Every mom needs a moment to rest and relax. And for me it’s a daily battle for my last evening hour…book vs. television. I would love to say that the book wins out every night, but that’s not the case. Sometimes, I’m just too tired to even read, so sadly I fall asleep to the sounds of the Real Housewives squabbling or the never-ending drama of 90210 on the CW. But no matter what, these last moments are important to me to have just a few moments to just chill.
I wanted to share some of my latest books that I have been reading. At this very moment, I am reading The Beach House by Elin Hilderbrand. This book is a perfect read for the start to summer, as it is set on the shores of Nantucket. All her books are quick, easy reads that are perfect for lounging on a hot summer day!
Other books that I have read in the past few months are:
All four of these I have LOVED and highly recommend them.
- If you loved the Hunger Games, then I recommend Divergent by Veronica Roth. The second part of the trilogy just came out earlier this month, but I have yet to read!
- I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Unbroken. It’s a true story about a man, Louis Zamperini, that was stranded out in the sea for 47 days during WWII. Then, he miraculously survived a very long stint in a POW camp. It really is an amazing story to read, I put it on my MUST READ list for others…
- Night Road is written by Kristen Hannah, who was an author that was recommended to me from a friend. I was actually at the library to find another one of her books, but the description of this one intrigued me. This is another quick read and makes me a little fearful of raising my boys into teenagers, as I read the battles that these teenagers faced in the story!
- Two Kisses for Maddy is a memoir about a young family. The mom, Liz, died from complications from birth the day after her daughter was born and the dad writes about his journey on raising his daughter on his own. You will really feel all emotions while you read this book-a few tears and many laughs. Definitely, definitely worth reading!
I’m sure that the American Idol finale will be my top priority tonight! And the Revenge finale tomorrow! But as the spring tv seasons start ending, I am hoping to get a little more reading time as summer begins, especially when I head to the beach next month!!!! I’m always looking for more books to read, what are some of your favorites?
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
I’ve had a request from a friend to share this awesome recipe! To quote her husband, “Holy! They taste like chocolate donuts!” They aren’t fried like donuts, but they do contain a good amount of cream cheese and butter which helps all of our healthy diets!!!! But it’s worth every bite, they are delicious.
Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies
source: http://brodyfrancis.blogspot.com
Ingredients
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting
1 (18 ounce) box moist chocolate cake mix
1 (8-ounce) brick cream cheese, room temperature
1 egg
1 stick of butter, room temperature
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg. Then beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the cake mix. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up so that you can roll the batter into balls. Roll the chilled batter into tablespoon sized balls and then roll them in confectioner’s sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 12 minutes. The cookies will remain soft and gooey. Cool completely and sprinkle with more confectioners’ sugar, if desired.
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Hi Julie! Thanks for the recommendations for summer reading–I am really looking forward to reading Unbroken this summer… Louis Zamperini came and spoke at our school this year… what an amazing Christian man he is, with an unbelievable story!
Love the new blog–keep it up! (I'm sure I'd love the cookies too, but that's exactly why I'm NOT going to make them!) 🙂
I can't believe you got to see Louis Zamperini speak-that's AWESOME!!!! Now you definitely have to read this:)
Thanks Julie. I was on the hunt for a fast, but good read, for the hospital. I think I'll try Night Road. And I can't wait to make those yummy cookies!!
I debate this every night! 🙂 Two Kisses for Maddy sounds really good!