TSS: The Sunday Salon 10-10-10

Gee, I haven't done one of these in a while! Hope I'm still in the loop.

Today, I have a million things to accomplish and the only way I can imagine getting to everything is to allot a little bit of time to each thing and just keep working my way through the list. I've already accomplished the first thing -- lounging around in bed! I've been reading a middle grade/young adult fantasy novel, NIGHTSHADE CITY by Hilary Wagner. It's quite a departure for me - the characters are RATS! I quickly got caught up in the story, but I'm having trouble identifying with the rats. I keep trying to get past it, but it's mentioned too frequently. I'm thinking I'll adjust to it as the story progresses. It is a good story - well written and very descriptive. Has anyone else read it? What did you think? I'm especially interested in hearing others' opinions on whether it is really appropriate for middle grade readers. I'm thinking it is geared more to older readers as there are references to young females being "drafted" into the evil overlord's harem. Any opinions?

Even though it is a gorgeous day here in Lil Rhody, I've got to spend some time at the office. We were shorthanded last week, and I just couldn't get everything done. But on my way, I plan to stop off somewhere sunny and bright by the water and read a few chapters of my current grown-up read, RUSSIAN WINTER by Daphne Kalotay. The title may conflict with today's weather, but I'm really enjoying this book, and I don't want the rats to get the upper hand!

I've switched over the laundry and am halfway through my 20 oz. of Diet Coke. When it's gone, so will be I. (? Is that even English?)

On my way to the office, I'll be popping in at the local Bread & Circus (oops! I mean Whole Foods).  Last week I received a review copy of 5 INGREDIENT FIX by Claire Robinson, and I'm eager to try out some recipes. First up - sauteed wild mushrooms. Yum! I'll let you know how turns out. I plan on trying several recipes throughout the week in preparation for my review - and dinner, of course!

And on my drive to the office and back, I'll be listening to DON'T BLINK by James Patterson. I'm pretty excited for this "listen" as I recently completed THE POSTCARD KILLERS and it made for a really fun and wild ride to and from work last week. I hope to have my review posted for early this week.

I'm ignoring the dishes in the kitchen for now - most are clean in the dishwasher but I just don't have time to empty it right now. Everyone should learn to prioritize! There are two things that absolutely MUST be completed before the end of the day:  The little dead mole that our cat, Lola, left on the back deck really deserves a decent burial. And the TV remote -- it's missing -- AGAIN! It must be found! Losing it drives me crazy - even if I'm NOT watching TV!

I know I'll be interrupting my work at the office and doing a little blog hopping this afternoon. It's what will keep me going. Hope you all have a great day -- after all, it's destined to be a 10 out of 10!

That's it! The Diet Coke is gone! and so am I . . . for now!

The Sunday Salon on Monday - No wait! It's Tuesday!

Let's just pretend it's Sunday.


So, it's been mentioned to me that I have a lot of contests happening right now. Yes I do. And there will be still more. So what's up with that? Well, a few things. First of all, I think hosting contests is just plain fun. Secondly, I've been the lucky winner in lots of contests, and I want to spread the good luck around. And thirdly, it helps get my mind off some rather dreary goings on.

In the last couple of weeks, layoffs have hit both my household and my workplace. I, myself, am thankfully still employed but, needless to say, the situation is distressing and depressing. I'm well aware, though, that things could be worse. Much worse. Two children in our small state have recently passed away from complications of H1N1. What could be worse than the death of a young child? My heart goes out to their families while my fears settle on my own nieces and nephews and their playmates. Everyone is trying not to panic. They have begun innoculating kids at their schools, but that's a process that will take over a month. Meanwhile, at home, both J-Boy-9 and E-Girl-6 have developed coughs and up and down fevers. It's very worrisome, and all I really want to do is stay home with them. On the other hand, the health officials seem to be saying "Look. Most people are going to get it, get over it, and be done with it." So, I'm trying to carry on as ususal as much as possible.

Let's move on to my recent reading choices and see if we can cheer things up a bit. Hmmm. Not too likely. I've read two books recently that were both very good, but quite sad. The first one, LOOKING AFTER PIGEON by Maud Carol Markson, I read for a blog tour and have been unable to complete my review because I was so emotionally tangled up with the story. The second book, FROM HERE TO APRIL by Deborah Copaken Kogan, I undertook thinking it was more of a mystery-type story than it turned out to be. Each of these books deals with the subject of . . . let's see, how can I express this? . . .  how about "faulty mothering." It was a tactical error to read these two books back to back. Together they were just too emotionally draining but, as I said earlier, they are quite good. I'll post my reviews for both these books toward the end of the week and counterbalance each with a happy picture book review. 

I've received several absolutely gorgeous gift books for review, and I plan to post about them over the next week or so. I'll be posting several new giveaways, too. And as much as possible, my reading material will be light-hearted and upbeat. Or at the very least, not heart-wrenchingly sad. Coming up later today is my review of a charming little book, CHERRIES IN WINTER by Suzan Colon. It consists of lovely anecdotes of ways in which her family withstood hard times through the last several generations. It came to me at the perfect time!

The Sunday Salon: Touching Base September 13, 2009

Happy Sunday, Everyone!

I'm touching base because I've been a bit incommunicado the last few weeks. I've had some exceptional family obligations which have consumed most of my time and also been battling a case of serious head and chest congestion. Basically, I'm pretty run down right now. I've tried to keep up with moderating comments, but haven't been able to visit other blogs and leave comments. I'm hoping to catch up with all of you this week.

I must apologize profusely to Ru Freeman and TLC Book Tours -- I missed not one, but TWO scheduled dates for the blog tour of A DISOBEDIENT GIRL. The first date I simply overlooked because my time was so overbooked. The second date I missed because I unexpectedly continued to be overwhelmed and then sick on top of it all. However, let it be known that A DISOBEDIENT GIRL is an incredibly good read, one of the best books I've read this year, and I will post my review this week.

I've done some reading this week but not too much. I'm continuing to read and enjoy VELVA JEAN LEARNS TO DRIVE by Jennifer Niven. I picked up a copy of OLD YELLER by Fred Gipson from the library. This was a favorite movie of mine as a child, and it was fun to revisit the story. And I sped through PIPER REED, NAVY BRAT by Kimberly Willis Holt for the Middle Grade Reading Challenge. It was cute and fun, and my sister and I will be reading it in the evenings to my 6-year-old niece over the next little while.

I don't know yet what I'll settle into reading this week. I continue to have far more choices than time. If I can just get the doctor to prescribe bed rest . . .

The Sunday Salon - All Work and . . .Okay! Okay! There'll be some play!

This is NOT how I planned to spend my day! But I'm at the office playing ketchup. I'll be here most of the day, but it has to be done.

My plan is to alternate working for pay with working as play - I'm not trying to rhyme, but I'll be here all day. There's a lot to be done in both areas.

It was hard to drag myself away from one of my current reads - SCOTTSBORO by Ellen Feldman. This is a fictionalized account of the 1931 events and their aftermath which revited the attention of the nation and the world on Scottsboro, Alabama. Nine black youths were convicted, and eight of them sentenced to death for a crime that not only did they not commit but that never even occurred. This novel, shortlisted for the 2009 Orange Prize for fiction, alternates between the point of view of Alice Whittier, a New York left-wing journalist, and Ruby Bates, one of the two young white women who cried rape. The prejudices of racism, sexism, and anti-semitism are all exposed and examined in this totally compelling novel. Hopefully, I'll have some quiet time this evening to continue reading it.

This week, I've also dipped into THE LINK: Uncovering Our Earliest Ancestor by Colin Tudge. And, I breezed through THE FRAGMENT by Warren Fahey. I didn't plan it this way, but the two made an interesting juxtapostion -- the first is science and the latter science fiction. Both deal with the evolution of life and our own species in particular. Thoroughly entertaining AND informative!

Today, tomorrow, and Tuesday, I will be participating in the Virtual Blog Tour for WOMEN OF WISDOM by Kris Steinnes. If you're interested in personal transformation and empowerment, be sure to check out the book information, chapter excerpts, and ordering information.

I'll also be posting details on a couple of new book giveaways this week - we can't let a good giveaway go to waste!

Hope you all have a great Father's Day!

The Sunday Salon June 7, 2009

It's been a hectic week. Today, I'll be visiting blogs all over Blogland to see what's been going on. I might find some time to spend with my current read, THE AIR BETWEEN US by Deborah Johnson. Also, organizing my reading and blogging for the next couple of months, washing a husge pile of laundry, and visiting with my mom. Hmmmm. Sounds like more hecticness for me!

The Sunday Salon: May 31, 2009

Is it really the end of May already? I guess this is what happens when you've got your nose stuck in a book! Or your fingers flying over a keyboard! I continue to feel completely overwhelmed by my blogging endeavors, but I'm loving it too much to back off.

Learning to Blog Progress Report: I'm developing a format and structure for my reviews, and I have decided to start giving each book a rating based on the five-star plan. In early May, there was a long discussion at Books on the Brain called To Rate or Not to Rate. Prior to that, I was completely undecided. I appreciate so many bloggers weighing in on the subject. My thought is that the rating is there if you want to use it as a guide, but it can be easily ignored if you are so inclined. I'll be rating the books I read in Library Thing and GoodReads, so I might as well carry it through.

I'm also going to number my reviews as I see several bloggers do that, and I think it will be useful down the line.

Finally, I've learned that some days are better than others for releasing certain kinds of posts. After struggling for weeks with my review of THE RISK OF DARKNESS, I finally posted it on a Saturday and received a very limited response. I think in the future I'll save the weekends for reviews of picture books and early readers. This week, I've got two: JIBBERWILLIES AT NIGHT and THE CRICKET OF TIMES SQUARE.

Checking in on Challenges: Well, I have failed dismally in fulfilling my first challenge, The Unshelved Reading Challenge, hosted by Becky of Becky's Book Reviews. Only 3 books, and I couldn't do it! I think I took on too much too soon. Basically, I just misremembered the deadline as June 30 instead of June 1st! I'll still complete it, just late! Is there a penalty? Will it involve my credit card?! I expect to improve my performance with the 3rd Southern Reading Challenge, but I'd better buckle down because August 15th will be here before I know it!

BEA: I didn't go to BEA this year, but I did try to participate in the BEATwittyParty last Friday night. Whew! What a hailstorm of activity that was! I made my first foray into TwitterChat, which helped, but the party was almost over before I realized that I could control the speed at which the comments refreshed. Once again, I was in over my head, but I did have some fun and met several new-to-me bloggers. I count that as a success! A big THANK YOU! to Rebecca of The Book Lady's Blog for organizing the event.

GIVEAWAYS: Tonight at midnight, EST, is the deadline to enter the Hachette Book Group Mother's Day Giveaway here at A Sea of Books. This is a wonderful and varied selection of books that would really get your summer reading off to a good start. If you haven't entered yet, you've still got a little bit of time!

AWARDS!: I have been the lucky and humbled recipient of several awards over the last couple of weeks. I'll do a couple of posts where I formally thank my generous blogging friends as well as announce with whom I will be sharing some of the awards.

LOOKING AHEAD: There's some good stuff in store for June: great giveaways, blog tours, maybe even an author guest post! You'll just have to keep an eye on me to see what happens!

Have a great day everyone!

Enjoy this beautiful last day of May!

The Sunday Salon: May 24, 2009

Happy Sunday, everyone! It will be thundering and raining in my neck of the woods today, so it's a good day to hang out with my mom and watch movies. And that's what I'll be doing after running a few errands. My mom is a big reader, so we'll probably laze around with our books as well. I just started reading LAST NIGHT IN MONTREAL by Emily St. John Mandel. I'm only a couple of chapters in, but it's really good so far. I'll be participating in an upcoming blog tour and hosting a giveaway, so stay in touch!

The past couple of weeks I've had some restrictions on my computer access. At home, I share a computer and, at the office, I haven't had the off-hours peace and quiet that I like for writing. We'll be setting up a wireless network system at home soon, so hopefully I'll have all the access I need!

Also over the last couple of weeks I have really struggled with my posting for THE RISK OF DARKNESS by Susan Hill. It's a complex book, and I had a complex reaction to it. Between limited computer time and the difficulty of getting my thoughts down in writing, I haven't gotten much blog work done. I stubbornly refused to write any other reviews until I had this one in the bag. Maybe that was the wrong approach. I "published" my post yesterday, even though I am not completely happy with it, and now I'm ready to move on. I'd love to see your opinions on the piece, though, so please comment!

I have several reviews to catch up on. I'll be careful not to paint myself into a corner as I did with THE RISK OF DARKNESS, so you can look forward to my thoughts on such varied titles as THE INDIFFERENT STARS ABOVE and THE CRICKET IN TIMES SQUARE.

And don't forget my giveaways! If you haven't already entered to win a copy of TESTIMONY by Anita Shreve, you have until midnight tonight! Get to it! Enter here. I'll be announcing the winners on Monday.

You've got a little more time to enter the giveaway for the MOTHER'S DAY ASSORTMENT from Hachette Book Group. That contest closes at May 31st. You can enter it here. What are you waiting for?

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you all have a wonderful day!

THE SUNDAY SALON - Finding My Way

I'm slowly managing to find my way around this big, bold blogging world. I'm still keeping things as simple as I can as I make my way, step-by-baby-step, along. I'm surprised at how many corollary paths there are to maintaining a blog -- suddenly, I need to really pay attention to my Library Thing account and keep up with my postings there; I've joined Book Blogs, and there's much to explore, learn, and follow there; I'm trying to organize my reading, writing, and posting around the rest of my chaotic life. Let's not even begin to talk about Twitter! Throw in getting sick and then having a bad reaction to my antibiotic, and well, I wish I could just take a blogging vacation! Not the kind where you get AWAY from blogging, but the kind where all you DO is blog-related activities! No such luxury on the horizon . . .


This past week, I struggled with my review of THE RISK OF DARKNESS by Susan Hill. I probably should have written a couple of other reviews to post while I kept working on this one, but whenever I had time to write, I really wanted to work on this review. (Pacing is another thing I will have to learn!) I'll not say more about what struggles I've had because I truly hope to post it later today or for Monday, and then you can read all about it!










Today I plan to spend some time reading THE INDIFFERENT STARS ABOVE by Daniel James Brown. This is an ARC I received through Library Thing's Early Reviewer program. The book is about the horrendously doomed Donner party's experience in the Sierra Nevada during the winter of 1885-86. It seems weird to say that I enjoy reading about catastrophic events. I think what I enjoy is learning about how people endure and overcome staggering hardships. From the comforts of my modern life, I wonder if I would have the fortitude, intelligence, and (yes, sometimes) just plain luck to survive. Stories such as these also help keep my focus on what is really important in life - my family and friends, being compassionate and helpful as much as possible, appreciating the beauty of the present moment, and preparing for any possible difficulties in the future.

This past week, I also started reading MADE IN THE U.S.A. by Billie Letts which I'm enjoying quite a bit. The giveaway I'm hosting for the book is still open (until next Sunday, May 10th), so enter here if you haven't already!

I'll also be picking up again ANGELS OF DESTRUCTION by Keith Donahue. I'm finding this book to be quite intense, and when I reached the end of Book I, I decided to take a short break from it so I could digest what I'd read so far. This is a really good book, and I'm looking forward to getting back into it.

Most immediately, I'm about to turn my attention to one of my favorite little girls, RUBY THE COPYCAT. My next post will be a review of this family favorite. Come back in a little while and see if you think you'd like her, too.

The Sunday Salon

Happy Easter, Everyone! It's a gorgeous and glorious day here on the Rhode Island coast - absolutely beautiful.

I'll be traveling inland today, though, to my brother's house for our family get-together. There's no ocean there; however his property abuts a state park, so there's lots of forest and several lakes and ponds. Very pretty and peaceful.

The last couple of days I have been reading Spiced: A Pastry Chef's True Stories of Trials by Fire, After-Hours Exploits, andWhat Really Goes on in the Kitchen by Dalia Jurgensen. I received the ARC from Shelf Awareness and dove right in! It's a delicious read, and I was deep into it until the early morning hours. I hope to have a little time later today to finish it off. I'll post my review later this week.

Tonight I hope to get some work done on the mechanics of this blog - the more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know! (Einstein said "As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it.") I have a lot of work to do!

What are you doing today? Whatever it is, I hope you all have a day full of wonder and happiness!