Category General Book Talk

Yeah sirsi!

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Cover of One Day

Sirsi is where the emails come from to let me know that books I’ve reserved at the library are ready to be picked up! Yeah! So tonight after work I sat down with the last forty pages of “Faking It” by Jennifer Crusie and then headed to the library to pick up “One Day” by David Nicholls (finally!) and “Juliet, Naked” by Nick Hornby.

I find the Rochester Public Library a little difficult to navigate. Well, maybe not difficult to navigate but overwhelming. Summer of ’09 I started with the fiction in the Zs, thinking I’d work backwards, and I read quite a few fun books, but soon that didn’t work for me. This past summer I referred to my goodreads TBR account via my smart phone and would look for specific books – either on the shelf or in audio version – but very rarely would I find them shelved! So this winter I’ve gotten a little smarter and I started reserving the books so that when I go in I just need to go to the reserve shelf and check out! It’s nice to be able to get exactly what you’re looking for sometimes – but there is also something about wandering around in the stacks, too. I’m sure I’ll do a little of both – reserve and wander.

Other random thoughts:

  • I didn’t know “One Day” was going to be made into a movie, coming out in July!
  • “Faking It” was a fun easy read. Not great but witty.
  • I’m falling behind in my magazine reading.
  • I’m not going to fall into the meme trap again – I hope. Maybe I’ll come up with my own weekly blogging themes – I do love themes, after all! Not that I’d ever blog every day, but how about Saturday or Sunday Smorgasbord? Monday Musings? Teatime Tuesday? Thursdays Thoughts? Ugh… ideas welcome!
  • “Water for Elephants” will be out in the theatres before we know it!
  • I’m super excited to watch the Oscar’s this year!

I think that’s all for tonight! My TBR list now includes: “One Day,” “Juliet, Naked,” and “Plain Truth” – probably in that order! Book club discussion for “Plain Truth” is March 8 so we’ll see if I need to rearrange the order. Good times! I love to read and talk about books!

Off to read!

W… W… W… Wednesday

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3D Character and Question Mark

Image by 姒儿喵喵 via Flickr

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Your turn! Let’s hear what you’re reading!

Teaser Tuesday

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Cover of "Faking It"

Cover of Faking It

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I’m reading “Faking It” by Jennifer Crusie.  Picked up the paperback at the library, wanting a quick fun read before I delve into a couple of my next book club books.  I’m not too far in the book, so I’m just gonna pick a few places:

“So I thought I could go and distract them and you could sneak in and steal it,” Gwen said. “And then we can bury it in the basement again.”

Three blocks away, Clea sat at the breakfast table, tapping her fingernail against the coffee cup.  It was the closest she could come to throwing the damn thing at Mason and still project loving warmth, the kind of woman he’d want to face over the breakfast table for the rest of his life.

 

I guess I didn’t follow the rules exactly, as I chose two different locations in the book!  Oh well.  They were fun and random little teasers from a fun little book!  I also had to look up the definition of ‘meme’ because I keep seeing it places!  According to Wikipedia (the source I love to use when I don’t care about the research!) a MEME is:  meme (play /ˈmiːm/, rhyming with “cream”[1]), a relatively newly coined term, identifies ideas or beliefs that are transmitted from one person or group of people to another. The concept comes from an analogy: as genes transmit biological information, memes can be said to transmit idea and belief information.

A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena. Supporters of the concept regard memes as cultural analogues to genes, in that they self-replicate, mutate and respond to selective pressures
Your turn!!!  Comment with your thoughts on MEMES or your teaser!

Off to read!

TBR Pile Minus One

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Reading in bed

Reading in Bed Image via Wikipedia

Well, I didn’t exactly have a marathon of reading over the weekend, because I think that means that you spend more time reading than doing anything else.  I did have some marathon mornings – staying in bed on Saturday and Sunday and reading – but that was about it.  I finished the book I started – ‘The Summer We Read Gatsby” – and I really enjoyed it.  It was a nice summery read for a cold February weekend.

It seems I have a hard time making a dent in my TBR pile – or more accurately,  my TBR shelf!  That durn library always impels me to pick up new books every time I’m there!  So yesterday I picked up a quick paperback, then I’ll read “Plain Truth.”  If “One Day” comes up in my reserve list at the library, I’ll mosey on to that one.

So many books.

I have been enjoying the audiobooks in the car, since my iPod died.  I’m listening to a Super Sad one right now, and it kind of leaves a pall over me when I get out of the car.  Very sad.  I don’t like to recommend very sad books, because I don’t think it’s fun to feel this way, but it is called “Every Last One” by Anna Quindlan (sp).  I like that Hope Davis is the narrator, because that is fun, but that’s the only fun thing about the book.  I can only hope for a happy ending.  I’m about 2/3 through and then I’m going to listen to “Brava, Valentine!” by Adriana Trigiani, a favorite of mine.  Yeah!

Well, off to read!  What are you reading?

A Walkie Walkie

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Cover of "The Position: A Novel"

Cover of The Position: A Novel

Tonight Sarah and I mall walked and did a little planning of “what’s next.”  She’s reading “True Grit” and then going to see the movie.  She’s enjoying the book, so that will be on my TBR list.  She’s also working on “The Magicians.”  Then we’re going to read “The One,” and “Plain Truth.”  I’m gonna jump into “The Summer We Read Gatsby” and am listening to “Every Last One.” Then I’ll read “Plain Truth.”  Oh, it’s so fun to plan and dream about all the books we will read!

This morning I finished “The Position” by Meg Wolitzer.  It was ok.  Don’t know what else to say about it.  It’s about a couple who write a sex book in the 70s and how it affects their four children.  Then (as 10-17 year olds) and now (as adults).  It also is about the relationship of the couple and how it changed.  I’m not gonna recommend it to anyone, but I have a copy if anyone is interested!  🙂

Well, off to read!

2010

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Well here we are, the last day of 2010.  It doesn’t seem that long ago that I got used to saying “twenty ten” – and now here we come “twenty eleven”!  Amazing.

I finished “Helen of Pasadena” in the wee hours… it was a fun, quick, smart romance.  It made me reschedule my appointment at the Genius Bar on Wednesday, because I had a hard time putting it down and getting out the door on time.  I turned out the light last night after finally admitting I was too tired to finish (12:40 AM) but a few minutes later turned the light on again and finished.  A fun book.  It is the book club pick for my Preston bookclub in January.  It will be fun to discuss.

Thanks to Goodreads, I think I have a pretty good list of all the books I read in 2010. In reverse chronological order they include:

  1. Helen of Pasadena
  2. Before You Know Kindness
  3. Shanghai Girls
  4. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (Millennium, #3)
  5. When in Rome…: A Novel of Piazzas and Passion
  6. The Last Time I Saw You: A Novel
  7. How to Be Single
  8. Blessings
  9. Going in Circles
  10. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
  11. The Love Season
  12. The Cinderella Deal
  13. Beatrice and Virgil
  14. Away
  15. The Next Thing on My List
  16. Water for Elephants
  17. The Sleeping Beauty Proposal
  18. Everything She Thought She Wanted: A Novel
  19. Other People’s Weddings
  20. The Stormchasers
  21. Best Friends Forever
  22. The Girl Who Played with Fire
  23. The Other Woman
  24. Belong to Me
  25. Love Walked In
  26. The Beach House
  27. Firefly Lane
  28. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1)
  29. The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and Friendship
  30. The Glass Castle: A Memoir
  31. Size 12 is Not Fat: A Heather Wells Mystery
  32. Chasing Harry Winston
  33. Peony in Love
  34. The Friday Night Knitting Club
  35. No Horizon Is So Far: Two Women and Their Historic Journey Across Antarctica
  36. The Cat Who Said Cheese (Cat Who…, #18)
  37. The Moment Between
  38. Slam
  39. The Help
  40. A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table

Items of note in my “book world” in 2010:

  • I met three authors – Ann Bancroft, Lian Dolan and Jenna Blum.  I got to spend a lot of time with Ann and Jenna and they are both remarkable women and inspiring!
  • I read the three Millenium books and unexpectedly loved them all.
  • I read the book that inspired the start of the Cosmo Girls.
  • I listened to a few more audiobooks this year than I have in a while – although it used to be all I listened to in my car and with the death of my iPod I anticipate I’ll listen to more in 2011!
  • I plowed through a lot of books during my Ferragosto vacation.
  • 40 books = almost a book a week, which is very cool!

In 2011 I look forward to many more book club discussions, meaningful books, fun books, book blogging, and hopefully more meet-ups with authors!

Happy Wishes for a beautiful 2011!

Off to read!

A movie I do NOT want to see

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The Life of Pi

On the other hand, I think this is a movie that I would not want to see.  It is so vivid in my mind and I don’t want it adapted to the big screen.  How would they do it???  It boggles my mind.  So, I’m guessing that it does somehow make it into a queue of mine someday – out of curiosity.

Water for Elephants

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“Water for Elephants” trailer

I read this book this summer and really liked it!  I was a little late getting onto the bandwagon but wasn’t disappointed at all.  I look forward to seeing this movie!

Whew, December!

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Not a single post in November.  Lazy?  Busy?  Hard to say… So I’m jumping back on the wagon…

December 1 I went to a book signing at J.Jill in Edina for “Helen of Pasadena” by Lian Dolan.  I’ve been a follower of the Satellite Sisters since the late 90s so it was exciting to meet one in person.  Lian is funny and quick, and I can’t wait to read her book.  I have heard only good things about it and will recommend it for our book club in January.

Currently I’m reading (plodding through) “Before You Know Kindness” by Chris Bohjalian. Plodding through mostly because I’m distracted by other things, like TV and movies and computer.  It is pretty good, although a bit ploddy sometimes.  I listened to “The Shanghai Girls” audiobook and loved that.  I like Lisa See’s books so far – my second of hers.  I have “Snow Flower and Secret Fan” on my iPod, too.  Sarah’s mom talked about how good it was, although it has graphic descriptions of foot binding in it.  Not sure how I’ll stomach that.  I also listened to a couple of fluffy audiobooks, which makes my commute more pleasant but gets me behind in my podcast listening!  🙂

Next I plan to read “Helen of Pasadena” and then “Sarah’s Key.”  I haven’t finished “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years” yet, either.  I think it would be fun to re-read “The Tale of Two Cities” with Oprah’s book club, but we’ll see!

Are you ripping through books or finding other distractions during the holiday season?

Well, off to read!

Next!

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All right, book readers!  Are we falling apart? 🙂  We’ll have to get a time on our schedule to get together and get a few books lined up to read.  I had planned to read all the Harry Potter books again, but since I don’t have #1 (I thought I did, but it’s #2!) I doubt that will happen within the next six weeks.  We’ll see.  Right now I’m enjoying “Going in Circles” about a woman who joins a roller derby league, and then I’m going to read “Blessings” by Anna Quindlan for my book club at work.  I have one copy left from the Book Club in a Bag, so we could read that and discuss that as well!  Just let me know…

Sarah was talking about getting a Nook or Kindle… did that happen?

Well, off to read!
Yeah!
Danette