Wondrous Words Wednesday

I ran across a couple new-to-me words this week. bosky- having an abundance of bushes, shrubs, or trees. "A big white swan full of little children approached my bench, then turned around a bosky islet covered with ducks and paddled back under the dark arch of the bridge." (pg. 137, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath) bifurcation- a forking, or division into two branches. "Harsh Marit was back from the dead, and her life was facing a bifurcation." (pg. 4, My Forbidden Desire by Carolyn Jewel) Play along at Bermudaonion's Weblog....
Read More

The Mystery of the Black Raven created by Gertrude Chandler Warner

The Mystery of the Black Raven (Boxcar Children Special #12) created by Gertrude Chandler Warner Description: The Boxcar Children are traveling to Skagway, Alaska, for the annual Four-Rock Miners' reunion. They're looking forward to a week of sightseeing and even panning for gold. But before the fun can begin, the soapstone raven and the scrapbook that grandfather is set to inherit for the year go missing. They're nothing but old souvenirs, so why would anyone want to take them? The Boxcar Children set out to find the raven's secret! My (brief) thoughts: I don't think Amber's ever going to get tired of the Boxcar Children Mysteries. I find them a little boring, but she enjoys them, so I read them with her. This one did have some interesting facts about Alaska and the Gold Rush, though. As usual, there were several suspects and clues and it was fun to try to guess who the thief actually was....
Read More

Teaser Tuesday

Grab your current read. Let the book fall open to a random page. Share with us two (2) "teaser" sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12. You also need to share the title of the book that you're getting your "teaser" from...that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given. Please avoid spoilers! My teaser: "The problem," he said without looking away from his knife, "is that with you wound up around the talisman like you are, you're going to need to pull in order to help keep you safe." He lifted his head, but only enough to see her.  -pg. 167, My Forbidden Desire by Carolyn Jewel Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Play along....
Read More

Musing Monday

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about award winning books… Do you feel compelled to read prize-winning (Giller/Booker/Pulitzer etc) books? Why, or why not? Is there, perhaps, one particular award that you favour? (courtesy of MizB) No, I don't search out prize-winning books, in general. I am in a book goup that has a "prize winner" category about twice a year, though, and I do usually read that selection. I don't really have a favorite prize, either.  Sometimes I think I should make more of an effort to read award winners, especially those that have won the Pulitzer Prize, but I never get around to actually doing it....
Read More

Mailbox Monday

Thanks to Marcia at The Printed Page for hosting Mailbox Monday. I always love it when there's a package waiting for me when I get home from work. This week there was one for Amber, too, and one I think David might like. Dead If I Do by Tate Hallaway I won this one at Lady Tink's. Thanks! Witch Garnet Lacey is ready to walk down the aisle with the super sexy vampire Sebastian. Besides the fact that he has no pulse, things couldn’t be more perfect. Until plans for the wedding start falling apart, and Sebastian’s zombie-slash-vampire-slash witch ex-lover decides that both of them should be six feet under. It’s just a matter of time before Garnet—who’s already sharing her body with a short-tempered goddess—morphs into Bridezilla. Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant The year is 1570, and in the convent of Santa Caterina, in the Italian city of Ferrara, noblewomen find space to pursue their lives under God’s protection. But any community, however smoothly run, suffers tremors...
Read More

Giveaways in Blogland

I thought I’d let you know some of the giveaways I ran across this week. If you have one you want added to next week’s list, let me know in the comments. As always, my current giveaways are listed on my sidebar. Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel (gently-read ARC), at Drey's Library (ends June 17) Secrets to Happiness by Sarah Dunn, at A Bookworm's World (ends July 8, US and Canada, no PO boxes) The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff, at A Novel Menagerie (ends June 19) Blogiversary Giveaway at Bermudaonion's Weblog (ends June 22, US and Canada, no PO boxes) Secrets to Happiness by Sarah Dunn, at Booking Mama (ends June 26, US and Canada) Jack with a Twist by Brenda Janowitz, at Drey's Library (ends June 18, US) A Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand, at Peeking Between the Pages (ends June 30, US and Canada, no PO boxes)...
Read More