oh my goodness, what a month.

june and july have been absolutely crazy. in a wonderful way, of course, but crazy nonetheless. first i quit my job in Texas to spend the summer in Utah, then i decided to make my vacation permanent and relocate to my beloved home town. now here i am, no job, no internet (worst. thing. EVER.) but having a blast and very excited for my new life.

so, i thought i'd just drop in and share what my summer has looked like via my Instagram (follow me @ dearprudencepix) photos:

 

(1.)

 

 

(2.)

 

 (3.)

(4.)

 

(5.)

 

(6.)

 

(7.)

 

(8.)

 

(9.)

 

 (10.)

 (11.)

 (12.)

 

(13.)

1. right before i left for UT my brother and i took a trip down to Six Flags Over Texas. it was quite fun. and quite hot.

2. i shot this while driving home from work right before i left. at that time i was longing for the beautiful red rocks of St. George, UT and now i see that photo and yearn for the flat fields of Texas!

3. my plane ticket to UT. 

4. yogurt and berries with chai tea. best served when watching the sun come up.

5. vanilla bean frapuccino. yes, please.

6. my brother, sister and I at the firework show on the 4th of July.

7. my current book fling, The Life of Pi.

8. bbq food! on the 4th of July my brother and sister and i decided to have a mini bbq for just the three of us. we chowed down on hot dogs while we watched all of the Avengers films. it was such a great holiday.

9. cupcakes from my favorite cupcake parlor, 25 Main.

10. Greek yogurt (honey flavor), fruit and granola. a favorite snack.

11. one of my best friends gave me a Wreck This Journal as a gift. i was absolutely so tickled as i've almost bought one for myself several times but just never did. i'm certainly having quite a bit of fun with it.

12. i'm just so addicted to in-n-out. i've eaten there quite a bit this summer and i'm not sick of it yet.

13. a random shot of what i was wearing today.

i hope you all are having an absolutely magnificent summer.

xx

my weekend will consist of the following:

what about yours?

♥ ♥

my weekend.

most of my weekend consisted of relaxing.

i'm still trying to get rid of whatever it is i have (assuming its get-rid-ofable.) so i decided to stay in bed all weekend with some of my favorite Camp-Half Blood peeps. (holla to all my Percy Jackson fan-friends!)

i did however, manage to make it to a 7:30 showing of Real Steel which, can i just tell you was both awesome in the over all film department and satisfying in the over all eye candy department? Hugh Jackman is hot. okay? that's all that needs to be said there.

and on Sunday i watched Fantastic Mr. Fox for the first time ever. yes, i loved it.

i hope you all had a marvelous weekend.

♥ ♥

Insurgent cover has been released!!

remember when i was raving about Divergent? (i still say it was the best book i've read this year.) well the second book, Insurgent, which comes out in just 9 short months has just had its cover released:

isn't it just beautiful? i love.
wait, have you not read Divergent yet? what have you been doing?! it came out 6 months ago! its already been on the NYT best selling list and sold for movie rights and everything. you really need to get on it.
like, now.

happy weekend all!

♥ ♥

Book Review: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Book overview: Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie’s always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.
Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.
So much for normal.

My Review:
Well, I didn't read this very quickly but I did enjoy it (I judge how much I enjoy a book by how quickly I read it.) Towards the end is when I really was able to get into it and now I'm excited about the series and anxious to learn what happens next.
As far as the writing goes: Kiersten isn't the most eloquent writer I've ever read in my life but she's also not the worst. I enjoyed the humor she peppered the book with and how consistent it was throughout the whole story no matter what was going on. Her writing was simple and to the point which was very opposite from the story: complex and mysterious. I liked the combination.
The characters were fun. I didn't mind being inside Evie's head at all. I felt the way she told the story from her pov was entertaining and light. It gave the whole book a more solid feel as if I was just reading the pages of her journal. While she is definitely a typical teenager with crushes and a love for pink she made no excuses about it. I loved her take-me-as-I-am attitude and how she could kick butt while still looking "hot". Very Isabel Lightwood of her. While Lend was a great character it was Reth that intrigued me. All of his poetry and vague comments had me writhing to know what in the world was going on inside his head and furthermore what was going on inside the faerie realms.
I cannot wait to start the next one!
If you're looking for an easy and fun read, I'd recommend this book. Its simplistic in its writing but deep in plot which, if you ask me makes for a great relationship.

♥ ♥

its friday, friday, fun, fun, fun.

i will forever think of Rebecca Black now when friday rolls around...
anyway, since it is friday, i thought i'd let you know today is the last day to enter the give away that Erica Marie from Sea of Blooming Dreams is hosting on my blog. if you haven't done it yet and you want to, you can get all the deets by clicking the icon below:

***

so, its the beginning of summer and you're all gearing up to spend your days lounging by the pool, beach, lake what have you, right? (um, hello! i would be!) or perhaps you're getting ready to jet set around the world/country and see all that you can in the few months that you have off. (ohhhh. that sounds nice too!)

well, if you're anything like me, you'll be in desperate need of something to read while lounging, flying, tanning, driving, or whatever it is you plan on doing this summer.

enter: Divergent.

i know i've mentioned the book before (and as you can see, it makes a perfect poolside companion!), but i just finished it wednesday night and i'm feeling 10x more passionate about making sure everyone has the opportunity to read it than i was before! it quickly found its way onto my favorites list.

the book was absolutely mind blowing. i had high expectations for Divergent and Veronica Roth greatly exceeded those expectations.

Divergent is a beautiful story wrapped in war and hatred, deception and the fight for survival.

as Roth's debut novel, she definitely found her writing niche with a captivating story, concrete characters who demand your full attention and a plot line worthy of any Hunger Games fan's love. simply put, i. love. this. book.

please, if you're looking for something to read this summer, start with Divergent. you will not be disappointed.

{read my full review here.}

happy friday to you all!

have a marvelous weekend, mmmkay?

 ♥ ♥

divergent at the pool.

my current book fling and i went down to the pool earlier this week. we had a lovely time together. even though our relationship wont last long (they never do...) i'm glad to call it, Divergent, my first summer book fling of the year.

Divergent was written by Veronica Roth, a 22 year old Northwestern grad who wrote the book late at night when she was supposed to be doing her homework.

here's a little diddy of what dystopian thriller is about:

"welcome to dystopian Chicago, where Beatrice Prior loves her family and yearns to be seen for who she really is, and where the ways of her carefully ordered society demand that sixteen-year-olds make a dramatic decision that will determine the rest of their lives. torn between betraying those she loves and listening to her own inner voice, Tris's unexpected choice surprises everyone-including herself. but her bold decision soon leads to powerful questions and terrifying truths about what exactly her "perfect society" has become..."

Susan Katz

president & publisher

HarperCollins Children's Books

i'd recommend picking it up. especially if you enjoy dystopian literature which is all the rage right now. (i.e. The Hunger Games, Matched, Delirium, Uglies) and if you like getting ahead of the game on brand new series, now is a good time to get Divergent. it was just released on the 11th.

what's your current book fling?

(defenition of a book fling: book you are currently reading.)