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Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Wondrous Words Wednesday!


Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted at bermudaonion.wordpress.com.  Every Wednesday we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered while reading.  If you want to play along, grab the button, and join the fun!  Leave a link to your post in the comment section!   Don't forget to head over to bermudaonion.wordpress.com and leave your link there too!

This weeks word came from


Before I post my "new to me word", I have to say that it is a word I have used before, but I used it to mean something else. In fact, I have heard numerous people use the word to mean the same thing I used it for. Although I have never used it to mean what it meant in the book, I was able to figure out what it meant without the dictionary, but just to reassure myself I typed it into google!   When I entered the word into google, some of the results made me chuckle!!


This week's word is pasties.
pasties -  adhesive coverings applied to a person's nipples or vulva 
The sentence it was used in was  ' She was wearing rhinestone pasties and a red thong.'  
 (bling for the boobies! Yes!  That was a description I got when I entered pasties into google)
Did you know what pasties were? Did you think it meant something else? 
What new word did you discover this week? 
Leave a comment, or a link to your post below!


Monday, September 27, 2010

Hidden Wives by Claire Avery




from goodreads.com
Fifteen-year-old Sara and her beautiful sister, Rachel, are too young to legally drive a car—but are approaching spinsterhood in Utah’s secret Blood of the Lamb polygamist community. Having long since reached the “age of preparedness,” they will soon be married off to much older men selected by the hidden sect’s revered Prophet. As Sara, chosen to become her uncle’s fifth wife, grows more distraught over her impending incestuous marriage, she begins to scrutinize the faith she has followed blindly her entire life. But for Rachel, who will be married to one of the many powerful community leaders vying for her hand, disobeying the Prophet means eternal damnation. Her friendship with the newest member of the community, the young and handsome Luke, starts as an attempt to save his agnostic soul, but ends with the pair falling helplessly in love. When Rachel is forbidden to see him, her absolute faith in the Prophet is severely tested. When Rachel’s future husband is finally announced, violence erupts, and the girls must find the strength to escape the only life they have ever known…before it’s too late.


I read this book earlier this month, but have been struggling with writing a review.  Not because I didn't like it, because I really did. Rather, because there is so much that I want to say, but can not without spoiling it for other readers.

Sara and Rachel are sisters, biologically half-sisters, whose family are members of a cult Utah's Blood of the Lamb, a Mormon community that practices polygamy.  They live with their father, several mothers (any more than 1 is too many IMO), and siblings.  Their father is both physically and mentally abusive.

Sara, the stronger of the two, is a smart girl.  She questions the faith in which they have been raised.  She knows that many things that are being done within the community are just "not right".  When she learns that she is to marry her paternal uncle, and become the mother of some of his children, her cousins, she decides that she needs to get out of there! She loves her sister, and does not want to leave without her.  So, she must help Rachel realize that they must leave.  This is not an easy task as Rachel truly believes all that she has been taught, and that she must obey the laws of the Blood of The Lamb community or face eternal damnation.
With the help of a couple of friends, which they are not supposed to have, Sara and Rachel are able to escape!

I absolutely loved this book. I thought Sara was a great character. I loved her from the beginning.  I loved that despite her upbringing she was so smart, and strong, and was able to form her own beliefs and opinions. Rachel on the other hand, I was not so struck on. There were times when I wanted to reach right into the book and shake her, and tell her that she needed to listen to Sara!  However, Rachel grew on me, and I ended up really liking her, and found myself 'cheering her on'.

This book is definitely one that I will not soon forget. Though it is a work of fiction, I felt I learned a lot from it.  There were times it made me chuckle, (not too many though), times it made me sigh, and times it made me gasp. There were even a couple of times it made me shed a tear, or two.  It is one of the best books I have read this year. I highly recommend it. I suggested my online book group read it this month, and we are!  This is a book I would have no problem paying full price for. It is worth every penny, and more!   If you have not read this book, you should.

If you have read this book, I would love to know what you thought of it. Let me know in the comment section. If you have reviewed this book on your blog, or any other site, leave a link to it.



Sunday, September 26, 2010

The Fall Catch Up Read-a-thon has ended!

This week I participated in the Fall Catch Up Read-a- thon hosted by Michelle at The True Book Addict . It ran from 8am Sept. 20th until 8:00 this evening. Unfortunately, I was not able to actually start on the 20th, and did not have as much time to devote to it as I would have liked. However, I am happy to say that I did start, and finish, two books. I read Tough Customer by Sandra Brown and The Bird Lady by Judy Lunsford.  I also started The Insider by Reece Hirsch, one of the books on my list of alternates!
YAY! I completed my first challenge! I am looking forward to participating in more reading challenges.

 Do you participate in reading challenges? Do you host a reading challenge? Do you know of any reading challenges that may interest me?  I look forward to your responses, so please leave a comment!

Well, that's it for now. I need to go take some medication and try to get some rest.


Friday, September 24, 2010

Fall Catch Up Read-a-thon Update and Mini-challenge!

I have not gotten as much reading done as I would have liked. However, I think I have done a fair amount considering the circumstances!  I didn't get any reading time in at all on Monday. I was busy with pre-op appointments and just getting things ready. I didn't get much done Tuesday either, and then I had surgery Wednesday. I managed to get some reading done while I was waiting to register, and while waiting for my surgery.  I managed to get some reading done at home Wednesday evening. On Thursday I ended  up rereading what I had read Wednesday evening, since I couldn't remember most of it. (Ok, I cracked. I had to do it. I took the painkillers. I had to!)
Anyway, I think I will finish the two books I had hoped to finish. I am on page 253 of Tough Customer by Sandra Brown, and page 90 of The Bird Lady by Judy Lunsford.

Here is the mini-challenge hosted by Michelle at The True Book Addict.

The task for this mini-challenge is to go the the American Library Association (ALA) banned books page HERE and look on the left sidebar.  There is a menu titled Frequently Challenged Books organized by years, authors, decades, etc.  Take a look at these lists and pick one book that you have read, then tell me why you read it (did you read it specifically because of its banned status?), what your thoughts on the book were and anything else you might want to share about the book (why you would recommend it or why not).  If you have not read any of the books, pick one you would like to read and tell me about the book and why you want to read it.

Ok I checked out a few of the categories, and was surprised at what I found. I have read a few of the books listed. 
 Books that I have read that are on the lists are:

The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Catcher in The Rye by J.D Salinger
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Forever by Judy Blume
Goosebumps series
Anastasia Krupnik  (series) by Lois Lowry
Blubber by Judy Blume
Christine by Stephen King
Olive's Ocean by Kevin Henkes
A Time to Kill by John Grisham
Are You There, God?  It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume 
Charlotte's Web by E. B. White 

The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Catcher in The Rye by J.D Salinger, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck were books that I read for English classes in high school. I have re read them since. I enjoyed all three of them.
I read the Lois Lowry, and the Judy Blume ones when I was a kid. I recently reread Forever as part of a YA reading challenge.  I also read Olive's Ocean for that challenge. (I really enjoyed it, and can't think of why it is a banned/challenged book?)
I can not believe that Charlotte's Web made the lists.  Charlotte's Web is my all time favourite  book. It was the first book I ever read completely on my own, and I read it numerous times. I currently own 6 copies of it. One of them is the original copy I read in, ummmm, 1983! 
I enjoyed every book that I listed here, and honestly can't think of a single reason  not to recommend any one of them!
Well, that's it for now! If I plan on finishing the 2 books I wanted to read this week, in time to complete the challenge, I need to get at it!

Following Friday

Let's Just Give It Away






Why don't you join in  too?





1. Link up your blog URL on Mr Linky.
2. Follow the Hostesses ( and leave a comment so they can follow you back).
3. Grab The Following Friday button and paste it somewhere on your blog or in a post.
4. Follow as many blogs as you like and when they follow you, follow them back. (leave a comment on their blog so they can follow you back)


If you decide to follow my blog, please leave a comment, as well as your link so that I can follow your blog as well!



Fun Follow Friday

My Wee View




Welcome to Fun Follow Friday hosted by Simply Stacie and My Wee View. The goal of this hop is to get new Google Friend Connect Followers for your blog and be introduced to new blogs to follow.


If you decide to follow my blog, please leave a comment, as well as your link so that I can follow your blog as well!





Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Wondrous Words Wednesday!

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted at bermudaonion.wordpress.com Every Wednesday we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered while reading.  If you want to play along, grab the button, and join the fun!  Leave a link to your post in the comment section!   Don't forget to head over to bermudaonion.wordpress.com and leave your link there too!

This week's word comes from 
The  first word I encountered was vernacular.  I think I may have heard it before, but I am not 100% sure.

vernacular-  noun
  1. the native language or dialect of a country or place
  2. the common, everyday language of ordinary people in a particular locality
  3. the shoptalk or idiom of a profession or trade
The sentence was  " Your vernacular is still colorful, I see."
The second word I encountered was brusque

brusque- adj

1. markedly short and abrupt

2. blunt in manner or speech often to the point of ungracious harsh

This is how it was used "Characteristically you mean? Serious. All business. Watchful. A man of few words. Even a bit brusque at times."

What new words did you encounter this week? Leave a link in the comments. If you do not have a blog, feel free to leave your new words in the comment section!




Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Fall Catch-Up Read-a-thon

Finally! I have time to post this! Michelle, The True Book Addict , is hosting a read-a-thon this week. It is being held from Sept. 20 th @ 8 am until Sept. 26th at 8 pm.
Of course, participants are not expected to read all day, every day! For all the details, and/or to sign up click HERE.

This is the perfect week for me to participate in a read-a-thon, seeing as I will be spending quite a bit of time laying down recuperating! Chances are I won't get to read as much as I would like to as I will be taking pain killers (I say that now, but anyone that knows me, knows I HATE taking any medications!), and I will also need to spend some time with my children!

Here is a list of books that I hope to finish
Tough Customer by Sandra Brown
The Bird Lady by Judy Lunsford

Alternates
Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves
Insider by Reese Hirsch
How it Ends by Laura Weiss
Miracle Cure by Michael Palmer
Family Tree by Barbara Delinsky


I am not sure how many of them I will finish. I am not sure how many of them I will start either....lol! I am a mood reader so if none of these capture my interest at that moment, I will read some of the books that I have here, that I own, but have not read yet. I am sure I can find something. I have nearly 200 books here that I haven't read yet!  I will list exactly what I read during the read-a-thon once I am done.

Hope you will join the read-a-thon too!
Happy Reading!


I may be MIA

What a crazy week last week!  On Friday afternoon, I left town for a few days.  I went to Niagara Falls for my cousin's wedding. The wedding was beautiful. The food was horrible. The menu was great, but the food was not. No one at our table at more than a bite of anything. Not even dessert! My son was quite the handful. He ran around like a maniac for hours! He had a great time, and I sure got some needed exercise!
Anyway, I got home Sunday evening, and have been busy doing things since. I am going in for surgery tomorrow morning. I am not sure when I will be posting again.  I am hoping I have time this evening to schedule a couple of posts.
If not, I am sorry! I will be back to posting as soon as I can!

Friday, September 17, 2010

Fun Follow Friday





Welcome to Fun Follow Friday hosted by Simply Stacie and My Wee View. The goal of this hop is to gain new Google Friend Connect Followers for your blog and to be introduced to new blogs to follow yourself!  It is fun and easy!  All you have to do is add your blog link and start blog hopping and following away! You aren’t required to write a post for your blog for Fun Follow Friday unless you want to. ( I think it only makes sense though! If you want to participate, why not post about it?)
When you visit a blog that you like and want to follow, leave them a comment with your link telling them you are following from the Fun Follow Friday





Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Wondrous Words Wednesday!


Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted at bermudaonion.wordpress.com Every Wednesday we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered while reading.  If you want to play along, grab the button, and join the fun!  Leave a link to your post in the comment section!   Don't forget to head over to bermudaonion.wordpress.com and leave your link there too!

I learned a few new words this week.  They are from


Before I post the words, I want to say that I loved the fact that I learned these new words, and didn't have to use a dictionary.  When the words were used, so was the meaning of it.

apostasise- to leave the faith
The sentence was " The worst sin was to apostasise: to leave the faith."

echolalia- an uncontrollable impulse to repeat things that are heard.   Although I didn't really need to, it was more for interest, I looked this one up and this is the definition
1. Psychiatry The immediate and involuntary repetition of words or phrases just spoken by others, often a symptom of autism or some types of schizophrenia  
2. An infant's repetition of the sounds made by others, a normal occurrence in childhood development.
The sentence was " I have a condition called echolalia. It's an uncontrollable impulse to repeat things that I hear."

What new words did you encounter this week?



Monday, September 13, 2010

Meh!

I have had a kinda crappy day today. I didn't get much sleep last night, and my son has been in a terrible mood. Combine that with the fact that today would have been my grandfather's birthday, and TADA I have a terrible day.
My grandfather passed away unexpectedly on July 31st 2010. It came as quite a shock, and was (and still is) really hard for me to deal with.

My grandfather was a hard worker.  He was born and raised in Italy. His father passed away when he was only nine years old. With his mom and four sisters at home, he became the man of the house.  He left school, and started working.  He continued to work to support his mother and sisters until they no longer needed him to.  His sisters had all married  by the time he and my grandmother married in 1952. They had their first child, a son, nine and a half months later. He passed away, at almost four months old, of what would now be called SIDS.  They went on to have four more children before emigrating to Canada in 1968.  They had their last child in 1971, just a few years before I came along!
I spent a lot of time at my grandparents' house when I was growing up. My grandfather didn't speak much English, and I didn't speak much Italian, but we managed just fine. He spoke to me in Italian, which I totally understand, and I spoke to him in English which he understood. I remember spending a lot of time in the backyard of  my grandparents' home. My grandmother had a beautiful flower garden, and my grandfather had a HUGE fruit and vegetable garden. At the very back of his garden, my grandfather had this hole he had dug, and a small pile of dirt beside it. He would always gather up the "scraps", and throw them in there, and then throw a bit of dirt on top (we all thought it was a little weird!).  I had no idea why he did it, but I wanted to do it just because he did.   I felt honoured whenever he let me do it! His garden meant a lot to him, and I loved that he included me in it! Of course, years later I realized what he was doing is called composting!
I miss my grandfather everyday, but more so on special days like today.

In case you are wondering why the posted is titled Meh!, it is because "meh" was a word my grandfather used to indicate he didn't know or it didn't matter, and sometimes just because he didn't know what else to say.



Sunday, September 12, 2010

5 star read!



Summary (taken from goodreads.com)
Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker—his classmate and crush—who committed suicide two weeks earlier.
On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out how he made the list.
Through Hannah and Clay’s dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers. 

My summary and thoughts!
Hannah Baker has decided to end her life. There are 13 reasons why. Before doing so, she records a set of audiotapes. On these tapes she talks about various experiences, and people involved in them. These experiences are the reasons she has decided to end her life.
She has recorded these tapes for the individuals involved in these experiences to listen to. To let them know that they were "one of the reasons why". The morning of her final day, she mails them out. Once someone receives the tapes, they are to listen to all of them, and once done, send them on to the next person on the tapes. The individuals named are also told that there is a second copy of these tapes out there, and if they do not do as asked the second set will be released publicly.
The reader "listens" to these tapes with Clay, a fellow classmate and crush. we see his reaction.  I would have liked to see some of the reactions by other people on the tapes as well.
As someone that has lost a loved one to suicide, it was an emotional read, but a great read nonetheless.
I felt many different emotions over the course of this book. I felt sympathy for Hannah, and also for Clay. I was angry with some of the other characters from the tapes. And I was also a little upset with Hannah. It seemed like she just expected people to know how she felt, without ever getting close enough to anyone to share her feelings.
Even though I felt some sympathy for some of those that are forced to listen to the tapes,(mainly Clay and Tony), I also felt a little jealous. I kind of wished Ash had left something to help with all of the unanswered questions we were left with.
This is a great novel. I believe the author to be very talented, as it was all so realistic, and I truly felt like I knew her. I look forward to reading more from Jay Asher.
If you have not read this book, you really should! It is a great read!  If you can, listen to the audiobook. I  listened to the audiobook after reading the novel. I LOVED it just as much, maybe even a little bit more!


Friday, September 10, 2010

Book Beginnings on Friday


Book Beginnings on Friday is a meme hosted by  Becky at Page Turners. Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence of your current read, making sure that you include the title and author so others know what you're reading. If you like, share with everyone why you do, or do not, like the sentence.



'Chapter One

For as long as Sara could remember, she jolted awake every morning, startled to be alive.'

I thought that this was a great opening sentence. It captured my attention.

So, what was your book beginning? Please feel free to post a link here.



Wednesday, September 8, 2010

I played along! Now, it's your turn!

I came across this post on Senora G's blog Reading, Reading, & Life. I thought it was a neat idea, a great way to learn a little bit about fellow bloggers. Multiplemama tagged a bunch of bloggers for this fun bloggie game.  I decided I would like to play along! So here are my answers to the questions!
1. Why did you start blogging?
I started blogging for a couple of reasons. Mostly, because I felt that I need a place to express my thoughts.
2. If you could travel any where in the world with no restriction of costs, where would it be and why?
I would love to go to Italy again. Both times that I went to Italy, it was a last minute thing. Once was because my paternal grandfather had passed away, and the next was because my paternal grandmother was very ill, and was asking to see my sister and myself before she passed away. All of our time was spent in tiny little villages, and though they were beautiful, I would really have liked to see Rome and Venice.  I would love to go to Italy, and visit Rome, Venice,  Florence, Naples, and many other places. Of course, I would stop in Montescaglioso, Matera which is the little village where my dad was born and raised, to visit family. I would also stop in Gimigliano, a very small town in Calabria (Catanzaro) where my mother was born, as I have a great aunt, and a few cousins living there, as well as Torino, where my mom lived for a few years before coming to Canada at 12
3. Did you have a teacher in school that had a great influence on your life? If so, what?
That's a tough one. Two teacher's pop into my mind.  Mr. C , and Mrs. B (AKA Crazy B), both of whom were great teachers. I had both of them for 2 years. ( I went to a small school and we had split classes. They taught grades 7 and 8) They were great. They were my favourite teachers even before I got to grade 7....lol! Everybody loved them. Well, except for Jack and Nicole, but I won't go there!
4. If you could spend the day with a famous person, who would it be, and what would you do?

I don't even have to think about it. I would choose to spend my day with....are you ready???? Tommy Lee.  What would we do?? I can't tell you that. It will make you blush!!! (and my blog is open to those under 18....lol)
Just kidding.....we would talk. And I would have him play the drums and sing for me. Ya.......that is what we would do!!
5. Toilet paper — over or under?

I can't believe how many people get this wrong!!!   The toilet paper comes from UNDER the roll!!  UNDER !!  (I have a problem with toilet paper coming from the top. If I happen to be in a bathroom, and it is the WRONG way, I will fix it, and put it UNDER, before I use it!  No, I don't put it back to the wrong way when I am done!
6. Name one thing in your life that you would do over if possible.

I am not sure I can answer that. 
7. Tell about your pets — if any.
One dog , two cockatiels.
8. Do you live in a small town or a large town. (You don’t have to name the town.)
I live in a city of about 125,000 people. It used to be 3 separate towns.  TAG you’re it! Yes....you!! Take the same eight questions and answer them on your blog!
This post is a blog hop so leave your link.



Tuesday, September 7, 2010

A YA novel I recently read

I was at the library, and spotted this book. The cover is beautiful, and I was drawn to it. I was intrigued by the title, so I checked it out!


Description from goodreads.com

Daelyn Rice is broken beyond repair, and after a string of botched suicide attempts, she's determined to get her death right. She starts visiting a website for "completers"- www.through-the-light.com. 
While she's on the site, Daelyn blogs about her life, uncovering a history of bullying that goes back to kindergarten. When she's not on the Web, Daelyn's at her private school, where she's known as the freak who doesn't talk.
Then, a boy named Santana begins to sit with her after school while she's waiting  for her parents to pick her up. Even though she's made it clear that she wants to be left alone, Santana won't give up. And it's too late for Daelyn to be letting people into her life. Isn't it?

So......what did I think?

I am not really sure how I feel about this book. It is about a girl, Daelyn, that has been bullied for as long as she can remember. As the title suggests, she is suicidal. Reading about what she has been through and what she continues to go through was not easy. I pitied her. 
It is evident that the author did her research, and it is well written. Though I did think it was a decent read, I would not want my daughter to read it, cause you just never know. (My daughter is bullied, and I wouldn't want her to get any ideas!) I would not recommend this for anyone that is bullied, or depressed. 
By the time I finished reading the book I knew a bunch of ways to kill oneself! I also knew roughly how long it would take to work, how painful it would be, and how to go about doing it! All that info in this short book. It sure could save a suicidal teen a lot of research! 
I wouldn't really recommend this book,  except maybe to a bully, with the hopes that it could  help them understand how their victims feel. 
With that being said, I would rate this book about a 3 out of 5.  It was  well written. I will be reading more of the author's work, as she is a good writer.


Friday, September 3, 2010

Book Beginnings on Friday



Book Beginnings on Friday is a meme hosted by  Becky at Page Turners. Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence of your current read, making sure that you include the title and author so others know what you're reading. If you like, share with everyone why you do, or do not, like the sentence.

When I went to post the links to Page Turners, and to the current Book Beginnings on Friday post on the host blog, I noticed that she was unable to post today, so there is no linky! I am going to post anyway. Hopefully with some help from google, I will find posts by other participants!



"  Cassie and Ken walked out of the bar together at seven-thirty. "

I guess it isn't a horrible first sentence, but it isn't the greatest! I have never read any of Robyn Carr's books before. I have heard a lot of good things though. I know a bunch of girls that I chat with on goodreads.com really enjoy her books.  I can't remember which friend it was, but one of them suggested that I try her, so I am!  I thought I would start with a stand alone novel, rather than a series, just to see if I like her writing style.  If all goes well, I will start The Virgin River series, which a bunch of "my girls" are raving about!


I'm baaaaacckk!!!

I am back! My computer seems to be running okay now. Not exactly sure what was wrong with it, but whatever it was, is no longer a problem. I left the computer off for about 24 hrs, and then turned it on, hoping to be able to figure out what was wrong with it. Well, it loaded fine, and I have not had any issues since. I ran a couple of different virus scans, and there were no threats detected.
Things have been a little hectic around here. I haven't really had any time to post anything. I have had very little time to myself, and the time I have had, I have spent reading, and updating my shelves on goodreads.com.
 Oh yeah, I also spent some time browsing  csnstores.com . !  I won a $100 gift code in a contest. Now I have to decide what I would like to use it for! With over 200 stores, they have everything! I just can't decide. The CSN Stores representative that I have been communicating with is on holidays until Tuesday, so I have a couple more days to decide!  Once I do, I will let you know what I have chosen!
Yesterday was my daughter's 12th birthday! I can't believe how fast time has gone by. I still remember the day I had her like it was yesterday. To be honest, I kind of wish it was.  Of course, that is because there is so much I would have done differently. I miss when she was a baby, a toddler, my little girl.
Anyway, I have babbled long enough!  I need to move on to my next post!  I really enjoyed the Book Beginnings On Friday meme I participated in for the last couple of weeks, and want to get a post up tonight too. I still have 45 minutes or so!!