The happily ever after . . .

Get Excited for Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas & Book Giveaway

2012-01-27T14:21:00.000-05:00

Oh how I wish I was giving away copies of Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas, but no. I'm afraid I'm going to have to sit tight and wait for this book's release just like the rest of you.

You ARE anxiously awaiting Rainshadow Road, too, right? Did you read the first chapter excerpt on Lisa's website yet? No?! What are you waiting for? Go read it HERE. Go ahead and read it right now. I'll wait for you....

So what did you think? I love this opening scene. Already I'm in love with the Pacific Northwest setting. I was lucky to visit the region two summers ago with my family, so I can attest to the grandness of it's natural and rugged beauty and I can see why Lisa Kleypas chose this particular setting for her Friday Harbor series. It truly is a majestic place and invokes a sense of both peace and wonder.

As for Lucy Marinn and Sam Nolan, in just one opening scene, we can see there's a subtle chemistry between them, don't you think? I can already tell their relationship is going to be a sweet discovery, although it's not going to be so straightforward. There's some obstacles in this love story of which we already know and I'm sure even more to come as the story progresses. One thing we definitely know about Lucy is her strong sense of caution when it comes to relationships with men, and who can blame her after the awful break up she's going through. Oh, but you haven't heard the details of that one yet, have you? Well, as a member of Lisa's Divas I was able to read the second chapter excerpt recently, and let me tell you the break-up is a tough one. I hope Sam is good at convincing Lucy of love and happily ever after. Although, to tell you the truth--he's going to need some convincing of the possibility of that, too! I can't wait to see how Lisa Kleypas brings these two characters together.

To help get you psyched for the February 28, 2012 release of Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas, I'm giving away three beautifully bound hardcover copies of the first book by Lisa that introduces us to Friday Harbor and the Nolan brothers.... Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor.

Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor is the story of Mark Nolan and Maggie Collins, the owner of a very special toy store in Friday Harbor. This heartwarming story is so charming and will leave you believing in the magic of love.

You can read my review of Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor HERE. I can't believe I read it way back in October 2010! That was many, many books ago for me, but the characters, their story and the setting!--are still fresh in my mind.

Want to be entered for a chance to win Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor? Just follow these steps and rules:

Leave a comment below telling me your favorite book by Lisa Kleypas and you're entered in the giveaway.
Haven't read a book yet by Lisa Kleypas? Then leave a comment below telling me why you'd like to read this one.
Be sure to leave your email address in your comment if it is not easily found on your profile.
Open to US and Canada only. It's out of my budget to mail outside these two zones--I'm sorry.
Giveaway ends on Friday, February 3, 2012, 5 pm EST at which time I'll use random.org to select three winners.
Winners will be notified by email and have three days to get back to me with their mailing information or their prize will be forfeited and another winner will be selected.

Good luck!

To discover more about Lisa Kleypas and her books, visit her website at http://LisaKleypas.com.

There's also a great interview with Lisa that includes a lot of talk about Rainshadow Road at SmartBitches website HERE. The book giveaway is over, but do go read the interview with Lisa--it's very good!

NOTE: I'm one of "Lisa's Divas" - a group of select fans who share info & content related to Lisa's novels and get sneak peeks & swag in return. Including the copies of Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor provided for this giveaway!

Library Loot XLVI

2012-01-25T17:51:00.001-05:00

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries! This week's Library Loot is at Marg's.

My first library loot post of 2012! Last year, 47 out of the 100 books I read were borrowed from the library! Can you tell I love the library? :)
Cookbooks:

Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Recipes from The Moosewood Collective.. lots of contributors!
Eat Well Live Well with Gluten Intolerance by Susanna Holt

Looking for some recipes that I can eat during the detox plan I've been following for the last seventeen days. 17 down 11 to go... To read more about the detox I'm doing, check out these posts.

Craft book:
Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts.
Woops. I borrowed the wrong book. I was looking for the Encyclopedia of Crafts. Oh well, I'll thumb through this one anyway. It's not like I have time to craft or sew anyway these days..

In fiction:

The Next Always by Nora Roberts
I've been on hold for this book for weeks and weeks. Finally it's my turn and the copy my library has is the large print one. I kind of don't want to read it now...

King Lear by Shakespeare, graphic interpretation by Gareth Hinds
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, graphic interpretation by Charles Dixon with Sean Deming, illustrated by David Wenzel.
Graphic novels of some classics that I've never read. I'm taking a short cut to gain some basic knowledge of these two stories I've never read.

In music:
Various cds including Eyes Open by Snow Patrol. There's a fun remix version of "Chasing Cars" on this album. I love it! ha! My favorite Snow Patrol song is probably "Run," but unfortunately that's on another album. Have you heard the Leona Lewis version of "Run"? SOoo good. It gives me goosebumps.

Bought from the used book shelf:
I couldn't resist at 50 cents each.

The Christmas Brides by Linda Lael Miller
High Noon by Nora Roberts
WhatHappens In London by Julia Quinn
The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn
Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn

What's your latest loot from the library?

My Favorites of 2011 {Books}

2012-01-24T18:50:00.003-05:00

Plus some random book and reading stats thrown in.

I'm finally getting this post up. I started it in the week between Christmas and New Year's and every couple of days I'd make a few tweaks, add some finishing touch, then get distracted, pulled in another direction, etc. You know how it goes. Anyway, here it is-- an overview of the books I read in 2011 by number, genre and favorites.

My 2011 Random Reading Stats:
I guess I can't really say I read a balanced blend of male and female authors. I read books by female authors over male authors by nearly 8 to 1. Not that it bothers me in the least and I doubt these figures will be much different in 2012.

Male authors read ........ 9
Female authors read .... 69

I read an even 100 books in 2011 which was exactly my goal. I worked hard at this in the last weeks of December! Some facts on the 100 books I read:

Books read from my shelves ............ 53
Books borrowed from the library ..... 47

Books published in 2011 .......... 28
Books published in 2010 .......... 27
Books published before 2010 ... 45

Books read by genre:
Romance............................. 37
Historical Romance............ 16
Paranormal Romance ......... 13
Contemporary Romance....... 8

Young Adult ...................... 15
Urban fantasy/fantasy/PNR ............. 9
Contemporary .................................. 6

Graphic novel ................... 14
"Classics" ........................ 5
Fantasy ........................... 5
Non-fiction...................... 2
Contemporary ................ 2

Mystery/Crime fiction..... 14
General Fiction.................. 9
Urban Fantasy .................. 5
Children's Literature.......... 2
Fantasy............................. 2
Steampunk........................ 1
Memoir ............................ 1

I'm happy with the mix of genres I read last year. I'd like to read more... just MORE of everything in 2012, but will make a conscious effort to read more fantasy and steampunk novels this year.

For anyone who's interested, curious or has nothing better to, you can browse my list of the 100 books I read in 2011 HERE.

Otherwise, keep reading for my list of favorites from 2011.

My favorite reads of 2011:
The titles with an asterisk * were published in 2011.

Favorite 'Aren't You Too Old to be Reading That', a.k.a Young Adult:
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Worth Every Single Tear:
The Story of Beautiful Girl * by Rachel Simon
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

The Best Book Recommendation from a Friend:
The Guernsey and Literary Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

I would have completely missed this wonderful read had it not been for Amy sharing her copy of this book with so many blogging friends around the world.

Most Compelling Series:

Guild Hunters by Nalini Singh

Psy-Changeling Series by Nalini Singh

Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh--definitely one of my very favorite reads of 2011.

Smart & Sexy Historical Romances:
Silk is for Seduction * by Loretta Chase
The Bastard * by Brenda Novak
Honorable Mention:
A Lady's Lesson in Scandal * by Meredith Duran

Best Blast from the Past:
The Bride by Julie Garwood

So Good I HAD to Read it AGAIN:
Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh
Spymaster's Lady by Joanna Bourne

Most Heart-Pounding-Edge-of-Your-Seat-Thrilling Read:
Shadowfever * by Karen Marie Moning

Most Guilty-Pleasure
a.k.a. What IS it about this series that keeps me coming back?
Lover Unleashed * by J.R. Ward

Surprise Favorite Reads:
Elfland by Freda Warrington
The Greyfriar * by Clay Griffith and Susan Griffin
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
I LOVED all three of these books to pieces. I cannot wait to read more by these authors.

Most Read Author of the Year:
Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb with 8 books
followed by Nalini Singh with 5 books

Favorite Cover Art:
Elfland by Freda Warrington
A Lady's Lesson in Scandal * by Meredith Duran

Were any of these books among your favorite reads in 2011?

Here's to a wonderful year full of great books in 2012!

Reflections on Week 2 : Whole Living {detox} Action Plan

2012-01-22T21:45:00.000-05:00

I've just finished Week 2 of the Whole Living Action Plan that I've been following to cleanse my body of impurities, get control over sugar and carb cravings and establish better habits of eating clean {i.e. eating foods as close to their natural state as possible; no packaged or processed foods}.

Carrot Mango Herb Smoothie

How was Week 2?
Although still challenging to avoid all grains, this week was significantly easier than Week 1. After having eaten ONLY fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and olive oil for a week, I welcomed the addition of seafood, legumes and organic soy in Week 2! These protein and fiber rich foods were more filling and I felt much more satiated after each meal. Here's a list of what I ate in Week 2:

hot water with fresh squeezed lemon at start of every day.
detox smoothies for breakfast {Carrot Mango Herb Smoothie is my favorite so far}
fresh fruit & vegetables
steamed or roasted vegetables with olive oil
nuts & dried fruit trail mix {also Dried Fruit and Nut Bites}
mixed green salads with black beans and avocado, dressed with lemon or lime juice and olive oil
red lentil soup
tofu with red curry coconut sauce
oven roasted salmon

What have I learned so far?
Be prepared! If you have a few plan-approved snacks prepared in advance, you'll reach for the right foods instead of being tempted by the foods you should be avoiding during the detox. The same goes for the meals. Have a big bowl of greens ready for salads so you can just assemble your salad and eat! Make a big pot of soup in advance and store individual portions in glass jars or microwavable safe containers--ready to heat up when you are.

How do I feel?
I felt really good this week. I have more energy again so I've increased the intensity of my workouts this week almost back to my normal levels. I also feel 'lighter' than I did before starting the detox--which is a good feeling. Not that I thought I felt 'full' or 'bloated' before, but I guess I'm just aware of it now that I feel so much better.

I've lost a total of 6 lbs. on the detox plan so far. This is keeping me motivated to stay on track, although I know this will probably taper off to a rate of 1-2 lbs. a week once I add grains back into my diet.

What do I miss?
Coffee, oh how I miss thee. One afternoon last week I really, really wanted a cookie and a cup of coffee. I survived.

As I forge ahead into Week 3:
In Week 3, eggs and gluten-free grains are re-introduced. I am already planning an omelet with spinach and tomatoes for breakfast tomorrow. I can't wait! I'll also be able to have oats again--I've missed them. FYI, oats are an essentially gluten-free grain, but many popular brands are not able to tout the gluten-free label because they are grown, stored and shipped in ways that may contaminate them with traces of wheat, barely or rye. Since I'm not gluten intolerant, I'm not going to worry about those trace amounts and I'll be digging into my store brand oats this week!

I think the return of eggs and oats in my diet this week will allow me to have a breakfast that will better fuel me for my regular full speed ahead workouts. We shall see..

I already have a few dinners planned this week with brown rice, rice noodles and the superpower grain quinoa. I've only had quinoa a few times in the past, so I'm looking forward to getting to know this grain again.

Here's to healthier, whole living!

For more information about the Whole Living Action Plan 2012, visit Whole Living at http://wholeliving.com/challenge-action.

My First Snowshoe Event

2012-01-21T23:56:00.011-05:00

Today was the Romp to Stomp out Breast Cancer Snowshoe 5K and it was a blast! First and foremost, however, with the help of many generous friends, I am pleased to report that I raised $335 for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation. Most of this funding is used to provide essential breast care education, screening and support to women without access proper medical coverage.

Thank you very, very much to those of you who made a donation on my behalf--your support is very much appreciated. Every bit will help stomp out breast cancer.

The evening before the snowshoe event, I drove up to the ski resort with one of my friends where we joined a group of women she knew who organized the rental of some condos at the resort. We woke up this morning to several inches of snow on the ground, which to me, made this event so much more exciting. It snowed all day while we were up there and I loved it!

The start line of the Snowshoe 5K. Go pink!

The snowshoe walk took place right on the slopes on trails marked off for walkers right alongside the ski trails. We shared part of the trail with skiers and other parts were just for the snowshoers. I had expected the snowshoe trail to be flat, but we actually had some decent inclines to walk up and down, making for a pretty decent workout! If you are a skier, the steep parts were walking up a blue trail. Of course, being the kickass athletes that we are {haha!}, three of us when up and down the steepest part of the trail three times before continuing on with the rest of the walk! ;)

A pic of me at the finish line.

I had so much fun snowshoeing that I think I might invest in a pair of my own snowshoes!

Thank you again to those of you who supported my cause today. As always, I appreciate you wonderful support! xo

REVIEW: The Longest Night by Kathleen O'Reilly

2012-01-18T16:12:00.001-05:00

Published June 1, 2004 by Harlequin
TBR Challenge 2012 : January : category romance

I just finished reading this book this morning and surprisingly, it's the first book I've read in 2012. I'm off to a very slow start with my reading this year. Hopefully it'll pick up from here.

The optional theme for this month's TBR Challenge was a category romance, so I pulled this one out of the pile. Having thoroughly enjoyed the O'Sullivan trilogy by Kathleen O'Reilly a couple of years ago, I thought The Longest Night would be a good choice. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations.

Cassandra Ward is gorgeous, sexy and single. When Cassandra walks into a room, men notice. Those who pursue her learn quickly that Cassandra is willing to play the game of seduction as long as her rules are followed. No emotions, no strings attached--Cassandra is not interested in a long term relationship and marriage is out of the question. Unfortunately, she operates this way because trying to be seen or treated any other way by men has always been futile. If you can't fight 'em, join 'em.

At one time, Noah Barclay turned down Cassandra's attempt at seducing him, not wanting to be one of her boy toys. However, it's been months and he can't get her out of his head. Determined to win Cassandra's attention and affection in a genuine relationship, he proposes to court her the good old fashioned way with dates and kissing only--something no other man has every offered her. Despite this being risky business of breaking her own rules of emotional attachment, Cassandra cautiously agrees. The question is can she truly open up to someone, be herself and fall in love?

The premise of this story is refreshing--a welcomed reversal of a gender stereotype. Unfortunately, it didn't hold up for me. Neither the characters nor the conflict were fully developed, leaving me wanting more on all those fronts. A lot more. For example, we learn that Cassandra was hurt badly by her first love who couldn't trust her, but we never really learn the details of what actually happened between them. This old love even comes back on the scene to try to win Cassandra back, but their dialogue only implies a major fall out over him trusting her, never fully revealing the story to the reader. Knowing Cassandra's past would have helped me relate to her in the present, and perhaps I would have felt more connected to her story. I kept feeling like there was more to know about her, but that information was just out of reach.

As for Noah, his character fell a little flat and well, one dimensional. Yes, he wanted more from Cassandra than just her body, but why? What was it about her other than his physical attraction did he fall for? Her strength, confidence and intelligence? Those are some of Cassandra's best traits that I saw--but if that's what Noah saw, too, it wasn't spelled out in the story. It would have been nice to know why Noah fell for Cassandra.

Overall, The Longest Night didn't impress me, but it was a quick read that entertained me on a flight home earlier this week.

GRADE: C

Reflections on Week 1: Whole Living {detox} Action Plan

2012-01-17T23:51:00.002-05:00

Wow. It's been a week since I last posted. I have so much to share. One of the reasons it was so quiet here is because we went on getaway over the holiday weekend and even though I brought my laptop with me, I barely had any time to blog. But I'll tell more about our trip later. Tonight I want to take the opportunity to share some of my reflections on the detox plan I've been following. I think self-reflection is very important in our every day lives, but even more so when we're being challenged--whether that challenge be chosen or forced upon us. For me, putting my self-reflection to words helps even more. In the case of the detox plan, sharing my experience reinforces its purpose and my goals, which will then help me stay inspired and focused in the next week. Sharing it with you just makes it that much more fun!

If you missed my post last week about the detox plan, you can read about it in my previous post, Whole Living {detox} Action Plan. Basically, this detox plan is a food based plan that is designed to sort of reboot your digestive system by eating only pure, whole plant based foods, allowing your body to cleanse itself of impurities. At first this sounded far fetched. Detox your body? By eating vegetables, fruit and nuts? ... But the more I read about the plan, what to do, how it worked and why it's good for you, the more it made sense and the more I wanted to do it. And now here I am already nine days into the plan!

What do I want to get out of the detox plan?
First and foremost, I want to get rid of the cravings for simple carbs such as sugar and wheat based carbs. Foods like bread, pasta, rice, crackers, chips, cookies and other baked treats. If all goes according to plan, if I'm not reaching for those foods anymore, I'll be able to lose weight more readily. Another goal, which I've come to appreciate more as I've learned more about the chemistry of a body cleanse, is to clear toxins from my system and give me a clean start to healthier living.

How did Week 1 go?
It was tough! I had a miserable headache the first day from just after lunch until I went to bed. I'm sure this was due to caffeine withdrawal. I had lingering, mild headaches on and off for the next couple of days, but by the fourth and fifth days, I started to feel better--and different! Even though I was definitely tired in the late afternoon, I wasn't feeling sluggish or bloated anymore. Just wholesomely tired.

What have I learned so far?
I don't eat until I'm full ... I eat until I'm not hungry. Yes, there is a difference.

I start my morning with a mug of hot water with a squeeze of fresh lemon. Sounds terribly boring, but it is actually quite soothing. The lemon juice triggers your liver to release cleansing digestive enzymes

The detox plan is a restful, healing process. I thought I could do my regular workouts during the detox, but after not feeling so great a couple of hours after a tough workout on Day 3, I finally dug up some information on the plan that said Week 1 is a restful, healing week and vigorous exercise should be avoided. Stretching, walking and strength training is okay, but not heavy duty cardio. Oops.

You actually can stick to this detox plan while you travel. It was exceptionally difficult to do, but I did it with only a few minor infringements. I ordered edamame at a Japanese restaurant on Day 5 and only remembered that I wasn't supposed to have soy until Day 7 after I'd eaten most of the beans. Then on Day 6 I was famished and the only food available to eat were these absolutely delicious Indian snacks made with spinach and chickpea flour, which I ate. Again, I wasn't supposed to have chickpeas or other legumes until Day 7. I also had some sips of regular, unsweetened iced tea, which does have some caffeine. Again, it was what was available and I was thirsty! All in all, not such bad cheats while away from home for the long weekend. I forgive myself.

What do I miss?
Coffee!!! Is it the remnants of caffeine addiction or is it just something I really enjoy? The ritual, the smell, the taste?

Any surprises?
I can't believe that I ate ONLY vegetables, fruit, nuts and olive oil, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper for a week. No added sugar, no grains, no dairy, no meat, no alcohol and no caffeine for the last nine days. Except for a few sips of unsweetened iced tea.

I lost about 3 pounds in Week 1.

What happens in Week 2?
I can't believe today is the end of Week 2 Day 2 already, but it's true! Having come this far, I feel like I've sealed the deal and I'm sticking through to the end. In Week 2, seafood, legumes and organic soy are re-introduced. I'm hoping the addition of these protein sources will give me what I need to pick up the level of my workouts again. I miss running around, jumping, kicking and pedaling!

Here's to healthier, whole living!

For more information about the Whole Living Action Plan 2012, visit Whole Living at http://wholeliving.com/challenge-action .

Whole Living {detox} Action Plan 2012

2012-01-10T23:23:00.000-05:00

Beet Carrot Smoothie

All my talk last week about getting back on board with calorie counting on the Lose It app?

That's going on hold.

I decided to do something different to jump start my way to healthier eating this month. On Monday, I started the 21 day detox plan that's featured in the January-February 2012 issue of Whole Living magazine. and can also be found online at http://wholeliving.com/challenge-action. It's called the Whole Living Action Plan 2012 and is basically a detox plan that's designed to give your liver and entire digestive system, really, a break from the stresses of the foods so typical in our diets. I'm looking at as a way to give my mind and body a clean slate for the New Year and hopefully eliminate cravings for sugar and simple carbs that seem to be the pitfall of healthy eating and living.

Foods that are completely off limits for the entire 21 days [28 days if you do the bonus week] are processed foods and beverages, added sugar, dairy, gluten, caffeine and alcohol. No coffee... :(

Week 1: Eat ONLY fruits, vegetables and plant-based fats such as nuts, seeds and oils.

Week 2: Reintroduce seafood, legumes, beans and organic soy.

Week 3: Reintroduce eggs and gluten-free grains.

Week 4 [the Bonus week]: Reintroduce lean proteins such as chicken and beef, dairy and grains with gluten [wheat, barley, rye..] in moderation. Maybe a sip or two of coffee?

I started this plan on Monday, so I've survived the first two days! Although I am about to go to bed a little hungry, at least today I didn't have that awful caffeine withdrawal headache I had yesterday.

Have you ever followed a detox or cleansing plan before? Survived coffee withdrawal?

Interested in joining me?

If you're interested in learning more about the plan, visit Whole Living at http://wholeliving.com/challenge-action . You can also follow Whole Living magazine on twitter at @WholeLiving and or follow participants like me [@ChristineA] on the plan with the hashtag #WLActionPlan.

Wish me luck! :)

TBR Challenge 2012

2012-01-08T21:55:00.001-05:00

Host: Wendy the Super Librarian

Challenge: Read one book per month from your TBR pile in 2012 and post commentary on it somewhere by the third Wednesday of the month. There are optional monthly themes as well.

Time frame: January to December 2012

The TBR Challenge was one of the first reading challenges I ever signed up for back in 2008 when Keishon was the host. I was never able to keep up with the scheduled dates and didn't do well with the pressure of having to write reviews as part of the requirement. I kind of missed the challenge, though. There's something extra satisfactory about pulling a book off your own shelf that has been there for so long and finally reading it. So I'm going to give this challenge a go again.

For more information about this challenge, including the monthly review days and theme suggestions and to sign up for this challenge, visit Wendy HERE.

Wish me luck on this one! January's read is due in 10 days!

I'll keep a list of the books I read for this challenge and links to their reviews and or commentary here in this post:

January: a category romance
February: a recommended read
March: series catch-up
April: new-to-you author
May:    old school [published prior to 2000]
June:   western
July: how did this get here?
August:   steamy reads
September: genre other than romance
October: paranormal or romantic suspense
November: all about the hype
December:   holiday themes

January:   The Longest Night by Kathleen O'Reilly
February:
March:
April:
May:
June:
July:
August:
September:
October:
November:
December:

The Big Book Challenge 2012

2012-01-08T17:22:00.000-05:00

Host: orannia from Walkabout

Challenge: Read one big book before the end of 2012 that is over 400 pages, preferably one you have been putting off reading because of its length.

Time frame: January 1 to December 31, 2012

My goal: Read TWO big books in 2012.
[Since I failed to read ONE last year... ]

I will read Eon and Eona by Allison Goodman.

For more information and to sign up for this challenge yourself, go HERE.

Year of the Fantasy Classic

2012-01-08T16:54:00.000-05:00

Host: KMont from Lurv a la Mode

Challenge: Determine a number of fantasy books to read and then read them in 2012.

My goal: Read 6 fantasy novels in 2012.

Time Frame: January 1 to December 31, 2012

I am signing up for this reading challenge for three distinct reasons.

I lurv the challenge graphic.
I lurv KMont.
I lurv fantasy fiction.

It seems I love the fantasy books I read, but oddly enough... I don't actively seek those books out as often as I should. This challenge will hopefully encourage and inspire me to be more consistent with that in 2012.

All excellent reasons to do this challenge, right? Why not join us?

You can read more about this challenge and sign yourself up HERE.

I have several titles already in mind for this challenge that I've listed below, many of which I already have on my shelves, others I know I can get at the library.

Midsummer Night by Freda Warrington
Enchantment by Orson Scott Card
The Bell at Sealey Head by Patricia McKillip
The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
The Kingdom of the Gods by N.K. Jemisin
Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Fire by Kristin Cashore
Eon by Allison Goodman
Eona by Allison Goodman
The Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

I'll keep a list of the books I read for this challenge in this post.

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What's In a Name 5 Reading Challenge

2012-01-08T13:43:00.000-05:00

Host: Beth F from Beth Fish Reads

Challenge: Read one book whose title meets each category requirement.

Time frame: January 1 to December 31, 2012

This is probably my favorite challenge of all the ones I've ever done. It's so much fun finding a book from my shelves, my wish list or at the library that fits one of the categories. Most of the time, I realize after I've read a book that it fits this challenge and am rewarded with a very satisfying 'ah-ha!' moment. If I can inspire you to join one [more] reading challenge this year... this is the one.

You can learn more about this challenge and sign up for it yourself HERE.

This year's categories:

1. A book with a topographical feature in the title.
2. A book with something you'd see in the sky in the title.
3. A book with a creepy crawly in the title.
4. A book with a type of house in the title.
5. A book with something you'd carry in your pocket, purse or backpack in the title.
6. A book with something you'd find on a calendar in the title.

I'll keep a running list of the books I read for this challenge here:

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E-Book Challenge 2012

2012-01-08T13:13:00.001-05:00

Host: Sarah from Workday Reads

Challenge: Read the minimum number of ebooks for your chosen level.

My Level: DVD Read 25 ebooks

Time frame: January 1 to December 31, 2012

I did this challenge last year and met my challenge of 12 ebooks in early December, but proceeded to read three more by the end of the year, bringing my total number of ebooks read last year to 15. That's pretty shabby! The thing is, I love my ipad, but I'm still reading from my pre-existing TBR of paper books, plus it's my personal policy to buy new books only if I can't find them at the library first. I also bought a lot of author signed books at the RWA literacy signing in June, so that made up for a lot of my new books bought in 2011. I anticipate reading more and more new releases on my ipad this year, so hopefully I can double the number of ebooks I read.

I'll keep a running list of the ebooks I read throughout the year in this post.

1. Tides of Passion by Tracy Sumner
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25.

OutDo Yourself Reading Challenge 2012

2012-01-08T11:33:00.000-05:00

Host: The Book Vixen

Goal: Read more books in 2012 than you did in 2011.

Time frame: January 1 to December 31, 2012

I read 100 books in 2011, so my goal for this challenge is to read 101 books in 2012. This is the "Get My Heart Rate Up" level. I'm hopeful that I'll be able to meet this challenge this year--especially since 2012 is a leap year which means we get a whole extra day of reading in 2012!

I'll be keeping a running list of the books I read in 2012 in my 100+ Books In a Year Reading Challenge post, but if my timing is right, I should Out Do myself sometime in late October, early November.

You can sign up for this challenge HERE.

100+ Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2012

2012-01-08T11:14:00.002-05:00

Host: Book Chick City

Goal: Read 100+ books in 2012

Time frame: January 1 to December 31, 2012

This is my third year participating in this reading challenge. Last year was the first year I made it to 100 books and I'm hoping to do it again this year!

1. The Longest Night by Kathleen O'Reilly
2. Tides of Passion by Tracy Sumner
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
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.
.

100.

Stone Soup

2012-01-07T20:22:00.000-05:00

a.k.a. Simple Vegetable Soup

Unlike authentic Stone Soup that's made in the old folk story in which a hungry traveller persuades villagers to share vegetables with him as he stews a stone in a kettle of water, my recipe does not call for an actual stone. Just water, plenty of vegetables, some herbs, and salt & pepper. Feel free, however, to add a well scrubbed stone from your yard to the simmering brew in order to make the soup more authentic. You might just get your kids to eat this soup if it was cooked with a real stone! :)

Stone Soup
Vegan and Gluten Free
Low fat, low calorie and very nutritious
Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 carrots, sliced into rounds
1 rutabaga, chopped*
1 potato, chopped*
1 tomato, chopped
1 small bunch collard greens
dried basil, oregano and thyme
salt & pepper

*I like to chop the rutabaga and potato into a similar shape and size of the sliced carrot. The vegetables cook more evenly that way and it makes for a nicer presentation.

In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium high until hot.
Add onion, celery and carrots and saute until the onion begins to get translucent.
Season with salt and pepper and then add 6-8 cups of water.
Add about 1/2 teaspoon each of dried basil, oregano and thyme.
Add the rutabaga, potato and tomato.
Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
Cook the soup for 30-45 minutes or until the vegetables are almost fork tender. I usually test a piece of the rutabaga since it tends to need the longest cooking time.
Add coarsely chopped collard greens and cook for another 15 minutes or until collard greens are cooked and tender and vegetables are fully fork tender. **see below for optional method of cooking greens**
Taste for seasoning and add additional salt & pepper, if desired.
Serve hot.

**For an authentic one pot Stone Soup, add coarsely chopped collard greens or other greens to the soup as instructed above. I actually prefer to cook my greens separately and then add them to individual servings that I've ladled into bowls. I think sauteed greens simply taste better than boiled greens, so it's really up to you which method you choose to follow.

To saute the greens separately:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion [red if you have one]
1 small bunch of collard greens
salt & pepper

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat until hot.
Add 1/2 onion, sliced vertically. I like to use red onion here if I have one.
Saute onion for a minute or two, then add the collard greens, coarsely chopped. Saute for several minutes until greens are bright green and slightly wilted. Season with salt & pepper.
Set aside until soup is finished, then divide the sauteed greens evenly among individual servings of soup.

I sometimes add a freshly grated Parmesan cheese to the soup upon serving for additional flavor. Note that the soup is no longer vegan with the added cheese, although it is still vegetarian and gluten free.

Enjoy! :)

Weekend Cooking, a weekly blog event hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food related post to share--a food related book review (fiction or nonfiction), cookbook review, movie review, a recipe, random thoughts, gadgets, food quotations, photographs, etc. Please visit Beth's blog for more information and join the fun!

How I did with my 2011 Reading Challenges

2012-01-06T22:30:00.002-05:00

I signed up for 12 different reading challenges last year, two of which were short term challenges. The Once Upon a Time V, which spanned one season and the Holiday Reading Challenge that more or less spanned the month of December. I'm not counting the In Death Series Reading Challenge because it is a perpetual challenge that will span three or more years. Also, I had signed up for the Women of Fantasy Book Club and only read 3 of the 12 book selections--two of which ended up being among my favorite reads of the entire year.

In Death Series Reading Challenge ONGOING
2011 Book Club "Women of Fantasy" I only read 3 out of 12 books.

As for the rest, here's a list of what I wanted to do ... and my results.

1. Steampunk Challenge 2011 June 8, 2011
I only needed to read and review one book, which I did. The Greyfriar by Clay and Susan Griffith, which was excellent. I need to read the next book in the series!

2. Out-Do Yourself Reading Challenge October 28, 2011
I needed to read one more book than I read in 2010. I met this challenge in October when I finished my 84th book of the year. I think that was the day I realized that reaching my goal of 100 books in 2011 might just be achievable.

3. What's In A Name 4 Reading Challenge November 27, 2011
This was the second year I did this challenge and again, I have to tell you this is a fun one. I don't know what it is about finding books on your shelf that fit the categories or reading a newly released book and discovering that it fits one of the requirements... but whatever it is, I find this challenge really fun to do. Check out the 2011 categories and what books I read for each:

1. A book with a number in the title:

A Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

2. A book with jewelry or a gem in the title

The Amulet Graphic Novels by Kazu Kibuishi

3. A book with a size in the title

Dream A Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

4. A book with travel or movement in the title

Into the Flame by Christina Dodd

5. A book with evil in the title

Kiss Me Deadly anthology edited by Trisha Telep

6. A book with a life stage in the title

Imitation in Death by J.D. Robb

I can't wait to do this one again!

4. E-Book Challenge 2011 December 7, 2011
I thought having got an ipad for my birthday in fall of 2010 this challenge would have been a piece of cake, but I only finished reading my 12th ebook in the beginning of December! I guess I still I have a lot of paper books on my shelf to read and there's always loot from the library. I'm doing this one again in 2012 and I estimate that in another year or so, I won't need to "challenge" myself as my ebook reading surpasses my paper book reading. We'll see..

5. Holiday Reading Challenge December 26, 2011
I met the Mistletoe level of this challenge and read four holiday themed books in December. I have so many more that I want to read so I'll definitely do this one again in 2012. I think it would be fun to dedicate the entire month of December to holiday themed books! Something to think about.

6. Haruki Murakami Reading Challenge 2011 December 31, 2011
I think I spent more time debating which Murakami book to read than I actually spent reading. Talk about indecisiveness! In the end, I chose a book I wasn't even considering at all! I was literally at the library one day in December to pick up Sputnik Sweetheart and saw a smaller, shorter Murakami book next to it, and decided right there it was a wiser choice for me considering I was in last-minute mode for this challenge. I picked up after the quake which is a collection of short stories surrounding the disastrous 1995 earthquake near Kobe, Japan. I enjoyed it very much and am doing this challenge again in 2012.

7. 100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2011 December 31, 2011
Finally, my biggest challenge and honestly, the one I wanted to meet most. The Haruki Murakami book was my 100th book of 2011 and in fact, I finished reading it around 4 pm on December 31, 2011. I don't know about you... but I call that cutting it close!

My goal for 2012? Read 101 books. I know a challenge when I see one. ;)

Edited to add: January 8, 2011 I FORGOT ONE!
8. Summer Romance Reading Challenge 2011 July 8, 2011
I joined Book City Chick's Summer Romance Reading Challenge and signed up to read 8 books between between the first day of summer and September 30, 2011 and met that challenge in early July. I proceeded to read a total of 19 books during that time frame. I guess that wasn't so much of a challenge after all...

Now for the challenges I failed. By the way, I'm not the least bit upset that I didn't meet these challenges below. Sure, it would have been really cool if I did, but why call it a challenge if it all comes too easy, right?

1. Once Upon a Time V Challenge [spring only] FAILED Completed 3/5
This challenge is hosted by Carl at Steel Droppings during the spring only, starting on the first day of spring. I met this challenge in 2010 and enjoyed it... but sort of forgot about it this year until mid May. I met 3 of the 5 requirements for the level I chose to do, but ran out of time with the last two. I'll try again this spring.

2. A-Z Mystery Challenge FAILED Completed 4/26
Well, this one I knew right out of the gate that I wouldn't complete, because I just don't read that many mysteries. However, I think it's a great way to try new authors in a new-to-me genre and it is hosted by my darling friend Michelle, so I am making it a perpetual challenge for myself and will simply work on reading books by authors for all 26 letters until I've finished the whole alphabet. Four down, twenty-two to go!

3. Big Book Reading Challenge FAILED Completed 0/1
There's a reason orannia--who hosts this challenge, asks that we chose ONE big book to read. It's because she knows we all procrastinate reading those big books because well... they're BIG! I was so good at procrastinating that I never read one. I'm signing up for this one again in 2012 and will ~~punish myself~~ make amends to myself by reading TWO big books this time!

4. Take a Chance Challenge 3 FAILED Completed 0/10
This challenge sounded so unique and fun and inspiring when I signed up for it last year but my interest fell short here. The categories for the requirements were really great... I even played with some book lists several times throughout the year, but I never followed through. Ah, well, live and learn.

5. Reading Challenge Addict Challenge 2011 NOT EXACTLY FAILED Completed 7/12
Finally, the end all and be all of challenges for reading challenge addicts like me. This one was a challenge to actually MEET all of your 2011 reading challenges. I didn't make it. I own it.

Edited to add: January 7, 2012.
Turns out I signed up to complete SEVEN challenges in the Reading Challenge Addict Challenge so it looks like I actually met that one!!! That makes 9 wins and 4 losses. :)

Did you sign up for any Reading Challenges in 2011? How did you do?

Coming up soon on the happily ever after... a whole bunch of 2012 Reading Challenge posts! Yay! So apologies in advance if I clutter up your feeds over the weekend!

Have a great weekend! :)

A Snowshoe 5K: Romp to Stomp Out Breast Cancer

2012-01-05T23:59:00.003-05:00

As many of you already know from my post Love your Breasts... do Self Breast Exams back in October 2011, I found a lump in my breast in year ago this very week while doing a self breast exam, only three months after having a routine, clear mammogram. After several nerve wracking weeks involving consultations with my physician, a breast care specialist and finally a lumpectomy, I was diagnosed with a rare, benign breast disease known as Pseudoanginomous Stromal Hyperplasia of the breast or PASH. You can imagine my relief hearing a diagnosis of a benign breast disease and not a cancerous one! Unfortunately, that's not the case for many women. Did you know that ONE in EIGHT women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime? That's startling!

To help combat this overwhelming statistic, I've decided to strap on a pair of snowshoes and participate in the annual Tubbs Romp to Stomp out Breast Cancer Snowshoe Series®. I'll be participating in a 5K Snowshoe Walk on January 21, 2012 to raise funds for the local Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® which supports local community-based breast health programs focusing on underserved and uninsured women. 75% of the net funds support local communities (NJ-NY Metro area) and 25% net funds goes to support national research to help find a cure.

If you feel so inclined to make a donation to support this cause, you can donate online at my Stomp to Romp page. I understand the financial challenges facing many individuals and families these days, so please do not feel pressured to do so. However, anything you can contribute would be greatly appreciated! Thank you. :)

The Party's Over

2012-01-02T23:48:00.000-05:00

No more holiday debauchery! It's time to get focused again on healthy eating and regular exercise.

I used the Lose It app on my iphone in 2010, which I swear was the key to my weight loss success [I lost 30 lbs. from April-November 2010]. But then I got stuck on a weight loss plateau for a couple of months that I just couldn't overcome, so I took a break from tracking my daily calories for a while. The good news is that I managed to keep the weight off for all of 2011. Well, except for two pounds... pish! The bad news is that I never got to my target weight and I still really want it.

Soooo.... today I got on the scale and started a new program on the Lose It app. I went over my calorie budget today, but I'm okay with that for now. I'll ease back into the program this week as I get re-accustomed to proper portion sizes and better snack choices and so on. If everything goes according to plan, I should reach my goal weight between May and July--depending on whether I lose 1 or 1.5 lbs. a week.

Have you made a New Year's Resolution to lose weight this year?

Eat healthier? Exercise regularly?

I almost followed with, 'Let me know--misery loves company!' ... but truthfully, this is not going to be miserable. It's going to be fantastic! It's not going to be easy and I might get a little cranky... but it'll be worth it because I know it'll feel great!

Who's with me?

Learn more about the Lose It app in the app store in iTunes or at www.loseit.com. Lose It is also available for the Android.

For some great advice on achieving success with your resolutions, see this article on Four Keys to New Year's Resolution success written by Sean on The Adventures of a Bookonaut.

A Running Start

2012-01-01T23:32:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!

As per tradition, I started my New Year running a 5K race today. I had hoped to break my personal record of 30:02 set on October 1, 2011 but I didn't do it. I finished today's race at 30:31. Bummer. But at the same time... Woohoo! I ran an average pace of 9:49 minute miles for 3.1 miles and was out there running around on New Year's Day! :)

This a pic of me that my husband took after the race. He's my #1 SAG. That's actually a term used in bicycle racing for Support And Gear--the vehicle that follows the riders to provide mechanical and medical assistance, but I'm taking the liberty to use it for any sport I do. ha!

I've been reflecting on my fitness accomplishments in 2011, and I have a lot to be proud of. In addition to going to fitness classes and swimming at the gym, I ran a total of 203.91 miles outdoors and biked a total of 641.1 miles. I did all my biking May through December.

One of my fitness goals last year was to run a 5K in 31 minutes or less--CHECK! Another was to participate in my first triathlon--CHECK! What an amazing experience that was. So much fun and what an incredible feeling to have accomplished something like that. Edited to add [Jan. 3, 2012]: My third fitness challenge for 2011 was to achieve 100 Fitness Challenge "Miles" every month of the year. I reached that goal 9 out of 12 month--No Check. But still kicked some butt this year with my consistency and dedication so I'm not calling this a failure. :)

My fitness goals for 2012 are similar... with a few tweaks.

A New 5K Personal Best:
Run a 5K in under 30 minutes. I want to see 29:xx:xx on the clock crossing that finish line!

Another Triathlon:
Participate in another sprint triathlon. I'm thinking of the SheRox Triathlon here in New Jersey in July, but I haven't committed.

A Gran Fondo:
Participate in a Gran Fondo, which is a 103 mile bike event. This is a non-timed event, although the particular Gran Fondo I'll be doing does have timed trials on six climbs. My cycling partner and I expect to finish the course in about 7.5 hours. Yikes! It'll take place in September and I'm pretty much committed to it already. After doing so well in the biking portion of the triathlon last year, my cycling partner and I decided to focus our efforts on our strength and give ourselves a little challenge. We've kind of started our training already biking on Saturday mornings. We meet just before sunrise and bike for 20+/- miles, in literally freezing temperatures, attacking some of the toughest hills for cyclists around here. I'm already looking forward to spring when we can put in more miles in some more agreeable temperatures!

I've decided to discontinue the Fitness Miles Challenge here on my blog in 2012. The gals at 100 Fitness Miles Challenge blog, which is now the Get Moving Fitness Challenge are starting things up over there again, so I encourage you to check it out. Of course, I'm not going to stop posting about exercise here and hope to do a Month in Review type post to track my progress in reading, exercise and any other fun things going on, so there will still be opportunities for us to share our fitness adventures here on the happily ever after...
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Fitness Mile Challenge Report Card for December 2011:
If you have any fitness challenge miles from December to share, I'd love to hear how you did! I for one was definitely challenged to meet my 100 fitness mile mark last month, but managed to finish with 100.64 miles. December is such a hectic month, so whatever you managed to get done--pat yourself on the back! If you want to see how I reached those miles, see my December Workout Log.
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I've got a few other New Year's Resolutions and goals for 2012 that I'm going to tackle, but I'm waiting to start those tomorrow... because one of them requires getting on the scale. Yeah.. tomorrow's looking good for that. ;)

What are your fitness goals for 2012?

If you don't have one... make one! It'll be good for your body and spirit.

I Read 100 Books in 2011!

2011-12-31T23:50:00.000-05:00

I'm super excited that I reached my goal and managed to read 100 books in 2011! I finished my 100th book this afternoon with a little less than eight hours to spare before the clock strikes 2012. Phew--that was close! I admit that December sort of looks like the month of the novella, but what the heck! I say as long as a book has its own ISBN number, it's fair game.

I'm putting together a 'Best of 2011 in Books' post to go up in January--I'm still having too much fun crunching my book stats ;) --but if you're dying from curiosity, you can see the 100 books I read on my 100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 post OR my 2011 Reading Challenge on goodreads. I love the visual of all those book covers lined up like that.

In the meantime, here's a ~~quick~~ look at what I read this month [December 2011]:

Romance ................ 4
Crime fiction ........... 3
Young adult ............ 2
Graphic novel .......... 1
General fiction ......... 1

Total books read ............... 11

Of those books, SIX were novellas.

1. Origin in Death by J.D. Robb
In Death, Book #21
GRADE: C
Mini reviews of the In Death books I read this month can be found on the December In Death Reading Challenge post HERE.

2. Once Upon a Winter's Eve by Tessa Dare
Spindle Cove, Book #1.5
HOLIDAY READING CHALLENGE BOOK!
A very sweet romance about a young woman who has only loved one man since her childhood... and the love she finds with a stranger who literally stumbles into her world who looks remarkably similar to her one true love. GRADE: B

3. A Taste of Midnight by Lara Adrian
Midnight Breeds, Book #9.5
This is the first ever published novella in the Midnight Breed series and takes place between the events of Deeper Than Midnight [Book #9] and Darker After Midnight [Book #10], which will be released in January 2012. A Taste of Midnight is the story of a long lost friendship between Breedmate Danika MacConn and Malcom MacBain, the once best friend of Danika's deceased mate Conlan, who you may recall was killed in the first book of the series, leaving Danika widowed and pregnant with his child. Danika is still grieving over her mate's death while she visits with Conlan's family in the Scottish highlands for Christmas with her newborn son. After overhearing horrific talk about human trafficking for the pleasure of the Breed's most depraved, Danika makes the mistake of publicly insulting the dangerous Breed named Reiver who is a mob leader of sorts behind the "blood clubs" in this region. Now he is out to kill her and she can barely believe that the man she once knew and was close to--Malcolm MacBain is one of Reiver's closest associates.

A Taste of Midnight is a thrilling little teaser for fans of the Midnight Breed series and contains all the key elements for a satisfying story--a strong heroine, a brooding but fiercely protective Breed male, an evil villain with nefarious intentions and a touching romance. The result is a short, but intense story that with a logical connection to the series arc but can also be read as a stand alone story. I enjoyed this novella, but I must confess that Danika makes some careless decisions that jeopardize her safety and that of her newborn son, which felt largely out of character for someone so vulnerable in the Breed world. Also, while the attraction, concern and ultimately the budding romance between Danika and Malcolm was believable, I felt the professions of love were a little too much too soon for both of them, which inevitably made the happily ever after come across very rushed. Still, A Taste of Midnight is a great morsel for fans of the series who are dying to get their hands on the next book in the series, Darker After Midnight which will be released on January 24, 2012. Which, by the way, is the long awaited story of Sterling Chase and his mate! Finally!
GRADE: B

4. The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland -- For A Little While
by Catherynne M. Valente
Fairyland, Book #0.5
This is the prequel novella to The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. Written in Ms. Valente's signature whimsical prose, this short isn't nearly as captivating as the full length tale of September in Fairyland. It took several pages of what felt like a long winded introduction to get this short story going and then just as it gained momentum, it was over. Still worth the read, though, if you're interested in an introduction to this author's talented story telling.
GRADE: C

5. Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson & Lauren Myracle
HOLIDAY READING CHALLENGE BOOK!
This book is a collection of three intertwined short stories written by three of today's wonderfully talented young adult writers and a perfect wintertime-Christmasy read for teens. All three stories expertly capture the trials and tribulations and intense joys of being a teen and the crazy and confusing and often wonderful things that can happen when you least expect it. GRADE: B+

6. Memory in Death by J.D. Robb
In Death, Book #22
GRADE: A-
HOLIDAY READING CHALLENGE BOOK!

7. Haunted in Death by J.D. Robb
In Death, Book #22.5
GRADE: C
Mini reviews of the In Death books I read this month can be found on the December In Death Reading Challenge post HERE.

8. To Desire a Scoundrel by Tracy Sumner
Southern Heat novella
HOLIDAY READING CHALLENGE BOOK!
I purchased this ebook after reading an interview with the author on the Book Lovers Inc. blog and became intrigued by an American historical romance set in North Carolina in the late 1800s. To Desire a Scoundrel a sweet and sexy Christmas romance about a second chance for a couple whose love fell apart after a betrayal and lack of communication two years prior. I liked this story a lot, got a little frustrated when the characters repeatedly passed up every opportunity to talk about their past when so clearly they both wanted to. There were also a few times when I stumbled on a sentence or two that pulled me out of the story. The story was still charming, though, and I'm already reading another book by this author.
GRADE: B-

9. The French Maid by Sabrina Jeffries
This is a very short novella about a married couple at the cusp of their one year wedding anniversary who each receive a little push from an unusual French maid to work harder at making their marriage a happier, more mutually satisfying relationship. It was short and sweet, but I was disappointed that the woman needed to make herself more beautiful and seductive in order to get her husband to notice her. There were other positive messages in the story, however, to still send valuable messages about how a husband and wife need to work at their marriage, not take each other for granted, and speak up when they need something from their partner.
GRADE: C +

10. Macbeth by William Shakesepeare,
Graphic novel, script adaptation by John MacDonald for Classical Comics
This graphic novel makes a fantastic supplement to Shakespeare's original work or in my case, a fun and easy way to refresh my memory after having read Macbeth years ago in high school. It would also serve wonderfully as a introduction to Shakespeare for the reluctant reader. I highly recommend this and all other graphic novels from Classical Comics.
GRADE: B

11. after the quake by Haruki Murakami
A collection of short stories

after the quake is a collection of six unique short stories about characters whose lives were indirectly transformed by the disastrous Kobe earthquake in Japan in 1995. The impact of the earthquake on these characters' lives is in fact subtle, but in a way also quite profound as it serves as a catalyst in personally meaningful ways that give each of them a new direction in their lives, or at least peace of mind.

" 'Strange and mysterious things, though, aren't they--earthquakes? We take it for granted that the earth beneath our feet is solid and stationary. We even talk about people being 'down to earth' or having their feet firmly planted on the ground. But suddenly one day we see that it isn't true.' "[quote from the story "thailand," p. 92]

Murakami shows how earthquakes are a lot like life. The world as we know it can change in a heartbeat, suddenly shifting our lives in ways we never expect. It's unpredictable and often out of our control. What ultimately matters most is how we choose to embrace life and love when adversity strikes.

I enjoyed this collection of short stories--the stories are meaningful and show how a natural or man made disaster can spark self reflection and positive change to even those remotely affected. The final story in the collection, "honey pie" is my favorite and perhaps the easiest with which to identify in the way that a tragic event can provide the inspiration to not waste another day not being with the one you love.
GRADE: B+

I also met both my Holiday Reading Challenge 2011 hosted by Book Lovers, Inc. AND my Haruki Murakami Reading Challenge hosted by tanabata this month! Yay!

Here's to another year of great books in 2012 for all of us!

What I Read Last Month [November]

2011-12-30T19:04:00.000-05:00

Phew! Got this one up in the nick of time since in less than two days 'last month' will be 'this month,' which will also be 'last year' and that is just crazy! This will be short--sort of--because I only read five books in November. So here is my two cent, ten sentence commentary on each book.

Romance ..................... 3 [two historical, one contemporary]
Young Adult ............... 1
Children's Literature .... 1

1. The Bastard by Brenda Novak
The Bastard is a post-French Revolutionary historical romance written by Ms. Novak and currently only available in ebook format. I was literally swept away in this classically romantic tale of Jeannette Boucher, a young woman who masquerades as a boy in order to acquire passage on a ship from France to England in an urgent attempt to escape marriage to an old and powerful Lord who plans to compromise her in the cruelest of ways. On board The Tempest, Jeannette is discovered by Lieutenant Crawford Treynor who struggles with his illegitimacy and hence his difficulty climbing the ranks of the Royal Navy, is heroic in the truest sense of the word to his country, his shipmates and the lovely Jeannette with whom he falls in love. This vividly written novel is full of high seas adventure with a colorful cast of characters and a delightfully sweet romance--I loved it!
GRADE: A

2. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
I thoroughly adored this thought provoking and whimsical fairy tale. It would make a wonderful read out loud book for you and the child in your life. You can read my review HERE.
GRADE: A

3. The Spymaster's Lady by Joanna Bourne
I had the inexplicable urge to re-read this book after having last read it in 2008 and was thrilled to discover the story is as exquisite the second time around as it was the first time I read it--if not more so! Annique Villiers is a elusive French spy who finds herself imprisoned with two British spies she later discovers--after she helps them escape with her--are the renowned British spymaster, Robert Grey and his badly wounded colleague, Adrian Hawkhurst. Grey's assignment is to capture Annique and her secrets, but there is a reason she is nicknamed 'Fox Cub' for she is intelligent, extremely sly and veryadept at slipping through her captor's fingers. That, and the fact that Grey is an honest sort of spy, if there is such a thing, and he barely forces her to do anything she doesn't want to do. Grey and Annique develop a mutual respect and admiration for each other through which a love also grows, although Annique is rather reluctant to admit is truly love. The Spymaster's Lady is an enthralling historical novel with the most tender of love stories that develops with an emotional and intelligent intensity that's simply splendid. Quite perfect.
GRADE: A+

4. My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent
This is the fourth full length novel in the young adult urban fantasy Soul Screamers series by Rachel Vincent. Ms. Vincent has a wonderful talent for capturing the true essence today's teenagers all the while weaving typical teenage drama with a believable, thrilling fantasy plot involving the handling and manipulating of human souls by banshees, reapers, maras and other Netherworld beings. In this book, Nash and Kaylee are struggling to make something out of their relationship after a serious betrayal in the last book tore them apart when Nash's ex-girlfriend, Sabine, shows up, determined to get Nash back at any cost. In the meantime, people in their school start dying and it's obviously connected to something Netherworldly. Of course, being the heroine she is, Kaylee is determined to figure out what's going on and put a stop to it. This book was an exciting, fast paced read and the relationship stuff sure made me want to pull out my hair, but that's teenagers for you, right? I really need to get my hands on the next book, If I Die.
GRADE: B

5. Dream A Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
This was my first EVER Susan Elizabeth Phillips book, but it certainly won't be my last. There something so satisfying about a well written contemporary romance and obviously SEP knows how to write 'em--funny, sexy and also very emotional . This story is about Rachel Stone, a widowed, single mom who is ostracized because of her marriage to the now deceased televangelist who stole millions from his followers. Now nearly destitute, Rachel is willing to take on any job just to have money to buy food for her young son and give him a safe place to sleep at night. Luckily, Rachel's car breaks down in front of a work-in-progress drive-in theater owned by Gabe Bonner, who allows her to work for him and get his theater up and running. Gabe has some serious problems of his own, struggling to get over his grief from losing his wife and son in an accident several years ago, but it turns out each is just what the other needs in order to find faith in love again and to dream a little dream that just might come true...
GRADE: B+

I usually ask you to share your favorite read from last month in these 'What I Read Last Month' posts, but November is such a blur by now, isn't it? Sheesh.

Instead I'll ask what book are you looking forward to in 2012?

I'm looking forward to Lisa Kleypas' new contemporary romance trilogy starting with Rainshadow Road in February and also Angels' Flight, Tangle of Need and Archangel's Storm by Nalini Singh. What a prolific writer!

My 4th Blog Anniversary

2011-12-29T22:58:00.001-05:00

So I guess I've been blogging for four years now! What started out as a book blog has transformed over the years to a comfortable place where I get to share my interests in books, fitness, cooking, travel and basically bits and pieces of myself! The happily ever after... has become one of my favorite creative outlets over the years, thanks to all of you who visit and leave comments or visit and never say a peep [I still appreciate your interest!] and a small handful of you who have connected with me privately via personal email. I appreciate all of you and your interest in what I have to say.

For fun, here are some stats:

Top 3 Most Frequently Visited Posts:
Cross (stitch) My Heart posted on August 21, 2008 with over 3400 page views.
And no... I still haven't finished either of those cross-stitch projects!

Homemade Strawberry Daiquiris for Two posted on June 18, 2010 with over 1500 page views. Yum!

A Volleyball Pumpkin Party posted on October 17, 2009 with over 1400 page views. Really??

Should I try to learn something from these stats? Post more about cross-stitching and crafts? More recipes? Specifically recipes for two? I don't know what to get out of all those page views on Volleyball Pumpkin Party! It's so specific!

Top 3 Most Commented-on Posts:
Name Your Desert Island Keeper 339 comments on May 14, 2008 <--that was fun! :)
REVIEW: Passion Unleashed by Larissa Ione 59 comments on March 28, 2009
REVIEW of Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas and.... 56 comments September 26, 2008

Authors who have left comments on my blog over the years:
Megan Hart
Meljean Book
Carolyn Crane
LB Gregg
Jaci Burton
Carolyn Jewel
Melissa Walker
Jocelyn Drake
Larissa Ione
Ann Aguirre
Lara Adrian
Lisa Kleypas
Lori Brighton
Margaret Mallory
Sarah MacLean
KT Grant

I hope I didn't forget anyone! Author visits are always so exciting. :)

Book Character who has left a comment on my blog:
Colin Ames-Beaumont, main character in Demon Moon by Meljean Brook's and present in other Guardian series novels. < ---that was so cool!

Anyway, thank you all for keeping me company here on the happily ever after ...

Here's to another great year! :)

In Death Series Reading Challenge December 2011

2011-12-28T11:58:00.033-05:00

Interested in joining the Challenge? Anyone is welcome to join in at any time of the year at wherever in the series you currently are. See the sign up post HERE
and join the fun!

It's that time again to share which In Death books we've read this month. I read two full length novels and one novella in this series in December--a new record for me! How did you do?

CHALLENGE PARTICIPANTS:
Link up any In Death posts you made this month here. If you made a post on your blog, whether it be a review or commentary, please grab the link to your post and enter in the Mr. Linky below along with your name so we can find each other's latest In Death posts easily. You can also just use the link to your goodreads or other virtual bookshelf as well.

BOOK REVIEW:

Origin In Death
Book #21
It's Thanksgiving season in the year of 2059 and New York City's top homicide detective Lieutenant Eve Dallas is investigating the murder of Wilfred B. Icove, a world renowned and esteemed cosmetic surgeon while also trying to deal with her first ever familial holiday celebration. The murder investigation reveals connections between this respected physician and extremely controversial and unethical genetic manipulation and experimentation. The genetic science and the moral and ethical implications of such behind this investigation was all very interesting, but unfortunately, it left for a rather dry plot, lacking the usual fast paced homicide investigation I've come to expect in this series. In addition, the secondary thread of Dallas' personal life was barely addressed. Had the personal aspects of the story been more deeply developed, it could have made up for the slow pace of the murder investigation, especially given the holiday nature of the story and the arrival of Roarke's relatives from Ireland.

There are a couple of very brief scenes in the book that do bring some meaning to Eve's personal life, however. My favorite is one involving Eve and her friend and partner, Peabody. After some extremely unorthodox connections between the victims of Icove's experiments is uncovered, Peabody expresses her strong desire to connect and talk to her parents. Of course having no parents or family, Eve responds with an "I wouldn't know." and states that if that's what makes Icove's victims artificial, then so is she. After a moment of silence, Peabody responds:

"I know I'm lucky to have them [parents], and my brothers, my sisters, all the rest. I know they'll listen, that's the thing. But not having that, having to make yourself out of what gets dumped on you, creating your life out of that ... it's not artificial. It's as real as it gets."

Memory in Death by J.D.Robb
Book #22
A very solid installment in the series. It's days before Christmas--Eve and Roarke's second one together--and Eve is visited by a 'ghost' from her past. Okay, not exactly a ghost, but someone she hasn't thought of in decades. Trudy Lombard was Eve's first foster mother after being found dazed, bloodied and unidentified in an alley in Dallas, Texas at the age of eight. Far from motherly, Trudy was strict and cruel to Eve, causing even more damage to Eve's sense of worth and overall emotional well being. After shocking Eve with her presence in her office, Trudy tries to blackmail Roarke with exposing Eve's past to the media. When Eve decides to visit Trudy's hotel to put her in her place, she finds Trudy on the floor of her own hotel room, beaten to death. For the first time ever, Eve feels indifferent one of her homicide victims and struggles with this for the entire case. Eventually she comes to terms with it all and of course, solves the murder. The nature of this murder and the crime investigation was appropriately presented and connected to Eve's present stage in life--finding love and a home. Merry Christmas, Eve.

Haunted in Death by J.D. Robb
Book #22.5
In this novella, Eve is investigating the death of a business man who is the grandson of a club owner who was romantically linked to a female rock star legend who mysteriously disappeared eighty-five years ago. The club is apparently haunted by the ghost of this rock star, which has everyone but Eve believing in the supernatural.

This novella was just ok--it wasn't awful, but I found it rather dry and uneventful. It didn't even feel as if any serious investigating was taking place and then all of a sudden the killer practically announced his or her guilt to Eve.

SERIES DISCUSSION:
By a stroke of luck, I was at the point in this series that had me reading Origin in Death and Memory in Death in the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas--which was the same time frame in the stories! I couldn't have planned that if I tried!

One theme that recurred in the two holiday themed novels--Origin and Memory In Death is Eve's natural struggle with concepts of home and belonging. With that comes Eve's attempts to figure out how to "do" holidays--the gifts, the gatherings, the proper things to do or say. It's both comical and endearing to watch her come into this new phase in her life in which there are other people for her to consider aside from herself. The best part is how she accepts Roarke as her family and her home at his side--wherever he is.

I think this is a valuable message to all of us during the holiday season--that no matter your past, present or future, home is where you hang your heart.

Happy Holidays!

What message(s) of family, if any, are you getting from this series?

My Life According to the Books I Read in 2011

2011-12-27T20:19:00.000-05:00

This is a fun meme to do at the end of the year as you reflect on all the book titles you've read throughout the year. This year marks the third year I've done this one, so it's officially become an annual tradition for me. I was thrilled to see so many of you joining this meme in the last two years and I hope you decide to do it this year, too! Hopefully you've kept track of what you read this year! It helps.

If you decide to do this meme--which I hope you all do!-- please come back and add your post below with Mr. Linky. This way we can find everyone's posts easily. After you've posted your meme, simply type your name in the top box below and copy and paste the link to your My Life According to the Books I Read in 2011 post on your blog in the link box. I hope you join in--it's a lot of fun! I can't wait to see what answers you come up with!

Using only titles of books that you read this year (2011), complete the prompts below. Try not to repeat any book titles. Think creatively and have fun!

Describe yourself:
Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis

How do you feel:
Deeply, Desperately by Heather Webber

Describe where you currently live:
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
Elfland by Freda Warrington

Your favorite form of transportation:
Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison

Your best friend is:
My One and Only by Kristan Higgins

You and your friends are:
Burning Up [anthology] by Knight, Singh, Kantra and Brook

What's the weather like:
Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh

What is life to you:
The Odyssey by Gareth Hinds

Favorite time of day:
Knight of Passion by Margaret Mallory

Your fear:
Reaper by Rachel Vincent

What is the best advice you have to give:
Dream A Little Dream by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Thought for the day:
Everything Changes by Megan Hart

How I would like to die:
Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh

My soul's present condition:
Naked by Megan Hart

You're turn! :)

Happy Christmas . . .

2011-12-25T00:01:00.001-05:00

. . . from my home to yours.

Wishing you and your loved ones all the peace, joy and love of the season. xo

Wrapping Presents

2011-12-24T12:34:00.000-05:00

Right now I'm wishing I had several hours I could pull out of my back pocket. How about you?

I have a lot of last minute things to do today for Christmas--mostly food preparations, tidying the house before guests arrive and wrapping presents.

Doing my best to do it all merrily!

Speaking of wrapping presents... check out this adorable video on How to Wrap a Cat for Christmas.

Merry Christmas Eve! ^_^

Library Loot XLV

2011-12-21T23:59:00.002-05:00

My Father's Daughter by Gwyneth Paltrow
I saw this cookbook on the new release shelf for non fiction and the only reason I picked it up was because it won the 2011 Goodreads Readers Choice Awards in the Food & Cooking category. I like Gwyneth Paltrow, but I did not vote for her cookbook. [I voted for Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams At Home by Jeni Britton Bauer, in case you were wondering.] I usually pass over cookbooks by celebrities on the principle that the only reason their cookbook is in bookstores selling copies is because they are celebrities, NOT because they are exceptionally original or talented in the kitchen. In fact, I think those are largely same reasons why this cookbook even won the Readers Choice Awards--because people know and recognize Gwyneth Paltrow. Not because they have read or cooked from her cookbook.

So out of curiosity, just this once, I brought home a celebrity cookbook from the library. It's a nice cookbook that uses simple, fresh ingredients in basic, familiar recipes that are healthful--which is how I strive to cook for my family. The food in the cookbook looks good, but not exceptionally noteworthy, but perhaps that's just because I already cook similarly to Ms. Paltrow. However, I am going to try her recipe for American Rotisserie Chicken tomorrow for dinner, so maybe I will be surprised and it will be the most exceptional roast chicken I've ever made! I'll let you know..

What's your take on celebrity cookbooks?

I borrowed some music by Maroon 5, Britney Spears and Pussy Cat Dolls. Don't judge.

I bought some Christmas novels on the 'books for sale' shelf to add to my collection. This coincided with my decision to collect little hardcover Christmas novels.

The Christmas Hope Donna VanLiere
Our Simple Gifts by Owen Parry
A Cedar Cove Christmas by Debbie Macomber
The Perfect Christmas by Debbie Macomber

Is there a particular sort of book you like to collect from used book sales or stores?

About Rainshadow Road {A video from Lisa Kleypas!}

2011-12-19T13:17:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited to share this new video with you from Lisa Kleypas. In this short video, author Lisa Kleypas shares her thoughts about her upcoming new novel, Rainshadow Road, the first book in her Friday Harbor trilogy. Look for Rainshadow Road in bookstores in February 2012.

I posted this video for my readers as part of "Lisa's Divas" - a group of select fans who share info & content related to Lisa's novels and get sneak peeks & swag in return. But please feel free to grab the link, post the video and basically spread the word about Lisa's upcoming Friday Harbor series to your friends, too!

If you think you'd like to be one of Lisa's Divas, there may be room for a few more fans in the Lisa's Divas community. Visit this site for more information and how to sign up.

Spritz Cookies!

2011-12-18T23:00:00.001-05:00

Baking an assortment of homemade Christmas cookies has been a tradition in my family for at least three generations now. My maternal grandmother immigrated to the United States from Germany as a teenager, following her sweetheart from her hometown, already skilled in cooking and baking, including traditional German recipes for a variety of holiday breads and cookies such as stollen, lebkuchen, linzer cookies, and spritz cookies. My mother continued the tradition of baking tins full of Christmas cookies for the holidays--some of my grandmother's traditional recipes and some new ones she found here and there in her own cookbooks or passed to her from friends. We would eat more than our share of cookies the week between Christmas, but my mother would also package several cookies of each variety into decorative tins to give to friends and family during the holidays. I have joyfully continued this Christmas cookie tradition in my own home, establishing a repertoire of Christmas cookies I bake every year. My husband even has two cookies he makes every Christmastime, too. *loves*

I have baked a lot of different Christmas cookie recipes over the years, recipes I found primarily in cooking magazines that I have accrued over the years--many of the magazines special issues dedicated entirely to Christmas cookies. I also own Joy of Cooking Christmas Cookies by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker, which is a must for anyone who loves classic, tried and true Christmas cookie recipes.

Every year I'm on the lookout for new Christmas cookie recipes to try, because you never know what's destined to be the next family favorite. Favorites may come and go over the years, but one cookie that has a permanent spot on the family favorites list--and one I enjoyed from my grandmother's and my mother's kitchens is Spritz cookies! My daughters especially have come to love and expect spritz cookies every year at Christmas and I'd like to share my recipe with you.

Spritz cookies are a traditional German butter cookie also known as Spritzgebäck, that are made from a very basic butter cookie dough that is pressed or 'squirted' [spritzen is the German verb for squirt!] through a cylindrical cookie press that is fitted at the opened end with discs with patterned holes that form special shapes. So technically you will need a cookie press to make traditional spritz cookies. They are inexpensive and fairly easy to find at specialty food shops, department stores and possibly even grocery stores during the holiday season.

What if you don't have a cookie press or don't want to invest in one just to make Spritz cookies?

Do not despair! You can still make spritz cookies using a pastry bag fitted with an open star tip. Simply fill the pastry bag with the cookie dough and pipe the cookie dough directly onto cookie sheets. You can pipe the dough into 2" sticks, circles for wreaths or shape the piped dough into hearts.

Spritz Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Place butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. This will take about 5 minutes. Set your kitchen timer for 5 minutes because these cookies really do turn out best when you beat the butter and sugar for the full 5 minutes.

3. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well blended.

4. Add the flour in three additions, adding the salt with the first addition, mixing well with each addition.

5. Assemble and fill your cookie press according to the manufacturer's instructions.

6. Press cookies onto ungreased, cool cookie sheets. If you are reusing the same cookie sheet for separate batches, make sure the cookie sheet cool completely before using again.

7. Decorate with colored sprinkles, if desired. This is a must in my house. :)

8. Bake for 6-9 minutes or until the cookies are just lightly brown at the edges. Watch carefully to avoid over baking. They tend to go from perfectly baked to burned in just a few seconds.

9. Cook the cookies on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack or large platter.

Enjoy!

Yield: 4-5 dozen.

Library Loot XLIV

2011-12-14T22:18:00.001-05:00

After the Quake by Haruki Murakami
Translated by Jay Rubin

After the Quake is a collection of six fictional short stories set in Japan after the devastating Kobe earthquake in 1995. Reading this book will meet the challenge to read one of Murakami's works in 2011 as per the Haruki Marakami Reading Challenge I joined back in February. After much internal debate, I had finally decided to read Sputnik Sweetheart--partly based on the story premise, partly on the length of the book and partly on which book was currently available at the the library! As I was about to reach for Sputnik Sweetheart on the shelf, I spied this little book right next to it and decided straight away that it was an even better choice for me. A collection of short stories in under 180 pages would give me a sampling of Murakami's style without the commitment to read one of his longer, more involved novels. I understand 1Q84 comes in at 925 pages! I'm looking forward to reading After the Quake and am curious to find out if I'll enjoy Murakami's writing.

Macbeth : The Graphic Novel by William Shakespeare
Plain Text version

Script Adaptation: John McDonald
Character Designs & Original Artwork: Jon Haward
Coloring & Lettering: Nigel Dobbyn
Inking Assistant: Gary Erskine
et. al.

My 16 year old is reading Shakespeare's Macbeth right now in Honors Brit Lit and while I recall having read it myself when I was in high school, I remember very little of the play. Reading the Classical Comics' graphic novel version of Macbeth will be a quick and fun way to refresh my memory of the play and invoke some Shakespearean discussion with my daughter.

Other Classical Comics graphic novels I read in 2011 include Jane Eyre and Frankenstein.

A 500th Post Holiday Giveaway

2011-12-09T16:18:00.000-05:00

It took me almost exactly four years [my blogging birthday is December 29, 2007], but I've finally reached my 500th blog post and this is it! That's an average of 125 posts a year, 10.4 posts a month or about one post every 3-4 days. That sounds about right.

What started out as a place to share my thoughts on books with an emphasis on romance novels has expanded and transformed into pretty much a personal blog. I still post regularly about bookish things, but also about fitness, food, family and other assorted adventures. All are topics I'm passionate about and enjoy sharing with my readers here on the happily ever after... I hope you all enjoy the mix, too. :)

To celebrate this 500th post milestone and the upcoming holiday season and to thank all of you who visit the happily ever after... and keep me company on this blogging adventure, I'm giving away a holiday ebook prize to one lucky winner. Below is a list of holiday novellas, most of which are new releases, from which one lucky reader will win up to three stories of their choice.

I'm afraid I don't know a lot about the restrictions of purchasing ebooks for recipients overseas, but I will look into that between now and the closing of the entries and see what I can do. In the meantime, assume that you will at least need to have one of the following to qualify for the prize: A kindle or kindle app on your reading device OR an iPod touch, iPad, or iPhone with either iBooks or the Kindle app installed, depending on the book below.

Winner will choose from the following list of fantastic holiday ebooks:
Click on titles to see the book on goodreads.

Newly Fallen by Megan Hart [kindle only]
A steamy contemporary Hanukkah romance!

A Taste of Midnight by Lara Adrian [iBooks or kindle]
A Midnight Breed novella, book #9.5
Paranormal romance, not so Christmas-y

Once Upon a Winter's Eve by Tessa Dare [iBooks or kindle]
A Spindle Cove novella, book #1.5
Historical romance.

Or perhaps one or more of the following contemporary romance novellas from the Carina Press holiday anthology, Holiday Kisses:

Mistletoe and Margaritas by Shannon Stacey [iBooks or kindle]

It's Not Christmas Without You by HelenKay Dimon [iBooks or kindle]

A Rare Gift by Jaci Burton [iBooks or kindle]

This Time Next Year by Alison Kent [iBooks or kindle]

Romance not your thing? That's okay! We can still be friends and you can choose this "regular" Christmas book: ;)

The Christmas Shoes by Donna VanLiere [kindle only]

To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment letting me know which THREE holiday novellas you would like to read.

All entries must be received by Friday, December 16, 2011 12 noon EST.

Be sure to leave an email address if it is not easily found in your profile.

Happy holidays! :)

REVIEW: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

2011-12-07T16:20:00.000-05:00

If that title alone doesn't grab you, perhaps my review will...

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making is a charmingly whimsical, albeit at times dark fairy tale about a precocious twelve year old girl named September who longs for excitement and happiness when her life has become less than joyful after her father has left to fight a war overseas and her mother has gone to work as an airplane mechanic. Within the first pages of this story, September is visited by the Green Wind--a gentleman in a green jacket and green jodhpurs, who invites her on an adventure into Fairyland. In Fairyland, September meets a myriad of creatures and beings and specifically befriends a Wyvern and a boy named Saturday and soon becomes embroiled in a quest to the far reaches of Fairyland. September must rely on her quick wit and growing heart to stay alive and find her way through Fairyland. With sophisticated and poetic story telling, the reader is whisked away into Fairyland right along with September where countless insights into the hazards and joys of life provide the reader with much to ponder.

Many times while reading this story, I would find myself rereading passages for now other reason than that they invoked such vivid imagery for the senses. Such as this paragraph:

"And so I may tell you that the leaves began to turn red as September and her friends rushed through the suddenly cold air on their snorting, roaring highwheels, and you might believe me. But no red you have ever seen could touch the crimson bleed of the trees in that place. No oak gone gnarled and orange with October is half as bright as the boughs that bent over September's head, dropping their hard, sweet acorns into her spinning spokes. But you must try as hard as you can. Squeeze your eyes closed, as tight as you can, and think of all your favorite autumns, crisp and perfect, all bound up together like a stack of cards. That is what it is like, the awful, wonderful brightness of Fairy colors. Try to smell the hard, pale wood sending up sharp, green smoke into the afternoon. To feel the mellow, golden sun on your skin, more gentle and cozier and more golden than even the light of your favorite reading nook at the close of the day. " [p. 130]

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making is an unforgettable fairy tale that would appeal to adults and children alike. In fact, it would make a wonderful read aloud book to be share with the child in your life. Even if you think the days of reading aloud are over in your house, capture them with this book if you can, because...

"As all mothers know, children travel faster than kisses." [p. 156]

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making has a decisive conclusion and can certainly be read as a stand alone novel. However, I am compelled to tell you that never before has one short sentence near the end of a book made me gasp in bittersweet delight that a sequel would be on the horizon for September and her friends. Said sequel to this unforgettable and enchanted book is expected to be published in March 2012, and will be titled The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There. I'll be reading it.

You can visit the author, Catherynne M. Valente at her website http://www.catherynnemvalente.com/.

Be sure to check out Cat's page of free reads, including The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland--For a Little While, a prequel story to The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, who are, by the way, two different girls. ; )

RECIPE: Roasted Root Vegetable Soup

2011-12-03T22:32:00.000-05:00

This simple roasted root vegetable soup is works well with just about any combination of root vegetables such as turnips, celeraic, potatoes, carrots, rutabagas or parsnips. I'm not a huge fan of turnips or celeraic, so when we got both of these in our co-op share one week, I decided making soup would be the best way to use them up. Since turnips and celeraic have a strong flavor, potatoes would mellow the flavor and onions and garlic would sweeten it up a bit. I happened to have two lonely carrots left, and decided to use them in the soup too. Finally, I opted to roast the vegetables instead of boiling them so that the soup would have a more carmelized flavor.

I hope you give this recipe a try--it's really easy and very tasty!

Roasted Root Vegetable Soup

1 celearic [celery root]

2 turnips

4 potatoes [I used two red and two yellow]

2 carrots

1 onion

4 garlic cloves

salt and pepper

sprigs of fresh thyme [or 2 teaspoons of dried thyme]

1. Peel vegetables, cut into similar sized chunks and place in a large bowl. Toss with olive oil, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and dried thyme, if using, until vegetables are evenly coated.

2. Place vegetables on cookie sheets in a single layer and top each cookie sheet with a few sprigs of the fresh thyme. Don't over-crowd the vegetables. It's better to use additional cookie sheets.

3. Roast vegetables in a 375 F oven for 45 minutes to an hour or until vegetables pierce easily with a fork, tossing every 20 minutes or so. Remove from oven and let cool.

4. Working in batches, place roasted vegetables in food processor, scraping any olive oil and roasted bits of vegetables from the cookie sheets--there's a lot of flavor there! Add about 3 cups of water for every 4-5 cups of vegetables. Purée until smooth and pour into a large sauce pan.

5. When all of the vegetables are puréed, cook over medium-low heat until heated through, adding additional water if necessary until soup is desired consistency. Taste for salt and pepper, and add accordingly. Keep in mind that this soup is prepared with water and not broth, so don't be alarmed by how much salt you may need to add.

6. Serve warm, garnish with fresh thyme leaves, if desired. Chopped chives would work, too.

Enjoy!

This post is my contribution to Weekend Cooking, a weekly blog event hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food related post to share--a food related book review (fiction or nonfiction), cookbook review, movie review, a recipe, random thoughts, gadgets, food quotations, photographs, etc. Please visit Beth's blog for more information and join the fun!

Holiday Reading Challenge 2011

2011-12-01T14:39:00.000-05:00

December is here! Along a huge list of other things, December means there's only a few weeks left to try to finish all those reading challenges ~~YOU~~ I joined this year. At this point, I've completed some, others were a total fail and there are yet a few that I admit I'm going to scramble to finish by December 31. Either way, I'm not stressing over it much, but I really, really would like to meet my goal of reading 100 books in 2011 and I'm SO close, too. And still, here I am joining one more challenge! This one is a Holiday Reading Challenge hosted by Book Lovers Inc. and I just couldn't resist. I have a few Christmas themed books I wanted to read this time of year anyway, so why not?

Holiday Reading Challenge 2011
Hosted by Book Lovers Inc.
November 10-December 31, 2011.

There are three levels from which to choose:
Santa's Helper: 1-3 holiday themed books
Serial Mistletoe-er: 4-6 holiday themed books
Candy Cane-aholic: 7 or more holiday themed books

The books may be any adult or young adult holiday related book and any format is acceptable--paper books, ebooks, audiobooks, short stories, novellas, etc. Children's books do not count towards the challenge.

I am going for Serial Mistletoe-er because HEY! It's mistletoe, people! And where there's mistletoe, there's kissing and who doesn't love kissing??!!

I have several holiday themed books on my shelves here at home and a few new ones on my wish list, so I certainly won't be lacking for reading material! You can see my selection on my goodreads holiday shelf.

What Christmas or winter holiday themed books are on your list?

Any favorites that you'd recommend?

In Death Series Reading Challenge November 2011

2011-11-30T23:59:00.000-05:00

Interested in joining the Challenge? Anyone is welcome to join in at any time of the year at wherever in the series you currently are. See the sign up post HERE and join the fun!

It's that time again to share which In Death books we've read this month. I'm in the middle of reading Origin In Death [Book #22] and was so close to finishing it tonight while it was still November, but a girl scout meeting with my youngest and precalc homework with my eldest took priority over reading so that's not happening. How about you? Did you read an In Death book this month?

CHALLENGE PARTICIPANTS:
Link up any In Death posts you made this month here. If you made a post on your blog, whether it be a review or commentary, please grab the link to your post and enter in the Mr. Linky below along with your name so we can find each other's latest In Death posts easily. You can also just use the link to your goodreads or other virtual bookshelf as well.

BOOK REVIEW:
... not this month.

SERIES DISCUSSION:
It's Thanksgiving during the time frame of Origin in Death and Eve and Roarke will be hosting their first "familial" holiday dinner in their home. At the point I'm up to in the book, Eve and Roarke have been fumbling over how to actually carry out such an foreign feat--the guest list, what to serve, etc.. It's actually quite charming how awkward and clumsy they are when they discuss possible plans. So I was imagining guests arriving at their home for Thanksgiving dinner and wondered what people would possibly bring?

What would you bring to Thanksgiving dinner at Eve and Roarke's?

I would bring homemade pumpkin pie with a crust made from real butter and the filling from fresh pumpkin puree, sweetened with pure Canadian maple syrup. I would hope that my gesture of making something from scratch in the age of the AutoChef would show the depth of my thankfulness for being invited to their home and included in their holiday dinner.

Fitness Challenge Report Card: November 2011

2011-11-30T14:35:00.000-05:00

Random Bits

2011-11-29T18:03:00.002-05:00

This should have been the November round up post for the In Death Reading Challenge, but I haven't finished my book yet, so I'll post that tomorrow. Instead, I have some random bits to share, although since they are all Thanksgiving and Christmas related, I guess they're not so random. Alas.

If you haven't already eaten all of Thanksgiving leftovers by now, this is your last chance! The recommended limit for left over roast turkey is about four days if you've handled it properly, i.e., refrigerated left overs promptly after the meal was over and your refrigerator is set to 40 F or below. I roasted a turkey breast for our Thanksgiving dinner and used the whole left over carcass with some meat still on it to make a big pot of homemade turkey broth today. As soon as I post this, I'll be using that broth to make Creamy Turkey and Wild Rice soup.
Do you make homemade stock or soup from scratch? Would you like to learn how?
No worries about any leftover pie. That always gets gobbled up first! We have one slice each of apple and pumpkin pie left over. And five people in our family... hmm...
I shelve my cooking magazines on a shelf with my cookbooks and actually do revisit past issues for recipe ideas. Today I pulled a few December issues off the shelf so I can start to get inspired for some holiday cooking. Hooray for CHRISTMAS COOKIES!
Do you bake cookies or other treats for the holidays? What is your favorite to bake or eat?
Right now I'm reading Origin In Death by J.D. Robb, Book #22 in the In Death series and it's Thanksgiving in this book! How cool is that?
Does anyone know if that means it's Christmas in Memory In Death? I need to know if I need to put the pressure on myself to read it on time.
I've read 89 books so far in this year and my goal is to read 100+ books. Am I cutting it close or what? I'm starting to get a little nervous about this...
Did you make a book count goal for 2011? If so, have you met it or are you still working on it?

Still Running

2011-11-27T11:58:00.000-05:00

Approximately two years ago I did something completely out of my comfort zone and joined an outdoor running group. I had just started biking a month or two prior, but aside from that my regular workouts for several years consisted of pretty much the same four fitness classes at the gym, four days a week. I was not a runner. I would run once in a blue moon if I had to, but it was definitely not my thing. I decided to give the running class a try anyway, in order to support the instructor [who was also a friend] who was trying to get this new class off the ground.

So I joined this running group.

I admit I was not very good at it.

In the beginning, I could barely run 2 miles [3.2 K] before I'd have to slow down to a walk to catch my breath. But I stuck it out and thanks to the efforts of the instructor, the support and positive encouragement from the small group of awesome women in the class, I slowly improved. Five weeks later, everyone in our group signed up for a local race and I ran in my first ever race on November 28, 2009. It was a 5 Mile Race [8 K] and I finished in 1:01:46. It was a slow 12:21 / mile pace and I recall having to power walk a couple of times to catch my breath, but I did it. I was very proud of myself for putting myself out there doing something new and something that was downright hard.

I decided to run that same race this year so I could see how much my fitness level has improved over the last two years.

On Saturday, November 26, 2011, I ran the same 5 Mile Race [8 K] and finished in 51:17 !!! :)

That's more than 10 minutes faster than my time two years ago! My pace was decent at 10:15 / mile, but this actually placed me in the bottom 20% of the 800+ people who participated in this race. Ugh, that stinks. There are a lot of really fast runners out there, people! But this is about me, not them, so whatever. Besides, I look SUPER FAST and HAPPY in this [blurry] picture, don't I?

And that's what really counts. Not the super fast part, although that is nice. The HAPPY part.

Get out there and try something new. Challenge yourself. Work for it. Make yourself healthier and happier. It feels good. :)

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T09:25:00.000-05:00

I'm thankful for the wonderful friendships I've made through blogging over the years and wish every one of you a very, very happy Thanksgiving. This goes for my friends outside the US as well, because I'm thinking of you today, too. ; )
xo

Library Loot XLIII

2011-11-23T20:18:00.000-05:00

Let It Snow
by John Green,
Lauren Myracle
and Maureen Johnson
An anthology of young adult romances for the holidays by some cool authors.

Eon by Allison Goodman

I intended to read one of three different books for my 2011 Big Book Challenge, but still haven't gotten to any of them and have sadly lost a lot of interest in those series. I had Eon on the back of my mind as a possible candidate for the challenge [per Mariana's recommendation, I believe], but it always seemed to be checked out of the library when I thought to look for it. I think this time it was finally meant to be, because there it was today, sitting right next to Let It Snow. Maybe I'll complete the 2011 Big Book Challenge after all!

What are you reading now?

{Easy} Homemade Gravy

2011-11-19T19:06:00.000-05:00

From scratch and made from practically nothing!

Are you cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year?
If yes, and you struggle with making homemade gravy, give my method a try. It took me years to learn how to make a decent gravy. Hopefully this recipe will save someone that kind of trouble. ; )

For years, gravy was one of my greatest challenges in the kitchen. Just ask my husband--chances are he'll mention my worst gravy attempt--red gravy. I have no idea what I thinking with that recipe. It really didn't even sound great on paper! I think I was just desperate to find some recipe that would actually show me the way to gravy success.

It used to be my habit to buy a can or jar of commercial gravy to have on hand in case my homemade gravy failed--which it usually did--and then I'd quickly open and heat the canned stuff in the microwave. I finally got the methodology down however, thanks to a few good articles in my favorite cooking magazines and haven't bought commercially prepared gravy in many years.

Now I can make gravy on the spot in about 10 minutes or less with or without the juices from a roast. In a pinch, I can make gravy in a small saucepan with just butter, onion, broth, salt and pepper and my secret ingredient--soy sauce, which is great to do for left overs, swedish meatballs or even sliced turkey or roast beef from the deli. However, gravy is extra special and flavorful if you do use the pan drippings from a roast. And the method is exactly the same for any kind of roast--beef, chicken or turkey. And if I can do it... so can you.

I always start the gravy towards the end of the cooking time for the roast and after my sides are just finished and being kept warm. This way I can focus on finishing the gravy while the roast rests and I can serve everything pipping hot.

For this post, I roasted a cut up chicken, seasoned with salt, pepper and sprinkled with dried sage in a large baking dish at 350F for about an hour or until the juices run clear when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. I usually check the thickest part of the chicken thigh, near but not touching, the bone.

About ten minutes before the roast is expected to be done, start making the gravy. Don't worry if your timing is slightly off as you can stall the gravy after step three and keep it heated at low heat while you wait for the roast to be finished.

Easy Homemade Gravy

Makes 6 servings. Double or triple the recipe for a large roast such as a whole turkey.

2 teaspoons canola oil
1 teaspoon butter
1/4 finely chopped onion
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups water or broth
1/2 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
drippings from a cooked roast (optional)

1. Heat the canola or other cooking oil and the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until butter melts.

2. Add the onion, season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper and cook until the onion softens and begins to brown slightly.

3. Add the flour and stir until the flour is absorbed by the butter and oil. Stir continuously for about one minute to cook the flour. Do not let the flour burn, but it is important to cook the flour for a minute or so before adding the liquid.

4. Slowly add the water or broth, stirring gently but with rapid movements to prevent the flour from lumping and until the gravy is slightly thickened. You can add additional water here, if necessary to get the desired thickness, but adding the pan drippings from the roast in a few minutes will thinA whisk works well for this step. I'm usually too lazy to dirty another utensil and just use the spoon.

3. Add the soy sauce and stir until well blended.

If the roast is done, immediately continue with step 4.

If the roast isn't yet done, keep the gravy on low heat until roast is done and removed from oven. Then proceed with step 4.

4. Remove roast from roasting pan and set on cutting board to rest before carving. Using a heat safe spatula or spoon, scrape up the browned bits in the roasting pan to dissolve into the drippings.

5. If you have a gravy separator [hi Santa!], use it to separate the fat from the drippings and pour the drippings into the gravy, leaving the fat behind, and stirring the gravy until well combined.

6. If you don't have a gravy separator [like me], make a disposable one using a quart sized freezer bag like this:
i. Place an open quart size freezer bag inside a 2 cup measuring cup.

ii. Carefully pour the drippings into the freezer bag. Let stand a minute or so and the fat will rise to the top, separating from the drippings.

iii. Seal the top of the bag and while holding bag over your gravy, carefully partially snip the corner of the freezer bag but NOT ALL THE WAY OFF! You're just making an opening for the drippings to pour out and you don't want plastic bag in your gravy. Not appetizing.

iv. Let the drippings pour into the gravy, stopping when the fat is about to pour out. Quickly flip your bag over so the fat doesn't leak out and you're holding the bag with the snipped corner upright. Discard the fat in the bag.

Look at that icky fat! Throw that away! Ew.

v. Stir to combine drippings into gravy.

7. Taste your gravy for proper seasoning and add a bit of salt, pepper or a dash of soy sauce, if necessary.

8. Serve hot and enjoy!

Are you a gravy lake maker?

I always made gravy lakes as a kid and every once in a while I still do it... just for old time's sake. : )

RECIPE: Pasta with Pumpkin Sage Cream Sauce and Prosciutto

2011-11-13T20:31:00.000-05:00

My favorite way to eat pumpkin will always be in the form of some sweet treat such as pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake (yum!), pumpkin ice cream (double yum!) and even pumpkin smoothies. Every once in a while, though, it's nice to venture on the savory side with pumpkin, but up until now, I've only ventured that way while dining out--not at home. So after getting a large Long Island pumpkin and a bunch of fresh sage in our organic co-op recently, I decided to try to make a pumpkin cream sauce with sage to serve with pasta.

There are many recipes out there for pumpkin cream sauce, of which the base ingredients are always pumpkin and cream with some variation of additional savory ingredients. I came up with this recipe that I think emphasizes the pumpkin and uses just a bit of half and half to make the sauce creamy. I also added a little bit of crispy prosciutto to each serving, which added more depth of flavor to the dish. It can certainly be omitted for a vegetarian version. I'm happy with the way this recipe turned out and hope you give it a try sometime. I'd love to hear from you if you do!

Pasta with Pumpkin Cream Sauce with Sage and Prosciutto
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup fresh pumpkin puree
1/4 cup half and half
1 tablespoon butter
fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced
salt & pepper

1-2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into small pieces

1/2 lb. dried pasta, cooked al dente

freshly grated parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta al dente according to package directions.

2. While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onion, garlic and four or five thinly sliced sage leaves, cooking until the onion begins to soften, about 2-3 minutes.

Tip: Add the sage sparingly at first, tasting the sauce as it cooks and adding more sage to suit your taste.

3. Lower the heat to medium low and add the pumpkin puree, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper and cook until hot.

Tip: Fresh pumpkin puree is best for this dish, but if you use canned pumpkin you may need to thin it with some water or broth to get the proper sauce consistency.

4. While the pumpkin sauce is cooking, heat a teaspoon or two of olive oil in a small skillet until hot. Add the cut up prosciutto and cook until crispy. Remove from heat and keep warm until serving.

5. Add the half and half and stir until heated through. If the sauce is too thick, it may be thinned with chicken broth or water.

6. When the pasta is ready, remove the pumpkin cream sauce from heat and add the butter, stirring until melted. Add minced fresh sage leaves and check for seasoning.

7. Toss sauce with hot pasta, sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese, crispy prosciutto and additional sage leaves, if desired. Best served immediately while hot!

Enjoy!

This is my first time participating in the weekly blog event Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food related post to share--a food related book review (fiction or nonfiction), cookbook review, movie review, a recipe, random thoughts, gadgets, food quotations, photographs, etc. Visit Beth's blog for more information.

What's a Kiwi Berry?

2011-11-10T17:43:00.000-05:00

Kiwi berry variety "Aloha Annas"
from Kiwi Korners
KiwiBerry.com
(click on photo to enlarge)

Have you ever had a kiwi berry before?

I'm willing to bet most of you will say no. Kiwi berries are rare in the US, which is why I thought it would be fun to share some info about these delicious berries. Then maybe the next time you see kiwi berries at your local market, you'll try them. Or ask your grocer to stock them!

We get these delicious little powerhouse fruits in our organic co-op once or twice a year around this time of year [mid autumn] and I look forward to them all year long. I even bought extras from the farm the share prior.

As I sat down to write what I knew about kiwi berries--all of which I learned through my co-op newsletter, I thought I'd better do a little research to make sure I had my facts straight. So I did a google search and read through a few sites. I found one site in particular that was very informative. I went to the fridge and looked for the name of the farm from which my kiwi berries came and guess what? The informative kiwi berry website I was reading is the website of the farm from which my kiwi berries came! My kiwi berries come from Kiwi Korners farm in Pennsylvania where Dave the kiwi berry farmer tends his kiwi crops. His website is KiwiBerry.com [Hi Dave! Thanks for growing these delicious, nutritious, organic kiwi berries for me and my family! :) ]

Kiwi berries are the perfect size for popping in your mouth!

Kiwi berries are related to the regular kiwi with which most people are already familiar. Kiwi berries are about the size of a large grape, have a thin skin and no fuzz. The flesh of a kiwi berry is similar in taste to a regular kiwi, but perhaps a little bit sweeter and more complex. As far as nutritional value goes, kiwi berries are low calorie and very healthful. In fact, they're considered one of the super fruits--containing a range of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and are a good source of fiber, too! Check out the full nutritional profile of kiwi berries at KiwiBerry.com/nutrition. Even if kiwi berries weren't so incredibly nutritious, I'd still recommend you look for them at your local market and give them a try. They're so delicious!

The variety we got in our co-op today are the Aloha Annas. According to the KiwiBerry website, this variety has the flavor of kiwi, pineapple and a slight hint of mint. Let's see if I can confirm this. .... *pops one in my mouth* ... hmmm... maybe I need another one to be sure. *pop pop pop* *kid pops few* mmm. All gone. ;)

Another NEW romance from Lisa Kleypas!

2011-11-08T16:42:00.001-05:00

Did you know Lisa Kleypas has a new book coming out in January 2012?

If you've followed my blog for a while, you know I'm a big fan of Lisa Kleypas, so naturally I'm super excited to hear she has another new book coming out soon!

Rainshadow Road is a contemporary romance and takes place in one of my favorite places--the Pacific Northwest. Isn't that cover just so pretty?

Needless to say, I cannot wait to read Rainshadow Road!

For a sneak peek, you can read an excerpt from Rainshadow Road on Lisa's website following this link: http://bit.ly/j5qdP8.

I'm sure Rainshadow Road will make it to your wish list once you read the excerpt, too!

NOTE: I am one of "Lisa's Divas" - a group of select fans who share info & content related to Lisa's novels and get sneak peeks & swag in return.

Random Bits

2011-11-07T11:48:00.000-05:00

My friend Lisa who blogs at Book Lists Life does a Random Friday post most weeks, which I love to read so I thought I'd give it a try, too. Lisa loves to read and craft--she's very talented with the sewing needle! Best of all, Lisa has three adorable little kids who bring all sorts of adventures to her days. Stop by her blog and say hello.

My 16 year old (11th grade) now has her driver's learning permit and is asking to drive all the time. It's a little terrifying. Please send me calmness or strength or ... something!
She is also in the very early stages of the whole college process. She recently took the PSATs and is starting to think about college options. She went to her guidance counselor this week to find out her GPA and it's a 3.94! (wow!) She's an honors student, does sports and is involved with a club or two and actively pursues photography recreationally and for the school. We are so proud of her!
My 12 year old (7th grade) is driving us crazy half the time with her tween attitude. Thank goodness she's so cute and sweet and fun the other half of the time. ;o)
Right now, I'm in the middle of reading four different books, something I rarely do. I find it extremely distracting and I make no progress reading any of the books. I'm going to focus on just ONE book at a time starting today with the one due back to the library the soonest and that would be The Girl Who Circumvented Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente. It's a charming middle grade novel about a girl who does all fun stuff in the title, meeting all sorts of fascinating beings along the way. The writing is whimsical and pretty insightful to this journey of life we're all on.
After much deliberation on my part, I agreed on a 2 hour bike ride with my cycling partner last Saturday morning at 7:30am when it was barely light out [the morning before the time change] and only 34 F (1 C)! Brrr! I don't have all the proper technical clothing for this sort of riding, but I made do with some layers, wool ski socks and a borrowed bacaclava [like this one] from my husband, which helped a lot. I actually wasn't as cold as I thought I'd be on the bike, especially since we climbed three tough hills during the ride to keep warm. ; ) My toes were pretty much cold the entire time, though, so I don't know if I'd want to ride more than 2 hrs. in cold weather and probably only when there's no wind. The wind chill on the bike is cold enough!
Yesterday we cleaned up the branches and tree limbs in the yard that fell in last weekend's freak snow storm and I used a chain saw for the first time ever! It was actually kind of fun. Now we have a decent sized wood pile in our backyard. Would be nice if we had a fireplace to go with it...
Halloween was a week ago today and I still haven't had a single piece of Halloween candy, BUT I have had some cookies and ice cream and a piece of coconut layer cake in the past week, though, so I I've essentially lost my bragging rights on this one... : /
Normally I try to pretend not to notice all the Christmas stuff in stores until at least Thanksgiving weekend, but Trader Joe's has put out their holiday cookies and candies and other holiday treats and I admit I investigated. Everything is so tempting... maybe I'll buy something on my next visit. You know... for taste testing purposes so I know what would make a good hostess gift or something like that during the holiday season.
Now that I mentioned Christmas, I may as well ask if anyone started their Christmas [or Hanukkah] shopping yet? I have a few gift ideas for my family, but that's about as far as I've gotten.

Your turn. What random bits do you have to share?

What I Read Last Month

2011-11-03T16:50:00.000-04:00

October was a fantastic reading month for me. I read nine books, but two were novellas so as for quantity it was pretty average, but the quality was really noteworthy. I thoroughly enjoyed every book I read which made me remember why I gave up giving ratings or grades for books for a while. How in the world do you delineate between excellent, fantastic and wonderful?

Here's a look at what I read:

Romance ........... 4
Young Adult ...... 2
Mystery ............ 1
Urban fantasy .....1
Graphic Novel .... 1 [non-fiction biography]

Of the romance novels read, two were contemporary and two were historical.

1. The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
Iron Fey, Book #3
I really enjoy this young adult series. It's a contemporary teenage story blended with a classic faerie-style story influenced by Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, mixed together with adventure and romance, all made even more complicated by the advance of modern technology. The story and characters are great, but I've developed a little hang-up over the romance. While I understand the attraction between Meghan and Ash, I feel like I missed the part where their attraction and interest in each other turned to a deep and devoted love. The Iron Queen is a fast paced, exciting romantic adventure.
GRADE: B

2. Something About You by Julie James
FBI, Book #1
A contemporary romance that's heavily entwined with a suspenseful murder mystery. The romance is between Cameron Lynde, a confident, successful female Assistant U.S. Attorney and Jack Pallas, FBI Special Agent. These two crossed paths several years before on a case that ended controversially and put a huge professional and personal rift between them, even though they work for the same side of the law. They're once again work together in this book, although very reluctantly, and through the course of the story are able to correct misunderstandings from the past, solve a murder and of course, fall in love.
GRADE: B+

3. Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris
Harper Connelly Mystery, Book #4
I debated between a four and five star rating for this book, finally deciding on five because it turned out to my favorite book of the series--a series that I started just a few months ago and found myself reading all four books in such a short time, which says a lot about the author's ability to capture my attention and keep me interested in more. This story had all the mystery, drama, sadness that I've come to love from this series and it also provided the kind of closure for Harper and Tolliver that they deserved, however, not before some very shocking revelations that I admit brought tears to my eyes. I honestly hadn't realized how important it became for me as the reader to know what had happened to Harper's sister Cameron who went missing eight years ago. While the ending isn't the sweet kind of happy ever after of 'feel good' or romance novel--it's almost bittersweet, but definitely the kind of realistic, positive ending that should leave most readers content, as it certainly left me.
GRADE: A

4. When Beauty Tamed The Beast by Eloisa James
A charming version of a Beauty and the Beast type tale. The dialogue in this novel is very entertaining and really brings the characters to life. In addition, the unique setting adds interest and depth to the story. Most of the story takes place at the Earl of Marchant's castle in Wales which he has set up as a pseudo-hospital where the Earl, his cousin and a small handful of promising doctors-in-training strive to provide alternative health care to patients which is in fact the correct direction medicine needs take during this time period to save lives and prevent infections. This aspect of the story was extremely fascinating and the author effectively tied this to the romance plot as well. There is also a charming secondary romance plot featuring the Earl's mother and father that was a very sweet touch to the book.

I found the dialogue intelligent and witty, but I have to admit there were a few instances toward the beginning of the book when I felt pulled out of the story because a line or two of the dialogue all of a sudden sounded contrived or cliche. Maybe it was just my unfamiliarity with the language of the time period. Also, I expected the Earl to be more beast-like in looks and mannerisms and aside from being extremely direct and rather unorthodox in his medical practices, he was otherwise normal enough and according to Miss Linnet, very attractive.
GRADE: A-

5. Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography
by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón
Don't underestimate the power of this book on the merits that it is a graphic novel. While this book will be shelved in the young adult section of most libraries, I highly recommend it to readers of all ages and backgrounds. Many people are familiar with the story of Anne Frank and her family through her world renowned diary, and this graphic novel makes the perfect supplement, expanding on Anne's story with accurate historical facts.

This book delivers a serious historical and emotional punch as it provides detailed insight into the frightening and horrific time for thousands and thousands of innocent people who suffered unnecessary and intolerable injustices and deaths leading up to and including the years of The Holocaust. What an awful, heartbreaking time this was in the history of our world.

I had the wonderful opportunity to visit the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam last summer and was profoundly moved as I toured the Secret Annex and learned about the life and plight of Anne Frank and her family. Again, reading this biographical novel added new layers of knowledge and emotion to my trip to Amsterdam that I won't likely ever forget.
GRADE: A

6. I Love The Earl by Caroline Linden
The Truth About the Duke, prequel
I Love the Earl is a prequel novella to Ms. Linden's newest historical romance trilogy, The Truth About the Duke, the first book of which is titled One Night In London, just released in September 2011. I Love the Earl takes place several decades before One Night In London and tells the love story of Margaret de Lacey and Rhys Corwen, the Earl of Dowling. Margaret is an untitled spinster of mediocore means who suddenly becomes a worthy catch when her brother suddenly inherits a dukedom and offers a generous dowery on her behalf. She catches the attention of numerous fortune hunters, and in his attempts to win her favor, the desperate Welsh Earl, Rhys Corwen actually falls in love with her.

I really loved this novella. It's greatest shortcoming is that it isn't a full length novel. The premise of the story is simple, but the characters are interesting, their dialogue genuine and entertaining and the romance just charming.
GRADE: A-

7. Archangel's Kiss by Nalini Singh
Guild Hunters, Book #2
Review to come...
GRADE: A

8. Until There Was You by Kristan Higgins
Read my review HERE.
GRADE: A

9. Summer's Crossing by Julie Kagawa
Iron Fey, Book #3.5
***CAUTION: Possible spoilers from previous books***
This Iron Fey novella takes place immediately after events of The Iron Queen and before The Iron Knight. Puck and Ash are about to seek out Grimalkin for help getting them into the Iron Realm where Meghan is. Only before they go, Leanansidhe shows up and calls in the favor Ash owes her, sending Ash and Puck into the Summer Court to retrieve an item that was stolen from her. While Puck is not exactly a welcomed sight in the Summer Court since defying King Oberon, he still remains loyal to his homeland. Ash, however, is literally putting his life on the line by entering enemy territory, presenting Puck with the opportunity to eliminate his biggest rival once and for all. Puck's loyalty and renowned prankster skills are truly tested in this story.

Summer's Crossing is told from Puck's point of view and offers a delightful look into his charming, mischievous, warm-hearted and loyal heart. The tension between Puck and Ash and the dynamics of their is pretty high without Meghan around to temper them both, but there's also this subtle vibe between these two that gives the reader hope that they'll one day reconcile to the best friends they used to be long ago. Highly recommended to anyone who reads the series!
GRADE: A-

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

My favorite books this month were Archangels' Kiss by Nalini Singh and Until There Was You by Kristan Higgins. The novella, I Love The Earl by Caroline Linden was very, very good. I'm very optimistic about One Night in London and am looking forward to reading it!

What was the best book you read last month?

Fitness Challenge Report Card: October 2011

2011-11-02T22:47:00.000-04:00

Hello November! What a wacky few days we just had around here with that freak snow storm and the damage it caused. The kids were back in school today and things are mostly back to normal, but in some areas here and there it feels like you're in a labyrinth trying to figure out how to get from A to B with some roads still closed due to broken tree limbs and power lines in the streets. As far as our school calendar, it's going to be an interesting year. We already have one day taken away from our spring break in April and no snow days to get us through the winter. Let's hope it's a mild winter and all snow storms take place on the weekends!

Thankfully, our town allowed trick-or-treating on Halloween, because I heard that some other New Jersey towns "cancelled" trick-or-treating because of the safety hazards. My girls were out for a while and came home with several pounds of candy--including at least a dozen Reese's peanut butter cups [my favorite] but only one Twix bar [my other favorite]. And yet I am reporting to you with immense pride and astonishment that I have successfully resisted the evil temptation of Halloween candy for 48 hours! I haven't had a single piece! NOT ONE! This is major, people. I don't think there's EVER been a time in my life when I haven't eaten Halloween candy. We're talking four+ decades! Where this resolve came from, I do not know. Maybe it's because I know exactly how freaking hard I have to work just to burn 100 calories! Speaking of which...

Did you track your fitness challenge miles* in October?

What kinds of exercise have you been getting?

My ongoing goal is to reach 100 fitness challenge miles* every month. I came in at 119.65 for October, exceeding my goal by a nice chunk this time. I only took two days off from working out this month. One day because of those monthly cramps [omg how many YEARS am I going to go through this? For a lovely rant, see my post from 2008 titled Don't Do the Math in which I do the math. Add on a few dozen days for the last three years... ]. The other was the day after the snow storm when the gym had no power and it was just too dangerous out there to exercise under the trees!

Here's a summary of what I did in October to rack up all those miles:

Cycling [on road]....... 31
Strength training........ 25
Running [outdoors].... 28.65
Spin class [in gym].... 16
Kickbox class ........... 14
Cardio Interval class... 4
Swim [indoor pool] ... 1

TOTAL fitness miles ....119.65

I did a lot of cycling in October. My friend Maureen and I are planning to bike in a Gran Fondo, next September [100 mile bike course], so we started training by doing some longish rides together. We spent over 8 hours biking over four weekend days, logging over 118 miles. :)

I ran two 5K races in October, which was pretty fun. The first one was on my birthday in which I ran my new personal best of 30:02! I am very excited about that, but hope to break 30 minutes in my next 5K, which will probably be in January. [5K = 3.1 miles]

Empty Sky 9/11 Memorial
Liberty State Park
Jersey City, NJ
Photo taken on October 16, 2011
NJ Make-A-Wish 5K Run

The second 5K I ran took place in Liberty State Park along the pier where I had views of the New York City skyline, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty for the whole run. There is also a new 9/11 Memorial in the park that was opened just this September called Empty Sky Memorial. If you stand in front of the memorial [as I was when I took the photo on the left], the memorial fills in the skyline where the twin towers once stood. The names of all those who died on 9/11 are engraved along the wall of the memorial. When you get to the other side, you see the skyline as it is today... an empty sky. I like the design of this memorial a lot and think it's a very meaningful and appropriate addition to Liberty State Park. If you're in the area, I recommend you see it for yourself.

I still miss my Friday 5:45 am Bootcamp class. Okay, I don't miss the 5:45 am part, but I DO miss the friends with whom I took the class and I miss how freaking hard it was. At least now I get to sleep in until 6:45 am on Fridays and then I go running with my friend Marie after the girls are off to school. I have to admit it's nice to exercise in the daylight instead of just before sunrise, and Marie and I get to chat the whole time. Plus fall weather is the best for running! Not too warm, not too cold and the foliage is pretty, too.

In November, I'm thinking of running a 5 Mile Race on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This is the same race that I did a few weeks after I first started running back in November 2009. I can't believe that was just two years ago--I've come such a long way since then. Anyway, I ran that 5 Mile race in 1:01:47 and would like to see what kind of time I could get now. Other than that, I'll just aim for 100 fitness miles again this month.

What are your fitness or exercise goals for November?

Interested in joining the Fitness Challenge? Please visit the Sign Up post for more information, including the challenge rules. You may leave a comment there or on this post if you'd like to join. Be sure to include your fitness miles goal in your comment.

*ONE fitness challenge miles = 1 mile walked or run for fitness OR = 15 minute increments of other exercise for fitness such as cardiovascular or strength training exercises.

Big Bird and Black Swan

2011-10-31T23:57:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween! I hope everyone had a fun and festive day today. I have to admit that the freak snow storm we had here on the east coast this past weekend has thrown us for a loop and Halloween wasn't as exciting or festive as it has been in the past.

Our town has an area of barely 5 square miles and we had 100 trees and over 240 power lines come down in roadways, creating hazardous conditions and knocking out power for many people. This snow storm wasn't particularly violent nor did it produce that much snow. We got maybe only 2-3" of snow, but it was very heavy and wet. Which again, isn't particularly noteworthy except for the fact that most of the trees still have most of their leaves, giving the snow a lot of surface area on which to fall and accumulate. The branches just couldn't bear that kind of weight and huge tree limbs were snapping everywhere. It was very dangerous out there!

Schools were closed today, bringing our total school closures for the 2011-12 school year to three and and it isn't even winter yet! [The first two were in September due to hurricane Irene]. Right now schools will have a delayed opening tomorrow, but there's a possibility it will turn into another closure by morning! Any more days off and they'll have to take days off our spring break in April. Ugh. :(

As for Halloween festivities, the girls went trick-or-treating today, so at least there was some Halloween spirit around here. And alas, now there's a ton of candy around here...

My youngest dressed up as Big Bird from Sesame Street this year. One of her friends went as Cookie Monster. You can't quite see it in the photo, but she has Big Bird eyes and a beak on her headband. Very cute.

My teenager dressed up as the Black Swan and her friend was the White Swan. They put the costumes together all on their own. They purchased one or two things and everything else was borrowed or from their own collection of dance wear. Very pretty!

Now my biggest challenge will be to ignore the presence of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in the house.

ONE Reese's Peanut Butter Cup
115 calories [calories I burn running 1.3 miles]
7.5g fat
2.3g saturated fat
11.5g carbs
10g sugar
3g protein
70mg sodium

In Death Series Reading Challenge October 2011

2011-10-30T23:44:00.000-04:00

Interested in joining the Challenge? Anyone is welcome to join in at any time of the year at wherever in the series you currently are. See the sign up post HERE
and join the fun!

It's that time again to share which In Death books we've read this month. I'm currently reading Origin In Death [Book #20], but don't think I'll finish by tomorrow night. Hopefully others have had a more successful month!

CHALLENGE PARTICIPANTS:
Link up any In Death posts you made this month below. If you made a post on your blog, whether it be a review or commentary, please grab the link to your post and enter in the Mr. Linky below along with your name so we can find each other's latest In Death posts easily. You can also just use the link to your goodreads or other virtual bookshelf as well.

BOOK REVIEW:
None from me this month...

SERIES DISCUSSION:

I always find it sad when characters make a reference to something that all children should know and Eve just draws a blank. That she missed out on anything and everything simple and happy that a child should experience. In the book I'm reading now--Origin In Death, Eve drew a blank when a reference was made to the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme and a few scenes later when Peabody referred to Barbie dolls. That Eve doesn't know common nursery rhymes is heartbreaking enough because she never had a loving, attentive adult teach them to her, but to also not be familiar with Barbie dolls suggests that not only did she not have toys, but that she probably never saw the inside of a toy store nor did she ever watch television of kids' shows because otherwise she would have seen commercials for the dolls at some point. Instances like these throughout the series are sad reminders of just how much Eve was deprived of love and any form of a childhood whatsoever.

What toy from your childhood stands out the most in your memory? Either one you had or one you always wanted?

Some classics from my childhood are Barbie dolls [I had a tent camping set, but always wanted the RV or airplane play set], Baby Alive [battery operated doll with a motorized mouth that "ate" baby food and soiled its diaper]. I always wanted an EZ Bake oven and Lite Brite. Finally got to play with those when I became I mom and got them for my own daughters. ;)

REVIEW: The Greyfriar by Clay and Susan Griffith

2011-10-29T22:57:00.000-04:00

Think you've had enough of vampire fiction? You may want to reconsider and give this one a try. The Greyfriar is a the first book in the steampunk fantasy Vampire Empire trilogy written by husband and wife author duo Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith. After thousands of years of dormancy, vampires inexplicably emerged from their hiding places and swiftly massacred scores of humanity, irrevocably changing the demographics of human life and technology on the entire face of the earth. The Greyfriar story begins a century and half after the emergence of the predatory vampire clans with humans and vampires on the brink of war. Princess Adele, the daughter of the emperor of Equatoria, the largest human nation, is sent to tour the outskirts of human territory when her airship is attacked by vampires. The airship crashes and in the chaos of the battle that ensues, the princess is rescued by The Greyfriar -- the legendary and mysterious slayer of vampires and defender of humans. The Greyfriar has sworn to protect Adele and return her to Equatoria, which is no simple task when the vampire empire's most powerful clan is hunting for the princess so that they can use her as a political pawn against Equatoria. Adele's journey quickly becomes more than a mere physical journey home. She is literally fighting and fleeing for her life within vampire territory and inevitably learns more about vampires than probably any other human on Earth. She also learns some very interesting things about herself--things that have her questioning her very own views of the world and consequently, her role as Princess and heir of the Equatorian Empire.

The story is a fast paced, action packed adventure teeming with classically terrifying vampires, political strifes within and between empires, personal adventure and a touch of romance--all set in a fascinating and epic steampunk alternate history. Princess Adele and the Greyfriar are compelling characters, both of whom grabbed my attention immediately upon introduction and for whom my affection grew with every turn of the page. The story is certainly focused on the events that serve as political catalysts for war between the empires, but it would be remiss to say the story is not also a personal one. The relationships Adele forges during her journey home are equally tender as they are strong and may possibly be what saves both empires from future destruction. The Greyfriar is thoroughly entertaining. I loved this story and am terribly anxious to read the next book in the trilogy, The Rift Walker, already available now.

GRADE: A

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Steampunk Challenge Update:

The Greyfriar is the only full length steampunk novel that I've read during Steampunk Challenge hosted by Rikki on her blog The Bookkeeper.

Challenge: Read steampunk books from October 2010 through October 2011.

I did also read a steampunk romance novella that was absolutely fantastic. That story is "Here There Be Monsters" by Meljean Brook in the Burning Up anthology, which includes additional [non-steampunk] stories by Nalini Singh, Angela Knight and Virginia Kantra.

"Here There Be Monsters" is a prequel story to Meljean Brook's Iron Seas series. It is, in my opinion, extremely challenging for authors to write really stellar short stories, particularly in the romance genre, but Meljean has once again met that challenge in spades. The world building is impeccable and fascinating, the plot clever, the characters diverse and the romance is both believable and memorable. A romance for which the characters had to really fight, too! Now I'm looking forward more than ever to reading the first full length novel in this series, The Iron Duke. A task I must attend to ASAP as Heart of Steel--book two in the Iron Seas series, comes out in just a few days!

REVIEW: Until There Was You by Kristan Higgins

2011-10-28T15:38:00.001-04:00

I'm wearing circles under my eyes all this week because I stayed up way too late the other night reading Until There Was You by Kristan Higgins. I was glued to the pages and could not put it down until I finished!

I've been a fan of Kristan Higgins' novels ever since I read Catch of the Day a few years ago. I've since read--and loved-- five other books by Kristan Higgins books, including her latest book, Until There Was You, which was released earlier this week on October 25, 2011. [I still have to read Fools Rush In and Just One of the Guys]. I wasn't at all surprised at how much I enjoyed Until There Was You because I adore Ms. Higgins' quirky, yet familiar characters and down-to-earth story telling--the layers of humor, familial issues, female drama and those sad moments of life that we never forget and how they shape who we are-- all wrapped into a charming romance and tied with a satisfying happily ever after ending. All of which is consistent in all of Kristan's books.

Thirty-four year old Cordelia "Posey" Osterhagen owns a salvaging company in her hometown of Bellsford, New Hampshire. Posey was a very shy, skinny and awkward teenager and consequently doesn't have many great memories of her high school years. In fact, she was at her lowest back in high school when her heart was broken by her long time crush and high school bad boy, Liam Murphy. Posey is a kind, generous and well adjusted adult now and happy enough in life. She has a great business, a loving family, a handful of close friends and even has a boyfriend of sorts. Until Liam Murphy shows up in town after all these years, that is, widowed and raising a teenage daughter on his own and as attractive as ever. His arrival sends her heart in a tailspin and Posey knows right away that she has to distance herself from him before she falls unrequitedly in love with him all over again. As if she ever stopped...

Liam Murphy had a troubled family before he moved in with his uncle and attended high school in Bellsford all those years ago. Once in Bellsford, girls were constantly throwing themselves at Liam and he took advantage of it. Until he fell for the smart, pretty and popular Emma Tate, whom he followed to California after high school. Emma got pregnant and she and Liam married and became parents at a young age. Fifteen years later, Emma dies from leukemia and a few years after that, Liam decides to return to Bellsford with his teenage daughter, Nicole so she can be closer to her grandparents.

While Posey has matured and moved on from high school, she still has some insecurities--mostly about her body image, a bit caused by some family dynamics and in general, she tends to herself short in a lot of ways. I think these are things that most women can relate to at some point in our lives.

Women still hit on Liam wherever he goes, much to his annoyance [except Posey!], but he's not the same person he was as a teenager. He's matured and has learned a lot about love and loss. Not to mention how becoming a father has changed him in ways he never imagined. Despite all his fears about parenting all by himself, and knowing first hand what teenage boys are like, he's responsible, attentive and tries so hard to understand and be there for Nicole. He's ultra protective of her, but truly a great dad. Liam's relationship with his daughter is definitely one of the strengths of his character.

Despite Posey's attempts to put a wide berth between herself and Liam--they continuously cross paths and rekindle a tentative friendship that they sort of had back in high school when he worked in her parent's restaurant and slowly begin to see each other for the person they have each become. Both of them have clearly been affected by their pasts and haven't quite gotten over a lot of their teenage insecurities, but over time they kind of show each other how to see themselves in a different light, move on, live and love. They're there for each other in ways they both truly need and deserve. It was simply heartwarming to see Posey and Liam at ease with each other, having fun and finally being loved for just who they are.

I just loved reading Until There Was You--it's entertaining and heartwarming. There are numerous little side stories threaded throughout Posey and Liam's story involving their friends and family that tie the story together in a really fun, but also meaningful way. All of those little subplots reveal details about Posey and Liam's character and how they see themselves. Posey and Liam are on a soul searching journey of sorts as they figure out who they are, where they belong and what kind of life and love are they worthy of, and in the end, how to fight for it. Most of all, it's a story about a second chance at love and how we all deserve a happily ever after. Until There Was You is a charming story that shouldn't be missed.

Visit author Kristan Higgins on her website at http://kristanhiggins.com/.

Ms. Higgins' next novel, Somebody to Love is coming out in May 2012. This new romance will brings us back to the same town in which Maggie and Malone from Catch of the Day live and I hear we get to see snippets of them again! I can't wait!

GRADE: A

Love your breasts... do Breast Self-Exams

2011-10-24T18:04:00.000-04:00

Photo taken by my daughter

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month dedicated to promoting breast cancer awareness, education and empowerment to women to make informed decisions regarding their breast care. Right now is as good a time as any to evaluate your personal breast care plan for early detection of any breast tissue diseases.

In October last year, I wrote the post "Love your breasts... get a mammogram" reminding, encouraging, imploring women to be conscientious about monitoring the health of their breasts by getting their annual [or biennial] mammogram starting at age 40, or earlier for women with a family history of breast cancer.

This year, I am reminding, encouraging and imploring you to be conscientious about another important part of your breast health plan and that is to do regular Breast Self-Exams [BSE] starting in your 20s.

I personally endorse this as an absolute necessary component of your breast health plan because in January of this year, I found a lump in my right breast while doing a Breast Self-Exam, just two months after having had a clear mammogram. Thankfully, I was eventually diagnosed with a benign breast disease, but it was a harrowing several weeks between finding my lump and receiving my diagnosis. An experience that I will never forget.

My Story...
On the morning of January 4, I was doing a breast-self exam while lying bed and found a lump on the lower, outer area of my right breast. It felt about the size and shape of an almond in its shell, and since it was close to the surface, I could put fingers around it and move it. Startled, I went to the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror. I raised my arm over my head and moved my breast aside and saw the shape of the lump protrude under my skin. I tried to remain calm and optimistic that this could be something benign, but boy that is WAY harder than it sounds. I admit that the fear that I was going to start a battle with cancer was hard to tamp down, but I tried my best to think positively.

I called my gynecologist as soon as her office opened and was grateful that she saw me that same afternoon. She reassured me that she was confident it was a benign tumor but ordered an ultrasound to decide the next step. I had an ultrasound about two days later, but the lump was un-imagable, indicating that the lump tissue was the same density as the surrounding breast tissue. When my gynecologist got the results a few days later, she referred me to a breast care specialist, whom I saw about a week or so later.

The breast care specialist is a surgeon who specializes in breast care and breast diseases. He concurred with my gynecologist with the likely diagnosis of a benign tumor, and because the lump was palpable and easily accessible, the best and most thorough course of action would be to surgically remove the tumor and have it sent to the lab for evaluation. So that's what we did. Two weeks later, on the morning of that horrendous ice storm that hit the East Coast on February 2, 2011, I had a lumpectomy on my breast. A week later, my breast care physician called me with the histological results and informed me that the tumor was indeed benign and my official diagnosis is a breast disease known as Pseudoangiomatous Stromal Hyperplasia of the Breast, also referred to as PASH. PASH is a rare, but benign breast disease that causes the proliferation of stromal lesions or tumors in the breast. It is a huge relief to know PASH is always a benign disease, but because it is a recurring [can happen again] and proliferative [grows and spreads quickly] disease, I am being diligent about doing monthly self-exams so I can find any future tumors early. The doctor has implied that it's likely I'll never have another PASH tumor, but if I do find one, it's likely another PASH tumor and not a cancerous type of tumor. From what I understand, PASH is more closely linked to progesterone receptors as opposed to estrogen receptors, which is good news for me since malignant breast diseases are more closely linked to estrogen, not progesterone.

Fortunately, my diagnosis has a positive prognosis. If I had not found the lump early, it could have proliferated and been more difficult to remove if it had grew very large or spread to other areas of my breast. Or if the lump was not caused by PASH but by a malignant breast disease, and I had not found it early, the course of treatment could have proven more complicated and even life threatening. But those scenarios didn't pan out because I do self-exams.

So here I am, proof positive that Breast Self-Exams are a valuable part of a breast care plan and I emphasize how important it is that YOU take this component of breast care screening into your own hands--literally!--an do Breast Self-Exams.

For information on how to do Breast Self-Exams, talk to your health care provider.

You can also find a lot of accurate information on breast care and how to do Breast Self-Exams from reliable sources online. Here are a few links to get you started:

Susan G. Komen Cure: Breast Self-Exam

American Cancer Society: Breast Cancer Detection

BreastCancer.org: The Five Steps of a Breast Self-Exam

WebMD: Breast Self Exam Tool
WebMD Breast Self-Exam

Please love your breasts... do breast self-exams!

The NJ RWA Literacy Signing

2011-10-22T23:53:00.003-04:00

The New Jersey RWA Conference is being held this weekend at a venue not too far from me, and this afternoon was the literacy signing fundraiser to support local literacy organizations. I couldn't pass up the chance to meet some lovely authors and buy a few signed books, so I headed over. This conference is no where near the scale of the national one held in New York City back in June, so I was able to take my time and chat a bit with some of the authors as I went around the room, which was great. I shared how I came to learn about their books, which of their books I've read and enjoyed, how they affected me, that sort of thing. It was really nice.

The first author I visited was KT Grant, a.k.a. katiebabs a.k.a. Kate. Kate and I have been friends for several years now, having first met online on JR Ward's message boards back in 2007. Today, Kate participated in her first ever author signing where SHE was the one signing copies of her book, Sweet and Sinful, available in paperback now.

Congratulations on this milestone, Kate! :)

I was so thrilled to learn that Kristan Higgins was going to be at this conference. She is one of my most favorite authors and I missed out on seeing her at the National RWA author signing in June. So I was particularly thrilled to be able to meet her today.

Kristan Higgins' next book is Until There Was You, and will be released on Tuesday, October 25, 2011. That's just a few days away--look for it!

Other lovely authors I met and their books I purchased:

Laura Griffin, Snapped
Caroline Linden, One Night In London
Lisa Dale, Slow Dancing on Price's Pier
Rachel Gibson, Any Man of Mine

Brenda Novak Inside, Book One in her Bulletproof romantic suspense series. She's so friendly--we spoke fondly of our friend Phyl who donates a hand made quilt to the online auction Ms. Novak hosts every year to benefit diabetes research.

Ms. Novak also has an historical romance coming out soon, titled The Bastard-- her very first release in this genre. The book will be offered in ebook format only on November 1, 2011, but I believe it may become available in print by demand. It sounds great!

Have you read any of these books or other books by these authors?
I'd love to hear!

RECIPE: Concord Grape Sorbet

2011-10-12T17:06:00.000-04:00

It's been a long time since I've posted a recipe here, but when I made this refreshing and fragrant sorbet the other day, I knew I had to share it. We usually get a generous bunch of concord grapes in our organic co-op every year when these incredibly aromatic and sweet grapes are in season locally--which is now.

Concord grapes are the origin of the classic grape flavor and scent that Americans will readily identify with classic purple grape beverages and grape candy. But trust me when I say this fat free, low calorie sorbet tastes better than any grape flavored treat you've ever had. It's the real deal

I came up with this recipe around this time last year when we got concord grapes in our co op, but at that time I had made the smallest batch of sorbet to serve only two people,because I had eaten most of the grapes before getting around to making the sorbet. This year, I made sure I ate only a few of the grapes and used the rest to make the sorbet.

A ice cream maker provides the best results for sorbet. I recommend the Cuisinart ICE-21 that sells for $49 on amazon. I have the older ICE-20 model, but they look to be essentially the same machine. If you don't have an ice cream maker and don't want to invest in one, you can make the sorbet by freezing the sorbet in a shallow glass baking dish and repeatedly mixing it with a fork every hour or so as it freezes, but finished sorbet won't be nearly as smooth as the batch made in the ice cream maker.

Concord Grape Sorbet
1 1/2 lbs. concord grapes
1 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vodka, optional

Remove grapes from stems and rinse. Combine grapes, water and sugar in a non-aluminium saucepan over medium heat.

Bring grape mixture to a gentle boil and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The grapes will break down and the liquid should be slightly thickened, like a thin syrup.

Remove grape mixture from heat and pour into a fine sieve that's resting over a large glass bowl. Gently stir grape mixture, pressing gently with a large spoon to extract as much liquid and "pulp" from the mixture.

It helps to occasionally scrape the thickened pulp that will accumulate on the bottom of the sieve into the bowl. Press the mixture until you can't extract another drop. You should be left with a clump of grape skin, small stems and seeds in the sieve and at least 2 cups of thickened grape "juice".

Add the vodka to the grape "juice" and stir gently. You can omit the vodka if desired. The vodka will help keep the sorbet smooth and not "icy". It works because alcohol lowers the freezing point of the mixture, so the sorbet doesn't quite turn to solid ice in your freezer.

Pour the grape mixture into the freezer container of your ice cream maker and process for 15-20 minutes, or until the sorbet is the consistency of soft serve ice cream or a thick, smooth apple sauce.

Spoon the sorbet into an airtight container that can accommodate the sorbet with minimum head room between the sorbet and the lid. Again, having as little air as possible in the container helps prevent the sorbet from forming ice crystals on the surface.

Freeze in your freezer for a couple of hours for best results. Consume within 3 days for best flavor and texture.

Enjoy! :)

After the Triathlon: What's Next?

2011-10-11T23:32:00.001-04:00

It's been a month since the triathlon and I believe it's safe to say that officially lost the tri "high." Sure, the pride and sense of accomplishment will always be there, but the thrill has waned. I imagine my family is grateful for the break. They were so patient listening to my incessant triathlon-this triathlon-that training chatter. :)

Last September's triathlon was on my calendar for almost a whole year and I hadn't realized how accustomed I became to having a goal towards which to train. Once the tri was over, it was a matter of days before I started thinking, "WHAT'S NEXT?"

So I've been PLANNING! Here's a running list--pun intended!--of events I'd like to do over the next several months:

_√_ October 1, 2011 5K Run for cancercare.org
_√_ October 16, 2011 5K Run for Make A Wish Foundation
___ November 26, 2011 5 Mile Turkey Trot
___ January 1, 2012 5K Hangover Run
___ January 21, 2012 Romp to Stomp Breast Cancer
5K Snow Shoeing Event
___ July xx, 2012 Sprint Triathlon <--in ocean! OR Duathlon <--on land!
___ August 28, 2012 SheROX Sprint Triathlon
___ ~~September 9, 2012 Danskin Sprint Triathlon~~ <--so disappointed same day as Gran Fondo :(
___ September 9, 2012 Gran Fondo 100 Mile Bike Event
___ September 30, 2012 5KTunnel to Towers
___ November xx, 2012 SheROX Sprint Triathlon in Bermuda <--A girl can dream, right?

This is just a plan. Everything is subject to change. Events may be added or deleted at whim. But I do hope to do most--if not all of these events. In any case, it should be an eventful year for me. Literally. : )

What about YOU? Do you have any Run or Walk Events on YOUR calendar?

If not, you should find one in your area. It's FUN!

Birthday Giveaway Winner

2011-10-09T22:11:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all who entered the giveaway. I used random.org to generate a random list from the list of entries and the first person on the list is ....

Deanna!!!

Congratulations!!! Email me! :)

Deanna blogs at Paperback Dreamer. I encourage you to visit her there--she reviews and discusses romance novels, usually preferring paranormal, but she also reads some contemporary and historical romances. Plus she does a lot of cool giveaways.

The results from random.org:

List Randomizer

There were 14 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

Deanna
Brandy
Lisa
Sarah
Maija
Dru
Hilcia
Paula
Tracy
Phyl
nath
kim h
Alex
Gina
Timestamp: 2011-10-09 19:38:45 UTC

As a side note, I'm thinking of changing my blog look already. The blue is really nice and I like the fresh, clean look, but I don't know... it doesn't quite feel like "me." I need warmer colors maybe.

What I Read Last Month

2011-10-05T16:10:00.002-04:00

Here's a look at what I read in September.

Total books read: 8

Young Adult ..... 1
Mystery ............ 1
Crime fiction ...... 1
Graphic Novel .... 1
Romance ........... 4

Of the romance novels read, one was a contemporary romance and three were paranormal. Although I debate whether Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh isn't more urban fantasy than romance. It's one of those that border on the edge between the genres.

Some thoughts.

1. Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis [2011]
Lucky Harbor, Book 1
Contemporary romance
Thanks to Hilcia who passed her copy of this book to me the last time we met up, as I probably would have otherwise passed on a really sweet and fun romance. I enjoyed the small town romance in this book--the main characters were believable as was their love story and both truly deserved their happy ending. I'd give this book 4.5 stars if we could give half grades!
GRADE: A

2. Into the Flame by Christina Dodd [2009]
Chosen Ones, Book 4
Paranormal romance
I had read the first three books in this four book series a couple of years ago and just never got around to reading this last one when it was released. I came across it in my box of TBR books and decided to finally read it and finish the series! I worried that it would be slow going since I may have forgotten a lot about the series story arc, but a lot of it came back to me as I read the story and the author reviewed some details from the first three books within this storyline, so it worked out fine.

Into the Flame is an exciting conclusion to this story of a family held together by faith, love and goodness as they face the consequences of a pact their long ago relatives made with the devil. In the first book a prophecy is revealed that slowly comes to fruition in each of the four books in the series with a shocking plot twist in this last book. The romance part of this story didn't get much page time in this story, but it actually seemed fitting for the characters and the plot and was no less believable than the others. Overall, this book and the series as a whole is enjoyable for the author's ability to blend good story telling with mythology, strong family bonds and a little bit of romance. GRADE: B-

3. Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh [2009]
Guild Hunters, Book 1 [RE-read]
Paranormal romance/urban fantasy
I decided to re-read this favorite book of mine because I want to catch up with this series and read the next three books that are out already and I the last time I read Angels' Blood was when I read the ARC back in February 2009. I thought it was brilliant then and am pleased to say that my rating stood the test of time two and a half years later when I reread it last month.

Angels' Blood takes place in a fascinating world with diverse, intriguing and often frightening characters. The story line is intense, original and very engaging. Looking forward to the next books! Five stars.
GRADE: A+

4. An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris [2008]
Harper Connelly Mystery, Book 3
Mystery
Another enjoyable installment in the Harper Connelly series. The murder mystery was rather disturbing in this one, making this book, I think, more intense and pardon the pun--grave-- than the others. On the other hand, the parts of the story relevant to Harper and Tolliver's personal lives were more heartwarming and optimistic, so that helped soften the harshness of the murders. I'm looking forward to reading the next and last book in this series.
GRADE: B+

5. Night After Night by Kathryn Smith [2009]
Brotherhood of the Blood, Book 5
Paranormal romance, historical romance.
I finally picked up this last book in the five book Brotherhood of Blood series, featuring the vampire Temple and Vivian--the ward and protector of the Brotherhood's arch enemy--Villiers of the Order of the Silver Palm. I started this series several years ago when I was a newcomer to reading romance. The series is a really great blend of paranormal and historical romance. The overarching series plot is well thought out and executed throughout the five books with a successful conclusion in this last installment. I thoroughly enjoyed each book, but I have to admit my reaction to this last novel wasn't as favorable as the earlier novels. I think this is largely due to the fact that in the years since starting this series, my tastes and expectations have become a bit more discriminating.

I really liked the characters in Night After Night and the way the series conflict built up to its anticipated denouement in this final book, but I had two issues with the book that keep me from giving it a higher rating. One is that I felt that the first few sexual encounters between Temple and Vivian were a little unrealistic, too much too soon and overall the romance too rushed. My other issue is that the resolution of the conflict felt overly simplified. The build up was great--but I felt in the end the villain was defeated way too easily. I expected a more intense, if not complicated clashing between the Brotherhood and their enemy, The Order of the Silver Palm. However, if you enjoy both paranormal and historical romance and are looking for a series that combines both genres, I do recommend you check out the Brotherhood of Blood series.
GRADE: C+

6. Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler [2010]
Young adult
This is a young adult contemporary urban fantasy novel that creatively employs the biblical mythology of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse to tell the story of how a modern anorexic teen learns what hunger really means, giving her the knowledge and hope to do what it will take to fight for her life. The story is a four star read, but because of the nature of the topic, the unflinching honesty with which the author tells the story and the power of the story's message, Hunger deserves five stars. You can read my review HERE.
GRADE: A

7. Beowulf by Gareth Hinds [2007]
Graphic Novel

Through detailed artwork, artist and story teller, Gareth Hinds creatively brings the classic epic poem of Beowulf to life on the pages of this graphic novel. The legend of Beowulf itself isn't a terribly exciting one, though. Beowulf is certainly heroic as he battles the formidable Grendel, Grendel's mother and a fearsome dragon before he ultimately perishes. If there is a lesson to be learned from Beowulf and his story, however, I'm afraid it escapes me, hence the three star rating on goodreads.
GRADE: B-

8. Survivor In Death by J.D. Robb [2005]
In Death, Book 20
Crime fiction
This is my favorite book so far in the futuristic crime series featuring the prickly Lieutenant Eve Dallas, her husband Roarke and her supporting investigative team members. And Mavis. LOL. You can read my review HERE.
GRADE: A

My favorites books this month are Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh and Survivor In Death by J.D. Robb. Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis comes in a super close second place.

What was your favorite read in September?

Fitness Challenge Report Card: August & September 2011

2011-10-03T17:19:00.000-04:00

Interested in joining the Fitness Challenge? Please visit the Sign Up post for more information, including the challenge rules. You may leave a comment there or on this post if you'd like to join. Be sure to include your fitness miles goal in your comment.

This is a double report card for August and September.

Are you all still tracking your fitness challenge miles*?

*ONE fitness challenge miles = 1 mile walked or run for fitness OR = 15 minute increments of other exercise for fitness such as cardiovascular or strength training exercises.

I know Brandy is. She makes note of them every day at the bottom of her daily blog post--which is a great way to keep track of and reflect on what you're doing. I'm still keeping a log of my exercise on my fitness blog, See how she runs..., which I update every couple of days.

How did you do with your fitness challenge miles* in August? And September?

My ongoing goal is to reach 100 fitness challenge miles* every month. In August I came in at a mere 43.8 miles, which I more or less anticipated since I was on vacation with my family for two weeks in Europe, during which I didn't do any workout specific workouts, although we walked miles every day touring the cities, climbed tons of stairs in subways, museums and landmarks always carrying a backpack and often lugging luggage around. So it was hardly a lazy vacation. Then later in the month I missed a few days of working out because of hurricane Irene. Considering those "interruptions" to my regularly scheduled workouts, I was still pretty active.

In September, my fitness goals were both awesome and a bit disappointing. First the awesome. As most of you already know, I competed in My First Triathlon on September 11 and had a really fantastic experience! It so much fun-- the training, the anticipation and finally doing it! I enjoyed it so much that I'm planning to do it again next year!

As for the disappointing part, I fell short in meeting my 100 miles again in September. It's one thing if something legitimate comes up like sickness or vacation, but I was working out consistently. Argh!! I've since figured out why and will make the necessary adjustments so I can reach my goal this month.

One reason I missed some fitness miles was because I was leaving 15 minutes early from my 6-7 am fitness classes three days a week since school started so that I could be home before my teen left for school. She has zero period this year, which means has to leave by 7:15 am and I like to be home to pack her a healthy lunch, make sure she has everything she needs and basically see her off for the day. If I'm not there in the morning before she leaves, I don't see her from bedtime the night before until 6 or 7 pm the next night because right now she has volleyball practice or games every day immediately after school. That's too long without connecting with my daughter so for now, I'll keep leaving class 15 minutes early to see her off, but I'll make up those missed fitness miles at home those days with some ab exercises, push ups and other resistance training after the girls leave for school.

Another reason I missed some fitness miles is because my Friday boot camp class has been cancelled due to lack of interest--although not mine! Ugh. I'm so upset about this. I loved that class--not only was it a killer workout that we often did outdoors, but also because all my workout friends were in it, including the instructor! I miss it. I've been running on Friday's in lieu of boot camp, but I don't always run 4 miles for the same 4 fitness miles I'd get from an hour of boot camp. I suppose I ought to make sure I DO run 4 miles on Friday's then. :P

So it looks like I've got my work cut out for me for October if I want to reach my goal of 100 fitness challenge miles!

What about you? What are your exercise plans for October?

A Happy Birthday Giveaway!

2011-10-01T23:18:00.000-04:00

It feels like I just celebrated one of these, but here I am again! Wow, time sure flies when you're having fun. ;)

This first thing I did this year to celebrate my birthday was run in a 5K race. What a nice way to celebrate life, right? The best part--I ran the 5K in 30:02 minutes--my new personal best! Whaoo!

It was like a surprise birthday gift to myself! : )

The rest of the day was spent at home hanging out and relaxing with my husband and daughters and ended with a warm apple pastry, vanilla ice cream and a mug of my favorite herbal tea.

In the spirit of celebration and per my annual birthday tradition, I'm giving away a "birthday gift" to ONE lucky winner on my blog.

This year's "birthday gift" includes two of my favorite things-- a book [winner's choice ebook or paper book--mass market, trade or comparable priced hardcover] and a bar of dark chocolate with caramel with Hawaiian sea salt from Trader Joe's.* [It's SOoooo good!]

You're going to want to enter just for the chocolate bar. It's out of this world.

To enter the giveaway, just leave me a comment below telling me how you like to celebrate your birthday.

Giveaway ends on Saturday, October 8, 2011 EST and the winner has one week to claim prize before I'll give it away to someone else.

Please also include your email address if it's not easily found on your profile or web page.

Open to everyone, but international winner*, if chosen, will receive book of their choice per the guidelines above and shipped from The Book Depository ONLY. Thanks for understanding.

Good luck!

In Death Series Reading Challenge: September 2011

2011-09-30T20:40:00.000-04:00

Interested in joining the Challenge? Anyone is welcome to join in at any time of the year at wherever in the series you currently are. See the sign up post HERE
and join the fun!

CHALLENGE PARTICIPANTS:

Link up any In Death posts you made this month here. If you made a post on your blog, whether it be a review or commentary, please grab the link to your post and enter in the Mr. Linky below along with your name so we can find each other's latest In Death posts easily. You can also just use the link to your goodreads or other virtual bookshelf as well.

BOOK REVIEW:

Survivor In Death by J.D. Robb
In Death series, Book 20
Published 2005

Survivor In Death is one of the most intense and terrifying installment in the series thus far. In this book, nine year old Nixie Swisher is the sole survivor in death after her mother, father, brother, her best friend and the family domesticate are murdered in their beds while they sleep, practically right before her eyes. The only reason Nixie was spared is because she snuck out of bed in the middle of night for a soda and then hid when she figured out there were intruders in her home. The murders are carried out swiftly and silently with military precision and speed, leaving no evidence behind as they attempted to erase this loving family. Lieutenant Eve Dallas spares nothing at keeping Nixie safe, knowing whoever is responsible for these horrendous murders isn't going to stop until Nixie is found and killed. Nixie is clearly left quite traumatized not only by her incredible grief and loss, but also by the horrific scene of blood and gruesome deaths right before her eyes. Although the circumstances are a bit different, Eve and Roarke are reminded of their own childhood traumas through what Nixie is experiencing now. So while Eve and her team do whatever it takes to hunt these murderers down, she and Roarke are also doing whatever it takes to help Nixie and each other as they revisit their own childhoods that still haunt them.

Survivor In Death starts out with an intense murder scene and doesn't let go of that intensity until the very end. The sadness and grief, and consequently the compassion between characters, are as intense as the suspense and terror in this book, making it one of the most exceptional books in this series so far. The murderers are cold, calculating and brutal in the abuse, terror and death they inflict on their victims. While the crimes in this story are horrific, and the grief and confusion of this poor child are heart wrenching, the amount of sensitivity, love and compassion that is shared among the characters are what hold this story--and the survivors-- together.

SERIES DISCUSSION TOPIC:

Eve and Roarke do a lot of personal reflection in this book as they watch over Nixie. They see themselves in her as they reflect on their own childhood losses and all the blood, the death, the abandonment and loneliness they felt as children and what they still deal with as adults. They reflect on the love, comfort and closeness that makes up a healthy, loving family and they wonder in their own ways if that's something they could or would ever experience.

My discussion question is whether you think Eve and Roarke will ever start a family of their own and have a baby.

Readers of this series have told me that they have heard that Nora Roberts has said [talk about here say!] that the day Eve is pregnant or has a baby the series is over. I don't know about you, but if this series ever comes to an end--and it has to some day, right?-- I couldn't think of a better way to end it than with Eve and Roarke having a baby of their own. Yeah, yeah, Eve flips out over anything having to do with pregnant women, babies or children, but I could totally see Eve and Roarke figuring out parenthood together.

CHALLENGE GIVEAWAY WINNER!

Looks like I completely forgot to draw a winner for last month's challenge giveaway. Any participants who kept up with the challenge and read four books from April 1 through August 31, 2011 were eligible for my little prize giveaway. Picking the winner was a total no-brainer this time because there was only ONE person eligible.

Congrats, ELENEA! You're the lucky winner!

Contact me at my email address in my blog profile and let me know your prize of choice. US $5 gift card to Starbucks, dunkin donuts, amazon, B&N or another online bookstore that allows electronic gift cards.

Since participation has been kind of low lately for the challenge, I'm going to discontinue the giveaways. But keep reading those In Death books! Last one to catch up with Nora is a rotten egg! Haha! j/k

A New Look!

2011-09-29T22:00:00.000-04:00

I sat down today to write a blog post, but instead I changed the whole look of my blog! I don't know where it came from, but I now have a new template, new background and new colors. It looks really different. Some of the things in the sidebar need to be moved around, adjusted for size and I think I might even delete some stuff just to make the layout less cluttered. I also updated my blog for mobile settings so everything looks nice and is easy to read on your mobile phone.

So what do you think of the new look?

Library Loot XLII

2011-09-28T15:33:00.000-04:00

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Cathreynne M. Valente.

It's a middle grade or young adult book that captured a ton of buzz earlier this year. I read the first few pages and found it quite endearing. I'm looking forward to reading more, but I need to prioritize my pile of library books and read in the order they are due back, so this one will have to wait a bit. Maybe I can get my daughter to read this one, too.

I also couldn't resist and borrowed two cookbooks:

Weekend Baking by Sarah Randell and Martha Stewart's Pies & Tarts.

I always seem to catch the baking bug when autumn rolls around, although it's still been pretty warm and humid around here all September. I think the temperatures are finally supposed to dip into the 60s F this weekend, which will hopefully inspire me to try a recipe or two from these gorgeous cookbooks.

I think we were home all of an hour or so from the library with these books, when my daughter announced that she finished A Wrinkle in Time and asked about a sequel. I really should have just borrowed the whole series when we were at the library. I know better. So the next day we took a trip to another library [my town's library is closed on Sunday's] and borrowed A Wind in the Door, which she is reading right now. This particular library is also the only one in my area who has a copy of September's book for the Women of Fantasy Book Club, so I picked it up while we were there.

Firebird by Mercedes Lackey.

I'm not going to read it in time for this month's discussion, which coincidentally was the same situation for the other three books I actually read from the book club list. Which explains why I unfortunately never participated in any of this book club's discussion posts. At least I still plan on reading it and I'm okay with that because my biggest motive for joining this book club was to be inspired to read more fantasy fiction, which I'm doing.

Finally, I browsed the fiction section under the 'I' authors. Not my usual method for searching for books at the library, but I am considering taking over hosting the Authors by the Alphabet Book Club since Paula, who is the founder and original hostess of the book club needed to give up some of her blogging commitments because she just has a ton of other things on her plate right now ---like her daughter's wedding! So exciting! :) In the meantime, I picked up a book that I think I'm going to use for reviving the book club. More on that later. i.e., I'm going to try to rope you into joining the Authors by the Alphabet Book Club in an upcoming post. ha! :P

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Never Let Me Go was first published in 2005 and was a Man Booker Prize finalist the same year. It is a dystopian novel "that subtly reimagines our world and time in a haunting story of friendship and love." [Partial quote from goodreads.]

That's it from me this week. Now my stack of library books is really tall, so I'm going to do my best to refrain from going back for more until I finish these.

What are you reading now?

REVIEW: Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler

2011-09-27T14:38:00.001-04:00

Riders of the Apocalypse, Book One
Published 2010

Hunger is a modern story about a teenage girl struggling with anorexia and ties her story to the biblical mythology of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Seventeen year old Lisabeth is anorexic and while she thinks she's in control of it all, she's really spiraling further into trouble. No one seems to understand her anymore--not her parents, her best friend or even her boyfriend, and she feels as if everyone is sabotaging her road to happiness. The only one who doesn't feel like a threat to Lisa is her friend Tammy, but maybe that's only because Tammy has her own secrets about eating.

In a moment of despair, Lisabeth considers suicide but is interrupted by a messenger who hands her an ancient set of scales, telling her she is Famine, the Black Rider and to "go thee out unto the world." Of course, she thinks she hallucinated the whole thing, but sure enough, the scales are there in the morning and not only that, but there's a huge black horse in her yard who looks upon her intently with anticipation as if he expects her to ride him.

Once this strange new reality sinks in, Lisabeth reluctantly accepts her assigned role as Famine and begins her nightly rides upon her black horse, traveling to exotic places around the world where hunger, starvation and death are all too familiar to the people who live there. During the day, she continues to struggle with anorexia and the powerful Thin Voice within her while her relationships with the people who care about her the most begin to crumble. Being the harbinger of Famine gives Lisabeth a lot to think about as she witnesses unimaginable atrocities of hunger and fumbles with her new found power. The question is, though, is Lisa strong enough to control her power? And if so, what is she going to do with it?

Hunger is a stark and graphic look at teenage eating disorders through the characters of Lisabeth and Tammy--both of whom could be anyone from your friend, sister, daughter or even you. The author very creatively uses the biblical mythology of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse to demonstrate the power of choice and how much inner strength, determination and hope someone has to have in order to fight anorexia or bulimia. Hunger is a very thought provoking, truthful and deeply profound book that twisted my gut, broke my heart, but also gave me hope for Lisabeth and anyone who struggles with an eating disorder.

GRADE: A

Please, if you think there is any remote possibility that you might have an eating disorder... know you are strong enough to conquer it. Choose to live. Reach out for help. You can do it!

All proceeds from Hunger are donated to National Eating Disorders Association.

Visit young adult author Jackie Morse Kessler at her website at http://www.jackiemorsekessler.com/index.php.

The next book in the Riders of the Apocalypse is Rage [April 2011] and addresses the delicate teenage issue of cutting or self induced injury. This book is the story of the Horseman of War. All proceeds from Rage are donated to the organization To Write Love On Her Arms.

The author's future release in this series will be Loss [March 2012] and is the story of the Horseman of Pestilence. This book will address bullying and I believe a villain with a disintegrating mind. All proceeds of Loss will be donated to the Alzheimer's Association.

There will be a fourth book for the final Horseman, Death, but no details about that book yet.

What I Read in July AND August

2011-09-20T16:03:00.001-04:00

This is the first year I've posting a monthly column summarizing what I read the previous month--sort of a way to get some thoughts out there on the books I'm reading since I'm not very consistent about posting reviews. You'd think it would be easy enough to get up a post listing the books you read with a few lines of commentary, but it's even easier to fall behind in even this so simple of a task. Sheesh! Without further ado... before September is another month in the past... my monthly reads from July and August.

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July 2011

Total books read: 9

Crime fiction ..... 1
Mystery ............ 1
General fiction ... 1
Memoir ............. 1
Romance .......... 5

Of the romance novels read, two were paranormal and three were historical.

Here's a list of what I read way back in July and some brief thoughts.

1. Three Wishes by Goldberg, Jones and Ferdinand [2010]
This book was chosen for the letter G for the Authors by the Alphabet online book club for June. You can read my review and find links other reviews and the book club discussion in my post HERE. Three Wishes is a memoir about three single friends and their quest to have a child by sperm donor. GRADE: B

2. The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon [2011]
This is one book for which I wished I wrote a review. It is a realistic, eye opening and at times difficult and heart wrenching story to read, but it was such a great story. I cried several times reading this story--most times because my heart was aching. But by the last chapter, I cried tears of joy and closed the book with such satisfaction of having read such an amazing story with such beautiful, beautiful ending. I highly recommend it. GRADE: A+

3. Taken by Midnight by Lara Adrian [2010]
Midnight Breed, Book 8
GRADE: B+

4. Deeper Than Midnight by Lara Adrian [2011]
Midnight Breed, Book 9
GRADE: B+
I hadn't read this series in a year or two and am so glad I got back on track and caught up. I was worried the series was starting to lose some of its spark with books 5 and 6, so I'm happy to say that I really enjoyed the last three books. Threads from all the past story arcs are coming together cohesively and the series arc denouement is starting to take shape. I'm anxiously waiting for the next book!

5. A Lady's Lesson in Scandal by Meredith Duran [2011]
This is the latest release from one of my favorite historical romance authors, Meredith Duran. I thoroughly enjoy her intelligent writing, unique plots and interesting characters. This one is a sort of missing heiress story that was such a joy to read. GRADE: A-

6. Divided In Death by J.D. Robb [2004]
In Death series, Book 18
What can I possibly say about the In Death books that haven't been said already? The crime fiction is consistent as is the character development. This book brought some new stress to Eve and Roarke's relationship when some startling information about Eve's tragic and abusive childhood is brought to their attention. Eve wants to let things be and keep it to herself, whereas of course Roarke wants to make those responsible pay for what was done to Eve. The crime plot in this one is also personally stressful for Eve and Roarke because it is Roarke's employee--and his secretary's daughter who is under suspicion for a double murder. GRADE: B

7. Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris [2005]
Harper Connelly Mystery, Book 1
This was the July book for the letter H for the Authors by the Alphabet online book club and my choice. I was pleased with the book and so were the other members of the club. Everyone is continuing with the rest of the series! You can read my review of Grave Sight HERE and our book club discussion for the book HERE. GRADE: B

8. The Bride by Julie Garwood [1996]
GRADE: A

9. The Wedding by Julie Garwood [1997]
GRADE: B+
I read these two medieval romances back to back per the recommendation of Hilcia and Mariana--one of whom gave me the books. I think it was Mariana? Thank you both, in any case because these were such fun books to read. Although the plots were very similar, I couldn't help but adore the couples and the amusing and sweet and romantic and sometimes very serious conversations and situations they got into.

My favorite read of this month definitely goes to The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon followed by tie for second between A Lady's Lesson in Scandal by Meredith Duran and The Bride by Julie Garwood.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

August 2011

I read seven books in August--six full length novels and one novella, which I'm actually pretty happy about since August was so busy with a two week vacation, triathlon training and a very disruptive hurricane.

Crime fiction ...1
Mystery ......... 1
Contemporary fiction ... 1
Romance ....... 4
[2 historical, 1 contemporary and 1 paranormal]

1. Silk is For Seduction by Loretta Chase [2011]
The Dressmakers, Book 1
Shortly before leaving for vacation to Europe, I read at least two stellar reviews for this new release--one from Hilcia and one from Karen Knows Best. Seeing that it had French influences and even partially took place in Paris, I decided it would be an great choice for downloading to my iPad and reading while I was in Paris. It couldn't have been a better choice! I adored the characters--particularly the female lead, Marcelline and her dressmaker livlihood; and the story line was just so much fun. GRADE: A

2. Visions In Death by J.D. Robb [2004]
In Death series, Book 19
This was the second book I read on my vacation, which I read while in Amsterdam, Berlin and Munich. The In Death books are great to bring along on trips because you can read it at your own pace and the story never loses momentum. In this installment, Eve and her team are investigating a serial murderer who is targeting women of a specific profile, removing the victims' eyes and displaying her naked with a red ribbon tied to her. Eve stretches the limits of her detective comfort zone and accepts assistance from a psychic. This was an interesting case with a surprise twist that I didn't foresee. It's good to know I can get surprised by the author at book twenty something in the series. GRADE: B+

3. A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare [2011]
Spindle Cove, Book 1
While packing for vacation, I grabbed this book at the last minute and tucked it into a pocket of my suitcase, an ARC of A Night to Surrender that Ms. Dare so graciously gave me at RWA. I read this book in Geneva, flying over the Atlantic Ocean and for a few hours here in the US. A Night to Surrender is a well written, fun and very sweet historical romance about a village of misfit women who get mixed up with a troupe of soldiers intent on re-establishing their importance in the war by demonstrating their competence to the Royal Crown by establishing a formidable militia in Spindle's Cove. Everyone in the village gets way more than they bargained for-- Susanna Finch and Lt. Bramwell most of all as they fall in love.

I enjoyed this book without a doubt. It was fun, sweet and romantic but since I was head over heels for Ms. Dare's first trilogy, I have to confess that A Night to Surrender didn't quite hold the same sweeping, dramatic, poetic and romantic feel for me as her previous books. Yet, I'm certainly interested in reading the next book in the Spindle Cove series, which I hope is the Bram's nephew's story, because seeing him fall helplessly in love with one woman is entertaining in idea alone. I can only imagine how adventurous the whole story put in motion would be! GRADE: B+

4. Everything Changes by Megan Hart [2010]
This novella is essentially Alex Kennedy's point of view of what happened in Hart's earlier full length novel, Tempted, in which Alex Kennedy had an intense affair so to speak with his lifelong best friend James Kinney and James' wife Anne. That's a very simplistic explanation of what happened between Alex, James and Anne as any story written by Megan Hart is far from simple. I highly recommend you read Tempted, but if you don't and want to read Naked, you should read Everything Changes for a good background to Alex's story. GRADE: B

5. Naked by Megan Hart [2010]
Megan Hart doesn't just write romance-- she writes love stories. And some of the most complicated and compelling modern love stories at that.

Told from the first person point of view of Olivia Mackey, Naked is about Oliva's search to figure out who she truly is as well as the love story of Olivia and Alex Kennedy. The book portrays realistic personal drama of and between characters in areas of which most of us can identify in one way or another whether it be personal struggles with our religion, race, adoption stories, dysfunctional families, identity crisis, sexual orientation and so on. That's a lot of topics, right? If anyone can touch on all of these subjects in a single story, Megan Hart can. In fact, she unabashedly addresses the complexity of all of these issues in ways we can all relate to and with which we can easily empathize. I adored both Olivia and Alex and was glued to their story until the very last page, completely satisfied with the outcome. Absolutely loved this book--it was well worth the wait, which has been over three years since having read Tempted by Megan Hart in early 2008 in which Alex Kennedy is first introduced. GRADE: A+

6. Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison [2011]
The Elder Races, Book 1
Such a fun, sassy and sexy paranormal romance. A great heroine, super fun plot lines and interesting secondary characters. Of course, a sweet romance, too! I gave this five stars on goodreads. GRADE: A-

7. Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris [2006]
Harper Connelly Mystery, Book 2
My instinct was right about who the killer was in this one, but it was still enjoyable to watch it all come together in the story. Sometimes I felt there were too many secondary characters and their inter relationships to keep track of--namely the families who were caught up in the murder mystery plot, but it ended up being okay in the end.

I really like Harper Connelly. She's straightforward and unapologetic about who she is, where she came from and what she does. I empathize with her sad childhood, her current lonely lifestyle and the way she longs for simply normalcy like having a humble home to tend to. I hope she finds the happiness and contentment she deserves.

August was a great reading month for me. I liked every book I read immensely, so choosing a favorite isn't so easy. However, two books truly stand out. Naked by Megan Hart and Silk is For Seduction by Loretta Chase.

Phew! Until next month... happy reading!

Library Loot XLI

2011-09-15T18:02:00.001-04:00

Murder on the Eiffel Tower by Claude Izner

This one caught my eye when I was browsing the mystery aisle of the library just days after returning from a vacation in Europe that started in Paris. I read the first couple of pages and wasn't feeling it, but I'll try again.

Anne Frank:
The Anne Frank House authorized Graphic Biography
by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón

I came across this while browsing the graphic novel shelves and of course wanted to read it since I had just visited the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam last month.

Beowolf adapted and illustrated by Gareth Hinds

Would you believe I am not familiar with the story of Beowolf at all? I've discovered graphic novels are a great short cut education to some classics and with beautiful artwork to boot. I read Hinds' adaptation of The Odyssey earlier this year and thought the illustrations were so detailed, rich and expressive. I'm looking forward to reading Beowolf.

Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa
The Iron Fey series, Book 3

My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent
The Soul Screamers series, Book 4

I have been waiting and waiting and waiting for one of my local libraries to get these two books in. I've been sitting on a cliff hanger in both of these series for months and months. Now I can finally find out what happens next!

Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler

I spotted this one on the shelf next to Kagawa's book and remember seeing a review for it on the Book Smuggler's site. It's an urban fantasy story about an anorexic seventeen year old who is named Famine--one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. I'm not sure what to expect. I forgot what Ana or Thea said in their review. O_o

So many books I can't wait to read!

Any thoughts on these?

What are you reading right now?

First Day of School ... finally!

2011-09-12T23:25:00.001-04:00

Another summer has flown by and it's time to go back to school. Today was finally the first day of school for my girls. They were originally scheduled to start last week, but due to the extensive damage to homes and schools in our community due to hurricane Irene, we had a delayed opening until today.

Here's this year's first day of school photo:

My youngest [pictured on the left] is now in 7th grade and my eldest [pictured on the right] is in 11th --a junior in high school! I can barely believe how grown up they are already.

This school year will be another busy one for us, just as it is for most families these days. My youngest is taking dance, continuing with girl scouts and maybe picking up art classes again, too. My eldest is on the high school volleyball team again this year and plans to join swim team in the winter season again, too. She's also doing a lot of photography for the school newspaper and yearbook, which she loves. When she's not studying, doing sports or photography--she's either asleep or with her boyfriend and or friends. Okay, maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but only slight. She sometimes eats at home, too.

I usually like make some new "school year" resolutions for myself around now because it just feels like a good time for new beginnings. Except this August was such a whirlwind between vacation, the hurricane and the triathlon that I haven't even had the chance to think about it! I might just skip that tradition this year.

Here's wishing everyone in your world a great school year! : )

What's your favorite part of the 'back to school' time of year?

My favorite part is having all new school supplies--especially a plentiful stash of pens so I don't have to always hunt for one and for fun, a new box of colored pencils! :)

My First Triathlon

2011-09-11T23:48:00.000-04:00

Today was the big day when after nearly a year of mental and physical preparations, I competed in my first ever sprint triathlon! I'm also super happy to report that it was such a great experience and I met my goal of completing the spring triathlon in 1:30:00. In fact, I beat my goal by a little over a minute! Hey--every second counts! ; )

Here is my time card from today's race that includes all my stats. Times for the swim, bike, run and transitions as well as rankings for each event, my age division and overall rank. I am especially proud of my bike time and rank.... 55 out of 1600 racers!!! Woooo! omg how did I DO that?

I signed up for this triathlon back in October 2010 after being inspired and encouraged by my small group of workout friends at the gym. At that time, I had been biking for a little over two years and running for almost one year. I was not a swimmer. In fact, I only learned how to swim freestyle after taking lessons just this year in February. Seven months later--today!--I completed a sprint triathlon. I swam a 1/2 mile open water swim, ranked in the top 4% of the entire race in the cycling, and ran a competitive 10:17 minute mile pace for the 5K... finishing with a total race time of 1:28:44. My final rank is 367 out of 1600 athletes, which places me in the top 23% overall. Woooo!!!! I almost can't believe it! ... but I DID IT!!!!

My friend Marie and I

I and my gym friends--missing the one taking the picture.

Thank you all for taking the time to read my training posts and always leaving such kind words of support and encouragement all those times I write all about ME. I appreciate your presence throughout my journey--sharing this journey on my blog has been such a great outlet for expressing my doubts, concerns, plans for improvement and for rejoicing in my accomplishments both big and small.

I hope you to find something new and challenging to do in your life like I have with this triathlon. If I can do it, so can you. It'll be a journey you'll never likely forget. : )

A Moment to Remember 9/11

2011-09-11T08:46:00.000-04:00

While for the most part today is going to be a happy and exciting day for me as I compete in my very first triathlon, there is a part of my heart that remains solemn as I reflect on the 10th anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001 that forever changed the face of my community, my country and the world.

On this day, I will remember...

The people who died in the attack at the World Trade Center in New York City ...

The people who died in the attack at the Pentagon in Washington DC ...

The people who died on Flight 93 in Pennsylvania ...

The people who survived the attacks and will forever carry the physical and emotional scars of their horrific experience ...

The surviving loved ones of all the people who perished on this tragic day ...

The citizens of the United States and the citizens of the world who will never forget ...

Today The National September 11 Memorial & Museum at Ground Zero in New York City opens for the first time.

http://www.911memorial.org/