It’s only in the past few months that I’ve started thinking about reading challenges. I know there are challenge groups on LibraryThing, of course, and I’ve been a member of the 50 Book Challenge for 2008 and 2009 (mainly to have a single place to track my reading, not really…
100 Mile Fitness Challenge 2: Jan.–Mar. 2010
A blogger named Trish (of Trish’s Reading Nook) is leading the 100 Mile Fitness Challenge, in which participants try to walk or run 100 miles during a three-month period — specifically, January 1 through March 31, 2010. You can substitute other exercise as well, as long as it falls within…
2009 reading wrap-up: how did I do?
At the end of 2008, I posted some general thoughts about what I hoped to read during 2009. Looking back at the books I listed, I did read Atonement by Ian McEwan, my short story collection by Chekhov, Crime and Punishment, and The Hungry Self: Women, Eating, and Identity by…
Books I’ve bought twice
For a while now, I’ve been thinking about books I’ve purchased more than once. Some people find a book they love, and buy copies to give to other people. I’ve done that a few times, but that’s not what I’m thinking of here. I’m thinking of books I bought secondhand,…
New video of PaPa and Kyle, set to Eva Cassidy
On the morning of Sept. 19, 2008, in the emergency room, my father-in-law lay gravely ill and unresponsive. With Grandma and Stacy, I listened to the doctor explain PaPa’s status and the tests they were doing, what they’d found up to that point. Just before I stepped out of the…
Post from a Guest Blogger!
One of my favorite things about my husband is that he makes me laugh — sometimes A LOT. He was cracking me up about something a while ago, maybe last weekend, and I got an idea. I told him he should write a guest post for my blog. “I need…
Shop B&N this weekend, support a school program!
This Saturday, December 5, is the annual Barnes & Noble book fair to raise money for my sons’ school district — specifically, their Visiting Author program, which pays for a published author to visit the school, talk with the kids, and read from their books. Meeting authors is a great…
The Great Kindle Giveaway, from Bibliofreak
I’ve just subscribed to a new-to-me book blog called Bibliofreak, and was introduced to a jaw-droppingly amazing giveaway: Bibliofreak (J.T.) is giving away a Kindle II, and has plans to give away FOURTEEN MORE Kindles — my God, let me say that again — FOURTEEN MORE Kindles! The blog post…
Book Blogs Search Engine, by Fyrefly
I started wondering a few weeks ago if there was a website or database where I could find out which book bloggers had reviewed a book (or at least posted something about a given title, not necessarily a complete or “formal” review). Since I don’t tend to read what “everyone…
Family game night?
My mother-in-law is here for the night, there’s nothing “must-watch” on TV, no firm plans. After dinner, I asked Jeff, “So did we decide anything about whether to play a game or something?” Jeff says, “No, not yet. Why, Honey, what would you want to play?” “Um…nothing.” “Oh really, nothing?”…