Thursday, November 25, 2010

CAT THURSDAY & HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! (share your post in the Mr. Linky below)

This year I am so thankful for my family....my two wonderful sons, my husband, my parents and sister (and her family), and Alice (our cat), of course...really all my family, everywhere! Just thankful to be alive and (mostly) happy! I'm also very thankful to all my lovely blog friends.  Blogging about books has become a way of life for me and I couldn't hope to share it with more wonderful people than you all.  I have forged some wonderful friendships that I hope will continue throughout the coming years.

Now, here are some lovely Thanksgiving Cat Thursday images...enjoy!


cat thanksgiving Pictures, Images and Photos


THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT READING CHALLENGE & THANKFULLY READING WEEKEND

I'm hosting this reading challenge and I'm just now doing my sign up post! Bad on me! So here is my official sign up post for The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge hosted by me over at my Christmas blog, The Christmas Spirit (go HERE to sign up, if you haven't already).  I LOVE Christmas books so I'm aiming for the Christmas Tree level, which is 5 or 6 books.  I will be choosing my reads from this list (not going to lock myself in...will see where the mood takes me!):
  • The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig (I was lucky enough to win this from the lovely ladies at Historical Tapestry and it came in the mail yesterday!)
  • Call Me Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber
  • The Christmas Clock by Kat Martin
  • Christmas in Harmony by Philip Gulley
  • The Christmas Scrapbook by Philip Gulley
  • The Quiet Little Woman by Louisa May Alcott
  • The Paper Bag Christmas by Kevin Alan Milne
  • Wishin' and Hopin' by Wally Lamb
  • Charles Dickens Christmas Books
  • Christmas Stars (stories) edited by David G. Hartwell
The choices could change too...I have SO many Christmas books...the possibilities are endless!  =O)


This weekend I'm going to try to join in on the Thankfully Reading Weekend, hosted by Beth Fish Reads, Devourer of BooksJenn's Bookshelves.  I'm going to work on finishing the three books I'm currently reading and try to catch up on some reviews here on the blog.  Books I'm currently trying to finish are:
  • By Fire, By Water by Mitchell James Kaplan
  • Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson
  • The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

Who knows...I might even try to sneak one of my Christmas reads in this weekend!

If you would like to sign up for the reading weekend, go HERE.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

SHARING THE JOY: THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT EVENT


Tomorrow starts a very busy season for my Christmas blog, The Christmas Spirit.  Usually, my season would start on Black Friday, 11/26 this year, but tomorrow is the 25th, which is Rudolph Day for us Christmas fanatics! So my official start of the festivities will be tomorrow! I'm already hosting The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge, which starts Friday.  I will also be holding a Christmas Book Extravaganza giveaway! And I'm adding to the mix a myriad of fun, which will include book reviews, music reviews, movie reviews, Christmas poems and literature, cooking, crafts, and guest posts (I hope).  Which is what this post is partially about...I would like to invite my readers to contribute a guest post this season! Your post can be about anything Christmas related...a favorite Christmas memory, a book (movie or music) review, a favorite recipe, craft, etc., etc.  Anything goes, as long as it's Christmas related! If you are interested in contributing a guest post, please email me at truebookaddictATgmailDOTcom.  I hope you will consider joining me for the festivities!

The Sharing the Joy event will run from November 25 through January 6 (Twelfth Night or Epiphany).

Saturday, November 20, 2010

BOOK TOUR: CARE FOR CREATION BY CHRISTY BALDWIN

Care for Creation by Christy Baldwin
Tour stop, November 20, 2010

My thoughts:

Christy has written a simple and straight forward book to teach children the importance of the environment and how we should care for it.  She also cleverly ties it with the Creator by including a pertinent bible passage on each page.  While I am not an overly religious person, I do believe in God so I can appreciate the message this book is trying to send.  It is not overly preachy, for which I was also glad.  What I do believe in whole-heartedly is the environment and the state of our earth today.  As I was reading, I was thinking to myself, "We really need to be doing a lot of these things around our house."  While we do recycle in our home, there is still so much more we could be doing.  I am going to share this with my boys as well.  They have learned a lot about the subject at school, but it never hurts to discuss the subject regularly.  Another thing I really liked about the book was the interactive guide at the end with suggested activities and discussion questions.  The guide really rounds out the book and makes it an excellent teaching tool for children. 

About the author:

Writing has been a passion of Christy's since she was very young. As a child, she loved to write stories for her grandfather and poems just for fun. She lives in Mason, Ohio with her family and is active in church, Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts and volunteering with various organizations. Christy has a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Cedarville University and a master's degree in Special Education from the University of Scranton. She is a stay at home mom who enjoys spending time with her kids and being involved in their schools. Her previous children's titles include Nine Things Nathan Noticed at Night and Remembering Wilma.



Connect with Christy and Tribute Books:

Book web site:
http://www.careforcreationbook.com/
Christy Baldwin Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001044000739
Tribute Books website:
http://www.tribute-books.com/
Tribute Books Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Archbald-PA/Tribute-Books/171628704176
Tribute Books Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/TributeBooks

I would like to thank Nicole at Tribute Books for the opportunity to participate in this book tour.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

CAT THURSDAY

Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! (share your post in the Mr. Linky below)

This is SO wrong....but SO funny!



Tuesday, November 16, 2010

MAILBOX MONDAY

MAILBOX MONDAY...a weekly shindig which was created by Marcia at The Printed Page and is now on monthly blog tours.  This month is being hosted by Julie at Knitting and Sundries.

(CLICK ON TITLES FOR BOOK DESCRIPTIONS ON GOODREADS) 


In the Mail:

Won:

She Thief by Daniel Finn...from Mavie at The Bookologist

Frankenstein's Monster by Susan Heyboer O'Keefe...this was kind of a win from J. Kaye's ARC Group, Pass It On, on Goodreads

For Review:

Santa & The Little Teddy Bear by Peter John Lucking...I reviewed the PDF version of this book on my Christmas blog, The Christmas Spirit, and the author sent me a signed hard copy for my boys when it released! Watch for my review here after Thanksgiving.

Purchased:

from BOMC2:

Everything Christmas by David Bordon & Tom Winters

from library sale:

My monthly library sale had a half price sale this month (and next month)! Less than $20 for all of these lovelies!!!

Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay

Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay

Lady Macbeth by Susan Fraser King

Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland

The Briar King by Greg Keyes

The Holding by Merilyn Simonds

The Love Knot by Elizabeth Chadwick

Jane Austen and her Times, 1775-1817 by Geraldine Edith Mitton

A Christmas Beginning by Anne Perry

Christmas in Plains by Jimmy Carter...this isn't the actual cover. I got the green collector's edition with gold embossed spine and gold-edged pages...gorgeous!

The Christmas Scrapbook: A Harmony Story by Philip Gulley

The Gift of Christmas Present by Melody Carlson

Picture Books:

Finding Christmas by Helen Ward

Santa's Twin by Dean Koontz

The Christmas Day Kitten by James Herriott

The Church Mice at Christmas by Graham Oakley

Saturday, November 13, 2010

TIME TO RELAX READ-A-THON

A month ago, my friend Melissa at Jayne's Books announced her first read-a-thon, the Time to Relax Read-A-Thon.  Melissa is relatively new to the book blogging community and I told her I would help her get the word out...and, of course, I'm also participating.  She needed a button as well so I made her a nice cozy button for the event (see above).  Since another read-a-thon was announced just last week for the same weekend (actually December 2 through 5), the hashtag we will use on Twitter is #timetorelax.


This is a simple as (pumpkin) pie read-a-thon...a nice, relaxing weekend of reading.  Here are the details from Melissa: 

I am officially announcing my first readathon. It will be taking place on December 4 & 5 and will not have a specific time limit. You can read for as much or as little as you wish to.

One thing I would like for people to do is to donate either some money or toys to your local Christmas Bureau. You can donate as much or as little as you wish to.

Also note, this is being done for the pure enjoyment of reading over a couple of days, while the hectic Christmas season is under way, and to take some time to enjoy a book.

If you would like to join us, head over HERE to Melissa's blog for the original post and sign up.  I hope you will join us!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

HAPPY HAUL-IDAYS FROM CHRONICLE BOOKS

From the giveaway page:  Win a haul of your favorite books from Chronicle Books.  For bloggers--post a list of Chronicle Books valued at up to $500 that you’d like to haul in, and you’ll be automatically entered into a drawing to WIN your list of books! And, one of your readers who comments on the post will win the list too! Non-bloggers--visit participating blogs for your chance to win a haul of Chronicle Books! Each of these blogs has posted a list of books valued up to $500! One blogger and one commenter on the winning post will each WIN the list!

Last day to submit entries is December 10th!
Winners will be announced on December 13th!

To enter, go HERE for the entry form.

Visit the Chronicle Books Website to check out their titles.

Here's my list:

Night of the Living Trekkies by Kevin David Anderson & Sam Stall
Android Karenina by Leo Tolstoy & Ben H. Winters
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Deluxe Heirloom Edition by Jane Austen & Seth Graham-Smith
Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen & Ben H. Winters
Dracula's Heir: An Interactive Mystery by Sam Stall
Windflower: A Novel by Nick Bantock & Edoardo Ponti
Aesop's Fables: A Classic Illustrated Edition by Russell Ash & Bernard Higton
Werewolves: An Illustrated Journal of Transformation by Paul Jessup & Allyson Haller
Zombies: A Record of the Year of Infection by Don Roff & Chris Lane
Secret Lives of Great Artists by Elizabeth Lunday
Secret Lives of Great Authors by Robert Schnakenberg
The Writer's Toolbox by Jamie Cat Callan
The Worst Case Scenario Almanac: History by Joshua Piven, David Borgenicht, Piers Marchant, Melissa Wagner
Audrey Hepburn: International Cover Girl by Scott Brizel
Katharine Hepburn: A Life in Pictures by Pierre-Henri Verlhac & Charles Higham
Christopher Walken A to Z by Robert Schnakenberg
The Encyclopedia Shatnerica by Robert Schnakenberg
Two Cats and the Woman They Own, or Lessons I Learned from my Cats by Patti Davis & Ward Schumaker
Lennon Legend by James Honke
The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights
The Glorious Christmas Songbook by Cooper Edens & Benjamine Darling

Some pretty cool titles there, huh?!  Good luck to me and all my commenters!


BOOK BLOGGER HOLIDAY SWAP

It's that time again! The Book Blogger Holiday Swap! I participated last year and met two wonderful bloggers in the process.  One, Amanda at The Zen Leaf, to who I sent secret presents and two, TexasRed at TexasRed Books, from who I received a wonderful bunch of books and goodies! I'm so excited for this because I love giving gifts to people.  In fact, I already have one bookish item purchased for whoever my holiday swap buddy may be! If you would like further details and to sign up, go HERE.

CAT THURSDAY

Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! (share your post in the Mr. Linky below)


I thought this was funny because my Mom has said this to me before.  People who are not a part of an awesome online community just don't get it!




Wednesday, November 10, 2010

R.I.P. CHALLENGE WRAP-UP...FINALLY!

Yes, I'm more than a week overdue on my wrap-up for the R.I.P. Challenge AND I haven't even written the reviews yet...I am SO behind on everything, but that's a story for another time!

I read:

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Dracula in Love by Karen Essex
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
The Wedding Gift by Kathleen McKenna

A book of short stories:

Echoes from the Macabre by Daphne Du Maurier

I watched many scary movies, but I will list the most memorable here:

Devil...this is the M. Night Shyamalan produced film about five people trapped in an elevator being menaced by God knows what.  It was a pretty entertaining film with some definite disturbing parts, but ultimately it was too short and the ending was kind of anti-climactic.

Let Me In...a smart remake of the brilliant original, the Swedish film Let the Right One In based on the even more brilliant novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist (alternately titled Let Me In or Let the Right One In, depending on translation).  When I first heard that they were making an American version, I was very skeptical, but this turned out to be a very smart remake and might have been a bit more scary than the original.  Both films are definitely worth a look and the book gets top billing, in my opinion.  One of THE BEST horror novels I've ever read.

House of the Devil...what can I say about this movie?  Scary, scary, scary! If you're not fond of a big build up to a frightening conclusion, then you may not like this one.  But let me tell you...I first watched this alone...in the dark! I was so scared, I had to turn the light on! I've since watched it two more times and it still has not lost it's allure.  Creepy does not even describe the effect of this movie.

Stay tuned for reviews or mini-reviews of all the books I read for the challenge.

- See more at: http://www.techtrickhome.com/2013/02/show-comment-box-above-comments-on.html#sthash.TjHz2Px9.dpuf