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. 

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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. 

To the Beach

All photos taken in Pacifica, CA.

Book Review: The Alchemist

First of all I want to apologize for the fact that I have not been posting much lately. I just went through through my first quarter of university and I have been extremely busy and haven't had much free time. I am going to do my best and work harder on setting time aside in order to post more on this blog! So, anyways, I just finished The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and I can honestly say that it is unlike any other book I have ever read. 

The story follows a young boy named Santiago who sets out to find treasure but ends up finding himself along the way. During his journey he meets many people, including a king, an alchemist and his true love. One thing that I enjoyed about this book was the style in which it was written. When I was reading it felt like I was being told a story that had been passed down through the ages. It really feels like an ancient tale, even though it was written in a straightforward manner. Although the writing is very easy to read and simple, the story itself is very powerful.  

I would recommend this book to people of all ages because it seriously has something for everyone. It beautifully emphasizes focusing on the self, making it beneficial to everybody. 

Green Lake in Autumn

Three Fabulous Seattle Cafes

Please pardon my lack of book-related posts lately! I have been crazy busy in the last few weeks and I'm already practically drowning in homework. So, as someone who has recently moved to the Seattle area and who has a ton of studying to do, I have made it my mission to find some of the best cafes to do homework at that also serve great coffee. Whew, that was a long sentence. Anyways, here are a few that I have visited in the past couple of weeks!



Irwin's Neighborhood Bakery and Cafe 

Located in the Wallingford district of Seattle, this corner cafe offers baked goods, soups and salads, and coffee and tea. It provides a calming atmosphere in addition to having amazing eats (and drinks). Both indoor and outdoor seating is available.

Storyville Coffee Company
With a few locations around Seattle, this is the epitome of the northwestern cafe. The lighting and decor give a rexaled feel to the whole place, and the coffee is some of the best I have seriously ever had! Pictured below is the one in the Queen Anne area of the city, but the other locations of this cafe are Pike Place Market and on 1st and Madison in the downtown region. I still have to go to the one on 1st and Madison but I am sure that it is just as great as the other two.

Milstead & Co.

This cafe is a hidden gem. I am completely serious when I say that. I had heard of Milstead & Co. and I was determined to find it but I had a bit of difficulty because is slightly outside some of the other shops in the Fremont area. At first glance I thought it was an art studio because of the outside seating area amidst the sculptures and artwork, but then I looked closer and realized it was what I was looking for. Unfortunately I did not get any pictures of the outside area because it was crowded, I did not want to intrude on people's personal space by taking pictures of them! But I can assure you that it is pretty darn awesome. Now on to the most important part; the coffee. It was great! I ordered a latte, as per usual, and it was absolutely delicious. Another point that is worth noting is that the service was really good, the two individuals who were working when I visited seemed genuinely happy to be there. They chatted with me about my day and made me feel very welcome. 

It is a bit difficult to see in this picture but the waterway can be seen from the front of the shop! The concrete structure supports Highway 99 that passes over the water. 

Another pretty foam design. 

The counter space/barista bar. 

Photos taken with both my iPhone 4s and Sony A3000 camera. 

A Couple Hours in Pike Place Market

I got the chance to spend a little bit of time in Pike Place Market and I definitely was not going to turn the opportunity down! For those of you who don't know, Pike Place Market is a public market near the waterfront in Seattle. It is full of fruit, flower, and vegetable stands in addition to having many different types of shops. Since I was only there for a couple hours I didn't get to visit nearly as many stands and stores as I wanted to, so I am surely going to visit it again soon when I have more free time! I'm looking forward to exploring some of the neat little book shops and trinket stores. 

Here are just a few pictures I took. 

The famous sign.

I stopped at Storyville Coffee Company, and this photo does not do this iced latte justice.  It was a bit on the pricier side, but it was definitely worth it! Absolutely amazing. 

"Little Green Balls of Death" at one of the vegetable stands. 

One teeny fraction of the abundance of flowers in the market.