I'm on Vacay!

So...at this moment I'm probably sitting on a beach reading underneath one of these cabanas (I can't be sure because I'm writing this post ahead of time).  Anyways...due to my vacation, my posts will be light for the next week.  But hopefully I'll come back with all sorts of lovely reading accomplished!  I only brought chunksters with me this time around.  My reading list is as follows:

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness (finally!)

Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey

The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett

To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Wells

The House of Velvet and Glass by Katherine Howe

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson

Recommended Bookish Podcasts

I feel like I know my readers well enough to say, that y'all have a serious thing for books.  Now, what's a person to do when they've got chores or exercise or commutes and no audiobook to get them through it?  How about a podcast?  I'm kinda lovin' podcasts as of late - I mean, getting informed while cleaning the kitchen is a pretty good deal!  So I thought I'd share my most favorite bookish podcasts with my most favorite bookish peeps!  In no particular order:

Books on the Nightstand - this podcast is all about books and reading!  It's chock-full of recommendations and interesting literary discussions.

Bookrageous - this hip little podcast hosted by Josh from Brews and Books, Jenn from JennIRL, and Rebecca from Booklady's Blog.  It's quite eclectic and bursting with recommendations!

NYT Book Review - authors, editors and critics talk about new releases, the bookish scene and current best sellers.

 NPR Books - this podcast includes book reviews, literary news, and author interviews!

PRI Selected Shorts - wish you read more short stories?  Listen to this podcast and get exposed to some great shorts - extremely entertaining!

2012 Reading Challenges

I'm really excited to stretch my reading horizons further next year and in order to push myself I've signed up for four new challenges for 2012!

First up, I signed on to Curiosity Killed the Bookworm's Sci-Fi Challenge!  For this challenge, the object is to read one Sci-Fi book per month - I'm super excited!  Some possibilities I'm thinking about:

• Kindred by Octavia Butler (I meant to read this in 2011 but never got around to it!)
• The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
• Triptych by J.M. Frey
• Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson
• WE by John Dickinson
• Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang

and many many more!

I also signed up for Beth Fish Reads' What's in a Name 5 Challenge.  It's such a creative challenge!  The object is to read one book from each of the following categories:

• A book with a topographical feature (land formation) in the title: I'll probably read The Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson
• A book with something you'd see in the sky in the title: I'm thinking Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
• A book with a creepy crawly in the title: I'll likely read The Worm Ouroboros by E.R. Eddison
• A book with a type of house in the title: I'm think I might choose I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
• A book with something you'd carry in your pocket, purse, or backpack in the title: I'll probably read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
• A book with a something you'd find on a calendar in the title: I'm thinking Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day by Ben Loory

Additionally, I signed up for the Back to the Classics Challenge 2012 hosted by Sarah Reads Too Much!  This should be relatively easy for me to accomplish since my book club will be doing a round of classic books starting in February.

• Any 19th Century Classic
• Any 20th Century Classic
• Reread a classic of your choice
• A Classic Play - I might kill 2 birds with 1 stone and re-read some Shakespeare :)
• Classic Mystery/Horror/Crime Fiction
• Classic Romance
• Read a Classic that has been translated from its original language to your languange
• Classic Award Winner 
• Read a Classic set in a Country that you (realistically speaking) will not visit during your lifetime

And lastly, but definitely not least, I signed up for the Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2012 hosted by My Reader's Block.  I was already challenging myself to get some of the books on my shelves read - but hopefully this challenge will keep that a priority!  I'm going for the Pike's Peak level (12 books from my pile) - because with 4 challenges total (and my undying love of the library) this is realistically what I will get accomplished.

Phew!  That's all of them!  What challenges are you guys signed up for?

Bookish Christmas Gift Ideas

I know, I know...Thanksgiving isn't even here yet!  Buuut, I'm one of those people that mulls over gift choices for awhile before making my purchases...I love figuring out what gifts to give friends and family!  Here's a little bookish list that I thought might be helpful for those having gift-anxiety :)

First, I'll start off with some of my favorite books in recent years...I think any of these would make fantastic gifts!

For the wannabe foodie or homemaker:

I absolutely love this book...definitely the most frequently used cookbook in my arsenal.  The recipes are quick, easy, and soooo yummy!

Another option is Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook

For the men on your list:

My husband finished this book in record time!  His quick synopsis: a dystopian techie page-turner that's very 80s reminiscent.

More of a non-fiction reader or science/history buff?  How about this:

Or this

For the teen/tween or YA lover:

If they love The Hunger Games trilogy - Peeta quote coffee mug

For the bookish friend:

Quotable Beverage Coasters - $12.95 for a dozen

Five Vintage John Steinbeck novels

Shakespeare Classic Scenes Calendar

Book iphone/ipod charging dock

'Little Prince' quote print

Translation: "One cannot see well but with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eyes."

Notable Novelists card game over at FredFlare

Latest Review: Girls in White Dresses

Goodreads Summary:
Wry, hilarious, and utterly recognizable, Girls in White Dresses tells the story of three young women grappling with heartbreak and career change, family pressure and new love—all while suffering through an endless round of weddings and bridal showers.


Isabella, Mary, and Lauren are going to be bridesmaids in Kristi’s wedding. On Sunday after Sunday, at bridal shower after bridal shower, they coo over toasters, eat tiny sandwiches, and drink mimosas. They’re all happy for Kristi, but they do have the ups and downs of their own lives to cope with. Isabella is working at a mailing-list company, where she’s extremely successful, and wildly unhappy. Mary is in love with a man who may never love any woman as much as he loves his mother. And Lauren, a waitress at a midtown bar, finds herself drawn to a man she’s pretty sure she hates.

With blind dates and ski vacations, boozy lunches and family holidays, relationships lost to politics and relationships found in pet stores, Girls in White Dresses pulls us deep inside the circle of these friends, perfectly capturing the wild frustrations and soaring joys of modern life.

My thoughts:
I've seen a lot of ranting and raving over this one - which is why I picked it up from the library.  But honestly, my reaction was "meh."  It wasn't bad but it wasn't really great either.  The story is told in little vignettes about each of the many characters (delineated by chapter) which didn't allow me to truly feel for the characters.

If I'm giving my recommendation it would be this: it's a decent, sometimes funny read...but nothing mind-blowing.  It does illustrate realistic relationships...but, I don't know, it just wasn't all that compelling of a read for me.  I wish I had known this prior because then I would have put it later on my TBR list.  Recommended for hardcore chick-lit fans and/or folks that are interested in modern relationships of people in their 20s and 30s.

3/5 stars

Latest Review: The Language of Flowers

Goodreads Summary:
The Victorian language of flowers was used to express emotions: honeysuckle for devotion, azaleas for passion, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it has been more useful in communicating feelings like grief, mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now eighteen, Victoria has nowhere to go, and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. When her talent is discovered by a local florist, she discovers her gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But it takes meeting a mysterious vendor at the flower market for her to realise what's been missing in her own life, and as she starts to fall for him, she's forced to confront a painful secret from her past, and decide whether it's worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness. "The Language of Flowers" is a heartbreaking and redemptive novel about the meaning of flowers, the meaning of family, and the meaning of love.
 

My thoughts:
This easily makes my list of top books in 2011!  It is gorgeously written and filled with realistic and memorable characters.  I fell in love immediately with Victoria - her misunderstanding of human nature and her communication difficulties are oddly endearing.  I was rooting for her throughout all of her struggles to understand the world around her and find her place in it.  I read the second half of this book on the plane and couldn't prevent my eyes welling up with tears despite trying desperately not to look a fool in front of the other passengers and flight attendants.  While sniffling was inevitable, at least I managed not to let a sob escape (not an easy feat)! 

The inclusion of the Victorian language of flowers as a means of communication was another aspect that I really enjoyed - and my ARC included Victoria's dictionary of flower meanings which I just loved perusing.  The way in which Victoria's flowers impacted people almost reminded me of a floral version of Chocolat.  I heartily recommend The Language of Flowers to ALL readers - I can't believe this is Diffenbaugh's only fictional endeavor to date!

5/5 stars

*I received my advanced copy courtesy of the publisher