playing catch up

ive been a horrible blogger lately... both writing and reading. ill try to get better, but theres not much going on now that wedding planning is all over.

life pretty much went back to the way it used to be when we got back from our honeymoon... ty and i had to go back to work, there were dishes to do, laundry to wash, coffee to drink, groceries to buy. the common question everyone asks has been "so how's married life?" and my reply has been simply "awesome". it really doesnt feel much different than non married life, but i am in love, and i love being married to a wonderful man. our wedding and honeymoon were amazing, and were ready for the next steps in our lives.

buuuuuut were not moving fast. we want to enjoy being married. all those "next steps" will come when they come (house, puppies, kids... probably in that order).

before 2010 ended i made a list of things i wanted to accomplish in 2011 (check it out). so far ive been able to cross a few of those things off. ive really been focused on reading some new books, and im really enjoying it.

in the summer of 1999 i read this book:

i couldnt put it down and it forever changed my life. i was heading off to college in just two months with an anticipated major of mathematics. after reading this book, i called my counselor at school and changed to psychology. yes, it had that much of an impact. read this book, you wont regret it.

(i also recommend reading this one right after):

i read the first 2 books of 2011 on our honeymoon:

for those of you who've read "something borrowed" you know its probably not the type of book to read around the time of your wedding, but it was an entertaining chick book. i think at one point i asked ty if he was having an affair with my maid of honor.... he was not amused at my reading choice.

the nanny returns is the sequel to "the nanny diaries" which i read a few years ago. *fun fact: i actually had emma mclaughlin's dad, john, as a professor in college.

after returning home from punta cana, the real reading madness began. it started with this:

shortly followed by this:

and now im finishing up with this:

i had no idea what these books were about but EVERYONE i knew was reading them, so i thought i would see what they were all about. i did NOT expect what i got, but i couldnt put them down. the first 100 or so pages of "the girl with the dragon tattoo" are a little tough to get through, but then it really takes off. when i got to the end, i immediately started the next book, which read just like the first book. and at the end of "the girl who played with fire", they left you hanging with the need to open up "the girl who kicked the hornets nest" right away. (i am not at all surprised with the publishers choice of putting the 3rd book in hardcover only. i know many people who are waiting for it to come out in paperback to read it... i dont know how they could resist buying it from the way the 2nd book ended! luckily my father-in-law had the hardcover, so i borrowed it).

im anxious to see how this whole series will end up, and although i have really enjoyed reading them and would highly recommend them, im ready to move on to books without blomkvist and lisbeth salander. ive got about 300 pages left and then ill be looking for a new book to read. actually, thats a lie. ill be reading this first (its the sequel to "something borrowed"):

then ill be moving on. any suggestions??