Landee Recommends...

I have been doing tons of crafting lately but, trust me, it's nothing you want to see.  I have been prepping for SNAP! which I am flying out to Utah next week to attend (yay!).  Landee on Etsy decided to contribute something to the SWAG bags for SNAP! so we needed to make 325 "somethings" to donate.  Three.  Hundred. Twenty. Five.   So, yeah, that kept me busy for a while.  Plus filling orders for Landee On Etsy.  Oh, and at the last possible second I realized I should probably have some kind of business card to give people, should they ask.  Why don't I think of these things sooner??  

Not to mention it was Spring Break and ours was for TWO weeks (that's an "ug" and "yay!" kind of a thing).  We took a 10 day road trip to visit both sets of grandparents in two different states and were exhausted when we got home, as you can imagine.

See?  Nothing to share even though I've been crafting up a storm.

So today I thought I'd share some things which I think you'd enjoy too!  Sounds fun, right?  Who doesn't like a good recommendation?  

::ahem::

First up, an incredible book.  Don't be put off by the fact that this book was written for 6th-9th graders. Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt is amazing.  It has some of the most poignant and deep moments I have ever read.  Very touching and thought-provoking.  It is written from the perspective of 8th grader, Doug Swieteck who has just moved to a new town.   His sarcasm belies his sensitivity and it will require you to see beyond his words to know how he's really feeling and what's really going on.  

It makes you want to be a better person and what more can you ask from a book?   

PS This has now been a part of two book clubs I am in and every single person has LOVED it.  I tell you this so you know it's not just me. :)

Absolutely fascinating.  I've devoured this book for the last week and cannot get enough!  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot is an incredibly well-written history of the infamous HELA cells used in medical research around the world.  Since the 1950s her cells have remained alive and kicking (something never done before) to allow for doctors to run tests on them, expriment on them, inject them, expose them, etc. to develop the polio vaccine, blood pressure medication, HIV drugs, and on and on an on.  This is a story of the woman behind the HELA fame and her family.  I love how the personal/human side of this story is interwoven with the science of it all.  Rebecca Skloot is a genius.  I heard it took her 10 years to write this book and I'm not surprised.  I loved it.

And finally, Downton Abbey.  I can't imagine that I'm the first to tell you about this series on PBS's Masterpiece Theater, but I would certainly want you to know that I LOVE IT.  Ever since catching the "Pride & Prejudice" bug a year or so ago I have read everything Jane Austen.  One of the things that I've often thought about is how these wealthy families and their servants lived together.  Even though this series is set quite a bit later (it begins when the Titanic sinks in 1912), it still explores all of the facets of a large English manor, its upper class family and their servants.  My favorite character is Carson the Butler, in case you were wondering.  A man that concerned with propriety and order will have my heart forever.  :)

Season One is on Hulu+ and possibly NetFlix?  Seasons One and Two are available on Amazon Instant download.

So, what say you?  Have you read/seen any of these?  Any opinions?  Do you have any recommendations for me?  I'm always looking for another great book to read!