The Ghosts of Varner Creek - A Review


In the summer of 1909, Solomon Mayfield awoke to find his mother and sister had disappeared. Left with his alcoholic and abusive father, Sol lived his life believing the story he'd been told, the story all the people of Varner Creek believed about what happened that summer. But in a plot of twists and family secrets that will leave the reader reaching for their jaw upon the floor, Sol is taken back to his childhood by the spirits he knew in life when he passes away so many years later . . . it is only then he learns what secrets The Ghosts of Varner Creek have been keeping so many years.  

It’s quite interesting when a main character dies in the first chapter of a book, which is exactly what happened with the Ghosts of Varner Creek. The rest of the book is told posthumously by Solomon through his memories, his sister’s memories, and flashbacks of when his parents met. I was enthralled with this book.  Don’t get me wrong, it is dark, and I mean very, very dark at times and not in a fantasy-evil-witchcraft-and-potions kind of dark – in a humans-are-capable-of-unspeakable-acts way.  I still really loved it though. I enjoyed the mystery of what truly happened to the mom and sister and was completely convinced that they’d disappeared for unsavory reasons, along with the rest of the characters. I liked the spooky ghost aspects of this book, but they really took a backseat to the living characters and I felt like they were more a means to an end of telling this story the only way it should’ve been told. I thought it was a very refreshing and creative take on a plot, but still so dark and thought-provoking. I would recommend this to others, but not to the sensitive reader.

 ** There is a disclaimer from the author stating this is material for 18 and older, which I would abide by. It isn’t raunchy or 50 Shades-esque by any means, but it is tragically sad and children are hurt in the worst way in the story line.

Blogging Break

I know I have been fairly absentee for the last week or so, and expect this to continue for a little bit. Why you ask?
Well, my house looks like this:
Apparently this is what happens when you decide to completely redecorate one room in your house. It explodes everywhere else! Plus, I was sick this weekend, so nothing got cleaned, or blogged. I did watch a lot of Project Runway and Star Trek though.

So please be patient with me. I am looking forward to a big reveal at some point this year. :)

New Year's Resolution Fail.

I am pretty sure waaaaaaaaaaay back in January I resolved to make 1 Pinterest project per month. Well, over half the year is gone now and I have little or nothing to show for my lofty goals. So I am perusing my "I think I can do that..." board and picking out 5 projects to finish before 2013 rolls around.

1. Photo Plaques

I picked this one because it looks fairly simple and well-within my skill set and I need to print out more recent photos of the hubs and I. Besides, I also want to re-do the bedroom, so this is a great and inexpensive way to have some new art for the walls!

2. T-Shirt scrap rug

I chose this one because I had high aspirations once upon a time to make a T-shirt blanket out of my old NIU t-shirts, so I cut them up. Fail. They are still in pieces in a bag in the closet. Perhaps if I cut them up some more I will actually use them! It's worth a shot...

3. Braided bracelets

If I can pull these off they would be lovely, inexpensive, yet meaningful Christmas presents.

4. A holiday wreath of some sort

There are ALOT of fun options for this one. It just depends on the season and amount of time I have to spare for it.

5. Some type of "word art"

Again, there are a lot of options out there for this one, it's just a matter of finding the right quote and medium to make it happen

A few honorable mentions if I can bang out the 5 above:
Ornaments as magnets for Christmas - another possible cool gift idea
Wire hanger words covered in yarn
Photo tiles/coasters/canvas
Upcyling frames and old cookie sheets
Date night jar (maybe for Valentine's day?)
A DIY cake stand 

Oh yes, and I want to make a quilt.

And I just started re-decorating my bedroom, including a giant dresser-painting project. 

Just color me crazy.

I can't wait to get started!!

Tuesday Shoesday - B*tch Stole My Look!

Shoes can make or break an outfit sometimes.
Anyone else out there watch Fashion Police with Joan Rivers? Well, I love that show (thank you Mama Derry for introducing me to it) and one of my favorite segments ever is “B*tch Stole My Look!” when they compare two celebrities with the same dress and determine who wore it better.
I was flipping through a gallery of who wore it better pictures the other day and my votes on who looked better were usually dependent on the shoes.  So, for Tuesday Shoesday this week we are going to do my own version of “B*tch Stole My Look” and feature outfits where the shoes, specifically ankle to calf high boots, absolutely killed the losing look. 
Kim, Katy, Zoe, and Alessandra all rocked the same dress, but Kim K just looks stupid in those calf-high shiny boots. Short girls should know better...

Kim K vs. Britney - Brit could've had a wow moment here, but she chose calf-high-circa-1998 boots

Diane v. Kate - Well obv. Diane always looks fab, but the dark booties are what kill Kate's look for me

T. Swift vs Carmen - "I think this dress will look super sexy with my gray, velour, slouchy, calf-high boots" said no-one ever.

Ashley vs. Stephanie. Short girls - don't cut yourself off at the ankle or calf!

Ciara and Kim - clearly both wearing a look straight off the runway and both clearly looking ridiculous in those leopard booties.
 
Now, ankle and calf boots are a hard look to pull off with short dresses unless your legs are about 5 miles long and even then it falls flat sometime. It’s all about proportion and I prefer boots that hit anywhere below the knee with long skirts or leggings or tights or jeans. I think that helps to not cut a person off and it’s all about looking long and lean, not boxy and compartmentalized. 

So what to you think? Agree or disagree with who I think wore it better? Sound off in the comments!