Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Countdown
Waiting on Wednesday
Synopsis from Readinggroupguides.com:
When other little girls were dreaming about becoming doctors or lawyers, Alex Garrett set her sights on conquering the high-powered world of Wall Street. And while she's prepared to fight her way into an elitist boys' club, or duck the occasional errant football, she quickly realizes she's in over her head when she is relegated to a kiddie-sized folding chair with her new moniker --- Girlie --- inscribed in whiteout across the back. No matter. She’s determined she's got the stamina to make it in bond sales at Cromwell Pierce, one of The Street’s most esteemed brokerage firms. Keeping her eyes on the prize, she’ll endure whatever menial, degrading tasks come her way --- trekking to the Bronx for $1,000 wheels of Parmesan cheese, discovering a secretary’s secret Friday night dance party in the conference room; fielding a constant barrage of "friendly" practical jokes, learning to ropes from her unpredictable, slightly scary, loyalty demanding boss; even babysitting a colleague while he consumes the entire contents of a vending machine on a $28,000 bet.
Ignoring her friends’ pleas to quit, Alex excels (while learning how to roll with the punches and laugh at herself) and soon advances from lowly analyst to slightly-less-lowly associate. Suddenly, she’s addressed by her real name and the impenetrable boys’ club has transformed into 38 older brothers and one possible boyfriend. Then The Apocalypse hits. As her life on The Street falls into the depths of intolerable cruelty --- both personally and professionally --- Alex is forced to choose between sticking with Cromwell Pierce as it teeters on the brink of disaster and kicking off her Jimmy Choos to run for higher ground.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Close Your Eyes
Monday, August 29, 2011
A Birthday and Back To School
Small Acts of Amazing Courage
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Sunday Salon: The To-Do List
Saturday, August 27, 2011
This Beautiful Life
Friday, August 26, 2011
An Abundance of Ann M. Martin's Work
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Throwback Thursday
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Waiting on Wednesday
From the New York Times-bestselling author comes a novel that asks the question, who are we without our memories? And how much of our current self is defined by our former self?One of only two survivors of a plane crash, Nell Slattery wakes in the hospital with no memory of the crash – or who she is, or was. Now she must piece together both body and mind -- with the help of family and friends who have their own agendas. She filters through photos, art, music and stories, hoping something will jog her memory, and soon – in tiny bits and pieces –Nell starts remembering…It isn't long before she learns to question the stories presented by her mother, her sister and business partner, and her husband. In the end she will learn that forgiving betrayals small and large will be the only true path to healing herself -- and to finding happiness.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Turn of Mind
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Next To Love
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Weekend Cooking
A Good Hard Look
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Water Balloon
Throwback Thursday
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Waiting on Wednesday
Monday, August 15, 2011
Bent Road
Double Digits
Sunday, August 14, 2011
The Summer Before Boys
Friday, August 12, 2011
The Weird Sisters
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Help Needed
Weekly Geeks: Back to School
What's your favorite bookish school memory?
I loved school- still do- so I have a lot of memories of being a student. I remember reading Dicey's Song after finding it on my fifth grade teacher's book shelf. That is the first memorable experience I had with knowing the difference between quality books and more "fun" stuff like Nancy Drew. I remember my mother, who was my kindergarten teacher, reading Paddington aloud to us. Our school library was not much, but I loved to check out Mr. Apple's Family from it. We walked to the public library twice a month with our class as well.
Did your teacher read aloud to you? Do you remember what book it was?
I remember in second grade our teacher read Caddie Woodlawn to us. Our third grade teacher read James and the Giant Peach. In fifth grade our teacher read How to Eat Fried Worms. I know there were many more books than that, but those are the ones that come to mind. Sadly, I didn't always love being read to. Once I could read to myself, I would sometimes space out what the teacher was reading and have my own book hidden beneath my desk where I could read it without being disturbed.
Do you remember what books you checked out at the school library?
As I mentioned our school library did not have a good selection. The only book I recall checking out was Mr. Apple's Family. At the public library I loved Nancy Drew books, Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary. Eventually I discovered Cynthia Voigt and Norma Klein.
What was one of the first book reports you did for school?
I have absolutely no idea. In high school we were required to do an oral book report each quarter during my junior year. I remember those quite well because I was traumatized by public speaking. I memorized what I was going to say for each of them. My first one was Izzy Willy Nilly by Cynthia Voigt. Another was a book called Eric by Doris Lund.
Do you have a favorite book or author you first heard about from a teacher or school project?Sadly I can't remember teachers doing much book recommending to me. I constantly had my nose in a book and was always on the lookout for something to read, so I'm not sure why no one ever really took time to give me some book ideas. I know my mom asking different people for ideas of what I could read because I went through books so quickly.
Do you have a not-so-pleasant bookish memory from your school days?
I can't think of anything that was unpleasant of books from my school days. I do find it interesting, and unfortunately not out of the norm, that while I loved reading, I did not like reading class. How sad for students who are not readers - what would get them to love reading when even the students who are book crazy don't enjoy that part of the curriculum?
Throwback Thursday
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Waiting on Wednesday
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Not a Good Choice
Monday, August 8, 2011
What Alice Forgot
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Eight Keys
Saturday, August 6, 2011
New (School) Year Resolutions
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Thursday Throwback
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
The Daughters Take the Stage
Waiting on Wednesday
Synopsis taken from Bookreporter.com:
Velva Jean Hart, the fiercely independent heroine of Jennifer Niven's spectacular debut novel, VELVA JEAN LEARNS TO DRIVE, returns in a captivating adventure that literally sends her soaring.
Bristling at the limitations faced by a woman in rural Appalachia and fuelled by the memory of her late Mama telling her to "live out there," Velva Jean hits the road to pursue her dream of singing at the Grand Ole Opry. But after a string of auditions, she begins to lose hope- until her brother pays her a surprise visit and treats Velva Jean to a flying lesson that ignites a brand-new dream: to become a female pilot.
Funny, poignant, and utterly unforgettable, VELVA JEANS LEARNS TO FLY will have fans cheering all over again.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
A Blast from the Past
Is it any surprise that I found two parenting books on my list for this month? Seven Up by Janet Evanovitch was the book I brought to the hospital with me to read when I was induced. And I did read it. But I remember almost nothing of that book, and I remember not knowing what it was about immediately after I was done with it. Apparently the emotions of being a new mom made it impossible for me to focus on books. These are only a few highlights- I did manage to read 24 books in August of 2001.
What about you? What were you reading a decade ago? I love to hear what others remember about the books they have read.
Monday, August 1, 2011
The Soldier's Wife
July Recap
The rundown:
1. South of Superior by Ellen Airgood
2. The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary by Andrew Westoll
3. Summer in the South by Cathy Holton
4. Found by Jennifer Lauck
5. Untold Story by Monica Ali
6. Best Staged Plans by Claire Cook
7. Yankee Doodle Dixie by Lisa Patton
8. Rawhide Down by Del Quentin Wilber
9. Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand
10. The Arrivals by Meg Mitchell Moore
11. When The Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka
12. Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt
13. Breaking Silence by Linda Castillo
14. Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones
15. The First Husband by Laura Dave
16. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Hidden Gallery by Mary Rose Wood
17. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
18. Your Friend in Fashion, Abby Shapiro by Amy Axelrod
19. Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart
20. The Midnight Tunnel: A Suzanna Snow Mystery by Angie Frazier
21. Heat Wave by Nancy Thayer
22. Joy For Beginners by Erica Bauermeister
23. Lost In Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff
24. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
25. The Man in the Rockefeller Suit by Mark Seal
26. Save Me by Lisa Scottoline
27. The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy
6 of 27 books were middle grade/YA, 21 were adult
6 books were non-fiction, 21 were fiction
4 books were written by male authors, 23 by females
4 were books I owned, 23 were library books