Friday Five: Spring

It feels as if just a few days ago one groundhog in New York and another in Pennsylvania greeted crowds of superstitious east coast residents with opposing predictions on the arrival of spring. The New York groundhog predicted an early spring. The Pennsylvania groundhog predicted six more weeks of winter. Given that we're in an election year, this kind of thing can't come as much of a surprise to anyone. If the humans want to debate whether poor people should have health care or be left to die in the streets, why can't the critters express opposing viewpoints on seasonal changes? Alas, I digress. Spring is here . . . I think, so here's my Friday Five list of spring things.

1. Daffodils make me so happy! I love these tea cup and saucer flowers, and they come in so many varieties.
2. Pollen on the other hand is not something I like, or more specifically, I don't like spring allergy symptoms. Of course, I'm allergic to something in every season, so maybe this isn't quite so important.
3. Bikini shopping Trying to get bikini-ready. Everyone I know is counting calories, hitting the gym. I've decided that candy on Friday night doesn't count as part of my calorie intake.
4. The Hunger Games movie is out and the reviews are positive. I haven't seen it yet, but I plan to. Here's my guess: the positive ratings are probably more a result of fans going and thinking, "Oh thank goodness the movie adaptation doesn't totally suck."
5. New books! Okay, new books are always coming out, but it's good to know which ones will be discussed here, right? I'll be posting a review of Carl Hiaasen's latest book, Chomp very soon. I'll also be reviewing The Impossible Rescue by Martin W. Sandler and Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter (sequel to The Goddess Test.) I am a bit behind on my reviews for NetGalley, so it's worth mentioning that all of those titles are available now.

Check back at http://www.1600words.com for the latest updates on YA reads and the writing life.