gone girl

I just finished reading the most intense thriller/mystery/crime book called Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. It's about Amy and Nick Dunne and Amy goes missing on their fifth wedding anniversary. The entire story is about the search for Amy told through Nick's point of view and Amy's diary entries. I brought this book camping and could have easily finished it in a day, but forced myself to take my time for fear I would have nothing to do while everyone else chopped wood and threw rocks. Gillian Flynn is a master storyteller and I couldn't put the book down. This book is for fans of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Dexter, serial killers and other psycho crime stories. Actually, I was very much reminded of Dragon Tat because I remember being so enthralled by Stieg Larsson's writing and not being able to stop reading it, as well as my overall sense of shock and wonder at the gruesomeness of it. This book is twisted and the ending left me in awe. Additionally, it is a great commentary on the selfishness, narcissism and overall phoniness of our generation. I feel like I've been saying this a lot lately, but this really has been one of my favorite books I've read this summer and definitely of the year.  I can't wait for this to become a movie because it will probably still make me pee my pants even though I know the ending. Here is a long, but exceptionally good excerpt: 

It seemed to me that there was nothing new to be discovered ever again. Our society was utterly, ruinously derivative (although the word derivative as a criticism is itself derivative). We were the first human beings who would never see anything for the first time. We stare at the wonders of the world, dull-eyed, underwhelmed. Mona Lisa, the Pyramids, the Empire State Building. Jungle animals on attack, ancient icebergs collapsing, volcanoes erupting. I can’t recall a single amazing thing I have seen firsthand that I didn’t immediately reference to a movie or TV show. A fucking commercial. You know the awful singsong of the blase: Seeeen it. I’ve literally seen it all, and the worst thing, the thing that makes me want to blow my brains out, is: The secondhand is always better. The image is crisper, the view is keener, the camera angle and the soundtrack manipulate my emotions in a way reality can’t anymore. I don’t know that we are actually human at this point, those of us who are like most of us, who grew up with TV and movies and now the Internet. If we are betrayed, we know the words to say; when a loved one dies, we know the words to say. If we want to play the stud or the smart-ass or the fool, we know the words to say. We are all working from the same dog-eared script.

proof of heaven

I just finished reading this 15 minutes ago and it has been one of my favorite books I've read this year. I attribute my appreciation for this largely to my religion and my firm, already-existing belief in an afterlife, but I think anyone would find Dr. Alexander's story uplifting and fascinating. Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey Into the Afterlife is Dr. Eben Alexander's account of his personal near-death-experience (NDE) and the miracle his body and mind underwent during his week-long coma. Dr. Alexander's recovery is a miracle in itself, but this was not even the most amazing part of his story. As a neurosurgeon, Dr. Alexander led his life as a staunch believer in science and medicine. He frequently heard stories from patients of their NDEs and other-worldly experiences, and politely acknowledged them, but completely discounted their credibility, knowing full-well there was no way these individuals actually experienced and saw the things they did. What I loved most about this book was the incredible transformation Dr. Alexander underwent after his coma. He makes beautiful statements about the reality of God and His love for each of His children, which are simple truths I've grown up believing, but when you see an extremely intelligent, grown man come to knowledge of these things, you realize the perfection of God. My heart was full reading this and it only increased my testimony of the Savior and Heavenly Father. 

Here is one of my favorite excerpts from the book:

Ultimately, none of us are orphans...None of us are unloved. Each and every one of us is deeply known and cared for by a Creator who cherishes us beyond any ability we have to comprehend. That knowledge must not longer remain a secret.

home is wherever i'm with you

the crafty one // spray paint // only animals i like // neuro shi // lungs, chest, invitation, penguin books, brains, penguin book // prettiest frame
A few months ago, Preston and I came to the realization that neither of us have any sort of home decorations. Lately we have been scouring Tumblr and eBay for ideas and items for our future walls. Last week we wandered into Restoration Hardware and (I) cried over how beautiful everything was. We left with a million more ideas for our little home. I hate crafts. If I can find a way to have someone else do it for me, or buy it, I will. Obviously I love the idea of a well decorated home and someday want one, but I think part of me sincerely believes it will happen on its own. Luckily, Preston is much more in tune with reality and has started accumulating and creating a great collection of things.
We are both obsessed with gold frames. It's gotten to the point where we go into a museum or watch a TV show and completely disregard a piece of art and comment on how gorgeous a frame is. We take frequent visits to DI and in addition to the book section, we hit up the picture frames. We've come back with a bunch, each under $4 or $5. My favorite find is the last picture and where we've decided to frame one of our wedding invitations. We envision an entire wall of different gold and white frames with prints and pictures special to us. I love the human body so I printed off some cool textbook diagrams and Preston "aged" them aka soaked them in coffee and baked them. We want to do the same with maps, architectural drawings and sheet music. I think framed dried flowers are so pretty and simple, so we're in the process of drying and flattening some to frame. Finally, we love antlers/taxidermy/dead animals. Preston found a great set of little antlers on KSL and recently purchased shark jaws on eBay. 
I gotta give most of the credit to my sweet fiance for our growing collection of decorations. I'm lucky to be marrying someone with such attention to detail and great deals. It makes me excited to think of decorating our own little place someday, wherever it may be.

fast food corrections

fast food nation by eric schlosser // the corrections by jonathan franzen My book hangover has been cured! I recently finished both of these and thought they were excellent. Both completely different genres and styles, but kept my attention from the first page to the last.
Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation studied the positive and negative aspects of the American fast food meal. He featured all kinds of fast food places- McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell, In-N-Out, Little Caesar's etc. What I enjoyed about this book was Schlosser's look at both sides of fast food- the good and bad. Here's the thing. I love fast food. I love McDonald's and In-N-Out is legitimately one of my favorite places to eat. Some nasty stories about undercooked meat in Colorado is not going to deter me from a $2.50 cheeseburger. Sorry. But, it was fascinating to learn about the origins of fast food and how they started as little food stands in southern California and can now be found in every corner of the world. What truly amazes me about the fast food industry is the universalization of it. A McDonald's Happy Meal varies very little whether it is bought in North Dakota or New Delhi. My favorite facts I learned were about none other than the delicious In-N-Out Burger. Did you know In-N-Out pays the highest wages in the fast food industry, managers stay with the chain an average of 13 years and full-time employees receive benefits packages including medical, dental, vision and life insurance? You would think these details would produce lower-quality food, but there are no freezers, heat lamps or microwaves in any In-N-Out restaurants. I always thought Californians/West Coasters were snobs when they talked about how much better In-N-Out was than any other burger, but I have to agree. This book is humorous, informative and entertaining- three rare qualities of nonfiction work. Preston bought The Corrections from a used book website and in the front cover there was a lengthy handwritten note from the previous owner begging future readers to choose another book. It reminded me of the first chapter in every Lemony Snicket book. The previous owner went on and on about how depressing it was and the Lambert family was so negative and ungrateful and blah blah blah. I can't lie; the previous owner was absolutely right. This book was very depressing and frustrating and by the end, you hate every character. Like I previously mentioned, The Corrections was voted #1 on GQ's 21 Books From the 21st Century list, which was the main reason I chose to read it. Jonathan Franzen is an exceptional writer. He writes from the viewpoint of each family member and his combination of character banter and thought processes are too good and almost make up for the fact that his characters represent the worst of society. This book was smart, witty, funny, disturbing and probably accurately portrays a common American family dynamic. I predict this will be made into a movie starring Hollywood's finest and probably Meryl Streep as Enid Lambert.

anchors aweigh

nautical inspired // QT pie // grady the sailor // grady + boat // sick tat // utah lake This weekend I fulfilled one of my longtime dreams of going sailing. My infatuation with the sport stems from the clothes. Sperrys are my favorite shoes and I love all things nautical inspired. I can't get enough of the striped shirts and little printed sailboats and anchors. I was excited to legitimately sport my anchor suit while sitting on a sailboat. Grady bought it this winter and grew up sailing, so this weekend he took us out to Utah Lake to test it out. Preston also has some sailing experience, so I basically stood around and watched them put everything together. There's a whole lot that goes into setting sail and a different language associated with it. There wasn't much wind, but it was so nice to just float on the water while the sun browned us. I'm looking forward to going a few more times these last few weeks before I go home.