Actress. Writer. Foodie. Book Nerd.
Instead of a usual Book Tuesday post, I thought I would share the top books I read in 2014. I originally tried narrowing it down to 10, but lets be real now.
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I tried to keep it short(er), but there were such great books this year! Keep in mind, I only started the blog in June so I haven’t reviewed all the books on this list. Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check them out though!
Merry Christmas! I thought I would post something festive today, being Christmas Eve and all 🙂
I’ve been wanting to make a gingerbread house for years. It’s been on my baking bucket list (yes, I have a baking bucket list) and I’m so happy I finally get to cross it off! This wasn’t the easiest house to make and I’ve definitely learned a lot on what to do next time (especially on those damn wrought iron fence railings!), but I still wanted to share it all with you (mistakes aside).
Hopefully it will put you in the Holiday mood and inspire you to make your own!
2014 is almost over and it’s been a great year in books! I am slowly narrowing down my Top Ten Books of 2014 (which you will see next week!). Meanwhile, I thought I’d look ahead and give you my Top Choices for 2015. I honestly couldn’t narrow this list down to 10, but I stayed pretty close.
I swear…
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January 20 May 5 May 5
I get a lot of my friends,particularly those not in the business, asking me which shows are great or which ones they should see. There are a lot of shows that I want to see and many that I no have desire to. Being a performer and writer in this business I go see them for many reasons. I thought I’d give a list of shows I want to see and why. Broadway shows also make great holiday gifts!
Shows I want to see (in no particular order):
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Aladdin
It’s been out a while now. Besides the fact that I loved the movie as a kid, I’d like to see what all the hype is about for “A Friend Like Me”. I saw the Tony performance and while it was enjoyable, I don’t see how it gets a standing ovation every night in the middle of the show. Maybe it’s something you have to be there for?
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The Last Ship
I was skeptical about Sting writing a musical, but I heard some if the music and it sounded pretty good. It also got some great reviews. Unfortunately it’s not doing so well and Sting has stepped in to help boost ticket sales. Not sure if I want to see it with him or wait till he’s out…
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Title: Winterspell
Author: Claire Legrand
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 30, 2014
Pages: 464
Buy:AmazonThe clock chimes midnight, a curse breaks, and a girl meets a prince . . . but what follows is not all sweetness and sugarplums.
New York City, 1899. Clara Stole, the mayor’s ever-proper daughter, leads a double life. Since her mother’s murder, she has secretly trained in self-defense with the mysterious Drosselmeyer.
Then, on Christmas Eve, disaster strikes.
Her home is destroyed, her father abducted–by beings distinctly not human. To find him, Clara journeys to the war-ravaged land of Cane. Her only companion is the dethroned prince Nicholas, bound by a wicked curse. If they’re to survive, Clara has no choice but to trust him, but his haunted eyes burn with secrets–and a need she can’t define. With the dangerous, seductive faery queen Anise hunting them, Clara soon realizes she won’t leave Cane unscathed–if she leaves at all.
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Title: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (The Inheritance Trilogy #1)
Author: N.K. Jemisin
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Hachette Book Group Orbit
Publication Date: January 1, 2010
Pages: 427
Buy:AmazonYeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian north. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is summoned to the majestic city of Sky. There, to her shock, Yeine is named an heiress to the king. But the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is not easily won, and Yeine is thrust into a vicious power struggle.
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Title: Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1)
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: June 5, 2012
Pages:358
Buy: AmazonSurrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.
Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.
Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.
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