Double-Stacked Bookshelves

Bout of Books 14 kicked off today (I'm super excited!) and today is also the start of the mini-challenges!  There is still time to sign up for the reading challenge as well.  Simply go here ! Our first challenge is hosted by Between Library Shelves and is focused on travel...something else I totally love :)  Here are the rules for the challenge: List 3-6 books of fiction that take place in countries other than where you are currently residing.  Post on whatever media outlet you have access to and display your post as creatively as you feel inclined to.  Don't forget to link back to BLS! Here are my fictional travels... Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden...set in Japan  44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith...set in Scotland The House of Special Purpose by John Boyne...set in Russia Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier...set in the Netherlands The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian...set in Sy...

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine that allows bloggers to highlight releases they are eagerly awaiting. Here's what I've got my eye on: Title:  Lucky Us Author:  Amy Bloom Publication Date:  July 29, 2014 Page Count:  256 Summary via Goodreads "My father's wife died. My mother said we should drive down to his place and see what might be in it for us." So begins this remarkable novel by Amy Bloom, whose critically acclaimed Away was called "a literary triumph" by The New York Times. Brilliantly written, deeply moving, fantastically funny, Lucky Us introduces us to Eva and Iris. Disappointed by their families, Iris, the hopeful star, and Eva, the sidekick, journey across 1940s America in search of fame and fortune. Iris's ambitions take them from small-town Ohio to an unexpected and sensuous Hollywood, across the America of Reinvention in a stolen station wagon, to the jazz clubs and golden ma...

I always swore that I would never, Never, NEVER read Cecilia Ahern's novel PS, I Love You .  Why so adamant, you might ask.  Well, let me tell you in two simple words:  Hilary Swank.  I haven't picked this book up because of the movie (which I've yet to see) because I can't stand Hilary Swank for some odd reason.  It's strange.  I don't mind her in Freedom Writers or even in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the original), but for some inexplicable reason there is something about her that grates on my nerves.  It's the same way my friend Margaret feels about Julia Roberts, whom I like a lot.  And another aspect of the film that grates...she's NOT American!!!  Ugh.  Screw you, Hollywood! Anyway...while wandering through a bookstore in Portland, I came across a copy of PS that was not a movie promotion copy (I prefer the non-movie cover ones) and it was only two dollars.  And, being me, I caved and bought the damn thing.  I've loved...

We're halfway through the first week of the A-Z Challenge and it's going well.  Today is day five and it's dedicated to the letter E.  For me, E will always be associated with: Edinburgh, Scotland I remember the first time I saw the beautiful skyline of Edinburgh.  It was spring of 2007 and I was celebrating the end of a year-long teaching stint in Austria by taking a week long vacation to an English speaking country (or three) with my roommate, Lindsey.  After stopping in London for a few days, we boarded the train at King's Cross Station (the very place that Harry Potter departs for Hogwarts) and set out headed north along the coast.  It was an absolutely stunning train ride.  Then we arrived into Waverley Station and headed up to street level...and WOW! View of the Castle from Calton Hill (May 2007) Nothing really prepares you for the city that greets your eyes.  You can look at pictures, but they never do the actual place justice.  ...

This week's teaser is kind of ironic.  Mainly because I started reading it while on a boat out in the Pacific Ocean.  Thank God I didn't end up like Pi. "Dumb with pain and horror, I watched as Orange Juice thumped the hyena ineffectually and pulled at its hair while her throat was being squeezed by its jaws.  To the end she reminded me of us..."(164). The further I get into Yann Martel's Life of Pi , the more I want to sit and continue reading it.  Nearly done with it too.

With the new development of gadgets that allow you to access books with the simple touch of a button, the entire way that we read has shifted.  We now have the ability to carry around thousands of books in one single device.  While I like the convenience of this trend, I just can't jump on board.  For that reason, this edition of "Why I Love" is dedicated to the paperback book, otherwise known as my favorite book form/format . I am probably one of the few "literary-driven" people left who does not own an e-reader of any kind.  My sister (who doesn't read nearly as much as I do) got one for Christmas and, while I did enjoy playing around on it, I was so much more excited to receive an actual book.  One that I could grasp, physically flip through, and smell.  These are all traits that I cherish when I think about books or reading. I like to hold onto books (I carry one with me at all times and normally read multiple books at a time) and feel the weight t...

I quickly plowed through Suzanne Supplee's When Irish Guys are Smiling yesterday around midnight (finishing after getting back from an evening of drinks with a couple friends) and have to say that I was pleasantly surprised.  Having picked this book up at, of all places, the Dollar Tree (I found twelve such dollar gems there recently), I'm rather proud of my investment.  Even if it had sucked I would have only been out a dollar.  Nothing to break the bank!  Thankfully, it didn't suck. The book is technically a young reader (sometimes you need mindless, easy reads) and I was attracted to many aspects of the novel:  1) the cover art is attractive in a cartoon-y way.  2) the title reminds me of my first trip to Ireland with my good friend, Lindsey, in 2008.  3) it makes me reminisce over my time spent living in the UK (sigh...).  And 4)  I pretty much love anything set in Ireland or Scotland. Irish Guys is part of an ongoing series called S...