My shameless love of YA Fiction - Tia

Allegiant - Veronica Roth

I love to read. I always have. I remember being in elementary school and meticulously pouring over the Scholastic Book order form deciding which books I needed and which ones I could live without until the next go round. (Spoiler: I usually needed them all right then.) Most kids looked forward to new video games or ice cream sundae bars in the cafeteria. I was always geeked for the day the books would arrive. 

I loved my books. I was a shy only child for almost 9 years. Awkwardly tall for my age, I liked sports, books, math and science. So you KNOW I was a hit with all of the other elementary school girls. Books were my way of escape. You could usually find me curled up in some corner reading something or other. 

And I treasured my books. No, you can't borrow them. I don't know your life. You might try to write in it. Or *gasp* fold down the corner to hold your page rather than use a bookmark. I can't take that chance. Side note: I wanted to give my little brother away when he wrote on my copy of Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great. Which, by the way, I still have, green marker scribble and all. 

I hate to admit it but college kind of got in the way of my leisure reading. I was pre-med for two years and didn't have time to read anything but science books. Then when I switched my major to Psychology I didn't really have to time to read anything but psych lit. Leisure reading was essentially put on hold for 4 years. Even for a while after college, real life seem to have a way of intruding on my reading time. 

But the last few years have been quite different. I spend a ridiculous amount of time in the air. I usually travel for work 2-3 times a week. It's hard. And tiring. And lonely. However, it completely affords me the time to read. And that almost makes it worth it. 

The other day I was archiving some of my eBooks and I realized, for someone who hasn't been a young adult in a VERY long time, I have A LOT of YA fiction. I've never been a huge fan of biographies and memoirs. (Wait, is Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter a biography?) I can't respect anything about the Harlequin/Romance/50 Shades type books. (I secretly judge anyone I see reading a 50 Shades book.) And while there is some adult fiction out there that I have read and enjoyed, for a while now I've been coming back to the YA stuff. 

Side note again: I know I said I don't really get into memoirs. However, if you have not read Let's Pretend This Never Happened by The Bloggess aka Jenny Lawson, go immediately over to iTunes or Amazon and get it now. I literally almost wet my pants laughing at this box. No, not figuratively, LITERALLY. (I don't like airplane restrooms and I was trying to hold it because we were landing soon.) 

So if you're like me and you're not ashamed to be seen with something labeled as a children's book (or if you have an e-Reader and don't have to worry about anyone seeing what you're reading) here are some books that I've read in the last few months that you may enjoy. 

Face of the Day: Kerry Washington

No...YOU bow down - Tia

Janet Jackson turned 47 last week. Let's start with that..

DAMN PENNY!!!!

Janet lit souls, brows and edges on fire back in February when she showed up at the amFar New York Gala looking FIYAH!!! in the dress above. Excuse me...I need to go get my life. Seriously, if this is what 47 is supposed to look like then I need to step up my game like CRAZY!!!

Oh and in case snatching wigs with her fineness wasn't enough, she wants to be a humanitarian too. Sheesh!!


You know why I like Janet, because for the most part she has no cares to give about the rest of us. She's not out there dropping vague, passive aggressive Instagram photos and Twitter messages. When her family drama does sprinkle into the public light she politely ignores the questions and inquiries and let's you know that this ain't about you. Translation: You mind your business and I'll mind mine. And trust and believe, you may think you know Janet, but I firmly believe that we only know what she allows us to know. And we will take that and deal.

In honor of Ms. Jackson if you know what's good for you you're nasty, here are some of my favorite Janet songs. I have far too many favorite Janet songs to list them all here. It would be the longest blog post in history. So these are just the ones that pop into my head as I type. You know you've got hits when people can randomly pull songs from your catalog and still haves tons of other songs to choose from.

If

No one would ever accuse me of being a dancer. It's just not going to happen. But when I tell you that I  darn near hurt myself learning the choreography from the breakdown, please believe it was real. (I can still do the arm part in the beginning.) This song was just IT. Period.

Weekend Roundup

Backstreet's Back...no, for real. - Yahoo!!

Apparently, Miguel tried to decapitate some girl at the Billboard Awards. I see litigation in his future. - Vine

Kelly Rowland might be on X-Factor. (Insert indifferent shoulder shrug here) - TMZ

I was holding my breath for the last minute of Scandal. I really thought Olivia was going to take a bullet in that white jogging suit. But then it was worse when she go snatched up into the limo. Yeah, it was actually worse than her taking a bullet. - Pink Is The New Blog

Justin Beiber got booed at the Billboard Awards and he got a little tender about it. Bless his heart. - Perez Hilton

Someone in Florida won half a billion dollars in the Powerball. I'm calling everyone I know in Florida this morning. - USAToday

David Beckham retired from football (soccer for the rest of us) and he cried. Posh cried. The kids cried. Yeah, pretty much everyone was crying. - NPR

I feel OLD!!! - BuzzFeed

Kanye did this over the weekend. My only problem with this is that he broadcast the unedited version. Just as he has the right to say what he wants, other people also have the right to not have to hear you cursing or dropping the N-word. If I had kids around and this song just started blaring around me and I had NO WAY to shield my child from it, I would be pissed. That aside, though, I think it was a brilliant piece of marketing - Mashable

Almost Human - Tia

This is like a fan girl dream come true for me. 

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time you know I am a sci-fi geek.

From Doctor Who to Star Wars (Episodes IV-VI ONLY!!! Those "prequels" could never see the light of day again for all I care.) I'm into it.

I'm also a huge fan of JJ Abrams' work. Though I've never fully forgiven him for the ending of Lost, he still holds a special place in my geek heart for Fringe, Super 8, Cloverfield, and Felicity. (That last one is random, I know, but Abrams produced, wrote for and directed on Felicity.) While that Lost thing will probably forever be a sore spot, his other projects essentially make up for it.  So any time I see his name attached to something I always get excited.

But the pièce de résistance of Almost Human was the cast. God GAWD!! Michael Ealy AND Karl Urban. Yes and AMEN!!

Michael Ealy is just going to stay fine. He's always been fine and he's always gonna be fine. We have talked about this man on numerous occasions. And we're not going to stop now. I was genuinely disappointed when Common Law went off the air. I liked that show. Who wouldn't like watching Michael Ealy every week? So of course I am on board with anything that gives me weekly access to his gorgeousness.

And then there's Karl Urban. Remember when I wrote this...9 years ago? (Wow, we have been blogging a long time.) Yep, I've been down for Karl for quite some time. While I did not love Doom, I've been a fan of pretty much everything else he's been in since he popped up on my radar. I really enjoyed him as Bones in the Star Trek reboot. I always like grumpy, surly characters. And I also enjoy his face, that jaw line and his awesome Kiwi accent...YES PLEASE!!!

This show is everything I believe in. Pretty guys, sci-fi, JJ. Yeah, it's hitting me in all of the right spots. Plus, it fills the gap that Fringe left. (I love you Walter Bishop.) So you know I'll be watching every week.

In case you need a little encouragement (although I'm not sure why you'd need it. Ealy and Urban, people, EALY and URBAN) here's the official trailer for your viewing pleasure. *sigh* They're so pretty.

Weekend...errr...Tuesday Roundup

Happy Endings is easily one of my favorite shows of all time. I put it up there with Friends. Yeah, it's that serious. So of course, ABC cancelled it. Hopefully USA will pick it up. I feel like it could have a Cougar Town comeback. *crosses fingers, wishes on a star, yanks wishbone in half* (some people eat turkey outside of November) - E!Online

Angelina Jolie had a double mastectomy and NO ONE in the media knew. Kim and Beyonce, THIS is how you keep your life private. Take notes.  - CNN

Shannon from Pink Is The New Blog posted her Scandal recap late and I was concerned for her safety. Like, she's never late. I was about to call someone to check on her. - PITNB

Speaking of Scandal, apparently EVERYONE is watching. - EW.com

I have a crush on both Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon so this is good news all around for me. - Mashable

I ADORE the shade that Anna Wintour throws. - Radar Online

Spoilers: How I Met Your Mother is finally going to let us meet the mother. - Us Weekly

The winner of this year's TVnext hackathon was 17-year old, Jennie Lamere. She was the only girl who entered and she kicked butt. You Done Good, Girl. - CNET

People are saying Beyonce is pregnant again. That is so selfish because I have tickets to her Nashville show. Congratulations if it's true. - TMZ

Thank you BuzzFeed for making me feel old. - BuzzFeed

Toya's Random Musings

1. True story: I've taken this pic about ten times because I thought I looked old. Then I said to myself "You'll be 40 next year. Get it together. ". Anyway, I want to confess that I've relaxed my hair. I got a Just for Me kiddie relaxer (I did this often after my first big chop) because my hair just would not dry! It was driving me nuts! Also i wanted my hair to drop and it wasn't going. Why am I confessing this? Because of something @fabglance1 said before I did it: "It's your hair. Do what makes you feel good about YOUR HAIR." So whether you are weaved up, bald, natural or relaxed, don't let anyone hold you to an ideal of what they think you should be. I don't always get weaves and naturals don't always get girls with relaxers. So what? Who cares? Be your own standard of beauty. YOU have to be okay with YOU.

2. I have the weirdest non-existent love life of a love life of anyone I've ever known.  I just...*sigh*  My love life is why I stay away from brown liquor.   Moving on.

3. This Thursday will be the end of Jim and Pam. The end of Pam Beesley alone is taking me through it. Let's not even talk about Jim. Speaking of Jim, watch this and get your entire life!
 
            


I remember when Friends went off and all I kept saying was "No more Chandler! No more Chandler!" I have real friends. I promise I do. 

4. And speaking of Thursday, am I the only one that needs a good 30 minutes to recover after Scandal goes off?  Lord help us Thursday!

      

Kerry Washington said that this week's Scandal finale is so intense that she could barely get the words out at the table reading.  I will be watching this with someone in the room lest I need someone to administer CPR. 

5. When my budget allows, I may or may not pay over $100 just to hear Justin Timberlake perform the ending of "Let the Groove Get In".  That CD has not left my car since the week it came out. 

6.  The Party is back, 98 Degrees has reunited and the Backstreet Boys are going back out on tour.  Still no word on The Jets touring though huh?  Because THAT is when it gets real for me. 

  

           

7. Some people are saying that this is fake and I really don't care if it is or not. Real love is singing 80's pop songs together. That's all there is to it. 

8. We are almost half way through the year. Let that sit with you for just a little bit. 

9.  RiRi Woo lipstick vs. Ruby Woo lipstick: I like RiRi Woo much better. I like the formula better because it's smoother. The color is slightly different, not different enough for some but I love it. Rihanna will be getting more of my money when it comes back out. I'm not mad at her.

10.  I haven't finished a book this year but I also have not watched any episodes of Real Housewives of Anything or Love and Hip Hop so I think I'm about even right now.