Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Tuesday Teasers


Today's Teaser is from Maeve Binchy's Heart and Soul

She has never stayed late like this before, so she saw them putting candles in bottles and watched the great romantic shadows flickering on the walls.

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Should be Reading:
  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
  • You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
  • Please avoid spoilers!

Monday, March 30, 2009

Unexpected Delights - Mailbox Monday

Today I am baby-free and job-free and so I thought I would sit down and READ. It's been a long time since I could devote an entire day to just being lazy and today I am going to take full advantage. Luckily I have two lovely books just waiting to be cracked open. First up is:


I am an avid Meg-fan and I can't imagine why I haven't read this book before. But she's funny and smart and it's a quick read, just the way I like them. And BONUS, it was in the bargain bin for $4.

And then, someone new:

The back blurb sounded funny. A baker who has to bake her ex's wedding cake and then discovers she has the magic ability to make fabulous cakes full of revenge. I like it! Also, Ms. Madison has a cute blog at: http://www.tracymadison.com/blog/index.php

It's going to be a happy day!

P.S. I miss my kid!

Thursday, March 26, 2009

If I Could Be Snarky ...

It's really not in me to be nasty. I mean, I have my moments, but overall, I think I am a pretty nice person. But once in awhile (ok, at least once a day) I think something really mean and it makes me giggle. A nasty little giggle about that girl's short skirt, that frat boy taking a spill in the parking lot, or the middle-aged guy in the caddy getting a ticket. Do I feel good about laughing? Not really. But IF I did and IF I were mean enough, I think I would start a blog about being mean. I've even come up with some names.

Love, Anonymous
Bite Me
Laughing Out Loud
Snark - The Right Way

If you started a "mean" blog, what would you call it?

Disclaimer: I haven't actually checked to see if these names are available and I claim no attachment to them. 

Saturday, March 21, 2009

IS ANYONE LISTENING?

I'm not one to usually post on these sorts of things, but I watched this news story and it just got to me.


And the video on YouTube ... Is Anybody Listening?

Monday, March 9, 2009

A Few Random Things About Me

My sister sent me an email awhile ago while she was “bored at work”. In it contained 25 random things about her. I was thoroughly entertained and thought I’d like to try it. Now that I actually have time (the kid is at his grandparents’ house for a few days), here I go. And by the way, I am not going to make it to 25.

Despite being an avid reader, I just got a library card last week after living in my town for ten years.

I am addicted to HGTV. My favorite show is Renovation Realities because I like laughing at other peoples’ mishaps.

I hate lending my books because I never get them back.

I love road trips.

When I’m on road trips, I love looking at the road signs and wondering about the names of towns and where they came from.

I love, against my better judgment, American Idol.

I hate socks.

Sometimes I wish I were more interesting. Other times I am quite content to be very quiet.

I hate snow after December.

If I were a flower, I think I’d be a morning glory.

If I were an animal I would like to be a house cat. (See what I mean about wanting to be more interesting?)

I recently realized, after all these years, that my mom was right about most things.

When you fall down, it really is better if there is someone else there to see it. Because crying is better when you laugh too.

I cannot name my favorite song, book, color, movie or TV show.

I want to live in a lighthouse. 

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Review ~ The Godmother by Carrie Adams

Nothing scares Tessa King more than the thought she will never have children. It doesn’t matter how good her life is, and it is, it never feels good enough. She has four godchildren and dozens of friends, yet love eludes her. She knows how good a mother she could be, if only she had the chance. And then one terrible day she does, and Tessa learns firsthand that life on the other side of that white picket fence is more complicated than she ever could have imagined.

Heartwarming, funny, and genuine, The Godmother speaks to anyone who has wondered about the next step and reminds us that happily-ever-after is just the beginning of the story.

I picked up this book after circling it in the bookstore for months. It features some of my favorite themes: not-so-spectacular singledom, London, huge life changes and enduring friendship.  It is the last, that enduring friendship, that made this book special.

Tessa King is a likeable enough character. She thinks she’s had enough of the single life and wants to settle down. All of her friends have entered that next stage of life: marriage, marriage with kids, and single parenthood. After a scary few months of being stalked by her boss, Tessa takes off for a much-needed vacation in India and returns with the feeling that her life is missing something. That “something” she concludes, must be children and a man to have them with. Or is it?

Tessa’s world revolves around her friends and her friends’ children to whom she is godmother. She spends most of the book floundering about trying to figure out who she wants to be and resolutely ignoring the real problems her friends face. They say she has the perfect life, but to Tessa, the perfect life consists of what her friends have. She only scratches at the surface of their lives (as they do to her). It takes a series of crises, involving her friends, for Tessa to really see her friends’ lives for what they are. And when she does, Tessa begins to question what she really wants. She has a few false starts – mostly an ill-fated almost-affair with her married best friend but thankfully pulls back from the edge just before she falls.    

At the end of the book I was left with the vague feeling that Tessa really hasn’t learned what she wants and there are lessons waiting to be taught. However, Ms. Adams’ next book, The Stepmother, features the continuing adventures of Tessa. Let’s hope she finds what she is looking for.

Things I Liked

~ I like Al and Claudia’s role in the book: the measure to which Tessa wants to be. I also liked that the obvious solution, the easy way out, wasn’t taken by these two.

~ I enjoyed the writing style. The book read easily and I found it hard to put down.  Ms. Adams is heavy on the foreshadowing which I enjoy.

Things I Didn’t Like

~ I wasn’t so keen on Ben, Tessa’s best friend with whom she has some romantic history. I felt he took advantage of her friendship and Tessa let him.

Rating: B (could be higher if I am satisfied with Tessa at the end of The Stepmother)

Additional Info

~ Published ~ 2007

~ Price ~ Trade $14.95

~ Next Out ~ The Stepmother (March 2009)


Today's Teaser is from Ellen Baker's Keeping The House

Mrs. Fryt shook her head. "I'll never forget the sound of her screaming, that June day when she got the telegram. Enough to curdle cheese, that sound."

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Should be Reading:
  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
  • You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
  • Please avoid spoilers!