It’s winter so I thought I’d use a winter photo for this post. Of course, as I’m writing this, all the windows in my house are open and 70-degree winds are blowing my curtains around. It’s supposed to get cold again in a couple days, but for now what I’m into is spring weather!

I haven’t written a What I’m Into post in two months, so this one will cover December and January. Feel free to express your sadness when you realize that I didn’t see Les Miserables in either month.

What I’m Reading
Look. I was sick for several days over the holidays with a sinus infection that acted a little bit like the flu. That’s my only defense for mainlining YA fluff like nobody’s business.

The good news is that I found an author I really like, one who writes strong girls and snappy dialogue. And did I mention she writes about teenage spies? Yeah. Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girls series is great, and even if I’m a tiny bit embarrassed by the fact that I read all five books in the span of less than five days, I’m still happy to recommend the books. She also writes a series about teenage con artists. So whether you like Alias or Oceans 11, she’s got a YA series for you.

I also read the Curse Workers series (intriguing YA fantasy plot with complex characters) and Notorious Nineteen, the latest Stephanie Plum book by Janet Evanovich (same old, same old – I’m not sure why I’m still reading these except Ranger).

Then, I turned a literary corner. I started reading non-fiction.

First I read The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. It’s a fascinating look at her experiment to discover what truly makes a person happy. I loved reading about her research methods, and in a lot of ways, I felt like I have a lot in common with her so her discoveries were actually helpful. Toward the end of the book, I started wishing she was a bit more personable or humorous, but overall I liked it a lot.

Next I read 7 by Jen Hatmaker. Apparently January was my month of experiment books. Like I knew it would, 7 rocked my world (which is why I had the book for MONTHS before I dared pick it up). Last week I found myself going on and on about how I don’t want a live a life that places value on busy and doing and chaos and I STOPPED MYSELF THERE, BECAUSE CLEARLY 7 IS MESSING WITH MY MIND.

I already gave away 75 pieces of clothing. If you hear me talking about buying chickens for my backyard, please for the love, STAGE AN INTERVENTION.

I’m actually reading three other non-fiction books right now. But you’ll have to wait until next month (when I finish them) to hear about those.

What I’m Watching
Okay, let’s just get this out of the way. I haven’t seen Les Mis. I’M THE LAST ONE ALIVE WHO HASN’T, I know. (Am I? Really? Tell me you haven’t seen it either!) But I did go see Jack Reacher on New Year’s Eve for Mark’s birthday. It was GOOD. I know, Tom Cruise is crazy cakes. Agreed, 100%. But he was SO GOOD in this movie. If you like action, see this one. Do it.

I’ve also rented several movies with Smitty. Some of them were awful (Total Recall – even Colin Farrell couldn’t save this no-dialogue bore, This Means War – just no.). I saw both 10 Years and The Vow, and they were okay. Well, what I mean is that The Vow was way better than I expected and 10 Years was not as good as I’d hoped. So if you take an average temperature, they were okay.

Mark and I also watched Trouble with the Curve, and it was interesting. And occasionally funny. If you like baseball or Justin Timberlake, I say watch this one.

As for what I’m listening to and eating and/or cooking, nothing too exciting going on here. I’ve listened to the mix tape I made for Annalyn dozens of times. Thankfully, “Annalyn’s Favorite Songs 2012” is pretty catchy, what with its eclectic mix of One Direction, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Elton John, Lee Brice, Newboys and TobyMac. And I have grand plans for trying lots of new recipes this weekend for our Superbowl party. But until I decide for sure – and actually make them – we’ll just have to wait.

Have you seen this video? Two Dutch men experienced simulated labor pains for a TV show, and It. Is. Hilarious. You guys, I laughed so hard I was crying. So worth the few minutes.

And have you seen Target’s new commercials? Its ads for The Everyday Collection spoof super serious fashion commercials – and they crack me up.

So – What have you been up to in the last two months? This post will be linked to What I’m Into at Hopeful Leigh.

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