The Finish Line - Book Buying Ban is Over!!

I Did It!!! Sort of....

Tara at 25 Hour Books hosts a book buying ban for those of us that have...*ahem*....problems...spendthrifts if you will when it comes to buying books. I joined this book ban last month and managed to not "buy" any books at all, but I did manage to acquire some free books! 

That's right! I acquired four (well, actually six--two are going to be in my IMM post tomorrow) books for free through winning contests on Twitter and having a nice, fellow book blogger mail me a book she was just wanting to give away. I have already read one of the John Steinbeck books so surely that one doesn't count, right?! 

I will DEFINITELY be joining Tara's book buying bans that she hosts in the future. In fact, there's one going on right now! Click HERE to join. I refuse to join for August because that money has been burning a hole in my wallet and I get the shakes when I go near bookstores. You will be happy to know that I went into a bookstore during my book buying ban and didn't buy a book for myself! You should be proud of me....I am! Hehe!

The book buying ban was fairly successful, and I even made a tiny dent in my TBR pile during the month! I'm heading out to the bookstore today to buy a gift for someone, but you never know. I might treat myself to something being almost completely successful in not acquiring any books! I still have a book buying problem. I admit it. I definitely need Tara's help in the future, but not for August! Haha! Good luck to you all who are signing up for the month of August! I will definitely be cheering you on!

Friday Coffee Chat (5) - Books That Rocked Your World

What Books Have Influenced or Changed Your World View?

Last week we talked about books that are so overexposed they left us feeling fatigued, or "Pottered Out". I successfully dodged any attacks of the readers' pitchforks and we all decided that at the very least, vampires whether full of sparkles or just sharp teeth were overdone. No one called me crazy for being tired of Harry Potter or chased me out of the blogosphere for expressing such blasphemy for which I am grateful! 

This week I wanted to focus on books that have fundamentally changed us as people. You know, those books that you can endlessly recommend to people until you are blue in the face? I'm not talking about books that you just thought were a nice beach read that you dive into for escape, I'm talking about the books that challenge you; the ones that make you think for years on end and make you want to learn everything you can about the subject. Usually these books tend to be non-fiction, but they can be contained in works of fiction.

There are few books that come to mind when I think about people being fundamentally changed. The first is The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. For over a year now, I have had friends on Facebook constantly posting things about how to eat, how evil corn is, how evil the industrial food industry is, etc. after reading this book. I'm not saying this is a bad thing other than I get a little tired of feeling like the only way to avoid all these terrible cancer and obesity causing foods is to become an anorexic and never eat again. To touch a chicken nugget or a can of soda seems to now be akin to wanting to throw myself in front of a train because for goodness sake, I am just killing myself with the food I put in my body. I have had more than a few friends that have been profoundly changed by this book, and they now seem to be much more focused on health than before. Is this a bad thing? Absolutely not! We should probably all be concerned about our health and the way our food is planted, harvested, and processed. Without the watchful eyes of those healthy eating people, we might possibly end up eating Soylent Green (well, maybe not Soylent Green, but you get what I mean)! I read the book and think it's an important piece of non-fiction that should at least be read (note that I still indulge in the chicken nugget and soda--just not on a daily basis). 

One book that absolutely had a profound impact on my own life was Bad News by Tom Fenton. I continue to recommend this book to pretty much everyone I come in contact with whether they are interested in it or not. For many years, Tom Fenton was a correspondent for CBS News, and his book his about the decline of the news organization in America. What could possibly be more important to read about than how we obtain our news? I turn on the television now or even read my news on the internet and am appalled at how much I have to look for articles that I feel have journalistic integrity. How did this happen? Why do I have to listen to people like Bill O'Reilly, Lou Dobbs, Glenn Beck, Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, and a slew of others that admit they are not journalists but are pretty much marketed as such. People listen to these pundits to get their news! What happened to journalism? You know...the actual story that is supposed to be unbiased? This book explores how we ended up where we are today and it is quite frankly, disheartening. I still think it should be read--it changed the way I perceive the news and makes me much more diligent about actually trying to find out if the story that is printed or told on television is true.

There are also many books that may change the way we look at the world philosophically. I remember reading an excerpt of The Brothers Karamazov in my Introduction to Philosophy class that explored the problem of evil by using the suffering of children as an example. Dostoevsky uses a conversation between Ivan and Aloysha to illustrate his point:

[Ivan] "'Imagine that you are creating a fabric of human destiny with the object of making men happy in the end, giving them peace and rest at last, but that it was essential and inevitable to torture to death only one tiny creature--that baby beating its breast with its fist, for instance--and to found that edifice on its unavenged tears, you would consent to be the architect on those conditions? Tell me, and tell the truth.' 'No, I wouldn't consent,' said Aloysha softly."  ~Part II, Book 4, Chapter 4, The Rebellion

At the very least, this passage (this was a very short excerpt from the problem of evil passage) gives one pause and forces them to think about suffering and the idea of a loving God. It may not be a life changing moment, but I think requires a person to examine the problem on a greater scale.

So, my questions to Friday Coffee Chat readers is:

• What books do you think have had the most profound impact on humans throughout history?
• What books have personally challenged or changed you, and tell us all why they had this impact on you (this doesn't have to be a philosophical read either)?
• Do you think that fiction has just as large an impact on people as non-fiction does?

Once you finish commenting, make sure you visit Jennifer at Girls Gone Reading for her (more fun) post on Trashy Reads that we love but keep hidden by newspapers or book covers so that people won't know we're actually reading them.

55 Quirky Questions for Readers

The Literary Lollipop posted this really fun questionnaire that helped me get to know her reading personality better. She said readers should feel free to cut and paste in their own blogs so here I am participating in her awesome questionnaire!

Here are a few bloggers who have answered the questionnaire so far. Click the links to see their answers:

Rikki at The Bookkeeper

Fiona at The Book Coop

The Literary Lollipop

If I have missed you, leave a comment with a link to your answers on your blog. I'd love to read them!

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1. Favourite childhood book: 

Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary

2. What are you reading right now? 

Middlemarch by George Eliot, Against a Dark Background by Iain M. Banks, and The Tricking of Freya by Christina Sunley

3. What books do you have on request at the library? None, but I am looking for In the Shadow of Gotham by Stefanie Pintoff. My library doesn't have it! *cries*

4. Bad book habit:

Buying but not reading. My Mount TBR is ridiculous.

5. What do you currently have checked out at the library? None, I just returned When the Bough Breaks by Jonathan Kellerman and Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

6. Do you have an e-reader? 

Yes, I own the Sony Reader PRS-505 and a Kindle 2 but I still read mostly paper books

7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once? 

I prefer to read one book at a time, but as you can see, that isn't happening right now. Middlemarch is best read with a more fun book on the side. *shakes a fist at those pesky Middlemarchers!*

8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog? 

Absolutely. I've opened myself up to reading a lot of different genres I wouldn't have considered a few years ago.

9. Least favourite book you read this year: 

The Cold Spot by Tom Piccirilli

10. Favourite book I’ve read this year: 

I can't pick just one! I loved The Waste Lands by Stephen King, Storm Front by Jim Butcher, Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews, and Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone? 

Oh, I don't know. I think I read a pretty wide variety of stuff, so maybe only 10%?

12. What is your reading comfort zone? 

Fiction (Fantasy mostly). I am beginning to really enjoy non-fiction though.

13. Can you read on the bus? 

Yes, but I never ride the bus. When I did, I usually strike up conversations with people instead. Hehe!

14. Favourite place to read:

On my couch with a dog curled up beside me--too bad they are usually acting like baddies though!

15. What’s your policy on book lending? 

I loan books, but I've had to let go of getting upset if they come back in poor condition. My policy now is: Don't lend anything you care about getting back.

16. Do you dogear your books? 

*GASP*!!!! Absolutely not! I disown The Literary Lollipop and The Bookkeeper for doing so! (not really....I love both their blogs)

17. Do you write notes in the margins of your books? 

No, but I have a notebook I will take notes in and I often mark passages I like with small Post-It Notes.

18. Do you break/crack the spine of your books? 

*GASP*!!! Not if it can be helped. I'll admit it though. I'm not very careful with library books because the spines are often already cracked.

19. What is your favourite language to read? 

I can only read English. I would love to be able to read in Spanish though and have that as a life goal.

20. What makes you love a book? 

I'm beginning to love the fun in books. If the plotline has a quirky character I usually end up liking it. I'm a plot girl though. Good prose isn't enough. If you can't make me care about the story, I think you are not a very effective writer.

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?

I typically recommend books that I think people will like based on their reading tastes. There are few books that I recommend because I think everyone on the planet should read them. The one book I constantly recommend is Bad News by Tom Fenton. Absolute life changer and big indictment on the state of American news organizations.

22. Favourite genre: 

High Fantasy

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did): 

Historical Non-Fiction (I am trying to remedy this now.)

24. Favourite Biography: 

I'm not sure that I have one. I don't read many biographies. I guess Death Be Not Proud by John Gunther was probably one of the most memorable I've read.

25. Have you ever read a self-help book? 

I've read a few books on marriage. Suffice it to say, they were generally not good for my marriage. It was right after I got married and they made me feel like I needed to be June Cleaver or Harriet Nelson. Not a fan of self-help AT ALL.

26. Favourite Cookbook: 

I don't have a favorite cookbook, but I love using AllRecipes.com or local recipe books that are put together by people.

27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction): 

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan (fiction) and The Pacific by Hugh Ambrose (non-fiction)

28. Favourite reading snack: 

Crackers/chips, yogurt with fresh fruit...mostly I drink iced coffee or tea while reading.

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience: 

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger and Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

30. How often do you agree with the critics about about a book?
I feel bad saying this, but I don't read a lot of critics reviews of books. I mostly get recommendations from bloggers and Shelfari friends.

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I am ok with it. I think we are all such a varied species that we all see things differently. What I don't like, someone else may love. Case in point: I just thought Middlesex was ok and @Nymeth (Ana) from Things Mean A Lot loved it. I don't like mean-spirited reviews (and I have read a few), but I think that constructive criticism is good. It only shows people have different tastes which I think is a good thing.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you choose?
Spanish most definitely. Everything in the store is printed in Spanish and I hear it a lot when I'm out in public. I would love to be able to understand and communicate with Spanish speakers. 

33. Most intimidating book I’ve read (in progress of reading):
Middlemarch by George Eliot and Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. I'm doing the Middlemarch Read-a-Long with The Literary Lollipop and loving it. Without her weekly updates, I probably would have given up for the second time. Instead, we're having lively conversation through her comments and it's actually fun. Things Mean A Lot is also hosting a Middlemarch Read-a-Long that I believe just started so if you want to read that book, I highly recommend either of those blogs to get your dose of George Eliot.

34. Most intimidating book I’m too nervous to begin:
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. I do want to read this someday, but I am afraid. I would say Finnegan's Wake by James Joyce, but I honestly have no desire to read James Joyce after what I've heard about his writing.

35. Favourite Poet:
John Keats or Samuel Taylor Coleridge (I don't know a lot of either of their work, but I do love the poems I've read by them)

36. How many books do you usually have checked out from the library at any given time?
One to two books. I live really close to the library so I try to only check out what I can read in the two week span I'm given.

37. How often do you return books to the library unread?
Not very often. 

38. Favourite fictional character:
Menolly from Anne McCaffrey's Pern Series or Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

39. Favourite fictional villain:
Tyrion from George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. He's kind of a villain, but not really. I like characters that I shouldn't like, but still do and he's one of my favorites.

40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation:
Definitely fun fiction and usually try to bring a book that is available for my e-book reader because I can read multiple books on vacation.

41. The longest I’ve gone without reading:
Maybe a month or two. I didn't read a lot for fun while I was in school, but I read A LOT while in school--it was just textbooks. It counts!

42. Name a book you could/would not finish:
The Fifth Book of Peace by Maxine Hong Kingston. I tried...I really did. It was boring and portion in Hawaii was the kicker. I put it down and didn't pick it back up.

43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
Everything distracts me. I have to have quiet when I read. I think that's why I don't read 200 books a year like some people do. How do you guys do it?!!!

44. Favourite film adaptation of a novel:
Field of Dreams (Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella) and Atonement by Ian McEwan. Oh, and Lord of the Rings...can't forget LotR!

45. Most disappointing film adaptation:
Eragon...but the book was just as bad as the movie. I don't see how people can like it. Christopher Paolini was pretty blatant about his plagiarism of other fantastic fantasy authors. Made me want to vomit.

46. Most money I’ve ever spent in a bookstore at one time:
$70 USD

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
Never. I read the back to see if it's something I'll like, but I never thumb through the pages.

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book halfway through?
If the story is boring, I'll give up. I rarely ever do though. I always think it will get better.

49. Do you like to keep your books organized?
I do like to, but I have too many now and so I've organized them into shelves that have been read and TBR shelves. I would like to alphabetize by author eventually though. I used to do that when my shelves were more manageable. 

50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once they’ve been read?
I prefer to keep my books, but I have started giving them away because I just have too many. I give away the ones I don't think I'll read again. I feel like I have the propensity to become a book hoarder which is probably not a good thing.

51. Are there any books that you’ve been avoiding?
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. As soon as I can get my reviews under control, I'm going to start reading it with Fizzy Thoughts and Trish at Love, Laughter and Insanity.

52. Name a book that made you angry:
Web of Debt by Ellen Hodgson Brown--Worst book I ever read. The vast majority of it was conspiracy theory drivel and Libertarian propaganda. The woman actually talked about the Middle Ages like it was a wonderful time for people to live and thought that getting rid of "Ron Paul" Dollars was just a big government conspiracy to control our monetary system. I hated it so much that I refuse to even sell it to donate it. It will become a book wreath in my house since I don't believe in burning books.

53. A book I didn’t expect to like but did: 
The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum

54. A book I expected to like but didn’t:
Marked by P.C. Cast (Terrible, terrible book)

55. Favourite guilt-free guilty pleasure reading:
Terry Brooks' Shannara series (except the first book...I wasn't a big fan of The Sword of Shanarra)

Do you want to take the quiz? Go ahead and post the questionnaire on your blog! Also, check out the other blogs that have done this quiz that I listed at the top. Thanks to The Literary Lollipop for posting it! This was fun!

Book Read 'Round the World: Sharing My Book Hobo Experience

Lost on Planet China = Purple Pin

Journeyed from Cedar Park, TX, USA to Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England

Distance Traveled = 4826 mi. / 7767 km.

Carin (me!) from Cedar Park, TX, USA

I received word from Carly at Writing from the Tub on July 27 that she received Lost on Planet China so I can now do my post about my shopping experience for her! Click HERE to read my review of Lost on Planet China and make sure you stop by Writing from the Tub as well!

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Since I am hosting the Book Read 'Round the World event, I started first in the rotation because it is no fun just getting a book and no other gift in the mail (Sorry Rikki! You were such a good sport about The Enchanted April)! I made up for it by ordering another book with it and a CD for my husband so I could get free shipping from Amazon.com (the other book was The Girl Who Played with Fire for those of you who are wondering).

Questions

Since Rikki and I were the first to get the books, Rikki asked me a few questions about Texas. I admit that I am not an expert because even though I've lived here for almost 11 years, I still consider myself to be a New Mexican!

1. What do I need to see when I go to Texas? Apart from the typical tourist things like the Alamo, Riverwalk, etc. What are the secret spots that tourists never get to see?

Well, I have to say that I thought I wouldn't live in Texas very long so I haven't done the touristy things or made an effort to learn much about the state. That's so bad! I'm trying to change that now. There have been two things that I've done that might be considered touristy, but I think are still worth doing. If you come to Texas, you must brave the heat and attend a Texas A&M football game at Kyle Field in College Station, TX. I had NO idea how avid the fans are. They aren't normal fans. They know all the yells (cheers for all you normal people) and the student section stands for the ENTIRE game. It is definitely a one of a kind experience. To give an example of how unique the games are, after the World Trade Center terrorist attacks, life pretty much stopped for a few weeks. When sports in the country resumed a few weeks later, the student body had organized a "Red, White, And Blue Out" and printed probably over 70,000 t-shirts to show solidarity with the nation for their game on September 22, 2001. I thought that was pretty cool and I don't think there was another sporting event that pulled that off in that time period. They have a "Maroon Out" game every year (the Texas A&M Aggie colors are Maroon and White) which also looks pretty cool.

Source: Wikimedia

The other thing I would recommend doing is Fossil Rim in Glen Rose, TX. It's this really cool wildlife place that you drive through in your car. You can purchase feed pellets and throw them out to the animals as you drive through the property. We went a few years ago and at times got a little too up close and personal with some of the animals. A zebra stuck his head into my car trying to get the pellets and an ostrich decided to enforce the pecking order on my hood! Super fun day though!

     

2. What is a typical Texan dish?

This is another one that I have trouble with. Tex-Mex food is very popular here, but I don't really like it since the food I grew up with in New Mexico is really different (and better of course...hehe...just kidding). 

Texans like to eat chili which is typically made with ground beef, tomatoes, onions, pinto/kidney/or black beans, garlic, cumin,and red chili. I found out that it's actually the state dish which I didn't know. Here's a recipe on TexasCooking.com. The other things that I think Texans are known for is Pecan Pie. Oh how good is this stuff! It's terrible for you so I usually make it and only have a tiny piece at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Here's the recipe I use: Burt's Southern Pecan Pie on Cooking.com

Shopping!

Well, I hope you guys aren't disappointed, but my photos didn't come out that well so I will let Carly show you what she got from me in the mail, but I will tell you about my experience. I wanted to find Carly things that were uniquely Texan but weren't the stereotypical things that people think about Texas. I went to our most awesome local independent bookstore called BookPeople. They have a section for local authors in both the adult part of the bookstore and the YA section of the bookstore which I think is pretty darn cool. They also have an amazing staff that is super helpful and friendly. It has become my favorite bookstore and I have decided to abandon the big box stores and try to exclusively shop independent stores because of them. I wanted to get Carly something from there because it's such a great place (it was named one of the "Bookstores we love for their spirit of Independence" on the Huffington Post recently).

Two stories of books? What could be better?!!

Bosco and Nicole were the associates that helped me find a book to send to Carly! They rocked my socks off!

This is the shelf of local authors. BookPeople has tons of books that are signed by authors that come to the store for events. It's amazingly cool. I ended up buying Carly a signed copy My Life as a Rhombus by Varian Johnson (a local author). This was in the young adult section of the store--Carly reviews YA so I tried to find something that she might like there.

After my trip to BookPeople, I went to a store called Parts and Labour. It's devoted to supporting artisans/designers from Texas. I wasn't sure what I was looking for, but I did find something for Carly here.

Source: Shop Across Texas

Photo taken from Parts and Labour Blog

I bought her a clay coaster that featured a photo of the cafe where my Thrill Me! book club meets every month. I thought it was kind of personal since it's a place that I go often. It was kind of a cheesy gift, but hopefully she drinks tasty beverages while reading and it will be useful. 

Whole Foods - An escalator?!! Fancy grocery store!

I also dropped by Whole Foods (the grocery store is headquartered in Austin) and met some local ladies that were marketing their reusable grocery bag business, Blue Avocado. I bought Carly a small grocery bag called a pod. I am pretty sure that she could get these where she lives, but hopefully it's unique enough that she'll be the most stylin' grocery shopper in town. I actually forgot to take a picture of this so hopefully Carly will show it on her guest post. I also picked up a free copy of a satirical newspaper called The Onion which I love!

The last place I went was The Texas Store at the mall near my house. I was trying to find a nice postcard or bookmark from Texas, but I went the ridiculous route and bought her these giant postcards because honestly, I had trouble finding regular sized ones. I guess everything really is bigger in Texas! I also picked up a bookmark that has the Texas state flower on it, the Bluebonnet. They are really abundant all along the highways here in the Spring. President Lyndon B. Johnson's wife, Lady Bird Johnson loved wildflowers and I think was instrumental in promoting wildflower growth in Central Texas (President Johnson is from Johnson City which is fairly close to Austin). 

I had a great time shopping for Carly! I am sorry that this post is so long, but hopefully you've stuck it out to the end with me! I am so excited that Book Read 'Round the World is successful thus far. My hope is that this event will help foster community with bloggers all over the world. I hope everyone is having a good time participating and following this event! I am also planning on having a giveaway and hope to post details within a week or two! I have some neat things to give away!

One Sentence Review

How can I review a book about a country as complicated as China? Well, here is my attempt:

"J. Maarten Troost truly took the journey of a lifetime through a country that would baffle most of us and came out of it a changed man."

When the Bough Breaks - Jonathan Kellerman

Book: When the Bough Breaks
Author: Jonathan Kellerman
Publisher: Bantam
448 pages
My Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I'm a little torn about this book. This was the choice for my real life book club last month (It's called Thrill Me on Meetup.com) and I was the one that actually suggested a Jonathan Kellerman book. We always try to read an author none of us have read, and he fit the criteria. Our group leader, Amy, was a little hesitant to choose it because it was written in the 1980s so it was obviously going to be dated (those pesky cell phones and computers have really changed how thriller novels work), but we decided to go with it anyway. Why am I torn about the book? Well, I only gave it 3.5 of 5 stars which may make you think I didn't like it, but I actually did. Here's why I only gave it 3.5 stars:

Alex Delaware is a child psychologist who burned out after a particularly difficult case where a group of children were molested by the husband of a woman that ran a daycare. Even though he has left his practice, he remains friends with Milo, a detective on the L.A. police force. When a terrible murder is committed in an apartment complex, the only witness to the murder is a young girl and Milo calls on Alex to help solve the case. 

The book was a quick read and interesting throughout. There were quite a few twists and turns in the book that kept me interested, and I will definitely try another Alex Delaware novel because overall it was enjoyable. The main thing that bothered me was the frankness about child molestation. Yes, I know it happens and I know it's vulgar and ugly, but there were some conversations in the book that made my stomach turn. I consider myself pretty hard to gross out, but these conversations definitely reduced my enjoyment of the book. I am not sure if child molesters really talk the way they did, but it wasn't outside the realm of possibility which gave a realness to the story that was a little difficult for me to read.

I also felt like the story came together a little too neatly and things just fell into place for Alex Delaware. The guy had no experience in detective work, but (and I don't feel like this is too much of a spoiler since the series is named after Alex Delaware) he is just a fantastic detective that knows where to look and how to find things out. I also felt there was a lack of character development with the little girl in the book. I figured with Delware being a child psychologist the book would feature the girl more than it did. 

Other than these things, the book was a really good thriller. There were some terrific scenes in the book that had me almost cheering. Everyone in my group seemed to like it, and we all said we would read another of his books. I won't say it's a masterpiece of fiction, but it's a nice way to spend a few days if you are wanting to read a little bit of mystery and a little bit of thrills.

Wrap Up Post: Unputdownables 48 Hour Read-a-Thon

The Finish Line!

Well, the 48 Hour Read-a-Thon is over. Wallace at Unputdownables.net put on a great show! I had lots of fun tweeting with my fellow read-a-thoners, cheering people on at their blogs, and having people stop by my blog to cheer me on.

Check out some of the bloggers that participated in the 48 Read-a-Thon and checked out my blog this weekend. Some of these people were new to me, and have now joined my must-see blog lists. They are great people!

• Vasilly at 1330V - Vasilly read a beautiful looking graphic novel called Flight, Volume 6
• Rikki at The Bookkeeper - Rikki read Gods Behaving Badly (click link to read her review)
• Kemendraugh at Just a Good Book -  Kemendraugh read The Good Neighbors, Book 1 and started The Unseen Academicals
• Trish at Love, Laughter, and Insanity - Trish didn't read in the read-a-thon, but she was consistent with her cheering for the group on Twitter and on update posts! I love her! Help cheer her on through her reading of The Brothers Karamazov (click to read her post).
• Coffee and a Book Chick - She stopped by a few times to cheer me on! Also, her dad is Ernest Hemingway (well, not really, but he looks A LOT like him). Check out this LINK to decide for yourself.
• Leeswammes' Blog - One of my best cheerleaders this weekend. I love Miss Leeswammes! She runs Book Bloggers' Abroad every Thursday on her blog. It's helped me find quite a few new bloggers.
• Constance Reader - She tackled North and South this weekend. Oh John Thornton...you angry, but sexy man..."Look back at me!" (I really only know the movie, but yes...I swooned)
• Lily from Never Fading Wood - She dropped by to tell me to try French press coffee. I have put it on my list of things to try!
• Scrabblequeen - Dropped by to cheer me on and admit her tea snobbery. Scrabblequeen is a fantastic knitter and and Anne McCaffrey fan!
• Chachic at Chachic's Book Nook - I have Chachic to thank for pushing me to read Magic Bites this weekend. It was fantastic! She's a Filipino blogger that is my partner in hilarity on Twitter. She also runs the Filipino Book Bloggers Directory
• Bahnree from I am, therefore I write - She read a Geek's Guide to World Domination and The Historian (one of my favorites from the last few years). 
• Fiona from The Book Coop - Oh Fi...one of my favorite bloggers out there. I love her Friday Coffee Chat comments. She has some serious funny going on! She read The Housekeeper and the Professor.
• Reese from Bibliophile Girl - She read the book I am most interested in from all the blogs I checked this weekend, The Know-it-All. It sounded hilarious!
• Joy from Edgy Inspirational Romance - Joy had to chose from 58 novels on her Shelfari list! Ack! Well, not so bad considering my TBR shelf has over 100 books on it. 
• Wallace from Unputdownables.net - Our wonderful host for this event. She worked so hard and commented on so many blogs. She also spent lots of tweety time with all of us. How did she get any reading done? Well she did! Lots of it! Amazing.

My thanks goes out to all of you for cheering me on this weekend! It really did help. I know there were people on Twitter that cheered me on as well, so thanks to all of you as well! Please check out some of these blogs. It's a varied bunch so I'm sure is at least one blog here that is something you'd like and is new to you!

Here is my final tally for the weekend:

• One book read cover to cover - Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
• Half of Book 4 and half of Book 5 of Middlemarch read
• Started The Tricking of Freya by Christina Sunley
• One lost key to my neighbor's house that is possibly making its way through one of my dog's digestive tract (I still cannot find it so it's a possibility that Turbo ate it--yes, my dogs do crazy things like that!)
• Three crazy fun dogs that interrupted my reading frequently but got major love all the same. 
• Two very awesome cups of iced coffee
• Many laughs with old and new friends
• 402 Total Pages Read!!!

Here are the crazies running through the yard!

Update #2: Unputdownables 48 Hour Read-a-Thon!

Update #2

Finished

Magic Bites
169 pages on Friday
  91 pages on Saturday
260 pages Total

Middlemarch Book 4
46 pages on Saturday (Read pp. 344-390)

Reading

The Tricking of Freya 
56 pages on Saturday

Read-a-Thon Totals So Far

Total for Friday     169 pages

Total for Saturday 193 pages

Total so far          352 pages

My goal for Sunday is to read half of Book 5 of Middlemarch and maybe a little more on The Tricking of Freya. Hope I can do it! 


What are your goals for your Sunday reading?