A New Year- Hopes for 2011

I wonder how many people around the world are putting their own New Year's resolutions list together. I make some sort of list every year -unfortunately I'm not always successful. But this year will be different...right?

Family: The most important thing to me...I'll spend more time with them, and not just sitting beside watching TV time, but interactive quality time. (we're actually implementing a no tv during the week rule to help us with this)

Work: I will learn to be more confident in my ability and worry less about what others think. I will not constantly seek those "gold stars" which I seem to need to feel validated.
I will learn to say "no" and "yes" more carefully and with much more thought.

Website: I will finally add content to the website that has been sitting empty for almost a year.
Blogging: see below

Me: This year needs to be the year where I take my health seriously. If you have mastered this or have advice I'm open to any wisdom you might have.
I plan to take voice lessons this year. I love singing and I think I'd like to do more of it, it makes my heart happy.
I hope to travel this year....we'd like to go out west in the summer and Vegas next December-We also hope to see the Grand Canyon.

I want to laugh more this year, and spend extra time with my mom. She's had a rough year and I want to help her make 2011 the best year ever.

I want to say thanks to all of you. Blogging and this community has come to mean very much to me and I feel so lucky to have connected with so many of you. My wish for you is that all your hopes for 2011 come true.

All the best for a wonderful, and memorable 2011.
Love,
ME

Follow Friday- Blogging Resolutions

It's Friday! -Almost. And it's time to visit the book blogosphere!

Friday Follow is hosted by Parajunkee's View.

This week's question:

What are your New Year's Blogging Resolutions?

1. I need to remember that I began blogging because I love to read and wanted to share that...I need to make a bit more time for reading, or find a balance between blogging and reading.
2. Write more reviews...a goal of 2 per week
3. Take notes when I read, I love quotes -maybe post it's would work? What do you use?
4. Relax -focus on content
5. Comment, comment, comment, on here and other blogs
6. Become more comfortable with graphics/design and layout.

I'm looking forward to reading yours....leave me a link.

Tomorrow: I plan to post my New Years Resolutions (family.blogging.career.life.)

Read-a-thon Update

Just an update: I'm moving at a slower pace than I thought but I finished Delirium by Lauren Oliver (WOW)  last night and started the Heist Society by Ally Carter....

Out with a Bang Read-a-thon

I was so thrilled when I saw this reading challenge. I need that extra push to get through my to-read pile. For more information on how to participate you can check out The Bookish Type blog here.

I'm going to try and read as much as I can over the next three days. We'll see how that goes, I'm on holidays but have some plans with the family. My goal is 4 out 5 below. I'll post an update mid way and at the end.

 I plan to spread out the reviews of the books through out January.

Wish me luck!!!

Top Ten Reads -2010

Top Ten Reads of 2010 at

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the fabulous Broke and the Bookish. This week's list highlights our favourite reads of 2010. It was a hard list to create, I read so many truly amazing books that it was difficult to create. Here goes-in no particular order.

1. If I Stay by Gayle Forman. If you're a follower of this blog you'd have expected to see this on the list. It's one of my absolute favourites.(ever)
2. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare.
3. The Shifter by Janice Hardy
4. The Body Finder & Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting.
5. Plain Kate by Erin Bow
6. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
7. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
8. Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom by Susin Nielsin
9. Crescendo by Becca Fitz Patrick
10. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
11. MockingJay by Suzanne Collins. I know I was only supposed to have 10 but this had to be on the list too. There were many mixed reviews but this conclusion was what I needed it to be.

I'm looking forward to seeing what's on everyone elses lists.



In My Mailbox-Spoiled at Christmas

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! In My Mailbox is hosted by the Story Siren and highlights the books we received during the week.

 I'll be the first to admit that I was completely spoiled this year!

Received for Review:

Click on the cover for a goodreads summary.



Under the Christmas Tree:

Getting Matched was really special as my son had seen me admiring it in a book store and later had his dad take him back so he could buy it for me with his own money.

I also recieved season one of the Vampire Diaries, so I can watch it over, and over, and over. . .

What was in your mailbox this week?

Merry Christmas

 

I'm taking a little holiday break from blogging, I'll be back next week.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas. I hope you have lots of memory making moments with your families & friends and that Santa brings you all you've asked for & more. 

In the Spotlight

I'm in the Book Blogger Spotlight over at My Love Affair with Books. Visit there to learn a bit more about me. Be sure to check out her blog too! It's one of my favourites to visit.

Impact

Books have always had tremendous impact on me, (obviously I love them and love to read or I wouldn't be blogging or working in a library) but it's much more than that.

    Some people are auditory learners, or they learn by "doing". I'm definitely a visual learner. If I read it/see it, I'm more likely to remember it.  I'm easily moved by a book, reading is more likely to trigger memories for me as well. I have this weird belief that a book will somehow find it's way into my hands because it's what I need to read in that moment at that time in my life. There is a life lesson inside, hidden in the pages of text, or a piece of wisdom I need to be reminded of. It doesn't happen in every book. However, there are a few every year that stand out as my "life lesson" books. I even have a special shelf for them.

One from a few years ago was by the author Kate Di Camillo. It was called The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. It reminded me during a very difficult time not to give up on love and though love may be a sacrifice in the end it's always worth it.

This year, the stand out was If I Stay by Gayle Forman.

My review is here.
If I Stay reminded me that life is always a choice even if it doesn't always feel like it. We need to hold on to the ones we love and treasure the moments we might usually miss because we never know what might happen. It also taught me that sometimes the very best thing we can do to show our love for someone is to let them go.

What I'd love to know, if you're willing to share :

Do books have the same type of impact on you? If so, What was the book that impacted you the most this year?



Waiting to Read-Vesper

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Break the Spine. The idea is to feature a book each week that you are looking forward to being released so you can read it!

My selection this week:

Vesper by Jeff Sampson

304 Pages

Published by Harper Collins

January 25th 2011

Summary from GoodReads

Emily Webb is a geek. And she’s happy that way. Content hiding under hoodies and curling up to watch old horror flicks, she’s never been the kind of girl who sneaks out for midnight parties. And she’s definitely not the kind of girl who starts fights or flirts with other girls’ boyfriends. Until one night Emily finds herself doing exactly that . . . the same night one of her classmates—also named Emily—is found mysteriously murdered.

The thing is, Emily doesn’t know why she’s doing any of this. By day, she’s the same old boring Emily, but by night, she turns into a thrill seeker. With every nightfall, Emily gets wilder until it’s no longer just her personality that changes. Her body can do things it never could before: Emily is now strong, fast, and utterly fearless. And soon Emily realizes that she’s not just coming out of her shell . . . there’s something much bigger going on. Is she bewitched by the soul of the other, murdered Emily? Or is Emily Webb becoming something else entirely—something not human?

As Emily hunts for answers, she finds out that she’s not the only one this is happening to—some of her classmates are changing as well. Who is turning these teens into monsters—and how many people will they kill to get what they want?
 
Seriously looking forward to this one, it sounds amazing. It's sitting there on my shelf taunting me to read it, but I'm saving it for the Debut Author Challenge 2011. Just a couple more weeks thank goodness.

Top Ten Tuesday- Books I Hope Santa Brings

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke & The Bookish. It's one of my favourites as I love to read everyone elses list.

This weeks Top Ten: Books I Hope Santa Brings.
It was challenging to come up with ten.....I think I could list at least 50...

Fingers Crossed...only a few more days till I find out!
I hope that you get everything on your lists and more.

A Porcupine In A Pine Tree

A Porcupine in a Pine Tree
written by Helaine Becker
illustrated by Werner Zimmerman
Published 2010 by Scholastic

This is my new favourite Christmas picture book. It's a rendition of the Twelve days of Christmas -Canadian Style. It features (among other things); 2 caribou, 3 beaver tails, 4 calling moose, 5 Stanley Cups...The  *lyrics* are perfection and the illustrations created by the Master Werner Zimmerman are sweet and have lovely detail.

I shared this at my recent holiday story time at the library and it was a huge hit! We now have a long wait list for it. Perfect for a last minute gift for any age.....though I hear that the publisher is having difficulty keeping stock. It's destined to be a holiday classic.

5/5 Buy it! If you can find it.



Morganville Vampires Series-totally hooked

 Glass Houses by Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampires #1)
 246 Pages
 Published 2006 by NAL Jam

 Read from Library Copy

Summary from Goodreads

College freshman Claire Danvers has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation. When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life, but they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood. 



The Dead Girl's Dance by Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampires #2)
238 Pages
Published 2007 by NAL Jam
Read from Library Copy

Summary: Claire has her share of challenges. Like being a genius in a school that favors beauty over brains; homicidal girls in her dorm, and finding out that her college town is overrun with the living dead. On the up side, she has a new boyfriend with a vampire-hunting dad. But when a local fraternity throws the Dead Girls' Dance, hell is really going to break loose.


  I'm going to share my thoughts on these together as I read them both last week. I had read on a blog a brief recommendation for the Morganville Vampires Series. For some reason, even though my existing to-read pile seems as though as its a mile high, I picked them up at the library.

Glass Houses follows Clare as she attends University in Morganville, which unbeknown to her is vampire central. Not sparkly vampires either.

    I began Glass Houses and though I didn't have that "over the moon" feeling about it, I did end up liking it.
I didn't find it easy to connect with Clare. I guess because I had a hard time buying  that a 16 year old would be attending University away from home no matter how smart she seemed.
   I eventually got over it as the story progressed and I began to care more about Clare and the other people in her life. I felt that Michael, who is the owner of the Glass House was two dimensional as a character but I did enjoy Shane (very much :)) Monica is a character that you love to hate. She tortures poor Clare and just when you think she might show a glimmer of a redeeming quality she does something awful. Clare finds herself entangled with the Vampires and decides the only way to get out is to find something that they want. Both books follow this storyline and the consequences of her actions.

They aren't books were I can say that the storyline or the writing is exceptional. But somehow I'm completely hooked and have to find out what happens next.....

3.5/5  good but not great.

Waiting to Read

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Release Date: January 11 2011

400 pages

Good Reads Summary: A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.
Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone--one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship--tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.
Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

Doesn't this sound amazing?!!!!!! I can not wait to read it! Early reviews have been stellar!

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme featuring the books we can't wait to read.

It's hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine

My Top Ten Most Anticipated Books for 2011

  

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. It's one of my favourites to participate in as the topics change each week and it's fun checking out everyone elses lists.

This week's top ten is to highlight the books we anticipating in 2011, and it was incredibly challenging to narrow this list to just 10...but here goes (in no particular order) -Click on the title to see the description in goodreads.

1. Where She Went by Gayle Forman. I loved If I Stay. So much, that I bought a copy for each of my friends for Christmas. Release Date:April 5 2011
2. City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare. I can not wait to find out what happens next in the Mortal Instruments Series.April 5 2011
3. Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare. Clockwork Angel was one of my favourite reads of the year.Release Date August 2011
4. Across the Universe by Beth Revis. Early reviews have been spectacular and have you see the cover? Release Date:  January 11 2011
5. Entwined by Heather Dixon. I have this one in ARC form and I'm dying to read it, but I'm saving it for the DAC challenge.
6. Wither by Lauren Stefano. I think this one is on everyone's list. Release Date: March 22 2011
7. Delirium by Lauren Oliver. Before I Fall was incredible. Release Date: February 1st 2011
8. Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell. Release Date: March 7 2011
9. Clarity by Kim Harrington. Release Date: March 1st 2011
10. Rival by Sarah Bennett Wealer.I love the premise of this novel and the fact that it centers around opera/singing. (totally my thing) Release Date: February 15 2011

Giveaway Winner

Good Morning!

The winner of the 300 follower giveaway is........

Angela from (Library Girl Reads)

Congrats! I've already sent you an email :)

Have a great Monday everyone.

In my Mailbox

In my mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. We highlight the books we've recieved, whether by mail, bought or borrowed.

My in my mailbox is a little different this week as it was mostly non-fiction that I borrowed from the library. For the past couple of months I've been reacting to certain foods and have thought it was a possible gluten sensitivity -the books I borrowed this week I hope will help....

  

We're also doing some christmas baking today so I borrowed a few fabulous cookie books!





I'll let you know how the recipes turn out!

Do you have a fabulous christmas baking recipe to share?

What was in your mailbox?