A New Award!

It’s so nice to find out a reader likes your blog well enough to nominate you for an award.  Thanks to Patty at Thoughts From An American Woman for this particular honor. I’m really pleased! And I LOVE the subtext on the icon.  For me, it’s pretty much been the basic tenet of my whole life. 

In order to accept the award,

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Quote #53 – Jim Butcher

“I don’t care about whose DNA has recombined with whose. When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching–they are your family.”

–Jim Butcher, Proven Guilty

Quote #52 – Jim Butcher

“Jobs are a part of life. Maybe you’ve heard of the concept. It’s called work? See, what happens is that you suffer through doing annoying and humiliating things until you get paid not enough money. Like those Japanese game shows, only without all the glory.”

  –Jim Butcher, “Blood Rites”

Good Morning, Everyone!

Cover of Jim Butcher’s Ghost Story

(Probably My Favorite in the Entire Series)

It’s finally cool here in central Florida–and by cool, I mean 50-ish at night, and 70-ish in the daytime–so I should be working in my yard, cleaning up the mess from late summer.  But after 5 days of hauling tree debris around and trying to make a dent in that particular mess, I really don’t feel like it.  The garden will have to wait a bit longer, I’m afraid.  And then, there’s my latest distraction: 

Biting Cold by Chloe Neill

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

The Chicagoland Vampires of Cadogan House are at it again!  Tensions are at an all time high, as the vampires deal with betrayal of the highest order, and fight for the survival of their house, their place in the community,

My “To Be Read” Stack

Do you have one?  A place where you gather all the new books you are getting ready to read?  I do.  I’m not a happy camper when it gets low on books, either.  I feel RICH when

Monster Hunter Legion by Larry Correia

My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Whew.  Finally got this one finished, which was no mean trick, considering how few reading hours I managed to grab in the last two weeks.  This is the fourth book in Larry Correia’s Monster Hunters International series.  I’ve read and really liked every one of them,

I’m Baaaa-aaack!

One Small Section of Debris

Alert the Media!  I’m back!  Mostly. 

Yeah, I know I’ve been gone nine days, and believe me, I have missed this blog more than you could imagine!  If I tried to tell you everything that has conspired against me to keep me from posting here, you probably wouldn’t believe it.  Suffice it to say,

Passages #2 – Odd Thomas

Passage from Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

A more endearing character than Dean Koontz’s Odd Thomas would be hard to find.  Just a glimpse at the opening paragraph of the first book in this series, Odd Thomas, should make you want to know more about him,

Quote #51 – W. Somerset Maugham

“There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”

      —W. Somerset Maugham

Passages #1 – Garden Spells

Passage From Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

I thought it might be fun to post some of my favorite passages from various books.  The beginning of Sarah Addison Allen’s magical Garden Spells is one I really love. Enjoy! (And read the book, if you haven’t already.  It’s lovely!)

“Every smiley moon, without fail, Claire dreamed of her childhood. She always tried to stay awake those nights when the stars winked and the moon was just a cresting sliver smiling provocatively down at the world, the way pretty women on vintage billboards used to smile as they sold cigarettes and limeade. On those nights in the summer, Claire would garden by the light of the solar-powered footpath lamps, weeding and trimming the night bloomers–the moon vine and the angel’s trumpet, the night jasmine and the flowering tobacco. These weren’t a part of the Waverly legacy of edible flowers, but sleepless as she often was, Claire had added flowers to the garden to give her something to do at night when she was so wound up that frustration singed the edge of her nightgown and she set tiny fires with her fingertips.”

Garden Spells

If you decide to place an order with amazon, clicking through from my links will give me credit.  If you are enjoying  my reviews on Bookin’ It, it’s a great way to let me know!  Thanks!

Quote #50 – William Faulkner

“It begins with a character, usually, and once he stands up on his feet and begins to move, all I can do is trot along behind him with a paper and pencil trying to keep up long enough to put down what he says and does.”
 

–William Faulkner

Quote #49 – Bennett Cerf

“Coleridge was a drug addict. Poe was an alcoholic. Marlowe was killed by a man whom he was treacherously trying to stab. Pope took money to keep a woman’s name out of a satire then wrote a piece so that she could still be recognized anyhow. Chatterton killed himself. Byron was accused of incest. Do you still want to a writer – and if so, why?”

–Bennett Cerf

Autumn Movement by Carl Sandburg

Still time for a couple more poems of autumn, celebrating the season, in one mood or another.  This little poem by Carl Sandburg is spare but very evocative.   Enjoy!

Autumn Movement

by Carl Sandburg

I cried over beautiful things knowing no beautiful thing lasts.

The field of cornflower yellow is a scarf at the neck of the copper sunburned woman,

the mother of the year, the taker of seeds.

The northwest wind comes, and the yellow is torn full of holes,

new beautiful things come in the first spit of snow on the northwest wind,

and the old things go,

not one lasts.

What Are You Reading?

Since I’m behind on reviews, largely due to not having as much time to read as usual in the last month or so, I thought I might throw out a question to you guys.  What areyou reading right now, or what have you just finished reading that you really loved?  Feel free just to give a title,

Quote #48 – Somerset Maugham

“All the words I use in my stories can be found in the dictionary – it’s just a matter of arranging them into the right sentences.”
     –Somerset Maugham

Quote #47 – Anne Lamott

“We are a species that needs and wants to understand who we are. Sheep lice do not seem to share this longing, which is one reason why they write so little.”
     –Anne Lamott

Quote #46 – Nathaniel Hawthorne

“Easy reading is damn hard writing.”

     –Nathaniel Hawthorne

NOTE: I am fast discovering just how true this is!

Happy Veteran’s Day!

Today, we honor those who have served their country to protect our way of life.  Please don’t forget to thank a veteran today.  Many have sacrificed more than you can imagine, and we owe them everything we have.

God Bless America.

NOTE:  This post is in no way meant to be political, on any side of any issue.  I don’t discuss politics here, folks.  Just asking you to remember we can never thank our servicemen and women enough.  There’s no way to repay them for their dedication to duty. If you want to say your thank you in a more tangible manner, one good way would be through the Wounded Warrior Project.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Zombies.  Eeew.  Why are they so popular?  They aren’t all dark, mysterious and sexy, like vampires, aiming to seduce their way into your bedroom, while promising eternal life.  They don’t possess that, ahem, “animal magnetism” that werewolves do, complete with moonlight races through the wild places, hunting excitement with the same fervor they use to hunt deer.  Heck, they don’t even sparkle, for Pete’s sake.  I don’t really get the attraction, most of the time.  However…you knew there was a “however,” didn’t you?…

Just A Reminder!

Cold Days Coming November 27

Hey, all you Jim Butcher, Ilona Andrews, and Janet Evanovich fans out there!  Just a heads up, in case you forgot to check my Milestones widgets.  These guys have books coming out soon.  Be ready to pre-order, or to head to your local bookstore on Release Day, if you are anxious to keep up with these three series.  To wit:

Dead In The Family by Charlaine Harris

My Rating 1 of 5 Stars For What I could Finish

NOTE: This is by no means the latest book in the Sookie Stackhouse series.  It is just the last one I was able to force myself to almost (!)  read.  Since I’m behind on reviews, I thought maybe I’d throw this old one out there, and see what others might think.

May 4, 2010:

Having followed Sookie Stackhouse’s adventures since the first book was published (way back in 2001, I believe),

Into The Woods by Kim Harrison

My Rating 4 of 5 Stars

I waited all summer for Into The Woods to come out, since in addition to several short stories set in Rachel Morgan’s Cincinnati “Hollows” neighborhood, it also featured a short novella about

Time Flies!

Just a quick post to let you guys know that I really haven’t fallen off the earth.  Some of you are aware that I am writing a book.  You’re never too old, you know.  After all, as my husband says, 60 is the new 20! By that reckoning, I’m only 28!!  😀

Well, the long and short of it is that I’ve been spending a lot of time writing, and not nearly as much time reading and posting as I’d like.  I’m going to try to do better this week, as I dig back into my To Be Read basket.  I have a ton of good books there.  I just need more hours in my day.  Where is a time-manipulating wizard when you need one?  Or maybe I need to find that ever-popular rift in the space-time continuum?  Well, somehow, someway, I will find time to do everything I want to do.  Or at least a goodly portion thereof.  And just to get things started, I will have a new review going up later tonight. 

Don’t give up on me!