It's here!!!

Neglect.

My book blog has been neglected. If it were a child, DHS would've been called. If were the laundry, it would have mildewed. If it were milk, it would have turned into a solid.
That being said, I don't want it to be neglected. Having a baby pretty much turned my world upside down, and books and reading have taken a backseat, unfortunately.

School is pretty much where I get my reading done. I have finished three YA (young adult) books at school since October. I am working on our current book club read, A Discovery of Witches, and ever present somewhere on my nightstand is a Nora Roberts book.

As mentioned in previous posts, Gil McNeil's third installment of her knitting series comes out on the 27th! Woo hoo!

I'll try to be a better blog parent!

Just Because I had a baby...

Doesn't mean I can't still read...sometimes.
I'll admit it. Once Cayden arrived, and really before, I thought my reading would have to take a backseat, or completely disappear. While reading will never be more important than my child, it hasn't disappeared! Thank Goodness!

Here is what I do:
When I feed, I read.
When he sleeps on me, I read.

I have been able to knock out almost 80 pages in two days. No, it's not some romance novel that takes me away. And surprise! It's not Harry Potter. It is actually a book on becoming a better teacher. I'm a nerd. I love professional books. Almost as much as HP...almost.

Could this day get any better...

With my Nook in hand, I scan the lastest novels, the best beach reads, and explore titles that might fit into my goal of reading junk for the next few weeks. As I do every now and then, I check up on my British knitting author, Gil McNeil. And to what to my wandering eyes appear...

SHE HAS A NEW BOOK! Oh. My. I have been waiting for a year. And now on 12/27 Knit One, Pearl One is coming out. I really can't contain my excitement. Between this and Harry Potter, I might go into labor.

The lastest and next to the greatest news...

Okay, so it would be a little strange to be more excited about a book, than the upcoming birth of our baby. BUT with that being said, if you fall any where on the "I Love Harry Potter" spectrum, then you should check out www.pottermore.com and click on the owls. Something big is brewing, and I have to say that I am MORE than pumped! I am thinking that there is a new book in the mix and I couldn't be more excited. For now, I will leave my anticipation in check and not go on a ramble about the upcoming book possibilities.

RE: I want to read Crap. So far, so good. I finished one book of fluff and now I am on to the next. I finished The Reading Group. It falls into two categories for me: based in England, and it's about books. One thing I really enjoyed was that each month the book club actually discussed the book they were reading. It actually gave me some good ideas for books I may want to read in the future. Plus - it backs up the fact that Yes, we (book clubs) actually DO read books, and we DO discuss them. Book Club is not code for Man Bashing Club. Or Wine Drinking Only Club. Or Gossip Club. Don't get me wrong, all of those things are involved in some way, but at the center of it all are the books.

I want to read Crap

Not books about crap, but just that fun summer reading fluff. Maybe it is the weather? Maybe it is the pregnancy hormones, but there is something going on in my system that makes me put down the Harry Potter (gasp!) and pick up a Nora Roberts.
I actually walked by the book section today at Walmart, saw a Nora Roberts, which I may or may not have read, and I was hooked, or drawn. I felt a need in my gut to read THAT book. Thankfully the sane part of my body took over, and said...You have a Nook. Just download it when you get home...and so I will.

Another need to read: Non-fiction. What the HECK? Our book club has had a very unlucky past when it comes to non-fiction books. Sin in the Second City: Yuck. There may have been others, but I probably didn't read them. Let's face it, I am an imaginary...I love characters that I can relate to, stories that I can lose myself in...and non-fiction doesn't cut it! So I found myself looking at a new non-fiction book, and becoming intrigued. The Autobiography of an Execution. Sounds morbid, right? But for some reason, I REALLY want to read this.

So move over Harry Potter. We're making way for Nora Roberts and non-fiction. I might be insane.

Harry Potter: As Timeless as Disney?

Obviously, I LOVE Harry Potter. If asked I probably couldn't really pinpoint the exact reason. The imagination of JK? The need for good to overcome evil? The fact that 7 books have lured me in, and I would SERIOUSLY consider naming my child Hermione?
It's really all of the above.
Naturally I would want to go to the Harry Potter theme park. Who doesn't want to walk through Hogsmeade or have some butter beer?

Anyway, my friend and I had a conversation. She felt that the Harry Potter franchise wouldn't last that long, and that it seemed a little ridiculous to build an entire theme park around this book series. Keep in mind this friend also is the one who got me started on the books. Needless to say, I am a little more obsessed than she is.

So I started thinking... Is she right? In ten years will Harry Potter and the gang still be as popular as they are now? Is it just the movies that have bewitched the mass audience? Can it be compared to Disney? Obviously Disney has years of movies and characters to keep it going. It wasn't just a one trick pony. Our parents and our grandparents grew up watching "The Wonderful World of Disney" on Sunday nights. So it is natural that Disney will forever be in the hearts of everyone.

BUT - I think Harry can live up to the challenge. My generation were the first to be introduced to the series. We can then instill our love onto our children. Kids that are in their teens now, have grown up with the books and the movies. ABC Family has Harry Potter weekends several times a year. If you ask me, I think Harry Potter is well on his way to becoming a timeless tradition. Besides isn't "magic" the key to Disney's success? And we know that Hogwarts and Potter are full of "magic" both in Hogwarts and in the ability to inspire young readers.

Let's face it...If DollyWood can last this long, surely Harry Potter can endure.

Oops...I did it again.

"Hit me baby, one more time!"

This is how I feel about Harry Potter. Like a game of 21, who stays on 17? Hit me!
It is the same concept, only instead of cards and money flying down the drain, it's books flying off my shelves to be read again and again.

Here's how it happened:

We moved. Rather quickly. We were without cable and internet, so it was *destiny* or *fate* that it was the perfect time to catch up on DVD's. As if by a sign, or omen, most of the DVD's that made the move with us were of the Harry Potter collection.

One movie down, and I am ready to bust out the books. The thought really goes through my mind every time I watch them...I MUST read them again. Well, this time I bit the bullet and said what the heck.

Hit me, Baby! I am 1/3 of the way through #1. I almost feel sorry for those other books that are sitting on my shelf, that survived the move, and are still. just. sitting there. But not sorry enough to pick one up, and ditch Harry and the gang.

I live Vicariously Through Books

Don't we all...? I am sure there are a lot of good reasons why people read. Relaxation. Personal quiet time. Information. To escape.

I read so that I can experience life in all of it's different forms. As I finished the last Stieg Larsson book I was spent. I had basically just solved several murders with the help of my friends. It is really tough being a computer hacker and genius.

After that intense experience I decided I needed a reprieve. I began A Vintage Affair. For those who don't really know me that well I have always longed to be a fashion designer. Not that my current wardrobe reflects this, but it is that thing that haunts me from time to time. Anyway, in this book I am a fashion know-it-all. I run vintage clothing shop and spend my time buying clothes and imagining the people who used to wear them. Keep in mind that only the best and most pristine condition clothes make it into my shop.

I love this about books. What will I be next? Where will I go, and who will I meet?

Honestly, I am thinking about picking up a couple of books that I read last year...just to revisit those old friends.

This is what I got to look at while I was fighting criminals.

I'm Back!!

Not that I have been anywhere. I just feel back to myself. Back to the me who read at any free moment. Back to the me who wasn't too tired. Back to me.

What was my cure? A good book of course! Some of you may have noticed that I have seemed a lackluster when it comes to the books I have read the past few months. It seemed that I just couldn't find one that I was really "into." Finally, I broke down and cracked the spine on The Girl Who Played with Fire. Voila! Mundane book reading disease is OVER!

I'm only a couple of hundred pages into it, but so far it has been the first book that I come home to and immediately think, "Is it too early to read?" or "Is it wrong to devote four hours to a book?"

Thank you deceased Swedish author...You are much appreciated in my house this week!

Borders is Closing Down

Here are a few reasons why I appreciate Borders:

1. Their displays. They, in comparison to a certain other mass book dealer, actually display their books in a way that makes me want to buy them. Especially their Young Adult section.

2. The smell of coffee is not too overwhelming.

3. A few good finds can be had on the sale racks by the doors.


What people will do for a sale.....

I walked into Borders today just looking to see what I could see. I had no intention of buying anything unless there was like a 70% off sale to get my blood pumping. Apparently here in NWA, it doesn't take much for people to gather in hoards and clog up an entire book store.

It only took a 20% off sale....on SOME books. The line had about 150 people in it, with piles of books clutched to their chests. REALLY, for only 20%. It seemed a little ridiculous to me. ME, the book connoisseur of mass book purchasing.

I'm saving myself for the big sale...I don't like to put my goods out there for a measley 20%.

School Book Fairs

I have talked about my love of book stores. The smell, the lure of new books. It's a drug, and I know someone out there has done research on this very idea. If they can research watermelon seeds, they can research this!

Anyway...book fairs give me the same high. There they are, silver metallic boxes lined with the newest books. Tables filled with other books that won't fit on the shelves. It is all too much for me to take. Twice a year I am lured by these images. Enough to where I have to decide not IF I am going to buy any books, but HOW MUCH will I spend?

The second of these events is before me. I have taken the first scan of the shelves. I think I can get away with a mere 50 bucks. The trouble is the books. They look at me. As I walk by, they are practically screaming my name. Fifty dollars can quickly turn to a hundred. So because of the two snow storms I have thankfully eluded this drug. But 60 degree weather, and a library full of new books are just days away.

My debit card is burning a hole in my pocket.

OCD Cont'd

I promise this will be the last post about The Pioneer Woman...I think.

As far as food goes: I have made Chicken Fried Steak and Mashed Potatoes. As we speak there is a pork shoulder roasting in my oven. Even my mom is continuing the streak by making Maple Scones and Olive Bread. So far our consensus is....Everything is wonderful.

To more important revelations:

As I was blog stalking The Pioneer Woman, I noticed that she had a new book coming out. Not a cooking book, but a book about how she met her husband and the beginning of their life together. With my Nook in my hand I quickly downloaded and had it read in three days. Let me just say there is a reason that I enjoy this woman: a) good food b) great sense of humor c) relevant story line. Without ruining the book for some of you, she goes through her parents divorce and has a baby at the same time. Hmmm...reminds me of someone......ME!
I swear everything she said, I have felt and said. Someone finally understands me.

Anyway, if you are looking for a heartfelt, true story of love and the unexpected paths that life takes you down, all told with a large dose of humor...This is the book for you.

The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels--A Love Story

OCD

I have learned something new about myself today...

I may have OCD.

Not the washing your hands twelve times, flipping the light switch off and on, or re-locking and locking your front door kind...
Mine is special. It basically involves me latching onto an idea, a book, a person, a lifestyle, something and not letting go.

Case in point: I just spent the last two hours reading The Pioneer Women blog. AND the only reason I am stopping to write this post is that my husband is on his way home from the gun show, and I am still in my pj's at noon, no teeth brushed, no hair did. Sitting like a lump of obsessive tendencies in my chair. I need help.

BTW- I am cooking my first recipe from new hero tonight. I'll let you know how it goes.

Peace Like a River

I finally finished this book. Maybe the title was too peaceful? Maybe the setting and use of poetry by Swede was too beautiful. There was something about this book that was too tranquil, too serene, too wintry? Not that it was boring. There was definitely a great story to be told, and add the SHOCKING ending, it was a great book.

I'm just not sure I would read it again...my eyes are getting droopy just thinking about it.

I'm starting our next book club book, The Lost Child. So far it's not too bad. I didn't have a lot of opportunities to read last week, but I will try and make time this week.

PS- I bought a book that is a little out of my normal comfort zone. I purchased the Pioneer Woman cook book....Let me just say, my southern heart beats for almost every. single. recipe. between the covers. I'm not even sure where I want to start, or that it is even healthy, but my mouth waters at words like Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Pulled Pork, Buttermilk Biscuits, Cornbread!

There WILL be an update on how this book goes...

I've Been Published....

Sort of....By myself, really. But it did get your attention, right? I will admit to doing something that most of do, but hardly any of us talk about...I blog stalk. You know what I'm talking about...You visit a friends' blog, and then you check out they people they follow. It's harmless fun, and honestly I get some pretty fantastic ideas from it. Such as..

www.blog2print.com

Of course this website really won't help you or seem quite as fantastic if you don't have a blog, but for me the day I made my blog book was like an epiphany. Now I can reread all of the wonderful words of wisdom, personal anecdotes, references to accounting that I really have no business making...I can read it every day, if I want.

It also inspired the spin-off baby blog...not to be confused with this one. Easier than scrap booking in my opinion.

To actual book news: I am ALMOST finished with Peace like a River. Why is it taking me forever to finish this book? It's not that it is bad, and boring...I just can't finish it! I will post later about my full experience when I FINALLY get finished.

What Snow Days mean to me??

Don't you remember the days when you would stay up at night hoping and praying that school would be canceled? For me these days were some of my fondest memories of school, in fact my senior year I wrote a poem to commemorate those days.

Anyway, this is a HUGE perk to being a teacher. I still get to experience the ups and downs of snow days. Crossing my fingers, chanting "Please say Rogers, Please say Rogers." Well, today is that day.

Here is my plan:

* Sleep in - Check!
* do SOME house work (I will not spend my entire day off doing stuff I don't like!)
* READ, READ, READ!!!!

I have envisioned this last one, for awhile. I am currently reading Peace Like a River. Even the cover is wintry, so I will be curled up, book in hand, hot cocoa on the table, snow outside...SAVORING this moment that I have wished for.

Happy Snow Day! May you have to stay inside and enjoy all the wonders that books and warm food can give you!!!