M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman

In this collection, we have a variety of short stories that go from funny, to creepy, to fascinatingly clever. Although M is for Magic is aimed at the YA audience I guarantee these stories are great for any adult to enjoy.

Here’s an overview of the stories:

The Case of the Four and Twenty Blackbirds
Little Jack Horner is hired to solve the mystery behind the death of Humpty Dumpty. - I personally loved this one. Detective stories always suck me in.

The Troll Bridge
Hands down this is my favorite of the bunch. Upon a stroll through the forest, a young boy encounters a troll under a bridge who wants to eat his life.

Don't Ask Jack
A very short and creepy tale of an old Jack-in-the-Box.

How to Sell the Ponti Bridge
Not one of my favorites but still a great crime story.

October in the Chair
Also one of my favorites. The months of the year hold a gathering to tell their stories.

Chivalry
Fine... this one is also a favorite. When an old lady finds the Holy Grail at her local thrift store a dashing stranger on a magnificent horse comes a knockin’.

The Price
Quite creepy really... this is the tale of stray black cat that fights the devil every night to protect the family that took him in.

How to Talk to Girls at Parties
ehhh... Didn’t do much for me. But nonetheless, it was still worthy. Two boys walk into a party where they realize the kids aren’t everyday average teens.

Sunbird
A gathering of Epicureans who have become bored having tasted everything there is to taste. They are enticed into seeking the legendary Sunbird of Suntown... for a taste that is to be richer than peacock and lusher than duck.

The Witch's Headstone
This is an excerpt from The Graveyard Book. It tells a story of Bod getting into trouble outside the graveyard while trying to help the ghost of a witch.

There's always something great about short stories; the satisfaction of being able to read something as a "whole" in a few hours. Yet, as always with short stories, I always want more.

Mr. Gaiman does not disappoint with this collection. This was quite an enjoyable read no matter what the age.

Booking Through Thursday

Once again, this week's BTT is hosted by Deb. To see other answers and to play along, visit the meme's blog.

Hardcover or Paperback?

I'm a hardcover lover (ha - that rhymed :D). I can't help it. If I find the hardcover for a book I tend to buy that.

Illustrations or Just Text?

I mostly read books with just text. There are a few YA novels with some illustrations but I don't own many. I have been meaning to get into graphic novels but I don't know where to start.

First Editions or Don't Care?

I really don't care. It's great when I do find a first edition, but I'm not a collector or anything like that.

Signed by the Author or Not?

I own two books signed by the author. Sure, I would love more of them but it's definately not a requirement.

Thursday Tunes (Brad Paisley)

I've mentioned before that I L♥VE Country Music! So this week I'm highlighting my favorite country singer BRAD PAISLEY. Firstly, he's uber hot, secondly I love his music, thirdly he can throw a mean concert, he's uber hot fourthly.... well, I guess I can keep going with this (I'm sure you catch my drift). He's obviouly not new to most of you but for those of you who aren't country music fans, let me introduce you to MY man, Brad Paisley:

Romantic Ballads

She's Everything
It Did
We Danced
Whiskey Lullaby

More upbeat, fun songs
Alcohol
The World
Letter to Me
Online

(sighs) I know, I know, I'm going on and on... but what can I say, he's Brad Paisley.

Thursday Tunes is once again being hosted by S.Krishna. For everyone else's picks this week, please click on over to her site.

Chick Lit Challenge Wrap-Up

I recently completed the Chick Lit Challenge. So sad to see that it's over considering it took no effort to do. Chick Lit Rules! For the challenge rules click here.

Here is my final list:
1 Where the Heart Is - Billie Letts (completed 1/05/09)
2 Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict - Laurie Viera Rigler (completed 1/09/09)
3 Time of My Life - Allison Winn Scotch (completed 1/17/09)
4 Confessions of a Shopoholic - Sophie Kinsella (completed 2/02/09)
5 No Rest for the Wicked - Kresley Cole (completed 2/05/09)
6 One Fifth Avenue - Candace Bushnell (completed 2/09/09)
7 Upon the Midnight Clear - Sherrilyn Kenyon (completed 2/10/09)
8 One Silent Night - Sherrilyn Kenyon (competed 2/12/09)
9 Outlander - Diana Gabaldon (completed 2/19/09)
10 Playing with the Grown-Ups - Sophie Dahl (completed 2/24/09)

Playing with the Grown-Ups by Sophie Dahl

This novel tells the life experiences of a young girl (Kitty) on the cusp of adulthood and her self-destructive "mummy" Marina. It is a beautifully written coming-of-age tale which develops quite a gritty sting in the latter half while describing Kitty's teen years. Throughout the story we read about Kitty’s idyllic life in the country with her grandparents, mummy, aunts, siblings and nanny, her stay at boarding schools, the moving back and forth between England and the U.S., her friendships, drugs, alcohol, sex, and just the wildness of it all. Yet, I enjoyed this even when it became a little harrowing.

I found the ending a bit disappointing. After all that we went through with Kitty, it just leaves you to imagine what she has to overcome in order to lead a better life. You obviously know that she was able to overcome her mother’s influence and eventually make a life for herself in New York, but you just don’t read how she was able to do it (you know this from the first chapter - so I’m not giving anything away). It would have been nice to read how she was able to get herself out of the hole she was in and better herself and her life.

Moving, well-written, tender-hearted coming of age/mother-daughter relationship story. Utterly charming and I couldn’t help wondering if some parts were autobiographical. I think anybody who had a slightly unconventional childhood will be able to relate to this in some way.

And just in case you were wondering, Sophie Dahl is Roald Dahl’s granddaughter.

Tuesday Thingers

For more Tuesday Thingers, click on over to Wendi's Book Corner

Today's question: Do you have a specialized blog where you only review a certain genre or type of book? If so, what is your favorite thing about that type of book? If not, what is/are your favorite genre(s)? What makes that genre(s) a favorite?

I am one of those readers who just love to read. I can appreciate a story no matter what the genre is. I do have some preferances though (i.e. romance, historical fiction, memoirs, paranormal, etc.) I'm not as fond of non-fiction - but like I said, I'll read fiction books every once in a while.

As for blogging - I blog about everything all right here. No matter what the story, who the author, or what the genre.

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Should be Reading:

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!

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" the frightening writer boomed at Kitty.

"I’d like to be a writer, or a lady of leisure like Mummy," Kitty said.

- Playing with the Grown-Ups - Sophie Dahl
Page 96

Confessions of a Former Child by Daniel J. Tomasulo

Confessions of a Former Child is such a nice and touching memoir about the life of psychologist, Daniel Tomasulo. Throughout his memoir we are able to learn about his parents, his friends, patients, and some of the most important events in his life. I liked how every chapter was a short story, yet they all came together in the end.

I will confess there were times where I was literally sitting there cracking up (by myself ... in my car) reading about some of his thoughts (i.e. how eating seeds could get you pregnant; we got a shitter here!; powers of controlling all street lights and traffic lights, etc). And yet, there were also times that were more serious and sad (and well yes, I shed a tear or two).

This is one of those “gobble ‘em up”-type books that you can read in one sitting. It’s funny, witty and addictive. I highly recommend it.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

On holiday in 1945, ex-British nurse, Claire Randall, accidentally travels back in time, to 1743. She leaves behind a loving husband and a comfortable 20th-century existence, and finds herself in the midst of skirmishing Scottish clans, brutal British captains, and the hardships of life in the 18th century.

I know I’m a bit late to this party, as I think everyone I know has already read the Outlander series or is in the process of doing so, but I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful I found this book to be. There is just so much going on in this story - fantasy, romance, history, adventure. And it was all neatly wrapped up into this epic tale of love that transcends time. WoW!

I did find it a bit wordy at times... sometimes the descriptions enhanced the story, as when describing the Scottish Highlands in all their splendor, but there were times where I found it hard to focus on the page-after-page depictions of each intricate dark corner of a castle or prison.

I read that Ms. Gabaldon said that this was not meant to be the story of a romance, but the story of a marriage. What a profound statement! Marriage is not love and happiness all the time; it has it's challenges. I feel that she does a very good job of illustrating a true marriage.

I strongly recommend this to anyone who loves a well-written story.

... and thus begins my love affair w/ Jaime and Claire Fraser... I believe I have 6 more books to go.

Thursday Tunes (Kate Voegele)

Thursday Tunes is once again being hosted by S.Krishna. For everyone else's picks this week, please click on over to her site.

Singer/songwriter Kate Voegele is my Thursday Tunes pick-of-the-week. I was introduced to her music by a friend and have been a fan ever since. I own her first CD (Don't Look Away) and can honestly say it's another one of those that you can just let ride and not have to worry about skipping a song.

Some of my faves are:

Kindly Unspoken
Only Fooling Myself
Lift Me Up
Hallelujah

Kate's new CD - A Fine Mess will be released April 2009 so be on the look out for that.

Booking Through Thursday

This week’s question is suggested by Kat: (to view everyone else's responses click on Booking Through Thursday).

I recently got new bookshelves for my room, and I’m just loving them. Spent the afternoon putting up my books and sharing it on my blog . One of my friends asked a question and I thought it would be a great BTT question. So from Tina & myself, we’d like to know “How do you arrange your books on your shelves? Is it by author, by genre, or you just put it where it falls on?”

There is no science to my bookshelves. The only thing I try to do is keep the same authors books together. Other than that, I try to make it as eclectic looking as my reading tastes are. I try to make sure that no two books look alike (at least that are next to eachother) meaning if one book has a black spine, the one next to it has a red spine. I like them to look distinguished and appear all randomly placed. I think it looks neat and messy. Does that make sense? So I guess, I somewhat fall under the category of I put them where they fall... sorta.

Chunkster Challenge 2009

*A chunkster is 450 pages or more of ADULT literature (fiction or nonfiction) Don't complain folks, I read all thousands of pages of the Twilight series and they were good, but not a challenge. A chunkster should be a challenge.
*If you read large type books your book will need to be 525 pages or more I asked around and the average LT book is 10-15% longer or more so I think that was a fair estimate.
*No Audio books in the chunkster. It just doesn't seem right. Words on paper for this one folks.
* You may start any time after signing up. You must complete your reads before or on Nov 15th. *Short Stories and Essay collections will not be counted.
*Books may crossover with other challenges (see option 4 for a collaborative effort with TBR challenge)
*Only option 4 requires that you make a set list of books to complete the challenge

Here are your options:

*The Chubby Chunkster - this option is for the reader who has a large tome or two to read, but really doesn't want to commit to more than that. 2 books is all you need to finish this challenge.

*Do These Books Make my Butt Look Big? - this option is for the slightly heavier reader who wants to commit to 3-5 Chunksters over the next ten months.

*Mor-book-ly Obese - This is for the truly out of control chunkster. For this level of challenge you must commit to 6 or more chunksters OR three tomes of 750 pages or more. You know you want to.....go on and give in to your cravings.

And lastly, in an intriguing collaboration with the wildly popular Miz B of the TBR Challenge we have:

*Too Big To Ignore Anymore - this option is for those chunksters on your TBR list. You may select any number of books over 450 pages but you must LIST THEM to complete the challenge and they must be on your TBR list as well (honor code folk, I don't have time to be the challenge police)

So I'm going with the option - Do these books make my butt look big?

I figure I can complete this challenge with just the Outlander series. That's a two-fer.

This makes me think of that song in Madagascar 2 (yes, my kids love the movie - I practically know the words by heart).

I like 'em big... I like 'em chunky...
I like 'em round... with somethin' somethin'
(Moto Moto - Madagascar 2)

Wanted to share...

I've been out of it... have been working like a maniac and just been blah.

But was so excited about this that I had to share with y'all anyway (although it's not book related). For Valentine's Day, the hubby bought me a trip to New York City. I know... no flowers, no candy.... but Isn't that awesome!

Remember how I recently commented that a dream of mine is to see The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. Well, yes, I got tickets to see it!!!!!!!!!!

We'll be leaving in about two weeks and we'll be there for about 4 days. I've only been to New York once before and only saw the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. That's.It. I didn't even see Times Square.

So this is the I heart New York trip!

I plan on seeing:

- Broadway
- Catching a show (Phantom of the Opera)
- Times Square
- Eat at Tavern on the Green
- Fifth Avenue
- Central Park
- The Village
- Ride the Subway
- Buy some cheap knock-off Gucci bag in Chinatown :D
- Eat authentic Italian food in Little Italy
- Eat New York style pizza (in New York)
- Museum of Natural History
- oooh, Eat a hot dog on the street somewhere
-Take a carraige ride in Central Park
- Ice skate at Rockerfeller Center (if it's still possible)

Totally New York-y things to do, huh? That's all I can think of at the moment and if you've got suggestions please let me know. I plan on having an itinerary to do all these things - I wouldn't want to forget something. hehe

Happy Valentines Day

It's Friday!

I'm playing hookie today! :D

On another note, I am reading Outlander and heavens to Betsy - I am in love with Jamie Fraser. (swoons)

I also found this video on Youtube. I thought it was great... too bad Part 2 is not out yet.

Carry On.

One Silent Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Bad boys need lovin’ too!

This is the story of Stryker - yes, Strykerius (tormentor of all things Dark-Hunter, Acheron and Nick Gaultier related). Yet I thoroughly enjoyed reading the bad guy’s side of the story.

In this story we were able to get a glimpse of the romance between Stryker (all around Dark-Hunter nemesis) and his first-wife Zephyra (she’s a total bwitch). Upon reading this you see Stryker in a whole new light and why he is the way he is. Yes, Stryker, was human at one point. He was a child, he loved, he made mistakes... he was/is a man. I found myself feeling sympathy for him and understanding a little more of the world that Sherrilyn Kenyon has created.

Although it can be a bit confusing with all the Greek mythology she normally intertwines with her storylines, this book (I think) is like a new era for the Dark-Hunter series. Sherrilyn is involving a lot of new and different characters that I can’t help but anticipate the day when we get to read their stories.

For those of you who are fans of the Dark-Hunter series, this book felt like an intermediate point, where she just filled you in on information that she was unable to incorporate into any of her other stories. If you have not read a Dark-Hunter novel before than this definitely is not the book you want to start the series on (definitely read some of her older stuff and I’m sure you’ll get snagged along with the rest of us into this world).

But intrigued I am! With all the new hotties characters that she is introducing I can’t wait to read the next installment.

Thursday Tunes (Ingrid Michaelson)

Thursday Tunes is once again being hosted by S.Krishna. For everyone else's picks this week, please click on over to her site.

My pick this week for Thursday Tunes is Ingrid Michaelson.

I'm sure you can all remember this catchy tune from those Old Navy commercials they played about two winter's ago. Yeah, I was one of those people who loved the song the moment I heard it on tv; googled it immediately; and was introduced to Ingrid Michaelson. As I'm sure you've been able to tell already... I really like this folksy type music - and she is one of the really good one's out there.

Here are some of my faves from Ingrid:

Be Okay

Keep Breathing

Glass

and then there is:

Winter Song performed by both her and Sara Bareilles (yes, that's a 2 for 1) I love them both.

I love all her songs to be honest, but these were the one's that I was able to find through youtube. Enjoy Ingrid and if you get the chance to buy her CD, get it, the whole thing is fantastic.

Upon the Midnight Clear by Sherrilyn Kenyon

This is the second Dream-Hunter novel that I've read and although I am a huge fan of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s - I was sorely disappointed by this one. It’s lacking in a lot of things. Her characters weren’t developed enough for you to actually grow fond of them. Aidan was just to whiny and needy for me to like him, and Leta just never really amounted to much when it counted either.

Too much happened in too short of a time period. It didn't feel very believable and it almost felt more like a chore to read rather than a delight for the mind. If nothing else, this book was used just to fill us in on some of the background information on Zeus’ curse on the Oneroi.

When you see this book, it seems short for a paperback. When you open it, it seems REALLY short for a paperback - they have used double spacing, wide margins, and a large font. Now, either Kenyon's publisher is formatting books for her older, more myopic fans, or this was a short-story that was made into a novel. Add a little padding and a huge font and, presto-change-o, you have a very short paperback that you can still sell for the full paperback price. Grrrrrrr!

On the bright side though, at the end of the book there was a short story called Holiday Gatherings - It brought back some of her other characters and was really a treat to read.

If you haven't read any of Sherrilyn Kenyon's books, I would suggest to stay away from this book. Start off by reading the "Dark-Hunter" series and then make your way to this new Dream-Hunter spin-off.

20 in 2009 Wrap-Up

I just completed the 20 in 2009 Challenge. My original post is here. Below is my completed list of books read with links for their reviews.

My List:
1 Disquiet - Julia Leigh (completed 1/01/09)
2 Christmas Jars - Jason F. Wright (completed 1/02/09)
3 The Reader - Bernard Schlink (completed 1/03/09)
4 The Wednesday Letters - Jason F. Wright (completed 1/04/09)
5 Where the Heart Is - Billie Letts (completed 1/5/09)
6 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon (completed 1/07/09)
7 Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict - Laurie Viera Rigler (completed 1/09/09)
8 Blindness - José Saramago (completed 1/11/09)
9 Secret Vampire - L.J. Smith (completed 1/13/09)
10 Inkspell - Cornelia Funke (completed 1/15/09)
11 Time of My Life - Allison Winn Scotch (completed - 1/17/09)
12 The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (completed 1/19/09)
13 Life of Pi - Yann Martel (completed - 1/23/09)
14 The Little Giant of Aberdeen County - Tiffany Baker (completed 1/26/09)
15 Ms. Hempel Chronicles - Sarah Shun-lien Bynum (completed 1/27/09)
16 The Thief Lord - Cornelia Funke (completed 1/29/09)
17 Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro (completed 2/01/09)

18 Confessions of a Shopoholic - Sophie Kinsella (completed 2/02/09)
19 No Rest for the Wicked - Kresley Cole (completed 2/05/09)
20 One Fifth Avenue - Candace Bushnell (completed 2/09/09)

One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell

This one is a toughie. I haven’t decided whether I liked this one or not.... yet. I’m leaning towards the not liking direction though.

The story revolves around the lives of the residents of a luxury building on Fifth Avenue. A place that just by living in it or being seen entering or exiting from it - meant wealth and power. Each resident of One Fifth is interconnected somehow and it was neat to see how one of their actions would cause an effect in one of their neighbors’ lives. I also liked that architecture was the center-piece of the story. I will say, that there were a lot of characters (each written in the first person) introduced all at once, which was confusing at first, but once I got passed that and actually started focusing on who was who and what was what it became easier to read and the pages began turning. The writing was very hip and fresh and I loved her comments on 20-somethings, bloggers and the Internet.

But in the end, it just didn’t strike a note with me. I don’t know if it was that I just didn’t connect with any of the characters or that we have no similarities in common, but I found that none of the characters were likeable. There was one character that I did like but she was the one that we barely read about (figures). I got the impression that this book was expressly written to become a movie or tv series.

All in all, if you like reading stories about New York City life, sex, lies and money, (Drama, Drama, Drama), then this is something that I’d recommend you read.

Musing Mondays

This week's Musing Mondays is hosted by Rebecca at Just One More Page. For more responses, mosey on over to her page.

What do you use to mark your place while reading? Do you have a definite preference? Do you use bookmarks, paper, or (gasp) turn down the pages? If you use bookmarks, do you have a favourite one?

I am addicted to magnetic bookmarks. Yes, I have two little rugrats running around who love to pull out my bookmarks. It was easy for them since my other bookmarks tended to have a string or ribbon hanging off the book. These new magnetic bookmarks that I've been buying are awesome for me. Firstly, nothing hangs off of the book so they're harder to detect. Secondly, I am able to mark the book anywhere around the edges - which is cool if I stop reading somewhere mid-page. Plus there are four in each pack so once one of them gets a little bent out of shape or one of my kids sticks it in his/her mouth and it gets all gooey, I just switch on over to the next one. Here's a pic of the one's I buy all the time:

They also have doggies, monkeys and all other types of cutie-patootie little critters. :D

101 Things About Yours Truly

So considering that my profile is a tad vague, I decided it would be nice if y'all knew a little bit more about me and not just about what I'm reading or would like to be reading :D So I've been sitting here (yes, I'm bored) coming up with 101 fun, random facts about yours truly. Enjoy and you are more than welcome to share as many fun facts about yourself as you'd like. It's always nice to get to know eachother better.

1. I wish I was famous.

2. I can still do a split.

3. I have two little babies (well, they're not little babies anymore but they're my babies) Jenna - 3; James 2. And no, I did not name them after Jenna Jameson.

4. I would like to find a golden ticket and visit Willy Wonka.

5. I am afraid of clowns but I think Oompa Loompas ROCK!!

6. My favorite non-alchoholic drink is low-fat milk.

7. I like climbing trees.

8. I know more than 100 facts about dinosaurs.

9. Math is a foreign language to me.

10. I love my children and hubby ridiculously.

11. I can't live without a book.

12. I would like to eat a Crabby Patty.

13. I lose my keys three times a week, or more.

14. I can only snap my fingers with my left hand - the same thing with winking my left eye. What's up with that? My right side is BROKEN.

15. MY favorite singer is Micheal Jackson - I would kill to go to one of his concerts.

16. I don't find jokes about him funny and it will anger me to hear him bad mouthed. (but I still secretly laugh)

17. I LOVE my minivan.

18. I don't wash it enough.

19. I use to love playing hide-and-go-seek in the dark when I was a kid. I've recently taught my kids how to play and now we play hide-and-go-seek about three x's a week.

20. I still think I'm a kid.

21. My friend Jennifer cracks me up.

22. We can laugh at the same shit for months and still find it uproaringly hilarious.

23. I use to spell "hilarious" wrong- with an "a" as the 2nd letter.

24. I can doo-doo brown very well (but I haven't done this in years).

25. I don't like being asked "What's wrong?"

26. I often ask "What's wrong?"

27. I still sometimes count with my fingers.

28. I also do the whole.... "I" before "E"except after "C".

29. I like freckles.

30. I wish I could sing.

31. I would go on American Idol just so Simon could tell me how bad I suck.

32. I love Cinderella.

3. While in Orlando on vacation I was offered a job to be Cinderella on a float in Disney.

34. For $6 an hour in the hot sun, I told the guy he could start putting on that wig himself.

35. I had turtles named "Leonardo" and "Donatello," after the Ninja Turtles, of course.

36. I have a terrible temper. I think I have turned green once or twice.

37. I don't like to let go.

38. I would like to meet Christine Feehan - she is the only author that I can say I've been reading for years and years and know and love each and every single one of her characters.

39. I am an avid animal lover.

40. I LOVE text-messages.

41. I secretly wish I could cook, but there is no helping me. It'll never happen.

42. My hubby can always make me laugh. No matter how serious I'm trying to be.

43. I have a flip flop collection, which I am very proud of. What? I live in Miami.

44. I hate the smell and taste of Doritos.

45. I HATE football. Although I won $100 bucks this last Super Bowl.

46. I still miss high school.

47. I am the worst driver in America.

48. Ok fine...in the whole WORLD.

49. I LOATHE spiders.

50. I have 1 regret.

51. I love pizza with Canadian bacon on it.

52. I think my husband should be famous too.

53. I can out drink many men.

54. I can eat like one too.

55. Sleeping and Scrabble are 2 things I am good at.

56. Reading and writing blogs are another.

57. Dancing in my underwear is yet another.

58. I laugh at almost anything.

59. I fractured my elbow once. It hurt. A lot.

60. I detest the cold weather.

61. I love the color GREEN (it matches my eyes).

62. I watched Days of Our Lives for a while (on maternity leave) and I absolutely loved it.

63. I'm impressed by gymnasts.

64. I am in ♥ with my iPod Touch and my Sony Reader. They are the coolest things I've ever owned.

65. I was addicted to spinning (cycling).

66. I would like to swim with dolphins.

67. Disney World is one of my favorite places.

68. So is Vegas.... and New York.... and San Francisco.

69. Someday, I want to renew my vows in Vegas.

70. I had a pet pig once named Petunia.

71. I am dying to have a pet doggie.

72. I hate doorbells.

73. I will never retire the song "Ice, Ice, Baby."

74. I never liked Scooby-Doo.

75. I know someone who wears Speedos and actually looks good.

76. I like to say "I told you so."

77. I won't eat pork because I love pigs too much.

78. I am very superstitious.

79. I have been called a witch because I like getting my tarrot cards read.

80. To that I say "BLOW ME." I just do it for fun. It's more like a joke than anything else.

81. I miss my old friends - I always lose touch with them.

82. I miss them all the time.

83. I also miss Different Strokes and Punky Brewster.

84. I owned the Punky Brewster shoes.

85. When I hit the 57 on the ketchup bottles, nothing freaking comes out.

86. I haven't been to Europe.

87. Or been inside the Statue of Liberty.

88. There isn't a Johnny Depp movie that I haven't liked.

89. I was an Avon Lady (for like 5 minutes).

90. I'm still proud of being a Homecoming Queen.

91. I know all the lines from the movie Clueless.

92. I got hired at Hooters and didn't want to work there.

93. So I didnt.

94. I am addicted to Broadway Shows. Although we live in Florida we catch any show that's touring.

95. My secret wish is to see The Phantom of the Opera live.

96. I never learned how to whistle.

97. I use to hide my Flinstone vitamins in my drawer because I didn't like the taste.

98. Sometimes I wear too much perfume.

99. I love country music. I drag my husband all over South Florida to concerts. I still hear it from him for that. But I don't care.

100. I am a Super Mario Bros. fanatic.

101. I strongly believe I will win the lottery one day, but my tarrot cards have still to detect that!

I'm in the mood for love

So, I've decided that since February is the month of l♥ve, I will only be reading romance novels all month long. Hehe.

To be honest, I have tons of romance novels at home (sitting on my shelves) from some of my favorite authors. So I figure this is my excuse to get to them all read already. I also have to read Inkdeath sometime this month for the Cornelia Funke Challenge but I believe there'll be a little romance in that as well - so I'm counting it too. Here are some of the one's I'm thinking of reading:

I also have the whole MacAllisters Series from Kinley MacGregor too (which is about 6 more books) so that should keep me entertained for a while dontcha think? :D Yummy fun!

Thursday Tunes (Ray LaMontagne)

Thursday Tunes is once again being hosted by S.Krishna.

This week I want to share with you on of my favorite folk singer/song writers... Ray LaMotagne.

There is just something about that raspy voice that really does it for me. I originally discovered him while listening to The Last Kiss soundtrack and I've been in love ever since. He gets some serious play time on my iPod.

Although he has several CD's out - I never buy CD's since I am a big fan of iTunes (I should be a stock holder) so I just tend to buy my favorite tracks. These are some of my favorite songs:

Trouble

Be Here Now

but my all-time faves are these

Let It Be Me

Hold You In My Arms

Within You

There are so many songs from Ray that are just breathtaking. I find him soothing and refreshing and just so different from everything else out there. So have a listen and enjoy Ray LaMontagne.

To see/hear everyone else's Tunes, mosey on over to S.Krishna's site.

No Rest for the Wicked by Kresley Cole

This is the second book in the Immortals After Dark series. This is the story of Kaderin the Cold and she has met her mate in a vampire (which she starts off not being too happy about)- Sebastian. The story takes us from one adventure after another throughout the globe as Kaderin and Sebastian are competing for the grand prize in the Hie. In this story we once again hear from Emma and Myst and learn more about the Lore. You are also introduced to the characters for her next book. I love that about these books - that, and that you always seem to get a glimpse of the lives of those characters you previously enjoyed.

The story is full of action, adventure and steamy romance. These books are part of my guilty pleasures (along with all Christine Feehan and Sherrilyn Kenyon books).

Another enjoyable, can't-put-it-down, interrupt-me-and-you'll-be-sorry page turner.