update.

word of the day: update \ˌəp-ˈdāt\ to bring up to date

The last time I updated my book list via this blog was right after I finished The Help.  That was in July, so it seems fitting to bring you up to date.  Since August 1, all three books in the Hunger Games series:

 My cousin, Emily, first suggested these books to me about 3 years ago, but I wasn't captured by their allure initially.  I wanted an easy read for Cancun, though, so I threw The Hunger Games into my suitcase.  Then, I proceeded to read it non-stop until I finished it 2 days later.  Then, I discovered that electronic books cannot be purchased if you are out of the country.  Then I was unable to involve myself in any other books because I was so anxious about what was going to happen to Katniss and Peeta.  And that's why I wait to read series until all the books are written.

I did manage to finish another book while in Mexico, but I'm embarrassed to say that it took me 5 months to get through I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.

I'm a fan of memoirs and anything that depicts someone's coming of age.  For some reason this one was slow goings for me at the beginning, but I think that's mostly because I took so long to get through it.

Maya Angelou's story is alarming, but her honesty is moving.  I'd highly recommend this read. 

What's next?  Oh, well, let me tell you... The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver, My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares, Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, and When We Were Friends by Elizabeth Joy Arnold.

It's also worth noting that effective as of September 7th, 2011, I have officially banned myself from Half Priced Books until January 2012.  The fact of the matter is that I can't be trusted inside those doors; reason flies out the window when $2 books are everywhere you look.  It's such a beautiful place.

In other news, I turned 25 a few weeks ago and actually found myself looking forward to the quarter of a century mark.  Jake and I celebrated at my favorite restaurant, Centro and with a round of miniature golf--a first in our marriage.  It shouldn't surprise anyone that Jake beat me.

How did we spend my ACTUAL birthday?  A planned study date at Starbucks: Jake studying for behavioral medicine and me grading English quizzes.  Put that together with the inaugural Pumpkin Spice latte of the season and it was actually a really wonderful evening.  The older I get, the more I realize that it's not so much about the day itself but the time you have to spend. 

One of my dearest and longest friends, Sami, is getting married in a few weeks, so we celebrated her on Friday night.  It was my first experience in a karaoke bar and I have since decided that it will not be my last.

You'd be surprised to know that this is the best picture we took the whole night.

What else is new? Well since you asked, I've taken up yoga in my living room, and I joined an intramural volleyball team at DMU.  Jake and I have been consuming more Ramen noodles than you probably should once you graduate college and have doubled our coffee consumption since the summer's end. My newest radio song is "All Your Life" by The Band Perry and I'm still trying to figure out a way to incorporate the meaning of "radio song" into a blog post.  

Oh yeah, and Ginny got a haircut.

And, that about covers it.  Consider yourself up to date.