20% off coupon at Boarder's

I hardly ever buy books anymore since I use paperbackswap.com so much, but I came across this 20% off coupon for Boarder's today. Enjoy!

Dream It. List It. Do It!

Dream It. List It. Do It! Is a great little book full of ideas and helpful tips to making and actually completing your life lists (like my 30 Before 30). It starts out with “10 Rules for Creating and Conquering Your Life Lists” with helpful tips like “define a finish line” and “document your progress”.

The following chapters focus on different themes for “Life List” items:

-Understand Myself
-Learn New Things
-Be More Adventurous
-Make a Difference
-Fix My Finances
-Live in the Moment
-Reconnect
-Cook More
-Be Independent
-Stay Focused
-Make Music
-Be a Better Person
-Be Healthy
-Get a Pet
-Be Happy
…and more! (43 different categories in all!)

There are literally hundreds of ideas in this book. Each theme has pages and pages of items to add to your list that fit with that theme. This book would really come in handy and give you lots of great ideas for your own "Life List".

I normally don't have the patience for books that don't tell a "story", but I will keep this one around and use it to make my 40 Before 40 List!

Overall I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars (just because this is more of a reference book than a book I'll ever read cover to cover).

My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler

You might know Chelsea Handler from her hit show Chelsea Lately on E! If you don't, you should check it out. She is hilarious. A little crude sometimes, but very funny. In My Horizontal Life, Chelsea recounts some of her wildest adventures with men. The subtitle of the book is "a collection of one night stands", but I think she actually only sleeps with 2-3 guys in the book but has many close encounters.

This book was so funny and such a quick and easy read. I was literally laughing out loud through entire chapters! From midgets to gay doctors on Ecstasy, Chelsea certainly has some wild adventures to share. Her witty writing style and short chapters make this book fly by.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

She also has another more recent memoir- Are you there Vodka? It's me Chelsea. I haven't read it, but it is a bestseller, so I am sure it is pretty good.

The Shack by William P. Young

A co-worker recommended this book to me last week. After reading the online synopsis I went out and bought it that same day. I was shocked it was the NY Times #1 best seller and yet I had not even heard of it!

The Shack by William P. Young is the story of Mack, whose daughter is abducted by a serial killer while they are on a camping trip. The investigators don’t find her body, but find enough evidence in a shack isolated deep in the wilderness to determine that Mack’s daughter has been brutally murdered.

Flash forward to a few years later and Mack receives a mysterious note in his mailbox asking him to come to the Shack for the weekend and it is signed “Papa”. Mack thinks the note may be a prank or could be the killer himself. But he also has a nagging feeling the note could be from God himself. He feels crazy for even thinking it, but has to go investigate.

His journey takes him on a discovery of himself, explores questions surrounding what he referrers to as “The Great Sadness” that descended on his family after the tragedy, looks at his relationship with others, and his relationship with God. It tackles some of the tough questions in life like “Why do bad things happen to good people?” It explores what it means to really love and be loved. In short, it gives you a lot to think about.

I enjoyed the book, but I wouldn’t call it life changing like many other people have. I didn’t agree with everything in the book, but most of it reflected exactly why I believe what I believe. It made me feel God’s love even more and made me look at how I can reflect that in myself to others.

Regardless of what you believe of this universe and life, I would recommend reading this book. It will make you think about some of the big questions and even if it doesn’t it is still an entertaining story.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Check out what other people are saying about it at TheShackBook.com

Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer

Oh Stephanie Meyer, how you have captivated my mind with your romantic magical world and your increasingly thick books (768 pages this one!). But it was so worth it. Breaking Dawn was the crowning glory on this series. Just when Eclipse had left me feeling like nothing really got accomplished, this one accomplished everything I was craving and things I never even thought to crave! Amazingly, in the end, it left me wanting even more!

In this book, everything the other books have been building up to happens. Then you get thrown twist after glorious twist. It is about love and family, power and protection, magic and fairy tales. Some chapters will leave you sighing and smiling with warm fuzzies. While other chapters with leave you gasping at things you never saw coming. Most chapters toward the end will run together as you race to find out the outcome. And the end left me happy with the outcome but turning the page hoping to find the start to a brand new story.

At one point in the book I literally had to get up immediately to call my friend Heather and gush about what had just happened. If you read this series you will be both thankful and frustrated by other fans. The ones who have already finished might let some big plot line slip or talk non-stop about how much they loved it which will push you to read at all times just to find out what happens. Those who are behind you in the series will frustrate you because you just want them to hurry up and finish so you can discuss EVERYTHING that happens! Either way you will find yourself talking about this series.

I give this one 5 out of 5 stars! (my first perfect score)

(Email me if you want to discuss because seriously I LOVE talking about all things Twilight, but don’t want to give away too much here!)

P.S. I am SO hoping for a follow-up series!

Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer

The Twilight saga continues with Stephanie Meyer's third book Eclipse. Edward is back in this book, but things are complicated because he does not feel comfortable with Bella's friendship with Jacob Black. Bella wants to become of vampire. Her life in in danger (yet again). Lots of drama that all escalates to an epic battle. It was pretty good, but I was left feeling like nothing that I wanted to happen really happened. Which is probably why I dove with in to the fourth book right away to find out what happens next.

I will tell you that I am still annoyed with Bella sometimes. I like Jacob and kind of feel bad for him, and Edward almost starts to annoy me. I am in love with the story, but the "I can't live without you" love stuff is starting to get sickeningly sweet. I would probably not be friends with someone like Bella and seriously, what the heck is so special about her that every falls in love with her? But then I find myself wishing I was her and had a love like her and Edward. Really, I am seriously obsessed, so you know it's got to be good!

I give this one 4 out of 5 stars.

I'm hoping to finish the fourth book this weekend!!