Happy Sunday! Grab your mug of cocoa/coffee/tea, click the pics to visit other virtual reading rooms.. tell us..what are you reading this week??
Hello there, my little sugar puffs. Did you miss me last week? I was busy being me and I added some little decorations to my blog instead of doing a Salon. Do you notice the changes? Since I've only had a comment from my very biggest bestest fan ever and one other who likes my header, I must take that as an answer that not many like the fairies and all that jazz. Yes, I know, I am supposed to be a very intensely very serious book blogger. Well, ppphhhhmmmppphh is what I say. I get bored easy so I'll change it again someday, but for now, you are stuck with it. The moment I turn into a literary expert who gets paid for her opinions I'll make it look more professional. Basically, when the cow jumps over the moon.
Has the Spring Fever bug bitten you yet? Yes, it definitely has over here in the sunny bright state of Texas. I am enjoying the outdoors on the weekends with the kiddos as they run around and lose calories. You'll see me watching from the shaded patio with some sort of extra fattening substance like an iced coffee or frappe or latte with the accompanying Twinkie. Oh well, you only live once and I think my husband should be really grateful that he had the honor of a skinny wife for so many years... till now....muuaaah haaa haaa haaaaa.
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| {My new Drug of Choice} |
That's me. The poster child.
So if you don't see me around too much.. it's just because I have really had too much overload and my brain has turned into scrambled eggs (there I go thinking about food again!). I don't have any more reviews in the wings waiting to be published.. so it'll be sparse around here. Which I don't think you'll miss me much anyway. I do read your blog posts on the google reader during commercials, so I'll still be lurking.
And so with the blogging that has sizzled and fizzled this last week has dealt with the Round Table event for Claude and Camille... the fantastic novel on the love between.. well you know who.. and there were TWO giveaways.
The beautiful hardcover giveaway of Claude and Camille by Stephanie Cowell, who honored my readers with a great guest post here, is going to .... Sandra K321
A favorite book for me this year, titled THE KITCHEN HOUSE (my review), went up for grabs also along side a great Guest Post..
I have two lucky winners for this achingly inspiring haunting book.. and these two lucky folks are....
1.carolinagirlmommy
2.wiseowlreviews
Congratulations!
So if you didn't win these..(those with no email addresses were disqualified) and you are aching to see you name being typed out by me as a winner at The Burton Review.. then run on over to enter my Book Giveaway for Mistress of Rome by Kate Quinn. You know you want to. So here is your chance.
Besides that.. I caught up with some reviews of titles that were great additions to my library.
A fave of 2010 is The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees and you can see my review here if you missed the post.
I also reviewed The Queen's Dollmaker by Christine Trent. I know you all have seen this book around and around and around the blogosphere.. and it was for good reason. It was a great debut for Christine! She is hard at work at future novels, so you'd better hurry up and read this so you can keep up with her.
Also late this week I reviewed a witty and charming sequel by Monica Fairview, titled The Darcy Cousins. You may have heard of Monica, as I have reviewed her first Darcy book and had a guest post from her. She will return on Monday as part of her blog tour with a quick interview and yes, another giveaway for my lucky lucky followers. This is one of those Austen sequels that will always remain among my favorites.
The review posting of The Darcy Cousins marks 23 reviews published here in 2010. For 108 days, that makes about 5 days that it has been taking for me to read and review a book. Ok so let's say that I have 20 books in my review pile, which now includes already released books, and most to be released in the very near future. That equals 94 more days that I am still going to be stuck under this review pile. Gag. Choke. Cry.
Moving on after I dab at my eyes and blow my nose, what's next for me? I am reading the super nice Christy English's The Queen's Pawn. I have been so negative feeling lately though that I have not really given myself a chance to read much. Such as at lunch instead of reading I've been leafing through home improvement magazines. Bad book blogger! Anyhoooo, this book is about Eleanor of Aquitaine and she is depicted in a way that I haven't read yet, so it is different for me. I believe I've said this statement four or five times already, but in case you missed it: Eleanor is going to have a banner year with a few new novels, so I am sure there will be more than one interpretation of her character this year.
So.. looking for new bedroom sets, and we have a new padded King mattress, which means California King sheets must be found. I saw these really fun sets that The Duchess of Devonshire's blog, where these awesome sets are from Wake Up Frankie but only available in smaller sizes. Waah. So does anyone know where to get awesome sets like this for king size beds?
I have a PILE of ARC's. I might get satisfaction from seeing them get thrown into a bonfire.. but no, I won't. But they also won't be reviewed on time either. Sue me. I wish Sourcebooks would just stop reissuing all those fantastic historicals and making me review them. Ha. Kidding, of course. I just have zero will power.
In other news, I've been working my tushy off (unfortunately that's only figurative). I haven't had a vacation since 2004 and I think I am long overdue. There was a break in 2006 where I did take a week off, and worked around the house, etc. Then of course I had maternity leave in 2007 as a result of that wonderful break in 2006 and the etc part. But I don't count that as a vacation. Yes folks, I really need to get out of town. Preferably without
I went garage sale hopping with my marmee, and I found some more books.. and some that are from London etc that were travel type books. They have maps of castles and other great things like a Robert Burns in Scotland book, a book on Glasgow and my favorite was The Windsor Castle. I will have fun perusing these reads. I also found a framed poster print of a Monet work! I couldn't pass it up! ($2.00!)
Oh, did you see the PBS Masterpiece last Sunday, about Anne Frank? I cried like a baby. We all know what is going to happen, but it just doesn't seem to make it any better when you get to the tragic end. The actress seemed perfect for the part of Anne Frank.
I think I need some good comedic relief in my life right now. Seinfeld..or me looking in the mirror.. oh wait, that is depressing.. let's stick to Seinfeld. And chocolate cake. Frappucino, anyone?
.JPG)