The smell of a good book...

Anyone who knows me, can attest to the fact that I love reading. I'll read pretty much anything, but I really appreciate a good fiction novel. I love getting caught up in the adventure, mystery, love affair or whatever else the story may bring.

Currently I'm finishing up the last of Stieg Larsson's Millenium Trilogy. The books have proven to be captivating, adventurous and enraging at times. Larsson uses his own experience as a journalist, writer and political activist to shape one of the main characters, Mikael Blomkvist. Many of the themes throughout the novels delve into women's rights, exploitation and scandal. There never seems to be a dull moment and when you think you've started to work out the ending, the story suddenly takes you completely off course.

Larsson wrote the trilogy in his spare time for pleasure and didn't consider the books for publication. It wasn't until his sudden death in 2004, that his partner brought the novels to light. It's noted that Larsson had almost completed a fourth novel and had notes for a fifth and sixth novel.

These crime novels have held a permanent place on the best-seller's list and with the Swedish version of the The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo out for release, Hollywood has decided to venture into making the American version. I'm looking forward to seeing how it will be interpreted in film, however I'm not getting my hopes up too high. I always seem to enjoy the books much better than the films.

You can find each of these books at your local retail bookstore or on Amazon , which seems to be the most reasonably priced. Happy reading!

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Pancake Love

Since my boyfriend and I were headed to the baseball stadium to watch the Padres take on the Giants this afternoon, I thought pancakes would be a perfect start to our day. I found this delectable recipe in a recent Vegetarian Times magazine for White Pig Blueberry pancakes. Named for a bed and breakfast and animal sanctuary in Virginia, the innkeeper is an animal-rights activist, and this delicious recipe is 100% vegan.

Check out The White Pig here

Now, I know what you're thinking: how good can pancakes without cow's milk or eggs really be? I'm telling you, these are some of the best pancakes I've ever eaten. And that's saying a lot, as I consider myself somewhat of a pancake expert (you get that title when you makes boxed pancakes every Sunday for your whole family). All kidding aside, even my more cooking-inclined boyfriend told me these tasty little cakes were better than any breakfast diner he's ever had . He could be bias, but I think the heart shape may have made them just that much better. ♥ ♥ ♥

Make these light, fluffy pancakes for yourself, click here

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Blogosphere

OK blog world, here I am! 

I've been so impressed by several of my friends' blogs and finally decided it was time to commit to my own. I love reading everyone's great ideas, exciting adventures and stories, and this has pushed me into wanting my own space on the web. Some people have blogs specifically aimed at one topic or hobby. For me there is just too much to write about, so this space will be dedicated to my thoughts, ideas, favorite things and anything else I can put in print.

I've always loved writing and found it to be a great escape for me. When I was younger I would tell my dad I wanted to be a professional reader when I grew up. I later found out there was not much money to be made (if any at all) in reading professionally, so I decided writing was the next best thing. I always kept journals as a little girl and have now found it rather amusing to read my thoughts as a 6th grader. Let me tell you about the problems an 11-year-old girl has...OK, not many really, but at the time who I had a crush on was the most important thing. I took my love of writing into college and earned a bachelor's degree in Journalism. I really felt at "home" among all the other aspiring writers and wanted to jump into a career doing what I loved best. While this hasn't panned out so far, I'm still optimistic that a perfect job opportunity will come along and I can spend the rest of my life writing and sharing with the world.

That's all for this post. I'll leave you with one of my favorite photos of me and my adorable little nephew, Christian. He is one of the great joys in my life!

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