Month: October 2009

Teaser Tuesday – Rough Country

16 Comments

teasertuesdays31Teaser 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!

“George is a drunk,” Sanders said.  “Every day that he works, he stops at the liquor store and picks up a fifth and he takes it home and drinks it.  He’s trying to drink himself to death.  He did that last night.  He was in no shape to ambush anybody.”

“Any particular reason he’s doing that?” Virgil asked.

“Not as far as I know.  I think he’s tired of being here,” Sanders said.

Chapter 3

Cover Image

John Sandford is a favorite of mine and this is his latest.  So, what are you reading today?

What Book Is That? Quiz

25 Comments

Lat week’s quiz here.  Still time to participate.

Can you identify these books by their censored titles?  Leave a comment with the number, title and author.  If you get the correct answer first you will be entered to win a free book from me   Details here.

I don’t usually do this two weeks in a row, but this doubles as a look at my Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-Thon pile and as a way to use the gorgeous leaves in my yeard 🙂

oct 19 blog 1

1. THE DIVING BELL & THE BUTTERFLY by Jean-Dominique Bauby

2. The Housekeeper & the Professor by Yoko Ogawa – Wordlily

3. SAM”S LETTERS TO JENNIFER by James Patterson

4. The Funny Thing Is by Ellen Degeneres – Wordlily

5. TRUE TO FORM by Elizabeth Berg

oct 19 blog 2

6. DAMAGE by Josephine Hart

7. A GRACIOUS PLENTY by Sheri Reynolds

8. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver – Julie H.

9. Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh – Julie H.

10. The Postman Always Rings Twice by James Cain – Strangelove

The New Earth From Above: 365 Days, by Yann Arthus-Bertrand

2 Comments

New Earth From Above by Yann Arthus-Bertrand: Book CoverFinished 10-18-09, rating 4.5/5, Natural History, pub. 2007

This outstanding book is part photography and part environmental lesson.  At the beginning of each month there is an essay written about major issues for the planet.  They include: sustainable development, climate change, forests, biodiversity, seas and oceans, freshwater, agroecology, renewable energy, mobility and equity, poverty, humanitarian work, and free trade.  These are long enough to learn something, but not too long that you stop reading and skip to the photos.

The 365 photos are amazing.  They are all shot from above (shocking given the title, I know) and so many look otherworldly.  I cannot say enough how much I loved these photos, some showcasing the natural beauty of our planet and a few showing the harsh pressure our actions place on the Earth.  The photo on the cover is from Montana.

With each photo is a description that usually involves history, statistics, and some reality for those of us in the United States.  For instance, did you know that 40% of felled trees go to the manufacture of paper?  That’s hard to read for a book lover! 

This book is not for the person who wants to live life ignoring his or her place in the world.  It was shocking, beautiful, and easy to appreciate.  I read a month at a time,  it took me a few weeks and I loved it.  There will quite a few friends who will be receiving this for Christmas!  There are several different editions, this was a second version published in 2007 and there was a new one published in 2009.  I plan on getting that one too.

My one and only complaint was that so many of pictures were of France.  The photographer is French, so it is understandable, but of the 365 photos taken of countries all over the world, 32 of them were of France.  I’m okay with the United States not getting extra just because we expect it, and it did not detract from the importance of the book, but maybe the next one will pick another favorite country.

This was a library copy.

11 Years and Counting

31 Comments

putman

This was taken 11 years ago today.  It’s hard to believe, really.  Jason and I met at the B.Dalton in Arlington, Virginia, where I was manager.  His Navy buddy worked there part-time and Jason wanted to use his buddy’s discount to buy a book (my hubby does know how to stretch a dollar, unlike his wife 🙂 ).  His friend put in a good word for him, which I must admit was needed.  You see I was 24, enjoying dating in a new city, and Jason was only 19 and living in the barracks.  But when he came in to the store to ask me out I was blown away by his confidence.  Seriously, that is the first thing I remember about him and it drew me in immediately.  We had our first two dates in one weekend and 2 1/2 years later we were married.   We are currently living our very own happily ever after.

PS – I am wearing my Mother’s wedding dress.

Fave Movie #50 – Made in Heaven

2 Comments

Made in Heaven [VHS]1987

Cast- Timothy Hutton & Kelly McGillis

Mike is a young man in the 1940’s when he is killed saving the lives of others.  He is welcomed in Heaven where he meets Annie, a new soul who was born there, and falls in love.  Only in this Heaven everyone is eventually sent back to Earth and Annie is the first to go.  Mike strikes a deal with Emmett, the man running things up there, and Mike is sent back as a baby.  He has thirty years to find her or he will lose his true love for eternity.

Why I love it– This love story is original, romantic, heartbreaking, and pure fantasy.  The version of Heaven is not what I picture when I think about it, but it was not so heavy handed to be offensive to anyone.  This is a Heaven where you can fall in love, learn new talents, and be happy and there is nothing wrong with that.

The love story is so pure.  They are meant to be together, but it won’t be easy.  They have to struggle and grieve and hold on to hope.  And it’s about finding your life’s purpose and being good to people, because you will run into them again in this life or the next.

What really brings this story together for me, in addition to the wonderful Timothy Hutton, is the hauntingly beautiful music.  The song, We Never Danced, will make you sit through the credits happily.  I’m including a video that plays it twice with clips of the movie.  I’d recommend stopping after the first one finishes so you don’t see every scene of the movie.

A few fun facts-I am pretty good with faces and I watched this movie quite a few times in the 90’s, only I never knew who Emmett (the guy in charge of Heaven) was.  When I included this movie in Monday’s meme I found out who Emmett was and was SHOCKED!  It was uncredited and is supposed to be a surprise so I won’t spoil it.  But I warn you, if you can’t figure it out the first time you’ll have to watch it again to see.

And for you 80’s rock star fans, Tom Petty, Ric Ocasek, and Neil Young all make cameos.

Challenge Completed!

11 Comments

readown3I completed my second challenge with my review of The Appeal yesterday!  It was the 50th book that I read this year that was on my shelves before January 1.  This is the first challenge I signed up for this year and one that fills me with satisfaction now I’ve accomplished it.  I had so many books that had languished on my shelves or boxes for years and now I’ve made a dent. 

Here’s the  link to the books I’ve read for this challenge.  Here are a few of my favorites-

The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom (powerful memoir of the Holocaust)

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (heartwarming coming-of-age story)

Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil by John Berendt (spend a little time in Savannah)

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen (love me some Mr. Darcy)

The Time Machine by HG Wells (original time travel classic)

Watchers by Dean Koontz (if you love dogs, you must read this book)

MizB  hosted this challenge and will be doing it again next year.  I plan to commit to another 50!  You should think about joining us 🙂

The Appeal, by John Grisham

3 Comments

The Appeal by John Grisham: Book CoverFinished 10-14-09, rating 3/5, fiction, pub.2007

“There are two fees.  First, a million as a retainer.  This is all properly reported.  You officially become our client, and we provide consulting services in the area if government relations, a wonderfully vague term that covers just about anything.  The second fee is seven million bucks, and we take it offshore.  Some of this will be used to fund the campaign, but most will be preserved.  Only the first fee goes on the books.”

Carl was nodding, understanding.  “For eight million, I can buy myself a supreme court justice.”

Wes and Mary Grace Payton have been fighting a huge chemical company in the courts for years, trying to get justice for a small Mississippi  town decimated by years of poisoning by Krane Chemical Corporation.  Carl Trudeau doesn’t take this lawyers seriously and is shocked when the jury sides with the plaintiff for $42 million and decides that it is time to put his money to work and buy an election. 

This story has a bit of courtroom drama and lots of the ugly side of politics.  There was a clear contrast between the haves and the haves nots, the rich and the poor, the power players and the powerless, and it was easy to root for the Davids as they battled Goliath.  Most states still elect state supreme court justices and this books shows how easily these elections can be bought.  And it is only the voters who suffer from the manipulation. 

This was a cynical and probably very accurate look at the election process we have in place and it will anger you.  Many of you know that I have been working at the elections the past few years and I encourage everyone to vote, but more than that I want people to vote with knowledge.  This book shines a spotlight on this problem.  I could go on for a while about this, but that’s a whole different post.

I really liked the first half of the book with the environmental focus, thought the middle was slow with way too much detail on the campaign play-by-play, and really hated the end.  If you are interested in politics or are a Grisham fan you may like this more than me.  Although, I’m interested in politics and I didn’t love it.

This came from my own library.

Teaser Tuesday – The Appeal

14 Comments

teasertuesdays31Teaser 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!

Cover Image

Mr. Bintz was about forty years old, short and thin, intense, with the smugness that Yankees can’t help but exude when they venture into decaying towns of the Deep South.

How could anyone live like this? their smirks seemed to ask.

Chapter 9 of The Appeal by John Grisham

That’s what this Yankee is reading today, what about you?

Monday Movie Meme – It’s all about love

12 Comments
Feature Presentation…
MONDAY MOVIE MEME

…we thought that instead we’d focus on the emotion of love, which is what drives a marriage after all. But most of us don’t get to experience the type of love and romance that is portrayed in the movies. If you could live any movie’s love story, which one would it be?

Before I give my answer I would like to wish the hosts of this wonderful meme, the Bumbles (Andy and Molly) a wonderfully romantic anniversary!

This is a tough one, to choose only ONE love story to live?  Let me list the parts of four that I would love to take part in.  Let’s start with the most cheesy movie on my list – Made in Heaven with Timothy Hutton and Kelly McGillis.  They were a couple who met in Heaven and then one had to leave.  Would the other leave Heaven, of all places, to follow her?  Of course!  That’s commitment.  Here’s the trailer of the film.  You may want some wine with the cheese.

And this moves right into my next one, Serendipity, with John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale.  It’s all about listening to your heart and keeping your eyes open to the clues of the universe.  And never letting yourself settle for second best. 

And next I need a dose of reality with When Harry Met Sally starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal.  As much of a romantic as I am I very much hate being put on a pedestal.  I want my guy to see me as I really am and love me anyway.  And he should be my best friend.

Okay, enough reality, I also want devotion, so my last pick would be The Princess Bride with Cary Elwes and Robin Wright.  This man endured death for her and his answer to her requests or desires?  “As you wish.”  Sigh.

What do you think?  Am I asking too much of my husband?  What would your movie be?

What Book is That? Quiz

16 Comments

Answers to last week’s First Lines Quiz here.

Can you identify these books by their censored titles?  Leave a comment with the number, title and author.  If you get the correct answer first you will be entered to win a free book from me 🙂  Details here.

blog oct 09 1

1.  AUDREY HEPBURN”S NECK by Alan Brown

2. Still Life by AS Byatt – Jackie

3. Summer in the City by Robyn Sisman – Strangelove

 4. Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner – Wrighty

5. I Do (But I Don’t) by Cara Lockwood – ‘Nise

blog oct 09 2

6. LORD JOHN & THE HAND OD DEVIL’S by Diana Gabaldon

7. THE SLEEPING DOLL by Jeffery Deaver

8.  The Husband by Dean Koontz – Wrighty

9.  Dear John by Nicholas Sparks – Thoughts of Joy

 10. WAR & PEACE by Leo Tolstoy