Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, totally worn out and screaming,
"WOO HOO, what a ride!"

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Giving thanks


The last few months have been a strange mix of good and bad events in our life. We've suffered our share of losses (as we all do) but we will be fine. We have terrific family and friends who are always there to support us. Of course the holiday season seems to amplify situations and although it will be different for us this year it will always be special.

Hubby is still unemployed but we are lucky to be able to pay our bills and keep a roof over our heads. We don't plan to do much for gift giving but that has never been a big priority for us. We are enjoying the extra time we have together and with the grandkids. Since we aren't in a rush and planning around long work days we get to have the munchkins spend the night more often, enjoy a Grandparents' Day lunch with the kindergarten class, bake cookies and make Christmas ornaments on a lazy afternoon, wander around the children's room at the library... It's all good.

I've been absent here because I've had a stubborn computer virus. I haven't been able to blog but I think we finally have that problem solved. We have plenty of snow and winter weather already. Fortunately I have a cozy fireplace and a big pile of books that's just begging to be read and hopefully reviewed. (I prefer my hammock but that's been stored away until spring.) Although I've been a bit out of touch I hope all is well with you and your families.

May you have many blessings, great books to read and loving people to share them with. I know I do and I have much to be thankful for this year!

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/489344315732946717/


Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Close Ups answers #16


I just spent five days with my favorite aunt. She only lives two hours away but we don't always get enough time together. Two years ago she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. She has had her ups and downs and it's not curable but she is currently doing well (knock wood). My mom (her sister) has had an  incurable form of leukemia for eighteen years and cancer is a biggie on that side of the family. Fortunately we have some tough chicks and I am amazed and inspired by their courage and strength.

I had a wonderful visit and it was great to have girl time. We didn't watch much TV or use computers but we talked a lot, read a lot, lounged and were lazy. I missed home very much but am so glad I got to go and I look forward to doing it again. Precious moments with a very special person!

Now I'm back to blogging. So did you guess what this was?











 Answer: My mailbox!



A point goes to:
Enbrethiliel
bermudaonion
Kaye
stacybuckeye

Friday, October 25, 2013

Close Ups #16


Here's another close up from one of my photos. Join in by adding your guess in the comments below. Don't be afraid to try! There is no penalty for wrong guesses and there might even be some book-type prizes along the way. Comments will be hidden until I reveal the answer Sunday. What do you think this is?



Thursday, October 24, 2013

Beautiful Library Chairs



Do you have furniture like this in your library? Some of these look like lots of fun and some just look down right uncomfortable. Check out more on this Flavorwire article Beautiful Library Chairs for Literary Abodes by Alison Nastasi (10/20/13)

Bookinist - movable reading chair
 Bookinist - moveable reading chair designed by Nils Holger Moormann


library chair
OpenBook - upholstered chair by TILT

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Close Ups answer # 15


Yep, I'm behind again.
So did you guess what this was?












Answer: a pumpkin lid (and the pumpkin)! My boys decided it would be fun to use it for target practice.  And this is what's left of it. 


A point goes to:
bermudaonion
Jenn, Jenn & Jenni
Enbrethiliel
stacybuckeye

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Close Ups #15



Here's another close up from one of my photos. Join in by adding your guess in the comments below. Don't be afraid to try! There is no penalty for wrong guesses and there might even be some book-type prizes along the way. Comments will be hidden until I reveal the answer Sunday. What do you think this is?

My life


Hard times have hit my household and it has us in a bit of a tizzy. Three weeks ago my husband had a sudden death in his family and the funeral and all that goes with it was an interesting mess to say the least. Family drama and all that... Then last week Hubby went back to work after his lunch break and was informed that a business decision had been made and he was being let go from his job as an assistant manager of 14 years. He lost all of his benefits and our family health insurance was cut off the next day. I have been disabled for several years due to chronic illnesses and pain syndromes and have never been able to return to my job.The government shut down has also made it hard to access some of the different agencies we need to contact for various things. It's so frustrating!

I'm not sure why I'm sharing this since you are my book buddies and I don't share much personal information here. Maybe just to vent. And because you are all so kind and fun to chat with. We will get through this, it's not the worst thing that's happened to us and we do count our blessings every day. I'm optimistic that we will come out of this better than before. Although we are scrambling to reorganize our lives and make new plans, I am looking forward to getting back to reading and blogging. I have lots to catch up on here. I have books to read, reviews to post and a giveaway coming right up. Thank you for your patience and understanding. I hope you are all well and enjoying a peaceful and happy Autumn. Thanks for listening.

Friday, October 4, 2013

Close Ups answer #14


We had an unexpected death on my husband's side of the family so I've had one helluva week. Sorry for the delay.

So did you guess what this was?
















Answer: an Autumn leaf! This is a maple leaf from my backyard.  We live in the boonies with lots of  land around us and it's absolutely beautiful here, especially this time of year. It just makes me sad to know we have months and months (and months) of cold snowy weather coming right up.


A point goes to:
Cindy Smith
Enbrethiliel
Kaye

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Close Ups #14



Here's another close up from one of my photos. Join in by adding your guess in the comments below. Don't be afraid to try! There is no penalty for wrong guesses and there might even be some book-type prizes along the way. Comments will be hidden until I reveal the answer Sunday. What do you think this is?

Yes!



Monday, September 23, 2013

Close Ups answer #13


During this first Autumn weekend I was lucky enough to celebrate my 27th anniversary with Hubby and friends, attend a lovely wedding and also have some fun time babysitting my grandson Monkey Boy. I hope your weekend was enjoyable as well!

So did you guess what this was?














Answer: It's a lei! This was from the high school graduation party in July for my beautiful niece. Here she is posing with one of their boxer dogs. Aren't they both gorgeous girls?


A point goes to:
Jane Hanbury
Lenore Webb
bermudaonion
stacybuckeye
Bingo
Enbrethiliel

Top 10 challenged titles of 2012


www.bannedbooksweek.org

The 10 most challenged titles of 2012 were:
  1. Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey
    Reasons: Offensive language, unsuited for age group
  2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
    Reasons: Offensive language, racism, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group
  3. Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher
    Reasons: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, suicide, unsuited for age group
  4. Fifty Shades of Grey, by E. L. James.
    Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit
  5. And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson.
    Reasons: Homosexuality, unsuited for age group
  6. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini.
    Reasons: Homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit
  7. Looking for Alaska, by John Green.
    Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group
  8. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
    Reasons: Unsuited for age group, violence
  9. The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls
    Reasons: Offensive language, sexually explicit
  10. Beloved, by Toni Morrison
    Reasons: Sexually explicit, religious viewpoint, violence

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Close Ups #13


Here's another close up from one of my photos. Join in by adding your guess in the comments below. Don't be afraid to try! There is no penalty for wrong guesses and there might even be some book-type prizes along the way. Comments will be hidden until I reveal the answer Sunday. What do you think this is?

Monday, September 16, 2013

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday (started at The Printed Page and now a traveling meme) is at Notorious Spinks Talk Books this month and is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I definitely haven't been doing this every week but I haven't needed to. I tried to have a lighter load for summer and spend as much time as possible outside. These are some of the goodies that came in the last two months. I hope you've had plenty of great reads at your house!

The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg
For review from Goodreads First Reads (arc)
Mister Max: The Book of Lost Things by Cynthia Voight
For review from NetGalley (ebook arc)
Deadtown by Nancy Holzner
From Paperback Swap
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Free with coupon from Kobo (ebook)
The Troop by Nick Cutter
For review from Goodreads First Readers (arc)
The Angel Stone by Juliet Dark
For review from LibraryThing (arc)
Sky Jumpers by Peggy Eddleman
For review from NetGalley (arc)
Rude Bitches Make Me Tired by Celia Rivenbark
For review and giveaway from St. Martin's

Close Ups answer #12


So, did you guess what this was?
















Answer: The mushy apples in my driveway! They fall off the trees and split apart on the gravel driveway. Then we run over them with the cars. And our dogs play with them and eat them. And my kids and grandkids hit them with tennis rackets, golfclubs, baseball bats... We have other trees with yummy apples that are great for baking but these just seem to clutter the yard and smell like bad cider!


So many people got this right!
A point goes to:
Enbrethiliel
bermudaonion
Jill Buck
Kaye
Lenore Webb
stacybuckeye

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Saturday Snapshot

 Saturday Snapshot (originally hosted by At Home with Books) is now hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. To participate in this meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
 My youngest son is 20 years-old and a few months ago got a great job 2 hours away as a welder. He loves it and is quite happy but it's a bit unnerving when your baby boy sends this photo home!


Yep, he's high off the ground and I don't like it one bit. But I'm very proud of him and trust him to stay safe and work hard. And I hope and pray - a lot!

On a lighter note, we took The Princess to her first dance class this week. She's taking tap and ballet and loved it! Grandpa and Monkey Boy went for a walk while I waited. I made the kiddos pose first, of course. That's what grandmas do!


Thursday, September 12, 2013

Close Ups #12



Here's another close up from one of my photos. Join in by adding your guess in the comments below. Don't be afraid to try! There is no penalty for wrong guesses and there might even be some book-type prizes along the way. Comments will be hidden until I reveal the answer Sunday. What do you think this is?

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Close Ups answer #11


Arrggghh!!! I'm having computer issues this week. Spam and nuisance junk is popping up and slowing things down. Every time I think I got rid of it something new pops up. I feel like I'm wasting computer time trying to figure that out instead of fun stuff. Oh well, I'll get it eventually...

So, did you guess what this was?














Answer: Corn on the cob! A favorite at our house and The Princess is chowing down  on steak and corn at a summer cookout!



 A point goes to:
bermudaonion
Enbrethiliel
Cindy Smith

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Close Ups #11



Here's another close up from one of my photos. Join in by adding your guess in the comments below. Don't be afraid to try! There is no penalty for wrong guesses and there might even be some book-type prizes along the way. Comments will be hidden until I reveal the answer Sunday. What do you think this is?


Happiness is...




Monday, September 2, 2013

Close Ups answer #10


We had a few hectic days here because my granddaughter (The Princess)  had some complications from her recent tonsillectomy and spent some time in the ER and the last two days in the hospital. Monkey Boy and the dog stayed with us and kept us busy! She came home today and test results will be in next week. Hopefully she will be able to attend the first day of kindergarten Thursday.

So...
Did you guess what this was?















Answer: a flower (Orange Lily)

A point goes to:
Kaye
stacybuckeye

Friday, August 30, 2013

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Why Children's Books Matter


The New York Public Library is hosting a free multimedia retrospective  in the Stephen A. Shwarzman Building until 3/23/14. The exhibit is entitled The ABC of It: Why Children's Books Matter and it includes more than 250 books, art pieces, etc.

Today's Publisher's Weekly (8/29/13) features a great article Children's Books and Beyond: A New Exhibit Draws Unexpected Connections with more information and photos. I've never been to the NYPL but I would LOVE to go!

An art piece modeled after Milo's toy car in The Phantom Tollbooth.

A Where The Wild Things Are  installation.
(Exhibit photos by Jonathan Blanc)

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Close Ups #10



Here's another close up from one of my photos. Join in by adding your guess in the comments below. Don't be afraid to try! There is no penalty for wrong guesses and there might even be some book-type prizes along the way. Comments will be hidden until I reveal the answer Sunday. What do you think this is?

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Mini Reviews - Benny Immura series by Jonathan Maberry


I don't review library books as often as my own books. It would take me forever to get any finished! But these are some recent reads that were really good and deserve a little attention so here are my mini reviews.

Rot & Ruin (Benny Immura #1) - Jonathan Maberry

This was a book I picked up from a display at my library. I'm so glad I did! It's the first book in a young adult dystopian/post apocalypse series. Although "zombies" are a large part of the story the main theme is how the characters have learned to make a life since the world changed fifteen years earlier. Towns are few and far between and the lifestyle is self sustained, similar to early settlers. The pace is fast with plenty of action and the story is very interesting. The characters are well established with a firm foundation and room to grow. I hope they get that chance in this new world. I could not put this book down!



Dust & Decay (Benny Immura #2) - Jonathan Maberry

The action continues in another fast ride with more character development. We learn more background from the people introduced in the first book and meet some new characters in this one, none of them are boring. Whether you like them or hate them, be prepared to feel strong emotions.  The zombies aren't the worst enemies out there. The living conditions are harsh and sometimes brutal but there is humanity and hope. I wish this series had been around when my boys were younger!

Flesh & Bone (Benny Immura #3) - Jonathan Maberry

I'm reading this one now and almost finished. Wow! Another amazing story! The chapters are often short and end with cliff hangers that won't let you put the book down. They alternate between characters so you really have to keep reading. The living conditions are still brutal but in some new ways. There is plenty of violence but within the context of the story, not gratuitous or obscene. The emphasis is still about hope, friendship and old fashioned good vs. evil. Another intense and thrilling read.

Fire & Ash (Benny Immura #4) - Jonathan Maberry

The final book in the series. The release date was moved up from 9/13 to 8/13/13! I hate for it to end but I can't wait to see what happens. My library system doesn't have it listed yet but I am reserving this ASAP and looking for more books from this author. Love these creepy covers!

Author site