What's not to love about bookmarks? They come in a vast array of styles and colors. They are another form of self expression, they keep your place in a book and they save any book from the crime of, GASP, dog earred pages (que Psycho music)!!
I use bookmarks diligently, really is anyone surprised? Yes, my bookmark use goes under the category of Ang's book quirks, cute not weird remember. I am not kidding when I say I still have bookmarks in very good condition from when I was in junior high. For those of you keeping count that was 20 years ago!! and yes, I do use them fairly regularly.
I love to find bookmarks that go with the content of my books. I read so many themed mystery series and finding the perfect bookmark to match the theme is really kind of fun. For instance, I read a few series that have a food theme, the cupcake bakery series, the coffeehouse series, a catering series etc. So for those books I have a bookmark with cupcakes on it. For my China Bayles herbal series I have a watering can bookthong. For my James Rollins action adventure reads I have a Davinci Code bookmark...you get the picture. It's gotten to where it actually bothers me if my bookmark doesn't fit the book (remember cute not weird!!) but I can't always find what I am looking for but I found a solution for my problem...
One of my other hobbies is needlecrafts, specifically cross stitch. I have found a wonderful book of bookmark patterns and I have every intention of making most of the bookmarks in that book. And the beauty of cross stitch creation is, I can always create my own if I can't find a pattern I like! The only problem is, to stitch the bookmarks I have to put down the book...dilemma!! I'll have to be sure to post pictures when I finally get one completed, until then...
Happy Reading!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
REVIEW: Grave Peril by Jim Butcher c2001
I don't read very many Sci-Fi books. A few of the mysteries I read walk the line of Sci-Fi but that's usually as close as I get to the genre. Of course,as with everything, there are exceptions to this. Like Lord of the Rings for example and as of right now Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series.
I first picked up this series because my husband used to watch the show on the Syfy channel and liked it so much it got him to actually read the first book (my husband is not much of a reader). Anyway, it was laying around and I was looking for something new so I tried it. I really enjoyed the first book of the series.
The series follows Harry Dresden, professional Wizard. The books could qualify as mysteries just as much as Sci-Fi as far as I'm concerned. Dresden battles creatures of all types. Pretty much think of any kind of spooky story or myth you've heard and the creatures are mentioned in Dresden's world. Book 1 dealt with "Black Magic", book 2 dealt with werewolves and with book 3 we get nasty ghosts and vampires as the main baddies.
While books 1 & 2 were very entertaining, in my opinion, book 3 was a bit of a let down. The story itself dragged a bit and I felt like it got bogged down in too many complicated details of the world Butcher is trying to create for all the paranormal beings. There were too many plot threads to follow in this book as well. The book introduced a storyline about Harry's godmother, a real Faerie, and some kind of deal she has for Harry's life. The story remains undisclosed, presumably to be dealt with later in the series. Another plotline includes the ghosts and something that is stirring them up. You believe this to be the main plotline until later when you realize it's all been a detail to add to the actual plotline which involves vampires and revenge. To understand what is happening, or better yet the why, you have to have read the first book in the series. Not a problem for me since you know that's one of my quirks (see I told you it makes sense!) but could cause some real confusion to a new reader.
Overall, I didn't enjoy this installment very much. It was just way too busy for my taste. I will continue on to the next book in the series to see if Butcher is able to rein it all back in but if it continues to be as chaotic as this book was I may have to shelve this series indefinitely.
2stars for this installment of the Dresden Files and fingers crossed that it is just a fluke and not a trend.
Happy Reading!
I first picked up this series because my husband used to watch the show on the Syfy channel and liked it so much it got him to actually read the first book (my husband is not much of a reader). Anyway, it was laying around and I was looking for something new so I tried it. I really enjoyed the first book of the series.
The series follows Harry Dresden, professional Wizard. The books could qualify as mysteries just as much as Sci-Fi as far as I'm concerned. Dresden battles creatures of all types. Pretty much think of any kind of spooky story or myth you've heard and the creatures are mentioned in Dresden's world. Book 1 dealt with "Black Magic", book 2 dealt with werewolves and with book 3 we get nasty ghosts and vampires as the main baddies.
While books 1 & 2 were very entertaining, in my opinion, book 3 was a bit of a let down. The story itself dragged a bit and I felt like it got bogged down in too many complicated details of the world Butcher is trying to create for all the paranormal beings. There were too many plot threads to follow in this book as well. The book introduced a storyline about Harry's godmother, a real Faerie, and some kind of deal she has for Harry's life. The story remains undisclosed, presumably to be dealt with later in the series. Another plotline includes the ghosts and something that is stirring them up. You believe this to be the main plotline until later when you realize it's all been a detail to add to the actual plotline which involves vampires and revenge. To understand what is happening, or better yet the why, you have to have read the first book in the series. Not a problem for me since you know that's one of my quirks (see I told you it makes sense!) but could cause some real confusion to a new reader.
Overall, I didn't enjoy this installment very much. It was just way too busy for my taste. I will continue on to the next book in the series to see if Butcher is able to rein it all back in but if it continues to be as chaotic as this book was I may have to shelve this series indefinitely.
2stars for this installment of the Dresden Files and fingers crossed that it is just a fluke and not a trend.
Happy Reading!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
REVIEW: Murder Makes Waves by Anne George c1997
Let me start by saying I love Anne George! This series has quickly become one of my all time favorites and the knowledge that she left us with only eight to enjoy saddens me greatly.
This is the 4th installment of the series and is just as good as the previous entries. Mouse and Sister are at it again, bumbling into murder and mayhem and griping at each other all of the way. The sisters relationship is so beautifully written in these books it makes me wish my sister and I were as perfectly suited. This time the girls are off for a weekend get-a-way in the Florida panhandle. The sisters are accompanied by Mouse's daughter Haley and friend Frances. It was great to get a closer look at these two characters as well. The mystery is a good one that kept me guessing through most of the book. I can't wait to read the next installment!
I will give this one a 4 1/2 star rating only because I liked the first few a little better. I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for a few laughs and some southern charm with their murder.
Happy Reading!
This is the 4th installment of the series and is just as good as the previous entries. Mouse and Sister are at it again, bumbling into murder and mayhem and griping at each other all of the way. The sisters relationship is so beautifully written in these books it makes me wish my sister and I were as perfectly suited. This time the girls are off for a weekend get-a-way in the Florida panhandle. The sisters are accompanied by Mouse's daughter Haley and friend Frances. It was great to get a closer look at these two characters as well. The mystery is a good one that kept me guessing through most of the book. I can't wait to read the next installment!
I will give this one a 4 1/2 star rating only because I liked the first few a little better. I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for a few laughs and some southern charm with their murder.
Happy Reading!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
The joy of finding a new book store!
My idea of a great time is spending an hour or more in my favorite bookstore scanning the shelves looking for old favorites and new discoveries. It's hard to describe the rush I get when I discover a hardcover of a book I want on the bargain rack for half price or less. Or the joy I feel when a favorite author has a new book published. This is my escape. This is my sanctuary from the hectic bustle of motherhood, marriage, career and hormones.
The closest bookstore to my home is a Barnes and Noble. I love B&N but I have come to realize that their selection is becoming more and more narrow as the years go by. I'm sure this has to do with technology and the advent of those e-reader things but I have watched my local B&N pare down my beloved mystery section once and noticed that they are no longer restocking as many backlists of older authors. I wish that I lived in an area that had all kinds of cute specialty bookstores but, as much as it may seem like it, this is not NYC. So I have come to rely on used bookstores and online swapping to fuel my need for backlisted titles of older authors. There is one used bookstore that is about half an hour from my home and has been there for years. It's housed in an old house and when I say that it is crammed full of books I am not exaggerating. You can barely move in this place, God help you if you meet another customer on an isle. It's like a mexican standoff, which one of you is going to abandon their pursuits and leave the isle to allow the other person room to look. But it's the best there is in the area and I've been stuck with it for years...until now.
I recently discovered a new used bookstore! Oh joy of joy's! And this one has two and a half isles devoted to mysteries!! And it's organized! And it doesn't feel like one false move and you will be buried alive by books! And it doesn't penalize you for trading in hardcover or oversized books like the other store does! And it has that great old book smell without the faint mix of cat urine and mold! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! (ok last "!" I swear!) I am patiently abiding my time building up a bag of used books that aren't moving on the online swap site and waiting for the word from my mother, who always shares these used bookstore trips with me, and then I am so there to peruse a whole new set of shelves and musty old books. This one even has a decent kids area so I may even let my son tag along. Is there anything quite like finding a new book shopping experience?
Happy Reading!
The closest bookstore to my home is a Barnes and Noble. I love B&N but I have come to realize that their selection is becoming more and more narrow as the years go by. I'm sure this has to do with technology and the advent of those e-reader things but I have watched my local B&N pare down my beloved mystery section once and noticed that they are no longer restocking as many backlists of older authors. I wish that I lived in an area that had all kinds of cute specialty bookstores but, as much as it may seem like it, this is not NYC. So I have come to rely on used bookstores and online swapping to fuel my need for backlisted titles of older authors. There is one used bookstore that is about half an hour from my home and has been there for years. It's housed in an old house and when I say that it is crammed full of books I am not exaggerating. You can barely move in this place, God help you if you meet another customer on an isle. It's like a mexican standoff, which one of you is going to abandon their pursuits and leave the isle to allow the other person room to look. But it's the best there is in the area and I've been stuck with it for years...until now.
I recently discovered a new used bookstore! Oh joy of joy's! And this one has two and a half isles devoted to mysteries!! And it's organized! And it doesn't feel like one false move and you will be buried alive by books! And it doesn't penalize you for trading in hardcover or oversized books like the other store does! And it has that great old book smell without the faint mix of cat urine and mold! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! (ok last "!" I swear!) I am patiently abiding my time building up a bag of used books that aren't moving on the online swap site and waiting for the word from my mother, who always shares these used bookstore trips with me, and then I am so there to peruse a whole new set of shelves and musty old books. This one even has a decent kids area so I may even let my son tag along. Is there anything quite like finding a new book shopping experience?
Happy Reading!
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