Readathon Preparedness

Just in case you didn't know, this Saturday is Dewey's Read-a-thon. I try to always participate. It's a lot of fun and a great way to do some catch up reading. In case you are unfamiliar with readathon, it takes place for 24 hours and you read as much as you can. There are mini-challenges and prizes. There are cheerleaders to help cheer you on! So check it out here and sign up. You can signup to read or cheer or both!

I am cleaning house this week and will be coming up with some meals to either make quickly or make ahead, so the day will be mine for the most part. I am trying to come up with easy and healthy snacks with a bit of chocolate thrown in.

I have come up with a stack of books as possible reads. I am a mood reader so I think this assortment will cover all bases. I picked so many books I had to show them in three pictures. I won't be reading all of these but I will be putting them in a crate or a tote so I can have them by me wherever I read.

As far as advice, farm out the kids(mine are self-sufficient) or encourage them to participate with you. Prepare food and snacks ahead of time. Get out your best comfy clothes, be it sweats or pj's. Take breaks often and maybe visit a few fellow readathoners or have fun with some of the challenges. Most of all...HAVE FUN!

These are two audiobooks I was sent for review. I am sure they will come in handy when my eyes get tired.

The Puppy Diaries by Jill Abramson read by Beth MacDonald

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides read by David Pittu

Next up, I have four library books in need of reading before their due dates. All of these have been recommended by fellow bloggers! Thank you!

June Bug by Chris Fabray
Alice Bliss by Laura Harrington
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Exposure by Therese Fowler

And last but not least, these are books I own. Some are for review and others are not.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
Yankee Doodle Dixie by Lisa Patton
The Train of Small Mercies by David Rowell
The Winters in Bloom by Lisa Tucker
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

As you can see I have a bit of everything in that pile. I was hoping to add Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs but alas my daughter has stolen it back. I guess I should have purchased two copies. I hope to get a few books read this time since I have some shorter length books in there. I am sort of planning to read all weekend. The weather is cool and crisp and I am reading to hunker down and read! My start up time is 7 a.m. central time. See ya' then!

Mailbox Monday October 17

It's Monday and we all know what that means! Mailbox Monday! This months hostess is Serena at Savvy Verse and Wit.

This week I received two very great sounding books! I am loving the cover on Duty Free! The ARC I received has little headlines running on top of the pages of the book. I am not sure if the finished copy has it but it has me very intrigued! The Dressmaker is a book I am very excited about! I love reading stories set on the Titanic and am really looking forward to this one. I was thrilled to receive both of these books!

Duty Free by Moni Mohsin
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Broadway (September 6, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0307889246
ISBN-13: 978-0307889249

Jane Austen's Emma, transported to the outrageous social melee of 21st-century Lahore.

Our plucky heroine's cousin, Jonkers, has been dumped by his low-class, slutty secretary, and our heroine has been charged with finding him a suitable wife -- a rich, fair, beautiful, old-family type. Quickly. But, between you, me and the four walls, who wants to marry poor, plain, hapless Jonkers?

As our heroine social-climbs her way through weddings-sheddings, GTs (get togethers, of course) and ladies' lunches trying to find a suitable girl from the right bagground, she discovers to her dismay that her cousin has his own ideas about his perfect mate. And secretly, she may even agree.

Full of wit and wickedness and as clever as its heroine is clueless, Duty Free is a delightful romp through Pakistani high society -- though, even as it makes you cry with laughter, it makes you wince at the gulf between our heroine's glitteringly shallow life and the country that is falling apart, day by day, around her Louboutin-clad feet. Moni Mohsin, already a huge bestseller in India, has been hailed as a modern-day Jane Austen, and compared to Nancy Mitford and Helen Fielding. Duty Free is social satire at its biting best.

This was a win from Read It Forward.

The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott

Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Doubleday (February 21, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385535589
ISBN-13: 978-0385535588

Just in time for the centennial anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic comes a vivid, romantic, and relentlessly compelling historical novel about a spirited young woman who survives the disaster only to find herself embroiled in the media frenzy left in the wake of the tragedy.

Tess, an aspiring seamstress, thinks she's had an incredibly lucky break when she is hired by famous designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon to be a personal maid on the Titanic's doomed voyage. Once on board, Tess catches the eye of two men, one a roughly-hewn but kind sailor and the other an enigmatic Chicago millionaire. But on the fourth night, disaster strikes.

Amidst the chaos and desperate urging of two very different suitors, Tess is one of the last people allowed on a lifeboat. Tess’s sailor also manages to survive unharmed, witness to Lady Duff Gordon’s questionable actions during the tragedy. Others—including the gallant Midwestern tycoon—are not so lucky.

On dry land, rumors about the survivors begin to circulate, and Lady Duff Gordon quickly becomes the subject of media scorn and later, the hearings on the Titanic. Set against a historical tragedy but told from a completely fresh angle, The Dressmaker is an atmospheric delight filled with all the period's glitz and glamour, all the raw feelings of a national tragedy and all the contradictory emotions of young love.

PRAISE FOR THE DRESSMAKER
“We all know how the Titanic went down, we all saw the movie. But what happened after? This brilliant book shows the aftermath of the tragedy, seen through the eyes of a brave, young girl who was on board, on her way to America, to start a new life as a dressmaker. From the minute Tess sets foot on the doomed ship, this is the kind of novel you simply cannot put down and cannot forget.”
--Tatiana de Rosnay, author of Sarah's Key and A Secret Kept

“The Dressmaker achieves the remarkable -- it makes the sinking of the Titanic feel like a story never told before. By focusing on the search for justice in the aftermath of the tragedy, this compelling first novel examines humanity at its best and worst, as seen through the eyes of one of the ship's survivors, a courageous young woman who is determined to make her own way in America.”
--Lauren Belfer, author of A Fierce Radiance and City of Light

“This is a fascinating premise for a novel as well as a powerful, page-turning read. It's also a very valuable contribution to our understanding of the events surrounding the sinking of The Titanic, and its aftermath.”
--Isabel Wolff, author of A Vintage Affair

I requested a copy of this through Shelf Awareness but they ran out of copies. They were nice enough to offer me an e-book copy through Netgalley. Thank you Knopf Doubleday!

That is what came into my home last week. What wonderful reads made their way into your home?

Weekend Cooking-The Soup Bible

The Soup Bible by the Editors of Favorite Brand Name Recipes

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Publications International (September 8, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1605537241
ASIN: B0058M7NU0

Product Description
The Soup Bible is an all-in-one guide to creating delicious and satisfying soups, stews, and chilis. The cookbook includes more than 150 recipes, plus a 16-page guide that covers all aspects of soup preparation, including equipment, the history of soup, how-tos hints and tips, garnishing, and a glossary of terms.

You will find recipes that can be ready in as few as 30 minutes as well as a slow-cooker chapter. Discover new flavors as you cook your way through seven chapters. Here is a sampling of recipes in The Soup Bible:
Classics like Chicken & Homemade Noodle, Minestrone, and Black Bean Soup
Exotic flavors such as Pumpkin Soup with Bacon & Toasted Pumpkin Seeds, and Chinese Hot & Sour Soup
Hearty chowders, including Bacon Potato Chowder and New England Fish Chowder
Vegetarian options, including Mushroom Barley Soup and Lentil & Brown Rice Soup
Quick and easy recipes like New Orleans Fish Soup, and Creamy Tuscan Bean & Chicken Soup
Slow-cooker selections like Potato & Leek Soup and Beer & Cheese Soup

I picked this little gem of a cookbook up at Barnes and Noble on a half price clearance table. This book is on sale at Amazon also. It has many great looking soup recipes in it. Some are quick like the one I made today and others are all day soups. I made this quick chowder this afternoon which made for a perfect Sunday lunch. I had to change the recipe up a bit because I didn't have any corn but had a bag of mixed veggies which we thought worked out well. I put the whole bag in because we like lots of veggies in our soups.

Deep Bayou Chowder

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped,
8 ounces red potatoes, diced
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups milk
1 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons seafood seasoning (I used Old Bay)
3/4 teaspoon salt

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions, bell pepper, carrot; cook and stir 5 minutes. Add potatoes, corn, water, and thyme; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer approximately 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in milk, parsley, seasoning, and salt. Cook for 5 minutes. Serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Weekend Cooking is a weekly meme sponsored by Beth Fish Reads.
Weekend Cooking is a chance to share the food love. Be sure to check out all the yummy cooking posts on Beth's blog.

Before I Go To Sleep

Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson

Summary

'As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I'm still a child. Thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me ...' Memories define us. So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep? Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love - all forgotten overnight. And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story. Welcome to Christine's life.

My Thoughts

This book just blew my mind! I was expecting a predictable read about a woman who has amnesia. This book is so much more!

Christina wakes up every morning not remembering much at all. She doesn't remember her husband who is in bed next to her. She doesn't know where she is. Every day she relearns her life. Christina has had an accident of some sort where she has sustained a brain injury which has left her in this state. Instantly the reader knows something is off and the twists and turns of the plot begin. I had my suspects in mind. I was wrong. Very wrong!

This is a wonderful debut book by S.J. Watson. She weaves a suspenseful plot that will keep you from wanting to put this book down. There were times I could honestly feel Christina's confusion. I didn't know who she should trust. And just when I thought I knew who Christina should stay away from, the story took an unexpected turn.

This is a great psychological thriller and I highly recommend it. It was written in such a way that I truly felt I was in Christina's mind. I look forward to seeing more from S.J. Watson in the future!



I checked this book out from our public library.

Mailbox Monday October 10

It's Monday again! Time for another Mailbox Monday post. Mailbox Monday is the creation of Marcia from Mailbox Monday. The meme is on tour and this month's host is Serena from Savvy Verse & Wit. Thank you Serena for hosting this month!

I almost need to post a summertime mailbox this week! We have had temperatures in the 80's this past week. It sure doesn't feel like fall at all! It's been gorgeous!

I received two books this week, one for review and one was a purchase. I was wanting to read some creepy books this month, which is so unlike me. Don't worry, my creepy reads, I have a feeling, are very tame compared to what others are reading this month.

My daughter snagged Miss Peregrine the minute it came into the house. She says it is pretty good. You have no idea how it tickles me to see my daughter excited about books. She has never been a big reader. The cover gives me chills! Then again, it doesn't take much! I'm a pretty easy scare! And how fabulous is the author's name? Ransom Riggs! I love it!

Wonderstruck is a book I was admiring in Barnes and Noble, when I was last there. The artwork is phenomenal! When I had a chance to snag a review copy, I had to grab it. I miss having kids in the house reading kid books. This will be a treat for me!

For review

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznik

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 608 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press (September 13, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545027896
ISBN-13: 978-0545027892

Set fifty years apart, two independent stories—Ben's told in words and Rose's in pictures—weave back and forth with mesmerizing symmetry. How they unfold and ultimately intertwine will surprise you, challenge you, and leave you breathless with wonder.

Ever since his mom died, Ben feels lost.
At home with her father, Rose feels alone.

He is searching for someone, but he is not sure who.
She is searching for something, but she is not sure what.

When Ben finds a mysterious clue hidden in his mom's room,
When a tempting opportunity presents itself to Rose

Both children risk everything to find what's missing.

With over 460 pages of original drawings and playing with the form he invented in his trailblazing debut novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick once again sails into uncharted territory and takes readers on an awe-inspiring journey. Rich, complex, affecting and beautiful, Wonderstruck is a stunning achievement from a uniquely gifted artist and visionary.

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through Amazon Vine

My purchase

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Quirk Books; Book Club edition (June 7, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1594744769
ISBN-13: 978-1594744761

A mysterious island.

An abandoned orphanage.

A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

This was a purchase from B&N who sends me lovely coupons to enable my obvious addiction!

So that is what I received. Have you read either of these? What fabulous reads made their way into your home?

Southern Fried Women

Southern Fried Women by Pamela King Cable

Southern Fried Women
Author: Pamela Cable
ISBN: 978-1-9358740-7-2
Price: $16.95
Pub Date: August 2011

Summary

Pamela King Cable has woven together the music, the language, the religions, and the traditions of the South. The result is Southern Fried Women, a collection of nine short stories about Southern women, and a few men, struggling to find answers to unanswerable questions, hoping for forgiveness, seeking righteousness, and questioning the existence of God in their lives. Cable writes Southern fiction in the true spirit of the rural South. She can ruffle the feathers of the most stoic, mess with the beliefs of the strictest fundamentalists, and reel you into her stories like a stubborn catfish meant for the fryer. In stories with themes ranging from flea markets to coal mine strikes, once you have met her Southern Fried Women, they will be with you forever. A delightful collection of short stories that weave together the music, the language, the religions and the traditions of the South. Sometimes seriously and sometimes with humor, these stories examine everything from love and death to racial conflict and tragedy. The Southern Fried Women portrayed within each story are as realistic as any you have ever met, facing common situations and obstacles with all the charm and tenacity they can muster.

My Thoughts

This book of short stories is a treat to read! If you love the picture on the cover, you will be happy to see each story starts with a photograph and an introduction from Pamela King Cable explaining her inspiration for the story. I am a huge fan of old photos, so the photos really spoke to me. I found it interesting to get into Pamela's head and see how each character and their story was born. It made the characters and their stories very real to me.

The stories are very unique. These are not all feel good, sugary stories. These Southern Fried Women have not had easy lives. They are tough women battling problems some of us can only imagine. In the end, they overcome and stand tall.

Some of these stories are dark and disturbing as Pamela even warns us about in the introduction to one such story, Old Time Religion. I found myself gasping and thinking about many of these stories long after I read them. On the flip side, some of the characters had me laughing out loud at their thoughts and antics.

I highly recommend this book of short stories. Pamela King Cable is a wonderfully gifted storyteller! I look forward to reading more from her in the future. If you are a fan of Southern fiction, you will enjoy these stories.



Thank you to Julie from Satya House Publications for sending me this wonderful book for review.

Mailbox Monday October 3

It's Monday again! Time for another Mailbox Monday post. Mailbox Monday is the creation of Marcia from Mailbox Monday. The meme is on tour and this month's host is Serena from Savvy Verse & Wit. Thank you Serena for hosting this month!

Can you believe it is October! This year has flown by! This week's mailbox is mostly purchases and one unsolicited audiobook. I purchased a few books that I have been dying for after reading reviews for them on other blogs! Some I purchased used. I also ran into Barnes and Noble because I was in the area and hadn't been there in a very long time. I was surprised at how empty the store was. It used to be a hopping joint. It is the only book store in our area for miles and miles now. It's sad to see it void of shoppers. They did have some clearance tables out so I perused them and found one cookbook and I also picked up a magazine from the U.K. that I have been looking for. The audiobook I received may not be of my taste. I am still thinking about it.

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

Audio CD
Publisher: Macmillan Audio; Unabridged edition (October 11, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1427213089
ISBN-13: 978-1427213082

Summary

It’s the early 1980s—the country is in a deep recession, and life after college is harder than ever. In the cafés on College Hill, the wised-up kids are inhaling Derrida and listening to Talking Heads. But Madeleine Hanna, dutiful English major, is writing her senior thesis on Jane Austen and George Eliot, purveyors of the marriage plot that lies at the heart of the greatest English novels.

As Madeleine tries to understand why “it became laughable to read writers like Cheever and Updike, who wrote about the suburbia Madeleine and most of her friends had grown up in, in favor of reading the Marquis de Sade, who wrote about deflowering virgins in eighteenth-century France,” real life, in the form of two very different guys, intervenes. Leonard Bankhead—charismatic loner, college Darwinist, and lost Portland boy—suddenly turns up in a semiotics seminar, and soon Madeleine finds herself in a highly charged erotic and intellectual relationship with him. At the same time, her old “friend” Mitchell Grammaticus—who’s been reading Christian mysticism and generally acting strange—resurfaces, obsessed with the idea that Madeleine is destined to be his mate.

Over the next year, as the members of the triangle in this amazing, spellbinding novel graduate from college and enter the real world, events force them to reevaluate everything they learned in school. Leonard and Madeleine move to a biology Laboratory on Cape Cod, but can’t escape the secret responsible for Leonard’s seemingly inexhaustible energy and plunging moods. And Mitchell, traveling around the world to get Madeleine out of his mind, finds himself face-to-face with ultimate questions about the meaning of life, the existence of God, and the true nature of love.

Are the great love stories of the nineteenth century dead? Or can there be a new story, written for today and alive to the realities of feminism, sexual freedom, prenups, and divorce? With devastating wit and an abiding understanding of and affection for his characters, Jeffrey Eugenides revives the motivating energies of the Novel, while creating a story so contemporary and fresh that it reads like the intimate journal of our own lives.

Received courtesy of Macmillan Audio

Wildflower Hill by Kimberly Freeman
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
Cross Currents by John Shors
The Accidental Bestseller by Wendy Wax
The Midwife's Confession by Diane Chamberlain

Mollie Makes

This is the cutest craft magazine ever! However be sure to look at the price before you hit the checkout should you decide to buy it! It was $11.99! However, it did come with the neatest little MP3 player case kit. There are some cool patterns inside the magazine along with some very cool retro decorating ideas. I am not sure if I will purchase this magazine again but I ma enjoying this copy.

The Soup Bible

I picked this up on the clearance table at B&N. It was $4.98! We are big soup eaters in our home in the winter, so this will be a handy book to have. I have found quite a few recipes in it to try once the cold weather hits. Spring Pea & Mint Soup and Cheesy Spinach Soup are just two that I hope to try. This book will get a lot of use!

So that is what came into my home last week. I think it is time for a book buying ban for me. I do have one coming in this week. I needed a creepy read for October. Not my usual fare of book but I have been feeling like I need one spooky read for the month. It won't be too scarey! I am a huge chicken!

What wonderful reads made their way into your home?