I Almost Didn't Blog About This....

There's a clothing store in India called.... Hitler.  Seriously!  WTF????  Click the link below for more information.

KiSS 92.5 | Toronto's #1 Hit Music Station

*I didn't include the picture because I didn't want it to appear on my blog.
**Seriously, how could this guy think it was a good idea????
***I had a difficult time even typing the name out.  So very offensive.

A Cocktail & Conversation -- Naughty Authors & Its Affects On Us As Readers

I wanted to highlight a new feature on The Broke and The Bookish.  Each week they'll be talking about a different bookish topic, sharing their opinions.  I found this week's topic really interesting and something I've discussed with friends before.  Tahleen's link is also really... informative.  Click the link below to be taken to the discussion.

The Broke and the Bookish - A Book Blog For The Eclectic Reader: A Cocktail & Conversation -- Naughty Authors & Its...:  Every Wednesday here at the Broke & The Bookish is going to be A Cocktail & Conversation time. We'll pose a question to 2-3 members of ...

(Too bad I'm at work and can't have a cocktail... or can I?)

Top Ten Bookish Confessions (or Something Close To It)

I almost didn’t join in this week, but I’m trying not to become a hermit…  The Broke and The Bookish are asking for my Top Ten Bookish Confessions.  I don’t know if I have any “confessions”.  But here are the top ten things I do because of my love for books.

1. I do not dog ear pages.  The idea of doing it makes me cringe.  If I don’t have a bookmark, scrap of paper or whatever, I look down at the bottom of the page and try to remember the page number.  If that doesn’t happen, the next time I pick up the book, I flip until I find somewhere close to where I left off.

2. I don’t do library fines.  That’s probably because of my book-buying addiction.  Even if I borrow a book, if I like it, I’ll end up buying it.

3. I buy more books than I can read.  I can’t help it.  They’re so pretty.  Especially if they’re on the sale table, it makes it so much more tempting.

4. I refuse to give books away.  Okay, not refuse.  But of my hundreds of books, my hubby asked me to get rid of some so we could make some room (for new books, he did the same thing), I only picked out about eight.  I haven’t actually gotten rid of them yet either.  They’re on the floor of the bedroom.  I was thinking of giving them away here…

5. I never crack the spine.  Sorry.  I know there are people who love the look of a well read book, but I don’t.  I like to keep them pretty.  If I lend a book and the spine comes back cracked, I am obviously unhappy (my hubby is worse).  It’s mine; you should return it in the same condition it was in when you took it (like anything else you might borrow).

6. I talk about characters in books like they’re real people.

7. I never lie about whether I’ve read a book or not.  I won’t fake it just to look smart/cool/popular/whatever.

8. I never lie about whether I like a book or not.  Even if I know everyone else has liked it.

So I know I’m “admitting” these things, but I’m not “confessing” them.  They’re not secrets.  Many of them I’ve mentioned on my blog before.  Though most books I read are fiction, I’m not fictional in my reactions to them.  Fiction may be pretend, but there is a lot of truth in it too.

Too deep for Top Ten Tuesday?

Talking About Myself: A Quick Bookish Survey

I saw this quick little update/list over at The Broke and The Bookish yesterday.  I’ve read three of the five books Kelly mentioned.  It’s a nice, fun update, but I had to really think about number five.  For someone who has a slight book obsession, I haven’t gotten that many bookish gifts in the last year or two. 

1.  Book I Am Currently Reading:  Forty Stories, edited by Cal Morgan.  Forty Stories is probably the main reason I’m doing this survey.  I just want to tell everyone about it.  The ebook is a FREE collection of forty short stories by forty different authors.  Some have books out, some don’t.  They are fantastic stories (I have about a fifth of the book left).  I think these are the authors at their best.  They are intense, fascinating stories and I’d be happy to read a book by (almost) all of these people.

 

2.  The Last Book I Finished:  City of Glass (Mortal Instruments 3) by Cassandra Clare.  So good!  (Review here.)

3.  The Next Book I Want To Read:  I haven’t quite decided which book I’d like to read.  It will likely be either Insurgent, by Veronica Roth or Prismatic by Sarah Elle Emm (won on Goodreads).

 4.  The Last Book I Bought:  I actually just ordered a bunch of books from Chapters that were on sale.  Yay, sale!  I bought Cinder by Marissa Meyer, The Good Man Jesus and The ScoundrelChrist by Phillip Pullman and The Fall (The Strain Two) by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan.  I also bought a copy of Wither (which I already own) as a present for someone.

5.  The Last Book I Was Given:  The Dark Tower:The Gunslinger – The Little Sisters of Eluria, by Stephen King (plus many others).  I haven’t read it yet because it’s based on a short story that he wrote that is in the collection, Everything’s Eventual.  I have the collection beside my bed.  Why haven’t I read it yet?  I don’t know.  Maybe that should be my answer to number 3.

Thoughts?  Leave a link if you answer the questions on your site or answer them in the comments below.  Be sure to check out the answers from The Broke and The Bookish too!

It’s Always Difficult To Pick Favourites

My blog has been around a long time.  I started it back in 2006.  Six years!  I’ve read a lot of books.  As The Broke and The Bookish have requested, I’ve narrowed it down to ten (or thirteen).  You can see the progression, looking back at 2006 to now, how much more verbose I am in my reviews.  I’ve also read across the genre and age spectrum.  In no particular order, here are the Top Ten Favourite Books I’ve Read During The Lifespan of My Blog.

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseinni
2. To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
3. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, by Gregory Maguire
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling
5. 1984, by George Orwell
6. Wicked:  The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, by Gregory Maguire
7. The Dark Tower III:  The Waste Lands, by Stephen King
8. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins (re-read)
9. Dead to the World, by Charlaine Harris
10. The Gum Thief, by Douglas Coupland
11. The Paper Bag Princess, by Robert Munsch
12. Wither, by Lauren DeStefano
13. World War Z, by Max Brooks

I couldn’t do it!  I couldn’t just pick ten.  What are your favourite books that you’ve blogged about?

* Some of the early reviews seem to not have any spoiler warnings on them.  Oops!

*All book links lead to my reviews.

The Book World to Real Life – Could They Make It?

This week’s topic from The Broke and The Bookish made me think.  A lot.  I considered what obstacles the couples had to overcome, as well as the foundations of their relationships.  I didn’t want to just throw together a list of romantic couples, that would be too easy…  So here we are, my Top Ten (Eight) Couples Who Might Make It In The Real World.

1. Ron and Hermione (Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling) – I know it’s almost cliché, but clichés exist for a reason.  They work through the antagonistic feelings to become friends, then from friends to more.  They would be those friends you have to dinner with who tell you how they hated each other, but now, it’s funny to think back on.

2. Eddie and Susannah (Dark Tower series, by Stephen King) – I know they’re not exactly a well known “romance”, but they are a couple that went through a lot.  Not even death could stop them from being together.  Eddie didn’t see Susannah as disabled, he saw her as someone he could love forever.  In the end, they did get a chance to make it in the real world and you’re left with the feeling that they do.

3. Lizzy and Darcy (Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen) – I know everyone will probably have Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy on their list.  But I don’t care.  They are a great couple.  It wasn’t love at first site and that makes is so much more real.

4. Katniss and Peeta (The Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins) – I think it’s the epilogue at the end of Mockingjay that really makes me feel like Katniss and Peeta could have a real relationship in the real world.

5. Becky Bloomwood and Luke Brandon (Shopaholic Series, by Sophie Kinsella) – Though exaggerated for the books, Becky and Luke seem to have real problems, like working too much or shopping too much and they work through them.

6. Sookie and Sam (Sookie Stackhouse series, by Charlaine Harris) – Yup, that’s right, I said Sam.  Bill lied and Eric is too selfish.  After Deadlocked I think that’s who Sookie is going to end up with.  Sam is kind and has been a good friend to her no matter which crazy vampire or shifter she’s dated.

7. Jane and Rochester (Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë) – If you want to read about a woman who doesn’t change her values just to be with a man, then read this book.  They still end up together.

8. Henry and Clare (The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger) – I know this has been on a lot of lists too, but even without the time traveling, I think they could make their lives work.

That’s it.  Eight.  I can think of lots of couples in books, but I doubt the staying power of their relationships.  I thought of adding Harry and Ginny, but thought one Harry Potter couple was enough, so I picked the one I thought more likely to work.  I know there are people who picked Edward Ferrars and Elinor Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility, but if this were the real world, Elinor would have found someone else ages before Edward came around.  Except for the first two, I kind of doubt my own choices too.  Relationships in the real world are difficult, wonderful and amazing, but difficult.

What do you think?

City of Glass (Mortal Instruments #3)

Mild/Vague Spoilers…

City of Glass had the feel of the end of a trilogy.  It wasn’t because I knew it was the third book; I also know that there are two more books after it.  Much of the feeling came with the climax and the ending.  The battle, the relationships, the deaths, all had an underlying tone of finality.  Maybe Cassandra Clare wasn’t sure that The Mortal Instruments series would continue afterward.  There are obviously openings to continue, Sebastian/Johnathon, Simon/Maia/Isabelle, plus Clary’s training, but there wasn’t the cliffhanger ending like the second book.  
Obvious Spoilers…

I knew that Jace and Clary weren’t actually brother and sister, not just because I had a difficult time believing that a writer would do that, but because of all the little hints given throughout this book and the second.  The way Clary recognized Sebastian; I knew it had to be him instead, especially after the kiss.

No More Spoilers…

Cassandra Clare did not disappoint with the third book in her Mortal Instruments series.  There was one death I didn’t see coming, however (people who have read the book will know what I mean.)  It was heartbreaking, but that’s what a good writer does.  No character is safe.  

I think this might be a nice place to take a break.  There are five published books in the series.  I’ve now read three.  I want to read the other two very much, but I’ve always been a reader who likes variety and without the gnawing questions at the end, like with books one and two, I think I’m going to read another book or two before coming back to the series.  Plus, I have a feeling that City of Fallen Angels will be like a beginning to a new trilogy within the series (and book number six won’t be out for a while.)  I’ve read other series where the writers do this, create a story arch over a few books within a longer/ongoing series.  It’s nice to be left eager for the next book, but it’s also nice to think that the characters will be happy for a little while.

Update!

I have a job!  Yay!  I’ve been tense about being unemployed and that my money was going to run out soon, but I don’t have to worry about it anymore.  Thanks to everyone who sent me kind words.  It’ll be nice to finally relax and not wake up and job hunt every day.  I don’t start for another few days, so I’ll actually get time off to enjoy with my family!  Yay again!

Faces of Tomorrow / Faces of Time

Remember the "Roots of Empathy" program I participated in with my son?  I wrote several blog posts chronicling that journey.  Though there was a classroom full of unpredictable kindergarteners, it was worth every moment.  The founder, Mary Gordon (or at least someone working for her), sent me a book.  We all know how much I love books.  Couriered to my home, they sent me, Faces of Time, a photo book of babies!  I love babies.  Mary Gordon's daughter, Melanie, is the photographer.  Baby faces!  

Faces of Time is the second in a series.  The first book, Faces of Tomorrow , is a collection of baby faces, from various cultures, in various expressions.  That one was given to me way back in October when I first signed up for the program.  Faces of Time features Canadian Aboriginal babies, First Nations, Métis and Inuit.  I didn't even realize the babies were aboriginal until I read the "thank you" letter that came with the book.  Honestly, these babies remind me of mine.

I am trying to find these books online!!!!  

Babies love faces.  It's something I learned with my first child.  Faces are full of expression and contrast.  That's why babies are always grabbing at your face, it's just so interesting!

Okay.  So, I'm expressing how cute these books are.  They're simple and nice.  I can't find them at a single retailer.  You can order Faces of Tomorrow through the Roots of Empathy website, but that's it!  Why?  Why are the Gordons making it impossible for their books to be found by the general public?  Do they want to books to have a more exclusive feel?  Are they expensive to reproduce, so they only make enough to fill orders through the website and to give to parents like me?  I'd like to know.  These books are nice, I'm recommending them here, but without a way for anyone who reads this post to easily get their hands on a copy.  Besides ordering the first book, Faces of Tomorrow through the website, I can't find another way.  It almost makes me like the books less.