April reading update (and Taylor Swift!)

Wow. April has come and gone. Which is nice in some ways... beach weather rapidly approaches. The Mimosa tree out front is blooming (and smells absolutely delicious, especially at night). Best of all, May started off with two things I'd been looking forward to for months: my brother's block leave and the Taylor Swift concert!

We didn't get great pics (sadly, detachable-lens cameras were not allowed, so we were forced to rely on our Point & Shoot), but got decent video considering we were on the 3rd level.

My favorite part (which, due to a prematurely dead battery, we were unable to film) was Taylor breaking into Justin Timberlake in the middle of You're Not Sorry. Funny thing was... almost no one in the stadium knew the song. Everyone was singing along to Taylor and when she launched into Justin:



*Chirp chirp chirp* You coulda heard crickets! I know Taylor's fan base is young (and leans country), but there were tons of people my age just looking at each other like, Huh?

Love Justin! Now if he would just go on tour!

On to the reading update:

JANUARY
1. SUITE SCARLETT by Maureen Johnson (Young Adult)
2. THE TEMPTATION OF THE NIGHT JASMINE by Lauren Willig (Historical Fiction/Spy Thriller/Romance)

FEBRUARY
3. THE HORSE AND HIS BOY by C.S. Lewis (Christian/Fantasy)
4. TITHE by Holly Black (YA/Urban Fantasy)
5. PRINCE CASPIAN by C.S. Lewis (Christian/Fantasy)

MARCH
6. THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER by C.S. Lewis (Christian/Fantasy)
7. THE OPPOSITE OF ME by Sarah Pekkanen (Women's Lit)
8. NIGHT by Elie Wiesel (Memoir)

APRIL
9. LIFE, AFTER by Sarah Darer Littman (Young Adult ARC)
10. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS by J.K. Rowling (reread, and still not finished, actually)
 
So yeah... I didn't do so good this month. I'm 2 (and a half, since I've not finished POTTER) behind for the year. And right now I'm beta-ing an MS, so we'll see how reading goes this month. But I did get THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH yesterday, and I'm itching to read it, so I'm sure I'll have at least one book read before the end of the month!
 
And finally, the answer to my "Creative Writer" Blogger Award lies. I must have made the lies too outrageous, because several of you guessed the truth (including someone who actually knows me... unfair much? *coughMarkcough*).
 
1. My last name is actually Stevenakis

This lie was inspired by the report that Jennifer Aniston's family changed their last name from Anistonakis upon moving to the United States several generations back. Dunno if it's true, but my last name is definitely not Stevenakis. Not that any of you were fooled by that one anyway!

2. I scored a 1520 on the SATS back when a perfect score was 1600 (oh so long ago in 2003 :P)

Not so much. I took the SATS twice. The first time I scored 1130 and the next time I scored 1190. Paired with my GPA and extracurriculars, 1190 could have gotten me into any school in my state, so I left it at that. My friend Josh did score a 1500 though, which is what inspired this lie.

3. I am licensed to fly single-engine planes

This one didn't fool anybody either. Hey, I could fly planes! ...But I don't. Though if baggage fees go up anymore, it might be more cost efficient to own a plane than travel commercial.

4. I once got stuck at the top of the Washington Monument

Yep, this one is true! Summer after my senior year, Bear and I visited DC for a weekend. We took in the Smithsonian, the National Mall, and had advance tickets to ride the elevator to the top of the Washington Monument. We observed views of the White House, the Potomac, and the National Mall, got ready to leave... and the elevator broke. We, along with a good 30 other people, were stuck in the observation area (Not fun. It's small... and hot.) for 45 minutes before officials let us walk allllllllllllll the way down the inside of the Washington Monument. 1,000 steps, folks. Calves were killing me the next day.

5. Manny Ramirez personally autographed a baseball for me 2 years ago

Nope, but when Bear and I attended Red Sox Spring Training in 2008, I did get Alex Cora and Johnny Pesky's autographs! Manny was signing autographs, too, but he stopped two people over from me.

6. I was born in Baja Mexico

This one's a lie. I'm an East Coast girl. Only ever been to the West Coast (San Diego) once.

7. I'm allergic to sunlight

I'm half Irish and a quarter Scottish, so I get my fair skin honest. My motto is, "Pale is the new tan." And while I'm not actually allergic to sunlight, I can't stay in strong sun for more than a few minutes without getting burned. I go through SPF 50 like crazy during the summer.