A FEW ANNOUNCEMENTS

Intense Debate has gone the way of the dinosaurs, at least on this blog anyway.  Although I liked the ability to respond to comments from my email, I didn't like always having to attempt login three or four times before I could post a comment AND the periodic disappearance of the Intense Debate comment section and subsequent reappearance of blogger comments.  If this keeps happening, you might as well just stick with the blogger comment system, at least in my opinion.   I apologize for any confusion.

We are having a giveaway at the Historical Fiction Connection for Sins of the House of Borgia by Sarah Bower.  The giveaway ends on February 13 and is USA only.  Go HERE for details and entry.  Good luck!

Exciting news on the TuesBookTalk front! Our next read will be The Last Queen by C.W. Gortner! I have been wanting to read this book...like forever.  Our first discussion starts next Tuesday, February 15, at 10:30pm ET/9:30pm CT on Twitter (#tuesbooktalk).  The discussion schedule and weekly discussion threads can be found at our TuesBookTalk Goodreads group HERE.  I hope you will consider joining us!

IT'S MONDAY...WHAT ARE YOU READING? (and makeshift read-a-thon wrap-up)

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey and this week is the one year anniversary of her taking over hosting.  Congrats, Sheila!

So, I participated in two read-a-thons this weekend and my main goal was to finish Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff...and I did not finish it.  Still reading it! It has been awhile since I've read non-fiction and it's a little slow going.  Not that it's a bad book...it's not.  It's just that non-fiction isn't quite as exciting as fiction is (most of the time) and if a person hasn't read the genre in awhile, it takes some adjustment.

Anyway....

Currently reading:

I have to finish Cleopatra AND The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks (for TuesBookTalk) by tomorrow night...eek! Can I do it?  Well, I'm going to give it the old college try!

After I finish the above, I need to work on finishing The Monk by Matthew Lewis and Quicksilver by Joy Spraycar.

Next in line are...

Captivity by Deborah Noyes
Dante's Journey by JC Marino
Blood and Silk by Carol McKay
Once Bitten, Twice Dead by T. Marie Benchley
The Lucifer Code by Charles Brokaw
The Half-Made World by Felix Gilman

these are all review books left over from 2010 that I MUST finish!

In the future:

I have review books spaced out a little more after I finish the above and I hope to get to my personal reading project of Reading Deliberately...My Way soon.

And what are you reading this week?

48 HOUR READ-A-THON/THE BIG GAME'S ON! READ-A-THON

UPDATE

It's dual read-a-thon time! I'm also participating in Jenn's (Jenn's Bookshelves) The Big Game's On! Read-A-Thon today.  I'm still working on Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff...hoping to finish it and then finish Quicksilver by Joy Spraycar before the night's over.  We'll see how it goes!

I'm attempting to participate in Wallace's (Unputdownables) 48 hour TBR read-a-thon this weekend.  It starts...well, pretty much now, but I'm going out to eat with my family here shortly.  I am taking my first book with me to read in the car though.  Not sure how much I'll be able to read tomorrow because we may go move more stuff from the old house, if my husband and the weather cooperates! Sunday is free though...husband and sons are going to watch the Super Bowl at a friend's house so I'll be free of any disturbance, at least for part of the day anyway.  So, here is what I'm going to attempt to read this weekend:

Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff (this is one I HAVE to finish for a blog tour)

Quicksilver by Joy Spraycar (finish)

Captivity by Deborah Noyes
Dante's Journey by JC Marino
Once Wicked, Always Dead by T. Marie Benchley
The Lucifer Code by Charles Brokaw
The Half-Made World by Felix Gilman

Of course, I know I probably will not get to all of these, but they have been on my TBR stack since Fall 2010 and I really must finish them and get them reviewed.  I'm going to see how well I function on little to no sleep.  HaHa...I know my body will not cooperate.  Oh, yeah...and another thing I have to do tonight.  Hook up and install my new cable internet.  Woot! High speed, here I come!

Are you doing the read-a-thon too?

CAT THURSDAY

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

I came across this amazing pic on LOL Cats and I thought it was all I would share today until....

This is probably one of the funniest lolz ever!

NEWS, ETC.

First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who stopped by with well wishes and feedback regarding my 300 followers post.  You all rock! So, the consensus was that there should be four winners in my four book giveaway and that is exactly what I will do.  You spoke and therefore, I listen...LOL! I am getting the books together for the giveaway so bear with me.  I will have the giveaway post up soon.

In other news, I'm having major internet problems lately so my activity may be more sporadic.  A certain cell phone provider through which I have broadband internet service is providing less than acceptable service and so I have decided to go back to cable internet.  High speed, here I come! No more slow broadband connection...yay!

I am participating in the read-a-thon hosted by Wallace at Unputdownables this weekend.  No surprise there, I know.  Me and read-a-thons are like bread and butter! This is a 48 hour TBR Read-A-Thon going on  from Friday evening until Sunday night, February 4th through February 6th.  This isn't my official sign-up post...I'll do that tomorrow or Friday with my official reading list.  Just want to try to help Wallace get the word out.  If you want to join in on the read-a-thon, go HERE for info and sign-up.

I'm almost finished (I think) signing up for the 2011 reading challenges I want to join.  Just a couple of more I'm considering and then I will share my choices with you.  I'm really trying to control myself this year...honest!

So, that's all for now.  Be talking to you soon!

MAILBOX MONDAY

Mailbox Monday is the weekly meme that allows us to share the bounty in books we received/acquired in the past week.  MM now has it's own blog HERE and is on monthly blog tours, this month hosted by Rose City Reader.

(Click titles for book descriptions on Goodreads)

For review:

Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff...for Crazy Book Tours

These three are from the author, James LePore

A World I Never Made

Anyone Can Die (short stories)

Blood of my Brother

Purchased:

Books I bought with my LivingSocial $20 Amazon gift card for $10...woot! What did you get?

Save the Cat:  The Last Book on Screenwriting That You'll Ever Need by Blake Snyder

The Mayo Clinic Diet by the weight-loss experts at Mayo Clinic

Another few books from my joining of mail order book clubs last month:

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Private Life by Jane Smiley

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

RANDOM MAGIC: VIVE L'AMOUR TOUR, FEB. 1-14

Random Magic Tour: Vive L’Amour

Feb. 1-14, 2011

About: Random Magic

Tour organization: Lyrika Publicis
Tour prize coordinator: vvb32

Contact the tour: @RandomMagicTour

Win a sweet prize!
Play to win: The Language of Flowers
or Love: A Treasury of Verse

Feb. 1

Book Soulmates

Twitter: @BookSoulmates

Top Five: Most romantic flowers

Feb. 2

Books, Sweets and Other Treats

Twitter: @lindsiking

Top Five: Tempting sweets and treats

Feb. 3

The Bookworms

Twitter: @TawniBookWorm

Top Five: Vintage Valentines and quotes

Feb. 4

Romantic Reads - Reading circle

Discover some wonderful stories about love,

handpicked by a great group of international bloggers.

This Miss Loves To Read

Twitter: @MissIrenne

My Love Affair With Books

Twitter: @Misha_1989

A Reader’s Adventure

Twitter: @ReaderAdventure

Willowdust Reviews - Tina’s Book Reviews

Twitter: @BooksAtTinas

Feb. 5

Fiction Folio

Twitter: @taramq

Top Five: Delightful dishes

Feb. 6

The Reading Lassie

Twitter: @ReadingLassie

Top Five: Romantic places

Feb. 7

The Fluidity of Time

Twitter: n/a

Top Five: Aphrodisiacs

Feb. 8

A Reader’s Adventure

Twitter: @ReaderAdventure

Top Five: Fictional lovers

Feb. 9

My Love Affair With Books

Twitter: @Misha_1989

Top Five: Most romantic movies

Feb. 10

The True Book Addict

Twitter: @truebookaddict

Top Five: Most unconventional couples

Feb. 11

Elbit Blog

Twitter: @MeriGreenleaf

Top Five: Mojo magic

Feb. 12

This Miss Loves to Read

Twitter: @MissIrenne

Top Five: Historical lovers

Feb. 13

vvb32

Twitter: @vvb32reads

Top Five: Most romantic poems

Feb. 14

He Said/She Said: Musical blog hop

Romance, flirting, mad passion,

melancholy regret and bitter heartbreak…

Find songs that share every nuance of love

from male and female points of view,

on this sweet musical blog hop!

Music hop menu (courtesy vvb32)

vvb32

Twitter: @vvb32reads

Willowdust Reviews - Tina’s Book Reviews

Twitter: @BooksAtTinas

Elbit Blog

Twitter: @MeriGreenleaf

This Miss Loves To Read

Twitter: @MissIrenne

The True Book Addict

Twitter: @truebookaddict

Fiction Folio

Twitter: @taramq

The Bookworms

Twitter: @TawniBookWorm

Join me on the 10th for my Top 5 Unconventional Lovers and on the 14th for the music hop...and don't forget to check out the rest of the tour.  It's sure to be a romantic romp for Valentine's season!