hours browsing through the books. I read reviews in the back (look for NY times book review the most) and read the summary of the story and also read the first sentences of the first page to get a feel for the books. I have a neck for selecting books that become super famous and get movies made of. I am not kidding. Books I have read years later become a big hit over and over. To proof of this theory that you can see I own these books in the original cover and in the year they were published.
Some examples are:
1. Memoirs of a Geisha

2. The Joy Luck Club
3. Invisible Circus
4. Water for Elephants
5. White Oliander
6. The girl with a pearl earring
7. The Reader
8. The Help!


And here are the last 5 books I have read/reading:
1. Currently reading: One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest by by Ken Kesey and Robert Faggen

2. When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka

3. Help by Kathryn Stockett

4 & 5. 'Dead as a Doornail' (book 5) and 'Definitely Dead' (book 6) by Charlaine Harris from the Sookie Stackhouse series which is the HBO True Blood series is based upon.

 To see others favorite reads click HERE! 

And let me know do you recognize some of these book have you read them? What is your favorite?

Another Stripe Story

 Pretty surprised and happy with how today's outfit turned out. The inspiration came from the October issue of the In Style Magazine:

 It was from a page where I actually have 2 other inspirations:

Sometimes I will go through a magazine and find nothing interesting and sometimes I will have 10-12 inspirations to cut! You never know. Most are definitely from Lucky, In Style and People style watch. I read the articles of Elle.

Anyway, back to today's outfit:

 It seems so far whenever I wear this top I seem to love the outfit. It was such a spur of the moment purchase at TJ Maxx months ago too. I just knew it had potential!

 And these $14 flared jeans have been my staple all week long. They are stretchy so super comfy and the thin fabric works great with our warm weather midday. Plus the length seems to work both with flats and heels!

 This little cross body is a recent purchase from Marshall's. I am always on the look out for small cross body purses since I live in them. The touch of faux fur on the flap makes this the perfect trendy piece for the season...

 I love that it has a handle on top as well...

 Added the coral belt and the ring to pick up the coral of the top. I didn't realize the top was this sheer until the photos.

 The platform booties look great with the flared jeans...

I added the chunky cream cardigan when I got cold as we went from warm outdoor to AC'd indoors etc...

Top - TJ Maxx

Pants, Belt, Shoes - Forever 21

Purse - Mashall's

Ring - H&M

Watch - Michael Kors

TODAY:
It was a big day of dentist and Dr appointments. My son had 2 cavity fillings today. His first. He was remarkably understanding of the fact that he couldn't eat 4 hours prior and acted like a champ during the filling process. My mom was able to take my daughter so I stayed with him without distractions. Then we met them at a hallmark store so the kids can select their 2011 ornaments. Last year we went too late and the popular ones were all sold out. My daughter picked a tweety ornament that sings and my son after changing his time 5 times settled on a space mickey ornament. I really wanted him to get the 'where the wild things are' cause it is one of his favorite books but he wouldn't. I might get that for him anyway as a gift cause it was so cool. I also found the exact replica of the wooden snoopy dog toy I used to have as a kid that my mom kept to this day in an ornament form. I had to get it. I love hallmark ornaments.
Afterwards I left the kids with my parents then went to my own Dr appointment before meeting them back at my house for dinner.
Thanks to Deniz Saatcioglu, I bought the 'Dukan Diet Book' and am reading all about it so my husband and I can start together after his birthday next week. The website declined me cause apparently I am at my target weight even though I have gained 10lbs since last month mostly due to the 3 week consulting work assignment. Will keep you updated as to how it goes. So far I am liking and agreeing with what I am reading.

Florals and Stripes

 

Today's outfit was inspired by the lovely Diya from In Her Stilettos. This is from one of her much older posts.

I should have looked at this photo again before dressing up cause it would have looked cooler if I unbuttoned the trench.

 Close-ups of the accessories. These earrings are from Mango I bought in Turkey. I like that they are silver and gold but they are quite heavy so I can't wear them for too long...

Trench - Forever 21

Dress - Anthropologie

Shoes, Bracelet - Tilly's

Earrings - Mango

Ring - From Turkey

Watch - Bulova

TODAY:
Not an eventful day. We did preschool in the morning than I went on a frenzie of housework in the afternoon while the kids played together. I put away all the things I bought for the kids yesterday and did laundry and rotated my daughter's closet so the fall/winter clothes are in the front. She is obsessed with the princess slippers and the PJs I bought her and wore them all afternoon.
Watched 'Hall Pass' from netflix tonight. It was much funnier than I anticipated. Have you guys seen in?