Unchained by J Lynn

I love MOST of the stuff she writes, so here’s hoping this will rock too!

ETA: I am adding this to the Rec Reading archive simple because I know there are people who will love this, where I have found it to be a bit…well, boring. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t anything I can get overly excited about.

My final rating is a 3.5 stars. I like the main character of Lily is an ass-kicker, however, I have a hard time believing that she is supposed to be 26. She reads like she is closer to 19 or 20.

Julian is of course, HOT, but again, I just can’t drum up any real enthusiasm for him or his love for Lily. Maybe the back story is just too slow in coming?

The secondary characters are there, and I can see the potential for an interesting storyline, but…

Overall, meh. Just meh.

Maybe I wasn’t ready to read it.

Thing Two: Super Grumpers

Thing Two had a physical therapy evaluation to determine whether or not she needs therapy long term. A lot of insurance idiots telling me she doesn’t and not listening to the specialists.  We managed to wrangle 7 appointments and the PT said she’ll need more. Hence the grumpy. 

The above pic is of my grumpy, beautiful Thing Two, with her equally grumpy Spider Dog, Milo, taken after finding out she has special exercises she has to do every other day. Some of those have to be in the pool.

Sick again. What a surprise!

Late last night I very simply began to feel like crap. This truly is no surprise as The Man-Child has been sick for the last week, coughing and breathing all over me while trapped in the car, and the Midnight Rider has been sleeping right next to me, tossing and turning with fever.

It’s been swell. So while I haven’t posted in a dog’s age, there has been sickness, soccer practice, and sooooo many bad junior papers to grade that I simply haven’t the time. I wish I did have time though; I have a lot on my mind.

The Things Turn 13

Last week, the Things turned 13. I am still standing by stupidly with my jaw gaping, catching flies. When did this happen? When did my twin terrors turn into these beautiful, intelligent, caring, loving, and giving young ladies?

On their birthday, I remembered how hard their pregnancy was, how miserably sick I was each of the 36 weeks and 6 days I harbored them inside me, my little aliens. I thought about those first days and nights at home with them, how tired, sore, and overwhelmed I was every minute; most of it was a blur of bottles, diapers, and getting in and out of bed multiple times a night with c-section stitches.

And then I thought about the identical sets of chubby cheeks smiling at me, and laying in bed listening through the monitor their strange yet beautiful cryptophasia and little girl giggling. Thing One’s determination, Thing Two’s sense of humor.

Has it been easy, being the parent of twin girls? No. But it is a journey I would live a thousand times more if it were to yield the same results.

Thoughts

Public school teachers are not allowed to have an opinion about…well, anything, in the classroom.

As a parent, I find this to be ridiculous. I want my children prepared for the REAL WORLD. You know, that place where you don’t always get along with everyone and still have to work in a group with them? That place where people will have opinions, views, and beliefs different from yours and you have to learn to deal with it? The place where your mommy can’t call to make a case for your late work with your boss or your professor?

Yeah, that place.

Okay all you patriotic Americans out there, imagine this:

A classroom full of forty 17-18 year old students rising to acknowledge the flag. Now imagine one of those students, a girl, long hair hanging in her overly-pierced face, her army green jacket with its various pins and markings espousing the many and varied ignorances of its wearer, and her small tight-lipped face, sneering as she turns her back to the flag, and rolls her eyes at myself and her classmates who are saluting the flag.

Are you offended at her lack of give a shit?

I am.

But I can’t say anything. I can’t do anything. Hell, I can’t even remind her that if she were in another country and showed such utter disrespect, she could be killed. And why can’t I say anything? Because I might hurt her feelings. I might infringe on her right to be a completely ignorant hypocrite.

Every day I step into a public high school and try to teach the future of America with my hands tied, my mouth gagged, and with little to no help from the parents. I can share stories with you about how I give my heart and soul to those kids EVERY DAY and all I get in return are comments from parents, counselors and admin about how teachers shouldn’t have an opinion because children might be offended. Funny, no one cares if the teacher is offended.

I get teenage rebellion, truly I do. I was an AWFUL teenager myself. I have chosen to spend my days being in their presence, and I am a parent to 3 teenagers!! But someone should at least tell this girl the other side. Someone should remind her that the flag she disrespects by deliberately turning her back to it, is the very reason she is allowed to turn her back to it. It is the very reason that, as a female, she is allowed in a classroom to learn in the first place. That college is an option for her because someone fought for it to be so. That her ability to protest, anything, is laid at her feet because of that flag and what it symbolizes to the men and women who have fought under its banner.

If my patriotic rant offends you, FABULOUS! I will kindly ask that you pack your crap, buy a one-way ticket to another country that you feel is better, and GET GONE! America doesn’t need you.

Rant over. I have to get some sleep so I can wake up, finish grading the papers I didn’t make it through this weekend, make 2 parent phone calls before school starts, make sure the boy in second period is still hanging on even though his world just came crashing down, and all while being a parent to 3 teens myself.

If you are going to make a brilliant comment about how I shouldn’t be a teacher then, please do me the courtesy of kindly pissing off. If you aren’t a teacher, you have no idea what it takes to do what we do every day. And you never will. So shut up.

 

Styxx by Sherrilyn Kenyon

I have not greatly enjoyed this series since Acheron‘s release. I have simply been biding my time until Nick gets a big ADULT book like Ash. Imagine my delight when I heard this book was going to be a thing. YAY!!!! Understand, Acheron is my favorite of the Dark Hunter series, so a book so closely related to him? Um, yes, please. And the book is HUGE!!! Even better!

ETA: Yes, I am still reading this one. Its good, really. Im just trying to be a good teacher and get my grades done.

Finally finished! Unfortunately, I can only award 3.5 disappointed stars. Full review to come.