Thursday, May 31, 2012

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! (share your post in the Mr. Linky below)


The top two remind me of Arya...the first one reminds me of her euphoric enthusiasm, just like the kitty in the pic.  And the second one...Arya is always doing that pose.  She looks like a Prairie Dog!


The third image...I just LOLed at that one...too funny!


Enjoy!






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Monday, May 28, 2012

TTBA Weekly News and Mailbox Monday

This feature was inspired by It's Monday! What are you reading? hosted by Sheila at Book Journey and by The Sunday Salon.

What's going on in my/the reading world....
Although there are still a couple more hours left on the poll, in which I asked if 1) there should be a dedicated blog for my seasonal read-a-thons and 2) if I should have each read-a-thon during a set week in its designated month each year, the consensus has been yes to both questions.  So, the dedicated blog for my read-a-thon is coming soon, just in time for the High Summer Read-a-Thon.  All of my read-a-thons will be hosted from there from now on.  My lovely friend, Kai (Fiction State of Mind), gave me a great name for the dedicated blog and so it will be named Seasons of Reading.  What do you think?  I love it! 

TuesBookTalk Read-a-longs on Twitter (@tuesbooktalk  #tuesbooktalk) and on Goodreads chose Classics for June's genre.  Our discussion starts Tuesday, June 5 on Twitter at 9:30pm EST/8:30pm CST.  You do not have to join us on Twitter.  Feel free to share your thoughts in the Goodreads group if you can't make the chat on Twitter.  Get the full reading schedule HERE.  June's selection:




A wonderful group I am a member of, Romantic Historical Fiction Lovers, has launched its own blog for the showcasing and review of great historical fiction/romance.  They will be offering books for review and posting reviews by us members who sign up.  Check out the Romantic Historical Fiction Lovers blog HERE.  The Goodreads group can be found HERE.


My good friends at Read 2 Review have launched their own virtual book tour site, Page Turner Book Tours.  Kate has done a spectacular job creating some really great tour packages for authors to tour their books.  I will be participating in some of their tours here and at Castle Macabre.  Be sure to check out their new site HERE.  Why not tour your book with them or bloggers, join me as a tour host!

What I've been reading....
Currently reading:
A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
Bleak House by Dickens (finishing up)
The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood
Jumble Tales by Steve Morris

Coming up soon:
The Queen's Pleasure by Brandy Purdy
Middlemarch by George Eliot

Finished recently:
Sound of the Heart by Genenvieve Graham (REVIEW)
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (review coming soon)
Without Mercy by Lisa Jackson--audio book (review coming soon--on Castle Macabre)


Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia and is currently on tour. This month's host is Martha at Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf.  (You can click the book covers in the BookBox to view the book(s) on Amazon)

BookBox: embed book widget, share book list

WON:
The Cursed Man by Keith Rommel...from read-a-thon giveaway hosted by Erin at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

Dancing at the Chance by DeAnna Cameron...from the author (RHFL chat giveaway)

BARNES & NOBLE (remaining purchase from B&N gift card won from M.J. Rose):
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
90 Days to your Novel: A Day-by-Day Plan for Outlining & Writing Your Book by Sarah Domet
Book in a Month: The Fool-Proof System for Writing a Novel in 30 Days by Victoria Lynn Schmidt, Ph.D.

LIBRARY LOOT:
The Visitant by Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear...for the Summer Book Challenge
The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood...for The Margaret Atwood Project at Dog Ear Discs

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TuesBookTalk June Selection: Middlemarch by George Eliot

TuesBookTalk Read-a-longs on Twitter (@tuesbooktalk  #tuesbooktalk) and on Goodreads chose Classics for June's genre.  Our discussion starts Tuesday, June 5 on Twitter at 9:30pm EST/8:30pm CST.  You do not have to join us on Twitter.  Feel free to share your thoughts in the Goodreads group if you can't make the chat on Twitter.  Get the full reading schedule HERE.  June's selection:



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Friday, May 25, 2012

{Book Tour} Sound of the Heart by Genevieve Graham--Review, Guest Post and {Give@way}


Genevieve Graham--Guest Post
The author sits with trepidation, sets her lukewarm coffee on the desk beside her, and stares at the screen. The task before her seems monumental. Unthinkable. And yet she knows it is up to her. She has started this thing, she has moved mountains to get to this point, but now it is up to her to complete the final pages.

Her fingers hover, unsure. They tap a few words, stop, then try again. Daunted, the author reaches for her coffee and leans back in her swivel chair, determined to force the muses to the front of her mind. “Speak to me. Tell me what to say,” she pleads, but the air in her mind is silent. No one can help her this time. It is a task she must complete alone.

A guest blog. Not necessarily such a baffling assignment, but the road has been long. She’s written nearly fifty guest blogs this month alone and had thought she was done. She’d settled back into her day to day work: writing, editing, teaching piano … When she checked her calendar her heart skipped, and not in a pleasant way. Had she written that blog? She couldn’t recall. A frantic search through her files revealed nothing. She sucked in her pride and emailed the blogger. “Do I owe you a blog?” she typed. The blogger wrote back something along the lines of, “That would be great!” and she knew. It had to be done.

Her mind kept coming up blank. Should she discuss Historical Romance versus Historical Fiction? No. Though it’s a topic for which she has a passion, she’d written that too many times. Perhaps touch on historical truths uncovered during research? No. That had also been done. Searching the reviewer’s blog for ideas on earlier author postings offered no inspiration. She had tried to put something together the night before, but had given up, drawn instead to the warmth and comfort of her extremely patient husband.

Inspiration finally came. At least she hoped it had. Not a defining strike, as happened with many of her plot lines, but a creeping suggestion that held promise and also made her feel good. Now … to make it something enjoyable for others …

About five years ago, she had started writing. Before then she had been completely immersed in lush, epic historical adventures, having read the genius works of Sara Donati, Jennifer Roberson, Penelope Williamson, Wilbur Smith, and others. Her ultimate inspiration had been the incredible work of Diana Gabaldon, who would forever occupy the role of “idol” in her heart. Through their books the author had been swept up in the genre, taken prisoner, prodded at swordpoint until at last she relented and attempted her own fledgling novel.

At first she feared her work might too closely resemble the writing of one of her favourite authors, so she stopped and backtracked, giving her mind room to colour the phrases and characters with her own interpretations. It became soothing, after a while, feeling the words and ideas flow. Therapeutic, actually. After eight months of writing and researching, her first book emerged at a whopping 150,000 words, but over the next three years she learned about editing, about making a book into something people will love. When she was finally signed by a well-respected literary agent, “Under the Same Sky” contained less than 90,000 words, but every one of them had value.

The first publisher to see it, Penguin, purchased not only her first novel, but requested a second, which is how “Sound of the Heart” came to be. Practically giddy with excitement, she plunged back into the process, injecting her own “voice”, her own sense of prose, filling the pages with stories no one had ever written before. She was thrilled when reviews started coming out, because—truth be known—she had been terrified no one would want to read her writing. News spread about this new author, her unique voice, and the unexpected books which captured readers’ hearts. Reviewers started calling her a “must-read” author. 

The author was blown away by the reaction. She was writing her own stories, saying things the way she saw them. She had initially been influenced by other authors, but no longer relied on their guidance. She was flying on her own and wanted to whoop with joy when yet another person asked her to sign their book.

Ironically, then, it was three separate compliments which almost moved her to happy tears. She had been working so hard to stand on her own, to create something from her own mind, and the three compliments which meant the most were all based on the writing of another author: her idol, her inspiration for writing in the first place. The first two were from well-respected book reviewers, who compared the author’s hero in her second novel, Dougal MacDonnell, to Jamie Fraser, the hero in Diana Gabaldon’s incredible “Outlander” series. Both suggested Dougal was in the running for their #1 Favourite Scottish Hero position. The author was amazed, though in her own heart she too had fallen in love with Dougal long before. She couldn’t blame the reviewers for doing the same. 

It was at one book signing where she received what she felt was her ultimate compliment. The woman standing in front of her at the signing had said she had been waiting patiently for the second book after having completed “Under the Same Sky”. She asked the author if she’d mind being compared to another author, because she could only think of one other author who had so completely swallowed her up in a story.

“Of course not,” the author replied, curious. She was always looking for new authors to read—had already been compared by Joanna Bourne to the grand master, John Jakes, whose books she had yet to read—and was just about to write down the name when the woman spoke again.

“I read a lot,” she said. “But the only other author who had this effect on me was a woman named Diana Gabaldon. Have you heard of her? Your writing’s not exactly the same, of course, because your words are different, but you pulled me in the same way.”

It would have been unseemly for the author to burst into tears at this point, in the middle of a bookstore, surrounded by potential readers. But in her heart she rejoiced. Her stories had been put in the same circle as those of her idol. She had been quietly placed on the same shelf as that great author, side by side on the “G” shelf.

But she had retained her own voice, her own individual style of writing. She doubted there could be any finer compliment than that.

My thoughts on Sound of the Heart:
I really enjoyed this book.  I have a lot of interest in Scottish history because of William Wallace and Rob Roy so any chance I get to read a book with Scottish characters and set in Scotland is wonderful.  Set in 18th century Scotland, with settings in England and the American colonies as well, Sound of the Heart is an exciting historical tale with two extraordinary characters, Dougal and Glenna.  I'm not usually big on romance in novels, but the relationship between the two main characters is so sweet and genuine, I couldn't help but enjoy reading about their times together.  Graham has taken one of the difficult periods in Scottish history, the time of the Jacobite rebellion, and turned it into a story of personal triumph and love.  She has written the dialogue in Scottish brogue, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  I likened myself to a Scottish lassie as I experienced the Scottish intonations in my head.

I highly recommend Sound of the Heart to anyone who enjoys Scottish history with a bit of romance added to the mix.  Now I must check out Graham's first novel, Under the Same Sky.  She is a talent I will not soon forget.


About the book:
From Genevieve Graham, author of "Under the Same Sky", comes a sweeping romantic historical novel of one man’s strange gift and dangerous battles...

Dougal MacDonnell, a fierce warrior from the Highlands of Scotland, is able to hear the thoughts of other men and dream how the future will unfold.

Devastated by the loss of his family during the Battle of Culloden in 1746, he fosters a deep hatred for the English. But when Glenna, the love of his life and a Scottish outlaw, is captured and shipped overseas, Dougal is forced to join an English army made of vanquished Scots. Now fighting on the side of his sworn enemies, he embarks on a journey that will take him across the seas to the colonies. 

There he will risk everything for the chance to find his true love.


About the author:
Genevieve Graham graduated from the University of Toronto in 1986 with a Bachelor of Music in Performance (playing the oboe). While on a ski vacation in Alberta, she met her future husband in a chairlift lineup and subsequently moved to Calgary to be with him. They have recently settled in a small, peaceful town in Nova Scotia with their two beautiful daughters.  Writing became an essential part of Genevieve’s life a few years ago, when she began to write her debut novel, Under the Same Sky. The companion novel, Sound of the Heart, will be in stores May 1, 2012.

CONNECT ONLINE

Watch the book trailer HERE.

GIVEAWAY (from Genevieve)
Grand Prize on the book tour is ...

A signed copy of Sound of the Heart PLUS a four cd set of relaxation cds created by my incredibly talented musical friends, Cori Ashley and Ed Franks. I'll give you a little insight into why I chose these cds as my prize - I'm NOT saying Sound of the Heart is about relaxing … considering the wild adventures Dougal's in for, I doubt he was too relaxed! But Dougal has a gift, similar to his brother's gift. He can relax his mind and hear the thoughts of other men, but he can also sink into his thoughts and hear the sounds and voices of his loved ones as if they were right there with him. These cds were created to help you escape the stress and craziness of your days. Grab a cup of tea or glass of wine (your preference!), light a candle, maybe slip in to a bubblebath, and listen to the sound of your heart.


Enter in the Rafflecopter below.  The contest runs May 1-31/12 and is only open to entrants in Canada & U.S.).

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Thursday, May 24, 2012

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! (share your post in the Mr. Linky below)


I'm on the Pump Up Your Book tour for the Michael Jackson Tribute Book next week and when I saw this, I thought it was fitting.  So funny!


In keeping with my dance theme this week, enjoy the following...




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Tuesday, May 22, 2012

I need your input--Read-a-Thon poll

In light of my upcoming High Summer Read-a-Thon (July 16 - 22), I was doing some thinking on the dates and the hosting aspect of the read-a-thons.  I have themed each read-a-thon, as you know, seasonally (based on the seasons as they are in the U.S., with no intentional discrimination against my participants on the other side of the globe...honest) so I host one in January, April, July, and October.  I'm beginning to think that it would be easier on me to schedule them around the same week in their respective months, each year.  I've already settled on permanent names for them.  The Winter read-a-thon is A Winter's Respite, Spring will be known from now on as Spring into Horror, Summer has been the High Summer Read-a-Thon for two summers now, and this Fall, in October, I've decided to condense down the name of the Fall read-a-thon to the hashtag we used for Twitter last year so it will be known from now on as the FrightFall Read-a-Thon.  I'm also considering starting a dedicated blog from which I could host all four of the read-a-thons.  Not only would it make it easier on me (I think), but I think it would be easier for people to follow/subscribe and get the information all in one place.  The scheduled dates for each read-a-thon would be up in the sidebar well in advance for people to plan for them...kind of like Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon.

So, what do I need from you?  There is a handy little poll at the top of the post section.  If you could fill that out for me, I would really appreciate your input.  Feel free to leave a comment with opinions as well, if you would like.

Thank you!

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Monday, May 21, 2012

TTBA Weekly News and Mailbox Monday

This feature was inspired by It's Monday! What are you reading? hosted by Sheila at Book Journey and by The Sunday Salon.

I had quite an eventful week last week, which I will be revealing in this post (of course).  I participated in the Bout of Book 4.0 Read-a-Thon and didn't do too hot, but enjoyed it just the same.  I also participated in the Romantic Historical Fiction Lovers anniversary chat and scored several book wins.  I will outline the ones I've already received in Mailbox Monday below and the ones I receive in the mail in a later MM edition.

What's going on in my reading world....


The True Book Addict was one of the 15 finalists in the Goodreads Independent Book Blogger Awards in the adult fiction category.  It is truly an honor just to be a finalist! I'd like to thank everyone who voted for me.  I'd like to congratulate the winners and the other finalists too.  If you would like to see the winners and all the finalists, visit the Goodreads announcement post HERE.


My sons have their own blog! Inspired by Krista at Book Review Club and her kids' blog, Lollipops and Books, I thought it would be a great way to get my boys, who already like to read, to read more.  They were pretty excited when I told them they could have their own blog.  It's called G n R Book Club and they're getting ready to do the Metro Public Library's summer reading program so they'll have a lot to blog about soon.  You can check out their new blog HERE or click the image above.


The High Summer Read-a-Thon is coming July 16 - 22.  Mark your calendars! I'll be posting details and sign-up info soon.


If you're looking for another read-a-thon fix, check out the Wicked Wildfire Read-a-Thon on June 20 - 24, hosted by Kindle Fever and My Shelf Confessions.  Of course, there is no doubt that I'll be participating!

What I've been reading....
Currently reading:
A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
Sound of the Heart by Genevieve Graham
Bleak House by Charles Dickens

To read before the month is out:
Jumble Tales by Steve Morris
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood

Finished recently:
Carnage Road by Gregory Lamberson (REVIEW)
The 2012 Book Blogger's Cookbook by Christy Dorrity (REVIEW)


Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia and is currently on tour. This month's host is Martha at Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf.  (You can click the book covers in the BookBox to view the book(s) on Amazon)

BookBox: embed book widget, share book list

WON:


Please allow me to introduce you to Anne (named for Anne Rice and it's my middle name), my brand new Kindle Touch won from author of Titanic with Zombies, Richard Brown.  I am over the moon!

I also won:

The Long Weekend by Savita Kalhan...from the author

Immortal Obsession by Denise K. Rago...from read-a-thon giveaway hosted by Erin at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!

The Good Father by Diane Chamberlain...from BookTrib

Surrender to the Roman (eBook) by M.K. Chester...from the author (RHFL chat giveaway)

El Rey:  A Novel of Renaissance Iberia (Kindle book) by Ginger Myrick...from the author (RHFL chat giveaway)

FOR REVIEW:
The Queen's Vow by C.W. Gortner...Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

GIFT:
Ten by Gretchen McNeil...from the lovely Kai at Fiction State of Mind

BARNES & NOBLE:
Outlining your Novel: Map your Way to Success by K.M. Weiland (partial purchase from B&N gift card won from M.J. Rose)

AMAZON:
Unspent Time Omnibus by Graham Parke (Kindle book)

LIBRARY SALE:
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1) by Rick Riordan
The Sea of Monsters (PJ and the Olympians #2) by Rick Riordan
Ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley
Ghostgirl: Homecoming by Tonya Hurley
Ghostgirl: Lovesick by Tonya Hurley
Viriconium by W. John Harrison
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night--Burton translation--Volumes V/VI


CD--The White Stripes--White Blood Cells ($2 at the library sale!)

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Bout of Books 4.0 Read-a-Thon--Goals, Updates and Wrap-Up

Bout of Books Read-a-Thon
The Bout of Books Read-a-Thon was created by Amanda @ On a Book Bender on a complete whim in August 2011*. It took on a life of its own and was such a hit that Amanda decided to do it again and turn it into a somewhat regular occurrence. There are no set dates for Bout of Books; rather, Amanda tries to work with Bout of Books participants to determine the best dates for them.


Final Wrap-Up:


Well, I didn't meet my goals, but I'm not upset.  I enjoyed the read-a-thon, as I always enjoy all read-a-thons.  The Twitter interactions, especially the chats were a lot of fun.  A big thanks to Amanda and company for all of their hard work and for all the fun.


5/20
Number of books I’ve read today: 25 pages of A Clash of Kings
Total number of books I’ve read:  Two and a third + 10 percent of one + 52 pages of A Clash of Kings 
Pages read today:  25
Total number of pages read:  401
Books: A Clash of Kings (52 pages), Through the Looking Glass (90 pages), Carnage Road (completed book--81 pages), The 2012 Book Blogger's Cookbook (completed book--118 pages), Bleak House (10%--60 pages)

Update from Day Six:


Not much to report from yesterday.  I was too busy chatting with the Romantic Historical Fiction Lovers on Facebook.  I scored three book wins in the process too! I was also out part of the day and went to a library sale.  Scored some great books there too!


5/19
Number of books I’ve read today: 0
Total number of books I’ve read:  Two and a third + 10 percent of one
Pages read today:  0
Total number of pages read:  376
Books: none

What I'm reading on Day Seven:  I'm going to continue to read A Clash of Kings.  Trying to get caught up so I can watch the episodes of "Game of Thrones" I have missed!


Update from Day Five:

I've decided not to do the mini-challenge today.  Too tired. 

5/18
Number of books I’ve read today: 0
Total number of books I’ve read:  Two and a third + 10 percent of one
Pages read today:  27
Total number of pages read:  376
Books: A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

What I'm reading on Day Six:  A Clash of Kings...still.  If I can get caught up on this tonight, maybe I can pick something else up tomorrow.  Fingers crossed!


Mini-Challenge--Day Five:

The Books and Shoes mini-challenge is being hosted by The Reading Housewives of Indiana.  We are to choose a character from a favorite book and shoes they would wear/would have worn.  One of my favorite books, Virgin and the Crab by Robert Parry, has my all time favorite historical figure, Elizabeth I.  These are extant shoes from the Elizabethan era that she would have worn.  I've also included a picture of a painting of QEI showing the bottom portion with her shoes peeking out from beneath her dress.  You see the shoes are very much like the extant shoes image (source: http://thepragmaticcostumer.wordpress.com/tag/queen-elizabeth-i/).


Update from Day Four:



5/17
Number of books I’ve read today: one
Total number of books I’ve read:  Two and a third + 10 percent of one
Pages read today:  118
Total number of pages read:  349
Books: The 2012 Book Blogger's Cookbook by Christy Dorrity

What I'm reading on Day Five:  Today I've been reading A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin...man, I love this book! Tomorrow, I will be gone for a bit of the day at a library sale and lunch/movie with Mom.  Not sure what I'll read tomorrow!


Update from Day Three:


5/16
Number of books I’ve read today: not worth mentioning, only 10 percent of Bleak House
Total number of books I’ve read:  One and a third + 10 percent (LOL)
Pages read today:  60
Total number of pages read:  231
Books: Bleak House by Charles Dickens

What I'm reading on Day Four:  I am just now getting started reading today.  My son had a concert at school and the rest of the time, I've been fooling around.  I did find out I won a Kindle Touch though.  Woot! SO thrilled!!! Mooning about that has taken up a large portion of my day.  So, tonight I'm going to read the 2012 Book Bloggers' Cookbook for review tomorrow and try to get caught up on A Clash of Kings.  We shall see! I'm hoping tomorrow will be a lot better.  Please!


Day Three Mini-Challenge:

The challenge, hosted by Shannon at Books Devoured, is to choose any book cover and Re-Title it! You can choose anything you like and go the serious or humorous route! Here's mine:

New title:  I Poisoned Johhny Depp:  A Story of Love, Hate, and Betrayal


I had no time to update for yesterday until just now.  As usual, the read-a-thon is not going as I planned because real life always rears its ugly head.  LOL!


Update from Day Two:


5/15
Number of books I’ve read today: 1/3
Total number of books I’ve read:  One and a third
Pages read today:  90
Total number of pages read:  171
Books: Carnage Road by Gregory Lamberson and 1/3 of Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll


Day Two Mini-Challenge:


Mini-Challenge for day two is hosted by Nyx Book Reviews and it's a Book Confessions challenge.

Physical book or eBook?  I much prefer physical books, even though I have an eReader and I read eBooks occasionally
Paperback or Hardcover?  hardcover
Reality or Make-believe?  make-believe
Adult or Young-Adult?  adult
Dog ears or Bookmarks?  I'm obsessed with bookmarks.  I probably own over 100 or more!
Breaking the spine or Barely open the book?  barely open the book
Tea or Coffee?  I like both.  I prefer tea at home because coffee at home never turns out good. But coffee purchased out somewhere is the bomb!
Reading in bed or On the couch?  on the couch, or the chair, actually!
Series or Standalone?  a hard one, because I take long breaks in series books so I'm going to say stand alone
Original or TV Adaptation?  original
Defy motion sickness or Audiobooks?  when I'm driving--audio  riding--defy motion sickness (have never had a problem with it)
Author crushes or Who-was-that-guy-again?  author crushes
Interview or Guest post?  guest post

Update from Day One:

5/14
Number of books I’ve read today: 1
Total number of books I’ve read:  1
Pages read today:  81
Total number of pages read:  81
Books: Carnage Road by Gregory Lamberson


My Goals:
After I watch "Masterpiece Mystery! Sherlock: The Hounds of Baskerville", I will start reading.  Not sure how late I will read, although it may be late since I took a nice long Mother's Day nap this afternoon.  I'm planning on getting some review books read this week.  Plus, I need to catch up on Bleak House and A Clash of Kings and read the section of Through the Looking Glass for TuesBookTalk.  Also, I have a review on Castle Macabre due Tuesday for Carnage Road by Gregory Lamberson and for the 2012 Book Bloggers Cookbook on Friday on this blog.  I'm going to add some other books to the list just in case I decide to change things up.  I'm hoping to read at least 5 books in total this week.  So, books to be read for sure and potential books are listed below.

Books To Read:
  • Bleak House (catch-up)
  • A Clash of Kings (catch-up)
  • 2012 Book Bloggers Cookbook
  • Carnage Road by Gregory Lamberson
  • Never Say Sorry by Rose Edmunds
  • The Arrow Chest by Robert Parry
  • To Be Queen by Christy English
  • To Serve a King by Donna Russo Morin
  • The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
  • The Once and Future King by T.H. White
  • A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
  • Through the Looking Glass (read section for TuesBookTalk)
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Saturday, May 19, 2012

Save the Date! High Summer Read-a-Thon


Announcing the dates for the High Summer Read-a-Thon.  The big week will be July 16 - 22.  Save the date! More details and sign-up coming soon.  I hope you will join me!

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Friday, May 18, 2012

{Book Tour} Review--The 2012 Book Blogger's Cookbook and {Contest}



My thoughts:
Don't read The 2012 Book Blogger's Cookbook if you're hungry.  It will have you rushing to the kitchen to eat God knows what and you still will not be satisfied because it's not what's in the book.  You've been warned!

This cookbook is an amazing concept.  It's the marriage of books, recipes, and book reviews.  Each recipe matches a theme or an element of the book it's paired with.  We get delicious ideas for food to make while also learning about books and what some book bloggers thought of them.  I think it's brilliant.  I thought so last year with the 2011 edition and I'm of a same mind with this year's edition.

The books featured are predominantly of the young adult genre with a few middle grade titles and a couple of adult titles thrown in.  If I had one suggestion, it would be to add more adult titles for those of us who read more adult books than YA.  I can think of some amazing historical fiction titles that would be great in a future Book Blogger's cookbook.

I recommend this cookbook to anyone who loves to cook, or loves food in general, and to those who love books.  I'm looking forward to the future editions.  Keep them coming, Christy!

Christy was nice enough to let me feature my favorite recipe from the book in my post today.  I love all things pumpkin and I can't wait to get in the kitchen to make this one!


Polite Pumpkin Custard




Scary School, by Derek the Ghost, is a downright frightening place to be. Children who lag behind, or are unruly in library class, are likely to get eaten. You may survive if you step lightly around Principal Headcrusher and steer clear of Mr. Dragonbreath. At least Sue the Amazing Octo-Chef can whip you up a delicious, if dubious dessert. Charlie Newkid is the first to figure out that Sue’s amazing pumpkin custards will stop to let you eat them, if you ask them politely. You, too, can enjoy this creamy, crust-less custard, if you say pretty please.

Filling:
1 (15 ounce) canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1 cup half and half cream
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt

Topping:
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
¼ cup pecans, chopped
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Whipped cream and ground cinnamon for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine all of the filling ingredients. Beat until smooth and pour into five greased custard cups (or small hollowed out pumpkins, if available).

Place in a 13x9 inch baking pan. Pour hot water around the cups until the bottoms are in an inch of standing water. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

For the topping, combine the brown sugar, pecans and butter. Sprinkle it over the custard. Put the custards back in the oven for 30-35 minutes. Serve warm or chilled. Top with whipped cream and cinnamon, if desired. Store in the refrigerator. Serves 5.

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The 2012 Book Blogger's Cookbook is a community project from some of the blogosphere's best book bloggers in a simple, easy to read format. The cookbook combines a love of reading and dining to help you find books you'll devour and recipes you can't put down.

You’ll love The Book Blogger’s Cookbook because…

The Book Blogger’s Cookbook has 50 different book reviewers from every corner of the blogosphere. It bridges the gap between author and reader—putting you in touch with book reviewers who can separate the 5 star books from the mediocre.

The Book Blogger’s Cookbook showcases great reads and provides an interactive experience with links to author and book reviewer websites. The cookbook is created for those who like to experience what they read long after they’ve closed the book.

The Book Blogger’s Cookbook tells why each recipe complements its companion book. Recipes and books combine to make the reading experience satisfying and entertaining.

Book Contest
Every person who comments on one of the blogs during the tour will be entered to win a grand prize: a copy of every book featured in The 2012 Book Blogger's Cookbook (22 in all, over $200 value).  Please include your email address for winner contact.

Check out the TOUR SCHEDULE to visit the other participating blogs.


About the author:
Christy Dorrity loves to read about cooking and cook about reading. She was taught early to have a discriminating taste for both books and food. Christy grew up on a trout ranch in Star Valley, Wyoming. She taught elementary school and lives in the mountains with her husband Devon and their five young children. When Christy's not reading or writing, she's probably trying out a new recipe in the kitchen.

www.christydorrity.com
twitter: @christydorrity


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Thursday, May 17, 2012

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! (share your post in the Mr. Linky below)


Yes, I'm participating in another read-a-thon! So, in honor of the read-a-thon week, I present to you some cats getting their read on.  Enjoy!

She certainly must have read something shocking.


This one looks quite shocked as well!


"Now that's downright interesting!"



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