Advent Calendar 2008

******************* Sticky Post *******************

In what feels a bit like is coming a Christmas tradition given that this is the third year running that we are doing this, Marg from Reading Adventures and I thought it would be fun if we had ran the virtual advent calendar again this year. After all, why should the kids get all the fun of opening a box on the advent calendar and finding a little treat in there?

Each day anyone who wants to participate could take turns sharing a little treat with our friends here in blogland. For example it could be something about a holiday tradition, or a recipe, or a picture of a hot guy dressed as Santa, or a favourite Christmas memory, movie, book, song...anything you like. Even if you don't celebrate Christmas we would like to hear about what your family does during the holiday season, whether it be celebrating Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or anything!

We will create a list of links so that as people express interest we will add them to the list, and then we will post a link directing visitors to the appropriate blog. To give people a chance to get organised, we will start on Monday 1 December. If there are more people than there are days that's fine too.....the more the merrier! It just means that there will be more than one blog to visit on those days.

In addition to getting to see lots of fun things and maybe finding new blogs there is also a chance to win either a gift card up to the equivalent of $20US, or the book of your choice, if your internet retailer of choice doesn't do gift cards. We will draw the name of the winner out of the list of people who have signed up prior to the blog tour starting, so get in and sign up for your day soon!

1 December
Alabama Book Worm
Joanna from Lost in a Good Story
Susan from You Can Never Have Too Many Books

2 December
Louise from Lou's Pages
Penelope from Life's Sweet Passions

3 December
booklogged from A Reader's Journal
Lisa from Books Lists Life
Alison from Homeschoolers Guide to the Galaxy

4 December
Lady Tink from Ladytink's Neverland
Kim from Page After Page

5 December
Vickie from Scrapbooking and Tidbits
Rob from The Snig's Foot

6 December
Andrew from The View from Arizona
Marny the Bookworm
Kerri from Latte' Buddies

7 December
Becky from Becky's Book Reviews
Melissa from Book Nut

8 December
Amy from Passages to the Past /
Alyssa from By the Book

9 December
Raidergirl3 from An Adventure in Reading
Sherrie from Just Books

10 December
Kerrie from Mysteries in Paradise
Dolce Bellezza

11 December
Chris from book-a-rama
bookwormmom
Mister Teacher from Learn Me Good

12 December
Bigsis from Through the Eyes of the Creator
Trish's Reading Nook
Julia from A Piece of My Mind

13 December
Nymeth from Things Mean a Lot
Lisa from Book Ahoy!
Suey from It's All About Books

14 December
Emily from Dreaming on the Job
Stephanie from Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-a-holic
Cindy from Nocturnal Wonderings

15 December
Natasha from Maw Books
Wendy from Caribou's Mom
Somewhere in Between

16 December
Strumpet from Strumpet's Life
Chris from Stuff as Dreams are Made on
Tammy from Omah's Helping Hand

17 December
3M from 1 More Chapter
Stine from The Washingtonium
Kim from Sophisticated Dorkiness

18 December
Alex from Daemonwolf Books
Leya from Wandeca Reads
Julia's Book Corner

19 December
Laclau from Conversacions de Cafe
Krissi from The Swim Mom
Morgan from Insert Clever Name Here

20 December
Jessica from The Bluestockings
Naida from The Bookworm
BookClover

21 December
Rhinoa from Rhinoa's Ramblings
Melissa from Remember to Breathe
The Bluestocking Guide

22 December
Think Pink Dana
My Friend Amy
Nicole from Linus's Blanket

23 December
Jane from Janezlifeandtimes
Memory from Stella Matutina
Debbie from Friday Friends Book Blog

24 December
Carl V. from Stainless Steel Droppings
Me from here

Signing up is easy! Just leave a comment either on this post, or the similar one at Marg's blog! If you want to post on a specific date then please mention that date in your comment as well, otherwise we will allocate a date for you.

If you want to see what other people have done during the last couple of years, then this link will lead you to all the posts over the last couple of years.

A very special thanks to Alex from Le Canape for the lovely button! (Which I cannot add at the moment because of this charming computer!)

Two Challenge for 2009

February 1, 2009 - July 31, 2009

The Themed Reading Challenge is a six month challenge designed to help readers clear books from their to-be-read stacks which center around a common theme or themes. Here are the “rules”:

1. Books should be chosen from the reader’s TBR pile (this may be an actual physical pile or a virtual pile).
2. The goal is to read 4 to 6 books linked by theme.
3. Overlaps with other challenges are allowed.
4. Readers may change their list of books at any time.
5. Readers may choose three different levels of participation:

• Read at least 4 books with the same theme.
• Read at least 5 books that share at least TWO themes.
• Read at least 6 books that share MORE than two themes.

Themes can be geographic, genre, author, subject matter, or anything in between! Last year’s themes were wonderfully creative and varied and included such things as: books about books, books set in New England, books with a color in the title, books about vampires, books with the word ‘lady’ in the title, Gothic classics, fairy tales retold for adults, highschool classics, Asian culture, feathered friends, WWII, Canada, books in translation, and Beverly Cleary. There were many others I have not listed here!

The only thing limiting your choices is your imagination - so have fun!

I actually participated in and completed this challenge last year, so I figured I would join in again. I think my theme this year will be fantasy/science-fiction novels published prior to 2008. Very basic, I know, but the minute I start limiting myself challenges are not fun anymore! I have lots of books to choose from, and I will likely just post as I go along.

I also think I am going to do The Series Challenge Season 3:

The challenge starts December 1st, 2008 and goes until November 30th, 2009.

The rules are easy:

1) Pick a couple series you already started and now want to finish (meaning, you'll be all up to date with the series when it ends).

2) Read at least 4 books, more are also okay, of course!

3) Post your review of the books on your blog or in the comment section, no matter how long. If you post the review on your blog, please post a link to the review in the comment section so that everyone else can check out your review.

4) Have fun!

So, I have so many series on the go right now that I wouldn't know where to begin in terms of a list! A few potentials are:

1.) Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb (book three in the trilogy)
2.) Dragon Blood by Patricia Briggs (book two in a duology)
3.) Bones of the Hills by Conn Iggulden (book three in a trilogy)
4.) Queen of Darkness by Anne Bishop (book three in a trilogy)

And many more...

That's just where I only have one left to read... There are plenty where I have lots left to read!
A few potentials:

1.) Jim Butcher (Only read book one)
2.) Orson Scott Card (only read Ender's Game)
3.) James Rollins (Sigma Series. Have two left to read and a third is out in 2009)
4.) Sara Donati (Only read one of the books)
5.) Terry Goodkind (Only read Wizard's First Rule)
6.) Elizabeth Haydon (Only read Rhapsody)
7.) Morgan Howell (Only read book one)
8.) Greg Keyes (Three more to read)
9.) Mercedes Lackey (Have a couple of her series started)
10.)Naomi Novik (Only read the first two books)

And the list could go on and on and on... I am really bad at not finishing series! And, just when I get caught up, they write a new book anyway!

Hopefully 2009 is a good reading year so I can read some of these books! 2008 did not really clear anything out because I only read like 100 books!

Christmas Browsing

So, I know that I normally get gift certificates for Christmas for book stores. Today, while book browsing, I decided to begin to decide on some of the books that I was going to want to get with the gift certificates. I will change my mind about a million times, but that is the fun of it! Anyway, I felt like sharing what is on the current list:

Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale
The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick
The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman
Dark Crystal Vol 1 (for Rhinoa's Challenge)
Return to Labyrinth Vol 1 and 2 (for Rhinoa's Challenge)
When Demon's Walk by Patricia Briggs
Steal the Dragon by Patricia Briggs

The Pre-Orders:
The Morganville Vampires: Book Five: Lord of Misrule by Rachel Caine
Sookie Stackhouse Boxed Set by Charlaine Harris
The King's Grace by Anne Easter Smith
Grave Goods by Ariana Franklin
General Winston's Daughter by Sharon Shinn (paperback)
Return to Labyrinth Vol 3 (for Rhinoa's Challenge)
Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs

Yeah, that's a lot of books... I have to point out that I was very excited to get the rest of Simon R. Green's Nightside series, but the two new books that contain the rest of the stories are not available anymore! So, now I have to get them all separately, which is really annoying because I wanted the collected works... This took him off the list in protest.

Oh, and did people see the cover for Charles de Lint's new book out next month? I have him on my mind because I am reading Widdershins right now. It is Subterranean Press, but it is so pretty! I just love the cover...

And, yes, I am the person that said a couple days ago that I have too many books and am running out of room for them... I listen to myself, well, right? In my defense, I hardly bought any books in 2008...

Anyway, any thoughts on my current list?

Rhinoa's Manga Challenge

The rules are:

Read at least 6 manga novels in 2009 (cross overs with other challenges are fine and please feel free to rad more!).

Sign up with Mister Linky below.

I will put up a post each month with a Mister Linky for you to add your reviews to.

You do not need to set a list of books to read in advance, just fill them in as you go if it's easier.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

I am tentatively joining this challenge. I have read Manga before, but I don't have any on my TBR pile, so I would have to buy them! I will hopefully be in a better financially situation as 2009 goes along, but right now, I am rather stressed in that department!

I do get gift certificates for book stores for Christmas and I have been browsing. I think I will likely read:

Dark Crystal Volume 1
Return to Labyrinth Volumes 1, 2, and 3

The rest I will just decide as I go along! This also breaks my 'challenge' rule, where I only join challenges that will clean off my TBR pile, but that's okay!

Any recommendations? I really want to read the Death Note series, but there is a boxed set of those and it is cheaper than buying them separately... I might have to wait and treat myself in the New Year...

Cats I Have Known and Loved by Pierre Berton

Who would have guessed that one of the great historian’s passions in life is cats? Over the course of his eighty-two years, and from his birthplace in Dawson City, Yukon, to his home in Kleinburg, Ontario, Berton has known and loved many cats. In this charming collection of stories, he has chosen his best cat tales to share with us.

Pierre Berton is a master storyteller, and his lyrical writing and sense of pacing and adventure enliven this collection, making it irresistible to any cat lover.

The book opens with the adventure of Pousse-Pousse, the cat with extra toes, who was carried off by a Great Horned Owl and, seven months later, reappeared at the door, bedraggled but alive. Pierre Berton’s first cat was Happy, a kitten the teenage Pierre spied in a pet store window “free to a good home.” It was Depression-era Victoria, and the Bertons barely had enough to feed themselves. Still, they kept Happy, and she produced scores of kittens over the years. There are stories of stray cats and “hobo cats,” beloved cartoon cats like Felix and Krazy Kat, and finally, “Rules for Guests,” which includes the following: “No discussion is so intense, no story so riveting, that it can’t be interrupted when a cat enters the room.”

This beautifully designed small-format gift book is illustrated with line drawings by Pierre Berton, photographs, and coloured endpapers.

As I mentioned earlier this weekend, I have been cleaning up my books. All the unread books are organized on the shelves and it looks really nice now! I have way too many and I probably will not read everything I have in this lifetime, but that is beside the point. One good thing about mixing things up a bit is that I tend to locate books that I knew in the back of my head that I had, but I at the same time didn't remember I had them. Tonight, I decided that I was in the mood for some Pierre Berton. I had planned to read some of his history, but I have been curious about this book since I found it at the second-hand store. In this book, Pierre Berton recounts tales of the cats that he has owned in his eighty-two years. It is not really his normal book, but it is written with the style that I have come to know from him.

I have to be honest. I am a dog person. If Pierre Berton didn't write this book, I probably wouldn't have read it. But, since I am a huge Pierre Berton fan, I feel the need to purchase all of his books. The stories in this book are hillarious and make me think about the cats that I have had so far.

The first cat that I picked out was a black cat named Sam. He was a great cat... Even after he was fixed he continued to spray. Not in the house, thankfully, but cars. Normally cars driven by male drivers. It was actually pretty funny to watch him mark his territory! He was the hunter in the clan, and my god did he let you know it! He would cry until someone noticed that he had caught a squirrel or a bird or a rodent. I was always so thrilled!

At the same time that I got Sam, my sister picked out Mittens. Mittens was an orange cat that, well, just was not all there. Insanely affectionate, but not the brightest bulb in the box! You never knew what stupid thing this cat was going to do next, really. The strangest thing about him, though, was his sleeping habits. That cat would sleep on anything and in any position. We would make houses out of lego and he would go to sleep on top of them. Many times I would have to pause and stare to try and figure out how on earth that location or position was comfortable! That cat drove me insane. It yeowed more than any creature I have ever dealt with, but it is also the cat that I remember the best!

Sam became more of the family cat than my own cat, so my parents let me acquire another cat. This one was a white fluffball named Snowball (I know, I was so creative with Sam and then I went right downhill in names). This cat was an obvious choice because when I picked her up at the shelter she put one paw on either side of my head. It was like she was hugging me, and this was something that she would do the entire time I had her! Too bad she was never all that friendly the rest of the time... Snowball was the cat that would cover her food over with whatever she could find so that the other cats could not use the food dish. She also always had something in her mouth.

The baby of the group was Maggie. Maggie was a double-pawed wimp. She hated the outdoors, especially in the winter! When there was snow on the ground and she was forced outside you could see her gingerly attempting to navigate around the snow. Eventually, she just never went outside. She would instead go to the bathroom in the furnace vents, which was a blast! We could never catch her doing it, but we could smell the evidence! This lead to a litter box, something that my mother hates. Maggie was the cat that would sleep in my closet or on my bed or other strange locations. To be honest, as much as I was a dog person over the cats, these four cats were always around me. This is because I fed them, probably, but I am also the animal person in the household.

With one of my ex-boyfriends, there were cats. Three are still living, but I never see them, and one is deceased. That deceased cat, Lana, was the craziest cat I have ever seen in my entire life. She played fetch, if you asked her a question she would answer with a meowing noise, she attacked everything, climbed the Christmas tree and slept in it, and so much more. The stories I can tell about that cat and she only lived to be just over two years old! I was kitty-sitting one holiday season and I noticed that she wasn't very mobile, which is very strange for her. She ended up being a very sick little cat and being put down fresh into the new year. The other three cats are Tolkien (the baby), Atra (the one in my profile picture), and Miko (the timid little princess). I never see those three anymore, but I hear they are doing well!

So, instead of rehashing the book, I shared my own stories. Fun, huh? Berton had some really entertaining cats as well. The stories are hillarious at times! Some of them I would have loved to see in action! And, as I was reading this book, the cat I gave my mother earlier this year was visiting. That cat is the most indecisive cat I have ever met. In five minutes she changes her position from side of the room to the other like ten times, I swear! I never know where I am going to trip over her next...

Santa Claus: A Biography by Gerry Bowler

An entertaining, often surprising look at the life of the world’s most influential fictional character.

He is the embodiment of charity and generosity, a creation of mythology, a tool of clever capitalists. The very idea of him is enduring and powerful.

Santa Claus was born in early-nineteenth-century America, but his family tree goes back seven hundred years to Saint Nicholas, patron saint of children. Intervening generations were shaggy and strange — whip-wielding menaces to naughty boys and girls. Yet as the raucous, outdoor, alcohol-fuelled holiday gave way to a more domestic, sentimental model, a new kind of gift-bringer was called for — a loveable elf, still judgmental but far less threatening.

In this engaging social and cultural history, Gerry Bowler examines the place of Santa Claus in history, literature, advertising, and art. He traces his metamorphosis from a beardless youth into a red-suited peddler. He reveals the lesser-known aspects of the gift-bringer’s life — Santa’s involvement with social and political causes of all stripes (he enlisted on the Union side in the American Civil War), his starring role in the movies and as adman for gun-makers and insurance companies. And he demolishes the myths surrounding Santa Claus and Coca-Cola.

Santa Claus: A Biography will stand as the classic work on the long-lived and multifarious Mr. Claus.

I didn't get a chance to read this book before Christmas last year, so I saved it to read at some point this year. Gerry Bowler has tackled the subject of one of the most famous fictional characters of all time. I learned a lot reading it, to be truthful. Dating back to when Santa first appeared and carrying on into the modern era, it looks at the evolution of this jolly fellow and the joyous holiday season that accompanies him. There was a lot that I did not know, or even think of, until I read the words in this book.

The sections of the book cover every aspect of Santa. They are: His Long Gestation and Obscure Birth, His Youth and Character Development, Santa as Advocate, Santa the Adman, Santa the Warrior, Santa at the Movies (and in the Jukebox Too), and Does Santa Have a Future. The first section talks about before there even was a Santa Claus. It was instead Saint Nicholas, who would eventually evolve into the Santa Claus of today. The second section talks about the creation of the characteristics we know of today. Like where the reindeer came from and how he got his look. It also talks about the struggle to have a Santa in a religious world. The next four sections talk about how Santa has been used in the world. He was used as a spokesperson for marches and rallies, has appeared in countless ad campaigns, was used in the war effort as far back as the 19th century, and has had many movies and songs written about him.

One spoiler. This poem played a large part in the creation of Santa as we know him today:

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

Apparently in 2004, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers 'announced the society's twenty-five most-performed Christmas songs of the new millenium:
1. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)
2. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
3. Winter Wonderland
4. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
5. White Christmas
6. Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!
7. I'll be Home for Christmas
8. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
9. Little Drummer Boy
10.Jingle Bell Rock
11.Silver Bells
12.Sleigh Ride
13.Feliz Navidad
14.It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
15.Blue Christmas
16.Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
17.Frosty the Snowman
18.A Holly Jolly Christmas
19.I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
20.It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
21.Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)
22.Wonderful Christmastime
23.Carol of the Bells
24.Santa Baby
25.This Christmas

So, what's your favourite Christmas song out of the list? What is your favourite Christmas song not included on the list? For me, it really depends on who is singing. If it is done right, a lot of these songs are great. As for a song not on the list, probably "Christmas Shoes".

That's it for telling you what the book said, all the other magic you will have to discover yourself! A few other discussion type questions, though, are: What is your favourite Christmas movie? And, more seriously, do you think that Santa will survive into the future?

In any case, this was an interesting book and perfect for this time of the year! Thanks to McClelland & Stewart for the gift of this book last year!

I Was a Child of Holocaust Survivors by Bernice Eisenstein

I Was a Child of Holocaust Survivors distills, through text and drawings, including panels in the comic-book format, Bernice Eisenstein’s memories of her 1950s’ childhood in Toronto with her Yiddish-speaking parents, whose often unspoken experiences of war were nevertheless always present. The memories also draw on inherited fragments of stories about relatives lost to the war whom she never met.

Eisenstein’s parents met in Auschwitz, near the end of the war and were married shortly after Liberation. The book began to take root in her imagination several years ago, almost a decade after her father’s death.

With poignancy and searing honesty, Eisenstein explores with ineffable sadness and bittersweet humour her childhood growing up in the shadow of the Holocaust. But more than a book about the Holocaust and its far-reaching shadows, this moving, visually ravishing graphic memoir speaks universally about memory, loss, and recovery of the past.

No one who sees this book will not be deeply affected by its beautiful, highly evocative writing and brilliantly original and haunting artwork created by the author. I Was a Child of Holocaust Survivors is destined to become a classic.

“I am lost in memory. It is not a place that has been mapped, fixed by coordinates of longitude and latitude, whereby I can retrace a step and come to the same place again. Each time is different. . . .

“While my father was alive, I searched to find his face among those documented
photographs of survivors of Auschwitz — actually, photos from any camp would do. If I could see him staring out through barbed wire, I thought I would then know how to remember him, know what he was made to become, and then possibly know what he might have been. All my life, I’ve looked for more in order to fill in the parts of my father that had gone missing. . . .”
—Excerpts from I Was a Child of Holocaust Survivors

I have no idea why it has taken me so long to read this book. I remember seeing a review of it back when it was about to come out in paperback, so I knew I was going to have to read it, and soon after that it entered my house. I just never got around to actually reading it! Then, earlier this month it was brought to my attention that my dh had never seen Schindler's List! I was shocked, to say the least. I am the first to admit that there a lot of movies I should have seen that I have never got around to watching, but I think everyone should watch Schindler's List. We of course ended up watching it (I own it, of course), and he said that he liked it, so then I had the Holocaust on my mind. When I was rearranging my books, I noticed this one and decided that now was as good a time as any to read it.

I have never been able to grasp the idea behind the Holocaust. It is something that I have heard about probably my entire life, and I cannot believe that it actually happened! I know that it did occur, though, I am not one of those people that does not believe it happened. I think that the experiences of World War II were horrific enough to hear about, so when you add these events on top of it, I think I am glad that I did not have to live through what they had to live through. There is no Jewish blood in my immediate family, so short of books and movies, I have never had anyone tell me their experiences during that horrible time.

Bernice Eisenstein is the daughter of parents that were both involved in the Holocaust. They actually met near the time of liberation and married soon afterwards. Her father rarely said what it was like to live during this time, he would just tell bits and pieces that she would have to make a full story out of. Her mother did an interview for some archives, though, so she heard what her mother had to say. Using pictures and words, Eisenstein speaks of her parents past and how it affects her. She was obsessed with the Holocaust her entire life, so I suppose it is fitting that she writes another book to add to the growing collection.

If you haven't read this book, I do recommend. I think it could probably count as a graphic novel, so something to keep in mind if the challenge is repeated next year. She is a fantastic prose writer and she has created haunting pictures that I believe will stay with me for some time. While it is a short book, not even 200 pages, it packs a punch and will get you thinking.

Thanks to McClelland & Stewart for this book!

Book Organizing

So, I decided tonight to begin to organize my bookshelves. I like to do this a few times a year. Since the last time I organized was a book-purging organizing, this time I am just moving books around. When a book enters the house for the first time, it normally goes in a pile until I have a chance to find a place for it on the shelf. While I was a very good person and hardly bought any books this year, I also hardly read any books this year. This means that my unread book pile did not really get any smaller. November was a really good reading month, though, so if I can make December about the same... I might be able to get all the unread books on the shelves... Currently, I have several piles that will not fit!

As to the read books... I have to be in the right mood to organize them because it is a huge undertaking because part of the shelving for that is a window ledge that runs along two walls. The easiest thing is to get rid of books, but, like I said, last book-organizing was the purging one. I am told I have issues. ha ha. As it is, my books are really organized. I came up with a new system for unread pocket paperbacks when I did my last organization and I HATE it, so I am currently staring at the books trying to decide what to do different.

In the meantime, I grabbed a book and read bits and pieces of it on my 'breaks', so now it is finished... I will review it after I figure out what I am going to do with all of these books!

In short, I have too many books... And, I need to read more.

Getting the Girl by Susan Juby

Sunglasses. Check.
Binoculars. Check.
Notepad. Check.
Mom's pink bike. Check. Check?

Meet Sherman Mack. Short. Nerdy. Amateur P.I. and prepared to do
anything for Dini Trioli.

Nobody knows who began it or when it became a tradition, but every girl
at Harewood Tech fears being D-listed, a ritual that wipes her off the social
map forever. When Sherman believes Dini is in danger of being D-listed, he
snatches up his surveillance gear and launches a full-scale investigation to
uncover who is responsible.

Could it be the captain of the lacrosse team?

The hottest girls in school, the Trophy Wives?

Or maybe their boyfriends?

One thing is for sure: Sherman Mack is on the case. And he's not giving
up.

Part comedy, part mystery, and with all of Juby's trademark
tongue-in-cheek humor, Getting the Girl takes on one of the cruelest aspects of
high school: how easy it is for an entire school to turn on someone, and how
hard it can be to be the only one willing to fight back.

I am actually surprised that I liked this book. When I read the description, I wasn't sure if it was my thing. It came with Jolted, though, so I thought I would give it a try! It was actually a pretty funny book, but at the same time very serious. It got me thinking about high school and how tough being in high school could be. At my school there was this hallway and everyone called it Jock Hall because it ran along the gym. Anyway, all the 'popular' people used to stand along this hallway and stare, or other days, they would call remarks or do other things that could be intimidating to others. Anyway, this lead to a lot of problems. I know that some of my friends wouldn't even walk down that hallway, they would find alternate routes. It is sort of related to the fact that I wasn't too keen on being intimidated, so I didn't really care all that much... They stopped bothering me; my friends were so embarassed they didn't walk down that hallway. This is the worst-case high school story that was running around in my head while I read this book.

In this book, girls were singled out and they were defiled. This meant that they were essentially invisible passed the first day. That first day, though, they would be bullied and ridiculed. A few of those scenes were shown in the book and it was very depressing what these girls had to go through. It is a very eye-opening book about just what it is like to be a teenager! In such turbulant times, it is a fitting subject, really. Susan Juby covers it with wit and humour, but she also shows the dark side of bullying and intimitation. It was a pretty good read.

It was an ARC of the book, and there was a funny typo that I hope they noticed before it went to printing! Sherman was a likeable character and it was nice to see him stand up for these defiled girls. Although, the path there was rather interesting, to say the least! He doesn't see the borders of the school quite like it was 'supposed' to and finds himself friends with lots of different crowds. Maybe if a few more teens read it they will find the power to stand up for themselves like Sherman did for the girls at his school. It's worth a try, anyway.

Browse Inside this book Get this for your site

Thanks Harper Collins!

Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding my True Voice by Maureen McCormick

Marcia Brady, eldest daughter on television's The Brady Bunch, had it all—style, looks, boys, brains, and talent. No wonder her younger sister Jan was jealous! For countless adolescents across America who came of age in the early 1970s, Marcia was the ideal American teenager. Girls wanted to be her. Boys wanted to date her. But what viewers didn't know about the always-sunny, perfect Marcia was that offscreen, her real-life counterpart, Maureen McCormick, the young actress who portrayed her, was living a very different—and not-so-wonderful—life. Now, for the very first time, Maureen tells the shocking and inspirational true story of the beloved teen generations have invited into their living rooms—and the woman she became.

In Here's the Story, Maureen takes us behind the scenes of America's favorite television family, the Bradys. With poignancy and candor, she reveals the lifelong friendships, the hurtful jealousies, the offscreen romance, the loving support her television family provided during a life-or-death moment, and the inconsolable loss of a man who had been a second father. But The Brady Bunch was only the beginning. Haunted by the perfection of her television alter ego, Maureen landed on the dark side, caught up in a fast-paced, drug-fueled, star-studded Hollywood existence that ultimately led to the biggest battle of her life.

Moving from drug dens on Wonderland Avenue to wild parties at the Playboy mansion and exotic escapades on the beaches of Hawaii, this candid, hard-hitting memoir exposes a side of a beloved pop-culture icon the paparazzi missed. Yet it is also a story of remarkable success. After kicking her drug habit, Maureen battled depression, reconnected with her mother, whom she nursed through the end of her life, and then found herself in a pitched battle for her family in which she ultimately triumphed.

There is no question: Maureen McCormick is a survivor. After fifty years, she has finally learned what it means to love the person you are, insight that has brought her peace in a happy marriage and as a mother. Here's the Story is the empowering, engaging, shocking, and emotional tale of Maureen McCormick's courageous struggle over adversity and her lifelong battle to come to terms with the idea of perfection—and herself.

I will be the first to admit that I am not necessarily a huge fan of The Brady Bunch. I have seen the show over the years and watched the Christmas movie, but I probably haven't seen all the episodes and I never exactly rushed out to buy the DVDs. That being said, I actually started paying attention to Maureen McCormick when I was channel-surfing one day and saw her on Dr. Phil. She has had some serious problems with her father and one of her brothers over the years and she was on there talking about elder abuse. While I don't think I saw the entire episode, I did find myself interested in a topic that I had never really given much thought to before. So, when I saw that she had a book out, I decided to give it a read and get the whole story. I was rather surprised at just how open about her life she is!

The book goes back to the beginning and covers events up to just a few months ago. Considering she does this in under 300 pages, you would be surprised in how much she covers and how much detail she goes into. The only thing I can ever remember seeing her on was The Brady Bunch, but it turns out that she has been on many other things. Of course, it is mostly television and I am just not a big television watcher... Throughout her career, though, she has battled many demons and in this book she lets them all out of the closet. I probably have an addictive personality, but I try and prevent it from taking control. I grew up in a household, though, where one of my parents did allow their addictions to run their life, and while they didn't do cocaine, it was just as interesting and enlightening to hear the story from the addicts point-of-view. My parent is older than Maureen and they haven't exactly got to the same point as her, but maybe one day it will happen.

Anyway, in this book Maureen looks at her addiction, her insecurities, the struggle to find work for a child star, her marriage, her relationships before her marriage, being a mother, her relationship with her own mother, and so much more. It was very illuminating and actually quite well-written. I found that I easily became wrapped up in her story. Like I said above, I was not necessarily reading it because she was Marcia Brady, but because I was interested in her story. I think she did a very good job at getting the facts out there, and considering that she was raised in a family that hid everything, it was very brave to write it all out for the world to see.

I am very glad I took the time to read this book!

Browse Inside this book Get this for your site

Harper Collins in Canada just relaunched and they have this cool search inside feature. I personally like them and while other book sites have them, they don't send me review copies of books. Harper Collins does, so I was thinking of including them from now on. What does everyone think?

Jolted by Arthur Slade

The Starker family is infamous. They’ve been chronicled on blogs, profiled on TV and researched by paranormal investigators. They appear to be cursed: everyone of Starker blood has died after being struck by lightning. Fourteen-year-old Newton Starker is the last of his line—except for his great-grandmother, Enid, a woman as friendly as a pickled wolverine—and he’s determined to survive.

Newton has spent all of his life surviving, following a list of rules for self-preservation, guidelines passed down through generations of Starkers. But Newton wants to try something new. He has enrolled at Jerry Potts Academy of Higher Learning and Survival in Moose Jaw with the hope that he’ll be able to beat the odds—he has a dream of becoming a great chef someday. If he wants to go beyond just getting by, Newton is going to need more than rules. He’s going to need friends.

From the creative mind of award-winning writer Arthur Slade—author of Dust, Tribes and Megiddo’s Shadow—comes a quirky, laugh-out-loud story about dreaming big, standing out and knowing when you need help.

Rachel over at a Fair Substitute for Heaven wrote a FANTASTIC review of this book, so, it of course moved onto my RADAR. Then, it just so happened that Harper Collins was willing to give me an Advanced Reading copy of the book, so I quickly said yes! I am very glad that I did. I read it yesterday in one sitting and it was a really entertaining read! I enjoyed how it crossed several genres, it is nice to get outside the comfort zone once in a while. Best thing of all? He's Canadian, so he is one of my own (who I had never even heard of before, but I don't read a lot of young adult fiction).

Moving on. The main character in this book is Newton Starker. He comes from a family who attracts lightening strikes. This means that he has to follow very strict rules about how he lives his life. He is technically the second-last surviving Starker because he great-grandmother Enid is still alive, and what a character she is! Let's just say there is one scene where she gets her great-grandson to wheel her outside so she can watch the men playing lawn hockey. Why, you might ask? Because apparently some of them still have very nice backsides! This woman is over a hundred, so I am sorry, you can't help laughing at that! The poor boy, though, I am sure the last thing a 14-year-old wants to think about his old men and their backsides.


It is not a long book, and it is young adult fiction, but it's hilarious and refreshing. You cannot help getting swept away by the characters and Newton's time at Jerry Potts Academy of Higher Learning and Survival. The students are forced to wear kilts. Not because Jerry Potts wore them, but because he was part-Scottish. Waring a kilt is quite complicated, though, as Newton comes to learn!

My favourite character of all, though, was Josephine! Her timing was perfect in every scene and you just couldn't help laughing at her interactions with Newton. Oh, and I probably should mention, Josephine is a truffle-finding pig. She was a perfect addition to the cast of characters! Anyway, I really enjoyed this book, and I will hopefully read some of the back-list by him in the future. People should read this book!

This book can also count for the 2nd Canadian Challenge, Eh? I think I might be done.... I will have to go count!

Thanks to Harper Collins for sending me a copy of this book!

Browse Inside this book Get this for your site

A minor pause to say:

I had an AWESOME reading month in November!

I haven't been counting all year because it has just been so bad, but I read over 15 books this month! Isn't that awesome? I think it is awesome! 15 is just the ones I have reviewed, there are still 2 or 3 I never got around to. Now, I, of course, used to read like that all the time, but 2008 was rather bad...

The Morganville Vampires - Feast of Fools by Rachel Caine

The wait is over. dig into the feast...

In the town of Morganville, vampires and humans live in relative peace. Student Claire Danvers has never been convinced, though especially with the arrival of Mr. Bishop, an ancient, old-school vampire who cares nothing about harmony. What he wants from the town's living and its dead is unthinkably sinister. It's only at a formal ball, attended by vampires and their human dates, that Claire realizes the elaborately evil trap he's set for Morganville.

This is the fourth book in The Morganville Vampire series. One of these days I really must read her adult series, but for now, I find these books enjoyable enough. My biggest problem with reviewing this series is that the books all run together. Really, it could just be one big book. This means that I run a big risk of spoilers. I also have to wait until January of next year to find out what happens next!

So, I went browsing, and I guess I haven't reviewed one of these books since the very first one... Way to be a slacker, huh? So, I guess as far as my blog says, I never read books two and three. The series centres around Claire Danvers. She is living in Morganville with three of her friends: Eve, Michael, and Shane. They have lived in the town the majority of their lives, but Claire only came to town to be a student and got swept up in what it means to live in Morganville.

While this is an enjoyable series, it will never been the best series going. I have no doubt that I will read it to its conclusion, but it is so typical young adult. I am starting to think that I am never going to really be a young adult. I never really liked the books for my age when I was a young adult, and trying to read them now that I am older doesn't always work the best for me either. I have enjoyed some that I have read, of course, and I will read more, but I think I would rather read one of my fantasy books.

Anyway, this is a good series and this book wasn't any worse or better than the books that came before it! I have no doubt that I will be buying the new book in the series in the New Year.

I was wrong. I reviewed book one and two of this series. I am just blind!

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway

This brilliant novel with universal resonance tells the story of three people trying to survive in a city rife with the extreme fear of desperate times, and of the sorrowing cellist who plays undaunted in their midst.

One day a shell lands in a bread line and kills twenty-two people as the cellist watches from a window in his flat. He vows to sit in the hollow where the mortar fell and play Albinoni’s Adagio once a day for each of the twenty-two victims. The Adagio had been re-created from a fragment after the only extant score was firebombed in the Dresden Music Library, but the fact that it had been rebuilt by a different composer into something new and worthwhile gives the cellist hope.

Meanwhile, Kenan steels himself for his weekly walk through the dangerous streets to collect water for his family on the other side of town, and Dragan, a man Kenan doesn’t know, tries to make his way towards the source of the free meal he knows is waiting. Both men are almost paralyzed with fear, uncertain when the next shot will land on the bridges or streets they must cross, unwilling to talk to their old friends of what life was once like before divisions were unleashed on their city. Then there is “Arrow,” the pseudonymous name of a gifted female sniper, who is asked to protect the cellist from a hidden shooter who is out to kill him as he plays his memorial to the victims.

In this beautiful and unforgettable novel, Steven Galloway has taken an extraordinary, imaginative leap to create a story that speaks powerfully to the dignity and generosity of the human spirit under extraordinary duress.

In my attempt to read Giller-nominated books, I am crossing another one off my list! Having not yet read all of them, and I doubt I ever will, I have to still say this... I think this book should have made the short-list. I am also not surprised it didn't. There was just something about this book that pulled me. About a very dark period in the earth's history, this is the story of people surviving the only ways that they know how.

My favourite part of this book, though, was the cellist. He has made it his mission to play the cello where a group of people were killed waiting in a breadline. Twenty-two died, so he has made it his mission to play everyday for twenty-two days. One of the characters in the book, Kenan, goes to listen to the man play and I really like how the experience is described, so I am going to quote:

None of that matters to Kenan anymore. He stares at the cellist, and feels himself relax as the music seeps into him. He watches as the cellist's hair smoothes itself out, his beard disappears. A dirty tuxedo becomes clean, shoes polished bright as mirrors. Kenan hasn't heard the cellist's tune before, but he knows it anyway, its notes familiar and full of pride, a young boy in a new coat holding his father's hand as he walks down a winter street.

The building behind the cellist repairs itself. The scars of bullets and shrapnel are covered by plaster and paint, and windows reassemble, clarify and sparkle as the sun reflects off glass. The cobblestones of the road set themselves straight. Around him people stand up taller, their faces put on weight and color. Clothes gain lost thread, brighten, smooth out their wrinkles.

This is a quote from page 209, so the book is nearing its conclusion. It goes on from there, and I just love this imagery.... but then I don't at the same time. Reading is my main hobby, but I also have a soft spot for music, and so, while I cannot relate to the circumstances, I can related to the idea. This is what music does, really. It brings hope. This novel shows one more instance of people doing horrible things to other people, but a short period of time for twenty-two days... these people have hope. The story is told from the viewpoint of three different people. It's horrible, really, what people go through. These three people are battling their own personal battles, and at the centre, their is this man and his musical tribute.

Like I said, I haven't read all of the Giller-nominated books, but I am very happy that I read this one. I can't even say I love it... I just think it is a book that will stick with me for a long time. If you get a chance to read it, I recommend that you do! It could easily be a book about a lot more than just that one period in history.

And, this is another book for the 2nd Canadian Challenge, eh?

My thanks to Random House for sending me a copy of this book!

Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips

From Marie Phillips, hailed by the Guardian Unlimited website as a “hot author” destined to “break through” in 2007, comes a highly entertaining novel set in North London, where the Greek gods have been living in obscurity since the seventeenth century.

Being immortal isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Life’s hard for a Greek god in the twenty-first century: nobody believes in you any more, even your own family doesn’t respect you, and you’re stuck in a dilapidated hovel in North London with too many siblings and not enough hot water. But for Artemis (goddess of hunting, professional dog walker), Aphrodite (goddess of beauty, telephone sex operator) and Apollo (god of the sun, TV psychic) there’s no way out… until a meek cleaner and her would-be boyfriend come into their lives and turn the world upside down.

Gods Behaving Badly is that rare thing, a charming, funny, utterly original novel that satisfies the head and the heart.

This was such a fun book! It might weigh a bit on the 'chick-lit' side, which is not usually my sort of read, but I took a chance on it and I am very happy that I did! As many people that read my blog know, I like history. This is a book about the Greek gods set in a modern age! It was a perfect read for me. While mythology is a very broad area of study that I have never researched in depth, it has always interested me. Here we have a book where the author takes all of the powers that the gods and goddesses were believed to possess and writes a book where they take the fore-front. It was really quite a good idea.

The gods are quite the dysfunctional family. People today don't believe in them anymore and they are just bored. Their hold on humanity has been slowly slipping, so they find that they don't seem to have a use anymore. So, they burn off their energy in other pursuits. Plus, it helps pay the bills! Artemis, the goddess of hunting and chastity, is a dog-walker. She has to work off her lust somehow, right? Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, is a telephone sex operator. It is pretty entertaining, I must say! The scenes where she are talking on the phone couldn't help but bring a smile to your face. The other god that figures predominately in this book is Apollo, the god of the sun. Conceited, sex-crazed, and unappreciated... That's Apollo in a nut shell. Other gods and goddesses are in the book, but these three are the main characters.

The gods and goddesses have been around for a long time, and they are frankly bored and old. There are times in the book where they even talk about what it would be like to just die! Then, a prank has unanticipated results and life for them changes very drastically. Enter a very meek, perfectionist cleaner and her sort of boyfriend and things start to happen. I really love that for as smart as this couple is, they never really wonder why the entire family is named after Greek gods. We witness their thoughts, so I figured that somewhere in there they would be wondering what the parents were on when they named the kids, but it never happens.

So, what we have here is some all-powerful gods that are losing their powers, some unsuspecting mortals, a falling apart house in London, some sex, some romance, incest, fighting, a trip to the underworld, and so much more all in one book! So, yes, I enjoyed this book and I do hope that if she writes another book she makes it a sequel of sorts. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for what happens next!

Thanks to Random House for both bringing this book to my attention and kindly sending me a copy!

A Christmas Meme

It's rather long, but I am listening to Christmas music (ha) and felt like doing something with a Christmas feel to it!

1. Getting kissed under the mistletoe or in the snow?
The snow, I guess

2. Santa or Rudolph?:
Rudolph

3. Stocking or presents?:
Stockings

4. Egg nog or hot cider?:
Egg nog, but not if it has a strong spice taste to it...

5. Angel or Star?:
Star

6. Decorating the tree or putting lights on the outside?
Decorating the tree

7. Warm fires or sleigh rides?:
Sleigh Rides

8. Expensive presents or presents that come from the heart?:
From the Heart

9. Snow ball fight or snowman?:
snow ball fight, but I do enjoy making snowmen. My friends make fun of me...

10. Will you be getting coal or presents?:
Presents

11. Giving or Receiving presents?:
Giving

12. Open presents quick or slow?
Quick

13. Caroling or Christmas stories?
Christmas stories. No one wants to hear me sing!

14. Snowy days or icy days?:
snow, for sure.

15. Red or Green?:
Green

16. Nightmare before Christmas or The Santa Claus?:
Nightmare before Christmas

17. Dasher or Dancer?:
Dancer

18. Prancer or Vixen?
Prancer

19. Comet or Cupid?:
Comet

20. Donner or Blitzen?:
Donner

21. Fake tree or Real tree?:
Real

22. Prime Rib or Ham?:
Ham

23. Red and White Candy Canes or Colorful Candy Canes?
Red and White. I don't really like the crazy flavoured ones

24. Get up early or sleep in late?:
Early

25. Old Christmas Movies or New ones?:
Depends on the movie

26. The Santa Claus 1 or The Santa Claus 2?
1

27. The Grinch movie or Elf movie?:
Grinch! The original, though... Jim Carey wasn't bad, but you can't mess with the original.

28. Scrooge or Tiny Tim?:
Scrooge

29. Ornaments or a Wreath?:
ornaments

30. Christmas Eve or Christmas day?:
Christmas Day

Before Christmas:
1. Does your family send Christmas cards?
I always MEAN to, but I don't think I have ever actually managed to get them out

2. How soon do you start shopping?:
Last-minute

3. Who do you shop for?:
Family and a few friends

4. Do you put up a Christmas tree?:
Of course

5. If so, is it fake or real?:
Real and a fake white one at my mother's...

Decorations:
6. Do you like tinsel?:
My mother loves tinsel... I probably will just leave it there

7. Do you use homemade or store bought ornaments?:
The real tree has store bought and the white one has homemade

8. Do you put Christmas lights outside your house?:
Yes

9. Do you put lights on the tree?:
Yes

10. How about popcorn and cranberries?:
Nope

11. Is there a wreath hanging on your door?:
Sometimes

Christmas Eve:
13. Do you hang up your stocking?:
Yeah

14. Does your family read "Twas the night before Christmas?":
haha, nope

Favorite:
15. Christmas Movie?:
I have so many... The Muppet Christmas Carol, The Grinch Movie, Nightmare Before Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, etc. (Don't laugh about the Muppets... I watch that movie every year without fail...)

16. Character from any Christmas Movie:
um, Gonzo as Charles Dickens from The Muppet Christmas Carol with his side-kick Rizzo the Rat

17. Christmas Song:
Breath of Heaven, Christmas Shoes, and so many others.... I am so big on Christmas music and the Charming Comedian only likes ONE! Well, I guess opposites either attract or he is going to kill me by the end of December...

18. Christmas Memory:
Me and my brother are the Christmas fanatics in my family. I actually miss having him around because my sister HATES Christmas... It's sad.

This or That :
19. Give or Receive?:
Give

22. Ham or Turkey?:
ham

24. White Lights or Colored Lights?
white

25. Blinking Lights or Still Lights:
Blinking. I have the nicest set of lights, I love them...

26. Were you Naughty or Nice this year?:
Nice, or I tried to be

Presents:
27. What do you want for Christmas this year?:
A job

28. When do you open your gifts?:
One on Christmas Eve and then the rest on Christmas Day, I guess. When we were kids we had Christmas at my father's also, but I don't really do that anymore.

29. What's the best gift you've ever gotten?:
I am going to have to think about that question

30. What's the worst gift you've ever gotten?:
Clothes. No one can buy me clothes. I know they try very hard, but I'm picky.

31. Who gives you the most gifts?:
Who cares. Stupid question

32. Have you ever had a secret Santa?:
Yup

33. Do you like wrapping gifts?:
hahahahaha... Anyone that knows me knows that I am a TERRIBLE wrapper! Most years I pawn them off on my mother and just wrap her present. I can't even wrap boxes.

Random:
34. Do you put change in those red buckets?:
Yes

35. Do you burn a yule log?:
Nope

36. Can you name all the reindeer?:
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixon, Cupid, Comet, Donner, and Blitzen... and Rudolph, of course

37. Do you bake cookies?:
Yeah, I am about as good at baking as I am at wrapping

38. Have you ever seen your mommy kissing Santa Clause?:
haha, no

39. Have you ever gotten a kiss under the mistletoe?:
I don't know, maybe

41. Do you drive around and look at the Christmas lights?:
Yes! One of my favourite things to do

42. Have you ever left Santa cookies?:
Of course. And carrots for the reindeer

43. Have you ever sat on Santa's lap?:
haha, yeah, I tried to get my friends to go see Santa with me last year, actually. lol

44. Who do you celebrate Christmas with?:
I don't know this year.

45. Where do you celebrate Christmas?:
See above

46. Have you ever had a white Christmas?:
Last year wasn't.... I have my fingers crossed this year will be! Not so interesting when kids have to be told Santa has to take a helicopter because we have no snow...

47. What part of Christmas do you look most foward to?:
There are lots of things

48. Have you ever had your picture taken with Santa?:
I avoid pictures being taken of me

49. Does your family always take pictures at Christmas?
yep

50. Have you ever heard the song "Thank God For The Kids"?:
Yes

The Witch's Trinity by Erika Mailman

The year is 1507, and a friar has arrived in Tierkinddorf, a remote German village nestled deeply in the woods. The village has been suffering a famine, and the villagers are desperately hungry. The friar’s arrival is a miracle, and when he claims he can restore the town to prosperity, the men and women gathered to hear him rejoice. The friar has a book called the Malleus Maleficarum—“The Witch’s Hammer”—a guide to gaining confessions of witchcraft. The friar promises he will identify the guilty woman who has brought God’s anger upon the town; she will be burned, and bounty will be restored. Tierkinddorf is filled with hope. Neighbors wonder aloud who has cursed them and how quickly can she be found? They begin sharing secrets with the friar.

Güde Müller, an elderly woman, has stark and frightening visions—recently she has seen things that defy explanation. None in the village know this, and Güde herself worries that perhaps her mind has begun to wander—certainly she has outlived all but one of her peers in Tierkinddorf. Yet of one thing she is absolutely certain: She has become an object of scorn and a burden to her son’s wife. In these desperate times her daughter-in-law would prefer one less hungry mouth at the family table. As the friar turns his eye on each member of the tiny community, Güde dreads what her daughter-in-law might say to win his favor.

Then one terrible night Güde follows an unearthly voice and the scent of charred meat into the snow-filled woods. Come morning, she no longer knows if the horror she witnessed was real or imagined. She only knows that if the friar hears of it, she may be damned in this life as well as the next.

The Witch’s Trinity beautifully illuminates a dark period of history; it is vividly imagined, elegantly written, haunting, and unforgettable.

When I read books like this I am always left thinking. How can we live in a world where people are capable of burning innocent women on stakes! We might think that we are better now and incapable of these atrocious acts, but when it comes right down to it, the hate has continued. We might not be burning witch's, but there is so much hate and blame in this world. I love to think we have moved away from the actions of the people in this book, but we have just found new ammunition and new enemies. While the townsfolk in this book blindly followed a friar because he was the voice of god, think of the men who followed a leader that flew planes into buildings and killed countless people; or another leader who declared war on helpless people and was allowed to legally kill innocent people for the crimes of a few select. We live in a scary world, as much as we would like to think that we are advanced...

Mailman is an excellent writer. Believe me, when I was reading about the living flesh being burned in raging fires, I could almost picture it happening right in front of me. I almost heard the screams of the innocent as they felt flames tear at their bodies. It was both captivating and disturbing that an author could achieve that. Frankly, books like this scare me. While this is a work of fiction, things like this really happened. A finger was pointed and next thing you know, you were a witch! Those that condemned others to death were just as easily sentenced to death themselves. The 'tests' were farces and the punishments and torture devices were severe. I am always horrified to know that people are capable of such cruelty, but if I was there, who is to say which side I would find myself on. I look back on it now and say I would never be involved, but things were a lot different back then...

So, while I can't say that I totally loved this book, I did really appreciate it. It was just disturbing, as books of this subject matter always are. I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for the next book that Mailman releases. She does tell a really good story, even if I got thinking about things totally unrelated. If you were meant to like the character, you liked the character, and if you were meant to hate them, you hated them. It think she has lots of potential!

The Commoner by John Burnham Schwartz

It is 1959 when Haruko, a young woman of good family, marries the Crown Prince of Japan, the heir to the Chrysanthemum Throne. She is the first non-aristocratic woman to enter the longest-running, almost hermetically sealed, and mysterious monarchy in the world. Met with cruelty and suspicion by the Empress and her minions, Haruko is controlled at every turn. The only interest the court has in her is her ability to produce an heir. After finally giving birth to a son, Haruko suffers a nervous breakdown and loses her voice. However, determined not to be crushed by the imperial bureaucrats, she perseveres. Thirty years later, now Empress herself, she plays a crucial role in persuading another young woman—a rising star in the foreign ministry—to accept the marriage proposal of her son, the Crown Prince. The consequences are tragic and dramatic.

Told in the voice of Haruko, meticulously researched and superbly imagined, The Commoner is the mesmerizing, moving, and surprising story of a brutally rarified and controlled existence at once hidden and exposed, and of a complex relationship between two isolated women who, despite being visible to all, are truly understood only by each other. With the unerring skill of a master storyteller, John Burnham Schwartz has written his finest novel yet.

An online friend read this book and gave it a five out of five. That may not normally be enough for me to pick up a book, but she is rather picky about her reading and rarely seems to give book higher than the three range, so I decided that was a good enough reason for me! As soon as I saw that five, it didn't even matter the subject matter, I knew that it was something I should pick up. I am very glad that I did! I had never heard of the author before and I wasn't very familiar with the subject, but once I got caught up in the pages all of that was quickly forgotten!

A lot of my history seems to centre around my own history, with a bit of random stuff thrown in. There is so much to learn about when it comes to history, though, that you cannot be an expert on everything. Japan is not an aspect of history that I have ever really concentrated on. Not that it is not interesting, but more along the lines that you really can't read everything. I do find Japanese history worthy, they are the oldest monarch after all, but I was concentrating on Western history. It is nice to break out of your comfort zone once in a while, though, and I am glad that I chose to with this book.

One of the biggest problems, for me, with male authors is when they try to write about women. It is not an easy thing to do to pretend to be the other sex; to get into their head, but I think he did a really good job! He was trying to portray the isolation that came with being a member of the Royal Family, while at the same time see it from a female point-of-view. Being royalty, in many ways, is something that you just have to be born for. Not everyone takes to it, that is for sure, and the two women that are looked at exclusively in this novel have a very hard time coming to terms with it. They are, in essence, commoners, and this is a life that they have never had to be a part of before. With it comes many responsibilites that they may not actually be ready for! They have a role to play, and it is not what they were raised to aspire to, that is for sure...

Wonderfully written, this novel was well-worth my time! I strongly recommend it. It inspired me to hopefully read more books on Japanese history, but that does not mean the chance will present itself! So many books, so little time, after all! I hope others will give it a chance!

A Meme and Maybe a Few Other Things...

Stephanie tagged me for the Seven Random Bookish Things About Me Meme.

The Rules Are:

Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog.

Share seven random and/or weird book facts about yourself.

Tag seven random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.

Let each person know that they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. When I was younger I would never admit that I read. I was smart in school and I got good grades, but for years I didn't want people to think I was a nerd. I hate fitting into labels, so I always tried to hide who I really was...

2. I have yet to date a reader. But, I do date guys (like the charming comedian) who humour me. They will listen to me ramble on and on about the books I am reading. Instead of trying to push reading on C.C., though, I have started working books that have topics that interest him into rotation. It was him that inspired me to read Neil Peart's memoirs, for example, so then I could ramble on about them with him. Most of my real life friends don't read either... Such is life, I guess.

3. If I really like a book and it is late at night, I will stay up all night reading it. Many a time I have called, for example, the Charming Comedian at like 5 in the morning to say that I was just finishing up the last few pages of my book.... This will be in response to his "What the hell are you still doing up?" question. I can only do this when he works backshift, of course.

4. I don't do romance. I don't think this is something people don't know, but still. I can't handle romance novels. Even romance in other books has to be handled in such a way or it will drive me crazy. I have no idea why this is!

5. I can carry on a conversation and read at the same time. It is what came from practice. If the book gets really interesting, though, I have been known to tune out of the conversation. When people like the charming comedian talk, though, I have to put my book down because they are so random I have no idea what they are talking about if I don't follow along. Actually, he knows this and won't talk to me if I have a book in hand. He will start the story and then pause and wait for me to give him my undivided attention. I don't really mind, though, sometimes he is more interesting than the book! Don't tell him that, though. haha

6. I have too many books. The thought of moving my books from one house to another scares the crap out of me! It will take forever! I haven't counted in years, because I am scared of the numbers, but I am sure I have well over a thousand books...

7. I am a really moody reader. I start a book, and I may love it, but I might not necessarily read it then. The more frazzled my mind is, the less I read. The busier I am, actually, the less I read... I have a million books to read and sometimes I just can't find one that interests me... I am just moody, plain and simple! But yet, the Charming Comedian told me yesterday that I was a 'happy' person and he seemed quite serious when he said it, so maybe I am only moody to myself... (He said that after the last two weeks I have had. If I can still be cheery when my luck is running bad, that has to say something...)

I'm not tagging anyone. I have seen this post around a few times, so I think most people have done it already!

And, my god. When I went to work tonight it was raining out... Then, we had a CRAZY first snowfall of the winter. There were cars off the roads, some of the highways were closed, it was just INSANE! And, there is me getting off work wearing sneakers and a fall coat. I borrowed the person who worked after me jacket so I could find my car. It was a totally different world when I walked out of the doors after work than the one that I walked into. It was not that bad when I got off work, but the storm is still raging in some parts and there are still parts of the roads closed. This does not say good things for the winter we are going to have... I would have posted pictures but it was dark when I got off work. Oh, and this was eight hours... All that happened in eight hours. Just crazy! Good ole Canada!

The Shape-Changer's Wife by Sharon Shinn

Okay, I don't know about anyone else, but for me, 2009 has seemed like a VERY long year! But, then on the other hand, it seems to be flying by! So, not to really serve any purpose, but since I have blogging friends I thought I would share my rather bad new... I lost my job... It's not a happy scene, let me tell you! It really came from no where and since I have no union at my job, I have to calmly step aside and let them screw me around! So, there you have it, I am unemployed! One more bad thing to add to 2009.

Anyone, on to the review:

Aubrey is a young student, gifted in the fine art of sorcery. So he travels to a faraway land in search of the greatest master of all, the mystical shape-changer Glyrender. From him, Aubrey expects to learn the secret of spells and the mysteries of magic. But there is one magical discovery he never expected--the shape-changer's beautiful wife.

Dear Ms. Shinn,

You are an author that I have enjoyed very much over the last couple years, but I never seem to sit down and read enough of! I should have been attempting to finish up the series by you that I have on the go, but this book has always looked interesting to me, so I decided to read it instead. We are having some rather horrible weather this weekend, so it was the perfect book to hunker down with. It is not a very long book, so I accomplished it in one sitting, but I enjoyed every moment of it!

Aubrey, the hero of the story, did have the potential to be annoying. He is a very bright boy, and he knows it, but he manages to keep his wits about him. I liked that he wasn't rubbing his accomplishments in the readers face. That just gets annoying fast! Aubrey wasn't like that at all, though, so no complaints here. The book was a bit predicable, but that didn't turn out to be such a bad thing. It was a perfect new fairy tale, really! Magic is always fun to read about, I must say, so it was fun to step into this magical world.

I was never really sure what to make of Lilith. As the story progressed, though, and I got to know her a bit better, I began to understand her personality. In the beginning, though, I just determined that she was not exactly as she seemed, but that didn't mean that I completely knew why that was. A very quiet and reserved character, you really did not know what was going to happen next with her. Especially when Aubrey enters the picture. Her husband, while central to the story, was not really around all that much, so the interactions with him were limited.

You do write fantastic stories, though. I am glad that I decided to randomly read a book by you, and I really need to get around to the other books by you sitting on my tbr pile! This book was perfect for my rainy afternoon and I hope that people that read this will pick the book up as well.

Sincerely,

Kelly