April 17, 2015

Book Review: Abandoned NYC

Katie April 17, 2015 0Comment

There is something about abandoned buildings that draws me to them. I love to look at photographs of them.  I’m not sure why – maybe because there’s so much history or they are just so interesting to look at as they are breaking down, but when I saw a book called Abandoned NYC I knew it was something I had to check out.  The book is broken down by Hospitals & Institutions, Railraods & Waterfronts, Military Installations, Industrial Sites and Forgotten Places.

The photos in this book are amazing. Some are hauntingly beautiful, some are creepy and others are gross, but I find myself drawn to them all and the stories that they tell and the history they hold within.

This is a fascinating read for anyone as interested in abandoned places as I am.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

Every city has its ghosts. From Manhattan and Brooklyn’s trendiest neighborhoods to the far-flung edges of the outer boroughs, Ellis captures the lost and lonely corners of the United States’ most populous city. Step inside the New York you never knew, with 200 eerie images of urban decay, through crumbling institutions, defunct military posts, abandoned factories, railroads, schools, and waterways. Uncover the forgotten history behind New York’s most incredible abandoned spaces, and witness its seldom seen and rapidly disappearing landscape. Explore the ruins of the Harlem Renaissance, sift through the artifacts of massive squatter colonies, and find out how the past is literally washing up on the shores of a Brooklyn beach called Dead Horse Bay. This book is for anyone who’s ever wondered what’s behind the “No Trespassing” sign.

Book Review: Llewellyn’s Complete Dictionary of Dreams

Katie April 17, 2015 0Comment

If you’re like me, you sometimes have some really off the wall dreams – like a porcupine driving your car and crashing it in to the curb – and then you want to know what that means. That is why I decided to check out Llewellyn’s Complete Dictionary of Dreams. Of course, I searched first for porcupine only to find out that it was not included in this book. I guess that dream will continue to remain a mystery.

But while a porcupine might not be featured in this book, there are over 1,000 Dream Symbols and their meanings included.  Sorted alphabetically so you can easily flip through and find what you are looking for – the dictionary will let you know what each element of your dream means. For instance – a car crash – which I guess is what my porcupine did – can mean that you are “feeling like the circumstances in your life have stopped you from moving forward, maybe very abruptly”

Unfortunately I can’t remember any of my other crazy dreams from recently to look up – but I will be keeping this dictionary handy to use in the future as I think your dreams can tell you a lot about what is going on in your subconscious – and I like to try and be aware of that/

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

When it comes to dreams, we often need help making sense of the mystery. Llewellyn’s Complete Dictionary of Dreams is designed to offer that help in a simple and concise structure, using language that speaks directly to the dreamer.

With more than 1,000 distinct terms, this book presents prominent dream symbols along with a clear and simple universal meanings to assist you in your personal dream interpretation.

Book Review: I Don’t Have a Happy Place

Katie April 17, 2015 0Comment

I Don’t Have a Happy Place is about Kim Korson.  The book is a series of stories about her life and how she can’t be happy.  The first chapter is all about how she watched her babysitter die when they were on vacation and she drowned.  In one of the letters she wrote to the teenage her she writes that she “can’t see the bright side of anything.”  Her life doesn’t seem to be all that bad – she has a boyfriend, who becomes her husband, they have kids, they go to Disney World… but Kim just has a aura of negativity around her which makes for some interesting and comedic stories.

This was a fun read. I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

When a trip to the therapist ends with the question “Can’t Kim be happy?” Kim Korson responds the way any normal person would—she makes fun of it. Because really, does everyone have to be happy?

Aside from her father wearing makeup and her mother not feeling well (a lot), Kim Korson’s 1970s suburban upbringing was typical. Sometimes she wished her brother were an arsonist just so she’d have a valid excuse to be unhappy. And when life moves along pretty decently–she breaks into show business, gets engaged in the secluded jungles of Mexico, and moves her family from Brooklyn to dreamy rural Vermont—the real despondency sets in. It’s a skill to find something wrong in just about every situation, but Kim has an exquisite talent for negativity. It is only after half a lifetime of finding kernels of unhappiness where others find joy that she begins to wonder if she is even capable of experiencing happiness.

In I Don’t Have a Happy Place, Kim Korson untangles what it means to be a true malcontent. Rife with evocative and nostalgic observations, unapologetic realism, and razor-sharp wit, I Don’t Have a Happy Place is told in humorous, autobiographical stories. This fresh-yet-dark voice is sure to make you laugh, nod your head in recognition, and ultimately understand what it truly means to be unhappy. Always.

Book Review: My Grandma’s a Ninja

Katie April 17, 2015 0Comment

My Grandma’s a Ninja is all about Ethan’s grandma who is well, a ninja.  She comes to visit and they have a ton of fun… but then Ethan decides that she wasn’t that fun anymore.  Then he has to go to school without her and is a bit bummed. Until Grandma shows up again to cheer him on at his soccer game.  But Grandma decides that maybe she should stop being a ninja. Ethan is worried she’ll be a regular grandma – but nope. She has something else up her sleeve!  As to what – well you’ll have to read my grandma’s a ninja to find out all the details!

This book is super cute and I love the illustrations. A great bed time story for your little ones.  I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

When Ethan’s grandma suggests they take a zip line to school, Ethan realizes that his grandma is a little different. In fact, she’s a ninja! Ethan is soon the hit of the school when his grandma drops from the ceiling at show-and-tell, and teaches the kids karate moves and how to do backflips in slow motion. But when his grandma deflates his team’s soccer ball, everyone is upset—including Ethan. Why can’t he just have a regular grandma? But when Ethan tries out his new karate moves during the championship game . . . he’s happy that his grandma isn’t ordinary.