To participate in this meme, visit: http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/.
If you’ve participated in Wordless Wednesday, and have commented on my entry – make sure to add your WW post to Mr. Linky below! 
Wordless Wednesday: Rockin’ These Glasses
December 23, 2009 By 2 Comments
Friday Firsts: To Resume Next Week
December 18, 2009 By 4 Comments
After Carli being loads sick this week (even to go to the doctor twice) – and with my feeling sick as well .. I haven’t been able to read. At all. No fun, really. I did a Friday Finds of a book I had intended to read, last week – but have yet to finish Shiver. Such a bad reader, really. (Just a lot going on)
But I have a feeling things are getting a little easier as I am getting the hang of this morning sickness thing. So please be patient with me.
If you have participated in Friday First’s today, please feel free to add your link to Mr. Linky below:
Friday Firsts: The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl #Meme
December 11, 2009 By 2 Comments
Blogger Meme: Friday Firsts
I try to tweet about all participants, so don’t forget to include your Twitter username if you want to be notified of your tweet mention!
The first line can make or break a reader’s interest. Just how well did the author pull you in to the story with their first sentence? To participate in this weekly book meme is extremely easy.
- Grab the book you are currently reading and open to the first page.
- Write down the first sentence in the first paragraph.
- Create a blog post with this information. (Make sure to include the title & author of the book you are using. Even an ISBN helps!)
- Did this first sentence help draw you into the story? Why or why not?
- Link back to Well-Read Reviews in your blog entry.
- Come back to this blog post, hosted on WellReadReviews.com and add your direct link to Mr. Linky! ** Very important!
That’s it
Here is my Friday Firsts: The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga (ISBN: 978-0-618-91652-8) 311 pages.
I want to NOT ride the bus to school every day, but that would be a waste of a really big want – it’ll take care of itself eventually.
Who wants to ride the bus? I certainly hated it and was glad I used to live in walking distance to my high school! As for this sentance, I would love to know what this person’s reasoning behind not wanting to ride the bus. Just WHAT is their issue?
Synopsis: (Taken from Amazon.com)
Fanboy has never had it good, but lately his sophomore year is turning out to be its own special hell. The bullies have made him their favorite target, his best (and only) friend seems headed for the dark side (sports and popularity), and his pregnant mother and the step-fascist are eagerly awaiting the birth of the alien life form known as Fanboy’s new little brother or sister.
Fanboy, though, has a secret: a graphic novel he’s been working on without telling anyone, a graphic novel that he is convinced will lead to publication, fame, and—most important of all—a way out of the crappy little town he lives in and all the people that make it hell for him.
When Fanboy meets Kyra, a.k.a. Goth Girl, he finds an outrageous, cynical girl who shares his love of comics as well as his hatred for jocks and bullies. Fanboy can’t resist someone who actually seems to understand him, and soon he finds himself willing to heed her advice—to ignore or crush anyone who stands in his way.
Make sure to add your link below if you have participated!
Wordless Wednesday: The Christmas Card Photo
December 9, 2009 By 12 Comments
To participate in this meme, visit: http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/.
If you’ve participated in Wordless Wednesday, and have commented on my entry – make sure to add your WW post to Mr. Linky below!
Mailbox Monday #meme
December 7, 2009 By 12 Comments
- Dec. 7 2009
This is a #meme hosted at The Printed Page. I love getting books in the mail. Heck, I love getting mail! This past week I received:
- The Wives of Henry Oades by Johanna Moran (ISBN:978-0-345-51095-2) Publisher Sent ARC
This week was pretty slow in terms of getting anything. This book was sent directly to my house, but I went and checked my PO Box yesterday and was disappointed to see nothing! It’s always a sad week if you check an empty mailbox!
The Wives of Henry Oades (Synopsis taken from back of book)
For Margaret Oades, everthiing changes when her husband, Henry, accepts a bank post in New Zealand and she and their children follow him from London to exotic Wellington. But a single night of tragedy shatters the family when the native Maori stage an uprising and Margaret and the children are abducted and presumed dead. Grief stricken, Henry travels to Berkely, California, where he eventually married a young widow with a new baby … only to have his first wife and children show up soon after, alive and having finally escaped from captivity.
Narrated primarily by the two Mrs. Oadeses, Johanna Moran’s powerful imagining of what ahppens when Henry and his two wives face persecution for bigamy explores the intricacies of marriage, the construction of family , and the courage of two remarkable women.
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If you participated in What’s in the Mail, this week = feel free to add your direct link to my Mr. Linky. All direct links are do-follow! 
(Any SPAM or unrelated links will be deleted. This is for Mailbox Monday, ONLY!)
In Support of the Dewey Tree Project.
December 4, 2009 By 1 Comment
I was approached by Lisa at Online Publicist asking if I would like to participate in the Dewey Tree Project for this sadly memorable holiday season, to mark and support the year since this wonderful woman, Dewey’s passing. How could I not but say, “Yes!”
Since joining the book blog circuit in August of 2009 (just four months ago) – barely a day goes by where I don’t see Dewey’s name brought up in conversation whether it’s through a blog posting or a tweet. Because I did not know Dewey, I would love to hear your stories – if you did. How she impacted your life and encouraged you to become a better, more giving person. If you are interested in participating in the Dewey Tree Project, please read Lisa’s Dewey Tree post as it gives all the information.
Here is a brief overview of how it works: (Directions borrowed from Lisa, thank you!)
- Gather up the books you can live without. It can be 4 books, 10 books, or 20 books!
- Find a worthy group you would like to donate your overflow books to. It can be your local library, a literacy campaign (mine will go to the literacy center I volunteer for), or overseas. There’s a great list of book donation sites here on the ALA. Find a charity that speaks to you!
- Then take a picture of your donation and email it to Lisa by clicking HERE . It can be a pic of the mailing label on your package, one of your kids giving a box of books to a librarian, or you handing books over to your literacy center. Be creative and have fun!
If you are participating, please free feel to add your link to Mr. Linky below. I WILL be checking each site to ensure that you have the button on it, linked to Lisa’s website. Here is the code to add the above button!
Thank you to Dewey for being a leading pioneer in the book blog circuit! You will be missed by many!
Friday Firsts: Shiver #Book #Meme
December 4, 2009 By 11 Comments
Blogger Meme: Friday Firsts
I try to tweet about all participants, so don’t forget to include your Twitter username if you want to be notified of your tweet mention!
The first line can make or break a reader’s interest. Just how well did the author pull you in to the story with their first sentence? To participate in this weekly book meme is extremely easy.
- Grab the book you are currently reading and open to the first page.
- Write down the first sentence in the first paragraph.
- Create a blog post with this information. (Make sure to include the title & author of the book you are using. Even an ISBN helps!)
- Did this first sentence help draw you into the story? Why or why not?
- Link back to Well-Read Reviews in your blog entry.
- Come back to this blog post, hosted on WellReadReviews.com and add your direct link to Mr. Linky! ** Very important!
That’s it
Here is my Friday Firsts: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (ISBN: 978-0-545-12326-6) 390 pages.
I remember lying in the snow, a small red spot of warm going cold, surrounded by wolves.
The first sentence created a visual. I imagined blood – or maybe I just imagined the cover which shows a spot of red blood in the snow. Although it wasn’t the most “bring me into the story” sentence, luckily the book itself is very easy to get pulled into and an entertaining read!
Synopsis: (Taken from Amazon.com)
For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf–her wolf–is a chilling presence she can’t seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It’s her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human–or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.
Make sure to add your link below!
Weekly Recap: My Favorite Book (Thanksgiving Week)
November 28, 2009 By 2 Comments
To be honest, I don’t think I necessarily had a single favorite book. No book was “Oh my god, this was the best thing I’ve read in forever!) The two main chapter books I’ve read have been good, but nothing to keep me sitting there reading and reading until I finish it.
Ugh. Don’t you hate that?
The only other books I’ve read this week are a few mangas (which I have yet to review). But they were pretty good for the most part. I guess if I were being honest, I would have to say my favorite of the week (since I have to choose) is Nana volume 2 by Ai Yazawa.
Description: (Taken from Amazon.com)
This is the story of two 20-year old women who share the same name. Even though they come from completely different backgrounds, they somehow meet and become best friends. The world of NANA is a world exploding with sex, music, fashion, gossip, and all-night parties.
The only thing is – I wish these mangas were longer. Since they seem to appeal to an older audience, it would be nice if I could read them for more than an hour and a half.
If you’re talking about your favorite book this week, feel free to link it directly using Mr. Linky below
Friday Firsts: The Resurrectionist
November 27, 2009 By 4 Comments
Blogger Meme: Friday Firsts
I try to tweet about all participants, so don’t forget to include your Twitter username if you want to be notified of your tweet mention!
The first line can make or break a reader’s interest. Just how well did the author pull you in to the story with their first sentence? To participate in this weekly book meme is extremely easy.
- Grab the book you are currently reading and open to the first page.
- Write down the first sentence in the first paragraph.
- Create a blog post with this information. (Make sure to include the title & author of the book you are using. Even an ISBN helps!)
- Did this first sentence help draw you into the story? Why or why not?
- Link back to Well-Read Reviews in your blog entry.
- Come back to this blog post, hosted on WellReadReviews.com and add your direct link to Mr. Linky! ** Very important!
That’s it
Here is my Friday Firsts: The Resurrectionist by Jack O’Connell (ISBN: 978-1-56512-678-7) 304 pages.
Alone in the doctor’s office, Sweeney’s eyes lingered on the final panel and, once again, he found himself feeling something close to sympathy for the cartoon strongman, exiled and adrift, the world torn in a random instant and supplanted with a precarious replacement.
The first sentence had me going, “Huh?!” It was already telling me that this wasn’t going to be an easy read – and since then has proved to be correct in the matter. It’s not something you can read while doing other things because it takes your full attention.
Synopsis: (Taken from Amazon.com)
The Resurrectionist is a wild ride into a territory where nothing is as it appears. Part classic noir thriller, part fabulist fable, it is the story of Sweeney and his comatose son, Danny. Hoping for a miracle, Sweeney has brought Danny to the fortresslike Peck Clinic, whose doctors claim to have “resurrected” patients who were similarly lost in the void. but the real cure for his son’s condition may lie in Limbo, a comic book world beloved by Danny before he slipped into a coma.
O’Connell has crafted a spellbinding novel about stories and what they can do for and to those who create them and those who consume them. About the nature of consciousness and the power of the unknown. And, ultimately, about forgiveness and the depth of our need to extend it and receive it.
Make sure to add your link below!
Judge a Book by Its Cover: Ferris Beach #Meme
November 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment
This is just something I do for my own amusement. I try and do this meme every Wednesday (when I remember) but didn’t have the time last week. But the whole point of Judge a Book By Its Cover is.. well, we do whether we mean to or not. When you’re at the book store and you’re going up and down the aisles, what makes you stop and look at a book? The cover, right? Well – it does, for me!
The cover I plan on discussing this week belongs to the book Ferris Beach by Jill McCorkle (ISBN: 1565129318):
I liked the cover of this book when I saw it, which contributed to my request to review it. I thought it looked like a fresh and easy read, maybe heartwarming with a hint of childhood nostalgia. Although I didn’t quite get how Ferris Beach had anything to do with a Blue background with white stars – but maybe it was a childhood doodle, trying to capture a memory of hers.
I felt that this American version cover of Ferris Beach had almost a Napoleon Dynamite type feel to it. So when the description below the title and above the author indicated that it was funny, I really would expect based on the bright colors and child-like writing that it would be exactly that.
Now, how does this cover not quite fit with the over all feel of the book, now that I have read it? I think the cover is all wrong in representing the book itself. I would say the book was a rather dark coming of age story about a shy, insecure girl in an average friendship. The dynamics between all families involved (neighbors included) were anything but funny. I am not sure if I would have even called it Ferris Beach as it has little to do with actually being at Ferris Beach but only in mentioning of it.. but that is just me.
Overall – the cover is a very cute, inviting cover (in my opinion) but unfitting for the story itself.
If you feel like sharing your discussion of a book cover, feel free to add it to Mr. Linky included below.
Friday Firsts: Ferris Beach
November 20, 2009 By 2 Comments
Blogger Meme: Friday Firsts
All participants will have their entry tweeted about, so don’t forget to include your Twitter username if you want to be notified of your tweet mention!
The first line can make or break a reader’s interest. Just how well did the author pull you in to the story with their first sentence? To participate in this weekly book meme is extremely easy.
- Grab the book you are currently reading and open to the first page.
- Write down the first sentence in the first paragraph.
- Create a blog post with this information. (Make sure to include the title & author of the book you are using. Even an ISBN helps!)
- Did this first sentence help draw you into the story? Why or why not?
- Link back to Well-Read Reviews in your blog entry.
- Come back to this blog post, hosted on WellReadReviews.com and add your direct link to Mr. Linky! ** Very important!
That’s it
Here is my Friday Firsts: Ferris Beach by Jill McCorkle (ISBN: 15651293184) 352 pages.
Our neighborhood was never the same after Misty Rhodes and her family moved in across the street.
This had me thinking, “Hmm.. I wonder what Misty Rhodes does that causes the neighborhood to never be the same?” It succeeded at catching my interest and having me question what would happen next.
Synopsis: (Taken from Amazon.com)
Ferris Beach is a place where excitement and magic coexist. Or so Mary Katherine “Katie” Burns, the only child of middle-aged Fred and Cleva Burns, believes. Shy and self-conscious, she daydreams about Ferris Beach, where her beautiful cousin, Angela, leads a romantic, mysterious life.
It is the early 1970s, and when the land across the road from the Burns’s historic house is sold to developers, Misty Rhodes—also from Ferris Beach—and her flamboyant parents move into the nearest newly built split-level. In contrast to Katie’s composed, reserved, practical mother, Misty and her mother are everything Katie wants to be: daring, outrageous, fun. The two girls become inseparable, sharing every secret, every dream—until one fateful Fourth of July, when their lives change in a way they could never have imagined.
In this classic McCorkle novel, the author’s shrewd grasp of human nature creates characters that resonate with truth and emotion, and a story perfect for mothers and daughters to share and cherish.
Graphic: Thank you to Tara for the graphics! (And Cara for suggesting that she make some!)
Make sure to add your link below!
Friday Firsts: Her Fearful Symmetry
November 13, 2009 By 5 Comments
Blogger Meme: Friday Firsts
All participants will have their entry tweeted about, so don’t forget to include your Twitter username if you want to be notified of your tweet mention!
The first line can make or break a reader’s interest. Just how well did the author pull you in to the story with their first sentence? To participate in this weekly book meme is extremely easy.
- Grab the book you are currently reading and open to the first page.
- Write down the first sentence in the first paragraph.
- Create a blog post with this information. (Make sure to include the title & author of the book you are using. Even an ISBN helps!)
- Did this first sentence help draw you into the story? Why or why not?
- Link back to Well-Read Reviews in your blog entry.
- Come back to this blog post, hosted on WellReadReviews.com and add your direct link to Mr. Linky! ** Very important!
That’s it
Here is my Friday Firsts: Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger (ISBN: 1439165394) 416 pages.
Elspeth died while Robert was standing in front of a vending machine watching tea shoot into a small plastic cup.
It definitely interests me. I think anything in mention of death is sure to gain the attention of many readers. What interests me more is that the chapter is eerily titled, “The End” – but it’s the very first page! Hmmm….
Synopsis: (Taken from Amazon.com)
When Elspeth Noblin dies of cancer, she leaves her London apartment to her twin nieces, Julia and Valentina. These two American girls never met their English aunt, only knew that their mother, too, was a twin, and Elspeth her sister. Julia and Valentina are semi-normal American teenagers–with seemingly little interest in college, finding jobs, or anything outside their cozy home in the suburbs of Chicago, and with an abnormally intense attachment to one another.
The girls move to Elspeth’s flat, which borders Highgate Cemetery in London. They come to know the building’s other residents. There is Martin, a brilliant and charming crossword puzzle setter suffering from crippling Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; Marjike, Martin’s devoted but trapped wife; and Robert, Elspeth’s elusive lover, a scholar of the cemetery. As the girls become embroiled in the fraying lives of their aunt’s neighbors, they also discover that much is still alive in Highgate, including–perhaps–their aunt, who can’t seem to leave her old apartment and life behind.
Niffenegger weaves a captivating story in Her Fearful Symmetry about love and identity, about secrets and sisterhood, and about the tenacity of life–even after death.
Graphic: Thank you to Tara for the graphics! (And Cara for suggesting that she make some!)
Add your Friday Posts Link:
Friday Firsts: Scarlett & Crimson- Darqstarz Rising #Meme
November 6, 2009 By 1 Comment
Blogger Meme: Friday Firsts
All participants will have their entry tweeted about, so don’t forget to include your Twitter username if you want to be notified of your tweet mention!
The first line can make or break a reader’s interest. Just how well did the author pull you in to the story with their first sentence? To participate in this weekly book meme is extremely easy.
- Grab the book you are currently reading and open to the first page.
- Write down the first sentence in the first paragraph.
- Create a blog post with this information. (Make sure to include the title & author of the book you are using. Even an ISBN helps!)
- Did this first sentence help draw you into the story? Why or why not?
- Link back to Well-Read Reviews in your blog entry.
- Come back to this blog post, hosted on WellReadReviews.com and add your direct link to Mr. Linky!
That’s it
Here is my Friday Firsts: Scarlett & Crimson – Darqstarz Rising [Book 1] (ISBN: 978-1-4169-5830-7)
“Crimson?”
Ah, short first sentence. In fact, this didn’t even register as a sentence when I read it the first time, and continued to read further on until it felt complete.
“Crimson? You down here?” Scarlett Ravencraft yelled into the shadows beyond the wine cellar room.
Ah – see, now it feels more complete to me. The first word (technically the first sentence of ‘Crimson’ doesn’t do much in terms of draw a reader in – although maybe by a little as it is such a unique name for a character in a story. Instantly, though, the mind goes to thinking, “Well – what?” As I continue to read, I feel as if the introduction was completed. Ah, Scarlett is looking for Crimson – but – why? Now, the pulling in is beginning.
The book is just adorable so I am looking forward to reading it further.
Synopsis: (Taken from Amazon.com)
Scarlett and Crimson are expecting this week to be just like every other week at V. Price Memorial Middle School. But, to their surprise and delight, this Monday they learn that the new kid in town – Pepper White – just snubbed the Leetz (the clique of popular, know-it-all girls that rules the school) at lunch! They also discover that Pepper has some seriously DARQ potential. As if that wasn’t treat enough, the girls find out that the community recreation center is sponsoring a Battle of the Bands contest, and the top three bands from the whole district will compete live on Halloween night – the perfect opportunity to showcase their new, yet-to-be-named band! Tween girls will immediately take to Scarlett and Crimson in this first series installment as the girls launch their website, DarqSpace, partner up with Pepper to record an awesome demo, and show the Leetz that popularity doesn’t always win over the crowd.
Add your Friday Posts Link:
Friday Firsts: A Book #Meme
October 30, 2009 By 2 Comments
Blogger Meme: Friday Firsts
All participants will have their entry tweeted about, so don’t forget to include your Twitter username if you want to be notified of your tweet mention!
The first line can make or break a reader’s interest. Just how well did the author pull you in to the story with their first sentence? To participate in this weekly book meme is extremely easy.
- Grab the book you are currently reading and open to the first page.
- Write down the first sentence in the first paragraph.
- Create a blog post with this information. (Make sure to include the title & author of the book you are using. Even an ISBN helps!)
- Did this first sentence help draw you into the story? Why or why not?
- Grab an image code:
- Come back to this blog post, hosted on WellReadReviews.com and add your direct link to Mr. Linky!
That’s it
Here is my Friday Firsts: The Happiest Toddler on the Block – by Harvey Karp, M.D. (ISBN: 0-553-80256-9)
“A first step is like watching the history of human civilization from small fishy things to Neanderthals unravel in an instant before your eyes” – Anna Quindlen and Nick Kelsh, Naked Babies
The first sentence in Chapter 1 is a quote from another story/book/article. It does kind of give me some insight as to what I will be reading – the comparison between toddlers and Neanderthals! Who would have thought? 
Add your Friday Posts Link:
Friday Firsts: A Book #Meme
October 16, 2009 By 13 Comments
Blogger Meme: Friday Firsts
All participants will have their entry tweeted about, so don’t forget to include your Twitter username if you want to be notified of your tweet mention!
The first line can make or break a reader’s interest. Just how well did the author pull you in to the story with their first sentence? To participate in this weekly book meme is extremely easy.
- Grab the book you are currently reading and open to the first page.
- Write down the first sentence in the first paragraph.
- Create a blog post with this information. (Make sure to include the title & author of the book you are using. Even an ISBN helps!)
- Did this first sentence help draw you into the story? Why or why not?
- Grab an image code:
- Come back to this blog post, hosted on WellReadReviews.com and add your direct link to Mr. Linky!
That’s it
Here is my Friday Firsts: Watch the Hour by J.R. Lindermuth (ISBN: 978-1-60313-476-7)
The men carrying the coffin trudged up the hill, heads bent, faces red and wet with perspiration and shoulders hunched under the weight of their burden, the steady tromp of their feet raising clouds of dust.
There is a coffin, so already I know someone has died – but who?? Such a sad start to a novel – therefore, I must read on. But that is just me…
Add your Friday Posts Link:
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