Friday Fill-ins #109

1. I'd really like some white cake with frosting right now.

2. @#$%#$! is the word you'd most often hear me say if I stubbed my toe.

3. Possession is _____.

4. Love that Captain Jack Sparrow.

5. Marshmallows and fire go together like books and tasty snacks!

6. Some people do go on and on.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to cuddling with my dogs Hannah & Zoe, tomorrow my plans include paying some bills and Sunday, I want to sleep in!

Irreplaceable

LibraryThing book review...

Irreplaceable

by Stephen Lovely

Alex and Isabel are a young, happily married couple until one fateful day Isabel is hit by a truck. Isabel had wanted to be an organ donor and Alex reluctanly agrees. Her heart goes to Janet, a teacher and a married mother of two. Things get complicated when Janet wants to thank Alex and his mother-in-law. Alex is torn between hating this woman and wanting to be near what is left of Isabel.

I felt a connection with Alex and really could relate to his pain. I cannot even imagine how conflicted a person would be in his situation. Lovely really does a great job of showing Alex's emotions and how complex they are. A really lovely book about life, love, and moving on.

Dewey

LibraryThing book review...
Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World
by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter

Library Director Vicki Myron arrives at work at the Spencer library early one cold morning to find a stray kitten in the book drop. He was thin, weak, and shaking. Thus begins the story of Dewey, the cat who captured the hearts of all who met him. This is not just the story of Dewey; it is also the story of his library mom, Vicki, and all that she endures. It is also the story of a small farming community in Iowa surviving without surrendering it's small-town values.

Of course, I loved this book...I am an animal lover and a librarian-what's not to love?!?! My favorite parts of the book were those about Dewey, his antics, and his fans. Dewey loved being the social director of the library, waiting everyday for the library to open so he could greet his patrons. This book will remind you why you love libraries, cats, and librarians!!!

Friday Fill-ins #108

1. Oh, I am so tired!

2. I am making changes, big and little.

3. During Winter, I hibernate.

4. DIET; are you kidding me???

5. Right now I'd like to be on a beach, anywhere.

6. My computer is my favorite gadget.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to chilling on the couch with a good book, tomorrow my plans include paying some bills and Sunday, I want to do a little cleaning!

Tuesday Thingers

Today's question: Have you ever used the Swap This Book function which can be found on the main page of any book (here is an example of Flirting With Forty by Jane Porter: link shown on book page, what it looks like if you click on the link)? If so, what do you think about it? If not, are there any other swap sites you utilize to exchange books once you are done? What do you do with your books if you no longer want them anymore?

I have never used the Swap This Book function available on Library Thing. I didn't even realize it was there! I did check it out and it is very cool. It is a great idea and something I will definitely use in the future. I do swap books at other sites. I use BookMooch all the time and I also use PaperBackSwap. I have way too many books to keep them all, so when I am done with a book I either sell it on Amazon, swap it on BookMooch or PaperBack Swap, or I give it away.

Death Walked In

LibraryThing book review...
Death Walked In by Carolyn Hart

Annie and Max Darling live in Broward's Rock, a South Carolina Low Country Island, where Annie owns a bookstore, Death on Demand and Max runs his own business, Confidential Commissions. They are busy renovating the Franklin house which becomes an integral part of the mystery. Max receives a phone call from Gwen Jamison at work, but refuses to speak to her. His secretary calls Annie who rushes to Gwen's home to find that she has been murdered. Police suspect Gwen's son, but Max and Annie don't believe this and are determined to find out what really happened. Some stolen coins are at the bottom of all this and are supposedly hidden in the Franklin house.

This is my second book by Carolyn Hart. The first one I read was Ghost at Work, which I enjoyed enormously. I didn't enjoy Death Walked In nearly as much. I found it really slow and hard to finish. I enjoyed Annie and Max, I also enjoyed the setting of the small, close-knit community, but I needed a little more of something...not sure what!

Throw Out Fifty Things

LibraryThing book review...

Throw Out Fifty Things: Clear the Clutter, Find your Life

by Gail Blanke

Throw Out Fifty Things: Clear the Clutter, Find Your Life gives you four basic rules for throwing things out and then goes into more detail about each room in your house. Gail Blanke begins with the physcial stuff in your home (bedroom to garage), then moves on to your office, and ends with the mental messes. As she goes through each room, she gives suggestions for what should be thrown out and each area to consider. She includes helpful little tips throughout the book and a quick review of the steps at the end of each chapter.

I found this book easy to read, but I really did not get that much out of it. I have read organizing books by Julie Morgenstern and I found them to be much more comprehensive. Gail's big rule is to only count items once....for example, if you throw out ten shirts, they only count as one. I think that is just ridiculous; if I throw out ten shirts, I am counting it as ten! She repeats this rule over and over throughout the book-it gets old.

Friday Fill-ins #107

1. Enough with the whining.

2. Dieting causes me to be conflicted

3. I've been craving everything.

4. My dogs, Hannah & Zoe make me laugh.

5. I wish I could go to Fiji next week.

6. Nick has been on my mind lately.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to some couch time, tomorrow my plans include reading & maybe a movie with Vicky and Sunday, I want to hang at home!

The School of Essential Ingredients

LibraryThing book review...
The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

Lillian is a chef who teaches a cooking class at her restaurant every Monday evening. We meet her students and learn about their lives, while they learn about cooking. Lillian takes a different approach to cooking, teaching her students to love the process, not just the outcome. We meet a happily married couple, a widower mourning the loss of his wife, a young single gal trying to find her way and others. All struggle with difficult choices, tender and painful memories, and finding their way thorugh this thing called life. They become not only classmates, but friends.

This is truly a beautiful book. The writing is so lovely, it makes you slow down and savor it. I loved learning about all the characters and how their lives changed throughout the cooking class. I wish I could take a cooking class with Chef Lillian! A must-read:)

Friday Fill-ins #105

1. The world is really strange!
2. Love you was the last thing I said.
3. I wonder what the new year will bring...
4. Understanding (hopefully) comes at the end of all things.

5. There's something to be said for just shutting your mouth!!!
6. Home is where I want to be.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to chilling, tomorrow my plans include chilling and Sunday, I want to chill!

TBR (To Be Read) 2009 Challenge

I am going to do my 1st challenge! I have a HUGE TBR pile, so I figured this challenge was perfect for me. Here is my list...


1. Forever Lily by Beth Nonte Russell *read 2/24/2009
2. Sweetheart by Chelsea Cain *read 2/16/09
3. Eclipse by Richard North Patterson *didn't read 2/27/09
4. Confessions of a Contractor by Richard Murphy *read 3/2/2009
5. The Smart One and the Pretty One by Claire LaZebnik *read 2/22/09
6. Time of My Life by Allison Winn Scotch *read 3/14/09
7. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicky Myron*read 2/23/09
8. The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry *read 4/20/2009
9. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows *read 2/4/09
10. Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay ***reading
11. The Geography of Love by Glenda Burgess *read 3/17/09
12. Death Walked In by Carolyn Hart *read 1/10/09
Alternates...
1. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
2. When Will There be Good News? by Kate Atkinson *didn't read 2/19/09
3. Testimony by Anita Shreve
4. Irraplaceable by Stephen Lovely *read 1/27/09
5. The Believers by Zoe Heller
6. The Queen of Sleepy Eye by Patti Hill

The rules:
* the challenge is to read 12 TBR books in 12 months -- you can read those all in one month if you want, or one a month, or however you wanna do it.
* you need to have a list posted somewhere for others to see (even if it's in a comment here)
* you CANNOT change your list after January 1st, 2009!!!
* you can create an Alternates list of MAXIMUM 12 books, if you want, in order to have options to choose from (you can read these in place of books on your original list).
* audiobooks and e-books ARE allowed
* re-reads are NOT allowed, as they aren't TRUE "TBRs"
* you CAN overlap with other challenges

Happy 2009!!!

This has been quite a year for me...some good stuff, like starting my book blog and some not so good stuff. I am ready for 2009 and I know it will be a great year. I wish all of you the very best. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!