Read-a-Thon

It's almost time for the read-a-thon!
If you'd like to participate, there's still time to sign up.
It starts at 5 a.m. Pacific this Saturday.
Click on the picture for more info.

You don't have to read for the entire 24 hours.
You are allowed to sleep and take breaks.

I must say right now that I will not be starting early in the morning. I have insomnia, so it will be no problem for me to stay up all night reading, but I absolutely cannot wake up early enough for the start time. I guess that means I'll be using my sleep time at the beginning of the read-a-thon instead of at the end. :-)

My children will also be participating. I don't think they will read the entire time, but they will be reading for a large part of the day.

We will be blogging our progress on this blog.

Here are our reading lists:

Mine
The Help- Kathryn Stockett
At the moment I have read about 25% of it.

Death of an Outsider- M.C. Beaton
I am currently on page 48 of 148.

My goal is to finish these two books and then start (and hopefully finish) something from my TBR pile.


My 14 year old son
The Yellow Feather Mystery (Hardy Boys)
He is about half way into it.

Robinson Crusoe
He's already read it twice, but wants to read it again.
It's his favorite.

Warriors #1 - Into the Wild
Warriors #2- Fire and Ice

My 10 year old daughter
Emily Windsnap and the Monster from the Deep- Liz Kessler
Emily Windsnap and the Castle in the Mist
This series is about a girl who finds out she is really a mermaid.
DD's already read the first in the series and has read a little of the second book

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Children's Illustrated Classics edition)

Nancy Drew Notebooks- The Apple Bandits, and Alien in the Classroom

My 13 year old son
He does not like to read.
This makes me sad.

However, he will be participating as well.
He bought a large collection of "Goosebumps" books from Ebay.
He will be reading some of these.

It's not my favorite choice, but at least he reads them.



I can't wait for Saturday!!!

"Saving CeeCee Honeycutt" & "Gilt by Association"

320 pages

From Booklist

Momma always told CeeCee (short for Cecelia Rose) that “being in the North isn’t living—it’s absolute hell.” Of course, having to live with Momma—Camille Sugarbaker Honeycutt, that is, Vidalia Onion Queen, 1951—doesn’t make it any more heavenly, especially when Momma starts standing in the front yard blowing kisses to passersby. You know this is going to end badly, and so it does, when the erstwhile onion queen is run over by a speeding Happy Cow Ice Cream Truck. Before you can say “sweet magnolia blossoms,” 12-year-old CeeCee is sent off to Savannah to live with her elderly great aunt, Tallulah Caldwell, and her wise African American housekeeper and cook, Oletta. It being 1967, you know there will be one dark episode of racial hatred, but it’s quickly—and conveniently—resolved offstage, leaving all the characters free to continue being relentlessly eccentric, upbeat, sweet as molasses, and living, as CeeCee puts it with a straight face, “in a breezy, flower-scented fairy tale . . . a strange, perfumed world that . . . seemed to be run entirely by women.” Light as air but thoroughly pleasant reading.

I really liked this book.
I don't know what else to say about it.
You should read it.
Told ya I wasn't a very good book reviewer! lol

256 pages

"......But a superb, gilt-edged 18th-century French armoire she purchased for a song at estate auction has just arrived along with something she didn't pay for: a dead body.

Suddenly her shop is a crime scene--and closed to the public during the busiest shopping season of the year--so Abigail is determined to speed the lumbering police investigation along. But amateur sleuthing is leading the feisty antiques expert into a murderous mess of dysfunctional family secrets. And the next cadaver found stuffed into fine old furniture could wind up being Abigail's own."

This was my bathtub book this week.
Yes, I have specific books for reading in the tub. Ha!
I have a Kindle, which I use for most of my books.
However, my nightly indulgence is a bubble bath and a book.
That's where PaperBackSwap.com comes in.
I use my credits to buy paperbacks for the bath. :-)

This is the second book in this series.
I have the same complaint about it as I did about the last one.
The language.
I don't like bad language in a book, especially when it seems to be used for no real reason.
I find the language in this book very unnecessary.

This is supposed to be in the "cozy mystery" genre.
I don't think it should be labeled as such.

The definition of a cozy is as follows:
"Cozies very rarely focus on sex, profanity,or violence. The murders take
place off stage, and are often relatively bloodless" (from Wikipedia).
(Click here for more on cozies).

Granted, this is still a mild book, but I would not label it a cozy.

My second complaint is that this is supposed to be a Southern novel.
Other than saying "ya'll" and various characters complaining about yankees (which I have NEVER heard a southerner seriously do), you would never know these characters are supposed to be from the south.
It's obvious that a non-southerner (dare I say, a yankee?) wrote this book.

All of that being said, I didn't hate the book.
It was an ok read.
To be fair, I loved the author's Penn-Dutch Inn series.

2010 total: 9
Currently Reading: "The Help", "Death of an Outsider" (Hamish MacBeth), and "The One Year Chronological Bible"

Recent Reads

O Pioneers!- Willa Cather

110 pages

"Alexandra, daughter of a Swedish immigrant farmer in Nebraska, inherits the family farm and finds love with an old friend."

I liked this book.
It was not as good as "My Antonia."
It was different, not as poetic or descriptive.






Larceny and Old Lace- Tamar Myers

224 pages

"As owner of the Den of Antiquity, recently divorced(but never bitter!) Abigail Timberlake is accustomed to delving into the past, searching for losttreasures, and navigating the cutthroat world of rival dealers at flea marketsand auctions. Still, she never thought she'd be putting her expertise in mayhem and detection to other use -- until crotchety "junque" dealer, Abby's aunt Eulonia Wiggins, was found murdered!

Although Abigail is puzzled by the instrument of death -- an exquisite antique bell pull that Aunt Eulonia never would have had the taste to acquire -- she's willing to let the authorities find the culprit. But now, Auntie's priceless lace is missing,and somebody's threatened Abby's most priceless possession: her son, Charlie. It's up to Abby to put the murderer "on the block.""

This was my "bathtub book" last month.

Tamar Myers has always been one of my favorite writers.
I loved her Penn-Dutch Inn series and I have read a few of these Den of Antiquity series.
I was shocked at the language in this book.
I don't like that.
The other books I read by her had little to no bad language.

Other than that, it was a fun read.
Not as funny as the Penn Dutch Inn series, but enough to keep a person interested.




The Principle of the Path- Andy Stanley

178 pages

"Your Direction, not Your Intention, Determines Your Destination.

There is often a tension between where we want to end up in life and the path we choose to get there. We fail to see that having good intentions is never good enough. Like Charlie Brown, we wrongly believe there's something to be said for trying hard. We need to understand why, in spite of our good intentions, we may have ended up at the wrong destination with our finances, our marriages, our careers, or a host of other dreams. So how do we get from where we are to where we truly want to be? The Principle of the Path is a road map to proper direction and discipline."

Here are some of the highlights
* "To get from where we don't want to be to where we do want to be requires two things: time and a change of direction."
* "Direction-not intentions, hopes, dreams, prayers, beliefs, intellect, or education-determines destination."
* "We should break the habit of drawing a circle around individual decisions and events and dismissing them as isolated occurrences. These are steps. Steps that lead somewhere."
* "Prudent people look as far down the road as possible when making decisions."
* "Christians start talking about forgiveness as if somehow forgiveness serves as an escape hatch from the outcome of bad decisions."
* "When happiness points in one direction while wisdom, truth, integrity, and common sense point in another, that's when really smart people start doing really stupid things."
* "Your heart can't be trusted... The truth is, if you let it, your heart will direct you down a path that leads to the very spot you most want to avoid."
* "The choices are now. The outcomes are later. The decisions you make today have ramifications down the road."
* "One never accomplishes the will of God by breaking the law of God, violating the principles of God, or ignoring the wisdom of God."
* "I am constantly amazed at how resistant folks are to take their cues from people who are where they want to be."
* "We don't drift in good directions. We discipline and prioritize ourselves there."

Simple principles in this book, but their implications have an enormous impact on the outcomes of our lives.



I Scream, You Scream- Wendy Lyn Watson

320 pages

"Recently divorced Tallulah Jones is mortified when she's stuck scooping sundaes for her two-timing ex-husband-and his bodacious new girlfriend, Brittanie-at his company luau. But when Brittanie drops dead, Tally is suddenly the prime suspect in her murder investigation. To catch the killer, Tally will have to dip deep into her small Texan town's darkest secrets and churn up stories some would prefer to keep in the past. But can she uncover the real culprit before a murder charge puts her dreams on ice for good?"

I didn't like this book very much. It was just a'right (to quote Randy Jackson).
I didn't find myself being drawn into the story line, or caring about the characters.
This is the first in a series. I don't think I'll be reading any more.


Currently Reading: Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
2010 total: 7 books (Yikes! That's not many at all! I need to get on the ball)

"Murder Takes the Cake" and "Three Blind Mice"

Murder Takes the Cake- Gayle Trent
260 pages


"Cozy murder mystery. When the meanest gossip in Brea Ridge dies mysteriously, suspicions turn to cake decorator Daphne Martin. But all Daphne did was deliver a spice cake with cream cheese frosting--and find Yodel's body. Now Daphne's got to help solve the murder and clear her good name. Problem is, her Virginia hometown is brimming with people who had good reason to kill Yodel, and Daphne's whole family is among them."

This book was free through the Kindle app a few weeks ago. I snatched it up fast! Kindle books are "free today, not tomorrow." lol

I really enjoyed this book.
It kept me interested, and I read it rather quickly.
The characters were believable and likeable (except for Daphne's mother. I'm not sure what's going on there. Maybe more will be revealed in future installments).
I admit, I skipped over some of parts that went into detail about cake making.
If you're a cake decorator, or interested in learning, you would love this book.




Three Blind Mice- Agatha Christie

275 pages


This book is a collection of short stories starring Poirot and Miss Marple.

In addition, it includes the story "Three Blind Mice" upon which Christie's play "The Mousetrap" is based.

"Three Blind Mice" is by far the best short story in the collection. It is of the same caliber as her better novels, in my humble opinion.


Currently reading: O Pioneers! - Willa Cather
2010 total: 3 (really? Only 3? I need to step it up a bit.)

"Daddy- Long-Legs" and "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society"

88 pages

"A trustee of the John Grier orphanage has offered to send Judy Abbott to college. The only requirements are that she must write to him every month, and that she can never know who he is. Judy’s life at college is a whirlwind of friends, classes, parties, and a growing friendship with the handsome Jervis Pendleton. With so much happening in her life, Judy can scarcely stop writing! "

I started this book in December, but finished it in January. I already counted it as part of my 2009 reads, but I wanted to review it here.

I remember reading this book in 5th grade. I checked it out of the school library. I remember wishing I had a window seat just like Judy's.

This book never gets old. It is simply charming. It will always be among my favorites.






290 pages

From Publishers Weekly

"The letters comprising this small charming novel begin in 1946, when single, 30-something author Juliet Ashton (nom de plume Izzy Bickerstaff) writes to her publisher to say she is tired of covering the sunny side of war and its aftermath. When Guernsey farmer Dawsey Adams finds Juliet's name in a used book and invites articulate—and not-so-articulate—neighbors to write Juliet with their stories, the book's epistolary circle widens, putting Juliet back in the path of war stories. The occasionally contrived letters jump from incident to incident—including the formation of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society while Guernsey was under German occupation—and person to person in a manner that feels disjointed. But Juliet's quips are so clever, the Guernsey inhabitants so enchanting and the small acts of heroism so vivid and moving that one forgives the authors (Shaffer died earlier this year) for not being able to settle on a single person or plot. Juliet finds in the letters not just inspiration for her next work, but also for her life—as will readers."

This was not a book I would have chosen on my own.
After hearing my friend, Pattie rave about it, and learning that it was the first book in an online book club I've joined, I decided I should read it.
I was pleasantly surprised.
I really enjoyed this book.
I would recommend it to anyone.


2010 reads: 1
currently reading: Three Blind Mice- Agatha Christie

Read in November

The Secret Adversary- Agatha Christie
The Mysterious Affair at Styles- Agatha Christie
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd- Agatha Christie
By Hook or By Crook- Betty Hechtmann
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder- Joanne Fluke

Read Jan-Nov 2009

21 total

Home to Holly Springs- Jan Karon
Tamar Myers:
Monet Talks
The Cane Mutiny
Between a Wok and a Hard Place
Just Plain Pickled to Death
Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth
Hell Hath No Curry
Grape Expectations
Thou Shalt Not Grill
Eat, Drink, and Be Wary
Three Little Words: A Memoir- Ashley Rhodes-Courter
Tea Time for the Traditionally Built- Alexander McCall Smith
Grave Sight- Charlaine Harris
On the Street Where You Live -Mary Higgins Clark
Embrace Me- Lisa Samson
Tiger Lily- Lisa Samson
The Edge of Town- Dorothy Garlock
The Secret Adversary- Agatha Christie
Dracula's Guest (short story)- Bram Stoker
The Mysterious Affair at Styles- Agatha Christie
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd- Agatha Christie