Book Nooks (7)

Book Nooks 

*Every weekend* 

Founder: Sasha Soren (Random Magic) 

Hosting through April 2012: The True Book Addict (@truebookaddict)

Show us something pretty!

Commentary:  I love this! The simplicity is wonderful.  If it was in my house though, it would have to be a no kid zone! Kids and white DO NOT mix. *L*

Cottage-inspired reading nook by Rate My Space user LaylaPalmer

Source:  Design Happens at HGTV

Join in: Add your own Book Nooks post 

Cat Thursday: Authors and their Cats (8)

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)

The second Cat Thursday of each month is Authors and their Cats Thursday.  Each time I will feature an author and their cat(s).  Today I have for you....

You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm. ~Colette, in New York World-Telegram and Sun, 1961

Colette and her kitty muse....

Colette as her own kitty muse....

Discover the perfume inspired by The Book of Lost Fragrances

M.J. Rose is asking if you've ever smelled a story? 

“He struggled to separate out the notes he recognized from the ones he didn’t, searching for the ingredients that gave the blend its promise of hope, of long nights and voluptuous dreams, of invitation and embrace. Of an everlasting covenant ripe with possibility. Of lost souls reunited.” —The Book of Lost Fragrances

Discover the perfume inspired by The Book of Lost Fragrances 

Pre-order The Book of Lost Fragrances by M.J. Rose and we'll send you a free sample of Âmes Soeurs, the Scent of Soulmates. This exclusive fragrance, inspired by the novel, was created by Joya Studios and is not yet for sale. Joya’s Âmes Sœurs hints of Frankincense, Myrrh, Orange Blossom and Jasmine. It’s smoky uncommon finish suggests the past and the future, and lost souls reunited.

Just use one of the links at http://mjrose.com/fragrances/scent.asp and follow the directions there. 

Offer ends March 1, but pre-order now since we have a limited number of supplies! US and Canada only.

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The Book of Lost Fragrances has received terrific advance praise:

Selected by Indie Booksellers for the March 2012 Indie Next List. 

Selected by Publishers Weekly as one of the Top Ten Mystery/Thrillers Spring 2012 

"From 18th-century Egypt and France to present-day Paris, New York, and China, Rose's deliciously sensual novel of paranormal suspense smoothly melds a perfume-scented quest to protect an ancient artifact with an ages-spanning romance. A complex plot that races to a satisfying finish." — Publishers Weekly, Starred and Boxed Review 

" A sensuous thriller combined with a heartbreaking love story.” — Karen Briggs at Great Northern Books & Hobbies in Oscoda, MI

"A spellbinding love story and historical novel of mystery, reincarnation, ancient Egypt. Being immersed in Rose's fictional world is one of those times when you don't want to come back to the real world." —Susan Wasson of Bookworks, Albuquerque, NM 

"Smoothly blends historical events, compelling characters, and international intrigue into an absorbing and thrilling ride through the centuries." —Library Journal

Wicked Winter Read-a-thon

***This is a sticky post for read-a-thon updates.  Scroll down for newer content***

LOOK FOR WRAP-UP BELOW--ENDING TOTALS


Starting line:
Here I am...doing another read-a-thon.  Yes, I am obsessed! I'm planning on reading all day today.  Not sure how much I'll get in on Saturday, as I have plans with my mom (going to see The Woman in Black...woot!), but I will also be reading all day on Sunday as well.  Of course, when I say reading all day, I mean in between dealing with the kids and my constant (bad) habit of wasting time.  LOL! I've also decided to take the lead from one of my newly discovered blog friends, Jillian at A Room of One's Own, who participated in my read-a-thon last week.  She elected to not participate in any mini-challenges, but instead focused on the reading and that is exactly what I will be doing for this read-a-thon.  However, I will be checking in on Twitter at the Wicked Winter hashtag, #WWReadathon.  If you would like to join in on this read-a-thon, you can still sign up through midnight EST on Saturday.  Visit HERE for more info and for sign-up.

So, what will I be reading?

• The Secret History by Donna Tartt--today, I will focus on finishing this book.  I'm only 23 pages in.
• Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell--still working on catching up for read-a-long
• The Crown by Nancy Bilyeau--book tour review on Monday
• Wild Mind by Natalie Goldberg--one of the writing books I'm hoping to get read.
• If I manage to complete the above, by some divine miracle, there may be others.

Updates:

Friday 2/3
One word....FAIL
Book:  The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Start Page:  27
End Page:  29
Books Completed:  0
Challenges: N/A

Saturday 2/4

Didn't get any reading done

Sunday 2/5

Book:  The Crown
Start Page: 1
End Page:  125
Books Completed: 0
Challenges:  N/A

Ending Totals: 

Books Read:  0
Pages Read:  128
Challenges:  N/A

So, did pretty shabbily.  =O(  I've actually felt quite under the weather late Saturday and all day Sunday so I was feeling pretty weak and run down and kept falling asleep every time I would get to reading.  Oh, well...better luck next time.  Thanks, ladies, for hosting again.

Thanks to Melissa from Must Read Faster for this update template.

Book Review: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

My thoughts:
I truly thought I would love this book.  I didn't. *she says as she runs from classicists aiming to kick her ass*  I really wanted to like it too.  I had seen a couple of film versions and I love the story, but I just could not get into Hawthorne's writing in this book.  I found myself skimming large sections of rambling text.  One thing I will say is that Hawthorne did succeed in making Roger Chillingworth (aka Hester's long lost husband) a thoroughly disgusting character.  I remember watching the most recent version of the film with Demi Moore (ugh) as Hester and Robert Duvall as Prynne/Chillingworth.  Duvall portrayed the character very well.  Every time he was on the screen, my skin crawled.  Now I can see that his portrayal was quite close to the spirit of Hawthorne's character.  As my skin crawled watching him in the movie, so it did as I read of him in the book.  Of course, I can't fault the book on its themes.  It is a commentary on the rights of women during Puritan times and the strength of a woman to endure the constraints put upon her by those times.  As seems the case over and over is that the woman is set to endure the great trials and succeeds, but the man is weak and cannot endure.  Perhaps a treatise on the true strength of women is one of the underlying messages here.    So although I say I did not like this book, I can still recognize its importance in our canon of classic literature.  I have yet to read The House of the Seven Gables, The Marble Fawn, and others of his works, but I will not allow my feelings about The Scarlet Letter dissuade me from reading them, as I've especially heard that The Marble Faun is excellent.  We shall see...

About the book:
Set in the harsh Puritan community of seventeenth-century Boston, this tale of an adulterous entanglement that results in an illegitimate birth reveals Nathaniel Hawthorne's concerns with the tension between the public and the private selves. Publicly disgraced and ostracized, Hester Prynne draws on her inner strength and certainty of spirit to emerge as the first true heroine of American fiction. Arthur Dimmesdale, trapped by the rules of society, stands as a classic study of a self divided.

Reading Challenges

A Belated Remembrance....

Every year, on January 22, I take a moment to remember and recognize one of my favorite actors, Heath Ledger, who was taken from us much too soon on that date in 2008.  Unfortunately, I missed the date this year and I'm very upset with myself.  Heath, if you can hear me, please know that I may have forgotten the date, but you have not been forgotten.  I now pause with a moment of silence in honor of him......Heath, you will be remembered always.

My son, Gabriel, was partly named for Heath's character in the film, The Patriot.  Here's a shot of Heath as Gabriel in the film.

Cat Thursday

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


It's February already?  I thought my butt was getting sore and my thumbs are numb! (this so reminds me of my sons...can I just say that I'm not too fond of video games)

Hi there...Alice here.  We were tagged by Ann and Maggie at McGuffy's Reader.

1. Describe yourself in seven words:
Mom:  kind, thoughtful, funny, smart, nerdy, bookish, procrastinator
Alice:  friendly, adventuress, silly, gorgeous, snarky, smart, clumsy, photogenic
2. What keeps you up at night?
Mom:  night owl-itis
Alice:  Mom's night owl-itis
3. Who would you like to be?
Mom:  a famous writer
Alice:  the cat that gets to run around outside
4. What are you wearing now?
Mom:  pajama bottoms and a t-shirt
Alice:  My sleek black coat and my beautiful eyes
5. What scares you?
Mom:  Something happening to my sons
Alice:  Nothing...I'm fearless!
6. The best & worst of blogging:
Mom:  The community, Cat Thursday, blogging about my love...books.  The worst?  The back log of review books (which I brought upon myself)
Alice:  Cat Thursday  Worst?  My paws won't work on the computer keys...no hacking  =O(
7. The last website I visited:
Mom:  Pinterest
Alice:  The True Book Addict
8. The one thing I would change about myself:
Mom:  Become less of a procrastinator.
Alice:  stop trying to run outside, which worries mom to death
9. Slankets: yes or no?
Mom:  If this means like a Snuggie...hell, yes! Especially when I'm really cold and still working on the computer.
Alice:  I was just kneading and lying on mom's Snuggie tonight!
10. Something about the one who tagged me:
Mom:   Ann, a fellow book blogger and cat enthusiast, is one of the nicest people I've met since I've been blogging.  She's a regular Cat Thursday participant and I look forward to visiting her blog every week.
Alice:  Maggie is about as gorgeous as me, which means we could be fast friends.  I think our black and white coats would look fabulous together too.  The kitty fashionistas!

Now we will tag:
All the Cat Thursday participants today.  If you feel so inclined to participate, please do so.  Would love to see what your answers will be!