Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Announcing...Write-a-Thon Dates!


I have the dates and the button! I'm hosting at my writing blog, The Story Inside Me.  
Full details and sign-ups will be posted over THERE in the next couple of days.  
Hope you will join me!

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Saturday, July 28, 2012

Olympic Read-a-Thon: Goals #OlympicReadathon


That's right! Another read-a-thon.  My view is...never say die! This read-a-thon is being hosted by Random House of Canada.  It's the Olympic Read-a-Thon.  It lasts during the entire span of the
Olympics in London, July 27 through August 12.  They're using the hashtag #OlympicReadathon for interaction on Twitter.  To find out full details and sign up, click the badge above or HERE.

For this read-a-thon, we are to set a pages read goal.  My goal is 2000 pages.  I know for sure I'm going to be finishing the following books:

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Middlemarch by George Eliot

plus, I have a couple of review books to read by end of month.  One is fairly short so shouldn't be a problem.  Those are my plans for the next four days.  After that, anything goes!

Are you doing the Olympic Read-a-Thon?

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Friday, July 27, 2012

{Book Tour} Guest Post and Book Review: Twenty Two Faces by Judy Byington



Abuse From A Child's Point of View
Writing a Biography From Viewpoint of a Child,
and the Opinions of Her Alter Personalities

Judy Byington, MSW, LCSW, ret,
Author, Twenty-Two Faces: Inside the Extraordinary Life of Jenny Hill
and Her Twenty-Two Multiple Personalities

The long years of promoting Twenty-Two Faces to literary agents and publishers was nothing compared to writing the actual biography of Jenny Hill, a woman with twenty-two multiple personalities. As a retired therapist, I decided to take on a second career as an author, though didn't realize it would be such a challenge to my aging brain. What I had expected during retirement years was to sit on a sun-lit spot by my home peacefully writing the days away while looking at lapping waves of Utah Lake with the Rocky Mountain Wasatch Front as a backdrop.

No. Didn't happen. Besides, that's not the way things have ever been in my reality. I produced this, my first book, in a most complicated manner: by beginning the writing not only from five year-old Jenny Hill's point of view, but from that of her various and different-aged alter personalities. Plus, there were other complications inherent in Jenny's life: most of her multiple personalities were formed by the "Green Method" of mind-control that came out of Nazi Germany and referred to as Satanic Ritual Abuse (words that professionals refuse to utter, calling the diagnosis Dissociate Identity Disorder or the former Multiple Personality Disorder), plus she was not alone in her victimization through brainwashing that produced repressed memories from childhood of rape, torture and murder. Ritual abuse across the nation that no one, not even my family or closest friends and neighbors, seemed to believe happened.

As a single parent to five teenagers I was convinced it did. And, was rampant in our society. In my thirty-two years of working as a therapist, supervisor of Alberta Mental Health, Director of the Provo Family Counseling Center, Utah Child Welfare worker and experience in running certain information to the Utah Attorney General Office of Special Investigations, I had many a client who couldn't remember their childhood. In the safe environment of therapy, away from perpetrators, these dissociated women brought forth repressed memories of unbelievable abuse during childhood. Often the recall started in bits and pieces of nightmares, that were more and more detailed as memories came to the surface. Other times something as simple as a red flashing traffic light, or a man in black clothing, would bring up torture long buried in their past.

I first met Jenny through a FBI agent. The very day she contacted the Provo FBI office searching for parents of a girl that at age six, she was made to witness the murder, I phoned and talked with the same man. Several ritual abuse survivors had described their blood-chilling stories, plus by then I had traced a bloody trail of satanic cult cases throughout Utah.

Experts have found that a multiple personality is so because of abuse during childhood. With Jenny's encouragement I felt impressed to write her biography to expose the affects of this methodical mind-control of a the psyche. I decided the only way to explain her complicated life was to tell it from the simplistic mind of a child. That is, explain the life of a multiple through Jenny's point of view and that of her twenty-two alters, most of whom were still children living within her.

Jenny made the process somewhat easier via her journals. Throughout life when alters took over her mind and body, she skipped hours, days even months. Confused at the time loss, she made it a habit of asking for guidance through prayer. At age seven inspiration came that she should write down her experiences, "To help yourself and others."

By age thirty-five when we met her mission in life was clear. So was mine - I had experienced a few humbling challenges of my own where only God could give me answers, one of which was to write Jenny's biography. We would use Jenny's extensive journals that were interspersed with thoughts of her alter personalities.

We began by deciding on the time line and subject of each chapter, then Jenny would write it out. As she did, certain alters took over to pen their own experiences. Alters only knew of life during the time period they were active and thus, memories were very detailed, as if the events just happened. It made Jenny's long buried feelings easy to capture. Though, the challenge of twenty-two different personalities, several of which might surface to finish one thought or another, created unending challenges not only for Jenny, but for this new author.

For instance, I take you to the second chapter when she was walking home from kindergarten:

A five-year old shouldn't feel alone and decrepit. Jenny did. But so many of her emotions were compartmentalized that she was unaware of those feelings, except for fear, Wish I had someone to talk to. Feel scared all the time. Keep think'n big people are gonna hurt me, or take me away. Jenny thought, while her Head Alter J.J. thought back in disgust, Jen, quit thinking about that rubbish. Why not wrap our mind about what I'm thinking for a change?

Distress dominated the child's life, fed by concerns of her different personalities. As always, J.J. wasn't about to give in to those images. It's my body, too, and no one is going to take my Jen away.

Often this personality had suicidal tendencies, but Jenny would die if she carried them out. J. J. would never kill themselves for that was pig-tailed Suicidal Alter Janet's job. Meanwhile, Jenny wondered, Why am I thinking about dying?

The core of her personality was filled with optimism and had no death wish, while J.J. occasionally did and Suicidal Alter Janet thought about it most of the time, but not today. There was a new bean beneath the dirt in their cup and Jenny, they and their bean were going to grow up and get old together.

Writing can be very therapeutic for one who has been abused, Jenny, no exception. Transferring feelings onto paper is known to heal the soul by releasing stress of abuse long buried. At least, that's the way Jenny's alters felt, and evidently the reason why they conveniently had her change personalities when applying for a nursing job at the Utah State Psychiatric Hospital. She ended up as an inpatient. Therapy there involved daily entries into journals by Jenny and whoever else was present.

We relied heavily on those alter writings for the book. In the beginning her personalities resisted penning their stories, even forced Jenny to quit for a year or so. Over time we learned that the more confident Jenny became, the closer her story rose to fruition.

There were setbacks, however. Once J.J. took over and tried to erase the manuscript by hitting the delete button several hundred times. Luckily she had no idea how to use my computer and the writing wasn't destroyed. Sometimes one personality or another arose to talk out stress about having their lives in print. Some even waited until the biography was published before expressing their tortuous past. There were a few instances with the dark side and evil spirit takeovers, though prayer always cleared things up.

The final result was definition of both Jenny's and my own life's mission: to validate the existence of ritual abuse on children in our modern society.

Twenty-Two Faces: Inside the Extraordinary Life of Jenny Hill and Her Twenty-Two Multiple Personalities (Tate Publishing: Oklahoma) can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and wherever books are sold.

Hear Jenny tell a snippet of her story, find tips on Healing from Trauma, articles on treatment written by therapists and practical healing tips by survivors, resources, plus a free read of Chapter One at: www.22faces.com

My thoughts on Twenty Two Faces:
To say that this book was a difficult read would be putting it mildly.  When I was offered a spot on the tour, after I read the synopsis, it reminded me of another multiple personality book I read years ago called Sybil by Flora Rheta Schreiber.  The only thing similar about the two books is that both women were abused at a young age and both developed multiple personalities to cope and protect themselves from the abuse.  Not to discount the trauma that Sybil suffered, I have to say that the abuse Jenny Hill was subjected to was far, far worse.  

I know it really shouldn't shock me that things like this occur, and have occurred, in our society for years, but I'm still in a state of disbelief that anyone, including a child's own father, could sexually abuse a child beginning at infancy.  What comes into the equation in Jenny's story is something called Satanic Ritual Abuse.  Of course, we've all heard stories and accounts of the practice in the news and such, but it always seems like a horror movie.  Not real.  Unfortunately, it is real, or was.  The level of abuse--emotional, sexual, physical--that Jenny was subjected to was horrific.  Not only the horrendous abuse, but also the witnessing of the murders of animals and another child.  It's a miracle that Jenny survived.

As I said, an extremely difficult read.  I found myself in tears many times as I was reading.  But this is an important read because we need to be aware that things like this go on in our world.  It reminds us to be aware and watchful of children who may be showing signs that something is wrong.  Don't just overlook it.  It's also a cautionary tale for parents.  Know what your children are doing and where they are going.  Of course, back in the 60s, parents weren't as careful or aware of what could happen to young children, but it's still hard to believe that Jenny's mother did not think it was strange that her six year old daughter was gone all the time or that she returned home looking ravaged.  That her mother was indifferent and mean to her daughter is just another layer of abuse that Jenny suffered, not to mention that she probably knew that her husband was sexually abusing Jenny, but instead of reacting and taking action, she only expressed jealousy.

Ultimately, Twenty Two Faces is a story of survival.  Jenny did survive and went on to live a somewhat "normal" life, if it's possible after what she went through.  She lived to tell her story and by doing so, she may just succeed in helping others and perhaps preventing abuse like this happening to others.

About the book:
Referring to journals written throughout childhood, Twenty-Two Faces: Inside the Extraordinary Life of Jenny Hill and Her Twenty-Two Multiple Personalities documents how as a five year-old, Jenny overcomes ongoing abuse by turning to prayer while utilizing her alter states to compartmentalize trauma at the hands of a master mind-control programmer from Nazi Germany. After suffering deaths of a high school sweetheart, plus her only girlfriend, she somehow completes Army medic training, receives a nursing degree, prepares for a church mission and becomes a mother. Simultaneously led by sex-addict Head Alter J.J., intrepid alters assume frequent control, engaging in larceny and prostitution. With her children, her lifeline, the increasingly desperate nurse escapes a drugged-out pimping husband, blacks out in a job interview, comes to nine days later as an inpatient headed for the Utah State Psychiatric Hospital and only then learns what her life has really been.


About the author:
Judy Byington, M.S.W., L.C.S.W., ret, has dedicated her life to humanizing and raising public awareness about the little known effects of ritual abuse and mind-control programming that tragically cause formation of multiple personalities in children.

The retired CEO, therapist, author and mental health supervisor is founder and leader of Trauma Research Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing information through CEU accredited seminars and lectures on Dissociation and coordinating ritual abuse survivor group, therapeutic and legal resources.

The former mental health supervisor spent twenty years in research with Jenny Hill while interviewing hundreds of ritual abuse survivors, legal entities, therapists, families of missing children and religious, media and community leaders. She works as a consultant on Occult crime with the Utah Attorney General’s office.

With a compelling drive to educate the public on the unimaginable horrors faced by children born into families practicing ritual abuse, Byington continues to pen books about survivors like Jenny Hill who suffer repressed childhood memories of forced participation in rape, torture and murder. Her upcoming book Saints, Sinners and Satan provides a first person account of her own experiences with multiple personality survivors and Occult crime.

You can find out more about the book at http://twentytwofaces.com or at the blog http://www.22faces.com




This book tour is with Pump Up Your Book Virtual Book Publicity Tours.


Thursday, July 26, 2012

Cat Thursday: Cats and Christmas in July



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)


Since it's the last week of Christmas in July, I thought I would share some funny pics of cats in all their Christmas splendor.  You know I love Christmas too so what's better than to combining two of my favorites.  Hope you enjoy them!









Visit my Christmas blog, The Christmas Spirit, to see what I've been sharing for Christmas in July.


Mister Linky's Magical Widgets -- Easy-Linky widget will appear right here!
This preview will disappear when the widget is displayed on your site.
For best results, use HTML mode to edit this section of the post.



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TuesBookTalk Aug/Sept Selection: The Cider House Rules by John Irving


TuesBookTalk Read-a-longs on Twitter (@tuesbooktalk  #tuesbooktalk) and on Goodreads has decided to read a John Irving book for August/September.  Our discussion starts Tuesday, August 7 on Twitter at 9:30pm EST/8:30pm CST.  The last week, we will be watching the film based on the book, by the same name.  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.  Hope you will join us!

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Monday, July 23, 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 also by The Sunday Salon.

Last week was quite eventful as I hosted my High Summer Read-a-Thon.  While the event was a success, I did not get much reading done, although people keep telling me that my pages read in Anna Karenina should really count as two (thanks for that, guys!).

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

After some chatter we had on Twitter during the read-a-thon, I have decided to host a write-a-thon in August or September.  I have to decide when and I'd like your help with that if you're interested in participating.  There is a poll up in the top right sidebar.  Please vote!


I am hosting a Wolf Hall read-a-long with Kai from Fiction State of Mind starting next weekend on August 4.  You can find out all the details HERE.

What I've been reading....


Currently reading:
Twenty Two Faces by Judy Byington (review tomorrow)
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Graceling by Kristin Cashore (for TuesBookTalk...almost finished!)
A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin (yes, I'm still reading this)
Middlemarch by George Eliot (and yes, I'm still reading this too)
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith (will finish this week)

Coming up:
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Not sure what else! Haven't decided.

Finished recently:
Uh...nothing!

Lesley Harrison

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia and is currently on tour. This month's host is Mrs. Q Book Addict.   (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 Magic Window by John M.H. Pratt
Diary of a Part-Time Ghost by Vered Ehsani (Kindle)

Abandon by Meg Cabot...from Jeanmarie Anaya

LIBRARY SALE:
Checkmate by Dorothy Dunnett
Enduring Love by Ian McEwan
Prophecy: The Fulfillment by Deborah A. Jaeger
A Poisoned Season by Tasha Alexander
Valiant by Holly Black
Ironside by Holly Black
The New York Times Large Type Cookbook by Jean Hewitt

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High Summer Read-a-Thon--Updates

***This is a sticky post.  Scroll down for newer content.  Thanks!***


***Scroll down for updates and completed mini-challenges***

My High Summer Read-a-Thon started at midnight.  In case you missed it, my read-a-thons now have a dedicated blog, Seasons of Reading.  If you're thinking that you might want to join us this week, head over there to find out the details and sign in.

I'm not going to officially start reading until later this morning.  I have a ton of reading to catch up on.  I'm so behind on everything.  Still have not finished Middlemarch...ugh! So here goes my list:

  • Middlemarch by George Eliot (finish)
  • Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (catch-up)
  • Graceling by Kristin Cashore (read section for TuesBookTalk)
  • Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith (finish)
I hope I can fit in some other reading this week.  I wanted to read a couple of Ray Bradbury books or possibly something else.  Here are some more I might choose from:
  • The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
  • Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
  • From the Dust Returned by Ray Bradbury
  • The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
  • The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (possibly start)
None of these are set in stone, as I may change my mind where the wind takes me...so to speak.  I'm using this handy little update template I grabbed from my friend, Heather at Between the Covers.

Day 5--mini-challenges and currently reading
Okay, I've been really shabby about updating this week.  Why?  Because I have not read much at all.  My work at home job as a virtual assistant (I started in early June) has been really slow...up until this week.  They had a big project that needed finished and it ate into the first three days of the RAT.  Plus, hosting duties, etc.  I know...excuses, excuses! I'm currently reading Anna Karenina...hoping to get caught up on it.  You can see my progress in the Day 4 update below...

Now to complete some mini-challenges.  This first one is hosted by Nova at My Seryniti. The "Based on the 99 Test" Challenge.  Basically, pick a book that you have on your to read list this week, turn to page 99, read page 99! Now, from that page post in comments or link back to your updates on what you think of the book. Would you continue reading based only on the page 99 test?

Based on page 99 of Graceling by Kristin Cashore, I would definitely continue reading.  This is the section that grabbed me from the page and would make me continue:

"The heat and closeness of the air seemed to bring a lull to Randa's cruelty as well, or perhaps he was merely distracted by the flood of foods and wares that always washed into the city from every trade route at that time of year.  Whatever the reason, Randa did not summon Katsa to perform any of his nasty errands.  Katsa found herself daring to relax into summer's end."

Based on just the above, the reader would be wondering, "What are these nasty errands?"  It would compel the reader to want to read on.  At least it would for me!

This next challenge is hosted by Laura at Book Snob.  Here is the challenge: Take one aspect of your book and show an illustration/picture/photo for it. Then explain it briefly so we know the connection to the book you are reading.  My picture is chosen to represent Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.


In this picture, we see Anna and Vronsky and, of course, the train.  In the book, trains play a significant role.  Early in the book, a man is killed by being run over by the train while Anna, Vronsky, and other characters are at the train station.  Also, I'm not sure if everyone knows this, but the book has a tragic end and it involves a train.  I think this image is very atmospheric.  It is from the 1997 film of the same name starring Sophie Marceau.

Thank you to Nova and Laura for hosting these awesome mini-challenges!

Day 4 (June 19):
  • # pages read: 15
  • # books finished: 0
  • WTD pages: 117
  • WTD books: 0
My final update:

Bad, very bad! Oh well, most importantly, I had fun.  I hope everyone else did too.  I didn't finish any books so I will just post a total of pages read.  That total is 189 pages.  God! That is a horrible total for a week long read-a-thon.  *hangs head in shame*  The pages I read were from Graceling by Kristin Cashore and Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.

If you're reading this update, take a look at the poll in the top right sidebar.  I've decided to host a write-a-thon for those of us writing novels, stories, articles, reviews...whatever you're wanting to focus on writing...and I need your help deciding when.  Thanks!

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Thursday, July 19, 2012

Cat Thursday--Things You Can't Have If You Own a Cat


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)


These are things you probably can't have if you own a cat.  Or if you do, it's a royal pain keeping the cat(s) off, away, etc. from these objects.  Let's face it...some things are a necessity. ;O)



Placemats


Printers
(Alice has destroyed at least
two of my printers!)


Fish


Plants


Toilet Paper


Christmas Trees


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Tuesday, July 17, 2012

No Strings Attached {Give@way} H o p


Welcome to my stop on the No Strings Attached Giveaway Hop! Today I'm giving away a brand new audio book copy of Black Site by Dalton Fury.


About the book:
From former Delta Force commander and New York Times bestselling author of Kill Bin Laden comes the first novel in an explosive new series.


After September 11, 2001, Delta Force troop commander Dalton Fury was given the secret mission to hunt down and kill the most wanted man in the world, the details of which were recounted in his extraordinary New York Times bestseller Kill Bin Laden. Now, Fury draws upon his hard-won combat experience—and his gift for true-to-life storytelling—to offer a brand-new series of thrillers that are as close to reality as readers can get.


Meet Kolt Raynor. A Delta Force operator and one-time American hero, he is still trying to make sense of his life—and duty—after a secret mission gone bad. Three years ago, in the mountains of Pakistan, Raynor made a split-second decision to disobey orders—one that got some of his teammates killed and the rest captured. Now he’s been given a second chance to do right by his country, his men, and himself. But Raynor’s shot at redemption comes at a price.


A shadowy group of former colleagues has asked Raynor to return, alone, to Pakistan’s badlands. His assignment seems clear: find his missing men and bring them home. What Raynor never expected was to uncover a sinister al Qaeda plot to capture a Black Site--a secret U.S.­­ prison--and destabilize the region. Meanwhile, a ruthless, unknown enemy is on his trail…and he will stop at nothing to make sure that Raynor’s mission is not accomplished.


An intense, gritty work of edge-of-your-seat suspense, Black Site is the first of what promises to be one of the most exciting fiction series of the new millennium.


Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Visit the other blogs on the hop!


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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 also by The Sunday Salon.


Since I'm hosting the read-a-thon this week and I'm crazy busy with that and trying to work and read...along with everything else in daily life, I'll try to make this short!

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


The High Summer Read-a-Thon is going on now and it's not too late to join in.  I allow people to join in all the way up until Friday night at 11:59pm CST.  So if you find yourself with some time on your hands, why not join us! You can join the starting line HERE.


I announced this weekend that Kai at Fiction State of Mind and I are hosting the Wolf Hall read-a-long in August through September.  Actual dates are August 4 - September 15.  Visit this POST for all the details and to sign-up.


My annual Christmas in July event at my Christmas blog, The Christmas Spirit, is still going on.  If you love Christmas any time of the year, you'll want to stop by for some fun! I'm also looking for guest bloggers so if you're interested in being my guest during the event, visit the announcement post HERE and find out what all will be going on.



My friends over at Page Turner Book Tours are kicking off their first book tour for Serenya's Song by Mysti Parker.  They're hosting a great competition in conjunction with the tour launch so be sure to stop by and check it out.  You can do so HERE.

To find out what I'm reading this week, visit the read-a-thon sticky post at the top of the blog.


 Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia and is currently on tour. This month's host is Mrs. Q Book Addict.   (You can click the book covers in the BookBox to view the book(s) on Amazon)
BookBox: embed book widget, share book list

FOR REVIEW:
Rebel Puritan: A Scandalous Life by Jo Ann Butler...signed, from the author

WON:
Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland...from Historical Tapestry

Circus Summer by Kailin Gow...from Kindle Nation Daily

From Butterfly-O-Meter Books:
Blood Sisters by Melanie Clegg
I Serve: A Novel of the Black Prince by Rosanne E. Lortz

LIBRARY SALE:
Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland
These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf
Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte
The Last Days of the Lacuna Cabal by Sean Dixon
When We Were Strangers by Pamela Schoenewaldt
The Book of Flying by Keith Miller
The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein by Peter Ackroyd
Black Hills by Dan Simmons
The Book of Dave by Will Self
The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

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Saturday, July 14, 2012

Join Us for the Wolf Hall Read-a-Long!


Kai (Fiction State of Mind) and I decided to host this read-a-long because we have both been wanting to read this Man Booker Prize winning novel, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, for some time.  In light of the recent release of Mantel's second novel in the series, Bring Up the Bodies, we thought we should get up to speed.

About the book:
"Lock Cromwell in a deep dungeon in the morning," says Thomas More, "and when you come back that night he'll be sitting on a plush cushion eating larks' tongues, and all the gaolers will owe him money." 

England, the 1520s. Henry VIII is on the throne, but has no heir. Cardinal Wolsey is his chief advisor, charged with securing the divorce the Pope refuses to grant. Into this atmosphere of distrust and need comes Thomas Cromwell, first as Wolsey's clerk, and later his successor. Cromwell is a wholly original man: the son of a brutal blacksmith, a political genius, a briber, a charmer, a bully, a man with a delicate and deadly expertise in manipulating people and events. 

Ruthless in pursuit of his own interests, he is as ambitious in his wider politics as he is for himself. His reforming agenda is carried out in the grip of a self-interested parliament and a king who fluctuates between romantic passions and murderous rages. 

From one of our finest living writers, Wolf Hall is that very rare thing: a truly great English novel, one that explores the intersection of individual psychology and wider politics. With a vast array of characters, and richly overflowing with incident, it peels back history to show us Tudor England as a half-made society, moulding itself with great passion and suffering and courage.

Dates:
Saturday, August 4, 2012 - Saturday, September 15, 2012

Details: 

  • Start reading on Saturdays, discussion posts will be posted on Fridays.
  • You can do a post and leave your link in the comments, or you can just post your thoughts in the comments of the week's discussion post.
  • We will have an extra day at the end of the read-a-long so the last discussion post will post on Saturday, September 15 and will include wrap-ups/final thoughts.
Reading schedule:

  • Week One (August 4 - 9)--Part One (this may seem like a short section, but there is also an extensive cast of characters and family trees to read through before Part One) 
  • Week Two (August 11 - 16)--Part Two 
  • Week Three (August 18 - 23)--Part Three
  • Week Four (August 25 - 30)--Part Four
  • Week Five (Sept. 1 - 6)--Part Five
  • Week Six (Sept. 8 - 14)--Part Six (with author's note, etc.)
Posting Schedule:
Kai and I will be alternating discussion posts each week on our respective blogs
  • August 10--Part One discussion post (hosted by Kai at Fiction State of Mind   )
  • August 17--Part Two discussion post (hosted by Michelle here at The True Book Addict
  • August 24--Part Three discussion post (hosted by Kai)
  • August 31--Part Four discussion post (hosted by Michelle here)
  • September 7--Part Five discussion post (hosted by  Kai)
  • September 15--Part Six (wrap-up/final thoughts--hosted by Michelle here)
Be aware that if you have not read to the end of the scheduled reading sections each week, there will most probably be spoilers in the discussion posts.

Feel free to grab the button at the top of the post to place on your blog and/or to use in your blog posts.

If you would like to join us, please leave a comment below. We certainly would love to have you with us in the reading of this award winning historical novel.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments or email me at truebookaddictATgmailDOTcom


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Friday, July 13, 2012

Book Nooks (15)


Book Nooks 
*Every weekend* 
Founder: Sasha Soren (Random Magic
Show us something pretty!


Commentary:  I think this is one of the most awesome reading spaces for kids that I have ever seen.  Can you imagine being a child and having a reading area like this?  I wish I had the funds to have something like this for my boys.

Photographer not specified
Location:  This is actually an area in the Kid's Republic picture book store in China
Source:  KRFTD
Join in: Add your own Book Nooks post

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Thursday, July 12, 2012

Once Upon a Read-a-Thon--Reading Plans and Updates

*This is a sticky post...please scroll down for newer content.  Thanks!*


Final Update
Didn't do too hot, but I never do on this shorter read-a-thons.  I read:

101 pages of Graceling by Kristin Cashore
20 or so pages of Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs (basis for the John Carter film...read aloud with my sons)
100 pages of Middlemarch by George Eliot

My first update
So...haven't been doing too hot so far.  On Monday, I had too much work stuff going on so didn't do any reading really.  Today (Tuesday) I read 101 pages of Graceling by Kristin Cashore.  Now I'm reading Middlemarch by George Eliot.  It's a monster!

I decided not to participate in any of the day two mini-challenges.

Day One--Mini-Challenge
This mini-challenge is hosted by IB Book Blogging.

Question 1:
What is your favorite cover that has been revealed this summer and why? Post a link or picture of the cover if you want.


This one is an easy one.  As soon as I saw this cover, I fell in love immediately.  Do I need to explain?  LOL! Being a huge lover of historical fiction, this is the kind of cover that really appeals to me.  Let's face it...the dresses were IT back then.  Put a gorgeous dress on the cover, photograph it right and it's swoon time! This is my favorite book read so far this year.  If you'd like to read my review, go HERE.

Question 2:
Do you rely on the cover to help you choose whether you want to read a book or not?
I am always drawn to covers first.  If I see a gorgeous cover, it automatically leads me to read more about the book.  And yes, I have let the cover sway me on more than one occasion...I admit it. ;O)

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This read-a-thon is being hosted by Pure Imagination, Reading Angel, and Candace's Book Blog.  Of course, I'm participating.  Was there ever any doubt?  lol! I have a lot of reading to get done since I'm so behind, but since I'm working now, it's going to be tricky.  I have a project to work on for work in the morning, but otherwise it's pretty slow since I'm not an Apprentice VA yet.  Here's what I'm hoping to get to:

  • Middlemarch by George Eliot...finish (starting on page 89)
  • Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith...finish (starting on page 141)
  • Graceling by Kristin Cashore...read section on Tuesday for TuesBookTalk (reading pages 82-183)

I'm not going to list anything else at this point because I'm not sure what I want to pick up next, but this will definitely get me started...and I may not be able to get to any others anyway.  I will probably count progress by pages read instead of books read since I'm really only reading portions of books.

Updates (and any mini-challenges I do) will be listed above the intro part of this post daily. 

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