Tag Archives: books

Furthering Your Education, Your Career, Your Life

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Furthering Your Education, Your Career, Your Life

Choosing to further your education can be a daunting task. If you have already started in the world of work and have had somewhat of a gap between the last time you sat in a classroom and where you find yourself today, don’t fear – not much has changed in what you need to do to get you to where you need to be; you still need to knuckle down and put in the effort required, as well as the following steps:

Prepare Yourself: Preparing yourself to go back into a world of learning is something that will take a bit of time. For starters, you will need to visit colleges to make sure you’re choosing the right one. What does your ideal college experience look like? Do you want to live on campus? Commute or learn online? Perhaps you even want to study abroad! Prior to visiting colleges, it’s important to have a clear vision of how you want these next several years to go. That way, you won’t settle for anything less.

You’ll need to get yourself focused with a clear conscience and the right attitude to tackle any workload. The reason that quite a lot of people don’t think about furthering their education when they’re making their way through adulthood is the whole host of responsibilities that you’ll inevitably have running alongside. This means all of the washing, cooking, cleaning, and bills that you have to uphold whilst still doing school work, plus all of the other jobs that you have to uphold to keep a house running – especially if you’ve got children. That doesn’t mean that it can’t be done. There are loads of examples of people who have made their way through college or another form of education while still running a successful household.

Should trips to campus for classes be too much with your schedule – that’s okay! There are countless different options for furthering your education online. Remote learning can earn you your diploma or a certificate and can be completed on the go or from home. You can also consider online courses for a specific career path. For example, if you are interested in cyber security you could explore the course options available through https://www.cybrary.it . Career specific courses can often be completed quicker than a traditional degree and will still open lots of doors in the working world.

Get The Materials: There is so much more than a pen and paper that you’ll now need to get yourself through the years that you have committed yourself to. There are must haves such as books, online resources (so you’ll need access to a computer), and other higher-learning materials that you will need to be able to grab a hold of at a moment’s notice to help with essays and other learning projects. Getting the staples such as pens, pencils, and paper will also help, as neolithic as it sounds nowadays! Talk about old school!

It’s important to note that you will need a great computer if you are choosing an online education like this STEM School Certification or virtual associate degree programs. You will also need to have fast, dependable internet so you can always access your learning materials.

Find a Mentor: You can reinvigorate your education and career path at any point in your life, but one constant is that you should find a mentor to emulate and an example to follow. This can be a teacher, a professional, or an expert in your chosen field. For example, people like Caitlin Brodie of Greenwich have succeeded professionally and have offered to train others in leadership skills and other abilities that are useful in the business world.

If you can get a private tutor in addition to your basic education and your classes in your course, you will find that you progress much more quickly and completely. Of course, it’s beneficial to be selective in who you choose to follow, and there’s nothing to say that you can’t learn from the example of multiple mentors as well. Find what works for you.

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Pretty!

Learn The Code: There is a code of conduct set in place in every educational faculty, and it is up to you to upkeep the core values and morals that it is displaying. There can be disastrous consequences to your learning path if you violate the code – you can find more at Duffy Law about the steps that you need to take should that happen. It’s definitely a good thing to learn ahead of time what is required of you in terms of on campus conduct.

Make Friends: Just because you are studying doesn’t mean that this isn’t a chance to make new friends. People are usually on the same course as you because they have at least one common interest: the subject at hand. It’s good to have study buddies with you regardless of what age you are or how independent you feel; discussing and exchanging ideas about what you are educating yourself on is a great method of making your learning deep-rooted rather than superficial and easily forgettable. When you begin to explain to someone what you know and how to do something, you are further teaching yourself and cementing any rough ideas that you had.

Congratulations on beginning your higher education journey. Now get out there and learn, learn, learn!

Featured Image By: Pexels

How You Can Include Your Bookcase In Your Spring Cleaning Regime

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How You Can Include Your Bookcase In Your Spring Cleaning Regime

Hi everyone and welcome to the next addition of my Think Spring guest bloggers series brought to you by Christie from Christie Adams Writer. When we are thinking spring, one not so fun thing that inevitably comes to mind is cleaning! Spring cleaning to many is a must, though, so this post from Christie will teach you how to incorporate your book (or CD and movie) shelves into your cleaning to do list. Take a look:

How You Can Include Your Bookcase In Your Spring Cleaning Regime (your excuse to buy more books)

Spring is on its way. Well OK, I admit winter is still hanging around, it seems to get later every year doesn’t it? Anyway, a bit of forward planning never hurt anyone. Spring cleaning your home, cleaning the car, yep, ticked that box? How about reinvigorating your bookcases? I’m not talking a quick whizz over with a feather duster, I’m talking a proper spring clean. If your book collection is a library you may need to break this up a bit, but it’s do-able, honest.

  1. Take a good long look at what you have, then take the books off the shelves:

A good way to ‘see’ things clearly, is to take a photograph or two and put them on one side. You’ll need them later. Taking out the books will probably surprise you. You will find ones you never knew you had. Those beloved sneaky books that have hidden amongst much read favorites. To make it easier and less stressful later on, sort them into two piles:

  1. Keep
  2. Maybe I could let these go

 Don’t know where to start? I try to live by William Morris’

‘Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful’.

The focus will be to cut at least 10%, if not more. You may at this stage also find the odd one you really don’t like. It may have been a gift or a bargain bucket buy. If so, create a third pile somewhere out of sight. You can bring them back into the room when you get to stage 3.

WARNING – DO NOT start flicking through the pages, if you do, you are doomed and will never finish the task in hand!

  1. Clean the shelves and fix any loose or broken bits:

Think serious Health & Safety here. Books are HEAVY. If your bookshelves are not safe and securely fastened it could really hurt someone, or worse. Yes, sadly, people have been crushed beneath falling furniture.

http://www.wikihow.com/Secure-a-Bookcase-to-a-Wall

Once they’re safe, fixed, and empty, you need to assess if they are what you want. This is the time to get reinspired. Remember those photographs I told you to put on one side? Now get them out and take a good close look. Be critical, be detached. If you saw those shelves in someone else’s house, would you love them? Aspire to own them? Want to embrace them in a big hug? OK, a bit difficult to imagine but you should understand the sentiment.

This is the time to repaint, rebuild, extend, downsize. You could go truly minimalist/tiny house and choose to let go of it all and move to a fully electronic reading habit. If so, jump ahead to stage 3 in this post.

Happy? All done? Fantastic, now on to the hard work.

(You could swap stages 2 and 3 if it suits you to focus on your collection, rather than your space or furniture.)

  1. Create a collection of loved literature and beloved battered books:

Now this can be a difficult bit, because it’s time to sort out what you want to keep and what you can let go. Go back to your books in those tidy piles (you did leave them tidy didn’t you?) and begin the process according to these guidelines:

Keep – you can look lovingly at this one, smile, then move on to the second pile.

Maybe I could let these go – you need to sort through these and divide them again into three piles:.

  1. Sell – if you have rare books, first editions, signed copies, then do your research. Contact an expert. If you’re lucky you could pay for a new book, a holiday, or your house! Otherwise, garage sales or online auction sites are your friend.
  2. Donate to charity or friends – do you love a book but know you’ll never re-read it? Why not write a hand written ‘no spoiler’ review note and place it in the book before you donate it?
  3. Reuse – note, there is not a ‘bin’ pile. If you do have any books that are truly falling to pieces why not create some book art (get on Pinterest people, it’s amazing what you can do with the pages of an old book). Your local school or art college may take them off your hands. Final option? Recycling center.

If you find it difficult, recruit a book buddy or cleaning companion, offer them a brew and get cracking.

If you have an electronic ebook/audio book copy, do you need the paperback? Do you have books about garden design but now live in a small apartment? Will you ever learn to play the guitar? No? Then sideline the ‘how to’ book.

Fashions change. Technology moves on. Maps and text books get out of date. Learn to let go people! This cleansing can take as long as you need but once you start you’ll be surprised by how easy it is. Make sure it doesn’t drag on, be decisive, and reach or pass that 10% target.

  1. Decide on how you will arrange your ‘new’ beautiful bookcase and beloved book collection:

Now, you’ve done the hard bit. You should have a (slightly?) smaller collection. It’s time to decide how you’ll show them off and care for them. Will you go ‘library style’ and sort by genre then alphabetical? How about color, blue next to purple, red next to pink etc? It can look awesome if you embrace the idea fully.

Do you have truly gorgeous bound books, how about those being at eye level so you truly enjoy the sight of them every day? Kids books? They need to be accessible to little hands. On the alternate side, you need to put ‘valuable’ (I know they all are, but stay with me here) books away from direct sunlight and away from little hands.

Libraries put books on end for a reason, it preserves them and protects them. Make room for them all stood up, not lying flat. You can be as innovative or traditionalist as you like. You can scribble down ideas, draw out detailed plans, or just move books into yet more piles so you can keep track. I’ve got a small section of ‘will read then let go’ books, too.

  1. Fill The Gaps! Now is the time to celebrate the space you’ve created, by filling the spaces with new books:

Yes, you’ve done it! Your new clean and empty shelves are calling out to be filled. Dust off your books and put them back in their newly well planned home. I start with the big books, which may only fit on one of many shelves. Also, that’s often the safest. You recall I told you to fasten the shelves securely, this is important. If the shelves are not secured (WHY NOT!!) always start at the bottom when refilling. DO NOT make them top heavy by starting at the top.

Just remember your home should be somewhere that you love. Somewhere you’re proud of. Somewhere you feel at home in. I’d love to see how you got on, and how you display your books. When you’ve finished take a picture and share it with me on social media.

You May Also Like:

http://www.christieadamswriter.com/how-to-organise-your-bookshelf/

Get in touch with me from your next coffee shop or library:

^^^ Thank you so much again to Christie for such a helpful and well thought out post! Again, please be sure to check out her blog and give her page some love! What is on your spring cleaning check list? How many books do you have in your collection? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: Be sure to tune in tomorrow for a gorgeous OOTD from K.M. at Ankhor You!

Everything You Need For The Ultimate Cozy Corner

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Everything You Need For The Ultimate Cozy Corner

The winter season is definitely here now. While the cold weather feels awesome and exciting leading up to Christmas, as soon as the holiday season finishes things can be a little depressing. I think we all need a cozy little corner to hibernate in through the grim months of January and February – and I think I have found the right ingredients for the perfect set up. Read on to find out everything you need for the perfect cozy corner – and snuggle up until the spring!

The Right Location: Technically, you can have a cozy den in any corner of your home or room – but not everywhere is 100% suitable. If you are lucky, the bedroom is the perfect spot. It’s private, quiet, and away from the ruckus and noise of the main living spaces. However, maybe there is a quiet room you could use instead? Or somewhere with a beautiful wood burner or open fire to give you the perfect atmosphere? A cracking fire can give you amazing light, a relaxing, chilled environment and they smell – and sound – great.

A Giant Bean Bag: There are some awesome giant bean bags out there right now – see this from Comfy Sacks for the perfect example. These comfy cool chairs are so fun and are literally high school me’s dream come true. They are the ultimate in Sunday lounging and perfect for settling in with a good book, movie, or to curl up and listen to music.

Lots and Lots of Blankets: It’s impossible to be cozy without blankets, right? So grab as many as you can and top it all off with a soft cotton or wool throw. It will keep the chills out, the heat in, and make you feel like you never want to get up again. If it’s extra cold, throw in a heating pad for good measure!

Toasty Toes: You can have all of the blankets in the world but somehow your feet still manage to be cold! Plush throw rugs and fuzzy socks are an absolute must so you can be warm all over – no frigid feet required. However, if you want to go for an option to keep warm and boost your property value, you can’t go wrong with underfloor heating. It will be your new best friend on those chilly mornings and winter days. If this is an upgrade you’re interested in, simply enter a search for “underfloor heating ireland” (or your local area) to find a well reviewed specialist for installation. Warning: When they’re done you might not want to leave your cozy corner!

Books and Magazines: When you are hunkering down for a cozy session, you will need plenty of material to keep you going. Grab a pile of books – when the weather is harsh and cold, there is nothing better than getting lost in a different (maybe even sunny) world. Magazines are great, too – you can browse through them at your leisure, and if you are feeling sleepy, you can doze off whenever you like.

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DOG!!!!

A Tablet: While we’re on the subject of entertainment, we can discuss the tablet – which feels like it was totally invented for the cozy corner. You can snuggle in, throw on a pair of headphones, and be transported to any era, any place, and with any of your favorite actors whenever you like. I love to go for something a little spooky, thanks to the Kindle that my boyfriend got me for our anniversary!

Candles: Candles are essential for all things cozy, so don’t miss out on grabbing a bunch of your favorites. For extra comfort, find some scented candles and let the aroma take you away to somewhere from tropical to a cute little coffee shop depending on the scent!

Snacks and Drinks: OBVIOUSLY!! Once you are in the zone, you won’t want to leave. However, let’s be realistic – you don’t want to be hungry, either. So, before you start your cozy corner session, stock up on a few snacks – healthy or otherwise – and plenty of drinks to keep thirst at bay.

What are your cozy corner must haves? What is your favorite drink to sip on when the weather is cold? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: Pexels

Monday Update: Worst Book Ever Edition

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Monday Update: Worst Book Ever Edition

Hi everyone and happy Monday! Welcome to another week here on lifewithlilred. If you’re a faithful reader of my blog, you might have gathered a few things about me throughout the years. Two of them being that I love to read and that I refuse to not finish something that I start. This second Lil Red Fun Fact rings especially true considering that I’m reading the literal Worst Book Ever. Let’s discuss:

My mom brought me home Maestra by L.S. Hilton from the library. I read through the synopsis on the jacket and inspected all of the rave reviews from authors and the like on the back of the book. Many were comparing it to Gone Girl and saying how the lead female character, Judith, was similar to Lisbeth Salander from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Lisbeth is one of my all time favorite fictional characters and TGWTDT will always remain one of my favorite book series, as well.

I knew that this Judith lady would never live up to the love that I have for Lisbeth but I was willing to give the book a shot. Unfortunately, after the first two pages of Maestra, I knew that I was in for the worst reading experience of my life. Even more unfortunately, those two pages read damned me into having to finish the entire three hundred page book. Fuck me, right?

The premise of the book – an art gallery employee gone rogue was nothing that impressed me. It seemed desperately unoriginal and you could tell that Hilton was trying really hard to channel her inner Gillian Flynn and Stieg Larsson to no avail. I could get past this bland story line if the writing was actually good but the novel didn’t even have that going for it. And there was also one major issue…

This book is legitimately like reading pornography. Judith is very in touch with her sexual side and spends her free time going to parties designed for people to have a romp with complete strangers. The writing goes into specific/explicit detail about sex, sex, sex and then falls into the dull lull of a high schooler’s attempt at writing something edgy.

So we learn that Judith is a straight up sex junkie. This is all very well – if she were smart. This is where I start getting angry. Lisbeth Salander was able to overcome every obstacle in her way because she was intelligent as hell. Judith just uses the fact that she’s willing to have sex with anyone to get out of the troubles that she thrusts herself into.

See the difference? One is smart. One is a slut, for a lack of a better word (I know that I’m going to get some backlash for that!). So for people to compare this Judith character to Stieg Larsson’s genius Lisbeth just seems like a slap in the face to an amazing book series/character. Maestra has easily been the worst book that I’ve been essentially forcing myself to read in my life. You know that Hilton is a poor writer when her erotica is better than the actual story. -_-

If you’re in to reading a really shitty book with some porn thrown in for good measure – read this book. But if you’re in to reading about intelligent, cool, innovative, and truly edgy female heroins then do yourselves a favor and stay far away from Maestra. Crack open a copy of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, instead. You’ll thank me later.

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Worst Book Ever Edition! What is the worst book that you have ever read? What’s your favorite book? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Hello, Spring Semester

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Hello, Spring Semester

Hi everyone and happy Tuesday! Today I start my first day of classes back at Tri-C for the spring semester and I’m moderately excited. (My Abnormal Psychology class which started a few weeks ago is going great, by the way!) I know I posted a couple of articles ago that I would be taking French II this semester but unfortunately, that class got cancelled. Apparently not enough students signed up and yada, yada, yada which I think is a shame. I was so looking forward to that class and improving my French skills even more and now that isn’t going to happen. So if anyone knows of any good learning French programs, please leave me a comment!

Due to French II being cancelled, I had to find a new class to sign up for. Naturally, they only alerted me that I would need a new class a week and a half until the semester starts. Panicked, I had to skim through the classes that were still available and was left with slim pickings of weekend and evening classes and other courses that didn’t fit with my schedule for transporting my siblings. I was so frustrated and ended up signing up for a Film Appreciation course. The class should be fun and easy but it isn’t something that I really wanted or needed to take. I have that class tomorrow evening, so we’ll see how it goes!

Everything for the spring semester just seems to be going wrong. For my Intro to Criminology course, I had to purchase a very expensive text book that came with the access code for all of the online assignments. It was just my luck that when I received the book in the mail, the access code was nowhere to be found. I’m taking the class online and it started yesterday. I looked through the various posts, links, and assignments that my professor provided and the option to purchase the e-book and access code popped up. That sure would have been nice to know when I had emailed my professor about the text book prior to the class starting. Especially because to purchase the e-book and access code from the links he provided was way cheaper. Now I have to brave the crowded and busy campus book store tomorrow to get my access code-less book returned. Yayyyy.

It’s not like I’m complaining…but I’m totally complaining. It’s so annoying/irritating/frustrating when all you want is for something to go smoothly but it just ends up being slightly disastrous. But hey, at least I am going to get everything taken care of and then I should be a-okay. I just needed to vent because these school related problems have been driving me crazy! I’ve also never really had to deal with any slip ups or mishaps during my time at Tri-C so for it to happen now is such a buzzkill! -_-

I’ve said Hello to my Spring Semester but I really just wish I could rewind the past couple of days and have a redo! Where are all of my college kids at? What classes are you taking this semester? What was one of the worst mishaps that have happened to you in college? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Monday Update: My Second Beauty Blogger Award Edition

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Monday Update: My Second Beauty Blogger Award Edition

Hellooo everyone and happy Monday! I hope all of you had a fabulous weekend! On Friday I got nominated by my friend, Kezzie, at: kezziescorner for the Beauty Blogger Award. I was so flattered to be nominated for the second time by such a fantastic blogger so make sure you check out her page! With all of the fun blogging awards comes rules, of course, so take a look and then see how I answered the questions that Kezzie asked her nominees:

The Rules:

  • Tag and thank who nominated you.
  • Respond to the questions that your nominator gave you.
  • Nominate 10 new beauty/fashion bloggers.
  • Create 10 new questions for these bloggers to answer.
  • Tell the blogger that you nominated them.

Got it? Good! Now let’s take a look at Kezzie’s questions:

Q & A:

Are you studying? If so what?

Yes, I am! I’m currently working towards getting my Associate of Arts degree at Tri-C in Cleveland, Ohio.

What are you reading right now?

I just started The Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll. I’m about one hundred pages in and I really like it so far!

What is your favorite lipstick shade?

That’s easy! I love NYX’s Pure Red matte lipstick. It’s seriously the best matte lipstick I’ve ever used and the shade is perfect for Lil Red!

What is your go to outfit for winter?

During the winter, I like to wear my black skinnies (obviously), with a chunky sweater, my Michael Kors booties, one of my many peacoats, and the super warm gloves my boyfriend got me for Christmas.

What is your favorite all time TV character?

This is also an easy one. Elaine from Seinfeld will always be one of my all time favorite TV characters. I want to be her when I grow up.

Do you have a favorite Youtuber?

Not really, I don’t go on YouTube very often.

What inspires you the most in life?

People who are working their asses off to improve their lives and themselves.

What do you do when you are having a bad day?

Hmmm…Before, when I had a bad day I used to use really unhealthy coping mechanisms. Now that I’m clean from that, I like to take bubble baths, write, and binge watch Netflix in bed when I’m having a bad day…So basically what I do every day. 😉

What is your favorite nail polish shade?

Black. Black. Black. I don’t paint my nails often but when I do I always paint them black. Lol, I sound like the Dos Equis guy! When I used to have my talon like fake nails, they were always black with red for an accent nail and a cross on both of my middle fingers. I miss my fake nails so much but they were a lot of upkeep and not having them is a total money saver. Now every time I do something that definitely would have broken a nail, I breathe a little sigh of relief in knowing that I won’t have to rush to the salon to get it fixed!

What is your favorite makeup store?

I love The Body Shop and a lot of my makeup does come from there but honestly, I’m just as happy getting the last odds and ends of what I need at Target. They have a shockingly wonderful makeup selection and I like to use Covergirl and Rimmel. For a treat, I like to use their Pixie brand!

My Nominees (I’m only doing three):

My Questions For You:

  1. What is your favorite beauty item that you treat yourself with?
  2. What was one of your worst fashion or beauty moments?
  3. If you could raid one celebrity’s wardrobe, who would it be?
  4. Would you rather wear the same outfit every day for a week or not wear makeup for a month?
  5. Bubble baths or long showers?
  6. Did someone teach you how to wear makeup or did you learn how to do it on your own?
  7. What is your favorite makeup or clothing store to score a bargain?
  8. What was your favorite fashion or beauty moment?
  9. How would you describe your style?
  10. Everyone has a color that just looks perfectly awful on them. What color is that for you? What about the color that looks best on you?

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: My Second Beauty Blogger Award Edition! Thank you so much again to my friend, Kezzie, at: kezziescorner for the nomination! How was everyone’s weekend? How would you answer some of the questions that I asked my nominees? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

A Letter To A Friend

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A Letter To A Friend

Hello all and happy Friday! I had a long day in Columbus yesterday for work but it was definitely worth it! Stay tuned for the Monday Update to hear more on that. ANYWAYS, If there’s one thing that Lil Red loves, it’s letting close friends borrow books from my extensive collection. What I love the most though, is when I find a book that I think one of my friends would respond really well to and personally give it to them with a hand written message explaining why the book reminded me of them. Recently a very dear friend of mine had to go away for a spell so I made a special care package just for her with books and of course, a letter. This very well may be one of my favorite things that I ever wrote, so I thought that I would share it with all of you. Take a look:

Hello, you. I brought you some of my favorite books and I hope you find as much comfort in their pages as I do. You’ll meet girls who are brave like Coraline and Liesel. You’ll come to fall in love with a boy who never grows up and a Little Prince from a planet far away from here. In The Little Prince, the fox teaches the little boy a lesson: “One sees clearly with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.” Well, I see you so clearly in my heart and eyes, for that matter, and I think it’s important for you to know what I see.

I see a beautiful young woman who is working so hard to better herself and I admire you very much for it. G.K. Chesterton states that “fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten. You have a big obstacle to face during your time away but I trust that you will be able to beat it and come out victorious on the other end. Please treat my books with care because they hold some of my dearest friends but don’t be afraid to let them help you on the way. All my love, Sarah

I dunno, I kinda liked it! 😉 I always enjoy sharing my personal writings with my readers so I figured “why not”, especially because I like this letter a whole lot – and maybe it might just help one of you! I hope you’re all having a great day and I’ll talk to you all soon! Until then, what is your favorite book? What book inspires you when you need encouragement? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: The books that I referenced in my letter were in order: Coraline, The Book Thief, Peter Pan, and The Little Prince – all of which are some of my favorites!

American Horror Story: Hotel “Lil Red’s Farewell”

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American Horror Story: Hotel “Lil Red’s Farewell”

Helloo everyone and a very happy evening to all of you! Alright, guys. No one can say I didn’t try. NO ONE. But, on this ninth episode of American Horror Story: Hotel, “She Wants Revenge”, I am throwing in the towel. I refuse to spend any more time on this season. Therefore, I’m renaming tonight’s episode, “Lil Red’s Farewell”.

boohoo

Week after week you guys have tuned in for my reviews and opinions on the new episodes of AHS and I am so humbled and appreciate it greatly. However, it doesn’t feel right putting aside an hour for a television show that’s below sub par. During tonight’s new episode, all I could think of was how much I wanted to crawl into bed and crack open Stephen King’s “Cell”, which I began rereading yesterday. I was craving genuine horror as opposed to the soap opera dramatics that AHS has been delivering every week with episodes that have consistently disappointed.

Not only has this season bored me to tears BUT these posts have been boring me as well. Don’t get me wrong, if I was loving the season it would be different – but it’s so hard to crank out similar posts for every episode when nothing exciting is really happening. During Freak Show, I lived for my Wednesday night articles on the new episodes…So you know something is wrong when I dread firing up the ol’ laptop after epis of Hotel!

I gave this season my best shot and the benefit of the doubt for nine weeks, but enough is enough. I now plan on spending my Wednesday nights tucked in with a good book or perhaps watching some old slasher films. I have an insatiable urge to absorb entertainment of quality and Hotel has done nothing to satisfy this. So, that’s that. I bid you farewell, American Horror Story: Hotel because I’m breaking up with you for good this time. Better luck on season six! Now cue the music!

So there you have it, the final post on American Horror Story: Hotel, “Lil Red’s Farewell”. Now if you’ll excuse me, Cell and a midnight snack is calling my name! What are your opinions on this season of AHS? Who has given up on the show? Who is a die hard Hotel fan? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: Don’t you worry about what I’ll be filling the Thursday and Friday slots on lifewithlilred with! I have some very fun upcoming posts up my sleeve! ❤ 🙂

New Book Recommendations!!!!

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New Book Recommendations!!!!

Hello hello! I hope all of you lovely people had a fantastic holiday! I definitely did, and am extremely grateful for it. I had a really great day today as well. I went out for lunch with my brother and mommy at Fisher’s which is a quaint little cafe that my sister waitresses at. I then got to have some nice hang out time with my big bro before he boarded a plane to Atlanta, Georgia to be with his fiance’s family for some post Christmas celebrations. I got a gorgeous stiletto nail manicure this afternoon AND my mom dyed my hair to my signature flaming red. After all of this pampering and primping, I was finally able to curl up in bed and finish the book that I’ve been working on this past week, The Storied Life of A.J Fikry.

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This book was absolutely adorable. It was lighthearted and fun, which is exactly what I needed after reading the addictively disturbing novel The Life We Bury, which I will discuss later! My mom recommended this book to me and we always enjoy reading books at the same time so we can discuss it together. This quirky quick read tells the story of a cantankerous book store owner A.J. Fikry. He is recently widowed as his wife was killed in a car accident and he lives alone above his store Island Books. Everything is relatively normal in A.J.’s world, but that all changes the day he leaves the door to the book store unlocked while he goes out for his morning run. Upon his return he discovers two shockers:

  • His extremely rare copy of Edgar Allen Poe’s “Tamerlane” has been stolen from his apartment. Only fifty copies of this book exist in the entire world.
  • There’s a two year old girl on the floor of the children’s book section, with an Elmo doll and a note from her mother explaining why she can’t care for baby Maya anymore. The little girl was dropped off in the store because her mother wanted her to grow up in a place surrounded by books and people who appreciate them.

The story follows the riveting search for Tamerlane and the hilarious trials of A.J. learning how to become a single parent while also learning how to fall in love after his late wife’s death. Weirdly charming characters are peppered throughout the book who you grow to love just as much as A.J. and his brainy adopted daughter. What makes this book extra special is that before each chapter there’s a journal entry that A.J. makes to Maya that discusses a book he recommends to her and the reasons why it reminds him of her. It’s such a sweet testament of the love a dad has for his little girl. If you’re looking for a feel good book with some cheeky humor and a few shocking twists and turns, then The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is the book for you!

Prior to reading A.J. Fikry, I plowed through The Life We Bury and it was absolutely STELLAR.

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This was author Allen Esken’s debut novel and let me tell you, he started off with a ginormous BANG. This book follows the story of Joe Talbert and his hell of a life. Joe hasn’t lived the most charmed life in the world, he doesn’t know his father, his mother is a raging alcoholic with a tendency towards abusive behavior, and his kid brother Jeremy is autistic. On top of all of the drama going on in his family, he has to write a biography of someone for his college writing class. College is already a struggle enough, considering he works late as a bouncer at a bar and is often caring for his brother who suffers blows at the hands of his mother and her piece of shit boyfriend. Because Joe doesn’t know his father, he can’t interview his grandparents on his side for the biography, and his grandparents on his mother’s side are dead. Running out of options and with a deadline creeping up, Joe ventures to an assisted living home in the hopes that he can interview one of the residents. Once Joe arrives, he learns that the residents there all suffer from either Alzheimer’s or dementia, except for one…Carl Irving. Irving who has been in prison for the past thirty years for the murder and rape of a fourteen year old girl has been granted permission to stay the rest of his life in the assisted living home because he has stage four pancreatic cancer. The rest of his life is estimated to be about four months. Joe gets permission to interview Irving, and quickly learns that things are not as they may seem about this sickly man. Through digging into Irving’s past as a soldier in the Vietnam War and the trial for the murder and rape of a young girl the question arises of if Irving really did commit this horrific crime…and if he didn’t, then who did? This book is an absolutely AMAZING murder mystery that left my heart pounding like a drum. Try as I may, I could NOT put this book down for the life of me and ended up finishing it in two days flat. If you’re looking for an intense thriller that might not necessarily be for the faint of heart, then The Life We Bury is just the book for you!

So there you have it, some recommendations from yours truly! So now, what I need from you guys is a favor. I need a new book to read, and I am up for any and all suggestions. I just finished The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry this evening, so I’m in the mood for something dark. I don’t shy away from any genres and I love getting hooked on a new author, so if you have any ideas on a book for Lil Red to enjoy, pleeease leave me a comment and let’s chat! Goodnight! -Sarah

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