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

Catching up on a Sunday

Hey Everybody...the blog has been quiet for awhile due to a lot going on health wise in my life. As you can see from the picture and my posts on Facebook, I am blessed with this lovely fashion boot my husband christened the Stormtrooper boot! One of the multiple things that I have dealt with is an ankle issue, Posterior Tibial Tendonitis and (most likely a tendon tear) that has caused me a great deal of grief and pain and I have tried everything including expensive tennis shoes, inserts and I am  on a medical leave from work. I am doing all that I can to prevent surgery down the road. 

My husband and I have had some fun and laughs with this as the first thing he said when he saw me with the boot is that I looked like a Stormtrooper. He even found a "Prada version of the Stormtrooper  Boot":    

This boot definitely has more class and is much more fashionable. I would rather be wearing it but what can a girl do?!


I have been reading but I have found a few other addictions interests lately....

Downton Abbey has become a favorite show, a superb masterpiece series. I love the show from the acting, the storyline, the beautiful setting and time period and more :

From Wikipedia: "The series is set in the fictional Downton Abbey, the Yorkshire country house of the Earl andCountess of Grantham, and follows the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants during the reign of King George V. 

Pinterest is so much fun once you figure out how to set up and add to your virtual pinboards. I have been able to collect a wealth of information on recipes, quotes, how-to tips, crafts, health, books, quotes etc. Your boards are your own creations. It is very addicting but oh so much fun!

I promise to post more about books and hope to get back to regular blogging. I do want to change things up on my blog as I see that blogger has some new changes that I may be able to tap into to upgrade my blog to a new look. I also promise to visit my blogger friends, I miss keeping up with everyone and your comments here. I may have lost some readers but I hope that they come back to visit and I welcome new visitors to my blog!

Mailbox Monday

~Mailbox Monday~  

is hosted by At Home With Books

 during the month of September.

We share what books that we found in our mailboxes last week. 

MAILBOX MONDAY

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. (Library books don’t count, but eBooks & audiobooks do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists!

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at The Printed Page, who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring meme (details here).

As I am focusing on reading books of my own choosing this year,
 this is what I received in my mailbox:

The Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan (Bought for Kindle for .99 after reading this fascinating story about the author "How I Became a Best-Selling Author")

Lamb by Bonnie Nadzam (Bought for Kindle as a Kindle Special offer for $1)

Happy New Year 2012!!

A friend posted this on their Facebook wall today and it spoke to me. I love what it says about the need to enjoy life, read good books, make art and surprise ourselves. I am still searching for an answer on how my blog will flow this year. I decided that some things had to change for me to continue blogging when I found that I wasn't enjoying reading as much due to the pressure I was feeling to write reviews. I actually stopped reading for awhile and knew that things had to change. I love reading and it has been a constant in my life since the first grade. My plans for certain in 2012 are to read whatever I choose and from my shelves as well as the library. I plan to make art in some way as well. I pulled out my book of Mandala art:

I find it relaxing and calming to color the drawings. A few other ideas are to expand my basic knitting skills and explore scrapbooking. It's about balance for me, finding a way to have fun but not feel stressed about what I am involved in. 

Thanks to everyone for sticking with my blog in its ups and downs. I appreciate your friendship and wish you all peace, love, happiness, and the joy of wonderful books in the New Year!

Happy Holidays!

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever you choose to celebrate! This is the time of year to come together to celebrate peace, joy and goodness in all. Treasure the blessings that you have and the moments together. I am taking a break from blogging and reassess my plans for the future of my blog as I want to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading a book and not the pressure of deadlines to review books. I am reading books of my own choosing and off my shelves for now. I hope to be back to blogging and I want everyone to know that I appreciate your support and comments and visiting my blog. 

Review: The Pub Across The Pond by Mary Carter

About the book:

“Sometimes leaving home is the only way to find where you belong….” 

Carlene Rivers is many things. Dutiful, reliable, kind. Lucky? Not so much. At thirty, she’s living a stifling existence in Cleveland, Ohio. Then one day, Carlene buys a raffle ticket. The prize: a pub on the west coast of Ireland. Carlene is stunned when she wins. Everyone else is stunned when she actually goes.

My Thoughts:

When I read the synopsis of The Pub Across The Pond I knew that I had to read it....a young woman, living in Cleveland, Ohio wins a pub in Ireland.  I live outside the Cleveland area and am not Irish but I enjoy reading about Ireland and Irish fiction. The Pub Across The Pond is a delightful, fun read that will take you from the states to the coast of Ireland to experience the beauty and culture of the Irish. Carlene is trying to find her way in life, her purpose so to speak after losing her mother at a young age and helping her father who has secrets untold about her mother. I enjoyed this story full of wonderful, quirky characters as well as romance and the backdrop of the beauty of Ireland. 

Check out this wonderful Book Trailer about The Pub Across The Pond:

MARY CARTER is a freelance writer and novelist. The Pub Across the Pond is her fifth novel with Kensington. Her other works include:  My Sister’s Voice, Sunnyside Blues, She’ll Take It, andAccidentally Engaged.  In addition to her novels she has written two novellas: A Very Maui Christmas in the best selling anthology Holiday Magic, and The Honeymoon House in the best selling anthology Almost Home. She is currently working on a new novel for Kensington.

Readers are welcome to visit her at www.marycarterbooks.com.

Visit her at Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mary-Carter-Books/248226365259.

Thanks to Pump Up Your Book! for providing a copy of the book for review. 

Review & Giveaway: Don't Sing at the Table by Adriana Trigiani

About the book:

New York Times bestselling author Adriana Trigiani’s gift for illuminating the profound challenges and issues defining women’s lives has propelled her novels to the top of bestseller lists and earned her a wide, devoted readership. Now, she shares the roots of those insights—the wisdom handed down to her from her unforgettable grandmothers, Lucia and Viola, which she began collecting for her own daughter—with readers everywhere.

Filled with practical, sage advice, and infused with Trigiani’s trademark warmth, love, and humor, Don’t Sing at the Table introduces a pair of feisty, intelligent, and strong forces of nature whose lives embody the story of 20th-century America itself. Between them, the extraordinary Lucia and Viola lived through the century from beginning to end, surviving immigration, young widowhood, single motherhood, four wars, and the Great Depression. Culled from their remarkable experiences, this heartfelt guide, at turns hilarious and poignant, offers answers to the seminal questions in a woman’s life, from getting married to saving money, nurturing the soul to keeping calm in a crisis, raising children to finding private comfort.

My Thoughts:

Adriana Trigiani is one of my favorite authors and her novels are some of my all time favorites. I was excited to read her non-fiction book Don't Sing at the Table: Life Lessons from my Grandmothers a biography paying a loving tribute to her two grandmothers who both immigrated from Italy. They both were strong, working women who valued hard work and perseverance and they seemed to maintain a positive attitude about life. Both women had a great influence on the author who gleaned many life lessons from them. She shares these life lessons with the reader through anecdotes, pictures and stories and reflects how these lessons are relevant today and have influenced and formed the person she has become.

I found myself thinking of my own grandmother ( that passed away last summer) throughout the reading of this book.  She was younger than Adriana's grandmothers but she had similar character traits related to hard work, making the most of your time, and she cared for her outward appearance "as a lady should" during this era. My grandmother was still washing and ironing her own clothes in the little laundry room at the nursing home where she lived just a year before she died. She loved ironing (not a trait that I inherited) and I understand that she ironed everything when she was raising her family. She had an abundance of energy, and went back to work full time when my grandfather had a heart attack when they were in their 40's. I just learned from my aunt that she stuffed envelopes in the evening to make extra money, she would do all that she could and got by on little sleep and always had a smile on her face. This passage from the book reminds me of my grandmother whom I miss terribly and think of every day. I feel very fortunate to have had her in my life:

"Whenever I came into the room, she'd light up, so happy to see me. No one ever in the course of my entire life was ever as happy to see me as she was. Looking back, now, I realize that you only ever need one person who lights up that way when you enter a room. One person is all it takes to give a kid confidence." (pg.44)

This is a beautiful tribute from a granddaughter to her grandmothers that celebrates women and family and reminds us of the life lessons that we can all learn from our grandparents. Fans of Adriana Trigiani will adore this book as well as those who enjoy reading biographies and memoirs related to family. There is also a wonderful chapter at the end with bonus recipes from Adriana's grandmothers.

About Adriana Trigiani

Award-winning playwright, television writer, and documentary filmmaker Adriana Trigiani is the author of the bestselling Very Valentine and Brava, Valentine, part of the Valentine series, Viola in Reel Life and Viola in the Spotlight, part of her new young adult series, as well as the bestselling Big Stone Gap series, and the bestselling novelLucia, Lucia. She also has written and will direct the big-screen version of her first novel, Big Stone Gap. She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter.

Visit Adriana at her website: www.adrianatrigiani.com, like her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.

Thanks to TLC Book Tours for sending me a copy of this book for review.

*GIVEAWAY DETAILS*

Compliments of Harper Collins:

I have one copy of Don't Sing at the Table to give away. 

For 1 Entry: All you have to do is leave a comment here. Make sure to include your email address (no email, no entry)

For a 2nd Entry (Separate Comment):  Follow my blog, you can follow through Google Friend Connect to the left in my side column. If you already do, thank you, and please  make sure to let me know in your comment so I can pass the entry on to you as well. Make sure to include your email address (no email, no entry).

For a 3rd Entry (Separate Comment): Spread the word about this giveaway and Retweet, retweet button below my name at the end of this post. Make sure to include your email address (no email, no entry).

*Open to US & Canada only, NO PO Boxes please.

Enter by November 14 , 2011

Mailbox Monday

~Mailbox Monday~  

is hosted by Savvy Verse and Wit

 during the month of September.

We share what books that we found in our mailboxes last week. 

MAILBOX MONDAY

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. (Library books don’t count, but eBooks & audiobooks do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists!

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at The Printed Page, who graciously hosted it for a long, long time, before turning it into a touring meme (details here).

This is what I received in my mailbox:

From PaperbackSwap:

When We Were Strangers by Pamela Schoenewaldt

The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman