Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Hey, Teach! Finished


Hey, Teach! Finished
Originally uploaded by my_weezy
Pattern: Hey, Teach! by Helene Rush
Source: Knitty
Yarn: Cotton Fleece in Truffle
Needles: US 8

It needs buttons. Suggestions?

I want to wear this already. :)

Banned Book Week



This week is Banned Book Week.

Check out the list of the most challenged books of 2007, pick one and read!

I will be rereading The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons for being challenged: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

what I read in september

64. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr (sep)
63. Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland (sep)
62. Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman (sep)
61. Coraline by Neil Gaiman (sep)
60. Broken by Kelley Armstrong (sep)
59. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (sep)
58. Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett (sep)
57. The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritson (sep)

I reviewed all of these on marireads if you are interested.



This week is Banned Book Week.

Check out the list of the most challenged books of 2007, pick one and read!

I will be rereading The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons for being challenged: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

Teaser Tuesdays

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!


Book: Look at Me by Jennifer Egan

"Back on Broome Street, I walked without knowing where I went. I stared through boutique windows at couches, at vases of blown glass, letting the cold air clear my head. It's over, I told myself repeatedly, not knowing quite what that meant. " pg 147


Sorry, added an extra line. It needed it. :)

Tuesday Thingers


For this week's Tuesday Thingers, I've copied the list of the most-challenged books of the 1990s straight from the ALA website. I've highlighted the ones I've read (and starred in case reading from actual blog. Hard to see). Highlight what you've read, and italicize what you have in your LT library.

Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite
*I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
*The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
*Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
Forever by Judy Blume
*Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
*The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Giver by Lois Lowry
It's Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
*Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Sex by Madonna
Earth's Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel
The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
*In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
*The Witches by Roald Dahl
The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein
Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry
The Goats by Brock Cole
Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
*Blubber by Judy Blume
*Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
*Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam

We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
Final Exit by Derek Humphry
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
*Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
What's Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras
*To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
*Beloved by Toni Morrison
*The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

The Pigman by Paul Zindel
Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard
Deenie by Judy Blume
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz
*A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole
*Cujo by Stephen King
*James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
Ordinary People by Judith Guest
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
What's Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras
*Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
Crazy Lady by Jane Conly
Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
Fade by Robert Cormier
Guess What? by Mem Fox
The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
*Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Native Son by Richard Wright
Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women's Fantasies by Nancy Friday
Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen
Jack by A.M. Homes
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya
Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle
*Carrie by Stephen King
Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge
Family Secrets by Norma Klein
Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole
The Dead Zone by Stephen King
*The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
Private Parts by Howard Stern
*Where's Waldo? by Martin Hanford
Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
Sex Education by Jenny Davis
The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts
The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney
Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier



This is my first Tuesday Thingers post. You can find me on Library Thing here.

christmas gift, take two


Log Cabin
Originally uploaded by my_weezy
This was supposed to be a Christmas gift for my In-laws last year. It didn't get finished. I put it in a box still on the needles and promised to send once done. Well, it is nine months since that promise was made and very little progress has been made. It is so not close to being finished. So, once again it is going in my to-knit basket for christmas gifts. Can you gift the same thing twice? Hopefully, it will be off the needles this time. :)

Sunday, September 28, 2008

The Ruby in the Smoke

I haven't read Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart books, but was excited to see that "The Ruby in the Smoke" would be on Masterpiece Mystery tonight. Just started. Sally is being played by Billie Piper. I will have to pick up these books very soon. I have heard great things about them. "Shadow in the North" will air after, I hope.

omg, I am so late in seeing this

APOOO Books tagged me with this back on the 19th, but I just found the email in my SPAM folder. Ack! I hate when that happens. It was supposed to be for BBAW. So here it is better late than never.

Write about 5 specific ways blogging has affected you, either positively or negatively.

1. I have met a lot of book-minded folks who like the same books as I do.

2. I have learned about wonderful books that I may not have ever heard of before had I not started reading book blogs.

3. I have been challenged to read more books than I usually do.

4.I have received great children's book recommendations that I can use in my classroom.

5. I have gotten to participate in great community building sites/challenges such as My Friend Amy's BBAW and found many great and new book blogs to read.


Sorry, this is so late, yasmin, and thanks for the tag.

playlist

A couple new songs have been added to my Playlist music player.

Sweet Dreams by Marilyn Manson- seems right for this time of the year and all the creepy books I am reading. One month away from Halloween! My favorite time of the year. :)

I Love How You Love Me by Beth Orton. There were a couple songs by her listed on Melissa Marr's playlist for her book, Wicked Lovely, which I just finished. I really like this one, though, and I couldn't find the two she listed to put on my player. I think I need to go and purchase some of her music off of iTunes.


Enjoy!

Playlist

A couple new songs have been added to my Playlist music player (way down and too the right).

Sweet Dreams by Marilyn Manson- seems right for this time of the year and all the creepy books I am reading for the RIP III Challenge.

I Love How You Love Me by Beth Orton. There were a couple songs by her listed on Melissa Marr's playlist for Wicked Lovely. I really like this one, though, and I couldn't find the two she listed to put on my player. I think I need to go and purchase some of her music off of iTunes.


Enjoy!

Wicked Lovely- Book Review

Wicked Lovely Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr


Aislinn has always had an ability to see the fairies that live amongst them. Most mortals are blind to them. To stay safe, she follows the rules that her Grams has set for her since she was little; 1. Don't stare at invisible fairies. 2. Don't speak to invisible fairies. 3. Don't ever attract their attention. But somehow, she fails at #3. Two fairies have begun to follow her. With help from her friend Seth, she discovers why they are so interested in her and learns the truth about who she is and will become.

The relationship between Aislinn and Seth is very sweet and I love the strength she shows in making decisions to keep everything that is dear to her safe. I really enjoyed this book. I managed to read it very quickly in one day. A fun and entertaining story. I need to go and get the next book now.

4/5

R.I.P III Challenge

Sunday Salon

The Sunday Salon.com
Lots of college football watching this weekend and birthday celebrating. Not mine, the hubby's. We had a nice night with friends on Friday and a very relaxing Saturday filled with football and reading. We took a break to buy a new washer and dryer and for dinner, but otherwise I got a lot of reading done.

Yesterday I finished reading Any Given Doomsday and posted my review. I wasn't too kind for my very first ARC review. I thought it best to be honest.

I also started reading Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr. So far, I am really enjoying it. As of late I have become very interested in fairies, not sure why, but I am fascinated with these stories right now. So, this book is perfect. I haven't finished this yet and I already want to go and get Ink Exchange. Yup, that good.

I am still slowly making my way through Darfur Diaries for Natasha's Reading and Blogging for Darfur campaign on her blog, Maw Books. It is really hard for me to read non-fiction, always has. So, this has been a hard book for me to read. It is not what I was expecting, but I will go into that a bit more when I review it either Monday or Tuesday. ( I would expect it on Tuesday.)

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Any Given Doomsday-Book Review

I was really hoping to enjoy this book. Considering the books I normally read, this seemed a perfect fit to me. Unfortunately, it falls a little short of my expectations for a good urban-fantasy read. I don't expect great literature, but I do want believable characters, fast-paced action, and scary monsters.

I couldn't relate to the protagonist, Elizabeth Phoenix, a psychic ex-cop turned bartender. I also didn't care about the relationship between her and her childhood love, Jimmy Sarducci. (I will not be going into my problems with the names.) I know he is supposed to be the "bad boy" type, but really, he's just not like-able and I couldn't understand or believe the attraction.

The mystery starts off right at the beginning when Elizabeth's friend and former guardian is found murdered. She discovers that Ruthie was a "seer" that helped demon killers find their prey and somehow passed her gifts on to Liz. The middle was a little slow while Elizabeth comes to grips with her newfound knowledge and gifts. The action picks back up towards the end, but in a very different way than I was expecting. The book went from urban-fantasy to racy romance book and not in a good way. The amount of sex going on for what seems like the entire last 1/4 of the book is not romantic, just disturbing and doesn't help in making me like or respect Phoenix as a female character I want to read about.

The monsters were somewhat interesting and different from the usual batch of supernaturals that fill the fantasy books I love. They are very obscure, however, so I felt the need to research a bit. Not something I really want to do while reading this type of book.

I think if the "romance" plot line was left out or if Elizabeth was given a better way to absorb others powers this would have made for a much better read. It was good enough to keep me reading to the end but there are definitely much better urban-fantasy books with much stronger more likable women protagonists.

2/5

You can see Blacklin's review of Any Given Doomsday on her blog, Blacklin's Reading Room Reviews & More.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Booking Through Thursday

What was the most unusual (for you) book you ever read? Either because the book itself was completely from out in left field somewhere, or was a genre you never read, or was the only book available on a long flight… whatever? What (not counting school textbooks, though literature read for classes counts) was furthest outside your usual comfort zone/familiar territory?

And, did you like it? Did it stretch your boundaries? Did you shut it with a shudder the instant you were done? Did it make you think? Have nightmares? Kick off a new obsession?



This is a hard one. I read a lot of strange and "unusual" books. :)

I will go with one of the hubby's science fiction books. He reads "hard" science fiction, not quite sure what that means but I think it has to do with the fact that there is a lot of actual science. Yup, physics, nanotechnology, etc...you get the idea. The hubby never really tries to get me to read his books, but every now and then he reads one that he thinks I will like. He gave me 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, which I surprisingly enjoyed. I even read all the books that came after. He also gave me The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin. I don't think either of these would be considered "hard" but they are definitely more scifi than I usually read.

I have yet to finish Left Hand. The people on the planet, where the story takes place are all basically sexless/genderless except for short periods of time when they take on a male or female role to procreate.

So, yeah to all the questions listed above, except for kicking off a new obsession. Well, who knows, once I finish it maybe I will be hooked.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Teaser Tuesdays

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!


Book: Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland

"He had powers beyond anything I'd ever encountered. I'd been fascinated by him." pg 91

On the Nightstand- September


I am having a hard time making my pile on the nightstand go down. Books keep coming in the mail and I keep going to the library and bookstore...

So, here is the list from last month's edition of What's on Your Nightstand:

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Housseini
Toxin by Robin Cook
The Eyes of Darkness by Dean Koontz
Harsh Cry of the Heron by Lian Heron
Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett
The Book of the Dead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
The Wonder Spot by Melissa Bank
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
Frankenstein by Mary Shelly
The Dubliners by James Joyce
Violet In Private by Melissa Walker

Books read:

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman (sep)
Coraline by Neil Gaiman (sep)
Broken by Kelley Armstrong (sep)
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (sep)
Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett (sep)
The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritson (sep)
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (aug)
Pretties by Curtis Westerfeld (aug)

Now reading:

Darfur Diaries by Jen Marlow
Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland

New books on the Nightstand:

Look At Me by Jennifer Egan (library)
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr (bought)
Kandide and the Secret of the Mists by Diana S. Zimmerman (prize)

Monday, September 22, 2008

RMBR squares


RMBR squares
Originally uploaded by my_weezy
I am hoping to get one or two more finished before I send these off. I really wish I had been able to get more done but summer proved to be too busy to get much of any knitting finished.

I still have one side of Hey, Teach! to be seamed. Hopefully this will get done tonight and pictures taken tomorrow. I am not promising anything, though.

Off to tap class! Did I mention I enrolled in an adult tap class? More info on that later. :)

Asking for Children's Book Recommendations

school books
school books,
originally uploaded by my_weezy.
As a teacher of small children I am always looking for great picture books that I can use in the classroom. Books that can be easily extended into lessons and activities, have predictable patterns (such as Brown Bear, Brown Bear), or related to our PreK Units are preferrable.

This weekend I posted a review of a new book I just purchased for the class and was wondering if anyone knows of any other new (or old) children's books that would be good to get for my classroom library.

Thanks so much for any help you can give me with this. I will also continue to post reviews of new books I find if any of you are interested. If not, reviews will be on GoodReads. :)

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Sunday Salon

The Sunday Salon.com

I am sitting at a Seattle's Best in downtown Austin, reading and blogging while waiting for my lunch to digest before going for a walk on Town Lake. I don't do this very often since it is hard for me to concentrate when there is so much people watching that can be done. So, I am not getting much reading done but online time (yay, for free wi-fi) is not affected.

Last week was so nice weather-wise. In the 80's. It actually felt like fall was coming. Unfortunately it is back to summer weather, or normal Texas fall weather of mid-90's. My walk (while the hubby jogs) will be very warm. Walking is much needed since I have been doing more sitting at the computer and reading books lately. I need exercise. But all this reading has been good.

I am taking part in a few challenges right now and I have managed to get a lot of books read and reviewed for the challenges these past couple weeks. I finished Practical Magic today for theNew Classics Challenge,Age of Innocence for the Classics Challenge, Coraline and Broken for the R.I.P III Challenge, and that makes four more books read for 100+ Reading Challenge.

Books I am reading:



Look for reviews sometime before the end of the month.

Practical Magic- Book Review

Practical Magic Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

I had absolutely no desire to read this book after having seen the movie based on it. The movie was silly and just not one I enjoyed. I kept seeing the book at the library and in bookstores and refused to pick it up even though the description on the jacket sounded like my kind of book.

This book was listed on the EW list of New Classics, so I decided to finally give it a chance. I am so glad I did. This book is a beautiful story with wonderful well-drawn characters with a bit of the fantastical thrown in. And unlike in the movie, the magic that surrounds the Owens' family is not the main part of this book. The sisters' relationships with each other, their aunts, kids and lovers are.

Hoffman's writing style is unique and refreshing. I love the snippets of the past and future as you read along in the present. I love how the magic happens around the characters, how it is ignored by some and embraced by others. It is inter-weaved perfectly into the story to where you don't know if it is real or not.

I did miss the aunts, though, which were the best part of the movie. I didn't expect them to have such a small, but critical part in the book.

4/5

New Classics Challenge

Saturday, September 20, 2008

another list of read books

The Big Read is an National Endowment for the Arts program designed to encourage community reading initiatives and of their top 100 books, they estimate the average adult has read only six.)

*Look at the list and bold those we have read.
*Italicize those we intend to read.
*Underline the books we LOVE.

Share this list in your blog, too, if you like.

*1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
*2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
*3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
*4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
*5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

*6 The Bible
*7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
*9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
*10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
*11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott

12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

*16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
*18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
*19 The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
*22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
*25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
*29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
*34 Emma - Jane Austen
*35 Persuasion - Jane Austen

*36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
*37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
*39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
*42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
*43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
*46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
*49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
*50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
*51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel

52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
*54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
*57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
*59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
*64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
*65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas in French

66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
*68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
*72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
*73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett

74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
*75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
*87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
*91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery in French
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
*97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
*98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
*99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Ronald Dahl
*100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo in French


I have read 41 of the 100.
How many have you read?

Duck for President-Book Review

Duck for President (New York Times Best Illustrated Books (Awards)) Duck for President by Doreen Cronin

Oh so cute. Absolutely perfect for this election year. I can't wait to read it to my class as we get closer to the Presidential Election. A great way to discuss the process of voting with my 4 year olds. I loved the recounts and sticky ballots. Too funny. :)

4/5

(Do you think this counts towards my 100 books read? Hehe. If it did, I would be way past my goal considering how many picture books I read each day at work.)

Thursday, September 18, 2008

squares


square ii
Originally uploaded by my_weezy
A finished square for the RMBR blanket.

Yarn: Wick

Working on another with leftover yarn from Hey, Teach!
Should be done tonight.

FireFly's Haiku Review Contest

This is a very cool contest.
Go to Firefly's Book Blog and give it a try.


Here is my try at a haiku review. Two haiku's, actually, for Coraline.

Coraline goes through
door to find other mother
with buttons for eyes.

The rats are talking.
They are singing in the walls.
She hears them in dreams.


Fun, fun!

First ARC

I received my first ARC today in the mail. I joined Library Thing Early Reviewers last month and put in some requests. I was lucky to get a book my first time around. Well, they were handing out 1000 copies. But there were over 2000 requests put in, so there was still a chance of not getting one.


Anyway, look for my review of Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland sometime next week. Here's the publisher's product description:

Elizabeth Phoenix once used her unique skills as a psychic to help in the Milwaukee Police Department’s fight against injustice. But when Liz’s foster mother is found viciously murdered—and Liz is discovered unconscious at the scene—her only memory of the crime comes in the form of terrifying dreams...of creatures more horrific than anything Liz has seen in real life. What do these visions mean? And what in the world do they have to do with her former lover, Jimmy Sanducci?

While the police question Jimmy in the murder, Jimmy opens Liz’s eyes to a supernatural war that has raged since the dawn of time in which innocent people are hunted by malevolent beings disguised as humans. Only a chosen few have the ability to fight their evil, and Jimmy believes Liz is among them. Now, with her senses heightened, new feelings are rising within Liz—ones that re-ignite her dangerous attraction to Jimmy. But Jimmy has a secret that will rock Liz to her core…and put the survival of the human race in peril.

Booking Through Thursday

Autumn is starting (here in the US, anyway), and kids are heading back to school–does the changing season change your reading habits? Less time? More? Are you just in the mood for different kinds of books than you were over the summer?



Not only are children heading back to school, but so are their teachers. I am 4 weeks into school already (hard to believe), and I am already seeing a change in my reading habits. I am reading less, plain and simple. The first weeks of school are always the hardest. I get home tired, hungry and in the need of mindless activity. I tend to watch more television around this time. New seasons starting, college football on the weekends, teacher happy hours. Oops, that has nothing to do with tv, but it does take away time from reading. :)

The number of books I read this month will be significantly lower than the summer months.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Coraline-Book Review

I really enjoyed this book. I read it in 2 hours. I had never read Gaiman before. I picked this one up when I couldn't find Stardust at the library. I am so glad I did.

Coraline finds a door to nowhere in her new flat which actually turns out to be a way into another, scarier version of her own house. The book reminded me a lot of Pan's Labyrinth in its fantastical style, it's surreal and terrifying characters.

A wonderful, disturbing book that will probably give me nightmares. Black buttons will feature prominently.

4/5

R.I.P III Challenge

Broken-Book Review

Broken is the sixth book in Kelley Armstrong's Women of the OtherWorld Series. This book takes us back to Elena and her pack a few years later. She is pregnant and happy but restless. When the opportunity comes along to do some "work" for an old "friend" she takes it. Little did she or Clay or the other werewolves know that this job could open a portal and accidently unleash Jack the Ripper on the city of Toronto. Of course, things aren't always what they seem in these kind of books.

Another creepy, action-packed book in a wonderful series. You get werewolves, vampires, Jack the Ripper and zombies! It was a perfect book to read for the R.I.P III Challange. Not my favorite of the six books, but still a lot of fun to read.

3/5

R.I.P III Challenge

a kitty pic and a wip

It is Wednesday again and you know what that means... Joey day! Or more accurately, Whiskers on Wednesday. Joey just likes to think it is her day. :)

you talking to me?
This is the look I got when I told her she was the Spotlighted kitty today.

Yup, she was surprised. Speechless, actually. Just a lot of meows and thank you's.

Since I can't let Joey get a big head over her new found celebrity, I should add other content to this post besides her.

So, I bring you another wip pic of Hey, Teach!

parts

All the parts waiting to be attached. I actually got that sleeve and side all seamed up last night. No pics until all finished.

followers

Hey look! I have the new followers gadget in the side bar. I didn't know I could get it yet. I am off to see who else I can follow. Are you following?

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Teaser Tuesdays


TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:




Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!

Book: Broken by Kelley Armstrong

" Knitting? I stared in horror at the outstretched pattern, mumbled my excuses and finally squeezed through, hurrying back to less terrifying pursuits." pg 226

Monday, September 15, 2008

randomness

You all are such good guessers. :)

I graduated high school in 1994. What a wide range of music, huh?

I am almost finished with Hey, Teach. I just need to attach sleeves and seam it all together. It has button bands, and collar already. Yay!

Will be back with pics soon.

Book Blogs I Read

So, one of the items Amy listed for participants to do was to list book blogs that we love. Our favorites.

I have so many that I read and are subscribed to in my GoogleReader it would be impossible to list them all. I will list three, though. The first three I found when I started to look at book blogs.

The first blog I found was The Written Word. A fellow knit blogger had linked to her contest for The Friday Night Knitting Club. From then I was hooked to her wonderful reviews and beautiful site. This was her comment on one of my first book reviews on my knitting blog, "OK, if you reach a hundred books, then you'll just have to start a book blog to review them all! :)" So, I thank Stephanie for motivating me to start my own book blog. :)

From Stephenie's site (I think) I found my way to The Compulsive Reader. On first sight I loved her blog. It is the same set up as my knitting blog. :) That is not the reason I keep going back, though. She has great reviews, and interesting author interviews. She reads the same kind of books that I do. Always a plus. :)

I am also a big fan of Em's Bookshelf.
This is another of my go-to blogs for really good YA book reviews. I have also always really liked her header photo. It was that photo that really got me thinking on what to do for mine.

Thanks! You have all been inspirations to me on setting up my blog. :)

BBAW Giveaways Across the Blogosphere

So many wonderful things going on this week for Book Bloggers Appreciation Week.
Lots and lots of giveaways going on.
First, don't forget to go to My Friend Amy's Blog each day. Here is the list of giveaways going on there:

Daily Raffles:
Monday--Books and Chocolate sponsored by My Friend Amy and Hey Lady! Whatcha' Readin?
Tuesday--Books and Going Green sponsored by My Friend Amy
Wednesday--Books and Coffee sponsored by My Friend Amy
Thursday--Books and Charity sponsored by My Friend Amy and Fashionista Piranha
Friday--Books and Movies sponsored by My Friend Amy


Win a Book Club Girl Hostess Survival Kit!
Do you find it's your turn to host book club and not only do you not know what to serve but you don't know what books to offer up for the next month's selection?! Let Book Club Girl come to your rescue with the Book Club Girl Hostess Survival Kit.

One lucky winner of the kit will receive:

* A basket of cheese, crackers, cookies and wine for up to 12 people
* 5 great book group books to vote on for your group's next pick. And Book Club Girl will then donate 12 copies whichever book is chosen for your entire group to read.
* 12 Book Club Girl mousepads to give out as party favors that night
* 12 Book Club Girl bookmarks to mark everyone's favorite passages
* 12 Book Club Girl coasters to protect your coffee table from all those wine glasses!

TWO SORMAG Goody Bags containing books and more!


A Special Pamper Me Basket from Cafe of Dreams!
From Avon Foot Works
~ Inflatable watermelon shaped foot tub
~ 3.4 FL oz Watermelon Cooling Foot Lotion
~ 3.4 FL oz Watermelon Exfoliating Foot Scrub
~ 12 count Watermelon Effervescent Foot Tablets
~ An ARC of So Long At The Fair by Christina Schwarz
~ A variety of Hot Chocolate and Tea mixes

A pre-made blog template from SNSDesign!

A Subscription to Poetry Magazine from Savvy Verse and Wit!

BOOKS
Mistress of the Revolution by Catherine Delors
The Moon in the Mango Tree by Pamela Binnings Ewen
The Spanish Bow by Andromeda Romano-Lax
John's Quest by Cecelia Dowdy
Confessions of a Contractor by Richard Murphy
Acedia & Me by Kathleen Norris
The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer
Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley
A Tale Out of Luck by Willie Nelson with Mike Blakely
The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent
When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson
An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth McCracken
Exit Music by Ian Rankin
The Smart One and the Pretty One by Claire LaZebnik
Gunmetal Black by Daniel Serrano
Isolation by Travis Thrasher
The Miracle Girls by Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt
Every Freaking! Day With Rachell Ray by Elizabeth Hilts
Dewey by Vicki Myron
The Shiniest Jewel by Marian Henley
Keep the Faith by Faith Evans
The Book of Calamities by Peter Trachtenberg
A is for Atticus by Lorilee Craker
After the Fire by Robin Gaby Fisher
Mike's Election Guide by Michael Moore
War as They Knew It by Michael Rosenberg
Fixing Hell By Col. (ret.) Larry C. James
Wild Boy: My Life with Duran Duran by Andy Taylor
The Last Under-Cover: The True Story of an FBI Agent's Dangerous Dance with Evil By Bob Hamer
Border Lass by Amanda Scott
Insatiable Desire by Rita Heron
Hungry for More by Diana Holquist
Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee
Trespassers Will Be Baptized by Elizabeth Emerson Hancock
He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not by Trish Ryan
Never Surrender by General Jerry Boykin
Dream in Color by Congresswoman Linda Sánchez, Congresswoman Loretta Sánchez
Beyond Belief by Josh Hamilton
Cobain Unseen by Charles R. Cross
Doing Business in 21st Century India by Gunjan Bagla
Branding Only Works on Cattle by Jonathan Salem Baskin
Launching a Leadership Revolution by Chris Brady, Orrin Woodward
How to Hear from God by Joyce Meyer
Knowing Right from Wrong by Thomas D. Williams
Pope John Paul II: An Intimate Life by Caroline Pigozzi
Pure by Rebecca St. James
He Loves Me! by Wayne Jacobson
So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore by Wayne Jacobson and Dave Coleman
Move On, Move Up by Paula White
The Rosary by Gary Jansen
Shoot the Moon by Billie Letts
The Choice by Nicholas Sparks
Right Livelihoods by Rick Moody
by George by Wesley Stace
The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold
Trunk Music by Michael Connelly
Hollywood Crows by Joseph Wambaugh
Dead Boys by Richard Lange
The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters by Lorraine Lopez
Sisterchicks Go Brit! by Robin Jones Gunn
Beyond the Night by Marlo Schalesky
With Endless Sight by Allison Pittman
Harlequin Titles: To Be Announced


Some book bloggers are also getting in the action.

Bookish Ruth is raffling off a 3 book set by Percy jackson. Go here and enter.

Socrates Book Review is also having a 3 book giveaway.

For a list of more giveaways go and visit My Friend Amy's Blog full list of participating blogs. There are a lot.

Book Blogger Appreciation Week starts today!



Book Blogger Appreciation Week starts today at My Friend Amy's blog. So many wonderful prizes to be had. Make sure to check everyday. There are so many great book blogs registered and some great ones that were nominated for awards.

Here's a list of the participating blogs: Go check some of them out.

1 More Chapter
2 Kids and Tired Book Reviews
248 Book Club
The 3 R's: Reading, 'Riting, and Randomness
49 Writers No Books
4 the Love of Books
A Book Lover
A Bookworm's World
A Guy's Moleskine Notebook
A Hoyden's Look at Literature
A Lovely Shore Breeze
A Peek At My Bookshelf
A Platypus with a book walks into a bar...
A Reader's Journal
A Well Watered Garden
A World in the Pages
A Writer's Dream
Adventures in Reading
Age 30 - A Year of Books
Alabama Book Worm
All I Have To Say
All the Saints
Allison's Attic of Books
Alpha Heroes
Amateur de Livre
The Amazing Adulthood of Alexis
Amber Miller - Author, Writer, & Web Site Designer
Amber Stults - Book Reviewer and Author
Amy's Corner of the World
Antique Books
Apooo Bookclub
Apprentice Writer
Arch Thinking
As Usual, I Need More Bookshelves
At Home With Books
Aunt Rowena sez:
Babbling Books Review
Badger Books
Bart's Bookshelf
Becky's Book Reviews
Bermudaonion's Weblog
Better World Blog
Between Sundays
BiblioHistoria
Bibliolatry
Bibliophile Support Group
Blacklin's Reading Room Reviews & More
Blog Book Tours
Blog Business World
Bloggin' 'Bout Books
Bloody Hell, It's a Book Barrage!
Blue Archipelago
The Bluestocking Guide: Reviews by a Partial, Prejudiced, and Ignorant Reader
Bobbi's Book Nook
Boats Against the Current
Book-a-holic
Book Binge
The Book Blog
Book by Book
Book Chatter and Other Stuff
Book Chic
Book Club Girl
Book Crazy
Book Critiques
Book Dads
Book Dweeb
Book Escape
The Book Girl
Book Hangover
Book Junkie Melissa
Book Kingdom
The Book Lady's Blog
The Book Mine Set
Book Minx
The Book Muncher
Book Nook Club
Books and Movies
Books for Kids
Books on the Nightstand
The Book Reader
Book Review Maniac
Book Reviews
Book Reviews Today
The Book Smugglers
Book Tsunami
Book Zombie
Booked Books
Booking Mama
Bookish Ruth
Booklorn
Bookroomreview's Weblog
Books 'N Border Collies
Books and Authors
Books I Done Read
Books, Movies, and Chinese Food
Bookshelf
Bookshipper
Booksweet
The Bookworm
Breaking the Spine
Breeni Books
BTripp's Books
But If You Look At Me Closely...
Café of Dreams
Candid Canine
Caribousmom
Canadian Book Worm
Cheryl's Book Nook
Cheryl Rainfield
Chick Lit Teens
Christian Bookworm Reviews
Christian Children's Book Review
Christian Novels
A Christian Writer's World
Cindy's Love of Books
Civil War History
Clear Shining After Rain
Confessions of a Bibliophile
Confuzzled Books
Critty Joy
Croak
Cubie's Confections
Cupid's Chokehold
Cynsations
Damn Heart...
The Dark Phantom Reviews
Deborah Vogts
Devourer of Books
Diary of an Eccentric
Dog Ear Diary
Dolce Bellezza
Elizabeth Willse
Everyday I Write the Book Blog
Experiments in Reading
Fashionista Piranha
Fizzy Thoughts
Fnord Incorporated
The Forgetful Faerie Queen
The Fox Reads
Free Spirit
Frequency of Silence
Fresh Ink
The Friendly Book Nook
Fyrefly's Book Blog
Grasping the Wind
God-Writing
Good Reads
The GRITS Online Reading Club
Heather's Books
Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'?
The Hidden Side of a Leaf
Hope's Bookshelf
I Read What??
I Smell Books
Iced Tea - Books, TV, Etc.
In Laurie's Mind
In Spring it is the Dawn
The Indextrious Reader
Into the Fire
It's All About Books...
Jace Scribbles...
Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup
Janicu's Book Blog
Japanese Literature Challenge
Jen's Book Thoughts
Jenn's Bookshelf
Jennifer's Random Musings
Journey to the End of the TBR Pile
Joy's Blog
Julie's Jewels
Just A (Reading) Fool
Just Your Average Carpool Queen
Katrina's Reads
Kawzmik World
Kimani Press
Kittling: Books
Kristina's Favorites
Leafing Through Life
LadyVampire's Lair
The Lair of the Undead Rat
Lesa's Book Critiques
Lesley's Book Nook
LesleyW's Book Nook
Letters On Pages
Library Hospital
Life According to B
Life and Times of a "New" New Yorker
Lighthouse-Academy
Linus's Blanket
Literanista
Literarily
Literary Escapism
Literary License
The Literate Housewife Review
Liv's Book Reviews
Lori's Reading Corner
Lost In Books
Loud Latin Laughing
Love To Read
Lucky Ladybug
Lurve a la Mode
The Luscious Literary Muse
Madeleine's Book Blog
The Magic Lasso
Mama Bear Reads
Marilyn's Romance Reviews
Marireads
Marjolein's Book Blog
MarysLibrary
Maw Books Blog
Mayra's Secret Bookcase
Me, My Book, and the Couch
Medieval Bookworm
Melanie Anderson
Melody's Reading Corner
Mervi's Book Reviews
Michele - only one 'L'
Midnight Twilight's Book Blog
Minds Alive on the Shelves
Mirek's Blog--Reading Books
Miss Daisy Anne
Mistress of the Ancient Revelry
Mog's Blog and More...
Mrs. Magoo Reads
Muse Books Reviews
Musings
Musings of a Bookish Kitty
My Christian Fiction Blog
My Fifty Book Challenge
My Friend Amy
My Life in Books
Mysteries in Paradise
Necromancy Never Pays
Never A Dull Moment
Nose in a Book
The Novel World
The Nursery @ The Literate Housewife
OCD, Vampires, and Amusing Rants, Oh My!
The Octogon
Off to Turn Another Page
On My Bookshelf...
One For The Books
Out of the Blue
The Page Flipper
Pages Turned
Paper Bridges
Patricia's Vampire Notes
Peeking Between the Pages
Pop Culture Junkie
Popin's Lair
Presenting Lenore
The Printed Page
Quiverfull Family
Ramblings on Romance
Read, Read, Read
Readerbuzz
Reader's Respite
Reading and Ruminations
Reading Keeps You Sane
Reading Romance Books
Reading, Writing, and Retirement
Reading Room
The Reading Spot
Reading with Monie
ReadingAdventures
Reading Circle Books
Readingjunky's Reading Roost
Real Life is Overrated
Rebecca Reads
Red Lady's Reading Room
Relz Reviewz
Reviews by Jesse Wave
Reviewer X
Rhapsodyinbooks's Weblog
Rhonda McKnight on Urban Christian Ficton
Rip My Bodice
Romance Author Buzz
Romance Book Wyrm
Romance Rookie
Romancing the Desert
Ron's Baseball Bookshelf
Rose City Reader
S. Krishna's Books
Sassymonkey Reads
Savvy Verse & Wit
Seaside Book Worm Blogger
See Ya On The Net
She is Too Fond of Books
She Reads and Reads
She Reads Books
She Treads Softly
Shelf Life
Shhh I'm Reading
Shooting Stars Mag
Should Be Reading
Simply Books
Simply Romance Reviews
The Sleepy Reader
SmallWorld Reads
Smiling Sally
SMS Book Reviews
So Many Books... So Little Time
So Many Precious Books, So Little Time
Socrates' Book Reviews
Sophisticated Dorkiness
SORMAG's Blog
Southern Sunshine
Stacy's Place On Earth
Stamped With Grace
Stephanie's Written Word
The Story Siren
Straight from Hel
Strategist's Personal Library
Stuff as Dreams are Made on
Survival of the Book
Talk About My Favorite Authors
Tara's View on Books
Teen Book Reviews
Teen Troves
Tempatt
Terra's Book Blog
That Book Addiction
Things Mean A Lot
This Book For Free
Thoughts from an Evil Overlord
Thoughts of Joy
The Thrillionth Page
Through the Looking Glass Book Review
Tiny Little Reading Room
TOCWOC - A Civil War Blog
The Tome Traveller's Weblog
Too Many Books
Tower of Books
Traci's Book Bag
Tree Swing Reading
Trish Perry - Reading, Writing, and the Stuff In-Between
Trish's Reading Nook
Under the Cover
Vixen's Daily Reads
Well-Mannered Frivolity
Walking on Sunshine
Welcome to Married Life
Wendi's Reading Corner
Wendy's Minding Spot
What Came Down Today
What Cheesy Reads
What Vanessa Reads
Window To My World
With Intent To Commit Horror
WORD up!
Worducopia
World According to Books
Writer's Block Reviews
Writing By Faith
Writing On The Edge
Yankee Romance Reviews
Young Readers
Zensanity

Saturday, September 13, 2008

The Age of Innocence-Book review



Set amongst New York City's societal elite during the late 1800's, The Age of Innocence reads like a grown up version of Gossip Girl. Scandal, love triangles, parties and gossip. This books has it all.


Newland Archer, just engaged to to the sweet and innocent May Welland, finds himself attracted to her newly arrived cousin, The Countess Olenska, who's arrival is filled with scandal.

This is a smart, fun book. It is rich in language and setting and a wonderful look into the lives of NYC in the 19c.

4/5

Classics Challenge

Thursday, September 11, 2008

music meme

I stole this from InsanKnitty.

The rules:
A.) Go to musicoutfitters.com

B.) Enter the year you graduated from high school in the search function and get the list of 100 most popular songs of that year

C.) Bold the songs you like, strike through the ones you hate and underline or italicize your favorite. Do nothing to the ones you don’t remember (or don’t care about).

Can you guess what year I graduated?

1. The Sign, Ace Of Base
2. I Swear, All-4-One
3. I'll Make Love To You, Boyz II Men

4. The Power Of Love, Celine Dion
5. Hero, Mariah Carey
6. Stay (I Missed You), Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories
7. Breathe Again, Toni Braxton
8. All For Love, Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting
9. All That She Wants, Ace Of Base
10. Don't Turn Around, Ace Of Base
11. Bump N' Grind, R. Kelly
12. Again, Janet Jackson
13. I'll Remember, Madonna
14. Whatta Man, Salt-N-Pepa
15. Wild Night, John Mellencamp and Me'shell Ndegeocello
16. Without You/Never Forget You, Mariah Carey
17. You Mean The World To Me, Toni Braxton
18. Can You Feel The Love Tonight, Elton John
19. The Most Beautiful Girl In The World, Prince Symbol
20. Fantastic Voyage, Coolio
21. Baby I Love Your Way, Big Mountain
22. Regulate, Warren G and Nate Dogg
23. If You Go, Jon Secada
24. Back and Forth, Aaliyah
25. Now And Forever, Richard Marx
26. When Can I See You, Babyface
27. Please Forgive Me, Bryan Adams
28. So Much In Love, All-4-One
29. Shoop, Salt-N-Pepa
30. Any Time, Any Place/And On And On, Janet Jackson
31. Shine, Collective Soul
32. Said I Loved You...But I Lied, Michael Bolton
33. Return To Innocence, Enigma
34. All I Wanna Do, Sheryl Crow
35. Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm, Crash Test Dummies

36. Can We Talk, Tevin Campbell
37. Funkdafied, Da Brat
38. I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That), Meat Loaf
39. Gangsta Lean, Drs
40. Because The Night, 10,000 Maniacs
41. Cantaloop, US3
42. Whoomp! (There It Is), Tag Team
43. Come To My Window, Melissa Etheridge
44. Stroke You Up, Changing Faces
45. I'm Ready, Tevin Campbell
46. 100% Pure Love, Crystal Waters
47. Anytime You Need A Friend, Mariah Carey
48. Because Of Love, Janet Jackson
49. Linger, Cranberries
50. Loser, Beck

51. Found Out About You, Gin Blossoms
52. Gin And Juice, Snoop Doggy Dogg
53. Never Lie, Immature
54. Streets Of Philadelphia, Bruce Springsteen
55. Getto Jam, Domino
56. Endless Love, Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey
57. I Miss You w/ Aaron Hall
58. Understanding, Xscape
59. This D.J., Warren G
60. Cry For You, Jodeci
61. Keep Ya Head Up, 2Pac
62. Who Am I (What's My Name?), Snoop Doggy Dogg
63. Another Night, Real McCoy
64. Your Body's Callin', R. Kelly
65. Tootsee Roll, 69 Boyz
66. I Can See Clearly Now, Jimmy Cliff
67. Never Keeping Secrets, Babyface
68. Crazy, Aerosmith
69. Just Kickin' It, Xscape
70. At Your Best (You Are Love), Aaliyah
71. Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through, Meat Loaf
72 Amazing, Aerosmith
73. Always, Erasure
74. Groove Thang, Zhane
75. Dreams, Gabrielle
76. Mr. Vain, Culture Beat
77. Mary Jane's Last Dance, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
78. Anything, SWV
79. Beautiful In My Eyes, Joshua Kadison
80. Stay, Eternal
81. Flava In Ya Ear, Craig Mack
82. U.N.I.T.Y., Queen Latifah
83. Prayer For The Dying, Seal
84. Secret, Madonna
85. Here Comes The Hotstepper, Ini Kamoze
86. Everyday, Phil Collins
87. Don't Take The Girl, Tim McGraw
88. Got Me Waiting, Heavy D and The Boyz
89. December 1963 (Oh, What A Night), Four Seasons
90. Indian Outlaw, Tim McGraw
91. Always, Bon Jovi
92. I'm The Only One, Melissa Etheridge
93. Back In The Day, Ahmad
94. Love Sneakin' Up On You, Bonnie Raitt
95. I'll Take You There, General Public
96. Always In My Heart, Tevin Campbell
97. What Is Love, Haddaway
98. And Our Feelings, Babyface
99. Bop Gun (One Nation), Ice Cube
100. I Wanna Be Down, Brandy

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Thoughts on True Blood

I have been asked a couple times what I thought about the show. So, I thought I would post what I replied to Melissa on her blog.

"So, as for True Blood. It was just okay for me. For being the series
premiere, I thought there would be a more exciting storyline. I wish the murder was more of a mystery. I will watch next week, see if it gets any better."

Liked Fringe tonight, though. With all these new tv shows I am not going to get as much reading done! :)

a couple of fronts

The left front is finished and the right is half way there. After that...button bands, collar and seaming.

Teaser Tuesdays


TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:




Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!


Book: The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (Classics Challenge)

"Beyond the small and slippery pyramid which composed Mrs. Archer's world lay the almost unmapped quarter inhabited by artists, musicians and "people who wrote". These scattered fragments of humanity had never shown any desire to be amalgamated with the social structure." pg 100

Monday, September 8, 2008

gossip girl


Is it just me, or is Chuck looking much better this season than last?
Is it the hair? The clothes?

Hey, Teach!

It is Hey, Teach! I now know why everyone is knitting it. It is such a quick knit. I just started on Thursday and I already have the back and left front knit. I am using some Cotton Fleece I bought from another blogger's de-stash. Now to work on the right front while watching some Oprah.

Happy Monday. :)

Sunday, September 7, 2008

I have been knitting

Can anybody guess which pattern got me out of my no-knitting funk?

Here is a hint:

Vampires all night

True Blood is on tonight on HBO and there are two shows prior to it with great info about vampires in pop culture through movies, books and myths. They are mentioning a lot of great vampire series and interviewing authors.

I have been looking forward to this show since I heard about it. I am hoping it stands up to the hype.

Wintersmith-Book Review

Wintersmith: A Discworld Novel (Hardcover) Wintersmith: A Discworld Novel by Terry Pratchett

rating: 3 of 5 stars

Another fun book in the Tiffany Aching series. She is getting older, thirteen now, so along with learning to be a witch she also has to deal with boys. And one of these "boys" just happens to be Winter. The little blue guys are back, too. So lot's of hilarity to enjoy.


View all my reviews.