Friday, July 31, 2009

~Random Reading Challenge Picks~


Here is a list of twelve books that I have chosen to read for The Random Reading Challenge:

1. Giv by Boston Teran (completed)
2.Who Do You Think You Are? by Alyse Myers (completed)
3. The Way Life Should Be by Christina Baker Kline (completed)
4. Silent Cry by Julie Biggs Veazey (completed)
5. You Wanna Go To Willard? by Linda Holbrook
6. The Girl In Times Square by Paullina Simons (completed)
7. Standing Still by Kelly Simmons
8. So Long At The Fair by Christina Schwarz (completed)
9. The Cowboy and His Elephant by Malcolm Mcpherson
10. Reconstructing Natalie by Laura Jensen Walker (completed)
11. Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy (completed)
12. The Pearl Diver by Jeff Talarigo (completed)



Friday Finds



Product Description
Lindsay and Kerrie Ann are sisters who have known hardship from an early age. Without guidance from their neglectful mother, their only aid came from an unlikely source, a retired exotic dancer by the name of Miss Honi Love. When the girls’ mother was sent to prison, Miss Honi tried unsuccessfully to save them from being separated and sent into foster care.

Thirty years later, Lindsay is still trying to reconnect with her sister. The owner of a bookstore in the sleepy California seaside town of Blue Moon Bay, she was lucky enough to have been adopted by a loving couple. Unbeknownst to her, Kerrie Ann has suffered a very different life. Bounced from one foster home to the next, she ran away as a teenager before becoming a drug-addicted single mother. Now, newly sober, Kerrie Ann is fighting to regain custody of the little girl who was taken from her.

Neither sister’s expectations are met when they’re finally reunited. But as the two sisters engage in the fiercest battles of their lives, they are at last drawn together despite their differences, restoring belief in the unshakable bond of family.

  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Vanguard Press (October 6, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1593155344

~Literary Locals - Supporting Our Local Authors~



This monthly meme is being hosted by Tif at Tif Talks Books.


Tif's description of the challenge is as follows:


Local Authors Defined:

Authors that you can find in either your hometown or homestate, or the equivalent if you are not in the States.
Home Defined: Your hometown or homestate can be either past or present, meaning you can use your current location or anywhere you have ever lived.
Type of Books: The books can be children's picture books to adult novels and everything in between.


I live in North Carolina and love to read North Carolina authors. I am always looking for new ones that I haven't yet heard about, and I love reading the ones that I am already familiar with.



I want to start my participation in this meme by choosing a new-to-me North Carolina author, Kathryn Magendie, author of Tender Graces. So many of us have read this wonderful novel and we are waiting with baited breath for the sequel that Kathryn has promised us. Kathryn is a wonderful author as well as a very sweet friend! I hope one day to make the trek to Asheville to meet her in person. Please visit her blog Tender Graces. My review for Tender Graces can be found here.











Thursday, July 30, 2009

~The Random Reading Challenge~


August 1, 2009 – July 31, 2010



Caribou's Mom is hosting The Random Reading Challenge and it sounds like fun! This will be a great way to put a dent in your TBR stack that has been staring you in the face for months, like mine.

To sign up, visit Caribou's Mom, and join in the fun!

I will choose my books tonight and post my list then.....




Please explain to me.....


Ok, I feel foolish. I do not use Google Reader. I use Google Follower. I go to Blogger and read everyone's blogs from there. I don't know how to use Google Reader....does it still take you to the person's blog to read their post? Or is it set up like an email? One of the things I most enjoy about reading the blogs is visiting them....I don't want to just read posts email style.

Could someone explain it to me? Sorry to be so ignorant...... :)




~Unsubscribing from Blogs~


Yesterday, as I was happily reading some the blogs that I follow, I found some blogs on their pages that appealed to me, and I wanted to add them to my list of blogs that I follow. All of a sudden, I get a message in RED that informed me that I was following 300 blogs, and that was the limit. 300. It said "you must unsubscribe from some blogs" before I could add others.

I am upset that I had to unsubscribe from a few that I followed, and I don't want those blog owners to feel snubbed. Why is there a limit? There are SO MANY wonderful blogs to be read. I hated to unsubscribe because now those blogs have lost a follower. :(

Has anyone else run into this problem? If so, what do you do? Do you keep a separate list of blogs that are over your 300 limit so that you may refer to it? I am at a loss.







Booking Through Thursday ~Recent Funny


Today's Booking Through Thursday question is.....what is the funniest book that you have read recently?


That would have to be The Late, Lamented Molly Marx by Sally Koslow. It is such a cute story, and parts of it had me laughing out loud. My husband would remark "you are really enjoying that book, aren't you?"
That has been my most recent....although I have to name a couple more which had me giggling;
The Worst Day Of My Life, So Far by M.A. Harper which is about the author's mother and her descent into Alzheimer's. Although it is a sad subject, Ms. Harper injected humor into the story which made it an enjoyable read. Another funny read dealing with a sensitive subject is Every Crooked Pot by Renee Rosen. Teenager Nina Goldman has a birthmark that covers almost one side of her face. The only thing that Nina wishes for is to be beautiful and she is convinced that her birthmark is keeping her from having a boyfriend and being popular. Her antics are hilarious and her family is even funnier. The Rosens are a family that you will fall in love with. This is a book you will never forget!



Wednesday, July 29, 2009

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY



WAITING ON WEDNESDAY


Waiting On Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.

From Amazon.com:
Product Description
From the acclaimed author of Acts of Faith (“A miracle . . . You can hardly conceive of a more affecting reading experience”—Houston Chronicle), a blistering new novel about the brutality and beauty of life on the Arizona-Mexico border and about the unyielding power of the past to shape our lives. Taking us from the turn of the twentieth century to our present day, from the impoverished streets of rural Mexico to the manicured lawns of suburban Connecticut, from the hot and dusty air of an isolated ranch to New York City in the wake of 9/11, Caputo gives us an impeccably crafted story about three generations of an Arizona family forced to confront the violence and loss that have become its inheritance.

When Gil Castle loses his wife in the Twin Tower attacks, he retreats to his family’s sprawling homestead in a remote corner of the Southwest. Consumed by grief, he has to find a way to live with his loss in this strange, forsaken part of the country, where drug lords have more power than police and violence is a constant presence. But it is also a world of vast open spaces, where Castle begins to rebuild his belief in the potential for happiness—until he starts to uncover the dark truths about his fearsome grandfather, a legacy that has been tightly shrouded in mystery in the years since the old man’s death.

When Miguel Espinoza shows up at the ranch, terrified after two friends were murdered in a border-crossing drug deal gone bad, Castle agrees to take him in. Yet his act of generosity sets off a flood of violence and vengeance, a fierce reminder of the fact that while he may be able to reinvent himself, he may never escape his history.

Searingly dramatic, bold and timely, Crossers is Philip Caputo’s most ambitious and brilliantly realized novel yet.
  • Hardcover: 464 pages
  • Publisher: Knopf (October 6, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0375411674

What are YOU waiting for?


Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Temporarily Out Of My Mind

I have missed blogging so much. I have not had any extra minutes in days to even fit in a quick post or two.

My brother came in from TN to visit with my mom at the nursing/rehab facility. Things are not getting better, and she did not respond to my brother the way that I thought that she would. At meal times when we were visiting with her, she refused to eat. She has been refusing her physical therapy. Her favorite word is "no". She says no to everything. I am having an extremely difficult time being "the parent" with her, because she still manages to keep me in my place as daughter. I tried to get her to eat yesterday and she screamed at me. I am getting phone calls late into the night that she is falling, and sleeping on the floor, and generally giving everyone at the place a hard time. My brother was here for 3 days, then just flies away back to TN and I am left with this. All I want to do is sleep. When I get up in the morning, I can hardly get up. At work I am tearful. I can't concentrate. I don't know what to do. I went to my medical doctor on Friday. All she did was prescribe me a mild sedative then tells me not to become addicted to them. I guess there wasn't much more that she could do...I don't know what I was expecting. Part of me feels like how am I expected to keep my sanity with this going on? I feel like I can't take any more...not one more day of this. I am angry and sad. I haven't read in well over a week, it is like my life is on hold until my mother passes away. I don't see a light at the end of the tunnel. I know I must sound terrible, feeling sorry for myself. I just can't help it. I feel like I am at my wit's end and there is no one to help me.

AND on top of it all, my 3rd column disappeared from my blog over the weekend. I thought if I changed my template that it would re-appear. You can see that it hasn't. I don't have the patience to work on it...I know it looks terrible.


Saturday, July 25, 2009

~Flashback Saturday~ 1976~



Photobucket

What a year! We celebrated our BiCentennial, we were watching The Six Million Dollar Man (remember the theme song?), and everyone was buying CB radios! This was the year that my best friend Chrissy and I pestered the crap out of the DJ's at WABC radio to play our favorite song; Hard Luck Woman by KISS. Yes, I had discovered the masked men! I still mostly listened to pop that year, but by 1977, I had joined the KISS Army. (Maybe I shouldn't admit to that!)

~In 1976 I was twelve years old...I had braces, a low self-esteem, a huge crush on Vinnie Barbarino (John Travolta) on Welcome Back Kotter, and discovered the rock groups KISS & QUEEN~

~What were YOU doing in 1976?~





Friday, July 24, 2009

~THE FRIDAY 56~


The Friday 56 is hosted by Tonya at Storytime With Tonya and Friends.

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to this blog.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

"Look at her," he kept whispering, in awe. I wanted to kick him and say, "Hey! Look over here, jackass! See a resemblance?" I left the stage before Sonny and Cher were done with their performance and The Turtles took the stage. ~Blue Jean Baby by Sally Parmer

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY














~With Gratitude~


LuAnn at Reading Frenzy has awarded me with Your Blog Is Enchanted Award! Thank you so much LuAnn! You have brightened my day!

The only requirement for this award is that you share it with whomever you like ... sharing the love is always a good thing. The blog has to show only one characteristic -- caring. So, start sharing this enchanted award with five other bloggers. Let your bloggers know they have received this enchanted award. (Remember, fairies are fickle wee things. Don't incur their displeasure by ignoring their gift!)

I am passing this award on to:

Nise' at Under The Boardwalk
Yvonne at Socrate's Book Reviews
Mandi at Smexy Books
Marta at Marta's Meanderings
Nely at all about {n}


~AND THE WINNER IS.....~


I decided to go ahead and announce the winner of my giveaway today instead of tomorrow. So much has been happening with me I was afraid I would forget. So, without further ado:


THE WINNER OF MY 200TH POST GIVEAWAY IS..........



UPPER WEST SIDE

You have won a copy of the book titled The Unseen by T.L. Hines! Congratulations!

The winner has 48 hours to respond by email. If I don't receive a response in 48 hours, I will draw for another winner. Thanks to everyone who participated....Have a great day!!!

To the winner: I will send you an email to notify you. Please respond back to me at k9kutter64(at)yahoo(dot)com and send me your address, so that I may get your book in the mail to you!

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY




A Quiet Belief In Angels by R.J. Ellory
This title is due to be released September 8, 2009

From Amazon.com:
Product Description
From rural Georgia to New York City, a harrowing, evocative, and mesmerizing tale of murder and redemption

1939. In the small, rural community of Augusta Falls, Georgia, twelve-year-old Joseph Vaughan learns of the brutal assault and murder of a young girl, the first in a series of killings that will plague the community over the next decade. Joseph and his friends are determined to protect the town from the evil in their midst and they form "The Guardians" to watch over the community. But the murderer evades them and they watch helplessly as one child after another is taken. Even when the killings cease, a shadow of fear follows Joseph for the rest of his life. The past won't stay buried and, fifty years later, Joseph must confront the nightmare that has overshadowed his entire life...
  • Hardcover: 396 pages
  • Publisher: Overlook Hardcover (September 8, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1590202503
"Answer At Once": Letters of Mountain Families in Shenandoah National Park, 1934-1938 by Professor Katrina M. Powell, PhD
This title is due to be released September 9, 2009.

From Amazon.com:

With the Commonwealth of Virginia's Public Park Condemnation Act of 1928, the state surveyed for and acquired three thousand tracts of land that would become Shenandoah National Park. The Commonwealth condemned the homes of five hundred families so that their land could be "donated" to the federal government and placed under the auspices of the National Park Service. Prompted by the condemnation of their land, the residents began writing letters to National Park and other government officials to negotiate their rights and to request various services, property, and harvests. Typically represented in the popular media as lawless, illiterate, and incompetent, these mountaineers prove themselves otherwise in this poignant collection of letters. The history told by the residents themselves both adds to and counters the story that is generally accepted about them.

These letters are housed in the Shenandoah National Park archives in Luray, Virginia, which was opened briefly to the public from 2000 to 2002, but then closed due to lack of funding. This selection of roughly 150 of these letters, in their entirety, makes these documents available again not only to the public but also to scholars, researchers, and others interested in the region's history, in the politics of the park, and in the genealogy of the families. Supplementing the letters are introductory text, photographs, annotation, and oral histories that further document the lives of these individuals.


About the Author

Katrina M. Powell is Associate Professor of English at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and the author of The Anguish of Displacement: The Politics of Literacy in the Letters of Mountain Families in Shenandoah National Park (Virginia).

What books are YOU waiting on?


~Waiting On Wednesday~


Ciao Bella by Gina Buonaguro and Janice Kirk


While in Europe researching her next novel, twenty-something American Tulia Rose falls headlong into a romance with a handsome sidewalk artist. As he takes her on a tour of Europe's artistic treasures, she begins writing the story of the painter Raphael and his secret lover.

Yet as her own affair grows deeper, Tulia's sidewalk artist grows more mysterious. Why does he seem so familiar? And what is his connection to the great Renaissance painter?
Set in Paris and Italy, this lyrical first novel interweaves two parallel love stories, offering readers a unique view on the research and inspiration that goes into creating historical novels such as The Girl with the Pearl Earring and The Birth of Venus.

Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books (October 13, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312379927




Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Monday Movie Meme on Tuesday



This meme is hosted by The Bumbles.

This week's movie topic is all about Walking Out...

We're pretty tolerant Bumbles. We're optimistic and like to give people every opportunity to shine. And we like to finish what we've started. Which is why we don't walk out on movies. But that doesn't mean we haven't thought about it. Here are a few that made us wish we had given up on them (and one that we actually did). Have you ever walked out of a theater? Demanded a refund after renting? Turned the channel? Share on your blog some of the movies that made you wish you had that time in your life back and then link back here at The Bumbles. And don't forget to visit your fellow participants!

Natural Born Killers - The title says it all. I got up and walked right out...and I'm not sorry that I did! This movie almost caused me to ban all Woody Harrleson movies. I reluctantly watched Kingpin later, and was glad that I did...he certainly redeemed himself in my eyes.

Pulp Fiction - Again, not my cup of tea. I did not walk out of this one, but later wished I had.

Cop Land - Hmmm. I didn't walk out of this one either...probably should have. I love Sylvester Stallone, but I hated this movie.

What about you? Have you ever walked out of a movie, or wish that you had?







Book Blogger Appreciation Week is coming up soon!



A message from Amy, founder of Book Blogger Appreciation Week:

WHO: Anyone who blogs about books is invited to participate. In fact, we want everyone who blogs about books and reading to be a part of this week!
WHAT: A week where we come together, celebrate the contribution and hard work of book bloggers in promoting a culture of literacy, connecting readers to books and authors, and recogonizing the best among us with the Second Annual BBAW Awards. There will be special guest posts, daily blogging themes, and giveaways.
WHEN: September 14-18, 2009
WHERE: Here at the new Book Blogger Appreciation Week Blog! (Please note that this year there are three separate blogs and feeds—one for the main event, one for giveaways, and one for awards.)
WHY: Because books matter. In a world full of options, the people talking about books pour hard work, time, energy, and money into creating a community around the written word. I, Amy, the founder of Book Blogger Appreciation Week love this community of bloggers and want to shower my appreciation on you!


For more information, please click HERE.....show your appreciation and nominate your favorite blogs today! Nominations will be open until August 15, 2009.

~TEASER TUESDAY~


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:* Grab your current read* Open to a random page* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! ;)

The ball of smoke held itself carefully aloft for a moment, a hooded cobra that swayed and hypnotized its victims with its eyes. We watched it, mesmerized. Then it began to descend and spread. ~Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale by Gwen Cooper

What's YOUR teaser today?



Monday, July 20, 2009

Here is an update on my mom...and it is not a good one. Last I wrote, she had had her surgery and I had hoped that she would be doing much better on Saturday. That is not the case.
When I arrived at the hospital on Saturday, she was disoriented and combative with the nurses. She kept trying to get up out of bed, so they had to put an alarm on her bed to notify them each time she tried to get up. I gently told her she needed to stay in bed and the look she gave me was unbelievable....there was so much anger and hate in her eyes...she looked at me and said "You need to stop being a smart ass".
I backed up and went out into the hall to talk to the nurse. Apparently, my mother is going through alcohol withdrawal (and nicotine as well...she smoke(d) 2 packs a day). She has emphysema and COPD. She is refusing to eat, and is refusing to consider quitting smoking. The doctor just called me and said that they may be releasing her today or tomorrow to a rehab center, so that she can get stronger before going home....except that I don't think that she can go home again. The doctor says that if she starts smoking again when she gets out of the hospital, then her outlook is very poor.
Why do I feel like running away? Why do I wish that my brother would just handle all of this? What I have not explained, is that my mother and I do not have a good relationship. My mother very obviously favors my brother, and she admits to doing so. She is angry with me and I am not quite sure why. She is one of those people that is angry with the world...she is just a bitter angry person. She puts on a big front when she is talking to my brother. It was not always this way....at one time, my mom was my best friend.....
OK, I did not want this to turn into a bitching session and it is...I apologize.
I won't be blogging regularly while this is going on. Just please keep me and my family in your prayers during this difficult time.

XOXO Missy



Saturday, July 18, 2009

Thank you so much for all of your well wishes for my mom. She had a surgical procedure done last night on her back. She has 2 compression fractures in her vertebrae. The doctor injected those fractures with a type of bone cement, to relieve the pressure and fill in the cracks. She was in a great deal of pain all day yesterday and was miserable. Her surgery was at 7:00pm so by 9:00 she was finished and sleeping peacefully when Steve and I left. I hope that she feels better today...the doctor said the results would be fast and her pain should subside in the next few days.

I hope that everyone has a great Saturday!

Big hugs to all of you! XOXOXOXOX




~FLASHBACK 1975~



  • The city of Saigon is surrendered and remaining Americans are evacuated, ending the Vietnam War (April 30).

  • American merchant ship Mayaguez, seized by Cambodian forces, is rescued in operation by US Navy and Marines, 38 of whom are killed (May 15).

  • Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft take off for US-Soviet link-up in space (July 15).

ECONOMICS:
US GDP (1998 dollars): $1,630.60 billion
Federal spending: $332.33 billion
Federal debt: $541.9 billion
Median Household Income
(current dollars):
$11,800
Consumer Price Index: 53.8
Unemployment: 8.5%
Cost of a first-class stamp: $0.10 ($0.13 as of 12/31/75)

EVENTS:
  • ABC, CBS and NBC agree to create a "family hour," an early evening time slot that is free of violence and sex.
  • Saturday Night Live premieres on NBC. George Carlin hosts the first show.
  • One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest sweeps the top Oscars, winning Best Picture, Director, Actor, and Actress.
MOVIES:
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Jaws, Nashville, Dog Day Afternoon, Barry Lyndon

BOOKS:
What were YOU doing in 1975?




















Friday, July 17, 2009

I just wanted to let everyone know that I feel so bad for neglecting my blog this week. The posts have been hurried, and I haven't personally added anything to them. As you know, Monday I was sick. Tuesday I still was not feeling great. Wednesday I left work early to pick my mother up for a doctor appointment. A bit of background on my mom...she is 74 and not in good health. She lives by herself, which is going to have to change very very soon. When I got to her apartment, she was lying on her side in bed, unable to get up. She said her back hurt so bad that she couldn't move. She had been lying there for about 16-18 hours and could not get up even to use the bathroom. I was scared out of my mind...I called 911, and she was taken to the hospital. She has 2 compress fractures in her vertebrae. Today she is trying to decide whether or not to be fitted with a brace, or have a procedure done where they inject a type of bone cement into her vertebrae to alleviate the pressure and pain.
So, long story short, I am a frazzled mess. I took a vacation day from work today so I could be at the hospital today with her. My husband was off yesterday and sat with her.
I hope to catch up on reading and commenting on blogs soon. I just didn't want anyone to think I was being standoffish.
Thank you to all of you for being my friends and sounding board. I will try to do an update post later today.



~Friday Finds~




On a rainy spring day in Seattle, young software tycoon Micah Taylor receives a cryptic, twenty-five-year-old letter from a great uncle he never knew. It claims a home awaits him on the Oregon coast that will turn his world inside out. Suspecting a prank, Micah arrives at Cannon Beach to discover a stunning brand new nine-thousand square foot house. And after meeting Sarah Sabin at a nearby ice cream shop, he has two reasons to visit the beach every weekend.

When bizarre things start happening in the rooms of the home, Micah suspects they have some connection to his enigmatic new friend, Rick, the town mechanic. But Rick will only say the house is spiritual. This unnerves Micah because his faith slipped away like the tide years ago, and he wants to keep it that way. But as he slowly discovers, the home isn’t just spiritual, it’s a physical manifestation of his soul, which God uses to heal Micah’s darkest wounds and lead him into an astonishing new destiny.
# Paperback: 400 pages
# Publisher: B&H Books (April 1, 2010)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 0805448888













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