tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10290837885251397492024-02-19T04:06:25.960-06:00LibrarysCat Book ListBecause I love books, because I love lists! Enjoying my life as a librarian with a wonderful husband, four children, two daughter-in-laws, two grandsons, and 4 beautiful Chihuahuas. This makes me the top Cat - and you can usually find me reading or watching movies with my wonderful husband and all of my favorite pups.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger218125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1029083788525139749.post-45472069515643461922011-08-05T11:45:00.003-05:002011-08-05T11:59:52.057-05:00Book Blogger Hop<a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.crazy-for-books.com');" href="http://www.crazy-for-books.com/"><img src="http://i595.photobucket.com/albums/tt34/crazybookblog/cfbmemebutton-2.png" alt="Book Blogger Hop" width="150" height="150" /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">It is time for another Book Blogger HOP! (no idea why there is underlining - can't find it in the code!). And it is a special week because there is a great opportunity to get an eARC of a new book. </span></a><br /><br />So head over to <a href="http://crazy-for-books.com/2011/08/book-blogger-hop-85-88.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+crazy-for-books+%28Crazy-for-Books%29">Crazy-for-books</a> and check it out.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1029083788525139749.post-82185894269090971702011-08-02T13:18:00.004-05:002011-08-02T13:21:14.052-05:00Read<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPYsngCYL6BFyqWdpivjUMFZJBZ1hXHsgg2_Yte5bALusOTFK-VHf1xfEdxiKY2IJ0fWvOI2_qL-u3feJ-evxALAd28vv4l18OYfzlR4hyufaGk0oMbsicYaaCby2U0yFyrIgy3VGy8VS/s1600/Donna+READ.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPYsngCYL6BFyqWdpivjUMFZJBZ1hXHsgg2_Yte5bALusOTFK-VHf1xfEdxiKY2IJ0fWvOI2_qL-u3feJ-evxALAd28vv4l18OYfzlR4hyufaGk0oMbsicYaaCby2U0yFyrIgy3VGy8VS/s400/Donna+READ.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636324980922374530" border="0" />Here in the library we are gearing up for the fall term. We have been creating READ posters for our faculty. This one is mine!</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1029083788525139749.post-91157715816509297112011-08-02T11:24:00.001-05:002011-08-02T11:25:33.068-05:00Up A Road Slowly<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu34y99HyieCiHLjJCHR2kYYH0FLNK4JnOFzxZk8lgPodfeg6Ddi8MjoLdOUbqIX_LDQhm5YYD9eQUNLgGazdCDJ1DpWtV16RcabEMvM1tylSL54yw-rLCQrHRN-0EbfuFpTYOtQSox9lV/s1600/Up_a_Road_Slowly_cover.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 278px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu34y99HyieCiHLjJCHR2kYYH0FLNK4JnOFzxZk8lgPodfeg6Ddi8MjoLdOUbqIX_LDQhm5YYD9eQUNLgGazdCDJ1DpWtV16RcabEMvM1tylSL54yw-rLCQrHRN-0EbfuFpTYOtQSox9lV/s400/Up_a_Road_Slowly_cover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5636285327269625202" border="0" /></a><em>Up A Road Slowly </em>by Irene Hunt was one of my favorite Newbery books. And I know why! This coming of age story of a girl who grew up right before I did. It was a world I was familiar with and made my memories of these times just flow back!wbery panel!<br /><br />The novel takes place in the 60s (I am guessing) perhaps and begins with Julie's mother dying when she was seven years old. Julie is the narrator and finds herself and older brother Christopher shipped off to spinster school teacher Aunt Cordelia's house. Their father just cannot take care of them. Initially horrified, Julie comes to love the life in the country where her Aunt lives. The story follow her growth and development from elementary school in a one room class to graduation from high school and heading to college. While I didn't go to a one room school house - I knew that they existed when I was growing up.<br /><br />The story is also filled with wonderfully outlandish characters such as her alcoholic Uncle Haskell, the bad boyfriend, the good boyfriend, and a wide variety of girls who can be very nice or filled with pride and envy. Julie navigates her life with these people, learning lessons along the way - happy and sad lessons. In the end, Julie learns that her Aunt usually knows what is best for her and knows that it is through her guidance she is an adult.<br /><br />Another story line, which is at the heart of the mystery, focuses on Madeline L'Engel's book <em>A Wrinkle in Time</em> and the idea of time travel. Marcus, who becomes a friend to Miranda, has theories on time and space. If one were unfamiliar with L'Engel's book, perhaps this story line might also have some gaps. Of course the simple answer to this problem is to read L'Engel's classic book and start over.<br /><br />Allison's Book Bag has a <a href="http://allisonsbookbag.wordpress.com/2011/03/12/up-a-road-slowly-by-irene-hunt/">great review</a> of the book as well - with some comparisons to A<span style="font-style: italic;">nne Of Green Gables</span>. In some ways, it also reminded me of <span style="font-style: italic;">Little Women.</span> Still I wonder if this book would still have appeal with young girls who might find it too simple.<br /><br />TITLE: <em>Up a Road Slowly</em><br /><div>AUTHOR: Irene Hunt<br />COPYRIGHT: 1966<br />PAGES: 197<br />TYPE: fiction<br />RECOMMEND: I loved this little book.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1029083788525139749.post-91665393975563920532011-04-05T09:54:00.007-05:002011-04-19T13:43:44.895-05:00The Midwife's Confession<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3l_NSDDh3wHvaVnawtplfdSUhvAeQHSqBpg_mlEo9XQsdS8_1Hc-4MnQyPqTbp5hZ_UsyfEl1qd4Xo2Qak2H1b4YE48E4I5AVf0XL8Hz2mFy5YL6yInimK291VvlGbw8_XEmI0y4E93W/s1600/Midwife.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 250px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 382px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592113618942334114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3l_NSDDh3wHvaVnawtplfdSUhvAeQHSqBpg_mlEo9XQsdS8_1Hc-4MnQyPqTbp5hZ_UsyfEl1qd4Xo2Qak2H1b4YE48E4I5AVf0XL8Hz2mFy5YL6yInimK291VvlGbw8_XEmI0y4E93W/s400/Midwife.jpg" /></a>Diane Chamberlain has written a spot-on novel about women and their friendships, how relationships between mothers and daughters evolve, and how even the most difficult things can be gotten through with the help of both.<br /><br /><p>Tara and Emerson had been friends through college, marriage, and childbirth. They both had daughter's who were born within days of one another and were now best friends as well. The two women were also very close friends with Noelle, someone they met in college. Noelle was the local midwife and her surprising suicide (and the more surprising note they find with her belongings) bring about changes and challenges neither Tara or Emerson could imagine. This novel is part mystery, part female bonding and both are well-charted by the author.<br /><br />You can visit the author's <a href="http://www.dianechamberlain.com/">website</a> for information about this book and other bestselling works. Thanks to publisher Harlequin (Mira Books) and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I enjoyed the characters and felt they were people I knew. Their heartaches and growth were so true and carefully mapped. And unlike some books, the novel ended just where it needed to end!</p><br />TITLE: <em>The Midwife's Confession</em><br />AUTHOR: Diane Chamberlain<br />COPYRIGHT: 2011<br />PAGES: I read the Kindle version<br />TYPE: fiction<br />RECOMMEND: I enjoyed this novel with the twists and turns of long time friendships and secrets revealed. Good character development.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1029083788525139749.post-30343521272854136562011-03-31T12:18:00.009-05:002011-04-19T13:40:35.253-05:00Lilly's Wedding Quilt<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiuA_LCoHlH03mlueeIci6JkN4trQMLDflDnUNykhwt5wsDPqAX_HyMcxDVj4K2xJkOhmfnfJ2uJLasR693cqfvNzCzsrjLuLWPdYvoAVVdjfMZnse6vkDsxD_iW09DdPRZt-rv_I_8xN7/s1600/lillys.jpg"><em><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 261px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590294862899470290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiuA_LCoHlH03mlueeIci6JkN4trQMLDflDnUNykhwt5wsDPqAX_HyMcxDVj4K2xJkOhmfnfJ2uJLasR693cqfvNzCzsrjLuLWPdYvoAVVdjfMZnse6vkDsxD_iW09DdPRZt-rv_I_8xN7/s400/lillys.jpg" /></em></a><em> Lilly’s Wedding Quilt (A Patch of Heaven Novel)</em> by Kelly Long, is the second novel in this series. Even so, it is not necessary to read the first novel before reading this one. However, you may like this one so much that you want to pick up the first! Lilly Lapp is the local Amish school teacher who is taking care of her Mother as well. Lilly wonders if she will ever wed, especially since she has the man she has always chosen to care for, Jacob Wyse, has been in love with another woman. Lilly is surprised when this other woman marries another man. Due to an accident with her buggy, Lilly and Jacob attend the wedding together. Chance has thrown the two together and circumstances cause Lilly to say she spent the previous evening with Jacob. To protect her reputation, Jacob announces their engagement. But will they fall in love?<br /><br /><br /><br /><p>As you read the book to find the answer, you will find many Amish customs, foods, and beliefs described.<br /><br /><br /><p>One facet of the book which I really loved was the author’s treatment of mental illness and how it would be treated in an Amish community. Lilly’s mother was depressed and her treatment plan is as gentle and supporting as one would hope all plans are.<br /><br /><br /><p>I really enjoyed the book and how the plot was developed. If you like learning about different cultures and romance, the author provides the reader with this and more.<br /><br /><p>Thanks to publisher Thomas Nelson for providing me with the Kindle version of the book to preview. No monetary payment was provided to write and publish a review, positive or not. Thanks to NetGalley for making it so easy to connect with authors and publishers.</p><br />TITLE: <em>Lilly's Wedding Quilt</em><br />AUTHOR: Kelly Long<br />COPYRIGHT: 2011<br />PAGES: I read the Kindle version<br />TYPE: fiction<br />RECOMMEND: I really liked this gentle novel and learned a bit more about the culture of the Amish people.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1029083788525139749.post-51957672668636247572010-12-26T16:05:00.003-06:002010-12-26T17:08:00.462-06:00The Dolphin People<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4tFUGj2AIAPnRxfdxJH6KB2nJpU2Dzurw1sokMVwvc7_Of1Gqw1JGpmOciomwNE7yzrwB2044eoJbjHT1WB528NVPYNZp0rYb4DIgnPLuGNyz9wPd0UYPg7riMuWBnRqCZMYm-ABqcDuS/s1600/dolphin.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 266px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555127147417769890" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4tFUGj2AIAPnRxfdxJH6KB2nJpU2Dzurw1sokMVwvc7_Of1Gqw1JGpmOciomwNE7yzrwB2044eoJbjHT1WB528NVPYNZp0rYb4DIgnPLuGNyz9wPd0UYPg7riMuWBnRqCZMYm-ABqcDuS/s400/dolphin.jpg" /></a>A big thank you to Harper Perennial for the opportunity to read and review this novel. The work was originally published in Australia, where author Torsten Krol lives, in 2006; then in Great Britain in 2008. Krol has another novel, <em>Callisto, </em>published in 2007. Most interesting is the statement on the back cover of the book about the author: <em>Torsten Krol is the author of Callisto. Nothing further is known about him. </em>And, after extensive searching on the Web, it seems that this is true. He is reclusive and many believe the author is writing under a pseudonym.<br /><br />At any rate, I really liked this delightfully interesting novel. <em>The Dolphin People </em>is narrated by Erich Linden who is a sixteen year old who travels with his mother and younger brother Zeppi to Venezuela. Erich's father has died fighting on the side of the Nazis in World War II. Erich's mother will now marry Klaus, her late husband's brother who has fled to Venezuela to avoid prosecution as a Nazi. And this is only the beginning!<br /><br />After changing their last name, the new family takes a flight to the interior of Venezuela where they will live. Unfortunately the plane crashes and the four must figure out a way to live with the Amazonian tribe they encounter. The family learns the culture of the tribe via another white man, Gerhard, who has lived with the tribe for many years. To save their lives, the family members pretend to be dolphin people, almost gods who had been expected by the tribe. As time passes, the family must do more and more bizarre things to continue the ruse. I will not spoil the fun by telling you the results!<br /><br />This novel was reviewed by Anis Shivani in the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anis-shivani/huffington-post-reviews-t_b_616215.html">Huffington Post</a>.<br /><br />TITLE: <em>The Dolphin People</em><br />AUTHOR: Torsten Krol<br />COPYRIGHT: 2009<br />PAGES: 356<br />TYPE: fiction<br />RECOMMEND: I loved this fanciful novel, but really enjoyed the political rhetoric as well.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1029083788525139749.post-25760881444439507192010-12-26T11:35:00.004-06:002010-12-26T12:49:30.266-06:00Displaced Persons<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU1EFqOtAl2sA0q6OhDgCjOEybC6Xh1lUlxVYnyI26s99guKoHQo7hyOzDy9PYsI4qTMYBk65H8gcfi-IU3rI4Ht0Rh16OWHDAonGaRA3QAC3TsKWbHjt85y4T_1ukZqs-5S2U9ZIOWJeR/s1600/displaced+persons.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555047486162570242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU1EFqOtAl2sA0q6OhDgCjOEybC6Xh1lUlxVYnyI26s99guKoHQo7hyOzDy9PYsI4qTMYBk65H8gcfi-IU3rI4Ht0Rh16OWHDAonGaRA3QAC3TsKWbHjt85y4T_1ukZqs-5S2U9ZIOWJeR/s400/displaced+persons.jpg" /></a><br /><em>In May, 1945, Pavel Mandl, a Polish Jew recently liberated from a concentration camp, searches for surviving family in the Allied Zones of a crushed Germany. Alone, with no money and no prospects, he trades on the black market to survive. While searching for family members and waiting for a visa to America, he befriends a pair of refugees, Fela and a teenaged boy named Chaim, and soon the trio form a makeshift family. (</em>From the back of the book)<br /><br />When the war was over and Nazi concentration camps were liberated, survivors were taken to camps for displaced persons where their medical needs were addressed. But Europe, especially Eastern Europe, was in shambles. Survivors searched for family members and, more often than not, found that they alone had survived. The emotional devestation led to years of buried emotions and a feeling of not belonging. <em>Displaced Persons</em>, written by Ghita Schwarz, explores this emotional solitude over decades of survival. Ultimately, the emotions under the surface bubble up and expose feelings unknowingly guiding many decisions.<br /><br />Pavel Mandl found himself in a British displaced persons camp after the war. He found his place in trading in the black market and joined with two other refugees, living in a small house he took over after the war. Fela, widowed by the war, and Chaim, a teenaged boy, who was willing to work with Pavel in trading in the black market, became each other's family. Ultimately Pavel married Fela and the couple struggled to gather what was needed to immigrate to the United States. They hoped the dream of freedom would erase the pain and struggles they had endured. While the two did make it to New York, they found that the past followed them and while they never discussed their experiences, certainly it was there, between them, between them and the world. Chaim went to Israel where he married Sima. Eventually Chaim and his wife also came to New York and the couples were reunited. Then the world changed. <br /><br />After the fall of Communism, people wanted to hear about the past. They wanted survivors to speak out about their experiences. Many realized that by discussing their past, they would have to relive them in public. With this private struggle exposed, each survivor tried to find a way to move forward. To see the struggle over forty years and two continents really illuminates how difficult survival was after the war.<br /><br />To hear the author discuss her novel, visit <a href="http://www.bookpassage.com/event/ghita-schwarz-displaced-persons-added-event">Book Passage</a>.<br /><br />TITLE: <em>Displaced Persons</em><br />AUTHOR: Ghita Schwarz<br />COPYRIGHT: 2010<br />PAGES: 340<br />TYPE: fiction<br />RECOMMEND: This is a very thoughtful book. The novel might be especially interesting to students of history who want to follow the post WWII lives of survivors.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1029083788525139749.post-49306652884740257842010-11-28T06:40:00.008-06:002010-11-28T06:54:42.223-06:00Sunday Sidelines<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoGKHUM_Wb4azL1sR2_zuYEoYRRLa0khKOGHjhFe1Kq6O66ZQgHXw830A9ZogSlh8dufqorviydjyZEa_AUN30dDlZayVrU0sNgiGkLP4z2gucgpHDmqvl4M7JVP6nIXPN-vQiq7Occ4uC/s1600/sunday.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 289px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 122px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544581457594905394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoGKHUM_Wb4azL1sR2_zuYEoYRRLa0khKOGHjhFe1Kq6O66ZQgHXw830A9ZogSlh8dufqorviydjyZEa_AUN30dDlZayVrU0sNgiGkLP4z2gucgpHDmqvl4M7JVP6nIXPN-vQiq7Occ4uC/s320/sunday.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFX8bcJb7iG0YYaLWM8tUD422q42gTwOLFyD7-1m-aWIVjO7A2Ii6Cxl5McxihCe2Yiwcac2K_4ebnpZN8JEmYEGB2wOxpJG2Do_A1T7i4dzJ29UWRdmtQ2hK0C2ALmHp_e0EB7TwwlUgS/s1600/Birthday+2009jb.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 374px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544582104933504178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFX8bcJb7iG0YYaLWM8tUD422q42gTwOLFyD7-1m-aWIVjO7A2Ii6Cxl5McxihCe2Yiwcac2K_4ebnpZN8JEmYEGB2wOxpJG2Do_A1T7i4dzJ29UWRdmtQ2hK0C2ALmHp_e0EB7TwwlUgS/s400/Birthday+2009jb.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This has been a very difficult month and an especially difficult week. My mother died on Tuesday evening (November 23, 2010) ~ she has been ill for about three years, but we have known the end was near for about a month. She was at peace. Now my sister and I are trying to find the same peace. The funeral is tomorrow, so I am hopeful that it will make me feel some better...to officially give her over to God. She was 83 years old and I will miss her every day for the rest of my life.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>BBC Booklist!!</strong><br /></span><br />"The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here."<br /><br />Instructions:<br /><br />•Copy this list.<br />•Bold those books you’ve read in their entirety.<br />•Italicise the ones you started but didn’t finish or read only an excerpt.<br />•Tag other book nerds.<br />•Highlight the ones that you have but haven't read.<br /><br />So, here is my list (feel pretty good about reading 39 of these great books):<br /><br /><strong>Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen<br />The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien<br /></strong>Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte<br /><strong>Harry Potter series – JK Rowling<br />To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee<br /></strong><em>The King James Bible<br /></em>Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte<br /><strong>Nineteen Eighty Four (1984) – George Orwell<br /></strong>His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman<br /><strong>Great Expectations – Charles Dickens<br />Little Women – Louisa M Alcott<br /></strong>Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy<br /><strong>Catch 22 – Joseph Heller<br /></strong><em>Complete Works of Shakespeare<br /></em>Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier<br /><strong>The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien<br /></strong>Birdsong – Sebastian Faulk<br />Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger<br />The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger<br />Middlemarch – George Eliot<br /><strong>Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell<br />The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald<br /></strong>War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy<br />The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams<br />Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh<br />Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky<br /><em>Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck<br /></em><strong>Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll<br /></strong>The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame<br /><em>Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy<br /></em>David Copperfield – Charles Dickens<br /><em>Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis<br /></em><strong>Emma -Jane Austen<br /></strong>Persuasion – Jane Austen<br /><em>The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe – CS Lewis<br /></em><strong>The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini<br /></strong>Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Bernieres<br /><strong>Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden</strong><br /><strong>Winnie the Pooh – A.A. Milne<br />Animal Farm – George Orwell<br /></strong>The DaVinci Code – Dan Brown<br /><strong>One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez<br />A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving<br /></strong>The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins<br /><strong>Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery<br /></strong>Far From The Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy<br /><strong>The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood<br />Lord of the Flies – William Golding<br />Atonement – Ian McEwan<br /></strong>Life of Pi – Yann Martel<br />Dune – Frank Herbert<br /><strong>Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons<br />Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen<br /></strong>A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth<br />The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon<br /><strong>A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens<br />Brave New World – Aldous Huxley<br />The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon<br />Love In The Time Of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez<br /></strong>Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck<br />Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov<br />The Secret History – Donna Tartt<br /><strong>The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold </strong><br />Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas<br />On The Road – Jack Kerouac<br />Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy<br /><strong>Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding<br /></strong>Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie<br /><strong>Moby Dick – Herman Melville</strong><br />Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens<br /><strong>Dracula – Bram Stoker<br />The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett<br /></strong>Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson<br />Ulysses – James Joyce<br />The Inferno – Dante<br />Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome<br />Germinal – Emile Zola<br />Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray<br />Possession – AS Byatt<br /><em>Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens<br /></em>Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell<br /><strong>The Color Purple – Alice Walker<br /></strong>The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro<br />Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert<br />A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry<br /><strong>Charlotte’s Web – E.B. White<br /></strong>The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom<br />Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle<br />The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton<br />Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad<br /><em>The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery<br /></em>The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks<br />Watership Down – Richard Adams<br /><strong>A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole<br /></strong>A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute<br />The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas<br /><strong>Hamlet – William Shakespeare<br /></strong><em>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl<br /></em>Les Miserables – Victor Hugo<br /><br />Wishing you all a wonderful week ~ with reading and love for your family. Please say a little prayer for me and mine.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1029083788525139749.post-19875358558951667562010-11-27T07:08:00.003-06:002010-11-27T07:19:53.111-06:00Two Little Girls in Blue<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWh27hHE8SLco2l7r-SzKpT_LzIs-YXNidvFwCp6l9T2-S5o6vTM1UVx8z915yMEsJzM6Lk3WVM2XMkavBjT44Rbx_A8nD15cG7V2BdbWRp0WDiwa9Xk5WAlfEyLX3OnUm7gMJeAL3m9U/s1600/blue.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 197px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544216542326187778" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWh27hHE8SLco2l7r-SzKpT_LzIs-YXNidvFwCp6l9T2-S5o6vTM1UVx8z915yMEsJzM6Lk3WVM2XMkavBjT44Rbx_A8nD15cG7V2BdbWRp0WDiwa9Xk5WAlfEyLX3OnUm7gMJeAL3m9U/s320/blue.jpg" /></a> I have to admit that the last time I read a Mary Higgins Clark novel it had to have been 1991 with <em>The Cradle Will Fall </em>which scared me half to death - not necessarily the mystery (SUSPENSE) to read when you have four children alone in a house! So, I was rather surprised when my mother gave me two of these NEW mysteries. I read this book sitting next to my mother at the hospital and was desperate when her room was changed and I, with only 20 or so pages left to read, could not find the BOOK! AHHHHH! I found it a few days later exactly where I left it at my desk at work. Thankful sigh!<br /><br />Two girls in blue - the twin daughters of Margaret and Steve Frawley - are kidnapped. In an interesting twist, we know who took them from the beginning, we just do not know until the end who orchestrated the kidnapping or why really. And believe me, there are plenty of people who had their own reasons to be the ONE. When the girls are separated, special twin communications help to reunite them...but will it be in life or in death?<br /><div></div><div></div><br /><div>TITLE: <em>Two Little Girls in Blue</em><br />AUTHOR: Mary Higgins Clark</div><div>COPYRIGHT: 2006<br />PAGES: 390<br />TYPE: fiction<br />RECOMMEND: I love a good mystery and this one was exceptional!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1029083788525139749.post-54279353685778180872010-11-26T07:32:00.006-06:002010-11-26T10:29:48.500-06:00Blog Hop Friday<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVlpr2ze8vZFUdGb4yNkhY9wD6W2H4szCOZhaqQ2yJUjZ2I_qzKwdiw8uAywYQydTZJw-JMrHLRpnQo1ofZ6W3nt-ZrVI2loZVk4LBOGtvQ6LSWhq8X250DPxYYRjhhfbToHkC1Oz29ETR/s1600/BBH.png"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 220px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 250px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543850883334205858" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVlpr2ze8vZFUdGb4yNkhY9wD6W2H4szCOZhaqQ2yJUjZ2I_qzKwdiw8uAywYQydTZJw-JMrHLRpnQo1ofZ6W3nt-ZrVI2loZVk4LBOGtvQ6LSWhq8X250DPxYYRjhhfbToHkC1Oz29ETR/s400/BBH.png" /></a><br />It is Friday!! And time for another HOP! Visit <a href="http://www.crazy-for-books.com/2010/11/book-blogger-hop-november-26-29-2010.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+crazy-for-books+%28Crazy-for-Books%29"><span style="color:#6600cc;"><strong>Crazy-For-Books</strong></span> </a>and link up your response to the question, then blog about it on your site, then visit some phenomenal bloggers!<br /><br />This week's question comes from Sarah who blogs at <a href="http://www.sarahreck.com/blog/"><span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>Writer, Reader, Dreamer</strong></span></a>:<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong>"What is your favorite book cover?"<br /><br /></strong></span><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXroXwOc2N-hvIFKkMemxIstw0Pd-t066GREbcQ-pHxiyzBXLg0iAQzFsR4fgtLG6EpA1DFwQXMVuCnzIfUG_zoup6y13xZLqe2G_mfNQAVAsjiXwzJK9Pj2KcGlnGUovvYNvuaN_Rw8St/s1600/oh.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543850778706655634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXroXwOc2N-hvIFKkMemxIstw0Pd-t066GREbcQ-pHxiyzBXLg0iAQzFsR4fgtLG6EpA1DFwQXMVuCnzIfUG_zoup6y13xZLqe2G_mfNQAVAsjiXwzJK9Pj2KcGlnGUovvYNvuaN_Rw8St/s400/oh.jpg" /></a><br />One of my favorite book covers is <em>Oh!: A mystery of 'mono no aware'</em> by Todd Shimoda. I really do not think the beauty of this book can be translated to the eye without holding it in your hands. The inside is equally as beautiful with high quality paper and lovely illustrations by the author's wife.</div><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><div>I reviewed this book <a href="http://libraryscatbooks.blogspot.com/2009/08/24-oh-mystery-of-mono-no-aware.html">here</a> (the cover looks more the way it looks in real life on my review page).</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSqvvRF-o1KySr1ekUslvzFI9fRDPboQ_1zEhmtLB-641a7jNjzp1ABrfnEw1sGL3rOtijhmurURciKwAPcdHEImekCBtpx3iQQhmFtBKqKBMzcgG4zND_ERhyphenhyphenaoArQKKSr2QCj0u8qTU7/s1600/what+i+loved.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 267px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543894692226922450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSqvvRF-o1KySr1ekUslvzFI9fRDPboQ_1zEhmtLB-641a7jNjzp1ABrfnEw1sGL3rOtijhmurURciKwAPcdHEImekCBtpx3iQQhmFtBKqKBMzcgG4zND_ERhyphenhyphenaoArQKKSr2QCj0u8qTU7/s400/what+i+loved.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Another book cover that I love is <em>What I Loved </em>by Suri Hustvedt. It reminds me of a Dali painting that I also find enchanting.</div><div></div><div>I reviewed this book <a href="http://libraryscatbooks.blogspot.com/2010/06/what-i-loved.html">here</a>. It was one of my favorites this year.</div><div></div><div>I am trying desperately to get everything I have read over the last few months reviewed. </div><div></div><div>Please hop around and see how I am coming along! And I plan to visit as many people on the list because it has been a while since I have participated.</div><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1029083788525139749.post-68166204686780976722010-11-25T15:21:00.003-06:002010-11-25T16:25:28.619-06:00Enquiring Minds want to Know!Visit DollyCas to share a little about yourself with other bloggers!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjqtqIqenkFnh-Pg8y8NyvAuDVsRHQ7YkBKq14kJIy-LQJNoZ99X1YCsB_YlG-OqlIqgKsIqp10INKrwPSv8tAsKZcBRHBop_h1vwO5uMmd7wZ-v7ZEWSy6o2BhP2J0AEuqB0A04oFNAh/s1600/Enquiring+Minds.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 314px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 254px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543600963768886450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjqtqIqenkFnh-Pg8y8NyvAuDVsRHQ7YkBKq14kJIy-LQJNoZ99X1YCsB_YlG-OqlIqgKsIqp10INKrwPSv8tAsKZcBRHBop_h1vwO5uMmd7wZ-v7ZEWSy6o2BhP2J0AEuqB0A04oFNAh/s400/Enquiring+Minds.jpg" /></a><br /><br />1.<span style="color:#6600cc;"><strong>What is your favorite vegetable</strong></span>? There are not too many vegetables that I dislike. I love eggplant and squash. I think maybe my favorite though are sweet potatoes ~ can that count. If not, then onions.<br /><br />2.<span style="color:#6600cc;"><strong>What is your favorite fruit?</strong></span> My absolute favorite fruits are Queen Anne cherries ~ which are the white cherries only available for a short time here each year. I just eat them up and settle for regular red cherries the rest of the year.<br /><br />3.<span style="color:#6600cc;"><strong>Do you grow any of your own fruits & vegetables</strong></span>? No, we live in a rental house. However my sister's family has a Farmer's Market and we often have access to very fresh fruits and vegetables.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1029083788525139749.post-57139680835937094522010-11-25T08:59:00.001-06:002010-11-25T09:08:57.197-06:00The Outer Banks House<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_PCAxuaXod6tlmPah_QpFixHgPZiYcORVQvywgz_j67dFJu_lQgCrgeA96VIEYPEVXjiNvDazSar4CCex0l31u2V2cImB4myNegPQlYfNh_skGVx4Ft_v2I2jReOwBW0eon-tNZ-0Jxf/s1600/outer+banks.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 263px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543504490407882642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_PCAxuaXod6tlmPah_QpFixHgPZiYcORVQvywgz_j67dFJu_lQgCrgeA96VIEYPEVXjiNvDazSar4CCex0l31u2V2cImB4myNegPQlYfNh_skGVx4Ft_v2I2jReOwBW0eon-tNZ-0Jxf/s400/outer+banks.jpg" /></a><br /><div><em>The Outer Banks House</em> by Diann Ducharme came to me via Crown Publishers, a division of Random House. As the name suggests, the setting is the Outer Banks of North Carolina. And the book is filled with the richness of North Carolina history and scenery. Taking place just after the Civil War, the tensions of the post-war South also play a significant role in the development of the book.<br /><br />Abigail Sinclair, her parents, and her siblings come to the North Carolina shore with Abigail looking toward her marriage in the near future while her father is hoping to escape a plantation that is faltering with the loss of slave labor. The family quickly, if reluctantly, joins in the rythms of the island. Abby is introduced to the island by Ben who is a young man with deep ties to North Carolina life and history. Abby teaches Ben to read and their temperments clash until Abby realized that Ben has much to teach her as well. While she becomes more involved in the lives of ex-slaves living nearby, Abby's father becomes involved in local attempts to put the ex-slaves back in their place.<br /><br />Of course, Abby and Ben fall in love, struggle, come apart, and come back together. It is actually this part of the book with which I have the most trouble. Perhaps the book follows the tried and true method of plot build up, conflict, and resolution ~ but I just did not find it to be real. Maybe as someone who lives in the South, I did not like the racial undertones of the conflict for Abby and her family. So I enjoyed the book for the descriptive narrative, but not the human interactions.<br /><br />TITLE: <em>The Outer Banks House</em><br />AUTHOR: Diann Ducharme<br />COPYRIGHT: 2010<br />PAGES: 291<br />TYPE: fiction<br />RECOMMEND: I did not particularly care for this book. I appreciated what the author was trying to accomplish, but it just did not feel true for me. However, the descriptions of the North Carolina shores were beautiful.<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1029083788525139749.post-84906760532834637012010-11-24T20:22:00.006-06:002010-11-25T03:50:47.523-06:00Kasey to the Rescue<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_YaRdUwTuHtcnaZyXzCMRv0xw7InlNhj875SKR4cdrE1eJ7RnGroDWTuargbB3AnfhzHNpps4EgWVHw8JBZP-fx5_yZaSEP5l3ZKc25V2u66hgBeB87Qpd7Bw8At4m5AwMHqm8YkrAktW/s1600/Kasey.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 264px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543309407750243538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_YaRdUwTuHtcnaZyXzCMRv0xw7InlNhj875SKR4cdrE1eJ7RnGroDWTuargbB3AnfhzHNpps4EgWVHw8JBZP-fx5_yZaSEP5l3ZKc25V2u66hgBeB87Qpd7Bw8At4m5AwMHqm8YkrAktW/s400/Kasey.jpg" /></a>Thanks to Library Thing Early Reviewer program and Hyperion for the opportunity to read and review this fascinating family saga. I was so excited to receive <em>Kasey to the Rescue</em>. My husband and I always visited the two small monkeys at our local pet shop. I also love the idea of service animals of any sort.<br /><br />In this true account, Kasey becomes the service monkey for Ned, a young man who was paralyzed in an auto accident. His mother tells the reader about the accident, her son's recovery in the face of low odds, and how Kasey came into their life as a miracle!<br /><br />Ned was your typical college student when he was injured in an accident. His mother rushed to his bedside only to hear the words no mother wants to hear - that their child might not make it and will be a quadripilegic if he survives. With a life that was crazy enough to begin with, Ellen Rogers stays with her son through his recuperation and brings him home where he lives in the living room. Recognizing that her son needed assistance and even perhaps a new focus in life, the family explores the <a href="http://www.monkeyhelpers.org/">Helping Hands </a>program which provides capuchin monkeys for the disabled. This is a remarkable and funny story of the determination of one family to get through tough times with the miracle of a monkey! (I hope you will visit the website above and consider supporting their program).<br /><br />As a parent, I certainly could identify with Ms. Rogers and her love for her son and her other children shines brightly in this easy to read book. I know the delight of a miracle. My daughter is also a miracle - but from birth. I know the wonder of a life saved. If you don't have time to read this book, try to make time. You can also view a number of interviews and videos online:<br /><br />Recent interview with Ellen Rogers - at <a href="http://www.pawnation.com/2010/11/02/kasey-to-the-rescue-author-ellen-rogers-talks-about-the-monkey/">Paw Nation</a><br />Kasey to the Rescue website - <a href="http://kaseytotherescue.com/index.html">book website</a><br />And even a Facebook page - <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kasey-to-the-Rescue/139313086092534?v=wall">Kasey to the Rescue</a><br /><br />TITLE: <em>Kasey to the Rescue: The Remarkable Story of a Monkey and a Miracle</em><br />AUTHOR: Ellen Rogers<br />COPYRIGHT: November 2010<br />PAGES: 288<br />TYPE: non-fiction<br />RECOMMEND: If you have a love of animals, you will likely be enchanted by Kasey. If you love the triumph of the human spirit, you will love Ellen, her son Ned and her younger children. Altogether a fascinating story of love and faith and a little helper monkey!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1029083788525139749.post-37275712245249144882010-11-04T17:39:00.010-05:002010-11-09T21:25:02.886-06:00National Non-Fiction Day ~ YEAH!!<div> </div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdkptL6PwvXtxexOePMVJf583SV0x3jW8hv2Par4PgzVDo_8JoPVzGl_7F8bX1IbL-erlOXmT7UM6BMrDg2gakdCFFDDTj6blaMeHzfZay2YHgGvAjhQzFz2ogWNUuosGOlIZGuIkZ-4Vh/s1600/NNFD.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535827988946433554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdkptL6PwvXtxexOePMVJf583SV0x3jW8hv2Par4PgzVDo_8JoPVzGl_7F8bX1IbL-erlOXmT7UM6BMrDg2gakdCFFDDTj6blaMeHzfZay2YHgGvAjhQzFz2ogWNUuosGOlIZGuIkZ-4Vh/s400/NNFD.jpg" /></a> I have always loved non-fiction. I like Holocaust narratives, history, memoirs, cookbooks, and just about any how to do it book. When I was a child, my mother said I even read the phone books. So I thought I would do two things today. I am going to write two reviews on non-fiction books I have recently completed and then tell you a little about a non-fiction book I just loaded on the Kindle and am looking forward to reading.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigUGE4J7Grz1o4r3o0dU-k2fr83nvrrhRlmL2tSeZPRNNfGo19WpcjoL_tiGU0iEbq1Ng5jrz5KbEJsK1mB2xSnM1XuPEBOfnMMI2XJRwLDPW9Gq4GP33OwLInQvvF1d4XxJmU0Bif9VLY/s1600/book+overdue.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 263px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535832318231978418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigUGE4J7Grz1o4r3o0dU-k2fr83nvrrhRlmL2tSeZPRNNfGo19WpcjoL_tiGU0iEbq1Ng5jrz5KbEJsK1mB2xSnM1XuPEBOfnMMI2XJRwLDPW9Gq4GP33OwLInQvvF1d4XxJmU0Bif9VLY/s400/book+overdue.jpg" /></a> My dear, dear boss JVK brought me an autographed copy of this book. She stood in line at ALA and I am very glad that she did. The idea is how librarians and cybrarians can help in the organization of what has quickly becomed gluts of information.</div><div><br />One of my favorite quotes is early in the book - the author is speaking of the information explosion that came with the Internet: <span style="color:#3366ff;"><em>Information and new forms of information were washing over me in oceans and it was fun to splash in the wake. </em>(p. 17) </span>Now that I have read the Internet back and forth ten thousand times, I am nearly done with the splashing. </div><div><br />Here is the best advice found in the book: <span style="color:#3366ff;"><em>Just because librarians like to search for author, title, subject the way they used to in the old card catalog doesn't mean the general public does that anymore. The card catalog is dead, people. Move on. </em>(p.41)</span></div><div> </div><br /><div>TITLE: <em>This Book is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save us All</em><br />AUTHOR: Marilyn Johnson<br />COPYRIGHT: 2010<br />PAGES: 272<br />TYPE: non-fiction<br />RECOMMEND: I laughed and laughed ~ I have lived so many of these moments. Never more proud to be a librarian. </div><div><br /> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0IMOFKlES4CrY_2G0Rr4hhekStY4jPgUOfhpDhii7lSS-e8oWdufZyT5maGvT5v83YQeEkBvl5_NaM3djLS7CQ4LHkJlRpz-Na3FcXf9hhB9lWZqWuvW1OfGDwWO87_CeMX5Js0JQO9sY/s1600/raoul.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535842246726228914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0IMOFKlES4CrY_2G0Rr4hhekStY4jPgUOfhpDhii7lSS-e8oWdufZyT5maGvT5v83YQeEkBvl5_NaM3djLS7CQ4LHkJlRpz-Na3FcXf9hhB9lWZqWuvW1OfGDwWO87_CeMX5Js0JQO9sY/s400/raoul.jpg" /></a> For students of Jewish or European history, it is a well known fact that the Hungarian Jews were the last to be sent through the Hitler killing machine that decimated the Jewish population of Europe. In 1944, late in the war that Hitler was slowly losing, Swedish Raoul Wallenberg, educated in America and a world traveler, found himself with the knowledge that the Jews in Budapest were being rounded up and sent to their deaths. He felt that he must try to save as many people as possible and began to do just that.</div><div> </div><div>Using fake protective passports, Wallenberg saved between 30,000 and 100,000 Hungarian Jews. He set up safe houses and managed to move the hunted Jews to safety. In doing so, he put himself in danger. As the Soviets came closer and closer to the Hungarian capital, they became convinced that Wallenberg was a German spy. After the war, Wallenberg was captured by the Soviets and has not been seen since the end of the war.</div><div><br />TITLE: <em>Raoul Wallenberg: The Man Who Stopped Death </em><br />AUTHOR: Sharon Linnea<br />COPYRIGHT: 1993<br />PAGES: 145<br />TYPE: non-fiction, Holocaust narrative<br />RECOMMEND: This book made me sad - although why it should have more than others, I don't know. I think it upset me because a man who saved the lives of others could not be saved.</div><div><br /></div><br /><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 302px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 274px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535840584729962306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC-j8ZAQJx0kCnAGGRv5pbjGlUOczKXu2e2jxoPtGPACIgYIAOkwNAe-bGFyGrVZqqK3euoPkceDClleZ2dDo_skZ1s6_xl68Ygx9A92XLcJOzGmRKJ_tP_aUXV9tiAsWdEkgifhLRxjO9/s400/escape.jpg" /><br />This is the personal account of Carolyn Jessop's escape from a fundamentalist Mormon polygamous marriage. I have heard her speak about her ordeal, from the time she was married in her early teens to her life after escape. I expect this book to be very interesting. To make it even better, I am going to read it on a Kindle.<br /><br />TITLE: <em>Escape</em><br />AUTHOR: Carolyn Jessop with Laura Palmer<br />COPYRIGHT: October 2007<br />PAGES: 432<br />TYPE: non-fiction<br />RECOMMEND: I can't really say yet, since I am only starting the book, but I know I will like the topic. And I have seen very good reviews.<br /><br />All in all, non-fiction remains my favorite genre. As they say, <em>truth is stranger than fiction </em>and I love it that way!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1029083788525139749.post-30816945499977806172010-09-20T09:37:00.001-05:002010-09-20T18:12:24.823-05:00Adam & Eve: A Novel<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgapTPL4C9gHoLftFhhOgrokBo_KGrBcybTOjbDKIGdcz15AO8uKgzGBQp9lJIV86fi8hhqj-U8ZBCXAi54zG7lMvJow-2V9ugCfDPy1OZHl47UhEK-RSd3H3gsmlPcapO12roql7xLy3vR/s1600/adam+and+eve.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 265px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505354747848400642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgapTPL4C9gHoLftFhhOgrokBo_KGrBcybTOjbDKIGdcz15AO8uKgzGBQp9lJIV86fi8hhqj-U8ZBCXAi54zG7lMvJow-2V9ugCfDPy1OZHl47UhEK-RSd3H3gsmlPcapO12roql7xLy3vR/s400/adam+and+eve.jpg" /></a>First, I would like to thank William Morrow/HarperCollins Publishers for sending me this uncorrected proof. In return, I am providing an unpaid review of the book containing my personal opinions of Naslund's newest novel <em>Adam and Eve. </em>In her two previous novels, <em>Ahab's Wife</em> and <em>Abundance, </em>the author brought a fictional character to life - Ahab's wife (from <em>Moby Dick) </em>and took a real life character - Marie Antionette, into a fictional world. In her latest novel, Naslund wraps her characters around ancient religious symbols and texts - moving from Amsterdam, to Eden (somewhere in the Middle East), to France.<br /><br /><br />Lucy Bergmann was in Amsterdam when her husband was killed. Shortly before his death Thom, an astrophysicist, had given Lucy his flash drive with the quip that it was the <em><span style="color:#3333ff;">keys to the kingdom</span></em>. And the kingdom included extraterrestrial life! He could prove it. At this point, I was thinking, oh brother ~ another one of these stories ~ but I persevered! And I loved this book.<br /><br />The book bounces back and forth in time, but is easy to follow. We meet people who are to help Lucy, like Adam who finds himself adrift from a war he never believed in - adrift in Eden. Alone until Lucy ~ his Eve ~ crashes a plane nearby. Together they look for a case Lucy was carrying ~ holding ancient biblical texts. Lucy and Adam are not the only people searching for them and the two find themselves in the center of a battle between the three main ancient religions.<br /><br />I was glued to this book from beginning to end. I had to hear what the ancient texts said, I had to follow Adam and Lucy in Eden, I had to know who the bad guys were, and was there a happily ever after? I hope that you will grab this book and spend some time with it. I plan to read it again as soon as I can and check out the author's previous two books as well.<br /><br />TITLE: <em>Adam & Eve: A Novel</em><br />AUTHOR: Sena Jeter Naslund<br />COPYRIGHT: September 2010<br />PAGES: 335<br />TYPE: fiction<br />RECOMMEND: I found this to be a beautiful book that provoked joy and deep thinking about our place in the universe. A perfect blend of mystery, faith, and beauty.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1029083788525139749.post-52176745135536479662010-09-19T12:26:00.009-05:002010-09-19T13:26:29.293-05:00Sunday Sidelines (And Awards, ~squee~)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIsH-ci7ElzZPRnxe6H0foJIotEgK-8DsymeozMvXKjDf6ljUbeq_3_oEdLXCB0whtDDDxUu1FWyXAlm3nL3ne01_XjMxLU8DV1GmiZFJy45SGAPFWrtCoXnqZdX3dLC3M62kwWBrErkX/s1600/sunday.JPG"><br /><br /><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 289px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 122px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518677605390994066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIsH-ci7ElzZPRnxe6H0foJIotEgK-8DsymeozMvXKjDf6ljUbeq_3_oEdLXCB0whtDDDxUu1FWyXAlm3nL3ne01_XjMxLU8DV1GmiZFJy45SGAPFWrtCoXnqZdX3dLC3M62kwWBrErkX/s400/sunday.JPG" /></a></p>So, today is a special Sunday around our house ~ it is my husband's birthday! He is 42 today and we are celebrating with a special dinner with vanilla cake (with vanilla icing) [his choice, as per our household agreement, birthday person picks cake and icing flavor]!<br /><br /><br /><br /><p></p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 140px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 140px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518679177809463282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlW6DWnKenDbLv5Y_J5321SP_5gGSoTP46640Uo3weRlZ8ur1K2YeL85ecRS5AC5DRA49ruT2TDgHhyphenhyphen_uD6G5CE7pt5MOIAT8_li_laGJglFnE683ousOKzE7O7oZ-yKxvcNmHKCnUWAZh/s400/blogaward.jpg" /><br />What a sweet thing to find in my comments today! CMash @ <a href="http://cmashlovestoread.blogspot.com/2010/09/award-time_19.html">CMash Loves to Read </a>gave me the following two awards:<br /><br /><p></p><p>The Honest Scrap award is given to bloggers who share honest bits of information about yourself. And the Versatile Blogger award is given to a new blog that you think is fantastic. So first, I want to thank CMash for these two awards. It is always nice to know that someone out there is reading what you write and thinks of you. I love reading CMash's posts so I feel very special to receive these awards.</p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp3LQpjybZkdljAmeCSPUsWNes8M8MmVUUKi-B_PJnoHNA7uzE-Zw70JmBt0zdVCluxYT5wxARwj4K9cMOTRSOoN9dmaF3JIX50EGf2si2ZOE1ezoc9bWbcV3Jj9lrQ-fD3rw4rPUbJ7J9/s1600/VersatileBloggerAward.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518678036165439378" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp3LQpjybZkdljAmeCSPUsWNes8M8MmVUUKi-B_PJnoHNA7uzE-Zw70JmBt0zdVCluxYT5wxARwj4K9cMOTRSOoN9dmaF3JIX50EGf2si2ZOE1ezoc9bWbcV3Jj9lrQ-fD3rw4rPUbJ7J9/s400/VersatileBloggerAward.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTEC1lXJ49wdHJ3CppTsKfW5KPzlk1Ejak-S_bf_kpptm6NfD4MaYEGuS5VeKntUYhJsRhZxikKsXk0ppRrlI4kr312v6Bxe4xiTeqKtWHvTUk88fjrbciLb9oLN8ShaKo-eLsCMKd_DGv/s1600/award-honestscrap31byhannah.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 149px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518678355752848626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTEC1lXJ49wdHJ3CppTsKfW5KPzlk1Ejak-S_bf_kpptm6NfD4MaYEGuS5VeKntUYhJsRhZxikKsXk0ppRrlI4kr312v6Bxe4xiTeqKtWHvTUk88fjrbciLb9oLN8ShaKo-eLsCMKd_DGv/s400/award-honestscrap31byhannah.jpg" /></a>And now for the criteria:<br />To accept these awards it is required that I share ten things about myself. </p><p>1. I have four chihuahuas that I treat like my children ~ I have four of those as well, but they are all grown.</p><p>2. My husband is fifteen years younger than I am, we both work for the same library!</p><p>3. I have two grandsons and wish that my other three children would get busy and provide me with some granddaughters!</p><p>4. I wake up two or three times each night and go outside and read ~ probably not good for my health, but I get some reading done!</p><p>5. I have so many books that I have read and not reviewed that I could just cry ~ all of the <em>Outlander</em> series, about four review books from publishers, two from LibraryThing ~ oh, goodness the list just goes on and on! I'm working on it.</p><p>6. I love playing all of the Lego games on the Wii ~ sometimes I have to get one of my children to beat a level so I can more forward.</p><p>7. I work with young people all day long, and I think it keeps me young as well. Now if some how they could just help me lose weight??!!</p><p>8. I traveled to Eastern Europe and absolutely fell in love! I hope that I get the opportunity to return.</p><p>9. I have another blog that focuses on Holocaust resources for children. I am really drawn to these books and feel it is important to provide this information to our children.</p><p>10. I have really enjoyed getting to know all of the book bloggers out in the blogosphere! What a great bunch of people. Thanks again to <span style="color:#993399;"><strong>CMash</strong></span>!</p><p>I would like to pass the award on to the following bloggers, in no particular order:</p><p align="center"><a href="http://www.crazy-for-books.com/"><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Crazy for Books</span></strong></a></p><p align="center"><a href="http://inwhichagirl.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#33ccff;"><strong>In Which a Girl Reads</strong></span></a></p><p align="center"><a href="http://lil-library.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#009900;"><strong>Lost in the Library</strong></span></a></p><p align="center"><a href="http://peacefulreader.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#cc6600;"><strong>Peaceful Reader</strong></span></a></p><p align="center"><a href="http://readingwhilefemale.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#333399;"><strong>Reading While Female</strong></span></a></p><p align="left">If you don't already follow these blogs, you should definitely check them out ~ they are fantastic!</p><br /><p>Don't forget <a href="http://subliminal.lunanina.com/">LunaNina</a> and the Word Association Game:</p><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 120px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 60px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518685806210498642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZKQ_vBBNlTrFTIx-JjG0I5ZYNbJeeNDswpfgNSdvJpXDFtuGUZmcLQpej8Lo9oX8ZfVLjGBo3DGR7WeggbeFvBRnIMVDnGk98uDhvhbIk6Ph_ySYXkmbXLKUUIvm5H6fD3RPCFkeUGD6/s400/mutteringsblue120x60.gif" /> 1.Mustache :: Pete<br />2.Person :: of interest<br />3.Restore :: my health<br />4.Discretion :: is the better part of valor<br />5.Lamp :: Lava<br />6.Pillow cover :: so soft<br />7.Arousal :: sexual<br />8.Seattle :: needle<br />9.ATM :: card<br />10.Custard :: vanilla</p><p>Wishing everyone a Happy Sunday and a wonderful week!<br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1029083788525139749.post-79782652104217317142010-09-18T13:07:00.004-05:002010-09-18T13:25:53.035-05:00Room<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmdf-XU8tMkNsqrjk36-XweTYfU_cNudNyXZgn0n9RghHJiSh-x_0r0tyiFMVT8NhQoX1WcGHE9TY-T7toTQ02mzF2YGqV-QgGYgGU94-V-VBVY3asPElRr6s8C6et_Ss9Pwx86PnlFmf/s1600/Room-by-Emma-Donoghue.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 258px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518317615665646674" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHmdf-XU8tMkNsqrjk36-XweTYfU_cNudNyXZgn0n9RghHJiSh-x_0r0tyiFMVT8NhQoX1WcGHE9TY-T7toTQ02mzF2YGqV-QgGYgGU94-V-VBVY3asPElRr6s8C6et_Ss9Pwx86PnlFmf/s400/Room-by-Emma-Donoghue.jpg" /></a>Jack is only five years old.<br />He lives with his MA in ROOM.<br />Everything outside the ROOM is pretend.<br />ROOM is all Jack has ever known.<br /><br />But one day MA tells Jack that<br />There is another life outside of ROOM.<br />MA has lied to him.<br />But can they leave ROOM?<br /><br />If they do leave ROOM<br />How will they live?<br />Will Old Nick find them,<br />And take them back to ROOM?<br /><br />Will MA's family care<br />Care that they have been in ROOM<br />Such a long time<br />Only to finally reappear?<br /><br />Can Jack and MA escape from Old Nick?<br />Will the love between MA and Jack sustain them<br />Outside the ROOM?<br /><br /><br />Thanks to Little Brown and Company, I had the privilege to read this fascinating book. Five year old Jack is the narrator and author Emma Donoghue has done a magnificent job in giving Jack just the right voice for his age and experiences. One would think this book, limited in range to one small room and two people, would be flat and boring. Instead Ma and Jack's story is a testament to love and ingenuity. With very little to assist her in her efforts, Ma provides Jack with as many "normal" childhood experiences as she can, using what she has, and providing loving care for her son. Still she knows things have to change. And they do! Ma thinks of a way that she and Jack can fool Old Nick and escape Room. Will they succeed and will they find greater happiness? You will have to read the book to find out!<br /><br />TITLE: <em>Room: A Novel</em><br />AUTHOR: Emma Donoghue<br />COPYRIGHT: September 2010<br />PAGES: 321<br />TYPE: fiction<br />RECOMMEND: I loved this book, as a reader, as a mother and as a child. Fantastic novel!<br /><br />If my recommendation is not enough, <em>Room </em>is on the <a href="http://www.themanbookerprize.com/prize/books/423">Man Booker Prize </a>short list! If you have read this one, let me know how you felt about it!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1029083788525139749.post-61619208948553135962010-09-17T19:33:00.002-05:002010-09-17T19:55:07.171-05:00BBAW - Future Treasure<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKDWzz5TqXV88SFpIFJ0jSz2QWqo5l3WJ62Hlj2g6-_hf-NpGZWgsTMsQKLdfFrWH_-xpHqY9xgwpMifsppHVfJMI1sLtgNci3pF6ST1TgaxXBtGXW2FJR_oxBo4yNKsyCXdpge-06Z2N/s1600/BBAW_2010_Image.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 124px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 166px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5518045426636819634" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKDWzz5TqXV88SFpIFJ0jSz2QWqo5l3WJ62Hlj2g6-_hf-NpGZWgsTMsQKLdfFrWH_-xpHqY9xgwpMifsppHVfJMI1sLtgNci3pF6ST1TgaxXBtGXW2FJR_oxBo4yNKsyCXdpge-06Z2N/s400/BBAW_2010_Image.jpg" /></a><br /><div></div><span style="color:#6600cc;">I want to hear all about your FUTURE treasures. We’ve been visiting each other and getting to know each other better…now is your chance to share what you enjoyed about BBAW and also what your blogging goals are for the next year!</span><br /><br />I have enjoyed every single part of Book Blogger Appreciation Week! From the very beginning with judging blogs from all of the categories to this last little bit ~ and of course every little thing in between. I have found some wonderful blogs which are new to me that have over-filled my Google Friend list, I have given some love to beautiful bloggers who have influenced what I am reading, I have created a monstrous TBR pile of books that I just know I am going to love, and I had the pleasure of interviewing two fantastic bloggers! So how much fun was all of this? T.O.N.S of FUN! Thank you to all of the people who helped to organize BBAW and thanks to all of the bloggers who showed just how much they love books!<br /><br />My blogging goals for the next year are to try my best to review books immediately after I read them whenever possible ~ and I would even say, to review books that I have read, because sometimes I get so far behind (voracious reader that I can be) that it seems impossible to get caught up, so I just stop like a deer in the headlights! I hope to remember that this is always supposed to be fun. I would like to make even deeper connections with my fellow book-loving nerds and enjoy what we all have to say!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1029083788525139749.post-71379189189598321662010-09-16T08:13:00.006-05:002010-09-16T15:37:07.625-05:00BBAW - Forgotten Treasures!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLcRrC6Ey5WMYgsf3LXE0SO-TjmLHOGFFNOa2piBKRAvRkobTZMcgVxq3ww7jx9g6pPqfQLu9yylP0515yxQN8PFjwEczGkHqVdMFDYUnZglbBEcwdR6wGRdXSurV03upVvVbX6QWXEN4o/s1600/BBAW_2010_Image.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 145px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 186px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517609230910797314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLcRrC6Ey5WMYgsf3LXE0SO-TjmLHOGFFNOa2piBKRAvRkobTZMcgVxq3ww7jx9g6pPqfQLu9yylP0515yxQN8PFjwEczGkHqVdMFDYUnZglbBEcwdR6wGRdXSurV03upVvVbX6QWXEN4o/s400/BBAW_2010_Image.jpg" /></a> <div></div>Today’s Topic: Sure we’ve all read about Freedom and Mockingjay but we likely have a book we wish would get more attention by book bloggers, whether it’s a forgotten classic or under marketed contemporary fiction. This is your chance to tell the community why they should consider reading this book!<br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8l89NzFsNfTnN0bpIUCq4zkLoG1Gd7sH9b2LYyHG7dNJL5vW5GKFz0yRflHZaMR15CXQFRtn1hurqywkzlNVU6gL_s8LKBLBaPG80c4WbKapzx6F7npQlPEt_BL5DMTvRGvZfcOVwg0CT/s1600/what+i+loved.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 267px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517609103396021378" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8l89NzFsNfTnN0bpIUCq4zkLoG1Gd7sH9b2LYyHG7dNJL5vW5GKFz0yRflHZaMR15CXQFRtn1hurqywkzlNVU6gL_s8LKBLBaPG80c4WbKapzx6F7npQlPEt_BL5DMTvRGvZfcOVwg0CT/s400/what+i+loved.jpg" /></a><br /><em>What I Loved </em>by Siri Hustvedt is a wonderful novel that I have not seen bounced about in the blogosphere much. I read the book as part of the Scandinavian Reading Challenge 2010 which you can find at <a href="http://www.theblacksheepdances.com/2010/04/updated-scandinavian-challenge-post-28.html">The Black Sheep Dances. </a></div><div> </div><div>Here is the beginning of my review:</div><div> </div>For me, the mark of a great book is one that, while I am reading it, I say to myself "This is the best book I have ever read." Now granted I am prone to saying that with some frequency, but for me, <em>What I Loved</em> by Siri Hustvedt was just such a book. I loved every part of it - the mundane, the excitement, the familiar, the unknown, the art, the critic, the loneliness, the camraderie. This book has everything and then some. The focus is clear as we have a single narrator who leads us through his twenty-five year friendships in New York's art world. <div></div><div> </div><div></div><div>I hope that you will take some time to read the rest of my review which can be found <a href="http://libraryscatbooks.blogspot.com/2010/06/what-i-loved.html"><strong><span style="color:#990000;">Here</span></strong></a>.<br /></div><div>I found another excellent review of <em>What I Loved </em>at <a href="http://everythinginbetween.wordpress.com/2009/10/30/what-i-loved/">The Public, The Private, and Everything In Between</a>. Beyond this review I didn't find too many others, so I hope you will read this book and post a review ~ and come back and leave me a comment to make sure I read it!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1029083788525139749.post-63939973324612413532010-09-15T08:04:00.004-05:002010-09-15T08:41:34.629-05:00BBAW - Unexpected Treasures<p align="center"><a href="http://www.bookbloggerappreciationweek.com/" target="new"><img src="http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg290/thefriendlybooknook/bbaw-button2010_med.jpg" /></a></p><br /><span style="color:#333399;">Book bloggers can be some of the most influential people around! Today we invite you to share with us a book or genre you tried due to the influence of another blogger. What made you cave in to try something new and what was the experience like?</span><br /><span style="color:#333399;"></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">This is an easy question for me. Because of <a href="http://presentinglenore.blogspot.com/"><strong><span style="color:#993399;">Presenting Lenore</span></strong> </a>and her Dystopian August with promotion and love for the Hunger Game series, I read all three Hunger Game books as fast as I could when <em>Mockingjay </em>was released. I do like YA books, and I love reading her reviews of YA materials - but dystopian novels with strange worlds ~ not my typical read. And I absolutely loved the three books. In fact, I plan to read all three again when I have a bit of time on my hands. Of course, I continue to read Lenore's reviews of other YA books and know that I can trust her judgment! She is my Queen of YA books!!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1029083788525139749.post-36042041180435311392010-09-14T09:52:00.004-05:002010-09-14T10:45:31.618-05:00Table Talk Tuesday<p align="center"><a href="http://cmashlovestoread/blogspot.com" target="”_blank”"><img alt="Cmash Loves to Read”=" src="http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/zz257/mash1195/MEMES/thHot_Tea_Art3violetset012909-1-1.jpg" height="196" /></a></p><p>It is time again for Table Talk Tuesday! Welcome to TABLE TALK TUESDAY hosted by Cheryl at <a href="http://cmashlovestoread.blogspot.com/2010/09/table-talk-tuesday-2-of-3.html#comment-form"><span style="color:#33cc00;"><strong>CMash Loves to Read.</strong></span></a> I missed last week because I had it in my mind that it was Table Talk Thursday - very, very close! OK, so this week is Book Blogger Appreciation Week and that is very exciting, so my conversation tidbits will be about BBAW. But first let me answer CMash's questions.<br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">CMash's conversation tidbits:<br /></span>1. Do you have any special plans for this week? </p><p>I stay super busy most weeks, but this week I am trying to set aside some time to read as many BBAW related posts as possible. This is coming on the heels of what was probably a very successful Blogfest (which I did not sign up for because I am slow!) </p><p>2. It's that time of year, do you get a flu shot? </p><p>Absolutely - even with the flu shot last year I was one of the lucky Floridians who managed to get the Swine Flu - working in a library, I think we are offered every possible bug every day!</p><p>3. What are you reading this week? </p><p>I am reading <em>A Call from Jersey</em> by P.F. Kluge - which I love so far.</p><p>Now here are my thoughts and questions:</p><p><span style="color:#6600cc;"><strong>1. I am in love with BlogFest and BBAW</strong></span> - I mean seriously book bloggers are the greatest people. How have you participated? I did an interview with one person for each of my blogs - here are the links: <a href="http://neverforgetresources.blogspot.com/2010/09/bbaw-interview-swap.html">Sophisticated Dorkiness </a>and <a href="http://libraryscatbooks.blogspot.com/2010/09/bbaw-interview.html">Age 30+ - A Lifetime of Books<br /></a>Both are phenomenal bloggers so I hope you will check out the interviews and visit their blogs.</p><p>2. Tell me how you found out about BlogFest - did you participate? <span style="color:#6600cc;"><strong>Do you know any bloggers in real life?</strong></span> How did you meet? I would love to meet with real people just once!</p><p>3. <span style="color:#6600cc;"><strong>Do you ever participate in the Read-a-thons?</strong></span> If yes, how many hours of 24 do you actually read? Do you significant others understand this insanity? I have not participated but I would love to, so I am thinking about Dewey's Readathon.</p><p>Hope you have a wonderful week! I've enjoyed my cup and cake with you this morning!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1029083788525139749.post-88193974831894875292010-09-13T16:24:00.002-05:002010-09-14T08:23:58.602-05:00BBAW - Interview<p align="center"><a href="http://www.bookbloggerappreciationweek.com/" target="new"><img src="http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg290/thefriendlybooknook/bbaw-button2010_med.jpg" /></a></p><br /><p>This is about as much fun as I have had in quite some time - I mean, you get a bunch of readers and bloggers together, and how could it not be fun?!! Today's event is swapping interviews with other bloggers and I knew from the start that it would be delightful. </p><p>So without further blathering from me, I am excited to introduce Heather @ <a href="http://age30books.blogspot.com/">Age 30+...A Lifetime of Books</a>. Heather is a very active blogger reading a wide range of books. In 2009, Heather won Best History/Historical Fiction Blog. </p><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 51px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516512281846348946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyiv4U6mxiqeZm8j9EBjOgfYQekDEJogSvMyA46BC4adcScdHCgD2Dj2eNqxdb7Dc2uQPBKLV2ArP3FEqD309v0Bhfa3egIep2p5toHWjnWDift_PvW6MX8_xY2kKLOymUTHJoxxm0xKNu/s400/Age30.jpg" /><br /><span style="color:#009900;"><strong>1. To get started, tell us a little about yourself. What do you do when you are not reading and blogging?<br /></strong></span><br />I’m a wife and a mom and lots of other things so of course my life is crazy busy. Most of my non-bookish time is spent with my 8 year old son Kiddo – boy, does he ever keep me on my toes!<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#009900;">2. I have to admit that I have never listened to an audio book! I see from your blog that you review them frequently. Which audio book should I listen to first so that I will fall in love with the medium?<br /></span></strong><br />That’s a really hard question to answer since it depends on your reading tastes. The key to enjoying audiobooks is twofold: to find a book you are ALREADY interested in and then to make sure the narrator is one whose voice you enjoy – that will usually guarantee success. After looking at some of the books you’ve reviewed on your blog I’d suggest two things. First, try out the <em>Harry Potter</em> audiobooks narrated by Jim Dale. Since you’ve read the books and seen the movies, you can compare the experience to both of those. Plus, these are some of the best audiobooks out there in my opinion. Since you also read and enjoyed <em>The Survivor’s Club</em>, my second suggestion would be Malcolm Gladwell’s book, <em>Outliers: The Story of Success</em>. I’m a huge fan of non-fiction audiobooks, and this one seems like a good fit for you. <span style="color:#cc33cc;">Thank you for your guidance and suggestions. Now at least I know where to start!</span><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#009900;">3. Tell us about the best book you have read that was totally outside your normal choices.<br /></span></strong><br />I’d have to say <em>The Horse Boy</em>, by Rupert Isaacson. I don’t generally read memoirs or books dealing with special needs issues, so this was not something I’d have picked up on my own. However, it was an incredibly moving book and extremely well-written. (And it was a audiobook as well!) I’ve been recommending it to everyone since I finished it.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#009900;">4. I see you are participating in the <a href="http://lostbookschallenge.blogspot.com/">Lost Challenge</a>? Which lost character are you? Why?<br /></span></strong><br />I’m actually one of the co-hosts of the Lost Challenge – which, by the way, is still going on despite the end of the series. :) I’d say I’m probably most like Juliet. I always want everyone to get along and I’m always trying to do the right thing.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#009900;">5. What three things do you love (reading doesn’t count, or blogging!)?</span></strong><br /><br />Watching Kiddo excel at ice hockey and seeing how much he truly enjoys it<br />Doing family history research, either online or by interviewing family members<br />Spending time on the beach in the sun and sand, with the sound of waves continually crashing<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#009900;">6. What would the name of your autobiography be?<br /></span></strong><br />I Find Myself Interesting … You May Not Agree <span style="color:#cc33cc;">Now that is funny! I think you are quite interesting!</span><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#009900;">7. I love the idea of Mom and Son reading. What is the best book you and your son have read?</span></strong><br /><br />The one that generated the funniest answers during our Q&A was definitely<em> Diary of a Wombat</em>, by Jackie French. But the “best” book we’ve read together was <em>The Ark, The Reed, and the Fire Cloud</em>, by Jenny Cote. It was a huge book and took a very long time to read, but the story was fun and it was quite a challenge to try to do all the accents in that book!<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#009900;">8. Are you a cat person or a dog person – or maybe a neither person?<br /></span></strong><br />I’m a bit of both. At the moment we are without a pet (other than a fish) because both our two dogs passed away over the past few years. I’d love to have cats again like I did as a child but both Hubby and Kiddo are very allergic. And our schedule is so busy that we’re hardly home right now, so I don’t think it’s fair to get another dog just yet. But I’d love to have something furry to cuddle up with each day, be it a dog or a cat.<span style="color:#cc66cc;"> </span><span style="color:#cc33cc;">We have three chihuahuas but I long for one cat - I am the one who is now allergic after a lifetime of cuddling!<br /></span><br /><strong><span style="color:#009900;">9. What book should I rush out to buy if I don’t already have it?<br /></span></strong><br />You should absolutely get the illustrated version of <em>Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee</em>, by Dee Brown. This is a must read book for everyone.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#009900;">10. When people visit your blog, what do you hope they leave with?<br /></span></strong><br />I hope they are excited about reading and that they find reviews of some books that they haven’t seen on other blogs. And I always hope that they’ll leave with the desire to visit me again! <span style="color:#cc33cc;">I certainly left with that feeling - I will be back again and again!</span><br /><br />Thank you, thank you for talking with me!!<br /><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1029083788525139749.post-17347806080352487362010-09-13T14:26:00.003-05:002010-09-13T14:56:51.915-05:00BBAW - First Treasure<p align="center"><a href="http://www.bookbloggerappreciationweek.com/" target="new"><img src="http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg290/thefriendlybooknook/bbaw-button2010_med.jpg" /></a></p><p><span style="color:#330099;"><em>Let’s talk about that first treasure today.<br />For those of you who participated in BBAW last year, what’s a great new book blog you’ve discovered since last year’s BBAW?<br />For those you new to BBAW, what was the first book blog you discovered?<br /><br />Tell us all about this blog and why you love it…why do you keep going back for more?</em><br /></span></p><p><span style="color:#330099;"></p><p></span>I have been blogging for about six years, but in February 2007 I found a blog called <a href="http://newberryproject.blogspot.com/"><strong><span style="color:#009900;"><em>The Newbery Project </em></span></strong></a>while doing some research for work. WOW - people were reading the Newbery Award books, posting a review of each title, AND having discussions about each book. I was delighted - there were other nerds (I mean adult people) who were reading books meant for a younger age group and joining together in a discussion!! My kind of people.</p><p>As I read and posted (under Flusi's Posts), I decided I wanted to start keeping track of all of the books I was reading. So I made the move from Diaryland to Blogger and got started. It was a little lonely at first, but over time I started recognizing other bloggers and looked forward to reading their posts. Then along came <strong><span style="color:#3333ff;">LibraryThing</span></strong> and I began to join others in discussing books. </p><p>Within these two communities I feel comfortable enough to state my mind and I have met some wonderful bloggers who recommend the best books, some I would never have read on my own and, lets face it, some I would never read again! But we are all as different as we are the same and that is what makes the blogosphere go 'round!<br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1029083788525139749.post-42978924888504922292010-09-12T09:02:00.006-05:002010-09-12T09:45:56.932-05:00Sunday Sidelines<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifXi_Sowv1dPwGP6DwCtOquA5D8azakqMX5CTyL3_6FhzR0tnagCn7ercLc2Xhcp9qOGhyphenhyphenrGX28FKry7DzboN52ipUbYwlorkOa7ESdLCnek_WTSIRAm6kfeMlrb6gEH0_hkq90TMpe2Ui/s1600/sunday.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 289px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 122px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516032371289936722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifXi_Sowv1dPwGP6DwCtOquA5D8azakqMX5CTyL3_6FhzR0tnagCn7ercLc2Xhcp9qOGhyphenhyphenrGX28FKry7DzboN52ipUbYwlorkOa7ESdLCnek_WTSIRAm6kfeMlrb6gEH0_hkq90TMpe2Ui/s400/sunday.JPG" /></a>Welcome to another Sunday Sidelines! I have so much to talk about today. It has been an exciting week and another exciting week will be coming up!<br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://ajourneyofbooks.halfzero.net/2010/05/blog-fest-2010-sign-up-now.html" target="_blank"><img style="WIDTH: 105px" border="0" alt="BlogFest 2010" src="http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b257/cinnleigh/BlogFest10small.jpg" width="150" height="146" /></a></p><p align="left">I hope that you will take some time today to visit the blogs who are participating in <a href="http://ajourneyofbooks.halfzero.net/2010/09/blogfest-2010-ready-set-go.html"><span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>BlogFest 2010! </strong></span></a>Over 200 bloggers are offering giveaways on top of the opportunity to visit their wonderful reading blogs. The host, A Journey of Books, has created a <a href="http://ajourneyofbooks.halfzero.net/2010/09/blogfest-2010-ready-set-go.html">tracking site </a>where you can keep up with which ones you have visited. It all ends at 11:59 pm tonight, so start visiting!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbbKITQL5Xdj1fXPEkWwGDV2zuBTk-qhk-_d3ku8UYd5pXcXqzEFVepQ9FlHSz-mNSTj8l5paqWfyownlZLhzl8DHxP-g2snOfIHnIOKClgscbcKhImQOsRDa3FzRxEEjumlQh8BYM8Mi/s1600/mutteringsblue120x60.gif"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 173px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 98px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516032545445242546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbbKITQL5Xdj1fXPEkWwGDV2zuBTk-qhk-_d3ku8UYd5pXcXqzEFVepQ9FlHSz-mNSTj8l5paqWfyownlZLhzl8DHxP-g2snOfIHnIOKClgscbcKhImQOsRDa3FzRxEEjumlQh8BYM8Mi/s400/mutteringsblue120x60.gif" /></a> Another fun thing I do every week is <strong><span style="color:#cc33cc;">Unconscious Mutterings</span></strong>, hosted by <a href="http://subliminal.lunanina.com/">Luna Nina</a>! It is so much fun to see answer these free association suggestions and go back and see how others have answered. Participation has been down a bit so I hope you will go play her game so that she continues to do this!<br /></p><p></p><ol>Singapore :: Nights<br />blah blah blah :: Seinfeld<br />Stall :: bathroom<br />Bowls :: 300<br />Entrance :: Exam<br />Antique :: dresser<br />Elizabeth :: Bennett<br />Hook :: line and sinker<br />Width :: and depth<br />Photo journalism :: Viet Nam War </ol><ol></ol><br /><a href="http://www.bookbloggerappreciationweek.com/" target="new"><img src="http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg290/thefriendlybooknook/bbaw-button2010_med.jpg" /></a> Next week starts another big event in the world of blogging. <span style="color:#cc0000;"><strong>Book Blogger Appreciation Week</strong></span> will be full of wonderful surprises - blogs with awards, interviews with other bloggers - so I hope you will stop by for a visit throughout the week. On Tuesday, I will be posting my interview with Heather J. from <a href="http://www.age30books.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#339999;"><strong>Age 30+...A Lifetime of Books.</strong></span></a> It is oh so exciting!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1029083788525139749.post-58925499877779199902010-09-10T15:49:00.004-05:002010-09-10T15:56:43.318-05:00Blog Fest 2010<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiccHL7-bfawcGfqSRHsNFyJ1bVykN3vnP1ba_c06H8BhGxZjAHuDFXHs1xh4zkLTZeA5SB8WCrGNeleH2eWGz4LSiOzteFpDtfvgT0hU-fc1Xajrw8u8ifi1_g5URQn9Q-Tm7QQSy7utZ_/s1600/th_BlogFest10small.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 147px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 232px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515390278950590002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiccHL7-bfawcGfqSRHsNFyJ1bVykN3vnP1ba_c06H8BhGxZjAHuDFXHs1xh4zkLTZeA5SB8WCrGNeleH2eWGz4LSiOzteFpDtfvgT0hU-fc1Xajrw8u8ifi1_g5URQn9Q-Tm7QQSy7utZ_/s400/th_BlogFest10small.jpg" /></a> Oh my goodness - BlogFest 2010 has some amazing blogs and some amazing giveaways - you really have to go and visit! I think the best place to start is at <a href="http://ajourneyofbooks.halfzero.net/">A Journey of Books</a>. And it only lasts for two days, so you better get moving - over 250 blogs to visit!<br /><br /><div align="center"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0