3 Books to Read and 3 Books to Leave

Hi, friends! I'm so happy to be joining you all today. My name is Cassie and I blog at Sage where I chat about marriage, travel, and reading. I'm a sassy INFJ with a husband I love and three fur animals to top it all off. My heart beats for Jesus, authenticity, and community (I'm the co-founder of the #morethanaframe Instagram community). I hope you'll stay a while and chat books with me!

As I alluded to in my introduction, I'm a tad bit book obsessed. I constantly have an audiobook and ebook going at the same time. I feel like I can never get enough! I have done an obscene amount of reading so far this summer, and there have been a number of books I would definitely read again as well as a few that I would definitely leave. Here's the scoop:

1. BIG LITTLE LIES BY LIANE MORIARTY
If you haven't heard of this book, you're hiding under a rock. It has been all the rave in the blogging world lately, so I knew I had to give it a shot. It definitely lived up to my expectations. I loved the style of the writing and how suspenseful it was. It didn't overlook creating realistic characters even in the midst of the suspense, which I really appreciated.

2. MAGIC HOUR BY KRISTIN HANNAH
This was a book I chose on a whim and I'm so happy I did. It's one of those "finding yourself after the storm" books, but in a way that hasn't been done before. Absolutely worth the read!

3. LEAVING TIME BY JODI PICOULT 
I'm a HUGE Jodi fan. I love how much research she puts into each of her books, how I never see the end coming, and how she weaves together seemingly unrelated character lines. I thinks she's a genius and this book is a great example of her talent. Plus it has elephants, and who doesn't love elephants?!

1. UNBROKEN BY LAURA HILLENBRAND
Maybe I shouldn't have seen the movie before reading the book because I found this really hard to get through. It's an amazing story, but it felt long and drawn out at times and I found myself hoping it would end soon. I'd say you're better off watching the movie.

2. EAT, PRAY, LOVE BY ELIZABETH GILBERT
UGHHHHHH. That basically sums it up.  I was warned that I was either going to love or hate this book, and I definitely didn't love it. I found the author annoying. She sounded like a martyr and something about that drove me insane. It kind of had the same undertones as "Wild," which I liked better, but still didn't love. 

3. THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN BY PAULA HAWKINS
This was another one of those books that everyone in blogland has been talking about. I found it pretty underwhelming. There are a number of other books that have similar plot lines and I found the ending predictable. I think this could have been a really good book, but something about it just didn't do it for me.

Do you use Goodreads? Let's connect!


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Meet The Petite Mrs & a Giveaway

I absolutely love my blogging community and one of my favorite times, is when I get to introduce ya'll to one of my blogging friends. Today, we have Nora from The Petite Mrs Blog.

1.    Describe your blog and why did you start blogging?

I blog over at The Petite Mrs blog and it's a lifestyle blog about everything under the sun. I stick to some main niches but I also really just love sharing my personal stories and experineces with my readers. I often feature my two dachshunds Maggie and Boucer and I'm wildly crazy about social media (@thepetitemrs, everywhere). I started blogging to document our lives as a married couple (our adventures, trials and triumphs) and that's kind of what it started out to be and got much more personal and just everyday randomness- but I think you'll all enjoy it!

2.    What do you do when you’re not blogging?

I really love to be with my husband and our dogs Maggie and Bouncer, I'm a homemaker so I cook, clean and do the majority of things to keep our lives running smoothly. Although I'm not going to lie, I love some good television shows ( like a lot, I have a list a mile long), sometimes I like to read if it's engaging enough and I love to hang out with my friends, eat and shop. And I enjoy coffee dates, so anyone who lives near Portland/Gresham, Oregon- let's get coffee! 

3.    You say that dancing is one of your favorite things to do. How long have you been dancing? What is your favorite style of dance?

 Yes, dance growing up was a passion of mine, wholeheartedly. I danced from about 4 years old until I was about 19 years old. Until about college and it sorta phased out, I lost my fitness level and just didn't have the time, space or pizzazz for it anymore so I haven't taken classes in quite a while. But I really loved Ballet, Jazz, Modern (challenging but what a grounding feeling), and I dabbled in some different workshops-African dance, Bellydance and Lift classes. 

4.    Your two doxies are the cutest! What is each one of their funniest quirks?

Today, I gave them the silliest nicknames. Bouncer-our boy- is now known as "Mr. Grumpy-Gills StretchyButt" and Maggie the girl is known as " Miss Stinky Mouth-Cuddles-a-lot" (kinda gross but that's her). They are a joy to our lives everyday even when we are having troubles in training or socialization. They are spoiled and they know it!

5.    If you were to meet any famous person in real life, who would it be and why?

Maya Angelou (deceased, I know), but I have to thank her for getting me into writing in the first place. In eighth grade we read her poems, passages of her books and I heard her speak on talk shows many times. I was moved by her presence and I felt like she understood how I felt and got me into literary writing and writing poetry (which was my senior project and helped me graduate). She was a terrific lady and I'm sad she's been gone for a few years now, this world is missing her greatly. 

Or Taylor Swift/Carrie Underwood. I love them both equally. 

6. What are your top three favorite posts of yours?

anxiety was wrecking my life 

A sister Pt 1 / A sister Pt 2 

twenty seven wishes

You can follow along with her here:
Bloglovin
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest

And now, for the giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I've teamed up with a great group of girls to giveaway a summertime essentials bag. What's in it, you ask?

Everything you need!

Tri-colored Triple Chevron Tote by Autumn and Indigo on Etsy
Floppy Sunhat
Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Sea Salt Spray
EOS Cucumber hand lotion
Burt's Bees Coconut & Pear lip balm
2 Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear nail polishes - shades: Babe Blue & Bare It All
Maybelline Lash Sensational Waterproof Mascara
Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen - SPF 55
Ban.Do "Let's Have Fun O.K.?" drink sleeve
Printed Hair Tie Set of 6
Round Aviator Sunglasses
Starfish Charm Necklace
Sun & Moon Stud Earring Set
$5 giftcard to Starbucks
1-month subscription to MyCoffeeism's coffee box
Small notebook & pen

Happy Tuesday ya'll!

Say hello to this month's sponsor:

Saturday Sessions: Kristyn from Chits and Giggles & Giveaway

Welcome to another Saturday Session. Today, we have Kristyn from Chits & Giggles. I love Kristyn's blog. She shares everything from book reviews, photoshop how-tos, blogging tips and everything in between. I love her book reviews and her Between the Lines link-up. 

1.    Describe your blog and why did you start blogging?

My blog is called Chits & Giggles and I blog about our wedding, blogging tips, and everything in between.  I started my blog because I got bored on the weekends when my husband was working nights.  I didn't have anything to do, so why not start a blog?  And now, 3 years later, it has become a wonderful space for community and tips and tricks.

2.    What do you do when you’re not blogging?

I love to travel, so when I am not blogging, I am either working or planning our next trip.  We have such a long list of places we want to go, so we need to start planning them all now - right?  

3.    You say that food is your favorite thing -- even before your hubby! If you were on death row, what would be your last meal?

Ooh.  My favorite meal would either be a lobster dish or a steak dish.  I ate so much lobster when we were in Maine, but it was so delicious that I would love to have it as my last meal.  I have always been a steak girl, so that is also on my list.  I can't decide between the 2, so I guess I will have 2 last meals.  They allow that, right?

4.    When you started blogging, you wanted to turn your blog into a book. Are you still thinking of doing that?

Back then, I was just blogging to blog.  I didn't realize what the community was like and I just wanted to document my life.  I am still sort of doing that, but I don't know if I would still turn it into a book.  It's become so much more than I could have ever imagined it was 3 years ago, so it would be one really long book!

I wouldn't mind doing it, but I would like to pick and choose the posts that get turned into a book.

5.    If you were to meet any famous person in real life, who would it be and why?

Colin Firth.  I have loved him for a very long time and I would love to meet him in real life.  He's an amazing actor and just seems like a great human being.  I would love to meet him.

5.    What are your favorite posts that you've written!

Our wedding ceremony

That post where I wear a bikini

Why I’m not a fashion blogger

Our wedding video — it’s beautiful!

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It's time for the best giveaway ever again...that's right, our famous/infamous ad space giveaway! I teamed up with 17 other bloggers to giveaway a total of twenty-three (that's right, TWENTY-THREE) ad spaces!  That means that 23 lucky readers will walk away with FREE ad space, no strings attached!  The spaces being given away range from 200x200 spots to in-post ads, and are from bloggers you've all heard of and love!

Classy, Sassy, & a Bit Smartassy // Wife Mommy Me // Southern Hope // Sage // The Jessa Olson Blog // All the Joys Whimsical September // Sea Salt Secrets // Love the Here and Now // Alanna & Company // Yellow Door Diaries Everyday Thoughts // T.O. & fro // That Southern Mama // Keeping Up with Ashley and Cody // Bourbon, Lipstick, & Stilletos // Southern Beauty Guide // The So-Called Homemaker

The rules are pretty simple:
1. Open to everyone, including our out-of-country friends!
2. All entries will be verified. Although we are saving you some time by not asking for your username for Instagram, Bloglovin', etc., your entry will be verified before you can be declared a winner. If one of your entries cannot be verified, you will be disqualified completely!
3. One ad space per winner...that means there will be a total of 23 unique winners from this giveaway!

Enter below and best of luck to you all! 

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Say hello to this month's sponsor:

Firmoo Eyeglasses Review

I'm not sure many of you realize this, but I am blind as a bat! I've worn glasses since elementary school and got contacts as soon as I started to play sports in middle school (aka I got teased and called four-eyes one too many times). 

I wear contacts as soon as I wake up and walk Starla to the minute I lie down in bed. I just don't particularly like wearing my glasses because I don't find them that stylish and I like being able to see peripherally.

Then, Firmoo contacted me. Firmoo has an extensive selection of eyeglasses that you can choose from and all the frames were very fashionable. I was a little hesitant at first about ordering glasses on-line, because I am super picky about my glasses and like to try on 100+ pairs at the optometrist's. Their website is very easy to use and has a Virtual Try-On that worked really well. I virtually tried on about five of them before I found a pair that I fell in love with. Since I was ordering prescription I was a bit nervous about inputting all my prescription numbers, but they even had an image upload option for your prescription. Pretty error-proof!

The glasses came in a couple weeks and were exactly as promised. They even gave me a cute case, cleaning cloth, screwdriver, and drawstring pouch. The frames I chose were plastic frames and actually feel more heavy-duty than my frames I bought from my optometrist last year. 

How do you think they look?

Do you need a new pair? New customers can get 50% off their first pair of frames! And if you are reliant on glasses like me, that's a steal!

Linking up with Melissa.

The glasses were sent to me for free by Firmoo, to review. All opinions are my own.

What To Do in Puerto Rico

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Puerto Rico, The All-Star Island. All opinions are 100% mine.

So recently, I've had a lot of friends who are looking to plan either their honey moons or a nice quick summer vacation. One of the main places I keep suggesting is Puerto Rico! I went to Puerto Rico last August and had a blast. Not only can you get relaxing beach time, but there are tons of places to explore and adventure.



I stayed in San Juan and we got a rental car so we could be mobile and travel around the island which I highly recommend!

1. Day Trip to Fajardo

It was about an hour drive away but it was totally worth it! There are tons of attractions there. We kayaked in the bioluminescent bay, but there were also places you could go snorkeling or take a boat tour. I would suggest checking out companies that offer tours before you head out though, you can even Follow @PRTourismCo on Twitter for suggestions!

On our way driving there, we stopped by a local restaurant right on the side of the water to have some empanadas and snapper.

2. Visit El Yunque National Forest

Again this was about an hour drive away too but it was a beautiful drive. El Yunque is the only rainforest in the National Park system and has waterfalls that you can take a dip in. You drive around for a while before you can find parking and then take a short little hike down to the waterfall but it was the first time I hung out right underneath a waterfall. I have a funny face because the water was a LOT colder than I thought it would be!

3. Visit El Morro!

Come on, you gotta do some true touristy things! The Fort is in Old San Juan and is fun to take a short tour through. It's has over 400 years of history, great views, and they even shoot off one of the old cannons if you get there at the right time!

4. After than, go stroll around Old San Juan.

Old San Juan is vibrant and offers a little something for everyone. If you're driving there's lots of inexpensive parking on the south side of the city. Be sure to pack good walking shoes! Outside of the dock where the cruises come in there's an outdoor market with lots of artists selling their wares. There's also tons of restaurants to eat at if you get hungry! We apparently went during a food festival ( not sure which it was) but they were offering tons of free food!

If you're staying there for the evening there are also cruises that will take you around for a night time sight-seeing cruise, play music, and of course, serve booze! That was one of my favorite evenings.

5. Try Mofongo

You all know how much I like my food. Mofongo is Puerto Rico's national dish. Its made from fried, mashed green plantains, and then seasoned and topped with various types of meat. Delicious! Honestly, you can pretty much get this anywhere so don't miss out!

6. Relax at the Beaches

Last but not least, you have to take one day of relaxation to hang out on the perfect beaches. We went to Luquillo Beach located just east of the capital of San Juan. It was surrounded by coconut trees and is situated in a bay, so the waters are calmer and make it a great place to go for a swim. Honestly, there are so many beaches, you can go to just about any one and enjoy yourself. 

Overall, Puerto Rico was an outstanding trip and I love how many active things there were to do rather than just sitting around at a resort and going to the all-you-can-eat buffet every night. Definitely need to go back sometime soon!

Do you want to Live your own 5-star vacation story in Puerto Rico.? For more suggestions, Like SeePuertoRico.com on Facebook or I am happy to provide any suggestions!

Have you been to Puerto Rico before? What was your favorite part?

Say hello to this month's sponsor:

Anjolee Jewelry

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Anjolee Fine Jewelry. All opinions are 100% mine.

I'm always on the lookout for good jewelry. I love classic jewelry that I can wear on a daily basis. I wear a ring, and my Michael Kors watch every day. 

When Anjolee Diamond Necklaces reached out to me about their products, I was more than excited. They have a great assortment of classic jewelry anywhere from engagement sets to tennis bracelets to earrings. Also, Anjolee manufactures all of their jewelry so they can provide customers with great service, fast delivery, and free shipping! 

They have a crazy amount of customization, which is perfect for me (or any girl..) because I'm super picky. I was able to choose from a huge array of designs and then once I found one that I liked, I could customize even that specific design to my exact liking! Below is how I customized one of their diamond necklaces.

I really loved their diamond studs but like any unmarried girl with a Pinterest account, I stumbled over to their engagement sets to see what sort of inspiration I could get....Woo-hoo! They have some gorgeous sets! You have to go see for yourself.

The best part about it, is that Anjolee is offering a sweepstakes for all my readers! They are offering a 20% off coupon for any order on their website. To enter the sweepstakes, you have create a board on Pinterest with your dream jewelry picks from Anjolee, leave their contact email and tag Anjolee's Pinterest account in order for them to verify the boards and select a winner. If you're a winner they will send you the exclusive 20% off online coupon!

Happy Pinning!

Are you more of a classic jewelry or trendy jewelry type of girl?

Say hello to this month's sponsor, Jasmine:

Saturday Sessions: Q&A from Classy, Sassy, & A Bit Smartassy

Introducing Jasmine from Classy, Sassy, & A Bit Smartassy!

Describe your blog and when did you start blogging?

My blog is a lifestyle blog. I blog about my life, beauty, recipes, blogging tips etc… I started to blog back in 2011 right after my second child was born and I was married. I was a stay at home mom at the time and I was bored at home. So I started to read blogs and decided “well I want to start one” and I did. Then I deleted the blog after I went through my divorce in 2012 and came back to blogging in 2013. 

Why Classy, Sassy, & a Bit Smartassy as your blog name?

Why “Classy, Sassy & A Bit Smartassy” as a blog name? Lol well I love to be classy (at times). I’ve always been told I’m a sassy brunette since I was in high school because I have this strong personality. Smartassy because well… I love to be a smartass at times. Don't judge me lol we all are at times. 

What do you do when you’re not blogging?

When I’m not blogging I’m hanging with my boys and boyfriend. Reading a book, shopping, or just doing anything that I feel like doing at the moment. 

What are some of your favorite posts you've written?

Some of my favorite post that I’ve written are: Blogging Tips for Beginners, Building Confidence, and my Fish Tacos Recipe.

If you were to meet any famous person in real life, who would it be and why?

If I could meet anyone famous in real life it would have to be Nicole Guierriero. I love watching her youtube videos. She’s a beauty vlogger. She inspires me when I’m doing my makeup. 

Follow along with Jasmine here: Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram 

Say hello to this month's sponsor, Jasmine:

Cooking for One

I don't know about you but my least favorite thing to do is to cook for one. No wonder why I had a terrible diet before I moved in with my boyfriend. So that's why I'm happy whenever I find quick, easy, and simple dinner that I can make for nights when I'm home alone. 

Giant has recently launched their new line of internationally inspired foods. They taste just as good as take-out but at a quarter the price! They have great items like potstickers, egg rolls, Mandarin orange chicken, General Tso chicken, sesame chicken with brown rice, Japanese fried rice, pesto pasta and bruschetta mixes, in addition to other varieties.

I got the Sweet Fire Orange Stir Fry. It was yummy, savory, and quick. I had an amazing meal ready in 8 minutes. Yum!

 The only thing I'll say, however, is the frozen meals for two is more like a frozen meal for one and a quarter. Too much for me for one sitting yet not enough for a full meal of leftovers.

Overall, definitely pick these up for your next "home alone" night at your local Giant!

This post was sponsored by Giant Food. All opinions are mine alone.