Second Annual Book Blogger Appreciation Week

Last year, My Friend Amy came up with the coolest idea. The idea was to have a week were we as book bloggers celebrate each other and our blogging community. It was a blast.

So of course this year, it's happening again September 14-18. Be sure to go to the official page to learn more about it all and to register and to nominate blogs for awards in a bunch of different categories.

You don't want to miss out! Come join the fun!

TV Talk: It's All About Gilmore Girls

One of the downer things about summer is that there's no new TV. It's one of those things I don't get... because, don't most people have more time to "laze" around in the summer and enjoy TV? During the school year, life is insane usually, and then, if we allow ourselves to get addicted, we have to figure out how to fit TV in along with all the other craziness. I guess perhaps there's vacations and such in the summer and people are gone, but still, I've never really understood it.

But anyway, this summer, we've taken matters into our own hands around here and have addicted ourselves to some old TV shows. Shows we've missed over the years before the advent of cool TV recording devices. We've gone to the library and rented seasons of Buffy, Smallville, and most importantly Gilmore Girls!

Yes, it's been a major Gilmore Girl fest around here. We watched half of the first season awhile back, so we got the DVDs again, finished up the first season, and are now nearly done with season 2.

So since I am so into this Gilmore Girl mode lately, I decided I needed to discuss it even though for most of you this is all ancient history!

My thoughts:

• The dialogue for this show is a blast! You better pay attention, or you'll for sure miss something extremely witty!


• I love all the pop culture/book/movie/music references. So fun.


• I'm aching for Luke and Lorelei to get together. I know it's going to take them forever though, because of course that's part of what kept people watching, right?


• Seeing Milo whatshisname aka. Peter from Heroes show up as the brooding teenager Jess has been very fun. He is so different from his Heroes character!


• But I really love the Dean dude too, and am curious to know what he's been doing since Gilmore Girls. I think he's in something else too, as the bad guy now?


• Sometimes I lose interest when the storyline follows the mom and dad. They are kinda irritating.


• But I love the Paris stuff and the Lane stuff. They are both great too.

So let me know, are/were you a Gilmore Girls fan? What was YOUR favorite part about the show? What season was your favorite? Is there a point where I should stop watching?

Review: American Idol Concert

Concert: American Idol Top Ten

Genre: Pop/Rock

Rating: A

For: my ongoing flirtation with a mid-life crisis which causes me to think it necessary to join in the celebration of all things pop culture such as American Idol

What a rockin' time we had last night! They started right out with a bang, no preliminary goofiness, with the #10 Idol, Michael Sarver. He was fun and enthusiastic, but sang a couple of songs I didn't really know so I couldn't easily sing along with him.

Then we moved to #9, and our hometown girl, Megan Joy. The comparison between the crowd's excitement for her, and its excitement for David Archuleta last year was.... interesting. We clapped politely for Megan, but for David last year, we screamed the roof off until he was overwhelmed with tears. It was great! But Megan... I just think no one really "gets" her. She sang and we endured.

Up next was #8, Scott, who I totally love. He has the clearest, most clean sounding voice of them all I think. He rose up out of the stage, sitting at the piano, and sang "1000 Miles" and something else I like but didn't really know. He was great with the crowd and had wonderful stage presence. I loved it.

Let's see, #7 was Lil. She did three songs I think, and one was that "All The Single Ladies" song that got everyone up and dancing. She sounded awesome.

Anoop was next at #6, and wow, he was also amazing. I wanted to stand and scream for him too, but sadly, it appeared I was in a bit of a dead audience section. I hate it when that happens.

Then we were to #5, which was Matt. Wow. Did he have some energy or what! And he ROCKED on the piano! Amazing.

Then those first six did a group number with Matt and Scott dueling it out on the piano together during "Tell Her About It." That was a blast too.

Intermission. Boring. I hate intermissions usually. I noticed so many people going up and down past our aisle seat during the concert itself that I wondered why we even needed one. Sheesh. People, if you are paying a ton of money for a concert like this, why not SIT (or stand as the case may be) and WATCH the show! Just wondering.

Alison, #4, brought us back from intermission rocking out to "Barracuda," along with a couple of other songs. She had it going on for sure.

Danny was next, and I loved listening to him. He sang "What Hurts the Most" and a couple of others that were quite inspirational.

THEN... finally.... what the audience had been waiting for! The energy was intense. Everyone was holding their breath, then screamed like crazy! ADAM was on! First the very cool, very loud, very flashy intro, which segues right into "Whole Lotta Love" and there's Adam rockin' out on stage! Wow. He was just like you'd imagine him to be. It was insane. But finally, the WHOLE place was on their feet singing, dancing and screaming. He sang five songs, including his duet "Slow Ride" with Alison.

Then they put a curtain down in front of the band, and up from the stage rises Kris, sitting on a stool, with his guitar! What a contrast. But it was Kris singing "Heartless"! And he was wonderful! And we all screamed for him too. He was so good. He played the guitar, he played the piano, he played the electric guitar. Amazing. (Please, don't go and count how many times I used that word in this post. Please.)

I could definitely watch both those guys for a full two or three hours and never get tired of it.

Kris ended with "Hey Jude" and the rest of the Idols came out and joined him. Then they did a finale of Journey's song "Don't Stop Believing" and suddenly, it was all over.

I loved it. It makes me wish I was younger so I could enjoy it all without feeling like a weirdo or something. But, happily, there were LOTS of middle-agers screaming for Adam and Kris last night. Lots.

And next time, I will not take my 14 year old son who sat there with his fingers in his ears, and his elbows on his knees, looking down at the floor, then asking me if the noise hurt my head! Are you kidding me? I love the noise! I go for the noise! Yes, next time, he stays home.

Review: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Book: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, 1978 Newbery Medal Winner

Genre: YA

Rating: A-

For: Dewey's Books Challenge

My 10 year old daughter's been begging me to read this one ever since she read it at her school's book club. Good thing I already had it on my Dewey's Challenge list! And being a Newbery Award winner from the era of my own childhood, I'm surprised I hadn't heard of this one before now.

The book starts out when a bunch of seemingly random people end up renting rooms at a new apartment building. Then the old guy, Mr. Westing, who lives on the hill, dies. And suddenly, all the people in the apartment building are invited to the reading of the will and come to find out, they are all connected somehow to the guy! Mr. Westing, of course, has then laid out a game of sorts, complete with riddles, and clues and hints, which will help everyone figure out who his murderer is, because yep, he claims that's what's happened!

And so the game begins! Everyone is put in unlikely pairs to work together. Lots of discoveries are being made, and many strange and odd things begin to happen.

I enjoyed it all for the most part. Some things were quite easy to figure out, some things I didn't see coming at all. I think it's perfect and very fun for kids. Though I also think many of the nuances would go right over their heads.

Since this is for the Dewey's Books Challenge, I wanted to link to her review of this book and remember what she thought of it, but at the moment, I can't get to her blog. But I'm almost positive that she loved it!

Other Reviews:

The Book Zombie

Books. Lists. Life.

The Book Nook Club

A Reader's Journal

Weekly Geeks 2009.26: Where in the World Have You Been?

For Weekly Geeks this week, we are asked to think about the places books have taken us. Fun fun assignment I'm thinking.... except for one thing... I just know I'm not going to remember all the places I've traveled through books, and it's going to make me crazy! But... I'll try my best.


China

The Good Earth
Sun Flower and the Secret Fan

India

A Fine Balance
The Far Pavilions

Russia

Anna Karinina
Fathers and Sons

Afghanistan

The Kite Runner
A Thousand Splendid Suns

Egypt

The Memoirs of Cleopatra

Germany

The Book Thief
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Ireland

Circle of Friends
Quentins

Italy

Galileo's Daughter
Angels and Demons

Scotland

Outlander

Holland

Girl With a Pearl Earring
Diary of Anne Frank

Africa

Cry the Beloved Country
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency

Romania

The Historian
Dracula

France

The Scarlet Pimpernel
Les Miserables

Greece

Pompeii
Nights of Rain and Stars

Australia

The Moon Below
Magic or Madness

Mexico

All the Pretty Horses
100 Years of Solitude

Canada

Anne of Green Gables
The Blind Assassin

USA and England

tons and tons and tons!

Okay, well. Not too bad, but I know I've had to have read something about Japan, and South America! So which ones did I forget?




create your own visited country map
or check our Venice travel guide

Booking Through Thursday: Unread

Booking Through Thursday

An idea I got from The Toddled Dredge (via K for Kat). Here’s what she said:
“So here today I present to you an Unread Books Challenge. Give me the list or take a picture of all the books you have stacked on your bedside table, hidden under the bed or standing in your shelf – the books you have not read, but keep meaning to. The books that begin to weigh on your mind. The books that make you cover your ears in conversation and say, ‘No! Don’t give me another book to read! I can’t finish the ones I have!’

Several times I've posted the picture of the shelf by my bed that holds most of my TBR books waiting to be read. So instead of posting that again, I'll attempt to write a little list of what's currently on that shelf:

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

The Blue Notebook by James A. Levine

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Gossamer by Lois Lowry

Fablehaven #3 by Brandon Mull

The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley

The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti

Marley and Me by John Grogan

The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing by M. T. Anderson

The Map of Love by Ahdaf Soueif

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vvonnecut

Oil by Upton Sinclair

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

The House of the Spirts by Isabel Allende

Hide and Seek by Wilkie Collins

The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks

Clapton by Eric Clapton

Anthem by Ayn Rand

Peony in Love by Lisa See

Okay, okay. I'll quit now! But as you can see, I don't really need to be buying more, checking out more, or listening to any of you suggesting more! But what's the fun in that? You know I'll never stop doing any of those things, so on with the huge TBR!

Blog Post Bingo Take Two

Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness is having another round of Blog Post Bingo as part of her wonderful Blog Improvement Project. Last time I had a blast with this, and even won the $10 Amazon gift certificate! So, of course, I'm doing it again. Here's the list of posts I will try to fit in during the next couple of weeks, as explained by Kim:

A Link Post – share link (or series of links) your readers might find interesting
A Short Post – less than 200 words
A List Post – simple as it sounds, a list of some sort
An Opinion Post – take an event, news, or another blog post and share your opinion on it
A Poll or Question Post – post a poll or ask your readers a specific question for feedback
A How-To Post – You’re an expert in something; big or small, share how to do it
A Long Post – more than 700 words
A Review Post – self-explanatory, I think :)
A Definition Post – show your expertise about a topic related to your blog
NEW: A Personal Post – something that’s going on in your life, related to your normal blog topic or not
NEW: A Resource Post – you know a lot about something, share the sites/books/tutorials you go to on that topic. This is similar to a link post, except these links should be related in some way and be useful for other people who want to know about the topic.
FREE SPACE – a type of post of your choice (that is not the same as one of the previous posts)

Wish me luck! And if you have any suggestions for me for a certain kind of post, please speak up and let me know!