Best Books Read in 2008

This is a list of the best books I've read this year. These are all books that I stayed up late reading, or carried around in my purse no matter what the weight (yes, my purse is huge), skipped lunch to read or just sat for five hours and read from beginning to end. These books all left lasting impressions on me and are now all sitting on my shelves to be reread again.

The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls
The Other Boleyn Girl - Phillipa Gregory
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - Lisa See
The Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett
World Without End - Ken Follett
The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
Twilight - Stephanie Meyer
The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
My Sister’s Keeper - Jodi Piccoult
The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
The Gargoyle - Andrew Davidson
Dead Until Dark - Charlaine Harris
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz
The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman
Belong to Me - Marisa De Los Santos
Testimony - Anita Shreve
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson
Doubt - John Patrick Shanley

The book titles that don't have a link were read before I started blogging.

Books into Movies Challenge

Obviously, the goal would be to read 2+ books that were made into movies (and, if possible, watch the movie). This can be Shakespeare's plays, Austen's novels (I'm sure some of you know the wonderful BBC movies?), or newer movies like The Wedding Date (after Liz Young's Asking For Trouble)! Actually, even He's Just Not That Into You would count, now that it is being made into a movie...

When? The challenge will start January 1, 2009 and end December 31, 2009.

How? The goal is to read 2+ books made into a movie or books that relate to TV series (Murder She Wrote and the likes).

If you're up for a shorter time frame to complete the challenge and want to do this challenge later in the year check out Callista's blog - sometime in August 2009 she should have infos on her challenge up!

Just After Sunset by Stephen King

Although I haven’t read much Stephen King in the past couple of years, I thought this book might make up for it since there were about 14 short stories that prove Mr. King still remains a master of his genre.

There really isn’t much I can write without giving too much of each story away, but I will say that I was absolutely terrified reading N. . Biting my nails to the quick while reading The Gingerbread Girl. Feeling sad and tearful while reading The Things They Left Behind and The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates. Stationary Bike and Mute were amazing - they had me on the edge of my seat and A Very Tight Place was just too grisly for me. Each story evoked a different feeling, they were all unique and special.

Also, as an added bonus, the last couple of pages are King’s personal thoughts on what prompted him to write each story. I love reading insider/behind-the-scene details like this - so this was very cool.

As always, my only complaint about short stories is that they are just tooo short =) There were many instances were I just wished the story would keep on going. But all in all this book was classic King and a must-read for any of his fans or lover of the horror genre.

I'm in Love

Meet the Sony Reader IS-505.

It's sleek and pretty and it fits quite nicely in my handbag and weighs a lot less than the books I normally lug around with me everywhere I go.

I begged Santa for one this Christmas. I even did all the research on all the eBook readers out there, including the Amazon Kindle and the newer Sony Reader 700 model - and I settled on the 505 model. Here is why:

The Amazon Kindle is white and bulkier (plastic-y looking). It doesn't come with a cover or anything like that (I'm sure you can buy separately), but it does have internet capabilities. You can go online and browse and buy books right from the Kindle itself. I believe you can only buy books from Amazon though (not 100% sure of that).

The Sony Reader 700 is touch screen. It comes with a built-in LED light for reading in the dark and stylus for highlighting text. It also has note-taking capabilities (which is great for students) with a virtual keyboard for easy typing.

The Sony Reader IS-505 (my new toy) is exactly what I needed. Yes, it does not have the online capabilities the Amazon Kindle has and, nope, it is not touch screen nor does it have the neato LED light already built in, but in the end, it had all the capabilities that I needed in my reader. My reader is just for my comfort. I have no problems with connecting online using a USB port and uploading my books. The actual Sony eBook site is somewhat like iTunes. You get to see books, read excerpts and even read book reviews right from the site and with one click you can purchase your book quite easily. (Not to mention you can buy books from your favorite book stores that carry eBooks - i.e. B&N, Borders, even the local library). I find that the uploading time is quick and it syncs with your Reader right away. The reader itself is very thin and it can be read directly under sunlight (one of the main issues with 700 model is that the screen is basically a mirror - it has a lot of glare and is very difficult to read in the sun). If you do need light for reading at night, they sell a cover with a built-in light or you can always turn on your bedside lamp (I've always done it in the past). It has 3 different font sizes (small, medium and huge-mongous). You can upload pictures and mp3's onto it as well as PDF documents. It also has long battery life (I've been using it for about 5 days now and it hasn't made a dent in my battery life). All books are more or less $12 or cheaper (which is a plus for us book buyers). The way I see it, if I love the book and plan on re-reading it, I'll buy it. If not, I can delete it right off the Reader and on we go. An added bonus is, if you buy it between now and March 2009, you get a free 100 classics. Meaning all the Austen, Shakespeare, Kipling, Bronte, etc. my little heart desires.

All in all, I find the Sony Reader IS-505 worth the $259 we paid for it (we got it at BJ's). The other models are about $150 more - you pay for all those extra goodies that in reality I didn't need. It's comfortable, basically weightless (weighs less than a paperback) and very user-friendly. I recommend it 100%.

Plus the way that I see it, in a year or two a new reader will come out in color that can basically read the book out loud to me and I won't feel that bad paying $260 vs the $400 when I decide to replace it with a new high-tech(ier)? version.

2008 Reading List (cont.)

66- Testimony - Anita Shreve (12/03/08 - 12/04/08)
67- The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson (12/05/08 - 12/12/08)
68- The Tales of Beedle the Bard - J.K. Rowling (12/6/08)
69- Inkheart - Cornelia Funke (12/12/08 - 12/17/08)
70- I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence - Amy Sedaris (12/13/08 - 12/14/08)
71- The Tale of Despereaux - Kate DiCamillo (12/14/08)
72- Just After Sunset - Stephen King (12/26/08 - 12/30/08)
73- Doubt - John Patrick Shanley (12/27/08)

PAGES READ IN 2008: 27,184

And that is it for the year of 2008.

My goal was originally 52 books (I figured one per week) and I surpassed that. Next year's goal is 100 books - yikes! I am not counting Inkspell because although I started reading it, I am nowhere near the middle yet, so it definitely won't be finished before this year is over.

The Christmas Haul

Here are all of the books I got over the holidays. Some of them are eBooks but most are books that I got with all those nifty gift cards I got.

Not a bad haul, huh? I love it! I'm so excited, I just wish I had more time to read them all - like NOW.

2009 eBook Reading Challenge

Guidelines:
1. You can join anytime as long as you don’t start reading to your books prior to 2009.

2. Read 10 eBooks in 2009.

3. Overlaps with other challenges are fine.

4. When you sign up under Mr. Linky, list the direct link to your post where your eBooks will be listed. If you list just your blog’s URL, it will be removed. If you’ll be posting your challenges on your sidebar, then please put the button up and link before signing up. If you don’t have a blog, leave the URL blank.

5. You do not have to list your books ahead of time. If you decide to, you can change them as you go. Feel free to remove or add titles as needed.

My List:
1 Disquiet - Julia Leigh
2 Where the Heart Is - Billie Letts
3 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon
4 The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
5 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
6 The Host - Stephanie Meyer

7 - 10 TBA

Doubt by John Patrick Shanley

What a powerful piece. There are only 4 spoken characters in the whole book - yet so much goes on in such a short story/play. It is riveting and superbly written - considering it's only 60+ pages long.

The play takes place in a 1960's Catholic Church School where a nun suspects the priest is molesting one of his students. It's a story about doubt. Did he do it? Was she wrong? Right? You just don't know. You are left with DOUBT. I found that the ending was well suited for this piece and I highly recommend it.

Momma Made Out Like A Bandit (Part Deux)

If you will recall all those nifty gift cards I got for Christmas, I used them for the better of mankind and for the safety of my children and myself. Yes, that's right I got rid of all the book piles I had in my room that were threatening to tumble down at any moment on one of my kids heads or my toes... Not to mention the books I had in drawers and in my daughter's bookshelf, plus I still have to get the one's I've loaned out, but mostly they all found a nice comfy home to reside in.

This is what my dresser looked like:

This is my nightstand... and I didn't take pics of the one's that were actually in the nightstand:
IKEA is my new hero. For $200 bucks I got this neat bookshelf. It's got nice glass doors to keep all that mean dust out and all my books safe from grubby little fingers. Isn't it beautiful. My husband keeps making fun of me because I keep standing in front of it just starting at it. I LOVE IT! Now I wanna buy more books to fill it up =) I got 2.5 empty shelves. I've already used up my B&N gift cards but I'm only half way through the 4th shelf. Oh well, it's a work in progress.

Momma made out like a bandit!

Look at all the goodies I got for Christmas...

I got all 5 Harajuko Lovers perfumes - courtesty of my parents.

Random gift certificates to some of my favorite stores. Including Bed, Bath & Beyond, Macy's, B&N, AMEX, etc. I love gift certificates!

AND last, but certainly the coolest of them all... I GOT A SONY READER! I am so excited about this. Plus the hubby gave me an extra $100 bucks to spend at the Sony e-book Store. Which is about 8 -9 books. And for buying the Sony Reader, Sony actually gives you 100 free classics. I don't even know 100 classics I would want to read, but there are well over a hundred to choose from. I've been playing on their site all afternoon. SO FUN! So, I'm off to pick up the huge mess my children have in our living room and maybe to try to get some reading done on my new SONY READER :p

Merry Christmas and to all a good night!

Merry Christmas!

Twas the Night Before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
"Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."

Mission: Accomplished

I'm done wrapping!

Maybe now I can get my life back and possibly get some sleep :D

Current book-in-progress: Inkspell (Pg. 120)

Current movie/tv obsession: How the Grinch Stole Christmas

iTunes Loop: Where Are You Christmas - Faith Hill

Weekend Update

We went to see the Nutcracker on Friday performed by the Miami City Ballet. What a beautiful show! I had never had the opportunity to see the Nutcracker and this year I made it a point to get tickets. It was spectacular. I can't wait for my children to be old enough so that I can take them to see it. Although they don't let you take pictures I was able to sneak in a couple at the end when the performers were bowing. This is a picture of the Sugar Plum Fairy and her gallant partner.

On Saturday we finished Christmas shopping - Finally! I was even able to sneak out and get my hubby his Christmas gifts. Now I just have to wrap - although I was able to get some wrapping done yesterday (it wasn't even half of what I still need to finish). The weekend was just too short. I had absolutely no time for reading. I'm still less than 100 pages into Inkspell - ugh. I just have no time. I'm literally wrapping, shopping and cleaning on my free time. Bleh

Current book-in-progress: Inkspell
Current movie/tv obsession: Fred Claus
iTunes Loop: All I Want for Christmas - Mariah Carey

Musing Mondays

In these last few days before Christmas, I'm sure there are plenty of us scrambling to get our last minute shopping done. Are you buying any books for friends or family (or even yourself)? Do you expect to receive any bookish gifts from others - books, or book-related?

To be honest, I'm not giving any books for Christmas other than for my little one's. Sadly, in my family, I am the only bookworm. But I will say one thing I am extremely excited about. I only put one thing on my wish list this year for my husband and that was a Sony Reader. I am almost sure that he will get it - as all he does is complain about my books in every nook and cranny around the house. I can't wait and here's to hoping (with my fingers crossed) that I get it.

Great Buddy Award

Well, it seems that Veens from Give Reading A Chance has nominated me as one of her blogging buddies. Thank you Veens for my award! I try hard to be a good little buddy - flittering from blog to blog, leaving my little witty comments, etc.

I am always so grateful that somebody drops by here and leaves a comment or two. Plus I've made some very nice buddies myself. Although I've made a buddy or two on here, it seems that they have all been awarded as buddies already. So if YOU are dropping by here for a quick peek, then consider yourself MY BUDDY! Thanks for dropping by and don't be shy in leaving a comment. :)

Winter Reading Challenge 08/09

The Winter Reading Challenge runs from December 21st, 2008 through March 20, 2009. There are 13 weeks in Winter and I will probably end up reading one to two books per week. Some of the books may cross over into challenges that begin 2009. This is going to be a very casual challenge much like the Fall Reading Challenge, so please join me.

The rules are very flexible:
1) Choose any number of books you would like to read and post them on your blog.
2) They can be fiction and/or nonfiction including e-books and audiobooks
3) They can overlap with other challenges.
4) To sign up, click here. (Hosted by My Two Blessings)

I'll set myself a goal of 6 books for this challenge but I'm sure I'll be able to do more than that. (keeping fingers crossed)

I've Been Nominated!

Beth from Beth Fish Reads has nominated my little blog here for the Kreativ Blogger Award. This award deals with values we deem important in others. Beth nominated me as her Fellow Challenge Junkie... Thanks Beth, yes, I am a challenge addict and proud of it! I have signed up for about 19 challenges next year and where the time will come from for me to read all those books is still something unknown to me. But I shall perservere and do my best to complete them all! So now it is up to me to decide on six values that are important to me, six things I don’t support, and nominate six bloggers.

Six values/qualities in others that are important to me

Honesty

Sense of humor

Creativity

Friendliness

Kindness

Curiosity

Six values/qualities in others that I find hard to tolerate

Dishonesty

Meanness

Cruelty

Selfishness

Arrogance

Complaining

6 friends/bloggers to award:

I will not be nominating anyone at this time only because the blogs that I would nominate have already been nominated. I will say though, that I have met some wonderful people who I can't help but stop by their blogs every day and read what they have to say. Just reading their thoughts on a book is something that I look forward to every day. I guess this is why I'm so backed up with work and why TBR stack has grown in leaps and bounds. :D

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

I must say Inkheart started a bit slow for me but I held out and became immersed in a fantastical adventure. Meggie's dad, a bookbinder named Mo, can enthrall you by reading out loud. He is so good at reading out loud that many years ago he "read" the villain Capricorn (along with some other characters) from a book called "Inkheart" into reality.... and from there the story unfolds. Meggie, Mo, Dustfinger, Elinor, Farid, Fenoglio all became so dear to me. The idea of reading a book and having its characters come to life was just amazing to me. The love of books, words, reading and literature in general is a big factor throughout this story- Ms. Funke is very passionate towards books. Although there were some parts that were a bit dark, there was nothing too terribly suspenseful, yet it was exciting enough to keep you interested throughout the book. I will admit that sometimes I found that it dragged just a tad, but upon reading the whole story I realized that every page was essential to the storyline. If you enjoy fantasy, in particular children’s fantasy, then this book will keep your attention.

HoHoHo

I've officially become one of those psycho mom's. I just paid $40 on ebay for a gift that if it were available at Toys 'R Us (or anywhere else for that matter) would cost me a measly $19.99. And to think I actually think this is a good deal considering that I've actually found the same toy for $80. So I actually got a bargain!?!

Current book-in-progress: Inkheart
Current movie/tv obsession: The Day the Earth Stood Still
iTunes Loop: My Grown Up Christmas List - Kelly Clarkson

The Tale of Despereaux and The Polar Express

Despereaux was such an inspiration. He’s this tiny mouse who doesn’t want to live with the restrictions of his mouse society. He was brought to the castle to eat books - but instead wants to read the books. He was told never to make contact with a human - and ultimately falls in love with a princess. Despereaux is the bravest mouse ever to fight with a needle and a bit of red string. This is the cutest little mouse story ever and I guarantee it’ll be great fun no matter what the age .

Since Christmas is right around the corner, I thought reading The Polar Express would be a fun get in the Christmas spirit type of read and I was not disappointed. This book holds all the magic of Christmas within it’s covers. It is a true Christmas Classic. The illustrations were a sight to behold as well. I also saw the movie and although it is a bit different from the book I enjoyed it immensely - so did my little ones.

I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence by Amy Sedaris

There is just so much going on in this book and considering that this essentially is a cookbook, I read it cover to cover. Amy Sedaris is a total crack-up. With this book you will learn all the must-knows and need-to-do’s to throw a successful get-together. There are sections on how to get weird stains out post-party, tips on how to make money off your friends when you invite them over to dinner, entertaining the elderly (thread needles as take home gifts), ways to beat hangovers, or how to vomit discreetly, making all kinds of fun crafts with pantyhose - including a picture step by step tutorial on how to finagle your way into those pesky pantyhose, and plenty of other things Amy deemed essential for you to know. Aside from all the silliness, there are also some very useful tips like: "Never bring an appetizer that requires work in the host's kitchen" or "A host doesn't need more stuff on her meager counter space" or "Don't bring flowers - the hostess will have to stop everything to find a vase". Along with all the party tips there seem to be really good recipes which were simple to prepare and make, and there are some great shots of Amy (50's retro style) that were great - especially the one where she is covered in frosting with sprinkles (hilarious). So all in all, I LIKE YOU, was a pleasure to read and a book I’m sure that I will have to refer to time and time again. Amy Sedaris is my new hero!

Favorite section:
-The F*ck It Bucket - sometimes in life you just have to say "F*ck it!" and eat some motherf*cking candy.

I would also like to give a shout-out to Lisa - I won this book through a giveaway on her blog. Thanks - Lisa!

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

I’ll be honest, I only picked this book up because it was being offered to me at a great price through amazon.com. I had somewhat heard the hype about it, but I just didn’t think it was something that I would be interested in. Boy, was I mistaken. It did start a little slow so it took me about two days to actually want to get into it (or try to get past the first 100 pgs.), but once I did get into it, it was hard to put down. It was a fast-paced, intelligent, whodunnit mystery. The character of Lizbeth Salander was totally kick-ass. There were some parts that were a bit hard to swallow, but overlooking that, it was a fascinating read. The only thing I wasn’t too big on were all the Swedish words that I know I butchered throughtout the whole novel. So in conclusion, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was all that it was said to be and more. It’s too bad I have to wait ‘till August 09 for the second book in the trilogy, The Girl Who Played With Fire. I can’t wait!

Chick Lit Challenge

Back by popular demand, the 2009 Chick Lit Challenge has been expanded for the whole year! (click on button for host) From January 1 through December 31, 2009, read at least 10 chick lit books. Books can overlap with other challenges and you can change your list at any time.

This is right up my alley - plus I loved the button.

Booking Through Thursday

1. Do you get to read as much as you WANT to read? (I’m guessing #1 is an easy question for everyone?)

No, not at all. I wish I could quit my job and just stay at home and read all day long. Or become a book editor and get paid to read. Or even have more alone time to read. But with two small children it is hard enough to go to the bathroom on your own let alone have time to read. Thus why there are times where I grab a book and run to the bathroom lock the door and sit there reading for 30 mins. or so. Yes, I know it's evil of me, but what can I say.

2. If you had (magically) more time to read–what would you read? Something educational? Classic? Comfort Reading? Escapism? Magazines?

I read a little bit of everything. One moment I'm reading a romance, the next I'm reading a thriller, etc. I wouldn't be too picky - just anything that catches my fancy would suffice.

For everyone else's responses click here.

999 Challenge

The 999 challenge has its own group on Library Thing. And it also has its own challenge blog. Sign ups for the challenge are here. The Library Thing group is here. The challenge blog is here.

The rules are simple:
1. Pick 9 categories
2. Read 9 books in each of those categories
3. Complete them in 2009.
4. To make it easier ---The 888 challenge allowed an overlap of 8 books which would fit into more than one category. So for this challenge, you could overlap 9 books.
5. To make it harder ---Complete all your books by 9/9/09.

These are my categories... book lists coming soon.

- ROMANCE
- PART OF A SERIES
- NEW TO ME AUTHORS

- COMING TO A THEATRE NEAR YOU

- JUST RELEASED

- BITE ME
- HE SAID, SHE SAID

20 in 2009 Book Challenge

-Welcome to the 2009 book challenge.
-The goal for this challenge is to read 20 books in the 2009.
-Why did I create this challenge?
Well, I looked about at all of the various book challenges out there and, though creative, none of them interested me. They were all so specific or small in their goal number that I decided to create my own challenge.
-Would you like to take part of the 2009 challenge?
Well, all you have to do is comment below and say that you want to participate. In your comment, state your name, your email and the URL of the page where you will track your book reading progress.
-I would recommend reading the rules, too, in order to understand what this challenge is about. -Since you will also need to create a page/book post that tracks your progress, you can read a little more about posts here. If I do not get the information that I need, I will not be able to add you to the challenge.
-Winners will get a website award declaring that they have successfully completed the 2009 challenge.
-When you have read all 20 books in 2009, leave a comment here for your award.

Read Your Name Challenge: 2009

Anyhoo, the challenge is to read your name in book title first letters, ultimately spelling out your name. That means:

1. Using your first name, or blogger name, or your pets name, or even your favorite literary character's name; whichever you like, choose books with first title letters that spell out your name. Such as my name: Victoria. the first book's title would start with the letter V, then the next book title begins with I, etc. Make sense? (I hope so!) :p

2. Bloggers and non-bloggers alike are free to join. If you do not have a blog and would like to post your reviews/titles that spelled your name somewhere, you may do so here at the group blog. Just send me an e-mail (phantombibliophile [at] gmail [dot] com), or leave a comment letting me know you'd like to use this blog.

3. If you have your own blog, come back here every month and leave a comment containing the link to your challenge page containing the books you've read or each review you've written for books that count for this challenge. (Crossovers with other challenges are okay.) I will make a new post for this on the first of every month.

4. The challenge runs from Jan. 1st 2009, to Dec. 31st 2009. You may join at any time.

5. Last but not least, be sure to sign up using Mister Linky Below! & Leave a comment with what name you're going to use, and the name itself of course! Oh, and don't forget to link back to the challenge from your blog (if you have one of course) to show you're participating!

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a wonderful addition to any Harry Potter fan's collection. It is a short book with a compilation of the wizarding world's "bednight stories" for children. With tales such as:

- The Wizard and the Hopping Pot

- The Fountain of Fair Fortune

- The Warlock's Hairy Heart

- Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump

- The Tale of the Three Brothers

I especially liked that we were able to read Dumbledore's insightful knowledge and thoughts on each story giving us another glimpse to the world of wizards and witches (which is always a treat for us muggles).

Out of the five stories my favorites were The Fountain of Fair Fortune, The Warlock's Hairy Heart and The Tale of Three Brothers.

Photoblog

I've been lazy about uploading pictures lately. So here are all the pictures that should have gone up with my recent posts.

The Sanchez 2008 Christms Tree

If you notice we are doing a country tree again this year... it's the easiest thing with my two rugrats since every on the tree is either made out of felt, wood, or iron. Nothing can break. :) Which makes mommy very happy.

These pics were taken about two days ago. I came home from work and look what I found under the tree:

Our Thanksgiving Day spread:

Delicious!

Here we are at Cirque Du Soleil's Corteo. They are really strict about picture taking so the only pics we got were at their gift shop.

The local church fair. Mommy and Daddy were having more fun on this ride then the kids were.

At my grandmothers. The kids eating ice cream - they get all the sweets they want at their great-grandma's house. That's why they love going over there.

The girls from work and I at the Twilight movie premiere.

Current book-in-progress: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Current movie/tv obsession: Get Smart

iTunes Loop: Little Drummer Boy - Jessica and Ashley Simpson