But enough about you, what about ME?
Today’s question?
What’s your favorite part of Booking Through Thursday? Why do you participate (or not)?
I enjoy the question topics. I also just enjoy reading the other answers on BTT. It is great to have a book related Meme that asks you questions. But maybe I am just goofy.
From the author of ‘Dry’, ‘Running With Scissors’, ‘Wolf at the Table’ and ‘Magical Thinking’ is the latest offering from the viciously funny
Augusten BurroughsAugusten Burroughs has, and in this caustically funny, nostalgic, poignant, and moving collection he recounts Christmases past and present-as only he could. With gimlet-eyed wit and illuminated prose, Augusten shows how the holidays bring out the worst in us and sometimes, just sometimes, the very, very best.
They are having a giveaway for it as well! Book Giveaway
Wicked Wednesday a place to be wicked to other book readers and make them get those TBR piles growing. The concept is simple. Pick a book or two and tell s about them. If its one you read tell us what you liked. If its one you found tell us about that to. Than leave a comment to let us know where to find your Wicked Wednesday titles. Make sure to link back in your posts for other people to follow Wicked Wednesday.
So…you’d think after banishing an immortal being and a fallen High Priestess, saving Stark’s life, biting Heath, getting a headache from Erik, and almost dying, Zoey Redbird would catch a break. Sadly, a break is not in the House of Night school forecast for the High Priestess in training and her gang. Juggling three guys is anything but a stress reliever, especially when one of them is a sexy Warrior who is so into protecting Zoey that he can sense her emotions. Speaking of stress, the dark force lurking in the tunnels under the Tulsa Depot is spreading, and Zoey is beginning to believe Stevie Rae could be responsible for a lot more than a group of misfit red fledglings. Aphrodite’s visions warn Zoey to stay away from Kalona and his dark allure, but they also show that it is Zoey who has the power to stop the evil immortal. Soon it becomes obvious that Zoey has no choice: if she doesn’t go to Kalona he will exact a fiery vengeance on those closest to her. Will Zoey have the courage to chance losing her life, her heart, and her soul?
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
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 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!
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.
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.
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
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.
