Reading Schtuff

Read-A-Thon: A Winter's Respite

2012-01-23T08:29:00.000-08:00

For a lark and because I'm going on a mini vacation this week, I saw this post for a read a thon and thought I'd participate because it's such a short one! It's called A Winter's Respite and began at midnight Jan 23 and lasts until this Sunday! I've got some time on an airplane where I hope to get some reading in!

I saw this post just after midnight CST (thanks Martina) so signed up right then and read for a bit before bed. I was on page 225 of my current book, Bastion Falls and I hope to finish it today and move on to either the next Lee Child book which I can use for one of my group tasks on Goodreads or perhaps the first Discworld book, The Color of Magic or something else. My TBR is so huge and I have so many choices, sometimes it's hard to decide! I'd take a picture of my bookshelf for the mini challenge, but alas I cannot!

Join me!!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - Jan 10 2011

2011-01-10T20:57:00.000-08:00

Its been awhile since I posted for this but its a new year and time for another edition of It's Monday! What Are You Reading which is hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books.

The Past- I just finished Blackout by Connie Willis which I didn't find to be as enjoyable as I expected it to be. The premise was great but I ended up being slightly disappointed!

The Present - Currently I'm reading One Hundred Years of Solitude (P.S.) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Its a book I've been wanting to read for a long time and I'm almost halfway through it. If I ever have another child, I plan to name him Aureliano or Jose Arcadio.

The Future - I already know what my next book is and that's a rarity for me! I got it yesterday from my bestest lender. The Last Pope by Luis M. Rocha. Its part of my Backpacking Through Europe challenge on the Reading with Style group I belong to on Goodreads. After that, The Black Sun by James Twining. I can plan what to read after all!

Happy Reading!

New Year, New Challenges

2011-01-07T09:56:00.000-08:00

Well its a new year folks and I won't talke about some of my challenge fails for next year...okay, so I only read 79 books instead of the 100 I wanted too. But I was close and am trying that one again.

I must tell you about this website that I love. Goodreads. I joined in November and love that I can keep track of the books I've read, books that I want to read and I can join groups that have like interests...and challenges. (Pssst, goodreads is hosting a "How many books can you read?" challenge for 2011). If you want to check it out, come and find me - we can be friends!

I also, signed up for T4MC - Part 5 again but I haven't really looked at too closely until oh, today. I like this challenge because you can basically make almost any book you read fit into a category and there's really no pressure! Looks like I have 70 points! Here are the categories and what I've done so far:

FIVE POINT CHALLENGES:

Read a book by your favourite author - Happy Ever After (Bride Quartet, Book 4)
Read a YA book
Read a book written in 2010
Read a book with a colour/color in the title - Blackout
Read a book set in any country other than your own

TEN POINT CHALLENGES:

Read a book with any ‘family’ name in it. Eg: Father, daughter, uncle, etc.
Read a book you’ve read before
Read a fantasy book - The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicles, Day 1)
Read a book a book you’ve been meaning to read for ages
Read a book set in the same country you live in

FIFTEEN POINT CHALLENGES:

Read a book written before you were born
Read a book suggested by a blog
Read a book set in a country/place you’d like to visit - Faithful Place: A Novel
Read a book about a person who is still alive (Memoir, bio, auto-bio, etc)
Read a book that is the first in a series - Something from the Nightside (Nightside, Book 1)
TWENTY POINT CHALLENGES

Read a book about a person who is passed (Memoir, bio, auto-bio, etc)
Read a classic you’ve never read before
Read a book you need to read for another challenge - Somewhere In Time

Read a book of short stories

Read a book with a food in the title

T4MC - Part 4 Update

2010-09-16T10:45:00.000-07:00

Updating my T4MC - Part 4 challenge! As of August 31, I had 95 points and going strong!

5 Point Challenges

Read a chick lit book - Sea Swept (Chesapeake Bay, Book 1)

Read a book with a proper name in the title

Read a historical fiction book

Read a book with a one word title - Tripwire (Jack Reacher, No. 3)

Read a book made into a movie

10 Point Challenges

Read a book with a Civil War theme (any country)

Read a Biblical fiction book

Read a hardcover book - Fever Dream

Read a book about a king or queen

Read a book set in France

15 Point Challenges

Read a book by an author you’ve never read before - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Vintage)

Read a biography or autobiography

Read a book with a number in the title

Read any book and then post a review

Read any book but read it outside

20 Point Challenges

Read a book in a series AND the one after it - Death Masks: A Novel of the Dresden Files (The Dresden Files, Book 5), Blood Rites: A Novel of the Dresden Files

Read a book that was a winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction - The Shipping News

Read a book considered Christian fiction - The Magician's Nephew

Read a book from The Modern Library Top 100

Read a book by an author born in July, August, September or October - The Girl Who Played with Fire (Vintage) by Stieg Larsson

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - Sept 13, 2010

2010-09-13T10:28:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile but I'm back - at least for this post anyways! Even in my absence,I've been reading, have you? Well check out One Person's Journey Through A World of Books and her great blog for this week's contributers!

The Past:

I finished up just this past weekend, Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy Bundle: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. I highly recommend this series to everyone! Very intense, very good characters and a very good read, all 3 of them! Go read them now!

Also highly anticipated and read last week was the final book in The Hunger Games, Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games). This one had a bit of a different tone but I was happy enough with it. This is another series that I highly recommend!

For my T4MC, I needed to read a book that has won a Pulitzer Prize so I chose The Shipping News (Paperback) by Annie Proulx. It was different, can't say that it was a favorite of mine and now I'm anxious to see the movie and Kevin Spacey's portrayal of the main character.

Oooh, I almost forgot that I started a new fantasy series by Robin Hobb with book 1, Assassin's Apprentice (The Farseer Trilogy, Book 1). It was good and it has been awhile since I read any fantasy. I have the rest of the series on my TBR shelf!

On Tap:

Also for my T4MC, I am reading a biblical fiction book. Anne Rice's Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt: A Novel. While I've read many of Rice's novels including her Vampire and Witch chronicles, this is out of my comfort zone but it was recommended to me by my boss so I thought I'd give it a shot!

Next Up: Not a hot clue. Suggestions?

T4MC Wrap Up Post!

2010-07-14T13:45:00.000-07:00

Wrapping up my T4MC challenge with this post!! I finished at the end of June with 205 points and was pleased to have been able to do all the 20 point challenges! Next up, Part 4!

5 Point Challenges
Read a book by an author you’ve never read before - The Maze Runner (Maze Runner Trilogy (Hardback))- James Daschner
Read a book with a one word title - Deeper - Megan Hart
Read a book with an animal name in the title
Read a book with a proper name in the title - Jack: Secret Circles (Repairman Jack)- F. Paul Wilson
Read a fantasy

10 Point Challenges
Read an ‘Austenesque’ book - Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance - Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!
Read a book with a two word title - The Touch - F. Paul Wilson
Read a book that is part of a series - Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom (Book 1) - Julie Kenner
Read a book about a real person
Read a mystery

15 Point Challenges
Read a book written in the 60’s (any century)
Read a book with a number in the title - The 13th Apostle - Richard & Rachael Heller
Read a book by an author born in March, April, May or June. - An Enemy of the State (The LaNague Federation, Book 1) F. Paul Wilson
Read a book with a three word title - Vision in White (The Bride Quartet, Book 1) - Nora Roberts

Read a book by an author with three names - Beyond the Highland Mist (Highlander, Book 1)- Karen Marie Moning

20 Point Challenges

Read a book with over 500 pages - Labyrinth - Kate Moss
Read a book with a four word title - A Wedding in December: A Novel- Anita Shreve
Read a book by two authors - Ciao Bella: A Novel - Gina Buonaguro & Janice Kirk
Read a book written in the 70s (any century) - The Murders of Richard III - Elizabeth Peters
Read a book that has been number one on the NYT Best-sellers list - The Last Song - Nicholas Sparks

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? July 12, 2010

2010-07-12T10:45:00.000-07:00

Hello there, its sure been a while and while I haven't been posting, I sure have still been reading. This meme is by Sheila at her Book Journey Go and check her blog out!

Currently:

I'm heavy into The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and absolutely loving it!! So far, highly recommended and I can't wait to find out what happens!

Recently:

Last week I finished Fever Dream, which is the latest in the Special Agent Pendergast series by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child. I found the story to be a bit different than the others but just as enjoyable.

I also recently read the first Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child, Killing Floor (Jack Reacher, No. 1). Another Jack in my life and I ate it up! I've got the next one, Die Trying (Jack Reacher, No. 2) on tap but am not sure if that's going to be my next book or not!

I won, in a blog giveaway, Ciao Bella: A Novel, which is a love story set after the second world war. A few plot twists and its not as predictable as you first might think!

So, what have you been reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - May 24, 2010

2010-05-24T19:47:00.000-07:00

Today in Canada its Victoria Day (or affectionately known around these parts as May long) in which we celebrate Queen Victoria's birthday. It was a grey day here in Winnipeg, perfect for reading of which I got to do not much of. But that's okay, the day is not over yet!

I did, however remember about this meme hosted by Sheila at One Persons Journey Through A World of Books in which we share our most recent and upcoming reads!

Pastly:
I was a reading whore last week, burning my way through the first 3 books of Nora Roberts Bride Quartet. The first one is Vision in White (The Bride Quartet, Book 1) which of course got me hooked and left me wanting more but with the generous help of a good friend who kindly downloaded book 2 Bed of Roses (The Bride Quartet, Book 2) to her Kindle, I was able to get my fix. Lastly, my hubby visited my local library and snagged Savor the Moment (The Bride Quartet, Book 3) off the Express Bestseller shelf and delivered it to me at my place of employ. You know the saying, don't you "Happy Wife, Happy Life". So far, a quite enjoyable series but I will need to be waiting til the fall for book 4 Happy Ever After (The Bride Quartet) which I'm fairly sure will be worth waiting for.

Currently:
For my T4MC, I needed a book by an author read in March, April May or June and after looking around for a bit, I finally had a facepalm moment and went to my old standby of "The Man" F. Paul Wilson and am currently reading An Enemy of the State (The LaNague Federation, Book 1) and so far, so good.

Nextly:
My boss is reading the first Jack Reacher novel Killing Floor (Jack Reacher, No. 1) and is loving it so I think that's going to be next. That or I have a few other options for my T4MC which is winding up soon!

How about you?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - May 17, 2010

2010-05-17T08:51:00.000-07:00

Once again, its Monday (how does that keep happening?) and time for this great meme hosted by Sheila over at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books! This is a great meme to check out what other people are reading!

The Past:
I just finished reading California Demon: The Secret Life of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom (Book 2) and really enjoyed this second in the series! Very entertaining in many ways!

Now:
After reading a recommendation, I picked up this from the library Vision in White (The Bride Quartet, Book 1). I enjoy most of her books that I've read so far and am looking forward to this series.

Looking Forward To:
I must be under a big rock because I didn't know this was coming out (or else I knew but forgot which is quite likely) but I cannot wait! Love, love this series: The Devil Colony (Sigma). I love thriller and have read many and most just don't cut it like the Sigma Force novels, IMHO.

And...*and*...Aloysius...Fever Dream. This is another one I cannot wait for!

So, what's up for you in the book world?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - May 10, 2010

2010-05-09T21:42:00.000-07:00

I missed doing this meme last week and just had to do it this week. Hosted, as always, be Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. It's a great way to find out what other people are reading. Check it out!

The Past:

It took me a while, but I finally finished The 13th Apostle which I only found to be just okay. Another of those books that didn't develop the characters to make them believable to me.

The Present:

For some reason, I had a tough time deciding what to read next. I scoured my TBR pile and finally came up with California Demon: The Secret Life of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom .(Book 2). I recently read the first one in the series and really enjoyed it. I think any Mom could relate to some aspects of this story, told in a humorous way. Very entertaining!

So...what are you reading this week?

100+ Challenge

2010-05-09T21:17:00.000-07:00

Don't know if I'll make it but this looks like fun to try anyways!! The 100+ Challenge!! Join me!!

I checked when I got home and so far this year I've read about 66 books so I've a few more to read to reach this goal for 2010!

Here's my list of 100 books to be updated as I read them. I have a paper list here at home including the number of pages of each book and when I started and finished each but I won't include that here. Edit: I will include the date of finish after all. Why not?

1. City of Ashes - (Jan 1-3) Cassandra Clare
2. A Good Woman - (Jan 3-4) Danielle Steel
3. The Crystal Skull - (Jan 4-9) Manda Scott
4. Keepsake Crimes - (Jan 9-11) Laura Childs
5. Ground Zero - (Jan 11-12) F. Paul Wilson
6. Born in Fire - (Jan 13-15) Nora Roberts
7. The Woman in Black - (Jan 15-18) Susan Hill
8. Born in Ice - (Jan 18-20) Nora Roberts
9. The 5 Greatest Warriors - (Jan 20-25) Matthew Reilly
10. Born in Shame - (Jan 25-26) Nora Roberts
11. Thirty Nights With A Highland Husband - (Jan 26-28) Melissa Mayhue
12. Daughter of the Forest - (Jan 29-Feb 4) Juliet Marillier
13. Summer Knight - (Feb 5-9) Jim Butcher
14. Black Hills - (Feb 9-13) Nora Roberts
15. Axis - (Feb 14-23) Robert Charles Wilson
16. Highland Guardian - (Feb 24-Mar 1) Melissa Mayhue
17. A Wedding in December - (Mar 1 - 4) Anita Shreve
18. Jack: Secret Circles - (Mar 4 - 5) F. Paul Wilson
19. The Touch - (Mar 7-11) F. Paul Wilson
20. Labyrinth - (Mar 12- 28) Kate Mosse
21. The Maze Runner (Maze Runner Trilogy (Hardback)) - (Mar 29 - Apr 3) - James Dashner
22. The Peabody- Ozymandias Traveling Circus & Oddity Emporium (The Adversary Cycle) - F. Paul Wilson
23. Beyond the Highland Mist (Highlander, Book 1) - (Apr 5-7) - Karen Marie Moning
24. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance - Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem! - (Apr 8-14) - Jane Austen & Seth Grahame-Smith
25. The Last Song - (Apr 14-16) - Nicholas Sparks
26. Deeper - (Apr 17-19) - Megan Hart
27. Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom (Book 1) - (Apr 19-26) - Julie Kenner
28. The 13th Apostle - (Apr 26-May 8) - Richard & Rachael Heller
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It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - Apr 19, 2010

2010-04-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

Ah, once again it's Monday and time for my favorite meme hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. This is a great place to find out what other people are reading.

And for the first time in a post, I'm going to try out the Amazon Associates program. Its pretty simple from what I understand - if you visit one of my links and purchase the item, I earn money off the sale. Since I always link to Amazon anyways, I thought why not give it a try.

Last Week:

Well, I finally finished reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance - Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem! I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either and there were moments that had me laughing out loud but I definitely struggled through it, so much so that it might be a while before I read the "prequel" Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls (Quirk Classics: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) , if I read it at all. This book did, however qualify as an Austenesque book for my T4MC, a challenge which I am loving!

Also for my T4MC, I read The Last Song which I really enjoyed! It had me bawling like a baby and now I can go see the movie guilt free! I prefer reading the book before seeing the movie. IMHO, the book is always better!

I'm pages away from finishing another book for T4MC, (I'm on roll, what can I say?) Its my first Megan Hart read, Deeper. I heard good things about it and I'm enjoying it but its definitely not a book you want your kids to pick up and read a few pages out of curiousity!

Next Up

My friend recommnded this series to me and purchased and read the first two and said she really enjoyed them! Since soccer is my life, it sort of fits: Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom (Book 1)

After that, I'm not sure. Maybe The 13th Apostle. It all depends what tickles my fancy at the time.

How about you? What are you reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - Apr 11, 2010

2010-04-11T21:53:00.000-07:00

It's Monday again and time for the What Are You Reading Meme hosted by Sheila .

Last week

Beyond the Highland Mist by Karen Marie Moning. I enjoyed this one and look forward to reading more in the series.

Currently

I started Pride and Prejudice and Zombies right after finishing Mist....and am still slogging through it (page 184). I can't decide as to whether or not I'm enjoying it but I've been advised that its definitely worth it in the end so I'll keep at it. If nothing else, it does make me laugh.

Up Next

I think I'll read one of Megan Hart's books next. That's my plan right now but who knows what mood will strike when I finish Zombies.

How about you?

Oh, and next October I plan to participate in the Dewey's 24 hour Readathon! I came across this too late this time around but I think it looks like great fun. I'd have to farm my children out for this time as getting anything done with them around is near to impossible!

T4MC - Update!

2010-04-07T10:36:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to do one update for all my challenges but have been having some issues so here's an update for just this, T4MC. I'm at 55 points currently!

5 Point Challenges

Read a book by an author you’ve never read before - The Maze Runner - James Daschner
Read a book with a one word title
Read a book with an animal name in the title
Read a book with a proper name in the title - Jack: Secret Circles - F. Paul Wilson
Read a fantasy

10 Point Challenges

Read an ‘Austenesque’ book
Read a book with a two word title - The Touch - F. Paul Wilson
Read a book that is part of a series
Read a book about a real person
Read a mystery

15 Point Challenges

Read a book written in the 60’s (any century)
Read a book with a number in the title
Read a book by an author born in March, April, May or June.
Read a book with a three word title
Read a book by an author with three names - Beyond the Highland Mist - Karen Marie Moning

20 Point Challenges

Read a book with over 500 pages - Labyrinth - Kate Moss
Read a book with a four word title - A Wedding in December - Anita Shreve
Read a book by two authors
Read a book written in the 70s (any century)
Read a book that has been number one on the NYT Best-sellers list

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - April 4, 2010

2010-04-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

I missed last week as I was on vacation but I'm back for this segment of What Are You Reading hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey through A World of Books.

The Past:

- I finally finished reading Labyrinth by Kate Mosse. It was long but reasonably enjoyable.
- I also read Maze Runner which I had heard many good things about and while I liked it, I didn't like it as much as I expected too. Not enough character development for my liking maybe.
- I finally finished my first Kindle book too! The Peabody-Ozymandias Traveling Circus & Oddity Emporium and found it to be another excellent book dealing with The Otherness.

The Present:
- I started to read Beyond the Highland Mist by Karen Marie Moning and am enjoying it so far at 100 pages in. It is not only a time travel novel, but it is first in a series so satisfies 2 reading challenge requirements for me - boo-ya!

So...what have you been reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - Mar 15, 2010

2010-03-14T19:57:00.001-07:00

Okay, its that time once again - its Monday! Oh how I love Monday's...NOT! But this meme from Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books makes it a little bit better!

Last Week

I finished The Touch and really enjoyed it and can't wait to find out how it comes into play later in the series!

Currently

I picked a book to satisfy one of the 25 point categories on T4MC so I'm now reading Labyrinth by Kate Mosse. Its a doozy at almost 700 pages and I've heard both good things and not so good things about it so we'll see.

What about you? What are you reading this week?

Prolific Blogger Award

2010-03-10T20:06:00.001-08:00

Natalie at The Book Inn has awarded me another award! Thanks so much for thinking of me, Natalie. Sorry I'm late in posting this.

A Prolific Blogger is one who is intellectually productive… keeping up an active blog that is filled with enjoyable content.

1. Every winner of the Prolific Blogger Award has to pass on this award to at least seven other deserving prolific bloggers. Spread some love!

2. Each Prolific Blogger must link to the blog from which he/she has received the award.

3. Every Prolific Blogger must link back to This Post, which explains the origins and motivation for the award. Passing it on to:

Emily @ A Few Good Books

Aleksandra's Corner

Jennifer @ Crazy for Books

Shon @ Me, My Book and the Couch

Just Book Reading

Amy @ Ramblings of A Librarian Assistant

Laurel @ Rainy Days and Mondays

Book Blogger Hop

2010-03-10T10:23:00.000-08:00

The is being hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books! Details are below but check out her website for more info and to join the blog hop!

Hey book bloggers! Every day I seem to find another book blog that I start following. In the spirit of the Friday Follow, I thought it would be cool to do a Book Blog Hop to give us all bookies a chance to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on!

Now, I follow a lot of blogs and I haven't seen this feature yet, so if someone else is doing a Book Blog Hop, please let me know!! I don't want to step on any toes or anything!

So, if you'd like to participate, just repost this, sign MckLinky below, and check out other blogs in MckLinky! Let's connect and make new book bloggy friends!!I'll try to make a nifty graphic to go along with this, but give me another week to get that done! :)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - Mar 8, 2010

2010-03-07T20:39:00.001-08:00

Hosted by Sheila at her One Person's Journey Through Books blog, its time to let everyone know what you've been reading this week and yes, its not quite Monday yet. Deal! :-)

Last Week:

- A Wedding in December - Anita Shreve
- Jack: Secret Circles - F. Paul Wilson (have I ever mentioned how much I *love* Repairman Jack?)

Currently:

- The Touch - F. Paul Wilson. I'm still in "Jack" mode even though this isn't technically Jack and then:

Upcoming:

- The Peabody- Ozymandias Traveling Circus and Oddity Emporium again by "The Man" F. Paul which I'd started reading on a friend's Kindle until I noticed it was sort of introduced in Secret Circles and the timeline puts it *after* the The Touch and me being very anal about reading things in order...

After that, who knows, whatever strikes my fancy at the time. How about you, what are you reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - Mar 1, 2010

2010-03-01T12:12:00.000-08:00

The start of a new month, the potential (I hope) beginning of spring and a new Monday for reading! Its hosted by Sheila over at Book Journey so check out what everyone else is reading this week!

Last Week:

The Olympics really got in my way but I finally managed to finish Highland Guardian by Melissa Mayhue and it was my *only* read of the week. I have to say that I did not enjoy this book quite as much as the first one in the series. I found the characters to be somewhat lacking or something was missing, I don't know exactly what it was I was looking for.

Currently:

Since I'm still waiting on hubby to *ahem* finish the next Young Jack book, I'm delving out of my comfort zone on my next book. Back in University, I took many literature courses and read a variety of books, some of which I really liked and some of which I never care to remember ever again (Middlemarch...ugh).....

WAIT!!! Stop the Presses! I've been informed that my current line of writing might be in error. I was going to read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen but it has been pointed out to me that I've already read it back in one of those University classes. Oh well, so much for my plan and back to the drawing board...

A little while later....

After sorting and looking through my available books, I have decided to read A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve. I've read a couple of her other books - The Pilot's Wife which I really enjoyed and another which was just so-so until the very last page and BAM - what an ending! This is a library book so I can count it in my library challenge and for one of my requirements for T4MC. Maybe when I'm finished this one, young Jack will be ready for me.... :-)

Blog Award!

2010-02-27T13:14:00.001-08:00

I've received another blog award and this one's from Darlyn over at Darlyn & Books! Thanks for thinking of me Darlyn!

For this award the recipient must:

1.Thank and link to the person that gave you the award.

2.Pass this award on to 15 bloggers you've recently discovered and whom you think are fantastic

3.Contact said Blogs to let them know they've won

4.State 7 Things about yourself!

Okay so 7 things about myself....hmmm, lesseee.

1. I'm partially blind in my left eye due to my mother contracting the German Measles when she was pregnant with me. I can see fine and drive but 3D movies are totally lost on me. Epic Fail on those.

2. When I was 12, I went to the National YBC Bowling Championships representing the Bantam girls from Manitoba. After being in last place going in the final day of competition, we managed to rally to win the silver medal.

3. I can't sleep without my body pillow which is a habit I picked up when I was pregnant with my daughter so when we travel, it comes with us. Its the bane of my husband's existence.

4. I have a half sister named Jesyka who I don't know nearly as well as I should for reasons beyond both of our control.

5. I love most reality tv shows, something I got hooked on with the first season of Survivor.

6. There is no number 6.

7. Reading is one of my passions and I taught myself to read when I was 4 with the tv guide. It seems my daughter has picked up that passion also and I am thrilled.

Now I need to give this award to some deserving bloggers. Since I only follow so many blogs, I cannot do 15 (also I have another award and don't want to duplicate blogs)

Jamie @ The Book Junkie's Bookshelf

Just Book Reading

RKCharron @ Books

Virginie @ She Read A Book

The 4 Month Challenge (T4MC) - Part 3

2010-02-23T13:23:00.000-08:00

Virginie over at She Read A Book is hosting The Four Month Challenge and I think it looks pretty cool and wish I would have known about it at the beginning of the year and could have started with the 1st installment! Either way, I think I'll sign up now and go with the flow and see how I do. The requirements are listed below. I don't know if I have titles for all the categories yet but I'll update as I go!

5 Point Challenges

Read a book by an author you’ve never read before
Read a book with a one word title
Read a book with an animal name in the title
Read a book with a proper name in the title
Read a fantasy

10 Point Challenges

Read an ‘Austenesque’ book
Read a book with a two word title
Read a book that is part of a series
Read a book about a real person
Read a mystery

15 Point Challenges

20 Point Challenges

Read a book with over 500 pages
Read a book with a four word title
Read a book by two authors
Read a book written in the 70s (any century)
Read a book that has been number one on the NYT Best-sellers list

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - Feb 22, 2010

2010-02-22T19:39:00.000-08:00

It's the Monday, What Are You Reading - Olympic edition as in "I haven't been reading much because I can't lift my a** off the couch or unglue my eyes from the tv". Currently just waiting for Virtue & Moir to do their skate for Canada and go for the gold!!

This weekly meme is brought to you by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books!

So with that, here's what I've been up to:

Currently Plowing Through:

I'm reading Axis by Robert Charles Wilson which is the sequel to Spin and while sci/fi is not usually my genre of choice, I enjoyed Spin more than I am enjoying Axis.

Next:

Stupidly, I gave my husband first crack at Jack: Secret Circles which would have been my next book but alas, I need to let him finish it first. Sigh. So, maybe the next Melissa Mayhue book, Highland Guardian which also is a book for my time travel challenge!

So, what are you reading this week?

Blogger Award!

2010-02-22T14:06:00.000-08:00

Oh, I'm so pleased to announce that I've received my very first blogger award from Natalie over at The Book Inn! Thank you very much Natalie!!

A Prolific Blogger is one who is intellectually productive… keeping up an active blog that is filled with enjoyable content.

1. Every winner of the Prolific Blogger Award has to pass on this award to at least seven other deserving prolific bloggers. Spread some love!

2. Each Prolific Blogger must link to the blog from which he/she has received the award.

3. Every Prolific Blogger must link back to This Post, which explains the origins and motivation for the award.I now pass on this award to the following amazing people! :

Mary @ The Sweet Bookshelf

Julie @ My Book Retreat

Martha @ Reviews by Martha

Monica @ The Bibliographic Book Blog

Nancy @ 2010: The Year in Books

Alyce @ At Home With Books

Happy reading everyone!!

Guest Interview

2010-02-16T07:20:00.000-08:00

Today I'm a guest over at Reading with Tequila! Come and check me out and learn a little bit more about me! You can enter to win a prize also!

Now, back to your regularly scheduled program!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

2010-02-08T20:08:00.001-08:00

For the first time from its new home over at Sheila's One Person's Journey Through A World of Books comes It's Monday! What Are You Reading meme! Thanks Sheila for hosting this meme!

Last Week:

- It took me longer than I think it should have but I finally finished reading Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marilier. Its the first person in her Sevenwaters Trilogy and while I liked it, it was slow moving at times, getting better near the end. This was a library book also so helped with my Library Challenge!

- I borrowed my friend's Kindle and started to read The Peabody-Ozymandias Traveling Circus and Oddity Emporium by "The Man" F. Paul Wilson and while its technically not a Repairman Jack novel, it is a part of the whole Adversary Cycle. Honestly though, the Kindle has been slow going!

Currently:

I got inspired to once again tackle The Dresden Files and started The Summer Knight on Friday. If you're looking for paranormal, Jim Butcher's got you covered with The Dresden Files!

So what are you reading on this fine Monday during I Love to Read Month? A friend and I have our little contest during the month to see who reads the most pages. The loser treats to lunch or dinner! A little friendly, fun competition that benefits us both and gets us out of the house for some "kid free" time!

Recommend Me

2010-02-05T10:23:00.000-08:00

This weekly meme is hosted over at the Neverending Shelf story.

Pick one of your favorite reads, old or new and tell us why you like it, post your review, your thoughts, anything, the sky is the limit! Don't forget to link back up at the Neverending Shelf!

I recommend to you today The Last Canadian by William
C Heine. I read this novel many moons ago on a recommendation and loved it! Its a novel of one family's struggle through a world wide epidemic! Since it was published in 1974, it might be hard to come by but I'm sure many public libraries might have a copy or two kicking around (which, would be a bonus if you're in the Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge). Its a fast read and holds true just as much today as it would have when it was written!

Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your...

2010-02-02T14:13:00.000-08:00

...kindle! A good friend of mine has put a lot of trust and faith in me and lent me her kindle so I can read a few of the books she had downloaded on it!

While I can understand the convenience of the kindle or other e-readers, it sure makes the statement "curling up with a good book" redundant but books like UnderThe Dome by Stephen King would be wonderful to read on the kindle. The hard cover is over 1000 pages so its not a good book for curling up with! You might break your nose if you fall asleep reading as many people are oft to do. The kindle would be great to take with you to the gym if you planned on using any exercise equipment or if you're a big commuter. Very handy and convenient.

But the jury's still out on whether it'll compare to curling up with a good book. I'll let you know!

It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

2010-02-01T13:38:00.001-08:00

It's Monday again and the world wants to know what you are reading. This meme is hosted by J. Kaye over at her book blog but I believe the hosting of this will change next week to: http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/

Last Week:

- The 5 Greatest Warriors by Matthew Reilly which is another book with his character Jack West Jr.

- I finished off the Born in Trilogy by Nora Roberts with Born in Shame and while her books aren't always throught provoking, they always seem to keep me entertained!

- I picked up a new book by Melissa Mayhue which I'd seen a lot about while cruising the interweb. Thirty Nights with A Highland Husband. It fills a requirement in two of my reading challenges: 1st in a Series and my Time Travel reading challenge. I can't wait to read the next one in the series.

Currently Reading:

A friend recommended this one to me: Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier. I'm enjoying it but find it slow going. Its a hardcover with about a billion words on each page so I feel like its taking me for forever to get through it. That and it is cumbersome to carry around.

What are your reading this week?

I know, I know

2010-01-28T10:38:00.000-08:00

...I said I wouldn't joing any more reading challenges. Okay, so I lied and I'm weak, what can I say? But I couldn't resist! It's a Time Travel Reading Challenge!

I absolutely *love* time travel books and have read quite a few on the list provided at the site above. I plan to read....let's say 12 more! Recommendations always welcome. I'm almost done my first book too.

1. Thirsty Nights With A Highland Husband - Melissa Mayhue

Tuesday Teaser!

2010-01-26T10:03:00.001-08:00

This weekly meme is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading! Its easy to play along with this.

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 this week is from Nora Roberts Born in Shame, the third installment in her Born in trilogy!

"I'd appreciate it if you two would stop blabbering on about bedding women. I'm suffering here"
"It's inconsiderate of us," Rogan agreed. "There's no need to talk of women at all. Did I hear your bay mare is breeding?"
"Hey." Gray held up a hand. "Mare, woman. Female."

What're You Reading Monday

2010-01-25T07:41:00.001-08:00

It's time again for What Are you Reading on Monday's hosted by J.Kaye. Let everybody know what book you are currently into right now!

Last Week & This Week:

So my reading last week slowed down. I finished Born in Ice by Nora Roberts and started The 5 Greatest Warriors by Matthew Reilly which is what I am currently reading. For those that haven't read any Reilly, he's similar to a Rollins type of action novel and he's big into diagrams in his books. I was pretty busy over the weekend so didn't get a lot of reading done!

Next Up:

I picked up a few books from the library last week:

- Kingmaking by Helen Hollick which is the first in her Pendragon's Banner Trilogy. I love books about King Arthur and this one looks good.

- Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier which a friend recommended to me as being very good.

- Oh, the other library book that came in for me is called Axis by Robert Charles Wilson which is a sequel to Spin

- I also managed to snag, in paperback, Born in Shame, the third in the Born In Trilogy by Nora Roberts. I might read this one next if only to finish the trilogy off. I had a gift card from Chapters and procured with it, Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband. I've been hearing a lot of good things about this series so thought I'd give it a shot. That and its got a time travel theme which I just love!

What are you reading on this fine, snowy, blowy Monday?

My Library Rant

2010-01-22T09:56:00.000-08:00

I love my little local library branch, St Vital Library. I visited it as a child growing up and its the same branch that I now take my kids too! My daughter loves it there and when we go to the library, she always chooses this one first over any other branch that is nearby. Its a comfort thing, I'm pretty sure. There is talk of closing this branch down as they have built newer and bigger libraries in the community and if that happens, both my daughter and I would be very sad to be sure. While there are other branches, we can walk to this one rather easily if we want too.

Having said all that, I have a problem with the Winnipeg Public Library in general. The complaint isn't coming for a novice library user either. Not only do I use the public library regularly and have since I was knee high to a grasshopper (well, okay, I still am knee high to a grasshopper, I'm just older) but I work in a library so I have some working knowledge of how things work in a library.

My problem? They don't catalogue their paperback books!! WTF?? Is that not totally stupid or is that just me? With the cost of books these days you would think they would *want* to know how many paperback copies of a title that they have so that if say the hardcover gets lost they can say "Oh, look, we have 3 paperback copies in the system, we don't really need to order a replacement" or "Gee, that patron has to wait a dog's age to get that book, she should place a hold on the paperback copy instead"....oh, that's right SHE CAN'T!!

Let me give you an example. The title The Arthurian Omen by G.G. Vandagriff. Do a search for it in the catalogue, I'll wait........(cue the Jeaopardy theme music........)

couldn't find it could ya? Yeah, neither could I. Now they *might* have it in paperback somewhere but I'll never know unless I stumble across it in a search through their paperback shelves. And...heaven forbid you take out a paperback and lose it...they can't tell you what book to look for, only the barcode because its not catalogued!!

Now I'm not expecting the library to have a copy of every book that I could possibly want as that's not a realistic expectation but I do think having paperbacks catalogued while it would prove to be time consuming (they are already talking about contracting out their cataloging or so I've heard), is not unrealistic at all. If sooner rather than later you're going to make me travel further and further to get to a library then make it worth my while and make it possible for me to find what I need so I can utilize your services the way they were meant to be used!

What're You Reading? Monday!

2010-01-18T20:21:00.000-08:00

This weekly feature is hosted by J. Kaye over on her blog. Check it out!

Last Week:

- Keepsake Crimes by Laura Childs. Its the first book in her Scrapbooking Mystery series. A light read which was entertaining.
- Ground Zero by F. Paul Wilson. This was the highly anticipated book in the Repairman Jack series and I ate it up. Its one of those books you are dying to read but you hate for it to end.

- Born in Fire by Nora Roberts. Nora generally never fails to entertain, especially when you need something fairly fluffy and light.
- The Woman in Black by Susan Hill. Just finished this one up tonight. I enjoyed it though maybe I expected a bit more from it.

Currently:

- Born in Ice by Nora Roberts. I'm starting this one tonight. After this, maybe the new James Rollins novel, I haven't decided yet.

If you need further info about any of these books, check my 100+ Reading Challenge post that has the amazon links attached to each.

So, what are you reading?

Honey, I Have Something to Tell You...

2010-01-14T14:07:00.000-08:00

...I've been having an affair with a man named Jack! I can't seem to keep my hands off him!

Of course I'm referring to Repairman Jack who is a fictional character in F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack and Adversary Cycle series.

When I stumbled across a reference to one of Wilson's books a little over a year and a half ago, I was intrigued. I sent an email to my friend and her interest was peaked also and she started on a search for the books. I didn some research, came across the Repairman Jack website and I was hooked, without ever reading a single line of his books!

Jack is not your typical repairman. He fixes things but its not appliances or plumbing problems that he fixes. He fixes situations and in doing that, he gets involved in some situations of his own. In the eyes of the government, Jack doesn't exist but he soon discovers that his existence is very important and he finds himself caught in a situation beyond his control, something bigger than just a scam or a missing person. He was born for this, whether he likes it or not. Its the classic "good vs evil" but its so, so much more than that.

Jack's a character I grew attached to almost immediately. He's honest and reliable and loyal to a fault and "The Man" as Wilson is often known as has created a real treasure with this series and while there are many times I think he needs a slap upside the head, he constantly amazes me at how he continually weaves the separate storylines together so that they intertwine and become one.

While I've mentioned the Repairman Jack series, there are really *2* separate series intertwined and to fully understand the one, you must read the other. While the Adversary Cycle is not Repairman Jack per se, Jack is a part of those stories too. I'm a huge proponet of reading series in order. It irks me to no end to find out I've read the wrong book first. Some people may not be bothered by that but I am so I've outlined below the reading order of the Adversary Cycle/RJ books. I did not read the books in the exact order listed below, I am ashamed to say. I read many of the Jack books first before reading Black Wind which I found to be an excellent story and when I came to read By The Sword, a lot of things became clear in my mind. The Man tied things together once again!

Reading Jack is a huge undertaking but one I would highly recommend. Not all of the items listed below are novels. The Man has written many short stories involving Jack and not all of the books have been published yet. I urge you to find a F. Paul Wilson book, preferably Black Wind and see what you think. I don't think you will be disappointed!

(novels listed in ALL CAPS)
(yet to be released novels in italics)
(* can be found in THE BARRENS AND OTHERS)

(**can be found in AFTERSHOCK & OTHERS)

The Past:

"Demonsong" (prehistory)

"Aryans & Absinthe" ** (1923-24)
BLACK WIND (1926-1945)
THE KEEP (1941)
REBORN (Feb-Mar 1968)
"Dat Tay Vao"*** (Mar 1968)
Jack: Secret Histories

Jack: Secret Circles (published Feb 2010)

Jack: Secret Vengeance (yet to be published)

Year Zero Minus Three:

SIBS (February)
"Faces"* (early summer)
THE TOMB (summer)
"The Barrens" *(ends in September)
"The Wringer"
"A Day in the Life"* (October)
"The Long Way Home"
LEGACIES (December)

Year Zero Minus Two:

"Interlude at Duane's" ** (April)
CONSPIRACIES (April) (includes "Home Repairs")
ALL THE RAGE (May) (includes "The Last Rakosh")
HOSTS (June)
THE HAUNTED AIR (August)
GATEWAYS (September)
CRISSCROSS (November)
INFERNAL (December)

Year Zero Minus One:
HARBINGERS (January)
BLOODLINE (April)
BY THE SWORD (May)
GROUND ZERO (July)

THE TOUCH (ends in August)

The Peabody-Ozymandias Traveling Circus & Oddity Emporium (ends in September)
"Tenants"*

Repairman Jack #14 (Fatal Error is slated to be the title)

Year Zero:

"Pelts"
REPRISAL (ends in February)
the last Repairman Jack novel (ends in April)
NIGHTWORLD (starts in May)

Last One, I Promise!

2010-01-12T10:50:00.000-08:00

Since I'm always reading new series, it seems only natural I join this challenge. I know, I know, I'm joined so many already but I can't help it and besides, since I'm reading already, why not make it extra worthwhile?

If you're always reading new series, this challenge is for you! Its the Read the 1st in a New Series challenge hosted by the Royal Reviews.

The rules are fairly simply - you read the first book in a series, you can count it in the challenge and there are different levels too that you can aim for! I'm going with Addicted which means I need to read 12 1st in a series books. Easy peasy right? Well we'll see about that!

Who's gonna join me?

1. Keepsake Crimes - Laura Childs (1st in the Scrapbooking Mystery Series)

2. Thirty Nights with A Highland Husband - Melissa Mayhue (Daughters of the Glen Series)

10.

11.

12.

It's Monday!

2010-01-11T10:09:00.000-08:00

What are you reading? This is a weekly feature over at J.Kaye's book blog. Check it out!

Last Week I Read:

A Good Woman by Danielle Steel

The Crystal Skull by Manda Scott

Currently:

Keepsake Crimes by Laura Childs

Next Up: (I sound like the guy from The Bachelor setting up the previews)

Ground Zero by F. Paul Wilson. The next Repairman Jack book and I can't *wait* to read it and I mean that sincerely. I will be doing a blog post about this series soon.

Altar of Eden by James Rollins and while its not a Sigma Force novel, I'm sure it will be good and in perusing that, I found this which I cannot wait for: Fever Dream by Preston & Child. Another great series.

Born in Fire by Nora Roberts

(not necessarily in this order except for GZ which I will be starting as soon as my current book is finished)

After that, who knows. We'll see what strikes my fancy.

NaJuReMoNoMo

2010-01-09T21:22:00.001-08:00

I'm joining late but I've got a good start so far! Its National Just Read More Novels month and there's a challenge for it. Check it out and join me!

1. City of Ashes - Cassandra Clare (Jan 1-3)
2. A Good Woman - Danielle Steel (Jan 3-4)
3. The Crystal Skull - Manda Scott (Jan 4-9)
4. Keepsake Crimes - Laura Childs (Jan 9-11)
5. Ground Zero - F. Paul Wilson (Jan 11-12)
6. Born in Fire - Nora Roberts (Jan 13 - 15)
7. The Woman in Black - Susan Hill (Jan 15-18)
8. Born in Ice - Nora Roberts (Jan 18-20)
9.
10.

Another Challenge? Why Not!

2010-01-06T14:22:00.000-08:00

Another Challenge from J.Kaye's book blog! Its the Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge. I use the library, how hard can this be? I'll aim low for The Mini which means I need to read 25 library books and I'm hoping to go beyond that! I've already read 1!! Join Me!!

Updated May 19, 2010
5. Axis - Robert Charles Wilson
6. A Wedding in December - Anita Shreve
7. The Last Song - Nicholas Sparks
8. Vision in White (The Bride Quartet, Book 1) - Nora Roberts
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
25.
25.

1. A Good Woman - Danielle Steel
2. Born in Shame - Nora Roberts
3. Daughter of the Forest - Juliet Marillier
4. Black Hills - Nora Roberts

It's Monday, whatcha reading?

2010-01-04T22:22:00.000-08:00

So this meme is from J. Kaye's blog and it spotlights what you are reading this week, what you've read currently and what you might plan to read soon.

Recently Read : The first two Mortal Instruments novels by Cassandra Clare. Definitely enjoyable reads.

Currently: I needed to change gears after all the demons, werewolves and the like so I went light with a Danielle Steel novel (man, can that woman pump 'em out!) A Good Woman is my current book and I'm almost finished.

Up Next: Well I sure hope to be reading the next Repairman Jack book by the end of the week thanks to a good friend. Looking forward to Ground Zero by F. Paul Wilson and if you haven't read any of his novels, I highly recommend them. If you like James Rollins, you'll like Wilson. He writes some medical thrillers too but I've yet to read any of those.

I've some David Gibbins on my shelf that I might take a stab at after that. Not really sure yet, mood depending!

I'm reading...

2009-12-28T14:14:00.000-08:00

After finishing The Rose Labyrinth last night, which I found to be just O.K, I started City of Bones today and since the 100+ challenge starts on Friday, I'm going to attempt to finish it before then! Its interesting to note that J. Kaye of the 100+ challenge gave up on this book so we'll see how it goes. After that, who knows. I have the second Mortal Instruments to read also plus many, many others. Here's a shot of my bookshelves on the wall in my bedroom and we won't discuss the books on my nightstand beside my bed.
Now if only I would stop getting waylaid by children, hockey, and scrapbooking not to mention eating, sleeping, and chores! I mean, let's get our priorities straight here! ;-)

What's On My Nightstand?

2009-12-22T08:23:00.000-08:00

I love the Internet. Truly, I do and if only for stumbling onto some great and interesting websites. Just came across What's On My Nightstand this morning and just have to post!

I just finished reading Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffeneger, author of the Time Traveler's Wife! which I read way back when and really enjoyed so I *highly* recommend it! I quite enjoyed Symmetry as well and it really got me thinking afterwards. This came on the heels of another ghost story Second Glance by Jodi Picoult. Second Glance was my first Picoult novel and while it took a while to get going, once the sub-plots meshed, it was highly enjoyable, especially if you like historical type novels.

Currently: The Rose Labyrinth which the jury is still out on. Another historical novel of a mystery variety but it includes parchments to help you solve the riddles yourself which sounds interesting, but almost too much like work!

I'm very patiently waiting on the next Repairman Jack novel Ground Zero to finish processing at my current library of Publicness. For those that don't know, Repairman Jack is totally awesome,if you like action type novels. The order in which to read the novels though can be confusing so ask if you want to know!

As for what's next? Maybe the first Frankenstein novel by Dean Koontz or City of Bones by Cassandra Clare which I have heard is quite good. My bookshelf is overflowing with the possibilities!