Catching up on a Sunday....

Summer is passing quickly and soon it will be back to school time. My son will be in his last year of middle school and I am starting a new job and will be working with preschoolers this school year. It's all good and I am looking forward to a positive change. My goal is to keep up with my blog and make things simpler here and less pressure for myself. As my wise blogger friend Bookfan Mary recently commented... "Take time with the blog. It's your hobby- not your job, right? ;-)" Thanks Mary, your words rang true for me! 

I have been reading and my goal is to blog about the books I've been reading in a mini-review style. I have not been accepting books for review except some Kindle e-galley copies and I plan to write some reviews about these books as well. I have decided not to participate in book tours for now as they are too much pressure for me to stick to deadlines. I also plan to stop and visit my blogger friends blogs. I want to enjoy blogging, for it to be fun and to connect to other readers, bloggers and authors. Truly, the main goal for me is to write about and share my love of reading in a simple and authentic way that is not stressful or full of conflict, pressure and deadlines. I hope that you guys stick around, I am thankful for those who have kept in touch with me.

Some of the books that I've recently read:

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (Kindle Ebook from library)

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake (Audio book from library)

Books I am Currently Reading:

Broken Harbor by Tana French (Hardback from Library)

A Turn in the Road by Debbie Macomber (Audio Book from Library)

Saturday Snapshot ~ August 11

(click on picture to see an enlarged view)

~Beading Class~

I took a beading class with a friend of mine last month. It has been something that I have always wanted to try and this was a beginner's class and I made the necklace in the top picture and the bracelet below. I now know some basics to beading and learned some techniques and tips. The instructor was helpful and the ladies that sat at the table with us were more experienced and they willingly shared some tips on websites to find tutorials and how to's as well as places to purchase beads and tools at reasonable prices. I already have some requests to make some things and these would also make great gifts. Someone suggested making beaded bookmarks which would be a fun thing to make. Does anyone bead or have any suggestions for a newbie beader? I'd love to hear any advice or tips!

My blog has been quiet again this summer. I am trying to find a balance and a way back to blogging. I will continue to focus on finding my "voice" or my "style" here on my blog. I've had a bit of writer's block and other issues which have kept things quiet here. My goal is to find my way back to regular blogging about books and life. Bear with me as I find the balance and I hope to stop and visit your blogs as well.

Saturday Snapshot

It's been quiet here for awhile and I hope to get back to blogging more regularly. I had a memorable birthday last month, my wonderful husband planned a special weekend getaway to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and an overnight stay at a historic inn and tour of Fallingwater. Fallingwater was a home designed by Frank Llloyd Wright in the 1930's. My son took this picture from the viewing spot across from the home...it's beautiful there and picturesque which this picture shows perfectly. 


On a bookish note, I kept thinking about the book Loving Frank while I was there and the personality of Frank Lloyd Wright that was described by the tour guide seemed connected to the book. 

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home at Books

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is on tour the month of April with host Cindy's Love of Books

I bought one book this week, again I couldn't resist the clearance bargain section at Half Price Books and this book was on my wishlist. I was happy!

Jerusalem Maiden by Talia Carner

Sunday Blogging

I had a quiet week of Spring Break with my son. It was really nice to just have a break. We attempted to see The Hunger Games movie but the theater sound system was so loud that we had to leave. Personally, I don't understand why they have to blast the sound so loud but this was outrageous. It was so loud, just during the previews, that I had to ask three times to turn down the sound. We even had earplugs and it was ear piercing. We finally decided to leave. Sadly the management did not seem to care very much. They said that they tried turning the volume down but it went up instead, really?! If there were technical difficulties they should have given everyone the option to see the movie at another time. We got a refund and won't be going back to this theater, it was our first time there. We will stick to our local theater. 

I had some issues with leaving comments on blogs but finally figured out that I had to sync my google accounts and that allowed me to comment. It was frustrating  as I couldn't leave comments on any blogger blogs. I also had to figure out some changes at WP blogs so that I could leave comments and got that worked out as well. I thank those who left comments and emailed suggestions to help me out. I've begrudgingly switched over to the new blogger format and don't care for it but will have to adjust and hopefully find new benefits to the change. I plan on visiting blogs and commenting more this week.

I have had a slow reading week but hope that changes soon. I am reading and thoroughly enjoying A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson.

Frustrated with Blog Comments....Suggestions please???

I am having some serious battles and frustrations leaving comments on Blogger and Wordpress blogs. I feel bad as I want to leave comments but they often don't go through with signing up my Google account or Wordpress account unless you can figure out how to sign in and it goes through correctly. I've emailed bloggers and asked what to do and it sounds like everyone is frustrated with these changes. I'm okay here on my blog as I haven't changed commenting with Blogger and left it the old way. I want to update my blog but am concerned that the changes are going to make it less user friendly.I have been trying to comment and visit blogs but it's not easy to leave comments on all blogs.  Are there any easy solutions or is it just hit or miss? How is everyone managing this? 

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is on tour the month of March at Diary of an Eccentric

This is what I received in my mailbox and bought last week:

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson win from Bermudaonion. I was so excited that I won an Autographed copy of this book!  Thanks Kathy!! I moved my current book aside and have already started reading this, my first book by Joshilyn Jackson.

The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas from Half Price Books Clearance section ~ I couldn't resist as I've read some interesting thoughts on this book and it sounds thought provoking. HPB has a great $1 clearance section and with a 50% coupon day it was only 50 cents!

The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey from Half Price Books ~ 50% of coupon for this like new hardback book that was already marked down 50%! This was on my wishlist, I am a Jane Eyre fan so I was thrilled to find it on the New Books shelf!

Sunday Blogging...The Hunger Games & I am Half-Sick of Shadows by Allan Bradley

We've been enjoying some wonderful weather this week, it's spring and we've had summer temps in the 80's. This is highly unusual for Ohio and it feels like summer in March. We really did not have much of a winter so we are not sure what summer will be like. I'm enjoying the sunshine and it's definitely lifted the spirits with my health challenges. Thanks to all who commented last week and were so supportive and I have had some great chats by email with several great women who shared some insights and ideas with me. 

My son is on spring break this week and we are looking forward to some fun, sun and rest. I had hoped that he would want to see The Hunger Games movie with me but he saw the trailer and didn't care for the kids fighting scenes. I  understand as that is one of my concerns with the books. I bought him a copy of the first book, The Hunger Games and he has not read it yet. He read The Giver by Louis Lowry this year in English class (7th grade) and I read it along with him. It is a fabulous novel, thought provoking and not obviously violent. My son did like this book and expanded his reading into dystopian novels. So, for those with teenagers are your kids reading The Hunger Games...going to see the movie...what are your thoughts?

On the reading front, I have been reading but am still struggling with focusing on writing book reviews. I just finished the audio book of I am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley the 4th book in the Flavia De Luce series. This last one was not a favorite, it could be that I listened to the last three books on audio back to back. I found that this last book did not hold my interest as the other books had and I am finding that the stories are starting to become a rehash of the same plot lines....family strife, sibling rivalry with the sisters, detective investigations are similar and this one was a bit boring. Flavia is an 11 year old detective sleuth and I feel that she should start getting older in this the 4th book. I think that most 11 year old girls do not have the maturity and insights that Flavia is depicted as having. It is a bit unrealistic to me, even though this is the 1950's in England. I do love the setting and English touches and the narrator Jayne Entwistle is a fabulous narrator capturing the tone of the language and characters. 

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is on tour during the month of March at Diary of an Eccentric

This is what I received in my mailbox last week:

The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted by Bridget Asher from Paperbackswap


The Midwife's Confession by Diane Chamberlain UK edition from Bookmooch

Catching up on a Sunday ~It's almost Spring!

It's almost spring! It's so nice to have warm weather in March, it definitely lifts the spirits. My son and I spent the day enjoying the weather today. I even found one lone daffodil poking out by the waterfalls. 

I did not get any reading in today as we had to get out and enjoy the day even though I was limping around and may need to ice my ankle later. I did  get my walking boot off this week, which made me happy! I am still having some medical issues and have had some joint flares due to my new diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis. This is a journey that I am learning how to manage each day...medication or not, medical leave of absence and so much more. If you are dealing with this and have any advice, please post and/or email me privately. 

On the reading front, I had book club this week and we discussed The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. I liked the book a lot and will post a review this week. We had some mixed views on this book but I found it a thought provoking book on the foster care system, bonds and how one can communicate emotions with flowers. 

I just started reading Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah. I have had it on my bookshelf for awhile and after reading Staci's review at Life in the Thumb I had to pick it up to read next. 

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is on tour for the month of March at Diary of an Eccentric

I bought both books at a local Half Price Books and was in luck as I found them in like new condition in the clearance section for a steal at $1 each! I couldn't resist.

The Hunchback of Nieman Marcus by Sonya Sones

The Piano Teacher by Janice Lee

Book Club & Review of Girls From Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow

My book club discussed Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow for our February Book Club meeting that I hosted. We went to a restaurant and had our own private section which made for a great time and discussion about the book as we had appetizers, wine & beer and of course dessert! 

The Girls from Ames is a story about eleven girls who all grew up together in Ames, Iowa and had a special bond that continued into their adult lives. They spread apart to different states but they maintained their friendships through college, dating, marriage & divorce, motherhood, childhood illnesses and deaths. Their story is a true testament of the bonds of friendship and that friendship, especially among these women can be the glue that holds  their lives together. Jeffrey Zaslow is a journalist and wrote from that perspective as he shares the girls stories over a 40 year time period. It is a book that women can relate to as most of us can look back and recall memories of our first friendships and many are blessed to have maintained those friendships over the years. I grew up in the 60's and 70's when the Ames girls were growing up so I could relate to much of the cultural and social references. I have maintained contact and connections with many school friends from my youth but not in the same way as the Ames girls have. I do envy that connection that they have held throughout the years, always knowing that they have a group of friends that will be there for them.  

I liked the premise of the story of The Girls From Ames but the style of writing  and flow of the book didn't work for me. It was hard to connect to the girls as there were so many and it was hard to keep their lives and experiences straight. In the hardback edition that I read, there was a list of the girls and a small bio and picture that I frequently referred back to as I read. Some of the girls in my book club read the paperback edition which they said did not include this list which made it harder to keep track of the girls. We did all agree that the writing style was hard to follow and affected our appreciation of the book. We had a great discussion about the book, friendships over the years, adult vs girls friendships, struggles and challenges and the effect friendships have had on our lives. There is a game in the book that the Girls From Ames played as adults at one of their get-togethers called the "Pebble game". I made a version of the game called the Hershey Kiss game for our book club discussion and we all had a fun time with the game. In the Girls From Ames version of the Pebble Game, there are pebbles in a bag with numbers 1-20 on them. Each girl passes the bag and takes out a pebble and the leader has a list of life related fill in the blank questions related to each number. I used Hershey Kisses instead of pebbles and numbered the tags and made up a list of questions some which came from the book and others that I added. Overall, we had a great discussion of the book. Although most of us won't say it's a favorite book, we will remember that it stirred a wonderful discussion.

Sadly, right before our book club meeting, the author Jeffrey Zaslow was killed in a tragic car accident. He is the author of The Last Lecture and several other novels that share stories about inspirational people. He wrote columns for the Wall Street Journal that inspired many of the novels that he wrote. This is such a tragic loss for his family, first and foremost, as he leaves behind a wife and daughters. He has also left behind a legacy of stories that have touched the world.

Saturday Snapshot

My new favorite thing is my monthly Birchbox. I wrote about it in a previous post here. I received my March Birchbox and it was filled with great nice sized samples of items I am interested in. It's a treat, something just for me which is rare these days. You can read more about Birchbox

Tarte Lip Tint in Lucky (pink shade)

Essie Nail Polish in "As Gold As It Gets"

Kerastase Elixer Hair Conditioning  Oil

Twist Band in Coral

Kate Spade Twirl Perfume Sample

Modcloth coupon

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books

"The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" Best Animated Short Film Oscar winner

"The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" by William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg was awarded the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film at the Academy Awards this week.  This is beautiful and charming, it's been described as "a magical love letter to books".  I totally agree, you must take the time to watch this short film, it's about 15 minutes in length and it will sweep you away into this wonderful world of books. The story that inspired the animated short film will be made into a picture book. I was mesmerized and loved every minute! Pure Brilliance!

Mailbox Monday & February Birchbox

Mailbox Monday is on tour for the month of February at Metroreader. I had a light week which is perfectly fine for me as many of you know I am being more selective with my reading and reviews. I wanted to share another goodie that I received in my mailbox which is my February Birchbox.  I'll explain in a bit....

This is what I received in my mailbox last week:

• One Moment, One Morning by Sarah Rayner win from Peeking Between the Pages
• Nightfall Stephen Leather ARC unsolicited 

I found out about BirchBox from a facebook post that author Sarah Addison Allen posted sharing about her love of Birchbox. Birchbox delivers monthly boxes that you subscribe to that includes 4-5 nice sized samples of skincaPreviewre, makeup and beauty tools. It sounded like a fun treat, and my husband covered the first month of February for a Valentine's Day gift.  I expected a bit more in the first box but I love several of the products and will get another few months to try more samples. They do have you fill out a beauty profile so that they know your age and skincare type and hair color so they seem to personalize the boxes.  I'll share some pictures below of the box and the goodies inside that I received. There is currently a waiting list to join(I waited about a month to get my invitation), if you are interested in joining you can sign up HERE. 

This is my February 2012 Birchbox:

This is how the box arrived in the mail. A bit smaller than I expected.

This is how it looked when I opened the box with some things wrapped.

This is the box opened with the goodies I received:

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant®: 

I love this product, and I have noticed that my skin is already softer using it. It's very gentle.

I plan to buy this although it is a bit pricey, a little goes a long way and it works well.

Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint

This was a small sample so it's hard to tell how well it works. I did like the subtle color of the tint.

Juice Beauty Blemish Clearing Serum

This worked very well for a few blemishes that I had. Again, it was another gentle product.

Eye Rock Designer Liner

This is not for me, more for teens or young girls in their 20's. I am passing it on to a friends daughter.

Supersmile Powdered Mouthrinse:

I haven't tried this yet.

Are you a Birchbox fan? If so, tell me what are your favorite products?

Sunday Coffee Talk & Review of 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

Good Afternoon Everyone! I'm a bit late with this post but you can still grab a cup of coffee or tea and have an afternoon cuppa and chat with me. As I posted last Sunday, I am still trudging around in my fashionable stormtrooper boot due to an ankle issue. It was fun this week as my son was home sick with pneumonia, poor guy was miserable. Now, he has to catch up with school work and fortunately his teachers could email me some of the work he was able to complete at home.  It's rough to miss a week of school when you're in middle school (7th grade) and my son's school is fast paced with lots of homework and research projects to keep up with. My husband and I were playing tag team as I had a conference to attend that I had signed up for months ago, no refunds either. It worked out and it was interesting getting around at a conference with the boot. I had an end chair and it was mainly lecture and a friend was there so she was a great help. 

On the book front, I finished reading 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami which was quite a challenge at 925 pages and a bit out of my comfort zone of reading. I ended up mainly reading the book on Kindle borrowed from the library (which is a fabulous feature). It took me awhile to finish the book as I was reading other books and my library loans would run out and I would have to juggle another loan. It's a large book and for me it was easier to read on the kindle and take along with me to various appointments.  I was intrigued by this book and I was unfamiliar with this author until I read  Ti from Book Chatter's  excitement about the book and author, so thanks Ti!

This was my first step into the bold world and writing of Haruki Murakami. After about 6 weeks my journey through the world of 1Q84 has come to an end and I miss the characters already. This is a hard book to review but I must tell you that I liked it a lot. I was reading it while in the waiting room of a new doctor and she walked in and saw me reading on my kindle. She asked if I was reading anything good and I told her with excitement, "Yes, I am reading a new author, the book is over 900 pages and is about two main characters and a parallel world and it's translated from Japanese". She sensed my excitement but I think I scared her with a few of my comments. Even my husband got involved in the excitement of my reading this novel as I was a bit daunted with the length of the novel. He challenged me a bit with an offer of dinner out after I finished it! Of course, I took on that challenge but didn't need it as I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Now, I can take him up on his offer and pick a nice place to go for a dinner date!

The setting of the book is a strange parallel universe in 1984 Japan. Unusual things are occurring and as the book unravels, you along with the characters realize that something odd is going on. It's subtle at first and then I found myself wanting to keep turning the pages as I got connected to the characters and the world they were in. This is the kind of book that is challenging to the mind, the story is not laid out on a platter but you must continue to peel away the layers of the onion and be a bit of a detective to connect the dots. At times, you may be able to figure out where the story is going but then you learn about the little people, the religious cult, the two moons, a mystery of death and wonder how all of this connects. The story reminded me a bit of the show Lost (which I loved) as you try to figure out where the plot is going and the challenge of questioning reality as you know it.  Murakami is an amazingly gifted storyteller that creates an atmosphere that is so realistic that you feel as if you know the characters and are part of their magical world. I had an empty feeling after I finished the book, an emptiness as the characters and the world of 1Q84 ended. I had immersed myself into this world for so many weeks that I didn't want it to end. I felt a bit lost after reading this and needed some time before I started another book.  I found that reading it slowly helped me to appreciate the novel and characters as well as the style of writing. I did not find the size as daunting overall so don't let that sway you from reading this book. I highly recommend this book, especially for those who like this style of novel and for those who want to explore new genres and authors. As a first time reader of Murakami, I found it a good book to start with. I do plan to read more of his novels. 

There is even a soundtrack that Knopf and Doubleday put together on Spotify to accompany the reading of 1Q84. For more information, go HERE.

Saturday Snapshot

We've had an unusually warm winter (except we currently have a few inches of snow on the ground) and this picture was taken at the beginning of February on a warm day. My son and I went to Walmart and outside we noticed this Penny Farthing bicycle. Of course, mom had to take a picture and you can see from the expression on my son's face that he had an "oh, mom...do you have to?" moment. We've seen a man riding this type of bicycle in the area but it's usually in the spring or summer, not in winter. The owner must be tall as I can't imagine climbing up onto this bicycle without a stepstool! You can read more about the Penny Farthing bicycle on wikipedia, here.  

From Wikipedia:

Penny-farthing, high wheel, high wheeler, and ordinary are all terms used to describe a type of bicycle with a large front wheel and a much smaller rear wheel that was popular after the boneshaker, until the development of the safety bicycle, in the 1880s.^[1] They were the first machines to be called "bicycles"

A penny-farthing photographed in theŠkoda Auto Museum in the Czech Republic

Old British Penny and Farthing (quarter penny) coins which inspired the name of the Penny-Farthing bicycle

Penny-farthings are still ridden today, if only for the novelty value

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is on tour for the month of February at Metroreader. I have been on a bit of a blogging break (You can read my  Catching Up post from yesterday here ) so I will jump back into Mailbox Monday with what I received last week which all arrived through Paperbackswap:

• Falling together Marisa de los Santos
• Forgotten Bookmarks Michael Popek ( I was very excited about this book as I follow Michael's blog, Forgotten Bookmarks. If you haven't checked it out, be sure to do so.)
• The Night Circus Erin Morgenstern