The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult

I am in the middle of reading The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult and I love it so far. It is a really interesting book that keeps you in suspense. It is about a family who lives in Bethel, Maine and the hardships they go through. The mother works out of the home while the father works from home as a comic book writer and is considered the primary caretaker of their daughter Traci Stone. The family is your typical suburban family leading a normal life until a tragedy happens to Traci and affects her parents and their entire small town. Traci's parents struggle to help her cope in the wake of her tragedy despite their own interpersonal issues.

What really interest me about the book is how the author normalizes the Stone family. Jodi Picoult shows that no family is perfect and every family goes through good and bad times but sometimes it is the bad times that can bring a family together. Not only does Picoult write an interesting book but she keeps a serious, dramatic story suspenseful. I have been reading this book at night and it is hard to put it down. The combination of this dramatic story that tugs at your heart strings and the suspense that goes along with that make this an amazing book that I highly recommend reading.

The Original Ghost Tours in Williamsburg, VA

I just came back from a short vacation with my family in Williamsburg, VA. It was a lot of and very interesting. On our first night, we went on a ghost tour of colonial Williamsburg at night in complete darkness. I thought it was really interesting because our guide took us around to famous places such as the College of William and Mary and colonial houses and told us spooky ghost stories relating to the specific stops along the tour.

Ghost Story: One story in particular caught my attention. It was on the first stop along the tour at one of the buildings of the College of William and Mary. In the colonial era, around the 1600s, this building was constructed for an Indian boys boarding school. There was heavy fighting between the colonists and Indian tribes in Virginia and the colonists came up with an idea to make peace. They constructed a boarding school for Indian boys to teach them their religion, language and way of life. The Indian chiefs agreed to send their young boys to the school but the boys were very unhappy there because the colonists weren't nice to them. Many boys tried to escape despite the restrictions set upon them by their headmaster. However, there was one boy who found a rope and was able to climb down from the top floor of the building where they slept. Every night after he climbed down, he ran around and was able to climb up to his bed in time for dawn. One night, he was not in his bed at dawn and the colonists searched for him and they found his body in the forest. Today, according to professors, students and local townspeople late at night they sometimes see a ghostlike figure running around the college or hear noises coming in or around the building where that boy was forced to attend boarding school hundreds of years ago.

Awesome Advice From The Sept. 2008 Cosmopolitan

I just received the new Cosmopolitan in the mail and I started reading it. This issue has some really useful pointers about male/female intimate relationships.

Tips from women, girlfriends and wives to men, boyfriends and husbands
1. when your girlfriend/wife asks if she looks fat never ask her to move to a different angle
2. If you mess up do not say to her you should have known I would mess up. It is not our fault you aren't perfect. Nobody is.
3. It is great that you love gadgets so much but it is not cool if you buy a gadget you want for yourself as a special gift for us.
4. If we ask you if another girl is hot, it is fine to lie and do so convincingly.
5. No matter how much cologne you spritz on it will not magically turn you into David Beckham so do not spritz too much of it.
6. Be intuitive and ask questions to show you care such as how was your appointment?

Important Tidbit for women
Ever wonder we guys hardly ever cry or show strong emotions. According to Cosmo, boys grow up learning that they are not manly if they cry or show emotion. Also, they grow up idolizing movie stars, sports heroes that portray themselves as masculine by not showing emotion. Another interesting reason is biological. Men do not cry as much as women because their tear ducts are smaller than womens. The secret to getting a man to show emotion is to tell him it is more attractive to you if he shows his true feelings. That way he knows you will not think less of him as a man if he shows emotions.

Sex and the City Revisited

I am almost done reading the book Sex and the City and I find the book really interesting. It was this book that sparked the TV show "Sex and the City." The book talks a lot about how hard it is for women to find the perfect guy to make the perfect life with. The author, Candace Bushnell, writes about her friends struggles with their intimate relationships. One of her friends, Carrie, is dating this guy Mr. Big and she is constantly unsure of their relationship and where it is going. Carrie often finds it hard to believe that women can find the right guy and marry them. She does not know if Mr. Big is the right guy for her and if she wants to get married to him. She likes being in a relationship with him on one hand but on the other hand she enjoys being single and the freedom that goes along with that.

In one part of the book, Carrie and her friend Samantha are at a party and they see this woman who married the perfect husband and they are both wondering how this woman can meet the perfect guy and then go on to have the perfect family and life.

I think this book brings out a lot of good points about women in relationships with men. I think there are many women out there who struggle in and out of relationships and are constantly wondering when they are going to find the perfect guy and when they find that guy how will they know whether or not to take it to the next level. I believe a woman should learn to be independent and happy with herself before she can take a relationship to the next level. I also wonder how some people are able to know at a young age that they have found the right person and want to marry them. I think that every relationship is different but it is important for women in intimate relationships to find that balance of being independent as well as sharing your life and being with another person. I think finding this balance can take time and I am always wondering how people can find that balance of independence and marriage at a young age. I am happy for these people but I want to know how they do it.

Kindergarten Cop Movie

I watched the movie "Kindergarten Cop" for the first time since I was a child. I forgot how much I really loved it. It's a movie from the '90s about a cop who goes undercover as a teacher to find a criminal. The cop, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, starts off as a strong, tough cop and as he gets to know his students he 'softens' a bit and really starts to care about the children and the community he is trying to protect.

I think the movie demonstrates how beautiful and powerful the relationship with children can be. I believe children can tug at a person's heartstrings and cause them to think about their lives in general. I also think children can transform a person with a tough image into a sensitive and caring person. I love how the movie portrays children as intelligent people who just want people to love and care about them. I highly recommend this movie to anyone and everyone!

Ocean City Vacation

This weekend I went on Vacation with my boyfriend to Ocean City, MD. It was a lot of fun. We went to the ocean and walked around the boardwalk. I had a great time going in the ocean. I think the ocean is so beautiful and relaxing. I felt very cleansed when I swam in the ocean. I know it is very sandy but I am referring to feeling cleansed in a spiritual and emotional sense. I felt as if it was just the Atlantic Ocean surrounding me and nothing and no one is around me except the water. I was really happy just letting the waves rush over me.

There is something really spiritual in my opinion about the ocean. The fact that you are swimming in a natural body of pure salt water with no chemicals. When I was in the ocean I felt spiritually cleansed in the pure ocean water. It made me happy knowing that being in and around the ocean is rare for me so I enjoyed my time in Ocean City to the fullest going in the water, walking on the boardwalk and going outlet shopping.