Author: Ambrosia

2010 Challenge

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My main addiction to the challenges started last year thanks to my favorite book site PBS. So I am going to make my main challenge with them again of course. But I am going to scale it back a little so that I can complete it in 2010. I am going to fall short in 2009. Not to bad. Can’t win them all.

So this year I will challenge myself to read 100 books across the board. They can fall into any genre and go into any cross challenges as well.

13 / 100 books. 13% done!

1. Scandal’s Bride by Stephanie Laurens

2. Tempted by P.C Cast & Kristin Cast

3. Don’t Miss your Life! by Charlene Ann Baumbich

4. The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos

5. Unmasked by Author: Janet Dailey, Jennifer Blake, Elizabeth Gage

6. Big Girls Don’t Cry by Author: Donna Hill, Brenda Jackson, Monica Jackson, Francis Ray 7. The Culture of Excess by J.R Slosar

8. Gordon Ramsay The Biography by Neil Simpson

9. Thanks for the Memories by Cecelia Ahern

10. Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee

11. The Teahouse Fire by Ellis Avery

12. Plain Pursuit by Beth Wiseman

13. Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

2010 What’s in a Name Challenge?

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This is one I was successfull in this last year so I am going to do it again. And see where it get’s me. It has a new host but it is the same Challenge.




This is one I was successful in this last year so I am going to do it again. And see where it gets’ me. It has a new host but it is the same Challenge.

So here are these years’ topics I will be going through and selecting my books from my TBR soon.

2 / 6 Books. 33% done!

A book with a food in the title: Clockwork Orange, Grapes of Wrath, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: The Teahouse Fire by Ellis Avery 1/19/10 I feel tea is a food and during Japanese tea ceramony they also eat sweets and other foods so it fits.

A book with a body of water in the title: A River Runs through It, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, The Lake House

A book with a title (queen, president) in the title: The Murder of King Tut, The Count of Monte Cristo, Lady Susan

A book with a plant in the title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Wind in the Willows, The Name of the Rose.: A Garden is a lot of plant’s so for this challenge I chose The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos Completed 1/16/2010

A book with a place name (city, country) in the title: Out of Africa; London; Between, Georgia

A book with a music term in the title: Song of Solomon, Ragtime, The Piano Teacher


Teaser Tuesday #29

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TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to: Grab your current read.Let the book fall open to a random page.Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!Please avoid spoilers!

Erik and I moved around Kramisha’s room. The more I read, the tighter the knot my stomach curled into. Pg 69 of Hunted by P.C & Kristin Cast

Musing Monday #29

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Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about reading/blogging during the holidays…

How does your reading (or your blogging) fare in the holiday months? Do you read more or less? Do you have to actively make time to read?

Well personally my time around the holidays doesn’t change much. Mostly because since the kids live with their mom and not with us we don’t do any of that. And my family this year…well not so much into the holidays. So I will be busy on Christmas Eve and Christmas day but otherwise not so much. So my time will go into working on finishing these challenges. I am doing pretty good so I am excited.

The Sunday Salon #9

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The Sunday Salon.com

So another Sunday has come and I am watching Ladder 49 as I mentioned in my Quotable post. And I have to say this movie breaks my heart each time I watch it. I know what is going to happen, I know he gets pinned down in that room. I know the fire is blazing and it’s only a matter of time. But it still breaks my heart. And the worst of it is because I know it has to happen in real life. Fire Fighters put their lives on the line every time they respond to a call. So do all the rescue workers. So bless them. For the tireless job they do day in and day out for not nearly enough pay.

On the reading front things are going fairly well. A slow pace but a steady one. Which while I wish I was not so slow is better than nothing right? There is one month left to go of the year. I can hardly believe that. I cant believe just one month left and I have been blogging about books for a year. I am happy I started doing this, and I will continue to do it as long as it is enjoyable. While this started as my first blog, I have grown and grown in the blog universe and my hubby constantly laughs at me. He Says, “Well I am glad you have finally found enough places to write down your thoughts” and he is right I have. My books, my random thoughts, my Rennie thoughts and even my graphic designs now.

So while it has been a rough year on some aspects it’s been a good year in other aspects. On the Challenge front I will be managing to complete every challenge except the “big” main challenge of reading 125 books this year. I will fall short by around 30 or so books I think. Which in the long run isn’t so bad really and certainly not bad for a first year of doing the big challenge? I may be repeating myself from some other posts, but I can’t help but comment on it because I am working on staying positive about it. And I think I should be. Reading is supposed to be enjoyable after all, not “’work” and I do enjoy reading. Hubby calls me his little book worm. And I love being known for it.

On that same note of being a little book worm my family and friends always ask me for reading recommendations. If there is a new book, or something they are looking to read. They always drop me a message one way or another and ask if I have read it, or what I think about it. It may not be much but it is something to be asked about and I enjoy it. I like being the book lady. Okay I am the history lady too, *laughs* but more often than not I am the book lady.

I hope all my readers have had a fantastic week and that Thanksgiving was great for you. And I am going to do a little shameless self-promotion here and ask if you’re a blogger user to head over to my New Blog, have started doing Graphic Designs on blogger (I don’t have the heart to redo this one because I love the design Sarah did) and I am giving away a Free Blog makeover. Blog Makeover Giveaway at Lady Ambrosia’s Creations Thanks and Happy Sunday.

Quotable Sunday #16

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Mothers Day Gift Ideas

I am again awake at an hour when everyone else is sleeping. And I am watching Ladder 49 on TNT. It is a great movie even if it is sad. So my quotes for today will be for our Fire Fighters, Paramedics, Police, and EMT.

I can think of no more stirring symbol of man’s humanity to man than a fire engine. ~Kurt Vonnegut

If Prometheus was worthy of the wrath of heaven for kindling the first fire upon earth, how ought all the gods honor the men who make it their professional business to put it out? ~John Godfrey Saxe

But sound aloud the praises, and give the victor-crown
To our noble-hearted Firemen, who fear not danger’s frown.
~Frederic G.W. Fenn, “Ode to our Firemen,” 1878

How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes! ~Maya Angelou

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. ~Bible, John 15:13

Hug a firefighter and feel warm all over. ~Author Unknown

When fire is cried and danger is neigh,
“God and the firemen” is the people’s cry;
But when ’tis out and all things righted,
God is forgotten and the firemen slighted.
~Author unknown, from The Fireman’s Journal, 18 Oct 1879

All men are created equal, then a few become firemen. ~Author Unknown

When our perils are past, shall our gratitude sleep? ~George Canning

Book Review: A Lady of High Regard by Tracie Peterson

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Born into affluence, Mia Stanley is a winsome socialite with a knack for matchmaking. She’s also a writer for Godey’s Lady’s Book magazine, much to the disdain of her family–and their society friends. A proper young lady of her social standing isn’t meant to labor in such a way, but Mia has always had a way with words.

When her writing draws her into the world of downtrodden seamen’s wives on Philadelphia’s docks, Mia uncovers a scheme that puts her in harm’s way. But her heart ends up on the line as well…. Has her determination to always make a match driven away the one man whose esteem she covets?

It took me a little bit to get into this book, the start was slightly slow but it picked up and I am glad I kept with it. Mia is a fire spark of a character for sure. A society Lady who is not content just to sit at home and embroider and do things that are considered “Lady like” for the time period. No she is a woman who is fighting for the rights of the poor, and putting herself in danger while doing it. Mia gets herself in more harrowing situations than I know I would want to find myself in, but her protector is never far behind.

Garrett makes a good male along side Mia, her best friend since she was born he spies her sneaking out on more than one occasion and has taken it about himself to follow her. And being the gentleman he is he sweeps in and helps her when it’s needed. But he also can not resist scolding her actions, and becoming a hot head more often than not. Garrett is a good man but he finds his feelings for Mia propelling his arguments with her.

The book brings you along an up and down emotional battle. With low points, sad points and points where you want to yell at how unfair things were for women back in those days. But you also have high points, weddings, love and a strong feeling of women’s rights. All in all I think this was a fantastic introduction to the Ladies of Liberty series and I will be looking forward to reading the next one.


Book Review: Untamed by P.C Cast & Kristin Cast

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Life sucks when your friends are pissed at you. Just ask Zoey Redbird — she’s become an expert on suckiness. In one week she has gone from having three boyfriends to having none, and from having a close group of friends who trusted and supported her, to being an outcast. Speaking of friends, the only two Zoey has left are undead and unMarked. And Neferet has declared war on humans, which Zoey knows in her heart is wrong. But will anyone listen to her? Zoey’s adventures at vampyre finishing school take a wild and dangerous turn as loyalties are tested, shocking true intentions come to light, and an ancient evil is awakened.



This is another one of my oppsy forgot to write the review when I finished it books. But I am making good, and keeping my own personal challenge of writing reviews on all of my books I read this year by doing it now.

Untamed is another Chapter in the House of Night series. And what a good Chapter it is. Once again poor Zoey finds herself in the middle of a lot of things. Not the least of which is being with no boyfriends, having everyone angry at her. And did she mention that her mentor has declared war on humans? Not something taken lightly in a vampire world that lives peacefully with humans. Because humans are well aware of vampires.

Once again the Cast’s have found a way to pull us into a world of Vampires and Humans and to make it believable that they co exist and do so without much trouble. There are some conflicts of course especially with the religious zealots the People of Faith. But the parallels aren’t so far away with some things in the real world. So I can do nothing but once again recommend this book series for anyone who likes the genre. So if you haven’t started the series yet do so now, and make sure you get to this one fast. It is a great read.


Saturday Sanctuary #4

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The Saturday Sanctuary will be a Weekly Writing Post. I will ask something or give a topic. Sometimes it will be short, sometimes it might be longer. The idea is just to write! So others can read. I thought it would be a great idea for a Book Blog to do something about writing. We are bloggers after all so we must have some enjoyment of writing too! So hop on in and Join the Saturday Sanctuary, grab our link and our picture and post your replies here. Make sure you visit others blogs out there and leave comments. Mostly have fun.

What season inspires you?

I have to say I am inspired most by spring. It is a time when your coming out of the cold winter (very cold winter here) and everything is new. When in the fall the 40’s is a low temperature in the spring its warm! In the spring you feel refreshed and invigorated to feel the cool breezes against your cheeks.

I always feel something stir inside when I hear the birds outside the window in the spring. When the first rainstorms come and wash away the grit and dirt of the winter seasons and leave everything smelling sweet and fresh.

If I were the kind giving to fits of running around the yard singing, (okay sometimes I do) I would run around singing the hills are alive with the sound of music in the spring. But more often than not what I end up doing is putting on something snuggly taking up a book and going outside and enjoying the promise of another good season.