Period Days are Reading Days

Ugh, I’m on my period:

No joke this enters my mind every month

And we women all know what that feels like:

Yep, that pretty much sums it up.

Being on your period is no fun at all, you don’t want to do anything.

Everything hurts, you hate everything, feel bad, etc. All you want to do is check out from life.

So the best thing to do is grab your blanket, ice cream:

Hot tea:

And a good book to read. After all:

Yep, there is no better way to ride out the storm of pain than with a good book

Period days are reading days.

For more period stories, go to Something’s Scratching at the Window

For more book posts, go to Hot Humid Days are Reading Days

For more Jane Smiley quotes, go to A Quest of Swords and Wizards: The Crown Conspiracy

Book Club Picks: At Home in Mitford

So as you know I started a book club this year:

Every month we read a book and I do a little post on the book we read and discussed.

There is no theme, other than with each month, a different member gets to pick a book, whichever one they want. I went first, the next month was someone choose Sandcastle Kings, and this month another member choose:

At Home in Mitford (The Mitford Years #1) by Jan Karon

This book is set in the fictional town of Mitford, North Carolina. The books center around the Vicar, Father Tim. Father Tim is turning sixty and feels like he should give up on being a minister. He feels as if his life is stagnant, his preaching dry, and that the community would be better off with a new rector. He promises one more year, but if things don’t change, then he will retire.

Hmm…

But soon things start changing in his life. A giant black dog shows up at his home and won’t leave. Barnabas, what he names the dog, is strangely only calmed down if one speaks a bible verse at him.

Then a beautiful woman moves in next door. She is scatterbrained, always in need of assistance, and stirs up feelings in the reverend’s dormant heart.

A painting found in an attic is donated to the church which may be a genuine Vermeer.

His best friends are going to have a baby, even though they are in their fifties; his secretary has started a romance with the mailman, he gets a holds-nothing-back housekeeper, and finds himself suddenly fostering a preteen boy.

Someone breaks into the church repeatedly, stealing nothing but food.

Hmm…

Then Father Tim gets word of a jewelry ring operating in the area with them smuggling them through customs in old antiques. Some of the jewels Father Tim finds hidden in an urn in the church. Could someone in the community be involved?

Miss Sadie is the last remaining member of the oldest and richest family in Mitford. She tells Father Tim the story of the love that got away and reveals a secret that has been hidden for over forty years.

So I really loved this book. I thought the characters were fun and realistic. The town felt like it could be your small town, and the characters, the people you know or interact with.

It was so cute how everyone cared about their town and each other-getting in everyone’s business to help out. It made me want to live there.

The back of the book hints at it being more of a mystery, but while there are elements that are puzzling I wouldn’t classify it as a mystery. Well, whatever it is it was a fun book and easy to love.

For more book club picks, go to Book Club Picks: Sandcastle Kings

Never a Lender Be…Because You Might Not Get Your Stuff Back in the Same Condition

Yes, I don’t know about you all but it seems like today’s world that we are living in is missing some crucial morals; such as respect and treating others and their belongings the same way you’d want to be treated.

I mean I work in a library and I see it all the time. People borrow items and when they return them they are in horrible condition!

They are written in, dog eared, wrinkled, water damaged, stained, and just beat up.

It is horrible! When you borrow something you should treat it and the person with respect. Return it in the same condition as the one you borrowed it in.

Or treat them bad.

It’s like people think because it doesn’t belong to them it is worth nothing and they can just toss it about.

But just because you didn’t pay for it doesn’t mean it is worthless. It is actually worth more as someone else paid for  it and are trusting you to treat it right.

Now I know you’re thinking well it is a library, there are too many types of people who are coming and going, too many hands, etc. But it isn’t just them, my friends have been doing it too.

I lent someone a book I thought they would enjoy, and then I saw that they had open, but laying face down. That is the fastest way to get the spine broken and once that happens you can’t really fix it.

Another friend returned the book with the pages all bent and folded.

Someone returned a book to me horribly stained, and the back cover torn off.

The horror!

And that is if they return them to you.

I understand accidents happen, and sometimes you don’t mean to do something: but when did we get so cavalier about borrowing.

This is not the attitude we should be having!

And it is not just books, clothes, cars, etc.; whatever. We need to stop being so disrespectful and treat others items not as we want our stuff treated, but better!

For more book-filled posts, go to 30 Day Challenge: Literature Loves

30 Day Challenge: Literature Loves

Yes it is that time of the year, our new tradition of a 30 Day Challenge. As I am a book lover and just can’t get enough books, I decided this year we will cover that love.

As any book lover knows, it is difficult to choose a favorite book.

So this will either fit the category of the book challenge, or will be a book I love. I’m hoping to meld both, but I know that won’t happen for every one of them.  I also ran into a few issues finding 30, so I had to get a tad creative.

I am also going to skip the Jane Austen novels as I always talk about them on this blog. I’m going to try and do books I haven’t mentioned already, but no promises on that.

I can’t help it.

Now every time I try to do something in December, it tends to fail. I just get toooo busy.

But this year I am really going to try.

So here we go!

30 Day Challenge:

Day 1) A is for Apocalyptical: Choose a book with an Apocalyptic theme

Day 2) B is for Best: Choose a Best-Selling novel

Day 3) C is for Childhood: Choose a book you used to read over and over again when you were a Child.

Day 4) D is for Diary: Choose a novel or memoir in Diary form

Day 5) E is for Elephant: Choose a book with a Elephant on the cover

Day 6) F is for Free: Choose a book you got for Free

Day 7) G is for Ghost: Choose a Ghost story

Day 8) H is for Happily Ever After: Choose a novel that is a retelling of a fairy tale

Day 9) I is for Island: Choose a book that takes place on an Island

Day 10) J is for Jane Austen: Choose a book based on, a sequel to, or a retelling of one of Jane Austen’s works

Day 11) K is for Killer: Choose a book with a murderer

Day 12) L is for List: Choose a book from your to-read List

Day 13) M is for Merry Christmas: Since this 30 Day Challenge is being done in December, let’s pick a favorite book that captures the merry Christmas spirit.

Day 14) N is for Name: Choose a book with a character that shares your first or last Name

Day 15) O is for Ocean: Choose a book that takes place on or in the Ocean

Day 16) P is for Politics: Choose a book that is Political

Day 17) Q is for Quest: Choose a book in which the characters go on a Quest

Day 18) R is for Remake: Choose a book that is a Retelling of a classic

Day 19) S is for Short Stories: Choose a collection of Short Stories

Day 20) T is for Translated: Choose a book that was Translated from one language to English

Day 21): U is for Unhappy: Choose a book with an Unhappy ending

Day 22) V is for Vanished: Choose a book with a missing person

Day 23) W is for Weather: Choose a book where the Weather plays a major role

Day 24) X is for X: Choose a book whose author has an X in their name

Day 25) Y is for Young: Choose a junior or Young adult book

Day 26) Z is for Zombie: Choose a Zombie retelling of a classic novel

Day 27) One, Two, Buckle My Shoe: Shoes symbolize wealth. Choose a novel that involves wealth or fashion

Day 28) Three, Four, Shut the Door: Doors symbolize new beginnings. Choose a novel where a character has to start over

Day 29) Five, Six, Pick Up Sticks: Sticks symbolize power, strength, or judicial decisions. Choose a book that revolves around a powerful ruler or ruling.

Day 30) Seven, Eight, Lay Them Straight: Straight means upright. Choose a book with a moral or strong moral character

Additional one to keep the Symmetry

Day 31) Nine, Ten, A Big Fat Hen: Hens symbolize motherhood. Choose a book that revolves around a family or strong motherly character.

Have Card will Travel

For more 30 Day challenges check out 30 Day Challenge: All About Me! and 30 Day Challenge: Disney Edition

For more book loving posts, go to Sadly I’m a Stalker

Folio Fatigue

Have you ever read a book and became so invested in the story?

So much that afterwards you find yourself in a fog and not quite ready for reality.

It’s like you’ve just been rudely awakened, and instead of doing things you have to, all you want is a comfortable chair and your book back.

So the other day I was at one of my jobs. I run the front desk and if no one comes, then I get to spend my whole time reading a book.

Sweet right?! Well the other day we had hardly anyone come in as there were a tone of Christmas parades, Christmas parties, Christmas craft fair, Christmas stroll, etc.

So I just spent the whole time reading.

But then afterwards I had to run some errands before I headed out to the cookie exchange that I baked all those cookies for.

I went to the post office to mail some things, but it was like a fog had descended on my brain.

I was still back in the book I had just finished and unable to answer questions immediately. I even put my pin number in wrong. All my mind could do was think back to the book I had just finished.

Oh well, I rather have my brain getting messed up on books than any other thing.

For more book-filled posts, go to I Hate Those Kinds of People

For more on my everyday life, go to A Baker’s Four Dozen

For more Jane Austen Quotes, go to You’ve Got to Accentuate the Positive

Today’s Christmas Carol is Christmas Don’t Be Late by Alvin & the Chipmunks.

As a kid I grew up watching their TV show and films, so they were always a staple, and this song was definitely sung around the holidays. It was written and sung in 1958 by Ross Bagdasarian Sr., otherwise known as Dave Seville.

It is a funny silly song that every kid can relate to as they can’t wait for Christmas to arrive.

For more Alvin & the Chipmunks, go to Werewolves Roam Among Us: Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman (2000)

For more on Christmas Don’t Be Late, go to On the 6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, and 1st Days ‘Till Christmas: The Music of Christmas

For more Christmas Carols, go to The 12 Days of Christmas

I Hate Those Kinds of People

I mean it’s like I hardly know you but I don’t like you:

After all:

I mean, what’s the focus of your living room? Your bedroom? Like seriously:

For more book filled posts, go to When I Get Into a Novel

For more on Lemony Snicket, go to The Sense and Sensibility Screenplay and Diaries

Fr more on Horace Mann, go to A Sad and Lonely Place

For more quotes, go to Keep Moving Forward

Now to end on a happier note, today’s carol is A Holly Jolly Christmas. This song was written by Johnny Marks in the early 1960s, and was sung by Burl Ives in the Christmas special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

This is one of the top 25 holiday songs written by ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers).

It was #30 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in 1998, and #5 on the holiday chart in 2011.

I just love how sweet the song is as we are wished a holly, jolly, and wonderful Christmas.

For more Burl Ives, go to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

For more Christmas carols, go to You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch

Never Big Enough

 

True story!

After all:

So get out of the way, I’m busy.

For more C.S. Lewis, go to Well I Feel Sheepish

For more Jane Austen quotes, go to My Home Away from Home

For more on bookish posts, go to Speed Racer

For more of my favorite quotes, go to Time is the Most Important Thing

Speed Racer

So I’m sure you were expecting this.

But that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m taking about the type of racing, the sport I excel at.

We only have a limited time on this planet. Not only are there books over 500 years old, but new ones being written everyday.

So much.

Sometimes it hurts to look at my to-read list. Or when I go in a bookstore or library.

It’s true, there probably not enough time in my life to read everything I wish. But as long as I try, it’s worth it.

For more Dr. Seuss, go to the 25 Films of Christmas

For more book-filled posts, go to Drug of Choice

For more quotes, go to Normal is Boring

I Cannot Live Without You

This is so, so, so, so, so, so me. I can’t live without books. They are my essence, my air, my life, etc.

Books are so much a part of me, they are a fraction of my soul. I’d die without them.

Seriously!

For more Richard Marek, go to Some Things Never Change

For more book related posts go to Stranded for Good

For more of my favorite Quotes go to Do the Right Thing

Dream Location, Dream Guy

Yep dreaming of this day:

After all:

And come on guys, we all know this is a fact.

Right? Although they better not try to approach me when I’m reading or else nothing is going to happen. Yes, wait until I’ve finished with the chapter.

For more book filled posts, go to Tea Time