a lot of funny.

You're Making Me Hate You by Corey Taylor attracted me instantly because I pretty much hate everyone. I like about three people, and tolerate everyone else. I know this is mostly my own fault because I have no patience for anyone else's lives but my own, but I do think people are partially to blame. You're Making Me Hate You is pretty much a rant. And sometimes I am in the mood to just roast everyone, so I get Taylor's purpose. Did you bring your toddler to a restaurant after 7pm? I hate you. And children at the grocery store? Oh my god I definitely hate you. I literally wanted to SMACK (but I didn't) the kids at school when "YOLO" was a thing. And none of this is my fault, or Taylor's. We are just trying to live our lives, yes, the only one we have. One of my favorite parts of the book is Chapter 10 when Taylor blows up his own spot. Because no one is perfect, not even the two of us. His rant on fashion was a little over my head because I just don't look at people long enough to process what they are wearing. Because again, I pretty much hate everyone, but the whole book is super entertaining.

waiting for plum.

When I'm feeling impatient and feigning for the next Stephanie Plum novel (which rumor has it is soon??), I snag one of the "between-the-numbers" novels so I can get my fix. This time I went to the library and grabbed Plum Spooky. I don't even know what order they go in, but they are super easy to follow since they all involve the handsome, not quite all the way human, Diesel who pops up out of nowhere to follow some paranormal criminal and helps himself to Stephanie's bed with her in it. This time around Stephanie has a big ticket FTA to hunt, and he's mixed up with a real bad guy who happens to be Diesel's cousin. Stephanie has a way of tackling a problem and kicking it in the nuts, which I always enjoy. And Janet Evanovich can make me literally LOL over a monkey flipping someone off. A dozen or so times and I seriously laughed every time. As far as inbetweeners go, this was a good read.

authentic mexican.

I LOVE Mexican food. I could literally write songs about enchiladas and quesadillas. Although I create very Americanized versions of the famous dishes, I have learned how to be a bit more Mexican about it after reading, Eat Mexico: Recipes from Mexico City's Streets, Markets & Fondas by journalist Lesley Tellez. Who wouldn't want to become fluent in Mexican cooking? By sharing the spices, chiles, and easy to make salsas (love the taco stand style) and tortillas, that's what this recipe book is alllll about. Every recipe is fresh and easy to follow, the narratives are incredibly interesting, and the photographs are gorgeous.

did we just become best friends?

Bill Kreutzmann from the Grateful Dead would absolutely have been my spirit animal had I been a hippie in the 60's (I'm still not positive I wasn't in a former life). I did get to know him pretty deeply in his recent memoir (audiobook) titled, Deal: My Three Decades of Drumming, Dreams, and Drugs with the Grateful Dead where he shares intimate details and personal anecdotes from his time on the road. I never imagined that a member of such an iconic band would be this chatty, or honestly, remember much of his experience, but Kreutzmann shares a lot of insight from his time drumming over two thousand concerts, and bandmate Jerry Garcia. Lots of sex, lots of drugs, and lots of rock and roll. All the makings of a kick ass memoir.

kiss kiss bang bang.

When I was in middle school, I LIVED off of being dared to kiss a boy at a party. What a rush. Nothing romantic about it, but when you're 14, who needs romance? Anna Staniszewski's I'm With Cupid from her new Switched at First Kiss series begins with a dare and a kiss that is much more complicated than anything I had to deal with. You see, Lena and Marcus aren't your average eighth graders, they have supernatural powers, and kissing caused them to not only swap spit, but swap powers with each other.

Staniszewski's take on the actual myths of Cupid and the Grim Reaper was super clever. Lena is a reaper (yes, a collector of dead souls) and Marcus the dreamer, is a cupid. They are polar opposites, and by switching their powers, they are almost killing and accidently love zapping lots of inappropriate people. This novel is thrilling enough for your middle school boys, and romantic enough for the girls.

beach bag read.

Post The Goldfinch, I desperately needed something light and airy to read, and A Week at the Lake by Wendy Wax was the perfect choice, especially since I got to read some of it at my cottage on an actual lake. I really enjoy Wendy Wax novels, but some are better than others, and this one wasn't my favorite. Not a bad read, just not my favorite. It began well enough, three longtime (middle-aged) friends were getting together for a week at the lake. What used to be an annual trip that they all enjoyed, hadn't happened in five years, and only one of them knew why. I think if Wax took us right to the lake instead of such a dramatic opening, I would have liked the novel better because once these three friends finally did get to the lake, I loved the novel. I loved that the characters were all involved in "the business" of acting/fashion and met in New York. It was just a little predictable, and I would have preferred more appropriate romances happening, because there was definitely room for it. If there was a less dramatic sequel, I would give it a read.

kick ass giveaway!

Before summer ends, here's a chance to win a FREE copy of Summer Secrets!

....all you have to do is email your name, address, and this book title to: jenileerose@yahoo.com to enter!

Giveaway ends on 8/17 at midnight!

Good luck :)