Catching up......

So I have been very lax in updating my blog. I guess its because I hate sounding dreadfully boring and I don't always know what to write about the books I have read. Well I am also growing a spine, for those of you who aren't in-the-know.......so I shall write whatever pleases me!

"A Long Walk Home" by Diane Amos. I finished this book in a mere 2 hours (if that). An incredibly easy read as it requires no thinking. Your typical disfunctional family coming to grips and wheee! a happy ending book. Had its cute moments. I loved the photo for the cover though - I am a sucker for cute rainboots.

"Japanese Schoolgirl Inferno: Tokyo Teen Fashion Subculture Handbook" by Patrick Macias and Izumi Evers. Moderately interesting, as any book about a "movement" or "fashion" in which the writer is not intimitely involved can be. I don't think an outsider can give a really good accurate description of a style or movement because they have a somewhat stereotyping/discriminating viewpoint. This book could really have done without the pages dedicated to "Must Items" and "Ideal Boyfriend". It was interesting and the phototgraphs were neat but not as nice as the ones from magazines.

"Song of Kali" by Dan Simmons. A very intersting, disturbing book about religion and culture. Very discriptive and chilling, Simmons writing always paints a detailled picture for the reader. He at times is almost poetic in nature as well. Kali was also the goddess in "Lamb" the Joshua and Biff save sacrificial children from. Seeing as Kali has many forms, one of them being Parvarti I am having a difficult time - as Parvarti is also a goddess/figure in Yoga practices and religion. The sharing of goddess' and whatnot between religions muddles the lines and sometimes confuses me greatly.....

"The Hundred Secret Senses" by Amy Tan was an excellent read. A story of blended and mixed culture family, the senses that we ignore and past lives. About how we percieve ourselves better when we are more "educated" or speak better English than those who don't, when we could really learn alot from those we tend to look down on. How hard it is to be different.

I am love,love, LOVING "eat, pray, love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. It has made me laugh, made me cry but best of all, it has made me THINK...........I can't wait to finish. I want to say so much about this book and what it has caused me to contemplate.......

I'm IT!

Eep I have been (dumdumdum) TAGGED!

Ahh but first the rules!

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 5 facts about yourself
3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment at their Blogs.

Interesting.....um......sure.....

1. I have played the bagpipes for nearly 20 years now. I have played at the Worlds Highland Games in Scotland, the North American Championships in Maxville, Ontario and have travelled to Korea to play as an Arts and Culture Rep. for my hometown. I have played weddings, funerals, tea parties, charity events, birthday parties and other events. Now that I no longer play with a pipeband, I find it hard to watch a pipeband play in concert, competition or parade. I suppose it tugs at my heartstrings.

2. I collect articulated dolls from Japan. There my secret is out. I don't own many as they are expensive. That and I feel kind of silly, collecting dolls at my age, but I suppose it could be worse. I could collect shrunken human heads or something.

3. I have eaten alligator and it has the same texture as chicken, but tastes slightly different.

4. I am addicted to coffee. And lattes. And cappacinos. Aw hell if there is cafffeine and some foam in it, I'll drink it.

5. I have posed for a nude calendar. It was to help raise funds for my graduating class' art show. I never even bought a copy of the calendar, but I do have the photo on file.

CONSIDER YOURSELVES TAGGED! (I have only 2 other friends with "blogs" the rest have livejournals, which would require a whole other post over there. I am not that ambitious tonight.

1. http://www.ilikeseamonsters.com/
2. http://sarahsinsaneblog.blogspot.com/

Where's the food?!?!

I just realized I haven't posted anything about food yet, well not really.
And its not like I don't cook alot. I just don't photograph it I suppose.

"Would you like to read it? I didn't like it."

That was how the book "Friends, Lovers, Chocolate: An Isabel Dalhousie Mystery" by Alexander Mccall Smith was loaned to me. And I really enjoyed it. That may be beccause I didn't read the first book and had no standard to which to put this book. I do admit that it could make a reader feel rather, uneducated?, with all its philosophical meanderings and whatnot. Now I must really read the first book and the next one as well. I really adored the fact that Isabel is such a strong, intelligent female figure. And it doesn't hurt that the story takes place in Scotland!

I hate to admit to it but I did not finish Milk Glass Moon. It was a bit too folksy and dull for me. So it was unceremoniously returned to the library. I shall have to read more to make up for it.

By the Great Tenderloin of the Calf!

I finally finished Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore. I laughed outloud so many times throughout this book. It should be made into a movie (ask Miss Ifi about the performance I gave of Joshua bumping through the crowds at Antioch) but I can imagine the uproar it would definitely cause. An amusing and interesting tale about the whereabouts of Jesus Christ in the "missing years". Moore did much research for his book, obviously drawing from many historians theories on where Jesus was during his teenage years.
I really enjoyed it because Joshua's character wasn't overly righteous, but that of an inexperienced and somewhat niave boy who had a big job in front of him, complicated by having the high and mighty as his father. And Biff, makes up for all the things Joshua can't do. It has got so many great moments and quotes. Read it!

Oh Please! I need this book!

I need this book! The $55 it costs is not really in my budget, but I must have this book. (But according to my loverly friend Miss Sarah, my DH should really buy it for me...) The copy currently in my possession is on loan from the library. It is filled with interesting little tips and such, like how to fold those damn fitted sheets. Just the other day I was wondering how to clean my coffee grinder. This book told me how! AND it has a sheet that tells you what each of those littles symbols you find on clothing tags mean (I am going to have it printed on card stock and lamenated for my laundry room - now I can only pray that the boy reads it sometime). I think this book makes a great addition to anyone who either likes to clean or just likes Martha Stewart's way of doing things library.

Now should I go spend the afternoon cleaning or start my own game of Mass Effect?

Snack : Olives stuffed with garlic and feta cheese.....yum

It started with a resolution....

January 1st, 2008. I was trying to think of obtainable resolutions. Thats what the magazine article told me to do. Most people break and don't follow through with resolutions because the majority of the time they are too lofty. So I thought, "well I like to read so my resolution will be to read more and keep a journal of the books I read." And then my dear friend Miss Ifi reminded me of how I often said I wanted to start a blog. Well then , I shall blog about all the books I read! (among other things). This is my first blog and I would love any pointers that you would like to share.

Seeing as it now February, I obviously have some catching up to do.

Your Coffin or Mine? by Kimberly Raye

A comedic romance about vampires. Very easy to read but not that exciting. I found the parts about the dating service and the different types of supernaturals more interesting than the main story line. This is only one book out of the series.

Thorn by Vena Cork

I loved this book, it kept me guessing. The plot is suspenseful and detailled.....until the end, which I must admit to being disappointed in. A good story that shows how a family copes after the loss of a family member.

The Rome Affair by Laura Caldwell

Caldwell also wrote The Year of Living Famously which I must pick up at some point. I could not put this book down. To quote Publishers Weekly on Look Closely"The smooth first-person narrative builds suspense and paints a fine picture of time and place."

Julie & Julia : 365 days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell

If you love to cook then you will absolutely love this book. A true story about Julie Powell (who could quite easily be your next door neighbour), a woman who decides that she will cook every recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a year. Hilarity abounds in this book as Julie discovers the ins and outs of extracting marrow and lobster-cide. Her tales made me grimace, smile, shudder and laugh outloud. A must read!!

The Birth House by Ami McKay

This is McKay's first book. It is set in Scots Bay, rural Nova Scotia, the early 1900's. It shows the struggle between the traditional upbrings and values of people, particularly the position of the midwife, and the emergence of "new practical medicine". It was amazing to read about the medical practices and about the social structure that existed, not all that long ago.

Never Happened by Debra Webb

A Harlequin Next Novel. A murder mystery surrounding the beautiful Alex, who owns and operates Never Happened - a cleaning agency that erases all evidence of a homicide or a suicide. Sounds very CSI doesn't it? A fun book, even though I found it didn't sufficiently develope some of its cast of characters.

Brother & Sister by Joanna Trollope

Okay, the author's last name did make me giggle (and I wasn't the only one). An interesting story about adoptive siblings and their families. How sometimes certain facts are better left uncovered and unsaid.

The Triumph of Katie Byrne by Barbara Taylor Bradford

Although I was just a bit disappointed with the ending, I did thoroughly enjoy this read. A story about how a horrible tragedy effects the lives of those involved both in the present and their future. Beautifully told and written by Bradford, a New York Times Best Seller.