Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Bookish Memories



Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Welcome back to Tuesday. As we close out November, we are talking about bookish memories. Here are my...

Top Ten Bookish Memories


Little Golden Books were the earliest books I recall in my home library. That library was extensive, since all of us loved books. Though I had the single books, my most loved one was this treasury that compiled many of my favorite stories. I read it over and again.



Trying to fake my way out of a book report - I enjoyed writing book reports (probably why I enjoy blogging and reviewing books), so this one is totally ridiculous. Assigned a book report in fifth grade, I tried to wing it as if I had read Little House on the Prairie. Looking back, it seems kind the teacher didn't fail me, because that report was not much like the book.



First book I failed a test over - Considering I am such a fan of historical fiction, this is a shock. Assigned to read Ivanhoe in what is now called World History, I just couldn't get into the book. Our teacher gave us tests to make sure we read the nightly chapters. I struggled through 20 chapters, but couldn't read more. I definitely failed tests as a result. 



Disney Ice Capades - We didn't have a ton of money growing up, so extras were rare. In the 1970s, Disney was part of Ice Capades (a show performed totally on ice skates), and our parents bought tickets for us to go. Disney has books, so I count this a bookish memory. I still own some of the Disney books, like Bambi, from when my son was little.



First series I binged on -  The Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins is the first series I read as an adult where I waited for each new book to make it to market then read it right away. The time between books seemed to last forever.



First time I provided a pre-publishing book endorsement - Having gotten to know award-winning author Kathi Macias and her non-fiction work, you couldn't imagine how stunned I felt when in 2010 she asked me to read the first book in her new fiction series, No Greater Love. 



First author endorsement of my book - Before the release of my first picture book, Little Shepherd, now sadly out of print unless you order from my website, the publisher encouraged author endorsements to help promote the book. Kathi Macias was more than kind when she agreed. She had already written 30 books by the time mine came out. 



First time one of my books broke the Amazon Top 100 in its category - The first book tends to be special, so when Little Shepherd came out and I began promoting it, I watched its Amazon rankings every day. During my virtual book tour, it broke into the Amazon Top 100 in its category and made it up to #18. 



First book I read that had sex in it - My freshman year in high school, I picked up this book from my mother's collection. By this time, my mother was too sick to monitor what I was reading and my dad worked a lot, so I could grab anything in the house. I loved history, so this fit the bill. It also happened to have sex in it. 



First dystopian novel I enjoyed - Until The Hunger Games came out, my experience with dystopian fiction was being forced to read--begrudgingly--George Orwell's 1984 and William Golding's Lord of the Flies. Hated them. Though I can't remember 1984, there are still scenes from Lord of the Flies that disturb me. The Hunger Games was gifted to the Lil' Diva by a teacher, but the deal was we had to read it together. Though totally disturbing, the writing of Suzanne Collins and her characters captivated me in ways previous books of this genre did not.

Hope you've enjoyed my bookish memories. I'm sure there are dozens more, but we don't want to write a novel today. I'm looking forward to checking out your memories. 

Monday, November 29, 2021

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Nov 29

Welcome to It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday.


 


It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.

Here we are at the end of November. Has the year flown by as quickly for you as it has for me? I hope everyone who celebrated had a blessed Thanksgiving. Since I didn't have to cook this year, I enjoyed more down time than usual. I watched some Hallmark movies, decorated most of the house, made changes to my Laura's Little Houses blog, and did not show any properties. Every once in a while, you just need to take some time off from the day job. 

I changed the blog background here this morning to make it more seasonal. Even though winter won't officially start until December 21, we had our first flurries over the weekend and may see more snow next week.

The Christmas shopping season has begun. Have you started yet? I made a good dent over the weekend and gave to our charities, but my wallet needs a break for a couple of weeks. 

My virtual book tour for A Christmas Kindness is going well. It has received numerous wonderful reviews. The tour picks up again on December 1. You can find the tour schedule here if you want to follow along. 

I decided to break off from my review duties and read something just for the fun of it. This author is part of my critique group, so I am familiar with the story. It is nice to read it in its finished form.


My review of this poetry collection will appear on December 6.




Next up are these.



Review coming January 26


I might read one of these next, but I am really into watching Hallmark movies right now. I also finished watching all of the Downton Abbey series and the first movie in preparation for the second movie coming out in the spring. 

















Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. 

I recently received two books I am eager to read.



That's it from me this week. Hope you share what you're reading. Wishing you a wonderful week. 

Monday, November 22, 2021

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Characters I’d Love An Update On



Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

What a neat topic for this week. We are talking about characters whose whereabouts we are curious about now that the book is over. So, here are my...

Top Ten Characters I’d Love An Update On


I met Samantha Mae Costas--the petite, nearsighted, asthmatic heroine of Ben Furman's Sam's Quest series--in 2009. This action-filled young adult fantasy series captivated me right away. I also read the second book, The Royal Trident, and eagerly awaited the third book in the trilogy. But it never came. Would Sam have found her place in the world? Would she eventually triumph over those who seek to destroy the Originators? 


Clare and I lived through a three-book journey--Still There, Clare; No Fair, Clare; Double-Dare, Clare--before she dropped out of my life forever. Beginning when Clare was 13 and trying to break up with her imaginary friend (something I would have understood if we were the same age) and ending with Clare learning from some bad choices, I always thought there was a lot more to Clare's story. Seems like the author had other ideas. I would like to see how Clare would have navigated the rest of high school and what her future plans turned out to be.


I'm not shy about my love for historical fiction set in Colonial America, so Faith & Honor by Robin Maderich was bound to capture my attention. This is a story of two people on opposite sides of a conflict falling in love. This is the first book of a planned trilogy, but I haven't seen new books in the series. I want to know what the future holds for Faith Ashley and Fletcher Irons. 


I followed the Sullivans through five books--Against Doctor's Orders, Beyond the Code of Conduct, Capturing Karma, All's Fair in Love and Law, and In the St. Nick of Time--before saying goodbye to the Sullivan family and the Chicago PD. It seemed like the stories of the Sullivans were complete, but I want to know what happens after Kay and Flynn solve the Santa Slayer murders. What's next for them and for the rest of the family?


The Mr. Tinfish series was so much fun because of the zany characters, but the topic it deals with is a serious one--climate change. From the first book through to the last, the animal characters are forced to make decisions and often relocate as homes and food supplies are in danger and natural disasters threaten their colony. My hope for these characters is that things have settled down in Daphne Wood, but I would love to revisit it to see how things have gone.



What the Bishop Saw is the first book in The Amish Bishop Mysteries series. I've also read When the Bishop Needs an Alibi and Who the Bishop Knows. This is an Amish cozy mystery series featuring Bishop Henry Lapp, who has an uncanny ability to draw and remember the smallest details of what he has seen. All of these are stand alone novels and the series ended strongly, but I would like to see more of the good bishop and his community.


For a period of time, Charlotte Hubbard also wrote under the name Naomi King. Her Home at Cedar Creek series included four books--Abby Finds Her Calling, Rosemary Opens Her Heart, Amanda Weds A Good Man, Emma Blooms At Last. This series was originally called One Big Happy Family. An Amish Country Christmas anthology also has a story set in Cedar Creek. I would love to visit these characters and their community again.


On Strike for Christmas ended right where it should, but did the changes stick? Fellow stay-at-home parents will enjoy the story when the moms go on strike because they are sick of doing it all themselves. This is one of the funniest holiday stories I've read. After all the events that transpired, does everyone continue to pull together each holiday season?  


The Santa Letters is an unforgettable story of finding missing hope. A family suffers a tragedy and they struggle to move on, but letters from Santa might hold the key. How did the Jensen family fare the next Christmas and beyond? Did they continue the tradition of the Santa Letters?  


This young adult novel is about Bryan Dennison, who wakes up one morning as a totally different person. While he can't remember much of his previous life, he feels like he was not a nice guy. He also finds himself attracted to Scott Beckett, the victim of much of his bullying. Scott, of course, wants nothing to do with Bryan. Honestly, this isn't a normal read for me or an easy read for most people because of the topic matter: bullying and assault. It happens to be, however, a powerful story of being comfortable in your own skin, of seeking forgiveness, and being able to forgive. How did Bryan and Scott fare after high school? How did what happened permanently change them and their community? 

So, what do you think of my list? Did we share any of the same books? What is one character you would love an update on?

Sunday, November 21, 2021

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday - Nov 22

Welcome to It's Monday! What Are You Reading? and Mailbox Monday.


 


It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.

Welcome to the Monday before Thanksgiving. I'm even more excited this year since I am not cooking. Don't get me wrong, I love to cook. I just don't like having to clean the house to get ready for company. 

San Diego was amazing...much warmer than it is in Massachusetts. In addition to the conference, we attended a special event at Petco Park where the Padres play and spent a day at the San Diego Zoo and Coronado. It took me a few days for my internal clock to reset to Eastern time, but the trip was well worth it. Here are a few photos:


The North Entrance to Coronado Hotel.


We drove a golf cart around Coronado. 


Lil' Princess loves giraffes.


First exhibit we saw after entering the zoo.


This guy needs a meme. He was so funny.


So many beautiful flowers there.


I arrived home to the Christmas cactus looking pretty, new bakeware,  and Theo in his new sweater.





In my reading world, I read a few books and reviewed four since the last time I participated.










My review of this book will appear tomorrow at The Children's and Teens' Book Connection


I read this next one. My review will appear at this blog on December 6.




Next up are these.





I am still trying to work in some books just for fun.
















Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. 

The conference gave me a chance to win some free books. I also bought one on diversity.




I also picked up this book from the library before I left.



That's it from me this week. Hope you share what you're reading and your new books. Wishing you and your family a blessed Thanksgiving.