Author: Katy Upperman

Bookanista Thursday

A heartfelt welcome and big congratulations to our newest Bookanistas: Lenore Appelhans, Shari Arnold, Rebecca Behrens, Tracey Neithercott, and Kimberly Sabatini. We’re so happy to have you onboard! Learn about our newest members (and all the Bookanistas!) HERE.

Now, check out what my fellow Bookanistas are up to today…

Jessica Love welcomes our FIVE NEW BOOKANISTAS!

Carrie Harris croons about THE COLLECTOR by Victoria Scott

Corrine Jackson adores CONFESSIONS OF AN ANGRY GIRL by Louise Rozett

Shelli Johannes-Wells hails HYSTERIA by Megan Miranda

Stasia Ward Kehoe celebrates YALSA’s TEEN LIT DAY

Nikki Katz raves about ROOTLESS by Chris Howard

Gretchen McNeil adores UNREMEMBERED by Jessica Brody

Rebecca Behrens and Tracey Neithercott
share why they’re excited to be newbie Bookanistas

Tell Me: What are you reading this weekend?

#RockTheDrop

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I had so much fun Rocking the Drop last year, I’ll most definitely be participating again this year. In fact, I’ve already printed my book plates and selected the novels I plan to drop (I’ll share more about my choices in the few days). This week my mom is visiting from Phoenix and I plan to enlist her help in my covert book dropping plans. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled!

Here are the details about this year’s Rock the Drop from the ReaderGirlz site:

Rock the Drop 2013

ReaderGirlz are happy to announce Operation Teen Book Drop 2013! On April 18th, ReaderGirlz will be teaming with Figment, I Heart Daily, Soho Teen, and 826NYC to celebrate YA lit in honor of Support Teen Lit Day on Thursday, April 18th. We can’t wait! 

This year, in addition to rocking out and dropping our favorite YA titles in public spaces for lucky readers to discover, we’re directing supporters of teen fiction everywhere to consider a book donation to 826NYC to help grow their library.

Here’s how you can get involved:

* Follow @readergirlz on Twitter and tweet #rockthedrop
* Print a copy of the bookplate and insert it into a book (or 10!) On April 18th, drop a book in a public spot (park bench, bus seat, restaurant counter?) Lucky finders will see that the book is part of ROCK THE DROP! 
* Post the banner at your blog and social networks. Proclaim that you will ROCK THE DROP! 
* Snap a photo of your drop and post it at the ReaderGirlz Facebook page. Then tweet the drop at #rockthedrop with all the other lovers of YA books.

Tell me… Will you Rock the Drop in 2013?

Book Talk :: USES FOR BOYS

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Uses For Boys, a contemporary YA novel by Erica Lorraine Scheidt
(Reviewed for the Debut Author Challenge and The Bookanistas.)

From Goodreads: Anna remembers a time before boys, when she was little and everything made sense. When she and her mom were a family, just the two of them against the world. But now her mom is gone most of the time, chasing the next marriage, bringing home the next stepfather. Anna is left on her own—until she discovers that she can make boys her family. From Desmond to Joey, Todd to Sam, Anna learns that if you give boys what they want, you can get what you need. But the price is high—the other kids make fun of her; the girls call her a slut. Anna’s new friend, Toy, seems to have found a way around the loneliness, but Toy has her own secrets that even Anna can’t know. Then comes Sam. When Anna actually meets a boy who is more than just useful, whose family eats dinner together, laughs, and tells stories, the truth about love becomes clear. And she finally learns how it feels to have something to lose—and something to offer. Real, shocking, uplifting, and stunningly lyrical,  Uses for Boys is a story of breaking down and growing up.

I first heard about Uses For Boys on author Sarah McCarry‘s blog, The Rejectionist. She wrote an honest and affecting piece on slut-shaming as it relates to this debut novel and its Goodreads reviews. The undeniable thread of ignorance in the review excerpts Sarah included in her post hurt my heart and made me wonder, yet again, at the lack of compassion in some people. The excerpts Sarah posted also made me wonder about the book itself. So, I did a little more research on Uses For Boys. While it was pretty clear from the story’s summary that Anna and I don’t have a lot in common, her journey intrigued me.

Uses For Boys is a tough book to read. It’s a character study, an in-depth, unflinching look at what it’s like to live in Anna’s shoes, and it is haunting. Throughout most of the story, Anna is just trying to survive. Yes, she makes some crappy choices. Yes, there were several occasions when I thought, Oh, Anna, don’t do that! Yes, Anna sleeps with a lot of boys, and yes, several of them are one night stands. But the thing is, Anna has her reasons for behaving the way she does. Reasons that, for the most part, spiral back to her neglectful mother and the varied occasions of assault Anna suffered early-on. I may not have been able to relate to Anna’s experiences, but I was certainly rooting for her to find happiness and some inner peace. Erica Lorraine Scheidt’s fearless flair for storytelling and stark, lyrical prose helped me empathize with her protagonist in a way I didn’t think I’d be able to.

My favorite parts of Uses For Boys were the chapters involving Toy, Anna’s incredibly complex best friend, and Sam, the gentle boy who comes along toward the end of the novel and, with his awesome family, becomes a catalyst of change in Anna’s life. Additionally, and this is sort of a small thing, but I also loved the way Erica Lorraine Scheidt described Anna and Toy’s clothing. Fashion is such a big part of their lives — it’s what brought them together and, at times, it’s what keeps them together. Their senses of style and clothing choices were so eccentric and odd, they added a very cool bit of color to an otherwise dark story.

Uses For Boys is definitely one to check out if you’re a fan of edgy, upper YA (this book is very frank in its discussions of sexuality), and if you enjoy character-driven contemporary stories.

Check out what my fellow Bookanistas are up to today:

Corrine Jackson is swept away by SUCH A RUSH

Christine Fonseca interviews THE LIES THATBIND authors
Lisa & Laura Roecker

Elana Johson celebrates THE SELECTION by Kiera Cass

Stasia Ward Kehoe parties with the Academy of American Poets on
POEM IN YOUR POCKET DAY

Jessica Loveis wowed by WHERE THINGS COME BACK by John Corey Whaley

Tracy Banghart delves into THE HOST (book & movie) by Stephenie Meyer

And learn more about the Debut Author Challenge HERE.

One Word Wednesday

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Fashionista
{Somebody got a new fedora and it has become an obsessed-over accessory. Every day: “Can I wear my fedora? Can I please wear my fedora?” The thing looks so cute on her, I have a hard time saying no!}


Inspiring
{Part of my April book haul arrived last week and I’ve been so inspired by the contemporaries I’ve read so far. Uses For Boys was gritty and stark and upsetting, while Something Like Normal had me giddy and heartbroken and swooning all at once. I’m working on Love and Other Perishable Items now. It was written by an Aussie author, so of course it’s fAnTaStIc!}


Decadent
{Rocky Road Brownies… So many good things all in one: dark chocolate, nuts, marshmallows, all warm and ooey-gooey. As far as homemade brownies go, these are easy, and totally worth the extra few minutes needed to make them from scratch. Yum! (Just a note – I used mini marshmallows instead of quartering the larger ones, and I used pecans instead of walnuts because I like them better. :))}


Magical
{So, apparently wildflowers are kind of a thing in our neck of the woods — who knew? We went on a hike last weekend and happened upon this stunning, seemingly endless field of blue bonnets. Of course, my girlie was in heaven.}

Love
{Her infectious little smile is my favorite. ♥♥♥}

What have you been up to this week?

Bookanista Rec :: IMPOSSIBLE

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Today’s Bookanista recommendation is
Nancy’s Werlin‘s modern day fairytale, Impossible

From Goodreads –Lucy is seventeen when she discovers that she is the latest recipient of a generations-old family curse that requires her to complete three seemingly impossible tasks or risk falling into madness and passing the curse on to the next generation. Unlike her ancestors, though, Lucy has family, friends, and other modern resources to help her out. But will it be enough to conquer this age-old evil? A beautifully wrought modern fairy tale from master storyteller and award-winning author Nancy Werlin. Inspired by the classic folk ballad “Scarborough Fair,” this is a wonderfully riveting and haunting novel of suspense, romance, and fantasy.

 One day about two years ago, the super nice girl who works in the new/used bookstore I frequented back when I lived in Washington raved about Impossible so enthusiastically, I ending up buying a copy of the book due to a weird sense of obligation — I guess because I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. Since then, Impossible has been been sitting on my bookshelf, untouched. The summary’s mention of the folk ballad combined with Goodreads whispers of elves and evil faeries and other such nonsense did not appeal to me much at all — until the other day, that is. I found myself feeling a bit of contemporary YA fatigue (shocking, I know) and picked up Impossible on a whim. A few nights later, I had the following conversation with my husband…

“Dude,” I said, slipping my bookmark into the center pages of Impossible. “I am having, like, a physical reaction to this book.”

Hubby pulled his attention from the TV to blast me with a dubious look. “Uh… What does that mean, exactly?”

“Well, my heart, for example. It’s all aflutter. And my stomach… It’s full of dreadful nerves. I feel so anxious and excited and afraid for these characters. This book is so good!”

“Oh, yeah? What’s it about?”

“Well… You’re probably going to think it sounds absurd when I explain it.”

“Try me.”

“Okay…” I searched for the right words, words that would communicate the awesomeness of Impossible. “There’s this girl,” I began, “Her name is Lucy, and she is so likable and relatable. Sadly, she is raped and ends up pregnant and finds out that her family is cursed by an Elfin Knight. Over the last several hundred years, every woman in her family — including Lucy’s mother — has ended up pregnant at eighteen, had a baby girl, and then gone crazy. Like, literally. Of course Lucy is freaked out, but she has these great, supportive foster parents and this amazing guy, Zach. Together, they figure out that they might be able to break the curse and defeat the evil Elfin Knight if Lucy can complete three seemingly impossible tasks named in this folk ballad that her nutty, bag lady mom sings all the time. Lucy is supposed to make this seamless shirt and sow this seaside land, all before the baby is born.”

Hubby stared at me with one judgmental eyebrow raised. “Okay, you’re right. That does sound absurd.”

“No! Maybe I’m not doing the story justice. It’s such a lovely, romantic book, and the curse, it’s this mystery that has to be unraveled. And Zach! He’s just so sweet and supportive and adorable. And then there’s the writing. It’s amazing. Seriously… why didn’t I read this book sooner?!”

“Don’t know,” Hubby said, turning his attention back to the TV. “Hey, look… Duck Dynasty is on.”

So, I might have difficulties expressing how much I enjoyed Impossible, but truly, this book is fantastic. It’s a surreal sort of fairytale with a contemporary setting and wonderful, likeable characters. If you read Impossible solely to meet Zach, you will not be disappointed. Recommend!

Don’t forget to check out what my fellow Bookanistas are up to:

Tracy Banghart  is tantalized by TOUCHED by Corrine Jackson

Corrine Jackson is wowed by WAIT FOR YOU

Stasia Ward Kehoe delves into THE RITHMATIST by Brandon Sanderson

 Have you read Impossible? Thoughts? Do you have a favorite modern fairytale? 

On SNIs…

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I am not one of those lucky people who has tons of story ideas constantly jumping into her head, rounded out and fully formed. In fact, I kind of hate those people. It takes me eons of pondering and mulling and brainstorming to build a story from from the ground up, usually beginning with a vague idea for a character who  refuses to leave me alone. While setting and voice and romance come easy to me, it is always such a challenge to nail down goal, conflict, and motivation (the bread and butter of character-driven fiction), not to mention an actual plot with a beginning, middle, and end — a plot with ups and downs during which the protagonist makes decisions and things actually happen.

So, imagine my surprise when, just last week, I was driving down the road, rockin’ out to some Tim McGraw, when the chorus of a particularly angsty tune hit me hard. This song, its lyrics, its emotion… It was a novel waiting to happen. In fact, with a bit of tweaking and some serious creative license, it was a contemporary young adult romance novel waiting to happen. How perfect, because that happens to be what I like to write! Just like that, a whole story — characters and setting, GMC, inciting incident and climax and resolution — played out in my head like a movie, and it was glorious! I almost drove off the road in my hurry to get home and jot down notes.

Guys. I am so writing this story. I haven’t been this excited about a Shiny New Idea in ages. I’m going to put my rewrite on the back burner for a few weeks and focus solely on this new project because oh my gosh… It is just so inspiring! I started plotting yesterday (my first time plotting a brand new project with Scrivener — yay!) and I’m already completely immersed in these characters and their story.

Just for fun, here’s a sample plot point: Jenna’s first kiss with Tyler. She is bashful and has all the butterflies and he is swoony and awesome and way too good at kissing. At this point, we need to fall in love with them both so we don’t totally hate them for being crazy jerks later.

I’m giddy with the potential of this story! And now, back to work…

How do story ideas come to you? What inspired your current WiP? 

March Reading Wrap-Up

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Big thanks to my ongoing mental rut and the well-greased elliptical at my fitness center for all the reading motivation and time. I experienced some pretty fantastic books in March… 

When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle – This book came highly recommended by several friends and I ended up liking it quite a bit. The spin on Romeo and Juliet is unique, and main character Rose was likable. I thought her friendship with Charlie and Olivia was this story’s greatest strength. I loved the unwavering loyalty between the girls. Rob (Romeo), on the other hand, was a total douche. I don’t want to spoil anything, but let’s just say that the emerging relationship between Rose and “the other guy” was far more romantic.

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren – If you’ve been following my blog for any amount of time, you know this isn’t exactly my usual kind of book. But I have to say… I liked it better than I though I would. I was prepared for smut and cheesiness — both were present — but there was also some genuine emotion and a semblance of plot. The stakes weren’t terribly high, but Chloe was a smart, sassy woman with a backbone, and Bennett was reasonably complicated and eventually likable. I appreciated that Chloe didn’t let her cocky boss walk all over her, and Bennett’s arc was enough to leave me satisfied (jeez… no innuendo intended). While I probably won’t read more books of this type, I have to say: I didn’t hate it.

The List by Siobhan Vivian – I was hesitant to pick up this book thanks to the mention of eight (!) narrators in the summary. The mere idea of it seemed really… crowded. But, I’m SO glad I gave The List a chance. This novel was excellent: compelling and relevant and surprising. It was easy to keep track of the eight girls whose names appear on the list because their voices and their stories are all incredibly unique. Similar to the movie Mean Girls and Courtney Summers’s  Some Girls Are, I feel like The List should required reading for all girls about to enter high school. Its message is profound without ever trying too hard. My full review is HERE (at YA Confidential).

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell – I loved this book more than I can eloquently express. I actually considered not reviewing it because it’s so hard to put into words how deeply Eleanor and Park’s story impacted me — I absolutely adore these two. Eleanor & Park is just too incredible not to recommend, so I featured it in a raving, fangirl-ish Bookanista post. You can read it HERE.

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan – I don’t read tons of books classified as paranormal, and I don’t often read books that people describe as “funny,” but Unspoken got so much love during the 2012 Superlatives Blogfest (thank you for the constant mentions, Tracey and Jess!), I just couldn’t resist. Unspoken is funny, but not in a silly, slapstick sort of way. Rather, protagonist Kami is quick and witty, and her motley crew is always up to some sort of craziness in the name of journalistic truth. My favorite part of this story (by far) is the very complicated bond between Kami and Jared, and, to be honest, the last few pages of the book kind of shattered my heart. Cannot wait to read the next in this series, Untold.

Requiem by Lauren Oliver – I liked Delirium a lot, and Pandemonium was one of my favorite books of 2012. Requiem, while very, very good, left me wanting more. Lauren Oliver’s writing was predictably gorgeous, and Lena continued to be a protagonist I could relate to and root for, but the road the romance took in this final installment was not what I was hoping for (totally my personal preference, so if you’re on Team Other Guy, you’re probably hating me right now). Also, the final chapters left me slightly underwhelmed. I wanted more — more emotion, more explanation, more wow. I don’t know… Am I crazy?

If I Lie by Corrine Jackson – This one is not just a military book, nor is it just a cheating book.  There’s so much to Quinn’s story: weighty family issues, bullying, genuine (though rather untraditional) friendships, and incomprehensibly difficult choices.The dynamic between Quinn, Carey, and their good friend Blake was incredibly compelling, and Jackson’s writing is lovely, nuanced and authentic and without fluff. A definite recommend. You can find my full Bookanista review HERE.

Pretty Girl-13 by Liz Coley – Lots to like about this novel: the slowly unraveling mystery behind Angie’s disappearance and “the man” who held her prisoner for years, the complex science behind “fragmented” personalities, the ups and downs of recovering from unimaginable trauma, and the complicated preexisting relationships Angie is thrown back into after emerging from captivity. That said, Angie’s lack of emotion (while understandable when factoring in her “alters”) made her occasionally difficult to connect with. Recommended to those who enjoy stories of the psychological sort. My full review is HERE.

Tell me: What’s the very best book you read in March?

DAC :: PRETTY GIRL-13

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I’m excited to discuss one of my most anticipated 2013 novels:
Liz Coley‘s gripping debut Pretty Girl-13 
(Reviewed for the Debut Author Challenge)

From Goodreads – Reminiscent of the Elizabeth Smart case, Pretty Girl-13 is a disturbing and powerful psychological mystery about a girl who must piece together the story of her kidnapping and captivity. Angie Chapman was thirteen years old when she ventured into the woods alone on a Girl Scouts camping trip. Now she’s returned home…only to find that it’s three years later and she’s sixteen-or at least that’s what everyone tells her. What happened to the past three years of her life? Angie doesn’t know. But there are people who do — people who could tell Angie every detail of her forgotten time, if only they weren’t locked inside her mind. With a tremendous amount of courage, Angie embarks on a journey to discover the fragments of her personality, otherwise known as her “alters.” As she unearths more and more about her past, she discovers a terrifying secret and must decide: When you remember things you wish you could forget, do you destroy the parts of yourself that are responsible? Liz Coley’s alarming and fascinating psychological mystery is a disturbing – and ultimately empowering page-turner about accepting our whole selves, and the healing power of courage, hope, and love.

I’ve been fascinated with Elizabeth Smart’s harrowing kidnapping experience since she went missing in 2002, and equally captivated by the graceful public recovery she’s made since she was rescued nine months later. When I found out Liz Coley’s contemporary debut, Pretty-Girl-13, was reminiscent of the Smart case, I was immediately interested. Mentions of Angie’s lost memory and her “alters” were also intriguing. I snatched this book up as soon as it was released.

Pretty Girl-13 is an unputdownable novel, one I found myself thinking about even when I wasn’t reading. There is a lot to like: the slowly unraveling mystery behind Angie’s disappearance and “the man” who held her prisoner for years, the complex science behind “fragmented” personalities, the ups and downs of recovering from unimaginable trauma, and the complicated preexisting relationships Angie is thrown back into after emerging from captivity.

Without giving too much away, I’ll say that Liz Coley handled the different voices in this story with a deft hand. I found her narrative smooth and easy to follow. Furthermore, I found the way she explained the dense (and occasionally fictionalized) science behind Angie’s condition to be clear and easy to understand. While Angie spends a lot of time in therapy and with doctors, her story never reads as bogged down with medical terminology.

*(A few spoilers follow in white text. Highlight to read.)*

Pretty Girl-13 is a difficult novel to sit back and simply read. Angie has an incredibly rough go of it, and there is quite a bit of detail in the descriptions of her suffering. While I understand that Angie’s mind found a way to “protect” her from shock and pain, there were a few occasions during which I wanted more emotion from her. Sometimes I thought she handled her situation with too much poise; she was able to shrug off terribly upsetting news that would have completely undone most people (highlight to read: for example, when she saw the scars on her ankles left by the bindings used by her captor, her first thought was that she wouldn’t be able to wear sandals anymore). I think I would have related more to Angie if she would have broken down a few times, as I imagine I would if faced with her situation.

More often than not, I found myself reading Pretty Girl-13 through my Mom Lens, which made it hard to suspend belief in some instances. For example, if my daughter disappeared without a trace for three years, then appeared on my doorstep with huge memory gaps, bearing evidence of disturbing physical abuse, there’s no way I’d ever let her out of my sight again. Angie’s parents, in my opinion, didn’t react to their daughter’s experience with enough intensity or heartache. I found it odd that, knowing what they did about Angie’s mental state, her parents allowed her to baby-sit late at night for the neighbor’s infant. I was also unsettled by the way a certain family issue (highlight to read: Yuncle’s repeated inscestual abuse of Angie) was essentially swept under the rug. I wanted more resolution for Angie in that area, especially considering that it was the catalyst that made her mind ripe for fracturing under distressing situations.

My favorite thing about Pretty Girl-13 was Angie’s enduring strength. Despite its difficult subject matter, this is a hopeful sort of novel, one that left me with much to think about, and a definite sense of optimism. Recommended to those who enjoy stories of the psychological sort.

Learn more about the Debut Author Challenge HERE.

Bookanista Rec :: IF I LIE

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Today’s Bookanista recommendation is a fabulous contemporary from Corrine Jackson – If I Lie

From Goodreads – A powerful debut novel about the gray space between truth and perception… Quinn’s done the unthinkable: she kissed a guy who is not Carey, her boyfriend. And she got caught. Being branded a cheater would be bad enough, but Quinn is deemed a traitor, and shunned by all of her friends. Because Carey’s not just any guy—he’s serving in Afghanistan and revered by everyone in their small, military town. Quinn could clear her name, but that would mean revealing secrets that she’s vowed to keep—secrets that aren’t hers to share. And when Carey goes MIA, Quinn must decide how far she’ll go to protect her boyfriend… and her promise.

As a general rule, I don’t read military-inspired books. Nor do I watch military-inspired TV shows or movies. As an Army wife of almost ten years, I find that fictionalized accounts of the military and its ways of life are often either inaccurate or incredibly melodramatic (I’m looking at you, Army Wives.) Furthermore, I find cheating/adultery to be a far-too-common plot element in military-inspired stories. Honestly. The vast majority of service members (and their significant others) are not fickle bedhoppers.

So, you might understand why it took me so long to pick up Corrine Jackson’s If I Lie.  I know Cory through the Bookanistas and while I think she is absolutely lovely, I have to admit that I didn’t plan on reading If I Lie. I love a good contemporary YA novel, but this one had strikes against it from the get-go. Luckily, several of my trusted book friends read If I Lie and had all kinds of wonderful things to say about it. I realized I might be missing out, so I bought myself a copy. I flew through it in two days.

If I Lie is not just a military book, nor is it just a cheating book, and it’s definitely free of melodramatics  There’s SO MUCH to Quinn’s story: weighty family issues, bullying, genuine (though rather untraditional) friendships, and incomprehensibly difficult choices. Poor Quinn has so much on her plate, more than enough to crush the average girl. Good thing she’s the oft-talked about “strong female character” personified. Quinn is smart and steadfast and determined, loyal to her own detriment. And yet, she’s sensitive enough to be relatable — the whole time I was reading I just wanted to give her a big hug.

The dynamic between Quinn, Carey, and their good friend Blake was incredibly compelling. Throughout the novel, Corrine Jackson jumps seamlessly into flashbacks that show the development of the trio’s friendship, as well as its unraveling. We find out on the first page of the story that young Marine Carey has gone MIA while overseas on a deployment, and his disappearance — as well as Quinn’s staggering personal growth — propel the plot forward. The writing in If I Lie is lovely, nuanced and authentic and without fluff. Corrine Jackson appears to write the teen voice effortlessly; I especially loved Quinn’s thoughtful observations about the people around her, and her dry wit.

So, ignore any preconceived notions you might have about military-inspired books. If I Lie is a perfect choice for fans of contemporary young adult fiction. Please do read it soon if you haven’t already!

And don’t forget to check out what my fellow Bookanistas are up to:

Christine Fonseca  marvels at MIND GAMES by Kiersten White

Shelli Johannes-Wells  explores ESSENCE by Kimberly Derting

Elana Johson  is gaga for GRAVE MERCY by Robin LaFever

Stasia Ward Kehoe discusses THE DIFFERENT GIRL by Gordon Dahlquist

Jessica Love delves into BITTERSWEET by Sarah Ockler

Nikki Katz gets lost in THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY by Katja Millay


Tell Me: Have you read If I Lie? Thoughts? Do you have a favorite military-inspired book? 

One Word Wednesday

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Happy
{That’s the smile of a kid who’s halfway through her second week of spring break. We’ve had all kinds of fun so far – treats and movies and kayaking and the park, plus a week-long visit with her grandparents, Mimi and Baba. Fun!}

Tedious
{Oh, look… I’m rewriting again. A different story now, one that’s full of characters I love and just can’t give up on. This manuscript had a plot that just wasn’t marketable enough, so I’m giving it a big ol’ facelift. I’m “done” rewriting about half the story, but it’s the back half that’s going to be most troublesome. Good thing Costco sells Jelly Bellies in bulk!}

Yum
{My husband and I have been doing the no-carb thing for awhile now, and it’s becoming harder and harder to come up with tasty and unique dinners that don’t include a bunch of bread/rice/pasta/potatoes. The other night I had a moment of inspiration and made what were essentially a crab cakes (sans bread crumbs). I  packed the mixture into portobello mushroom caps and baked it all in the oven. Even my girlie was a fan. Win!}


Awesome
{Yesterday we went whale watching, which was the coolest. We saw humpback whales (there’s a tail barely visible in the lower right corner of the above image), grey whales, sea lions, and tons of dolphins. The best part? I doubled up on Dramamine and didn’t feel the slightest bit seasick!}

Love
{We’ve been having a bit of a stay-cation over the last few days thanks to my visiting in-laws. It’s been so fun to hang in our town like tourists, and we’ve had a blast showing Mimi and Baba all the cool things the Monterey Bay area has to offer. Above is evidence of our trip down 17-Mile Drive.}

Tell me: What’s been the best part of your week so far?