2016 Book {Wrap Up!}

The Books I Read in 2016

I thought that I would give an overview of what books I read in 2016. I loved reading this year. I kinda found my love of reading again.  It is really depressing to realize that school, the place of learning, ruined reading for me. But, instead of reading the books I was supposed to in school, I decided that I would read other books. :) So, thus my book obsession re-earthed. :)
Here are the books that I was able to read in 2016, and my thoughts on them. I don't want my blog to become too repetitive, so on the ones that I have already wrote my review in a blog post, I made the title a link. Which means that I really only need to give you the review on 3 books, which shouldn't be too difficult!
Here goes nothing. :)
I'll start with the books that will have a review written underneath of them.

A Monster Calls

What a great, simple, profound, heartwarming, heart-wrenching story! I think that it is an easy read and that it also shows how a child may be perceiving the hardships that their parents are going through. It also was made into a movie, so I'm excited that I will get to see how someone imagined the story would unfold if you could see it with your own two eyes. :)

Overall, I gave this book 4 stars. I really enjoyed it. It is so simply honest that it made me wish more adult novels were this truthful.

In a Dark, Dark Wood

I had a lot of high hopes for this book. So unfortunately I was a little disappointed because I felt like the ending was weak. The whole story was presented as being terrifying and keeping you up at night. When, honestly, the story was pretty anticlimactic. I gave it 3.5, because it was a bit of a page turner and I didn't guess the killer. But I was looking for a terrifying story and I didn't find one. :(

The Call

This... This book.... Honestly, I kinda hated it. But, overall I would say that it was okay. Again, everyone on "BookTube" said that this story was terrifying and that everyone needed to read this book. Maybe I find real life more scary than fictional stories. In a dark, dark wood was 10x more scary than this story. But, I also feel that this story could have been terrifying if it was written better. It was one where I wondered if it was adult fantasy if it would have been a lot better.  Because, really?? Killer fairies?  I was curious to see if the book ever got scary, so I read the entire book in a day. It had some action and suspense while also hitting some of the feels. The fantasy world lacked a bit of build up. I found the concept of the story to be scary, but how it was written wasn't actually scary. I gave this somewhere between 2.5-3 stars at the time that I read it, but now in hindsight. I think I would give it a solid 2. 

(P.S. This is my rating system. 1=I didn't like it. 2= It was okay. 3=It was good. 4= It was really good. 5=I really loved it!)

Now here is the list of the other books that have a review somewhere on my page. Remember, the title is a link to my review. :)

Flowers in the Attic

Mr. Mercedes

Are You there God? It's Me, Margaret.

Tales from Two-Bit Street and Beyond

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Illustrated Edition

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Siddhartha

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

The Pact

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

The Assassin Game

So there you go. That is my year of 2016 as it pertains to books.  I thought about ranking the books. Honestly, there are too many of them that are solid 3s that it would be too hard to decide. I can tell you that Flowers in the Attic was my favorite of the year, with Siddhartha as a close second. My other 5 star books were Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children, The Illustrated Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.  So, if you are looking off of this list, I would go for any of those 5 books first.

My goal of last year was to read 13 books and I read a total of 15. :) So this year I have upped my goal to 24. As of right now, I am not on track for this goal. But we will see if I eventually get there.

On a side note. You can check out my Goodreads Page for further inspiration. You know, since I am the source of all knowledge.

Until Next Time....
Peace & Blessings. :)

The {Best} Of 2016

Best of 2016

I know that I post a lot of favorites blogs. But I find them excellent because they ensure that I am blogging at least once a month. I also find that Favorites videos are my favorites to watch on YouTube. They seem to have the best information in them. Most everyone on YouTube is posting Best of 2016 videos right now, so I though. Why Not? :)

Here are my favorites from 2016. Enjoy.

Best Eye Shadow Pallet of 2016
I would have to say that the Eye Shadow Pallet that I grabbed for the most in 2016 is definitely the Morphe 35O. There are so many looks that you can do with the pallet. I tend to do a cooler toned look with this pallet, but I also love all of the warm oranges. For a while this pallet was really hard to get your hands on, but I'm pretty sure most people have it by now, so if you don't, it isn't hard to find.

You can find this pallet here. It retails for $22.99, which is a steal considering that you get 35 colors! But a lot of YouTubers are affiliates of Morphe and have a 10% discount code. It may not seem like much, but that brings this pallet down to nearly $20. They are creamy and pigmented and definitely necessary for your make-up collection if you like to wear eye shadow. And you can definitely find lots of tutorials for eye looks as well. :) Win, win, win.

Best Lipstick of 2016
When it came to me picking my favorites for make-up, I tried to think of the thing that I wore the most and didn't have to think when  I picked it. For lipstick, I definitely first thought of Serenity by Gerard Cosmetics! I love this color because it is the perfect nude for my skin tone. The matte of the color also doesn't completely dry out my lips. Also, it was a collaboration with Manny MUA, so I obviously and going to love it. :)

It retails for $20, which isn't cheap by any means, but I think that it is worth having. You can find Serenity here. Because it is a collaboration with Manny, there is a discount code "Mannymua" which works for the whole website including this liquid lipstick and it saves you 30%, which bring the price down to $14. Which is pretty average for a liquid lip. It is nothing too flashy, but it is just enough to finalize any look you are going for and I LOVE it! :)

Best Perfume of 2016
I honestly didn't really get into perfume until the later end of 2016. I had a few roller balls the I used, but as a reward to myself for losing 20 lbs, I decided to splurge on my first full size perfume. I'm not huge into musky scents, and Escada Turquoise Summer is the perfect sweet scent for me! 

Turquoise Summer is sweet and fruity, but is still adult enough that you still feel grounded while wearing it. The 3 oz bottle retails for $79, and you can find Turquoise Summer here. I'm sure that it is sold other places than Sephora, but who doesn't wan to go to Sephora anyway? :)

Best Shirt of 2016
As far as picking a favorite shirt, I actually found that really hard. Do you pick a shirt that you wear the most? Or a shirt that you loved the moment you put it on? I mean, if we are honestly picking a shirt that we wear the most, it would honestly be an over-sized A Christmas Story t-shirt that used to be my dad's. But, I decided that the shirt I talked about the most when I was wearing it would have to be my "No Worries" T-shirt from American Eagle.

I found this shirt on a whim. You know how email used to be a great way of communicating with others? And now all of the sudden it seems that email is more of being overwhelmed with ads from local stores. I understand that this is ultimately my fault, but why wouldn't you want to save 5% for giving them your email? Anyway, their clearance t-shirts were like 75% off and I went and looked through them. I bought this one and a Grand Canyon shirt. Total including shipping it was like $10. So unfortunately that means I can't give you a link to find it, because it is long from existing. It was the perfect shirt to wear when I was taking my CSW exam for the second time!

Best Pants of 2016
I know that this year is all about snake skin. ;) Just kidding, but these pants have been in my possession for a long time. But all of the sudden I am OBSESSED! I can wear solid prints, stripes, pretty much everything I want and it always looks great! 

Again, these pants are old enough that I don't think they exist anymore. But If you want to check out the Old Navy Rock Star skinny jeans, do it! Today!

Best Shoes of 2016
If you know me well, then you know that I base my happiness off of my feet. This obviously includes if they are tired or sore. But, the temperature of my feet affects my whole body! I work at a skilled nursing facility and with my business casual attire, I have had a hard time finding something that will withstand my constant walking as well as keep my feet at the appropriate temperature. 

These flexible ballet flats from PayLess are Legend-I hope you aren't lactose intolerant, because the next word is- Dairy! These DexFlex Comfort shoes keep my feet comfortable for all of my needs! I must admit, that they don't work as well in the winter. But if I wear boots anywhere expect for inside of my building they make my feet just as happy! I bought this exact style a long time ago, so sorry if you can't find them. But I kind of love how many different options they have all of the time.

Best Accessory of 2016
Am I allowed to have multiple favorite accessories? (Of course I am, I am in charge of the rules here.) :)  The first is a Leukemia awareness band from Choose Hope. It is $8 and it is the perfect thing to represent my love for Graham. If any of you want to buy one, we would love it! We don't make a profit off of them or anything, but It makes me smile to see that others are thinking of him. 
The other Orange bracelet also is for Graham, but this one isn't online anywhere. My dad made them and I'm sure he would make you one if you want it!

The other would have to be my Arvo Watch that my sister Kadee got me for Christmas. Now, before you get your panties in a wad, I've had it since November. So, Yes, I have had it long enough to know that I love it! It isn't anything too fancy, but I looks nice with everything. Which, I think makes for the perfect accessory.

Best Song of 2016
Did y'all expect me to pick a different song?! I would OBVIOUSLY pick one of the Andrew McMahon songs. He has released a total of 4 before his release of the album, but I find to hear this one the most. 

That potentially could be because it is my alarm to wake up in the morning. But, the fact that is makes me wake up and I still love it should mean it's pretty amazing! His album comes out on February 10th and it's no secret that I say you need it. Now!

Best Movie of 2016
Believe it or not, I have not see that many movies this year. I am kind of ashamed of it. But this was definitely the funniest movie I saw all year. It was kind of nice to have a movie that didn't require too much attention in a year that was sort of crazy. 

This is where I announce I'm sponsored by Target. ;) Here is the link if you want to buy it for $14.99. The nice thing about Target is that their movies go on sale A LOT! It wouldn't surprise me if this went as low as $9 in the near future.

Best TV show of 2016
Stranger things.

I don't know that I can express how much I loved this series. It was so Stephen King like and was filmed so much like a movie that I couldn't get enough of it! If you haven't watched it, you should. It's on Netflix and the next season comes out in October. :)

Best Netflix Binge-watch of 2016
If you thought it was impossible to watch 11 seasons of a TV show in less than two months. I definitely proved you wrong with this one. :)

I was medically inclined once and these type of shows are my forte. Ya know, except for the piano, I guess that is technically my forte. But I laughed, sat on the edge of my seat, and cried watching this. Part of me wants to buy all of the seasons. But for now, I suppose I will just bask in the fact that I have seen them all. :)

Best Book of 2016
I read 15 books in 2016 of which I gave 5 stars to Flowers in the Attic, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Illustrated Edition, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Siddhartha, and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

This book was so heart-wrenching and beautifully written that I couldn't put it down! It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much! It's only $7.99 at Barnes and Noble (who should also be sponsoring me!) So go over and get it!

Best Activity of 2016
Going to the Grand Canyon was angelic. There is no other way to describe it. It was a really long drive and I could have spent 12 more days there. But even just a couple of hours was the highlight of 2016.

Best Purchase of 2016
The local Baseball team in Utah are the Bees. They had a special Jazz night and were selling the game worn jerseys. It is pretty awesome to know that I am one of 30 people that have one. Which is why it is my favorite. :)

Best Picture of 2016
One of me, and one of Lilo. Need I say more?

Sorry that this is posted late. But here are my favorites of 2016! Here's to an excellent 2017!
Until Next Time.
Peace & Blessings!

{2017 Reading Challenge}

It is that time of year again, folks. That's right. The time where I plan out what books I'm going to read, when we all know the likelihood of me not changing my book plans are pretty slim. :) 

My sister and a friend of hers came up with this 2017 book challenge. A lot of them were taken from another list, but that list was like 60 books long. Can anyone really read more than a book a week, on average? I definitely can't. But I think that the Challenge turned out great!

Here is a picture in case you want to steal it. :)

Basically, there are categories that prompt you to find a book you would like to read. There are 12 categories, which is averaging a book a month. Which is very doable! 

I am so excited for my book choices, and I have included a short synopsis of the book in case some of you want to steal my ideas. :) Enjoy!

A Murder Mystery

I mean. Who wouldn't want to read a book that is by JK Rowling, but for some reason is calling herself Robert Galbraith because she thinks she isn't the queen of all reading and people won't take her seriously?? 

I know, I know. I'm behind on the band wagon for this one. But, what can I say. I have an entire bookshelf of books that I haven't read. And then on top of that, I have a nook that has hidden gems, such as this one, in it, that I forget I have. 

Anyway. The Cukoo's Calling is a murder mystery where an investigator that lost his leg in Afghanistan is determining is a supermodel, "Cukoo" really committed suicide, or if it was murder. *insert ominous music*

A Book With A Blue Cover

I got addicted to "BookTube" this last year. And it is a dangerous place for booklovers to be. There are so many books out there that I didn't know even existed! This book happened to be one of them. It is about a blind girl that is living in Paris during it's invasion in WWII. I love historical fictuion and I was so happy that this book fit into one of the categories! :)

A Book About A Road Trip

I'm beginning to wonder if all of John Green's books have to do with road trips? I guess that this is a bit of an exaggeration, but I feel like the road trip saga is really in style lately. 

An Abundance of Katherines is a story about a boy on a road trip searching for a girl named Katherine that he can be in love with that won't end up dumping him in the end. 

I am excited for this one. I think that it will be super funny and be a light read. :)

A Book That's Becoming A Movie This Year

When I was thinking about this years book challenge, I knew that I had to include a Stephen King book. I wouldn't be Heidee if I didn't. 

I have heard amazing things about this book, but I have been worried about it's thick size. With a whopping 1,138 pages, it is kind of an intimidating read. But I think that I will really enjoy this story, and probably a lot more than the movie. (Which I happen to really enjoy as it is) 

For those of you that have lived under a rocks, It is about a group of children (The Losers Club) who see the deepest, darkest fear of each individual. "It" returns as they continue to grow older and they do everything they can to stop It. 

I decided that I would throw a second one of this category for a couple of reasons. Number one, could there ever be too many books? No.  Secondly, because It is forever long, I wanted to make sure that I had an option of a book in this category to fix. 

Coin Heist is raved as "The New Breakfast Club." An unlikely group of kids come together to steal money from the Pennsylvania Mint. It sounds like an excellent thriller and who doesn't love a good Heist story?

A Book Written By A Celebrity

I have heard so many good things about this book. I have read a lot of more "serious" books lately and I thin that a funny one would be right up my alley this year. Don't get me wrong, I definitely want to read some of those more serious books as well. But sometimes, something easy and funny is a nice change. 

This book mostly contains funny stories and some advise for when humor is apporpriate. I don't know anyone that could use that kind of advice. Do you? (Imagine me currently looking at the ceiling)

A Book Written 100 Years Before You Were Born

This category was actually kind of hard for me. Hahah. Mostly because I had my heart set on reading Dracula, but guess what? It is only 96 years older than I am. :( But, I did actually find  one book that was published in 1892, and that happened to be Wuthering Heights. It's funny, because I really wanted to read this book because Bella read it in Twilight when I was in Jr High. :) haha. 

Anyway, From what I understand, it's like many other classics, it's a tragic love story. :) 

A Book With A Cat on the Cover

Those of you that know me, know that I wouldn't buy a book with a cat on the cover on purpose. What is the point of cats anyway? But, I did happen to notice this lion on the cover of Zoo. That counts, right? I think it does. 

This book is about numerous, tragic deaths in major cities that appear to be related to lions. I think I am most intrigued by this book because part of me feels that this could really happen. Mankind has totally taken over the world, it is only a matter of time before all of the animals just, snap!

The First Book You See in A Bookstore

My Fascination with serial killers is nothing new. And when I saw this book in the bookstore, I knew that I needed to have it. It happened to be on one of the main displays, probably because it's a debut novel and it is sponsored by James Patterson. 

This book is about a girl who is leading a perfect, tea drinking life, but is also practicing forensics on murders. She comes a little to close to Jack the Ripper and maybe even falls in love with him. 

It's pretty much everything I want in a book and more. 

A Book with One of the Four Seasons in the Title

Finding a book in the category proved to be harder than I thought it would be. Mostly because I am not a huge fan of major romance novels. And my research has shown that most novels with seasons in the titles have something to do with major romance. I was a little discouraged and thought, "Maybe I'll just read A Mid-Summer Nights Dream" or something like that. And then I found this book. 

An old house with a mysterious death? Sure, why don't we just go and live in there.. I'm sure nothing weird will happen. Except, maybe history will repeat itself.  But not if the daughter can stop it first. :)

(Do you feel chills yet? I think this book will be amazing. I hope it doesn't ruin my dreams and expectations of how good I think it will be.)

A Book About Food

I definitely have a relationship with food. I just love it so much. And I also love Jim Gaffigan, so.... when this was one of the categories, I knew that this would be the perfect book. I would be a synopsis, but I think the concept of the book is obvious. haha :)

A Book that is a 2016 Bestseller

If you have been following my blog for a long time, you will know that one of the items on my bucket list is to read every book written by Mitch Albom. I just love his style of writing and his stories are always so inspirational! 

The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto is the story of a boy who is given magical strings for his guitar that rapidly change his life. As he grows older, he realizes that his talent and music can impact the lives of other people. 

A Book Recommended by An Author You Love

Ray Bradbury recommends John Carter to others. He actually says that it is his most influential book for him. It is definitely a kids book.. but I am really excited to read it. :)

Happy Reading everyone!

Until Next Time...

Peace & Blessings! :)

{It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year}

December Favorites
Here we are with another favorites post. It seems like the months get faster and faster. Which, I am told is common as you get older. So I suppose that I should just get used to it, huh? I found quite a few gems this month. And most of them happened later in the month. Sooooo here you go!

Favorite Eye Shadow Pallet
It should come as no surprise that the Too Faced Sweet Peach Pallet would make it to my favorites video eventually. I'm not going to lie, I've been trying to avoid this bandwagon for a while now. Part of me say "I NEED ALL THE MAKE UP" and then another part of me says "Heidee.. you don't need another eye-shadow pallet." Honestly, the colors in this pallet don't scream unique to me and I was skeptical that I wouldn't love it as much as everyone was yelling at me that I would.

well.. I bought it. And I do love it as much as everyone says. It is the strongest smelling of all Too Faced products (which I think is a plus). But even with that, the color payoff is amazing and the colors are really fun to work with.  I kinda still think that the colors aren't super unique, but because I am a makeup hoarder, I can easily convince myself that they are. It's nice to buy this pallet at this time because it isn't sold out everywhere anymore. 

Favorite Lip Stick
Apparently I was able to grab all of the "coveted" make up products that have been sold out since they were released and now all of the sudden are easily available everywhere.

Kat Von D Lolita everyone. You need this in your life. For me, personally, it is the perfect nude and is almost a my color but better. I love that even when the color begins to wear off that It isn't completely obvious on my lips. LOVE

Favorite Shirt
We had an ugly Christmas sweater at my work, and when I saw this I target I instantly said "GETTING IT!" It's probably the opposite of ugly. But I love it. Nuff said.

Favorite Pants
These pixie pants from Old Navy are a favorite of mine every December. I probably shouldn't hang on to them because I rarely wear them. But their color scheme is so Christmas appropriate that I can't make myself get rid of them. So another December rolled around and here I am, with these pants that I continue to love in December.

Favorite Shoes
For me, the season of boots is winter and not Fall. Fall in my neck of the woods is too unpredictable with the temperature. And my happiness relies so much on my temperature of my feet that I can't risk it very often.

I bought these boots at Target last year and I love them. They aren't grey or green or brown or any real color, so they match everything. Right?

Favorite Accessory
Santa Claus spoiled me with Diamond Earring this year and I am in love. What can I say? Diamonds are a girl's best friend.

Favorite Movie
Christmas Vacation. Need I say more? I think not.

Christmas Eve Miller family tradition. 

Netflix Binge-watch
Does a movie count as a binge-watch? Every time I turned on Netflix during December, I found myself watching the Santa Clause. What can I say? I LOVE CHRISTMAS. And Tim Allen. but that is a different story for a different day. :)

Favorite Extra Purchase
But, can you see how adorable this coloring book is? I LOVED Little House on the Prairie when I was a kid.

Don't get me wrong, I need another Adult Coloring book like I need a bullet in the head, but this was a must have in my opinion. :) (P.S. Let me know if you want me to do a blog post about my adult coloring books!)

Favorite Activity
If you know me, you know I am usually defiant with most activities that Mormons are "supposed to love." I categorize the Lights at Temple Square as one of these activities. But, I went this year with the siblings and I enjoyed it. I like I liked Amelia's reaction to the lights the best! :)

Also, Amelia in this picture! *Insert Heart Eyes*

Favorite Picture
Randomly during a lengthy work meeting, my boss had a stop and watch the room dance as elves in Santa's workshop. This pic is definitely my favorite this month! :)

Until Next Time...

Peace & Blessings!