~Up Close & Personal with LadyTink~

Lost It

2011-04-10T08:37:00.000-05:00

When reading and watching movies become a chore instead of enjoyment I believe it's time to quit blogging.... at least for awhile. Maybe once I stop feeling guilty about not posting once I read or watch something. I'll miss all the bloggers and I'll probably pop by once in awhile to see what's going on but it's time for me to find the joy I used to have about blogging again.

Internet Problems

2011-03-21T18:00:00.002-05:00

I disappeared on you guys again but I've been having internet issues so I can only get on when it's working. We're supposed to be replacing it soon with cable internet. Miss you guys!

Late Fia Friday and a Question

2011-03-05T10:05:00.000-06:00

After a Bath

Oops! I missed Fia Friday! I wasn't online yesterday though and Fia's been a brat lately so I've been running around after her making sure she's not chewing up any more of my favorite shoes.

Closest the two have ever been (without Fia getting smacked)

Do you do Netflix? My husband recently set it up for me and I'm addicted which is very strange since I never watch actual TV. I'm getting caught up now though! I actually watched the first episode of 21 Jump Street last night with Johnny Depp and I wasn't crazy about it but I did like some of it. The show must be good if it lasted as long as it did. Does anyone have any other suggestions for me to watch? Movies too!

My New Orleans Trip

2011-03-02T12:39:00.000-06:00

Hello all! I've been completely out of it lately or else I would have updated about Monday's trip sooner. Paige, Kat, and I all went to New Orleans to pick up Kat's passport since she's leaving for Italy this Friday and while we were down there took in a few sights.

Usually whenever I head that way, we hang out in the French Quarter but that day we went to the Garden District/ Magazine Street. I loved to see all the Mardi Gras decorations! We at lunch at La Madeliene which wasn't half bad (I had the Chicken Parisien which is a sandwich of marinated chicken breast, bacon, melted cheddar, mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato on a sourdough roll and a lemon mini tart from their bakery) but I've definietly had better.

After lunch we headed over to Magazine Street (because I've never been) which is just a bunch of cute little boutiques and shops. I finally got to try gelato at Sucre which was super yummy! I like it SO much better than ice cream (the difference between the two is gelato has less buttercream and sugar). We also looked around all the little clothing shops and stuff (boy is that stuff expensive!) and then headed over to Whole Foods. I seriously wish that there was one closer to home and that I was rich enough to afford shopping there all the time since that was just neat!

After we left Whole Foods it was getting kind of late so we headed home and though I had a blister or two from those flip-flops, I did have fun! So, if you've been to New Orleans, what are your favorite stores and resturaunts? I'm a big dessert fan so I'm especially eager to hear recommendations in that quarter as well.

NOTE: My camera has grown legs and walked off again so no pics for now :(

New Orleans for the Day

2011-02-28T20:07:00.000-06:00

Hey sorry guys, no Monday Musing today. I spent all day in the Garden District/ Magazine Street of New Orleans with some friends and I'm exhausted and have blisters. I'm going to bed! Night!!!

Fia Friday

2011-02-25T13:58:00.000-06:00

Here's Fia outside sniffing my daffodils!

I keep trying to get a video of her chasing her tail but here she is right afterwards with her ducky.

Cover Contemplation- Alas Babylon

2011-02-24T16:00:00.002-06:00

It’s another cover contemplation! Today is Pat Frank’s post-apocalyptic novel Alas, Babylon. These first three covers all feature the same picture of a group of people out of focus all being led by one man. I’m guessing the man is supposed to be Randy Bragg, the main character in the novel, the last cover is the copy I own of this book.

I've been told that this blue and purplish-pink cover is the bookjackets that were on the first editions of this book. Not really sure what all the shapes are supposed to mean; if anything, but I do like the font on this one. The yellow cover of the man looking into the explosion was a 1993 paperback release.

The really interesting Pan Giant cover with the mushroom cloud rising over the city and has broken telephone poles is an Australian cover of the paperback. The red cover with the black broken telephone poles is a hardcover found in the UK.

These last two are the only foreign language editions I could find. The first is the Italian cover which translates to Goodbye Babylon and is the only cover that actually looks like the time period it's set in with the cars from the 1950s gracing the cover. You can also tell that this is set in a sunny place (in this case Florida) with all the palm trees too. I'm really not impressed with the French edition (which translates to This World Was Not Saved) even if I do like the title, since it's a bit misleading. It does show a family but the main character has no children. The children belong to his brother's wife who is in the SAC and when he thinks their might be war headed their way, sends his family down to his brother and childhood home. Randy does take care of them but he also takes on several others, mostly his neighbors as family too.

That's all I could find out there for this book. If there are any others that you know about, please send them to me!

Teaser Tuesday- Alas, Babylon

2011-02-22T11:29:00.000-06:00

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 and share two (2) “teaser” sentences
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 and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

ALAS, BABYLON BY PAT FRANK

Randy and Mark never forgot Preacher Henry’s thundering, and from it they borrowed their private synonym for disaster, real or comic, past or future. If one fell off the dock, or lost all his cash at poker, or failed to make time with a promising Pistolville piece, or announced that hurricane or freeze was on the way, the other commiserated with, “Alas, Babylon!”

Musing Monday- Family Day

2011-02-21T17:30:00.001-06:00

This week’s Musing Mondays post asks…

In honor of the Canadian “Family Day” holiday, today, I’m curious… What was the last book (or, what was your favorite book) that dealt with family? What did you like / dislike about it?

I've never heard of Family Day but it sounds like a good practice! The last book I read that dealt with family was Pat Frank's Alas, Babylon. I loved this book the first time I read it and I still loved it when I finished it last night. It's a dystopian post-apocolypse type of book but what makes it eligible for this post is that the main character Randy pulls together not only his brother's wife and kids but also the town doctor and all his nearby neighbors to make a family that works together in this new dangerous life without modern conviences. I loved how with them all teaming up, and eventually working with the town itself, they brought order to the chaos.

Fia Friday and a Toothache

2011-02-17T22:37:00.000-06:00

This is Fia up in her bed (which is in my bed) which used to belong to the cat but after it sitting in a corner for a year without her getting in it once, I thought Fia would get more use out of it.

I haven't abandoned the blogs again, I've just had a horrible toothache the past few days and I can't find a book that truly interests me. I've tried three so far since Made to Be Broken and I got pretty far into the last one (enough that I do plan on finishing it eventually). The writing style and the voice was just too awkward for me. Also, it was really bugging me since the scenes weren't transitioning well. Since I'm not feeling good, this is doubly irritating for me.

That's not to say I'm not working on some reviews because I've finished the children's book one and I'm about to start the movie adaptation so I can review it all in one post. Also, I'm listening to the audio commentary of Under the Tuscan Sun so look for that review soon too. Hopefully I'll pick something up soon that I'll love and actually feel like reading... maybe a re-read of something I haven't reviewed?

Library Loot

2011-02-16T13:11:00.000-06:00

I'm kind of exhausted and I've still got a ton of laundry to get through so here's a really quick Library Loot.

Three DVDs came in, two that were supposed to be for last weekends Italian night and one for this weekend's Mexican night. Hopefully The Mexican will come in soon (thanks for the rec JenD!)

Also two books came in, both Disney related. Can you tell I have Disney on the brain lately? Can you kind of guess what movie review is going to be coming up really soon?

Musing Monday/ Cover Contemplation

2011-02-14T16:42:00.002-06:00

This week’s musing (in honor of St. Valentine‘s Day) asks two questions, but you only need to answer one…

If you read romance novels, answer this question: Who are your favorite “romance” authors? Why?

Plain jane romance novels isn't something I read all that often anymore, I much prefer urban fantasy with romance elements like Laurell K. Hamilton. However, I do have a few romance authors I like such as Jennifer Crusie because she's so funny or Nora Roberts/JD Robb but only her series books for some reason. Oh, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Brenda Joyce, and Teresa Medieros is usually awesome too! The latter was actually the first book I reviewed over on my other blog.
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Cover Contemplation Time! You didn't think I'd forgotten about this did you? There isn't that much out there for Kelley Armstrong's Made to Be Broken (see my review)... according to the author's website and the research I've done, there's only two English covers actually but here they are.

This first one is the cover for the US and Canadian books featuring Nadia Stafford. The color scheme is very similar to the previous book in the series Exit Strategy. I actually really like the UK cover though. From the colors to the picture of Nadia's Red Oak mountain lodge (or it could be meant to be the cabin in Nadia's nightmares), this cover is just neat!

I'm Bursting With Questions!

2011-02-13T10:04:00.000-06:00

Ours was better than this but we demolished it. It had mushrooms and fresh baby spinach leaves added to it. I put chicken in mine (Paige is a vegetarian). We had cheesecake for dessert (and I had some for breakfast!) which was beyond delicious!

Good morning everybody! Italian Night with the girls turned out pretty great even though we got started a bit late and was only able to finish one movie (Under the Tuscan Sun). I completely forgot to take pictures but we did have fun! Kat brought over Fia's litter mate Lucy and they had played all night, poor Fia is tuckered out this morning. I will say one thing: I have never cleaned up so much puppy pee in my life! They were too busy playing to go potty whenever we took them outside. Hey, we're talking about doing a Mexican food night next weekend. Anyone got any fantastic movie (or book) ideas?

This gorgeous work of art... is a cake! By Cake Doctor

In other news, I've been thinking of doing something on the blog for awhile now and I'd like to run it past you guys first. A few months ago I won a book of my choice from Bookish Delights and I picked 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up by Julia Eccleshare and Quentin Blake (yes, the illustrator of Roald Dahl). It's an awesome list book that has some great YA recommendations however, the first couple sections are for children's books and I've been thinking about checking everything out in order. Some of these children's books are classics that I remember as a kid and some I remember hearing about that I've never read, even a few that are unknown to me. What would you guys think about me doing a review for these children books, say maybe once a week or whenever the whim strikes me? I have no children, no plans for any in my future, and I hardly ever see any kids so I couldn't give you their opinion- I would be reading these. I mean, you know how I do my reviews by now. It would have tons of trivia, links, and even a review of the movie too if there is an adaptation. Would that be something anyone is interested in?

Fia Flick and Pic Friday!

2011-02-11T17:52:00.000-06:00

So you wanted Fia? You got her!

Library Loot

2011-02-09T15:44:00.002-06:00

Hello all you lovely people out there! I’m actually using my library again but since I can't seem to find my camera I can't share pictures of my new(ish) puppy Fia or my newest library acquisitions so here's the next best thing.

Up first are the DVDs, both set in Italy because my friend is traveling there next month and we're having an Italian movie night this weekend (we watched Eat, Pray, Love last weekend).

Then the books, two Disney and one what I call "list book". No, I'm not going to Disney World yet *grumble*, but I thought I might as well start planning it out since we'll probably go next year. The list book is courtesy of my friend Lady T's great review on it.

Hey, I would love to be pointed in the direction of some great books on Disneyland/ Walt Disney World history if anyone can think of anything.

Teaser Tuesday- Made to Be Broken

2011-02-08T14:21:00.001-06:00

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 and share two (2) “teaser” sentences
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!

MADE TO BE BROKEN BY KELLEY ARMSTRONG

I had the gag tied, the blindfold on, and the guy pulled flat on the seat and he kept sleeping. If it wasn't for the now- muffled snores, I'd have thought he was dead.

Musing Monday- Book Police

2011-02-07T12:19:00.000-06:00

This week’s musing asks…

How do you react to the “book police”? (people who judge what you are reading, and try to make you feel guilty) Do you respond to their judgements? Or, do you keep quiet? Do you let what they say influence your reading, or do you do your own thing, regardless?

Oh the book police! Annoying, nosy people. What happened to 'if you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all'? Maybe I'm just channeling my inner Thumper but if I see you holding a book that I personally wouldn't read if you paid me (considering all the genres I read, that's very rare), I'm certainly not going to say that to you! The world wouldn't be so nearly an interesting place if everyone just read old classics.

That said, I have made some excuses for what I was reading before and to keep from being teased in high school I would usually carry Stephen King novels to read since everyone knew who he was (that and it was before I realized just how much was out there). Nowadays, I read what I want when I want and I could care less what others think about it.

I'm Coming Back

2011-02-06T05:18:00.002-06:00

Good morning to all my old readers! You may have noticed that I haven’t exactly been around for… well awhile. Between all of the holidays (hope everyone had great ones!), lots of real life stuff, and just having problems getting up the motivation to read lately; blogging took the last seat on the bus these past few months. Well February has only just begun so I’m going to try to get back to where I used to be by getting organized and moving all of the books I only half reviewed into a separate folder to get around to them sometime later and just start fresh. Fresh start… sounds awesome to me!

I’ve got some great stuff planned for this year and I plan to review more of the ARC’s and other books I receive- well, maybe not as soon as I get them but not a year or two later either. I’ll try my best not to flake out on you guys again. I even may have a giveaway coming up soon and I have a review all written up and ready to go to post sometime today too. Can't wait to see what everyone has been up to!

Another Break

2010-10-22T14:29:00.001-05:00

Hi guys, sorry for the unscheduled break but it's going to last a bit longer. I have a ton of stuff on my plate right now and blogging or even reading (I haven't picked up a book in weeks) has taken a backseat. Hopefully that will change before too much longer. Miss you guys and hope to see you soon!

TV Shows

2010-10-12T06:29:00.000-05:00

I've been in a bit of a reading slump after tearing through all of Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress and almost all of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series so I've been taking some time off to watch TV. I was going to wait to watch all of The Vampire Diaries after I read the books but I really didn't like the first book so I just skipped to the show. I'm in love! Such a great show! However, now I'm done with those and I need to get caught up on all the others I'm behind on like Criminal Minds, NCIS, Burn Notice, Lie to Me, and Cold Case. Instead, I picked up a new show lol. It's called The Mentalist and it's got a similar feel to Lie to Me which I also really love. So that's what I'm watching, how about you guys?

Very Late September Reads

2010-10-10T16:26:00.004-05:00

Okay I'm really, really late with this but I just realized I didn't post for September so here's what I read last month:

September Reads
Dark Side of the Moon by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Unleash the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Sins of the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Seize the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Night Play by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Kiss of the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Dance with the Devil by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Night Embrace by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon
A Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost
Destined for an Early Grave by Jeaniene Frost
At Grave's End by Jeaniene Frost
One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
Blameless by Gail Carriger
Changeless by Gail Carriger
Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione
Fallen by Lauren Kate
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

Cover Contemplation... Kinda

2010-10-05T14:24:00.000-05:00

I know I promised foreign covers for The Mysterious Affair at Styles but I actually found a webpage that has already collected them all together. There's Turkish, Hebrew, Arabic, Persian, Indonesian, Thai, Chinese, Korean, some lovely Japanese covers (under JPN), Czech, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Italian (which has quite a few yellow covers for some reason), Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, Croatian, Swedish, Danish, Norweigian, Finnish, lots of French, Dutch, and German covers too. Hope you enjoy browsing!

Gotta Be MIA

2010-10-03T14:19:00.000-05:00

Darren's Being Silly While I Eat Cake

Sorry I've been MIA lately! A lot of my husband's family is down for awhile that he hasn't seen in a long time for his dad's wedding reception (they got married in Savu but this is for the rest of the family to welcome her). Of course I didn't know about it until Friday night so I'm cleaning like a mad woman. TTYL!

Cover Contemplation- The English Ones

2010-09-27T19:15:00.003-05:00

Since Agatha Christie’s The Mysterious Affair at Styles is 80 years old, it has been published a LOT and because of this there are so many covers for it. Since there are just so many I’m going to have to break up this cover contemplation into two sections, today’s will be all the English covers for this book I could find.

This first cover is a really old one and it pictures one of the Cavendish brothers holding a candle while Cynthia and Mary are slightly behind him. In the foreground is who I believe to be Poirot looking over the table. I couldn't find a better cover of this one but it's the first cover of the book back in 1920. The author actually had a painting of this commissioned for one of her houses later in life. I love this second cover with the cup of tea where the steam comes up in the shape of a woman's head silhouette. Also it has the will and a poison bottle of it too. Plus, it has a lovely background too. This is supposed to be Mud Puddle Books' 2006 hardcover edition. I haven't got a clue about this third cover that looks hastily thrown together. Especially since the story takes place during summer and this one looks like it's winter. At least the manor is nice!

This next one is a paperback from 2004 and it's somewhat more interesting than a stock photo since it has Styles Court in the photo, the purple dispatch case with it's key, Poirot’s house of cards and of course a steaming cup of tea. This cover is from 2004 I believe and it's a lovely blue with a poison bottle on it and includes the byline: Poirot's First Case. Kind of plain but I do like it. The mainly white cover with the tiny rectangle with the table with the purple dispatch case, will, key, and the bottle of poison on the table is a Berkley mass market paperback edition that was published for several of the Poirot books. I even own one with a very similar look to it.

2006's hardcover is a mainly red (sometimes pink) cover with an overturned tea cup which is another stock photo that could have used a little work in my opinion. While this next one has a 1930's look to it, this cover was actually the 2001 hardcover. An interesting look with the Cavendish brothers over their stepmother's bed with the silhouette of the lady at the end of the bed. I'm not sure what year this next cover comes from but it's definitely a stock photo since none of those cars were available back in the 1930's! I do like those trees and gate though. The next cover could fall under the stock photo category but that house does look like an old English manor.

I haven't the foggiest idea of why a church and graveyard are on this next cover. I supposed that it could represent where Emily Inglethorp is buried but it doesn't make much sense otherwise. Another one that doesn't make much sense is this Wildside Press 2009 black and grey background with the picture with all the stuff on it. Not that any of these things are in the book of course. A lady's hand holding a red rose (which reminds me, was there fingernail polish back in the 1930s?) is pretty boring and something else that doesn't depict the story in any way but at least the byline says that it's Agatha Christie's first novel and where Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings are introduced.

Waking Lion Press published the cover with the cup of coffee and the black bowler hat in 2006. A mind-numbingly boring paperback that isn't worth the price of what it's going for on Amazon. Random House Trade paperbacks published this red 2007 cover with the owl in the bowler hat. I actually like this one even if it is slightly simple and has nothing to do with the actual story. The Modern Library Classics never have the best covers but I usually pick these up anyway since they have interesting introductions. What this lady has to do with the book is beyond me though. I'm still not sure if that's supposed to be a car window or a house window either. This cover was published in 2003.

The slightly reddish-brown cover with the spilled coffee covering the hand is another boring cover brought to you by Deodand Publishing (from Australia) in 2002. Bantam published this next cover of the hat and the mustache which is supposed to be Poirot in paperback from 1978. I haven't a clue who published this 1986 one but that picture in the background of the old lady is horrifying huh? I don't want to say that that man is supposed to be Poirot because he doesn't look at all what the author describes nor does he look anything like any of the actors who have played him. Mark Twain or Colonel Sanders maybe but not Hercule Poirot.

Pan Books is the publisher of this next three paperbacks, one published in 1954, 1959 and the last in 1969-74 but I’m not sure which is which. The first one features Hercule Poirot peering into a cup which though he doesn’t look quite right, it’s better than the other one with the yellow cover is supposed to be a sketch of Hercule Poirot and though it's not bad, he's not quite what I imagined. For one thing, that bowtie is just not neat enough for Poirot and I don't think his mustache was quite so thin either! I do like the smashed cup which is one of the only ones I could find that had one too.

I love this 1945 Avon Books pulp fiction-looking cover. It's so campy with the barely dressed woman (Mary maybe?) and the tuxedoed man behind her staring in shock at the woman's hand holding the glass. The only big consistency is the glass but actually everything is slightly off about this cover. I still really like it for some reason though. The cover with the face and pouring the poison into a glass is also an Avon Books cover from 1945. It's also kind of boring if you ask me. The next mass market paperback published by Panther in 1983 is another boring one since it only features hands holding a bottle of poison. I would definitely just pass this one right by if I saw it somewhere. Wildside Press published this last cover in 2009 with the cartoony-looking cover of the woman who looks like a flapper which is totally inconsistent with the story but I do like it... I'd just like it better on a different book!

Teaser Tuesdays- Dance With the Devil

2010-09-21T05:32:00.000-05:00

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us at least two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

DANCE WITH THE DEVIL BY SHERRILYN KENYON

"In case you haven't noticed, princess, social skills aren't my forte. Hell, you're lucky I'm housebroke."

Oh, he was an evil one.

Musing Monday- Character Likes/ Dislikes

2010-09-20T10:01:00.000-05:00

This week’s musing asks…

What makes you love / hate a character in a book?

I have to connect with a character somehow for me to love them. They also have to have something redeemable about them. It's not that hard to make me dislike a character though. If they're whiny, don't act their age, and fall into the too-stupid-to-live mentality for example. Oh and I have a huge problem with female characters that throw themselves at the male in the story too.

A Short Cover Contemplation- Blood Lite

2010-09-18T03:20:00.002-05:00

To my knowledge there is only two covers for the Blood Lite anthology: the tradecover/ hardcover and the mass market paperback (which is what I have) and I can't find any foreign covers. The hardcover is kind of ridiculous but it's certainly eye-catching and partly thanks to the authors, partly the illustration, it's why it was on my Amazon Wishlist for so long. I actually bought the paperback on accident! I didn't realize it was the same book but I did like a lot of the names mentioned on the cover so I picked it up at my local Waldenbooks' going out of business sale.

Okay, I need your help. I want to watch and review a horror movie but I'm having trouble picking one. What do you suggest?

....Anything but zombies.

Cat Found!

2010-09-17T15:33:00.001-05:00

Can't Seem to Get Clean

Guess who my neighbor's cat chased into my garage at 3am? I gave her a bath, stuffed her full of treats and milk, and just cuddled with her all night. So far she's seemed like she's doing fine though she's constantly cleaning herself and I only noticed one scratch on her ear. I want to thank everyone for their support and to say I'm going to be around to visit everyone soon. :)

Pausing in Her Cleaning to Find Out Why I'm Trying to Get Her Attention

Quick Update on Cat

2010-09-16T23:18:00.000-05:00

At the Old Apartment

Hey everyone. Thank you so much for all of your well wishes. We think we've found her and she seems to be hanging out in the same area but I can't get within 20 feet of her without her freaking out and running. Something is eating out of the food dishes we put outside though so I'm hopeful she'll eventually want to come in the open front door. Knowing how she feels about water and the fact that she's never been outside when it was thunder, lightning, and raining it will probably be then. I'm going to try moving her bowls closer to the door a little every day since she only comes out at night and very early in the morning.

~On another note, I do have my next few reviews written up so I'll get to those soon. I'm losing myself as thoroughly as I can in Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series for the time being.

Missing Cat

2010-09-15T20:30:00.000-05:00

She Thinks She Wears the Pants in the Family

My husband accidentally left the front door open last night and my indoor cat who has never been outside more than five minutes is gone. I hope she's okay....

Needless to say I might not be around very much until I get her back.

Cover Contemplation- Over Sea, Under Stone

2010-09-13T23:26:00.010-05:00

Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper

Since Over Sea, Under Stone is only a few years older than my mother it’s managed to accumulate quite a few covers! Now when it comes to the English covers I’m not sure to what country they belong to, US, UK, Canadian, or otherwise since many reprint the same covers but the following nine are all the English covers and then we’ll get to the other languages I could find covers for. The first cover I'm going to talk about is the paperback cover that I read for this book. It's a fairly newer cover that was released in 2000 I believe and it features a man leaning against a stone. Now this isn't the way I pictured the standing stones in the story and the man doesn't look like any of the characters described (though I'm guessing he's supposed to be Gumerry) so while I like the style of the illustration, I'm not really fond of this cover.

The blue cover with the three kids and Gumerry on it standing next to some stones (again, not like I imagined) has a 1960's look to the illustration so I believe it may be the first edition from the UK but I honestly don't know for sure. The reddish Puffin cover is kind of cool because it's so different but those eyes at the top are creepy! I do like all the different images mixed together and how Trewissick seems to flow right into the grail though. Again, I can't say for a 100% but I have found information online that says this is the 1982 Australian edition. It's kind of plain and the grail doesn't look as it's described but I do like the swirly green background of the 2007 paperback cover which was reprinted slightly different this year.

Some say 1989, some say 1990 for the cover with the three children in the attic after they first found the map. I don't particularly care for the cover but it really reminds me of paperbacks I had as a kid which was somewhat around that period of time. I do have to say it's definitely the most different of all the covers because it's the only one that shows this particular scene from the book. The 2004 Aladdin (love their books!) paperback shows the bad guy I believe on the night the children and Gumerry go to investigate the stones for clues. Again, it's not one I really like. I'm not sure where the next one comes from or what year but I think it's a hardcover. It's a really interesting cover though a bit dated. It is the only English cover with Arthur but the stones are the same as the ones on the UK first edition only lit up from the sun this time.

The next one is another Puffin paperback cover and it's so odd! This is the best grail so far but it's doing something very odd to the bad guy's head! He sure is ugly though. I'm not sure what the runic alphabet in the background is supposed to represent though. I'm not sure why the golden 2005 Puffin paperback appeals to me but I do like it despite the fact it doesn't really do anything for the story.

The Swedish cover isn't the first to show a bird of prey on the cover (though I have no clue why since there isn't one in this book) but it is the first one to have a man with no shirt on the cover. I really don't like this one and is it just me or does it look there is four kids on the cover instead of three? The translation for this cover is Overhead Under Rock or Above the Sea Under Stone. I was a little disappointed that I couldn't find a clear version of the Spanish cover (Over the Sea, Under the Earth) but I do think the main part that you can see is neat which is the map.

The Norwegian cover I found is kind of plain with only the stones and the grail and the title translates to Light Knight. Now the Japanese cover is cool. It's managed to make all the characters look foreign so the book appears almost manga-like but I'm still really impressed with it. The title it’s mainly known as is Cornwall’s Holy Grail.

The Italians must love this book since I was able to find several different cover for it. The first Italian cover (which translates to Above the Sea, Beneath the Earth) I found is actually a twofer! It's the same book, just different cover drawn in pretty much the same style which I don't really like but it's still interesting. The second Italian cover is really neat since it's got the good and the evil guys battling over the grail. Plus, I think it's just beautiful even if it does remind me of Lord of the Rings... I recognize the children and the grail in the first cover but that's definitely not how they found the grail and I'm not sure who that creepy green skinned person is supposed to be with the blue hat.

The German title translates to Before the Tide Comes In and it's the first one I've found that has real kids on the cover. I definitely wouldn't pick those to be the characters however! Plus, is that a castle up on that cliff? Where did that come from?! The second German cover is slightly better though it's a little too blue. It does at least depict a scene from the book and the grail looks right.

I was also able to find a Finnish cover (it translates perfectly into the English title) for Over Sea, Under Stone and it's another one with the bird of prey (who is not in the story) set in the stones. Not sure who the barely there faces are supposed to be though. The Dutch version (Above Sea, Under Stone) is quite similar even without the faces and set during the day. The shadow of the hand is interesting though. I actually can’t find any French covers for this one and I’m sure there are some as well as other languages too but I looked for as many as I was able.

Cover Contemplation

2010-09-11T00:22:00.000-05:00

Hideaway by Dean Koontz

It’s been nearly 20 years since Hideaway was first published so there has been plenty of time for several different editions of the book to come out. Since Mr. Koontz is an internationally bestselling author, Hideaway was even published in other countries and under other names which made them slightly difficult for me to track down.

The original US hardcover of Dean Koontz’s Hideaway features an ambulance and some weird looking trees that is a scene (well, the trees aren’t mentioned) from the very beginning of the book and while the accident that caused the Harrison’s to have to travel in the ambulance (for only a short ride to a helicopter) is the catalyst for the rest of the book it doesn’t convey anything about the story really. I found it boring actually but I do like it better than the first paperback edition with the same image just a white cover. My copy was the 2005 paperback edition that’s really… orange. It has absolutely nothing to do with the plot of the book and it’s not interesting in the slightest bit.

The one above with the outdoor roller coaster on it is the UK edition. The roller coaster on this cover reminds me of The Cyclone at Six Flags Over Georgia which was the very first coaster I ever rode. I was so light back then I came out of the seat and that lap bar wasn’t really helping! I think the Japanese cover of the indoor roller coaster is my favorite cover image because the villian of the book actually lives in an abandoned amusement park and his very first kill happened there on an indoor roller coaster. The cherubs going up the side could even represent Dr. Nyeborn’s religious art collection. The only Spanish copy of the book I could find you can’t really see and it doesn’t make much sense because the man on the cover seems to be on fire. That translates into Kingdom of Darkness.

Germany published many of Koontz’s books including several with giant bugs on the covers and Hideaway (translated over there as The Hiding Place) received a creepy roach. It doesn’t have anything to do with the plot but I guess it does convey the fact that it’s scary. Germany also published a copy of the original US hardback cover with both the English and German title on it. However, I believe Germany is one of the only countries that had a movie tie-in cover edition since the author so vehemently denounced the 1995 film (check out my review for more info or Imdb.com).

Another great one is the French copy of the book that was retitled La Cache du Diable which means The Cache of the Devil. It’s an image of the funhouse Devil where Vissago keeps his victims and there are bound hands and even a roller coaster embedded in the image. However, one of the most unique covers besides the Japanese one is the French Pocket paperback that features a drawing of Fantasy Land where Vissago lives. Not quite as it’s described in Hideaway but the artist gets major props for it anways. France wasn’t the only country to change the title either, the Russian title translates into The Lair and has a picture of a gun with a bunch of red squiggles under it on a white background. The killer in the book does use a gun but I believe it was only one time so I thought that was odd. The Italian version translates to Black Heart, the Swedish to Hiding, and the Danish title translates to Death Museum (which really fit’s the story better in my opinion) but they only have the same as the US hardcover.

The Finnish cover (the title of which translates to Escape Venue for some reason) is really neat but it doesn’t have anything to do with the story unless it’s supposed to represent the hell that Vassago is so desperate to get back to. Those claws sure are creepy though! The only Czech cover (translated as Stash) I found isn’t very good but it looks like Vasaggo’s hideyhole in the bottom of a broken elevator shaft to me. I couldn’t find a cover for the Polish edition but the title translates to Death Pass. This probably isn’t all of the covers for this book but I did my best and I had fun looking at all the different ones and I hope you did too.

R.I.P. Challenge V

2010-09-07T22:57:00.000-05:00

I believe I've been saying since Carl's first R.I.P. challenge started that this will be the year I play but I never do. I'm going to this year! I haven't quite decided what I'm going to read yet but Rebecca, Frankenstein, and a few other classics I haven't read (or haven't read in forever) are probably going on my list. Maybe a Stephen King too...

Oh, and there's a new part of the challenge called Peril on the Screen that I think I may participate in as well as the Peril the First.

Laptop Update and Halloween Plans?

2010-09-04T23:17:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone. We ordered the battery and it will be here Thursday or Friday. Oh, I know it's only September but does anyone have any ideas for Halloween type-movies/ Specials and/or books that they think I would like or would like to see reviewed? I didn't do too much for Halloween last year so I want to make up for it next month. Ideas?

Laptop Died

2010-09-02T16:13:00.003-05:00

My laptop died last night so I won't be able to update my blogs until I get a new battery unfortunately since everything is saved in documents on the laptop. I hate using my husband's desktop so I won't be around too much this week. I guess I'll spend my time reading and watching movies instead. Hopefully I'll be back asap!

~I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library ~Jorge Luis Borges

My August Books

2010-09-01T18:40:00.003-05:00

August Books
Total Books Read: 13
New Authors: 20
Books in a Series: 10
Mystery: 0
Romance: 8
Children & YA Fiction: 1
Re-Read: 8

Blood Lite anthology
Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper
Hideaway by Dean Koontz
Divine Misdemeanors by Laurell K. Hamilton
Swallowing Darkness by Laurell K. Hamilton
A Lick of Frost by Laurell K. Hamilton
Mistral's Kiss by Laurell K. Hamilton
A Stroke of Midnight by Laurell K. Hamilton
Seduced by Moonlight by Laurell K. Hamilton
A Caress of Twilight by Laurell K. Hamilton
A Kiss of Shadows by Laurell K. Hamilton
Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
Triple Cross by Mark T. Sullivan

Teaser Tuesday- Blood Lite

2010-08-31T11:31:00.005-05:00

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us at least two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

BLOOD LITE-WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD BY SHERRILYN KENYON
Zeke tried to open the door, but before he could, it vanished. Anger and fear mixed inside him. "Yo, Hotel California, I want my door back."

Cover Contemplation- Triple Cross

2010-08-29T14:04:00.003-05:00

Triple Cross by Mark T. Sullivan
The US hardcover for Triple Cross isn’t very exciting nor does it give a hint about what the story is about except that it takes place somewhere cold (a Montana ski lodge matter of fact). The other US hardcover for Large Print I believe has a helicopter on it and its is even worse in my opinion even if there are significant scenes with those machines in them. Now if they had taken the helicopter, made it smaller and put it on the original cover I would have liked it better. However the helicopter and those triple X’s on the cover remind me of that Vin Diesel movie more than this book.
The mass market paperback that I think is supposed to be a Canadian or UK release (though it is available on the US Amazon too) is when the helicopter gets shot down. However, I’m not sure who the man in the suit is supposed to be since Mickey Hennessy is in club uniform and the bad guys in suits aren’t outside. It certainly evokes what this book is about better than the other two even if it’s not a scene from the book though. The German cover which was retitled as Limit is very simple and doesn’t really say anything about the book but I still find it appealing. I honestly don’t know if this was published in any other language except English and German but if you do, please let me know!

Cover Contemplation Time!

2010-08-27T06:02:00.003-05:00

The Bachelor by Carly Phillips

Kisses! A rather generic cover for Carly Phillips’ US release of her book The Bachelor but I still think it’s rather cute. The Large Print cover is virtually the same but the font for the title is changed which is a real shame though I have to admit this one is slightly easier to read which is the point of the large print books.
The German title translates into The Last Kiss for some reason which I found extremely odd since the idea of the story is for Roman to settle down with someone. This sounds more like something you would find as a vampire story or something. The cover isn’t all that great either though the girl does kind of resemble Charlotte’s description. From what I can tell just browsing a lot of Ms. Phillips’ German covers look a lot like this one.
It took me a second to understand that it is the groom’s hands behind the back of the bride in handcuffs on the Spanish cover (which translates to Single... Without Commitment?) but once I did I thought it perfectly conveys what this book is about. None of the Chandler boys want to get married but their mother emotionally blackmails them into finding a wife. Unfortunatly, these seem to be the only languages this particular book has been translated into though a few of this author's other books have other foreign releases.

BTT- Giving Up

2010-08-26T09:11:00.001-05:00

If you’re not enjoying a book, will you stop mid-way? Or do you push through to the end? What makes you decide to stop?

Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!

If I absolutely can't tolerate anymore then yes I'll stop reading the book but if I'm just having trouble with it I usually push through. Especially if I get over halfway through the book, then I tend to finish it. The last two books I read I've had trouble with and though I liked the one I just finished, it was the one that I ended up disliking I actually thought was still well-written. I wouldn't have minded never reading it in the first place but it would have bothered me if I hadn't finished it.

Cover Contemplations

2010-08-25T08:09:00.010-05:00

Let Me Call You Sweetheart by Mary Higgins Clark

Originally, a plain, vanilla colored cover with a single sweetheart rose below the title, Let Me Call You Sweetheart has gone through some major changes since its initial publication. The first mass market paperback in the US is the copy I have of this book. It is blue with a tiny space where a picture of Suzanne Reardon’s death scene is contained along with several other little things in the book such as a frame and jewelry that was stolen. I really don’t like that dot in the middle of the book advertising that Higgins is a bestselling author though. The UK paperback cover is more about the plastic surgery that was what made Kerry look into the murder in the first place. I don’t particularly like this one because besides the syringe and the scalpel it’s somewhat generic and even with them it could be about anything.

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, correct? Well nearly all of the foreign covers for Let Me Call You Sweetheart were published under different names. The Spanish version of this book translates to I Can Not Forget Your Face and while I thought the one with the face is interesting because of the way it’s shaded, the red one just looks like a cheap knockoff of the US paperback. The Finnish cover (translates to Horror Around Town) reminds of me the US paperback with the style however I’m not sure what that particular scene is supposed to be. Maybe the doctor’s loft?

Translating to A Face so Beautiful and Cold, the German cover of the woman really portrays that and makes her seem like she’s made of marble. The blue one with half a face just looks odd to me but I like the roses in the trashcan. It’s not in the book, (the roses are scattered on Suzanne’s dead body) but it makes a powerful statement even if the actual photo looks a little flat and one-dimensional.

Of all the covers that feature a photo of Suzanne Reardon’s murder scene, only the Japanese version shows her face. It’s a great photo and looks somewhat like what I imagined her to look like. Supposedly she was horribly strangled in the book (I say supposedly because the murder took place years before the start of the book) and she merely looks as though she were sleeping here. I still really like this one though. The Italian version of Let Me Call You Sweetheart for some reason translates as A Blow to the Heart, which makes no sense in terms of the book’s story. The only good cover I found of this has a rose over the pond of blood, which is kind of gross to me. The Hungarian title of this book translates to Call Me Darling and is virtually the same as the US hardcover except it’s on a white background and the rose is larger.
Father’s Finest is what the Dutch called their edition of this mystery, which is a great name for the book in my opinion. I couldn’t find a bigger photo of the cover but from what I can see of this one it looks like this could be Kerry, the main character of the book (the briefcase in her hand because she’s a lawyer) and if it is, so far this is the only cover I’ve found which features her. Rosenmordet is the title of the Swedish cover and I can't find a decent translation so I don't know what it means. Something murder, maybe Rose Murder? Anyway I do like the cover of this one though the tiny picture of, I’m guessing Suzanne, appears to be nude. I found out that the Polish title translates to A Death Among the Roses but I couldn’t find a cover for it unfortunately. The French title Ce Que Vivent les Roses doesn’t translate too well to English (What Roses Live) exactly and the only original cover I found has those giant roses. I’m sure there are others out there but these are just ones I found. I had a blast looking up all of these and I hope you enjoyed reading this post too. Have you ever seen so many covers that feature roses?!

Teaser Tuesday- Over Sea, Under Stone

2010-08-24T04:05:00.003-05:00

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us at least two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

OVER SEA, UNDER STONE BY SUSAN COOPER
For half an hour they poked about in a happy dusty dream, through the junk and broken furniture and ornaments. It was like reading the story of somebody’s life, Jane thought, as she gazed at the tiny matchstick masts of the ship sailing motionless for ever in the green glass bottle. All these things had been used once, had been part of every day in the house below. Someone had slept in the bed, anxiously watched the minutes on the clock, pounced joyfully on each magazine as it arrived. But all those people were long dead, or gone away, and now the oddments of their lives were piled up here, forgotten. She found herself feeling rather sad.

Cover Contemplation

2010-08-20T20:14:00.004-05:00

Soulless by Gail Carriger
To my knowledge there is only one cover for Soulless but what a cover! Not many debut authors get such cool ones right off the bat but Gail Carriger really lucked out. She’s another author who had some input on what her cover looked like. Orbit asked her for some pictures that looked kind of what she had in mind and she provided a picture of the cover model Donna Ricci (who the author is friends with on Facebook now) that she had found online among others. While I do love the model I don’t think she looks quite like Alexia to me but she’s really close and she’s still lovely.

It was actually the cover that first made me want this book but the story sounded incredibly unique and interesting too. As you can probably tell from my review, I adored it. The steampunk part of the book is represented well on the cover even though it’s slightly understated. However, how cool is that parasol? I want one! So far all of the covers in this series are awesome and I hope they continue to be too.

The Story of the Cover

BTT- Book Meme

2010-08-19T02:17:00.004-05:00

Deb got this from Lorette‘s blog and couldn’t resist adopting it for all of us. Play along!

1. Favorite childhood book?
The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper

2. What are you reading right now?
Blood Lite anthology, about to start Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper

3. What books do you have on request at the library?
Discord's Apple by Carrie Vaughn, First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost, and The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

4. Bad book habit?
Buying a book and not reading it for several months (or even years) later

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library?
Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper, The Dean Koontz Companion edited by Martin H. Greenberg, Ed Gorman, and Bill Munster, Dean Koontz: A Writer's Biography by Katherine Ramsland, and Bullitt (1968)

6. Do you have an e-reader?
No

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
I’ll put down a book and read another one but I read one at a time for the most part

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
Yes

9. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?)
Hideaway by Dean Koontz

10. Favorite book you’ve read this year?
Soulless by Gail Carriger

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
Not too often but I have a big comfort zone…

12. What is your reading comfort zone?
YA, mystery, romance, urban fantasy, fantasy, some horror, paranormal anything, classics, etc.

13. Can you read on the bus?
I wish I could! Especially with those 6 hour car trips we take so often but I get carsick if I read

14. Favorite place to read?
Bed

15. What is your policy on book lending?
I only lend to people I trust and I write down what they’ve taken because I’ll go and get it back myself if I have to lol.

16. Do you ever dog-ear books?
No! The horror…

17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
See above answer, aka heck no!

18. Not even with text books?
That’s different and since I have none, I don’t worry about it.

19. What is your favorite language to read in?
English

20. What makes you love a book?
The characters

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
If I loved it so much that I’ve re-read it or the characters are so interesting I’ve dreamed about them

22. Favorite genre?
Anything paranormal or fantasy

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)
Classics and award- winning fiction

24. Favorite biography?
Dr. Seuss & Mr. Geisel by Judith and Neil Morgan

25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
I don’t think so…

26. Favorite cookbook?
They aren’t cookbooks but I love the recipes in Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swensen series

27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
I haven’t really read one so far

28. Favorite reading snack?
Milk Chocolate Milano cookies

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
I tend to enjoy those books more often than not…

30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
Maybe a tiny bit over half the time.

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I don’t like doing it but I will, however I try to say something positive about it too

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?
French

33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke, that sucker is huge!

34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
I don’t know. War and Peace?

35. Favorite Poets?
Dr. Seuss, W. B. Yeats, Robert Frost, and Shel Silverstein

36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
I try to stay under 20

37. How often have you returned book to the library unread?
Not too often unless they’re nonfiction and I picked them up just to glance through or for reference

38. Favorite fictional characters?
Eric Northman, Spike, Logan Echolls, Anita Blake, Merry Gentry, Rhys, Sookie Stackhouse, Kistin (Kim Harrison), Elena (Kelley Armstrong)

39. Favorite fictional villain?
Long John Silver!

40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?
Whatever I’m currently reading or most likely to start

41. The longest I’ve gone without reading.
4 months

42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova.

43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
Talking. I can listen to music but it can’t have vocals

44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?
Any Alice in Wonderland

45. Most disappointing film adaptation?
Too many to count but I think the last one I saw was My Side of the Mountain (1969)

46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
$80

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
Never

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
Considering how much trouble I had with Hideaway by Dean Koontz recently, I’d say nothing

49. Do you like to keep your books organized?
Yes

50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?
I’m a book hoarder but I’ll occasionally give away if I don’t ever plan on re-reading them

51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?
No, not really

52. Name a book that made you angry.
Honestly can’t think of one off the top of my head

53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did?
I don’t read them unless I’m reasonably certain I’ll like them

54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?
Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer

55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris and anything by Laurell K. Hamilton

----------------
Has anyone watched Lie to Me? I just started watching it and I really love the show. This was on the last episode I watched:

Cover Contemplation

2010-08-18T00:03:00.002-05:00

Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Child

The original cover is on the left and the one that was published is on the right. The one on the right was changed quite a bit and for the better! In my opinion the original looks awful, almost like sticking marble underwater for a long period of time and what it would look like with algae growing on it or something. Even her lips look almost nonexistent. Tera Lynn Child had some input on what her cover looked like so she made some changes.

Now the published cover is definitely an improvement. It’s certainly a cover that would make me look twice if I saw it on a shelf at the bookstore or library! While you can’t tell automatically what the story is about, the blue/green eyeshadow and blue lipstick on the model does make you curious. However, no where in the book are the mermaids described to look like this. They do shimmer around their eyes when they cry but the characters in Forgive My Fins don’t look like this. Lily is in love with lipgloss however but she’s never worn it blue!

I do love how the pink of the title really pops surrounded by all those cooler colors and the design around the title is pretty as well. That little design is actually supposed to be the mermark that is on all of the merpeople. Something about the blue breath coming out of the mouth of the model reminds me of that scene in The Little Mermaid when Ursula takes Ariel’s voice though.

Here’s an interview the author did about the cover with fellow author Melissa Walker

Teaser Tuesday-Hideaway

2010-08-16T21:10:00.002-05:00

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us at least two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
HIDEAWAY BY DEAN KOONTZ
Death, is just an ordinary pathological state, Jonas reminded himself. Pathological states can usually be reversed.

Cover Contemplation

2010-08-14T02:29:00.003-05:00

Bullet by Laurell K. Hamilton

Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series covers have gone through many changes since the first book’s 1993 release and occasionally all of the books will be released with covers in the same vein. The latest overhaul of the look of the series happened in 2008 with Blood Noir but the Berkley Publishing company has gone back and released covers that compliment the new ones.

Personally, I find the new US covers ugly and they were a major reason I didn’t want to buy them when they first started coming out. I owned all but four books in the series at that point and for the most part they all looked similar with the different women on the covers in different poses (there were one or two that were older and different but not too different). While I’ll be the first to admit that the new covers for the Anita books stand out, in my opinion they don’t match the content of the books really well. They look like something you would find for the cover of a Stephen King novel or something and while Anita does have the highest kill count outside of a war novel, the books are more urban fantasy romance (sometimes bordering on erotica) than horror these days.

One more complaint is the title. Laurell K. Hamilton was consistent throughout the series of naming her books after buildings (mostly clubs) and in one occasion a person in the series and now she’s gone a completely different direction with the names. I’m not even sure where the name Bullet is supposed to come from this time! Anita usually kills with a gun anyway. Maybe the author just got tired of making up new names for buildings?

Now the UK covers for Bullet aren’t too bad though they remind me of a tattoo or stained glass. I wouldn’t say that they’re my favorite either but they are more interesting since there is more to look at. The simplicity of the US cover does make it eye-catching as well but something about the UK cover appeals to me slightly more.

Under the Covers:

*If you know of any covers from other countries, etc. Please send me links!

Anita Blake Series
1. Guilty Pleasures (1993)
2. The Laughing Corpse (1994)
3. Circus of the Damned (1995)
4. The Lunatic Café (1996)
5. Bloody Bones (1996)
6. The Killing Dance (1997)
7. Burnt Offerings (1998)
8. Blue Moon (1998)
9. Obsidian Butterfly (2000)
10. Narcissus in Chains (2001)
11. Cerulean Sins (2003)
12. Incubus Dreams (2004)
13. Micah (2006)
14. Danse Macabre (2006)
15. The Harlequin (2007)
16. Blood Noir (2008)
17. Skin Trade (2009)
18. Flirt (2010)
19. Bullet (2010)

BTT- Changing Reading Tastes

2010-08-12T13:27:00.002-05:00

Have your reading choices changed over the years? Or pretty much stayed the same? (And yes, from childhood to adulthood we usually read different things, but some people stick to basically the same kind of book their entire lives, so…)

Yes and no. I've always adored fantasy and fairy tales and that's still true but the older I've gotten the more varied my tastes have gotten. I was in my late teens before I voluntarily picked up a nonfiction book for example and while they aren't my absolute favorite, I do like to read them occasionally. However, I still prefer fantasy of almost any kind to anything else.

BTT- First Book

2010-08-05T18:11:00.002-05:00

What is the first book you remember reading? What about the first that made you really love reading?

Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!

I'm honestly not sure what the first book I ever read was. I've been reading since I was 3 years old and I don't remember much before I was four or five. I didn't grow up with many current books, mostly collections of stories that my grandma had picked up here and there so it was probably one of those. I do remember really loving to read and be read to out of a book that had Disney stories in it from Bambi, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan though.

Teaser Tuesday- Triple Cross

2010-08-03T14:04:00.002-05:00

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us at least two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

TRIPLE CROSS BY MARK T. SULLIVAN
Grant nodded. “Jack and I believe the world is on the verge of the greatest creative period in the history of man. Politics can’t get in the way.”

Skipping Musing Monday

2010-08-02T17:16:00.003-05:00

I'm skipping the Musing Monday this week. Not because I don't like the question but because I'm feeling a little lazy and Baloo-ish after working on that Jungle Book review over on my other blog. So here's some songs that Disney made to kind of spoof The Jungle Book or just to remix it. Enjoy!

This was on the House of Mouse but I could only find the song not the actual video :(

Oh, and Louis Armstrong did a cover of The Bare Necessities too

My July Books

2010-07-30T20:46:00.004-05:00

July Books
Total Books Read: 22
New Authors: 2
Books in a Series: 21
Mystery: 20
Romance: 22
Children & YA Fiction: 1

Re-Read: 15

The Bachelor by Carly Phillips
Let Me Call You Sweetheart by Mary Higgins Clark
Soulless by Gail Carriger
Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs
Bullet by Laurell K. Hamilton
Flirt by Laurell K. Hamilton
Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton
Blood Noir by Laurell K. Hamilton
The Harlequin by Laurell K. Hamilton
Danse Macabre by Laurell K. Hamilton
Micah by Laurell K. Hamilton
Incubus Dreams by Laurell K. Hamilton
Cerulean Sins by Laurell K. Hamilton
Narcissus in Chains by Laurell K. Hamilton
Obsidian Butterfly by Laurell K. Hamilton
Blue Moon by Laurell K. Hamilton
Burnt Offerings by Laurell K. Hamilton
The Killing Dance by Laurell K. Hamilton
Bloody Bones by Laurell K. Hamilton
The Lunatic Cafe by Laurell K. Hamilton
Circus of the Damned by Laurell K. Hamilton
The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton

Teaser Tuesday- Soulless

2010-07-27T15:34:00.001-05:00

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us at least two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

SOULLESS BY GAIL CARRIGER
He could not stand Alexia Tarabotti, even if her lovely brown eyes twinkled when she laughed, and she smelled good, and she had a particularly splendid figure.
He hustled his lady guest down the passageway, intent upon getting her into the carriage and out of his presence as quickly as possible.

Musing Monday- Book Reviews?

2010-07-26T04:26:00.002-05:00

This week’s musing asks…

Do you review books? If so, for who?

If not, have you ever thought about doing so? Why, or why not?

Yes I write book reviews! That was the whole reason I started blogging. I was writing movie reviews elsewhere on the net and I wanted to post pictures and videos but couldn't. Then I thought about posting book reviews the same way. It's now been three years and I'm still writing both (more books than movies lately though)! My review blog is called The Movieholic & Bibliophile's Blog and you'll only find reviews over there.

I don't usually do this but right now I'm reviewing all of the books in Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series all at once on my blog. I popped in a review for the Julia Roberts, Richard Gere movie Pretty Woman to break up the monotony yesterday. Go check it out!

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Happy Birthday to my husband today!

Playing Music

2010-07-24T21:35:00.005-05:00

This is what my living room looked like earlier today while I was baking in the kitchen:

My cat was NOT impressed! She really freaked out over the drums so she stayed locked up in the bedroom all day where she hid in the closet.

BTT-Podcasts

2010-07-22T06:05:00.001-05:00

Suggested by Clare:

Do you ever listen to book-related podcasts?

If so, which ones and why? (Include the URLs for people who aren’t familiar with them.)

Or, of course, there’s the flip side … did you even know that such a thing existed? (I ask because I know a lot of people who have no idea what a podcast is.)

I haven't run across any book-related podcasts that I really like so far. I do listen to interviews with authors occasionally though I prefer the print ones. I'd love to check out some good podcasts if anyone has a recommendation though :)

Teaser Tuesday- Bullet

2010-07-20T06:14:00.004-05:00

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

BULLET BY LAURELL K. HAMILTON
“Then stop trying to throw logic at nightmares. Sometimes the monsters are real, Anita. Sometimes they’re real and the only way to defeat them is to be the bigger monster.”

Musing Monday- Talking Bookshelves

2010-07-19T07:37:00.002-05:00

This week’s musing asks…

What does your bookshelf (or, what do your bookshelves) say about you to the people who come into your home?

My bookshelves say here's a person who likes a wide variety of genres but seems to really love YA, urban fantasy, Laurell K. Hamilton, and Stephen King!

I have romances, mysteries, classics, and biographies too but I definitely seem to buy and get more books that have ghosts, vampires, werewolves, faeries, etc. in them. Right this very minute I have 327 unread books though ♥

Anita Blake Series- COMPLETE

2010-07-02T15:45:00.005-05:00

As you may have guessed if you are one of my regular readers, I love urban fantasy or anything with vampires and/or faeries in it, I always have. However it was Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series that introduced me to this genre. I accidentally picked up book number 8, Blue Moon and even with my dislike of reading a series out of order, I was in love. I have more books by this author than any other (besides Stephen King) and they are some of my most prized possessions.

Do I always like the Anita Blake books? Well, I’ve certainly had issues with some of her recent books, so much so that I haven’t read anything by this author since Blood Noir (book 16). The whole feel of the series has changed dramatically since the early books and though I do love them still, I still miss the early days. Therefore, I have decided to re-read and review the ones I haven’t already. It’s really testing my patience to stop and write the review instead of diving right into the next one. I can’t believe how much I’ve forgotten! So that’s what I’ll be up to for the next little while.

I raised the dead and laid the undead to rest. It was what I did. Who I was. If I ever started questioning my motives, I would stop killing vampires. Simple as that.
I wasn’t questioning my motives tonight, so I was still a vampire slayer, still the name they had given me. I was The Executioner.

EDITED TO ADD: I've joined the Anita Blake re-reading challenge

COMPLETE!
Anita Blake Series
1. Guilty Pleasures (1993)
2. The Laughing Corpse (1994)
3. Circus of the Damned (1995)
4. The Lunatic Café (1996)
5. Bloody Bones (1996)
6. The Killing Dance (1997)
7. Burnt Offerings (1998)
8. Blue Moon (1998)
9. Obsidian Butterfly (2000)
10. Narcissus in Chains (2001)
11. Cerulean Sins (2003)
12. Incubus Dreams (2004)
13. Micah (2006)
14. Danse Macabre (2006)
15. The Harlequin (2007)
16. Blood Noir (2008)
17. Skin Trade (2009)
18. Flirt (2010)
19. Bullet (2010)

Team Puck/ Team Ash

2010-06-25T07:00:00.002-05:00

So I finally read The Iron King by Julie Kagawa that it seems like EVERYONE is talking about and now and I’ve noticed that like Twilight before it there are Team Puck and Team Ash bloggers. Not quite sure why since we all know how Meghan feels about Ash but I have to admit that Puck is an extremely interesting character.

I don’t think I can actually pick a side in this argument even if I do adore Puck (no, I don’t exactly see him as Seth Green though it’s closer than anything else):

Cause I am Switzerland
The neutral starts here
I'm gray matter
Between a field of snow
And a river of sun
I'm content to be in the middle of
My two loves

Lyrics slightly adapted from Switzerland by the Bella Cullen Project

So do you have a favorite or are you just Team Grim? Oh and have you checked out this great fan video?

Here's to 3 Years!

2010-06-22T06:21:00.003-05:00

385 reviews. That’s quite a lot huh? A little over a year! It’s actually taken me 3 years to reach that many… yep! Today’s The Movieholic and Bibliophile’s 3 year blogiversary! I still can’t believe I’ve been at this three whole years now. Blogging (sometimes even reading) and I have had our ups and downs but I seem to always come back.

I did an extensive post last year for my second blogiversary talking about some of my first reviews and commenters. I think I’ll talk a bit about some of my favorite reviews this year. One of the first was The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson which is surprising because I didn’t actually like the book all that much! Oh and my review for Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr, Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston, Inkheart by Cornelia Funk (I still haven’t managed to get around to finishing that story…), and the ones I did that are Wonderland related like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll, and The Looking Glass Wars & Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor.

Thank you again loyal readers for standing by me for so long and I love my new readers too. Here’s to many more years reviewing and blogging!

Recently I’ve been thinking of doing some re-reading of Stephen King’s books (The Stand is my favorite!) and I’d love everyone’s input about which one they’d like to see me review. Oh, and I occasionally re-read books in a series of which I have already reviewed later ones, should I go back and review the earlier ones?

Musing Monday- Favorite Genres

2010-06-21T05:16:00.002-05:00

This week’s musing asks:

Name your top 2-3 favorite genres (the ones you read most from).

The top 3 genres I read are paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and YA. I love authors like Charlaine Harris, Laurell K. Hamilton, Kim Harrison, Rachel Caine, Kelley Armstrong, etc. If it has faeries or vampires in it, you can pretty much put me down as a fan!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T12:02:00.003-05:00

To all good dad's everywhere:

Teaser Tuesday- The Iron King

2010-06-15T01:56:00.003-05:00

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

THE IRON KING BY JULIE KAGAWA

"You really are Puck?" I said finally. The Puck? Like in the stories?
Robbie/ Puck gave a little bow. "The one and only."

Musing Monday- Reading Family Members

2010-06-14T17:56:00.003-05:00

This week’s question was inspired by an online book group MizB belong's to…

Who in your family (both immediate & extended) are readers, and who are not?

The only person who read in my family while I was growing up was my great-grandmother and that is where I got my love of reading. According to family tales, I would walk up to anyone who came to the house and ask them to read to me. A couple of years before I moved away from home I did get my mom hooked on reading finally though. Unfortunately my husband doesn't like reading very often. He'll occasionally pick up a book (he loved Stephen King's Dark Tower series) but it's very rare. That's why I enjoy all of these book blogs so very much!

Séance and the Ouji Board

2010-06-09T03:57:00.007-05:00

Has anyone here ever attented a séance? Ghosts have always fascinated me and I started off reading every collection of stories I could get my hands on at an early age (I even memorized a few that I wish I could remember who the authors are). Yet something about séances has always bothered me… it’s probably the Ouji board (yes, I know some séance’s are conducted without one but not many for the most part).

I can’t even tell you why those things freak me out but I suspect I saw a special ghost episode on Unexplained Mysteries or something as a kid (that’s where I saw the thing about possessed Raggedy Anne dolls I believe… needless to say my “lifesized” one was shoved into the corner of my closet until I could get rid of it!) about them being ways for demons to get through or something of that nature. Now I’m not saying I believe that but I’m 23 years old and I have never touched a Ouji board my entire life.

Supposedly, people have been driven mad back when it was first popularized as a novelty toy (they were original known as talking or spirit boards and have been around for centuries) or “evil spirits” came through. That caused several horror films to be made with the Ouji board as their central theme; Witchboard for example, I tend to avoid these. Other times the board has been said to predict things like major disasters. Vampires, ghosts, werewolves? Bring it on, but Ouji boards (and zombies) freak me out!

The only time a Ouiji board didn't freak me out:

Teaser Tuesday-Dark Champion

2010-06-08T13:28:00.002-05:00

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.

Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

DARK CHAMPION BY JO BEVERLEY
The woman's indulgent tone was infuriating, but it wouldn't be fair to blister her for it. It was the way everyone had always treated her- with proud, kindly indulgence. Imogen of Carrisford, the Flower of the West, her father's greatest treasure.

Teaser Tuesday- The Bachelor Preferred Pastry

2010-06-01T13:13:00.003-05:00

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.

Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

THE BACHELOR PREFERRED PASTRY BY SHIRLEY JUMP
Clearly, this was one woman who didn’t need a knight in shining armor. He suspected, in a pinch, she’d knock the knight off the horse and take the reins herself.

Happy Memorial Day

2010-05-31T07:49:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone enjoys their time with their family this Memorial Day. Make sure you remember why we celebrate this holiday today:

Disney Meme

2010-05-26T10:58:00.004-05:00

Which Disney Princess film is your favorite?
Beauty and the Beast! I've always adored Belle.

Which non-Disney Princess Disney Film is your favorite?
Alice in Wonderland or Lady and the Tramp. I've always been able to watch them both repeatedly. They never get old.

Which Disney film makes you cry the most?
Old Yeller and that scene/song "Goodbye" from The Fox and the Hound

Which Disney film makes you the happiest?
Alice in Wonderland. I always watch it when I'm sick.

Which Disney film has the best music?
Ooh, that's a tough one but I'll have to go with Bambi.

Which Disney film has the best love story?
Beauty and the Beast because she saw past the Beast to the person undearneath.

Who is your favorite Disney Princess?
Belle

Who is your favorite Disney Prince?
The Beast or Eric (Little Mermaid)

Who is your favorite Disney animal sidekick?
Jiminy Cricket. He's just so darn cute!

Who is your favorite Disney main character animal?
Tramp or Simba

Who is your favorite villain?
In terms of "scares the crap out of me" then Maleficent. Otherwise I just love Long John Silver

What is your favorite Disney song?
"Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins

What is your favorite Disney villian song?
"Goodbye So Soon" from The Great Mouse Detective and "Oogie Boogie's Song" from The Nightmare Before Christmas

What is your favorite Disney animal song?
"When I See and Elephant Fly" from Dumbo

What is your favorite Disney Princess song?
I hope "Tale as Old as Time" from Beauty and the Beast counts! If not then "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid

What is your favorite Disney Prince song?
"So This is Love" from Cinderella

What is your favorite Disney Prince/Princess duet song?
I don't really have a favorite but I like "Once Upon a Dream" from Sleeping Beauty

What is your favorite Disney love song?
"Love is a Song" from Bambi. It's my favorite from that movie.

Pictures and the Flu

2010-05-10T04:36:00.005-05:00

I guess I came back to blogging a tiny bit too soon what with my mom coming down and me catching a little flu bug too. NOT fun! Well, here's those pictures I promised:

This is down the road from my house

Only a little farther down, near where we go grocery shopping (Ocean Springs)

At a rest stop between Lousiana and Mississippi. I believe they do NASA tours there but I was the only one interested in that so we didn't go :(

This is a live band that plays all the time at The Gazebo resturaunt in New Orleans. They have SUCH good food!

The obligatory Bourban Street sign picture.

I'll post pics from The Hard Rock Casino as soon as I can!

All I've Done Was Go!

2010-05-08T18:19:00.002-05:00

Hey, I didn't abandon the blog, I promise! My mom is just down and today is the first time since Wednesday I've been able to do more than check my email. We've been everywhere! Down in Biloxi to the Imperial Palace and The Hard Rock Casino/ Cafe (OMG those little key lime pie bites which are served in shooter glasses are SO good), all over shopping, and even over to New Orleans for a few hours. Tonight we're going to The Shed which is right up the road from my house because Little Freddie King is playing tonight. I'll post a bunch of pictures tomorrow k?

Teaser Tuesday-Stephen King

2010-05-04T05:02:00.005-05:00

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

THE STEPHEN KING ILLUSTRATED COMPANION
King says, "Johnny is different from other violent, paranoid mystics in only one way: He really can see the future. Only don't they all say that?" (Speaking about his main character from The Dead Zone)

Musing Monday-In Books

2010-05-03T05:52:00.003-05:00

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about the war books

Do you frequent second hand book stores? Have you ever bought a book home only to find anything interesting within their pages?

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Musing Mondays post, or share your opinion in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks.

I LOVE secondhand stores! You never know what kind of treasure your going to find and usually cheap too! At least half of my books had previous owners actually... including an ARC of Holly Black's Tithe! I picked it up before it came out and before I had a clue who she was because I loved the cover.

Sadly, I've never found anything too interesting inside my books except a few bookmarks (and once a photo of a guy in a tux and baseball hat) but I still hold out hope of finding something amazing one day.
Hey, did you know that there is a website devoted entirely to Things Found in Books?

Did ya Miss Me?

2010-05-01T20:55:00.003-05:00

Wow! My last post here was in March I believe it's time to update don't you? I believe I owe a bit of an explanation for that and the reason my hiatus lasted so long is that blogging got to be more of a chore than something I did for fun. Catch-22 is that I did miss blogging but in the meantime other things began to take up my time but I'm going to try to juggle everything once more!

So nothing is really new with me and I'm still not really reading anything (I've been stuck on the same book since I last updated actually and I'm trying to work on a biography I started 2 years ago too) but I'm going to be posting some movie reviews until I do get back in the swing. In other news, my mother is going to be coming down for a visit for the first time and I'm running around trying to keep the house clean which is harder than you would think lol!

So my Google Reader is incredibly scary looking and because of that I'm going to delete everything older than a week so if anyone has anything that they wrote about older then I would love for you to post a link in the comments! Reviews you did an especially good job on, a post that generated a ton of interesting conversation, etc. PLEASe let me know!!!

Winners and MIA Notice

2010-03-05T17:41:00.004-06:00

Congrats to the winners of my Kim Harrison contest:

SAMANTHA.1020 & NAIDA! I'll be emailing you in just a sec to get your addresses off to the publisher. Thanks everyone for entering!

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Okay, I've done this before and unfortunatly have to do it again, I'm going to be MIA for a little bit due to personal issues but I'll be back as soon as I possible can. Until then: faith, trust & pixie dust!

EDIT: I never heard back from Naida so the next person is purplg8r! Congrats!

GIVEAWAY~ Black Magic Sanction

2010-02-22T14:38:00.005-06:00

Hello everybody! I have a giveaway today courtesy of HarperCollins Sci-Fi & Fantasy Imprint, EOS and it's Kim Harrion's latest Black Magic Sanction! She's one of my favorite authors so I'm so happy to get to share with you guys.
Here are the first two chapters!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

I have 2 copies of Black Magic Sanction up for grabs.

To enter leave me ONE comment with a way to contact you.

This giveaway is open to US residents only (no PO boxes) as the books will be shipped directly from the publisher. I will be drawing for the winners on Friday March 5, 2010 @ 11 pm. Good luck everyone!

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T00:26:00.003-06:00

Hey guys! I'm in Georgia visiting family and friends while enjoying the snow. I don't think I've ever seen so much before!

I hope everyone has a good Valentine's Day today.

Getting to Know Me!

2010-02-07T18:12:00.006-06:00

To play..Grab the questions..copy them onto your blog..answer them..come back here..put your link in and let the Sunday Fun begin!

Let's rock and roll!

1. How many piercing's do you have?
I currently have only my belly button pierced since my ears have grown up again (for probably the tenth time in my life). Besides the standard two in my ears the only other piercing I've had was a third on my right ear that I did myself. I let that grow up too though. (No, that's not me in the pic but I like the tattoo!)

2. I love the sound of.....?
Disney music! I love listening to Disney soundtracks, especially the instrumental ones. I believe Bambi has the best score though.

3. Favorite city?
Hmm, that's a toughie. I'm going to have to say Savannah, Georgia though. I've only been once and that was when I was 13 or so but I loved it. The buildings, the cobblestone streets, the shops, oh it was fantastic! I've been to New Orleans too and it has a similar vibe but I still prefer Savannah.

4. Colts, Saints, or could care less?
Meh, I could care less. The only reason I even know that it's football is because my husband was talking about it this morning (he's not a big sports fan either but his family is).

5. Frozen yogurt or ice cream?
Mmm! Both! I prefer ice cream a little more though. I don't eat a lot of it though because the cold makes my teeth ache.

6. Favorite appetizer?
Any kind of bread. Isn't bread delicious? I honestly don't have a clue how people do that no bread diet. When I worked at McDonald's in high school I would occasionally sneak some of the Happy Meal cheeseburger buns. Those have a ton of sugar in them though.

7. What item in your closet currently makes you the happiest?
My husband's cousin gave me a dress/ shirt thing that I really love. I haven't had a chance to wear it yet because it's been so cold but I'm looking forward to warm weather! (don't you wish you had that closet?! I could try those shoes on all day!)

8.Favorite facial moisturizer?
It's not really my favorite but it's the best I've found so far and it's Olay sensitive skin.

Isn't this the sweetest thing you've ever seen?

Black Dagger Brotherhood

2010-02-06T16:03:00.003-06:00

I'm not sure who made this but isn't it cute?! It took me a second but I could pretty easily figure out who is supposed to be who. On an added note, did you know that this is one of the few series I have reviews for every book? The latest is up over at The Movieholic & Bibliophile blog. April needs to get here quickly because I REALLY want Lover Mine NOW!

Do you have a favorite Brother? I really like Rhage, Vishous, and Rehvenge.

Groundhog Day

2010-02-02T15:07:00.003-06:00

It's Groundhog's Day everybody! Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today so traditionally, we're supposed to be getting 6 more weeks of winter. It's so nice outside today though!

I hope my backyard continues to bloom though because my camilla's are just now coming out. Oh, does anyone have any tips about how to keep turtles out of the yard? Mine's fenced in but it doesn't seem to help and the baby turtles keep becoming play toys for Blaze :(

My January Books

2010-01-31T15:00:00.002-06:00

January Books
Total Books Read: 5
New Authors: 2
Books in a Series: 4
Mystery: 1
Romance: 2
Children & YA Fiction: 1

Blood Magic by Jennifer Lyon
Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer
Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris
The Girl on Legare Street by Karen White
The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews

Teaser Tuesday-Bloody Jack

2010-01-26T09:39:00.001-06:00

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.

Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

BLOODY JACK BY L.A. MEYER

Hamlet was a good one. I thought the deceptions in that one were pretty well thought up. Shakespeare and I could have come up with a couple of corkers together, I'll wager.

Musing Monday-Borrowed Books

2010-01-25T08:24:00.003-06:00

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about borrowed books.

Where do you keep any books borrowed from friends or the library? Do they live with your own collection, or do you keep them separate? Do you monitor them in anyway? The only books I tend to borrow are ones from the library but occasionally my mom or a friend will send something my way and until I read them they all stay on my nightstand.

Books from friends or family sometimes make it into my personal collection since I only see my family a couple of times a year but I'm pretty good at keeping up with what is mine and what isn't.

Musing Monday-Bookshelves

2010-01-11T17:46:00.003-06:00

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about tidy bookshelves.

Are your bookshelves strictly books only? Or have knick-knacks invaded? Do your shelves also shelve DVDs? Photos? Why not snap a photo – I’m sure we all like to spy on other’s shelves!

My knick-knacks haven’t invaded my bookshelves yet but that’s just because I’m waiting for my other bookcases to be built first. I plan on putting my Disney snowglobes near my Disney-related books. I do need to get another case just for DVDs though so I can get them out of my dresser though!

First Bookshelf of the Library

2010-01-03T22:42:00.004-06:00

I did promise you guys some pictures of my library once it was together and though it will probably be a while before it's complete here is the biggest portion!

The two walls on either side of it will get the floor to ceiling bookshelf treatment too (this is the same bookcase in all pictures). I'm going to have to get a step-stool soon since I can't reach the top shelf lol. More pictures soon!

All My 2009 Reads/Reviews

2009-12-31T16:04:00.005-06:00

Today marks the end of the year 2009 and what a year it has been! I finally got caught up on my reviews after being behind since 2008, I made quite a few new blogging friends (which brings my Google Reader book blogs up to 93 subscriptions), and my husband is working on building me a library! Right this very second he is outside drilling the holes in the wood before he takes them to his aunt’s house to stain them. I’m only getting one wall done right now because that wood is SO expensive but the others will get done soon.

I know lots of people do a favorites of 2009 list but I’ve always had a really hard time picking favorites month-to-month much less overall! So there won’t be a favorites list but here is the complete list of all the books I read in 2009. As you may notice, a couple of the last few do not have reviews to go with them and that’s because I plan on re-reading them sometime in 2010.

To make it less complicated everything is backwards and I'm including links to the reviews over on my Movieholic & Bibliophile Blog. You guys are more than welcome to go over and leave comments on any of these or post links to your reviews of the same book in the comment section.

Total books read: 78
New Authors: 28
Books from a Series: 61
Short Story collections/anthologies: 2
Mystery: 10
Non-Fiction: 2
Children or YA Fiction: 42
Books By Women: 56 (not including anthologies)
Books By Men: 22
Authors I Read the Most By: P.C. & Kristin Cast (5) & Rick Riordan (5)
Best Reading Month: March (20)
Worst Reading Month: August (0)

December
Fade Out by Rachel Caine
Carpe Corpus by Rachel Caine
Wolfsbane and Mistletoe anthology
The Ghost and the Femme Fatale by Alice Kimberly
Ruined by Paula Morris

November
Tempted by P.C. & Kristin Cast

October
Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden
The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong
Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs

September
The Sweet Scent of Blood by Suzanne McLeod
The Mating Rituals of the North American WASP by Lauren Lipton

August
N/A

July
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

June
Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich
Bambi by Felix Salten

May
Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
Old Boyfriends by Rexanne Becnel
Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris
Glory in Death by JD Robb
The Day the Music Died by Ed Gorman
Guts by Gary Paulson

April
The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason
The Storyteller's Daughter by Cameron Dokey
Candy Apple Dead by Sammi Carter
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Evernight by Claudia Gray
Hunted by P.C & Kristin Cast
Untamed by P.C & Kristin Cast
Chosen by P.C & Kristin Cast
Betrayed by P.C & Kristin Cast
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
The House on Tradd Street by Karen White

March
Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews
Theater Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
Marked by P.C. & Kristin Cast
The Winged Colt of Casa Mia by Betsy Byars
Personal Demon by Kelley Armstrong
The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson
Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
Exit Strategy by Kelley Armstrong
Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston
Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
One False Note by Gordon Korman (39 Clues)
Dark Harvest by Lynda Hilburn
Dead Girls are Easy by Terri Garey

February
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Lord of Misrule by Rachel Caine
A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck
Greyfriar's Bobby by Eleanor Atkinson
Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
Romancing the Dead by Tate Hallaway
Dead Sexy by Tate Hallaway
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Fire & Ice by Anne Stuart
Why We Suck by Dr. Denis Leary
Elvenbane by Andre Norton & Mercedes Lackey
The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan (39 Clues)

January
Tall, Dark, and Dead by Tate Hallaway
Secondhand Smoke by Karen E. Olson
Many Bloody Returns anthology
Kitty and the Silver Bullet by Carrie Vaughn
Kitty Takes a Holiday by Carrie Vaughn
Kitty Goes to Washington by Carrie Vaughn
Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn
Sweetheart by Chelsea Cain
Sacred Cows by Karen E. Olson
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

Movies Reviewed
The Muppet Christmas Carol
The Ref

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

My Side of the Mountain

Walt Disney's Greyfriar's Bobby

Charlotte's Web (2006)

Baby Take a Bow

Charlotte's Web (1973)

Challenge to Lassie

Ballet Shoes

The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby

Treasure Planet

Because of Winn-Dixie

Muppet Treasure Island

Underworld Evolution

Disney's Robin Hood and His Merrie Men

TCM Remembers

2009-12-29T17:24:00.002-06:00

They're all missed! Oh and if anyone could point me in the direction of a good tribute video of Brittany Murphy I'd be much obliged.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T20:11:00.004-06:00

I hope everyone had an exceptionally Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays this year!

Here are a few photos of my living room that I've been promising you guys. Better ones coming soon once the decorations are down.

Library Loot

2009-12-23T14:05:00.002-06:00

Better late than never right? Here is my library loot and birthday books!

The ones closest to the camera are my birthday books: Arch Enemy by Frank Beddor, Carpe Corpus by Rachel Caine, and Fade Out by Rachel Caine.

The ones farther under the tree is my library loot: The illustrated version of A Christmas Carol, the audio book of A Christmas Carol read by Jim Dale, The Muppet Christmas Carol, and A Christmas Carol (with Patrick Stewart)... anyone sensing a theme here?

Birthday!

2009-12-20T13:57:00.003-06:00

Birthdays aren't always fun but it's truly surprising just how many people care that you have a good day. So thanks to all the great bloggers that wished me a good one this year and I hope you all have the happiest of holidays!

PS: I got my camera fixed so look for pictures soon!

Quick Update (Sorry)

2009-12-18T21:23:00.005-06:00

glitter-graphics.com

Hey guys! Thought I'd dash off a quick note while I had a second. The holidays, the weather, and a really bad sinus infection are starting to kick my rear end so I might not get caught up on reviews before Christmas after all :(. Definitely before New Years though. Hope every one is enjoying the holidays! We're still trying to figure out what we're doing for my birthday on Sunday too.

Hope to have my review of The Awakening up by then! Knew I should have taken better notes on that one....

2010 Challenges

2009-12-09T09:05:00.008-06:00

Ok after much internal debate, this will be my page for all the 2010 challenges I sign up for.
The first one I want to sign up for is the Take Another Chance Challenge and the directions are WAY too long and complicated so go go to As Usual, I Need More Bookshelves for how to play. I'm going to try to do all 12 but I'm not going to hold my breath. It just sounds too fun to pass up though!

1. Blood Magic by Jennifer Lyon (my initials-J.L.)
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The second challenge I'm signing up for is the What's in a Name? Challenge. The directions:
Between January 1 and December 31, 2010, read one book in each of the following categories:

A book with a food in the title: Clockwork Orange, Grapes of Wrath, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
A book with a body of water in the title: A River Runs through It, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, The Lake House
A book with a title (queen, president) in the title: The Murder of King Tut, The Count of Monte Cristo, Lady Susan
A book with a plant in the title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Wind in the Willows, The Name of the Rose
A book with a place name (city, country) in the title: Out of Africa; London; Between, Georgia
A book with a music term in the title: Song of Solomon, Ragtime, The Piano Teacher

(The book titles are just suggestions, you can read whatever book you want to fit the category.)
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The third challenge I'm joining is the Finish that Series challenge and I'm angling for the Addicted level where you're supposed to finish 5 series:
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The fourth is going to be the 2nd's challenge where it's "not just for your second in a series books, but the second time you've read an author as well." Again I'm going for the Addicted level with 12 novels:
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The last (so far) challenge I'm signing up for is the Young Adult Reading Challenge. I played this year and was able to finish it but this year I'm going for the Just My Size level where I need to read 25 books.

1. Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer

That's it! Well, I'm still working on my personal Books Made into Disney Movies challenge of reading all the books that were made into Disney films but I'm not getting too far in that one so hmmm, I should make it my goal to read at least 10 books on the list.

Teaser Tuesday- Haunted Bookshop

2009-12-08T09:18:00.003-06:00

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

THE GHOST AND THE FEMME FATALE BY ALICE KIMBERLY

I, Penelope Thornton-McClure, single mom, widow, and independent bookshop owner, was far from a professional sleuth. Sure, I was a longtime fan of the Black Mask school of detective fiction; but a few years back, when the Rhode Island Staties were eyeing me as a person of interest in a murder investigation, I’d needed more than a fictional detective, and I got one

Good News in Threes!

2009-12-07T02:57:00.004-06:00

I debated whether or not to say anything about this but I'm so excited that I simply have to tell someone! If I post a review every day until my birthday I'll be completely caught up! As a few of you may have noticed, I've been behind on my reviews almost since I started blogging and right now I'm posting the books I read in May. Who knew taking a few months off reading-wise would come in handy?

My Google Reader is almost whittled down completely as well (the reading blogs are caught up, it's just the others that still have me at 1000+... yes, I read too many blogs!). Hopefully that will be caught up soon as well.

Let's see, want me to share more good news? Okay, I saved the best for last... we've started working on completing the next room in the house (painting, decorating, etc.) and it was where we storing everything (meaning mostly my books). It's going to be my library! Darren went in and started pulling all all the crown molding and the built-in shelf running around the top off of the walls last night. We've got a lot of sanding and stuff to do before I get to completely decide on a wall color (I'm leaning toward a green...) and hubby has to get the wood to build the completely floor to ceiling bookcases. I'm so excited!

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Happy Birthday Walt!

2009-12-05T13:32:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday Walt! You brought smiles and joy to millions and millions of people during your life and through everything you did you continue to live on in the hearts of those people. Even people who never knew you, people like me who were born years after you had left us feel like Uncle Walt was a dear friend that we never met.

Disney Christmas Song from Once Upon a Christmas:

As Long As There's Christmas from Beauty and the Beast The Enchanted Christmas

Related: Disney Movie Reviews!

Greyfriars Bobby: The True Story of a Dog

Treasure Planet

Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (Richard Todd died today 1919-2009 RIP)

Man in Space

Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier

Wall-E

Mickey's Christmas Carol

102 Dalmatians

101 Dalmatians

One Hundred and One Dalmatians

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Treasure Island

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

The Sword in the Stone

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too!

Victory Through Air Power

Fluppy Dogs

Alice in Wonderland

Cinderella

The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr. Toad

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Over the Top Award

2009-12-04T15:38:00.004-06:00

Carol from Carol's Notebook gave me this cute award today! I just love that apron, thank you! :)

Here are the rules:
Answer the following questions using single word answers. Then pass the award to 5 other people and let them know.

Your cell phone? Broken
Your hair? Straight
Your mother? Miss
Your father? Dislike
Your favorite food? Cupcakes
Your dream last night? Vampires
Your favorite drink? Soda
Your dream/goal? Read
What room are you in? Bedroom
Your hobby? Reading
Your fear? Germs
Where do you want to be in 6 years? Disneyland
Where were you last night? Home
Something that you aren’t? Grouchy
Muffins? Blueberry
Wish list item? DVDs
Where did you grow up? Georgia
Last thing you did? Shopped
What are you wearing? Sweater
Your TV? Off
Your Pets? Spoilt
Friends? Friendly
Your life? Happy
Your mood? Tired
Missing someone? Yes
Vehicle? Taurus
Something you’re not wearing?Earrings
Your favorite store? Target
Your favorite color? Blue
When was the last time you laughed? Today
Last time you cried? Yesterday
Your best friend? Mom
One place that you go to over and over? Walmart
Facebook? Yes
Favorite place to eat? Out

Not the easiest thing to do! Here's who I'm picking because I'm fairly sure they'd enjoy doing this. I love all my readers though!:

Alice @ Hello, My Name is Alice
Dottie @ My Blog 2.0
Sam @ Sam's Book Blog
Kelly @ The Chic Geek

And... Naida @ The Bookworm. It's her birthday today so go by and wish her a great one!

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Hard Candy Christmas by Dolly Parton

No Teaser- Supernatural Instead!

2009-12-01T05:44:00.002-06:00

I still haven't found a book that I feel like reading right now so no teaser for me today. However, I decided to check out a show I've heard a lot about: Supernatural. I'm seriously loving it! It's fun and reminds me of Buffy, Blood Ties, and X-Files all rolled into one. So far Dean is my favorite character. So does anyone else watch this show? I'm only on season 2 right now so no spoilers!

I know how both of them feel! Flying doesn't terrify me but I don't find it very comforting either. Clowns on the other hand give me the creeps. I think it's because I watched Stephen King's IT when I was only 5 or 6.... I still can't watch that movie alone.

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Up on the Housetop by Reba McEntire

Musing Monday- Holiday Reading

2009-11-29T23:59:00.001-06:00

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about reading/blogging during the holidays…

How does your reading (or your blogging) fare in the holiday months? Do you read more or less? Do you have to actively make time to read?

During the holidays I never seem to get much reading done. This year had been pretty off for me and some months I haven't read anything at all. I have a feeling December will be like that too. However, in December of 2006 I read 17, in 2007 it was 6 and 2008 was 9 books. Hopefully I can make time to read more this year but I doubt it. :(

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From now until Christmas whenever I update I'll try to include a video clip of a Christmas song I'm listening to lately:

Christmas Eve in My Home Town by Kate Smith (introduced by Bing Crosby)

Happy Turkey Day

2009-11-25T21:52:00.004-06:00

Hope everyone who is celebrating has a great Turkey Day!