tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49223548275353988772024-03-12T19:36:29.235-05:00Trish's Reading NookGrab a comfy chair, a cup of coffee, and let’s talk books!Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225576485797030511noreply@blogger.comBlogger370125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922354827535398877.post-44043220003994331482012-09-29T12:32:00.000-05:002012-09-29T12:32:07.769-05:00Deleting Trish's Reading Nook<b>It's time y'all. Time to let this blog go. </b><br />
<br />
I will be deleting this blog on <b>October 5, 2012</b>. If you are still subscribed to this blog or still have it included in your sidebars, please update your information to <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/">Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</a>.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
You can subscribe in a feed reader:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/LoveLaughterInsanity"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Sj6oRmo15UOlRhyphenhyphenI6KIsti3Exbq-tMiPH3lNRjSLdC6yMIdAwmxRut7qWs1ekAst2yLsDBY-i3gC_s0v8R63hrV4OaCyCHGZwfuj6ydzciWjc84PwbBv7XQmF7TTvyRA6sykM3KjH1Kw/s1600/rss_48x48.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Or subscribe by email:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=LoveLaughterInsanity&loc=en_US"><img height="45px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnR_oQmzE1XyLNFjsmWoNG8Rv6gvkqzHv1xKxFJM4F5X3Bs142EC-qN1EOt27YhJP2bL7eEfSq1vexx4Lj-Tzc9sTUq2k6Tb3wXab6HsLPhD_8AkCY7NBthqwKmHD50GHL64EUxJBALOi/s1600/email_rss_48x48.png" width="45px" /></a>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I truly appreciate you sticking with me all these years.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOEOo5WeohWAlGxL4z2hwdzFdXtvTjJR-DX95MnI1n11scktJfEyPhJgJfAiP4EC8R-2I2dzINrY65I1Gqvk1geaz00lg_HDm4E9VQ24Cgce8EYMWCuyINVIREL6fZ0jgf22NMj-SaQDU/s1600/Trish+Signature+-+transparent.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="56" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOEOo5WeohWAlGxL4z2hwdzFdXtvTjJR-DX95MnI1n11scktJfEyPhJgJfAiP4EC8R-2I2dzINrY65I1Gqvk1geaz00lg_HDm4E9VQ24Cgce8EYMWCuyINVIREL6fZ0jgf22NMj-SaQDU/s320/Trish+Signature+-+transparent.png" width="160" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOEOo5WeohWAlGxL4z2hwdzFdXtvTjJR-DX95MnI1n11scktJfEyPhJgJfAiP4EC8R-2I2dzINrY65I1Gqvk1geaz00lg_HDm4E9VQ24Cgce8EYMWCuyINVIREL6fZ0jgf22NMj-SaQDU/s1600/Trish+Signature+-+transparent.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><div></div>
<div>____________________________________</div>
Come visit me at my new blog: <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/">Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</a></div>Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225576485797030511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922354827535398877.post-43604452358146172112010-10-26T21:08:00.000-05:002010-10-26T21:08:26.846-05:00I've Moved Blogs!I've moved to a new blog! You can now find me at <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/"><strong>Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</strong></a>. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/"><strong>www.lovelaughterinsanity.com</strong></a></span></div><br />
<br />
I'm still mostly on the bookish side of blogging, but the new home provides me a place where I can blog about all aspects of life.<br />
<br />
I hope you'll visit if you haven't already!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/201/BD2BC8D400CEE6548F196BE294EF0BBB.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><div></div>
<div>____________________________________</div>
Come visit me at my new blog: <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/">Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</a></div>Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225576485797030511noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922354827535398877.post-6301467028544967312010-09-03T18:02:00.000-05:002010-09-03T18:02:37.454-05:00Non-Fiction Five Sept 2010 Reviews and Wrap-Up<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxtXnPm6u9NZks5aX5sZ5i81jV6EMOnE8s1UYkLSagUNlasgcnVSZT0MGfClHsfPPMDzMzAUBqIgyWS0vUIwgOqMsdL8ub5iv6BPx8ODL7NEPu2srVwYgi5DWW7UeTQP5AI_ADTUyJas/s1600/NonFiction5_banner3.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466114880137069666" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxtXnPm6u9NZks5aX5sZ5i81jV6EMOnE8s1UYkLSagUNlasgcnVSZT0MGfClHsfPPMDzMzAUBqIgyWS0vUIwgOqMsdL8ub5iv6BPx8ODL7NEPu2srVwYgi5DWW7UeTQP5AI_ADTUyJas/s400/NonFiction5_banner3.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 144px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 160px;" /></a><br />
Welcome to the Non-Fiction Five Challenge!</div><br />
Post your September reads in the Mister Linky below using the following format:<br />
<br />
Your name: Trish (Lost City of Z)<br />
Your URL: http://lovelaughterinsanity.blogspot.com/2009/06/lost-city-of-z-david-grann_7694.html<br />
<br />
If you are posting a wrap-up to the challenge, enter in "Your Name": Trish (Wrap-Up)<br />
<br />
<script src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/autolink.php?owner=trishreader&postid=03Sep2010" type="text/javascript">
</script><br />
<br />
Congratulations on coming to the end of the challenge--whether you read one book or several. This will be my last year hosting the challenge and I appreciate those who joined again this year.<br />
<br />
Happy reading!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/201/BD2BC8D400CEE6548F196BE294EF0BBB.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><div></div>
<div>____________________________________</div>
Come visit me at my new blog: <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/">Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</a></div>Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225576485797030511noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922354827535398877.post-12142539063864474432010-08-01T16:03:00.000-05:002010-08-01T16:03:13.363-05:00Non-Fiction Five August 2010 Reviews<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqO-F2uPkmgiGKOJXoOj_do1iniJawm28eRPuz5UdcheROZO-xyCYAeUBwUGPtgtR_EARbEfyVZD5TJWnNw26jn9K_8PAkqjZpMri3pjiL43YMv20vEeUbioHgXClQGbkqnftP5qV3X0/s1600-h/nonfiction2010.gif"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445323550971121266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqO-F2uPkmgiGKOJXoOj_do1iniJawm28eRPuz5UdcheROZO-xyCYAeUBwUGPtgtR_EARbEfyVZD5TJWnNw26jn9K_8PAkqjZpMri3pjiL43YMv20vEeUbioHgXClQGbkqnftP5qV3X0/s400/nonfiction2010.gif" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 117px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 164px;" /></a><br />
<br />
If you haven't signed up, it isn't too late. Click <a href="http://trishsbooks.blogspot.com/2010/03/non-fiction-five-challenge-sign-ups.html">HERE</a> to officially sign up.<br />
<br />
<strong>Post your August reads in the Mister Linky below using the following format: </strong><br />
<br />
Your name: Trish (Man's Search for Meaning)<br />
Your URL: http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/2010/07/mans-search-for-meaning-viktor-e-frankl.html<br />
<br />
If you don't have a blog, simply fill out the name portion with the title of the book you read using the URL for this post in the URL field.<br />
<br />
<strong>Happy reading!</strong><br />
<br />
<script src="http://www.blenza.com/linkies/autolink.php?owner=trishreader&postid=01Aug2010" type="text/javascript">
</script><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/201/BD2BC8D400CEE6548F196BE294EF0BBB.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><div></div>
<div>____________________________________</div>
Come visit me at my new blog: <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/">Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</a></div>Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225576485797030511noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922354827535398877.post-81925737184793612482010-07-01T00:00:00.004-05:002010-07-01T00:00:06.493-05:00Non-Fiction Five Challenge July Reviews<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxtXnPm6u9NZks5aX5sZ5i81jV6EMOnE8s1UYkLSagUNlasgcnVSZT0MGfClHsfPPMDzMzAUBqIgyWS0vUIwgOqMsdL8ub5iv6BPx8ODL7NEPu2srVwYgi5DWW7UeTQP5AI_ADTUyJas/s1600/NonFiction5_banner3.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466114880137069666" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxtXnPm6u9NZks5aX5sZ5i81jV6EMOnE8s1UYkLSagUNlasgcnVSZT0MGfClHsfPPMDzMzAUBqIgyWS0vUIwgOqMsdL8ub5iv6BPx8ODL7NEPu2srVwYgi5DWW7UeTQP5AI_ADTUyJas/s400/NonFiction5_banner3.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 144px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 160px;" /></a><br />
Welcome to the Non-Fiction Five Challenge!</div><br />
<strong>If you haven't signed up, it isn't too late. Click </strong><a href="http://trishsbooks.blogspot.com/2010/03/non-fiction-five-challenge-sign-ups.html"><strong>HERE</strong></a><strong> to officially sign up.</strong><br />
<br />
Post your July reads in the Mister Linky below using the following format:<br />
<br />
Your name: Trish (Lost City of Z)<br />
Your URL: http://lovelaughterinsanity.blogspot.com/2009/06/lost-city-of-z-david-grann_7694.html<br />
<br />
If you don't have a blog, simply fill out the name portion with the title of the book you read using the URL for this post in the URL field.<br />
<br />
<script src="http://www2.blenza.com/linkies/autolink.php?owner=trishreader&postid=01Jul2010" type="text/javascript">
</script><br />
<br />
Happy reading!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/201/BD2BC8D400CEE6548F196BE294EF0BBB.png" style="background: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><div></div>
<div>____________________________________</div>
Come visit me at my new blog: <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/">Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</a></div>Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225576485797030511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922354827535398877.post-41664468831756670042010-06-04T13:02:00.001-05:002010-06-04T13:05:02.579-05:00Non-Fiction Five June 2010 Reviews<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqO-F2uPkmgiGKOJXoOj_do1iniJawm28eRPuz5UdcheROZO-xyCYAeUBwUGPtgtR_EARbEfyVZD5TJWnNw26jn9K_8PAkqjZpMri3pjiL43YMv20vEeUbioHgXClQGbkqnftP5qV3X0/s1600-h/nonfiction2010.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445323550971121266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 164px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 117px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqO-F2uPkmgiGKOJXoOj_do1iniJawm28eRPuz5UdcheROZO-xyCYAeUBwUGPtgtR_EARbEfyVZD5TJWnNw26jn9K_8PAkqjZpMri3pjiL43YMv20vEeUbioHgXClQGbkqnftP5qV3X0/s400/nonfiction2010.gif" border="0" /></a><br />Sorry for being a few days late with the June Linky!<br /><br />If you haven't signed up, it isn't too late. Click <a href="http://trishsbooks.blogspot.com/2010/03/non-fiction-five-challenge-sign-ups.html">HERE</a> to officially sign up.<br /><br /><strong>Post your June reads in the Mister Linky below using the following format: </strong><br /><br />Your name: Trish (Catch Me If You Can)<br />Your URL: http://trishsbooks.blogspot.com/2009/04/catch-me-if-you-can-frank-w-abagnale.html<br /><br />If you don't have a blog, simply fill out the name portion with the title of the book you read using the URL for this post in the URL field.<br /><br /><strong>Happy reading!</strong><br /><br /><script src="http://www2.blenza.com/linkies/autolink.php?owner=trishreader&postid=04Jun2010a" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/201/BD2BC8D400CEE6548F196BE294EF0BBB.png" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><div></div>
<div>____________________________________</div>
Come visit me at my new blog: <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/">Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</a></div>Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225576485797030511noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922354827535398877.post-36614539155485651452010-05-01T00:00:00.001-05:002010-05-01T00:00:03.124-05:00Non-Fiction Five May 2010 Reviews<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxtXnPm6u9NZks5aX5sZ5i81jV6EMOnE8s1UYkLSagUNlasgcnVSZT0MGfClHsfPPMDzMzAUBqIgyWS0vUIwgOqMsdL8ub5iv6BPx8ODL7NEPu2srVwYgi5DWW7UeTQP5AI_ADTUyJas/s1600/NonFiction5_banner3.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 160px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 144px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466114880137069666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxtXnPm6u9NZks5aX5sZ5i81jV6EMOnE8s1UYkLSagUNlasgcnVSZT0MGfClHsfPPMDzMzAUBqIgyWS0vUIwgOqMsdL8ub5iv6BPx8ODL7NEPu2srVwYgi5DWW7UeTQP5AI_ADTUyJas/s400/NonFiction5_banner3.jpg" /></a><br />Welcome to the first set of Non-Fiction Five reviews for 2010!</div><br /><strong>If you haven't signed up, it isn't too late. Click </strong><a href="http://trishsbooks.blogspot.com/2010/03/non-fiction-five-challenge-sign-ups.html"><strong>HERE</strong></a><strong> to officially sign up.</strong><br /><br />Post your May reads in the Mister Linky below using the following format:<br /><br />Your name: Trish (Catch Me If You Can)<br />Your URL: http://trishsbooks.blogspot.com/2009/04/catch-me-if-you-can-frank-w-abagnale.html<br /><br />If you don't have a blog, simply fill out the name portion with the title of the book you read using the URL for this post in the URL field.<br /><br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www2.blenza.com/linkies/autolink.php?owner=trishreader&postid=01May2010"></script><br /><br /><br />Happy reading!<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/201/BD2BC8D400CEE6548F196BE294EF0BBB.png" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><div></div>
<div>____________________________________</div>
Come visit me at my new blog: <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/">Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</a></div>Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225576485797030511noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922354827535398877.post-4282755841376346482010-04-30T18:54:00.000-05:002010-04-13T13:38:52.603-05:00Non-Fiction Five Challenge Sign Ups<div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;color:#000099;">NON-FICTION FIVE CHALLENGE</span></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#000099;">MAY 1 - SEPTEMBER 30, 2010</span></strong></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAobpl1YPNxejLuRP2qHgScMEZH2ecUxHuTJy4GlguCLHWXKKtIky_7YVhefrqbVHZ0Hkaj-5FBk4SSOwLXe18P_hjmoIylVintRI_LcpiiwE_j2bSsrmCk3bOQkdPWzYFpVAk60NQAE8/s1600-h/NonFiction5_banner3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445324253830808434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 160px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 144px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAobpl1YPNxejLuRP2qHgScMEZH2ecUxHuTJy4GlguCLHWXKKtIky_7YVhefrqbVHZ0Hkaj-5FBk4SSOwLXe18P_hjmoIylVintRI_LcpiiwE_j2bSsrmCk3bOQkdPWzYFpVAk60NQAE8/s400/NonFiction5_banner3.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqO-F2uPkmgiGKOJXoOj_do1iniJawm28eRPuz5UdcheROZO-xyCYAeUBwUGPtgtR_EARbEfyVZD5TJWnNw26jn9K_8PAkqjZpMri3pjiL43YMv20vEeUbioHgXClQGbkqnftP5qV3X0/s1600-h/nonfiction2010.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445323550971121266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 164px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 117px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqO-F2uPkmgiGKOJXoOj_do1iniJawm28eRPuz5UdcheROZO-xyCYAeUBwUGPtgtR_EARbEfyVZD5TJWnNw26jn9K_8PAkqjZpMri3pjiL43YMv20vEeUbioHgXClQGbkqnftP5qV3X0/s400/nonfiction2010.gif" border="0" /></a>And we're back! I'm posting this a little earlier than I normally would, but there's been a bit of confusion as to whether or not I'm still hosting, so here we are. This is the fourth annual Non-Fiction Five Challenge and I'd be thrilled if you joined me.<br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong>The Rules</strong> (unchanged from previous years) </div></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><strong>1.</strong> <strong>Read 5 non-fiction books during the months of May - September, 2010 </strong>(please link your reviews on Mister Linky each month; Mister Linky can be found at the beginning of each month on this blog)<br /><br /><strong>2.</strong> <strong>Read at least one non-fiction book that is different from your other choices</strong> (i.e.: 4 memoirs and 1 self-help)<br /><br /><strong>3.</strong> If interested, <strong>please sign up below with the link to your NFF Challenge post</strong> (all choices do not need to be posted and may change at any time)<br /><br /><br /><br /><script src="http://www2.blenza.com/linkies/easylink.php?owner=trishreader&postid=06Mar2010" type="text/javascript"></script><br /><br /><br />Happy reading!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/201/BD2BC8D400CEE6548F196BE294EF0BBB.png" /></a><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"></span><br />**Many thanks to the totally awesome <a href="http://blog.paxholley.net/">Paxton</a> and <a href="http://nidhiveens-loveforbooks.blogspot.com/">Veens</a> who made the lovely buttons (Paxton on top and Veens below). I'd hug you to death if I could. And thanks to those of you who offered. I'll be calling on you next time. ;)<br /><br /><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><div></div>
<div>____________________________________</div>
Come visit me at my new blog: <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/">Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</a></div>Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225576485797030511noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922354827535398877.post-59797069521329716212010-04-25T16:13:00.004-05:002010-04-25T16:16:38.411-05:00Non-Fiction Five Challenge in a week!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqO-F2uPkmgiGKOJXoOj_do1iniJawm28eRPuz5UdcheROZO-xyCYAeUBwUGPtgtR_EARbEfyVZD5TJWnNw26jn9K_8PAkqjZpMri3pjiL43YMv20vEeUbioHgXClQGbkqnftP5qV3X0/s1600-h/nonfiction2010.gif"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 164px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 117px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445323550971121266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqqO-F2uPkmgiGKOJXoOj_do1iniJawm28eRPuz5UdcheROZO-xyCYAeUBwUGPtgtR_EARbEfyVZD5TJWnNw26jn9K_8PAkqjZpMri3pjiL43YMv20vEeUbioHgXClQGbkqnftP5qV3X0/s400/nonfiction2010.gif" /></a><br />Just a reminder that the <strong>Non-Fiction Five Challenge</strong> starts next Saturday May 1st! <a href="http://trishsbooks.blogspot.com/2010/03/non-fiction-five-challenge-sign-ups.html">Have you signed up yet</a>?<br /><br />Any particular books that you're looking forward to? Any that you've read in the past and would recommend for timid non-fiction goers?<br /><br />Happy reading!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/201/BD2BC8D400CEE6548F196BE294EF0BBB.png" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><div></div>
<div>____________________________________</div>
Come visit me at my new blog: <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/">Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</a></div>Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225576485797030511noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922354827535398877.post-58063009605555678392010-04-03T21:16:00.003-05:002010-04-04T08:05:14.452-05:00Saying Goodbye to Trish's Reading Nook - TSS<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOfO1LqJ2GG0MowzCMK0V5IhNPaSey63oRvWOLYw0rH0LEExkUuBkmhIJxZEnFq1AEIGdTSe565x-T8WXI2knV7hhKXfhPnlm08awEfreQi0qhqCig93l3P7qIC_uwYCjobO5BwDithF4/s1600/017.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456100765213248818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOfO1LqJ2GG0MowzCMK0V5IhNPaSey63oRvWOLYw0rH0LEExkUuBkmhIJxZEnFq1AEIGdTSe565x-T8WXI2knV7hhKXfhPnlm08awEfreQi0qhqCig93l3P7qIC_uwYCjobO5BwDithF4/s400/017.JPG" /></a><br /><div>It is with much sadness that today I say goodbye to Trish's Reading Nook. I have been blogging here just shy of three years with 367 posts. Many of you have probably noticed my absence over the past five months. I've had some incredibly happy things happen--a new house and a new position at work--that have kept me busy and some sad things that have prevented me from spending too much time online. In the past five months I've experienced major blogger burnout and for a multitude of reasons I've decided it's time for me to hang up my hat here.<br /><br />The past three years have been amazing. I've met some wonderful wonderful people and I've been stretched and pulled in directions I could have never imagined. The love of books in this community has been a constant joy for me and I would have never experienced this joy if not for blogging, reading challenges, and different blogging events such as the 24-hour-readathon. I've read things I never thought I'd read and been introduced to authors I was unfamiliar with. I've added hundreds of books to my shelves and even more to my wishlist. I've met bibliophiles from all corners of the world and connected on all different levels. And I've read more than probably all other years combined. I wouldn't trade these experiences for anything.<br /><br /><strong>I want to thank everyone who took the time to leave me a comment, took the time to get to know me and allow me to get to know them, took the time to participant in my reading challenges </strong>(Classics Challenge, Non-Fiction Five Challenge, and even the 100 Mile Fitness Challenge). Thank you to the publishers and authors who have sent me books over the past two years. And finally thank you to the community for taking me in and allowing me to grow with you. According to Feedburner I currently have over 500 subscribers and I'm constantly baffled as that number continues to climb and grow even as my blogging has waned. I would have never imagined so many people would take an interest in my thoughts on books! And let me tell you that's a tough thing to give up--quite scary actually.<br /><br />But with 500 subscribers also comes the pressure of maintaining this blog. Self-inflicted pressure, of course, but nonetheless. Without going too much into the negative (because, really what does it matter what my opinions are about the evolution of book blogging over the past several years), I simply feel as though I need to scale down a bit and simplify my blogging habits. I have started blogging again (although not blog<em>hopping</em> yet) and after months of mulling things over I've decided the best thing is to combine my efforts into one blog. Friends have asked if it might not be simpler to transfer my other blogging to <em>this</em> blog, but I kind of like the idea of a fresh start. And it is tough knowing that I've put hours and hours into this blog and hours and hours more into cultivating relationships with other bloggers and maintaining my place within the community. Of course I'll always consider myself a book blogger because that's how I started, but I don't want to be <em>just</em> a book blogger any longer. I want to have freedom to blog about what I would like to blog and I don't feel that I have that here. Silly, I know, but if you've been following for a while you know that my feelings are not always rational. :)<br /><br /><strong>I'd love to invite you to visit me at my other blog</strong>: <a href="http://lovelaughterinsanity.blogspot.com/">Love, Laughter, and Insanity</a>. It is a blog where I post about personal aspects of my life but I have transfered all 367 posts and 7,000 comments from this blog over there--and in a way book blogging is personal as well. I do hope to continue blogging about books because I love writing about my feelings of what I read. I do plan to start bloghopping again--my apologies for not being around much these past five months. Whether or not you've missed me I <em>have</em> missed you and the interaction. Simply put I've felt overwhelmed and have needed to take a few months to clear my head and find my place. I partially feel like I'm running away from this blog, but I need a place that can be inclusive of all my blogging.<br /><br />Plans for this blog. I'm not sure. For now I'm going to devote it entirely to the <strong>Non-Fiction Five Challenge</strong>. If you're signed up for the challenge, no worries--nothing will change. I'll probably change the name of the blog from Trish's Reading Nook to NFF and after that...I don't know. Honestly I don't want to think that far in advance. </div><div> </div><div><a href="http://classics2008.blogspot.com/"><strong>Classics Challenge</strong></a> is currently going on at its own blog (same as past two years).<br /><br />Man--if I hit that "publish post" button this is really official huh? :)<br /><br />Best Wishes and Happy Reading,<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/201/BD2BC8D400CEE6548F196BE294EF0BBB.png" /></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><div></div>
<div>____________________________________</div>
Come visit me at my new blog: <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/">Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</a></div>Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225576485797030511noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922354827535398877.post-8219622698675203522010-03-24T18:58:00.004-05:002010-04-01T20:14:27.442-05:00Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show - Frank Delany<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWp3CIpkxWwCzzi1mehAlBY2G_eSNAKoZdzHFSBsxrCMy_GD2NL2ERxU7lWF4oM-Gqh6rjiE0mB8jdXAjZa1MaEYFIr2QB8czSHNPaumVCH0FsJY-hx8Q98OaYVMrTsKTgOYeKk52F0EM/s1600/Venetia+Kelly.gif"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 134px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452354513695295890" border="0" alt="Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWp3CIpkxWwCzzi1mehAlBY2G_eSNAKoZdzHFSBsxrCMy_GD2NL2ERxU7lWF4oM-Gqh6rjiE0mB8jdXAjZa1MaEYFIr2QB8czSHNPaumVCH0FsJY-hx8Q98OaYVMrTsKTgOYeKk52F0EM/s200/Venetia+Kelly.gif" /></a>Title: Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show<br />Author: Frank Delany<br />Published: 2010 Pages: 427<br />Genre: Fiction<br />Rating: 4.5/5<br /><br />Venetia Kelly came into the world in a fashion of mythic proportions: "She sprang from the womb and waved to the crowd. Then she smiled and took a bow" (3). What do you say about a book that begins with such oomph? Set mostly in 1930s Ireland during a tumultuous political period, <em>Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show</em> is one man's attempt the understand how his world all of a sudden tumbled upside down. Writing the story as an aging man, Ben looks back to when he was eighteen years old and met the wondrous and compelling Venetia Kelly.<br /><br />This book is so many things that it is difficult to capture in a short synopsis. It is a book about a young man who is asked to do things he should have never been asked to do; political development and upheaval during a time when the world was spinning faster than it was turning; young but forbidden love of two people who so belonged together but didn't; storytelling--how can you have a book set in Ireland without storytelling? Ben is a wonderful narrator who spares no details in his stories, and even though he is a self-proclaimed digressor (one who digresses?) every bit of his story is intriguing.<br /><br />I have very little complaint about <em>Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show</em>. I did have troubles getting into the story at first, much like I did with Delaney's novel <em>Ireland*,</em> and I can't quite put my finger on why. The writing, though sprawling, is very dense and detailed, and I found myself having to pay close attention to the story as small bits and pieces would resurface. But once immersed into the writing I found I wanted to read one more chapter and then another and then cursing that my lunch break was over and I'd have to wait to read more (the chapters are generally short and usually cliffhangery).<br /><br />I think my 4.5/5 rating shows that I would highly recommend Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show, but I'll say it again. This book is a perfect blend of plot and characters and I was sad when I came upon the last page of the book. I was so caught up in the story and felt so much emotion for the characters that I even got misty-eyed over the ending. Narrator Ben explains at the beginning of the book that the story isn't over and that was a tough pill to swallow, but in the end this was a very satisfying read--a read that satisfied my love of literature and beautiful writing but also my love of a good story that had me at the edge of my seat wanting to know more until I turned the last page.<br /><br />*Back in my <strong>first</strong> week of blogging I wrote some thoughts of <a href="http://trishsbooks.blogspot.com/2007/06/review-ireland-by-frank-delaney.html"><em>Ireland</em></a>. It's actually pretty funny to read now as I mention my tendency to ramble which has only gotten worse (?) as the years have gone on.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/201/BD2BC8D400CEE6548F196BE294EF0BBB.png" /></a><br /><p><br />A big thanks to Lisa at <a href="http://tlcbooktours.com/2010/02/frank-delaney-author-of-venetia-kellys-traveling-show-on-tour-marchapril-2010/">TLC Book Tours</a> for inviting me to participate in this tour. And a big thanks to <a href="http://frankdelaney.com/index.php">Frank Delany</a> for sharing the lives of Ben, Venetia, and even Blarney.</p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><div></div>
<div>____________________________________</div>
Come visit me at my new blog: <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/">Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</a></div>Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225576485797030511noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922354827535398877.post-13588507844142150792010-03-21T17:07:00.005-05:002010-04-01T20:14:27.446-05:00How Clarissa Burden Learned to Fly - Connie May Fowler<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2W9-c6-ShnzrDvQiGSNGfJ9xCikYhBOiJLgp6P728rgkQDXQjTEwYnHN0tBTXW1j71wxondkXZGEm769gCprE1dI4WKzOYNORvj-HdecD00oDmlt92zXuG2lZMKu7viriPsTxGxThZE/s1600-h/Clarissa.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 125px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451212671906368386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv2W9-c6-ShnzrDvQiGSNGfJ9xCikYhBOiJLgp6P728rgkQDXQjTEwYnHN0tBTXW1j71wxondkXZGEm769gCprE1dI4WKzOYNORvj-HdecD00oDmlt92zXuG2lZMKu7viriPsTxGxThZE/s200/Clarissa.jpg" /></a>Title: <em>How Clarissa Burden Learned to Fly<br /></em>Author: Connie May Fowler<br />Published: 2010 Pages: 276<br />Genre: Fiction<br />Rating: 4/5<br /><br />Clarissa Burden, a writer in her thirties and married to a strange and mildly abusive South African man Iggy, lives as a bystander in her own life. She allows people to walk all over her, including the gorgeous women Iggy brings to the house to parade around nude while he photographs them (for art, of course), and she suffers from a terrible bout of writer's block. Set during one hot summer day in the northern Florida town of Hope, Clarissa , through a series of unpredictable circumstances, takes a hard look at her life and finally learns how to fly.<br /><br />At first <em>How Clarissa Burden Learned to Fly</em> is a little strange. Written in a kind of stream-of-consciousness, the writing can be a little choppy and abrupt (or it could have been my 10 page at a time reading) but as the pieces of the story come together it was difficult not to fall in love with Clarissa and cheer her on with every self-discovery she made. This is my second Fowler novel (the other <em>Before Women had Wings</em>), and Fowler has a keen sense of characterisation. Clarissa is a woman that many can relate to--unsure of herself, unaware of the small abuses she puts up with, lost in her own self.<br /><blockquote>"For the last fourteen years, she had lived with an ordinary face: no underbite, no overbite, no buckteeth, nothing to prevent her from operating in the world as if she had every right to be treated with the same respect as any other person. On that hot solstice day--one that had already proven to be extraordinary for Clarissa--she gazed into Olga Villada's unblemished mirror and realized that the person she was in her head was not the person whose reflection stared back at her" (177).</blockquote>As I got further into the story I loved watching Clarissa discover how she truly was the beauty she saw staring back at her in the mirror and how she determined that despite the cruel words that came out of her husband's mouth she did have worth.<br /><br />I'd recommend this one to those who like character-driven novels, but also because there is so much that happens within the one day (or so) those who like more plot-driven novels would enjoy this one as well. Again, stylistically this one did take some getting used to and the lack of chapter breaks my own "here and there" reading a little difficult. The stream-of-consciousness can be distracting but I think it also helped portray how conflicted Clarissa was. In many ways this book actually reminded me of <em>Mrs. Dalloway</em> and as I was reading I wondered if Woolf might have been an influence on Fowler. In the end, though, I think you'll find yourself applauding Clarissa and eager to see her learn to fly.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/201/BD2BC8D400CEE6548F196BE294EF0BBB.png" /></a><br /><br />Big thanks to <a href="http://www.conniemayfowler.com/">Connie May Fowler</a> for sending me this book! <em>How Clarissa Burden Learned to Fly</em> is available April 2, 2010.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><div></div>
<div>____________________________________</div>
Come visit me at my new blog: <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/">Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</a></div>Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225576485797030511noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922354827535398877.post-35817234719984496332010-02-21T20:45:00.003-06:002010-04-01T20:14:27.458-05:00Classics Challenge 2010 is BACK!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbq9NItUZV3vwuHfUW2OR_Y13Vbv8fxw8bWQQ_GFwbZwJHBZZCR8lzAlhaCnaW8I7TX4WPEFrEIBdbYRKdwjVkEksvy530UA2ImBbpTK8v9AvZzABe06U5c-lSkvGt2luaHpflzn2WYLXL/s1600-h/Classics2+-+Veens.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 250px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 145px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440893175484088386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbq9NItUZV3vwuHfUW2OR_Y13Vbv8fxw8bWQQ_GFwbZwJHBZZCR8lzAlhaCnaW8I7TX4WPEFrEIBdbYRKdwjVkEksvy530UA2ImBbpTK8v9AvZzABe06U5c-lSkvGt2luaHpflzn2WYLXL/s400/Classics2+-+Veens.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wBL_FJfbfwk3-kPF5iju8z_A_acE52MuOBbAiC0l9ZUUcycmF75hacssoZauIVXGz1R2woQs-sVT7lxOrXtb05NU26ME4Aqes_xUAPRapL6aNo4-D_i6vEJEjMorAwB8p9cSVEm3UEyf/s1600-h/Classics+-+Veens.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 216px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 207px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440893583962408242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-wBL_FJfbfwk3-kPF5iju8z_A_acE52MuOBbAiC0l9ZUUcycmF75hacssoZauIVXGz1R2woQs-sVT7lxOrXtb05NU26ME4Aqes_xUAPRapL6aNo4-D_i6vEJEjMorAwB8p9cSVEm3UEyf/s400/Classics+-+Veens.jpg" /></a><br />YAY!!! I did it! I hope you'll sign up with me! :) Details are the same as last year--all can be found on the <a href="http://classics2008.blogspot.com/2010/02/classics-challenge-2010-sign-ups.html">Classics Challenge</a> site.<br /><br />BIG Thanks to <a href="http://nidhiveens-loveforbooks.blogspot.com/">Veens</a> for making me these beautiful buttons!<br /><br />Hmmm, going to go stare at the shelves for a little...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/201/BD2BC8D400CEE6548F196BE294EF0BBB.png" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><div></div>
<div>____________________________________</div>
Come visit me at my new blog: <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/">Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</a></div>Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225576485797030511noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922354827535398877.post-70941965876018119812010-02-18T19:12:00.004-06:002010-04-01T20:14:27.463-05:00Non-Fiction Five Challenge Button HelpYes, you probably are thinking--what? She's still hosting the NFF when she hasn't regularly blogged in months?? Ya well... :D Who can resist a good challenge?<br /><br />I need some help. I don't know how to make buttons and two very lovely ladies provided me buttons for last year's challenge but I didn't want to pressure them into it this year if they didn't want to. <strong>So...is someone willing to make a Non-Fiction Five button for me?</strong> Pretty Please?? The challenge will remain the same--May through September 2010.<br /><br />With sugar on top?? If you're interested, you can leave a comment below or get in touch with me via email.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Edited Note:</span> <span style="color:#ff0000;">Thanks to those who offered! I think we've got NFF buttons covered!! :)</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/201/BD2BC8D400CEE6548F196BE294EF0BBB.png" /></a> (who is convinced that one day she truly will be caught up and back in the game)<br /><br /><br />Incidentally--the <em>plan</em> is to get the Classics Challenge sign ups posted this weekend so watch for that at <a href="http://classics2008.blogspot.com/">http://classics2008.blogspot.com/</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><div></div>
<div>____________________________________</div>
Come visit me at my new blog: <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/">Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</a></div>Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225576485797030511noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922354827535398877.post-14003369171169314792010-01-22T06:58:00.001-06:002010-04-01T20:14:27.468-05:00The Puzzle Bark Tree - Stephanie Gertler<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodsgvnFqrgU10qO8AjpuKnHeOGXPQHI43VxEmnaXTW0o-5bTmIoxNHKtEdSa2x7rG-AZBvTLj7y95oWKnvsPLm5_rn0oTl9u0qAk71Gsww3iOqUGUguudlzrNB8rjS2Bia8q3mpwvk8I/s1600-h/puzzlebarktreecov.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 132px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429362483272942530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodsgvnFqrgU10qO8AjpuKnHeOGXPQHI43VxEmnaXTW0o-5bTmIoxNHKtEdSa2x7rG-AZBvTLj7y95oWKnvsPLm5_rn0oTl9u0qAk71Gsww3iOqUGUguudlzrNB8rjS2Bia8q3mpwvk8I/s200/puzzlebarktreecov.jpg" /></a>Title: <em>The Puzzle Bark Tree</em><br />Author: Stephanie <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Gertler</span><br />Published: 2002 Pages: 319<br />Genre: Fiction<br />Rating: 3/5<br /><br />Gasp! Holy Hannah, a book review! Truth be told this is a library book and I'm getting emails from the library threatening to take away my shiny new library card if I don't return the book, and if I don't write at least some thoughts on the book before I return it I never will. Who knows if I'll ever get to those finished in 2009 or not let alone a year in review, but gotta start back somewhere, right?<br /><br />Kind of wish I could start with the fabulous books I ended 2009 with--Hunger Games, Goodbye <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Tsugumi</span>, Breaking Dawn, Cry The Beloved Country. But I guess maybe starting with an "eh" book is just as good a place as any. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Hmmm</span>, why does it feel like I'm stalling?<br /><br /><em>The Puzzle Bark Tree</em> was my January book club pick and I don't think any of us were really blown away by the book. Some liked it better than others, but I guess that's to be expected when you get a group of people reading the same book. The story begins with an elderly couple, the Hammonds, is found dead in their beds. They are discovered by their longtime housekeeper, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Jemma</span>, and when <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Jemma</span> calls the daughters Grace and Melanie to inform them of the horrific news they both immediately know that their parents committed suicide.<br /><br />The <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">Hammonds</span> have led a life of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">hermitude</span> (I may have just made up that word?) never allowing anyone to get close to them, even Grace and Melanie. When it came time for Grace and Melanie to learn the contents of their will they were both shocked to find that Grace was left a house several hours away from where they grew up. Grace embarks on a journey to discover the home she was left and begins opening doors to mysteries and a life long forgotten.<br /><br />My friend Laura finished this one before me (I actually didn't finish until after our meeting...) and she described the book to me as something you might see on a Hallmark or Lifetime Channel special. Pretty accurate description. Poor Grace has just uncovered a past she never knew she had but her selfish and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">unsupportive</span> husband simply cannot understand her sudden confusion about her life. Throw in a whiny <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">teenaged</span> daughter and a potential love affair and you have all the makings of a great melodrama.<br /><br />I'd throw this book into the "OK" category. I'd recommend it to those who like Anita <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">Shreve</span> type books (which I like OK). It has depth and good character development. There's an element of mystery and of course love interest. It's fairly predictable in a way (at least in hindsight)--actually it's a totally harmless book and is certainly entertaining enough. I think the bottom line is it just isn't my kind of book. I wouldn't recommend it for book clubs--we had a few things to talk about but conversation finally fizzled out as we began to talk about the other books we're currently reading.<br /><br />A totally rambling and nonsensical review. Guess that's what happens when the book just doesn't speak to you one way or another. I ended up finishing it after the book club meeting if that tells you anything?<br /><br />Are you reading anything exciting right now? I just started <em>Les Miserables</em> this morning. It might take me all damn year, but I have high hopes. Ha!<br /><br />Dinner's ready--so ramble off.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/201/BD2BC8D400CEE6548F196BE294EF0BBB.png" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><div></div>
<div>____________________________________</div>
Come visit me at my new blog: <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/">Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</a></div>Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225576485797030511noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922354827535398877.post-82220145293027190512010-01-09T10:58:00.003-06:002010-04-01T20:14:27.471-05:00A Whole Lotta Books to UnpackHowdy! And Happy New Year!<br /><br />Just thought I'd send a quick hello since I finally got my books unpacked. I got two new bookshelves last night so I have three matching in total. I feel like such a grown up! Ha! One more is coming today but I have to share that one with Scott. Boo! I wish I could try to talk him into getting rid of some of his books, namely the outdated business textbooks, but I know I don't have room to talk.<br /><br />In case you're wondering how many boxes it takes to pack up approximately 700 books, well here's a look. (those don't include the boxes with Scott's books as he hasn't unpacked his yet).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXaOjKL6ZAdk7dsFRcfTBa_oNbEYzZWDbCf5gk0tTdn4RBtKt9T4RAJyPNif6tU4K3VsDHYIq7wwZlpudo0s8Ebg81SYfQhxj4wFxUouI0axiFM7E6Htm-A8jsB_R64EPb9caKauCeGE/s1600-h/DSC00031.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424786308462242386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXaOjKL6ZAdk7dsFRcfTBa_oNbEYzZWDbCf5gk0tTdn4RBtKt9T4RAJyPNif6tU4K3VsDHYIq7wwZlpudo0s8Ebg81SYfQhxj4wFxUouI0axiFM7E6Htm-A8jsB_R64EPb9caKauCeGE/s400/DSC00031.JPG" /></a><br /><div>Oph! Scott just informed me that he found another medium box with books. Sigh--add one more to the pyramid in the picture!</div><div><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/201/BD2BC8D400CEE6548F196BE294EF0BBB.png" /></a><br /><br />Side note--I started getting so much spam during my absence that I'm now on full moderation. Sucks since I don't get on the computer very much lately, but I figured that was better than comments for escort services or random Chinese symbols popping up. Maybe one day I'll be able to take it off again.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><div></div>
<div>____________________________________</div>
Come visit me at my new blog: <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/">Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</a></div>Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225576485797030511noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922354827535398877.post-52180361093704746902009-12-22T21:37:00.004-06:002010-04-01T20:14:27.475-05:00100 Mile Fitness Challenge 2...You Game?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLajQ-UgDjOpE5uJXypIV0y80jEwS8Ao62ZOoMgVmsffZSzWXBrUhN6cQb-drY2_QGN56HoxeMOUlUNvOle69OCoxXHyITxigoGyKiNdw33yZpG4mMcSGT62Z58iuYrJlNs8dsgq_MXBM/s1600-h/Fitness+Challenge.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 196px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 166px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418270783745754946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLajQ-UgDjOpE5uJXypIV0y80jEwS8Ao62ZOoMgVmsffZSzWXBrUhN6cQb-drY2_QGN56HoxeMOUlUNvOle69OCoxXHyITxigoGyKiNdw33yZpG4mMcSGT62Z58iuYrJlNs8dsgq_MXBM/s400/Fitness+Challenge.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Um, hey there. I'm alive. Doing well. Not ready to come out of hiding yet. :) But I did post the sign ups for the <a href="http://100milefitness.blogspot.com/2009/12/100-mile-fitness-challenge-2-sign-ups.html">100 Mile Fitness Challenge</a> and a post on the <a href="http://classics2008.blogspot.com/">Classics Challenge</a> about 2010.<br /><br />Thanks for those of you who have dropped notes via email and twitter during my six week's absence. I certainly didn't anticipate on being gone this long and to be honest I'm still not ready to be back--not really sure when that will be (especially as Scott and I are moving in a week!!). My indifference towards blogging is probably a hint that it's time to hang up my hat but not today... :)<br /><br />Much love,<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/201/BD2BC8D400CEE6548F196BE294EF0BBB.png" /></a><br /><br />P.S. I don't think I'll make it back online before Christmas, so...<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong>MERRY CHRISTMAS!</strong></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><div></div>
<div>____________________________________</div>
Come visit me at my new blog: <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/">Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</a></div>Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225576485797030511noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922354827535398877.post-48169606200600121042009-11-10T12:00:00.006-06:002010-04-01T20:14:27.483-05:00Green Books Campaign: Paris Times Eight - Deirdre Kelly<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1553652681?ie=UTF8&tag=trisreanoo-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1553652681"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401876489668241730" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 138px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="Paris Times Eight" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsv47aUyfvAaNnkuvdo-QS1OQZ9N-qqRuTfOazdk_-IatqST7qE6_y-gM8RIpsODgXugiIWH_rOhQpxMc4YQp3GudsNJWOuDMUPSm2pD_9Cq7M9rOTk0ALlTIq1P-sQNWz0Sg6B9jgRPA/s200/Paris+Times+Eight.jpg" border="0" /></a> Title: <em>Paris Times Eight</em><br />Author: Deirdre Kelly<br />Published: 2009 Pages: 304<br />Genre: Memoir/Travel<br />Rating: 4.5/5<br /><br />Before I begin, this review is part of the <a href="http://www.ecolibris.net/greenbookscampaign.asp">Green Books Campaign</a> organized by <a href="http://www.ecolibris.net/index.asp">Eco-Libris</a>. Today 100 bloggers are posting reviews at the same time of books that were printed in an eco-friendly manner. It is a worthy cause, so be sure to check out and the other participating blogs. <em>Paris Times Eight</em> is printed on FSC-certified, acid-free paper.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1553652681?ie=UTF8&tag=trisreanoo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1553652681"><em>Paris Times Eight</em></a><em><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=trisreanoo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1553652681" width="1" border="0" /> </em>is Deirdre Kelly's memoir of growing up as a Canadian with a deep love for Paris. Throughout her young adulthood and as an adult she traveled to Paris eight times and each time her experience was shaped by the events that were happening in her life: from the first time when Deirdre traveled to Paris as an au pair in her late teens and falling in love with the city for the first time but feeling like an outsider to later slowly feeling the embrace of the city in her other visits as a news correspondent or as an adult seeking refuge from the craziness of her life.<br /><br />I really loved this book. I fell in love with Paris along side Deirdre and I loved seeing how her mindset at each point in her life gave her a different outlook to the city. For Deirdre Paris is a city of intrigue and mystery, comfort and connection, heartache and loneliness. Each time she visited she learned a little more about herself and her desires. Paralleled with her travels to Paris are the events in Deirdre's home life in Canada with a difficult mother and a career as a journalist that sometimes took her sky high and sometimes to rock bottom. Deirdre Kelly takes great care in writing about all of her experiences and made me feel like she was pulling me into an intimate embrace.<br /><br />Two quotes. The first comes from the first chapter and the second from one of the later chapters. The quotes parallel one another and show how the city treats her on each visit. In the second she is with her fiance, Victor, who has never visited Paris before:<br /><br />"In Paris it seemed I would always be on the outside looking in. No matter how much I wanted the city to embrace me, it would always keep me at arm's length while wagging a finger in my face. I had rarely fit in--at home, at school, among my peers. But in Paris that feeling of alienation intensified. I didn't belong there, either" (46).<br /><br />"I thought of the times I had wandered there alone, feeling lost in thought if not in purpose. I remembered that Paris, on previous trips, had sometimes made me feel alienated, isolated, alone. I felt Victor's arm around my shoulders, holding me tight. There was a logic to Paris when seen from above, close to the clouds. The streets had an obvious order that made them easy, all of a sudden to navigate. I told Victor we should go back down into the city to explore it for ourselves" (231).<br /><br />I really recommend this book, especially to those who love armchair travel or memoirs. Kelly's writing style is fairly straight forward but she writes with such a raw honesty that it was impossible not to feel a connection to her. Due to the span in years this book covers, the growth that Deirdre accomplishes is also easy to feel and recognize. She shows such passion for Paris as a city but also Paris as a feeling and a way of life and I love how varied the city is, like a living organism that is constantly changing and growing and evolving. Just as we all are. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDfDjWjIRqHfWs3APJVm1Ya6USBErqkG6JCOc7SQT-SOXr5d9jXLvjJCExI3PClOfWLpSmkZvHasIsmtL82il0U2zncN6veP-i7WUlFQuQOdU2cfqQJ_l3pHVhbaVc88TUfu1kqRRsXY/s1600-h/logo.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401878085096698418" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 131px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 129px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDfDjWjIRqHfWs3APJVm1Ya6USBErqkG6JCOc7SQT-SOXr5d9jXLvjJCExI3PClOfWLpSmkZvHasIsmtL82il0U2zncN6veP-i7WUlFQuQOdU2cfqQJ_l3pHVhbaVc88TUfu1kqRRsXY/s200/logo.png" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Again, thanks to <a href="http://www.ecolibris.net/">Eco-Libris</a> for sharing this book with me and allowing me to be apart of their Green Books Campaign. <br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/201/BD2BC8D400CEE6548F196BE294EF0BBB.png" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">I am an Amazon Associate. If you purchase </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1553652681?ie=UTF8&tag=trisreanoo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1553652681"><span style="font-size:78%;">Paris Times Eight</span></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; BORDER-TOP: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none" height="1" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=trisreanoo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1553652681" width="1" border="0" />through this review I will receive a small portion of the purchase.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><div></div>
<div>____________________________________</div>
Come visit me at my new blog: <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/">Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</a></div>Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225576485797030511noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922354827535398877.post-65646546366581893452009-11-08T06:00:00.004-06:002010-04-01T20:14:27.486-05:00Ethan Frome - Edith Wharton<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0142437808?ie=UTF8&tag=trisreanoo-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0142437808"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 124px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401518846217665554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPKgJkp5B4G19KO3d_reYMY88YRP-9ufX7PcRkRSbQj3uzkfP1irrjE_pd77xbe9tngwj1lg9N0n6wSPHP4KtV_seN38ygcZnBvLfrD_1_71x2RCyvTakdFvFZe08kmmeGG12qvdQiyZo/s200/ethan+frome.jpg" /></a>Title: <em>Ethan Frome</em><br />Author: Edith Wharton<br />Published: 1911 Pages: 181<br />Genre: Literary Fiction/Classic<br />Rating: 4.25/5<br /><br />Set in the early twentieth century in a remote and wintry part of Massachusetts, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0142437808?ie=UTF8&tag=trisreanoo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0142437808"><em>Ethan Frome</em></a> is a tragic and heartbreaking story of love and betrayal. At the beginning of <em>Ethan Frome</em>, the unnamed narrator encounters Frome and other townspeople who know Frome and the narrator pieces together the events described in the book. Frome, a quiet man, lives with his sickly wife, Zeena, who is several years his senior. Zeena's cousin, Mattie, also lives with them and she is young and beautiful. Ethan takes quite a liking to Mattie and while Zeena leaves town to seek treatment for her ailment a quiet affair between Ethan and Mattie ensues.<br /><br />Even though I hosted the <a href="http://classics2008.blogspot.com/">Classics Challenge</a>, I have been terrible at reading classics lately. This is the first I've read in months and reading it made me want to toss everything else aside and seek refuge in classics for the rest of the year. Wharton's writing is spellbinding. The story is a simple one and even the writing is fairly simple, but the heartache is palatable in the book. Ethan is such a complicated character torn by his emotions for Mattie and his duty to Zeena. Even though this is such a short book, Wharton's descriptions are so impactful. The sexual tension between Mattie and Ethan is on the one hand subtle and hardly existent, but the richness with which Wharton describes Ethan and Mattie's encounters tore at my heart:<br /><br />"The sudden heat of his tone made her colour mount again, not with a rush, but gradually, delicately, like the reflection of a thought stealing slowly across her heart. She sat silent, her hands clasped on her work, and it seemed to him that a warm current flowed toward him along the strip of stuff that still lay unrolled between them. Cautiously he slid his hand palm-downward along the table till his finger-times touched the end of the stuff. A faint vibration of her lashes seemed to show that she was aware of his gesture; and that it had sent a counter-current back to her; and she let her hands lie motionless on the other end of the strip" (95).<br /><br />The above comes from a fairly long passage and I wish I could include it all, but I don't want to give too much of the event away. But even as almost nothing happens in this passage there is still an electricity that can be felt through Wharton's description. Love it. The only other book I've read by Wharton is <em>The Age of Innocence</em> and I don't remember it having quite the same passion (all I remember really is that the ending ticked me off).<br /><br />If you're looking for a short and engaging classic, I would recommend <em>Ethan Frome</em>. I read this within a few hours, and because I read it for the readathon I'm sure I missed much of the depth, but it is one that I would love to go back to one day. And it certainly makes me eager to read more of Ms. Wharton's works. Any classic that has me wanting more is definitely a good one in my book!<br /><br />One more thing but since this contains <strong>spoilers</strong>, don't read on if you haven't read the book. When I closed the covers for <em>Ethan Frome</em> I was struck by how messy the book ended. It seems nowadays that everything needs to be wrapped up in a neat little bow, but I loved how tragically unhappy this book is. Doesn't that sound strange! It almost killed me when Ethan and Mattie drove for that tree in order to be together, but for all three of them to end up in the same household together is almost unbearable. I'm not really sure what to make of any of this--I guess just an observation--but it isn't often that such powerful endings are found in modern literature? Of course they're there, but maybe just not as often? Ramble over.<br /><br /><strong>What was a classic you've read that had you reaching for more?</strong><br /><br />Hope everyone's having a good week so far!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/201/BD2BC8D400CEE6548F196BE294EF0BBB.png" /></a><br /><br />**Edith Wharton is actually going to be on tour in January via the <a href="http://classics.rebeccareid.com/"><strong>Classics Circuit</strong></a>! Be sure to check out the fun!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><div></div>
<div>____________________________________</div>
Come visit me at my new blog: <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/">Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</a></div>Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225576485797030511noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922354827535398877.post-23954693885244298032009-11-02T20:35:00.001-06:002010-04-01T20:14:27.490-05:00The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks - E. Lockhart<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001Q3M5BM?ie=UTF8&tag=trisreanoo-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B001Q3M5BM"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 129px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397014123192532706" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUmbH5L525p2YQWlZ6oPp7MeiHepTmC8rH6k1EsTVUF1BSJop4wR-jOAiMeRgc0u-fuDznJHXPuIpFowXlUYdCSOOoCYYzxmuC7REQGv2nnXoIYnELihDccB1E8p8a1qqMAbAmn0fHXds/s200/direputabe+history.jpg" /></a> Title: <em>The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks</em><br />Author: E. Lockhart<br />Published: 2008 Pages: 342<br />Genre: Young Adult Fiction<br />Rating: 4.25/5<br /><br /><em>The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks</em> is one of those books that I heard about all over the blogosphere and finally grabbed my own copy at Borders Bookstore from one of their bargain shelves. I'm kind of funny when it comes to reading reviews--I don't read a lot of summaries and I have a terrible memory, so I often go into books not knowing very much about them except that others really liked them. The case was the same for this one--and what a delightful surprise!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001Q3M5BM?ie=UTF8&tag=trisreanoo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001Q3M5BM"><em>The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks</em></a> besides having a terribly long title is the story of Frankie Landau-Banks during her sophomore year of high school when she decides to take down the school's secret society. After living in her older sister's footsteps during her freshman year, Frankie finally makes a breakout during her sophomore year and becomes involved with some of the cooler and older kids at school. One of the seniors, Matthew, begins courting her and thus begins a whirlwind romance as well as her secret involvement in the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, the secret male-only society. Upset about the continual lies, deceit, and hypocrisy, Frankie decides to take down the Loyal Order one prank at a time.<br /><br />Mostly this book was just a lot of fun. Although Frankie is not the narrator, the narration focuses around her thoughts and actions, so we get to know her really well throughout the book. Frankie is a little insecure and eager to be accepted among her peers. Her mother still thinks Frankie is her little "Bunny Rabbit" and is constantly undermining her abilities and intelligence. Even in her involvement with Matthew, Frankie shows how important it is for her to make a name for herself and to be taken seriously. <br /><br />The meat of the book comes from Frankie's growth and development throughout the book and her desire to become her own person. Frankie shows that she is every bit as clever and quick-witted as her male counterparts, but she must do most of this through a covert cover and the leader of the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, Alpha, quickly takes credit for Frankie's work--even as the pranks become more and more serious. My favorite bit about Frankie, though, is her playfulness with the English language:<br /><br />"[Matthew] got up from the desk, walked over to the couch on which she sat, and kissed her on the lips. There was nothing else around.<br /><br />'Mmmm,' she whispered. 'Now I'm gruntled.'<br /><br />'What?'<br /><br />'Gruntled. I was disgruntled before.'<br /><br />'Why?'<br /><br />'It's drizzling, there's nothing to do but study, the vending machine's broken. You know, disgruntled.'<br /><br />'And now you're...'<br /><br />'Gruntled.'" (110).<br /><br />Frankie is such a likeable character, and while some might be annoyed by her antics, I think Lockhart portrays Frankie as many teenaged girls are--someone who is just looking to become a part. My only regret about the book is the ending when although Frankie has learned a lot and accomplished a lot, she's still the teenaged girl who second guesses herself. This book has received some mixed-reviews, but generally I would recommend it. I certainly really enjoyed it!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/201/BD2BC8D400CEE6548F196BE294EF0BBB.png" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">On a side note: I'm taking a bit of a blogging break. I'm tired of whining about blogging, so I'm making this announcement kind of quietly. And who knows--maybe in a few days I'll change my mind. Ideally I'd still like to get my pending reviews written and posted, but I fear that otherwise I might be a bit sparse around the blogosphere. I've felt that blogging lately has become a lot of pressure and I'm trying to alleviate some of that pressure (mostly self-induced) and until I can figure that out...I'm in a state of avoidance. :)</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><div></div>
<div>____________________________________</div>
Come visit me at my new blog: <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/">Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</a></div>Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225576485797030511noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922354827535398877.post-56493820462405665862009-10-30T05:00:00.001-05:002010-04-01T20:14:27.494-05:00Happy Halloween Eve!<div align="center"> </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipgMDM2QIKMOwS_RhDx3pmrFPmLUL7taDdN88Re1q8l0SkttCI20yIdt2ELUqYeO_xJ6kz6BnsrbI1BLlmgT9W0TjRNX8xG0lX1O2u7NiYA8F3wJStzF1YsjJqGlyNveyTq4m2xM6Q6yU/s1600-h/002.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398205786033157922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipgMDM2QIKMOwS_RhDx3pmrFPmLUL7taDdN88Re1q8l0SkttCI20yIdt2ELUqYeO_xJ6kz6BnsrbI1BLlmgT9W0TjRNX8xG0lX1O2u7NiYA8F3wJStzF1YsjJqGlyNveyTq4m2xM6Q6yU/s400/002.JPG" /></a><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;color:#ff6600;"><strong>Happy Halloween!</strong></span></div><br />Ok, so it's not Halloween yet, but I don't normally like posting on Saturdays and with the way my week has been if I don't schedule this post now it won't get posted. I made this cake for my work Halloween party--the tombstones are made from Milano cookies, the ghosts from marshmallows speared by pretzels, the trees from bigger pretzels piped with frosting, the bones and skulls are little candies, and of course the beloved pumpkins (although I think Brach's changed their recipe!). The cake is vanilla because I don't like chocolate cake and refuse to make it, but the icing is chocolate (which strangely I do like).<br /><br />It's a little busy and I don't know how we'll cut and eat the cake, but I'm pretty excited to have made my first cake where a teacher wasn't telling me what to do. Doesn't it look yummy??<br /><br />We don't have any plans for Halloween yet. We'll have some company this weekend, but other than that I hope for a quiet weekend where I can catch up a bit on life. The house is a wreck, laundry needs to be done, I need to do some serious running, and of course blog stuff. Hopefully aside from all of that I'll have some time to curl up with <em>Hunger Games! </em><br /><br />What plans do you have for the weekend?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/201/BD2BC8D400CEE6548F196BE294EF0BBB.png" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><div></div>
<div>____________________________________</div>
Come visit me at my new blog: <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/">Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</a></div>Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225576485797030511noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922354827535398877.post-86549783193415394502009-10-28T08:30:00.001-05:002010-04-01T20:14:27.497-05:00Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0380730405?ie=UTF8&tag=trisreanoo-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0380730405"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 134px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397469843259076226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpoaAzIbz9C7KfrE6dWQM-gw0O5R2t2Z2chZ55RmI2Cp6vPMXH2FDrnOHF-XtL191wwMomib0ekE3yXZLKfXW-BkCv61e2ww3ZPP-bCku96ZcBKjB-GQhEdrlaynDv9VHAEzjjNaPhJsA/s200/rebecca.jpg" /></a>Title: <em>Rebecca</em><br />Author: Daphne du Maurier<br />Published: 1938 Pages: 386<br />Genre: Literary Fiction/Classic<br />Rating: 4.5/5<br /><br />Can you believe that a year ago I'd never heard of <em>Rebecca</em> OR Daphne du Maurier? The book began to creep up on the blogosphere and to be honest I thought it was a cheesy romance novel. It wasn't until my friend Laura read the book that I became really interested, and I quickly added it to my shelf collections. I was so thrilled when Amanda from <a href="http://zenleaf.blogspot.com/">The Zen Leaf</a> asked me if I'd be interested in doing a buddy review with her this month.<br /><br /><strong>Summary:</strong><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0380730405?ie=UTF8&tag=trisreanoo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0380730405"><em>Rebecca</em></a><em><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=trisreanoo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0380730405" width="1" height="1" /></em>begins when the young narrator (we'll call her Narry) meets a wealthy widow, Maxim de Winter, and an unlikely friendship and courtship ensues. After a few weeks of spending much time together, Narry accepts Maxim's proposal of marriage and they have a quiet ceremony before moving to Manderley. At Manderley, Narry soon realizes that Maxim's first wife, Rebecca, who has drowned in a tragic boating accident, continues to haunt the house and the lives of those left behind. Rebecca doesn't haunt in the traditional sense of the word (no ghosts or anything like that), but the magnificence of her character continually overshadows the meek and innocent Narry. Throughout the novel, Narry is in constant battle with Rebecca's legacy and must fight in order to maintain her rightful place as mistress of the great Manderley.<br /><br /><strong>Buddy Review:</strong><br />Amanda and I conversed back and forth about our thoughts on <em>Rebecca</em>. We split our conversation in half, so you can read the first half over at <a href="http://zenleaf.blogspot.com/2009/10/rebecca-by-daphne-du-maurier.html">The Zen Leaf</a> (I recommend going now and coming back as our conversation will make more sense that way). We tried to avoid spoilers wherever possible--you can tell below where I start to get a little cryptic and squeamish in trying not to give anything away! I'll start with the last sentence of my part of the conversation just for transition's sake.<br /><br /><strong>Trish: </strong>What did you think about the characters in the book? Any that you'll be remembering for a time to come?<br /><br /><strong>Amanda:</strong> I agree that Mrs. Danvers is probably one of the most creepy characters I've ever read! Two scenes with her in specific really made me shudder in horror. I think you're right, all the characters were fantastically drawn, but I think Mrs. Danvers and even Rebecca, despite being dead, were the best. It begs to be compared to modern horror books, which don't seem to realize that creepy can be achieved without a lot of blood and guts. du Maurier left so much to the imagination, and used so many psychological tricks on her characters to make them nightmarish, though realistically so. It was just perfect.<br /><br />Okay - so I have to ask, because I've harped on this in recent reviews - what did you think about the crime aspect of the novel? I don't want to reveal spoilers, so all I'm going to say is that a crime takes place at one point, and the characters are trying to escape justice, and they feel the crime was justified. Do you believe it was justified, and that they were justified trying to escape punishment? I have to admit, even though normally I would automatically answer NO, I really empathized with these characters and wanted them to go free.<br /><br /><strong>Trish:</strong> Well, let me put it this way--when I read your paragraph I immediately thought "crime? what crime?!" Does that basically answer your question. Yes, of course a crime was committed and it was a horrible crime. Can it really be justified? I think you start stepping into some pretty soggy ethical ground when you begin debating whether or not the crime should be committed. Look at us dodging these spoilers--if I hadn't already read the book I'd want to now!<br /><br />You've asked a really great question, Amanda, and I don't think I have the answer. The moral side of me wants to think that there could have been other actions taken before the crime was committed to have prevented the whole mess that occurs in the second half of the book. In the end, though, I just don't think it would have been quite the same if the characters had all been carted off in handcuffs at the end of the book. Throughout the book Maxim exclaims that Rebecca has won--as if the two were in constant battle during their lives together. In the end, do you think Rebecca did in fact win or have the others gained the upperhand?<br /><br /><strong>Amanda:</strong> I think in the end, neither really gains the upperhand. In one way, sure, they got away with the crime - but do they ever really go free? They've lost so much, they have such heavy hearts, and with that abrupt end (Agh!!!), you never really know if they recover. The little hints at the beginning of the book say almost nothing. I suppose, in conclusion, I really thought this book was masterfully pieced together. It's ethically grey, it's romantic and tragic both, and there is no clear conclusion. Not to mention the incredible atmosphere we talked about above. I can't wait to read more by du Maurier! How about you? Any final thoughts?<br /><br /><strong>Trish:</strong> I think you sum the book and your feelings up really well. I was a little concerned going into the book that there would be a lot of heavy imagery and that the story would be a little dull (those first two chapters were a beating!), but in a word this book was exciting. At any given point du Maurier only allows you to have just one little piece of the puzzle so that things slowly begin to come together, but she withholds a lot from the narrative in order for readers to make up their own minds with what happens. And like you said, this book really is a psychological thriller. I love that there are still questions left at the end--<em>Rebecca</em> really is a haunting book. I'll definitely be reading more du Maurier in the future and am glad to have discovered her.<br /><br />Don't forget to check out the "beginning" of our conversation over at <a href="http://zenleaf.blogspot.com/2009/10/rebecca-by-daphne-du-maurier.html">Amanda's</a>. And if you've never been over there--shame on you. You'll love both her and her blog. :)<br /><br />Have you read <em>Rebecca</em>? What did you find creepiest about this book? Do you think psychological thrillers are more frightening than the blood and gore type of thrillers or do those scare the wits out of you, too?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/201/BD2BC8D400CEE6548F196BE294EF0BBB.png" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><div></div>
<div>____________________________________</div>
Come visit me at my new blog: <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/">Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</a></div>Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225576485797030511noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922354827535398877.post-87771599783872524322009-10-26T13:00:00.003-05:002010-04-01T20:14:27.501-05:00The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0198326769?ie=UTF8&tag=trisreanoo-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0198326769"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 136px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396959841483475538" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguiL0J5zFSZqfxthQFFkbGI-5R9lmyD9Ned3Rtdqq9z1Ads-VPTFafb0h553MS_11UcwhoIwavXhD-O-vuTUvyaWLQkyWRY1b-9MOThU4qMASKrgCGcaNKfloUvT0DMk725FzEs5Mjens/s200/the-boy-in-the-striped-pyjamas-book.jpg" /></a>Title: <em>The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas</em><br />Author: John Boyne<br />Published: 2006 Pages: 216<br />Genre: YA Fiction<br />Rating: 3/5<br /><br />My poor brother has been asking me to read this book for months now (he's thirteen). I'm always reluctant to borrow books from people because I know my turnaround will never be as quick as if I loan out a book. There's so many I've obligated myself to read for challenges or for authors/publishers, not to mention the giant shelf of TBR books. I promised him I'd read BSP for the readathon and I'm so glad I did. When I texted him that I had finished the book he texted me back "it's about time." Yup, it sure is.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0198326769?ie=UTF8&tag=trisreanoo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0198326769"><em>The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas</em></a><em><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-TOP: medium none; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=trisreanoo-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0198326769" width="1" height="1" /></em> begins with nine year old Bruno and his family who live in a nice big five story home in Berlin. Bruno's father is a very important person, though, and has been asked by the Fury (Hitler) to take post at a strange camp in a far away place called Out-With (Auschwitz). Bruno is upset because the house is much smaller and his sister Gretel (a Hopeless Case) refuses to play with him. As Bruno begins to explore the new home, he discovers that there is a giant camp across the yard with lots of men and boys all wearing the same striped pyjamas. In his exploration, he meets a boy sitting by the fence of the camp whom Bruno befriends.<br /><br />What I loved about <em>The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas </em>is the simplicity and innocence. Bruno doesn't understand why his parents have moved, he doesn't understand the camp beyond his home's yard, and he doesn't understand why his friend can't come across the fence to play or why Bruno can't go to the other side of the fence. There is something so sweet about Bruno's innocence and refusal to judge those who are a little different from him. I also have a tough time believing, though, that the son of a Commandant who is overseeing one of the largest concentration camps in the world doesn't know what a Jew is and whether he is a Jew or not. That aside, Bruno's innocence came across as genuine.<br /><br />"What exactly was the difference? [Bruno] wondered to himself. And who decided which people wore the striped pajamas and which people wore uniforms" (100).<br /><br />This is a short book that can be read within a couple of hours, and while I do recommend it, it isn't as powerful as some of the other books I've read about the Holocaust or World War II. Could this partly be because it was written for young adults? I don't know--I've read some pretty powerful young adult books (<em><a href="http://trishsbooks.blogspot.com/2008/01/book-thief-markus-zusak.html">The Book Thief</a></em> is one I highly recommend). I guess the unbelievablity of the story continued to tug away at me. I was shocked by the ending of the book, and even though it's not hard to guess this book would not have a happy ending, it left my heart hollow.<br /><br />Have you read this book or seen the movie? How did you feel about it?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/201/BD2BC8D400CEE6548F196BE294EF0BBB.png" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Join Cym Lowell's </span><a href="http://cymlowell.blogspot.com/2009/10/book-review-party-wednesday-starts_27.html"><span style="font-size:85%;">Book Review Party Wednesday</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">!</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><div></div>
<div>____________________________________</div>
Come visit me at my new blog: <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/">Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</a></div>Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225576485797030511noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922354827535398877.post-31397471993745181692009-10-25T06:21:00.005-05:002010-05-06T20:35:42.125-05:00Read-a-thon: Hours 23-24 and End of Event Meme<span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong>UPDATE FOR HOURS 23&24</strong></span><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span></strong>Pages: <strong>160 </strong>(Fun Home)<br />Time: <strong>65 </strong>minutes<br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>TOTALS: </strong><br /><strong>1005 </strong>pages read (105 over goal)<br /><strong>766 </strong>minutes/<strong>12.76</strong> hours reading (2.25 under goal)<br /><strong>150 </strong>minutes/2.5 hours blogging (includes twitter)<br /><strong>370 </strong>minutes/6 hours cheerleading (2 over goal)<br /><strong>17</strong> mini-challenges<br /><strong>300</strong><strong>+ </strong>comments (stopped counting when I stopped reading)<br /><strong>2</strong> caffeine beverages<br /><strong>3.5</strong> books (.5 under goal)<br /><strong>2</strong> prizes won (Woohoo!<br /><strong>3</strong> vlogs<br /><strong>1</strong> happy ending football game (Texas A&M v Tech)<br /><br />I'm such a faker:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjksSDJhUMYSwL4FQsU1ya-edSsBiw8RQmWJ27wDOhAGuJF9FXRVIonarQKQT0-_rxmwnZsvrketDIDqVeOmr2LGm-H95iZ-I_j23BiRWLYdeZdmd7m9v5CgrKG_xJu22deQqWhs8b3G-M/s1600-h/011.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396497117352361618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjksSDJhUMYSwL4FQsU1ya-edSsBiw8RQmWJ27wDOhAGuJF9FXRVIonarQKQT0-_rxmwnZsvrketDIDqVeOmr2LGm-H95iZ-I_j23BiRWLYdeZdmd7m9v5CgrKG_xJu22deQqWhs8b3G-M/s400/011.JPG" /></a><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">1. Which hour was most daunting for you?</span><br />20 was the hardest and when I stopped reading to cheer for 2 hours.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?</span><br />All! Especially Frankie Landau-Banks and Fun Home<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?</span><br />I really liked the "dead hour" cheer squad--could fine tune for next year! Also, have mini-challenge hosts put ending times in the readathon hours rather than their time zones.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?<br /></span>Everything was so smooth this year!<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">5. How many books did you read?<br /></span>I read 3 and a half and chapters of 4 others. Kind of had a tough time in the middle picking a book!<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">6. What were the names of the books you read?</span><br />Boy in the Striped Pajamas; The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks; Ethan Frome; Fun Home (half)<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">7. Which book did you enjoy most?</span><br />The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">8. Which did you enjoy least?</span><br />None--but About a Boy, Animal Husbandry and Hunger Games were ones I abandoned temporarily<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?</span><br />Pre-write some really fun cheers. Also with so many participants try to figure out a system of how to tackle as many as possible<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?</span><br />Um, VERY LIKELY! I'll do it the same way I did this time--mostly reader with heavy emphasis on cheering.<br /><br />Can't wait until April!!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/201/BD2BC8D400CEE6548F196BE294EF0BBB.png" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><div></div>
<div>____________________________________</div>
Come visit me at my new blog: <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/">Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</a></div>Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225576485797030511noreply@blogger.com47tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922354827535398877.post-39657664389791513802009-10-25T04:54:00.003-05:002010-05-06T20:36:05.606-05:00Read-a-thon Hours: 21-22<span style="color:#ff0000;"><strong>UPDATE FOR HOURS 21&22</strong></span><br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;"></span></strong>Pages: <strong>ZERO </strong>(spent the last two hours cheering/dancing/tweeting)<br />Time: <strong>ZERO </strong>minutes<br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>TOTALS: </strong><br /><strong>845 </strong>pages read<br /><strong>701 </strong>minutes reading<br /><strong>140 </strong>minutes blogging (includes twitter)<br /><strong>345 </strong>minutes cheerleading<br /><strong>17</strong> mini-challenges<br /><strong>2</strong><strong>88+ </strong>comments (stopped counting when I stopped reading)<br /><strong>2</strong> caffeine beverage<br /><br />Ok, here's the deal. I'm taking this video down as soon as the readathon ends--so get your fill of my highly embarrassing video now. This will most likely be my last vlog of the night. :) <span style="color:#ff0000;">Edited: Video has been taken down. You'll have to wait until April for more embarrassing Trish vlogs.</span><br /><br />And no Mountain Dews were harmed (or actually imbibed) in the making (and that banging noise is me running into a paperbag). The song is <strong>Somewhere After Midnight</strong>, which you can listen to on the Youtube video below. Sorry it's such a crummy video, but I love the song... Get up and dance to it!<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-qa8LdDsJlc&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-qa8LdDsJlc&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: none transparent scroll repeat 0% 0%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px" src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54487/201/BD2BC8D400CEE6548F196BE294EF0BBB.png" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><div></div>
<div>____________________________________</div>
Come visit me at my new blog: <a href="http://www.lovelaughterinsanity.com/">Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity</a></div>Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17225576485797030511noreply@blogger.com23