Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Glenhurst Meadows

My husband Tom and I definitely have our favorite places to walk or do some light hiking, but I heard about a place not too far from our house, so we tried it out one weekend.

Glenhurst Meadows in located on Mountain Avenue in Warren Township, New Jersey.  A map of Glenhurst Meadows can be found on the Warren Township website.

The trails here range from 1/4 mile to approximately 2 miles (there is a trail map in the parking lot at the site).  We chose the Green Path, the longest trail which snakes around the edges of the property.  The trails are not terribly well-marked, but they are obvious.
 
 
These nature trails are flat (no hills here) and fairly easy to walk, although some parts were extremely muddy when we visited.  There are two large ponds at the rear of the property, and the Passaic River forms the northern border.
 

 
The Wagner Arboretum lies to the west of Glenhurst Meadows; there are supposed to be trails connecting the two, but honestly, we couldn't find them.
 
All in all, it was a pretty place to take a morning walk.  Considering the muddy trail conditions, I'm not sure how soon we'll be going back, but I'm glad we at least tried it once.
 
 


Sunday, April 24, 2016

Review: Code Name Verity



Code Name Verity

Elizabeth Wein

First published February 6, 2012











Oct. 11th, 1943-A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before it's barely begun.

When "Verity" is arrested by the Gestapo, she's sure she doesn't stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she's living a spy's worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution.

As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage, failure and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from the enemy? - from Goodreads

I've been hearing a lot of good things about this book, so I figured I'd give it a try!   The book is split into two parts: the first is told by "Verity" and includes both her written confession to her interrogators and her own first-person narrative.  The second part of the book is told from Maddie's point of view.  After reading Maddie's section, the first half of the book became so much clearer; I liked how the two sections interwove and you understand why Verity was writing her confession in such a way and also who each of the major players were (or weren't, as the case may be!).  The ending of the book was shocking, to say the least.

It's hard to say too much about this book without spoiling it, and I feel like I should go back and read it again now that I understand Verity's story better to pick up on things I may have missed!

3.5 stars - I felt the Verity character was a little too over the top, a little too snarky, and didn't necessarily feel in place in the time period, but I would recommend this book to YA enthusiasts looking for something different (there's no angsty romance here!)

Testing, testing...

Hello and welcome!  I'm Angela and I started this blog to share my passions with all who stop by!  I love to read and recommend books to others, and when I'm not reading, I can often be found outside taking walks and going on hikes with my husband.

I don't profess to be an expert on anything (especially writing a blog!), but I enjoy sharing my experiences with others!  If I can inspire even one person to pick up a new book, explore a new place, or just try their hand at something new, then all this would be worthwhile!