A Bleak Day in Magnuson Park

Book Review: Bridget Jones's Diary

It's fitting that my first book review of 2015 is about Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding, in which a woman starts the year with many new years resolutions and goals. Throughout the year Bridget Jones struggles to find a man (while trying to fend off all of the people who tell her that she should be married already), reduce thigh circumference by three inches, stop smoking, and develop inner poise. 

This book is a fun, laugh-out-loud story. I believe that anyone who reads it will be able to relate to at least one of Bridget's struggles. But Bridget Jones's Diary is not great just because it is hilarious, it is great because it also takes into account the problems of modern-day society. It brings up topics such a feminism and the different expectations for men and women, making it very thought provoking. 

And last but not least, it really made me want to up my journaling game. 

Book Review: Second Glance

A few years ago I read the book My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult, a book that I had absolutely loved, so I decided that I wanted to read another book by her. I chose Second Glance, which is actually a ghost story. In this book Picoult writes about a small town in Vermont that appears to be haunted. As many unexplainable things are happening in this town-rose petals raining down from the sky, the ground freezing solid in the summer, and many more-some of the townspeople explore the power of love and family and how they are not always easy to understand. It is an amazing scrutinization of how death and love can affect a person. 

 This novel has many main characters. It bounces from the point of view of one character to another throughout the whole book, making it fun to read and see the many different viewpoints of the people. As I was reading Picoult's use of beautiful language never failed to amaze me. I am being one hundred percent honest when I say that some of the sentences were crafted so perfectly that after reading them I had to look up from the book to take a moment to process it before I kept reading. Seriously. 

One more thing; Second Glance is not just for people who believe in ghosts, but it just might make you question your beliefs about the supernatural. 

<!-- Please call pinit.js only once per page -->
<script type="text/javascript" async defer  data-pin-color="red" data-pin-hover="true" src="//assets.pinterest.com/js/pinit.js"></script>

The West Point Inn

This last weekend I went on a mini vacation with my family to the West Point Inn. Located on top of Mt. Tamalpais in Mill Valley, CA, this inn allows it's occupants to enjoy the beautiful surrounding wilderness and views with few distractions. It does not have electricity, but uses gas lamps instead. That, along with the extremely spotty phone reception, makes this place a perfect escape from the technology-filled, fast-paced world. 

The inn has rooms available in the main building in addition to having five tiny cabins on the grounds. 

We stayed in one of the cabins, and it was very rustic and pretty. It has the almost bare minimum required for an area meant for sleeping, which is great to encourage the inhabitants to go out and explore the mountain trails. 

One thing that should be mentioned is that there is no easy road access to the West Point Inn. People aren't usually allowed to bring their cars, the only exceptions being if they rent out the entire place or if they have an ailment that prevents them from being able to walk up. The wide walking trail that leads to the inn is about two miles but boasts amazing views and scenery the whole way. 

The best feature of the inn is the view. The sunrise in the morning was absolutely AMAZING. The pictures below were taken looking out off of the balcony on the back of our cabin. Looking down through the clouds into the valley with the sun shining was the perfect way to wake up.