You know I hate to admit it… but September is clearly here. I have been fighting the rumors that summer is over even through the signs are here – my lawn has turned a little darker in color and no longer seems to be growing, the leaves are changing colors… and now – I see activities are multiplying across the blogosphere.
If you just want to chill into your fall with a good read and a cozy blanket, I recommend you join my Bel Canto read-a-long. I am reading it now and really enjoying it.
Next week is Book Blogger Appreciation Week (that snuck up on me!) Sept 10 -14 and that is so much fun – check it out here.
Is it time for that fall blog tune up? Side bars neglected, links no longer working – or maybe you just do not have a clue how to do something? Bloggiesta is for you – Sept. 28-30th
And I posted yesterday about Banned Book Week coming Sept 30 – Oct 6 and this will be my third year hosting a banned book week party here with daily book reviews and giveaways as well as inviting other blogs to participate and also have a chance to win!
Judith over at Leeswammes blog has even more events posted so be sure to stop and see what she has to offer as well.
So now I am off to the YMCA. I am already late but was so tired last night that I could not prep this post. After work today I hope to come home and catch up on some bloggy stuff and some prep work I am doing for our librarys display for Banned Book Week.
*Note: This is a sticky post. All new postings are below this one.
Banned Book Week is coming! Banned Book week is coming! This is my third year being involved in Banned Book Week and I enjoy being a part of helping others experience the great banned and challenged books out there!
According to the ALA (American Library Association) website, this is the definition for challenged and banned books:
A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others. As such, they are a threat to freedom of speech and choice.
What draws me to celebrate banned books is that many of these books are among some of my favorite reads: The Harry Potter Books, To Kill A Mockingbird, The Color Purple, Hunger Games, SPEAK, and so many more. For a full list of banned books see this ALA page.
This year I am looking for bloggers to participate in Banned Book Week by Choosing to read one or more of the Banned Books on the list or to write a post about banned books week. All participants will go into a drawing for a $20 Amazon gift card as my thank you for participating in a week that is near and dear to me. I would like each participant this year to consider hosting a giveaway along with their post. Some giveaway suggestions are: A copy of the book you reviewed, a gift card, book marks, or some other bookish item.
To participate please fill out the form below. I will be in contact before banned book week to confirm your day and what you will be posting. I will also promote your post from here on the day you are posting. If you plan on doing more than one post, please fill out one form per planned post.
Thank you in advance! This is going to be a lot of fun!
Good morning! It doesn’t take me long to get back into town and then get involved in something. It started with some innocent blog visiting (or so I thought) and then WHAM! I go visit Jill at Fizzy Thoughts and read this:
I know your TBR list is huge. I know your commitments are many. I know that there are so many things on which you must take a stand, and it can be exhausting to make reading a political activity. But this is so important to me, and I really think it should be important to you, too. None of us lives in a monochromatic world, and yet the fact that terrifying hate crimes still occur makes it clear that we do not fully understand or trust each other. And maybe part of the reason is because the media we consume does not accurately reflect the diversity of our society. And books are such a massive part of the media we consume that we should demand and fight for those that do represent minorities and those that do present the world from a different perspective than the one we are used to. So please – participate. You may just discover a character or an author or a setting or a story that will completely change your life.
So of course… all of this “too much on my plate already” applies to me but now my curiosity is piqued so I follow the Bloggy trail to BookLust and learn more about this Diverse Universe Blog Tour that is important and informative and basically had me signing on the dotted line. The basic plan? Read one book written by a person of color between September 23 and 29. If you are stumped at what to pick.. lists are provided.
So after reading all that I checked out the lists and set up to be a part of the tour and my book I will be reading is:
If you want to participate sign up here. Thanks Jill for letting me know about this 😀
This morning I have hauled my sleepy self to the YMCA where I have committed to meeting my friend Trish for morning workouts. I have not been to the YMCA in months, but fall is here and its time to commit to an exercise regimen so here I am trying to get started…. out plan was to meet at 6:30 am. I am already tired just thinking about it…
After her husband had passed away, her garden and her thriving plant business is her sanctuary. Between that and her son Isaac, Tilly finds enough to keep her mind busy and to avoid sticking a toe out beyond her own little world. Its safe in Tilly’s world and it is enough.
James Nealy has money to spare and when he wants something… it is just a matter of tossing money at it to make it so. As an in demand software developer he has trouble quieting the activity in his mind, but he has a plan to do just that… by creating a garden. He has seen Tilly’s work and wants her to be the designer even as she doesn’t think she is the right person for the job – after all, she sells plants, she does not design gardens.
And so the story goes, a family emergency creates a new way to escape for Tilly and as she retreats with Isaac to where she grew up she finds that while on the outside things look wonderfully the same – they clearly are not. Her best friend has a secret, her mother is plotting, and an old boyfriend is available and that is a temptation Tilly does not want… but does.
And then suddenly there is the compulsive and attractive James knocking on her door, asking again about an idea he has for a garden…..
As featured in Book Page magazine
Why did I want to read this book? Well… cover love for one! This was offered to me through a TLC book tour and I thought the synopsis sounded fun.
AND The Unfinished Garden was fun… an adventure really. Barbara Claypole White’s characters jump off the page. I was reading this book this past week and while at first it seemed a bit jumbled (those first pages…) do not be discouraged! Suddenly the book was flowing nicely along and I really found myself enjoying Tilly and her strength. While James is not normally the type of character I would find myself drawn to (the impulsiveness, the guilt he carries) I dd find myself waver a bit… it was not a love, but I was able to like him.
The book provided a nice story line that kept me engaged and interested. I am not a fan of romance reads, but this one never felt heavy in that department and I am thankful for that. This book to me was a story about second chances and finding the strength to let go… and in ways that are both sweet and surprising, I think you will find that both Tilly and James are characters with flaws that are endearing because they reflect some of the same flaws we can find in ourselves.
Good morning! After 5 glorious days up North at our cabin, I am now home again, rested, and ready to jump into September. This month is another busy one, work wise and life wise, every weekend has something. You think after this summer I would be used to that kind of activity.
Recapping the past week, I went to the cabin on Wednesday afternoon. It is about a 3 1/2 hour drive from here. I went with two of our three dogs, Bailey and Sam the small ones went with me, Mater had to go to a kennel, too big and too puppy yet to go and hang out with people. Our friends Chad and Amy and their girls came on Thursday evening, my hubby Al, and out friends Dan and Key came on Friday afternoon.
When I was alone, I read and watched a couple movies, even did some writing.
There are quite a few awesome things coming up in September including my read a long of Bel Canto which we will be discussing and doing give aways for next Tuesday, and I will be putting together sign ups this week for participants for this years Banned Books Week which will start at the end of September going through the first part of October, and the Bloggiesta will also be at the end of September.
So while fall is not my favorite season (mainly because I know what follows…..) there are some great events happening in the book world, and in activities that will keep me going. 😀
How was everyones weekend? Did you do anything fun? Any fun plans for the week?
Welcome to It’s Monday! What Are You Reading! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!
I love being a part of this and I hope you do too! As part of this weekly meme I love to encourage you all to go and visit the others participating in this meme. I offer a weekly contest for those who visit 10 or more of the Monday Meme participants and leave a comment telling me how many you visited. **You do not have to have a blog to participate! You receive one entry for every 10 comments, just come back here and tell me how many in the comment area.
**I will choose last weeks winner when I get back in to town tomorrow afternoon 🙂
So…. I hope everyone’s Labor Day weekend was wonderful. I have spent mine with wonderful friends and my hubby at our cabin up North. We have had great food, conversation, laughter, exploring, and a campfire, and a birthday celebration. While through out this morning and afternoon they have all trickled back home, I am staying through tonight, enjoying a little R and R and reflecting back on a wonderful summer. I will post more about this on Tuesday.
AND since I am currently sitting at a picnic table in Silver Bay Minnesota writing this post as I do not have internet service at the cabin I am going to keep this brief as I need to get in to the store I came into town for before it closes. 😀
As far as reading has gone, it has been a great weekend fr that. I have read three books (I was here two days before company came so have had some GOOD book time, I plan to read another book yet tonight and by the time I finish driving home tomorrow I will have an audio book in as well. Since I am not near my books I am not really sure what I am reading this week, but I will be reading. 😀 I do miss this good reading time that I was able to experience this weekend.
Please add your Its Monday What ARe You Reading tot he link below and check out what others have read this past week and are planning to read this week. I should get some time to visit when I return home tomorrow. When posting what you have been reading on Facebook, please add the hashtag: #IMWAYR
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Share with me… what book/audio has been with you this weekend?
Dak Smyth leads a pretty boring, he actually prefers to spend most of his time in the past, digging through history books and spouting out facts much to his parents embarrassment and his classmates delight to ridicule him. His best friend Sera Frosts however gets him… in fact, if someone to ask Dak, he would tell you that she is an even bigger nerd than he is.
When Sera finds the final piece to Dak’s parents secret attempt at creating a time machine called the Infinity Ring, Daks life gets a whole lot more interesting. After all, how much cooler is it to go back and experience history first hand then read about it hundreds of years later? When Dak and Sera go back in time with Dak’s parents things go terribly wrong… for one thing, when they return Dak and Sera are alone, somehow Dak’s parents are lost in time. And when Dak and Sera are taken away by people who want and need what the Infinity Ring can do… things go from bad to worse.
Now Dak and Sera, and a Historian named Riq are on a mission to go back in time and not only fix what is called a “break” in time, but hopefully find Dak’s parents along the way. First stop… Spain, 1492…. and a meeting with Christopher Columbus!
Why did I want to read this book? I met James Dashner in New York this past June and thought he was hilarious. I enjoyed his quick whit and while I have two of his books on my shelves, I have yet to read them. When he showed us a sample of what was coming up with Infinity Ring and the on line game that goes with it.. I ( a recovering gamer myself…) was sold.
Read at the cabin!
Infinity Ring is a middle grade style read. In the beginning it gave me memories of Narnia, kids traveling to another world, in this case, another time. Yet Infinity Ring is going to speak to todays young teens. The book is fun and moves quickly and holds your attention. Within the book the main characters (all in their teens) solve word and picture puzzles to know what they are supposed to do. I found this highly engaging as I love puzzles and wanted to figure out the clues right along with them!
While the 8-14 year old will enjoy this book, parents can be thrilled that they are getting in a little history as well. Dashner as sprinkled this story with historical facts about the places they visit. When the book is done, the front flap of the book has a secret panel that the reader is to open only after they have finished the book. I can not tell you what is behind the flap… I can tell you that it is super cool. 😀
And finally, I think what is also going to excite the readers is the online game that goes with the book(s) where you can go and work the puzzles out yourself and solve the breaks, just like the characters do in the book!
Not only did I really enjoy the multi dimensions of the book, I love the fact that this will be a series of books that will be written by different authors and continue the story. The book was fairly short but I think that is a good length for the age of the reader and it will leave them wanting more.
Recommended! Can’t wait to read more of Dashner!
**Note I received an ARC of this book while in New York and I am offering that book up for giveaway at this time. Leave a comment here letting me know if you were to go back in time, where would you like to go and why? What historical event would you like to witness? I will choose a winner on Tuesday, Sept. 4
Greetings from the North Shore. More pointedly for those of you who know I do not have internet at the cabin *shudder*, greeting from the Finland Library.
I arrived yesterday afternoon at the cabin after traveling the 3 1/2 hours in the jeep filled with my luggage, groceries, a new board game, two lawn chairs, a blanket, towels, books for the book shelf, movies, and two dogs… Bailey and Sam. Yes…. this was a very FULL vehicle. 😛
So what does a person do at a cabin before everyone else gets there? Well… first unpack, store food, and put the books on the shelf. Then I walked the yard for firewood for our campfires this weekend. I watched a movie, read a book and started another one. I talked to the neighbor, walked the dogs and think I was in bed by 10. Late tonight the first of our friends who are staying with us this weekend will arrive. More will come tomorrow afternoon. I am so excited! 😀
I drove the 6 miles into town today to pick up eggs, milk, and a few things for our dinners over the next few days. I stopped at the library to check emails, write a review and hang out in civilization for a bit before I head back for the day. 😀 Today I will do a little cleaning, a little reading, and maybe watch another movie. I cant remember the last time I was able to just sit down and read an entire book or watch an entire movie. 😀
Ruth Saunders is 23 and the writer and creator of The Next Best Thing tv show. When the phone call comes in that the studio is interested in picking up her show (insert SSSQQQUUUEEEEE’s here), she hauls herself and her 70-year-old grandmother cross-country to start production.
Dreams of making it big are not always as they seem as Ruth soon finds the demands of finding actors who fit her vision for the show is not as glamorous as one would think… the actors are opinionated and hard to keep track of, executives are trying to change what made the show what Ruth envisioned, her Grandma has up and decided she is getting married (MARRIED???) and well… of course there is that one hot and unreachable guy…
Seriously… why didn’t Ruth just take up a safer career path, like ski diving?
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Why did I want to read this book? I have followed Jennifer Weiner’s books in a sort of offhand way. It seems that while I do not necessarily seek them out, they do find their way into my hands or into my book club. She is the author of In Her Shoes (enjoyed that one!) and Good In Bed (have not read it) I also seen Jennifer in New York this year, she was one of the speakers.
The Next Best Thing is an ok read. It seems I have read several books this year that deal with mid twenties women and their grandmothers. I think that is interesting… and wonder why that seems to be a theme. Is writing about a young woman tamed down by pairing her close to her grandmother? I am not saying the idea is a bad one… just curious that several books like that have found their way to me. 😀
While The Next Best Thing is funny, quirky and enjoyable, that is about where I would leave it. There was no big “OH! NO WAY!” moment, just a few… speed bumps along the way. I enjoyed the narration and the storyline to the end, there are some great laughs and as I can imagine, a little insight as what it must really be like to work with actors on a set… things I did not think about like how they need to maintain a certain weight, stay sober, not make drastic changes to their bodies… The grandma of course is funny and wise and Ruth’s rock.
Good morning! Anyone else have or having a whirlwind summer? I think this is the busiest summer I have had…. maybe ever! 😀 I have been bike riding for miles and miles and running and mud ruckusing (my word), I have been hanging our with friends, at the cabin, in New York, I have been to a week long camp, the state fair… and now this weekend back to our cabin up North with friends.
I am so looking forward to this.
I am actually leaving this afternoon, two days before anyone else. Mater is going to a kennel, the other two small dogs are going with me. I am almost packed, have a meeting at work this morning and then I am off…. 3+ hours to the cabin means audio all the way 😀 I am going to read, write, and watch movies.
When our friends and Al trickle in we will enjoy board games, camp fires, exploring the north shore, biking and probably more reading. I really am excited as most of my activities throughout the summer have been highly active in the DOING mode. This week I get to just BE. 😀 I will be on line off and on throughout the weekend. I have to drive to internet service but I have reviews lined up and will pop in with the meandering when I can. 😀
September doesn’t really slow down much… the first weekend I am in charge of a tailgate party for about 250-300 people, 2nd weeekend is Al’s birthday and I am meeting author Sandra Brannan for dinner in the cities on the 15th (SSQQQUUUEEE), 3rd weekend I am doing a scavenger hunt in the cities with my friend Amy, and the 4th weekend I am having a family reunion here at our house.
Book Journey 