Booking Through Thursday (17)

Booking Through Thursday asks:

It’s the last day of the year, and you know what that means … nostalgia and looking back.

What were your favorite books of the year? (Books that were new to you in 2009, if not necessarily published this year.)

This year hasn't been a particularly good one for me, as far as reading goes (well, it hasn't been good as far as anything goes... but that's another blog). There weren't any books that I absolutely loved or wanted to give five stars ladybugs to.

Out of what I read, though... I think my favourite fiction book is either Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side or Wondrous Strange. My favourite non-fiction book of 2009 would have to be Memories of the Afterlife.

Word verification Balderdash (17)

This fun meme is hosted by Sheila over at One Persons Journey through a world of Books.

This is the weekly meme where anyone who wishes to play along can take those crazy word verifications they have had over the past week and apply a fake definition to them (much like how you play the board game Balderdash).

Here are this week's words:

clocco - noun - the sound made by a coconut bikini hitting a hard surface as it is tossed aside

ephatigh - adjective - describes a person who is tall and heavyset

galop - verb - to lop off body parts of one's enemy while riding on horseback; galopping may be done at a gallop, but it is not necessary

morrh - noun - the fragrant, dried sap of the Commiphora morrha tree; morrh is closely related to myrrh, but is much more abundant

Nonit™ - noun - a brand of shampoo that kills head lice

valmenc - noun - a purplish-white metal that is created by combining valmencium and titanium

Happy New Year to all my fellow book bloggers and book lovers!

Ohh la la! J'adore your blog!

Many thanks to Charlotte at The Book on the Hill for this pretty award. I've never seen this one before!

Now it appears I must answer a few questions. So here goes:

Where is your favorite place to read a book ?
I like to read while lying in my bed.

Bookmarks or dog ears ?

I prefer bookmarks. I hate seeing dog-eared pages.

What is the best book you have read so far this year?

The best one was probably Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side. That's the one I enjoyed the most, anyway.

Do you like to snack while reading and if so, what is your favorite snack?

I don't snack and read.

Book borrower or book collector?

I'm a book collector.

Thank you so much, Charlotte! I don't know who to pass this one to, because there are so many beautiful blogs out there, and all the blogs I was going to give it to have already received it. So I'm just going to say "congratulations" to all. Keep up the good work!

Happy blogging!

Share-A-Book Saturday (17)

This is something I found over on Just Another Book Addict =), and I thought I'd do my own. There are so many great books out there that get overlooked (especially if they've been out for a while)!

Every Saturday, you share (recommend) a book, preferably one that you haven't reviewed yet. It's just a way to get other books out into the blogging world. This is NOT a review.

Today I'm going to recommend Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian.

London is poised on the brink of World War II. Timid, scrawny Willie Beech--the abused child of a single mother--is evacuated to the English countryside. At first, he is terrified of everything, of the country sounds and sights, even of Mr. Tom, the gruff, kindly old man who has taken him in. But gradually Willie forgets the hate and despair of his past. He learns to love a world he never knew existed, a world of friendship and affection in which harsh words and daily beatings have no place. Then a telegram comes. Willie must return to his mother in London. When weeks pass by with no word from Willie, Mr. Tom sets out for London to look for the young boy he has come to love as a son.

There's just something about books set in historical England that I love. I read this one years ago, having heard of it by word of mouth (it's the author's most famous work). I was totally captivated by the story, which revolves around a young evacuee and the man who takes him in.

After reading Goodnight Mister Tom, I found that the author had written a number of other books, many of which were set in the 1940s in England. I remember reading and enjoying A Little Love Song, Cuckoo in the Nest, and A Spoonful of Jam (probably my second favourite of her books, after Goodnight Mister Tom). For whatever reason, Michelle Magorian's books are not readily available on Amazon.com; most of them seem to be out of print. But if you can get your hands on them, I'd definitely recommend reading them... especially if (like me) you enjoy well-written historical fiction.

Word verification Balderdash (16)

This fun meme is hosted by Sheila over at One Persons Journey through a world of Books.

This is the weekly meme where anyone who wishes to play along can take those crazy word verifications they have had over the past week and apply a fake definition to them (much like how you play the board game Balderdash).

Here are this week's words:

ambst - noun - the painful reluctance to getting out of a chair one feels after eating a huge turkey dinner; it is a portmanteau of "ambulatory" and "angst"

holvaggi - noun - a type of sausage made with pork, blackcurrants, and saffron that is traditionally used to make stuffing; holvaggi is popular in Finland (where it originated), but also in Argentina, South Korea, and Namibia

lachmall - verb - to figuratively tie yourself to the mall until all your Christmas shopping is finished

outhe - interjection - an expression of pain by a child who has lost their two front teeth and is waiting for Santa to bring them some new ones

prizie - noun - a slang term for a gift that is won in a contest (such as a fruit basket) that has excellent regifting potential; it is a portmanteau of the slang term "pressie" and the word "prize"

Raphauxp - proper noun - a Renaissance artist whose claim to fame was painting scenes depicting the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia

Here's wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!

Booking Through Thursday (16)

Booking Through Thursday asks:

Given the choice, which do you prefer? Real history? Or historical fiction? (Assume, for the purposes of this discussion that they are equally well-written and engaging.)

If it's well-written and engaging, I prefer real history. There are so many interesting things that have happened on this planet in the last few million years that it seems almost unnecessary to have to make stuff up.

Monday's Question of the Day (16)

Monday's Question of the Day is hosted by Eleni at /-LA FEMME READERS-/

Question: What catches your eye about book covers?

My Answer: Well, I like pretty covers. Simplicity is sometimes best. I don't know... I think it's easier for me to think in terms of covers that would discourage me from picking up a book. If it looks like a Twilight copy, I probably won't touch it. If it's got something gory or gross on the cover, I probably won't pick it up. If the cover looks like a Photoshop project done for an elementary school art class, I might assume the story is just as amateurish.

I've learned not to judge books too much by their covers, though. There are some covers that I think are absolutely gorgeous (Wicked Lovely, Blue Moon, Twilight)... but I hated the stories between the covers. I feel sort of misled when that happens. It's like an awesome cover promises an awesome story... and when that doesn't happen, it's disappointing.

2010 Fantasy Reading Challenge

I figure joining another challenge is a good motivator to help me get through my TBR pile. I've got a number of fantasy novels in there already, and not all of them are young adult (which is another challenge I've signed up for). So I'm going to join the 2010 Fantasy Reading Challenge at Royal Reviews. I'm going to actually make this a challenge for myself and choose the Fascinated category.

Challenge Guidelines:
1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.
--Non-Bloggers: Include your information in the comment section.

2. There are four levels:

-- Curious – Read 3 Fantasy Fiction novels.

-- Fascinated – Read 6 Fantasy Fiction novels.

-- Addicted – Read 12 Fantasy Fiction novels.

-- Obsessed – Read 20 Fantasy Fiction novels.

3. Any book format counts.

4. You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.

5. Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2010. Only books started on January 1st count towards this challenge.

6. When you sign up under Mr. Linky, put the direct link to the post about the Fantasy Fiction Reading Challenge. Include the URL so that other participants can find join in and read your reviews and post.

I'm assuming that you don't actually have to start all the books on January 1st as it says in Rule #5...

Here's my list (I'll add more as I think of them). A ladybug () will sit next to the title when I've finished a book:

1. Draw the Dark by Ilsa J. Bick

2. My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares

3. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

4. The Puzzle Ring by Kate Forsyth

5. The Girl with Glass Feet by Ali Shaw

6. Basajaun by Rosemary Van Deuren

Total progress:

6 / 6 books. 100% done!

Review - Messages from Michael

Messages from Michael
by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

This material has been around for over thirty years, and yet this is the first book about the Michael teachings that I've actually read. I was somewhat familiar with some of this stuff, having read about it online.

"Michael" is the name given to a group essence from the Mid-Causal plane that comes through a Ouija board to impart wisdom to humanity. Yes, you read that right. No, I'm not kidding. How the message was delivered doesn't really bother me; I've read quite a few of the Seth books by Jane Roberts, so channeling wasn't really a new idea to me. However, I did have a few issues with the teachings... and even more with the book itself.

I was bothered at times by what seemed to be the influence of human minds on the material. Perhaps back in the 1970s, people thought that all mental illnesses (everything from depression to autism) were just mental illnesses. But we know today that that's not true; there are biological factors with many "mental" illnesses. (This sort of issue is not that uncommon. I once read an outdated New Age book that claimed that ulcers were not caused by bacteria, but by stress. Come on, people... get with the times!) There was also the question of homosexuality. While Michael does not disparage it, he claims that it is a choice that is made in early childhood. This contradicts much of the other Michael teachings, which talk about planning your life before birth. If part of your plan is to experience parenthood, and you incarnate into a society where homosexuality is illegal, and then you choose to be homosexual... well, you're not going to get very far with your goals, are you? I would expect that something as important as sexual orientation would be chosen before birth (along with all the other important stuff). This attitude made it seem like there was a certain amount of bleed-through from human minds... and that makes me question the accuracy of the rest of the information.

My issue with the book was that it is a piece of crap. The cover looks like a four-year-old made it with Photoshop. And the typos... Oh, my lord, the typos! I understand that this is a channeled work, and that most Ouija boards don't have punctuation marks (which means that any punctuation has to be added later at the editor's discretion). However, there is no excuse for things like forgetting the opening quotes when people are speaking and using commas to end sentences. And considering that this was the 25th-anniversary publication... well, that's even worse. If you're going to re-release a book and add some new information, go over the rest of it with a red pen and see if you can't spruce it up a little. If this had been an assignment handed in for a class, I'm sure there are a lot of teachers who would have failed the student based on the typos alone.

Okay... now that that's out of the way, I want to talk about the good things. Michael does offer some interesting information about us (as "fragments") and our evolution as souls. Everything is divided into seven, so we have seven Roles, seven Goals, seven Attitudes, etc. Knowing these things can help us understand ourselves (and the people around us) better. Unfortunately, there's not much information given on how we're supposed to know these things. I guess we're just supposed to meditate on it.

I'm not sure I'd recommend this book, especially not to people who are new to this sort of material. Last year, I read a similar book called The Instruction by Ainslie MacLeod. Instead of everything being in sevens, everything was in groups of ten. But the teachings were much the same, and the book was laid out much better and in a way that was easier to follow. For people who are just starting out with channeled teachings, that's probably the book I'd recommend. (The Seth teachings are excellent, too, but not the easiest things to read.)

I see that the publisher for Messages from Michael has More Messages from Michael coming down the pipe. It appears that they've already chosen to use the same icky cover for the second book. I just hope they run the text through a word processor and give it a good editing before they release it. There's just no excuse for something that bad to be released when today's technology is at their disposal.

Interesting: 4/5
Informative: 3/5
Writing: 1/5
Message: 4/5

Overall: 3 out of 5

In My Mailbox (8)

This week, my mailbox was filled with gifts for other people. Christmas is coming, you know...

I did get one book for myself. It's a non-fiction title:

Spontaneous Evolution
by Bruce H. Lipton, Ph.D. & Steve Bhaerman

We've all heard stories of people who've experienced seemingly miraculous recoveries from illness, but can the same thing happen for our world? According to pioneering biologist Bruce H. Lipton, it's not only possible, it's already occurring. In "Spontaneous Evolution, " this world-renowned expert in the emerging science of epigenetics reveals how our changing understanding of biology will help us navigate this turbulent period in our planet's history and how each of us can participate in this global shift. In collaboration with political philosopher Steve Bhaerman, Dr. Lipton invites readers to reconsider:

- the "unquestionable" pillars of biology, including random evolution, survival of the fittest, and the role of DNA
- the relationship between mind and matter
- how our beliefs about nature and human nature shape our politics, culture, and individual lives
- how each of us can become planetary "stem cells" supporting the health and growth of our world.

By questioning the old beliefs that got us to where we are today and keep us stuck in the status quo, we can trigger the spontaneous evolution of our species that will usher in a brighter future.

How's that for a little light reading?

What was in your "mailbox" this week?



In My Mailbox was started by Kristi of The Story Siren.

Share-A-Book Saturday (16)

This is something I found over on Just Another Book Addict =), and I thought I'd do my own. There are so many great books out there that get overlooked (especially if they've been out for a while)!

Every Saturday, you share (recommend) a book, preferably one that you haven't reviewed yet. It's just a way to get other books out into the blogging world. This is NOT a review.

Today I'm going to recommend (and I can't believe I'm doing this) The Twits by Roald Dahl.

Mr. and Mrs. Twit are the smelliest, nastiest, ugliest people in the world. They hate everything... except playing mean jokes on each other, catching unsuspecting birds to put in their bird pies, and making their caged monkeys, the Muggle-Wumps, stand on their heads all day. But the Muggle-Wumps have had enough. With the help of Roly-Poly Bird, they set out to get some well-deserved revenge.

I read this book ages ago, probably around the time I read The Witches (another good Roald Dahl story). But while The Witches is creepy, The Twits is... well, pretty disgusting. The Twits themselves are disgusting... but hilariously so. Some of the descriptions of this pair are enough to make you recoil and say, "Ewww!" Fair warning.

But I can imagine that this would be a great book that might help encourage a reluctant young male reader. I thought it was pretty funny (but then again, I appreciated a certain amount of crass humour as a kid).

Friday Fill-Ins (19)

Friday Fill-Ins:

1. No, we will NOT be deep-frying a turkey for Christmas. I don't think our insurance covers boiling-oil mishaps.

2. People often stare at the old kitchen table because it's just so darn ugly.

3. I watched the steam rising from the hot cup of coffee (or tea) and thought: That's really pretty. But if I try to take a picture, it'll probably just fog up the camera lens.

4. I thought my contributions were going to be okay, but then someone decided to edit in some grammar mistakes.

5. I'll take it or leave it; I haven't decided yet.

6. Christmas is sickeningly commercialized, at least from my point of view.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to seeing what Christmas specials are on TV, tomorrow my plans include going to the post office and Sunday, I want to build a 20-foot wind turbine on the roof just to piss off the neighbours!

Word verification Balderdash (15)

This fun meme is hosted by Sheila over at One Persons Journey through a world of Books.

This is the weekly meme where anyone who wishes to play along can take those crazy word verifications they have had over the past week and apply a fake definition to them (much like how you play the board game Balderdash).

Here are this week's words:

brandly - adjective - refers to a person with a particular affinity for brand names

kiessing - verb - the act of kissing in a public space in such a way that invites good-natured ridicule

nosackat - noun - a species of feline that reproduces asexually due to its lack of testicles; nosackats make particularly good pets because they don't have the urge to respond to caterwauling

tutedus - noun - training tutus for young ballerinas who are privately tutored in the art of dance

unetord - noun - a dance costume for men that is so tight that it often develops a tear in the bottom; choreographers enjoy the challenge of designing dances that will not tear a unetord

velottom - noun - flatulence that escapes at high velocity

Booking Through Thursday (15)

Booking Through Thursday asks:

Suggested by Barbara H:

What do you think of speed-reading? Is it a good way to get through a lot of books, or does the speed-reader miss depth and nuance? Do you speed-read? Is some material better suited to speed-reading than others?

I learned a form of speed-reading once. It didn't take. Maybe with more practice I would have become good at it, but I was always too focused on the technique... and then my reading comprehension went out the window.

This seems like a question of quality versus quantity. In this case, my vote is for quality. It's difficult to savour a particularly evocative piece of writing when you're trying to rush through it.

Favorite Fictional Character (11)

Today's favourite is an ensemble cast. I just couldn't decide which character was my very favourite one. So I'm picking the entire cast of Shrek.

I can watch the first two movies over and over again (and I have). The films have a nice message: what's on the inside is more important than what's on the outside. Plus, they're pretty darn entertaining. (I'm looking forward to Shrek Forever After, which is supposed to be released next year.)

One of my favourites didn't appear until Shrek 2. Puss in Boots... well, what can I say? There's something irresistible about a cat with a Spanish accent (and I'm not even a cat person). Plus, that thing he does with his eyes... too cute.

But Shrek and Fiona will always be some of my favourite fictional characters. They have their ups and downs, but they love each other. Of course, it's a love that's based on what's on the inside (because, let's face it, ogres are not exactly pretty).

There's also a cute Christmas special called Shrek the Halls. If you don't mind a bit of belching and farting, it's pretty entertaining... and a unique addition to the traditional holiday special lineup. I've seen it a few times, and I still get a kick out of it.

One of these days I want to get my hands on the original book by William Steig. It looks like it would be pretty amusing.

The Favorite Fictional Character meme was started by Ryan G. at Wordsmithonia.

Monday's Question of the Day (15)

Monday's Question of the Day is hosted by Eleni at /-LA FEMME READERS-/

Question: Which do you prefer, Hardback or Paperback?

My Answer: It really depends on the book itself. I like smaller hardcover books; 500-page hardcovers are just too heavy (I do most of my reading in bed, so this is an issue). Some paperbacks are nice. The one format I really don't like is the mass market paperback. They're often printed on cheap paper that smells funny. I don't enjoy reading a book when I'm smelling it the whole time.

Layout Change!

I was having issues with the 3-column layout. There just isn't enough room for text and pictures when you've got 2 sidebars (sometimes the text was encroaching on the pictures... which made it almost impossible to read). I hope this will remedy the problem. I've used *.png files, which apparently don't display transparency properly in some older browsers (like IE6). So if the images have funky coloured borders, that's probably what's going on.

The background and colours are easily changeable; for now, I just want to make sure the layout is displaying properly. So if it's not, could you let me know? I'm new to this template-tweaking business.

Share-A-Book Saturday (15)

This is something I found over on Just Another Book Addict =), and I thought I'd do my own. There are so many great books out there that get overlooked (especially if they've been out for a while)!

Every Saturday, you share (recommend) a book, preferably one that you haven't reviewed yet. It's just a way to get other books out into the blogging world. This is NOT a review.

Today I'm going to recommend Shirley Temple: A Pictorial History of the World's Greatest Child Star by Rita Dubas.

Shirley Temple was a phenomenon, a child star whose talent and personality earned her a permanent place in Hollywood history. The extraordinary six-year-old entertainer struck a chord with audiences all over the globe. Her career sparked a marketing sensation, spurring the production of anything and everything bearing her image - from dolls to tin whistles - in all corners of the globe, both authorized and unauthorized. Despite the decades-long interest in everything Temple, never before has there been a lavishly illustrated art book examining the phenomenon that was Shirley Temple as a child star in the 1930s. Many of the rare and unusual Shirley Temple collectibles have never been featured in print. Along with an informal, concise history of the childhood career of Ms. Temple (featuring film stills, many never-before-seen photographs, and personal snapshots of Shirley as well as several taken by her), this book is a visual treat befitting the magic of the most famous child star of all time, as well as the Golden Age of Hollywood. (Product description from Amazon.com.)

I've been a fan of Shirley Temple for years. I've seen most of her movies and know the lyrics to almost all the songs. I've read her autobiography, Child Star, which is very interesting. But this photo-heavy book by Rita Dubas is one of my favourite books about the little star of the 1930s.

Rita Dubas used to have a website where she'd share photos of Shirley Temple memorabilia from her collection. The site is gone now, but much of what was on it ended up in this beautiful book. There are some rare photographs of Shirley herself, along with tons of information about the various Shirley Temple merchandise that was produced over the years: dolls, clothing, books, pins... Shirley Temple was a phenomenon, the likes of which we haven't seen since.

This book makes a great gift (I received it for Christmas a few years ago). Even those who are unfamiliar with most of Temple's films would probably enjoy looking through the book. The layout is gorgeous, and flipping through this one is a treat.

Friday Fill-Ins (18)

Friday Fill-Ins:

1. Good times: peace and quiet and having a good book in my hands.

2. At this time of year, my home is decorated for the holidays.

3. Sleigh bells ring, but not around here. I haven't seen an actual horse-drawn sleigh in years.

4. When I was little, Christmas seemed a lot more magical.

5. Once more, with feeling.

6. To what end?

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing and watching some TV, tomorrow my plans include mucking about on the computer and Sunday, I want to learn the language of gophers and write a dictionary for the poor, linguistically neglected creatures!

Thursday Thunks (13)

1. Isn't showing a condom commercial during Sex Rehab With Dr Drew almost like showing a pain narcotic or an alcohol commercial during Intervention?

Is it? Are sex addicts addicted to condoms?

2. Burger King and Ronald McDonald met Colonel Sanders in a dark alley. They beat him down for just serving chicken and not sharing his "11 herbs & spices". The Colonel goes down. Begs for his life. Where do they go to eat afterwards?

Taco Bell, of course. It's neutral territory.

3. You take a shower, go to leave the bathroom and the door is stuck. Due to humidity and moisture it won't budge. It will not open. No one else is home. You can't go out the window. How long do you sit in the bathroom and how do you occupy your time?

I guess it would be a few hours until someone came home. Maybe that would be a good opportunity to clean the bathroom. I mean, really clean it and get the dust bunnies out from behind the toilet.

4. You are a rockstar, but you need a cool rocker name. What is it and how did you decide on that name?

Princess Consuela Bananahammock! Oh, wait... that's already taken.

5. Have you ever gotten naked at a family function?

Maybe when I was a baby and someone was changing my diaper.

6. If purple ate yellow, what color would come out?

Brown, of course. Isn't that what colour usually "comes out"?

7. The closest paper and pen to you right now. What color are they?

Paper: white. Pen: the nearest pen is one of a whole bunch in a cup.

8. Corn chips or potato chips?

If I've got salsa, corn chips. If I don't have any sort of dip, potato chips.

9. You are forced to swallow either a diamond or a piece of coal. Don't ask. Just do it. Which do you choose?

The coal. At least I wouldn't need to dig through my scat to recover it.

10. If your mouse decided to attack your keyboard, who would win?

Probably the keyboard, but indirectly. The keyboard is most likely harbouring pathogens between its keys, any number of which are fatal to mice (the pathogens... not the keys). So it would be a long, lingering death for the poor critter.

Booking Through Thursday (14)

Booking Through Thursday asks:

Suggested by Tammy:

What items have you ever used as a bookmark? What is the most unusual item you’ve ever used or seen used?

Aside from the due date slips I've seen in library books, I haven't come across any really strange bookmarks. Thank goodness!

At the moment, my bookmarks are the little RFID tags that I find in the books I've purchased in the bookstore. I guess that's kind of unusual...

Word verification Balderdash (14)

This fun meme is hosted by Sheila over at One Persons Journey through a world of Books.

This is the weekly meme where anyone who wishes to play along can take those crazy word verifications they have had over the past week and apply a fake definition to them (much like how you play the board game Balderdash).

Here are this week's words:

clerlago - noun - a clear, mixed alcoholic beverage that looks and tastes like water but that can intoxicate a full-grown adult within seconds

Emogra™ - noun - a drug used to treat sexual dysfunction in emos

hicar - noun - a spasm of the diaphragm caused by travelling in a vehicle on a bumpy road

horiliz - noun - a slang term for a sexually promiscuous woman; named after prostitute Elizabeth Doumi, who, when she was eventually arrested, was found lying horizontally

oathov - noun - a strange species of grain that was discovered deep in the rainforests of Brazil; oathovs have the unique property of levitating when heated to 76 degrees Celsius

skepig - noun - the flying pig that ultimately proves the skeptics wrong

Favorite Fictional Character (10)

This week's character first appeared in a novel in 1988, and then in a fairly faithful film adaptation in 1996. Her name is Matilda, the star of Matilda by Roald Dahl.

Matilda Wormwood is very intelligent five-year-old girl whose parents don't recognize her scholastic aptitude (or any other positive aspect of her character, for that matter). Matilda enjoys reading books, much to the chagrin of her parents, who are devoted to the TV. When Matilda starts school, a whole new world opens up for her. She has a wonderful teacher and makes new friends. But she also encounters Miss Trunchbull, the headmistress, who abuses the children in her charge. Eventually, Matilda develops psychokinetic powers. These help her come to the aid of her teacher, Miss Honey, and also bring about a happy ending to her own story.

I like Matilda because it's a story about finding the power within yourself, even if you feel small and insignificant. Roald Dahl was very good at portraying this aspect of childhood (probably due to his own experiences growing up, as detailed in Boy).

Matilda also introduces us to one of the most delicious villains. It's been a while since I read the book, so I can't remember if the book version of Miss Trunchbull was as formidable as she appeared on screen. Pam Ferris played her to scary perfection. (I'll never be able to look at women's shot put the same way again. "Tally-ho!") Such a villain ultimately makes the heroine's triumph that much more satisfying... especially when said heroine is just a tiny child.

The Favorite Fictional Character meme was started by Ryan G. at Wordsmithonia.

Teaser Tuesdays (12)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Today's Teaser:

"But this sounds like you're preaching reincarnation," Craig had said as Jessica and Walter worked the board. "I just can't believe in that."

Belief is not required: you will reincarnate anyway. A leaf does not have to believe in photosynthesis to turn green.

"Michael," Craig said as he stared at the Ouija board, "is a smart-ass."

~ Chapter 1 - Messages from Michael by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

Sorry about not having a page number. I don't have my book handy (the quote was conveniently available online).

This is a really interesting book. I can't wait to finish it so I can review it!

What are you reading on Mondays? (4)

This event, hosted at J. Kaye's Book Blog, is designed to list the books you finished last week, the books you are currently reading, and the books you want to finish this coming week.

Finished this past week:


Memories of the Afterlife
edited by Michael Newton, Ph.D.
My review is here.

Currently reading:


Messages from Michael
by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

To be read (or at least started) this week:

I think I'm just going to concentrate on Messages from Michael for now.

Monday's Question of the Day (14)

Monday's Question of the Day is hosted by Eleni at /-LA FEMME READERS-/

Question: What book could you read over and over again?

My Answer: Life's too short to re-read books.

Musing Mondays (16)

Musing Mondays is hosted by Rebecca at Just One More Page...

For the regular library patrons among us: do you have your own idea of what constitutes proper library etiquette? Is there anything you always try to do? Anything you hate when others do?

A lack of library etiquette (and that includes how you treat the books you borrow) is one of the reasons why I don't use the library. When I go to the library, I don't want to hear your children screaming and running around (while you ignore them). I don't want to hear your cell phone ringing, and then you answering (loudly), "I'm in the library!" I don't want to smell your continual farts or your pungent body odour. (And yes, I am speaking from experience here. Unfortunately.)

When I'm in a library, I try to be quiet. When I borrow books, I try to treat them as I'd treat my own books (i.e., very carefully and respectfully). I don't dog-ear pages or tear instructions out of books because I'm too lazy to use a photocopier. But I won't inform the librarians of any damage, either (since the last time someone in our family did that, they got blamed for it).

Just because a library is free doesn't mean that it's a respect-free zone. If more people realized that, I might actually use the library.

Let's Make Limericks! (2)

I've always enjoyed the challenge of writing limericks, and I thought it might be fun to try writing them about the books I've been reading (or have read, or am going to read). So I thought, why not make a meme out of it?


Here are the rules:

1. Every weekend (yes, this is flexible... choose Saturday or Sunday!), pick a book. It can be one that you're currently reading, one that you've finished, or one that's in your TBR pile.
2. Write a limerick about the book (click on the link if you're unclear on the limerick format).
3. Try not to include spoilers!

Who's up for the challenge? If you decide to do this, please link back to my site and leave a comment on this post. I can't wait to see what everybody comes up with!

Here's mine for this week. Can you guess which book it's from?

The girls in the family of Lizzie
Were in quite a bit of a tizzy.
Because of their neighbour,
Their mother did labour
To make sure her daughters looked busy.

Share-A-Book Saturday (14)

This is something I found over on Just Another Book Addict =), and I thought I'd do my own. There are so many great books out there that get overlooked (especially if they've been out for a while)!

Every Saturday, you share (recommend) a book, preferably one that you haven't reviewed yet. It's just a way to get other books out into the blogging world. This is NOT a review.

Today I'm going to recommend A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb.

In the class of the high school English teacher she has been haunting, Helen feels them: for the first time in 130 years, human eyes are looking at her. They belong to a boy, a boy who has not seemed remarkable until now. And Helen—terrified, but intrigued—is drawn to him. The fact that he is in a body and she is not presents this unlikely couple with their first challenge. But as the lovers struggle to find a way to be together, they begin to discover the secrets of their former lives and of the young people they come to possess. (Product description from Amazon.com.)

I rarely get fangirly about books, but if I were going to, this book might be a catalyst for such a reaction. It wasn't just that the story was good. It was the writing that really sucked me into this one. From the very first page, the author treats her readers to some absolutely luscious prose. Maybe it was because I'd recently read Breaking Dawn, but Laura Whitcomb's writing made me feel like I was eating a gourmet meal... instead of twice-warmed fast food.

A Certain Slant of Light is a dead-narrator tale with a twist. Instead of being confined to the spirit world and unable to interact with the physical world, Helen takes on the human body of a teenage girl so that she can experience life once more. While on some levels this book seems like a simple love story between two people, it is also explores some much deeper themes: family, guilt, and forgiveness.

This book is best suited to older teens and adults, and would probably appeal to readers who enjoyed books like Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones.

Friday Fill-Ins (17)

Friday Fill-Ins:

1. You get what's coming to you. Either that, or you get a cookie. Or maybe a cookie was what was coming to you. What was the question again?

2. Take a right to find the drive-in. I want some tacos!

3. It's hammer time.

4. That last answer was ridiculous!

5. I feel more things when I'm not wearing mittens.

6. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a ... goodnight! Oh, wait... I'm a few weeks early.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to wearing warm pajamas, tomorrow my plans include fretting about things and Sunday, I want to find out whether it's possible to sneeze so hard that your consciousness ends up in another dimension!

Booking Through Thursday (13)

Booking Through Thursday asks:

What’s your favorite part of Booking Through Thursday? Why do you participate (or not)?

My favourite part of BTT is that it gives me a writing prompt... just like all the other memes I participate in. If it weren't for those, this blog would be very empty.