Good morning. Up at 5 am this morning, picking up Amy at 6 am and off to St Joseph Minnesota for the Tour Of Saints. This is my first bike ride since the crash in early June and I am excited, but a little nervous too.
Our goal is 5o miles and we want to start early to beat the heat as much as possible… it is supposed to be 92 degrees today. We should be checked in and started by 7:30 am.
I will be back later this afternoon to get my book on 😀
Good morning! I am sitting here with COFFEE CUP this morning reflecting over the past week.
It was… a good one.
On Tuesday we had our annual Queen Event for Book Club, on Thursday I went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter… the final movie.
I think that is a pretty good week. 😛
This morning I reflected a bit on my yard. I love love love my back yard. So for The Saturday Snapshot over at Alyce’s At Home With Books, I went around this morning with the camera…
As for my weekend… today I have planned to finish the lawn, finish a book. Hubby and I may go for a motorcycle ride later, or a movie. Tomorrow I am doing the Tour Of Saints bike ride with my friend Amy, the first bike ride since my accident in early June. I am excited to get back on track.
Any fun weekend plans? I would love to hear what you are doing this weekend in your corner of the world! 😛
Good morning. My Minnesota view outside my window is overcast and gloomy. Rain spatters the windows of my home and for once I find this weather quite appropriate for my mood.
I feel…. melancholy. I feel a little overcast myself really.
Last night, as the clock struck midnight and many (most) of you were well into the sleep world… I was sitting in a crowded, chatty movie theater waiting anxiously, and a little precariously as the opening to Harry Potter 7 part 2 lit upon the big screen.
I think most die-hard Potter fans would agree that this final movie is at once exciting and sad.
I have talked about it more than once here about how Harry Potter came into my kids lives in the later part of 1998 and Scholastic brought it into my home on that lovely little paper ordering sheet that the kids and I drooled over. Through the years we read them together, and last night while I was here in Brainerd Minnesota watching the movie, my college son was in Mankato Minnesota doing the same thing. 😀
While the movie was exciting and with 5 theaters showing it last night in my small town alone at 250 seats per theater and $8.50 per ticket… well I can only imagine the impact heard around the world –
BUT…
to me it did not generate that same excitement I had standing in the forefront of a line that wrapped around Barnes and Noble or insert book store of your choice here…. waiting for the next book to get in my eager hands.
I am forever grateful to be a part of this era of Harry Potter. To have lived it first hand as the books were printed, as the excitement grew, the first movie to the last. I wonder if they even fully know the impact they made not only on the lives of children, but on their parents, not only the movies – but the BOOKS – THE BOOKS. The books that made readers from non- readers all over the world.
I leave this morning this ode to Harry Potter:
AND for those of you who have shared with me that you have not read the books… have not seen the movies and are on the outside scratching your head as to the over all over the top obsession I have with these books…. here is a 6 minute recap of all that has happened in the movies to bring you up to full speed (also – full spoilers here to all previous movie – but not this last one)
Have an awesome rest of your morning! I am reading today, and enjoying my day off. 😛
Good morning! 😀
If you visit here occasionally, often, frequently, mornings with your own coffee cup (kudos by the way for that!) then you probably know that I am always gushing about my book club.
If your newer here – hi, welcome, and I LOVE my book club.
Next month will be our ten-year anniversary. We started in August of 2001 and we have grown in so many ways – in what we read, how we do reviews, and how to keep it exciting and fun for our now group of 14.
We had our book club meeting on Tuesday (second Tuesdays…. 10 years of second Tuesdays!) and not only was it our Annual Queen Event, Sharon had taken the initiative to design t-shirts for us and take orders and well… here are the two designs we now have:
Ahhh…. right? I love them!!!
Yesterday I went rollerblading with Wendy. First time since the big bike crash and it was great to get our on the trail again. We bladed 12 miles. Thanks Wendy! 😀
Bike miles in 2011: 196
Rollerblade miles: 30
Good Morning! 😀
Another lovely book event last night. We had our annual Queen Event which is always a blast. Every July we have a “free read” month. We do not have a book we all discuss, instead we potluck together and share what we read and what we recommend.
Oh…
and did I mention we dress up in fun dresses and choose a Bookies Queen?
Huh…. you think I would have mentioned that. 😛
Five years ago we read a book by Cassandra King called Same Sweet Girls and picked up a little idea from that book to do this event. We thought it would be a fun one time thing…. dress up and choose a Queen…. instead it became an annual event.
So what does one do to be Queen? We give little speeches, or sing, or read a poem, any thing to encourage others to vote for us. It’s really all in fun. And the things we come up with…. well…. hilarious.
What does the Queen do? The “Queen” breaks all book nomination ties. If we vote on a book to read and come up with a tie, the Queen chooses the book. Same with where to meet or special meetings. She also becomes the proud owner of the crown, the scepter, and uh…. the royal throne ( a gold spray painted toilet). 😛
So last night we had a wonderful get together with food, and dresses…. we discussed what we have been reading and then we voted on our August book club read which will be: The Devil In The White City by Erik Larson. We also chose our classic read for October Classic month and the book that won is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (yup – never read it).
We ended our evening with the vote and…. our past Queen Lori, called up the Queen and runner up…. Sharon and Amy…
Good morning! 😀
Sun shining… mood hitting level awesome…. what could be going on?
OH – many things! For one, today releases Forever by Maggie Stiefvater. I reviewed this a few weeks back with the appropriate level of SSQQQUUEEESSSS so you know…. check it out. 😀 (Amazon rating here)
And check this out…. I am so not a fan of book trailers but this is something incredible…
I had pre ordered Forever back in January right after I finished Linger. When I received the ARC at BEA this year, I still wanted the hard cover that I had pre ordered so that book is due here in the next couple of days. Hmmm…. what to do with the ARC? (*see bottom of this post)
Tonight is our book club Queen Event which is basically a potluck event where we all dress up in formal wear and give little speeches of why we should be the Queen. Why do we do this? It came out of a book we read years ago called Same Sweet Girls by Cassandra King. It is just a fun crazy thing we do every July and it is a lot of crazy fun!
Here is a glimpse into last years 2010 event:
Click here to read about this event
and here is 2009 before…
Click here to read about this event
I bought my dress for tonight on clearance… I have a closet full now of these fun dresses… (one of which you may have seen dive into the lake for the polar plunge in May). 😛
I love this event because we all agreed to do it… I wasn’t sure they would, but yes, for the past 5 years we have done this and had so much fun seeing what everyone came up with for their speech… some sing, some rhyme… some read off cards like a politician. It is all in fun and we do have fun! 😀
Pictures and results will be up tomorrow 😀
**Leave a comment today on this post and I will choose one random winner to receive my ARC copy of Forever which I will send out to them this week.
Good Morning!
Home as of yesterday afternoon and a happy road trip to the cabin was complete. I went with my son Brad and his best friend Andy to our cabin on the North Shore on Friday. We had limited time, but made the 3+ hour trip anyway… just to hang out and Brad had never seen the Cabin (he is home from the Navy just until this coming Tuesday).
We had a lot of fun putting our way there… stopping for lunch at Grandma’s in Duluth, Dairy Queen in Two Harbors for ice cream and then arriving at Finland, Minnesota. We went to dinner down the road at Our Place and then back to the cabin for an exciting round of Jenga. Would you believe I have owned the game all of the four years of the cabin and have never played it?
It was actually fun and we made it to level 32 before Brad (uh huh… I totally ratted him out) crashed the tower of Jenga.
Yes, we are watching Grown Ups on the TV. 😀
We came home yesterday afternoon and I went out to dinner with hubby then a good nights sleep.
Today I move the IHN guests to their next location and with a little luck I will be home by noon to relax this afternoon into a good book. Crazy week is almost…. officially over 😀
Good morning. I was just drooling looking over the fantastic new releases. What is it with this ever producing book world that fascinates me? The books keep on a coming and I keep on wishing and wanting to read more and more… in a life time I could not read everything I wish I could! 😀
Look at these beauties here below…
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fiction
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nonfiction
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young adult
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children’s
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history & biography
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memoir & autobiography
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mystery & thriller
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romance
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science fiction
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fantasy
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historical fiction
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graphic novels & comics
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At first glance I already know I want to read, Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner, Haiti by Paul Farmer, I have already read (and LOVED) Forever by Maggie Steifvater, Growing Up Amish by Ira Wagler, Never Knowing by Steven Chase, and The End Of Everything by Megan Abbott.
How about you – any of these stand out as MBR (Must Be Read) for you?
I am going to our cabin today with our Navy son Brad, and his best friend Andy who is also in the Navy. Brad has never seen the cabin before. We had a small one when the kids were growing up, very old school – no indoor plumbing, so tiny that when you pulled out the hide-a-bed it took up the whole living room, meaning you had to climb over the bed to get out the door. It did not have heat, we brought heaters….
AL (hubby and I) saved and saved and by the time Brad had graduated, we had finally found what we liked, a very nice double wide 2001 modular home with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a nice large living room – and even a nicer kitchen than I have in my own home! I can not wait for Brad to see it! 😀
We will be back tomorrow afternoon, I still have commitments to out IHN week and Brad has people yet to visit before he goes back to Florida this next week. Posts and reviews are prepped while I am away.
Good morning. 😀
I feel as though I am reaching a finish line. 😀 Today I work, help out tonight with IHN (homeless program) and then prepare to leave tomorrow for a quick but exciting trip to the cabin. I am taking Navy son Brad and his best friend Andy to the cabin for a night. Brad has never been there and we have owned it now for four years.
I can not wait to experience this with him! He has little time to get around to see everyone before he goes back so we are popping up there on Friday afternoon and coming back Saturday afternoon.
Recently this part of America’s Got Talent (which I really enjoy watching!) was brought to my attention.
….I wept.
This is a wonderful reminder that it does not matter how old you are, what obstacles you may need to leap over (or blow up), never never never let anyone tell you that you can not do something.
Seriously, what a message this has.
Reading a little Harry Potter currently and starting the second book of Bloody Jack on audio as well as Born In Fire by Nora Roberts (LONG STORY :razz:).
Have an awesome Thursday!
Good Morning!
I slept in my own bed for the first time in three days last night and it was NICE. It was actually good just to be home, and for the most part I was home most of yesterday.
Catching up on my e mail reading I noticed that Diana Galbaldon’s Outlander was re-released in hard cover yesterday. This is a series that I have heard so much good about and have yet to read. As I am looking at this lovely book I am thinking now may be the time to do so.
I think I am having book envy. 😛
On a fun note – both boys were home last night for dinner. We had Honduras Lasagna, and strawberry shortcake for dessert and sat on the deck and talked for hours. It was a good time. I made sure we captured a couple of pics of Brad and I before he heads back to the Navy next week.
Book Journey 