The Botticelli Secret

I am definitly a HUGE bookworm. I like buying books, I like reading books, I like collecting books. My favorite Disney movie is Beauty & The Beast purely for the fact that I love the library the Beast shows Belle. I know...soooo weird. Plus, I love the fact that she is always twirling around and singing with a book in her hand.

I'll be spending a lot of time reading this summer since I'm not taking classes until August and all I'll be doing is work. My first book review will be on The Botticelli Secret...I finished it a few days ago.

The Botticelli Secret by Marina Fiorato. US release March 30, 2010. In this exhilarating cross between The Da Vinci Code and The Birth of Venus, an irrepressible young woman in 15th-century Italy must flee for her life after stumbling upon a deadly secret when she serves as a model for Botticelli... When part-time model and full-time prostitute Luciana Vetra is asked by one of her most exalted clients to pose for a painter friend, she doesn't mind serving as the model for the central figure of Flora in Sandro Botticelli's masterpiece "Primavera." But when the artist dismisses her without payment, Luciana impulsively steals an unfinished version of the painting--only to find that somone is ready to kill her to get it back. What could possibly be so valuable about the picture? As friends and clients are slaughtered around her, Luciana turns to the one man who has never desired her beauty, novice librarian Brother Guido. Fleeing Venice together, Luciana and Guido race through the nine cities of Renaissance Italy, pursued by ruthless foes who are determined to keep them from decoding the painting's secrets. Gloriously fresh and vivid, with a deliciously irreverent heroine, The Botticelli Secret is an irresistible blend of history, wit, and suspense.

La Primavera, Sandro Botticelli

I picked this book out from Target because I needed a seemingly easy read on the plane to Philly anything involving art and Italian history is an easy read because I love it all so much, plus I'm a huge fan of Botticelli.

All of that being said, I did not like this book at all. The characters were well put together and they were very interesting but that was about it - while they were a random group (a monk and a whore). It was very much an attempt at riding the Da Vinci Code wave of popularity but I don't think it really hit the spot. Without giving to much away, the way Brother Guido and Luciana went about discovering the clues was just lame. They would kind of pick out a random figure in the painting and find some type of clue in it to lead them to a city. Through half the book I just sat there and was kind of like "where the heck did THAT come from!?!"

The ending was entirely to predictable. I won't give it away, but I could have told you the entire ending before I even got halfway through the book. Basically, I don't recommend it to anyone, and it will definitly be one of the books I am adding to my stack to go in my next yard sale.

Currently Reading:

...The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini

On My List:

...Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert

...Sweet Tea At Sunrise, by Sherryl Woods.

...I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell, by Tucker Max

...The Lucky One, by Nicholas Sparks

...How the Other Half Hamptons, by Jasmin Rosemberg

...The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein

Anyone have any other suggestions for good summer reading?

Bridal shower fun!

Yesterday we had my older sister’s bridal shower at Springfield Country Club. Some of the highlights:

…The venue was absolutely beautiful. The grounds for the golf course were a perfect backdrop for photographs, and the staff that worked out event was phenomenal. The food was delicious. I wish I could have gotten to go inside their kitchen though. Since I work at a country club in Orlando in the dining room and banquet departments, I simply love seeing how other kitchens are designed and run. The tables looked exactly as I had hoped, and our own little touches of potted plants and cupcake dishes in the center fit in great. We got many complements on what a perfect bridal shower it was.

…I loved getting to so much of the family that lives up here since I never get to see them, being so far away in Florida. My grandmother got to see her older sister whom she rarely sees – they both cried upon seeing each other. It was priceless. Speaking of family, we all got to meet AGN (sister’s fiancé) parents for the first time. They were absolutely amazing.

…The weather was amazing. We could not have asked for a more perfect day. Breezy, in the 80’s, with a light sprinkling of clouds in the sky. This astounded me, seeing as the day that we arrived in Philly it was in the 50’s midday (pretty much freezing for all us Floridians). Today, I woke up and it was back in the 50’s again. I definitely didn’t pack for that type of weather.

…Most importantly, the surprise aspect of the whole bridal shower was successful! I was so sure that JAH (sister) would get suspicious of something and start begging her fiancé for information but he said that the entire time she had no idea. My baby sister, the two other bridesmaids, and myself all pegged that she was going to cry, which she did.

The golf course

The table setting. With homemade flower pot party favors and cupcake centerpiece.

The bride (middle) with her 4 bridesmaids.

Close up of the party favors and cupcakes.

Me (right), my mom, and my sisters.

We're all grown up but still giggling with glee. As we gather to honor the sweet bride-to-be.

Currently on a flight to Philadelphia, PA for my older sisters surprise bridal shower at the Springfield Country Club. Will most definitely be posting pictures on my return to Orlando! Hope ya’ll have a wonderful weekend.

Let me introduce myself...

I like to consider myself a regular when it comes to blogging. Blogger, LiveJournal, Teen Open Diary (yeah, way old school…seriously if you remember it mad props to you), you name it, I’ve had one. I’ve grown up and always had a passion for writing, why I never thought about making it some type of career, I have no idea. My most recent excursion into the blogging world didn’t necessarily fail, but I got tired of getting so much flack from people about what I wrote (typically personal things) that I just ended up blocking it from everyone. I still keep up my personal blog for myself – you know, diary style – but I am the only person who will ever see it. That being said, I have missed writing for an audience to see, read, and relate to my emotions and opinions, so I’m venturing back into the public world of blogging with Southern Belle With A Jersey Girl Attitude, in hopes that it will satisfy my love of writing for an audience.


Now, what better way to start off the beginning of a new blog with a proper introduction…

I’m not your typical 22 year old, I have had many ups and downs in my life that not many people have had to experience, and I am happy to say that I am finally finding the path that I am meant to be traveling in this life. Born just outside of Atlantic City, NJ, and moved to Fort Lauderdale, FL when I was 4 years old, I currently reside in Orlando, FL for college but hope to be moving back up north within the next 3 years.

I simply love the fact that I am from New Jersey, I’ve loved ‘the Jersey Shore’ long before there was ever a Guido filled MTV show about it. I have spent many a vacations down at the shore with family, walking the boardwalk with my sisters as my parents and grandparents played in the casinos, laying out on the beaches, but never going into the water because it was way too cold for us Florida gals. I know I can’t consider myself a true Jersey girl, because the minute I moved down south I was listening to country music and talking with a slight southern twang like the best of them, but I do believe that the Jersey in me definitely comes off in my attitude. I ain’t no quite, demure southern belle, I’ll be the first to call people on their bullshit, especially in the workplace, yeah, ask anyone I work with on that one.

There are a few things that I am very passionate about, God, my family, my friends, traveling, art, and the ocean. Specifically, in that order. The first three are pretty self explanatory; I am very loyal to my faith, family, and friends. I am currently an Art History major and looking to graduate with my Bachelor’s degree in December of 2012. On completion of my Bachelor’s I plan on studying Architecture for my Master’s degree. If there is one thing I could pick to do for the rest of my life it would be studying and restoring historic architecture and art (leaning mostly towards architecture) all around the world. Now, the ocean, random I know. I have grown up always being by the water. My dad loves boats, and naturally that has rubbed off on me – after all, when I was born I was brought home from the hospital to a sailboat – it’s only fitting that I love anything involving the ocean.