justin bieber

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading . Anyone can play along! Just do the following: Grab your current read Open to a random page Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS ! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Today's Teaser: Death is not a lover. Oh yes he is. Please don't do this. I'm sorry. I can't do it alone. Then don't. I can help you... -- The Road by Cormac McCarthy, pg. 57

Synopsis In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival. About the Author Since 1991, Suzanne Collins has been busy writing for children’s television. She has worked on the staffs of several Nickelodeon shows, including the Emmy-nominated hit Clarissa Explains it All and The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo. For preschool viewers, she penned multiple stories for the Emmy-nominated Little Bear and Oswald. She also co-wrote the critically acclaimed ...

Synopsis All's quiet in the small town of Holliswood, the television sets a-glow in every home. But not all is as perfect as it seems. A terrifying outlaw has just arrived in town, with the goal of throwing it into chaos—and filming the pandemonium for the fellas back home. Only one person can stop him and his thugs from destroying the city and everyone living there. Daniel X assembles an all-star team of his own creation, but not even he could imagine the enormity of this made-for-TV-villain's powers. See my review of Daniel X here . Synopsis Annie Laird is Juror 224. A sculptor with a career going nowhere. A single mother struggling to raise a son. A good citizen who has been summoned to what looks like a routine tour of civic duty. But the trial she is called to serve on is no ordinary trial. It is a mob trial, whose outcome has been meticulously orchestrated by a man of insidious power and deadly precision. A man who lives by the teachings of Lao Tsu ... whose magnetism is ...

Title of book(s) read since last update: The Hunger Games and The Postmistress, but neither has been completed. Number of books read since started: Reading the two above, and completed The Heretic Queen. So 3 have been read, but not completed. Pages read since last update: 160 Running total of pages read since started: 254 Amount of time spent reading since last update: 5 hours and 29 mins Running total of time spent reading since started:(keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!) 7 hours and 45 mins Mini-challenges completed: I don't know. Maybe 6 or 8? Prizes won: 0 Junk fuel ingested: Sour cream and onion chips and coke, half a root beer, various candies, Garlic Chicken pizza, apple crisp with a scoop of ice cream. Ugh. No wonder I feel terrible! As usual, I am amazed at how little I really read. 8 hours of reading in 24 hours? Not even 300 pages read? What's up with that? Next Read-a-Thon, maybe I should concentrate on quality rather than quantity-- real...

Well, we're in the final stretch, and this meme will be one of the last things I do before heading to bed. 1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Probably around hour 19. It was around 1-2 AM that it really hit me like a Mack truck. 2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? Hunger Games is a good one. 3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Nope. You guys did great! 4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? Good challenges, good prizes, great cheerleaders-- it's all good! 5. How many books did you read? Aw, I'm always a loser at this. I completed one that was almost finished when I started, and got halfway through another, and gained a little leeway in a third that I've been reading for a couple of weeks. 6. What were the names of the books you read? I finished The Heretic Queen, got halfway through Hunger Games, and read a couple of chapters in T...

It's 4:30 AM, and this is what I see as I look out from my recliner... TRAITORS!!!

We've been asked to share a memory of Dewey, who started the Read-a-Thon. Unfortunately I never had the opportunity to get to know Dewey, as I just got into blogging this year, but I did have the pleasure of joining in the last Read-a-Thon, which I understand was the first without Dewey. She seems to have been something of a pioneer in the book-blogging world, and we all get to benefit from her efforts and love of books. So here's to Dewey! Thank you, Dewey, for fueling the book blog world and starting something so profound that people want to carry on your efforts even after you are gone.

Well I've changed into my comfy PJs and moved to the recliner in the living room now. Simon is resting on the back of the chair, and the cat brush is waiting on chair arm for the inevitable visit from Fancy or Shotsie. The book pile, drinks and netbook sit to my side. A trash bag hangs within easy reach, along with bags of my fuel: candy and potato chips. And Nermal still sits at the ready, to assist in any way I may need. And I have a Garlic Chicken Pizza fresh out of the oven just waiting for me. Life is good!

Okay. Halfway there. Here is my halfway update meme: 1. What are you reading right now? I just read a chapter in The Postmistress, and now will be switching back over to The Hunger Games. 2. How many books have you read so far? I finished reading The Heretic Queen, which I started and had almost completed before the thon began. 3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? I've been looking forward to The Hunger Games for months, so I look forward to continuing with it in the second half. 4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day? Nope. Just made some trips to the store today for supplies of junk food. Otherwise it's all about me! (No kids or hubby to worry about, and the cats are perfectly happy with me reading.) 5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? I constantly interrupt myself. I don't know how to deal with me! 6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? That...

Well, I'm still not doing as well as I hoped. I am just terrible at staying focused. The older I get, the harder it is to do. Title of book(s) read since last update: I'm working on The Hunger Games, but haven't completed anything since the last update. Number of books read since started: 1 completed, currently reading The Hunger Games Pages read since last update: 51 Running total of pages read since started: 94 Amount of time spent reading since last update: 55 mins Running total of time spent reading since started:(keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!) 2 hr and 16 mins Mini-challenges completed: Probably 3 or 4 Prizes won: 0 Junk fuel ingested: Sour cream and onion chips and coke. Heading to the store now to stock up on candy. So, as usual, I'm not doing that well and may or may not reach my goals. But the good news is that I finished reading The Heretic Queen, which was a great book, and am now reading The Hunger Games and really enjoying it. An...

So here I am at hour 7, and I'm taking a few minutes to eat and post an update on my progress. Title of book(s) read since last update: The Heretic Queen Number of books read since started: 1 completed, currently reading The Hunger Games Pages read since last update: 43 Running total of pages read since started: 43 Amount of time spent reading since last update: 1 hr and 21 mins Running total of time spent reading since started:(keep track of this one to be eligible for a prize!) 1 hr and 21 mins Mini-challenges completed: uhhhh...3, I think? Prizes won: 0 Junk fuel ingested: Sour cream and onion chips and coke So I'm still spending way too much time blogging. Now that I've started reading The Hunger Games, I hope to spend more time reading and less blogging. See ya!

Bart's Bookshelf is hosting a challenge. Get 3-4 books off your shelf, and form a sentence from their titles. Post a pic. How'd I do?

Synopsis In ancient Egypt, a forgotten princess must overcome her family’s past and remake history. The winds of change are blowing through Thebes. A devastating palace fire has killed the Eighteenth Dynasty’s royal family–with the exception of Nefertari, the niece of the reviled former queen, Nefertiti. The girl’s deceased family has been branded as heretical, and no one in Egypt will speak their names. Nefertari is pushed aside, an unimportant princess left to run wild in the palace. But this changes when she is taken under the wing of the Pharaoh’s aunt, then brought to the Temple of Hathor, where she is educated in a manner befitting a future queen. Soon Nefertari catches the eye of the Crown Prince, and despite her family’s history, they fall in love and wish to marry. Yet all of Egypt opposes this union between the rising star of a new dynasty and the fading star of an old, heretical one. While political adversity sets the country on edge, Nefertari becomes the wife of Ramess...

OK. I still haven't started reading! I'm stuck in the same blogging loop I got stuck in last read-a-thon! I can't stop! Now I have assisted in getting the Read-a-Thon listed as a trend on Twitter. OK! So NOW I'm going to go feed the cats, and then try to finish The Heretic Queen. Only about 50 pages left to go! Enjoy everyone!

Here is a list of some giveaways going on in Blogworld*. Please note that new giveaways that were added this week are indented in Blockquotes: Chick with Books is giving away 2 copies of Breaking the Bank. Deadline is October 24. Readaholic is giving away 5 copies of Life After Genius. Deadline is October 24. Readaholic is giving away The Heretic's Daughter! Deadline is October 24. Drey's Library is giving away a bookmark and paperweight. Deadline is October 25. Recipe Lion is giving away a copy of the book Unforgettable Desserts. Deadline is October 25. Luxury Reading is giving away The Sound of Sleigh Bells. Deadline is October 26. A Sea of Books is giving away 2 copies of Traveling with Pomegranates. Deadline is October 26. So Many Precious Books, So Little Time is giving away a copy of The Queen's Mistake. Deadline is October 26. Libby's Library News is giving away 5 copies of Run for Your Life. Deadline is October 26. Bookin' with Bingo is giving away 3...

Welcome to the Read-a-thon everyone! How many of you out there are like me, and you just don't have anyone who "gets" this whole Read-a-Thon-thing? My Mom doesn't get how I can spend the day reading when there are floors to mop and yard work to be done! Okay. Here's the first mini-challenge: Where are you reading from today? I am starting out in bed, and will move later to the recliner in the living room. 3 facts about me … (1) I'm a slow reader (2) I'm easily distracted (3) I have 8 animals (5 cats, 1 lovebird and 2 turtles) that are doing everything they can to keep me from reading today! Well, okay, the turtles aren't doing much to distract me. They just want food and sun, and are very quiet about the whole thing! How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? I have 7 books in my pile, but I only expect to read 2-3 of them. Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or n...

It's time! The Read-a-Thon has begun, and I'm off! To the left is my official pool of books. I hope to get through one or two of them. (I am not a fast reader.) Additionally I have about 50 pages left to read in The Heretic Queen. I'll probably have to run out sometime today to get food or go to the grocery store. I didn't get stocked up on goodies beforehand. Otherwise I will try to stay committed to reading. Oh, and that is my mascot Nermal pictured above. He assisted me in the last Read-a-Thon. I figured he should help out this time, too. Have fun everyone!

I just wanted to mention that I am indeed joining in on the 24-Hour Read-a-Thon this weekend. I did my first read-a-thon in the Spring. I spent way too much time blogging and doing challenges last time, so I wound up only spending about 6-8 hours reading, even though I was up for about 20-22 hours. So this year I hope to read at least 12-15 hours. I don't know what I'll be reading, but I have a pool of books to choose from. I am almost done with The Heretic Queen, and have a couple hundred pages left in The Postmistress. So I'm sure I'll be reading them, but here is my book pool to choose from, depending on my mood: The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran The Postmistress by Sarah Blake City of the Dead by Brian Keene Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins The Road by Cormac McCarthy Confessions of an Ivy League Pornographer by Sam Benjamin Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz So bring on the fun!

An introduction through the first chapter: The Postmistress by Sarah Blake There were years after it happened, after I'd returned from the town and come back here to the busy blank of the city, when some comment would be tossed off about the Second World War and how it had gone-- some idiotic remark about clarity and purpose-- and I'd resist the urge to stub out my cigarette and bring the dinner party to a satisfying halt. But these days so many wars are being carried on in full view of all of us, and there is so much talk of pattern and intent (as if a war can be conducted like music), well, last night I couldn't help myself.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading . Anyone can play along! Just do the following: Grab your current read Open to a random page Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS ! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Today's Teaser: "Stop them!" Ramesses shouted angrily. His guards formed a tighter circle around us, but the people's chanting was quickly building to a feverish pitch. Even children, who didn't know what they were shouting, squinted into my face and yelled, "Another Heretic Queen!" -- The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran, page 156

We have our winners of the Testimony/Mrs. Meyer's giveaway: The winner of Testimony by Anita Shreve is... #25 Amy The winner of Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home is... #7 edmontonjb Congratulations to you both! I will be emailing you about the win, but you are welcome to email me your mailing address if I don't get to you first: nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com Thanks to all who entered! I have a contest going now for Mother of the Believers, but it is for my used copy-- not a new copy. Just wanted to clear that up, because I realized that I posted the giveaway this morning and forgot to mention that. Thanks everyone!

Synopsis Deep in the heart of seventh-century Arabia, a new prophet named Muhammad has arisen. As his message of enlightenment sweeps through Arabia and unifies the warring tribes, his young wife Aisha recounts Muhammad's astonishing transformation from prophet to warrior to statesman. But just after the moment of her husband's greatest triumph -- the conquest of the holy city of Mecca -- Muhammad falls ill and dies in Aisha's arms. A young widow, Aisha finds herself at the center of the new Muslim empire and becomes by turns a teacher, political leader, and warrior. GIVEAWAY : Win Mother of the Believers by Kamran Pasha. See my review here . ALERT!! I forgot to mention that this is for my "used" book. It is pretty gently read, but there is light wear and perhaps a curl on a corner or something. Rules (you knew there had to be some): You must be 18 years or older Open to US and Canada residents only To enter, just comment below. Be sure to leave your email addres...

Mailbox Monday is brought to us by The Printed Page . In my mailbox last week I got: America Libre from Raul Ramos y Sanchez Won from All About {n} How will today's immigration crisis shape our nation? This provocative novel set in the second decade of the 21st century poses a chillingly credible nightmare vision . . . a Hispanic liberation movement seeking to redraw the borders of the United States. After years of anti-immigrant backlash, anger seethes in the nation's teeming barrios. The crowded streets bristle with restless youth idled by a deep recession. When undercover detectives in San Antonio accidentally kill a young Latina bystander during a botched drug bust, riots erupt across the Southwest. As the inner-city violence escalates, Anglo vigilantes strike back with barrio shooting rampages. Exploiting the turmoil, a congressional demagogue succeeds in passing legislation that transforms the nation's Hispanic enclaves into walled-off Quarantine Zones. Amid the chao...

Looky, looky what came in the mail for me! According to the accompanying card, that is a coin from 2nd to 4th century AD! This was a wonderful gift from author Michelle Moran for hosting a giveaway for her books The Heretic Queen and Cleopatra's Daughter, and I couldn't be happier or more surprised to receive it. The 2nd to 4th centuries. 100-400 AD. The early days of Christianity. The days of Pliny the Younger and Ptolemy. Jonah is swallowed by the whale in this era. The days and decline of the Roman Empire. This coin is over 1500 years old! Can you wrap your mind around that? I love "old things". So you can imagine how excited I am to have a coin from the early days of the first millennium. A coin that just missed sharing the earth with Christ by a mere few hundred years. A coin that could have sat in the hand of Ptolemy, or shared the sea with Jonah. Maybe it was lost at sea after being newly minted, and was never touched by anyone but the minters and the salvager...

Love's Philosophy by Percy Bysshe Shelley The fountains mingle with the river, And the rivers with the ocean; The winds of heaven mix forever, With a sweet emotion; Nothing in the world is single; All things by a law divine In one another's being mingle:-- Why not I with thine? See! the mountains kiss high heaven, And the waves clasp one another; No sister flower would be forgiven If it disdained its brother; And the sunlight clasps the earth, And the moonbeams kiss the sea:-- What are all these kissings worth, If thou kiss not me?

I know, I know. I'm late to my own ball. Sorry about that! I've been working long hours at work this week, and haven't had much time for blogging. But we finally have our winner of the Cemetery Dance audiobook! And the winner is... Libby of Nea's Nuttiness and Libby's Library News ! Yeah, Libby! Congratulations, and I'll get this out to you next week. Thanks to everyone who entered to win. There is still another giveaway going on for your choice of Testimony or Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home. Plus I expect to have another giveaway posted tomorrow. Don't forget the 24-hour Read-a-thon next weekend! I've been looking forward to this since I joined in on the spring read-a-thon earlier this year. Who doesn't love an excuse to just lay around and read instead of cleaning the house or yardwork?!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading . Anyone can play along! Just do the following: Grab your current read Open to a random page Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS ! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Today's Teaser: The men around her were tense and quiet. She flicked on her flashlight and glanced down at her watch, noting the time and the sound of waiting all around her. Men breathing, a couple of coughs. A quiet with eyes and ears. An animal quiet. -- The Postmistress by Sarah Blake, page 37

The Juror by George Dawes Green Annie Laird is Juror 224. A sculptor with a career going nowhere. A single mother struggling to raise a son. A good citizen who has been summoned to what looks like a routine tour of civic duty. But the trial she is called to serve on is no ordinary trial. It is a mob trial, whose outcome has been meticulously orchestrated by a man of insidious power and deadly precision. A man who lives by the teachings of Lao Tsu ... whose magnetism is irresistible ... whose mind is as brilliant as it is twisted. He is known to some as the Teacher, and he's set his sights on Annie Laird. Pulled into the most chilling depths of the criminal underworld, Annie will be seduced by double-edged promises, stalked by the specter of terror, then, finally, driven to a shocking decision by the most basic motivation a woman can know. Graced with a rarely equaled mastery of style, peopled with a remarkable gallery of characters, and featuring one of the most compelling crimina...

Love Me Little, Love Me Long Author Anonymous Originally Printed in 1569 Love me little, love me long! Is the burden of my song: Love that is too hot and strong Burneth soon to waste. Still I would not have thee cold,-- Not too backward, nor too bold, Love that lasteth till 't is old Fadeth not in haste. Love me little, love me long! Is the burden of my song. If thou lovest me too much, 'T will not prove as true a touch; Love me little more than such,-- For I fear the end. I'm with little well content, And a little from thee sent Is enough, with true intent To be steadfast, friend. Say thou lovest me, while thou live I to thee my love will give, Never dreaming to deceive While that life endures; Nay, and after death, in sooth, I to thee will keep my truth, As now when in my May of youth: This my love assures. Constant love is moderate ever, And it will through life persevere; Give me that with true endeavor,-- I will it restore. A suit of endurance let it be, For all weathe...

Here is a list of some giveaways going on in Blogworld*. Please note that new giveaways that were added this week are indented in Blockquotes: Jeanne's Ramblings is giving away 5 copies of Beat the Reaper. Deadline is October 10. Radiant Light is giving away 5 copies of The Bible Salesman. Deadline is October 10. Radiant Light is giving away 5 copies of Beat the Reaper. Deadline is October 10. Books and Needlepoint is giving away 5 copies of Beat the Reaper. Tell 'em nfmgirl sent you! Deadline is October 11. Drey's Library is giving away 5 copies of Evenings at the Argentine Club. Deadline is October 12. Sumanam is giving away 5 copies of Lovely Bones. Deadline is October 12. Lori's Reading Corner is giving away Dying Scream. Deadline is October 12. Simply Stacie is giving away a copy of Circle of Souls. Deadline is October 15. My Own Little Corner of the World is giving away 5 copies of Beat the Reaper. Deadline is October 15. Cheli's Shelves is giving awa...

There was a Day by Day Armageddon blog tour, and I didn't know about it?! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Grrrr....

Synopsis Deep in the heart of seventh-century Arabia, a new prophet named Muhammad has arisen. As his message of enlightenment sweeps through Arabia and unifies the warring tribes, his young wife Aisha recounts Muhammad's astonishing transformation from prophet to warrior to statesman. But just after the moment of her husband's greatest triumph -- the conquest of the holy city of Mecca -- Muhammad falls ill and dies in Aisha's arms. A young widow, Aisha finds herself at the center of the new Muslim empire and becomes by turns a teacher, political leader, and warrior. Written in beautiful prose and meticulously researched, Mother of the Believer is the story of an extraordinary woman who was destined to help usher Islam into the world. My Thoughts I should have delved into this book sooner, as it is quite well-written and full of adventure and conflict, but I was intimidated by the size of the book and feared it may be too "heavy" for a summer read. My fears turned...

Daniel X: Watch the Skies by James Patterson All's quiet in the small town of Holliswood, the television sets a-glow in every home. But not all is as perfect as it seems. A terrifying outlaw has just arrived in town, with the goal of throwing it into chaos—and filming the pandemonium for the fellas back home. Only one person can stop him and his thugs from destroying the city and everyone living there. Daniel X assembles an all-star team of his own creation, but not even he could imagine the enormity of this made-for-TV-villain's powers. My Thoughts I didn't realize (not knowing that this was part of a series) that this was Young Adult until I started listening to it. But the second that I started listening to it, it became very clear very quick that this was geared towards teens. Daniel X is an alien hunter. He is something of a superhero from another planet, hunting down dangerous aliens that would bring harm to earth. He is assisted by a motley gang of cohorts that left...

Just a quick note to announce the winner of one of my favorite books this year! The winner of my ARC of Under This Unbroken Sky is... Stacey of Geekgirl Unveiled ! Congratulations, Stacey! I hope you love the book as much as I did! I'll be emailing you, and you'll have until Wednesday evening to get me your mailing address (assuming I get the email out tonight. If not, you'll have more time!) Thank you to all who entered, and don't forget that there are still giveaways listed on my right sidebar for an audiobook of Cemetery Dance, Testimony, and Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home. Thank you all!