Dec 31, 2008
"Waiting On" Wednesday: Roanoke by Margaret Lawrence
Dec 30, 2008
2008: A Look Back
Cross Your Heart and Hope to Die by Nancy Martin
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews
Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
The Ex-Debutante by Linda Francis Lee
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
Just Who Will You Be? by Maria Shriver
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
The Snake Charmer by Jamie James
The Richest Season by Maryann McFadden
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
The Wentworths by Katie Arnoldi
House and Home by Kathleen McCleary
Driving Sideways by Jess Riley
The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
My Husband’s Sweethearts by Bridget Asher
A Dog Among Diplomats by J.F. Englert
The Shack by William P. Young
Chasing Windmills by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
The Day I Killed James by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O’Nan
Tomato Girl by Jayne Pupek
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford (Review forthcoming)
It would be very difficult to pick a favorite, so instead I'll list my Top 5, in no particular order!
- The Secret Life of Bees
- Tomato Girl
- The Kite Runner
- The Art of Racing in the Rain
- Mudbound
In closing, I'd like to thank all of the readers of my blog for your support and friendship. Starting this blog was one of the best things I've done and I'm so glad to have met you all and I'm looking forward to 2009 being even better! I want to wish all of you a very Happy New Year full of wonderful new books and of course, happiness!
Dec 29, 2008
Musing Mondays: Recommendations
Dec 28, 2008
The Sunday Salon:
Dec 25, 2008
BTT: Merry Christmas!!
I'm going to answer this a little differently because I'm sure there are others who can name many more wintery books than I can even think of. So instead, I'm simply going to name the wintery books I've read this year and hope that will suffice.
The first one that comes to mind is LAST NIGHT AT THE LOBSTER by Stewart O'Nan, which I read a couple months ago. It takes place on Christmas Eve in Connecticut during a blzzard. It's a great little story (only 160 pages) and the cover of the book is amazing as well. Even though I read it in October, it had me reaching for the blankets to keep warm! lol You can read my review here.
Another wintery book I read this year was THE SUGAR QUEEN by Sarah Addison Allen. This story takes place in a small touristy ski town in North Carolina. The images the author paints in your mind leave no doubt of snow drifts, ice and cold air blowing all around. The characters even make snow angels at one point. I read this book in August and living in Florida, that is a HOT time of year. it was a treat to think of all the snow and ice as I was reading this cute story. You can catch that review here.
Another wintery book I read in August was THE SHACK by William P. Young, This was a very interesting book that I enjoyed very much. In fact, I just got a phone call from my aunt in Ohio yesterday and she thanked me for telling her about this book. She went and bought several copies and gave them to her daughter and a few close friends and they are all enjoying reading it as well. You can read my review here.
Well, I think that about does it for the wintery books I've read this year. Now I must go and finish the rest of my holiday cooking so I'll be ready to go when my dad arrives to pick me up. I want to wish all of my friends in the book blogging world a wonderful, merry Christmas and may you all have lots of love and joy surrounding your family today!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!
Dec 23, 2008
Teaser Tuesdays 12.23
- Grab your current read
- Let the book fall open to a random page.
- Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
- You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!
Keiko nodded slowly, contemplating its effects as she looked around the barren streets. "No Japanese are allowed outside of our neighborhoods from eight o'clock at night to six in the morning. We are prisoners at night." ~ page 94.
This book is scheduled to be released January 27th, 2009.Dec 22, 2008
Musing Mondays: Holiday Book Giving
In these last few days before Christmas, I'm sure there are plenty of us scrambling to get our last minute shopping done. Are you buying any books for friends or family (or even yourself)? Do you expect to receive any bookish gifts from others - books, or book-related?
Dec 21, 2008
The Sunday Salon: 12.21
Not only is this a story of family, but also of forbidden love, racism and the tragedies of war. In 1942 much of the west coast was considered war territory after the attacks on Pearl Harbor, so consequently, it was very dangerous to be Japanese during those years. This story involves the deportation of Japanese families to internment camps here in the US in the 1940's. Through Henry, we learn how difficult it was to be Asian at that time and also the danger in forging a friendship with a Japanese-American girl he attended school with.
Dec 18, 2008
Booking Through Thursday: Book Giving
To everyone? Or only to select people?
How do you feel about receiving books as gifts?
I do give books to a few people as gifts. However, I wish I could give books to everyone - mainly because I want them to love the stories as much as I do. There are certain books that I think certain people in my life would really enjoy if they would take the time to read, but many of them simply are not readers. I could so easily match someone's personality with a book that I think they'd enjoy, but if they're not into reading, it would just sit and collect dust. So I end up getting them something I know they would use or appreciate more. I do have a select few people that I buy books for and those are the gifts I enjoy giving the most.
As far as receiving books - I'M ALL FOR IT! I don't know any avid reader who doesn't LOVE getting books as gifts! There are so many books I'd love to read and I love it when someone surprises me with a book! My mother teases that she never has a problem wondering what to get me because there's always a book I'm talking about. I also love book store gift cards! After using a gift card, I always let the person who gave it to me know what book I chose and how much I am looking forward to reading it. I think it lets them know how much I love their gift, even though they didn't actually pick it out.
When giving books as gifts, do you actually pick out a book or do you give a gift card so they can choose their own?
Dec 15, 2008
Musing Mondays: On The Go Reading
I always like to have a book with me at all times – call it a nerdy grown-up security blanket – and rarely do I leave the house without slipping one into my bag (even if I KNOW I’m not going to have a chance to read it). Do you take a book with you? Do you take whatever book you’re currently reading, or do you have a special on-the-go book? And do you have a preference for a these types of book (paperback, hardback; short stories; poetry etc)?
Dec 11, 2008
Booking Through Thursday: Reading Time
Absolutely not! If I had my wish, I’d quit my job and read 8 hours a day! My favorite time to read is first thing in the morning when my brain is fresh and my eyes aren’t tired. During the week, by the time I get home from work, do the daily things around the house, its usually close to 9:00pm before I can sit down to read and by then, I’m so tired, that I fall asleep after a few pages. The weekends are better, but I still struggle for reading time.
2. If you had (magically) more time to read–what would you read? Something educational? Classic? Comfort Reading? Escapism? Magazines?
What about you? If you had all the time in the world, what would you choose to read?
Dec 9, 2008
Teaser Tuesday: Matrimony
Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!
I’m sharing two sentences from the novel MATRIMONY by Joshua Henkin, a book I’ve just started reading.
She turned her mother’s hospital room into a shrine. She unplugged the lamps and lit candles and incense and put on tapes of Native American oboe music and covered the walls with photos of the family. ~page 86
If you'd like to participate in Teaser Tuesdays or to read other comments, click here.
Also, check back later this month when I'll be hosting a giveaway of MATRIMONY! I'll have more details later!
Dec 8, 2008
Musing Mondays: Readin' & Reviewin'
Usually when I finish a book I really liked or one that left a strong impression on me, I like to wait at least a few days before starting a new one. I don’t like to jump into another one right away. That being said, if it was a book that was just ok to me, then I would be quicker to start another one.
I do plan ahead what book I’m going to read next, however sometimes that changes often. If I have several ARCs to read, then I already know what I’m reading next, but if I’m caught up on those, I typically have at least 4 or 5 that I pick from my TBR mountain. Either way, its a hard decision!
I don’t like to put off writing my reviews. Usually I start right away, but I allow several days to finish it. I’ll write a review, then leave it for a day, then go back and re-read it to make sure my feelings are accurate and not just spur-of-the-moment.
With my full-time job, I find it hard to read multiple books each week, so I read a book, then write the review. I like for the book to be fresh in my mind, therefore, I don’t put off the review. I find that if I rush into the next book I’m more apt to push the characters that I’ve just ‘met’ out of my mind quicker, without savoring those good stories. For instance, when I read THE KITE RUNNER, I waited a whole week before picking up a new book. I feel like I owe it to the author, who put their heart and soul into writing that book the time to reflect and remember what I liked about it. My reading is done for my pleasure, not to see how many books I can read and I find pleasure in reminiscing about a book if it really touched me.
What are your thoughts on this subject? Do you go from book to book or do you wait a day or two to start another? For more answers from other bloggers, click here.
Dec 6, 2008
CHOMP ON THIS!
Tim Tebow and the rest of the Florida football team showed what they are made of this afternoon by beating the undefeated Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship game. Next stop: The National Championship!! GO GATORS!!!
Dec 4, 2008
BTT: 5 For Favorites
1. Do you have a favorite author?
2. Have you read everything he or she has written?
3. Did you LIKE everything?
4. How about a least favorite author?
5. An author you wanted to like, but didn’t?
My response:
Now, you wouldn't think these would be a hard questions to answer, but for me, they kinda are.
Do I have a favorite author? Hmmmm . . . yes, its always the writer of the last book I read and loved! OK, many years ago my favorite was John Grisham. Bought and read EVERYTHING he wrote in record time. Then, about 12 novels in, I got bored. More recently though, I would say Mary Kay Andrews is one of my favorite authors. I love the wit and humor of her southern fiction and her characters are just that - they are real characters. I'd love to have them as my friends! They're quirky and fun.
Yes, I've read everything she's written under the name Mary Kay Andrews and many of the mysteries she wrote under her real name, Kathy Trochek. But as far as the Mary Kay Andrews' books, there's only been one that left me a bit disappointed, but I will always read her books.
As far as least favorite author - that's hard too. Only one comes to mind. I could use her as the answer for questions 4 and 5. I really wanted to like this author. I looked forward to reading her book for many months before I actually did. When I finally did read it, I hated it. The book was THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING, written by Joan Dideon. I wrote a review on it earlier this year. It was not a positive review, but it was my true feelings on the book.
Have you liked every book your favorite author has written? Do you have a least favorite author? For more BTT answers click here.
Dec 3, 2008
I've Been Tagged!
The meme:
1. What book is on the left hand side of your computer or closest to the left hand side?
The closest book to the left side of my computer is THE THIRTEETH TALE by Diane Setterfield. The reason it is that I just received it in the mail a few days ago and I laid it there as a reminder to catalogue it on LibraryThing.
2. Are you reviewing it, is it your favourite, or is it there for some other reason and specify.
I have not yet read this book, but I'm so anxious to get started. This book is different than what I normally read and just by reading the dust jacket and other snippets, I am already curious to get to know Vida and Margaret, the two heroines of the story. It promises to be an interesting tale. This book I'm reading for my own pleasure.
3. Go to page 38 and write down from the 2nd paragraph, the first 4 sentences. (Actually this is the second and third paragraph to make up 4 sentences.)
She ushered me in and closed the door behind me. The key turned in the lock without a sound and there was not a squeak as the well-oiled bolts were slid noiselessly into place.
Standing there in my coat in the hallway, I experienced for the first time the most profound oddity of the place. Miss Winter's house was entirely silent.
4. Tag 4 friends and pass them this avatar.
Instead of tagging individuals, I'm going to leave this open for anyone who would like to participate. Thanks Jo-Jo for tagging me for this meme. It was fun and now I'm even more excited about reading this book!
"Waiting On" Wednesday: Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy
Heart and Soul is Maeve Binchy at her heartwarming storytelling best.
Although the book has already been released and is currently #1 in Australia, the UK, Ireland and Canada, it won't be published here in the States until February. I'm looking forward to getting to know this most adored author.
HEART AND SOUL
Maeve Binchy
Publisher: Knopf
Pages: 432
Release Date: February 17, 2009