A to Z Challenge - Here we go...

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/2012-to-z-challenge-sign-up-list.html

The A to Z Challenge starts tomorrow!

I am excited, and hopefully prepared enough. The only question is whether I will be successful?!  Given the ever-busy state of my life, it's a bit scary to think I will blog for the next 26 days straight, without fail (except Sundays). But I am determined to be successful this year.

Here we go...

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Friday Faves - 03/30/12

 

Welcome to Friday's Fave Five. It's Friday so that makes it time to look back over our week and look for those things we are grateful for. It may be big or it may be small and you have to dig for it, but there are always things we can be thankful for. Please join us as we share our favorite five. If you need the guidelines they are here. 

1. Daddy's Birthday My father turned 63 this past week. The family enjoyed a nice dinner out on Sunday and then I called him on his actual birthday to sing. He is such a wonderful, outgoing, kind, funny man...I have been blessed more than I can express.

2.  Painless and quick.  I had an annual doctor's appointment this week.  Not only did they get me in and out quickly, but it was essentially painless for the first time ever with this doctor. To explain why would definitely fall into that "TMI" category, so I won't. Let's just leave it at, "for that I am grateful."

3. Not walking around the lake. It just so happens that a woman was jumped for the first time EVER near the very lake that I had been walking around last week. She was walking at like 8pm (dark), alone, on an isolated stretch, walking in an unlit area, wearing headphones, and unaware of her surroundings. Of course, that by no means makes it acceptable, but come on...some common sense please! The cops are, of course, now on high alert and patrolling the area which is good. But I'm just glad I didn't push myself to walk this past week despite the colder weather.

4. Another performance. My a cappella performance this weekend was lots of fun and a total success. There was a tour going on that day for new clients, so we got to sing to a bunch of new folks too.  Now we are taking a couple of weeks off, which is lovely, and regrouping for a totally different kind of gig in May. It's a birthday party and we are free to do whatever music strikes us. We are working up some new songs and are looking forward to trying it out. Can't wait!

5. Another show, another membership drive. We are opening a new show tonight at the Footlight Club, Andrew Lippa's Wild Party. I hear it is fabulous and I am psyched to see it. I am also starting my second annual membership drive. Last year, we beat the previous year's number by a considerable amount. I hope to figure out a way to do as well, or better, this year but I don't have any great new ideas.  Suggestions?

One final thought: I have joined the A to Z Challenge...which starts this Sunday, April 1st and requires a post a day, through the alphabet letters, throughout April. I'm nervous, but excited. Having to blog every day scares me!  Please stop by to see how I actually do and to offer encouragement.

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Teaser Tuesday - 03/27/12

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
 
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
-Grab your current read
-Open to a random page
-Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
-Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 
My Teaser:


"I know I'm not an ordinary ten-year-old kid...

I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse." 

Wonder (R.J. Palacio) - pg. 3

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Monday - 03/26/12

Sheila at Book Journey hosts this weekly event where we celebrate what we are reading for the week, as well as books completed the previous week.


Finally finished The Help!

Seems like I just can't speed up my reading this year, I am just slow... I've just got so much else going on its hard to focus on books for too long!

I'm actually reverting to shorter and young adult books to move the numbers along. How sad is that?! 

 

 

Currently Reading:

Wonder (R.J. Palacio)
 
Just Finished:
The Help (Kathryn Stockett)

On Deck:

Oliver Pepper's Pickle (John C. Picardi)

We the Animals (Justin Torres)

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Friday Faves - 03/23/12

 

Welcome to Friday's Fave Five. It's Friday so that makes it time to look back over our week and look for those things we are grateful for. It may be big or it may be small and you have to dig for it, but there are always things we can be thankful for. Please join us as we share our favorite five. If you need the guidelines they are here. 

1. Spring Break. It's spring break at Tufts. The campus is quieter and calmer than normal. You would think that would reduce my stress, but its still busy.

2.  Summer weather.  I am very much enjoying the little hint of summer we are being given. This weekend, it's supposed to go back to the 50's with just plain sucks. But, summer really is just around the corner!

3. Walking around the lake. One of the best parts of our move is being less than two blocks from a big, gorgeous lake! The surrounding towns are really, really into this lake and keep it well lit and clean. Several days this week, the hubby and I got out and walked (our first walks, since I broke my foot last summer and he would never go alone). It was really nice together time (which we don't tend to get). And though neither one of us is great shape, at least it was a start. The first step is always the hardest, they say.

4. Physics fitness. I used to live a short walk from a beach and could walk five miles up/down the beach every day. And I did!  It's been...maybe six or so years since I lived that near water. Though I lived in the country, the walking choices were down a highway off-ramp and down some fairly dark and desolate country roads, around the condo parking lot, or down the highway by shopping plazas...not much!  But just walking around the lake a couple of days this week was wonderful exercise! I love walking around water and there were tons of folks out and it wasn't at all lonely at all.  It felt great mentally and physically.

5. Another performance. Here we go again, singing this weekend for an assisted living facility. They love us there and we get paid a small stipend, which is really nice!

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Teaser Tuesday - 03/20/12

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
 
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
-Grab your current read
-Open to a random page
-Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
-Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

My Teaser:


"Playing cards is the devil's game," I said. "And I got too much to do already." 

The Help - pg. 251

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Mondays - 03/19/12

Sheila at Book Journey hosts this weekly event where we celebrate what we are reading for the week, as well as books completed the previous week.



Still reading, but slowly...

Currently Reading:

The Help (Kathryn Stockett)

 
Just Finished:
Hazel Creek (Walt Larimore)

On Deck:
Wonder (R.J. Palacio)

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Friday Faves - 03/16/12

 

Welcome to Friday's Fave Five. It's Friday so that makes it time to look back over our week and look for those things we are grateful for. It may be big or it may be small and you have to dig for it, but there are always things we can be thankful for. Please join us as we share our favorite five. If you need the guidelines they are here. 

It was a very ROUGH WEEK last week, so it was hard to focus on the good things, but that makes it even more important to be thankful for what I have...

1. My kitty. Always makes my life a little more sunny, even when the chips are down. She is the oxygen in my breath.

2.  Taxes done.  Nice to get this off my to do list (even though it was the cause of the most stressful part of my week...).

3. Free credit reports... I misplaced my thumb/jump drive which I usually carry in a holder on my keys. I've got a Velcro pouch and have doing it for years, and no problems.  This week though, it has gone M.I.A. And, stupidly, I've got all kinds of personal info on there. I am kicking myself over and over!  We have scoured the house, many times, to no avail. Then I admitted defeat and changed all my passcodes at home and work.  And now I am monitoring all my credit cards and bank accounts. It is all very stressful and made even worse by the fact of my own stupidity! Grr.... If you have an extra one, please send a prayer my way!

4. No shooting. At work I had to be part of the firing of someone, and though I didn't do it myself (and it was overdue and much earned), it's still very hard. Then I had to spend multiple days with the guy cleaning out his old office.  Talk about uncomfortable! Firing someone, even someone for cause, just plain sucks! That being said, I've got to be thankful that the guy didn't go mental and come in shooting the next day. I know how horrible that sounds...but these days, you gotta admit, you never know. So, thank you!

That's 'bout it for now...

Hopefully next week is better.

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A to Z Challenge 2012

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/2012-to-z-challenge-sign-up-list.html

Last year, I signed up for the A to Z Challenge and then, days later, my fiance informed me that we were buying a house. We moved, but the house (an inter-family thing) had a lot of damage. We hemmed and hawed. The family finally arranged to make it a doable/reasonable deal for us. We decided to go for it (knowing we were in for tons of repairs and upgrading).  

Then the bank started giving us a hard time, despite excellent credit (a sign of the times). Finally, we got the OK on the mortgage. 

Then, I broke my foot... Etc., etc.  

Needless to say, I FAILED the challenge MISERABLY! Though I may be a failure, I am not a quitter. So, I am going to give it another shot.  

Sign me up!   

During the month of April, I'll be completing 26 alphabetical posts about...well, who knows?! But I hope to use these blogs to add some fun and entertainment to my blog.

Please come along for the ride. I look forward to your comments and suggestions on how I might become a better blogger, and to making new friends and finding lots of new blogs to follow! 

To get more information about this challenge, visit: AtoZ Challenge

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When She Woke - Jordan

Called a retelling of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter "via Margaret Atwood", When She Woke by Hilary Jordan introduces us to Hannah Payne, who wakes to find her skin bright red and her life changed forever.

Despite growing up in a very religious family, Hannah has always been a bit of a rebel. She spends many hours crafting "inappropriate" dresses and asking "why?", rather than dressing blandly and doing as she is told, as good girls are expected.  So it was not entirely a surprise to her then when she discovers that she has fallen in love with the local Reverend.
What is a surprise, however, is that he has also fallen in love with her. 

Their unacceptable relationship leads a pregnancy that Hannah can not explain.  In a world where a syphilis-like disease has reduced the number of humans greatly and where "...the line between church and state has been eradicated, and convicted felons are no longer imprisoned and rehabilitated but chromed and released back into the population to survive as best they can..." (Amazon), Hannah is convicted of murder via abortion.  

After she is released from her brief imprisonment (during which she is televised live for citizens to watch and enjoy her pain), Hannah finds that she may be her worst enemy, or her best champion. She must learn to forgive herself while reevaluating her values. She is forced to discover who she really is, and not who her family expected her to be,. while creating a life "after".  But the only way through that door is to leave the past behind.

I loved this book. It was not at all what I expected. While it was a futuristic look at the world, it did not harp on that sci-fi stuff that I hate. The story, though it needed the sci-fi stuff for background, really focused on Hannah's emotional growth.


Very enjoyable and well worth the read!

4/5- Great. Push it on your friends and family. 

Book Garden

Booksies Blog

Fyrefly Books

A Circle of Books

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Hazel Creek - Larimore

*This book was an advanced reading copy sent to me, free of charge, for my honest review and opinion.  All comments in this review are the honest opinion of the blogger.

Hazel Creek by Walt Larimore is a sweet story about a family living in the Smoky Mountains in the 1920's. Times are tough, especially on a farm in the mountains, but love abounds and family and friends are aplenty.

Told from the point of view of the eldest daughter, Abbie Randolph, we learn all about the evil-doings of a greedy lumber company and its staff who are trying to strip the mountain for profit, the rules and expectations of "courtin", what a real-life "Haint" (ghost) looks like, and a whole lot about how to love and be loved by the Lord.

I have mixed feelings about this book...

On one hand, the story is lovely and the writing is beautiful.  It easily evokes the vision and feeling of the 1920's Smokey Mountains, forests, creeks and nature.  You immediately fall in love with the Randolph family (especially "Pa" who you cannot help but imagine as Michael Landon on Little House on the Prairie). You quickly fall into the rhythm of their speech and find yourself repeating it to your family unknowingly. You cheer the family as they struggle, celebrate their successes, and lament their sadness.

On the other hand, this was clearly a christian novel.

Now, to be fair, I was better than half way through the book until I noticed it.  The author gently shared the family's belief in God and religion at first, which I totally understood and believed in relation to the story. I was totally comfortable with its inclusion in the story and felt a kin-ship with the family's religion. About midway through, however, the author began to provide Bible references every time someone said something/anything that could be backed up by Bible verses. For me, this got annoying quickly. What a waste!

My other complaint would be the whole book was a bit hokey. I don't read a lot of christian lit, but what I have read has always been too...simple. Just because someone believes in God doesn't mean they are too stupid, lazy or mind-controlled to wrap their minds around anything more than good vs bad, good guy wins. How about a christian story that truly expects the reader to think, to rediscover and/or reevaluate and strengthen their faith?

Overall this is a nice story, though I would expect it would have a limited audience. If you are looking for an easily readable christian lit book, or if you can ignore the religious parts in exchange for the history and feel of the times, its a great book. For others... 

2/5- Just okay.  Choose with extreme prejudice.

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Teaser Tuesday - 03/13/12

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
 
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
-Grab your current read
-Open to a random page
-Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
-Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

My Teaser:


"My face goes hot, my tongue twitchy. I don't know what to say to her. All I know is, I ain't saying it. And I know she ain't saying what she want a say either and it's strange thing happening here cause nobody saying nothing and we still managing to have us a conversation." 

The Help - pg. 35

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Monday - 03/12/12

Sheila at Book Journey hosts this weekly event where we celebrate what we are reading for the week, as well as books completed the previous week.



Finally getting around to reading this...

Currently Reading:

The Help (Kathryn Stockett)

 
Just Finished:
Hazel Creek (Walt Larimore) - ARC Review Coming

On Deck:
uhh...

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Friday Faves - 03/09/13

 

Welcome to Friday's Fave Five. It's Friday so that makes it time to look back over our week and look for those things we are grateful for. It may be big or it may be small and you have to dig for it, but there are always things we can be thankful for. Please join us as we share our favorite five. If you need the guidelines they are here. 

1. Kitty snores. One of the best parts of my day is when I get into bed and settle in for the night. My kitty climbs onto her extra pillow, or into her kitty bed, and falls asleep. I love laying there listening to her snore her little kitty snores...its so heavenly. It makes my little kitty-loving-heart smile!


2. It's done! There are parts of my job that I like and parts I don't. This morning presented me with the need to do one of the parts I HATE! But, its done. And now I can move forward with the rest of the day and the upcoming weekend.

3. Lindt candy!  One of the perks of my job is meeting nice people. One particular incoming student's mom has gone out of her way to be super nice (not sure if she thought it would get her daughter accepted, but since I have nothing to do with that part of Tufts her kindness to me was wasted, though appreciated). Anyway, she yet again dropped off amazing candy treats, this time a Lindt Easter basket. All I can say is "O.M.G.!"

...

...I know there are many more things to be thankful for, but for now this will have to do.

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Teaser Tuesdays - 03/06/12

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
 
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
-Grab your current read
-Open to a random page
-Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
-Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teasers:
 
"That child's eatin' mud pies, Nathan. Don't you feed her?"

"She just wanted to try one Maddie. How are ya?"

"Well, I'm so tired I could scrape it off with a stick." 

Hazel Creek - pg. 165-166


Sounds familiar, how about you...ever feel that dog tired?!

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Monday - 03/05/12

Sheila at Book Journey hosts this weekly event where we celebrate what we are reading for the week, as well as books completed the previous week.

Currently Reading:

Hazel Creek (Walt Larimore) - ARC Review Coming

 
Just Finished:
When She Woke (Hillary Jordan)

On Deck:

The Help (Kathryn Stockett)

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February 2012 ReCap...

Image courtesy of http://www.chaoticcompendiums.com/

February 2012 Update

It feels like February was a slow reading month as well, but I got through five books, one of which was my very first blog tour, which makes it an average month. As usual though, I was really busy and felt like my focus was elsewhere. I guess that is why it feels like I could have read more, if I'd had more time.  Oh well...

Looking forward the coming months as I've got lots of great titles pending!

This month I read:

Total Read: 5
Adult: 4
YA/children's:  1
Abandoned: 0

YTD -7


Including:

Rolling Pennies in the Dark - Douglas MacKinnon

Awkward Family Photos - Michael Bender

A Stolen Life - Jaycee Dugard

Voices of the Dead - Peter Leonard

When She Woke - Hilary Jordan

Challenges:

Memorable Memoirs = 3 of 10+

Support Your Local Library Challenge = 5 of 37+

Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge = 0 of 50 (2011) + 15

E-Book Reading Challenge = 1 of 5

A-Z Book Challenge 2012 = 7 of 26

What's in a Name Challenge = 3 of 5 

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Library Loot - 03/02/12

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire and Marg that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.   

As always, brought home all but the kitchen sink. Only time will tell how many of these I actually get too...

New Loot: 

Moby-duck : the true story of 28,800 bath toys lost at sea, and of the beachcombers, oceanographers,
The night circus : a novel / Erin Morgenstern.
Handle with care : a novel / Jodi Picoult.
You are not alone : Michael, through a brother's eyes / Jermaine Jackson.
Such a pretty fat : one narcissist's quest to discover if her life makes her ass look big, or why pi
The orphan sister : a novel / Gwendolen Gross.
Battle hymn of the tiger mother / Amy Chua.
Girl in need of a tourniquet : memoir of a borderline personality / Merri Lisa Johnson.
A race like no other : 26.2 miles through the streets of New York / Liz Robbins.
Daughters of the revolution : a novel / Carolyn Cooke.
Don't kill the birthday girl : tales from an allergic life / Sandra Beasley.
Tiger, tiger / Margaux Fragoso.
The road / Cormac McCarthy.
Miss Timmins' School for Girls : a novel / Nayana Currimbhoy.
The summer we came to life / Deborah Cloyed.
Joy for beginners / Erica Bauermeister.
Unmeasured strength / Lauren Manning.
The end of country / Seamus McGraw.
The end of normal : a wife's anguish, a widow's new life / Stephanie Madoff Mack ; with Tamara Jones
The help / Kathryn Stockett.
The orchard / Theresa Weir.
Lamb : a novel / Bonnie Nadzam.
We the animals : a novel / Justin Torres.
Greasewood creek : a novel / Pamela Steele.
Oliver Pepper's pickle / John C. Picardi.
The Winters in bloom / Lisa Tucker.

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Friday Faves - 03/1/12

 

Welcome to Friday's Fave Five. It's Friday so that makes it time to look back over our week and look for those things we are grateful for. It may be big or it may be small and you have to dig for it, but there are always things we can be thankful for. Please join us as we share our favorite five. If you need the guidelines they are here. 

1. Back to healthy. Spent this week fighting some sort of throat thing. Glad to finally be feeling a little bit better.


2. Watching cheesy TV. There isn't much better than sitting around on a sick day and watching television that you never get to watch - think Rosanne re-runs and 1980's movies.

3.  Extra sleep.  Another great thing about being sick, sleeping until ten a.m.!  Hell, sleeping more than six hours a night, being sick is worth that alone!

4. Lean On Me. One of the best movies out there! Man comes in and cleans up inner-city school, makes the students love and appreciate him, makes students love and appreciate themselves! You can't go wrong!

5. Snow. Honestly, I hate snow.  I hate winter. I hate cold. But considering the winter we've had: 40-50's, very little snow...I really can't complain. We started the season with a Halloween night storm, and here are (hopefully) ending the season with one more bang. March coming in like a lion, as they say!  Here comes spring!

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