A Long Week of Good Stuff

See? It's not always doom and gloom over here!! This week, there will be no whining or rantings. Just a rundown of the last week, and it's been a pretty good one!!

Last Wednesday was my birthday. I don't usually mention it. I hate the idea of getting older. It's not so much the number that bothers me anymore. As far as I'm concerned, age is just a state of mind. You are only as old as you feel. Trouble is, I'm starting to FEEL old. I'm on my feet alot more with all the hours I'm putting in at the restaurant. And my knees have been bothering me a bit. My shoulder seems to be taking a long time to actually heal up. I know it's because I'm getting "older". Sucks, that's for sure.

But this was a pretty great birthday. I had to work a double on my the actual day, and I woke up to sound of someone banging on my door. As I staggered down the stairs in my Jammie's, I found the most gorgeous flower arrangement sitting on the steps. Yellow roses and all sorts of pretty yellow flowers (I have no idea what they are called. Wish I had taken a picture now) in a beautiful vase. All from the wonderful Michelle @ Michelle's Masterful Musings....one of my very best blogging friends. Such a sweetie!! My co-workers decided it would be fun to torment me by singing all night. They even made me a cake. It was just nice that no one forgot. I got a check in the mail from my parents that was way over the top. All in all a great day even though I worked most of it. We had planned on celebrating with the family later on in the weekend, since I didn't have to work then.

A few weeks back I won tickets to a concert that was on Friday night. It was 3 Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin and Flyleaf. Bands that I like ok, but nothing I'd really bend over backwards to see. HOWEVER, 3 Days Grace is Chad's favorite band. So, plans were made for him to go to the concert with my nephew. Nic is 17, and I'd be pretty comfortable with the two boys at the Civic Center (Chad's only 13). Besides, the Red Cross is literally one block from there. I'd be able to drop them off and make sure they got home ok. Unfortunately, the day before the concert I find out that Nic was home with a horrible fever and a bad case of the flu. So, I took Chad instead. I would have loved to do it in the first place, but I know 13-year-olds. Figured he wouldn't want to go with his "old" mom. Of course, with no other options, he was stuck. BUT, we had a great time. Apparently, I'm not TOO uncool. I knew most of the songs, and free tickets aside, they were 2nd row in the lower bowl. Fantastic seats. I bought him a cool hat. Sang songs. Had a blast.

Sunday, the girls had their first basketball game. 2nd - 4th graders. Not very experienced. But we won 15 - 9. Bella scored a basket and Ana played a fantastic defensive game. The coach even told the other girls if they all played like Ana, they'd be winning by 40 points! She tied up another player at least 5 times for jump balls, and hustled her little butt off. I'm such a proud mama!! Then we went back to my in laws for my "birthday" party, complete with balloons, dinner, a red velvet cake (my favorite) and presents. Mike got me the coolest Jack Skellington hoodie and tote bag (huge Nightmare Before Christmas fan), some Ed Hardy sneaks, and a Ramones tote. My in-laws got me some good smelly bath stuff, money, and flannel PJ's. And the kids actually spent their own money to get a present. They seem to know me better than anyone. They got me a book. And not just any book, but Under the Dome by Stephen King. Yeah. THEY know me well. Ana and Bella even wrote me stories and drew me gorgeous pictures. All in all a fantastic birthday!!

Since Monday was a holiday, I took the kiddies out to spend Christmas gift cards at the mall. Fun!! And finally, ending up a great weekend, I woke up this morning to 4 books in the mail. I'm really haven't been doing a lot of ARC's lately. I'm been trying to weed through the lists. I have a backlog of books to read anyway, and I hate committing to something if I don't have the time. BUT, I was pretty excited to hear about these:







I love a good thriller. I haven't read a book by Dekker before, but I've heard good things. The Bride Collector is being released in April, and I can't wait to dig in to this one!!







I've read both of Joe Hill's books, and am extremely excited about his new book, Horns. It will be released on Febrary 16 (my dad's birthday!). I love a good scary story, and Hill being Stephen King's son has it in his blood!!








I don't read a lot of "Chick Lit" or Women's Contemporary Fiction any more. But Nicole from The Book Reporter has been extremely good to me, and when she asked if I'd review this, I said yes. I've reviewed a couple of Kristin Hannah's books for them, and I've enjoyed each one. Figured Winter Garden would be just as good. It is set to be released on Feb 2nd, so look for this review soon.





SO excited about this one. I actually squealed when I read Nicole's email asking me to take part in this blog tour. And another squeal when I got the book this morning!! Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins in the first in a series about a reform school for "wayward Prodigiums" IE, witches, faeries, shape shifters, etc. SO much fun!! The book is being released on March 2. Will let you all know blog tour dates soon!!



That's it for me. I have a couple of books to review this week: Breathers by S. G. Browne and The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Liga. Also, will be reviewing Couldn't Keep it to Myself. And maybe a Library Loot post too. Till then, happy reading!!

Since I wasn't here on Monday......

I figured I might as well do a Mailbox Monday today!! I know. I know. It's Wednesday. But I've been out of town. It was 2 very LONG and stressful days. And I'm seriously glad it's over. I feel drained. Completely. Physically, but most of all, mentally drained.

I did get a chance to go to the movie Wrap Party and had a great time. Of course, I drank about 5 too many glasses of wine!! Still, the cast and crew were wonderful! And we'll be seeing some of them soon, when we head up to Chicago for to party with them!!!

On to mailbox Monday (on Wednesday). Actually, I skipped last week, so this is a list of books that have entered my house the last 2 weeks. I got some really good ones!!

The book I'm probably most excited about is The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, the author of The Shadow of the Wind. Another book about literature, this one is sure to go to the top of the TBR pile!!

Mommy By Mistake by Rowan Coleman is a book that lovely Wendy, The Literary Feline passed on to me. She received this book for review, and didn't think she would like it. I've read a couple books by Rowan Coleman, back in my "Chick Lit" days. I LOVED them. So she sent it to me!

Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead is an ARC that I got from Shelf Awareness. I've read a few reviews of this one already and am really looking forward to it.

The Blue Notebook by James Levene is another book that is generating a lot of buzz. The ARC was also received from Shelf Awareness and although it's a hard topic, I can't wait to read it!!

The final book that I received from Shelf Awareness is Ultimatum by Matthew Glass. Set in the future, it's a thriller dealing with global warming and catastrophic effects it has on our environment. Sound relevant to me!!

Next up are 2 books that I received from the Early Readers program at Library Thing. The first is Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann. "a dazzlingly rich vision of the pain, loveliness, mystery, and promise of New York City in the 1970s." Sounds great!!

The second book that I got from Library Thing is Misery Loves Cabernet by Kim Gruenenfelder. Chick Lit can be a nice distraction sometimes!!

The last 5 books are from a box that I got from Curled Up with a Good Book. I haven't reviewed for them for awhile, and I'm looking forward to the challenge. The first is a YA book called The Debutante by Kathryn Williams. I always love a good YA book, and this one looks sweet.

Enclave by Kit Reed is a YA book that is described as "dystopian satire". What could be more fun than that?? I'm really looking forward to this one!! Will have to read it sooner rather than later!

Good Luck by Whitney Gaskell is another humorous Chick Lit book. I seem to have a couple of those on the pile this time.

Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols is another YA book. This is one that is put out by MTV. I've read a couple of their books before and really liked them. I hope this one is the same.

And the last book to enter my house this week is The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen. I really liked her book Garden Spells, and I'm hoping this one is just as good!

That's it. Next week, hopefully I'll make it on Monday!!

Library Loot, Mailbox Monday, and Just One More Challenge!

Today's post is kind of a mess! With some hellish hours at work, I've only had a chance to post sporadically at best. So here is a little bit of everything compiled the last week!!

This week's trip to the library bore the fruit of the graphic novel!! I keep saying, "I've got to try the graphic novel!" So here goes nothing!! Book 1 in the Sandman series, Preludes and Nocturnes. I couldn't start reading the genre without a Neil Gaiman book, could I? And I'm so anal about reading in series order. Hence the first book!








I've read SO MANY good reviews on the Fables Series that I just couldn't pass it up. So many thanks to Chris, Nymeth, and most recently Kailana for my next book: Fables: Legends in Exile.










Although I did receive a few books in the mail this past week, the majority of the books listed here were purchases. Yes, that's right. I bought some books this week!! I haven't purchased a book in months, so this was a treat to myself for all the hard work I've done lately!! Besides, I have a few days off next week. Although the majority of my time will probably be spent doing some spring cleaning (seriously....I think I'm dangerously close to the border of living in a crack house! OK. Maybe it's not quite that bad, but it feels like it sometimes. I just haven't had the time nor desire to do a lot of cleaning lately). And I also want to spend some quality time with the kids. But after it's all said and done, I'd like to have a few hours to myself for a little vampire read-a-thon! That being said, here are my purchases:




Oh yeah. Like this is a surprise!! I've only been talking about Hunted: A House of Night Novel by PC Cast and Kristin Cast since I finished Book 4! The only surprise is, I haven't read it yet :( But like I said, I'm hoping for Vampire Read-a-Thon next week!!

The final book in Colleen Gleason's Gardella Vampire Series is As Shadows Fade. Another book I'm dying to read, and yet I'll be really sad when the series ends. But end it must, so at least I'm looking for a happy farewell!!

I also picked up the next 3 books in the Morganville Vampire Series by Rachel Caine:

Book 3, Midnight Alley

Book 4, Feast of Fools

and Book 5, Lords of Misrule. Should be an interesting week!!

Now, I haven't even finished the first book in Melissa Marr's Trilogy that started with Wicked Lovely. But somehow, I managed to wrangle an ARC of Book 3 called Fragile Eternity. Isn't the cover gorgeous?? I hope to get to all of these really soon too!!

Valerie Russo from Hatchette Books sent me an ARC of David Cristofano's novel, The Girl She Used to Be. It really looks good!

The Mighty Queens of Freeville by Amy Dickinson was sent to my by a publicist. It's a memoir, and I think it will be great in my quest to branch out into more non-fiction.

Finally, I picked up an ARC of Laura Lippman's new novel, Life Sentences. I've been wanting to read a Lippman novel for a long time, and this one looks like a great place to start!!

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Finally, I've decided to join yet another challenge. But this one should be easy. Becky from Becky's Book Reviews is hosting the End of the World Reading Challenge. I LOVE Dystopian books....I read The Host for this challenge last year and it turned out to be my favorite of the year!! So I'm really looking forward to the 2009 choices. Here is what Becky says:

"Name: It's The End Of The World II
Host: Becky (of Becky's Book Reviews)

Dates: March 10, 2009 - October 9, 2009

Books Required: at least four

Read at least four books about "the end of the world." This includes both apocalyptic fiction and post-apocalyptic fiction. There is quite a bit of overlap with dystopic fiction as well. The point being something--be it coming from within or without, natural or unnatural--has changed civilization, society, humanity to such a degree that it radically differs from "life as we now know it." (Aliens, evil governments, war, plague, natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, hurricanes, depletion of resources, genetic manipulation, etc.) Here is a wikipedia article on the subject. Also see here. These changes can be small-but-still-significant or huge-and-life-threatening.

Books can be classified as children's, young adult, and adult. (Not many children's books go there. But many teen books do. And they're great.)

Graphic novels can count for this challenge.

Audio books allowed.

Crossovers with other challenges are allowed."

So on to my choices (which I reserve the right to change at any time!!)

• Uglies by Scott Westerfield (and maybe a couple of the others in the series)
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
• The Rising by Brian Keene
• Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
• Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy

That should be enough to keep me busy for awhile!!

ARC's Galore!!! Mailbox Monday (on Tuesday, No Less!)

A SERIOUS week with the ARC's rolling in. I need to get a grip....fast!! Just wanted to share some of my books!

Land Of Marvels by Barry Unsworth. (Actually, I'm not really sure where this one came from. It just showed up on my doorstep!!) It's a historical fiction/thriller from the Booker Prize winner, Barry Unsworth. Sounds like a fantastic read!!








Bones of the Dragon (Book 1 in the Dragonships of Vindras Series) by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman is an ARC that I picked up from Shelf Awareness. Published in January, this one looks like it will be right up my alley!! Gotta love a good fantasy book. I can't wait to read this one!








Buffalo Girl by Laura Pederson is a memoir. Laura Pederson is the youngest person to ever hold a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. It's about her life growing up in Buffalo. This one was sent to me by Anna from The Book Report.








The Break-up Diet by Annette Fix is a memoir as well. I'm touring this book for Annette's Blog Tour. Sounds like it will be a fun one!











The Unseen by Nancy Bush isn't released until until April 1. It's a thriller and was sent to me by Kim from Nancy Berland Public Relations. I just finished a book that Nancy co-wrote with her sister Lisa Jackson and it was really good.








Fashionably Late by Nadine Dajani is a book that I won from S. Krishna's blog!!











The Judging Eye by R. Scott Bakker is a LibraryThing ARC. It is the first book in an all-new Epic Fantasy series. Another one right up my alley!










True Colors by Kristin Hannah is a new release from the popular author. It was another book sent to me by Anna from the Book Report!

Finally, I received my own copy of The Terror by Dan Simmons (don't forget to sign up from my giveaway!). Sent to me by Valerie from Hatchette Books!!







Now it's time to get back to my reading!!

Mailbox Monday

Well, it looks like this week I hit the mother lode of ARC's! Dang. I need to get a grip on all of them or I think I could be in some serious trouble!! Considering how poorly I ended up reading in January, February had better be a great reading month!!


First of all, I need to thank Miriam Parker from Hatchette Books. She could possibly be my new best friend!! She had posted on Book Blogs about a book tour involving Vampire/Werewolf books. OK....you all know my love of all things vampire related, so I sent her an email. Turns out, she's organizing a blog tour for Carrie Vaughn's newest books in the Kitty Norville series. Of course, I haven't read any of the previous books, but I did express my interest. Imagine my surprise when a box arrived from Hatchette books...with all 6 of the books in the series!! I'm super excited about these!!

Next, I'm doing a blog tour for Jason Pratt's book Cry of Justice. Another book that is sure to be right up my alley. "HOPE AND LOVE - PRIDE AND HONOR. Monsters wander the world of Mikon. Caught in the aftermath of a vicious international war, thousands of refugees have fled the Coastal States, bringing their dangers with them into the wilderness near the untamed Middlelands." It's a fantasy book, and one that sound like a lot of fun. I'll keep you updated on the blog tour!

The World in Half by Cristina Henriquez is another ARC that has hit my pile. This book isn't being released until April. So I have a little time to get this one finished. It is "the story of a young woman reconciling an existence between two cultures and confronting a life of hardship with an endless capacity to learn, love, and forgive. " About a woman finding out who her father really is. Sounds like a wonderful book. Another that I'm really anxious to read.

Finally, a new PI thriller/mystery by Walter Mosley, The Long Fall is due out in March.

I think these should keep me busy for some time to come!!

Mailbox Monday

Wow. This is my first ever Mailbox Monday. These "lean" economic times have forced me to behave...so I've barely purchased any books in the last year. But in December I won a couple of books, which I received in the last couple of weeks that I want to make note of. First was Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs!! Yeah, I won it from Zeke at The Way I See It. I'm totally psyched about this! It is Book 3 in the Mercedes Thompson series and I have been dying to read it! The other book is Lost and Found by Carolyn Parkhurst. I won it from Nicole at A Blog of Books. Thanks Zeke and Nicole!!



This week I also received a couple of ARC's in the mail. I'm really looking forward to both of them. The first is Nine Lives: Death and Life in New Orleans by Dan Baum. Baum was a reporter for The New Yorker. He is writing about nine characters in New Orleans and how the city has changed from the years between Hurricane Betsy in the 60's and Katrina. It looks really good and I can't wait to read it!

The second ARC is called Starfinder by John Marco. John contacted me late last year and asked if I would be interested in reviewing his new YA fantasy book called Starfinder. It's release date isn't until May, and I feel really honored to have a chance to read it first!!

Lastly, I went to a book sale yesterday. It is to benefit the Lakeview Museum. I came away with 6 books and about 12 books for the kids for only $12!! I got 4 hardback books: Crystal Rain by Tobias Buckell, Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde, Charmed Thirds by Megan McCaffrey and Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen. I also got two really nice paperback copies of the first 2 books in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time Series: The Eye of the World and The Great Hunt.

Hopefully, I will get a chance to start reading some of these great books soon!!