A Look Back at 2009!

Just want to look back at what I've accomplished this last year on the blogging front...a trip down memory lane sort to speak.

I started this blog, I think, in April and have been floored by all the wonderful people, books, experiences, etc during these last nine months. A big thanks to all who have read my little blog and have let me into your lives just a little!

Let's see....

Books read: 69

Challenges I joined: The Everything Austen Challenge was my first and how I met so many wonderful bloggers who are now my blomies! RIP challenge, Helluva Halloween Challenge, 2009 Holiday Reading Challenge, Women Unbound Challenge, and the Fear Itself Challenge. And the only one I didn't complete was the Fear Itself Challenge, which required me to read genres/authors I've never tried...

Books Won: 17

Awards Received: 20, but a few are repeats!

Followers: 77!

Giveaways: 2. I hosted one for my pirate week back in September and one for my first fifty followers!

I also participated in a book blog tour for Only Milo thanks to Nicole! And I participated in Velvet's virtual Pemberley Ball which was just delightful!

Blogging has renewed my interest in books and knowledge! Thanks to everyone for making my year one to remember!

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

I was expecting some good things from this book and I was not disappointed. It's full of action, thoughtfulness, love and romance, and zombies. All things I love in a novel. Though, the ending was a bit disappointing. I'm hoping that the ending means their are more books to come in this world of the Unconsecrated. I am informed that yes, there is a sequel The Dead-tossed Waves due out in March, I think.

We see the world from the perspective of Mary. She lives in a small village in the middle of a forest that is infested with zombies. They are the last remnants of the human race uninfected or so the Sisterhood tells everyone. But soon the village is finally overrun by the zombies and her, her brother, her friend, and the two men she loves escape with her into the forest. Her mother has told her stories of the world before the zombies came into it and she sets out to find the ocean and this world that may be free from the zombies.

There are a few things not patched up for me and a few plot twists that I didn't like, but I feel that it is another great zombie classic and am looking forward to its sequel!

Fear Itself Challenge Wrap-up

This should've been a wonderful challenge for me...but, too many other things came up and I didn't do so well on this one. This is my first reading challenge that I thoroughly botched big time. I was to read Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, an essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson, and a poem by someone. I made it to page 70ish in Oliver Twist, page 10 in Emerson's Nature essay, and didn't even get to a poem, though many were in easy access. I'm horrible. I just couldn't do it...too many other books calling my attention so I guess my heart was not in it. So if Donna @ Bites does it again I will have to give it another go this next year with my heart fully in it!

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Summary: Ani is born with the ability to learn animal languages and her aunt helps her through her young years, but her mother the queen finds this animal-speaking abhorrent and ends up giving her daughter to another kingdom for marriage when she turns sixteen. Along the way her lady-in-waiting and her cronies mutiny so Selena can take Ani's place and become queen in Bayern. But Ani escapes and learns to survive by becoming the king's goose girl and befriending others.

The Good: It's a cute story, clean, and has morals to teach, such as finding who you are. Ani is a strong character and so are the others that we meet. Shannon Hale writes this story well.

The Bad: This just wasn't my style. I enjoy a good fantasy novel, but this one didn't hold my interest. But I can see why so many people like it. I just haven't found a Hale novel that I've really enjoyed yet.

The Christmas Clock by Kat Martin

I won this delightful book from Margot @Joyfully Retired. It was a great holiday Christmas read. The book introduces us to the little town of Dreyerville and its various residents. They all have their secrets, their disappoints, and their hopes and dreams and it centers around little 8-year-old Teddy and his desire to give his grandmother something special, the Christmas clock in the window.

It's a very touching story and a very quick read so you can enjoy it in one sitting. I highly recommend it!

*part of the 2009 Holiday Reading Challenge.

Relentless by Dean Koontz (audio CD)

My friend recommended this one to me since she's a big Dean Koontz fan and I'm not. She said this was Koontz at his best. So I figured I give it a try through an audio CD. This was my first audio book and I was not disappointed. I listened through in just a few days and even my hubby was anxious for the ending.

Cubby, his wife Pennie, and their prodigy son Milo, and their magical dog Lassie are running for their lives when a psychotic book critic threatens their lives. But the conspiracy seems to go even farther up the chain than first realized and they are determined to put an end to it one way or another.

The storyline is a bit unbelievable with government conspiracies, magical dogs, and a too-genius son. But it's fun and entertaining. But not enough to make me a huge Dean Koontz fan.

Merry Christmas!!!!

I'm taking a bit of a break for the holidays coming up....so no TV Thursday meme this week and possibly next, but I'll decide that one later!, though, I have a few book reviews scheduled over the next couple of days. So I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!!

Violet Wings by Victoria Hanley

Victoria Hanley introduces a wonderful set of characters in a wonderful and magical world. We have fairies that have magic and use wands and keep themselves hidden from the humans. The premise does have overtones of Harry Potter, but it can stand on its own.

Zaria is fourteen and ready to become an adult fairy, to gain her wand, and learn how to use magic. She's also wondering what has happened to her parents and her brother that disappeared five years before. Once she gains her wand she realizes she is a Violet fairy meaning one of the most powerful fairies in all the world. She must go up against her mentor Lily Morganite who has ulterior motives as well. She and her friends must save her world and that of the humans as well.

I wanted more. An excellent setup and story, but it failed to deliver for me. It was too simple. The end is left open for a sequel so maybe Hanley will give more detail in the sequel. Great setup, just too simple.

Teaser Tuesdays- Goose Girl

 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!

My Teaser: p. 64 "There is no such thing as as royal blood. I believe we are what we make ourselves."

From The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

The Circle of Friends Award!!!!!!!!!!

A big thanks to Renee @ Black 'n Gold Girl's Book Spot for nominating me for this honored award! But before I pass this on to five more of my blogger friends I must mention five things that I love to do!

1. Eat!
2. Read!!!!!
3. Watch movies and TV
4. Hang out with my hubby and little boy and laugh, play games, talk, etc...
5. Play sports (my faves are basketball and volleyball)!!!!

I am passing this one onto five more of my blogging friends!

1. alita.reads
2. Word Trix
3. Vintage Joy
4. the road goes ever ever on 
5. The Little Bookworm 

Weekly Movie Wrapup

Here are the movies I watched this last week in five words!

1. The Blind Side (2009): Superb! I cried, I laughed.

2. A Christmas Story (1983): "Fraaaa-giiii-leeee. It must be Italian."

3. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992): My favorite adaptation of novel!

4. Eli Stone season two (2008-2009): All's well that ends well.

Happy December 19th!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I have really fallen behind in my Christmas facts posts. I didn't think it would be so hard! So I've just been getting them in where I can!

KRAMPUS

This guy is the assistant to St. Nicholas in Austria. December 6th is their day to visit all the good and bad children! This grotesque demon carries a rod or a whip for all the badly behaved children! But thank goodness St. Nicholas intercedes and allows the bad kids to promise to be better and no rod or whip! I'll definitely hold off on my naughty tendencies to avoid the Krampus!

Things i LOVE Friday!

Hosted by Midnight Cowgirl @The Fashion Planner

only one week til Christmas!

My little boy sucking on his pjs and soaking everything around him!

peanut butter and chocolate

Christmas goodies

Christmas books

snow

celebrating another anniversary!

Soulless

Soulless by Gail Carriger

 Summary: Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

SOULLESS is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

This was a perfect blend of mystery, romance, steampunk, and the supernatural! Alexia Tabarotti is sensational; she's a wonderfully strong female character! Gail Carriger opens up a whole new world of the Victorian era of England. What would life be like if the natural and supernatural worked in league together?

Alexia just happens to be a preternatural, one who neutralizes the powers and characteristics of those who are supernatural...and thus they call her the soulless one.

There are a lot of Jane Austen homages in this book as well...the dress, the decorum, Alexia's family! Her mother is Mrs. Bennet and her two sisters are Lydia and Kitty. And her Lord Maccon is Austen's Mr. Darcy! Just lovely.

TV Thursday

My weekly TV meme that's all about...TV!

This week is all about series finales. USA's show Monk (2002-2009) just aired its final episode this week. I thought it was a great wrap-up to this incredibly smart and funny show. We finally learn who killed Trudy and why and its healing effect upon Mr. Monk. So it was a fantabulous series finale; it neatly tied up loose ends and made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside....so my thoughts are what TV shows ended really lame? What ones ended fantabulously like Monk?

For me? I hated how Quantum Leap (1989-1993) ended...it wrapped things up but in a very confusing and annoying way. Veronica Mars (2004-2007) had a great season finale episode! But a horrible end to the series...it got canceled and the creator Rob Thomas was hoping a season finale episode would persuade the bigwigs at top to renew the show for one more season...didn't happen. It's the most frustrating thing ever!!!!!

Most people probably won't agree with me, but I thought the series finale to Seinfeld (1990-1998) was superb! The selfish and whiny peeps finally got their just desserts! Though, it was a sad ending to a wonderful comedy era...

For some reason the series' that I love just haven't gotten their great final hurrahs. Oh well! I keep watching and hoping...

Wondrous Words Wednesday

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bermudaonion's Weblog where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading. If you want to play along, grab the button, and join the fun! (Don’t forget to leave a link in your comment if you’re participating).

My words come from Soulless by Gail Carriger.

1. p.93 "Hundreds of years of experience colored every new occurrence with predictability and ennui."
ENNUI: a feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest; boredom.
ORIGIN: 1660–70; from French and Old French.

2. p.227 "Lord Ambrose you can disregard; he is her pet favorite but hasn't the brains of a peahen, I am afraid, for all his pulchritude."
 PEAHEN: A female pea fowl.

PULCHRITUDE: Great physical beauty and appeal.

ORIGIN: 1350–1400; From Middle English pulcritude, from Latin pulchritūdō, from pulcher, pulchr-, beautiful.

Dreamhunter by Elizabeth Knox

From Goodreads: Laura comes from a world similar to our own except for one difference: It is next to the Place, an unfathomable land that fosters dreams of every kind and is inaccessible to all but a select few, the dreamhunters. These are individuals with the ability to catch larger-than-life dreams and relay them to audiences in the magnificent dream palace. People travel from all around to experience the benefits of the hunters’ unique visions.
     Now, fifteen-year-old Laura and her cousin Rose, daughters of dreamhunters, are old enough to find out if they qualify to enter the Place. But nothing can prepare them for what they are about to discover. In the midst of a fascinating landscape, Laura’s dreamy childhood is ending, and a nightmare is beginning.

I had a feeling I was going to love this book when it was suggested for my book club. I'm a big fantasy and YA junkie so this seemed like the perfect fit for me. This is unlike any book I've ever read before. I was drawn into Laura's world of the dreamhunters. This takes place in the early twentieth century and has a steampunk feel; an alternate history since the dreamhunters entered the world. I enjoyed the struggle Laura felt as she has to grow up once she realizes she is also a dreamhunter like her father. Her cousin is not and she has to do things on her own in order to find out why her father disappeared and what The Place actually is.


The relationship between Laura and her cousin is beautiful. Even though Rose couldn't go with Laura into The Place she was still there for Laura. Their relationship is one I wish I could have with my own sisters.

It's a unique and interesting story; I loved it! January I start reading its sequel, Dreamquake!

My 2009 Holiday Blogger Book Swap Gift!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It has finally arrived! My Secret Santa was Monica over at The Bibliophilic Book Blog! So a big thanks to her for my wonderful gift! The Ruben Toledo cover of Wuthering Heights by Charlotte Bronte. He has also done covers for Pride and Prejudice and The Scarlet Letter; they're really pretty so check them out too. This was such a great idea and am so glad I was able to participate. I think next year I will go global with the book swap! So check out all the goodies the participants have received here!

Teaser Tuesdays-Soulless

 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!

My Teaser:

p. 134 "Finally Lord Maccon looked up. 'Grovel, you say?'
            Lyall did not glance away from the latest vampire report he was perusing. 'Grovel, my lord.'"

From Soulless by Gail Carriger

Monday Movie Meme & Weekly Movie Wrap-up

Feature Presentation...

MONDAY MOVIE MEME

Hosted by The Bumbles Blog. This week's theme is movies that are about music, not necessarily musicals. This was all I could think of off the top of my head!

1. That Thing You Do! (1996): Written and directed by Tom Hanks! This one is a gem!
2. August Rush (2007): A musical genius uses his genius to find his musical biological parents. It was sweet.

Weekly Movie Wrap-up in Five Words!

1. Public Enemies (2009): Bank robbers never win...die.
2. Terminator Salvation (2009): Didn't drop the F-bomb once!
3. Julie & Julia (2009): Both Julies cook it up!
4. Harry Potter & The Half-blood Prince (2009): Stupid Malfoy; Dumbledore dies, sad.
5. Because of Winn-Dixie (2005): The cute dog smiles big!
6. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009): First was better; still fun.