Her writing space on the internet
In another week or so is Jewish Book Month. The Jewish Book Council designates this month as a time to celebrate and promote Jewish books. It seems most of the Jewish books anyone ever talks about are tales about the Holocaust but there is so much more. Immigrant tales, short story collections, biographies and cookbooks. Will you be reading anything this month?
Why did I read this book? I saw the book cover, liked it and noticed the book was written by Holly Black.
What did I think of this book? I really liked it! It has female empowerment and is set in an alternate world where fairies and humans co-exist. Being a hero is sometimes scary and that’s okay. It has action, romance, and is a great example of sibling love.
Who should read this book? I actually told my friend her soon to be thirteen-year-old daughter would like it. It has teens living with the consequences of decisions made years before; while it acknowledges some of the trouble kids can get into I don’t recall anything sexually explicit. Recommended for anyone with an interest in adventures.
Note: The below post is from 2010 and I found it while reviewing what was in my draft folder. I decided to share it instead of deleting it as much of it is still quite true. I think it was never posted because I was tasked with awarding it to five people and I didn’t know who would want to do it.
The lovely Lisa Damian of Damian Daily has awarded me with a Kreativ Blogger Award. Now I must tell you five things you do not know about me. I can’t guarantee this information will be new to all of you; my husband is one of my regular readers and he knows quite a bit about me.
1 – In college I wrote a senior thesis on nature symbolism in literature on a Brother Word Processor. At that point it was the longest piece of writing I’d ever done. And it was before computers were a must have for every college student. Only the computer science majors had computers in their dorm rooms and no one I knew had a laptop. The word processor was a life send because I could work on homework anywhere that had an electrical outlet. I remember I used examples from Native American tales and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce to uphold my thesis.
2 – I am allergic to animal dander. I grew up with a dog but it wasn’t until middle school that I realized I was allergic to some animals. The first clue was the angora sweater that made me itch every time I wore it. I didn’t get tested for allergies until 10 years later. I had spent several hours in a one bedroom apartment with friends who had a cat and ended up at emergency care at Duke Medical Center several hours later because I was having problems breathing. That experience made me get allergy tested once I was at home.
3 – I am rarely spontaneous. This post has been in the works since 2/7/10 with multiple updates. My husband has been talking about a new refrigerator since mid-2009 and I’ve come around to the idea in the last few months. For over a week now I’ve been looking into manufacturer rebates, government rebates, different models and pricing.
4 – Last month I went for my first facial and it was nothing like I expected. I honestly thought it was a facial massage with multiple applications of cleansers placed on the skin. This was like going to see a massage therapist who uses aromatherapy. It included a foot rub and several massages – arms, hands, neck and shoulders.
5 – I am lost without an electronic to do list. Paper lists always get lost or I still forget an item. I like the sight of the strikethrough font or once my task is completed it disappears.
Why did I read this book? I kept hearing good things about it without anyone giving anything away other than the title character is an unreliable witness to something.
What did I think of this book? I listened to this during my commute to and from work. The voice actresses were great and didn’t detract from the story one bit. I highly recommend it but with reservations. It has some violence which will turn off some readers.
Who should read this book? Fans of Rear Window or Gillian Flynn. It’s dark. It goes to unexpected places and though it involves more than one character they are all nicely tied together.
Guess what time of year it is? It’s time for All Hallows Read! And I’m going to celebrate it in style. This year I belong to a book club where we do bookish things on a monthly basis. Each month has a different hostess and the book choices are varied. I won’t post the picture of the books I picked until after the next book club meeting.
The poster above was created by Introverted Wife who has made some great posters for this holiday of book giving. Are you celebrating All Hallows Read this year?
New this year is the Bite Size Book Review. Much smaller than my normal review it answers the three basic questions: Why did I read it? What did I think of it? Who should read it?
I’m hoping it will help me knock out a bunch of reviews between now and the end of the year. The feedback I get is more immediate from people in my neighborhood and book club but hopefully you will find something that appeals to you. Look for the first Bite Size Book Review later this week.
A big thank you to Marcia for originating Mailbox Monday. In this weekly meme you share books which came into your home during the week. I reserved some books at the library this week and heard of some through BookBub.
Here are the books I picked up this week:
Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson –
Nothing ever happens in Norway. But at least Ellie knows what to expect when she visits her grandmother: a tranquil fishing village and long, slow summer days. And maybe she’ll finally get out from under the shadow of her way-too-perfect big brother, Graham, while she’s there.
What Ellie doesn’t anticipate is Graham’s infuriating best friend, Tuck, tagging along for the trip. Nor did she imagine boys going missing amid rumors of impossible kidnappings. Least of all does she expect that something powerful and ancient will awaken in her and that strange whispers will urge Ellie to claim her place among mythological warriors. Instead of peace and quiet, suddenly there’s a lot for a girl from L.A. to handle on a summer sojourn in Norway! And when Graham vanishes, it’s up to Ellie—and the ever-sarcastic, if undeniably alluring, Tuck—to uncover the truth about all the disappearances and thwart the nefarious plan behind them.
Deadly legends, hidden identities, and tentative romance swirl together in one girl’s unexpectedly epic coming-of-age.
What Stays in Vegas by Beth Labonte –
Bored administrative assistant, Tessa Golden, is trapped in a life of lousy weather, irritating bosses, and mind-numbing secretarial work. Her dreams of being an artist have rapidly deteriorated into building things out of paperclips while on hold with tech support. To make matters even worse, the love of her life has gone off and married another woman.
So when Tessa is suddenly transferred to the Las Vegas branch of her company – playing wingwoman to her freshly divorced boss, juggling a client-from-hell, and catching the eye of one very eligible coworker – will her life finally be shaken up enough to straighten itself out?
What arrived in your mailbox this week?
The Bloggiesta Finish Line!
It’s Sunday night and I’m about ready to cross the Bloggiesta Finish Line. Below is the list of goals I created and the progress I made:
I had limited time this weekend but managed to participate in two chats and get some things done on my blog. Overall I’m pretty pleased with the time and effort I put into it. I even had a badge created for a new feature on the blog. I hope you’ll like it!
Over the years I’ve seen calls for the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril challenge and I finally decided to participate. The logo by Abigail Larson is pretty awesome, isn’t it?
This challenge or event runs from September 1st through October 31st so it’s a short commitment and I plan on a setting a small goal since I’m starting late. It’s not limited to books. You can read short stories or watch movies that fit the theme. This year it’s hosted by The Estella Society and the gist of it is this:
Without further ado, pick your poison, won’t you? September 1st is here, and we’re ready to begin!
Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark Fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.
Supernatural.Or anything sufficiently moody that shares a kinship with the above.
That is what embodies the stories, written and visual, that we celebrate with the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril event.
As time has wound on, we’ve discovered that simple rules are best:
1. Have fun reading (and watching).
2. Share that fun with others.
The books I’m contemplating reading include:
As I mentioned, I’m going to go for a small goal. Peril the Second: Read two books of any length that you believe fit within the R.I.P. categories.
What exactly is Bloggiesta? It’s been around several years and while the timing has changed, the mini-challenges and events have evolved, the focus of Bloggiest hasn’t changed a bit. It’s about giving your blog some love and attention in ways you may not do often. In the past I’ve setup SEO Keywords on old posts, organized/scheduled posts, generated post ideas, learned how to revitalize old content, prepped for author interviews, updated my WP plugins, typed reviews, and so on.
Each Bloggiesta has mini challenges to inform and give you a chance to put this new knowledge to use. I’ve had a hankering to work on the blog as of late and the timing of Bloggiesta couldn’t be any better.
Here are my goals:
Have you heard of Bloggiesta? Are you participating in it this time around?
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