Saturday, July 31, 2010
Blind Hope: An Unwanted Dog and the Woman She Rescued
Crunch
Friday, July 30, 2010
Book Blogger Hop - Here's What I've Discovered
Pray for Silence
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Book Blogger Hop
The Cookbook Collector
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Heart of a Shepherd
Waiting on Wednesday
away on business, the boxes in her new home aren’t unpacked, and the telephone
isn’t even connected yet. Forced to reach out to her estranged father for help, their
first contact in years, Tillie must face the painful memories she’s been running from
since she was a little girl—the memories of her own mother and the year that
changed everything.
As a child, Tillie’s home was a manic and messy world with her mother, Mara, at its
center. While some days brought dancing, dress-up, and laughter, others became
long hours of listening to Mara cry, depressed and unable get out of bed. When
Tillie’s father takes a top job at the Pentagon and forces the family to move, and as
Mara’s worsening condition can no longer be ignored, Tillie’s life spirals out of
control.
When the family arrives at their new home in Washington, Tillie’s mother has
vanished—a stunning development made even more disorienting by her father’s
refusal to discuss what happened.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Every Little Thing In The World
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Bird In Hand
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Picture Book Saturday
Seven Year Switch
Friday, July 23, 2010
Random Friday
* I'm still deciding what I think about my new background. The Cutest Blog on the Block needed everyone to grab a new background this week, and my old one is still there, but I thought I would give this one a try. We'll see.
* Overnight my town received 7.5 inches of rain. We are soaked. Luckily we live in a high and dry location, but others aren't so lucky. It is always amazing to drive around and look at how high the rivers and creeks are. And the thunder. Oh, my. I think I spent much of last night listening to it rumble and rumble and rumble. I should have actually got up and read for a while because there certainly wasn't any sleeping going on.
* My oldest two daughters and I stopped at my school - which I will get to go back to in a few weeks- and then went out for lunch. We also had a nice shopping trip. I made the mistake of taking them to Bath and Body Works, a store they have never gone into. Now they will always insist on it, I'm afraid. The salesgirl was so nice to them and helped them smell lotions and let them test out different lip glosses. Luckily this is a store that always has "deals," so each girl
(plus my daughter who was napping at daycare) got a lotion, small hand sanitizer, and lip gloss.
* My school is instituting a more stringent dress code. Most of it is common sense, but the part that is killing me is the "no open toe shoes" rule. What will I wear with capris? I can understand no flip flops, but there are so many gorgeous, dressy, professional looking sandals that this rule I am just really sad about. I am slightly less sad after buying two new pairs of shoes today, but I will miss getting to wear my summery shoes.
* We have no weekend plans aside from church, something I am looking forward to. On my "to do" list is cleaning my bedroom and going through my stacks of books - something my husband will appreciate. I am also hoping that we can get to see Ramona and Beezus in the theater. We should finish up Ramona the Pest, our bedtime book, and then begin the next in the series.
Happy Weekend!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Book Blogger Hop
As part of the hop I have found a number of great blogs to visit. Here is a partial list of ones I have discovered in the past few weeks:
Between Two Worlds
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Waiting on Wednesday
Due out: March 22, 2011
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
The Map of True Places
Monday, July 19, 2010
My Children's Summer Reading
Sunday, July 18, 2010
A Mountain of Crumbs
This memoir covers Gorokhova's life in Russia, only providing a brief update on her life now in the United States in an epilogue at book's end.
Gorokhova's memoir is well written, reminding me a bit of Azar Nafisi's Things I've Been Silent About: Memories of a Prodigal Daughter. A wonderful choice for memoir lovers.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
My Name is Mary Sutter
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Book Blogger Hop
Never Blame the Umpire
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
The Last Time I Saw You
Waiting on Wednesday
A veteran journalist navigates the mother-daughter relationship at its most crucial moment With the eye of a reporter, the curiosity of an anthropologist, and the open (and sometimes wounded) heart of a mother, award-winning author Lauren Kessler embeds herself in her about-to-be-teenage daughter's life. In seventh- and eighth-grade classrooms, at home, online, at the mall, and at summer camp, Kessler observes, investigates, chronicles- and participates in-the life of a twenty-first-century teen. As she begins to better understand and appreciate her mercurial daughter, their relationship-at first a mirror of the author's difficult relationship with her own mother-lurches in new directions. With the help of a resident teen expert (her daughter), as well as teachers, doctors, therapists, and other mothers, Kessler illuminates the age-old struggle from both sides, gracefully interweaving personal experience with journalistic inquiry. Funny, poignant, and insightful, My Teenage Werewolf explores the fascinating and scary world of today's teen as it comes to grips with the single most important relationship in a woman's life.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
My Name Is Memory
Monday, July 12, 2010
The Sweet Life of Stella Madison
Husband and Wife
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Promises To Keep
Handy Dad by Todd Davis
Friday, July 9, 2010
To Come and Go Like Magic
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Book Blogger Hop
It's time to do the Book Blogger Hop again! If you are interested, stop by Crazy for Books, the hop's host.
This week's question: Tell us about some of your favorite authors and why they are your favorites!
I know I will be leaving out some of my favorites in any list I make, especially since I enjoy reading debut authors' work, but some of my favorites are:
Donald Harstad, the author of a great mystery series featuring Chief of Police Carl Houseman
Adriana Trigiani, who first attracted me with her trilogy beginning with Big Stone Gap
Sue Miller, Chris Bohjalian, Elizabeth Berg, Jane Hamilton who were introduced to me by Oprah Winfrey and her book club
Jennifer Weiner, Allison Winn Scotch, Jodi Picoult, and Katherine Center are also favorites.
Mostly what attracts me to certain authors is their ability to create characters that are real people, that are multi-dimensional. I also enjoy plots that feel authentic and not contrived.
Who are your favorite authors? Let me know whose work I need to become familiar with!
Armchair Travel
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Waiting on Wednesday
Monday, July 5, 2010
The Sky is Everywhere
"How will I survive the missing? How do others do it? People die all the time. Every day. Every hour. There are families all over the world staring at beds that are no longer slept in, shoes that are no longer worn. Families that no longer have to buya particular cereal, a kind of shampoo. There are people everywhere standing in line at the movies, buying curtains, walking dogs, while inside, their hearts are ripping to shreds. For years. For their whole lives. I don't believe time heals. I don't want it to. If I heal, doesn't that mean that I've accepted the world without her (168)?"