The Sunday Salon ~ June 27th, 2010

 

Today I was listening to NPR’s Book Podcast for June 24th and the topic was “Summer Books That Make The Critic’s Cut” and the host wrapped things up with an interesting yet curious (to me) phrase. 

She said, “It’s summer – a great excuse to read whatever and whenever you want.” 

Well I thought that anytime was a “great excuse to read whatever and whenever you want”, especially as an adult who isn’t in school and therefore, doesn’t have homework.  The only time I’m reading something that wasn’t picked by me is when I have to read something for book club, but my rule for my book club is if you aren’t feeling it, the book isn’t grabbing you and you just can’t get through it, than by all means don’t read it.  There are too many books out there to get hung up by just one! 

What are your thoughts out there in The Sunday Salon?  You!  Over on that fabulous red velvet chaise!  Or you!  Laying in the hammock off the deck!  What does summer, or any season reading for that matter mean to you?

The Sunday Salon ~ November 15th, 2009

 

Long time, no see Sunday Saloners!  I have been so out of the loop but not when it comes to books.  Last week I received an e-mail from the publicist responsible for the sequel to The Nanny Diaries, Nanny Returns.  It will be in book stores and available on-line December 15th and I jumped at the chance to read and review it.  It arrived in the mail the other day and I have started reading it at night before I go to bed and so far it’s enjoyable and clever.  We’ll see what happens to Nan and the Xes and I’ll let you know what I think in a couple of weeks.  Also, authors Emma McLaughlin and/or Nicola Kraus will answer my questions for a special Q&A post here on Planet Books.  If any of you have a question for them let me know and I’ll ask them on your behalf!

The last book I read was for book club and it was The Lovely Bones.  I really loved it but was a bit disappointed with part of the end.  I will review it here on Planet Books after our discussion/lunch next Saturday.  It should prove for a very good afternoon with the ladies. 

I’m going to try to get at least three more books read before years end, including Nanny Returns.  I had discussed in the previous post on here that I had challenged myself to sing thirty-four books for my thirty-four years.  Well, I won’t hit that number but that is okay.  I will challenge myself to read thirty-five books in 2010 starting on my birthday, New Years Day.  Will you hit your challenge goals you set for yourself this year?  What has been your favorite book so far?  Mine was Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay.  You can read my review HERE.

Sunday Salon ~ July 12th, 2009

Happy Sunday fellow book bloggers.  I hope you have had a great couple of weeks.  My schedule has been so busy that my blogging, unfortunately, has fallen to the way side.  I have been trying to keep up with my Google Reader feeds but that has been difficult too.  I have been relieved to learn that there are at least a few of you out there in the blogesphere who have had an equally busy summer so far and their blogs have suffered the same fate.  I have been reading though so that’s good.  I was reading The Accidental Tourist but last week I received a book for review, Two Years, No Rainby Shawn Klomparens for TLC Book Tours, and have had to put The Accidental Tourist on the back burner.  The book for review is really good so far and I’m hoping to find the time this week to get it finished so I can write my review by next Monday. 

Next weekend has us going to Williamsburg, VA for a friend’s wedding and then the following Wednesday we fly out to Seattle for my cousin’s wedding.  So the next couple of weeks will be very very busy for us.  It’s hard to believe that Hubby, Rocky and I moved back to the States from Okinawa two months ago today!  The house is coming along nicely and we now have a concrete basement floor.  Woo Hoo!!  There is a possibility that we could have our pre-dry wall meeting before we fly out to the Pacific Northwest but more than likely it will be after we return two weeks from tomorrow.  I have been thinking about our bookshelves and the ones that will go in my office.  Since I am doing a cream on white office with red accessories, I am thinking about either painting my bookshelves red or finding a nice red striped wallpaper to apply to them.  What do you think? 

So, what have you been up to lately?  Reading anything worth while or is it killing you just to try to finish the chapter?

Sunday Salon ~ April 19th, 2009

This weekend the reading had to fall to the wayside with our pack-out this week but inventorying our books was a priority.  (I hope to participate in the next Dewey Readathon though.)  Hardcovers, trade paperbacks, mass market paperbacks, cookbooks, graphic novels, piano music books and craft books.  Of course the majority of the books we own are fiction and non-fiction so keep that in mind when I tell you that in our house in Okinawa (not counting what is waiting for us in our storage crates when they arrive in Virginia from Memphis, TN later this summer) we have 480 books.  WOW!!!!  480! 

Have you ever inventoried all of your books?  How many do you have or how many do you think you might have?  Be them purchased, won or ARC’s, is it close to 500 like us or is it even more? 

{Side Note:  We also inventoried our DVD’s and video games.  DVD’s (not counting discs within box sets and TV show seasons) came to 285.  Our video games, spread out over Wii, PS3, PS2 and XBOX totaled 65.}

Sunday Salon ~ January 25th, 2009

Where did last week go?  It was a four day work week for Hubby and I stayed up till 3am on Wednesday morning watching President Obama’s Inauguration but I still don’t know where the week went.  I finished reading Curtis Sittenfeld’s American Wife and reviewed it HERE the other day.  Earlier this week I received a brand new copy of Alyson Noel’s upcoming release, Evermore, from her publicist and am enjoying it so far.  (Thanks Alyson & Katy!!)  It’s YA Fiction and will probably be enjoyed by fans of the Twilight series.  Though I don’t think it’s vampires (I haven’t discovered the secret of some characters yet) it does deal with psychic powers, reading auras and teen crushes/lust/love. 

I finally recieved my Amazon book order yesterday and will be reading Janice Y. K. Lee’s new book, The Piano Teacher, as soon as I finish Evermore.  I had also ordered a copy of The Wizard of Oz for a dear young friend of mine here in Okinawa.  M is a huge reader and had been wanting to read The Wizard of Oz since before Christmas so I ordered the Illustrated Junior Edition of the book and gave it to her yesterday.  It filled me with so much joy when I saw the smile spread across her face and when she gave me a huge hug.  I love this kid and she really is wonderful.  I hope you love The Wizard of Oz and remember, “there’s no place like home” M!

Did you have a quick week too? What did you read?  Do you have any books that you know will be coming out soon that you are really interested in reading?  What are some of your favorite books for ten/eleven year olds? 

Sunday Salon ~ August 17th, 2008

How did I get here already!  It just seems like I was posting a Sunday Salon two days ago, not seven!  I’ve been a reading fool this past week.  I read I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert and I absolutely loved it.  You can check out my review HERE.  I am also running a giveaway contest for two signed copies of Anisha Lakhani’s debut novel, Schooled, until tonight, Sunday August 17th at Midnight EDT.  You can check it out and enter HERE.  I will be using Random.org to select the two winners and Anisha will be personalizing them as well as mailing them.

Planet Books has also been graced with guest posts from two authors this week.  Marcus Sakey’s new novel, Good People, just came out in stores on Thursday, August 14th and he stopped by to talk about his book and what he’s reading this summer.  You can check it out HERE.  Also, The Summer of Naked Swim Parties author, Jessica Anya Blea wrote a laugh-out-loud guest post for Planet Books.  You can read it HERE.   

As you may have noticed this month is flying by.  Hell, the summer must not have happened because I can’t believe it’s almost over!  How many of you are taking part in Planet Books’ July/August book club and reading The Great Man by Kate Christensen?  Well, I’ve finally gotten around to picking it up and to tell you the truth, it isn’t grabbing my attention like I hoped it would?  Have you finished it yet?  What did you think or what do you you think so far if you are reading it last minute too?  I will continue to try to get into The Great Man but I am curious if I’m the only one struggling with this book?

If you aren’t reading The Great Man, then what are you reading today?  Anything good?  Anything I should avoid?  Please let me know.  I love being nosey and checking out what y’all are reading!

Sunday Salon ~ Books On The Way

Last week I joined a great little on-line group called The Sunday Salon.  The Sunday Salon is a virtual reading room where book lovers pledge to set aside time on Sunday’s to read and then create a post on their blog and share about what they read.  It’s a great system and I can’t wait to get started.  Unfortunately this Sunday was not going to find me participating.  I have three books on their way to me in the mail and I haven’t wanted to delve into something else while waiting.  The three books are Barbara Walter’s “Audition”, Jodi Picoult’s “Nineteen Minutes”, and the Planet Books reading group selection “Matrimony” by Joshua Jenkins. 

If you are wondering what happened to the last book I was reading, “Boomsday”, well I lost interest.  I hate it when that happens but when it does there is no climbing out of that hole for me.  I think that the topic being so political and the real life Presidential election coverage just was too much for me.  I didn’t feel like I was reading for enjoyment as the story continued.  It was a good book and I am sure I will re-visit it again in the future, but I needed to put it back on the shelf for the time being. 

I hope my order arrives in the early part of this week so I can dig in (I’m especially excited about Barbara Walter’s memoir) and participate in The Sunday Salon next weekend.