Save Moolah with CampusBookRentals.com

Disclaimer: I was compensated for this post but the opinions are my own and never influenced by the company.

My (almost) one month old has more money than me.

No joke.

Jackson is very, very lucky to have such generous family and friends who have sent so many thoughtful cards, cute outfits, beautiful gifts, and money for his savings account (AKA "the college fund"). As I was depositing his money the other day, I couldn't help but think of the high (and always rising) cost of college and what it will be like in 2031, when Jax begins school at Yale. "Well, the money I just deposited should cover at least half a textbook.." I thought to myself.

Jax's High School Graduation Pic

But then I remembered my friends at CampusBookRentals.com.

Now, I know you're probably thinking "Why would I want to rent a textbook when I can spend $350 on my Introduction to Dynamical Systems book that will never again see the light of day after I complete the course?"

Well, if you rent your text book, you can..
-save 40-90% off of bookstore prices
-get free shipping both ways
-highlight in the textbooks
-enjoy flexible renting periods

Still not convinced (if you're not, may I just say "are you crazy?!")? What if I told you that you that renting from CampusBookRentals.com could also save a life? With each textbook rented, CampusBookRentals.com will donate to Operation Smile, an international children's medical charity that heals children's smiles by providing free cleft lip surgeries.

Let's recap: Not only will you save money and be able to highlight in your books, but you'll also be changing the life of a child. Pretty cool, huh?

Oh, and one more thing:

CampusBookRentals.com can put cold, hard cash into your pocket with their exciting new RentBack program! With RentBack.com, you can rent your old textbooks to other students and make 2-4x more money than you would selling it back to your campus bookstore!

Need more info? Look no further:

What are you waiting for?! If you're a college student (or a parent of a college student), visit CapusBookRentals.com--and tell them Annie sent you :D

The Guy from SOA is Christian Grey (I'm a Poet and Didn't Even Know It)?!

No! No! No! A millions times no!

The guy from Sons of Anarchy is playing Christian Grey in the upcoming 50 Shades of Grey movie?!

NO!!! This is worse than the time Katherine Heigl was cast as Stephanie Plum in the film adaptation of One for the Money!!

Okay, first of all: who read 50 Shades?

Me too! I read all three--in fact, I was in a book club that was started for the sole purpose of reading these books and talking about them. Not once did somebody make a comment about "yeah, when I think of Christian, I picture the blonde, scruffy guy from Sons of Anarchy."

*sigh*

The whole time I read the books, I pictured Christian Bale (circa American Psycho) as Mr. Gray.

This... but a little less violent/bloody/creepy

Yes. Bingo. Hello Mr. Grey!

Nope.

What happened to Alexander Skarsgard?? I thought he was in the running for the role! I'll admit, I wasn't too keen on the idea at first but after seeing him on an episode of Conan this summer, I decided that he would suffice.

Not the guy from Sons of Anarchy.

AGH.

Anyway, I'm done ranting.. I have already had an e-meeting with the book club girls and we have made plans to see the movie when it comes to theaters (but we will make snarky, sarcastic comments the entire time).

What are your thoughts on movie Christian Grey? Yea or nay?

Friday Funnies (Book Lovers Day Edition)

Today is a special day.. it's Book Lovers Day!

Illustration by Ghergich & Co.

I don't know about you, but I plan to celebrate tonight with a cup of hot tea and my current read, The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. I can't wait! 

Anyway, to help commemorate the day, today's Friday Funnies have a theme: books and reading. 

Enjoy!

If I didn't have my Kindle, I probably would have done this..

I Brake for Memoirs!

Something dawned on me yesterday as I watched "House Hunters."..

..I haven't read a book since finishing Gone Girl (side note: O.Em.Gee. Most compelling/thrilling/frustrating book I have ever read!) over a month ago. Whhhaaaatttt...?

I have been on a bit of a magazine kick lately (my faves are HGTV Magazine, Better Homes and Gardens, and Country Living) so that has been the majority of my nighttime reading. Don't get me wrong: magazines are great! But.. magazines cannot surprise, thrill, comfort, or entertain quite as much as a good book.

I'm a lover of memoirs and biographies so that's what I went searching for--and this is what I found!

I had never heard of A Lucky Child before but after reading the description (and tearing up), I knew it was a story that could not be passed up.

 Thomas Buergenthal, now a Judge in the International Court of Justice in The Hague, tells his astonishing experiences as a young boy in his memoir A LUCKY CHILD. He arrived at Auschwitz at age 10 after surviving two ghettos and a labor camp. Separated first from his mother and then his father, Buergenthal managed by his wits and some remarkable strokes of luck to survive on his own. Almost two years after his liberation, Buergenthal was miraculously reunited with his mother and in 1951 arrived in the U.S. to start a new life. (Summary via Amazon)

I have heard nothing but good things about Sedaris' humorous memoir--I know I'm a little late to the Corduroy and Denim party (about 8 years late), but I can't wait to start it.

David Sedaris plays in the snow with his sisters. He goes on vacation with his family. He gets a job selling drinks. He attends his brother's wedding. He mops his sister's floor. He gives directions to a lost traveler. He eats a hamburger. He has his blood sugar tested. It all sounds so normal, doesn't it? In his newest collection of essays, David Sedaris lifts the corner of ordinary life, revealing the absurdity teeming below its surface. His world is alive with obscure desires and hidden motives -- a world where forgiveness is automatic and an argument can be the highest form of love. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim is another unforgettable collection from one of the wittiest and most original writers at work today. (Summary via Amazon)

I have never known much about Chanel, nor have I ever owned any of her fashions/perfumes; but I figured that if I have a quote of hers on my page, I better educate myself (just reading the description makes me think I need to get a new quote.. I may have been better off just going with a Kurt Cobain quote!).

Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel was the high priestess of couture who created the look of the modern woman. By the 1920s she had amassed a fortune and went on to create an empire. But her life from 1941 to 1954 has long been shrouded in rumor and mystery, never clarified by Chanel or her many biographers. Hal Vaughan exposes the truth of her wartime collaboration and her long affair with the playboy Baron Hans Günther von Dincklage—who ran a spy ring and reported directly to Goebbels. Vaughan pieces together how Chanel became a Nazi agent, how she escaped arrest after the war and joined her lover in exile in Switzerland, and how—despite suspicions about her past—she was able to return to Paris at age seventy and rebuild the iconic House of Chanel. (Summary via Amazon)

Have you read any of these books? Can you recommend a good memoir? 

Also, I recently joined Goodreads. I still don't know what all I'm doing, but I'd love to be friends!

Political, Godly, and Smutty (My Reads from 2012)

For as long as I can remember, I've read before going to sleep. My mom and Aunt Nancy instilled a love of books and reading into me at a young age (I can remember reading "Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle" to myself before bed when I was about 8 or 9).

I typically try reading as many books as I can each year but this last year kind of fell through with the whole wedding planning/bridal magazines thing.

But I'm married now so.. I'm back!!

I am always looking for new book suggestions and love when ya'll blog about what you've read so I thought I'd share my twenty-twelve reads with you!

You may have heard me say this before but I couldn't stand The Busy Brides Bible by Angela Kear. The only time this book would be helpful to someone is if the bride-to-be has never heard of a wedding before--this guide had no real insight.

This is a great read--I booked Margaret Hoover (Herbert Hoover's great-granddaughter) for my political talk show last year and her publicist sent a copy of the book for our host to look over. If you're into politics, I highly recommend American Individualism. (P.S. She was an amazing guest--very smart and pleasant)

Oh, a girl close to my own heart. The whole memoir is really fun and witty but this single quote from Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? made the whole book : "What I’ve noticed is that almost no one who was a big star in high school is also big star later in life. For us overlooked kids, it’s so wonderfully fair." Amen, sista.

Oh. My. Gah. This book made me laugh out loud (several times, in fact). Seriously, Bossypants. Check it out.

Have you ever heard of Tammy Maltby? I actually discovered her through Pinterest (she is a fabulous cook and makes the best looking desserts and side dishes) and went to her website and discovered that she is a nationally known Christian speaker and television personality. The God Who Sees You is so honest, inspiring and beautifully written and I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.

This is actually the 3rd or 4th time I have read Last Dance at the Frosty Queen but it's so funny and smart and it never gets old!

Same author as the previous one--seriously, if you're from a small town, read Boy Minus Girl. You'll understand why once you've finished it.

Hands down one of my top five favorite books of all time. What Alice Forgot sucks you in right from the start and keeps a tight hold on you through all 496 pages (quickest read of my life--I could NOT put it down).

I'm embarrassed to have this on the same list as "American Individualism," "The God Who Sees You," and "What Alice Forgot" but I did read it for book club so it's gotta go on the list. I have a ton to say about this book so stay tuned for a looonnnngggg post.

*ahem* well, I started the first one so I had to..

I'm not kidding--long blog post coming soon.

I just downloaded Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn), Drinking and Tweeting (Brandi Glanville), and Unbroken (Laura Hillenbrand) onto my Kindle so I'm looking forward to cuddling up with these books as the cold weather/snow continues.

Do you have any book suggestions? I'm always looking!

Party, Party, I like to Party

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Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

My book club had it's Christmas party last night!

We had a blast!

We did our Secret Santa gift exchanges, ate lots of yummy finger foods and sat around in our pajamas giggling for about three hours. It was a great way to spend a Wednesday night!

Our book club Christmas pic (minus Ali)

At our last get together, I made book club brownies, but they came out a little.. well done.. So I was a lot more careful this time when I made these incredible Reese's Peanut Butter Cup brownies. I found the recipe on Susannah's Kitchen and it is amazing!!

Trust me, if you love chocolate (who doesn't??), this is for you.

Anngredients:

1/2 cup butter

2 cups and 2 tablespoons sugar, divided

2/3 cup cocoa

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1-1/3 cups Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups, divided (I just cut up regular Reese's Cups, this works too!)

1/2 cup Creamy Peanut Butter

1. Pre-Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.
2. Melt butter in medium saucepan over low heat. Add 2 cups sugar and cocoa. Gently stir to blend. Remove from heat. Beat eggs, then stir into mixture. Add vanilla extract. Mix together flour, salt and baking soda in separate bowl, and stir into chocolate mixture. Stir in 2/3 cup mini peanut butter cups. Spread chocolate mixture in greased pan.
3. Combine creamy peanut butter and remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Drop by tablespoons onto chocolate batter. Swirl with metal spatula to achieve marbled effect.
4. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until brownie starts to pull from edges of pan. Cool for 45 minutes.
5. Cut remaining 2/3 cup peanut butter cups in half and sprinkle over the surface. (Press in slightly.) Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into squares. 

Party, Party, I like to Party

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The Classiest Book Club Ever.

I have always wanted to be in a book club.

For as long as I can remember, my mom has been in one. I always thought it was so cool that she and her friends would get together for dinner and then discuss their book (well, at the time it wasn't so cool when it was at our house because my dad, brother and I had to hang out in the basement..).

Fast forward to about a month ago.

My friend mentioned she was reading a certain book and I made an offhand comment about how we should get a group of girls together to read it and talk about it.

Enter our book club.

Last night was our first get together at my place (side note--I have the best. fiance. ever. He cleaned the entire apartment top to bottom for me while I was a work. Yes, I am a lucky girl)--and it was a classy blast!  We talked a little about the book (I'm embarrassed to admit which book it is.. so that should give it away) but ended up drinking wine, visiting, and giggling for close to four hours. It was just what we all needed!

Oh, and before you look at the pictures and wonder what is up with all the dresses: we all dressed fancy for our get together and wore dresses and heels.. so yeah, we're pretty dang classy.

This is so appropriate for our group.

My beautiful dining room table (yes, its a card table..) with all of our delicious food.

Humus and pesto marinara dipping sauces for the bread.

Yummy!

Two of the girls brought three bottles of wine.. we somehow ended the night with five empty bottles. How that happened, I'm still not sure..

I feel very blessed to have such a fun group of girlfriends! At our next meeting, we're having a secret Santa gift exchange (that we drew for last night), more book talk and more wine (of course). I can't wait!

Party, Party, I like to Party

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