Review #14: The Water Giver by Joan Ryan

Title: The Water Giver: The Story of a Mother, a Son and Their Second Chance

Author: Joan Ryan

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Format: Review copy

Genre: Memoir

Rating: 5/5

In giving feedback to the publisher, I simply wrote, "This book hit me like a punch to the gut."

It told a story of a mother and son with a bond so strong, I shed tears as a read. Being a mother to a son, I hoped for the bond but not the tragic event that helped create it.

My description:

The author and her husband adopt an infant boy from a young couple in Hawaii. Successful, well off, and enthusiastic to be parents, they do not anticipate parenting to be a difficult ride.

Their son, Ryan, turns out to be anything but easy. From an early age he is aggressive, anxious, and hyper plagued with misunderstood and misdiagnosed learning disabilities. After many attempts to "fix" her son, the author settles into the feeling that she has some how failed him and is in turn a bad mother.

Then comes the day like any other Ryan hops on his skateboard and takes a spin around the neighborhood, only to fall and hit his head. A trip to the hospital is in order for a quick check, just to be safe, says the mother. But what occurs is the beginning of months and months of pain, recovery, worry, heartbreak, love and miracles. That bump to his head caused such damage that he required surgery after surgery and months of rehabilitation.

These months after the accident is the heart of this book.

My Review:

One line that haunted me throughout and was repeated was "His clothes were still in the back of the car waiting for him."

(shiver)

As a mother, you are always planning; for the worst, for rain, for hunger, for a scrape, for a tantrum, or for fun. Whatever it is, a mother will be prepared. The author, on the way to the hospital, thinking it won't be too long brings her son a new pair of clean clothes. Always prepared.

Of course, as soon as she gets to the hospital, the news becomes so bad that the ordinary gets forgotten.

By reading the description of the book and the author profile, you do know ahead of time that her son does end of surviving and pulling through but you don't plan on the heavy hearted account of what he had to go through, what the family had to go through to get there. This book was written with such emotional honesty that I really felt like I was there with her as a friend holding her hand. Sounds cheesy I know but, chalk it up to being a mom, but I GOT it. I just GOT what she was feeling, what she wanted to do, and the fierceness in her protection and advocacy of her son's healthcare.

This was an absolutely powerful account of a mother's love for her son. During his recovery and rehabilitation, she becomes the mother she wanted to be and he needs her in the way she always wanted him to. It's no longer about putting him in a box and figuring him out. It's about finally understanding that he is her son, no matter what and she will stop at nothing to protect him.

I am a fan of memoirs. I enjoy reading stories of other's lives especially if I can identify or gather a bit of wisdom. This book brought me back to my own childhood when I had open heart surgery at the age of five. I have vivid memories of the support and love of not only my mother and father but a whole cast of doctors, nurses and therapists which this book is full of;

a dedicated crew from various healthcare facilities along the way.

I highly recommend this book to a reader who enjoys a powerful story. It is worthy of a 5 rating. It is due out in September 2009 in stores. Here is a short author profile straight from the back of the book for your reference:

Joan Ryan is an award winning journalist and author. She was a pioneer in sports journalism, becoming one of the first female sports columnists in the country. Her first book, Little Girls in Pretty Boxes: the Making and Breaking of Elite Gymnasts and Figure Skaters, was named one of the Top 100 Sports Books of All Time by Sports Illustrated. Joan lives in Marin County, north of San Francisco, with her husband, Fox sportscaster Barry Tompkins, their 18 yr old son, Ryan, and their dog, Bill.

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

* red headed book child

Review #13: In the Woods by Tana French

Title: In the Woods

Author: Tana French

Genre: Mystery/Suspense

Awards: Edgar Award for Best First Novel by an American Author

Publisher: Penguin

Rating: 5/5

First off, what is this book all about? Here is my description.

Set in and near Dublin, Detectives Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox are investigating the murder of a young girl found in the woods behind Ryan's childhood home.

This setting brings back painful memories of Ryan's escape from abduction. Twenty years earlier he was found in the very same woods clinging to a tree trunk in shock wearing sneakers filled with blood. His two friends he was playing with that day, dead and gone. Not to be found again.

He is unable to remember anything that happened and for the next twenty years kept this secret from most everybody in his life, except from his new partner Cassie.

In the Woods combines both of these unsolved murders in an awesome suspenseful read.

My Review:

I loved this book. Absolutely loved it. The writing was superb; haunting, raw and nostalgic.

I had so many post it notes to mark quotes but I don't want to give anything away.

Imagine experiencing something so awful as a child that you block it out and leave so many unanswered questions that haunt you for the rest of your life. Then one day you land smack in the middle of your memory and in order to answer another victim's question, you must face your own. This "unknown" haunted the whole story up until the end.

Detective Ryan's character was heartbreaking and endearing and his dynamic with Cassie was beautifully portrayed by the author's writing.

The supporting characters gave this book a raw edge. The family of the little girl included a controlling father, a submissive mother, and two sisters, one troubled and one manipulative.

The woods that the murder takes place in are near an archeological site run by a cast of strange, fiesty characters. The police force in which Cassie and Ryan work is also filled with men and women, dedicated to the job and fierce in their opinions.

What I loved the most, outside of Ryan and Maddox, was the way the author made you feel nostalgic. She wrote about childhood in a way that made it easy for any reader, in my opinion, to identify. She wrote honest dialogue between the young kids and the way a child looks at the world and how they feel about their home life.

I am very excited to continue with these characters and this author. The Likeness is Book Two and is already out in paperback. Check our Tana French's website for more details. The ending of this one will completely catch you by surprise.

This was my first of two books chosen for the R.I.P Challenge and it was worth it. I am glad I finally got around to reading it. It got all 5s. Highly Recommended!

Happy Reading!

* red headed book child

Review #12: After the Ball by Barb Greenberg

Title: After the Ball- A Woman's Tale of Reclaiming Happily Ever After

Author: Barb Greenberg

Format: Hardcover review copy from author (thank you!)

Publisher: Rose Path Press

Genre: Self Help/Relationships

Rating: 4/5

This is not typically a genre that I read a lot but I was lured in by the cover and I like to try something new. Rose Path Press is also a publisher in my neck of the woods. Eden Prairie, MN. In my entire career as a bookstore manager, I have always supported local and regional authors and publishers. I was happy to continue in that support with reviewing this book.

My Description:

The book is a short read, 107 pages. The story is a simple one. Cinderella and Snow White, two popular fairy tale characters, are unhappy with their Happily Ever After. They both seek the friendship of one another to get through and the wisdom of other women.

My Review:

This book holds a simple message for all women. Find yourself, love yourself, and you can get through anything. This is what I took from it. The two characters married their princes and were promised and expected a happily ever after life. But that doesn't happen. Their princes were not available, controlling or unfaithful. They had to step away from their marriages that they had so much hope for and learn to stand on their own.

This is a good gift for someone in your life going through a rough time, whether it's a divorce or an end of any relationship.

For a genre I don't normally seek out, this was a nice pool to dip my toes in. So I would rate it as a 4. Recommended but for a very specific audience.

Happy Reading!

* red headed book child

My Followers are missing!

Where Have All The Followers Gone?

If your Google Friend Connect widget (followers) has gone blank, please go to

Missing Followers?

and Complain. Get all of your blogger friends to complain. Re-post this link on your blog. Perhaps if Blogger hears from enough people, they will make an attempt to fix what is obviously a problem that has been going on for some time. There is also a form to fill out to help Blogger "debug" the issue.

Thanks to Pixie13 for brining this to my attention. I filled out the form and hopefully I will get you all back to see!

Is this happening to anyone else?

* red headed book child

Award love

Thank you to Michelle at The True Book Addict for giving me this award. Not only does she have a cool name, she has an even cooler blog!

“The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken– excellence, grace, and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all.”

I love all my followers. ( and I can see them now, they had disappeared from my page)

I really do.

I would give award to all of you but I think I would brave a

zombie attack to read the following bloggers.

And some of you may have already received this award from others.

Karen @ Novels During Naptime

Krista @ Life or Something Like It

Ryan @ Wordsmithonia

Mel @ He followed me home...can I keep him?

Froggy @ Froggaritaville's Bookcase

Happy Reading!

* red headed book child

"Waiting On" Wednesdays

This weekly event is hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine.

What am I waiting on? The new Sue Grafton.

This is one of the only series that I religiously follow. I read her first 5 in one month many years ago and just fell in love. I love the whodunnit aspect and the fact that it's set in the 80s with very little technology. I feel very comfortable reading these mysteries because I can totally identify with Kinsey (the P.I) and I get nostalgic for my childhood.

I am hoping she will create another alphabet or something because Z is very close right now.

This description is straight from the author's website:

hardcover

"U" is for Undertow Read an Excerpt It's April, 1988, a month before Kinsey Millhone's 38th birthday and she's alone in her office doing paperwork when a young man arrives unannounced. He has a preppy air about him and looks as if he'd be carded if he tried to buy booze, but Michael Sutton is 27, an unemployed college drop-out. Twenty-one years before, a four-year old girl disappeared. A recent reference to her kidnapping has triggered a flood of memories. Sutton now believes he stumbled on her lonely burial when he was six years old. He wants Kinsey's help in locating the child’s remains and finding the men who killed her. It’s a long shot but he's willing to pay cash up front and Kinsey agrees to give him one day. As her investigation unfolds, she finds out Michael Sutton has an uneasy relationship with the truth. In essence, he's the boy who cried wolf. Is his current story true or simply one more in a long line of fabrications? Grafton moves the narrative between the eighties and the sixties, changing points of view, building multiple subplots, and creating memorable characters. Gradually, we see how they all connect. But at the beating center of the novel is Kinsey Millhone, sharp-tongued, observant, a loner—"a heroine," said The New York Times Book Review, "with foibles you can laugh at and faults you can forgive." Happy Reading! * red headed book child

To Judge A Book By it's Cover

Let's just get it out there right now in the open, I am a book cover junkie. Yes, this means that I have purchased many a book just by the beautiful, scary, alluring, silly cover.

It all depends on my mood.

If I see something I like, I go with it.

I try to make lists of what to read, all nice and tidy but really when it comes down to it, reading to me has to be enjoyable and in the moment. I gotta feel it.

If I don't, then I won't (read it that is). This is why I still struggle with book clubs. Assigned reading makes me a tad crazy!!!

This is also why I never did well in college. Well...that and too many cute boys. :)

So when I came across Leslie Meier's Trick or Treat Murder for 50 cents (50 cents, I tell ya!) at my local library today, well, the mood hit me and I got it. Why? Because it has a cool, spooky pumpkin on the cover and it looks scary. Scary like Halloween coming up. Orange like the leaves that have ALREADY fallen in my yard. I was ready to dive in to cozy mystery heaven.

Let's set the record straight on another thing while we're here. I have read one, by definition, cozy mystery in my life. Eggs in Purgatory by Laura Childs and I have to say I LOVED THE HECK OUT OF IT.. Why? I could not tell ya'. It just hit me and I was off. Nothing major happened in that book and I am pretty sure not a whole heck of a lot will happen in the sequel (Eggs Benedict Arnold, due out in December) but I am going to eat it up (not literally, of course). It was just that much fun and I am pretty sure if I let myself fall victim to the Cozy Mystery Gods, I may never return. But I digress.

I bought Leslie Meier's book because it did what books should do for the reader...make you excited to dive in. And the whole 50 cents thing was pretty darn cool, too.

So I am off to read about a murder...a trick or treat murder. (insert evil laugh here)

Happy Reading!

* red headed book child

A little bit Wicked

Congrats to Kristin Chenoweth on her Emmy win last night!

If you haven't read her memoir A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love and Faith in Stages, you should!

She is AMAZING! (imagine sing-songy voice here)

I am now off to sing the entire recording of Wicked, the Musical. :)

* red headed book child

Mailbox Monday!

Well Chuck, what's in our mailbox today?

For some reason I feel like singing a jingle when I do Mailbox Mondays (a weekly meme hosted by Marcia at the Printed Page). You know...jazz hands...bells ringing....whistling birds or something. Maybe it's just the sickness still wearing off! Ha!

Anyhoo, I did have a few gems come my way last week. Hooray!

ARCS I received from the fabulous Simon and Schuster (love them!):

The Secret of Joy by Melissa Senate

Dogtown: Death and Enchantment in a New England Ghost Town by Elyssa East

Review Copy I received from the author:

After the Ball: A Woman's Tale of Reclaiming Happily Ever After by Barb Greenberg

Bought:

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo (review on previous post)

(Rose Path Press)

I have a busy week ahead of me to catch up for the few days I didn't read while I was sick last week.

Happy Reading!

* red headed book child

Review #11: The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo

I had the pleasure this afternoon to see Kate DiCamillo speak at a beautiful theater in the city I live in. During the fall, my city hosts what is called Talking Volumes, a partnership between Minnesota Public Radio and The Loft Literary Center. They basically host really cool author signings every month in an absolutely stunning setting.

She was amazing. Funny, down to earth, quirky and gracious. I was one of the few members of the audience who had actually finished this book so I really enjoyed her reading and speaking about the characters.

This book is for young readers, ages 8-12. It is a story of a young boy, Peter, who is told by a fortune teller that his sister still lives after being told by his guardian that she died. The fortune teller then tells him to watch for an elephant, the elephant will bring him to his sister. Meanwhile, you find an elephant crashing through the ceiling of the opera house during a magic show. This was all a mistake but still causes damage and an injury so the poor elephant is sent to prison. What happens after these two events is the story, the coming together of two fates.

It is a beautifully written, simple story, like all of her books. She always has a character who you want to win, who you see in yourself. I would have to call her books modern classics. Every child should read her. And they come so wonderfully illustrated, rich with imagination.

Her other titles I would recommend are The Tale of Desperaux, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Because of Winn Dixie, and the Mercy Watson series.

If you haven't discovered her, do so now. If you love a simple, stunning read, pick her up. Or if you have a young reader in the house, check her out.

My rating for this title and all of her titles would be a High 5!

Happy Reading!

* red headed book child

The winners are....

Thank you all for entering into my BBAW Giveaway.

I am so bummed I didn't get to blog much at all during last week because of my sickness. :(

Oh well, I did a little advertising of my Giveaway and am happy some of you entered!

So here are the winners. :)

The Winner of Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver is Jenny at Take me away.

The Winner of In the Woods by Tana French is Ryan at Wordsmithonia.

The Winner of The C.S Lewis Boxed Set is Krista at Life or Something Like it.

The Winner of The Road Taken by Rona Jaffe is Amy at My Overstuffed Bookshelf.

I have emailed all of you.

Congrats!!!

Happy Reading.

* red headed book child

This will pull me from my sickness.

Though I am still not at 100% (yuck) I feel awake and alert enough to respond to this award I received from Pixie13. Thank you so much! It was such a lovely surprise and really made me smile. A thousand thank yous. If you don't follower her, do it now!!!

Here's what it's all about. (and ain't it pretty?)

The Dragon's Loyalty Award is an award for the loyal fan/commenter, whether the recipient is a fellow blogger or just a someone who follows and comments regularly.

Here are the rules:

* If you have a blog, post it on your blog with a link back to the site who gave it to you.

* Leave them a comment on their site, email, etc. to let them know.

* If you don't have a blog but have a website, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter or other type account, post there with a link back.

* Pass this on to 3-10 loyal fans.

I pick these bloggers who are loyal and lovely. Thanks to those who gave me kind words while I was sick. ( I do have to say all my follwers and fellow bloggers are lovely and I thank them tremendously for any comment they make!)

Mel @ He followed me home...

Karen @ Novels During Naptime

Mary @ The Sweet Bookshelf

Rachy @ Parajunkee

Jenny @ Take Me Away

Jessica @ A Book Lover's Diary

Krista @ Life or Something Like it

Ryan @ Wordsmithonia

Jennifer @ Rundpinne

Amy @ My Overstuffed Bookshelf

Lisa @ Lit and Life

Oops I did too many..oh well.

Thank you all.

* red headed book child

Too sick to blog

poo.

And the Winner is....

The winner of The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova is Barbara @ The Serenity Gate. You have 24 hours to claim your prize by emailing me your address. If I don't hear from you, I will pick another winner.

Thank you to EVERYONE who entered. I wish I had a copy for you all or atleast some fresh cookies to send (wink)

Check out my previous posts on my 4 part BBAW Giveaway!

* red headed book child

BBAW Giveaway #1-4

Just a note to mention that Giveaway applies to U.S and Canada only.

Thank you,

red headed book child

BBAW Giveaway #4

Part Four of my BBAW Giveaway: An oldie but goodie

I have blogged about my love for Rona Jaffe before and how she goes back to my childhood. From most of the comments I received, not many of you have heard of her. So, allow me to introduce her to you.

I am giving away a copy of The Road Taken. I love them all so it wasn't hard to pick.

Whew! I think that about wraps up my little Giveaway. So much fun to give!

To enter I'm keeping it simple:

Just leave your email in the comment box and the name of the book you are interested in.

Even though I am doing separate posts, i still want to make sure I know which book you

are all interested in.

Giveaway for each title runs through Sunday (a little longer than BBAW) and winners will be announced on Monday, September 21.

Good luck everyone!

* red headed book child

BBAW Giveaway #3

Part Three of BBAW Giveaway: The Young Adult category

I am a huge fan of literature for this age. And like I said in my first post, I love to share. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is one my favs from childhood. I have re-read it a few times as an adult as well. I also have collected several different versions of the entire series. (I currently have 3!) What better time than BBAW to give one of those sets away. So, I have the whole series in the version you see in the picture up for grabs. Books 1-7.

To enter I'm keeping it simple:

Just leave your email in the comment box and the name of the book you are interested in.

Even though I am doing separate posts, i still want to make sure I know which book you

are all interested in.

Giveaway for each title runs through Sunday (a little longer than BBAW) and winners will be announced on Monday, September 21.

* red headed book child

BBAW Giveaway #2

Part Two of my BBAW giveaway: The Mystery category, my second favorite genre and the book I chose is In the Woods by Tana French. I just finished this one and LOVED it. Review to come soon.

I wanted to share this with a lucky reader because it is perfect for this time of year.

To enter I'm keeping it simple:

Just leave your email in the comment box and the name of the book you are interested in.

Even though I am doing separate posts, I still want to make sure I know which book you are all interested in.

Giveaway for each title runs through Sunday (a little longer than BBAW) and winners will be announced on Monday, September 21.

Good luck and Happy Reading!

* red headed book child

BBAW Giveaway #1

Happy Tuesday everyone! Today is a big day. Not only will I announce the winner of The Historian Giveaway, I will announce my BBAW Giveaway.

I am breaking it down into 4 parts, meaning 4 separate blog posts. This will make it a bit easier for picking winners and it will be easy for my not-so-tech-savvy brain to create a post with lots of pictures and links and not have it look outrageous.

I have decided to give away one book in each category that I listed as my favorite. This includes Literature, Mystery and Young Adult. I am also throwing in an old favorite by an author that I have blogged about before. Just for fun.

These books are not brand spanking new and they are all ones that I own. But as much as I love to collect books, I love even more getting them in the hands of excited readers. Sharing is caring, like my mother always said. :) And it's BBAW, so any way we CELEBRATE BOOKS is a good thing.

So first up is my Literature category:

With the upcoming release of The Lacuna, I thought it would be appropriate to giveaway one of Barbara Kingsolver's earlier books, Prodigal Summer.

If you are not familiar with her, check out this link to read about her books.

To enter I'm keeping it simple:

Just leave your email in the comment box and the name of the book you are interested in.

Even though I am doing separate posts, i still want to make sure I know which book you

are all interested in.

Giveaway for each title runs through Sunday (a little longer than BBAW) and winners will be announced on Monday, September 21.

Good luck everyone and Happy Reading!

* red headed book child

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I have 2 teasers from two ARCs that I just received today.

I am really excited about both of these.

"She was coming towards me, hour by hour. She wouldn't get the sickness, and no one would kill her, because she was so smart and strong"

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood:Published by Doubleday (Random House),End of September release. (quote from ARC, check against the finished book).

"It was my father who called the city the Mansion on the River. He was talking about Charleston, South Carolina, and he was a native son, peacock proud of a town so pretty it makes your eyes ache with pleasure just to walk down its spellbinding, narrow streets."

South of Broad by Pat Conroy- Published by Doubleday (Random House), September release. (quote from ARC, check against the finished book).

Happy Reading!

* red headed book child

Mailbox Monday!

Thanks to The Printed Page for hosting Mailbox Monday.

"Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists." ~ The Printed Page

Here's what landed on my doorstep:

Review copy from author of

The Jade Cat by Suzanne Brogger.

from Barnes and Noble website:

Synopsis

Translated from the Danish by Anne Born

From Denmark to Riga and back, through two World Wars, to India and Afghanistan, to America as it was and as it is, and through boarding schools, mental hospitals, and almshouses for the poor, Suzanne Brogger's The Jade Cat is a sweeping family saga of almost limitless ambition.

At the heart of the narrative and of this Jewish family unit is the grandmother, Katze, and her memories. She tells the story from her patrician apartment in Copenhagen's Gammel Mint 14, where she has lived since the 1940s. It is a haunting portrait of the pride, conceit, grandness, and despair that has followed the Levin family while the world outside the old apartment gradually fell apart. The family remains prey to drug addiction and suicide attempts. Some escape into sex, others into Evangelical politics or religion.

With an unlikely but sympathetic cast of grotesques, this gripping saga of Danish highlife and lowlife through three generations of a tormented family is as diverse and uncompromising as William Styron's Sophie's Choice and Isabel Allende's House of Spirits.

Sounds pretty good, huh? Add it to my ol' list of books. Yeah!

Happy Reading!

* red headed book child

Blogger Love

"Celebrate! Celebrate! Dance to the music..." da da da...la la la...!

Wow! What a time to become a book blogger. I started in late July and soon found all this info on the upcoming BBAW. Today I know we are supposed to recognize a blogger who did not make the shortlist but I just wanted to send out a big blogger hug to EVERYONE! Those I follow I truly love to read and I know there is still such a great big world out there of more bloggers, new and old.

I just wanted to tip my hat to the all those who CELEBRATE BOOKS in this form and any form. We are all book lovers at heart and it is so heart warming to know that a community like this exists.

Seriously,people, where were you all when I was 8, with super crazy curly hair, skinny legs, no friends (except my cat, Fluffy and the homemade Cabbage Patch Kids dolls that I had because we were too poor to afford the real deal) and living in the country? It was me and a book shoved in my shorts climbing a tree trying to get some privacy to read. :)

All kidding aside, I am pleased to be a part of it all and am anxious to watch the events unfold this week. I will be plotting a BBAW Giveaway to announce some time in the next few days.

I hope you all stop by and check it out!

Happy Reading!

* red headed book child

My ABCS....and what's in store this week.

Good Evening lovely followers.

Whew, has it been a busy weekend! This is a good time to divulge a bit more since I was tagged

by Mel at He followed me home... for ABCs. Thank you!

Here's the story with me. I used to work a bazillion (yes, it's my own little word) hours in my former career as a bookstore manager. This came to an end earlier this year and I vowed that I would do whatever it takes to be with my son as much as possible and not have work take over my life. No daycare! Just me or my husband or family taking care of him. In order to do that financially I chose to work part-time in two worlds that I love, recommending books and helping children. But I have to do this around my husband's work schedule to ensure one of us is home with our little redhead. So sometimes I have weekends like I did this weekend, where I work late and get no reading or blogging done!

I have some catching up to do!

This week I am planning to post my review for In the Woods for the R.I.P challenge, pick a winner of The Historian Giveaway!, announce another Giveaway for BBAW and finish Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo.

I think I can do it all.

So, anyway, on to my ABCs:

Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you

2. Share your ABCs

3. Tag three people at the end by linking to their blogs

4. Let the three tagged people know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website

5. Do not tag the same person repeatedly but try to tag different people, so there is a big network of bloggers doing this tag

Here goes. . .

Available or in a relationship? Married

Best Friend? Trever

Cake or Pie? Both! Whenever I can get it.

Drink of choice? Non-alcoholic=Iced Soy Vanilla Latte. Alcoholic=Red Wine

Essential item for every day use? My latte in the morning

Favorite color? Blue

Google? I skim past everything else just to read the entertainment news. Dorky, I know.

Hometown? Northfield, Minnesota

Indulgences? Books, sushi and massages. Though I don't get a lot of the last two!

January or February? Ugh, i don't really like either but give me time. Now that I am out of the retail business those months won't be as hard.

Kids and their names? 1 son, Finnegan

Life is incomplete without…? My family, definitely. Love them to pieces!

Marriage date? September 2004

Number of siblings? 4, I'm the youngest.

Oranges or apples? Apples

Phobias and fears? I do not like mice or any really small furry critter that moves really fast. My biggest fear is losing my son or my husband.

Quote for the day? I am really bad at quotes. I'm usually that person who is snapping her fingers, saying "you know that one line...from that one movie...you know....that one...!"

Reason to smile? My son says "Mama" clear as day and gets a huge smile on his face. And I have 51 followers!!!

Season? Fall. Halloween. Stew, Bread making, Squash, Cider, Sweaters, Fire.

Unknown fact about me? I had open heart surgery when I was 5.

Vegetable you hate? I am really becoming not too fond of eggplant.

Worst habit? Procrastinating

X-rays you’ve had? My right toe. I have arthritis. I know, right? I'm old...well, atleast my right toe is.

Your fave food? Noodles.

Zodiac sign? Gemini

I tag the following 3.

Karen at Novels during Naptime

Mary at The Sweet Bookshelf

Rachy at Parajunkee

Happy Reading!

*red headed book child