Morning Meanderings….

a big improvementLazy Saturday morning….  I have read a little and I have cleaned a little.  I have laundry going, letters to mail, book reviews to write and an exciting authors interview with a good friend!  Watch for that later today! Tonight my hubby and I will go out to celebrate our wedding anniversary.  We married young, and I still cant believe it has been 22 years.

The coffee cup and I have been cruising through some great blogs this morning…. as I keep reading more and more, I just cant imagine all there are to choose from for BBAW.  I am going to have to print out the category list and spend some time on that.

Of course, I come to you with a review.  I found a great review and read over at Luxury Reading this morning.  Vera has a post up for Annie’s Ghost: A Journey into a Family Secret by Steve Luxenberg.  It must be the chilly weather happening here in central Minnesota that makes me want to get a copy of this book and curl up in a warm blanket in my reading room and let the afternoon drift by…

Stop over to Luxury Reading and see this as well as other great reviews she has posted.  (I have my eye on a more recent post of hers as well, The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn…)

Morning Meanderings….

a big improvementI have been in a kind of funk most of the week.  I haven’t worked out since Sundays bike ride which is not like me at all… but I just am….

tired.

And really for no reason, I have had plenty of down time this week, in fact took an extra day of it after the midnight showing of the new Harry Potter movie.  Yet, I just cant seem to shake this tiredness.  My plan today is to help out in our office, go to my gym class (oh yes – I am going!) and this late afternoon spend some time just reading.  Nothing big on the agenda for this weekend so maybe that will help.

Enough rambling…  I am excited to say that traveling with the coffee cup through blogs this morning, I found a great looking blog and a great looking book!  At Book Fanatic I found The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton.   The book looks perfect for a day like today!  Central Minnesota has been a bit dreary lately, low 60’s for a temperature, cloudy days… no wonder I am in a funk!  Maybe this book is just what the doctor ordered!

New Awards.

I received a couple awards today that I am so thrilled to have!  🙂  I just love the blogging community.  I am so honored to receive The Kreativ Blogger Kreativ blogger awardAward from Helen at A Reading Collection.  Be sure to stop by and see Helen’s blog – she is well deserving of this award.

Here’s what you do if you decide to accept it. List seven of your favorite things…and then choose seven people who deserve this. Whether it’s their writing style, their background layout, or blog content, decide whatever factor or factors that make the nominees’ blog creative and stand out.

Thank you Helen!  You are so sweet to share this award with me!  I recently did the part where you are to list your favorite  things…   see that here.  I also recently sent this award out to several book blogs that I find to be incredibly creative, however – I do wish to add one more to that list:

A Few Minutes With Michael:  Michael has used his Kreativ talents to make two meme’s that I am aware for book bloggers – one of them was for me and I bet he has helped out other bloggers as well.  His blog always has something interesting going on.  Thank you Michael.  🙂

literary_blogger1From Mike, at A Few Minutes with Michael, I was awarded the Literary Blogger Award.

The Literary Blogger Award acknowledges bloggers who energize & inspire reading by going the extra mile. These amazing bloggers make reading fun & enhance the delight of reading!

Wow!  Thank you Michael!  This is a new one for me!


The Rules:

1) Put the logo on your blog/post.
2) Nominate up to 9 blogs.
3) Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4) Let them know that they have been nominated by commenting on their blog.
5) Remember to link to the person from whom you received your award.

So here is who I pass this award on to:

Bermudaonion:  I know you recently received this award but you were the first one to come to mind.  You comment as much as I do – if not more….lol.  You are a friendly blogger and I love how you reach out to other bloggers.

Serenity Gate:  Barbara is another one who is an active blogger.  She always has something going on!

Bookin With Bingo:  This blog is like “the happening place to be!”  Bingo always has contests going on, new reviews and exciting things!

Queen of Happy Endings:  She has such a wide variety of reads and action going on over at her blog!  It is one I could just browse through for pages…. the book reviews are good, there are giveaways and other fun stuff happening to!

Never Not Reading:  A great commenter and always has something new on her blog.

The Dreamer Reader:  A great looking blog (LOVE the header!) and lots of action… reviews, author interviews, and more!

RhapsodyinBooks’s Weblog:  A place that has much happening – most of the time!  🙂  Reviews and giveaways and book related thoughts…. (very helpful too!)

award




This  award is the Heartfelt Award and it came from Never Not Reading. Thank you so much!  How cute is this???

Do you reach for a cup of cocoa or tea when you’re relaxing, seeking comfort, sharing a plate of cookies with family & friends?You know that feeling you get when you drink a yummy cup of cocoa, tea ~ or a hot toddy?That is what the Heartfelt award is all about feeling warm inside.
1. Put the logo on your blog/post
2) Nominate up to 9 blogs which make you feel comfy or warm inside.
3) Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

4) Let them know that they have been nominated by commenting on their blog.
5) Remember to link to the person from whom you received your award.

I would like to pass this award on to the following blogs:

For The Love of All that is Written

Peeking Between the Pages

I know there are more out there that my brain is just not thinking of.  I have so many fav’s that I love to visit.  Readers, please take time to check out these wonderful blogs – they are all amazing!


Morning Meanderings…

a big improvementFirst I am so incredibly excited to debut my new Journey Through Books meme thanks to the brilliance of Michael over at A Few Minutes With Michael.  It is fantastic and he really captured me as I am about 91% books and 9% coffee…..  Thank you Mike!  I bow to you!

I am a little late this morning.  The coffee cup and I are just not quite functioning fully yet.  Last night I took our Kinship partner Chance (he is 14) to the midnight showing of Harry Potter.

Seemed like a good idea at the time…

I didn’t take into the fact that we would get there at 10:30 and wait in line for an hour and a half so as not to wind up in the way front seats.  OR that by the time we rolled out of the parking lot it would be 2:40 a.m.

Oh…. but it was worth it.  ; )

That being said…. I did meander over to Alyce’s At Home With Books yesterday and seen a book and a review that has me adding to the wish list.  Alyce’s shares about the book Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen.  The cover is gorgeous… the review is… well, stop by At Home With Books and be sure to tell Alyce hi and look around her beautiful blog site.
BookBlips: vote it up!

Morning Meanderings….

a meme for meGood morning!  What a wild weekend I had!  A ball game Friday night, Saturday the hubby and I went out to dinner, and Sunday I met my cousin at 5:30 a.m. to drive about 90 miles to participate in the Tour of Saints bike 50 mile bike ride.  I had so much fun!

And now, as I sit here… honestly all I can wrap my brain around is that tonight is out annual Book Club (The Bookies) Queen Event at Kiwanis Park.  What we do is we take July off from choosing a book because well… its July.  Instead we meet the second Tuesday (always) dressed in formal gowns (only in July LOL) and we all try to win the coveted position of Queen of the Bookies for the next year.

It’s true.  I couldn’t make this stuff up.  ; )

It actually is a lot of fun.  We all bring potluck food to share, our books we want to give to our own charity sale, and we sit and chat about what we read and what we should read, eat and then nominate a Queen.  The Queen privileges are:

  • If we are voting on a book to read and there is a tie, the Queen breaks the tie
  • If the person who is to choose the next months meeting spot is not in attendance, the Queen chooses the place.
  • It’s good to be the Queen.

We also have a runner up position too, you know, in the event that the Queen is unable to perform her duties… I guess this would be a Vice Queen?  There is a scepter, a crown… and yes, even a royal throne.

This all came out of a book we read in 2007 called Same Sweet Girls by Cassandra King.  This actually became our book club pick of the year.

So today…  I was shocked to discover that we read this before I blogged so while I have my review written in my book journal, it is not here.  Or I should say wasn’t here.  I am putting it up now as my meandering moment – which today… took me back to 2007, and a review about a book, that changed the way we do book club…

I am still working on my speech for tonight!  This is our third year doing this and we get more talented as we go.  I am deciding between a poem and changing the words to the Brady Bunch song to The Bookie Club…. either way, I’ll probably post it with the pics….I think I need to make a wand with a foil star on the end….. it’s all part of the speech….  😉

Have a super fab awesome day!!!

Weekend For Awards…

Humanity AwardHumanity Award


So wow!  I am gone like a day and come back last night to some pleasant surprises!  I have been given an award!  Actually more than one!

Kreativ blogger award

Kreativ blogger award

Thank you to Bambi Reads, andFor The Love Of All That is Written, for the Humane award.  Be sure to check out their amazing blogs.

Thank you to Shona’s Book Shelf , Reminder List and Never Not Reading for the Kreativ Blogger ward.  I am so excited to have these and appreciate you thinking of me!

So here is what I need to pass forward.  For the Humane award, this is to go out to:

The Humane Award is to honor certain bloggers that are kindhearted individuals. They regularly take part in my blog and always leave the sweetest comments. If it wasn’t for them, my site would just be an ordinary book review blog. Their blogs are also amazing and are tastefully done on a daily basis. This award is to thank them for their growing friendships through the blog world.

Here is my current award winners for this award…. just a few of the many wonderful friends I have made through book reviewing and sharing…

Raidergirl3

Laurel

Books & Java

Okbo Lover

Alexia’s Books and Such


Kreativ blogger awardThe Kreativ Blogger award, just a few of the blogs that I enjoy looking at (there are way to many to list and I know even now I will be missing some of the ones I love).  For starters I have to list 7 of my favorite things….


Time with the hubby, family, and friends

Relaxing in my reading room with a good book surrounded by other good books ; )

Going to the cabin (which also involves reading!)

hanging out with the lap top

Biking, rollerblading, group power….

doing fun and adventurous things

No commitment weekends!  (YEAH!)

Then list blogs that I think are very Kreativ in their day to day postings and layout….

That’s a Novel Idea

Miss Remmer’s Review

Trisha’s Book Blog

At Home With Books

You 2.o Blog


I would reccomend stopping at any one of the great blogs listed here.  They are active bloggers with great reviews and a lot of things happening daily!

Sunday… week in review

If you go back the past 7 days you will see I did get a few reviews done as well as a few other book mailbox loverelated events.  Here is what came in the mailbox:


alvorAn exciting delivery from the author herself Laura Bingham.  Laura has given me a review copy as well as a giveaway copy.  Watch for this giveaway to be posted later this week.

emberFrom Bostick Communications I received The Light, The Dark, and Ember In Between

imposterImposters Daughter which is a giveaway that ends July 15!  (5 copies available!)

any minuteAny Minute by Joyce Meyer from Hachette Audio – I will be announcing the three winners tomorrow

JulieThanks to Hachette books this will be a giveway for July 15!  5 copies available

johnHachette Audio sent me this great audio to review plus 3 copies to give away – must sign up before July 15!

lostThis little treasure I found at a Book Store sale to support the local library.  It is an advanced reader copy

lizziBostick Communications sent me this read to review

pumpReceived from the author, Nancy Werking Poling and read this over the weekend… review is here

winsTwo books I won have arrived!!!  Y I P P Y!!!!!


Plans for this week:

I have book blog awards to give out tomorrow!

Hoping to read:  Pride and Prejudice, The End of Grace, Off Season, Hunter, Avalon, and I would love to squeeze in time to read the Harry Potter book that is coming out in the theaters this Tuesday.

I have Bookies Book Club on Tuesday and it is the annual Queen event!  (My dress and speech are ready!)  See last years event here

Tuesday at Midnight I am taking our Kinship Partner to the midnight showing of Harry Potter!

Lots of fun stuff this week so please visit often!

TOS 2

*Tour of Saints Bike Ride that was today – 50 miles.  This is me and my cousin Jarrod.

Morning Meanderings (sort of…)

a meme for meI am actually in a great little town this morning about 90 miles form my home (and my computer) called St Joseph, Minnesota.  My cousin and I are participating in the Tour of Saints, a 50 mile bike ride through the area.  Its a lot of fun, this will be my 5 year, his 2nd.  This is my third bike tour this year, gearing up for the big 175 mile tour this September (never done that one before!)

I was hoping to find  a meandering moment for you Saturday evening but alas…. I am just too tired.  I will be posting later on Sunday with a couple book reviews and my Sundown Sunday (Week in Review) post…..

Have an awesome Sunday!bike gif

Morning Meanderings…

So my morning starts out like this…. I get up and see another beautiful day coming across the horizon.  I start the a meme for mecoffee, prep my work space, pour a cup of coffee, and set it by my computer, let the dogs out, stand on the deck and feel much joy in the warmth of my favorite time of year, pour myself a cup of coffee and sat down to get started.

Did you catch that?

Yup…. I look across my work space and I have poured myself not one… but two cups of coffee.  LOL.  Whatever…. I drink them both.  🙂

So… the “coffee cups” and I start our ritual of email checking, and blog visiting.  This morning is a bit different because I am not returning to write this post with a book to check out (well, in a way I am….) but more with a question and an answer.

Over at My Friend Amy’s, she presented her Faith N’ Fiction Saturday question as to what is the best Christian Fiction book we have read so far this year.  Hmmmm….. great question!

I came back with the answer as In Search of Eden by Linda Nichols.    The question is timely too because I have several great reads in this category that I have purchased and are now waiting on the book shelf.  I actually pulled a couple off the shelf and added them to my TBR pile.

Faith_Fiction2