Table Talk Tuesday - 1st ever!

Welcome to the first Table Talk Tuesday meme, hosted by CMash Loves to Read. Hop on over to her blog to participate. The goal is to share a cup of coffee or tea and share three tidbits or ask three questions - either things about yourself or things you want to know.

My Three Things:

1. Do you prefer coffee or tea? I love Starbucks coffee on ice. Not a huge fan of hot coffee. I love, love sweet (Southern sweet) tea. Only drink hot tea when I am sick.

2. I love animals. We have four beautiful chihuahuas at our house. Do you have any pets? Or even a pet preference? I used to have cats but somehow I have become allergic, so I am not strictly a dog person.

3. I read The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay all in this last week - a little late to the games, so to speak!! Have you read them? Do you plan to read them?

I hope you have a great week and enjoy this little coffee break!

The Eternal Ones

To Whom It May Concern:

My name is Haven Moore. I's seventeen years old and I live in a town called Snope City in eastern Tennessee. As long as I can remember, I've had visions of another life in New York, a city I've never visited.

My name then was Constance, and I was friends with some members of your Society. I believe I was around twenty years old when I died in a fire in the mid-1920s. (p, 101)

Haven Moore wrote the message above to the Ouroboros Society. She and her best friend Beau decided it was time for her to find out about her past lives, especially since her "spells" are becoming more and more frequent. After seeing Constance's lover on television, Haven runs away to New York to find him. The book becomes a mystery, with psychological twists and frantic escapes. The questions Haven must answer are: Who can she trust? Is the past real? and Can she find love and happiness in the future?

I was a little hesitant at first when I began reading this novel. It seemed disjointed with Haven moving back and forth in time, with other names and other people. Gradually, I really liked Haven and Beau and wanted them to find answers. And I wanted the bad people to be punished. In the end, I was satisfied with the outcome and glad that I had read the book. The strength of the book is that Miller is able to make each character, often the same person but different in time, become real and separate. I also liked the flow of the story, from beginning to end.

I visited the author's website and discovered that she is the creator of Kiki Strike, a young heroine in New York City, which has been very popular. I found a very good interview with Miller at Publisher's Weekly online - Q & A with Kirsten Miller. I would like to thank the publisher, Sleuth Razonbill, for sending me this copy of the ARC of The Eternal Ones. In return, I am providing my honest review of the book.

TITLE: The Eternal Ones
AUTHOR: Kirsten Miller
COPYRIGHT: August 2010
PAGES: 411
TYPE: fiction
RECOMMEND: I had a little bit of difficulty getting into this book, but once it got going, I could not put it down. So if you don't like it at first, give it a chance - it will be worth it.

Sunday Sidelines

So, in my little neck of the woods, it has rained and poured all weekend long. It could not have happened at a better time. I finished The Hunger Games and Catching Fire (both on the Kindle) and now I can start Mockingjay. The only review I allowed myself to read was rather negative, so I am a bit sad because I want it to be as good as the first two. If you have read the final book and would like to encourage me PLEASE leave me a little comment telling me how good it really is! But no spoilers, please.

Please visit Merit Badger to decide which badge you have already earned as a reader or a writer! I read through many of them and have decided that I have earned the Voracious Reader badge:

Sure, writers write. But they should read, too! Earn the “voracious reader” merit badge by giving yourself permission to refill your head with words every now and again.

Since I am always reading two or three books at a time, I think I have earned this one for sure. Visit this unique blog to see which badges you have earned!

1.Bangs :: cut too short
2.Diaper :: change
3.Coffee table :: book
4.Cops :: and robbers
5.Matches :: cigarettes
6.250 :: dollars
7.Hurricane :: Katrina
8.Bad :: news
9.Confirmation :: church
10.Fiber :: One Bar

Unconscious Mutterings is a weekly word association game created by Luna Nina. Visit her blog to play along and see if anyone else matches your answers!!

I have one other question for you today...do you use Intense Debate for your comments, and if so do you like it better than the standard comment management on your platform?

Wishing you a great week ahead.

Blogger Hop Friday - raining and reading The Hunger Games

ABOUT THE HOP:

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list at Crazy-For-Books!!

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, go back later and join the fun! This is a weekly event! And go back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added!

This week's question comes from Books Are A Girls Best Friend!

Do you use a rating system and if so, what it is and why?

I do not use a rating system. I usually end each post with the publication information and my recommendation. I always like it when people DO use a rating system - with one quick glance I can see if they liked it or not. I often think about creating one, but haven't yet - then I would have to decide how to rate each book??#@

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend. I just finished The Hunger Games and have started the next book, Catching Fire. Don't be like me and wait forever to read them as the first book was really good. I had to stay up way past my normal bedtime last night just to see what was going to happen. I really appreciate all of the reviews and the excitement surrounding these books over the last few weeks. Your words or praise really encouraged me to read the books. Soon it will be Mockingjay time for me. (All on the borrowed Kindle, I might add.)

Have you read them? Did you love them? Which book was your favorite?

Sunday Sidelines

Good morning and welcome to another Sunday Sidelines!

I reviewed the Kindle and Drive by Daniel Pink this week. I very much liked both!!

It is also time for Luna Nina's Unconscious Mutterings:

1.Leads :: follows
2.Concierge :: tip
3.Thousand :: and one nights
4.Engines :: cars
5.Argument :: constant
6.2006 :: so long ago
7.Knot :: tied
8.F*** :: my life
9.Handsome :: is as handsome does
10.Ridge :: Noth Carolina

I would like to share another website and activity with you this week. It is called Postcrossing and I enjoy it very much! Share postcards with people all over the world. I have been collecting postcards since I was 14 (umm, over 40 years now) and I absolutely love this site. Check it out!!

Check out my review of A Special Fate: Chiune Sugihara, hero of the Holocaust to learn about one of the largest rescues of European Jews during the Holocaust. Another Holocaust review this week is The Good Liar.

I have been doing a lot of reading and hope to get some more posts up soon. But the school year starts tomorrow and I have over seventy students in one class and I am dedicated to establishing a real relationship with each and every one of them (in an online environment) - this involves quite a bit of time. And I expect the library to be very busy as we move into the semester. So we will see where I can carve out reading, reviewing, and posting time!

I would love to hear about your week (grab the logo and leave a comment to your post) and hope you have a great upcoming seven days! !

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

I don't know what to rave about first, the Kindle 2 (which I have checked out from the library where I work) or Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (the very first book that I read on the Kindle). I am now a huge fan of both and wish that I had known the advantages of both much earlier!

Daniel Pink sets the business world, and our personal interactions, on end. Building on work of various psychologists and economists before him, Pink suggests that internal or intrinsic motivators, provided in the way of autonomy, independence, and freedom for creativity, will garner far more results than extrinsic rewards such as money, awards, etc. This approach has been implemented in many forward looking businesses, such as Google and Tom's Shoes.

Another business where these ideas have made a real difference is the Seattle Pike Place Fish Market. Here is their version:

•EMPOWERMENT - The astounding creativity, productivity and profitability that erupts when leaders are willing to be wholly committed to empowering their employees.
•VISION TO REALITY - Any group of people... anybody... can create a powerful vision and have it happen.
•MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD - making a profound and lasting difference in the quality of life in the world is the true purpose of being in business.

Of course, one part that really engaged me was about how to deal with children. Every parent should read this book. Did you hear me? Every. Parent. Should. Read. This. Book! It could change your child's life. Do you pay for grades, or use a bribe to get chores done? These if you do this, then I will do that rewards can have exactly the opposite effect from what you intended. The section on education really struck a nerve with me.

---too many schools are moving in the wrong direction. They're redoubling their emphasis on routines, right answers, and standardization. (location 3487 on Kindle).

I had four children. Three of them went through the Catholic school system in my town. The fourth (a middle child) went private and public...until he dropped out of school at age 16. He is a smart boy - still is, but he fell through all of the cracks of the public school system. Now all of my children are grown and I work in a Curriculum Materials Library, so I work daily with potential new teachers. It is rather sad. We expect the preservice teachers to be creative, to engage young learners, to teach to individuals. But the reality is that it all boils down to how each child, and therefore, each school does on the standardized FCAT test given yearly in the Spring. The scores already determine schools' standings in the county. Officials tried to tie it to teacher compensation (WHAT?), but that failed when put to a vote. So, we are teaching our children how to take that test, give the same correct answers. We are not teaching them how to THINK! And according to Pink, we are sapping out their internal motivation...something we are all born with and systematically lose as we get older, unless we are left to develop our own internal reward system. Sorry about the little diatribe, but it annoys me to no end. How is education "monitored" in your state or country?

Check out the author's webpage and what people are saying about Drive.

Oh goodness, I absolutely love the Kindle. I am a huge fan of the written word - rather words written on paper...well, more specifically words typed on paper and bound in the form of books. But I did dearly love the Kindle experience. It is so light, the type is clear, it was easy to navigate. And oh so many more wonders! If you are like I was, a doubter, do try one. See if your local or academic library has them for checkout...please do not come to my library to get one because then I will have to give this one up and I do so want to read The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest and The Hunger Games!!

TITLE: Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
AUTHOR: Daniel Pink
COPYRIGHT: 2009
PAGES: who knows, it was on KINDLE!
TYPE: non-fiction
RECOMMEND: I really liked this book. It put some new ideas into my brain and reminded me about one of my favorite management philosophies at the Seattle Fish Market.

Book Hop Friday!!

ABOUT THE HOP:

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list at Crazy-For-Books!!

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, go back later and join the fun! This is a weekly event! And go back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added!

This week's question comes from Libraryscatbooks - Hey, that's ME!

How many blogs do you follow?

I started following people using Bloglines. Then Google Friend and Google Reader came along and I follow some blogs through both of these services as well. Altogether I follow just under 100 blogs. I think I wanted to ask this question to see how many everyone else follows and is able to keep up with over time. I do look through all of the new posts each day, comment on some, and just read others. I am thinking I could manage more and I am waiting on your responses to decide just how many more! Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.

Also, check out the Crazy Cozy Box GIVEAWAY 2 at Lori's Reading Corner. It is a chance to win a box full of books!

Book Quiz

I found this Book Quiz over at Notes from the North and after tracking back through several blogs, I found the original author of the quiz at The Literary Lollipop. The quiz looked like fun, so here goes!


1. Favourite childhood book: Miss Jellytots Visit (published in 1955)
Envious of the treatment her parents give to their guests, a nine-year-old girl arranges to be Miss Jellytot, a thirty-year-old college chum on a six-day visit, but wishes the whole time that she were nine-year-old Katie.

I read this book over and over! As I got older, my favorite book was A Lantern in Her Hand which was about a woman who traveled across the US as a pioneer to live in Nebraska. It was very inspiring.

2. What are you reading right now? Displaced Persons by Ghita Schwarz and The Cailiffs of Baghdad, Georgia by Mary Helen Stefaniak (both from LibraryThing) and Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink.

3. What books do you have on request at the library? None

4. Bad book habit: Waiting too long to write the reviews which then means I have to go back and read parts of the book over again.

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library? Life with a Star by Jiří Weil and a large number of Interlibrary Loan books - mostly on the Holocaust

6. Do you have an e-reader? The library where I work just got two Kindles, and I think now I have to have one. I love it.

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once? I always have at least two or three going at the same time.

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog? I think so, I think I am reading more and perhaps even more focused. Especially for my Holocaust Resources for Children books.

9.Least favourite book you read this year: Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard: A Novel

10. Favourite book I’ve read this year: Although it is hard to decide, I think What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt. This is thanks to Amy at The Black Sheep Dances and her Scandinavian Challenge.

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone? Not sure because I like to read most things - well, not a huge fan of science fiction, but I have read a few over the last few years. And I really want to read The Passage.

12. What is your reading comfort zone? Again, not sure I have one although I prefer good literature and non-fiction.

13. Can you read on the bus? I can read in the car.

14. Favourite place to read: I love to read on the back porch.

15. What’s your policy on book lending? I will lend any book to anyone who asks! Any time, bring it back or keep it.

16. Do you dogear your books? Sometimes.

17. Do you write notes in the margins of your books? Yes, especially non-fiction. The book with the most notes: From Dawn to Decadence: Five hundred years of Western Cultural Life by Jacques Barzun. I loved this book and wrote all over it!

18. Do you break/crack the spine of your books? No

19. What is your favourite language to read? Since it the only language I read well, I think English.

20. What makes you love a book? Different reasons, depending on why I am reading it. I love fiction that takes me away to a different place or time. I like characters that I either love or hate. But I also love non-fiction, especially on the Holocaust years. I like to learn new things - I guess what they both have in common is an emotion that is evoked when reading my favorite books.

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book? If I love it, I hope you will too.

22. Favourite genre: literary fiction, but I will read just about anything.

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did): Poetry

24. Favourite Biography: I Cannot Forgive by Rudolf Vrba

25. Have you ever read a self-help book? (And, was it actually helpful?) Probably, but I cannot remember. One Christmas, my sister gave everyone The Purpose Driven Life. Not sure I finished it.

26. Favourite Cookbook: Anything Paula Dean or Sandra Lee

27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction): I read large numbers of Holocaust books, especially survival narratives, and they are all inspirational.

28. Favourite reading snack: I don't usually eat when I am reading.

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience: I don't know about hype, but I have been disappointed by a few of the Newbery winners.

30. How often do you agree with the critics about about a book? I like most books that I finish. But sometimes I do disagree with the critics - usually when I love a book and they just don't.

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews? I just can't stand it. These books are like babies for the authors and I hate to say anything negative, but I will if I really don't like a book.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you choose? Italian

33. Most intimidating book I’ve read: Books don't really intimidate me. Some are just more difficult to read than others.

34. Most intimidating book I’m too nervous to begin: I can't think of anything - maybe War and Peace?

35. Favourite Poet: Pable Neruda

36. How many books do you usually have checked out from the library at any given time? Maybe ten from Interlibrary Loan.

37. How often do you return books to the library unread? Not very often. The only books I really get from the library are Interlibrary Loan books and since they have gone to so much trouble to get them for me, I try really hard to read them.

38. Favourite fictional character: Goodness, I suppose Lisbeth Salander

39. Favourite fictional villain: The man Lisbeth gave the tattoo!!

40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation: I'm not picky, whatever I am reading (or maybe nothing since vacations are usually packed with activities).

41. The longest I’ve gone without reading: To be honest, when my children were young (four kids with ten years between the oldest and youngest) I did not read for myself, but I read to them religiously.

42. Name a book you could/would not finish: The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie. I absolutely hated it!

43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading? If I am really intent on reading, nothing will really distract me. Well, maybe the four chihuahuas who insist on fighting over my lap.

44. Favourite film adaptation of a novel: The English Patient

45. Most disappointing film adaptation: I really cannot think of anything other than the Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Not because it was bad, but because I wanted every little detail in the film. I wonder how the US version will be??

46. Most money I’ve ever spent in a bookstore at one time: Probably a little over $100 because I had many birthday gift certificates.

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it? Never

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book halfway through? Usually it is because it is boring.

49. Do you like to keep your books organized? I would like to I suppose, but I cannot tell a lie - I just don't keep things organized.

50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once they’ve been read? I prefer to keep them, but will give them away if someone asks for them.

51. Are there any books that you’ve been avoiding? I want so badly to read Faulkner, but I just don't have time to concentrate. Maybe I should rearrange that vacation deal.

52. Name a book that made you angry: Black Like Me by John Griffin. When I was 16 (in 1969 - please do not add this up!), I got my tonsils out and my dad brought me this book to read. The author, a white journalist, colored himself black in 1959 and spent time in New Orleans to see if he was treated any differently as a black man. I am sure you can guess the result. I was furious.

53. A book I didn’t expect to like but did: Okay, I did not expect to like the Harry Potter books. I just read them last year. I really liked them alot.

54. A book I expected to like but didn’t: The Good Liar which is one of the first books dealing with the Holocaust that I really did not care for at all.

55. Favourite guilt-free guilty pleasure reading: I read children's books at my little Curriculum Materials Library. Every time I take a break, I take a book outside with me from our display table. This last month they have been about the oil spill or beach animals. I enjoy them immensely and always learn something.

Do you want to take the quiz? Go ahead and post the questionnaire on your blog! Or, feel free to add questions in the comments! This is all in good fun, but I’m always curious to hear about the quirks and habits of other readers! Answer one or all. Leave a note if you do so I can check out your answers.

Sunday Sidelines

Do you ever play the Sunday Luna Nina Association game? Every Sunday, she posts ten words that you should copy and then add the first word, or words, that you think of; then you add your link to hers and you can visit other participants and see what they thought of when presented with the same words. I try to play every week - fun times!

1. Rhythm :: and blues
2. Baby :: carriage
3. Sanctimonious :: pretentious
4. I like :: Big Butts and I cannot lie
5. Constipated :: ugh
6. Sleep late :: on the weekends
7. Over easy :: eggs
8. Erratic :: behaviors
9. Umbrella :: Unbrella
10. You don’t :: know what its like...to love somebody!

Last Sunday, my husband, my daughter and I went to Atlanta to see a Braves game and to visit the Georgia Aquarium. We drove up on Sunday, checked in to the hotel, took MARTA to Underground Atlanta, and went to the game. We had perfect seats and the Braves won, so it was a blast.

On Monday morning we managed to find our way to the Aquarium, which was magnificent. We spent a few hours wandering through five different exhibits. I think my favorite place was in front of the Beluga whales - they were enormous of course, but so graceful. The otters in the same tank were fairly funny! Here is a short video of the whales in action.

I did manage to get some reading and reviewing done as well. How are you doing this Sunday? What are the highlights of your last week? Have a great upcoming week!

Life in Biblical Israel

For those of you who read my blog, it will be no surprise to you that I have an interest in Israel and Jewish history. My undergraduate and graduate degrees are both in history, and I also have a MLS in Library Science. So history and reading are central to who I am and the types of things I like to read - in addition to fiction, of course. I maintain a separate blog for Holocaust Resources for K-12 young people.

I am always looking for ways to self-educate on these topics. One great place is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's MIT OpenCourseWare with free access to over 2000 different college level courses. I am slowly working though the readings for the course: Jews from Biblical to Modern Times.

This book is a fascinating look at the domestic, economic, political, cultural, and religious life of the Israelites dating back to the eight century B.C.E. The archaeological records are matched to biblical verses creating a very interesting journey through Biblical history. In particular, I loved the domestic and cultural sections. Life centered around the home, which in many cases was a three-leveled pillared house. The ground level served as a manger for the animals owned by the family. The animals were taken out to pasture daily and the ground floor was cleaned. The head of the household and immediate family slept on the second level. The third level, or roof level, was used for outdoor family activities. Often a number of houses were found together in a family compound.

TITLE: Life in Biblical Israel
AUTHOR: Philip King and Lawrence Stager
COPYRIGHT: 2001
PAGES: 412
TYPE: non-fiction
RECOMMEND: For an academic text written by historians, this book was very readable and interesting. I am very glad that I was led to it.
SERIES: Library of Ancient Israel

Book Blogger Hop (August already)

The Book Blogger Hop is a place just for BOOK BLOGGERS and readers to connect and share our love of the written word. This weekly BOOK PARTY is a chance for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read!

So, BOOK BLOGGERS!
1. Grab the logo
2. Post about the Hop on your blog
3. Add your link and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list at Crazy-for-Books!

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, go back later and join the fun! This is a weekly event! And stop back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added! There are over 200 links every week!!

In order to add your link to the list, your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews. If your blog does not meet these requirements, it will be deleted from the list.

RULES:

1. Enter your book blog link in the Linky List
In your link, please state the main genre that you review: eclectic, contemp. fiction, ya, paranormal, mystery, non-fiction, etc. Please do not list every genre you review - if you are review a variety, please put eclectic! The Hop gets jumbled up if the title is too long, so please limit to one genre. I will be limiting the number of characters in the title to ensure the Hop doesn't look messy! Thank you!
Example: Crazy-for-Books (literary fiction)

2. Post about the Hop on your blog. Spread the word about the book party! The more the merrier! In your blog post, answer the following question (new question each week!).

This week's question comes from Michelle from Michelle’s Book Blog! (waiting for her blog link!)
How many books do you have on your 'to be read shelf’?

I, too, really do not have a TBR shelf. Instead there are books all over my house - I mean, really, it is out of control. But I rather like it. My real problem is all of the books that I have read and need to review.

I have another blog devoted to Holocaust resources and I get many of these materials from Interlibrary loan, which means I have limited time to get them read and reviewed! I am WAY. BEHIND. So the TBR pile just keeps growing - and will until I get caught up!

Don't Look Back

Author Karin Fossum has come to be known as the Norwegian Queen of Crime! Don't Look Back is one book in her Inspector Konrad Sejer series - all are criminal detective novels and had I realized her claim to fame, I would have begun my adventures with Inspector Sejer by reading the first in the series, Eve's Eye. (Of course there is the small problem that it is not yet published in English)! I read Don't Look Back as my final book for the Scandinavian Reading Challenge 2010 hosted by The Black Sheep Dances. If you would like to participate, visit her blog.



Ragnhild Album lives in a small village in Norway nestled beneath the Kollen Mountains. On a normal day in this average village, Ragnhild goes missing. Joined by the local police captain, Inspector Sejer is sent to help find the very young girl. Just as suddenly as she vanished, Ragnhild returns. Relieved, the two policemen returned to the station only to receive a phone call from Mrs. Album - Ragnhild saw a girl by the lake, a girl who was naked and not moving at all. So begins the real mystery. Who killed Annie Holland?

Fossum takes the reader on a wild ride - visiting everyone in the small village - characters that leap off the page; surely you know someone just like each one of them. Inspector Sejer, assisted by his younger assistant Jacob Skarre, seems to have a sixth sense when it comes to investigating. But his talent is in getting the villagers to share the secrets they have hidden from their neighbors who thought they knew everything about everyone. But it seems Annie was one of the few who knew things that fermented just below the surface of the town's apparent normalcy. Getting to know who Annie had been before she was murdered, Sejer finds hints of teenage angst, a girl who turned surly almost overnight, abuse, and love. Annie's boyfriend Halvor knew that Annie kept a diary on the computer in his room and he also knew that if he could figure out the password he could help solve the murder. Or was he trying to hide what he knew? Just as I thought I had it all figured out, the answer changed. And that is, of course, the mark of a good detective novel.

Here are links to my other five reviews for the Scandinavian Challenge:

Out Stealing Horses - Per Petterson
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt
Growth of the Soil by Knut Hamsun
The Beatles by Lars Saabye Christensen

I am thankful that the Stieg Larsson books were so popular here in the US. Without them, and the Black Sheep Dances Challenge, I probably would not have been introduced to these wonderful authors and books.

TITLE: Don't Look Back
AUTHOR: Karin Fossum
TRANSLATOR: Felicity David
COPYRIGHT: 2002 (English translation), original 2002
PAGES: 295
TYPE: fiction
RECOMMEND: This was a book for a thinking person - not a thriller, but a slowly building criminal investigation. I enjoyed it.
AWARDS: Riverton Prize, 1996; Glass Key Award, 1997

Book Blogger Hop

Visit Crazy-For-Books and Link to the Blog Hop!

Post about the Hop on your blog. Spread the word about the book party! The more the merrier! In your blog post, answer the following question (new question each week!). I have to thank my friend, Lori, for this week's question! I was drawing a blank and she came up with this fab question! If you have a question that could be used in a future Hop, leave it in the comments! Thanks!

This week's question comes from Chelle! Sorry, but I don't have you blog name to link to! Leave your link in the comments and I'll definitely add it in!
Do you listen to music when you read? If so, what are your favorite reading tunes?

2. Visit other blogs in the Linky List! Make new friends! Follow new book bloggers! Talk about books! Rave about authors! Take the time to make a quality visit! Check out other posts and content, make a new friend! Don't randomly follow someone if you never intend on actually following them! No spamming please! (Please do not leave your link and not visit other blogs - it's just not cool and not in the spirit of the Hop!)

ANSWER: I do not listen to music while I am reading because I usually read outside on the back porch!

I also hope that you will visit Shaynie's blog and read an interview that I did with her about my other blog Holocaust Resources! She was so sweet to show an interest in my personal passion. Hope you will hop by!