Friday Fill-In {3-6-09} #114

And...here we go! 

1. Getting up this morning was my last random act of kindness.
2. Another place to live would be nice.
3. Keep yourself open in matters of the heart.
4. Coffee, tea or hot chocolate.
5. Join your separate paths.
6. Our daughters reminds me that there is always a reason to laugh.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to visiting my mom and step-dad, tomorrow my plans include visiting the RISD campus and Sunday, I want to write!

For more Friday Fill-Ins.

Booking Through Thursday {3-5-09}

We’ve all seen the lists, we’ve all thought, “I should really read that someday,” but for all of us, there are still books on “The List” that we haven’t actually gotten around to reading. Even though we know they’re fabulous. Even though we know that we’ll like them. Or that we’ll learn from them. Or just that they’re supposed to be worthy. We just … haven’t gotten around to them yet.
What’s the best book that YOU haven’t read yet?

I'm going to choose my top five from Jezebel's 75 Books Every Woman Should Read. I read this list (and copy/pasted it into my files) back in Sept with the intention of "Someday I'll look it over and pick some to read... someday"; today is the perfect day!

Here is my top 5 list- in no particular oder:

• The House of Mirth - Edith Wharton
• The Shipping News - E. Annie Proulx
• Middlemarch - George Elliot
• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith
• Three Junes - Julia Glass

There are many more on the list that I intend to read 'someday' and some that I have already read (stay tuned for that list!). Simlar to BethF I'd like you to challenge me to read ONE book from this list before the end of 2009. Depending on the book with the most votes I may read it over the summer with my 15 year old daughter. We plan on reading a book this summer as a mother-daughter bonding thing. =) Especially since she may be going to a program at RISD the summer of 2010 or 2011.

So leave a comment below and I will read the most voted for book!

Updated 9:58am: Forgot to link to BTT!!! Here is the link to this week's post.

Teaser Tuesdays {3-3-09}

• Grab your current read
• Let the book fall open to a random page
• Share with us two (2) "teaser" sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you're getting your "teaser" from ... that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!
• Please avoid SPOILERS.

 Léon at once envied the calm of the tomb, and one evening he had even made his will, asking to be buried in that beautiful rug with velvet stripes he had received from her. For this was how they would have wished to be, each setting up  an ideal to which they were now adapting their past life.

This week's Teasers come from Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel/react to this book, but I'm finding myself relating to portions of Emma. Don't forget to go to MizB's blog for more tempting Teasers!

Review of: Emily Post

Author: Laura Claridge
ISBN: 9780375509216
Pages: 592
Genre(s): Non-Fiction - Biography
Grade: C
Challenge(s): 100+ Reading Challenge, 2009 Read & Review Challenge







I have to admit. I had a really hard time getting through this book. It took me 6 or 8 weeks to finish it. (I read Kusheils's Scion which has 200 more pages in 3 weeks, so it was more the lack of interest in the material's presentation than the length of the book.) When Shana asked for some one to take over the responsibility of this book I thought, "How interesting. She must have lead an exciting life." Well, she did lead a fairly exciting life, but the presentation was so dry.

Emily Post was related to the Roosevelt's (she thought Eleanor was too involved in politics and causes), she wrote more than Etiquette and played in the concrete base of the Statue of Liberty! I know I would have enjoyed Emily Post much more if I could have taken my time and read it in pieces over a few months rather than with a deadline. If you have more than a passing interest in Emily Post herself or in the periods that this book covers (1920's to 1950's) I'd recommend this book.



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Kylee's 2009 Blog by Kylee's 2009 is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Reviews coming soon!

• Emily Post: Daughter of the Gilded Age, Mistress of American Manners
• The Smart One
• Pretties
• Specials
  

Teaser Tuesdays {1-13-09}

• Grab your current read
• Let the book fall open to a random page
• Share with us two (2) "teaser" sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you're getting your "teaser" from ... that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!
• Please avoid SPOILERS.

Teddy pulled a tapered candle from a holder on the shelf and handed it to her, standing on his tiptoes. Grasping it upside down, she used the candle like a mike and launched into the song from the beginning, gyrating her hips and swinging her head like she did in the video.

This week's Teasers DO NOT come from Emily Post: Daughter of the Gilded Age, Mistress of American Manners. I finished Emily Post yesterday afternoon (hoping to post my review late today or early tomorrow). This week's Teasers come from The Smart One by Ellen Meister, which was sent to me by Renee @ IJustFinished.com. Don't forget to read more Teasers on MizB's ShouldBeReading.


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Booking Through Thursday {1-8-09}

It’s a week or two later than you’d expect, and it may be almost a trite question, but … what were your favorite books from 2008?

(It’s an oldie but a goodie question for a reason, after all … because, who can’t use good book suggestions from time to time?)

Now, I'm not sure if this questions means my favorite books that I read in 2008 or my favorite books that I read that came out in 2008. I'll answer it both ways.

My favorite books that came out in 2008:

• Little Miss Smarty-Pants by Suzanne Kopoulos -- my thoughts on my old blog
  
• The Wednesday Sisters: A Novel by Meg Waite Clayton -- my thoughts on my old blog

My favorite books that I read in (but were released prior to) 2008:

• Vampire Apocalypse: A World Torn Asunder by Derek Gunn -- my thoughts on my old blog
• Hearts Never Lie by Patricia Pickett -- my thoughts on my old blog
• Jaclyn's Ghost by Dorlana Vann -- my thoughts on my old blog [Jaclyn's Ghost is currently available as an e-book, but will be being released with Dorlana Vann's Passage to Mesentia in print this year. You can keep up with the news on Dorlana's blog]
• Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill -- my thoughts on my old blog
• The Prometheus Project: Trapped & The Prometheus Project: Captured by Douglas E. Richards -- my thoughts on my old blog
• What Your Mother Never Told You by Richard M. Dudum -- my thoughts on my old blog
• Dancing Above the Waves by Susan Walerstein -- my thoughts on my old blog
• Uglies by Scott Westerfeld -- my thoughts on THIS blog =)

Jump over to Book Through Thursday to read more Bests!

Teaser Tuesdays {1-6-09}

In case you are wondering: Yes, I did have to backspace and delete "08" and replace it with "09" in the post title. =)

• Grab your current read
• Let the book fall open to a random page
• Share with us two (2) "teaser" sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you're getting your "teaser" from ... that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given!
• Please avoid SPOILERS.
  

I'm still reading Emily Post by Laura Claridge so my teaser this week will be from the same book as last week's, just farther along in the book.

Satisfied that her younger son finally seemed well situated, Emily turned to her other challenge. Determined to finish a novel started years earlier, she found her days at home distracting and concluded that she should make this years trip to France longer than usual to escape the daily disruptions.

Since last week's teaser Emily has written and published her very famous Etiquette. Just like last week these sentences are from the Uncorrected Proof and may vary from the final, published version.

For more teasing fun, visit MizB @ Should Be Reading.


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Reading Wrap-Up for December

Books I finished in the month of December. Follow the links to my reviews.

A Homespun Regency Christmas (anthology) - Carla Kelly, Emma Jensen, Sandra Heath & Amanda McCabe [review]
A Different Kind of Christmas - Alex Haley [review]
The Family Bones - Kimberly Raiser [review]