TuesBookTalk May Selection: The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

TuesBookTalk Read-a-Longs on Twitter (@tuesbooktalk  #tuesbooktalk) and on Goodreads will be reading, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe, in May. Our first discussion will be on Tuesday, May 7.  Our chats take place on Twitter at 9:30pm ET/8:30pm CT on Tuesday nights (see hashtag above).  If you can't join us on Twitter, feel free to share your thoughts in the Goodreads group.  Get the full reading schedule HERE.  Hope you will join us!

Read-a-Thon: Reading Plans and Updates

Sticky post for read-a-thon updates. Please scroll down for newer content. 

Updates in body of post. (Spring into Horror updates continue below the Dewey updates)

DEWEY UPDATES AND MINI-CHALLENGES--IN THE BODY OF THIS POST.

I'm hosting the Spring into Horror Read-a-Thon over at Seasons of Reading this week. You can still join us. You can do that HERE.

I'm hoping to get a lot of reading done this week. Dewey's 24 hour Read-a-Thon is Saturday and for once, I will not be going anywhere so I just might do better than I normally do for a 24 hour read-a-thon. I'm also considering participating in the Weekday Read-a-Thon on Wednesday, hosted by Love at First Book and The Book Wheel, where you just try to read more than you normally would on a weekday. We shall see! All of my reading plans below will count for all three read-a-thons. My updates will appear below also. On with the goodies:

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty--my scary title for this week
Night Demon by Lisa Kessler--finish reading
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier--catch up for TBT read-a-long
Crime and Punishment--catch up for U read-a-long
The Arrow Chest by Robert Parry
Silk Road by Colin Falconer
Lifetime of Achievement: 7 Goal Setting Strategies that Work by Jordan Maylea Ramirez--for book tour on Friday

Updates:

Monday
Books Finished Today: 0
Total # of Books Read:  0
# of Pages Read today:  50
# of Pages Read for week: 50
Books Read So Far: 0
Currently Reading:  Night Demon by Lisa Kessler
Notes:  Of course, I got sick so my reading has been sub par. =O(

Tuesday

Books Finished Today:  0
Total # of Books Read:  0
# of Pages Read today:  67
# of Pages Read for week:  117
Books Read So Far:  0
Currently Reading:  Rebecca
Notes:  Still struggling. Hoping to do better tomorrow.

4/24--Weekday Read-a-Thon started today. I'm hoping to finish Night Demon, catch up on Crime and Punishment, and start The Exorcist.

Wednesday

Books Finished Today: 0
Total # of Books Read: 0
# of Pages Read today: 70
# of Pages Read for week: 187
Books Read So Far: Parts of Night Demon and Rebecca
Currently Reading:  Night Demon
Notes:  Failed miserably at the Weekday Read-a-Thon, but had fun at the check-in chats

Thursday

Books Finished Today:  1
Total # of Books Read:  1
# of Pages Read today:  106
# of Pages Read for week: 293
Books Read So Far:  Lifetime of Achievement by Jordan Maylea Ramirez (review)
Currently Reading:  Night Demon
Notes:  I finished a book! A short one, but still...

Friday

Books Finished Today: 0
Total # of Books Read: 1
# of Pages Read today:  38
# of Pages Read for week:  331
Books Read So Far:  Lifetime of Achievement by Jordan Maylea Ramirez
Currently Reading:  Night Demon
Notes:

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon Updates and Mini-Challenges (see my reading plans and snacks HERE)

End of Event meme

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?  
I made it to hour 21 (about 3:30am CST). It proved to be the most daunting and I promptly fell asleep!
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?

Well, The Exorcist  was pretty eye opening, even at first, though I didn't get far into it. I know not many people read horror though.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

None.
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?

You had some awesome hosts this year!
5. How many books did you read? 

one
6. What were the names of the books you read?

Night Demon by Lisa Kessler and a small percentage (32 pages) of The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
7. Which book did you enjoy most?

I really enjoyed Night Demon.
8. Which did you enjoy least?

not applicable under the circumstances
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?

Not a cheerleader, though I visited quite a few blogs
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?

I will probably participate again, especially if I'm able to be home all day like I was this time. I will probably be a reader again.

Haiku

A demon's afoot
A little girl will be lost
the priest will save her.

Casting Couch

Book:  Night Demon by Lisa Kessler

Character:  Lukas Stanislov-- a Night Walker, a vampire/shape shifter hybrid of Russian descent.

Actor:  Louis Garrel-- I just found this guy after putting 'dark haired actors' in the Google image search. He's dreamy! He is actually French, but he has a Russian look to him, I think.

Note:  Lisa Kessler, who is a friend of mine, has her own ideas of who should play Lukas...Goran Visnjic, which I can't disagree with, but I didn't want to steal her idea. ;O)

Cooking the Books

The Eggsorcist--a chef creates extraordinary dishes to coax out the hidden flavor of the egg. With recipes like Split Pea Soup and Eggs and Green Eggs and Ham Florentine, the true nature of the egg is finally revealed.

(in case it isn't obvious, the book is The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty)

Mid-Event Survey and Update #1

1) How are you doing? Sleepy? Are your eyes tired?

Of course, I keep getting sleepy. Eyes are a bit tired actually. Hmmm.
2) What have you finished reading?

Nothing yet, but only lack about 50 pages until I finish Night Demon and then on to The Exorcist. Perfect for night reading!
3) What is your favorite read so far?

I've only been reading one book so can't really answer that. 
4) What about your favorite snacks?

Kind of boring...Sour Skittles and Bold flavor Chex Mix
5) Have you found any new blogs through the readathon? If so, give them some love!

Not yet.

Best and Worst Covers

I'm reading the 40th anniversary edition of The Exorcist on my Kindle. This is the cover. It's kind of sophisticated looking, but I think it should be more creepy or in your face then this.

This is the original cover, I think. Published in 1971. It's okay. It has a mildly creepy vibe.

This is the version I think I like the best. It's the 1984 mass market paperback edition. I like the way it shows the morphing from the girl to the demon.

Self-Portrait

It has been a rough morning. That's what I get for #DrunkHP last night.

Book Appetit Mini-Challenge

Menu for The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

I think you can guess the theme I'm going for here:

Appetizer

Entree

Dessert

Bon Appetit!

Introductory Questionairre

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?

Nashville, TN
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

Sour Skittles...LOL
4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

Since this RAT is all about the books, I'll tell you that my home library numbers at 3000+ books. Plus, I love my two sons and my two cat daughters. ;O)
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?

The one thing I'm doing differently this time is participating almost the entire 24 hours. Previously, I always had something going on over the weekend so could only do about 12 hours, give or take.

Saturday

Books Finished Today: 1
Total # of Books Read:  2
# of Pages Read today:  172
# of Pages Read for week: 503
Books Read So Far:  Lifetime of Achievement and Night Demon
Currently Reading:  The Exorcist
Notes:  I didn't do as well on the 24 hour RAT as I'd hoped, but I had fun. Hope to finish The Exorcist today (Sunday) on the last day of the read-a-thon!

Sunday

Books Finished Today:
Total # of Books Read:
# of Pages Read today:
# of Pages Read for week:
Books Read So Far:
Currently Reading:
Notes:

Help choose the book--Classics Club Post-2000 "Modern Classic" Read-a-Long #cceventsched

Okay, so I'm supposed to be hosting this read-a-long in May and I had the poll up in my right sidebar, but votes keep disappearing so I'm going to do this in a post. I'll list the titles and you place your vote in the comments. I will keep a tally beside each title in the post. There were already two votes for Never Let Me Go so if you voted for that book previously, please do not vote again. I have tallied those votes. The votes that disappeared were two for Fall on Your Knees which I am also tallying because I voted for it and my friend, Heather (Between the Covers) did too. Thanks for bearing with me during this Blogger "add a gadget" poll glitch!

1. The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble
2. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters  1 vote
3. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
4. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro  6 votes
5. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
6. Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald  2 votes

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon!!!

Okay, so here we are at another 24 hour read-a-thon. And this is the first time I will actually be home the entire 24 hours (well, except for when I'm picking up/dropping off my sons at friends' houses). Yay! So, here are my snacks:

Oops! I didn't mean for you to see that! Leftover from my #DrunkHP (translation: Drunk Harry Potter) excursion last night on Twitter. LOL!

Now that's more like it! This is just a small sampling. I'm also going to be putting boneless chicken in the crockpot in the morning...Chicken Barbecue sandwiches!

Now, on to the reading materials! I'm already participating in my own Spring into Horror read-a-thon this week so my updates for that and Dewey's will be in the sticky post at the top of the post section. 

My top priority is to read this little gem:

Yes, how's that for scary?

Last minute addition
Trying to finish Night Demon by Lisa Kessler

And then, if there's time...

It's on, like Donkey Kong! (yeah, still a little tipsy from #DrunkHP)

Okay, bye!

{Book Tour} Review--Lifetime of Achievement by Jordan Maylea Ramirez

My thoughts:
This slim little volume may very well become my bible. It's funny how simple things, things we already think we know, seem to click that light bulb on in our heads just by stating and outlining simple concepts. That's what this book does.

The book focuses on seven strategies to achieve our goals and they are all solid guidelines for those of us who struggle with goal setting and implementation. I am a master at procrastination. A book like this, referred to often, is the ticket I need to regularly work to overcome my "put it off until tomorrow, Scarlet" mindset.

The strategies that really spoke to me the most were Create a Plan of Action, in which you break your goals down in 90 day (seasonal, really) increments. Instead of making New Year's resolutions once a year, you make, work toward, and reevaluate your goals every 90 days. Ramirez also advocates creating a visual "map" which I love. Dealing with Fear was great because, let's face it, we all deal with fear when it comes to the goals we set, even if it's a small fear. The best thing to always be thinking is, "What's the worst that can happen?" If I write this story/novel, yes, it might be rejected, but then again, it might not. You can't let fear stop you from possibly experiencing that it won't be rejected. Ramirez says that "FEAR IS: False Evidence Appearing Real." Telling, isn't it? I think this last one is my favorite: Never Ever Quit. Yes, we might fail time and again, but the point is to never give up. We need to always hold onto that childhood mentality of the sky's the limit. This passage from the book nearly brought me to tears (yes, I'm an emotional wreck):

Do you remember what it felt like to be that age? Do you remember with what kind of anticipation you would respond when someone asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" You couldn't wait. Being grown up was going to be awesome.

So what happened? Where did it go wrong? At what point did you take those dreams and place them in a box at the back of the closet to gather dust? At what point did you say to yourself, "Well, that would be nice...but it will never happen."

I believe it can happen. I believe it does happen for those who are too stubborn or too stupid (or maybe a little bit of both) to put their dreams in that box. I believe your dreams should be displayed proudly on the shelf where you can look at them every day and say with confidence and expectation, "That is where I am headed!", but you will never get there if you quit.

I want to display my dreams on the shelf! I want to say to myself every day, "That's where I'm headed!"...and I will. Ramirez also included in this chapter a favorite quote of mine from Theodore Roosevelt:

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

Awesome!

"The best days of your life, regardless of your age, should be the days ahead; the days you have not yet lived," says Ramirez. I wholeheartedly agree! A lifetime of achievement is to have your dreams, strive toward those dreams, to not be afraid of the journey, and to never quit that journey. If you're searching for something to help you along on your journey, get this book. I know it will now be a constant resource in my life.

About the book:
There are too many people going through life content with mediocrity. People going to jobs they hate, to buy things they don’t need to impress people they don’t like. People who are dreading Monday, looking forward to hump day and praying for Friday; and let’s not even talk about those two weeks of paid vacation… those are gold!

How long have we been this way? Is this really what life is all about? I don’t believe we were created to be content with a mediocre lifestyle we never wanted in the first place. What happened to being a rock star, an astronaut, or an actor? What happened to the hopes and dreams we each had as children? Perhaps, over time, our dreams have changed… but our propensity for dreaming is still inside us.

Lifetime of Achievement outlines seven goal-setting strategies to help get you from where you are to where you want to be. In its chapters you will find knowledge from some of the worlds most popular personal development masterpieces, taken down to a level that is easy to read and simple to understand.

Learn the steps to discovering who you truly are, creating goals in perfect alignment with that discovery and implementing an action plan that, when followed, has been proven to produce results. Learn how to conquer fear, to activate the powers of the human mind and discover two of the most important factors shared by virtually every successful individual throughout history.

This book takes proven strategies and puts them into an easy-to-read, easy-to-implement format that can be read in as little as a few hours. Discover the steps, put them to work, and become prepared for a Lifetime of Achievement!

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

Book Excerpt:

Time has a funny way of passing whether we are prepared for it or not. The sun continues to rise and set, signaling the beginning and the end of another day; what we do with the time that passes is up to us.

Fate. Chance. Luck. We live in a time where these words are passed around like a “get out of jail free” card; relieving people of the burden of personal responsibility. Instead of believing our choices shape our future, we turn a blind eye and believe the common thread connecting those successful people in our world is nothing more than some lucky gene one is either born with, or not.

What a horrible way to live!

People skirt the idea of personal responsibility because it frightens them. The idea of owning each and every one of our mistakes can be a tough one. What people miss though is the unexplainable freedom, joy and liberation that can come with the simple act of becoming responsible for your life!

It was right at 5 years before writing this book that the idea of personal responsibility took hold of my psyche. At that point, I had dabbled in personal development for several years, begun my own business and experienced very little real success. The idea began with a seed planted by my therapist (yeah, I’m not kidding.) when he said to me, “You are responsible for your own happiness. You must become your own secure base in this world.”

The idea confounded me. It took hold and, before long, began to grow rapidly as a result of the books I began reading and the philosophy I began to adopt into my life. Do you hear the freedom in those words? YOU are responsible for your own happiness. YOU ARE! Not your family, not your friends. Not your circumstances, not your environment. You! You are responsible!

About the author:
Jordan lives with her husband Robert in Lubbock, Texas with their 3 dogs and two horses. Because both her parents have always been self-employed, she had an entrepreneurial spirit from an early age and began her first business at the age of 17. It was at that time that she first became fascinated with the subject of personal development and the impact a personal education can have on a person’s life. She grew up riding horses and competing in Dressage shows all across Texas and New Mexico. The sport continues to be one of the primary passions in her life and if she is not working or spending time with her family you can usually find her at the barn. Jordan has two younger siblings, Clayton and Paige, whom she is very close to, and she greatly enjoys spending time with her family. She and Robert enjoy entertaining friends at their home (especially during football season – Go Red Raiders!) and they love to travel the world and experience new countries and cultures together.

Her latest book is Lifetime of Achievement.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

This is a Pump Up Your Book Book Tour: Visit other blogs on the tour TOUR SCHEDULE.





A copy of this book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for providing it.

Cat Thursday--Random Funnies and Bookish Kitties

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 just really laughed at this one. Can you believe how that bean bag just conforms to the cat's body? Hilarious!

Cats that look like male models? Yes, please! I especially loved this one, of course!

see the rest here: 12 Cats That Look Like Male Models

This one....

In honor of my read-a-thon and others going on this week...

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.

A Reading Life--Busy week...read-a-thons galore!

I'm going to forego my normal A Reading Life post because 1) I'm hosting a read-a-thon this week and 2) I'm coming down with a cold...or something...again. Third time this year. Give me a break, please!

So, to see what I'm reading this week, you can take a look at the sticky post at the top of the post section. I have some good ones on my plate this week.

I wanted to mention that there is a poll up in the top of the right sidebar to vote for the Post-2000 "Modern Classic" we will be reading for my Classics Club read-a-long in May. Please vote if you think you would like to participate. This will be my first time to host a Classics Club inspired event so I'd love it to be a success.

You can still join us for the read-a-thon this week. Just click the links in the sticky post above. Also, next week starts my third write-a-thon, Sit Down and Write 3. You can find out about it and sign up HERE.

Hope everyone has a great week! You can see my Mailbox Monday goodies below.

***********

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia and is being hosted by MariReads this month. (You can click the book covers in the BookBox to read book descriptions on Amazon)

FOR REVIEW/BOOK TOURS:

Confessions of Marie Antoinette by Juliet Grey....from HFVBT for book tour

LIBRARY SALE:
Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende
The Sixth Wife by Suzannah Dunn
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Bonnie by Iris Johansen
Robocopalypse by Daniel H. Wilson
Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris

Random Read-a-Thon: Plans and Updates

Wrap-Up:
About 50 something pages in Night Demon by Lisa Kessler
12 pages of Crime and Punishment

Told you it was going to be a busy weekend. Not much time for reading.

***********

I kind of have a busy weekend, but I'm still going to participate in this read-a-thon. You know me...I can't resist. This will segue nicely into my Spring into Horror Read-a-Thon which starts Monday.

What I'm going to read:

• Catch up on Rebecca for TBT read-a-long
• Catch up on Crime and Punishment for U read-a-long
• Night Demon by Lisa Kessler

I think that's it. Don't want to get overly ambitious. ;O)  My updates (if I get around to them...I'm terrible) will appear below the image above.

Upcoming events hosted by me!

The Spring into Horror Read-a-Thon is just three days away! Hosted by me over at the Seasons of Reading blog, the only requirement is to read one scary book during the read-a-thon. It doesn't have to be horror...gothic mysteries, paranormal, thrillers all qualify. The rest of the read-a-thon you can continue reading scary stuff or read other genres. Easy peasy!

Find out all the information and sign up HERE.

I'm still seeking prize donations so if you know of any one willing and/or authors looking to promote their book, have them contact me via the contact form in the tabs section above.

Sit Down and Write 3 is coming the first two weeks of May. This write-a-thon is designed for all writers, whether you're working on a novel or other creative writing, or a blogger just wanting to catch up on book reviews or other blog posts. I'm hosting at my writing blog, Stories Inside. Get all the details and sign up HERE.

In May, I am hosting a Post-2000 “Modern Classic" read-a-long, a Classics Club event. Possible titles I'm considering are The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble, Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, Fall on your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald, or A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. I'd like you to help me decide so I've created a poll. It's in the top of the right sidebar. Voting will be open for about a week. I hope you will vote and think about joining me!

Come and join me! The more the merrier. =O)