Video Blog – post one

 

Books mentioned in this post:

Ordinary Magic by Caitlen Rubino-Bradway

The Fairy Ring by Mary Losure

Silence by Michelle Sagara

The Thirteen Hallows by Michael Scott and Colette Freedman

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

Thanks for stopping by!

Wicked Wildfire Readathon! (Sign up post)

The Wicked Wildfire Readathon starts tomorrow and I really need a readathon to get caught up on some books. After my trip to Main Street Books a few weekends ago I have a pile of to be read books that are giving me the hairy eyeball. I don’t usually have books sitting around waiting, since I really prefer getting books from the library, and I need to get these books read. (I won’t allow myself to buy new books unless I’ve read the books I’ve already bought. Bookshops are dangerous places. There must be rules or all else is chaos.)

The readathon starts Wednesday, June 20th and runs through Sunday, June 24th. It’s a long readathon. My last readathon during winter was only three days. I hope I can keep up for five days!

My plans are to finish reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern first. I’m on page 150 at this moment but the book is so slow that I’ve been reading it in fits and starts for the past couple of weeks. I’m hoping that a concentrated read will haul me over the imaginary hump and get that book read.

(Exactly what are my problems with The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern? Here are my first thoughts on the book. One, it is much too slow. I’m already 150 pages in and we’ve only dipped our toes into the night circus. By this point things should be happening and they just aren’t. Two, so far the book has been driven by imagery more than plot. Very pretty but without any substance. Three, there are too many characters. We are being yanked through too many views and too many side plots. The main characters should be Marco and Celia and they just aren’t presented that way.)

When I finish The Night Circus, I’ll read The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen. If I finish that, I’ll read The Teashop Girls by Laura Schaefer.

I think three books is a good goal. I can’t see myself reading much more, since I’ll be working during the week. I’m hoping to knock out these three books but I’ll be happy if I get done with The Night Circus. All I have to do is stay off the internet and I should be golden. (I’m doomed.) Happy reading everybody!

Hi there again…

On Saturday, March 3^rd, I turned 29 years old. (oh god) I gifted myself with a three day weekend and took Monday off. After convincing myself that it was in fact not a good idea to sleep my birthday away, I forced myself from bed and went shopping. I bought a silver jewelry box from a second hand store because I’m secretly a magpie and like shiny things. Then I went to the Saint Louis Bread Company (or Panera Bread as they are known elsewhere) for lunch and my rewards membership gave me a free pastry for my birthday. (I got a Cobblestone.) Then I got bagels because I am addicted to asiago cheese bagels and when I get to heaven the clouds better be made of asiago cheese bagels or I shall be very disappointed.

Then I went to my friend’s place on Sunday night to get drunk. There was pizza and brownies and strawberry margaritas, and sweet Moscato wine, and tequila shots. Then we watched Sherk and Labyrinth (it’s a tradition, shut up), and cuddled on the couch. Then we fell asleep. Then I woke up on Monday wanting to die. Then I remembered, tequila and I do not work well together. It was a memory I recalled too late. I was nauseous and had cramps and I wanted to die. So we went to IHOP for pancakes. (No, I do not have any self-preservation. Why do you ask?) Then I went home, took some cramp meds, and fell into bed hoping I would wake up feeling better (or not wake up at all. Either would have worked at that point.).

I ended up being so ill that I had to take Tuesday off sick because my stomach was still trying to turn itself inside out. I can’t remember ever being in that much pain. I think I might have gotten a stomach bug somewhere and it wasn’t just that tequila hates me. I shall not be doing shots anytime soon just in case. On the upside, I managed to finish reading Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey while trying not to die. I hope to have the review up on Thursday. You all benefited from my pain.

Happy Birthday to me!

Coming up for February!

I think I might be the only one to never have read A Wrinkle in Time! I tried in high school but wasn’t able to force myself to finish it. I can’t even remember why now. It was probably because a teacher wanted me to read it and I had a kneejerk reaction to be forced to read anything against my will as a teen. That and anything that can be called a “classic” usual bores me to tears. I should hunt down a copy and see if I can’t read it as an adult this time. Seeing all these 50th anniversary posts is making me feel bad.

Coming up! Hello February! Hopefully I will have finished Savvy by Ingrid Law and be able to post the review for tomorrow, Thursday the 2nd. I’m really trying for a two books a week goal. If I go at my usual pace I won’t make my 100 books for the year goal either. I have to keep going!

For next week I’ll have the review for Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy up on Monday the 6th. Then I’ll shoot for Winterling by Sarah Prineas for next week Thursday the 9th. For the week after next, I hope to have the second book in the Heist Society series Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter ready for you on Monday the13th.

I ordered a few books from Amazon but I’ll let you all see those when I get them. I’m cheap, so I choose the slowest mailing method. Sorry. I’ll post those when they arrive. Until then, happy reading everybody!

Coming up on Lady with Books.

Another week, another book! Plus, Christmas is now only six days away! I hope you all have your shopping done. I’ll be spending my Saturday making my grandmother’s chocolate cake recipe. We’ll see how it comes out in an electric oven this time. (I miss my gas stove!) Then I’ll be making some Hershey Kisses Drop Cookies and Sugar Cookies. Hopefully I won’t burn anything. On Sunday I’ll go over to the parents’ house for dinner and gift exchange. And that will be Christmas everybody. Exciting, I know.

In a few minutes I’ll post my review of Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz after I give it another read through and polish. I’ve already started on Witchlanders by Lena Coakley. It’s a rather big book at 400 pages but its text is on the big side and the book is squatter than others. I shouldn’t have a problem reading it in a week. So look for that review next week.

Let’s see. I won a few things in the last few giveaway hops. I won a $10 Barnes & Noble gift card. Then I won a copy of City of Angels by Sheralynn Pratt; a Christmas three pack with Remembering Christmas by Dan Walsh, A Marriage Carol by Chris Fabry and Gary Chapman, and The Christmas Shoppe by Melody Carlson, and an owl pendant from the giveaway hop at the beginning of the month. I haven’t seen any of them yet (pout), but can only assume that the masses of Christmas cards being mailed out has only slowed the arrival of my goodies. (more pouting)

Oh, and my cat Boots has to wear a Cone of Shame for the next week because she won’t leave the injection site on her leg alone. Poor, miserable Cone of Shame kitty. She walks into things. I think it’s hilarious. I’m getting coal for Christmas, aren’t I?

Coming up this week!

It’s the last few days of NaNoWriMo and I’m a few thousand words behind, so I need to catch up to make it to 50,000 words before midnight on Wednesday. I can foresee hours of frantic writing in my future.

Coming up this week!

My obsession with Arthurian legend rears its head again and I have a review for Yesterday’s Magic by Pamela F. Service, the third book in her New Magic Series.

I’m participating in their years Virtual Advent Blog Tour. My post is scheduled for December 2, so make sure to check back here on Friday for my post and lots of goodies.

I’m also participating in Book Bloggers Holiday Card Exchange this year. I thought it less expense than the various secret Santa and book exchanges being run everywhere. Names and addresses are supposed to be sent out on December 3, this Saturday, and I’m so excited to see who I get.

I hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving and enjoyed the extra-long weekend. Did anybody do any shopping on Black Friday?