Happy New Year!

Do you have any resolutions? I don't have a resolution so much as it's a hope. I hope to find my happiness.

I LOVE THIS SONG! *g*

My niece got their CD with this song on it for Christmas. So far this is the only song I've heard completely...bits and pieces of the other songs but OMG this song is fun *s*

I don't feel like dancing by Scissor Sisters (only when you hear it you really feel like dancing LOL)

Thursday 13

Someone actually sent me this in an email but I LOVE the thought of doing it *s*

Thirteen Steps to finding your GLAM 1. Drive to spa/hair stylist and get the full treatment 2. Go to chocolate store and buy something incredibly decadent 3. Buy a bottle of champagne/wine or other equally yum beverage that goes with chocolate. 4. Drive to that shoe store you never actually go into because everything is just too damn expensive and you couldn't afford anything anyways. 5. Enter the store! 6. Find spectacularly glamorous pair of shoes (something like these perhaps or these ). Purchase with nary a thought to price. 7. Drive back home. 8. Take shoes out of box and slowly slip onto feet. 9. Lay around in shoes, look at them adoringly, ponder the meaning of life, drink wine and eat chocolate. 10. Photograph self in said glam shoes. 11. Wrap shoes lovingly in tissue then place them carefully back in box. 12. Drive back to store, promptly return shoes. 13. Grieve loss but stop at nearest drug store on the way home to buy fake eyelashes Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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December TBR challenge completed!

YAY! I avoided a spot on the wall of shame all year with the TBR challenge on Angie's blog!

Title: Darkly Dreaming Dexter

Author: Jeff Lindsay

Year published: 2004

blurb from the back cover...

Meet Dexter Morgan, a polite wolf in sheep's clothing. He's handsome and charming, but something in his past has made him abide by a different set of rules. He's a serial killer whose one golden rule makes him immensely likable: he only kills bad people. And his job as a blood spatter expert for the Miami police department puts him in the perfect position to identify his victims. But when brutal murders bearing a striking similarity to his own style start turning up, Dexter is caught between being flattered and being frightened - of himself or some other fiend.

Why did you get this book? I have no idea *s* It's been in my TBR stack for a while. I probably bought it because of the blurb on the back (since the author was unfamiliar to me) but then wasn't in the mood for that type of book until this month.

Do you like the cover? I don't dislike the cover. Since reading this book I had to go buy the second book in the series right away and found the same book with a different cover which I like better *s* The second book was a trade paperback so maybe I'll be a geek and re-buy this book in trade as well so they match. Yes I know I'm weird.

Did you enjoy the book? OH. MY. GOD. I LOVED this book *s* It's different and the main character is twisted and you love him anyways LOL then you shake your head and wonder at yourself enjoying a character like Dexter.

Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? Yes he was new to me and definitely *s* This month I read both books in the series that are released so far. The third one isn't released until August 2007 (sigh) AND it's going to be in hardcover so even if I re-buy this book to match the second one it won't match the third. It's a delima.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? Keeping it! (unless I buy the trade paperback version of it. If I do that I'll have this one to pass on)

At any rate I'd suggest this book to anyone who is looking for a fabulous read. Especially if they like reading crime fiction.

Who doesn't love a princess dress???

I think I want one of my own now *s*

My Christmas Day fortune

My Fortune Cookie told me: People are beginning to notice you. Try dressing before you leave the house. Get a cookie from Miss Fortune

Dakota Cassidy

so totally rocks! Her books are incredibly funny and she is one of the nicest people I've ever met (well met online but I know she's the same offline and I know that someday, if the fates work with me I'll meet her in person too :) ).

I found out today that she just got a 2 book deal with Berkley! (I TOLD YOU SO *g*)

Click here to find out more details.

Thursday 13

Thirteen of my Favourite holiday songs (in no particular order) 1... Put a little love in your heart (from Scrooged!) by Annie Lennox and Al Green 2... O Holy Night by John Denver 3... Little Drummer Boy by Bing Crosby and David Bowie 4... Carol Of the Bells 5...The Peace Carol by John Denver 6... Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt 7... White Christmas by Bing Crosby 8... Jingle Bells (as sung by my cutie pie niece who is 3 this year *g* too cute) 9... Mr Grinch by Boris Karlof? (the original version) 10...Mary Did you know? 11...Frosty the Snowman by Willie Nelson 12... Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer by Burl Ives and finally 13...Ave Maria Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Another favourite Christmas song of mine is

Bob and Doug McKenzie's version of the 12 days of Christmas

I LURVE this song *g* for reasons that can not be explained. I only wish I could have found a video file of it but I couldn't. Click on the link to listen to the song.

One of the best versions of O Holy Night that I've heard

I wasn't going to do another one tonight but ...

while feeding my YouTube addiction I came across these songs. They both sent shivers down my spine. They're definitely on my list of favourite songs now.

This song couldn't be embedded so you'll have to go to youtube to watch it. It's worth going!

A holiday song with a 'twist'

Anyone who grew up listening to songs in the '80s will recognise the band easily. I don't know that anyones actually heard O Come All Ye Faithful sung this way before. It isn't my favourite version but I kinda like it in a weird sort of way (shush Jaynie). I'm trying hard to get back into the holiday spirit and this video made me smile :)

More of my favourite Christmas songs

I'm in heaven *g* I LOVE love love holiday music AND now I am able to feed this addiction with another newer addiction of mine (if you haven't noticed yet)... Youtube ...



Who is able to name all the singers/bands in this video?

Thursday 13

Thirteen Holiday Shows I Love! 1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas 2. A Charlie Brown Christmas 3. Scrooged! 4. The Nutcracker (ballet) 5. A Christmas Carol (play) 6. White Christmas 7. Holiday Inn 8. The Wizard of Oz (not really a Christmas movie but it always comes on TV around Christmas time) 9. The Santa Clause (only the first one. The others hurt my head *g*) 10. Any of the Bing Crosby holiday specials :) 11. The Bells of St. Mary's 12. Miracle on 34th Street 13. The Muppet Christmas Carol Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Another favourite holiday song

This song makes me sit and smile :)

One of my favourite holiday songs ...

I've been on another reading frenzy this month!

A list of my November reads ....

*Dressed to Slay ~ Harper Allen (this one was meh...alright but it took me longer than it should have to read it)
*Dead End Dating ~ Kimberly Raye (DNF - I'll try again later)
*Fallen From Grace ~ Laura Leone (OH.MY.GOD. I loved this book)
*From the Dark ~ Michelle Hauf
*Hot In Here ~ Susan Lyons (2nd book in a series - read out of order *gasp*)
*Angels Fall ~ Nora Roberts
*Retrival ~ Jeanie London (quite enjoyed this - it was very different from what I've seen out there lately)
*Black Ice ~ Anne Stuart (another one read out of order ... I'm a rebel)
*Cold As Ice ~ Anne Stuart (read out of order)
*Like Dandilion Dust ~ Karen Kingsbury (must find more books by this author)
*Sword of Rhoswen ~ Brenda Williamson (e-book .... bought up the rest of her books at this publisher after reading ths one)
*Watchers in the Night ~ Jenna Black
*Songs of the Humpback Whale ~ Jodi Picoult (the only book by this author (so far) that I've not fallen in love with)
*The Memory Keeper's Daughter ~ Kim Edwards (another author I want to read more from)
*Wednesday Nights With Jamie ~ Daisy Dexter Dobbs (e-book - loved it)
*Home by Starlight ~ Jerri Corgiat (I think?)
*Good Girls Don't ~ Shiloh Walker (e-book ~ another keeper *s* I LURVE Shi's books)
*Before I Wake ~ Dee Henderson
*Whose Bride Is She Anyway? ~ Dakota Cassidy (e-book *note to self - must buy this in print)
*She's No Faerie Princess ~ Christine Warren (LOVED THIS ONE)
*Chill of Night ~ John Lutz
*Fire Dancer ~ Colleen Coble (or4dered backlist of books from the librarie *s*)
*Cemetary Dancer ~ K.Z. Snow (e-book - I can't WAIT until the next book in this series!)
*Hard Evidence ~ Pamela Clare
*After Hours ~ Jodi Lynn Copeland
*The Cop (anthology) ~ Sasha White (LOVED her story)/Alyssa Brooks/Renee Alexis)
*Darkfever ~ Karen Marie Moning (OMGOMGOMG I NEED the next story in this series NOW!!!)


So what have you been reading? *s*

November TBR Challenge

This month I read the book Sword of Rhoswen by Brenda Williamson.

The blurb from Samhain "The Silver Dragon is a myth, so they say. But legends are often born from life.

When Brienna Rhoswen sets out to find the man she has given a blood vow to marry, she never anticipates falling in love with the handsome rogue warrior.

Brogan Torrick has avoided his betrothed for one reason-fear. Rumored she’s a Mystic Healer, his prejudice rules his emotions. To garner an ally against an enemy, his father however, binds him into a marriage contract with the sorceress.

Meeting as strangers, Brogan believes he’s never seen a more beautiful and deadly messenger. On the journey, they struggle with an attraction they think is forbidden to them until they learn each other’s identity. Only their love may not be enough to keep them together and a drop of blood from the Silver Dragon may doom all Kingdoms if their enemy gets hold of the Sword of Rhoswen."

I actually won this book and I'm so glad I did! I never would have picked it myself since it's a historical romance and I tend to avoid those most of the time. If you haven't yet red this book, or others by Ms. Williamson you should do so ASAP! I loved it :) After I read it I went to Samhain Publishing and bought the rest of the books by Brenda. :) I have it in e-book format so even if I wanted to I couldn't pass this one on. It's definitely a keeper!

Happy Birthday to me!

This is me 35 years ago sitting for my 1 year old picture :) Wasn't I cute???

What colour is your passion?

I found this link on Sasha's blog.

Your Passion is Pink

Innocent and naive, you approach sex with a virginal mindset. You tend to enjoy teasing and flaunting much more than actual sex. You're a notorious flirt, and you can pick up anyone you desire. As a result, your reputation is a lot steamier than your real sex life.

What Color Is Your Passion?

*snort* Why am I not surprised?

I found another video like the torn one *g*

This time he interprets the song Wherever I Lay My Hat

Guess my book ....

I got this from Anne's blog

The rules:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the 5th sentence.
4. Post the text of the next six sentences on your blog along with these instructions.
5. Don't you dare dig around for that "cool" or "intellectual" book on your shelves. (I know you were thinking about it.) Just pick up whatever is closest.

Guess my book:

"How would I know, I've never been married."
"Is it always the same for you?"
"Well in some ways, yes."
"In what ways?"
"Well, so far, it seems to be moist."
"Moist?"


LMAO I don't think any of you will be able to guess this one *g*. And YES it was SO the closest book for me. *s* I didn't even have to leave my chair to reach it.

Lest We Forget

Did you pause to remember?

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, Canadians are asked to pause and remember the thousands of men and women who sacrificed their lives fighting for freedom and democracy during the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War, the Afghanistan conflict and during peacekeeping missions.

Torn - adapted for the hearing impaired

LOL this is too funny!

I have new glasses *s*

October TBR Challenge

This months TBR challenge was to read a paranormal or fantasy book.

I chose Dark Celebration by Christine Feehan.

What a disappointment! It isn't that it was a bad book so much as it was so much longer than it should have been (I know this is a shock coming from me, short stories piss me off). The same phrase/scene/etc. was repeated over and over and over again. Hammered into the reader really.

I got this book from the library. It made me angry that the rest of her series was in mass market paperback and this one was hard cover so I refused to buy it. THANK GOD! It's the first time I had to force myself to finish one of her books.

I guess if you're new to this series (the Dark Carpathians) then the story would have been good. (Everything was certainly over explained for anyone who has read any of the other books). It was a collosal disappointment for me though. I'm really glad I didn't buy it. If I had it probably would have been a wall banger and it CERTAINLY would have been given away.

It's Snowing!

It looks pretty now but I KNOW I'm going to hate the shovelling. I'm waiting until after supper tonight to do that though. (If I don't wait I'll just have to do it again anyways)

Happy Halloween (a little early)

Someone sent me this in an e-mail.

Okay this just makes me giggle for no sane reason *snort* I have no idea what he's saying but OH. MY. GOD.

And because I was taking pictures

Just for you Dakota :)

The sun was at the wrong angle for me to get a good picture of the mountains. It's a pretty view though :)

What I'm doing this weekend

*sigh* yard work

Books I read this month

e-books:

Betting Hearts by Dee Tenorio (Samhain publishing)
Wyatt's Chance by Ciana Stone (ellorascave)
Night's Promise by Sandy Lynn (Samhain Publishing)
At Cross Purposes by Sahara Kelly (EC)
Dirty Deeds by Lorelei James (Samhain)

print books:

*Twice Bitten (anthology) by Erica Orloff and Crystal Green (Silhouette Bombshell)
*Flashpoint by Suzanne Brockman
*Fatal Burn by Lisa Jackson
*The Only Suspect by Jonnie Jacobs (I can't actually remember if I read this in September or at the end of August)
*Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward
*Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (one of the best books I've read)
*Don't Be Afraid by Rebecca Drake
*Silent Witness by Lindsay McKenna
*The Switch by Diane Whiteside
*The Mephisto Club by Tess Gerritsen
*Swept Away by Toni Blake
*Vanish by Tess Gerritsen
*You Can't Hide by Karen Rose
*Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh (this book was fantastic - it definitely lived up to all the hype about it *s* I can't wait until the next one!)


I really didn't feel like I was doing a whole lot of reading but I guess that's compared to the summer when I was on holidays from the one job (I'm back to working 2 full time jobs now).

I need to get a life I think

Septembers TBR challenge

The challenge for this month was to read either a category romance or a book that is part of a series.

I really REALLY really don't enjoy category romance books but I'm determined to do something for all the challenges Angie has thrown out to us *s*. I tried to read about 4 different ones from the library but they were impossible to finish. (they made me want to slam my head against the wall and gouge out my eyes they were so bad. I actaually shouted and talked out loud at the characters in the book when they were being stupid (I did this a lot LOL). No I can't remember the titles. I couldn't have been bothered to write them down I was so grumpy about them. I gladly gave them back to the library never to be taken out by me again.

I did manage to find a few that I did enjoy ... they weren't plain old romances though they had elements of suspense and/or paranormal themes in them.

Just Past Midnight by Amanda Stevens ... from the back cover "Stalked for years, Dr. Darian West has become an emotional recluse, a woman at the mercy of a skilled killer. Threats to her family have kept her silent, but every man who has become involved with Darian has paid the same fatal price. All but closed off from life, she lives a solitary existence until a chance meeting puts her next suitor in harm's way ...
Convinced his brother died at Darian's hands, Richard Berkley has vowed to avenge his death. He'll stop at nothing until he exposes the wealthy psychologist's deepest secrets...and her darkest fantasies. But as passion erupts, the killer lurks in the darkness, waiting until...Just Past Midnight...to strike." This was an enjoyable story. It kept me engaged and I cared about the characters. The ending was a bit of a twist that I had only partly guessed. I like having a final a-ha moment at the end of a suspense so that was a good thing. I don't think I'll be keeping the book. It'll go to the library so someone else can enjoy it.

Something Inspirational

This was sent to me in an e-mail (thanks Mary)

Strongest Dad in the World

[From Sports Illustrated, By Rick Reilly]

I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay for their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.

But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.
Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.

Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. on a bike.

Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life.

This love story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years ago, when Rick was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.

"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life," Dick says doctors told him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. "Put him in an institution."

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the engineering department at
Tufts University and asked if there was anything to help the boy communicate.

"No way," Dick says he was told. "There's nothing going on in his brain."

"Tell him a joke," Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a lot was going on in his brain.

Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? "Go Bruins!" And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the school organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, "Dad, I want to do that."

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described "porker" who never ran more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he tried.
"Then it was me who was handicapped," Dick says. "I was sore for two weeks."

That day changed Rick's life. "Dad," he typed, "when we were running, it felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!"

And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.

"No way," Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then they found a way to get into the race officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the qualifying time for Boston the following year.

Then somebody said, "Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?"

How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon?
Still, Dick tried.

Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii. It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? "No way," he says. Dick does it purely for "the awesome feeling" he gets seeing Rick with a cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters.

Their best time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the time.

"No question about it," Rick types. "My dad is the Father of the Century."

And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries was 95% clogged. "If you hadn't been in such great shape," one doctor told him, "you probably would've died 15 years ago."

So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.

Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass., always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.

That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.

"The thing I'd most like," Rick types, "is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once."

Here's the video....

Yes I'm still alive

....barely *s*

The first couple of weeks back to work at school have been kicking my ass. I'm hoping to find my groove (hopefully a bruiseless one) soon. Wish me luck!

So what's new with you? Tell me something good!

I found a new (to me) author that I LURVE!!!

The cover art for On Fire's Wings by Christie Golden is what initially attracted my attention. After picking it up and reading the back I immediately had to check out the first few pages to see if it would live up to what looked to be a great book. I was drawn into the story right away *s* 20 pages later (yes I read 20 pages while standing in the bookstore) I HAD to bring it home. It was wonderous. I started reading it about 5:30 pm the day I bought it and finished it at about 10:45. Now I read fast but to sit and go through a book of 439 pages like that, without needing a break, is really unusual. There were no parts where I just skimmed through (which is something I've found myself doing a lot lately unfortunately).

It's a fantasy novel. The world building Ms. Golden has done is phenomenal. The characters are fantastic. The story is simply one of the best I've read.

From the back cover ... "She was born without caste or position in Arukan, a country that prozed both. Then a chance encounter led her to a better life. But it also brought her to danger and destiny. Because Kevla Bai-sha's fevered dreams - looming threats to their land and visions of dragons that had once watched over her people - held the promise of truth. Now Arukan - shadowed by mountains and myths - might be overcome by eternal darkness. Kevla, together with Jashemi-kha-Tahmu, rebel prince of the ruling household would defy alllaw, all tradition, to embark on a daring quest for the half-forgotten elementals that will save the world. And so Kevla must sacrifice everything ... only to be reborn in dragon's flames"
*sigh*

The following weekend I went out and bought the next book in the series In Stones Clasp and read that right away too. It was also fabulous and I eagerly await the third book. *sigh*

A Viral Blogging Experiment

I am participating in a blogging experiment hosted at dearauthor.com. To enter the contest, put up this blurb, image, and trackback and you are entered to win the following prize package.

• $200 Amazon gift certificate


• Signed copy of Slave to Sensation


• New Zealand goodies chosen by Singh


• ARC of Christine Feehan's October 31 release: Conspiracy Game

You can read about the experiment here and you can download the code that you need to participate here.

SLAVE TO SENSATION

Nalini Singh

Berkley / September 2006

Welcome to a future where emotion is a crime and powers of the mind clash brutally against those of the heart.

Sascha Duncan is one of the Psy, a psychic race that has cut off its emotions in an effort to prevent murderous insanity. Those who feel are punished by having their brains wiped clean, their personalities and memories destroyed.

Lucas Hunter is a Changeling, a shapeshifter who craves sensation, lives for touch. When their separate worlds collide in the serial murders of Changeling women, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities…or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation.

Excerpt

August TBR Challenge

August's challenge was to read a non romance genre book. This wasn't really a difficult thing for me to do because I will read (or at least try to read) pretty much any genre.
The Pact: a love story by Jodi Picoult Now the title says it's a love story ... and it is. It's an incredibly heart wrenching love story. It isn't, however, a romance. There is no happily ever after.

From the back cover "For eighteen years the Hartes and the Golds have lived next door to each other, sharing everything from Chinese food to chicken pox to carpool duty - they've grown so close it seems they have always been a part of each other's lives. Parents and children alike have been best friends - so it's no surprise that in high school Chris and Emily's friendship blossoms into something more. They've been soul mates since they were born.

So when midnight calls from the hospital come in, no one is ready for the appalling truth: Emily is dead at seventeen from a gunshot wound to the head. There's a single unspent bullet in the gun that Chris took from his father's cabinet - a bullet that Chris tells police he intended for himself. But a local detective has doubts about the suicide pact that Chris has described. As its chapters unfold, alternating between an idyllic past and an unthinkable present, "The Pact" paints an indelible portrait of families in anguish... culminating in an astonishingly suspenseful courtroom drama as Chris finds himself on trial for murder."

Even a couple of weeks after I finished this story it's difficult for me to find words that express how much this novel touched my heart.

Something I found incredibly interesting about this book was The Pact ended up being a banned book! You can listen to Ms. Picoult talk about this in a podcast here if you click on the Big Brother link.

This book is definitely a keeper. I'll also be looking for more novels by Jodi Piccoult. She is an amazing writer.

I'm trying to change my attitude ...

about going back to work (yikes! Only 1 more week!) So I decided to do something positive that's related to school.

I went out and bought a bunch of school supplies to give to the school for students who are in families that are struggling to make ends meet.

Cross your fingers for me that this works *s* I want to have a better, more positive year that I've had the last couple of years : )

Happy Birthday to my oldest niece : )

The first picture is her now (her and the middle niece *s*) and the second one is her 1 year old picture.

Happy Birthday Sweety!

July TBR Challenge completed

Title: Over the line

Author: Cindy Gerard

Year published: 2006

Why did you get this book? It's a part of a series that I've been reading.

Do you like the cover? It's okay.

Did you enjoy the book? well .... yes and no

Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? No Cindy Gerard is an author I've read a lot from and will continue to read.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? passing it on

Anything else? Okay ... this has been a bit of a hot topic on a few of the groups I'm on as well as on some blogs I read a lot. Condoms in romance novels. At one point in the book I wanted to toss it at a wall (but didn't because I throw like a girl and probably would have hit something else and broke it). I had to put it down for a while and come back to it. The hero and heroine had known each other for all of a couple of weeks maybe??? and the first time they had sex the hero was horrified (after the fact of course) that he hadn't used a condom. Okay...it happens, fine but THEN the heroine just said well I've been celibate for a long time and on birth control so it's okay. OH FOR CRAP SAKE!!! If it had stopped there it would have been tolerable but then they keep boinking like horny rabbits without protection!!!

dumbasses.

It took me out of the story each time they did it so I did some skimming (so I wouldn't do the wall tossing thing) past those parts.

I won't be buying the rest of the series.... at least not without a preview of the next book (taken from the library) to see if the next set of characters are smarter then these two.

I am a proud auntie again : )

My younger sister had a baby girl on Wednesday July 26. She weighed 7lbs 5 oz and is gorgeous!

I am a contest floozy *g *

From Lauren’s Blog via Angie's Blog ...

Introducing….

THE REALITY CHICK BUZZ THE BOOK contest!

The PRIZES:

(1) Your choice of either an iPod Shuffle, OR a fifty dollar Amazon.com gift certificate
(2) An autographed copy of REALITY CHICK by Lauren Barnholdt
(3) A copy of the August issue of Teen People, which lists REALITY CHICK as a Can’t-Miss Pick for August
(4) Free tuition to a session of Lauren’s YA writing class

THE CONTEST:

STEP ONE: Simply copy and paste this whole message (including the info about the contest) into any blog, message board, email list, myspace bulletin, or anywhere a lot of people will see it!

REALITY CHICK by Lauren Barnholdt is NOW IN STORES!

Going away to college means total independence and freedom. Unless of
course your freshman year is taped and televised for all the world to
watch. On uncensored cable.

Sweet and normal Ally Cavanaugh is one of five freshpeople shacking up
on In the House, a reality show filmed on her college campus. (As if
school isn’t panic-inducing enough!) The cameras stalk her like
paparazzi, but they also capture the fun that is new friends, old
crushes, and learning to live on your own.

Sure, the camera adds ten pounds, but with the freshman fifteen a given anyway, who cares?
Ally’s got bigger issues — like how her long-distance bf can watch her
loopy late-night “episode” with a certain housemate…

Freshman year on film.
It’s outrageous.
It’s juicy.
And like all good reality TV, it’s impossible to turn off.

IN STORES NOW!

Check out Lauren on the web at www.laurenbarnholdt.com or on her myspace at www.myspace.com/laurenbarnholdt

STEP TWO — Email Lauren at lauren (at) laurenbarnholdt.com and let her know you’ve posted about the contest and the book, and you’ll be entered to win the prize pack! The winner will be picked at random on September 1st. The more places you post, the more entries you get. Have fun and good luck!!!

The Naked Cowboy

Well not totally naked *g* He was wearing his jockeys, boots, hat (wouldn't be a cowboy without the boots and hat) and guitar.

At Bubba Gump's for Dinner

This guy was the best waiter evah!

another favourite *s*

I know it looks bad but I am NOT being arrested right here! (My sister said it looked like my hands were handcuffed behind my back *g* I should be so lucky! ~innocent look~)

One of my favourite Pictures *g*

Cheesy Statue of Liberty Hat

This was taken at the Empire State Building

Me at Spamalot

Museums museums museums

I don't think you can go to New York without visiting at least a couple of museums (or at least you shouldn't *g*) There are tons to choose from so there should be something for everyone. We bought New York City Passes (which give you admission into 6 different attractions. Most of them were ones I was interested in going to so we got the pass :) This first one wasn't one of my choices but it was close to something else we were doing so we were there for a short visit.

The Intrepid Air/Space Museum ~ We didn't stay at this one for too long. It is probably very interesting for people who are into American military history. I'm really not so it was a little too much patriotism (This isn't coming out right but I don't know how to say it *shrugs*) for my taste. It was pretty cool though seeing how incredibly enormous an aircraft carrier is.

The American Museum of Natural History ~ I loved this museum. I was really only able to explore a small portion of it though. There just wasn't enough time! Ideally a person would have at least a couple of days to go through this museum. There is just so much to see. My favourite exhibits were the fossil halls. They were WAY too cool!

The Guggenheim Museum ~ I was a bit disapointed that they were doing renovations to the exterior of this building. That is half the fun of the Guggenheim .... seeing Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture. The interiour is amazing though. I don't think any of the photos I took will give it justice though (photography was only allowed at the entrance level). My favourite exhibition here was the Year With Children 2006 ~ Selected Works from Learning Through Art.

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) ~ Vincent Van Gough ~ The Starry Night and Claude Monet ~ Reflections of Clouds on the Water Lily Pond (and so many more). I could have sat and looked at these amazing paintings for a long long time. It's definitely someplace I'd visit again (should I ever get back to NYC)

.... and finally The Museum of Sex ~ Well I can't say that going to the sex museum was something I'd do again with my sister and brother in law *g* It was definitely ... different??? LOL I can no longer claim that I've never seen a porno... or at least portions of a number of pornos *snort*

~me

I'm back!!!

and I had a fan-freaking-tastic time! I have to say I won't miss the smell (New York City in the summer time is rancid by the end of the day....all those bags of garbage just sitting there stinking up the place) but I know I'll miss everything else.

The sheer number of people there was almost overwhelming at times! The energy level is set at frenzy from the moment you step out of the hotel until the moment you get back. You have to not hate being in crowds to be able to cope in New York. I don't think I could live there ... I definitely want to go back again for another visit though. :)

We did so many things there! Plays, museums, a sight seeing harbour cruise, the Empire State Building, Times Square, Shopping...and the list goes on :)

For this blog I'm gonna tell you about the plays. In the week I was there I saw 5 plays and did the Today Show taping (was kinda dragged there but it was still cool).

On Saturday night we went to The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee THIS is a fantastic show! It's a musical about .... you guessed it .... a spelling bee *g*. It's a hard one to describe (I know you're thinking how can a musical about a spelling bee be all that entertaining *g*) but it's a definite must see.

On Sunday night we went to Avenue Q. Two words..... Puppet Porn *g* You have to see it to believe it *snort*

Monday night was an early night for us as we had to get up at dark o'clock in the morning to get to the taping of the Today Show the next morning. I think there might have been a glimpse of the sign my sister made showing at the beginning of the show but nothing after that of us in the audience (tall people were in front of us .... *muttering about damn tall people*).

Tuesday brought us to the show Drumstruck. If you love interactive experiences and you love music you will love this show. It's a South African drumming and singing group that goes for 1 1/2 hours drawing the audience into their music. You enter the auditorium and there is a 2 foot tall drum on every single seat. The half hour or so that you're there pre-show is absolute madness with almost everyone pounding on the drums with no skill whatsoever *g*. As soon as the show starts though it's like magic. The audience plays the drums (and yes it sounds fantastic *g* that's the magic part LOL) through the whole hour and a half.

Wednesday night was The Lion King. This show is jaw dropping, breath taking magic. I'd see it again in a heartbeat.

On Thursday night I went to see Spamalot. If you're a fan of Monty Python this show is a must see for you.

I lucked out this last week and saw only shows that I LOVED. I'd go back to any of them again with no hesitation. I don't even think I can pick a favourite. They were all so different from each other. It was an amazing week :)

~me

Erin the Graceful (not)

I was a collosal clutz today and smashed my right index finger in a door today (the whole nail is black and blue now *ICK* I've been icing it *OUCH* in the hopes that I don't have to get it lanced *or whatever you do to release the pressure under the nail when you smash it*).

On a happier note .... I GET TO GO ON VACATION IN 3 MORE SLEEPS!!! (counting tonight)

I'll post pictures or something like that when I get back :)

June TBR challenge completed

It was actually completed a while ago but I've been lazy about blogging about it. That isn't to say that Cast of Shadows by Kevin Guilfoile wasn't a really REALLY good read. Because it was. It took me a long time to get through it though. It wasn't a light read.

If you're looking for a few hours of brain candy, which I do love *g*, then you'll want to pass this book on to someone else. If you're looking for a story that makes you think 'what if ....' then this is a fantastic story. The ending PISSED ME OFF *g* I won't tell you why though. It was perfect but it made me say 'oh for CRAP sake' out loud.

Will I be keeping this book? Definitely. I'll also be lending it to others (who I can trust to give it back) to read. I'll also be looking for more from this author.

Tell me something good today

PLEASE!

I'm tired of being sad.

I'm tired of a lot of things.

My grandmother died early this morning (this is incidental to everything in my life right now really. That sounds incredibly harsh but it was a blessing. She'd been in terrible pain for a few years and this has been coming for a while. When she did die it was peaceful for her. She hugged her nurse, said good night and I love you and died in her sleep. I am NOT asking for sympathy or anything like that.)

I'm tired of people who can only complain.

I'm tired of people who can only whine about stuff (so really right now I'm really pissing myself off but oh well. I'm hopefully getting this out of my system and I'll be able to get over it soon.

I'm tired of people who can only poke fun and not celebrate the good things in life.

I'm just TIRED.

I need someone to tell me something good.

So what is something GOOD that is happening in your life.

***This will be one of the times I delete posts. If there is anything negative it will be gone...as soon as I figure out HOW to delete it LOL

~Erin

I'm burnt out

I can't remember ever being as exhausted and tired of work as I have been this year (and trust me, last year was a HELL year!) and it's taken me a LONG time to figure out what was wrong.

All of the staff I am with through the day have been incredibly NEGATIVE and it's extremely tiring to be around. EVERY single day is filled with complaining and bitching and plain old being mean. I'm somewhat to fault for this for keeping my mouth shut. No I'm not an angel, I do some of the bitching too. The difference between me and the other (2 specifically) is mine is not constant AND I haven't been putting someone else in the uncomfortable position of being in the middle of things. I'm too tired to argue and if I ask them to stop or if I try to say the opposite of what they're saying about some of the other people we work with it turs into a fight. It's just not worth it (to my mental health).

I'm done.

I've made the decision to actively look for something different (and by different I think I need to even change fields I work in. I'M TOO BURNT OUT) after I get back from my holiday in July.

I'm too young to be hating my life lol.

and on that note I'm going to put in something positive I found on Sheri's blog and was given permission from her to put here. (sorry if I'm babbling)

Heavenly Father, Help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.

Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.

Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought to get a job!) is a slave to addictions that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares.

Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go shopping together.

Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear. Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all humanity. Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy and love.

YAY

One month from TODAY I will be in New York!!!! I am taking a 1 week vacation this summer :) (my first in about 15 years)


I CAN'T WAIT!!!!


Now I just have to get through the rest of this month before I'm done my school job.

Cross your fingers for me :)

A moral delima....

I'm about a third of the way through my June TBR challenge book (which is fantastic so far btw) and I just didn't want to wait 'til the book was done to comment on it.

I'm reading Cast of Shadows by Kevin Guilfoile . It isn't an easy read (even though it's an extremely interesting book). I've been surprised that I'm reading as slowly as I have been with it. (normally I'd be finished this book by now) It's a thinker though so I've been taking my time.

My question is this .... Imagine that your child was raped and murdered and the person who did this is out there somewhere .... but no one knows who it is. Imagine now that you are a doctor who deals with cutting edge genetic reproductive techniques and you have the capabilities to clone humans.... you can create a clone of the person who did this to your child....

So what would you do?

May TBR Challenge Completed!

The challenge this month was to either read a book from the TBR stack that had something to do with the military/law enforcement/something related to the law in any way OR a book that was originally an e-book. I tried to pick a book that was both (in a way).

** just a note - this was a difficult TBR challenge for me. I started a few different books that I just couldn't finish for a number of reasons. I was SO HAPPY when I remembered I had Gypsy Heart on my computer! (Well I was SO HAPPY when I remembered I had it AND that it completely captivated me as soon as I started reading it!)

The book I chose is called Gypsy Heart by Sasha White and you can buy it here .

Title: Gypsy Heart

Author: Sasha White

Year published: This copy was published this year. It was previously released with a different e-book publisher though. I'm not sure when that was.

Why did you get this book? I met Sasha at a book signing for another author (Vivi Anna) and REALLY enjoyed talking to her. She is such an outgoing person and immediately made me feel at ease (I'd promised to say hi to Vivi Anna even though I'm painfully shy offline and was quite nervous about doing it ... yes I know it's silly but I'm silly LOL) As soon as I could, after meeting her, I bought this story :)

Do you like the cover? YES! It's fantastic. Samhain has lucked out with cover artists for their books!

Did you enjoy the book? I loved it! I made the colossal mistake of starting to read this book at about 11pm about a week ago. I couldn't stop reading it! Sasha created a story that engaged me from the first sentence and made me not want to stop reading until I had no choice (the story was over lol)

Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? The author was new to me in that I'd never read any of her books. I'd seen her on the yahoo groups though and had talked to her a bit in them. I'll definitely be reading more by Sasha White. This is a great story.

Are you keeping it or passing it on? Well it's an e-book so I can't pass it on even if I wanted to lol It's definitely a keeper though and I'll probably end up buying the print version when it's released.

Anything else? The connection to law enforcement is this - The hero (Gage)is an environmental investigator for Alberta Environment.

If you are a person who loves a fantastic story with well developed characters, you'll really enjoy this book. You do need to keep in mind though that this book is an erotic romance. It contains explicit sex and graphic language. It's definitely not a 'sweet' romance.

My favourite girls

I just had to share this picture. I love the joy that I see here! They're having so much fun together *g*

More on Broken by Kelley Armstrong

...well actually not a whole lot more. I keep trying to write down something about this story and I just can't seem to do it without giving away too many spoilers. I HATE when people give away the good bits (and trust me the whole book is good bits *g*) so I just want to say...read this book BUT only read it after you've read the rest of the series. There is soooooooooooo much going on in this story that I believe it is better enjoyed when read in proper order.

Kelley Armstrong has such an amazing way of creating characters and a story that makes the reader want to never put the book down. You want to stay in the worlds of these people. If you don't believe me, go to Kelley's website. She has a very active discussion board there along with many other goodies for her readers. Just make sure you have plenty of time to explore when you visit there. :)

Last week I read ..... Broken by Kelley Armstrong

From the blurb on Kelley's website ...

When half-demon Xavier calls in the favour Elena owes him, it seems easy enough, steal Jack the Ripper's 'From Hell' letter away from a Toronto collector who had himself stolen it from the Ripper evidence boxes. But nothing in the supernatural world is ever as simple as it seems. Elena accidentally triggers a spell placed on the letter, and opens a dimensional portal into Victorian London, releasing zombies, disease, and maybe a notorious serial killer himself.

You can read the first chapter of this UNBELIEVABLE book at www.kelleyarmstrong.com . Broken is book 6 in a series. All books can be read on their own but are MUCH better read, in my opinion, in order. I'll get back later with more on this book/series :) If you haven't tried Kelley Armstrong though why the hell not? She's an unbelievable author who I'm not ashamed to say I'm (almost) a rabid fan girl with *g*

*sigh*

I've had to put 4 books to the side (one of them for the second time) this week because I'm bored with them.

That's about $40 wasted.

I'll go back to them in a couple of months and hopefully they'll appeal to me then.

What is your brain's pattern?

Your Brain's Pattern

Your mind is an incubator for good ideas, it just takes a while for them to develop. But when you think of something, watch out! Your thoughts tend to be huge, and they come on quickly - like an explosion. You tend to be quiet around others, unless you're inspired by your next big idea.

What Pattern Is Your Brain?

Goddess of the Rose

Goddess of the Rose by P.C. Cast
From the back cover...

With the Goddess Summoning series, "mythology has never been so fun"* Now return to this "mythic world of humor and verve:** with a tale that mixes one part Beauty and the Beast with one part Sleeping Beauty - and ten parts steamy romance...
*Romance Reviews Today
**Puglishers Weekly

So basically, Mikki (Mikado) is descended from a long line of women who are high priestesses, in the Realm of the Rose, to the Goddess Hecate. Mikki of course doesn't know of the priestess part (initially) but she does know of the family secret that is used to keep the families roses in award winning blooms every year. A secret she's quite uneasy with as it is something that 'normal' people don't do (mix a bit of blood with the water on a full moon and watering the roses). She takes great pains to hide this family 'recipe' from the world, taking care of her roses and performing this ceremony in secret. She also has never been able to find a man that can hold her interest.

On her way home from yet another horrible attempt at blind dating, she wanders through a park where a play is being rehearsed. When the lead actress can't be found for a sound check the crew convinces her to take the place of that actress...bringing us to the point where she inadvertantly performs a sacred ritual (that only works because of her family bloodline) and wakes the Beast (Guardian of the Realm of the Roses who'd pissed off the Goddess and subsequently turned into a statue until the next priestess could waken him) and is taken to the Realm.

THIS is the point in which I truly started enjoying the story. P.C. Cast has an incredible talent for choosing the perfect words (most of the time *g*) that weave a truly fantastic story. Once I reached this point (which I only reached because I KNEW that it had to get amazing. P.C. Cast couldn't do anything un-amazing...it just took a lot longer in this story than it usually does) I could NOT put the book down.

The book actually started out quite good. I was really enjoying myself and was prepared for another fantastic read ... but then during the date it happened. The Rant. The part of the book where Mikki slammed the idiot blind date dude with words defending the romance novels she loved and he'd deemed 'trashy romance novels'. Yes I agreed with what Mikki said. NO I did NOT want to read about it in the novel I was reading. It totally took me out of the story in a WTF moment of epic proportions.

After I re-read the offending passages with a 'she really wrote that there???' frame of mind I decided to get over it and keep on reading. Thank god Ms. Cast was done with the ranting *g* I was able to re-immerse myself into the world she created and thoroughly loved the rest of the book.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys books in the romantic fantasy genre (or who would like to try this genre out). Just keep in mind that you'll have to get through a few pages of rant dialogue *s*

Is it June 30 yet?

That is one of the worst things about our school year up here. It goes on and on and on and on....until the end of June. There are still way too many days left to be counting down but.... I'm starting to develop a twitch and facial ticks (I think) *sigh*