My Favorite Kind of Literary Insanity

Since I got my Nook, I've been reading voraciously and I've discovered many new authors I like. One of my favorite new discovers is John Carroll. John Carroll's stories are quirky, warped, and often more than a little demented. I love them.

My favorite find from Carroll is his short story The Emo Bunny that Should: A story for Demented Children. The story description says...

Emo the Bunny was a sad bunny. He preferred gloomy days, walks over a cliff and misery of any sort. One day he saw something very unusual. Normally he'd take a nap and try to forget about it, but for some reason he took an interest.

Ducks, bunnies, chickens, squirrels, geese, bears, cows, robins and The Easter Bunny all play a part in the disturbing events which show that woodland creatures aren't always as cute, fuzzy and innocent as they lead us to believe!

Caution: This story is not for normal children. If you have any intention of raising a well adjusted child, this is not the right tale for you.

Honestly, this description doesn't do The Emo Bunny that Should justice. It's bizarre, warped, twisted and funny as hell. Emo Bunny had me laughing out loud and made me want to seek out some of the other things John Carroll has written. And, this little gem of a story appeals to all ages. I loved it and so did my two oldest sons (14 and 10 when they read it).

Now, I know not everyone shares my warped and twisted sense of humor. So, I guess not every single one of you will like this book. But, if you like things like Mad (both the late night sketch comedy and the magazine) and In Living Color (the sketch comedy show that launched the Wayans and Jim Carrey), you will LOVE this story. The one thing I can guarantee is that you'll never look at the Easter Bunny the same way again.


*I received nothing for this review. I acquired the book on my own.

Is it as good today as it was yesterday?

There are so many things from our childhood that we have fond memories of...so many things from when we were 5 or 10 or 15 that we look back at and smile. But, so often, those events or books or foods don't hold up to the test of time. Our tastes change. Our desires change. We change and simply don't find the same pleasures in things that we liked when we were younger.

Every so often, we rediscover something from our youth and, not only is it good but it is as good as we remembered.  Just this past week, I went on an Anne McCaffrey reading binge. As much as I love her Dragonriders of Pern books, the ones I really wanted to reread were some books I first read back in high school, her Crystal Singer books. To my delight, they were just as good as when I first read them.

It was so much fun sitting down with The Crystal Singer and Killashandra. I think part of the reason I loved those books so much is that the heroine was a strong but flawed person...she lived this amazing life but she sacrificed for the amazing. When I finished Killashandra, I went online to get links to the books so I could add them to my book challenge list.I was shocked and thrilled to discover that there was a third book in the Crystal

Singer series. This was like a little gift from the universe because, after Anne McCaffrey died late last year, I never expected there to be more books from her that I didn't know about.

I had to have the third book and I had to have it immediately. Crystal Line was a wonderful addition to the series. Even reading it for the first time through adult eyes, I got sucked into the story just as much as I did the first time I read the other two books. I'm so glad I reread the first two books and to have them topped off by the third book made it amazing. The whole series truly did stand up to the test of time.

Have you revisited anything from your childhood? Did it stand the test of time or did it fall short?

Xanth or Bust

by geishaboy500

My first real foray in fantasy fiction was way back in the summer of '84. I met my second boyfriend that summer at the NC Governor's School...one of those summer program's for brainiacs. Just like me, he was a geek through and through. He introduced me to Illuminati: The Game of Conspiracy, Piers Anthony, and many other things. Piers Anthony and his Xanth books are what stuck with me the longest.

Xanth is a magical land in which every creature is born with a specific magical talent. If a Xanthian is found to be lacking a magical talent, they are banished to Mundania (the real world) and it becomes almost impossible to return. The reason it is so difficult to find the way back to Xanth is the peninsula of Xanth, shaped similarly to Florida, is not tethered to a specific location on the globe. Sometimes, it seems to be where the real Florida is.  Then, other times, a person leaving Xanth might exit into New York or maybe even some other country entirely. This keeps the real or mundane world from invading the magic of Xanth.

As expected, the Xanth books contain all the typical mythical creatures like harpies, golems, ogres, dragons, and centaurs. But, what makes these books truly special is their whimsical nature. The whole series is rife with puns and plays on words. Piers Anthony's love of word play shows up in the names of other creatures like the Night Mares who bring bad dreams and the titles of many of the books, like Isle of View (say it out loud...doesn't it sound like I love you). And, while puns usually make me groan, there is something about the way Anthony weaves them into the story that keeps me turning the pages and searching for the next one.

Xanth is truly a fun, engaging series and I think I enjoy it as much today as I did when I first read it. For those of you who hate to see a series end, Xanth is the series for you. The 36th book in the Xanth series just came out this year and Piers Anthony shows no sign of slowing down.


Do you have a favorite series, any genre is cool? Tell me about it, please!

Unexpected

Y'all know I am a huge fan of romance novels. I definitely don't hide my love for these books and I just love the warm fuzzies I get from reading a happily ever after (hea) story. Sometimes, in addition to the hea warm fuzzies, I find a book that makes me think and that's always an unexpected treat. I got this experience just about a week ago when I picked up Twice a Rake by Catherine Gayle.

At first, Twice a Rake comes across as a well written but rather typical romance novel...a young society lady ends up getting pushed into a marriage with a young, good looking, but disreputable lord. They face challenges thrown at them by their own misadventures and they overcome them to achieve their happily ever after. But, Catherine Gayle takes this book so much farther than just a pleasant read by tackling two topics most people run from - abuse and infertility.

Quin, the hero of Twice a Rake, isn't just a rake because of being a spoiled young lord. Quin has been running from marriage because he's afraid of becoming his father. He's almost paralyzed by the memories of the abuse he and his mother suffered through.

Aurora, the heroine, is running from marriage because of her parents too. However, Aurora is terrified of ending up in a loveless marriage like her parents were. She remembers her mother's depression and sadness and the completely separate lives they led. Then, Aurora discovers that is wasn't a loveless marriage that caused her mother's suffering. Instead, she found out it was the agony of infertility, repeat pregnancy loss, and infant loss that paralyzed her mother and led to her parents' misery. At this point, Aurora is no longer running from a potentially loveless marriage but she's running because she's scared she won't be able to fill the role every young society lady is expected to fill - the role of mother to the heir.

While I was gratified to see a romance author tackle the effects abuse can have on someone, it was Ms. Gayle's handling of infertility that really made me think. Infertility is so hard to deal with in the modern era but the thought of having to deal with it in the 1800s when there were no answers, there were no treatments, an the woman was almost always blamed is daunting and terrifying. I simply can't imagine dealing with the losses and problems I went through without the support I found and that's what women in that era faced. I can easily imagine getting stuck in a cycle of depression like Aurora's mother did if I had gone through infertility in that era. It makes me very thankful that all the modern treatments and the online ALI (adoption, loss, and infertility) community were available to me when I was dealing with infertility.

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed Twice a Rake. Ms. Gayle created strong, appealing, and realistically flawed characters who many of us can identify with despite them living in such a different world and, she did so while dealing with two difficult topics with style and grace. If you're a romance fan, pick up a copy of Catherine Gayle's book. I think you'll love it. If you've never read a romance, this book would be a great way to start.


Do y'all have any books you would like to recommend to me?

* I received nothing to write this review. I simply wrote it because I loved the book.

Bizarro World

In a true case of bizarro contrasts, earlier today I was writing about my passionate love for books and how I dream of having a full blown reading room. Tonight, I am learning how to properly dismantle a book. The thought of dismantling a book kills me but I have a job to do with a book that is somewhat time sensitive. The handheld scanner I spent huge amounts of time researching is a great little scanner but it refuses to do what I need it to do so I can complete this job. I'm starting to think the only choice might be to dismantle the book or to retype the entire freaking book by myself and that would be overwhelming. ARRRRGGGGHHHHH

Books Galore...my dream reading room

ooks, Books, Books...there are many things I could give up or do without as long as you don't take away my books. For me, books are so much more than just something to read during leisure time. Books teach. Books inspire. Books provoke. Books allow escapism. Books help you dream.

In fact, my dream house would have a room devoted entirely to reading. I wouldn't call it a library. In a house, the word library evokes much too formal a feeling. It would be our reading room. The entrance to our reading room would be disguised with bookshelves, like this...

and the mechanism to open it would be a fake book on the shelf that you tip outward. Not only would the room's entrance look super cool but it would fulfill a childhood fantasy of having a hidden room with a secret way to open the door.

The inside of our reading room would have the same look and feel as this charming little reading nook...

In fact, I think I'd have the walls lined with these nooks with strips of wall in between so you could hang art and have large floor to ceiling windows. I love how the light wood floors keep the room from feeling too dark despite all the books.

In the center of the room, I'd have a table with this as the base...

Each of these letters are shelves with doors and are tall enough to be used as a table base.

I think if you added a spacer of about an inch or two on the top, you could have the table top and the doors without them interfering with each other.

I would truly love spending time in a room like this. If money wasn't an object, what one room would your dream house contain?


*pictures are all links to sites containing items or ideas

Win a signed copy of The Story of Beautiful Girl

One of the things I love best about blogging is getting to share my passions with you. Reading has been and always will be a true passion and there is one particular book that I am truly passionate about. That book is The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon. I've talked about this book here on my blog (go read it if you haven't already), I've run my mouth about it on Goodreads and Amazon, and I've told everybody who will listen how amazing this book is. Now, I want to share The Story of Beautiful Girl with one of you. When my mom and I went to hear Rachel talk about her book, I bought a copy of the book to give away and had her sign it but, I have to confess that I would have bought a copy for each and every one of you if money wasn't an issue. I can't wait to give this book away to one of you so click on the more link below and enter using the Rafflecopter form.

Short and Sweet

• I had a fabulous time on the road trip with my mom.
• I met Rachel Simon, Barbie Angell, John aka BlindTravel, and a few others. They were fabulous.
• Every author out there needs to take a page out of Rachel's book and check out how she conducts her book signings. They are simply fabulous.
• Loved seeing my sis and her family.
• Was introduced to the wonders of IKEA. I bow before the IKEA altar now.
• I have a very funny story about Maude (otherwise known as my parents' gps). The bitch was delusional, lying, or had been smoking crack.
• I bought 4 copies of Rachel's book, The Story of Beautiful Girl. All books are signed and only 3 have homes. I'll be running a GIVEAWAY FOR A SIGNED COPY OF THE STORY OF BEAUTIFUL GIRL.
• The weather was horrible on the trip home. Near the outskirts of Charlotte, there was an accident right near the beginning of the construction zone. We went about 2 miles in an hour.
• We passed 5 accidents on the way home. 2 vehicles had gone head on into trees in the median. I hope and pray everyone got out in one piece.

Tell me how your day was...what did you do, who did you see, was it a good day.

Road Trip

I'm so excited. Tomorrow, my mom and I are climbing into her car and driving about 3 hours to go to a book signing/meet the author event.  I'll finally get to meet (in person) my dear friend and incredibly talented author, Rachel Simon.

Early in the summer of 2010, Cecily put out the word that a friend of her's was looking for people to review one of her books. I am so glad I told Cecily I wanted in because that's how I hooked up with Rachel. Back then, I got to read Rachel's incredible book, The House on Teacher's Lane. I felt like I got such a clear picture of who Rachel was and I truly could see the beauty of her spirit. I guess she must have liked what I said about the book because we've been in touch ever since and I even got to read and review her current and most amazing book, The Story of Beautiful Girl. I owe Cecily a big one because without her, I never would have found Rachel's friendship.

In addition to getting to finally meet a friend, I get to go on a road trip with my mommy. It will be so cool to get to spend time with my mom without the kids in tow. God, it's been ages since we've had more than an hour or two together. After losing my brother-in-law so suddenly in January, it has become so important to me to grab every chance I have to spend time with my loved ones. It's going to be so much fun.

When's the last time you went on a road trip? Where did you go and who did you take the trip with? Tell me all about it.

Be Still My Heart

My geeky, nerdy book loving heart is dancing with joy this month. Today, I'm headed to the Durham County Southwest Regional airport to meet Smart Bitch Sarah and listen to her talk about her book, Everything I know About Love I Learned From Romance Novels, and, on the 23rd of February, my mom and I are taking a little road trip to Charlotte to hear Rachel Simon read from and talk about The Story of Beautiful Girl (what...you haven't read it yet?!?!? Correct that mistake at one AND GO BUY IT). I am so excited to meet these two wonderful ladies and getting to spend time chatting about books is ALWAYS a good thing.


Do you have anything fun or special planned for this month? IF you do, share it with us, please. If not, why the hell not? You are special and deserve fun in your life.

2011 Book Challenge Wrap Up and 2012 Sign Up

2011 Book Challenge Wrap Up

Wooohooooo, it's only January 6th and I'm posting the yearly book challenge post. That's a hell of a lot better than last year's February 25th post.

Sadly, I didn't meet my reading goal for last year. I was shooting for 110 books last year and it was looking like I'd hit the goal without a problem. But, my time management skills went to hell in a handbasket when my friend Rys and her family moved in in September and I ended the year with 95 books. I hope the rest of y'all had a great year and did lots and lots of reading. I'd love for y'all to check in and tell me how many books you read.

And, the final bit of 2011 book challenge business, Alana of Alana-isms is the tote bag winner.


2012 Book Challenge Sign Up

It's time to sign up for the 2012 Book Challenge. Once again, sign up will be through Google Docs because it will compile the list and keep all the info handy for me. However, unlike last year, I won't promise to keep in touch via email over the course of the year because, obviously, I suck at that. So, here are the rules...

1. Please use this Google Docs form to sign up...comment if you like but sign up is through the form.
   
2. your goal can be as high or low as you feel comfortable with...the goal is to read more, not to beat everyone else
   
3. read, read, read
   
4. keep a running total
5. have fun
6. if it is under 50 pages or an audio book, it counts as HALF a book
7. anything over 50 pages counts as 1 BOOK no matter how long it is
   
8. textbooks, childrens books, ebooks all count
9. (thanks Jenn) rereading counts and any books read so far count
10. cookbooks count as a whole book if you actually read them (I mean really read...not just skim while looking for a recipe)

Once again, I want to say thanks to Jen J for Navigating the Waters of Infertility and Beyond again because she was the one that sparked my Book Challenge in 2009. This year, my reading goal is going to be 110 books.Hopefully, life will remain on an even keel and I can read to my heart's content.

Things I Learned In 2011

2011 was a wild, stressful, fabulous, and wonderful year and I'm still trying to figure out how it's over.

• I learned that a crocheted penis is one of the greatest ice breakers you can have with you at a conference for women. I heard "Oh My God, is that what I think it is? Can I take a picture?" more times than you can even imagine this past summer. I wonder if a crocheted boob would have the same impact...somehow I doubt it.
• I learned I can indulge my crafting habit, make some money and embarrass my oldest son all at the same time. Yes, I've made more Beanises since then and people are actually paying me for them.
• I've learned that someone very close to me is suffering from infertility and it makes me angry that I can't just snap my fingers or wiggle my nose and make it all better for her.
• I learned that I have both more patience than I ever imagined and, at the same time, far less patience than I imagined. My dear friend Rys and her family shared our house for about 3 1/2 months after their house was totaled by the Hurricane Irene floods. I love them dearly. I would open my house again to them in a heartbeat if they needed it...but, man oh man am I glad to have my space back. Honestly, I don't know how the Sister Wives make it work so seamlessly over such a long time because it is tough having that many people from two families under the same roof.
• I had it confirmed that my husband is a truly wonderful man. He didn't even blink when I talked to him about Rys and her family coming here and was truly amazing about having them here. I don't know many men who would willingly open their house for that extended period.
• I realized again that my kids rock. Bedroom switches were put on hold, space was given up, and, for the most part, toys and possessions were shared and they welcomed Rys and her family into our house.
• I've found out I absolutely adore my Nook. Yup, the Nook hits the top of my list for coolest pesents this year.
• I've learned that while the process of filing your eBooks onto shelves or organizing them by genre, author, etc isn't that complicated, it becomes infinitely more complex when you load 330+ files/books at once and have to categorize all of them at once. It took me 3 days, use of my Nook and my computer, and I still have 9 books somewhere on my Nook that have avoided being put on a shelf.
• I've learned that many editors do a half-assed no-assed job when it comes to editing books that are put out digitally. When an otherwise good book is interrupted by paragraphs that go from normal width and appearance to a tiny column that is so narrow that only THE or A is short enough to not be hyphenated, someone has NOT done there job.
• I also learned that Calibre is a life saver for anyone who owns an eReader. When you've bought a bunch of books for your Kindle app and then you've received a Nook for Christmas, it allows you to change formats so YOUR books can continue to be used on your new eReader.
• I've also found that Calibre saves you from the previously mentioned half-assed editing. It's a problem when you have a book named The Story of XYZ and some lazy assed so and so has embeded the file with the name Microsoft word File - T. That really becomes a problem when you have multiple files with that fucked up naming issue because that fucked up Microsoft Word name is what shows up when you unknowingly load the poorly named files onto your ereader. Then you have 10+ books that you can't tell the difference between until you run them through reformatting in Calibre.
• I've really learned to love my hair this year and want to know if I should keep it purple when I dye it again or if I should pick another Manic Panic shade.
• I've found out my middle son is turning into a huge football fan and a Steelers  fan at that. He wants a Polmalu jersey...which is kind of appropriate with the hair Joey has.
• I've learned that I still know more about computers than my children and that gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling.
• I've learned that my baby sister is a bit of a hard head and have to thank her for the Christmas miracle her hard-headedness brought about.
• I've learned that I'm not quite as resigned to never having a fourth child as I thought I was. I was hit with a serious case of baby lust and caught up in a bad case of regrets and what ifs when I found out a friend who was pregnant with her youngest daughter when I was briefly pregnant with Eva just gave birth to her third child, a beautiful little boy. Feeling I thought were long behind me reared their ugly head.
• I've learned that once again my husband has fallen on the crappy end of the medical odds and he is already dealing with diabetic neuropathy in his feet. Diabetes fucking SUCKS.
• I've learned (or re-learned) that I am truly blessed to be surrounded by a fabulous family and wonderful friends. We have a roof over our heads, food in our fridge, clothes on our backs, and my husband has a steady job with great benefits. I am blessed.

I hope each and every one of  you who take the time to stop by and read my blog realize just how important you are to me. While I do write for myself, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't pretty damned great to know there are people out there reading my words and caring about me. Y'all are fabulous. And, to my dear friends, the savvy women I treasure, my blogging and crafting sisters, I truly love each and every one of you. I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas (or whichever holiday you recognize) and I hope 2012 brings you happiness and your heart's desire.

Guarding The Healer

If you are a fan of Stephen King or Dean Koontz, you MUST pick up a copy of Guarding The Healer.  Guarding The Healer is the phenomenal Indie published freshman novel of Gabriel Beyers, an up and coming author.

Guarding The Healer is a classic tale of good vs. evil that spans the suspense and horror genre. Guarding The Healer tells the story of Silas Walker, a young man who develops healing powers, and the angels and demons that always seem to be around him. Healer grabs you from the first chapter and, despite knowing the basics of the story from book description, there are twists and turns and surprises throughout the book.

Despite writing a book containing many supernatural occurrences, Mr. Beyers manages to populate his novel with characters that are very realistic and who are quite easy to identify with. When you sit down to read, you'll find yourself saying "Just a few more pages" again and again because you feel a genuine need to find out what happens to Silas and his friends. Mr. Beyers manages to tell a truly engaging and wonderful story with a surprising and completely satisfying ending.I can't wait to read the next book Gabriel Beyers publishes.


 PS...Hurry over to Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Smashwords and pick up a digital copy of Guarding The Healer for only 99cents. This price is only good through Halloween.

*I received a free copy of the book to review. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

Free/Cheap Romance Books (and others)...

I hit the jackpot yesterday. I headed over to Smart Bitches, Trashy Books last night to check out the name of the latest book in their Summer Reading club. I'm not sure if I should consider them a good influence or a bad one because, while I didn't end up buying that, I followed a few links and ended up with a TON of other romance books for very little money. I had a couple of requests to spread the news about how and where I got them so here goes.

TWO PRE-ORDERS

• A Quick Bite with Bonus Material by Lynsay Sands for $2.12*
•  The Duke And I with Bonus Material by Julia Quinn for $2.12*

AND A BUNCH OF DOWNLOAD RIGHT NOW

• Some Kind of Wonderful by Barbara Freethy for $2.99
• Yours To Keep by Shannon Stacey for $3.82
• Unlocked by Courtney Milan for $0.99
• Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase for $1.06*
• A View To A Kiss by Caroline Linden for $1.06*
• The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot for $2.12*
• Never A Bride by Amelia Grey for FREE
• Mistress' House by Leigh Michaels for FREE
• Kiss At Your Own Risk by Stephanie Rowe for FREE

 So, with the book I added today, Some Kind of Wonderful,I got 11 books for only $16.28. Hurry and check these out because the discounts and freebies are often for a limited time only.

Here are a few links that will help you feed your reading habit...

• Amazon's Bestsellers in Kindle eBooks - lists the top 100 paid and top 100 free ebooks 
• Comprehensive List of free Kindle ebooks
• Project Gutenberg - free ebooks - all books are ones in the public domain
• Free Nook Books - you will have to have a payment method on file with Barnes and Noble even though you won't get charged when downloading free Nook Books.
• Free Ebooks from Borders - many of these are available in pdf as well as ePub format.
• Free-ebooks.net - all books in the public domain

I am sadly still e-Reader deprived so I have the Kindle for the PC app on both my desktop and laptop. Any serious book lover needs this. The access to free books is FABULOUS. I also have Adobe Digital Edition on my laptop and desktop. This is also a free download and allows me to open ePub and secure digital formats.

So, do y'all have any good eBook tips or good sources for books?


Books with a * following the price had a sales tax that kicked in. Don't know if it is because of where I live or some other reason. The sales tax is reflected in the price I have listed.

A Long Overdue Commitment

Most days I have great follow through. Most days, if I say I'm going to make/do something for someone, it gets done rapidly. Every now and then, something slips off my radar and life gets in the way. Then, when I remember it, I am usually shamefully behind and past due on the thing (whatever it is). Well, I finally finished one of those shamefully behind projects and I want to show it off to y'all. I finished the tote bags for the previous winners of my Book Challenge drawing. Mrs. Gamgee of Hobbit-ish Thoughts and Ramblings was the 2009 winner and Rebecca (aka Idgie) formerly of A Long and Winding Road now titled The Road From There To Here is the 2010 winner. I have Mrs. Gamgee's address and will need Rebecca's so I can get the tote bags in the mail.

I made a 3rd tote bag which was originally going to be mine but I decided it had my mom's name on it instead.

There is two outside pockets, front and back, and one interior compartment. I hope everyone likes them and I promise (bwahahahahahaha) to really, really try to be more timely next time.

The Books of Summer

Hey y'all, I just read another book you need to add to your summer reading list. I just finished reading After The Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn and loved it. While this book is very different from Ms. Vaughn's well-known Kitty Norville series, After The Golden Age will appeal to readers who like strong heroines.

After The Golden Age tells the story of Celia West, the average human daughter of two major superheroes, and the chaos that ensues after the police of Commerce City arrest one of the city's big bad super villains. How can Celia the accountant live up to her family name? Whose really behind the current Commerce City crime wave? Does the girl get the guy of her dreams? And, who ultimately saves the day? You'll get all those questions and more answered when you read After The Golden Age. Ms. Vaughn manages to take all the major elements we expect in a super hero tale - a mysterious origin, a shadowy past, the larger than life villain, and the unexpected foe - mixes in a few truly unexpected twists and creates a thoroughly engrossing super hero tale that will have you reading late into the night. I sincerely hope this isn't the last we see of the superheroes of Commerce City.

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Now, I know many of you read as much as I do and would LOVE a chance to have a more back-friendly way of carrying around all these books I'm telling you you should read. Well, Sarah from Smart Bitches and Jane from Dear Author are giving you a chance to win the eReader of your choice (options include Nook touch, Kobo Touch, or a Kindle 3G with special offers). These lovely ladies are offering up an eReader in honor of a rare occurrence...the passionate adoration of a book, Yours to Keep by Shannon Stacey, by BOTH of them. So, go check out SAVE THE CONTEMPORARY and find out how you can enter to win your very own eReader.


*I received nothing for this book review. The local library supplied the book (le sigh, now I have to buy my own copy) and I read it in one night s I reviewed it.

Audio book winner

A huge congrats goes out to Tillie of a nuttier life. With the help of random.org, she was selected as the winner of the audio book  copy of The Story of Beautiful Girl.

Sorry I forgot to post this yesterday but I found myself answering the siren song of summer and took my kids to the pool.

Summer Lovin' (and a giveaway)

or today's book review and giveaway

[Danny]

Summer lovin' had me a blast

[Sandy]

Summer lovin' happened so fast

[Danny]

I met a girl crazy for me

[Sandy]

Met a boy cute as can be

[Both]

Summer days driftin' away, to uh-oh those summer nights

When I was growing up, summer wasn't about the romances. Sure, there were a few of those. But, for me, summer lovin' was all about the books I'd have time to read. I already got to read and review one book that needs to go straight to the top of your summer reading list. Now, I've read another book that epitomizes my summer love affair with books. Lise Saffran's debut novel Juno's Daughters has everything necessary for a great summer read...a beautiful but somewhat unfamiliar setting, the women (Jenny and her daughters, Lilly and Frankie) looking for love, the handsome strangers, and the drama,in this case, literally a production of Shakespeare's The Tempest.  

Juno's Daughters immerses you in the unique community of artists and dreamers that populate San Juan Island of the coast of Washington State. The yearly Shakespeare production on this little island provides the perfect setting to explore the storm created when you mix the angst of teenage life and love with a mom whose life is blossoming again. It's so easy to lose yourself in the adventures of the San Juan Islanders and it's even easier to forget that Jenny and her girls aren't real people. Take a moment this summer, pick up Juno's Daughters, and run away to San Juan Island.

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To celebrate our summer love affair with books, I have an audio book copy of The Story of Beautiful Girl for one of my lucky blog readers. All you have to do to enter is...

1. Comment and tell me your favorite summer read (required)
2. Tweet or facebook this giveaway... Win an audio copy of the NYTimes bestseller The Story of Beautiful Girl from @rachelsimon and @dragondream http://bit.ly/kUVm0X #giveaway (once a day, comment each time)
3. Blog about the giveaway and include a link to this post and Rachel Simon's website. (worth 5 entries, comment once for each entry)

The giveaway starts right now and will end on Friday, May 27th at 11:59 pm. The winner will be announced on Saturday, May 28th.

The Story of Beautiful Girl

I blame Rachel Simon. I blame her for the bags under my eyes and the toothpicks holding up my eyelids. And, it's all because of this book, The Story of Beautiful Girl. 3 nights this week it's had me just one more paging myself into a 2:30 am bedtime. Y'all, I have to tell you about this book. Editorial reviews describe this book as an enthralling or unlikely love story but it is so much more. In fact, by calling this book a love story, I think the editors do it a disservice and turn away a bunch of possible (read younger males) readers. Sure, The Story of Beautiful Girl tells the story of Lynnie and Homan, two people in love who tried to run away from the Pennsylvania State School for the Incurable and Feebleminded. But, their love story isn't what drives the book. The reader recognizes that despite Lynnie's and Homan's disabilities they have the same human needs and desires that each of us do. Yes, they need freedom, respect, beauty, shelter, education, and even love. With this recognition of a very basic kinship with Lynnie and Homan, the reader begins to care about these characters whose surfaces seem so different from us. Ms. Simon's ability to create characters that we identify with and care about allows her to enthrall her readers with a decades spanning story that at times horrifies with it's unflinching look at the mistreatment of the disabled. But, The Story of Beautiful Girl does not only horrify. It also delights and thrills the reader as you watch Lynnie and Homan grown and learn and become fully realized members of the big, wide world we all live in.The Story of Beautiful Girl  is a rare gem of a book and is well worth having in your library. Do yourself a huge favor and pick up a copy as soon as you can.


* The Story of Beautiful Girl is available in available in hardback, audiobook, Kindle, and Nook editions.
** The author kindly provided me with a copy of her book in return for my promise to write an honest review. All opinions expressed above are completely my own.

Monday Miscellany

I know I saw that title somewhere recently but I can't remember where to give credit where credit is due...sorry.

Welcome, welcome to all my old friends and to any new ones I may make during ICLW. I'm going to do my very best to have a great week commenting and visiting a bunch of blogs but my best intentions seem to get derailed lately. So, to kick off ICLW, here's a bunch of random stuff (Sorry, my brain is still too addled by germs and the time of night for much else).

I am still sick...boooo hiiiisssssss. I have a lingering cough that I just can NOT shake.  What makes this all the more frustrating is that next weekend I am suppose to go camping with Joey and his cub scout den. I really need to be well before then.

I stuck with it and finished The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman. This was the book I mentioned on Friday that I was having trouble focusing on because by chapter 5 I figured out who the bad guy was and another major plot twist. I am really glad I stuck with it because there was so much more going on in that book than I had realized.  It was definitely worth reading and I may have to look up some of the author's other books.

I've been being all crafty and stuff lately. For those of you who hang around a lot, I know I promised you pictures of Sheila's quilt but I've been having camera issues (as in it is still MIA) but she's going to email me some pics so I can share the splendor she is creating. Also, I made a Pi necklace...the one with the beads not the numbers. I'm going to have to make at least two more because my mom wants one and Joey wants one too. Also, do y'all remember my post about the adult themed crochet designs? Well, a dear friend requested a Beanis (the first crocheted item in the post) in the most inappropriate colors I could think of. I just finished her Beanis the 18 inch Penis and it has a bright red head, a blue/red shaft, and balls in varying shades of blue. She says she's going to display it in her china cabinet. And, I am crocheting a fabulous pair of gloves. It kind of sucks that I'll have to wait until next winter to wear them but it gives me time to get the design to work correctly.

I'd also like to ask for continued prayers for the family friend with pancreatic cancer...only, now we are back to not knowing if it's cancer or not. The doctor's at Duke couldn't decide if it was but wanted to start her on chemo and radiation just in case (because pancreatic cancer is such a bitch to treat). Well, that logic didn't sit well with her and she went off to Johns Hopkins for a consult with the two top pancreatic cancer specialist. Well, even they couldn't decide if it was cancer from the scans (and they even called in a whole team of specialists) so she is going up to Johns Hopkins this week to have a biopsy done. Evidently, there are a multitude (I think they said 11) of variations on pancreatic cancer and they all require their own specialized approach to treatment. So, hopefully the biopsy will not only tell them if the two masses on her pancreas are cancerous or not but, if they are, which variation needs to be treated.

On a lighter note, I am hosting a uPrinting giveaway of 100 custom printed postcards. Please enter.

Also, if you like to read, check out the info about my 2011 Book Challenge and, if it sounds interesting, click on the sign up page tab under my header. The more, the merrier.