Best of 2007

I have had a very hard time with my list this year because I read a lot of really good books this year! Not very many ones I would give a perfect rating, but a lot of ones that got an almost perfect grade. I read 195 books in total, I might slip in one more before the clock strikes midnight, I am reading it right now. I will post a break down sort of post tomorrow, but for now. these are my top reads in no particular order:

1. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray - I just finished this on the weekend, and I loved it. I really think Libba Bray is my favourite young adult author at the moment. It was sad to see the trilogy end, but I really like the mixture of fantasy and historical fiction. It's not a trilogy for everyone, but this is my J.K. Rowlings.

2. 28: Stories of AIDs in Africa by Stephanie Nolen - I thought this book was brilliant when I read it. AIDs is a big problem in the world, and I learned a lot from this book. It was told from those that live with it everyday, it was their stories and not someone elses, and it really touched me. I think everyone needs to read this book to really appreciate the diverse world that we are living in.

3. Fool's Errand and The Golden Fool by Robin Hobb - I really have found that I love Robin Hobb. Her writing style has quickly made her my favourite new fantasy author of 2007. While she has been writing for quite some time, this is the first time I have read her, and I cannot wait to read more from her next year. I will be sad to read the last book in the trilogy, though.

4. Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind - This book was another awesome fantasy novel. Goodkind was a really great author to read this year, but with the books being so long I can see it taking me quite some time to complete this series!

5. Nefertiti by Michelle Moran - One of my favourite historical fiction novels of the year. Nefertiti and her sister were very interesting characters to read about. I quite enjoyed the experience. It is also her first book, so I really look forward to what the second one, out later next year, has to offer.

6. Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs - I love Mercedes Thompson. She is quickly becoming one of my favourite fictional characters. I cannot wait until the next book comes out.

7. The Josephine B. Trilogy by Sandra Gulland - I had no plans to undertake this trilogy this year. There was just a day when I needed something different to read, and this is the book I picked up. I finished the trilogy quickly, and it was a very powerful trilogy. I am excited for her new book this year.

8. The Rest Falls Away and Rises the Night by Colleen Gleason - I am very surprised to like these books, but I do. I am not very big into romance novels, and yet, I am very excited to read the new book in the series! Gleason is a really great author.

9. Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin - I was surprised that I liked this book, but I did. I think that mysteries are not really my thing, but there was more to this book than just the mystery, so I found it really interesting. I am really excited for the sequel because I think the series has a lot of potential.

10.The Silver Rose by Susan Carroll - I also read The Huntress earlier this year, but I liked this one the best out of the two. I think that this was another surprising read, but I really liked the combination of the fantasy and historical fiction. Another author I am really excited for the next book by!

11.Never Have Your Dog Stuffed by Alan Alda - I love Alan Alda. I think the guy is hillarious, there is really no competition. I also read his other book this year, but this one was my favourite of the two.

12.The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick - I loved the combination of art and story in this book. The pictures told the story as well as the words, and they were fantastically done. It's a great book!

13.The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale - This is my favourite Hale book. I really like how she retells fairy tales. I read all of her young adult books this year except River Secrets, and with the exception of Enna Burning, I loved them all. Great book, though. I look forward to more from her.

14.Inkheart by Cornelia Funke - A book about books. Enough said! I really need to read the sequel soon. The third book will be out soon and the movie version, as well.

15. The Night Watch by Sarah Waters - I think Waters writes really well. I really need to read more from her because many consider this their least favourite by her, so I am excited to see the others by her.

16.Mister Pip by Lloyd James and Diversadero by Michael Ondaatje - My favourite of the Booker nominated books I read and my favourite of the Giller nominated books, respectively.

17.Wolf of the Plains by Conn Iggulden - I loved this book! Genghis Khan has always intrigued me, and I think Iggulden did awesome with this book. The next one will be out soon, so I am excited.

18.Peony in Love by Lisa See - Sort of a mythological book. It was different than the usual books that I read, so I found it very intriguing.

19.The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani - Totally different historical fiction because it covers a place, Iran, that hardly ever gets great books written about it. She did a really good job with this one.

20.Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden - I am so mad it took me so long to read this book. It was very interesting and very well-written!

I Think I Am In Love!

And, not with a book or a person, but with a cooking appliance! I bought it with my Christmas money on Christmas Eve, and that was my Christmas Eve treat. Now, it is the best breakfast idea ever! Considering today I decided that quarter to 4 would be a great time to wake up.... I have also decided that quarter to 6 is a good time as any to eat breakfast.

Yesterday could have been worse. It was really quiet at work because of the holidays, but I managed to stay awake and finish a book! I read Into the Wild, a non-fiction book about a young man that roughs it in Alaska. It is going to be a movie, actually. When I tried to start another book, though, I found I was getting a bit too comfy in the chair, so I watched television for the last couple hours of my shift.

I am not really sure what to think about my weird hours. On the one hand, it is really nice to have several hours in the morning to myself before people wake up, but on the other hand I also work 4-12's at work, and I am not sure I can make it to 12 at night with as little sleep as I have been getting lately. I am a go to bed late sort of person, so the hours I have been waking up lately are usually the hours that I would be going to bed on other days... It's a weird week!

Catching Up on Reviews

In the last couple months I have gotten VERY slack on reviews. I am trying to catch up, to get as many reviewed as I can by the end of the month. This means that I will likely do a few posts that cover more than one book. I also updated my side-bar, so everything I have reviewed is now linked. The one thing I am thinking about in regards to the New Year is what to do with Twisted Kingdom. Two of the members no longer blog anymore, one has said she is not interested anymore, and the other pops in from time to time. I update it very sporadically lately, but if I could update it more in the New Year, it would be worth keeping. The factor is the If. I am not sure if I can update it more than I have been. Well, I hope to blog more than I have been this year period next year, mainly because I have fizzled off lately. I could always recruite people to help me out, would anyone be interested in that? I am going to think about it long and hard in the next week or so, maybe even see what I am capable of into January and then decide from there. I can't just delete it, so I am hoping I can find time for it.

In the meantime, I did update it today. I reviewed Sorcery and Cecilia by Patricia Wrede, Mirror Universe: Glass Empires by Various Authors, and Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. It has been months since I read these three books, so the reviews are very short. It is basically me trying to say at least something about as many books as I can between now and the 31st when I start afresh and hopefully am more organized. To read the reviews, head on over to Twisted Kingdom.

Life.... Or Something Like It....

Well, for a month at work, I was working 12 at night until 8 in the morning. It was just training, so now I am back on regular hours. This has resulted in me not being about to sleep at night. Yesterday I was up at 5:30 after only about two hours sleep. This morning I have been up since 4:30, or a bit before. I at least went to bed early last night, so it could be worse. I have to work 8-4 today, so I am not going to be able to go back to sleep. I just hope the few hours I did get are enough to get me through the day because right now I am wide awake! Hopefully I readjust to regular hours soon!

On Christmas Eve, we decided to celebrate Christmas this year. I had to work today, so I wanted to celebrate on a day when I did not have work to look forward to. So, last night we opened presents. I only get one book for Christmas each year. Unless I make an extensive list for my mother, she would rather buy me gift cards. This year, she accidently bought me two gift cards because she forgot about one of them, so I ended up with 150 dollars to buy books with. Then, my grandmother bought me another one for fifty dollars, so yesterday I spent 200 dollars on books. I preordered some of the books I am looking forward to this year, as well as ordered a few books that are out right now and I have been waiting to read. The final list is as follows:

1. Sisters in the Wilderness: The Lives of Susanna Moodie and Catherine Parr Traill by Charlotte Gray. I read Reluctant Genius by her this year and I really liked her writing style. Moodie and Traill were two of the first women in the newly settled, what is now, Canada.

2. I've Got a Home in Glory Land: The Lost Tale of the Underground Railroad by Karolyn Smardz-Frost. I first added this book to my wish list when it was nominated for the Governor General's awards this year. It went on to win the award, but you would never know it. It looks really interesting, so I knew I was going to have to get it soon.

3. Mary Modern by Camille Deangelis. I asked Carl what book I should get with my gift card money, and this is one of the books he recommended. I had it on my wish list and I really like the cover, so it seemed like a good choice.

4. The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters by Gordon Dahlquist. Heather really liked this book, so much so that it moved up my list. I really wanted it, but the cover I like is fifty bucks. I gave in, though, and just bought the other cheaper cover. Carl also recommended this book based on what he had read of it, but I am not sure if he has actually finished it yet.

5. Queen's Handmaiden by Jennifer Ashley. I have heard good things about this young adult book, so I decided to add it in. It was actually a last minute decision when another book I had planned to get is now not coming out until April. I didn't want to preorder too ahead of time.

6. Daughter of York by Anne Easter Smith. This is the sequel to A Rose for the Crown, so it was an automatic purchase. The first book was one of my favourite reads of 2006, so hopefully this will be one of my favourites of 2008.

7. The Bleeding Dusk by Colleen Gleason. I read her previous two books in 2007, so you know that I need to see what happens next! I look forward to the third installment of the Gardella Vampire Chronicles.

8. The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin. This is the sequel to Mistress of the Art of Death, another favourite from 2007, so I look forward to seeing if this one lives up to it.

9. Fire Study by Maria Snyder. The third book in the trilogy that includes Poison Study and Magic Study, it was not supposed to be out until the fall, but now it is saying the spring. I really hope that is not a typo!

10.Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine. The third book in the Morganville Vampires series. Not a fabulous series, but enjoyable.

11.The Blue Castle by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Finally! You have no idea how many times this has been in my shopping card, but replaced by something else in the end. Many people consider it their favourite by her, so I am excited. I am going to try and read the large pile of books I have by her next year, and then I hope to start reading her diaries.

12.The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies. Nominated for the Booker Award, this one really interested me, so I have been planning on getting it at some point all year.

13.The Gathering by Anne Enright. The winner of the Booker Award and a book that is making many people's favourite fiction books of 2007, I decided to see what all the hype was about. This is the only non fantasy or historical fiction book on my list. My plan is to cut back on genres because I read too many now, and it is too hard to keep up!

14.Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs. The third book in the Mercedes Thompson series. I have to see what Mercy is up to now, and then later on this year I will get a new series from Briggs! I am looking forward to having more than one book from her a year, although I still have her older books to read....

And, book 15, my mother bought me for Christmas. I received Darkmans by Nicola Barker. It was nominated for the Booker Award, but a bit hard to find for a while there. I saw it at the bookstore one day, and my mother offered to give it to me as a gift.

I still have a bit of book money left over. I plan to purchase The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray when it comes out, so that is where some of it will be going. I hope the bookstore gets it in, because I left it off these orders. I thought I would have a better chance of getting it soon if I just bought it at the store. There are still many other books on my to be bought list, but 15 are now gone. Now, I just have to stay away from the bookstores until about March!

I will share my other gifts later. This post is a bit long. If I am awake after work I plan to take some pictures with my best Christmas present of all! My Camera! Which is all paid for now. Yay! With my crazy hours lately I have been sleeping when it is light out, so I have not had a lot of chances to play with it. Now that I am back on regular hours I hope to spend a lot of time with it and the books that come with it. I also have a few books on photography that I plan to read, so this should get me through the rest of the winter.

And, yes, I am still in love with these pictures by Rob Gonsalves.

The Last Day of the Advent Calendar

The last day of the Advent Calendar! Time goes by so fast! Today, me and Carl are blogging together. He did 12 holiday movie quotes that you have to guess the answers to, while I borrowed a trivia quiz from the newspaper. The answers to Carl's questions are found at the end of the post, while the answers to mine are found on Carl's blog.

The Advent Calendar has been a lot of fun! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone that participated and has been following along!

1. In Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Hermey the elf secretly longs to pursue what profession?
a) dentistry
b) carpentry
c) real estate
d) being Santa

2. Complete this line from Run-DMC's Chrstmas in Hollis - "It's Christmas time Hollis, Queens, Mom's cooking chicken and...."
a) Ovaltine
b) Soylent Green
c) Collard greens
d) Dairy Queen

3. Which infamous celebrity does Adam Sandler relievedly confirm is "not a Jew" in his Hanukkah Song?
a) Robert Blake
b) Pete Rose
c) O.J. Simpson
d) Michael Jackson

4. In the Muppets version of the classic carol, Miss Piggy is understandably unsettled when she mistakes a lyric about a holiday delicacy in We Wish You A Merry Christmas for what?
a) pork chops
b) chitterlings
c) piggy pudding
d) ham hocks

5. According to Clarence, the patient messenger of the Lord in It's A Wonderful Life, an angel gets what every time a bell rings?
a) their harp
b) their own cloud
c) their robe
d) their wings

6. In Wham!'s Last Christmas, what does George Michael give to his beloved, only to see it giving away the very next day?
a) his uncomfortably short shorts from the Wake Me up Before You Go-Go video
b) his stocking
c) his heart
d) his uncomfortably tight jeans from the Faith video

7. Alvin the Chipmunk will just not let go of his bratty and over-whelming desire for what novelty item in The Christmas Song?
a) snow globe
b) a Hula Hoope
c) a Lone Ranger mask
d) a Davy Crokett coonskin cap

8. On the 1999 Thanksgiving episode of Friends, Rachel accidently combines recipes for a traditional English trifle and shephard's pie, a disgusting combination of ladyfingers, jam, beef, and onivions, which Ross exclaims, tastes like:
a) garbage
b) a roach motel
c) feet
d) the best thing he's ever eaten

9. Which is not an official activity for the celebration of Festivus, the made-up holiday from Seinfeld that many people now celebrate in real life?
a) the airing of grievances
b) feats of strength
c) Festivus miracles
d) the egging of snowmen

10. The toy-hating villain on the Rankin-Bass animated classic Santa Claus is Coming to Town? was:
a) Meister Von Munchausen
b) Burgermeister Meisterburger
c) Meister Meister
d) Mr. Meisterbrau

11. According to the song You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch, the three words that best describe the Christmas-stealing menace are:
a) stink, stank, stunk
b) lean, mean, green
c) heartless, hapless, pantless
d) dirty, rotten, scoundrel

12. Which WKRP in Cincinnati radio station employee, witnesing the carnage of live turkeys hitting the ground after neomg thrown from a helicopter in an ill-planned Thanksgiving stunt, uttered the now-classic line "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly"?
a) Johnny Fever
b) Les Nessmen
c) Herb Tarlek
d) Mr. Carlson

The Answers to Carl V.'s Christmas Movie Questions:

1. Elf
2. White Christmas
3. A Christmas Story
4. It’s A Wonderful Life
5. A Charlie Brown Christmas
6. A Family Man
7. Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town
8. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
9. A Muppet Christmas Carol
10. Love Actually
11. While You Were Sleeping
12. Miracle on 34th Street

Blog Advent Calendar Catch-Up

Here is tinylittlelibrarians' contribution to the Advent Calendar. Lack of sleep makes me forget about posting! Many apologies

Today, we have Susan's contribution and Carla Nayland's contribution.
I missed Callista's day, too, but it looks like life got in her way because her post is still not up!

The Advent Calendar is Winding Down...

Christmas will be here before we know it! Here is Dev from Good Reads contribution to the Advent Calendar!

My Secret Santa

I am so sorry, I have been sooo busy lately, that I just cannot seem to find the time to write decent posts! I received my Secret Santa present last week, and here I am FINALLY finding the time to do the happy dance! As I saw other people receiving their gift, I have been anxiously watching my mailbox for mine. It arrived last week, and I wanted to write a decent post about it, so the time just has not been here for that. I posted a list back in November about the books that I wanted to buy with the gift card that I know I am getting for Christmas, well, I think it probably helped my Secret Santa out. Well, that and all the messages I left in various cases about how I really wanted to buy a certain book, but I was waiting for after Christmas.

I do not have to wait any longer! I got SPECTRUM 14! Considering how much of a fantasy nerd I am, I have quickly discovered that this is just the series for me. I owe it to Carl for sending me Spectrum 13, so now you know I am going to have to backtrack and get the other 12.... Thank you so very much C.J.! I have been really fighting the temptation to buy this book since it came out, so I am so happy to have it here in my hands. I have not looked through the whole thing, but I have flipped through it. I just love the cover!

Advent Calendar Continues

Travel to Christmas Past with Literary Feline from Musings of a Bookish Kitty for the next stop on the blogger tour.

Oops, and Stephanie from Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-a-holic. I had her down for the 18th, my bad!

Happy Anniversary to Me!

Today is my 2nd anniversary of this blog! Hard to believe I have been doing this for two years, but there you have it! I have made a lot wonderful friends along the way, so I have greatly enjoyed the experience. I almost missed the anniversary, I just happened to think of it a moment ago, so happy anniversary to me! I had planned to do something special, but I sort of lost track of time.

Advent Calendar Catch Up

I got a bit behind on my Advent Calendar posts because of work, so I do apologize!

On the 14th, we visited Robin from A Fondness for Reading where she writes about The Nutcracker.

Then, on the 15th, Alyssa from By the Book talks about Christmas lights.

Today, we visit A Fair Substitute for Heaven, but Rachel does not have her post up yet.

Advent Calendar Continues

Today we visit with Jill and Stephanie, so be sure and head over to their blogs for more holiday treats! I am really enjoying this calendar, I think everyone should be prepared for an annual thing, so people can start planning out next years!

Advent Calendar Stop

Today, we stop over at Chris from Book-a-rama's blog to read about her grown up Christmas.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Okay, I am taking Sassymonkey's advice and catching up on some of my reviews this way. I will write in more depth later on some of them, but there is my start.

The Good:
Born on a Blue Day
Mirror Universe: Glass Empires
Something from the Nightside
Agents of Light and Darkness
Golden Fool
Un Lun Dun
Anil's Ghost
Swing Low
Christine Kringle
Natasha and Other Stories
Three Day Road
Artemis Fowl
The Book Without Words
North River
lullabies for little criminals
Brown Girl in the Ring
Beauty
Boo Humbug
for one more day

The Bad:
Rosie's Little Cautionary Tales for Girls
Soucouyant
Touchy Subjects

The Ugly:
Suth's Story
Why we Read what we Read
The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Peggy of the Cove
Letters from Pemberley

The Eleventh Day of the Advent Calendar

Suey's up today, so head over to her post to see a Shephard gone wild!

Reviews in 2007

Okay, so, these are all the books that I have to review... it's INSANE. I want to start the new year out with new books, so if people could tell me if there is anything on that list you want to hear about, I will write my thoughts on them. Some I have to review, but I am just so far behind that it is over-whelming to tackle all that!

Born on a Blue Day
Rosie's Little Cautionary Tales for Girls
Suth's Story
Mirror Universe: Glass Empires
Something from the Nightside
Agents of Light and Darkness
Golden Fool
Why we Read what we Read
The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Un Lun Dun
Anil's Ghost
Swing Low
Christine Kringle
Natasha and Other Stories
Soucouyant
Three Day Road
Artemis Fowl
The Book Without Words
North River
Peggy of the Cove
Touchy Subjects
lullabies for little criminals
Brown Girl in the Ring
Beauty
Boo Humbug
for one more day
Letters from Pemberley

On the Next Day of the Advent Tour...

We have Dewey! Head on over to the hidden side of the leaf for some fun Christmas videos!

An Interesting Day...

I just had to intrude on the Advent Calendar to post something that could be good news, but it also could be disappointing news. My mother thinks I am crazy, she was the only one around when the news was released, and I was very surprised on the verdict.

A B.C. Supreme Court jury on Sunday found Robert William Pickton guilty on six counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of women who disappeared from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

He was originally charged with first degree murder, and while he did not get away with the crime, I am left shocked at the drop in charge.

Pickton showed no emotion as the verdicts were read.

The 58-year-old pig farmer from Port Coquitlam, B.C., was arrested in 2002 and had been charged with first-degree murder in the six deaths.

He still faces murder charges in connection with the deaths of 20 other women, but no decision has been made on whether to hold a second trial, B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal said.

I can sort of understand if they do not go through with the other 20 women, but at the same time, I am sure the other 20 victims family want the closure that these 6 were able to receive. If locking the man that did it away is closure, it really depends on the person.

Anyways, this just bothers me:

"What we can learn is that since they acquitted this man of first-degree murder, they weren't satisfied that the evidence showed that he planned and deliberated these murders," defence lawyer Peter Ritchie told reporters.

Isn't that sort of crazy? I mean, maybe he did not plan the first murder, but you would think 26 murders later there was a bit of planning in the process... It just blows my mind that the jury did not think it was a first-degree offense. Not that he is getting away with it, like I said, but still... I would really have liked to be a fly on the wall when they decided that one!

The jury found Pickton:

• Guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Sereena Abotsway between July 18, 2001 and Feb. 5, 2002, near Port Coquitlam.
• Guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Mona Wilson between Dec. 1, 2001 and Feb. 5, 2002, near Port Coquitlam.
• Guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Andrea Joesbury between June 5, 2001, and Feb. 5, 2002, near Port Coquitlam.
• Guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Brenda Ann Wolfe between March 5, 1999, and Feb. 5, 2002, near Port Coquitlam.
• Guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Georgina Faith Papin between March 1, 1999, and Feb. 5, 2002, near Port Coquitlam.
• Guilty of second-degree in the death of Marnie Frey between Aug. 30, 1997, and Feb. 5, 2002, near Port Coquitlam.

So, I just wanted to dedicate today to the memory of these six women, and the twenty others that Pickton allegedly killed. It is scary when things like this happen, and it is about time that these families got some closure. The even scarier part is that he said at one point that there were more victims...

For those that do not know what I am talking about, Pickton was a pig farmer who lured sex trade workers to his house, where he killed and dismembered them. He is Canada's most recent serial killer, and he sort of fed the remains to his pigs...

Advent Calendar Times Two

Today, for the Advent Calendar, we make two stops. First up we have Raidergirl, who has a riddle. Then we head over to Chris' blog for Christmas in New Orleans.

Secret Santa

So, I joined up for the blogger Secret Santa, and since I live in Canada, that meant that most of the participants did not live in my country. I thought really long and hard about it, and I just ordered the present online and had it shipped straight to the person. I know this is a bit unpersonal, but shipping is crazy AND it is guaranteed to make it there before the 24th. Works for me. I think it is still fun, but I am totally sure how clear it will be that I am the secret santa. Anyways, I feel a bit bad about the lacking of the personal touch, but this is my little explanation...

Yesterday and Today on the Advent Blog Calendar

So, yesterday we stopped over at Wendy's blog while I was making Christmas visits, so if you missed that, you can still head over and read all about it!

Today, we visit Nymeth's blog where she has posted about music, food, and stories! There is also a give away that you might be interested in joining!


9 December - Raidergirl (An Adventure in Reading)/ Chris (Stuff as Dreams are Made on)
10 December - Dewey (The Hidden Side of a Leaf)
11 December -Suey (It's All About Books)
12 December - Chris (Book-a-rama)
13 December - Jill (The Well-Read Child)/Stephanie (The Written Word)
14 December - Robin (A Fondness for Reading)
15 December - Alyssa (By The Book)
16 December - Rachel (A Fair Substitute for Heaven)
17 December - Literary Feline (Musings of a Bookish Kitty)/ Stephanie (Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-a-holic)
18 December - Dev (Good Reads)
19 December - Callista (S.M.S. Book Reviews)
20 December - Tiny Little Librarian (Tiny Little Librarian)
21 December - Carla (Carla Nayland Historical Fiction)/ Susan (Reading, Raving, and Ranting by a Historical Fiction Writer)
22 December - Carolyn Jean (The Trillionth Page)
23 December - Booklogged (A Reader's Journal)
24 December - Kailana (The Written World) / Carl V. (Stainless Steel Droppings)

Lack of Sleep

Sometimes I wonder about myself. I went to my hometown today because my grandmother and father still live there, so I thought it would be good to get down there before the holidays and the snow hit. Well, I worked last night from 12-8, and yet here I am at 10 at night STILL awake. I surprise even myself sometimes. I woke up at 1 Thursday afternoon, it is now Friday evening. I had planned to come home after work today and sleep, but I figured it would just make me more tired, so we left right after I got home instead. This is my way of saying that it will be tomorrow before I get caught up on the Advent Calendar posts!

A Day of Remembrance

For 45 minutes on Dec. 6, 1989 an enraged gunman roamed the corridors of Montreal's École Polytechnique and killed 14 women. Marc Lepine, 25, separated the men from the women and before opening fire on the classroom of female engineering students he screamed, "I hate feminists." Almost immediately, the Montreal Massacre became a galvanizing moment in which mourning turned into outrage about all violence against women.

Today acknowledges a National Day of Remembrance and Action of Violence Against Women.

I was only five when this happened, but it is not something that Canadians have forgotten. The gunman killed women because they were women. It was a hate crime that tore 14 women from their families and changed lives forever. On this day, we remember those women and the lasting impact that their loss made on violence against women in Canada.

* Geneviève Bergeron 21, civil engineering student.
* Hélène Colgan 23, mechanical engineering student.
* Nathalie Croteau 23, mechanical engineering student.
* Barbara Daigneault 22, mechanical engineering student.
* Anne-Marie Edward 21, chemical engineering student.
* Maud Haviernick, 29, materials engineering student.
* Maryse Laganière 25, budget clerk in the École Polytechnique's finance department.
* Maryse Leclair 23, materials engineering student.
* Anne-Marie Lemay 27, mechanical engineering student.
* Sonia Pelletier 23, mechanical engineering student.
* Michèle Richard 21, materials engineering student.
* Annie St-Arneault 23, mechanical engineering student.
* Annie Turcotte 21, materials engineering student.
* Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz 31, nursing student.

Advent Calendar Day Six

Howdy folks. I work at a hotel and I have been working audit lately, that's why I am a bit slow at getting these posts up! I am working audit tonight and then tomorrow I am supposed to go to my hometown for the day to see some family and stuff, so if I don't get a chance to post the calendar post for that day, head over to Marg's blog to get a direct link. Just in case!

For today, head on over to Laura's blog for Christmas in Germany.

Advent Calendar Day Five

Sorry I am a bit slow in providing the link, I forgot about it this morning! Head on over to Melissa's blog for some Christmas stories and hot cocoa! In Canada, the perfect thing, because we are supposed to get more blasted snow this week!

Advent Calendar Day Four

Head on over to Valentina's blog to read all about her Christmas traditions! It is a great walk down memory lane with all the 80's toys and movies. Pictured above are some of my favourite toys from the 80's!

Blogger Advent Calendar Day 3

For todays Advent Calendar, we have Christmas in Australia, brought to you by Marg. We also have a post from Lady Tink, which will up at some point today on this blog.

Also, Marg's link on my list of blog participants is wrong! So, I apologize for that. I only noticed last night before bed! I will go back through all the previous posts and fix it later. Sorry for the confusion, but I have to head to work now, otherwise I would fix it now.

Late sign ups are welcome!

4 December - Valentina (Valentina's Room)
5 December - Melissa (Book Nut)
6 December - Laura (Musings)
7 December - Wendy (Caribousmom)
8 December - Nymeth (Things Mean A Lot)
9 December - Raidergirl (An Adventure in Reading), Chris (Stuff as Dreams are Made on)
10 December - Dewey (The Hidden Side of a Leaf)
11 December -Suey (It's All About Books)
12 December - Chris (Book-a-rama)
13 December - Jill (The Well-Read Child)
14 December - Robin (A Fondness for Reading)
15 December - Alyssa (By The Book)
16 December - Rachel (A Fair Substitute for Heaven)
17 December - Literary Feline (Musings of a Bookish Kitty)
18 December - Dev (Good Reads)
19 December - Callista (S.M.S. Book Reviews)
20 December - Tiny Little Librarian (Tiny Little Librarian)
21 December - Carla (Carla Nayland Historical Fiction)
22 December - Carolyn Jean (The Trillionth Page)
23 December - Booklogged (A Reader's Journal)
24 December - Kailana (The Written World) / Carl V. (Stainless Steel Droppings)

It's the Second Day of the Advent Calendar

Lisabea has posted her part, but she mentions adding some videos to it later. Head on over and check it out, you might even find a new blog to add to your links because she is still relatively new at this blogging thing!

3 December - Marg (Reading Adventures) / Lady Tink (Up Close & Personal with LadyTink)
4 December - Valentina (Valentina's Room)
5 December - Melissa (Book Nut)
6 December - Laura (Musings)
7 December - Wendy (Caribousmom)
8 December - Nymeth (Things Mean A Lot)
9 December - Raidergirl (An Adventure in Reading), Chris (Stuff as Dreams are Made on)
10 December - Dewey (The Hidden Side of a Leaf)
11 December -Suey (It's All About Books)
12 December - Chris (Book-a-rama)
13 December - Jill (The Well-Read Child)
14 December - Robin (A Fondness for Reading)
15 December - Alyssa (By The Book)
16 December - Rachel (A Fair Substitute for Heaven)
17 December - Literary Feline (Musings of a Bookish Kitty)
18 December - Dev (Good Reads)
19 December - Callista (S.M.S. Book Reviews)
20 December - Tiny Little Librarian (Tiny Little Librarian)
21 December - Carla (Carla Nayland Historical Fiction)
22 December - Carolyn Jean (The Trillionth Page)
23 December - Booklogged (A Reader's Journal)
24 December - Kailana (The Written World) / Carl V. (Stainless Steel Droppings)

On the First Day of the Advent Calendar...

Becky gave to us.... Christmas Cookies! And other goodies, head on over to her blog to read all about it!

Also, the winner of the copy of Christine Kringle is Raidergirl! It was already announced on Marg's blog earlier today, so she knows all about it. Congrats to her!