jacolily’s Neighborhood

Finished The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer.  This is a companion book to Life As We Knew It. 

Alex lives with his parents and two younger sisters in New York City.  When the asteroid hits the moon, his mom is at work (she works in a hospital's OR) and his dad is in Puerto Rico for a funeral. 

Alex has to figure out a way to keep his family safe and together, at least until one or both of his parents comes home.

I think I preferred Life As We Knew It, but this was good, too.

These books (there's going to be a third out in April) are so scary, too.  I don't think I'd do well in a world where I'd have to acquire food someplace that isn't a grocery store (or any of the places where we normally get food) and I certainly don't know how to cook and wash clothes without electricity and running water. 

the dead and the gone

Susan Beth Pfeffer

Finished Finding Purpose Beyond Our Pain by Paul Meier and David L. Henderson for Thomas Nelson.

The thesis with this book is that hard times can either bring you closer to God or drive you farther from God.  When bad things happen, it tends to be for one of two reasons:

1)  God is using these incidents to improve you in some way.  For instance, if you have a problem with patience, perhaps you will be put in situations where you have no choice but to develop that quality. :)

2)  God didn't want this to happen, but will work within these circumstances so your life will continue to be what He wants.  This is where free will comes in.  He doesn't "let" you get mugged, but if you trust Him, He can take your fear away.  (as an example.)

I don't think this would be a good book to read while you're going through difficult times (although maybe that's just me; hearing about how God works in mysterious ways after my dad died made me want to hit people in the face) but I think it'd be comforting to read after, once things are calming down a little.

I do have some issues with some of the things the authors said.  First, as someone who's struggled with faith, I can tell you that atheists don't think that there's no point in being a good person in this life.  You can be a moral or ethical person without believing in God.  (And really, isn't there something to be said for doing the right thing because it's the right thing, not 'cause you think God will smite you?)

And second, they trotted out Carrie Prejean as an example of faith and not, say, prejudice.  Yes, she has every right to believe whatever she wants.  But let's not act like she isn't a bigot.  If she had said that she didn't think black people/Hindu people/atheists/immigrants or any other group shouldn't be allowed to get married, we wouldn't even have to have discussions on whether or not she's prejudiced.  And yes, it is the same thing. :)

Finding Purpose Beyond Our Pain: Uncover the Hidden Potential in Life's Most Common Struggles

Paul Meier M.D.

Finished Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer.

This book is told through a series of diary entries. Miranda is a normal teenager, living with her mom and two brothers (one older, one younger).  There are two noteworthy events for her at first--her dad's second wife is pregnant and she's going to be the godmother.  And an asteroid is going to hit the moon, which everyone's excited about. 

Except it turns out the asteroid was bigger than anyone thought, because it knocks the moon closer to earth.

This may not seem like a huge deal.  Until you remember that the moon controls the tides, so there are a lot of tsunamis.  There are also a lot of earthquakes and volcanic activity (something about gravitational pull; Miranda doesn't get much more specific).

Because of the tsunamis, oil refineries are mostly gone (gas goes up to $12 a gallon) and there's not much electricity.  And after all the eruptions, plants aren't growing so well, either (volcanic ash blocks the sun, which means no light for growing).  And of course there's no electricity, so grocery stores aren't open very long.

It's scary to think about how screwed we'd be if a huge event like this actually happened.  Still, a very good book.

(And tomorrow I have to go to the store anyway, so I may be stocking up on canned goods.)

Life As We Knew It

Susan Beth Pfeffer

Sure, I've been sick for a week and a half now with a cold that is holding on like a pit bull. And swine flu has hit the kids' school (not my kids luckily). But there are the graces in life that make it all ok. 

Now I know why they make Anti Monkey Butt...

Hot sauce 001

Finished Fallen by Lauren Kate (this is a review copy; it comes out December 8).

Luce (short for Lucinda) is about to start school at Sword & Cross (a sort of cross between boarding school and an alternative school for troubled and/or dangerous children).  She's there because of a mysterious incident involving a fire that led to a boy's death.  (That's about all we know, because she doesn't remember it.)

Not long after arriving, she meets Daniel, who is really, really, ridiculously good looking.  He smiles...then gives her the finger.

She's still fascinated.

This is a suspense/love story. 

Luce is a good heroine.  She's smart and easy to root for.  Daniel is a fairly typical love interest (I don't think it's a spoiler for me to say that) although I wish that authors would let go of the "He's cruel because he cares so, so much" rationale. 

The writing is cheesy in parts but the story is compelling, so I forgive it.  (Also, since I got a review copy, it's possible that some of that got edited out.)

Fallen

Lauren Kate

Not liking:

• Seeing random shoes (not pairs of shoes) alongside the street or road. How do shoes get thrown out of a car? And why do they throw just one? Does it make sense to throw one and keep one? What good is one shoe? Unless you're a pirate, I guess, but to my knowledge there aren't a lot of pirates in Rochester.
• Old guys with ring tones that sound like porn. Seriously, I witnessed this today. This guy who had to be 80 was standing there and just as I passed him by, his phone rang. Boom-chicka-bow-wow.... Well, ok, to be honest, I've never watched porn (and have zero interest in doing so), but that's what everyone says the music sounds like.
• Why I say I'll do things that I know I have no talent or capacity for doing. I think it runs in certain parts of my family that people think they're capable of things they're not. I really hope I didn't inherit that gene. I might have, though. We're having a baby shower for a coworker tomorrow and I thought a rubber ducky theme would be fun. I have this recipe for a ducky cake, and in the picture it's just the cutest thing. I've made it before, but what I apparently forgot is that to build this cake requires an ability to transcend the laws of physics. It was one of the most frustrating experiences I've had in a while and it looks terrible. (I had to pour myself a glass of Malbec afterward.)  I'm going to bring it in tomorrow because I'm too tired to run to the store right now for a normal cake, and I'm going to ask opinions. Like anyone would say that it looks dumb anyway...  I've come to the conclusion that I'm an idea person. Which means I need to work my way up enough to where all I have to do is think and I'll have people to do the actual work for me.
• What posesses people to steal pumpkins off of people's porches and smash them in the street. Someone please enlighten me: how can this possibly be fun? It's rude, it's stealing, it's destructive, it's messy, and it makes little kids cry. Where is the pleasure in that? Or maybe the more appropriate question is, what kind of person finds pleasure in that?

[Insert something witty here that summarizes this post in to a nice tidy package. I never was good at introductions or conclusions.]

I was in Walmart looking for Goldbond Body Powder and found this...

Butt Powder