Page After Page

The Sunday Salon: waiting and planning

kimmery4@yahoo.com (Kim) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:41:00 +0000

Waiting.

Waiting.

Waiting.
(for grandbaby girl D to arrive)
That is what I am doing today.

Amongst the waiting I have managed clean the kitchen and assign cleaning duties to other members of this clan. Now the "men" are watching and yelling through the Sounders game and I am holed up in the den--listening to the cries of "Lebeck! Lebeck! Aughh!!!" over and over. We must be getting close to scoring.

On a personal note, I am still not feeling 100% and frankly am getting tired of that!

Reading wise, I am just about done with The Lucky Ones by Rachel Cusk. For now all I will say is that it is a good thing the book is not too long. Otherwise I may not have been able to stick with it.

Up next is, Night of Many Dreams by Gail Tsukiyama. She is an author whose works I have always enjoyed to the max, so I am really looking forward to this one. It has been sitting on my shelf for a couple of years and I can think of no good reason why I have not read it before!

I also want to point out that there is a lot of activity in the book blogging world regarding challenges for 2010! If you have never been to A Novel Challenge, you must! I am pleased that a couple of my favorites are being offered again.
Here is a glimpse of my favorites so far:

There are lots of challenges being listed and some fun Christmas events coming up. I wrote about a couple of them which I am participating in here.

So, off the computer for me and on to the rest of the day. I am so happy we have lots and lots of homemade chili for dinner tonight so I don't need to cook!

So, what are you up to on this fine November day??

hard to concentrate on reading--

kimmery4@yahoo.com (Kim) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:30:00 +0000

39 weeks
and still waiting

I am more than ready to become Mimi!

Bargain Days

kimmery4@yahoo.com (Kim) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:38:00 +0000

Today I decided to go browse a bit at our local TJ Maxx, a store I very rarely frequent.

You know, to look for a few little baby things in my hopes to urge this little bundle of sweetness to hurry up her appearance. And while I did find a couple of little items in glorious, delicious pinkness,

I was also pleasantly surprised to find a couple of book deals!
TJ Maxx has books?
Who knew?

What did I find?
Well, one book to add to my Grandma library and one book which I have been wanting to read for over a year but the hold list at my library is always so long I never bother to hold it. I will let you decide which book is which!

$2.00 (normally $8.99)

$3.00 (normally $13.99)

Apparently I need to frequent this store a bit more often!

We are getting close!

kimmery4@yahoo.com (Kim) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:08:00 +0000

I may be just hours away from being able to read this gem of a book to a wee little one again!!!

My daughter is having contractions. We are hoping they are the real deal!!! I am so excited I can hardly stand it!!!

a-z Wednesday: "m" books

kimmery4@yahoo.com (Kim) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:15:00 +0000

Hosted by Vicki from Reading At The Beach

To join, here's all you have to do:

Go to your stack of books and find one whose title starts with the letter of the week.

Post:1~ a photo of the book

2~ title and synopsis

3~ link(amazon, barnes and noble etc.)

THIS WEEKS LETTER IS: M

My "M" book is Maid Marian by Elsa Watson

I have not read this and it sadly has been sitting on my tbr stack for a couple of years. Maybe next year it can be my M book for the A-Z Challenge.

From Booklist

Watson provides an intriguing new twist on an old legend in this reworking of the classic Robin Hood tale. Narrated by a refreshingly bold and independent Maid Marian, the familiar story is retold from a woman's point of view. Virtually sold into marriage by a scheming Eleanor of Aquitaine, Marian Fitzwater enjoys a brief moment of liberty when her teenage husband dies under mysterious circumstances. Her sense of personal fulfillment is short-lived, however, as Marian realizes that another loveless mercenary marriage is being arranged for her. Traveling to Sherwood Forest to seek assistance from the notorious outlaw known as Robin Hood, she hatches a scheme to win her freedom. Meeting as intellectual and spiritual equals, Marian and Robin forge an instant bond that deepens from friendship into love. As the two lovers join forces to thwart the queen, who wields tremendous influence during Richard's absence, a romantic new chapter in the Robin Hood mythology is written.

Wordless Wednesday: explosion of color

kimmery4@yahoo.com (Kim) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:58:00 +0000

my neighbor's tree
November 2009

'Tis the season (almost!)

kimmery4@yahoo.com (Kim) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:47:00 +0000

Tuesday.
Day 2.
Home again with sinus infection/eye infection and child #2 down with the flu. Most probably the swine variation

I have spent some time blog surfing this morning and thought I would do my duty in publicizing some fun Christmas events coming up! (Even though, as evidenced by the picture above, the leaves here are still in the process of falling---picture taken yesterday, November 2nd in front of my house)

First up:

The annual Book Blogger Holiday Swap has been announced and sign ups have begun. In fact, you need to hurry up because sign ups close on November 12th. I participated in this last year and not only did I receive a fun little gift in the mail that included bookish things and coffee, I also found 2 new blog friends to follow!

1.Dawn from She is Too Fond of Books
&
2. Laura from lines...in pleasant places

I for one am happy to see this event is happening again and I just want to say a big Thanks to the organizers.

Buying Books for Holidays is happening again. You can read all about it by clicking here! Not only are we encouraged to buy books as gifts for those we love, but also if possible, give to a literacy promotion cause and if possible shop Indie. Lots of good information can be found on the homepage. I must say that everyone in my immediate family gets at least one book every year for Christmas from me!

Review: The Chili Queen

kimmery4@yahoo.com (Kim) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:07:00 +0000

Book: The Chili Queen by Sandra Dallas
Pages: 292
Finished: October 2009
Challenges:
** Read and Review ** A-Z ** Fall Into Reading ** Support Your Local Library **

First Sentence: "As the train pulled into the shabby station at Palestine, Kansas, the pin-faced farmers and their wives in their rusty black-wool best lined up along the tracks like the teeth of a rake."

Winner of the Spur Award for best Western novel, this romp of a story is set in the American West sometime in the 1880's. This book brings the tale of friendship, trust and the sense of justice. Full of memorable characters with cons conning cons, sensationally sinister evil crooks, and the underlying need we all have to be loved.

There are twists and turns to the plot, and even though it is an easy read, and lighthearted at times, Dallas doesn't shy away from portraying the violence and lawlessness of the place and time of the setting. I have been a fan of Sandra Dallas ever since reading her Persian Pickle Club and this one did not disappoint either!

From Booklist

The author tweaks the Western genre with her newest historical novel. Retired shortchange-artist-turned-madam Addie French meets Emma Roby, a meek and ladylike mail-order bride on the train to Nalgitas, New Mexico. Deserted at the train station by her groom, Emma makes her way to the Chili Queen, Addie's "boarding house." There Emma meets Welcome, the mysterious cook, and Ned Partner, an amiable and talented bank robber. At Addie's suggestion, Ned agrees to rob a local bank to avenge an insult made to Addie and takes Emma for his partner. The robbery ends with unexpected results, and the trio hatches another scheme to fleece Emma's brother out of his inheritance. The payoff from this last swindle will allow Addie to open a restaurant, Ned to buy a ranch, and Emma to live independently. Dallas fleshes out the kind of background characters found in a L'Amour or Grey novel with affection and zest.

Tss and monthly recap

kimmery4@yahoo.com (Kim) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:40:00 +0000

Yes.
It is true.
Another month of 2009 has flown by.
This month will be an exciting one, as we await the birth of our first grandchild! We got our daughter and her husband moved into their new apartment yesterday. It was a day of hard work and keeping the mama-to-be calm and laying/sitting down. She is on modified bed rest for high blood pressure and of course the moving day was not without its share of plans gone awry and drama. But it is done and baby is still baking nicely inside her mommy!

I ended the day at urgent care as the eye which I woke up to as being a bit crusty and gooey was so swollen and oozy that everyone around said I needed to get it looked at ASAP. So off to the ~~germ incubator~~ Urgent Care we headed at 8:00 at night. I was told that I had a nasty infection. And by this morning? I had TWO nasty infections. Thankfully the eye drops are working well and the first eye is feeling better even though it still looks gross. On top of that, I have had my 17 year old son sick with the H1N1 flu since Friday and child #2 is running a temp today.

Onto the books.
October was a better month than September was for me and not just in the book list arena. I was also able to knock out a couple more challenges. (Along with dropping a couple)

The October Book List:
Foreign Affairs
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (a whim book-not reviewed)
Last Night at the Lobster
The Zookeepers Wife
The Chili Queen

I am currently reading:
The Governess: The Little Female Academy
The Lucky Ones

Challenges Completed:
Support Your Local Libray
TBR 2009
War Through the Generations

Challenges I had to let go:
The Everything Austen
The Genres (I really enjoyed this one, and would have finished it if had ended in December, but I could not meet the October deadline.

Challenges I have recently joined:
Awesome Author (for 2010)
Christmas Reading Challenge (runs from November 26 through December 31)

I am also planning on joining the November Novella challenge--just haven't gotten around to officially joining.

Happy Reading!

Jingle Bells?

kimmery4@yahoo.com (Kim) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 05:16:00 +0000

I am really excited about this little challenge as I have never done a Christmas one before! Christmas is my favorite holiday of all, and I will confess right now, that I will start playing Christmas music either tomorrow or the day after! My family laughs at me, but they still love me!
I have a little collection of Christmas books which I never seem to have time to read.
I hope to have time to read 3 books for the challenge--

Here are the titles I have to choose from, the italicized being ones I want to read for sure:

The Xmas Factor by Annie Sanders
Journey into Christmas and Other Stories by Bess Streeter Aldrich
This Year it Will be Different by Maeve Binchy ( a collection of short stories)
The Quiet Little Woman by Louisa May Alcott
On Strike for Christmas by Sheila Roberts
Christmas on Jane Street by Billy Romp
Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews
'Tis the Season by Lorna Landvik (an epistolary story)

Want to know more? Then keep reading or click on the button above to be taken to the challenge post. It is being hosted by The True Book Addict.

The Christmas Reading Challenge:

will run from Thanksgiving Day, November 26 through New Year's Eve, December 31, 2009
you can choose 1 - 3 books...I know it seems a small amount, but it's a busy time of year and the challenge is only a little over a month.
These must be Christmas novels, books about Christmas lore or a book of Christmas short stories (sorry, no children's books, but YA novel is okay).

Just looking ahead, guys...!

kimmery4@yahoo.com (Kim) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:27:00 +0000

I keep telling myself that I am going to scale down my reading challenges for next year. And I am.
Really.
But this one looks like fun and not too hard!
I am choosing the Easy level and my author picks are:
1. Evelyn Waugh
2. Elinor Lipman
3. Charles De Lint

Hosted by Alyse
The idea behind this challenge is to read works by authors who have been recommended to you time and again, yet somehow you haven't managed to read any books by those authors. These are the authors that everyone else tells you are awesome, thus the "Awesome Author Challenge" title.

The Rules:

The challenge starts January 1, 2010 and ends December 31, 2010.

Crossover from other challenges is allowed.

Choose the level at which you would like to participate, post about it and come back and leave a link to your post in Mister Linky.

Titles and authors do not have to be predetermined, and can change at any time.

Books can come from any genre or reading level, the only requirement is that you have heard great things about the author, but haven't yet read any of their works.

The Levels:

Easy: Choose three authors and read at least one title from each author.

Moderate: Choose six authors and read at least one title from each author.

Challenging: Choose ten authors and read at least one title from each author.

Over-Achieving: Anything over ten authors.

Unfinished Challenges

kimmery4@yahoo.com (Kim) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:58:00 +0000

Sadly, I just realized that there are a couple of challenges I will not finish.

1. The Genre Challenge

This one runs until November 1st and there is no way I will be able to finish the 3 books I need to in order to complete it.

2. The Everything Austen Challenge

While I have Emma on my list to read for a few other challenges and feel confident I will get it read, I don't feel that confident that I will get the rest of the requirements completed in time.

Both challenges are great ones, and I enjoyed the books I have read for the Genres one already.

I hate quitting and not completing things, but sometimes it just can't be helped.

Challenge Completed!

kimmery4@yahoo.com (Kim) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:00:00 +0000

Edited October 2009: FINISHED!
Click the highlighted book titles to see my reviews.

This is a challenge which runs throughout all of 2009. Click HERE to get all the details, including a link to a list of WWII related books in case you need some ideas.

I have always been drawn to books set in and/or centered around this war. It was not surprising to me that I already have 6 books on other challenge lists which will qualify for this one. So, I am committing to read 6 and may add more later!

1. Among the Mad-Finished
2. The Zookeeper's Wife-Finished
3. Five Chimneys
4. Sarah's Key-Finished
5. Beside a Burning Sea
6. Night of Many Dreams

*Alternate*
Doreen--Finished
Shanghai Girls--Finished
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet-Finished

Completed! (a favorite challenge...)

kimmery4@yahoo.com (Kim) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:30:00 +0000

Edited October 2009: FINISHED!
Click on titles below to see my reviews..

1. If You Lived Here-finished
2. Keeper and Kid-finished
3.Queen of the Road- finished
4. Fair and Tender Ladies-finished
5. Olive Kitteridge-finished
6. World of Pies-finished
7. The Zookeeper's Wife-finished
8. Chocolat-finished
9. Coraline-finished
10. Big Fish-finished
11. Love Walked In-finished
12. Cranford-finished

Challenge Completed!

kimmery4@yahoo.com (Kim) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:00:00 +0000

Edited October 2009: FINISHED! Click the titles below to read my reviews.

The Support Your Local Library challenge has been announced and will run from January 1, 2009 until December 31st, 2009.

What better thing than to support our local libraries--although for me, supporting book sellers is up there in importance too! I am going to choose the first level of the challenge, which is to read 12 books from the library. I probably will end up reading more, but know that so many of the ones I want to read next year I already own. It is being hosted by J. Kaye and you can read more about it here!

1. The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
2. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
3. The Squirrel Mother
4. Olive Kitteridge
5. Olive's Ocean
6. Stargirl
7. A Good Scent From a Strange Mountain
8. The Wednesday Letters
9. The Accidental
10. Keeper and Kid
11. The Last Night at the Lobster
12. The Zookeeper's Wife
13. The Chili Queen

Book Review

kimmery4@yahoo.com (Kim) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:14:00 +0000

Book: The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman
Pages: 323
Finished: October 2009
Challenges:
** Fall Into Reading ** War Through the Generations ** To Be Read** Read and Review ** Well Rounded ** Support Your Local Library ** A-Z Challenge

Author's Note: "Jan and Antonin Zabinski were Christian zookeepers horrified by Nazi racism, who capitalized on the Nazis' obsession with rare animals in order to save over three hundred doomed people. Their story has fallen between the seams of history, as radically compassionate acts sometimes do. But in wartime Poland, when even handing a thirsty Jew a cup of water was punishable by death, their heroism stands out as all the more startling."

Summary:
Amazon Significant Seven, September 2007: On the heels of Alan Weisman's The World Without Us I picked up Diane Ackerman's The Zookeeper’s Wife. Both books take you to Poland's forest primeval, the Bialowieza, and paint a richly textured portrait of a natural world that few of us would recognize. The similarities end there, however, as Ackerman explores how that sense of natural order imploded under the Nazi occupation of Poland. Jan and Antonina Zabiniski--keepers of the Warsaw Zoo who sheltered Jews from the Warsaw ghetto--serve as Ackerman's lens to this moment in time, and she weaves their experiences and reflections so seamlessly into the story that it would be easy to read the book as Antonina's own miraculous memoir. Jan and Antonina's passion for life in all its diversity illustrates ever more powerfully just how narrow the Nazi worldview was, and what tragedy it wreaked. The Zookeeper’s Wife is a powerful testament to their courage and--like Irene Nemirovsky's Suite Francaise--brings this period of European history into intimate view. --Anne Bartholomew

My Thoughts:
What is there to say when you read a story of extreme heroism, set in Nazi Europe during the war? I find these stories breathtaking, heart wrenching, and remarkable. Having read countless books about WWII : memoir, biography and historical fiction, I had not read anything that gave so much detail regarding the Warsaw ghetto and the Polish Underground and the Uprisings.

I find myself wondering, "How would I have responded? Would I have been brave? Would I have been smart enough to evade the enemy while saving people? How would I have handled the stress of living under those conditions and deprivations?"

I hope I would have handled myself just like Antonina Zabinski.

After the war her husband had this to say about her:
Jan always felt and said publicly, that the real heroine of this saga was his wife, Antonina.

"She was afraid of the possible consequences. She was terrified the Nazis would seek revenge against us and our young son, terrified of death, and yet she kept it to herself, and helped me [with my Underground activities] and never ever asked me to stop."

" Antonina was a housewife. She wasn't involved in politics or war, and was timid, and yet despite that she played a major role in saving others and never once complained about the danger."

All that being said, I must say that this is not a quick book to read through. At times it became tedious with detail and lists, and meanderings down the path of popular philosophical thought of the day. It did not flow like a true memoir or work of historical fiction might, but it so worth the time taken to read and to remember these everyday heroes.

Book Review

kimmery4@yahoo.com (Kim) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:04:00 +0000

Book: Jane-Emily by Patricia Clapp
Pages: 139
Finished: October 2009
Challenges:
** Fall Into Reading ** Genres ** Read and Review **

First sentence: "There are times when the midsummer sun strikes cold, and when the leaping flames of a hearth fire give no heat."

The current cover:

The cover I remember from childhood:

My Thoughts:
This little Young Adult gem is a treasure from my childhood. I am pretty sure I checked this book out of my school library multiple times and just discovered that it was brought back into print in 2007 after being out of print for several years. Reading the customer reviews on Amazon was pretty amusing--to read of other women who have been looking for this book from their childhoods dating back to my generation.
First published in 1969, I probably found it in the early '70s, back in the days when I liked scary stories, which I don't like so much anymore! I needed a horror book this year for the Genre challenge, and what could be more horror- like than a good old fashioned ghost story? I must admit that it was scarier when I read it in 6th grade, but the classic writing style of Patricia Clapp still sent shivers down my spine a few times even now. I enjoy re-reading some of the books that must have made some kind of impression on me that I still remember them 35 years later.
This book has it all: a Gothic setting, slight romance, ghost, reincarnation, and suspense.

Product Description from Amazon

A spine-chilling tale of terror. Emily was a hateful, selfish, strong-willed little girl who died when she was twelve years old. But that was a long time ago. Jane was nine years old, and an orphan. When her grandmother (Emily's mother) invited Jane and her young aunt Louisa to spend the summer at Grandmother's large, dark mansion in Massachusetts, neither girl had any idea of what lay in store for her. It was Jane who first sensed Emily's presence. Then one day, Jane looked into the reflecting ball in the garden -- and the face that looked back at her was not her own. What did the long-dead Emily want of her?

Book Review

kimmery4@yahoo.com (Kim) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:42:00 +0000

Book: Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan
Pages: 160
Finished: October 2009
Challenges:
** Fall Into Reading ** Support Your Local Library ** What's in a Name ** Read and Review **

First Sentence: "Mall traffic on a gray winter's day, stalled."

Summary:
From Publishers Weekly : Set on the last day of business of a Connecticut Red Lobster, this touching novel by the author of Snow Angels and A Prayer for the Dying tells the story of Manny DeLeon, a conscientious, committed restaurant manager any national chain would want to keep. Instead, corporate has notified Manny that his—and Manny does think of the restaurant as his—New Britain, Conn., location is not meeting expectations and will close December 20.
On this last night, Manny is committed to a dream of perfection, but no one and nothing seems to share his vision: a blizzard batters the area, customers are sparse, employees don't show up and Manny has a tough time finding a Christmas gift for Deena. Lunch gives way to dinner with hardly anyone stopping to eat, but Manny refuses to close early or give up hope. Small but not slight, the novel is a concise, poignant portrait of a man on the verge of losing himself.

My thoughts:
I enjoyed this book, in spite of its slightly depressing plot line. I had not read anything by O'Nan previously and I must say that his sparse prose was very easy to read and he had a way of making even the sleaziest of characters worthy of some empathy from me. It is definitely a story of the every man, the working class man, at the mercy of the corporate boss. I liked it enough to think about checking into his other novels.

Home...

kimmery4@yahoo.com (Kim) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:59:00 +0000

...sick.

You know how when you feel kind of sick, but not too bad, and you have to decide if you really are coming down with something but you don't know for sure, and you agonize over whether you should risk going to work and exposing your co-workers?

Yeah.

That is where I was at at when I woke up at 6:30 this morning with a sore throat. (For the second day in a row.)

So, I stayed home today.

I have several little reviews to write up, but for now I am headed back to bed to read.
Cheers!

Wordless Wednesday: last splash of color

kimmery4@yahoo.com (Kim) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:52:00 +0000

Fall Hydrangea
October 2009

(bright blue during summer months)

Rainy Days & Mondays....

kimmery4@yahoo.com (Kim) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:43:00 +0000

Too exhausted to post much--the picture above was taken this morning, driving to work, while stopped at a stoplight. It was the view out my driver's side window.
Very gray.
Very rainy.
Very Yucky.

Work was work.
Then after dinner, I went and helped my daughter pack a bit more.

Now I am off to bed where I will probably manage to read 1/2 page before drifting off.
Good-Night....

Read-a-thon Wrap Up (and tsss)

kimmery4@yahoo.com (Kim) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:20:00 +0000

The read-a-thon is over.
How sad.
It was fun while it lasted....
I looked forward to this for weeks and was downright giddy on Friday in anticipation.
Sam and I had a great time reading and laughing together (he has done this with me both times I have participated) and I will be a bit melancholy when he someday won't/ cant read along with me. We had great snacks, fun taking pictures, and talking about our books. He out-read me by a mile and I am amazed at fast he can read! I don't have his final stats right now but if you scroll down a bit you will see an update with his info. I will update this later so we will have his info recorded for posterity's sake.

He crashed about 1:30 and I made it to 3:00 a.m.--that would make me up for 22 hours straight although I did not read for that long--life got in the way and the computer.

Now it is back to real life--laundry, cooking and getting ready for work tomorrow.

End of Event Survey

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
Oddly, I found the late afternoon to be daunting! Around 4:00 pm (hour 10) I found my eyes closing and needing to take a little 15 minute nap. After I ate dinner I really got my energy back. Then of course around 3:00 am I hit the unmovable wall. (hour 22)

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
I don't normally read much YA literature, but under my co-reader's (son Sam) recommendation I picked up Diary of a Wimpy Kid and laughed my way through it. It was easy also, which made me feel like I was really tearing through a book.
I made the mistake of feeling like I needed to make the best use of my time during the event and work my way through some challenge books which need to be finished by the end of the year. Unfortunately, many of the books I have left are classics or on the heavy side. They did not lend themselves to good event material when the hour grew later.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
Heck no! What a well run event. Perhaps those behind the scenes have suggestions?

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
I loved the event homepage--it seemed less cluttered and easier to follow this time around.
The min-challenges seemed better/easier to complete and even though there were some more complicated ones which would be too time consuming for my tastes, there were plenty that were quicker.

5. How many books did you read?
3 complete books and bits and pieces of several others.

6. What were the names of the books you read?
The Last Night at the Lobster, Varmint (a picture book), Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
Read a bit in:
**Jane Austen's Guide to Good Manners--(dropped this one and will probably need to drop the challenge it was for.)
** The Governess: The Little Female Academy--This is one I will finish, it was just a little boring and too small print for the later hours.

7. Which book did you enjoy most?
Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the one I started right before I crashed--The Xmas Factor.

8. Which did you enjoy least?
The Jane Austen one.

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
I wasn't one.

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
Oh VERY likely!
I will be a reader, and hopefully host a mini-challenge

Miscellaneous:
I read for about 10 hours of the 22 I was up.
I read 457 pages
I participated in 9 mini-challenges and won 2 prizes
We listened to a smooth jazz radio station all day

Great job everyone! Let's do it again soon!

mini -challenge: picturiffic

kimmery4@yahoo.com (Kim) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 09:51:00 +0000

(This is probably my last post for the event. I am fading quickly and know when I lay down in a minute to read, I will fall asleep. It has been a blast!)

Picturiffic Mini-Challenge
I want you to post a picture (or pictures) in the next three hours - with a small catch. The image(s) you post need to have something to do with the book you're currently reading. You can post a painting or photograph that makes you think of the story or the characters, choose a few pictures that highlight some of the book's most important elements, or do a little of both. You don't have to create the picture yourself; something you find on a Google image search is fine. :)

I just started a new book, The Xmas Factor. A book that actually arrived today in the mail. This book is not available in the USA so I had to order from Amazon.UK. It is set in a small village in England, during Christmas. Since I am only on page 5, that is all I really know about the book. I thought this picture depicts the the tone of the book so far!

mini-challenge

kimmery4@yahoo.com (Kim) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 08:01:00 +0000

Here’s a mini-challenge to give your mind a little break.

1. Grab your camera and and snap a pic. This pic can be of your completed reading pile, or maybe can be a representation of all the snacks you've consumed so far. Or for the really daring take a pic of what it feels like to be up at this hour. It can be a pic of you or something more abstract....what ever.

Earlier today I needed to take an unexpected break from the read-a-thon. My daughter is 37 weeks pregnant with her first child--(our first grandchild). She has been put on a little bit of bed rest, due to some high blood pressure issues. The big problem is that they are needing to move to a new apartment next weekend. Currently they live in the valley, and there is a very significant chance that due to a dam's deterioration there could be widespread flooding this winter. Anyway, she called me this morning and asked me to come down and help her pack up her kitchen. Of course I said yes. Later, they stopped by our house to get more packing tape and I snapped this picture of her belly.

My little girl, who is "cooking" her own little girl bun!

Update #7: 2:00 AM

kimmery4@yahoo.com (Kim) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:00:00 +0000

Me:
Title of book(s) read since last update: Varmint (a picture book), Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Number of books read since you started: 3 plus a smattering of others
Currently Reading: The Xmas Factor
Pages read since last update: 108
Running total of pages read since you started: 447
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 75 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 580 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: 8 (most recently, Take a Break and Turn the Page)
Prize you’ve won:2

Sam: Is currently conked out in bed--will get his final stats tomorrow!

Title of book(s) read since last update:
Number of books read since you started:

Currently Reading:
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Amount of time spent reading since last update:
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Sleepy Boy

Mom's (lonely) 2:00 AM snack!