My friend's giveaway!

If you enjoy good wine, visit my friend and sign up for the giveaway!

http://www.notasupermom.com/california-wine-club-giveaway/

Sorry, I haven't blogged about books for a long time. I'll get back to it as soon as I'm able. 

Reading in bed?

If you're like me you read as often as you are able and wherever you are able.


So far, I use my LightWedge for reading in low-light conditions.

LightWedge

However, Barnes and Noble has just come out with a NOOK Simple Touch that is lighted.


Lighted NOOK Simple Touch


When will I take that plunge?


Yes, I will probably want to upgrade to this eventually. It would mean that I wouldn't have to carry my LightWedge with me or anticipate my need of it.

I am eager to see it in the store...

Shopgirl by Steve Martin

Steve Martin is a favorite of mine. He can make me laugh any day. Let him show up in one of my dreams and well, that'll make my day. In fact, he made a guest appearance in one of my dreams just the other day. I crack myself up that way.

Anyway, this IS that Steve Martin: comedian, actor, banjo-player-extraordinaire. This novella isn't a laugh a minute. It's a thoughtful foray into the mind of 28 year old Mirabelle who works the glove counter at Neiman's in California.

Her story is that of her meeting Jeremy who is childish and selfish and hasn't a clue about women...and also meeting Ray Porter who is a self-possessed businessman whose only selfishness is his bachelorhood and the fact that he chooses to keep Mirabelle just outside the boundaries of his heart. 


There is also a film by the same title. I am eager to view it. I have to say that part of what I found so very enjoyable about this book is the fact that I could hear Martin's voice telling me the story. Music to my ears; I find his voice dreamy.

This would be the perfect beach book, in my opinion. Too bad I wasn't on a beach this past month!

The Fairy Tale Detectives (Sisters Grimm Book 1) by Michael Buckley

I really enjoyed this book. It is a juvenile fiction selection but the action is written in a way that makes it at least a little believable. Two young sisters find themselves in foster care and not knowing what happened to their parents. Fate directs that they end up in the care of a grandmother they thought was dead. 


The action continues from there. I feel it is acceptable for good readers ages 8 and up. I could have read this book to our 5 year old daughter and she'd have loved it. I believe she'll eventually read it herself or with me.


I give it a solid 4 out of 5 stars.

What are you reading?

I haven't read as much as I normally do this year.

It's not the usual excuse of just being too busy, or of having five kids, or...


In late January I determined that I was no longer going to let circumstances control me. My health and the health of one of our children prevented me from working out very much over the last 18 months or so. I had two surgeries and, in fact, had another surgical procedure two weeks ago.

In spite of all of that I decided to redeem the time and take control of as much as I am able. I began a diet and exercise regimen on 25 January 2012. I've not fallen off that wagon once. I've been using MyFitnessPal on our computer and on my iPhone to track my progress. I've found it very encouraging.

With all that exercising I have read a little bit more but only when I go to the gym and workout using the elliptical. If I work out at home it is with a DVD and I can't read until I hit our treadmill as a follow-up but often give in to my baser needs and watch silly old tv shows on Netflix just for the mindlessness of it, as a reward for my hard work.


So, you've not seen the last of me. I am currently reading three books for my own pleasure and am also reading a book with our ten year old son. I am reading countless books with our five year old daughter of course.

Stay tuned in; more to come, this week.

NOOK deal, includes an ebook from The Hunger Games Trilogy

If you're still in the market for an eReader Barnes and Noble is offering a free ebook from The Hunger Games Trilogy with the purchase of any NOOK eReader.


NOOK Hunger Games ebook Offer 


I haven't yet begun reading this trilogy. Our fifteen year old daughter loves the series and wants me to read it. It seems to me that it isn't the sort of book series I can handle reading though. I think I am going to see the film and then decided whether or not I can handle reading the books...

Kindle Fire deal this week at Walmart

If you're in the market for an ereader check out this deal:  CouponingToDisney

I've read that the NOOK products may have a slight advantage for those with vision issues; other than that, I feel that one can't go wrong with either brand.


Happy reading!

Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination by Helen Fielding

Did you love Bridget Jones' Diary?


Helen Fielding has hit the pages again; this time with a new character but just as many funny circumstances.

Olivia Joules is a young British woman who has had to fight to make her way, alone, in the world. She has that fiesty British determination to rise above her circumstances.

Orphaned at the age of fourteen, she changed her name from Rachel Pixley to the much more romantic Olivia Joules.


She has a list of "Rules for Living" that helps her to remain grounded in reality...most of the time. And yet...sometimes...sometimes she gets in over her head.


Olivia Joules is a writer for the Sunday Times. She yearns for the chance to writesomething a bit less "fluffy". If only her editor would assign her to somethingmore important.


Grab this book and join Olivia on the adventure that lies ahead. You won't believe what she gets herself into.

January's over. Did you read any great books?

2012 began as a great year of reading for me.


I read these titles:

Mr. Monk is Miserable by Lee Goldberg

Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination by Helen Fielding










Sleepwalk with Me and Other Painfully True Stories by Mike Birbiglia












Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) Explained: For
 Teenagers, by Teenagers by G.R. Lauder








     
Sabotaged (The Missing, Book 3) by Margaret Peterson   
Haddix













The Mailbox by Audrey Shafer














Any of them that I havent already reviewed will be reviewed here in the future. Tune in to read my reviews!




                                  
                              

2011 Superlatives ~ What were your favorite books in 2011?

I've finally compiled my reading list for all of 2011.

Out of a total of 42 books I read:

3 books I rated as 5*
7 books I rated as 4.5*
12 books I rates as 4*

What were your top reads?

Here's a surprise for me; 9 of the books that I read were books I had previously read. I am not a big rereader of books. I generally figure there are so many books out there that I haven't read that I shouldn't spend the time on rereading books.

Did you reread any books last year?

Here are the titles of the books I read in 2011, to which I gave the top ratings.

5* titles
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (a reread)
Arctic Homestead by Norma Cobb (a reread)
A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz (a reread)

4.5* titles
Looking for Alaska by John Green
The Postmistress bySarah Blake
The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel by Diane Setterfield
A HeartbreakingWork of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
I Am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak
A Lotus Grows in the Mud by Goldie Hawn
Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 by Stephen Puleo

4* titles
Shakespeare in an Hour by Christopher Baker
Louisa: The Life of Louisa May Alcott by Yona Zeldis McDonough
A Red Herring Without Mustard: A Flavia de Luce Novel
Emma by Jane Austen
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place by Maryrose Wood
Spooky Little Girl: A Novel by Laurie Notaro
At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson
There's a (Slight) Chance I Might be Goingto Hell by Laurie Notaro
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Little Women Illustrated Classic Editions by Louisa May Alcott
The Search for Delicious by Natalie Babbitt
Entombed in Alcatraz by Robert Victor Luke

Authors from the above list who are ones thatI return tofor fresh titles, timeand again, are: Natalie Babbitt, Bill Bryson, Laurie Notaro

Who are your favorite go-to authors?

I also broke my reading down into genres. I have listed only one genre for each title even though many could fall into more than one genre. I chose the genres based only on my own feelings and  not by the publishers' designations.

Classics - 5
Non Fiction or Biography -  8
Fiction - 4
Juvenile Fiction - 9
Historical Fiction -2
Memoir or Auto-Biography - 8
Mystery - 2
Humor - 1
Young Adult Fiction - 3

My favorites, sorted by genre are:

Classic - Emma
or Little Women (because I read it to our five year old daughter)
Non Fiction or Biography - Dark Tide, then At Home
Fiction - Spooky Little Girl (I loved Notaro's jump into fiction)
Juvenile Fiction - Phantom Tollbooth, with Search for Delicious a worthy second
Memoir or Auto-Biography - Arctic Homestead, followed by Heartbreaking Work
Mystery - 13th Tale, followed by Red Herring (I love Flavia de Luce)
Young Adult Fiction - I Am the Messenger rates just above Looking for Alaska

Have you determined your favorites in each genre for 2011?