Argh!

So, I've been neglecting this blog. Again. I really don't want to. Honest! I'm all about the writing and sharing and reading of blogs. It's just been a helluva couple of weeks. I went on vacation! Woo! Finally! I was on a Canada/New England cruise for a week and spent a couple of pre-nights in New York. It was great. I read four books during the cruise (ok 3 1/2) but still, I read a lot. It was a port intensive cruise so I didn't have as much reading time as I would have liked. I'll get to reviewing those books soon. Promise.

Last Sunday I lost my little dog Oreo. She was almost 12 and it was her time to go. It didn't make it any easier and I'm shocked that I'm not crying while writing those words. She'd been a part of my life for almost 12 years. A huge part. She was my baby. I'll post a tribute to her at some point but it's too raw right now. It's too recent.

Anyway, I've been struggling to get back into routines, let alone find time to blog. I'll be back later with my Teaser Tuesday entry.

Booking Through Thursday

Here's today's topic:

What was the most unusual (for you) book you ever read? Either because the book itself was completely from out in left field somewhere, or was a genre you never read, or was the only book available on a long flight… whatever? What (not counting school textbooks, though literature read for classes counts) was furthest outside your usual comfort zone/familiar territory?
And, did you like it? Did it stretch your boundaries? Did you shut it with a shudder the instant you were done? Did it make you think? Have nightmares? Kick off a new obsession?

Wow, tough question. Since it says no textbooks, I can't describe the horrors of my Statistics text. Too bad, it ended up as a prop under a broken couch.

One book that I was surprised by was The Three Junes by Julia Glass. It was a National Book Award winner which is why I bought it. I was trying to impress people by reading good literature! It was one that I wouldn't have picked up if I really knew what it was about. There is one scene in that book that I will never forget and one character who I felt was incredibly heartless. The biggest thing for me was that it opened my eyes about AIDS - again.

There was a time, when the disease was in the headlines all the time. Characters in movies and tv shows dealt with HIV and AIDS, but it seems that it left my radar for some reason. I have not been personally touched by the disease, which may be why it wasn't in my mind. About the same time I read The Three Junes, I saw the movie Rent (I wasn't able to see the stage show) which deals with the same topic. It seemed that I was being given the opportunity to see things differently through this book and that movie.

So while that book wasn't my favorite, it was a moving story that ultimately taught me to be a little more compassionate, a little more tolerant and a bit more aware.

Teaser Tuesday

Another Tuesday rolls around and I can't seem to get my teaser in before 10 pm. Oh well, at least I'm doing it. I'd like to mention that I am currently reading High Five by Janet Evanovich. I have all of her books and I read them at various times during the year. I always enjoy them and can count on them being a ton of fun. I don't want to read them all at once because then I'd be sitting around waiting for her to write more. So yes, I'm behind the rest of the world but that's all right. I'll have plenty to read.

From page 185 comes a lovely quote from Grandma Mazur. How much do we all love Grandma? Seriously? She's awesome!

"I guess that's where I heard of her. There's lots of people in that seniors' club, and I don't go to the meetings all the time. I can only take too much of old people. If I want to see loose skin I can look in the mirror."

High Five

I went to Google a picture of the book High Five by Janet Evanovich. I ran across this cat. It made me smile. Enjoy!

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

I finally finished The Lace Reader. Whew! What a ride that book was. First off I want to say that I did enjoy it very much. That being said, there are a few comments I'd like to make. First of all I picked up this book because I had read good reviews. I don't know anyone personally who has read it. I'm glad I did pick it up because now I get to share it with some friends.

This book takes place in Salem, MA. Most of us have heard the stories of the famous "witch" trials that took place. I've never been to that part of the country but I will be visiting Boston next week, which isn't far from Salem. It's about a woman, Towner, who is in her early 30's but for some reason I kept wanting to age her. I felt that she had to be older than me. In reading the author's notes I see that the time frame for this book was about 1996. This would make sense as it would make Towner older than me now. I know that doesn't make a lot of sense but it does in my head!

Towner comes home for the first time in many years because her great-aunt (the relationship is still not entirely clear) is missing. She has to face her mother, her aunt, and the memories of her twin sister for the first time. Towner is haunted by her past, including an abusive uncle who is now an extreme religious fanatic, starting his own witch hunts. Her old boyfriend is still around causing minor trouble for her burgeoning relationship with the town detective.

The twists and turns in this story were what kept it moving. Just when I'd figure something out, I'd be shown the opposite was true. Of all the characters, I enjoyed Rafferty the most. He was the detective, hopelessly infatuated with Towner even though he knew the truth of her past. He knew more than I as the reader did. I couldn't relate too much to Towner as I've never been in such emotional turmoil for such a long period of time.

This novel is full of clever writing and a very vivid setting. I really have quite the image in my head of Yellow Dog Island and surrounding areas. I have a few questions though! Wouldn't it be great to sit down with the author sometime? I'd post my questions but I don't want to give anything away. I'd love to hear what you think!

Running Out of Books

Two days ago my friend and co-worker told me that she had nothing to read. She had run out of books!

Yeah, I might have made that face. It is one of my greatest fears. I don't know if there is a technical term for "fear of nothing to read" but there should be. I have it. I am currently in no danger of running out of books especially since I received a nifty little box from Amazon today.

That old question about what you would take with you to a deserted isle? My first answer is almost always a book. A really big book. Better yet, a series. Even better yet, a Kindle loaded with as much as it can hold. Of course I'd need electricity to keep it charged so maybe a truly deserted isle wouldn't be the best place for me.

When my friend told me she had nothing to read, my mind immediately started churning. I had to solve her problem! I'm not quite done with the Lace Reader, so I couldn't give her that. In my car I have at least three books but as they are my emergency stash and I haven't read them yet, I was hesitant. I'm a very generous person with books I've already read but I can be a bit possessive of the new stuff.

Finally a light bulb went off! I have Twilight in my desk drawer. (For the record, I don't carry that book around with me, a different co-worker had returned it) Knowing this isn't a typical book that she'd pick up, I handed it to her with a bit of trepidation. She took it happily and yesterday reported that Edward was being nice to Bella. (hee)

Yesterday I brought her a bag with about nine books in it that I'd read and thought she might enjoy. She took them all, so she's set for a little while. For those of you who are readers, you probably know how I feel. If you start to run out of books to read (heaven forbid) let me know! I'll get you help.

Today's prompt is about the change in seasons.

Autumn is starting (here in the US, anyway), and kids are heading back to school–does the changing season change your reading habits? Less time? More? Are you just in the mood for different kinds of books than you were over the summer?

I love Autumn. It's my favorite season. I love the change in the air. The light is different and the colors are more vibrant. I live in California, in a place where the seasons are not extreme (barely noticeable in fact). You can feel Autumn though. Our warmest days are usually in Sep/Oct which I don't like but once those are over, it's lovely.

I've never really thought about whether or not it changes my reading habits. It's a very busy time of year for me and in that respect, I probably read less. As for what I read, that doesn't change too much. I tend to try to flip between lighter and heavier reads all year.

I don't have a good answer! That's horrible. I guess my answer would be no. My reading habits don't change.