September Middle Grade Book Challenge Wrap Up

This was my first month hosting the Middle Grade Book Challenge. Thanks to the ones who took part this month. I really appreciate you coming back and linking your reviews to Mr Linky. I will be making my rounds to check out your reviews.

Check back tomorrow, October 1st for the monthly link.

I know I only read two books this month but hopefully October will be a better month for me and for everyone.

I have a question for the participants would you like to see a little monthly giveaway? Say for every link you leave you get one entry into the giveaway? Please leave me your feed back here in this post.

Middle Grade Book Challenge September

If your wondering why you happen to see the Middle Grade book Challenge here its because Linda from Better With Books the orginal host of the Middle Grade Book Challenge has asked me if I would take over the challenge for her and I graciously accepted.

I have to apologize for the delay in getting this posted but I have been having trouble with Mr Linky and honestly I am not very techincally savvy so please bare with me.

Are you reading middle grade books this month? If so, which titles and from which authors?

Just add your blog link/name to the MckLinky below.

If I remember correctly the challenge ended August 2010 so the new round starts this month. The goal is to read 12 to 25 Middle Grade books from now to August 2011.

I know I have a bunch of middle grade books that I have to read so I am looking forward to adding them to this challenge.

I think to make this a little exciting I am going to host a giveaway monthly to the person that reads and posts the most reviews per month. What do you think?

Don't forget to post your links. Your blog name and book titles will be fine.

Have fun and happy reading.

(Review) The Ghost and the Goth

TITLE: The Ghost and the Goth
AUTHOR: Stacey Kade
PUB DATE: July 2010
PUBLISHER: Hyperion Books for Children
PAGES: 288

SOURCE: I received this from Tynga at Tynga's Reviews that she had donated to an ARC tour that I am a part of. Thanks Tynga for donating this book to the arc tour.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
After a close encounter with the front end of a school bus, Alona Dare goes from Homecoming Queen to Queen of the Dead. Now she’s stuck here in spirit form with no sign of the big, bright light coming to take her away. To make matters worse, the only person who might be able to help her is Will Killian, a total loser/outcast type who hates the social elite. He alone can see and hear her, but he wants nothing to do with the former mean girl of Groundsboro High.

Can they get over their mutual distrust—and this weird attraction between them—to work together before Alona vanishes for good and Will is locked up for seeing things that don’t exist?

MY THOUGHTS:
I believe that this is Stacey's debut novel, please let me know if this is wrong. She is also a author from the Chicago area. (Another favorite city of mine)

When I first heard about The Ghost and The Goth I was very curious about it because it sounded like a good book so when I saw this on the arc tour site I quickly jumped at the chance to sign up for it. I am so happy that I got to read this because I really enjoyed it. I also thought that the cover suited the book very well. I thought that the cover represented Alona and Will very well.

The book is told in alternating points of view from Alona and Will. Which worked really well for the book because we were able to find out more about Will and Alona.

Alona is your typical high school girl, popular but she is also the mean girl. Sneaking out of gym class to make a call on her cell, she doesn't watch where she is going and accidentally gets hit my a school bus. She dies instantly although she really doesn't go away where. She is stuck between two worlds.

Will is your typical high school guy the out cast goth guy. The only thing that sets Will apart is that he is diagnosed with schizophrenia (but he really isn't) and he is the only one who can see Alona along with the rest of the ghosts he is surrounded by.

Alona quickly realizes that she really isn't that well liked among her classmates and she is quickly forgotten. Being a ghost she quickly discovers that her so called best friend and boyfriend have been hooking up and she never knew about it. There is even talk about Alona actually killing herself, which isn't true.

When Alona realizes that Will can see her, she quickly realizes that she has to use Will to get to go where she needs to go, heaven. She has never liked Will but over the course of the book you see that she has changed her opinion of him. I loved the chemistry between the two and I laughed at a few incidents between them such as the bed breaking.

Can these two work together before its too late?

I really enjoyed the book even though its paranormal and I have to say its not your usual paranormal book there is no vampires, werewolves etc just a ghost trying to find her way to where she is suppose to be.

There is going to be a sequel called The Queen of the Dead coming out on June 7, 2011. I can't wait for this one to come out.

(Review) Fledgling: Jason Steed

TITLE: Fledgling: Jason Steed
AUTHOR: Mark A. Cooper
PUB DATE: September 2010
PAGES: 240
PUBLISHER: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

SOURCE: I received an Advance Readers Copy from Paul at Sourcebooks when I met up with him this summer.

COVER: I just noticed that the finished copy of the cover is different from the ARC edition and the difference is the shadow of the guy isn't on the ARC copy. Still the same I like the cover.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Tormented by his mother’s death...
Taken for granted by his father...
Trained in deadly martial arts...

Jason Steed is looking for a place to call home. He finds what he’s looking for in the Sea Cadets—an elite group of British youngsters being groomed for lifelong service in the military. But when a routine training exercise goes awry, Jason finds himself in the middle of a secret mission. The future of the world hangs in the balance…and Jason might be the only one who can save it.

MY THOUGHTS:
I never heard about this book until Paul handed it to me when I meet up with him this summer and he raved about it so I was curious about it so I read a bit of the first chapter and I have been dying to read it every since then but with it only coming out in September I decided to wait.

Well I picked up this weekend to read and I have to say I really really enjoyed it and had a hard time to put it down.

The book takes place in 1963 and I have to say honestly that most books like this doesn't appeal to me but I have to admit that very quickly it didn't feel like I was reading the book in that time period and at times I was like What? One example of this is when Jason is in Catherine's bedroom and there is a picture of Jimmy Osmond and the Osmond's hanging on her wall.

Jason is an eleven year old boy who is fearless (saves the Queen's daughter and stands up to bullies), independent (this is due to the fact that his mother died when Jason was born and his father is always away because he is a naval officer in Her Majesty’s Navy) and a learner (learned how to speak Chinese and karate, he is the youngest to hold a black belt plus several other belts as well).

Jason has grown up in Hong Kong which lead him to wanting to learn to speak Chinese and to learn karate. In Hong Kong he developed his skill to the much surprise of many people who said he would never get his black belt because he was too young but he proved them all wrong.

When his father comes home from the Navy he informs Jason that they will be moving to London. This is something Jason isn't all the keen on but quickly makes the most of it and wants to join the Sea Cadets even if it means lying about his age. In sea cadets he impresses his instructors with his skill and knowledge.

For summer vacation Jason will be spending it with Sea Cadets and doing some training with his regiment and several others from the UK although what seems like a harmless training quickly turns into a life and death situation. Will Jason be able to get out alive? Will what he's learned be able to help him and others survive? Curious to know what its all about? Then go and pick up the book.

I think this would be a great book for a reluctant male reader because there is enough going in action to hold there attention plus its a quick read and not alot of pages.

What you might not know is that Fledgling, Jason Steel was actually self published in 2008 and it developed a huge following that Sourcebooks decided to take over and reprint the book.



Book two is called Boudica, Jason Steed and there is no release date as of yet and a book three is in the works.

Here is what Boudica, Jason Steed is about:
Triad Oath: If any of my sworn brothers are killed or arrested, I shall seek revenge.

If I do not do so I will be killed by myriads of swords.

Boudica; the Dragon Leader of the shadowy criminal organization known as

the Triads, has her evil plan exposed by Scotland Yard Undercover Intelligence

Unit. When she finds out it was with the help of Jason Steed who she had

once trusted. Jason finds himself in the cross hairs of an unforgiving blood

thirsty predator with harrowing consequences.

You can check out Mark A Cooper's website by clicking on his name. There is alot of great info to go along with the book on there.

(Review) Running Around (and such)

TITLE: Running Around (and such) Lizzie Searches for Love Book 1
AUTHOR: Linda Byler
PUB DATE: May 2010
PUBLISHER: Good Books
PAGES: 324

SOURCE: I received this book from FSB. Thanks for sending me this book.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
CAN LIZZIE FIND HAPPINESS IN HER AMISH COMMUNITY OR WILL SHE HAVE TO SETTLE FOR SOMETHING LESS THAN HER DREAMS?

Lizzie Glick longs to fit into her quiet Amish community. Her sisters, Emma and Mandy, are ready to get married and settle into the traditional rhythm of having children and keeping house. But Lizzie isn’t sure that’s what she wants for her future. It isn’t that Lizzie doesn’t want to stay Amish. It’s just that there’s so much to figure out!

Stephen, her quiet, gentle friend, hints that he might be interested in a relationship deeper than friendship, but Lizzie is also drawn to the charming Amos who seems to have eyes for everyone but her.

She has certainly attracted the attention of the egg-truck driver. A thrill runs through her every time the worldly man comes to pick up an order, each time extending his stay a little longer. How long will she keep this a secret from Emma — and Mam and Datt? (mom and dad)

What will become of Lizzie? She has too hot a temper. She hates housework and dislikes babies. She loves driving fast horses but is petrified of going away from home for a week to work as a maud (maid). Is she too spirited, too innocent, and almost too uninhibited for a young Amish woman?

MY THOUGHTS
I am a fan of Amish fiction and have been since I started blogging. I am not quite sure what it is that I truly enjoy about them, perhaps its the way they live and how they can maintain a life without the modern convinces of the world. I know I take for granted all that have and wonder what it would be like to live a simply life, although I know I could never do it.

One thing I have discovered from reading Amish fiction is that no matter what we are all the same and deal with the same problems and issues but it seems like the Amish have a better way with dealing with it and handling the situations.

I really enjoyed reading Running Around. This is the first book in the Lizzie Searches for Love series with book two called When Strawberries Bloom scheduled to be released in October 2010 and book three Big Decisions scheduled to be released in March 2011. All of which I am excited to read.

Running Around (and such) is about Lizzie Glick and she is your typical fifteen year old teenager who is trying to fit in and feel loved by her family. She has two sisters, Emma and Mandy who seems to be the favorite children (in Lizzie's eyes) that seem to do no wrong.

Emma is sixteen and looking to get married and start a family which Lizzie doesn't want. Lizzie is unsure about her future and what she wants to do which is like all teenagers today. I don't think I would want to be married at such a young age but I guess if that is what you know then its okay.

When Lizzie is told that she must go out to work (we quickly find out that Lizzie is just like your typical teenager who doesn't want to go out to work or do anything). Her first job is working on a egg farm where she will check the eggs and stamp them for sale. Its on this job that she catches the attention of an older guy who is English who comes to pick up his order. Lizzie knows this is wrong but yet it thrills her. Will she be able to keep this secret from her family and what will they do when they find out?

I managed to read this over several days and really enjoyed it. I am curious about Lizzie and what she will get into in the next book.

There was only two little things that bothered me about the book and that was the mention of shoofly pie that her mother was making, there was no recipe for this (in the back of the book there is eight of Lizzie's favorite recipes) but I did get the recipe from Donna at Books Bound who found it online and sent it too me. The other thing that bothered me was the weight issue. From looking at the cover you wouldn't think that Lizzie had a problem but in the book there is several references to it and if it really was an issue I wonder why the mother would continue to make such sweet treats?

Over all I enjoyed the book and in the back of the book along with a glossary of Amish terms that were used in the book was like I said above eight of Lizzie's Favorite Recipes which included: baked macaroni and cheese, molasses cookies (which I love), chicken stew, creamsticks, apple pie with crumb topping, red beet eggs, homemade baked beans and whoopie pies.

I actually made the Whoopie Pies and they were delicious. I have been craving whoopie Pies for a while so when I started this book and saw the recipe I decided to make some. Don't they look good?


Thanks again FSB for sending me this book. Looking forward to reading the next two books in the series.

Magazine Monday

Its that time of the week again where I highlight the magazines I got this past week. Did you get any? This week's post is all bought magazines.

BOUGHT:
Parents October 2010
Family Fun October 2010
Womans World October 4th
People October 4th
Us Weekly October 4th

PICKED UP FOR FREE:
Montreal Families

Montreal Families is a local magazine that is filled with great articles and activities happening in the city in October. With school back in there is always a head lice note that is sent home so knowing what to do is important. I know some cities in the US has this type of magazine out. I love reading this because I am able to find out what is happening in the city (I live in the burbs and this info is not always known to us) for family activities and can plan outings this way.

This week in US Weekly they mentioned the new show starting on TLC called Sister Wives. Is anyone going to watch it?

One article that I enjoyed reading was Homeless to Harvard author " I can finally give back?" Liz Murray's new book Breaking Night just came out and its already hit the New York Times Best Seller List. In 2003 there was actually a lifetime movie made about her. She was born in NYC to drug addicted parents with HIV. Growing up when her and her sister had no food they took to eating chapstick and toothpaste. They went to school disoriented from hunger and made fun of because of their dirty clothes and lice. Liz's mother died from aids and when she was 15 her life spiraled out of control she was dating a druggie and living in sleazy motel rooms. It took a woman down the hall to be murdered to make Liz snap out of it and make a change. I loved the message behind her story and that is to "take responsibility over your own life and don't blame others for your misfortune."

I didn't notice this click here to see it until I got home in this past weeks issue of People magazine. I enjoyed the article on Marlo Thomas, did you know she has a book coming out September 28th called Growing Up Laughing: My Story and the Story of Funny? I also enjoyed the article on Jennifer Grey. Wonder how far she will get on Dancing With The Stars?

I always pick up Family Fun because its a great monthly magazine. Always filled with a ton of crafts and things to do that we love doing on ped days. This issue was the Halloween issue so there was custom ideas and some great crafts. I will include some pictures next month.

Parents magazine is something I don't always pick up unless there is something on the cover that peaks my interest. This month there was several headlines that caught my attention such as the Halloween section (costumes, games and treats), bully proof your child (although this really isn't an issue at Michael's school), bake sale treats (always nice to read for ideas) and finlly a grocery list make over.

Once I started to flip through the magazine I realized that the grocery list make over wasn't what I thought it was going to be. I actually thought a make over instead it was an alphabet of different foods to add to your list such as egg plant, fava beans, hummus etc. I ended up enjoying the article Remedies for the Witching Hour, surefire strategies for preventing evening meltdowns. Having kids you know how stressfull dinner time can be and making it through that hour is critical without someone loosing their cool. Some of the tips were before beginning your evening routine get outside for a bit to unwind, have a kiddie cocktail hour, get kids involved in meal prep, and a few others.

This is what I read and enjoyed, what about you?

Local Book Blogger Meet Up September Edition

One of the best things I love since starting my blog two years ago is getting to meet up monthly with fellow book lovers/bloggers Avis, Donna, Linda and Tina. Since the last meet up in August I was contacted by another local blogger wanting to take part in our meet ups, so on Sunday (today) we all got to meet Amanda from the blogTales and Treats. If you haven't checked out this new blogger be sure to hop on over and say hi.

By the way if you happen to be in the Montreal area and would love to join us please contact me or any of the other bloggers for info.

We met at our regular tea shop for some great drinks and food. I love their spicy hot apple drink because its a great fall drink and of course the hot chocolate was really good. Although towards the end I was thinking of ordering a cold drink because the tea shop was very warm but in the end changed my mind.

We exchanged books and I was able to pass on a few titles to the group and I came home with only two borrowed books that are Linda's and they were:



I love reading manga's since discovering them earlier this year. I find them to be a great read in between books and also because they are pretty much a quick and easy read. I still have a bunch that I picked up earlier this year at a library book sale that I am slowly starting to dig into.

During our meet ups we always talk about out blogs, books (such as what we are reading, getting in the mail, waiting for etc), our lives (what we are doing outside of reading and blogging) and really pretty much of anything that comes to mind. Of course there was talk about BEA again and so far Donna and Linda will probably be going. The rest of us aren't sure yet. I have mentioned that I am really hoping that BEA and ALA will join forces for 2012 and have BEA in Chicago because I know I can and will be able to pull that trip off.

This meeting there was a bit of excitement happening in the neighborhood, actually at the next corner. We were sitting and talking when we were seeing all kinds of firetrucks going by we discovered there was a fire in one of the triplex's. Thankfully no one was seriously hurt. So in case you read Donna's post about the meet up and was wondering what she meant by firemen you will now why. I admit I like a man in a uniform as this was an on going joke at the table.

So this was our meet up looking forward to the October one.

The Mailbox Post/Books Bought

Well its officially fall and its one of my favorite times of the year. I love seeing the changing of the leaves. Plus this past week was always the last full week of September, October is just around the corner.

Received for review:
-The Waiting (book 2 in the Lancaster County Secrets) by Suzanne Woods Fisher. Thanks Baker Publishing Group for sending me this. (I believe this was a win from the facebook party Suzanne had)
-The Needlecraft Book by Maggie Gordon, Sally Harding and Ellie Vance
-Keeping Chickens with Ashley English (This was sent in error as its part of the ECO Book Challenge)

Books Bought:
-Cool Cars and Trucks by Sean Kenney
-206 Bones by Kathy Reichs
-Unraveled by Gena Showalter
-Vampire Island by Adele Griffin (book 1)
-V is for Vampire by Adele Griffin (book 3)

Ereader:
-Alice's Tea Cup by Haley and Lauren Fox (This is out Oct 26th)
-The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder (This is out May 2011)
-Butterflies in May by Karen Hart
-My Misadventures as a Teenage Rock Star by Joyce Raskin (This is out June 2011)
-Haint Misbehavin' (Book 1 The Ghost Handlers Series) by Maureen Hardegree

Swag:
I got a newsletter and bookmark from Sabrina Jefferies
(I love getting swag don't you?)

This is what I got, what about you?

(Review) Late, Late at Night (cd)

Tonight Rick Springfield is in town doing his intimate concert (the venue he is playing at isn't very big). I sadly didn't get to go and that was because of the price of the tickets that held me back especially with back to school essentials, going to BEA and then Chicago this summer took away a good chuck of money.

As you can see in the photo below I got to meet Rick Springfield this past May when he was at BEA promoting his up coming memoir called Late, Late at Night. If you are a fan you realize the title of his book comes from the song Jessie's Girl.

When I was planning my BEA schedule and stumbled upon the fact Rick was going to be there I got excited and I have to admit I made it my mission that I was going to meet him and get his book signed. As you can see I did get to meet him but there wasn't any books being signed instead he was signing this:

This is actually like a folder. The inside flaps are covered with photos of Rick, album covers, tshirts, buttons, magazines and notes. Then behind those flaps is a two page sample of the book, a note from Rick and info about his book plus a CD of his top 40 hits such as Jessie's Girl, Don't Talk to Strangers, Affair of the Heart, Human Touch, Love Somebody and many more.

I was excited to get this cd because I have to admit I do have a bunch of Rick Springfield cassettes, yes you read that right cassettes, so its nice to finally have my favorite songs on cd now.

I love the cd and I have played it way too many times according to Michael. Hey I am a Springfield fan what can I say?

I am anxiously awaiting October 12th for the release of his memoir Late, Late at Night.

About the book:
In a searingly candid memoir which he authored himself, Grammy Award-winning pop icon Rick Springfield pulls back the curtain on his image as a bright, shiny, happy performer to share the startling story of his rise and fall and rise in music, film, and television and his lifelong battle with depression.

In the 1980s, singer-songwriter and actor Rick Springfield seemed to have it all: a megahit single in “Jessie’s Girl,” sold-out concert tours, follow-up hits that sold more than 17 million albums and became the pop soundtrack for an entire generation, and 12 million daily viewers who avidly tuned in to General Hospital to swoon over his portrayal of the handsome Dr. Noah Drake. Yet lurking behind his success as a pop star and soap opera heartthrob and his unstoppable drive was a moody, somber, and dark soul, one filled with depression and insecurity.

In Late, Late at Night, the memoir his millions of fans have been waiting for, Rick takes readers inside the highs and lows of his extraordinary life. By turns winningly funny and heartbreakingly sad, every page resonates with Rick’s witty, wry, self-deprecating, brutally honest voice. On one level, he reveals the inside story of his ride to the top of the entertainment world. On a second, deeper level, he recounts with unsparing candor the forces that have driven his life, including his longtime battle with depression and thoughts of suicide, the shattering death of his father, and his decision to drop out at the absolute peak of fame. Having finally found a more stable equilibrium, Rick’s story is ultimately a positive one, deeply informed by his passion for creative expression through his music, a deep love of his wife of twenty-six years and their two sons, and his life-long quest for spiritual peace.

Can you believe that he is actually 61 years old?

(Review) The Aristobrats

ABOUT THE BOOK
It’s all about the Attitude

Parker Bell knows the secret to beauty is pretty simple–wearing the right clothes isn’t as important as how you feel in them. Popularity is like that too. It’s all about attitude. You have to picture who you want to be and then just imagine that’s who you already are.

This year Parker and her three best friends have made their way to the top of the populadder at Wallingford Academy. And they’re ready to use their Aristobrat status to help spread positive vibes throughout the school. But when the girls are assigned to produce the seriously lame school webcast, their popularity plummets! Will this tragedy destroy the girls' status? Or their friendship? Or both?

TITLE: The Aristobrats
AUTHOR: Jennifer Solow
PUB DATE: September 2010
PAGES: 224
PUBLISHER: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
SOURCE: ARC was picked up when I went on a tour of Sourcebooks. Thanks Kay.

MY THOUGHTS:
One of the best things about blogging in my opinion is getting the chance to read an author that you might not normally read or heard about. This is the case with Jennifer Solow, I have never heard of this author before getting the chance to read The Aristobrats. She actually has another book out called THE BOOSTER and it came out in 2006 in hardcover and then 2007 in paperback.

THE ARISTOBRATS is her first middle grade book. All I have to say is that this is a fantastic middle grade book and a must read.

I am no where near being a middle grader but that didn't stop me from enjoying this book because Parker and her three best friends (Kiki, Plum, and Ikea) are going through what I went through and that was to be accepted. Although in their case they are aiming to be popular.

Parker is entering the 8th grade and she says this will be the best year ever because she will get her dream guy (Tribb), she will climb to the top of the populadder, and in what I call ruling the school. Do you remember saying that? I sadly do remember saying that when I was in elementary school but that changed once I hit junior high school.

Things start out okay but we all know that even though it looks great it will quickly turn for the worse and thats what happened in a blink of an eye its gone and the girls are fighting to gain in back. The girls are forced to produced the school's lame webcast show and for Parker she might be forced to leave the private school, Wallingford Academy because her mother might not be able to afford the tuition.

Will the girls be able to turn the lame school webcast (with no viewers) into something special that will leave the school talking or will it ruin the girls friendships?

I love it when I can relate to something in the book and there was one part that I could relate to and that was when Tribb is talking to Parker near the end of the book about them being friends only. You can tell Parker is a little hurt (heart broken) by this and who wouldn't be and if I could tell Parker one thing from my perspective is that he might have hurt you but 20 some years later you could end up with a great friend.

I love the cover of the book because its a cover that actually goes with the book (something we rarely see) such as the school crest, the friendship rings and the picture of the girls.

I am curious if this will become a series. I hope it does as I would love to see what happens to Parker.

If you are curious about Jennifer Solow then check out her blog.

Thanks again to Kay at Sourcebooks for providing me with this book to read and review.

(Meme) Top Ten Tuesday

I found the blog and bloggers who started Top Ten Tuesday, and its The Broke and the Bookish blog. They have several bloggers who contribute to the blog. If you haven't already discovered this blog then you should check them out.

This week's Top Ten Tuesday is Top Ten Favorite Book Quotes.

I have to admit that I don't tend to keep track of my favorite quotes but after today's meme I think I will start to keep track of them more.

I am not sure if I will be able to come up with ten but I am going to give it a try. Here is my Top Ten Favorite Book Quotes.

1. "Metabolisms are evil, wicked, vile things." -- Johanna Edwards, The Next Big Thing. ( I remember when I read this I had to laugh and I agree.)
2. "There was more scope for imagination," Anne of Green Gables
3. "Would you rather be if you had the choice- divinely beautiful or dazzlingly clever, or angelically good?" Anne of Green Gables. ( I always wanted to be divinely beautiful.)
4. "We've all got meanness in us but we've all got goodness too and the only thing worth living for is the good and that is why we've got to make sure and pass it on."
   (Where the heart is)
5. "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." Oh The Places You will go
6. "Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try."
7. "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." (To Kill a Mockingbird)
8. "But if you took every memory, every moment and stretched them out end to end, - they’d reach forever" (My Sister's Keeper)
9. "I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks." (To Kill a Mockingbird)
10. "Yeah, man school just started, and already you're reading way too many book," (The Queen of Cool)

So these are some of my favorite quotes, what are yours?

Magazine Monday

Its that time of the week again when I show case the magazines I bought or received in the mail.

I don't tend to buy alot of magazines on a weekly bases and if I do its because of an article or the cover that catches my eye.

This weeks loot is:

BOUGHT:
In Touch Weekly Sept 27 issue
People
Womans World

Subscriptions:Canadian Living October issue
Chatelaine October issue

Borrowed from Library:
I just discovered these Magazines this summer at the library and they are called New York Tines Book Review. I got Aug 8th, Aug 22 and Aug 29 issues. They are a weekly book review newspaper like magazine. Not only do they have book reviews but they also have the Best Sellers list (Fiction, Non Fiction, trade fiction, mass market fiction,etc) along with the Editors Choice. This is something I would like to subscribe to but its a little pricy for me so I will continue to borrow them from the library.

I love buying Womans World every week because there is always great recipes such as Warm Ginger Spiced Apple Cider and tomato & corn salad, books this week its Sophie Kinsella's Mini Shopaholic and Coco Chanel by Justine Picardie and many great articles such as how to sail through allergy season sniffle free, 5 ways on how to get back to sleep (which I need) and bed bugs plus many more.

As for People and Us Weekly I like picking them up for a quick read. People this week had a great book section. They mentioned The Wave by Susan Casey (this sounds really good), and out in paperback is Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls, Where the Money Went by Kevin Canty and Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel(which I am dying to read but sadly I don't like the paper back cover)plus other books mentioned were Mini Shopaholic, Salvation City, Half Empty, Rock What you got (she was on the view last week) and lastly Some We love, Some we Hate, Some we Eat by Hal Herzog. Thanks to the article Fresh Crops I actually took one of the haircuts and had my hair done like theirs.

I don't subscribe to too many magazines as you can see to date from these posts. This past week was the time that Canadian Living and Chatelaine came in. I was thrilled to get Canadian Living because our Thanksgiving is just around the corner and we always have turkey/chicken (tons of leftovers)and there was 10 recipes for turkey/chicken left overs which I will be trying them out as well has Harvest Bounty recipes (I love trying new recipes). There was also an article on hassle free homework tips which thankfully I read and thankfully we don't have an issue with homework yet since Michael is only in grade 2.

Another great Canadian magazine is Chatelaine and I have been reading this for ages now. I checked online and unfortunetly they don't have the October Issue online yet but once they do I will link that in a future Magazine Monday post. For the October issue there are recipes for Thanksgiving and pizza night. I love homemade pizza. I loved the October book Club section as it was jammed filled with great titles such as Nightfall (Michael Cunningham), Safe Haven (Nicholas Sparks), I love your laugh (Jessica Holmes), The Night Bookmobile ( Audrey Niffenegger)and many other titles. Also was an excerpt of Mini Shopaholic. Which I read and makes me want to read my copy of Mini Shopaholic all the more.

So what great Thanksgiving recipes do you enjoy? What magazine articles caught your attention this past week?

Have you read any of the books mentioned in this post?

The Mailbox Post

I was just looking at the calendar and realized that we are already in the last full week of September. October is already around the corner. Where did September go? Fall is just around the corner. Are you ready?

With that being said, lets roll on to one of my favorite memes of the week and that is sharing with my readers what I got in the mail this past week. This month Mailbox Monday is going on a blog tour and the host this month is Kathy from Bermudaonion. You can check out what Kathy and others got by going to her Mailbox Monday post.

This past week I got:
-Dust City by Robert Paul Weston (ARC book out Oct 2010)Thanks Penguin
-Torment by Lauren Kate (Out Sept 28/10) Thanks Random House
-Gifts Cooks Love by Diane Morgan

Books Bought:
I was good last week and didn't buy anything.

Ebooks:
I didn't download anything.

This is what I got in my mailbox, what about you?

(Meme) Top Ten Tuesday

I am not quite sure who started this meme because I only saw it today on a new to me (local) blogger's page. If you haven't checked out Tales and Treats by Amanda you really should. Also if you happen to know the person behind Top Ten Tuesday please let me know.

This week's question (I think it is) is Top 10 Books you are dying to read:
1. Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
2. The Julian Game by Adele Griffin
3. Plain Kate by Erin Bow
4. unraveled by Gena Showalter
5. The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball
6. Nevermore by Kelly Creagh
7. Behemoth by Scott Westerfield
8. The Ivy
9. Room By Emma Donoghue
10. Betrayal by Gillian Shields

Magazine Monday

Welcome to the first official Magazine Monday post. I want to thank everyone that commented last week when I first mentioned this idea. Your ideas were great and please if you ever have any comments about this or ideas please feel free to comment.

This past week, I bought the following magazines:
-Woman's Day (Oct. 1st)
-Woman's World (Sept. 20th)
-In Touch (Sept. 20th)
-Us Weekly (Sept. 20th)
-People (Sept 20th)
-What's Up Canadian Family Magazine (Back to School issue)
-Canadian Family (Oct 2010)
-Every Day with Rachael Ray (Oct 2010)

Subscription:
-ChickaDee (Sept 2010)
-Today's Parent (Oct 2010)

Borrowed:
I will share what magazines I have borrowed from the library here.

Of Interest:
I thought these articles might be of interest-

Woman's Day- The ABCs of Proper Desk Posture If you are like me you are sitting at your desk for awhile so knowing how to sit properly could help you out.

Woman's World doesn't have an online website that I can link articles to but they do have one for give aways. I buy this weekly magazine all the time for recipes, health info and for the books. This week Nicholas Sparks Safe Haven & Promise Me by Nancy G. Brinker were mentioned.

In Touch-The one article I wanted to share with you is one I can't find but its called The Kids of 9/11. The kids are older and they all lost their dads on that day and I thought it was great seeing what they are doing and how they are helping others. Plus I found out from this magazine that Nate Berkus's new day time show was starting this week.

Us Weekly didn't have anything and I picked it up because I had an appointment and wanted something to flip through while I waited.

People- This really wasn't the article but I am a huge fan of Nate Berkus and they just had a little box talking briefly about it. I was trying to find the Books section on the site, here is what was mentioned Rooms by Emma Donoghue (I want to read this), True Prep by Lisa birnbach, Getting to Happy by Terry McMillan, A Journey by Tony Blair, Katie Up and Down the Hall by Glenn Plaskin (sounds like a great book), The Widower's Tale by Julie Glass, and Vermilion Drift by William kent Krueger.

What's Up- There is this great article that I couldn't find online called Bring books to life. Four books were mentioned Alligator Pie by Dennis Lee, Mortimer by Robert Munsch. Anne of Green Gables, and The Party by Barbara Reid and with each book there was a craft that kids could make such as the Unbreakable Slate Notebook (remember when Anne broke her Slate of Gilbert's head?)

Rachael Ray you can see the magazine online October 2010 I don't buy this all the time but this time I couldn't resist the fall cover.

Later in the week I will be updating this when I get to read all the magazines and find links.

The Mailbox Post

When I was getting ready to do this post I realized that we are into the second week of September already. I am not sure what its like every where else but the weather is changing here. Its getting a little cooler but honestly I am liking this cool fall like weather.

I have to admit I am not a summer person and I have been like this my whole life. I don't like heat and humidity of the summers. This summer was terrible for me because of the asthma and I seemed to have felt it more so this year then other years. Thankfully we have air conditioning in the house.

If you are a reader of this blog you already know the host of Mailbox Monday but this month Mailbox Monday is making a pit stop for the remainder of the month at Bermudaonion's aka Kathy's blog. So make sure you stop over there to see what she and others got this past week in the mail.



This week I only got three books for review and they are:
- Charlie Can't Fly The Story of a bookworm birdie by Jennifer Berne, illustrated by Keith Bendis

- Too Much Stuff by Robert Munsch Illustrations by Michael Martchenko (This also came with a button)

- The I Hate to Cook Book by Peg Bracken (I am really looking forward to this one because there are recipes in this one. I am always looking forward to trying new things so this came at the perfect time.)

**I should have the reviews up for both those picture books this week.**

OTHER BOOKS:
-Monster High by Lisi Harrison
-Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
-The Haunted by Jessica Verday (book 2 in the series)
-Firelight by Sophie Jordan
-Rampant by Diana Peterfreund (I have been waiting for this to come out in paperback since seeing her at BEA)
-Not that Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian
-Beastly by Alex Flinn
-A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn

I just noticed from this picture that my trade paperbacks are banged up on the tops and bottoms. This is really a pet peeve of mine. Had I noticed them in the store I might not have picked them up. Does this bother anyone else?

Ebooks:
I didn't download anything.

So this is what came to my door, what about you?

I can't believe I have caved....

If you know me from either online or in real life you know I have been very apprehensive of the ereaders. Not really sure why though?

I think they are a great idea for the person who travels and doesn't want to carry a ton of books with them but for me I am a stay at home mom and I can honestly say I travel about once a year so why would I need one?

Recently I have been thinking about them and I think I would have loved to have one when I was on vacation because I had brought a ton of books with me. I actually was looking at one in the US and was thinking about it and the price was pretty good. The only thing for me was what happens if something happens to it that leads to alot of hassles since I live in Canada. So needless to say it stayed there.

Coming home I was still thinking about it and when I had an offer you basically can't refuse I jumped at it and got:

As you can see I got the black one and it also comes out in white. (sorry for the quality of the pics)

The battery charge lasts roughly 2 weeks or about 8000 page turns.

Supports multiple content types: eBooks, PDFs, Newspapers & Magazines. (Which I see on the website is coming.)

Pre-loaded with desktop software to organize your library.

Book-like reading: No glare 6" E Ink screen with 8 level grey scale.

Pick up where you left off: automatically book mark pages.

Size: 120mm x 184mm

Slim: Only 10mm thick

Lightweight: 221g (Very light)

Quick Navigation: soft 5-way button

Store up to 1000 titles†: 1 GB memory

Add additional storage: up to 4GB using SD Memory card slot (memory card not included). (Which is good for me.)

You can change the fonts to make it easier to read.


It comes loaded with 100 classics such as: Alice in Wonderland, Anne of Green Gables, Jane Eyre, Treasure Island, The Phantom of the Opera and so many more.

You can look at your books by title, author or I'm reading.

As you can see on the left hand side there is buttons for home, menu, display and back all pretty easy to understand.

Its all pretty easy to navigate but the only problem I found was once I downloaded a book I thought it would appear in the books but it doesn't it appears under documents. Which is okay once I figured it out.

There is a slight waiting period when you open the Kobo and are doing things such as opening a book but its okay.

So after playing around with it and trying to figure things out I was brave enough to download some books from Net Galley . This was one of the first books I downloaded to how it would look:






















As you can see its Winter Passage by Julie Kagawa. Its a little novella that came out after the Iron King. Then to show you what the page looks like this is page three from the book. I think the only down side is that the covers are black and white.

The books I have downloaded so far onto "Blackie" is:
-ABC is for Circus Chucky ( I was curious to see what a children's book would look like)
-A home made Christmas
-A Simple Amish Christmas
-Dining with the Dollar Diva
-It all started with a dare
-b is for bufflehead (another picture book)
-Manifest
-The Painted Darkness
-The Mermaids mirror
-The Oracle Rebounds
-Tyger, Tyger
-Amish Friends Cookbook volume 2 (I have had this on my computer since last year)
-Wildthorne

So my overall impression so far is pretty good. No major problems to date and its been fun reading from it although I have to say nothing beats the good ole book. I won't be giving up on the actual books any time soon but I thought it would be nice to have if I am ever present with the chance to review books with this format.

As for downloading I have no problems once I figured out the program (I am not very computer savvy and I basically need to be told how to do things when it comes to modern technology.) It was really simple to do since I already had adobe digital editions on my computer and it just involved of few clicks here and there and then it was on my ereader.

Although I have to say only having it roughly over a week I have already downloaded more then I can handle right now as you can see. Hopefully I can have them read before the 60 days is up.

Do you have an ereader? What do you think of yours?

Winners List

Sorry for the delay in annoucing all the winners of my blogiversary giveaway, real life got in the way.

Anyways here is the list of all the winners. Congrats everyone and thanks to all those that entered.

Just a reminder you have 48 hours to email me your mailing addresses failure to do so will result in a new winner being announced.

Day 1 $5 Tim Horton's or Starbucks Giftcard
--$5 Tim's Card winner is Jonita --emailed me--
--$5 Starbucks winner is gcpeach17

Day 2 assorted BEA and ETC goodies
--Laura Fabiani

Day 3 Signed copy of The Queen of Cool
--avisannchild

Day 4 goodie bag
--Sheila(bookjourney)

Day 5 Amish Proverbs book
--Marie --emailed me--

Day 6 book of your choice
--amandawk

Day 7 $25 visa gift card
--Tina

Congrats to all the winners once again.

As if 10:22 pm Friday night I can officially say that all the winners have emailed me back with their mailing addresses. Thank you winners and to all that entered my giveaways.

(Review) The Duff

TITLE: The Duff (designated ugly fat friend)
AUTHOR: Kody Keplinger
PUB DATE: September 2010
PAGES: 288
PUBLISHER: Poppy (Little Brown Books)
SOURCE: Signed copy that I received at BEA in May.

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn't think she's the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She's also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her "Duffy," she throws her Coke in his face.

But things aren't so great at home right now. Desperate for a distraction, Bianca ends up kissing Wesley. And likes it. Eager for escape, she throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with Wesley.

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out that Wesley isn't such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she's falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

MY THOUGHTS:
This was one of those books that I had to get or at least try to get when I was at BEA in May. I had heard alot of buzz about it before hand and it sounded really good. So I was really happy to find out that Kody was going to be signing her book at BEA and thankfully thanks to I believe it was Natasha from Maw Books for pointing it out to me.

I was standing a few lines over when I had saw Natasha standing in line and I asked her who she was in line for and she told me so once I was done getting my book signed for the line I was in a ducked under the ropes(if you were at BEA you know that it was a mess in the signing area) to the line (which was closed so I was lucky to snag my copy)So thank you Natasha for telling me and helping me sneak under the ropes.

When I was packing up to leave NYC I made it a point to pack this in my backpack so that I could read this on my way home on the train. I did manage to read this on the way home and I really enjoyed it.

I could really relate to Bianca and I think she is exactly how I was in at her age in high school. Reading this brought back alot of memories and it felt like I was reading a part of my story.

We were both loyal, we both thought that we weren't the prettiest girls in school (this was something I always dealt with and still do to some extent) and I knew a line if it was given to me and still do.

I enjoyed the characters and I found them to be real. I mean I am older then the entended audience of the book but I realize that the way I felt back then is the way kids feel today and I am sure that they will always feel that way.

The male character in the book is Wesley(playboy and it boy) and honestly I have to say he started out as a huge jerk in my opinion but gradually I think Wesley started to win me over. They had a unique relationship that was one of need and physical but gradually through out the book it turned into a relationship of needing and depending on each other.

As you are reading you can see the chemistry between them and for me I kept hoping that they would connect and take their secret relationship out of the closet. I realized that even though Wesley was a jerk and a playboy (and he knew it) he is actually just like Bianca he has his flaws.

You can check out Kody's site by clicking HERE and HERE

This is actually the cover of the book I picked up at BEA its the ARC cover. The top cover is the finished copy one.

What cover do you like and why? I actually like the ARC cover more. I think it suits the book more and it leaves you to wonder more about the person on the cover.

Toying with this idea

For about the past month or so I have been toying with an idea and its really funny because I am always thinking about it. Actually the name is always popping into my head and I am just not sure how I want to work this feature. I have a few ideas but I guess I would like to know what you guys think and your input would be greatly appreciated.

So the name of this feature will be called Magazine Monday and I would be using this as my regular Monday post/feature.

As you can see from the picture below this is some of the magazines I have (recently taken). I subscribe to three monthly magazines: Canadian Living, Chatelaine and Today's Parent. Plus I tend to buy on a weekly bases Woman's World and People and as for monthly I always pick up Family Fun and usually what ever peaks my interest when I am at the cash.

What about you, what magazines do you get?


Okay so what do you guys think of this new upcoming feature and what would or wouldn't you like to see? Is this something I should persue?

In My Mailbox/Mailbox Monday/Books Bought

Its that time of the week again for another In My Mailbox and Mailbox Monday post.

As you know Kristi from The Story Siren hosts In My Mailbox and this month instead of Marcia from Printed Page hosting Mailbox Monday she has asked bloggers to take turns in hosting Mailbox Monday so for the month of September Kathy at Bermudaonion is the host so hop over to her blog to see what she and others got.


For Review
-Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella (I am super excited to read this as I am a huge fan of the Shopaholic series.)
-Running Around (and such) by Linda Byler
-Apple's Angst by Rebecca Eckler

Unsolicited Book
-You comma Idiot by Doug Harris (can with a soundtrack cd)

Bought
-Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
-Linger by Maggie stiefvater
-North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

This is what came to my mailbox this past week, what about you?