Good night Readers

I made it 20.5 hours - which is longer than I thought I would - even though the last hour or so I was mainly reading blogs not my book! It was fun - looking forward to March - hoping to remember all the stuff that I wish I had done this time and told myself I would do better next time.

I read 2 books - Saint John of the Five Boroughs by Edward Falco and Last Breath by Brandilyn and Amberly Collins and started Night of Flames by Douglas Jacobson - for a total of 727 pages. I do believe this is better than my total for the earlier Readathon this year.

I definitely need to have my sister take my son overnight for the next readathon - and maybe I will make sure that my husband is playing cards that night. . .

Mini Challenge for Hour 17

I am to name 5 children's books - either my favorites or my children's favorites -

1. Harold and the Purple Crayon - I remember reading this one as a kid
2. Too Many People for One Little House - Currently one of my son's favorites
3. Wally the Walking Fish - another current one that my son enjoys
4. Detective Dog and the Ghost was one of my middle daughter's favorites
5. Alice and Greta was one of my oldest daughter's favorites.
6. I had to do another one - Chicken Soup with Rice: A book of Months - I haven't thought about this book in forever!

This was a neat mini challenge as it allowed me to poll my kids!

Honouring Dewey

I had only been blogging about 2-3 months when Dewey passed away, but I had already discovered her blog and heard many wonderful things about her. It was a shock to go on her blog and read the wonderful words that her husband had posted. Her passing showed me what a great community bloggers - especially book bloggers were - and it made me want to "meet" more of you. Dewey set the bar so high and was so involved and dedicated. She is going to be missed for a long time.

Hour 15?

I think we are in hour 15 - I have had some interruptions since my last update. I had to get my son ready for bed - no one but me would do. Then I drove my girls to the mall - and picked them up 1 1/2 hours later. . . Not much reading done, but I was able to finish Last Breath - I also did some mini challenges. I am just starting Night of Flames which starts out really good. But I may have to switch to a "lighter" book as I get more drowsy! Happy reading!

Readathon - Mid-event survey

Mid-Event Survey:

1. What are you reading right now?

Last Breath by Brandilyn and Amberly Collins

2. How many books have you read so far?

Only 1 full one - Saint John of Five Boroughs

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?

Night of Flames

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?

Just that my husband would take care of our son - our teenage girls have been taking care of themselves and helping out.

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?

Did I mention our son and teenage daughters?

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?

That the time passes so quickly

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

Are you kidding? You guys are doing an awesome job!

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?

Start with a quick book!

9. Are you getting tired yet?

Yes - I got tired about 2 hours ago!

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?

No, but I would welcome any tips!

Time to get back to reading! Break is over!

Feed Me Seymour! - Mini Challenge

Here is what this challenge is all about: over the next few hours let me know if you happen across any passages of food in your reading or you can also flip through some of the books in your Read-A-Thon stack(s) and find me a passage where the characters describe what they are eating or when they are actually eating – write up a post with the book, author, your selected passage and a picture of one the dishes-


My passage is from Last Breath by Brandilyn Collis and Amberly Collins -

Back in the room I dialed information and found a nearby takeout for pizza. We ordered an extra large pepperoni and mushroom, with Coke and paper plates. I put the cost and tip on my credit card, then told Wendell a delivery would be coming. (p126)

Doesn't Pepperoni and Mushroom pizza sound so good right now???

Middle of Hour 12

I'm a little sleepy - but hubby is making dinner so I hope food will pick me up and not make me want a nap!

I am so excited because I won Bart's Mini Challenge - you had to make a sentence from book titles - Mine was - Fearless, hot and irresistible mom, needs chocolate, bacon sandwiches and salvation.

books - Fearless, Hot and Irresistible, Mom Needs Chocolate, Bacon Sandwiches and Salvation.

Then I went into email and saw that I had won Maggie Rose by Sharlene MacLaren off of MaryLu Tyndall's blog - Cross and Cutlass!

Ok - as for reading - I have read another 164 pages since 5pm - I think my total is 587 - 1 1/2 books down.

Gotta go! Last Breath is calling me back!

Mini Challenge - Collection Obsession

Ok - the title says it all - what else do you collect that is not book related?

I don't actually collect these - but I contribute frequently to my son's collection of Hot Wheels.






What kind of stitcher would I be if I did not collect thimbles! I have been collecting them since my first husband was in the Navy and would go all over the world. The only other country I have been to outside the US is Mexico - but I also have thimbles from Japan, Philippines, Germany, Bahamas.




Again - every stitcher "collects" different threads - the one with the biggest stash wins!

What do you collect????

8 Hours Ago

I started reading - can't believe it has been 8 hours! I have read one book - Saint John of the Five Boroughs by Edward Falco - page count 423.

1 hour - 124 pgs
2 hour - 54 pgs
3 hour - 50 pgs
4 hour - 32 pgs
5 hour - 41 pgs
(break here to help my 4 year old get ready for a Halloween party and to have some lunch - also sister dropped by for an impromptu visit. . .)
8 hour - 122 pgs

Interesting how my page count dropped as my family woke up! Hopefully they are now used to me reading and will become self sufficient today! My daughter actually made me lunch and brought it to me! Bless her heart!


Enjoy your reading!

Readathon - Bart's Mini Challenge

Fearless, hot and irresistible mom, needs chocolate, bacon sandwiches and salvation.

Short girls on the run shake the devil off.

Readathon Update - Finishing Hour 4

I cannot believe we are already 4 hours into the readathon - am still battling a slight headache but I am trying to ignore it - will probably need a nap later though! I did really well the first hour - before the household started moving - then my little boy got up - phone started ringing - television went on, etc, etc and suddenly I found I was reading fewer pages every hour! I have read about 250 pages at this point - have about 170 pages left to go in this book - Saint John of the Five Boroughs. It is pretty good and there is some mystery to it - I keep expecting some huge revelation to come out - sure hope I am right. After this one though we are going to move to a YA book or a short book! Well - I have had to wait 3 1/2 hours to actually get to use the computer this morning (hubby was playing games and I figures since he would be basically running the house today, I could give him some play time!) but now the line is once again forming at the computer desk. Have fun reading everyone!!

Have I Been Missed?

I have a terrible sinus infection with migraine that has kept me off the computer for most of the week. The only post that was done in "real" time was the book review yesterday - all the other posts about books were done last weekend (thankfully!) I missed WoW, Friday's Finds, my Thursday Kid's Korner - and I even had a Library Loot for this week! I also have 2 new giveaways to post - one for a new office chair. And tomorrow I am supposed to be doing the Read-a-thon!

So -I gave up and went to the doctor today. I am hoping that the antibiotics he gave me will kick in tonight and that I will be able to read headache free tomorrow! (Otherwise, I am going to be SOOOOO behind in my reviews!)

Well, that's it for tonight - I think I am going to bed. . . .

ARC Arrival: Thirsty by Tracey Bateman

Thirsty by Tracey Bateman

Publisher: Waterbrook Press

About the book: "Hello, I'm Nina Parker. . . and I'm an alcoholic."

For Nina, it's not the weighty admission but the first steps toward recovery that prove most difficult. She must face her ex-husband, Hunt, with little hope of making amends, and try to rebuild a relationship with her angry teenage daughter, Meagan. Hardest of all, she is forced to return to Abbey Hills, Missouri, the hometown she abruptly abandoned nearly two decades earlier - and her unexpected arrival in the sleepy Ozark town catches the attention of someone - or something - igniting a two-hundred-fifty-year-old desire that rages like a wildfire.

Unaware of the darkness stalking her, Nina is confronted with a series of events that threaten to unhinge her sobriety. Her daughter wants to spend time with the parents Nina left behind. A terrifying even that has haunted Nina for almost twenty years begins to surface. And an alluring neighbor initiates and unusual friendship with Nina, but is Markus truly a kindred spirit or a man guarding dangerous secrets?

As everything she loves hangs in the balance, will Nina's feeble grasp on her demons be broken, leaving her powerless against the thirst? The battle between redemption and obsession unfolds to its startling, unforgettable end. (back cover)

About the author: With close to one million books in print, Tracey Bateman is the award-winning author of more than thirty titles. Fan favorites include the popular Kansas Home historical series: Color of the Soul, a tale of race and prejudice; and her many intriguing Heartsong Presents romantic novels. Tracey resides in Missouri with her husband and four children. (back cover)

Thirsty
Publisher/Publication Date: Waterbrook Press, Oct 2009
ISBN: 978-0-307-45715-8
384 pages

ARC Arrival: Touched by a Vampire by Beth Felker Jones

Touched by a Vampire:
Discovering the Hidden Messages in the Twilight Saga
by Beth Felker Jones

Publisher: Multnomah Books

About the book: People around the world are enraptured with Edward and Bella's forbidden romance in the Twilight Saga, a four-book serial phenomenon written by Stephenie Meyer. The bestsellers tell the story of a regular girl's relationship with a vampire who has chosen to follow his "good" side. But the Saga isn't just another fantasy - it's teaching girls about love, sex, and purpose. With 48 million copies in print and a succession of upcoming blockbuster films, now is the time to ask the important question: Can vampires teach us about God's plan for love?

Touched by a Vampire investigates the themes of the Twilight Saga from a Biblical perspective. Some Christian readers have praised moral principles illustrated in the story, such as premarital sexual abstinence, which align with Meyer's Mormon beliefs. But ultimately, Beth Felker Jones examines whether the story's redemptive qualities outshine its darkness.

Cautionary, thoughtful, and challenging, Touched by a Vampire is written for Twilight fans, parents, teachers, and youth workers. It includes an overview of the series for those unfamiliar with the storyline and a discussion guide for small groups. (back cover)

About the author: Beth Felker Jones is assistant professor of theology at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. She is the author of the Marks of His Wounds: Gender Politics and Bodily Resurrection, as well as numerous articles and reviews. Beth is a mother and a pastor's wife. (back cover)

Touched by a Vampire
Publisher/Publication Date: Multnomah Books, Oct 2009
ISBN: 978-1-60142-278-1
192 pages

The Evolution of Shadows (Book Review)

Title: The Evolution of Shadows*
Author: Jason Quinn Malott
Publisher: Unbridled Books

First sentence: Lian hears the wind in the trees outside and the creak of the house as its timbers contract in the cool night.

My synopsis: This novel is about the coming together of 3 unrelated people to search for Gray Banick, a news photographer who disappeared 5 years earlier in the Bosnian war zone. Lian was his girlfriend - and also the reason he went to Bosnia; Emil was the interpreter he met while on assignment, and Jack was a fellow news photographer who was Gray's mentor.

These three people come together to try to search for Gray, or Gray's remains, as a way to put an end to that chapter in their lives. Emil is still trying to find Mira, his fiancee who was taken away by enemy soldiers - in his head he knows she is dead, but in his heart, he refuses to give up hope. Katja, his current girlfriend, isn't sure that he will ever be able to let Mira go.

Jack has given his whole life to surviving in war zones. Where his homecomings with his wife used to be exciting - they have become alienated over the years and she now feels as if he has deserted her. Most of the big events in their life he has learned of over the phone, half a world away. Jack realizes that Gray is a surrogate son to him, to replace the one that his wife had miscarried 30+ years before.

That leaves Lian. She was always sure that her and Gray would not be together, but not because she didn't love him - even though she couldn't put it into words. Her family was bound by Chinese values and traditions, and those were put on her shoulders to carry forward. For this reason, she found herself engaged and married to Daniel, a Chinese doctor who works with her father. She realizes that she has been a coward her whole life, and hopes that by coming to Bosnia she will be able to come clean with Daniel about her past, and move forward in her life, on her terms.

That is, at least, how I viewed these three people. I cannot say that I "enjoyed" this book - as the setting isn't something that someone would "enjoy". But I found that I could not put it down! The story was told between present interactions amongst Emil, Lian and Jack and flash backs on their relationships with Gray. While there isn't a lot of action, it moves forward steadily, hauntingly, through war-torn Sarajevo and the surrounding countryside. While the setting of the story is tragic, there is an underlying romantic element of never losing hope. I highly - highly! recommend this book. It is a great debut novel and I can't wait to see what else Mr. Malott has to bring us.


For some reason, this passage has stayed with me:

"I will take pictures of the truth. They will be ashamed of themselves."
The man nodded. "But not until after my family is dead."
"I come from a sleeping people," Gray said.
"You are awake," the man said. "I must get back to my family." (p210)

Read my interview with Jason or visit him at the following sites: Myspace, Facebook, and on his web page!

The Evolution of Shadows
Publisher/Publication Date: Unbridled Books, Oct 20, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-932961-84-3
272 pages

*This book was provided for review from Unbridled Books.

ARC Arrival: Family Plots by Mary Patrick Kavanaugh

Family Plots: Love, Death & Tax Evasion
by Mary Patrick Kavanaugh

Publisher: IUniverse

About the book: Family Plots is a fresh and funny autobiographical novel about a young mother trying against all odds to create a normal family life with her new husband, a criminal attorney, who - it turns out - is committing a few crimes of his own.

Kavanaugh gives us a wry, unsentimental account of a marriage barreling toward calamity. In an attempt to find romance, family, and financial stability, Mary stumbles into a world of pseudonyms, fake weddings, and hidden bank accounts. Events that land many of the players into the family cemetery plot reveal unexpected secrets and stashes that manage, in small ways, to transform a tale of seeming tragedy into one of surprising healing and redemption. (back cover)

Family Plots
Publisher/Publication Date: IUniverse, Oct 2008
ISBN: 978-1-4401-0466-4
300 pages

ARC Arrival: Spellbinder by Helen Stringer

Spellbinder by Helen Stringer

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

About the book: Belladonna Johnson can see ghosts. It's a trait she's inherited from her mother's side of the family, like blue eyes or straight hair. And it's a trait she could do without, because what twelve-year-old wants to be caught talking to someone invisible?

It is convenient, though, after Belladonna's parents are killed in a car accident. They can live with her the same as always, watching the same old TV shows in their same old house. Nothing has changed. . .until everything changes.

One night, with no warning, they vanish into thin air - along with every other ghost in the world. It's what some people think ghosts are supposed to do, but Belladonna knows it's all wrong. They may not be living, but they're not supposed to be gone.

With the help of her classmate, Steve, a master of sneaking and spying, Belladonna is left to uncover what's become of the spirits and to navigate a whole world her parents have kept well-hidden. If she can't find her way, she'll lose them again - this time, for good.

In her sparkling debut novel, Helen Stringer spins a ghost story that's spine-tingling, sensitive, and dead funny. (back cover)

About the author: Helen Stringer grew up in Liverpool, England, and currently lives in Los Angeles. Here in the U.S., she studied film, winning several student film awards, and was a Directing Fellow at the American Film Institute Center for Advanced Film and Television Studies. This is her first novel. (back cover)

Spellbinder
Publisher/Publication Date: Feiwel & Friends, Sept 2009
ISBN: 978-0-312-38763-1
384 pages
Reading Level: 9-12 years

Tome Traveler: However Tall the Mountain by Awista Ayub

However Tall the Mountain by Awista Ayub

Publisher: Hyperion

I received this book from Marcia at Printed Page as part of her Read It Forward program. Thank you so much Marcia!

About the book: In 1979, when Awista Ayub was only two years old, her family fled Afghanistan for the United States, where Awista flourished, thanks to organized athletics - and where she vowed to make a difference in her home country some day. Soon after the fall of the Taliban, Awista saw her chance: She founded the Afghan Youth Sports Exchange, an organization dedicated to nurturing Afghan girls through soccer. What began with eight young women has exploded into something of a phenomenon. Fifteen teams now compete in the Afghanistan Football Federation, with hundreds of girls participating.

By bringing soccer to young Afghan women, Awista reintroduced the very traits the decades of war had cruelly stripped away from them - confidence and self-worth. In However Tall the Mountain, she tells her story and the stories of the eight original girls. Timely, heartfelt, and moving, it shows how women can find strength in each other, in teamwork, and in themselves - risking their lives to obtain the freedom that we take for granted. (back cover)

However Tall the Mountain
Publisher/Publication Date: Hyperion, Aug 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4013-2249-6
256 pages

ARC Arrival: Fallen by Lauren Kate

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Publisher: Delacorte Book for Young Readers

About the book: Daniel's gaze caught hers, and her breath caught in her throat. She recognized him from somewhere. But she would have remembered meeting someone like him. She would have remembered feeling as absolutely shaken up as she did right now.

They were still locking eyes when Daniel flashed her a smile. A jet of warmth shot through her. . .but then he raised his hand in the air. And flipped her off, Luce gasped and dropped her eyes. Her momentary delirium vanished. What was that guy's problem?

Just before she ducked into her first class, she dared to glance back. His face was blank, but there was no mistaking it - he was watching her go. (back cover)

Fallen
Publisher/Publication Date: Delacorte Book for Young Readers, Dec 2009
ISBN: 78-0-385-73893-4
464 pages
Reading Level: Young Adult

ARC Arrival: Through the Triangle by C.P. Stewart

Through the Triangle by C.P. Stewart

Publisher: Outskirts Press

About the book: Jake Myers and his semi-estranged son Nathan were supposed to be on a healing jaunt: a Florida vacation spent deep-sea fishing and them park hopping. But they and the tree other passengers aboard Oblique View happened to be in the wrong place at the right time - in a storm within the Devil's Triangle. On a deserted shore, they discover they are in the right place at the wrong time - the Florida coast nearly three-hundred years in the future. Then there's the metropolis nearby that appears to be deserted. . .appears, that is. . .

Now, this group is about to confront a dangerous species - part animal/part human. . . that can see in the dark. Together with a loose association of other humans, fellow travelers cast off in this strange land and strange time, they'll have to rely on instinct and cunning to survive. But something as deadly as the Devil's Triangle they just passed through might be one of their own. . .

What follows is a journey of enlightenment as Jake discovers the shocking historical events leading to this new reality and the love lurking right under his nose. It all combines for a savvy time-travel thriller that will keep you guessing right up until the shocking finale. (back cover)

About the author: C.P. Stewart made a career of teaching high school and, when requested, university physics. A lifelong resident of western Pennsylvania, he is married with two adult children and one grandchild. (back cover)

Through the Triangle
Publisher/Publication Date: Outskirts Press, Aug 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4327-4036-8
390 pages