Monday Suggestions 09/23

I've been wanting to do this Monday Suggestions thing for a while now and finally carved out some time to get down to business! Each Monday I'd like to suggest one book that you should read, one book that's coming out soon to get excited about, and one show to watch. 

I hope you enjoy today's suggestions! If you have any of your own, leave a comment!

Don't let the name of this book throw you off. Do what I did and read the sample that Amazon and/or Barnes & Noble offer with most books. I purchased this Molly Harper book for my Kindle after reading most of the first chapter from the sample. 

Let me level with you...I normally don't read werewolf books. Nothing against them, I just don't like books that are about nothing but the conflicts and journeys of the furry creatures. However, How to Flirt had so much more meat to it than just being a werewolf tale. (I wanted to say "tail.")

Summary

Northern Exposure Even in Grundy, Alaska, it’s unusual to find a naked guy with a bear trap clamped to his ankle on your porch. But when said guy turns into a wolf, recent southern transplant Mo Wenstein has no difficulty identifying the problem. Her surly neighbor Cooper Graham—who has been openly critical of Mo’s ability to adapt to life in Alaska—has trouble of his own. Werewolf trouble.

For Cooper, an Alpha in self-imposed exile from his dysfunctional pack, it’s love at first sniff when it comes to Mo. But Cooper has an even more pressing concern on his mind. Several people around Grundy have been the victims of wolf attacks, and since Cooper has no memory of what he gets up to while in werewolf form, he’s worried that he might be the violent canine in question.

If a wolf cries wolf, it makes sense to listen, yet Mo is convinced that Cooper is not the culprit. Except if he’s not responsible, then who is? And when a werewolf falls head over haunches in love with you, what are you supposed to do anyway? The rules of dating just got a whole lot more complicated. . .

Three reasons I dug this book

1. Mo was entertaining as hell. It's a first person POV so you get all of the fun internal dialogue from her. One of my favorite quotes from her was the first time she really interacts with Cooper: "Well, that cinched it. He was an asshole. I was definitely going to sleep with him." She isn't blind to his moody personality or his jackassary. She doesn't make excuses for him or pretend he's a saint. She also doesn't deny she wants to jump his bones.

2. Dear goodness, I love the secondary characters in this book. From the patrons at the diner to the overbearing hippie mother, there's a myriad of characters throughout the book that you just can't help but love. It makes almost every seen even more entertaining.

3. It's a mystery with a supernatural twist plus a love story! It's an easy read that has a sequel (which I'm currently reading) so you can keep on enjoying all the characters. Fun fact: The sequel doesn't follow Mo anymore BUT it follows someone close to her so she's still in it a lot! 

Barnes&Noble | Amazon | Goodreads

UNCONTROLLABLY WASTED COMES OUT OCTOBER 1! 

I was a beta reader and LET ME TELL YOU, you'll love it. Author C. Elizabeth Vescio is releasing one teaser picture a day until the first! To make sure you see each go here. 

If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out Elegantly Wasted (Book 1 of the Wasted Series) and its site here. Also, check out our site for more posts relating to EW and the series.

Now for yesterday's teaser picture! (For today's check out the Facebook later on tonight!)

I promise I'll branch out and stop suggesting to you (and everyone you know) watch Parks and Recreation. But, really. Go watch it. 

Season 6 premieres Thursday and IT WILL BE EPIC!

Season 1 - 3 are on Netflix. Season 1 is okay but it doesn't start getting amazing (in my mind) until 2, especially when Adam Scott and Rob Lowe join the cast!

Go watch it. Now.

-Tyler Anne (aka Chick Tyler)

Parks and Recreation Series: Getting Out of the Pit

TV Inspiration is a Summer blogging series that the Annes came up with to help spread inspiring content based on two popular TV series. Holli Anne's series is Parks and Recreation. Her Intro post can be found here. Tyler Anne's series is Lost. Her Intro post can be found here and first post can be found here.
This post is Holli Anne's Tv Inspiration. 

Season 1 is definitely not the best when it comes to Parks and Recreation, but honestly, what show's first season is its prime?

I will say, though, that going back and watching Season 1 after having seen them all is pretty fun. They're so young!

If you decide to give the show a chance, just plug your way through Season 1's six episode run because man, oh, man, the show gets so funny!

While it's not comedic gold, per se, this season obviously introduces most of the show's base characters, not least among them by any means: Leslie Knope.

As I was rewatching this season, letting it inspire me, there was one strong element that stood out to me time and time again: Knope's sheer determination. 

Sure, one of the things that makes Leslie such a strong character throughout the whole show is her ability to follow through on what she sets out to do in relentless fashion. But going back and watching Leslie work to turn the infamous pit into a park scenario is a beautiful display of blind determination.

From the Pilot episode, in fact, comes this scene that really does paint a big picture for just what Leslie will be trying to do in the whole show: follow her passions, work for change, stop at nothing. 

This scene is between the city planner Mark Brendanawicz and Leslie, talking about building a park. 

Mark: "When I think about the logistics, the various hoops you're gonna have to jump through, I would say…is it likely? Nah, it's not likely. But, is it possible? No, it's not possible. I would give up on that."

Leslie: "Why?"

Mark: "There's like a million reasons why: homeowners associations, anti-government nuts, bureaucrats, miles of red tape."

Leslie: "It sounds like your telling me to go for it!" 

Parks and Recreation fan or not, there is definitely advice here for any of us with a desire to accomplish something to heed. 

For me, I've been really struggling with carving out time in the day to write my book. It's one of my monthly resolutions to wake up in the morning and write before I start my day. Spoiler for half way through the month: I'm failing. 

I know Leslie Knope's a fictional character, but that doesn't mean her willingness to put so much energy into the things she's passionate about doesn't inspire me. I compare that to the way I so easily put off my daily writing if I'm tired, busy, or distracted…and well, I'm put to shame in a second. 

As I was mulling over all this today, I came across a post on making a living pursuing your passion by one of my favorite inspirational bloggers Jeff Goins. 

The gist of it? You have to be faithful, show up to your time to (write for me but could be whatever), and you have to let your success be defined in your own completion. (I left a lot out, so read the post if the topic interests you).

I'm using this post part as a way to tell you how awesome Leslie Knope is and how it would definitely behoove you all to follow your desires with the insanity she does, but also, and selfishly, to kick myself in the butt for not being even half as driven as she is. So, for any of you out there, who may have fallen in the pit, it's time to rent a bulldozer, fill that bad boy up, and build that darn park already!

—Holli Anne

TV Inspiration: Holli's Summer Series

Summer is all about treating yourself, right? That's why I thought that Parks and Recreation would be the perfect choice for me for our summer TV series. TREAT YO' SELF! 

If you didn't catch Tyler's first post about our summer TV series (where she announced she'll be doing Lost), check it out here. The short version is that each of us are choosing one show and pulling writing inspiration, DIY ideas, advice and just a lot of fun from the show. 

What does this mean for my series?

Well, if you are a fan of the show, you can imagine some grilling Ron Swanson style, some waffles and inspiration Leslie Knope's way and maybe even some healthier things to ease Chris Trager's mind! 

Even if you aren't a fan, the DIYs, recipes and who knows what else will still be cool things you can enjoy. You just might not laugh as hard as we Parks fans will!

Why did I choose Parks and Recreation?

Parks and Rec is a lot different than Lost, huh? (I actually have only seen the LAST episode of Lost. Oops!) I guess I just wanted to go with something that is particularly inspirational to me…and funny. I love me some TV comedies and laughing, and well, summer just seems like a good time to do that!

Hands down, it's one of my favorite shows. It's actually a contender for "favorite show of all time," but I don't choose those until the whole series airs. (The other contender is Arrested Development). Probably one of the other things I love about it is that people ALL the time tell me I'm Leslie Knope.

I'm just generally pumped about life, energized, passionate about change and maybe a little fond of breakfast food. Oh, and Joe Biden (not a political statement). 

It's not just vanity, though. Leslie Knope as a character is an awesome role model, and all the characters are just too cool for school. Plus, I already have tons of ideas to treat myself (and hopefully yo' self, too!) 

The way this works is simple: I'll just watch a few of these episodes (starting at season 1) a week and blog about something inspired. If you wanna follow along and catch some of the jokes, then Netflix with me! Or, if you're already a fan, then prepare to flash back to the beginning. 

Next week we'll both do our first posts.