Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Literary Friday: Battlefield of the Mind


I am currently reading about the mind again. This time I chose Battlefield of the Mind. It's amazing to me how we can make ourselves believe a lie and it starts with our own minds. You have to be careful about what you let the mind think about.

You can make yourself happy or sad just with your own thoughts. Here are a few more books I have read about the mind.

One of my favorites is As A Man Thinketh by James Allen published in 1902. I have a vintage leather bound copy. The mind guides our footsteps as we progress along the pathway of life.




Art @ Home



Wednesday, September 30, 2015

I Love Anthropologie

 I was an ATL and had an opportunity to visit another one of my favorite stores Anthropologie. All the things a woman like me likes, books, home decor, clothing, and accessories. As you know I love to collect blue and white dinner ware, they have a more modern twist on it. They also had some books that I want to read. Alan Katz is an artist who does very simple paintings mostly of his wife. Humans of New York is a great blog, which has turned into a book, and you can never have too many decorating books "Absolutely Beautiful Things" I snapped a page so you could get a glimpse. Click on store pics for a better view.











Monday, November 3, 2014

Oh! So Many Books


Whenever I go into a store, library, or any place where the are a collection of books I want to read them all, look in them all. Reading has taken me to so many different places, era's, and worlds how can you not love reading.


Anthropology display



I buy books from everywhere and gladly have no problem looking in the free bins. My latest read came from the Dollar Store. I have collected several great reads for only a $1. The title was "A Cup of Friendship" by Deborah Rodriguez,   the story of a remarkable coffee shop in the heart of Afghanistan, and the men and women who meet there — thrown together by circumstance, bonded by secrets, and united in an extraordinary friendship.  I am so glad to be a woman in America, that's what this book made me feel the most. It's about friendship but it also deals with the harshness that the women of that country must live through.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Literary Friday: The Twelve

I am currently reading The Twelve by Justin Cronin the sequel to The Passage. So far it's not as scary as the first book in which vampires created by the government in an experiment to create a super soldier take over the world. I'm hoping it will get better.




Friday, September 20, 2013

Literary Friday: Currently Reading

 
Daily Candy A to Z- An Insider's Guide To The Sweet Life. I picked this book up because I loved the art work by Sujean Rim. The book is a guide to style, love, work, shopping and friendship. Daily living 101 with a few laughs thrown in.

I love Philippa Gregory's historical fiction. I recently read her book The White Princess in her "The Cousins War Series". I was delighted to watch how STARZ would interpret the story. Although they are staying true to the books I was disappointed that they felt it necessary to inject nudity into every episode. The story line is so good "WHY". I've been recording it so I can skip the nudity. If you are interested in reading her books in this series this is the order in which you should read them:
The Lady of the Rivers
The White Queen
The Red Queen
The Kingmaker's Daughter
The White Princess
The Last Rose (not yet released)
Since we moved I am really behind on my reading goal for this year. However I am determined to accomplish my goal.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Literary Friday

My current read is The Postmistress by Sarah Blake. It's okay but not a page turner. I picked this book because I liked the cover. I remember getting letters in the mail. I still have a collection in my scrapbook. One dates back to 1974 from my best friend Terri. I also have letters from my mother who past away when I was 21. It's funny how as you get older you see things in the letters you didn't see before. Current technology has stopped this form of communication. I can't remember the last time I received a letter.
To learn about this book watch this short video:


Friday, February 15, 2013

Literary Friday

I am currently reading another book by Alexander Smith McCall. It's the 5th book in his series of the 44 Scotland Street Novels. It's a tale of some of Scotland's most quirky and beloved characters, all set in the beautiful city of Edinburgh. I don't know what drew me to these books but I love to read them.
So far I am on track to reading 70 books for 2013. I just finished another Philippa Gregory book "The White Queen" part of her the Cousins Wars Series. I love reading series books. I guess because when its a good book you just don't want it to end. My daughter thinks I'm crazy because I read all 20 of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin Series. If you are not familiar with him he wrote Master and Commander. After I saw the movie with Russell Crowe I found out it was a book first and thus started my love.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Books Read 2012

Books Read 2012

Yeah I completed my goal of reading 65 books for 2012. Hopefully in 2013 I'll reach 70.
  • 67. The KJV Bible
  • 66. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
  • 65. The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory
  • 64. The Last Lecture by Randy Paush
  • 63. For One More Day by Mitch Albom
  • 62. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
  • 61. Crush by Gary Paulsen
  • 60. A Thousand Splendid Suns bt Khaled Housseini
  • 59. Brain Rules by John Medina
  • 58. Late Bloomers by Brendan Gill
  • 57. Switch by Chip Heath
  • 56. Your Money Counts by Howard Dayton
  • 55. Forks Over Knives the Cookbook by Del Sroufe
  • 54. Living Organizes by Sandra Felton
  • 53. 30 Lessons For Living by Karl Pillemer
  • 52. Room by Emma Donoghue
  • 51. Over My Dead Body by Kate Klise
  • 50. Amphigorey Also by Edward Gory
  • 49. 1,000 Artist Journal Pages by Dawn Sokol
  • 48. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
  • 47. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
  • 46. Birds of Prey by wilbur Smith
  • 45. The Lost Gate by Oscard Scott Card
  • 44. How Green was My Valley by Richard LLewellyn
  • 43. Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke
  • 42. Inkspell by Cornelia Funke
  • 41. Hope is Contagious by Ken Hutcherson
  • 40. The House That Cleans Itself by Mindy Starks Clark
  • 39. What the Most successful People Do Before Breakfast by Laura Vanderkam
  • 38. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
  • 37. How to Knit a Love Song by Rachael Herron
  • 36. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
  • 35. The Paradise Prophecy by Robert G. Brown
  • 34. Face of Betrayal by Lis Wiehl
  • 33. The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
  • 32. Life in Pause by K.E. Rodgers
  • 31. The Green Trap by Ben Bova
  • 30. Under Heaven by Guy Kay
  • 29. The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
  • 28. Monster by Frank Peretti
  • 27. Dear Photograph by Taylor Jones
  • 26. Moon Runner by Carolyn Marsden
  • 25.Once A Runner by Joh Parker
  • 24. Secrets of Eden by Chris Bohjalian
  • 23. The Ultimate Gift by Jim Stovall
  • 22. Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin
  • 21. Pharos by Alice Thompson
  • 20. A Movie and a book by David Wagner
  • 19. Curly Girl by Lorraine Massey
  • 18. Absolute Perfection of Crime by Tanguy Viel
  • 17. Chicken Justice by Steve Coffman
  • 16. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
  • 15. Wicked Autumn by G.M. Malliet
  • 14. Mama Said by Helen Watson
  • 13. Directions to Servants by Jonathan Swift
  • 12. Among the Missing by Morag Joss
  • 11. Black Monday by R. scott Reiss
  • 10. Before Versailles by Karleen Koen
  • 9. I'm Half Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley
  • 8. A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley
  • 7. Persuasion by Jane Austen
  • 6. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laura Rigler
  • 5. ThunderSnow by Cindy Borgne
  • 4. Definitely Not Mr.Darcy by Karen Doornebos
  • 3. It's Not Easy Being Green: And Other Things to Consider by Jim Henson
  • 2. The Glass Case: A Short Story by Kristin Hannah
  • 1. The Keeper: Short Story by Ted Dekkar

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

A Very Dry Read

Have you ever been drawn to read a book based on the cover? I must admit that this was such a book. It has been waiting for me to pick it up and indulge myself. So I did.
On May 3rd I finished 650 pages of dullness. You would think by page 200 something would tell you to stop but I kept waiting for something exciting to happen and it never did. FYI - I'm one of those people who hates to start a book and not finish it, so I did.
This story takes place during the 18th century England. The main character is Miss Eliza Farren, an actress born of no rank or connections, who try's to enter into the elite world of society by catching the ugliest and richest man in the House of Lords. FYI - I love stories that take place in historic England.
Actually the most interesting part was at the end which was the Author's Note. This story was based on facts but is a work of fiction. I always like to know where the author conceived the idea for their story.
Do 650 pages count as 1 book or 2? My sister thinks that I should count it as 2 books read. I on the other hand, no matter how many pages count it as 1, even when I read Lord of the Rings which was 1006 pages I only counted it as 1 book.
For the first time ever I am not on target for reading my 60+ books, I should be at 20 by now. Hopefully once school is out I can have more time and catch back up. I am almost finished with Mr. Toppit. of course it takes place in England,

Monday, March 28, 2011

Currently Reading & Devastation



I am currently reading 2 books Dear James and Prayers for Sale. Prayers for Sale has been more interesting so I've been reading it more. The story takes place in the high country of Colorado during the Great Depression. A young woman named Nit Spindle has suffered a great lost and comes to the house with a sign posting "Prayers for Sale." Hennie Comfort an eighty-six year old widow owns the house with the sign. She prays the prayer that Nit has requested and becomes interested in this young woman. They form a bond despite their age difference. Hennie shares stories about her life, hardships and secrets, I haven't finished it yet but I hope to finished it this week.
My beloved Books-a-Million is closing where I live. They lost the lease on the building. They do not have a new location or any idea if they are going to relocate. My husband and I were devastated. There is a Barnes & Noble here but its not an a convenient place. We have always been loyal to BAM. All of the store clerks know us, the barista's start our coffee when they see us get out of the car. I am really going to miss this store. Books and coffee, two loves of my life.



Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Goal Accomplish - 60 Books Read in 2010

Another Year has past and I accomplished my reading goal. My husband found a quote that I really like:
"A man who won't read is no different from a man who can't."
Books I Read in 2010
60. Holy Bible
59. Giovanni's Light by Phyllis Theroux
58. The Christmas Letters by Lee Smith
57. Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris
56. Lift by Kelly Corrigan
55. The Mitford Snowman by Jan Karon
54. Blockade Billy by Stephen King
53. Overcoming Speechlessness by Alice Walker
52. The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger
51. Unexpectedly Eighty by Judith Viorst
50. The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke
49. La's Orchestra Saves the World by Alexander McCall Smith
48. Black Monday by R. Scott Reiss
47. The Rose Labyrinth by Titania Hardie
46. Enchantment by Orson Scott Card
45.River Whispers by Glynn Marsh Alam
44. Kiss by Ted Dekker
43. White by Ted Dekker
42. Red by Ted Dekker
41. Black by Ted Dekker
40. Green By Ted Dekker
39. The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb
38. One Second After by William R. Forstchen
37. Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim
36. Spells by Aprilynne Pike
35. Green with Envy by Shira Boss
34. Lucy's Eyes and Margaret's Dragon by Giselle Potter
33. The people of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
32. The Dead and Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
31. Lord Sunday by Garth Nix
30. Wings by Aprilynne Pike
29. The Cross Gardener by Jason Wright
28.Pure Drivel by Steve Martin
27.This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer
26. The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
25.The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
24. The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
23. Alex Katz Paints Aada by Robert Storr
blockquote>22. The Essential Edward Hopper by Justin Spring
21. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
20. The Picture Of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde
19. D is for Dahl by Wendy Cooling
18. The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud
17. Wake Up Our Souls: A Celebration of African American Artisit by Tonya Bolden
16. The Mercy of Thin Air by Ronlyn Domingue
15. Homer & Langley by E.L. Doctorow
14. Little Bee by Chris Cleave
13. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
12. The Tale of the Unknown Island by Jose Saramango
11. Keys to the City by Joel Kostman
10. Beach Road by James Patterson
9. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
8. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
7. Books by Larry McMurtry
6. Last Light by Terri Blackstock
5. The City & The City by China Mieville
4. The Gold Bug by Edgar Allan Poe
3. The Legend of the Vila Della Luna by Jana Fayne Kolpen
2. The Goddess of Kitchen Avenue by Barbara Samuel
1. The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Books Read in 2009

My first book read for 2010. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society which I really enjoyed. I give it five stars. My goal is 60 books for this year.I never set goals as far as my art is concerned so I am setting one this year. My art goal is to paint at least 12 pictures. Here is my entire list for 2009 of books read, my goal was to read 55 books.
56. KJV Bible (entire read 2009)
55. Mrs. Sartoris by Elke Schmitter
54. The Fixer by Mary Kay Andrews
53. How to Have the Best Christmas Ever by Julia Foster
52. The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz
51. Relentless by Dean Koontz
50. The Fly Truffler by Gustaf Sobin
49. Twlilight Eyes by Dean Koontz
48. The End of the Alphabet by CS Richardson
47. Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Koran & Oscar and the Lady in Pink
46. Cold Water by Gwendoline Riley
45. A Dish Taken Cold by Anne Perry
44. Born to Run by Christopher McDougall
43. Christmas Lights by Christine Pisera Naman
42. Without Blood by Alessandro Baricco
41. The Book of Proper Names by Amelie Nothomb
40. the Two-Pound Tram by William Newton
39. Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons
38. The Apothecary's Daughter by Julie Klassen
37. Evenings at Five by Gail Godwin
36. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
35. The Sartorialist by Scott Schuman
34. The Piano Teacher by Janice K. Lee
33. Sam's Letter's to Jennifer by James Patterson
32. Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
31. 100 Cupboards
30. My Cousin Rachel by Daphe Du Maurier
29. Love, Lies, and Liquor by M.C. Beaton
28. The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
27. Abhorsen by Garth Nix (reread)
26. Lireal by Garth Nix (reread)
25. Lost and Found by Andrew Clements
24. Artist to artist by Eric Carle
23. Sabriel by Garth Nix (reread)
22. The Mark of the Angel by Nancy Huston
21. The House of Midnight by Lucie Whitehouse
20. Hula by Lisa Shea
19. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
18. Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella
17. The Serpent's Tale by Arianna Franklin
16. On Chisel Beach by Ian McEwen
15. The Three Incestuous Sisters by Audrey Niffenegger
14. The Shack by William P. Young
13. Icebound Land By John Flanagan
12. Midnight Sun (Rough draft) by Stephanie Meyer
11. Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
10. Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
9. New Moon by Stephanie Meyer
8. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
7. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (reread)
6. Inkspell by Cornelia Funke (reread)
5. The Other Queen by Philippa Gregrory
4. The Man in the Picture by Susan Hill
3. Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke
2. Enchantments by Linda Ferri
1. The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Painting in Progress

I was very excited about painting this new picture but then I had to refocus and finish my reading goal for 2009. So instead of painting I finished my last two books. Yeah! I didn't want to do what I did last year by not completing my goal. Although the book was over 500 pages, my sister said that I should count that as 2 books but that'a not my way of counting. Hopefully I can work on the painting some more before my vacation is over.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

IF: Punchline

The only true thing that I can see in my 4 daughters that is just like me is they all love to read books.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

50 Book Club Challenge 2007

I have accomplished my goal by reading 50 books for the year. I enjoyed most of them. To see my complete catalog of books click on the sidebar for Librarything. Books Read:
1. The Prydain Chronicles
2. The Black Cauldron
3. The Castle of Llyr
4. The Amulet of Samarkand
5. The Dream Bearer
6. 50 Self-Help Classics: 50 Inspirational Books to Transform Your Life, From Timeless Sages to Contemporary Gurus
7. Everyday Matters by Danny Gregory
8. Lirael by Garth Nix
9. Girl With A Pearl Earring by Tracey Chevalier
10. The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan
11. Dear Zoe by Phillip Beard
12. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
13. DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
14. Restoring Grace by Katie Fforde
15. Highland Fling by Katie Fforde
16. Rebecca's Tale by Sally Beauman
17. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordan by Stephen King
18. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
19. The Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
20. The High King by Lloyd Alexander
21. The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason
22. The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue
23. Use What You've Got by Barbara Corcoran
24. The Rebels of Ireland by Edward Rutherfurd
25. Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey
26. Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone by J.K. Rowling
27. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
28. Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
29. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
30. Start Late, Finish Rich by David Bach
31. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
32. Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez
33. Affluenza by John De Graaf
34. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
35. Sabriel by Garth Nix
36. The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
37. Lady Friday by Garth Nix
38. The Stranger by Albert Camus
39. The People of Sparks by Jeanne Duprau
40. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
41. Where I Want to Be by Adele Griffin
42. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
43. A Good Year by Peter Mayle
44. Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon
45. Fantastic Beast & Where To Find Them by Newt Scamander (Harry Potter)
46. Holy Bible published by Thomas Nelson
47. The Spiderwick Chronicles -The Field Guide by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black
48. The Spiderwick Chronicles - The Seeing Stone by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black
49. The Spiderwick Chronicles - Lucinda's Secret by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black
50. The Spiderwick Chronicles - The Ironwood Tree by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black
51. The Spiderwick Chronicles - The Wrath of Mulgarath by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black

Sunday, April 1, 2007

Just finished Rereading

Visit my Book catalog http://www.librarything.com/catalog/Fourborne I haven't been drawing although I thought I would have more time since its spring break here. I guess not beening at home changes my routine too much. It's my dad's birthday. April Fools! No it really is his birthday.